bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Depleting wild prey compels common leopard (Panthera pardus) to sustain on livestock
Authors: Hussain Abid , Mahmood Tariq , Akrim Faraz , Andleeb Shaista , Fatima Hira , Hamid Abdul , Waseem Muhammad
Published: August 2018

The wide distribution of a predator can reflect its flexibility in adapting to various ecosystems. The common leopard (Panthera pardus) is “Critically Endangered” in Pakistan while the IUCN Red List categorizes it globally as “Vulnerable”. This study investigated the distribution of the common leopard and the contribution of livestock in its diet in District Sudhanoti of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. During the surveys, scats, pugmarks, prey remains, and dead bodies of the common leopard were recovered in a scanned area of approximately 262 km2. The scats were mostly found on tracks and trails in hilly terrain, and pugmarks in the riparian zone and nallas, while prey remains were found mostly in dense bushes and rocks. Dead common leopards were recovered within or around village areas. All signs of the species were found between 418 m and 2016 m elevation above sea level. Scat analysis revealed a total of ten prey species including seven domestic mammals and only three wild meso-mammals. Domestic animals were most frequently consumed while wild prey contributed significantly less. The consumption of domestic prey species was found not to differ between the summer and winter season. We conclude that the common leopard was sustaining mainly on livestock with a much smaller contribution from wild prey. This fact, along with the “Critically Endangered” status of the species in the country, demands effective conservation measures to be taken to save common leopards.
Mitigating the Risks Entailed in Shareholders’ Claims for Reflective Loss: Suggestions for Investment Treaty Reform
Authors: Kyriakou Panagiotis A.
Published: August 2018

This contribution identifies the systemic risks posed by the permissibility of shareholders’ claims for reflective loss in international investment law. It revisits existing investment treaty mechanisms under which shareholder recourse can be limited, and evaluates their effectiveness in the particular context of reflective loss. Drawing on ‘traditional’ and ‘new generation’ treaty language, as well as on domestic and general international law, the article then proposes new treaty language with the aim of eliminating the risks of reflective loss claims from investment treaties.
The Pyraloidea (Lepidoptera) fauna of the woody savannah belt in Mali, West Africa
Authors: POLTAVSKY ALEXANDER N. , KRAVCHENKO VASILIY D. , TRAORE MOHAMMED M. , TRAORE SEKOU F. , GERGELY PETRÁNYI , WITT THOMAS J. , SULAK HARRY , BECK ROBERT H.-T. , JUNNILA AMY , REVAY EDITA E. , DOUMBIA SEYDOU , BEIER JOHN C. , MULLER GUNTER C.
Published: August 2018

Seventy-nine taxa of Pyraloidea were collected in 2014 with light traps in the woody savannah zone south of Bamako, Mali. Three taxa out of 79 were identified to genus level only. 78 of the 79 species are new records for Mali, 17 are new for West Africa. Most species (54) belong to the subfamily Spilomelinae (family Crambidae). The majority of observed species have wide distribution areas. The only regional endemic is Hypsopygia bamakoensis (Leraut, 2006). Concerning the biogeographical categories most of the species (34) are Afrotropical, seven species cosmopolitan, and the remaining species occur in the Palaearctics with a preference to the Palaeotropics. The most common species, Patania balteata (Fabricius, 1798) comprised 40.0% of all specimens collected. It is known to be a pest of the mango tree, which is common in the light-trapping area.
New records of six deep-sea caridean shrimps (Crustacea: Decapoda) from the Ryukyu Islands and its adjacent waters, southwestern Japan
Authors: KOMAI TOMOYUKI , OHTSUKA SUSUMU , YAMAGUCHI SHUHEI , NAKAGUCHI KAZUMITSU
Published: August 2018

Six species of caridean shrimps from four families are recorded from Japanese waters for the first time on the basis of material from the Ryukyu Islands and its adjacent waters, collected during research cruises of the T/RV “Toyoshio-maru” of Faculty of Applied Biological Science, Hiroshima University: two species of Crangonidae, Lissosabinea unispinosa Komai, 2006 and Pseudopontophilus serratus Komai, 2004; one species of Oplophoridae, Systellaspis pellucida (Filhol, 1885); one species of Pandalidae, Calipandalus elachys Komai & Chan, 2003; and two species of Pasiphaeidae, Pasiphaea debitusae Hayashi, 1999 and P. gracilis Hayashi, 1999. Of them, L. unispinosa, Pseudopontophilus serratus, Pasiphaea debitusae and P. gracilis are heretofore known from the South-West Pacific localities, and then the geographical ranges of these four species are greatly extended to the north and west. Illustrations and/or colour images are provided for each species to supplement previous descriptions and to give evidence for identification.
Radar-Observed Bulk Microphysics of Midlatitude Leading-Line Trailing-Stratiform Mesoscale Convective Systems
Authors: Handler Shawn L. , Homeyer Cameron R.
Published: August 2018

In 2013, all NEXRAD WSR-88D units in the United States were upgraded to dual polarization. Dual polarization allows for the identification of precipitation particle shape, size, orientation, and concentration. In this study, dual-polarization NEXRAD observations from 34 recent events are used to identify the bulk microphysical characteristics of a specific subset of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs), the leading-line trailing-stratiform (LLTS) MCS. NEXRAD observations are used to examine hydrometeor distributions in relative altitude to the 0°C level and as a function of storm life cycle, precipitation source (convective or stratiform), and storm environment. The analysis reveals that graupel particles are the most frequently classified hydrometeor class in a layer extending from the 0°C-level altitude to approximately 5 km above within the convective region. Below the 0°C level, rain is the most frequently classified hydrometeor, with small hail and graupel concentrations present throughout the LLTS system’s life cycle. The stratiform precipitation region contains small graupel concentrations in a shallow layer above the 0°C level, with pristine ice crystals being classified as the most frequently observed hydrometeor at higher altitudes and snow aggregates being classified as the most frequently observed hydrometeor at lower altitudes above the environmental 0°C level. Variations in most unstable convective available potential energy (MUCAPE) have the largest impact on the vertical distribution of hydrometeors, because more-unstable environments are characterized by a greater production of rimed ice.
Investigating the Third Space: A New Agenda for Teacher Education Research
Authors: Beck Jori S.
Published: August 2018

The purpose of this article is to advocate for an expansion of third-space ideology to the research conducted in clinical teacher preparation programs including research designs and methods of data collection. Clinical teacher preparation has been advocated since the 1980s and is now being systematically realized in the early 21st century. Thus, it is time to revisit research designs and data collection related to this model. The author illustrates first-, second-, and third-space programs, including an overview of teacher residency programs, before advocating a mixed methods research paradigm that aims to create democratic spaces for teacher education research. Research and practice implications are discussed.
South African students call to decolonize science: Implications for international standards, curriculum development and Public Administration education
Authors: van Jaarsveldt Lisa C , de Vries Michiel S , Kroukamp Hendri J
Published: August 2018

The decolonialisation of the higher education curriculum and free higher education were two of the burning issues during student protests that erupted across universities in South Africa at the end of 2015. Although the president announced free higher education in December 2017, the country can scarcely afford it, with many universities already feeling financial constraints. The call for decolonialisation of the curriculum by students (which was viewed negatively by the public) refers specifically to books, theories and learning content that still predominantly reflect the thoughts of Western colonial powers. Students required a bigger focus on indigenous (African) knowledge to be incorporated into the South African curriculum. This, however, is the opposite of current international trends, where curricula are developed to meet international or even global standards that are set by international accreditation agencies in Public Administration, such as the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration and the International Commission on Accreditation of Public Administration Education and Training Programs. Therefore, this article investigates not only the direction the discipline of Public Administration is taking with regard to international standards and the curricula, but also to specifics of governance in developing countries. Are there reasonable arguments to support the demand for changes to the content of this discipline and is there a need to adjust curricula to concede to the wishes of the protesting students for the decolonising of science? This article found that international scholarly requirements, specific national conditions for governance and the demands uttered by students in the development of curricula at South African universities are at odds, particularly in the study of Public Administration.
Steroid Use for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A CHEER Network Study
Authors: Witsell David L. , Mulder Hillary , Rauch Steven , Schulz Kristine A. , Tucci Debara L.
Published: August 2018

Objective

The objective of this study was to describe patterns of corticosteroid treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss and to evaluate effectiveness based on delivery mode (oral vs intratympanic vs both).

Study Design

Cross‐sectional repeated measures.

Setting

Patients were recruited from practices within the Creating Healthcare Excellence through Education and Research (CHEER) Network. CHEER is a National Institutes of Health–funded nationwide network of 30 community and academic otolaryngology practice sites.

Subjects and Methods

A subset of 117 patients who had been treated with steroids for sudden sensorineural hearing loss were recruited from within a larger initial CHEER Network study on clinical practice guideline compliance. Outcomes included audiometric and speech scores and patient‐perceived improvement. Descriptive analyses, Wilcoxon rank‐sum tests, and Fisher exact tests were run.

Results

Two categories (oral and simultaneous oral + intratympanic) had adequate sample sizes to support statistical comparison of treatment results. Improvements were seen in both audiometry and speech testing scores; 57% of patients self‐reported improvement perceived as either minor or major. There were no significant differences in degree of improvement between these treatment groups.

Conclusions

We observed that a majority of steroid‐treated patients demonstrated hearing improvement, but this improvement did not meet criteria for statistical significance. As in other studies on this topic, the relatively small sample size may have prevented differentiation of effectiveness among steroid treatments. We propose that the use of alternative approaches, such as pragmatic clinical trials and multidisciplinary electronic health record systems and megadatabases, may hold the most promise for an approach to best practice development.
The Difficult Airway after Endoscopic Endonasal Skull Base Surgery: A Case Series and Management Algorithm
Authors: Chou Courtney , Snyderman Carl , Phillips Dennis , Darby Joseph
Published: August 2018

Objectives

To analyze difficult airway situations affecting patients after endoscopic endonasal surgery (EES) for skull base tumors and to develop an airway management algorithm.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Single tertiary care center.

Subjects and Methods

Eleven difficult airway events occurred among patients after EES for skull base tumors, as identified through a retrospective review of our institutional Difficult Airway Management Team registry from January 2008 to March 2016. Data from these events included patient demographics, event characteristics, airway management techniques, and outcomes. Results were used to design a difficult airway protocol.

Results

The majority of patients were obese (63.6%) and had a dural defect (90.9%), each of which was repaired with a vascularized flap. The most common reasons for the difficult airway call were concern for using mask ventilation in a patient with a dural defect (27.3%) and difficult airway anatomy (27.3%). Two patients did not require airway intervention; 8 were intubated; and 1 underwent cricothyroidotomy. Videolaryngoscopy was the most common first‐attempt intubation technique, followed by conventional direct laryngoscopy. Effective adjunctive techniques included intubation through a laryngeal mask airway and bougie‐guided intubation. As compared with simple mask ventilation, laryngeal mask airway–assisted ventilation was associated with a decreased incidence of postevent cerebrospinal fluid leak. There were no incidences of postevent pneumocephalus, cardiopulmonary arrest, or mortality.

Conclusions

We propose a difficult airway algorithm for patients following EES of the skull base, with sequential recommendations for airway management methods and commentary on adjunctive techniques.
Intraoperative Corticosteroids for Voice Outcomes among Patients Undergoing Thyroidectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis
Authors: Noel Julia E. , Kligerman Maxwell P. , Megwalu Uchechukwu C.
Published: August 2018

Objective

To determine if a preoperative dose of intravenous corticosteroids reduces the risk of postoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy and improves subjective voice outcomes among patients undergoing thyroidectomy.

Data Sources

PubMed, Cochrane database, and EMBASE.

Review Methods

Randomized controlled trials comparing corticosteroids with placebo on voice outcomes in thyroid surgery were extracted with standardized search criteria. Systematic review and meta‐analysis were performed. With random effects models, trial data were pooled to determine the overall rate of recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy as well as secondary outcomes of adverse events, including wound infection and hyperglycemia.

Results

Four studies with a total of 517 patients met inclusion criteria. The overall rate of recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy was 5.78%. There was no difference in the rate of palsy between the corticosteroid and placebo groups (risk ratio, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.34‐1.44). There was also no difference between the groups in regard to wound infection, healing, or hyperglycemia.

Conclusions

Preoperative corticosteroids do not appear to reduce the risk of recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy following thyroid surgery. There is insufficient evidence to assess its effect on subjective voice outcomes. More robust randomized controlled trials are needed to assess the effectiveness of perioperative steroids in improving voice outcomes after thyroidectomy.
Correlation analysis between JAK2, MPL, and CALR mutations in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms of Chinese Uygur and Han nationality and their clinical characteristics
Authors: Lang Tao , Nie Yuling , Wang Zengsheng , Huang Qin , An Li , Wang Yichun , Wufuer Guzailinuer , Maimaiti Aziguli , Fu Ling , Li Yan , Zhang Xiaoyan , Aisimutula Aihemaitijiang , Wang Xiaomin , Zhu Lin , Liu Hong , Mao Min
Published: August 2018

Background

Genetic factors play a role in the etiology of BCR-ABL-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). This study explored the relationship between mutations in the Janus kinase 2 gene ( JAK2), MPL, and the calreticulin gene ( CALR) in Uygur and Han Chinese patients with BCR-ABL fusion gene-negative MPN and corresponding clinical features.

Methods

A total of 492 BCR-ABL-negative MPN patients treated in our hospital from May 2013 to August 2016 were enrolled. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and used for PCR amplification and DNA sequencing. Mutations including JAK2 V617F, MPL W515L/K, and those in JAK2 exon 12 and CALR were analyzed and compared with patient clinical characteristics.

Results

Of the 492 MPN patients, 169 were Uygur and 323 were Han. In these two patient groups, JAK2 mutations were detected in 39.64% and 52.63%, respectively, CALR mutations were detected in 10.06% and 20.43%, respectively, and MPL mutations were detected in 0.93% of Han patients. The age, white blood cell count, platelet levels, and hemoglobin levels in JAK2 in Han patients were higher than those in Uygur patients.

Conclusion

Han MPN patients harboring JAK2 mutations had higher level of age, WBC, PLT, and Hb than Uyghur patients with the same mutations.
Social reproduction and capitalist production: A genealogy of dominant imaginaries
Authors: Winders Jamie , Smith Barbara Ellen
Published: August 2018

This article offers a critical genealogy of the dominant imaginaries through which social reproduction, particularly in relation to capitalist production, has been examined in key feminist literatures since the 1960s. Feminist scholars have long observed that the distinction between production and social reproduction in capitalist societies manifests as an opposition between ‘work’ and ‘home,’ but they have implicitly envisioned and interpreted that opposition in diverse ways that crucially connect with geography. We offer this analysis in order to clarify how different imaginaries embedded in and shaping approaches to social reproduction both illuminate and occlude the social reproduction-production nexus. Although this critical genealogy leaves us better prepared to address conceptual shortcomings within different understandings of this nexus, we still lack an approach that grasps the complex workings of this interface in a moment of rising precarité across the globe.
Optimization of the Laboratory Fabrication of Small Specimens for Asphalt Mixture Performance Testing
Authors: Pape Sonja , Lee Kangjin , Castorena Cassie , Kim Y. Richard
Published: August 2018

The use of 38-mm-diameter small specimens for uniaxial dynamic modulus and cyclic fatigue asphalt mixture performance testing offers a significant opportunity to improve the efficiency of laboratory-fabricated specimen testing because multiple test specimens can be extracted per Superpave gyratory-compacted (SGC) sample. This study seeks to optimize the procedure used for the extraction of small specimens from SGC samples for dynamic modulus and cyclic fatigue tests. To this end, small cylindrical specimens were cored horizontally and vertically from SGC samples and subjected to performance testing. The dynamic modulus and fatigue test results indicate that the effects of anisotropy are minimal. However, all of the horizontally extracted small specimens exhibited fatigue failure at the specimen ends, outside the range of the gauges; the failure was likely due to the peripheral air void gradients in the SGC samples. Therefore, the authors concluded that small specimens should be vertically cored from SGC samples for the laboratory fabrication of small specimens. Specifically, four small specimens were cored vertically from the inner 100 mm of SGC samples where the air void content is relatively uniform. Four mixtures with different nominal maximum aggregate sizes (NMASs) were used to prepare small specimens using the proposed extraction procedure. These specimens were subjected to dynamic modulus and cyclic fatigue testing. The results demonstrate an increase in specimen-to-specimen variability with an increase in NMAS, which also is expected in large specimen testing.
Assessing Surrogate Safety Measures using a Safety Pilot Model Deployment Dataset
Authors: He Zhaoxiang , Qin Xiao , Liu Pan , Sayed Md Abu
Published: August 2018

Emerging data sources such as Safety Pilot Model Deployment (SPMD) provide a great opportunity to gain a better understanding of collision mechanisms and to develop novel safety metrics. The SPMD program was a comprehensive data collection effort under real-world conditions in Ann Arbor, Michigan, covering over 73 lane-miles and including approximately 3,000 pieces of onboard vehicle equipment and 30 pieces of roadside equipment. In-vehicle data (e.g., speed, location) collected by the SPMD program can potentially be an important supplement to traditional crash data-oriented safety analysis. The goal of this study was to assess roadway link-level surrogate safety measures using the vehicle trajectory data from SPMD. The study’s objectives included: 1) developing a framework to process the SPMD dataset using big-data analytics; 2) converting raw vehicle motion data from SPMD to surrogate safety measures; and 3) analyzing the statistical relationship between crash records and the calculated safety index. The statistical models showed that modified time to collision (MTTC) outperforms time to collision (TTC) and deceleration rate to avoid collision (DRAC) with respect to its goodness of fit. The findings are promising in that augmenting safety analysis with surrogate measures and vehicle performance (e.g., speed and brake duration from connected vehicles) improves the overall model performance. Such information is vital for safety analysis, especially in the absence of detailed roadway and traffic data.
Trattamento antibiotico empirico, mirato o ragionato? Dalla pratica clinica alle Linee Guida EAU 2017
Authors: Cai Tommaso
Published: August 2018

Empirical antibiotic treatment of urinary tract infections: from everyday clinical practice to EAU guidelines 2017

Recent epidemiological data confirm the increasing problem of antimicrobial resistance not only for hospitalized, healthcare-associated patients but also for outpatients. In particular, the progressive increase in resistance to broad-spectrum antibiotics, such as third-generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, or carbapenems in Enterobacteriaceae, is an alarming situation for all urologists and general practitioners. The management of uncomplicated urinary tract infections are an important step in antibiotic stewardship achievement: a new approach is urgently required. All international Guidelines on urological infections suggest to take into account the following parameters for choosing antimicrobial therapy: spectrum and susceptibility patterns of the aetiological pathogens; efficacy for the particular indication in clinical studies; tolerability and adverse reactions; adverse ecological effects; costs and availability. In other words, an accurate evaluation of all patients and bacteria-related factors should be performed, along with the consideration of local data of bacterial resistance rate. According to these principles and the available susceptibility patterns in Italy, fosfomycin trometamol 3 g single dose and nitrofurantoin, are considered as drugs of first choice.
The crushing characteristics of reinforced Nomex honeycomb
Authors: Alia RA , Rao S , Umer R , Zhou J , Zheng C , Guan Z , Cantwell WJ
Published: August 2018

A Nomex honeycomb core has been reinforced with small diameter composite rods and tubes in order to enhance its compression properties and energy-absorbing characteristics. The influence of the areal density of the rods and tubes on the strength and energy-absorbing properties of the reinforced honeycomb was investigated by introducing increasing numbers of rods/tubes in square samples with bonded composite skins. An initial series of crushing tests on arrangements of small tubes and rods resulted in a stable model of failure yielding specific energy absorption values of approximately 45 kJ/kg for the tube and rod-based structures. A subsequent observation of the failed tubes highlighted the similar failure processes to those observed previously following the tests on much larger composite cylinders. Mechanical tests on the Nomex cores have shown that the compression strength and energy-absorbing characteristics of the reinforced honeycombs increase rapidly with increasing composite reinforcement. At low and intermediate values of core density, the rod and tube-reinforced cores exhibited similar properties, in terms of their compression strengths and specific energy absorption, an effect that is likely to be due to the dominance of the heavier Nomex core in these samples. At higher densities, the rod-reinforced systems tended to out-perform their tube-reinforced counterparts. Tests at impact rates of strain have shown that the compression strength and energy-absorbing capabilities of the reinforced cores are higher under the dynamic conditions, with the rod-reinforced cores offering values of specific energy absorption as high as 78 kJ/kg.
The role of imagination in emergent career agency
Authors: Muijen Heidi , Lengelle Reinekke , Meijers Frans , Wardekker Wim
Published: August 2018

Career agency is a vaguely defined concept that is usually explained in terms of cultivating self-reliance, while it is at the same time being critiqued as a difficult to reach goal as a result of societal pressures. Instead of viewing agency through the lens of these opposing viewpoints, focused on people either being self-reliant or determined by outside forces, this article proposes a ‘medial’ perspective on agency. People can be assisted to develop agency when it is conceptualized as an emergent phenomenon that can be fostered through imaginative and playful writing, where individuals are invited to engage in a field where an expansion of both symbolic and material space can be promoted. The dangers of an instrumental focus on career management skills are outlined and the philosophical considerations underlying the idea of imagination as fostering agency are explained.
Impact of the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction on Self-Determination and Goal Attainment in Adolescents With Intellectual Disability
Authors: Shogren Karrie A. , Burke Kathryn M. , Antosh Anthony , Wehmeyer Michael L. , LaPlante Terri , Shaw Leslie A. , Raley Sheida
Published: August 2018

The Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) is an evidence-based practice designed to enable teachers to teach students to self-regulate problem solving to set and attain educationally relevant goals. This study reports on findings and outcomes of the first year of a statewide implementation of the SDLMI by teachers working with students with intellectual disability to promote skills, knowledge, and beliefs that will lead to opportunities for meaningful, integrated employment. Data are reported on teacher fidelity of implementation of the SDLMI, student and teacher ratings of self-determination, student ratings of transition empowerment, and teacher ratings of student goal attainment. Data from the first year of the longitudinal implementation suggest that teachers can implement the SDLMI with fidelity, that students attain educationally relevant goals, and that teachers report changes in aspects of student self-determination, and that the SDLMI can be implemented statewide with school-, district-, and state-level supports. Recommendations for future research and policy-related implications for scaling-up efforts to promote self-determination are provided.
Markets, Distributive Justice and Community: The Egalitarian Ethos of G. A. Cohen
Authors: Albertsen Andreas
Published: August 2018

While markets are widely lauded as efficient and attractive allocation mechanisms, their moral limits remain a source of controversy. The writings of G. A. Cohen provide an important contribution to this debate. Cohen offers two critiques of the market. One is a distributive critique, which maintains that markets fail in eliminating the influence of differential luck on people’s lives. The other is a community critique, maintaining that market relations fall short of a community of mutual caring. These critiques differ in important ways from critiques developed by Satz and Sandel, and suggest a need to assess markets beyond desperate exchanges and the adverse effects of incentives. Cohen’s work also points to how we can realize distributive justice and community. His solution utilizes the supply and demand mechanism of the market as a signaling device rather than an allocation mechanism. High wages signal the importance of a specific job, but wage differences are subsequently taxed away. This peculiar market arrangement relies on moral rather than economic incentives and only works if it is combined with a communitarian ethos. This ethos solution is evaluated in light of recent criticisms that it would compromise the freedom to pursue personal projects, that incentives may express community, and that the competition it utilizes mitigates against community. In the end, these critiques are not deemed persuasive.
Sodium Nitrite–Mediated Cardioprotection in Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
Authors: Jones Daniel A. , Whittaker Peter , Rathod Krishnaraj S. , Richards Amy J. , Andiapen Mervyn , Antoniou Sotiris , Mathur Anthony , Ahluwalia Amrita
Published: August 2018

Objectives:

In the follow-up of patients in a trial of intracoronary sodium nitrite given during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), we found a reduction in the incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs). Specifically, MACE rates were 5.2% versus 25.0% with placebo at 3 years ( P = .013). Such MACE reductions should also be associated with economic benefit. Thus, we assessed the cost utility of sodium nitrite therapy versus standard primary PCI only.

Methods and Results:

We developed a model to simulate costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) over the first 36 months after ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). Decision tree analysis was used to assess different potential cardiovascular outcomes after STEMI for patients in both treatment groups. Model inputs were derived from the NITRITE-AMI study. Cost of comparative treatments and follow-up in relation to cardiovascular events was calculated from the United Kingdom National Health Service perspective. Higher procedural costs for nitrite treatment were offset by lower costs for repeat revascularization, myocardial infarction, and hospitalization for heart failure compared to primary PCI plus placebo. Nitrite treatment was associated with higher utility values (0.91 ± 0.19 vs 0.82 ± 0.30, P = .041). The calculated incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of £2177 per QALY indicates a cost-effective strategy. Furthermore, positive results were maintained when input parameters varied, indicating the robustness of our model. In fact, based on the difference in utility values, the cost of nitrite could increase by 4-fold (£2006 per vial) and remain cost-effective.

Conclusion:

This first analysis of sodium nitrite as a cardioprotective treatment demonstrates cost-effectiveness. Although more comparative analysis and assessment of longer follow-up times are required, our data indicate the considerable potential of nitrite-mediated cardioprotection.
One Hundred Thousand Whys: A Classic in Chinese Book History
Authors: Wang Guoyan , Du Junfei
Published: August 2018

One Hundred Thousand Whys is a widely known popular science book in China, which has been developing people’s systematic understanding of basic sciences for generations. This encyclopedic book covers a wide range of topics, inspiring people’s observations and pondering about the world by asking nonspecialist questions. Different questions are raised and followed by answers that satisfy readers’ scientific curiosity; cultivate the scientific literacy of generations of children, and even of adults; and make up for the shortcomings of scientific education in China’s schools. In the past half-century, it has become a legend and classic in Chinese publishing history.
Children’s Emotion Knowledge and Internalizing Problems: The Moderating Role of Culture
Authors: Doan Stacey N. , Wang Qi
Published: August 2018

This study examined in a cross-cultural context the prospective relation between children’s emotion knowledge and internalizing problems. European American ( N = 33) and immigrant Chinese children ( N = 22) and their mothers participated. Children’s emotion knowledge was assessed at three-and-a-half years of age using a task to elicit their understanding of situational antecedents of discrete emotions. Mothers reported on children’s internalizing problems using the Behavior Assessment System Children (BASC) when children were seven years of age. The relation of children’s emotion knowledge to internalizing problems was moderated by culture. Whereas early emotion knowledge was associated with decreased internalizing problems later on for European American children, it was associated with increased internalizing problems for immigrant Chinese children. The findings shed critical light on the different functional meanings of emotion knowledge across cultures.
Cultural contexts of individualism vs. collectivism: Exploring the relationships between family bonding, supervision and deviance
Authors: Kotlaja Marijana M.
Published: August 2018

The primary focus of this paper is to test the cross-national generalizability of the relationship between parental attachment and delinquency. Countries were divided on individualistic and collectivistic dimensions. Individualistic countries emphasize the degree to which individuals are supposed to look after themselves whereas collectivist counties emphasize group integration, usually around the family, and the achievement of group over individual goals. Average individual-level associations between parental attachment and crime were examined across 26 nations in an international dataset of delinquency and victimization of 12–15-year-old students in grades 7–9. Low levels of parental attachment and parental supervision were found to be more strongly related to deviance in countries with individualistic as opposed to collectivist cultural orientations. Alternative explanations for this relationship are explored.
Research Productivity and International Collaboration: A Study of Ecuadorian Science
Authors: Castillo José Antonio , Powell Michael A.
Published: August 2018

Ecuador’s research output relative to other Latin American countries has been low historically; however, over the last 10 years, the government has put various policies in place to help remedy this situation. This is an analysis of Ecuadorian research productivity from 2006 to 2015. The scientific productivity of Ecuador has increased 5.16 times over the past years, exceeding Latin American growth. Over 80% of Ecuadorian publications include international collaboration mainly with the United States and some European and Latin American countries.
Influence of the Local Food Environment on Hispanics’ Perceptions of Healthy Food Access in New York City
Authors: Co Manuel C. , Bakken Suzanne
Published: August 2018

Introduction:

Studies have characterized food environments and documented its impact on access and consumption of healthy foods as well as diet-related health conditions. This study aims to characterize the local food environment in New York City’s Washington Heights and Inwood community and to examine its influence on Hispanics’ perceptions of healthy food access.

Methods:

Person-level local food environments were created by spatially modeling food retailers selling fresh fruits and vegetables or low-fat products within a participant’s 400- and 800-m residential radius buffers. Data were analyzed using multivariate binary logistic regression.

Results:

Fruit/vegetable markets significantly increased participants’ odds of perceiving the availability of a large selection as well as the high quality of fresh fruits and vegetables in their neighborhood. Medium-/large-size supermarkets/groceries within 400-m radius significantly increased participants’ odds of perceiving the high quality of fresh fruits and vegetables in their neighborhood, whereas meat markets significantly lowered the odds. Fruit/vegetable markets and medium-/large-size supermarkets/groceries significantly increased participants’ odds of perceiving the availability of a large selection of low-fat products in their neighborhood.

Conclusion:

Study findings advance our understanding of the relationships between local food environment and perceived healthy food access among urban Hispanics.
Influence of Individual Radiosensitivity on the Adaptive Response Phenomenon: Toward a Mechanistic Explanation Based on the Nucleo-Shuttling of ATM Protein
Authors: Devic Clément , Ferlazzo Mélanie L. , Foray Nicolas
Published: August 2018

The adaptive response (AR) phenomenon generally describes a protective effect caused by a “priming” low dose ( dAR) delivered after a period of time (Δ tAR) before a higher “challenging” dose ( DAR). The AR is currently observed in human cells if dAR, Δ tAR, and DAR belong to (0.001-0.5 Gy), (2-24 hours), (0.1-5 Gy), respectively. In order to investigate the molecular mechanisms specific to AR in human cells, we have systematically reviewed the experimental AR protocols, the cellular models, and the biological endpoints used from the 1980s. The AR appears to be preferentially observed in radiosensitive cells and is strongly dependent on individual radiosensitivity. To date, the model of the nucleo-shuttling of the ATM protein provides a relevant mechanistic explanation of the AR molecular and cellular events. Indeed, the priming dose dAR may result in the diffusion of a significant amount of active ATM monomers in the nucleus. These ATM monomers, added to those induced directly by the challenging dose DAR, may increase the efficiency of the response to DAR by a better ATM-dependent DNA damage recognition. Such mechanistic model would also explain why AR is not observed in radioresistant or hyperradiosensitive cells. Further investigations at low dose are needed to consolidate our hypotheses.
Optimal design of heating system for electrical rapid heat cycle mold based on multi-objective optimization, multiple-attribute decision-making, and conformal design theory
Authors: Li Jiquan , Li Taidong , Peng Xiang , Liu Feng , Zhou Hangchao , Jiang Shaofei
Published: August 2018

To improve the heating efficiency and cavity surface temperature uniformity, an optimal design method was developed for the heating system in electrical rapid heat cycle molding mold. First, an electrical rapid heat cycle molding mold was simplified as a single heating cell unit for thermal response analysis based on conformal design theory. Second, a response surface using back propagation neural network was constructed on the ground of initial finite element experiments. Then, a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II combined with the polynomial back propagation neural network model was proposed to capture the Pareto-optimal solutions. Subsequently, the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution based on entropy-based weight was adopted as a multi-attribute decision-making method to choose the trade-off optimal design point from the Pareto-optimal set. To gain the optimal design of heating system, the optimized heating cell unit for electrical rapid heat cycle molding mold was calculated and finally mapped into the entire mold. Cavity surface temperature uniformity increased by 17.1%, and heating efficiency increased by 26%. The results show that the temperature distribution uniformity on the mold cavity surface was obviously improved and using this optimization strategy ensured high heating efficiency.
Myocardial protection in on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting surgery: analysis of the effectiveness of the use of retrograde Celsior®
Authors: López-Menéndez José , Miguelena Javier , Morales Carlos , Callejo Francisco , Silva Jacobo
Published: August 2018

Background:

We analyzed the adequacy of the myocardial protection achieved with a single dose of retrograde crystalloid Celsior®, compared with an accepted standard (microplegia), in on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG).

Methods:

This was a retrospective comparative clinical study conducted in a single institution that included all the patients operated on who had elective isolated on-pump CABG, from March 2006 to June 2014. We evaluated maximum postoperative troponin T (TnT) as a marker of myocardial damage, adjusted for possible confounders using propensity score matching. We also analyzed markers of recovery of myocardial function, and the safety of the intravenous use of Celsior®.

Results:

During the study period, 261 patients were included, divided in two groups: (a) continuous retrograde blood-based microplegia (114 patients); (b) retrograde single-dose crystalloid Celsior® (147 patients). The propensity score adjusted maximum TnT was significantly lower in the Celsior group [average treatment effect = −0.55 ng/dl; 95% confidence interval (CI) −1.10 to −0.1 ng/dl; p = 0.048]. There were no differences in the postoperative use of intra-aortic balloon of counterpulsation or in the requirements of high-dose inotropic medications. In-hospital mortality was equivalent in both study groups ( p = 0.73); surgical re-exploration because of bleeding was equivalent ( p = 0.37). There were no differences in prolonged mechanical ventilation ( p = 0.65) and intensive care unit length of stay ( p = 0.87).

Conclusion:

An isolated single dose of retrograde Celsior® may be an effective and safe myocardial protection strategy in on-pump CABG.
Cerebrospinal fluid GAP-43 in early multiple sclerosis
Authors: Rot U , Sandelius Å , Emeršič A , Zetterberg H , Blennow K
Published: August 2018

Background/Objective

Novel biomarkers identifying and predicting disease activity in multiple sclerosis (MS) would be valuable for primary diagnosis and as outcome measures for monitoring therapeutic effects in clinical trials. Axonal loss is present from the earliest stages of MS and correlates with disability measures. Growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43) is a presynaptic protein with induced expression during axonal growth. We hypothesized this protein could serve as a biomarker of axonal regeneration capacity in MS.

Methods

We developed a novel GAP-43 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for quantification in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and measured GAP-43 levels in 71 patients with clinically isolated syndrome, 139 MS patients and 51 controls.

Results

GAP-43 concentrations were similar in patients and controls. Nevertheless, GAP-43 levels were higher in patients with >10 T2-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesions ( p = 0.005). CSF GAP-43 concentrations correlated with CSF mononuclear cell counts ( p = 0.031) and were inversely correlated with patient age ( p = 0.038) with a trend for higher CSF GAP-43 concentrations in patients with gadolinium-enhancing MRI lesions and positive CSF oligoclonal immunoglobulin G status.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that axonal regeneration capacity is relatively preserved in early MS. CSF GAP-43 concentration is positively associated with markers of inflammation, suggesting possible inflammatory-driven expression of this growth-associated protein in early MS.
Contemporary Opinions on Intraoperative Facial Nerve Monitoring
Authors: Gidley Paul W. , Maw Jennifer , Gantz Bruce , Kaylie David , Lambert Paul , Malekzadeh Sonya , Chandrasekhar Sujana S.
Published: August 2018

Objective

To examine the current trend in intraoperative facial nerve monitoring (IOFNM) training, performance, and reimbursement by subspecialists.

Study Design

Cross‐sectional survey of the American Neurotology Society, American Otological Society, American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology, and program directors of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery programs accredited by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education.

Setting

American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Intraoperative Nerve Monitoring Task Force.

Subjects and Methods

The task force developed 2 surveys, which were implemented through Surveymonkey.com: (1) a 10‐question survey sent to 1506 members of the societies listed to determine IOFNM practice and reimbursement patterns and (2) a 10‐question survey sent to the 107 accredited US otolaryngology residency program directors to examine the state of resident training on facial nerve monitoring.

Results

Response rates were 18% for practicing physicians and 15% for residency program directors. The majority agreed that IOFNM was indicated for most otologic and neurotologic procedures. In addition to facial nerve monitoring, facial nerve stimulation was used in complex skull base and temporal bone procedures. When queried about reimbursement by Medicare, only 4.4% of surgeons responded that they received reimbursement. Program directors indicated universal exposure of residents to IOFNM, with 61% of programs giving residents formal training.

Conclusions

IOFNM is widely used among otologists and neurotologists in the United States. The majority of residents receive formal training, and all residents are exposed to the setup, use, monitoring, and troubleshooting of the device. Reimbursement for IOFNM is reported by a paucity of those surveyed.
The ‘Basic’ Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Authors: Gross G.
Published: August 2018

By concentrating on the apparently uncharacteristic stages in the course of schizophrenia, Huber has drawn attention to subjectively basic symptoms (Huber, 1980, 1983; Huber et al, 1979). He has shown in his long-term follow-up investigations of schizophrenic outpatients that uncharacteristic (basic) stages (see below) prevail in the long term when compared with periods of relapse. His new typology of psychopathological outcome underlined these uncharacteristic (purely asthemic) types of remission (“reiner Defekt” — Huber 1957a, 1961, 1966).
Evidence for the 5-HT Hypothesis of Suicide A Review of Post-mortem Studies
Authors: Mann J. J. , Arango V. , Marzuk P. M. , Theccanat S. , Reis D. J.
Published: August 2018

Although suicide was traditionally considered an extreme response to stress, with the most frequent stress being depressive illness, severity of depression does not distinguish those who commit suicide from non-suicide attempters. A biological role involving the serotonergic system, possibly associated with a genetic risk factor, has been postulated. Low levels of 5-HT and 5-HIAA have been found in post-mortem examinations of brain-stem tissues of suicide victims (levels in cortical tissue were generally normal). An increased number of 5-HT2 receptors was found in the pre-frontal cortex of suicide victims, such upregulation having been demonstrated in induced 5-HT deficiency states; 5-HT1A receptors were also increased. Receptor populations may be altered by chronic psychotropic medication; e.g. 5-HT2 downregulation occurs following administration of antidepressants. There is some indication that the adrenergic system may be involved as well, but this will require further study. Antidepressant drugs may be effective in preventing suicide in patients with non-depressive syndromes who exhibit suicidal behaviour.