bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A CsTu‐TS1 regulatory module promotes fruit tubercule formation in cucumber
Authors: Yang Sen , Wen Changlong , Liu Bin , Cai Yanling , Xue Shudan , Bartholomew Ezra S. , Dong Mingming , Jian Chen , Xu Shuo , Wang Ting , Qi Wenzhu , Pang Jinan , Ma Dehua , Liu Xingwang , Ren Huazhong
Published: June 2018

The fruit epidermal features such as the size of tubercules are important fruit quality traits for cucumber production. But the mechanisms underlying tubercule formation remain elusive. Here, tubercule size locus CsTS1 was identified by map‐based cloning and was found to encode an oleosin protein. Allelic variation was identified in the promoter region of CsTS1, resulting in low expression of CsTS1 in all 22 different small‐warty or nonwarty cucumber lines. High CsTS1 expression levels were closely correlated with increased fruit tubercule size among 44 different cucumber lines. Transgenic complementation and RNAi‐mediated gene silencing of CsTS1 in transgenic cucumber plants demonstrated that CsTS1 positively regulates the development of tubercules. CsTS1 is highly expressed in the peel at fruit tubercule forming and enlargement stage. Auxin content and expression of three auxin signalling pathway genes were altered in the 35S:CsTS1 and CsTS1‐RNAi fruit tubercules, a result that was supported by comparing the cell size of the control and transgenic fruit tubercules. CsTu, a C2H2 zinc finger domain transcription factor that regulates tubercule initiation, binds directly to the CsTS1 promoter and promotes its expression. Taken together, our results reveal a novel mechanism in which the CsTu‐TS1 complex promotes fruit tubercule formation in cucumber.
Biosemantics and Words that Don't Represent
Authors: Millikan Ruth Garrett
Published: June 2018

One of the virtues of the biosemantic view of language is the clarity and simplicity of its description of the general nature of nonrepresentational linguistic constructions. It doesn't follow, however, that it is obvious on this view how these functions should be described individually. After an explanation of the biosemantic approach, initial suggestions are made for analyses of a variety of nonrepresentational constructions that have traditionally been considered problematic. Included are “not”, “is” (of identity), “exists”, “means”, “but”, “if … then”, “possibly” and “true.”
The Role of Hand, Eye, and Ear Lateralization in the Sense of Rhythm of the Athletes
Authors: Erhan Süleyman Erim , Gerek Zinnur , Bedir Deniz
Published: June 2018

This study was carried out to investigate the relationship among the hand, eye, and ear lateralizations and the sense of rhythm of the athletes randomly selected from different sport branches.A total of 115 elite athletes including 72 males (62.6%) and 43 females (37.4%) whose mean age was 22.3±2.4 years and who receive training at different departments of the Faculty of Sports Sciences, Ataturk University were included in the study. Hand preference was assessed based on the Geschwind score by applying Edinburgh Inventory test. The dominant eye was tested by the Dolman Method (hole-in-the-card test). Hearing durations were measured using 128 Hz diapason and digital chronometer. The rhythm perception and application skills were assessed considering the rhythmic answers given practically to the rhythm patterns previously prepared by the researcher.As for the handedness of the athletes, 16.5% of them were left-handed (n=19), 7.8% (n=9) were two-handed, and 75.7% (n=87) were right-handed. While 18.3% (n=21) had good hearing durations with left ear, and 13.9% (n=16) had good hearing durations with right ear, 67.8% (n=78) had very close hearing durations with two ears. While left eye of 41.7% (n=48) was dominant, the right eye of 58.3% (n=67) was dominant. According to the rhythm perception and application test results, 46.1% of the athletes were weak (n=53), 30.4% at the midlevel (n=35), 13.9% (n=16) good, and 9.6% (n=11) at very good level.No significant relationship was found between the eye and ear lateralization of the athletes and their rhythm perception and application skills; however, it was found that the sense of rhythm of the left-handed individuals was better than the right-handed ones with respect to the handedness.
Addressable metasurfaces for dynamic holography and optical information encryption
Authors: Li Jianxiong , Kamin Simon , Zheng Guoxing , Neubrech Frank , Zhang Shuang , Liu Na
Published: June 2018

We present addressable plasmonic metasurfaces for optical information encryption and holography.
Who regulates whom: ZNF341 is an additional player in the STAT3/T
H
17 song
Authors: August Avery
Published: June 2018

Deficiency of ZNF341, a transcription factor featuring 12 Cys2His2 zinc fingers that regulates the expression and autoinduction of STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3), results in hyper–immunoglobulin E syndrome and defective T helper 17 cell differentiation in humans.
Characteristics of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration who are non-responders to intravitreal aflibercept
Authors: Hara Chikako , Wakabayashi Taku , Toyama Hiroshi , Fukushima Yoko , Sayanagi Kaori , Sato Shigeru , Sakaguchi Hirokazu , Nishida Kohji
Published: June 2018

Purpose

To investigate the frequency and patient characteristics that influence anatomic response of intravitreal aflibercept in treatment-naïve neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Design

Retrospective, interventional, consecutive case series.

Methods

Three hundred and sixty-five eyes of 365 patients with AMD who underwent 3 monthly intravitreal aflibercept treatments with follow-up for at least 12 months were investigated. Treatment response was evaluated as follows. Responders were defined as those with complete resolution of exudation, including intraretinal oedema, subretinal fluid and pigment epithelial detachment, or more than a 100 µm decrease of central retinal thickness at 3 months compared with baseline. Non-responders were defined as patients exhibiting an increase in exudation or a decreased central retinal thickness of less than 100 µm.

Results

Nineteen (5.2%) of 365 eyes were identified as non-responders. The remaining were responders to intravitreal aflibercept. The non-responders group was significantly associated with choroidal vascular hyperpermeability on indocyanine green angiography and lower frequency of subretinal hyper-reflective materials on optical coherence tomography. The central choroidal thickness at baseline and after 3 monthly injections tended to be thicker in the non-responder group than the responder group, although the differences did not meet statistical significance (p=0.066 and p=0.051, respectively). Additional treatments with either intravitreal ranibizumab or PDT in combination with aflibercept were effective in 15 (79%) of 19 non-responders.

Conclusion

Intravitreal aflibercept is effective for treating eye pathology in most naïve AMD cases. However, non-responsiveness may occur in small subgroup of patients with choroidal vascular hyperpermeability.
Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery for the white cataract
Authors: Chee Soon-Phaik , Chan Nicole Shu-Wen , Yang Younian , Ti Seng-Ei
Published: June 2018

Aim

To report the capsulotomy and lens fragmentation outcomes of white cataracts managed with the femtosecond laser (FL).

Methods

Outcomes of a prospective, observational consecutive case series of white cataracts (June 2012–November 2016) that underwent FL-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) (Victus, Bausch+Lomb, Munich, Germany) at the Singapore National Eye Centre were audited.Data collected: patient demographics, type of white cataract, levelness of docking, anterior capsule position following laser, completeness of capsulotomy and fragmentation, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 1 month, intraoperative complications.Outcome measures:capsulotomy integrity, fragmentation capability and BCVA at 1 month.

Results

58 eyes of 54 patients underwent FLACS. White cataract types included dry white (24 eyes), intumescent (28 eyes) and Morgagnian (6 eyes). Docking was level in 22 eyes (38.6%). Following FL, the anterior capsule level dropped in 20 eyes (34.5%). Incomplete capsulotomies occurred in 10 eyes (17.2%). Lens fragmentation attempted in 38 eyes was effective or partially effective in 31 eyes (81.6%). No anterior or posterior capsule tears occurred. LogMAR BCVA at 1 month was 0.073 (SD 0.09). Risk factors for incomplete capsulotomy were Morgagnian cataract and lens thickness (multiple logistic regression, p<0.01 and p=0.03, respectively).

Conclusion

The main complication of FLACS in white cataracts was incomplete capsulotomy (17.2%), significantly associated with Morgagnian cataracts and increased lens thickness. Lens fragmentation was effected in four-fifths of white cataracts but should be avoided in Morgagnian cataracts due to possible overlap of the lens fragmentation plan and the anterior capsule.
Risk and temporal order of disease diagnosis of comorbidities in patients with COPD: a population health perspective
Authors: Tényi Ákos , Vela Emili , Cano Isaac , Cleries Montserrat , Monterde David , Gomez-Cabrero David , Roca Josep
Published: June 2018

Introduction

Comorbidities in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) generate a major burden on healthcare. Identification of cost-effective strategies aiming at preventing and enhancing management of comorbid conditions in patients with COPD requires deeper knowledge on epidemiological patterns and on shared biological pathways explaining co-occurrence of diseases.

Methods

The study assesses the co-occurrence of several chronic conditions in patients with COPD using two different datasets: Catalan Healthcare Surveillance System (CHSS) (ES, 1.4 million registries) and Medicare (USA, 13 million registries). Temporal order of disease diagnosis was analysed in the CHSS dataset.

Results

The results demonstrate higher prevalence of most of the diseases, as comorbid conditions, in elderly (>65) patients with COPD compared with non-COPD subjects, an effect observed in both CHSS and Medicare datasets. Analysis of temporal order of disease diagnosis showed that comorbid conditions in elderly patients with COPD tend to appear after the diagnosis of the obstructive disease, rather than before it.

Conclusion

The results provide a population health perspective of the comorbidity challenge in patients with COPD, indicating the increased risk of developing comorbid conditions in these patients. The research reinforces the need for novel approaches in the prevention and management of comorbidities in patients with COPD to effectively reduce the overall burden of the disease on these patients.
Major microbiota dysbiosis in severe obesity: fate after bariatric surgery
Authors: Aron-Wisnewsky Judith , Prifti Edi , Belda Eugeni , Ichou Farid , Kayser Brandon D , Dao Maria Carlota , Verger Eric O , Hedjazi Lyamine , Bouillot Jean-Luc , Chevallier Jean-Marc , Pons Nicolas , Le Chatelier Emmanuelle , Levenez Florence , Ehrlich Stanislav Dusko , Dore Joel , Zucker Jean-Daniel , Clément Karine
Published: June 2018

Objectives

Decreased gut microbial gene richness (MGR) and compositional changes are associated with adverse metabolism in overweight or moderate obesity, but lack characterisation in severe obesity. Bariatric surgery (BS) improves metabolism and inflammation in severe obesity and is associated with gut microbiota modifications. Here, we characterised severe obesity-associated dysbiosis (ie, MGR, microbiota composition and functional characteristics) and assessed whether BS would rescue these changes.

Design

Sixty-one severely obese subjects, candidates for adjustable gastric banding (AGB, n=20) or Roux-en-Y-gastric bypass (RYGB, n=41), were enrolled. Twenty-four subjects were followed at 1, 3 and 12 months post-BS. Gut microbiota and serum metabolome were analysed using shotgun metagenomics and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Confirmation groups were included.

Results

Low gene richness (LGC) was present in 75% of patients and correlated with increased trunk-fat mass and comorbidities (type 2 diabetes, hypertension and severity). Seventy-eight metagenomic species were altered with LGC, among which 50% were associated with adverse body composition and metabolic phenotypes. Nine serum metabolites (includingglutarate,3-methoxyphenylacetic acidandL-histidine) and functional modules containing protein families involved in their metabolism were strongly associated with low MGR. BS increased MGR 1 year postsurgery, but most RYGB patients remained with low MGR 1 year post-BS, despite greater metabolic improvement than AGB patients.

Conclusions

We identified major gut microbiota alterations in severe obesity, which include decreased MGR and related functional pathways linked with metabolic deteriorations. The lack of full rescue post-BS calls for additional strategies to improve the gut microbiota ecosystem and microbiome–host interactions in severe obesity.

Trial registration number

NCT01454232.
Location Extraction from Social Media
Authors: Middleton Stuart E. , Kordopatis-Zilos Giorgos , Papadopoulos Symeon , Kompatsiaris Yiannis
Published: June 2018

Location extraction, also called “toponym extraction,” is a field covering geoparsing, extracting spatial representations from location mentions in text, and geotagging, assigning spatial coordinates to content items. This article evaluates five “best-of-class” location extraction algorithms. We develop a geoparsing algorithm using an OpenStreetMap database, and a geotagging algorithm using a language model constructed from social media tags and multiple gazetteers. Third-party work evaluated includes a DBpedia-based entity recognition and disambiguation approach, a named entity recognition and Geonames gazetteer approach, and a Google Geocoder API approach. We perform two quantitative benchmark evaluations, one geoparsing tweets and one geotagging Flickr posts, to compare all approaches. We also perform a qualitative evaluation recalling top N location mentions from tweets during major news events. The OpenStreetMap approach was best (F1 0.90+) for geoparsing English, and the language model approach was best (F1 0.66) for Turkish. The language model was best (F1@1km 0.49) for the geotagging evaluation. The map database was best (R@20 0.60+) in the qualitative evaluation. We report on strengths, weaknesses, and a detailed failure analysis for the approaches and suggest concrete areas for further research.
Disruption of a −35 kb Enhancer Impairs CTCF Binding and MLH1 Expression in Colorectal Cells
Authors: Liu Qing , Thoms Julie A.I. , Nunez Andrea C. , Huang Yizhou , Knezevic Kathy , Packham Deborah , Poulos Rebecca C. , Williams Rachel , Beck Dominik , Hawkins Nicholas J. , Ward Robyn L. , Wong Jason W.H. , Hesson Luke B. , Sloane Mathew A. , Pimanda John E.
Published: June 2018

Purpose: MLH1 is a major tumor suppressor gene involved in the pathogenesis of Lynch syndrome and various sporadic cancers. Despite their potential pathogenic importance, genomic regions capable of regulating MLH1 expression over long distances have yet to be identified.

Experimental Design: Here, we use chromosome conformation capture (3C) to screen a 650-kb region flanking the MLH1 locus to identify interactions between the MLH1 promoter and distal regions in MLH1-expressing and nonexpressing cells. Putative enhancers were functionally validated using luciferase reporter assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and CRISPR-Cas9–mediated deletion of endogenous regions. To evaluate whether germline variants in the enhancer might contribute to impaired MLH1 expression in patients with suspected Lynch syndrome, we also screened germline DNA from a cohort of 74 patients with no known coding mutations or epimutations at the MLH1 promoter.

Results: A 1.8-kb DNA fragment, 35 kb upstream of the MLH1 transcription start site enhances MLH1 gene expression in colorectal cells. The enhancer was bound by CTCF and CRISPR-Cas9–mediated deletion of a core binding region impairs endogenous MLH1 expression. A total of 5.4% of suspected Lynch syndrome patients have a rare single-nucleotide variant (G > A; rs143969848; 2.5% in gnomAD European, non-Finnish) within a highly conserved CTCF-binding motif, which disrupts enhancer activity in SW620 colorectal carcinoma cells.

Conclusions: A CTCF-bound region within the MLH1-35 enhancer regulates MLH1 expression in colorectal cells and is worthy of scrutiny in future genetic screening strategies for suspected Lynch syndrome associated with loss of MLH1 expression. Clin Cancer Res; 24(18); 4602–11. ©2018 AACR.
The Role of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase-4 (PDK4) in Bladder Cancer and Chemoresistance
Authors: Woolbright Benjamin L. , Choudhary Dharamainder , Mikhalyuk Andrew , Trammel Cassandra , Shanmugam Sambantham , Abbott Erika , Pilbeam Carol C. , Taylor John A.
Published: June 2018

Advanced bladder cancer remains a major source of mortality, with poor treatment options. Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is the standard treatment, however many patients are or become resistant. One potential cause of chemoresistance is the Warburg effect, a metabolic switch to aerobic glycolysis that occurs in many cancers. Upregulation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase family (PDK1–PDK4) is associated with aerobic glycolysis and chemoresistance through inhibition of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDH). We have previously observed upregulation of PDK4 in high-grade compared with low-grade bladder cancers. We initiated this study to determine if inhibition of PDK4 could reduce tumor growth rates or sensitize bladder cancer cells to cisplatin. Upregulation of PDK4 in malignant bladder cancer cell lines as compared with benign transformed urothelial cells was confirmed using qPCR. Inhibition of PDK4 with dichloroacetate (DCA) resulted in increased PDH activity, reduced cell growth, and G0–G1 phase arrest in bladder cancer cells. Similarly, siRNA knockdown of PDK4 inhibited bladder cancer cell proliferation. Cotreatment of bladder cancer cells with cisplatin and DCA did not increase caspase-3 activity but did enhance overall cell death in vitro. Although daily treatment with 200 mg/kg DCA alone did not reduce tumor volumes in a xenograft model, combination treatment with cisplatin resulted in dramatically reduced tumor volumes as compared with either DCA or cisplatin alone. This was attributed to substantial intratumoral necrosis. These findings indicate inhibition of PDK4 may potentiate cisplatin-induced cell death and warrant further studies investigating the mechanism through which this occurs. Mol Cancer Ther; 17(9); 2004–12. ©2018 AACR.
Ensino de Estratégia na Graduação Utilizando Metodologias Ativas e Trabalhos de Campo
Authors: Garcia Leonardo Guimarães
Published: June 2018

O presente trabalho tem por objetivo apresentar o desenvolvimento e a aplicação de uma abordagem para o ensino de formulação de estratégias na graduação, cujos diferenciais são o uso de metodologias ativas de ensino e a realização de trabalhos de campo. Tendo como método a pesquisa-ação, este trabalho foi realizado ao longo de quatro anos e contemplou: 1) a avaliação da abordagem de ensino vigente no início do estudo; 2) seu aperfeiçoamento ao longo de quatro anos; 3) a avaliação da abordagem vigente ao final do período; e 4) a análise comparativa das avaliações inicial e final. Os resultados indicam que os aperfeiçoamentos realizados na disciplina contribuíram para a melhoria do aprendizado técnico dos alunos (isto é, seu domínio das técnicas de coleta e análise de informações estratégicas, bem como da formulação de diretrizes estratégicas para Unidades de Informação – UIs). Já o impacto da abordagem no modo como os alunos cursam a universidade diminuiu. Por outro lado, a análise sugere a consolidação de alguns pontos fortes (ligados tanto à atuação do professor quanto ao perfil da disciplina), ao mesmo tempo que indica a efetividade dos aperfeiçoamentos, uma vez que apenas uma reduzida fração das críticas e sugestões da primeira avaliação (21,4%) se manteve na segunda.
Peasant Sex Workers in Metropolitan China and the Pivotal Concept of Money
Authors: Tsang Eileen Yuk-ha , Lowe John , Wilkinson Jeffrey S. , Scambler Graham
Published: June 2018

This article is a theoretically informed empirical investigation of breadwinning peasant workers in China’s urban metropolis of Guangdong and the values they ascribe to money acquired through sex work. The existing literature about money sits at the very core of modernity, individualisation and mobility providing endless opportunities to explore its variegated meanings in China’s global commercial sex industry. We situate the women’s desires and endeavours to escape from rural poverty in relation to the nuances of economic and class location in the urban context of post-reform China. We, then, argue that the rural poor migrant women interpret sex work and money as “contradictory” properties of individualism that enhance their personal options, as well as meeting their costs. We introduce a typology of the multiple roles that money plays in their lives. Our findings, we suggest, have significant “general” resonance and ramifications for the ongoing de-collectivisation of rural Chinese society.
A new species of Lobesia Guenée, 1845 from Thailand (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Oletheutinae)
Authors: CHAROENSUB THIPMANEE , PINKAEW NANTASAK , SANGUANSUB SUNISA
Published: June 2018

Lobesia bisacca Charoensub and Pinkaew, n.sp., is described from Thailand. Specimens were collected in light traps in Trat Province, eastern Thailand and were deposited in the Kasetsart Kamphaengsaen Insect Collection. The new species can be distinguished from all other congeners by the unusual, long, protruding process from the base of the sacculus in the male genitalia. Illustrations of the adult, male genitalia, and male secondary characters are provided.
Circulation Features Associated with the Record-Breaking Rainfall over South China in June 2017
Authors: Sun Jianqi , Ming Jing , Zhang Mengqi , Yu Shui
Published: June 2018

In June 2017, south China suffered from intense rainfall that broke the record spanning the previous 70 years. In this study, the large-scale circulations associated with the south China June rainfall are analyzed. The results show that the anomalous Pacific–Japan (PJ) pattern is a direct influence on south China June rainfall or East Asian early summer rainfall. In addition, the Australian high was the strongest in June 2017 during the past 70 years, which can increase the equatorward flow to northern Australia and activate convection over the Maritime Continent. Enhanced convection over the Maritime Continent can further enhance local meridional circulation along East Asia, engendering downward motion over the tropical western North Pacific and enhancing the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) and upward motion over south China, which increases the rainfall therein. In addition, a strong wave train pattern associated with North Atlantic air–sea interaction was observed in June 2017 at Northern Hemispheric mid- to high latitudes; it originated from the North Atlantic and propagated eastward to East Asia, resulting in an anomalous anticyclone over the Mongolian–Baikal Lake region. This anomalous anticyclone produced strong northerly winds over East Asia that encountered the southerly associated with the WPSH over south China, thereby favoring intense rainfall over the region. Case studies of June 2017 and climate research based on data during 1979–2017 and 1948–2017 indicate that the extremities of the atmospheric circulation over south Europe and Australian high and their coupling with the PJ pattern could be responsible for the record-breaking south China rainfall in June 2017.
Relationship between the Hadley Circulation and Different Tropical Meridional SST Structures during Boreal Summer
Authors: Feng Juan , Li Jianping , Jin Feifei , Zhao Sen , Zhu Jianlei
Published: June 2018

The relationship of the Hadley circulation (HC) to different tropical sea surface temperature (SST) meridional structures during boreal summer is investigated over the period of 1979–2016. After decomposing the variations of the HC into the equatorially asymmetric HC (HEA), zonal-mean equatorially asymmetric SST (SEA), equatorially symmetric HC (HES), and equatorially symmetric SST (SES) components, the ratio of the HEA associated with SEA with respect to the HES associated with SES is around 2 across multiple reanalyses, which is a smaller ratio than in the annual and seasonal cycle. The reduced ratio of the HC to SST is due to the regional SST variation in the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) domain. The first leading mode (EOF1) of the regional SST variability in the ASM domain is dominated by a homogeneous warming pattern. This pattern is associated with an equatorially asymmetric HC, but it has an opposite direction to the climatological HEA and so weakens the HEA. The second dominant mode has an El Niño–like pattern, which resembles the distribution of the principal mode of the SST in the non-ASM region. Both modes are responsible for the variation of HES. However, the SST EOF1 in the ASM domain displays a significant upward trend, favoring a suppressed HEA, and leading to the smaller ratio of the HC to SST during boreal summer. Moreover, the variation of the SST EOF1 is closely linked with the intensity of the ASM, highlighting the potential modulation by the ASM of the relation between the HC and SST during boreal summer.
Observed Cross-Shelf Flow Induced by Mesoscale Eddies in the Northern South China Sea
Authors: Wang Qiang , Zeng Lili , Li Jian , Chen Ju , He Yunkai , Yao Jinglong , Wang Dongxiao , Zhou Weidong
Published: June 2018

Cross-shelf flow induced by mesoscale eddies has been investigated in the northern South China Sea (NSCS) using velocity observations from Long Ranger ADCP moorings. Mesoscale eddies influenced the three mooring stations during almost all the observation period. Four quadrants have been defined with the mooring location as the origin, and it is found that warm (cold) mesoscale eddies induce onshore (offshore) movement in the eastern two quadrants and offshore (onshore) movement in the western two quadrants. When an eddy propagates past a mooring station, net cross-shelf flow at the mooring station can be induced by asymmetry in the horizontal and vertical structure of the eddy and by its evolution. As an eddy propagates westward, its shape changes continually and the vertical modes also transform from high to lower modes, which contributes to the net cross-shelf flow. Based on the quasigeostrophic potential vorticity equation, it is confirmed that the net cross-shelf flow is mainly induced by the eddy evolution and suppressed by nonlinear effect. Because of dispersion characteristics of the mesoscale eddy, barotropic mode will restructure at the baroclinic mode area after separating from the baroclinic mode, which will be enhanced by topography slope.
Variational Analysis of Simulated Ocean Surface Winds from the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) and Evaluation Using a Regional OSSE
Authors: Leidner S. Mark , Annane Bachir , McNoldy Brian , Hoffman Ross , Atlas Robert
Published: June 2018

A positive impact of adding directional information to observations from the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYNGSS) constellation of microsatellites is observed in simulation using a high-resolution nature run of an Atlantic hurricane for a 4-day period. Directional information is added using a two-dimensional variational analysis method (VAM) for near-surface vector winds that blends simulated CYGNSS wind speeds with an a priori background vector wind field at 6-h analysis times. The resulting wind vectors at CYGNSS data locations are more geophysically self-consistent when using high-resolution 6-h forecast backgrounds from a Hurricane Weather Research and Forecast Model (HWRF) control observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) compared to low-resolution 6-h forecasts from an associated Global Forecast System (GFS) model control OSSE. An important contributing factor is the large displacement error in the center of circulation in the GFS background wind fields that produces asymmetric circulations in the associated VAM analyses. Results of a limited OSSE indicate that CYGNSS winds reduce forecast error in hurricane intensity in 0–48-h forecasts compared to using no CYGNSS data. Assimilation of VAM-CYGNSS vector winds reduces maximum wind speed error by 2–5 kt (1 kt = 0.51 m s−1) and reduces minimum central pressure error by 2–5 hPa. The improvement in forecast intensity is notably larger and more consistent than the reduction in track error. The assimilation of VAM-CYGNSS wind vectors constrains analyses of surface wind field structures during OSSE more effectively than wind speeds alone. Because of incomplete sampling and the limitations of the data assimilation system used, CYGNSS scalar winds produce unwanted wind/pressure imbalances and asymmetries more often than the assimilation of VAM-CYGNSS data.
Justice, subalternism, and literary justice: Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger
Authors: Ratti Manav
Published: June 2018

This article analyses Aravind Adiga’s Booker prize-winning novel The White Tiger (2008) through the lens of justice: philosophical, legal, and literary. What is justice when its agent is subaltern — disprivileged by both caste and class — and delivers justice to himself? I argue that the fictional representation of class, caste, poverty, and violence can be similar to the structuring and translations of justice. By writing his novel from the perspective of a subaltern character, Adiga joins the call by Dalit critics to reconfigure modernity from the interests of the oppressed and the marginalized. In the process, there can be a rethinking of postcolonial literary criticism from within the postcolonial nation, rather than the established perspective of the postcolonial nation understanding its own colonial oppression. My essay provokes wider insights into the implications for justice and human rights as they are informed and represented by literary fiction, subaltern theory, and deconstructive theory. How can a writer conceive of and represent justice — literary justice — by working within and against philosophical and legal conceptions of justice? The philosophers and theorists I invoke include Drucilla Cornell, Jacques Derrida, Wai Chee Dimock, Emmanuel Levinas, Gayatri Chakravarty Spivak, and Robert Young.
Crash and Near-Crash Risk Assessment of Distracted Driving and Engagement in Secondary Tasks: A Naturalistic Driving Study
Authors: Bakhit Peter R. , Guo BeiBei , Ishak Sherif
Published: June 2018

Distracted driving behavior is a perennial safety concern that affects not only the vehicle’s occupants but other road users as well. Distraction is typically caused by engagement in secondary tasks and activities such as manipulating objects and passenger interaction, among many others. This study provides an in-depth analysis of the increased crash/near-crash risk associated with different secondary tasks using the largest real-world naturalistic driving dataset (SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study). Several statistical and data-mining techniques were developed to analyze the distracted driving and crash risk. First, a bivariate probit model was constructed to investigate the relationship between engagement in a secondary task and the safety-critical events likelihood. Subsequently, two different techniques were implemented to quantify the increased crash/near-crash risk because of involvement in a particular secondary task. The first technique used the baseline-category logits model to estimate the increased crash risk in terms of conditional odds ratios. The second technique used the a priori association rule mining algorithm to reveal the risk associated with each secondary task in terms of support, confidence, and lift indexes. The results indicate that reaching for objects, manipulating objects, reading, and cell phone texting are the highest crash risk factors among various secondary tasks. Recognizing the effect of different secondary tasks on traffic safety in a real-world environment helps legislators enact laws that reduce crashes resulting from distracted driving, as well as enabling government officials to make informed decisions about the allocation of available resources to reduce roadway crashes and improve traffic safety.
Early Amplitude-Integrated Electroencephalogram as a Predictor of Brain Injury in Newborns With Very Low Birth Weight: A Cohort Study
Authors: Magalhães Luiza V. S. , Winckler Maria Isabel B. , Bragatti José Augusto , Procianoy Renato S. , Silveira Rita C.
Published: June 2018

Purpose:

To evaluate the relationship between abnormal early amplitude integrated electroencephalography (EEG) and severe lesions in imaging tests performed during the neonatal period in very low birth weight infants.

Methods:

An amplitude-integrated EEG was performed in 70 patients with a mean birth weight of 1226 g during the first 48 hours of life. Severe lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasonography (US) during the neonatal period were considered as adverse conditions. Variables were compared using the χ2 test or analysis of variance. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive likelihood ratio were calculated.

Results:

Adverse outcomes were observed in 6 patients. There was a significant relationship ( P < .001) between abnormal amplitude-integrated EEG background and severe lesions on MRI and US. Sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 89%, respectively.

Conclusion:

Early amplitude-integrated EEG with moderate/severe abnormalities in the background is associated with severe structural lesions detected in imaging studies and should be considered as an auxiliary screening tool for the detection of neonatal brain lesions in very low birth weight infants.
Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in Older Adults With Auditory, Vision, and Dual Sensory Impairment
Authors: Simning Adam , Fox Meghan L. , Barnett Steven L. , Sorensen Silvia , Conwell Yeates
Published: June 2018

Objective: The objective of the study is to examine the association of auditory, vision, and dual sensory impairment with late-life depressive and anxiety symptoms. Method: Our study included 7,507 older adults from the National Health & Aging Trends Study, a nationally representative sample of U.S. Medicare beneficiaries. Auditory and vision impairment were determined by self-report, and depressive and anxiety symptoms were evaluated by the two-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) and two-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-2), respectively. Results: Auditory, vision, and dual impairment were associated with an increased risk of depressive and anxiety symptoms in multivariable analyses accounting for sociodemographics, medical comorbidity, and functional impairment. Auditory, vision, and dual impairment were also associated with an increased risk for depressive and anxiety symptoms that persist or were of new onset after 1 year. Discussion: Screening older adults with sensory impairments for depression and anxiety, and screening those with late-life depression and anxiety for sensory impairments, may identify treatment opportunities to optimize health and well-being.
Associations Between Parenting Stress at School Entry and Later Psychosocial Adjustment: A Longitudinal Study of Children With Congenital Craniofacial Anomalies
Authors: Wolodiger Emily D. , Pope Alice W.
Published: June 2018

Objective:

To examine the reciprocal relationships between parenting stress and psychosocial adjustment of children with congenital craniofacial anomalies (CFAs) at 2 time points: school entry and approximately 2.5 years later, after children had time to adjust to school.

Design:

Retrospective review of medical charts of children with CFAs.

Setting:

Department of reconstructive plastic surgery at an urban medical center.

Participants:

Parents of 42 children aged 3.9 to 6.5 years at time 1 and 6.5 and 9.8 years at time 2.

Main Outcome Measures:

Parenting Stress Index/Short Form and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), both completed by parents at time 1 and time 2.

Results:

Compared to norms, more parents scored in the clinical range on parenting stress both at time 1 and time 2. Parenting stress remained stable across the 2 time points. Although rates of psychosocial problems for boys were comparable to those of the CBCL normative sample, higher-than-expected rates of clinically significant internalizing and externalizing were found for girls at time 2. Parenting stress at time 1 was associated with child internalizing and externalizing problems at time 2. Whereas child externalizing problems at time 1 predicted parenting stress at time 2, child internalizing at time 1 showed trivial effects on time 2 parenting stress.

Conclusions:

Early school years may be a period that is particularly stressful for parents of children with CFAs. There appears to be a transactional relationship between parenting stress and child psychosocial adjustment during the early school years.
Serendipitous Insights and Kairos Playfulness
Authors: van Manen Max
Published: June 2018

Phenomenology, peekaboo, and play are notions that may not tempt the reader to take a paper very seriously. Phenomenology is a philosophical form of qualitative research that is guided more often by the fortuitous serendipity of contemplative insights than by the rationality of reproducible social science procedures. Peekaboo is an infant game of the eyes that hardly seems worth addressing in a self-respectful research journal, and the topic of play is equally suspect to scientists for whom the cheerful idleness of play is the opposite of the seriousness and purposiveness of work or labor. However, here I will propose that (a) peekaboo may give us inceptual insights into the phenomenon of eye contact; (b) idle play is not just a counter concept of seriousness and work, but a phenomenon in its own right; (3) phenomenology is a serendipitous form of research that is philosophic and may give us compelling insights into the lived meanings of quotidian experiences in our lives, and (d) the mythological figure of Kairos speaks to the enigma of our humanness and provides an understanding of time as the discontinuous instant of the now and of the phenomenological method as intuitive grasping of meaning. Phenomenological writing is rarely easy and yet it can be highly satisfying in its results. I aim to show that meaningful insights are gained through a patient and attentively alert surrender to Kairos time and serendipitous moments.
Comparison of different in situ measurements techniques of intelligibility in an open-plan office
Authors: D’Orazio Dario , Rossi Elena , Garai Massimo
Published: June 2018

Acoustic comfort in open-plan offices is a relatively recent research topic and some practices have not yet been consolidated. The goal in these spaces is to achieve good speech privacy at every workstation, reaching a high value of spatial decay of the sound pressure level. In case of refurbishment, a proper measurement of intelligibility criteria is needed, for example, in order to properly calibrate a numerical model or to plan acoustic treatments. This work compares different measurement techniques to evaluate the spatial distribution of intelligibility criteria. In situ measurements were done in an open-plan office used as a case study. Both omnidirectional and directional sound sources with different sound power levels were used, according, respectively, to ISO 3382-3:2012 and ITU-T P.51:1996. Furthermore, compensation algorithms were used in impulse response measurements in presence of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning noise. The study shows, in a preliminary way, how different techniques and equipment can influence intelligibility criteria used in the open-plan office characterization. Results show that the indirect method of measuring Speech Transmission Index could not be used when the background level is high as the case study while the direct method returns good results.
The social and cultural role of food for Myanmar refugees in regional Australia: Making place and building networks
Authors: Hughes Mandy
Published: June 2018

The social role of food has sustained growing interest in recent times. These studies become even more meaningful to sociological discussions when the research participants have faced multiple levels of disadvantage based on immigration status, ethnicity, experience of trauma, language abilities, and geographic location. This research maps the social and cultural food journeys of people from Myanmar to the regional city of Coffs Harbour, Australia. This interdisciplinary study uses focused ethnography and participatory/collaborative research methods to document and analyse food experiences. The findings reveal a positive settlement story, one where differences and challenges have been overcome and a resilient community has utilised networks built to confidently mark out its place in a new home. The role of food in bringing together communities and individuals, has allowed these networks to be strengthened.
Test results management and distributed cognition in electronic health record–enabled primary care
Authors: Smith Michael W , Hughes Ashley M , Brown Charnetta , Russo Elise , Giardina Traber D , Mehta Praveen , Singh Hardeep
Published: June 2018

Managing abnormal test results in primary care involves coordination across various settings. This study identifies how primary care teams manage test results in a large, computerized healthcare system in order to inform health information technology requirements for test results management and other distributed healthcare services. At five US Veterans Health Administration facilities, we interviewed 37 primary care team members, including 16 primary care providers, 12 registered nurses, and 9 licensed practical nurses. We performed content analysis using a distributed cognition approach, identifying patterns of information transmission across people and artifacts (e.g. electronic health records). Results illustrate challenges (e.g. information overload) as well as strategies used to overcome challenges. Various communication paths were used. Some team members served as intermediaries, processing information before relaying it. Artifacts were used as memory aids. Health information technology should address the risks of distributed work by supporting awareness of team and task status for reliable management of results.
Educational policies in Central and Eastern Europe: legacies of state socialism, modernization aspirations and challenges of semi-peripheral contexts
Authors: Gawlicz Katarzyna , Starnawski Marcin
Published: June 2018

The article introduces a special issue of Policy Futures in Education on changes and challenges in educational policies and systems of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The countries in the region share some characteristics, such as their historical experience with the authoritarian–socialist or communist rule and its impact on education policies, as well as their long-lasting economic semi-peripherality. Differences within the region are also discussed in the article: from macro-level economic gaps to relative dissimilarities of education systems’ structures, as well as international assessment benchmarks. The articles in this issue present analyses of educational policies in Belarus, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Russia and Ukraine. A theme that emerges most clearly across these texts is the complexity of East–West relationships. Read together, the contributions serve as a call for a more nuanced and contextualized look at CEE. Transformation of educational systems that entails the interplay of past legacies and borrowed policies can bring about troubling outcomes, exacerbated by the entanglement of education in a wider agenda.
Can Sociology Help Democracy Assistance Programs?
Authors: Gerber Theodore P.
Published: June 2018

Programs that encourage democracy in foreign countries have become controversial, in part because of problems in how they have been implemented. Sociological research has the potential to make them more effective.
Influence of functional mobility and manual function on play in preschool children with cerebral palsy
Authors: Angelin Anaisa C , Sposito Amanda MP , Pfeifer Luzia I
Published: June 2018

Introduction

This study analysed the differences in play performance between preschool children with cerebral palsy and those with typical development and investigated the factors influencing functional mobility and manual dexterity on play in children with cerebral palsy.

Method

Sixty preschool children (30 with cerebral palsy; 30 with typical development), were assessed by the revised Knox Preschool Play Scale, being that children with cerebral palsy were also classified according to their functional mobility and manual dexterity.

Results

On average, all measures were significantly smaller in the cerebral palsy group than the typical development group (p≤ .002). Manual function and functional mobility were negatively correlated with material ( r = −.456, p = .011; r = −.487, p = .006) and space ( r = −.494, p = .006; r = −.784, p = .000). Also the results pointed out a significant correlation with topography and manual function ( r = .404, p = .027) and functional mobility ( r = .718, p = .000). Pretend play and participation showed no correlation with topography (r = −.051, p = .788; r = −.312, p = .093), manual function (r = −.019, p = .921; r = −.322, p = .083) and functional mobility (r = −.085, p = .657; r = −.308, p = .097).

Conclusion

Play performance of children with typical development was superior to those with cerebral palsy. The degree of impairment of functional mobility and manual function negatively was negatively associated with play exploration but did not relate to pretend play or social interaction in play.
Isolated suprascapular nerve palsy following childbirth: A case study and literature review
Authors: Mandal Aritri , Papanna Madhavan C , Bryant Richard
Published: June 2018

We report a case of 30-year-old lady presenting with a suprascapular nerve (SSN) injury in the postpartum period. Two days following normal delivery, the patient experienced progressive weakness in her left shoulder, of spontaneous onset. Initially thought to be a rotator cuff tear, further imaging indicated a lesion in the SSN. Isolated SSN palsy is a rare occurrence. Previously reported cases of brachial plexus nerve injuries are due to trauma, traction, iatrogenic and the positioning of the patient during surgery. To our knowledge this is the first case report of SSN injury following normal delivery. In addition to the unusual presentation, our patient completely recovered from the SSN nerve injury without any operative management.
Hypophosphatemia in the setting of metabolic bone disease: case reports and diagnostic algorithm
Authors: Day Alvin Lee , Morgan Sarah L. , Saag Kenneth G.
Published: June 2018

Osteoporosis is the most commonly encountered metabolic bone disease, and metabolic bone-disease clinics have been established to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of uncommon causes of low bone-mineral density. Hypophosphatemia leading to metabolic bone disease may be encountered, and an understanding of phosphate homeostasis can aid in the diagnosis. Two cases of hypophosphatemia leading to low bone-mineral densities were seen at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Osteoporosis Clinic. We developed a diagnostic algorithm, and the laboratory values of each patient were tested with the algorithm. The algorithm, incorporating the use of a spot urine phosphate and spot urine creatinine level at the time of initial serum metabolic profile evaluation, accurately determined the cause of hypophosphatemia in each case.