bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Black Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) Chloroform Extract on the Enzymatic Activity and Metabolism of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Chen Wenxue , Zou Lan , Chen Weijun , Hu Yueying , Chen Haiming
Published: February 2018

The chemical composition and antimicrobial mechanism of action of black pepper chloroform extract (BPCE) were investigated, as well as the potential antibacterial activities of BPCE against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The results showed that 1H-Cycloprop[e]azulen-7-ol, decahydro-1,1,7-trimethyl-4-methylene-, [1ar-(1aα,4aα,7β,7a,β,7bα.)]- (8.39%) and 2-methylene-4,8,8-trimethyl-4-vinyl-bicyclo[5.2.0]nonane (6.92%) were identified as the two primary components of BPCE. The release of intracellular transaminases from bacteria after being incubated with BPCE revealed that the bacterial cell walls and membranes were degraded and that protein synthesis was inhibited to some extent. The inhibition of bacterial Na+/K+-ATPase activity upon the addition of BPCE also indicated an enhanced permeability of bacterial cell membranes. Moreover, an analysis of hexokinase and pyruvate kinase activities showed that BPCE affected the metabolic rate of glycolysis and disrupted the normal metabolism of bacteria. This phenomenon was supported by an observed accumulation of lactic acid (LA) in the treated bacterial cells. Overall, our results indicated that BPCE damaged bacterial cell walls and membranes, which was followed by a disruption of bacterial cell respiration.
Silencing the Snail-Dependent RNA Splice Regulator ESRP1 Drives Malignant Transformation of Human Pulmonary Epithelial Cells
Authors: Walser Tonya C. , Jing Zhe , Tran Linh M. , Lin Ying Q. , Yakobian Natalie , Wang Gerald , Krysan Kostyantyn , Zhu Li X. , Sharma Sherven , Lee Mi-Heon , Belperio John A. , Ooi Aik T. , Gomperts Brigitte N. , Shay Jerry W. , Larsen Jill E. , Minna John D. , Hong Long-sheng , Fishbein Michael C. , Dubinett Steven M.
Published: February 2018

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is organized in cancer cells by a set of key transcription factors, but the significance of this process is still debated, including in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here, we report increased expression of the EMT-inducing transcription factor Snail in premalignant pulmonary lesions, relative to histologically normal pulmonary epithelium. In immortalized human pulmonary epithelial cells and isogenic derivatives, we documented Snail-dependent anchorage-independent growth in vitro and primary tumor growth and metastatic behavior in vivo. Snail-mediated transformation relied upon silencing of the tumor-suppressive RNA splicing regulatory protein ESRP1. In clinical specimens of NSCLC, ESRP1 loss was documented in Snail-expressing premalignant pulmonary lesions. Mechanistic investigations showed that Snail drives malignant progression in an ALDH+CD44+CD24− pulmonary stem cell subset in which ESRP1 and stemness-repressing microRNAs are inhibited. Collectively, our results show how ESRP1 loss is a critical event in lung carcinogenesis, and they identify new candidate directions for targeted therapy of NSCLC.

Significance: This study defines a Snail-ESRP1 cancer axis that is crucial for human lung carcinogenesis, with implications for new intervention strategies and translational opportunities. Cancer Res; 78(8); 1986–99. ©2018 AACR.
S-Nitrosylation of cIAP1 Switches Cancer Cell Fate from TNFα/TNFR1-Mediated Cell Survival to Cell Death
Authors: Romagny Sabrina , Bouaouiche Sarra , Lucchi Géraldine , Ducoroy Patrick , Bertoldo Jean B. , Terenzi Hernan , Bettaieb Ali , Plenchette Stéphanie
Published: February 2018

TNFα is a prominent proinflammatory cytokine and a critical mediator for the development of many types of cancer such as breast, colon, prostate, cervical, skin, liver, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Binding of TNFα to TNFR1 can lead to divergent signaling pathways promoting predominantly NF-κB activation but also cell death. We report here that the nitric oxide (NO) donor glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) converts TNFα, generated from immune cells or cancer cells stimulated by chemotherapy, into a prodeath mediator in colon and mammary cancer cells. GTN-mediated S-nitrosylation of cIAP1 on cysteines 571 and 574 inhibited its E3 ubiquitin ligase activity, which in turn reduced Lys63-linked ubiquitination of RIP1 and initiated assembly of a death complex. These findings provide insights into how NO can harness advantageous aspects of inflammation in cancer and provide new therapeutic strategies.

Significance: Combination of an NO donor with chemotherapeutic drug–induced TNFα represents a potentially valuable anticancer strategy. Cancer Res; 78(8); 1948–57. ©2018 AACR.
ШЛЯХИ ОПТИМІЗАЦІЇ РОБОТИ СЕРЕДНЬОГО МЕДИЧНОГО ПЕРСОНАЛУ ТЕРАПЕВТИЧНОГО ВІДДІЛЕННЯ
Authors: Shynkaruk Y. I.
Published: February 2018

У статті описано методи оптимізації роботи середнього медичного персоналу терапевтичного відділення, наведено соціометрію якості роботи та особового складу відділень за три роки. Подано узагальнені результати досліджень механізмів удосконалення роботи медичних установ.
Achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on Biological Diversity in Nigeria: Current Issues and Future Directions
Authors: Olawuyi Damilola S. , Olusegun Olaitan O.
Published: February 2018

The aim of this article is to examine the application of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (sdgs) on biological diversity in Nigeria, emphasizing the preconditions for implementation and the barriers and difficulties for their realization.

Given Nigeria’s faltering attempts and failure to achieve the biodiversity goals in the Millennium Development Goals (mdgs), a predecessor to the sdgs, this article builds a profile of the salient law and institutional barriers to the implementation and attainment of the sdgs on biodiversity in Nigeria and proffers practical and normative solutions to those challenges. The methodology approach is based in an analytical and survey of the scope and status of the implementation of international law norms on biodiversity in Nigeria. The results indicate that archaic legislative provision on biodiversity; lack of coherent post-2015 biodiversity agenda; lack of institutional coordination; absence of political will; and inadequate stakeholder engagement in evolving national biodiversity plans are the main legal barriers that must be addressed if the sdgs are to be attained in Nigeria.
Improving the Global Environmental Rule of Law by Upholding Indigenous Rights: Examples from Aotearoa New Zealand
Authors: Iorns Magallanes Catherine J.
Published: February 2018

A better recognition of the relationship between human rights and the environment facilitates good governance, holistic management and environmental justice. This relationship works two ways: the protection of the environment is necessary to uphold human rights and the protection of human rights is necessary to protect the environment. This article focuses on the latter aspect of this relationship, addressing in particular how the protection of indigenous rights can help protect the environment and contribute to better environmental management.

The relationships indigenous peoples have with the natural world, as well as their protective views in relation to its uses, often clash with the dominant worldviews espoused by nation states. The two can only be reconciled when governments make a concerted effort to incorporate indigenous thinking into law and policy. This article argues that it is in the interests of all peoples that they do so. When indigenous cosmologies are recognized and provided for, the benefits are felt far beyond indigenous communities and can help to generate better environmental outcomes for all peoples.

This article provides some examples from Aotearoa New Zealand, a nation which has consistently upheld (minority) indigenous Maori rights in legal and non-legal instruments. It will focus in particular on the incorporation of the Maori concepts of whanaungatanga (kinship) and kaitiakatanga (guardianship) into New Zealand law. The former envisages mankind as part of nature and nature as a ‘living ancestor’ to be revered, while the latter redefines humans (in particular, iwi or Maori tribal groups, hapu – tribal sub-groups – and whanau – family groups) as ‘guardians’ or stewards of the environment who carry certain responsibilities, rather than as managers who possess certain rights.
Mineral Resource Policy Harmonisation in West Africa
Authors: Nwapi Chilenye
Published: February 2018

This article critiques the mineral resource policy harmonisation strategies adopted by supranational institutions in West Africa, focusing on local content/procurement and fiscal policy/taxation. Although minerals are sometimes defined to cover both mining and oil and gas, the article focuses on policies related to mining. It views West Africa’s mineral resource policy harmonisation strategies relating to local content and taxation as an attempt to standardise the rules and practices among individual States. Standardisation is particularly strong within the West African Economic and Monetary Union, which requires its member States to domesticate its harmonisation texts without modification. The article argues for a shift from enacting binding supranational rules governing substantive issues (such as the type of local content requirements to be adopted and the fixing of tax and royalty rates) towards rules that promote inter-State cooperation and sharing of information. This would give States sufficient latitude to tailor supranational initiatives to local needs.
Financing Sustainable Landscapes through Innovative International Economic Law and Governance Instruments
Authors: Segger Marie-Claire Cordonier , Holmgren Peter , Wardell D. Andrew
Published: February 2018

This article examines innovative ways to promote investment and financing of sustainable landscape initiatives in international law. It argues that increased flows of investment and finance for sustainable landscapes must be guided by a clear and comprehensive legal framework; better and more appropriate knowledge and technologies; more informed decision-making; and improved governance at all levels.

The article considers concerns and opportunities to support the financing of sustainable forestry and land-use programs, especially in developing countries. It reviews the key contributions of international investment instruments to sustainability landscapes financing, in light of recent decisions concerning International Investment Agreements (iias) by arbitral panels convened to hear disputes under the rules of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (icsid) or the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (uncitral). It then proposes innovative ways that investment and financing rules might foster more effective implementation of innovative financing instruments, such as Landscape Funds in developing countries.
A revision of the neotropical Mucuna species (Leguminosae—Papilionoideae)
Authors: MOURA TÂNIA M. DE , LEWIS GWILYM P. , MANSANO VIDAL F. , TOZZI ANA M. G. A.
Published: February 2018

The genus Mucuna comprises approximately 105 tropical and sub-tropical species, with the highest diversity occurring in the Paleotropics. In the Neotropics, 13 new species have been described recently and a number of regional floras have been published. A recent floristic treatment for Colombia has summarized the Mucuna species found in the Neotropics, but since then many new species and new geographical records have been published. A complete taxonomic treatment of all neotropical species and an identification key to all neotropical taxa is currently lacking. The aim of this study is to present a complete taxonomic account of the species of Mucuna occurring in the Neotropics. Descriptions of 25 taxa (24 species and one variety) are included in the treatment, including type specimen details, synonymy, illustrations, distribution maps, and preliminary conservation assessments for each species, together with a species identification key.
Ascidae, Blattisociidae and Melicharidae (Acari: Mesostigmata): zoogeographic analyses based on newly available databases
Authors: SANTOS JANDIR C. , RUEDA-RAMÍREZ DIANA , DEMITE PETERSON R. , DE MORAES GILBERTO J.
Published: February 2018

Until recently, species of the families Ascidae Voigts & Oudemans, Blattisociidae Garman and Melicharidae Hirschmann were considered to belong to a single family, Ascidae, based on their similarity in external morphology. Databases on the distribution and biology of species in those families have been collected are now freely available. This information allows the first zoogeographic analysis of these groups. Almost 2200 records obtained from about 820 publications were entered into the databases, which are periodically updated. The countries with the highest known diversity of mites of these groups are: Ascidae—Russia (56), United States of America (42), China (37) and Poland (36); Blattisociidae—China (47), United States of America (41), Ecuador (38), India (33) and Poland (32); Melicharidae—United States of America (46), Brazil (23), Ecuador (20) and Poland and Germany (15). No species of these families have been reported from about 44% of the countries, most probably because of inadequate sampling effort. Comparing the species composition of the different regions, Jaccard similarity indexes were low, being higher between the Palaearctic and Saharo-Arabian regions for the ascids (0.15), between the same regions for the blattisociids (0.19) and between the Neotropical and Panamanian regions for the melicharids (0.18). These data are compatible with the results of parsimony analyses of endemicity (PAE), in which those pairs of regions constituted distinct clades. The analyses suggest that Ascidae probably originated in the Palaearctic region, whereas Blattisociidae and Melicharidae probably originated somewhere in the Neotropical or Panamanian regions.
A Pan-African Convection-Permitting Regional Climate Simulation with the Met Office Unified Model: CP4-Africa
Authors: Stratton Rachel A. , Senior Catherine A. , Vosper Simon B. , Folwell Sonja S. , Boutle Ian A. , Earnshaw Paul D. , Kendon Elizabeth , Lock Adrian P. , Malcolm Andrew , Manners James , Morcrette Cyril J. , Short Christopher , Stirling Alison J. , Taylor Christopher M. , Tucker Simon , Webster Stuart , Wilkinson Jonathan M.
Published: February 2018

A convection-permitting multiyear regional climate simulation using the Met Office Unified Model has been run for the first time on an Africa-wide domain. The model has been run as part of the Future Climate for Africa (FCFA) Improving Model Processes for African Climate (IMPALA) project, and its configuration, domain, and forcing data are described here in detail. The model [Pan-African Convection-Permitting Regional Climate Simulation with the Met Office UM (CP4-Africa)] uses a 4.5-km horizontal grid spacing at the equator and is run without a convection parameterization, nested within a global atmospheric model driven by observations at the sea surface, which does include a convection scheme. An additional regional simulation, with identical resolution and physical parameterizations to the global model, but with the domain, land surface, and aerosol climatologies of CP4-Africa, has been run to aid in the understanding of the differences between the CP4-Africa and global model, in particular to isolate the impact of the convection parameterization and resolution. The effect of enforcing moisture conservation in CP4-Africa is described and its impact on reducing extreme precipitation values is assessed. Preliminary results from the first five years of the CP4-Africa simulation show substantial improvements in JJA average rainfall compared to the parameterized convection models, with most notably a reduction in the persistent dry bias in West Africa, giving an indication of the benefits to be gained from running a convection-permitting simulation over the whole African continent.
Nocturnal Relative Humidity Maxima above the Boundary Layer in the U.S. Midwest: A Diagnostic for the Mountain–Plains Solenoidal Circulation
Authors: Mercer Amanda , Chang Rachel , Folkins Ian
Published: February 2018

Measurements from the Aircraft Communications, Addressing, and Reporting System (ACARS) dataset between 2005 and 2014 are used to construct diurnal vertical cross sections of relative humidity in the lower troposphere at six airports in the U.S. Midwest. In summer, relative humidity maxima occur between 2 and 3 km during the overnight hours of 0300–0900 local solar time (LST). These maxima coincide with negative anomalies in temperature and positive anomalies in specific humidity. Vertical winds from the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2), reanalysis dataset show that the height and diurnal timing of these positive relative humidity anomalies are consistent with the regional diurnal pattern of vertical motion. During the day, there is rising motion over the Rocky Mountains and subsidence over the Midwest, while conversely at night, there is sinking motion over the mountains and rising motion over the Midwest. The nocturnal relative humidity maxima over the Midwest are the strongest direct observational evidence to date of this mountain–plains solenoidal circulation, and provide a useful diagnostic for testing the strength of this circulation in climate and reanalysis models. There is significant interannual variability in the strength of the nocturnal relative humidity maxima. In 2011, the relative humidity maxima are very pronounced. In 2014, however, they are almost nonexistent. Finally, the relative humidity maxima are discussed in relation to the low-level jet (LLJ). The LLJ appears to be too low to directly contribute to the nocturnal relative humidity maxima.
Tangential attachments: Towards a more nuanced understanding of the impacts of cultural urban regeneration on local identities
Authors: Yarker Sophie
Published: February 2018

This article offers the concept of tangential attachments as a way to interpret the meaning of urban regeneration for local residents. This contribution to the critical study of cultural regeneration allows us to consider the multiple ways in which urban transformation can impact on local identities and attachments to place. It recognises the sometimes fleeting and at-arms-length connections residents can have to places of urban regeneration, and thereby positions the experience of urban regeneration as one part of complex, processual relationships between people and place. The article extends literatures which critique the social and cultural impacts of regeneration, and offers a more nuanced understanding of how people engage with regenerated urban environments. Principally, it offers a framework that goes beyond a binary presented by some in the literature between the enhancing and undermining of attachments. The article does this by drawing on phenomenogical perspectives of place and the concepts of memory and affect. The empirical work presented in the article demonstrates the tangential nature of attachments to urban regeneration, and is comprised of original in-depth research interviews with residents of a local community in Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK.
Why Michels’ ‘iron law of oligarchy’ is not an iron law – and how democratic organisations can stay ‘oligarchy-free’
Authors: Diefenbach Thomas
Published: February 2018

More than 100 years ago, Robert Michels laid out his theory of the ‘iron law of oligarchy’. The main, and crucial, point Michels made is that oligarchy will always emerge; even in the case of genuine attempts to organise and run organisations in non-oligarchic or non-hierarchical ways, the iron law allegedly holds sway. This paper critically examines, and refutes, Michels’ theory on theoretical and methodological grounds. It argues that his theory is in many ways insufficient and that his dictum of the unavoidability of oligarchisation is not as compelling and cogent as stereotypical references to it might imply. Moreover, the paper shows that alternative/democratic organisations actually have a whole range of means to avoid oligarchisation.
Israel’s Arab sector high schools
Authors: Kohan-Mass Judith , Dakwar Basheer , Dadush Varda
Published: February 2018

Despite the global decline in the number of girls who study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects, in Israel, gender differences of physics students are especially worrying. Although girls and boys in junior high school reach similar achievements in physics, the number of girls who study physics in high school is declining. However, an interesting picture emerges when we compare the Arab and Jewish sectors: Girls account for 30% of all high school students who study physics in the Jewish sector, compared to almost 60% in the Arab sector. Interviews with Arab high school students in an advanced physics program indicate that although girls face internal and external obstacles in patriarchic Arab society, they transform these obstacles into factors that motivate them to greater achievements, in order to gain self-confidence and a more stable, promising economic future in their society. These findings challenge conventional theories that explain the gender gap in STEM subjects.
Palliative care triggers in progressive neurodegenerative conditions: An evaluation using a multi-centre retrospective case record review and principal component analysis
Authors: Hussain Jamilla , Allgar Victoria , Oliver David
Published: February 2018

Background:

The use of specific triggers has been suggested to help identify patients with progressive neurological disease who would benefit from palliative care.

Aim:

This study aimed to improve the evidence base for the use of triggers for patients with progressive neurological disease.

Design:

An evaluation of palliative care services was undertaken using a retrospective case note review of the timing and presence of triggers in the last 2 years of life.

Setting/participants:

A total of 12 specialist palliative care units across the United Kingdom provided data from 300 patients: mean patient age 70 years, 50% male, diagnoses included motor neurone disease 58%, Parkinson’s disease 17% and Parkinson’s Plus syndromes 12%.

Results:

There was a high burden of triggers – 17 in the last 2 years of life and 10 in the last 6 months of life. The most frequent triggers were deteriorating physical function, complex symptoms and dysphagia. Four factors were found to explain 64% of the total variance: Factor 1 – Deterioration in physical function, dysphagia, significant complex symptoms and pain; Factor 2 – Weight loss and respiratory symptoms; Factor 3 – Recurrent infections and cognitive decline; Factor 4 – Aspiration pneumonia. Cox regression analyses found different triggers were associated with survival from diagnosis versus survival from referral to palliative care. Different triggers were also associated with survival for different neurological conditions.

Conclusion:

This study demonstrates that there is a high burden of triggers in the last months and years of life and that these could potentially be reduced to fewer components. Prospective studies assessing which triggers are useful for different conditions are now required.
An International Study of Culture, Gender, and Moral Ideology on Sales Ethics Evaluations: How Should Educators Respond?
Authors: Lee Youngsu , Heinze Timothy , Donoho Casey , Fournier Christophe , Jalal Ahamed A. F. M. , Cohen David , Hennebichler Eike
Published: February 2018

While international demand for sales positions is growing, negative sales stereotypes, partially fueled by ethical abuses in the sales arena, are prevalent and may dissuade students from pursuing sales careers. To help combat the situation globally, educators must develop and utilize effective sales ethics pedagogies. The first step involves understanding cross-cultural sales ethics perspectives. A convenience sample is drawn from five countries (United States, France, Germany, Indonesia, and New Zealand), and the Personal Selling Ethics Scale (PSE-2) is successfully used to examine culturally specific and gender-based evaluation differences. Gender-based ethical perspectives are of particular interest due to the growing gender diversity within sales professions. The study finds that cultural traditionalism/secularism and individualism/collectivism affect sales ethics evaluations. Likewise, gender and moral ideology affect evaluations. Women are more sensitive to ethical misconduct than men, and absolutist are more sensitive than exceptionists, situationists, and subjectivists. Specific pedagogical recommendations are provided.
Influence of sensor and communication setup on electric cam phaser control quality
Authors: Andert Jakob , Sohn Christian , Klein Serge , Tönnesmann Andres , Oesterdiekhoff Jens , Becker Michael
Published: February 2018

This study investigates the control quality of an electric cam phaser system. The impact of different sensor concepts, synchronization algorithms, controller and hardware topologies on the control quality is examined by using a transient simulation covering the electric cam phaser, valve train, mechanical transmission and a wide variety of cam- and crankshaft trigger wheels. Limited angular accuracy effects are simulated by realistic sensor models and the processing of sensor signals by a real-time capable synchronization algorithm. Nonlinear friction in transmission and valve train are considered by the simulation accordingly. Furthermore, the effects of distributed controller algorithms based on conventional electronic control units are evaluated. Communication latencies have a strong impact on the control plant and are taken into account during controller definition. The effects of different layouts are compared in the time domain, and a sensitivity analysis is carried out to evaluate the effects of different parameters on the cam phasing control quality. The control quality is measured in terms of overshoot, phasing duration and energy consumption of a phasing event. Using a sensor fusion for the current cam phasing angle and an integrated controller layout – that is, an architecture without any communication delay – improves the controllability and reduces overshooting, phasing duration and electrical energy consumption under transient conditions.
Head, chest and femur injury in teenage pedestrian–SUV crash; mass influence on the speeds
Authors: Carollo Filippo , Virzì Mariotti Gabriele , Naso Vincenzo , Golfo Salvatore
Published: February 2018

This work studies the teenage pedestrian–sport utility vehicle (SUV) crash; injury to the vital parts of the body, such as the head and chest, and to the femur is evaluated. More advanced injury criteria are applied, as provided in the rules. The multibody technique is applied by making use of SimWise software and of the teenager anthropomorphic model, the use of which is now consolidated. Head injury criterion (HIC) is used for the head, thoracic trauma index (TTI) criterion for the thorax in the case of side impact and 3 ms criterion in the case of frontal impact, while the force criterion is used for the femur. Both the TTI and femur load evaluation require non-substantial modifications of the dummy, by insertion of sensors for the measurement of the acceleration of the 4th rib and the 12th vertebra and two very thin plates at the knees for the correct individuation of the contact point with the vehicle bumper. Particular attention is paid to the front shape of the vehicle, concluding that the SUV examined in this paper is less dangerous than the sedan studied in a previous work, since its frontal dimensions (bonnet angle, bumper height and bonnet height) are more advantageous. However the teenage pedestrian in a lateral position is less prone to injuries in the head and chest, with respect to the frontal position; the pedestrian’s position has little influence on femur damage. Furthermore, the braking of the vehicle reduces the possibility of crash fatality. In conclusion, a theoretical approach is shown, to highlight the influence of the vehicle mass on the pedestrian speed after the impact.
Inclusion of peripheral correspondences in object and pose estimation for visual servoing path-planning
Authors: Shen Tiantian , Yang Jiahong , Chesi Graziano
Published: February 2018

This article addresses the utilization of peripheral image correspondences obtained in cameras obeying the unified model for path-planning-based visual servoing applications. The proposed approach consists of reprojecting available image correspondences onto an oriented virtual plane, which is designed to carry as many reprojections as possible from correspondences, especially those in periphery region. To realize this, a key transformation matrix is proposed and applied to spherical projections of those correspondences. After this transformation, object and pose estimation are realized via the minimization of algebraic and geometric errors by introducing appropriate parametrization and strategies. The geometric error will be defined either on the virtual plane or on the spherical surface. Minimization of error function defined on the spherical surface provides much more accurate estimation results in object structure than that of other error functions as demonstrated in simulation examples. At last, experiment with a fisheye camera mounted on a robot validates the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Tsunami sedimentary deposits of Crete records climate during the ‘Minoan Warming Period’ (≈3350 yr BP)
Authors: Lécuyer Christophe , Atrops François , Amiot Romain , Angst Delphine , Daux Valérie , Flandrois Jean-Pierre , Fourel François , Rey Kevin , Royer Aurélien , Seris Magali , Touzeau Alexandra , Rousseau Denis–Didier
Published: February 2018

Earthquakes or explosive eruptions generate tsunami, which are at the origin of thick and chaotic coastal sediments. These commonly fossiliferous deposits are formed instantaneously at the historical or geological timescale and therefore have the potential to provide snapshot records of past climates. In Crete, near the city of Palaikastro, crops out a 1- to 9-m-thick sedimentary layer deposited by a huge tsunami that has been previously estimated to be about 9 m high. The presence of volcanic ash, the geometry, the archeological and faunal contents of the sedimentary deposit along with radiocarbon dating converge for interpreting this tsunamite as coeval with the Minoan Santorini (Thera) eruption ≈3350 yr BP. During its drawback, the tsunami deposited rocky blocks and a muddy matrix containing mollusc shells dredged from the seabed as well as cattle skeletal remains and various artifacts belonging to the contemporaneous Minoan civilization. While the oxygen isotope compositions of terrestrial vertebrate bone remains most likely resulted from diagenetic alteration, those of a bovid tooth revealed that air temperatures during MM3 and LM1 periods were about 4°C higher than nowadays. Oxygen isotope measurements of marine mollusc shells also revealed that sea surface temperatures were higher by about 2°C. Those results compare with the 2.5°C temperature difference already estimated according to both δ2H and δ18O values of Greenland ice cores. Incremental sampling of marine gastropods and bovid teeth suggests that the seasonal amplitude was similar to that prevailing during the second half of the 20th century.
The Role of Ultrasound-Guided Therapeutic Paracentesis in an Outpatient Transitional Care Program: A Case Series
Authors: Wang Jeffrey , Khan Shahida , Wyer Paige , Vanderwilp Jessica , Reynolds Justin , Bethancourt Bruce , Ota Ken S.
Published: February 2018

Background:

Patients with ascites suffer from distressing symptoms and are at high risk for readmission after hospitalization. Timely paracentesis is an important palliative tool in managing this vulnerable population. At our institution, we have developed a multidisciplinary transitional care program for patients discharged from the hospital with a wide range of complex conditions including refractory ascites.

Methods:

We present a case series of 10 patients with symptomatic ascites who were enrolled in our transitional care program and treated with ultrasound-guided therapeutic paracentesis in our clinic. Patient medical records were retrospectively reviewed to collect procedure details, outcomes, and follow-up data on emergency department (ED) visits and readmissions. Cost data were obtained from the hospital financial system.

Results:

Over the span of 9 months (September 2016 to July 2017), 22 total therapeutic paracenteses were performed on 10 unique patients in the transitional care clinic. Median age of the patient cohort was 52.5 years (range: 27-71 years). All patients reported immediate relief of ascites-related discomfort following the procedure. We did not observe any major adverse effects due to the in-clinic procedure. Nine of the 10 patients did not have any ED visits or readmissions within 30 days of discharge. The cost of performing ultrasound-guided paracentesis in the transitional care clinic was US$546.77 compared to US$978.32 when performed in the hospital.

Conclusion:

Our experience suggests that outpatient paracentesis may be a safe, feasible, and cost-effective means of providing symptom management for patients with ascites during their transition from hospital to home.
Noteworthy Cardiac Surgery Literature 2017: Technology Pushing Care Forward
Authors: Reece T. Brett , Cleveland Joseph C.
Published: February 2018

In review of the current cardiac surgical literature, the care for complex pathology continues to make big strides forward. Much of this “progress” is driven by new technology or new applications for technology. In both mitral disease and type A dissection management, technology is changing the way the pathologies are approached. This article addresses some of the advances demonstrated in the literature and gives a perspective on how they affect current practice.
Socio-emotional adjustment of adolescents with cochlear implants: Loneliness, emotional autonomy, self-concept, and emotional experience at the hospital
Authors: Majorano Marinella , Maes Marlies , Morelli Marika , Bastianello Tamara , Guerzoni Letizia , Murri Alessandra , Cuda Domenico
Published: February 2018

Recent studies have reported contrasting results in the socio-emotional adjustment of Italian adolescents with cochlear implants (CIs). The aim of the present study is to explore the relationship between the socio-emotional adjustment of adolescents with CIs, the quality of their hospital stay, and their age at CI activation. The participants were 29 adolescents with CIs (CI group) and 29 typically developing adolescents (TD group). The Emotional Autonomy Scale, the Loneliness and Aloneness Scale for Children and Adolescents, and the Multidimensional Self-Concept Scale were administered to each participant. The emotional experience reported during the hospital stay was considered for each participant in the CI group. The adolescents with CIs displayed significantly higher levels of loneliness and lower levels of aversion toward aloneness than the TD group participants. Adolescents who had received the CI in preschool displayed a higher level of physical self-concept than adolescents who had received it later. The adolescents’ emotional experiences at the hospital were reported to be quite complex and related to their relationships with parents. In summary, the findings point to a specific type of fragility in socio-emotional adjustment—focused on loneliness/aloneness—rather than a general one.
Size and dynamics of order-of-entry effects in pharmaceutical markets
Authors: Porath Daniel
Published: February 2018

In anticipation of long-run competitive advantages, pharmaceutical companies often try to enter new markets earlier than their competitors. It is questionable, however, whether this effort is really justified, because knowledge about the expected size of these order-of-entry advantages is scarce. Apart from confirming the existence of long-run advantages for the first mover for some selected brands, the literature gives hardly any guidelines. The objective of this article is to provide the information on the existence, the size, and the dynamics of order-of-entry effects, which is necessary for deciding on the optimal moment for a launch. The author proposes a new framework—a fractional panel probit model—which is fitted to a big and representative sample. With this procedure, order-of-entry effects can be measured in a multivariate model and as absolute market share differences, which is more informative for pharmaceutical companies than former measures.
Community Readiness to Prevent Opioid Overdose
Authors: Ringwalt Christopher , Sanford Catherine , Dasgupta Nabarun , Alexandridis Apostolos , McCort Agnieszka , Proescholdbell Scott , Sachdeva Nidhi , Mack Karin
Published: February 2018

Effective community-based actions are urgently needed to combat the ongoing epidemic of opioid overdose. Community readiness (CR) has been linked to communities’ support for collective action, which in turn has been associated with the success of community-wide prevention strategies and resulting behavior change. Our study, conducted in North Carolina, assessed the relationship between CR and two indices of opioid overdose. County-level data included a survey of health directors that assessed CR to address drug overdose prevention programs, surveillance measures of opioid overdose collected from death records and emergency departments, and two indicators of general health-related status. We found that counties’ rates of CR were positively associated with their opioid-related mortality (but not morbidity) and that this relationship persisted when we controlled for health status. North Carolina counties with the highest opioid misuse problems appear to be the most prepared to respond to them.
Causes, Contingencies, and Consequences of Disengagement at Work: An Integrative Literature Review
Authors: Rastogi Ashish , Pati Surya Prakash , Krishnan T. N. , Krishnan Satish
Published: February 2018

Disengagement at work is proving to be a source of continued trouble for business organizations. Various estimates suggest that in excess of 70% of the workforce is either passively or actively disengaged, which in turn subjects the organizations to enormous financial burden. Regretfully, this problem has not found sufficient intellectual resonance in the academia. Therefore, employing conservation of resources (COR; Hobfoll, 1989) as the guiding theory, in this research, we conduct an integrative literature review to consolidate the extant approaches to disengagement at work. Apart from explaining the construct, we also identified its antecedents, moderating influences, and outcomes. Implications for human resource development (HRD) research and practice have been discussed. We believe that such an attempt is likely to encourage an informed debate on the subject in the academic domain, while helping practitioners identify actionable interventions.
“Guys Don’t Have Breasts”: The Lived Experience of Men Who Have BRCA Gene Mutations and Are at Risk for Male Breast Cancer
Authors: Skop Michelle , Lorentz Justin , Jassi Mobin , Vesprini Danny , Einstein Gillian
Published: February 2018

Men with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations are at increased risk of developing breast cancer and may have an indication for breast cancer screening using mammography. Since breast cancer is often viewed as a woman’s disease, visibilizing and understanding men’s experience of having a BRCA mutation and specifically, of screening for breast cancer through mammography, were the objectives of this research study.

The theoretical framework of interpretive phenomenology guided the process of data collection, coding, and analysis. Phenomenology is both a philosophy and research method which focuses on understanding the nature of experience from the perspectives of people experiencing a phenomenon, the essence of and commonalities among people’s experiences, and the ways in which people experience the world through their bodies. Data were collected via in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 15 male participants recruited from the Male Oncology Research and Education (MORE) Program.

This article reports findings about participants’ use of gender-specific language to describe their breasts, awareness of the ways in which their bodies changed overtime, and experiences of undergoing mammograms.

This study is the first to describe men with BRCA’s perceptions of their breasts and experiences of mammography in a high-risk cancer screening clinic. This study sheds light on an under-researched area—breasts and masculinities—and could potentially lead to improved clinical understanding of men’s embodied experiences of BRCA, as well as suggestions for improving the delivery of male breast cancer screening services.
Indoor environmental quality assessment, part 2: Model reliability analysis
Authors: Piasecki Michał , Kostyrko Krystyna Barbara
Published: February 2018

Indoor environmental quality index involves a set of indoor environmental quality sub-components, provides an assessment of building user comfort and satisfaction and may be used as a tool to support the design of energy-efficient buildings. Unfortunately, the unknown reliability of the indoor environmental quality model is a recognized barrier for its wider practical use. In this article, a preliminary reliability test for the indoor environmental quality model is presented, providing a correct evaluation of the measurement data results and a step-by-step guide to the expression of its uncertainty. The uncertainty based on the physical parameters is first analyzed and then corrected by considering the impacts of the instability of the physical parameters. In the end, all sources of uncertainty are recognized, including uncertainties introduced by the probability distribution of panel sensory tests. A procedure for detecting internal incongruity in the indoor environmental quality model structure is also provided, and a criterion for elimination of this syndrome is proposed. Finally, in standardized indoor environment, the estimated uncertainty of the IEQindex is presented to be no less than ±17%.
Dynamic changes in quality of life after three first-line therapies for EGFR mutation-positive advanced non-small-cell lung cancer
Authors: Yang Szu-Chun , Lin Chien-Chung , Lai Wu-Wei , Chang Sheng-Mao , Hwang Jing-Shiang , Su Wu-Chou , Wang Jung-Der
Published: February 2018

Background:

Three different tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been approved as first-line therapies for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation-positive advanced non-small-cell lung cancer with similar overall survival. This study determined dynamic changes in quality of life (QoL) for patients using these therapies after controlling for potential confounders.

Methods:

From 2011 to 2016, we prospectively assessed the utility values and QoL scores of patients using the EuroQol five-dimension and World Health Organization Quality-of-Life – Brief questionnaires. QoL functions after initiation of treatment were estimated using a kernel-smoothing method. Dynamic changes in major determinants were repeatedly assessed for constructing mixed models.

Results:

A total of 344 patients were enrolled, with 934 repeated assessments. After controlling for performance status, disease progression, EGFR mutation subtype and other confounders, the mixed models showed significantly lower QoL scores for afatinib versus gefitinib in the physical, psychological and social domains, and 10 facets. The differences seemed to appear 10 months after initiation of treatment. In contrast, there was no significant difference between erlotinib and gefitinib in the scores of all domains and facets.

Conclusion:

QoL in patients receiving afatinib seemed to be lower than in those receiving gefitinib. Since the sample sizes in this study were relatively small, more studies are warranted to corroborate these results.
Genetic Differentiation and Fragmentation in Response to Climate Change of the Narrow Endemic Psittacanthus auriculatus
Authors: Ornelas Juan Francisco , Licona-Vera Yuyini , Vásquez-Aguilar Antonio Acini
Published: February 2018

The state of Oaxaca is positioned in a rather unique biogeographical position with the highest diversity of vascular plants in Mexico. The isolation of xeric valleys surrounded by complex mountain ranges in Oaxaca supplies an excellent opportunity to investigate the influence of the Pleistocene events on xeric species. To test for the alternative hypotheses of Pleistocene glacial refugia, we used sequences of two chloroplast markers to examine the phylogeographic patterns of the endemic mistletoe species Psittacanthus auriculatus (Loranthaceae) across its known range in Oaxaca and conducted ecological niche modeling (ENM) to explore changes of its distribution range through present, future, and palaeo periods. Our results revealed two groups corresponding to the distribution of individuals/populations from the northern locations (western valleys), and those from southern localities at central valleys of Oaxaca. A significant genetic signal of differentiation, demographic stability, and contraction of suitable habitat during the Last Glacial Maximum predicted by ENMs strongly supported a scenario of habitat fragmentation during the Late Pleistocene. We conclude that the genetic differentiation of P. auriculatus is consistent with a model of range contraction during glacial cycles and expansion during interglacials with no major range changes under future scenarios of climate change. The findings verified the profound effects of Pleistocene climatic fluctuations on this endemic mistletoe species, and the low genetic diversity within populations highlights, paradoxically, the urgency of preserving vulnerable populations of endemic yet parasitic mistletoes.
hsa-mir183/EGR1–mediated regulation of E2F1 is required for CML stem/progenitor cell survival
Authors: Pellicano Francesca , Park Laura , Hopcroft Lisa E. M. , Shah Mansi M. , Jackson Lorna , Scott Mary T. , Clarke Cassie J. , Sinclair Amy , Abraham Sheela A. , Hair Alan , Helgason G. Vignir , Aspinall-O’Dea Mark , Bhatia Ravi , Leone Gustavo , Kranc Kamil R. , Whetton Anthony D. , Holyoake Tessa L.
Published: February 2018

Key Points

hsa-mir183/EGR1/E2F1 is a novel and critical factor for CML SPC survival. E2F1 plays a pivotal role in regulating CML SPC proliferation status.