bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Soft power in recycling spaces: Exploring spatial impacts of regeneration and youth entrepreneurship in Southern Italy
Authors: Scaffidi Federica
Published: December 2019

Throughout the last decades, more and more attention in academics and practice has been given to ‘social’ topics such as community involvement, active citizenship, commoning processes. Considering this trend, it is possible to notice an abuse of these terms, contributing to the ‘social washing’ and feeding the risk of instrumentalisation. Starting from the analysis of the state of the art and comparing two cases, the paper aims to evaluate the outcomes of neglected sites recycling with socially innovative initiatives. At the centre of the debate are social enterprises, non-profit entities whose ambition is to create social benefits and new economic solutions for a better use of local resources over time. Considering this purpose, the research investigated the European scenario of Southern Italy, characterised by demographic transition and youth migration. The research adopted qualitative, quantitative and comparative methods. The two cases analysed and compared are Periferica of Mazara del Vallo and ExFadda of San Vito dei Normanni. Both are the result of local resources reactivation and youth entrepreneurship policies. These creative centres are managed by social enterprises. Their actions and activities affect the places producing social, economic, cultural and spatial impacts. However, behind these initiatives lies the soft power, a power able to shape people perceptions through culture. The research illustrates the process outcomes and evaluates its positive and negative impacts to the site and its surroundings. In conclusion, the research is conceived as a contribution to the body of knowledge and the basis for future researches and practical models for the socially innovative recycling of disused resources in urban–rural context.
Creating a coffee tourism network in the north of Thailand
Authors: Smith Natnaree , Suthitakon Nopparat , Gulthawatvichai Tepprasit , Karnjanakit Sombat
Published: December 2019

The aim of the present study is to provide directions on coffee tourism administration as well as to establish a coffee tourism network among the communities in Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, and Lampang provinces. A qualitative method is applied to the data collected from 45 attendees of a meeting on coffee tourism. They discussed several case studies and then visited Doi Chang Village in Chiang Rai to study their successful practice before exchanging views on how similar tourism management can be implemented in their own communities. With a problem tree constructed, they also identified major challenges regarding coffee tourism in Northern Thailand. The findings discusses the initiation of three projects: the community-based tourism by coffee farmers in Chiang Mai, the pilot study of a coffee tour program in Huay Hom Village, Mae Hong Son, and the project “Good Coffee in Lampang.” Also, the six coordinators of the coffee tourism network assist the communities in publicizing tourism information. With growing popularity of special interest tourism, it is surprising Thailand still lacks coffee tourism though it is blessed with several tourism advantages. Therefore, it is critical to explore whether Northern Thailand can flourish as a coffee tourism attraction.
Effect of tea root-derived proanthocyanidin fractions on protection of dentin collagen
Authors: Yang Honglin , Xie Bingqing , Wang Yue , Cui Yayun , Yang Hui , Wang Xiaoting , Yang Xi , Bao Guan-Hu
Published: December 2019

Objectives

Proanthocyanidins (PAs) have been widely used as effective agents for dentin collagen cross-linking to enhance the biomechanics and biostability of dentin in vitro. However, the effects and protective mechanisms of various tea root-derived PA components on dentin remain undefined. This study evaluated the effects of these tea root-derived PA components on dentin biomechanics and biostability.

Methods

In this study, ethyl acetate and n-butyl alcohol were used to extract PAs with different degrees of polymerization from tea roots; the effects of these PA extracts on dentin were evaluated.

Results

Dentin was treated with glutaraldehyde, ethyl acetate, n-butyl alcohol, or water. PAs with a high degree of polymerization, extracted using n-butyl alcohol, were able to more effectively improve dentin collagen cross-linking, increase resistance to bacterial collagenase digestion, and enhance dentin elasticity, relative to treatment with glutaraldehyde or PAs with a low degree of polymerization (extracted using ethyl acetate). Additionally, treatment with aqueous extract of tea roots was detrimental to dentin stability and function.

Conclusions

PAs with a high degree of polymerization were effective for dentin protection and restoration in vitro, suggesting clinical treatment potential for tea root-derived PAs.
Digital methods III: The digital mundane
Authors: Leszczynski Agnieszka
Published: December 2019

This report considers a burgeoning strand of scholarship that foregrounds the mundane in engagements with the digital. Research concerned with the digital mundane attends to the ordinary and often taken-for-granted digital objects, practices, productions, and sites that significantly both mediate and are mediated by everyday lives and spatialities. Methodological innovations are advancing new techniques for researching mundane digital objects that participate in the internet of things, everyday spaces of the smart home, banal landscapes of data and digital infrastructures, and quotidian quantifications/datafications of the self. The proliferation of these methods also informs feminist scholarly praxes of digital iteration.
Assessment and control of a three-phase grid connected wind turbine
Authors: Sandabad Taoufik , Rachidi Mohammed , Dahhani Omar
Published: December 2019

In this article, we process the modeling and control of a global chain of the wind energy conversion system based on a permanent magnet synchronous generator, and the injection of the produced energy into electrical grid. The proposed control technique of the wind energy system is based on a sliding mode control which is designed for a variable speed wind turbine. Sliding mode control is assessed on a wind turbine to supply three phases grid. The aim in this work is to operate over all the wind conversion system at its maximum power point. Initially, three controls have been designed by sliding mode control: the first is for electromagnetic torque of the used permanent magnet synchronous generator, the second is for the machine side converter, and the last is for the grid side converter. Thereafter, another proportional integral controller has been designed for the phase looked loop. Finally, the permanent magnet synchronous generator–based wind turbine and the grid are modeled, and proposed controls are applied, various simulations results by MATLAB/SIMULINK environment are presented and discussed.
Posterior Medial Meniscus Root Tears Potentiate the Effect of Increased Tibial Slope on Anterior Cruciate Ligament Graft Forces
Authors: Samuelsen Brian T. , Aman Zachary S. , Kennedy Mitchell Iung , Dornan Grant J. , Storaci Hunter W. , Brady Alex W. , Turnbull Travis Lee , LaPrade Robert F.
Published: December 2019

Background:

Increased posterior tibial slope and posterior medial meniscus root tears increase the force experienced by the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and predispose patients to higher rates of primary ACL injury or ACL graft failure after an ACL reconstruction (ACLR). However, the interplay among sagittal plane tibial slope, medial meniscus root tears, and ACLR graft force remains inadequately defined.

Purpose/Hypothesis:

The purpose was to quantify the effect of sagittal plane tibial slope on ACLR graft force at varying knee flexion angles with an intact medial meniscus, a posterior medial meniscus root tear, and a medial meniscus root repair. Our null hypothesis was that changes in slope and meniscal state would have no effect on the forces experienced by the ACLR graft.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Ten male fresh-frozen cadaveric human knees underwent a posteriorly based high tibial osteotomy. A spanning external fixator and wedges of varying sizes were used to stabilize the osteotomy and allow for accurate slope adjustment. After ACLR, specimens were compressed with a 1000-N axial load at flexion angles of 0° and 30° for each of the 3 meniscal states and at tibial slopes of 0° to 15° at 3° increments. Graft loads were recorded through a force transducer clamped to the graft.

Results:

Increasing tibial slope led to a linear increase in ACLR graft force at 0° and 30° of knee flexion. Posterior medial meniscus root tear led to significant increases in ACLR graft forces over the intact state, while root repair restored the function of the medial meniscus as a secondary stabilizer. At 30° of knee flexion, the tibial slope effect on ACLR graft force was potentiated in the root tear state as compared with the intact and root repair states—test of interaction effect: t(139) = 2.67 ( P = .009).

Conclusion:

Increases in tibial slope lead to a linear increase in ACLR graft forces, and this effect is magnified in the setting of a posterior medial meniscus root tear. At slopes >12°, a slope-changing osteotomy could be considered in the setting of a revision ACLR with a concomitant medial meniscus root tear.

Clinical Relevance:

Defining the relationship between tibial slope and varying states of meniscal insufficiency can help determine when it may be necessary to perform a slope-decreasing proximal tibial osteotomy before ACLR and meniscal repair.
Filling in the Blanks: What Restaurant Patrons Assume About Missing Sanitation Inspection Grades
Authors: Gurney Nikolos , Loewenstein George
Published: December 2019

How do people respond when decision-relevant information is withheld by sellers? The authors address this general question by examining how prospective diners respond when sanitation inspection grades (SIGs) are not reported by a restaurant. Despite disclosure mandates in some municipalities, SIGs are not always available when dining choices are made, especially when food is ordered for delivery. After documenting participants’ failure to discount appropriately for a missing SIG, the authors demonstrate, through a series of follow-up studies, the robustness of the phenomenon in the face of interventions designed to increase the salience of the missing information. The authors find evidence of increased discounting, however, in a study designed to draw attention to the missing information via a side-by-side comparison of restaurants that did and did not provide SIGs.
An analysis of workplace exposures to asbestos at three steel mills located in the United States (1972-1982)
Authors: Hollins Dana , Burns Amanda , Unice Ken , Paustenbach Dennis J
Published: December 2019

The objective is to present historical asbestos airborne concentrations associated with activities involving presumably asbestos-containing materials in steel mills. A total of 138 historical industrial hygiene air samples collected in three US steel mills from 1972 to 1982 were analyzed. The majority of samples were collected during relining of open hearth furnaces, stoves, and blast furnaces by steel mill bricklayers and bricklayer helpers. Over 75% of the samples ( n = 106) were collected for 50 min or less, four samples were collected for 227 to 306 min, and sample durations were not reported for the remaining 28 samples. Average airborne fiber concentrations measured during relining activities of open hearth furnaces, stoves, and blast furnaces were 0.21 f/cc, 0.72 f/cc and 0.13 f/cc phase-contrast microscopy (PCM), respectively. Measured airborne fiber concentrations of four time-weighted average (TWA) samples (>227 min) averaged 0.045 f/cc. Estimated 8-h TWAs concentrations averaged 0.34 f/cc for bricklayers and 0.2 f/cc bricklayer helpers. While 8-h TWA concentration estimates for monitored tasks/jobs may often have exceeded current Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs), they did not exceed relevant contemporaneous occupational exposure standards. This analysis provides a better understanding of historical airborne asbestos exposures that bricklayers and other tradesmen experienced during furnace and stove work in the US steel mills.
Emergence of Alveolar Consolidations in Serial Lung Ultrasound and Diagnosis of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
Authors: Staub Leonardo Jönck , Biscaro Roberta Rodolfo Mazzali , Maurici Rosemeri
Published: December 2019

Background:

Lung ultrasound (LUS) has been reported as a promising diagnostic tool for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), but patients with previous lung parenchyma commitment have been not studied.

Purpose:

To evaluate whether the emergence of sonographic consolidations, rather than their presence, can improve the VAP diagnosis in a sample including patients with previous lung parenchyma diseases.

Methods:

Patients who completed 48 hours of mechanical ventilation were prospectively studied with daily LUS examinations. We checked the emergence of different consolidation types on the eve and on the day of a clinical suspicion of VAP. We elaborated an algorithm considering, sequentially, the emergence of (1) subpleural consolidations in anterior lung regions on the eve of suspicion; (2) lobar/sublobar consolidation in anterior lung regions on the day of suspicion; (3) lobar/sublobar consolidation with dynamic air bronchograms on the day of suspicion; and (4) any other lobar/sublobar consolidation on the day of suspicion in association with a positive Gram smear of endotracheal aspirate.

Results:

Of the 188 included patients, 60 were suspected and 33 confirmed VAP. The presence of sonographic consolidations at the clinical suspicion had no diagnostic value for VAP. The emergence of subpleural consolidations in anterior lung regions on the eve of suspicion had specificity of 95% (95% confidence interval [CI], 79%-99%). The emergence of lobar/sublobar consolidations in anterior lung regions on the day of suspicion had specificity of 100% (95% CI, 87%-100%). The emergence of lobar/sublobar consolidations with dynamic air bronchograms on the day of suspicion had specificity of 96% (95% CI, 81%-99%). Finally, the proposed algorithm had sensitivity of 63% (95% CI, 46%-77%) and specificity of 85% (95% CI, 67%-94%) for VAP.

Conclusions:

The presence of sonographic consolidations was not accurate for VAP when patients with previous lung parenchyma commitment were included. However, serial LUS examinations detected the emergence of specific signs of VAP.
Effects of Road Infrastructure on Employment, Productivity and Growth: An Empirical Analysis at Country Level
Authors: Laborda Leopoldo , Sotelsek Daniel
Published: December 2019

This article estimates the effect of transport infrastructure at country level, on employment, productivity (total factor productivity (TFP), and their components technical efficiency–pure and the scale—and technological change) and economic growth, using a dynamic panel approach. We focus on two broad categories of transport infrastructure: (1) road density and (2) road paved. Using dynamic panel GMM system estimation, we find positive effects of road density and road paved on total factor productivity (TFP) in countries with middle low and low income (using parametric and non-parametric estimations). On the other hand, and taking into account the Deng’s hypothesis of a nonlinearity relationship between transport infrastructure and economic growth (Deng, 2013, Transport Reviews 33(6): 686–99), we found empirical evidence about a Kuznets curve when we consider the percentage of roads paved. In countries with middle low and low income, we also found a Kuznets curve between road density and unemployment.

JEL Classification: H54, R42, O47, O4, C23
Diversity and Minority Interest Group Advocacy in Congress
Authors: Minta Michael D.
Published: December 2019

This paper examines the role that racial and ethnic diversity plays in improving the legislative success of minority interest groups. Relying on campaign contributions and lobbying expenditures to explain minority interest groups’ influence on legislators’ behavior is not sufficient, because most minority organizations are public charities, or 501(c)(3) organizations, and as such are both banned by federal law from making candidate contributions and limited in how much they can spend on federal lobbying. I argue, however, that the inclusion of more blacks and Latinos on congressional committees enhances the lobbying influence—and thus the legislative success—of civil rights organizations in Congress. Using data from lobbying disclosure reports on bills supported by black American and Latino civil rights groups in the 110th Congress (2007–2008) and 111th Congress (2009–2010), as well as House markup data, I find that National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCR), and UnidosUS-supported bills referred to House committees with greater proportions of racial and ethnic minorities received more markups than did bills referred to House committees with less diversity. Diversity is significant in predicting committee attention even when accounting for possible confounding factors, including committee jurisdiction and the ideological composition of committee membership.
Information, Political Bias, and Public Perceptions of Local Conditions in U.S. Cities
Authors: Holbrook Thomas M. , Weinschenk Aaron C.
Published: December 2019

Using two unique surveys, one that includes over 6,000 respondents interviewed across 39 cities and another that includes over 47,000 respondents interviewed across 26 U.S. cities, we investigate the extent to which perceptions of local conditions—the state of the local economy, the quality of local schools, and local crime—reflect actual local conditions. We examine individual-level differences in the accuracy of perceptions of local conditions using two different frameworks, one that emphasizes factors that limit information acquisition and may exacerbate political inequalities, and another that emphasizes motivations for information processing. Objective conditions influence perceptions of conditions, but the relationship between objective and perceived local conditions is strongest among individuals with high levels of education and preexisting knowledge. In addition, we find that partisanship plays a role in shaping perceptions of local conditions. While the partisan match between a respondent and the mayor of their city has little effect on local perceptions, the match between a respondent’s partisanship and the president’s party has a strong effect on perceptions of the local economy.
Impact of International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium’s multidimensional approach on central line–associated bloodstream infection rates in Bahrain
Authors: Alkhawaja Safaa , Saeed Nermeen Kamal , Rosenthal Victor Daniel , Abdul-Aziz Sana , Alsayegh Ameena , Humood Zainab Mahdi , Ali Khadija Mohamed , Swar Saleh , Magray Tahira Anwar Saeed
Published: December 2019

Background:

Central line–associated bloodstream infections are serious life-threatening infections in the intensive care unit setting.

Methods:

To analyze the impact of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) Multidimensional Approach (IMA) and INICC Surveillance Online System (ISOS) on central line–associated bloodstream infection rates in Bahrain from January 2013 to December 2016, we conducted a prospective, before-after surveillance, cohort, observational study in one intensive care unit in Bahrain. During baseline, we performed outcome and process surveillance of central line–associated bloodstream infection on 2320 intensive care unit patients, applying Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network definitions. During intervention, we implemented IMA through ISOS, including (1) a bundle of infection prevention interventions, (2) education, (3) outcome surveillance, (4) process surveillance, (5) feedback on central line–associated bloodstream infection rates and consequences, and (6) performance feedback of process surveillance. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed using a logistic regression model to estimate the effect of the intervention on the central line–associated bloodstream infection rate.

Results:

During baseline, 672 central line days and 7 central line–associated bloodstream infections were recorded, accounting for 10.4 central line–associated bloodstream infections per 1000 central line days. During intervention, 13,020 central line days and 48 central line–associated bloodstream infections were recorded. After the second year, there was a sustained 89% cumulative central line–associated bloodstream infection rate reduction to 1.2 central line–associated bloodstream infections per 1000 central line days (incidence density rate, 0.11; 95% confidence interval 0.1–0.3; p, 0.001). The average extra length of stay of patients with central line–associated bloodstream infection was 23.3 days, and due to the reduction of central line–associated bloodstream infections, 367 days of hospitalization were saved, amounting to a reduction in hospitalization costs of US$1,100,553.

Conclusion:

Implementing IMA was associated with a significant reduction in the central line–associated bloodstream infection rate in Bahrain.
The challenges of change: Exploring the dynamics of police reform in Scotland
Authors: Fyfe Nicholas R.
Published: December 2019

Despite a long tradition of pessimism regarding the scope for meaningful change in police practices, recent structural reforms to police organizations in several European countries suggest that significant change in policing is possible. Drawing on recent research into the establishment and consequences of a national police force in Scotland, this article uses instrumental, cultural and myth perspectives taken from organization theory to examine how change happened and with what effects. It highlights how police reform involves a complex interplay between the strategic aims of government, the cultural norms of police organizations and the importance of alignment with wider views about the nature of the public sector. The article concludes by identifying a set of wider lessons from the experience of organizational change in policing.
The contested community police officer: An ongoing conflict between different institutional logics
Authors: Terpstra Jan , Salet Renze
Published: December 2019

This paper concentrates on the ongoing conflict about the role and work of community police officers in the Netherlands. This conflict can be understood as a result of conflicting institutional logics. Although there are important differences between the community officers, there is the logic or perspective used by most of the community officers. This logic puts much emphasis on personal relations, trust-building, direct information, craftsmanship, tacit knowledge, involvement and discretion and experience. However, community officers have also been confronted with two other logics, with more emphasis on crime fighting and managerial control. In addition, there is also a third, more implicit logic, built upon a frame consisting of two opposing images of community officers. On the one hand, many of the current community officers are seen as old-fashioned and outdated. On the other hand, a more positive image of new community police officers is presented, called community officers 2.0 This can be seen as a way to create a new type of community police officers that is more in line with the managerial need for organizational control and with a more limited and instrumental view on community policing.
Theorizing, Deleuzian-style
Authors: Collinge Chris
Published: December 2019

There is a difference between theory and theorizing. One way or another, theory is central to the organization of most academic disciplines: for example, as a framework of concepts that expresses preoccupations, that codifies linkages, that relates discoveries, that raises questions. But theorizing is the becoming of theory: for example, running into problems, feeling perplexity, creating space, forming concepts, finding time, condensing frameworks, forcing conclusions – a living reality that is (for reasons explored below) neglected as a topic of inquiry. I address this deficiency here by engaging with theorizing as a legitimate, perhaps inescapable theme, albeit one that remains elusive and that must as far as possible be grasped directly as it occurs. In developing this engagement, I suggest that the philosophy of Deleuze and Guattari offers an appropriate point of departure and – through a reading of Difference and Repetition and What is Philosophy?, and through a synthesis of this with the experience of theorizing – I draw out the components of a Deleuzian theory of theorizing.
An Antisense Oligonucleotide Drug Targeting miR-21 Induces H1650 Apoptosis and Caspase Activation
Authors: Ge Jian-Hua , Zhu Jing-Wei , Fu Hai-Yan , Shi Wen-Bo , Zhang Chun-Lai
Published: December 2019

Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common malignant tumor in the world. Currently, chemotherapy is still the major method for non-small cell lung cancer treatment, but the problem of cancer drug resistance still exists, so we designed 5 different phosphorothioate oligonucleotides to silence key genes in tumor cell development, which could help avoid inducing cancer cell drug resistance. MicroRNAs have been shown to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis and progression of many malignancies, such as breast, colon, lung, and pancreatic cancer. According to the data from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, miR-21 has been reported to be one of the top 20 differentially expressed microRNAs screened using the Morpheus online tool, and miR-21 has been revealed to regulate a series of biological behaviors in cancer cells, including cell proliferation, migration, invasion, metastasis, and apoptosis. In recent years, gene therapy has emerged as a new therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. Antisense oligonucleotides have recently been suggested as a novel approach for targeting microRNAs by antisense-based gene silencing. Five phosphorothioate oligonucleotides were designed, synthesized, and screened for anticancer activity. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the relative expression of miR21. Among these 5 sequences, only phosphorothioate oligonucleotide 4 inhibited the proliferation of H1650 cells, and this effect was due to the induction of cancer cell apoptosis by activating the caspase-8 apoptotic pathway. In conclusion, this research confirmed the anticancer activity of phosphorothioate oligonucleotide 4 and revealed the underlying mechanism, which has the potential to be a novel anticancer strategy.
Functional chalcone-substituted tetrakis-metallophthalocyanines: Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization
Authors: Çakır Volkan
Published: December 2019

In this study, a new phthalonitrile derivative, ( E)-4-(3-(3-(3-methoxyphenyl)acryloyl)phenoxy)phthalonitrile, and four peripherally ( E)-4-(3-(3-(3-methoxyphenyl)acryloyl)phenoxy) tetrasubstituted new Ni(II), Zn(II), Co(II), and Cu(II) phthalocyanine derivatives are synthesized and characterized. ( E)-4-(3-(3-(3-Methoxyphenyl)acryloyl)phenoxy)phthalonitrile is synthesized by heating ( E)-1-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-3-(3-methoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one and 4-nitrophthalonitrile in the presence of K2CO3 in dry DMF at 60°C for 96 h. The metallophthalocyanines are prepared by cyclotetramerization of ( E)-4-(3-(3-(3-methoxyphenyl)acryloyl)phenoxy)phthalonitrile with NiCl2, Zn(CH3COO)2, CoCl2, and CuCl2 in n-pentanol in the presence of 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene. Characterization of the new compounds is performed by means of IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and mass and UV-Vis spectroscopy techniques.
3-(Hydroxyimino)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-2(3H)-ylidene)-1-arylethanones as new red heterocyclic dyes: Synthesis, spectral studies, quantum-chemical investigations, and antibacterial activities
Authors: Poormirzaei Nazanin , Pordel Mehdi , Yaghoobi Elnaz , Shojaee Saeed , Aminiyanfar Masoud , Gonabadi Atoosa
Published: December 2019

The synthesis, optical properties, theoretical calculations, and antibacterial activities of a series of new red heterocyclic dyes derived from imidazo[1,2- a]pyridine are presented. 3-(Hydroxyimino)imidazo[1,2- a]pyridin-2(3 H)-ylidene)-1-arylethanones are obtained from the reaction of 3-nitroimidazo[1,2- a]pyridine with substituted acetophenone derivatives in good yields (65%–72%). The structures are confirmed by spectral and analytical data, and the optical properties of the dyes are characterized by spectrophotometry. Density functional theory calculations are performed to provide the optimized geometries and relevant frontier orbitals. Calculated electronic absorption spectra are also obtained by the time-dependent density functional theory method. Moreover, the antibacterial activities (minimum inhibitory concentration) of the new dyes against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial species are determined (minimum inhibitory concentration: 5–200 μg mL−1).
The German Public Prosecutor as (no) judicial authority within the meaning of the European Arrest Warrant: A case note on the CJEU’s judgment in OG (C-508/18) and PI (C 82/19 PPU)
Authors: Ambos Kai
Published: December 2019

The judgment analysed concerns a request for a preliminary ruling by the Irish Supreme Court that casts doubts upon the judicial nature of the German Public Prosecutor’s Office as the issuing authority of a European Arrest Warrant. On the same day, another judgment was passed on a parallel request for a preliminary ruling by the same court concerning the Lithuanian Prosecutor General. The Court disqualifies, the German Prosecution Office in this regard but accepts the judicial character of the Lithuanian one. The gist of the issue is the (material) independence of the two Prosecution services which the Court denies regarding the former since it can be subjected to external directives by the executive branch (Minister of Justice). The Judgment applies mutatis mutandis also to other Prosecution services being subject to external directives and to other instruments of mutual recognition which need a “judicial authority” to be issued (e.g. the European Investigation Order).
Acute Pancreatitis Complicated by Stress Cardiomyopathy With Persistent Apical Akinesis: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Abe Temidayo , Simien Melvin , Dolphurs Hayes
Published: December 2019

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy or stress cardiomyopathy is a transient reversible cardiomyopathy characterized by regional wall motion abnormalities that usually extend beyond a single epicardial vascular distribution. It is often precipitated by acute physical or emotional stressors. In this article, we present the case of a postmenopausal woman who was admitted for management of acute pancreatitis. On the second day of admission, she developed shortness of breath and electrocardiographic abnormalities. A transthoracic echocardiogram revealed left ventricular systolic dysfunction and apical akinesis, and coronary angiography revealed normal coronary arteries. She was diagnosed with takotsubo cardiomyopathy triggered by acute pancreatitis and started on guideline-directed heart failure medications. A follow-up echocardiogram 4 months later revealed persistent systolic dysfunction and apical akinesis.
Pediatric Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reruptures Are Related to Lower Functional Scores at the Time of Return to Activity: A Prospective, Midterm Follow-up Study
Authors: Astur Diego Costa , Novaretti João Victor , Cavalcante Elton Luiz Borges , Goes Adilson , Kaleka Camila Cohen , Debieux Pedro , Krob Joseph J. , Freitas Eduardo Vasconcelos de , Cohen Moises
Published: December 2019

Background:

Skeletally immature patients show a higher rate of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reruptures. A better understanding of the risk factors for an ACL rerupture in this population is critical.

Purpose/Hypothesis:

The objective of this study was to analyze preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative characteristics of pediatric patients undergoing ACL reconstruction and determine the relationship of these factors with an ACL rerupture. It was hypothesized that patients with worse activity scores and knee function at the time of return to activity would have a higher rate of ACL reruptures at midterm follow-up. Additionally, it was hypothesized that most ACL reruptures would occur before age 20 years in the study population.

Study Design:

Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

A total of 65 skeletally immature patients (age <16 years) with ACL ruptures underwent reconstruction with a quadruple hamstring tendon graft between 2002 and 2016. Of these patients, 52 were available for the study. Patient characteristics, surgical details, Tegner and Lysholm scores, and ACL reconstruction outcomes were recorded. Patients were analyzed and compared according to ACL rerupture occurrence.

Results:

Of the 52 patients, 18 (34.6%) experienced an ACL rerupture after reconstruction. The majority of reruptures (77.8%) occurred before age 20 years. There were 2 patients who sustained ACL reruptures during the rehabilitation period before they returned to activity. The majority of reruptures occurred after 12 months (83.2%), with 66.6% occurring after 24 months. Upon returning to activity between 6 and 9 months postoperatively, patients who ended up with intact ACL grafts reported 69% higher mean Tegner scores ( P = .006) and 64% higher mean Lysholm scores than patients who sustained ACL reruptures ( P < .001). Within the limits of this study, we could identify no statistical relationship between the rate of ACL reruptures and different sport types, surgical techniques, or associated injuries ( P > .05).

Conclusion:

Skeletally immature patients who underwent ACL reconstruction and sustained ACL reruptures had lower Tegner and Lysholm scores upon returning to activity than patients without ACL reruptures. In addition, most ACL reruptures occurred in patients younger than 20 years (77.8%) and after 24 months postoperatively (66.6%).
A Path to Greater Credibility: Large-Scale Collaborative Education Research
Authors: Makel Matthew C. , Smith Kendal N. , McBee Matthew T. , Peters Scott J. , Miller Erin M.
Published: December 2019

Concerns about the replication crisis and unreliable findings have spread through several fields, including education and psychological research. In some areas of education, researchers have begun to adopt reforms that have proven useful in other fields. These include preregistration, open materials and data, and registered reports. These reforms offer education research a path toward increased credibility and social impact. In this article, we discuss models of large-scale collaborative research practices and how they can be applied to education research. We discuss five types of large-scale collaboration: participating teams run different studies, multiteam collaboration projects, collaborative analysis, preregistered adversarial collaboration, and persistent collaboration. The combination of large-scale collaboration with open and transparent research practices offers education researchers opportunity to test theories, verify what is known about a topic, resolve disagreements, and explore new questions.
Drawing and Dialogue: Youth’s Experiences With the “Face” of Diabetes
Authors: Liesch Shari K , Elertson Kathleen M
Published: December 2019

Objective:

The purpose of this qualitative pilot study was to evaluate drawing, narration, color use, and meaning through discussion to increase insight surrounding youth’s lived experience with type 1 diabetes.

Methods:

This qualitative study reflects a convenience sample of 20 (female = 12, male = 8) youth aged 8 to 15 years with an established diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. During a nonclinic session, 3 drawings—self-portrait, face of diabetes, and future self-portrait—were created. Interviews were completed with an art therapist or clinic nurse practitioner using a standardized script.

Results:

All “face” of diabetes drawings depicted images separate from self. The most frequent color noted was gray, due to pencil use. No significant difference in disclosures or dialogue were observed between interviews conducted by the art therapist or nurse practitioner. Emerging themes noted: diabetes is unpredictable and stigmatizing, causes fears, and impacts daily life, yet discussions evidenced overall coping and resilience.

Conclusions:

Drawing during clinic visits enhances communication and understanding of youth’s lived experience. Findings offer clinical benefit when managing care and support for chronic health conditions.
Finding Dental Harm to Patients through Electronic Health Record–Based Triggers
Authors: Walji M.F. , Yansane A. , Hebballi N.B. , Ibarra-Noriega A.M. , Kookal K.K. , Tungare S. , Kent K. , McPharlin R. , Delattre V. , Obadan-Udoh E. , Tokede O. , White J. , Kalenderian E.
Published: December 2019

Background:

Patients may be inadvertently harmed while undergoing dental treatments. To improve care, we must first determine the types and frequency of harms that patients experience, but identifying cases of harm is not always straightforward for dental practices. Mining data from electronic health records is a promising means of efficiently detecting possible adverse events (AEs).

Methods:

We developed 7 electronic triggers (electronic health record based) to flag patient charts that contain distinct events common to AEs. These electronic charts were then manually reviewed to identify AEs.

Results:

Of the 1,885 charts reviewed, 16.2% contained an AE. The positive predictive value of the triggers ranged from a high of 0.23 for the 2 best-performing triggers (failed implants and postsurgical complications) to 0.09 for the lowest-performing triggers. The most common types of AEs found were pain (27.5%), hard tissue (14.8%), soft tissue (14.8%), and nerve injuries (13.3%). Most AEs were classified as temporary harm (89.2%). Permanent harm was present in 9.6% of the AEs, and 1.2% required transfer to an emergency room.

Conclusion:

By developing these triggers and a process to identify harm, we can now start measuring AEs, which is the first step to mitigating harm in the future.

Knowledge Transfer Statement:

A retrospective review of patients’ health records is a useful approach for systematically identifying and measuring harm. Rather than random chart reviews, electronic health record–based dental trigger tools are an effective approach for practices to identify patient harm. Measurement is one of the first steps in improving the safety and quality of care delivered.
IKZF1 deletions in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia: still a poor prognostic marker?
Authors: Stanulla Martin , Cavé Hélène , Moorman Anthony V.
Published: December 2019

Improved personalized adjustment of primary therapy to the perceived risk of relapse by using new prognostic markers for treatment stratification may be beneficial to patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Here, we review the advances that have shed light on the role of IKZF1 aberration as prognostic factor in pediatric ALL and summarize emerging concepts in this field. Continued research on the interplay of disease biology with exposure and response to treatment will be key to further improve treatment strategies.
Laparoscopic lateral suspension: a single-site and single-surgeon experience
Authors: Mang Claudia , Huemer Hansjörg , Birkenmaier Ariane , Humburg Jörg
Published: December 2019

Background

In the reconstructive surgery for pelvic organ prolapse (POP), different newer mesh fixation techniques as an alternative to sacrocolpopexy has been developed. In order to gain more data about the different techniques, it is important to analyze success and recurrence rates of surgical procedures.

Methods

Collection and analysis of data from patients treated with laparoscopic lateral suspension (LLS). Patients were followed up for 6 weeks after surgery. Consultations were continued, if needed, up to 2.5 years. Main outcome measures were anatomic results, POP recurrence, mesh exposure and reoperation rate, and potential risk factors for relapse.

Results

Thirty-nine patients were treated between July 2015 and November 2017. In the first visit, one patient was diagnosed with an early relapse (success rate: 95%). Another six women relapsed during follow-up (mean, 13.5 months; success rate, 82%). Patients with recurrence were younger (62 vs. 68 years) and had initially a higher degree of prolapse, a higher parity (3.8 vs. 1.9), more previous surgeries, and longer operating times.

Early exposures were seen in 5.3% patients and raised up to 13% during follow-up; all but one were treated successful with local estrogen therapy. Risk factors for exposure were higher age and longer operating time.

The whole reoperation rate was 13%.

Conclusions

LLS might be a valid alternative to the laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy in women with prolapse in the anterior compartment and apical descent. Younger women with higher parity and higher degree of prolapse in the middle compartment had a higher recurrence rate after LLS.
Selection of microbial biomarkers with genetic algorithm and principal component analysis
Authors: Zhang Ping , West Nicholas P. , Chen Pin-Yen , Thang Mike W. C. , Price Gareth , Cripps Allan W. , Cox Amanda J.
Published: December 2019

Background

Principal components analysis (PCA) is often used to find characteristic patterns associated with certain diseases by reducing variable numbers before a predictive model is built, particularly when some variables are correlated. Usually, the first two or three components from PCA are used to determine whether individuals can be clustered into two classification groups based on pre-determined criteria: control and disease group. However, a combination of other components may exist which better distinguish diseased individuals from healthy controls. Genetic algorithms (GAs) can be useful and efficient for searching the best combination of variables to build a prediction model. This study aimed to develop a prediction model that combines PCA and a genetic algorithm (GA) for identifying sets of bacterial species associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome (Mets).

Results

The prediction models built using the combination of principal components (PCs) selected by GA were compared to the models built using the top PCs that explained the most variance in the sample and to models built with selected original variables. The advantages of combining PCA with GA were demonstrated.

Conclusions

The proposed algorithm overcomes the limitation of PCA for data analysis. It offers a new way to build prediction models that may improve the prediction accuracy. The variables included in the PCs that were selected by GA can be combined with flexibility for potential clinical applications. The algorithm can be useful for many biological studies where high dimensional data are collected with highly correlated variables.
Computational assembly of a human Cytomegalovirus vaccine upon experimental epitope legacy
Authors: Quinzo Monica J. , Lafuente Esther M. , Zuluaga Pilar , Flower Darren R. , Reche Pedro A.
Published: December 2019

Background

Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a ubiquitous herpesvirus affecting approximately 90% of the world population. HCMV causes disease in immunologically naive and immunosuppressed patients. The prevention, diagnosis and therapy of HCMV infection are thus crucial to public health. The availability of effective prophylactic and therapeutic treatments remain a significant challenge and no vaccine is currently available. Here, we sought to define an epitope-based vaccine against HCMV, eliciting B and T cell responses, from experimentally defined HCMV-specific epitopes.

Results

We selected 398 and 790 experimentally validated HCMV-specific B and T cell epitopes, respectively, from available epitope resources and apply a knowledge-based approach in combination with immunoinformatic predictions to ensemble a universal vaccine against HCMV. The T cell component consists of 6 CD8 and 6 CD4 T cell epitopes that are conserved among HCMV strains. All CD8 T cell epitopes were reported to induce cytotoxic activity, are derived from early expressed genes and are predicted to provide population protection coverage over 97%. The CD4 T cell epitopes are derived from HCMV structural proteins and provide a population protection coverage over 92%. The B cell component consists of just 3 B cell epitopes from the ectodomain of glycoproteins L and H that are highly flexible and exposed to the solvent.

Conclusions

We have defined a multiantigenic epitope vaccine ensemble against the HCMV that should elicit T and B cell responses in the entire population. Importantly, although we arrived to this epitope ensemble with the help of computational predictions, the actual epitopes are not predicted but are known to be immunogenic.
Parallelisation strategies for agent based simulation of immune systems
Authors: Kabiri Chimeh Mozhgan , Heywood Peter , Pennisi Marzio , Pappalardo Francesco , Richmond Paul
Published: December 2019

Background

In recent years, the study of immune response behaviour using bottom up approach, Agent Based Modeling (ABM), has attracted considerable efforts. The ABM approach is a very common technique in the biological domain due to high demand for a large scale analysis tools for the collection and interpretation of information to solve biological problems. Simulating massive multi-agent systems (i.e. simulations containing a large number of agents/entities) requires major computational effort which is only achievable through the use of parallel computing approaches.

Results

This paper explores different approaches to parallelising the key component of biological and immune system models within an ABM model: pairwise interactions. The focus of this paper is on the performance and algorithmic design choices of cell interactions in continuous and discrete space where agents/entities are competing to interact with one another within a parallel environment.

Conclusions

Our performance results demonstrate the applicability of these methods to a broader class of biological systems exhibiting typical cell to cell interactions. The advantage and disadvantage of each implementation is discussed showing each can be used as the basis for developing complete immune system models on parallel hardware.
Toward computational modelling on immune system function
Authors: Pappalardo Francesco , Pennisi Marzio , Reche Pedro A. , Russo Giulia
Published: December 2019

The 2nd Computational Methods for the Immune System function Workshop has been held in Madrid in conjunction with the IEEE International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedicine (BIBM 2018) in Madrid, Spain, from December 3 to 6, 2018. The workshop has been obtained 100% more submissions in respect to the first edition, highlighting a growing interest for the treated topics. The best papers (9) have been selected for extension in this special issue, with themes about immune system and disease simulation, computer-aided design of novel candidate vaccines, methods for the analysis of immune system involved diseases based on statistical methods, meta-heuristics and game theory, and modelling strategies for improving the simulation of the immune system dynamics.