bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Serving seafarers in the Boston Harbor: Local adaptation to global economic change, 1820–2015
Authors: Cadge Wendy , Skaggs Michael
Published: May 2018

Religious people and organizations have provided services to seafarers in the port of Boston for nearly 200 years. While Boston’s history and present circumstances are specific, the port’s services to seafarers are broadly representative of the history of such provision in ports across the United States. We show how local and global economic changes shaped who worked in the port of Boston. Protestant individuals and organizations provided services to these workers, although the motivation behind the services and their content changed. The overt evangelism of the first generations diminished as mission societies transitioned into religiously-motivated social service organizations. Comprehensive social services and lodging were replaced by services provided on board vessels during increasingly quick turnarounds. While today’s port chaplains describe their work in much different terms than those of generations past, they continue a tradition of Protestant-supported care that has been evident in the port for the past two centuries.
Plague and trade in Lagos, 1924–1931
Authors: Faleye Olukayode A.
Published: May 2018

The literature on the Third Plague Pandemic in West Africa focuses on urbanisation and disease processes in colonial Senegal, Ghana, and Nigeria. Consequently, there is a dearth of historical study of the relational complexities between public health interventions and maritime trade during the outbreak in the region. It is with this in mind that this article examines the historical effects of plague control on internal commerce and international maritime trade in Lagos from 1924 to 1931. The study is based on the historical analysis of colonial administrative, sanitary and medical records as well as newspaper reports. It concludes that the nature of colonial public health intervention was determined by economic policy preferences that impacted distinctively on internal commerce and international maritime trade in Lagos.
Central Nervous System Germ Cell Tumors: A Review of the Literature
Authors: Kong Ziren , Wang Yaning , Dai Congxin , Yao Yong , Ma Wenbin , Wang Yu
Published: May 2018

Central nervous system germ cell tumors are rare intracranial tumors that mainly occur in pediatrics with substantial variation in the incidence among different regions and genders. Histologically, central nervous system germ cell tumors can be divided into germinomas and nongerminomatous germ cell tumors. The molecular pathology of central nervous system germ cell tumors, particularly germinomas, is mainly based on the presence of isochromosome 12p, gain-of-function of the KIT gene, and a globally low DNA methylation profile. Diagnoses and differential diagnoses are conducted through imaging, tumor marker detection, surgical biopsy, and cerebrospinal fluid cytology. Germinomas are often treated via whole-ventricular radiotherapy or neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with reduced-dose whole-ventricular radiotherapy, whereas nongerminomatous germ cell tumors are mainly treated with chemotherapy, surgical resection, and radiotherapy (individually or in combination), depending on tumor composition. Because the main population of patients is pediatric, extending overall survival and reducing treatment side effects should be the main goals of future studies.
Predictors of Unbearability, Unlovability, and Unsolvability in Veterans With Military-Sexual-Trauma-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Authors: Wiblin Jessica , Holder Nicholas , Holliday Ryan , Surís Alina
Published: May 2018

Military sexual trauma (MST) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) both increase risk for suicidal self-directed violence (SDV). Suicide cognitions (i.e., unbearability, unlovability, and unsolvability) are strong predictors of future suicidal SDV. The present study investigated potential predictors of unbearability, unlovability, and unsolvability in veterans with MST-related PTSD. Suicide cognitions, depression, PTSD, quality of life, trauma-related negative cognitions, physical health functioning, mental health functioning, and childhood sexual assault were assessed in 12 male and 103 female veterans with MST-related PTSD. Higher depression scores, greater trauma-related negative cognitions about self, and poorer physical health functioning predicted increased unbearability scores. Greater trauma-related negative cognitions about self and self-blame, higher level of education, and higher depression scores predicted increased unlovability scores. Higher depression scores and greater trauma-related negative cognitions about self predicted increased unsolvability scores. In veterans with MST-related PTSD who express unbearability, unlovability, and unsolvability, assessing and addressing depression, trauma-related negative cognitions about self and self-blame, and physical health functioning may be an important step in reducing SDV.
“You Know if You Quit, That’s Failure, Right?”: Barriers to Professional Lactation Certification
Authors: Thomas Erin V.
Published: May 2018

Background:

Researchers have confirmed that breastfeeding disparities persist and that International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) play a key role in reducing them. However, there continues to be a limited availability of IBCLCs throughout the United States, with racial minorities facing persistent barriers during the certification process.

Research aim:

Using a critical race theory framework, the aim was to describe the barriers and supports that IBCLCs experience during the course of their certification.

Methods:

This study used a prospective, cross-sectional, qualitative design with semistructured interviews with IBCLCs ( N = 36) from across the United States. Interviews were audio-recorded and professionally transcribed. Results were analyzed using an in-depth thematic analysis from the perspective of critical race theory.

Results:

Women made up the majority ( n = 35; 97.22%) of the sample. People of color made up slightly less than half of the sample ( n = 16; 44.44%). Barriers were initially coded by the stages of the certification process. Existing healthcare providers experienced advantages in the certification process because of their connection to social networks and resources in their hospital or place of employment. Cost and racial discrimination were identified, using a structural racism lens, as primary barriers for certification. Race-related barriers were particularly pervasive and were detailed by each stage of the certification process.

Conclusion:

Lactation organizations and care providers need to consider ways to mitigate these perceived differences in support and infrastructure. These changes could help to ensure equity in the profession and may reduce racial discrimination in lactation care.
Cardiovascular Health Is Associated With Disability Among Older Community Dwelling Men and Women
Authors: Jin Yichen , Tanaka Toshiko , Ma Yan , Bandinelli Stefania , Ferrucci Luigi , Talegawkar Sameera A.
Published: May 2018

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether an index of overall cardiovascular health (CVH) is associated with disability in older individuals. Method: Data on 925 participants of the InCHIANTI study (Invecchiare in Chianti, aging in the Chianti area, ≥65 years, 55% women) with median follow-up of 9 years were used. CVH score was assessed by smoking status, physical activity, body mass index, diet quality, blood pressure, plasma cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose. Disability was examined using instrumental activities of daily living (IADL disabilities >0 vs. 0) and activities of daily living (ADL disabilities >0 vs. 0). Generalized estimating equations and Cox models assessed relationships between baseline CVH with disability and worsening over 9 years. Results: A 1-point increase in the CVH score was associated with 23% and 17% of lower odds of ADL ( p < .001) and IADL ( p < .001) disability and was protective of worsening of disability over 9 years. Cox models demonstrated that a 1-point increase in CVH score was associated with lower hazards of both ADL (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.86, p = .005) and IADL (HR = 0.91, p = .007) disability. Discussion: Among older individuals, better CVH was associated with lower risk of disability and worsening over 9 years.
Optimization of acid pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis on the production of ethanol fuel from waste banana peels
Authors: Guo Jiaxin , Li Zhenchi , Su Lingcheng , Tsang Yiu-Fai , An AK , Yu Chun-Fai
Published: May 2018

This study investigated the application of waste banana peels as feedstock for the production of ethanol fuel as a second-generation biofuel. First, acid pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis converted both the cellulosic and hemicellulosic biomass of the peels into fermentable sugars, which eventually produced ethanol by yeast fermentation. The optimal conditions for the production of ethanol fuel were determined by orthogonal experimental design method. The results showed that 100 g of fresh banana would produce 31.4 g of banana peel which could be turned into 2.8 g dried peel powder. Under optimal conditions of acid pretreatment with 0.2% tartaric acid, enzymatic hydrolysis by cellulase and yeast fermentation, 115 mg of ethanol (95% purity) could be recovered by distillation from the fermentation broth, which was approximately 4% by weight of the dried peel powder. This study concluded that banana fruit, after the removal of peels for consumption or food processing, the discarded peels will no longer pose an organic waste problem to the environment if they could be recollected and converted into value-added products like ethanol fuel. We also demonstrated that tartaric acid, an organic acid used in the acid pretreatment, for the first time to our knowledge, outperformed the traditional sulfuric acid used commonly in other studies.
Decreased T cell expression of H/ACA box small nucleolar RNA 12 promotes lupus pathogenesis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Lai N-S , Yu H-C , Huang K-Y , Tung C-H , Huang H-B , Lu M-C
Published: May 2018

Objective

To investigate whether the aberrant expression of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in T cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) could contribute to the pathogenesis of lupus.

Methods

Expression profiles of RNA transcripts in T cells from three patients with SLE and three controls were analyzed by microarray analysis. Potentially aberrant-expressed ncRNAs were validated using T cell samples from 23 patients with SLE and 17 controls. Transfection studies and microarray analyses were conducted to search for any gene expression that is regulated by specific ncRNAs.

Results

Initial analysis revealed differential expression of 18 ncRNAs in SLE T cells. After validation, decreased expression of H/ACA box small nucleolar RNA 12 (SNORA12) was confirmed in SLE T cells (0.69-fold, P = 0.007) compared with normal T cells, and its expression level was inversely associated with higher SLE disease activity scores. Jurkat cells transfected with a plasmid encoding SNORA12 showed increased expression of two genes and decreased expression of 15 genes in Jurkat cells. These changes of gene expression were significantly associated with the SLE pathway in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes map using microarray analysis. Overexpression of SNORA12 altered the expression of CD69, decreased the expression of histone cluster 1 H4 family member k (HIST1H4K), inhibited the secretion of interferon gamma and the expression of HIST1H4K was increased in SLE T cells.

Conclusion

Among the ncRNAs, we found that the expression level of SNORA12, which belongs to the family of small nucleolar RNAs, was lower in SLE T cells and affected T cell function. This novel finding suggests that aberrant-expressed snoRNAs lead to dysfunction of T cells and may be involved in the immunopathogenesis of SLE.
Cerebrospinal fluid orexin-A levels in systemic lupus erythematosus patients presenting with excessive daytime sleepiness
Authors: Suzuki K , Miyamoto M , Miyamoto T , Matsubara T , Inoue Y , Iijima M , Mizuno S , Horie J , Hirata K , Shimizu T , Kanbayashi T
Published: May 2018

Objective

Involvement of the hypothalamus is rare in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In this study, we measured cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) orexin-A levels in SLE patients with hypothalamic lesions to investigate whether the orexin system plays a role in SLE patients with hypothalamic lesions who present with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS).

Methods

Orexin-A levels were measured in CSF from four patients with SLE who presented with hypothalamic lesions detected by MRI. Three patients underwent repeated CSF testing. All patients met the updated American College of Rheumatology revised criteria for SLE.

Results

Tests for serum anti-aquaporin-4 antibodies, CSF myelin basic protein and CSF oligoclonal bands were negative in all patients. All patients presented with EDS. Low to intermediate CSF orexin-A levels (92–180 pg/ml) were observed in three patients in the acute stage, two of whom (patients 1 and 2) underwent repeated testing and showed increased CSF orexin-A levels, reduced abnormal hypothalamic lesion intensities detected by MRI and EDS dissipation at follow-up. In contrast, CSF orexin-A levels were normal in one patient (patient 4) while in the acute stage and at follow-up, despite improvements in EDS and MRI findings. Patient 4 showed markedly increased CSF interleukin-6 levels (1130 pg/ml) and a slightly involved hypothalamus than the other patients.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the orexinergic system has a role in EDS in SLE patients with hypothalamic lesions. Furthermore, cytokine-mediated tissue damage might cause EDS without orexinergic involvement.
Bank Runs in China: Evidence from a Dynamic Panel Model
Authors: Liu Xuefang , Alexander W. Robert J. , Anwar Sajid
Published: May 2018

The rise of China as a global economic power has caused concern that a crisis in Chinese banking could lead to a worldwide downturn similar to the Global Financial Crisis. Early warning indicators, such as the credit-to-GDP gap and the debt service ratio, are worrying. It is, therefore, worthwhile to study the key factors affecting bank deposits in China. We estimate a dynamic panel model applied to a panel of 63 Chinese banks and find that bank-specific fundamentals, as opposed to macroeconomic factors, are the main drivers of changes in bank deposits.

JEL: E44, G21, G28
The In-Betweeners: Racio-ethnic and Masculine Identity Work of Indian Male Managers in the South African Private Sector
Authors: Carrim Nasima M. H.
Published: May 2018

This article examines the extent to which minority Indian male managers engage in identity work in their efforts to gain career ascendancy in the private sector in South Africa. Indian male managers occupying diverse management posts at middle management and senior management levels in various sectors were interviewed. Results indicate that Indian men worked and reworked their managerial and cultural identities to form coherent identities which they were comfortable enacting in corporate South Africa. Race hierarchy in some workplaces placed Indian males at a disadvantage related to promotional opportunities. There is no simple solution to the problem as race hierarchy still dominates corporate South Africa, and Western norms still prevail.
International Normalized Ratio Relevance to the Observed Coagulation Abnormalities in Warfarin Treatment and Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation
Authors: Walborn Amanda , Williams Mark , Fareed Jawed , Hoppensteadt Debra
Published: May 2018

The development of coagulation abnormalities is common in patients with sepsis. Sepsis-associated coagulopathy (SAC) is typically diagnosed by prothrombin time (PT) prolongation or elevated international normalized ratio (INR) in conjunction with reduced platelet count. INR is also used to monitor warfarin-treated patients. However, due to the different natures of SAC and warfarin anticoagulation, it is likely that the same INR value provides different information in these two patient populations. The purpose of this study was to compare measures of coagulation function and clotting factor levels in patients with SAC to those observed in patients receiving warfarin anticoagulation. Deidentified plasma samples were collected at baseline from patients diagnosed with SAC and from patients receiving warfarin. These plasma samples were evaluated for PT/INR, activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), fibrinogen, and functional and immunologic levels of factors VII, IX, and X. Both aPTT and fibrinogen correlated with INR in patients with SAC, but not in patients treated with warfarin. Factors VII, IX, and X showed an inverse relationship with INR in the anticoagulated patients; however, no relationship between factor level and INR was observed in patients with SAC. Distinct patterns of coagulopathy were observed in patients with SAC and patients receiving warfarin anticoagulation, and equivalent INR values were associated with distinct coagulation profiles in the two patient groups. These results suggest that an abnormal INR provides different information about the coagulation status in patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation than in patients receiving warfarin. This may indicate that an equivalently increased INR predicts different bleeding risks in these two patient groups.
How to Avoid False-Negative and False-Positive Diagnoses of Platelet Apoptosis: Illustrative Experimental and Clinically Relevant Cases
Authors: Leytin Valery , Gyulkhandanyan Armen V. , Freedman John
Published: May 2018

Platelets may selectively execute apoptosis (PL-Apo), activation (PL-Act), and both or no responses when exposed to different chemical agents, shear stresses, and stored under blood banking conditions. Appropriate diagnosis of PL-Apo is an important issue of platelet physiology investigations. However, in diagnosing PL-Apo, there is a risk of a false-negative or false-positive diagnosis. The goal of the current review is to present recommendations that may help to avoid incorrect PL-Apo diagnosis. Analyzing reported studies, we recommend (1) using platelet-rich plasma rather than isolated platelets to minimize artificial stimulation of PL-Apo during platelet isolation, (2) using established optimal conditions for stimulation of PL-Apo and/or PL-Act, (3) using a panel of PL-Apo and PL-Act markers, and (4) appropriate positive and negative controls for quantification of PL-Apo and PL-Act responses.
Breast Cancer Immunotherapy: An Update
Authors: Makhoul Issam , Atiq Mohammad , Alwbari Ahmed , Kieber-Emmons Thomas
Published: May 2018

The immune system plays a major role in cancer surveillance. Harnessing its power to treat many cancers is now a reality that has led to cures in hopeless situations where no other solutions were available from traditional anticancer drugs. These spectacular achievements rekindled the oncology community’s interest in extending the benefits to all cancers including breast cancer. The first section of this article reviews the biological foundations of the immune response to different subtypes of breast cancer and the ways cancer may overcome the immune attack leading to cancer disease. The second section is dedicated to the actual immune treatments including breast cancer vaccines, checkpoint inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, and the “unconventional” immune role of chemotherapy.
Pathways to life course changes: Introducing the concept of Avenues of Directive Meaning
Authors: Lyra Maria CDP , Valério Tatiana Alves de Melo , Wagoner Brady
Published: May 2018

The concept of Avenues of Directive Meaning is proposed as a notion for understanding the development of trajectories that map psychological phenomenon in their temporal unfolding. This notion aims to include personal constructed meanings as they interact with the directions offered by the sociocultural environment. Focusing on the notion of equipotentiality – introduced by the embryologist Hans Driesch at the turn of the 20th-century – we apply it to the meanings constructed by persons as they set up equifinality points in their life courses. We illustrate the Avenues of Directive Meaning notion through the analysis of two couples that decided to adopt a child in the contemporary Brazilian context.
Relations among activity participation, friendship, and internalizing problems in children with autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Dovgan Kristen N , Mazurek Micah O
Published: May 2018

Social interaction difficulties in children with autism spectrum disorder can be challenging, especially during adolescence. In addition, high rates of comorbid internalizing disorders in autism spectrum disorder can lead to social isolation. With limited social activity participation, social deficits and internalizing problems in autism spectrum disorder may be related to participation, exposure, and practice with friends. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relations among friendship, activity participation, and internalizing problems. Participants included 129 children with autism spectrum disorder between the ages of 6 and 18 years. Measures of friendship, sport, hobby, and club participation, and internalizing problems were assessed. Results showed that activity participation was related to more friendships, even after controlling for intelligence quotient. This study sheds light on the impact of social engagement with peers in developing and maintaining friendships as well as managing internalizing problems.
Positioning relapse and recovery through a cultural lens of desire: A South Australian case study of disordered eating
Authors: Musolino Connie , Warin Megan , Gilchrist Peter
Published: May 2018

This article explores how desire operates in the daily lives of women with disordered eating. Based on qualitative findings from a South Australian study investigating why women with disordered eating are reluctant to seek help, we trace the multiple “tipping points” and triggers that are central to participants’ everyday experiences. Employing anthropological interpretations of desire, we argue that triggers are circulations of productive desire, informed by cultural values and social relations, and embodied in routine daily acts. We examine the cultural-work of desire and the ways in which gendered relationships with food, eating and bodies trigger desires, creating a constant back and forth movement propelling participants in multiple directions. In conclusion, we suggest that a socio-cultural approach to desire in disordered eating has clinical implications, as cultural configurations of desire may help to understand ambivalence towards relapse and recovery.
Mechanical performance of space sandwich joints under bidirectional cyclic loading
Authors: Hou Li-Qun , Chen Shi-Cai , Yan Wei-Ming , Kim Kang-Suk
Published: May 2018

In high-rise buildings with high-strength concrete column and normal-strength concrete floor, the beams and slabs are usually cast in a continuous fashion through the beam–column joint to simplify construction, and this results in the lower strength concrete at the beam–column joint core (sandwich joint). It will influence the capacity of the joint. In this article, three groups of three-dimensional specimens consisting of sandwich joint specimens and corresponding traditional joint specimens were tested under bidirectional reversed cyclic loads to investigate seismic performance, including the failure mode, ductility, energy dissipation, and deformation. The test results show that the beam–column joint core can be cast with normal-strength concrete when the column concrete strength is less than 1.5 times that of the beam. However, when the ratio exceeds 1.5, the failure mode of the joint may change from beams flexural failure to joint shear failure and additional strengthening measures should be taken. Finally, the formula for calculating shear capacity of the three-dimensional sandwich joints is presented, and the predictions are compared to the experimental results.
Numerical simulation and experimental validation of ductile tearing in A106 Gr. B piping system under simulated seismic loading conditions
Authors: Nam Hyun-Suk , Youn Gyo-Geun , Lee Jong-Min , Kim Hune-Tae , Kim Yun-Jae
Published: May 2018

This work presents finite element ductile tearing simulation and experimental validation of a piping system with a circumferential surface cracked (SC) A106 Gr. B pipe under simulated seismic loading condition. The damage model for simulation is based on the multiaxial fracture strain energy. The parameters in the damage model are determined from tensile and fracture toughness test results under the monotonic loading condition. For the system dynamic time history analysis, the Rayleigh damping model is employed. For cyclic constitutive equations, two models were considered to confirm its sensitivity. Predicted crack initiation and ductile tearing agree well with the experimental results.
Staging a nation’s culinary geography at the Salon de l’Agriculture
Authors: Hill Rory
Published: May 2018

The Salon International de l’Agriculture, held every spring in Paris, is an event at which the public discover, judge and consume the fruit of France’s diverse agricultural and artisanal activities. In this article, I provide a firsthand account of how the event stages the imaginative geography of France’s regions, facilitates the edible appreciation of French cultural goods and stimulates dialogue among producers, politicians and the public. The Salon is an impressive and understudied event at which we can witness and participate in the making of culinary geographies.
Environmental shifts and change strategies
Authors: Dupouët Olivier , Barlatier Pierre-Jean
Published: May 2018

In organization theory, the best strategy for coping with an environmental shift remains an open question. This article investigates whether a firm should adapt to such a shift by directly modifying its value chain to fit the new environment or whether it should proceed in two steps: first, create an autonomous unit to develop an alternative value chain, and second, integrate it with the original. Our simulation model highlights that a key discriminant factor is the distribution of the changes to be made: when scattered along the value chain, the first strategy dominates, whereas when grouped in one part of the chain, the firm benefits from the second strategy. We discuss the implications of our findings in relation to transitions and managing change.
Taking Inventory on the ‘Age of the Minuscules’: Later Manuscripts and the Byzantine Tradition within the Field of Textual Criticism
Authors: Lanier Gregory R.
Published: May 2018

In recent decades New Testament scholarship has been flooded with an embarrassment of riches in terms of collations/images of cursive manuscripts and new tools to assess what they contain. However, many scholars—even practicing textual critics—remain somewhat at a loss on what to do with so much data. Thus, old methods, ‘Alexandrian’-vs.-Byzantine polarities, and reliance on Metzger’s Textual Commentary, remain as entrenched as ever in many circles. This article aims to take inventory on where we are in this minuscule age, focusing on four areas of most interest to NT scholars: (1) shifts in method for how to group and weigh later manuscripts; (2) ongoing debates over the Byzantine text and the increased appreciation for it in recent years; (3) findings from recent scholarly work on specific minuscule manuscripts and families; and (4) the place of minuscules in broader discussions within textual criticism and the work on the ECM.
Advances and applications of chemical protective clothing system
Authors: Bhuiyan M A Rahman , Wang Lijing , Shaid Abu , Shanks Robert A , Ding Jie
Published: May 2018

Protection is obligatory for the safety of people in certain occupations where they might be exposed to hazardous chemicals. This review provides an overview of chemical protective clothing, along with its necessity during industrial and military operations as well as in response to acts of terror. Moreover, chemical protective or barrier suits are illustrated and explained including their types, selection processes based on chemical hazards, working environments, and various materials available for the fabrication of effective barrier clothing. Additionally, this review elucidates current research gaps, while underscoring the challenges facing recently developed chemical protective clothing, by compiling relevant research onto a single platform. Besides, this review includes and delineates future trends in chemical protective outfits based on electro-spun nano-fibre technology involved in both detection and decomposition of poisonous chemical agents that come in contact with clothing material, and the integration of selectively permeable membrane technology to discriminately block hazardous chemicals.
Low frequency electromagnetic field decreases ischemia–reperfusion injury of human cardiomyocytes and supports their metabolic function
Authors: Biały Dariusz , Wawrzyńska Magdalena , Bil-Lula Iwona , Krzywonos-Zawadzka Anna , Sapa-Wojciechowska Agnieszka , Arkowski Jacek , Woźniak Mieczysław , Sawicki Grzegorz
Published: May 2018

Electromagnetic field at extremely low frequencies plays a significant role in the physiological function of human tissues and systems. It is shown that electromagnetic field inhibits production of reactive oxygen species which are involved in heart injury triggered by oxidative stress. We hypothesize that low frequency electromagnetic field protects function of cardiac cells from ischemia–reperfusion injury. Human cardiac myocytes, endothelial cells, and cardiac fibroblast underwent ischemia–reperfusion conditions in the presence or in the absence of low frequency electromagnetic field. LDH and MMP-2 activities (as markers of cell injury), and cell metabolic activity (by fluorescein diacetate staining) were measured to determine the protective role of low frequency electromagnetic field. Our data showed that short courses of low frequency electromagnetic field protect cardiac cells from cellular damage and preserve their metabolic activity during ischemia–reperfusion. This study demonstrates the possibility to use of low frequency electromagnetic field as strategy for the prevention or therapy of ischemia–reperfusion injury.

Impact statement

In our study, we showed that LF-EMF may be protective for heart during ischemia–reperfusion (I/R). Following is the short description of the main findings: (a) the response to the I/R injury was different for endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and cardiomyocytes; (b) I/R decreases MMP-2 activity in cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts; (c) I/R increases MMP-2 activity in endothelial cells; (d) LF-EMF reverses these changes; (e) LF-EMF protects cells from injury and preserves their metabolic activity.
Implementation—The Missing Link in the Research Translation Pipeline: Is It Any Wonder No One Ever Implements Evidence-Based Practice?
Authors: Lynch Elizabeth A. , Chesworth Brigit M. , Connell Louise A.
Published: May 2018

Despite the exponential growth in the evidence base for stroke rehabilitation, there is still a paucity of knowledge about how to consistently and sustainably deliver evidence-based stroke rehabilitation therapies in clinical practice. This means that people with stroke will not consistently benefit from research breakthroughs, simply because clinicians do not always have the skills, authority, knowledge or resources to be able to translate the findings from a research trial and apply these in clinical practice. This “point of view” article by an interdisciplinary, international team illustrates the lack of available evidence to guide the translation of evidence to practice in rehabilitation, by presenting a comprehensive and systematic content analysis of articles that were published in 2016 in leading clinical stroke rehabilitation journals commonly read by clinicians. Our review confirms that only a small fraction (2.5%) of published stroke rehabilitation research in these journals evaluate the implementation of evidence-based interventions into health care practice. We argue that in order for stroke rehabilitation research to contribute to enhanced health and well-being of people with stroke, journals, funders, policy makers, researchers, clinicians, and professional associations alike need to actively support and promote (through funding, conducting, or disseminating) implementation and evaluation research.
Black sites, “dark sides”: War power, police power, and the violence of the (un)known
Authors: Linnemann Travis , Medley Corina
Published: May 2018

The US Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture and the Guardian’s exposé of the Chicago Police Department’s “off-the-books interrogation compound” at Homan Square have again thrust torture into debates concerning the nature and limits of state and police violence. Following a longstanding pattern, key actors framed both cases as revelatory and exceptional and used them as fodder for public condemnation and calls for reform. In order to confront and contest similar patterns of facile outrage, we theorize a cultural-cognitive process of disavowal, whereby the inherent violence of the US state is willfully situated by its subjects in politically and culturally redacted black spaces. Here, black spaces allow political subjects to disavow the many horrors—rendition, torture, murder—committed on their behalf and in the name of security. We argue that these are not simply metaphorical, imaginary spaces, but rather material landscapes linking the certainties of US imperial violence to routine and uncontested acts of police violence and the interrogation rooms, jail cells, and prisons of an intensely racialized, yet largely disowned mass-carceral regime. Our aim, then, is to map the state’s black spaces in order to demonstrate the reciprocities between war and police and to situate the politics of redaction within broader systems of violence and dispossession.
Salivary IgA and pre-training wellness status across an international soccer qualifying and finals campaign (Euro 2016)
Authors: Owen Adam L , Morgans Ryland , Kavanagh Ronan , Djaoui Leo
Published: May 2018

The aim of this investigation was to examine the salivary IgA (salivary immunoglobulin-A), RPE and pre-training wellness status across an international qualification and finals campaign. Data were collected for 37 elite male international soccer players (mean ± standard deviation, age: 24.9 ± 3.3 years; height: 182.5 ± 6 cm; mass: 73.1 ± 6.2 kg; positions: Goalkeeper, Center Defender, Wide Defender, Center Midfield, Wide Forward, and Center Forward) across two consecutive seasons. Training RPE, wellness questionnaire, and saliva samples were taken throughout the Euro 2016 qualifying and finals campaign. Results revealed how Readiness and Total Wellness (r = −0.28, p < 0.05) correlated to salivary immunoglobulin-A, in the day preceding games (MD−1). No correlation between wellness and salivary immunoglobulin-A was observed in MD−4; however, Energy correlated to salivary immunoglobulin-A between MD−3 and MD (from r = −0.18 to −0.22, p < 0.05), with significance observed between RPE and Total Wellness r = −0.22 (Total Wellness), r = −0.21 (Energy), r = −0.17 (Readiness), and r = −0.24 (Lower Body Soreness) (p < 0.05). It can be concluded from the data that all wellness markers except Sleep correlated to salivary immunoglobulin-A. Furthermore, it was revealed that Energy appeared to be the greatest wellness assessment marker related to salivary immunoglobulin-A. As a result of this specific investigation, it can be confirmed that the use of a pre-training subjective Wellness questionnaires may be a useful tool to monitor individual mucosal immunity response to training.
Super-resolution reconstruction for a single image based on self-similarity and compressed sensing
Authors: Yang Qiang , Wang Huajun
Published: May 2018

Super-resolution image reconstruction can achieve favorable feature extraction and image analysis. This study first investigated the image’s self-similarity and constructed high-resolution and low-resolution learning dictionaries; then, based on sparse representation and reconstruction algorithm in compressed sensing theory, super-resolution reconstruction (SRSR) of a single image was realized. The proposed algorithm adopted improved K-SVD algorithm for sample training and learning dictionary construction; additionally, the matching pursuit algorithm was improved for achieving single-image SRSR based on image’s self-similarity and compressed sensing. The experimental results reveal that the proposed reconstruction algorithm shows better visual effect and image quality than the degraded low-resolution image; moreover, compared with the reconstructed images using bilinear interpolation and sparse-representation-based algorithms, the reconstructed image using the proposed algorithm has a higher PSNR value and thus exhibits more favorable super-resolution image reconstruction performance.
From a small local audit to a regional quality improvement project – Improving lung protective ventilation
Authors: Birkhoelzer Sarah , Taylor Matt , Harris Ben , Adeniji Kayode
Published: May 2018

Background

Lung protective ventilation with tidal volumes (VT) of 6–8 ml per kg ideal body weight have been shown to reduce mortality in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome and reduce post-operative pulmonary complications in major abdominal surgery. Following a local audit on weight recording, the Southcoast Perioperative Audit and Research Collaboration (SPARC) conducted a regional multi-disciplinary survey on the current practice in lung protective ventilation in the Wessex region. This resulted in a quality improvement project improving lung protective ventilation across these intensive care units.

Methods

Over one-week period in January over two consecutive years, lung protective ventilation parameters of mandatory ventilated patients (above the age of 18 years) were audited in intensive care units in the Wessex region.

Results

A total 1843 hours of mandatory ventilation were audited. The quality improvement project led to an improvement of lung protective ventilation with an average of 30% higher duration of ventilation with VT < 8 ml/kg ideal body weight. There was a suggestion that documentation of height and weight on admission to intensive care units improved compliance with lung protective ventilation.

Conclusions

Adherence to lung protective ventilation is variable across intensive care units but can be improved by recording patient’s weight and height accurately and using simple chart to help calculate the appropriate tidal volume. Additionally, this project demonstrates how a regional audit and quality improvement network can help to facilitate regional quality improvement.
The Paradox of Community Participation in Primary Health Care in Zaire
Authors: Bebe D. Ngo , Dumbi T. , Bulemvo P. , Bakanseka I.
Published: May 2018

Dr. Ngo Bebe, author of the preceding article, considers that the difficulty in achieving true community participation remains one of the main impediments to success in primary health care programmes (PHC).

The classic approach fails from the very beginning when District Medical Officers and other health professionals are chosen to manage primary health care programmes. Their attempts to convince the communities of the necessity of following their advice are often far too overbearing, and thus reinforce the «expert to ignorant» situation to a point where maintaining a true partnership becomes difficult, even impossible. It often happens as well that the community representatives in PHC programmes adopt aspects of the overbearing, «expert-like» behaviour. When this happens, they alienate themselves from the community or, in the least, lose any influence toward initiating action. As for the health professionals, they most likely direct any influence they may have towards clinically-oriented health measures. The preceding tendencies result in programmes which are quite far from the community's true concerns for achieving well-being and development. The PHC's problems such as lack of medicine and care facilities are generally overtaken by the more pressing priorities such as lack of good roads, energy, safe water, diminishing crops, etc.

Dr. Ngo Bebe's article describes an initiative wherein the traditional primary health care approach is replaced by an integrated, community - centered programme. The health center remains the physical point for coordination, and its personnel participates in a variety of activities already taking place in the community. A health aspect is included, but does not overpower the activity which was formerly underway. A community development worker is integrated into the health center team. This provides the opportunity for growth and exchange, thus rendering the various activities truly interdisciplinary.

Although this community mobilisation process has been underway in certain villages in Zaire for the past two years, and seems to have a positive impact on community development and the health status of the villagers, it is still early to proclaim the initiative an entire success. Only an assessment of the long term benefits will indicate the strengths and weaknesses of the project.
Gray Bananas and a Red Letter A — From Synesthetic Sensation to Memory Colors
Authors: Weiss Franziska , Greenlee Mark W. , Volberg Gregor
Published: May 2018

Grapheme–color synesthesia is a condition in which objectively achromatic graphemes induce concurrent color experiences. While it was long thought that the colors emerge during perception, there is growing support for the view that colors are integral to synesthetes’ cognitive representations of graphemes. In this work, we review evidence for two opposing theories positing either a perceptual or cognitive origin of concurrent colors: the cross-activation theory and the conceptual-mediation model. The review covers results on inducer and concurrent color processing as well as findings concerning the brain structure and grapheme–color mappings in synesthetes and trained mappings in nonsynesthetes. The results support different aspects of both theories. Finally, we discuss how research on memory colors could provide a new perspective in the debate about the level of processing at which the synesthetic colors occur.
Principles of Renal Function Measurement (Limitations of Gotch’s Kt/V)
Authors: Bonert Michael , Saville Bradley A.
Published: May 2018

Kt/V is a nondimensional number and a scaling parameter that has, with arbitrary definitions, been recast as a measure of dialysis by Gotch and Lysaght. This editorial discusses the concept of nondimensional numbers within the context of dialysis measurement, modeling, and medical evidence. It concludes that Gotch’s Kt/V, Lysaght’s Kt/V, and standardized Kt/V are not well suited to measure dialysis. An ideal dialysis measure would be proportional to toxins cleared by the kidney, portable with regard to dialysis modality, practical (largely devoid of calculations) and reflective of the pathology/physiology.
Long-Term Effects of Fibrin Conduit with Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Immunosuppression after Peripheral Nerve Repair in a Xenogenic Model
Authors: McGrath Aleksandra M. , Brohlin Maria , Wiberg Rebecca , Kingham Paul J. , Novikov Lev N. , Wiberg Mikael , Novikova Liudmila N.
Published: May 2018

Introduction:

Previously we showed that a fibrin glue conduit with human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and cyclosporine A (CsA) enhanced early nerve regeneration. In this study long term effects of this conduit are investigated.

Methods:

In a rat model, the sciatic nerve was repaired with fibrin conduit containing fibrin matrix, fibrin conduit containing fibrin matrix with CsA treatment and fibrin conduit containing fibrin matrix with hMSCs and CsA treatment, and also with nerve graft as control.

Results:

At 12 weeks 34% of motoneurons of the control group regenerated axons through the fibrin conduit. CsA treatment alone or with hMSCs resulted in axon regeneration of 67% and 64% motoneurons respectively. The gastrocnemius muscle weight was reduced in the conduit with fibrin matrix. The treatment with CsA or CsA with hMSCs induced recovery of the muscle weight and size of fast type fibers towards the levels of the nerve graft group.

Discussion:

The transplantation of hMSCs for peripheral nerve injury should be optimized to demonstrate their beneficial effects. The CsA may have its own effect on nerve regeneration.
Biomechanical, histological, and radiological effects of different phosphodiesterase inhibitors on femoral fracture healing in rats
Authors: Dincel Yasar Mahsut , Alagoz Ender , Arikan Yavuz , Caglar Aysel Kara , Dogru Suzan Cansel , Ortes Faruk , Arslan Yunus Ziya
Published: May 2018

Purpose:

To investigate the biomechanical, histological, and radiological effects of sildenafil and pentoxifylline on femoral fracture healing in rats.

Methods:

Forty-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups equally according to the pharmacological agents to be investigated. Femoral shaft fractures were formed in the left side. Group 1 (control group), group 2, and group 3 were administered with saline, sildenafil, and pentoxifylline during the fracture healing process, respectively. Eight rats from each group were euthanized on days 15 and 30. X-ray images of the rats were taken after euthanasia for radiographical examination. Femur samples were subjected to histopathological and biomechanical (three-point bending) examinations.

Results:

Radiologically, no difference between the Goldberg scores of the groups was found for day 15 ( p > 0.05), while higher Goldberg scores were obtained from group 2 than that of group 1 ( p > 0.05) and group 3 ( p < 0.05) for day 30. In the biomechanical analysis, higher mean breaking forces were found both for day 15 and day 30 from group 2 than those obtained from group 1 (for day 15 p > 0.05 and day 30 p > 0.05) and group 3 (for day 15 p < 0.05 and day 30 p < 0.01). Higher mean absorbed energy values were obtained from group 2 than those obtained from group 1 (for day 15 p > 0.05 and day 30 p < 0.05) and group 3 (for day 15 p < 0.01 and day 30 p < 0.01). A significant difference was not found between the histological scores of all groups ( p > 0.05) for day 15, while the histological score of group 1 on day 30 was found to be significantly lower than that of sildenafil and pentoxifylline groups ( p < 0.05).

Conclusion:

Sildenafil had a positive effect on fracture healing, while pentoxifylline did not provide consistent positive effect.