bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Pediatrician as Prophet
Authors: McTavish James
Published: November 2019

In the gospels, Jesus got angry with his disciples because they were hindering the children from coming to him. When the disciples tried to turn them away, Jesus said “Let the children come to me” (Matt 19:14). Our Lord spoke out on behalf of the little ones at a time when they were generally despised and ignored by society. The gospels also record specific instances of Jesus healing very sick children (see Mk 5: 22-44, 35-42). In continuing the healing ministry of Jesus today, pediatricians continue to work for the welfare of many neglected children and continue to be the voice of the voiceless. Collectively as a profession, pediatric doctors have a voice that people will listen to, and they can have an important say in some problematic issues regarding children in our world of today.

Our Lord healed sick children, and pediatricians carry on his same mission today. From their very baptism, Catholic pediatricians are asked to share in the prophetic mission of the Church. Pope Francis stated that all the baptized are “agents of evangelization.” There are various areas where pediatricians can advocate on behalf of suffering children. The individual and collective voices of pediatricians can be a powerful force for change in society.
An alternative approach for collaborative simulation execution on a CPU+GPU hybrid system
Authors: Tang Wenjie , Cai Wentong , Yao Yiping , Song Xiao , Zhu Feng
Published: November 2019

In the past few years, the graphics processing unit (GPU) has been widely used to accelerate time-consuming models in simulations. Since both model computation and simulation management are main factors that affect the performance of large-scale simulations, only accelerating model computation will limit the potential speedup. Moreover, models that can be well accelerated by a GPU could be insufficient, especially for simulations with many lightweight models. Traditionally, the parallel discrete event simulation (PDES) method is used to solve this class of simulation, but most PDES simulators only utilize the central processing unit (CPU) even though the GPU is commonly available now. Hence, we propose an alternative approach for collaborative simulation execution on a CPU+GPU hybrid system. The GPU supports both simulation management and model computation as CPUs. A concurrency-oriented scheduling algorithm was proposed to enable cooperation between the CPU and the GPU, so that multiple computation and communication resources can be efficiently utilized. In addition, GPU functions have also been carefully designed to adapt the algorithm. The combination of those efforts allows the proposed approach to achieve significant speedup compared to the traditional PDES on a CPU.
Benefits of a Low-Stakes Write-to-Learn Assignment on Exam Performance
Authors: Stevenson Colleen M.
Published: November 2019

This study examined whether a low-stakes write-to-learn (WTL) assignment improved exam performance. Students in one section of a child development course completed five assignments during a semester, whereby they identified 15 key concepts and related them to six themes (e.g., nature and nurture). Students in another section did not. Students who completed the WTL assignments performed significantly better in Exams 2 and 3 than students in the control condition. Within-group analyses indicated that only the students in the WTL condition improved exam performance and maintained that higher level of performance. Results suggest that WTL assignments that require students to review and apply course content produce modest benefits to learning and retention without unduly taxing instructors’ time.
The mitochondrial calcium uniporter is crucial for the generation of fast cortical network rhythms
Authors: Bas-Orth Carlos , Schneider Justus , Lewen Andrea , McQueen Jamie , Hasenpusch-Theil Kerstin , Theil Thomas , Hardingham Giles E , Bading Hilmar , Kann Oliver
Published: November 2019

The role of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) gene ( Mcu) in cellular energy homeostasis and generation of electrical brain rhythms is widely unknown. We investigated this issue in mice and rats using Mcu-knockout and -knockdown strategies in vivo and in situ and determined the effects of these genetic manipulations on hippocampal gamma oscillations (30–70 Hz) and sharp wave-ripples. These physiological network states require precise neurotransmission between pyramidal cells and inhibitory interneurons, support spike-timing and synaptic plasticity and are associated with perception, attention and memory. Absence of the MCU resulted in (i) gamma oscillations with decreased power (by >40%) and lower synchrony, including less precise neural action potential generation (‘spiking'), (ii) sharp waves with decreased incidence (by about 22%) and decreased fast ripple frequency (by about 3%) and (iii) lack of activity-dependent pyruvate dehydrogenase dephosphorylation. However, compensatory adaptation in gene expression related to mitochondrial function and glucose metabolism was not detected. These data suggest that the neuronal MCU is crucial for the generation of network rhythms, most likely by influences on oxidative phosphorylation and perhaps by controlling cytoplasmic Ca2+ homeostasis. This work contributes to an increased understanding of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake in cortical information processing underlying cognition and behaviour.
Predicting 15O-Water PET cerebral blood flow maps from multi-contrast MRI using a deep convolutional neural network with evaluation of training cohort bias
Authors: Guo Jia , Gong Enhao , Fan Audrey P , Goubran Maged , Khalighi Mohammad M , Zaharchuk Greg
Published: November 2019

To improve the quality of MRI-based cerebral blood flow (CBF) measurements, a deep convolutional neural network (dCNN) was trained to combine single- and multi-delay arterial spin labeling (ASL) and structural images to predict gold-standard 15O-water PET CBF images obtained on a simultaneous PET/MRI scanner. The dCNN was trained and tested on 64 scans in 16 healthy controls (HC) and 16 cerebrovascular disease patients (PT) with 4-fold cross-validation. Fidelity to the PET CBF images and the effects of bias due to training on different cohorts were examined. The dCNN significantly improved CBF image quality compared with ASL alone (mean ± standard deviation): structural similarity index (0.854 ± 0.036 vs. 0.743 ± 0.045 [single-delay] and 0.732 ± 0.041 [multi-delay], P <  0.0001); normalized root mean squared error (0.209 ± 0.039 vs. 0.326 ± 0.050 [single-delay] and 0.344 ± 0.055 [multi-delay], P <  0.0001). The dCNN also yielded mean CBF with reduced estimation error in both HC and PT ( P <  0.001), and demonstrated better correlation with PET. The dCNN trained with the mixed HC and PT cohort performed the best. The results also suggested that models should be trained on cases representative of the target population.
RNA sequencing reveals novel macrophage transcriptome favoring neurovascular plasticity after ischemic stroke
Authors: Wang Rongrong , Liu Yaan , Ye Qing , Hassan Sulaiman H , Zhao Jingyan , Li Sicheng , Hu Xiaoming , Leak Rehana K , Rocha Marcelo , Wechsler Lawrence R , Chen Jun , Shi Yejie
Published: November 2019

Blood monocytes/macrophages infiltrate the brain after ischemic stroke and critically influence brain injury and regeneration. We investigated stroke-induced transcriptomic changes of monocytes/macrophages by RNA sequencing profiling, using a mouse model of permanent focal cerebral ischemia. Compared to non-ischemic conditions, brain ischemia induced only moderate genomic changes in blood monocytes, but triggered robust genomic reprogramming in monocytes/macrophages invading the brain. Surprisingly, functional enrichment analysis of the transcriptome of brain macrophages revealed significant overrepresentation of biological processes linked to neurovascular remodeling, such as angiogenesis and axonal regeneration, as early as five days after stroke, suggesting a previously underappreciated role for macrophages in initiating post-stroke brain repair. Upstream Regulator analysis predicted peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) as a master regulator driving the transcriptional reprogramming in post-stroke brain macrophages. Importantly, myeloid cell-specific PPARγ knockout (mKO) mice demonstrated lower post-stroke angiogenesis and neurogenesis than wild-type mice, which correlated significantly with the exacerbation of post-stroke neurological deficits in mKO mice. Collectively, our findings reveal a novel repair-enhancing transcriptome in brain macrophages during post-stroke neurovascular remodeling. As a master switch controlling genomic reprogramming, PPARγ is a rational therapeutic target for promoting and maintaining beneficial macrophage functions, facilitating neurorestoration, and improving long-term functional recovery after ischemic stroke.
Women’s Acceptance of Overdetection in Breast Cancer Screening: Can We Assess Harm-Benefit Tradeoffs?
Authors: Stiggelbout Anne , Copp Tessa , Jacklyn Gemma , Jansen Jesse , Liefers Gerrit-Jan , McCaffery Kirsten , Hersch Jolyn
Published: November 2019

Background. Breast cancer screening has been presented to women as mostly positive for decades, despite voices raising issues related to harms since its introduction. Public communications about breast cancer screening tended to use persuasive techniques aimed at maximizing uptake. Concern about the harm of overdetection is more recent, and awareness of overdetection among the public is limited. We aimed to assess the impact of extensive information on treatment following overdetection in breast screening on women’s acceptance of screening, and to assess correlates of acceptance. Methods. We performed an online survey among women aged 45-75 from the general public in the Netherlands and Australia, asking women their maximum acceptable ratio of overdetection, per breast cancer death avoided, for four treatment scenarios (randomized order): mastectomy; lumpectomy; lumpectomy plus radiotherapy; lumpectomy plus radiotherapy and hormone therapy. The effect of treatment was assessed using General Linear Models, controlling for socio-demographics, experience, and psychological characteristics. Results. Four-hundred Australian and 403 Dutch women responded. Around half of the women would always screen, even at a 6:1 overdetection-to-death-avoided ratio. Acceptance was highest for the lumpectomy scenario, decreasing with more invasive treatment. In multivariate analyses the effect of treatment remained (p<0.001). Higher acceptance was seen for women with children (p=0.04), screening experience (p<0.001), and less understanding of overdetection (p<0.001). A learning effect was seen: acceptance was highest for the first scenario shown. Conclusions. Acceptance of overdetection was high, but decreased after the first scenario and with invasiveness of treatment. This provides a first indication that with more knowledge and understanding, women may move from uncritical acceptance of screening towards a more informed decision that involves a trade-off of the benefits and harms.
How to do things with epigenetics: An investigation into the use of metaphors to promote alternative approaches to health and social science, and their implications for interdisciplinary collaboration
Authors: Nerlich Brigitte , Stelmach Aleksandra , Ennis Catherine
Published: November 2019

Epigenetics is a multifaceted field within genetics and genomics which focuses on discovering mechanisms involved in gene expression and regulation. It came to public attention around the turn of the millennium when the human genome began to be deciphered. Initial findings from epigenetics research held the promise of changing how we think about health and illness, evolution and heredity; speculations about how individuals and populations could begin to control such processes through epigenetics were then picked up in the public realm. In this article we concentrate on two normally distant domains within the public sphere: the advertising of alternative health products and services, and the promotion of alternative approaches to social science, especially around how social science deals with the ‘biosocial’. Using insights from social representations theory and methods aligned with metaphor analysis, we investigate the meanings of epigenetics rooted in the use of metaphors and commonplaces that are circulating in current popular parlance and that are used to promote academic theories and ideas as well as tangible products and services. We compare and contrast them and assess their implications for collaborations between natural and social scientists. Our findings reveal some surprising similarities between the metaphors and commonplaces used by advertisers and social scientists, based in large part on the fact that both groups draw on the work of prominent epigeneticists. In both instances some fundamental tenets of mainstream biology are contested, and hopes are created for improving individual or population well-being through the manipulation of epigenetic mechanisms. Both domains share some misunderstandings of epigenetics that might lead to problems with interdisciplinary collaborations between social and natural scientists.
Symptom Burden in Patients With Home Care Who Are at Risk for Malnutrition: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Berggren Erika , Strang Peter , Orrevall Ylva , Ödlund Olin Ann , Törnkvist Lena
Published: November 2019

In Sweden, patients in early palliative stages of illness are cared for in primary care and often offered home care. Many are older and at risk for malnutrition, but little is known about their symptom burden and nutritional problems. This cross-sectional study divided older patients in home care into those with and without risk for malnutrition and compared symptom burden in the 2 groups. Participants were patients in Stockholm County (n = 121) in early palliative stages of disease cared for at home by primary care professionals from 10 health-care centers. The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) was used to identify risk for malnutrition. Symptoms and/or nutritional status in patients with and without risk were assessed with the Functional Assessment of Anorexia/Cachexia Therapy (FAACT), Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment Short Form (PG-SGA), and Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS). Forty-two percent of the patients were at risk for malnutrition (MNA). Appetite ( P = .012), tiredness ( P = .003), and anxiety ( P = .008) were worse in these patients than in those without risk (ESAS; significance level, P ≤ .015). Patients at risk were also more concerned about how thin they looked ( P = .006), agreed more strongly that their family or friends were pressuring them to eat ( P = .000; FAACT; significance level, P ≤ .029), had a higher symptom burden ( P = .005), had lower physical activity ( P = .000), and more lost weight over time ( P = .032; PG-SGA; significance level, P ≤ .040). This study adds a more detailed picture of the symptom burden in older patients at risk for malnutrition. Such information is needed to identify risk for malnutrition earlier and improve patients’ health.
Revisiting the Use of Cash Rewards in the Workplace: Evidence of Their Differential Impact on Employees’ Experiences in Three Samples Using Self-Determination Theory
Authors: Thibault Landry Anaïs , Forest Jacques , Zigarmi Drea
Published: November 2019

Using self-determination theory, this research sheds light on the role of different subjective, or functional, meanings of cash rewards on employees’ functioning. Based on three samples of workers from across the world in a variety of industries, the current research provides empirical evidence that cash rewards perceived as having an informative meaning positively contribute to their psychological needs, which leads to better functioning, whereas cash rewards perceived as having a controlling meaning negatively contributed to their psychological needs, which is then associated with suboptimal functioning. These findings highlight the theoretical and practical relevance of considering employees’ perceptions to understand the influence of cash reward programs on their commitment, quality of motivation and behaviors in the workplace as well as to better design these programs, including their roll out strategies, if organizations set those in place to drive healthier forms of motivation and commitment.
Construction Workers in a Climate Precarious World
Authors: Newman Freya , Humphrys Elizabeth
Published: November 2019

This paper examines climatic heat stress as a question of workplace health and safety in relation to at-risk and precarious labour. First, we argue that precarity is usefully understood as a phenomenon that is both generalised (all work is precarious given the function of labour under capitalism) and differentiated (experienced differently across geography, labour process and employment status). We frame climate change and labour relations as internally related and argue that climate change needs to be incorporated into the notion of precarity. Second, we explore the experience of construction workers in New South Wales, Australia, and consider the industry as a potential site of organising over both labour conditions and global warming. We conclude that climate change exacerbates precariousness, disrupting all work and intensifying and extending individual risk in various ways. Further, these experiences present a potential site to simultaneously act on both global warming and labour conditions.
Why differentiated integration is such a common practice in Europe: A rational explanation
Authors: Holzinger Katharina , Tosun Jale
Published: November 2019

With Brexit imminent, the debate on the need for differentiated integration (DI) by means of opting-out has gained new momentum. At the same time, non-member states decide to adopt European Union (EU) rules as exemplified by the European Neighbourhood Policy. In light of these opposing observations, we examine the EU’s disposition to supply DI. We outline the strategic interactions of the EU member states or non-members in the context of two forms of DI: opting-out and inducing-in. In the case of opting-out, EU member states can refrain from adopting EU rules; inducing-in refers to providing non-member states with incentives to adopt EU rules. We show that the information asymmetries inherent to the strategic interactions result in a situation in which the EU is likely to supply opportunities to opt-out for member states to a much greater extent than necessary. Furthermore, the EU is likely to offer more compensation to non-member states in exchange for adopting EU rules than it would actually need to.
Preparation and characterization of a new high-performance polymer composite and its application as a lead-free polymer-based projectile
Authors: Derradji Mehdi , Mouloud Abdelrazak , Trache Djalal , Zegaoui Abdeldjalil , Medjahed Aboubakr , Tarchoun Ahmed Fouzi , Bessa Wissam
Published: November 2019

Lead-based bullets are the major type of ammunition used all over the world. The high toxicity of this heavy metal directly affects the personnel manufacturing the projectiles and causes the contamination of the shooting ranges. To provide remedy, this work proposes cost-effective and highly performant polymer-based bullets intended to replace the traditional lead-based ones in a multitude of conventional weapons. The proposed new projectiles were elaborated from a high-performance phthalonitrile resin and several amounts of silane surface-modified chopped carbon fibers and bismuth oxide nanoparticles. The newly developed bullets were manufactured and tested for their precisions at 50 m and their velocities at 2 m from the barrel. The obtained results showed exceptional precisions with high velocities. Furthermore, the mechanical, thermal, and morphological investigations further confirmed the superior performances of these exceptional materials. It can be inferred that the produced bullets are suitable for ammunitions intended to be used for close combat and self-defense situations.
Translucent players: Explaining cooperative behavior in social dilemmas
Authors: Capraro Valerio , Halpern Joseph Y
Published: November 2019

In the past few decades, numerous experiments have shown that humans do not always behave so as to maximize their material payoff. Cooperative behavior when noncooperation is a dominant strategy (with respect to the material payoffs) is particularly puzzling. Here we propose a novel approach to explain cooperation, assuming what Halpern and Pass call translucent players. Typically, players are assumed to be opaque, in the sense that a deviation by one player in a normal-form game does not affect the strategies used by other players. However, a player may believe that if he switches from one strategy to another, the fact that he chooses to switch may be visible to the other players. For example, if he chooses to defect in Prisoner’s Dilemma, the other player may sense his guilt. We show that by assuming translucent players, we can recover many of the regularities observed in human behavior in well-studied games such as Prisoner’s Dilemma, Traveler’s Dilemma, Bertrand Competition, and the Public Goods game. The approach can also be extended to take into account a player’s concerns that his social group (or God) may observe his actions. This extension helps explain prosocial behavior in situations in which previous models of social behavior fail to make correct predictions (e.g. conflict situations and situations where there is a trade-off between equity and efficiency).
Mentor Perspectives on Mentoring New School Leaders
Authors: Swaminathan Raji , Reed Latish
Published: November 2019

The purpose of this study was to understand the perspectives of recently retired principals who were mentors to new school leaders in a high-need urban school district. Mentors reflected on the mentoring needs and challenges faced by new school leaders while also reflecting on their own careers as school principals. This study was informed by the literature on mentoring as well as the reflective practice literature. We used focus groups as the primary method of collecting data. Data analysis followed the process of open coding and independently identifying relevant data followed by constant comparison to narrow down the list of codes. The findings point to the need for mentoring new school leaders and to focus on promoting confidence and a growth mind-set in principals. Additionally, the findings point to reflective mentoring as a possible mentor model to benefit and support mentor self-learning as well as supporting principals.
Educational Leaders’ Perceptions of Legal Preparedness
Authors: DeCino Daniel A. , Curtin Susan , De Jong David , Seedorf Stephen , Dalbey Amanda
Published: November 2019

Educational leaders’ experiences with legal issues remain relatively unknown. Using an electronic survey, this study explored educational leaders’ ( N = 441) experiences with legal issues and with perceived levels of legal preparedness. Results revealed that years of experience and ethics training courses variables were statistically significant with perceived levels of legal preparedness. The legal issues with the highest frequency reported by educational leaders included suspected child abuse, reports of bullying/harassment, and whether a student poses a danger to other students. Implications for educational leaders and educational training programs are provided.
Addressing heteronormativity: Gendered familial appellations as an issue in the same-sex marriage debate in Taiwan
Authors: Chin Ting-Fang
Published: November 2019

On 24 May 2017, a historical landmark for the LGBT movement was achieved in Taiwan. The courts delivered Interpretation no. 748, which declares that the legal regulation in the Civil Code disallowing two individuals of the same sex to marry is unconstitutional and that the law should therefore be amended within two years. While the legal arguments at the constitutional level seem settled, discussions regarding sexuality, family and tradition triggered by the debate about same-sex marriage are continuing. Drawing on feminist and queer scholarship, I advocate turning the spotlight from the ‘subversive’ homosexual to ‘normative’ heterosexuality. In addition, through the theoretical lens of interactionism on sexuality, this study investigates a quotidian but controversial topic emerging in the debate: gendered familial appellations. Using transcripts of public hearings as research data, I discuss how the practice of employing gendered familial appellations based on the idea of the heterosexual family becomes an issue in the debate. Through an analysis of the matter, I argue that the heteronormative social order embedded in everyday interactions within the context of Taiwan society is revealed. This heteronormativity is not only gendered and hierarchically heterosexual but also ethnocentric in nature.
Fusarium spp.—An Emerging Pathogen in Chronic Diabetic Ulcer: Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: João Ana Luísa , Lencastre André , Dutra Eduardo , Pessoa e Costa Tomás , Formiga Ana , Neves José
Published: November 2019

The genus Fusarium is ubiquitous in the environment and has been emerging as an opportunistic human pathogen. We report the case of a 65-year-old man with a history of neuroischemic, otherwise unamenable to revascularization, diabetic foot, who was admitted due to an infected deep foot ulcer. Despite conventional antibiotic and wound care treatment, no improvement was initially observed. A reappraisal of the diagnosis, with microbiological and histological analyses, documented infection of the foot ulcer with Fusarium oxysporum. Clinical improvement was noted under prolonged oral voriconazole therapy. The present case broadens the differential diagnosis of diabetic foot infection. Subcutaneous fusariosis should be considered in recalcitrant infected diabetic ulcers, as early diagnosis and management may help prevent amputation and life-threatening disease.
Three-dimensional analysis of displacement characteristics of dorsally angulated intra-articular distal radial fractures
Authors: Shigi Atsuo , Oka Kunihiro , Kuriyama Kohji , Tanaka Hiroyuki , Yoshikawa Hideki , Murase Tsuyoshi
Published: November 2019

Understanding the complex fragmentation of intra-articular distal radial fractures contributes to achieving anatomical reduction during surgery. This study aimed to clarify three-dimensional displacement patterns of intra-articular fragmentation in dorsally angulated, intra-articular distal radial fractures. We identified five characteristic intra-articular fragments: a key fragment, dorsal ulnar corner, dorsal wall, radial column and anterior radial column. The key fragment was displaced with radial deviation, pronation and extension and with dorsal, proximal and radial translations. The dorsal ulnar corner displacement resulted in a gap, a step-off and a deepened concavity for the lunate facet and sigmoid notch. The dorsal wall displacement resulted in a deepened concavity, a gap and a step-off of the dorsal scaphoid facet. The displacements of the radial column and anterior radial column caused a step-off between the scaphoid and lunate facets. The five characteristic intra-articular fragments each created a characteristic gap and step-off in the articular surface.

Level of evidence: IV
Repository corticotropin injection in patients with advanced symptomatic sarcoidosis: retrospective analysis of medical records
Authors: Chopra Ishveen , Qin Yimin , Kranyak John , Gallagher Jack R. , Heap Kylee , Carroll Susan , Wan George J.
Published: November 2019

Background:

Repository corticotropin injection (RCI) has regulatory approval for many indications, including symptomatic sarcoidosis. This large case series of patients with advanced symptomatic sarcoidosis treated with RCI describes patient characteristics, RCI utilization patterns, concomitant therapies, and physicians’ assessments of treatment response.

Methods:

Patients ⩾18 years with symptomatic sarcoidosis, treated with RCI in the previous 36 months, who had completed a course of RCI or received RCI for ⩾6 months at the time of data collection were included.

Results:

The study included 302 patients (mean age, 51 years; 52%, women) with a mean 4.8 years since initial diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Most patients (76%) had extrapulmonary involvement, primarily in the skin (28%), joints (25%), heart (22%), and eyes (22%); 34% had multiple (⩾2) organ involvement. The mean duration of RCI treatment was 32.5 weeks, with 61.6% of patients continuing RCI therapy for ⩾6 months. The RCI utilization pattern indicated an individualized approach to therapy, with a higher starting dose associated with a shorter duration of therapy compared with a lower starting dose. The percentage of patients who used corticosteroids decreased from 61.3% during the 3 months before initiation of RCI to 12.9% 3 months after RCI therapy; the mean daily dose of corticosteroid decreased from 18.2 mg to 9.9 mg. The proportion of patients given <10 mg/day of prednisone increased from 21% before RCI use to 47% 3 months after RCI use. According to physicians’ assessments of change in patients’ health status after RCI therapy, overall status improved in 95% of patients, overall symptoms in 73%, lung function in 38%, and inflammation in 33%.

Conclusions:

The findings suggest that RCI is a viable treatment option for patients with advanced symptomatic sarcoidosis and provide insights on patient characteristics and practice patterns to help clinicians determine appropriate use. The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.
Collagen immobilization on ultra-thin nanofiber membrane to promote in vitro endothelial monolayer formation
Authors: Park Byeong-ung , Park Sang Min , Lee Kyoung-pil , Lee Seong Jin , Nam Yu Eun , Park Han Sang , Eom Seongsu , Lim Jeong Ok , Kim Dong Sung , Kim Hong Kyun
Published: November 2019

The endothelialization on the poly (ε-caprolactone) nanofiber has been limited due to its low hydrophilicity. The aim of this study was to immobilize collagen on an ultra-thin poly (ε-caprolactone) nanofiber membrane without altering the nanofiber structure and maintaining the endothelial cell homeostasis on it. We immobilized collagen on the poly (ε-caprolactone) nanofiber using hydrolysis by NaOH treatment and 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide/sulfo- N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide reaction as a cost-effective and stable approach. NaOH was first applied to render the poly (ε-caprolactone) nanofiber hydrophilic. Subsequently, collagen was immobilized on the surface of the poly (ε-caprolactone) nanofibers using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide/sulfo- N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy were used to verify stable collagen immobilization on the surface of the poly (ε-caprolactone) nanofibers and the maintenance of the original structure of poly (ε-caprolactone) nanofibers. Furthermore, human endothelial cells were cultured on the collagen-immobilized poly (ε-caprolactone) nanofiber membrane and expressed tight junction proteins with the increase in transendothelial electrical resistance, which demonstrated the maintenance of the endothelial cell homeostasis on the collagen-immobilized-poly (ε-caprolactone) nanofiber membrane. Thus, we expected that this process would be promising for maintaining cell homeostasis on the ultra-thin poly (ε-caprolactone) nanofiber scaffolds.
Biochemical and biomechanical comparisions of decellularized scaffolds derived from porcine subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue
Authors: Lin Maohui , Ge Jinbo , Wang Xuecen , Dong Ziqing , Xing Malcolm , Lu Feng , He Yunfan
Published: November 2019

Decellularized adipose tissue (DAT) is a promising biomaterial for adipose tissue engineering. However, there is a lack of research of DAT prepared from xenogeneic porcine adipose tissue. This study aimed to compare the adipogenic ability of DAT derived from porcine subcutaneous (SDAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VDAT). The retention of key collagen in decellularized matrix was analysed to study the biochemical properties of SDAT and VDAT. For the biomechanical study, both DAT materials were fabricated into three-dimensional (3D) porous scaffolds for rheology and compressive tests. Human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) were cultured on both scaffolds to further investigate the effect of matrix stiffness on cellular morphology and on adipogenic differentiation. ADSCs cultured on soft VDAT exhibited significantly reduced cellular area and upregulated adipogenic markers compared to those cultured on SDAT. In vivo results revealed higher adipose regeneration in the VDAT compared to the SDAT. This study further demonstrated that the relative expression of collagen IV and laminin was significantly higher in VDAT than in SDAT, while the collagen I expression and matrix stiffness of SDAT was significantly higher in comparison to VDAT. This result suggested that porcine adipose tissue could serve as a promising candidate for preparing DAT.
Diabetes as a cardiovascular risk factor: An overview of global trends of macro and micro vascular complications
Authors: Dal Canto Elisa , Ceriello Antonio , Rydén Lars , Ferrini Marc , Hansen Tina B , Schnell Oliver , Standl Eberhard , Beulens Joline WJ
Published: November 2019

The global prevalence of diabetes is predicted to increase dramatically in the coming decades as the population grows and ages, in parallel with the rising burden of overweight and obesity, in both developed and developing countries. Cardiovascular disease represents the principal cause of death and morbidity among people with diabetes, especially in those with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Adults with diabetes have 2–4 times increased cardiovascular risk compared with adults without diabetes, and the risk rises with worsening glycaemic control. Diabetes has been associated with 75% increase in mortality rate in adults, and cardiovascular disease accounts for a large part of the excess mortality. Diabetes-related macrovascular and microvascular complications, including coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, chronic renal disease, diabetic retinopathy and cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy are responsible for the impaired quality of life, disability and premature death associated with diabetes. Given the substantial clinical impact of diabetes as a cardiovascular risk factor, there has been a growing focus on diabetes-related complications. While some population-based studies suggest that the epidemiology of such complications is changing and that rates of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among individuals with diabetes are decreasing in high-income countries, the economic and social burden of diabetes is expected to rise due to changing demographics and lifestyle especially in middle- and low-income countries. In this review we outline data from population-based studies on recent and long-term trends in diabetes-related complications.
The link between diabetes and atherosclerosis
Authors: La Sala Lucia , Prattichizzo Francesco , Ceriello Antonio
Published: November 2019

Atherosclerosis is one of the main complications of diabetes involving multiple causative factors. Dysfunction of the vascular endothelium is a hallmark of most conditions that are associated with both diabetes and atherosclerosis. Although the pathological link between diabetes and atherosclerosis is well-established, better comprehension of the underlying mechanisms is of utmost importance to identify novel potential molecular targets. It is difficult to separate the effects of hyperglycaemia from those of other atherogenic factors: recent evidence shows that they share many common mechanisms, such as endothelial activation and inflammation, mitochondrial oxidative stress, changes in extracellular matrix components and disruption of cellular defence systems. The plausible hypothesis of the ‘common soil’ between diabetes and atherosclerosis seems to be born from a unique ‘ancestor’: the nuclear factor κB, a transcription factor able to guide multiple molecular processes. It seems that this master regulator triggers either some hyperglycaemia-induced effects on the endothelial function, or the expression of certain microRNAs (in particular miR-126, -21 and miR-146a-5p) involved in favouring atherosclerosis. Here, we review the latest evidence and proposed mechanisms, aiming to understand the link between diabetes and atherosclerosis.
Understanding the Impact of Bullying in a Unionized U.S. Public Sector Workforce
Authors: El Ghaziri Mazen , Simons Shellie , Lipscomb Jane , Storr Carla L. , McPhaul Kathleen , London Matthew , Trinkoff Alison M. , Johnson Jeffrey V.
Published: November 2019

Background: Workplace Bullying (WPB) can have a tremendous, negative impact on the victims and the organization as a whole. The purpose of this study was to examine individual and organizational impact associated with exposure to bullying in a large U.S. unionized public sector workforce. Methods: A cross-sectional Web-based survey was conducted among 16,492 U.S. state government workers. Survey domains included demographics, negative acts (NAs) and bullying, supportiveness of the organizational climate, and individual and organizational impacts of bullying. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the impact among respondents who reported exposure to bullying. Findings: A total of 72% participants responded to the survey (n = 11,874), with 43.7% (n = 5,181) reporting exposure to NAs and bullying. A total of 40% (n = 4,711) participants who experienced WPB reported individual impact(s) while 42% ( n = 4,969) reported organization impact(s). Regular NA was associated with high individual impact (negatively impacted them personally; odds ratio [OR] = 5.03) when controlling for other covariates including: female gender (OR =1.89) and job tenure of 6 to 10 years (OR = 1.95); working in a supportive organizational climate and membership in a supportive bargaining unit were protective of high impact (OR = 0.04 and OR = 0.59, respectively). High organizational impact (transferring to another position) was associated with regular NA and bullying (OR = 16.26), female gender (OR = 1.55), providing health care and field service (OR = 1.68), and protective effect of organizational climate (OR = 0.39). We found a dose-response relationship between bullying and both individual and organizational-level impact. Conclusion/Application to Practice: Understanding the impacts of WPB should serve to motivate more workplaces and unions to implement effective interventions to ameliorate the problem by enhancing the organizational climate, as well as management and employee training on the nature of WPB and guidance on reporting.
Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy as a Measure of Listening Effort in Older Adults Who Use Hearing Aids
Authors: Rovetti Joseph , Goy Huiwen , Pichora-Fuller M. Kathleen , Russo Frank A.
Published: November 2019

Listening effort may be reduced when hearing aids improve access to the acoustic signal. However, this possibility is difficult to evaluate because many neuroimaging methods used to measure listening effort are incompatible with hearing aid use. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which can be used to measure the concentration of oxygen in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), appears to be well-suited to this application. The first aim of this study was to establish whether fNIRS could measure cognitive effort during listening in older adults who use hearing aids. The second aim was to use fNIRS to determine if listening effort, a form of cognitive effort, differed depending on whether or not hearing aids were used when listening to sound presented at 35 dB SL (flat gain). Sixteen older adults who were experienced hearing aid users completed an auditory n-back task and a visual n-back task; both tasks were completed with and without hearing aids. We found that PFC oxygenation increased with n-back working memory demand in both modalities, supporting the use of fNIRS to measure cognitive effort during listening in this population. PFC oxygenation was weakly and nonsignificantly correlated with self-reported listening effort and reaction time, respectively, suggesting that PFC oxygenation assesses a dimension of listening effort that differs from these other measures. Furthermore, the extent to which hearing aids reduced PFC oxygenation in the left lateral PFC was positively correlated with age and pure-tone average thresholds. The implications of these findings as well as future directions are discussed.
Taking a Knee, Taking a Stand: Social Networks and Identity Salience in the 2017 NFL Protests
Authors: Houghteling Clara , Dantzler Prentiss A.
Published: November 2019

Beginning with President Trump’s speech against the national anthem protestors in September 2017, the authors consider how external sociopolitical events interacted with the network structure of the 2017 National Football League (NFL) to alter the salience of member identities and the resultant patterns of protest activity within the league. Using group membership data on the full population of 2,453 football players, the analysis tracks protest participation by membership in race and status groups and by the network variables of degree, betweenness, and closeness centrality. Black and elite players are both overrepresented among protesters throughout the season. The margins of overrepresentation narrowed during an increase in demonstrations after Trump’s first criticisms but had widened by the end of the season. The mean centralities of the protesting groups varied from week to week because of an increase in the salience of the NFL player identity and its interaction with racial identities. In general, protesters had lower mean degree and closeness centralities and a higher mean betweenness centrality than players who abstained from protest. Those who participated in high-risk forms of activism also tended to have lower mean degree and closeness centralities and a higher mean betweenness centrality than those who opted for low-risk demonstrations. These findings indicate that sociopolitical events can implicate different identities, changing their salience in the decision to join or abstain from a social movement.
Reproducing the Privilege of White Femininity: An Intersectional Analysis of Home Care
Authors: Curington Celeste Vaughan
Published: November 2019

Research elucidates the gendered and racialized assumptions and practices embedded within occupational organizations but has considered less how race and gender mutually constitute the structure of the organization. The research that does interrogate how both race and gender structure organizational life for Black workers tends to focus on predominately White professional workplaces in the United States, where a White masculine or White feminine worker norm pervades. Drawing on interviews with Black African home care workers in Portugal, the author theorizes from the vantage point of Black women’s experience of work and elucidates how their narratives point to the several layers by which race and gender are embedded in organizational structures and practices that privilege White femininity in a non-U.S. work setting in which Black women make up the majority of the workforce. Black women reveal how White women colleagues’ scrutinize their labor performance unfairly, thwarting their opportunities for advancement and achieving respectful treatment within workplaces. Along with these interpersonal interactions, antiracial ideologies about the nature of the work also aid in racializing a gendered workplace that in turn makes invisible the racial tensions on the job. This research suggests that the Whiteness of an organization persists despite the “types” of workers that occupy the organizational space.
The Racialization of the Muslim Body and Space in Hollywood
Authors: Haider Maheen
Published: November 2019

Using 11 high-grossing post-9/11 Hollywood films on terrorism and the Middle East, the author analyzes how films racialize Muslim identities in service to Islamophobia. This research brings together racialization theory with analysis of political ideologies that illustrate visualized racialized meanings on Muslim identities. The racialized portrayals of Muslim bodies inscribed in the political rhetoric of the War on Terror follow a systemic process of ethnoracial cultural othering that objectifies, vilifies, and dehumanizes Muslim identities. The author demonstrates how films engage in the political processes of racial construction of Muslim identities by criminalizing their gendered identity, dehumanizing their body, and devaluing their territorial and physical space in the context of the War on Terror.
Comparing Theories of Resource Distribution: The Case of Iran
Authors: Ledford Andrew K. , Lynch Scott M.
Published: November 2019

This study addresses inequality through resource distribution in Iranian provinces with the use of new data collected and compiled from various sources using multilevel modeling. The models compare predictions of the various resource distribution theories using Iran’s 31 provincial budgets over 10 years. This resource distribution study provides a rare look at inequality in a country that, to a large degree, prohibits such examinations. The authors find that although ethnicity, religiosity, and allegiance to the regime have no influence on provincial budgets, geographic proximity to the central government is the strongest and only consistent predictor of resource allocation. The authors find that the greater the distance from the capital, the larger the respective per capita budget, net of other factors. This study contradicts both the centrality theory of state economic distribution and specific Iranian economic distribution theory and provides a new body of knowledge on state resource distribution.
Extending Habitus to Employment Preferences: Identifying Social-actors Influencing Employment Choices Including Self-employment Among Youth in J&K (India)
Authors: Sharma Vivek , Jain Sudhir K.
Published: November 2019

Bourdieu’s theoretical concept habitus theorises that past experiences are highly likely to influence an individual’s behaviour. Using primary data collected from graduating youth of Jammu region of the State of Jammu & Kashmir (India), the article leverages the tool of ranking to explore the validity of habitus on the employment preferences (including self-employment) of youth standing at the bordering stage of education and employment. With data collected on a paired comparison scale, the study goes on to apply non-parametric tests to study the impact of social actors viz. Parents, Teachers, Friends etc. on the employment choices of respondents, and these actors have been designated as likely ‘Opinion-makers’ of employment choices. The findings seem to strongly support the theory of habitus in employment choice decisions and, in the process, reveal very explicit handles for the policy makers aiming to promote entrepreneurship in the society under study. The possibility of adjusting this tool to suit the unique nature of different societies has also been discussed.