bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
miR-16-2* Interferes with WNT5A to Regulate Osteogenesis of Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Duan Lijun , Zhao He , Xiong Yang , Tang Xiangsheng , Yang Yongdong , Hu Zhenguo , Li Chuanhong , Chen Sixue , Yu Xing 
Published: November 2018

Background/Aims: Osteoporosis is a bone metabolic disease characterized by a systemic impairment of bone mass, which results in increased propensity of fragility fractures. A reduction in the differentiation of MSCs into osteoblasts contributes to the impaired bone formation observed in osteoporosis. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are induced to differentiate into preosteoblasts, which are regulated by the signaling cascades initiated by the various signals, including miRNAs. miR-16-2* is a newly discovered miRNA that participates in diagnosis and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, cervical cancer and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. However, the effect of miR-16-2* on the regulation of osteoblast differentiation and the mechanism responsible are still unclear. Here we discuss the contribution of miR-16-2* to osteoporosis, osteoblast differentiation and mineralization. Methods: The expression pattern of miR-16-2* during osteogenesis or in osteoporosis bone samples was validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) were induced to differentiate into osteoblasts by osteogenic induced medium containing dexamethasone, ascorbate-2-phosphat, beta-glycerophosphate and vitamin-D3. The target genes of miR-16-2* were predicted by TargetScan and PicTar. The mRNA and protein levels of osteogenic key markers were detected using qRT-PCR or western blot respectively. The WNT signal activity was analyzed by TOP/FOP reporter assay. Results: The expression of miR-16-2* in patient bone tissue with osteoporosis was negatively correlated with bone formation related genes. During osteoblast differentiation process, the expression of miR-16-2* was significantly decreased. Upregulation of miR-16-2* in hBMSCs impaired the osteogenic differentiation while the downregulation of miR-16-2* increased this process. Upregulation the expression of miR-16-2* could also block the WNT signal pathway by directly target WNT5A. Furthermore, knockdown of miR-16-2* could promote the activation of RUNX2, possibly by lifting the inhibitory effect of miR-16-2* on WNT pathway. Conclusion: Taken together, we report a novel biological role of miR-16-2* in osteogenesis through regulating WNT5A response for the first time. Our data support the potential utilization of miRNA-based therapies in regenerative medicine.
Diabetic Nephropathy Can Be Treated with Calcium Dobesilate by Alleviating the Chronic Inflammatory State and Improving Endothelial Cell Function
Authors: Zhou Yijun , Qi Chaojun , Li Shu , Shao Xinghua , Mou Shan , Ni Zhaohui
Published: November 2018

Background/Aims: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a leading cause of end-stage renal disease. However, no effective treatments for this disease are available. Calcium dobesilate (CaD) is widely used to treat diabetic retinopathy. DKD and retinopathy often co-exist and have similar mechanisms of pathogenesis. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the safety and efficacy of CaD in the treatment of DKD. Methods: In the prospective randomised controlled study, 100 DKD from Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients with a urinary albumin/ creatinine ratio (ACR) ≥30 mg/g and urinary protein level between 150 mg/24 h and 2 g/24 h with GFR> 90ml/min were enrolled. The patients were randomly divided into the treatment group (500 mg of CaD, administered orally, 3 times per day) and the control group. DKD patients were treated for 3 months. In the case control study, DM patients without proteinuria and healthy individuals were also enrolled. Clinical data and related biochemical parameters were collected. Endothelial function markers (VEGF, ET-1, eNOS, NO) and inflammatory markers (MCP-1, ICAM, PTX3) were detected by ELISA. Results: In the prospective randomised controlled study, the 24 h urinary albumin and 24 h urinary protein levels significantly decreased after three months of treatment with CaD in the patients with DKD, but the cystatin C-based glomerular filtration rate (GFR) remained unchanged. In addition, the levels of inflammatory markers (PTX3, MCP-1, hsCRP, ICAM) and endothelial dysfunction markers (VEGF, ET-1) were significantly reduced compared to pre-treatment levels, NO was signifcantly increased post treatment. In the case control study, we found that PTX3, MCP-1, ICAM, VEGF and ET-1 levels were positively correlated with urinary albumin in DKD patients, while the NO level was negatively correlated. Logistic regression analysis showed that PTX3, NO and HbAlc were influential factors in DKD. After patients with DKD were treated with CaD for three months, the 24 h urinary albumin and 24 h urinary protein levels significantly decreased, but the cystatin C-based glomerular filtration rate (GFR) remained unchanged. In addition, the levels of inflammatory markers (PTX3, MCP-1, hsCRP, ICAM) and endothelial dysfunction markers (VEGF, NO, ET-1) were significantly reduced compared to pre-treatment levels. Conclusion: CaD can be safely and effectively used to treatdiabetic nephropathy.
Latin Hypercube Designs with Branching and Nested Factors for Initialization of Automatic Algorithm Configuration
Authors: Wessing Simon , López-Ibáñez Manuel
Published: November 2018

The configuration of algorithms is a laborious and difficult process. Thus, it is advisable to automate this task by using appropriate automatic configuration methods. The [Formula: see text] method is among the most widely used in the literature. By default, [Formula: see text] initializes its search process via uniform sampling of algorithm configurations. Although better initialization methods exist in the literature, the mixed-variable (numerical and categorical) nature of typical parameter spaces and the presence of conditional parameters make most of the methods not applicable in practice. Here, we present an improved initialization method that overcomes these limitations by employing concepts from the design and analysis of computer experiments with branching and nested factors. Our results show that this initialization method is not only better, in some scenarios, than the uniform sampling used by the current version of [Formula: see text], but also better than other initialization methods present in other automatic configuration methods.
Gender at the Edge
Authors: Sigurðsson Halldór Ármann
Published: November 2018

This article develops an analysis of Gender whereby D-gender enters grammar as a feature variable (edge linker), without a fixed value, either probing n or scanning the context for a value. Only the latter strategy is available in pronominal gender languages such as English, as they lack n-gender, whereas both strategies are applicable in n-gender languages, variably so for variable DPs, depending on their nP content and on context. The article adopts the idea that context linking does not merely involve pragmatic context scanning but also has a syntactic side to it, edge computation, whereby context-scanned and recycled features are computed at the phase edge in relation to CP-internal elements, via edge linkers. The context-linking approach has been previously launched for Tense and Person. This article extends it to Gender, thereby generalizing over context-sensitive grammatical categories and developing a novel view of the overall architecture of grammar.
Contribution to the taxonomy of Sistotremastrum (Trechisporales, Basidiomycota) and the description of two new species, S. fibrillosum and S. aculeocrepitans
Authors: GRUHN GÉRALD , ALVARADO PABLO , HALLENBERG NILS , ROY MÉLANIE , COURTECUISSE RÉGIS
Published: November 2018

Two new species of Sistotremastrum collected in French West Indies and French Guyana are described and illustrated. Morphological studies and molecular sequence data from two ribosomal DNA regions (ITS and 28S rDNA) support the recognition of S. fibrillosum and S. aculeocrepitans, two species characterized by their hyphal cords and basidia with 4 sterigmata.
Taxonomy of 'Euconnus complex'. Part XVIII. Status of subgenera Palaeoconnus Franz and Heterotetramelus Franz (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae)
Authors: JAŁOSZYŃSKI PAWEŁ
Published: November 2018

Based on examination of type species, the subgenera Palaeoconnus Franz and Heterotetramelus Franz are removed from Euconnus Thomson. Adults of Palaeoconnus have the prosternum bearing a subtriangular prosternal process and their metacoxae are contiguous, which exclude this taxon from Euconnus. Palaeoconnus is transferred to Sciacharis Broun as subgenus and redefined. The lectotype is designated for its type species, Scydmaenus brevipes Sharp. Sciacharis andicola (Franz), previously treated as incertae sedis within Sciacharis, is placed in Palaeoconnus. Heterotetramelus is also excluded from Euconnus, on the basis of the mesoventrite lacking the mesoventral intercoxal process and the contiguous metacoxae. Heterotetramelus stat. n. is elevated to genus rank and redefined, and the lectotype is designated for its type species, Euconnus caledonicus Franz. Moreover, the newly defined Heterotetramelus is reclassified to include four subgenera: Heterotetramelus s. str. (with seven species distributed in New Caledonia), Sciacharoides Jałoszyński, stat. n. (reduced from genus; with three Australian species); Australosciacharoides subgen. n. (with only one Australian species transferred from Sciacharoides); and Tamborinus subgen. n. (also with one Australian species transferred from Sciacharoides).
Structural Changes in the Pacific–Japan Pattern in the Late 1990s
Authors: Xu Peiqiang , Wang Lin , Chen Wen , Feng Juan , Liu Yuyun
Published: November 2018

The Pacific–Japan (PJ) pattern, also known as the East Asia–Pacific pattern, is a teleconnection that significantly influences the East Asian summer climate on various time scales. Based on several reanalysis and observational datasets, this study suggests that the PJ pattern has experienced a distinct three-dimensional structural change in the late 1990s. Compared with those during 1979–98, the PJ pattern shifts eastward by approximately 20° during 1999–2015, and the intensity of its barotropic structure in the extratropics weakens significantly. As a result, its influences on the summer rainfall along the mei-yu band are weakened after the late 1990s. These observed changes can be attributed to three reasons. First, the location where the PJ pattern is excited shifts eastward. Second, the easterly shear of the background wind is very weak around the source region of the PJ pattern after the late 1990s, which prevents the convection-induced baroclinic mode from converting into barotropic mode and thereby from propagating into the extratropics. Third, the PJ pattern–induced rainfall anomalies are weak along the mei-yu band after the late 1990s. As a result, their feedbacks to the PJ pattern become weak and play a considerably reduced role in maintaining the structure of the PJ pattern in the midlatitudes. In contrast, the eddy energy conversion from the basic flow efficiently maintains the PJ pattern before and after the late 1990s and thereby contributes little to the observed change.
Influence of Dynamic and Thermal Forcing on the Meridional Transport of Taklimakan Desert Dust in Spring and Summer
Authors: Yuan Tiangang , Chen Siyu , Huang Jianping , Wu Dongyou , Lu Hui , Zhang Guolong , Ma Xiaojun , Chen Ziqi , Luo Yuan , Ma Xiaohui
Published: November 2018

The Weather Research and Forecasting Model coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem) associated with in situ measurements and satellite retrievals was used to investigate the meridional transport of Taklimakan Desert (TD) dust, especially in summer. Both satellite observations and simulations reveal that TD dust particles accumulate over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and the Tianshan Mountains in summer, resulting in higher dust concentration up to 85 μg m−3 here. The proportions of meridional transport of TD dust in summer increase up to 30% of the total output dust over the TD. Further, the impacts of thermal and dynamic forcing on the meridional transport of TD dust to the TP and Tianshan Mountains are investigated based on composite analysis and numerical modeling. It is found that the weakness of the westerly jet over East Asia significantly decreases the eastward transport of TD dust. More TD dust particles lifted to higher altitude reach up to 8 km induced by the enhanced sensible heating in summer. Under the influence of the northerly airflow over the TD regions, the TD dust particles are strengthened southward and transported to the northern slope of the TP through topographic forcing. Moreover, the cyclonic circulation raises dust particles to higher altitude over the TP. It can further intensify the TP heat source by direct radiative forcing of dust aerosols, which may have a positive feedback to the southward transport of TD dust. This research provides confidence for the investigation of the role of TP dust with regard to the radiation balance and hydrological cycle over East Asia.
Washington View: Preparing students’ reading brains for the digital age
Authors: Ferguson Maria
Published: November 2018

The growth of online content has raised questions about how digital reading affects the brain and what kinds of reading instruction students need to be prepared for the future. Some researchers have noted that the need to process large amounts of information may be causing readers’ brains to become more suited to skimming than to deep reading. Maria Ferguson observes that this raises a dilemma for educators who prize the critical thinking and analytical skills that come from deep reading while recognizing that the ability to sift large amounts of material is a valued skill in today’s workplaces.
Turning waste into resources and resources into waste: Centralised waste-to-energy nexuses and alternative modes of nexusing in Hanoi
Authors: Schramm Sophie , Thi Thanh Mai Nguyen
Published: November 2018

Modern infrastructure systems serve to separate urban flows of water, sewage, waste and energy. However, ideas concerning the combination of these flows to achieve resource efficiency have shaped Hanoi’s urban planning since the colonial era. Today, dominant visions of the generation of energy from waste have led to a redefinition of what is ‘waste’ that largely ignores ‘alternative modes of nexusing’, established industries of recycling operating across the city. These industries are intertwined with and overlap provincial waste management and perpetually exist beyond state-led planning and urban–rural boundaries. The case of Hanoi reveals the exclusionary and disruptive potential of predominant visions of the urban nexus, as socio-managerial conceptions obscure and potentially displace alternative modes of nexusing. We argue that opening the view to alternative modes of nexusing as part of heterogeneous infrastructures not only challenges conventional analyses of the urban nexus that exclude marginalised practices and people, but also has important policy implications for waste management and recycling in Hanoi.
University physicists and the origins of the National Physical Laboratory, 1830–1900
Authors: Macdonald Lee T.
Published: November 2018

Traditionally, historians have taken it for granted that Britain’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL) was created as the result of demands from a “professional” body of university-based physicists for a state-funded scientific institution. Yet paying detailed attention to the history of the NPL’s originating institution, Kew Observatory, shows that the story is not so clear-cut. Starting in the 1850s, Kew Observatory was partly a center for testing meteorological instruments and other scientific equipment in return for fees. Long after the 1850s, the observatory was run by self-funded devotees of science. Paid university physicists only assumed a dominant role on its governing committee in the last two decades of the nineteenth century, by which time instrument-testing was already the observatory’s main role. This paper argues that the rise of the university physicists – together with the desire of some of these physicists for a national institution that tested electrical standards – can only partially explain the origins of the NPL, and that Kew was in some ways a national physical laboratory before there were many physics teaching posts in British universities. This paper is a case study that illustrates a need to reassess the importance of university physicists in shaping British science at the end of the nineteenth century.
Transformed landscapes and a transnational identity of class: Narratives on (post-)industrial landscapes in Europe
Authors: Meier Lars , Aytekin E Attila
Published: November 2018

Based on 222 qualitative interviews conducted through a large ethnographic research project on transformed industrial landscapes in six countries, the main argument of the article is threefold. First, landscapes and narratives about past and present landscapes are relevant to the identity of class; second, the transformation of industrial landscapes is most emphatically expressed by nostalgia; third, the narratives are a transnationally constitutive element of class identity. The narratives of workers about the transformation and destruction of former workplaces express an identity crisis as seen in feelings of mourning and indifference. However, this does not indicate an erosion in the relevance of identity. Considering class as also having an emotional dimension, the article demonstrates that a class identity also evolves out of loss and longing. As nostalgia for a past now gone is a common narrative identity element in the research areas, it is considered as constitutive of a transnational class identity.
Customer Journey Mapping as a New Way to Teach Data-Driven Marketing as a Service
Authors: Micheaux Andrea , Bosio Birgit
Published: November 2018

As firms gather increasing amounts of data, the question of how future marketers can use these data to make their marketing more relevant and to make a strategic difference remains. However, students may feel uncomfortable about information systems and database technology, which they may perceive as complex and dry. This case describes how the development of a course on data-driven marketing makes use of service design methods. The experiential learning innovation is based on the optimization of customer journey mapping, which encompasses theoretical marketing concepts, modern database architecture and practical digital marketing knowledge. As a visualization of individual interactions with a product, service, or brand, customer journey mapping helps explain the way an interaction occurs in one moment and how it influences all other moments. By taking the “data as a service” perspective on the customer journey, students benefit from a more innovative and creative approach to data-driven marketing, which helps improve their attention and motivation.
External accelerated partial breast irradiation for ductal carcinoma in situ: long-term follow-up from a phase 3 randomized trial
Authors: Becherini Carlotta , Meattini Icro , Livi Lorenzo , Garlatti Pietro , Desideri Isacco , Scotti Vieri , Orzalesi Lorenzo , Sanchez Luis Jose , Bernini Marco , Casella Donato , Nesi Silvia , Nori Jacopo , Bianchi Simonetta , Pallotta Stefania , Marrazzo Livia
Published: November 2018

Introduction:

For a long time, accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) effectiveness for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has been debated, due to conflicting published results. Recent encouraging data from phase 3 trials reopened new perspectives for this radiation approach. The aim of the present study was to analyze the long-term efficacy and safety results of the series of patients with DCIS enrolled in the APBI arm of the APBI-IMRT-Florence phase 3 trial (NCT02104895).

Methods:

Patients were treated in a phase 3 randomized trial comparing whole breast irradiation (50 Gy in 25 fractions to the whole breast, plus 10 Gy in 5 fractions to the tumor bed) to APBI (30 Gy in 5 nonconsecutive fractions) using the intensity-modulated radiotherapy technique.

Results:

Overall, 22 patients were treated in the APBI arm. Median age was 62 years (mean 59; range 42–75 years). At a median follow-up of 9.2 years (mean 8.8; range 3.8–12.1 years), no contralateral invasive/DCIS occurrence, distant metastasis, or breast cancer–related death were recorded. The 5- and 10-year local recurrence, distant metastasis–free survival, and breast cancer–specific survival were 100%. The 10-year overall survival rate was 90.9%. No late toxicity at 5 and 10 years was recorded.

Conclusions:

Waiting for pending studies and mature follow-up, we confirmed the efficacy and safety of APBI for low-risk DCIS.
Coping With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury From Childhood to Maturation: A Prospective Case Series of 44 Patients With Mean 8 Years’ Follow-up
Authors: Ekås Guri Ranum , Moksnes Håvard , Grindem Hege , Risberg May Arna , Engebretsen Lars
Published: November 2018

Background:

There is no consensus regarding the best treatment approach for skeletally immature children with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. High-quality studies with long-term follow-up are lacking, and evidence to support decision making is limited.

Purpose:

To evaluate functional and patient-reported outcome, surgical history, and complications among young adults who sustained an ACL injury before the age of 13 years and were treated with active rehabilitation and the option of delayed ACL reconstruction if needed.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

Forty-six children aged <13 years with a total intrasubstance ACL injury were included. None of these patients had additional injuries that warranted early surgery. At final follow-up at a mean 8 years after the time of injury, 44 patients remained in the study. The same test battery was conducted at baseline, 1 and 2 years, and final follow-up at approximately 18 years of age. The test battery included functional tests (hop tests and isokinetic muscle strength tests of quadriceps and hamstrings), patient-reported outcome measures (including the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score and the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form), and clinical examination. Medical records were reviewed to assess surgical history and complications.

Results:

At a mean 8 years of follow-up, 24 patients (55%) had undergone ACL reconstruction, and 16 (36%) had undergone meniscal surgery. Quadriceps muscle strength symmetry was >90% for 30 patients (68%). Mean leg symmetry indexes for hop and strength tests were consistently >90%, except for the single-hop test and hamstrings muscle strength for ACL-reconstructed knees. Mean ± SD International Knee Documentation Committee scores were 86.3 ± 13.7 for the ACL-reconstructed knees and 90.6 ± 11.8 for the nonreconstructed knees. At final follow-up, forty patients (91%) remained active in sports, but 29 (66%) restricted their activity level to nonpivoting sports.

Conclusion:

Active rehabilitation may have a role in treatment of children with ACL injury. Approximately 50% of children may cope well, even to adulthood, without a surgical intervention. The other half may develop instability that warrants ACL reconstruction, and one-third may require meniscal surgery.
Developing and Validating an Experience Sampling Measure of Aggression: The Aggression-ES Scale
Authors: Borah Tridip Jyoti , Murray Aja Louise , Eisner Manuel , Jugl Irina
Published: November 2018

Experience sampling methodologies are likely to play an important role in advancing our understanding of momentary influences on aggression, including short-term antecedent psychological states and situations. In this study, we evaluate whether a newly developed experiencing sampling measure of aggression, the Aggression Experience Sampler ( Aggression-ES), provides a valid and reliable measure of aggression in experience sampling contexts. Participants were a convenience sample of 23 young adults recruited from the local University community. Data were collected using an experience sampling smartphone application over 8 days. They were analyzed using multilevel structural equation modeling. Our results support the within- and between-person reliability and the criterion validity of the Aggression-ES. The Aggression-ES represents a good choice of measure for use in experience sampling studies of aggression. Further work in other samples will help to provide further validity evidence for the measure.
Walkable Urban Design Attributes and Japanese Older Adults’ Body Mass Index: Mediation Effects of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior
Authors: Koohsari Mohammad Javad , Kaczynski Andrew T. , Nakaya Tomoki , Shibata Ai , Ishii Kaori , Yasunaga Akitomo , Stowe Ellen W. , Hanibuchi Tomoya , Oka Koichiro
Published: November 2018

Purpose:

The purposes of this study were to examine associations between objectively measured walkable urban design attributes with Japanese older adults’ body mass index (BMI) and to test whether objectively assessed physical activity and sedentary behavior mediated such associations.

Design:

Cross-sectional.

Setting:

Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.

Participants:

Participants were 297 older residents (aged 65-84 years) randomly selected from the registry of residential addresses.

Measures:

Walkable urban design attributes, including population density, availability of physical activity facilities, intersection density, and access to public transportation stations, were calculated using geographic information systems. Physical activity, sedentary behavior, and BMI were measured objectively.

Analysis:

The relationships of walkable urban design attributes, Walk Score®, and BMI were examined by multiple linear regression with adjustment for covariates in all models. Mediation effects of the physical activity and sedentary behavior variables in these relationships were tested using a product-of-coefficients test.

Results:

Higher population density and Walk Score® were associated with lower BMI. Light and moderate-to-vigorous physical activities partially mediated the relationships between these walkable urban design attributes and BMI.

Conclusions:

Developing active-friendly environmental policies to (re)design neighborhoods may not only promote active transport behaviors but also help in improving residents’ health status in non-Western contexts.
How Anonymity and Visibility Affordances Influence Employees’ Decisions About Voicing Workplace Concerns
Authors: Mao Chang M. , DeAndrea David C.
Published: November 2018

Employees can provide invaluable input to organizations when they can freely express their opinions at work. Employees, however, may not believe that it is safe or efficacious to voice their concerns. How features of communication channels affect employees’ safety and efficacy perceptions is largely ignored in existing voice models. Therefore, this study seeks to understand how the anonymity and visibility affordances of a communication channel influence employees’ safety and efficacy perceptions, and, thus, their intention to engage in prohibitive voice at work. Two between-subjects experiments were conducted to test how these channel affordances affect voicing behavior in organizations. The results indicate that the more anonymous and less visible participants perceive a voicing channel to be, the safer and the more efficacious they evaluate the channel. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.
Effect of the flame-retardant 3-hydroxyphenylphosphinyl-propanoic acid on the mechanical, thermal, and flammability properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate) nanofiber mats
Authors: Abbasi Atiyeh , Shakeri Alireza
Published: November 2018

The structure, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of electrospun nanofiber mats obtained from poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) solutions in trifluoroacetic acid/dichloromethane were evaluated. The electrospun PET nanofibers were characterized by means of attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, limiting oxygen index, and tensile testing. PET-3-hydroxyphenylphosphinyl-propanoic acid (HPP) copolymer was used as the flame-retardant (FR) agent to improve the thermal stability and flammability of the nanofiber mats. HPP is a commercial FR for polyesters which was studied from the viewpoint of chemical reactivity and reaction mechanism. To enhance the tensile strength of the nanofiber mats, the nanofibers were collected on high-speed rotating drum. The results showed that the nanofibers were oriented, and their strength was enhanced by increasing the velocity of the collector. The average diameter of electrospun nanofibers was in the range of 110–240 nm, decreasing with the increasing drum speed. Also the mean pore size of the mats decreased significantly with increasing orientation of the nanofibers. The results showed that HPP improved the flame retardancy of PET.
Organosoluble and transparent cardo polyimides with high Tg derived from 9,9-bis(4-aminophenyl)xanthene
Authors: Zhang Xiao-Lan , Song Cheng , Wei Mei-Hong , Huang Zhen-Zhong , Sheng Shou-Ri
Published: November 2018

9,9-Bis(4-aminophenyl)xanthene (BAPX) was prepared simply and effectively via one-pot, two-step procedure using xanthenone and aniline as main substrates. The monomer BAPX was reacted with six aromatic dianhydrides in N, N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) to yield the corresponding polyimides (PIs) via the poly(amic acid) precursors and subsequent thermal or chemical imidization. The resulting PIs exhibited good thermal stability with glass transition temperatures of 308–348°C, initial decomposition temperatures of 470–510°C, 10% weight loss temperatures of 540–565°C, and char yields of 55–59% at 800°C in nitrogen, respectively. All polymers were amorphous and readily soluble in organic solvents such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and DMAc. The PI films had tensile strengths of 71–92 MPa, tensile moduli of 1.91–2.35 GPa, and elongations at break of 5–13%. Meanwhile, these polymer films also had high optical transparency with a cutoff wavelength in the range of 367–415 nm, lower dielectric constants (3.02–3.34 at 10 MHz), and low water uptake of 0.30–0.52%.
Dynamic performances of a magnetic thrust bearing based on new soft magnetic composites
Authors: Xiao Ling , Hou Tianyang , Li Ming , Cheng Wenjie
Published: November 2018

According to the material theory and analysis method, the characteristics of the soft magnetic composites were analyzed. As the required magnetic properties can be achieved by adjusting the formulation ratio, the high electrical resistivity (about 10−4 Ωm) and decent magnetic properties were obtained. Based on the good performance, soft magnetic composites were firstly applied to the magnetic thrust bearings. The dynamic models including the dynamic stiffnesses, magnetic force based on the effective reluctance model were analyzed. The parameters for soft magnetic composites were obtained by experiments and theoretical calculations. The results showed that the dynamic bandwidth of magnetic force for the bearing with MgO-based soft magnetic composites can reach more than 1000 Hz, which is far beyond that for carbon steel bearing. If the magnetic permeability is further increased to 650, the dynamic bandwidth of the electromagnetic force can also exceed 1000 Hz for the magnetic thrust bearings made by soft magnetic composites. Therefore, the possibility of magnetic thrust bearing made by soft magnetic composites instead of carbon steel materials is equipped with the satisfactory performance, which may provide a theoretical basis and technical support for high-performance magnetic thrust bearing.
Effects of orifice divergence on hollow cone spray at low injection pressures
Authors: Ghate Kushal , Sundararajan Thirumalachari
Published: November 2018

In this work, the effects of orifice divergence on spray characteristics have been reported. Parameters such as spray cone angle, liquid sheet thickness, coefficient of discharge, break-up length, and Sauter mean diameter are greatly affected by the half divergence angle [Formula: see text] at orifice exit. An experimental investigation is carried out in which water sprays from five atomizers having half divergence angle values of 0°, 5°, 10°, 15°, and 20° are studied at different injection pressures. Image processing techniques are used to measure spray cone angle and break-up length from spray images, whereas the sheet thickness outside the orifice exit is obtained using the scattered light from a thin Nd-YAG Laser beam. Phase Doppler interferometry is also used to obtain the Sauter mean diameter at different axial locations. A few numerical simulations based on the volume of fluid method are included to obtain physical insight of the liquid film development and air core flow inside the atomizer. It is observed that the liquid sheet thickness as well as tangential and radial components of velocity at orifice exit are modified drastically with a change in half divergence angle. As a consequence, the droplet size distribution is also altered by variation in the nozzle divergence angle. The mechanism responsible for such variations in the spray behavior is identified as the formation of an air core or air cone inside the liquid injector as a result of the swirl imparted to the liquid flow.
Hip Hip Hooray, ECT turns 80!
Authors: Clarke Patrick
Published: November 2018

Objective:

This paper reviews the history of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) with an emphasis on the Australian context over the past 30 years. The review includes data collection, the contribution of the RANZCP, and changes in legislation.

Conclusion:

ECT remains the most effective treatment for severe depression. Since the 1950s efforts have been made to make it more effective, tolerable and acceptable. Over the same period, significant social and political forces have acted to have the practice of ECT restricted or banned. Psychiatrists, through the RANZCP and other bodies, have the responsibility to promote quality ECT practice, advocate for patients, carers, and clinicians, counter inaccurate negative portrayals, and lobby for balanced legislation for ECT and other neurostimulation.
Pitfalls of Frozen Section in Gynecological Pathology: A Rare Case of Ovarian Lymphoma in an HIV-Positive Woman Resembling Dysgerminoma on Frozen Section
Authors: Wang Qing , Rodriguez Raul , Marcus Jenna Z. , Podolsky Lisa , Campbell Damali , Heller Debra
Published: November 2018

Primary lymphoma of the ovary, particularly in an HIV-positive woman, is exceptionally rare, and ovarian lymphoma may not be considered at the time of intraoperative consultation. In this article, we present a case in an HIV-positive woman thought to be a dysgerminoma at the time of frozen section, but which was found to be a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the ovary.
Rape Disclosure and Depression Among Community Women: The Mediating Roles of Shame and Experiential Avoidance
Authors: Bhuptani Prachi H. , Kaufman Julia S. , Messman-Moore Terri L. , Gratz Kim L. , DiLillo David
Published: November 2018

Many women who disclose a rape encounter victim-blaming responses, which are associated with negative outcomes. The present study examined rape-related shame and experiential avoidance as mediators of the relation between victim-blaming responses to rape disclosure and depression among 103 rape survivors drawn from a community sample. Results revealed that victim-blaming responses were positively associated with depressive symptoms through rape-related shame and experiential avoidance, and shame was indirectly related to depression via avoidance. Findings suggest clinical interventions should focus on rape-related shame and experiential avoidance in targeting depression among rape survivors, and future research should continue to examine how victim-blaming responses to rape disclosure may be related to these factors.
Prevalence of self-reported computer vision syndrome symptoms and its associated factors among university students
Authors: Al Tawil Layan , Aldokhayel Sara , Zeitouni Leena , Qadoumi Tala , Hussein Siham , Ahamed Shaik Shaffi
Published: November 2018

Purpose:

To determine the prevalence of symptoms of computer vision syndrome and to identify its associated factors. The secondary objective was to assess knowledge and practices related to preventing computer vision syndrome symptoms.

Methods:

The data for this cross-sectional study were collected through a self-administered questionnaire distributed to 713 female undergraduates studying business and medicine in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire included computer vision syndrome validated symptoms and factors associated with computer vision syndrome development.

Results:

The most common symptom due to prolonged computer use was neck or shoulder pain, reported by 82.2% of the subjects. Overall, 66.5% of the subjects suffered from headache and 51.5% from dry eyes, in mild, moderate, or severe form. Business students were 1.6 times as likely as medical students to suffer from computer vision syndrome (odds ratio = 1.65; 95% confidence interval: 1.22, 2.24). The use of electronic devices for more than 5 h (odds ratio = 1.52; 95% confidence interval: 1.07, 2.16) was also associated with experiencing computer vision syndrome symptoms. Regarding computer vision syndrome prevention, factors such as hours of use, screen distance, screen brightness, and room illumination showed statistically significant difference between the two groups (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion:

The prevalence of computer vision syndrome symptoms was significantly higher among business students, who reported lower awareness and poor practice measures of computer use recommendations. Relevant awareness campaigns focusing on the appropriate use of computers are highly recommended.
(Re-)Making Space for a New Culture of Art: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong
Authors: Clavan Benjamin
Published: November 2018

Despite its headlong rush onto the modern world scene, China is a country that has long been cut off from the mainstream of cultural activity in the world. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in its visual arts and its venues for presenting this work. Starting from almost nothing, the People’s Republic has opened literally thousands of new museums in the past two decades. Among these is a large and intriguing subset consisting of industrial and commercial buildings repurposed for use as art venues. This study explores a number of these re-makings in three of China’s major cultural centers: Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. Although the repurposed spaces are often architecturally interesting and sometimes even dramatic, the overall effect is unusually derivative. Profit motives, at both the public and private levels, also play a significant role in the long-term success of the projects. As a result, this new attempt at providing and promoting a new art culture has limitations for making China a new focus of world attention in this arena. More importantly, repurposing historic and otherwise historically significant buildings for art reveals how such spaces can at the same time both enhance and confuse the issue of cultural identity within a heretofore predominantly closed society.
Total Mesorectal Excision for Mid-Rectal Cancer Without Anastomosis: Low Hartmann’s Operation or Intersphincteric Abdomino-Perineal Excision?
Authors: Popiolek M. , Dehlaghi K. , Gadan S. , Baban B. , Matthiessen P.
Published: November 2018

Background and Aims:

In mid-rectal cancer, the low colorectal anastomosis is, although feasible, sometimes avoided. The aim was to compare low Hartmann’s procedure with intersphincteric abdomino-perineal excision of the rectum, in patients operated with total mesorectal excision for mid-rectal cancer in whom the low anastomosis was technically feasible but for patient-related reasons undesired.

Material and Methods:

A total of 64 consecutive patients with mid-rectal cancer who underwent low Hartmann’s procedure (n = 34) or intersphincteric abdomino-perineal excision (n = 30) at one colorectal unit were compared regarding patient demography, short-term oncology, surgical outcome at 3 and 24 months, and long-term overall survival.

Results:

There were no significant differences between intersphincteric abdomino-perineal excision and Hartmann’s procedure regarding age, gender distribution, body mass index, preoperative radiotherapy, tumor level, or cancer stages. Operation time was shorter in Hartmann’s procedure as compared with intersphincteric abdomino-perineal excision, median 174 and 256 min, (P < 0.001), and intraoperative blood loss was increased, 600 and 500 mL, respectively (P = 0.045). Number of lymph nodes and circumferential resection margin were comparable. In Hartmann’s procedure compared with intersphincteric abdomino-perineal excision, the need for reoperation was 24% and 3%, (P = 0.020), complications classified as Clavien–Dindo 3–4 occurred in 32% and 10%, (P = 0.031), pelvic abscess in 21% and 10%, (P = 0.313), and mortality within 90 days was 3% and 0%, respectively, (P = 0.938). In intersphincteric abdomino-perineal excision, the perineal wound was not healed at 3 months in 13%, and in Hartmann’s procedure 15% had chronic secretion from the anorectal remnant at 2 years postoperatively.

Conclusion:

The results from this study suggest that intersphincteric abdomino-perineal excision might be an alternative to Hartmann’s procedure in patients with mid-rectal cancer, in whom a low colorectal anastomosis is undesired.
Myostatin serum concentration as an indicator for deviated muscle metabolism in severe burn injuries
Authors: Wallner C. , Wagner J. M. , Dittfeld S. , Drysch M. , Lehnhardt M. , Behr B.
Published: November 2018

Introduction:

Patients experiencing thermal injuries with an extent of over 20% of total body surface area suffer from systemic catabolic disease. The thermal trauma-induced loss of muscle mass causes a higher incidence for comorbidities and subsequently a higher mortality. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of myostatin in the interplay with follistatin during muscle cachexia.

Methods:

Patients with burn injuries (>10% total body surface area) between the ages of 18 and 75 were prospectively included within the first 48 h after trauma to determine deviations of parameters connected to muscle catabolism. In the chronic state of burn injury (9–12 months after trauma), we re-evaluated myostatin and follistatin concentrations as well as muscle strength of the non-dominant forearm.

Results:

We were able to show a time-dependent alteration (9–12 months after burn injury) of myostatin with an initial decrease ( p < 0.001) and long-term increase ( p < 0.001) after thermal injury in blood serum. For follistatin, a reciprocal correlation was observed ( r = −0.707, p = 0.001). Accordingly, muscle strength of the non-dominant hand and forearm was significantly decreased 9–12 months after injury in post-burn patients compared with healthy patients with a significant correlation to myostatin levels ( r = −0.899, p < 0.001). In addition, initial myostatin serum concentration was predictive for long-term muscle strength impairment.

Conclusion:

With regard to the muscle metabolism after thermal trauma, our data suggest an acute anabolic response, presumably to spare muscle mass, which is converted to catabolic conditions accompanied by muscle strength reduction in the chronic phase. Myostatin plays a crucial role in this orchestration and initial myostatin concentration may predict the long-term muscle strength.
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Is Involved in Baicalin Protection on Chondrocytes From Patients With Osteoarthritis
Authors: Cao Jiangang , Zhang Yu , Wang Tianyi , Li Bo
Published: November 2018

Osteoarthritis (OA) affects elderly population worldwide and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is known to be positively correlated with OA development. Previous reports prove the cytoprotective effects of baicalin on chondrocytes, whereas the mechanisms are hardly reported. Hence, we aimed to investigate the links between OA, ER stress, and baicalin. Chondrocytes from patients with OA were subjected to H2O2 treatment with or without baicalin pretreatment, and cell viability was assessed via Cell Counting Kit-8. Messenger RNA (mRNA) amounts of apoptosis-related genes (Bax, Bcl-2, and Caspase-3), extracellular matrix (ECM)-related genes (Collange I, Collange II, Aggrecan, and Sox9) and ER stress hallmarks (binding immunoglobulin protein [BiP] C/EBP homologous protein [CHOP]) were evaluated via quantitative real-time PCR. Bax, Bcl-2, BiP, and CHOP protein levels were analyzed via Western blot. Baicalin suppressed the changes in cell viability and apoptosis-related gene expressions caused by H2O2. Reactive oxygen species and glutathione/oxidized glutathione assay showed that H2O2 enhanced oxidative stress. Baicalin suppressed H2O2-induced downregulation of mRNA expression of ECM-related genes. Moreover, baicalin reduced H2O2-stimulated increase in oxidative stress and the expression of ER stress hallmarks. Endoplasmic reticulum stress inducer abolished the protective activities, whereas ER stress inhibitor did not exhibit extra protective effects. Baicalin pretreatment protected patient-derived chondrocytes from H2O2 through ER stress inhibition.
Baseline characteristics of the 1149 patients recruited into the Rapid Intervention with Glyceryl trinitrate in Hypertensive stroke Trial-2 (RIGHT-2) randomized controlled trial
Authors: Bath Philip M , Scutt Polly , Appleton Jason P , Dixon Mark , Woodhouse Lisa J , Wardlaw Joanna M , Sprigg Nikola
Published: November 2018

Background

High blood pressure is common in acute stroke and associated with a worse functional outcome. Glyceryl trinitrate, a nitric oxide donor, lowers blood pressure in acute stroke and may improve outcome.

Aims

Rapid Intervention with Glyceryl trinitrate in Hypertensive stroke Trial-2 (RIGHT-2) tested the feasibility of performing a UK multicenter ambulance-based stroke trial, and the safety and efficacy of glyceryl trinitrate when administered by paramedics before hospital admission.

Methods

Paramedic-led ambulance-based multicenter prospective randomized single-blind blinded-endpoint parallel-group controlled trial of transdermal glyceryl trinitrate (given for four days) versus sham in patients with ultra-acute (<4 h) presumed stroke. Data are number (%), median (interquartile range) or mean (standard deviation).

Results

Recruitment ran from October 2015 to 31 May 2018. A total 1149 patients were recruited from eight UK ambulance services and taken to 54 acute hospitals. Baseline characteristics include: mean age 73 (15) years; female 555 (48%); median time from stroke to randomization 70 (45, 115) min; face-arm-speech scale score 2.6 (0.5); and blood pressure 162 (25)/92 (18) mmHg. The final diagnosis was ischemic stroke 52%, hemorrhagic stroke 13%, Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) 9%, and mimic 25%. The main trial results will be presented in quarter 4 2018. The results will also be included in updated Cochrane systematic reviews, and individual patient data meta-analyses of all relevant randomized controlled trials.

Conclusion

It was feasible to perform a multicenter ambulance-based ultra-acute stroke trial in the UK and to treat with glyceryl trinitrate versus sham. The relatively unselected cohort of stroke patients is broadly representative of those admitted to hospital in the UK.

Trial registration

ISRCTN26986053.