bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Studies on Adsorption of Fluorescein Dye from Aqueous Solutions Using Wild Herbs
Authors: Al-Senani Ghadah M. , Al-Kadhi Nada S.
Published: January 2020

The adsorption of fluorescein dye (FD) on wild herb microparticles (Juniperus (JH) and Solenostemma argel (Del) Hayne (SH)) was studied to elucidate the changes in adsorption behavior with various parameters, such as initial concentration, adsorbent dosage, pH, contact time, and temperature. It was determined that the adsorption percentage of JH for FD was as high as 85.5%, which was higher than that of SH (71.9%). The morphologies of JH and SH were analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses. The JH and SH adsorbents contained different functional groups, which were involved in the binding of the FD molecules during adsorption. The XRD patterns of JH and SH confirmed the presence of a combination of amorphous and crystalline phases in their structures. The SEM images of the surface of JH revealed the presence of deep pores ranging in size from 1.9 to 3.5 μm, while SH contained smaller pores ranging in size from 130 to 350 μm, which could help absorb large quantities of FD. The Freundlich model fitted the adsorption isotherms better than the Langmuir model. The values of the Freundlich equilibrium coefficient and separation factor ranged from 1 to 2 and from 0 to 1, respectively. The maximum adsorption capacities of JH and SH were determined to be 2.91 and 2.565 mg/g, respectively. Four kinetic models were used to analyze the experimental data, and it was determined that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model best described the adsorption process, which involved chemical adsorption and the internal diffusion. Thermodynamic parameters, including the enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs free energy, were calculated. These parameters indicated that the adsorption of FD on JH was spontaneous and endothermic and the adsorption of FD on SH was unspontaneous and exothermic.
Treatment Algorithm for Mild and Moderate-to-Severe Ulcerative Colitis: An Update
Authors: Burri Emanuel , Maillard Michel H. , Schoepfer Alain M. , Seibold Frank , Van Assche Gert , Rivière Pauline , Laharie David , Manz Michael ,   on behalf of the Swiss IBDnet, an official working group of the Swiss Society of Gastroenterology
Published: January 2020

Background: Patient care in ulcerative colitis (UC) remains challenging despite an array of established treatment options and emerging new therapies. The management of UC therapy should be guided by the endoscopic extent of inflammation, disease severity, and prognostic factors of poor outcome. Complete remission, defined as durable symptomatic and endoscopic remission without corticosteroid therapy, is the desired treatment goal. Summary: This review focuses on treatment recommendations for different clinical scenarios in moderate-to-severe UC: Active UC of any extent not responding to aminosalicylates, steroid-dependent UC, steroid-refractory UC, immunomodulator-refractory UC, and acute severe UC. Comprehensive treatment algorithms for daily clinical practice were developed based on published guidelines and current literature. Key Messages: While current treatment options including a number of biologicals and small molecules have evolved UC treatment to achieve sustained remission in a majority of patients, upcoming treatment options with different molecular pathways and different modes of actions will further increase the need for personalized medicine.
Trimethylamine-N-Oxide Promotes Vascular Calcification Through Activation of NLRP3 (Nucleotide-Binding Domain, Leucine-Rich-Containing Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing-3) Inflammasome and NF-κB (Nuclear Factor κB) Signals
Authors: Zhang Xiuli , Li Yining , Yang Pingzhen , Liu Xiaoyu , Lu Lihe , Chen Yanting , Zhong Xinglong , Li Zehua , Liu Hailin , Ou Caiwen , Yan Jianyun , Chen Minsheng
Published: January 2020

Objectives:

Vascular calcification is highly prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease. Increased plasma trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a gut microbiota-dependent product, concentrations are found in patients undergoing hemodialysis. However, a clear mechanistic link between TMAO and vascular calcification is not yet established. In this study, we investigate whether TMAO participates in the progression of vascular calcification using in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models.

Approach and Results:

Alizarin red staining revealed that TMAO promoted calcium/phosphate-induced calcification of rat and human vascular smooth muscle cells in a dose-dependent manner, and this was confirmed by calcium content assay. Similarly, TMAO upregulated the expression of bone-related molecules including Runx2 (Runt-related transcription factor 2) and BMP2 (bone morphogenetic protein-2), suggesting that TMAO promoted osteogenic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells. In addition, ex vivo study also showed the positive regulatory effect of TMAO on vascular calcification. Furthermore, we found that TMAO accelerated vascular calcification in rats with chronic kidney disease, as indicated by Mico-computed tomography analysis, alizarin red staining and calcium content assay. By contrast, reducing TMAO levels by antibiotics attenuated vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease rats. Interestingly, TMAO activated NLRP3 (nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich-containing family, pyrin domain-containing-3) inflammasome and NF-κB (nuclear factor κB) signals during vascular calcification. Inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome and NF-κB signals attenuated TMAO-induced vascular smooth muscle cell calcification.

Conclusions:

This study for the first time demonstrates that TMAO promotes vascular calcification through activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and NF-κB signals, suggesting the potential link between gut microbial metabolism and vascular calcification. Reducing the levels of TMAO could become a potential treatment strategy for vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease.
Homocysteine Level Predicts Response to Dual Antiplatelet in Women With Minor Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack
Authors: Li Jiejie , Wang Yilong , Li Hao , Zuo Zhiyi , Lin Jinxi , Wang Anxin , Zhao Xingquan , Liu Liping , Wang Yongjun ,   on behalf of the CHANCE Investigators
Published: January 2020

Objectives:

To investigate the relationship of homocysteine levels with the efficacy and safety of dual antiplatelet therapy in female and male patients.

Approach and Results:

The CHANCE trial (Clopidogrel in High-Risk Patients With Acute Nondisabling Cerebrovascular Events) randomized patients with acute minor ischemic stroke or high-risk transient ischemic attack to clopidogrel plus aspirin or aspirin alone from October 1, 2009, to July 30, 2012, in China. A subgroup of 3044 consecutive patients with baseline homocysteine levels from 73 (64%) prespecified clinical sites was analyzed. Participants were grouped by sex. Primary outcome was stroke recurrence within 90 days. Secondary outcomes consisted of composite vascular events and independent living or death. Safety outcome was any bleeding. Cox proportional-hazards models were used to assess the interaction of homocysteine levels with randomized antiplatelet therapy on efficacy and safety outcomes. A significant interaction between homocysteine levels and the randomized antiplatelet therapies was found on recurrent stroke after adjustment for confounding factors in women (
P
=0.010) but not in men (
P
=0.595). Compared with aspirin alone, clopidogrel plus aspirin significantly reduced the risk of recurrent stroke in women without elevated homocysteine levels (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.459 [95% CI, 0.271–0.776];
P
=0.004). Such benefit disappeared in female patients with increased homocysteine level. No significant interaction on functional outcome or bleeding rate was observed.

Conclusions:

Homocysteine could be a potential biomarker to discriminate the effects of dual and single antiplatelet therapy in female patients with minor ischemic stroke or high-risk transient ischemic attack.

Clinical Trial Registration:

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00979589.
Protein Biomarkers and Risk of Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Staerk Laila , Preis Sarah R. , Lin Honghuang , Lubitz Steven A. , Ellinor Patrick T. , Levy Daniel , Benjamin Emelia J. , Trinquart Ludovic
Published: January 2020

Background:

Identification of protein biomarkers associated with incident atrial fibrillation (AF) may improve the understanding of the pathophysiology, risk prediction, and development of new therapeutics for AF. We examined the associations between 85 protein biomarkers and incident AF.

Methods:

We included participants ≥50 years of age from the FHS (Framingham Heart Study) Offspring and Third Generation cohorts, who had 85 fasting plasma proteins measured using Luminex xMAP platform. Hazard ratios (per 1 SD increment of rank-normalized biomarker [hazard ratio]) and 95% CIs for incident AF were calculated using Cox regression models adjusted for age, sex, height, weight, current smoking, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, hypertension treatment, diabetes mellitus, valvular heart disease, prevalent myocardial infarction, and prevalent heart failure. We used the false discovery rate to account for multiple testing.

Results:

The study sample comprised 3378 participants (54% women) with mean (SD) age of 61.5 (8.4) years. In total, 401 developed AF over a mean follow-up of 12.3±3.8 years. We observed lower hazard of incident AF associated with higher mean levels of IGF1 (insulin-like growth factor 1; hazard ratio per 1 SD increment in protein level, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.76–0.93]), and higher hazard of incident AF associated with higher mean levels of both IGFBP1 (insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1; hazard ratio, 1.24 [95% CI, 1.1–1.39]) and NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide; hazard ratio, 1.73 [95% CI, 1.52–1.96]).

Conclusions:

Decreased levels of IGF1 and increased levels of IGFBP1 and NT-proBNP were associated with higher risk of incident AF.
Role of Mitochondrial Calcium and the Permeability Transition Pore in Regulating Cell Death
Authors: Bauer Tyler M. , Murphy Elizabeth
Published: January 2020

Adult cardiomyocytes are postmitotic cells that undergo very limited cell division. Thus, cardiomyocyte death as occurs during myocardial infarction has very detrimental consequences for the heart. Mitochondria have emerged as an important regulator of cardiovascular health and disease. Mitochondria are well established as bioenergetic hubs for generating ATP but have also been shown to regulate cell death pathways. Indeed many of the same signals used to regulate metabolism and ATP production, such as calcium and reactive oxygen species, are also key regulators of mitochondrial cell death pathways. It is widely hypothesized that an increase in calcium and reactive oxygen species activate a large conductance channel in the inner mitochondrial membrane known as the PTP (permeability transition pore) and that opening of this pore leads to necroptosis, a regulated form of necrotic cell death. Strategies to reduce PTP opening either by inhibition of PTP or inhibiting the rise in mitochondrial calcium or reactive oxygen species that activate PTP have been proposed. A major limitation of inhibiting the PTP is the lack of knowledge about the identity of the protein(s) that form the PTP and how they are activated by calcium and reactive oxygen species. This review will critically evaluate the candidates for the pore-forming unit of the PTP and discuss recent data suggesting that assumption that the PTP is formed by a single molecular identity may need to be reconsidered.
Time Trends in Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Across the BRICS
Authors: Zou Zhiyong , Cini Karly , Dong Bin , Ma Yinghua , Ma Jun , Burgner David P. , Patton George C.
Published: January 2020

Background:

Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) are emerging economies making up almost half the global population. We analyzed trends in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality across the BRICS and associations with age, period, and birth cohort.

Methods:

Mortality estimates were derived from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. We used age-period-cohort modeling to estimate cohort and period effects in CVD between 1992 and 2016. Period was defined as survey year, and period effects reflect population-wide exposure at a circumscribed point in time. Cohort effects are defined as differences in risks across birth cohort. Net drift (overall annual percentage change), local drift (annual percentage change in each age group), longitudinal age curves (expected longitudinal age-specific rate), and period (cohort) relative risks were calculated.

Results:

In 2016, there were 8.4 million CVD deaths across the BRICS. Between 1992 and 2016, the reduction in CVD age-standardized mortality rate in BRICS (−17%) was less than in North America (−39%). Eighty-eight percent of the increased number of all-cause deaths resulted from the increase in CVD deaths. The age-standardized mortality rate from stroke and hypertensive heart disease declined by approximately one-third across the BRICS, whereas ischemic heart disease increased slightly (2%). Brazil had the largest age-standardized mortality rate reductions across all CVD categories, with improvement both over time and in recent birth cohorts. South Africa was the only country where the CVD age-standardized mortality rate increased. Different age-related CVD mortality was seen in those ≥50 years of age in China, ≤40 years of age in Russia, 35 to 60 years of age in India, and ≥55 years of age in South Africa. Improving period and cohort risks for CVD mortality were generally found across countries, except for worsening period effects in India and greater risks for ischemic heart disease in Chinese cohorts born in the 1950s and 1960s.

Conclusions:

Except for Brazil, reductions of CVD mortality across the BRICS have been less than that in North America, such that China, India, and South Africa contribute an increasing proportion of global CVD deaths. Brazil’s example suggests that prevention policies can both reduce the risks for younger birth cohorts and shift the risks for all age groups over time.
Orphan G Protein–Coupled Receptor GPRC5B Controls Smooth Muscle Contractility and Differentiation by Inhibiting Prostacyclin Receptor Signaling
Authors: Carvalho Jorge , Chennupati Ramesh , Li Rui , Günther Stefan , Kaur Harmandeep , Zhao Wencai , Tonack Sarah , Kurz Michael , Mößlein Nadja , Bünemann Moritz , Offermanns Stefan , Wettschureck Nina
Published: January 2020

Background:

G protein–coupled receptors are important regulators of contractility and differentiation in vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs), but the specific function of SMC-expressed orphan G protein–coupled receptor class C group 5 member B (GPRC5B) is unclear.

Methods:

We studied the role of GPRC5B in the regulation of contractility and dedifferentiation in human and murine SMCs in vitro and in iSM-
Gprc5b
-KO (tamoxifen-inducible, SMC-specific knockout) mice under conditions of arterial hypertension and atherosclerosis in vivo.

Results:

Mesenteric arteries from SMC-specific
Gprc5b
-KOs showed ex vivo significantly enhanced prostacyclin receptor (IP)–dependent relaxation, whereas responses to other relaxant or contractile factors were normal. In vitro, knockdown of GPRC5B in human aortic SMCs resulted in increased IP-dependent cAMP production and consecutive facilitation of SMC relaxation. In line with this facilitation of IP-mediated relaxation, iSM-
Gprc5b
-KO mice were protected from arterial hypertension, and this protective effect was abrogated by IP antagonists. Mechanistically, we show that knockdown of GPRC5B increased the membrane localization of IP both in vitro and in vivo and that GPRC5B, but not other G protein–coupled receptors, physically interacts with IP. Last, we show that enhanced IP signaling in GPRC5B-deficient SMCs not only facilitates relaxation but also prevents dedifferentiation during atherosclerosis development, resulting in reduced plaque load and increased differentiation of SMCs in the fibrous cap.

Conclusions:

Taken together, our data show that GPRC5B regulates vascular SMC tone and differentiation by negatively regulating IP signaling.
Variation in Ultrasound Diagnostic Thresholds for Carotid Stenosis in the United States
Authors: Columbo Jesse A. , Zwolak Robert M. , Arous Edward J. , Goodney Philip P. , Lilly Michael P. , Welch H. Gilbert
Published: January 2020

Background:

Individuals with carotid stenosis enter surveillance or are considered for surgery on the basis of disease severity assessed by ultrasound. However, there is variation in the ultrasound diagnostic thresholds used to determine disease severity. Our objective was to describe this variation and its potential impact on patients.

Methods:

To describe the variation in carotid ultrasound diagnostic thresholds, we examined testing protocols from 338 accredited vascular testing centers in the United States. To determine the potential impact of this variation, we applied the range of thresholds to carotid ultrasound parameters from 2 groups: a population-based sample ≥65 years of age in the Cardiovascular Health Study (n=4791), and a cohort of patients who underwent surgery for asymptomatic carotid stenosis in the Vascular Quality Initiative registry (n=28 483).

Results:

Internal carotid artery peak systolic velocity was used by all centers to assess disease severity, with 60 distinct thresholds in use. The peak systolic velocity threshold for moderate (≥50%) stenosis ranged from 110 to 245 cm/s (median, 125; 5th and 95th percentile, 125 and 150), and the threshold for severe (≥70%) stenosis ranged from 175 to 340 cm/s (median, 230; 5th and 95th percentile, 230 and 275). In the population-based sample, the 5th percentile threshold would assign a diagnosis of moderate carotid stenosis to twice as many individuals as the 95th percentile threshold (7.9% versus 3.9%; relative risk, 2.01 [CI, 1.70–2.38]). In the surgical cohort, 1 in 10 (9.8%) patients had peak systolic velocity values that warranted the diagnosis of severe carotid stenosis at centers in the 5th percentile, but not in the 95th.

Conclusions:

The diagnostic threshold for carotid stenosis varies considerably. Whether or not a person is said to have moderate stenosis and enters surveillance, and whether or not they have severe stenosis and are candidates for surgery, can depend on which center performs their ultrasound.
A new species of Megophrys (Amphibia: Anura: Megophryidae) from Vietnam
Authors: NGUYEN TRUONG QUANG , PHAM CUONG THE , NGUYEN TAO THIEN , LUONG ANH MAI , ZIEGLER THOMAS
Published: January 2020

A new species of Megophrys is described from Cao Bang Province, northeastern Vietnam based on morphological and molecular data. Morphologically, the new species is distinguishable from its congeners by a combination of the following characters: Size small (SVL 34.9–38.9 mm in males); tympanum visible; vomerine teeth absent; tongue not notched posteriorly; male with a single vocal sac; toes with rudimentary webbing; subarticular tubercles and lateral fringes absent on all digits; nuptial pads present on fingers I and II in males, with spicules; dorsal skin with scattered granules and tubercles; flank with tubercles; dorsum with a X-shaped dorsal ridge; dorsolateral folds prominent; a small horn-like tubercle present at the outer edge of the eyelid; dorsal surface yellowish brown with a dark brown triangle between the eyes, and a dark brown marking along the X-shaped ridge on the back. In the phylogenetic analyses, the new species is unambiguously nested within the subgenus Panophrys with interspecific uncorrected genetic p-distances (16S rRNA gene) varying from 4.26% (compared with M. rubrimera) to 10.80% (compared with M. acuta).
First report of the lace bug Neoplerochila paliatseasi (Rodrigues, 1981) (Hemiptera: Tingidae) infesting cultivated olive trees in South Africa, and its complete mitochondrial sequence
Authors: LANGLEY JETHRO , CORNWALL MORGAN , POWELL CHANTÉ , COSTA CARLO , ALLSOPP ELLEUNORAH , NOORT SIMON VAN , GUILBERT ERIC , ASCH BARBARA VAN
Published: January 2020

Olive lace bugs are small phytophagous Hemipteran insects known to cause agricultural losses in olive production in South Africa. Plerochila australis (Distant, 1904) has been reported as the species responsible for damage to olive trees; however, the diversity of olive lace bug species in the region has lacked attention. Adult olive lace bugs were collected incidentally from wild and cultivated olive trees in the Western Cape Province, and identified as P. australis and Neoplerochila paliatseasi (Rodrigues, 1981). The complete mitochondrial genome of a representative specimen of N. paliatseasi was sequenced, and used for comparative mitogenomics and phylogenetic reconstruction within the family. Furthermore, the value of DNA barcodes for species identification in Tingidae was assessed using genetic clustering and estimates of genetic divergence. The patterns of genetic clustering and genetic divergence of COI sequences supported the morphological identification of N. paliatseasi, and the utility of DNA barcoding methods in Tingidae. The complete mitogenome sequence had the typical Metazoan gene content and order, including 13 PCGs, 22 tRNAs, two rRNAs, and an AT-rich non-coding region. A+T content was high, as commonly found in Tingidae. The phylogenetic reconstruction recovered Agramma hupehanum (Drake & Maa 1954) as basal to Tingini, and as a sister species to N. paliatseasi. Stephanitis Stål 1873 and Corythucha Stål 1873 were monophyletic, but Metasalis populi (Takeya 1932) was not recovered as sister to Tingis cardui (Linnaeus 1746), as expected. The mitochondrial phylogeny of the family Tingidae has been recovered inconsistently across different studies, possibly due to sequence heterogeneity and high mutation rates. Species diversity of olive lace bugs in South Africa was previously underestimated. The presence of P. australis was confirmed in both wild and cultivated olives, and N. paliatseasi is reported in cultivated olives for the first time. These results warrant further investigation on the diversity and distribution of olive lace bugs in the Western Cape to inform pest control strategies.
Validation of the CERES Edition-4A Surface-Only Flux Algorithms
Authors: Kratz David P. , Gupta Shashi K. , Wilber Anne C. , Sothcott Victor E.
Published: January 2020

Surface radiative fluxes have been derived with the objective of supplementing top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiative fluxes being measured under NASA’s Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) project. This has been accomplished by using combinations of CERES TOA measurements, parameterized radiative transfer algorithms, and high-quality meteorological datasets available from reanalysis projects. Current CERES footprint-level products include surface fluxes derived from two shortwave (SW) and three longwave (LW) algorithms designated as SW models A and B and LW models A, B, and C. The SW and LW models A work for clear conditions only; the other models work for both clear and cloudy conditions. The current CERES Edition-4A computed surface fluxes from all models are validated against ground-based flux measurements from high-quality surface networks like the Baseline Surface Radiation Network and NOAA’s Surface Radiation Budget Network (SURFRAD). Validation results as systematic and random errors are provided for all models, separately for five different surface types and combined for all surface types as tables and scatterplots. Validation of surface fluxes is now a part of CERES processing and is used to continually improve the above algorithms. Since both models B work for clear and cloudy conditions alike and meet the accuracy requirement, their results are considered to be the most reliable and most likely to be retained for future work. Both models A have limited use given that they work for clear skies only. Models B will continue to undergo further improvement as more validation results become available.
Higher Sea Levels at Hawaii Caused by Strong El Niño and Weak Trade Winds
Authors: Long Xiaoyu , Widlansky Matthew J. , Schloesser Fabian , Thompson Philip R. , Annamalai H. , Merrifield Mark A. , Yoon Hyang
Published: January 2020

Hawaii experienced record-high sea levels during 2017, which followed the 2015 strong El Niño and coincided with weak trade winds in the tropical northeastern Pacific. The record sea levels were associated with a combination of processes, an important contributing factor of which was the persistent high sea level (~10 cm above normal) over a large region stretching between Hawaii and Mexico. High sea levels at Mexico are known to occur during strong El Niño as the coastal thermocline deepens. Planetary wave theory predicts that these coastal anomalies propagate westward into the basin interior; however, high sea levels at Hawaii do not occur consistently following strong El Niño events. In particular, Hawaii sea levels remained near normal following the previous strong El Niño of 1997. The processes controlling whether Hawaii sea levels rise after El Niño have so far remained unknown. Atmosphere-forced ocean model experiments show that anomalous surface cooling, controlled by variable trade winds, impacts sea level via mixed layer density, explaining much of the difference in Hawaiian sea level response after the two recent strong El Niño events. In climate model projections with greenhouse warming, more frequent weak trade winds following El Niño events are expected, suggesting that the occurrence of high sea levels at Hawaii will increase as oceanic anomalies more often traverse the basin.
Writing and Revision Strategies of Students With and Without Dyslexia
Authors: Sumner Emma , Connelly Vincent
Published: January 2020

Previous work suggests that written text produced by university students with dyslexia is scored lower than that produced by their peers. The present study used a digital writing tablet to examine the writing process and the quality of text written by university students with dyslexia. Revision behavior during and after writing was also investigated. Thirty-two university students with dyslexia (mean age, 20 years), were compared with 32 typically developing (TD) students matched by age. Students composed a written text in response to an expository essay prompt. In line with previous research, students with dyslexia made a higher number of spelling errors and their essays were rated as poorer than TD students. However, students with dyslexia were comparable to their peers on measures of time spent writing, amount of text produced, and the temporal analyses (handwriting execution, pause times). Students with dyslexia made significantly more revisions to spelling during and after transcription than their peers, although other revision behavior was similar across groups. Explanations for the finding of poor writing quality are explored. Importantly, the findings suggest that continued support with spelling and writing is needed for university students with dyslexia. Instruction directed toward effective revision strategies may also prove useful. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
The Associations Between Multiple Dimensions of Acculturation and Psychological Distress Among Latinx Youth From Immigrant Families
Authors: Hale Katie E. , Kuperminc Gabriel
Published: January 2020

Acculturation includes cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions, but few studies have included all three, and little is known about the ways in which these dimensions interact with contextual factors to predict psychological distress among Latinx adolescents. The current study explored the strength of the associations between the three dimensions of acculturation and psychological distress among Latinx adolescents from immigrant families ( N = 129). The study also investigated whether acculturative stress and time in the United States moderated these associations. Results indicated that higher levels of acculturative stress and lower levels of familism (an indicator of the cognitive dimension of acculturation) predicted higher psychological distress. Age of arrival moderated the association between language preference (behavioral dimension) and psychological distress for English-dominant participants such that later arrival (during adolescence) was associated with less distress compared with arrival in early childhood.
Drug Testing and Community Supervision Outcomes
Authors: Hicks William D. , Holcomb Jefferson E. , Alexander Melissa A. , Clodfelter Tammatha A.
Published: January 2020

The requirement to submit to drug testing is either a standard or special condition of adult community correctional supervision in most jurisdictions. Positive drug test results are one of the most common violations of probation that result in official action by a supervising officer. This study examines the relationship between individual characteristics, drug test results, and federal supervision outcomes. Results indicate that individual risk score and offense category are associated with positive drug tests. Furthermore, testing positive for hard drugs is associated with revocation for new crimes and non-drug technical violations, but testing positive for cannabis only is not associated with supervision revocation for either reason.
Of Human Potential: A 40-Year Saga
Authors: Gardner Howard
Published: January 2020

Howard Gardner’s longtime interest in the range of human capacities and talents was facilitated by his leadership role in the Bernard Van Leer Foundation “Project on Human Potential” carried out at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1979–1985. In this reflective essay, Gardner describes his early studies of human potential and indicates how, in view of scientific and cultural trends, this line of research should be pursued in the period ahead.
Linking Self-efficacy to Quality of Working Life: The Role of Work Engagement
Authors: Orgambídez Alejandro , Borrego Yolanda , Vázquez-Aguado Octavio
Published: January 2020

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of work engagement, as an intermediary variable, on the relationship between self-efficacy, and job satisfaction and affective organizational commitment as individual indicators of quality of working life (QWL). A cross-sectional correlational design was utilized assessing a convenience sample of 321 nursing staff. All participants were employed in public hospitals and had more than five months of professional experience in the same hospital. Mediation analysis was performed using path analysis and bootstrapping confidence intervals (percentile-corrected). Work engagement partially mediated the relation between self-efficacy and job satisfaction, and fully mediated the relation between self-efficacy and affective organizational commitment. Self-efficacy seems to be an important predictor of QWL in nursing staff, although its effect is partially mediated (e.g., job satisfaction) or fully mediated (e.g., affective commitment) by work engagement.
Finnur Jónsson’s Image of Iceland: Writing History in Changing Conditions
Authors: Middel Kim P.
Published: January 2020

This article charts the role of Finnur Jónsson’s Historia Ecclesiastica Islandiæ in the development and display of proto-nationalist ideas in eighteenth-century Iceland through the formation of a national identity based on an idealized past. The research presents an analysis of how contemporary ideas about science, freedom and the North came to be projected onto Iceland, a country that found itself in a state of dependency within the Danish realm, in order to constitute its identity within and across the boundaries of that realm. The study outlines the changing environment in which this could happen, the methods used to guarantee its acceptance, and the overwhelming acclaim the work received internationally, anchoring a positive image of Iceland for the next century.
Orchestrating an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in an emerging country: The lead actor’s role from a social capital perspective
Authors: Porras-Paez Andrea , Schmutzler Jana
Published: January 2020

During the recent years, the question of whether an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem emerges organically or is man-made has been disputed. This paper explores the case of an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in a developing country. We argue that in the context of lagging industrial development and weak institutions, a lead actor needs to step in to aid the emergence of an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem. We argue that only a locally embedded actor who has the resource endowment and the legitimacy to do so can assume such a role. By applying social capital theory, we show that deliberate strategies by this lead actor to densify the social network within the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem will assist in establishing trust and future collaboration, which will result in productive entrepreneurship.
Using technology to improve access to healthcare: The case of the MomConnect programme in South Africa
Authors: Grobbelaar Sara S , Uriona-Maldonado Mauricio
Published: January 2020

A major area of inequality may be seen in the healthcare sector where systematic exclusion from access to services exists due to poverty, lack of employment, and poor infrastructure, transport systems and other social factors. In this article, we draw on two complementary frameworks: (i) Technological Innovation Systems (TIS) and (ii) Platform-based Innovation Ecosystems (PIE) to explore the need for the orchestration between macro-level policies and micro-level connections among platform actors as crucial for large-scale e-health/m-health programmes to succeed. We explore this empirically by using the MomConnect programme as a successful case of orchestration between the macro- and micro-level. Here the utilisation of systemic policy instruments are uncovered through which the design of large scale mHealth programmes may be supported with the aim of developing more inclusive innovation systems.
Analysis of Colored Variable Message Signs for Visibility and Comprehensibility
Authors: Kersavage Kristin , Guler S. Ilgin , Pietrucha Martin
Published: January 2020

Variable message signs (VMS) present traffic information to motorists in either real-time or asynchronous static conditions, for example, such as safety information. This information can consist of early warning, advisory, and alternative route messages, and travel time information. Many U.S. states currently use VMS. New technology allows for messages to be configured using colored fonts and backgrounds, but whether these new features affect the visibility and comprehensibility of VMS is not known. Expert interviews and laboratory tests were conducted to examine the effectiveness of the use of different wording, text, and background colors, and types of information on a VMS. The expert interviews provided information on best practices related to VMS design and use, and provided feedback on the preliminary test panel candidates, which were modified and used in the final group of test stimuli. The first laboratory experiments compared signs based on the reaction times and viewing distances of participants reading and interpreting sign information. The shortest reaction times occurred when: (a) messages displayed time only, (b) route numbers were displayed as text, not as part of route shields, and (c) color was not used, but if color were used it would be on a black background and to show congested travel times. The second laboratory experiments compared signs based on the correctness of the participants’ responses about travel times or distances. The results determined there were no differences in identifying the travel times or distances; however, using MI instead of MILES can increase the percentage of correct responses relative to the identification of distances to road junctions or hazards.
Challenging the wisdom on preferential proportional representation
Authors: Mershon Carol
Published: January 2020

The conclusion to the special issue takes stock of both the first and the second generations of research on preferential proportional representation (PR) and electoral personalism. The article uses this appraisal in order to locate this project’s achievements within extant scholarship. It argues that the project not only reevaluates but also challenges the wisdom on preferential PR. In challenging the canon, the project enriches the study of electoral institutions, political parties, legislative politics, comparative politics, and political science more broadly.
The personal vote and party cohesion: Modeling the effects of electoral rules on intraparty politics
Authors: Carroll Royce , Nalepa Monika
Published: January 2020

Conventional wisdom suggests that parties in candidate-centered electoral systems should be associated with less cohesive policy preferences among legislators. We model the incentives of party leaders to achieve voting unity accounting for the costs of discipline, showing that candidate-centered systems have the counterintuitive effect of promoting party agreement on policies and preference cohesion. These implications for cohesion derive from the degree of control over list rank held by leaders under open lists (open-list proportional representation, OLPR) and closed lists (closed-list proportional representation, CLPR). Because discipline is costlier in OLPR, owing to leaders’ lack of control over list rank, leaders seeking voting unity propose policies that promote agreement between members and leadership. Under CLPR, however, leaders can more easily achieve voting unity by relying on discipline and therefore lack incentives to promote internal agreement. We then extend the model to allow the party leader to replace members, showing that preference cohesion itself is greater under OLPR. Further, our baseline results hold when allowing legislative behavior to affect vote share and when accounting for candidates’ valence qualities. We interpret our results to suggest that candidate-centered systems result in stronger incentives for developing programmatic parties, compared with party-centered systems.
P3s and Social Infrastructure: Three Decades of Prison Reform in Victoria, Australia
Authors: O’Neill Deirdre , Sands Valarie , Hodge Graeme
Published: January 2020

Once regarded as core public sector business, Australia’s prisons were reformed during the 1990s and Australia now has the highest proportion of prisoners in privately managed prisons in the world. How could this have happened? This article presents a case study of the State of Victoria and explains how public–private partnerships (P3s) were used to create a mixed public–private prison system. Despite the difficulty of determining clear and rigorous evaluation results, we argue that lessons from the Victorian experience are possible. First, neither the extreme fears of policy critics nor the grandiose policy and technical promises of reformers were fully met. Second, short-term success was achieved in political and policy terms by the delivery of badly needed new prisons. Third, the exact degree to which the state has achieved cheaper, better, and more accountable prison services remains contested. As a consequence, there is a need to continue experimentation but with greater transparency.
Event-based encoding of biological motion and location in visual working memory
Authors: Gu Quan , Wan Xueyi , Ma Hong , Lu Xiqian , Guo Yang , Shen Mowei , Gao Zaifeng
Published: January 2020

We make use of discrete yet meaningful events to orient ourselves to the dynamic environment. Among these events, biological motion, referring to the movements of animate entities, is one of the most biologically salient. We usually encounter biological motions of multiple human beings taking place simultaneously at distinct locations. How we encode biological motions into visual working memory (VWM) to form a coherent experience of the external world and guide our social behaviour remains unclear. This study for the first time addressed the VWM encoding mechanism of biological motions and their corresponding locations. We tested an event-based encoding hypothesis for biological motion and location: When one element of an event is required to be memorised, the irrelevant element of an event will also be extracted into VWM. We presented participants with three biological motions at different locations and required them to memorise only the biological motions or their locations while ignoring the other dimension. We examined the event-based encoding by probing a distracting effect: If the event-based encoding took place, the change of irrelevant dimension in the probe would lead to a significant distraction and impair the performance of detecting target dimension. We found significant distracting effects, which lasted for 3 s but vanished at 6 s, regardless of the target dimension (biological motions vs. locations, Experiment 1) and the exposure time of memory array (1 s vs. 3 s, Experiment 2). These results together support an event-based encoding mechanism during VWM encoding of biological motions and their corresponding locations.
Sensemaking Reconsidered: Towards a broader understanding through phenomenology
Authors: Sandberg Jörgen , Tsoukas Haridimos
Published: January 2020

We develop a typology of sensemaking in organizations that reconsiders existing sensemaking research by providing a more coherent and integrative conceptualization of what defines sensemaking and how it is connected with organizing. Drawing on existential phenomenology, we make the following core claims: (1) sensemaking is not a singular phenomenon but comprises four major types: immanent, involved-deliberate, detached-deliberate, and representational sensemaking; (2) all types of sensemaking originate and take place within specific practice worlds; (3) the core constituents of sensemaking within a practice world (sense–action nexus, temporality, embodiment, and language) are played out differently in each type of sensemaking. Furthermore, we elaborate the links between sensemaking and organizing, focusing especially on the connections between types and levels of sensemaking, and the consequences of sensemaking outcomes for organizing. Finally, we discuss how the typology contributes to the existing sensemaking perspective, outline methodological implications, and suggest ways of advancing sensemaking research.
Immune dysregulation in patients with RAG deficiency and other forms of combined immune deficiency
Authors: Delmonte Ottavia M. , Villa Anna , Notarangelo Luigi D.
Published: January 2020

Traditionally, primary immune deficiencies have been defined based on increased susceptibility to recurrent and/or severe infections. However, immune dysregulation, manifesting with autoimmunity or hyperinflammatory disease, has emerged as a common feature. This is especially true in patients affected by combined immune deficiency (CID), a group of disorders caused by genetic defects that impair, but do not completely abolish, T-cell function. Hypomorphic mutations in the recombination activating genes RAG1 and RAG2 represent the prototype of the broad spectrum of clinical and immunological phenotypes associated with CID. The study of patients with RAG deficiency and with other forms of CID has revealed distinct abnormalities in central and peripheral T- and B-cell tolerance as the key mechanisms involved in immune dysregulation. Understanding the pathophysiology of autoimmunity and hyperinflammation in these disorders may also permit more targeted therapeutic interventions.
Current genetic landscape in common variable immune deficiency
Authors: Abolhassani Hassan , Hammarström Lennart , Cunningham-Rundles Charlotte
Published: January 2020

Using whole-exome sequencing to examine the genetic causes of immune deficiency in 235 common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) patients seen in the United States (Mount Sinai, New York), 128 patients from Sweden, and 208 from Iran revealed 68 known disease-causing genes underlying this heterogeneous immune defect. The patients at the time of study ranged from 4 to 90 years of age. Overall, 31%, 36%, and 54% of the patients in the US, Swedish, or Iranian cohorts had mutations. The multiplicity of genes identified in the 571 subjects reflects the complex requirements of B-cell antigen signaling, activation, survival, migration, maturation, and maintenance of antibody-secreting memory B-cell populations to the plasma cell stage. For the US and Swedish cohorts, CVID subjects with noninfectious complications, lymphoid infiltrations, inflamatory conditions, or autoimmunity were somewhat more likely to have an identifiable gene, but in both cohorts, numerous subjects with these medical conditions had no potential gene that could be assigned. Specific clinical patterns of illnesses were also not linked to any given gene defect as there was considerable overlap in clinical presentations. These observations led to a new perspective on the complexity of the immunologic phenotype found in CVID syndrome.
Screening and treatment of tuberculosis among pregnant women in Stockholm, Sweden, 2016–2017
Authors: Fröberg Gabrielle , Jansson Lena , Nyberg Katherine , Obasi Birgitta , Westling Katarina , Berggren Ingela , Bruchfeld Judith
Published: January 2020

Swedish National tuberculosis (TB) guidelines recommend screening of active and latent TB (LTBI) among pregnant women (PW) from high-endemic countries or with previous exposure to possibly improve early detection and treatment.

We evaluated cascade of care of a newly introduced TB screening programme of pregnant women in Stockholm county in 2016–2017. The algorithm included clinical data and Quantiferon (QFT) at the Maternal Health Care clinics and referral for specialist care upon positive test or TB symptoms.

About 29 000 HIV-negative pregnant women were registered yearly, of whom 11% originated from high-endemic countries. In 2016, 72% of these were screened with QFT, of which 22% were QFT positive and 85% were referred for specialist care. In 2017, corresponding figures were 64%, 19% and 96%, respectively. The LTBI treatment rate among all QFT-positive pregnant women increased from 24% to 37% over time. Treatment completion with mainly rifampicin post-partum was 94%. Of the 69 registered HIV-positive pregnant women, 78% originated from high-endemic countries. Of these, 72% where screened with QFT and 15% were positive, but none was treated for LTBI. 9 HIV-negative active pulmonary TB cases were detected (incidence: 215/100 000). None had been screened for TB prior to pregnancy and only one had sought care due to symptoms.

Systematic TB screening of pregnant women in Stockholm was feasible with a high yield of unknown LTBI and mostly asymptomatic active TB. Optimised routines improved referrals to specialist care. Treatment completion of LTBI was very high. Our findings justify TB screening of this risk group for early detection and treatment.