bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Formative interventions in leadership development in early childhood education: The potential of double stimulation
Authors: Nuttall Joce , Thomas Louise , Henderson Linda
Published: December 2016

This article critiques the usefulness of double stimulation, a key concept in Vygotskian analyses of human development, with leaders in early childhood services in Australia. A series of formative interventions was conducted to identify and address systemic tensions that were confounding leaders’ attempts to realise a central object of activity in their work: the development of their staff in order to enhance children’s learning. An example of double stimulation is drawn from workshop comments and interviews with one of the participating leaders. The article elaborates on a tension identified between explicit cultural expectations of professionalism and an implicit division of labour that position leaders as having the primary responsibility for solving problems of practice. The article concludes by reflecting on the usefulness of double stimulation in fostering sustainable leadership practices in early childhood education.
Seasonal Activity and Species Habitat Guilds Influence Road-Kill Patterns of Neotropical Snakes
Authors: Sosa Ronald , Schalk Christopher M.
Published: December 2016

Animal road mortality is the product of multiple factors. We sought to examine the impact of roads on Bolivian biodiversity by quantifying road mortality in a community of tropical snakes and examine variation in road-kills in the context of extrinsic (seasonal effects) and intrinsic factors (habitat guild, sex). From 2007 to 2011, we surveyed the old Santa Cruz-Cochabamba highway and local dirt roads in Florida Province, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. We observed 1,444 snake road-kills comprised at least 32 species from 21 genera and 4 families. Nearly one fifth (18.4%) of road-killed species are endemic to the region. A temporal peak in road mortality was observed in February in the middle of the rainy season and was lowest in July coinciding with the dry season. Male snakes were more frequently killed than females and male mortality peaked during the mid to late rainy season. Habitat guild had a significant influence on the species occurrence during the road surveys; road-kills of terrestrial snakes were observed more frequently compared with fossorial, arboreal, semi-arboreal, and semi-aquatic species. The impact of roads on Bolivian biodiversity, including snakes, is expected to increase, as road networks in the region continue to expand. Documenting additional interspecific and intraspecific variation in vulnerabilities to road mortality is needed to better understand the long-term impacts of roads on population persistence as well as inform the design and implementation of mitigation efforts.
Rape Myth Acceptance Among College Students in the United States, Japan, and India
Authors: Stephens Tamara , Kamimura Akiko , Yamawaki Niwako , Bhattacharya Haimanti , Mo Wenjing , Birkholz Ryan , Makomenaw Angie , Olson Lenora M.
Published: December 2016

Rape myth acceptance is an important determinant of sexual assault behaviors. This study explored country and gender differences in rape myth acceptance among undergraduate students in the United States, Japan, and India. Male and female college students ( N = 637) in these three countries participated in a self-administered survey in the fall of 2012 (the United States, n = 206; Japan, n = 215; and India, n = 216). The order of the countries arranged in increasing order of likelihood of disbelieving rape claim was as follows: the United States, Japan, and India. U.S. and Japanese students were less likely to disbelieve rape claims ( p < .01) while U.S. students also were less likely to believe that victims are responsible for rape ( p < .01). Overall, female participants were less likely to believe in the rape myth acceptance, disbelief of rape claim and victims are responsible for rape ( p < .05). Acceptance of rape myth also varied by whether a participant knew about an organization or who do not believe they would seek help for sexual assault. Non-help seeking is associated with rape myth acceptance. This study, which used the same survey and data collection methods, provides comparative information on rape myth acceptance among college students in the United States, Japan, and India, which is not otherwise available, and contributes to providing fundamental knowledge to develop country-specific prevention programs.
How Good Is Good Enough? A Community-Based Assessment of Teacher Competencies for Gifted Students
Authors: Gómez-Arizaga Maria P. , Conejeros-Solar María Leonor , Martin Annjeanette
Published: December 2016

One of the major challenges of addressing diversity in the classroom is to meet the needs of gifted students, which are often invisible in countries such as Chile, in which providing services for highly able students is still considered elitist. The purpose of this study was to analyze the perceptions of community members about the critical competencies of instructors who work with gifted students. Six focus groups were conducted with students, instructors, and staff members of an enrichment program for the gifted. Qualitative analyses were conducted throughout open, axial, and selective coding. Traits and competencies were grouped into three themes: knowledge, teaching, and socio-emotional characteristics. Differences were found between the perceptions of students and staff members: Whereas students’ emphasis was on socio-affective characteristics, the staff highlighted the importance of content and pedagogical knowledge. The novelty and contribution of the study are related on how to recognize and acknowledge the voices of active members of a community for educational improvement. These community perceptions contributed to depict a profile of an effective teacher for gifted students, and were used to improve instructors’ current performance and to design a more rigorous selection process for future teachers. The implications of the study also shed light about how to improve teacher preparation programs to meet the needs of this group of students.
Evaluation of Shoulder-Stabilizing Braces
Authors: Baker Hayden P. , Tjong Vehniah K. , Dunne Kevin F. , Lindley Tory R. , Terry Michael A.
Published: December 2016

Background:

Shoulder injuries remain one of the most common injuries among collegiate football athletes. Offensive linemen in particular are prone to posterior labral pathology.

Purpose:

To evaluate the efficacy of shoulder bracing in collegiate offensive linemen with respect to injury prevention, severity, and lost playing time.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

Offensive linemen at a single collegiate institution wore bilateral shoulder-stabilizing braces for every contact practice and game beginning in the spring of 2013. Between spring of 2007 and fall of 2012, offensive linemen did not wear any shoulder braces. Player injury data were collected for all contact practices and games throughout these time periods to highlight differences with brace use.

Results:

Forty-five offensive linemen (90 shoulders) participated in spring and fall college football seasons between 2007 and 2015. There were 145 complete offensive linemen seasons over the course of the study. Offensive linemen not wearing shoulder braces completed 87 seasons; offensive linemen wearing shoulder braces completed 58 seasons. Posterior labral tear injury rates were calculated for players who wore the shoulder braces (0.71 per 1000 athlete-exposures) compared with shoulders of players who did not wear the braces (1.90 per 1000 athlete-exposures). The risk ratio was 0.46 (95% CI, 0.16-1.30; P = .14). Mean time (contact practices and games) missed due to injury was significant, favoring less time missed by players who used braces (8.7 vs 36.60 contact practices and games missed due to injury; P = .0019). No significant difference in shoulder labral tears requiring surgery was found for brace use compared with no brace use.

Conclusion:

Shoulder-stabilizing braces were shown not to prevent posterior labral tears among collegiate offensive lineman, although they were associated with less time lost to injury. The results of this study have clinical significance, indicating that wearing a shoulder brace provides a protective factor for offensive linemen.
Long-term risk of second malignancy and cardiovascular disease after Hodgkin lymphoma treatment
Authors: van Leeuwen Flora E. , Ng Andrea K.
Published: December 2016

Long-term survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) experience several late adverse effects of treatment, with second malignant neoplasms (SMNs) and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) being the leading causes of death in these patients. Other late effects have also been identified, such as pulmonary dysfunction, endocrinopathies (thyroid dysfunction, infertility), neck muscle atrophy, and persistent fatigue. HL survivors have two- to fourfold increased risks to develop SMNs and CVD compared with the general population. With respect to SMNs, radiotherapy is associated with 1.5- to 15-fold increased risk of solid malignancies. The relative risk (RR) of solid tumors increases steadily with increasing follow-up time from 5 to 15 years since radiotherapy, and remains elevated for at least 40 years. The RR of solid SMNs increases strongly with younger age at first treatment. Risks of lung, breast, and gastrointestinal (GI) cancers increase with higher radiation dose. Alkylating agent chemotherapy, especially procarbazine, does not only increase risk of leukemia but also of solid malignancies, in particular, cancers of the lung and GI tract. In contrast, gonadotoxic chemotherapy decreases the risk of radiation-associated breast cancer, through induction of premature menopause. Smoking appears to multiply the radiation- and chemotherapy-associated risks of lung cancer. Both radiotherapy and chemotherapy for HL may cause cardiovascular toxicity. Radiotherapy increases the risk of coronary heart disease, valvular heart disease, congestive heart failure (HF), and pericarditis, whereas anthracycline-containing chemotherapy increases the risks of HF and valvular heart disease. Cardiovascular toxicity following radiotherapy is usually observed from 5 to at least 35 years after therapy, whereas anthracycline-related toxicity is already observed during treatment, up to at least 25 years. The joint effects of anthracyclines, radiotherapy, and conventional cardiovascular risk factors (eg, hypertension, smoking, and physical inactivity) appear to be additive rather than multiplicative. HL survivors need lifelong risk-based screening for selected SMNs and CVDs. Furthermore, preventive strategies should include lifestyle and drug-based interventions to minimize exposure to conventional risk factors for cancer and CVD.
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Raetz Elizabeth A. , Teachey David T.
Published: December 2016

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is biologically distinct from its B lymphoblastic (B-ALL) counterpart and shows different kinetic patterns of disease response. Although very similar regimens are used to treat T-ALL and B-ALL, distinctions in response to different elements of therapy have been observed. Similar to B-ALL, the key prognostic determinant in T-ALL is minimal residual disease (MRD) response. Unlike B-ALL, other factors including age, white blood cell count at diagnosis, and genetics of the ALL blasts are not independently prognostic when MRD response is included. Recent insights into T-ALL biology, using modern genomic techniques, have identified a number of recurrent lesions that can be grouped into several targetable pathways, including Notch, Jak/Stat, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, and MAPK. With contemporary chemotherapy, outcomes for de novo T-ALL have steadily improved and now approach those observed in B-ALL, with approximately 85% 5-year event-free survival. Unfortunately, salvage has remained poor, with less than 25% event-free and overall survival rates for relapsed disease. Thus, current efforts are focused on preventing relapse by augmenting therapy for high-risk patients, sparing toxicity in favorable subsets and developing new approaches for the treatment of recurrent disease.
Prevention of thrombosis in antiphospholipid syndrome
Authors: Lim Wendy
Published: December 2016

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an acquired autoimmune condition characterized by thrombotic events, pregnancy morbidity, and laboratory evidence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL). Management of these patients includes the prevention of a first thrombotic episode in at-risk patients (primary prevention) and preventing recurrent thrombotic complications in patients with a history of thrombosis (secondary prevention). Assessment of thrombotic risk in these patients, balanced against estimated bleeding risks associated with antithrombotic therapy could assist clinicians in determining whether antithrombotic therapy is warranted. Thrombotic risk can be assessed by evaluating a patient’s aPL profile and additional thrombotic risk factors. Although antithrombotic options for secondary prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) have been evaluated in clinical trials, studies in primary prevention of asymptomatic aPL-positive patients are needed. Primary prevention with aspirin may be considered in asymptomatic patients who have a high-risk aPL profile, particularly if additional risk factors are present. Secondary prevention with long-term anticoagulation is recommended based on estimated risks of VTE recurrence, although routine evaluation of thrombotic risk can assist in determining whether ongoing anticoagulation is warranted. Studies that stratify thrombotic risk in aPL-positive patients, and patients with APS evaluating antithrombotic and non-antithrombotic therapies will be useful in optimizing the management of these patients.
Targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis in multiple myeloma: a dream or a reality?
Authors: Rosenblatt Jacalyn , Avigan David
Published: December 2016

The programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway is a negative regulator of immune activation that is upregulated in multiple myeloma and is a critical component of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Expression is increased in advanced disease and in the presence of bone marrow stromal cells. PD-1/PD-L1 blockade is associated with tumor regression in several malignancies, but single-agent activity is limited in myeloma patients. Combination therapy involving strategies to expand myeloma-specific T cells and T-cell activation via PD-1/PD-L1 blockade are currently being explored.
STON: exploring biological pathways using the SBGN standard and graph databases
Authors: Touré Vasundra , Mazein Alexander , Waltemath Dagmar , Balaur Irina , Saqi Mansoor , Henkel Ron , Pellet Johann , Auffray Charles
Published: December 2016

Background

When modeling in Systems Biology and Systems Medicine, the data is often extensive, complex and heterogeneous. Graphs are a natural way of representing biological networks. Graph databases enable efficient storage and processing of the encoded biological relationships. They furthermore support queries on the structure of biological networks.

Results

We present the Java-based framework STON (SBGN TO Neo4j). STON imports and translates metabolic, signalling and gene regulatory pathways represented in the Systems Biology Graphical Notation into a graph-oriented format compatible with the Neo4j graph database.

Conclusion

STON exploits the power of graph databases to store and query complex biological pathways. This advances the possibility of: i) identifying subnetworks in a given pathway; ii) linking networks across different levels of granularity to address difficulties related to incomplete knowledge representation at single level; and iii) identifying common patterns between pathways in the database.
Growth of Nonoperating Room Anesthesia Care in the United States: A Contemporary Trends Analysis
Authors: Nagrebetsky Alexander , Gabriel Rodney A. , Dutton Richard P. , Urman Richard D.
Published: December 2016

BACKGROUND:

Although previous publications suggest an increasing demand and volume of nonoperating room anesthesia (NORA) cases in the United States, there is little factual information on either volume or characteristics of NORA cases at a national level. Our goal was to assess the available data using the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry (NACOR).

METHODS:

We performed a retrospective analysis of NORA volume and case characteristics using NACOR data for the period 2010–2014. Operating room (OR) and NORA cases were assessed for patient, provider, procedural, and facility characteristics. NACOR may indicate general trends, since it collects data on about 25% of all anesthetics in the United States each year. We examined trends in the annual proportion of NORA cases, the annual mean age of patients, the annual proportions of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status (ASA PS) III–V patients, and outpatient cases. Regression analyses for trends included facility type and urban/rural location as covariables. The most frequently reported procedures were identified.

RESULTS:

The proportion of NORA cases overall increased from 28.3% in 2010 to 35.9% in 2014 (P < .001). The mean age of NORA patients was 3.5 years higher compared with OR patients (95% CI 3.5–3.5, P < .001). The proportion of patients with ASA PS class III–V was higher in the NORA group compared with OR group, 37.6% and 33.0%, respectively (P < .001). The median (quartile 1, 3) duration of NORA cases was 40 (25, 70) minutes compared with 86 (52, 141) minutes for OR cases (P < .001). In comparison to OR cases, more NORA cases were started after normal working hours (9.9% vs 16.7%, P < .001). Colonoscopy was the most common procedure that required NORA. There was a significant upward trend in the mean age of NORA patients in the multivariable analysis—the estimated increase in mean age was 1.06 years of age per year of study period (slope 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05–1.07, P < .001). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that the mean age of NORA patients increased significantly faster compared with OR patients (difference in slopes 0.39; 95% CI 0.38–0.41, P < .001). The annual increase in ordinal ASA PS of NORA patients was small in magnitude, but statistically significant (odds ratio 1.03; 95% CI 1.03–1.03, P < .001). The proportion of outpatient NORA cases increased from 69.7% in 2010 to 73.3% in 2014 (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS:

Our results demonstrate that NORA is a growing component of anesthesiology practice. The proportion of cases performed outside of the OR increased during the study period. In addition, we identified an upward trend in the age of patients receiving NORA care. NORA cases were different from OR cases in a number of aspects. Data collected by NACOR in the coming years will further characterize the trends identified in this study.
Psychology Fails to Trump the Multiyear, Structural Development Plan: Albert Hirschman's Largely Frustrated Efforts to Place the “Ability to Make and Carry Out Development Decisions” At the Center of the Development Economics of the Late 1950s and the 1960s
Authors: De Marchi Neil
Published: December 2016

Economists in the 1950s differed on “backwardness” and how best to intervene. World Bank economists favored planning, but one dissenter, Albert Hirschman, held the conviction that the basis for success lay in a desire for change and the will to face down difficulties. In 1959 Hirschman's approach was rejected as more psychology than economics by a leading representative of detailed plans and removing “obstacles” such as short-ages of foreign exchange and domestic savings. Ironically, RAND psychologists had just shown that team training with simulations plus daily debriefings that encouraged team input, improved performance under stress, roughly in line with Hirschman's “psychological attitudes” and willingness to face down difficulties.
The Sidney Siegel Tradition: The Divergence of Behavioral and Experimental Economics at the End of the 1980s
Authors: Svorenčík Andrej
Published: December 2016

Over two days in February 1988, several key experimental economists and cognitive psychologists met to explore the possibilities of joint research promoted by the Sloan and Russell Sage Foundations under the rubric behavioral economics. The original vision that the meeting could open a line of inquiry on the growing body of behavioral “anomalies” and their robustness in a market setting proved naive. The divide between both camps was too big to bridge given the fundamentally different approaches to experimentation. The article traces how the work of Sidney Siegel, a psychologist briefly active in the 1950s, was recast by experimental economists as the basis of their experimental research, including the emphasis on performance-based payments of experimental subjects and avoiding deception. My reconstruction of this meeting and its aftermath sheds new light on the origin of the divergence of experimental and behavioral economics at the end of the 1980s.
Provincializing Concepts
Authors: Pernau Margrit
Published: December 2016

Global history needs common concepts. European concepts are deeply problematic, as Dipesh Chakrabarty has shown, because their genealogy in European experience makes them particular and universal at the same time and reduces the rest of the world to a history of lack. Taking the history of the ashraf and their relation to the middle classes as an example, Pernau's article moves beyond the impasse of European thought as “both indispensable and inadequate.” In the first step, it claims, it makes sense to use those analytical categories to create a common field of reference, while marking their use as provisional. In the second step conceptual history becomes central in two respects; investigating the history of the analytical concepts allows us to destabilize the boundary between the interpretation offered by the historical actors and the one offered by historians. To this needs to be added the history of colonial actors' concepts, taking into consideration translingual practices. The third step addresses the problem of how to transform the existing analytical concepts in order to do greater justice to the ways in which actors conceived of their world.
A Note on Tulsi Parab, the Writer and the Man
Authors: Sonalkar Wandana
Published: December 2016

Sonalkar's piece is a tribute to the late poet Tulsi Parab and serves as an introduction to the English translations of four of Parab's poems.
Bringing your tools to CyVerse Discovery Environment using Docker
Authors: Devisetty Upendra Kumar , Kennedy Kathleen , Sarando Paul , Merchant Nirav , Lyons Eric
Published: December 2016

Docker has become a very popular container-based virtualization platform for software distribution that has revolutionized the way in which scientific software and software dependencies (software stacks) can be packaged, distributed, and deployed. Docker makes the complex and time-consuming installation procedures needed for scientific software a one-time process. Because it enables platform-independent installation, versioning of software environments, and easy redeployment and reproducibility, Docker is an ideal candidate for the deployment of identical software stacks on different compute environments such as XSEDE and Amazon AWS. Cyverse's Discovery Environment also uses Docker for integrating its powerful, community-recommended software tools into CyVerse's production environment for public use. This paper will help users bring their tools into CyVerse DE which will not only allows users to integrate their tools with relative ease compared to the earlier method of tool deployment in DE but also help users to share their apps with collaborators and also release them for public use.
Results on the number of zeros in a disk for three types of polynomials
Authors: Bryant Derek , Gardner Robert
Published: December 2016

See PDF.
Narratives of identity in adopted adolescents: interview analysis
Authors: Kalus Alicja
Published: December 2016

Aim of the study
The aim of the study was to examine the essential aspects of the process of shaping the identity of adopted persons.

Subject or material and methods
In the study a qualitative method of narrative interview was used.

Results
The results of the study were then analyzed in terms of self-awareness, family relations and wider social relations, which were described by other adoption researchers as the important factors in the shaping of the adoptive identity.

Discussion
Analysis of the narratives’ content allowed to establish that in the period of early and late adolescence other essential and vitally important issues play a dominant role in shaping the adoptee’s identity. This applies both to the content of the questions posed and the degree of involvement in the search for answers to these questions.

Conclusions
In summary, the process of formation of the adoptee’s identity revealed a lot of vitally important issues that have to be faced by an adopted person. This is associated with the experience of being a child abandoned by the biological parents, but a central place in this process is occupied by the narratives about family. Their content, both in the early and late adolescence is similar, but in the late adolescence, there occur also the strands concerning the adoptive family. Adopted adolescents develop a new concept of family: present family, family to which I belong to, my adoptive parents.
THE EFFECTS OF DISSOLUTION OF THE SOLID NICKEL IN LIQUID ALUMINIUM
Authors: Rizov Blagoj , Stoevska-Gogovska Dafinka , Manojlovic Ruzica
Published: December 2016

The preparation of a large number of materials trough the propagating exothermic reactions has been the objective of numerous investigation. Self-propagating reactions are typically associated with high temperatures and extremely steep thermal gradients and thus offer the opportunity to investigate the formation of intermediate and metastable phases. Such reactions are also of interest from a practical point of view since, as has been described in numerous literature accounts, they provide the opportunity to prepare materials with unique properties.In this study the thermal effects of dissolution on the solid nickel in liquid aluminium and formation intermetallic phases was studied by simple experimental procedure. The thermal effects generated by exothermic solid-liquid metal interaction was judged by the rise of temperature in the system. Depending on experimental conditions, two different regimes of behavior were found: solid-liquid interaction leading to the considerable rise of the temperature in the system, and characterized by continuos decrease of the temperature in the system with time. The results of the experiments on the heat effects during the interaction of solid nickel with different particle size and liquid aluminium, with and without external mixing, are presented. It has been shown that, depending on experimental conditions, the evolved heat may influence the structure of a zone near to the solid-liquid interface. The experimental procedure correlates with the practical conditions of semi-industrial production of aluminium-nickel master alloys with relatively high percentage of nickel.
Contents
Authors: AMS Editorial
Published: December 2016

Research papers

Letter to the Editor
Optimal Resource Capacity Management for Stochastic Networks
Authors: Dieker A. B. , Ghosh S. , Squillante M. S.
Published: December 2016

We develop a framework for determining the optimal resource capacity of each station composing a stochastic network, motivated by applications arising in computer capacity planning and business process management. The problem is mathematically intractable in general and therefore one typically resorts to either simplistic analytical approximations or time-consuming simulation-based optimization methods. Our solution framework includes an iterative methodology that relies only on the capability of observing the queue lengths at all network stations for a given resource capacity allocation. We theoretically investigate this proposed methodology for single-class Brownian tree networks and illustrate the use of our framework and the quality of its results through computational experiments.
Comparing Allevyn cavity wound dressings and Silastic foam
Authors: Butterworth R. J. , Bale S. , Harding K. G. , Hughes L. E.
Published: December 2016

An assessment by staff and patients of two cavity wound dressings in the treatment of surgical granulating cavity wounds
Compression bandaging — the state of the art
Authors: Moffatt C. J.
Published: December 2016

A review of the role of compression bandaging and the current techniques and materials employed. Recent developments are explained and the need for future research is discussed
Die Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaftliche Bibliothek der ULB Halle
Authors: Sommer Dorothea , Schnelling Heiner
Published: December 2016

Die neue Bibliothek für Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften der Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Sachsen-Anhalt in Halle wurde im Oktober 2015 eröffnet, mehr als 15 Jahre nach ihrer ersten Konzeption. Vor ihrer baulichen Realisierung fanden innerhalb des Bibliothekssystems der Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg eine Reihe von wichtigen Zentralisierungsmaßnahmen statt, die sowohl die erfolgreiche Zusammenarbeit mit wichtigen Gremien innerhalb der Universität zur Voraussetzung hatten als auch das Bemühen, die politischen Entscheidungsträger in die Realisierung des Bauvorhabens einzubinden. Schließlich konnte das neue Bibliotheksgebäude, in dem sieben Zweigbibliotheken zentralisiert wurden, auf einer Fläche von 4 623 Quadratmetern gebaut werden. Die Bibliothek ist für eine Kapazität von 750 000 Medien ausgelegt. Sie ist mittlerweile die größte Zweigbibliothek im Bibliothekssystem der Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek und gleichzeitig das Herzstück des neuen Steintor-Campus der Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften der Martin-Luther-Universität in Halle. Darüber hinaus hat der Neubau der Bibliothek auch das Stadtviertel am Steintor transformiert, wo inzwischen in einem der verkehrsreichsten Gebiete der Stadt die Platzgestaltung und die Verkehrsströme völlig verändert werden. Die Bibliothek wurde dadurch auch zum „placemaker“.

Der Artikel geht auf die Prozesse der Entscheidungsfindung für das neue Bibliotheksgebäude des Leipziger Architekturbüros Eßmann, Nieper & Partner ein, das auch eine moderne Antwort finden musste im Kontext mit dem klassischen, denkmalgeschützten Gebäude der zentralen Bibliothek.
Simulating heart rate kinetics during incremental and interval training
Authors: Zakynthinaki Maria S.
Published: December 2016

Study aim: To apply a recently proposed dynamical systems model to simulate, for the first time, the heart rate (HR) response to exercise of time-dependent intensity.

Material and methods: The applied model is expressed in the form of two coupled ordinary differential equations, one giving the rate of change of HR and the other providing the time dependency of exercise intensity. According to the model, the HR is assumed to depend on time, velocity, lactate accumulation and the subject’s overall cardiovascular condition. For the purposes of the present work, training sessions were simulated, consisting of exponentially and step-wise increasing intensities, as well as interval training.

Results: Training sessions of exponentially and step-wise increasing velocity, as well as an interval training session, have been simulated. Successful simulations of the corresponding HR response were achieved.

Conclusions: The present work successfully demonstrates the model’s excellent performance in simulating the HR response to exercises of time-dependent intensity. The applied model has been shown to correctly simulate the heart rate response also during exercises of complicated intensity patterns, such as the interval training session. The study confirms the ability of the implemented mathematical model not only to simulate and predict heart rate kinetics for any given exercise intensities but also to provide important information regarding an individual’s cardiovascular condition. This is of vast importance, not only in the area of fitness and sport, where it can serve as a fundamental tool for the design of efficient training sessions, but also in the areas of cardiovascular health, prediction and rehabilitation.
A review on the quantification of soil water balance components as a basis for agricultural water management with a focus on weighing lysimeters and soil water sensors / Ein Überblick über die Ermittlung von Wasserhaushaltsgrößen als Basis für die landeskulturelle Wasserwirtschaft mit Fokus auf Lysimeter und Bodenwassersensoren
Authors: Nolz Reinhard
Published: December 2016

Knowing the components of a soil water balance—for example, evapotranspiration, soil water content, and precipitation—is the basis for agricultural water management. Weighing lysimeters and soil water sensors are commonly used to quantify these components. Data can be used to validate common models to estimate evapotranspiration based on meteorological data, for instance. As every measurement device has its own characteristics, it is helpful to assess and improve the performance of a system to obtain best possible data. Recent developments in the processing of lysimeter data allow determining both evapotranspiration and precipitation directly from lysimeter data. Resulting datasets are characterized by a proper accuracy, completeness, and a high temporal resolution. Soil water sensors usually measure a physical property that is related to soil water content or matric potential via a specific calibration function. Hence, measurement accuracy depends not only on this calibration but also on basic physical principles and material properties. Knowing the performance of a device is, therefore, essential for the selection of an adequate sensor arrangement and truthful data interpretation. Advanced soil water monitoring sites combine different sensor types that are integrated into a wireless network to enable real-time data availability and provide a basis for large-scale monitoring.
Microfilariae Classification Using Multiple
Classifiers for Color and Shape Features
Authors: AL-Tam Faroq , dos Anjos António , Pion Sébastien , Boussinesq Michel , Shahbazkia Hamid Reza
Published: December 2016

This paper presents a multi-classifier approach
for classifying microfilariae in 2-D images. A shape descriptor
based on the quench function is described. This
descriptor is represented as a feature vector that encodes
the shape information. The color feature vector is calculated
as a histogram. Two classifiers were used to train
both color and shape feature vectors, one for each vector.
The posterior probabilities calculated from the scores
of each classifier are then used to calculate the final classification
decision. The experimental results show that,
although the proposed approach is simple, it is efficient
when compared to various approaches.
New insights in prevention and treatment of sepsis-induced acute kidney injury
Authors: Honore Patrick M. , Jacobs Rita , Joannes-Boyau Olivier , Boer Willem , De Waele Elisabeth , Van Gorp Viola , Spapen Herbert D.
Published: December 2016

Sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (SAKI) remains an important challenge for intensive care unit clinicians. We reviewed current available evidence regarding prevention and treatment of SAKI thereby incorporating some major recent advances and developments. Prevention includes early and ample administration of “balanced” crystalloid solutions such as Ringer’s lactate. For monitoring of renal function during resuscitation, lactate clearance rate is preferred above ScvO2 or renal Doppler. Aiming at high central venous pressures seems to be deleterious in light of the novel “kidney afterload” concept. Noradrenaline is the vasopressor of choice for preventing SAKI. Intra-abdominal hypertension, a potent trigger of acute kidney injury in postoperative and trauma patients, should not be neglected in sepsis. Renal replacement therapy (RRT) must be started early in fluid-overloaded patients refractory to diuretics. Continuous RRT (CRRT) is the preferred modality in hemodynamically unstable SAKI but its use in more stable SAKI is increasing. In the absence of hypervolemia, diuretics should be avoided. Antimicrobial dosing during CRRT needs to be thoroughly reconsidered to assure adequate infection control.
PreSSUB II: The prehospital stroke
study at the Universitair Ziekenhuis
Brussel II
Authors: Espinoza Alexis Valenzuela , Van Hooff Robbert-Jan , De Smedt Ann , Moens Maarten , Yperzeele Laetitia , Nieboer Koenraad , Hubloue Ives , De Keyser Jacques , Dupont Alain , De Wit Liesbet , Putman Koen , Brouns Raf
Published: December 2016

Rationale: Stroke is a time-critical medical emergency requiring specialized treatment.
Prehospital delay contributes significantly to delayed or missed treatment opportunities.
In-ambulance telemedicine can bring stroke expertise to the prehospital arena and facilitate
this complex diagnostic and therapeutic process. Aims: This study evaluates the efficacy,
safety, feasibility, reliability and cost-effectiveness of in-ambulance telemedicine for patients
with suspicion of acute stroke. We hypothesize that this approach will reduce the delay to
in-hospital treatment by streamlining the diagnostic process and that prehospital stroke
care will be improved by expert stroke support via telemedicine during the ambulance
transportation. Design: PreSSUB II is an interventional, prospective, randomized,
open-blinded, end-point, single-center trial comparing standard emergency care by the
Paramedic Intervention Team of the Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (control) with standard
emergency care complemented with in-ambulance teleconsultation service by stroke experts
(PreSSUB). Study Outcomes: The primary efficacy endpoint is the call-to-brain imaging
time. Secondary endpoints for the efficacy analysis include the prevalence of medical
events diagnosed and corrected during in-ambulance teleconsultation, the proportion of
patients with ischemic stroke receiving recanalization therapy, the assessment of disability,
functional status, quality of life and overall well-being. Mortality at 90 days after stroke
is the primary safety endpoint. Secondary safety analysis will involve the registration of
any adverse event. Other analyses include assessment of feasibility and reliability and a
health economic evaluation.
Primary hydatid disease of the breast clinically masquerading as a galactocele:
A case report
Authors: Siddiqui Bushra , Faridi Shahbaz Habib , Arif Sayeedul Hasan , Aslam Mohammad
Published: December 2016

We report a rare case of a 30-year-old breastfeeding woman who presented to our surgical
outpatient department with complaints of a gradually enlarging lump in her left breast for the last
2 months. She also complained of difficulty in breastfeeding for 1 week. On examination, the
right breast was normal but there was a 4 cm × 4 cm retroareolar soft lump in her left breast.
Examination of the bilateral axilla was normal. A provisional diagnosis of galactocele was made
and the patient was subjected to ultrasonic mammography and fine needle aspiration cytology
(FNAC). Ultrasonic mammography of the left breast showed a heterogeneous, hypoechoic
lesion with thick septations and internal echoes suggestive of a complex cystic lesion, leading
to a differential diagnosis of either hydatid cyst or breast abscess. On FNAC, the aspirate
was not milky and cytological examination was performed, which revealed hydatid scolices,
hooklets, foamy macrophages and granular debris, leading to the final diagnosis of hydatid
cyst of the breast. The patient was investigated further but there were no cysts at any other
site. Chemotherapy with albendazole was started and surgery was performed after 1 month.
Histopathology further confirmed the diagnosis. Owing to the rarity of presentation, this case
is being reported here.
Clinical conundrums in management of sepsis in the elderly
Authors: Sehgal Vishal , Bajwa Sukhminder Jit Singh , Consalvo John A. , Bajaj Anurag
Published: December 2016

In 2012, surviving sepsis campaign came out with updated international guidelines for management of severe sepsis and septic shock. Paradoxically, there are no specific guidelines for management of sepsis in the elderly, although the elderly are more predisposed to sepsis, and morbidity and mortality related to sepsis. Sepsis in the elderly is, more often than not, complicated by clinical conundrums such as congestive heart failure (CHF), atrial fibrillation (AF), chronic kidney disease (CKD), acute kidney injury (AKI), delirium, dementia, ambulatory dysfunction, polypharmacy, malglycemia, nutritional deficiencies, and antibiotic resistance. Also, with recurrent admissions to the hospital and widespread use of antibiotics, the elderly are more susceptible to Clostridium difficile colitis.
Nutrition in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A review
Authors: Rawal Gautam , Yadav Sankalp
Published: December 2016

Cachexia and muscle wasting is a frequent but partly reversible complication in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and affects the disease progression and prognosis. Weight loss in COPD is a consequence of increased energy requirements unbalanced by dietary intake. Nutritional supplement therapy has been shown to be effective for maintaining and improving the muscle strength and exercise tolerance in poorly nourished COPD patients, thereby decreasing morbidity and mortality. This mini review discusses the role of nutritional supplement therapy in the treatment of COPD.
H-type hypertension and risk of stroke in chinese adults: A prospective, nested case–control study
Authors: Li Jianping , Jiang Shanqun , Zhang Yan , Tang Genfu , Wang Yu , Mao Guangyun , Li Zhiping , Xu Xiping , Wang Binyan , Huo Yong
Published: December 2016

Objectives: To investigate the independent and joint associations of hyperhomocysteinemia and hypertension with incident stroke and stroke death in Chinese adults.

Methods: About 39,165 rural Chinese adults aged 35 years or older who had no history of stroke at the baseline study were prospectively followed to determine major cardiovascular events, with an average follow-up of 6.2 years. Using a nested case–control design, this report includes 179 incident stroke cases (121 stroke deaths) and 179 controls without vascular events from the original cohort matched by age, sex, community, and length of plasma storage. Baseline plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) measurements were obtained for all subjects. Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the independent and joint associations between H-type hypertension, defined as subjects with concomitant hypertension and elevated homocysteine (≥10 μmol/L), and risk of incident stroke and stroke death, after adjusting for important covariates.

Results: We analyzed each risk factor independently and jointly. For analysis, homocysteine was divided into three groups: low (tHcy <10 µmol/L), moderate (≥10 µmol/L tHcy <20 µmol/L), and high (tHcy≥20µmol/L). Compared to subjects in the low group, the odds ratios (95% CI) of incident stroke for those in the moderate group and the high group were 1.7 (0.8–3.7) and 3.1 (1.2–8.6), respectively. The odds ratios (95% CI) of stroke death for the moderate and high groups were 2.8 (1.1–7.4) and 5.1 (1.6–16.4), respectively. Hypertension was also independently associated with a higher risk of incident stroke and stroke death: 3.8 (2.3–6.4) and 3.2 (1.8–6.0), respectively, compared to those without hypertension. When analyzed jointly, the highest risk was found among patients with H-type hypertensive with both hyperhomocysteinemia and hypertension: 12.7 (2.8–58.0) for incident stroke and 11.7 (2.5–54.7) for stroke death.

Conclusions: This study provides strong evidence that hyperhomocysteinemia and hypertension are two independent, modifiable risk factors, which act additively to increase the risk of incident stroke and stroke death. The results strongly suggest that H-type hypertension is a major risk factor for vascular disease and mortality, and those with H-type hypertension may particularly benefit from homocysteine-lowering therapy along with anti-hypertension therapy in Chinese populations.
Dietary cholesterol and egg yolk should be avoided by patients at risk of vascular disease
Authors: David Spence J.
Published: December 2016

Recent recommendations that limits to dietary cholesterol be dropped were probably heavily influenced by propaganda from the egg industry. After conviction for false advertising, the industry has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to convince the public, physicians, and policy makers that dietary cholesterol and egg yolk are harmless. However, there are good reasons for longstanding recommendations that dietary cholesterol be limited to <200 mg/ day in persons at risk of vascular disease. It is seldom understood that this essentially means all people in developed countries who expect to attain an advanced age. There is abundant evidence that dietary cholesterol increases cardiovascular risk. The misdirection of the egg industry focuses on fasting levels of LDL cholesterol, which are only raised by ~ 10% by consumption of egg yolks. However, the main effect of diet is on the post-prandial state: for ~ 4 hours after a high fat/high cholesterol meal, there is oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction, and arterial inflammation. One large (65 g) egg yolk contains 237 mg of cholesterol, well above the recommended limit—nearly as much as a 12-ounce hamburger. Besides the very high cholesterol content of egg yolk, the phosphatidylcholine in egg yolk leads, via action of the intestinal microbiome, to production of trimethylamine n-oxide (TMAO), which causes atherosclerosis in animal models. Levels of TMAO in the top quartile after a test dose of two egg yolks were associated with a 2.5-fold increase in the 3-year risk of stroke, death, or myocardial infarction among patients referred for coronary angiography. Persons at risk of cardiovascular disease should limit their intake of cholesterol and egg yolk.
Local Changes in Lipid Composition to Match
Membrane Curvature
Authors: Ryham Rolf J.
Published: December 2016

A continuum mechanical model based on the Helfrich Hamiltonian is devised to investigate the
coupling between lipid composition and membrane curvature. Each monolayer in the bilayer is modeled as a
freely deformable surface with a director field for lipid orientation. A scalar field for the mole fraction of two
lipid types accounts for local changes in composition. It allows lipids to access monolayer regions favorable
to their intrinsic curvature at the expense of increasing entropic free energy. Hemifusion is one of the key fusion
intermediates with regions of both positive and negative membrane curvature and where proteins must
supply energy in order to bring about large elastic distortions. Using a numerical gradient descent scheme,
minimal energy axisymmetric shapes of hemifusion diaphragms are calculated for varying radii. Previous
studies assumed a fixed, weighted average for spontaneous curvature. Allowing for local changes in spontaneous
curvature yields energies and forces of expansion significantly lower than those obtained from a fixed
composition.