bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Secukinumab in der Behandlung der Plaque-Psoriasis bei Krebspatienten
Authors: Gambardella Alessio
Published: February 2020

Die Datenlage ist zwar widersprüchlich, doch es sieht so aus, als sei Psoriasis mit einem erhöhten Grundrisiko für maligne Erkrankungen assoziiert. Zusätzlich sind verschiedene systemische Psoriasis-Therapien mit einem erhöhten Risiko für maligne Erkrankungen in Zusammenhang gebracht worden. Zur Assoziation von Inhibitoren der Interleukine IL-17 und IL-23 mit der Rate maligner Erkrankungen liegen keine ausreichenden Daten vor, doch bisher sind keine Fälle bekannt. Secukinumab ist ein rekombinanter humaner monoklonaler Immunglobulin-G1/κ-Antikörper, der selektiv an IL-17A bindet; er ist nachweislich wirksam und sicher in der Behandlung von mittelschwerer bis schwerer Psoriasis und somit potenziell geeignet für besonders geschwächte Patienten, die z.B. bereits eine maligne Erkrankung hatten, wie im hier beschriebenen Fall.
Entwicklung und Anwendung der Lebensqualitätserfassung in der Dermatologie
Authors: Chernyshov Pavel V.
Published: February 2020

Die Entwicklung des Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) Fragebogens erleichterte die Durchführung zahlreicher Studien zu den Auswirkungen von Hautkrankheiten auf die Lebensqualität (quality of life, QoL) der Patienten. Viele nationale und internationale Leitlinien empfehlen die Erfassung der Lebensqualität in der Dermatologie und einige enthalten detaillierte Empfehlungen zu den Behandlungszielen und Änderungen von Behandlungsansätzen entsprechend den DLQI-Score-Gruppen und dem geringsten klinisch relevanten Unterschied. Die Methoden zur Entwicklung und Validierung von QoL-Instrumenten werden kontinuierlich strenger. Initiativen zur Auswahl von Core Outcome Sets für Hautkrankheiten sind auf klinische Studien ausgerichtet, können aber auch für Kliniker hilfreich sein. Die Verwendung von QoL-Daten in der klinischen Praxis ist mit verschiedenen Vorteilen verbunden, doch liegen derzeit nur sehr begrenzte Erfahrungen damit vor. Die Erfassung der Lebensqualität in der Dermatologie entwickelt sich rasant und verlagert sich allmählich von der Theorie in die Praxis.
Cytomegalovirus Colitis Mimicking Rectal Tumour in an Undiagnosed HIV Patient
Authors: Rocha Manuel , Borges Verónica , Simões Guilherme , Santos Sara , Gamelas Verónica , Bernardes Carlos
Published: February 2020

Introduction: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common opportunistic agent in HIV-infected patients. It can affect the entire gastrointestinal tract, but frequently involves the oesophagus and the colon. Case Report: We report the case of a 70-year-old female, ultimately diagnosed with HIV infection, whose inaugural clinical manifestation was CMV colitis with endoscopic findings resembling a rectal tumour in which initial histological evaluation was not able to provide a proper diagnosis. Discussion/Conclusion: Since clinical presentation is variable and histopathological yield without immunohistochemical analysis is poor, recognizing CMV infection in the absence of known risk factors may be difficult. It is crucial to consider this entity with suspicious lesions or when initial evaluation, either clinical or histopathological, is inconclusive, thus avoiding potentially debilitating and superfluous treatment or life-threatening complications.
Aortic Calcification and Arterial Stiffness Burden in a Chronic Kidney Disease Cohort with High Cardiovascular Risk: Baseline Characteristics of the Impact of Phosphate Reduction On Vascular End-Points in Chronic Kidney Disease Trial
Authors: Lioufas Nicole M. , Pedagogos Eugenia , Hawley Carmel M. , Pascoe Elaine M. , Elder Grahame J. , Badve Sunil V. , Valks Andrea , Toussaint Nigel D. ,   on behalf of the IMPROVE-CKD Investigators
Published: February 2020

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with excess cardiovascular morbidity and mortality compared to the general population. Hyperphosphataemia, associated with vascular calcification and arterial stiffness, may play a key role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease (CVD) associated with CKD, although phosphate reduction strategies have not consistently proven to beneficially affect clinically relevant outcomes. The IMpact of Phosphate Reduction On Vascular End-points in CKD (IMPROVE-CKD) study is an international, multi-centre, randomized, placebo-controlled trial investigating the effect of the phosphate binder lanthanum carbonate on intermediate cardiovascular markers in patients with stage 3b–4 CKD. The primary end-point is change in carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV, SphygmoCor) after 96 weeks. Secondary outcomes include change in abdominal aortic calcification (AAC, computed tomography), serum phosphate and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23). In total, 278 participants were recruited and randomized, mean age 63 ± 13 years, 69% male, 45% diabetes, 32% CVD, 33% stage 3b CKD and 67% stage 4 CKD. Mean estimated glomerular filtration rate and serum phosphate were 26.6 ± 8.3 mL/min/1.72 m2 and 1.25 ± 0.20 mmol/L, respectively. Median (interquartile range) intact and c-terminal FGF-23 levels were 133.0 (89.1–202) pg/mL and 221.1 (154.3–334.1) RU/mL, respectively. Mean PWV was 10.8 ± 3.6 m/s and 81% had AAC (median Agatston score 1,535 [63–5,744] Hounsfield units). PWV ≥10 m/s was associated with older age, diabetes, CVD, presence of AAC, higher systolic blood pressure (BP), larger waist circumference and higher alkaline phosphatase. AAC was associated with older age, male sex, diabetes, CVD, higher diastolic BP, dyslipidaemia (and use of statins), smoking, larger waist circumference and increased PWV. In conclusion, IMPROVE-CKD participants had high baseline risk for cardiovascular events, as suggested by high baseline PWV and AAC values.
Pluteus keselakii (Pluteaceae, Agaricales), a new species in section Celluloderma

Authors: ŠEVČÍKOVÁ HANA , MOREAU PIERRE-ARTHUR , BOROVIČKA JAN
Published: February 2020

Pluteus keselakii, a new species in the section Celluloderma, is described and illustrated based on collections from Slovakia and France. Pluteus keselakii is characterised by a brown pileipellis largely composed of sphaeropedunculate to broadly clavate elements, a whitish stipe covered entirely by distinct brown floccules consisting of caulocystidia in tufts, narrowly utriform to utriform or fusiform pleurocystidia with obtuse apex and a brown lamella edge (at least near the pileus margin). Pluteus keselakii is macromorphologically similar to P. floccipes and phylogenetically (ITS rDNA) close to P. multiformis. The distinctive sequences of the ITS and EF1-α gene regions, however, support the status of P. keselakii as a new species.
On the Relationship between the African Easterly Jet, Saharan Mineral Dust Aerosols, and West African Precipitation
Authors: Bercos-Hickey Emily , Nathan Terrence R. , Chen Shu-Hua
Published: February 2020

The relationship between the African easterly jet (AEJ), Saharan mineral dust (SMD) aerosols, and West African precipitation (WAP) is examined using European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts interim reanalysis (ERA-Interim) data, the NASA Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2), and the NASA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) for July–September 1998–2017. The spatial orientation and structure of AEJs in different SMD–WAP environments are compared. In dustier years, the AEJ is farther east and stronger, rotates clockwise, and has larger zonal and vertical shears. In wetter years, the AEJ is farther north, has a shorter zonal extent, and has larger meridional shear. These changes to the AEJ are a response to the combined effects of the SMD and WAP on the thermal field, which is confirmed through sensitivity tests carried out with the Weather Research and Forecasting Model coupled to an interactive dust model.
Identifying the Sources of Continental Summertime Temperature Variance Using a Diagnostic Model of Land–Atmosphere Interactions
Authors: Zeppetello L. R. Vargas , Tétreault-Pinard Étienne , Battisti D. S. , Baker M. B.
Published: February 2020

Climate models show that soil moisture and its subseasonal fluctuations have important impacts on the surface latent heat flux, thus regulating surface temperature variations. Using correlations between monthly anomalies in net absorbed radiative fluxes, precipitation, 2-m air temperature, and soil moisture in the ERA-Interim reanalysis and the HadCM3 climate model, we develop a linear diagnostic model to quantify the major effects of land–atmosphere interactions on summertime surface temperature variability. The spatial patterns in 2-m air temperature and soil moisture variance from the diagnostic model are consistent with those from the products from which it was derived, although the diagnostic model generally underpredicts soil moisture variance. We use the diagnostic model to quantify the impact of soil moisture, shortwave radiation, and precipitation anomalies on temperature variance in wet and dry regions. Consistent with other studies, we find that fluctuations in soil moisture amplify temperature variance in dry regions through their impact on latent heat flux, whereas in wet regions temperature variability is muted because of high mean evapotranspiration rates afforded by plentiful surface soil moisture. We demonstrate how the diagnostic model can be used to identify sources of temperature variance bias in climate models.
On the Emergence of the Atlantic Multidecadal SST Signal: A Key Role of the Mixed Layer Depth Variability Driven by North Atlantic Oscillation
Authors: Yamamoto Ayako , Tatebe Hiroaki , Nonaka Masami
Published: February 2020

Despite its wide-ranging potential impacts, the exact cause of the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation/variability (AMO/AMV) is far from settled. While the emergence of the AMO sea surface temperature (SST) pattern has been conventionally attributed to the ocean heat transport, a recent study showed that the atmospheric stochastic forcing is sufficient. In this study, we resolve this conundrum by partitioning the multidecadal SST tendency into a part caused by surface heat fluxes and another by ocean dynamics, using a preindustrial control simulation of a state-of-the-art coupled climate model. In the model, horizontal ocean heat advection primarily acts to warm the subpolar SST as in previous studies; however, when the vertical component is also considered, the ocean dynamics overall acts to cool the region. Alternatively, the heat flux term is primarily responsible for the subpolar North Atlantic SST warming, although the associated surface heat flux anomalies are upward as observed. Further decomposition of the heat flux term reveals that it is the mixed layer depth (MLD) deepening that makes the ocean less susceptible for cooling, thus leading to relative warming by increasing the ocean heat capacity. This role of the MLD variability in the AMO signature had not been addressed in previous studies. The MLD variability is primarily induced by the anomalous salinity transport by the Gulf Stream modulated by the multidecadal North Atlantic Oscillation, with turbulent fluxes playing a secondary role. Thus, depending on how we interpret the MLD variability, our results support the two previously suggested frameworks, yet slightly modifying the previous notions.
Evaluation of the Grell–Freitas Convective Scheme in the Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) Model
Authors: Biswas Mrinal K. , Zhang Jun A. , Grell Evelyn , Kalina Evan , Newman Kathryn , Bernardet Ligia , Carson Laurie , Frimel James , Grell Georg
Published: February 2020

The Developmental Testbed Center (DTC) tested two convective parameterization schemes in the Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) Model and compared them in terms of performance of forecasting tropical cyclones (TCs). Several TC forecasts were conducted with the scale-aware Simplified Arakawa Schubert (SAS) and Grell–Freitas (GF) convective schemes over the Atlantic basin. For this sample of over 100 cases, the storm track and intensity forecasts were superior for the GF scheme compared to SAS. A case study showed improved storm structure for GF when compared with radar observations. The GF run had increased inflow in the boundary layer, which resulted in higher angular momentum. An angular momentum budget analysis shows that the difference in the contribution of the eddy transport to the total angular momentum tendency is small between the two forecasts. The main difference is in the mean transport term, especially in the boundary layer. The temperature tendencies indicate higher contribution from the microphysics and cumulus heating above the boundary layer in the GF run. A temperature budget analysis indicated that both the temperature advection and diabatic heating were the dominant terms and they were larger near the storm center in the GF run than in the SAS run. The above results support the superior performance of the GF scheme for TC intensity forecast.
Effect of Laryngeal Suspension and Upper Esophageal Sphincter Myotomy for Severe Dysphagia Due to Brainstem Disease
Authors: Shibata Seiko , Kagaya Hitoshi , Ozeki Yasunori , Saitoh Eiichi , Aoyagi Yoichiro , Iwata Yoshihiro , Sakurai Kazuo
Published: February 2020

Objectives:

Surgical procedure is considered in patients with severe dysphagia when conservative treatment fails. This study aimed to evaluate laryngeal suspension (LS) and upper esophageal sphincter (UES) myotomy for treating severe dysphagia due to brain disease.

Methods:

Fourteen patients underwent LS and UES myotomy, with a median follow-up of 5 years and 6 months when conservative treatment failed. The penetration-aspiration scale (PAS), the Dysphagia Severity Scale (DSS), the Eating Status Scale (ESS), and diet contents were evaluated just before surgery, at discharge, and at the last follow-up.

Results:

Preoperative intake was tube feeding in all patients. The patients learned the extended head and flexed neck posture to open the esophageal inlet. PAS, DSS and ESS scores, and diet contents were significantly improved at discharge compared with before surgery, and were maintained until the last follow-up. Eight patients had pneumonia during their hospital stay, and five had pneumonia between discharge and at the last follow-up. Age was significantly, negatively correlated with DSS and ESS at the last follow-up.

Conclusion:

Although LS and UES myotomy require a long inpatient rehabilitation and the risk of pneumonia after surgery is high, the outcome is favorable and the effects last for a long time.
Using a 4K-3D Exoscope for Upper Airway Stimulation Surgery: Proof-of-Concept
Authors: Patel Vijay A. , Goyal Neerav
Published: February 2020

Objective:

Demonstrate the potential of the 4K-3D exoscope during upper airway stimulation surgery (UAS).

Methods:

A proof-of-concept study was performed to evaluate the feasibility of the exoscope during three consecutive UAS.

Results:

The exoscope was employed during UAS including cuff electrode and sensing lead placement. Three cases were successfully completed without adverse perioperative event; mean operative time was 200 minutes (range 188-218 minutes) with a successive reduction in operative time.

Conclusion:

This experience demonstrates the potential viability of the exoscope for UAS; it is a safe, innovative, and effective alternative or adjunct to existing visualization modalities. Notable advantages include improved ergonomics, unobstructed surgical field access, wide depth of field visualization, and short learning curve. Future technological enhancements could allow the exoscope to become a promising next-generation tool in the armamentarium of the contemporary sleep surgeon.
Handwriting Delay in Dyslexia: Children at the End of Primary School Still Make Numerous Short Pauses When Producing Letters
Authors: Alamargot Denis , Morin Marie-France , Simard-Dupuis Erika
Published: February 2020

Developmental dyslexia is defined as a specific reading disorder but is also thought to be underpinned by a deficit in motor skills that may well affect handwriting performance. However, the results of studies addressing this issue are not consistent. The present study was, therefore, designed to better understand the functioning of handwriting in children with dyslexia, by conducting an analysis of the legibility and fluency of handwritten letters, supplemented by an assessment of motor skills. The performances of 15 children with dyslexia ( Mage = 11.4 years) were compared with those of two groups of typically developing children, one matched for chronological age, the other for orthographic level ( Mage = 8.7 years) on two handwriting measures (production of the letters of the alphabet and the child’s first name and surname). Results revealed a delay in motor skills, as well as in letter legibility, letter production duration, and the number of short pauses (i.e., lasting between 20 and 199 ms) made during letter production, in the children with dyslexia, with strong negative correlations between motor skills and the number of short pauses. Results are discussed in the context of handwriting control development in children, and perspectives are set out for practitioners.
Local, global and fragmented narratives about road construction: An invitation to look beyond our disciplinary space
Authors: De Greiff A. Alexis , Herazo Ericka L , Soto Triana Joan Sebastian
Published: February 2020

This article presents an overview of selected works on roads, bringing examples from studies concerned with different geographical and disciplinary perspectives, paying special attention to studies about roads in the “South”. In this vein, it seems to us that the gap between external and internal histories of technology still prevails. Such a gap has produced a fragmented narrative. If we want to advance in the understanding of infrastructure, we have to make an extra-effort to widen our view beyond the established knowledge: other disciplines have investigated some dimensions of the issues and we must take into account them, at least as part of our state of the art. We show that partial viewpoints leave in the shadow important actors, local innovations and negotiations, which are essential to understand the political economy of transport infrastructure. Perhaps the best strategy is working with colleagues from other disciplines.
Age- and Sex-Related Differences in Nonfatal Dog Bite Injuries Among Persons Aged 0-19 Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments, United States, 2001-2017
Authors: Basco Adelaide Newman , McCormack Emma Reiss , Basco William T.
Published: February 2020

Objective:

No studies using national data have evaluated changes in nonfatal dog bite injuries among children, adolescents, and young adults during the past 2 decades. We examined estimates of annual nonfatal dog bite injuries among persons aged 0-19 treated in US emergency departments (EDs) from 2001 through 2017.

Methods:

We examined data from the Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System to compare estimates of the annual rates of nonfatal dog bite injuries in EDs among all persons aged 0-19, by age group (0-4, 5-9, 10-14, and 15-19), and by sex. We determined significance by comparing 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and we standardized rate calculations to the year 2000 population.

Results:

During 2001-2017, an estimated 2 406 109 (95% CI, 2 102 643-2 709 573) persons aged 0-19 were treated in EDs for nonfatal dog bite injuries (age-adjusted rate of 173.1 per 100 000 persons aged 0-19). The estimated number of nonfatal dog bite injuries declined significantly, from 181 090 (95% CI, 158 315-203 864) in 2001 to 118 800 (95% CI, 97 933-139 667) in 2017. The highest rate was among children aged 5-9. Male children, adolescents, and young adults were significantly more likely than female children, adolescents, and young adults to be treated in the ED for nonfatal dog bite injuries, driven by male–female differences in children and adolescents aged 5-14.

Conclusions:

Although the estimated number of nonfatal dog bite injuries among persons aged 0-19 declined significantly in the past 2 decades, additional regulatory and educational efforts specific to age and sex may lead to further reductions in nonfatal dog bite injuries.
Literary and political strategies in a literary field: The case of Tahar Ouettar
Authors: Leperlier Tristan
Published: February 2020

This article aims to show the relationship writers have with politics, especially in historical circumstances where the literary field enjoys little autonomy. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s field theory, I use the notion of strategy as a middle point between deterministic and ‘rational choice’ explanations of political stances. For writers, politics can be the continuation of literature by other means. The case under study is the shift of Algerian writer Tahar Ouettar from the left to supporting Islamists during the 1990s civil war. I argue that an explanation of this shift should not rely solely on social provenance, or on opportunism, but rather on his ‘strategic’ attempt to regain a central position in the Algerian literary field. In a civil war context where all literary acts are perceived as political, it was his competition with other main writers such as Rachid Boudjedra, who happened to be anti-Islamist, that led him to support the opposite side. Beyond just the writer’s relative position in the Algerian literary field, the specific structuring of the field (bilingual and transnational) also helps to understand the strategies developed by this writer.
Relational work and careers of intimacy: Rethinking the cultural interpretation of the sex trade in Vietnam
Authors: Lainez Nicolas
Published: February 2020

Cultural interpretations of the sex trade are pervasive in Southeast Asia, in particular, the argument that daughters enrol in sex work to repay a debt of life and support their parents. While useful to illuminate the role of culture in shaping economic action, this narrative carries the risk of viewing people as robots guided by stable and supra-individual forces. Drawing on ethnographic data collected in Southern Vietnam and Cambodia on precarious and indebted Vietnamese families that encourage their daughters to sell sex, this article disturbs deterministic cultural accounts of sex work by describing how families interpret, negotiate and (re)produce cultural scripts through relational work. More specifically, it shows how these families draw from familistic scripts about hierarchy, duty and sacrifice conveyed in popular culture to assemble relational packages. Deeply imbued in affective undercurrents and power asymmetry, these packages allow families to negotiate taboo trades like the repayment of debt through the sale of their daughter’s virginity. Overall, a relational work framework provides a better understanding of female participation in the sex trade in Vietnam than explanations based on normative accounts of culture or problematic trafficking binaries.
The spatial varying relationship between services of the train network and residential property values in Melbourne, Australia
Authors: Li Qianyao , Wang Junwu , Callanan Judith , Lu Binbin , Guo Zeng
Published: February 2020

This study investigates the spatial effects of the service frequency and transport interchange facilities of rail stations on residential property values for the entire metropolitan train network in Melbourne. Residential properties are classified as either detached or attached dwellings. Given that a traditional hedonic price model cannot handle the spatial dependence and spatial non-stationarity of the housing market, several geographically weighted regression (GWR) models are used and multicollinearity is considered; the model with the Euclidean distance metric outperforms others. Results indicate that the service frequency and facilities of the stations influence the residential property values in a spatially variable way. For every 1 km closer to the train stations, an increase in the frequency of the train services per unit results in a change in the residential property values ranging from −4.01% to 2.71%; an improvement in the transport interchange facilities per unit results in a change in the residential property values ranging from −29.93% to 47.04%. Crime and retail activities that indirectly affect the relationship between rail stations and residential property values are also identified. For every 1 km closer to the train stations, the crime density increases significantly from 5.64% to 42.88% and this occurs in one-fifth of the areas in Melbourne. In contrast, the relationship between retail activities and train stations remains spatially stable. This study complements the relatively scarce literature on the link between railway service levels and residential property values while extending the case study to the local level.
Robust online model predictive control for image-based visual servoing in polar coordinates
Authors: Liu Shuting , Dong Jiuxiang
Published: February 2020

In this paper, a novel robust online model predictive control (RMPC) method for image-based visual servoing (IBVS) in polar coordinates is proposed. First, the Jacobian matrix is transformed into a weighted combination of vertex matrices of convex polytopic by tensor product (TP) model transformation method. Then, a new IBVS control design condition for 6-DOF manipulator submitting to robot physical limitations and visibility constraints is obtained in polar coordinates by using RMPC technique. The optimal value of the control signal can be solved online when carrying out the convex optimization problem. The proposed control strategy can effectively improve the trajectory in the case that involves translation and rotation with fast response while averting the pseudo-inverse of the image Jacobian matrix. Conclusively, the effectiveness of the proposed scheme is validated by simulations and experiments on a 6-DOF manipulator.
An exemplar model should be able to explain all syntactic priming phenomena: A commentary on Ambridge (2020)
Authors: Messenger Katherine , Hardy Sophie M. , Coumel Marion
Published: February 2020

The authors argue that Ambridge’s radical exemplar account of language cannot clearly explain all syntactic priming evidence, such as inverse preference effects ( greater priming for less frequent structures), and the contrast between short-lived lexical boost and long-lived abstract priming. Moreover, without recourse to a level of abstract syntactic structure, Ambridge’s account cannot explain abstract priming in amnesia patients or cross-linguistic priming. Instead, the authors argue that abstract representations remain the more parsimonious account for the wide variety of syntactic priming phenomena.
Employed Vocational Rehabilitation Applicants with Visual Disabilities: Factors Associated with Timely Service Delivery
Authors: Crudden Adele , Sui Zhen , Lund Emily
Published: February 2020

Introduction:

Employed applicants for vocational rehabilitation need timely services to improve the likelihood of their successful job retention or career advancement. Little research exists that examines timeliness of services among employed applicants, particularly for applicants with visual disabilities. This study investigated time from vocational rehabilitation application to a signed Individualized Plan for Emplolyment (IPE) for employed applicants with visual disabilities.

Method:

The sample of 5,096 competitively employed vocational rehabilitation applicants from the FY2015 RSA-911 report was combined with survey responses from 51 vocational rehabilitation agencies about services to persons with visual disabilities. Multilevel modeling was used to examine effects of state-level and individual-level characteristics and cross-level interactions on the length of waiting time from vocational rehabilitation application to signed IPE.

Results:

The time from application to IPE was shorter for employed applicants with visual disabilities who received services from separate vocational rehabilitation agencies compared to that of combined vocational rehabilitation agencies. Employed vocational rehabilitation applicants with visual disabilities waited longer if they were younger, non-White, or received disability benefits. Official job-retention policies in state vocational rehabilitation agencies appeared to reduce the delay of IPE implementation for persons with secondary disabilities, for applicants who received disability benefits, and for persons who worked more hours per week.

Discussion:

Additional research to determine how vocational rehabilitation can provide services to employed persons as soon as possible after application is indicated, particularly for persons applying to combined agencies.

Implications for practitioners:

Vocational rehabilitation providers should explore ways to expedite service delivery, particularly for persons who are younger, non-White, or receiving disability benefits. Implementing official vocational rehabilitation policies for addressing job-retention and career-advancement cases may be one avenue to expedite services to some employed applicants.
An Exploratory Study of General Self-Efficacy and Employment in Adults with Retinitis Pigmentosa
Authors: Zapata Mercedes A.
Published: February 2020

Introduction:

In this study, the author examined the association between general self-efficacy (GSE) and employment status in working-age adults with retinitis pigmentosa (RP; N = 183). The author further examined the associations between employment status and factors that were previously found to be linked to employment outcomes in individuals with visual impairments: educational attainment, mobility tool use (i.e., use of dog guide or cane), ability to drive, age, gender, and age at onset of visual impairment.

Methods:

Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze cross-sectional data collected online in 2015.

Results:

Findings indicated that individuals with RP who have a bachelor’s degree or higher had significantly higher odds of being employed ( p < .01) and that individuals with RP who use a cane or dog guide had significantly lower odds of being employed ( p < .01). Although not statistically significant, findings further indicated that individuals with RP who have higher GSE had higher odds of being employed ( p = .07) and that individuals who are able to drive had 130% higher odds of being employed ( p = .06).

Discussion:

Results demonstrated an association between GSE and employment status, after controlling for factors that were previously linked to employment outcomes in individuals with visual impairment.

Implications for practitioners:

Self-efficacy is an alterable cognitive construct and may be the target of interventions to increase employment outcomes for adults with RP or other eye conditions.
Overview of Vocational Rehabilitation Data about People with Visual Impairments: Demographics, Services, and Long-Run Labor Market Trends
Authors: Clapp Christopher M. , Pepper John V. , Schmidt Robert , Stern Steven
Published: February 2020

Introduction:

This study describes the characteristics of, services received by, and labor market outcomes of applicants with visual impairments to three state vocational rehabilitation programs. Our objective is to both document cross-state variation in vocational rehabilitation clientele and services and provide new insights on the longitudinal labor market outcomes of clients with visual impairments (i.e., blindness or low vision). This analysis is a first step in assessing the returns to vocational rehabilitation services for this population.

Methods:

We first created a unique longitudinal data set by matching administrative records on applicants who are visually impaired in state fiscal year 2007 from three vocational rehabilitation agencies to 8 years of employment data from state Unemployment Insurance programs. Using these data, we examined cross-state variation in the descriptive statistics for important client explanatory variables and vocational rehabilitation service categories. We then compared the long-term labor market outcomes of clients receiving services (treated) to untreated individuals.

Results:

We documented two important findings. First, there were substantial differences in client characteristics, services provided, and costs across the three states. Second, the long-run labor market analysis was consistent with vocational rehabilitation services having no employment effect but a positive earnings effect.

Discussion:

Labor market results indicate vocational rehabilitation services provided persistent earnings benefits. Yet the substantial cross-state heterogeneity suggests these labor market results might not be generalizable and should be interpreted with caution. We explain what was missing from this analysis and why the results should not be thought of as causal.

Implications for Practitioners:

This article gives practitioners a sense of a unique new data set on vocational rehabilitation and labor market variables for applicants with visual impairments. We highlight the importance of cross-state variation and linking vocational rehabilitation data to long-term employment measures. The question of how best to inform the efficacy of different vocational rehabilitation strategies for clients with visual impairments is left for future researchers to consider.
Rethinking Human Potential From a Talent Development Perspective
Authors: Dai David Yun
Published: February 2020

Historically, the potential of a person has been perceived as fixed and primarily inherited, thus, different from achievement. Current thinking broadens our view of human potential, not as a fixed capacity, but as malleable and incremental, depending on multiple factors, exogenous as well as endogenous, facilitative or inhibitive. This conception opens the door for new ways of thinking about strategies and provisions of gifted education. In this theoretical analysis, I first critique the traditional trait conception of human potential undergirding gifted education practice. I then present an alternative, a process model of talent development, that views human potential as contextually and developmentally shaped, a result of dynamic interplay of endogenous and exogenous forces, revealing the power of nurture as well as nature. Finally, I discuss the policy and practical implications of this new conception of human potential for gifted education.
The ethics of the intellectual: Rereading Edward Said
Authors: Zreik Raef
Published: February 2020

This article is a close reading of Edward Said’s image of the intellectual and offers a critique and restatement of that image. Said characterizes the intellectual in contrast to two other images: the political ideologue and the professional expert. The latter seeks knowledge and sees things as they are but does not see context. The former overlooks particulars, subsuming these within an ultimate context. Said attempts to situate the intellectual in the middle ground between the two. This article suggests that the intellectual so understood could be vulnerable to the same critiques Said applies to the expert and the ideologue.
Some notes on ‘Populism’
Authors: Elster Jon
Published: February 2020

The article criticizes the idea that we can find the ‘real meaning’ of populism and focuses instead on six psychological attitudes and political programmes that the term ‘populism’ can invoke: Lake Wobegon populism, short-termism, Trumpism, the attraction of simple solutions, responses to inequality, and direct democracy. While conceptually distinct, these are often found together and can reinforce each other.
Similarity in Teacher Ratings of the Externalizing Behavior of Twins: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Talbott Elizabeth , Zurheide Jaime L. , Karabatsos George , Kumm Skip
Published: February 2020

Valid and reliable teacher ratings serve as the foundation for screening and assessment of youth with behavioral disorders and twin studies offer an opportunity to study those ratings. We conducted a meta-analysis of 15 empirical investigations of aggressive and rule-breaking behavior using teacher ratings in the context of a twin research design. We retrieved n = 53 correlations from n = 7,885 pairs of monozygotic (MZ) twins and n = 67 correlations from n = 11,696 pairs of dizygotic (DZ) twins with two goals: (a) to test the best-fitting models for predicting similarity (correlations) in teacher ratings of MZ and DZ twin pairs and (b) to identify significant predictors in the respective models. We found that, for both MZ and DZ twins, the best-fitting model included all predictors and interactions. In the MZ model, we found a significant positive interaction between the percentage of same teachers who completed the ratings and male twins; in the DZ model, we found a significant negative interaction between the percentage of same teachers who completed the ratings and opposite sex twins. Teacher ratings converged and diverged in expected ways, advancing research in the context of the attributions-bias-context (ABC) model of informant ratings.
What is rehabilitation? An empirical investigation leading to an evidence-based description
Authors: Wade Derick T
Published: February 2020

Background:

There is no agreement about or understanding of what rehabilitation is; those who pay for it, those who provide it, and those who receive it all have different interpretations. Furthermore, within each group, there will be a variety of opinions. Definitions based on authority or on theory also vary and do not give a clear description of what someone buying, providing, or receiving rehabilitation can actually expect.

Method:

This editorial extracts information from systematic reviews that find rehabilitation to be effective, to discover the key features and to develop an empirical definition.

Findings:

The evidence shows that rehabilitation may benefit any person with a long-lasting disability, arising from any cause, may do so at any stage of the illness, at any age, and may be delivered in any setting. Effective rehabilitation depends on an expert multidisciplinary team, working within the biopsychosocial model of illness and working collaboratively towards agreed goals. The effective general interventions include exercise, practice of tasks, education of and self-management by the patient, and psychosocial support. In addition, a huge range of other interventions may be needed, making rehabilitation an extremely complex process; specific actions must be tailored to the needs, goals, and wishes of the individual patient, but the consequences of any action are unpredictable and may not even be those anticipated.

Conclusion:

Effective rehabilitation is a person-centred process, with treatment tailored to the individual patient’s needs and, importantly, personalized monitoring of changes associated with intervention, with further changes in goals and actions if needed.
Comparative study of the Ambu® AuraOnce™ laryngeal mask and endotracheal intubation in anesthesia airway management during neurosurgery
Authors: Zhang Qiaoyun , Sun Yongxing , Wang Baoguo , Wang Shuangyan , Mu Feng , Zhang Yunxin
Published: February 2020

Objective

To investigate the feasibility and efficacy of the Ambu® AuraOnce™ laryngeal mask (LMA) compared with endotracheal intubation (ETI) during supratentorial tumor resection in the right lateral decubitus position.

Methods

This was a randomized controlled trial of LMA compared with ETI in patients who were scheduled to undergo supratentorial tumor resection in the right lateral decubitus position. The patients were randomized to the LMA (n = 40) and ETI groups (n = 40). The hemodynamic parameters (primary outcome) and mechanical ventilation parameters, anesthetic dose, and complications as well as quality of anesthesia recovery (secondary outcomes) were compared.

Results

Patients in the LMA group exhibited lower mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) compared with ETI. Nine and two patients received esmolol during intubation and extubation, respectively. The airway pressure (AP) in the LMA group was higher compared with the ETI group 60 minutes after the start of surgery. Compared with the ETI group, the sufentanil dose was lower by 24% and the anesthesia recovery rate was better in the LMA group.

Conclusions

LMA can improve hemodynamic stability in patients undergoing supratentorial tumor resection in the right lateral decubitus position. If there is a clinical need and no contraindication, LMA could replace ETI.
Music stimuli in mindfulness meditation: Comparison of musician and non-musician responses
Authors: Hernandez-Ruiz Eugenia , Dvorak Abbey L , Weingarten Kevin
Published: February 2020

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of and preference for different auditory stimuli on mindfulness meditation in musicians. A second purpose was to compare musician responses with non-musician responses from a previous study. A repeated-measures design exposed participants to four auditory stimuli of increased complexity. Participants ( N = 49) were undergraduate musicians with limited mindfulness experience. Data included absorption in music, mindfulness, and preference and usefulness of auditory stimuli. A repeated-measures analysis of covariance, with absorption of music as a covariate, found no significant differences between stimuli on mindfulness meditation according to musicians. Friedman’s analyses of variance indicated that musician rankings of usefulness and preference were significantly different among conditions. Both musicians and non-musicians ranked Melody and Harmony conditions as most preferred and most useful for mindfulness meditation. A mixed effects model with both groups indicated not only a significant effect of auditory stimuli on mindfulness but also interaction due to group status. A significant result was only obtained when the covariate was not considered. Absorption in music scores between groups was significantly higher for musicians than non-musicians. These outcomes support the hypothesis that absorption in music and music expertise may mediate the effect of a music intervention. Clinical implications are discussed.
Of robots and humans: Creating user representations in practice
Authors: Fischer Björn , Östlund Britt , Peine Alexander
Published: February 2020

In this study, we explore the constitution of user representations of robots in design practice. Using the results of ethnographic research in two robot laboratories, we show how user representations emerge in and are entangled with design activities. Our study speaks to the growing popularity of and investment in robotics, robots and other forms of artificial intelligence. Scholars in Science and Technology Studies (STS) have shown that it is often difficult for designers and engineers to develop accurate ideas about potential users of such technologies. However, the social context of robots and design settings themselves have received significantly less attention. Based on our laboratory ethnographies, we argue that the practices in which engineers are engaged are important as they can shape the kind of user images designers create. To capture these dynamics, we propose two new concepts: ‘image-evoking activities’ as well as ‘user image landscape’. Our findings provide pertinent input for researchers, designers and policy-makers, as they raise questions with regards to contemporary fears of robots replacing humans, for the effectiveness of user involvement and participatory design, and for user studies in STS. If design activities co-constitute the user images that engineers develop, a greater awareness is needed specifically of the locales in which the design of robots and other types of technologies takes place.
The Impact of Parental Incarceration on Psychopathy, Crime, and Prison Violence in Women
Authors: Thomson Nicholas D. , Moeller F. Gerard , Amstadter Ananda B. , Svikis Dace , Perera Robert A. , Bjork James M.
Published: February 2020

There is a growing interest in understanding the consequences of parental incarceration. Unfortunately, research exploring the long-term criminological and personality effects in female offspring is limited, particularly among second-generation female offenders. In a sample of 170 female offenders, we first assessed the correlations between psychopathy facets, prison violence, and types of crime. Next, we tested the association between childhood exposure to paternal and/or maternal incarceration on adulthood psychopathic traits, criminal offending, and prospective prison violence over 12 months. Correlations showed the interpersonal facet was positively correlated with fraud-related crime and prison violence. The affective facet was positively correlated with violent crime and prison violence. The behavioral facet was associated with prison violence and drug-related crime. Multinomial logistic regressions showed higher interpersonal facet scores were associated with an increased likelihood of having experienced paternal incarceration. Higher affective facet scores, violent crime, and prison violence were associated with an increased likelihood of having experienced maternal incarceration, regardless of if the father had been incarcerated or not. It is evident that having any parent incarcerated during childhood can be harmful to daughters; however, our findings dovetail with prior research showing that maternal incarceration leads to more detrimental outcomes for women.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation without therapeutic anticoagulation in adults: A systematic review of the current literature
Authors: Fina Dario , Matteucci Matteo , Jiritano Federica , Meani Paolo , Lo Coco Valeria , Kowalewski Mariusz , Maessen Jos , Guazzi Marco , Ballotta Andrea , Ranucci Marco , Lorusso Roberto
Published: February 2020

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is essential for the treatment of refractory cardiopulmonary failure. Its use may be complicated by worse haemorrhagic complications exacerbated by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation–related therapeutic anticoagulation. Progressive technological advancements have made extracorporeal membrane oxygenation components less thrombogenic, potentially allowing its application with temporary avoidance of systemic anticoagulants. A systematic review of all the available experiences, reporting the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation without systemic anticoagulation in the published literature was performed. Only patient series were included, irrespective of the clinical indication. The survival, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system–related dysfunction and complications rates, as well as in-hospital outcome, were analysed. Six studies were selected for the analysis. Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was used in 84% of patients, while veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was applied in the remaining cases. Anticoagulation was avoided because of the high risk of bleeding after cardiac surgery (64%), active major bleeding (23%) or presence of severe traumatic injury (9%). Duration of support ranged from 0.3 to 1128 h. Heparin was antagonized by protamine in all the post-cardiotomy cases. Successfully extracorporeal membrane oxygenation weaning was achieved in 74% of the treated cases, with a hospital discharge of 58% of patients. Rates of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation malfunctioning due to clot formation and blood transfusion requirement varied remarkably in the published series. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation without systemic anticoagulation appears feasible in selected circumstances. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate actual aspects regarding extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system performance, related adverse events and benefits associated with this management.