bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
‘I’m just curious and still exploring myself’: Young people and pornography
Authors: Attwood Feona , Smith Clarissa , Barker Martin
Published: March 2018

Young people’s encounters with sexual media are the subject of intense concern, but the research underpinning policy debate and public discussion rarely pays attention to the complexity of these. In this article, we show how encounters with pornography are increasingly presented as matters of health and well-being, but often from a standpoint of ‘exposure and effects’ that offers little in the way of understanding the significance of pornography in people’s lives. We consider what our recent research on porn consumption suggests about young people’s encounters and engagements with pornography – focusing on porn as an ‘outlet’, the development of porn tastes and the relation of porn to young people’s developing sex lives and imaginations. We argue that it is productive to understand pornography as a site for developing sexual identities and relationships, as a form of sexual leisure and play, and in relation to the broader emergence of mediated intimacies.
Challenging presentism in journalism studies: An emotional life history approach to understanding the lived experience of journalists
Authors: Wahl-Jorgensen Karin
Published: March 2018

This article argues that studying the emotional life histories of journalists will help us better understand the profound changes and challenges facing the profession. The article suggests that the field has been marked by ‘presentism’ and requires new tools and vocabularies for studying how transformations in journalism have shaped journalists as individuals and journalism as a professional identity over the longer term. It proposes that an emphasis on emotional life histories allows us to think differently about the big and recurring debates in the field by, (1) offering us a way of seeing historical transformations from the bottom up, on the basis of lived and embodied experience and (2) providing a vocabulary and a method for explaining changes in journalistic professionalism, practices, and self-understanding – including journalistic norms, role perceptions, identities, and news values.
Robust structural health monitoring under environmental and operational uncertainty with switching state-space autoregressive models
Authors: Liu Anthony , Wang Lazhi , Bornn Luke , Farrar Charles
Published: March 2018

Existing methods for structural health monitoring are limited due to their sensitivity to changes in environmental and operational conditions, which can obscure the indications of damage by introducing nonlinearities and other types of noise into the structural response. In this article, we introduce a novel approach using state-space probability models to infer the conditions underlying each time step, allowing the definition of a damage metric robust to environmental and operational variation. We define algorithms for training and prediction, describe how the algorithm can be applied in both the presence and absence of measurements for external conditions, and demonstrate the method’s performance on data acquired from a laboratory structure that simulates the effects of damage and environmental and operational variation on bridges.
Preschool attendance and school readiness for children of immigrant mothers in the United States
Authors: Lee RaeHyuck , Han Wen-Jui , Waldfogel Jane , Brooks-Gunn Jeanne
Published: March 2018

We examined the associations between preschool attendance and academic school readiness at kindergarten entry among 5-year-old children of immigrant mothers in the United States using data from a US nationally representative sample (Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Birth Cohort, N = 1650). Comparing children who were in preschool (Head Start, prekindergarten, or other center-based preschool) to children being cared for exclusively at home, analyses using both ordinary least squares regressions with rich controls and with propensity score weighting consistently showed that attending preschool was associated with higher reading and math skills. Analyses focused on specific type of preschool revealed that children attending prekindergarten (but not Head Start and other center-based preschool) had higher reading and math skills than those in parental care. Analyses focused on hours of preschool attendance indicated that children’s reading skills benefited from attending more than 20 hours per week of Head Start or prekindergarten. Attending preschool, especially for full days, increases the school readiness of children of immigrants.
In vivo inhibition of nuclear factor of activated T-cells leads to atherosclerotic plaque regression in IGF-II/LDLR–/–ApoB100/100 mice
Authors: Blanco Fabiana , Heinonen Suvi E , Gurzeler Erika , Berglund Lisa M , Dutius Andersson Anna-Maria , Kotova Olga , Jönsson-Rylander Ann-Cathrine , Ylä-Herttuala Seppo , Gomez Maria F
Published: March 2018

Aims:

Despite vast clinical experience linking diabetes and atherosclerosis, the molecular mechanisms leading to accelerated vascular damage are still unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of nuclear factor of activated T-cells inhibition on plaque burden in a novel mouse model of type 2 diabetes that better replicates human disease.

Methods & Results:

IGF-II/LDLR–/–ApoB100/100 mice were generated by crossbreeding low-density lipoprotein receptor–deficient mice that synthesize only apolipoprotein B100 (LDLR–/–ApoB100/100) with transgenic mice overexpressing insulin-like growth factor-II in pancreatic β cells. Mice have mild hyperglycaemia and hyperinsulinaemia and develop complex atherosclerotic lesions. In vivo treatment with the nuclear factor of activated T-cells blocker A-285222 for 4 weeks reduced atherosclerotic plaque area and degree of stenosis in the brachiocephalic artery of IGF-II/LDLR–/–ApoB100/100 mice, as assessed non-invasively using ultrasound biomicroscopy prior and after treatment, and histologically after termination. Treatment had no impact on plaque composition (i.e. muscle, collagen, macrophages). The reduced plaque area could not be explained by effects of A-285222 on plasma glucose, insulin or lipids. Inhibition of nuclear factor of activated T-cells was associated with increased expression of atheroprotective NOX4 and of the anti-oxidant enzyme catalase in aortic vascular smooth muscle cells.

Conclusion:

Targeting the nuclear factor of activated T-cells signalling pathway may be an attractive approach for the treatment of diabetic macrovascular complications.
A Bayesian basket trial design using a calibrated Bayesian hierarchical model
Authors: Chu Yiyi , Yuan Ying
Published: March 2018

Background:

The basket trial evaluates the treatment effect of a targeted therapy in patients with the same genetic or molecular aberration, regardless of their cancer types. Bayesian hierarchical modeling has been proposed to adaptively borrow information across cancer types to improve the statistical power of basket trials. Although conceptually attractive, research has shown that Bayesian hierarchical models cannot appropriately determine the degree of information borrowing and may lead to substantially inflated type I error rates.

Methods:

We propose a novel calibrated Bayesian hierarchical model approach to evaluate the treatment effect in basket trials. In our approach, the shrinkage parameter that controls information borrowing is not regarded as an unknown parameter. Instead, it is defined as a function of a similarity measure of the treatment effect across tumor subgroups. The key is that the function is calibrated using simulation such that information is strongly borrowed across subgroups if their treatment effects are similar and barely borrowed if the treatment effects are heterogeneous.

Results:

The simulation study shows that our method has substantially better controlled type I error rates than the Bayesian hierarchical model. In some scenarios, for example, when the true response rate is between the null and alternative, the type I error rate of the proposed method can be inflated from 10% up to 20%, but is still better than that of the Bayesian hierarchical model.

Limitation:

The proposed design assumes a binary endpoint. Extension of the proposed design to ordinal and time-to-event endpoints is worthy of further investigation.

Conclusion:

The calibrated Bayesian hierarchical model provides a practical approach to design basket trials with more flexibility and better controlled type I error rates than the Bayesian hierarchical model. The software for implementing the proposed design is available at http://odin.mdacc.tmc.edu/~yyuan/index_code.html
‘Helping our beneficiaries tell their own stories?’ International aid agencies and the politics of voice within news production
Authors: Wright Kate
Published: March 2018

International aid agencies often claim to give the poor and disenfranchised a voice by helping them tell their stories to others located far away. But how do aid workers conceptualize and operationalize a politics of voice within media production processes? How do ideas about giving voice to others shape aid agencies’ engagement with mainstream news organizations? This article explores two contrasting news production case studies which took place in South Sudan and Mali, involving Save the Children, Christian Aid and their local partners. It finds that different approaches to giving voice exist in aid work, creating tensions within and between agencies. In addition commercialized notions of value for money, the influence of mediated donor reporting, and aid workers’ weak understandings of linguistic and intercultural interpretation combined to make aid agencies’ values-in-action far less empowering than they assumed.
Use of functional respiratory imaging to characterize the effect of inhalation profile and particle size on lung deposition of inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting β2-agonists delivered via a pressurized metered-dose inhaler
Authors: Van Holsbeke Cedric , De Backer Jan , Vos Wim , Marshall Jonathan
Published: March 2018

Background:

Functional respiratory imaging (FRI) uses three-dimensional models of human lungs and computational fluid dynamics to simulate functional changes within airways and predict the deposition of inhaled drugs. This study used FRI to model the effects of different patient inhalation and drug formulation factors on lung deposition of an inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting β2-agonist (ICS/LABA) combination, administered by a pressurized metered-dose inhaler.

Methods:

Three-dimensional models of the lungs of six patients with asthma (mean forced expiratory volume in 1 s, 83%), treated with an ICS/LABA, were included. FRI modelling was used to simulate (1) the effects on lung deposition of inhalation duration and particle size [fine particle fraction (FPF), proportion of particles <5 µm; and mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD), average size of inhalable particles]; (2) deposition of fluticasone propionate/formoterol (FP/FORM) 125/5 µg; and (3) how inhalation profiles and flow rates affected FP/FORM deposition.

Results:

Total lung depositions (TLDs) following 1-, 3- and 5-s inhalations were 22.8%, 36.1% and 41.6% (metered dose), respectively, and central-to-peripheral deposition (C:P) ratios were 1.81, 0.86 and 0.61, respectively. TLD increased with increasing FPF, from ~8% at 10% FPF to ~36% at 40% FPF (metered dose); by contrast, MMAD had little effect on TLD, which was similar across MMADs (1.5–4.5 µm) at each FPF. FP/FORM deposited throughout central and peripheral airways with gradual (sinusoidal) and sharp (rapid) inhalations. TLD ranged from 35.8 to 44.0% (metered dose) for gradual and sharp inhalations at 30 and 60 L/min mean flow rates.

Conclusions:

These data provide important insights into the potential effects of inhalation characteristics (inhalation profile and duration) and aerosol formulation (FPF) on lung deposition of inhaled therapies. FRI thus represents a useful alternative to scintigraphy techniques. Future FRI studies will further our understanding of the deposition of inhaled drugs and help improve the management of asthma.
Understanding the relationship between ethics, neoliberalism and power as a step towards improving the health of people and our planet
Authors: Benatar Solomon , Upshur Ross , Gill Stephen
Published: March 2018

This article seeks to evaluate the ethical underpinnings of neoliberalism and its associated power relations, and to illustrate the influence of such relationships on the health of people and the planet in the so-called era of the Anthropocene. We seek to reveal the current ethical standing of neoliberalism, and to identify other ethical positions and power relations that could be more conducive to promoting peaceful progress in an era during which all future life on our planet will be increasingly threatened by several organically inter-linked, human-caused crises, including that of the Earth’s biosphere. We conclude that on a planet close to many tipping points, beyond which irreversible entropy may ensue, a shift is needed away from neoliberal and anthropocentric belief systems towards a more ecologically aware perspective on life. Fostering the ethics of greater cooperation, mutual respect, deeper democracy, solidarity and enhanced social justice could facilitate the development of sustainability as a maxim of wisdom and praxis. Ultimately however, such progress requires the transformation of political power, as well as policies that are grounded in new ethical commitments.
Does Getting Stigma Under the Skin Make It Thinner? Emotion Regulation as a Stress-Contingent Mediator of Stigma and Mental Health
Authors: Burton Charles L. , Wang Katie , Pachankis John E.
Published: March 2018

Emotion regulation deficits may link stigma to poor mental health, yet authors of existing studies have relied on self-reported stigma and have not considered contextual factors. In the present research, we examined associations among cultural stigma (i.e., objective devaluation of one’s stigmatized status), emotion regulation deficits, and poor mental health. In Study 1, we created an index of cultural stigma by asking members of the general public and stigma experts to indicate desired social distance toward 93 stigmatized attributes. In Study 2, emotion regulation deficits mediated the association between cultural stigma and adverse mental health outcomes, including depressive symptoms and alcohol use problems, among individuals endorsing diverse stigmatized identities. The indirect effect of cultural stigma, via emotion regulation, on these outcomes was stronger among those reporting more life stress. These findings highlight the adverse impact of cultural stigma on mental health and its role in potentiating stigmatized individuals’ susceptibility to general life stress.
RUNX transcription factors potentially control E-selectin expression in the bone marrow vascular niche in mice
Authors: Morita Ken , Tokushige Chieko , Maeda Shintaro , Kiyose Hiroki , Noura Mina , Iwai Atsushi , Yamada Maya , Kashiwazaki Gengo , Taniguchi Junichi , Bando Toshikazu , Hirata Masahiro , Kataoka Tatsuki R. , Nakahata Tatsutoshi , Adachi Souichi , Sugiyama Hiroshi , Kamikubo Yasuhiko
Published: March 2018

Key Points

RUNX transcription factors potentially transactivate E-selectin expression in the vascular niche. RUNX inhibitor disrupts engraftment of AML cells in the bone marrow, possibly by attenuating E-selectin expression.
Tension-dependent regulation of mammalian Hippo signaling through LIMD1
Authors: Ibar Consuelo , Kirichenko Elmira , Keepers Benjamin , Enners Edward , Fleisch Katelyn , Irvine Kenneth D.
Published: March 2018

Hippo signaling is regulated by biochemical and biomechanical cues that influence the cytoskeleton, but the mechanisms that mediate this have remained unclear. We show that all three mammalian Ajuba family proteins – AJUBA, LIMD1 and WTIP – exhibit tension-dependent localization to adherens junctions, and that both LATS family proteins, LATS1 and LATS2, exhibit an overlapping tension-dependent junctional localization. This localization of Ajuba and LATS family proteins is also influenced by cell density, and by Rho activation. We establish that junctional localization of LATS kinases requires LIMD1, and that LIMD1 is also specifically required for the regulation of LATS kinases and YAP1 by Rho. Our results identify a biomechanical pathway that contributes to regulation of mammalian Hippo signaling, establish that this occurs through tension-dependent LIMD1-mediated recruitment and inhibition of LATS kinases in junctional complexes, and identify roles for this pathway in both Rho-mediated and density-dependent regulation of Hippo signaling.
Concentration monitoring with near infrared chemical imaging in a tableting press
Authors: Dalvi Himmat , Fauteux-Lefebvre Clémence , Guay Jean-Maxime , Abatzoglou Nicolas , Gosselin Ryan
Published: March 2018

Monitoring powder potency and homogeneity is important in achieving real-time release testing in a continuous
tablet manufacturing operation. If quality related issues are encountered, monitoring powder potency inside a feed frame
offers a last opportunity to intervene in the process before tablet compression. Feed frame monitoring methods based on
near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy have been increasingly reported in recent years. New process analytical tools with the
potential of being deployed alone or in combination with NIR spectroscopy for feed frame monitoring are now available
commercially. The present study evaluated the potential of near infrared chemical imaging (NIR CI) for in-line monitoring of a
prototype pharmaceutical composition containing ascorbic acid (AA), microcrystalline cellulose and dicalcium phosphate.
NIR spectroscopy was the reference method. In-line calibration models based on partial least square regression were
developed and validated with a range of AA concentrations. The ability of NIR spectroscopy and NIR CI to predict
concentrations in test runs was ascertained both independently and in combination. NIR CI, with a single bandpass filter,
predicted AA concentrations—present at commercially relevant concentrations—with acceptable accuracy. Comparative
results showed that NIR CI has the potential for in-line monitoring of blend concentrations inside feed frames. In addition to
the advantage of increased sample size, it also has the potential to detect segregation inside feed frames.
Radically seeking social justice for children and survivors of abuse
Authors: Duckett Nora , Spandler Helen
Published: March 2018

This article explores the contribution of Liz Davies to the radical social work tradition in the UK. We describe two key aspects of Davies’s activism: her early mental health activism, supporting foundational organisations like the Mental Patients Union; and her child protection activism, promoting children’s rights and obtaining justice for victims and survivors of child abuse. We explore three critical debates specifically arising from her most sustained child protection work: debates about prevention and/or protection; the accusation of child abuse activism as moral panic; and the idea of the ‘heroic’ social work activist.
Effectiveness of surgical treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism with urolithiasis: correction of symptoms, laboratory parameters and stone-forming risk
Authors: Sergiyko Sergey V. , Rogozin Dmitriy S.
Published: March 2018

Background. Parathyroidectomy is the only effective method to improve the clinical and laboratory manifestations of the primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and reduce the risk of urinary calculi formation. However, there are controversies about the existence of renal form of PHPT and about the effectiveness of surgery with regard to the risk of stone formation.
Aims. To evaluate the effectiveness of PHPT surgical treatment in relation to clinical, laboratory parameters, as well as the risk of stone formation.
Materials and methods. In a prospective single-arm observation one-center nonrandomized study we included patients with PHPT in whom parathyroidectomy was performed in 2012–2015. We analyzed clinical and laboratory parameters before and after surgery in a period from 1 to 3 years.
Results. The study included 105 patients, of whom 35 (33.3%) had urolithiasis. Blood calcium after the surgery decreased from 2.72 mmol/l [2,56; 2,97] to 2,3 mmol/l [2,2; 2,35], p < 0.001. Blood calcium concentration decreased to normal values in all patients. Parathyroid hormone level decreased from 206 pg/ml [123; 347] to 72,8 pg/ml [30; 113], p < 0.001. Clinical symptoms questionnaire estmation decreased from 4 points [3; 6] to 2 points [1; 4], p < 0.001. In patients with urolithiasis clinical symptoms before treatment were more pronounced – 5 points [3; 7] vs. 4 points [3; 5] (p = 0.015) and decreased more significantly – by 3 points [2; 4] vs 2 points [1; 3]. The daily calcium urine excretion decreased from 11.4 mmol/day [8.9; 13.9] to 5.4 mmol/day [4.1; 6.8], p < 0.001. In 2 cases (5.7%; CI, 0.7–19.2%) we observed the progression of urolithiasis after surgery. The age of patients correlated with daily calcium urine excretion after surgery (r = 0.69; p = 0.028).
Conclusions. Parathyroidectomy normalizes blood calcium and parathyroid hormone, improves clinical symptoms and reduces the risk of stone formation.
Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea in young women after 6.5 years of therapy giant prolactinoma with Cabergolin
Authors: Astafyeva Ludmila I. , Kadashev Boris A. , Kalinin Pavel L. , Kutin Maxim A. , Sidneva Yuliya G. , Ismailov Denilbek B. , Chernov Ilya V. , Yatsenko Dina A. , Dzeranova Larisa K.
Published: March 2018

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak is a rare complication in of the prolactinomas treatment with dopamine agonists. In most cases CSF leak develops within the first three months of treatment starting. The article presents a rare clinical case – later development of CSF leak after pharmacological treatment of giant prolactinoma. Women 29 years with giant endo-supra-infra-laterasellar pituitary adenoma (8,7 cm in diameter), visual impairment, cachexia, secondary amenorrhea and prolactin level more than 2 million 200 thousand mU/l treated with cabergoline. On this background, complete regression of the tumor, recovery of visual function, body mass and normalization of prolactin level was marked. Nevertheless, after 6.5 years after beginning of cabergoline therapy CSF leak occured, which required endoscopic endonasal surgery with the plastic of a CSF fistula. All patients with large and giant prolactinomas which invade into skull base structures, receiving cabergoline even for a long time, should be aware of the possibility of such complications as CSF leak and, if necessary, should urgent appeals to the otolaryngologist and the neurosurgeon. In this case closure of skull base defect is a main tactics of treatment.
Biobanking in oncology and radiology
Authors: Roumiantsev Pavel O. , Mudunov Ali M.
Published: March 2018

The first biobank in Russia was created in 1998 to investigate post-Chernobyl thyroid tumors. The number of biobanks in the world is growing. Infrastructure and collaboration are improving. Ethical, legal and methodological guidelines for biobanking have been developed and are regularly reviewed. Biobanking objects are now not only biological samples of patients but also their dynamic biomedical characteristics. Comparison of genetics, proteome and tumour metabolism and in vivo radiological visualization is necessary to improve personalized diagnostics, treatment and its effectiveness. The article focuses on international evidence-based experience of sample preparation and cryopreservation of biological samples, information logistics, and integration solutions in biobanking. Guiding principles and the model of a modern biobank, integrating up-to-date technologies of digital personalized medicine and telemedicine in oncology and radiology are reported. The article may be of interest to a wide range of experts in biomedicine, especially oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, geneticists, and IT specialists.
Radionuclide imaging and therapy in patients with neuroendocrine tumors
Authors: Baranova Olga D. , Roumiantsev Pavel O. , Slashchuk Konstantin Y. , Petrov Leonid O.
Published: March 2018

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are heterogeneous group of the tumors that arise from the enterochromaffin cells of the diffuse neuroendocrine system and occurr in 0.5% of all neoplasms. Recently there has been a significant increase in the incidence of neuroendocrine tumors, which is undoubtedly associated with the improvement of diagnostic methods. However, despite significant success in studying the biological and molecular mechanisms of its behavior, a single algorithm for the diagnosis and treatment of neuroendocrine tumors remains unclear today. Treatment of neuroendocrine tumors largely depends on their functional status and the stage of the disease. While the treatment of localized NETs is surgical resection, varieties of therapeutic options are available for patients with advanced NETs. These include medical control of excess hormone levels and associated symptoms, cytoreductive surgery for patients with advanced disease, systemic chemotherapy, somatostatin analogues, and peptide receptor-targeted radionuclide therapy. However, the right choice of the therapeutic approach in current clinical practice in heterogeneous group of patients with neuroendocrine tumors requires further discussion.
Preliminary investigation of the materials and techniques used in a decorated wooden stick of king Tutankhamun
Authors: Abdrabou Ahmed , Abdallah Medhat , Nabil Eman , Matsuda Yasunari , Kamal Hussein M.
Published: March 2018

The focus of this work is to shed more light on materials and decorating techniques used on a decorated wooden stick of king Tutankhamun. Moreover, the authors were interested in using a developed methodology to unfold the cylindrical decorations of the stick. The botanical species of the wood and bark samples were identified by observing thin sections under an optical transmission light microscope; the decorating materials layered on the wood surface were analyzed by scientific and analytical techniques including optical microscopy (OM), environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The analyses provided new information concerning the materials and decorating techniques that varied from top to bottom of the same stick. The characterization of this stick represents a first step in determining the materials and decorating techniques used to produce this particular kind of sticks during king’s Tutankhamun period.
Social networking sites and learning in international relations: The impact of platforms
Authors: Pallas Josh , Eidenfalk Joakim , Engel Susan
Published: March 2018

This article reports on a pilot undergraduate subject that incorporated a range of technology-enhanced learning approaches including online lectures, an online site for in and out of class communications, and strong encouragement for students to blog and use Twitter. This paper evaluates student engagement through the social networking sites (SNS), focusing on the online communication and content platform. We examine whether changing from an educationally oriented SNS platform to Facebook impacted on student engagement and feedback. To achieve this, both empirical data and qualitative student feedback were used.
GoSoapBox in public health tertiary education: A student response system for improving learning experiences and outcomes
Authors: Carroll Julie-Anne , Sankupellay Mangalam , Rodgers Jess , Newcomb Michelle , Cook Roger
Published: March 2018

Most pedagogical literature has generated “how to” approaches regarding the use of student response systems (SRS). There are currently no systematic reviews on the effectiveness of SRS, for its capacity to enhance critical thinking, and achieve sustained learning outcomes. This paper addresses this current gap in knowledge. Our teaching team introduced GoSoapBox (an interactive online SRS) in an undergraduate sociology and public health subject, as a mechanism for discussing controversial topics, such as sexuality, gender, economics, religion, and politics, to allow students to interact with each other and to generate discussions and debates during lectures. Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (SLT) was applied to investigate the effectiveness of GoSoapBox for improving learning experiences. We produced a theoretical model via an iterative analytical process between SLT and our data. This model has implications for all academics considering the use of SRS to improve the learning experiences of their students.
Systematic literature review on self-regulated learning in massive open online courses
Authors: Lee Daeyeoul , Watson Sunnie Lee , Watson William R
Published: March 2018

Despite arguments about the importance of self-regulated learning (SRL) in massive open online courses (MOOCs) (Terras & Ramsay, 2015), understanding of the topic is limited. This study offers a systematic review of empirical research on SRL in MOOCs. It revealed that the body of literature on SRL in MOOCs has grown from 2014 to 2016. The content analysis findings show that SRL was a factor positively influencing learning in MOOCs. SRL strategies were identified, including motivational regulation strategies, specifically self-efficacy, task value, and goal setting. Particular cognitive regulation strategies were not identified, and goal setting was found as a metacognitive regulation strategy. Regarding behavioural and contextual regulation strategies, help seeking, time management, and effort regulation were identified. In addition, several MOOC designs and SRL interventions that consider unique characteristics of MOOCs were proposed to promote SRL. Implications of these findings and future research are discussed.
Exploring self-regulated learning choices in a customisable learning pathway MOOC
Authors: Crosslin Matt
Published: March 2018

Open online courses provide a unique opportunity to examine learner preferences in an environment that removes several pressures associated with traditional learning. This mixed methods study sought to examine the pathways that learners will create for themselves when given the choice between an instructor-directed modality and learner-directed modality. Study participants were first examined based on their levels of self-regulated learning. Follow-up qualitative interviews were conducted to examine the choices that participants made, the impact of the course design on those choices, and what role self-regulation played in the process. The resulting analysis revealed that participants desired an overall learning experience that was tailored to personal learning preferences, but that technical and design limitations can create barriers in the learning experience. The results from this research can help shape future instructional design efforts that wish to increase learner agency and choice in the educational process
Stop! Grammar time: University students’ perceptions of the automated feedback program Grammarly
Authors: ONeill Ruth , Russell Alex
Published: March 2018

Universities are increasingly looking towards online technology to assist their students. Grammarly advertises itself as the world’s most accurate online grammar checker, yet little research exists on its performance as a feedback tool in universities. This paper reports on a study investigating students’ perceptions of Grammarly when used in conjunction with advice from an academic learning advisor. Using a mixed methods sequential explanatory design, the study compared one group of students’ responses to the feedback they received from Grammarly (n = 54) with another group’s responses to the traditional non-automated grammar feedback they received from the Academic Learning Centre at CQUniversity (n = 42). Results show that students receiving feedback from Grammarly responded more positively to 9 of the 15 survey items and were significantly more satisfied with the grammar advice that they received compared with non-Grammarly students. No significant differences were registered between cohorts or delivery mode, which suggests that Grammarly can be used effectively by academic learning advisors to provide grammar support for both international and domestic students, online and on campus. It is recommended, however, that the program be used in conjunction with academic learning advisor input as the program is currently not accurate enough for independent use to be justified.
Developmental milestones at one year for the offspring of mothers with congenital hypothyroidism: a population-based study
Authors: Léger Juliane , Forhan Anne , Dos Santos Sophie , Larroque Béatrice , Ecosse Emmanuel , Charles Marie-Aline , Heude Barbara
Published: March 2018

Objective

Maternal thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy is associated with neurodevelopmental impairment in the offspring. No data are currently available for the offspring of patients treated early for congenital hypothyroidism (CH). The aim of this study was to investigate motor and language milestones at one year of age in a population-based registry of children born to young women with CH.

Design and methods

We assessed 110 children born to mothers with CH, and 1367 children from the EDEN French population-based birth cohort study prospectively, at the age of one year, with identical questionnaires. Outcomes were assessed in terms of scores for childhood developmental milestones relating to mobility, motor coordination, communication, motricity and language skills.

Results

After adjustment for confounding factors, children born to mothers with CH were found to have a higher risk of poor motor coordination than those of the EDEN cohort (OR: 4.18, 95% CI: 2.52–6.93). No differences were identified for the other four domains investigated. Children born to mothers with gestational diabetes have a higher risk of low motor coordination score than their peers (OR: 2.10, 95% CI: 1.21–3.66). Children born to mothers with TSH ≥ 10 IU/L during the first six months of pregnancy were more likely to have low motricity or communication skills scores than those born to mothers with lower TSH concentrations (56% vs 21% for each score, P < 0.04).

Conclusions

Maternal CH may have slight adverse effects on some developmental milestones in the child at one year of age, particularly for children born to mothers with uncontrolled hypothyroidism. However, it remains unclear whether these adverse effects modify subsequent neurodevelopment.
Safety and convenience of once-weekly somapacitan in adult GH deficiency: a 26-week randomized, controlled trial
Authors: Johannsson Gudmundur , Feldt-Rasmussen Ulla , Håkonsson Ida Holme , Biering Henrik , Rodien Patrice , Tahara Shigeyuki , Toogood Andrew , Rasmussen Michael Højby , _ _ , _ _ , Biering Henrik , Karges Wolfram , Mann Alexander , Christiansen Jens Sandahl , Hansen Troels Krarup , Andersen Marianne , Feldt-Rasmussen Ulla , Borresen Sine , Rodien Patrice , Borson-Chazot Françoise , Kerlan Véronique , Cariou Bertrand , Verges Bruno , Tahara Shigeyuki , Matsuno Akira , Takano Koji , Tagami Tetsuya , Takahashi Yutaka , Takahashi Toshikazu , Yamamoto Masahiro , Johannsson Gudmundur , Höybye Charlotte , Erfurth Eva-Marie , Drake William , Higham Claire , Murray Robert , Toogood Andrew , Brooke Antonia
Published: March 2018

Objective

Somapacitan is a reversible albumin-binding growth hormone (GH) derivative, developed for once-weekly administration. This study aimed to evaluate the safety of once-weekly somapacitan vs once-daily Norditropin®. Local tolerability and treatment satisfaction were also assessed.

Design

26-week randomized, controlled phase 3 safety and tolerability trial in six countries (Nbib2382939).

Methods

Male or female patients aged 18–79 years with adult GH deficiency (AGHD), treated with once-daily GH for ≥6 months, were randomized to once-weekly somapacitan (n = 61) or once-daily Norditropin (n = 31) administered subcutaneously by pen. Both treatments were dose titrated for 8 weeks to achieve insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) standard deviation score (SDS) levels within the normal range, and then administered at a fixed dose. Outcome measures were adverse events (AEs), including injection site reactions; occurrence of anti-somapacitan/anti-GH antibodies and change in treatment satisfaction, assessed using the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication-9 (TSQM-9).

Results

Mean IGF-I SDS remained between 0 and 2 SDS throughout the trial in both groups. AEs were mostly mild or moderate and transient in nature. The most common AEs were nasopharyngitis, headache and fatigue in both groups. More than 1500 somapacitan injections were administered and no clinically significant injection site reactions were reported. No anti-somapacitan or anti-GH antibodies were detected. The TSQM-9 score for convenience increased significantly more with somapacitan vs Norditropin (P = 0.0171).

Conclusions

In this 26-week trial in patients with AGHD, somapacitan was well tolerated and no safety issues were identified. Once-weekly somapacitan was reported to be more convenient than once-daily Norditropin.
Phenotypic spectrum and responses to recombinant human IGF1 (rhIGF1) therapy in patients with homozygous intronic pseudoexon growth hormone receptor mutation
Authors: Chatterjee Sumana , Shapiro Lucy , Rose Stephen J , Mushtaq Talat , Clayton Peter E , Ten Svetlana B , Bhangoo Amrit , Kumbattae Uma , Dias Renuka , Savage Martin O , Metherell Louise A , Storr Helen L
Published: March 2018

Background

Patients with homozygous intronic pseudoexon GH receptor (GHR) mutations (6Ψ) have growth hormone insensitivity (GHI) (growth failure, IGF1 deficiency and normal/elevated serum GH). We report 9 patients in addition to previously described 11 GHR 6Ψ patients and their responses to rhIGF1 therapy.

Methods

20 patients (12 males, 11 families, mean age 4.0 ± 2.2 years) were diagnosed genetically in our centre. Phenotypic data and responses to rhIGF1 treatment were provided by referring clinicians. Continuous parametric variables were compared using Student t-test or ANOVA.

Results

10/20 (50%) had typical facial features of GHI, 19/20 (95%) from consanguineous families and 18/20 (90%) of Pakistani origin. At diagnosis, mean height SDS: −4.1 ± 0.95, IGF1 SDS: −2.8 ± 1.4; IGFBP3 SDS: −3.0 ± 2.1 and mean basal and peak GH levels: 11.9 µg/L and 32.9 µg/L, respectively. 1/12 who had IGF1 generation test, responded (IGF1: 132–255 ng/mL). 15/20 (75%; 11M) received rhIGF1 (mean dose: 114 µg/kg twice daily, mean duration: 5.3 ± 2.5 years). Mean baseline height velocity of 4.7 ± 1.1 cm/year increased to 7.4 ± 1.8 cm/year (P = 0.001) during year 1 of therapy. Year 3 mean height SDS (−3.2 ± 1.0) was higher than pre-treatment height SDS (−4.3 ± 0.8) (P = 0.03). Mean cumulative increase in height SDS after year 5 was 1.4 ± 0.9. Difference between target height (TH) SDS and adult or latest height SDS was less than that of TH SDS and pre-treatment height SDS (2.1 ± 1.2 vs 3.0 ± 0.8; P = 0.02).

Conclusion

In addition to phenotypic heterogeneity in the cohort, there was mismatch between clinical and biochemical features in individual patients with 6Ψ GHR mutations. rhIGF1 treatment improved height outcomes.
Monitoring uterine contractility in mice using a transcervical intrauterine pressure catheter
Authors: Robuck Michael F , O’Brien Christine M , Knapp Kelsi M , Shay Sheila D , West James D , Newton J M , Slaughter James C , Paria Bibhash C , Reese Jeff , Herington Jennifer L
Published: March 2018

In mouse models used to study parturition or pre-clinical therapeutic testing, measurement of uterine contractions is limited to eitherex vivoisometric tension or operative intrauterine pressure (IUP). The goal of this study was to: (1) develop a method for transcervical insertion of a pressure catheter to measurein vivointrauterine contractile pressure during mouse pregnancy, (2) determine whether this method can be utilized numerous times in a single mouse pregnancy without affecting the timing of delivery or fetal outcome and (3) compare thein vivocontractile activity between mouse models of term and preterm labor (PTL). Visualization of the cervix allowed intrauterine pressure catheter (IUPC) placement into anesthetized pregnant mice (plug = day 1, delivery = day 19.5). The amplitude, frequency, duration and area under the curve (AUC) of IUP was lowest on days 16–18, increased significantly (P < 0.05) on the morning of day 19 and reached maximal levels during by the afternoon of day 19 and into the intrapartum period. An AUC threshold of 2.77 mmHg discriminated between inactive labor (day 19 am) and active labor (day 19 pm and intrapartum period). Mice examined on a single vs every experimental timepoint did not have significantly different IUP, timing of delivery, offspring number or fetal/neonatal weight. The IUP was significantly greater in LPS-treated and RU486-treated mouse models of PTL compared to time-matched vehicle control mice. Intrapartum IUP was not significantly different between term and preterm mice. We conclude that utilization of a transcervical IUPC allows sensitive assessment ofin vivouterine contractile activity and labor progression in mouse models without the need for operative approaches.
Contribuciones del derecho y el psicoanálisis sobre la memoria y el olvido en el postconflicto colombiano*
Authors: García Manjarrés Judith Elena , Mass Torres Leonardo Rafael
Published: March 2018

El postconflicto colombiano por su indiscutible trascendencia, ocupa el interés entre otros, del Derecho y la Política, que han buscado respuestas al mismo, basándose en las regularizaciones que permite la Ley como la denominada Justicia Transicional dentro del marco del Derecho Internacional Humanitario y los Derechos Humanos. Esto ha adquirido un compromiso con el lugar que la memoria y el olvido ocupan para la reparación del conflicto armado: el legado de una memoria social que permita a sus protagonistas poder significar de un modo diferente los estragos de la guerra. Ahora bien, se propone que la memoria y el olvido son funciones que también trascienden el marco legal y jurídico, en tanto integran la vida psíquica del sujeto. Es por esto que el psicoanálisis como disciplina que atiende la singularidad que define a cada sujeto en la clínica, puede comprender el impacto que en la subjetividad ha tenido elconflicto armado. Para lo anterior se realizó una atenta revisión teórica y conceptual desde el campo del Derecho y el Psicoanálisis sobre las relaciones que la memoria y el olvido guardan con las leyes jurídicas y la vida psíquica: si para el Derecho la memoria se propone como un derechoprimordial amparado por la Ley, el Psicoanálisis, por su parte, promueve que el sujeto puede hacerse responsable con su memoria de aquello que ha olvidado subjetivamente.
Gestalt y Heterodoxia: un cambio proactivo aplicable en la praxis investigativa universitaria
Authors: Carvajal Beatriz Carolina
Published: March 2018

La pesquisa que da origen a este artículo, está soportada en la propia experiencia en el área de sistemas humanos, específicamente en el estudio del quehacer investigativo y la gestión del conocimiento universitario latinoamericano. De esa experiencia previa, se desprende la premisa: el contexto cambiante exige a las universidades respuestas basadas en un enfoque vanguardista para comprender e interpretar los hechos sociales y naturales. El objetivo que fundamenta este reporte es proponer estrategias de acción creativas en el quehacer investigativo para el reciclaje de los métodos de investigación, y así, generar una praxis proactiva, gestáltica y heterodoxa. Los métodos aplicados fueron la investigación documental y la reflexión hermenéutica. Se tomó una muestra intencional y se realizaron entrevistas a informantes clave proveniente de diversas universidades e institutos de investigación latinoamericanos y que están afiliados a una de estas redes: 1) Red para la Difusión Científica y Humanística Heterodoxias y 2) Red de Estudios Organizacionales en América Latina, el Caribe e Iberoamérica. Como soporte teórico se reflexiona con base en los constructos de Gestalt (Perls, 1977; Moreau, 1999; Vázquez-Badin, 2010) y de Heterodoxia (Savater y Villena, 1989; Carvajal, 2010a). Se concluye que el cambio proactivo aplicable en la praxis investigativa universitaria, supone la responsabilidad, el compromiso y el liderazgo del investigador universitario como agente transformacional, lo cualconlleva a la revalorización de la vinculación universidad-sector socio productivo, y demanda la innovación, la creatividad y la recreación permanentemente de los métodos de investigación usados para comprender e interpretar la realidad desde la heterodoxia y la totalidad.
Intencionalidad y ausencia en El Ser y La Nada de Jean-Paul Sartre
Authors: Yepes Muñoz Wilfer Alexis
Published: March 2018

Esta reflexión rehúnde sus raíces en la tensión original de la conciencia con su correlato, esto es, de la conciencia como conciencia de algo. Sobre este pilar de la fenomenología husserliana, Sartre construye las estructuras del para-sí que, en la segunda y en la tercera parte de El ser y la nada, enmarcan esa tensión entre la nada humana como para-sí y el en-sí como ser macizo. Esa conciencia, por tanto, pasará a ser una conciencia de nada como conciencia refleja, permitiendo que se instaure en esa relación ontológica con el ser una ausencia en la comprensión total de la condición humana. En esta perspectiva se construirá una ontología del obrar humano como construcción de un ser personal siempre aplazado, es decir, ausente. Esta reflexión pretende, por tanto, una lectura del texto que vincule la intencionalidad como pilar de la fenomenología con el concepto de ausencia como componente subyacente a la tensión en-sí−para-sí. El texto se divide en tres momentos: la nada, la ausencia y el ser; la ausencia como negatividad creadora; y el obrar ontológico.
Factores de riesgo en los espacios fronterizos colombianos: amenaza latente para la seguridad y consolidación territorial
Authors: Vargas Granados Laura Natalia
Published: March 2018

Cuando se hace un análisis sobre las dinámicas fronterizas en América Latina, es necesario tener en cuenta dos particularidades propias de la región. En primer lugar, las capitales, los centros de poder y las instancias políticas donde se toman las decisiones, se encuentran alejadas de las zonas fronterizas, razón por la cual, la mayoría de las decisiones y, por consiguiente, las políticas públicas no responden a las necesidades y requerimientos de estas regiones. En segundo lugar, persiste una diversidad poblacional que complejiza los procesos de integración y desarrollo fronterizo. Así se ha concluido para la frontera de Colombia con Venezuela y Perú, las cuales serán el objeto de estudio del presente documento.