bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Performance in candidates declaring versus those not declaring dyslexia in a licensing clinical examination
Authors: Asghar Zahid , Williams Nicki , Denney Meiling , Siriwardena Aloysius Niroshan
Published: August 2019

Context

High‐stakes medical examinations seek to be fair to all candidates, including an increasing proportion of trainee doctors with specific learning differences. We aimed to investigate the performance of doctors declaring dyslexia in the clinical skills assessment (CSA), an objective structured clinical examination for licensing UK general practitioners.

Methods

We employed a cross‐sectional design using performance and attribute data from candidates taking the CSA between 2010 and 2017. We compared candidates who declared dyslexia (‘early’ before their first attempt or ‘late’ after failing at least once) with those who did not, using multivariable negative binomial regression investigating the effect of declaring dyslexia on passing the CSA, accounting for relevant factors previously associated with performance, including number of attempts, initial score, sex, place of primary medical qualification and ethnicity.

Results

Of 20 879 CSA candidates, 598 (2.9%) declared that they had dyslexia. Candidates declaring dyslexia were more likely to be male (47.3% versus 37.8%; p < 0.001) and to have a non‐UK primary medical qualification (26.9% versus 22.4%; p < 0.01), but were no different in ethnicity compared with those who never declared dyslexia. Candidates who declared dyslexia late were significantly more likely to fail compared with those candidates who declared dyslexia early (40.6% versus 9.2%; p < 0.001) and were more likely to have a non‐UK medical qualification (79.3% versus 15.6%; p < 0.001) or come from a minority ethnic group (84.9% versus 39.2%; p < 0.001). The chance of passing was lower for candidates declaring dyslexia compared to those who never declared dyslexia and lower in those declaring late (incident rate ratio [IRR], 0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.70–0.96) compared with those declaring early (IRR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.93–0.97).

Conclusions

A small proportion of candidates declaring dyslexia were less likely to pass the CSA, particularly if dyslexia was declared late. Further investigation of potential causes and solutions is needed.
Not all disturbances are created equal: disturbance magnitude affects predator–prey populations more than disturbance frequency
Authors: Commander Christian J. C. , White J. Wilson
Published: August 2019

Disturbance plays a key role in ecological structure and function. Two important and often studied components of disturbance are frequency and magnitude. Despite the potential for non‐linear interactions between frequency and magnitude, their effects are often assumed to combine in a linear manner. Additionally, studies of disturbance have mainly examined effects on species diversity and competitive interactions within a single trophic level, with less focus on exploitative interactions across trophic levels. Furthermore, while the effects of disturbance are often viewed in terms of reducing population abundance, disturbances can also alter demographic processes, ‘indirectly’ changing abundances. We analyzed several classic dynamic models of species interactions to examine the effects of varying disturbance frequency and magnitude on population persistence in predator–prey and competition systems. Our analysis revealed the potential for non‐linear interactions between frequency and magnitude and their effect on population persistence. Effects differed depending on the form of population dynamics and whether disturbance affected abundance or demographic rates. It is critical to management efforts aiming to improve chances of population persistence to further understand the effects of varying disturbances on interacting populations.
Radical alterity in theZhuangzi: On the political and philosophical function of monsters
Authors: Galvany Albert
Published: August 2019

An extraordinary horde of aberrant, deformed, and grotesque beings inhabits the writings collected in theZhuangzi.Crippled, malformed, hideous, foolish, eccentric, and even outlawed individuals conquer the central place of philosophical narration, traditionally proscribed for them, and create one of the most important and intriguing voices echoing through the text. Yet, for all their undeniably significant presence, scholars of ancient Chinese philosophy have paid surprisingly little attention to the topic of monsters. Structured into three sections and adopting a critical, strictly philosophical standpoint, this paper aims to draw attention to the crucial role played by monsters in theZhuangzi.The first section underlines the essential characteristics of these monsters and, most particularly, their disruptive dimension together with the challenge they pose to philosophical thinking. The second section offers a detailed review of the recent bibliography on theZhuangziwith regard to analysis of these aberrant figures. Finally, based on contributions in the work of Jacques Rancière, the third section highlights the political scope embodied by the monstrous beings of theZhuangzi.
Outsiders’ Responsibility to Answer for Crime
Authors: Gallant Kenneth S.
Published: August 2019

R. A. Duff has revived the tradition of “answerability” for crime. In this philosophical and jurisprudential tradition, a person is answerable to the criminal law of a state and the process of that state’s courts only if there is some appropriate relationship between the state and the person. Duff’s great contribution has been to develop the idea of accountability of persons to a state or other polity as a philosophical notion which, he argues, underlies all just implementations of criminal law. Duff has centered his views around the relationship between the citizen and the polity (in today’s world, the state) to which the citizen belongs. His focus has been on insiders, rather than outsiders.

This article argues that, in the current world, the relationship among cocitizens, outsiders, and the state is based in part on the moral idea that the state exists to protect citizens from evil acts, specifically those that we call public and criminal wrongs, wherever the acts originate. Outsiders understand this, and understand that states other than their own use criminal law to protect their citizens.

Duff’s writings contain an idea which turns out to be very useful in cases of outside acts, even though he does not apply it directly to them. Some states or other entities may have only an incomplete relationship with an accused person (compared with the relationship of citizen and state), but nonetheless may have the moral and political authority to try her for crime. This paper extends this notion to show that such incomplete relationships exist in a great many common cases of outsiders (noncitizens who act outside the territory of a state) who commit crime. These relationships support criminal prosecution of outsiders, so long as we admit that protection of persons from crime is a legitimate goal of the criminal law.
The Common Core between Human Rights Law and International Criminal Law: A Structural Account
Authors: Zysset Alain
Published: August 2019

Legal scholars and theorists have recently drawn a more sustained attention to the link between international human rights law (hereafter IHRL) and international criminal law (hereafter ICL). This concerns both positive and more normative accounts of the link. Whether positive or normative, the predominant approach to constructing the link issubstantive. This overlap is normatively justified in similar terms by reference to a subset of moral human rights. In this paper, I offer an alternative to the substantive approach. After identifying two flaws in the substantive approach (the problem ofthresholdand the problem ofethical neutrality), I defend what I call astructuralaccount by focusing on duty‐holders. I start by reconstructing two structural characteristics common to IHRL and ICLquainternational legal regimes: who has theauthorityto address violations of IHRL and ICL, and who can beliablefor those violations. I then infer thatpublic authority(functionally construed) constitutes the common structural core of IHRL and ICL. I rely on the extraterritorial application of IHRL and on the collective dimension of ICL violations to further support the argument. I finally offer an argument explaining the normative point of those structural features. I hold that IHRL and ICL (their adjudicative and liability regimes) are both necessary (but clearly not sufficient) to render this exercise of public authority legitimate to its subjects.
The responsibilization of entrepreneurs in legalized local prostitution in the Netherlands
Authors: van Wijk Eelco , Mascini Peter
Published: August 2019

By way of a case study on the regulatory role of owners and managers of brothels and rented rooms for prostitution, this study focuses on the strategies deployed by a municipality to govern these intermediaries. The analysis is based on a typology of responsibilization distinguishing between who the responsible should govern (themselves or others) and forms of power (repressive or facilitative). The regulator concomitantly renders these entrepreneurs responsible for their own possible criminal conduct (self‐governing) and empowers them to keep out traffickers and pimps and to control sex‐workers (others‐governing). Moreover, the municipality applies both repressive and facilitative power. Although the responsibilization strategy succeeds in having entrepreneurs govern themselves, it also unintentionally undermines sex‐workers' independence and favors the largest entrepreneurs. Our study enriches the regulator intermediary target model by showing how varied and contentious the interactions between regulators and involuntary intermediaries are and by demonstrating the power game that the responsibilization strategy entails.
COPD exacerbations and MACE: More than a chance encounter?
Authors: Mkorombindo Takudzwa , Dransfield Mark T.
Published: August 2019

See related Article
Incomplete control of obstructive sleep apnoea with continuous positive airway pressure therapy: Time for a personalized therapy approach?
Authors: Mukherjee Sutapa
Published: August 2019

See related Article
Morphometric measurements to predict meniscal size in skeletally mature dogs for meniscal transplantation
Authors: Cradic David W. , Aulakh Karanvir S. , Hymel Paige , Barnes Katherine , Gines J. Alberto , Rademacher Nathalie , Aulakh Harmeet K. , Liu Chin‐Chi
Published: August 2019

Objective

To determine a relationship between morphometric measurements (MM) and meniscal dimensions (MD) in the dog.

Study design

Cadaveric study.

Animals

Eighteen mixed‐breed canine cadavers (22.35 ± 4.06 kg); 36 each of medial and lateral menisci.

Methods

The following MM were obtained in duplicate: height at scapula, withers, pelvis, rump, and greater trochanter; chest circumference; pelvic circumference; length from occiput to the base of the tail; hock to stifle length (HS); body weight; body condition score; and body fat percentage (BF%). Stifles were disarticulated, and digital photographs of in situ menisci were used to obtain meniscal measurements in duplicate. Morphometric parameters were compared with MD via Pearson correlation (r). A correlation of r ≥ 0.65 was considered strong.

Results

The strongest correlation was noted between HS and MD, with r = 0.85 for lateral meniscal width, r = 0.77 for medial meniscal length, and r = 0.76 for medial meniscal width. Lateral meniscal length had the strongest correlation with height at rump (HRu) (r = 0.73). Body weight correlated strongly with meniscal width and fairly with meniscal length. Body condition score and BF% correlated weakly with MD.

Conclusion

Hock to stifle length was an easily obtainable variable and was proportional to MD.

Clinical significance

Hock to stifle length may be considered by tissue banks and veterinary surgeons as a quick and cost effective screening tool for appropriate meniscal sizing in dogs.
APPLIED MYSTICISM: A DRUG‐ENABLED VISIONARY EXPERIENCE AGAINST MORAL BLINDNESS
Authors: Ballesteros Virginia
Published: August 2019

Intellectuals such as William James and Aldous Huxley have thought it possible to develop a technique to apply to this world the mystical‐type insights gained during drug‐enabled experiences. Particularly, Huxley claimed that the visionary experience triggered by psychedelics could help us rethink our relationship with technology and promote a much‐needed cultural change. In this article, we explore this hypothesis. To do so, we build a philosophical framework based on Günther Anders's philosophy of technique, presenting human beings as morally blind when facing technological development. Mystical experiences are then proposed as a means to improve our moral faculties—and psychedelic drugs as tools to enable them. We finally explore the empirical feasibility of such a hypothesis by thoroughly reviewing the recent scientific literature on the nature of the psychedelic experience, concluding that the long‐term effects in the personality domain openness and in nature relatedness point to the emergence of a morally improved agent, thus providing substance to an application of mysticism.
SCIENCE, RELIGION, AND ETHICS: THE BOYLE LECTURE 2019
Authors: Reiss Michael J.
Published: August 2019

How do we and should we decide what is morally right and what is morally wrong? For much of human history, the teachings of religion were presumed to provide either the answer, or much of the answer. Over time, two developments challenged this. The first was the establishment of the discipline of moral philosophy. Foundational texts, such as Immanuel Kant'sGroundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, and the growth of coherent, nonreligious approaches to ethics, notably utilitarianism, served to marginalize the role of religion. And then, second, the twentieth century saw the rapid growth of evolutionary biology with an enthusiastic presumption that biology was the source of ethics. Here, I begin by discussing these developments and then examine the extent to which religion is still needed for a coherent account of ethics.
Optimization process of moringa oleifera seed extract using artificial neural network (ANN)
Authors: Idris Munirat Abolure , Jami Mohammed Saedi , Hammed Ademola Monsur
Published: August 2019

The use of chlorine which causes disinfection of by-products is a major concern especially in the developed countries. There is the need to look for a cheap alternative such as the use of plant material as substitute for chemical disinfectant. Moringa oleifera is an extensively documented plant material used for the treatment of drinking water. Its seed extracts contain active agents that having excellent coagulation properties and exerting in-vitro bactericidal activity. However, lack of available literature on the statistical optimization using artificial neural network (ANN) for inactivation kinetics of the seed extract using different disinfection models is the major aspect that need to be explored. This study was conducted to develop operation parameters using ANN for the seed extracts to be used as disinfectant for water treatment. The optimization process based on statistical experimental design using artificial neural network (ANN) in MATLAB 2012A was used to identify and determine the optimum process conditions. The multivariate regression analysis of the disinfection kinetic models was analyzed using SPSS version 20 and the final application of the optimized process conditions with river water was evaluated. The statistical analysis of optimization results using ANN gave a high coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.9992 and 0.9886 for E.coli. The model developed was verified and the optimum process parameters were 124 mg/L dosage, 65 minutes of contact time, 110 rpm mixing rate for E.coli bacterial strain. The order of reaction followed second order and the inactivation kinetics showed that modified Hom model was best fitted the disinfection process with R2 of 0.711. The findings from the application of the seed extract to river water showed that the removal efficiency for the seed extract with over 99.98% reduction of heterotrophic bacteria after the disinfection process. Hence, the findings of this study showed that defatted Moringa oleifera seed extract using the salt extraction method could be used as a disinfectant. This extract was recommended to be used in small communities and in emergency situations.
Aeroacoustic analysis on individual characteristics in sibilant fricative production
Authors: Yoshinaga Tsukasa , Nozaki Kazunori , Wada Shigeo
Published: August 2019

The cause of individual acoustic characteristics of sibilant fricatives /s/ and /ʃ/ was analyzed by extracting vocal tract geometries and conducting aeroacoustic experiments and simulations on each geometry. The vocal tract geometries of five Japanese subjects while sustaining /s/ and /ʃ/ were collected by magnetic resonance imaging. Flow and sound generation in the vocal tracts was predicted by large eddy simulations of compressible flow. The characteristic dimensions of the vocal tracts were extracted and simplified vocal tract models were constructed to clarify the relationship between the geometries and the acoustic characteristics. The acoustic characteristics of sounds generated by the simplified models agreed well with the sounds predicted by the simulation, indicating that the proposed model is able to express the individual characteristics in the production of sibilant fricatives. A comparison of the models showed that the volume and length of a space downstream from the constriction are key factors controlling the acoustic characteristics of each subject.
Accurate high-throughput screening based on digital protein synthesis in a massively parallel femtoliter droplet array
Authors: Zhang Yi , Minagawa Yoshihiro , Kizoe Hiroto , Miyazaki Kentaro , Iino Ryota , Ueno Hiroshi , Tabata Kazuhito V. , Shimane Yasuhiro , Noji Hiroyuki
Published: August 2019

A strategy based on Poisson statistics enables a rapid and efficient acquisition of enzyme mutants from just a few clones.
Viruses mobilize plant immunity to deter nonvector insect herbivores
Authors: Zhao Pingzhi , Yao Xiangmei , Cai Congxi , Li Ran , Du Jie , Sun Yanwei , Wang Mengyu , Zou Zhen , Wang Qiaomei , Kliebenstein Daniel J. , Liu Shu-Sheng , Fang Rong-Xiang , Ye Jian
Published: August 2019

Beyond mutualism, viruses manipulate host plant immunity not only to benefit vector allies but also to suppress their non-allies.
Data-driven phenotype discovery of
FMR1
premutation carriers in a population-based sample
Authors: Movaghar Arezoo , Page David , Brilliant Murray , Baker Mei Wang , Greenberg Jan , Hong Jinkuk , DaWalt Leann Smith , Saha Krishanu , Kuusisto Finn , Stewart Ron , Berry-Kravis Elizabeth , Mailick Marsha R.
Published: August 2019

Population screening and double-blind phenotyping confirm unique clinical profile in FMR1 premutation carriers.
Dysregulation of ectonucleotidase-mediated extracellular adenosine during postmenopausal bone loss
Authors: Shih Yu-Ru V. , Liu Mengqian , Kwon Seong Keun , Iida Masayuki , Gong Ya , Sangaj Nivedita , Varghese Shyni
Published: August 2019

Stimulation of the A2BR receptor can compensate for decreased extracellular adenosine and attenuate bone loss.
Parallel processing of polarization and intensity information in fiddler crab vision
Authors: Smithers Samuel P. , Roberts Nicholas W. , How Martin J.
Published: August 2019

Fiddler crabs process intensity and polarization information independently and in parallel to enhance visual contrast.
Preferential Small Intestine Homing and Persistence of CD8 T Cells in Rhesus Macaques Achieved by Molecularly Engineered Expression of CCR9 and ReducedEx VivoManipulation
Authors: Trivett Matthew T. , Burke James D. , Deleage Claire , Coren Lori V. , Hill Brenna J. , Jain Sumiti , Barsov Eugene V. , Breed Matthew W. , Kramer Joshua A. , Del Prete Gregory Q. , Lifson Jeffrey D. , Swanstrom Adrienne E. , Ott David E.
Published: August 2019

Adoptivecelltransfer (ACT) of T cells engineered with antigen-specific effector properties can deliver targeted immune responses against malignancies and infectious diseases. Current T-cell-based therapeutic ACT relies on circulatory distribution to deliver engineered T cells to their targets, an approach which has proven effective for some leukemias but provided only limited efficacy against solid tumors. Here, engineered expression of the CCR9 homing receptor redirected CD8 T cells to the small intestine in rhesus macaque ACT experiments. Targeted homing of engineered T-cell immunotherapies holds promise to increase the effectiveness of adoptively transferred cells in both experimental and clinical settings.
Complete Genome Sequence of
Microbacterium
sp. Strain SGAir0570, Isolated from Tropical Air Collected in Singapore
Authors: Kalsi Namrata , Drautz-Moses Daniela I. , Uchida Akira , Purbojati Rikky W. , Houghton James N. I. , Chénard Caroline , Wong Anthony , Kolundžija Sandra , Clare Megan E. , Kushwaha Kavita K. , Putra Alexander , Gaultier Nicolas E. , Premkrishnan Balakrishnan N. V. , Heinle Cassie E. , Vettath Vineeth Kodengil , Junqueira Ana Carolina M. , Schuster Stephan C.
Published: August 2019

Microbacterium
sp. strain SGAir0570 was isolated from air samples collected in Singapore. Its genome was assembled using single-molecule real-time sequencing and MiSeq short reads. It has one chromosome with a length of 3.38 Mb and one 59.2-kb plasmid. It contains 3,170 protein-coding genes, 48 tRNAs, and 6 rRNAs.
Complete Genome Sequence of Rubrobacter xylanophilus Strain AA3-22, Isolated from Arima Onsen in Japan
Authors: Tomariguchi Natsuki , Miyazaki Kentaro
Published: August 2019

Rubrobacter xylanophilus
strain AA3-22, belonging to the phylum
Actinobacteria
, was isolated from nonvolcanic Arima Onsen (hot spring) in Japan. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of this organism, which was obtained by combining Oxford Nanopore long-read and Illumina short-read sequencing data.
Draft Genome Sequences of Three Sponge-Associated Actinomycetes Exhibiting Antimycobacterial Activity
Authors: Tizabi Daniela , Sosa Ana , Bachvaroff Tsvetan , Hill Russell T.
Published: August 2019

Marine actinomycetes (order
Actinomycetales
) are of interest as a promising source of pharmaceuticals. The genomes of three novel sponge-associated actinomycetes exhibiting antimycobacterial activity,
Brevibacterium
sp. strain XM4083,
Micrococcus
sp. strain R8502A1, and
Micromonospora
sp. strain XM-20-01, were sequenced in an effort to identify compounds responsible for growth-inhibiting activity.
A case of Good’s syndrome complicated by erythema multiforme
Authors: Glick Laura R , Wilson William Wyatt , Fletcher Michelle
Published: August 2019

Good’s syndrome (GS) is a rare, adult-onset combined B cell and T cell immunodeficiency with an associated thymoma. These patients have an increased risk of bacterial, fungal, viral and opportunistic infections. This report describes a 75-year-old female patient who presented with a full body rash and an anterior mediastinal mass. She underwent a biopsy of her rash and mass, which revealed erythema multiforme and WHO Type A thymoma, respectively. During her hospitalisation, she was also found to have oropharyngeal candidiasis, methicillin-susceptibleStaphylococcus aureusbacteraemia and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) skin lesions. Based on the number of infections and severity of her rash, an immunocompromised state was suspected. Immunological testing revealed a B cell and T cell deficiency as well as low serum immunoglobulins. This combination of hypogammaglobulinaemia and thymoma led to a diagnosis of GS. While there have been many case reports of GS, this is the first report of the immunodeficiency presenting with erythema multiforme.
TraumaticStaphylococcus gallinarumendophthalmitis and detachment of a pallid retina
Authors: Kaur Prabhjot , Behera Umesh Chandra , Singh Arshi , Mitra Sanchita
Published: August 2019

A rare case ofStaphylococcus gallinarumendophthalmitis with intraocular foreign body (IOFB) was managed successfully by vitrectomy, IOFB removal and intravitreal antibiotics with steroids. Intraoperatively, the inferior retina was noted to be pale, possibly secondary to arteriolar occlusion/inflammation. This pale retina detached while peeling the vitreous, but spontaneously reattached postoperatively within a week. The case report describes the natural course of an iatrogenic detachment of pallid retina and the outcome of an uncommon ocular infection.
Association between earthquake experience and depression 37 years after the Tangshan earthquake: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Gao Xing , Leng Yue , Guo Yuchen , Yang Jichun , Cui Qinghua , Geng Bin , Hu Hongpu , Zhou Yong
Published: August 2019

Objective

To investigate the association between the Tangshan earthquake and depression after 37 years.

Design and setting

A cross-sectional study conducted in Tangshan from 2013 to 2014.

Participants

The sample included 5024 participants born before 28 July 1976 the date of the Tangshan earthquake, with available data on their earthquake experiences and depression 37 years post-earthquake.

Outcomes and variables

The outcome was depression measured using the Center for Epidemiological Study and Depression Scale. The independent variable was earthquake experience, which was classified into three groups: no earthquake experience, earthquake experience without bereavement and earthquake experience with bereavement. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between earthquake experience and depression after adjusting for gender, age at the time of the earthquake, smoking status, drinking status, education, income, residence in Tangshan 1 to 2 years post-earthquake, hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidaemia.

Results

Of the 5024 participants, 641 experienced the Tangshan earthquake, and 98 experienced bereavement due to the earthquake. 37 years after the earthquake, survivors who had lost relatives during the earthquake were nearly three times (OR 2.82, 95% CI 1.24 to 6.39) as likely to have depression as those who had not experienced the earthquake, while those who had not lost relatives were 1.69 times as likely (OR 1.69, 95% CI 0.93 to 3.08). Stratified analyses showed that earthquake was significantly associated with depression in women with (OR 3.51, 95% CI 1.21 to 10.16) or without bereavement (OR 3.07, 95% CI 1.44 to 6.56) but not in men; this association was also significant in individuals over 18 years old at the time of the earthquake with (OR 13.16, 95% CI 3.08 to 56.3) or without bereavement (OR 3.39, 95% CI 1.31 to 8.87) but not in individuals less than 18 years old.

Conclusions

37 years after the Tangshan earthquake, earthquake experience was associated with depression among bereaved survivors, women and individuals over 18 years old at the time of the earthquake.
Protocol for an outcome assessor-blinded pilot randomised controlled trial of an ion-exchange water softener for the prevention of atopic eczema in neonates, with an embedded mechanistic study: the Softened Water for Eczema Prevention (SOFTER) trial
Authors: Jabbar-Lopez Zarif K , Gurung Nikeeta , Greenblatt Danielle , Briley Annette , Chalmers Joanne R , Thomas Kim Suzanne , Frost Tony , Kezic Sanja , Common John E A , Kong Heidi H , Segre Julie A , Danby Simon , Cork Michael J , Peacock Janet L , Flohr Carsten
Published: August 2019

Introduction

Atopic eczema affects 20% of UK children, and environmental factors are important in its aetiology. Several observational studies suggest an increased risk of atopic eczema in children living in hard water areas. The Softened Water for Eczema Prevention pilot trial tests the feasibility of installing domestic ion-exchange water softeners around the time of birth to reduce the risk of atopic eczema in children with a family history of atopy. A further aim is to explore the pathophysiological mechanisms for this in an embedded mechanistic study.

Methods and analysis

Multicentre parallel group assessor-blinded randomised controlled pilot trial. Participants are newborn babies (n=80) living in a hard water (>250 mg/L calcium carbonate) area at risk of developing atopic eczema because of a family history of atopy. Participants will be randomised prior to birth in a 1:1 ratio. The intervention group will have an ion-exchange water softener installed prior to birth. The control group will receive their usual domestic hard water supply. Follow-up will be until 6 months of age. Data will be collected at birth (baseline), 1, 3 and 6 months of age. The main outcome is the proportion of eligible families screened who are willing and able to be randomised. Several secondary feasibility and clinical endpoints will also be evaluated, alongside mechanistic outcomes. Data will be analysed on an intention-to-treat basis. There will be no hypothesis testing for the clinical outcomes. Study acceptability will be evaluated through semistructured interviews.

Ethics and dissemination

This study has been reviewed and given a favourable opinion by the North West–Liverpool East Research Ethics Committee (Ref: 17/NW/0661). The results of the study will be reported at international conferences and in peer-reviewed scientific journals. We will send participating families a summary of the pilot trial results.

Trial registration number

NCT03270566.
Cost of maternal health services in low and middle-income countries: protocol for a systematic review
Authors: Banke-Thomas Aduragbemi , Abejirinde Ibukun-Oluwa Omolade , Banke-Thomas Oluwasola , Maikano Adamu , Ameh Charles Anawo
Published: August 2019

Introduction

There is substantial evidence that maternal health services across the continuum of care are effective in reducing morbidities and mortalities associated with pregnancy and childbirth. There is also consensus regarding the need to invest in the delivery of these services towards the global goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage in low/middle-income countries (LMICs). However, there is limited evidence on the costs of providing these services. This protocol describes the methods and analytical framework to be used in conducting a systematic review of costs of providing maternal health services in LMICs.

Methods

African Journal Online, CINAHL Plus, EconLit, Embase, Global Health Archive, Popline, PubMed and Scopus as well as grey literature databases will be searched for relevant articles which report primary cost data for maternal health service in LMICs published from January 2000 to June 2019. This search will be conducted without implementing any language restrictions. Two reviewers will independently search, screen and select articles that meet the inclusion criteria, with disagreements resolved by discussions with a third reviewer. Quality assessment of included articles will be conducted based on cost-focused criteria included in globally recommended checklists for economic evaluations. For comparability, where feasible, cost will be converted to international dollar equivalents using purchasing power parity conversion factors. Costs associated with providing each maternal health services will be systematically compared, using a subgroup analysis. Sensitivity analysis will also be conducted. Where heterogeneity is observed, a narrative synthesis will be used. Population contextual and intervention design characteristics that help achieve cost savings and improve efficiency of maternal health service provision in LMICs will be identified.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval is not required for this review. The plan for dissemination is to publish review findings in a peer-reviewed journal and present findings at high-level conferences that engage the most pertinent stakeholders.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42018114124
German translation, cultural adaption and validation of the unidimensional self-efficacy scale for multiple sclerosis: a study protocol
Authors: Seebacher Barbara , Mills Roger J , Reindl Markus , Zamarian Laura , Kuisma Raija , Kircher Simone , Brenneis Christian , Ehling Rainer , Deisenhammer Florian
Published: August 2019

Introduction

Self-efficacy refers to individuals’ confidence in their ability to perform relevant tasks to accomplish desired goals. This is independent of their actual abilities. In people with multiple sclerosis (MS), self-efficacy has been shown to powerfully influence motivation and health-related behaviour, such as adherence to prescribed treatment or physical activity. So far, a rigorously tested German language self-efficacy questionnaire for people with MS is missing.

Methods

The purpose of this study is to translate the original Unidimensional Self-Efficacy Scale for Multiple Sclerosis (USE-MS) into German and to validate the German USE-MS (USE-MS-G). Based on Bandura’s concept of self-efficacy and international guidelines for questionnaire development, the patient-led development of the pre-final German version will involve a forward–backward translation process, synthesis of translations, expert committee review and consensus with the original test developers. At two centres in Tyrol, Austria, content and face validity and cultural adaption for Austria will be established using face-to-face semistructured cognitive interviews of 30 people with MS (PwMS). A further 292 PwMS with minimal to severe disability will be tested at two timepoints to validate the USE-MS-G.

Results

Mixed methods analyses will be applied. Interviews will be transcribed and analysed employing qualitative content analysis. External validity will be explored using Spearman’s Rank correlation coefficients of the USE-MS-G with the 13-item Resilience Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Multiple Sclerosis International Quality of Life questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and MS-specific Neurological Fatigue Index. Test–retest reliability, internal consistency and floor and ceiling effects will be evaluated. Internal validity will be examined using Rasch analysis.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval was received from the Ethics Committee of the Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria (reference number EK1260/2018; 13.12.2018). Results from this study will be disseminated to the participants and MS Societies, and to clinicians and researchers through peer-reviewed publications and conferences.

Study registration

ISRCTN Registry; trial IDISRCTN14843579; prospectively registered on 02. 01. 2019;http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN14843579
Mixed methods implementation research of cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) for dementia in low and middle-income countries: study protocol for Brazil, India and Tanzania (CST-International)
Authors: Spector Aimee , Stoner Charlotte R , Chandra Mina , Vaitheswaran Sridhar , Du Bharath , Comas-Herrera Adelina , Dotchin Catherine , Ferri Cleusa , Knapp Martin , Krishna Murali , Laks Jerson , Michie Susan , Mograbi Daniel C , Orrell Martin William , Paddick Stella-Maria , KS Shaji , Rangawsamy Thara , Walker Richard
Published: August 2019

Introduction

In low/middle-income countries (LMICs), the prevalence of people diagnosed with dementia is expected to increase substantially and treatment options are limited, with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors not used as frequently as in high-income countries (HICs). Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) is a group-based, brief, non-pharmacological intervention for people with dementia that significantly improves cognition and quality of life in clinical trials and is cost-effective in HIC. However, its implementation in other countries is less researched. This protocol describes CST-International; an implementation research study of CST. The aim of this research is to develop, test, refine and disseminate implementation strategies for CST for people with mild to moderate dementia in three LMICs: Brazil (upper middle-income), India (lower middle-income) and Tanzania (low-income).

Methods and analysis

Four overlapping phases: (1) exploration of barriers to implementation in each country using meetings with stakeholders, including clinicians, policymakers, people with dementia and their families; (2) development of implementation plans for each country; (3) evaluation of implementation plans using a study of CST in each country (n=50, total n=150). Outcomes will include adherence, attendance, acceptability and attrition, agreed parameters of success, outcomes (cognition, quality of life, activities of daily living) and cost/affordability; (4) refinement and dissemination of implementation strategies, enabling ongoing pathways to practice which address barriers and facilitators to implementation.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval has been granted for each country. There are no documented adverse effects associated with CST and data held will be in accordance with relevant legislation. Train the trainer models will be developed to increase CST provision in each country and policymakers/governmental bodies will be continually engaged with to aid successful implementation. Findings will be disseminated at conferences, in peer-reviewed articles and newsletters, in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Disease International, and via ongoing engagement with key policymakers.
Exploring the application of mixed reality in Nurse education
Authors: Frost Jane , Delaney Lori , Fitzgerald Robert
Published: August 2019

The aim of this study was to explore the contemporary application, inclusive of advantages and challenges, of mixed reality (MR) technology in the education of nursing students and, its contribution to enhanced learning. A descriptive evaluation design was undertaken to explore the learning experience of second year students enrolled in a 3 year Bachelor of Nursing programme. One hundred per cent of the students stated that the experience assisted them in their learning. The key themes of engagement in learning, and developing clinical judgement emerged from students’ responses, and demonstrated ways in which students felt MR enhanced their learning. This emerging technology has the potential to assist in enhancing clinical judgement and developing skills in noticing physical cues in patients. The implementation of MR may also enhance student motivation and engagement with learning.
Three-dimensional 𝒩 = 2 supersymmetric gauge theories and partition functions on Seifert manifolds: A review
Authors: Closset Cyril , Kim Heeyeon
Published: August 2019

We give a pedagogical introduction to the study of supersymmetric partition functions of 3D [Formula: see text] supersymmetric Chern–Simons-matter theories (with an [Formula: see text]-symmetry) on half-BPS closed three-manifolds — including [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and any Seifert three-manifold. Three-dimensional gauge theories can flow to nontrivial fixed points in the infrared. In the presence of 3D [Formula: see text] supersymmetry, many exact results are known about the strongly-coupled infrared, due in good part to powerful localization techniques. We review some of these techniques and emphasize some more recent developments, which provide a simple and comprehensive formalism for the exact computation of half-BPS observables on closed three-manifolds (partition functions and correlation functions of line operators). Along the way, we also review simple examples of 3D infrared dualities. The computation of supersymmetric partition functions provides exceedingly precise tests of these dualities.
The simulation of flight trajectory based on quasi-Newton and mesh simplification
Authors: Guo Yangyong , Gao Xiaoling , Wei Juan , Wang Jierui , Li Mei , Zhu Congming
Published: August 2019

To address the problem of low accuracy of aircraft flight trajectory, a new prediction method for flight trajectory is proposed based on the quasi-Newton and mesh simplification algorithm. This method firstly proposes the calculation method of 3D aircraft flight trajectory, and simplifies the calculation process with mesh simplification algorithm. At the same time, the prediction accuracy is further improved with the quasi-Newton algorithm. At last, through the simulation experiment, we have made a deep study of the key factors influencing the prediction method. The result has shown that the method has good adaptability.
On the structure of BV entropy solutions for hyperbolic systems of balance laws with general flux function
Authors: Ancona Fabio , Caravenna Laura , Marson Andrea
Published: August 2019

The paper describes the qualitative structure of BV entropy solutions of a general strictly hyperbolic system of balance laws with characteristic field either piecewise genuinely nonlinear or linearly degenerate. In particular, we provide an accurate description of the local and global wave-front structure of a BV solution generated by a fractional step scheme combined with a wave-front tracking algorithm. This extends the corresponding results in [S. Bianchini and L. Yu, Global structure of admissible BV solutions to piecewise genuinely nonlinear, strictly hyperbolic conservation laws in one space dimension, Comm. Partial Differential Equations 39(2) (2014) 244–273] for strictly hyperbolic system of conservation laws.
Porphyrinoid-based photosensitizers for diagnostic and therapeutic applications: An update
Authors: Aggarwal Amit , Samaroo Diana , Jovanovic Ivana Radivojevic , Singh Sunaina , Tuz Michelle Paola , Mackiewicz Marilyn Rampersad
Published: August 2019

Porphyrin-based molecules are actively studied as dual function theranostics: fluorescence-based imaging for diagnostics and fluorescence-guided therapeutic treatment of cancers. The intrinsic fluorescent and photodynamic properties of the bimodal molecules allows for these theranostic approaches. Several porphyrinoids bearing both hydrophilic and/or hydrophobic units at their periphery have been developed for the aforementioned applications, but better tumor selectivity and high efficacy to destroy tumor cells is always a key setback for their use. Another issue related to their effective clinical use is that, most of these chromophores form aggregates under physiological conditions. Nanomaterials that are known to possess incredible properties that cannot be achieved from their bulk systems can serve as carriers for these chromophores. Porphyrinoids, when conjugated with nanomaterials, can be enabled to perform as multifunctional nanomedicine devices. The integrated properties of these porphyrinoid-nanomaterial conjugated systems make them useful for selective drug delivery, theranostic capabilities, and multimodal bioimaging. This review highlights the use of porphyrins, chlorins, bacteriochlorins, phthalocyanines and naphthalocyanines as well as their multifunctional nanodevices in various biomedical theranostic platforms.
Comparing independent climate-sensitive models of aboveground biomass and diameter growth with their compatible simultaneous model system for three larch species in China
Authors: Gao Zhigang , Wang Qiuyan , Hu Zongda , Luo Peng , Duan Guangshuang , Sharma Ram P. , Ye Qiaolin , Gao Wenqiang , Song Xinyu , Fu Liyong
Published: August 2019

Accurate estimate of tree biomass is essential for forest management. In recent years, several climate-sensitive allometric biomass models with diameter at breast height [Formula: see text] as a predictor have been proposed for various tree species and climate zones to estimate tree aboveground biomass (AGB). But the allometric models only account for the potential effects of climate on tree biomass and do not simultaneously explain the influence of climate on [Formula: see text] growth. In this study, based on the AGB data from 256 destructively sampled trees of three larch species randomly distributed across the five secondary climate zones in northeastern and northern China, we first developed a climate-sensitive AGB base model and a climate-sensitive [Formula: see text] growth base model using a nonlinear least square regression separately. A compatible simultaneous model system was then developed with the climate-sensitive AGB and [Formula: see text] growth models using a nonlinear seemingly unrelated regression. The potential effects of several temperature and precipitation variables on AGB and [Formula: see text] growth were evaluated. The fitting results of climatic sensitive base models were compared against those of their compatible simultaneous model system. It was found that a decreased isothermality ([mean of monthly (maximum temperature-minimum temperature)]/(Maximum temperature of the warmest month-Minimum temperature of the coldest month)) and total growing season precipitation, and increased annual precipitation significantly increased the values of AGB; an increase of temperature seasonality (a standard deviation of the mean monthly temperature) and precipitation seasonality (a standard deviation of the mean monthly precipitation) could lead to the increase of [Formula: see text]. The differences of the model fitting results between the compatible simultaneous system with the consideration of climate effects on both AGB and [Formula: see text] growth and its corresponding climate-sensitive AGB and [Formula: see text] growth base models were very small and insignificant [Formula: see text]. Compared to the base models, the inherent correlation of AGB with [Formula: see text] was taken into account effectively by the proposed compatible model system developed with the climate-sensitive AGB and [Formula: see text] growth models. In addition, the compatible properties of the estimated AGB and [Formula: see text] were also addressed substantially in the proposed model system.
Structurally controlled growth of fibrous amphibole in tectonized metagabbro: constraints on asbestos concentrations in non-serpentinized rocks
Authors: Vignaroli Gianluca , Rossetti Federico , Billi Andrea , Theye Thomas , Belardi Girolamo
Published: August 2019

The nucleation and concentration of asbestos in rocks are mostly associated with mechanisms of fibre formation, combined with the water-dependent mineralogical alteration produced during the serpentinization of ultramafic masses. Very little is known about the structural settings and tectonic histories that influence and control the occurrence of asbestos in non-serpentinized rocks diffusely embedded within tectonized ophiolitic suites. Focusing on a case history provided by a tectonized metagabbro from the Ligurian Alps (northern Italy), a multiscale structural–petrographic approach is used to investigate the relationships between rock fabric and fibrous amphibole growth within the metagabbro. Meso- to microstructural observations are used to document the role of structurally controlled fluid–rock interactions in localizing the growth of fibrous amphibole during ductile-to-brittle shearing (mylonitic foliation to shear veins). A qualitative structural scenario is provided to illustrate the growth of asbestos amphiboles in shear veins during the progression of shear deformation towards semi-brittle rheological conditions. The mechanisms of the structurally controlled growth of fibrous amphibole in non-serpentinized rocks imply an examination of the tectonic boundary conditions that are at the origin of the concentration of asbestos in ophiolitic rocks involved in orogenic belt construction.