bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients With Aortic Stenosis and Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Patel Krishna K. , Shah Shailee Y. , Arrigain Susana , Jolly Stacey , Schold Jesse D. , Navaneethan Sankar D. , Griffin Brian P. , Nally Joseph V. , Desai Milind Y. 
Published: January 2019

Background

We sought to study longer term survival in patients with aortic stenosis (
AS
) and nondialysis chronic kidney disease (
CKD
).

Methods and Results

We studied 839 patients (aged 78±9 years and 51% male) with
CKD
and
AS
on echocardiogram from 2005 to 2012. Longer term all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality was compared with a
CKD
group without
AS
, propensity matched for age, sex, race, left ventricular ejection fraction and
CKD
stage. Cox models were used to evaluate all‐cause mortality and competing‐risks regression models censored at time of aortic valve replacement to evaluate cardiac mortality in patients with
AS
and
CKD
. Overall, 511 (61%), 252 (30%), and 76 (9%) patients had
CKD
stages 3a, 3b, and 4, respectively; 93% had hypertension, 28% had diabetes mellitus, and 37% had coronary artery disease. In total, 185 (22%) had mild AS, 355 (42%) had moderate AS, and 299 (36%) had severe
AS
(66 symptomatic). Patients with
CKD
and
AS
had higher cardiac and all‐cause mortality compared with controls with
CKD
and no
AS
(
P
<0.001). Among patients with
AS
and
CKD
, there were 156 (19%) aortic valve replacements and 454 (54%) deaths (203 cardiac deaths) at 4.0±2.3 years of follow‐up. Lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (hazard ratio per 10 mL/min per 1.73 m
2
: 1.18; 95% CI, 1.08–1.29) was associated with increased risk of all‐cause mortality but not cardiac mortality (hazard ratio: 1.12; 95% CI, 0.97–1.30;
P
=0.13). Of patients undergoing aortic valve replacement, 61% had improvement in estimated glomerular filtration rate within 1 year (median percentage change=+2.8% per month).

Conclusions

Among patients with nondialysis
CKD
,
AS
is associated with significantly higher cardiac and all‐cause mortality; lower estimated glomerular filtration rate is associated with increased mortality, and aortic valve replacement was associated with improved survival.
Periprocedural Changes of NT‐proBNP Are Associated With Survival After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation
Authors: Seoudy Hatim , Frank Johanne , Neu Markus , Güßefeld Nathalie , Klaus Yannic , Freitag‐Wolf Sandra , Lambers Moritz , Lutter Georg , Dempfle Astrid , Rangrez Ashraf Yusuf , Kuhn Christian , Frey Norbert , Frank Derk 
Published: January 2019

Background
Cardiovascular biomarkers constitute promising tools for improved risk stratification and prediction of outcome in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation. We examined the association of periprocedural changes of NT‐proBNP (N‐terminal pro–B‐type natriuretic peptide) with survival after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Methods and Results

NT‐proBNP levels were measured in 704 patients before transcatheter aortic valve implantation and at discharge. Patients were grouped as
responders
and
nonresponders
depending on an NT‐proBNP–based ratio (postprocedural NT‐proBNP at discharge/preprocedural NT‐proBNP). Overall, 376 of 704 patients showed a postprocedural decrease in NT‐proBNP levels (NT‐proBNP ratio <1). Responders and nonresponders differed significantly regarding median preprocedural (2822 versus 1187 pg/mL,
P
<0.001) and postprocedural (1258 versus 3009 pg/mL,
P
<0.001) NT‐proBNP levels. Patients in the nonresponder group showed higher prevalence of atrial fibrillation (47.0% versus 39.4%,
P
=0.042), arterial hypertension (94.2% versus 87.5%,
P
=0.002), renal impairment (77.4% versus 69.1%,
P
=0.013), and peripheral artery disease (24.4% versus 14.6%,
P
=0.001). In contrast, patients in the responder group had higher prevalence of moderately reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (17.3% versus 11.0%,
P
=0.017), lower calculated aortic valve area (0.7 versus 0.8 cm
2
,
P
<0.001), and higher mean pressure gradient (41 versus 35 mm Hg,
P
<0.001). Median follow‐up was 22.6 months. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed a highly significant survival benefit for the responder group compared with the nonresponder group (log‐rank test,
P
<0.001).

Conclusions
A ratio based on periprocedural changes of NT‐proBNP is a simple tool for better risk stratification and is associated with survival in patients after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.
Comparison of TOF-MRA and silent scan-MRA in depicting cerebral arteries in patients with Moyamoya disease
Authors: Tomura Noriaki , Kokubun Mika , Horiuchi Kazuomi , Watanabe Zenichiro 
Published: January 2019

Background Silent scan magnetic resonance angiography (silent-MRA) as an arterial spin labeling technique offering sound reduction is insensitive to saturation effect. Time-of-flight (TOF)-MRA has limitations in terms of fine or slow-flow blood vessels due to sensitive saturation effects. Purpose Silent-MRA was compared with TOF-MRA for visualizing cerebral arteries in patients with Moyamoya disease (MMD). Material and Methods Forty-one patients with MMD were scanned with both silent-MRA and TOF-MRA. Silent-MRA was compared with TOF-MRA both quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitatively, both signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were measured. Qualitatively, steno-occlusive severity of the main cerebral arteries and grading of Moyamoya vessels (MMVs) were evaluated. The grading for MMVs was classified into one of five categories (1 = absolutely negative; 5 = absolutely positive). Results Both SNR and CNR were significantly higher in TOF-MRA (SNR = 155.2 ± 90.8; CNR = 116.6 ± 72.0) than in silent-MRA (SNR = 45.8 ± 10.1; CNR = 38.6 ± 10.1) ( P < 0.001). No significant difference in steno-occlusive severity of the main cerebral arteries in either right or left cerebral hemispheres was observed between silent-MRA and TOF-MRA. In grading MMVs, the silent-MRA score (mean ± SD = 4.6 ± 0.5) was significantly higher than that of TOF-MRA (3.2 ± 1.6) ( P < 0.001). Conclusion Silent-MRA appears to better visualize MMVs than TOF-MRA and it can equally depict steno-occlusive lesions of the cerebral arteries.
Early-stage predictors for treatment responses in patients with active lupus nephritis
Authors: Liu G , Wang H , Le J , Lan L , Xu Y , Yang Y , Chen J , Han F 
Published: January 2019

Objective We analyzed data of lupus nephritis (LN) patients to find parameters that can predict remission. Methods Sixty-four LN patients who were diagnosed with class III, IV, V or V + III/IV by renal biopsy and were followed up for more than six months in our center were enrolled retrospectively. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to test the predictive values of urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPCR), serum albumin and complement C3 at the first, second and third months as predictors for remission at the sixth month. Results The patients' renal pathologies were class III (five cases), class IV (33 cases), class V (nine cases) and class V + III/IV (17 cases). All patients received standard immunosuppressive therapy. Forty-six (71.9%) patients (grouped as the remission group) achieved remission at the end of the sixth month, including 23 complete remissions and 23 partial remissions. The other 18 patients were grouped as the no-remission group. There were no significant differences in clinical data, proportion of immunosuppressive therapy or renal pathological characteristics between the remission group and no-remission group at baseline, except the serum urea nitrogen of the remission group was lower than in the no-remission group. The UPCR were significantly lower in the remission group than in the no-remission group at months 1, 2, 3 and 6, respectively, while the serum albumin was significantly higher in the remission group than in the no-remission group at months 3 and 6, respectively. There were no significant differences in serum creatinine between the remission group and no-remission group, except at month 1. The C3 levels were higher in the remission group than in the no-remission group at months 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The areas under the curve (AUC) of the change percentage of UPCR at month 3 and the serum albumin at month 3 were the most significant (AUC 0.778, p = 0.002; AUC 0.773, p = 0.001, respectively). The cutoff value of the change percentage of UPCR at month 3 was 59%. The cutoff value of serum albumin at month 3 was 32.9g/l. Conclusion The change percentage of UPCR ≥59% and the serum albumin ≥32.9 g/l at the third month were valuable for predicting remission at the sixth month in LN. Because of the small-size and retrospective nature, this study needs to be validated.
Derivação de parâmetros para o uso do modelo SWAT na estimativa de recarga subterrânea em um aquifero cárstico- fissural do semiárido brasileiro
Authors: Silva Lorrayne , Cota Stela Dalva dos Santos 
Published: January 2019

O modelo matemático SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) permite que diferentes processos físicos sejam simulados em escala de bacia hidrográfica para a estimativa das recargas dos aquíferos. Os processos físicos modelados requerem informações específicas sobre clima, propriedades do solo, declividade, entre outros. Apesar de possuir um extenso banco de dados para esses parâmetros, eles são mais representativos de zonas temperadas. Este trabalho se baseou em dados de levantamentos regionais e locais processados em ferramentas de Sistema de Informações Geográficas (SIG) para a obtenção dos valores dos parâmetros e na calibração do modelo a partir de valores de vazões observados em descargas superficiais. Esse método foi aplicado, para fins demonstrativos, em sub-bacias do semiárido brasileiro, afluentes do Rio São Francisco, localizadas no norte de Minas Gerais, tendo sido considerado satisfatório para a obtenção da variação espacial da recarga do aquífero, possibilitando sua utilização na alimentação de modelos hidrogeológicos.
Understanding agency and constraints in the conception of creativity in the language classroom
Authors: Coffey Simon , Leung Constant 
Published: January 2019

Abstract
In this paper we investigate the ways in which creativity is understood and enacted by language teachers. Although the term ‘creativity’ has gained enormous traction in language pedagogy, and in education more generally, we suggest that the concept remains a floating signifier carrying different personal connotations that are shaped by wider institutional and professional constraints. We report on interview data with practising language teachers who discuss their interpretation of creativity and how it manifests in their classrooms. Our analysis considered how teachers positioned themselves and their students in relation to each other and how the agency of the different actors was shaped by discursive constructions (of creativity) which were, in turn, underpinned by broader socio-historical and disciplinary frames. In particular, we focus on distinctions between creative language and creative language teaching and how these are construed differently across professional contexts. While teachers are keen to adopt creative approaches, findings show that there are significant differences in their interpretations of the concept that point to deeply rooted epistemological dissonances in the perception of language and personhood in the pedagogical encounter. In the final section we develop the implications of these findings for professional cultures and identities, in particular some of the critical but under-explored issues surrounding the idea of creativity in language teaching, including the ever-present ‘teacher-ledness’, the curricularised nature of taught languages and the absence of personal development.
Do Time Preferences Matter in Intertemporal Consumption and Portfolio Decisions?
Authors: Chen Shou , Xiang Shengpeng , He Hongbo 
Published: January 2019

Abstract
We study the intertemporal consumption and portfolio rules in the model with the general hyperbolic absolute risk aversion (HARA) utility. The equivalent approximation approach is employed to obtain the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equations, and a remarkable property is shown: portfolio rules are independent of the discount function. Moreover, both the consumption and portfolio rates are non-increasing functions of wealth. Particularly illustrative cases examined in detail are the models with the most adopted discount functions, including exponential discounting and hyperbolic discounting. Explicit solutions for intertemporal decisions are found for these special cases, revealing that individual’s time preferences affect the consumption rules only. Moreover, the time-consistent consumption rate under hyperbolic discounting is larger than its counterpart under exponential discounting.
Characterization of a potential ripening regulator, SlNAC3, from Solanum lycopersicum
Authors: Jing Le , Li Jie , Song Yuzhu , Zhang Jinyang , Chen Qiang , Han Qinqin 
Published: January 2019

AbstractNAC (for NAM, ATAF1-2, and CUC2) proteins are one of the largest transcription factor families in plants. They have various functions and are closely related to developmental processes of fruits. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a model plant for studies of fruit growth patterns. In this study, the functional characteristics and action mechanisms of a new NAC-type transcription factor, SlNAC3 (SGN-U568609), were examined to determine its role in tomato development and ripening. The SlNAC3 protein was produced by prokaryotic expression and used to immunize New Zealand white rabbits to obtain a specific polyclonal antibody against SlNAC3. By co-immunoprecipitation and MALDI-TOF-MS assays, we showed that there was an interaction between the SlNAC3 protein and Polygalacturonase-2 (PG-2), which is related to the ripening and softening of fruit. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed the genome of the highly stress-tolerant Solanum pennellii chromosome 10 (sequence ID, HG975449.1), further demonstrating that SlNAC3 is a negative regulator of drought and salinity stress resistance in tomato, consistent with previous reports. These results indicate that SlNAC3 is not only involved in abiotic stress, but also plays a necessary role in mediating tomato ripening.
Expression of Angiopoietin and VEGF in cervical cancer and its clinical significance
Authors: Lv Qingyuan , Zhong Weijuan , Ye Xiabin , Lv Yang , Liu Haiying , Yan Guizhen , Chen Diwen 
Published: January 2019

AbstractObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in cervical cancer and its clinical significance.MethodsImmunohistochemical assay was used to examine the expression of Ang-1/2 and VEGF in tumor tissue from 56 cervical squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with operation only (SCC-O group), as well as 51 subjects with cervical squamous cell carcinoma treated with neoadjuvant radiotherapy (SCC-RCO group, n=28) or neoadjuvant chemotherapy (SCC-CO group, n=23). Both microvessel density (MVD) and lymphatic vessel density (LVD) were examined in the three groups through detection of CD34 and D2-40 expression in respective tissue samples.ResultsWith the progression of cervical cancer, the positive expression scores of Ang-2 and VEGF were significantly increased (p<0.05). Compared with surgical intervention, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy significantly reduced the positive expression scores of Ang-1, Ang-2, and VEGF in cervical cancer tissues (p<0.05). The MVD values of the SCC-CO and SCC-RO groups were significantly reduced as compared to the SCC-O group (p<0.05). Similarly, the LVD values of the SCC-CO and SCC-RO groups were also significantly reduced when compared to those of the SCC-O group (p<0.05). However, LVD values of the SCC-CO and SCC-RO groups were not statistical different (p>0.05).ConclusionAng-1, Ang-2 and VEGF may play an important role in the development of cervical cancer. Mutual synergism of Ang-2 and VEGF demonstrated a close relationship with the generation of cervical blood and lymphatic vessels. Cervical cancer radiotherapy and chemotherapy could significantly inhibit the formation of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels in tumor tissue.
Dress and Metaphors of Mobility in British Visual Culture
Authors: Kociołek Katarzyna 
Published: January 2019

Abstract
This essay traces the presence of mobility metaphors in the sartorial practices of twentieth- and twenty-first-century Britain. While fashion is frequently deemed ephemeral and changeful, it is also often theorised with reference to the concept of mobility, either physical or metaphorical. In fact, it seems that it is in the realm of fashion that the notions of motion, mobility, change and transition all become linked through visual representation. Based on Cognitive Metaphor Theory as well as insightful research on visual metaphors by Charles Forceville, one may argue that the concept of mobility is mapped onto garments and attire, resulting in change of fashions, as it was the case with the twentieth-century development of women’s tennis wear. At the same time, oppositional styles adopted by a subculture such as Teddy Boys are frequently theorised as metaphorically communicating class mobility and hence viewed as expressing a protest against British class structure. A more recent example of a close relationship between mobility, migration and fashion can be found in the British debate over the Muslim veil, in which Muslim women’s choice not to wear a veil becomes a metaphor of their cultural mobility and readiness to embrace the British way of life.
Romanian Diasporic Facebook Groups as Public Spheres
Authors: Ajder Teodor 
Published: January 2019

Abstract
The pilot Survey discussed in this paper was designed to understand to what extent Romanian Diasporic Facebook groups (RDFGs) build up public spheres, i.e. spaces in which people can form public opinions that can shape political subjectivity (Habermas 178) and to understand the impact of the RDFGs administrators as community organisers. The Survey incorporated questions on the administrators’ features, group structures, levels of activism and explicit interest in public affairs expressed within these groups. Invitations to participate in the Survey were issued via Facebook Messenger exclusively to RDFGs administrators. The participants reported that their groups were mainly top-down informal structures. They stressed the apolitical profiles of the groups they administer although some reported that the critique of homeland politicians constituted significant discussion threads and said that members often organise offline events that could be described as political. Some respondents reported instances of “political revolts” within groups, in which the ordinary members (OMs) initiated critical dialogues on the group’s walls which questioned the positions of the admins. Interestingly, an illusory sense of superiority was revealed in the administrators’ responses as compared to their evaluation of the interests of the OMs, as well as a state of ambivalence in relation to the censorship practices and workload linked to their administrative roles.
Varieties of Freedom in Music Improvisation
Authors: Gillon Les 
Published: January 2019

Abstract
This article considers the freedom for the musician that exists within different kinds of music improvisation. It examines the constraints, conventions and parameters within which music improvisations are created and identifies three broad strands of improvisatory practice, that have developed in response to the development of recording technology. It argues that non-hierarchical, pan-ideomatic and structurally indeterminate forms of music improvisation that began to emerge in the late 20th century represent a form of music that models and expresses the felt freedom of the improvising musician.
Jurate Radaviciute, Devoid of (E)motion: Farah’s Story
Authors: Radaviciute Jurate 
Published: January 2019

Abstract
This essay investigates the theme of emotionlessness in Salman Rushdie’s novel Shame; the research is carried out within the theoretical framework of postmodernism. In the novel, otherwise filled with strong emotions such as love, hate and shame, one character, Farah Zoroaster, can be singled out as a person characterised by a lack of emotion. The question raised in this research is about the place of emotionlessness in the narrative of the novel and the functions it performs. It is discovered that although Farah has a unique position in the novel, her story is intertwined with those of other migrant/ peripheral characters such as Bilquis Hyder, Eduardo Rodrigues and Omar Khayyam Shakil as opposed to the protagonists of the novel Iskander Harappa and Raza Hyder, who are local/central characters of the novel. However, alongside the narrative lines of her father and Eduardo Rodrigues, Farah Zoroaster’s story explores the topic of migration from a perspective of personal freedom and spirituality, which is different from other migrant narratives in the novel. The postmodern nature of the narrative plays with the reader by offering contrasting connotations of the freedom and spirituality attributed to the emotionlessness of Farah, such as narcissism and the absence of personal qualities.
Digitally Assisted Conversation—Google and Changes in Literacy Practices
Authors: Stachowicz Jerzy 
Published: January 2019

Abstract
The use of search engines such as Google is an activity that produces a transformation of communication practices related to the use of digital devices (especially smartphones) and has a significant impact on Internet users’ linguistic practices. One of these practices is conversation-not Internet chat, but “ordinary” face-to-face dialogue. People often search the web during conversations. This practice transforms a simple conversation into a digitally assisted one. A digitally assisted conversation is a dynamic combination of speaking, typing and reading on the screen. In this paper, I present some consequences of this change, such as the way searching during conversations “forces” interlocutors to take a different look at their statements and why reaching for a smartphone and using a search engine can be perceived, regardless of the results displayed on the screen, as a significant rhetorical gesture of negation (usually considered rude). Proficiency in searching and using a smartphone with broadband Internet is considered socially attractive today, just as erudition and literacy once were. This is currently considered an extension of erudition.