bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transcoding Nancarrow at the Dawn of the Age of MIDI: The Preservation and Use of Conlon Nancarrow’s Player Piano Studies
Authors: Murphy Jim , Trimpin
Published: September 2017

This article focuses on the process by which, in 1987, sound artist and inventor Trimpin converted composer Conlon Nancarrow’s Studies for Player Piano from their original hand-punched rolls into the MIDI format. In addition to presenting the technology utilized in this conversion, the article focuses on the collaboration between Trimpin and Nancarrow, and on the significance of the act of porting works composed upon a vulnerable media format to a format that affords extension, analysis and preservation. The article concludes with an overview of a number of example uses of the transcoded Nancarrow scores, including traditional performances and two extended performances and installations.
Aurosion: Eroding Sonic Landscapes with the Internet Audio Cyclotron
Authors: Gagen J. M. , Wilson A. J.
Published: September 2017

The authors describe Aurosion, a performance piece utilizing “the largest feedback loop in the world,” the Internet Audio Cyclotron. Using field recordings, they subvert compression algorithms to explore emergent devolution.
Environmental Histories and Personal Memory: Collaborative Works in Sonification and Virtual Reality
Authors: Graham Richard
Published: September 2017

This short paper will present an overview of two historical data projects developed at the Sensory Computation/Experimental Narrative Environments Lab at Stevens Institute of Technology between 2015–2017. The first project focuses on the sonification of environmental data derived from a ubiquitous sensing network embedded in Tidmarsh Living Observatory in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The second project presented in this short paper explores a history of instrument gesture data as a basis for interactivity in a virtual scene. This short statement discusses these two projects and their creative implications.
The Piano Mill: Nostalgic Music and Architecture in the Australian Bush
Authors: Griswold Erik
Published: September 2017

The Piano Mill is a tower in the forest of New South Wales designed and purpose-built to house 16 reclaimed pianos. Architect Bruce Wolfe conceived it as a massive sound sculpture incorporating a steampunk look and nineteenth-century acoustical devices. To launch The Mill the author composed a new work, All’s grist that comes to the mill, that responds to the architecture, the natural environment and Australian colonial heritage.
Sounds of Wow: Tape Composition and the Poetics of the Index
Authors: Kramer Joseph
Published: September 2017

Sound artist Joseph Kramer discusses the function of indexical signs when working with magnetic tape and tape loops to elicit a nonsymbolic connection to the past. Compositional and technological strategies using custom devices to employ indexical signification are described.
The Cadolzburg Experience: On the Use of Sound in a Historical Museum
Authors: Fiebig Gerald , Piereth Uta , Karnatz Sebastian
Published: September 2017

The museum at Cadolzburg Castle in Germany, opened in 2017, uses a sound installation to present aspects of the building’s history that could not be materially reconstructed. In this article, the curators and the sound artist explain how the installation alternates between sound effects and musical signifiers to engage visitors with their environment and to spark reflection on the problems of “authenticity” in museums. While the musical thread offers quotes from musical styles representing the castle’s history, the sound thread gradually deconstructs a “castle soundscape” inspired by film soundtracks.
Network dynamics in the healthy and epileptic developing brain
Authors: Rosch Richard , Baldeweg Torsten , Moeller Friederike , Baier Gerold
Published: September 2017

Electroencephalography (EEG) allows recording of cortical activity at high temporal resolution. EEG recordings can be summarized along different dimensions using network-level quantitative measures, such as channel-to-channel correlation, or band power distributions across channels. These reveal network patterns that unfold over a range of different timescales and can be tracked dynamically. Here we describe the dynamics of network state transitions in EEG recordings of spontaneous brain activity in normally developing infants and infants with severe early infantile epileptic encephalopathies ( n = 8, age: 1–8 months). We describe differences in measures of EEG dynamics derived from band power, and correlation-based summaries of network-wide brain activity. We further show that EEGs from different patient groups and controls may be distinguishable on a small set of the novel quantitative measures introduced here, which describe dynamic network state switching. Quantitative measures related to the sharpness of switching from one correlation pattern to another show the largest differences between groups. These findings reveal that the early epileptic encephalopathies are associated with characteristic dynamic features at the network level. Quantitative network-based analyses like the one presented here may in the future inform the clinical use of quantitative EEG for diagnosis.
Death Work in Venice: In memoriam Khadija Saye
Authors: Nixon Mignon
Published: September 2017

Mignon Nixon reflects on the Manchester Arena bombing, London Bridge and Borough Market attack, and Grenfell Tower fire in London, as well as the 2017 Venice Biennial, via J-B Pontalis's writings on the psychoanalytic notion of death-work. Nixon argues that the defining problem of Christina Macel's exhibition Viva Art Viva in Venice, an exhibition so insistently art- and artist-positive—“designed with artists, by artists, and for artists” as the press release notes—is that its aesthetics of redemption is predicated on a negation of life, and thereby a negation of art.
The modern Invention of Barbarians: Ethnicity and the Transmission of Form
Authors: Michaud Eric
Published: September 2017

The history of art started with the myth of Barbarian invasions. Countering the timelessness of Classical art as affirmed by Winckelmann in the middle of the eighteenth century, a new argument arose: The West was propelled into modernity by the Barbarian invasions of the fourth and fifth centuries, as it was converted from paganism to Christianity. The infusion of the new blood of the northern races was seen to have engendered a new art, anti-Roman and anti-Classical, whose legacy was still apparent in Europe. This was a fantasmatic narrative, inseparable from the formation of nation-states and the rise of nationalism in Europe. Based on the dual assumption of the homogeneity and the continuity of their native populations, it assumed that styles depend on both blood and race; the “tactile” or “optical” qualities of an object became the unequivocal signs of its “Latin” or “Germanic” provenance, and museums organized their objects according to the “ethnic” identity of their creators.
Photographic Ecologies
Authors: Schaefer William
Published: September 2017

In his body of photographs, Samalada (2008), the Chinese artist Adou uses extremely expired film; the resulting artifacts—marks of the animal, vegetable, and mineral matter composing film surfaces—are as visible a part of the photographs as their depictions of relations among humans, animals, plants, cultural artifacts, earth and sky in southwestern China. Adou and other photographers in China, Japan, and the West working in a time of environmental crisis understand film itself in ecological terms. The very materiality and forms of photographic images are emergent from and interact with larger ecosystems of matter, bodies, spaces, surfaces, markings, liquids, pollution, light, and the atmosphere, thereby allowing the human to be seen as one among many contingent agents within ecological processes. Photography thus becomes a crucial site for staging and rethinking fundamental questions of the relations between culture and nature—and for learning to picture the Anthropocene.
Innovation of Word Order Harmony Across Development
Authors: Culbertson Jennifer , Newport Elissa L.
Published: September 2017

The tendency for languages to use harmonic word order patterns—orders that place heads in a consistent position with respect to modifiers or other dependents—has been noted since the 1960s. As with many other statistical typological tendencies, there has been debate regarding whether harmony reflects properties of human cognition or forces external to it. Recent research using laboratory language learning has shown that children and adults find harmonic patterns easier to learn than nonharmonic patterns (Culbertson & Newport, 2015 ; Culbertson, Smolensky, & Legendre, 2012 ). This supports a link between learning and typological frequency: if harmonic patterns are easier to learn, while nonharmonic patterns are more likely to be targets of change, then, all things equal, harmonic patterns will be more frequent in the world’s languages. However, these previous studies relied on variation in the input as a mechanism for change in the lab; learners were exposed to variable word order, allowing them to shift the frequencies of different orders so that harmonic patterns became more frequent. Here we teach adult and child learners languages that are consistently nonharmonic, with no variation. While adults perfectly maintain these consistently nonharmonic patterns, young child learners innovate novel orders, changing nonharmonic patterns into harmonic ones.
Reflections on Historic Rights in the South China Sea Arbitration (Merits)
Authors: Tanaka Yoshifumi
Published: September 2017

The Annex vii Arbitral Tribunal, in its arbitral award of 12 July 2016, ruled that China’s claims to historic rights with respect to the maritime areas of the South China Sea encompassed by the “nine-dash line” are contrary to the un Convention on the Law of the Sea. To support this conclusion, the Tribunal undertook detailed review with regard to the concept of historic rights and the relationship between China’s claimed historic rights and the Convention. The temporal or historical element can be regarded as a key element to establish historic rights. However, the Tribunal took an approach that minimises the role of the temporary element when examining the legality of China’s claimed historic rights. The Tribunal’s view provides an important insight into the concept of historic rights in the international law of the sea.
A new species of Decaphora Franganillo, 1931 (Araneae, Sparassidae, Sparianthinae) from Colombia, with an identification key for all known species of the genus
Authors: RHEIMS CRISTINA ANNE
Published: September 2017

Sparianthinae Simon, 1897 is a well-characterized subfamily of Sparassidae Bertkau, 1872, with members easily recognized and distinguished from the remaining sparassids by the trilobate membrane with small or inconspicuous median lobe, chelicerae with small retrolateral denticles and male palps bearing a spoon-shaped median apohysis, among others (Jäger 1998; Ramírez 2014). To date the subfamily includes 15 genera of which eight occur in the Neotropical region. Decaphora Franganillo, 1931, Defectrix Petrunkevitch, 1925, Neostasina Rheims & Alayón, 2016, Pseudosparianthis Simon, 1887, Sampaiosia Mello-Leitão, 1930, Sparianthis Simon, 1880 and Uaiuara Rheims, 2013 are exclusively Neotropical (World Spider Catalog 2017). Stasina Simon, 1877 is mostly Oriental, but includes species occurring in the Neotropical region, although their correct affiliation is considered doubtful (Rheims & Alayón, 2016).
New species of Tomocerus (Entomobryomorpha, Tomoceridae) with remarkable form of mucronal dorsal lamella
Authors: YU DAOYUAN , PAN ZHIXIANG , SHI SHIDI
Published: September 2017

Two new species of Tomocerus are described from Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces, China. Tomocerus nuwa sp. nov. and Tomocerus fuxi sp. nov. are similar to Tomocerus violaceus, Tomocerina yiliensis and Tomocerina tianshanensis mainly in the habitus and the basal formula of dental spines, but are different from the laters and most other known species of Tomocerinae mainly in the characteristic apical structure of mucronal dorsal lamella. Besides, these two species are similar to each other in the presence of only one typical bothriotrichum on Th. II, the number and position of ventral spine-like chaetae on tibiotarsi and the arrangement of dental spines on the basal subsegment of dens, but are different mainly in the chaetotaxy, the manubrial pseudopores and corner chaeta, and the arrangement of dental spines on the middle subsegment of dens.
Lispirurus nom. nov. for Sicarius Li, 1934 (Nematoda, Spirurida) preoccupied by Sicarius Walckenaer, 1847 (Arthropoda, Arachnida)
Authors: EDERLI NICOLE BRAND
Published: September 2017

The generic name Lispirurus Ederli, nom. nov. for Sicarius Li, 1934 (Nematoda, Spirurida), is a homonym of the generic name Sicarius Walckenaer, 1847 (Arthropoda, Arachnida). The genus Sicarius Walckenaer, 1847 was originally erected for spiders, commonly known as six-eyed sand spiders, and contains 25 species, while the genus Sicarius Li, 1934 was erected to include some Habronematinae nematode species, which some of them were transferred to the genus Procyrnea. Thus, actually, the new genus Lispirurus, is composed of a total of 4 species, with L. dipterum as the type species.
The correct name of Clibanornis rubiginosus watkinsi (Hellmayr, 1912 (Passeriformes: Furnariidae)
Authors: COSTA THIAGO V. V.
Published: September 2017

The “Watkins’s” Ruddy Foliage-gleaner was described as Automolus watkinsi by Carl Eduard Hellmayr (1912), based on one specimen collected two years earlier in Yahuarmayo, Marcapata, Peru. It is known to occur in the Andean foothills from northern Peru south to northern Bolivia and in extreme western Amazonian Brazil (Remsen 2003). This species has recently been subsumed in the genus Clibanornis, as some studies have shown that it is more closely related to that genus and to Hylocryptus than it is to the other Automolus (Derryberry et al. 2011; Claramunt et al. 2013), affinities that had in part already been suggested due to their similarities in morphology (Chapman 1919). It is currently considered either subspecies of C. rubiginosus (Remsen 2003; del Hoyo et al. 2016; Remsen et al. 2017) or a distinct species (e.g. Piacentini et al. 2015).
More-Persistent Weak Stratospheric Polar Vortex States Linked to Cold Extremes
Authors: Kretschmer Marlene , Coumou Dim , Agel Laurie , Barlow Mathew , Tziperman Eli , Cohen Judah
Published: September 2017

The extratropical stratosphere in boreal winter is characterized by a strong circumpolar westerly jet, confining the coldest temperatures at high latitudes. The jet, referred to as the stratospheric polar vortex, is predominantly zonal and centered around the pole; however, it does exhibit large variability in wind speed and location. Previous studies showed that a weak stratospheric polar vortex can lead to cold-air outbreaks in the midlatitudes, but the exact relationships and mechanisms are unclear. Particularly, it is unclear whether stratospheric variability has contributed to the observed anomalous cooling trends in midlatitude Eurasia. Using hierarchical clustering, we show that over the last 37 years, the frequency of weak vortex states in mid- to late winter (January and February) has increased, which was accompanied by subsequent cold extremes in midlatitude Eurasia. For this region, 60% of the observed cooling in the era of Arctic amplification, that is, since 1990, can be explained by the increased frequency of weak stratospheric polar vortex states, a number that increases to almost 80% when El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability is included as well.
Characterizing Sources of Uncertainty from Global Climate Models and Downscaling Techniques
Authors: Wootten A. , Terando A. , Reich B. J. , Boyles R. P. , Semazzi F.
Published: September 2017

In recent years, climate model experiments have been increasingly oriented toward providing information that can support local and regional adaptation to the expected impacts of anthropogenic climate change. This shift has magnified the importance of downscaling as a means to translate coarse-scale global climate model (GCM) output to a finer scale that more closely matches the scale of interest. Applying this technique, however, introduces a new source of uncertainty into any resulting climate model ensemble. Here a method is presented, on the basis of a previously established variance decomposition method, to partition and quantify the uncertainty in climate model ensembles that is attributable to downscaling. The method is applied to the southeastern United States using five downscaled datasets that represent both statistical and dynamical downscaling techniques. The combined ensemble is highly fragmented, in that only a small portion of the complete set of downscaled GCMs and emission scenarios is typically available. The results indicate that the uncertainty attributable to downscaling approaches ~20% for large areas of the Southeast for precipitation and ~30% for extreme heat days (>35°C) in the Appalachian Mountains. However, attributable quantities are significantly lower for time periods when the full ensemble is considered but only a subsample of all models is available, suggesting that overconfidence could be a serious problem in studies that employ a single set of downscaled GCMs. This article concludes with recommendations to advance the design of climate model experiments so that the uncertainty that accrues when downscaling is employed is more fully and systematically considered.
Tropical Ocean Contributions to California’s Surprisingly Dry El Niño of 2015/16
Authors: Siler Nicholas , Kosaka Yu , Xie Shang-Ping , Li Xichen
Published: September 2017

The major El Niño of 2015/16 brought significantly less precipitation to California than previous events of comparable strength, much to the disappointment of residents suffering through the state’s fourth consecutive year of severe drought. Here, California’s weak precipitation in 2015/16 relative to previous major El Niño events is investigated within a 40-member ensemble of atmosphere-only simulations run with historical sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and constant radiative forcing. The simulations reveal significant differences in both California precipitation and the large-scale atmospheric circulation between 2015/16 and previous strong El Niño events, which are similar to (albeit weaker than) the differences found in observations. Principal component analysis indicates that these ensemble-mean differences were likely related to a pattern of tropical SST variability with a strong signal in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific and a weaker signal in the eastern equatorial Pacific and subtropical North Atlantic. This SST pattern was missed by the majority of forecast models, which could partly explain their erroneous predictions of above-average precipitation in California in 2015/16.
Gendering Illegality: Undocumented Young Adults’ Negotiation of the Family Formation Process
Authors: Enriquez Laura E.
Published: September 2017

Although previous scholarship demonstrates that gender profoundly affects the immigrant incorporation process, few studies assess the role of gender in the lives of 1.5-generation undocumented young adults. Drawing on 92 in-depth interviews, I examine how gender and immigration status intersect to affect undocumented young adults’ dating, marriage, and parenting experiences. Although all undocumented young adults face the same structural limitations, I argue that their gendered social position leads men and women to experience and negotiate their illegality differently. Gendered expectations make immigration status relevant in different ways throughout of the family formation process, and affect undocumented young adults’ ability to negotiate the limitations associated with their immigration status. As a result, undocumented young men are less likely than women to fully participate in family formation and move toward social incorporation. These findings suggest that gender plays a significant role in shaping experiences of illegality and that navigating gendered expectations is an important micro-level process within immigrant incorporation.
Empirical Factors Affecting the Quality of Non-Negative Matrix Factorization of Mammalian Cell Raman Spectra
Authors: Georg Schulze H. , Konorov Stanislav O. , Piret James M. , Blades Michael W. , Turner Robin F. B.
Published: September 2017

Mammalian cells contain various macromolecules that can be investigated non-invasively with Raman spectroscopy. The particular mixture of major macromolecules present in a cell being probed are reflected in the measured Raman spectra. Determining macromolecular identities and estimating their concentrations from these mixture Raman spectra can distinguish cell types and otherwise enable biological research. However, the application of canonical multivariate methods, such as principal component analysis (PCA), to perform spectral unmixing yields mathematical solutions that can be difficult to interpret. Non-negative matrix factorization (NNMF) improves the interpretability of unmixed macromolecular components, but can be difficult to apply because ambiguities produced by overlapping Raman bands permit multiple solutions. Furthermore, theoretically sound methods can be difficult to implement in practice. Here we examined the effects of a number of empirical approaches on the quality of NNMF results. These approaches were evaluated on simulated mammalian cell Raman hyperspectra and the results were used to develop an enhanced procedure for implementing NNMF. We demonstrated the utility of this procedure using a Raman hyperspectral data set measured from human islet cells to recover the spectra of insulin and glucagon. This was compared to the relatively inferior PCA of these data.
Learning From Others: Selective Requests by 3-Year-Olds of Three Cultures
Authors: Broesch Tanya , Itakura Shoji , Rochat Philippe
Published: September 2017

Humans are unique in their propensity to intentionally instruct and subsequently learn a wide range of information from others. We investigated when and how young children become socially resourceful in using others’ expertise, and whether the early propensity to request for help varies across diverse societies. We tested and compared 44 two- to four-year-old children growing up in urban United States and Japan, and rural Canada. Children were faced with two experimenters who demonstrated different abilities (successful vs. unsuccessful) in a toy retrieving task. We measured children’s propensity to request for help and the relative selectivity of requests to one experimenter over another. Results show significant cross-cultural differences. U.S. children’s request behavior differed significantly from the other two societies on three of the four measures. Specifically, U.S. children requested more overall, whereas Japanese children ceased manipulation (“give up”), and Canadian children continued to try on their own. Only the U.S. children show clear selective requests to the successful experimenter. On the last measure (gaze behavior), the U.S. and Canadian children look more to the successful model during the test phase than the unsuccessful model. These findings have implications for social learning research as well as the generalizability of developmental science.
Validation of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) on the Thai–Myanmar border
Authors: Ing Harriet , Fellmeth Gracia , White Jitrachote , Stein Alan , Simpson Julie A , McGready Rose
Published: September 2017

Postnatal depression is common and may have severe consequences for women and their children. Locally validated screening tools are required to identify at-risk women in marginalised populations. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is one of the most frequently used tools globally. This cross-sectional study assessed the validity and acceptability of the EPDS in Karen and Burmese among postpartum migrant and refugee women on the Thai–Myanmar border. The EPDS was administered to participants and results compared with a diagnostic interview. Local staff provided feedback on the acceptability of the EPDS through a focus group discussion. Results from 670 women showed high accuracy and reasonable internal consistency of the EPDS. However, acceptability to local staff was low, limiting the utility of the EPDS in this setting despite its good psychometrics. Further work is required to identify a tool that is acceptable and sensitive to cultural manifestations of depression in this vulnerable population.
Gendered experiences of African male learners in child- and youth-headed households: implications for the role of psychologists
Authors: Hage Linda , Pillay Jace
Published: September 2017

The aim of this study was to describe the gendered experiences of African male learners living in child- and youth-headed households. The participants included seven male learners, identified through a non-profit organisation in the Soweto area. Data were collected through individual interviews, collages, and essays and analysed using qualitative content and thematic analysis. The theoretical framework included the works of Erikson and Nsamenang. The findings indicated that cultural practices and gender roles of boys were important aspects for the participants. Also, the presence of an older male figure in their lives was crucial. The social support from family and friends made a significant difference for them. Their resilience was seen in their desire to be educated so that they could have a better future, as well as in their ability to not engage in community violence. Based on the findings, relevant recommendations are provided with emphasis on the role of psychologists.
Transfer Matters: Forward to the Special Issue on Transfer
Authors: Bragg Debra D.
Published: September 2017

Transfer has a long history that parallels the evolution of community colleges in the United States. Research on transfer has focused extensively on policies and processes that operate under the auspices of these institutions, with somewhat less emphasis on universities acting as transfer partners. This issue is important for the success of all students but especially students who are historically underserved by higher education. This article reviews four articles that focus on the most critical issues facing transfer today. Highlighting the importance of addressing diverse learners’ needs, state and local policies and processes that influence transfer and articulation implementation, and the roles of community colleges and universities operating as part of systems and also in tandum with one another is central the research appearing in this issue, including findings that are important for other researchers to consider to guide their work in the future.
Best Practices in Local Animal Control Ordinances
Authors: Reese Laura A. , Remer Kellee M.
Published: September 2017

Inadequate animal control ordinances can lead to increased health risks from dog bites, lawsuits from dog attacks, complaints about nuisance issues, improper care of and lack of protection for companion animals, and animal suffering. Yet, no research to date has explored the nature of extant local animal control ordinances nor assessed how closely they match best practice guidelines. This article provides information to public officials on model policy by examining local animal control ordinances in Michigan, comparing existing policy to best practice models, identifying the types of communities most likely to promulgate model policy, and making recommendations regarding local animal control ordinances. The findings make clear that cities on the whole do not have animal control ordinances that follow best practice guidelines. Generally, control issues are emphasized over animal welfare concerns, and policies are not sufficiently detailed to protect the community, animal guardians, or the animals themselves.
Lacertus Fibrosus Versus Achilles Allograft Reconstruction for Distal Biceps Tears: A Biomechanical Study
Authors: Murthi Anand M. , Ramirez Miguel A. , Parks Brent G. , Carpenter Shannon R.
Published: September 2017

Background:

The bicipital aponeurosis, or lacertus fibrosus, can potentially be used as a reconstruction graft in chronic distal biceps tendon tears.

Purpose:

To evaluate construct stiffness, load to failure, and failure mechanism with lacertus fibrosus versus Achilles allograft for distal biceps tendon reconstruction.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Ten fresh-frozen matched cadaveric pairs of elbows were used. Three centimeters of the distal biceps tendon was resected. Specimens were randomized to the lacertus fibrosus or Achilles tendon group. In one group, the lacertus fibrosus was released from its distal attachment and then tubularized and repaired intraosseously to the radius. In the other group, an Achilles tendon graft was sutured to the biceps muscle and repaired to the ulna. The prepared radii were rigidly mounted at a 45° angle on a load frame. The proximal biceps muscle was secured in a custom-fabricated cryogenic grip. Displacement was measured using a differential variable reluctance transducer mounted at the radius–soft tissue junction and in the muscle- or muscle allograft–tissue junction proximal to the repair. Specimens were loaded at 20 mm/min until failure, defined as a 3-mm displacement at the radius–soft tissue junction.

Results:

No significant difference was found in mean load to failure between the lacertus fibrosus and Achilles tendon group (mean ± SD, 20.2 ± 5.5 N vs 16.89 ± 4.54 N; P = .18). Stiffness also did not differ significantly between the lacertus fibrosus and Achilles tendon group (12.3 ± 7.1 kPa vs 10.5 ± 5.7 kPa; P = .34). The primary mode of failure in the lacertus fibrosus group was suture pullout from the tissue at the musculotendinous junction (7 of 10). In the Achilles group, failures were observed at the muscle-allograft interface (3) and the allograft-bone (radial tuberosity) interface (3), and 3 suture failures were observed. The button fixation did not fail in any specimens.

Conclusion:

The mean stiffness and load-to-failure values were not significantly different between a lacertus fibrosus construct and Achilles tendon allograft.

Clinical Relevance:

Use of the lacertus fibrosus may be a potential alternative to Achilles tendon allograft reconstruction of chronic distal biceps tears when primary repair is not possible.
Validation of the Missouri Osteochondral Allograft Preservation System for the Maintenance of Osteochondral Allograft Quality During Prolonged Storage
Authors: Stoker Aaron M. , Stannard James P. , Kuroki Keiichi , Bozynski Chantelle C. , Pfeiffer Ferris M. , Cook James L.
Published: September 2017

Background:

Fresh osteochondral allografts (OCAs) are limited in availability. The Missouri Osteochondral Allograft Preservation System (MOPS) has been reported to effectively preserve OCAs twice as long as current tissue bank protocols in preclinical studies.

Hypothesis:

The viable chondrocyte density (VCD) in OCAs preserved for up to 70 days using the MOPS will not be significantly different from day 0, and the VCD in MOPS-preserved OCAs will be significantly higher than for standard tissue bank preservation. Media changes during preservation will significantly improve the VCD.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Femoral condyles harvested from qualified donors (n = 12) were quartered (n = 48), assigned to 1 of 4 treatment groups (tissue bank protocol at 4°C or MOPS at 25°C, with or without media changes), and preserved for 0, 28, 56, or 70 days and assessed for the VCD and histopathological characteristics. In addition, osteochondral explants were created from the femoral condyles of 12 donors (n = 36 explants), assigned to the same groups and time points, and tested for biomechanical properties.

Results:

MOPS-preserved OCAs maintained the day 0 VCD through 56 days. OCAs stored using current tissue bank protocols had a significantly lower VCD compared with day 0 and the MOPS by day 28. OCA histological and biomechanical properties did not significantly change from day 0 for any group.

Conclusion:

The MOPS preserved essential OCA viability and quality at significantly higher levels than current tissue bank protocols for at least 56 days after procurement.

Clinical Relevance:

Improving the viability and duration of OCA preservation provides potential benefits to tissue banks, donor families, surgeons, and patients with respect to tissue use, financial costs, and outcomes.
Association of UGT2B7 polymorphisms with risk of induced liver injury by anti-tuberculosis drugs in Chinese Han
Authors: Chen Guo , Wu Shou-Quan , Feng Mei , Wang Yu , Wu Jing-Can , Ji Gui-Yi , Zhang Miao-Miao , Liu Qian-Qian , He Jian-Qing
Published: September 2017

Anti-tuberculosis drug-induced liver injury (ATLI) is common during the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). As an important enzyme in the metabolism of many drugs, UGT2B7 (uridine diphosphate glucuronyl transferase 2B7) was associated with drug-induced liver disorder. This study investigated the association between the polymorphisms of UGT2B7 and ATLI in Chinese Han. Totally, 280 newly diagnosed TB patients had been followed up for 3 months after the prescription of anti-TB therapy. Tag-single-nucleotide polymorphism (tag-SNPs) (rs10028494 and rs7668282) were genotyped with the MassARRAY platform. The associations between tag-SNPs and ATLI risk were analyzed by logistic regression analysis adjusting for confounding factors. In this prospective study, 33 patients were lost to follow-up, and 24 patients were diagnosed with ATLI and considered as the case group. The remaining 223 subjects without ATLI were considered as the control group. No significant association was observed in allele and genotype frequencies of UGT2B7 between the two groups. This study is the first attempt to investigate the association of genetic polymorphisms of UGT2B7 with ATLI in Chinese Han. There is no significant association between UGT2B7 polymorphisms and ATLI in Chinese Han.
Factors Associated With Unplanned Extubation in Children: A Case–Control Study
Authors: da Silva Paulo Sérgio Lucas , Fonseca Marcelo Cunio Machado
Published: September 2017

Purpose:

Although several studies assess unplanned extubation (UE) in children, few have addressed determinants of UE and factors associated with reintubation in a case-controlled manner. We aimed to identify the risk factors and outcomes associated with UE in a pediatric intensive care unit.

Methods:

Cases of UE were randomly matched with control patients at a ratio of 1:4 for age, severity of illness, and admission diagnosis. For cases and controls, we also collected data associated with UE events, reintubation, and outcomes.

Results:

We analyzed 94 UE patients (0.75 UE per 100 intubation days) and found no differences in demographics between the 2 groups. Logistic regression revealed that patient agitation (odds ratio [OR]: 2.44; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.28-4.65), continuous sedation infusion (OR: 3.27; 95% CI: 1.70-6.29), night shifts (OR: 9.16; 95% CI: 4.25-19.72), in-charge nurse experience <2 years (OR: 2.38; 95% CI: 1.13-4.99), and oxygenation index (OI) >5 (OR: 76.9; 95% CI: 16.79-352.47) were associated with UE. Risk factors for reintubation after UE included prior level of sedation (COMFORT score < 27; OR: 7.93; 95% CI: 2.30-27.29), copious secretion (OR: 11.88; 95% CI: 2.20-64.05), and OI > 5 (OR: 9.32; 95% CI: 2.45-35.48).

Conclusions:

This case–control study showed that both patient- and nurse-associated risk factors were related to UE. Risk factors associated with reintubation included lower levels of consciousness, copious secretions, and higher OI. Further evidence-based studies, including a larger sample size, are warranted to identify predisposing factors in UEs.
Thermally stabilized bismaleimide–triazine resin composites for 10-GHz level high-frequency application
Authors: Yang Jie , Mao Xin , Du Lirong , Wu Bo , Zhang Fangfang , Hu Wencheng , Tang Xianzhong
Published: September 2017

A hybrid cured resin with excellent dielectric and thermal properties was prepared with bismaleimide–triazine (BT) resin modified with 2,2′-diallylbisphenol A (DBA). The thermal and dielectric properties of the resin were investigated, and the effect of DBA concentration on the curing reaction was determined. Results indicated that DBA significantly influenced the curing reaction and the properties of the cured product. The modified BT resins exhibited outstanding thermal stability (initial decomposition temperature was over 400°C), although the stability was slightly lower than that of pure BT resins. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the cured resin decreased when DBA was introduced into the BT resins. Moreover, the fabricated resins showed dielectric constant of 2.91–3.07 and dielectric loss lower than 0.0057 under the testing high-frequency range of 1 GHz to 15 GHz. Overall, the BT resins modified by DBA display great potential to be applied in high frequency field.
Scalable collaborative targeted learning for high-dimensional data
Authors: Ju Cheng , Gruber Susan , Lendle Samuel D , Chambaz Antoine , Franklin Jessica M , Wyss Richard , Schneeweiss Sebastian , van der Laan Mark J
Published: September 2017

Robust inference of a low-dimensional parameter in a large semi-parametric model relies on external estimators of infinite-dimensional features of the distribution of the data. Typically, only one of the latter is optimized for the sake of constructing a well-behaved estimator of the low-dimensional parameter of interest. Optimizing more than one of them for the sake of achieving a better bias-variance trade-off in the estimation of the parameter of interest is the core idea driving the general template of the collaborative targeted minimum loss-based estimation procedure. The original instantiation of the collaborative targeted minimum loss-based estimation template can be presented as a greedy forward stepwise collaborative targeted minimum loss-based estimation algorithm. It does not scale well when the number p of covariates increases drastically. This motivates the introduction of a novel instantiation of the collaborative targeted minimum loss-based estimation template where the covariates are pre-ordered. Its time complexity is [Formula: see text] as opposed to the original [Formula: see text], a remarkable gain. We propose two pre-ordering strategies and suggest a rule of thumb to develop other meaningful strategies. Because it is usually unclear a priori which pre-ordering strategy to choose, we also introduce another instantiation called SL-C-TMLE algorithm that enables the data-driven choice of the better pre-ordering strategy given the problem at hand. Its time complexity is [Formula: see text] as well. The computational burden and relative performance of these algorithms were compared in simulation studies involving fully synthetic data or partially synthetic data based on a real world large electronic health database; and in analyses of three real, large electronic health databases. In all analyses involving electronic health databases, the greedy collaborative targeted minimum loss-based estimation algorithm is unacceptably slow. Simulation studies seem to indicate that our scalable collaborative targeted minimum loss-based estimation and SL-C-TMLE algorithms work well. All C-TMLEs are publicly available in a Julia software package.
Rescue of cell cycle progression in BRAFV600E inhibitor–resistant human melanoma by a chromatin modifier
Authors: Torres-Collado Antoni X , Nazarian Ramin , Jazirehi Ali R
Published: September 2017

The BRAFV600E-specific inhibitor vemurafenib blocks mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway and induces cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase leading to apoptosis of melanomas. To gain an understanding of the dynamics of cell cycle regulation during vemurafenib therapy, we analyzed several vemurafenib-resistant human melanoma sublines derived from BRAFV600E harboring vemurafenib-sensitive parental lines. Vemurafenib provoked G0/G1 phase arrest in parental but not in vemurafenib-resistant sublines. We hypothesized that refractoriness of vemurafenib-resistant sublines to vemurafenib-mediated cell cycle inhibition can be partially rescued by the chromatin modifier suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid. Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid promoted G2/M arrest at expense of S phase irrespective of vemurafenib sensitivity. In parental lines, combination of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid and vemurafenib induced both G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis, whereas in vemurafenib-resistant sublines combination induced G0/G1 as well as G2/M arrest resulting in dramatic cytostasis. Vemurafenib-resistant sublines exhibited extracellular signal–regulated protein kinases 1 and 2 but not AKT and hyperphosphorylation. Gene expression profiling revealed mitogen-activated protein kinase hyperactivation and deregulations of cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases in vemurafenib-resistant sublines, all of which were reversed by suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid; changes that may explain the cytostatic effects of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid. These results suggest that unresponsiveness of vemurafenib-resistant sublines to the biological effects of vemurafenib may be amenable by suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid. These in vitro results, while require further investigation, may provide rational biological basis for combination therapy in the management of vemurafenib-resistant melanoma.
Expression of cross-tolerance to a wide range of conditions in a human lung cancer cell line after adaptation to nitric oxide
Authors: Deliu Zane , Tamas Timothy , Chowdhury Juel , Aqil Madeeha , Bassiony Maaly , Radosevich James A
Published: September 2017

Previously, we have shown that A549, a human lung adenocarcinoma, can be adapted to nitric oxide (NO●). NO● is a nitrogen-based free radical that is synthesized by a family of enzymes known as nitric oxide synthases. NO● has been shown to be overexpressed in patient populations of different cancers. In addition, it has been observed that patients who express high levels of nitric oxide synthases tend to have poorer clinical outcomes than those with low levels of expression. The original cell line A549 (parent) and the adapted A549-HNO (high nitric oxide) cell line serve as a useful model system to investigate the role of NO● in tumor progression and prognosis. We have previously shown that the A549-HNO-adapted cells grow aggressively when compared to A549-parent cells. Furthermore, we have shown that the A549-HNO-adapted cells exhibit a higher percentage of cell viability when exposed to ultraviolet and X-ray radiation than the A549-parent cells. Cancer patients who develop resistance to one treatment often become resistant to other previously unencountered forms of treatment. This phenomenon is known as cross-tolerance. To determine whether NO● is a potential cross-tolerance causing agent, we have expanded our research by conducting parallel studies to a variety of other agents and conditions beyond radiation and ultraviolet exposure. We exposed both cell lines to varying levels of chemotherapeutic drugs (taxol and doxorubicin), temperature, pH, calcium chloride, cadmium chloride, copper chloride, sodium chloride, ferrous chloride, and sodium-R-lipoic acid. Our results show that the A549-HNO cells exhibit greater viability than the A549-parent cells when exposed to each of the various conditions. Therefore, NO● is one potential driving force that can make tumor cells exhibit cross-tolerance.
A nested pneumatic muscle arrangement for amplified stroke and force behavior
Authors: Zhang Xiaotian , Krishnan Girish
Published: September 2017

This article presents a compact nested architecture to amplify the displacement and forces of pneumatic artificial muscles for potential use in human assistive devices and other robotic applications. The nested architecture consists of several levels in series, and each level is made up of contracting pneumatic muscles, passive force transfer members, and additively manufactured interconnects. The stroke obtained from the nested pneumatic artificial muscle architecture is not always beneficial and is limited by the length-dependent behavior of pneumatic artificial muscles and other practical manufacturing constraints such as the size of the interconnects. Thus, this article studies the effect of the pneumatic artificial muscle length on its stroke using a modified constrained volume maximization formulation, which predicts the actual shape of the deformed pneumatic artificial muscle, and models additional stiffness due to membrane bending. Using this formulation, a framework is presented to optimally design the number of nested levels and individual actuators in each level to obtain a required stroke. Such a system is designed to actuate the human elbow by an angle of 80°, where almost 40% contraction is obtained using custom-manufactured pneumatic artificial muscles inherently capable of contracting upto 17% of its length. The framework can be used to amplify the stroke and forces of any pneumatic artificial muscle actuator and adapt it to different application requirements.
“You’ve Gotta Be That Tough Crust Exterior Man”: Depression and Suicide in Rural-Based Men
Authors: Creighton Genevieve , Oliffe John , Ogrodniczuk John , Frank Blye
Published: September 2017

Suicide rates in Canada are highest among rural men. Drawing on photovoice interviews with 13 women and two men living in a small rural Canadian town who lost a man to suicide, we inductively derived three themes to describe how contextual factors influence rural men’s experiences of depression and responses to suicidal thoughts: (a) hiding depression and its cause, (b) manly self-medicating, and (c) mobilizing prevention. Further discussed is how gender relations and ideals of masculinity within rural milieu can inhibit men’s acknowledgment of and help seeking for mental illness issues. Participants strongly endorsed a multifaceted approach to the destabilization of dominant ideals of masculinity that likely contribute to depression and suicide in rural men.
Reimagining Undergraduate Health and Social Care Education: A Workforce Fit for Purpose in a Changing Landscape of Care. A Position Paper
Authors: King Martin , Chambers Alison , Miller Eula , Hook Angela , Jackson Laura , Gurbutt Russell , Woods-Gallagher Shirley
Published: September 2017

NHS England’s Five Year Forward View outlines new care models and the need for a workforce that has the skills, values, and competencies to deliver this vision. This is a position paper detailing the context, method, and intentions of a Health Education England funded project led by Manchester Metropolitan University in the North West of England, which the authors see as making a key contribution to addressing issues of illness, crisis, and loss in the changing landscape of health and social care provision in England. Using an action research methodology and drawing together key stakeholders from the sector, the project aims to explore the potential for creating a professional health and social care graduate workforce which meets the needs of an integrated service delivery landscape by identifying key issues to be addressed when redeveloping the undergraduate curriculum.