bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Metabolic Outcomes, Bone Health, and Risk of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Girls with Idiopathic Central Precocious Puberty Treated with Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Analogues
Authors: Faienza Maria Felicia , Brunetti Giacomina , Acquafredda Angelo , Delvecchio Maurizio , Lonero Antonella , Gaeta Alberto , Suavo Bulzis Paola , Corica Domenico , Velletri Maria Rosa , De Luca Filippo , Cavallo Luciano , Wasniewska Malgorzata
Published: October 2017

Background/Aims: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues (GnRHa) represent the gold standard treatment for central precocious puberty (CPP). We aimed to assess the effects of GnRHa treatment on metabolic outcomes, bone status, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) prevalence in young girls with idiopathic CPP (ICPP). Methods: We enrolled 94 ICPP girls who were at least 2 years after menarche and had already attained adult height at the time of the study: 56 previously treated with depot triptorelin (3.4 ± 0.6 years) and 38 untreated. Auxological parameters, lipid profile, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), bone state, and prevalence of PCOS were assessed. Results: The 2 groups were similar for body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. HOMA-IR, dehydroepi­androsterone sulfate, and Δ4-androstenedione were higher in the treated than in the untreated subjects (p < 0.001). Significant differences were found for amplitude-dependent speed of sound (p < 0.03) and bone transmission time z-scores (p < 0.01). The prevalence of PCOS was higher in the treated than in the untreated subjects (p < 0.04). Conclusion: GnRHa therapy is associated with hyperandrogenism and an increase in insulin resistance and PCOS prevalence, but not with increased BMI or lipid profile alterations. Long-term evaluations at the time of expected peak bone mass achievement are needed to understand the persistent or transient nature of subtle bone abnormalities.
Klassifizierung von Komplikationen bei Tätowierungen: Potenzial für neuen Standard
Authors: Gerber Peter Arne
Published: October 2017

Hintergrund/Ziele: Tätowierungen sind weltweit in Mode. Das klinische Wissen über Komplikationen beruht auf Fallberichten, die im Laufe eines Jahrhunderts gesammelt wurden. Untersuchungen an größeren Kohorten zu Komplikationen und aktuellen Trends liegen nicht vor. Methoden: Wir analysierten retrospektiv eine Kohorte konsekutiver Patienten mit Tätowierungskomplikationen, die zwischen 2008 und 2015 in der «Tattoo-Klinik» des Universitätskrankenhauses Bispebjerg in Kopenhagen, Dänemark anhand einer Anamnese und der systematischen klinischen Untersuchung diagnostiziert wurden. Ergebnisse: Insgesamt wurden 493 Tätowierungskomplikationen bei 405 Patienten ausgewertet. In der Summe zeigten 184 (37%) allergische Reaktionen, 32,2% mit plaqueförmigen Erhebungen, 3,7% mit übermäßiger Hyperkeratose und 1,4% mit Ulzerationen, vor allem bei roten Tätowierungen und Rottönen; 66 (13%) zeigten papulös-noduläre Reaktionen, vor allem bei schwarzen Tätowierungen (als nicht-allergisch eingestuft) und infolge der Agglomeration von Pigmenten; 53 (11%) hatten bakterielle Infektionen; bei 46 (9%) lagen psychosoziale Komplikationen vor; 144 (30%) fielen in verschiedene diagnostische Einzelkategorien, darunter Lichtempfindlichkeit, Schmerzsyndrom und Lymphopathie. Wir fanden keine Fälle von kutanen oder sonstigen malignen Erkrankungen. Sarkoidose trat vor allem bei schwarzen Tätowierungen auf und stellte im Vergleich zur Basisbevölkerung eine häufige Begleiterkrankung dar, die bei 23 (5%) Reaktionen vorlag. Schlussfolgerung: Mit dieser Studie wird ein neues Konzept der Klassifizierung von Tätowierungskomplikationen eingeführt, das auf einfachen Instrumenten wie der Anamnese und objektiven Befunden aus der Histologie fußt. Die Studie spiegelt Komplikationen nach der Verwendung von aktuell gebräuchlichen Tätowierfarben wider, die häufig organische Pigmente enthalten. Die hier eingeführte Klassifizierung wurde der Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) als Vorschlag für die 11. Revision der Internationalen Klassifikation der Krankheiten (ICD) vorgelegt.
Lack of Association between BMP2/DLX3 Gene Polymorphisms and Dental Caries in Primary and Permanent Dentitions
Authors: Kastovsky Jakub , Borilova Linhartova Petra , Musilova Kristina , Zackova Lenka , Kukletova Martina , Kukla Lubomir , Izakovicova Holla Lydie
Published: October 2017

The aim of this study was to analyze the association between BMP2 (rs1884302) and DLX3 (rs2278163) gene polymorphisms and dental caries in primary and permanent dentitions. A total of 914 subjects were genotyped by the TaqMan methods: 176 caries-free children (with Decayed/Missing/Filled Teeth, DMFT = 0), 542 patients with dental caries in permanent dentition (DMFT ≥1), 83 caries-free children with primary teeth (with decayed/missing/filled teeth, dmft = 0), and 113 children with early childhood caries (ECC, dmft ≥1). There were no significant differences in allele/genotype frequencies between patients with caries in permanent dentition/ECC and caries-free children or between patients with very low (DMFT = 0-2), low (DMFT = 3-5), moderate (DMFT = 6-8), or high (DMFT ≥9) caries experience. Variability in BMP2 and DLX3 was not associated with caries in the Czech population.
Immune Thrombocytopenia as a Consequence of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Authors: Baldeo Cherisse , Seegobin Karan , Zuberi Lara
Published: October 2017

Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) – also called idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura or immune thrombocytopenic purpura – is an acquired thrombocytopenia caused by autoantibodies against platelet antigens. It is one of the more common causes of thrombocytopenia in otherwise asymptomatic adults. Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a potentially lethal, but curable, tick-borne disease. We present a case of ITP that was triggered by RMSF.
LncRNA HANR Promotes Tumorigenesis and Increase of Chemoresistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Xiao Jia , Lv Yi , Jin Fujun , Liu Yingxia , Ma Yi , Xiong Yongjia , Liu Lei , Zhang Shufan , Sun Yao , Tipoe George L. , Hong An , Xing Feiyue , Wang Xiaogang
Published: October 2017

Background/Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer in the world and the third leading cause of cancer-related death. Critical roles for long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have recently been demonstrated for a variety of cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the effect and mechanism of lncRNAs in HCC tumorigenesis and chemoresistance have not been extensively characterized. Methods: In the current study, we have identified a HCC-expressed lncRNA termed as HANR (HCC associated long non-coding RNA). We identified HANR by microarray analysis and validated its up-regulated expression by quantitative PCR. RNA pull-down and pathway analyses were conducted to evaluate physical and functional interactions with HANR. In vivo experiments were performed to assess tumorigenesis and increase of chemoresistance. In addition, the HANR expression in HCC specimens was detected by FISH. Xenograft and orthotopic mice model was constructed to observe the effect of HANR on tumorigenesis and chemoresistance in vivo. Results: HANR was demonstrated to be up-regulated in HCC patients and HCC cell lines. Increased HANR expression in HCC predicted short survival of patients. Knock-down of HANR markedly retarded cell proliferation, suppressed HCC xenograft/orthotopic tumor growth, induced apoptosis and enhanced chemosensitivity to doxorubicin, while over-expression of HANR showed the opposite effects. It was found that HANR bind to GSKIP for regulating the phosphorylation of GSK3β in HCC. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that HANR contributes to the development of HCC and is a promising therapeutic target for chemosensitization of HCC cells to doxorubicin, which may represent a promising therapeutic target in the future.
Artesunate Decreases β-Catenin Expression, Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis Resistance in the MG-63 Human Osteosarcoma Cell Line
Authors: Chen Peng , Gu Wan-Li , Gong Ming-Zhi , Wang Jun , Li Dong-Qing
Published: October 2017

Background: This study aims to determine the effects of artesunate on proliferation, apoptosis and β-catenin expression in the human osteosarcoma cell line MG-63. Methods: MG-63 cells in the logarithmic growth phase were collected and cultured with different concentrations of artesunate (12.5 µg/mL, 25 µg/mL and 50 µg/mL) for 24 h, 48 h and 72 h. The total number of MG-63 cells and the morphological changes were observed under an inverted microscope. The MTT assay was adopted to test the inhibition rate (IR) of cell growth. The apoptosis rate was detected using annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) staining. Cell cycle distribution was identified by flow cytometry (FCM), and the expression levels of β-catenin, cyclins and cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs) were measured using Western blotting. Results: The results of the MTT assay indicated that artesunate could remarkably inhibit MG-63 cell proliferation compared with the rates in the untreated control group (0 µg/mL artesunate), and the inhibitory effect was dose-dependent. The apoptosis rate of MG-63 cells was elevated as the concentration of artesunate increased, and all the rates were significantly higher than that in the control group. Additionally, as the artesunate concentration increased, the proportion of MG-63 cells in G0/G1 phase gradually declined whereas that of cells in the G2/M and S phases increased. Western blotting confirmed that a higher concentration of artesunate reduced the expression levels of β-catenin, cyclin A, cyclin D1 and CDK1 and increased the expression levels of cyclin B1; however, artesunate had no impact on CDK2 expression in MG-63 cells. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that artesunate can inhibit β-catenin expression and cell proliferation as well as promote cell apoptosis in MG-63 cells, which indicates that artesunate may serve as a promising drug in the clinical treatment of osteosarcoma.
MicroRNA-145 Aggravates Hypoxia-Induced Injury by Targeting Rac1 in H9c2 Cells
Authors: Wang Ximing , Zhang Yanxia , Wang Hongshan , Zhao Genshang , Fa Xianen
Published: October 2017

Background/Aims: Myocardial infarction (MI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Here, we sought to explore the potential role and underlying mechanism of miR-145 in MI. Methods: H9c2 cells were cultured under persistent hypoxia to simulate MI. The hypoxia-induced injury was assessed on the basis of cell viability, migration, invasion and apoptosis. The expression of miR-145 was evaluated by qRT-PCR and the influence of aberrantly expressed miR-145 on H9c2 cells under hypoxia was also estimated. Utilizing bioinformatics methods, the target genes of miR-145 were verified by luciferase reporter assay. Then, effects of abnormally expressed target gene on miR-145 silenced H9c2 cells were assessed. Finally, the phosphorylation levels of key kinases in the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathways were detected by Western blot analysis. Results: Hypoxia remarkably lowered viability, migration and invasion but promoted cell apoptosis. Meantime, the miR-145 level was up-regulated in H9c2 cells under hypoxia. Following experiments suggested that hypoxia-induced injury was exacerbated by miR-145 overexpression while was alleviated by miR-145 silence. Rac1 was predicted and further validated to be a target gene of miR-145. The influence of miR-145 silencing on H9c2 cells under hypoxia could be reversed by down-regulation of Rac1. Additionally, the phosphorylation levels of PI3K, AKT, MAPK and ERK were all elevated in miR-145 silenced cells and these alterations were reversed by down-regulation of Rac1. Conclusion: miR-145 silencing could protect H9c2 cells against hypoxia-induced injury by targeting Rac1, in which PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK pathways might be involved.
Enhancement of Neural Salty Preference in Obesity
Authors: Li Qiang , Jin Rongbing , Yu Hao , Lang Hongmei , Cui Yuanting , Xiong Shiqiang , Sun Fang , He Chengkang , Liu Daoyan , Jia Hongbo , Chen Xiaowei , Chen Sijiao , Zhu Zhiming
Published: October 2017

Background/Aims: Obesity and high salt intake are major risk factors for hypertension and cardiometabolic diseases. Obese individuals often consume more dietary salt. We aim to examine the neurophysiologic effects underlying obesity-related high salt intake. Methods: A multi-center, random-order, double-blind taste study, SATIETY-1, was conducted in the communities of four cities in China; and an interventional study was also performed in the local community of Chongqing, using brain positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scanning. Results: We showed that overweight/obese individuals were prone to consume a higher daily salt intake (2.0 g/day higher compared with normal weight individuals after multivariable adjustment, 95% CI, 1.2-2.8 g/day, P < 0.001), furthermore they exhibited reduced salt sensitivity and a higher salt preference. The altered salty taste and salty preference in the overweight/obese individuals was related to increased activity in brain regions that included the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC, r = 0.44, P= 0.01), insula (r = 0.38, P= 0.03), and parahippocampus (r = 0.37, P= 0.04). Conclusion: Increased salt intake among overweight/obese individuals is associated with altered salt sensitivity and preference that related to the abnormal activity of gustatory cortex. This study provides insights for reducing salt intake by modifying neural processing of salty preference in obesity.
The Impact of Cysteine-Rich Intestinal Protein 1 (CRIP1) on Thyroid Carcinoma
Authors: Li Hong-guang , Zhao Li-hong , Zhang Zhen-hua , Liu Jun-zhao , Ren Ke , Li Shao-ying , Su Zi-jie
Published: October 2017

Background/Aims: CRIP1 (cysteine-rich intestinal protein 1) has been found in several tumor types; however, its prognostic impact and role in cellular processes, particularly in thyroid carcinoma, are still unclear. Methods: To elucidate the prognostic impact of CRIP1, we analyzed tissues from 58 primary invasive thyroid carcinomas using immunohistochemistry. Western blotting was performed to investigate CRIP1 protein expression in the thyrocyte cell line Nthy-ori 3-1 and four different thyroid carcinoma cell lines, K1, TPC-1, TT, and SW579. Endogenous expression of CRIP1 was suppressed using a siRNA (si-CRIP1). The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay was used to investigate cell viability. Flow cytometric analysis was used to detect cell cycle progression and cell apoptosis. The effects of silencing CRIP1 on cell migration and invasion were detected using the transwell assay. Results: The immunohistochemistry results showed that CRIP1 was overexpressed in thyroid carcinoma. CRIP1 expression was associated with tumor size, TNM stage, and lymphatic metastasis, but not with age, gender, and tumor location. In addition, the expression of CRIP1 in K1, TPC-1, TT, and SW529 cells was higher than that in the Nthy-ori 3-1 cells. The highest expression was observed in the SW579 and TT cells. Furthermore, silencing CRIP1 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of thyroid carcinoma cell lines SW579 and TT. We also found that silencing CRIP1 induced G1 arrest and apoptosis of thyroid carcinoma cell lines SW579 and TT. Conclusion: In conclusion, CRIP1 acts as an oncogene in the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion processes of thyroid carcinoma. CRIP1 may serve well as an independent prognostic marker with significant predictive power for use in thyroid carcinoma therapy.
Medicine dispensing service in primary health care of SUS
Authors: Leite Silvana Nair , Bernardo Noemia Liege Maria da Cunha , Álvares Juliana , Guerra Junior Augusto Afonso , Costa Ediná Alves , Acurcio Francisco de Assis , Guibu Ione Aquemi , Costa Karen Sarmento , Karnikowski Margô Gomes de Oliveira , Soeiro Orlando Mario , Soares Luciano
Published: October 2017

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the medicine dispensing services in the primary health care network in Brazil and in its different regions, aiming to promote the access and rational use of medicines. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, quantitative study with data obtained from the Pesquisa Nacional sobre Acesso, Utilização e Uso Racional de Medicamentos (PNAUM – National Survey on Access, Use and Promotion of Rational Use of Medicines), 2015. Observation visits were carried out in 1,175 dispensing units, and interviews were held with 1,139 professionals responsible for the dispensation of medicines in the dispensing units and 495 municipal coordinators of pharmaceutical services. RESULTS: More than half (53%) of the units presented a space smaller than 10 m2 for dispensing of medicines; 23.8% had bars or barriers between users and dispenser; 41.7% had computerized system; and 23.7% had counters for individual care. Among those responsible for dispensation, 87.4% said they always or repeatedly inform users how to use the medicines, and 18.1% reported developing some type of clinical activity. Isolated pharmacies presented a more developed physical and personal structure than those belonging to health units, but we found no significant differences regarding the information provided and the development of clinical activities. CONCLUSIONS: There are major differences in the organization models of dispensation between cities, with regional differences regarding the physical structure and professionals involved. The centralization of medicine dispensing in pharmacies separated from the health services is associated with better structural and professional conditions, as in the dispensing units of the South, Southeast, and Midwest regions. However, the development of dispensation as health service does not prevail in any pharmacy or region of the Country yet
Does Moderate Drinking Increase the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation? The Norwegian HUNT (Nord‐Trøndelag Health) Study
Authors: Gémes Katalin , Malmo Vegard , Laugsand Lars Erik , Loennechen Jan Pål , Ellekjaer Hanne , László Krisztina D. , Ahnve Staffan , Vatten Lars J. , Mukamal Kenneth J. , Janszky Imre
Published: October 2017

Background

Compelling evidence suggests that excessive alcohol consumption increases the risk of atrial fibrillation (
AF
), but the effect of light‐moderate alcohol consumption is less certain. We investigated the association between alcohol consumption within recommended limits and
AF
risk in a light‐drinking population.

Methods and Results

Among 47 002 participants with information on alcohol consumption in a population‐based cohort study in Norway, conducted from October 2006 to June 2008, 1697 validated
AF
diagnoses were registered during the 8 years of follow‐up. We used Cox proportional hazard models with fractional polynomials to analyze the association between alcohol intake and
AF
. Population attributable risk for drinking within the recommended limit (ie, at most 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men without risky drinking) compared with nondrinking was also calculated. The average alcohol intake was 3.8±4.8 g/d. The adjusted hazard ratio for
AF
was 1.38 (95% confidence interval, 1.06–1.80) when we compared participants consuming >7 drinks per week with abstainers. When we modeled the quantity of alcohol intake as a continuous variable, the risk increased in a curvilinear manner. It was higher with heavier alcohol intake, but there was virtually no association at <1 drink per day for women and <2 drinks per day for men in the absence of risky drinking. The population attributable risk among nonrisky drinkers was 0.07% (95% confidence interval, −0.01% to 0.13%).

Conclusions

Although alcohol consumption was associated with a curvilinearly increasing risk of
AF
in general, the attributable risk of alcohol consumption within recommended limits among participants without binge or problem drinking was negligible in this population.
‘I Professed to Write Not All to All’
Authors: Odzuck Eva Helene
Published: October 2017

While there are old questions in research on Hobbes regarding which audience he addressed in each of his different works – e.g. there are speculations that De Cive is addressed to scientists and Leviathan to the English people – another question has rarely been discussed and only recently reconsidered: Might Hobbes have addressed different audiences also within one and the same text, and if so, might he have intended to communicate different messages to different readers? As ‘Straussian’ as this question might sound, it does not require us to impose external principles of hermeneutics on Hobbes’s texts. As this paper will argue, there is strong plausibility for the claim that Hobbes himself believes in the possibility and the necessity of ‘diversified communication’ or, to state it differently, to communicate different things to different people within one and the same text. By analysing Hobbes’s passion-grounded hermeneutics that is expressed both in Hobbes’s political writings and in his writings on science and on poetry, I show that it is very likely that Hobbes wrote ‘not all to all’ but instead designed different arguments for different people. Employing the heterogeneity principle in interpreting Hobbes’s texts might thus shed new light on some persistent puzzles of Hobbes’s political philosophy.
Conditioned to Believe: Hobbes on Religion, Education, and Social Context
Authors: MacMillan Alissa
Published: October 2017

Using the example of ghosts and religion, this paper argues for the importance of social context and background operative in Hobbes’s account of social life and, in particular, the role of environment, education, and language in explaining much of what we think we know, and much of what we believe. The paper looks to aspects of Hobbes’s epistemology and his account of belief, to make the case that he recognizes how a kind of social conditioning is required to sustain certain beliefs. The paper briefly concludes with a focus on the commonwealth itself and how the example of religion and religious belief extends to the commonwealth and the kinds of beliefs required for the commonwealth to sustain itself.
Regulation of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) levels in the bdelloid rotifer Rotaria rotatoria under temperature stress
Authors: Xiang Xian-Ling , Jiang Rui-Ming , Chen Ying-Ying , Ge Ya-Li , Wen Xin-Li , Xi Yi-Long
Published: October 2017

The bdelloid rotifer is an important component of freshwater zooplankton, exhibiting the features of parthenogenesis and anhydrobiotic capability. Heat shock proteins (Hsps), acting as molecular chaperones, are a highly conserved, ubiquitously expressed family of stress response proteins. In this study, the thermal optimums for heat-shock response and the levels of Hsp70 in Rotaria rotatoria (bdelloid rotifer) under different stress conditions were evaluated using survival assays and western blotting with fluorescent detection. The results showed that: (1) The survivorship in R. rotatoria were 100% throughout the temperature range of 12°C to 40°C, and the population growth rate reached its culmination at 28°C, suggesting the retardation of growth and reproduction at the other temperatures; (2) While stressed under 40°C, the levels of Hsp70 in R. rotatoria increased significantly over time, correlating with the duration of the stress; (3) As responses to different temperatures, the synthesis of Hsp70 could be induced significantly in R. rotatoria under both of high (40°C) and low (16°C) temperatures; (4) After removal of the thermal stress and recovery at 28°C, the levels of Hsp70 continued to rise for a period of time, peaked at 12 h, and then slowly declined with the extension of recovery duration, until there is no significant difference of Hsp70 levels. Summarily, with the fluctuations of stress duration and temperature, the rotifers could adapt to the environments sensitively by regulating the synthesis of Hsp70.
Development and Decay Processes of Dual Inversion Layers in Winter over the Northwest Coast of the South China Sea
Authors: Nodzu Masato I. , Ogino Shin-Ya , Matsumoto Jun
Published: October 2017

Inversion layers in the lower troposphere appear centered at two heights, 1.5 and 4 km, over the northwestern coast of the South China Sea in late boreal winter. The mechanisms of these dual inversion layers are investigated with thermal budget and composite analyses of the JRA-55 dataset. The thermal budget analysis classifies inversion layers between the levels of 700 and 600 hPa into two types. One type is related to high pressure moving southward along the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau; the arrival of the high coincides with subsidence that warms the 600-hPa level more strongly, and the stability increases between the 700- and 600-hPa levels. The other type is related to a synoptic-scale eastward-propagating wave in the upper troposphere. The upper-level high pressure in the wave is accompanied by a midtropospheric warm area whose intrusion at the 600-hPa level generates the inversion layers. Inversions between the levels of 925 and 850 hPa are related to heating and cooling by horizontal advection of potential temperature in the upper and lower levels, respectively. The vertical contrast of horizontal advection corresponds to a frontlike structure at the southern edge of a pressure surge. The pressure surge has a similar structure with the high pressure moving along the plateau edge as mentioned for the former type of inversion layers between the 700- and 600-hPa levels.
Statistical Analysis of the Quantified Relationship between Evaporation Duct and Oceanic Evaporation for Unstable Conditions
Authors: Zhang Qi , Yang Kunde , Yang Qiulong
Published: October 2017

An analysis is conducted for the first time to statistically quantify the relationship between the evaporation duct and oceanic evaporation. Through sensitivity analysis, under unstable conditions (air–sea temperature difference less than zero), evaporation duct and evaporation are found to maintain a similar trend with variations in air–sea variables, indicating a possible inherent connection. Furthermore, scatterplots of relevant historical data reveal that the evaporation duct generally increases in a power-law manner with evaporation. Therefore, logarithmic transformation is performed on the data, and then linear regression is adopted to derive the analytical expression of the linear trend. Additionally, based on this analytical expression, a three-parameter empirical model is proposed to estimate the temporal clustering, and the estimated result shows good agreement with the real distribution. The spatial variations of the parameters modeled over different focus areas reflect the influence of geophysical parameters.
Findings Across Practitioner Training Studies in Special Education: A Comprehensive Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Brock Matthew E. , Cannella-Malone Helen I. , Seaman Rachel L. , Andzik Natalie R. , Schaefer John M. , Page E. Justin , Barczak Mary A. , Dueker Scott A.
Published: October 2017

Existing reviews address important questions about subsets of practitioner training studies in special education but leave important questions about the broader literature unanswered. In this comprehensive review, we identified 118 peer-reviewed single-case-design studies in which researchers tested the efficacy of practitioner training on implementation of educational practices to students with disabilities. We found publication of studies has proliferated in recent years, and most studies involved a multiple-baseline or multiple-probe design, researchers as training agents, in-service special education teachers or paraprofessionals as trainees, and students with learning disabilities or autism spectrum disorder as recipients of intervention. Through visual analysis, we detected 521 effects out of 626 opportunities across studies. The mean d-Hedges-Pustejovky-Shadish effect size was d = 2.48. Behavioral-skills training was associated with the most consistent improvement of implementation fidelity. We found statistically significant associations between implementation fidelity and modeling, written instructions for implementation, and verbal performance feedback.
Stability of Procainamide Injection in Clear Glass Vials and Polyvinyl Chloride Bags
Authors: Donnelly Ronald F.
Published: October 2017

Objectives:

The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical stability of procainamide hydrochloride, 100 mg/mL, when repackaged in clear glass vials or diluted to 3 mg/mL with normal saline and packaged in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) bags when stored at either 23°C and exposed to light (ETL) or 5°C and protected from light (PFL).

Methods:

Solutions were assayed using a stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography method. Samples (5 mL) were collected from triplicate containers on days 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 56, 91, and 193. Color/clarity and pH changes were also monitored at each time interval.

Results:

During the study, all samples remained clear and there was only a slight pH change. The color of the solutions stored at 23°C intensified but did not correlate with a significant decrease in concentration, while solutions stored at 5°C remained unchanged. Solutions repackaged in glass vials were stable for 193 days when stored at 23ºC and ETL or 5ºC and PFL. When further diluted to 3 mg/mL with normal saline and packaged in PVC bags, procainamide was also stable for 193 days at either 23ºC and ETL or 5°C and PFL.

Conclusions:

The stability of procainamide, 100 mg/mL, repackaged in clear glass vials was 193 days when stored at either 23ºC and ETL or 5ºC or PFL. If diluted further to 3 mg/mL with normal saline and packaged in PVC bags, the drug was also stable for 193 days at either 23ºC and ETL or 5°C and PFL.
Development of a Seating Comfort Questionnaire for Motorcycles
Authors: Velagapudi Sai Praveen , Ray Gaur Gopal
Published: October 2017

Objective

The aim of this study is to develop a reliable and valid Motorcycle Seating Comfort Questionnaire (MSCQ).

Background

Motorcycle seat development is an iterative process based on subjective evaluations; however, there are no established subjective tools for evaluation of seating comfort. Research also suggests that seating comfort in motorcycles is poor and needs improvement. The development of a MSCQ therefore is an important step that can enable further research and aid in improving the design of motorcycle seats.

Method

The MSCQ is developed following guidelines available in literature and referring to established questionnaires for seating comfort in passenger cars. The MSCQ is further refined based on pilot studies and interviews with experts. The final version of the MSCQ is then statistically evaluated for reliability and validity. The reliability is evaluated using a test-retest protocol with 31 volunteers. The validity is evaluated by comparing the ratings of the MSCQ with that of the Category Partitioning Scale (CP50 scale). The validity test is carried out with 15 volunteers evaluating five motorcycles using both scales.

Results

The results show that the MSCQ is reliable with a significant test-retest reliability coefficient ( r = 0.72, p < .01, n = 31) and internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.81, n = 31). The results also show that ratings of the MSCQ have a significant correlation ( r = −0.765, p < .05, n = 15) with that of CP50, establishing its validity.

Conclusions

A Motorcycle Seating Comfort Questionnaire is developed in this study with statistically established reliability and validity.

Applications

The MSCQ can be used as a tool for evaluation of seating comfort in motorcycles. The MSCQ can also form a basis for further research on motorcycle seating to develop prediction models and guidelines for the design of motorcycle seats.
Liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and dried blood spot sampling applied to pharmacokinetics studies in animals: Correlation of classic and block design
Authors: Baldo Matías N , Angeli Emmanuel , Gareis Natalia C , Hunzicker Gabriel A , Murguía Marcelo C , Ortega Hugo H , Hein Gustavo J
Published: October 2017

A relative bioavailability study (RBA) of two phenytoin (PHT) formulations was conducted in rabbits, in order to compare the results obtained from different matrices (plasma and blood from dried blood spot (DBS) sampling) and different experimental designs (classic and block). The method was developed by liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in plasma and blood samples. The different sample preparation techniques, plasma protein precipitation and DBS, were validated according to international requirements.

The analytical method was validated with ranges 0.20–50.80 and 0.12–20.32 µg ml−1, r > 0.999 for plasma and blood, respectively. Accuracy and precision were within acceptance criteria for bioanalytical assay validation (< 15 for bias and CV% and < 20 for limit of quantification (LOQ)). PHT showed long-term stability, both for plasma and blood, and under refrigerated and room temperature conditions. Haematocrit values were measured during the validation process and RBA study. Finally, the pharmacokinetic parameters (Cmax, Tmax and AUC0–t) obtained from the RBA study were tested. Results were highly comparable for matrices and experimental designs. A matrix correlation higher than 0.975 and a ratio of (PHT blood) = 1.158 (PHT plasma) were obtained.

The results obtained herein show that the use of classic experimental design and DBS sampling for animal pharmacokinetic studies should be encouraged as they could help to prevent the use of a large number of animals and also animal euthanasia. Finally, the combination of DBS sampling with LC-MS/MS technology showed to be an excellent tool not only for therapeutic drug monitoring but also for RBA studies.
Blurring the boundary between high school and college
Authors: Hampel Robert L.
Published: October 2017

The dividing line between high school and college has never been entirely clear, explains a historian of American education. In fact, for most of the 19th century, it was difficult to distinguish between high schools and colleges. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that high school and university officials drew firm boundaries between the two institutions, and even then, it remained hard to distinguish between high school and college-level work. Moreover, there are some benefits to blurring the boundaries, the author argues, pointing to current efforts to promote dual enrollment, early colleges, and other efforts to blend the high school and college
Blending high school and college can sharpen the focus of each
Authors: Vargas Joel , Hooker Sarah , Gerwin Carol
Published: October 2017

With a postsecondary credential essential to finding a good job but the cost of college beyond the means of many families, a growing number of high schools are offering their students a powerful head start on higher education. About 1.3 million U.S. teens participate in dual enrollment, up from 680,000 when the century began. Critics worry that this trend could lead to an erosion of college standards, but the evidence to date has been entirely positive. Researchers have found that dual enrollment has strong effects on high school graduation, college enrollment, and college completion, particularly for low-income youth and others underrepresented in higher education.
In Delaware, creating pathways and opportunities for youth
Authors: Rothman Robert
Published: October 2017

Launched in 2011 by the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Jobs for the Future, the Pathways to Prosperity initiative is helping states create seamless transitions from high school to college and the workforce. Inspired by youth development systems that have long been in place in other high-performing nations — such as Australia, Switzerland, and the Netherlands — the Pathways model calls upon educators, business leaders, and government officials to work together to design opportunities for young people to explore potential careers, complete paid internships in growing fields, get an early start on relevant college coursework, and earn industry-recognized credentials.
Why I’m not involved
Authors: Choi Jung-ah
Published: October 2017

Among educational researchers and practitioners, parent involvement tends to be described as a wholly positive experience, benefitting parents, teachers, and children alike. However, the author — a university professor originally from South Korea — explains that her early interactions with her son’s teachers have been one-sided and fraught with misunderstandings. As she explains, issues of race, culture, and trust have made her reluctant to be an involved parent.
Gerrymandering educational opportunity
Authors: Richards Meredith P.
Published: October 2017

Gerrymandering is known best as a tool to manipulate boundaries for voting districts, but school districts have long used the same tool to manipulate school boundaries. The author used geospatial techniques — mapping various kinds of demographic data onto school boundaries — to examine public school attendance zones and their effect on students. The author’s research yielded several key insights. Like congressional districts, school zones are highly gerrymandered; the gerrymandering of school zones serves to worsen the already severe racial segregation of public schools, but affirmative gerrymandering can effectively increase diversity and reduce racial segregation.
Leadership
Authors: Starr Joshua P.
Published: October 2017

Standardized achievement tests are deeply flawed, and test-based accountability has been terribly damaging to public education, the author notes. But even so, it’s impossible for school and district leaders to ignore state test results. Plus, such tests have their uses — as long as we treat the results as a starting point for further assessment, they can help steer us in the right directions.
A mobile device tool to assist the ECG interpretation based on a realistic 3D virtual heart simulation
Authors: Coelho Regina Célia , Rangel Lourenço Nayara Consuelo Gomes , de Godoy Carlos Marcelo Gurjão
Published: October 2017

Computational tools can be developed to help the interpretation of the ECG and the beating heart. In some cases, such tools are implemented in mobile devices and applied to “mobile learning” (m-learning) activities. In the present work, we show a mobile device tool that emulates the beating heart according to ECG data. The tool has been implemented using skeletal subspace deformation to control the movement of a 3D heart model in real time. It is possible to manipulate the heart model and visualize its inner anatomy. The results of the simulation show that the tool allows online adjustments on the virtual heart according to actual ECG data set by the user or by ECG data files (normal rhythm or arrhythmias). The comparison between clinical data and the results of the simulation validated the cardiac beating simulation. The user experience was evaluated by students of biomedical engineering using a Likert scale. The students evaluated their experience with the tool positively. The results, as a whole, show that the tool may represent a newly accessible resource to help support m-learning in the context of interpreting ECG data. Also, the tool seems to be applicable in a teaching/learning environment where undergraduates are studying either the ECG or the cardiac anatomy or function.
Baseline Characteristics and Technology Training of Underserved Adults With Type 2 Diabetes in the Mobile Diabetes Detective (MoDD) Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Heitkemper Elizabeth M. , Mamykina Lena , Tobin Jonathan N. , Cassells Andrea , Smaldone Arlene
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to describe the characteristics and technology training needs of underserved adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who participated in a health information technology (HIT) diabetes self-management education (DSME) intervention.

Methods

The baseline physiological, psychosocial, and technology use characteristics for 220 adults with poorly controlled T2DM were evaluated. Intervention participants received a 1-time intervention training, which included basic technology help, introduction to the Mobile Diabetes Detective (MoDD) website and text message features, and account activation that included subject-specific tailoring. Four additional on-site sessions for participants needing computer or Internet access or technology support were made available based on need. Data regarding on-site visits for usual care were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis.

Results

The participants were predominately Hispanic and female with a baseline mean A1C of 10% (86 mmol/mol). Only half of the participants regularly used computers or text messages in daily life. The average introductory MoDD training session lasted 73.6 minutes. Following training, approximately one-third (35%) of intervention participants returned for basic and MoDD-specific technology assistance at their federally qualified health center. The most frequently reported duration for the extra training sessions was 30 to 45 minutes.

Conclusions

Training and support needs were greater than anticipated. Diabetes educators should assess technology abilities prior to implementing health information technology (HIT) diabetes self-management education (DSME) in underserved adults. Future research must invest resources in technology access, anticipate subject training, and develop new training approaches to ensure HIT DSME use and engagement.
Greasing the Wheels of Change: Bribery, Institutions, and New Product Introductions in Emerging Markets
Authors: Krammer Sorin M. S.
Published: October 2017

Despite the consensus on the negative country-level implications of corruption, its consequences for firms are less understood. This study examines the effect of bribery on the innovative performance of firms in emerging markets as reflected by new product introductions. I argue that bribery may help innovators in these markets to introduce new products by overcoming bureaucratic obstacles, compensating for the lack of kinship or political affiliations, and hedging against political risk. I also propose that the relationship between firm bribery and new product introduction will be negatively moderated (i.e., weakened) by the quality of the formal and informal institutions in place. Employing data from over 6,000 firms in 30 emerging markets and a wide range of empirical tests, my results support these hypotheses. These findings extend transaction costs economics by showing that bureaucratic obstacles and uncertainty can drive firms into illegal cost minimization strategies. Moreover, they augment institutional theory by expounding upon the ways that norms and informal practices moderate the efficiency of firm strategies in emerging markets.
Top Executive Goal Orientations’ Effects on Environmental Scanning and Performance: Differences Between Founders and Nonfounders
Authors: Pryor Christopher , Holmes R. Michael , Webb Justin W. , Liguori Eric W.
Published: October 2017

Firms differ in the extent to which they scan their environments, which ultimately affects their performance. Although upper echelons theory suggests that top executives’ individual-level attributes affect firm strategy and performance, our understanding of how these attributes affect firms’ environmental scanning remains weak. Advancing knowledge in this area is important because such scanning is a key first step in strategic decision making. We theorize that top executives’ goal orientations (i.e., inherent motivations that shape what individuals generally seek to accomplish when engaging in challenging tasks) affect their firms’ environmental scanning. Specifically, firms whose top executives exhibit higher learning goal orientations (i.e., they seek knowledge in an effort to improve) or higher performance prove goal orientations (i.e., they seek to demonstrate their competence to others) might engage in more environmental scanning than firms whose top executives have higher performance avoid goal orientations (i.e., they seek to avoid demonstrating incompetence). We also theorize that these relationships differ between founders (who have more status and influence in their firms) and nonfounders (who are under more pressure from owners). As firm environmental scanning is found to relate positively to firm performance, understanding how top executives shape this activity has important theoretical and practical implications. This study contributes to the growing stream of upper echelons research that examines top executives’ personality and cognitive, as opposed to demographic, characteristics. It also enriches understanding of the situational nature of goal orientations’ effects, which differ according to top executives’ status as founder or nonfounder.
In Search of Identity Leadership: An ethnographic study of emergent influence in an interorganizational R&D team
Authors: Smith Pernille , Haslam S. Alexander , Nielsen Jørn F.
Published: October 2017

Recent trends in the leadership literature have advanced a relational and processual perspective that sheds light on the way leadership emerges and evolves in dynamic and flexible organizations. However, very few empirical studies have explored these processes over an extended period. To address this lacuna, we report findings from a three-year ethnographic study that explored the emergence and development of leadership in a self-managed interorganizational R&D team. Findings show that in the context of various events that impacted on the team, leadership emerged through interactions, processes and practices that were perceived by team members to develop and advance shared goals and shared identity. Leadership responses to uncertainty surrounding the project were generally legitimated by team members’ background and expertise in relation to this shared identity, while a lack of perceived legitimacy also compromised leadership. These observations are consistent with arguments that leadership revolves around the creation and enactment of shared social identity. However, they also suggest that the form and nature of leadership is hard to predict because it is heavily structured by specific identity-relevant practices and perceptions that arise in the context of unforeseeable events.
‘No More Heroes’: Critical Perspectives on Leadership Romanticism
Authors: Collinson David , Smolović Jones Owain , Grint Keith
Published: October 2017

This paper revisits Meindl et al’s (1985) ‘romance of leadership’ thesis and extends these ideas in a number of inter-related ways. First, it argues that the thesis has sometimes been neglected and/or misinterpreted in subsequent studies. Second, the paper suggests that romanticism is a much broader and more historically rich term with wider implications for leadership studies than originally proposed. Arguing that romanticism stretches beyond leader attribution, we connect leadership theory to a more enduring and naturalistic tradition of romantic thought that has survived and evolved since the mid-18th century. Third, the paper demonstrates the contemporary relevance of the romanticism critique. It reveals how the study of leadership continues to be characterized by romanticizing tendencies in many of its most influential theories, illustrating this argument with reference to spiritual and authentic leadership theories, which only recognize positive engagement with leaders. Equally, the paper suggests that romanticism can shape conceptions not only of leaders, but also of followers, their agency and their (potential for) resistance. We conclude by discussing future possible research directions for the romanticism critique that extend well beyond its original focus on leader attribution to inform a broader critical approach to leadership studies.