bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Within‐Session and Between‐Session Reliability, Construct Validity, and Comparison Between Individuals With and Without Neck Pain of Four Neck Muscle Tests
Authors: Martins Filipa , Bento André , Silva Anabela G. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractBackgroundA variety of tests have been proposed to measure the performance of neck flexor muscles, but head‐to‐head comparisons hardly have been documented.ObjectiveTo compare reliability indexes, construct validity, and ability to discriminate between individuals with and without neck pain of 4 muscle tests (deep neck flexors endurance test [DNFET]; 2 variations of the craniocervical flexion test [CCFT1 and CCFT2]; and dynamometry).DesignReliability and validity study.SettingGeneral community.ParticipantsA total of 66 participants, 33 with chronic idiopathic neck pain (mean ± standard deviation pain intensity: 3.2 ± 1.9) and 33 without neck pain, from the general population.Methods/Main OutcomeNeck muscle functioning was assessed with the CCFT1, the CCFT2, the DNFET, and dynamometry on 2 separate sessions. Participants with neck pain also were assessed for pain intensity, disability, pain catastrophizing, and fear of movement.ResultsRelative reliability of all tests was at least moderate (intraclass correlation coefficient ≥ 0.62), whereas measurement error was high, particularly for the DNFET (95% minimum detectable change ≥ 23.00 seconds). All tests showed moderate correlation (r ≥ 0.3) with at least 2 pain‐related measures and moderate‐to‐strong correlations with each other. Principal component analysis retained 2 factors explaining 68%‐73% of the variance of the 4 muscle tests. Significant differences between groups were found for the DNFET and dynamometry (P < .05).ConclusionThe reliability indexes suggest that the DNFET and the CCFT may be more appropriate for group comparisons than for individual comparisons. The 4 tests seem to have construct validity, but they also seem to measure slightly different constructs.Level of EvidenceIII
Midlife anticholinergic drug use, risk of Alzheimer's disease, and brain atrophy in community‐dwelling older adults
Authors: Chuang Yi‐Fang , Elango Palchamy , Gonzalez Christopher E. , Thambisetty Madhav 
Published: July 2017

AbstractIntroductionWe examined how long‐term anticholinergic (AC) drug use beginning at midlife affects risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and rates of brain atrophy in cognitively normal older adults.MethodsWe followed 723 individuals (mean baseline age 52.3 years; mean follow‐up interval 20.1 years) in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. The AC drug exposure was defined using the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden Scale: Nonusers (n = 404), as well as participants exposed to medications with AC activity but without known clinically relevant negative cognitive effects (i.e., “possible AC users”; n = 185) and those exposed to AC drugs with established and clinically relevant negative cognitive effects (i.e., “definite AC users”; n = 134). The neuroimaging sample included 93 participants who remained cognitively normal through follow‐up and underwent serial magnetic resonance imaging (n = 93, 724 brain scans, mean follow‐up interval 8.2 years, and baseline age 68.6 years).ResultsPossible AC users, but not definite AC users, showed increased risk of incident AD compared with nonusers (hazard ratio, 1.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.02–2.61; P = .04) and greater rates of atrophy in total cortical gray matter volume compared with nonusers (β = −0.74, P = .018). Faster rates of brain atrophy were also observed among possible AC users in the right posterior cingulate, as well as right middle frontal and left superior temporal gyri. Data on frequency and duration of medication use were available in only approximately half of the sample. Among these participants, definite AC users had both shorter duration and lower frequency of medication use relative to possible AC users.DiscussionLong‐term exposure to medications with mild AC activity during midlife is associated with increased risk of AD and accelerated brain atrophy.
RESEARCH, PRODUCTIVITY, AND OUTPUT GROWTH IN U.S. AGRICULTURE
Authors: FUGLIE KEITH , CLANCY MATTHEW , HEISEY PAUL , MACDONALD JAMES 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThis article reviews the current debate on whether U.S. agricultural productivity growth is slowing. It also assesses recent research on how productivity is related to long-term investment in research and development (R&D). It describes significant changes taking place in the U.S. agricultural research system, including the growing role of private agribusiness as a main developer of new agricultural technologies and what this implies for agricultural science policy. The conclusion has suggestions for future research on these issues.
Refractory Longitudinally Extensive Transverse Myelitis Responsive to Cyclophosphamide
Authors: Baxter Laura J. , Chen Shuo , Couillard Philippe , Scott James N. , Doig Christopher J. , Costello Fiona , Girard Louis P. , Klassen John , Burton Jodie M. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractSevere longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM) can cause quadriplegia, marked sensory dysfunction, and respiratory failure. Some patients are unresponsive to conventional immune therapy. We report two cases of severe immune-mediated LETM requiring intensive care admission that failed to respond to high-dose corticosteroids, plasma exchange, intravenous immunoglobulin, and rituximab. Disease cessation and significant recovery was achieved after cyclophosphamide induction. In patients with severe acute immune-mediated LETM who fail to respond to corticosteroids and plasma exchange, cyclophosphamide induction should be considered. This agent and regimen provides a robust immunosuppressive response and can be induced rapidly. Cyclophosphamide effects and supportive evidence are discussed.
Mapping evidence from systematic reviews regarding adult attachment and mental health difficulties: a scoping review
Authors: Mullen G. 
Published: July 2017

ObjectiveThe aim of this scoping review was to map evidence gathered through systematic reviews regarding adult attachment and mental health difficulties. This review highlights established, emerging, and inconsistent findings, suggesting areas for future research, and implications for theory and practice.MethodsA systematic search for meta-analyses and systematic reviews measuring adult attachment and concerning mental health difficulties was conducted. In total, 17 studies met the selection criteria.ResultsFindings were presented according to four identified themes, (1) measurement of attachment; (2) measurement of mental health difficulty; (3) intrapersonal processes related to attachment and mental health difficulties; and (4) interpersonal processes related to attachment and mental health difficulties.ConclusionsThis review highlights the connection between attachment style and mental health difficulties, and suggests that relationships can facilitate both mental health and illheath. However, the mechanisms through which insecure attachment confers risk for mental health difficulties require further research.
Role of Late Jurassic intra-oceanic structural inheritance in the Alpine tectonic evolution of the Monviso meta-ophiolite Complex (Western Alps)
Authors: BALESTRO GIANNI , FESTA ANDREA , BORGHI ALESSANDRO , CASTELLI DANIELE , GATTIGLIO MARCO , TARTAROTTI PAOLA 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThe eclogite-facies Monviso meta-ophiolite Complex in the Western Alps represents a well-preserved fragment of oceanic lithosphere and related Upper Jurassic – Lower Cretaceous sedimentary covers. This meta-ophiolite sequence records the evolution of an oceanic core complex formed by mantle exhumation along an intra-oceanic detachment fault (the Baracun Shear Zone), related to the opening of the Ligurian–Piedmont oceanic basin (Alpine Tethys). On the basis of detailed geological mapping, and structural, stratigraphic and petrological observations, we propose a new interpretation for the tectonostratigraphic architecture of the Monviso meta-ophiolite Complex, and discuss the role played by structural inheritance in its formation. We document that subduction- and exhumation-related Alpine tectonics were strongly influenced by the inherited Jurassic intra-oceanic tectonosedimentary physiography. The latter, although strongly deformed during a major Alpine stage of non-cylindrical W-verging folding and faulting along exhumation-related Alpine shear zones (i.e. the Granero–Casteldelfino and Villanova–Armoine shear zones), was not completely dismembered into different tectonic units or subduction-related mélanges as suggested in previous interpretations. The present-day architecture of the Monviso meta-ophiolite Complex results from nappe-scale folding with a significant component of shearing, and strain partitioning of the Alpine deformation, which were controlled by the inherited occurrence of (i) lateral and vertical variations of facies and thickness of sediments, (ii) an intra-oceanic fault-rock assemblage, which acted as weak horizons in concentrating deformation, and (iii) remnants of a volcanic ridge, which consists of massive metabasalt. Thus, the recognition of pre-collisional, intra-oceanic, tectonostratigraphic inheritance represents an important step in reconstructing the tectonic evolution of meta-ophiolite units in orogenic belts.
Selective updating of sentences: Introducing a new measure of verbal working memory
Authors: FELLMAN DANIEL , SOVERI ANNA , VIKTORSSON CHARLOTTE , HAGA SARAH , NYLUND JOHANNES , JOHANSSON SANNA , EDMAN JAKOB , VON RENTELN FELIX , LAINE MATTI 
Published: July 2017

ABSTRACTWorking memory (WM) is one of the most studied cognitive constructs in psychology, because of its relevance to human performance, including language processing. When measuring verbal WM for sentences, the reading span task is the most widely used WM measure for this purpose. However, comparable sentence-level updating tasks are missing. Hence, we sought to develop a WM updating task, which we termed the selective updating of sentences (SUS) task, which taps the ability to constantly update sentences. In two experiments with Finnish-speaking young adults, we examined the internal consistency and concurrent validity of the SUS task. It exhibited adequate internal consistency and correlated positively with well-established working memory measures. Moreover, the SUS task also showed positive correlations with verbal episodic memory tasks employing sentences and paragraphs. These results indicate that the SUS task is a promising new task for psycholinguistic studies addressing verbal WM updating.
A new analytical approach to consistency and overfitting in regularized empirical risk minimization
Authors: GARCÍA TRILLOS NICOLÁS , MURRAY RYAN 
Published: July 2017

This work considers the problem of binary classification: given training datax1, . . .,xnfrom a certain population, together with associated labelsy1,. . .,yn∈ {0,1}, determine the best label for an elementxnot among the training data. More specifically, this work considers a variant of the regularized empirical risk functional which is defined intrinsically to the observed data and does not depend on the underlying population. Tools from modern analysis are used to obtain a concise proof of asymptotic consistency as regularization parameters are taken to zero at rates related to the size of the sample. These analytical tools give a new framework for understanding overfitting and underfitting, and rigorously connect the notion of overfitting with a loss of compactness.
Professional development in the transition to online teaching: The voice of entrant online instructors
Authors: Adnan Müge 
Published: July 2017

AbstractProfessional development (PD) is critical for instructors who are adopting new roles and competencies in online teaching environments. This mixed-method study examines an online faculty development programme in Turkey, reflecting upon participants’ expectations, readiness and satisfaction. The findings indicate a significant relationship between individual readiness and satisfaction, and reveal that readiness positively predicts satisfaction. Participants’ reflections demonstrate that, to enhance their traditional roles, they need competencies for online learning environments and active practice in real-life applications. PD is important for introducing the new pedagogies required and for integration of technology, while the adoption of new roles is key to developing competent online instructors who have a positive attitude to online learning.
Grammatical gender assignment in French: dispelling the native speaker myth
Authors: AYOUN DALILA 
Published: July 2017

ABSTRACTThis study highlights the complexity of French grammatical gender as a lexical property at the interface of morpho-phonology and the lexicon. French native speakers (n = 168) completed a gender assignment task with written stimuli illustrating common versus uncommon nouns, vowel-initial versus consonant-initial nouns, compounds and grammatical homonyms; they also indicated the strategies they used to assign a gender to stimuli. The findings showed strong lexical and gender effects suggesting that grammatical gender must be acquired for individual lexical items as morpho-phonological cues alone are unreliable and vary greatly.
The South China Sea Arbitration Decision: The Need for Clarification
Authors: Schoenbaum Thomas J. 
Published: July 2017

On July 12, 2016, a five-person panel of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, constituted as an Arbitral Tribunalunder Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982) (UNCLOS), handed down a judgment that is surely the most important set of jurisprudential rulings in the modern history of the international law of the sea.
In a case brought in 2013 by the Philippines against China to contest Chinese claims and actions in the South China Sea, the Tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines on virtually every issue of the dispute. The Tribunal also clarified many murky issues and problems inherent in provisions of the UNCLOS. The judg-ment, therefore, is a landmark ruling that is significant not only for the South China Sea, but also for contested maritime rights and responsibilities in other maritime areas of the world.
Validation and Normalization of the Tower of London-Drexel University Test 2ndEdition in an Adult Population with Intellectual Disability
Authors: García-Alba Javier , Esteba-Castillo Susanna , Castellanos López Miguel Ángel , Rodríguez Hidalgo Emili , Ribas Vidal Nuria , Moldenhauer Díaz Fernando , Novell-Alsina Ramón 
Published: July 2017

AbstractDespite how important it is to assess executive functioning in persons with Intellectual Disability (ID), instruments adapted and validated for this population are scarce. This study’s primary goal was to find evidence for the validity of the ID version of the Tower of London (TOLDXtm) test in persons with mild (IDMi) and moderate (IDMo) levels of ID with Down Syndrome (DS). A multicenter study was carried out. Subjects (n= 63, ≥ 39 years old) had DS with mild (n= 39) or moderate ID (n= 24) with no minor neurocognitive disorder or Alzheimer’s disease. Assessment protocol: TOLDXtmfor ID, Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test Second Edition (K-BIT II), Cambridge Examination for Mental Disorders of Older People with Down’s Syndrome and Others with Intellectual Disabilities (CAMDEX-DS), Weigl’s Color-Form Sorting Test (WCFST), Barcelona Test for Intellectual Disability (BT-ID), and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF-P). The internal consistency (IDMiand IDMo), factor structure of the different subscales, and relationship between TOLDXtmsubscales and other cognitive measures (BT-ID, WCFST, and BRIEF-P) were analyzed. A normative data table with ID population quartiles is provided. TOLDXtmfor ID showed a robust one factor structure and coherentassociations with other, related neuropsychological instruments. Significant differences between IDMiand IDMoon movement-related variables likeCorrect (Corr; p = .002)andMoves (Mov; p = .042)were observed, along with good internal consistency values, Corr (α = .75), Mov (α = .52). Regarding internal consistency, no between-groups differences were observed (allp-value > 0.05). The TOLDXtmfor ID is thus an instrument, supported by good validity evidence, to evaluate problem-solving and planning in ID. It distinguishes between individuals with mild and moderate ID, and is highly associated with other measures of executive functioning.
Protection of Mcc950 against high-glucose-induced human retinal endothelial cell dysfunction
Authors: Zhang Yi , Lv Xuehua , Hu Zizhong , Ye Xiaojian , Zheng Xinhua , Ding Yuzhi , Xie Ping , Liu Qinghuai 
Published: July 2017

AbstractDiabetic retinopathy (DR) is a well-known microvascular complication related to inflammation. Mcc950 is a potent and specific inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome but its influence on DR has not been studied. Thus, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of Mcc950 on high-glucose-induced human retinal endothelial cells (HRECs) and the potential underlying mechanism. In surgical excised proliferative membranes from DR patients, high expression of NLRP3, caspase 1 and IL-1β was observed and co-localization of NLRP3 and IL-1β occurred in CD31+ labeled HRECs. Moreover, in high-glucose-stimulated HRECs, increased production of the NLRP3 inflammasome activation and severe apoptosis were rescued with Mcc950 treatment. Additionally, the inhibitory effect of Mcc950 was mimicked through downregulation of NEK7 by siRNA in high-glucose-induced HRECs and Mcc950 treatment remarkably inhibited Nek7 and NLRP3 interactions by co-immunoprecipitation, suggesting that Mcc950 may be a potentially protective agent against inflammation, likely via downregulation of the Nek7-NLRP3 pathway. In conclusion, Mcc950 inhibited HREC dysfunction under high-glucose conditions and this research may offer insight for future pharmaceutical approaches for treating DR.
Maml1 acts cooperatively with Gli proteins to regulate sonic hedgehog signaling pathway
Authors: Quaranta Roberta , Pelullo Maria , Zema Sabrina , Nardozza Francesca , Checquolo Saula , Lauer Dieter Matthias , Bufalieri Francesca , Palermo Rocco , Felli Maria Pia , Vacca Alessandra , Talora Claudio , Di Marcotullio Lucia , Screpanti Isabella , Bellavia Diana 
Published: July 2017

AbstractSonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling is essential for proliferation of cerebellar granule cell progenitors (GCPs) and its misregulation is linked to various disorders, including cerebellar cancer medulloblastoma. The effects of Shh pathway are mediated by the Gli family of transcription factors, which controls the expression of a number of target genes, including Gli1. Here, we identify Mastermind-like 1 (Maml1) as a novel regulator of the Shh signaling since it interacts with Gli proteins, working as a potent transcriptional coactivator. Notably, Maml1 silencing results in a significant reduction of Gli target genes expression, with a negative impact on cell growth of NIH3T3 and Patched1−/− mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), bearing a constitutively active Shh signaling. Remarkably, Shh pathway activity results severely compromised both in MEFs and GCPs deriving from Maml1−/− mice with an impairment of GCPs proliferation and cerebellum development. Therefore Maml1−/− phenotype mimics aspects of Shh pathway deficiency, suggesting an intrinsic requirement for Maml1 in cerebellum development. The present study shows a new role for Maml1 as a component of Shh signaling, which plays a crucial role in both development and tumorigenesis.
Binding of doxorubicin to Sorcin impairs cell death and increases drug resistance in cancer cells
Authors: Genovese Ilaria , Fiorillo Annarita , Ilari Andrea , Masciarelli Silvia , Fazi Francesco , Colotti Gianni 
Published: July 2017

AbstractSorcin is a calcium binding protein that plays an important role in multidrug resistance (MDR) in tumors, since its expression confers resistance to doxorubicin and to other chemotherapeutic drugs. In this study, we show that Sorcin is able to bind doxorubicin, vincristine, paclitaxel and cisplatin directly and with high affinity. The high affinity binding of doxorubicin to sorcin has been demonstrated with different techniques, that is, surface plasmon resonance, fluorescence titration and X-ray diffraction. Although the X-ray structure of sorcin in complex with doxorubicin has been solved at low resolution, it allows the identification of one of the two doxorubicin binding sites, placed at the interface between the EF5 loop the G helix and the EF4 loop. We show that Sorcin cellular localization changes upon doxorubicin treatment, an indication that the protein responds to doxorubicin and it presumably binds the drug also inside the cell, soon after drug entrance. We also demonstrate that Sorcin is able to limit the toxic effects of the chemotherapeutic agent in the cell. In addition, Sorcin silencing increases cell death upon treatment with doxorubicin, increases the accumulation of doxorubicin in cell nucleus, decreases the expression of MDR1 and doxorubicin efflux via MDR1.
Activity dependent feedback inhibition may maintain head direction signals in mouse presubiculum
Authors: Simonnet Jean , Nassar Mérie , Stella Federico , Cohen Ivan , Mathon Bertrand , Boccara Charlotte N. , Miles Richard , Fricker Desdemona 
Published: July 2017

AbstractOrientation in space is represented in specialized brain circuits. Persistent head direction signals are transmitted from anterior thalamus to the presubiculum, but the identity of the presubicular target neurons, their connectivity and function in local microcircuits are unknown. Here, we examine how thalamic afferents recruit presubicular principal neurons and Martinotti interneurons, and the ensuing synaptic interactions between these cells. Pyramidal neuron activation of Martinotti cells in superficial layers is strongly facilitating such that high-frequency head directional stimulation efficiently unmutes synaptic excitation. Martinotti-cell feedback plays a dual role: precisely timed spikes may not inhibit the firing of in-tune head direction cells, while exerting lateral inhibition. Autonomous attractor dynamics emerge from a modelled network implementing wiring motifs and timing sensitive synaptic interactions in the pyramidal—Martinotti-cell feedback loop. This inhibitory microcircuit is therefore tuned to refine and maintain head direction information in the presubiculum.
Strain-induced skeletal rearrangement of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon on a copper surface
Authors: Shiotari Akitoshi , Nakae Takahiro , Iwata Kota , Mori Shigeki , Okujima Tetsuo , Uno Hidemitsu , Sakaguchi Hiroshi , Sugimoto Yoshiaki 
Published: July 2017

AbstractControlling the structural deformation of organic molecules can drive unique reactions that cannot be induced only by thermal, optical or electrochemical procedures. However, in conventional organic synthesis, including mechanochemical procedures, it is difficult to control skeletal rearrangement in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Here, we demonstrate a reaction scheme for the skeletal rearrangement of PAHs on a metal surface using high-resolution noncontact atomic force microscopy. By a combination of organic synthesis and on-surface cyclodehydrogenation, we produce a well-designed PAH—diazuleno[1,2,3-cd:1′,2′,3′-fg]pyrene—adsorbed flatly onto Cu(001), in which two azuleno moieties are highly strained by their mutual proximity. This local strain drives the rearrangement of one of the azuleno moieties into a fulvaleno moiety, which has never been reported so far. Our proposed thermally driven, strain-induced synthesis on surfaces will pave the way for the production of a new class of nanocarbon materials that conventional synthetic techniques cannot attain.