bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Poverty and delinquency: A qualitative study on selected juvenile offenders in Malaysia
Authors: Shong Tai Soo , Abu Bakar Siti Hajar , Islam M Rezaul
Published: February 2018

This qualitative case study explored the voices of juvenile offenders in Malaysia who were plagued with poverty, and brought to light their plight. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of poverty on the delinquent character and behavioural development of the children on three major crime-enhancing themes – miserable family conditions, school failure and association with deviant peers – to get a broader view of how poverty could influence their life trajectory. The purposive maximum variation sampling method was used in the selection of six young offenders between the ages of 13 and 17 years from Sekolah Tunas Bakti Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A multiple data collection method that included observation, in-depth case study and document analysis was used for data collection. Results showed that three major crime-enhancing themes due to poverty were strongly related to children’s delinquent character and behavioural development. The knowledge gained from this study will further contribute to understanding the real-life experiences of juvenile offenders, particularly those who are experiencing extreme deprivation, and it is hoped that the insight gained could help in the prevention and control of juvenile delinquent behaviour in Malaysia.
MMP20 Overexpression Disrupts Molar Ameloblast Polarity and Migration
Authors: Shin M. , Chavez M.B. , Ikeda A. , Foster B.L. , Bartlett J.D.
Published: February 2018

Ameloblasts responsible for enamel formation express matrix metalloproteinase 20 (MMP20), an enzyme that cleaves enamel matrix proteins, including amelogenin (AMELX) and ameloblastin (AMBN). Previously, we showed that continuously erupting incisors from transgenic mice overexpressing active MMP20 had a massive cell infiltrate present within their enamel space, leading to enamel mineralization defects. However, effects of MMP20 overexpression on mouse molars were not analyzed, although these teeth more accurately represent human odontogenesis. Therefore, MMP20-overexpressing mice ( Mmp20+/+Tg+) were assessed by multiscale analyses, combining several approaches from high-resolution micro–computed tomography to enamel organ immunoblots. During the secretory stage at postnatal day 6 (P6), Mmp20+/+Tg+ mice had a discontinuous ameloblast layer and, unlike incisors, molar P12 maturation stage ameloblasts abnormally migrated away from the enamel layer into the stratum intermedium/stellate reticulum. TOPflash assays performed in vitro demonstrated that MMP20 expression promoted β-catenin nuclear localization and that MMP20 expression promoted invasion through Matrigel-coated filters. However, for both assays, significant differences were eliminated in the presence of the β-catenin inhibitor ICG-001. This suggests that MMP20 activity promotes cell migration via the Wnt pathway. In vivo, the unique molar migration of amelogenin-expressing ameloblasts was associated with abnormal deposition of ectopic calcified nodules surrounding the adherent enamel layer. Enamel content was assessed just prior to eruption at P15. Compared to wild-type, Mmp20+/+Tg+ molars exhibited significant reductions in enamel thickness (70%), volume (60%), and mineral density (40%), and MMP20 overexpression resulted in premature cleavage of AMBN, which likely contributed to the severe defects in enamel mineralization. In addition, Mmp20+/+Tg+ mouse molar enamel organs had increased levels of inactive p-cofilin, a protein that regulates cell polarity. These data demonstrate that increased MMP20 activity in molars causes premature degradation of ameloblastin and inactivation of cofilin, which may contribute to pathological Wnt-mediated cell migration away from the enamel layer.
Interdental Cleaning Is Associated with Decreased Oral Disease Prevalence
Authors: Marchesan J.T. , Morelli T. , Moss K. , Preisser J.S. , Zandona A.F. , Offenbacher S. , Beck J.
Published: February 2018

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the associations between interdental cleaning behavior and the prevalence of caries and periodontal disease and numbers of missing teeth, with data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011 to 2012 and 2013 to 2014). Analysis included the following parameters: interproximal clinical attachment level (iCAL) ≥3 mm, interproximal probing depth (iPD) ≥4 mm, number of coronal and interproximal caries, number of missing teeth, ≥1 surfaces with coronal caries, and periodontal profile classes (PPCs). Chi-square was used for bivariate associations. Associations of interdental cleaning with outcomes were assessed with multiple linear regression and generalized logit regression, adjusting for age, race, sex, diabetes, smoking, education, dental visits, and sugar consumption. Nonusers had a significantly higher percentage of sites with iCAL ≥3 mm and iPD ≥4 mm as compared with individuals who used interdental cleaning devices ( P < 0.0001). Individuals with a higher frequency of cleaning (4 to 7×/wk) had a significantly lower extent of sites with iCAL ≥3 mm as compared with lower-frequency cleaning (1 to 3×/wk; P ≤ 0.05). Interdental cleaning users showed lower numbers of coronal caries, interproximal coronal caries, and missing teeth as compared with nonusers ( P < 0.0001). Nonusers had 1.73-times (95% confidence interval, 1.53 to 1.94) higher odds for having ≥1 surfaces of coronal caries as compared with interdental cleaning users, regardless of the weekly frequency. Individuals were less likely to be in diseased PPCs if they were interdental cleaning users. Low-frequency cleaners (1 to 3×/wk) had significantly greater odds (1.43; 95% confidence interval, 1.08 to 1.88) to have severe disease (PPC-G) versus health (PPC-A) than were high-frequency cleaners (4 to 7×/wk). Interdental cleaning users showed lower levels of periodontal disease and caries and lower numbers of missing teeth. Higher frequency of interdental cleaning was correlated with increased periodontal health. Individuals with severe periodontal disease could show additional oral health benefits by increasing cleaning frequency. The data support the use of interdental cleaning devices as an oral hygiene behavior for promoting health.
Literacy instruction for life online
Authors: Kohnen Angela M. , Saul E. Wendy
Published: February 2018

As information is becoming easier to access and harder to evaluate, literacy teachers face new challenges in helping students become astute independent readers. Building on the ideas of Lewis Mumford, the authors argue for embracing the role of the generalist — or “expert information seeker” who is able to identify and evaluate different types of sources and who trusts experts’ knowledge without accepting every statement they make as absolute truth.
When trauma hinders learning
Authors: Barr Donald A.
Published: February 2018

Many kindergarten teachers have encountered children who enter school lacking the ability to control their behavior, but they may not understand the social and biological processes behind these children’s disruptive behavior. The author reviews research into early childhood brain development to explain how trauma and chronic stress can make it difficult for them to build the executive function skills needed in the classroom. By incorporating social-emotional learning, teachers in the early grades can help these children manage their emotional responses and succeed in school.
Washington View
Authors: Ferguson Maria
Published: February 2018

Maria Ferguson suggests that implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act, school choice, and career technical education will dominate the conversation about education policy in 2018. On the other hand, school funding inequities, as discussed at length in a recent report from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, deserve more attention than they are likely to receive.
Backtalk
Authors: Weinberger Susan G. , Forbush Janet B.
Published: February 2018

Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of the school days in a given year — keeps many students from achieving academically. In this article, the authors explain how community mentors can be part of the solution by checking in with mentees about their attendance and helping them set goals for getting to school.
Simulation analysis of traffic signal control and transit signal priority strategies under Arterial Coordination Conditions
Authors: Mei Zhenyu , Tan Zhen , Zhang Wei , Wang Dianhai
Published: February 2018

This paper presents the findings of a simulation study evaluating the potential benefits of implementing transit signal priority (TSP) combined with arterial signal coordination for an isolated intersection. Traffic signal coordination is usually implemented along corridors with bus lanes. Active transit signal priority (active TSP) is a traffic-responsive control that prioritizes transit vehicles at signalized intersections. Thus, implementing active TSP under a stable cycle length is necessary to meet the relative demand of the non-priority phase and to maintain system stability. A real key intersection on an artery is taken as the object, and TSP controlling logics with specific restrictions are realized by using the VISSIM vehicle actuated programming module. Simulation analysis reveals the effect of TSP strategies with flow variation on the optimal cycle, and also identifies a reasonable method for selecting the gap time and initial green time of the priority phase. Results show that under special flow combination, increasing the cycle time generated by the traditional transportation and road research laboratory approach can give rise to additional benefits. The volume influences both the gap time and initial green time of the TSP phase. Moreover, the efficiency of red truncation is slightly better than that of the green extension strategy.
The Relation Between Family-Supportive Work Environment and Work–Family Conflict: Does Leader Support Act as a Moderator of This Relation in the Portuguese Navy?
Authors: Campaniço Cavaleiro Sandra Veigas , Gomes Catarina , Lopes Miguel Pereira
Published: February 2018

This study tested the moderation effect that leader support had on the relation between a family-supportive work environment (FSWE) and work–family conflict (WFC) in the Portuguese Navy. Data were collected through the application of a questionnaire to 260 career Navy junior and senior officers. Results indicated that a positive relation existed between the FSWE and WFC, being so that more FSWE related to more WFC. When bringing leader’s support to the subject, the only relation found was between leader support and WFC in which less leader support related to more WFC. The results didn’t back up the hypothesis that leader support had a positive moderating impact on the relationship between an FSWE and WFC. Given this, the results are discussed considering the theory on WFC and possible implications for future research and practice are presented for the Portuguese Navy.
How and why do political parties differ in their spending patterns? An empirical analysis of expenditure on party payroll staff
Authors: Smulders Jef , Maddens Bart
Published: February 2018

Despite the pivotal role of payroll staff within political parties’ central offices, research on the staff expenses of parties remains scarce. In this article, we study the relative staff expenses of political parties, that is staff costs as a percentage of total annual expenses. We analyse which factors explain the differences between parties’ relative staff expenses, based on a dataset of 590 individual observations representing 52 parties from seven European countries. The multivariate model shows that relative staff expenses are higher among left-oriented parties and that they increase with party age, party membership figures and the number of years a party has been in government, while they decrease with party income. Relative staff expenses also decrease with the effective number of parties in the party system, and they are lower in election years.
Matrimonial Expenditures and Egyptian Women’s Power Within Marriage
Authors: Salem Rania
Published: February 2018

Married women’s material resources are widely regarded as determinants of gendered power relations between husbands and wives. Although a growing literature describes the material transactions that accompany marriage, few empirical studies investigate their association with women’s postmarital outcomes. Using nationally representative survey data from Egypt ( n = 6,987), I test the assumption that matrimonial outlays are associated with women’s power (as measured by respondents’ reported influence in making household decisions). I find that absolute matrimonial outlays mostly bear a weak positive association with Egyptian wives’ decision-making power. My results further show that proportional spending on marriage bears a much stronger association with women’s decision-making power. A higher percentage of marriage costs covered by the bride’s side carries a net advantage for women, suggesting that parental investments in daughters’ marriages signal familial support for the bride, thus enhancing her power.
Spontaneous Findings in the Eyes of Cynomolgus Monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) of Mauritian Origin
Authors: Woicke Jochen , Haile Solomon , Mysore Jagannatha , Peden W. Michael , Lejeune Typhaine , Sanderson Thomas , Brodie Thomas
Published: February 2018

Spontaneous findings noted in the eyes of Mauritian cynomolgus monkeys are described and descriptions are supplemented with illustrations. Findings observed after extensive histopathologic examinations (20 to 44 sections per eye) from 20 control, 17 treatment-naive stock monkeys, and 2 findings noted in drug-treated monkeys that were considered to be spontaneous are included. Also included are findings from 361 control monkeys of routine toxicity studies performed at our laboratories, for most of which a standard histopathological examination of 1 section per eye was conducted. Common observations in monkeys examined extensively and in historical controls were limited to lymphocytic or mononuclear cell infiltrations of the uvea and/or conjunctiva/sclera and, less commonly observed, melanocytoma of the ciliary body or iris. Findings noted only in monkeys examined extensively consisted of inflammation of the conjunctiva, ora serrata cysts, glial nodules, focal degeneration of the retina, cystoid degeneration of the central retina, ballooning degeneration of the ciliary epithelium, cyst of the ciliary body, and decreased pigmentation of the retinal pigment epithelium. Changes recorded only in historical controls included retinal atrophy and nuclear displacement in the retina. Lesions are discussed and compared with pertinent literature.
Intradialytic exercise training modalities on physical functioning and health-related quality of life in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis: systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Gomes Neto Mansueto , de Lacerda Filipe Ferrari Ribeiro , Lopes Antonio Alberto , Martinez Bruno Prata , Saquetto Micheli Bernardone
Published: February 2018

Objective:

To determine the effects of different intradialytic exercise training modalities on physical functioning and health-related quality of life of maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Methods:

We searched MEDLINE, Cochrane Trials Register and CINAHL for controlled trials that evaluated the effects of intradialytic exercise training for maintenance hemodialysis patients and published from the earliest available date to December 2017. Weighted mean difference and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated, and heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 test.

Results:

Fifty-six studies met the study criteria, comprising a total of 2586 patients. Compared with no exercise, combined aerobic and resistance exercise resulted in significant improvement in peak VO2 weighted mean difference (5.1 mL kg−1 min−1; 95% CI: 3.4, 6.8 mL kg−1 min−1), depression symptoms (−7.32; 95% CI −9.31, −5.33) and both physical function (10.67 points; 95% CI 1.08, 20.25 points) and vitality (10.01 points; 95% CI 4.30, 15.72 points) domains of health-related quality of life. Resistance exercise alone was significantly associated with improvement in the 6-minute walk test distance (30.2 m; 95% CI 24.6, 35.9 m), knee extensor strength (0.6 N; 95% CI 0.1, 1.0 N) and Physical Component Score of health-related quality of life (9.53 points; 95% CI −3.09, 22.15 points) when compared with control group. Aerobic exercise alone was not significantly associated with aerobic capacity and quality of life improvement.

Conclusion:

The results provide support to interventions that combine intradialytic aerobic and resistance exercises to improve physical functioning and quality of life in end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis.
Global Dietary Surveillance: Data Gaps and Challenges
Authors: Micha Renata , Coates Jennifer , Leclercq Catherine , Charrondiere U. Ruth , Mozaffarian Dariush
Published: February 2018

Background:

Detailed information on global individual-level consumption patterns is imperative for informed policy making. However, such data are dispersed and incomplete.

Objective:

To review and discuss the methodologies, observed data availability, challenges, and opportunities pertaining to global dietary surveillance.

Methods:

This investigation provides an extensive review of global dietary assessment methodologies and challenges, including at the survey level, the dietary collection and assessment level, and the dietary data processing and analysis level. The focus is on nationally representative individual-level data, and additional types of dietary data, such as dietary biomarkers, household assessment, and food availability, are reviewed as alternatives. Practical guidance is provided to inform key decisions when designing dietary surveys and collecting, analyzing, and using dietary data. This article further identifies and describes existing global and regional dietary initiatives/data sets.

Results:

Harmonized and standardized primary individual-level dietary data collection, processing, and analysis worldwide are currently not available. Evaluation and decision-making should be based on best available data, that is, secondary nonharmonized yet to the extent possible, standardized individual-level dietary data. Existing initiatives differ substantially in methodologies, including survey design/representativeness, coverage, diet assessment, and dietary metric standardization and processing. Data gaps have been identified that were more profound for certain countries, certain dietary indicators across countries, population subgroups, representativeness, or time periods.

Conclusions:

Optimizing worldwide dietary habits to improve population health requires systematically identified and evaluated data on a continuing basis. Leveraging existing available dietary data and efforts is an indispensable prerequisite for informed priority setting targeting the intersections between diet and disease.
Experimental and numerical study on connecting pipe and vessel size effects on methane–air explosions in interconnected vessels
Authors: Zhen Yaya , Wang Zhirong , Wang Jinghong , Wang Cheng , Cui Yangyang
Published: February 2018

The size effects on a methane–air mixture explosion in the interconnected vessels were investigated in this article. The vessels were interconnected by pipes of various lengths or diameters. Varied pipe lengths were analyzed by experiment. The results indicate that the maximum explosion pressure and the maximum rate of pressure rise in the primary and secondary vessels increase with pipe length. To investigate the effects of pipe diameter and volume ratio on methane–air mixtures’ explosion in the interconnected vessels, a computational fluid dynamics model was implemented. The model was validated by comparison with experimental results. A fair agreement was observed between the simulation results and experimental data. The simulation results indicate that an increase in the pipe diameter will reduce the danger of explosion. The maximum explosion pressure in both vessels increases when the volume ratio increases. When the primary vessel is larger than the secondary vessel, the maximum rate of pressure rise in the primary vessel decreases with volume ratio. However, the maximum rate of pressure rise in the secondary vessel increases. The maximum rate of pressure rise changes inconspicuously while the secondary vessel is larger than the primary one. Hence, the cubic-root law is not applicable to an explosion in the interconnected vessels. These conclusions can support the safe design of chemical equipment.
An Experimental Study of Voluntary Nonprofit Accountability and Effects on Public Trust, Reputation, Perceived Quality, and Donation Behavior
Authors: Becker Annika
Published: February 2018

Voluntary accountability carried out by nonprofit organizations seeks to ensure organizational adherence to financial and ethical standards beyond legal regulations, thereby sending signals of quality and trustworthiness. Yet, insights into whether and how different forms of voluntary nonprofit accountability influence the public’s attitude are limited, and recent calls emphasize the need for further empirical investigation. Building on the combination of three different research streams, this article presents a conceptual framework that distinguishes between four forms of (voluntary) nonprofit accountability within the theoretical context of the principal-agent theory. In an online experiment with 407 participants, the author demonstrates that externally certified voluntary accountability demonstrates higher reputation and perceived quality among nonprofit organizations, but not relating to donation behavior (relative to the other accountability conditions). Internal voluntary accountability has no effect, whereas no accountability is associated with less public trust, reputation, perceived quality, and donation behavior (compared with legal minimum accountability).
A detailed investigation of a variable nozzle turbine with novel forepart rotation guide vane
Authors: Yang Dengfeng , Yang Ce , Lao Dazhong , Zeng Tao
Published: February 2018

One of the disadvantages of a variable nozzle turbine in practical application is the stage performance degradation due to nozzle endwall leakage flow at small nozzle openings. Aiming at restricting the nozzle leakage flow rate to improve turbine stage performance, a novel forepart rotation guide vane has been proposed and numerically studied in present work. First, the numerical results of baseline turbine were validated by experimental data to ensure the accuracy of numerical methods. Then steady and unsteady simulations were performed on both baseline and forepart rotation guide vane turbines to demonstrate the effectiveness of the novel vane and to study the characteristics of nozzle leakage flow, respectively. Results indicate that there is up to 13.5% peak efficiency improvement that has been achieved at 10% nozzle opening with the forepart rotation guide vane design; besides, rotor–stator interaction for forepart rotation guide vane is also mitigated due to the reduced nozzle leakage flow rate, thus the intensity of loading fluctuation on rotor blades is weakened significantly, which is beneficial to improve rotor blade forced response.
Inclusive Growth: Economics as if People Mattered
Authors: Mitra Aruni , Das Debasmita
Published: February 2018

This article attempts to fill a gap in the existing literature by providing a holistic working definition of inclusive growth. We measure inclusive growth through a newly proposed index, named as the Inclusive Growth Index (IGI), based on 24 developmental indicator variables (categorized into expansion, sustainability, equity in access, and efficiency of economic activities and institutions) as its components. We have employed two kinds of weighting schemes in constructing the index: an ad hoc weighting scheme and a weighting scheme based on principal component analysis (PCA), performed differently on variables under each dimensions. This index helps one to rank countries or regions according to their respective inclusive growth achievements and to potentially track the time trend of a particular country. In our study, we have calculated IGI for 16 Asian countries and compared the IGI scores across the nations.
Organizational Culture in Management Accounting Information System: Survey on State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) Indonesia
Authors: Napitupulu Ilham Hidayah
Published: February 2018

Management accounting information system (MAIS) is an integral part of an organizational structure. MAIS refers to the normative, but when MAIS is implemented, it has unintended or unforeseen consequences, this is because, in the context of social organization and socially too, it is not been well understood by users. To avoid the user’s misunderstanding which gives the effect on the quality of MAIS, organizational culture can connect these problems. This study was conducted at the state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Indonesia. Data analysis of study used structural equation model (SEM) with the approach of partial least square (PLS). The study results found that organizational culture affects the quality of MAIS. The results also found that the dimensions and indicators that are used to build the study model showed strong value, which means that the dimensions and indicators reflect the organizational culture and the quality of MAIS in SOEs in Indonesia.
Improving patient care after a suicide attempt
Authors: Shand Fiona , Vogl Laura , Robinson Jo
Published: February 2018

Objectives:

Improving the care that patients receive after a suicide attempt will reduce the risk of a subsequent suicide attempt. We described how care for these patients can be improved and identified the available guidelines.

Methods:

We reviewed the literature on crisis and aftercare, psychosocial assessment, risk assessment, brief contact interventions, and brief interventions.

Results:

People who have made a suicide attempt are at increased risk of suicide, and the period immediately after discharge from hospital is particularly risky. Patients require an empathic response at their first point of contact, comprehensive psychosocial assessment, effective discharge planning, rapid and assertive follow-up, and coordinated care in the subsequent months.

Conclusions:

Empathic and effective care that begins in the emergency department and extends through to community care is imperative. Enough is known about the risks of inadequate care and the key ingredients of effective care to proceed with changes to Australia’s healthcare response to a suicide attempt.
Can We Talk About It Now? Recognizing the Optimal Time to Initiate End-of-Life Care Discussions with Older Chinese Americans and Their Families
Authors: Chi Han-Lin , Cataldo Janine , Ho Evelyn Y. , Rehm Roberta S.
Published: February 2018

Introduction: Older Chinese Americans often defer end-of-life care discussions. Researchers sought to explore how to engage older Chinese Americans and their families in end-of-life care discussions and to understand the optimal timing to initiate such discussions. Methods: Individual, semistructured interviews were conducted with 14 community-dwelling older Chinese Americans, 9 adult children, and 7 clinicians. The data were collected and analyzed using focused ethnographic methodology. Results: Older Chinese Americans and their families would discuss end-of-life care when introduced at “optimal times,” which included after-triggering events (e.g., death of loved ones, fall accidents), changes in health status, or advanced age. Discussion: Adult children are not expected to initiate end-of-life care discussions with their parents. Thus, culturally congruent health care that could better engage Chinese Americans in such discussions would be optimized by having clinicians proactively assess their patients’ readiness and initiate such discussion at optimal times.
Gifted Education in the Australian Context
Authors: Walsh Rosalind L. , Jolly Jennifer L.
Published: February 2018

The context in which gifted education operates in Australia provides for differing levels of identification and services. Lacking a federal mandate or funding, states and territories are responsible for addressing the needs of gifted students. Australia contributes to the gifted education research literature, focusing on acceleration, gifted girls, and teacher attitudes. The impacts of a relatively new national curriculum and assessment program have yet to be assessed in terms of their impact on gifted children. This article includes an overview of the policies, models, and barriers facing gifted education in Australia.
Seven Ways of Looking at a Data Set
Authors: Sword Helen , Blumenstein Marion , Kwan Alistair , Shen Louisa , Trofimova Evija
Published: February 2018

A literary theorist, a biologist, an historian, a writing studies scholar, and a poet walk into a wine bar. The poet says, “I’ve got a stack of 1,223 handwritten questionnaire responses here in my bag; would you like to have a look?” The others reply, “Sure. Let’s see what we can learn here.” Descending from their respective disciplinary perches, they all gather around a table and start sifting through the questionnaires, which chronicle the writing background, habits, and emotions of PhD students and faculty in 15 countries. In this single corpus of data, each researcher sees something different, and from the other researchers’ responses, each learns new ways of seeing. What counts as an appropriate data analysis? What, for that matter, counts as data? We invite you to grab a drink and join our conversation.
“I Must Be Silent Because of Residency”: Barriers to Escaping Domestic Violence in the Context of Insecure Immigration Status in England and Sweden
Authors: Voolma Halliki
Published: February 2018

This article draws on qualitative research examining domestic violence against women with insecure immigration status in England and Sweden. Empirical data were collected through in-depth semistructured interviews with 31 survivors from 14 non–European Union (EU) countries, and 57 professional stakeholders including 19 support service providers. This article reveals a multilayered process of actualizing women’s right to live free from violence, with survivors required to be formally eligible for services according to their immigration status, having to prove their eligibility, overcome informal barriers including the fear of deportation, and gain access to accurate information about their rights and services.
On inelasticity of damaged quasi rate independent anisotropic materials
Authors: Mićunović Milan , Kudrjavceva Ljudmila
Published: February 2018

This paper deals with a body that has a random 3D-distribution of two phase inclusions: spheroidal mutually parallel voids, and differently oriented reinforcing parallel stiff spheroidal short fibers. By the effective field approach the effective stiffness fourth order tensor is formulated and found numerically. Simultaneous and sequential embeddings of inclusions are compared. Damage evolution is described by a modified Vakulenko approach to the endochronic thermodynamics. A brief account of the problem of effective elastic symmetry is considered. The results of the theory are applied to the damage-elasto-viscoplastic strain of a reactor stainless steel AISI 316H.
Hepatic lipidosis: Clinical review drawn from collective effort
Authors: Webb Craig B
Published: February 2018

Practical relevance:

Hepatic lipidosis (HL) is the most common form of liver dysfunction in cats. If recognized early and treated appropriately, the prognosis is good; if not, the prognosis is grave.

Clinical challenges:

Distinguishing HL as idiopathic or secondary is critical since the presence of a concurrent disease affects the therapeutic plan and the prognosis.

Audience:

Despite the unique and severe nature of a cat’s response to anorexia and the complexity of the metabolic changes underlying this condition, the clinical acumen and technical ability to effectively diagnose and treat HL are readily available to all small animal practitioners.

Patient group:

Although many species develop a ‘fatty liver’, the cat is one of relatively few species that suffer from HL. The classic presentation is that of an overweight cat that stops eating for days to weeks, losing weight in the process.

Equipment:

Abdominal ultrasound is frequently employed in the diagnostic work-up of an anorectic cat; ultrasonographic findings often support a presumptive diagnosis, provide samples for cytology and, perhaps most importantly, help identify concurrent conditions that must be addressed for therapeutic success. All of the equipment necessary for essential nutritional intervention in an anorectic cat is readily available and easily affordable.

Evidence base:

The material for this review draws heavily on a relatively large number of original studies, excellent reviews by recognized experts, and informative communication with experienced clinicians, hence the term ‘collective effort’.
The V-to-Y Advancement Flap for Distal Nasal Reconstruction: Our Experience With 39 Patients
Authors: Thorpe Ryan B. , Nijhawan Rajiv I. , Srivastava Divya
Published: February 2018

Background and Objective:

The V-to-Y advancement flap, also known as the island pedicle flap, is a single-stage repair option that can be used for defects on the distal nose. We report our experience using this flap for nasal defects following Mohs micrographic surgery, as well as describe optimal patient selection and flap design.

Materials and Methods:

A retrospective review was conducted of all patient charts and operative photographs of nasal V-to-Y advancement flaps performed over 6 years at the Universtiy of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Charts were reviewed for age, sex, tumour type and location, defect size, anticoagulation, immunosuppression, postoperative complications, revisions, and outcomes.

Results:

Thirty-nine patients with defects ranging from 0.7 to 1.7 cm in size (median of 1 cm) were included. Most defects involved the inferior, paramedian nose, and after accounting for 7 postrepair interventions on 6 (15%) patients, 38 (97%) patients were noted to have good to excellent cosmetic outcomes while 1 patient experienced a persistent trapdoor effect.

Conclusion:

The V-to-Y advancement flap is an excellent single-stage option that can reliably provide good to excellent cosmetic results when used to repair small- to medium-size sized defects on the distal half of the nose.
Nation branding in the post-broadcast era: The case of RT
Authors: Miazhevich Galina
Published: February 2018

The article examines Russia’s international multinational broadcaster RT (formerly Russia Today), which was launched in 2005 with the direct support of the Russian government. RT promotes a distinct ‘counter-hegemonic’ brand of broadcasting. This article goes beyond RT’s branding to explore the broadcaster’s nation branding of Russia. It considers the range of strategies used by RT, placing these within RT’s change of mission – from ‘informing others about events and life in Russia’ to comprising those ‘who question more’. By analysing RT’s coverage of the Republic of Crimea in 2016, and using a framing approach, the article explores RT’s branding of Russia and the online audience’s engagement with this within the contemporary transnational, convergent media environment. This article forms part of the Theorizing Media in Nation Branding special issue.
Physical exercise in the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients affects their drinking habits: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Jensen Kurt , Nielsen Charlotte , Ekstrøm Claus Thorn , Roessler Kirsten K.
Published: February 2018

Aim: The aim of this study is to compare the effect of exercise training on physical capacity and alcohol consumption in alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients. Methods: One hundred and five AUD patients were randomly assigned to treatment as usual combined with running and brisk walking for 30–45 min twice a week, either in small supervised groups (GR) or individually (IND), or to a control group with no running (C). Assessments were made after 6 and 12 months of training. Results: Training volume was estimated as 36 min per training bout at an intensity of 78% of HRmax with no differences between GR and IND ( p>.05). A highly significant reduction in training frequency was seen in both training groups after the first month ( p<.0001). Only IND increased VO2max, by 5.7% ( p<.05), while no differences were seen between GR, IND and C. Alcohol intake decreased from 219 to 41 units per 30 days as the average for the entire sample with no significant difference of drinking outcomes between groups ( p<.0001). Conclusions: We saw an effect on drinking habits after running in both groups. However, no additional effect was seen when compared with the control group. A drop in the training frequency during the intervention might have resulted in an insignificant training stimulus.
Value-based prediction of election results using natural language processing: A case of the New Zealand General Election
Authors: Parackal Mathew , Mather Damien , Holdsworth David
Published: February 2018

In this article, we report the results of a study that tested a values-based method of predicting political election results. The study was carried out on the 2014 New Zealand General Election, randomly selecting a stratified sample from a consumer panel. The survey of 858 participants used open-ended questions to invoke and capture values relevant to the election. By using corpus linguistic analysis techniques, terms were ranked by weighting based on a log-frequency entropy method. Lexicons for Lasswell and Kaplan’s societal value framework reduced the corpus of term-weighted documents to a workable number of eight user-defined societal value-topics. The topics were regressed onto the individual voting decision using a multinomial logit (MNL) regression. The mean absolute deviation (MAD) from the actual vote was 1.8%, much less than the margin of error of 3.5% expected from sampling error alone. The methodology was successful in predicting the outcome for the minor parties with good accuracy, for example, the prediction for the then newly formed Internet-Mana was out by about 0.5%. The framing-balanced, value-based predictions exhibited reasonable stability, considering they were made six weeks before Election Day. Thus the values relevant to the voters and a good prediction of the voting behavior became evident ahead of the official campaign period, which started four weeks before Election Day in New Zealand. Our study concluded that the value-based prediction shows promise for improving the quality of political journalism and public engagement in the period of election campaigns, and will assist greatly in focusing public debate more on values that are influential on citizens’ voting decisions.
MicroRNA-30a Mediates Cell Migration and Invasion by Targeting Metadherin in Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Jin Huifang , Shi Xiaoqing , Zhao Yanteng , Peng Mengle , Kong Yongkui , Qin Dongchun , Lv Xianping
Published: February 2018

MicroRNAs play critical roles in the occurrence and progression in various cancers including colorectal cancer. Here, we found that microRNA-30a expression was significantly downregulated in colorectal cancer tissues compared to adjacent noncancerous tissues, and the suppression levels of microRNA-30a were significantly associated with tumor differentiation and lymph node metastasis. We also discovered that the expression level of microRNA-30a was inversely proportional to the invasive potential of several colorectal cancer cell lines. Moreover, overexpression of microRNA-30a in colorectal cancer cells inhibited activity of cell migration and invasion. Luciferase reporter assay confirmed metadherin could be a direct target of microRNA-30a, as the overexpression of microRNA-30a decreased metadherin expression at both the protein and messenger RNA levels. Furthermore, the knockdown of metadherin expression in SW620 significantly decreased cell metastasis and invasion. The upregulation of metadherin at the protein level negatively correlated with the expression of microRNA-30a in colorectal cancer tissues, and this upregulation could partially attenuate the effect induced by microRNA-30a. These findings indicate that microRNA-30a may act as a tumor suppressor in colorectal cancer and that microRNA-30a represses cell migration and invasion by decreasing metadherin, highlighting the therapeutic potential of microRNA-30a and metadherin in colorectal cancer treatment.
Real-time fast moving object tracking in severely degraded videos captured by unmanned aerial vehicle
Authors: Liu Sheng , Feng Yuan
Published: February 2018

Object tracking for unmanned aerial vehicle applications in outdoor scenes is a very complex problem. In videos captured by unmanned aerial vehicle, due to frequent variation in illumination, motion blur, image noise, deformation, lack of image texture, occlusion, fast motion, and other degradations, most tracking methods will lead to failure. The article focuses on the object tracking in severely degraded videos. To deal with those various degradations, a real-time object tracking method for high dynamic background is developed. By integrating histogram of oriented gradient, RGB histogram and motion histogram into a novel statistical model, our method can robustly track the target in unmanned aerial vehicle captured videos. Compared to those existing methods, our proposed approach costs less resource in the tracking, significantly increases the tracking speed, and runs faster than state-of-the-art methods. Also, our approach achieved satisfactory tracking results on the challenging visual tracking benchmark, object tracking benchmark 2013, the supplementary experiments demonstrates that our method is more effective and accurate than other methods.
No place like home
Authors: Graefer Anne
Published: February 2018

In the current recession, German television has developed a particular proclivity for ‘emigration shows’. In this article, I explore the most prominent of these, Goodbye Deutschland – Die Auswanderer ( Goodbye Germany – The Emigrants, since 2006). Through a figurative analysis, I investigate how Goodbye Germany produces its female protagonists as failed national subjects worthy of social derision and contempt. By highlighting how the programme equates the departure from Germany with a departure from coherent feminine respectability, I show how we can understand this programme as a cultural expression of ‘commercial nationalism’ that produces Germany as a ‘safe haven’ within an economically unstable Europe.
Validation of claims‐based algorithms for pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Papani Ravikanth , Sharma Gulshan , Agarwal Amitesh , Callahan Sean J. , Chan Winston J. , Kuo Yong‐Fang , Shim Yun M. , Mihalek Andrew D. , Duarte Alexander G.
Published: February 2018

Administrative claims studies do not adequately distinguish pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) from other forms of pulmonary hypertension (PH). Our aim is to develop and validate a set of algorithms using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD‐9‐CM) codes and electronic medical records (EMR), to identify patients with PAH. From January 2012 to August 2015, the EMRs of patients with ICD‐9‐CM codes for PH with an outpatient visit at the University of Texas Medical Branch were reviewed. Patients were divided into PAH or non‐PAH groups according to EMR encounter diagnosis. Patient demographics, echocardiography, right heart catheterization (RHC) results, and PAH‐specific therapies were assessed. RHC measurements were reviewed to categorize cases as hemodynamically determined PAH or not PAH. Weighted sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated for the developed algorithms. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine how well the algorithms performed. External validation was performed at the University of Virginia Health System. The cohort for the development algorithms consisted of 683 patients with PH, PAH group (n = 191) and non‐PAH group (n = 492). A hemodynamic diagnosis of PAH determined by RHC was recorded in the PAH (26%) and non‐PAH (3%) groups. The positive predictive value for the algorithm that included ICD‐9‐CM and PAH‐specific medications was 66.9% and sensitivity was 28.2% with a c‐statistic of 0.66. The positive predictive value for the EMR‐based algorithm that included ICD‐9‐CM, EMR encounter diagnosis, echocardiography, RHC, and PAH‐specific medication was 69.4% and a c‐statistic of 0.87. A validation cohort of 177 patients with PH examined from August 2015 to August 2016 using EMR‐based algorithms yielded a similar positive predictive value of 62.5%. In conclusion, claims‐based algorithms that included ICD‐9‐CM codes, EMR encounter diagnosis, echocardiography, RHC, and PAH‐specific medications better‐identified patients with PAH than ICD‐9‐CM codes alone.
Right ventricular function mirrors clinical improvement with use of prostacyclin analogues in pediatric pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Hopper Rachel K. , Wang Yan , DeMatteo Valerie , Santo Ashley , Kawut Steven M. , Elci Okan U. , Hanna Brian D. , Mercer‐Rosa Laura
Published: February 2018

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) causes significant morbidity and mortality in children due to right ventricular (RV) failure. We sought to determine the effect of prostacyclin analogues on RV function assessed by echocardiography in children with PH. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of children with PH treated with a prostacyclin analogue (epoprostenol or treprostinil) between January 2001 and August 2015 at our center. Data were collected before initiation of treatment (baseline) and at 1–3 and 6–12 months after. Protocolized echocardiogram measurements including tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and RV global longitudinal strain were made with blinding to clinical information. Forty‐nine individuals (65% female), aged 0–29 years at the time of prostacyclin initiation were included. Disease types included pulmonary arterial hypertension (idiopathic [35%], heritable [2%], and congenital heart disease‐associated [18%]), developmental lung disease (43%), and chronic thromboembolic PH (2%). Participants received intravenous (IV) epoprostenol (14%) and IV/subcutaneous (SQ) (67%) or inhaled (18%) treprostinil. Over the study period, prostacyclin analogues were associated with improvement in TAPSE (P = 0.007), RV strain (P < 0.001), and qualitative RV function (P = 0.037) by echocardiogram, and BNP (P < 0.001), functional class (P = 0.047) and 6‐min walk distance (P = 0.001). TAPSE and strain improved at early follow up (P = 0.05 and P = 0.002, respectively) despite minimal RV pressure change. In children with PH, prostacyclin analogues are associated with an early and sustained improvement in RV function measured as TAPSE and strain as well as clinical markers of PH severity. RV strain may be a sensitive marker of RV function in this population.
A case of ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm and reversible flow‐induced pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Al‐Sabeq Basil , De Sabe , Davey Ryan
Published: February 2018

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) and significant systemic‐to‐pulmonary shunting is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Its pathophysiology is incompletely understood, but involves a flow‐induced pulmonary arteriopathy characterized by endothelial cell dysfunction and vascular remodeling that alters pulmonary arterial vasoreactivity. There is a paucity of literature linking PH with left‐to‐right shunting due to ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysms (SOVA). We present a unique case of reversible, flow‐associated PH due to a ruptured congenital right SOVA fistulizing into the right atrium (RA), with emphasis on non‐invasive and invasive assessment of pulmonary hemodynamics before and after surgical intervention.