bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
How can methylprednisolone work on epileptic spasms with malformation of cortical development?
Authors: Lee Minyoung , Kim Min‐Jee , Kim Eun‐Jin , Woo Dong‐Cheol , Yum Mi‐Sun , Ko Tae‐Sung 
Published: August 2019

AbstractAlthough steroids are suggested as the treatment of choice for infantile spasms, the mechanism of action is still unclear. Using a rat model of malformation of cortical development with refractory infantile spasms, we evaluated the efficacy of methylprednisolone on spasms susceptibility and behaviors. Additionally, we investigated the in vivo electrophysiological and neurochemical changes of the brain after methylprednisolone treatment. Infant rats with prenatal exposure of methylazoxymethanol at gestational day 15 were used. After a single dose of methylprednisolone or three different doses of methylprednisolone for 3 days, spasms were triggered by intraperitoneal injection of N‐methyl‐d‐aspartic acid. In rats with 3 days of methylprednisolone pretreatment and their controls, behavioral testing was performed at postnatal day 15. In vivo magnetic resonance imaging was conducted at postnatal day 15 after 3 days of methylprednisolone treatment. The rats with single methylprednisolone pretreatment showed significantly delayed onset of spasms and multiple doses of methylprednisolone significantly suppressed the development of spasms in a dose‐dependent manner. After multiple methylprednisolone pretreatment and a cluster of N‐methyl‐d‐aspartic acid‐induced spasms, the rats showed significantly increased freezing behaviors to conditioned stimuli. Glutamate‐weighted chemical exchange saturation transfer revealed significant elevation of glutamate concentration in the cortices of the rats with multiple methylprednisolone pretreatments. Methylprednisolone pretreatment could attenuate N‐methyl‐d‐aspartic acid‐induced spasms with in vivo neurochemical and electrophysiological changes, which indicates this steroid's action on the brain and in epilepsy.
Examining the Extraction Efficiency of Petroleum‐Derived Dissolved Organic Matter in Contaminated Groundwater Plumes
Authors: Zito Phoebe , Ghannam Rana , Bekins Barbara A. , Podgorski David C. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe extraction efficiency of petroleum‐derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) was examined for groundwater samples from an aquifer contaminated with crude oil. Five different types of extraction techniques were investigated to determine which method is best suited for the analysis of potentially toxic petroleum‐derived DOM. The five types were a liquid‐liquid extraction (LLE) with dichloromethane (DCM) and total petroleum hydrocarbons‐diesel range (TPHd) with DCM (EPA method 3510C), and three solid‐phase extraction (SPE) stationary phases that are routinely used for extraction of polar analytes from water. For the LLE and TPHd, that is selective for nonpolar compounds, the extraction efficiency of petroleum‐derived DOM decreased downgradient as the petroleum‐derived DOM becomes increasingly polar due to biodegradation. In contrast, the average extraction efficiency by the SPE methods was greater than 65% across the gradient. The results showed that SPE is more efficient for extracting petroleum‐derived DOM at hydrocarbon‐contaminated sites. The use of a method with greater extraction efficiency for partially oxidized hydrocarbons may prove useful in determining relationships between their composition and structure and potential for risks to human health or the environment.
Socio‐economic differences in patient participation behaviours in doctor–patient interactions—A systematic mapping review of the literature
Authors: Allen Sarah , Rogers Simon N. , Harris Rebecca V. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBackgroundThe degree to which patients participate in their care can have a positive impact on health outcomes. This review aimed to map the current literature on patient participation behaviours in interactions with physicians and the extent to which differences in these behaviours can be explained by socio‐economic status (SES).Search strategyFour electronic databases were searched from 1980 onwards using key words related to socio‐economic status and patient participation behaviours.Study selectionTitles, abstracts and full texts were screened by two reviewers, with the second reviewer screening 20% of all entries.Data extractionData on year of publication, country, patient population, setting, patient participation behaviour studied, and SES measure used were extracted.Main resultsForty‐nine studies were included in the review. Most studies were conducted in the United States, and the most commonly studied patient participation behaviour was involvement in decision making. Most studies measured SES using education as an indicator, with very few studies using occupation as a measure. Many studies did not report on participants’ medical condition or study setting. Patient participation in their health‐care appointment increased with increasing SES in 24 studies, although in 27 studies no significant association was found.Discussion and conclusionsCurrent literature was found to be mainly US‐centric. Many studies did not specify participants’ medical condition or in what setting the study was undertaken. More studies are needed on less commonly studied patient participation behaviours. It would be helpful for further studies to also include a wider range of SES indicators.
‘Customers were not objects to suck blood from’: Social relations in UK retail banks under changing performance management systems
Authors: Laaser Knut 
Published: August 2019

AbstractUtilising an analytical framework informed by a moral economy approach, this article examines the social relationships between bank workers and customers in the context of changing performance management. Informed by 46 in‐depth interviews with branch workers and branch managers from UK banks, this article focusses on the interplay of the pressures arising from an intensified and all‐encompassing performance management system and bank workers lay morality. The article seeks to analyse why one group of bank workers engages with customers in a primarily instrumental manner, while another group tends to mediate and engage in oppositional practices which aim to avoid such an instrumentalisation. The article argues that moral economy gives voice to the agency of workers and the critical concerns of the social, economic and moral consequences of market‐driven and purely profit‐oriented workplace regimes.
Synthesis and luminescence characterization of Pr3+, Gd3+ co‐doped SrF2 transparent ceramics
Authors: Yi Guoqiang , Mei Bingchu , Li Weiwei , Song Jinghong , Liu Zuodong , Zhou Zhiwei , Su Liangbi 
Published: August 2019

AbstractPr3+, Gd3+ co‐doped SrF2 transparent ceramic, as the potential material for visible luminescent applications, was prepared by hot‐pressing of precursor nanopowders. The microstructure, phase compositions, and in‐line transmittance, as well as the photoluminescence properties were investigated systematically. Highly optical quality Pr,Gd:SrF2 transparent ceramic with nearly pore‐free microstructure was obtained at 800°C for 1.5 hours. The average in‐line transmittance of the x at.% Pr, 6 at.% Gd:SrF2 (x = 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0) transparent ceramics reached to 87.3 % in the infrared region. The photoluminescence spectra presented intense visible light emissions under the excitation of 444 nm, the main intrinsic emission bands located at 483 and 605 nm, which were attributed to the transitions of Pr3+: 3P0 → 3H4 and 1D2 → 3H4, respectively. With the co‐doping of Gd3+ ions, the emission intensity of the Pr:SrF2 transparent ceramic was greatly enhanced. All the emission bands of x at.% Pr, 6 at.% Gd:SrF2 transparent ceramics exhibited the highest luminescence intensity with the 1.0 at.% Pr3+ doping concentrations, whereas the lifetimes decreased dramatically with the Pr3+ doping contents increasing from 0.2 to 2.0 at.% due to its intense concentration quenching effect. The 1 at.% Pr, 6 at.% Gd:SrF2 transparent ceramic is a promising material for visible luminescent device applications.
The dream school: Mind‐changing perspectives of people with intellectual disabilities
Authors: Nieto Cristina , Moriña Anabel 
Published: August 2019

AbstractIn this study, we analyse the characteristics that define an ideal school, from the perspective of people with intellectual disabilities. we carried out an inclusive research qualitative study with 36 Spanish adults with intellectual disabilities. Information from individual interviews about educational inclusion was summarized on to notecards, allowing participants to place messages into categories on a poster board. Identified themes included facilities and resources; values and rules; intimidation; what students learn; how students learn best; exams; teachers; and classmates. Results highlight the importance of inclusive values and the need for a curriculum that meets the needs of all students.
Bryophyte community assembly on young land uplift islands – Dispersal and habitat filtering assessed using species traits
Authors: Tiselius Andreas Karlsson , Lundbäck Sofi , Lönnell Niklas , Jansson Roland , Dynesius Mats 
Published: August 2019

AbstractAimTo assess habitat filtering and dispersal limitation in spore plant community assembly using bryophytes on recently emerged land uplift islands as study system.LocationGulf of Bothnia, northern Europe.TaxaBryophytes, including the spore plant phyla Bryophyta (mosses) and Marchantiophyta (liverworts).MethodsThe species compositions of 20 coastal land uplift islands differing in age, area, connectivity and habitat composition were recorded in the field. In addition, we compiled a list of the regional species pool (446 species) and gathered data on species traits related to habitat affiliations (substrate, light, moisture, and pH) and dispersal capacity (regional abundance, spore size, sporophyte frequency, sexual system, vegetative propagules). For the 420 species with available trait data, we used multivariate generalized linear models to compare trait effects on species occurrence probabilities on the islands.ResultsOccurrence probabilities depended strongly on habitat affiliations. In addition, occurrence probabilities were lower for predominantly asexual species than for sexual species and for regionally rare than for regionally abundant species. Having specialized asexual propagules increased occurrence probabilities, but compensated only partly for the reductions in asexual species. No effect of the size of sexually produced spores was detected. Comparison of trait effects across island size and connectivity gradients revealed (a) reduced habitat filtering on larger islands and (b) decreasing negative effects of being predominantly asexual with increasing island connectivity.ConclusionsBoth habitat filtering and dispersal capacities affect the community assembly of spore plants on land uplift islands. Asexual mosses and liverworts show landscape scale (≤10 km) dispersal limitation. The weak or absent relationships between island connectivity and the effects of dispersal traits suggest that colonization is regulated mainly by habitat availability and the abundance of each species in a “regional spore rain” from which colonists are recruited.
Close‐kin mating, but not inbred parents, reduces hatching rates and offspring quality in a threatened tortoise
Authors: Yuan Michael L. , White K. Nicole , Rothermel Betsie B. , Zamudio Kelly R. , Tuberville Tracey D. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractInbreeding depression, the reduction in fitness due to mating of related individuals, is of particular conservation concern in species with small, isolated populations. Although inbreeding depression is widespread in natural populations, long‐lived species may be buffered from its effects during population declines due to long generation times and thus are less likely to have evolved mechanisms of inbreeding avoidance than species with shorter generation times. However, empirical evidence of the consequences of inbreeding in threatened, long‐lived species is limited. In this study, we leverage a well‐studied population of gopher tortoises, Gopherus polyphemus, to examine the role of inbreeding depression and the potential for behavioural inbreeding avoidance in a natural population of a long‐lived species. We tested the hypothesis that increased parental inbreeding leads to reduced hatching rates and offspring quality. Additionally, we tested for evidence of inbreeding avoidance. We found that high parental relatedness results in offspring with lower quality and that high parental relatedness is correlated with reduced hatching success. However, we found that hatching success and offspring quality increase with maternal inbreeding, likely due to highly inbred females mating with more distantly related males. We did not find evidence for inbreeding avoidance in males and outbred females, suggesting sex‐specific evolutionary trade‐offs may have driven the evolution of mating behaviour. Our results demonstrate inbreeding depression in a long‐lived species and that the evolution of inbreeding avoidance is shaped by multiple selective forces.
Shared decision‐making in mental and behavioural health interventions
Authors: Trusty Wilson T. , Penix Elizabeth A. , Dimmick A. Andrew , Swift Joshua K. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractElements of shared decision‐making (ie, collaboration, patient preferences, and working alliance) have long been discussed and studied in the field of clinical psychology; however, research indicates that shared decision‐making is not typically used in clinical practice. Instead, clinicians often rely on a paternalistic approach. In this article, we provide a narrative review of the existing research supporting shared decision‐making for mental and behavioural health concerns, we discuss several barriers that impede its use in actual clinical practice, and we provide recommendations for increasing shared decision‐making when working with patients.
The impact of an epilepsy nurse competency framework on the costs of supporting adults with epilepsy and intellectual disability: findings from the EpAID study
Authors: Pennington M. , Ring H. , Howlett J. , Smith C. , Redley M. , Murphy C. , Hook R. , Platt A. , Gilbert N. , Jones E. , Kelly J. , Pullen A. , Mander A. , Donaldson C. , Rowe S. , Wason J. , Irvine F. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBackgroundThe development of a nurse‐led approach to managing epilepsy in adults with an intellectual disability (ID) offers the potential of improved outcomes and lower costs of care. We undertook a cluster randomised trial to assess the impact on costs and outcomes of the provision of ID nurses working to a designated epilepsy nurse competency framework. Here, we report the impact of the intervention on costs.MethodAcross the United Kingdom, eight sites randomly allocated to the intervention recruited 184 participants and nine sites allocated to treatment as usual recruited 128 participants. Cost and outcome data were collected mainly by telephone interview at baseline and after 6 months. Total costs at 6 months were compared from the perspective of health and social services and society, with adjustments for pre‐specified participant and cluster characteristics at baseline including costs. Missing data were imputed using multiple imputation. Uncertainty was quantified by bootstrapping.ResultsThe intervention was associated with lower per participant costs from a health and social services perspective of −£357 (2014/2015 GBP) (95% confidence interval −£986, £294) and from a societal perspective of −£631 (95% confidence interval −£1473, £181). Results were not sensitive to the exclusion of accommodation costs.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that the competency framework is unlikely to increase the cost of caring for people with epilepsy and ID and may reduce costs.
Limitations in daily activities and general perception of quality of life: Long term follow‐up in patients with anti‐myelin‐glycoprotein antibody polyneuropathy
Authors: Campagnolo Marta , Ruiz Marta , Falzone Yuri M. , Ermani Mario , Bianco Mariangela , Martinelli Daniele , Cerri Federica , Quattrini Angelo , Salvalaggio Alessandro , Castellani Francesca , Comi Giancarlo , Giannini Fabio , Nobile‐Orazio Eduardo , Fazio Raffaella , Riva Nilo , Briani Chiara 
Published: August 2019

AbstractIn this study, we assessed the modifications over time of daily activities and quality of life (QoL) in 32 subjects with anti‐myelin‐glycoprotein (MAG) antibody neuropathy. A widespread panel including clinical scores and patient‐reported questionnaires, in compliance of the terms by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) of the World Health Organization (WHO), was employed at enrollment (T0) and at follow‐up evaluation (T1) after a mean interval of 15.4 ± 5.7 months. The Sensory Modality Sum score (SMS) at four limbs showed a significant worsening over time (mean score 27.2 ± 3.9 at T0 vs 25.7 ± 3 at T1 at upper limbs, P = .03; 20.5 ± 4.8 at T0 vs 18.6 ± 5.9 at T1 at lower limbs, P = .04). The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain significantly worsened at upper limbs at T1 (mean values 0.84 ± 1.95 at T0 vs 1.78 ± 2.6 at T1, P = .03). All the other tests did not show significant differences between T0 and T1. In the subgroup who underwent rituximab (15/32 treated before T0, 3/32 patients treated between T0 and T1 with median interval of 1 year), no significant differences were observed between T0 and T1. Despite the quite long follow‐up, statistical significance was not achieved either for the limited number of patients or for the lack of sensitive outcome measures. In our cohort, the significant worsening of the SMS and VAS after a median of 14 months can be considered as a reliable expression of the natural history of the disease, and suggest that these scales might represent possible outcome measures in anti‐MAG antibody neuropathy.
Information Revelation in Decentralized Markets
Authors: HAGSTRÖMER BJÖRN , MENKVELD ALBERT J. 
Published: August 2019

ABSTRACTHow does information get revealed in decentralized markets? We test several hypotheses inspired by recent dealer‐network theory. To do so, we construct an empirical map of information revelation where two dealers are connected based on the synchronicity of their quote changes. The tests, based on the euro to Swiss franc spot rate (EUR/CHF) quote data including the 2015 crash, largely support theory: strongly connected (i.e., central) dealers are more informed. Connections are weaker when there is less to be learned. The crash serves to identify how a network forms when dealers are transitioned from no‐learning to learning, that is, from a fixed to a floating rate.
Role of the arecoline/YAP1/BMP4 pathway in promoting endothelial‐mesenchymal transition in oral submucous fibrosis
Authors: Yao Mianfeng , Li Jiang , Yuan Shanshan , Zhu Xilei , Hu Zijie , Li Qiulan , Cao Ruoyan , Wang Wenjin , Fang Changyun 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBackgroundOral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a potentially malignant lesion characterized by epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT). Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) promotes EMT in fibrotic diseases, but the underlying mechanisms and its potential role in OSF are unclear. This study investigates whether BMP4 plays a role in the pathogenesis of OSF and explores the underlying mechanisms.MethodsThe expression of BMP4 and the EMT proteins E‐cadherin and vimentin was investigated in OSF specimens by immunohistochemical staining. Pearson's correlation analysis was conducted to explore the correlation between BMP4 and the EMT markers. Western blotting and RT‐PCR assays were used to analyze the effect of arecoline (a known EMT‐promoting pathogenic factor in OSF) on BMP4 and identify the transcription factor involved. Confocal microscopy was used to observe the intracellular sublocalization of the identified transcription factor, Yes‐associated protein 1 (YAP1). Finally, siRNA silencing of BMP4 was used to determine its effect on YAP1 activation and arecoline‐induced EMT.ResultsBMP4 is overexpressed in OSF and plays a role in EMT, as its expression correlates with the expression of E‐cadherin and vimentin. Arecoline induces BMP4 expression via the activation of YAP1 (through its nuclear translocation). Furthermore, the YAP1/BMP4 mechanism is the main molecular event in arecoline‐induced EMT, as knockdown of BMP4 expression affects expression of the EMT markers and inhibits extracellular matrix accumulation.ConclusionsArecoline induces EMT in OSF via the YAP1/BMP4 pathway. Thus, BMP4 could be considered as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of OSF.
Blended Learning for Sexual Health Education: Evidence Base, Promising Practices, and Potential Challenges
Authors: Coyle Karin K. , Chambers Brittany D. , Anderson Pamela M. , Firpo‐Triplett Regina , Waterman Emily A. 
Published: August 2019

ABSTRACTBACKGROUNDBlended learning is a combination of online learning and face‐to‐face instruction, and is increasingly being used in K‐12 settings. A meta‐analysis conducted for the Department of Education suggests blended learning is more effective than either group‐based or online learning alone, particularly in K‐12 settings.METHODSThis paper provides a narrative review of the literature from 2000 to 2017 on blended learning as it applies to sexual health education programs, and discusses outcomes, best practices and potential challenges of blended learning that may be important for practitioners and researchers considering this approach.RESULTSBlended learning approaches are being used successfully in sexual health education programs, including school‐based programs, and have yielded positive behavioral and psychosocial changes. Similar to traditional group‐based programs, not all outcomes tested in these programs showed positive impact. Designing blended learning programs can be challenging, but there is a large best‐practice literature that can inform practitioners interested in using it.CONCLUSIONSBlended learning approaches are viable for sexual health education and offer numerous advantages to group‐based only programs, such as confidential personalization and an instructional approach that is familiar and engaging for participants.