bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
INTRARATER AND INTERRATER RELIABILITY OF MUSCLE TONE, ELASTICITY AND STIFFNESS CHARACTERISTICS MEASUREMENTS BY MYOTON-3 IN HEALTHY CHILDREN AGED 5–7 YEARS
Authors: Sakkool Triinu , Meerits Teet , Gapeyeva Helena
Published: May 2019

Background. Research literature highlights the need to use objective assessment tools to quantify muscle
tone because all typically used clinical scales of muscle tone have reliability problems. Though hand-held device
Myoton-3 has been used in research with children, its reliability has not been established. The aim of this study was
to investigate intrarater and interrater reliability of muscle tone, elasticity and stiffness measurements by Myoton-3
in healthy children aged 5–7 years.
Methods. A total of 30 healthy children aged between 5 and 7 years participated in the study. Myoton-3 device
was used by two measurers to assess tibialis anterior (TA), rectus femoris (RF), biceps brachii (BB), medial head
of gastrocnemius (GM), biceps femoris (BF), trapezius (TR) and triceps brachii (TB) muscle tone, elasticity and
stiffness values. Measurements were conducted for intrarater reliability on two consecutive days and for interrater
reliability on the same day.
Results. Intrarater reliability expressed as intra-class correlation of frequency, decrement and stiffness
characteristics measurements was moderate to high, between 0.60–0.72, while TR muscle ICC was low. Interrater
reliability expressed as intra-class correlation of the frequency, decrement and stiffness characteristics measurements
was high to very high, between 0.72–0.91, while TR muscle ICC was low.
Conclusion. Moderate to high (0.60–0.72) intrarater reliability and high to very high interrater reliability (0.72–
0.91) was established for Myoton-3 measurements in healthy children aged 5–7 years. The Myoton-3 is a reliable
device for measuring skeletal muscle tone, elasticity and stiffness in preschool children.
ART THERAPY IN ONCOLOGY AND PALLIATIVE CARE – OVERVIEW OF EMPIRICAL RESULTS AND A CASE VIGNETTE
Authors: Gruber Harald
Published: May 2019

Research background. In the spectrum of psychotherapeutic interventions, artistic therapies such as painting, clay modelling, music, dance therapy, as well as poetry and bibliotherapy have become an essential part of psychosocial treatment in a wide variety of medical and therapeutic indications. Artistic therapies enable patients to express stressful emotions in a protected environment, to regulate their own experiences, to learn about resources and to better process the psychologically restrictive consequences of the illness. Empirical evidence of efficacy is still lacking in many fields of Arts Therapies. However, recent, partially controlled randomized studies on art therapy in oncology show a significant reduction in anxiety and depression, a lesser degree of experiencing stress, improved perception of health, and improved disease management. A case Vignette shows how sustainable artistic experiences can have a therapeutic effect and how significant they can become for the individual client. Conclusion. Art therapy, especially in the field of oncology and palliative care, offers special opportunities for therapeutic accompaniment, through which central objectives can be met in the context of the overall treatment. It requires further practical and scientific development work as well as good public relations in order to draw attention to the potential of art therapy and to further validate and establish it as a fixed therapeutic component in oncology and palliative medicine, both inpatient and outpatient.
What Would Jack Bauer Do? Negotiating Trauma, Vengeance and Justice in the Cultural Forum of Post-9/11 TV Drama, from 24 to Battlestar Galactica and Person of Interest
Authors: Steiner Tobias
Published: May 2019

Discussing the concept of cultural trauma and its role in popular television dramas such as 24 (FOX 2001-10, 2014-), Battlestar Galactica (Syfy 2004-9), Rubicon (AMC 2010) and Person of Interest (CBS 2011-16), this paper sets out to identify three distinct clusters that are part of what Newcomb and Hirsch once termed a “cultural forum”—a discursive space in which questions of justice, revenge, terror, and trauma continue to be negotiated in significantly changing ways. Doing so, it finds that those clusters occur within a processual shift of cultural focus away from the early one-dimensional call for easy justice through retaliation motivated by the national narrative of heroes vs. perpetrators, towards a multifaceted occupation with the problems that U.S. society has been facing over the last seventeen years.
Comparing Volumetric Dimensional Stability and Accuracy of Newly Formulated Polyvinyl Siloxanether, Polyvinyl Siloxane and Polyether Impression Materials Using Micro-Computed Tomography
Authors: ASLAN Yılmaz Umut , OZKAN Yasemin
Published: May 2019

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare volumetric dimensional accuracy and stability of polyvinylsiloxane, polyether and new formulated polyvinylsiloxanether impression materials by using micro-computed tomography.Methods: A total of 42 impressions were made of stainless steel metal dyes. Polyvinylsiloxane, Polyether and Polyvinylsiloxanether impressions were taken for volumetric dimensional accuracy and stability to measure by Micro-computed tomography (μCT). Impression materials were measured for dimensional stability after the impression was taken, 24 hours later and 144 hours later. For dimensional accuracy 21 impressions and 21 stone models of these impressions were measured. One-way analysis of variance was be used to test for statistically significant difference within groups and Tukey’s test was be used to test for across groups with a significance value of p < 0.05.Results: After polymerization, although polyether impression negative was shown to have the highest volumetric expansion, the highest shrinkage was observed in the same group after pouring to dental stone. Stone model of the polyether was observed as the most accurate value of volume in comparison to the master model. The lowest volumetric dimensional change was observed in polyvinylsiloxanether at day 1 (-0.004±0.001%) and the highest change was observed in polyether at day 7 (-0.052±0.004%).Conclusion: From the standpoint of volumetric accuracy and stability, all three elastomeric impressions are acceptable and μCT is a useful tool for assesments of volumetric dimensional changes.
Purple Passion Fruit, Passiflora edulis Sims f. edulis, Variability for Photosynthetic and Physiological Adaptation in Contrasting Environments
Authors: Rodríguez Nohra C. , Melgarejo Luz M. , Blair Matthew W.
Published: May 2019

Purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims f. edulis) is a tropical juice source. The goal of this project was to evaluate photosynthetic and physiological variability for the crop with the hypotheses that landraces contain the diversity to adapt to higher elevation nontraditional growing environments and this is dependent on specific parameters of ecological adaptation. A total of 50 genotypes of this crop were chosen from divergent sources for evaluations of their eco-physiological responses in two equatorial locations at different altitudes in the Andes Mountains, a center of diversity for the species. The germplasm included 34 landraces, 8 commercial cultivars, and 8 genebank accessions. The two locations were contrasting in climates, representing mid and high elevations in Colombia. Mid-elevation valleys are typical regions of production for passion fruit while high elevation sites are not traditional. The location effects and variables that differentiated genotypes were determined. Results showed statistically significant differences between locations and importance of physiological parameters related to photosynthesis and water use efficiency. Some landraces exhibited better water status and gas exchange than commercial types. Parameters like maximum photosynthesis, points of light saturation and compensation, darkness respiratory rate, and apparent quantum yield varied between genotype groups. The landraces, commercial types, and genebank entries also differed in content of carotenoids and chlorophylls a and b. Meanwhile, photosynthesis measurements showed that altitudinal difference had an effect on genotype-specific plant growth and adaptation. An important conclusion was that landraces contained the diversity to adapt to the new growing environment at higher altitudes.
Unraveling the Regional Specificities of Malbec Wines from Mendoza, Argentina, and from Northern California
Authors: Fushing Hsieh , Lee Olivia , Heitkamp Constantin , Heymann Hildegarde , Ebeler Susan E. , Boulton Roger B. , Koehl Patrice
Published: May 2019

This study explores the relationships between chemical and sensory characteristics of wines in connection with their regions of production. The objective is to identify whether such characteristics are significant enough to serve as signatures of a terroir for wines, thereby supporting the concept of regionality. We argue that the relationships between characteristics and regions of production for the set of wines under study are rendered complicated by possible non-linear relationships between the characteristics themselves. Consequently, we propose a new approach for performing the analysis of the wine data that relies on these relationships instead of trying to circumvent them. This new approach follows two steps: We first cluster the measurements for each characteristic (chemical, or sensory) independently. We then assign a distance between two features to be the mutual entropy of the clustering results they generate. The set of characteristics is then clustered using this distance measure. The result of this clustering is a set of sub-groups of characteristics, such that two characteristics in the same group carry similar, i.e., synergetic information with respect to the wines under study. Those wines are then analyzed separately on the different sub groups of features. We have used this method to analyze the similarities and differences between Malbec wines from Argentina and California, as well as the similarities and differences between sub-regions of those two main wine producing countries. We report detection of groups of features that characterize the origins of the different wines included in the study. We note stronger evidence of regionality for Argentinian Malbec wines than for Californian wines, at least for the sub regions of production included in this study.
Pivmecillinam for Uncomplicated Lower Urinary Tract Infections Caused by Staphylococcus saprophyticus—Cumulative Observational Data from Four Recent Clinical Studies
Authors: Jansåker Filip , Bollestad Marianne , Vik Ingvild , Lindbæk Morten , Bjerrum Lars , Frimodt-Møller Niels , Knudsen Jenny
Published: May 2019

Objectives: To investigate pivmecillinam´s efficacy in uncomplicated lower urinary tract infection (UTI) caused by Staphylococcus saprophyticus—considered non-susceptible to mecillinam. Methods: Participants with confirmed UTIs caused by S. saprophyticus from four randomized controlled trials, where pivmecillinam was empirically given to females with symptoms of UTIs. The primary outcome was defined as a cumulative clinical effect—symptom resolution during the first eight days of therapy, without a recurrence of UTI symptoms in the long-term follow-up (approximately four weeks). Secondary outcomes included the bacteriological effect—elimination of the causative agent, with or without new uropathogenic bacteria present in the first control urine sample. Significant bacteriuria was defined as ≥103 bacteria/mL. The antibiotic susceptibility testing was done by disc diffusion methodology, according to the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST). Results: Seventy-four females (18–55 years) were empirically treated with pivmecillinam for UTIs caused by S. saphrophyticus (mean age 25 years; standard deviation (SD) 5.8). The cumulative clinical effect was 53/74 (72%), and the bacteriological effect was 51/59 (86%). Conclusion: Pivmecillinam showed a high clinical and bacteriological effect in UTIs caused by S. saprophyticus in these four clinical trials. The characterization of non-susceptibility for mecillinam regarding the treatment of UTIs caused by this common pathogen may need to be revised.
A Pilot Study of the Synergy between Two Antimicrobial Peptides and Two Common Antibiotics
Authors: Kampshoff Franziska , Willcox Mark D. P. , Dutta Debarun
Published: May 2019

Background: Frequent and unrestricted use of antibiotics has been associated with the development of antibiotic resistance by microorganisms. Thus, there is a need to find novel antibacterial agents or a combination of agents as the first line of treatment for various infections. This study aimed to investigate the synergy between antimicrobial peptide (AMP) combinations or between AMP-antibiotics combinations using two common pathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Methods: The AMPs melimine, Mel4 and protamine, and antibiotics cefepime and ciprofloxacin were used in this study. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of each were evaluated against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus strains by a microtiter broth dilution. Based on the MIC of each antimicrobial agent, a checkerboard assay was performed to investigate the synergy between them, which was expressed as the fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC). Results: The combination of melimine and ciprofloxacin showed synergistic activity against antibiotic sensitive or resistant strains of P. aeruginosa and with FIC values ≤0.5. Conclusion: Combinations of AMPs and the fluoroquinolone ciprofloxacin is a promising method for reducing resistance to the fluoroquinolone of P. aeruginosa.
Cell-Type Specific Analysis of Selenium-Related Genes in Brain
Authors: Sasuclark Alexandru R. , Khadka Vedbar S. , Pitts Matthew W.
Published: May 2019

Selenoproteins are a unique class of proteins that play key roles in redox signaling in the brain. This unique organ is comprised of a wide variety of cell types that includes excitatory neurons, inhibitory neurons, astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocytes. Whereas selenoproteins are known to be required for neural development and function, the cell-type specific expression of selenoproteins and selenium-related machinery has yet to be systematically investigated. Due to advances in sequencing technology and investment from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored BRAIN initiative, RNA sequencing (RNAseq) data from thousands of cortical neurons can now be freely accessed and searched using the online RNAseq data navigator at the Allen Brain Atlas. Hence, we utilized this newly developed tool to perform a comprehensive analysis of the cell-type specific expression of selenium-related genes in brain. Select proteins of interest were further verified by means of multi-label immunofluorescent labeling of mouse brain sections. Of potential significance to neural selenium homeostasis, we report co-expression of selenoprotein P (SELENOP) and selenium binding protein 1 (SELENBP1) within astrocytes. These findings raise the intriguing possibility that SELENBP1 may negatively regulate astrocytic SELENOP synthesis and thereby limit downstream Se supply to neurons.
Mitochondria-Targeted Antioxidants as Potential Therapy for the Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Stelmashook Elena V. , Isaev Nickolay K. , Genrikhs Elisaveta E. , Novikova Svetlana V.
Published: May 2019

The aim of this article is to review the publications describing the use of mitochondria-targeted antioxidant therapy after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Recent works demonstrated that mitochondria-targeted antioxidants are very effective in reducing the negative effects associated with the development of secondary damage caused by TBI. Using various animal models of TBI, mitochondria-targeted antioxidants were shown to prevent cardiolipin oxidation in the brain and neuronal death, as well as to markedly reduce behavioral deficits and cortical lesion volume, brain water content, and DNA damage. In the future, not only a more detailed study of the mechanisms of action of various types of such antioxidants needs to be conducted, but also their therapeutic values and toxicological properties are to be determined. Moreover, the optimal therapeutic effect needs to be achieved in the shortest time possible from the onset of damage to the nervous tissue, since secondary brain damage in humans can develop for a long time, days and even months, depending on the severity of the damage.
Numerical Investigations on the Water Entry of Cylindrical Projectiles with Different Initial Conditions
Authors: Gao Jianguo , Chen Zhihua , Wu Wei-Tao , Li Xin
Published: May 2019

In this paper, coupled with Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations and ballistic equations, the numerical simulations of high-speed water entry of projectiles under different conditions have been conducted. The water-gas flow was modeled by the mixture multiphase model. The numerical results indicated that the simulations agree well with analytical solutions by two cavity models, which validates the model applied. Then the effects of variations of project length, entry angle and velocity on the entry process of projectiles were further investigated. The results show that, for small water entry angles, the cavity wall interacts with the projectile, affects the trajectory of the projectile, and even ricochets for projectiles with small length (5D). On the other hand, the projectile vibrates during the whole process of water entry; the vibration amplitude decreases with the increase of projectile length and entry angle; however, it is the contrary for the vibration period. Furthermore, after the initial impact period, the influence of these parameters on the drag coefficient is not obvious.
Biomechanical Evaluation of the Effect of Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Cartilage Regeneration in Knee Joint Osteoarthritis
Authors: Koh Yong-Gon , Lee Jin-Ah , Lee Hwa-Yong , Kim Hyo-Jeong , Kang Kyoung-Tak
Published: May 2019

Numerous clinical studies have reported cell-based treatments for cartilage regeneration in knee joint osteoarthritis using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). However, the post-surgery rehabilitation and weight-bearing times remain unclear. Phenomenological computational models of cartilage regeneration have been only partially successful in predicting experimental results and this may be due to simplistic modeling assumptions and loading conditions of cellular activity. In the present study, we developed a knee joint model of cell and tissue differentiation based on a more mechanistic approach, which was applied to cartilage regeneration in osteoarthritis. First, a phenomenological biphasic poroelastic finite element model was developed and validated according to a previous study. Second, this method was applied to a real knee joint model with a cartilage defect created to simulate the tissue regeneration process. The knee joint model was able to accurately predict several aspects of cartilage regeneration, such as the cell and tissue distributions in the cartilage defect. Additionally, our results indicated that gait cycle loading with flexion was helpful for cartilage regeneration compared to the use of simple weight-bearing loading.
The N-Grams Based Text Similarity Detection Approach Using Self-Organizing Maps and Similarity Measures
Authors: Stefanovič Pavel , Kurasova Olga , Štrimaitis Rokas
Published: May 2019

In the paper the word-level n-grams based approach is proposed to find similarity between texts. The approach is a combination of two separate and independent techniques: self-organizing map (SOM) and text similarity measures. SOM’s uniqueness is that the obtained results of data clustering, as well as dimensionality reduction, are presented in a visual form. The four measures have been evaluated: cosine, dice, extended Jaccard’s, and overlap. First of all, texts have to be converted to numerical expression. For that purpose, the text has been split into the word-level n-grams and after that, the bag of n-grams has been created. The n-grams’ frequencies are calculated and the frequency matrix of dataset is formed. Various filters are used to create a bag of n-grams: stemming algorithms, number and punctuation removers, stop words, etc. All experimental investigation has been made using a corpus of plagiarized short answers dataset.
Effects of Background Sounds on Annoyance Reaction to Foreground Sounds in Psychoacoustic Experiments in the Laboratory: Limits and Consequences
Authors: Taghipour Armin , Pelizzari Eduardo
Published: May 2019

In a variety of applications, e.g., psychoacoustic experiments, virtual sound propagation demonstration, or synthesized noise production, noise samples are played back in laboratories. To simulate realistic scenes or to mask unwanted background sounds, it is sometimes preferable to add background ambient sounds to the noise. However, this can influence noise perception. It should be ensured that either background sounds do not affect, e.g., annoyance from foreground noise or that possible effects can be quantified. Two laboratory experiments are reported, in which effects of mixing background sounds to foreground helicopter samples were investigated. By means of partially balanced incomplete block designs, possible effects of three independent variables, i.e., helicopter’s sound exposure level, background type, and background sound pressure level were tested on the dependent variable annoyance, rated on the ICBEN 11-point numerical scale. The main predictor of annoyance was helicopter’s sound exposure level. Stimuli with eventful background sounds were found to be more annoying than those with less eventful background sounds. Furthermore, background type and level interacted significantly. For the major part of the background sound level range, increasing the background level was associated with increased or decreased annoyance for stimuli with eventful and less eventful background sounds, respectively.
Fault Feature Extraction and Enhancement of Rolling Element Bearings Based on Maximum Correlated Kurtosis Deconvolution and Improved Empirical Wavelet Transform
Authors: Li Zheng , Ming Anbo , Zhang Wei , Liu Tao , Chu Fulei , Li Yin
Published: May 2019

In order to extract and enhance the weak fault feature of rolling element bearings in strong noise conditions, the Empirical Wavelet Transform (EWT) is improved and a novel fault feature extraction and enhancement method is proposed by combining the Maximum Correlated Kurtosis Deconvolution (MCKD) and improved EWT method. At first, the MCKD method is conducted to de-noise the signal by eliminating the non-impact components. Then, the Fourier spectrum is segmented by local maxima or minima in the envelope of the amplitude spectrum with a pre-set threshold based on the noise level. By building up the wavelet filter banks based on the spectrum segmentation result, the signal is adaptively decomposed into several sub-signals. Finally, by choosing the most meaningful sub-signal with the maximum kurtosis, the fault feature can be extracted in the squared envelope spectrum and teager energy operator spectrum of the chosen component. Both simulations and experiments are performed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. It is shown that the spectrum segmentation result of improved EWT is more reasonable than the traditional EWT in strong noise conditions. Furthermore, compared with commonly used methods, such as the Fast Kurtogram (FK) and the Optimal Wavelet Packet Transform (OWPT) method, the proposed method is more effective in the fault feature extraction and enhancement of rolling element bearings.
‘Eye-Like Radiance’: The Depiction of Gemstones in Roman Wall Painting
Authors: Allen Ruth
Published: May 2019

The study of ornament in Greek and Roman art has been the focus of increasing scholarly interest over the last decade, with many publications shedding new light on the dynamics of ornatus in antiquity, and the discourses that shaped and situated it. Through an analysis of the depiction of gemstones in Roman wall painting, this article demonstrates the importance of ornamental details both to the mechanics of two-dimensional representation and to the interpretation of the images they adorned. I argue that by evoking the material qualities and sensual pleasures of real precious stones, painted gems served on the one hand to enhance the illusory reality of wall painting, and on the other to extol the delights of luxury and refinement—that is, of ornamentation itself.
Machine Learning Approach to Classify Rain Type Based on Thies Disdrometers and Cloud Observations
Authors: Ghada Wael , Estrella Nicole , Menzel Annette
Published: May 2019

Rain microstructure parameters assessed by disdrometers are commonly used to classify rain into convective and stratiform. However, different types of disdrometer result in different values for these parameters. This in turn potentially deteriorates the quality of rain type classifications. Thies disdrometer measurements at two sites in Bavaria in southern Germany were combined with cloud observations to construct a set of clear convective and stratiform intervals. This reference dataset was used to study the performance of classification methods from the literature based on the rain microstructure. We also explored the possibility of improving the performance of these methods by tuning the decision boundary. We further identified highly discriminant rain microstructure parameters and used these parameters in five machine-learning classification models. Our results confirm the potential of achieving high classification performance by applying the concepts of machine learning compared to already available methods. Machine-learning classification methods provide a concrete and flexible procedure that is applicable regardless of the geographical location or the device. The suggested procedure for classifying rain types is recommended prior to studying rain microstructure variability or any attempts at improving radar estimations of rain intensity.
The Role of Hepatitis B Core-Related Antigen
Authors: Inoue Takako , Tanaka Yasuhito
Published: May 2019

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) cannot be completely eliminated from infected hepatocytes due to the existence of intrahepatic covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA). Serological biomarkers reflect intrahepatic viral replicative activity as non-invasive alternatives to liver biopsy. Hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg) is a novel biomarker that has an important role in chronic hepatitis B (CHB), because it correlates with serum HBV DNA and intrahepatic cccDNA. In clinical cases with undetectable serum HBV DNA or loss of HBsAg, HBcrAg still can be detected and the decrease in HBcrAg levels is significantly associated with promising outcomes for CHB patients. HBcrAg can predict spontaneous or treatment-induced hepatitis B envelope antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion, persistent responses before and after cessation of nucleos(t)ide analogues, potential HBV reactivation, HBV reinfection after liver transplantation, and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma progression or recurrence. In this review, the clinical applications of HBcrAg in CHB patients based on its virological features are described. Furthermore, new potential therapeutic anti-HBV agents that affect intrahepatic cccDNA are under development, and the monitoring of HBcrAg might be useful to judge therapeutic effects. In conclusion, HBcrAg might be a suitable surrogate marker beyond other HBV markers to predict the disease progression and treatment responses of CHB patients.
An IoT System for Remote Health Monitoring in Elderly Adults through a Wearable Device and Mobile Application
Authors: Durán-Vega Luis A. , Santana-Mancilla Pedro C. , Buenrostro-Mariscal Raymundo , Contreras-Castillo Juan , Anido-Rifón Luis E. , García-Ruiz Miguel A. , Montesinos-López Osval A. , Estrada-González Fermín
Published: May 2019

With the increase in global life expectancy and the advance of technology, the creation of age-friendly environments is a priority in the design of new products for elderly people healthcare. This paper presents a proposal for a real-time health monitoring system of older adults living in geriatric residences. This system was developed to help caregivers to have a better control in monitoring the health of their patients and have closer communication with their patients’ family members. To validate the feasibility and effectiveness of this proposal, a prototype was built, using a biometric bracelet connected to a mobile application, which allows real-time visualization of all the information generated by the sensors (heart rate, body temperature, and blood oxygenation) in the bracelet. Using these data, caregivers can make decisions about the health status of their patients. The evaluation found that the users perceived the system to be easy to learn and use, providing initial evidence that our proposal could improve the quality of the adult’s healthcare.
On the Colonial Past of Anthropology: Teaching Race and Coloniality in the Global South
Authors: dos Santos Soares Maria Andrea
Published: May 2019

This article addresses some of the discussions taking place at the Social Sciences program of the Afro-Brazilian International University for Lusophone Integration (UNILAB), such as the coloniality of knowledge, racial hierarchies, and anthropology’s complicity in colonialism. The article reviews current literature and draws on ethnographic fieldwork for two main purposes: First, to analyze how Afro–Brazilians, and Afro–Brazilian culture have been depicted and used in the process of national formation. Second, to examine the role that social and anthropological analysis played by dismissing “race” and “racism” as a structuring feature of Brazilian society. I propose that the ethics of an anthropological praxis aiming to create the necessary conditions for a different kind of knowledge to emerge, would be critically reflective about its own process of knowledge production, and aware as well, of voices and locations where this knowledge is being produced. The process of decolonization relies on epistemological choices made in the field, at the institutional level within the departments and programs, and in classrooms.
Association between Cross-Cultural Social Adaptation and Overseas Life Satisfaction among Chinese Medical Aid Team Members (CMATMs) in Africa
Authors: Chen Xiaochang , Liu Xiaojun , Yu Wei , Tan Anran , Fu Chang , Mao Zongfu
Published: May 2019

This study evaluated the relationship between cross-cultural social adaptation and overseas life satisfaction among Chinese medical aid team members (CMATMs) in Africa. A revised Chinese version of the Sociocultural Adaptation Scale (CSCAS) was used to measure participants’ cross-cultural social adaptation. The self-designed survey of the CMATMs’ overseas life satisfaction includes the following five aspects: food, housing, transportation, entertainment, and security. Electronic questionnaires were distributed non-randomly. Linear regression models were established to explore the association between cross-cultural social adaptation and all dimensions of overseas life satisfaction. After adjusting all the confounders, compared with moderate adaptation, poor adaptation was negatively correlated with all dimensions of overseas life satisfaction (B for food = −0.71, B for housing = −0.76, B for transportation = −0.70, B for entertainment = −0.53, B for security = −0.81, B for overall satisfaction = −0.71, all p < 0.001), whereas good adaptation was positively associated with all dimensions of overseas life satisfaction (B for food = 1.23, B for housing = 1.00, B for transportation = 0.84, B for entertainment = 0.84, B for security = 0.76, B for overall life satisfaction = 0.94, all p < 0.001). This study shows that a better cross-cultural social adaptation was positively connected to a higher level of overseas life satisfaction in general, and more specifically to higher levels of satisfaction with food, housing, transportation, entertainment, and security. This knowledge can be utilized in promoting cross-cultural social adaptation and overseas life satisfaction among CMATMs in Africa.
Reply to Comment on Di Marco, N., Kaufman, J., Rodda, C.P. Shedding Light on Vitamin D Status and Its Complexities during Pregnancy, Infancy and Childhood: An Australian Perspective. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16 (4), 538, doi:10.3390/ijerph16040538
Authors: Di Marco Nelfio , Kaufman Jonathan , Rodda Christine P.
Published: May 2019

We thank the author(s) for their most informative letter in response to our article [...]
The Role of School-Related Well-Being for Adolescent Subjective Health Complaints
Authors: Vaičiūnas Tomas , Šmigelskas Kastytis
Published: May 2019

Background: This study aimed to explore the prevalence of chronic specific-site and multisite pain in adolescents and to investigate how it can possibly be determined by school-related factors. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014 in Lithuania as a Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) survey. The sample consisted of 5730 school children, aged 11, 13, and 15 years. The analyzed data focused on the school-related context (relations with family, peers, and teachers; school demand, satisfaction, and bullying) of adolescents and subjective health complaints. The relationships between social support and health complaint variables were estimated using multivariate analyses. Results: The most common subjective health complaint among respondents was a headache. Backache, headache, and stomachache were more common among girls than boys. All somatic complaints were expressed more in younger ages. Multisite complaints were more common among girls and were associated with age—older ones reported more complaints. School-related bullying, school demand, satisfaction, and social support were the most relevant and independent factors for multisite somatic complaints among adolescents.
Injury Prevention in Amateur Soccer: A Nation-Wide Study on Implementation and Associations with Injury Incidence
Authors: Gebert Angela , Gerber Markus , Pühse Uwe , Stamm Hanspeter , Lamprecht Markus
Published: May 2019

Prevention programmes can reduce injury risk in amateur soccer. Hence, we examined the implementation of injury prevention in the real-world context of Swiss amateur soccer. In 2004 (n = 1029), 2008 (n = 705) and 2015 (n = 1008), a representative sample of Swiss amateur soccer coaches was interviewed by telephone about the frequency of injuries in their teams, the implementation of preventive measures and the use of injury prevention programmes. In the 2015 survey, 86.1% of amateur coaches stated that injury prevention is important and 85.3% of amateur coaches reported that they would implement some kind of preventive measures. The proportion of teams which performed a prevention programme according to minimal standards remained unchanged between 2008 (21.7%) and 2015 (21.9%), although a second prevention programme was made available in 2011. Only 8.6% of the 30+/40+ league teams, which are composed as a function of age, implemented a programme. Overall, the level of implementation of prevention programmes in this real-world context is still unsatisfactory. Offering an additional programme did not lead to a higher willingness to implement such programmes among the coaches. Concerted efforts are needed to remove barriers that hinder the use of such programmes, particularly among coaches of 30+/40+ league teams.
Molecular Study of Thyroid Cancer in World Trade Center Responders
Authors: van Gerwen Maaike A. G. , Tuminello Stephanie , Riggins Gregory J. , Mendes Thais B. , Donovan Michael , Benn Emma K.T. , Genden Eric , Cerutti Janete M. , Taioli Emanuela
Published: May 2019

Thyroid cancer incidence is higher in World Trade Center (WTC) responders compared with the general population. It is unclear whether this excess in thyroid cancer is associated with WTC-related exposures or if instead there is an over-diagnosis of malignant thyroid cancer among WTC first responders due to enhanced surveillance and physician bias. To maximize diagnostic yield and determine the false positive rate for malignancy, the histological diagnoses of thyroid cancer tumors from WTC responders and age, gender, and histology matched non-WTC thyroid cancer cases were evaluated using biomarkers of malignancy. Using a highly accurate panel of four biomarkers that are able to distinguish benign from malignant thyroid cancer, our results suggest that over-diagnosis by virtue of misdiagnosis of a benign tumor as malignant does not explain the increased incidence of thyroid cancer observed in WTC responders. Therefore, rather than over-diagnosis due to physician bias, the yearly screening visits by the World Trade Center Health Program are identifying true cases of thyroid cancer. Continuing regular screening of this cohort is thus warranted.
Determinants and Differences of Township Hospital Efficiency among Chinese Provinces
Authors: Li Bo , Mohiuddin Muhammad , Liu Qian
Published: May 2019

This study aimed to measure the efficiency and change in efficiency over time of township hospitals among Chinese provinces, to decompose the difference in efficiency between districts, and to study the correlations between the difference in efficiency and its determinants. Based on Chinese provincial panel data, the empirical analysis was established using data envelopment analysis (DEA), Malmquist index, Theil index decomposition method and Grey correlation analysis method. First, it was found that the township hospitals in most provinces were operating in an inefficient state, and the township hospitals in most provinces achieved gains in efficiency. Second, from 2003 to 2016 the shrinkage of the difference in provincial efficiency of township hospitals progressed slowly. Intra-regional difference is the main cause of the overall provincial efficiency difference of Chinese township hospitals, while inter-regional difference is the minor cause of the overall difference. Third, the correlation between the difference of overall provincial efficiency and the difference of economic development level is the highest among all the correlations, while other determinants rank second to seventh place in their degree of correlation with respect to the overall difference in provincial efficiency. Furthermore, the correlations between the intra-regional difference of provincial efficiency of Chinese township hospitals and its determinants vary tremendously across regions. Based on our findings, we can conclude, first, that efforts should be made to improve the overall provincial difference in efficiency of Chinese township hospitals, and enhance the utilization level of input resources, and to reduce resource waste. Second, in order to shrink the overall provincial efficiency of Chinese township hospitals, the most important measure that should be taken is to improve the economic development level in relatively backward provinces in order to lay a solid economic foundation for the improvement of efficiency and shrink the differences in efficiency between provinces. Third, more attention should be paid to the shrinkage of intra-regional efficiency differences in Chinese township hospitals, while the narrowing of inter-regional efficiency difference should not be ignored. For each region, it is necessary to recognize the difference in the relative importance of determinants, and to make development strategies according to local conditions so as to make full use of local characteristics and advantages.
Kinetic Evaluation of Dye Decolorization by Fenton Processes in the Presence of 3-Hydroxyanthranilic Acid
Authors: Sidney Santana Cássia , Nicodemos Ramos Márcio Daniel , Vieira Velloso Camila Cristina , Aguiar André
Published: May 2019

The fungal metabolite 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (3-HAA) was used as a redox mediator with the aim of increasing dye degradation by Fenton oxidative processes (Fe2+/H2O2, Fe3+/H2O2). Its Fe3+-reducing activity can enhance the generation of reactive oxygen species as HO● radicals. Initially, the influence of 3-HAA on decolorization kinetics of five dyes (methylene blue, chromotrope 2R, methyl orange, phenol red, and safranin T) was investigated using decolorization data from a previous work conducted by the present research group. Fe3+-containing reaction data were well fitted with first-order and mainly second-order kinetic models, whereas the BMG (Behnajady, Modirshahla and Ghanbary) model obtained optimal fit to Fe2+. Improvements in kinetic parameters (i.e., apparent rate constants and maximum oxidation capacity) were observed with the addition of 3-HAA. In another set of experiments, a decrease in apparent activation energy was observed due to introducing 3-HAA into reactions containing either Fe2+ or Fe3+ in order to decolorize phenol red at different temperatures. This indicates that the redox mediator decreases the energy barrier so as to allow reactions to occur. Thus, based on recent experiments and the reaction kinetics models evaluated herein, pro-oxidant properties have been observed for 3-HAA in Fenton processes.
Association between Statin Use and Sepsis Risk in Patients with Dementia: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Yeh Liang-Tsai , Tang Chuan-Yi , Yang Shun-Fa , Yeh Han-Wei , Yeh Ying-Tung , Wang Yu-Hsun , Chou Ming-Chih , Yeh Chao-Bin , Chan Chi-Ho
Published: May 2019

This study investigated the association of statin use with sepsis risk in patients with dementia. This retrospective cohort study was conducted in Taiwan by using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database. We identified and enrolled 308 patients with newly diagnosed dementia who used statin after dementia diagnosis. These patients were individually propensity score matched (1:1) according to age, sex, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, renal disease, liver disease, asthma, malignancy, parkinsonism, and dementia drugs used (donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine, and memantine) with 251 controls (statin non-users). A Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the adjusted hazard ratio for sepsis in statin users and non-users. After adjustment for other confounding factors, the incidence of sepsis in statin users was 1.42-fold higher than that in non-users (95% confidence interval = 0.81–2.5). In conclusion, our analysis showed no positive association of sepsis with statin use in patients with dementia.
Constructing Geographic Dictionary from Streaming Geotagged Tweets
Authors: Lim Jeongwoo , Nitta Naoko , Nakamura Kazuaki , Babaguchi Noboru
Published: May 2019

Geographic information, such as place names with their latitude and longitude (lat/long), is useful to understand what belongs where. Traditionally, Gazetteers, which are constructed manually by experts, are used as dictionaries containing such geographic information. Recently, since people often post about their current experiences in a short text format to microblogs, their geotagged (tagged with lat/long information) posts are aggregated to automatically construct geographic dictionaries containing more diverse types of information, such as local products and events. Generally, the geotagged posts are collected within a certain time interval. Then, the spatial locality of every word used in the collected geotagged posts is examined to obtain the local words, representing places, events, etc., which are observed at specific locations by the users. However, focusing on a specific time interval limits the diversity and accuracy of the extracted local words. Further, bot accounts in microblogs can largely affect the spatial locality of the words used in their posts. In order to handle such problems, we propose an online method for continuously update the geographic dictionary by adaptively determining suitable time intervals for examining the spatial locality of each word. The proposed method further filters out the geotagged posts from bot accounts based on the content similarity among their posts to improve the quality of extracted local words. The constructed geographic dictionary is compared with different geographic dictionaries constructed by experts, crowdsourcing, and automatically by focusing on a specific time interval to evaluate its quality.
Disordered Expression of shaggy, the Drosophila Gene Encoding a Serine-Threonine Protein Kinase GSK3, Affects the Lifespan in a Transcript-, Stage-, and Tissue-Specific Manner
Authors: Trostnikov Mikhail V. , Roshina Natalia V. , Boldyrev Stepan V. , Veselkina Ekaterina R. , Zhuikov Andrey A. , Krementsova Anna V. , Pasyukova Elena G.
Published: May 2019

GSK3 (glycogen synthase kinase 3) is a conserved protein kinase governing numerous regulatory pathways. In Drosophila melanogaster, GSK3 is encoded by shaggy (sgg), which forms 17 annotated transcripts corresponding to 10 protein isoforms. Our goal was to demonstrate how differential sgg transcription affects lifespan, which GSK3 isoforms are important for the nervous system, and which changes in the nervous system accompany accelerated aging. Overexpression of three sgg transcripts affected the lifespan in a stage- and tissue-specific way: sgg-RA and sgg-RO affected the lifespan only when overexpressed in muscles and in embryos, respectively; the essential sgg-RB transcript affected lifespan when overexpressed in all tissues tested. In the nervous system, only sgg-RB overexpression affected lifespan, causing accelerated aging in a neuron-specific way, with the strongest effects in dopaminergic neurons and the weakest effects in GABAergic neurons. Pan-neuronal sgg-RB overexpression violated the properties of the nervous system, including the integrity of neuron bodies; the number, distribution, and structure of mitochondria; cytoskeletal characteristics; and synaptic activity. Such changes observed in young individuals indicated premature aging of their nervous system, which paralleled a decline in survival. Our findings demonstrated the key role of GSK3 in ensuring the link between the pathology of neurons and lifespan.
Targeted Therapy Against the Cell of Origin in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Goldie Stephen J. , Chincarini Ginevra , Darido Charbel
Published: May 2019

Squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), including cutaneous SCCs, are by far the most frequent cancers in humans, accounting for 80% of all newly diagnosed malignancies worldwide. The old dogma that SCC develops exclusively from stem cells (SC) has now changed to include progenitors, transit-amplifying and differentiated short-lived cells. Accumulation of specific oncogenic mutations is required to induce SCC from each cell population. Whilst as fewer as one genetic hit is sufficient to induce SCC from a SC, multiple events are additionally required in more differentiated cells. Interestingly, the level of differentiation correlates with the number of transforming events required to induce a stem-like phenotype, a long-lived potential and a tumourigenic capacity in a progenitor, a transient amplifying or even in a terminally differentiated cell. Furthermore, it is well described that SCCs originating from different cells of origin differ not only in their squamous differentiation status but also in their malignant characteristics. This review summarises recent findings in cutaneous SCC and highlights transforming oncogenic events in specific cell populations. It underlines oncogenes that are restricted either to stem or differentiated cells, which could provide therapeutic target selectivity against heterogeneous SCC. This strategy may be applicable to SCC from different body locations, such as head and neck SCCs, which are currently still associated with poor survival outcomes.