bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Passive Optical Sensing of the Near-Surface Wind-Driven Current Profile
Authors: Laxague Nathan J. M. , Haus Brian K. , Ortiz-Suslow David G. , Smith Conor J. , Novelli Guillaume , Dai Hanjing , Özgökmen Tamay , Graber Hans C.
Published: April 2017

Estimation of near-surface current is essential to the estimation of upper-ocean material transport. Wind forcing and wave motions are dominant in the near-surface layer [within O(0.01) m of the surface], where the highly sheared flows can differ greatly from those at depth. This study presents a new method for remotely measuring the directional wind and wave drift current profile near to the surface (between 0.01 and 0.001 m for the laboratory and between 0.1 and 0.001 m for the field). This work follows the spectral analysis of high spatial (0.002 m) and temporal resolution (60 Hz) wave slope images, allowing for the evaluation of near-surface current characteristics without having to rely on instruments that may disturb the flow. Observations gathered in the 15 m × 1 m × 1 m wind-wave flume at the University of Miami’s Surge-Structure-Atmosphere Interaction (SUSTAIN) facility show that currents retrieved via this method agree well with the drift velocity of camera-tracked dye. Application of this method to data collected in the mouth of the Columbia River (MCR) indicates the presence of a near-surface current component that departs considerably from the tidal flow and may be steered by the wind stress. These observations demonstrate that wind speed–based parameterizations alone may not be sufficient to estimate wind drift and to hold implications for the way in which surface material (e.g., debris or spilled oil) transport is estimated when atmospheric stress is of relatively high magnitude or is steered off the mean wind direction.
Comparison of Iodixanol and Iopromide in Patients With Renal Insufficiency and Congestive Heart Failure Undergoing Coronary Angiography by Hemodynamic Monitoring
Authors: Qian Geng , Yang Yong-qiang , Dong Wei , Cao Feng , Chen Yun-dai
Published: April 2017

We investigated the impact of contrast media (CM) with different osmolality on cardiac preload in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and congestive heart failure (CHF). Patients with CKD and CHF were equally randomized to receive either iso-osmolar contrast media (IOCM) iodixanol or low-osmolar contrast media iopromide. We measured cardiac preload indexes by invasive hemodynamic monitoring before and after CM injection. Major adverse cardiac events postprocedures were recorded. Increase in extravascular lung water index was only seen in the iopromide group ( P < .001), while global end diastolic index and central venous pressure were all significantly increased from baseline in the both groups ( P < .001, respectively), and the increase in cardiac preload indexes was significantly greater in the iopromide group than in the iodixanol group ( P < 0.001). The overall incidence of acute heart failure was more frequently observed in the iopromide group ( P = 0.027). Low-osmolar contrast media iopromide significantly increased cardiac preload in patients with CKD and CHF undergoing cardiac catheterization procedures compared with IOCM iodixanol.
Sustainability Reporting in the Mining Sector: Exploring Its Symbolic Nature
Authors: Böhling Kathrin , Murguía Diego I. , Godfrid Julieta
Published: April 2017

Sustainability reporting (SR) has become a well-entrenched practice in the mining sector. Failure to adequately live up to societal expectations is now considered a significant threat to the viability of the industry. There is general agreement that broad endorsement of standards for nonfinancial disclosure supports mining companies to improve their image, while conflicts persist. Because sustainability reports “speak” on behalf of sustainably operating organizations and may create socio-political effects, we explore the symbolic nature of SR. We conceive of SR as a performative practice to research how it interferes with the world that it seeks to represent. Our case study research suggests that conformity with global templates is not an end in itself but might create below-compliance effects if a common interest in mining is developed in local arenas that avoids clarification of impacts and maintains ambiguity over responsibility.
The likelihood of local allies free-riding: Testing economic theories of alliances in US counterinsurgency interventions
Authors: Elias Barbara
Published: April 2017

In counterinsurgency interventions, free-riding by small, local allies is persistent. Yet, the literature on free-riding by small allies is largely limited to conventional multilateral partnerships, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, neglecting other types of asymmetric alliances. Using new data containing 144 US requests to local allies in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, this article tests the logic of economic theories of alliances in counterinsurgency interventions. I find even when small allies are explicitly asked to contribute to alliance-wide security goods, they are likely to free-ride almost half the time (45%), and the likelihood of free-riding is dependent on whether local allies can be excluded by larger allies. This conclusion upholds the logic of economic models, since shared defense goods that exclude local allies fail to meet the criteria of public goods.
Relational space through historically relational time – in the bodies of São Paulo’s pedestrians
Authors: Frehse Fraya
Published: April 2017

This article methodologically develops one theoretical issue regarding the sociological debate on relational space: How do past, present and future times interfere in the relations between human bodies and in their interconnectedness with material and/or symbolic goods in places, by considering that space is generated through these relations? After demonstrating the absence of this issue in the debate, the article presents a methodology for analytically identifying and conceptually interpreting the relational space produced through historically relational time in relational bodies in places, with the aid of Henri Lefebvre’s dialectical concerns with everyday life and the production of space. In order to show the approach ‘in action’, the study focuses on the rules of pedestrians’ body conduct in the cathedral square of the Brazilian city of São Paulo in 2013–2014. Hence the approach is analytically complemented by Erving Goffman’s phenomenological approach to the bodily dimension of social interaction. In conclusion, three contributions of this methodology for relational-spatial sociology are summarized.
When the Majority Becomes the Minority: A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Immersive Experience With Racial Out-Group Members on Implicit and Explicit Racial Biases
Authors: Qian Miao K. , Heyman Gail D. , Quinn Paul C. , Fu Genyue , Lee Kang
Published: April 2017

The present study investigated the effects of immersive exposure to other-race individuals on racial bias. In Study 1, we tracked African students ( N = 85) who went to study at a Chinese university and thus experienced daily contact with Chinese individuals en masse for the first time. Using a cohort-sequential longitudinal design, we found that an implicit pro-Chinese racial bias emerged within 3 months after these students arrived in China, and that this bias remained stable for at least a year. In contrast, their explicit racial bias did not change. In Study 2, we assessed another group of African students ( N = 47) at 1 month and at 3 months after their arrival in China, looking at not only their implicit and explicit racial bias, but also their intergroup contact quantity, intergroup contact quality, and intergroup friendship. We found that intergroup contact quantity and intergroup friendship predicted implicit but not explicit racial bias 2 months later. The findings suggest that immersive experiences with racial out-groups can have early and lasting effects on implicit racial bias.
Economic Disparities and Syphilis Incidence in Massachusetts, 2001-2013
Authors: Smock Laura , Caten Evan , Hsu Katherine , DeMaria Alfred
Published: April 2017

Objectives:

We used area-level indicators of poverty to describe economic disparities in the incidence rate of infectious syphilis in Massachusetts to (1) determine whether methods developed in earlier AIDS analyses in Massachusetts could be applied to syphilis and (2) characterize syphilis trends during a time of increased rates of syphilis incidence.

Methods:

Using census tract data and population counts from the US Census Bureau and Massachusetts data on syphilis, we analyzed the incidence rate of syphilis infection from 2001 to 2013 by the poverty level of the census tract in which people with syphilis resided, stratified by age, sex, and race/ethnicity.

Results:

The syphilis incidence rate increased in all census tract groups in Massachusetts from 2001 to 2013, and disparities in incidence rates by area poverty level persisted over time. The overall incidence rate of syphilis increased 6.9-fold from 2001 to 2013 in all census tract poverty-level groupings (from 1.5 to 10.3 per 100 000 population), but the rise in rate was especially high in the poorest census tracts (from 5.6 to 31.0 per 100 000 population) and among men (from 2.2 to 19.4 per 100 000 population). The highest syphilis incidence rate was among non-Hispanic black people. The largest changes in incidence rate occurred after 2010. One region had a disproportionate increase in incidence rates and a disproportionate impact on the statewide trend.

Conclusions:

Census tract poverty analyses can inform the targeting of interventions that make progress toward reducing disparities in rates of syphilis incidence possible.
Partners in Public Health: Public Health Collaborations With Schools of Pharmacy, 2015
Authors: DiPietro Mager Natalie A. , Ochs Leslie , Ranelli Paul L. , Kahaleh Abby A. , Lahoz Monina R. , Patel Radha V. , Garza Oscar W. , Isaacs Diana , Clark Suzanne
Published: April 2017

To collect data on public health collaborations with schools of pharmacy, we sent a short electronic survey to accredited and preaccredited pharmacy programs in 2015. We categorized public health collaborations as working or partnering with local and/or state public health departments, local and/or state public health organizations, academic schools or programs of public health, and other public health collaborations. Of 134 schools, 65 responded (49% response rate). Forty-six (71%) responding institutions indicated collaborations with local and/or state public health departments, 34 (52%) with schools or programs of public health, and 24 (37%) with local and/or state public health organizations. Common themes of collaborations included educational programs, community outreach, research, and teaching in areas such as tobacco control, emergency preparedness, chronic disease, drug abuse, immunizations, and medication therapy management. Interdisciplinary public health collaborations with schools of pharmacy provide additional resources for ensuring the health of communities and expose student pharmacists to opportunities to use their training and abilities to affect public health. Examples of these partnerships may stimulate additional ideas for possible collaborations between public health organizations and schools of pharmacy.
Changing Attitudes Toward People With Disabilities Using Public Media: An Experimental Study
Authors: Lu Junfei , Webber Wesley B. , Romero Devon , Chirino Chris
Published: April 2017

This study explored the change in viewers’ explicit and implicit attitudes toward people with disabilities (PWDs) after they watched person-centered videos, which focused on real-life experiences of PWDs and/or their perspectives toward disability. Fifty-three undergraduate students were randomly assigned to two groups. In the control group, participants had their explicit and implicit attitudes measured before and after three body-scan sessions. In the experimental group, participants took the same tests before and after watching three videos. The results showed that participants’ explicit attitudes became more positive, and implicit attitudes became more negative in the experimental group, while there was no change in attitudes in the control group. These results have unique implications for using person-centered videos to change attitudes toward PWDs in undergraduate education and rehabilitation counseling education. Suggestions for future research are provided.
Thermal analysis and melt spinnability of poly(acrylonitrile-co-methyl acrylate) and poly(acrylonitrile-co-dimethyl itaconate) copolymers
Authors: Rwei Syang-Peng , Way Tun-Fun , Chiang Whe-Yi , Tseng Jen-Chun
Published: April 2017

This work investigated the cyclization possibility and melt spinnability of carbon fiber precursors, poly(acrylonitrile-co-methyl acrylate) (AN/MA) and poly(acrylonitrile-co-dimethyl itaconate) (AN/DMI). The onset temperature of cyclization of the AN/DMI copolymer is lower than that of the AN/MA copolymer and also the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) homopolymer. The enthalpy ( ΔH) of the AN/DMI copolymer is about 3–4 times that of the PAN homopolymer and about 1.8 times that of the AN/MA copolymer, indicating that the degree of cyclization of the AN/DMI copolymer is relatively higher. The melt dwell time of the AN/DMI copolymer is increased to about 3–5 times that of the AN/MA copolymer, especially when synthesized with a feed molar ratio of AN/DMI = 85/15. The AN/DMI copolymer (AN/DMI = 85/15) has the longest melt dwell time, 24.8 min, at the lowest melting temperature, 190oC, among all the PAN-related copolymers synthesized herein. Furthermore, the AN/DMI copolymer (AN/DMI = 85/15) can be rapidly cyclized at the cyclization temperature of 260℃, which is 25℃ lower than that of the AN/MA copolymer (AN/MA = 85/15). In short, this work demonstrates that the carbon fiber precursor made by the AN/DMI copolymer (AN/DMI = 85/15) will be superior to that of the AN/MA copolymer (AN/MA = 85/15) with respect to the melt spinnability and cyclization at low temperature.
Design and mechanical behaviors of sutureless prototype composite nitinol stent-grafts
Authors: Xue Wen , Lin Jing , Wang Fujun , Li Qiwei , Wang Lu
Published: April 2017

The stent-graft has always been a key device in endovascular treatments. However, most stents are integrated with graft by sutures, which may fracture or untie, leading to implant failure. This study reports a new sutureless composite stent-graft fabricated by braiding technology, which can combine various materials. The proposed sutureless braided stent-graft was constructed by incorporating bare/covered nitinol (NiTi) yarns into a polyethylene terephthalate multifilament at specific distributions. This technique generates a structure with alternately arranged metal and polymeric sections that equip the stent-graft with structural support and flexibility, respectively. The results showed significantly improved biomechanical performance (radial compression, bending and torsion resistance) of the stent-graft with covered NiTi yarns compared to bare NiTi yarns. This research presents important clinical implications in stent-graft manufacture and provides further study with an innovative stent-graft design.
The unfinished Reformation
Authors: Moltmann Jürgen , Lösel Steffen
Published: April 2017

In this article Jürgen Moltmann offers a clarion call to the whole church at the eve of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation to be semper reformanda. Moltmann discusses five major points: the theological implications of the contemporary move from a culture of dispute to a culture of dialogue; the unity of the Christian church under what he terms “the papacy of all believers”; the only true “reformation by faith alone” initiated by the Anabaptists; the ecumenical importance of celebrating the Lord’s Supper together; and, finally, the idea that a reformation of hope needs to follow a reformation of faith.
Cultivating the “unquiet heart”: Ecology, education, and Christian faith
Authors: Ayres Jennifer R.
Published: April 2017

In his 2015 encyclical, Pope Francis argued that Christianity stands in need of an “ecological conversion.” Conversion is an urgent kind of theological language, urging a resilient and ecologically grounded faith, a faith that turns on the capacities necessary to inhabit God’s world well. Drawing on the eschatological tension described by Jürgen Moltmann as the “unquiet heart,” this essay builds a practical theology for nurturing Christian faith in our vulnerable and changing ecological context. Engaging generative questions from the fields of theological anthropology, educational theory, and practical theology, it reframes the work of human life as becoming good inhabitants in God’s household. As such, it reexamines the shape of human identity and vocation in relationship to the world and to God’s promised future. It concludes with modest proposals for practices and educational approaches that might cultivate what Larry Rasmussen has called an “earth-honoring faith.”
Bearing witness: Reframing Christian–Muslim encounter in light of the refugee crisis
Authors: Ralston Joshua
Published: April 2017

The refugee crisis of 2015 and 2016 and the subsequent theopolitical responses in Europe, North America, and elsewhere have been marked throughout by concerns about Islam and Muslims. The long and often uneasy relationship between Christianity and Islam has shaped European and North American responses to forced migration and has been an often unchallenged source for anti-migrant policies and rhetoric. In order for Christian theology and the church communities to offer constructive engagement within the current migration context, they must find new avenues to address and engage with Islam. This essay borrows from Jürgen Moltmann’s theopolitical interpretation of interreligious dialogue and his innovative rethinking of Christian theology in conversation with Judaism to propose that an analogous posture toward Islam be developed. It concludes by outlining the contours of a theology of witness/ shahid that offers constructive possibilities for reframing Christian–Muslim debates to better attend to its theological, political, and ethical considerations.
A self-determination perspective on Chinese fifth-graders’ task disengagement
Authors: Zhou Mingming , Ren Jing
Published: April 2017

Engagement in academic tasks is important. However, compared to the large body of research on task engagement, the number of studies on task disengagement is quite limited. The aim of this study is to examine the associations between the motivational (self-determination) and attitudinal antecedents (learning orientations) of task disengagement. The sample consisted of 347 fifth-graders in China. We tested two mediation models that incorporated self-determination (autonomous versus controlled), learning orientation (collaborative versus competitive), and task disengagement among Chinese primary school students in learning English. Results showed collaborative learning orientation mediated the link between autonomous motivation and task disengagement. Collaborative learning orientation was also found to be negatively related to task disengagement.
Global Financial Crisis, Institutional Ownership, and the Earnings Informativeness of Income Smoothing
Authors: Chen Ching-Lung , Weng Pei-Yu , Lin Yu-Chih
Published: April 2017

This study uses unbalanced panel data to construct the empirical regressions, and examines the role of the global financial crisis and institutional ownership on the earnings informativeness of firm with income smoothing. The result reveals that the earnings informativeness of income smoothing decreased after the occurrence of the crisis. High institutional ownership also reduces the informativeness of earnings for firms with income smoothing and supports the institutional investors’ opportunism hypothesis. Yet, this result is prominent when the institutional ownership is held by the qualified foreign rather than local institutional investors. This study implements several diagnostic checks and demonstrates that the results are robust to various specifications.
Distress Risk, Investor Sophistication, and Accrual Anomaly
Authors: Gu Ming
Published: April 2017

I document a U-shaped pattern of distress risk across accrual portfolios. The lack of close substitutes in the extreme accrual stocks is likely to create barriers to arbitrage away the accrual mispricing. I find that the profits of the accrual trading strategies are mostly concentrated in firms with high default probability. The effect of distress risk on accrual anomaly is not subsumed by previously documented cross-sectional characteristics, and also holds in various market states and subsamples. Furthermore, I show that firms with high distress risk not only exhibit lower institutional ownership but also have higher institutional concentration. These findings provide a possible justification for why the accrual strategy is more profitable for firms with higher distress risk, and suggest that the distress-based accrual strategy can be explained by the limits-to-arbitrage story.
The role of morphological complexity in predicting the learnability of an additional language: The case of La (additional language) Dutch
Authors: van der Slik Frans , Hout Roeland van , Schepens Job
Published: April 2017

Applied linguistics may benefit from a morphological complexity measure to get a better grip on language learning problems and to better understand what kind of typological differences between languages are more important than others in facilitating or impeding adult learning of an additional language. Using speaking proficiency scores of 9,000 adult learners of Dutch as an additional language, we reproduced the findings of the Schepens et al. (2013a) study, using a reduced morphological complexity measure. We wanted to define a reduced measure to reveal which morphological features constitute the really important learning problems. Adult language learners whose first language (L1) has a less complex morphological feature configuration than Dutch turned out to have more learning difficulties in acquiring Dutch the less complex their L1 is in relation to Dutch. The reduced measure contains eight features only. In addition, we found cognitive aging effects that corroborate the construct validity of the morphological measure we used. Generally, adult language learners’ speaking skills in Dutch improve when residing longer in the host country. However, this conclusion is only warranted when their L1 morphological complexity is at least comparable to Dutch morphological complexity. If the morphological complexity of their L1 is lower as compared to Dutch, the effect of length of residence may even reverse and have a negative impact on speaking skills in Dutch. It was observed that the negative effect of age of arrival is mitigated when adult language learners have a command of a second language (L2) with higher morphological complexity. We give morphological information for five additional target languages: Afrikaans, Chinese, English, German, and Spanish.
Spanish Imperfect revisited: Exploring L1 influence in the reassembly of imperfective features onto new L2 forms
Authors: Domínguez Laura , Arche María J , Myles Florence
Published: April 2017

This study investigates the acquisition of the Spanish Imperfect by 60 English learners of Spanish at three different proficiency levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced). Two oral production tasks and one interpretation task show that although the Imperfect is used from early on, the full array of interpretations associated with this form (habitual, continuous and progressive) is not completely acquired even at advanced levels. Learners accept the Imperfect in imperfective contexts but have problems rejecting the Preterit. This problem persists even at advanced levels in continuous contexts. The continuous is conveyed in English by Past Tense, which is used in both perfective and imperfective contexts, whereas in Spanish only the Imperfect is appropriate. We argue that the incorrect low rejection of the Preterit signals a mapping problem of aspect-related features present in both English and Spanish onto a new form (the Imperfect). These results support the problematic nature of feature reassembly in the acquisition of the Spanish Imperfect by English speakers.
Type-2 diabetes mellitus reduces cortical thickness and decreases oxidative metabolism in sensorimotor regions after stroke
Authors: Ferris Jennifer K , Peters Sue , Brown Katlyn E , Tourigny Katherine , Boyd Lara A
Published: April 2017

Individuals with type-2 diabetes mellitus experience poor motor outcomes after ischemic stroke. Recent research suggests that type-2 diabetes adversely impacts neuronal integrity and function, yet little work has considered how these neuronal changes affect sensorimotor outcomes after stroke. Here, we considered how type-2 diabetes impacted the structural and metabolic function of the sensorimotor cortex after stroke using volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). We hypothesized that the combination of chronic stroke and type-2 diabetes would negatively impact the integrity of sensorimotor cortex as compared to individuals with chronic stroke alone. Compared to stroke alone, individuals with stroke and diabetes had lower cortical thickness bilaterally in the primary somatosensory cortex, and primary and secondary motor cortices. Individuals with stroke and diabetes also showed reduced creatine levels bilaterally in the sensorimotor cortex. Contralesional primary and secondary motor cortex thicknesses were negatively related to sensorimotor outcomes in the paretic upper-limb in the stroke and diabetes group such that those with thinner primary and secondary motor cortices had better motor function. These data suggest that type-2 diabetes alters cerebral energy metabolism, and is associated with thinning of sensorimotor cortex after stroke. These factors may influence motor outcomes after stroke.
Sensory Substitution and Multimodal Mental Imagery
Authors: Nanay Bence
Published: April 2017

Many philosophers use findings about sensory substitution devices in the grand debate about how we should individuate the senses. The big question is this: Is “vision” assisted by (tactile) sensory substitution really vision? Or is it tactile perception? Or some sui generis novel form of perception? My claim is that sensory substitution assisted “vision” is neither vision nor tactile perception, because it is not perception at all. It is mental imagery: visual mental imagery triggered by tactile sensory stimulation. But it is a special form of mental imagery that is triggered by corresponding sensory stimulation in a different sense modality, which I call “multimodal mental imagery.”
The climate crisis, carbon capital and urbanisation: An urban political ecology of low-carbon restructuring in Mbale
Authors: Silver Jonathan
Published: April 2017

The role of urban regions in action on reducing greenhouse gas emissions has become increasingly central to global urban governance over the past 20 years and particularly after new promises and agreements made at COP21. Despite some attention across urban studies, the need to interrogate how new forms of urban carbon governance are transforming infrastructure space remains pressing. This paper examines the low-carbon restructuring of the waste system in Mbale, Uganda, a town struggling to address its socio-ecological futures. The paper asserts that a UPE approach to how urban carbon governance is materialised advances three particular concerns; the governing of urban circulation, carbon capital and socio-material relations. Through examining these, the paper shows how global actors are increasingly involved in low-carbon transformation, use places such as Mbale as spaces of experimentation and dominate the governing of this restructuring. Yet out of such unjust processes new forms of contestation and low-carbon politics may emerge.
Evaluation of size effect on mixed-mode fracture behavior of epoxy/silica nanocomposites
Authors: Ghasemi-Ghalebahman Ahmad , Akbardoost Javad , Ghaffari Yaser
Published: April 2017

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of size on the mixed-mode fracture toughness of quasi-brittle nanocomposites with the help of modified maximum tangential stress criterion. The literature reveals that the effect of size on mixed-mode fracture behavior of brittle nanocomposites has not been well investigated previously using modified maximum tangential stress criterion. The studied nanocomposites were made of epoxy resin reinforced with 7 wt%, 20–30 nm nanosilica. The accuracy of the method was assessed by taking into account the high-order terms of Williams series expansion along with finite element over-deterministic method. To investigate the effect of size on fracture toughness, a number of three-point semi-circular bending tests with different radii and four angles of edge–crack orientation were conducted and subjected to mixed-mode loading. The size of fracture process zone and apparent fracture toughness ( Kc) were also evaluated as a function of sample size. Experimental results showed that the proposed approach can accurately predict the fracture behavior of studied nanocomposites.
Facial pain: Overlapping syndromes
Authors: Evers Stefan
Published: April 2017

Premise

This review summarises the pain syndromes that overlap between headache and facial pain and overlap between pain and cranial nerve lesion.

Problem

These syndromes share two features in common. First, they show both cranial nerve impairment (e.g. palsy, autonomic dysfunction) and pain; second, they have inflammatory (and/or small vessel) processes as the underlying mechanism. A typical representative of these syndromes is recurrent painful ophthalmoplegic neuropathy, which was previously called ophthalmoplegic migraine and was regarded as a migraine subtype. It is now supposed that this syndrome is caused by an inflammation of one of the ocular motor nerves. Other syndromes discussed in this review are optic neuritis, Tolosa-Hunt syndrome, ischaemic ocular motor nerve palsy, and the very rare Raeder’s syndrome. Treatment of all these syndromes is mainly based on steroids.

Potential solution

Management of possibly underlying disorders such as multiple sclerosis or atherosclerosis should also be considered.
The Graft Bending Angle Can Affect Early Graft Healing After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: In Vivo Analysis With 2 Years’ Follow-up
Authors: Tashiro Yasutaka , Gale Tom , Sundaram Vani , Nagai Kanto , Irrgang James J. , Anderst William , Nakashima Yasuharu , Tashman Scott , Fu Freddie H.
Published: April 2017

Background:

A high graft bending angle (GBA) after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction has been suggested to cause stress on the graft. Nevertheless, evidence about its effect on graft healing in vivo is limited.

Hypothesis:

The signal intensity on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) would be higher in the proximal region of the ACL graft, and higher signals would be correlated to a higher GBA.

Study Design:

Descriptive laboratory study.

Methods:

Anatomic single-bundle ACL reconstruction was performed on 24 patients (mean age, 20 ± 4 years) using the transportal technique. A quadriceps tendon autograft with a bone plug was harvested. To evaluate graft healing, the signal/noise quotient (SNQ) was measured in 3 regions of interest (ROIs) of the proximal, midsubstance, and distal ACL graft using high-resolution MRI (0.45 × 0.45 × 0.70 mm), with decreased signals suggesting improved healing. Dynamic knee motion was examined during treadmill walking and running to assess the in vivo GBA. The GBA was calculated from the 3-dimensional angle between the graft and femoral tunnel vectors at each motion frame, based on tibiofemoral kinematics determined from dynamic stereo X-ray analysis. Graft healing and GBAs were assessed at 6 and 24 months postoperatively. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to compare the SNQ in the 3 ROIs at 2 time points. Pearson correlations were used to analyze the relationship between the SNQ and mean GBA during 0% to 15% of the gait cycle.

Results:

The SNQ of the ACL graft in the proximal region was significantly higher than in the midsubstance ( P = .022) and distal regions ( P < .001) at 6 months. The SNQ in the proximal region was highly correlated with the GBA during standing ( R = 0.64, P < .001), walking ( R = 0.65, P = .002), and running ( R = 0.54, P = .015) but not in the other regions. At 24 months, signals in the proximal and midsubstance regions decreased significantly compared with 6 months ( P < .001 and P = .008, respectively), with no difference across the graft area.

Conclusion:

The signal intensity was highest in the proximal region and lowest in the distal region of the reconstructed graft at 6 months postoperatively. A steep GBA was significantly correlated with high signal intensities of the proximal graft in this early period. A steep GBA may negatively affect proximal graft healing after ACL reconstruction.
Medial Posterior Capsular Plication Reduces Anterior Shoulder Instability Similar to Remplissage Without Restricting Motion in the Setting of an Engaging Hill-Sachs Defect
Authors: Werner Brian C. , Chen Xiang , Camp Christopher L. , Kontaxis Andreas , Dines Joshua S. , Gulotta Lawrence V.
Published: April 2017

Background:

Numerous surgical options for the management of engaging Hill-Sachs lesions exist, of which remplissage has emerged as one of the most popular arthroscopic techniques. Remplissage is not without disadvantages, however, and has been demonstrated to potentially result in a loss of external rotation (ER) due to nonanatomic tethering of the infraspinatus tendon and a potential decrease in infraspinatus strength clinically.

Purpose:

The efficacy of posterior medial capsular plication in addition to Bankart repair was examined as an arthroscopic management strategy for an engaging Hill-Sachs defect.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Eight fresh-frozen human cadaveric shoulders were utilized for the study. After testing baseline translation and motion, 30% Hill-Sachs lesions were created in each specimen. Three experimental groups were assembled: (1) isolated Bankart repair (HSD), (2) Bankart repair with remplissage (RM), and (3) Bankart repair with posterior medial capsular plication (PL). Biomechanical testing was performed to determine anterior translation, range of motion, and Hill-Sachs engagement. Translation and motion measurements were normalized to the baseline laxity values for each specimen.

Results:

A significant reduction in anterior translation was noted at 60° of abduction and 60° of ER for both the PL and RM groups compared with the HSD group throughout most of the joint loads tested ( P < .05), but no significant differences were noted between the PL and RM groups at any load. The RM group had significantly less normalized ER at 60° of abduction compared with the HSD and PL groups ( P < .05). There were no differences in internal rotation between the groups. All 8 specimens in the HSD group engaged, while no specimens in the RM and PL groups engaged ( P < .001).

Conclusion:

In a cadaveric model, medial posterior capsular plication as an adjunct to Bankart repair offers similar resistance to anterior translation and Hill-Sachs engagement as compared with remplissage in the setting of an engaging Hill-Sachs defect. Medial posterior capsular plication results in less restriction of ER compared with remplissage without any significant limitation of internal rotation.

Clinical Relevance:

Posterior medial capsular plication reduces translation and engagement similarly to remplissage, without any restriction in motion.
Clinical, Molecular, and Computational Analysis in Patients With a Novel Double Mutation and a New Synonymous Variant in MeCP2: Report of the First Missense Mutation Within the AT-hook1 Cluster in Rett Syndrome
Authors: Kharrat Marwa , Kamoun Yosra , Kamoun Fatma , Ellouze Emna , Maalej Marwa , Fendri-Kriaa Nourhene , Ammar-Keskes Leila , Belghith Neila , Gargouri Ali , Triki Chahnez , Fakhfakh Faiza
Published: April 2017

Rett syndrome is an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder, primarily caused by MECP2 mutations. In this study, clinical, molecular and bioinformatics analyses were performed in Rett patients to understand the relationship between MECP2 mutation type and the clinical severity. Two double MeCP2 mutations were detected: a novel one (p.G185 V in cis with p.R255X) in P1 and a known one (p.P179 S in cis with p.R255X) in P2. Besides, a novel synonymous mutation (c.807C>T; p.G269G), which could affect mRNA splicing, was identified in P3. The results from clinical severity analysis have shown that P1 was more severely affected than P2 with CSS being 35 and 14, respectively. Therefore, the phenotypic variability in P1 and P2 could be explained by the potential pathogenic effect of the RTT-causing missense mutation p.G185 V in the AT-hook1. In conclusion, clinical, molecular, and in silico investigations in the studied patients have been proven to be substantial for the genotype-phenotype correlation.
KCNQ2-Associated Neonatal Epilepsy: Phenotype Might Correlate With Genotype
Authors: Lee Inn-Chi , Yang Jiann-Jou , Liang Jao-Shwann , Chang Tung-Ming , Li Shuan-Yow
Published: April 2017

We analyzed the KCNQ2 wild-type gene and 3 mutations to highlight the important association between the KCNQ2 phenotype and genotype. The clinical phenotypes of 3 mutations (p.E515D, p.V543 M, and p.R213Q) were compared. KCNQ2, wild-type, and mutant KCNQ2 alleles were transfected into HEK293 cells before whole-cell patch-clamp analysis. Neurodevelopmental outcomes were worst in patients with the p.R213Q mutation, better in patients with the p.E515D mutation, and best in patients with the novel p.V543 M mutation. The currents in p.E515D and in p.V543 M were significantly lower than in the wild type in homomeric and heteromeric transfected HEK293 cells ( P < .05). The opening threshold shifted to values that were more positive, and the maximal current induced by strong depolarization was higher in cells with the p.E515D and p.R213Q mutations. We provide evidence that genotype is involved in determining clinical phenotype, including the seizure frequency and outcome.
Naloxone Administration for Opioid Overdose Reversal in the Prehospital Setting: Implications for Pharmacists
Authors: Weaver Landon , Palombi Laura , Bastianelli Karen M. S.
Published: April 2017

Background:

Fatalities from opioid overdose have risen by 117% over the past 10 years. Increasing access to the opioid antagonist, naloxone can combat this trend and saves lives. This study investigates the various routes of naloxone administration for opioid reversal in the prehospital setting.

Methods:

PubMed, Ovid, and Google Scholar were searched for references that included the words naloxone and prehospital. Inclusion criteria were peer reviewed publications after 1995, English language, studies conducted in an outpatient setting, and intramuscular, intranasal, intravenous, or subcutaneous formulations; exclusion criteria were review articles or editorials.

Results:

8 articles met the inclusion criteria: intramuscular, intranasal, intravenous, and subcutaneous dosage forms of naloxone were analyzed to compare their time to administration, time to efficacy, financial impact, administrator safety, and administrator preference.

Conclusion:

There is little consensus on the optimal route of naloxone administration in the prehospital setting. Little training is required for proper administration of the intramuscular auto-injector; however, the high price of this device is a barrier to access. Intranasal naloxone appears to be the optimal dosage form when considering cost, effectiveness, and administrator safety. Pharmacists must be aware of trends in naloxone use, dosage forms, and administration when caring for patients and their communities.
Associational Capital and Adult Charitable Giving: A Canadian Examination
Authors: Hossain Belayet , Lamb Laura
Published: April 2017

This article examines the relationship between associational capital, developed through participation in social networks, and charitable giving behavior in Canada. Empirical models are specified to determine whether a relationship exists between associational capital, formed in youth and adulthood, and secular and religious donation expenditures in adulthood. Tobit regression models are estimated using data from the 2010 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (CSGVP). The results suggest that the formation of associational capital in youth and adulthood is related to larger donation expenditures, although the source of associational capital and the type of recipient organization matters. It is also found that those who participate in a variety of associations are more likely to make larger donations than those who participate in fewer types of associations. The results provide further insight into charitable giving behavior and have policy implications for public and nonprofit sectors concerned with increasing charitable donations.
Effects of tilting rate variations on the aerodynamics of the tilting ducted fans mounted at the wing tips of a vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicle
Authors: Raeisi Bahram , Alighanbari Hekmat
Published: April 2017

Tilting ducted fans mounted at the wing tips of vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicles define new applications for these types of aerial vehicles. This new configuration gives vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicles the ability to hover like helicopters and fly forward like airplanes, which results in using any arbitrary location for take-off and landing combined with increasing range and speed. Furthermore, generating additional lift by using asymmetrical shape for the external body of the ducted fans can lead to reducing the wing area and related overall drag, which results in saving more energy. The transition between cruise mode and hovering can be done by choosing different tilting rates, which can produce instabilities in the aerodynamics of the tilting ducted fans mounted at the wing tips of the vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicles. This research provides the computational fluid dynamics simulations to investigate these instabilities and compare them for two different ducted fans. “Actuator disk model” combined with the assumption of “constant delivered power” to the propeller were used successfully to calculate the induced velocity to the rotor plane of the ducted fan in the computational fluid dynamics simulations. The effects of the flow separation on the aerodynamic coefficients were discussed and compared for both symmetrical and asymmetrical ducted fans in different tilting rates.
The investigation of thermal and gas dynamic processes in the combustion chamber of the rocket engine using slurry fuel
Authors: Bondarenko Sergii , Dreus Andrii , Lysenko Katerina
Published: April 2017

The article deals with the experimental and numerical investigation of thermal and gas dynamics processes in combustion chamber of prospective rocket engine developed in Oles Honchar Dnipropetrovsk National University (Ukraine). This engine uses slurry fuel, and the advantages of such innovative approach to rocket engines are discussed herein. The successfully tested layout design of the experimental engine is described. The mathematical model of the combustion chamber working process research is developed, and its reliability is provided. The results of experimental and numerical examination of pressure and temperature in the combustion chamber are presented. Analysis of the processes in the combustion chamber allowed the author to define the shortcomings of the experimental scheme. Directions for further improvement of the design of the described rocket engine are defined.
Emerging sexually transmitted viral infections: 1. Review of Ebola virus disease
Authors: Caswell Rachel J , Manavi Kaveh
Published: April 2017

This is the first in a series of articles reviewing four viral infections, Ebola virus, Zika virus, human T-cell lymphotropic virus, type 1 and hepatitis C virus, with an emphasis on recent advances in our understanding of their sexual transmission. With current day speed and ease of travel it is important for staff in sexual healthcare services to know and understand these infections when patients present to them and also to be able to advise those travelling to endemic regions. Following the recent resurgence in West Africa, this first article looks at Ebola virus disease (EVD). EVD has a high mortality rate and, of note, has been detected in the semen of those who have cleared the virus from their blood and have clinically recovered from the disease. As the result of emerging data, the WHO now recommends safe sex practices for all male survivors of EVD for 12 months after the onset of the disease or after having had two consecutive negative tests of semen specimens for the virus. This review provides an up-to-date summary of what is currently known about EVD and its implications for sexual health practice.
Treponema pallidum ssp. pallidum identification by real-time PCR targetting the polA gene in paraffin-embedded samples positive by immunohistochemistry
Authors: Gama A , Carrillo-Casas EM , Hernández-Castro R , Vázquez-Aceituno VA , Toussaint-Caire S , Xicohtencatl-Cortes J , Fernández-Martínez R , Moreno-Coutiño G
Published: April 2017

Syphilis is a systemic and sexually transmitted infection caused by Treponema pallidum ssp. pallidum. This spirochete causes different clinical and subclinical stages depending on the duration of infection and immune status of the host. Several tests have been developed for diagnosis, and are classified into direct and indirect methods. The first one includes dark field microscopy, direct fluorescent antibody test in fluids or tissue, and molecular biology techniques. In the indirect method (serologic), the routine tests are used, and are divided in two categories: non-treponemal and treponemal ones. The objective of this work was to identify T. pallidum ssp. pallidum in paraffin-embedded skin biopsies positive by immunohistochemistry, using conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative real time PCR (qPCR). We included a sample of 17 paraffin-embedded biopsies. DNA was extracted and processed by conventional PCR and real-time PCR with a TaqMan® probe to identify the polA gene. Using PCR, 11 tested positive (64.7%) and 6 (35.3%) were negative. With qPCR and TaqMan® probe, 100% of samples tested positive. The minimum number of spirochetes detected in each sample was 2. With this work, we can conclude that qPCR is a fast and very accurate method for diagnosis of syphilis in tissue specimens.