bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Various Genital and Reproductive Phenotypes in 46,XX/46,XY Chimeras
Authors: Hercent Agathe , Amar Edouard , Valent Alexander , Belloc Stéphanie , Ferraretto Xavier , Hermieu Jean-François , Battin-Bertho Régine , Storey Caroline , Goubin-Versini Isabelle , Dijoud Frédérique , Tabet Anne C. , Chantot-Bastaraud Sandra , Peycelon Matthieu , Morel Hélène , Siffroi Jean-Pierre
Published: September 2020

Tetragametic chimeras are due to the fusion of 2 different zygotes after fertilization. When occurring between embryos of different chromosomal sex, the phenotype ranges from fertile individuals to infertile patients and even to patients with variations in sex development. Here, we report 3 new cases of XX/XY chimeras, one in a young boy carrying an abnormal gonad which turned out to be an ovary and 2 in phenotypically normal infertile men, one of whom had been diagnosed previously as a XX-SRY negative male. These cases highlight the importance of combining several cytogenetic and molecular techniques on different tissues for a proper diagnosis and an appropriate prognosis.
Frequency, Predictors, Distribution, and Morphological Characteristics of Layered Culprit and Nonculprit Plaques of Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Dai Jiannan , Fang Chao , Zhang Shaotao , Li Lulu , Wang Yini , Xing Lei , Yu Huai , Jiang Senqing , Yin Yanwei , Wang Jifei , Wang Yidan , Guo Junchen , Lei Fangmeng , Liu Huimin , Xu Maoen , Ren Xuefeng , Ma Lijia , Wei Guo , Zhang Shaosong , Hou Jingbo , Mintz Gary S. , Yu Bo
Published: September 2020

Background:

Subclinical atherothrombosis and plaque healing may lead to rapid plaque progression. The histopathologic healed plaque has a layered appearance when imaged using optical coherence tomography. We assessed the frequency, predictors, distribution, and morphological characteristics of optical coherence tomography layered culprit and nonculprit plaques in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Methods:

A prospective series of 325 patients with acute myocardial infarction underwent optical coherence tomography imaging of all 3 native coronary arteries. Layered plaque phenotype had heterogeneous signal-rich layered tissue located close to the luminal surface that was clearly demarcated from the underlying plaque.

Results:

Layered plaques were detected in 74.5% of patients with acute myocardial infarction. Patients with layered culprit plaques had more layered nonculprit plaques; and they more often had preinfarction angina, ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction, higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and absence of antiplatelet therapy. Layered plaques tended to cluster in the proximal segment of the left anterior descending artery and left circumflex artery but were more uniformly distributed in the right coronary artery. As compared with nonlayered plaques, layered plaques had greater optical coherence tomography lumen area stenosis at both culprit and nonculprit sites. The frequency of layered plaque phenotype (
P
=0.038) and maximum area of layered tissue (
P
<0.001) increased from nonculprit thin-cap fibroatheromas to nonculprit ruptures to culprit ruptures.

Conclusions:

Layered plaques were identified in 3-quarters of patients with acute myocardial infarction, especially in the culprit plaques of patients with ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction. Layered plaques had a limited, focal distribution in the left anterior descending artery, and left circumflex artery but were more evenly distributed in the right coronary artery and were characterized by greater lumen narrowing at both culprit and nonculprit sites.

Graphic Abstract:

A
graphic abstract
is available for this article.
On Becoming Witnessing Professionals
Authors: Lifton Robert Jay
Published: September 2020

I came to view my work with Hiroshima survivors in 1962 as not only a scientific study but a form of bearing witness to what the bomb did to human beings in that city. I tried to bring professional knowledge and experience to that effort, to become what I later called a witnessing professional. Nuclear and climate issues interacted in that early study, and have continued to be inseparable for all of us. I draw upon examples of witnessing professionals over the course of our struggles with these two planetary threats. In each case, they had to expose and combat the malignant normality, the dangerous prevailing assumptions and narratives, of their time. In that way, these professionals have contributed to important social movements. They have also deepened–as we too can–the ethical dimensions of professional work.
Seeing Is Believing: Understanding & Aiding Human Responses to Global Climate Change
Authors: Weber Elke U.
Published: September 2020

This essay traces my academic voyage from studying human perceptions of financial risk to the realization that the human response to climate change is a more fundamental and profound challenge. Along the way, I came to realize that different academic disciplines need to be recruited for two purposes: 1) to tell an accurate story about the motivations and processes by which environmental (and other) decisions get made by stakeholders that range from policy-makers in the public and private sector to the general public; and 2) to determine and implement effective and feasible ways of changing the physical, institutional, and social environment to help myopic decision-makers achieve long(er)-term objectives. I see my voyage as an exercise in applied hope, resisting the constraints that disciplines and academia try to place on scholars and helping others to do so as well, by both example and institution-building.
The Coral Is Not All Dead Yet
Authors: Kormann Carolyn
Published: September 2020

Reportage and essays are the first and most immediate way that citizens learn about climate change science, its causes and consequences, and the impacts that industry and consumerism have on ecosystems. For fifteen years, I have been reporting and writing stories on these topics. Growing up, I was drawn to the environment because I was fascinated by the diversity, the endless variety, of life on Earth. But early in my career, in my first reporting job for a newspaper in the Caribbean, I also saw the disastrous toll that contemporary civilization was taking on the natural world – specifically on coral reefs. And yet, the climate crisis was not widely reported as such in those days. That experience, and the dearth of mainstream climate reporting at the time, led me to seek out some of the leading thinkers on the subject, and made climate one of the central subjects of my work. Most often, in the field of journalism, the phrase “bearing witness” refers to war journalism, while my work, for years, had often felt like science translation, connection, and storytelling. But more recently, as the ecological and societal impacts of a changing climate have grown more extreme, widespread, and apparent, while greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, climate journalism has, too, become a form of bearing witness.
Tethysbaena ledoyeri n. sp., a new thermosbaenacean species (Thermosbaenacea) from the Port-Miou karstic aquifer in southern France
Authors: Wagner H. P. , Chevaldonné P.
Published: September 2020

A new species of the thermosbaenacean genus Tethysbaena Wagner,1994 is described as T. ledoyeri n. sp.

Together with an as yet undescribed amphipod (Niphargus sp.) it is an inhabitant of the brackish water of an aquifer that flows through the Basse-Provence Urgonian karstic system and reaches the Mediterranean Sea, 15 km east of Marseille, in the “Calanques” coast. The new taxon, being part of the T. argentarii-group, is compared with its closest allies in this group. Preliminary DNA data obtained from two specimens of the new species provide confirmation of its close ties to T. argentarii but also to T. scabra, the two geographically closest described species.
To Be or Not to Be on H-1B Visas: Engineers from India in the United States
Authors: Varma Roli
Published: September 2020

Foreign-born scientists and engineers are increasingly present in technology companies in the United States. Some of them are immigrants, that is, aliens admitted to the US for lawful permanent residence; others are non-immigrants, that is, aliens admitted to the US for a specific period of time for temporary work. Whether immigrant or non-immigrant, an overwhelming majority of foreign-born scientists and engineers enter the US technology sector through one single H-1B visa program. Using a case study of Indian engineers, this article shows different sub-paths of the H-1B visa program, which leads to significant differences in their immigration, work, and socio-economic experiences. The article is based on the secondary sources and 40 in-depth interviews conducted with Indian engineers working in US technology companies.
Diaspora and Transnationalism: the Changing Contours of Ethnonational Identity of Indian Diaspora
Authors: Sahoo Ajaya K. , Shome Anindita
Published: September 2020

Diasporic communities have historically maintained—either actively or passively—their ethnonational identities, be it in the case of classical diasporas such as the Jews or Armenians or the case of more modern diasporas such as the Indians or other South Asians. However, the ethnonational identities of diasporic communities have strengthened significantly in recent times as a result of the global forces such as the Internet that created and recreated the existing and newer ways of transnationalism and ethnonationalism. The study of the Indian diaspora is inherent because of the fact that these global forces have drastically changed the ethnonational identity of Indians in the diaspora. There are a plethora of factors that played an important role in this process of transformation. This article tries to examine two of the most significant factors that strengthened the ethnonational identity, such as the dynamic changes in the Indian government policy towards diaspora and the role of the Internet that facilitates the youth to play a prominent role in this neo-diaspora.
Structural organization in palm stems of Roystonea regia and Archontophoenix alexandrae
Authors: Aritsara Amy Ny Aina , Cao Kun-Fang
Published: September 2020

Having a high stature subjects palms to the same constraints as trees, but the lack of cambial growth urges them to adopt a different strategy. We aimed to characterize the spatial organization of xylem tissues and their potential functions in two palm stems: a 30 cm diameter at breast height (DBH) royal palm (Roystonea regia) and a 12 cm DBH Alexandra king palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae). Macroscopic and microscopic anatomical characteristics were assessed at five vertical locations and 5–6 radial locations at each height. Over 9600 vessels across the two stems were drawn manually and measured based on histological sections. Vertically, a hydraulic bottleneck was identified at the first meter, and both stems showed conduit tapering from 4 m to the top. Radially, most water transport and mechanical support were achieved within 2–5 cm below the bark. The larger stem diameter of royal palm may have improved its water transport, storage, and potential for mechanical support compared to king palm. There was a strong trade-off between ground parenchyma and the fiber fraction. However, the correlation between theoretical hydraulic conductivity (Kt) and the ground parenchyma fraction, and between Kt and the fiber fraction, shifted from positive or non-significant below the bark, to strongly negative close to the center. These changes reflect the functional sectoriality of the palm stems, which may reduce the constraint of trade-offs between water transport, storage, and mechanical support. To conclude, functional sectoriality may have helped both palm species to withstand the hydraulic and mechanical constraints due to high stature.
The European charcoal trade
Authors: Haag Volker , Zemke Valentina Theresia , Lewandrowski Tim , Zahnen Johannes , Hirschberger Peter , Bick Ulrich , Koch Gerald
Published: September 2020

About half the wood extracted worldwide from forests is used as fuelwood to produce energy, about 17 percent is converted to charcoal (FAO 2017) which represents one of the least controlled/monitored segments of the European timber market. Although charcoal has a significant share on the European market of wood-based products it is not yet covered by the European Timber Regulations (EUTR), (EU) No 995/2010. For this project, a total of 150 charcoal consignments from eleven countries (Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Ukraine, Czech Republic, and Belgium) were examined and evaluated based on the 3D-reflected light microscopy technique. The high-resolution study indicates the proportion of different European timbers compared with that of timbers from subtropical and tropical regions. The share of subtropical and tropical species is surprisingly high with approximately 46% for material received from all countries studied, but far over 60% for Spain, Italy, Poland, and Belgium. The study shows that comparing the results for charcoal received from these countries there is an inversely proportional relation of certified products (FSC and PEFC) and products with timbers from subtropical or tropical origins. In the charcoal consignments from Switzerland, the share of timbers from subtropical or tropical origin is only 13.5%, whereas that of certified products is 60%. In material received from Spain, the proportion of timbers from subtropical or tropical regions is 67%, whereas that of certified products only 8%. A careful check of the declaration on the packaging, of the accompanying certificates, and the information on origin revealed alarming evidence: only 25% of the consignments examined provide information on the bags, e.g., with regard to the processed wood species; and well over half of such declarations were incorrect and/or incomplete. A trade flow analysis of EU member states was carried out to contribute to a better understanding of the relationships between international charcoal trade flows and the end products in European countries. This approach contributes to an essential understanding of charcoal transit in Europe and the results constitute a strong motive for the inclusion of charcoal in the respective annex to the EUTR.
Sperry’s packing rule affects the spatial proximity but not clustering of xylem conduits: the case of Fagus sylvatica L.
Authors: Rita Angelo , Pericolo Osvaldo , Saracino Antonio , Borghetti Marco
Published: September 2020

Sperry’s packing rule predicts the optimum packing of xylem conduits in woody plants, where the frequency of xylem conduits varies approximately inversely with the square of the conduit radius. However, it is well established that such anatomical disposition does not remain fixed but is subject to a suite of adaptations induced by physiological constraints driven by both ontogenetic development and environmental characteristics. Here we challenge the hypothesis that increasing frequency of xylem conduits, concomitant with the decrease in their lumen area along the xylem pathway, would affect the spatial distribution of vessels inside tree-rings and their aggregation. To this end, we measured the vessels’ anatomical characteristics inside each tree-ring along with a complete radial series taken at different stem heights of Fagus sylvatica L. trees. Point pattern analysis indicated a significant effect of the distance from the tree base and a weak effect of cambial age on the nearest neighbour distance among xylem vessels, suggesting that vessels were closer to each other near the apex, and became progressively more distant toward the base. The spatial pattern of xylem vessels violated the assumption of complete spatial randomness, vessel spatial arrangement followed a uniform distribution at different distances from the tree base. Although there was an increase in the intensity and proximity among vessels, we demonstrated that no patterns of aggregation between vessels were found in sampled F. sylvatica trees. Rather, point pattern profiles clearly highlighted a lack of aggregation of vessels in the face of a regular spatial distribution in the annual growth rings along the stems.
The separation of softwood and hardwood in historical wooden statues of the Nazenji-temple in Japan using NIR spectroscopy
Authors: Abe Hisashi , Kurata Yohei , Watanabe Ken , Ishikawa Atsuko , Noshiro Shuichi , Fujii Tomoyuki , Iwasa Mitsuharu , Kaneko Hiroaki , Wada Hiroshi
Published: September 2020

The applicability of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to the identification of wood species of archaeologically/historically valuable wooden artifacts in a non-invasive manner was investigated using reference wood samples from the xylarium of the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (TWTw) and applied to several wooden statues carved about 1000 years ago. Diffuse-reflectance NIR spectra were obtained from five standard wood samples each of five softwood species (Chamaecyparis obtusa, Cryptomeria japonica, Sciadopitys verticillata, Thujopsis dolabrata, Torreya nucifera) and five hardwood species (Aesculus turbinata, Cercidiphyllum japonicum, Cinnamomum camphora, Prunus jamasakura, Zelkova serrata). A principal component analysis (PCA) model was developed from the second derivative spectra. The score plot of the first two components clearly showed separation of the wood sample data into softwood and hardwood clusters. The developed PCA model was applied to 370 spectra collected from 21 wooden statues preserved in the Nazenji-temple in Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan, including 14 made from Torreya spp. and 7 made from Cinnamomum spp. In the score plot, the statue spectra were also divided into two clusters, corresponding to either softwood (Torreya spp.) or hardwood (Cinnnamomum spp.) species. These results show that NIR spectroscopy combined with PCA is a powerful technique for determining whether archaeologically/historically valuable wooden artifacts are made of softwood or hardwood.
The beach flies of the Mascarene Islands (Diptera: Canacidae: Tethininae)
Authors: MUNARI LORENZO , KIRK-SPRIGGS ASHLEY H. , MCGREGOR GILLIAN K.
Published: September 2020

An intertidal survey of 34 sampling stations on the main Mascarene Islands of La Réunion, Mauritius and Rodrigues, was conducted between 2015 and 2018. Results of the survey revealed five species of Tethininae, viz. Afrotethina aurisetulosa (Lamb), Dasyrhicnoessa ferruginea (Lamb), D. insularis (Aldrich), D. vockerothi Hardy & Delfinado and Pseudorhicnoessa rattii Munari, all of which are new to one or more of the Mascarenes (A. aurisetulosa, D. ferruginea and D. insularis new to all three islands; D. vockerothi new to Mauritius and Rodrigues; and P. rattii new to Rodrigues). Sampled species exhibit a very close affinity with those that occur on Seychelles and the composition of the two faunas is notably superimposable. The distributions of the five species on the three main islands is mapped and an identification key to all genera and species of both archipelagos is provided, with the most significant diagnostic features illustrated. The survey also revealed that the rather common Afrotropical genus Horaismoptera Hendel, which is represented in East Africa, Madagascar, and the southern Arabian Peninsula by H. vulpina Hendel, is most likely absent from both archipelagos.
Taxonomy of five neglected South American species of Dargida Walker (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Authors: DOLIBAINA DIEGO RODRIGO , BLAS GERMAN SAN , SPECHT ALEXANDRE , CASAGRANDE MIRNA MARTINS , MIELKE OLAF HERMANN HENDRIK
Published: September 2020

The taxonomy of five South American species of Dargida Walker currently allocated in Leucania Ochsenheimer (four species) and in Lasionycta Aurivillius (one species) is revised. Leucania roseilinea (Köhler, 1947), Leucania phaeoneura Hampson, 1913, Leucania mocoides Dognin, 1897, Leucania alboradiata (Hampson, 1905) and Lasionycta radiata (Köhler, 1966), are here combined with the genus Dargida Walker for the first time (comb. nov.). Two new synonyms are proposed, Leucania roseilineoides Poole, 1989 is an objective junior synonym of Borolia roseilinea Köhler, 1947 (syn. nov.) (ICZN 51.4), and B. lilloana Köhler, 1947 is a subjective junior synonym of Leucania phaeoneura Hampson, 1913 (syn. nov.). Lectotype for Borolia lilloana is designated to ensure nomenclatural stability and recognizability of the taxon. All species are redescribed and discussed, and the habitus and male and female genitalia (when available) are given, as well as an updated geographical map.
A new species of planthopper in the genus Agoo Bahder & Bartlett (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Derbidae) from coconut palm (Cocos nucifera L.) in Jamaica
Authors: BAHDER BRIAN W. , MOU DE-FEN , BARTLETT CHARLES R. , HELMICK ERICKA E. , BERTACCINI ASSUNTA , MYRIE WAYNE
Published: September 2020

A new species of the genus Agoo Bahder & Bartlett, Agoo beani sp. n. was found associated with coconut (Cocos nucifera L., Arecaceae) in Jamaica. This species was discovered as part of a survey of the Caribbean basin to document planthopper diversity on palms. Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and 18S sequence data strongly support placement of the new species in Agoo. The morphological features of Omolicna cocoana Rodriguez-Leon & Hidalgo-Gato from Cuba are reviewed and this species transferred into the genus Agoo.
Performance verification of anti-SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody detection by using four chemiluminescence immunoassay systems
Authors: Wan Yafang , Li Zhijie , Wang Kun , Li Tian , Liao Pu
Published: September 2020

Objectives

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the analytical performance of seven kits for detecting IgM/IgG antibodies against coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) by using four chemiluminescence immunoassay systems.

Methods

Fifty patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection and 130 controls without coronavirus infection from the General Hospital of Chongqing were enrolled in the current retrospective study. Four chemiluminescence immunoassay systems, including seven IgM/IgG antibody detection kits for SARS-CoV-2 (A_IgM, A_IgG, B_IgM, B_IgG, C_IgM, C_IgG and D_Ab), were employed to detect antibody concentrations. The chi-square test, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Youden’s index were determined to verify the cut-off value of each detection system.

Results

The repeatability verification results of the A, B, C and D systems are all qualified. D_Ab performed best (92% sensitivity and 99.23% specificity), and B_IgM performed worse than the other systems. Except for the A_IgM and C_IgG systems, the optimal diagnostic thresholds and cut-off values of the other kits and their recommendations are inconsistent with each other. B_IgM had the worst AUC, and C_IgG had the best diagnostic accuracy. More importantly, the B_IgG system had the highest false-positive rate for testing patients with AIDS, tumours and pregnancies. The A_IgM system test showed the highest false-positive rates among elderly individuals over 90 years old. COVID-2019 IgM/IgG antibody test systems exhibit performance differences.

Conclusions

The Innodx Biotech Total Antibody serum diagnosis kit is the most reliable detection system for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, which can be used together with nucleic acid tests as an alternative method for SARS-CoV-2 detecting.
Opportunistic, not Optimal Delegation: The Political Origins of Central Bank Independence
Authors: Baerg Nicole Rae , Gray Julia , Willisch Jakob
Published: September 2020

Economists have long argued that central banks ran by technocrats have greater independence from the government. But in many countries, politically experienced central bankers are at the helm, including even highly independent central banks. To explain the level of central bank independence awarded, we develop a formal model where nominating politicians screen central bankers for their political ambitions. We show how screening and reelection efforts by the nominating politician changes the level of autonomy associated with different types of candidates. We predict that technocrats are associated with higher levels of independence than nominees with political experience, but as the appointing politician faces tougher reelection, candidates with political experience are associated with higher independence as well. We test our theory using new data from 29 post-communist countries between 1990 and 2012. We find evidence that the reelection strategy of the nominating politician is an important predictor of the level of central bank independence.
The Active Musical Room: Fostering Sensorimotor Discoveries and Musical Creativity in Toddlers
Authors: Peñalba Alicia , Martínez-Álvarez Lucio , Schiavio Andrea
Published: September 2020

In the current study, we investigate the implementation of a musical workshop in an early childhood education setting. The workshop is based on a shared space for musical creativity (the Active Musical Room) comprising six different musically relevant objects, which toddlers were free to explore and play with. Inspired by Delalande’s Pedagogie musicale d’éveil, the workshop was facilitated by a teacher who developed strategies to help the toddlers’ musical engagement. Data sources for this case study included semistructured interviews with the teacher and school principal, video recordings of each session, field notes and observations made by nonparticipant observers, and questionnaires completed by parents of the toddlers. Categories concerning three interrelated dimensions of interest emerged from our analyses: the decisions of the teacher, the affordances of the objects in the room, and the creative potential of each toddler. Although generalizations cannot be proposed given the nature of the study, our results point to the recursive interplay between the exploratory drive of the toddlers, their sensorimotor ability, and the constraints afforded by the environment in which they are situated (i.e., teachers, objects).
Federal policy and the push to privatize education
Authors: Burch Patricia
Published: September 2020

In recent years, the federal government (under Republican and Democratic administrations alike) has encouraged the outsourcing of core parts of public education’s work, including testing and test preparation, teaching and tutoring, data collection, and human resources management. However, researchers have found little evidence to support policy makers’ assumption that privatization will lead schools to become more efficient and effective. If anything, evidence suggests that market-friendly education reforms have had negative effects on teaching and learning, especially for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Keeping an eye on the global education industry A conversation with Anna Hogan
Authors: Heller Rafael
Published: September 2020

Kappan’s editor talks with Queensland University researcher Anna Hogan about the rapid growth of commercial activity in Australia’s schools and in school systems around the world. Private businesses have always sold textbooks, classroom tools, and other goods and services to public schools, and many teachers are happy to purchase and use them, notes Hogan. However, the biggest corporations in the education market — such as Pearson and Google — have grown so large, and are so eager to promote online schools and automated instruction, that teachers have reason to be concerned about the future of their profession, and the public has reason to worry that the quality of their schools will decline.
Backtalk: The limits of rapport: What’s lost when we focus on connecting to our students
Authors: Coleman Dan
Published: September 2020

As schools turned toward remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, they focused on preserving the connections between teachers and their students. But Dan Coleman argues that connections among students are at least as important — and easy to neglect in remote learning. He encourages teachers to design new ways to deliberately build in to their experience of virtual school the things they used to get around the edges of in-person school.
A Pneumatological Description of Sacrifice for Mitigating Idolatry
Authors: Turnbloom David Farina
Published: September 2020

The nature of eucharistic sacrifice has been an ongoing point of contention between the Lutheran Church and the Roman Catholic Church. Drawing from the pneumatology and sacramental theology of Thomas Aquinas, this article provides a way of describing eucharistic sacrifice that is intended to help avoid the idolatrous notions of sacrifice often found lurking in eucharistic theology. The article concludes by using the linguistic concepts of metaphor and synecdoche to describe the way that the language of “sacrifice” can be strategically used to mitigate the concerns that continue to arise in Lutheran/Catholic dialogues.
Praying to win: reflections on the involvement of God in the outcomes of sport
Authors: Smith Jason M.
Published: September 2020

This article applies to sport the question: to what extent is God involved in the outcomes of worldly affairs? It examines Lincoln Harvey’s assertion that sport is one unique area of creation in which God has left the outcomes entirely up to us, as a ‘liturgical celebration of our contingency’. Not entirely satisfied with this answer, I take up concepts from Kathryn Tanner’s work to try to arrive at a solution wherein God’s providential care over all worldly affairs is maintained but with sufficient care so as not to imagine God choosing one team over another during every sporting event.
Prison chaplaincy in the age of Covid-19
Authors: Hargaden Kevin
Published: September 2020

The global coronavirus pandemic of 2020 has disrupted every type of Christian ministry. This article considers the particular impact on prison chaplaincy, which relies so heavily on the idea of physical presence. The prison preaching and wider theology of Karl Barth are explored as a possible framework to help practitioners adapt their ministry approaches with integrity in this era of social distancing.
God’s self-distancing: what a global pandemic might teach us about God
Authors: Ochs Christoph
Published: September 2020

As a global pandemic is compelling a majority of the world population to physically distance themselves from one another – essentially out of love for fellow humans – we are given a unique lens to explore that a God of love (1 John 4.8, 16) equally keeps himself distant from humanity in certain regards. God distances himself because he loves. Jüngel, Moltmann and others have argued for God’s self-limitation before creation because of his love; it is therefore worthwhile reflecting if this divine self-contraction (or Zimzum) is not analogous to a kind of self-distancing of God from his creation. This then might offer additional insights to understand God’s seeming absence in creation – which likewise might be motivated by God’s love.
The temptation of scientism
Authors: Peters Ted
Published: September 2020

This article distinguishes between science and scientism, recommending that the theologian take on board the former but jettison the latter. Scientism adds an ‘ism’ to science, turning its materialistic method into an ideology, a world view without spirit and without the divine. Science itself should be lauded by the theologian, because it expands both knowledge and appreciation of God’s creation.
Dynamic positioning for underactuated surface vessel via L1 adaptive backstepping control
Authors: Chen Huizi , Peng Yan , Zhang Dan , Xie Shaorong , Yan Huaicheng
Published: September 2020

This paper is concerned with the problem that fast-transient response and excellent robustness cannot be satisfied simultaneously in the process of dynamic positioning (DP) for underactuated surface vessel (USV) in shallow water. By combing the improved L1 adaptive control with backstepping method, a novel control scheme is designed, which can ensure a fast adaptation with a guaranteed smooth transient response without any overshoot and chattering phenomenon. System uncertainties and disturbances are estimated by the nonlinear observer. Moreover, the optimized extremum seeking control (ESC) is employed to reduce energy consumption under environmental disturbances. Rigorous theoretical analysis shows that all closed-loop signals are bounded-input bounded-state. Simulation and sea test results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness and the robustness of the proposed strategy under the condition of external disturbances and parametric uncertainties.
A Solution for Absent Spatial Data: The Common Correlated Effects Estimator
Authors: Beenstock Michael , Felsenstein Daniel
Published: September 2020

Informed regional policy needs good regional data. As regional data series for key economic variables are generally absent whereas national-level time series data for the same variables are ubiquitous, we suggest an approach that leverages this advantage. We hypothesize the existence of a pervasive “common factor” represented by the national time series that affects regions differentially. We provide an empirical illustration in which national FDI is used in place of panel data for FDI, which are absent. The proposed methodology is tested empirically with respect to the determinants of regional demand for housing. We use a quasi-experimental approach to compare the results of a “common correlated effects” (CCE) estimator with a benchmark case when absent regional data are omitted. Using three common factors relating to national population, income and housing stock, we find mixed support for the common correlated effects hypothesis. We conclude by discussing how our experimental design may serve as a methodological prototype for further tests of CCE as a solution to the absent spatial data problem.
Facial Nerve Outcomes After Vestibular Schwannoma Microsurgical Resection in Neurofibromatosis Type 2
Authors: Sobieski Catherine , Killeen Daniel E. , Barnett Samuel L. , Mickey Bruce E. , Hunter Jacob B. , Isaacson Brandon , Kutz Joe Walter
Published: September 2020

Objective

The aim of this study is to investigate facial nerve outcomes after microsurgical resection in neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) compared to sporadic tumors.

Study Design

Single institutional retrospective chart review.

Setting

Tertiary referral center.

Methods

All adult patients with NF2 vestibular schwannoma (VS) or sporadic VS who underwent microsurgical resection from 2008 to 2019 with preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 1 year of postsurgical follow‐up were included. The primary outcome measure was postoperative House‐Brackmann (HB) facial nerve score measured at first postoperative visit and after at least 10 months.

Results

In total, 161 sporadic VSs and 14 NF2 VSs met inclusion criteria. Both median tumor diameter (NF2, 33.5 mm vs sporadic, 24 mm, P =. 0011) and median tumor volume (NF2, 12.4 cm3 vs sporadic, 2.9 cm3, P =. 0005) were significantly greater in patients with NF2. The median follow‐up was 24.9 months (range, 12‐130.1). Median facial nerve function after 1 year for patients with NF2 was HB 3 (range, 1‐6) compared to HB 1 (range, 1‐6) for sporadic VS (P =. 001). With multivariate logistic regression, NF2 tumors (odds ratio [OR] = 13.9, P =. 001) and tumor volume ≥3 cm3 (OR = 3.6, P =. 025) were significantly associated with HB ≥3 when controlling for age, sex, extent of tumor resection, translabyrinthine approach, and prior radiation.

Conclusion

Tumor volume >3 cm3 and NF2 tumors are associated with poorer facial nerve outcomes 1 year following microsurgical resection.
Alternating Unilateral Versus Bilateral Injections of Botulinum Toxin for the Treatment of Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia
Authors: Lee Seung Jin , Kang Min Seok , Choi Hong‐Shik , Lim Jae‐Yol
Published: September 2020

Objective

This study aimed to compare the long‐term efficacy, durability, and dose and interval stability between alternating unilateral and bilateral injections of botulinum neurotoxin type A for the treatment of adductor spasmodic dysphonia.

Study Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Academic tertiary medical center.

Methods

A total of 137 patients (105 alternating unilateral and 32 bilateral injections) who were administered ≥5 injections of botulinum neurotoxin type A were included in this study. The mean dosage change, dose adjustment ratio (number of dose increases/total number of injections), and stability of treatment responses were compared between the alternating unilateral and bilateral injection groups.

Results

Long‐term changes in the mean dosages for alternating unilateral (mean ± SD, –0.010 ± 0.048 IU) and bilateral (–0.042 ± 0.142 IU) injections did not differ between groups (P=. 225), suggesting that both methods follow a decreasing dosing trend over time. The dose adjustment ratio also did not differ between groups (P=. 077), although a longer average treatment interval (P<. 001) and duration of hoarse voice (P=. 045) were found in the bilateral injection group. The proportion of stable patients who did not increase injection dose and had regular follow‐up did not differ between the groups.

Conclusion

Both alternating unilateral and bilateral injection methods showed a long‐term decreasing dosing trend, with comparable levels of efficacy, durability, and stability for treating adductor spasmodic dysphonia. Our findings indicate that alternating unilateral injections can be routinely performed with fewer side effects, albeit at shorter treatment intervals, than bilateral injections.
Opioid Prescribing in Patients Undergoing Neck Dissections With Short Hospitalizations
Authors: Banik Grace L. , Kraimer Kristen L. , Shindo Maisie L.
Published: September 2020

Objective

To evaluate postoperative opioid prescribing in patients undergoing neck dissections with short hospitalizations.

Study Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Tertiary academic hospital.

Methods

The study population included patients who underwent lateral neck dissections with or without an associated head and neck procedure and required hospitalization for ≤3 days from 2012 to 2019. Interventions to decrease opioid utilization, including preoperative counseling, multimodality pain management, and multidisciplinary collaboration, were implemented in September 2016. Patients were divided into 2 groups: preintervention (group 1) and postintervention (group 2). The mean quantity of opioids prescribed during hospitalization, at discharge, and in refills was calculated in morphine milligram equivalents (MME).

Results

A total of 407 patients were included in the analysis: 223 patients in group 1 and 184 patients in group 2 (42.3% female, 89.4% white; average age, 55.2 years [95% CI, 53.6‐56.9]). The mean opioid quantity prescribed in unilateral neck dissection alone decreased from 353.9 MME (95% CI, 266.7‐441.2) in group 1 to 113.3 MME (95% CI, 87.8‐138.7) in group 2 (P <. 001; effect size, 1.0). Statistically significant decreases in mean opioid quantity prescribed were also observed in unilateral neck dissection in combination with thyroidectomy, parotidectomy, glossectomy, or tonsillectomy. The percentage of patients requiring opioid prescription refills was not statistically different between the groups.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that the quantity of opioids prescribed in patients undergoing neck dissections and associated head and neck procedures with short hospitalizations can be reduced to as low as 100 to 125 MME with preoperative counseling, multimodality pain management, and multidisciplinary collaboration.
Longitudinal monitoring of microglial/macrophage activation in ischemic rat brain using Iba-1-specific nanoparticle-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Sillerud Laurel O , Yang Yirong , Yang Lisa Y , Duval Kelsey B , Thompson Jeffrey , Yang Yi
Published: September 2020

Microglial/macrophage activation plays a dual role in response to brain injury after a stroke, promoting early neuroinflammation and benefit for neurovascular recovery. Therefore, the dynamics of stroke-induced cerebral microglial/macrophage activation are of substantial interest. This study used novel anti-Iba-1-targeted superparamagnetic iron–platinum (FePt) nanoparticles in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure the spatiotemporal changes of the microglial/macrophage activation in living rat brain for four weeks post-stroke. Ischemic lesion areas were identified and measured using T2-weighted MR images. After injection of the FePt-nanoparticles, T2*-weighted MR images showed that the nanoparticles were seen solely in brain regions that coincided with areas of active microglia/macrophages detected by post-mortem immunohistochemistry. Good agreement in morphological and distributive dynamic changes was also observed between the Fe+-cells and the Iba-1+-microglia/macrophages. The spatiotemporal changes of nanoparticle detected by T2*-weighted images paralleled the changes of microglial/macrophage activation and phenotypes measured by post-mortem immunohistochemistry over the four weeks post-stroke. Maximum microglial/macrophage activation occurred seven days post-stroke for both measures, and the diminished activation found after two weeks continued to four weeks. Our results suggest that nanoparticle-enhanced MRI may constitute a novel approach for monitoring the dynamic development of neuroinflammation in living animals during the progression and treatment of stroke.
Tissue no-reflow despite full recanalization following thrombectomy for anterior circulation stroke with proximal occlusion: A clinical study
Authors: Schiphorst Adrien ter , Charron Sylvain , Hassen Wagih Ben , Provost Corentin , Naggara Olivier , Benzakoun Joseph , Seners Pierre , Turc Guillaume , Baron Jean-Claude , Oppenheim Catherine
Published: September 2020

Despite early thrombectomy, a sizeable fraction of acute stroke patients with large vessel occlusion have poor outcome. The no-reflow phenomenon, i.e. impaired microvascular reperfusion despite complete recanalization, may contribute to such “futile recanalizations”. Although well reported in animal models, no-reflow is still poorly characterized in man. From a large prospective thrombectomy database, we included all patients with intracranial proximal occlusion, complete recanalization (modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction score 2c–3), and availability of both baseline and 24 h follow-up MRI including arterial spin labeling perfusion mapping. No-reflow was operationally defined as i) hypoperfusion ≥40% relative to contralateral homologous region, assessed with both visual (two independent investigators) and automatic image analysis, and ii) infarction on follow-up MRI. Thirty-three patients were eligible (median age: 70 years, NIHSS: 18, and stroke onset-to-recanalization delay: 208 min). The operational criteria were met in one patient only, consistently with the visual and automatic analyses. This patient recanalized 160 min after stroke onset and had excellent functional outcome. In our cohort of patients with complete and stable recanalization following thrombectomy for intracranial proximal occlusion, severe ipsilateral hypoperfusion on follow-up imaging associated with newly developed infarction was a rare occurrence. Thus, no-reflow may be infrequent in human stroke and may not substantially contribute to futile recanalizations.
The Undergraduate Marketing Research Course: Two Decades of Change
Authors: Bridges Eileen
Published: September 2020

This article looks back over the past two decades to describe how teaching of undergraduate marketing research has (or has not) changed. Sweeping changes in technology and society have certainly affected how marketing research is designed and implemented—but how has this affected teaching of this important topic? Although the purpose of marketing research is still to better understand target customer needs, the tools are different now: customer data are typically collected using technology-based interfaces in place of such instruments as mailed, telephone, or in-person surveys. Observational techniques collect more data electronically rather than requiring a human recorder. Similarly, sampling has changed: sample frames are no longer widely used. Many of these changes are not yet fully discussed in marketing research courses. On the other hand, there is increasing interest in and availability of courses and programs in marketing data analytics, which teach specialized skills related to analysis and interpretation of electronic databases. Perhaps even more importantly, new technology-based tools permit greater automation of data collection and analysis, and presentation of findings. A critical gap is identified in this article; specifically, effort is needed to better integrate the perspectives of data collection and data analysis given current research conditions.
The Dark Side of Market Practices: A Concerned View of Dieselgate in the Automotive Market System
Authors: Mele Cristina , Spena Tiziana Russo
Published: September 2020

The paper examines Dieselgate by focusing on the role of actors in performing in and shaping the market, as a macromarketing issue. The focus on the automotive market system is due to the need to “make space for concern” and to become reflexive about the emergent dark side of its practices. To account for the practices of actors, a discourse analysis is used for the examination of the linguistic elements associated with the construction of social phenomena. This paper addresses the dark side of market practices. Market practices that are performed through mistakes and misconduct exert adverse effects on actors in their value co-creation processes. This investigation of Dieselgate in the automotive market system offers three main contributions: (1) a set of adverse constructs; (2) an understanding of the roles that such adverse factors and controversies play in market practices and (3) a multiplicity of viewpoints, concerns and controversies.
Utility of material-specific fat images derived from rapid-kVp-switch dual-energy renal mass CT for diagnosis of renal angiomyolipoma
Authors: Walker Daniel , Udare Amar , Chatelain Robert , McInnes Matthew , Flood Trevor , Schieda Nicola
Published: September 2020

Background

Renal angiomyolipoma (AML) are benign masses that require detection of macroscopic fat for accurate diagnosis.

Purpose

To evaluate fat material-specific images derived from dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) to diagnose renal AML.

Material and Methods

This retrospective case-control study evaluated 25 renal AML and 44 solid renal masses (41 renal cell carcinomas, three other tumors) imaged with rapid-kVp-switch DECT (120 kVp non-contrast-enhanced [NECT], 70-keV corticomedullary [CM], and 120-kVp nephrographic [NG]-phase CECT) during 2017–2018. A radiologist measured attenuation (Hounsfield Units [HU]) on NECT, CM-CECT, NG-CECT, and fat concentration (mg/mL) using fat-water base-pair images.

Results

At NECT, 100% (44/44) non-AML and 4.0% (1/25) AML measured >–15 HU. At CM-CECT and NG-CECT, 24.0% (6/25) and 20.0% (5/25) AML measured >–15 HU (size 6–20 mm). To diagnose AML, area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) using –15 HU was: 0.98 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.98–1.00) NECT, 0.88 (95% CI 0.79–0.91) CM-CECT, and 0.90 (95% CI 0.82–0.98) NG-CECT. At DECT, fat concentration was higher in AML (163.7 ± 333.9 [–553.0 to 723.5] vs. –2858.1 ± 460.3 [–2421.2 to –206.0] mg/mL, P<0.001). AUC to diagnose AML using ≥–206.0 mg/mL threshold was 0.98 (95% CI 0.95–1.0) with sensitivity/specificity of 92.0%/96.7%. Of AML, 8.0% (2/25) were incorrectly classified; one of these was fat-poor. AUC was higher for fat concentration compared to HU measurements on CM-CECT and NG-CECT ( P=0.009–0.050) and similar to NECT ( P=0.98).

Conclusion

DECT material-specific fat images can help confirm the presence of macroscopic fat in renal AML which may be useful to establish a diagnosis if unenhanced CT is unavailable.