bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intracranial epidermoid cyst with proliferative folliculosebaceous epithelium: Report of a rare case and discussion on pathogenesis
Authors: Okada Tomu , Fujitsu Kazuhiko , Ichikawa Teruo , Miyahara Kousuke , Tanino Shin , Uriu Yasuhiro , Hataoka Synsuke , Tanaka Yuusuke , Suzuki Kouji , Niino Hitosi , Yagishita Saburou , Kato Ikuma
Published: June 2018

Intracranial epidermoid cysts are rarely known to increase in size over a brief period. While malignant transformations of epidermoid cyst have been previously described, no reports to date have described rapid proliferation accompanied by mature hair follicles and sebaceous glands without malignant transformations. The present case involved a 71‐year‐old man who visited a local physician with disturbance of equilibrium. A mass lesion was detected at the left cerebellopontine angle and was subsequently removed. Histopathological diagnosis of this lesion was as an epidermoid cyst. Seventeen years after this initial surgery, worsened left hypoacusis, disorientation, eating disorder and gait disturbance appeared, and the patient visited the physician again. Local recurrence of the lesion was observed, and the patient was referred to our hospital for its removal. Intraoperative findings revealed a pearly white tumor, histopathologically diagnosed as an epidermoid cyst. Three years later, local recurrence was observed, and the cyst was again removed. Intraoperative findings revealed a partially pearly white tumor similar to the tumor observed during the second surgery, but the majority of the tumor was non‐shiny, ochre‐colored and suckable. Histopathological diagnosis was an epidermoid cyst with an epidermis‐like structure. Postoperative activities of daily living were independent thereafter, but from March of the following year, he began to experience increasing difficulty in walking and subsequently visited our hospital again. Tumor recurrence was observed and was removed again in November of the same year. Intraoperative findings revealed a tumor that was primarily ochre‐colored, non‐shiny, brittle and suckable. The histopathological diagnosis was folliculosebaceous epithelial proliferative lesion accompanied by an epidermis‐like epithelium and a differentiation into hair follicles and sebaceous gland,s and the tumor was determined to be an epidermoid cyst with proliferative folliculosebaceous epithelium.
Applications of genomics to slow the spread of multidrug‐resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Authors: Mortimer Tatum D. , Grad Yonatan H.
Published: June 2018

Infections with Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a sexually transmitted pathogen that causes urethritis, cervicitis, and more severe complications, are increasing. Gonorrhea is typically treated with antibiotics; however, N. gonorrhoeae has rapidly acquired resistance to many antibiotic classes, and lineages with reduced susceptibility to the currently recommended therapies are emerging worldwide. In this review, we discuss the contributions of whole genome sequencing (WGS) to our understanding of resistant N. gonorrhoeae. Genomics has illuminated the evolutionary origins and population structure of N. gonorrhoeae and the magnitude of horizontal gene transfer within and between Neisseria species. WGS can be used to predict the susceptibility of N. gonorrhoeae based on known resistance determinants, track the spread of these determinants throughout the N. gonorrhoeae population, and identify novel loci contributing to resistance. WGS has also allowed more detailed epidemiological analysis of transmission of N. gonorrhoeae between individuals and populations than previously used typing methods. Ongoing N. gonorrhoeae genomics will complement other laboratory techniques to understand the biology and evolution of the pathogen, improve diagnostics and treatment in the clinic, and inform public health policies to limit the impact of antibiotic resistance.
The story of life: critical insights from evolutionary biology
Authors: Paulson Steve , Chang Melanie Lee , Tattersall Ian , Morris Simon Conway
Published: June 2018

The notion that humans, in all their complexity, are merely an evolutionary accident, an insignificant speck in a boundless cosmos, is deeply unsatisfying for most nonscientists and fails to resonate with their life experience. What, then, can evolutionary biology ultimately tell us about the meaning of our lives? In conversation with Steve Paulson, executive producer and host of To the Best of Our Knowledge, paleoanthropologists Melanie Lee Chang and Ian Tattersall, and paleontologist Simon Conway Morris share their insights on these competing concepts and explain how meaning and purpose can be gleaned from the remarkable story of life itself.
Utility of gabapentin in meeting physical therapy goals following posterior spinal fusion in adolescent patients with idiopathic scoliosis
Authors: Thomas James J. , Levek Claire , Quick Hannah D. , Brinton John T. , Garg Sumeet , Cohen Mindy N.
Published: June 2018

Summary of Background Data

Posterior spinal fusion surgery for scoliosis requires extensive postoperative analgesic care. In 2014, we initiated the use of gabapentin as an adjunct for multimodal pain management in spine fusion patients. The effect of gabapentin on postoperative recovery in scoliosis patients was evaluated using the time to meet postoperative physical therapy goals. This measure was chosen because the actions required to achieve the goals are specific and reproducible. Secondary outcomes included morphine equivalents and maximum pain scores.

Aims

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of gabapentin on time to achieve physical therapy goals following posterior spinal fusion in adolescents with scoliosis.

Methods

A retrospective chart review was performed and patients treated perioperatively with gabapentin were compared with those who did not receive gabapentin. Outcome measures included the postoperative day that physical therapy goals were met, days to discharge, morphine equivalents, and maximum pain scores. The 4 physical therapy goals included logroll, transition from lying to sitting, ambulate 250 feet, and ascend/descend at least 3 stairs.

Results

There were 50 patients in the gabapentin group and 51 patients in the control group. In the gabapentin group, there was a statistically significant decrease in the time required to meet physical therapy goals. Notably, gabapentin was independently associated with a 5.34 times higher odds of completion of the most challenging physical therapy goal (stairs) within 1 day (P = .04; 95% CI=1.24‐37.44). There was not a statistically significant difference in length of hospital stay between the groups (P = .116; 95% CI=0‐1).

Conclusion

In this retrospective analysis, the use of perioperative gabapentin is associated with a statistically significant decrease in time to completing physical therapy goals after spinal fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
Ambiguity and Zeugma
Authors: Viebahn Emanuel
Published: June 2018

In arguing against a supposed ambiguity, philosophers often rely on the zeugma test. In an application of the zeugma test, a supposedly ambiguous expression is placed in a sentence in which several of its supposed meanings are forced together. If the resulting sentence sounds zeugmatic, that is taken as evidence for ambiguity; if it does not sound zeugmatic, that is taken as evidence against ambiguity. The aim of this article is to show that arguments based on the second direction of the test are misguided: ambiguous expressions, and in particular philosophically contested ones, do not reliably lead to zeugmaticity, so an absence of zeugmaticity provides no meaningful evidence for an absence of ambiguity.
Analysis of faith
Authors: Rettler Bradley
Published: June 2018

In recent years, many philosophers of religion have turned their attention to the topic of faith. Given the ubiquity of the word “faith” both in and out of religious contexts, many of them have chosen to begin their forays by offering an analysis of faith. But it seems that there are many kinds of faith: religious faith, non‐religious faith, interpersonal faith, and propositional faith, to name a few. In this article, I discuss analyses of faith that have been offered and point out the dimensions along which they differ.
On the role of weights rounding in applications of resampling based on pseudopopulations
Authors: Andreis F. , Conti P.L. , Mecatti F.
Published: June 2018

Resampling methods are widely studied and increasingly employed in applied research and practice. When dealing with complex sampling designs, common resampling techniques require adjusting noninteger sampling weights in order to construct the so called “pseudopopulation” in order to perform the actual resampling. The practice of rounding, however, has been empirically shown to be harmful under general designs. In this paper, we present asymptotic results concerning, in particular, the practice of rounding resampling weights to the nearest integer, an approach that is commonly adopted by virtue of its reduced computational burden, as opposed to randomization‐based alternatives. We prove that such approach leads to nonconsistent estimation of the distribution function of the survey variable; we provide empirical evidence of the practical consequences of the nonconsistency when the point estimation of the variance of complex estimators is of interest.
Can swap line arrangements help solve the Triffin dilemma? How?
Authors: Seghezza Elena
Published: June 2018

The recent massive rise in the currency reserves of emerging countries has once again brought the Triffin dilemma to the fore, albeit different to the past. At all the events, new tools for the creation of international liquidity emerged during the global financial crisis of 2007–08, including bilateral swap line arrangements (BSAs). These arrangements ultimately constitute a form of lending of last resort. Therefore, for emerging countries, they can substitute currency reserves and help resolve the Triffin dilemma. In this manner, the stipulation of BSAs by advanced countries, although motivated by domestic reasons, contributes to international financial stability. Providing access to these arrangements automatically would contradict the principle of constructive ambiguity and the discretion that should be at the base of the lending of last resort also at the international level.
Longitudinal Study of Effectiveness of a Patient‐Centered Self‐Management Empowerment Intervention During Predischarge Planning on Stroke Survivors
Authors: Chen Lu , Chen Yan , Chen Xiangyu , Shen Xiaofang , Wang Qing , Sun Chunyan
Published: June 2018

Purpose

To examine the effectiveness of a patient‐centered self‐management empowerment intervention (PCSMEI) on self‐efficacy, activities of daily living (ADL), and rehospitalization of first‐time stroke survivors.

Methods

One hundred forty‐four first‐time stroke survivors were recruited from a comprehensive hospital in China. The intervention group (IG; n = 72) received a PCSMEI, whereas the control group (CG; n = 72) received routine care. The data on self‐efficacy and ADL were collected at baseline (T0), on discharge (T1), 1‐month postdischarge (T2), and 3 months postdischarge (T3) while the rehospitalization was collected at T2 and T3. The general estimation equations model was used to examine the effects of the PCSMEI program on the outcome variables.

Results

One hundred twenty‐six participants finished the study (IG: n = 64; CG: n = 62). Compared with the CG, patients in the IG showed significant higher level in self‐efficacy on discharge (p = .014), 1‐month postdischarge (p = .008), and 3 months postdischarge (p = .023), and higher level in ADL at 3 months postdischarge (p = .044). The rehospitalization rate of the IG was lower than that in the CG at 1‐month postdischarge and 3 months postdischarge, which had clinical significance.

Linking Evidence to Action

PCSMEI is of great value to stroke patients. This paper forms the basis for more widespread implementation of PCSMEI.
Incorporating Design Complexity Measures in Architectural Assessment
Authors: Holtta Katja M. M. , Otto Kevin N.
Published: June 2018

A feature of good modularity is the ease of changing a module within a product. Existing modularity methods use subjective or qualitative attributes to evaluate architectures. We develop a method to relatively compare proposed product architectures according to design complexity. Our metric represents the difficulty that different module boundary interactions, represented by flows in and out of a function, would have in terms of redesign effort. We decomposed medical injector head systems and conducted interviews in two companies to find out a relative redesign effort for various interaction types, e.g. electrical and mechanical connection, signal flows, etc. We found that to change a flow by 1%, 1–4% more design effort is required, depending on the interaction type. We also found that decreasing a flow value causes, in general, less rework than increasing a flow. Our metric proved to be a valuable tool in estimating the redesign difficulty of an architecture.
‘Fun and Freedom’? Kaupapa Māori Approaches in the 48 Hour Film Competition
Authors: Mercier O. Ripeka , Wilson Challen
Published: June 2018

48-Hour Film Competitions give people with a range of film-making experience a forum where their film can be made and screened in a short time in a sport-like arena (Mercier 2014), and the competition supports a wide range of motivations for participating (Mercier and Wilson 2013). While some of the films produced in this contest are worthy of analysis, our research is more concerned with the experiences of film-makers in this forum. As two Māori 48 Hour film-makers ourselves, we applied kaupapa Māori research principles to our interviews and audio commentaries with Aotearoa New Zealand competition participants. This article describes our motivation, rationale and methodology for exploring peoples’ experiences in the competition and shares responses from nine participants who identify as Māori, regarding their own and their teams’ ‘kaupapa Māori’ ways of working within the competition weekend. Our methodology as participant-observers encouraged frank exchanges regarding the challenges from the largely mainstream culture of the competition. Nonetheless we found that participants exhibited autonomy over their goals, process and product during the weekend and the freedom to exhibit not only their Māoritanga, but ‘syncretic cultural practices’ (Smith 2012, 44) that liberate and enable practictioners to retain a playful attitude towards the competition.
‘Tweetube’: Double-Track Communication in Bullet Curtain Websites
Authors: Xu Meng
Published: June 2018

Bullet curtain websites enable viewers to overlay their comments onto uploaded video content. Displayed from right-to-left across the screen, this commentary subtitling resembles a ‘bullet curtain’, so named after bullet curtain games. The experience approximates what it might be like to post tweets on top of YouTube videos. Bullet curtain websites enhance audience engagement with both video and textual elements through two-way communication: When viewers find themselves inspired by a video’s content, they may post their thoughts on this, thereby partaking of intrapersonal communication; after reading these comments, other viewers may react and share their opinions by adding further commentary, a process that belongs to the category of interpersonal communication. These websites facilitate both the recreation of content, and interaction among viewers. Such two-way communication diminishes the physical barriers between viewers and creates a ‘virtual tribe’ viewing experience. This paper discusses the subcultural origins of the bullet curtain website to explain its social and cultural roots. The author conducted the study in China and surveyed 413 bullet curtain users, in order to understand the process and effects of such two-way communication.
Mediating the Real
Authors: Kavka Misha , Overell Rosemary
Published: June 2018

Editorial for the special issue
Baudrillard in a ‘Post-Truth’ World: Groundwork for a Critique of the Rise of Trump
Authors: Nicholls Brett
Published: June 2018

This paper takes the view that Baudrillard’s work on the West’s fascination with reality is as insightful as ever. The paper traces the rise of this fascination across four areas of his work: the critique of the commodity form, the rise of objective reality, hyperreality, and integral reality. I then argue that Baudrillard provides us with a means for adequately understanding and engaging with the current post-truth scandal. My claim is that the essence of’ ‘Trumpism’ is not to be found in a lack of reality, the notion that there is not enough truth in play; it is to be found in the overproduction of a surplus reality that veers out of control into hitherto unknown forms of absurdity, or, in Baudrillard’s terms, into integral reality.
Australian Culinary Television: Visions of the Real
Authors: Lynch Bernardine
Published: June 2018

Ideas of the real are pervasive in contemporary food television programmes, reflecting a broader concern with the real that permeates current Western-centric popular cultural forms. This paper examines television representations of the real in the Australian culinary programme Gourmet Farmer, a series based on the life of host, Matthew Evans, as he creates a new identity as a Tasmanian farmer. It finds that the real is utilised as a powerful form of branding which guides viewers towards alternative forms of consumption, constructed as sustainable and ethical in contrast with non-discretionary consumption associated with mass food production systems. In investigating the television construction of a lifestyle based on artisanal food production and consumptions, this paper explores the aspirations of viewers and the meanings with which food is embedded in this text.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: A Dancer, Her Psychosis, and the Black Swan of the Real
Authors: Stephenson Laura
Published: June 2018

Jacques Lacan argues that self-identification occurs when individuals first see a mirror image of themselves, known in psychoanalytic theory as ‘The Mirror Phase’. Because the individual identifies with this image outside of the self, subjectivity is based upon alienation and misrecognition, creating a dualistic split in the human psyche, and a space between the Imaginary of infancy and the Symbolic of adulthood.Using Black Swan (2010) as a cinematic case study this paper addresses what happens when an individual, during an episode of psychological disturbance (acute psychosis), encounters that problematic space, the Real, in a manner that propels them back into the pre-Mirror stage conflict with the image over an increasingly disarrayed subjectivity. Nina’s psychosis is articulated by the onset of a series of hallucinations, which take place in front of mirrors, signaling the disruptive regression to her infantile mirror phase where she has no unified sense of self.Her psychotic hallucinations are the emergence of the horrific Real, erupting through her reality as she battles with a subjectivity founded on fragmentation and separation. Nina’s cinematic interaction with the Real visually portrays the tension between her malevolent inner ‘black swan’ and the innocent ‘white swan’ that functions as her imago.
Whose Real? Encountering New Frontiers in Westworld
Authors: Jeffs Rory , Blackwood Gemma
Published: June 2018

This article explores the themes of psychoanalysis and Lacanian theory discernible in the HBO version of Westworld (HBO 2016- ). This article argues that it is productive to examine the series through a psychoanalytic lens, especially through Jacques Lacan’s concept of the Real. In an examination of Season One of the series, we argue that this new show – given its focus on psychological landscapes and trauma – requires a deeper textual analysis to uncover similar Lacanian themes. These are themes signposted by the quite literal depictions of therapy sessions shown throughout the season. At the heart of the show lies a double irony about the human and non-human characters in the show. Westworld’s robotic characters are gripped by the complexity of their memories: memories pre-programmed, easily adjusted and changed by the scientists running the park. Then, we see the actual human figures of the show in hot pursuit of violent sexual desires, thoughtlessly enacting free plays of desire without consequence and the conscientious interruption of the superego or the ‘Law’. To explain this, we firstly provide an introduction to the contextual origins of the three psychoanalytic orders (or triad) developed in Lacan’s writings, particularly looking at Seminar II of 1954-1955. Using this framework, we then focus on a textual analysis of four key characters in the series, and how each negotiates journeys through these conceptual/spatial zones that delineate some ‘encounter with the Real’. Finally, we argue that the text’s complex narrative devices become allegorical for the viewer him- or herself as a lost figure in search of answers, allowing a meta-analysis of key themes of the show.
Tensions and Symmetries in the Ethnographic Unconscious: Lacan, Rain of the Children, Cross-Cultural Trauma
Authors: Farnsworth John
Published: June 2018

This paper is situated at the intersection of a number of tensions: the registers of psyche and culture, psychoanalysis and anthropology, colonial and post-colonial, mediation and re-representation. Drawing on Vincent Ward’s Rain of the Children (2008), it proposes a move from a perspective inflected through western epistemes articulated by psychoanalysts such as Lacan to one situated within non-western perspectives. Such perspectives have recently been explored in a variety of fields such as ethnography and STS in a quest to investigate and rework existing, largely western distinctions. Yet such social science approaches are either ambivalent or silent on how psychoanalysis, the unconscious and the constitution of self are reconfigured within these shifting frames of cultural reference. This is the central question for the paper. These issues are further highlighted where difficult questions of suffering emerge, as displayed by the cross-cultural and postcolonial trauma in Ward’s film. Consequently, a key epistemic conundrum emerges in how to engage such diverse cultural perspective when dominant western paradigms are brought into question; the paper illuminates the theoretical and experiential tensions this bring into view.
Sea Change: Transforming Industries, Screens, Texts
Authors: Leotta Alfio
Published: June 2018

Sea Change:Transforming Industries, Screens, Texts
Storytelling for Our Own People: A Reflection on Working with Māori Filmmaker Barry Barclay
Authors: Milligan Christina
Published: June 2018

Māori film director and writer Barry Barclay is recognized among international indigenous filmmakers as a foundational figure.   As a philosopher and a filmmaker, he was fierce in pursuit of what he saw to be tika, that which is true, upright and just.   He worked in an often expensive, always collaborative medium, and his unwillingness to compromise was sometimes seen as intransigence.   He was thus frequently at odds, not just with mainstream film funders and distributors, but also with some of his compatriots in the world of Māori filmmaking.    Yet from my perspective as a producer working with him late in his career, the process of developing a screenplay with him was a constructive, deeply creative experience where disagreements were always focused on enhancing the work itself. While he is best known as a film director, this article is a practice-led exploration of his work as a screenwriter as revealed through two film scripts we worked on in the years between 1995 and 2007.    It discusses his process as a screenwriter on these films, exploring his strengths as a writer while also placing these two projects within the wider frame of his complete oeuvre.
Paratexts, Industrial Reflexivity, Affective Labour and King Kong: Peter Jackson’s Production Diaries
Authors: Jutel Thierry
Published: June 2018

King Kong: Peter Jackson’s Production Diaries (2005), a self-contained DVD package released at the same time as King Kong (2005) is an example of paratext and of what John Caldwell calls ‘industrial reflexivity’. While cast as a direct act of communication with fans and as a means of revealing the behind-the-scene workings of Jackson and his crew, the Production Diaries work also as industrial discourse which seek to portray creative labour as a space of enjoyment, of affective investment and of individual fulfilment within a group of highly talented and motivated individuals. The diaries are both the production and the record of the creative labour and its transformation into a commodified media object through the process of affective labour. The Production Diaries provide an image of production for both external and internal purposes.
Variability due to short-distance favorable sound propagation and its consequences for immission assessment
Authors: Van Renterghem T. , Botteldooren D.
Published: June 2018

The specific noise immission from an (industrial) noise source is commonly assessed by short-term measurements. Good practice prescribes measuring under downwind conditions at modest wind speeds. Nevertheless, this still leads to large variation, even at short distances and needs quantification. More specifically, the variation in sound propagation due to the changing refractive state of the atmosphere and the relatively large variation in soil impedance one can find for (visually determined) “grassland” is studied. Highly detailed meteorological tower data were combined with measured grassland impedances. These data are fed to the full-wave one-directional Green's function parabolic equation sound propagation model. The variation, even under these good-practice measurement conditions, is found to be large, and strongly dependent on sound frequency, source height, receiver height, and propagation distance. When assessing the specific sound pressure level from a multitude of sources, this variation strongly decreases compared to a low-height single source. Besides absolute variations, fluctuations in the transmission loss between a close point and a more distant one are discussed in this paper. The variation ranges give an idea on this systematic uncertainty when performing short-term measurements, and their impact on convergence to yearly averaged equivalent sound pressure levels.
Middleweight black holes found at last
Authors: Clery Daniel
Published: June 2018

Discovery could explain the origin of million-solar-mass monsters at galactic centers.
Noninvasive blood tests for fetal development predict gestational age and preterm delivery
Authors: Ngo Thuy T. M. , Moufarrej Mira N. , Rasmussen Marie-Louise H. , Camunas-Soler Joan , Pan Wenying , Okamoto Jennifer , Neff Norma F. , Liu Keli , Wong Ronald J. , Downes Katheryne , Tibshirani Robert , Shaw Gary M. , Skotte Line , Stevenson David K. , Biggio Joseph R. , Elovitz Michal A. , Melbye Mads , Quake Stephen R.
Published: June 2018

Toward more predictable birthdays

Low-cost methods for monitoring fetal development could improve prenatal care, especially in low-resource settings. By measuring the levels of certain placental RNA transcripts in maternal blood, Ngo
et al.
developed two noninvasive blood tests that provide a window into the progression of individual pregnancies. In a small proof-of-concept study, the first blood test predicted fetal age and delivery date with an accuracy comparable to that of ultrasound. The second blood test, also examined in a small pilot study, discriminated women at risk of preterm delivery from those who delivered at full term. The next step will be to assess the reliability of the tests in large, blinded clinical trials.

Science
, this issue p.
1133
Numerical ordering of zero in honey bees
Authors: Howard Scarlett R. , Avarguès-Weber Aurore , Garcia Jair E. , Greentree Andrew D. , Dyer Adrian G.
Published: June 2018

Understanding zero

It has been said that the development of an understanding of zero by society initiated a major intellectual advance in humans, and we have been thought to be unique in this understanding. Although recent research has shown that some other vertebrates understand the concept of the “empty set,” Howard
et al.
now show that an understanding of this concept is present in untrained honey bees (see the Perspective by Nieder). This finding suggests that such an understanding has evolved independently in distantly related species that deal with complexity in their environments, and that it may be more widespread than previously appreciated.

Science
, this issue p.
1124
; see also p.
1069
Experimental evidence for tipping points in social convention
Authors: Centola Damon , Becker Joshua , Brackbill Devon , Baronchelli Andrea
Published: June 2018

Tipping points in social convention

Once a population has converged on a consensus, how can a group with a minority viewpoint overturn it? Theoretical models have emphasized tipping points, whereby a sufficiently large minority can change the societal norm. Centola
et al.
devised a system to study this in controlled experiments. Groups of people who had achieved a consensus about the name of a person shown in a picture were individually exposed to a confederate who promoted a different name. The only incentive was to coordinate. When the number of confederates was roughly 25% of the group, the opinion of the majority could be tipped to that of the minority.

Science
, this issue p.
1116
Organic matter preserved in 3-billion-year-old mudstones at Gale crater, Mars
Authors: Eigenbrode Jennifer L. , Summons Roger E. , Steele Andrew , Freissinet Caroline , Millan Maëva , Navarro-González Rafael , Sutter Brad , McAdam Amy C. , Franz Heather B. , Glavin Daniel P. , Archer Paul D. , Mahaffy Paul R. , Conrad Pamela G. , Hurowitz Joel A. , Grotzinger John P. , Gupta Sanjeev , Ming Doug W. , Sumner Dawn Y. , Szopa Cyril , Malespin Charles , Buch Arnaud , Coll Patrice
Published: June 2018

Measuring martian organics and methane

The Curiosity rover has been sampling on Mars for the past 5 years (see the Perspective by ten Kate). Eigenbrode
et al.
used two instruments in the SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars) suite to catch traces of complex organics preserved in 3-billion-year-old sediments. Heating the sediments released an array of organics and volatiles reminiscent of organic-rich sedimentary rock found on Earth. Most methane on Earth is produced by biological sources, but numerous abiotic processes have been proposed to explain martian methane. Webster
et al.
report atmospheric measurements of methane covering 3 martian years and found that the background level varies with the local seasons. The seasonal variation provides an important clue for determining the origin of martian methane.

Science
, this issue p.
1096
, p.
1093
; see also p.
1068
What precipitation is extreme?
Authors: Pendergrass Angeline G.
Published: June 2018

How extreme precipitation is defined affects the conclusions drawn about the way it changes with warming
Targeting microbial pathogens
Authors: Thomma Bart P. H. J. , Cook David E.
Published: June 2018

Plants secrete extracellular vesicles to prevent fungal infection
Genealogy databases and the future of criminal investigation
Authors: Ram Natalie , Guerrini Christi J. , McGuire Amy L.
Published: June 2018

The police can access your online family-tree research—and use it to investigate your relatives
Summer reading, science style
Authors: Thompson Valerie , McGuffie Joshua , Murray Taryn S. , Casey Alanna , Croon Djuna Lize , Schultz Darrin , Kern Emily M. , Lerno Larry A. , Götz Charlotte , Andrade Katia
Published: June 2018

Fearing career repercussions, a theoretical physicist calls out a growing crisis. Setting aside DNA for the filing cabinet, a historian unearths a radically new history of human genetics. Pondering the anatomical correlates of human intelligence, a neurologist searches for Einstein's brain. From an eye-opening tour of bioluminescence to an idiosyncratic history of energy, this year's summer reading picks are chock full of thoughtful research and passionately argued perspectives. Savor a round-the-world search for the origins of wine. Dive below the ocean's waves, where fish—some familiar, some outrageous, and some imaginary—shimmer and shoal. Time travel through the Solar System or tag along on a quest to find long-missing shipwrecks.
Orally Efficacious Broad-Spectrum Ribonucleoside Analog Inhibitor of Influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Viruses
Authors: Yoon Jeong-Joong , Toots Mart , Lee Sujin , Lee Myung-Eun , Ludeke Barbara , Luczo Jasmina M. , Ganti Ketaki , Cox Robert M. , Sticher Zachary M. , Edpuganti Vindya , Mitchell Deborah G. , Lockwood Mark A. , Kolykhalov Alexander A. , Greninger Alexander L. , Moore Martin L. , Painter George R. , Lowen Anice C. , Tompkins Stephen M. , Fearns Rachel , Natchus Michael G. , Plemper Richard K.
Published: June 2018

Morbidity and mortality resulting from influenza-like disease are a threat, especially for older adults. To improve case management, next-generation broad-spectrum antiviral therapeutics that are efficacious against major drivers of influenza-like disease, including influenza viruses and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), are urgently needed.
Phase-Variable Genotypes Sweetened by Glycosylation Phenotypes
Authors: Weyand Nathan J.
Published: June 2018

The affordability of bacterial genome sequencing has provided a helpful tool for sequencing large strain collections. Bente Børud (J.
“Pathogen Eradication” and “Emerging Pathogens”: Difficult Definitions in Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: Gilligan Peter H. , Downey Damian G. , Elborn J. Stuart , Flume Patrick A. , Funk Sebastian , Gilpin Deirdre , Kidd Timothy J. , McCaughan John , Millar B. Cherie , Murphy Philip G. , Rendall Jacqueline C. , Tunney Michael M. , Moore John E.
Published: June 2018

Infection is a common complication of cystic fibrosis (CF) airway disease. Current treatment approaches include early intervention with the intent to eradicate pathogens in the hope of delaying the development of chronic infection and the chronic use of aerosolized antibiotics to suppress infection.
Evidence synthesis software
Authors: Park Sophie Elizabeth , Thomas James
Published: June 2018

It can be challenging to decide which evidence synthesis software to choose when doing a systematic review. This article discusses some of the important questions to consider in relation to the chosen method and synthesis approach. Software can support researchers in a range of ways. Here, a range of review conditions and software solutions. For example, facilitating contemporaneous collaboration across time and geographical space; in-built bias assessment tools; and line-by-line coding for qualitative textual analysis. EPPI-Reviewer is a review software for research synthesis managed by the EPPI-centre, UCL Institute of Education. EPPI-Reviewer has text mining automation technologies. Version 5 supports data sharing and re-use across the systematic review community. Open source software will soon be released. EPPI-Centre will continue to offer the software as a cloud-based service. The software is offered via a subscription with a one-month (extendible) trial available and volume discounts for ‘site licences’. It is free to use for Cochrane and Campbell reviews. The next EPPI-Reviewer version is being built in collaboration with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence using ‘surveillance’ of newly published research to support ‘living’ iterative reviews. This is achieved using a combination of machine learning and traditional information retrieval technologies to identify the type of research each new publication describes and determine its relevance for a particular review, domain or guideline. While the amount of available knowledge and research is constantly increasing, the ways in which software can support the focus and relevance of data identification are also developing fast. Software advances are maximising the opportunities for the production of relevant and timely reviews.
Family networks and infant health promotion: a mixed-methods evaluation from a cluster randomised controlled trial in rural Malawi
Authors: Scott Molly , Malde Bansi , King Carina , Phiri Tambosi , Chapota Hilda , Kainja Esther , Banda Florida , Vera-Hernandez Marcos
Published: June 2018

Objective

Parents may rely on information provided by extended family members when making decisions concerning the health of their children. We evaluate whether extended family members affected the success of an information intervention promoting infant health.

Methods

This is a secondary, sequential mixed-methods study based on a cluster randomised controlled trial of a peer-led home-education intervention conducted in Mchinji District, Malawi. We used linear multivariate regression to test whether the intervention impact on child height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) was influenced by extended family members. 12 of 24 clusters were assigned to the intervention, in which all pregnant women and new mothers were eligible to receive 5 home visits from a trained peer counsellor to discuss infant care and nutrition. We conducted focus group discussions with mothers, grandmothers and peer counsellors, and key-informant interviews with husbands, chiefs and community health workers to better understand the roles of extended family members in infant feeding.

Results

Exposure to the intervention increased child HAZ scores by 0.296 SD (95% CI 0.116 to 0.484). However, this effect is smaller in the presence of paternal grandmothers. Compared with an effect size of 0.441 to 0.467 SD (95% CI −0.344 to 1.050) if neither grandmother is alive, the effect size was 0.235 (95% CI −0.493 to 0.039) to 0.253 (95% CI −0.529 to 0.029) SD lower if the paternal grandmother was alive. There was no evidence of an effect of parents’ siblings. Maternal grandmothers did not affect intervention impact, but were associated with a lower HAZ score in the control group. Qualitative analysis suggested that grandmothers, who act as secondary caregivers and provide resources for infants, were slower to dismiss traditionally held practices and adopt intervention messages.

Conclusion

The results indicate that the intervention impacts are diminished by paternal grandmothers. Intervention success could be increased by integrating senior women.
Obesity and sickness absence: results from a longitudinal nationally representative sample from Germany
Authors: Reber Katrin Christiane , König Hans-Helmut , Hajek André
Published: June 2018

Objectives

The current study aimed at investigating the longitudinal association between obesity and sickness absence in women and men in Germany.

Methods

Data were derived from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) which is a nationally representative, longitudinal study of private households in Germany. We draw on data from 2002 to 2012. Information on self-rated body mass index has been collected every second wave since 2002. Sick leave days (total number of working days missed due to illness in the past calendar year) and sick from work for more than 6 weeks in the preceding 12 months (yes/no) were used as outcome measures. Fixed-effects (FE) regression models were used for the total sample and stratified by sex. Gender differences were examined using interaction terms (sex × weight category).

Results

Controlling for several potential confounders, Poisson FE regression analysis showed that transitions from normal weight to obesity were associated with an increase in sick leave days in women (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.27, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.57) but not in men (IRR 0.85, 95 % CI 0.68 to 1.06)—with significant gender differences (sex × obesity, p<0.01). Moreover, conditional FE logistic regressions showed that transitions from normal weight to overweight were associated with an increase in the probability of long-term absenteeism in women (overweight, OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.85) but not in men (overweight, OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.09). Gender differences were significant (sex × overweight, p<0.01).

Conclusions

Our findings stress the longitudinal association between excess weight and increased likelihood of sick leave days as well as long-term absenteeism in women.
Cross-sectional survey on adult acute kidney injury in Chinese ICU: the study protocol (CARE-AKI)
Authors: Yang Zhenyu , Wang Cong , Wang Hongliang , Wang Sicong , Liu Ruijin , Wang Xu , Yu Kaijiang
Published: June 2018

Introduction

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most serious syndromes in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, and is a mysterious problem in clinical practice worldwide. Due to unknown aetiology and mechanism, awareness of AKI diagnosis and treatment in China varies, resulting in underestimated incidence and poor prognosis. To solve this problem, we design this national survey of AKI in adult ICUs. Various indexes are included and analysed to classify the epidemiology of adult AKI in Chinese ICUs, including AKI aetiology, risk factors, mortality, prognosis, therapeutic strategies and cognition of ICU medical staff.

Methods

A multicentre, cross-sectional survey, which will involve about 35 hospitals and 6147 patients from 23 provinces, 4 municipalities and 5 autonomous regions, is planned. All patients who meet the inclusion criteria are eligible to apply for enrolment in the study, which cover baseline demographics, clinical performance, and follow-up related to diagnosis and treatment.

Conclusion

The study is expected to fill the gap between China and developed countries, and to provide a theoretical foundation for developing more scientific and standardised approaches to AKI diagnosis and treatment.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval was obtained from the ethics committee of Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital (registration number KY2017-21). The findings of this review will be communicated through peer-reviewed publications and scientific presentations.

Trial registration number

ChiCTR-EOC-17013133; Pre-results.
Feasibility study to assess the delivery of a lifestyle intervention (TreatWELL) for patients with colorectal cancer undergoing potentially curative treatment
Authors: Macleod Maureen , Steele Robert J C , O’Carroll Ronan E , Wells Mary , Campbell Anna , Sugden Jacqui A , Rodger Jackie , Stead Martine , McKell Jennifer , Anderson Annie S
Published: June 2018

Objectives

To assess the feasibility of delivering and evaluating a lifestyle programme for patients with colorectal cancer undergoing potentially curative treatments.

Study design

Non-randomised feasibility trial.

Setting

National Health Service (NHS) Tayside.

Participants

Adults with stage I–III colorectal cancer.

Intervention

The programme targeted smoking, alcohol, physical activity, diet and weight management. It was delivered in three face-to-face counselling sessions (plus nine phone calls) by lifestyle coaches over three phases (1: presurgery, 2: surgical recovery and 3: post-treatment recovery).

Primary outcome

Feasibility measures (recruitment, retention, programme implementation, achieved measures, fidelity, factors affecting protocol adherence and acceptability).

Secondary outcomes

Measured changes in body weight, waist circumference, walking and self-reported physical activity, diet, smoking, alcohol intake, fatigue, bowel function and quality of life.

Results

Of 84 patients diagnosed, 22 (26%) were recruited and 15 (18%) completed the study. Median time for intervention delivery was 5.5 hours. Coaches reported covering most (>70%) of the intervention components but had difficulties during phase 2. Evaluation measures (except walk test) were achieved by all participants at baseline, and most (<90%) at end of phase 2 and phase 3, but <20% at end of phase 1. Protocol challenges included limited time between diagnosis and surgery and the presence of comorbidities. The intervention was rated highly by participants but limited support from NHS staff was noted. The majority of participants (77%) had a body mass index>25 kg/m2and none was underweight. Physical activity data showed a positive trend towards increased activity overall, but no other changes in secondary outcomes were detected.

Conclusions

To make this intervention feasible for testing as a full trial, further research is required on (a) recruitment optimisation, (b) appropriate assessment tools, (c) protocols for phase 2 and 3, which can build in flexibility and (d) ways for NHS staff to facilitate the programme.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN52345929; Post-results.
Well-being among survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a cross-sectional retrospective study in Sweden
Authors: Viktorisson Adam , Sunnerhagen Katharina S , Pöder Ulrika , Herlitz Johan , Axelsson Åsa B
Published: June 2018

Objectives

The psychological outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has been studied more extensively in recent years. Still, not much is known about the well-being among OHCA survivors. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we aim to investigate post-OHCA well-being among patients with a good neurological outcome, 3 months after the cardiac event. To assess well-being, we analyse the frequency of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and health within this group. Further, we aim to evaluate the importance of five prognostic factors for post-OHCA well-being.

Methods

Data collection took place between 2008 and 2012, and every OHCA survivor within one region of Sweden, with a cerebral performance category (CPC) score of ≤2 at discharge, was asked to participate. Survivors were identified through the Swedish Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Registry, and postal questionnaires were sent out 3 months after the OHCA. The survey included Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS), PTSD Checklist Civilian version (PCL-C) and European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions 3 level (EQ-5D-3L).

Results

Of 298 survivors, 150 were eligible for this study and 94 responded. The mean time from OHCA to follow-up was 88 days. There was no significant difference between respondents and non-respondents in terms of sex, age, cardiac arrest circumstances or in-hospital interventions. 48 participants reported reduced well-being, and young age was the only factor significantly correlated to this outcome (p=0.02). Women reported significantly higher scores in HADS (p=0.001) and PCL-C (p<0.001). Women also reported significantly lower EQ-5D index values (p=0.002) and EQ-visual analogue scale scores (p=0.002) compared with men.

Conclusion

Reduced well-being is experienced by half of OHCA survivors with a CPC score ≤2, and young age is negatively correlated to this outcome. The frequency of anxiety and PTSD is higher among women, who also report worse health.