bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of dry needling of active trigger points in the scalene muscles in individuals with mechanical neck pain: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Arias-Buría José L , Monroy-Acevedo Álvaro , Fernández-de-las-Peñas César , Gallego-Sendarrubias Gracia M , Ortega-Santiago Ricardo , Plaza-Manzano Gustavo
Published: March 2020

Objective:

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of dry needling (DN) versus pressure release over scalene muscle trigger points (TrPs) on pain, related disability, and inspiratory vital capacity in individuals with neck pain.

Methods:

In this randomized, single-blind trial, 30 patients with mechanical neck pain and active TrPs in the scalene musculature were randomly allocated to trigger point dry needling (TrP-DN; n = 15) or pressure release (n = 15) groups. The DN group received a single session of DN of active TrPs in the anterior scalene muscles, and the pressure release group received a single session of TrP pressure release over the same muscle lasting 30 s. The primary outcome was pain intensity as assessed by a numerical pain rate scale (NPRS, 0–10). Secondary outcomes included disability (neck disability index, NDI) and inspiratory vital capacity. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and 1 day (immediately post), 1 week, and 1 month after the treatment session. Data were expressed as mean score difference (Δ) and standardized mean difference (SMD).

Results:

Patients receiving DN exhibited a greater decrease in pain intensity than those receiving TrP pressure release at 1 month (Δ 1.2 (95% CI–1.8, –0.6), p = 0.01), but not immediately (1 day) or 1 week after. Patients in the DN group exhibited a greater increase in inspiratory vital capacity at all follow-up time points (Δ 281 mm (95% CI 130, 432) immediately after, Δ 358 mm (95% CI 227, 489) 1 week after, and Δ 310 mm (95% CI 180, 440) 1 month after treatment) than those in the pressure release group (p = 0.006). Between-group effect sizes were large at all follow-up time points (1.1 > SMD > 1.3) in favor of DN.

Conclusion:

This trial suggests that a single session of DN over active TrPs in the scalene muscles could be effective at reducing pain and increasing inspiratory vital capacity in individuals with mechanical neck pain. Future studies are needed to further confirm these results.
Intra-urban connectedness, policy mobilities and creative city-making: national conservatism vs. urban (neo)liberalism
Authors: Borén Thomas , Grzyś Patrycja , Young Craig
Published: March 2020

This article aims to advance the literature on policy mobility by decentring the primacy of mobility itself and focusing on understanding what cities do in order to ‘arrive at’ localized versions of urban policy in relation to globally circulating ideas around creativity. The paper explores the performance of a particular local ‘creative economy’ in terms of institutional and strategic adjustments, key drivers and individuals and events, and the role of long-term local, national and international influences on ‘creative cityness’. It does this through an analysis of cultural and creativity policy and local stakeholders in the cultural policy scene in Gdańsk, Poland, focusing on the local performative aspects of mobile policies and arguing the need to understand the formation of a ‘common local project’ as a form of intra-urban connectedness alongside inter-urban connectedness. The paper extends the range of contexts in which the ‘creative city’ has been analysed to include post-socialist, post-European Union accession Central and Eastern Europe, thus making an original contribution by studying these issues in the context of the complex multi-scalar relations between the city, national government and the supranational European Union and the ideological conflict between national authoritarian neoliberalism and urban and supranational scale (neo-)liberalism.
Do Stringent Bankruptcy Laws Always Deter Entrepreneurial Activities? A Study of Cultural Influences
Authors: Damaraju Naga Lakshmi , Barney Jay B. , Dess Gregory G.
Published: March 2020

Stringent bankruptcy laws are generally understood to increase the costs of failure and thus not conducive for entrepreneurship. In this paper, theory is developed and tested exploring the moderating influences of the dimensions of culture—individualism—collectivism, masculinity–femininity, uncertainty avoidance, and power distance. Results of this study, from conditional fixed effects Poisson regressions, support that stringent bankruptcy laws are positively associated with the levels of entrepreneurial activity in certain cultural contexts.
Stability of extemporaneously compounded temozolomide 10 mg/mL suspensions in Oral Mix SF® in glass and plastic bottles and plastic syringes
Authors: Lingertat-Walsh Karen , Weilnau JoEllen , Cober M Petrea , Ostrenga Andrew , Poon Betsy , Sales Pacita , Law Shirley , Dupuis L Lee , Walker Scott E
Published: March 2020

Background

Temozolomide oral suspension is not commercially available.

Objective

To evaluate the stability of three temozolomide 10 mg/mL suspensions prepared in Oral Mix SF® in three container types stored at 4°C and 23°C.

Methods

Using commercial capsules, three separate batches of three different temozolomide 10 mg/mL formulations (Oral Mix SF® with PK-30; PK-30 and citric acid; and neither PK-30 nor citric acid) were made and stored in three container types (amber glass bottles, amber polyethylene terephthalate bottles, and polypropylene oral syringes). The aliquots in each container type were stored protected from light, half at 25°C and half at 4°C. On study days 0, 5, 8, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, and 56, physical properties of samples from each container type at each temperature were assessed, and the temozolomide concentration was determined using a stability-indicating method. The beyond-use-date (time to achieve 90% of initial concentration calculated using the lower limit of the 95% confidence interval of the observed degradation rate) was calculated.

Results

Samples stored at 25°C turned from white to orange within seven days. Temozolomide crystals were observed in all samples. Concentration changes due to study day and temperature (p < 0.001) were observed but not due to container (p = 0.991) or formulation (p = 0.987). The beyond-use-date of all formulations in all container types was 56 days at 4°C and 6 days at 23°C.

Conclusions

We recommend that these temozolomide 10 mg/mL formulations be stored at 4°C and be assigned a beyond-use-date of 30 days.
Cytotoxicity Assessment of Gallium- and Indium-Based Nanoparticles Toward Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells Using an Impedance-Based Real-Time Cell Analyzer
Authors: Nguyen Chi H. , Zeng Chao , Boitano Scott , Field Jim A. , Sierra-Alvarez Reyes
Published: March 2020

The semiconductor manufacturing sector plans to introduce III/V film structures (eg, gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium arsenide (InAs) onto silicon wafers due to their high electron mobility and low power consumption. Aqueous solutions generated during chemical and mechanical planarization of silicon wafers can contain a mixture of metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) and soluble indium, gallium, and arsenic. In this work, the cytotoxicity induced by Ga- and In-based NPs (GaAs, InAs, Ga2O3, In2O3) and soluble III-V salts on human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE14o-) was evaluated using a cell impedance real-time cell analysis (RTCA) system. The RTCA system provided inhibition data at different concentrations for multiple time points, for example, GaAs (25 mg/L) caused 60% inhibition after 8 hours of exposure and 100% growth inhibition after 24 hours. Direct testing of As(III) and As(V) demonstrated significant cytotoxicity with 50% growth inhibition concentrations after 16-hour exposure (IC50) of 2.4 and 4.5 mg/L, respectively. Cell signaling with rapid rise and decrease in signal was unique to arsenic cytotoxicity, a precursor of strong cytotoxicity over the longer term. In contrast with arsenic, soluble gallium(III) and indium(III) were less toxic. Whereas the oxide NPs caused low cytotoxicity, the arsenide compounds were highly inhibitory (IC50 of GaAs and InAs = 6.2 and 68 mg/L, respectively). Dissolution experiments over 7 days revealed that arsenic was fully leached from GaAs NPs, whereas only 10% of the arsenic was leached out of InAs NPs. These results indicate that the cytotoxicity of GaAs and InAs NPs is largely due to the dissolution of toxic arsenic species.
The role of working memory in blocked and interleaved grammar practice: Proceduralization of L2 syntax
Authors: Suzuki Yuichi , Yokosawa Satoko , Aline David
Published: March 2020

Prior research showed that interleaved practice (studying multiple skills at once) is more effective than blocked practice (studying only one skill at a time). This study aims to replicate the benefits of interleaved practice on the proceduralization of second language (L2) syntax and further examines the role of working memory (WM) in different practice schedules. Sixty English learners studied five types of relative-clause constructions under either blocked- or interleaved-practice conditions. The blocked-practice group engaged in systematic form-focused speaking practice with exemplars blocked by syntactic category, while the interleaved-practice group received mixed exemplars from the different categories. The proceduralization of grammatical knowledge was measured by analysing the accuracy and speed indices from a picture description test, which was administered immediately and one week after the training session. Learners’ WM capacity was measured using a listening-span task. Results showed that interleaved practice led to more accurate performance on both immediate and delayed posttests than blocked practice. The advantage of interleaved practice was less pronounced for the speed dimension of performance. Furthermore, interleaved practice facilitated skill development regardless of learners’ WM capacity, whereas in the blocked-practice condition, learners with higher WM capacity benefited more than those with lower WM capacity in speeding up of relative clause use, which presumably reflects the proceduralization–automatization stage.
Factors associated with the sleep of carers: A survey of New Zealanders supporting a family member with cognitive impairment or dementia
Authors: Gibson Rosemary , Gander Philippa
Published: March 2020

Sleep is important for healthy ageing. Data are limited concerning the sleep and health of New Zealand families affected by cognitive impairment or dementia. This postal survey asked about the sleep of 526 family carers and explored predictors of, and outcomes associated with poorer sleep. Linear and binominal logistic regression were used to identify independent predictors and outcomes of carers’ sleep status. Using the Insomnia Severity Index, 23.5% of carers scored in the moderate–severe range and 43.0% in the mild range for sleep disturbance. More than a quarter indicated that their family member had difficulties falling asleep, getting up during the night, or waking too early. Over half of care recipients were considered to sleep too much during the day. Independent predictors for carers’ reporting greater sleep disturbance included being female, caregiving at night, poorer self-rated health, and the care recipient having more disturbed sleep. Moderate–severe sleep disturbance was independently associated with poorer self-rated health and living standards, use of sleeping medications, as well as considering transitioning their family member into formal care within the year. These findings have implications for the wellbeing and trajectory of family carers as well as for health and aged care services.
‘This man is my property’: Slavery and political absolutism in Locke and the classical social contract tradition
Authors: Olsthoorn Johan , van Apeldoorn Laurens
Published: March 2020

It is morally impossible, Locke argued, for individuals to consensually establish absolute rule over themselves. That would be to transfer to rulers a power that is not ours, but God’s alone: ownership of our lives. This article analyses the conceptual presuppositions of Locke’s argument for the moral impossibility of self-enslavement through a comparison with other classical social contract theorists, including Grotius, Hobbes and Pufendorf. Despite notoriously defending the permissibility of voluntary enslavement of individuals and even entire peoples, Grotius similarly endorsed divine ownership of human life. He could do so coherently, we show, because he denied that despotic power gives rulers rights in the lives of their subjects. Masters do not own slaves in the way we own material things (which we may destroy at will). Reworking received Roman law categories, Grotius maintained that ‘perfect slavery’ consists in masters having a personal right to the slave’s perpetual service; a condition equivalent to what Locke called ‘drudgery’ and deemed permissible. Our analysis of this unpalatable set of ideas reveals that Locke’s argument is premised upon idiosyncratic conceptions of slavery and absolutism, disavowed by prominent defenders of absolutism in the classical social contract tradition. It is hence less powerful than commonly believed.
When to Walk Away and When to Risk It All
Authors: DeAngelis Scott , Viscusi W. Kip
Published: March 2020

While one might expect athletes to be strongly averse to extending their career too long when there is a chance of losing everything due to a concussion or a catastrophic injury, experimental subjects consistently played longer than the optimal amount for risk-neutral decisions. A commitment to the length of play in advance, as in the case of long-term contracts, led to a greater chance of staying beyond the expected payoff-maximizing point. If the decision frame is altered so that decisions are made in each period rather than through an upfront commitment, the magnitude of potential losses is more evident.
Evaluation of the ‘ring sign’ and the ‘core sign’ as a magnetic resonance imaging marker of disease activity and progression in clinically isolated syndrome and early multiple sclerosis
Authors: Blindenbacher Nelly , Brunner Eveline , Asseyer Susanna , Scheel Michael , Siebert Nadja , Rasche Ludwig , Bellmann-Strobl Judith , Brandt Alexander , Ruprecht Klemens , Meier Dominik , Wuerfel Jens , Paul Friedemann , Sinnecker Tim
Published: March 2020

Background

Brain lesions with a hypointense ring or core were described in multiple sclerosis on susceptibility weighted imaging.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to study the evolution and prognostic relevance of susceptibility weighted imaging hypointense lesions in clinically isolated syndrome and early multiple sclerosis.

Methods

Sixty-six early multiple sclerosis and clinically isolated syndrome patients were followed over a median period of 2.9 years (range 1.6–4.6 years) and underwent 3T magnetic resonance imaging including 3D susceptibility weighted imaging and T2-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery. We assessed the presence of susceptibility weighted imaging hypointense core or ring lesions, and Expanded Disability Status Scale at baseline and follow-up.

Results

Of 611 lesions at baseline, 64 (10.5%) had a susceptibility weighted imaging hypointense core, and 28 (4.6%) had a susceptibility weighted imaging hypointense ring. Hypointense ring lesions were larger ( p < 0.001) and more T1w hypointense ( p = 0.002) than others. During follow-up, hypointense core lesions became susceptibility weighted imaging isointense (52 lesions, 81%); few developed into hypointense ring lesions (two lesions, 3%). Hypointense ring lesions did not shrink on T2-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images ( p = 0.077, trend towards more enlargement compared to others), while hypointense core lesions more often shrunk in comparison to lesions without a hypointense core ( p = 0.002). The number of susceptibility weighted imaging hypointense ring lesions at baseline correlated with Expanded Disability Status Scale progression at follow-up ( p = 0.021, R = 0.289).

Conclusion

In our cohort of patients with clinically isolated syndrome or early multiple sclerosis, susceptibility weighted imaging hypointense ring lesions were only rarely detectable, but did not shrink and were associated with future disability progression.
How Dementia Caregivers Make Health Service Decisions: A Scoping Review and Implications for Grounded Theory Studies
Authors: Kokorelias Kristina M. , Ashcroft Rachelle
Published: March 2020

The purpose of this study is to explore the grounded theory literature surrounding the health care decisions of dementia caregivers and to evaluate the rigor of these studies according to methodological guidelines. This scoping review was guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s scoping review framework. Articles were then evaluated against key principals of grounded theory. Results from five included articles show that while researchers label their study as grounded theory, some aspects of the methodological principles do not get adhered to. We draw lessons from these shortcomings to make recommendations for future research. Exploration of the shortcomings of grounded theory research could offer suggestions for improving the overall methodological rigor in dementia caregiving research, which may enhance the credibility of the findings. Grounded theory methodologies in dementia caregiving research could move findings from qualitative descriptions to explanations of processes, such as substitute decision-making for dementia caregivers.
Electronic Peer Feedback, EFL Academic Writing and Reflective Thinking: Evidence From a Confucian Context
Authors: Pham Thinh Ngoc , Lin Mei , Trinh Vu Quang , Bui Lien Thi Phuong
Published: March 2020

Electronic peer feedback (e-PF) has offered a number of benefits to English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ academic writing competence and reflective thinking. However, little research has been conducted to examine whether e-PF can be incorporated in Confucian heritage culture (CHC) contexts. With a sample of 40 Vietnamese university students, the purpose of this study was threefold: (a) to explore whether e-PF improved students’ global and local features of EFL academic writing; (b) to investigate whether e-PF provoked students’ reflective thinking; and (c) to determine whether the two core principles of Confucian values, namely, the concept of face and power distance influenced the implementation of e-PF. Data were collected through pre- and post-questionnaires, e-PF content, and reflective logs. The qualitative and quantitative results showed that e-PF improved the quality of global and local writing aspects. Using e-PF also espoused both e-PF providers and receivers to develop reflective thinking by heightening their cognitive processes. Students were found to overcome the Confucian cultural barriers to get engaged in giving and receiving critique from their peers. The study, therefore, adds to the existing knowledge about the significance of e-PF in improving students’ writing skills and nurturing reflective thinking in CHC cultures.
The Impact of Managerial Support on the Association Between Pay Satisfaction, Continuance and Affective Commitment, and Employee Task Performance
Authors: Khalid Komal
Published: March 2020

This research study explores the moderating effect of managerial support and mediating effect of continuance and affective commitment on the association of employees’ pay satisfaction and their task performance. Data were collected from the university’s faculty members of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ( N = 610) at two phases in time through random sampling technique. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and Preacher and Hayes’s PROCESS macro were utilized. The result showed that commitment positively mediates the relationship between pay satisfaction and manager-rated task performance, whereas pay satisfaction has an indirect positive relationship with task performance through continuance and affective commitment and was stronger in faculty having high managerial support. The continuance commitment mediation for the relationship of pay satisfaction and task performance is stronger compared with the mediation of affective commitment for the same relationship. This study provides a significant contribution to the literature of pay satisfaction by proposing and analyzing the associations between pay satisfaction and task performance as mediated by forms of organizational commitment and first- and second-order moderation of managerial support. The current study adds to the limited research on the effect of managerial support and commitment on the association of pay satisfaction and their task performance in higher education sector of Saudi Arabia.
Politics of smell: Constructing animal waste governmentality and good farming subjectivities in colonial Hong Kong
Authors: Chan Kin Wing (Ray)
Published: March 2020

This paper examines the governmentality of colonial Hong Kong throughout the 1980s and 1990s, focusing on the implementation of the Livestock Waste Control Scheme (1987–1997), the production of normative waste treatment knowledge, the spatial control of farming practices and the resulting subjectivity in the construction of the ‘environmentally friendly farmer’ identity. These themes are examined by analysing archival materials and conducting in-depth interviews with two Pig Farmers Association representatives and 19 pig farmers. This paper argues that the colonial government of Hong Kong relied on environmental ordinances and zoning regulations, livestock waste demonstration projects and socially constructed perceptions of olfactory acceptability as major technologies of governance in the creation of ‘environmentally friendly’ pig farmers. Through being exposed to these technologies, pig farmers learned and internalised a particular concept of what constitutes appropriate animal waste management and treatment. This paper shows how the concept of being ‘environmentally friendly’ contributes to the creation and use of ‘good farming’ subjectivities when modernising pig farmers’ waste management practices.
Regulatory Rollback and White-Collar Crime in the Era of Trump: The Challenges of Perspective
Authors: Friedrichs David O. , Rothe Dawn L.
Published: March 2020

Our objective is to provide a conceptual and comparative framework for criminological engagement with the issues raised by the regulatory rollback scheme promoted by the Trump administration. We begin with invoking the notion of an “imaginary social order,” followed with identifying some core rationales for regulation, the complexities and contradictions, and the areas where the Trump administration favors more, not less regulation. The purpose and actual history of regulation in the United States is addressed as current regulatory rollback initiatives should be analyzed in relation to this history. In addition, regulatory issues ought to be understood in terms of their role in an increasingly complex and constantly evolving capitalist economy.
A pragmatic randomised controlled trial of SAFMEDS to produce fluency in interpretation of electrocardiograms
Authors: Rabbitt Louise , Byrne Dara , O’Connor Paul , Gorecka Miroslawa , Jacobsen Alan , Lydon Sinéad
Published: March 2020

Background

SAFMEDS (Say-All-Fast-Minute-Every-Day-Shuffled) is a flashcard-type behavioural instructional methodology, involving one-minute learning trials that function both as practice and assessment, used to facilitate the development of fluency in a behaviour.

The primary research question was whether SAFMEDS engenders improvement in performance beyond that conferred by usual teaching. A secondary research question was whether SAFMEDS is an effective method of producing fluency in Electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation.

Methods

A pilot study was conducted to determine sample size required to power the pragmatic randomised controlled trial (RCT). For the subsequent RCT, participants were randomly assigned to a “usual teaching” control group (n = 14) or the SAFMEDS intervention group (n = 13), with the recognition of 15 cardiac conditions on ECGs (e.g., atrial fibrillation, complete heart block) targeted. Intervention group participants’ performance was tracked over eight weeks as they worked towards achieving the fluency criterion. Percentage accuracy in ECG interpretation was assessed at baseline and post-test for both groups. An ANCOVA was conducted to assess for differences in the performance of the intervention and control group at post-test while controlling for the baseline performance of participants. At post-test, the numbers of participants achieving fluency within the intervention group was examined.

Results

A large effect size of SAFMEDS (partial η2 = .67) was identified when controlling for the effects of baseline performance. At post-test, the intervention group significantly outperformed (M = 61.5%; SD = 12.1%) the control group (M = 31.6%; SD = 12.5%, p < .001). In total, 7 of 13 intervention group participants achieved fluency. Participants required an average of 51.9 one-minute trials (SD = 18.8) to achieve fluency.

Conclusions

SAFMEDS offers a useful adjunct to usual teaching within medical education. Further research could assess whether learning retains, is stable, and transfers to clinical practice.
Factors associated with institutional delivery in Ethiopia: a cross sectional study
Authors: Ketemaw Asmamaw , Tareke Minale , Dellie Endalkachew , Sitotaw Getachew , Deressa Yonas , Tadesse Getasew , Debalkie Desta , Ewunetu Mesafinet , Alemu Yibeltal , Debebe Daniel
Published: March 2020

Background

In spite of the promotion of institutional delivery in Ethiopia, home delivery is still common primarily in hard-to-reach areas. Institutional delivery supported to achieve the goal of reducing maternal and neonatal mortality in Ethiopia. The objective of this study is to assess the determinants of institutional delivery in Ethiopia.

Methods

Cross sectional survey was conducted in 11 administrative regions of Ethiopia. The Ethiopian demographic and health survey data collection took place from January 18, 2016, to June 27, 2016. The study subjects were 11,023 women (15–49 years old) who gave birth in the preceding 5 years before 2016 Ethiopian demographic health survey. This representative data was downloaded from Demographic Health Survey after getting permission. The Primary outcome variable was institutional delivery. The data was transferred and analyzed with SPSS Version 20 statistical software package.

Results

Of 11,023 mothers, 2892 (26.2%) delivered at a health facility and 8131 (73.8%) at home. Women with secondary education were 4.36 times more likely to have an institutional delivery (OR: 4.36; 95% CI: 3.12–6.09). Institutional delivery was higher among women who were resided in urban areas by three fold (OR: 3.26; 95% CI: 2.19–4.35). Women who visited ANC (Antenatal care) were about two times more likely to choose institutional delivery (OR: 1.81; 95% CI: 1.58–2.07). Respondents who watch television at least once a week was two times more likely to experience institutional delivery than those who did not watch at all (0R: 1.90; 95% CI: 1.35–2.66). The wealthiest women were 2.61 times more likely to deliver in an institution compared with the women in the poorest category (OR: 2.61; 95% CI: 1.95–3.50).

Conclusion

Women having higher educational level, being richest, residing in urban area, visiting antenatal care at least once, and frequent exposure to mass media were factors associated with institutional delivery. Improving access to education and health promotion about obstetrics and delivery through mass media will increase the uptake of institutional delivery.
The emergence of the hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) strains among circulating clonal complex 147 (CC147) harbouring blaNDM/OXA-48 carbapenemases in a tertiary care center of Iran
Authors: Pajand Omid , Darabi Narges , Arab Maedeh , Ghorbani Raheb , Bameri Zakaria , Ebrahimi Ali , Hojabri Zoya
Published: March 2020

Background

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a public health concern because of its ability to develop multidrug resistance and hypervirulent genotypes, of those capsular types K1 and K2 cause community and nosocomial life-threatening infections. This study aimed to determine the antibiotic susceptibility patterns and genotypic traits of a collection of Klebsiella spp. isolates. Furthermore, the clonal relatedness of blaNDM producing strains was investigated.

Methods

During a 19-months  surveillance study, 122 Klebsiella spp. isolates were cultured from extraintestinal specimens of patients admitted to the tertiary referral hospital in Semnan, Iran. Isolates were identified using biochemical tests and subjected to determination of phylogroups, capsular types and virulence/resistance genes content. Hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (hvKp) strains were detected genotypically, and Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus (ERIC)-PCR fingerprinting was used to determine the clonality of blaNDM producing strains.

Results

Multidrug resistant phenotype was detected in 75 (61.5%) isolates and amikacin was found as the most potent antibiotic with the susceptibility rate of 85.2%. The carbapenemase genes were detected in 45 (36.8%) strains, including 21 (17.2%) blaOXA-48, 7 (5.6%) blaNDM-1, 14 (11.4%) blaNDM-1/OXA-48 and 3 (2.4%) blaIMP- carrying strains, while 55 (45.08%) isolates showed carbapenem resistant phenotype. The first blaNDM-1 carrying strain was cultured from a sputum specimen on March 2015, while the last positive one was recovered from blood culture on September 2016. Most of the isolates (80.3%) belonged to phylogroup I, and blaNDM-1 was identified among all three phylogroups. The ERIC-PCR clustered the 101 blaNDM negative and 21 blaNDM-1 positive isolates into 25 and five clusters, respectively, and the latter group belonged to clonal complex 147 (CC147). One K1 and 15 K2 blaNDM-1 negative isolates were detected, of those three strains were identified as hvKp. Five K2 positive strains, including four blaOXA-48 producer and one hvKp sequence type 86 (ST86) were carbapenem resistant. Among carbapenem resistant isolates, CC147 strains harboured higher rates of siderophores iutA and ybtS.

Conclusion

The present findings showed a hospital circulation of CC147 blaNDM-1 or blaNDM-1/OXA-48 producing strains, disseminated in different wards. The hvKp/ST86 strain expressing K2 capsular type and carbapenem resistant phenotype wasn’t reported from Iran so far. So, it seems that we must be aware of the emergence and spread of new K. pneumoniae clones associated with resistant and hypermucoviscous phenotypes.
Electro-clinical and neurodevelopmental outcome in six children with early diagnosis of tuberous sclerosis complex and role of the genetic background
Authors: Savini M. N. , Mingarelli A. , Peron A. , La Briola F. , Cervi F. , Alfano R. M. , Canevini M. P. , Vignoli A.
Published: March 2020

Background

Seizures in individuals affected by tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) commonly develop in the first year of life, are often preceded by a progressive deterioration of the electroencephalogram (EEG), and likely influence developmental outcome. Although early diagnosis of TSC has offered a tremendous opportunity to monitor affected patients before seizure onset, reports of the neurological manifestations of TSC in infants before seizure onset are still scarce. Here we describe early EEG activity, clinical and genetic data and developmental assessment in a group of TSC infants, with the aim of identifying possible prognostic factors for neurodevelopmental outcome.

Methods

We report on six infants diagnosed with TSC pre- or perinatally, who underwent serial Video-EEG recordings during the first two years of life. EEGs were classified based on distribution and intensity of interictal epileptiform discharges, and Vigabatrin was introduced in case of ictal discharges. Psychomotor development, cognitive functioning and behavioral problems were assessed through standardized scales. Molecular testing included analysis for point mutations and deletions/duplications in TSC1 and TSC2.

Results

EEG abnormalities appeared at a mean age of 4 months. Four of the six patients developed seizures. EEG abnormalities preceded the onset of clinical seizures in all of them. The two individuals with good seizure control showed normal development, while the other two exhibited psychomotor delays. The patients who did not develop seizures had normal development. A pathogenic variant in the TSC2 gene was detected in all patients but one. The one without a mutation identified did not develop seizures and showed normal neurodevelopment. Of note, the two patients presenting with the worst outcome (that is, poor seizure control and intellectual/behavioral disability) both carried pathogenic variants in the GAP domain of TSC2.

Conclusion

Our report supports the importance of EEG monitoring before seizure onset in patients with TSC, and the correlation between prompt seizure control and positive neurodevelopmental outcome, regardless of seizure type. Our results also indicate a possible role of the genetic background in influencing the outcome.
Microbial nitrogen fixation and methane oxidation are strongly enhanced by light in Sphagnum mosses
Authors: Kox Martine A. R. , van den Elzen Eva , Lamers Leon P. M. , Jetten Mike S. M. , van Kessel Maartje A. H. J.
Published: March 2020

Peatlands have acted as C-sinks for millennia, storing large amounts of carbon, of which a significant amount is yearly released as methane (CH4). Sphagnum mosses are a key genus in many peat ecosystems and these mosses live in close association with methane-oxidizing and nitrogen-fixing microorganisms. To disentangle mechanisms which may control Sphagnum-associated methane-oxidation and nitrogen-fixation, we applied four treatments to Sphagnum mosses from a pristine peatland in Finland: nitrogen fertilization, phosphorus fertilization, CH4 addition and light. N and P fertilization resulted in nutrient accumulation in the moss tissue, but did not increase Sphagnum growth. While net CO2 fixation rates remained unaffected in the N and P treatment, net CH4 emissions decreased because of enhanced CH4 oxidation. CH4 addition did not affect Sphagnum performance in the present set-up. Light, however, clearly stimulated the activity of associated nitrogen-fixing and methane-oxidizing microorganisms, increasing N2 fixation rates threefold and CH4 oxidation rates fivefold. This underlines the strong connection between Sphagnum and associated N2 fixation and CH4 oxidation. It furthermore indicates that phototrophy is a strong control of microbial activity, which can be directly or indirectly.
A multilevel features selection framework for skin lesion classification
Authors: Akram Tallha , Lodhi Hafiz M. Junaid , Naqvi Syed Rameez , Naeem Sidra , Alhaisoni Majed , Ali Muhammad , Haider Sajjad Ali , Qadri Nadia N.
Published: March 2020

Melanoma is considered to be one of the deadliest skin cancer types, whose occurring frequency elevated in the last few years; its earlier diagnosis, however, significantly increases the chances of patients’ survival. In the quest for the same, a few computer based methods, capable of diagnosing the skin lesion at initial stages, have been recently proposed. Despite some success, however, margin exists, due to which the machine learning community still considers this an outstanding research challenge. In this work, we come up with a novel framework for skin lesion classification, which integrates deep features information to generate most discriminant feature vector, with an advantage of preserving the original feature space. We utilize recent deep models for feature extraction, and by taking advantage of transfer learning. Initially, the dermoscopic images are segmented, and the lesion region is extracted, which is later subjected to retrain the selected deep models to generate fused feature vectors. In the second phase, a framework for most discriminant feature selection and dimensionality reduction is proposed, entropy-controlled neighborhood component analysis (ECNCA). This hierarchical framework optimizes fused features by selecting the principle components and extricating the redundant and irrelevant data. The effectiveness of our design is validated on four benchmark dermoscopic datasets; PH2, ISIC MSK, ISIC UDA, and ISBI-2017. To authenticate the proposed method, a fair comparison with the existing techniques is also provided. The simulation results clearly show that the proposed design is accurate enough to categorize the skin lesion with 98.8%, 99.2% and 97.1% and 95.9% accuracy with the selected classifiers on all four datasets, and by utilizing less than 3% features.
A case of a primary pulmonary meningioma mimicking a metastasis from a papillary thyroid carcinoma due to a size reduction after radioactive iodine therapy
Authors: Fujikawa Ryo , Arai Yoshifumi , Otsuki Yoshiro , Nakamura Toru
Published: March 2020

Background

Primary pulmonary meningiomas (PPMs) are a rare mostly benign disease presenting as a solitary pulmonary nodule and are hardly distinguishable from a metastatic tumor because of a lack of specific radiological features. We described a case of a PPM initially diagnosed as a metastatic lung tumor from thyroid cancer with a size reduction after radioactive iodine therapy.

Case presentation

A 62-year-old woman who had undergone a total thyroidectomy for a papillary thyroid carcinoma 6 years prior presented with an enlarging pulmonary nodule. The nodule had decreased in size from 7.0 to 5.5 mm after adjuvant radioactive iodine therapy and enlarged to 8.7 mm over the next 5 years. Under a clinical diagnosis of a metastatic lung tumor, she underwent a thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection and was pathologically diagnosed with a PPM.

Conclusion

A surgical resection is required for histological diagnoses of PPMs especially in patients with a history of a malignancy.
The Grandhotel Cosmopolis – a concrete utopia? Reflections on the mediated and lived geographies of asylum accommodation
Authors: Zill Marielle , Spierings Bas , Van Liempt Ilse
Published: March 2020

This paper argues that perceptions towards asylum seekers are shaped by both media representation as well as lived experiences in and around asylum accommodation. Drawing on Lefebvre’s spatial triad, the paper aims at disentangling the conceived, perceived and lived spaces of asylum accommodation in order to understand asylum accommodation as a space that is produced and re-produced in everyday life. The paper discusses the case of the Grandhotel Cosmopolis (GHC), a prominent example of local innovation in asylum accommodation located in southern Germany. It compares and contrasts the GHC’ media representation in national and local news media with local residents’ evaluation and direct experiences with this project and its effects on how asylum seekers are perceived. The results of the media analysis highlight a difference between a national ‘utopian’ framing and a local ‘experiment’ framing of the GHC. Local residents’ direct experiences proved influential in their evaluation of the project, yet could not overrule dominant media representations of asylum seekers. The paper concludes by suggesting that the GHC’ relative openness produces a space which allows for contact and familiarization between local residents and asylum seekers, yet that dominant framings of asylum seekers as criminals or victims also contributed to a perceived closedness of its space and discouraged contact and familiarization.
The relationship between synsedimentary fault activity and reservoir quality — A case study of the Ek1 formation in the Wang Guantun area, China
Authors: Wang Xixin , Liu Yuming , Hou Jiagen , Li Shaohua , Kang Qiangqiang , Sun Shuang , Ji Ling , Sun Jian , Ma Rui
Published: March 2020

The activity of synsedimentary faults plays an important role in controlling the distribution of sand bodies in basins and furthermore the porosity and permeability of reservoirs. We have used fault interpretation, the method of image and granularity size analysis, and the seismic pumping effect to investigate the control of the activity of the Kongdong fault on the development degree of the dissolution pores and grain size, further studying the controlling mechanism of the activity of synsedimentary faults on reservoir quality (porosity and permeability). The results showed that the slip rate of synsedimentary faults is one of the main factors in controlling reservoir quality. The slip rate controls the accommodation space and hydrodynamic conditions and it furthermore controls the grain size. The higher the slip rate, the bigger the grain size in the downthrow wall of synsedimentary faults; the seismic pump produced by synsedimentary faults activity also controls the development degree of dissolution pores. The development degree of dissolution pores in the downthrown wall of synsedimentary faults is greater than that in the upthrown wall. Dissolution pores are more developed in areas with a large slip rate of synsedimentary faults. Porosity increases gradually with the increase of plane porosity of dissolution pores, whereas the changes of permeability are not obvious.
Proposed directions for suicide research: incorporating successful approaches from other disciplines
Authors: Mou David , Kleiman Evan M. , Nock Matthew K.
Published: March 2020

Despite decades of suicide research, our ability to predict suicide has not changed. Why is this the case? We outline the unique challenges facing suicide research. Borrowing successful strategies from other medical fields, we propose specific research directions that aim to translate scientific findings into meaningful clinical impact.
Pazopanib and Oral Cyclophosphamide in Women With Platinum-Resistant or -Refractory Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Gulia Seema , Ghosh Jaya , Bajpai Jyoti , Rath Sushmita , Maheshwari Amita , Shylasree T.S. , Deodhar Kedar , Thakur Meenakshi , Gupta Sudeep
Published: March 2020

PURPOSE

Women with recurrent, multiply-treated epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) have unfavorable prognosis with limited treatment options after failure of platinum-based regimens. We report here a retrospective analysis of women with recurrent, platinum-resistant EOC treated with an oral regimen of pazopanib and cyclophosphamide.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Women with recurrent platinum-resistant or -refractory EOC were treated with pazopanib (600 mg orally daily in 2 divided doses, 400 and 200 mg) and cyclophosphamide (50 mg orally daily for 21 days every 28 days) until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

RESULTS

Twenty patients (17 with platinum-resistant and 3 with platinum-refractory disease) were treated between April 2014 and April 2018. Patients had a median age of 52 years (range, 40-60 years) and median of 4 previous lines of chemotherapy (range, 2-8 previous lines), including 3 patients with progressive disease on bevacizumab. Patients received a median of 6 cycles (range, 2-48 cycles) of pazopanib and cyclophosphamide, with best responses of partial response in 9 patients (45%, including 1 of 3 patients treated previously with bevacizumab), stable disease in 6 patients (30%), and disease progression in 5 patients (25%). The median progression-free survival time was 5.5 months, and median overall survival was 9.5 months. Common adverse events (grade 3 or 4) were fatigue (25%), diarrhea (15%), hand-foot syndrome (10%), mucositis (10%), transaminitis (5%), and hypertension (5%). Dose reduction as a result of toxicity was required in 14 patients (70%), and no patient stopped treatment as a result of toxicity.

CONCLUSION

Pazopanib plus oral cyclophosphamide is a well-tolerated regimen with clinically relevant benefit in patients with platinum-resistant or -refractory EOC.
The Final Bows
Authors: Hume Sara
Published: March 2020

How did people actually dress across rural Alsace from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century? The image that fills the popular imagination of Alsatian dress during this period is of a regional costume, including a large head bow. This stereotype was developed and reinforced by intellectuals who documented and preserved these disappearing styles. The survival of this static folk dress obscures the actual transformation of regional dress into styles that more closely resembled those worn in urban areas. This study looks at rural costume in Alsace to understand its transition from distinctive regional dress into styles more in line with urban styles, by making use of a range of source material, including notarial acts, surviving garments preserved in museum collections, and photographs of weddings and other religious ceremonies.

Comment s'habillaient les gens en Alsace rurale de la fin du dix-neuvième au début du vingtième siècle ? L'image qui nous vient tout de suite à l'esprit est celle du grand nœud noir. Ce stéréotype a été développé et renforcé par les intellectuels qui ont documenté et préservé ces modes en voie de disparition. La survivance de ce costume folklorique cache cependant la transformation qu'ont connue les habits régionaux, sous l'influence des vêtements portés en ville. Cet article étudie le costume rural en Alsace pour mieux comprendre comment s'est réalisée la transition des vêtements régionaux en vêtements dont le style était plus conforme à celui des villes. Pour ce faire, il utilise une variété de sources, y compris les actes notariés, les vêtements préservés dans les collections des musées, et les photographies de mariages et d'autres cérémonies religieuses.
Targeted Debt Relief and the Origins of Financial Distress: Experimental Evidence from Distressed Credit Card Borrowers
Authors: Dobbie Will , Song Jae
Published: March 2020

We study the drivers of financial distress using a large-scale field experiment that offered randomly selected borrowers a combination of (i) immediate payment reductions to target short-run liquidity write-downs to target long-run debt constraints. We identify the separate effects of the payment reductions and interest write-downs using both the experiment and cross-sectional variation in treatment intensity. We find that the interest write-downs significantly improved both financial and labor market outcomes, despite not taking effect for three to five years. In sharp contrast, there were no positive effects of the more immediate payment reductions. These results run counter to the widespread view that financial distress is largely the result of short-run constraints. (JEL G56, K35)
Antioxidant (gallic acid and quercetin) profile of Sumatran wild mangoes (Mangifera spp.): a potential source for antidegenerative medicine
Authors: Fitmawati Fitmawati , Resida Esi , Kholifah Sri Nur , Roza Rodesia Mustika , Almurdani Muhammad , Emrizal Emrizal
Published: March 2020

Background: New findings on the potential of wild mangoes from the island of Sumatra as a source of antioxidant helps their conservation effort as it introduces their useful compounds to the public. This study aims to analyze the antioxidant profile and quantification of gallic acid and quercetin content from leaves and bark of Sumatran wild mangoes. Exploration and analysis of phytochemical constituents from 11 Sumatran wild mangoes was performed.

Methods: Antioxidant activity of wild mangoes was analysed with 1,1- diphenyl-2-picryl hydroxyl (DPPH), and determination of quercetin and gallic acid content was performed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Total flavonoid and phenolic analysis was also performed. Curve fitting analysis used a linear regression approach.

Results: The highest level of antioxidant activity, phenolic compound and flavonoid compound was found in the leaves and bark of Mangifera sp1. (MBS), the bark of M. foetida3 (var. batu) and leaves of M. torquenda, and the bark and leaves of M. sumatrana, respectively. The content of gallic acid in leaves ranged from 5.2270-35.4763 mg/g dry weight. Quercetin content of wild mangoes leaves ranged from 0.76 to 1.47 mg/g dry weight with the lowest value in M. foetida2 (var. manis) and the highest in M. laurina.

Conclusion: The results obtained are expected to be useful in supporting the development of antidegenerative drugs from natural ingredients that have potential as immunomodulatory agents.