bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Field Test and Numerical Analysis of In‐Service Railway Bridge
Authors: Liu Kang , Hou Kai , Fei Zhongyu , Shi Ruoxi , Wang Shaojie
Published: February 2020

Field tests and numerical simulations are combined in this paper. Cross‐sectional dimension measurements, dynamic performance tests, and forced vibration tests were performed on the NO·40 beam bridge of the Xin‐Tai Railway. By comparing the test results with the specifications, the current service status of the bridge was evaluated, and the basis for subsequent correction and verification models was provided. A dynamic coupled finite element model of the passenger‐freight‐cable‐track‐bridge was established considering the degree of bridge damage (0%∼50%) and the track irregularity, and the model simulation results for the Xin‐Tai Railway NO·40 bridge were measured. The results are compared to verify the correctness of the model. The results show that the damage to the bridge will affect the vertical displacement response and the safety stability of the train. The vertical displacement response of the bridge midspan is twice that of the bridge performance. When the damage level of the bridge is 30%, the passenger and freight trains exceed the safety warning limit, which should cause concern.
Upregulation of CD146 in Pediatric B-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia and Its Implications on Treatment Outcomes
Authors: Zahran Asmaa M. , El-Badawy Omnia , Elsayh Khalid I. , Mohamed Wael M. Y. , Riad Khalid F. , Abdel-Rahim Mona H. , Rayan Amal
Published: February 2020

Background and Aim. We studied through flow cytometry the expression of CD146 on different T cells, and B-cell ALL blasts trying to correlate its expression with different prognostic factors of B-cell ALL and treatment outcomes. Patients and Methods. All pediatric patients with B-cell ALL were subjected to bone marrow examination and cytochemistry, flow cytometric immunophenotyping using monoclonal antibodies utilized for diagnosis of B-ALL including CD34, CD19, CD10, CD22, and intracellular IgM. The diagnosis was based on standard morphologic, cytochemical, and immunophenotypic followed by flow cytometric detection of CD146 expression on blast cells, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells. Results. Significant accumulations of CD146+CD4+ cells, CD146+CD8+ cells, CD4+, CD8+, and lymphocytes in patients were compared to controls, the mean percentages of CD146+CD4+ cells, CD146+CD8+ cells, and CD146+ blasts were significantly higher in patients than controls, and in addition, these cells were associated with poor overall survival and disease-free survival. The median OS for patients with complete response was 22±1.633 (95%CI=18.799‐25.201), while for those without complete response, it was 13±3.928 (95%CI=5.301‐25.699), with log‐rank=5.71, P=0.017. Conclusion. CD146 was expressed significantly in children’s B-ALL and associated with poor prognostic features including poor response and treatment outcomes and could be a possible poor prognostic factor in pediatric B-cell ALL.
Pontuações sobre infância, escola e biopolítica
Authors: Minnicelli Mercedes
Published: February 2020

Este escrito tentará trabalhar a pergunta sobre a questão escolar frente à suposição do determinismo biopolítico que a era do consumo nos impõe. Inquietude que nos convoca e nos leva como psicanalistas até o campo epistêmico interdisciplinar que configura infância e instituições, no qual podemos dizer que alí onde há sujeito falante o biopolítico se amassa, se transforma, se re-significa na mínima expressão possível, em ditos e fatos que temos denominado cerimônias mínimas (Minnicelli, 2008; 2013). Cerimônias mínimas nas e pelas quais os significantes naturalizados e atados à repetição incessante do eterno retorno do mesmo, possibilitam, ao mesmo tempo, mobilidade discursiva, quando se faz possível fazer desse dito, outros dizeres. Tarefa incansável do humano na medida em que interroga e interpela o enunciado a escola como instituição social está consumida. Enunciado que se consuma quando nos fazemos eco acrítico sem interrogar seus efeitos. Exporemos como se deve separar infância de escolas para deslocar ditos efeitos arrasadores. Veremos, assim, que se há uma noção cuja pregnância biopolítica podemos advertir qualquer que seja o sentido que dela adotemos, essa noção é a da infância.
A verdade da experiência da transmissão em psicanálise
Authors: Vorcaro Angela Maria Resende
Published: February 2020

A transmissão da experiência clínica é discutida neste artigo para situar, na própria transmissão, algo de sua impossibilidade: o real de sua verdade. As cenas da transmissão que o encobrem também demarcam o impossível da transmissão. Revelando a experiência, algo do impossível de transmitir pode, talvez, ser transmitido. Conclui-se que a transmissão em psicanálise implica, além do encontro de um impossível a transmitir e de um impossível de transmitir, uma nova modalidade de transmissão em que cada um, colocando algo de si, reinventa a psicanálise: algo de si que fisgue algo do leitor, que assim também coloca algo de si, para transmitir o impossível a transmitir.
As problemáticas na diferenciação entre mães e filhas: um estudo de caso
Authors: Silva Marina José Abud da , Ribeiro Marina F.R. , Bittar Daina
Published: February 2020

O presente trabalho visa investigar as dinâmicas psicológicas das relações entre mães e filhas, utilizando como base a perspectiva psicanalítica. Mais especificamente, buscou-se compreender as problemáticas existentes quando há um grau elevado de indiferenciação entre a menina e sua mãe. Para isso, realizou-se uma articulação entre um estudo de caso e conceitos da psicanálise que fundamentam as cenas clínicas apresentadas. O estudo de caso concretizou-se a partir de um atendimento psicológico de uma criança que apresentava importantes sofrimentos oriundos de uma dificuldade de separação da figura materna. Assim, pretende-se fornecer uma melhor compreensão a respeito das vicissitudes de uma relação simbiótica com a mãe e as consequências de tal para a constituição da vida psíquica da mulher.
Por uma utopia para as crianças africanas
Authors: Silva Ana Carolina Barros
Published: February 2020

Ter esperança é condição para ensinar. Trata-se de esperar sem expectativa, mas supondo que uma criança possa sempre aprender algo. Por parte do professor, é necessário, portanto, fazer uma aposta e sustentar esse lugar desejante que dá origem à transferência. Quando adultos podem sonhar um futuro para a criança, há efeitos. Ter, para elas, uma utopia, nos parece fundamental. Nossas reflexões nasceram a partir de experiências vivenciadas em escolas angolanas e moçambicanas, onde observamos traços que tendiam a repetição. Investigamos a forma como não-ditos, enquanto significantes mudos que circulam na cultura, podem ser transmitidos, via transferência estabelecida entre professores e alunos, como saberes inconscientes que, ao não encontrarem espaço de simbolização, retornam em produções sintomáticas que podem marcar o percurso de uma criança para aprender. A análise privilegiou o exame de traços que parecem apontar para uma posição inconsciente do sujeito face ao desejo do Outro que, muitas vezes, emergiam como impasses na posição do sujeito e, em consequência, frente ao conhecimento. Essas marcas inconscientes que insistem em se repetir no laço social, produzem sintomas semelhantes, geração após geração, nos remetendo a transmissão de não-ditos que corroboram para a não simbolização e cristalização de lugares imaginários para alunos e professores.
Steinernema riojaense n. sp., a new entomopathogenic nematode (Nematoda: Steinernematidae) from Spain
Authors: Půža Vladimír , Campos-Herrera Raquel , Blanco-Pérez Rubén , Jakubíková Hedvika , Vicente-Díez Ignacio , Nermuť Jiří
Published: February 2020

A new species of entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema riojaense n. sp., was isolated during a survey in La Rioja province of Spain. Morphological and morphometric traits place the new species in the glaseri-group, which is characterised by having the largest infective juvenile (IJ) with an average body length in excess of 1000 μm. The IJ of S. riojaense n. sp. possess a body length of 1043 (869-1172) μm, the lateral fields are formed by eight equally spaced and developed ridges (nine incisures) in the mid-body region, giving the formula 2, 6, 8, 4, the excretory pore is located posterior to the mid-pharynx region (D% = 58), and the hyaline region occupies ca half of the tail length. The male spicules are moderately curved with a sharp tip and are golden-brown in colour with the manubrium elongate and having a length to width ratio of 1.7:1. The first-generation male tail is non-mucronate, whereas a small papilla-like mucron is developed in the second generation. There are 11 pairs of genital papillae plus a single precloacal papilla. The first-generation female possesses a moderately protruding vulva and a slightly protruding postanal swelling. The second-generation female possesses a slightly protruding vulva and a postanal swelling. The new species is further characterised by sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and partial 28S regions (D2-D3) of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA). Phylogenetic analyses confirm that S. riojaense n. sp. belongs to the glaseri-group and forms a monophyletic subclade with other European species.
The Recognition Imperative behind Taiwan’s Public Diplomacy: a Critical Study of Taiwan’s Efforts to Join the World Health Assembly
Authors: Alexander Colin
Published: February 2020

The communications surrounding Taiwan’s recent pursuit of membership of the World Health Assembly (wha) provides an opportunity for a wider discussion about Taiwan, its public diplomacy, and its motives for pursuing inclusion within important international governmental organisations. To this end, this article argues that the island’s recent interest in the wha is primarily motivated by a broader desire to keep Taiwan’s diplomatic marginalisation on the international agenda against the backdrop of China’s ‘unfair’ vetoing. However, the article also makes the wider conclusion that the use of morals and ethics within international affairs are as much about the internal self as they are about the external world in which we reside, and that there exists a selective adherence to these codes, dependent on social circumstances. In this view, contestable moral standards become a struggle in which different actors either attempt to alter the debate to fit themselves or propagate their observance of the prevailing codes.
Online Platforms on Taiwan: a General Review
Authors: Chen Ketty W.
Published: February 2020

The field of Taiwan studies has garnered more interests in recent years. Taiwan’s democratic experience, identity, issues regarding unification or independence, territorial disputes, diplomatic relations and recent experience of authoritarian influence are topics of research for many academics. This article provides a review of online sources for those who are interested in monitoring the happenings relating to Taiwan.
Public Anthropology in Changing Times
Authors: Borofsky Robert , De Lauri Antonio
Published: February 2020

Public anthropology is a collective aspiration shaped by generally shared values and intentions within significant sections of social and cultural anthropology. The impetus behind the creation of the journal Public Anthropologist originates in this realm of ongoing discussions and actions inspired by the idea of pushing engagement and participation beyond academic borders. Given that the traditional triadic structure’s assessment standards and their financial and political backers are being reshaped by broader social forces beyond the academy and that the audit culture of accountability, that is replacing earlier standards, has significant problems, we need ask: Where do we go from here? In these changing times, how can anthropologists be more relevant to the broader society in the hope of escaping the worse aspects of the audit culture? We need raise our public profile, we need make clear to the larger society anthropology’s value in addressing the problems that concern them.
“And They Knew They Were Naked”: The Mortification of the Black Body
Authors: Lindsay Michael
Published: February 2020

While it may be characterized as the inception of freedom for the colonizing and imperial-minded European, America represents a great tribulation for the enslaved African, kidnapped and sold an ocean away from his homeland, and it can be characterized as an all-out assault on African peoples’ bodies, culture, and minds. Though the economic interest of Europeans was the impetus for the African Holocaust, European Christian theology has consistently offered religious justification for the inhumane practices of the oppression of Black people—making the fight for freedom, in part, a religious battle. Insomuch, White supremacy is held together by a version of Christianity that venerates whiteness as its most divine ideal. This study explores the religious conundrum that Black people face by reexamining biblical text to connect the sacred and secular experiences of Black people to their social predicament. Apostle Paul’s idea of mortification in Colossians 3:5 and the theory of mortification as intrinsic to the idea of order are connected in order to critique the complex system of religious racism and illustrate the impossibility of freedom under current circumstances. In addition, the theory of social death and the theory of the death-bound-subject are utilized to interpret the Black experience in America, in part, as a battle for spiritual survival in an anathematic state of being. Ultimately, this study concludes that it is the formulation of White supremacy, and not the execution of White supremacy, that places Blacks in confrontation with death (physically and spiritually), and this confrontation has deeply religious underpinnings.
Speaker Gender and Salience in Sociolinguistic Speech Perception:goose-fronting in Standard Southern British English
Authors: Alderton Roy
Published: February 2020

Listeners’ perceptions of sound changes may be influenced by priming them with social information about the speaker. It is not clear, however, whether this occurs for sociolinguistic variables that pass below the level of awareness. This article investigates whether visual speaker gender affects the perception of goose-fronting in Standard Southern British English, a sound change that is led by young women yet does not fulfil criteria for sociolinguistic salience. Participants from across the United Kingdom completed a word identification experiment based on a gender-ambiguous synthesized fleece-goose continuum while primed with an image of a man’s or a woman’s face. The study did not find a significant main effect of priming, but men identified fronter tokens as goose when primed with a woman’s face. I argue that sociolinguistic priming effects may be over-stated and that future priming experiments should be designed with maximal statistical power where possible.
Fake news and the discursive construction of technology companies’ social power
Authors: Creech Brian
Published: February 2020

In the research and commentary around ‘fake news’, there has been growing attention to the way the phrase evidences a growing field of technology industry critique, operating as a shorthand for understanding the nature of social media companies’ power over the public sphere. This article interrogates elite and popular discourses surrounding ‘fake news’, using the tools of critical discourse analysis to show how public commentary constitutes a discursive field that renders tech industry power intelligible by first defining the issue of fake news as a sociotechnical problem, then debating the infrastructural nature of platform companies’ social power. This article concludes that, as commentary moves beyond a focus on fake news and critiques of technology industries grow more complex, strains of elite discourse reveal productive constraints on tech power, articulating the conditions under which limits on that power are understood as legitimate.
An extended discrete element method for the estimation of contact pressure at the ankle joint during stance phase
Authors: Benemerito Ivan , Modenese Luca , Montefiori Erica , Mazzà Claudia , Viceconti Marco , Lacroix Damien , Guo Lingzhong
Published: February 2020

Abnormalities in the ankle contact pressure are related to the onset of osteoarthritis. In vivo measurements are not possible with currently available techniques, so computational methods such as the finite element analysis (FEA) are often used instead. The discrete element method (DEM), a computationally efficient alternative to time-consuming FEA, has also been used to predict the joint contact pressure. It describes the articular cartilage as a bed of independent springs, assuming a linearly elastic behaviour and absence of relative motion between the bones. In this study, we present the extended DEM (EDEM) which is able to track the motion of talus over time. The method was used, with input data from a subject-specific musculoskeletal model, to predict the contact pressure in the ankle joint during gait. Results from EDEM were also compared with outputs from conventional DEM. Predicted values of contact area were larger in EDEM than they were in DEM (4.67 and 4.18 cm2, respectively). Peak values of contact pressure, attained at the toe-off, were 7.3 MPa for EDEM and 6.92 MPa for DEM. Values predicted from EDEM fell well within the ranges reported in the literature. Overall, the motion of the talus had more effect on the extension and shape of the pressure distribution than it had on the magnitude of the pressure. The results indicated that EDEM is a valid methodology for the prediction of ankle contact pressure during daily activities.
Wine in Houellebecq: Cultural transgression or literary device?
Authors: Dutton Jacqueline
Published: February 2020

Michel Houellebecq has a reputation as a heavy drinker and many of his protagonists mirror this tendency. This article focuses specifically on wine, asking whether the consumption of wine, both in his writing and in representations of his life, constitutes a simple cultural transgression, mainly via the quantities imbibed, or whether in fact wine is used as a complex literary device, a symbolic marker of national identity, social status and interpersonal relations. Tracing the presence and analysing the significance of wine in Houellebecq’s seven novels published to date reveals new ways to decode and interpret the author’s work through the prism of this product and its rich semantic field.
Extended struggle: The transgression of narrative boundaries in Extension du domaine de la lutte
Authors: Campbell Françoise
Published: February 2020

Michel Houellebecq’s novels typically end with their characters alone, dejected, and in a world on the brink of desolation. However, despite their sense of finality, these conclusions remain fraught with uncertainty. Using narrative tropes such as the introduction of epilogues, post-apocalyptic worlds, and open endings, Houellebecq goes beyond the constraints of narrative closure, suggesting that an essential element of transgression in his writing may be found at the very boundary of his texts. Through its reading of Extension du domaine de la lutte, this article analyses a sequence of extended closures through the second half of the novel, before examining the protagonist’s final journey as a parody of René Girard’s theory of conversion, leaving the reader with an ending that transgresses narrative bounds and opens the novel out to new rounds of ideological struggle.
Vertiges de la limite: Houellebecq et la transgression poétique
Authors: Novak-Lechevalier Agathe
Published: February 2020

Foucault faisait de la transgression « un geste qui concerne la limite » : qu’en est-il donc de ce geste chez le « provocateur » Houellebecq ? Adoptant un point de vue moral, on s’aperçoit vite que tous les personnages moralement transgressifs dans les romans houellebecquiens sont très sévèrement condamnés – et que si une transgression reste possible dans le monde contemporain tel que le dépeint Houellebecq, c’est plutôt dans la promotion de la sentimentalité qu’elle se situe. Dès lors qu’on quitte la perspective morale, le potentiel transgressif de l’œuvre de Houellebecq apparaît profondément lié à son caractère insituable : flou idéologiquement, omniprésent artistiquement, mêlant les références high et low brow, Houellebecq déstabilise parce qu’il récuse les frontières qui déterminent habituellement les positionnements artistiques. Pourtant, plus qu’à un franchissement, la vraie transgression houellebecquienne tient sans doute au fait de camper sur l’espace de la limite pour l’ouvrir à l’illimité – et cet effet d’illimitation, chez Houellebecq, est précisément le propre de la poésie.
Replication crisis = trust crisis? The effect of successful vs failed replications on laypeople’s trust in researchers and research
Authors: Hendriks Friederike , Kienhues Dorothe , Bromme Rainer
Published: February 2020

In methodological and practical debates about replications in science, it is (often implicitly) assumed that replications will affect public trust in science. In this preregistered experiment ( N = 484), we varied (a) whether a replication attempt was successful or not and (b) whether the replication was authored by the same, or another lab. Results showed that ratings of study credibility (e.g. evidence strength, ηP2 = .15) and researcher trustworthiness (e.g. expertise, ηP2 = .15) were rated higher upon learning of replication success, and lower in case of replication failure. The replication’s author did not make a meaningful difference. Prior beliefs acted as covariate for ratings of credibility, but not trustworthiness, while epistemic beliefs regarding the certainty of knowledge were a covariate to both. Hence, laypeople seem to notice that successfully replicated results entail higher epistemic significance, while possibly not taking into account that replications should be conducted by other labs.
Brahmins as scientists and science as Brahmins’ calling: Caste in an Indian scientific research institute
Authors: Thomas Renny
Published: February 2020

The domination of Brahmin and the upper caste scientists have given a Brahmanical identity to science in India. They have been perceived to be the natural inheritors of scientific practice, an assertion reaffirmed by scientists and researchers during my fieldwork in Bangalore, India. Furthermore, merit and passion for doing science was reinscribed and calibrated to denote the alleged castelessness and objectivity of science, obfuscating the deep hierarchies of caste in the practice of science in India. By using ethnographic methods, the article attempts to demonstrate how Indian scientists constructed their identities as casteless beings. The article calls for a public understanding of caste in Indian science, and suggests that public engagement has the potential to democratise the nature of science by addressing the question of exclusion and discrimination in Indian scientific institutions and universities.
Derivation of a procedural performance checklist for ultrasound-guided femoral arterial line placement using the modified Delphi method
Authors: Baez Jessica , Powell Elizabeth , Leo Megan , Stolz Uwe , Stolz Lori
Published: February 2020

Background:

Many specialties utilize procedural performance checklists as an aid to teach residents and other learners. Procedural checklists ensure that the critical steps of the desired procedure are performed in a specified manner every time. Valid measures of competency are needed to evaluate learners and ensure a standard quality of care. The objective of this study was to employ the modified Delphi method to derive a procedural checklist for use during placement of ultrasound-guided femoral arterial access.

Methods:

A 27-item procedural checklist was provided to 14 experts from three acute care specialties. Using the modified Delphi method, the checklist was serially modified based on expert feedback.

Results:

Three rounds of the study were performed resulting in a final 23-item checklist. Each item on the checklist received at least 70% expert agreement on its inclusion in the final checklist.

Conclusion:

A procedural performance checklist was created for ultrasound-guided femoral arterial access using the modified Delphi method. This is an objective tool to assist procedural training and competency assessment in a variety of clinical and educational settings.
‘We teach, we record, we edit, and we reflect’: Engaging pre-service language teachers in video-based reflective practice
Authors: Yuan Rui , Mak Pauline , Yang Min
Published: February 2020

The significance of reflective practice (RP) has been widely recognized in both general education and language education. The past years have witnessed an exponential growth of studies in examining how technology can be utilized to promote teachers’ RP and video-based RP has been extensively reported as a powerful tool for teacher learning in many educational contexts. While existing literature has documented the potential benefits that student teachers may reap from video-based RP, there is a lack of attention to the complex interplay between the process of their RP and the contextual factors in their situated learning environment. This article reports on a study which aims to promote video-based RP among student teachers in a pre-service language teacher education course in Hong Kong. Drawing on data from post-course interviews with and the videoed reflection of six student teachers, the study uncovered the complex and dynamic process of the student teachers’ video-based RP. This article offers practical implications for language teachers, teacher educators and school leaders on how to promote RP in second language teacher education.
Risk Assessment of Medical Study Procedures in the Documents Submitted to a Research Ethics Committee
Authors: Happo Saara , Keränen Tapani , Halkoaho Arja , Lehto Soili M.
Published: February 2020

Several frameworks assist research ethics committees (RECs) in risk assessment of medical studies. However, little is known about how researchers describe risks of the procedures in study protocols and participant information sheets. We examined 349 study protocols and participant information sheets submitted to an REC and evaluated the risk assessments performed for 1,510 study procedures. Risks had been assessed for 399 (26%) procedures in study protocols and for 425 (28%) procedures in participant information sheets. Physical risks were assessed six times more frequently than psychological risks. Risks of medical procedures are not always detailed in study protocols or participant information sheets. Risk descriptions of procedures believed to be familiar to potential participants may be omitted.
Data Integration: A Real-Time, Participant-Driven, and Visually Supported Method
Authors: Alexander Elitsa , Eppler Martin J. , Comi Alice
Published: February 2020

We introduce a method in which instant data visualization facilitates real-time data integration and involves participants in data interpretation. The results of quantitative research (e.g., electronic card sorting) are represented visually (e.g., in a dendrogram) and fed back to research participants in follow-up focus group conversations. The visualized quantitative results are reviewed and discussed by participants. The visual display of the quantitative results is annotated with qualitative feedback generated by participants that explains, enriches, or challenges the quantitative results. We apply our method in a card sorting study of Fédération Internationale de Football Association’s (FIFA) stakeholders. An approach that facilitates real-time data integration that is participant driven and visually supported is the unique contribution of this article to mixed methods research.
The potential value of blood monitoring of biologic drugs used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Perry Martin , Abdullah Azhar , Frleta Marina , MacDonald Jonathan , McGucken Andrew
Published: February 2020

The advent of biological therapies has been a major therapeutic advance in rheumatology. Many patients now enjoy improved quality of life through better disease control. The number of therapies continues to grow both within drug class (including biosimilar drugs) and via new mechanisms. For the first time, nonbiological drugs such as small-molecule inhibitors (Janus kinase inhibitors) have shown clinical equivalence. However, clinical unmet need remains with up to a third of patients commenced on a biologic therapy having minimal or no response: (a) Generally, the first biologic used secures the best response, with likelihood of remission falling thereafter with successive therapies; (b) the success of strategy trials using biological therapies can be difficult to replicate in clinical practice due to a combination of patient factors and service limitations. Accordingly, ensuring optimization of initial treatment is an important consideration before switching to alternatives. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is the measurement of serum levels of a biologic drug with the aim of improving patient care. It is usually combined with detection of any antidrug antibodies that could neutralize the effect of the therapy. This technology has the potential to be a form of ‘personalized medicine’ by individualizing therapy, in particular, dosing and likelihood of sustained treatment response. It requires a clear relationship between drug dose, blood concentration and therapeutic effect. This paper will outline the technology behind TDM and unpack what we can learn from our colleagues in gastroenterology, where the adoption of TDM is at a more advanced stage than in rheumatology. It will explore and set out a number of clinical scenarios where rheumatologists might find TDM helpful in day-to-day practice. Finally, an outline is given of international developments, including regulatory body appraisals and guideline development.
Pilot study of a serious board game intervention to facilitate narrative identity reconstruction in mental health recovery
Authors: Kerr Douglas JR , Deane Frank P , Crowe Trevor P
Published: February 2020

This quasi-experimental study explores the effects of a narrative coaching board game intervention aimed at enhancing participants’ sense of self-mastery as part of facilitating narrative identity reconstruction. Three mixed analyses of variance compared differences between clinical ( n = 31) and non-clinical ( n = 31) groups over time on a measure of mastery. There were no significant group-by-time interaction effects, but both groups demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in mastery over time. From a complex adaptive system perspective, changes may indicate adaptive growth in recovery. A serious board game may be a useful way of facilitating narrative identity reconstruction in recovery.
Globalisation and Its Effects on the Warli Art
Authors: Khandekar Nisha
Published: February 2020

Tribal art is a decorative art rather than purely aesthetic produced from the creative minds of indigenous culture. The art which is a part of their everyday activity is deep-rooted in their tradition. Tribal paintings are living tradition that unveils the hidden meanings of tribal symbols. Tribal are interested in the reality of the image not in the image of reality. The globalization has negatively impacted upon the tribal economies, culture and identities. The freedom of expression of an artist has been affected by the pressure of globalization. It has now become the commercial activity of Warli men. Education plays an important role in changes in the art form, education helps to develop creativity and skills and that results in the changes in the designs and forms. Commercialization of painting is also one of the reasons for the changes occurred in designs and form of the painting.
The Perceived Influence of Social Media on High School Band Students’ Decision to Participate in a College Marching Band
Authors: Cumberledge Jason P.
Published: February 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceived influence of social media on high school band students’ future decision to participate in a college marching band. Participants ( N = 158) were high school band students. Results indicated that social media could be influential in high school band students’ decision to participate in a college marching band, as high social media usage rates were reported. Results also indicated that personal communication, such as face-to-face conversations with family and friends and direct email contact from band directors, strongly influenced their decision to join a college marching band. These results suggest that recruitment strategies containing direct modes of communication resonate with prospective college students. Suggestions for future research are provided, as social media technology is quickly evolving and investigations are needed to guide and inform the recruitment practices of college marching band programs.
Ezetimibe promotes CYP7A1 and modulates PPARs as a compensatory mechanism in LDL receptor-deficient hamsters
Authors: Xia Bin , Lin Ping , Ji Yubin , Yin Jiayu , Wang Jin , Yang Xiaoqian , Li Ting , Yang Zixun , Li Fahui , Guo Shoudong
Published: February 2020

Background

The LDL-C lowering effect of ezetimibe has been attributed primarily to increased catabolism of LDL-C via up-regulation of LDL receptor (LDLR) and decreased cholesterol absorption. Recently, ezetimibe has been demonstrated to have reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) promoting effects in mice, hamsters and humans. However, the underlying mechanisms are still not clear. The aim of this study is to investigate whether ezetimibe improves RCT-related protein expression in LDLR−/− hamsters.

Methods

A high-fat diet was used to induce a human-like hyperlipidemia in LDLR−/− hamsters. Lipid profiles were assayed by commercially available kits, and the effects of ezetimibe on lipid metabolism-related protein expression were carried out via western blot.

Results

Our data demonstrated that ezetimibe administration significantly reduced plasma total cholesterol (~ 51.6% reduction, P < 0.01) and triglyceride (from ~ 884.1 mg/dL to ~ 277.3 mg/dL) levels in LDLR−/− hamsters fed a high-fat diet. Ezetimibe administration (25 mg/kg/d) significantly promoted the protein expression of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase A1 (CYP7A1), LXRβ and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ; and down-regulated the protein expression of PPARα and PPARβ. However, it showed no significant effect on sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-1c, SREBP-2, proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1), and ATP-biding cassette (ABC) G5/G8.

Conclusion

Ezetimibe may accelerate the transformation from cholesterol to bile acid via promoting CYP7A1 and thereby enhance RCT. As a compensatory mechanism of TG lowering, ezetimibe promoted the protein expression of PPARγ and decreased PPARα and β. These results are helpful in explaining the lipid-lowering effects of ezetimibe and the potential compensatory mechanisms.
Squamous cell carcinoma with sarcomatoid differentiation or carcinosarcoma of the uterine cervix associated with HPV33 infection: report of a rare case
Authors: Hrudka Jan , Rosová Blanka , Halaška Michael J.
Published: February 2020

Background

Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common malignant tumor of the uterine cervix with a well-documented link to infection with human papillomaviruses (HPV). According to a recent classification, there are several morphological variants of cervical squamous carcinoma, without reference to sarcomatoid squamous cell carcinoma, which is well described in other organs.

Case presentation

In this paper, we describe an extremely rare case of a 77-year-old woman with primary malignant cervical tumor displaying biphasic histomorphology with an epithelioid and sarcomatoid part; the latter was immunohistochemistry positive for cytokeratin and vimentin. The association with a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion and molecular proof of HPV33 infection in the tumor tissue supported our diagnosis of carcinoma with partial sarcomatoid differentiation.

Conclusion

We report a rare case of a primary cervical epithelial tumor with a partial sarcomatoid phenotype, an unequivocal HPV infection, and an associated precancerous lesion in the cervical mucosa. This is the first description of an HPV33 infection underlying a biphasic epithelioid-sarcomatous tumor of the uterine cervix. The terminology overlap between sarcomatoid carcinoma and carcinosarcoma is also discussed.
Segmentation of roots in soil with U-Net
Authors: Smith Abraham George , Petersen Jens , Selvan Raghavendra , Rasmussen Camilla Ruø
Published: February 2020

Background

Plant root research can provide a way to attain stress-tolerant crops that produce greater yield in a diverse array of conditions. Phenotyping roots in soil is often challenging due to the roots being difficult to access and the use of time consuming manual methods. Rhizotrons allow visual inspection of root growth through transparent surfaces. Agronomists currently manually label photographs of roots obtained from rhizotrons using a line-intersect method to obtain root length density and rooting depth measurements which are essential for their experiments. We investigate the effectiveness of an automated image segmentation method based on the U-Net Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architecture to enable such measurements. We design a data-set of 50 annotated chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) root images which we use to train, validate and test the system and compare against a baseline built using the Frangi vesselness filter. We obtain metrics using manual annotations and line-intersect counts.

Results

Our results on the held out data show our proposed automated segmentation system to be a viable solution for detecting and quantifying roots. We evaluate our system using 867 images for which we have obtained line-intersect counts, attaining a Spearman rank correlation of 0.9748 and an $$r^2$$r2 of 0.9217. We also achieve an $$F_1$$F1 of 0.7 when comparing the automated segmentation to the manual annotations, with our automated segmentation system producing segmentations with higher quality than the manual annotations for large portions of the image.

Conclusion

We have demonstrated the feasibility of a U-Net based CNN system for segmenting images of roots in soil and for replacing the manual line-intersect method. The success of our approach is also a demonstration of the feasibility of deep learning in practice for small research groups needing to create their own custom labelled dataset from scratch.
Characterising a human endogenous retrovirus(HERV)-derived tumour-associated antigen: enriched RNA-Seq analysis of HERV-K(HML-2) in mantle cell lymphoma cell lines
Authors: Tatkiewicz Witold , Dickie James , Bedford Franchesca , Jones Alexander , Atkin Mark , Kiernan Michele , Maze Emmanuel Atangana , Agit Bora , Farnham Garry , Kanapin Alexander , Belshaw Robert
Published: February 2020

Background

The cell-surface attachment protein (Env) of the HERV-K(HML-2) lineage of endogenous retroviruses is a potentially attractive tumour-associated antigen for anti-cancer immunotherapy. The human genome contains around 100 integrated copies (called proviruses or loci) of the HERV-K(HML-2) virus and we argue that it is important for therapy development to know which and how many of these contribute to protein expression, and how this varies across tissues. We measured relative provirus expression in HERV-K(HML-2), using enriched RNA-Seq analysis with both short- and long-read sequencing, in three Mantle Cell Lymphoma cell lines (JVM2, Granta519 and REC1). We also confirmed expression of the Env protein in two of our cell lines using Western blotting, and analysed provirus expression data from all other relevant published studies.

Results

Firstly, in both our and other reanalysed studies, approximately 10% of the transcripts mapping to HERV-K(HML-2) came from Env-encoding proviruses. Secondly, in one cell line the majority of the protein expression appears to come from one provirus (12q14.1). Thirdly, we find a strong tissue-specific pattern of provirus expression.

Conclusions

A possible dependency of Env expression on a single provirus, combined with the earlier observation that this provirus is not present in all individuals and a general pattern of tissue-specific expression among proviruses, has serious implications for future HERV-K(HML-2)-targeted immunotherapy. Further research into HERV-K(HML-2) as a possible tumour-associated antigen in blood cancers requires a more targeted, proteome-based, screening protocol that will consider these polymorphisms within HERV-K(HML-2). We include a plan (and necessary alignments) for such work.
Insight Into the Ontogeny of GnRH Neurons From Patients Born Without a Nose
Authors: Delaney Angela , Volochayev Rita , Meader Brooke , Lee Janice , Almpani Konstantinia , Noukelak Germaine Y , Henkind Jennifer , Chalmers Laura , Law Jennifer R , Williamson Kathleen A , Jacobsen Christina M , Buitrago Tatiana Pineda , Perez Orlando , Cho Chie-Hee , Kaindl Angela , Rauch Anita , Steindl Katharina , Garcia Jose Elias , Russell Bianca E , Prasad Rameshwar , Mondal Uttam K , Reigstad Hallvard M , Clements Scott , Kim Susan , Inoue Kaoru , Arora Gazal , Salnikov Kathryn B , DiOrio Nicole P , Prada Rolando , Capri Yline , Morioka Kosuke , Mizota Michiyo , Zechi-Ceide Roseli M , Kokitsu-Nakata Nancy M , Tonello Cristiano , Vendramini-Pittoli Siulan , da Silva Dalben Gisele , Balasubramanian Ravikumar , Dwyer Andrew A , Seminara Stephanie B , Crowley William F , Plummer Lacey , Hall Janet E , Graham John M , Lin Angela E , Shaw Natalie D
Published: February 2020

Context

The reproductive axis is controlled by a network of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons born in the primitive nose that migrate to the hypothalamus alongside axons of the olfactory system. The observation that congenital anosmia (inability to smell) is often associated with GnRH deficiency in humans led to the prevailing view that GnRH neurons depend on olfactory structures to reach the brain, but this hypothesis has not been confirmed.

Objective

The objective of this work is to determine the potential for normal reproductive function in the setting of completely absent internal and external olfactory structures.

Methods

We conducted comprehensive phenotyping studies in 11 patients with congenital arhinia. These studies were augmented by review of medical records and study questionnaires in another 40 international patients.

Results

All male patients demonstrated clinical and/or biochemical signs of GnRH deficiency, and the 5 men studied in person had no luteinizing hormone (LH) pulses, suggesting absent GnRH activity. The 6 women studied in person also had apulsatile LH profiles, yet 3 had spontaneous breast development and 2 women (studied from afar) had normal breast development and menstrual cycles, suggesting a fully intact reproductive axis. Administration of pulsatile GnRH to 2 GnRH-deficient patients revealed normal pituitary responsiveness but gonadal failure in the male patient.

Conclusions

Patients with arhinia teach us that the GnRH neuron, a key gatekeeper of the reproductive axis, is associated with but may not depend on olfactory structures for normal migration and function, and more broadly, illustrate the power of extreme human phenotypes in answering fundamental questions about human embryology.
Vitamin D: Newer Concepts of Its Metabolism and Function at the Basic and Clinical Level
Authors: Bikle Daniel D
Published: February 2020

The interest in vitamin D continues unabated with thousands of publications contributing to a vast and growing literature each year. It is widely recognized that the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and the enzymes that metabolize vitamin D are found in many cells, not just those involved with calcium and phosphate homeostasis. In this mini review I have focused primarily on recent studies that provide new insights into vitamin D metabolism, mechanisms of action, and clinical applications. In particular, I examine how mutations in vitamin D metabolizing enzymes—and new information on their regulation—links vitamin D metabolism into areas such as metabolism and diseases outside that of the musculoskeletal system. New information regarding the mechanisms governing the function of the VDR elucidates how this molecule can be so multifunctional in a cell-specific fashion. Clinically, the difficulty in determining vitamin D sufficiency for all groups is addressed, including a discussion of whether the standard measure of vitamin D sufficiency, total 25OHD (25 hydroxyvitamin) levels, may not be the best measure—at least by itself. Finally, several recent large clinical trials exploring the role of vitamin D supplementation in nonskeletal diseases are briefly reviewed, with an eye toward what questions they answered and what new questions they raised.
The Value of Responsibility in the Point of View of the 5th Grade Students
Authors: Gulec Selma , Yalcin Ali
Published: February 2020

In order to create a healthy social structure, there should exist common values and these values need to be transferred to next generations. In this transfer process, education plays a vital role in transferring values in society. Values are personal, moral and social emotions which help a human and a society survive. Being a society-oriented course, social studies has an important place in transferring values. The primary aim of the social studies course in our country is to raise good citizens. One of the duties of educational institutions, which intend to have students acquire behaviors aiming for the wellbeing and beauty of the society, is to give values education. One of the values included in the social studies course teaching program is the value of responsibility in a society. In this study, the 5th grade students' views of the value of responsibility were examined. A total of fifteen students, six male and nine female, participated in the study. In the study, the data collected via the semi-structured interview technique was analyzed according to qualitative research methods. According to the results obtained via analyzing the answers given by the 5th grade students participating in the study, it can be stated that the students had the value of responsibility.
Time-gated iterative phase conjugation for efficient light energy delivery in scattering media
Authors: Kim Dong-Young , Jeong Seungwon , Jang Mooseok , Lee Ye-Ryoung , Choi Wonshik
Published: February 2020

Light waves propagating through complex biological tissues are spatially spread by multiple light scattering, and this spread limits the working depth in optical bioimaging, phototherapy, and optogenetics. Here, we propose the iterative phase conjugation of time-gated backscattered waves for enhancing the light energy delivered to a target object embedded in a scattering medium. We demonstrate the enhancement of light energy delivered to a target object hidden behind a 200-µm-thick mouse skull by more than ten times in comparison with the initial random input. The maximum enhancement was reached in only 10 iterations, more than a hundred times smaller than existing methods based on either a time-gated reflection matrix or iterative feedback optimization of the time-gated reflection intensity. Consequently, the proposed method is less sensitive to sample perturbations. Furthermore, the number of images required for optimization remained almost unchanged with an increase in the illumination area, unlike existing methods, where the convergence time scales with the illumination area. The proposed method provides high operation speed over a wide illumination area, which can facilitate the use of wavefront shaping in practical applications.