bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Matter in Biology
Authors: Peterson Anne Siebels ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: March 2018

Aristotle insists that the organic matter composing an organism depends for its being and becoming upon the living organism whose organic matter it is. An evolutionary context may at first seem to secure autonomy for an organism’s organic matter: after all, in such a context not only can organisms in divergent taxa have the same trait, but a trait can remain the same through thoroughgoing changes in its form, function, composition, and organismic context over evolutionary time. The biological homology concept attempts to capture this mysterious relationship of trait sameness. However, accounts of biological homology that have dominated the contemporary scene face compelling problems—these problems, I will argue, arise from their exclusion of the organism as an explanatory locus for the being and becoming of biological traits. An evolutionary framework in fact supports an account of homology that retains these two aspects of Aristotle’s views on organic matter.
Editor’s Note
Authors: Verbeten Sharon
Published: March 2018

OK, we’re a couple months into 2018; how are your resolutions going? Now granted, as I write this, we’re only a few weeks into the New Year, so mine are going great…but as we know, things tend to drift as the year goes on.
Far from a Drag: How One Library Embraced Drag Queen Story Hour
Authors: Condren Chelsea
Published: March 2018

Children’s librarians and drag queens have more in common than our shared love of glitter.When Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH) approached the Early Literacy Department at the New York Public Library (NYPL) to ask us about facilitating their programs in our branches, we were eager to get started. Conceived of by Michelle Tea and Radar Productions in San Francisco, DQSH now operates out of Los Angeles, New York, and New Jersey, inspires events around the world, and can be found at DragQueenStoryHour.org.
Storytime in a Box: The Cooperative Approach to Preschool Storytime Planning
Authors: Bowers Katie , Howard Vivian , Brown Alison
Published: March 2018

Preschool storytimes have been a standard public library offering for more than one hundred years.1 Most public libraries offer preschool storytimes several times per week and follow a familiar pattern of read-aloud stories intermixed with sing-alongs, action songs, and finger plays, frequently connected to a weekly theme. Planning for these weekly story-time sessions can take a significant amount of staff time, as staff choose a theme and then select relevant, age-appropriate, and appealing stories, songs, and activities to fill the time slot.In multibranch library systems, this planning is often replicated at each branch, as each youth services team prepares its own unique program offerings. In search of greater efficiency, some public library systems have experimented with other models of program planning, with planning being done centrally for the entire system or by several branches partnering to work together. Is there a single model of program planning that works best and that staff prefer?
Hyperglycosylated hCG Drives Malignancy in Most or All Human Cancers: Tying All Research Together
Authors: Laurence A. Cole
Published: March 2018

Objectives: Two forms of hCG are produced, the hormone hCG binding a luteinizing hormone/hCG joint receptor and the autocrine hyperglycosylated hCG binding a TGF-ß receptor. In pregnancy, hyperglycosylated hCG drives placental cell growth and invasion in implantation of pregnancy. It also blocks apoptosis. Human cancer cells steal the hCG ß-subunit gene and use hyperglycosylated hCG and its ß-subunit to drive malignancy. Here we examine research into hyperglycosylated hCG and its ß-subunit, and show that these molecules drive malignancy in most or possibly all human cancers.
Methods: Mouse monoclonal antibody B152was raised against intact hyperglycosylated hCG, batch C5. The antibody binds hyperglycosylated hCG and its ß-subunit but does not bind the hormone hCG or its subunits. Total hCG was measured using the Siemens Immulite hCG assay, hyperglycosylated hCG and its ß-subunit were measured using the antibody B152 assay.
Results: Eight independent center show that the hCG ß-subunit produced by cancers promotes malignancy, enhances cancer cell growth, cancer cell invasion and blockage of apoptosis in cancers. A study of 42 choriocarcinoma cases shows that percentage hyperglycosylated hCG exactly correlates with weekly doubling rate of cancer. It is concluded that hyperglycosylated hCG drive malignancy in this cancer. In a study with 7 separate cancers it is shown that increasing concentrations of hyperglycosylated hCG enhance all cancers. Increasing concentration of monoclonal antibody B152.
Hyperglycosylated hCG and its ß-subunit drives cancer growth, cancer invasion and blocks apoptosis in cancer cells. Antibody B152 suppressed cancer cell growth creating a non-malignant-like state (no growth, no invasion), with no cancer growth over a starting 70% confluency.
Conclusions: Choriocarcinoma is an example of cancer driven in malignancy by hyperglycosylated hCG, cancer aggression (weekly doubling rate) exactly correlating with percent hyperglycosylated hCG. In examining cancers, antibody B152 suppresses malignancy totally halting cancer growth in 7 of 7 cancer. This confirms that only the antigens, hyperglycosylated hCG and its ß-subunit drives malignancy in cancer cases.
Farmer perspectives on welfare outcome assessment: learnings from four farm assurance scheme consultation exercises
Authors: van Dijk L , Elwes S , Main DCJ , Mullan SM , Jamieson J
Published: March 2018

Recently, several farm assurance schemes in the United Kingdom have been adopting innovative approaches, such as welfare outcome assessment, into their routine procedures. In this paper, we present the findings of four consultation exercises, undertaken as part of a review process that examined farmer perspectives on planned or implemented changes to their current certification visits as members of UK-based dairy and laying hen schemes. The changes included the introduction of welfare outcome assessment by assessors, joint-scoring of welfare-outcome measures by farmers and assessors and self-assessment of welfare outcome measures by farmers between assessor visits. This study also explores the challenges that arise when schemes are aiming to adopt a scheme-level continuous improvement approach to promote welfare improvement on participating farms. The key challenges fall under three themes: the purpose and value for the farmer of the assessment of welfare outcomes as part of a farm assurance assessment process; the potential conflict rather than concordance with the role of the farmer in caring for their animals; and finally the technicalities of the assessment process, such as sample sizes for assessment being calibrated for gauging welfare prevalence at a scheme rather than farm level and the role of the farm assurance assessors both to assess impartially compliance against the standards and to provide welfare advice to support improvement. This study highlights that the involvement of farmers at all stages in the development and in the evaluation of outcome assessment initiatives is likely to be beneficial for welfare improvement on-farm.
Sheep farmers’ attitudes to farm inspections and the role of sanctions and rewards as motivation to reduce the prevalence of lameness
Authors: Liu NLBH , Kaler J , Ferguson E , O’Kane H , Green LE
Published: March 2018

The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations (2007) make it an offence to allow unnecessary suffering to animals, highlighting that farmers have a duty of care for their livestock. Despite this, the current global mean prevalence of lameness in sheep in England is 5%; ie ~750,000 lame adult sheep at any time. To investigate farmers’ attitudes to sanctions and rewards as drivers to reduce the prevalence of lameness in sheep, farmers’ attitudes to external inspections, acceptable prevalence of lameness and attitudes on outcomes from inspections were investigated using a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 43/102 convenience-selected English sheep farmers responded to the questionnaire. Their median flock size was 500 ewes with a geometric mean prevalence of lameness of 2.8%. Few farmers selected correct descriptions of the legislation for treatment and transport of lame sheep. Participants considered 5-7.5% prevalence of lameness acceptable and were least tolerant of farmers who rarely treated lameness and most tolerant of farmers experiencing an incident out of their control, eg disease outbreak. Participants consider sanctions and rewards would help to control lameness on sheep farms in England. Sanctions (prosecution, reduction in payment from the single [basic] payment scheme or suspension from a farm assurance scheme) were considered ‘fair’ when lameness was ≥ 10% and rewards ‘fair’ when lameness was ≤ 2%. If these farmers’ attitudes are applied to 1,300 randomly selected flocks with a mean prevalence of lameness of 3.5%, 24.6% of flocks that had ≥ 10% lameness would be sanctioned and 32.5% of flocks that had ≤ 2% lameness would be rewarded.
Experimentally evaluating the function of self-directed behaviour in two adult mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx)
Authors: Leeds A , Lukas KE
Published: March 2018

Given the difficulties of conducting regular endocrine and veterinary assessments of animals, behavioural observations are often the most commonly used tool to assess the welfare of animals in human care. Behavioural measures, inexpensive and convenient to collect, also have their challenges, such as ensuring the behaviours of interest are reliable indicators of an animal's internal state. Welfare assessments include both positive and negative indicators, and a commonly used indicator of negative welfare is self-directed behaviour (SDB). SDB has been described as a behavioural indicator of stress through observation and experimentation; however, this pattern is not universal despite assumptions otherwise. The purpose of this study was to experimentally evaluate the use of SDB as an indicator of negative welfare in mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) with the goal of understanding the function of SDB in relation to stress. Using a touchscreen-mediated cognitive task, the mandrills were observed to self-scratch significantly more often during incorrect than correct trials; however, rates of SDB did not vary between increasingly difficult testing conditions. The mandrills had individual variation in their use of body-shakes and yawns under negative and positive conditions that mirror similar variation observed in other primates. This study provides experimental evidence that self-scratching in mandrills can be used as a behavioural indicator of anxiety and that welfare assessments for animals in human care need to account not only for species’ differences, but also for individual differences.
The Internet as an alternative distribution and communication channel for SMEs producing quality agro-food products
Authors: Rodríguez Santos Carmen , Cervantes Blanco Miguel
Published: March 2018

This work analyses the use of the Internet as a communication and distribution channel among SMEs in the agro-food sector. The work focuses on the incorporation of this marketing channel by firms from a Spanish region commercializing products under a quality sign, encouraged by the competitive advantage this medium provides. With this objective, 259 firms are investigated, using 62 descriptive items to evaluate their websites.
Are automated acoustic identification software reliable for bat surveys in the Neotropical region?
Authors: Madhukumar Menon Amrita , João Ramos Pereira Maria , Moura de Souza Aguiar Ludmilla
Published: March 2018

Bat populations are known to be affected by anthropogenic activities because bats are an extremely diverse group occupying almost all available niches in terrestrial environment. Hence, bats are considered bioindicators to monitor changes in the environment, but their value as such also depends on the ease to monitor and detect demographic trends in their populations. The long term interest of researchers in the acoustic of bats results from the fact that it is a non-invasive, time-efficient methods to monitor spatiotemporal patterns of bat diversity and activity.The analysis of sounds emitted by organisms has been considered useful to gain insight into species-specific biotic and abiotic interactions, which can further be applied to conservation. Besides manual identifications of bat calls, a number of automated species identification programs using regional call classfiers have been introduced into the market as an efficient tool in monitoring of bat populations. Most of these programs have not been validated using field data. This study evaluates the reliability of two automated softwares, SonoChiro and Kaleidoscope Pro, in comparison to manual identifications of field data collected from the Neotropical region. There was low agreement between the two automated methods at the species level, fair agreement at the genus level and moderate agreement at the family level. There was also a significant difference between the proportions of correctly identified calls of the two-automated software at the species level identifications. Major challenges for using automated identification software include the need for comprehensive call libraries of the regions under scope; major opportunities, on the other hand, include the widespread possibility to monitor spatiotemporal patterns of bat activity. Overall, there are serious gaps that preclude a widespread application of automated programs ecological and conservation studies of bats but it has the potential to serve as an effective tool.
Technical note: how to rationally compare the performances of different machine learning models?
Authors: Maeda Terazima
Published: March 2018

Nowadays, there is a large number of machine learning models that could be used for various areas. However, different research targets are usually sensitive to the type of models. For a specific prediction target, the predictive accuracy of a machine learning model is always dependent to the data feature, data size and the intrinsic relationship between inputs and outputs. Therefore, for a specific data group and a fixed prediction mission, how to rationally compare the predictive accuracy of different machine learning model is a big question. In this brief note, we show how should we compare the performances of different machine models by raising some typical examples.
Virtual and remote laboratories augment self learning and interactions: Development, deployment and assessments with direct and online feedback
Authors: Kumar Dhanush , Radhamani Rakhi , Nizar Nijin , Achuthan Krishnashree , Nair Bipin , Diwakar Shyam
Published: March 2018

Background. Over the last few decades, in developing nations including India, there have been rapid developments in information and communication technologies with progress towards sustainable development goals facilitating universal access to education. With the aim of augmenting laboratory skill training, India’s Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD)’s National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NME-ICT), launched Virtual laboratories project, enabling professors and institutions to deliver interactive animations, mathematical simulators and remotely-controlled equipment for online experiments in biosciences and engineering courses. Towards that mission of improving teaching and learning quality and with a focus on improving access to users in geographically remote and economically constrained institutes in India, we developed and deployed over 30 web-based laboratories consisting of over 360 computer-based online experiments. This paper focuses on the design, development, deployment of virtual laboratories and assesses the role of online experiments in providing self-learning and novel pedagogical practices for user communities.

Methods. As part of deployment, we evaluated the role virtual laboratories in facilitating self-organized learning and usage perception as a teaching tool in a blended education system. Direct feedback data was collected through organized workshops from 386 university-level students, 192 final year higher secondary school (pre-university) students and 234 college professors from various places across India. We also included online feedback from 2012-2018 to interpret usage analysis and adaptability of virtual and remote labs by online users.

Results. More than 80% of students who used virtual laboratories scored higher in examinations compared to a control group. With 386 students, 80% suggested adapted to self-learning using virtual laboratories. 82% of university teachers who employ virtual laboratories indicated using them to complement teaching material and reduce teaching time. Increase in online usage and feedback suggests novel trends in incorporating online platforms as pedagogical tools.

Discussion. Feedback indicated virtual laboratories altered and enhanced student’s autonomous learning abilities and improved interaction in blended classrooms. Pedagogical analysis suggests the use of ICT-enabled virtual laboratories as a self-organized distance education learning platform for university and pre-university students from economically challenged or time-restrained environments. Online usage statistics indicated steady increase of new users on this online repository suggesting global acceptance of virtual laboratories as a complementing laboratory skill-training online repository.
Bats of the Philippine Islands –a review of research directions and relevance to national-level priorities and targets
Authors: Tanalgo Krizler C , Hughes Alice C
Published: March 2018

Effective science-based conservation priorities and policies are crucially important to effectively maintain biodiversity into the future. For many threatened species and systems insufficient information exists to generate priorities, or the mechanisms needed to effectively conserve species into the future, and this is especially important in megadiversity countries like the Philippines, threatened by rapid rates of development and with few overarching strategies to maintain their biodiversity. Here, using a bibliographic approach to indicate research strengths and priorities, we summarised scientific information on Philippine bats from 2000-2017. We examine relationships between thematic areas and effort allocated for each species bat guild, and conservation status. We found that an average of 7.9 studies was published annually with the majority focused on diversity and community surveys. However, research effort is not even between taxonomic groups, thematic areas or species, with disproportionate effort focusing on ‘taxonomy and systematics’ and ‘ecology’. Species effort allocation between threatened and less threatened species does not show a significant difference, though this may be because generalist species are found in many studies, whereas rarer species have single species studies devoted to them. A growing collaborative effort in bat conservation initiatives in the Philippines has focused on the protection of many endemic and threatened species (e.g., flying foxes) and their habitats. The implementation of conservation relevant policies, outreach programs, capacity building, and mainstreaming of evidence-based conservation are encouraged to strengthen bat conservation in the Philippines.
Evaluation of the Analgesic Effect of Combination Therapy on Chronic Plantar Pain Through the Myofascial Trigger Points Approach
Authors: Melero-Suárez Rocío , Sánchez-Santos José Antonio , Domínguez-Maldonado Gabriel
Published: March 2018

Background:

Closely related pathologic disorders sometimes manifest with the same symptoms, making for a complex differential diagnosis. This is the situation in plantar fasciitis (PF) and myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) with myofascial trigger points (MTPs) in the sole of the foot. This research assessed the analgesic effect on plantar pain of combination therapy with interferential current stimulation therapy (ICST), treating MTPs in the great toe adductor muscle and the short flexor muscles of the toes in patients whose diagnosis was compatible with PF or MPS.

Methods:

This study included 22 feet of 17 patients with a diagnosis compatible with PF or MPS with MTP. Participants received combination therapy with ICST for 15 sessions, and the decrease in pain was measured with an algometer and the visual analog scale. Both measurements were taken before and after every fifth session. The pressure pain threshold (PPT) results obtained with the Student t test and the pain intensity perception (PIP) results obtained with the Wilcoxon signed rank test were analyzed by comparing the measurements taken before the treatment and after the fifth, tenth, and 15th sessions.

Results:

The decrease in PIP was significant after the fifth, tenth, and 15th sessions (P < .001). The increase in PPT was also significant after the fifth (P = .010), tenth (P = .023), and 15th (P = .001) sessions (P < .05).

Conclusions:

The suggested combination therapy of ultrasound with ICST is clinically significant for reducing plantar pain after 15 treatment sessions, with a 6.5-point reduction in mean PIP and a 4.6-point increase in PPT.
Calcifying Aponeurotic Fibroma of the Hallux
Authors: Sheikh Reem N. , Karlic Kristina
Published: March 2018

Calcifying aponeurotic fibroma is a rare benign fibrous tumor predominantly seen in children and adolescents younger than 20 years. This tumor is often treated with complete surgical excision, although the recurrence rate is approximately 50%. The distal upper and distal lower extremities are most commonly involved, with only three cases published to date involving pedal digits. We discuss a case of calcifying aponeurotic fibroma in a 25-year-old woman localized to the medial aspect of the distal hallux. Clinical, radiographic, and magnetic resonance imaging findings are described. After an incisional biopsy and histopathologic findings confirmed that the lesion was benign, a complete excision was performed, and diagnosis was established for calcifying aponeurotic fibroma. At 6 months, the patient had healed uneventfully, and no recurrence has been noted. Malignant transformation is rare but has been documented, warranting concern for clinicians and patients.
Examining the Benefits of the Boron-Based Mechanism of Action and Physicochemical Properties of Tavaborole in the Treatment of Onychomycosis
Authors: Markinson Bryan , Ghannoum Mahmoud , Winter Tate , Rycerz Anthony , Rock Fernando , Gupta Aditya K.
Published: March 2018

Onychomycosis is a fungal infection of the nail primarily caused by the dermatophytes Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. The topical-based treatment of onychomycosis remains a challenge because of the difficulty associated with penetrating the dense, protective structure of the keratinized nail plate. Tavaborole is a novel small-molecule antifungal agent recently approved in the United States for the topical treatment of toenail onychomycosis. The low molecular weight, slight water solubility, and boron chemistry of tavaborole maximize nail penetration after topical application, allowing for effective targeting of the infection in the nail bed. The efficacy of tavaborole is associated with its novel mechanism of action, whereby it inhibits the fungal leucyl-tRNA synthetase (LeuRS) enzyme. Because LeuRS is an essential component in fungal protein synthesis, inhibition of LeuRS ultimately leads to fungal cell death. Tavaborole is the first boron-based antifungal medication approved for the treatment of mild-to-moderate onychomycosis and presents patients with a new topical option. Previously, ciclopirox and efinaconazole were the only approved topical treatments for onychomycosis. This article details the properties that are at the core of the clinical benefits associated with tavaborole.
Characterization of the salivary microbiome in people with obesity
Authors: Wu Yujia , Chi Xiaopei , Zhang Qian , Chen Feng , Deng Xuliang
Published: March 2018

Background

The interactions between the gut microbiome and obesity have been extensively studied. Although the oral cavity is the gateway to the gut, and is extensively colonized with microbes, little is known about the oral microbiome in people with obesity. In the present study, we investigated the salivary microbiome in obese and normal weight healthy participants using metagenomic analysis. The subjects were categorized into two groups, obesity and normal weight, based on their BMIs.

Methods

We characterized the salivary microbiome of 33 adults with obesity and 29 normal weight controls using high-throughput sequencing of the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene (Illumina MiSeq). None of the selected participants had systemic, oral mucosal, or periodontal diseases.

Results

The salivary microbiome of the obesity group was distinct from that of the normal weight group. The salivary microbiome of periodontally healthy people with obesity had both significantly lower bacterial diversity and richness compared with the controls. The genus Prevotella, Granulicatella, Peptostreptococcus, Solobacterium, Catonella, and Mogibacterium were significantly more abundant in the obesity group; meanwhile the genus Haemophilus, Corynebacterium, Capnocytophaga, and Staphylococcus were less abundant in the obesity group. We also performed a functional analysis of the inferred metagenomes, and showed that the salivary community associated with obesity had a stronger signature of immune disease and a decreased functional signature related to environmental adaptation and Xenobiotics biodegradation compared with the normal weight controls.

Discussion

Our study demonstrates that the microbial diversity and structure of the salivary microbiome in people with obesity are significantly different from those of normal weight controls. These results suggested that changes in the structure and function of salivary microbiome in people with obesity might reflect their susceptibility to oral diseases.
A Physical Model for Three‐Phase Compaction in Silicic Magma Reservoirs
Authors: Huber Christian , Parmigiani Andrea
Published: March 2018

We develop a model for phase separation in magma reservoirs containing a mixture of silicate melt, crystals, and fluids (exsolved volatiles). The interplay between the three phases controls the dynamics of phase separation and consequently the chemical and physical evolution of magma reservoirs. The model we propose is based on the two‐phase damage theory approach of Bercovici et al. (2001, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JB900430) and Bercovici and Ricard (2003, https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-246X.2003.01854.x) because it offers the leverage of considering interface (in the macroscopic limit) between phases that can deform depending on the mechanical work and phase changes taking place locally in the magma. Damage models also offer the advantage that pressure is defined uniquely to each phase and does not need to be equal among phases, which will enable us to consider, in future studies, the large capillary pressure at which fluids are mobilized in mature, crystal‐rich, magma bodies. In this first analysis of three‐phase compaction, we solve the three‐phase compaction equations numerically for a simple 1‐D problem where we focus on the effect of fluids on the efficiency of melt‐crystal separation considering the competition between viscous and buoyancy stresses only. We contrast three sets of simulations to explore the behavior of three‐phase compaction, a melt‐crystal reference compaction scenario (two‐phase compaction), a three‐phase scenario without phase changes, and finally a three‐phase scenario with a parameterized second boiling (crystallization‐induced exsolution). The simulations show a dramatic difference between two‐phase (melt crystals) and three‐phase (melt‐crystals‐exsolved volatiles) compaction‐driven phase separation. We find that the presence of a lighter, significantly less viscous fluid hinders melt‐crystal separation.
Isomerization of Alkenes
Authors: Larock Richard C. , Zeni Gilson
Published: March 2018

Alkene Inversion

Simple Rearrangement

Functional Group Rearrangement

Reductive Transposition

Oxidative Transposition

Metal and Heteroatom Displacement

Ene Reaction

Alkylative Transposition
Formation of Alkenes by Alkylidenation of Carbonyl and Related Compounds
Authors: Larock Richard C. , Zeni Gilson
Published: March 2018

This article has no abstract.
Formation of Alkynes by Elimination Reactions
Authors: Larock Richard C. , Zhang Li
Published: March 2018

This article has no abstract.
Alkylation, Alkenylation, and Arylation of Alkynes and Allenes
Authors: Larock Richard C. , Zhang Li
Published: March 2018

Organolithium, ‐Sodium, and ‐Magnesium Compounds

Organoboron Compounds

Organoaluminum Compounds

Organogallium Compounds

Organoindium Compounds

Organothallium Compounds

Organosilicon Compounds

Organotin Compounds

Organotellurium Compounds

Organoyttrium Compounds

Organotitanium Compounds

Organozirconium Compounds

Organochromium Compounds

Organomanganese Compounds

Organorhenium Compounds

Organoiron Compounds

Organoruthenium Compounds

Organocobalt Compounds

Organorhodium Compounds

Organoiridium Compounds

Organonickel Compounds

Organopalladium Compounds

Organocopper Compounds

Organosilver Compounds

Organogold Compounds

Organozinc Compounds

Organomercury Compounds

Organosamarium Compounds

Organolutetium Compounds

Miscellaneous Reactions
Halogenation of Alkenes and Dienes
Authors: Larock Richard C. , Zhang Li
Published: March 2018

Halogen Addition

Hydrohalogenation

Hydrogen Substitution

Halofunctionalization

Haloalkylation

Miscellaneous Reactions
Halogenation of Alkynes
Authors: Larock Richard C. , Zhang Li
Published: March 2018

This article has no abstract.
Halogenation of Nitrogen Compounds
Authors: Larock Richard C. , Zhang Li
Published: March 2018

This article has no abstract.
Halogenation of Ethers
Authors: Larock Richard C. , Zhang Li
Published: March 2018

This article has no abstract.
Halogenation of Organometallics
Authors: Larock Richard C. , Zhang Li
Published: March 2018

This article has no abstract.
Stroke‐prevention strategies in North American patients with atrial fibrillation: The GLORIA‐AF registry program
Authors: McIntyre William F. , Conen David , Olshansky Brian , Halperin Jonathan L. , Hayek Emil , Huisman Menno V. , Lip Gregory Y.H. , Lu Shihai , Healey Jeff S.
Published: March 2018

Background

Antithrombotic prophylaxis with oral anticoagulation (OAC) substantially reduces stroke and mortality in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Hypothesis

Analysis of data in the Global Registry on Long‐Term Antithrombotic Treatments in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation (GLORIA‐AF), an international, observational registry of patients with newly diagnosed AF, can identify factors associated with treatment decisions and outcomes.

Methods

Multivariable regression identified patient, physician, and temporal factors associated with OAC prescription, compared with management with antiplatelet drugs or no antithrombotic drugs in North American patients enrolled between November 2011 and February 2014.

Results

Of 3320 eligible patients (mean age, 71 ± 11 years; 1879 males with CHA2DS2‐VASc ≥1 and 1441 females with CHA2DS2‐VASc ≥2), 79.3%, 12.5%, and 7.4% received OAC, antiplatelet drugs, or no antithrombotic therapy, respectively. Of those prescribed OAC, 66.4% received non–vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulation and 24.5% received concomitant therapy with antiplatelet drugs. Independent predictors of OAC therapy were nonparoxysmal AF (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval: 2.02, 1.56–2.63), prior stroke/transient ischemic attack (2.00, 1.37–2.92), specialist care (1.50, 1.04–2.17), more concomitant medications (1.47, 1.13–1.92), commercial insurance (1.41, 1.07–1.85), and heart failure (1.44, 1.07–1.92). Antiplatelet drugs (0.18, 0.14–0.23), prior falls (0.41, 0.27–0.63), and prior bleeding (0.50, 0.35–0.72) were inversely associated with OAC prescription.

Conclusions

In GLORIA‐AF, 20% of the population comprising males with CHA2DS2‐VASc ≥1 and females with CHA2DS2‐VASc ≥2 did not receive OAC therapy. Patient characteristics associated with a lower likelihood of OAC prescription were use of antiplatelet drugs, paroxysmal pattern of AF, history of falls, and prior bleeding.
Critically dysregulated signaling pathways and clinical utility of the pathway biomarkers in lymphoid malignancies
Authors: Sun Rui‐Fang , Yu Qian‐Qian , Young Ken H.
Published: March 2018

Accumulating evidence confirmed that many dysregulated signaling pathways and aberrant genetic alterations contribute to the oncogenesis and heterogeneity of lymphoid malignancies. Therapeutically targeting dysregulating signaling pathways and their hidden oncogenic biomarkers are becoming available, but did not show desired therapeutic effect in current clinical practice. It is meaningful to further understand the underlying mechanisms of the dysregulated signaling pathways and to address the potential utility of pathway‐related biomarkers. To precisely identify the dysregulation of signaling pathways and the “driver” oncogenic biomarkers, as well as to develop reliable and reproducible risk‐stratification based on biomarkers will be challenging. Nevertheless, pathway‐based targeted therapy will raise the hope to improve the outcomes of the patients with lymphoid malignancies, especially with aggressive types, and the efficient utility of pathway‐related biomarkers in diagnosis, prognosis, prediction of lymphoid malignancies may also be able to power precision medicine.
The Use of Nerve Transfers to Restore Upper Extremity Function in Cervical Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Fox Ida K. , Novak Christine B. , Krauss Emily M. , Hoben Gwendolyn M. , Zaidman Craig M. , Ruvinskaya Rimma , Juknis Neringa , Winter Anke C. , Mackinnon Susan E.
Published: March 2018

Background

Nerve transfer surgery to restore upper extremity function in cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) is novel and may transform treatment. Determining candidacy even years post‐SCI is ill defined and deserves investigation.

Objective

To develop a diagnostic algorithm, focusing on electrodiagnostic (EDX) studies, to determine eligibility for nerve transfer surgery.

Design

Retrospective descriptive case series.

Setting

Tertiary university‐based institution.

Patients

Individuals with cervical SCI (n = 45).

Methods

The electronic medical records of people referred to the Plastic Surgery Multidisciplinary Upper Extremity Surgery in SCI clinic from 2010‐2015 were reviewed. People were considered for nerve transfers to restore elbow extension or finger flexion and/or extension. Data including demographic, clinical evaluation, EDX results, surgery, and outcomes were collected and analyzed.

Main Outcome Measurements

EDX data, including nerve conduction studies and electromyography, for bilateral upper extremities of each patient examined was used to assess for the presence of lower motor neuron injury, which would preclude late nerve transfer.

Results

Based on our criteria and the results of EDX testing, a substantial number of patients presenting even years post‐SCI were candidates for nerve transfers. Clinical outcome results are heterogeneous but promising and suggest that further refinement of eligibility, long‐term follow‐up, and standardized assessment will improve our understanding of the role of nerve transfer surgery to restore function in people with midcervical SCI.

Conclusions

Many patients living with SCI are candidates for nerve transfer surgery to restore upper extremity function. Although the ultimate efficacy of these surgeries is not yet determined, this study attempts to report the criteria we are using and may ultimately determine the timing for intervention and which transfers are most useful for this heterogeneous population.

Level of Evidence

IV
Taste receptors in the upper airway
Authors: Freund Jenna R. , Lee Robert J.
Published: March 2018

Taste receptors were named for their originally‐identified expression on the tongue and role in the sensation of taste (gustation). They are now known to be involved in many chemosensory processes outside the tongue. Expression of the receptors for bitter, sweet, and umami was recently identified in many organs, including the brain, airway, gastrointestinal tract, and reproductive systems. We do not yet know the full roles of these receptors in all of these tissues, nor do we know all of the endogenous ligands that activate them. However, taste receptors are emerging as potentially important therapeutic targets. Moreover, they may mediate some off target effects of drugs, as many medications in common clinical use are known to be bitter. The focus of this review is on recent basic and clinical data describing the expression of bitter (T2R) and sweet (T1R) receptors in the airway and their activation by secreted bacterial compounds. These receptors play important roles in innate immune nitric oxide production and antimicrobial peptide secretion, and may be useful targets for stimulating immune responses in the upper respiratory tract via topical therapies. Moreover, genetic variation in these receptors may play a role in the differential susceptibility of patients to certain types of respiratory infections as well as to differential outcomes in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). CRS is a syndrome of chronic upper respiratory infection and inflammation and has a significant detrimental impact on patient quality of life. CRS treatment accounts for approximately 20% of adult antibiotic prescriptions and is thus a large driver of the public health crisis of antibiotic resistance. Taste receptors represent a novel class of therapeutic target to potentially stimulate endogenous immune responses and treat CRS patients without conventional antibiotics.
Ice front and flow speed variations of marine-terminating outlet glaciers along the coast of Prudhoe Land, northwestern Greenland
Authors: SAKAKIBARA DAIKI , SUGIYAMA SHIN
Published: March 2018

Satellite images were analyzed to measure the frontal positions and ice speeds of 19 marine-terminating outlet glaciers along the coast of Prudhoe Land, northwestern Greenland from 1987 to 2014. All the studied glaciers retreated over the study period at a rate of between 12 and 200 m a−1, with a median (mean) retreat rate of 30 (40) m a−1. The glacier retreat began in the year ~2000, which coincided with an increase in summer mean air temperature from 1.4 to 5.5 °C between 1996 and 2000 in this region. Ice speed near the front of the studied glaciers ranged between 20 and 1740 m a−1 in 2014, and many of them accelerated in the early 2000s. In general, the faster retreat was observed at the glaciers that experienced greater acceleration, as represented by Tracy Glacier, which experienced a retreat of 200 m a−1 and a velocity increase of 930 m a−1 during the study period. A possible interpretation of this observation is that flow acceleration induced dynamic thinning near the termini, resulting in enhanced calving and rapid retreat of the studied glaciers. We hypothesize that atmospheric warming conditions in the late 1990s triggered glacier retreat in northwestern Greenland since 2000.
Managers Fail to Innovate and Academics Fail to Explain How
Authors: Dougherty Deborah
Published: March 2018

I am stunned by the failure of so many organizations to create the capability for generating streams of new products and services over time. Organizations capable of ongoing innovation can create more profits, more value, more employment, more growth, and more adaptability to transformations in technologies and markets (BCG study of investor returns). Generating streams of innovation is even more important now, especially for organizations in emerging economies, because industrial transformations and global grand challenges (Ferraro, Etzion, & Gehman, 2015) demand continuous innovations in products, programs, business processes, and strategies. For example, digitalization is transforming business models from vertical industrial silos such as consumer goods, materials, or financials to horizontal platforms that orchestrate networks, create technologies, and provide services (think Amazon, Alibaba). New markets and technologies emerge unpredictably but will produce major economic and social changes. Emerging economies more directly face grand challenge complexities of poverty, water scarcity, inequality, and climate changes. Innovations in emerging economy organizations are also very complex, since they often include innovations in sales, distribution, and business models along with rigorous product design and development processes.
ANOTHER CENTURY OF GODS? A RE-EVALUATION OF SELEUCID RULER CULT
Authors: Erickson Kyle
Published: March 2018

This paper proposes that living Seleucid kings were recognized as divine by the royal court before the reign of Antiochus III despite lacking an established centralized ruler cult like their fellow kings, the Ptolemies. Owing to the nature of the surviving evidence, we are forced to rely heavily on numismatics to construct a view of Seleucid royal ideology. Regrettably, it seems that up until now much of the numismatic evidence for the divinity of living Seleucid rulers has not been fully considered. I argue that the evidence from silver coinage produced in the name of the Seleucid kings presents a version of the official image of the reigning king and that images which portray the king as divine reflect central acceptance of the king's divinity. This is clear from the epithets on the coinage of Antiochus IV and his successors, but I will argue that the same principle holds for all earlier Seleucid kings. Thus coinage with divine images of Seleucid kings provided one of the mechanisms through which the royal court transmitted the divine nature of the kings to the population. As we will see, in the case of Antiochus Hierax, local considerations also influenced the numismatic representation of the king. This blurring of boundaries between the local veneration of the king, which has long been accepted as normal civic practice in the Greek city-states and in non-Greek temples, and the royal images of the divine king calls into question the strict division between civic and centralized ruler cults. The reflection of local cults within royal ideology can be seen as a manifestation of a negotiating model of Seleucid power that relied heavily on a dialogue with a wide range of interested groups. This article argues that the inconsistencies in the development of an iconography of divine kingship before the reign of Antiochus IV is a manifestation of the same phenomenon.
THE FAR-WANDERER: PROCLUS ON THE TRANSMIGRATION OF THE SOUL
Authors: Fortier Simon
Published: March 2018

While commonly referring to us as ‘human’, ‘particular’ (μερικαί), or ‘rational’ (λογικαί) souls, in one striking passage, Proclus (In Ti. 3.259.21–7) instead describes us as

τὸ πολυπλανὲς καὶ μέχρι τοῦ Ταρτάρου κατιὸν καὶ αὖθις ἀνεγειρόμενον παντοῖά τε εἴδη ζωῆς ἀνελίττον ἤθεσί τε χρώμενον ποικίλοις καὶ πάθεσιν ἄλλοτε ἄλλοις καὶ μορφὰς ζῴων ἀλλαττόμενον πολυειδεῖς, δαιμονίας ἀνθρωπίνας ἀλόγους, κατευθυνόμενον δ’ οὖν ὅμως ὑπὸ τῆς Δίκης καὶ εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀπὸ γῆς ἀνατρέχον καὶ εἰς νοῦν ἀπὸ τῆς ὕλης περιαγόμενον κατὰ δή τινας τεταγμένας τῶν ὅλων περιόδους.

a far-wanderer, who descends all the way to Tartarus only to be raised up again, who unfolds all possible forms of life, making use of diverse manners and suffering one passion after another, who takes on the forms of living beings of every sort, daemons, men and irrational creatures, and yet is guided by Justice, ascending from earth to heaven and from matter to intellect, being led round and round in accordance with certain prescribed revolutions of the universe.
Wartime Forestry and the “Low Temperature Lifestyle” in Late Colonial Korea, 1937–1945
Authors: Fedman David
Published: March 2018

This article examines the emergence in colonial Korea of a command economy for forestry products following the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–45). It does so, first, by tracing the policy mechanisms through which the colonial state commandeered forest products, especially timber, firewood, and charcoal. Second, through an analysis of the wartime promotion of a “low temperature lifestyle,” it offers a thumbnail sketch of the lived experiences and corporeal consequences of state-led efforts to rationalize fuel consumption. Considered together, these lines of analysis offer insight into not only the ecological implications of war on the Korean landscape, but also the bodily privations that defined everyday life under total war—what might be called the “slow violence” of caloric control.
A Careful Village: Comedic Dialogues and Linguistic Modernity in China's Tibet
Authors: Thurston Timothy
Published: March 2018

Comedy is a powerful tool for public meditation on and critique of lived experience and discursive practice. In China's post-Mao period, comedy also provided a means for Tibetan intellectuals to access state-sponsored stages and airwaves in minority-dominated Northwest China's restrictive cultural climate. This article examines a series of four comedic dialogues popular in Tibetan regions in the mid-1990s. Centered on the fictional Careful Village, these four performances juxtapose urban sophisticates and country bumpkins in ways that allow comedians to grapple with questions of tradition and modernity in a rapidly modernizing society. Though superficially similar to Chinese state-sponsored modernity—itself centered on Chinese Putonghua—attention to these performances’ juxtaposition of characters, social issues, and linguistic practice reveals the promotion of certain forms of the Tibetan language at the center of uniquely Tibetan modernity. This Tibetan modernity is no longer assimilationist, but based on mastery of the proper, Tibetan linguistic competences.
Hungry in Japan: Food Insecurity and Ethical Citizenship
Authors: Kimura Aya H.
Published: March 2018

In addition to other forms of precarity, food insecurity—citizens not having access to nutritious food—is an issue of growing concern in contemporary Japan. This article explores societal responses and documents a strong growth of volunteerism in the form of food banks andkodomo shokudō(children's cafeterias) that offer cheap or free meals to children in need. Both types of programs have become more common since the mid-2000s and are filling a void left by the government. This article explores the tensions in these private programs by drawing on the concept of ethical citizenship, which suggests that volunteerism is entrenched in neoliberalization. The programs are constructed in terms of moral matters, such as creatingibasho(space) for citizens’ mutual help and reducing food loss by “bringing backmottainai” (wasting nothing). This championing of community power risks masking the fact that food insecurity is in part a result of the failure of public safety nets.
Charity and Philanthropy in South Asia: An introduction
Authors: OSELLA FILIPPO
Published: March 2018

There are no reliable figures to help us measure the volume of charitable donations in South Asia but, according to the 2014 World Giving Index, Sri Lanka is ranked ninth in the world for the charitable efforts of its citizens, while other South Asian countries figure in the top 75 out of 135 countries surveyed. According to the same index, India comes first in the world for the overall number of people donating money to charities and volunteering for social causes; Pakistan is ranked sixth for the number of charitable donations; India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are within the top ten countries for the number of people who have ‘helped a stranger’ in the 12 months prior to the survey. According to a 2001 survey by the Sampradaan Centre for Indian Philanthropy, among members of the A–C socio-economic classes, 96 per cent of respondents donated annually an average of Rs 1,420. The total amount donated was Rs 16.16 billion. Two surveys conducted in West Bengal and Sri Lanka suggest that South Asians across the social spectrum contribute readily to charity.