bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimisation of Proton‐Conducting sPEEK Membranes through a Thermal Treatment Method Monitored by Dielectric Spectroscopy
Authors: Córdova‐Chávez Miguel E. , Hernández Marianella , Picken Stephen J. , Kelder Erik M.
Published: March 2018

The Sulfonated Poly (Ether Ether Ketone) (sPEEK) is used in many of the developments of polymer electrolyte membranes for fuel cells. In this publication, it is proven that the water in the sPEEK membrane creates channels in the sulfonated clusters by interacting with the sulfonic groups, and changing the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the material. It is shown that, for conductivity, apart from water in the membrane, order is needed in the water channels because it has an impact on how fast the protons pass through the membrane. This research focuses on how various thermal treatment, performed under a pre‐stated conditioning; allow the free alignment of the inner phases, influencing their order. It is demonstrated how is possible to use of differential calorimetry, dielectric measurements and X‐ray to follow these changes, and how to used Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy to forecast the most optimal and stable thermal treatment for the highest proton conduction in sPEEK. The methodology is also test successfully on a hybrid sPEEK/Boron Phosphate membrane.
Catalytic Silane‐Reduction of Carboxylic Esters and Lactones: Selective Synthetic Methods to Aldehydes, Lactols, and Ethers via Silyl Acetal Intermediates
Authors: Hosokawa Satomi , Toya Motoki , Noda Ariki , Morita Masato , Ogawa Takaki , Motoyama Yukihiro
Published: March 2018

Practical procedures for the production of aldehydes, lactols, and ethers are offered by the palladium‐catalyzed silane‐reduction of carboxylic esters and lactones. The partial reduction of carboxylic esters or lactones with 1,1,3,3‐tetramethyldisiloxane in the presence of commercially available palladium on carbon (Pd/C) and some copper compounds as a co‐catalyst smoothly proceeds under mild conditions to afford the silyl acetal derivatives in high yields, which are easily converted to the corresponding aldehydes or lactols by hydrolysis of silyloxy group. On the other hand, deoxygenated ethers are obtained with high selectivity by treatment of silyl acetals with catalytic amounts of Me3SiOTf at –78 °C or stoichiometric amounts of BF3•OEt2 at ambient temperature.
Novel 17α‐Etinylestradiol‐Substituted BODIPY Dyes: Synthesis, Photophysical Properties and Fluorescence Imaging Studies in Breast Cancer Cell Lines
Authors: Kazan Hasan H. , Özcan Emrah , Eçik Esra T. , Çoşut Bünyemin
Published: March 2018

Novel 17α‐Etinylestradiol‐substituted 4,4‐difluoro‐4‐borata‐3a,4a‐diaza‐s‐indacene (BODIPY) dyes were prepared as fluorescent imaging probes. The identities of newly synthesized dyes were fully characterized by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry, and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The photophysical properties (molar extinction coefficient, fluorescence lifetime and fluorescence quantum yield) of the compounds were investigated by means of absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies in dilute ethanol solutions. We were also interested in the live cell imaging studies of the 17α‐etinylestradiol‐linked BODIPYs, by particularly concerning their ability to monitoring breast cancer cell lines. These studies showed that one of the novel 17α‐etinylestradiol‐substituted BODIPY dyes was able to distinguish breast cancer subtypes. This is the first study sub‐categorizing breast cancer via fluorescent‐tagged estrogen analog, which is critical in terms of improving the molecular diagnostics and eliminating the drawbacks of available methods. These studies are very selective up to date for a BODIPY‐based fluorescent label and define a pivotal biological importance of BODIPY as a building block in live cell imaging studies.
Shaping the Atomic‐Scale Geometries of Electrodes to Control Optical and Electrical Performance of Molecular Devices
Authors: Zhao Zhikai , Liu Ran , Mayer Dirk , Coppola Maristella , Sun Lu , Kim Youngsang , Wang Chuankui , Ni Lifa , Chen Xing , Wang Maoning , Li Zongliang , Lee Takhee , Xiang Dong
Published: March 2018

A straightforward method to generate both atomic‐scale sharp and atomic‐scale planar electrodes is reported. The atomic‐scale sharp electrodes are generated by precisely stretching a suspended nanowire, while the atomic‐scale planar electrodes are obtained via mechanically controllable interelectrodes compression followed by a thermal‐driven atom migration process. Notably, the gap size between the electrodes can be precisely controlled at subangstrom accuracy with this method. These two types of electrodes are subsequently employed to investigate the properties of single molecular junctions. It is found, for the first time, that the conductance of the amine‐linked molecular junctions can be enhanced ≈50% as the atomic‐scale sharp electrodes are used. However, the atomic‐scale planar electrodes show great advantages to enhance the sensitivity of Raman scattering upon the variation of nanogap size. The underlying mechanisms for these two interesting observations are clarified with the help of density functional theory calculation and finite‐element method simulation. These findings not only provide a strategy to control the electron transport through the molecule junction, but also pave a way to modulate the optical response as well as to improve the stability of single molecular devices via the rational design of electrodes geometries.
Surface Coal Mining and Human Health: Evidence from West Virginia
Authors: Fitzpatrick Luke G.
Published: March 2018

This article presents the first panel‐data evidence of a human health externality from the air pollution generated by surface coal mining. In West Virginia, a standard deviation increase in a county's exposure to surface coal mining is associated with 9.85 more asthma hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in a given quarter. Interpreted causally, this suggests over $11 million in hospitalization costs over the 6‐year study period. The study builds on earlier cross‐sectional research by controlling for unobserved county‐level heterogeneity, and by defining more accurate measures of exposure. Both methods are shown to reduce the bias associated with earlier estimates of coal mining's effect on health. Young and elderly women demonstrate the largest sensitivities to surface mining. Falsification tests reveal that neither hernias nor bone fractures demonstrate any relationship with surface mining activity.
Breaking Bad in Bourbon Country: Does Alcohol Prohibition Encourage Methamphetamine Production?
Authors: Fernandez Jose , Gohmann Stephan , Pinkston Joshua C.
Published: March 2018

This article examines the influence of local alcohol prohibition on the prevalence of methamphetamine labs. Using multiple sources of data for counties in Kentucky, we compare various measures of meth manufacturing in wet, moist, and dry counties. Our preferred estimates address the endogeneity of local alcohol policies by exploiting differences in counties' religious compositions between the 1930s, when most local‐option votes took place, and recent years. Even controlling for current religious affiliations, religious composition following the end of national Prohibition strongly predicts current alcohol restrictions. We carefully examine the validity of our identifying assumptions, and consider identification under alternative assumptions. Our results suggest that the number of meth lab seizures in Kentucky would decrease by 35% if all counties became wet.
A Review on Recent Advances in the Application of Nanocatalysts in A3 Coupling Reactions
Authors: Nasrollahzadeh Mahmoud , Sajjadi Mohaddeseh , Ghorbannezhad Fatemeh , Sajadi S. Mohammad
Published: March 2018

A3 coupling is one of the few transition‐metal catalyzed carbon‐carbon bond forming reactions that have been established as a most direct, efficient and atom‐economical synthetic approach to afford propargylamine derivatives using various catalysts. A large number of nanosized heterogeneous catalysts for three‐component coupling reactions between an aldehyde, an amine, and a terminal alkyne have been popularly introduced as an A3 coupling in the last decade. The coupling product has found a broad application as a key intermediate for a variety of heterocyclic useful compounds and numerous biologically active molecules such as β‐lactams, conformationally restricted peptides, isosteres, herbicides, fungicides, indolizines, pyrroles, quinolines and therapeutic drug molecules. This review aims to give an overview of the current progress made towards the preparation and application of various nanocatalysts‐catalyzed A3 coupling transformations for the synthesis of propargylamines from 2007 to 2017. Several nanocatalysts based on metal and metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) such as copper, gold, silver, iron, nickel, cobalt and zinc have successfully been employed in A3 coupling reactions. Besides, core‐shells NPs, polymers, complexes, graphenes, metal‐organic frameworks and ionic liquids have also been used in these reactions. Abundant examples have been given in this area. Different aspects of the reactions, disparate methods of preparation of nanocatalysts, characterization and their reusability have been perused.
Sol‐Gel Chemistry for Carbon Dots
Authors: Malfatti Luca , Innocenzi Plinio
Published: March 2018

Carbon dots are an emerging class of carbon‐based nanostructures produced by low‐cost raw materials which exhibit a widely‐tunable photoluminescence and a high quantum yield. The potential of these nanomaterials as a substitute of semiconductor quantum dots in optoelectronics and biomedicine is very high, however they need a customized chemistry to be integrated in host‐guest systems or functionalized in core‐shell structures. This review is focused on recent advances of the sol‐gel chemistry applied to the C‐dots technology. The surface modification, the fine tailoring of the chemical composition and the embedding into a complex nanostructured material are the main targets of combining sol‐gel processing with C‐dots chemistry. In addition, the synergistic effect of the sol‐gel precursor combined with the C‐dots contribute to modify the intrinsic chemo‐physical properties of the dots, empowering the emission efficiency or enabling the tuning of the photoluminescence over a wide range of the visible spectrum.
Sonographic examination of uterine niche in non‐pregnant women: a modified Delphi procedure
Authors: Jordans I. P. M. , de Leeuw R. A. , Stegwee S. I. , Amso N. N. , Barri‐Soldevila P. N. , van den Bosch T. , Bourne T. , Brölmann H. A. M. , Donnez O. , Dueholm M. , Hehenkamp W. J. K. , Jastrow N. , Jurkovic D. , Mashiach R. , Naji O. , Streuli I. , Timmerman D. , van der Voet L. F. , Huirne J. A. F.
Published: March 2018

Objective

To generate guidance for detailed uterine niche evaluation by ultrasonography in the non‐pregnant woman, using a modified Delphi procedure amongst European experts.

Methods

Twenty gynecological experts were approached through their membership of the European Niche Taskforce. All experts were physicians with extensive experience in niche evaluation in clinical practice and/or authors of niche publications. By means of a modified Delphi procedure, relevant items for niche measurement were determined based on the results of a literature search and recommendations of a focus group of six Dutch experts. It was predetermined that at least three Delphi rounds would be performed (two online questionnaires completed by the expert panel and one group meeting). For it to be declared that consensus had been reached, a consensus rate for each item of at least 70% was predefined.

Results

Fifteen experts participated in the Delphi procedure. Consensus was reached for all 42 items on niche evaluation, including definitions, relevance, method of measurement and tips for visualization of the niche. A niche was defined as an indentation at the site of a Cesarean section with a depth of at least 2 mm. Basic measurements, including niche length and depth, residual and adjacent myometrial thickness in the sagittal plane, and niche width in the transverse plane, were considered to be essential. If present, branches should be reported and additional measurements should be made. The use of gel or saline contrast sonography was preferred over standard transvaginal sonography but was not considered mandatory if intrauterine fluid was present. Variation in pressure generated by the transvaginal probe can facilitate imaging, and Doppler imaging can be used to differentiate between a niche and other uterine abnormalities, but neither was considered mandatory.

Conclusion

Consensus between niche experts was achieved regarding ultrasonographic niche evaluation. © 2018 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Mechanical and thermal properties of gamma irradiated ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber/vermiculite clay/maleic anhydride composites
Authors: El‐Nemr Khaled F. , Khaffaga Mervat M. , Saleh Saleh N. , Wahab Abdel , El‐Naggar M.
Published: March 2018

Vermiculite clay (VMT) was first treated with 2 M of hydrochloric acid. The VMT, before and after acid‐treatment, was characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy. The untreated (VMT) and acid‐treated vermiculite clay DVMT) at different contents (2.5–10 phr) and maleic anhydride (MA) at different contents (3–10 phr) were mixed with ethylene polyethylene diene rubber (EPDM) via direct melt compounding in an internal mixer. The mechanical and thermal properties of gamma irradiated composites were studied. The results indicated that the physical properties of gamma irradiated EPDM/DVMT/MA nanocomposites were greatly improved after loading with either DVMT or MA. The improvement was achieved when the content of DVMT clay was 5 phr, MA 7 phr and irradiation dose at 75 kGy. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 25:E3–E11, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers
Bacteriophage lambda: The path from biology to theranostic agent
Authors: Catalano Carlos E.
Published: March 2018

Viral particles provide an attractive platform for the engineering of semisynthetic therapeutic nanoparticles. They can be modified both genetically and chemically in a defined manner to alter their surface characteristics, for targeting specific cell types, to improve their pharmacokinetic features and to attenuate (or enhance) their antigenicity. These advantages derive from a detailed understanding of virus biology, gleaned from decades of fundamental genetic, biochemical, and structural studies that have provided mechanistic insight into virus assembly pathways. In particular, bacteriophages offer significant advantages as nanoparticle platforms and several have been adapted toward the design and engineering of “designer” nanoparticles for therapeutic and diagnostic (theranostic) applications. The present review focuses on one such virus, bacteriophage lambda; I discuss the biology of lambda, the tools developed to faithfully recapitulate the lambda assembly reactions in vitro and the observations that have led to cooptation of the lambda system for nanoparticle design. This discussion illustrates how a fundamental understanding of virus assembly has allowed the rational design and construction of semisynthetic nanoparticles as potential theranostic agents and illustrates the concept of benchtop to bedside translational research.

This article is categorized under:

Biology‐Inspired Nanomaterials> Protein and Virus‐Based Structures

Biology‐Inspired Nanomaterials> Nucleic Acid‐Based Structures
The Tetrachloridoaurates(III) of Zinc(II) and Cadmium(II)
Authors: Landvogt Christian , Beck Johannes
Published: March 2018

The first salt‐like compounds of dications with [AuCl4]– anions are reported. The compounds Zn[AuCl4]2·(AuCl3)1.115 (1) and Cd[AuCl4]2 (2) are obtained from reactions of MCl2 (M = Zn, Cd) and elemental gold in liquid chlorine at ambient temperature under autogenous pressure and subsequent annealing at 230 °C. The structure of 1 represents an incommensurately modulated composite [superspace group C2/c(α0γ)0s] built of two subsystems. The first subsystem contains chains of zinc(II) tetrachloridoaurate(III), which feature a slightly distorted octahedral coordination of Zn and can be described by the Niggli formula 1∞{Zn[AuCl4]1/1[AuCl4]2/2}. The second subsystem consists of Au2Cl6 molecules, which are located in channels built up by the first subsystem. The structural parameters of the hosted Au2Cl6 molecules show only small deviations from neat AuCl3. The crystal structure of Cd[AuCl4]2 (2) consists of chains built of Cd2+ ions coordinated by bridging [AuCl4]– anions and alternating Cd‐Au sequence. Cd has a distorted octahedral coordination environment.
Gauge choices and entanglement entropy of two dimensional lattice gauge fields
Authors: Yang Zhi , Hung Ling-Yan
Published: March 2018

Abstract

In this paper, we explore the question of how different gauge choices in a gauge theory affect the tensor product structure of the Hilbert space in configuration space. In particular, we study the Coulomb gauge and observe that the naive gauge potential degrees of freedom cease to be local operators as soon as we impose the Dirac brackets. We construct new local set of operators and compute the entanglement entropy according to this algebra in 2 + 1 dimensions. We find that our proposal would lead to an entanglement entropy that behave very similar to a single scalar degree of freedom if we do not include further centers, but approaches that of a gauge field if we include non-trivial centers. We explore also the situation where the gauge field is Higgsed, and construct a local operator algebra that again requires some deformation. This should give us some insight into interpreting the entanglement entropy in generic gauge theories and perhaps also in gravitational theories.
Towards generalized mirror symmetry for twisted connected sum G2 manifolds
Authors: Braun Andreas P. , Del Zotto Michele
Published: March 2018

Abstract

We revisit our construction of mirror symmetries for compactifications of Type II superstrings on twisted connected sumG2manifolds. For a givenG2manifold, we discuss evidence for the existence of mirror symmetries of two kinds: one is an autoequivalence for a given Type II superstring on a mirror pair ofG2manifolds, the other is a duality between Type II strings with different chiralities for another pair of mirror manifolds. We clarify the role of the B-field in the construction, and check that the corresponding massless spectra are respected by the generalized mirror maps. We discuss hints towards a homological version based on BPS spectroscopy. We provide several novel examples of smooth, as well as singular, mirrorG2backgrounds via pairs of dual projecting tops. We test our conjectures against a Joyce orbifold example, where we reproduce, using our geometrical methods, the known mirror maps that arise from the SCFT worldsheet perspective. Along the way, we discuss non-Abelian gauge symmetries, and argue for the generation of the Affleck-Harvey-Witten superpotential in the pure SYM case.
The Selective Non‐operative Management of Penetrating Cervical Venous Trauma is Safe and Effective
Authors: Madsen Andre S. , Bruce John L. , Oosthuizen George V. , Bekker Wanda , Laing Grant L. , Clarke Damian L.
Published: March 2018

Background

This paper reviews our experience with penetrating cervical venous trauma and aims to validate the selective non‐operative management (SNOM) of these injuries.

Methods

This was a retrospective review of a prospectively maintained registry. All patients presenting alive with an injury to the internal jugular vein, subclavian vein or innominate vein following a PNI were reviewed for a 6‐year period.

Results

Among 817 patients admitted for the management of PNI, 76 (9.3%) had a venous injury. Of these, 37 (48.7%) patients were managed non‐surgically, 20 (26.3%) required immediate surgical exploration, seven of whom had an associated arterial injury, and 19 (25%) underwent surgery following a diagnostic CTA, 16 of whom had an associated arterial or aero‐digestive injury. In total, only 16 (21.1%) of the 76 patients required exploration for venous injury alone. The majority (63.2%) of patients had a history of severe bleeding or hemodynamic instability prior to arrival, but only 20 (26.3%) required immediate exploration. Two (2.6%) patients died as a result of venous injury. No patients developed complications related to the venous injury.

Conclusions

SNOM is applicable to a well‐defined subset of patients with isolated penetrating cervical venous trauma to the IJV and SCV identified on CTA.
Evaluation of Alteplase 1 mg for the Restoration of Occluded Central Venous Access Devices in a Tertiary Care Hospital
Authors: Jafari Nellie , Seidl Edward , Dancsecs Karly
Published: March 2018

Background: Alteplase is a recombinant tissue plasminogen activator that is approved for the treatment of occluded central venous access devices (CVADs) and is commercially available as a 2 mg/2 mL dose. Due to the increasing price of 2 mg/2 mL alteplase vials, our institution switched to using a 1 mg/1 mL dose for certain CVADs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use, effectiveness, and cost of a maximum of 2 doses of 1 mg/1 mL alteplase for the restoration of an occluded catheter.

Methods: A report was generated to identify patients who were administered 1 mg alteplase during the period May 2016 through July 2016. A chart review was performed on each patient identified to collect the data needed, such as documentation of a dysfunctional lumen and documentation of patency after alteplase 1 mg was given. To determine the cost of waste, expired 1-mg syringes returned to the pharmacy were collected.

Results: In total, there were 524 1-mg alteplase doses administered during the 3-month time frame. The effectiveness after the first and second dose was 88% and 80%, respectively. Thirty-four doses were wasted, resulting in a cost of around $2,200. It is estimated that the 1-mg syringes provided the institution with $136,000 in annualized savings.

Conclusions: It is beneficial to use 1 mg alteplase for occluded CVADs. The cost of waste is nominal compared with the cost savings for the institution. The next step is to analyze other doses of alteplase to find additional areas of cost savings.
Evaluation and significance of Eustachian tube angles and pretympanic diameter in HRCT temporal bone of patients with chronic otitis media
Authors: Nemade Sanjana Vijay , Shinde Kiran Jaywant , Rangankar Varsha P. , Bhole Priya
Published: March 2018

Objective

To evaluate the significance of Eustachian tube (ET) angles and ET pretympanic diameter on high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) Temporal bone in patients with chronic otitis media (COM).

Methods

A retrospective study was carried out at Tertiary care centre. Group A included 92 ears with COM (38 patients with bilateral COM and 16 with unilateral COM); and Group B included 108 normal ears (54 patients with bilateral normal ears). Reid plane‐ET angle, Tubotympanic angle and the ET pretympanic diameter was evaluated by HRCT temporal bone, and compared in the two groups. Patients with chronic otitis media (Group A) were subdivided into Group A1 (Blocked ET) and Group A2 (Patent ET). The parameters were evaluated and compared in the subgroups too.

Results

The mean Reid plane‐ET angle and Tubotympanic angle in Group A was 25.41 ± 2.57 and 148.12 ± 3.43 respectively; whereas in Group B it was 27.56 ± 3.62 and 145.14 ± 4.34 respectively. Reid plane‐ET angle was significantly less in patients with COM and Tubotympanic angle was significantly more obtuse in COM patients. ET pretympanic diameter was (5.37 ± 2.10) mm in Group A and (6.47 ± 2.40) mm in Group B. It was significantly less in patients with COM. A significant correlation was found between the ET patency and the two ET parameters (Reid plane‐ET angle and pretympanic diameter).

Conclusions

Eustachian tube angles in adults may play a significant role in the etiology of chronic otitis media. Decrease in Reid plane‐ET angle and pretympanic diameter on HRCT temporal bone can be used to predict ET dysfunction and to plan the surgical management of chronic otitis media.
The Potential Impact of Border Security Upon Prevalence of Infectious Disease
Authors: Dallas Christiana R. , Harris Curtis H. , Dallas Cham E.
Published: March 2018

In the U.S., migration has been documented to affect the prevalence of infectious disease. As a mitigation entity, border security has been recorded by numerous scholarly works as being essential to the support of the health of the U.S. population. Consequently, the lack of current health care monitoring of the permeable U.S. border places the U.S. population at risk in the broad sectors of infectious disease and interpersonal violence. Visualizing border security in the context of public health mitigation has significant potential to protect migrant health as well as that of all populations on both sides of the border. Examples of how commonly this philosophy is held can be found in the expansive use of security-focused terms regarding public health. Using tools such as GIS to screen for disease in people before their entrance into a nation would be more efficient and ethical than treating patients once they have entered a population and increased the impact on the healthcare system. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:554–562)
Proudly for Brooke: Race-Conscious Campaigning in 1960s Massachusetts
Authors: Johnson Richard
Published: March 2018

Scholars have credited the victory of Edward Brooke, America's first popularly elected black U.S. senator, to a “deracialized” or “color-blind” election strategy in which both the candidate and the electorate ignored racial matters. This article revises this prevailing historical explanation of Brooke's election. Drawing from the historical-ideational paradigm of Desmond King and Rogers Smith, this paper argues that Brooke was much more of a “race-conscious” candidate than is generally remembered. Primary documents from the 1966 campaign reveal that Brooke spoke openly against racial inequality, argued in favor of racially targeted policies, and called for stronger racial equality legislation. In addition, this paper argues that Brooke's appeals were not targeted primarily to the state's small black population but to liberal whites. Far from ignoring race, internal campaign documents and interviews with campaign staff reveal that Brooke's campaign strategists sought to appeal to white desires to “do the right thing” by electing an African American candidate. Internal polling documents from the Brooke campaign and newspaper commentaries further demonstrate that a proportion of the white electorate cited Brooke's race as the reasonforsupporting his candidacy. This paper suggests that Brooke's election was extremely well timed—coming soon after the passage of the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act but before the urban riots of the “long hot summer of 1967”, the King assassination riots, and anti-busing riots in Boston. The first half of Brooke's 1966 campaign slogan “Proudly for Brooke: A Creative Republican” signals the race-conscious dynamics of his candidacy.
Pen and Bomb: Creative Agency in Paul Auster'sLeviathan
Authors: ZHANG MEIPING
Published: March 2018

The Transcendentalist legacy in Auster'sLeviathanfaces many questions posed by postmodern cultural politics. Previous studies of the novel have highlighted the irresolvable tension between writerly solitude and political engagement, which largely accounts for Benjamin Sachs's undoing. Departing from this interpretation, the present essay provides an alternative reading that links Auster's Thoreauvian representation with Cavell's idea of Emersonian Perfectionism. It seeks to cast further light on the idea of America, examine its relation to self-transformation, and reevaluate Sachs's life and work within a philosophical framework.
Is self-guided internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) harmful? An individual participant data meta-analysis
Authors: Karyotaki Eirini , Kemmeren Lise , Riper Heleen , Twisk Jos , Hoogendoorn Adriaan , Kleiboer Annet , Mira Adriana , Mackinnon Andrew , Meyer Björn , Botella Cristina , Littlewood Elizabeth , Andersson Gerhard , Christensen Helen , Klein Jan P. , Schröder Johanna , Bretón-López Juana , Scheider Justine , Griffiths Kathy , Farrer Louise , Huibers Marcus J. H. , Phillips Rachel , Gilbody Simon , Moritz Steffen , Berger Thomas , Pop Victor , Spek Viola , Cuijpers Pim
Published: March 2018

Background

Little is known about potential harmful effects as a consequence of self-guided internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy (iCBT), such as symptom deterioration rates. Thus, safety concerns remain and hamper the implementation of self-guided iCBT into clinical practice. We aimed to conduct an individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of clinically significant deterioration (symptom worsening) in adults with depressive symptoms who received self-guided iCBT compared with control conditions. Several socio-demographic, clinical and study-level variables were tested as potential moderators of deterioration.

Methods

Randomised controlled trials that reported results of self-guided iCBT compared with control conditions in adults with symptoms of depression were selected. Mixed effects models with participants nested within studies were used to examine possible clinically significant deterioration rates.

Results

Thirteen out of 16 eligible trials were included in the present IPD meta-analysis. Of the 3805 participants analysed, 7.2% showed clinically significant deterioration (5.8% and 9.1% of participants in the intervention and control groups, respectively). Participants in self-guided iCBT were less likely to deteriorate (OR 0.62, p < 0.001) compared with control conditions. None of the examined participant- and study-level moderators were significantly associated with deterioration rates.

Conclusions

Self-guided iCBT has a lower rate of negative outcomes on symptoms than control conditions and could be a first step treatment approach for adult depression as well as an alternative to watchful waiting in general practice.
Ethnography of language planning and policy
Authors: Hornberger Nancy H. , Tapia Aldo Anzures , Hanks David H. , Dueñas Frances Kvietok , Lee Siwon
Published: March 2018

A decade ago, Hornberger & Johnson proposed that the ethnography of language planning and policy (ELPP) offers a useful way to understand how people create, interpret, and at times resist language policy and planning (LPP). They envisioned ethnographic investigation of layered LPP ideological and implementational spaces, taking up Hornberger's plea five years earlier for language users, educators, and researchers to fill up and wedge open ideological and implementational spaces for multiple languages, literacies, identities, and practices to flourish and grow rather than dwindle and disappear. With roots going back to the 1980s and 1990s, ethnographic research in LPP had been gathering momentum since the turn of the millennium. This review encompasses selected ethnographic LPP research since 2000, exploring affordances and constraints of this research in yielding comparative and cumulative findings on how people interpret and engage with LPP initiatives. We highlight how common-sense wisdom about the perennial gap between policy and practice is given nuance through ethnographic research that identifies and explores intertwining dynamics of top-down and bottom-up LPP activities and processes, monoglossic and heteroglossic language ideologies and practices, potential equality and actual inequality of languages, and critical and transformative LPP research paradigms.
Selected research in applied linguistics and English language teaching in Turkey: 2010–2016
Authors: Aydınlı Julie , Ortaçtepe Deniz
Published: March 2018

In this state-of-the-art review, we aim to build on Alptekin & Tatar's (2011) article covering research conducted in Turkey between 2005 and 2009, and survey published research in 31 Turkey-based journals between 2010 and 2016. As the second review paper on Turkey's English language teaching (ELT) agenda, our goal is twofold: first, to introduce the research of those researchers whose high-quality, Turkey-based work may not be known outside Turkish academia; and second, to point to recent scholarly developments that have occurred in Turkey and set these in the context of recent shifts in language teaching research worldwide. This paper presents approximately 140 articles that appeared in locally published peer-reviewed academic journals, and clearly demonstrates that Turkey as an English as a foreign language (EFL) context presents a vibrant research scene in language teaching. The reviewed works cover a wide spectrum of timely topics (e.g., computer-assisted language learning (CALL), the European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages (EPOSTL), language assessment, affective factors), and present findings that have much to contribute to current discussions in the field. Nevertheless, our review also reveals some concerning trends, including an almost exclusive emphasis on practical concerns over conceptual development; shortcomings in locating research within broader disciplinary debates; and few efforts to bring together and build on local research in a manner that might allow for original and creative influences on the broader discipline. It is therefore the further aim of this article to spark debates on these issues among Turkish scholars and contribute to the strengthening of the local disciplinary community.
Seed mass and elevation explain variation in seed longevity of Australian alpine species
Authors: Satyanti Annisa , Nicotra Adrienne B. , Merkling Thomas , Guja Lydia K.
Published: March 2018

Conserving alpine ecosystems and the plant communities they contain using ex situ conservation requires an understanding of seed longevity. Knowledge of seed longevity may determine the effectiveness of ex situ seed banking for alpine plant conservation, and may provide insight into plant recruitment in situ. We sought to determine the influence of elevation and climatic variables, as well as plant and seed traits, on the seed longevity of 57 species inhabiting a unique biome, (sub-)alpine regions of mainland Australia. Seed longevity was estimated using controlled accelerated ageing tests to determine the time taken for seed viability to fall by 50%. We found that, across the study species, like alpine seeds elsewhere in the world, Australian alpine seeds are relatively short-lived and overall shorter-lived than Australian plants in general. Seed mass and elevation explained most of the variation in seed longevity among the Australian alpine species considered. Species with larger seed mass, and collections made at higher elevations, were found to have relatively short-lived seeds. Phylogeny, however, explained very little of the variation in longevity. Our results suggest that viability testing for Australian alpine seeds in ex situ seed banks should be conducted with shorter intervals than for the non-alpine flora. This study highlights how seed longevity in the Australian Alps is not dictated primarily by evolutionary lineage but rather by a complex combination of environmental variables and intrinsic seed characteristics. Potential implications for conservation ex situ and in situ in the context of climate change are discussed.
Availability, quality and price of produce in low-income neighbourhood food stores in California raise equity issues
Authors: Gosliner Wendi , Brown Daniel M , Sun Betty C , Woodward-Lopez Gail , Crawford Patricia B
Published: March 2018

Objective

To assess produce availability, quality and price in a large sample of food stores in low-income neighbourhoods in California.

Design

Cross-sectional statewide survey.

Setting

Between 2011 and 2015, local health departments assessed store type, WIC (Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children)/SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) participation, produce availability, quality and price of selected items in stores in low-income neighbourhoods. Secondary data provided reference chain supermarket produce prices matched by county and month.tTests and ANOVA examined differences by store type; regression models examined factors associated with price.

Subjects

Large grocery stores (n231), small markets (n621) and convenience stores (n622) in 225 neighbourhoods.

Results

Produce in most large groceries was rated high quality (97 % of fruits, 98 % of vegetables), but not in convenience stores (25 % fruits, 14 % vegetables). Small markets and convenience stores participating in WIC and/or SNAP had better produce availability, variety and quality than non-participating stores. Produce prices across store types were, on average, higher than reference prices from matched chain supermarkets (27 % higher in large groceries, 37 % higher in small markets, 102 % higher in convenience stores). Price was significantly inversely associated with produce variety, adjusting for quality, store type, and SNAP and WIC participation.

Conclusions

The study finds that fresh produce is more expensive in low-income neighbourhoods and that convenience stores offer more expensive, poorer-quality produce than other stores. Variety is associated with price and most limited in convenience stores, suggesting more work is needed to determine how convenience stores can provide low-income consumers with access to affordable, high-quality produce. WIC and SNAP can contribute to the solution.
Identifying the (dis)placement of ‘new’ Member State social interests in the posting of workers: the case of Latvia
Authors: Rasnača Zane
Published: March 2018

Social and economic interests of ‘new’ and ‘old’ Member States along centre and periphery axis – Judicial and legislative developments concerning the posting of workers – Continuous deepening of the divide between centre and periphery – Lack of placement of new Member States’ social interests at the EU level – The need to place social interests firmly in the EU (internal market) structure – Developing meaningful common social standards to mitigate the centre/periphery divide
New governance and the displacement of Social Europe: the case of the European Semester
Authors: Dawson Mark
Published: March 2018

Has the European Semester led to a displacement of Social Europe, or to the development of social policy through fiscal processes and actors? – Potential for Semester to increase soft law’s binding effects or ‘socialise’ EU policy-making – Positive effects severely limited by the Semester’s overall goals: fiscal stabilisation and the creation of increasingly uniform economic policies – Dilemma for Social Europe: how can an autonomous EU social policy be (re) established without risking marginalisation?
The size and structure of the European Commission: legal issues surrounding project teams and a (future) reduced College
Authors: Böttner Robert
Published: March 2018

European Commission – Size of the Commission – Presidentialisation – President’s power of organisation – Principle of collegiality – Responsibility of the College at large – Reorganisation of the Commission – Balance between efficiency and member state representation – Legality of project teams – Rotation of voting rights in EU law – System of rotation for the European Commission
Purely Internal Situations and the Limits of EU Law: A Consolidated Case Law or a Notion to be Abandoned?
Authors: Iglesias Sánchez Sara
Published: March 2018

Purely internal situations – Fundamental freedoms – Attribution of powers –Ullens de Schooten– Reverse discrimination – Non-discriminatory obstacles – EU citizenship – Preliminary rulings – Jurisdiction of the Court of Justice – Conditions of admissibility of preliminary references
Orthodontic tooth separation activates the hypothalamic area in the human brain
Authors: Ariji Yoshiko , Kondo Hisataka , Miyazawa Ken , Tabuchi Masako , Koyama Syuji , Kise Yoshitaka , Togari Akifumi , Gotoh Shigemi , Ariji Eiichiro
Published: March 2018

Objectives

An animal experiment clarified that insertion of an orthodontic apparatus activated the trigeminal neurons of the medulla oblongata. Orthodontic tooth movement is known to be associated with the sympathetic nervous system and controlled by the nucleus of the hypothalamus. However, the transmission of both has not been demonstrated in humans. The purpose of this study were to examine the activated cerebral areas using brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), when orthodontic tooth separators were inserted, and to confirm the possibility of the transmission route from the medulla oblongata to the hypothalamus.

Methods

Two types of alternative orthodontic tooth separators (brass contact gauge and floss) were inserted into the right upper premolars of 10 healthy volunteers. Brain functional T2*-weighted images and anatomical T1-weighted images were taken.

Results

The blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signals following insertion of a brass contact gauge and floss significantly increased in the somatosensory association cortex and hypothalamic area.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest the possibility of a transmission route from the medulla oblongata to the hypothalamus.
Concerns on a new therapy for severe heart failure using cell sheets with skeletal muscle or myocardial cells from iPS cells in Japan
Authors: Yui Yoshiki
Published: March 2018

In Japan, a new therapy for severe heart failure using skeletal myocardial sheet is ongoing and a treatment using iPS cells is just about to start. However, I think there are problems and concerns. In this comment, I will express concerns on these treatments. This will be useful and interesting to stem cell researchers and clinical cardiologists.
LepVax, a defined subunit vaccine that provides effective pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis of M. leprae infection
Authors: Duthie Malcolm S. , Pena Maria T. , Ebenezer Gigi J. , Gillis Thomas P. , Sharma Rahul , Cunningham Kelly , Polydefkis Michael , Maeda Yumi , Makino Masahiko , Truman Richard W. , Reed Steven G.
Published: March 2018

Sustained elimination of leprosy as a global health concern likely requires a vaccine. The current standard, BCG, confers only partial protection and precipitates paucibacillary (PB) disease in some instances. When injected into mice with the T helper 1 (Th1)-biasing adjuvant formulation Glucopyranosyl Lipid Adjuvant in stable emulsion (GLA-SE), a cocktail of three prioritized antigens (ML2055, ML2380 and ML2028) reduced M. leprae infection levels. Recognition and protective efficacy of a single chimeric fusion protein incorporating these antigens, LEP-F1, was confirmed in similar experiments. The impact of post-exposure immunization was then assessed in nine-banded armadillos that demonstrate a functional recapitulation of leprosy. Armadillos were infected with M. leprae 1 month before the initiation of post-exposure prophylaxis. While BCG precipitated motor nerve conduction abnormalities more rapidly and severely than observed for control infected armadillos, motor nerve injury in armadillos treated three times, at monthly intervals with LepVax was appreciably delayed. Biopsy of cutaneous nerves indicated that epidermal nerve fiber density was not significantly altered in M. leprae-infected animals although Remak Schwann cells of the cutaneous nerves in the distal leg were denser in the infected armadillos. Importantly, LepVax immunization did not exacerbate cutaneous nerve involvement due to M. leprae infection, indicating its safe use. There was no intraneural inflammation but a reduction of intra axonal edema suggested that LepVax treatment might restore some early sensory axonal function. These data indicate that post-exposure prophylaxis with LepVax not only appears safe but, unlike BCG, alleviates and delays the neurologic disruptions caused by M. leprae infection.
Neuroprotective effect of dexmedetomidine in a murine model of traumatic brain injury
Authors: Wu Jin , Vogel Todd , Gao Xiang , Lin Bin , Kulwin Charles , Chen Jinhui
Published: March 2018

No FDA approved pharmacological therapy is available that would reduce cell death following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Dexmedetomidine (Dex) is a highly selective agonist of alpha-2 adrenergic receptors and has demonstrated neuroprotective effects in hippocampal slice cultures undergoing direct impact. However, no one has tested whether Dex, in addition to its sedative action, has neuroprotective effects in an animal model of TBI. Thus, in the present study, we investigated the effects of Dex on an animal model of TBI. Mice received different doses of Dex (1, 10, or 100 µg/kg bodyweight, n = 10 each group) or saline as control at 1 hour and 12 hours following TBI. The mice treated with Dex lost less cortical tissue than the control mice. Further analysis found that Dex treatment reduced cell death in the cortex and the hippocampus measured by Fluoro-Jade B (FJB) staining, prevented axonal degeneration detected by immunostaining with antibody against β-amyloid precursor protein (β-APP), and protected synapses from elimination with synaptophysin staining. Taken together, in an in vivo murine model of TBI, Dex at the dose of 100 µg/kg not only prevented tissue lesion and cell death, but also reduced axonal injury and synaptic degeneration caused by TBI.
Structure and Distribution of an Unrecognized Interstitium in Human Tissues
Authors: Benias Petros C. , Wells Rebecca G. , Sackey-Aboagye Bridget , Klavan Heather , Reidy Jason , Buonocore Darren , Miranda Markus , Kornacki Susan , Wayne Michael , Carr-Locke David L. , Theise Neil D.
Published: March 2018

Confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) provides real-time histologic imaging of human tissues at a depth of 60–70 μm during endoscopy. pCLE of the extrahepatic bile duct after fluorescein injection demonstrated a reticular pattern within fluorescein-filled sinuses that had no known anatomical correlate. Freezing biopsy tissue before fixation preserved the anatomy of this structure, demonstrating that it is part of the submucosa and a previously unappreciated fluid-filled interstitial space, draining to lymph nodes and supported by a complex network of thick collagen bundles. These bundles are intermittently lined on one side by fibroblast-like cells that stain with endothelial markers and vimentin, although there is a highly unusual and extensive unlined interface between the matrix proteins of the bundles and the surrounding fluid. We observed similar structures in numerous tissues that are subject to intermittent or rhythmic compression, including the submucosae of the entire gastrointestinal tract and urinary bladder, the dermis, the peri-bronchial and peri-arterial soft tissues, and fascia. These anatomic structures may be important in cancer metastasis, edema, fibrosis, and mechanical functioning of many or all tissues and organs. In sum, we describe the anatomy and histology of a previously unrecognized, though widespread, macroscopic, fluid-filled space within and between tissues, a novel expansion and specification of the concept of the human interstitium.