bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Postural stability in people with visual impairment
Authors: Alghadir Ahmad H. , Alotaibi Abdullah Z. , Iqbal Zaheen A.
Published: October 2019

Background

The visual system enables the brain to assess information regarding the position of the body in space. Congenital or acquired blindness leads to the development of abnormal sensory‐motor interactions that results in development of typical musculoskeletal deformities and gait patterns that cause disability. Diabetes and related complications are expected to increase exponentially in the next 10 years; thus, the number of people with visual impairment is expected to increase. However, there have been few studies regarding etio‐pathogenesis of postural alteration and balance impairment in people with visual impairment; moreover, no previous study has investigated postural stability in this population. This study aimed to assess the center of gravity (COG) velocity in subjects with visual impairment and compared with that in sighted subjects.

Methods

Seventy male subjects, 20–40 years of age, participated in this study; they were divided into sighted (control) and visually impaired groups. COG velocity while standing on an unstable surface was measured using the NeuroCom® Balance Master Version 8.5.0. For the sighted group, data were recorded with eyes open and then with eyes closed. For the visually impaired group, no instructions were given with respect to eyes during data collection.

Results

Mean COG velocity was significantly higher in the visually impaired group than in the sighted group with eyes open. However, there was no difference in mean COG velocity between the visually impaired group and the sighted group with eyes closed. The difference in mean COG velocity between sighted subjects with eyes open and eyes closed was also significant. Mean COG velocity while standing on a foam surface varied among visually impaired subjects and sighted subjects with eyes open and closed.

Conclusion

This study showed that subjects with visual impairment, regardless of eye opening or closure, behave in the same manner as sighted subjects with eyes closed.
Pyrolysis coupled anaerobic digestion process for food waste and recalcitrant residues: Fundamentals, challenges, and considerations
Authors: Giwa Abdulmoseen Segun , Xu Heng , Chang Fengmin , Zhang Xiaoqian , Ali Nasir , Yuan Jing , Wang Kaijun
Published: October 2019

Food waste (FW) is a severe environmental problem all over the world, and the recalcitrant organic residues (ROR) from FW treatment plant operations are also a critical environmental issue due to unsustainable treatment and disposal techniques. Requirements for FW and ROR complete exploitation with the establishment of recycling‐renewable technologies are very crucial. This paper review AD and pyrolysis as two promising technologies to degrade FW and its residues, creating numerous renewable bioenergy yields with value‐added. Existing oil/tar application methods in the AD suffered from various problems such as microorganism toxicity and limited productivity. Future upgrading techniques considering the second‐stage pyrolysis process to decompose oil/tars for syngas with high hydrogen content and enhanced bio‐methanation in the AD were addressed. Simultaneous pyrolysis by‐product recycle in the AD during the valorization of FW are aimed to have the features of sustainability toward increased bioenergy production, reactor efficiency, and agricultural application.
Crossing Boundaries
Authors: Solomon Mildred Z.
Published: October 2019

I met Dan Callahan in 1986—when I came to pitch him. Coming from a sleek office setting near Boston, I was intrigued by The Hastings Center's higgledy‐piggledy environment where so many smart people got to work in a relaxed, inviting atmosphere. I had noticed that the Center was producing a great deal of policy work on a wide range of topics but didn't seem to go further than publishing the highly valuable guidance developed under Dan Callahan's leadership. I ended my pitch, “Look, Dan, where Hastings gets bored and wants to go on to the next topic, my group in Boston gets interested.” To my great pleasure, and despite his skepticism, Dan accepted the pitch.

Beyond his generous responsiveness to unproven young people, Dan had many other virtues. For one, he was a boundary crosser.
Human‐Animal Chimeras: The Moral Insignificance of Uniquely Human Capacities
Authors: Koplin Julian J.
Published: October 2019

Human‐animal chimeras—creatures composed of a mix of animal and human cells—have come to play an important role in biomedical research, and they raise ethical questions. This article focuses on one particularly difficult set of questions—those related to the moral status of human‐animal chimeras with brains that are partly or wholly composed of human cells. Given the uncertain effects of human‐animal chimera research on chimeric animals’ cognition, it would be prudent to ensure we do not overlook or underestimate their moral status. However, to assess moral status, we first need to determine what kinds of capacities are morally relevant. The standard view holds that it matters, morally, if chimeric animals develop uniquely human cognitive capacities. I argue that this view is mistaken, highlighting three problems with it: that we can think of examples of uniquely human cognitive capacities that are not morally significant, that we can think of examples of morally significant cognitive capacities that are not uniquely human, and that evidence that some cognitive capacity is shared with nonhuman animals does not undermine claims that this capacity is morally significant. We need a better framework for thinking about the moral status of part‐human beings.
Ternary polymer nanocomposites with concurrently enhanced dielectric constant and breakdown strength for high‐temperature electrostatic capacitors
Authors: Li He , Ren Lulu , Ai Ding , Han Zhubing , Liu Yang , Yao Bin , Wang Qing
Published: October 2019

The exploration of high‐energy‐density electrostatic capacitors capable of operating both efficiently and reliably at elevated temperatures is of great significance in order to meet advanced power electronic applications. The energy density of a capacitor is strongly dependent on dielectric constant and breakdown strength of a dielectric material. Here, we demonstrate a class of solution‐processable polymer nanocomposites exhibiting a concurrent improvement in dielectric constant and breakdown strength, which typically show a negative correlation in conventional dielectric materials, along with a reduction in dielectric loss. The excellent performance is enabled by the elegant combination of nanostructured barium titanate and boron nitride fillers with complementary functionalities. The ternary polymer nanocomposite with the optimized filler compositions delivers a discharged energy density of 2.92 J cm−3 and a Weibull breakdown strength of 547 MV m−1 at 150°C, which are 83% and 25%, respectively, greater than those of the pristine polymer. The conduction behaviors including interfacial barrier and carrier transport process have been investigated to rationalize the energy storage performance of ternary polymer nanocomposite. This contribution provides a new design paradigm for scalable high‐temperature polymer film capacitors.

image
Genetic Dissection of Femoral and Tibial Microarchitecture
Authors: Lu Lu , Huang Jinsong , Xu Fuyi , Xiao Zhousheng , Wang Jing , Zhang Bing , David Nicolae Valentin , Arends Danny , Gu Weikuan , Ackert‐Bicknell Cheryl , Sabik Olivia L , Farber Charles R , Quarles Leigh Darryl , Williams Robert W
Published: October 2019

Our understanding of the genetic control of bone strength has relied mainly on estimates of bone mineral density. Here we have mapped genetic factors that influence femoral and tibial microarchitecture using high‐resolution x‐ray computed tomography (8‐μm isotropic voxels) across a family of 61 BXD strains of mice, roughly 10 isogenic cases per strain and balanced by sex. We computed heritabilities for 25 cortical and trabecular traits. Males and females have well‐matched heritabilities, ranging from 0.25 to 0.75. We mapped 16 genetic loci most of which were detected only in females. There is also a bias in favor of loci that control cortical rather than trabecular bone. To evaluate candidate genes, we combined well‐established gene ontologies with bone transcriptome data to compute bone‐enrichment scores for all protein‐coding genes. We aligned candidates with those of human genome‐wide association studies. A subset of 50 strong candidates fell into three categories: (1) experimentally validated genes already known to modulate bone function (Adamts4, Ddr2, Darc, Adam12, Fkbp10, E2f6, Adam17, Grem2, Ifi204); (2) candidates without any experimentally validated function in bone (eg, Greb1, Ifi202b), but linked to skeletal phenotypes in human cohorts; and (3) candidates that have high bone‐enrichment scores, but for which there is not yet any functional link to bone biology or skeletal system disease (including Ifi202b, Ly9, Ifi205, Mgmt, F2rl1, Iqgap2). Our results highlight contrasting genetic architecture between sexes and among major bone compartments. The alignment of murine and human data facilitates function analysis and should prove of value for preclinical testing of molecular control of bone structure. © 2019 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Novel red mud/polyacrylic composites synthesized from red mud and its performance on cadmium removal from aqueous solution
Authors: Liu Jing , Xie Yan , Li Chen , Fang Guantao , Chen Qianlin , Ao Xianquan
Published: October 2019

BACKGROUND

Red mud (RM) is a solid waste generated by the aluminum industry and has demonstrated promising physical adsorption properties for cadmium (Cd) due to its relatively large surface area. To improve the chemisorption performance of RM for Cd(II) ions, a new method utilizing in situ graft polymerization in a reversed‐phase suspension system is proposed, and red mud/polyacrylic acid (RM/PAA) composites were synthesized for the first time.

RESULTS

The RM/PAA composites were used to adsorb Cd(II) ions from aqueous solutions. Batch equilibrium measurements of RM/PAA were carried out to optimize the parameters. The characteristics were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method, X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared and X‐ray photon spectroscopy. The maximum adsorption capacity of RM/PAA reached 96.15 mg g−1, which was much higher than that of the RM (21.70). The Cd(II) adsorption rate increased with increasing solution temperature and followed pseudo‐second‐order kinetics. The experimental data fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm model, indicating that the adsorption followed the monolayer adsorption model. The thermodynamic parameter values suggested that endothermic and spontaneous adsorption occurred. The surface of RM/PAA possesses abundant oxygen‐containing functional groups, and because the specific surface area of the RM/PAA decreased and the amount of adsorption increased compared with those of RM, the surface groups contribute more to Cd(II) retention. Physical adsorption, ion exchange and chelation were possibly the predominant adsorption mechanisms.

CONCLUSION

Thus, the RM/PAA composites produced from RM are considered effective and low‐cost adsorbents for Cd(II) removal from aqueous solutions. This study is of great significance for waste utilization and environmental protection. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Integration or Separation? Addressing Religious and Spiritual Issues in Multicultural Counseling: A National Survey of College Counselors
Authors: Smith Timothy B. , Lyon Rachel Crook , O'Grady Kari
Published: October 2019

Given contemporary ethical concerns, the authors conducted a national survey of 216 college counselors’ perceptions of integrating religious and spiritual issues in multicultural counseling and counselor education. Using cluster analysis, the authors identified 4 patterns of commitments to multiculturalism and religiosity. Respondents demonstrated ethical bracketing in that they considered religious and spiritual issues favorably within the framework of multicultural counseling, irrespective of their commitments to those topics. Counselors can openly address spiritual and religious diversity.
Preparation of chitosan‐based molecularly imprinted material for enantioseparation of racemic mandelic acid in aqueous medium by solid phase extraction
Authors: Xiao Xudong , Li Zhenqun , Liu Ya , Jia Li
Published: October 2019

An S‐mandelic acid imprinted chitosan resin was synthesized by cross‐linking chitosan with glutaraldehyde in 2% acetic acid solution. S‐Mandelic acid imprinted chitosan resin was used to enantioselectively separate racemic mandelic acid in aqueous medium. When keeping the pH of sample solution (100 mM Tris‐H3PO4) at 3.5 and adsorption time at 40 min, the enantiomer excess of mandelic acid in supernatant was 78.8%. The adsorption capacities of S‐mandelic acid imprinted chitosan resin for S‐ and R‐mandelic acid were determined to be 29.5 and 2.03 mg/g, respectively. While the adsorption capacities of non‐imprinted cross‐linked chitosan for S‐ and R‐mandelic acid were 2.10 and 2.08 mg/g, respectively. The result suggests that the imprinted caves in S‐mandelic acid imprinted chitosan resin are highly matched with S‐mandelic acid molecule in space structure and spatial arrangement of action sites. Interestingly, the enantiomer excess value of mandelic acid in supernatant after adsorption of racemic mandelic acid by R‐mandelic acid imprinted cross‐linked chitosan was 25.4%. The higher enantiomer excess value by S‐mandelic acid imprinted chitosan resin suggests that the chiral carbons in chitosan and the imprinted caves in S‐mandelic acid imprinted chitosan resin combine to play roles for the enantioselectivity of S‐mandelic acid imprinted chitosan resin toward S‐mandelic acid. Furthermore, the excellent enantioselectivity of S‐mandelic acid imprinted chitosan resin toward S‐mandelic acid demonstrates that using chiral chitosan as functional monomer to prepare molecularly imprinted polymers has great potential in enantioseparation of chiral pharmaceuticals.
The first case of NEUROD1‐MODY reported in Latin America
Authors: Abreu Gabriella de Medeiros , Tarantino Roberta Magalhães , Cabello Pedro Hernan , Zembrzuski Verônica Marques , da Fonseca Ana Carolina Proença , Rodacki Melanie , Zajdenverg Lenita , Campos Junior Mário
Published: October 2019

Background

MODY‐NEUROD1 is a rare form of monogenic diabetes caused by mutations in Neuronal differentiation 1 (NEUROD1). Until now, only a few cases of MODY‐NEUROD1 have been reported worldwide and the real contribution of mutations in NEUROD1 in monogenic diabetes and its clinical impact remain unclear.

Methods

Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood lymphocytes of 25 unrelated Brazilians patients with clinical characteristics suggestive of monogenic diabetes and the screening of the entire coding region of NEUROD1 was performed by Sanger sequencing.

Results

We identified one novel frameshift deletion (p.Phe256Leufs*2) in NEUROD1 segregating in an autosomal dominant inheritance fashion. Almost 20 years after the first report of NEUROD1‐MODY, only a few families in Europe and Asia had shown mutations in NEUROD1 as the cause of monogenic diabetes.

Conclusion

To our knowledge, we described the first case of NEUROD1‐MODY in a Latin American family.
Differentially fed, dual‐band filtering antenna with H‐shaped slot
Authors: Li Yapeng , Zhao Zhipeng , Tang Zhaoyang , Yin Yingzeng
Published: October 2019

A differentially fed, dual‐band microstrip patch antenna with filtering response is proposed in this letter. By etching an H‐shaped slot at a rectangle radiating patch, two resonant modes of the patch antenna, as well as an additional radiation null between the two operation bands are generated. Besides, two symmetric open‐stub coupling feedlines (OSCFs) are introduced to differentially excite the antenna, which offer two extra radiation nulls outside the two bands. Thus, a dual‐band bandpass filtering response for the proposed antenna is obtained. Measurement results of the prototype show good agreement with the simulated ones. Stable radiation patterns with low cross‐polarization levels of better than 28 dB are observed. Besides, a deep roll‐off of better than 22 dBi for the realized gain is also obtained.
Real‐time multi‐directional flow MRI using model‐based reconstructions of undersampled radial FLASH – A feasibility study
Authors: Kollmeier Jost M. , Tan Zhengguo , Joseph Arun A. , Kalentev Oleksandr , Voit Dirk , Merboldt K. Dietmar , Frahm Jens
Published: October 2019

The purpose of this work was to develop an acquisition and reconstruction technique for two‐ and three‐directional (2d and 3d) phase‐contrast flow MRI in real time. A previous real‐time MRI technique for one‐directional (1d) through‐plane flow was extended to 2d and 3d flow MRI by introducing in‐plane flow sensitivity. The method employs highly undersampled radial FLASH sequences with sequential acquisitions of two or three flow‐encoding datasets and one flow‐compensated dataset. Echo times are minimized by merging the waveforms of flow‐encoding and radial imaging gradients. For each velocity direction individually, model‐based reconstructions by regularized nonlinear inversion jointly estimate an anatomical image, a set of coil sensitivities and a phase‐contrast velocity map directly. The reconstructions take advantage of a dynamic phase reference obtained by interpolating consecutive flow‐compensated acquisitions. Validations include pulsatile flow phantoms as well as in vivo studies of the human aorta at 3 T. The proposed method offers cross‐sectional 2d and 3d flow MRI of the human aortic arch at 53 and 67 ms resolution, respectively, without ECG synchronization and during free breathing. The in‐plane resolution was 1.5 × 1.5 mm2 and the slice thickness 6 mm. In conclusion, real‐time multi‐directional flow MRI offers new opportunities to study complex human blood flow without the risk of combining differential phase (i.e., velocity) information from multiple heartbeats as for ECG‐gated data. The method would benefit from a further reduction of acquisition time and accelerated computing to allow for extended clinical trials.
Identification of New Peptide Biomarkers for Bacterial Bloodstream Infection
Authors: Ma Yating , Wen Xinyu , Kong Yi , Chen Chen , Yang Ming , He Shang , Wang Jianan , Wang Chengbin
Published: October 2019

Purpose

Due to a lack of effective early diagnostic measures, new diagnostic methods for bacterial bloodstream infections (BSIs) are urgently needed. A protein–peptide profiling approach can be used to identify novel diagnostic biomarkers of BSIs.

Experimental design

In this study, MALDI‐TOF MS and nano‐LC/ESI‐MS/MS are used to analyze serum peptides. In addition, GO and network analyses are conducted as a means of analyzing these potential protein markers. Finally, the potential biomarkers are verified in independent clinical samples via ELISA.

Results

m/z 1533.8, 2794.3, 3597.3, 5007.3, and 7816.7 reveal an identical trend; the intensity of m/z 1533.8, 2794.3, and 3597.3 are higher in the infection group relative to controls, whereas the intensity of m/z 5007.3 and 7816.7 are lower in the infection group. Four peaks are successfully identified including ITIH4, KNG1, SAA2, and C3. GO and network analyses find these proteins to form an interaction network, which may be correlated with BSI. ELISA results indicate that ITIH4, KNG1, and SAA2 are effective in differentiating infected from normal control group and the febrile group.

Conclusions and clinical relevance

These biomarkers have the potential to offer new insights into the signaling networks underlying the development and progression of BSI.
Ultrahighly Enhanced Performance of Single Cadmium Selenide Nanobelt by Plasmonic Gold Particles
Authors: Li Hanchun , Peng Sheng , Qin Kang , Hong Qunquan , Tan Qiuhong , Zhang Xuejin , Liu Yingkai , Lou Jun
Published: October 2019

Noble metal nanoparticles have been demonstrated by a huge application prospect for photodetector (PD) due to their unique and tunable optical properties. Herein, a simple strategy is presented by a combination of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) and broadband photoresponse cadmium selenide nanobelts (CdSe NBs) to get ultrasensitive, broadband photoresponse (300–720 nm) and tunable photoresponse PD. Concretely, the Au NPs are fabricated on CdSe NBs via ion sputtering and annealing, and the morphology of Au NPs is systematically adjusted by simply tuning the sputter time from 60 to 140 s. Compared with the pure CdSe NB PD, the Au NPs hybrid CdSe NB PD exhibits a high responsivity, especially in the range of 525–575 nm with low light intensity (enhancement of ≈2894% at 550 nm with 79.6 μW cm−2). The response time of the hybrid PD is decreased substantially from 0.8 to 0.2 ms. More importantly, the hybrid PD possesses a tunable absorption in the range of 538–580 nm, which is benefited from tunable plasmon resonance of Au NPs. These results are confirmed by the theoretical simulation. It is believed that this strategy offers new opportunities to design ultrasensitive, broadband spectra, and tunable wavelength PD.
Polymer‐based activatable optical probes for tumor fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging
Authors: Zhen Xu , Jiang Xiqun
Published: October 2019

Optical imaging including fluorescence imaging and photoacoustic imaging have been widely employed in early and accurate diagnosis of cancer. Compared to the “always on” optical probes, the molecular probes that could emit their signal in response to the tumor microenvironment exhibit the low background noise and high signal‐to‐background ratio, allowing sensitive and accurate cancer diagnosis. Polymer‐based activatable optical probes display the advantages of improved water solubility, good photostability, extended blood circulation time, and easy functionalization, which enable them to accumulate in tumor for early and accurate diagnosis. This review focuses on recent advances in the development of polymer‐based activatable optical probes for tumor fluorescence and PA imaging. The designs of polymer‐based optical probes are first discussed. Then the applications for tumor fluorescence and PA imaging using pH, hypoxia, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, and enzymes responsive polymer‐based optical probes are discussed in details. At last, the present challenges and perspectives of polymer‐based activatable optical probes to further advance them into the clinical application are also suggested.

This article is categorized under:

Diagnostic Tools > In vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging

Diagnostic Tools > Biosensing
Introduction
Authors: Glorius Birgit , Doomernik Jeroen
Published: October 2019

Since at least the summer of 2015, refugee migration to Europe has been a topical issue in academic, political and public debates. While European meta-discourses often link to security issues, border security and problems with “burden sharing”, which are reflected at the state level and expanded by questions of social policies and so forth, the local level is largely neglected. This volume aims to show the development of “the refugee crisis” and reception processes, and the repercussions of this “crisis” for policy development and public discourses at the level of European localities. It brings together a selection of fresh empirical research on reception processes and the development of structures, practices and discourses at the local level throughout Europe.Tthe volume shows the varieties of refugee reception and integration strategies and practices, taking into account the geographical, historical and political contexts of the specific case study regions. By also including perceptions of the local public and how these translate into policy development, it contributes to the nexus between migration/integration of refugees on the one hand and societal development and political culture on the other. Through highlighting examples of experimental governance and multi-sectoral approaches, we point to the role of localities in shaping innovative policies, but we also highlight the effects of tightening national (or supra-national) policies on specific places and localities, and on the inhabitants of those places.
Local Innovation in the Reception of Asylum Seekers in the Netherlands: Plan Einstein as an Example of Multi-level and Multi-sector Collaboration
Authors: Geuijen Karin , Oliver Caroline , Dekker Rianne
Published: October 2019

Asylum seeker reception has proved something of a ‘wicked issue’, resulting in an impasse in decision-making at national and European levels, and ‘scale mismatch’ with local contexts where the problem manifests. The 2015–2016 refugee crisis provoked an opportunity for experimentation at the local level in European cities. This chapter provides an example of one such experiment: the Utrecht Refugee Launchpad, or ‘Plan Einstein’ as it is known locally, a new concept of asylum seeker reception and integration. It offered ‘futureproof’ skills development for asylum seekers and simultaneous benefits for local people from the neighbourhood through living and learning together. We discuss how the concept aimed to respond to existing challenges, how it adapted in practice and why the innovation was able to prosper at this specific moment. In particular, the chapter shows how through the development of multi-sector and multi-level alliances, the project was made appealing to different constituents for different reasons. The chapter also shows how the experiment resulted in the initiators manoeuvring within different political contexts and constraints locally and nationally. In this way, it did not challenge outright the existing structures through decoupling from the national level, but negotiated within these, to bring the concept into being.
Conclusion
Authors: Doomernik Jeroen , Glorius Birgit
Published: October 2019

By synthesizing the preceding case studies this chapter discusses the main contours of the variegated landscape of refugee reception in Europe in the wake of the 2015 “refugee crisis”. Following this inventory we aim to gain an appreciation of the many knowledge gaps that still remain. What are the empirical wholes that could be meaningfully filled, and what are the theoretical challenges? We suggest that much can still be learned from studying local refugee governance, not only by comparing local experiences and outcomes but also by using the local lens to look up to higher levels of governance and thus better understand vertical relationships. Lastly, we also address some policy implications and, among other things, argue that by means of “experimentalist governance” the local level could gain in importance within the Common European Asylum System making it more robust and effective.
Wheat bread enriched with raspberry and strawberry oilcakes: effects on proximate composition, texture and water properties
Authors: Kowalczewski Przemysław Łukasz , Walkowiak Katarzyna , Masewicz Łukasz , Duda Adamina , Poliszko Natalia , Różańska Maria Barbara , Jeżowski Paweł , Tomkowiak Agnieszka , Mildner-Szkudlarz Sylwia , Baranowska Hanna Maria
Published: October 2019

Oilcakes from the oilseed industry are rich in dietary fibre and protein by-products. We assessed the impact of wheat flour replacement with raspberry and strawberry oilcakes on the proximate composition of bread, colour, texture and water behaviour. The substitution influenced the ash, fat and protein content causing an increase in the content of each of the analysed macronutrients. The crumb colour components (CIE L*a*b*) were shifted toward red while the saturation of yellow decreased. Texture analysis showed that the hardness and chewiness of crumb with oilcakes increased as well as springiness decreased. It was found that flour substitution with oilcakes limited significantly water transport and also influenced the molecular dynamics of water in the bread crumb. 1H NMR measurement results of relaxation times demonstrated that the free water in relation to the bound water in the examined systems depended on the amount of the flour replaced by the oilcake, as well as on the botanical origin of the oilcakes.
Burden of Neonatal Surgical Conditions in Northern Ghana
Authors: Abdul‐Mumin Alhassan , Anyomih Theophilus T. K. , Owusu Sheila A. , Wright Naomi , Decker Janae , Niemeier Kelli , Benavidez Gabriel , Abantanga Francis A. , Smith Emily R. , Tabiri Stephen
Published: October 2019

Background

Congenital anomalies have risen to become the fifth leading cause of under‐five mortality globally. The majority of deaths and disability occur in low‐ and middle‐income countries including Ghana. This 3‐year retrospective review aimed to define, for the first time, the characteristics and outcomes of neonatal surgical conditions in northern Ghana.

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted to include all admissions to the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with surgical conditions between January 2014 and January 2017. Data were collected on demographics, diagnosis and outcomes. Descriptive analysis was performed on all data, and logistic regression was used to predict determinants of neonatal mortality. p < 0.05 was deemed significant.

Results

Three hundred and forty‐seven neonates were included. Two hundred and sixty‐one (75.2%) were aged 7 days or less at presentation, with males (n = 177, 52%) slightly higher than females (n = 165, 48%). The majority were delivered by spontaneous vaginal delivery (n = 247, 88%); 191 (58%) were born in hospital. Congenital anomalies accounted for 302 (87%) of the neonatal surgical cases and 45 (96%) deaths. The most common anomalies were omphalocele (n = 48, 13.8%), imperforate anus (n = 34, 9.8%), intestinal obstruction (n = 29, 8.4%), spina bifida (n = 26, 7.5%) and hydrocephalus (n = 19, 5.5%). The overall mortality rate was 13.5%. Two‐thirds of the deaths (n = 30) from congenital anomalies were conditions involving the digestive system with gastroschisis having the highest mortality of 88%. Omphalocele (n = 11, 23.4%), gastroschisis (n = 7, 14.9%) and imperforate anus (n = 6, 12.8%) contributed to the most deaths. On multivariate analysis, low birthweight was significantly associated with mortality (OR 3.59, CI 1.4–9.5, p = 0.009).

Conclusion

Congenital anomalies are a major global health problem associated with high neonatal mortality in Ghana. The highest burden in terms of both caseload and mortality is attributed to congenital anomalies involving the digestive system, which should be targeted to improve outcomes.
Severe pulmonary regurgitation in adolescents with tetralogy of Fallot leads to increased longitudinal strain
Authors: Ylitalo Pekka , Lehmonen Lauri , Lauerma Kirsi , Holmström Miia , Pitkänen-Argillander Olli , Jokinen Eero
Published: October 2019

Objectives

Postoperative patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) are often compromised by chronic pulmonary regurgitation and chronic right ventricular volume load. We sought to determine whether pulmonary regurgitation (PR) would affect right and left ventricle (RV and LV) strain.

Materials and methods

This cross-sectional analysis included 40 patients who had TOF with surgical repair, with an average follow-up period of 11.8 ± 3.0 years. Altogether, 44 healthy volunteers with similar age and gender distribution were recruited. A cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging study with feature tracking analysis was performed on all patients and controls.

Results

RV peak longitudinal strain was increased in TOF patients with PR > 30 ml/m2 when compared to those with PR < 30 ml/m2 (− 22.5% ± 2.7% vs − 19.7% ± 3.5%, p = 0.018) and controls (p = 0.007). PR volume correlated with peak RV longitudinal strain (R = − 0.37, p = 0.030) and peak RV longitudinal strain rate (systolic: R = 0.37, p = 0.03; diastolic: R = 0.39, p = 0.021). The peak RV circumferential strain, from base to apex, increased more than in healthy controls (apex-base difference 7.6% ± 4.2% vs 3.3% ± 2.4%, p < 0.0001).

Conclusions

Pediatric patients with TOF and a severe pulmonary regurgitation show an enhanced longitudinal strain when compared to patients with milder regurgitation or to control subjects. In addition, mean RV circumferential strain of the patients is significantly enhanced compared to healthy individuals.
Interactive visual data exploration with subjective feedback: an information-theoretic approach
Authors: Puolamäki Kai , Oikarinen Emilia , Kang Bo , Lijffijt Jefrey , De Bie Tijl
Published: October 2019

Visual exploration of high-dimensional real-valued datasets is a fundamental task in exploratory data analysis (EDA). Existing projection methods for data visualization use predefined criteria to choose the representation of data. There is a lack of methods that (i) use information on what the user has learned from the data and (ii) show patterns that she does not know yet. We construct a theoretical model where identified patterns can be input as knowledge to the system. The knowledge syntax here is intuitive, such as “this set of points forms a cluster”, and requires no knowledge of maths. This background knowledge is used to find a maximum entropy distribution of the data, after which the user is provided with data projections for which the data and the maximum entropy distribution differ the most, hence showing the user aspects of data that are maximally informative given the background knowledge. We study the computational performance of our model and present use cases on synthetic and real data. We find that the model allows the user to learn information efficiently from various data sources and works sufficiently fast in practice. In addition, we provide an open source EDA demonstrator system implementing our model with tailored interactive visualizations. We conclude that the information theoretic approach to EDA where patterns observed by a user are formalized as constraints provides a principled, intuitive, and efficient basis for constructing an EDA system.
Consolidation in the dental industry: a closer look at dental payers and providers
Authors: Nasseh Kamyar , Bowblis John R. , Vujicic Marko , Huang Sean Shenghsiu
Published: October 2019

We examine the effect of commercial dental insurance concentration on the size of dental practices, the decision of dentists to own a practice, and the choice of dentists to work at a dental management service organization—a type of corporate group practice that has become more prevalent in the United States in recent years. Using 2013–2015 dentist-level data from the American Dental Association, county-level data on firms and employment from the United States Census, and commercial dental insurance market concentration data from FAIR Health®, we find a modest effect of dental insurance market concentration on the size of dental practices. We also find that a higher level of commercial dental insurance market concentration is associated with a dentist’s decision not to own a practice. There is inconclusive evidence that higher levels of dental insurance market concentration impact a dentist’s decision to affiliate with a dental management service organization. Overall, our findings imply that dentists consolidate in response to increases in concentration among commercial dental insurers.
The case‐finding study: A novel community‐based research recruitment approach for engaging participants with early cognitive decline
Authors: Dubé Joseph B. , Lin Tianzheng , Best Sarah , Truemner Julia , Sargeant Patricia , Borrie Michael J.
Published: October 2019

Introduction

Innovative recruitment strategies are needed to better engage potential research participants at a preclinical stage of cognitive decline.

Methods

Local newspaper advertisements attracted community‐dwelling people ≥55 years with memory concerns, who were interested in research, to self‐refer for cognitive assessment and discuss cognitive research involvement. Respondents completed telephone screening and then attended an in‐person cognitive screening assessment with a study partner. Case conferencing with a clinician researcher characterized a “clinical suspicion” of the participant's cognitive concern.

Results

Of 209 respondents who underwent in‐person assessment, 203 participants were classified as having subjective cognitive decline (47%), mild cognitive impairment (44%), or dementia (9%). Thirty percent of participants were enrolled in observational studies or randomized controlled trials.

Discussion

Community‐based engagement, cognitive screening, and case conferencing effectively combined to identify research participants at risk of cognitive decline and recruited participants into cognitive research studies. Those not recruited continued to be followed up longitudinally.
The visible library and legible spaces
Authors: Drucker Johanna
Published: October 2019

In his 1956 film, Tout la mémoire du monde (All the memory of the world), French director Alain Resnais turned the black and white documentary footage of an automated retrieval system at the Bibliothèque Nationale into an ominously noire work. The film depicts an enormous open space criss-crossed with a matrix of metal rails. A robotic unit moves through it with eerie precision, its mechanism stopping to pull a book in crude imitation of a human motion. The tone has more in common with that of Jean-Luc Godard's Alphaville (1965) and Chris Marker's La Jetée (1962) than with any cheerful ‘Let's go to the library’ educational pitch. After all, this is a library into which no one can go. A fully machinic world, its combination of nineteenth-century technology and twentieth-century managerial aspirations eliminates human presence as part of its pre-steam-punk dystopianism.
Book art and the representation and communication of original sources
Authors: Riter Robert B.
Published: October 2019

Works of book art can express archival and documentary values. Book artists whose work is informed by archival and documentary evidence contribute to the wider dissemination of original sources. In supporting this function, their generative practices can be viewed as curatorial and editorial functions. How does archivally informed book art represent and communicate evidence? How can these sources operate as documentary sources? This essay offers a discussion of these questions.
An Inheritance that Cannot Be Stolen: Schooling, Kinship, and Personhood in Post-1945 Central Philippines
Authors: Cruz Resto
Published: October 2019

This article seeks a deeper understanding of inheritance by examining how kinship and personhood propel, and are altered by, schooling. It foregrounds kinship's and personhood's transformative and historical dimensions with an eye to their complexity and unevenness. The post-1945 generation in the central Philippines considers schooling (edukasyon) as their inheritance from their parents, who had few or no educational credentials themselves. This view reflects edukasyon’s increased value after the war, how people both judge and emulate the old landed elite, and the ongoing salience and elaboration of hierarchical parent-child ties. Alongside this view, children are recognized as completing, redeeming, and compensating for their parents. Attainment of edukasyon is seen to require not only personal striving but also solidarity and sacrifices among siblings. Yet, edukasyon also fosters autonomy and at times severs kinship ties. Finally, as an inheritance, edukasyon both depends upon and generates inequality, with long-term intergenerational implications.
Linguistic stance: An integrative paradigm for mixed methods social science
Authors: Schrauf Robert W. , De Victoria Patria López , Diaz Brett
Published: October 2019

This article develops an integrative mixed methods framework grounded in stancetaking as the originary act through which qualitative interview and quantitative survey data are generated. The article examines how the basics of ‘everyday’ social stance—evaluation, positioning, and alignment within a sociocultural field—are strategically manipulated by social scientists in the twinned conditions of the interview and the survey. Relative to interview data, we demonstrate how participants link their stancetaking to wider sociocultural frames via the discursive devices of indexicality, accounting practices, and appeal to norms. Relative to survey data, we show how participants construct a ‘public’ via their engagement in the survey task, and how their stancetaking on survey items is virtually equivalent to ‘votes’ that are later aggregated to create second-order group-level stances. Mixed methods researchers then transform both qualitative and quantitative first-order stances into second-order stances that serve to describe and model social life. (Mixed methods, discourse devices, indexicality, normativity, interview, survey)
A REVIEW OF LABORATORY STUDIES OF ADULT SECOND LANGUAGE VOCABULARY TRAINING
Authors: Rice Caitlin A. , Tokowicz Natasha
Published: October 2019

This review examines and integrates studies of second language (L2) vocabulary instruction with adult learners in a laboratory setting, using a framework provided by a modified version of the Revised Hierarchical Model (Kroll & Stewart, 1994), the Revised Hierarchical Model-Repetition Elaboration Retrieval. By examining how various training methods promote or fail to promote the development of high-quality orthographic, phonological, and meaning representations, and strong connections between these representations, we reconceptualize the current body of knowledge, and highlight gaps in the existing literature. We review evidence that training methods that only promote L1 to L2 form connections (e.g., massed repetition) are generally ineffective, but can become highly effective when paired with methods that also strengthen L2 form-meaning connections (e.g., spaced repetition training with retrieval practice or semantic elaboration requiring user-generated responses). We discuss the implications of these findings for researchers and educators interested in improving L2 vocabulary learning outcomes.
EXPECTATION-DRIVEN ASSET PRICE FLUCTUATIONS UNDER THE SPIRIT OF CAPITALISM HYPOTHESIS: THE ROLE OF HETEROGENEITY
Authors: Clain-Chamosset-Yvrard Lise
Published: October 2019

In this paper, I study how heterogeneity amongst agents affects the occurrence of expectation-driven asset price fluctuations in a pure exchange economy à la Lucas, with infinitely lived households, under the hypothesis of spirit of capitalism (SOC). I consider heterogeneous households in terms of preferences, endowments, and initial wealth, and capture the SOC through preferences for wealth. Preferences for wealth are the key element of this paper in a twofold aspect. First, they explain the occurrence of asset price fluctuations driven by self-fulfilling changes in expectations. Second, heterogeneity in endowments affects asset price level and dynamics only if preferences are heterogeneous. For instance, if agents with the strongest SOC are also the rich in terms of endowments, heterogeneity in endowments heightens the asset price level in the long run and destabilizes by enlarging the range of parameter values for which expectation-driven asset price fluctuations occur.
“A Country Proud to be Democratic”:Demanding Democracy in Nineteenth-Century Chile
Authors: Edwards Lisa M.
Published: October 2019

This article examines criminal court cases about conflicts related to the electoral process at all stages from determining how elections would be administered to disputes about results. It argues that contemporary allegations of fraud, corruption, and misconduct during elections can inform us not only of the anomalies but also of the ways in which elections worked as expected, according to the laws and norms of the time. We can also see how participants defined and defended the democratic ideal. A careful reading of participants' complaints to local authorities about electoral law violations, including incidents that ended in violence, can provide important insights into partisanship, the mechanics of elections, and the formation of political culture. The use of democratic rhetoric in these complaints suggests a consensus around a democratic ideal based on free and fair elections even though that ideal was not yet realized. Through the analysis of criminal court cases, it also introduces a broad range of questions about how nineteenth-century Chileans understood and practiced democracy that suggest avenues for further research.
Heat Waves Are Blowing in the Wind
Authors: Thomasy Hannah
Published: October 2019

New research indicates that droughts in far-off places contribute to the amount of heat transported to regions experiencing heat waves.
Portable sequencer in the fight against infectious disease
Authors: Mongan Arthur Elia , Tuda Josef Sem Berth , Runtuwene Lucky Ronald
Published: October 2019

Infectious disease is still a major threat in the world today. Five decades ago, it was considered soon to be eradicated, but the adaptation of pathogens to environmental pressure, such as antimicrobials, encouraged the emergence and reemergence of infectious disease. The fight with infectious disease starts with prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Diagnosis can be upheld by observing the cause of disease under the microscope or detecting the presence of nucleic acid and proteins of the pathogens. The molecular techniques span from classical polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to sequencing the nucleic acid composition. Here, we are reviewing the works have been undertaken to utilize a portable sequencer, MinION, in various aspects of infectious disease management.
Genetic risk for Alzheimer’s dementia predicts motor deficits through multi-omic systems in older adults
Authors: Tasaki Shinya , Gaiteri Chris , Petyuk Vladislav A. , Blizinsky Katherine D. , De Jager Philip L. , Buchman Aron S. , Bennett David A.
Published: October 2019

Alzheimer’s disease manifests with both cognitive and motor deficits. However, the degree to which genetic risk of Alzheimer’s dementia contributes to late-life motor impairment, and the specific molecular systems underlying these associations, are uncertain. Here, we adopted an integrative multi-omic approach to assess genetic influence on motor impairment in older adults and identified key molecular pathways that may mediate this risk. We built a polygenic risk score for clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s dementia (AD-PRS) and examined its relationship to several motor phenotypes in 1885 older individuals from two longitudinal aging cohorts. We found that AD-PRS was associated with a previously validated composite motor scores and their components. The major genetic risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer’s dementia, the APOE/TOMM40 locus, was not a major driver of these associations. To identify specific molecular features that potentially medicate the genetic risk into motor dysfunction, we examined brain multi-omics, including transcriptome, DNA methylation, histone acetylation (H3K9AC), and targeted proteomics, as well as diverse neuropathologies. We found that a small number of factors account for the majority of the influence of AD-PRS on motor function, which comprises paired helical filament tau-tangle density, H3K9AC in specific chromosomal regions encoding genes involved in neuromuscular process. These multi-omic factors have the potential to elucidate key molecular mechanisms developing motor impairment in the context of Alzheimer’s dementia.