bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and Validation of an Automated Algorithm to Detect Atrial Fibrillation Within Stored Intensive Care Unit Continuous Electrocardiographic Data: Observational Study (Preprint)
Authors: Walkey Allan J , Bashar Syed K , Hossain Md Billal , Ding Eric , Albuquerque Daniella , Winter Michael , Chon Ki H , McManus David D
Published: March 2020

BACKGROUND

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia during critical illness, representing a sepsis-defining cardiac dysfunction associated with adverse outcomes. Large burdens of premature beats and noisy signal during sepsis may pose unique challenges to automated AF detection.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is to develop and validate an automated algorithm to accurately identify AF within electronic health care data among critically ill patients with sepsis.

METHODS

This is a retrospective cohort study of patients hospitalized with sepsis identified from Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC III) electronic health data with linked electrocardiographic (ECG) telemetry waveforms. Within 3 separate cohorts of 50 patients, we iteratively developed and validated an automated algorithm that identifies ECG signals, removes noise, and identifies irregular rhythm and premature beats in order to identify AF. We compared the automated algorithm to current methods of AF identification in large databases, including ICD-9 (International Classification of Diseases, 9th edition) codes and hourly nurse annotation of heart rhythm. Methods of AF identification were tested against gold-standard manual ECG review.

RESULTS

AF detection algorithms that did not differentiate AF from premature atrial and ventricular beats performed modestly, with 76% (95% CI 61%-87%) accuracy. Performance improved (P=.02) with the addition of premature beat detection (validation set accuracy: 94% [95% CI 83%-99%]). Median time between automated and manual detection of AF onset was 30 minutes (25th-75th percentile 0-208 minutes). The accuracy of ICD-9 codes (68%; P=.002 vs automated algorithm) and nurse charting (80%; P=.02 vs algorithm) was lower than that of the automated algorithm.

CONCLUSIONS

An automated algorithm using telemetry ECG data can feasibly and accurately detect AF among critically ill patients with sepsis, and represents an improvement in AF detection within large databases.
Arrhythmia Diagnosis through ECG Signal Classification Using A Hybrid CNN-LSTM Model: Comparison with current Deep Learning Approaches (Preprint)
Authors: Maglaveras Nicos , Petmezas Georgios , Kilintzis Vassilis , Stefanopoulos Leandros , Tzavelis Andreas , Rogers John A , Katsaggelos Aggelos K
Published: March 2020

BACKGROUND

Electrocardiogram (ECG) recording and interpretation is the most common method used for the diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias, nonetheless this process requires significant expertise and effort from the doctors’ perspective. Automated ECG signal classification could be a useful technique for the accurate detection and classification of several types of arrhythmias within a short timeframe.

OBJECTIVE

To review current approaches using state-of-the-art CNNs and deep learning methodologies in arrhythmia detection via ECG feature classification techniques and propose an optimised architecture capable of different types of arrhythmia diagnosis using publicly existing annotated arrhythmia databases from the MIT-BIH databases available at PHYSIONET (physionet.org) .

METHODS

A hybrid CNN-LSTM deep learning model is proposed to classify beats derived from two large ECG databases. The approach is proposed after a systematic review of current AI/DL methods applied in different types of arrhythmia diagnosis using the same public MIT-BIH databases. In the proposed architecture the CNN part carries out feature extraction and dimensionality reduction, and the LSTM part performs classification of the encoded ECG beat signals.

RESULTS

In experimental studies conducted with the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia and the MIT-BIH Atrial Fibrillation Databases average accuracies of 96.82% and 96.65% were noted respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The proposed system can be used for arrhythmia diagnosis in clinical and mHealth applications managing a number of prevalent arrhythmias such as VT, AFIB, LBBB etc. The capability of CNNs to reduce the ECG beat signal’s size and extract its main features can be effectively combined with the LSTMs’ capability to learn the temporal dynamics of the input data for the accurate and automatic recognition of several types of cardiac arrhythmias.

CLINICALTRIAL

Not applicable.
Conducting Clinical Research During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Investigator and Participant Perspectives (Preprint)
Authors: Padala Prasad R , Jendro Ashlyn M , Padala Kalpana P
Published: March 2020

UNSTRUCTURED

As the medical landscape changes daily with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, clinical researchers are caught off-guard and are forced to make decisions on research visits in their ongoing clinical trials. Although there is some guidance from local and national organizations, the principal investigator (PI) is ultimately responsible for determining the risk-benefit ratio of conducting, rescheduling, or cancelling each research visit. The PI should take into consideration the ethical principles of research, local/national guidance, the community risk of the pandemic in their locale, staffing strain, and the risk involved to each participant, to ultimately decide on the course of action. While balancing the rights and protection of the human subject, we seldom examine patients’ views and opinions about their scheduled research visit(s).
This article discusses the ethical principles of beneficence and autonomy in helping the decision-making process. We discuss ways to weigh-in local and national guidance, staffing strain, and institutional support into the decision-making process and outline potential changes needed for regulatory bodies depending on the decision. Further, we discuss the need to weigh-in the individual risk-benefit ratio for each participant and present a decision tree to navigate this complex process. Finally, we examine participant and caregiver perspectives on their fears, sense of preparedness, and factors that they consider before deciding whether to keep or postpone the research appointments. This entry also provides PIs ways to support their research participants in both scenarios, including provision of psychological support.
Trajectories of Serum Sodium on In-Hospital and 1-Year Survival among Hospitalized Patients
Authors: Chewcharat Api , Thongprayoon Charat , Cheungpasitporn Wisit , Mao Michael A. , Thirunavukkarasu Sorkko , Kashani Kianoush B.
Published: March 2020

Background and objectives

This study aimed to investigate the association between in-hospital trajectories of serum sodium and risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality in patients in hospital.

Design, setting, participants, & measurements

This is a single-center cohort study. All adult patients who were hospitalized from years 2011 through 2013 who had available admission serum sodium and at least three serum sodium measurements during hospitalization were included. The trend of serum sodium during hospitalization was analyzed using group-based trajectory modeling; the five main trajectories were grouped as follows: (1) stable normonatremia, (2) uncorrected hyponatremia, (3) borderline high serum sodium, (4) corrected hyponatremia, and (5) fluctuating serum sodium. The outcome of interest was in-hospital mortality and 1-year mortality. Stable normonatremia was used as the reference group for outcome comparison.

Results

A total of 43,539 patients were analyzed. Of these, 47% had stable normonatremia, 15% had uncorrected hyponatremia, 31% had borderline high serum sodium, 3% had corrected hyponatremia, and 5% had fluctuating serum sodium trajectory. In adjusted analysis, there was a higher in-hospital mortality among those with uncorrected hyponatremia (odds ratio [OR], 1.33; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.67), borderline high serum sodium (OR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.38 to 2.00), corrected hyponatremia (OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.02 to 2.20), and fluctuating serum sodium (OR, 4.61; 95% CI, 3.61 to 5.88), compared with those with the normonatremia trajectory. One-year mortality was higher among those with uncorrected hyponatremia (hazard ratio [HR], 1.28; 95% CI, 1.19 to 1.38), borderline high serum sodium (HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.26), corrected hyponatremia (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.42), and fluctuating serum sodium (HR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.89 to 2.33) compared with those with the normonatremia trajectory.

Conclusions

More than half of patients who had been hospitalized had an abnormal serum sodium trajectory during hospitalization. This study demonstrated that not only the absolute serum sodium levels but also their in-hospital trajectories were significantly associated with in-hospital and 1-year mortality. The highest in-hospital and 1-year mortality risk was associated with the fluctuating serum sodium trajectory.

Podcast

This article contains a podcast at https://www.asn-online.org/media/podcast/CJASN/2020_03_25_CJN.12281019.mp3
Indigenous Community Development Practices as a Substratum in Designing Poverty Alleviation Policies for Ghana: Lessons from South Korea’s Saemaul Movement
Authors: Ofosu-Anim Duke O. , Back Seung-Hee
Published: March 2020

Saemaul Movement was a community-based rural poverty alleviation policy of South Korea in the 1970s which contributed to ending poverty in rural communities. Its success can be attributed to how Koreans made use of indigenous community practices in policy design. The objective of the research was to evaluate the adaptation of Saemaul in Ghana, focusing on similarities in economic conditions and indigenous practices. The research utilised literature, interviews, and observations as the basis of methodology. The research findings revealed that the rural economic conditions in South Korea before Saemaul Movement was introduced was very similar to Ghana’s current rural economic indicators, which presents a reliable basis for comparative analysis on adaptation of Saemaul Movement in Ghana. Interviewees made a case for replicability of SM in Ghana. The results point to the existence of many similar indigenous rural community development practices which are prevalent in both case countries, and a possibility of developing poverty alleviation policies in Ghana based on existing indigenous practices as evidenced in the South Korean Saemaul Movement case. The researchers conclude that for poverty alleviation policies to work in Ghana, efforts in policy design must be based on utilising existing indigenous practices of rural communities.
Why is the Capital Market Opening up and Stock Price Linkage?—Empirical Research Based on “Land-Hong Kong Stock Connect”
Authors: Yuxi Ji
Published: March 2020

Based on the quarterly data of all A-share listed companies from 2011 to 2019, this article uses the multi period double difference model to explore the causes and transmission mechanism of the linkage effect of the stock prices of the two cities after the implementation of the “Land-Hong Kong Stock Connect”. The results show that: first, after the implementation of “Land-Hong Kong Stock Connect”, the degree of herd behavior of domestic investors as a whole becomes higher, and the larger the company scale is, the higher the degree of herd behavior of investors is; secondly, after the implementation of “Land-Hong Kong Stock Connect”, all listed companies have the behavior of internal investors imitating external investors, especially small and medium-sized companies; finally, from the overall sample From the point of view, the imitation behavior of internal investors is indeed conducted through the investor network, but it is divided into three categories: large, medium and small companies. Only the imitation transmission path of large companies is the investor network, and small and medium companies do not realize the imitation behavior through the network. The research of this article is helpful to appeal for rational investment of investors and provide empirical evidence support for further opening of capital market.
AUTOMATIC GENERATION OF THE PLC PROGRAMS FOR THE SEQUENTIAL CONTROL OF PNEUMATIC ACTUATORS
Authors: Blagojević Vladislav , Ranđelović Saša , Nikolić Vlastimir , Dudić Slobodan
Published: March 2020

Nowadays, programmable logic controllers (PLC) are widely used in many automated systems, especially for the control of various actuators. The most common PLC programming is performed by either using a ladder diagram or a structured text. The paper presents the automatic generation of PLC programs for the purpose of sequentially controlling pneumatic actuators. In this paper, the pneumatic actuators are supplied and controlled by 5/2-way as well as 5/3-way bistable pneumatic valves with electric activation. The valve type depends on the number of positions in which the actuator should come, and the position sensors are used for detecting its movement. The characteristic encoding of the movement of actuators, position sensors and control commands is performed. The advantages of the automatic generation of the PLC commands and the entire program described in this paper are illustrated in a real example.
ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK APPLICATION FOR THE TEMPORAL PROPERTIES OF ACOUSTIC PERCEPTION
Authors: Simonović Miloš , Kovandžić Marko , Nikolić Vlastimir , Stojčić Mihajlo , Knežević Darko
Published: March 2020

Though acoustic perception is well established in literature, it seems to be insufficiently implemented in practice. Experimental results are excellent but a lot of issues arise when it comes to the application in real conditions. Using artificial neural networks makes acoustic signal processing very comfortable from the mathematical point of view. However, a great job has to be done in order to make it possible. The procedure includes data acquisition, filtering, feature extraction and selection. These techniques require much more resources than mere artificial neural networks and this represents a limiting factor for the implementation. The paper investigates the complete procedure of acoustic perception, in terms of time, in order to identify limitations.
INTELLIGENT MACHINE VISION BASED RAILWAY INFRASTRUCTURE INSPECTION AND MONITORING USING UAV
Authors: Banić Milan , Miltenović Aleksandar , Pavlović Milan , Ćirić Ivan
Published: March 2020

Traditionally, railway inspection and monitoring are considered a crucial aspect of the system and are done by human inspectors. Rapid progress of the machine vision-based systems enables automated and autonomous rail track detection and railway infrastructure monitoring and inspection with flexibility and ease of use. In recent years, several prototypes of vision based inspection system have been proposed, where most have various vision sensors mounted on locomotives or wagons. This paper explores the usage of the UAVs (drones) in railways and computer vision based monitoring of railway infrastructure. Employing drones for such monitoring systems enables more robust and reliable visual inspection while providing a cost effective and accurate means for monitoring of the tracks. By means of a camera placed on a drone the images of the rail tracks and the railway infrastructure are taken. On these images, the edge and feature extraction methods are applied to determine the rails. The preliminary obtained results are promising.
Intrinsic Elements and Moral Values in Novel Tarian Bumi Karya Oka Rusmini (2007)
Authors: Andari Ni Wayan Yuli
Published: March 2020

The aim of this research is to explain the intrinsic elements and the moral form of the story contained in Tarian Bumi novel by Oka Rusmini (2007). The data of this research were obtained from a novel entitled “Tarian Bumi” by Oka Rusmini (2007). Data were collected by observation method and note-taking technique. The collected data were analyzed using the theory of the Intrinsic Fiction Element (Nurgiyantoro, 2015) and the Moral Value theory in Fiction (Nurgiyantoro, 2009). The results of the analysis are presented using informal methods. Based on the analysis that were conducted the intrinsic elements contained in the novel Tarian Bumi are divided into themes, plots, characters, background, point of view, and language. The form of moral values contained in the novel Tarian Bumi is distinguished into a human relationship with itself, human relationship with God, human relationships with other human beings, and human relations with the environment is manifested with social life. The moral value contained in the novel is a reflection of Balinese people’s life that clings to the concept of Tri Hita Karana.
Speech Function and Process in Fake News
Authors: Fitriyani Dian Zelina , Setia Eddy , Lubis Masdiana
Published: March 2020

This paper deals with speech function and process found in the fake news in social media Twitter. The data used in this research are 66 clauses in the tweets about political sessions updated by the Twitter account @makLambeTurah and analysed qualitatively by applying Systemic Functional Linguistics theory. The result of the analysis shows that the most dominant speech function found in the fake news in the social media is the “statement” with relational process as the highest appearance. It means that the fake news writer, as the support team of the candidate, uses “statement” in sharing ideas, information, and issues to the readers and expects the readers to receive them, and also persuades the readers to believe and change their mind. The result also reveals that such speech function and process happen due to the relational status between the fake news writer and the candidates (politicians) he supports, that is PDIP, and the context of situation, that is in the Regional Election 2018.
Phonological Development of Children With Speech Delay
Authors: Manipuspika Yana Shanti
Published: March 2020

A case research is a valuable means of providing information about the outcomes of speech and language intervention. The present research aims at documenting phonological development of three subjects who were enrolled in a therapy. This descriptive, cross-sectional research aimed to document the phonological development of speech delayed children whose ages are between 2-4 years. The focus is also to determine the causes and treatment of children with speech delay. The results showed significant changes in two of the subjects’ speech production-the two-year-old H displayed an ability to produce imitative sounds and non-imitative ones; meanwhile, the four-year-old AK also performed perfect imitative sounds, yet she cannot produce nasalized coda. The three-year-old AR, however, could not produce meaningful speech. Evaluation revealed development of the three subjects were affected by the exposure to language at home. A younger age child performed better during the therapy sessions compare to the one in older age whose delay might be caused by early neglect. Speech therapy emphasized on the importance of imitation through a modeling activity in the session, so that the children could imitate the sound first while providing context through pictures.
Social trust and health of China's older adults: Cultural and recreational participation as mediator
Authors: Zhou Jingjing , Cao Qilong
Published: March 2020

We explored the relationships between social trust, cultural and recreational participation, and health of people in China aged 60 years and over. Data were obtained from the 2015 Chinese General Social Survey. Pearson correlation analysis results show there was a positive correlation
between social trust and cultural and recreational participation, and between social trust and health. Bootstrapping analysis-based structural equation modeling shows that after the effects of gender, age, household registration, education level, marital status, and personal annual income
had been controlled for, social trust had a significant positive effect on the health of older adults. Further, cultural and recreational participation mediated the effect of social trust on participants' health. These findings, which can be used to improve the health of older adults in China
through informing relevant government policies, also provide theoretical and practical guidance for future research.
Similar fatty acid status of plasma lipids in postmenopausal women newly diagnosed with breast cancer and those receiving aromatase inhibitor therapy
Authors: Krstic Predrag , Vucic Vesna , Paunovic Marija , Petrovic Snjezana , Nedovic Nikola , Kostic Sanja , Arsic Aleksandra
Published: March 2020

Background/Aim. Dysregulation of fatty acid (FA) metabolism is recognized as a component of malignant trans-formation in many cancers, including breast cancer (BC), and is often related to disease progression and prognosis. Adjuvant endocrine BC therapy using aromatase inhibitors may also influence FA metabolism. Thus, the aim of our study was to compare plasma total lipids FA status in newly diagnosed postmenopausal patients with BC and in postmenopausal women with BC receiving aromatase inhibitors at least 2 years after completing chemotherapy with healthy women. Methods. The study included 17 newly diagnosed postmenopausal BC patients (ND group) and 21 postmenopausal women with BC receiving aromatase inhibitor therapy 2 years after ending chemotherapy (AI group), while a total of 15 apparently healthy women without a family history of BC, comparable in age and body mass index, served as a control group. Results. In both patient groups, we found significantly lower levels of vaccenic acid (18:1n-7), alpha-linolenic acid (18:3n-3), gamma-linolenic acid (GLA, 18:3n-6), and docosapentae-noic acid (22:5n-3), and a significantly higher level of di-homo-gamma-linolenic (20:3n-6), when compared with the control group. On the other hand, a significantly lower level of stearic acid (18:0) was observed only in AI patients, while the level of linoleic acid (18:2n-6) was significantly higher in ND women than in the control group. Reduced estimated activities of D6 and D5 desaturases were found in both patient groups than in the control group. Conclusion. Our results indicate that FA profiles of plasma lipids of the newly diagnosed, untreated BC patients are very similar to those of cured BC patients who underwent all sessions of chemotherapy and received aromatase inhibitors for at least two years. Additionally, according to our results, their FA profiles markedly differ from those of healthy women. Therefore, supplementation with omega-3 FA and GLA could have beneficial effects in these patients, and further studies should address the potential clinical benefits of the supplementation.
MD&A Textual Similarity and Auditors
Authors: De Franco Gus , Fogel-Yaari Hila , Li Heather
Published: March 2020

This study examines the relation between auditors and the unaudited Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A). We show that MD&As are more textually similar when firms share the same auditor. This result suggests that auditors influence MD&As to be more textually similar merely by reviewing the MD&A. We next show that auditor-related MD&A similarity is positively associated with MD&A readability and that the market reacts to auditor-related MDA modifications. These results provide modest evidence that auditor-related MD&A similarity may improve the MD&A's disclosure quality, consistent with the general idea that more audit influence is a positive financial reporting characteristic.
Pathogenic Role of PPARα Downregulation in Corneal Nerve Degeneration and Impaired Corneal Sensitivity in Diabetes
Authors: Matlock H. Greg , Qiu Fangfang , Malechka Volha , Zhou Kelu , Cheng Rui , Benyajati Siribhinya , Whelchel Amy , Karamichos Dimitrios , Ma Jian-xing
Published: March 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective role of peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor α (PPARα) against diabetic keratopathy and corneal neuropathy. Corneal samples were obtained from human donors with and without diabetes. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and mice were orally treated with PPARα agonist fenofibrate. As shown by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting, PPARα was downregulated in the corneas of humans with diabetes and diabetic rats. Immunostaining of β-III tubulin demonstrated that corneal nerve fiber metrics were decreased significantly in diabetic rats and mice, which were partially prevented by fenofibrate treatment. As evaluated using a Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometer, corneal sensitivity was significantly decreased in diabetic mice, which was prevented by fenofibrate. PPARα−/− mice displayed progressive decreases in the corneal nerve fiber density. Consistently, corneal sensitivity was decreased in PPARα−/− mice relative to wild-type mice by 21 months of age. Diabetic mice showed increased incidence of spontaneous corneal epithelial lesion, which was prevented by fenofibrate while exacerbated by PPARα knockout. Western blot analysis revealed significantly altered neurotrophic factor levels in diabetic rat corneas, which were partially restored by fenofibrate treatment. These results indicate that PPARα protects the corneal nerve from degeneration induced by diabetes, and PPARα agonists have therapeutic potential in the treatment of diabetic keratopathy.
Pathogenic role of PPARα down-regulation in corneal nerve degeneration and impaired corneal sensitivity in diabetes
Authors: Admin Ada , Matlock Greg , Qiu Fangfang , Malechka Volha , Zhou Kelu , Cheng Rui , Benyajati Siribhinya , Whelchel Amy , Karamichos Dimitrios , Ma Jian-xing
Published: March 2020

The
purpose of this study was to investigate the protective role of Peroxisome Proliferator‐Activated
Receptor‐alpha (PPARα) against diabetic keratopathy and corneal neuropathy. Corneal
samples were obtained from diabetic and non-diabetic human donors. Streptozotocin-induced
diabetic rats and mice were orally treated with PPARα agonist fenofibrate. As
shown by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting, PPARα was down-regulated in
the corneas of diabetic humans and rats. Immunostaining of β-III tubulin
demonstrated that corneal nerve fiber metrics were decreased significantly in
diabetic rats and mice, which was partially prevented by fenofibrate treatment.
As evaluated using a Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometer, corneal sensitivity was
significantly decreased in diabetic mice, which was prevented by fenofibrate. PPARα-/- mice displayed
progressive decreases in the corneal nerve fiber density. Consistently, corneal sensitivity was
decreased in PPARα-/- mice
relative to wild-type mice by nine months of age. Diabetic mice showed
increased incidence of spontaneous corneal epithelial lesion, which was prevented by fenofibrate while
exacerbated by PPARα knockout. Western blot analysis revealed significantly
altered neurotrophic factor levels in diabetic rat corneas, which were
partially restored by fenofibrate treatment. These results indicate that PPARα protects
corneal nerve from degeneration induced by diabetes, and PPARα agonists have
therapeutic potential in the treatment of diabetic keratopathy.
Sleep Duration Patterns in Early to Middle Adulthood and Subsequent Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Women
Authors: Baden Megu Y. , Hu Frank B. , Vetter Celine , Schernhammer Eva , Redline Susan , Huang Tianyi
Published: March 2020

OBJECTIVE

To identify sleep duration trajectories from early to middle adulthood and their associations with incident type 2 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Using a group-based modeling approach, we identified sleep duration trajectories based on sleep duration in ages 20–25, 26–35, 36–45, and 46+ years, which were retrospectively assessed in 2009 among 60,068 women from the Nurses’ Health Study II (median age 54.9 years) who were free of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. We investigated the prospective associations between sleep duration trajectories and diabetes risk (2009–2017) using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models.

RESULTS

We documented 1,797 incident diabetes cases over a median follow-up of 7.8 years (442,437 person-years). Six sleep duration trajectories were identified: persistent 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-h sleep duration and increased or decreased sleep duration. After multivariable adjustment for diabetes risk factors, compared with the persistent 7-h sleep duration group, the hazard ratio was 1.43 (95% CI 1.10, 1.84) for the 5-h group, 1.17 (1.04, 1.33) for the 6-h group, 0.96 (0.84, 1.10) for the 8-h group, 1.33 (1.09, 1.61) for the increased sleep duration group, and 1.32 (1.10, 1.59) for the decreased sleep duration group. Additional adjustment for time-updated comorbidities and BMI attenuated these associations, although a significantly higher risk remained in the decreased sleep duration group (1.24 [1.03, 1.50]).

CONCLUSIONS

Persistent short sleep duration or changes in sleep duration from early to middle adulthood were associated with higher risk of type 2 diabetes in later life. These associations were weaker after obesity and metabolic comorbidities were accounted for.
Young Adults With Type 1 Diabetes Preparing to Transition to Adult Care: Psychosocial Functioning and Associations With Self-Management and Health Outcomes
Authors: Gutierrez-Colina Ana M. , Corathers Sarah , Beal Sarah , Baugh Holly , Nause Katie , Kichler Jessica C.
Published: March 2020

BACKGROUND | Young adulthood is a vulnerable developmental period associated with increased risk for suboptimal health outcomes in youth with type 1 diabetes. Psychosocial factors have been associated with self-management and glycemic control in younger populations, but the extent to which these associations exist among young adults is poorly understood. This study aimed to examine the psychosocial functioning of young adults with type 1 diabetes and associated clinical outcomes.

METHODS | Participants included young adults (n = 44) between the ages of 18 and 23 years in a pediatric setting who were preparing to transition to adult care. All participants completed self-report measures of psychosocial functioning at baseline as part of this longitudinal observational study. Outcome data included glycemic control, frequency of blood glucose monitoring, and self-management ratings at baseline and 1-year follow-up.

RESULTS | Young adults with type 1 diabetes reported higher levels of depressive symptoms, lower self-efficacy, and more risk behaviors compared with previously published scores for adolescents. Young adults also reported greater resilience and transition readiness than their younger counterparts. Psychosocial variables were differentially related to glycemic control and frequency of blood glucose monitoring both cross-sectionally and longitudinally.

CONCLUSION | This study provides key information about the psychosocial functioning of young adults with type 1 diabetes. It identifies relevant psychosocial factors that are associated with meaningful health outcomes during the transition preparation period. These findings may inform the development of clinical programs aimed at promoting transition preparation and health outcomes in young adults with type 1 diabetes.
Öst är öst och väst är väst? En jämförande studie av partisystemens stabilitet i Europa 2008–2019
Authors: Bågenholm Andreas
Published: March 2020

Abstract: East is East and West is West? Comparing Party System Stability in Europe 2008–2019This article compares trends in party system stability in Central/ Eastern Europe (CEE) and Western Europe, to see if recent studies indicating that the two regions have become more similar hold when the results of outcomes of several post-financial-crisis elections are taken into consideration. Further, it enquires into the underlying causes of electoral volatility and whether they differ between the two regions. In all, 82 parliamentary elections in 25 EU countries 2008–2019 are analyzed as regards electoral volatility (Pedersen’s Index) and support for new parties (‘volatility type A’). The results show that, when the most likely confounding variables are controlled for, a significant difference between the two regions remains, but also that there is a converging trend on both indicators. Moreover, whereas electoral volatility in the West is driven by the level of corruption together with the effective number of parties, unemployment and economic growth as well as the number of effective parties are the main factors explaining the same phenomenon in CEE. There is also evidence that volatility in CEE, unlike in Western Europe, is also driven by a path-dependent logic, where previous volatility scores explain subsequent ones. That finding may have implications for the prospects of future party system stabilization.
Public-Private Partnership: An Analysis of the Legal Features of PPP Instrument in the Albanian Reality
Authors: Spahiu Artan
Published: March 2020

Ensuring high productivity in public services has been required to be achieved by reducing costs and at the same time by raising standards. This is indeed a challenge intended for which the public sector has turned its eyes on the market. The latter's mechanisms and management methods used by the private sector in the production and delivery of services have become the management philosophy that has characterized public sector reforms in recent decades. Nowadays the main objectives of public sector organizations are to reduce costs and increase the efficiency of operations, which has steered these organizations towards the outsourcing model. Transferring or subcontracting a private entity for some of the operations of public institutions is a concept already known to public sector managers. Heads of various public institutions see the transfer of part of their operations or all operations to private entities as the proper way to provide added value public services. One of the widely used ways of engaging private parties in public projects is the Public Private Partnership (PPP). Implementation of this public-private partnership ensures immediate service availability, debt and public budget avoidance, management, technology and higher performance in service standards and contract enforcement. This type of engagement requires a great deal of attention to the legal framework in order for the private sector to participate in public affairs and services in a regular and reasonable manner and also in order to protect the public interest, maximize the value for money and ensuring appropriate risks sharing.
The Coherence of Naturalistic Personal Pantheism
Authors: Lancaster-Thomas Asha
Published: March 2020

This paper examines the coherence of naturalistic personal pantheism (NPP) in an attempt to reconcile pantheism, naturalism, and a personal concept of God. NPP proposes that i) God is identical with the universe, ii) the universe is entirely natural, and iii) God is personal. Several critics of accounts of a God such as this have voiced concerns about a natural — as opposed to a supernatural — God, since a natural God cannot be worship-worthy. In response, I propose a controversial premise — physical primacy — to justify the worship-worthiness of a natural God. Physical primacy maintains that physical existence is a great-making property, therefore a God that exists naturally is greater than a God that exists supernaturally. I maintain that NPP is an attractive alternative to other theisms because it bypasses the pairing problem, presents a worship-worthy concept of God, and boasts ontological simplicity.
'God' the name
Authors: Fronda Earl Stanley Bragado
Published: March 2020

The word ‘God’ is typically thought to be a proper name, a name of a defined entity. From another position it appears to be a description that is fundamentally synonymous to ‘the first of all causes’, or ‘the font et origo of the structure of possibilities’, or ‘the provenience of being’, or ‘the generator of existence’. This lends credence to the view that ‘God’ is a truncated definite description. However, this article proposes that ‘God’ is a name given to whatever is that which is the first of all causes, the font et origo of the structure of possibilities, the provenience of being, the generator of existence. If so, then it is a descriptive name. Yet even among descriptive names ‘God’ is unique, for it is neither convertible to a proper name (unlike ‘Neptune’), nor to a definite description (unlike ‘Jack the Ripper’ and ‘Deep Throat’). ‘God’ is an inveterate descriptive name.
Record of the marine cyanobacteria from the rocky shores of Bet-Dwarka and Okha, India.
Authors: Shah Vishal , Garg Nikki , Madamwar Datta
Published: March 2020

Citas de cianobacterias marinas dei litoral rocoso de Bet-Dwarka y Okha, IndiaKeywords. Cyanobacteria, Sea Shore, Flora, Bet-Dwarka, Okha, IndiaPalabras clave. Cianobacteria, litoral marino, flora, Bet-Dwarka, Okha, India
Nota corológica sobre la flora de Extremadura (España).
Authors: Vázquez Pardo Francisco María , Ramos Maqueda Soledad , Doncel Pérez Esperanza , Balbuena Gutiérrez Enrique , Casasola Herrera José Antonio , Blanco Salas José
Published: March 2020

Floristic records for the Flora of Extremadura (Spain)Palabras clave. Badajoz, Cáceres, Corología, Extremadura, Flora. Key words. Badajoz, Cáceres, Corology, Extremadura, Flora.
Aportaciones al conocimiento de la flora de Valladolid.
Authors: Delgado Luis , Martínez-Ortega Mª Montserrat , Rico Enrique , Sánchez Agudo José A.
Published: March 2020

New floristic records for Valladolid province.Palabras clave. Flora. Corología. Valladolid. España.Key words. Flora. Chorology. Valladolid. Spain.
Aportaciones a la flora del sureste ibérico.
Authors: Sánchez Gómez Pedro , Carrión Vilches Miguel Ángel , Hernández González Antonio , Vera Pérez Juan Bautista , Carrillo López Antonio Félix
Published: March 2020

New records to the flora of SE Spain.Palabras clave: Corología, plantas vasculares, Murcia, Albacete, España.Key words: Chorology, vascular plants, Murcia, Albacete, Spain.
Anotaciones sobre la vegetación nitrófila del Archipiélago de Columbretes (Castellón).
Authors: Juan Ana , Crespo Manuel B.
Published: March 2020

Notes on the nitrophilous plata communities of the Columbretes Archipelago (Castellón, eastern Spain)Palabras clave. Vegetación nitrófila, nomenclatura, lberoleyantina, España.Key words. Nitrophilous plant communities, nomenclature, Iberoleyantine, Spain.
Notes of Orchids from Andalucía. II.
Authors: Lowe Michael R. , Phillips Ian
Published: March 2020

Notas de Orquídeas de Andalucia II. Palabras clave. Orchidaceae, Andalucía, Espana.Key Words. Orchidaceae, Andalucía, Spain.
Sobre Melissa officinalis L. subsp. officinalis en Andalucía occidental.
Authors: Martín Mosquero Mª Ángeles
Published: March 2020

Melissa officinalis subsp. officinalis in west Andalusia Flora.Palabras clave. Lamiaceae, Melissa, Andalucía Occidental.Key words. Lamiaceae, Melissa, Andalucía Occidental.
De plantis gaditanis, notula III.
Authors: Galán de Mera Antonio
Published: March 2020

De plantis gaditanis, ii olalo IIIPalabras clave. Flora, Vegetación, Cádiz, SO España.Key words. Flora, Vegetation, Cádiz, SW Spain.
Essai d'analyses quantitative, qualitative et biogéographique de la flore du Bou- Naceur (Moyen-Atlas oriental, Maroc).
Authors: Rahou Abdelilah
Published: March 2020

RÉSUMÉ. Essai d'analyses quantitative, qualitative et biogéographique de la flore du Bou- Naceur (Moyen-Atlas oriental, Maroc). En l'absence d'étude exhaustive sur le Moyen-Atlas oriental, la flore de cette région est restée assez mal connue par rapport au reste du Maroc. Des recherches sur la flore et la végétation ont été intéressantes sur le massif du Bou-Iblane proche du massif du Bou-Naceur. Mais ce dernier est resté jusqu'A présent moms étudié sur le plan botanique. L' inventaire floristique du Bou-Naceur actuellement évalué a 557 espéces et sous- espéces parait bien important eu égard a la surface trop restreinte du massif. Dans cet article, nous rappelons briévement le bioclimat du Bou-Naceur et nous mettons en lumiére les récentes connaissances de sa flore et de sa biogeographie.Mots clés. Maroc, Moyen-Atlas oriental, Bou-Naceur, flore, biogéographie.RESUMEN. Análisis cuantitativo, cualitativo y biogeo gráfico de la flora de Bou-Naceur. (Atlas Medio Oriental, Marruecos). En ausencia de un estudio exaustivo sobre el Atlas Medio Oriental, la flora de esta región es poco conocida en relación al resto de Marruecos. Investigaciones sobre la flora y vegetación del Macizo de Bou-lblane próximo al Macizo de Bou-Naceur, han sido interesantes, sin embargo este último ha sido poco estudiado desde el punto de vista botánico. El inventario florístico de Bou-Naceur actualmente comprende 557 taxones, un elevado número en relación a su escasa superficie. En este artículo, se aportan datos sobre el bioclima, biogeografía y flora de Bou-Naceur.Palabras clave. Marruecos, Atlas Medio Oriental, Bou-Naceur, flora, biogeografía.
Nuevas localidades y una nueva variedad de Centaurea ultreiae Silva Pando (Compositae).
Authors: Blanco-Dios Jaime Bernardo
Published: March 2020

New localities and a new variety of Centaurea ultreiae Silva Pando (Compositae). Palabras clave. Centaurea, Compositae, corología, A Coruña, España.Key Words. Centaurea, Compositae, corology, A Coruña, Spain.
Nouvelles citations pour la flore de l'archipel des Berlengas (Estremadura, Portugal).
Authors: Tauleigne Gomes Cristina
Published: March 2020

Novas citacóes para a flora do arquipélago das Berlengas (Estremadura, Portugal)Mots cié. Chorologie, iles, Reserva Natural das Berlengas, Portugal.Palavras chave. Corologia, ilhas, Reserva Natural das Berlengas, Portugal.
Ampliación al conocimiento de los macrófitos acuáticos de la provincia de Málaga.
Authors: Ortega Fernando , Parra Gema , Guerrero Francisco
Published: March 2020

Contributions to the knowledge of aquatic inacrophytes in Málaga provincePalabras clave. Macrófitos acuáticos, corología, humedales, Málaga.Keywords. Aquatic macrophytes, chlorology, wetlands, Málaga.
Ononis azcaratei Devesa especie andaluza en peligro crítico.
Authors: Sánchez Gullón Enrique , Sánchez García Íñigo
Published: March 2020

Ononis azcaratei Devesa a critically endangered Andalusian species.Palabras clave. Ononis, flora amenazada, Andalucía.Key words. Ononis, endangered flora, Andalusia.
Variation of specific morphological traits and ploidy level of five Aegilops L. species in Morocco.
Authors: Belkadi Bouchra , Assali Nourredine , Benlhabib Ouafae
Published: March 2020

ABSTRACT. Variation of specific morphological traits and ploidy level of five Aegilops L. species in Morocco.The genus Aegilops L. represents an important natural source of useful genes for wheat breeding, with particular emphasis on biotic and abiotic stress resistance. For successful crosses, the primarily step is to select appropriate Aegilops accessions. In this paper, we studied five Moroccan species of an Aegilops collection on the basis of spike structure and chromosome number. Twenty-eight specific morphological characters were used to differentiate the species. Statistical analyses, in particular the DFA, allowed the characterization of the genetic variability of the species; the two first standardized axes explained 96,2% of the total variability and 100% of the entities were classified within their own group. In addition, the dendrogram constructed using morphological data reveals a significant variability within and between species. Cytogenetic study revealed four species, A. geniculata Roth, A. triuncialis L., A. ventricosa Tausch and A.peregrina Maire & Weiller, to be tetraploid. However, A. neglecta Req. ex. Bertol., where only two accessions are represented in the collection, revealed to be hexaploid, and can then be classified as A. neglecta subsp. recta Chennav.Key words. Aegilops, Variation, Morphology, Ploidy, Morocco.RÉSUMÉ. Variation des caracteres morphologiques specificities et niveau de plordie de an(' espéces Aegilops L. au Maroc. Le genre Aegilops L. représente une importante source de genes, potentiellement utilisables dans Pamelioration des blés cultivés (Triticum spp.) notamment pour la resistance aux stress biotiques et abiotiques. Le choix des accessions Aegilops á employer, dans un programme d' hybridation interspécifique, necessite une caractérisation taxonomique et une evaluation préalables. L'objectif de ce travail a ete d'étudier des accessions, appartenant á 5 especes marocaines constituant une collection d'Aegilops, sur la base de caracteres morphologiques specifiques de l'épi et du niveau de ploYdie. La caractérisation phénotypique a été basée sur l'étude de 28 caracteres morphologiques qui discriminent entre les especes. Les resultats des analyses statistiques, en particulier de l'AFD, ont permis de caractériser la variabilite génetique de ces especes et ant donne un pourcentage d'appartenance á l'espece de 100%. Aussi, les deux premiers axes standardises expliquent 96,2% de la variabilité totale. Un demlrogramme a éte aussi construit, revelant une variabilite interspecifique. L'étude cytogenétique a révélé une tetraploYdie pour A. geniculata Roth, A. triuncialis L., A. ventricosa Tausch et A. peregrina Maire & Weiller. Quant á A. neglecta Req. ex. Bertol., une hexaploYdie a été mise en evidence pour les deux uniques accessions disponibles dans la collection, permettant de leur attribuer le nom A. neglecta subsp. recta Chennav.Mots clés. Aegilops, Variation, Morphologic, Plolidie, Maroc.
Contribución al estudio morfológico y anatómico en miculas de Mentha L. y Preslia Opiz (Latniacecte) de lo Península Ibérica.
Authors: Martín Mosquero Mª Ángeles , Pastor Julio , Juan Rocío
Published: March 2020

RESUMEN. Contribución al estudio morfológico y anatómico en miculas de Mentha L. y Preslia Opiz (Latniacecte) de lo Península Ibérica. Se estudia la micromorfología y anatomía de núculas de tres especies de Mentha (M. aquatica L, M. suaveolens Ehrh., M. pulegium L.) y de Preslia cervina (L.) Fresen, tanto al microscopio óptico (M.O.) como al microscopio electrónico de barrido (M.E.B.). Desde un punto de vista morfológico, la diferencia principal entre ambos géneros ha sido la ornamentación de las núculas, siendo más o menos reticulada en Mentha y rugosa en Preslia. Anatómicamente, hay que destacar cl grosor del pericarpo, que es bastante menor en Preslia. No obstante, el conjunto de caracteres estudiados pone de manifiesto la afinidad de estos géneros. Por último, se comenta brevemente los sistemas de dispersión más frecuentes en estos géneros.Palabras clave. Núcula, morfología, anatomía, mucílago, Mentha, Preslia, Lamiaceae, Península Ibérica.ABSTRACT. Contribution to morphological and anatomical studies on nut/es of Mentha L. and Preslia Opiz (Lamiaceae) from the Iberia'? Peninsula. A morphological and anatomical study on nutlets of three species of Mentha (M. aquatica L, M. suaveolens Ehrh., M. pulegium L.) and Preslia cervina (L.) Fresen, was carried out using light and scanning electron microscopy. From a morphological point of view the main difference between both genera has been the nutlets' ornamentation, being more or less reticulate in Mentha and rugose in Preslia. Anatomically, the pericarp thickness stands out, which is fairly thinner in Preslia. However, whole characters studied point out the relationship of these genera. Lastly, the usual dispersal systems between these genera are discussed briefly.Key words. Nutlet, morphology, anatomy, mucilage, Mentha, Preslia, Lamiaceae, Iberian Peninsula.