bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mapas digitales y sociedad: geosemántica social, el poder del sentido de lugar
Authors: Cerda Seguel Diego
Published: January 2016

Este texto presenta el enfoque denominado geosemántica social, su marco teórico conceptual, su investigación y su aplicación como tecnología social. Realizaremos una exposición en el nivel de resultados del proceso de concepción, estudio y desarrollos de aplicación de esta propuesta disciplinaria que cruza lo geográfico con lo societal. El concepto surge hace una década, a partir de un enfoque de autor sobre el fenómeno emergente de los mapas digitales, en cruce con el poder de las redes sociales y de la funcionalidad sustantiva de anotar sobre ellos; comunicando y socializando lugares. Se expone un tipo de sociología del territorio, que estudia la forma en la que individuos, comunidades y organizaciones, disponen de nuevos recursos tecnológicos, que permiten anotar en mapas (georreferenciación) y con ello generar significaciones e identidades para los lugares y territorios. Nuestro objeto es conocer los recursos sociales de anotación, comunicación, validación de lugares y su despliegue mediante mapas; desde donde se generan fenómenos relevantes para la transformación tecno-societal en curso, considerando desde sus aspectos lúdicos y expresivos, así como contingentes y estratégicos, alcanzando el concepto de geopolítica (y también micro-geopolítica). Se examina el nivel de familiaridad entre la noción de «neogeografía» y la geosemántica social, realizando un breve análisis de tres plataformas de mapas sociales: Waze, Foursquare y OpenStreetMap. Finalmente se hará repaso evolutivo de tres textos del autor; publicados entre los años 2005 y 2013, que permitirá entregar una definición actualizada del concepto.
La vía ecléctica de producción y consumo de datos espaciales
Authors: Del Río San José Jorge
Published: January 2016

Los datos espaciales han irrumpido con fuerza en las agendas de gran parte de la sociedad lo que ha provocado la aparición de numerosos fenómenos, controversias y la aplicación de nuevos y variados paradigmas que intentan adaptar la producción a los nuevos patrones de consumo de información.

La vía ecléctica, en la que conviven los distintos paradigmas, es el hilo conductor propuesto en este artículo de revisión para describir los cambios actuales en la creación, gestión y uso de los datos espaciales. Para ello se clasifican e inventarían las causas y efectos de las prácticas de producción y consumo que acontecen en las geocomunidades. También se cartografía el mapa de la ciencia (2003-2014) en materia de neogeografía, voluntariado de la información geográfica y sociedad capacitada geoespacialmente.

La revisión concluye que se ha observado un gran interés en el fenómeno neogeográfico sin extender el análisis al conjunto del fenómeno de producción y consumo de datos espaciales. La vía ecléctica propuesta en esta revisión detecta áreas de trabajo y estudio para la comunidad científica, e identifica aspectos claves en la creación y gestión de datos y geocomunidades.
Los Sistemas de Información Geográfica y las ciudades inteligentes
Authors: Bustillo Holgado Eduardo , Rodríguez Bustamante Pablo
Published: January 2016

Las ciudades proliferan como los elementos más comunes en la organización del territorio a la hora de analizar la población y así se augura que sea en el futuro. Bien sean inteligentes, sostenibles o creativas, necesitan de unos sistemas de gestión bien desarrollados y certeros. Los Sistemas de Información Geográfica o SIG se constituyen como una herramienta fundamental para ordenar, clasificar y planificar sobre la ciudad. Existen numerosos casos de éxito en el manejo de los SIG para la gestión de las urbes y se encuentran en constante aumento. En España contamos con buenos ejemplos de ellos y somos referentes en materia de smart cities o ciudades inteligentes a escala internacional. La creación ingente de datos en la ciudad hace que se haga prioritario conocer cómo gestionar adecuadamente la información para después tratarla correctamente y sacar el máximo partido de ésta. La mayor parte de estos datos tiene un lugar en el espacio, en el territorio y es esto lo que posibilita a los SIG que sean una base de datos potente, práctica y versátil para la ciudad. Existen multitud de aplicaciones para estos sistemas de información y, en nuestro mundo actual, en el que tanta importancia se le da a la movilidad, numerosas app o aplicaciones móviles basadas en la localización para conseguir los cometidos que tanto la Administración como el usuario se proponen.
The role of taekwondo training on the subjective wellbeing of adolescents in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Authors: Tadesse Michael Emru
Published: January 2016

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of taekwondo (TKD) training on the subjective well-being (SWB) of adolescents (12-18 years old) in Addis Ababa city. A cross-sectional survey method was used; self-administered questionnaire was the main data collection tool. A total number of 162 adolescents (108 TKD adolescents from four randomly selected TKD clubs and 54 non-TKD adolescents from a randomly selected public high school), participated in the study. The study sought to determine TKD adolescents’ level of SWB as measured by the Personal Wellbeing Index – School Children (PWI-SC). Besides, adolescents in different groups (TKD adolescents in three groups according to rank/belt level and TKD adolescents and non-TKD adolescents) were compared based on their score of PWI-SC. Results of the study showed that: (1) TKD adolescents had high level (mean points) of SWB as measured by the PWI-SC, i.e., 81.95 (95%CI: 79.70 to 84.20); (2) there was no significant difference in SWB among the three groups of TKD adolescents (lower, middle and high level belts) (F(2, 81) = 1.58, p > .05.); and (3) when compared with non-TKD adolescents, TKD adolescents were found to have a significantly higher mean points of SWB, (t = 4.25(77.97), p < 0.001; d = 0.79). Overall, the results of this study indicated the training of TKD can have a positive contribution to adolescents’ well-being.
Are there martial art styles that represent natural systems?
Authors: Haug Joachim T. , Haug Carolin
Published: January 2016

For didactics, systematically structured teaching contents are desirable, and natural systems would be most comprehensible. We tested whether serrada-escrima styles (SES), a type of Filipino martial arts, represent a natural system. Natural systems are considered to have an inner coherence. This means that based on some elements of the system the other elements can be predicted, based on knowledge of the characteristics of the elements of the system. SES is a good candidate to test this hypothesis, as it embraces only a relatively small set of techniques. It appears that SES indeed represents a natural, coherent system with 12 elements that can be grouped into three also coherent sets, each with four techniques. One basic pre-assumption is necessary to make SES a natural system; this pre-assumption is derived from knowledge of medieval European sword fighting, more precisely Messerfechten. We furthermore discuss indications for the historic background of SES.
Transforming social work: Transcending vocational purpose—new book challenges current perspectives on social work
Authors: Tehrifard Mina
Published: January 2016

“The evil that is in the world almost always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding.”
Measuring the Size of the Renewable Resource Sector: The Case of Chile
Authors: Foster William , Valdés Alberto
Published: January 2016

As a percentage of national gross domestic product (GDP), farming is typically small in middle‐income and wealthier countries. But national accounts include only on‐farm activities, giving both the public and policymakers an impression that the food sector is a minor actor in the economy. Much of past development literature, using household expenditures, considered that farming generated few positive externalities, with few backward and forward linkages to other sectors, inviting the conclusion that stimulating agriculture was a low priority to boost economic development, especially in Latin America. Using national accounts, this study employs a concept of an expanded value added to capture agricultures intersectoral linkages, yielding a more useful measure of sector size. In the case of Chile, the expanded primary sector's contribution is approximately double that of simple national accounts, with forward links far exceeding backward. A more refined division of labor and economic specialization, perhaps enhanced by trade openness, appears to explain in part agriculture's declining share in national GDP and the growth of sectoral linkages.
Europe and the Emergence of Modernity.
Authors: Delanty Gerard
Published: January 2016

This article offers a theory of the notion ‘reference culture’ by taking as major examples modernity and Europe. Both constitute reference cultures and while different are closely related. A certain entanglement took place between the emergence of modernity and the formation of European culture whereby the latter came to be one of the main carriers of modernity. However, they need to be separated in that Europe, while being the first major expression of modernity, is not the only embodiment of modernity. Modernity can be termed a first-order reference culture and Europe a second-order one. While there have been many second-order reference cultures, the European one was an influential and powerful one, but it was also a temporary one. This article sets out the main features that define the specificity of Europe. Against accounts that emphasize a master narrative or an underlying cultural unity to Europe, it is argued that crucial to the making of Europe was the formation of modes of communication that enabled common practices to develop across a range of different cultures. In this way, it is argued, Europe consolidated as a consequence less of endogenous factors than exogenous ones. Important, too, was the mobile nature of European culture which facilitated translation into other cultures and which was also receptive to modernity. The twentieth century has witnessed the emergence of other varieties of modernity and the global decline of the European model.
The Perpetual Other.
Authors: Löffler Beate
Published: January 2016

This paper describes cultural referencing as a complex process of knowledge production and knowledge management in which privileged interpretations shift over time. Using Japanese architecture as a case study and focussing especially on the second half of the nineteenth century as arguably the crucial period in this regard, it shows that knowledge gaps are crucial to the re-evaluation and re-interpretation of cultural practices, thus enabling a permanent adjustment of cultural narratives and the perpetual negotiation of identity in a contingent modern world.
A ‘Reference Culture’ That Divides.
Authors: Ellwood David W.
Published: January 2016

This article seeks to demonstrate that America’s unique ability to invent models of ‘modernity’ lies at the heart of its continuing role as a ‘reference culture’. However, this forceful and dynamic reality has a profoundly dividing effect on every society with which it comes into contact. The consequent cleavages, I suggest, are an enduring outcome of any engagement with America’s power as a reference culture of modernity.
Het oudst bewaarde planetarium van Nederland: de Sphaera Movens, bijgenaamd Leidsche Sphaera. Geschiedenis en restauraties door de eeuwen heen
Authors: Hooijmaijers Hans , Zuidervaart Huib
Published: January 2016

Around 1670 in Rotterdam a planetarium was built, depicting the Copernican configuration of the planets. In 1710 this scientific instrument was presented to Leiden University. After an intense refurbishment, the then called Sphaera incomparabilis was placed in the University library, where it could be admired until the beginning of the nineteenth century. After being housed for more than a century in the building of Leiden University Observatory, the instrument was presented in 1931 to the newly erected Museum for the History of Science and Medicine (the forerunner of the present Museum Boerhaave). In recent years the planetarium was restored. This project has triggered new research into the origin and history of the instrument, the results of which are presented in this paper.
Volume 5 Index
Authors: Index GJFLT
Published: January 2016

 

Vol 5, No 1 May (2015)

University English: Issues and directions for curriculum development

Richard Kiely

01-14

 

Intercultural communicative competence: A vital skill in the context of ASEAN economic community
 Thao Quoc Tran, Tham My Duong
 15-22

 

Analysis of teachers’ and students’ attitudes toward Iranian senior high school textbook series
 Amin Alani, Ali Jahangard
 23-43

 

Building english vocabulary through roots, prefixes and suffixes

Metin Yurtbaşı

44-51

 

The effect of language proficiency on the negotiation in peer review in EFL context

Bahram Mowlaie, Parviz Maftoon

52-64

 

Teaching lexical chunks on retention and production of referential and collocational meaning of lexis among the Iranian EFL learners
 Manochehr Jaafarigohar, Mohsen Nazari
 65-75

 

Formative assessment in the EFL context of kermanshah high schools: Teachers' familiarity and application
 Ferdos Jamali, Nouzar Gheisari
 76-84

 

The rhetorical organization of research article discussion sections: An investigation into genre evolution in applied linguistics
 Alireza Jalilifar, Mitra Baninajar, Soheil Saeedian
 85-100

The metacognitive awareness listening questionnaire as a metacognitive-raising tool: Does it work?
 Rahman Sahragrard, Ali Kushki, M. Miri, Farzad Mahmooudi
 101-113

 

Vol 5, No 2 November (2015)

 

From the editors

Assoc. Prof Dr. Ali Rahimi

 

EFL teachers’ and learners’ perspectives on “english file series”

Masoud Rahimi

115-128

 

Test-Taking strategies and Iranian EFL Learners’ vocabulary and structure test performance

Nouroddin Yousofi, Farkhondeh Pursiah, Mohammad Ahmadnejad

129-142

 

Impact of scaffolding on complexity and accuracy of Iranian EFL learners' narrative writing

Rouholah Askari Bigdeli, Ali Rahimi

143-156

 

The effect of social class on Persian EFL learners’ pragmatic performance of Speech act of compliment responses

Saman Ebadi, Farkhondeh Pursiah

157-170

 

The impact of self-perception on Iranian EFL learners' oral communication

Ali Soltani, Mohsen Ghafari

171-176
Paying for Infrastructure in an Urban Environment
Authors: Yusuf Juita-Elena (Wie) , O'Connell Lenahan , Anuar Khairul A. , Mahar Kaitrin
Published: January 2016

This study examines public preferences for two revenue options—fuel taxes and tolls—to finance transportation infrastructure in an urban area with the use of the results of a survey of residents of the Hampton Roads region of southeastern Virginia. Specifically, the study addresses two related research questions: (a) To what extent do residents support instituting tolls, increasing the fuel tax, or both? (b) What roles do self-interest and ideological beliefs play in support of increasing the fuel tax, imposing tolls, or doing both? The study finds that 50% of respondents expressed a willingness to support fuel taxes or tolls for infrastructure, 29% for increasing fuel taxes, and 28% for tolls, with 7% supporting both revenue options. The study also finds that the support for each funding source is associated with a different set of ideological beliefs and self-interest factors. Implications for generating public support for increases in revenue and funding for transportation facilities are discussed.
Rethinking the Path to Mobility: Texans Talk about Transportation Funding
Authors: Baker Richard T. , Geiselbrecht Tina , Jones S. Nathan
Published: January 2016

Research has shown that transportation funding is a subject about which the public lacks a strong knowledge base. However, because of the complexity of the funding process, crafting outreach and educational materials that convey necessary information can be difficult. In 2014, researchers with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute conducted a series of 11 focus groups throughout Texas to test three transportation funding outreach and educational items. The research team found that by emphasizing that fuel taxes were excise fees and lost purchasing power over time and that reduced transportation funding led to greater reliance on debt, participants became more aware of transportation funding issues and showed greater interest in addressing them. Furthermore, showing participants what they actually paid in transportation fees and taxes increased their willingness to consider funding alternatives. The research team was also able to elicit greater interest in transportation funding issues by presenting information in relation to per-person costs and impacts and by discussing funding issues at a local–regional scale.
Introduction to a Crowdfunded Public–Private Partnership Model in the United States
Authors: Farajian Morteza , Lauzon Alexandra J. , Cui Qingbin
Published: January 2016

Crowdfunding is a tool to raise capital for a project or venture from individuals (the crowd) through an intermediary online platform. In the United States, the passage of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act in 2012 has led to a rapidly changing legislative and regulatory environment that provides the flexibility to use crowdfunding as a financial mechanism for project funding. This flexibility used in public–private partnership (PPP) projects provides the opportunity to engage institutional and individual investors as direct equity investors. This crowd-funded PPP model results in an enhanced version of the current PPP model and creates value beyond just the financing benefits. Because of the novelty of the approach and the potential impact on taxpayers, a comprehensive look at the approach is needed. This paper introduces a crowdfunded PPP model and begins a policy review on the model by using an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). This analysis looks through the lenses of various prisms, including SWOT. The strengths are equal investment opportunities, return on equity, enhanced stakeholder support, and increased transparency. The weaknesses are induced complexity, administrative and accounting challenges, third-party confidential information, and social equity. The opportunities are enhanced prioritization and idea exchange. The threats are business failure, potential for fraud, and possible misconceptions. Future research will be needed for further development and study of the implications and implementation of an enhanced PPP model that uses crowdfunding.
Investigating the Distribution of the Value of Time via Multiclass Traffic Assignment
Authors: Rezaee Hojjat , Hickman Mark
Published: January 2016

The unusual sensitivity of traffic assignment results over networks with tolled links to the assumed value of time (VOT), or, more specifically, the distribution of VOT across the population, is well known. This study proposes a methodology to generate a VOT distribution in a traveler population and to assign these travelers to a network by multiclass assignment so that the assigned-link volumes match a set of reference volumes. In the methodology, a discrete set of VOT is extracted from a VOT distribution. After groups of travelers from the origin–destination demand matrix are specified, a multiclass traffic assignment (MCTA) is performed to generate assigned volumes that fit the reference volumes. The proposed methodology is applied on a network example with the use of EMME/4 software to run the MCTA model. Of the available distributions, a gamma distribution is selected as the best-fitting distribution for the VOT. A sensitivity analysis around the mean and standard deviation of the gamma distribution also shows that the MCTA results are sensitive to the mean of the VOT distribution. In addition, for the example network, nine discrete values (i.e., traveler groups in the MCTA) from the VOT distribution are determined to be sufficient to capture the variation across the continuous VOT distribution.
Using Empirical Data to Find the Best Measure of Travel Time Reliability
Authors: Alemazkoor Negin , Burris Mark W. , Danda Santosh Rao
Published: January 2016

The value of travel time savings is often the largest benefit from transportation projects and has been studied extensively. Recently, additional attention has been paid to the fact that travelers also benefit from reliable travel times. The value of reliability (VOR) has usually been estimated through stated-preference data or survey-based revealed-preference data. In this research, empirical data were used to estimate VOR. One concern about estimating VOR from empirical data was the lack of a definitive measurement for reliability. Should it be the standard deviation (SD) of travel time, the 95th percentile, or another measure? Data from Katy Freeway in Texas, where travelers chose between tolled but generally more-reliable lanes and free but generally less-reliable lanes, were used in an attempt to find the best measurement of reliability that could lead to the best explanation of travelers’ lane choice. Multinomial logit models were used to estimate travelers’ lane choice on the basis of trip attributes, including travel time, many measures of travel time reliability, and tolls. Models including only travel time and tolls yielded reasonable results and values of time ($2.78/h, $9.09/h, and $10.52/h for off-peak, shoulder, and peak periods, respectively). However, adding reliability to the models caused many of them to have counterintuitive results, and concluding which measure was the best was impossible. In addition, the results of this research suggested that reliability might not be an influential factor in the lane choice decision on managed lanes, at least when travelers had reasonable knowledge of their potential travel time.
Optimizing Performance Objectives for Projects of Congestion Pricing for Parking
Authors: Ghent Peer
Published: January 2016

This paper draws upon the experience of the City of Los Angeles, California, with a demonstration project, LA Express Park. Since June 2012, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation has been using demand-based pricing to set the hourly parking meter rates in the city's downtown. Drivers were informed of the current parking rates and parking space availability for on-street parking spaces and for city-owned off-street facilities by a robust parking guidance system. For privately owned off-street facilities, the data were limited to location and current parking policies. The objective of the project was to reduce the time spent looking for available parking. Through the project's success, drivers had a better parking experience, and traffic congestion was reduced. For Los Angeles, this intelligent system for parking management was essentially revenue neutral. The paper argues that increasing revenue should not be the primary objective of projects for congestion pricing of parking. New parking meter technologies have shown greater potential for increasing revenue, and public acceptance of pricing projects is greater when revenue growth is not the goal of a project. Cities are more likely to achieve success and acceptance if the goal of these projects is to reduce the number of under- and overoccupied parking spaces and thereby make finding parking easier.
Frequency and long-term follow-up of trapped fourth ventricle following neonatal posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus
Authors: Pomeraniec I. Jonathan , Ksendzovsky Alexander , Ellis Scott , Roberts Sarah E. , Jane John A.
Published: January 2016

OBJECTIVE

Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is a common complication of premature neonates with small birth weight, which often leads to hydrocephalus and treatment with ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting procedures. Trapped fourth ventricle (TFV) can be a devastating consequence of the subsequent occlusion of the cerebral aqueduct and foramina of Luschka and Magendie.

METHODS

The authors retrospectively reviewed 8 consecutive cases involving pediatric patients with TFV following VP shunting for IVH due to prematurity between 2003 and 2012. The patients ranged in gestational age from 23.0 to 32.0 weeks, with an average age at first shunting procedure of 6.1 weeks (range 3.1–12.7 weeks). Three patients were managed with surgery. Patients received long-term radiographic (mean 7.1 years; range 3.4–12.2 years) and clinical (mean 7.8 years; range 4.6–12.2 years) follow-up.

RESULTS

The frequency of TFV following VP shunting for neonatal posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus was found to be 15.4%. Three (37.5%) patients presented with symptoms of posterior fossa compression and were treated surgically. All of these patients showed signs of radiographic improvement with stable or improved clinical examinations during postoperative follow-up. Of the 5 patients treated conservatively, 80% experienced stable ventricular size and 1 patient experienced a slight increase (3 mm) on imaging. All of the nonsurgical patients showed stable to improved clinical examinations over the follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONS

The frequency of TFV among premature IVH patients is relatively high. Most patients with TFV are asymptomatic at presentation and can be managed without surgery. Symptomatic patients may be treated surgically for decompression of the fourth ventricle.
Comparison of the effectiveness of using the optic strut and tuberculum sellae as radiological landmarks in diagnosing paraclinoid aneurysms with CT angiography
Authors: Liao Chih-Hsiang , Lin Chung-Jung , Lin Chun-Fu , Huang Hsin-Yi , Chen Min-Hsiung , Hsu Sanford P. C. , Shih Yang-Hsin
Published: January 2016

OBJECTIVE

The treatment of paraclinoid aneurysms remains challenging. It is important to determine the exact location of the paraclinoid aneurysm when considering treatment options. The authors herein evaluated the effectiveness of using the optic strut (OS) and tuberculum sellae (TS) as radiographic landmarks for distinguishing between intradural and extradural paraclinoid aneurysms on source images from CT angiography (CTA).

METHODS

Between January 2010 and September 2013, a total of 49 surgical patients with the preoperative diagnoses of paraclinoid aneurysm and 1 symptomatic cavernous-clinoid aneurysm were retrospectively identified. With the source images from CTA, the OS and the TS were used as landmarks to predict the location of the paraclinoid aneurysm and its relation to the distal dural ring (DDR). The operative findings were examined to confirm the definitive location of the paraclinoid aneurysm. Statistical analysis was performed to determine the diagnostic effectiveness of the landmarks.

RESULTS

Nineteen patients without preoperative CTA were excluded. The remaining 30 patients comprised the current study. The intraoperative findings confirmed 12 intradural, 12 transitional, and 6 extradural paraclinoid aneurysms, the diagnoses of which were significantly related to the type of aneurysm (p < 0.05) but not factors like sex, age, laterality of aneurysm, or relation of the aneurysm to the ophthalmic artery on digital subtraction angiography. To measure agreement with the correct diagnosis, the OS as a reference point was far superior to the TS (Cohen's kappa coefficients 0.462 and 0.138 for the OS and the TS, respectively). For paraclinoid aneurysms of the medial or posterior type, using the base of the OS as a reference point tended to overestimate intradural paraclinoid aneurysms. The receiver operating characteristic curve indicated that if the aneurysmal neck traverses the axial plane 2 mm above the base of the OS, the aneurysm is most likely to grow across the DDR and present as a transitional aneurysm (sensitivity 0.806; specificity 0.792).

CONCLUSIONS

High-resolution thin-cut CTA is a fast and crucial tool for diagnosing paraclinoid aneurysms. The OS serves as an effective landmark in CTA source images for distinguishing between intradural and extradural paraclinoid aneurysms. The DDR is supposed to be located 2 mm above the base of the OS in axial planes.
Surgical outcomes following encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis in adult moyamoya disease associated with Type 2 diabetes
Authors: Ren Bin , Zhang Zheng-Shan , Liu Wei-Wei , Bao Xiang-Yang , Li De-Sheng , Han Cong , Xian Peng , Zhao Feng , Wang Hui , Wang Hai , Duan Lian
Published: January 2016

OBJECTIVE

Debate exists regarding the merits and shortcomings of an indirect bypass procedure for treating adult patients with moyamoya disease (MMD). Considerable variation in neovascularization occurs among different organs in patients with diabetes mellitus. Here, the effect of encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis on MMD associated with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is evaluated.

METHODS

A retrospective and 1:2 matched case-control study was conducted in moyamoya patients with or without T2DM (n = 180). Postoperative collateral formations were graded according to the Modified Collateral Grading System that originated from the Matsushima Angiographic Stage Classification. Neurological function outcomes before and after the operation were evaluated according to the modified Rankin Scale. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the risk factors for clinical outcome.

RESULTS

There was no statistically significant difference in the constituent ratios of initial symptom and preoperative Suzuki stage between patients with and without T2DM. Progression of angiopathy around the circle of Willis was postoperatively observed in bilateral internal carotid arteries in both groups. Patients with T2DM had a higher postoperative Suzuki stage (p < 0.01) and more frequent development of collateral angiogenesis germinating from the external carotid after indirect revascularization procedures in the surgical cerebral hemisphere (82.7% vs 72.2%; p < 0.05). The extent of postoperative collateral formation in patients with diabetes mellitus was significantly higher (p < 0.01). Postoperative clinical improvement in the diabetes group was more common after revascularization procedures (p < 0.05), and the diabetes group had lower modified Rankin Scale scores (p < 0.05) in comparison with the nondiabetes group. Late postoperative stroke and posterior cerebral artery involvement were identified as predictors of unfavorable clinical outcome in both groups, while T2DM was associated with a favorable clinical outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis is an efficacious treatment for adult patients with MMD. Patients with T2DM could achieve better collateral circulation and clinical improvement following surgery.
Three-dimensional SPACE fluid-attenuated inversion recovery at 3 T to improve subthalamic nucleus lead placement for deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease: from preclinical to clinical studies
Authors: Senova Suhan , Hosomi Koichi , Gurruchaga Jean-Marc , Gouello Gaëtane , Ouerchefani Naoufel , Beaugendre Yara , Lepetit Hélène , Lefaucheur Jean-Pascal , Badin Romina Aron , Dauguet Julien , Jan Caroline , Hantraye Philippe , Brugières Pierre , Palfi Stéphane
Published: January 2016

OBJECTIVE

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a well-established therapy for motor symptoms in patients with pharmacoresistant Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the procedure, which requires multimodal perioperative exploration such as imaging, electrophysiology, or clinical examination during macrostimulation to secure lead positioning, remains challenging because the STN cannot be reliably visualized using the gold standard, T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) at 1.5 T. Thus, there is a need to improve imaging tools to better visualize the STN, optimize DBS lead implantation, and enlarge DBS diffusion.

METHODS

Gradient-echo sequences such as those used in T2WI suffer from higher distortions at higher magnetic fields than spin-echo sequences. First, a spin-echo 3D SPACE (sampling perfection with application-optimized contrasts using different flip angle evolutions) FLAIR sequence at 3 T was designed, validated histologically in 2 nonhuman primates, and applied to 10 patients with PD; their data were clinically compared in a double-blind manner with those of a control group of 10 other patients with PD in whom STN targeting was performed using T2WI.

RESULTS

Overlap between the nonhuman primate STNs segmented on 3D-histological and on 3D-SPACE-FLAIR volumes was high for the 3 most anterior quarters (mean [± SD] Dice scores 0.73 ± 0.11, 0.74 ± 0.06, and 0.60 ± 0.09). STN limits determined by the 3D-SPACE-FLAIR sequence were more consistent with electrophysiological edges than those determined by T2WI (0.9 vs 1.4 mm, respectively). The imaging contrast of the STN on the 3D-SPACE-FLAIR sequence was 4 times higher (p < 0.05). Improvement in the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III score (off medication, on stimulation) 12 months after the operation was higher for patients who underwent 3D-SPACE-FLAIR–guided implantation than for those in whom T2WI was used (62.2% vs 43.6%, respectively; p < 0.05). The total electrical energy delivered decreased by 36.3% with the 3D-SPACE-FLAIR sequence (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

3D-SPACE-FLAIR sequences at 3 T improved STN lead placement under stereotactic conditions, improved the clinical outcome of patients with PD, and increased the benefit/risk ratio of STN-DBS surgery.
Unilateral coronal synostosis: can we trust the sagittal suture as a landmark for the underlying superior sagittal sinus?
Authors: Protzenko Cervante Tatiana , Arnaud Eric , Brunelle Francis , Di Rocco Federico
Published: January 2016

OBJECTIVE

The sagittal suture is usually considered an external anatomical landmark, indicating the location of the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) for surgical approaches. Children with unilateral coronal synostosis (UCS) often present with an important deviation of the sagittal suture. Because these patients usually undergo frontal reconstruction or even endoscope-assisted minimally invasive procedures, it is imperative to know the location of the SSS. The aim of this investigation was to study the anatomical relationship between the SSS and the sagittal suture in children with anterior plagiocephaly.

METHODS

The authors retrospectively studied the relationship between the sagittal sinus and the sagittal suture at 5 points: nasion, midpoint nasion-bregma, bregma, midpoint bregma-lambda, and lambda. The study analyzed CT scans of 50 children with UCS admitted to the craniofacial unit of Necker Enfants Malades Hospital between March 2006 and March 2013 and compared them with 50 control children with no evidence of craniosynostosis, bone disease, or genetic syndromes. The authors also analyzed the presence of extracerebral fluid collection and ventricular asymmetry in children with UCS.

RESULTS

Fifty-six percent of patients had anterior right UCS and 44% had left-sided UCS. Type I UCS was seen in 1 patient, Type IIA in 20 patients, Type IIB in 20 patients, and Type III in 9 patients. The authors found that the nasion is usually deviated to the ipsilateral side of the synostosis, the bregma contralaterally, and the lambda ipsilaterally. The gap distances between the reference point and the SSS were 0–7.3 mm (mean 1.4 mm) at the nasion; 0–16.7 mm (mean 3.8 mm) at the midpoint nasion-bregma; 0–12 mm (mean 5.8 mm) at the bregma; 0–9.5 mm (mean 3 mm) at the midpoint bregma-lambda; and 0–11.6 mm (mean 5.5 mm) at the lambda. Conversely, a discrepancy of more than 1 mm between the SSS and the position of the suture was found only in 7 control cases (14%).

Of patients with UCS, 38% presented with an extracerebral fluid collection contralateral to the fused coronal suture. Fifty-two percent had a ventricular asymmetry, which was characterized by reduced ventricular volume ipsilateral to the synostosis in all but 1 patient.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, the SSS was usually deviated contralaterally to the closed coronal suture. It tended to be in the midline of the cranial vault and could be projected virtually along an imaginary line passing through the midline of the cranial base. The authors recommend a distance of 37 mm from the sagittal suture as a safety margin during surgery.
Exponential stability of a traveling wave for an area preserving curvature motion with two endpoints moving freely on a line
Authors: Shimojo Masahiko , Kagaya Takashi
Published: January 2016

The asymptotic behavior of solutions to an area-preserving curvature flow of planar curves in the upper half plane is investigated. Two endpoints of the curve slide along the horizontal axis with prescribed fixed contact angles. First, by establishing an isoperimetric inequality, we prove the global existence of the solution. We then study the asymptotic behavior of solutions with concave initial data near a traveling wave.
Mindfulness in the Maintenance of Cognitive Capacities in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Quintana-Hernández Domingo J. , Miró-Barrachina María T. , Ibáñez-Fernández Ignacio J. , Pino Angelo Santana-del , Quintana-Montesdeoca María P. , Rodríguez-de Vera Bienvenida , Morales-Casanova David , Pérez-Vieitez María del Carmen , Rodríguez-García Javier , Bravo-Caraduje Noelia
Published: January 2016

Background: The Canary Islands longitudinal study on non-pharmacological treatments showed the overall effectiveness of mindfulness in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, no specific data on the maintenance of cognitive capacities were presented. Objective: To determine whether the practice of mindfulness modifies the course of cognitive impairment in AD. Methods: Design: Longitudinal, non-inferiority and equivalence, randomized clinical trial, repeated-measures design, with three experimental groups and one control group. Participants: Patients with AD who voluntarily attended the Lidia García Foundation (n = 502). Only those who were treated with donepezil and MMSE ≥18 were included (n = 120). Intervention: Over a two-year period, each group carried out three weekly sessions of stimulation based on mindfulness, cognitive stimulation therapy, and progressive muscle relaxation. Measures: Cognitive assessment CAMDEX-R (MMSE and CAMCOG). Statistical analysis: Repeated-measures ANOVA (p <  0.05) and the effect size Cohen’s d were performed. Results: The mindfulness group showed significant scores compared with the control and muscle relaxation groups (p <  0.05), while mindfulness and cognitive stimulation therapy were equivalent (p≥0.05). Group cognitive stimulation evolved better than the control (p <  0.05) group but not better than the muscle relaxation group (p≥0.05). The effect size compared over two years was large for the mindfulness group (p≥0.80), moderate for the relaxation group (p≥0.50), and low for the cognitive stimulation group (p≥0.20). Conclusion: The practice of mindfulness maintained cognitive function over a period of two years. This longitudinal study suggests that mindfulness can be used as a non-pharmacological treatment to slow cognitive impairment in AD.
Shared Genetic Etiology between Type 2 Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease Identified by Bioinformatics Analysis
Authors: Gao Lei , Cui Zhen , Shen Liang , Ji Hong-Fang
Published: January 2016

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are two major health issues, and increasing evidence in recent years supports the close connection between these two diseases. The present study aimed to explore the shared genetic etiology underlying T2D and AD based on the available genome wide association studies (GWAS) data collected through August 2014. We performed bioinformatics analyses based on GWAS data of T2D and AD on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), gene, and pathway levels, respectively. Six SNPs (rs111789331, rs12721046, rs12721051, rs4420638, rs56131196, and rs66626994) were identified for the first time to be shared genetic factors between T2D and AD. Further functional enrichment analysis found lipid metabolism related pathways to be common between these two disorders. The findings may have important implications for future mechanistic and interventional studies for T2D and AD.
Lewy Bodies, Vascular Risk Factors, and Subcortical Arteriosclerotic Leukoencephalopathy, but not Alzheimer Pathology, are Associated with Development of Psychosis in Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Fischer Corinne E. , Qian Winnie , Schweizer Tom A. , Millikin Colleen P. , Ismail Zahinoor , Smith Eric E. , Lix Lisa M. , Shelton Paul , Munoz David G.
Published: January 2016

Background: The neuropathological correlates of psychosis in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is unclear, with some studies reporting a correlation between psychosis and increased AD pathology while others have found no association. Objective: To determine the demographic, clinical, and neuropathological features associated with psychotic symptoms in clinically attributed and neuropathologically proven AD. Method: We separately reviewed two overlapping groups of clinically diagnosed (cAD) AD patients with neuropathology data and neuropathologically definite (npAD) cases (regardless of clinical diagnosis) from the NACC database, and explored the relationships between psychosis and clinical variables, neuropathologic correlates, and vascular risk factors. Delusions and hallucinations, defined according to the NPI-Q, were analyzed separately. Results: 1,073 subjects in the database fulfilled our criteria (890 cAD and 728 npAD patients). 34% of cAD and 37% of npAD had psychotic symptoms during their illness. Hallucinations were associated with greater cognitive and functional impairments on the MMSE and CDR, while delusional patients showed less impairment on CDR, consistent across cAD and npAD groups. Burden of AD pathology appears to relate to presence of psychotic symptoms in the clinical AD group, but this result is not confirmed in the neuropathologically confirmed group suggesting the findings in the clinical group were due to misdiagnosis of AD. Lewy body pathology, subcortical arteriosclerotic leukoencephalopathy, and vascular risk factors, including a history of hypertension and diabetes, were associated with the development of psychosis. Method: Vascular and Lewy body pathologies and vascular risk factors are important modifiers of the risk of psychosis in AD.
Biomarkers Differentiating Dementia with Lewy Bodies from Other Dementias: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Mishima Aki , Nihashi Takashi , Ando Yoshio , Kawai Hisashi , Kato Takashi , Ito Kengo , Terasawa Teruhiko
Published: January 2016

Background: Several nuclear imaging and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers are under investigation, aimed at facilitating the differential diagnosis of dementias. Objective: To quantitatively synthesize data on test performance in differentiating dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) from other dementias. Methods: We searched PubMed (January 2000– March 2015) for English-language publications that assessed a selected set of five imaging and three CSF biomarkers for this purpose. We meta-analyzed measures of agreement between biomarker results and clinical diagnosis. Results: Forty-five publications were eligible. The majority of evidence was based on studies that enrolled representative disease populations. For differentiating between DLB and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or other dementias, metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy and dopamine transporter (DAT) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) showed, respectively, excellent (summary kappa = 0.85; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.74–0.96) and good (summary kappa = 0.71; 95% CI, 0.43–0.99) agreement. Metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy appeared superior to fluorodeoxyglucose– positron emission tomography (summary kappa = 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36–0.69) and cerebral blood flow SPECT (summary kappa = 0.40; 95% CI, 0.33–0.47). For differentiating DLB from AD, CSF t-tau levels (summary kappa = 0.68; 95% CI, 0.55–0.82) performed comparably to metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy and DAT SPECT. Sparse direct comparative evidence failed to corroborate these indirect comparisons. Conclusion: Metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy and DAT SPECT are highly concordant with clinical diagnosis in differentiating DLB from other dementias. However, given the limitations in the study design, the applicability of these results to real-world differential diagnosis remains unclear. Prospective studies targeting patients with atypical presentations that adopt gold standard tests would reliably estimate the true test performance of these promising biomarkers.
Direct Evidence of Internalization of Tau by Microglia In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Bolós Marta , Llorens-Martín María , Jurado-Arjona Jerónimo , Hernández Félix , Rábano Alberto , Avila Jesús
Published: January 2016

The microtubule-associated protein (MAP) tau plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of tauopathies. Excess tau can be released into the extracellular medium in a physiological or pathological manner to be internalized by surrounding neurons—a process that contributes to the spread of this protein throughout the brain. Such spreading may correlate with the progression of the abovementioned diseases. In addition to neurons, tau can be internalized into other cells. Here we demonstrate that microglia take up tau in vitro and in vivo. In this regard, microglia from primary cultures internalized soluble (human recombinant tau42) and insoluble (homogenates derived from human AD brain) tau in vitro. Furthermore, using stereotaxic injection of tau in mice in vivo, we show that murine microglia internalize human tau. In addition, we demonstrate, for the first time, that microglia colocalize with various forms of tau in postmortem brain tissue of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and non-demented control subjects. Our data reveal a potential role of microglia in the internalization of tau that might be relevant for the design of strategies to enhance the clearance of extracellular tau in neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the accumulation of this protein.
Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease by Three-Dimensional Displacement Field Estimation in Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Wang Shuihua , Zhang Yudong , Liu Ge , Phillips Preetha , Yuan Ti-Fei
Published: January 2016

Background: Within the past decade, computer scientists have developed many methods using computer vision and machine learning techniques to detect Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in its early stages. Objective: However, some of these methods are unable to achieve excellent detection accuracy, and several other methods are unable to locate AD-related regions. Hence, our goal was to develop a novel AD brain detection method. Methods: In this study, our method was based on the three-dimensional (3D) displacement-field (DF) estimation between subjects in the healthy elder control group and AD group. The 3D-DF was treated with AD-related features. The three feature selection measures were used in the Bhattacharyya distance, Student’s t-test, and Welch’s t-test (WTT). Two non-parallel support vector machines, i.e., generalized eigenvalue proximal support vector machine and twin support vector machine (TSVM), were then used for classification. A 50 × 10-fold cross validation was implemented for statistical analysis. Results: The results showed that “3D-DF+WTT+TSVM” achieved the best performance, with an accuracy of 93.05 ± 2.18, a sensitivity of 92.57 ± 3.80, a specificity of 93.18 ± 3.35, and a precision of 79.51 ± 2.86. This method also exceled in 13 state-of-the-art approaches. Additionally, we were able to detect 17 regions related to AD by using the pure computer-vision technique. These regions include sub-gyral, inferior parietal lobule, precuneus, angular gyrus, lingual gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, postcentral gyrus, third ventricle, superior parietal lobule, thalamus, middle temporal gyrus, precentral gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, superior occipital gyrus, cingulate gyrus, culmen, and insula. These regions were reported in recent publications. Conclusions: The 3D-DF is effective in AD subject and related region detection.