bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measurements of Intrahost Viral Diversity Are Extremely Sensitive to Systematic Errors in Variant Calling
Authors: McCrone John T. , Lauring Adam S.
Published: May 2016

With next-generation sequencing technologies, it is now feasible to efficiently sequence patient-derived virus populations at a depth of coverage sufficient to detect rare variants. However, each sequencing platform has characteristic error profiles, and sample collection, target amplification, and library preparation are additional processes whereby errors are introduced and propagated. Many studies account for these errors by using
ad hoc
quality thresholds and/or previously published statistical algorithms. Despite common usage, the majority of these approaches have not been validated under conditions that characterize many studies of intrahost diversity. Here, we use defined populations of influenza virus to mimic the diversity and titer typically found in patient-derived samples. We identified single-nucleotide variants using two commonly employed variant callers, DeepSNV and LoFreq. We found that the accuracy of these variant callers was lower than expected and exquisitely sensitive to the input titer. Small reductions in specificity had a significant impact on the number of minority variants identified and subsequent measures of diversity. We were able to increase the specificity of DeepSNV to >99.95% by applying an empirically validated set of quality thresholds. When applied to a set of influenza virus samples from a household-based cohort study, these changes resulted in a 10-fold reduction in measurements of viral diversity. We have made our sequence data and analysis code available so that others may improve on our work and use our data set to benchmark their own bioinformatics pipelines. Our work demonstrates that inadequate quality control and validation can lead to significant overestimation of intrahost diversity.

IMPORTANCE
Advances in sequencing technology have made it feasible to sequence patient-derived viral samples at a level sufficient for detection of rare mutations. These high-throughput, cost-effective methods are revolutionizing the study of within-host viral diversity. However, the techniques are error prone, and the methods commonly used to control for these errors have not been validated under the conditions that characterize patient-derived samples. Here, we show that these conditions affect measurements of viral diversity. We found that the accuracy of previously benchmarked analysis pipelines was greatly reduced under patient-derived conditions. By carefully validating our sequencing analysis using known control samples, we were able to identify biases in our method and to improve our accuracy to acceptable levels. Application of our modified pipeline to a set of influenza virus samples from a cohort study provided a realistic picture of intrahost diversity and suggested the need for rigorous quality control in such studies.
A New Receiver Front-End for Simultaneous Dual-Frequency NMR Applications
Authors: Ghasemi Mir Majid , Frounchi Javad , Dehkhoda Fahimeh
Published: May 2016

To obtain certain information such as metabolic concentrations in neural or muscular tissues and other applications, it is necessary to design nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) transmitters/receivers capable of operating at multiple frequencies, while maintaining a good performance at each frequencies. We have proposed a new NMR receiver front-end for simultaneous detection of proton and carbon nucleus. The system consists of two reception coils for carbon and hydrogen analysis, a multiband low-noise amplifier (LNA) for increasing the voltage level and a network for passive amplification, noise figure minimization and decreasing mutuality effect between two coils. The proposed coil set was designed, simulated and analyzed and also the signal to noise ratio (SNR) with quality factor have been calculated for it by simulation. The LNA has been designed in a 0.18[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m CMOS technology and its gains for carbon and proton NMR signals are 45 and 48[Formula: see text]dB, respectively. The input referred noise for both signals is lower than 0.4[Formula: see text]nV/sqrt(Hz) and the power consumption is 4 mA from a single 1.8[Formula: see text]V supply.
Low Power Aging-Aware On-Chip Memory Structure Design by Duty Cycle Balancing
Authors: Wang Shuai , Jin Tao , Zheng Chuanlei , Duan Guangshan
Published: May 2016

The degradation of CMOS devices over the lifetime can cause severe threat to the system performance and reliability at deep submicron semiconductor technologies. The negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) is among the most important sources of the aging mechanisms. Applying the traditional guardbanding technique to address the decreased speed of devices is too costly. On-chip memory structures, such as register files and on-chip caches, suffer a very high NBTI stress. In this paper, we propose the aging-aware design to combat the NBTI-induced aging in integer register files, data caches and instruction caches in high-performance microprocessors. The proposed aging-aware design can mitigate the negative aging effects by balancing the duty cycle ratio of the internal bits in on-chip memory structures. Besides the aging problem, the power consumption is also one of the most prominent issues in microprocessor design. Therefore, we further propose to apply the low power schemes to different memory structures under aging-aware design. The proposed low power aging-aware design can also achieve a significant power reduction, which will further reduce the temperature and NBTI degradation of the on-chip memory structures. Our experimental results show that our aging-aware design can effectively reduce the NBTI stress with 30.8%, 64.5% and 72.0% power saving for the integer register file, data cache and instruction cache, respectively.
A Master–Slave Control Method for Dexterous Hands with Shaking Elimination Strategy
Authors: Yang Wenzhen , Wu Xinli , Yu Shiguang
Published: May 2016

With the limitations of the artificial intelligence, automatic control and sensor technologies, the dexterous hand in unstructured environments to achieve fully autonomous operations is still very difficult. This paper proposed a master–slave control method for dexterous hands with the combination of the data glove and the micro-stepper motor. The hardware of this method included CyberGloveII device, personal computer (PC), integrated control board (ICB), and YWZ dexterous hand (a multi-fingered robot hand with 20 active degrees of freedom (DOFs)). By the CyberGloveII device, we gained human finger joints motion data in real-time firstly, which were preprocessed by a shaking elimination algorithm to ensure the motion stability of the dexterous hand. Then, the motion data were mapped to the dexterous hand joints, respectively. A communication protocol was designed to transfer the motion data between the PC and the ICB. The motion data were transmitted into the ICB through a serial interface driving the corresponding dexterous hand joints. The experimental results showed that this method is feasible, can achieve the open-loop control of dexterous hands, and has excellent movement accuracy, real-time and stability.
Upconversion nanoparticle as a theranostic agent for tumor imaging and therapy
Authors: Fang Wenkai , Wei Yanchun
Published: May 2016

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) as a promising material are widely studied due to their unique optical properties. The material can be excited by long wavelength light and emit visible wavelength light through multiphoton absorption. This property makes the particles highly attractive candidates for bioimaging and therapy application. This review aims at summarizing the synthesis and modification of UCNPs, especially the applications of UCNPs as a theranostic agent for tumor imaging and therapy. The biocompatibility and toxicity of UCNPs are also further discussed. Finally, we discuss the challenges and opportunities in the development of UCNP-based nanoplatforms for tumor imaging and therapy.
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niche in Health and Disease
Authors: Hoggatt Jonathan , Kfoury Youmna , Scadden David T.
Published: May 2016

Regulation of stem cells in adult tissues is a key determinant of how well an organism can respond to the stresses of physiological challenge and disease. This is particularly true of the hematopoietic system, where demands on host defenses can call for an acute increase in cell production. Hematopoietic stem cells receive the regulatory signals for cell production in adult mammals in the bone marrow, a tissue with higher-order architectural and functional organization than previously appreciated. Here, we review the data defining particular structural components and heterologous cells in the bone marrow that participate in hematopoietic stem cell function. Further, we explore the case for stromal-hematopoietic cell interactions contributing to neoplastic myeloid disease. As the hematopoietic regulatory networks in the bone marrow are revealed, it is anticipated that strategies will emerge for how to enhance or inhibit production of specific blood cells. In that way, the control of hematopoiesis will enter the domain of therapies to modulate broad aspects of hematopoiesis, both normal and malignant.
Model Error in Filtering Random Compressible Flows Utilizing Noisy Lagrangian Tracers
Authors: Chen Nan , Majda Andrew J.
Published: May 2016

Lagrangian tracers are drifters and floaters that collect real-time information of fluid flows. This paper studies the model error in filtering multiscale random rotating compressible flow fields utilizing noisy Lagrangian tracers. The random flow fields are defined through random amplitudes of Fourier eigenmodes of the rotating shallow-water equations that contain both incompressible geostrophically balanced (GB) flows and rotating compressible gravity waves, where filtering the slow-varying GB flows is of primary concern. Despite the inherent nonlinearity in the observations with mixed GB and gravity modes, there are closed analytical formulas for filtering the underlying flows. Besides the full optimal filter, two practical imperfect filters are proposed. An information-theoretic framework is developed for assessing the model error in the imperfect filters, which can apply to a single realization of the observations. All the filters are comparably skillful in a fast rotation regime (Rossby number ). In a moderate rotation regime (), significant model errors are found in the reduced filter containing only GB forecast model, while the computationally efficient 3D-Var filter with a diagonal covariance matrix remains skillful. First linear then nonlinear coupling of GB and gravity modes is introduced in the random Fourier amplitudes, while linear forecast models are retained to ensure the filter estimates have closed analytical expressions. All the filters remain skillful in the regime. In the regime, the full filter with a linear forecast model has an acceptable filtering skill, while large model errors are shown in the other two imperfect filters.
Cash for care in Quebec, collective labour rights and gendered devaluation of work
Authors: Boivin Louise
Published: May 2016

Work performed under cash-for-care programmes is based on a relationship between several parties, including, at a minimum, the workers providing the services, the care recipients and the public authorities that manage and fund these programmes. Labour law studies have pointed out that the labour relations regulation is not adapted to this type of non-standard employment relationship since it has been founded on the norm of the integrated firm and bilateral employer–employee relations. Based on a case study of a cash-for-care programme in Quebec, Canada (i.e. the Service Employment Paycheque plan), our socio-legal analysis confirms the weak protection of collective labour rights provided to Service Employment Paycheque plan workers. It also describes how the application of the legal regulation of labour relations to this organizational model fails to take into account the power exercised by the public authorities and demonstrates the impact of this failure in terms of precarization of work and its gendered devaluation.
There goes the gaybourhood? Dispersion and clustering in a gay and lesbian real estate market in Dallas TX, 1986–2012
Authors: Smart Michael J , Whittemore Andrew H
Published: May 2016

Gay and lesbian neighbourhoods play a pivotal role as places of safety, empowerment and visibility for gay and lesbian individuals. Using over 9000 real estate listings from the gay- and lesbian-oriented Dallas Voice newspaper, our paper uses spatial statistical methods to explore the location of gay and lesbian neighbourhoods in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). With data spanning the years 1986 to 2012, we examine how gay and lesbian real estate hot spots have changed over time. Advertisers consistently listed rental properties in the primary gay neighbourhood of Oak Lawn in central Dallas. However, for-sale property listings tell another story; hot spots expanded considerably from the traditional gay neighbourhoods of Oak Lawn and Oak Cliff to include a number of adjacent neighbourhoods through the mid-2000s, then contracted during the late 2000s. We conclude that while adjacent neighbourhoods have become hot spots in recent years, the gay- and lesbian-oriented real estate market continues to focus on traditional gay and lesbian enclaves in central Dallas.
Social Networks Influencing Black Girls’ Interpretations of Chris Brown’s Violence Against Rihanna
Authors: Stephens Dionne P. , Eaton Asia A.
Published: May 2016

This study identifies the social networks used by urban Black girls to interpret a highly publicized episode of dating violence and ensuing conflicts between hip-hop stars Chris Brown and Rihanna. Forty-three adolescent Black girls (age 11-17 years) were asked how they heard about the relationship conflicts and what they thought about them. The media, school peers, friends, and family members emerged as the key social networks participants relied on when gathering information about and interpreting reported incidents. The mainstream media was seen as portraying Brown, the perpetrator, negatively, whereas school peers, friends, and family were seen as portraying Brown in more mixed or positive ways. The degree to which participants viewed each source as influential depended on whether the source was seen as generally trustworthy and knowledgeable about hip-hop. While the media was a frequently cited source of information, participants did not trust the mainstream media’s analyses. In contrast, hip-hop media was viewed as the most unbiased and accurate information source. The importance of these networks in supporting healthy relationships for Black girls is discussed.
Data-driven modelling and fuzzy multiple-model predictive control of oxygen content in coal-fired power plant
Authors: Xiaoying Huang , Jingcheng Wang , Langwen Zhang , Bohui Wang
Published: May 2016

In the combustion system of a boiler, oxygen content in the flue gas is a significant economic parameter for combustion efficiency. As a combustion system is highly complex and there are many constraints in a real process, traditional control cannot achieve satisfying performance in the practical oxygen content tracking control problem. In this paper, we build a combustion process model with a data-driven method and present a multiple-model-based fuzzy predictive control algorithm for the oxygen content tracking control. The combustion process model is presented as a multiple-model form, which can represent the real process more accurately. A data-driven method with fuzzy c-means clustering and subspace identification is used to identify the model parameters. Then, model predictive control integrated with a fuzzy multiple-model is used to control the oxygen content tracking problem. As the coal manipulated variable is decided by the load demand in the real process, a real-time measured value is applied to the process. All data used to obtain the process model is historical real-time data generated from a 300-MW power plant in Gui Zhou Province, China. Real-time simulation results on the 300-MW power plant show the effectiveness of the modelling and control algorithms proposed in this paper.
Setting Single or Multiple Goals for Diet and Physical Activity Behaviors Improves Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Swoboda Christine M. , Miller Carla K. , Wills Celia E.
Published: May 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a 4-month telephone-based goal-setting and decision support intervention among adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods

A randomized pretest-posttest control group design was employed. Overweight or obese adults aged 40 to 75 years with T2DM and ≥1 additional CVD risk factor were provided with individualized CVD risk information. At baseline and each biweekly telephone call, the multiple-goal group self-selected both diet- and physical activity–related goals, the single goal group set a single goal, and the control group received information about community health resources. Dietary intake was assessed via a food frequency questionnaire, physical activity via questionnaire, and A1C and blood lipids via fasting fingerstick sample. Between-group differences for clinical (ie, A1C, blood pressure, and blood lipids), physical activity, and dietary variables were evaluated using Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U, analysis of variance, and t tests.

Results

From pre- to postintervention, the single-goal group demonstrated significant improvement in systolic blood pressure and intake of servings of fruits, vegetables, and refined grains (all P < .05). The multiple-goal group reported significant reduction in percent energy from total, saturated, monounsaturated, and trans fat intake and significant increase in leisure time walking (all P < .05).

Conclusion

A multiple-goal approach over 4 months can improve dietary and physical activity outcomes, while a single-goal approach may facilitate improvement in one behavioral domain. Additional research is needed to evaluate maintenance of the achieved changes.
Novice Nurse Practitioner Workforce Transition Into Primary Care
Authors: Faraz Asefeh
Published: May 2016

The purpose of this integrative review was to analyze the current state of the science related to the novice nurse practitioner (NP) transition into primary care. A systematic review of the literature was conducted using the databases Pubmed, MEDLINE, Ovid, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) with the terms nurse practitioner, role, and transition to search articles published after 1997. Three major themes emerged from the literature related to the novice NP transition into primary care. These themes were categorized as “experiencing role ambiguity,” “quality of professional and interpersonal relationships,” and “facing intrinsic and extrinsic obstacles.” Strategies to reduce role ambiguity, improve the quality of professional relationships, and mitigate extrinsic obstacles faced by novice NPs may improve their transition into the primary care workforce. Educational institutions, employers, and novice NPs all have a stake in the successful transition from student to primary care practitioner and should be engaged in developing effective NP transition-to-practice programs.
Malinowski in Oaxaca: Implications of an unfinished project in economic anthropology, Part II
Authors: Cook Scott
Published: May 2016

A careful reading of the preliminary report of Malinowski's unfinished Oaxaca project reveals an implicit template for future research that isolated production in constituent village units within the regional market system as keys to understanding flows of commodity value through markets to meet consumption needs throughout the system. Malinowski's field notebooks for 1941 show that follow-up research was conducted in several peasant-artisan communities focused on commodity production and division of labor. Two craft commodities with ancient origins, metates and pottery, and the major staple crop, maize were the focus of Malinowski's observations of work, supplemented by collection of quantitative data on costs of production, market pricing, and weights and measures. Mexico in 1940 had a capitalist economy, albeit one with uneven regional development, and Malinowski's project report and unpublished field notebooks provide evidence of his interest in capitalist activity in commodity production and marketing. But the main theme running throughout his ethnographic work in the Trobriands and in Oaxaca was the sociocultural entanglements of commodities as they circulate through activities of production, exchange, consumption, and distribution—that is, the economy.
Prohibited or regulated? LSD psychotherapy and the United States Food and Drug Administration
Authors: Oram Matthew
Published: May 2016

Over the 1950s and early 1960s, the use of the hallucinogenic drug lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) to facilitate psychotherapy was a promising field of psychiatric research in the USA. However, during the 1960s, research began to decline, before coming to a complete halt in the mid-1970s. This has commonly been explained through the increase in prohibitive federal regulations during the 1960s that aimed to curb the growing recreational use of the drug. However, closely examining the Food and Drug Administration’s regulation of LSD research in the 1960s will reveal that not only was LSD research never prohibited, but that the administration supported research to a greater degree than has been recognized. Instead, the decline in research reflected more complex changes in the regulation of pharmaceutical research and development.
Chronic perfluorooctanesulfonic acid exposure disrupts lipid metabolism in zebrafish
Authors: Cui Y , Lv S , Liu J , Nie S , Chen J , Dong Q , Huang C , Yang D
Published: May 2016

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), a ubiquitous contaminant, has been used in various industrial applications. Currently few studies have documented the effects of chronic PFOS exposure on lipid metabolism, especially in aquatic organisms. The present study defined the effects of chronic exposure to low level of PFOS on lipid metabolism in F0 adult zebrafish and F1 offspring. Our findings revealed a severe fatty degeneration in the liver of F0 males treated with 0.5 μM PFOS and significant ultrastructure changes associated with substance transport or metabolism in liver and intestines (abnormal mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum, disordered arrangement of inner microvilli within intracellular canaliculus). To address the potential trans-generational effects of PFOS exposure, the early gene expression related to lipid metabolism was measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction in F1 derived from chronically exposed parental fish. The results indicated that lepa (leptin α), kiss1 (kisspeptins), xdh (xanthine dehydrogenases), and insr (insulin receptor) were significantly upregulated in F1 while dgat1b (diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase), hb9 (motor neuron/pancreas homeobox), and Apoa1 (apolipoprotein A-I) were downregulated. These findings provided evidence that PFOS chronic exposure adversely impacts lipid metabolism in both F0 and F1 and demonstrated the validity of using zebrafish as an alternative model for PFOS chronic toxicity screening.
Effects of short-term glucocorticoid administration on bone mineral density, biomechanics and microstructure in rats’ femur
Authors: Chen Y , Huang L , Zhu J , Wu K
Published: May 2016

The effects of short-term use of oral glucocorticoid (GC) on the skeleton are not well defined. To address this gap, the influences of 7 days, 21 days of GC administration on femurs of intact rats were investigated. Forty 4-month-old female Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group (Cont) and prednisone-treated group (Pre) and administered either distilled water or prednisone acetate at doses of 3.5 mg/kg/day for 0, 7 and 21 days, respectively. All the femurs were harvested for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan, biomechanical testing and micro computed tomography scan. The whole body weight, femur bone mineral density (BMD), all three-point bending test parameters, microstructural parameters increased or improved significantly in Cont at day 21 when compared to day 0. The whole body weight, distal femur BMD, Young’s modulus, bending stiffness, density of tissue volume and trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) decreased, while structure model index and trabecular separation (Tb.Sp) increased significantly in Pre at day 21 when compared to age-matched control but had no significant differences between day 7 and day 21. Our data demonstrate that 7-day use of prednisone does not influence on rats’ femur, and 21-day use of prednisone slows in rate of whole body weight gain, decreases femur metaphysis BMD and bone stiffness which mainly due to the deteriorated bone microstructure.
Involvement of Women in Natural Resource Collection in Rural Jharkhand, India
Authors: De Utpal Kumar , Ghosh Bhola Nath
Published: May 2016

Women living in rural areas are very close to the natural environment. Most poor families are dependent on nature for their survival, grazing cattle, collecting water and fuelwood and similar tasks, which are considered inferior and suitable for women and children, are not remunerative. Adult males and some women work outside for a livelihood. The life of rural women, particularly tribal women, is so much intertwined with the environment, that the whole ecosystem revolves around them and they cannot even think of their survival without it. However, significant intra-household differences in the distribution of such activities between male and female members of the families exist, varying with socioeconomic background, cultural and religious beliefs and underlying attitudes towards women and children.

This article examines to what extent women in rural Jharkhand are involved in such natural resource collection and management activities. We tried to unearth the impact of cultural and economic factors on women’s role in different economic sections and social groups. The analysis reveals that income, occupation and status of the families have a significant inverse link with the involvement of women and also of girl children at the cost of their educational prospects. Religious and cultural beliefs also determine the extent of women and children’s involvement in resource collection. The study indicates the low empowerment level of rural women in the area.
Creation of the ‘Sphere of the Between’ in Educational Dialogue
Authors: Lederman-Daniely Dvora
Published: May 2016

This article presents the current perception of dialogical teaching models as a notion that is concerned primarily with the cognitive layers of the dialogue, and focuses on the cognitive functions of learning, information processing, interpretation and decision-making. This perception, according to different researchers, ignores the relational dimensions of the dialogue and fails to raise the question of how the relational capabilities should be developed among teachers. In contrast, the article argues that research attempts to present or propose non-cognitive dialogical models, which focus on the interpersonal aspect, while emphasising relations such as containment and empathy, and while focusing on the emotions of the student, do not necessarily contribute to the realisation of an educational dialogue and might even block the creation of the ‘sphere of the between’, which is essential to the development of a dialogue. The article suggests the adoption of the existential approach and proposes an initiation path towards dialogical teaching based on the initiation process found in Buber’s interpretation of the biblical Moses.
Acute Renal Failure
Authors: Mann Henry J. , Fuhs David W. , Hemstrom Carl A.
Published: May 2016

Acute renal failure (ARF) is common among critically ill patients and renal dysfunction is often associated with the multisystem organ failure syndrome. The mortality of ARF remains high but animal data indicate that prevention and early treatment may decrease the morbidity and mortality. This review defines ARF based on urine volume, laboratory parameters, and clinical presentation. The pathophysiology of prerenal, postrenal, and intrinsic ART are differentiated and diagnostic criteria provided. Preventive therapy, supportive care, and proposed treatments are outlined. Studies examining the prevention and treatment of ARF in animal models and trials in humans are evaluated. Mannitol 0.5–1 g/kg, furosemide 0.5–1 mg/kg initially, and dopamine 1–5 μg/kg/min are effective in preventing or decreasing the severity of ARF in animal models. In humans these drugs are effective at maintaining urine output in various clinical situations and converting oliguria to nonoliguria in some patients; however, increased survival has not been adequately proven as of yet. Dialysis and experimental therapy are briefly discussed.
Inadequacy of FDA Dosing Guidelines for Theophylline Use in Neonates
Authors: Gilman Jamie T. , Gal Peter
Published: May 2016

The efficacy of the FDA guidelines for theophylline dosing in newborns was evaluated retrospectively in 224 patients who had clearance data available. Mean projected post loading dose serum concentration was 4.1 ± 1.0 mg/L in 160 patients. Mean projected steady-state concentration was 4.8 ± 1.6 mg/L in 189 patients receiving intravenous aminophylline and 4.2 ± 1.3 mg/L in 35 patients on oral therapy. Projected serum concentrations were subtherapeutic (<6.0 mg/L) in 181 of the 224 patients analyzed. There was a statistically significant difference in serum concentrations between asphyxiated and nonasphyxiated patients (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in mean projected serum concentrations between patients age 26–41 weeks (postconceptional age). This study suggests that the FDA dosing guidelines for theophylline in infants is inadequate and results in subtherapeutic (<6.0 mg/L) serum concentrations in the majority of newborns.
Influence of Biochemical and Anthropometric Factors on the Presence of Insulin Resistance in Adolescents
Authors: González-Jiménez Emilio , Schmidt-RioValle Jacqueline , Montero-Alonso Miguel A. , Padez Cristina , García-García Carmen J. , Perona Javier S.
Published: May 2016

Background:

Insulin resistance plays a determinant role in the development of metabolic syndrome in adolescents. The objective of the present study was to determine the influence of factors commonly associated with insulin resistance in a sample of adolescents.

Methods:

This cross-sectional study included 976 adolescents from southeast Spain. Anthropometric and biochemical measurements were performed, and insulin resistance was assessed using the homeostasis model assessment–insulin resistance (HOMA-IR).

Results:

Subjects with abnormal HOMA-IR values had significantly higher body mass index (BMI), body fat content, waist circumference, and systolic blood pressure (BP) than those with normal values. Furthermore, levels of glucose, insulin, glycosylated hemoglobin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, homocysteine, nonesterified fatty acids, and ceruloplasmin were higher in subjects with abnormal HOMA-IR values. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed the highest odds ratio ( OR) for BMI and that combinations of BMI with body fat content or systolic BP can increase the risk of insulin resistance 7-fold.

Discussion:

Anthropometric indicators have different levels of influence on the risk of insulin resistance in adolescents, and a combination of two of these indicators is enough to increase the risk 7-fold. Since the highest OR was observed for BMI, the greatest effort should be directed to reducing this parameter in adolescents. An adequate understanding by nursing personnel of factors associated with insulin resistance is a key factor in the prevention of this pathophysiological condition and its complications in adolescents.
Countries’ positioning on personality traits
Authors: Rojas-Méndez José I , Hine Michael J
Published: May 2016

This article discusses a change in the positioning strategies by countries as tourism destinations from cognitive components to affective ones. The tourism literature recognizes destination personality as an affective evaluation. While previous literature has established that place personality traits are important for Destination Marketing Organizations to consider, little empirical work assessing the personality metaphor in destination branding has been undertaken. This study uses a multistage methodology using a combination of content analysis and correspondence analysis to analyze the use of the personality metaphor in the official English tourism websites of South American countries. Results reveal that South American countries can be classified in four main clusters of different personality profiles: Ecuador is somehow associated with agreeableness; Brazil and Paraguay with openness to experience and conscientiousness; Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay as strong in extraversion and emotional stability; and Bolivia, Venezuela, and Colombia do not display any dominant personality characteristics. Overall the results indicate that South American countries are not yet using in a substantial way the affective cues of personality traits to create a clear positioning among international tourists.
Nature as praxis: Kitchen gardens and naturalization in Alájar (Sierra de Aracena, Spain)
Authors: Ruiz-Ballesteros Esteban , Cáceres-Feria Rafael
Published: May 2016

To enhance our understanding of processes of environment naturalization, we must go beyond the discursive, political and perceptive dimensions. Nature is also praxis: a specific form of bond and relationship established between humans and the environments they inhabit, closely related to processes of naturalization. To analyse these practices that substantiate nature, this article examines kitchen gardens in Alájar, a locality set within a natural park in the south west of Spain. This specific ethnography is used in order to shed light on the meaning and significance of nature for those living in a ‘naturalized space’, how it translates from the perspective of praxis and, more precisely, how the natural character attributed to the environment from a human–environment relational perspective is substantiated. More generally, the aim is to ascertain the utility of this methodological strategy in understanding processes of naturalization and the meaning of nature in the Western world.
Off-Label Iliac Side Branch Application for Salvage of an Accessory Renal Artery
Authors: Taher Fadi , Rentenberger Colleen , Falkensammer Juergen , Hirsch Kornelia , Assadian Afshin
Published: May 2016

Purpose: To present the off-label use of an iliac side branch device to connect an accessory right renal artery to a bifurcated endograft in infrarenal aortic aneurysm repair. Case Report: An 83-year-old woman with a 54-mm infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm underwent endovascular repair using an iliac side branch device for accessory renal artery salvage. The procedure was technically successful, and no immediate perioperative adverse events were encountered. The creatinine level increased slightly. Six-month follow-up imaging revealed no endoleaks or occlusion. Conclusion: Considering the higher perioperative risk associated with open or hybrid procedures for similar cases, this off-label application of a well-recognized endovascular device deserves consideration as an alternative treatment option.
Condom Use in the Context of Main and Casual Partner Concurrency: Individual and Relationship Predictors in a Sample of Heterosexual African American Men
Authors: Hicks Megan R. , Kogan Steven M. , Cho Junhan , Oshri Assaf
Published: May 2016

Researchers have identified engagement in sexual concurrency, particularly when condom use is inconsistent, as a risk factor for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. This risk is particularly salient in rural communities in which dense interconnection of sexual networks can promote the spread of sexually transmitted infections. The authors investigated individual and relationship factors that predict inconsistent condom use in the context of main and casual partner sexual concurrency among 176 rural African American men. The individual psychosocial factors investigated included impulsivity and anger/hostility. Relationship variables included fidelity expectations, criticism from partners, and relationship control in both main and casual relationships. No individual risk factors were associated with main partner inconsistent condom use; however, impulsivity and anger/hostility positively predicted inconsistent condom use with a casual partner. Relationship control in the main partnership predicted inconsistent condom use with the main partner. Criticism from the main partner positively predicted inconsistent condom use with a casual partner. Finally, expectations for a casual partner’s fidelity positively predicted inconsistent condom use with that partner. These findings underscore the importance of considering the influence of one sexual partnership on behavior in another and of taking this complexity into account in the development of preventive interventions.
Advances in health promotion in Asia-Pacific: promoting health through hospitals
Authors: Huang Nicole , Chien Li-Yin , Chiou Shu-Ti
Published: May 2016

Since 1990, the WHO Health Promoting Hospital (HPH) movement has tried to facilitate and support hospitals to assume a core responsibility in health promotion. The Taiwan HPH Network was established in December 2006, and became the largest HPH network in the world in 2013. Compared to Europe where the HPH has been more established, the pace of HPH development has been much more rapid. This rapid development provides an inspiring example for research and health promotion practice. Systematic data and empirical information have been collected about HPH in Taiwan, allowing for research to be published about the achievements of the HPH movement. This paper provides an overview of the existing literature on current progress of the HPH project according to the four main perspectives of the WHO-HPH movement: promoting the health of patients, promoting the health of staff, changing the organization to a health-promoting setting, and promoting the health of the community in the catchment area of the hospital. The assessment can serve as a stepping stone in understanding current HPH development in Taiwan and as a reference for future research.
Leading Through Lifelong Learning
Authors: Lambert Dawn
Published: May 2016

School nurses, as leaders, are able to exhibit leadership skills through embracing, advocating for, and demonstrating a commitment to lifelong learning. With the continual changes in healthcare and technology, ongoing education is essential to maintain a high standard of expertise and practice. School nurses have many opportunities for continuing education. This article will briefly explore various levels of continuing education, as well as relating ongoing learning to leadership principles.
Paradigms, projections and people
Authors: Oldfield Frank
Published: May 2016

In response to Clive Hamilton’s claim that the only acceptable definition of the Anthropocene must be based on Earth System Science (ESS) as a new paradigm, I suggest, from my personal perspective, that ESS as a new paradigm differs significantly from its 20th century predecessors in the Earth Sciences by incorporating rather than rejecting previous, partial syntheses of Earth System function. More crucial to its emergence as a new paradigm are its future orientation and the incorporation of human activities as an integral component. Moreover, non-scientific framing of the concept of the Anthropocene has already become so widespread within the humanities and social sciences that abandoning it outside its ESS connotation is now unrealistic.
Modern sedation aspects at endoscopic examination
Authors: Киреев  , Kireev V. , Китиашвили  , Kitiashvili D.
Published: May 2016

The article highlights the issue of improving the quality of endoscopy in patients are treated at the department of anesthesiology and intensive care unit.

Endoscopic study was the bronchoscopy, the gastroscopy, the colonoscopy. It was revealed the necessity of sedation during endoscopy in patients in the intensive care unit. The authors analyzed the characteristics of the use of drugs for sedation during endoscopic study. Clinical evaluation of their impact on the psycho-emotional status of the patient was carried out. The substantiation of the advantages of the Dexmedetomidine (Deksdor) as sedation analgesia over other drugs was proven. Controlled sedation with the Deksdor allows to stop pain with the absence of central nervous system depression, respiratory depression and danger emotional pain perception. After the sedation and endoscopy, the vegetative changes do not require medical treatment due to the subsequent tendency to vegetative equilibrium in post-endoscopic period. Based on the obtained data, it was proven the clinical efficacy of the proposed method of sedation in endoscopic studies, the relationship with the improvement of the current study, a decrease in the number and severity of complications.
Surgical treatment and improvement recovery processes in patients with the musculoskeletal tumors by the application of new methods of immunodiagnostics and immunocorrection
Authors: Антонов  , Antonov A.
Published: May 2016

In recent years there has been a marked increase in the number of patients with primary and metastatic tumors of the musculoskeletal system. Skeletal system is one of the most affected in various cancer diseases, such as breast, prostate, kidney, thyroid, lung cancer, gastro-intestinal tract.

The authors use the individual metal-polymer express-endoprosthesis for replacement of bone defects in primary and secondary tumors of the musculoskeletal system and spine.

The purpose and the objectives of this study were to present the possibilities of proposed surgical technique and to increase its effectiveness by the use of the new immunodiagnostic methods. The essence of immunodiagnostics was assessment the state of natural immunity to the definition of autoantibody levels only in the affected organs, as well as immune correction in the early postoperative period using immunoglobulins, fast adaptogens, immunomodulators "Vitavis" and powerful antioxidant neutral Anolyte produced at the facility Stela NPO "Screen" of the Medical and Technical Academy.

Use of the fast adaptogens, immunomodulators, neutral Anolyte, immunoglobulins allows to optimize postoperative dynamics of biochemical and immune parameters, to reduce the risk of complications and to accelerate wound healing, to speed up the "engraftment" implants, to reduce the postoperative period.

A new approach to the evaluation of the immune status at the level of oncological diseases of autoimmunity allows to identify the affected tumor process bodies (lesions, microlesions, metastases, hidden metastases), to detect the presence of systemic activation or suppression of the immune system, which is the justification for the use of immunosuppressive or immunostimulatory therapy.

Identifying systemic immunosuppression by humoral type allows to use new methods of immunotherapy of oncological diseases - Ig-therapy, as well as to select individual regimens according to the degree of immunosuppression.
Dynamics of the sexual hormones level on the background of the non-hormonal correction of climacteric disorders in patients with the metabolic syndrome
Authors: Бериханова  , Berikhanova R. , Миненко  , Minenko I.
Published: May 2016

The article presents the results of the randomized study with the participation of 120 women aged from 45 to 50 years with the metabolic syndrome. The authors determined the levels of the follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol in the dynamics on the background of the application of different combinations of the non-hormonal methods of the correction of the disorders depending on age. On the completion of six months of therapy substantial changes in the hormonal background are revealed in the basic group of patients receiving the non-hormonal complex (diet therapy, psychotherapy, physiotherapy, the therapeutic exercise) and the orally vitamin mineral complex: a decrease in the level FSG to 35,2%, LG- to 25,2%, raising the level of estradiol by 76,3%. The obtained results demonstrate the positive influence of the association of the alternative methods of the correction of climacteric disorders in patients with MS to the hormonal profile. This suggests the pathogenetic justification of the non-drug therapy.
The method of multidimensional phase space in the assessment of chaotic dynamics of tremor in the static loads
Authors: Мирюгин  , Miryugin A. , Баженова  , Bazhenova A. , Шерстюк  , Sherstyuk E. , Потетюрина  , Potetyurina E.
Published: May 2016

The article presents the feasibility of application of the method of multidimensional phase spaces, based on the methods of calculating the quasi-attractor parameters as a quantitative measure of the chaotic dynamics of the tremor. The measure is used in two-dimensional quasi-attractor phase space. The quasi-attractor square is used for the identification of the actual changes in the parameters of the functional state of the organism with no load and under static loads. Specifically, the static load provides the threefold increasing of the area of quasi-attractor (from 0.31 to 0.99 cu under load of 300 g). This is a quantitative measure of the body´s reaction to changes. It was proved that calculation of quasi-attractor parameters demonstrated at three phase space more statistical stable picture then two dimensional quasi-attractors.
Parameters of central blood pressure and indicators of vessels rigidity in pregnant women withobstructive sleep apnoe - hypopnea
Authors: Усанов  , Usanov V. , Типикин  , Tipikin V. , Бартош  , Bartosh L. , Дорогова  , Dorogova I. , Бочарников  , Bocharnikov D.
Published: May 2016

The objective of this research is to study the characteristics of parameters of central arterial pressure and indices of blood vessels rigidity in pregnant women with obstructive sleep apnоa-hypopnea. 24-hours monitoring of blood pressure and somnography tests were conducted on 43 pregnant, the average age was 28,87±5,72 years, the pregnancy – 32,43±4.25 weeks. ABPM was performed using BPLabVasotens system («PetrTelegin», Russia). The device allows to determine the propagation time of the reflected wave, augmentation index in the brachial artery (AIx) and aortic (AIxao), the parameters of the central blood pressure. Somnography was performed using portable unit Sleeptrek3 (USA). Sonographic studies of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnoe were determined arterial hypertension in 55.8% of pregnant women, of whom 66.7% In women with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnoe more frequent profile type "non-dipper", "night-piker", the indices of central BP and vascular stiffness were significantly higher than in pregnant women without obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnoe. The correlation between peripheral augmentation index (Alx) and indicators SBPao and DBPao was found. Pregnant women with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnoe had the syndrome of intrauterine growth retardation in 33.3% in the comparison group at 15.8%.Conclusions. 24-hour monitoring of сentral blood pressure and indicators of blood vessels rigidity allows to detect differences of parameters in pregnant women with and without obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnoe. Pregnant with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnoe have more risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes. obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnoe remains a significant predictor of intrauterine growth retardation.
Reviews
Authors: Pennacchia Maddalena , Poore Benjamin
Published: May 2016

RECLAIMING ROMEO AND JULIET: ITALIAN TRANSLATIONS FOR PAGE, STAGE AND SCREEN, VINCENZA MINUTELLA (2013) Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi, 264 pp., ISBN: 9789042037342, p/bk, £49.41

ADAPTATION, INTERMEDIALITY AND THE BRITISH CELEBRITY BIOPIC, MÁRTA MINIER AND MADDALENA PENNACCHIA (EDS) (2014) UK: Ashgate, 234 pp., ISBN: 9781409461265, h/bk, £95.00