bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Megakaryocyte Potentiating Factor as a Predictive Biomarker for Therapies Against Malignant Mesothelioma
Authors: Cao Liang , Yu Yunkai , Thomas Anish , Zhang Jingli , Onda Masanori , Meltzer Paul , Hassan Raffit , Pastan Ira
Published: May 2018

Purpose

Effective biomarkers for malignant mesothelioma (MM) are needed for clinical management and the development of mesothelin-targeted therapies. We evaluated serum megakaryocyte potentiating factor (MPF) as a biomarker predictive of treatment outcome in patients with MM and for developing mesothelin-targeted therapies.

Materials and Methods

Serial serum samples from patients with MM in two clinical trials of an antimesothelin immunotoxin were tested with our clinically validated MPF assay. Correlative studies were performed to determine the test effectiveness in treatment monitoring and outcome prediction. MPF was further evaluated for an association with response to an antimesothelin therapy and for disease monitoring.

Results

There was a significant reduction of serum MPF in patients with elevated baseline and radiologic response, with an average change from −52% to −78% after one to six cycles. Using a −50% change as the cutoff, patients with MM with positive MPF response had significantly improved progression-free survival ( P < .001), with the median extended from 1.9 to 11.3 months. These patients with MPF response further exhibited improved overall survival (P = .004), with the median extended from 8.8 to 22.3 months. In patients with refractory MM, there was an association between elevated pretreatment serum MPF and radiologic response to an antimesothelin therapy (P = .033). Furthermore, in these response patients, serum MPF was monitored between 32.2 and 63.8 months and was found to reflect treatment response and disease progression.

Conclusion

At a cutoff of −50% change after receiving systemic therapies, a reduction in MPF was associated with improved clinical outcome, both progression-free survival and overall survival. An elevated baseline serum MPF was associated with a response to an antimesothelin therapy in patients with refractory MM; however, this finding needs to be confirmed in another study.
A pathogenic skin fungus and sloughing exacerbate cutaneous water loss in amphibians
Authors: Russo Catherine J. M. , Ohmer Michel E. B. , Cramp Rebecca L. , Franklin Craig E.
Published: May 2018

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a pathogenic fungus that causes the cutaneous, infectious disease chytridiomycosis and has been implicated in population declines of numerous anuran species worldwide. Proximate cause of death by chytridiomycosis is asystolic cardiac arrest as a consequence of severe disruption to electrolyte balance. Animals heavily infected with Bd also experience a disruption to their skin sloughing regime, indicating that core functions of the skin, such as water retention, may be severely impacted. This study examined how skin sloughing, body size and Bd infection interact to influence water loss rates in five Australian frog species: Litoria caerulea, Limnodynastes peronii, Lechriodus fletcheri, Limnodynastes tasmaniensis and Platyplectrum ornatum. Rates of water loss more than doubled during sloughing in L. caerulea. During active periods across all species, water loss rates were on average 232% higher in Bd infected frogs than in uninfected frogs. This indicates that dehydration stress may be a significant factor contributing to the morbidity of severely Bd infected anurans, a symptom that is then exacerbated by an increased rate of sloughing. When taking size into account, smaller and/or juvenile anurans may be more at risk from dehydration due to Bd infection, as they lose a greater amount of water and slough more frequently than adults. This may in part explain the higher mortality rates typical for small and juvenile frogs infected with Bd. Understanding how Bd affects the core functions of the skin, including rates of water loss, can improve our predictions of disease outcome in amphibians.
Enterovirus D68 in Viet Nam (2009-2015)
Authors: Ny Nguyen Thi Han , Anh Nguyen To , Hang Vu Thi Ty , Nguyet Lam Anh , Thanh Tran Tan , Ha Do Quang , Minh Ngo Ngoc Quang , Ha Do Lien Anh , McBride Angela , Tuan Ha Manh , Baker Stephen , Tam Pham Thi Thanh , Phuc Tran My , Huong Dang Thao , Loi Tran Quoc , Vu Nguyen Tran Anh , Hung Nguyen Van , Minh Tran Thi Thuy , Xang Nguyen Van , Dong Nguyen , Nghia Ho Dang Trung , Chau Nguyen Van Vinh , Thwaites Guy , van Doorn H. Rogier , Anscombe Catherine , Le Van Tan ,   VIZIONS Consortium
Published: May 2018

Background: Since 1962, enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) has been implicated in multiple outbreaks and sporadic cases of respiratory infection worldwide, especially in the USA and Europe with an increasing frequency between 2010 and 2014. We describe the detection, associated clinical features and molecular characterization of EV-D68 in central and southern Viet Nam between 2009 and 2015.

Methods: Enterovirus/rhinovirus PCR positive respiratory or CSF samples taken from children and adults with respiratory/central nervous system infections in Viet Nam were tested by an EV-D68 specific PCR. The included samples were derived from 3 different observational studies conducted at referral hospitals across central and southern Viet Nam 2009  2015. Whole-genome sequencing was carried out using a MiSeq based approach. Phylogenetic reconstruction and estimation of evolutionary rate and recombination were carried out in BEAST and Recombination Detection Program, respectively.

Results: EV-D68 was detected in 21/625 (3.4%) enterovirus/rhinovirus PCR positive respiratory samples but in none of the 15 CSF. All the EV-D68 patients were young children (age range: 11.8 – 24.5 months) and had moderate respiratory infections. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the Vietnamese sequences clustered with those from Asian countries, of which 9 fell in the B1 clade, and the remaining sequence was identified within the A2 clade. One intra sub-clade recombination event was detected, representing the second reported recombination within EV-D68. The evolutionary rate of EV-D68 was estimated to be 5.12E -3 substitutions/site/year. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the virus was imported into Viet Nam in 2008.

Conclusions: We have demonstrated for the first time EV-D68 has been circulating at low levels in Viet Nam since 2008, associated with moderate acute respiratory infection in children. EV-D68 in Viet Nam is most closely related to Asian viruses, and clusters separately from recent US and European viruses that were suggested to be associated with acute flaccid paralysis.
Technical Note—Multiproduct Inventory Management Under Customer Substitution and Capacity Restrictions
Authors: Schlapp Jochen , Fleischmann Moritz
Published: May 2018

The presence of customer substitution poses substantial challenges to a firm’s inventory management, particularly so when the firm has to manage a multiproduct portfolio with capacity restrictions. In this paper, we derive the optimal inventory policy for a capacity-constrained firm selling multiple partially substitutable products over a finite season in a market with stockout-based customer substitution. We also establish the sensitivity of the optimal policy with respect to changes in capacity and substitution preferences. In doing so, we disentangle the direct and indirect dynamics of substitution, and show the nonmonotonic and partially counterintuitive influence of capacity and substitution on the firm’s optimal inventory policy.
infâncias da linguagem, infâncias da infância, memórias de infâncias: depois é tarde demais
Authors: Skliar Carlos
Published: May 2018

This essay dedicates itself to poetically think about childhood, philosophy and solitude. By using some literary images, it provokes us to think of childhood beyond chronology, linear time, life phases, investing in the potentiality of the minimum, of the tiniest, of the minutiae as a force that can move us from the common places of thought, to expose or disturb our ways of seeing, of understanding, of thinking. Childhood, literature, philosophy and solitude keep alive the flame of unfinishing, of incompleteness, making the wheel of life spin: poetry is made of everything that easily breaks, of the unusable, which lasts just a little less than an instant wich is, in it’s turn, minimal, is what undoes the civilization of gold, the merchandise of blasphemy, including what can not be remembered, the least, the odd, the insufficient. Thus, this essay is an invitation so that we can look attentively, calmly, at the unseemly things, at the almost silent words, at the minimal gestures and then to be able to listen and to see, perhaps, another poetic of the childhood and the philosophy, a distinct relationship with the childhood, the literature, the philosophy and the solitude in such a way that we can say: yes, childhood has a voice; yes, childhood without a voice is a disgrace.
deslocamentos crianceiros, conversas transviadas: coisas da educação e de afirmação de uma vida que importa
Authors: Rodrigues Alexsandro , Brasileiro Castiel Vitorino , Zamboni Jésio , Ferreira Marcelo Santana , Roseiro Steferson Zanoni
Published: May 2018

From the premise that the child is a dangerous other and that so must be controlled, this essay proposes to accompany – and, someway, to invent – the errant, devious and fag childhood as a possibility field to affirm the life that differs from itself. Understanding with René Schérer, Guy Hocquenghem and Michel Foucault that the childhoods are relegated to an order of institutions that kidnaps them in nonstop, it is, an order of institutions that strongly haunt the childhoods to reap the possibility fields, this text tries to ally with the children and their tricks. Therefore, this writing aims to affirm the child as an analytical category, as a fiction of the remembrance processes. In this adventure, it is the invention processes itself that allies to the memory and makes the concepts and the affects of raciality, gender and sexuality work. Here the child erase the limits of those categories and throw in the air the stability of the existence. Because they are tricky, the errant children do not satisfy themselves with the kidnaped childhood on selling. They laugh and mock on the comfortable childhood stories told in the adult world. The children here presented are powerful because they stablish resistance lines to face the violence, the racism, the compulsory heterosexuality and the misogyny. Tricky, the children just laugh and invite the others with their trail of romp.
The use of Tiemann tip catheters for male intermittent self-catheterisation
Authors: Rew Maggie , Lake Helen , Brownlee-Moore Kayleigh
Published: May 2018

Male catheterisation can be difficult to perform, especially in patients with an enlarged prostate gland or other potentially obstructive conditions in the lower urinary tract. Repeated and unsuccessful catheterisations, as well as causing trauma, pain and distress, can cause other conditions such as urethral strictures and ‘false passages’ (when the catheter is pushed through the urethral wall instead of passing down the urethra), which then require more costly interventions to correct. With an increasingly ageing population these complications are expected to rise, putting added strain on an already stretched health service. This article discusses the use of the Coudé (or Tiemann) tip catheter in patients presenting with these challenging catheterisations and, in particular, male patients performing intermittent self-catheterisation. Device design can help overcome obstructive difficulties, making catheterisation easier, less traumatic and more comfortable for the patient. A survey of 200 nurses working in the urology and continence field was undertaken to understand their awareness and usage of Coudé/Tiemann tip catheters in practice. It was found that many nurses and doctors were unaware of this type of catheter and its advantages and therefore did not use or offer it as an alternative to the more commonly used straight-tipped catheter. In the vast majority of cases when Tiemann tip catheters were used this occurred after failure with a straight-tipped catheter, or they were used with patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia or other potentially obstructive conditions. In many cases, the catheterisation was consultant initiated, despite the fact that intermittent self-catheterisation is instigated and taught mainly by nurses. This survey highlighted the need for better education for nurses and doctors in assessing the alternative catheter tips available to ensure successful catheterisation on first attempt.
Bladder cancer: overview and disease management. Part 1: non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer
Authors: Anderson Beverley
Published: May 2018

Part 1 of this two-part article provides an overview of bladder cancer and discusses its management. Since publication of a previous article entitled ’Understanding the role of smoking in the aetiology of bladder cancer’ ( Anderson, 2009 ), the author has received many requests for an update. This article provides an overview of bladder cancer and its current management practices, underlining the continued role of smoking as the predominant risk factor in the disease's development. The management of bladder cancer is governed by specific guidelines. Management of non-muscle-invasive cancers, including surgical intervention with transurethral resection, and intravesical therapy using chemotherapy and immunotherapy agents, is discussed. Cystectomy (removal of the bladder), is sometimes necessary. Treatments are effective in reducing tumour recurrence, but the effects of the risks and side-effects on the individual's quality of life can be significant. The prevalence of bladder cancer, and the nature of its management make this cancer one of the most expensive for the NHS to treat. The effectiveness of health promotional strategies in increasing peoples' awareness of their risk of developing the disease, and in enabling them to change long-term health behaviours is discussed. The role of the multidisciplinary team is explored, along with that of the uro-oncology cancer nurse specialist. Part 2 will consider the management of muscle-invasive and metastatic bladder cancer.
Prevalence of Non-Fistulous Urinary Incontinence among Nonparturient Women in A Tertiary Hospital
Authors: Olukemi Bello Oluwasomidoyin
Published: May 2018

Objective:
To determine the prevalence and risk factors of non-fistulous urinary incontinence (UI) among non-parturient women at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Methods:
A hospital based cross sectional study of 500 non-parturient women presenting with non- fistulous gynaecological symptoms at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to obtain information. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariate analysis to determine the risk factors of urinary incontinence.

Results:
Mean age was 36.61 (SD=10.1) years and almost all (83.2%) were married. Prevalence of urinary incontinence is 21.4%. Majority (40.6%) had symptoms of stress urinary incontinence and 8.0% had urge urinary incontinence. Only 19.6% of those who leaked urine in the last one month sought medical attention despite visiting the hospital for other ailment(s), while of those that had ever leaked urine, 13.1% of them ever sought medical attention. Risk factors for UI were age at first delivery (OR=21.21, 95%CI=2.179-206.478), marital status (OR=0.142, 95%CI=0.044-0.454), chronic illness (OR=3.987, 95%CI=2.147-7.405) and history of prolonged labour (OR=3.111, 95%CI=1.584-6.110).

Conclusion:
UI is not uncommon in Nigeria. The identified predisposing factors were low age at first delivery, history of prolonged labour and chronic illness. There is need to sensitize women of the symptoms and complications associated with urinary incontinence as well as its prevention and need to seek medical care if they have the symptoms.
“What Does It Mean to Be Undocuqueer?” Exploring (il)Legibility within the Intersection of Gender, Sexuality, and Immigration Status
Authors: Cisneros Jesus , Gutierrez Julia
Published: May 2018

The experiences and needs of undocuqueer immigrants are actively negotiated and muted and have been little researched or addressed in relation to the broader immigrant and LGBT rights discourses. This study explores the ways undocuqueer immigrants from Latin America experience the intersection of their gender, sexuality, and immigration status and how these experiences shape their sociopolitical identities and status in the United States. Using intersectionality and queer of color criticism as an analytic framework, this study demonstrates how queer and trans undocumented immigrants experience structural (il)legibility, embodied (il)legibility, and (il)legible survival as they resist the dominant paradigms of conventional citizenship and cisgender heterosexual normativity.
Exploring the social legacy of paralympic games for disabled people
Authors: Kirakosyan Lyusyena , Seabra Jr. Manoel Osmar
Published: May 2018

While the concept of legacy of sporting mega-events has been highly debated and filled with the promise to deliver tangible and measurable benefits, in the context of the Paralympics, defining legacy has been a challenge, due to a lack of universally understood and accepted nature and objectives of the Paralympic Games themselves. Although many authors and disability rights activists expect the Paralympics to accelerate agenda of inclusion of disabled people, a growing number of studies found that the Paralympics misrepresent disability and the reality of disabled people, and consequently reinforce negative stereotypes. Informed by critical disability studies, the central research aim of this article is to examine the social legacies of the 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Games for disabled people as identified in the media coverage of three selected periodicals, The Guardian, and O Globo. The article presents a summary of the qualitative analysis of the media coverage related to the topic of Paralympic legacy and disability rights, highlights its central themes and offers a discussion of the findings through the lens of critical disability studies.
A Universidade e seu papel na formação de recursos humanos para atuar com pessoas com deficiencias na área do esporte adaptado
Authors: Brancatti Paulo Roberto
Published: May 2018

This article has as objective to present and describe several pedagogical actions that are developed in UNESP/FCT – Presidente Prudente Physical Education Course with regard to Physical Education professional training issues to work with disable people in adapted sport area, whether it’s in the initial phase or in the continuity phase in studies and researches in this area. For this, we present in a demonstrative chart the subjects, projects and pedagogical actions compositions regarding the teacher training in Physical Education. And in text development we present some theoretical studies in the area of Education, Physical Education and Adapted Physical Education, that are in agree to several authors that emphasize that APE is growing in the country and that formative actions of Higher Institutions strengthen the current moment, together with the area of Education. And as results, we present in text completion, reports from the ones who acted in some projects during student period and how they demonstrate this in the process of academic formation and in the experience gained from these pedagogical actions.
Financiamento do esporte paralímpico no Brasil: convênios
Authors: Ferreira Alan De Carvalho Dias , Vitor Kassandra Pereria , Haiachi Marcelo De Castro , Reppold Filho Alberto Reinaldo
Published: May 2018

The financial support to the Elite Sports carried out historically through tax exemptions to the sports entities, in recent years has been added to a series of governmental actions, with emphasis on the agreements, the granting of scholarships to athletes and the Sports Incentive Law. This paper aims to describe the investment of federal public resources from agreements in paralympic sports, in addition to identifying their main beneficiaries and the types of expenses incurred. In order to do so, a descriptive research was carried out, using documentary research, in the National High-Performance Sport Secretariat of the Ministry of Sports (SNEAR), for the cataloging of agreements, onlending and decentralization agreements entered into by the federal public administration via SNEAR, to finance Paralympic sports from 2008 to 2016. It has been verified that Brazil has invested resources in the Paralympic sport with greater intensity between 2008 and 2014. However, it was evidenced that the Federal Government does not have systematized information or method to systematize the information on the transfer of financial resources through agreements, which was developed in this study. Other public entities, committees, confederations, leagues, federations, clubs and educational institutions are the destinations of the financial resources of the agreements, which can be applied in 12 different ways. Between 2008 and 2016 there was an increase in the amount of funds invested in Paralympic sports, mainly for the preparation of the Rio 2016 Games. The investments made through agreements are mainly in facilities and sports materials. It is concluded that financial resources of the Federal Government are spent without classification of the actions, entities or public to which such resources are destined. Thus, the systematization of this information, presented in this work, can substantially collaborate with the evaluation and formulation of government policies and actions.
Sociology of sport, media and disability in Spain
Authors: Solves Josep
Published: May 2018

Today, Spain is an advanced country in the field of sport for people with disabilities. Thanks to social movement led by National Blind Organization (ONCE) since the mid-80s, the Paralympic Games in Barcelona in 1992, the birth of the Spanish Paralympic Committee in 1995 and the Paralympic Sport Support Plan (ADOP) by the Government, Spain is a Paralympic power and many athletes with disabilities are socially known and admired people. However, there are yet situations of social and economic discrimination. Surely the media have powerfully influenced for improve the image of these athletes with disabilities, but still they use to give the sport for people with disabilities much less coverage than they give to other sports. From a sociological point of view, the study of sport is consolidating as a scientific area and in recent decades it has highlighted the connections between sport and society in various fields. In particular, sport for people with disabilities has become one of the areas that has evolved, especially in relation to their physical, psychological and social benefits. However, the study area relating adapted sports and mass communication is poorly developed in Spain and the references are still sporadic. The aim of this article is to show the current state of studies on sport for people with disabilities from the point of view of sociology and communication sciences in Spain, as well as the relevance of deepening these studies to achieve understanding and, as far as possible, improve the situation of these people.
Jogos Paralímpicos Rio 2016: memórias esportivas de atletas sul-rio-grandenses
Authors: Mazo Janice Zarpellon , Begossi Tuany Defaveri , Bertoldi Rafaela , Assmann Alice Beatriz
Published: May 2018

The research aims to investigate how the sporting route of Rio Grande do Sul athletes who participated in the 2016 Paralympic Games, held in Rio de Janeiro. This research is supported by oral sources, newspaper reports and magazines, information from social networks, as well as bibliographical review on the subject. The results evidenced that the insertion in the sports practice of Rio Grande do Sul paralympic athletes happened from the adult life. The athletes were introduced to paralympic sport through their peers and faced difficulties in remaining in high-performance sport due to restricted sports incentives. We conclude that new public policies of incentive to the high-performance sport in the state of Rio Grande do Sul are necessary. Moreover, the increase in financial incentives will probably have an impact on the increase in the number of Paralympic athletes.
Field performance of maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars under drought stress
Authors: GHASSEMI-GOLEZANI Kazem , HEYDARI Shabnam , DALIL Bahareh
Published: May 2018

This research was carried out in 2014 at the Research Farm of the University of Tabriz, Iran. The experiment was arranged as split plot on the basis of randomized complete block with three replicates to assess the effects of four irrigation intervals (irrigations after 60, 80, 100 and 120 mm evaporation) on physiological and agronomical traits of three cultivars of maize (Zea mays L.; ‘SC704’, ‘NS640’, ‘DC303’: late, mid and early maturing, respectively). Irrigation intervals and maize cultivars were assigned to the main and sub-plots, respectively. Leaf temperature of all maize cultivars significantly increased, but chlorophyll content index, maximum efficiency of photosystem II, number of grains per plant, 1000 grain mass, plant biomass, grain yield and harvest index significantly decreased with increasing irrigation intervals. Late maturing cultivar (‘SC704’) was superior in all studied traits, followed by mid (‘NS640’) and early (‘DC303’) maturing cultivars. It was concluded that water limitation can potentially reduce performance of maize cultivars in the field, but the extent of this reduction depends on genotype and severity of stress.
Physiological and biochemical changes in Matricaria chamomilla induced by Pseudomonas fluorescens and water deficit stress
Authors: MOHAMMADI Hamid , ESMAILPOUR Mohammad , GHORBI Samaneh , HATAMI Mehrnaz
Published: May 2018

Environmental stresses and rhizosphere microorganisms affect growth parameters and accumulation of active ingredients especially in plants with medicinal properties. The present study examined the effects of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) seedling inoculation with Pseudomonas fluorescens PF-135 strain on its growth parameters, photosynthetic pigments, proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content, and essential oil concentration at both regular watering and water deficit experiments. Based on the obtained results, water deficit stress reduced root dry mass, and flower fresh and dry mass as well. However, amount of H2O2 and MDA in root and shoot tissues were considerably lower in inoculated plants compared to non-inoculated ones under both normal watering and water deficit regimes. It indicates that lipid peroxidation and production of reactive oxygen species has been diminished in inoculated plants. Also, essential oil content in inoculated plants significantly increased compared with that of non-inoculated ones under water deficit stress condition. It can be concluded that P. fluorescens PF-135 strain has an outstanding potential to alleviate adverse effects of water deficit on plant growth, and hence can be used as an excellent PGPR in order to boost chamomile productivity especially under water deficit stress condition.
DETERMINATION OF DIETARY FIBRE – THE INFLUENCE OF MILLING FRACTION AND MIXING PROCESS
Authors: FERJANČIČ Blaž , BERTONCELJ Jasna
Published: May 2018

Dietary fibre is an important constituent of a healthy diet, composed of non-digestible carbohydrates and lignin. Over the last decades dietary fibre has gained importance for human nutrition, due to its beneficial effects on health. In addition to classical enzyme-gravimetric methods, new methods for the determination of total, insoluble and soluble dietary fibres in foods have recently been developed, but have not yet been fully implemented for use. For the purpose of creating food composition databases and for food labelling, the classical AOAC 985.29 and 991.43 methods are still widely used. The methods are enzyme-gravimetric and therefore sensitive to enzyme kinetics. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of milling fraction and mixing of the sample on dietary fibre content determined with the AOAC method 991.43. The results showed that milling fraction significantly influences the content of dietary fibre, especially in unprocessed or slightly processed cereals, the mixing acts synergistically with milling. According to the results it is proposed to mill the sample between 200 and 500 μm. For accurate determination of dietary fibre content, it is necessary to prepare the sample correctly, since the AOAC 991.43 method is, despite its robustness, sensitive during the sample preparation step.
LEACHED SOILS IN SLOVENIA: PEDOLOGICAL PROPERTIES, SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION AND CLASSIFICATION
Authors: TURNIŠKI Rok , GRČMAN Helena
Published: May 2018

Eluvial-illuvial processes plays key role in pedogenesis, especially in the development of leached soils. As reported in Slovenian soil map 1 : 25.000 leached soils cover 2,3 % of Slovenian territory. They occur on different parent materials, mostly on flat relief preserved from erosion and colluvial processes. The aim of our study is the evaluation of their morpohological, physical and chemical properties, spatial distribution and dependency on soil forming factors, especially on parent material. Pedological properties are demonstrated according to analytical and descriptive data of 49 leached soils from the pedological base of Soil Information System of Slovenia. Obvious leaching processes are clearly recognized in almost all profiles of leached soils. Eluvial horizon in comparison to illuvial horizon has lower pH value, which is in average 4,4 and 4,6 for E and Bt horizon respectively, brighter color, lower base saturation (in average for 16,6 %) and lower CEC (in average for 5,5 mmolc 100 g -1 soil). On average ratio of clay content between illuvial and eluvial horizon is 1,63. In the 75 % of all studied leached soils this ratio is above 1,38. After evaluation, according to WRB classification, an argic horizon is identified only in 40 soil profiles, while other 9 profiles do not match criteria of sufficient textural differentiation or there is not enough data to classify them. Detailed overview of the WRB criteria for argic horizons (cation exchange capacity of clay fraction and base saturation in argic horizons) reveals that Luvisols and Alisols are the most widespread groups in Slovenia among leached soil. Against expectations based on different references, we do not determined Acrisols within Soil Map Database.
CONFIRMATION OF PRESENCE OF A PREDATORY GALL MIDGE, Feltiella acarisuga, (Vallot, 1827) AND STAPHYLINID PREDATOR Oligota oviformis Casey, 1893 OF A TWO SPOTTED SPIDER MITE (Tetranychus urticae, Koch, 1836) IN SLOVENIA
Authors: KOS Katarina , CELAR Franci Aco
Published: May 2018

The two spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae C. L. Koch, 1836 is one of the most important pests of greenhouse crops worldwide. Due to its polyphagic range of hosts and rapid development it forms great populations and as such represents a suitable host/prey for lots of natural enemies usable in biological control. Most commonly used predators of Tetranychid mites are predatory mites (Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot, 1957, Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot, 1962 ,…), but among most voracious predators is the larva of a predatory gall midge, Feltiella acarisuga (Vallot, 1827) that was found also in greenhouses of the Biotechnical Faculty in Ljubljana on eggplant leaves in 2017. Besides the predatory gall midge also another predator, staphylinid Oligota oviformis Casey, 1893 beetles and larvae were found in great numbers. After positive identification of F. acarisuga found naturally in Slovenia, it can be added to the list of indigenous species of natural enemies and thus can be used in biological control programs in greenhouse crop protection against spider mites.
LITTER DECOMPOSITION IN SOILS OF OVERGROWN GRASSLANDS IN DEPENDANCE OF TEMPERATURE
Authors: SUHADOLC Marjetka , ČREPINŠEK Zalika
Published: May 2018

The aim of the study was to examine whether the effect of projected temperature rises due to the global climate change could accelerate plant litter decomposition in soils of overgrown grasslands. The experiment was carried out under natural conditions at the locations of Bohinj-Polje and Uskovnica with similar environmental conditions (precipitation, parent material and soil development, plant communities) and the difference in air temperatures. The average difference in monthly air temperatures during our study were higher in Bohinj for 4.4 °C (± 1.5 °C) than in Uskovnica. Nylon mesh bags with mixed plant litter from both locations were placed into the Of horizon of the soil profiles at both locations in autumn 2007. The litter bags were sampled successively at 4 sampling times until May 2009 in 5 replicates. The litter degradation, expressed as mass loss, was throughout our study 57.1 ± 1.2 % (0 - 526 days) in Bohinj, 57.3 ± 2.6 % (0 - 555 days) at Uskovnica. No statistically significant differences in litter decomposition rate and seasonal pattern of mass loss was found between the sites. The dynamics of the total content of cellulose and lignin, Corg and N and their soluble forms (DOC and DON) were similar between the sites as well. The lignin content in the plant material did not statistically significantly change during the experiment. The results of our experiment did not confirm the effect of the difference in average air temperature on decomposition rate decreases. The results did not confirm any effect from the difference in the average monthly air temperature between the sites on the plant litter decomposition in our study.
Geographical Imaginations of the Mediterranean along Dichotomies of East-West/North-South
Authors: DURGUN Sezgi
Published: May 2018

This article endeavours to analyse the European and Turkish discourses regarding the concept of the“Mediterranean” and its variations both in temporal and spatial terms. The theoretical inspirationof this article comes from the “geographical imagination as a way of thinking about world politicsand considering the relative importance of places and the relationships between contested narrativesof a specific region or territory”. Hence this study will examine different geographical imaginationsof the Mediterranean region that are projected onto both Turkish and European political discourse.The perspective which is engaged here involves the historical geography, or geosophy put forward byJ. K. Wright (1946) who assumed that geographical knowledge is not only a knowledge of physicalcharacteristics and natural resources, but is also something being defined and redefined by thepolitical imagination of the perceiver. So in this article a “geosophical” perspective will be applied to theMediterranean region that plays both a historical and strategic role in Euro-Turkish relations.
Power and Integration. An Historical Overview on Euro- Mediterranean Relations
Authors: TRENTİN Massimiliano
Published: May 2018

This contribution aims to analyze the power relations underlying the international relations of theMediterranean space since the late XIX century in order to assess if and how the most recent initiativesimplemented by the European Union (EU) represent continuity or discontinuity with the modern past.The main idea is that the European Union has tried to shape the Mediterranean space along its basicpreference for free access to the markets of the southern and eastern countries of the Mediterranean,similar to what European powers did in late XIX and early XX century: the liberal order of the “Levantine”period combined the patterns of cooperation and consent, which were needed to foster market and eliteintegration, with those of conflict and coercion, which in turn were required to enforce the Europeanledeconomic and political order against restive and opposition forces. Compared to the past, however,the European Union has succeeded only partially in enforcing a “neo-liberal order” because it lacksmeaningful political and military capacity for coercion against partners and rivals. The current crisisof liberal forces across Europe and the Mediterranean has enhanced those forces advocating a returnto “state sovereignty” and control over flows of people, goods and ideas. This might recall the earlypostcolonial period of the 1950s and mid-1970s where the states struggled either to retain power andwealth, or overcome related asymmetries, by standing firm and “tough” in negotiations and resistingforeign interventions. However, if the centralized state was the main political and institutional driver ofthat period, it is highly difficult that today current states might effectively claim a monopoly over theeconomy and the public space on highly differentiated, secularized and interconnected societies likethe Mediterranean ones.
Trueness, precision and stability of the LIAISON 1-84 parathyroid hormone (PTH) third-generation assay: comparison to existing intact PTH assays
Authors: Valcour Andre , Zierold Claudia , Blocki Frank A. , Hawkins Douglas M. , Martin Kevin J. , Rao Sudhaker D. , Bonelli Fabrizio
Published: May 2018

Background:

Over the past few decades, parathyroid hormone (PTH) immunoassays have progressed through successive generations resulting in increased specificity and accuracy for detecting circulating PTH. With the introduction of third-generation assays, in which the biologically active PTH(1-84) is specifically targeted, the PTH(7-84) and other fragments are not detected. The specific recognition of only PTH(1-84) whole molecule allows for more reliable standardization and calibration than with the existing assays.

Methods:

Samples from patients on hemodialysis or with primary hyperparathyroidism and apparently healthy subjects were examined in different collection matrices (EDTA plasma, unspun EDTA plasma and SST) stored for 0, 24 or 72 h at room temperature to reflect the prevailing sample collection methods, shipping and processing conditions of centralized labs in the United States. Samples were analyzed by the LIAISON 1-84 PTH and N-TACT assays, and by three additional commercially available intact PTH assays.

Results:

Defined samples, prepared using two different standards (WHO 95/646 international standard and the synthetic Bachem PTH(1-84)), show little bias with the LIAISON 1-84 PTH assay, but not with the other intact PTH assays. Furthermore, PTH is stable for up to 72 h in plasma, but less stable in serum beyond 24 h.

Conclusions:

The FDA-approved LIAISON 1-84 PTH assay is accurate and reliably measures the biologically active PTH molecule in plasma or serum stored at room temperature for up 72 and 24 h, respectively.
The meteoric rise and dramatic fall of Theranos: lessons learned for the diagnostic industry
Authors: Fiala Clare , Diamandis Eleftherios P.
Published: May 2018

In this piece we discuss and reflect on the conclusion of the Theranos saga in the light of its fraud conviction. Theranos (founded in 2003 by Elizabeth Holmes) was supposed to disrupt the diagnostic testing industry by developing technology which could perform dozens of tests using a tiny amount of blood from a finger-prick. As a result, Ms. Holmes rose to fame, becoming the world’s youngest female self-made billionaire and was plastered across magazine covers. However, in 2014, Theranos began to fall apart following increasingly damaging revelations regarding its lack of expertise, technology, framework, extreme secrecy and inaccurate test results. This led to the closure of two of its laboratories, investor and patient lawsuits and the devaluation of Ms. Holmes’s wealth to nothing. In March 2018, the United States Security Exchange Commission ordered Ms. Holmes to pay $500,000 to settle the charge of massive fraud and barred her from being a director of a publicly owned company for 10 years, likely concluding Theranos’s endeavors. We conclude our series of articles on this topic by reflecting on the lessons the laboratory medicine community can learn from Theranos.
Analysis of a Delayed Predator–Prey System with Harvesting
Authors: Liu Wei , Jiang Yaolin
Published: May 2018

This article is concerned with a Leslie–Gower predator–prey system with the predator being harvested and the prey having a delay due to the gestation of prey species. By regarding the gestation delay as a bifurcation parameter, we first derive some sufficient conditions on the stability of positive equilibrium point and the existence of Hopf bifurcations basing on the local parametrization method for differential-algebra system. In succession, we also investigate the direction of Hopf bifurcations and the stability of bifurcating periodic solutions on the center manifold by employing the center manifold reduction for functional differential equations. Finally, to verify our theoretical predictions, several numerical simulations are given.
Intermittent Pringle maneuver may be beneficial for radiofrequency ablations in situations with tumor-vessel proximity
Authors: Poch Franz G.M. , Neizert Christina A. , Gemeinhardt Ole , Geyer Beatrice , Eminger Katharina , Rieder Christian , Niehues Stefan M. , Vahldiek Janis , Thieme Stefan F. , Lehmann Kai S.
Published: May 2018

Background

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) represents a treatment option for non-resectable liver malignancies. Larger ablations can be achieved with a temporary hepatic inflow occlusion (Pringle maneuver – PM). However, a PM can induce dehydration and carbonization of the target tissue. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of an intermittent PM on the ablation size.

Methods

Twenty-five multipolar RFAs were performed in porcine liversex vivo. A perfused glass tube was used to simulate a natural vessel. The following five test series (each n=5) were conducted: (1) continuous PM, (2–4) intermittent PM, and (5) no PM. Ablations were cut into half. Ablation area, minimal radius, and maximal radius were compared.

Results

No change in complete ablation size could be measured between the test series (p>0.05). A small rim of native liver tissue was observed around the glass tube in the test series without PM. A significant increase of ablation area could be measured on the margin of the ablations with an intermittent PM, starting without hepatic inflow occlusion (p<0.05).

Conclusion

An intermittent PM did not lead to smaller ablations compared to a continuous or no PMex vivo. Furthermore, an intermittent PM can increase the ablation area when initial hepatic inflow is succeeded by a PM.
Involutory biquandles and singular knots and links
Authors: Bataineh Khaled , Ghaith Hadeel
Published: May 2018

We define a new algebraic structure for singular knots and links. It extends the notion of a bikei (or involutory biquandle) from regular knots and links to singular knots and links. We call this structure a singbikei. This structure results from the generalized Reidemeister moves representing singular isotopy. We give several examples on singbikei and we use singbikei to distinguish several singular knots and links.
When your face describes your memories: facial expressions during retrieval of autobiographical memories
Authors: El Haj Mohamad , Daoudi Mohamed , Gallouj Karim , Moustafa Ahmed A. , Nandrino Jean-Louis
Published: May 2018

Thanks to the current advances in the software analysis of facial expressions, there is a burgeoning interest in understanding emotional facial expressions observed during the retrieval of autobiographical memories. This review describes the research on facial expressions during autobiographical retrieval showing distinct emotional facial expressions according to the characteristics of retrieved memoires. More specifically, this research demonstrates that the retrieval of emotional memories can trigger corresponding emotional facial expressions (e.g. positive memories may trigger positive facial expressions). Also, this study demonstrates the variations of facial expressions according to specificity, self-relevance, or past versus future direction of memory construction. Besides linking research on facial expressions during autobiographical retrieval to cognitive and affective characteristics of autobiographical memory in general, this review positions this research within the broader context research on the physiologic characteristics of autobiographical retrieval. We also provide several perspectives for clinical studies to investigate facial expressions in populations with deficits in autobiographical memory (e.g. whether autobiographical overgenerality in neurologic and psychiatric populations may trigger few emotional facial expressions). In sum, this review paper demonstrates how the evaluation of facial expressions during autobiographical retrieval may help understand the functioning and dysfunctioning of autobiographical memory.
Cutaneous Larva Migrans – Report of 2 new Cases Locally Acquired in Serbia
Authors: Perić Jelena , Lekić Branislav , Reljić Vesna , Ćirković Lana , Škiljević Dušan
Published: May 2018

Cutaneous larva migrans (CLM) is a parasitic skin disease caused by the accidental percutaneous penetration and subsequent intraepidermal migration of larvae of various nematode parasites of the hookworm family. The hookworms responsible for CLM are spread worldwide, but the infection occurs mostly in tropical and subtropical climates. Nowadays, because of ever increasing foreign travel, the disease is no longer confined to these areas. Moreover, a significant increase of autochthonous cases in southern Europe has been observed in recent years. We report two new patients from Serbia who acquired CLM, none of them having traveled abroad. As the recommendations for the treatment of CLM are not uniform, two different treatment modalities were applied in these patients, both with an excellent response.
Fish Tank Granuloma – a Case Report
Authors: Boljević Tijana , Mijušković Željko , Kandolf Sekulović Lidija , Vukomanović-Đurđević Biserka
Published: May 2018

Swimming-pool granuloma and fish tank granuloma refer to the infections caused by Mycobacterium marinum. After having been discovered in salt water fish in Philadelphia Aquarium and described in 1926, this skin infection was first reported in humans in 1951. It developed in people who had swum in contaminated swimming pools. M. marinum is a non-tuberculous, atypical mycobacterium, which is found on plants, soil and fish in freshwater and salt water worldwide. Humans become infected usually after trauma and contact with an aquatic environment. Infection is limited to the skin and usually occurs in healthy individuals, but in immunocompromised patients the infection may disseminate or spread to the subcutis and bone. The lesions usually appear as solitary nodules or plaques that may lead to suppurative ulcers after 2-3 weeks of incubation. Occasionally, there may be sporotrichoid spread along lymphatics. Its diagnosis is frequently delayed, probably because the infection is very rare and a history of aquatic exposure, which is present in the majority of cases, is often overlooked. Common misdiagnoses include fungal and parasitic infection, cellulitis, verrucous tuberculosis of the skin, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, a foreign body and a skin tumour. We present a case of a 39-year-old Caucasian male with a 12-month history of a single erythematous tender nodule on the right dorsal aspect of the right hand. Histopathological examination revealed longstanding suppurated granulomatous inflammation. The infection was not responsive to several courses of antibiotics until we introduced doxycycline capsules as monotherapy which led to complete remission after 5 months.