bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Widefield OCT angiography and ultra-widefield multimodal imaging of Susac syndrome
Authors: Giuffrè Chiara , Miserocchi Elisabetta , Marchese Alessandro , Cicinelli Maria Vittoria , Bruschi Elena , Querques Giuseppe , Bandello Francesco M , Modorati Giulio M
Published: April 2019

The aim is to present the changes in ultra-widefield and widefield multimodal imaging, including optical coherence tomography angiography of a 33-year-old woman diagnosed with Susac syndrome, over 1 year of follow-up. Fundus examination and multimodal imaging revealed bilateral arterial occlusion of multiple vascular branches with retinal ischemia. Over 1 year follow-up, best-corrected visual acuity improved while retinal ischemia gradually resolved. Widefield optical coherence tomography angiography showed reperfusion of macular large vessels, but not of the small capillaries. Despite anatomical improvement, functional defects of the visual field persisted. In conclusion, widefield and ultra-widefield imaging provided high-resolution details of the central and peripheral damages in Susac syndrome.
Anterior chamber aqueous flare is not a predictor for surgical closure of full-thickness idiopathic macular holes
Authors: Schaub Friederike , Enders Philip , Scholz Paula , Müther Philipp S , Fauser Sascha , Kirchhof Bernd
Published: April 2019

Purpose:

To investigate the predictive value of preoperative anterior chamber aqueous flare levels measured by laser flare photometry for surgical success of idiopathic macular holes in addition to preoperative anatomic characteristics.

Methods:

Records of 105 consecutive eyes with full-thickness idiopathic macular holes which underwent pars plana vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling and sulfur hexafluoride 20% (SF620%) endotamponade were reviewed retrospectively. All patients underwent preoperative measurements of anterior chamber aqueous flare and anatomical idiopathic macular hole characteristics evaluated by optical coherence tomography: macular hole inner opening diameter, macular hole minimum linear diameter, macular hole base diameter, and macular hole height. Best-corrected visual acuity results were recorded pre- and postoperatively.

Results:

In 17 (16.2%) of 105 eyes primary closure of idiopathic macular hole failed, whereas in 88 eyes (83.8%) closure was achieved. Between both groups, preoperative macular hole minimum linear diameter (p = 0.001) and macular hole inner opening diameter (p = 0.006) were statistically different. Failure rates were significantly lower in eyes with macular hole minimum linear diameter < 400 µm (7.4% vs 32.4%; p = 0.013) and preoperative macular hole minimum linear diameter showed moderate correlation with pre- and postoperative best-corrected visual acuity results (r = 0.512; p < 0.001; r = 0.612; p < 0.001). Mean anterior chamber aqueous flare of 11.5 ± 9.9 pc/ms in eyes with anatomical closure and 11.8 ± 6.4 pc/ms in unclosed cases was comparable (p = 0.28) and did not correlate with anatomical or functional results.

Conclusion:

Eyes with idiopathic macular hole ⩾ 400 µm in size have a significantly higher failure rate following standardized pars plana vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling and SF620% endotamponade. Preoperative macular hole minimum linear diameter and macular hole inner opening diameter seem to be associated with surgical outcome in idiopathic macular hole, whereas anterior chamber aqueous flare level does not provide additional predictive value.
Technical Efficiency of Maternal and Reproductive Health Services in Public Hospitals of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia
Authors: Yitbarek Kiddus , Adamu Ayinengida , Tsega Gebeyehu , Siraneh Yibeltal , Erchafo Belay , Yewhalaw Delenasaw , Tekle Firew , Woldie Mirkuzie
Published: April 2019

As the Ethiopian health system faced critical resource constraints, wise use of the available health resources is a priority agenda. Therefore, our study aimed to assess technical efficiency of maternal and reproductive health services in public hospitals of Oromia regional state, Ethiopia. Two-stage data envelopment analysis was performed among 14 hospitals with input orientation and variable returns to scale assumptions. Technical efficiency scores were computed at the first stage, and predictors were determined using Tobit regression at the second stage. The assessment revealed that 12 (85.7%) hospitals were pure technical efficient and 9 (64.29%) hospitals were scale efficient. Level (primary/general) (β = 1.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.16-2.18), service years (β = 0.02, 95% CI = 0.003-0.03), and size of catchment population (β = 5.58E–07, 95% CI = 2.95E–08 to 1.09E–06) were positively associated with technical efficiency of maternal and reproductive health service, whereas average waiting time for maternal health service (β = –0.03, 95% CI = –0.05 to −0.01) was negatively associated with efficiency. In conclusion, most of the hospitals were technically efficient and around two-thirds were operating scale efficient. Allocation of more resources to older secondary hospitals with larger catchment population could result in more efficient use of resources for maternal and reproductive health service delivery.
Pregnancy outcomes in patients with multiple sclerosis treated with teriflunomide: Clinical study data and 5 years of post-marketing experience
Authors: Vukusic Sandra , Coyle Patricia K , Jurgensen Stephanie , Truffinet Philippe , Benamor Myriam , Afsar Salman , Purvis Annie , Poole Elizabeth M , Chambers Christina
Published: April 2019

Background:

Teriflunomide is contraindicated in pregnancy. Some pregnancies have occurred despite guidance to use effective contraception.

Objectives:

To report outcomes of pregnancies occurring in teriflunomide clinical trials and the post-marketing setting.

Methods:

Outcomes are summarized for pregnancies in teriflunomide monotherapy clinical trials and the post-marketing setting (data cutoff: December 2017).

Results:

Of 437 confirmed teriflunomide-exposed pregnancies, 222 had known outcomes (70 from clinical trials; 152 from the post-marketing setting); 161 were reported prospectively and 61 retrospectively. There were 107 (48.2%) live births, 63 (28.4%) elective abortions, 47 (21.2%) spontaneous abortions, 3 (1.4%) ectopic pregnancies, 1 (0.5%) stillbirth, and 1 (0.5%) maternal death leading to fetal death. Four birth defects were reported among cases with known pregnancy outcome: ureteropyeloectasia (only defect considered major); congenital hydrocephalus; ventricular septal defect; and malformation of right foot valgus. A case of cystic hygroma was identified on antenatal ultrasound (pregnancy outcome unknown). One elective abortion followed prenatal diagnosis of fetal anomaly (blighted ovum). The risk of major birth defects in prospectively reported live birth/stillbirth outcomes was 3.6% (1/28) in clinical trials and 0.0% (0/51) in post-marketing reports.

Conclusions:

Outcomes were consistent with the general population. Current human data do not indicate a teratogenic signal in teriflunomide-exposed pregnancies.
Paediatric tele-emergency care: A study of two delivery models
Authors: Weigel Paula A , Merchant Kimberly AS , Wittrock Amy , Kissee Jamie , Ullrich Fred , Bell Amanda L , Marcin James P , Ward Marcia M
Published: April 2019

Introduction

Tele-emergency models have been utilized for decades, with growing evidence of their effectiveness. Due to the variety of tele-emergency department (tele-ED) models used in practice, however, it is challenging to build standardized metrics for ongoing evaluation. This study describes two tele-ED programs, one specialized and one general, that provide care to paediatric populations. Through an examination of model structures and patient populations, we gain insight into how evaluative measures should reflect tele-ED model design and purpose.

Methods

Qualitative descriptions of the two tele-ED models are presented. We show a retrospective cohort analysis describing paediatric patients’ key characteristics, reasons for visit, and disposition status by case/control status. Case/control patient encounter data were collected October 2015 through December 2017, from 15 spoke hospitals within each tele-ED program.

Results

The two tele-ED models serve distinct paediatric populations, and measures of tele-ED utilization and disposition reflect those differences. In the specialized University of California (UC) Davis Health program, tele-ED was utilized in 36% of paediatric critical care encounters and 78% of those were transferred. In the Avera eCARE program, tele-ED was activated in 1.7% of paediatric encounters and 50.6% of those were transferred. When Avera eCARE paediatric encounters were stratified by severity, measures of tele-ED use and disposition status among high-severity encounters were more similar to UC Davis Health.

Discussion

This study describes how design choices of tele-ED models have implications for evaluative measures. Measures of tele-ED model success need to reflect model purpose, populations served, and for whom tele-ED service use is appropriate.
Ethical issues arising in the provision of medical interventions for gender diverse children and adolescents
Authors: Wren Bernadette
Published: April 2019

The care of children and adolescents whose experience of the body is at odds with their gender feelings raises a number of questions that are as much ethical as medical or psychological. In this article I highlight some areas of ethical concern from the point of view of a senior clinician at the nationally commissioned UK Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS). I make the assumption that ethical deliberation is relational and grounded in the natural, social, political and institutional worlds in which the ethical questions arise. I try to show how matters of empirical fact, alongside an appreciation of broad social contexts, and historic and current power relations, provide an essential framework for the ways that ethical choices are framed by key groups of people as they take up different, sometimes opposing, ethical positions. I argue that practising ethically in such a service is not helpfully reduced to a single event, a treatment decision aimed at achieving the morally ‘right’ outcome, but an extended process in time. In the charged debate surrounding the recognition of these young people’s needs, we must do more to promote responsible debate about the scope of sound ethical practice.
Understanding more about how young people make sense of their siblings changing gender identity: How this might affect their relationships with their gender-diverse siblings and their experiences
Authors: Wheeler Nicola L , Langton Trilby , Lidster Elizabeth , Dallos Rudi
Published: April 2019

The gender roles and identity of siblings have been found to be an important factor in the nature and quality of sibling relationships. With an increasing number of young people identifying as gender-diverse or transgender, this research aimed to develop a greater understanding of how young people make sense of their siblings’ gender diversity. Semi-structured interviews explored the experiences of eight sibling participants (aged 11–25 years) who have a sibling identifying as gender-diverse. Five overarching themes emerged from the thematic analysis of their transcribed interviews. These themes encapsulated commonalities and nuances within the sibling participants’ experiences and revealed a process of adjustment. Developing an increased understanding of transgender issues appeared to enable young people to embrace supportive roles, and as a consequence, they reported that their relationships with their gender-diverse siblings were enhanced. However, the sibling participants’ increased understanding of transgender issues also generated significant fears and concerns about their siblings’ well-being and their sibling relationships. From understanding more about these eight young people’s experiences, suggestions are given for how specialist services might best support siblings of gender-diverse young people along their processes of adjustment.
Gender dysphoria in adolescent population: A 5-year replication study
Authors: Kaltiala-Heino Riittakerttu , Työläjärvi Marja , Lindberg Nina
Published: April 2019

The aim of this study was to explore whether there has been an increase in prevalence and changes in sex ratio in feelings of gender dysphoria (GD) in an adolescent population in Northern Europe, and to study the impact of invalid responding on this topic. We replicated an earlier survey among junior high school students in Tampere, Finland. All first and second year students, aged 16–18, in the participating schools were invited to respond to an anonymous classroom survey on gender experience during the 2012–2013 school year and in the spring and autumn terms of 2017. Gender identity/GD was measured using the GIDYQ-A. A total of 318 male and 401 female youth participated in 2012–2013, and 326 male and 701 female youth in 2017. In the earlier survey, the GIDYQ-A scores, both among males and females, were strongly skewed toward a cis-gender experience with very narrow interquartile ranges. Of males, 2.2%, and of females, 0.5% nevertheless reported possibly clinically significant GD. The 2017 GIDYQ-A distribution was similarly skewed. The proportion of those reporting potentially clinically significant GD was 3.6% among males and 2.3% among females. Validity screening proved to have a considerable impact on conclusions. GD seems to have increased in prevalence in the adolescent population.
Participation as Inclusion and Exclusion: Policing the Boundaries of “Citizenship” in Roma Health Mediation
Authors: Kühlbrandt Charlotte
Published: April 2019

Participatory health interventions have long been advocated as an approach to help marginalised community members exercise their rights as citizens, including access to health care. More than two decades ago, the Roma health mediation programme was established in Romania as a participatory community health intervention. Mediators are employed specifically to act as intermediaries between ‘Roma patients’ and local authorities or health professionals, with the overall aim to increase trust and improve access to health care. Based on data gathered during a year of ethnographic fieldwork with Roma health mediators in Romania, including participant observation and interviews, this article analyses the social processes by which participatory approaches produce both social inclusion and exclusion. It illustrates how mediators exceeded their remit of health and attempted to discipline communities into forms of neoliberal citizenship. Mediators reframed access to health care not as a right that community members already have, but as a benefit that must be individually ‘earned’ through the fulfilment of neoliberal citizenship. The article argues that far from being an ‘empowering tool’, community participation can extend the power of governing institutions and thereby may in fact contribute to the maintenance of a political status quo that perpetuates the precarisation of marginalised communities.
Do Young People Adapt Their Prosocial Behaviour to That of Their Peers? An Experimental Exploration
Authors: Salgado Mauricio , Vásquez Alejandra , Yáñez Alejandra
Published: April 2019

Moral decisions – that is, decisions that consider the consequences for the welfare of others – can be highly inconsistent across contexts. Here, we explore whether the altruism of young people is related to their willingness to cooperate with others, even in groups comprising non-reciprocating peers. Using the distinction between normative and cognitive expectations, we address this topic conducting several lab-in-the-field experiments with high-school students who played the dictator and linear public good games. We found that the altruism of young people in the dictator game and cooperation in the public good game were related, but only in the first rounds of the public good game. This indicates that young people orient their prosocial behaviour based on cognitive expectations, that is, they consider the information they receive regarding the free riding behaviour of peers and adapt their own. Nonetheless, young people who demonstrated high altruism tended to cooperate unconditionally, regardless of whether they belonged to a cooperative or uncooperative group, and despite disappointments. Finally, self-regarding young people were less likely to defect among cooperative peers. Therefore, group characteristics provide the boundary conditions for the consistency of the prosocial behaviour of young people. Some conceptual and policy implications are discussed.
Assessing mental health signals among sexual and gender minorities using Twitter data
Authors: Zhao Yunpeng , Guo Yi , He Xing , Wu Yonghui , Yang Xi , Prosperi Mattia , Jin Yanghua , Bian Jiang
Published: April 2019

Sexual and gender minorities face extreme challenges that breed stigma with alarming consequences damaging their mental health. Nevertheless, sexual and gender minority people and their mental health needs remain little understood. Because of stigma, sexual and gender minorities are often unwilling to self-identify themselves as sexual and gender minorities when asked. However, social media have become popular platforms for health-related researches. We first explored methods to find sexual and gender minorities through their self-identifying tweets, and further classified them into 11 sexual and gender minority subgroups. We then analyzed mental health signals extracted from these sexual and gender minorities’ Twitter timelines using a lexicon-based analysis method. We found that (1) sexual and gender minorities expressed more negative feelings, (2) the difference between sexual and gender minority and non-sexual and gender minority people is shrinking after 2015, (3) there are differences among sexual and gender minorities lived in different geographic regions, (4) sexual and gender minorities lived in states with sexual and gender minority-related protection laws and policies expressed more positive emotions, and (5) sexual and gender minorities expressed different levels of mental health signals across different sexual and gender minority subgroups.
Work–life balance in media newsrooms
Authors: Snyder Irene , Johnson Kirsten , Kozimor-King Michele Lee
Published: April 2019

This research examined work–life balance in media newsrooms. A total of 50 in-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with individuals currently employed in US newsrooms of varying market sizes including small and medium market television stations, such as KCAU (Sioux City, IA), WHTM (Harrisburg, PA), WGAL (Lancaster County, PA), NBC12 (Richmond, VA), NY1 (News York, NY), and WNBC (New York, NY); regional newspapers, such as Lancaster Newspapers and the York Daily Record; and national news organizations, such as The New York Times, CNN, ABC, and FOX. Results indicate that males had more difficulty separating work and life than females. However, females reported more positive work-to-family spillover than males. Those working in both print and television newsrooms stated that digital technology further impeded their ability to adequately balance work and family life.
Classic soccer shoes: From an informal to a formal business start-up
Authors: Adams Pamela , Burd Patrick
Published: April 2019

What young athlete playing any major sport has not dreamed of turning his or her passion into a business? However, finding a sustainable niche in the sports industry is not easy. This case describes the story of one young athlete in the United States who turned his hobby of collecting classic soccer shoes into a business that, to date, has earned him enough money to support his university education. The case study analyses the transition from selling small quantities of shoes over the Internet (micro entrepreneurship in the informal economy) to setting up a formal business. The case also discusses the challenges of growth from a start-up into a small business with a sustainable business model. It is an exciting case for university students since it is a real story concerning a student athlete. The case ends with a dilemma about what the founder should do with the business once he graduates from the university.
A two-zone reaction-based combustion model for a spark-ignition engine
Authors: Li Ruixue C , Zhu Guoming G , Men Yifan
Published: April 2019

This article presents a control-oriented two-zone reaction-based zero-dimensional model to accurately describe the combustion process of a spark-ignited engine for real-time simulations, and the developed model will be used for model-based control design and validation. A two-zone modeling approach is adopted, where the combustion chamber is divided into the burned (reaction) and unburned (pre-mixed) zones. The mixture thermodynamic properties and individual chemical species in two zones are taken into account in the modeling process. Instead of using the conventional pre-determined Wiebe-based combustion model, a two-step chemical reaction model is utilized to predict the combustion process along with important thermodynamic parameters such as the mass-fraction-burned, in-cylinder pressure, temperatures, and individual species mass changes in both zones. Sensitivities of model parameters are analyzed during the model calibration process. As a result, one set of calibration parameters is used to predict combustion characteristics over all engine operating conditions studied in this article, which is the major advantage of the proposed method. Also, the proposed modeling approach is capable of modeling the combustion process under different air-to-fuel ratios, ignition timings, and exhaust-gas-recirculation rates for real-time simulations. As the by-product of the model, engine knock can also be predicted based on the Arrhenius integral in the unburned zone, which is valuable for model-based knock control. The proposed combustion model is intensively validated using the experimental data with a peak relative prediction error of 6.2% for the in-cylinder pressure.
Mechanistic and energetic studies of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles as a cyclophosphamide anticancer drug nanocarrier: A quantum mechanical approach
Authors: Mozayyeni Neda , Morsali Ali , Bozorgmehr Mohammad Reza , Beyramabadi Safar Ali
Published: April 2019

Using Fe6(OH)18(H2O)6 as a ring cluster model for superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, noncovalent configurations and three mechanisms of covalent functionalization of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with cyclophosphamide an anticancer drug were studied. Quantum molecular descriptors, solvation, and binding energies of noncovalent interactions were investigated the in gas and solution phases at the B3LYP and M06-2X density functional levels. In the vicinity of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, the reactivity of the drug increases, showing cyclophosphamide can probably bind to superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles through Cl ( k1 mechanism), P=O ( k2 mechanism), and NH in a six-membered ring ( k3 mechanism) groups. The activation parameters of all pathways were calculated, indicating the high barriers related to the k1 and k2 mechanisms are higher the barrier related to the k3 mechanism. The k3 mechanism is also spontaneous and exothermic and is therefore the preferred mechanism for covalent functionalization.
Benefits of Peer Review on Students’ Writing
Authors: Yalch Matthew M. , Vitale Erika M. , Kevin Ford J.
Published: April 2019

Writing has long been recognized as both an outcome and method of successful pedagogy in psychology. Accordingly, there are a number of methods that successful instructors have employed to teach psychology students how to write. One such method is to facilitate students’ reviewing each other’s written work (i.e., to engage in peer review), although the research on this as an efficacious classroom intervention has thus far been limited. In this study we examine the benefits of implementing student reviews of peers’ written work in a senior-level undergraduate psychology course ( N = 59). Results suggest that the more critical students were of their peers’ writing, the higher their grades were on their own writing, an effect that persisted when controlling for grades on previous written assignments and the effect of feedback received from peers on their written work. These findings extend previous research on the effect of student peer reviewing and highlight the utility of implementing peer review in the psychology classroom.
Mechanical, thermo-mechanical and thermal characteristics of multi-walled carbon nanotubes-added textile-reinforced composites
Authors: Sezgin Hande , Mishra Rajesh , Militky Jiri , Berk Berkalp Omer
Published: April 2019

The influence of adding different types of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on mechanical (tensile strength and impact strength), thermo-mechanical (storage modulus, loss modulus and damping factor) and thermal properties (thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry analysis) of fabric-reinforced polyester-based composite structures are analyzed in this study. Jute, E-glass and carbon fabrics are preferred as the reinforcement materials. Four-plied fabric-reinforced composites are fabricated using vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding technique. Results indicate that adding different types of multi-walled carbon nanotubes have increasing effect on mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties of composite structures; however, they have barely effect on thermal properties. Pristine multi-walled carbon nanotube-added specimens show higher mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties compared to functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube-added samples.
Efficacy and Limitations of rCBF-SPECT in the Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease With Amyloid-PET
Authors: Takahashi Miwako , Tada Tomoko , Nakamura Tomomi , Koyama Keitaro , Momose Toshimitsu
Published: April 2019

This study aimed to assess efficacy and limitations of regional cerebral blood flow imaging using single-photon emission computed tomography (rCBF-SPECT) in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) with amyloid-positron emission tomography (amyloid-PET). Thirteen patients, who underwent both rCBF-SPECT and amyloid-PET after clinical diagnosis of AD or mild cognitive impairment, were retrospectively identified. The rCBF-SPECTs were classified into 4 grades, from typical AD pattern to no AD pattern of hypoperfusion; amyloid-beta (Aβ) positivity was assessed by amyloid-PET. Four patients were categorized into a typical AD pattern on rCBF-SPECT, and all were Aβ+. The other 9 patients did not exhibit a typical AD pattern; however, 4 were Aβ+. The Mini-Mental State Examination score and Clinical Dementia Rating scale were not significantly different between Aβ+ and Aβ– patients. A typical AD pattern on rCBF-SPECT can reflect Aβ+; however, if not, rCBF-SPECT has a limitation to predict amyloid pathology.
Research on double span rotor system driven by motorized spindle with coupling misalignment
Authors: Chen Fei , Bai Fengrui , Chen Chao , Wang Song , Zhang Heng
Published: April 2019

This article is based on the spindle reliability test bench, which carries out a thorough study on the rotor system misalignment. Misalignment is one of the most common malfunctions in the rotor system, which seriously affects its reliability. When misalignment occurs, the diaphragm group will deform to compensate for the misalignment between the driving shaft and the driven shaft, but the deformation will generate additional load. When the degree of misalignment is more serious, the additional load will affect the stability of the test bench. Due to lack of research on diaphragm couplings, there is no concrete formula of additional load caused by misalignment. In this article, the mechanism of additional load is expounded, which is based on the force and deformation analysis method. And the formulas of deformation in different misalignment conditions are deduced. Through the combination of Workbench simulation and experimental verification, the axial stiffness and radial stiffness of the diaphragm coupling are solved, and the formulas of the additional load are derived. The misalignment characteristic signals are analyzed theoretically, and the monitoring system of misalignment characteristic signals is established. Through experiments, we study the characteristics and influence of the misalignment error value in various misalignment conditions.
Dynamics of a kind of stochastic SIRS models with two different nonlinear incidences
Authors: Huang Jiabing , Huang Nantian , Wei Yuming , Liu Yongjian
Published: April 2019

A new kind of stochastic SIRS models with two different nonlinear incidences are extended. The obtained results can be expressed in two dimensions. In mathematics, the threshold values [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] which ensure permanent or extinct disease are presented, respectively. More concretely, when [Formula: see text], the two diseases are persistence in mean. When [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text], the two diseases will either be extinct or be permanent, respectively. What’s more interesting is the numerical results which show that the two diseases go to extinction at a large time, when [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Furthermore, the sufficient conditions for the diseases that are extinct and permanent are given. In addition, the stochastic boundedness of the model is investigated. Epidemiologically, we can conclude that large noise fluctuations can effectively prevent the outbreak of disease, which can supply us beneficial methods to control the spreading of two diseases. Finally, a few numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate and verify the findings obtained.
Mobile robot path planning in dynamic environment based on cuckoo optimization algorithm
Authors: Hosseininejad Seyedhadi , Dadkhah Chitra
Published: April 2019

Nowadays, the usage of autonomous mobile robots that fulfill various activities in enormous number of applications without human’s interference in a dynamic environment are thriving. A dynamic environment is the robot’s environment which is comprised of some static obstacles as well as several movable obstacles that their quantity and location change randomly through the time. Efficient path planning is one the significant necessities of these kind of robots to do their tasks effectively. Mobile robot path planning in a dynamic environment is finding a shortest possible path from an arbitrary starting point toward a desired goal point which needs to be safe (obstacle avoidance) and smooth as well as possible. To achieve this target, simultaneously satisfying a collection of certain constraints including the shortest, smooth, and collision free path is required. Therefore, this issue can be considered as an optimization problem, consequently solved via optimization algorithms. In this article, a new method based on cuckoo optimization algorithm is proposed for solving the mobile robot path planning problem in a dynamic environment. Furthermore, to diminish the computational complexity, the feature vector is also optimized (i.e. reduced in dimension) via a new proposed technique. The simulation results show the performance of proposed algorithm in finding a short, safe, smooth, and collision free path in different environment conditions.
Fractional-order fuzzy adaptive controller design for uncertain robotic manipulators
Authors: Deng Yanping
Published: April 2019

A sliding mode adaptive fractional fuzzy control is provided in this article to achieve the trajectory tracking control of uncertain robotic manipulators. By adaptive fractional fuzzy control, we mean that fuzzy parameters are updated through fractional-order adaptation laws. The main idea of this work consists in using fractional input to control complex integer-order nonlinear systems. An adaptive fractional fuzzy control that guarantees tracking errors tend to an arbitrary small region is established. To facilitate the stability analysis, fractional-order integral Lyapunov functions are proposed, and the integer-order Lyapunov stability criterion is used. Finally, simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Advanced motions for hexapods
Authors: Cheah Wei , Khalili Hassan Hakim , Arvin Farshad , Green Peter , Watson Simon , Lennox Barry
Published: April 2019

Advanced motions, which utilize footholds on walls, offer considerably more opportunities for hexapods in accessing confined environment. However, there has been no research on the practical application of such motions on a hexapod. These motions are kinematically viable for the standard hexapod design with three degrees of freedom per leg but the joint requirements have yet to be identified. This article presents the motion analysis for two forms of advanced motion, wall walking and chimney walking, to study the joint requirement for executing such motions. The analysis has been verified through a series of experiments demonstrating that a hexapod with a standard design is capable of executing advanced motions.
Learner-centered teaching in a university-based coach education: First attempts through action research inquiry
Authors: Milistetd Michel , Salles William das Neves , Backes Ana Flávia , Mesquita Isabel , Nascimento Juarez Vieira do
Published: April 2019

A recent call for coach education highlights that the programs could become more learner-centered. Thus, the aim of this study is to provide an overview of the learner-centered teaching operationalization in a university-based coach education program. Using an action research approach, a Sports Pedagogy course was organized through five learner-centered teaching principles over one semester. Participants were a facilitator, a critical friend, and six students. Reflective journals, reflective conversations, and focus groups were used as data sources. Results showed that through different learning strategies based on collaboration and reflection, students were able to expand their understanding of sports coaching, and also to perceive themselves in the coach's role. Action research was a valuable approach to reflect as teachers, highlighting not only the teaching process but the need to understand and “change” (when possible) the learning environment. It is suggested that, to introduce the learner-centered teaching approach, a deep understanding of the institution's culture of learning is required to address meaningful material and support learners' engagement.
Computational study on the aerodynamics of a long-shrouded contra-rotating rotor in hover
Authors: Huo Chao , Lv Peng , Sun Anbang
Published: April 2019

This paper aims to investigate the aerodynamics including the global performance and flow characteristics of a long-shrouded contra-rotating rotor by developing a full 3D RANS computation. Through validations by current experiments on the same shrouded contra-rotating rotor, the computation using sliding mesh method and the computational zone with an extended nozzle downstream flow field effectively works; the time-averaged solution of the unsteady computation reveals that more uniform flow presents after the downstream rotor, which implies that the rear rotor rotating at opposite direction greatly compensates and reduces the wake; the unsteady computations further explore the flow field throughout the whole system, along the span and around blade tips. Complex flow patterns including the vortices and their interactions are indicated around the blade roots and tips. For further identifying rotor configurations, the rotor–rotor distance and switching two rotor speeds were studied. The computation reveals that setting the second rotor backwards decreases the wake scale but increases its intensity in the downstream nozzle zone. However, for the effect of switching speeds, computations cannot precisely solve the flow when the rear rotor under the windmill because of the upstream rotor rotating much faster than the other one. All the phenomena from computations well implement the experimental observations.
How cars became mobile spatial media: A geographical political economy of on-board navigation
Authors: Alvarez Leon Luis F.
Published: April 2019

While cars, by definition and necessity, have always been (auto)mobile, they are not often considered, or studied, as media. In light of this, the present article seeks to elucidate the technological, political, and economic forces that have converged to transform cars into mobile spatial media. This article provides a framework to contextualize the nodal role of navigation in creating the conditions for a large-scale disruption in automobile technologies with potentially far-reaching impacts: autonomous navigation. The arguments at the core of this article bring together, and build on, recent theoretical developments in (a) locative media, (b) automobiles as mobile media, and (c) new mapping technologies, practices, and spatial media to provide a coherent perspective of cars as mobile spatial media. Informed by a geographical political economy of navigation, this perspective contributes to our understanding of cars in the context of digital and informational capitalism as these vehicles undergo qualitative transformations catalyzed by increased digital interconnections and comprehensive automation.
Transcatheter retrieval of Amplatzer Septal Occluder device embolized into the abdominal aorta
Authors: Filippone Gianfranco , La Barbera Gaetano , Valentino Fabrizio , Ocello Salvatore , Talarico Francesco
Published: April 2019

The use of Amplatzer Septal Occluder device has become an alternative to surgical procedure in selected group of patients affected by atrial septal defect. Percutaneous closure of atrial septal defect has emerged as a low morbidity procedure but, at the same time, showed various complications associated to the device itself. Although embolization to the abdominal aorta is only sporadic reported, it could represent a potential vascular disaster and usually is treated by surgery. Herein, we report on the fourth, in English literature, successfully total transcatheter retrieval of an Amplatzer Septal Occluder device complicated by acute embolization into the abdominal aorta and propose a practical endovascular manoeuvre to address disc removal.
Unusual use of a common skin flap for a large cutaneous defect following Mohs surgery for lentigo maligna of the cheek: A case report
Authors: Morand Meggie , Nantel-Battista Mélissa
Published: April 2019

The bilobed flap is most often used for the reconstruction of small cutaneous defect of the nose. Under certain circumstances, it can also be useful in the reconstruction of much larger defects of the face. Our objective is to report a case of bilobed flap reconstruction in a patient with a large defect of the zygomatic cheek following a Mohs micrographic surgery for lentigo maligna.
MiR-516a-5p inhibits the proliferation of non-small cell lung cancer by targeting HIST3H2A
Authors: Ye Xiang-Yun , Xu Ling , Lu Shun , Chen Zhi-Wei
Published: April 2019

The dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) is associated with the pathogenesis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the mechanisms by which miR-516a-5p contributes to NSCLC remain unclear. The association between miR-516a-5p expression and the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in patients with NSCLC was analyzed by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data set. The targets of miR-516a-5p were identified by bioinformatic analysis and luciferase report assay. MTT and soft agar assays were conducted to investigate the function of miR-516a-5p in NSCLC cells. We found that the expression of miR-516a-5p was decreased in NSCLC tissues and associated with the age, pathological stage, and tumor size, acting as an independent prognostic factor of tumor recurrence in patients with NSCLC. Restoration of miR-516a-5p inhibited the cell viability and anchorage-independent growth of NSCLC cells, but its inhibitor had the opposite effects. Histone cluster 3 H2A (HIST3H2A) was further identified as a direct target of miR-516a-5p and displayed a negative correlation with miR-516a-5p expression in NSCLC tissues. Overexpression of HIST3H2A reversed the anti-proliferation effects induced by miR-516a-5p and acted as an independent prognostic factor of poor survival in patients with NSCLC. Altogether, our findings demonstrate that miR-516a-5p may function as a tumor suppressive factor in NSCLC cells by targeting HIST3H2A and might represent a potential indicator of tumor recurrence in patients with NSCLC.
Common variable immunodeficiency patients display elevated plasma levels of granulocyte activation markers elastase and myeloperoxidase
Authors: Litzman Jiří , Chovancová Zita , Bejdák Petr , Litzman Marek , Hel Zdeněk , Vlková Marcela
Published: April 2019

Common variable immunodeficiency disorders (CVIDs) represent a group of primary immunodeficiency diseases characterized by hypogammaglobulinemia and dysfunctional immune response to invading pathogens. Previous studies have indicated that CVID is associated with microbial translocation and systemic myeloid cell activation.

The goal of this study was to determine whether patients with CVID display elevated systemic levels of markers of granulocyte activation and whether the levels are further influenced by intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) infusions. The plasma levels of granulocyte activation markers elastase and myeloperoxidase were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 46 CVID patients and 44 healthy controls. All CVID patients were in a stable state with no apparent acute infection. In addition, granulocyte activation markers’ plasma levels in 24 CVID patients were determined prior to and 1 h following IVIg administration. Neutrophil elastase and myeloperoxidase plasma levels were significantly higher in CVID patients than in healthy controls. Systemic elastase levels were further increased following IVIg administration. In vitro stimulation of 13 CVID patients’ whole blood using IVIg in a therapeutically relevant dose for 2 h resulted in a significant increase in plasma elastase levels compared to unstimulated blood. The data presented here indicate that CVID is associated with chronic granulocytic activation which is further exacerbated by administering IVIg. Increased myeloperoxidase and elastase levels may contribute to associated comorbidities in CVID patients.
Autoimmune thyroid disease following treatment with alemtuzumab for multiple sclerosis
Authors: Alamo Angela , Condorelli Rosita A , La Vignera Sandro , Calogero Aldo E
Published: April 2019

Alemtuzumab, an anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody, is effective in the treatment of relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Common adverse effects include the development of autoimmune diseases, and Graves’ disease is one of the most frequent presentations. We report here a case of alemtuzumab-induced thyroid disease in a female patient who showed a phase of thyrotoxicosis with positive anti-thyroglobulin (anti-Tg) and anti–thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies, but a negative TSH receptor antibody, spontaneously followed by hypothyroidism. The aim is to illustrate the clinical presentation, evaluation over time, and the possibility to consider a conservative management up to the spontaneous resolution of the thyrotoxicosis. All these are intended to emphasize the importance of pretreatment screening and follow-up in the management of treatment with alemtuzumab.
Assessment of Perceived Risks of Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Screening Among Women in Five Selected Local Governments in Ogun State, Nigeria
Authors: Allo T. A. , Edewor P. A. , Imhonopi D.
Published: April 2019

This study examined the perceived risks of breast cancer (BC) and its influence on the BC screening behavior of 992 women residing in rural, urban, and semi-urban communities in five randomly selected local government areas (LGAs) in Ogun State, Nigeria. The article attempts to examine women’s perception of BC risk and how this may influence their behavioral disposition to breast screening. Cross-sectional survey and in-depth interviews were utilized to elicit quantitative and qualitative data from respondents. It was found that, although a positive association exists between risk perception of BC and BC screening attendance (β = .411), the association is not statistically significant: p = .204, 95% CI = [0.800, 2.841]. Women’s screening behavior is thus not determined by perceived risks, but are rather determined by religious and socio-cultural beliefs in the study area. The socio-cultural milieu and religious idiosyncrasies of women may be considered when developing interventions to encourage mammography screening.
A Phonological Analysis of English Loanwords Inflected With Arabic Morphemes in Urban Jordanian Spoken Arabic
Authors: Zibin Aseel
Published: April 2019

This article tackles a phenomenon in Urban Jordanian Arabic (UJA) where young individuals (mainly females) in Amman, the capital of Jordan, add the Arabic suffix - ɪk, which is glossed as second female singular or as a possessive pronoun, to English loanwords to sound more “modern,” for example, “I love you” becomes [lʌvvɪk]. Through examining the data, two initial hypotheses were formalized, namely, when the Arabic suffix - ɪk is added to English monosyllabic words which have a short vowel in the nucleus (e.g., love), the coda is geminated. However, if the word is disyllabic (e.g., mobile) or monosyllabic, but has a long vowel (e.g., juice) or a diphthong (e.g., face) in the nucleus, no gemination occurs. This article analyzes this phenomenon based on hierarchical syllable structure, metrical phonology, and optimality theory.
Positive Affect as a Buffer Between Chronic Stress and Symptom Severity of Emotional Disorders
Authors: Sewart Amy R. , Zbozinek Tomislav D. , Hammen Constance , Zinbarg Richard E. , Mineka Susan , Craske Michelle G.
Published: April 2019

Research has demonstrated that stressors play a critical role in the development of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), and major depressive disorder (MDD). Separately, deficits in positive affect (PA) have been identified in GAD, SAD, and MDD. Whereas previous research has linked the buffering effects of PA in chronic illness, such effects have yet to be investigated for chronic stressors and emotional disorder–related symptom severity. The purpose of the present study was to examine PA as a moderator of chronic interpersonal and noninterpersonal stress on GAD, SAD, and MDD symptom severity. Using a multilevel statistical approach with a sample of adolescents and young adults ( N = 463), PA was found to moderate significantly the relationship between chronic interpersonal stress and symptom severity for MDD and SAD. Findings suggest that in times of chronic interpersonal stress, higher PA may serve as a buffer from development of SAD and MDD symptoms.