bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Safety and efficacy of Gamma Knife radiosurgery in hypothalamic hamartomas with severe epilepsies: A prospective trial in 48 patients and review of the literature
Authors: Régis Jean , Lagmari Medhi , Carron Romain , Hayashi Motohiro , McGonigal Aileen , Daquin Géraldine , Villeneuve Nathalie , Laguitton Virginie , Bartolomei Fabrice , Chauvel Patrick
Published: June 2017

Epilepsies associated with hypothalamic hamartomas (HHs) are frequently drug resistant with severe psychiatric and cognitive comorbidities. We performed a prospective trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKS). Between October 1999 and October 2007, a total of 57 patients were investigated, included and treated by GKS in Timone University Hospital. Preoperative workup and 3‐year postoperative evaluation consisted of seizure diary, neuropsychological, psychiatric, endocrinologic, visual field, and visual acuity examinations. Follow‐up of >3 years was available for 48 patients. Topologic type was type I in 11 patients, type II in 15, type III in 17, type IV in one, type V in one, type VI in one, and mixed type in 2. The median marginal dose was 17 Gy (min 14 and max 25 Gy). The median target volume was 398 mm3(28–1,600 mm3). Due to partial results, 28 patients (58.3%) required a second treatment. The median follow‐up was 71 months (36–153 months). At last follow‐up, the rate of Engel class I outcome was 39.6%, Engel class II was 29.2% (I+II 68.8%), and Engel class III was 20%. Global psychiatric comorbidity was considered cured in 28%, improved in 56%, stable in 8%, and continued to worsen in 8%. No permanent neurologic side effect was reported (in particular, no memory deficit). Nondisabling transient poikilothermia was observed in three patients (6.2%). A transient increase of seizure frequency was reported in 8 patients (16.6%) with a median duration of 30 days (9–90 days). Microsurgery was proposed because of insufficient efficacy of GKS in seven patients (14.5%) with a postoperative Engel class I–II in 28.6%. This prospective trial demonstrates very good long‐term safety and efficacy of GKS for 2 patients. Beyond seizure reduction, the improvement of psychiatric and cognitive comorbidities along with better school performance and social functioning, being better socially integrated, having friends having a social life, working, participating to group activities turn out to be major benefits of GKS in this group of patients with frequently catastrophic epilepsy.
Hypothalamic hamartoma: Epileptogenesis beyond the lesion?
Authors: Scholly Julia , Staack Anke Maren , Kahane Philippe , Scavarda Didier , Régis Jean , Hirsch Edouard , Bartolomei Fabrice
Published: June 2017

The discovery of intrinsic epileptogenicity of the hypothalamic hamartoma (HH) marked a new area in understanding the associated clinical syndrome, often manifesting as progressive epileptic encephalopathy. However, therapeutic procedures targeting theHHproved to be inefficient to cure seizures in up to 50% of cases, whereas in cases with partial improvement, the electroclinical patterns of persisting seizures suggest an involvement of distant cortical regions. The concept of kindling‐like secondary epileptogenesis has been suggested as a possible underlying mechanism. Yet the role of the hypothalamic lesion in the pathophysiology of the syndrome remains debatable. In the Strasbourg‐Kork series, the best outcomes were obtained when the duration of epilepsy before endoscopicHHsurgery did not exceed 10 years. In two patients withHHablation followed at a later time by a temporal lobectomy, only this second surgical step allowed complete seizure freedom. These findings suggest the existence of an independent, third stage of secondary epileptogenesis in human. In the Grenoble series, stereotactic intracerebral recordings (stereo electroencephalography [SEEG]) of fiveHHcases demonstrated that gelastic/dacrystic seizures were correlated with discharges within theHH,whereas other seizure types were related to discharges affecting cortical regions, which sometimes seemed to be triggered byHH. In the Marseille series, two cases explored bySEEGprovided evidence of extended epileptogenicity outside the limits of theHH, forming complex epileptogenic networks, withHHstill triggering clusters of neocortical seizures in the first, but not obligatory involved in spontaneous seizures in the second case. Taken together, our data argue for the existence of dynamic ictal network organization, with possible “kindling‐like” relationships between theHHand the neocortex or widespread epileptogenesis. Despite the existence of secondary epileptogenesis, the epileptogenic zone could still be limited to the hamartoma, for which early surgical treatment should be pragmatically considered as a first surgical step.
Beta diversity of plants, birds and butterflies is closely associated with climate and habitat structure
Authors: Zellweger Florian , Roth Tobias , Bugmann Harald , Bollmann Kurt
Published: June 2017

Aim

The aim was to investigate the relationship between climate, topography and soil pH, as well as vegetation structure and the beta diversity of plants, butterflies and birds; and to investigate the correlations of (woody) plant beta diversity with animal beta diversity.

Location

Switzerland (central Europe).

Methods

We used pairwise Sørensen dissimilarity as measure of total beta diversity and partitioned it into its turnover and nestedness components. Variation partitioning was used to assess the independent and cumulative effects of environmental predictors, with vegetation structure being derived from airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. We also checked for independent effects of plant and woody plant beta diversity on butterfly and bird beta diversity, respectively, and for independent effects of spatial distance on beta diversity.

Results

Climate emerged as the strongest statistical predictor of beta diversity across taxonomic groups, with large independent effects on species turnover. Climate effects were most pronounced for plants, followed by butterflies and birds. We also found large independent effects of vegetation structure on total beta diversity and its turnover component across taxonomic groups, particularly for birds. Plant and woody plant beta diversity substantially improved the predictions of butterfly and bird beta diversity, respectively. Spatial distance had hardly any independent effect on beta diversity.

Main conclusions

Climate is a stronger filter for plant communities than for butterfly and bird communities, which are more affected by vegetation structure, probably owing to associated resources and niches. Vegetation structure is a crucial predictor of beta diversity, and therefore contiguous and detailed 3‐D habitat structure data are highly relevant to further our understanding of niche‐based community assembly. Plant and animal beta diversity appear to be non‐independent, suggesting that differences in the response times of interacting taxa should be accounted for in environmental change impact assessments on biodiversity.
Characterization of a “low‐risk” cohort of grade group 2 prostate cancer patients: Results from the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital database
Authors: McGinley Kathleen F , Sun Xizi , Howard Lauren E , Aronson William J , Terris Martha K , Kane Christopher J , Amling Christopher L , Cooperberg Matthew R , Freedland Stephen J
Published: June 2017

Objectives

To examine if there is a subset of men with grade group 2 prostate cancer who could be potential candidates for active surveillance.

Methods

We used the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital database to identify 776 men undergoing radical prostatectomy from 2006 to 2015 with >8 biopsy cores obtained and complete information. We compared men who fulfilled low‐risk disease criteria (clinical stage T1c/T2a; grade group 1; prostate‐specific antigen ≤10 ng/mL) with the exception of grade group 2 versus men who met all three low‐risk criteria. Logistic regression was used to test the association between grade group and radical prostatectomy pathological features. Biochemical recurrence was examined using Cox models. To examine whether there was a subset of men with low‐volume grade group 2 with comparable outcomes to low‐risk men, we repeated all analyses limiting the percentage of positive cores in the grade group 2 group to ≤33%, and positive cores to ≤4, ≤3 or ≤2.

Results

Grade group 2 low‐risk men had increased risk of pathological grade group 3 or higher (P < 0.001), extraprostatic extension (P < 0.001), seminal vesicle invasion (P < 0.001) and higher risk of biochemical recurrence (hazard ratio = 1.76, P = 0.006). Using increasingly strict definitions of low‐volume disease, at ≤2 positive cores there was no difference in adverse pathology between groups (all P > 0.2), except higher pathological grade group (P = 0.006). Biochemical recurrence was similar in men in grade group 1 and grade group 2 (hazard ratio = 1.24; P = 0.529).

Conclusions

Among men with prostate‐specific antigen ≤10 ng/mL and clinical stage T1c/T2a, those in grade group 2 with ≤2 total positive cores have similar rates of adverse pathology and biochemical recurrence as men with grade group 1.
Perioperative management of new oral anticoagulants in patients undergoing elective surgery at a tertiary hospital
Authors: Wamala Henry , Scott Ian A. , Caney Xenia
Published: June 2017

Background

Increasing numbers of patients receiving new oral anticoagulants (NOAC) are undergoing elective surgery. The extent to which perioperative interruption of NOAC therapy and use of bridging heparin are concordant with best evidence is uncertain.

Aims

To determine: (i) concordance of NOAC and bridging heparin use with guidelines; and (ii) associations between guideline concordance and patient characteristics, surgical factors and perioperative adverse events.

Methods

Retrospective study of consecutive adult patients undergoing elective surgery at a tertiary hospital between 1 January 2014 and 30 June 2015 and were receiving NOAC for at least 3 months prior to surgery. Concordance of perioperative anticoagulation management with hospital guidelines was rated by two independent researchers according to explicit thrombosis and bleeding risk tables.

Results

One hundred and fifty patients of mean (±SD) age 72.0 (±11.6) years were studied; 75% had atrial fibrillation as NOAC indication. Decision to interrupt anticoagulation in 142 patients was rated guideline‐concordant in 59 (41.5%) based on low bleeding risk in all cases and high thrombotic risk in one‐third. Concordant decisions were associated with past myocardial infarction (P = 0.009), chronic kidney disease (P = 0.05), use of dabigatran (P = 0.06) and major surgery (P < 0.001). Bridging heparin was prescribed in 51 (35.9%) patients and not prescribed in 91 (64.1%), with 64 (45.1%) decisions rated guideline‐discordant comprising 27 decisions to prescribe and 37 not to prescribe. Guideline concordant bridging was associated with chronic kidney disease (P = 0.02); discordant bridging with use of dabigatran (P = 0.04), high thrombotic risk (P = 0.004), past ischaemic stroke (P = 0.07). At 30 days, only one adverse event (major bleed) was noted.

Conclusion

Considerable discordance exists between guideline recommendations and perioperative NOAC management. Assistive tools are required that better align decision‐making with current best practice.
Introduction of a drug‐detection dog programme in mental health inpatient units: A mixed‐methods study of consumer, staff, and carers' perceptions
Authors: McEvedy Samantha M. , Furness Trentham , McKenna Brian
Published: June 2017

Many consumers admitted to mental health inpatient units also use illicit drugs, and some continue to do so while receiving treatment. In an attempt to curb the impact of illicit drug use, one of Australia's largest mental health services introduced a programme of drug‐detection dog (DDD) searches. Our aim was to evaluate perceptions of the DDD programme among mental health consumers, staff, and carers. A mixed‐methods research design using a concurrent triangulation approach was adopted, involving three focus group discussions with consumer, staff, and carer groups, and a structured survey among 94 consumers who were receiving treatment and 102 staff working in the units at the time of a DDD visit. Data were analysed using thematic analysis, and descriptive and inferential statistics. Major themes were that: (i) drug use in these units is perceived as ‘prevalent’ and ‘destructive’; (ii) the DDD programme is ‘beneficial’ but ‘incongruous’ in a health‐care setting; (iii) consumers are ‘uninformed’; and (iv) consequences should be ‘customized’ to circumstances. Survey results corroborated qualitative themes, with the exception that although concerns about incongruity do exist, they were not prevalent and were outweighed by positive perceptions of the programme. Most perceptions were consistent between consumers and staff. However, consumers tended to think that, if found, drugs should be confiscated, whereas staff were more strongly in favour of the consumer being discharged. In conclusion, the DDD programme was seen as a positive step towards addressing drug use in mental health units. However, improved dissemination of information to consumers through verbal and written communication is required.
Firefighter learning at a distance – a longitudinal study
Authors: Holmgren R. , Haake U. , Söderström T.
Published: June 2017

This article presents a summary analysis of a 5‐year study on the implementation of a technology‐supported distance firefighter training programme in Sweden, focused on the firefighter students' learning processes regarding challenges, contradictions and changes that occurred during the implementation period. With activity theory as the theoretical basis, three data collections were carried out. The analysis, based on interviews with firefighter students and instructors as well as observation logbooks and educational documents, identified two phases, an implementation phase and a dissemination phase. The implementation phase is characterized by the distance students developing a self‐directed and goal‐oriented learning, supported by the revised and technology‐supported training design. During the dissemination phase, when many technology‐inexperienced instructors become involved in the distance programme, a number of challenges and contradictions are identified, which, however, turn out to be a driving force for the students to develop alternative learning strategies. Finally, vocational distance training is discussed in terms of potential opportunities for developing vocational students' learning processes.
Possible involvement of chemokine C‐C receptor 7−programmed cell death‐1+ follicular helper T‐cell subset in the pathogenesis of autoimmune hepatitis
Authors: Kimura Naruhiro , Yamagiwa Satoshi , Sugano Tomoyuki , Setsu Toru , Tominaga Kentaro , Kamimura Hiroteru , Takamura Masaaki , Terai Shuji
Published: June 2017

Background and Aim

Recent studies have demonstrated that B cells and follicular helper T (Tfh) cells, which are central regulators of humoral immune response, contribute to the development and progression of autoimmune diseases. Because Tfh cells can be divided into several subsets with distinct functional properties, this study aimed to examine the roles of different subsets of circulating Tfh cells in the immune pathogenesis of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH).

Methods

Thirty‐five patients with AIH, 28 patients with primary biliary cholangitis, 22 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and 44 health controls (HC) were enrolled. The frequencies of different Tfh subsets in the blood and liver were examined by flow cytometry and immunohistochemical staining. The function of circulating Tfh subsets was examined after in vitro stimulation.

Results

In newly diagnosed AIH patients, the frequency of circulating chemokine C‐C receptor 7−programmed cell death‐1+ Tfh subset was significantly increased compared with that in CHB patients and HC, significantly correlated with clinical parameters, including serum IgG, prothrombin time and albumin levels, and significantly decreased after corticosteroid treatment. In the liver of AIH patients, the frequencies of activated Tfh subsets were significantly increased and positively correlated with those in the blood. Moreover, the ability to produce interleukin‐21 and interleukin‐17 from circulating Tfh cells was significantly increased in AIH patients compared with HC.

Conclusions

These results significantly extend our understanding of Tfh subsets in AIH and suggest a potential role of dysregulated chemokine C‐C receptor 7−programmed cell death‐1+ Tfh subset in the pathogenesis and disease progression of AIH.
Sacrifice for Nothing: The Movement of Kenosis in Jan Patočka's Thought
Authors: Koci Martin
Published: June 2017

This article focuses on the idea of sacrifice in the work of the Czech phenomenologist Jan Patočka. It presents and examines this philosopher from a theological perspective against the background of the theological turn in contemporary philosophy. First, the article focuses on Patočka's reflections on the kenotic sacrifice, which he defines as the sacrifice for nothing. Second, Patočka's thought is put into dialog with Jean‐Luc Marion's phenomenological sketch of sacrifice embedded in his phenomenology of the gift. Although both Patočka and Marion share an interest in sacrifice, a phenomenon of high theological importance, only the latter enjoys reception on the part of theology. Yet, the article argues, on the basis of further inquiry into Patočka's writings, Patočka presents a complementary and alternative perspective that not only precedes the theological turn but also challenges and opens new ways for theology. The conclusion thus portrays a kenotic form of Christianity after the end of Christianity, drawn from Patočka, as a specific spiritual being‐in‐the‐world.
Educational needs of nurses to provide genetic services in prenatal care: A cross‐sectional study from Turkey
Authors: Seven Memnun , Eroglu Kafiye , Akyüz Aygül , Ingvoldstad Charlotta
Published: June 2017

The latest advances in genetics/genomics have significantly impacted prenatal screening and diagnostic tests. This cross‐sectional descriptive study was conducted in inpatient and outpatient obstetric clinics in 24 hospitals in Turkey to determine knowledge of genetics related to prenatal care and the educational needs of perinatal nurses. A total of 116 nurses working in these clinics agreed to participate. The results included the level of knowledge among nurses was not affected by sociodemographic factors. Also, there is a lack of knowledge and interest in genetics among prenatal nurses and in clinical practice to provide education and counseling related to genetics in prenatal settings as a part of prenatal care.
How Service Offerings and Operational Maturity Influence the Viability of Health Information Exchanges
Authors: Khuntia Jiban , Mithas Sunil , Agarwal Ritu
Published: June 2017

Health information exchanges (HIEs) are new organizational forms in the United States that facilitate digital exchange of health data across participants. Many believe that these multi‐sided digital platforms will become key enablers of the digital transformation of healthcare in the United States. However, like other entrepreneurial ventures, HIEs face challenges to achieve operational maturity and financial viability. Entrepreneurial ventures often fail to attain financial viability due to the initial design of the business model and the inability to evolve the model over time. We focus on the influence of service offerings, revenue models, and their evolution on the viability of HIEs. Using a unique archival dataset constructed from surveys of HIEs in the United States from 2008 to 2010, we find that providing an extensive service bundle may lead to higher operational maturity with the HIE's increasing age, but this may deter the HIE's potential to achieve financial viability. The findings also show that the influence of service offerings on financial viability is mediated by operational maturity. Qualitative evidence corroborates these findings and suggests that HIEs need to move from providing a set of foundational services to offering more advanced services as they evolve and that they need to appropriately bundle the services using transaction‐, subscription‐ or mixed‐fee models. We discuss how these findings contribute to research at the intersection of operations management and information systems and offer important implications for HIEs with regard to crafting and evolving appropriate service offerings and revenue models.
Validity and reliability of Abbreviated Mental Test Score (AMTS) among older Iranian
Authors: Foroughan Mahshid , Wahlund Lars‐Olof , Jafari Zahra , Rahgozar Mehdi , Farahani Ida G. , Rashedi Vahid
Published: June 2017

Background

Cognitive impairment is common among older people and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of the Persian version of the Abbreviated Mental Test Score (AMTS) as a screening tool for dementia.

Methods

Data were obtained from a cross‐sectional study. One hundred and one older adults who were members of Iranian Alzheimer Association and 101 of their siblings were entered into this study by convenient sampling. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, criteria for diagnosing dementia and the Mini‐Mental State Examination were used as the study tools. The gathered data were analyzed by the Mann–Whitney U‐test, the Kruskal–Wallis test, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, and the receiver–operating characteristic.

Results

The AMTS could successfully differentiate the dementia group from the non‐dementia group. Scores were significantly correlated with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders diagnosis for dementia and Mini‐Mental State Examination scores (P < 0.001). Educational level (P < 0.001) and male sex (P = 0.015) were positively associated with AMTS, whereas (P < 0.001) was negatively associated with AMTS. Total Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.90. The scores 6 and 7 showed the optimum balance between sensitivity (99% and 94%, respectively) and specificity (85% and 86%, respectively).

Conclusions

The Persian version of the AMTS is a valid cognitive assessment tool for older Iranian adults and can be used for dementia screening in Iran.
Assessment of HNA alloimmunisation risk in Northeastern Thais, Burmese and Karen
Authors: Simtong P. , Puapairoj C. , Leelayuwat C. , Santoso S. , Romphruk A. V.
Published: June 2017

SUMMARY

Objectives

This study aimed to determine human neutrophil antigen (HNA) frequency, estimate possible HNA incompatibilities and predict the risk of HNA alloimmunisation in the Northeastern Thai, Burmese and Karen populations.

Background

Alloantibodies against HNA are implicated in a number of clinical conditions, including immune‐mediated neutropenia and transfusion reactions.

Methods

A total of 400 unrelated healthy Thais, 261 Burmese and 249 Karen was included in this study. DNA samples were typed for HNA‐1, ‐3, ‐4 and ‐5 systems using polymerase chain reactions with sequence‐specific primers (PCR‐SSP).

Results

In this cohort, HNA‐1a was more prevalent than HNA‐1b. Accordingly, the possible risk of HNA‐1a alloimmunisation against HNA‐1a is lower than HNA‐1b (0·0802–0·1351 vs 0·2293–0·2497). This is in contrast to the situation reported in Caucasian and African populations. The predicted risk of HNA‐3 incompatibility in Thais, Burmese and Karen were 28·09%, 30·66% and 22·77%, respectively. The possible risks of HNA‐3a alloimmunisation were 0·0493 in Thais, 0·0608 in Burmese and 0·0196 in Karen, respectively. No individuals were found to be homozygous for HNA‐4bb. The probability of developing alloantibodies against HNA‐4a was low in these populations and every population in Asia. In contrast, the overall frequency of HNA‐5bb homozygous individuals was high in this study, peaking at 0·192.

Conclusions

This is the first study that reported the allele frequencies of HNA‐1, ‐3, ‐4, and ‐5 in a large sample of healthy unrelated individuals from ethnic Thais, Burmese and Karen. Our results indicated the high possible risk of HNA‐1, ‐3 and ‐5 alloimmunisation in these populations.
Residual risk of transmission of human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus infections by blood transfusion in northern Brazil
Authors: Vieira Priscilla Cristina Moura , Lamarão Letícia Martins , Amaral Carlos Eduardo de Melo , Corrêa Angelita Silva de Miranda , de Lima Maria Salete Maciel , Barile Katarine Antônia dos Santos , de Almeida Karine Lisboa Damasceno , Sortica Vinicius de Albuquerque , Kayath André Salim , Burbano Rommel Mario Rodríguez
Published: June 2017

BACKGROUND

Nucleic acid test (NAT) blood screening for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) was introduced in northern Brazil in July 2012. There are several Brazilian articles that have evaluated transfusion transmission risks for HIV and HCV. However, to our knowledge, this article is the first to evaluate the impact of HIV and HCV NAT implementation for blood screening in northern Brazil. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and incidence rates of HIV and HCV among blood donors and to compare the residual risk of transfusion transmission of these infections, before (2009‐2011) and after (2012‐2014) NAT implementation.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

HIV and HCV prevalence and incidence were calculated based on rates of confirmed positive samples. Residual risk estimates were based on the incidence and window model described previously. Logistic and Poisson regressions were used in the statistical analysis. A p value of not more than 0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS

HIV and HCV prevalence were 209.9 and 66.3 per 100,000 donations, respectively. Residual risk for HIV and HCV decreased significantly throughout the two study periods, mainly for HCV in which the reduction was one in 169,492 to one in 769,231 donations. For HIV, the decrease was one in 107,527 to one in 769,231 donations. HIV and HCV incidence rates were 21.13 and 3.06 per 100,000 persons/year before NAT and 14.03 and 2.65 per 100,000 persons/year after NAT.

CONCLUSION

The HIV and HCV NAT implementation significantly increased the transfusion safety in northern Brazil, bringing benefits to recipients due to better quality of blood products produced.
Prevention of intestinal parasites in a tri‐border area of Latin America: Children perceptions and an integral health education strategy
Authors: Rivero M. R. , Salas M. M. , Valente R. , Nores M. J. , De Angelo C. , Arrabal J. , Costa S. , Salomón O. D.
Published: June 2017

To investigate knowledge of school‐aged children and their perception on intestinal parasites, and to assess knowledge reconstruction on prevention practices after specific training in the subject. We performed an activity package that included the analysis of children's drawings of intestinal parasites, and information and communication technologies (ITCs) to transfer knowledge about these pathogens and prevention measures. Retrieval learning activities were performed to fixation of general and specific prevention and control measures.Overall, we found that there is a knowledge gap in many aspects of parasite biology and ecology, and therefore on the risk of infection and acquisition mechanisms. After ITCs, the children improved their knowledge over non‐trained children.The approaches used to transfer knowledge and for learning, fixation were valuable tools for incorporating changes in misconceptions and in the deep‐rooted habits that favour entero‐parasitic diseases. This has important implications for the specific design of future education materials and campaigns. Understanding of perceptions helps to provide justifications and knowledge to achieve changes in unhealthy habits, and it constitutes the basis for the transformation of many risky practices.
pH-dependent lipid vesicle interactions with plasma polymerized thin films
Authors: Askew Hannah J. , Charnley Mirren , Jarvis Karyn L. , McArthur Sally L.
Published: June 2017

Model lipid vesicle and supported lipid bilayer (SLB) systems are used in a variety of applications including biosensing, cell membrane mimics, and drug delivery. Exposure of a surface to a vesicle solution provides a straightforward method for creating such systems via vesicle adsorption and collapse. However, this process is complex and the relationship between the surface physicochemical properties and vesicle collapse is poorly understood. Plasma polymers are thin conformal films that can be applied to a variety of materials to modify surface properties. This paper uses quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) to explore lipid vesicle interactions with plasma polymerized acrylic acid (ppAAc), allylamine (ppAAm), and ppAAc/ppAAm micropatterns. Vesicle interactions were dependent on plasma polymer chemistry and pH of the buffer solution. Vesicles readily and stably adsorbed to ppAAm over a wide pH range. ppAAc demonstrated limited interactions at pH 7 and vesicle adsorption at pH 4. Vesicle collapse and SLB formation could be induced using a pH change. FRAP was used to explore the fluidity of the lipid structures on both the patterned and unpatterned plasma polymer films. On ppAAm/ppAAc micropatterns, pH transitions combined with the presence of chemically distinct regions on the same substrate enabled immobile lipid islands on ppAAc to be surrounded by fluid lipid regions on ppAAm. This work demonstrates that plasma polymer films could enable spatially controlled vesicle adsorption and SLB formation on a wide variety of different substrates.
Deformation and breakup of a confined droplet in shear flows with power-law rheology
Authors: Wang Ningning , Liu Haihu , Zhang Chuhua
Published: June 2017

In this paper, a multiple-relaxation-time color-gradient lattice Boltzmann model is used to simulate the deformation and breakup of a confined droplet in a simple shear flow with power-law rheology. This model is demonstrated to be accurate in simulating power-law fluids with a broad range of power-law indices. Through a preliminary study, we find that the non-Newtonian rheology of the matrix fluid has a more significant effect on the droplet deformation than that of the droplet. Compared to the Newtonian case, the non-Newtonian rheology is found to strengthen the droplet deformation in the shear-thickening matrix fluid but weaken the deformation in the shear-thinning matrix fluid. The extent of droplet deformation increases with increasing power-law index, and the rate of increase is more rapid near the smallest and largest indices considered than for intermediate values. We then systematically investigate the influence of the capillary number, geometrical confinement, and viscosity ratio on the deformation of a Newtonian droplet in power-law matrix fluids. The non-Newtonian effect on droplet deformation increases with increasing the capillary number or the wall confinement. In all the matrix fluids considered, the viscosity ratio noticeably affects the droplet deformation only when the capillary number is not less than 0.15, and the maximum deformation occurs at the viscosity ratio of unity for a constant capillary number. Finally, the critical capillary number, above which the droplet breakup occurs, is investigated for various confinement ratios in three different power-law matrix fluids. As the confinement ratio increases, the critical capillary number exhibits an overall increasing trend in the shear-thinning matrix fluid and an overall decreasing trend in the shear-thickening matrix fluid, both distinct from that in Newtonian case where the critical capillary number first decreases and then increases. The mode of droplet breakup is found to depend on the confinement ratio and the power-law index of the matrix fluid, and a high confinement ratio or a low power-law index favors the ternary breakup. The present study can provide useful suggestions and guidance for precise control of droplet behavior in microfluidic applications where non-Newtonian rheology is often encountered.
Reversal phenomena of molten immiscible polymer blends during creep-recovery in shear
Authors: Pan Yamin , Liu Xianhu , Kaschta Joachim , Liu Chuntai , Schubert Dirk W.
Published: June 2017

In this work, the creep-recovery behavior of immiscible poly (styrene)/poly (methyl methacrylate) blends and their pure components in the molten state were systematically investigated. A stationary plateau in the recoverable compliance of pure components is observed. Unexpectedly, for immiscible polymer blends, the recoverable compliances show different phenomena. For blends with a fine co-continuous morphology, the recoverable compliances exhibit a one-reversal phenomenon, whereas a two-reversal phenomenon is found in the blends with a sea-island morphology. Moreover, these reversal behaviors become less pronounced with decreasing temperature, increasing creep stress, increasing annealing time, or incorporation of nanoparticles. Three competitive effects, i.e., the recovery of oriented polymer matrix, the interfacial tension which drives the deformed droplets to their equilibrium shape, and the phase coarsening process, are used here to explain the different behaviors.
Portuguese Football Coaches’ Role in Facilitating Positive Development Within High Performance Contexts: Is Positive Development Relevant?
Authors: Santos Fernando , Corte-Real Nuno , Regueiras Leonor , Strachan Leisha , Dias Cláudia , Fonseca António
Published: June 2017

Over the last decades positive development (PD) has served as a framework for several investigations within the sport science community. In fact, multiple researchers have analyzed youth coaches’ role in PD. However, there is recent interest in exploring high performance coaching due to the complexity of the coaching practice, the different developmental needs presented by players, and the relevance of PD within this particular environment. The purpose of this study was to understand the perspectives of Portuguese football coaches about the importance of PD in high performance coaching. The participants in the study were ten male Portuguese football coaches who trained athletes between the ages of 16 and 39 years of age. Findings showed that coaches viewed winning and on field performance as top priorities in their coaching philosophy, but recognized the importance of PD. Coaches also envisioned the determinant role youth coaches have in this domain. Coaches conceptualized PD as an overarching framework that could be used across the developmental spectrum to convey a range of PD outcomes in high performance contexts such as teamwork, respect for others and transfer to other life domains. Moving forward, coach education courses should help coaches develop strategies to foster PD.
Differences in herbivore damage toArctium minusin open and forest habitats in its non-native range
Authors: Lee Yoonsoo , Kotanen Peter M.
Published: June 2017

Exotic plants do not always escape enemies in new areas; instead, they may be damaged by co-invading non-native enemies or by enemies recruited from native species. However, even when such enemies exist in an invader’s new range, escape may still be possible if particular habitats offer low-damage refuges. In this study, herbivory on the non-native common burdock (Arctium minus (Hill) Bernh.) were compared between open and understory habitats, with high and low sunlight exposure respectively, on five sites in Ontario, Canada. Open-habitat populations showed relatively reduced herbivore damage; this may be due to herbivores occurring less abundantly in open habitats or burdock expressing greater defences in open sites. These results emphasize that enemy release is not an absolute effect, but can depend on an individual’s habitat. As well, they suggest herbivory potentially may help to confine burdock primarily to open habitats.
Modelling the factors influencing ontogenetic dietary shifts in stream-dwelling brown trout (Salmo trutta)
Authors: Sánchez-Hernández Javier , Cobo Fernando
Published: June 2017

Biotic and abiotic variables shape ontogenetic trajectories of animals. This study modelled (i) the body length related timing of the ontogenetic switch from aquatic to surface prey and (ii) the impacts of habitat characteristics, prey availability, and fish densities on the relative contribution of surface prey to the overall diet of native brown trout (Salmo trutta). We used individual-based models of dietary data for 170 fish (length range 48–343 mm). There was a high degree of individual variation in the use of surface prey, but logistic regression suggested that the shift from aquatic to surface prey was established at a body length of 81 mm (range 36–127 mm). Results of linear mixed-effects models highlighted the importance of fish length, benthic invertebrates, brown trout density, and water current velocity to the switch to surface prey by riverine brown trout, with fish length being the most influential variable. Our study provides evidence of the importance of ontogeny (intrinsic features of individuals linked to fish length) and individual differences in feeding behaviour to understand water-column use for feeding by stream-dwelling salmonids.
Phase–space noncommutativity and the thermodynamics of the Landau system
Authors: Halder Aslam , Gangopadhyay Sunandan
Published: June 2017

Thermodynamics of the Landau system in noncommutative phase–space (NCPS) has been studied in this paper. The analysis involves the use of generalized Bopp-shift transformations to map the noncommutative (NC) system to its commutative equivalent system. The partition function of the system is computed and from this, the magnetization and the susceptibility of the Landau system are obtained. The results reveal that the magnetization and the susceptibility get modified by both the spatial and momentum NC parameters [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. We then investigate the de Hass–van Alphen effect in NCPS. Here, the oscillation of the magnetization and the susceptibility get corrected by both the spatial and momentum NC parameters [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text].
Collaborations between CpG sites in DNA methylation
Authors: Song You , Ren Honglei , Lei Jinzhi
Published: June 2017

DNA methylation patterns have profound impacts on genome stability, gene expression and development. The molecular base of DNA methylation patterns has long been focused at single CpG sites level. Here, we construct a kinetic model of DNA methylation with collaborations between CpG sites, from which a correlation function was established based on experimental data. The function consists of three parts that suggest three possible sources of the correlation: movement of enzymes along DNA, collaboration between DNA methylation and nucleosome modification, and global enzyme concentrations within a cell. Moreover, the collaboration strength between DNA methylation and nucleosome modification is universal for mouse early embryo cells. The obtained correlation function provides insightful understanding for the mechanisms of inheritance of DNA methylation patterns.
IDF for Word N-grams
Authors: Shirakawa Masumi , Hara Takahiro , Nishio Shojiro
Published: June 2017

Inverse Document Frequency (IDF) is widely accepted term weighting scheme whose robustness is supported by many theoretical justifications. However, applying IDF to word N-grams (or simply N-grams) of any length without relying on heuristics has remained a challenging issue. This article describes a theoretical extension of IDF to handle N-grams. First, we elucidate the theoretical relationship between IDF and information distance, a universal metric defined by the Kolmogorov complexity. Based on our understanding of this relationship, we propose N-gram IDF, a new IDF family that gives fair weights to words and phrases of any length. Based only on the magnitude relation of N-gram IDF weights, dominant N-grams among overlapping N-grams can be determined. We also propose an efficient method to compute the N-gram IDF weights of all N-grams by leveraging the enhanced suffix array and wavelet tree. Because the exact computation of N-gram IDF provably requires significant computational cost, we modify it to a fast approximation method that can estimate weight errors analytically and maintain application-level performance. Empirical evaluations with unsupervised/supervised key term extraction and web search query segmentation with various experimental settings demonstrate the robustness and language-independent nature of the proposed N-gram IDF.
From the Editor's Desk
Authors: Hundhausen C. D.
Published: June 2017

During my first full year as editor-in-chief of ACM
Transations on Computing Education
(TOCE), the editorial board and I took the following four steps to improve the journal's ability to serve the growing community of computing education researchers: (1) We streamlined the peer review process, (2) we established a new partnership with the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education Conference, (c) we transitioned to a double-blind review process, and (4) we recruited guest editors for two new special issues that address timely research topics. In this editorial, I present key statistics on TOCE's review process and submissions during the 2016 calendar year, discuss and reflect on the positive steps we took to improve the journal during 2016, and describe steps we will consider in the coming year in order to ensure that ACM TOCE continues on its positive trajectory. These include forging additional partnerships with professional conferences, altering the review criteria to make the journal more welcoming to a broader range of research, especially within the K-12 space, and developing a set of evidence standards for research published in the journal.
Observing Interstellar and Intergalactic Magnetic Fields
Authors: Han J.L.
Published: June 2017

Observational results of interstellar and intergalactic magnetic fields are reviewed, including the fields in supernova remnants and loops, interstellar filaments and clouds, Hii regions and bubbles, the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, galaxy clusters, and the cosmic web. A variety of approaches are used to investigate these fields. The orientations of magnetic fields in interstellar filaments and molecular clouds are traced by polarized thermal dust emission and starlight polarization. The field strengths and directions along the line of sight in dense clouds and cores are measured by Zeeman splitting of emission or absorption lines. The large-scale magnetic fields in the Milky Way have been best probed by Faraday rotation measures of a large number of pulsars and extragalactic radio sources. The coherent Galactic magnetic fields are found to follow the spiral arms and have their direction reversals in arms and interarm regions in the disk. The azimuthal fields in the halo reverse their directions below and above the Galactic plane. The orientations of organized magnetic fields in nearby galaxies have been observed through polarized synchrotron emission. Magnetic fields in the intracluster medium have been indicated by diffuse radio halos, polarized radio relics, and Faraday rotations of embedded radio galaxies and background sources. Sparse evidence for very weak magnetic fields in the cosmic web is the detection of the faint radio bridge between the Coma cluster and A1367. Future observations should aim at the 3D tomography of the large-scale coherent magnetic fields in our Galaxy and nearby galaxies, a better description of intracluster field properties, and firm detections of intergalactic magnetic fields in the cosmic web.
Characterization of the transport activity of SGLT2/MAP17, the renal low-affinity Na+-glucose cotransporter
Authors: Coady Michael J. , Wallendorff Bernadette , Lapointe Jean-Yves
Published: June 2017

The cotransporter SGLT2 is responsible for 90% of renal glucose reabsorption, and we recently showed that MAP17 appears to work as a required β-subunit. We report in the present study a detailed functional characterization of human SGLT2 in coexpression with human MAP17 in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Addition of external glucose generates a large inward current in the presence of Na, confirming an electrogenic transport mechanism. At a membrane potential of −50 mV, SGLT2 affinity constants for glucose and Na are 3.4 ± 0.4 and 18 ± 6 mM, respectively. The change in the reversal potential of the cotransport current as a function of external glucose concentration clearly confirms a 1:1 Na-to-glucose transport stoichiometry. SGLT2 is selective for glucose and α-methylglucose but also transports, to a lesser extent, galactose and 3- O-methylglucose. SGLT2 can be inhibited in a competitive manner by phlorizin ( Ki = 31 ± 4 nM) and by dapagliflozin ( Ki = 0.75 ± 0.3 nM). Similarly to SGLT1, SGLT2 can be activated by Na, Li, and protons. Pre-steady-state currents for SGLT2 do exist but are small in amplitude and relatively fast (a time constant of ~2 ms). The leak current defined as the phlorizin-sensitive current in the absence of substrate was extremely small in the case of SGLT2. In summary, in comparison with SGLT1, SGLT2 has a lower affinity for glucose, a transport stoichiometry of 1:1, very small pre-steady-state and leak currents, a 10-fold higher affinity for phlorizin, and an affinity for dapagliflozin in the subnanomolar range.
SIFT Based Vein Recognition Models: Analysis and Improvement
Authors: Wang Guoqing , Wang Jun
Published: June 2017

Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) is being investigated more and more to realize a less-constrained hand vein recognition system. Contrast enhancement (CE), compensating for deficient dynamic range aspects, is a must for SIFT based framework to improve the performance. However, evidence of negative influence on SIFT matching brought by CE is analysed by our experiments. We bring evidence that the number of extracted keypoints resulting by gradient based detectors increases greatly with different CE methods, while on the other hand the matching result of extracted invariant descriptors is negatively influenced in terms of Precision-Recall (PR) and Equal Error Rate (EER). Rigorous experiments with state-of-the-art and other CE adopted in published SIFT based hand vein recognition system demonstrate the influence. What is more, an improved SIFT model by importing the kernel of RootSIFT and Mirror Match Strategy into a unified framework is proposed to make use of the positive keypoints change and make up for the negative influence brought by CE.