bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Brain Testosterone-CYP1B1 (Cytochrome P450 1B1) Generated Metabolite 6β-Hydroxytestosterone Promotes Neurogenic Hypertension and Inflammation
Authors: Singh Purnima , Dutta Shubha Ranjan , Song Chi Young , Oh SaeRam , Gonzalez Frank J. , Malik Kafait U.
Published: August 2020

Previously, we showed that peripheral administration of 6β-hydroxytestosterone, a CYP1B1 (cytochrome P450 1B1)-generated metabolite of testosterone, promotes angiotensin II-induced hypertension in male mice. However, the site of action and the underlying mechanism by which 6β-hydroxytestosterone contributes to angiotensin II-induced hypertension is not known. Angiotensin II increases blood pressure by its central action, and CYP1B1 is expressed in the brain. This study was conducted to determine whether testosterone-CYP1B1 generated metabolite 6β-hydroxytestosterone locally in the brain promotes the effect of systemic angiotensin II to produce hypertension in male mice. Central CYP1B1 knockdown in wild-type (
Cyp1b1
+/+
) mice by intracerebroventricular-adenovirus-GFP (green fluorescence protein)-CYP1B1-short hairpin (sh)RNA attenuated, whereas reconstitution of CYP1B1 by adenovirus-GFP-CYP1B1-DNA in the paraventricular nucleus but not in subfornical organ in
Cyp1b1
−/−
mice restored angiotensin II-induced increase in systolic blood pressure measured by tail-cuff. Intracerebroventricular-testosterone in orchidectomized (Orchi)-
Cyp1b1
+/+
but not in Orchi-
Cyp1b1
−/−
, and intracerebroventricular-6β-hydroxytestosterone in the Orchi-
Cyp1b1
−/−
mice restored the angiotensin II-induced: (1) increase in mean arterial pressure measured by radiotelemetry, and autonomic imbalance; (2) reactive oxygen species production in the subfornical organ and paraventricular nucleus; (3) activation of microglia and astrocyte, and neuroinflammation in the paraventricular nucleus. The effect of intracerebroventricular-6β-hydroxytestosterone to restore the angiotensin II-induced increase in mean arterial pressure and autonomic imbalance in Orchi-
Cyp1b1
−/−
mice was inhibited by intracerebroventricular-small interfering (si)RNA-androgen receptor (AR) and GPRC6A (G protein-coupled receptor C6A). These data suggest that testosterone-CYP1B1-generated metabolite 6β-hydroxytestosterone, most likely in the paraventricular nucleus via AR and GPRC6A, contributes to angiotensin II-induced hypertension and neuroinflammation in male mice.
Earth, World, and the Human
Authors: Farrant Marc
Published: August 2020

This essay reads the ungraspable relation to death in Beckett’s works as a means to think through our contemporary era of climate crisis. Beckett’s singular aesthetics of human finitude can be a powerful resource for thinking the unthinkable. By envisaging finitude in terms of the limits imposed on life by both space and time, this essay seeks to ground the existential framework of Beckett’s oeuvre in terms of an always embedded self. Looking at the short story “The End,” I show how such embeddedness may work to evade totalisation or abstraction in terms of a universal worldview, yet also how it poses problems for any privileging of materiality as such. Beckett’s writings are thereby seen to produce a dynamic ethics between world and earth, the global and the local, life and death.
“All that inner space one never sees”
Authors: Maude Ulrika
Published: August 2020

Beckett’s prose, drama, correspondence and working notes contain numerous references to processes that pertain to unconscious, involuntary bodily functionality and materiality. In this respect, the body’s viscera and their processes cannot properly be said to belong to the subject, and yet everything over which we have agential control is premised on these deeper vegetative or physiological processes; thought and feeling, as Molloy puts it, ‘dance their sabbath’ in the ‘caverns’ of the body. If the conception of the ‘human’ is premised on rationality, then the viscera are non-human, object-like. Beckett’s anti-rationalist emphasis on affective, visceral experience in How It Is (along with the novel’s veiled allusions to Pavlov’s conditioning and Watson’s behaviourism) operates in tension with the more elevated intertextual references that signpost the humanist tradition.
Thirteen new species of genera Dichomeris Hübner, 1818 and Helcystogramma Zeller, 1877 (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae, Dichomeridinae) with twenty-one newly recorded species from Vietnam
Authors: PARK KYU-TEK , BAE YANG-SEOP , ZHAO SHENGNAN , LI HOUHUN
Published: August 2020

Twelve new species of the genus Dichomeris Hübner, 1818 and one new species of the genus Helcystogramma Zeller, 1877 of the subfamily Dichomeridinae of Gelechiidae are described from Vietnam, in combination with Chinese specimens. The new species are D. fascialobella Park & Li, sp. nov., D. flavimaculata Park & Li, sp. nov., D. infundibularis Park & Li, sp. nov., D. lancea Park & Li, sp. nov., D. longivalvata Park & Li, sp. nov., D. marginalis Park & Li, sp. nov., D. myriaodontosa Park & Li, sp. nov., D. ochriella Park & Li, sp. nov., D. quadratella Park & Li, sp. nov., D. sclerospinula Park & Li, sp. nov., D. spinosella Park & Li, sp. nov., D. unilobata Park & Li, sp. nov., and Helcystogramma albimacularis Park & Li, sp. nov. In addition, eighteen Dichomeris species and three Helcystogramma species are reported for the first time from Vietnam, and of these, four previously unknown female are firstly found and described: Dichomeris parvisexafurca Li, Zhen & Kendrick, 2010, Dichomeris argentenigera Li, Zhen & Kendrick, 2010, Dichomeris splendiptera Li & Park, 2017 and Dichomeris parallelosa Park & Ponomarenko, 1998. Images of adults and genitalia for the new species and newly reported species including the firstly described females are provided.
Two new species of Sabellariidae (Annelida, Polychaeta) from the abyss of eastern Australia
Authors: ZHANG JINGHUAI , HUTCHINGS PAT , BURGHARDT INGO , KUPRIYANOVA ELENA
Published: August 2020

In May–June 2017 an expedition on board RV ‘Investigator’ sampled benthic communities along the lower slope and abyss of eastern Australia from off Tasmania to the Coral Sea. Over 200 sabellariid specimens of the genera Phalacrostemma and Gesaia were collected during the voyage and deposited in the Australian Museum. Here we describe two new species Gesaia csiro n. sp. (4414–4436 m) and Phalacrostemma timoharai n. sp. (1013–1093 m). We did not formally describe another species of Phalacrostemma due to poor condition of the single specimen. Gesaia csiro n. sp. is the first record of the genus from Australian waters (only a planktonic larva attributed to the genus has previously been recorded), and it can be distinguished from other congeners by the smooth surface of inner paleae, distal thecae of outer paleae with long, irregular and expanded distal fringe and circled distal margin. Phalacrostemma timoharai n. sp. differs from congeners by the following combination of characters: presence of the buccal flap, absence of tentacular filament, 18–22 pairs of outer paleae, two pairs of neuropodial cirri on first thoracic segment, and only one pair of lateral lobes on second thoracic segment. Morphological descriptions are accompanied by mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) and ribosomal (16S, 18S and 28S) sequence data. A key to all Australian species of sabellariids is given.
Characterizing the Uncertainty and Assessing the Value of Gap-Filled Daily Rainfall Data in Hawaii
Authors: Longman Ryan J. , Newman Andrew J. , Giambelluca Thomas W. , Lucas Mathew
Published: August 2020

Almost all daily rainfall time series contain gaps in the instrumental record. Various methods can be used to fill in missing data using observations at neighboring sites (predictor stations). In this study, five computationally simple gap-filling approaches—normal ratio (NR), linear regression (LR), inverse distance weighting (ID), quantile mapping (QM), and single best estimator (BE)—are evaluated to 1) determine the optimal method for gap filling daily rainfall in Hawaii, 2) quantify the error associated with filling gaps of various size, and 3) determine the value of gap filling prior to spatial interpolation. Results show that the correlation between a target station and a predictor station is more important than proximity of the stations in determining the quality of a rainfall prediction. In addition, the inclusion of rain/no-rain correction on the basis of either correlation between stations or proximity between stations significantly reduces the amount of spurious rainfall added to a filled dataset. For large gaps, relative median errors ranged from 12.5% to 16.5% and no statistical differences were identified between methods. For submonthly gaps, the NR method consistently produced the lowest mean error for 1- (2.1%), 15- (16.6%), and 30-day (27.4%) gaps when the difference between filled and observed monthly totals was considered. Results indicate that gap filling prior to spatial interpolation improves the overall quality of the gridded estimates, because higher correlations and lower performance errors were found when 20% of the daily dataset is filled as opposed to leaving these data unfilled prior to spatial interpolation.
Effects of Vegetation and Topography on the Boundary Layer Structure above the Amazon Forest
Authors: Chamecki Marcelo , Freire Livia S. , Dias Nelson L. , Chen Bicheng , Dias-Junior Cléo Quaresma , Toledo Machado Luiz Augusto , Sörgel Matthias , Tsokankunku Anywhere , Araújo Alessandro C. de
Published: August 2020

Observational data from two field campaigns in the Amazon forest were used to study the vertical structure of turbulence above the forest. The analysis was performed using the reduced turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget and its associated two-dimensional phase space. Results revealed the existence of two regions within the roughness sublayer in which the TKE budget cannot be explained by the canonical flat-terrain TKE budgets in the canopy roughness sublayer or in the lower portion of the convective ABL. Data analysis also suggested that deviations from horizontal homogeneity have a large contribution to the TKE budget. Results from LES of a model canopy over idealized topography presented similar features, leading to the conclusion that flow distortions caused by topography are responsible for the observed features in the TKE budget. These results support the conclusion that the boundary layer above the Amazon forest is strongly impacted by the gentle topography underneath.
The Key Role of Coupled Chemistry–Climate Interactions in Tropical Stratospheric Temperature Variability
Authors: Yook Simchan , Thompson David W. J. , Solomon Susan , Kim Seo-Yeon
Published: August 2020

The purpose of this study is to quantify the effects of coupled chemistry–climate interactions on the amplitude and structure of stratospheric temperature variability. To do so, the authors examine two simulations run on version 4 of the Whole Atmosphere Coupled Climate Model (WACCM): a “free-running” simulation that includes fully coupled chemistry–climate interactions and a “specified chemistry” version of the model forced with prescribed climatological-mean chemical composition. The results indicate that the inclusion of coupled chemistry–climate interactions increases the internal variability of temperature by a factor of ~2 in the lower tropical stratosphere and—to a lesser extent—in the Southern Hemisphere polar stratosphere. The increased temperature variability in the lower tropical stratosphere is associated with dynamically driven ozone–temperature feedbacks that are only included in the coupled chemistry simulation. The results highlight the fundamental role of two-way feedbacks between the atmospheric circulation and chemistry in driving climate variability in the lower stratosphere.
Using Spectrograms from Underwater Total Pressure Sensors to Detect Passing Vessels in a Coastal Environment
Authors: Rätsep Margus , Parnell Kevin E. , Soomere Tarmo , Kruusmaa Maarja , Ristolainen Asko , Tuhtan Jeffrey A.
Published: August 2020

Monitoring vessel traffic in coastal regions is a key element of maritime security. For this reason, additional ways of detecting moving vessels are explored by using the unique structure of their wake waves based on pressure measurements at the seabed. The experiments are performed at a distance of about 2 km from the sailing line using novel multisensor devices called “hydromasts” that track both pressure and near-bed water flow current velocities. The main tool for the analysis is a windowed Fourier transform that produces a spectrogram of the wake structure. It is shown that time series from the pressure sensors, measured at a frequency of 100 Hz, 0.2 m above the seabed are a valid source of input data for the spectrogram technique. This technique portrays the properties of both divergent and transverse waves with an accuracy and resolution that is sufficient for the evaluation of the speed and distance of the detected vessels from the measurement device. All the detected passings are matched with vessels using automatic identification system (AIS) data. The use of several time series from synchronized multisensor systems substantially suppresses noise and improves the quality of the outcome compared to one-point measurements. Additional information about variations in the water flow in wakes provides a simple and reasonably accurate tool for rapid detection of ship passages.
Near-Surface Vortex Formation in Supercells from the Perspective of Vortex Patch Dynamics
Authors: Dahl Johannes M. L.
Published: August 2020

In many supercell simulations, near-ground vortex formation results from the collapse of an elongated region of enhanced vertical vorticity. In this study, this “roll-up” mechanism is analyzed by investigating the behavior of several 2D elliptic vortex patches. The problem is treated as a nonlinear initial value problem, which is better suited to describe the roll-up mechanism than the more commonly employed normal-mode analysis. Using the Bryan Cloud Model 1, it is demonstrated that the condition for vortex formation is an initial finite-amplitude nonuniformity within the vortex patch. Vortex formation results from differential self-advection due to the flow induced by the patch itself. Background straining motion may either aid or suppress vortex-patch axisymmetrization depending on the initial orientation of the patch relative to the deformation axis. It is also found that in some cases numerical dispersion may lead to nonuniformities that serve as seed for axisymmetrization, thus resulting in unphysical vortex development.
Model-free-adaptive-based data-driven method for three-axis Gimbal control
Authors: Wang Wei , Rana Javed Masood
Published: August 2020

This study uses a three-axis Gimbal model to inertially stabilize a platform that can be used to feed smooth images from a camera. In this article, three-axis Gimbal performance analysis is presented. An inertial measurement unit responds to movement and a three-phase brushless DC motor with 14 poles and 12 coils is used to rule out vibrations and movement from the surroundings. The controller combines sliding-mode control and model-free-adaptive control to design a novel control method based on data, which can decrease the computational time and difficulty of a nonlinear system. Simulations on MATLAB prove the efficiency of the given method. The simulation results validate that the designed controller has improved position control than the traditional proportional integral derivative, model-free-adaptive control, and model-free-learning-adaptive control.
Simulation as a sustainable trading zone: aiming at intergenerational justice
Authors: Pronskikh Vitaly
Published: August 2020

The paper, drawing on the example of simulation codes used in nuclear physics and high-energy physics, seeks to highlight the ethical implications of discontinuing support for simulation codes and the loss of knowledge embodied in them. Predicated on the concept of trading zones and actor network models, the paper addresses the problem of extinction of simulation codes and attempts to understand their evolution and development within those frameworks. We show that simulation codes of closed type develop to the level of creoles, becoming local languages and standards of scientific centers and disappearing as their few main developers leave, whereas codes of open types become universal languages, imposing problem-solving patterns on the entire community and crowding out other codes. The paper suggests that because of simulations’ reliance on tacit knowledge, practices entrenched in codes cannot be exhaustively explicated or transmitted through writing alone; on the contrary, the life cycle of a simulation code is determined by the life cycle of its trading zone. We examine the extent to which both of these phenomena pose a risk to the preservation of knowledge. Bearing upon intergenerational ethics, we draw analogies between the pure intergenerational problem (PIP) and the problem of preserving the knowledge implemented in simulation codes and transmitting it to future generations. We argue that for the complete transfer of knowledge, it is necessary to develop and maintain inhabitability and sustainability of simulation trading zones in a controllable way, at least until the demand for these codes is warranted to cease in the future.
‘We need to talk’: Trump’s electoral rhetoric and the role of transatlantic dialogues
Authors: Blanc Emmanuelle
Published: August 2020

Trump’s stinging electoral rhetoric regarding Europe has profoundly challenged the foundations of the transatlantic relations. Exploring the link between electoral rhetoric and US foreign policy, this article focusses on a key feature of transatlantic policy-making, that is, the multi-levelled architecture of European Union (EU)–US dialogues, involving diplomats, legislators, and civil society. While research shows that dialogues help promote cooperation, their relevance and specific functions in times of elections have not been explored so far. To what extent do dialogical interactions change at the approach of elections and right afterwards? Why do dialogues keep going, in spite of fierce presidential rhetoric suggesting otherwise? To fill this gap, this article explores the EU–US dialogues following Trump’s election to determine the extent to which these dialogues endorse new functions that have so far been overlooked. Adopting a socio-psychological approach, it shows that one of the functions that dialogue fulfils in times of elections is the reassurance that the relationship identity of the actors will be respected to meet their ontological security needs. Drawing on interviews and official documents, this article sheds a new light on the importance of dialogical engagement at these critical points in the life of liberal democracies.
Last Bauman/lost Bauman: Fifty years on - Sketches in the Theory of Culture (1968) – The suppressed and now final book of Zygmunt Bauman (2018)
Authors: Beilharz Peter
Published: August 2020

Zygmunt Bauman said of 1968 that he could not empathize with the enthusiasm of the Western Left, that this was some kind of party. In Eastern Europe 1968 stood for an end, not a hope. Soon Bauman would be forced into exile, opening a new and brilliant phase of his intellectual trajectory. Sketches in the Theory of Culture was his last Polish book. It was suppressed in 1968, the contract cancelled in retaliation against his support for reforming politics. Now it has been rediscovered, originally in galley proofs, and translated by Dariusz Brzezinski for Polity Press. Like much of Bauman’s work, it is sprawling and inclusive, taking in anthropology, sociology of culture, ethnology and semiotics. It anticipates his life-long enthusiasm for Lévi-Strauss; and it also foreshadows some of the themes much later to be identified as liquid modern, though it may be the case that the theme of continuity is rather social turbulence from postwar reconstruction to the travails of socialist Poland. In this paper I review some of its themes and its status in the body of his work, and offer some introductory remarks on its importance to the study of culture.
Subjectivité et réflexivité : les apports du contre-transfert aux recherches interprétatives
Authors: Borraz Stéphane , Zeitoun Valérie , Dion Delphine
Published: August 2020

A partir du travail d’ethnopsychiatrie de Georges Devereux, nous étudions le rôle du contre-transfert psychanalytique dans les méthodologies qualitatives. Le contre-transfert désigne les effets du terrain qui s’exercent sur le chercheur, en particulier leurs réactions émotionnelles engendrées par la confrontation avec le terrain. Alors que le chercheur est généralement tenté de neutraliser ou refouler ses émotions par souci d’objectivité, nous montrons dans cette fenêtre sur que le choix d’une démarche réflexive qui prend en compte le contre-transfert permet d’enrichir la compréhension des phénomènes étudiés. Nous formulons un ensemble de recommandations pour prendre en compte le contre-transfert dans les recherches interprétatives en marketing.
Becoming an emergency psychologist: Alterity and presence in a comprehensive not-knowing relationship
Authors: Vieira Emanuel Meireles , Castelo Branco Paulo Coelho , Ribeiro Gabriela Di Paula Dias
Published: August 2020

This study aims to analyze the fundamental aspects of training and intervention processes of professionals intending to work in emergency psychological services. Based on a person-centered approach and phenomenology, we consider the psychologist’s openness and presence in the relationship as fundamental to dealing with their own alterity and the alterity of the patient seeking help. We highlight empathy as a way for psychologists to make themselves present and available to decenter and focus on the other. This decentralization can only occur if the psychologist can connect to the present and to what is occurring with themselves, with the other, and especially with the relationship. We conclude, therefore, that emergency psychological service requires being open to the uniqueness of the present and putting the prescriptions of psychotherapy handbooks aside, although without denying them.
Blood sampling from peripherally inserted central catheter is effective and safe for patients with head and neck cancers
Authors: Zhang Yuejiao , Zhang Shoude , Chen Jinhua , Zhao Ruiyi
Published: August 2020

Objective:

To evaluate the validity of laboratory tests for blood sampling from a peripherally inserted central catheter.

Methods:

A total of 22 patients diagnosed with head and neck cancers were enrolled. In total, 101 paired blood samples were taken both via venipuncture and peripherally inserted central catheter for hematology and biochemistry testing. Paired t tests and linear correlation analysis were used to evaluate the results. Blood sampling–related pain was recorded by visual analogue scales and numerical rating scales. Infusion occlusion, hemolysis, and catheter-related blood stream infection were also recorded.

Results:

The peripherally inserted central catheter–associated test results were slightly lower than those with venipuncture. Some parameters differed more than others. However, the degree of difference was less than 5% for every pair. There was a high correlation between the test results with two methods of blood sampling with the representative equation approximately being “y = x.” According to visual analogue scales and numerical rating scale analysis, the pain degree with peripherally inserted central catheter was significantly lower than that of the venipuncture (p < 0.001). No case of infusion occlusion, catheter-related blood stream infection was reported with both methods. Hemolysis rate in blood samples from peripherally inserted central catheter (1/101) was much lower than that seen with venipuncture (11/101) with significant difference (p = 0.0056).

Conclusion:

Blood sampling via peripherally inserted central catheter and venipuncture showed equivalent reliability in laboratory testing. Compared with venipuncture, blood sampling via peripherally inserted central catheter causes less pain and is safer. Blood sampling via peripherally inserted central catheter is strongly recommended for clinical use.
Work hard, fit in, and applaud her: Women developers blogging about their lived experiences
Authors: Richterich Annika
Published: August 2020

Women are under-represented in information technology (IT) professions, globally. It is widely discussed that there is an urgent need to tackle this issue by bringing more women into the IT industry. However, the spotlight is less often put on women currently working as developers in male-dominated environments. How do these women experience their work and deal with problems? International non-profit initiatives such as Women who Code (WwC) aim not only at supporting women in training for and entering IT professions: they also advise them in their daily lives and struggles as developers. Using this network and its blog as a case study, I show that the WwC bloggers are faced with contradictory work norms and experiences. They tend to resort to pragmatic advice, focused on DIY problem solving, and shouldered individual responsibility rather than highlighting systemic failures. This tendency shows similarities to neoliberal feminist rationales and speaks to the need for (re)emphasizing the need for structural changes within the broader discourse concerning women developers.
Influence of Superficial Venous Ablation on Deep Venous Dilation and Reflux in Patients With Saphenous Varicose Veins
Authors: Nishibe Toshiya , Nishibe Masayasu , Akiyama Shinobu , Nukaga Saori , Maekawa Koki , Kano Masaki , Ogino Hitoshi , Koizumi Jun , Dardik Alan
Published: August 2020

Background:

To investigate the influence of superficial venous ablation on deep venous dilation and reflux in patients with saphenous varicose veins, and to elucidate the association between superficial venous reflux and deep venous morphology and hemodynamics.

Methods:

The data of 154 patients with 223 limbs, who underwent endovenous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the great saphenous vein for primary varicose veins between September 2014 and March 2016 in Eniwa Midorino Clinic, were retrospectively analyzed. Overall venous hemodynamics of the leg, including functional venous volume (VV) and venous filling index (VFI), was assessed using air-plethysmography. Saphenous and deep vein reflux and diameter were evaluated with duplex scanning.

Results:

Hemodynamic and morphologic changes were evaluated before and 1 month after RFA. The VV and VFI were significantly decreased in postoperative values than in preoperative values ( P < .001). Limbs with deep venous reflux significantly decreased postoperatively than preoperatively ( P < .001). There were significant differences in the diameter of the common femoral vein (CFV) and popliteal vein (PV) between the preoperative and postoperative values ( P < .001). There were strong to moderate correlations between the VV and the diameter of the CFV or PV (CFV, r = 0.47, P < .001; PV, r = 0.35, P < .001), while there were moderate to weak correlations between the VFI and the diameter of the CFV or PV (CFV, r = 0.23, P < .001; PV, r = 0.33, P <.001).

Conclusions:

Superficial venous ablation significantly reduced deep venous dilation and reflux in patients with saphenous varicose veins. Significant correlations existed between the VV or VFI, which reflected superficial venous reflux, and the diameter of the deep veins. These findings reveal that volume overload due to superficial venous reflux is associated with deep venous morphology and hemodynamics.
In Well-Selected Patients With a Femoral Deep Vein Thrombosis Central Venous Imaging May Identify Additional Iliocaval Disease
Authors: Li Chong , Maldonado Thomas S. , Jacobowitz Glenn R. , Kabnick Lowell S. , Barfield Michael , Rockman Caron B. , Berland Todd L. , Cayne Neal S. , Sadek Mikel
Published: August 2020

Objective:

Patients who present acutely with a femoral deep vein thrombosis (DVT) diagnosed by ultrasound are often treated with anticoagulation and instructed to follow-up electively. This study sought to assess whether obtaining axial imaging of the central venous system results in the identification of additional iliocaval pathology warranting treatment.

Methods:

This study was a retrospective review of a prospectively maintained registry from November 2014 through April 2017 with follow-up through March 2020. Consecutive patients with a diagnosis of femoral DVT diagnosed by ultrasound were evaluated; those who underwent axial imaging of the iliocaval system (Group A) were compared to those who did not undergo imaging of the central veins (Group B). The primary outcome was the performance of any percutaneous central venous intervention. Secondary outcomes included the extent of DVT identified on duplex and after axial imaging, follow-up duplex patency and persistence of severe symptoms.

Results:

Eighty patients presented with an ultrasound diagnosis of a femoral vein DVT. Mean follow-up was 551 ± 502 days. Group A comprised 24 patients (30%) and Group B comprised 56 patients (70%). Baseline demographics did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. After duplex imaging, Group A exhibited an increased prevalence of DVT in the common femoral vein. After central imaging, Group A exhibited an increased prevalence of DVT in the iliocaval veins. The number of patients who underwent invasive treatment differed significantly between the 2 groups, Group A 16/24 (67%) vs. Group B 9/56 (16%), P < 0.0001. The number of patients that demonstrated duplex patency and had persistent symptoms on follow-up did not differ significantly.

Conclusions:

Patients with an ultrasound diagnosis of femoral DVT may have additional iliocaval pathology warranting intervention. Well-selected imaging of the central veins may reveal a more complete picture, potentially altering management.
Hallmarks in the History and Development of Total Hip Arthroplasty
Authors: Markatos Konstantinos , Savvidou Olga D. , Foteinou Aggeliki , Kosmadaki Styliani , Trikoupis Ioannis , Goumenos Stavros D. , Papagelopoulos Panayiotis J.
Published: August 2020

Total hip replacement remains one of the most successful and popular operative techniques in orthopedic surgery. Over several decades, several patients have been benefited by this mechanical and surgical achievement. It is an innovation that stands among the most significant surgical and technological achievements of the 20th century. The purpose of this review was to summarize the main landmarks on the evolution of hip surgery and the resulting modern total hip arthroplasty technique.
Endoscopic activity, tissue factor and Crohn’s disease: findings in clinical remission patients
Authors: Andrade Adriana Ribas , da Rocha Tania Rubia Flores , Ortiz-Agostinho Carmen Lucia , Nishitokukado Iêda , Carlos Alexandre Sousa , de Azevedo Matheus Freitas Cardoso , Hashimoto Claudio Lioshi , Damião Aderson Omar Moura Cintra , Carrilho Flair José , D’Amico Elbio , Sipahi Aytan Miranda , Leite André Zonetti de Arruda
Published: August 2020

Background:

As Crohn’s disease (CD) is associated with a high risk of thromboembolic events (TE), including patients with subclinical inflammation, we aim to evaluate the correlation between the impact of endoscopic activity (EA) in the coagulation profiling of CD patients while in clinical remission.

Methods:

From 164 consecutive CD patients included in clinical remission [Crohn’s disease activity index (CDAI) < 150], 75 were in the EA group [Simplified Endoscopic Score for CD (SES-CD) ⩾ 7], 89 were in the endoscopic remission (ER) group (SES-CD ⩽ 2), and 50 were included as healthy controls in the study. Blood samples were analyzed for tissue factor (TF), factor VIII (FVIII), thrombomodulin (TM), ADAMTS-13, von Willebrand factor (VWF), and endogenous thrombin potential (ETP), as well as collecting data regarding risk factors for TE and CD profile.

Results:

Mean plasma TF activity showed significantly higher levels in the EA group when compared with the ER and control groups (127 pM versus 103 pM versus 84 pM; p = 0.001), although the VWF:Ag (160% versus 168% versus 110%; p = 0.001), VWF/ADAMTS-13 (191 versus 219 versus 138; p = 0.003), FVIII (150% versus 144% versus 90%; p = 0.001) and TM (5.13 ng/ml versus 4.91 ng/mL versus 3.81 ng/ml; p < 0.001) were only increased in CD regardless of EA status when compared with controls. Lastly, ETP with and without TM remained the same in all three groups.

Conclusions:

CD patients in clinical remission with EA present endothelial lesion inducing TF exposure and subsequent coagulation cascade activation. Recommended thromboprophylaxis for EA outpatient subgroups will require additional investigation in order to be validated.
Cerebral venous thrombosis in women of childbearing age: diagnosis, treatment, and prophylaxis during a future pregnancy
Authors: Durmuș Büșra , Yperzeele Laetitia , Zuurbier Susanna M
Published: August 2020

Sex-specific risk factors for cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) in women include oral contraceptives, pregnancy, puerperium, and hormone replacement therapy. The acute treatment of CVT is anticoagulation using therapeutic doses of low molecular weight heparin, which is also the preferred treatment in the post-acute phase in pregnancy and during breastfeeding. In patients with imminent brain herniation decompressive surgery is probably life-saving. A medical history of CVT alone is not a contraindication for future pregnancies. The optimal dosage of low molecular weight heparin as thrombosis prophylaxis during future pregnancies after a history of venous thrombosis including CVT is the topic of an ongoing trial.
Changes in metabolic parameters in psoriatic patients treated with secukinumab
Authors: Wang Hsuan Ning , Huang Yu Huei
Published: August 2020

Background:

Psoriasis is associated with cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome but the effects of interleukin (IL)-17A inhibitor treatment on metabolic parameters are unknown. This study aimed to determine the effects of secukinumab on metabolic parameters based on the disease activity and treatment response in patients with psoriasis.

Methods:

In this retrospective study, we included 99 patients with moderate to severe psoriasis, who received IL-17 inhibitor (secukinumab) treatment for 24 weeks between January 2016 and February 2020. The disease activity [Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI)] and metabolic parameters at baseline and after 12 or 24 weeks of treatment were collected.

Results:

The PASI improved with a significant reduction of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) at weeks 12 and 24 respectively. However, body weight and body mass index were significantly increased at week 12 and 24 of treatment. Triglycerides level and atherogenic index of plasma were significantly higher in week 24 in PASI-90 non-responders. The baseline hs-CRP level and PASI-90 non-response correlated with elevated triglyceride levels.

Conclusion:

Our results suggest that obesity and hypertriglyceridemia still existed in patients despite the improved disease activity after secukinumab treatment. Higher baseline hs-CRP level and PASI-90 non-response were predictors for elevated triglyceride levels after treatment. Therefore, patient education, regular screening of the lipid profile, and weight control are recommended during the treatment of secukinumab.
Digital growth strategies at Drone Racing League
Authors: Standaert Willem
Published: August 2020

A new venture—Drone Racing League—was the first, global drone racing championship. The Drone Racing League was considered a new type of sports, mixing elements of traditional racing sports and eSports. The case is situated in 2019, in between the venture’s third and fourth year of operations. During the first few years, the Drone Racing League focused on setting up the physical events and making media productions of those races in an accessible and exciting way, incorporating video game elements. In addition, the Drone Racing League had put a lot of effort into developing a true-to-life simulator, which not only made the sport broadly accessible, but was also a way to recruit pilots for the real physical races. Most recently, the Drone Racing League had announced an autonomous drone racing platform, which would start in a simulated environment in early-2019 and be brought to the real-world later that year. Since its inception, the Drone Racing League had focused on developing a co-creation ecosystem consisting of fans and gamers, traditional and emerging (social) media platforms, and companies from various industries with strong brands.
African Emerging Adult Resilience: Insights From a Sample of Township Youth
Authors: Theron Linda C. , Levine Diane , Ungar Michael
Published: August 2020

What enables the resilience of African emerging adults who live in sub-Saharan Africa and must contend with an everyday reality that is characterized by structural disadvantage and related hardship? This question directed the exploratory qualitative research that we report in this article. Its genesis was the relative inattention to the resilience of African emerging adults—that is, young people living in sub-Saharan Africa, aged 18–29. To answer this question, 16 South African participants (average age 21) from a significantly stressed community participated in group interviews and generated digital stories. A deductive analysis of the content yielded the understanding that the self is central to emerging adult resilience. Family members mattered too, but there was scant reference to any other social or ecological resource. These findings urge attention to the dangers to resilience if social ecologies are not resourced to better co-facilitate positive outcomes for disadvantaged emerging adults.
Surgical Outcomes for Upper Lumbar Disc Herniations: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Echt Murray , Holland Ryan , Mowrey Wenzhu , Cezayirli Phillip , De la Garza Ramos Rafael , Hamad Mousa , Gelfand Yaroslav , Longo Michael , Kinon Merritt D. , Yanamadala Vijay , Chaudhary Saad , Cho Samuel K. , Yassari Reza
Published: August 2020

Study Design:

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective:

To conduct a literature review on outcomes of discectomy for upper lumbar disc herniations (ULDH), estimate pooled rates of satisfactory outcomes, compare open laminectomy/microdiscectomy (OLM) versus minimally invasive surgical (MIS) techniques, and compare results of disc herniations at L1-3 versus L3-4.

Methods:

A systematic review of articles reporting outcomes of nonfusion surgical treatment of L1-2, L2-3, and/or L3-4 disc herniations was performed. The inclusion and exclusion of studies was performed according to the latest version of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement.

Results:

A total of 20 articles were included in the quantitative meta-analysis. Pooled proportion of satisfactory outcome (95% CI) was 0.77 (0.70, 0.83) for MIS and 0.82 (0.78, 0.84) for OLM. There was no significant improvement with MIS techniques compared with standard OLM, odds ratio (OR) = 0.86, 95% CI (0.42, 1.74), P = .66. Separating results by levels revealed a trend of higher satisfaction with L3-4 versus L1-3 with OLM surgery, OR = 0.46, 95% CI (0.19, 1.12), P = .08.

Conclusion:

Our analysis reveals that discectomy for ULDH has an overall success rate of approximately 80% and has not improved with MIS. Discectomy for herniations at L3-4 trends toward better outcomes compared with L1-2 and L2-3, but was not significant.
X-Linked Retinoschisis and a Coats-Like Response in the Setting of Retinopathy of Prematurity
Authors: Fan Kenneth C. , McAllister Mark A. , Yannuzzi Nicolas A. , Patel Nimesh A. , Prakhunhungsit Supalert , Negron Catherin I. , Capó Hilda , Berrocal Audina M.
Published: August 2020

Purpose:

This case report describes a unique case of a young patient with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a unilateral Coats-like response, and X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS).

Methods:

A 9-year-old boy with a history of regressed ROP presented with a unilateral Coats-like response, subretinal exudation, and XLRS. Examination and imaging findings demonstrated a highly unique combination of bilateral retinoschisis and a dramatic unilateral Coats-like response with a large schisis cavity.

Results:

Treatment with laser photocoagulation and anti-VEGF therapy led to resolution of the subretinal exudative changes.

Conclusions:

This is the first published description to our knowledge of a patient with a Coats-like response, XLRS, and a history of regressed ROP with resolution after treatment.
Characterization and use of clays and argillites from the south of Santa Catarina State, Brazil, for the manufacture of clay ceramics
Authors: Zaccaron Alexandre , de Souza Nandi Vítor , Dal Bó Marcelo , Peterson Michael , Angioletto Elídio , Bernardin Adriano Michael
Published: August 2020

Six clays from various deposits were studied for their use in the production of structural clay products. The clays were characterized using chemical (X-ray fluorescence), mineralogical (X-ray diffraction) and thermal (differential scanning calorimetry/thermogravimetry) analyses. Particle-size distribution was determined by laser diffraction, plasticity by the Pfefferkorn method and the residue by the sieve-size method. Next, specimens were formed by extrusion and characterized by their linear thermal shrinkage (on drying and firing), water absorption, bulk density, porosity and compressive strength. The clays were, in general, suitable for the manufacture of structural ceramics, mainly bricks. The clays from flooded pits (AV1 and AV2) were classified as floodplain clays and alluvial clays. The clays mined in mountainous regions (AM1 and AM2, as well as AV1) were characterized as siliceous clays due to the abundance of free SiO2phases.
Clonal Hematopoiesis: Mechanisms Driving Dominance of Stem Cell Clones
Authors: Challen Grant , Goodell Margaret A
Published: August 2020

The discovery of clonal hematopoiesis (CH) in older individuals has changed the way hematologists and stem cell biologists view aging. Somatic mutations accumulate in stem cells over time. While most mutations have no impact, some result in subtle functional differences that ultimately manifest in distinct stem cell behaviors. With a large pool of stem cells and many decades to compete, some of these differences confer advantages under specific contexts. About 20 genes are recurrently found as mutated in CH, indicating they confer some advantage. The impact of these mutations has begun to be analyzed at a molecular level by modeling in cell lines and in mice. Mutations in epigenetic regulators such as DNMT3A and TET2 confer an advantage by enhancing self-renewal of stem and progenitor cells and inhibiting their differentiation. Mutations in other genes involved in the DNA damage response may simply enhance cell survival. Here, we review proposed mechanisms that lead to CH, specifically in the context of stem cell biology, based on our current understanding of the function of some of the CH-associated genes.
Application of decision tree-based techniques to veneer processing
Authors: Ahmed Suborna Shekhor , Cool Julie , Karim Mohammad Ehsanul
Published: August 2020

In veneer-drying facilities, controllers face many challenges to maintain desired parameters in the final product based on customer’s needs. The major challenge is setting process parameters to control the temperature and humidity within the various sections in the drying machine to obtain the desired properties of the final product. The regression tree approach can be used to simplify the complex relationship among process and product variables for identifying critical factors for drying veneer and achieving the desired range of veneer temperature. In this study, we investigated veneer-drying conditions and the short-term effect of climatic variables on veneer temperature. We have shown a three-step process to develop an optimal regression tree for veneer temperature. From the developed optimal tree, we are able to identify the most important threshold points of predictor space and adjustment for the climatic variables on the temperature of veneer sheets. The findings of this study were further investigated in an industrial setting and the desired veneer temperatures were attained for the final product. This application shows that we can follow the path of the optimal tree to pinpoint the most desired veneer temperature outcome. The developed optimal tree is relatively easy to use and interpret to estimate the average response of veneer temperature.
Efficacy and safety of erenumab in women with a history of menstrual migraine
Authors: Pavlovic Jelena M. , Paemeleire Koen , Göbel Hartmut , Bonner Jo , Rapoport Alan , Kagan Risa , Zhang Feng , Picard Hernan , Mikol Daniel D.
Published: August 2020

Background

We performed a post hoc, subgroup analysis of a phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of erenumab for prevention of episodic migraine (STRIVE) to determine the efficacy and safety of erenumab in women with self-reported menstrual migraine.

Methods

Patients received placebo, erenumab 70 mg, or erenumab 140 mg subcutaneously once monthly during the 6-month double-blind treatment phase of STRIVE. Women who reported history of menstrual migraine and who were ≤ 50 years old were included in the analysis. Endpoints were change from baseline in monthly migraine days (MMD) and monthly acute migraine-specific medication days (MSMD; among patients who took acute migraine-specific medications at baseline), proportion of patients achieving ≥ 50% reduction from baseline in MMD, and incidence of adverse events.

Results

Among 814 women enrolled in STRIVE, 232 (28.5%) reported a history of menstrual migraine and were ≤ 50 years old. Of the 232 patients, 214 (92%) had a baseline MMD > 5, suggesting a high proportion of women with attacks outside of the 5-day perimenstrual window (2 days before and 3 days after the start of menstruation). Information on “migraine days” includes (and does not discriminate between) perimenstrual and intermenstrual migraine attacks. Between-group differences from placebo over months 4–6 for erenumab 70 mg and 140 mg were − 1.8 (P = 0.001) and − 2.1 (P < 0.001) days for MMD and − 1.6 (P = 0.002) and − 2.4 (P < 0.001) days for acute MSMD, respectively. The odds of having a ≥ 50% reduction from baseline in MMD over months 4–6 were 2.2 (P = 0.024) and 2.8 (P = 0.002) times greater for erenumab 70 mg and 140 mg, respectively, than for placebo. Erenumab had an overall safety profile comparable to placebo.

Conclusion

Data from this subgroup analysis of women with menstrual migraine are consistent with data from the overall STRIVE episodic migraine population, supporting the efficacy and safety of erenumab in women who experience menstrual migraine.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02456740. Registered 28 May 2015.