bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Desaceleración en la reducción de la mortalidad materna en Chile impide alcanzar el 5° Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio.
Authors: Vera Pérez-Gacitúa Claudio Mauricio , Donoso Siña Enrique
Published: February 2019

Antecedentes: en Chile, a pesar de la importante reducción de la mortalidad materna en la década de los 90, los avances distan de los objetivos comprometidos. Objetivos: analizar la tendencia de la razón de mortalidad materna (RMM) en Chile desde 1990 al 2015 y de factores epidemiológicos que afectan el cumplimiento del 5° Objetivo del Mileno (5°OM). Métodos: estudio observacional a nivel nacional. Analizamos la tendencia del cambio porcentual anual promedio (CPAP) y puntos de inflexión de la RMM junto con la evolución de los nacimientos, muertes maternas y sus causas. Además, analizamos los nacimientos por edad y la distribución de la razón de mortalidad materna por edad y por causa de muerte materna. Resultados: en Chile la RMM se redujo un 61% entre 1990 y 2015, con una inflexión desde el 2001 (IC 95% 1997 a 2004) demostrando dos periodos: 1990-2001 (CPAP -6,97%; IC 95% -8,63 a -5,29) y 2001-2015 (CPAP -0,66%; IC 95%        -2,40 a 1,10). En el segundo período la tasa de natalidad disminuyó con menor pendiente, los nacimientos de madres de 15-29 años disminuyeron, mientras que en los otros estratos de edad los nacimientos aumentaron. En ambos períodos las primeras causas de muerte fueron hipertensión arterial, enfermedades concurrentes y aborto. En el segundo período la muerte materna por hipertensión arterial y aborto se redujo, mientras que por enfermedades concurrentes aumentó. Conclusiones: en Chile la RMM es estacionaria desde el 2001 y se asocia a cambios en la distribución en la edad materna y causas de muerte.
The Dual PI3K/mTOR Pathway Inhibitor GDC-0084 Achieves Antitumor Activity in PIK3CA-Mutant Breast Cancer Brain Metastases
Authors: Ippen Franziska M. , Alvarez-Breckenridge Christopher A. , Kuter Benjamin M. , Fink Alexandria L. , Bihun Ivanna V. , Lastrapes Matthew , Penson Tristan , Schmidt Stephen P. , Wojtkiewicz Gregory R. , Ning Jianfang , Subramanian Megha , Giobbie-Hurder Anita , Martinez-Lage Maria , Carter Scott L. , Cahill Daniel P. , Wakimoto Hiroaki , Brastianos Priscilla K.
Published: February 2019

Purpose:

Previous studies have shown that the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway is activated in up to 70% of breast cancer brain metastases, but there are no approved agents for affected patients. GDC-0084 is a brain penetrant, dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor that has shown promising activity in a preclinical model of glioblastoma. The aim of this study was to analyze the efficacy of PI3K/mTOR blockade in breast cancer brain metastases models.

Experimental Design: The efficacy of GDC-0084 was evaluated in PIK3CA-mutant and PIK3CA wild-type breast cancer cell lines and the isogenic pairs of PIK3CA wild-type and mutant (H1047R/+) MCF10A cells in vitro. In vitro studies included cell viability and apoptosis assays, cell-cycle analysis, and Western blots. In vivo, the effect of GDC-0084 was investigated in breast cancer brain metastasis xenograft mouse models and assessed by bioluminescent imaging and IHC.

Results:

In vitro, GDC-0084 considerably decreased cell viability, induced apoptosis, and inhibited phosphorylation of Akt and p70 S6 kinase in a dose-dependent manner in PIK3CA-mutant breast cancer brain metastatic cell lines. In contrast, GDC-0084 led only to growth inhibition in PIK3CA wild-type cell lines in vitro. In vivo, treatment with GDC-0084 markedly inhibited the growth of PIK3CA-mutant, with accompanying signaling changes, and not PIK3CA wild-type brain tumors.

Conclusions:

The results of this study suggest that the brain-penetrant PI3K/mTOR targeting GDC-0084 is a promising treatment option for breast cancer brain metastases with dysregulated PI3K/mTOR signaling pathway conferred by activating PIK3CA mutations. A national clinical trial is planned to further investigate the role of this compound in patients with brain metastases.
A C-X-C Chemokine Receptor Type 2–Dominated Cross-talk between Tumor Cells and Macrophages Drives Gastric Cancer Metastasis
Authors: Zhou Zhijun , Xia Guanggai , Xiang Zhen , Liu Mingyang , Wei Zhewei , Yan Jie , Chen Wei , Zhu Jintao , Awasthi Niranjan , Sun Xiaotian , Fung Kar-Ming , He Yulong , Li Min , Zhang Changhua
Published: February 2019

Purpose:

C-X-C chemokine receptor type 2 (CXCR2) is a key regulator that drives immune suppression and inflammation in tumor microenvironment. CXCR2-targeted therapy has shown promising results in several solid tumors. However, the underlying mechanism of CXCR2-mediated cross-talk between gastric cancer cells and macrophages still remains unclear.

Experimental Design: The expression of CXCR2 and its ligands in 155 human gastric cancer tissues was analyzed via immunohistochemistry, and the correlations with clinical characteristics were evaluated. A coculture system was established, and functional assays, including ELISA, transwell, cell viability assay, and qPCR, were performed to determine the role of the CXCR2 signaling axis in promoting gastric cancer growth and metastasis. A xenograft gastric cancer model and a lymph node metastasis model were established to study the function of CXCR2 in vivo.

Results:

CXCR2 expression is associated with the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer (P = 0.002). Of all the CXCR2 ligands, CXCL1 and CXCL5 can significantly promote migration of gastric cancer cells. Macrophages are the major sources of CXCL1 and CXCL5 in the gastric cancer microenvironment, and promote migration of gastric cancer cells through activating a CXCR2/STAT3 feed-forward loop. Gastric cancer cells secrete TNF-α to induce release of CXCL1 and CXCL5 from macrophages. Inhibiting CXCR2 pathway of gastric cancer cells can suppress migration and metastasis of gastric cancer in vitro and in vivo.

Conclusions:

Our study suggested a previously uncharacterized mechanism through which gastric cancer cells interact with macrophages to promote tumor growth and metastasis, suggesting that CXCR2 may serve as a promising therapeutic target to treat gastric cancer.
On-target Resistance to the Mutant-Selective EGFR Inhibitor Osimertinib Can Develop in an Allele-Specific Manner Dependent on the Original EGFR-Activating Mutation
Authors: Brown Benjamin P. , Zhang Yun-Kai , Westover David , Yan Yingjun , Qiao Huan , Huang Vincent , Du Zhenfang , Smith Jarrod A. , Ross Jeffrey S. , Miller Vincent A. , Ali Siraj , Bazhenova Lyudmila , Schrock Alexa B. , Meiler Jens , Lovly Christine M.
Published: February 2019

Purpose:

The third-generation EGFR inhibitor, osimertinib, is the first mutant-selective inhibitor that has received regulatory approval for the treatment of patients with EGFR-mutant lung cancer. Despite the development of highly selective third-generation inhibitors, acquired resistance remains a significant clinical challenge. Recently, we and others have identified a novel osimertinib resistance mutation, G724S, which was not predicted in in vitro screens. Here, we investigate how G724S confers resistance to osimertinib.

Experimental Design: We combine structure-based predictive modeling of G724S in combination with the 2 most common EGFR-activating mutations, exon 19 deletion (Ex19Del) and L858R, with in vitro drug-response models and patient genomic profiling.

Results:

Our simulations suggest that the G724S mutation selectively reduces osimertinib-binding affinity in the context of Ex19Del. Consistent with our simulations, cell lines transduced with Ex19Del/G724S demonstrate resistance to osimertinib, whereas cells transduced with L858R/G724S are sensitive to osimertinib. Subsequent clinical genomic profiling data further suggest G724S occurs with Ex19Del but not L858R. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Ex19Del/G724S retains sensitivity to afatinib, but not to erlotinib, suggesting a possible therapy for patients at the time of disease relapse.

Conclusions:

Altogether, these data suggest that G724S is an allele-specific resistance mutation emerging in the context of Ex19Del but not L858R. Our results fundamentally reframe the problem of targeted therapy resistance from one focused on the “drug–resistance mutation” pair to one focused on the “activating mutation–drug–resistance mutation” trio. This has broad implications across clinical oncology.
MST1 Suppresses Pancreatic Cancer Progression via ROS-Induced Pyroptosis
Authors: Cui Jiujie , Zhou Zhuqing , Yang Haiyan , Jiao Feng , Li Ning , Gao Yong , Wang Liwei , Chen Jingde , Quan Ming
Published: February 2019

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a deadly disease, and its incidence is increasing annually. It is critical to reveal and delineate the molecular mechanism promoting PDAC development and progression. Mammalian STE20-like kinase 1 (MST1) is a proapoptotic cytoplasmic kinase and also one of the core components of the Hippo pathway. Here, we showed that MST1 expression was decreased in PDAC, and restored expression of MST1 promoted PDAC cell death and suppressed the proliferation, migration, invasion, and cell spheroid formation of PDAC via caspase-1–induced pyroptosis. Further studies demonstrated that pyroptosis induced by MST1 was independent of the Hippo pathway, but mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS). And ROS scavenger N-acetyl-cysteine attenuated the activation of caspase-1 induced by MST1 and the effect of MST1 in PDAC cell death, proliferation, migration, and invasion. Collectively, our study demonstrated that MST1 suppressed the progression of PDAC cells at least partly through ROS-induced pyroptosis.

Implications:

In this study, we identified a new mechanism of MST1 in inhibiting PDAC development and progression and revealed that MST1 would be a potential prognostic and therapeutic target for PDAC.
The SIAH1–HIPK2–p53ser46 Damage Response Pathway is Involved in Temozolomide-Induced Glioblastoma Cell Death
Authors: He Yang , Roos Wynand P. , Wu Qianchao , Hofmann Thomas G. , Kaina Bernd
Published: February 2019

Patients suffering from glioblastoma have a dismal prognosis, indicating the need for new therapeutic targets. Here we provide evidence that the DNA damage kinase HIPK2 and its negative regulatory E3-ubiquitin ligase SIAH1 are critical factors controlling temozolomide-induced cell death. We show that HIPK2 downregulation (HIPK2kd) significantly reduces the level of apoptosis. This was not the case in glioblastoma cells expressing the repair protein MGMT, suggesting that the primary DNA lesion responsible for triggering HIPK2-mediated apoptosis is O6-methylguanine. Upon temozolomide treatment, p53 becomes phosphorylated whereby HIPK2kd had impact exclusively on ser46, but not ser15. Searching for the transcriptional target of p-p53ser46, we identified the death receptor FAS (CD95, APO-1) being involved. Thus, the expression of FAS was attenuated following HIPK2kd, supporting the conclusion that HIPK2 regulates temozolomide-induced apoptosis via p-p53ser46-driven FAS expression. This was substantiated in chromatin-immunoprecipitation experiments, in which p-p53ser46 binding to the Fas promotor was regulated by HIPK2. Other pro-apoptotic proteins such as PUMA, NOXA, BAX, and PTEN were not affected in HIPK2kd, and also double-strand breaks following temozolomide remained unaffected. We further show that downregulation of the HIPK2 inactivator SIAH1 significantly ameliorates temozolomide-induced apoptosis, suggesting that the ATM/ATR target SIAH1 together with HIPK2 plays a proapoptotic role in glioma cells exhibiting p53wt status. A database analysis revealed that SIAH1, but not SIAH2, is significantly overexpressed in glioblastomas.

Implications:

The identification of a novel apoptotic pathway triggered by the temozolomide-induced DNA damage O6-methylguanine supports the role of p53 in the decision between survival and death and suggests SIAH1 and HIPK2 as new therapeutic targets.
FRANZ KAFKA’NIN ‘DÖNÜŞÜM’ ADLI ESERİNİN SOSYOLOJİK AÇIDAN ANALİZİ
Authors: ALTIPARMAK İpek Beyza , DURAKOĞLU Abdullah
Published: February 2019

Sanayileşmenin hızlandığı bir dönemde kaleme aldığı hikâye ve romanlarla imgeyi düşüncenin hizmetine sunan Franz Kafka (1883- 1924), birçok eserinde olduğu gibi ‘dönüşüm’ adlı öyküsünde de toplumsal ilişkilerin değişmesinden kaynaklanan sorunları eleştirel bir biçimde işlemiştir. Bu nedenle çalışmada, Kafka’nın ‘dönüşüm’ adlı öyküsündeki modern topluma ilişkin görüşleri Marcel,Marx, Weber gibi modern toplumlara karşı eleştirel yaklaşımlar sergileyen filozof ve sosyologların görüşleri bağlamında incelenmiştir. Çalışma iki bölümden oluşmaktadır. Çalışmanın ilk bölümünde toplumsal ilişkiler konusuna ikinci bölümünde ise yabancılaşma konusuna yer verilmiştir. Çalışmanın sonunda Kafka’nın ‘dönüşüm’ adlı öyküsünde modern topluma ilişkin eleştirilerini daha çok yabancılaşma kavramı ekseninde yaptığı tespit edilmiştir. Felsefe tarihinde kökeni Antik Yunan filozoflarına kadar dayanan yabancılaşma kavramı, sanayileşmenin hızlanması ve teknolojik unsurların devreye girmesiyle birlikte 19. yüzyıldan sonra daha yoğun bir biçimde ele alındığından türlerine ayrılarak daha ayrıntılı bir biçimde tanımlanmaya başlanmıştır. Ekonomik etkenleri ön plana çıkartan yabancılaşma, toplumsal nedenlerin önemini vurgulayan yaklaşıma göre yabancılaşma, teknolojik faktörleri ön plana çıkartan yabancılaşma ve felsefi- varoluşçu öğretilerin yaklaşımına göre yabancılaşma bu türler arasında yer almaktadır. Çalışmanın sonunda Kafka’nın ‘dönüşüm’ adlı öyküsünde modern topluma ilişkin eleştirilerini en çok ekonomik etkenleri ön plana çıkartan yabancılaşma açısından ele aldığı da tespit edilmiştir. Çünkü ‘dönüşüm’ adlı öyküde yabancılaşmanın kaynağında daha çok ekonomik nedenlerle bireyin kendi emeğine ve özüne yabancılaşması temalarına yer verildiği görülmüştür.
Screening Migrants in the Early Cold War: The Geopolitics of U.S. Immigration Policy
Authors: Verovšek Peter J.
Published: February 2019

The main elements of U.S. immigration policy date back to the early Cold War. One such element is a screening process initially designed to prevent infiltration by Communist agents posing as migrants from East-Central Europe. The development of these measures was driven by geopolitical concerns, resulting in vetting criteria that favored the admission of hardline nationalists and anti-Communists. The argument proceeds in two steps. First, the article demonstrates that geopolitics influenced immigration policy, resulting in the admission of extremist individuals. Second, it documents how geopolitical concerns and the openness of U.S. institutions provided exiles with the opportunity to mobilize politically. Although there is little evidence that the vetting system succeeded in preventing the entry of Communist subversives into the United States, it did help to create a highly mobilized anti-Communist ethnic lobby that supported extremist policies vis-à-vis the Soviet Union during the early Cold War.
Forest flora of Badami Hills of Bagalkot district, Karnataka, India
Authors: DALAVI JAGDISH , KAMBALE SHARAD , JADHAV VARSHA , YADAV SHRIRANG
Published: February 2019

Badami is a place of historical importance, once ruled by Chalukyas, and contains many religious monuments. The study site is a World Heritage Site for ‘Evolution of Temple Architecture at, Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal’ by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). A detailed inventory of the angiosperms from the dry deciduous forests of Badami, Bagalkot District of Karnataka is presented which includes details on the distribution and occurrence of 558 species from 359 genera and 99 families. Fabaceae Lindl., Poaceae Berhart., Asteraceae Bercht. & J.Presl., Apocynaceae Juss., Cyperaceae Juss., Euphorbiaceae Juss. and Malvaceae Juss. are the dominant families. Fabaceae Lindl. contributes 15 % of total flora. In eudicots, Euphorbia L. (Rosids), Crotalaria L. (Rosids), Ipomoea L. (Asterids) and Alysicarpus Desv. (Rosids) are the dominant genera with 13, 9, 8 & 8 species respectively; while in monocots Cyperus L. (Commelinids), and Fimbristylis Vahl (Commelinids) each having 8 taxa and Eragrostis Nees. with 5 taxa are the dominant genera. The timing of flowering and fruiting, vegetation type and herbarium details are provided. These dry forests are a potential source of medicine, fruits, gum, fuel, food, fodder and oil yielding plants but are ignored by local people and are in decline due to high anthropogenic pressure, high grazing, high fuel wood exploration and tourism. Some of the plants are very rare, Barleria stocksii T.Anderson, Ceropegia spiralis Wight, Vahlia digyna (Retz.) Kuntze, Drimia raogibeikii (Hemadri) Hemadri, Iphigenia mysorensis Arekal & S.N.Ramaswamy, Uticularia caerulia L. and Drosera burmanni Vahl. The present article is an inventory of the flowering plants of the Badami Hills is based on a synthesis of literature review, herbarium visits and field collection undertaken during the last decade.
Euhampsonia rubricata spec. nov., a new moth species from northeastern India and western Myanmar (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae)
Authors: SCHINTLMEISTER ALEXANDER , IRUNGBAM JATISHWOR SINGH
Published: February 2019

A new notodontid species, Euhampsonia rubricata spec. nov., is described from NW India and W Myanmar and compared to its eastern sister species E. sinjaevi Schintlmeister, 1997. The female genitalia of the latter are illustrated for the first time. A full synonymic list of the genus Euhampsonia is provided.
The genus Metaporcelaimus Lordello, 1965 (Nematoda, Dorylaimida, Aporcelaimidae) in Ukraine. Description of one new and one known species with granulate egg shell
Authors: KRAINER LIUBOMYR , SUSULOVSKY ANDRIJ , BOSTRÖM SVEN , PEÑA-SANTIAGO REYES
Published: February 2019

Two Metaporcelaimus species, one new and one known, are described from Ukraine. Metaporcelaimus petrophilus sp. n. is characterized by its 1.30–1.58 mm long body, lip region offset by deep constriction and 16–18 µm broad, odontostyle 15–17 µm long, neck 360–413 µm long, pharyngeal expansion occupying 47–54% of total neck length, uterus simple and 83–125 µm long or 1.6–2.7 times the corresponding body diameter, uterine eggs with granulate shell, V = 51–55%, tail conical (35–40 µm, c = 33–42, c’ = 1.4–1.8 in females), spicules 43–50 µm long, and 9–13 spaced ventromedian supplements with hiatus. New data, including the first description of male specimens and SEM study, are provided for M. ovogranulosus, the Ukrainian populations of which are nearly identical to the type population from California.
A new species of Miccolamia Bates, 1884 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from south India
Authors: HIREMATH S. R.
Published: February 2019

A new species, Miccolamia (Miccolamia) ferruginea sp. nov. from south India is described and illustrated. A key to the known species of Indian Miccolamia is provided. This is the first report of the genus from southern India.
Gyrinus rhyssonotum sp. n., a new species of Gyrinidae (Coleoptera: Adephaga) from northern Brazil
Authors: COLPANI DANIARA , BENETTI CESAR JOÃO , HAMADA NEUSA
Published: February 2019

Gyrinus rhyssonotum sp. n. is described and illustrated based on adult males and females collected in Barcelos County, Amazonas state, Brazil. The new species belongs to the subgenus Oreogyrinus Ochs, 1935 and it is compared with Gyrinus (Oreogyrinus) fittkaui Ochs, 1963 and G. (O.) opalinus Régimbart, 1883, both occurring in the Brazilian Amazonas and G. (O.) colombicus Régimbart, 1883 and G. (O.) venezolensis Ochs, 1954, these two latter alien to the Brazilian fauna but with which G. (O) rhyssonotum sp. n. seems to be more closely related, though the new species can be distinguished from both by a series of characteristics, mainly observed in the body shape, elytra, pronotum, and in male and female genitalia.
Impacts of the North Atlantic Warming Hole in Future Climate Projections: Mean Atmospheric Circulation and the North Atlantic Jet
Authors: Gervais Melissa , Shaman Jeffrey , Kushnir Yochanan
Published: February 2019

In future climate simulations there is a pronounced region of reduced warming in the subpolar gyre of the North Atlantic Ocean known as the North Atlantic warming hole (NAWH). This study investigates the impact of the North Atlantic warming hole on atmospheric circulation and midlatitude jets within the Community Earth System Model (CESM). A series of large-ensemble atmospheric model experiments with prescribed sea surface temperature (SST) and sea ice are conducted, in which the warming hole is either filled or deepened. Two mechanisms through which the NAWH impacts the atmosphere are identified: a linear response characterized by a shallow atmospheric cooling and increase in sea level pressure shifted slightly downstream of the SST changes, and a transient eddy forced response whereby the enhanced SST gradient produced by the NAWH leads to increased transient eddy activity that propagates vertically and enhances the midlatitude jet. The relative contributions of these two mechanisms and the details of the response are strongly dependent on the season, time period, and warming hole strength. Our results indicate that the NAWH plays an important role in midlatitude atmospheric circulation changes in CESM future climate simulations.
A Climatology of Extratropical Cyclones Leading to Extreme Weather Events over Central and Eastern North America
Authors: Bentley Alicia M. , Bosart Lance F. , Keyser Daniel
Published: February 2019

Cool-season extreme weather events (EWEs) (i.e., high-impact weather events that are societally disruptive, geographically widespread, exceptionally prolonged, and climatologically infrequent) are typically associated with strong extratropical cyclones (ECs). The opportunity to investigate the genesis locations, tracks, and frequencies of ECs leading to EWEs over central and eastern North America and compare them to those of ordinary ECs forming over and traversing the same region motivates this study. ECs leading to EWEs are separated from ordinary ECs according to the magnitude, areal extent, and duration of their 925-hPa standardized wind speed anomalies in the 0.5° NCEP CFSR dataset. This separation allows for the construction of an October–March 1979–2016 climatology of ECs leading to EWEs over central and eastern North America. The climatology of ECs leading to EWEs over central and eastern North America reveals that these ECs typically form in the lee of the Rocky Mountains, over the south-central United States, and along the east coast of North America at latitudes equatorward of the typical genesis locations of ordinary ECs. ECs leading to EWEs exhibit equatorward-shifted tracks relative to ordinary ECs, likely associated with an equatorward shift in the position of the subtropical or polar-front jet. ECs leading to EWEs form most frequently in November and March, when the seasonal alignment of baroclinic and diabatic forcings is maximized. Similar to ordinary ECs, the genesis locations, tracks, and frequencies of ECs leading to EWEs are partially determined by the states of the Pacific–North American pattern and North Atlantic Oscillation.
Political Competition and Public Procurement Outcomes
Authors: Broms Rasmus , Dahlström Carl , Fazekas Mihály
Published: February 2019

This article asks if low political competition is associated with more restricted public procurement processes. Using unique Swedish municipal data from 2009 to 2015, it demonstrates that when one party dominates local politics, noncompetitive outcomes from public procurement processes are more common. What is most striking is that the risk of receiving only one bid, on what is intended to be an open and competitive tender, considerably increases with long-standing one-party rule. The article contributes to a significant body of work on the detrimental effects of low political competition, and the results are particularly interesting from a comparative perspective because Sweden—an old democracy with a meritocratic bureaucracy, characterized by low levels of corruption and clientelism—is a highly unlikely case in which to find such tendencies.
Commercially Available Friction-Reducing Patient-Transfer Devices Reduce Biomechanical Stresses on Caregivers’ Upper Extremities and Low Back
Authors: Hwang Jaejin , Kuppam Veera Aneesh , Chodraju Subhramanya Suryanarayana Raju , Chen Jie , Kim Jeong Ho
Published: February 2019

Objective:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of commercially available friction-reducing patient-transfer devices in reducing biomechanical stresses on caregivers and patients.

Background:

Caregivers suffer from high prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, which is associated with manual patient handling. However, there is not enough information available on the efficacy of various friction-reducing devices in reducing biomechanical stresses in the upper extremities and low back.

Method:

During patient-transfer tasks performed by 20 caregivers, we measured hand force; shoulder and trunk posture; shoulder moment; muscle activity in the flexor digitorum superficialis, extensor digitorum communis, biceps, triceps, trapezius, and erector spinae; and usability ratings from four devices: a draw sheet, a repositioning sheet, a slide board, and an air-assisted device. In addition, triaxial head acceleration of mock patients was measured to evaluate patients’ head acceleration.

Results:

The slide board and air-assisted device significantly reduced hand force ( p < .001), shoulder flexion ( p < .001), shoulder moment ( p < .001), muscle activities of caregivers ( p < .004), and patients’ head acceleration ( p < .023) compared with the draw sheet. However, no significant differences in biomechanical measures were found between the repositioning and draw sheets. The air-assisted device consistently showed the lowest biomechanical stresses and was most preferred by participants.

Conclusion:

Reduction in caregivers’ biomechanical stresses and mock patients’ head acceleration indicates that a slide board and an air-assisted device can be effective engineering controls to reduce risk of injury.

Application:

The study results can provide a recommendation for engineering controls to reduce biomechanical stresses for both caregivers and patients.
The relationship between working alliance and client outcomes in coaching: A meta-analysis
Authors: Graßmann Carolin , Schölmerich Franziska , Schermuly Carsten C
Published: February 2019

A growing number of studies emphasize the working alliance between the client and the coach to be a key factor in coaching. Synthesizing 27 samples ( N = 3563 coaching processes), this meta-analysis sheds light on the relationship between working alliance and a broad range of coaching outcomes for clients. The meta-analytic results indicate a moderate and consistent overall relationship between a high-quality working alliance and coaching outcomes for clients ( r = .41, 95% CI [.34, .48], p < .001). Working alliance was positively related to all desirable coaching outcomes (range: r = .32 to .64), with the strongest relationship to affective and cognitive coaching outcomes. Moreover, working alliance was negatively related to unintended negative effects of coaching ( r = –.29). Results revealed no differences regarding the type of clients, coaches’ expertise, number of coaching sessions, and clients’ or coaches’ perspectives. Similar to other helping relationships like psychotherapy or mentoring, the results support the importance of a high-quality working alliance in coaching.
Family background, parenting practices, and child outcomes: Chinese migrants’ offspring in Hong Kong
Authors: Zhang Zhuoni , Nie Tianzhu , Xu Duoduo
Published: February 2019

Using data from the 2011 population census and the Hong Kong Panel Study of Social Dynamics, this paper examines the academic performance and non-cognitive skills of the children of Chinese migrants in Hong Kong aged 14 and below. Our analyses show that the poorer academic performance of Chinese migrants’ children results mainly from disadvantageous family background and parenting practices. Children of cross-border and migrant families do not differ from children of natives in Chinese, mathematics, or English, once parental education and parent–child communication about school life are controlled for. Children from migrant families have significantly higher levels of non-cognitive ability than children of natives. Our analyses also show that parental education is positively associated with Chinese and English performances; parents talking with children about school life significantly improves children’s performance in Chinese, mathematics, and English; and parental migrant status and parenting practices have positive effects on non-cognitive skills.
Fuzzy inference system-based solution to locate the cross-country faults in parallel transmission line
Authors: Naresh Kumar A , Sanjay Ch , Chakravarthy M
Published: February 2019

Locating cross-country faults in a parallel transmission line is a critical and challenging task because faults occur at different locations. In this paper, an accurate fuzzy inference system scheme which provides fault location results for cross-country faults is presented. The fault information from single end of the parallel transmission line is used. A 400 kV, parallel transmission line is designed in MATLAB while fuzzy inference system scheme is modeled with Fuzzy Logic Toolbox. A “MAMDANI” type of fuzzy inference system with triangular member functions is modeled for attaining the fault distance. The fault information in voltages and currents is captured. Then, the impedances in each phase is computed and given as input to fuzzy inference system which aims to locate the faulty location. The simulation results attest that it is able to precisely locate faults in transmission lines without justifying the classification. The results are also compared with existing fault-location methods to describe salient features of fuzzy inference system scheme.
The Incomplete Medicalization of Obesity: Physician Office Visits, Diagnoses, and Treatments, 1996-2014
Authors: Ciciurkaite Gabriele , Moloney Mairead Eastin , Brown Robyn Lewis
Published: February 2019

Objectives:

Despite increased awareness of obesity-related health risks and myriad treatment options, obesity still affects more than one-third of persons in the United States and is a substantial public health problem. Studies show that physicians play a key role in obesity prevention and treatment. The objective of this study was to examine the extent to which obesity is diagnosed and treated at the level of patient-physician interaction.

Methods:

We used data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS), a nationally representative data set of US physician office visits. We estimated the number of obesity diagnoses and prescriptions of weight-loss management solutions (exercise counseling, diet counseling, or weight-loss drugs) in clinical practice from 1996 through 2014. We also calculated rates of obesity diagnosis and compared these rates with national rates of obesity based on body mass index data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for the same period.

Results:

The estimated number of weight gain–related physician office visits increased from 2.3 million in 1996 to a peak of 7.6 million in 2012, and then fell to 4.5 million in 2014. National estimates of obesity diagnoses resulting from physician office visits ranged from 7.1 million in 1996 to 12.7 million in 2014 and substantially outnumbered the estimates for weight gain–related physician office visits throughout the study period. Estimates of exercise counseling and diet counseling and weight-loss medication prescriptions resulting from physician office visits fluctuated over time but never exceeded obesity diagnoses. When compared with national rates of obesity from the BRFSS, rates of obesity diagnoses resulting from physician office visits were substantially lower in the NAMCS (17%-30% vs 1%). National trends for weight-loss medication prescriptions closely mirrored those of weight gain–related physician office visits, even though fluctuations were substantial.

Conclusions:

Our results suggest that obesity is largely underdiagnosed and undertreated in clinical encounters. Future studies should investigate the structural changes needed to better engage physicians in obesity prevention and care. Practitioners should also reflect on their biases in treating obesity as a chronic disease.
Short Message Service Surveying With Homeless Youth: Findings From a 30-Day Study of Sleeping Arrangements and Well-Being
Authors: Tyler Kimberly A. , Olson Kristen , Ray Colleen M.
Published: February 2019

Little is known about the location and consistency of sleeping arrangements among youth experiencing homelessness (YEH) and how this is linked to their well-being. This study addresses this gap using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) via short message service (SMS) surveying with 150 YEH over 30 days, to examine how various sleeping arrangements are associated with depression, marijuana use, support received, and service utilization. Results revealed that the average number of consecutive days youth stayed at any particular location varied considerably. Youth who stayed more frequently with a friend/partner or in a transitional living facility (TLF) reported fewer days of being depressed, whereas staying with a friend/partner was associated with using marijuana more frequently. Finally, youth staying with a friend/partner, stranger, or TLF reported using services on fewer days. Because sleeping arrangements change almost daily, on average, this has important public health implications for agencies finding permanent housing for YEH.
Spatial Distribution of Tourism Activities: A Polya Urn Process Model of Rank-Size Distribution
Authors: Lau Pong Lung , Koo Tay T. R. , Wu Cheng-Lung
Published: February 2019

The power law is considered one of the most enduring regularities in human geography. This article aims to develop an understanding of the circumstances that may result in the power law distribution in the geography of tourism activities. The finite Polya urn process is adopted as a device to model the preferential attachment process in the flow of tourists. The model generates a rank-size distribution of tourism regions along with intuitively appealing parameters. Empirically examined using two independent sets of Australian inbound and outbound tourism data, results show that the rank-size distribution emerging from the finite Polya urn process is a superior fit to the conventional power law curve. This rank-size distribution (termed the Polya urn process model of visitor distribution) is compatible with tourist behaviors such as habit persistence and word-of-mouth effects, and can be adopted by tourism modelers to predict and efficiently summarize the spatiality of tourism.
Mission and the book of Acts in a pluralist society
Authors: Yuckman Colin H.
Published: February 2019

A critical aspect of understanding the “missiology” of Acts is discerning the proper relationship between christology and mission practice. By analyzing the narrative construal of mission in Acts, I will show that Luke defines christology and missiology in relation to one another (Luke 24:47–49). Universal mission is not merely a secondary consequence of who Jesus is, but a basis for recognizing the full reality of Jesus’ lordship. According to Acts, the knowledge that comes with mission practice is as critical to understanding who Jesus is as understanding Jesus’ identity is a prerequisite for universal mission. This study will offer a (re)construction of mission theology for an intercultural context: first, by contesting the mission-as-mandate model that has dominated the imagination of mission practitioners; and, second, by showing how proper mission in Luke’s narrative world entails the practice of mission in which one “discovers” who Jesus is through participation in universal witness (especially to the ethnically “other”—e.g. Acts 10) rather than through imparting full knowledge to convert the other. Indeed, mission may bear an epistemological weight which, Acts suggests, radically challenges Christendom legacies of mission and offers a new foundation for mission as intercultural interdependence.
Reinforcing spirals at work? Mutual influences between selective news exposure and ideological leaning
Authors: Dahlgren Peter M , Shehata Adam , Strömbäck Jesper
Published: February 2019

The growth of partisan news sources has raised concerns that people will increasingly select attitude-consistent information, which might lead to increasing political polarization. Thus far, there is limited research on the long-term mutual influences between selective exposure and political attitudes. To remedy this, this study investigates the reciprocal influences between selective exposure and political attitudes over several years, using a three-wave panel survey conducted in Sweden during 2014–2016. More specifically, we analyse how ideological selective exposure to both traditional and online news media influences citizens’ ideological leaning. Findings suggest that (1) people seek-out ideologically consistent print news and online news and (2) such attitude-consistent news exposure reinforces citizens’ ideological leaning over time. In practice, however, such reinforcement effects are hampered by (3) relatively low overall ideological selective exposure and a (4) significant degree of cross-cutting news exposure online. These findings are discussed in light of selective exposure theory and the reinforcing spirals model.
A therapeutic songwriting intervention to promote reconstruction of self-concept and enhance well-being following brain or spinal cord injury: pilot randomized controlled trial
Authors: Baker Felicity A , Tamplin Jeanette , Rickard Nikki , Ponsford Jennie , New Peter W , Lee Young-Eun C
Published: February 2019

Objective:

To determine the size of the effects and feasibility (recruitment and retention rates) of a therapeutic songwriting protocol for in-patients and community-dwelling people with acquired brain injury or spinal cord injury.

Design:

Randomized controlled trial with songwriting intervention and care-as-usual control groups, in a mixed measures design assessed at three time points.

Participants:

A total of 47 participants (3 in-patients with acquired brain injury, 20 community participants with acquired brain injury, 12 in-patients with spinal cord injury, and 12 community participants with spinal cord injury: 23 1208 days post injury).

Interventions:

The intervention group received a 12-session identity-targeted songwriting programme, where participants created three songs reflecting on perceptions of past, present, and future self. Control participants received care as usual.

Measures:

Baseline, postintervention, and follow-up measures comprised the Head Injury Semantic Differential Scale (primary outcome measure), Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and Satisfaction with Life Scale.

Results:

No significant between group pre–post intervention differences were found on the primary self-concept measure, the Head Injury Semantic Differential Scale ( p = 0.38, d = 0.44). Significant and large effect sizes from baseline to post between groups in favour of the songwriting group for Satisfaction with Life ( p = 0.04, n2 p = 0.14). There were no significant between group pre-post interaction effects for the Emotion Regulation Suppression subscale ( p = 0.12, n2 p = –0.08) although scores decreased in the songwriting group over time while increasing for the standard care group. There were no significant differences in baseline to follow-up between groups in any other outcome measures. Recruitment was challenging due to the small number of people eligible to participate combined with poor uptake by eligible participants, particularly the in-patient group. Retention rates were higher for the community-dwelling cohorts.

Conclusion:

This study demonstrates the challenges in recruitment and retention of participants invited to participate in a music therapy study. Findings suggest this identity-focused therapeutic songwriting protocols may be more beneficial for people who have transitioned from in-patient to community-contexts given the greater proportion of participants who consent and complete the intervention. Preliminary effects in favour of the intervention group were detected in a range of well-being measures suggesting that a larger study is warranted.
Definitive radiotherapy for recurrent vulvar carcinoma after primary surgery: a two-institutional Italian experience
Authors: Laliscia Concetta , Gadducci Angiolo , Fabrini Maria Grazia , Barcellini Amelia , Parietti Emanuela , Pasqualetti Francesco , Morganti Riccardo , Mazzotti Valentina , Cafaro Ines , Paiar Fabiola
Published: February 2019

Objective:

To assess the clinical outcome of patients treated with radiotherapy (RT) for recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva after primary surgery.

Methods:

Fifty-six patients developed recurrent disease after surgery, consisting of deep total vulvectomy with inguino-femoral lymphadenectomy in 44 (78.6%) and deep partial vulvectomy with inguino-femoral lymphadenectomy in 12 (21.4%). All patients underwent RT at the Divisions of Radiotherapy, University of Pisa and ASST Cremona, between 1992 and 2016. Forty-three patients (76.8%) underwent external beam RT and 13 (23.2%) were treated with exclusive high-dose rate brachytherapy.

Results:

Five-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 19% and 43%, respectively. Primary tumor size ⩽4 cm, early FIGO stage, and negative lymph node status were significantly associated with better PFS ( p = .005, p = .020 and p = .036, respectively) and OS ( p < .0001, p = .023 and p = .008, respectively). Patients with more than 1 positive lymph node at primary surgery had significantly worse PFS ( p = .028) and OS ( p = .001). Patients with local recurrence had significantly better PFS and OS ( p = .022, p = .002, respectively). RT total dose >54 Gy was associated with a lower risk of recurrence.

Conclusions:

Primary tumor size, FIGO stage, nodal status, and site of recurrent disease were significant predictors of clinical outcome in patients treated with RT for recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva.
The Social Structures of Accumulation and the Labor Movement: A Brief History and a Modest Proposal
Authors: Christensen Kimberly
Published: February 2019

The economic and political crisis of the 1970s undermined the postwar social structures of accumulation (SSA) and gave rise to the current globalized, neoliberal, financialized (GNF) SSA. Under GNF, we have witnessed the explosion of the precariat and the reemergence of simpler forms of labor control characteristic of earlier SSAs. This article discusses the response of the labor movement, broadly defined, to these changes, including the rise of worker centers, worker ownership, campaigns for increased state regulation, and cross-border organizing. Finally, it raises the question of whether the current national labor federation can act as an incubator for the experimentation and structural changes necessary for the labor movement to meet the challenges of the GNF-SSA.
Rescaling the Longitudinal Assessment of Engineering Self-Efficacy V3.0 for Undergraduate Engineering Students
Authors: Yoon So Yoon , Sorby Sheryl A.
Published: February 2019

Since its development in 2006, the Longitudinal Assessment of Engineering Self-Efficacy (LAESE) V3.0 instrument with six constructs indicated by 31 items has been a popular tool used in engineering education research in the United States. However, there has been lack of validity and reliability evidence in the literature beyond its initial development, with an indication of multicollinearity between its two engineering self-efficacy constructs. This study aimed to rescale the LAESE V3.0 through factor analyses after a modification of items, providing construct validity evidence for the revised instrument. With data from 997 engineering students at three institutions, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses resulted in the Revised LAESE V3.0, consisting of 16 items loading across four factors in a good model fit range: Engineering Self-Efficacy, Engineering Career Expectations, Sense of Belonging, and Coping Self-Efficacy. The nonlinear SEM (structural equation modeling) reliability coefficients for individual factors ranged from .76 to .84, with the overall Omega for the ordinal data of .92, demonstrating acceptable internal consistency reliability.
Hunger and Food Well-Being: Advancing Research and Practice
Authors: Bublitz Melissa G. , Hansen Jonathan , Peracchio Laura A. , Tussler Sherrie
Published: February 2019

This article explores the paradigm of Food Well-Being (FWB), “a positive psychological, physical, emotional, and social relationship with food,” for those who experience hunger. Building on the insights derived from two sources—research across a range of disciplines including marketing and the practices of the nonprofit Hunger Task Force to alleviate hunger and advance FWB—the authors explore the five domains of FWB: food availability, food socialization, food literacy, food marketing, and food policy as they relate to people who experience hunger. The authors establish a research contribution by extending the FWB paradigm to include people experiencing hunger and by applying this extended paradigm to illuminate the impact of hunger on people’s FWB. Finally, the authors propose research to guide researchers, policy makers, and nonprofits toward generating FWB for all.
La négociation identitaire des personnes âgées dans un contexte de mobilité. Le cas des voyages en train
Authors: Welté Jean-Baptiste
Published: February 2019

Résumé

Cette recherche vise à comprendre le processus de négociation identitaire vécue par les personnes âgées. Le vieillissement s’accompagne des limites croissantes. Les personnes âgées doivent également négocier avec l’image sociale du vieillissement. Elles éprouvent cette négociation identitaire de manière emblématique en situation de mobilité. La recherche menée à partir d’une méthodologie ethnographique des voyages en train identifie quatre stratégies de négociation identitaire pour les personnes âgées : celle du fatalisme stoïque, de l’acceptation opportuniste, de l’appropriation valorisante, et de l’adéquation similaire. Ces quatre stratégies peuvent se retrouver chez une même personne au cours d’un même voyage. Elles sont ensuite discutées avec le concept de bien vieillir.
A hydrogel derived from acellular blood vessel extracellular matrix to promote angiogenesis
Authors: Fu Wei , Xu Peng , Feng Bei , Lu Yang , Bai Jie , Zhang Jialiang , Zhang Wenjie , Yin Meng
Published: February 2019

The biocompatibility and bioactivity of injectable acellular extracellular matrix nominates its use as an optimal candidate for cell delivery, serving as a reconstructive scaffold. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of preparing a blood vessel matrix (BVM) hydrogel, which revealed its pro-angiogenic effects in vitro and its therapeutic effects in an in vivo skin flap model. Aortic and abdominal aortic arteries from pigs were acellularized by Triton-X 100 and confirmed by hematoxylin and eosin and 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining. Different concentrations of blood vessel matrix hydrogel were generated successfully through enzymatic digestion, neutralization, and gelation. Hematoxylin and eosin staining, Masson’s trichrome staining, collagen type I immunohistochemistry staining, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays showed that type I collagen and some growth factors were retained in the hydrogel. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated the different diametric fibrils in blood vessel matrix hydrogels. A blood vessel matrix hydrogel-coated plate promoted the tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro. After injection into skin flaps, the hydrogel improved the flap survival rate and increased blood perfusion and capillary density. These results indicated that we successfully prepared a blood vessel matrix hydrogel and demonstrated its general characteristics and angiogenic effects in vitro and in vivo.