bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inflammatory and metalloproteinases profiles predict three-month poor outcomes in ischemic stroke treated with thrombolysis
Authors: Gori Anna Maria , Giusti Betti , Piccardi Benedetta , Nencini Patrizia , Palumbo Vanessa , Nesi Mascia , Nucera Antonia , Pracucci Giovanni , Tonelli Paolina , Innocenti Eleonora , Sereni Alice , Sticchi Elena , Toni Danilo , Bovi Paolo , Guidotti Mario , Tola Maria Rosaria , Consoli Domenico , Micieli Giuseppe , Tassi Rossana , Orlandi Giovanni , Sessa Maria , Perini Francesco , Delodovici Maria Luisa , Zedde Maria Luisa , Massaro Francesca , Abbate Rosanna , Inzitari Domenico
Published: March 2017

Inflammatory mediators and metalloproteinases are altered in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and play a detrimental effect on clinical severity and hemorrhagic transformation of the ischemic brain lesion. Using data from the Italian multicenter observational MAGIC (MArker bioloGici nell’Ictus Cerebrale) Study, we evaluated the effect of inflammatory and metalloproteinases profiles on three-month functional outcome, hemorrhagic transformation and mortality in 327 patients with AIS treated with intravenous thrombolys in according to SITS-MOST (Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-MOnitoring STudy) criteria. Circulating biomarkers were assessed at baseline and 24 h after thrombolysis. Adjusting for age, sex, baseline glycemia and National Institute of Health Stroke Scale, history of atrial fibrillation or congestive heart failure, and of inflammatory diseases or infections, baseline alpha-2macroglobulin (A2M), baseline serum amyloid protein (SAP) and pre-post tissue-plasminogen activator (tPA) variations (Δ) of metalloproteinase 9, remained significantly and independently associated with three-month death [OR (95% CI):A2M:2.99 (1.19–7.53); SAP:5.46 (1.64–18.74); Δmetalloproteinase 9:1.60 (1.12–2.27)]. The addition of baseline A2M and Δmetalloproteinase 9 or baseline SAP and Δmetalloproteinase 9 (model-2 or model-3) to clinical variables (model-1) significantly improved the area under curve for prediction of death [model-2 with A2M: p = 0.0205; model-3 with SAP: p = 0.001]. In conclusion, among AIS patients treated with thrombolysis, circulating A2M, SAP and Δmetalloproteinase 9 are independent markers of poor outcome. These results may prompt controlled clinical research about agents antagonizing their effect.
Effectiveness of a Worksite Intervention for Male Construction Workers on Dietary and Physical Activity Behaviors, Body Mass Index, and Health Outcomes: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Viester Laura , Verhagen Evert A. L. M. , Bongers Paulien M. , van der Beek Allard J.
Published: March 2017

Purpose:

To evaluate the effectiveness of an individually tailored intervention for improvement in lifestyle behavior, health indicators, and prevention and reduction of overweight among construction workers.

Design:

Randomized controlled trial.

Setting:

Various blue-collar departments of a large construction company in the Netherlands.

Participants:

Blue-collar workers randomized to an intervention (n = 162) or a control group (n = 152).

Intervention:

The intervention group received individual coaching sessions, tailored information, and materials to improve lifestyle behavior during a 6-month period, and the control group received usual care.

Measures:

Body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, physical activity (PA) levels, dietary behavior, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol were assessed.

Analysis:

Effectiveness of the intervention on outcome measures at 6- and 12-month follow-up was assessed by using linear and logistic regression models adjusting for baseline levels.

Results:

After 6 months, a statistically significant intervention effect was found on body weight ( B = −1.06, P = .010), BMI ( B = −0.32, P = .010), and waist circumference ( B = −1.38, P = .032). At 6 months, the percentage of those meeting public health guidelines for PA increased significantly in the intervention group compared to the control group ( B = 2.06, P = .032), and for sugar-sweetened beverages, an intervention effect was found at 6 months as well ( B = −2.82, P = .003). At 12 months, for weight-related outcomes, these differences were slightly smaller and no longer statistically significant. The intervention was not effective on the total amount of moderate to vigorous PA and other dietary and health outcomes.

Conclusion:

Intervention participants showed positive changes in vigorous PA and intake of sugar-sweetened beverages compared to controls, as well as effects on weight-related outcomes at 6 months. Long-term effects were still promising but not statistically significant.
The impact of laboratory chow for rats in the experiments: Chemical and biological evaluation of nine grain-based diet options
Authors: Ferreira RS , de Souza Morelini L , de Azeredo EMC , Vieira ECS , Ferreira EB , da Silva VSN , Tavano OL , Azevedo L
Published: March 2017

Cereal-based diets formulated as semi-purified diets can provide flexibility for researchers, enabling open controlled formulas, besides being cheaper than purified diets. Seeking to widen the researchers’ options in their experimental design developments, we aimed at assaying the chemical score, growth performance and protein utilization of nine semi-purified experimental chows. These diets were formulated at 17.8%, 12% and 8% protein contents, using three variations of ingredients for each one, as follows: casein (C), casein+soybean meal (C+S, 1:1 w/w protein) and casein+soybean meal+corn gluten meal (C+S+G, 1:1:1 w/w protein), without cysteine supplementation and setting casein 17.8% (AIN-93G) as reference diet. The diets C and C+S (17.8%) had the Cys as the limiting amino acid once the addition of gluten turns the Lys as second limiting. All diets had the potential for promoting growth with body mass gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR; chow consumed per body weight gain, average 3.12) and feed efficiency ratio (FER; body weight gain per chow consumed, average 0.3), except for C+S+G 8% (FCR = 6 g; FER = 0.13). These variations were mainly due to the protein amounts independently from the protein ingredient used and could characterize the C+S+G 8% as unable to support growth. For the other parameters (digestibility, net protein ratio, net protein utilization and protein efficiency ratio), there were no relevant differences between the diets. We can conclude that 17.8%, 12% and 8% chows (C and C+S) allowed a proper combination of ingredients from the point of view of palatability, nutrient availability/utilization, metabolic processes, growth performance and feed utilization parameters.
Impact of Cash Dividend Announcements: Evidence from the Indian Manufacturing Companies
Authors: Anwar Sadaf , Singh Shveta , Jain P. K.
Published: March 2017

According to a recent survey by McKinsey and Company, the Indian manufacturing sector is expected to touch US$ 1 trillion by 2025.This study analyses the impact of the announcement of cash dividends on the stock price returns of the manufacturing companies listed on Bombay Stock Exchange using event study methodology. Further, it explores whether the US financial crisis recession impacted average abnormal returns (AARs) in the period of study. The empirical results show that cash dividend announcements have positive AARs. Overall, the results lend support to the signalling and informational content hypotheses of dividends. The paired samples t-test indicates a significant difference in the mean values of AARs in the pre-and post-recession phases, highlighting the impact of recession.
Full Coverage Sports Physicals
Authors: Johnson Karen E. , Morris Marian , McRee Annie-Laurie
Published: March 2017

Pre-participation physical exams (PPEs) hold great potential for addressing adolescents’ health-risk behaviors. School nurses may be well positioned to assist with PPEs, yet little is known about their involvement. In this mixed methods study conducted in 2015, we collected data from school nurses in Texas (surveys, n = 208; key informant interviews, n = 10) to explore their roles and attitudes toward being involved in PPEs and addressing health-risk behaviors. Most respondents described minimal involvement in PPEs or were not involved to their full scope of practice. Most (69%) felt that school nurses are an untapped resource for addressing health-risk behaviors among student athletes. Interview participants felt that student athletes saw nurses as a “safe space” to talk about health-risk behaviors. Barriers included a lack of time, resources for follow-up, parental approval, and legal concerns. Study findings identify potential opportunities to support nurses’ involvement in addressing health-risk behaviors among student athletes.
Assessment of the Risk of Hospitalization for Heart Failure With Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitors, Saxagliptin, Alogliptin, and Sitagliptin in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes, Using an Alternative Measure to the Hazard Ratio
Authors: Kaneko Masayuki , Narukawa Mamoru
Published: March 2017

Background: Saxagliptin statistically significantly increased the risk of hospitalization for heart failure compared with placebo in the clinical trial of SAVOR-TIMI 53. Neither the reason why only saxagliptin among several dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors increased the risk, nor the clinical implication of the result has been explained. Objective: To evaluate the risk of hospitalization for heart failure associated with DPP-4 inhibitors by using an alternative measure to the hazard ratio. Methods: We used the difference in restricted mean survival time (RMST) between DPP-4 inhibitors and placebo to evaluate the risk of cardiovascular events, including hospitalization for heart failure associated with DPP-4 inhibitors. Three randomized clinical trials with cardiovascular events as a primary end point—EXAMINE (alogliptin), SAVOR-TIMI 53 (saxagliptin), and TECOS (sitagliptin)—were reevaluated by estimating the RMSTs for the DPP-4 inhibitors and placebo based on the reconstructed individual patient data for each time-to-event outcome from publicly available information. Results: The differences of RMSTs (DPP-4 inhibitors minus placebo) for hospitalization for heart failure were −4 days [−6, −2] in the SAVOR-TIMI 53 (720 days follow-up), −3 days [−9, 3] in the EXAMINE (900 days follow-up), and 1 day [−5, 7] in the TECOS (1440 days follow-up). There were no substantial differences in the risk of other cardiovascular outcomes between DPP-4 inhibitors and placebo. Conclusions: There are no substantial clinically relevant differences in the risk of cardiovascular events, including hospitalization for heart failure, between 3 of the DPP-4 inhibitors and placebo.
Risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) among male and female relatives of AAA patients
Authors: van de Luijtgaarden Koen M , Rouwet Ellen V , Hoeks Sanne E , Stolker Robert J , Verhagen Hence JM , Majoor-Krakauer Danielle
Published: March 2017

Sex affects the presentation, treatment, and outcomes of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Although AAAs are less prevalent in women, at least in the general population, women with an AAA have a poorer prognosis in comparison to men. Sex differences in the genetic predisposition for aneurysm disease remain to be established. In this study we investigated the familial risk of AAA for women compared to men. All living AAA patients included in a 2004–2012 prospective database were invited to the multidisciplinary vascular/genetics outpatient clinic between 2009 and 2012 for assessment of family history using detailed questionnaires. AAA risk for male and female relatives was calculated separately and stratified by sex of the AAA patients. Families of 568 AAA patients were investigated and 22.5% of the patients had at least one affected relative. Female relatives had a 2.8-fold and male relatives had a 1.7-fold higher risk than the estimated sex-specific population risk. Relatives of female AAA patients had a higher aneurysm risk than relatives of male patients (9.0 vs 5.9%, p = 0.022), corresponding to 5.5- and 2.0-fold increases in aneurysm risk in the female and male relatives, respectively. The risk for aortic aneurysm in relatives of AAA patients is higher than expected from population risk. The excess risk is highest for the female relatives of AAA patients and for the relatives of female AAA patients. These findings endorse targeted AAA family screening for female and male relatives of all AAA patients.
Investigator bias and the PACE trial
Authors: Lubet Steven
Published: March 2017

The PACE investigators reject Geraghty’s suggestion that the cognitive behavior therapy/graded exercise therapy trial could have been better left to researchers with no stake in the theories under study. The potential sources and standards for determining researcher bias are considered, concluding that the PACE investigators “impartiality might reasonably be questioned.”
The development of a colour discrimination index
Authors: Xu L , Luo MR , Pointer M
Published: March 2017

One aspect of colour rendering is to discern the difference between colours and colour discrimination. This is important for applications such as surgical procedures and industrial inspection. Two psychophysical experiments were conducted using computer generated images and real materials, including stone, wood and organs. The results were used to develop a colour discrimination index which includes three components: the CAM02-UCS uniform colour space, the correlated colour temperature and a set of test samples.
Study on performance characteristic of medium consistency pump
Authors: Ye Daoxing , Li Hong
Published: March 2017

The aim of this work is to study the operation and performance characteristics of medium consistency pump in different conditions, and a sonar flowmeter and monitoring system are used in the experimental set up. The head, efficiency, gas fraction, and max flow rate were studied under different pulp concentrations 7.52%, 9.3%, and 12.1%; at speeds 960, 1140, and 1500 r/min; and degas vacuum degree. The dimensionless analysis is applied to pulp pumping. The experimental results show that pump head and efficiency decrease with the increase in the pulp concentration at constant flow rate. Vacuum degree has significant effect on pump performance. Medium consistency pump can pump pulp concentration at 7.52% without vacuum, but pump head and efficiency decrease obviously with the increase in the flow rate. With increase in vacuum degree, pump head increases and gas fraction decreases at pump outlet. Head increases with the increase in rotation speed. The higher rotation speed leads to the lower vacuum degree, which indicates that enhancing speed improves gas–liquid separation. With the increase in concentration of the gas fraction, the degas vacuum degree increases. The max flow rate decreases with the increase in concentration and increases with the increase in rotation speed.
Finite-time tracking control for autonomous underwater vehicles: An impulsive communication scheme
Authors: Ma Chao , Kang Erlong
Published: March 2017

This article investigates the finite-time dynamical tracking for autonomous underwater vehicles by introducing an impulsive communication scheme. More precisely, the communication of the autonomous underwater vehicles is conducted by the prescribed impulsive instants, which is more applicable for the underwater communication. Based on finite-time control theory and impulsive control theory, the tracking controller for each autonomous underwater vehicle is designed and sufficient conditions are developed for achieving the dynamical tracking cooperation. In the end, a simulation example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness and advantage of the proposed approach.
Recent progress on smart mining in China: Unmanned electric locomotive
Authors: Jiang Yu , Li Zhixiong , Yang Guang , Zhang Yuelei , Zhang Xiaogang
Published: March 2017

Severe safety accidents occur frequently in underground mines. It is crucial to develop safe mining technology. Smart mining is a reliable solution to this issue. The unmanned electric locomotive is one of the key components in smart mining. Literature review indicates that there are only six mines around the world that have equipped with unmanned electric locomotives, and very limited works have discussed the challenges in this field. Hence, this work aims to discuss the challenges. The first concern was underground position tracking. A solution based on wireless sensor network was introduced. Three challenging issues in wireless sensor network, that is, sensor node distribution, energy supply, and efficient data transmission, were discussed. The second concern was the control system of unmanned electric locomotives. The challenging tasks in this concern were discussed. First, the nonlinear dynamic response of the interaction between the rail and locomotive may influence the control performance of the unmanned electric locomotive. A coupled mathematical model describing the interaction may help the controller design. Second, the speed sensorless control strategy was introduced. The possible future research directions were then summarized. The discussions in this work will provide reference for optimum control system design for unmanned electric locomotives in underground mines.
Research on the safety assessment of the brushless DC motor based on the gray model
Authors: Xuan Jinquan , Wang Xiaohong , Lu Dawei , Wang Lizhi
Published: March 2017

The brushless DC motor experiences operating safety problems due to the deterioration of its components following long-term operations, which are easily overlooked. To resolve these problems, failure mode, effects, and criticality analysis is utilized to characterize potential hazards in the motors. Hilbert–Huang transform is then employed to obtain the frequency-domain energy values of the vibration signals, which is defined as characteristic values that represent the performance degradation state. Second, gray model is selected to analyze the frequency-domain energy values and establish differential equations to predict the future vibration status, thereby achieving the vibration-based fault prediction. Furthermore, a gray safety assessment model is proposed to implement the safety assessment for the motor. The fault prediction and gray safety assessment are carried out based on historical data obtained from the brushless DC motor vibration experiment. The accuracy level of the gray model predictions is classified as Wonderful, thereby demonstrating the efficiency of gray model for the fault prediction. In addition, as low as reasonably practicable law is chosen to classify risk levels and formulate safety strategies in accordance with the results of safety assessment. Finally, the proposed safety effects of the methods and strategies are evaluated for microscopic and macroscopic levels.
Effective ellipse detection method in limited-performance embedded system for aerospace application
Authors: Wu Bin , Yu Xiao-Yu , Guo Yu-Bo , Ye Dong
Published: March 2017

Up to present, there have been numerous articles on ellipse detection. However, it is still a great challenge especially for embedded application with restricted available computing and memory resources. To handle this problem, a novel and effective method is presented for ellipse detection. The method consists of two main steps: extraction of elliptic edge contours and edge contours grouping. These two steps are integrated to improve the accuracy and speed of the method. Finally, the aim of this method is to process high-resolution image for embedded system, which needs fast and accurate ellipse detection with limited computational and memory resources.
Mapping citizen journalism and the promise of digital inclusion: A perspective from the Global South
Authors: Prado Paola
Published: March 2017

This study maps the factors that impact and inform the practice of citizen journalism in the Global South, and asks how individuals in poor and marginalized communities produce contextually relevant news reports. Results obtained from 25 field interviews in the Dominican Republic contribute to the growing literature about practices that complement or contest journalism produced by mainstream news media. The findings suggest that we mind the gap of structural and institutional realities that pose practical challenges to individual agency for citizen journalists who operate in the Global South.
Envenomation Seizures
Authors: Kharal Ghulam Abbas , Darby Richard Ryan , Cohen Adam B.
Published: March 2017

Insect sting-related envenomation rarely produces seizures. We present a patient with confusion and seizures that began 24 hours after a yellow jacket (wasp) sting. Given the rapid onset and resolution of symptoms, as well as accompanying dermatological and orbital features, and the lack of any infectious or structural abnormalities identified, the toxic effect of the wasp venom (and related anaphylaxis reaction) was believed to be the cause of his presentation.
The cancer theory of pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Boucherat Olivier , Vitry Geraldine , Trinh Isabelle , Paulin Roxane , Provencher Steeve , Bonnet Sebastien
Published: March 2017

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remains a mysterious killer that, like cancer, is characterized by tremendous complexity. PAH development occurs under sustained and persistent environmental stress, such as inflammation, shear stress, pseudo‐hypoxia, and more. After inducing an initial death of the endothelial cells, these environmental stresses contribute with time to the development of hyper‐proliferative and apoptotic resistant clone of cells including pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, and even pulmonary artery endothelial cells allowing vascular remodeling and PAH development. Molecularly, these cells exhibit many features common to cancer cells offering the opportunity to exploit therapeutic strategies used in cancer to treat PAH. In this review, we outline the signaling pathways and mechanisms described in cancer that drive PAH cells’ survival and proliferation and discuss the therapeutic potential of antineoplastic drugs in PAH.
Burnout Research
Authors: Heinemann Linda V. , Heinemann Torsten
Published: March 2017

Even though burnout is one of the most widely discussed mental health problems in today’s society, it is still disputed and not officially recognized as a mental disorder in most countries. In the tradition of the social study of science, the objective of this article is to analyze how burnout has been investigated in the health sciences in the past four decades, and how this has influenced the ways burnout is understood today. We conducted an extensive quantitative and qualitative literature analysis on all publications on burnout listed in PubMed until 2011. We show that the number of publications on burnout increased considerably over the past 40 years, and identified six categories into which each study can be grouped. The studies are not equally distributed across the categories: Most focus on causes and associated factors. Only a very small number of articles deal with psychological and somatic symptoms of burnout and attempt to develop diagnostic criteria. We argue that just this distribution is the reason why burnout research reproduces the vagueness and ambiguity of the concept that it aims to clarify, and discuss our results in the light of the concept of medicalization.
2016 Southern Sociological Society Presidential Address: Are Millennials Cracking the Gender Structure?
Authors: Risman Barbara J.
Published: March 2017

In this article, which grew from my presidential address at the 2016 Southern Sociological Society Meetings, I offer a revision of my theoretical argument that we should conceptualize gender as a social structure. This revision includes a differentiation between the material and the cultural dimension at each level of the gender structure. I then briefly present some empirical evidence from a study of American Millennials to illustrate the usefulness of the revision. The research presented helps us understand how today’s young adults are adapting to, and perhaps changing, the gender structure itself. The data are based on interviews with 116 young adults, age 18 to 30, from the Chicagoland area. The findings suggest that some Millennials are rejecting gender as a binary while others are embracing essentialist ideologies. Most of the sample tell stories that are full of contradictions between their identities, the expectations they face, and their worldviews. I conclude with some implications of the research for both social change and academic research.
The Experience of Transitional Care for Non-Medically Complex Older Adults and Their Family Caregivers
Authors: Georgiadis Alexandros , Corrigan Oonagh
Published: March 2017

Transitional care research has mainly focused on the experiences of older adults with complex medical conditions. To date, few publications examine the experience of transitional care for non-medically complex older adults. In this article, we draw on and thematically analyze interview and audio-diary data collected at three hospitals in Eastern England, and we explore the experience of transitional care of 18 older adults and family caregivers. Participants reported mixed experiences when describing their care transitions, which indicated variations in care quality. To achieve independence and overcome the difficulties with care transitions, participants used a range of interrogative techniques, such as questioning and information seeking. We contend that the existing transitional care interventions are inappropriate to address the care needs of non-medically complex older adults and family caregivers. Implications for frontline health care staff and health services researchers are discussed.
Indoxyl sulfate induces platelet hyperactivity and contributes to chronic kidney disease–associated thrombosis in mice
Authors: Yang Ke , Du Changhong , Wang Xinmiao , Li Fengju , Xu Yang , Wang Song , Chen Shilei , Chen Fang , Shen Mingqiang , Chen Mo , Hu Mengjia , He Ting , Su Yongping , Wang Junping , Zhao Jinghong
Published: March 2017

Key Points

Uremic solute IS increases platelet activity via activation of ROS/p38MAPK signaling. Klotho counteracts IS-induced thrombosis by restraining platelet hyperactivity.
The influence of metabolic imbalances and oxidative stress on the outcome of critically ill polytrauma patients: a review
Authors: Rogobete Alexandru Florin , Sandesc Dorel , Papurica Marius , Stoicescu Emil Robert , Popovici Sonia Elena , Bratu Lavinia Melania , Vernic Corina , Sas Adriana Mariana , Stan Adrian Tudor , Bedreag Ovidiu Horea
Published: March 2017

The critically ill polytrauma patient presents with a series of associated pathophysiologies secondary to the traumatic injuries. The most important include systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), sepsis, oxidative stress (OS), metabolic disorders, and finally multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and death. The poor outcome of these patients is related to the association of the aforementioned pathologies. The nutrition of the critically ill polytrauma patient is a distinct challenge because of the rapid changes in terms of energetic needs associated with hypermetabolism, sepsis, SIRS, and OS. Moreover, it has been proven that inadequate nutrition can prolong the time spent on a mechanical ventilator and the length of stay in an intensive care unit (ICU). A series of mathematical equations can predict the energy expenditure (EE), but they have disadvantages, such as the fact that they cannot predict the EE accurately in the case of patients with hypermetabolism. Indirect calorimetry (IC) is another method used for evaluating and monitoring the energy status of critically ill patients. In this update paper, we present a series of pathophysiological aspects associated with the metabolic disaster affecting the critically ill polytrauma patient. Furthermore, we present different non-invasive monitoring methods that could help the intensive care physician in the adequate management of this type of patient.
A goal-oriented framework for rapid integral-equation-based simulation of borehole resistivity measurements of 3D hydraulic fractures
Authors: Yang Kai , Yılmaz Ali E. , Torres-Verdín Carlos
Published: March 2017

We have developed a goal-oriented framework for fast integral-equation-based simulation of low-frequency borehole resistivity measurements of 3D arbitrarily shaped hydraulic fractures. The framework explores the possibility of applying various approximate integral-equation methods to simulate borehole electromagnetic (EM) measurements acquired in the vicinity of 3D hydraulic fractures generated with electrically conductive proppant. It includes four approximate methods that are progressively more accurate, costly, and rigorous. Each method is used to approximate the method-of-moments solution of the integral equation and to evaluate/extract quantities of interest, e.g., bucked signals detected at receivers. When compared with rigorous fast Fourier transform (FFT)-accelerated method-of-moments solutions, the numerical results obtained with the four methods indicate the following (1) All of the approximate methods capture the main features of the quantities of interest, e.g., the shape of detected signals. (2) Different approximate methods exhibit different accuracies and efficiencies in the simulation of EM scattering from various 3D fractures. (3) The identified approximate method achieves accurate results (error [Formula: see text]) while reducing the simulation time by a factor of 2–1000 compared with the FFT-accelerated rigorous method. Thus, our approximate simulation framework is a promising candidate for evaluating the Jacobian matrix in the fast inversion of borehole EM measurements to detect and assess the geometry of 3D hydraulic fractures generated with electrically conductive proppant.
Interruptions of Head and Neck Radiotherapy Across Insured and Indigent Patient Populations
Authors: Thomas Kimberly , Martin Travis , Gao Ang , Ahn Chul , Wilhelm Holly , Schwartz David L.
Published: March 2017

Purpose:

Radiotherapy for head and neck cancer is a cornerstone of care, requiring 30 to 35 days of treatment over 6 to 7 weeks. Diligent patient compliance is crucial, and unplanned treatment interruptions reduce cure rates. We studied interruption rates in private carrier–insured and Medicare-insured populations versus indigent populations served by a single academic health system.

Materials and Methods:

A retrospective cohort study of electronic medical and billing records was performed analyzing treatment interruptions between January 2011 and December 2014. The study included 564 patients with head and neck cancer prescribed radiotherapy and referred from clinics run by University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) and the Parkland Health and Hospital System (PHHS), which provides indigent care to Dallas County, Texas.

Results:

Three-hundred sixteen patients (56%) had a treatment break; 114 patients missed a single session, and 202 patients missed multiple treatments. Seventy percent of PHHS patients had treatment delays compared with 47% of UTSW patients ( P < .001). The number of interrupted days in the PHHS population was nearly twice that observed in UTSW patients. PHHS patients most commonly missed treatment for nonmedical or logistical reasons. Delay was predictive for local recurrence ( P < .001) and overall survival ( P < .001). In compliant patients, there was no significant difference in local recurrence ( P = .43) or overall survival ( P = .27) across referral sites. However, among noncompliant patients, there was a higher likelihood for local recurrence in the PHHS cohort ( P = .016). Multivariable modeling suggested treatment interruption to be a key driver of outcome differences across referral sites.

Conclusion:

Survival outcomes in our at-risk population were inferior to those in patients insured by commercial carriers or Medicare. Treatment interruption predicted for poor outcome across all patients but was disproportionately experienced by at-risk patients. These results highlight cancer control needs specific to disadvantaged communities at risk for poor treatment compliance.
A healthy gut
Authors: Williams Katie
Published: March 2017

Katie Williams M.Sc. (Dist) of Dengie Horse Feeds discusses the relationship between the microbial population in the gut and the health of the horse
Vital structures
Authors: Roberts Colin
Published: March 2017

Dr Colin Roberts, equine veterinary consultant, University of Cambridge, discusses the structure of the equine joint and the problems that may occur within it
The empire strikes back
Authors: Hewson Claire
Published: March 2017

While Caroline Lawrence's new adventure series is set in Roman Britain, Claire Hewson finds rich opportunities to discuss parallels with today's current affairs.
Getting to grips with Roman numerals
Authors: Hewson Claire
Published: March 2017

Help pupils to understand how the Romans organised time across the year and feel confident in making calculations using numerals greater than one hundred.
‘I have a picture of the Monster!’: Il mostro di Frankenstein and the search for Italian horror cinema
Authors: Hunter Russ
Published: March 2017

Typically accounts of Italian horror cinema have highlighted the production and release of Riccardo Freda’s I vampiri (Lust of the Vampire) in the late 1950s as marking the beginning of Italian engagement with the horror genre. The logic that follows is often that the nature of fascist censorship impeded any explorations of the genre in the 1920s and 1930s and that in the post war period it was only the commercial success of Hammer Horror that tempted Italian producers to venture into horror film-making. In this way Italian horror cinema is considered to have no antecedents and is frequently seen in relation to its readiness to ape production successes elsewhere. Increasingly, however, Il mostro di Frankenstein (The Monster of Frankenstein) (Testa, 1921) is being identified as Italy’s ‘first’ horror film. Yet as a lost film that has left little material trace, evidence of its generic position is, at best, ambiguous. This article will examine a heretofore underexplored and obscure film in order to interrogate the extent to which it can be seen as Italy’s earliest engagement with horror production. In so doing it allow us to see much more complex and nuanced developments of the history of both Italian and European horror cinema, challenging previous assumptions about the history of the genre as a whole.
Streaming Italian horror cinema in the United Kingdom: Lovefilm Instant
Authors: Baschiera Stefano
Published: March 2017

This article investigates the distribution of Italian horror cinema in the age of video streaming, analysing its presence and categorization on the platform Lovefilm Instant UK, in order to investigate the importance of ‘niche’ in what is known as the long tail of online distribution and the online availability of exploitation films. I argue that looking at the streaming presence of Italian horror and comparing it to its prior distribution on home video formats (in particular VHS and DVD) we can grasp how distribution and access have shaped the understanding of the genre. In particular, I address the question of the categorization of the films made by the S-VOD services and the limits of streaming distribution, such as lack of persistency in availability and the need for enhanced curatorship.
Global metal in local contexts: Questions of class among heavy metal youth and the structuring of early metal identity formations
Authors: Rowe Paula
Published: March 2017

The globalization of metal music and culture has broadened the accessibility of metal for more young people than ever before. But in this article, I argue that access to participating in the global metal subculture is not equal for all youth, which, in turn, can shape early metal identity formations in local contexts. Drawing on narrative research with metal youth in South Australia, I will highlight ways that participants’ metal identity ‘choices’ were constrained or augmented by the resources they had at their disposal, and further, I will show how this came to bear on their ‘choice’ of metal subgenre affiliations. Of particular interest was finding how some of the more socio-economically advantaged metal youth narratively constructed the constrained ‘choices’ of poorer participants as inauthentic metal identity formations. Through this, I will argue that notions of authenticity can manifest as displacements of class distinctions on to individuals arising from the resources they are able to invest in ‘becoming’ metal, and the consequent approval, or disapproval, by their metal peers.
After the apocalypse: Identity and legitimacy in the postdigital heavy metal subculture
Authors: Goldhammer Rio
Published: March 2017

Using the metaphor of apocalypse, this piece considers what is lost in the digital age. The power of major labels has certainly been diminished, access to global distribution has been widened exponentially and the tangible products produced by artists have been replaced by digital information. The changes are immeasurable, but many people still dedicate time to finding new music. What overwhelmingly defines their choice though is still the music they grew up with, from before the apocalypse. Major festivals rely perpetually on the before for their legitimacy. In the last decade for instance, there has not been a year in which either Metallica or Iron Maiden has not headlined a major UK festival. Needing to look backwards for meaning, as James Berger suggests, is to look before nothingness; this is the apocalypse that music is faced with. Where heavy metal as a genre attracts specific scrutiny is due to a number of factors, including a propensity to embrace nostalgia as a component of counterculture, an allure towards grandeur, and also sporadic mainstream success. The apocalypse narrative in itself represents a beginning and an end, highlighting the paradoxical questions of identity and legitimacy faced by heavy metal. Metal and its followers are neither mainstream nor subversive, both looking backwards in order to survive and ultimately enforcing its unsustainability as a result.
Decoding cultural signifiers of Brazilian identity and the African diaspora from the music of Sepultura
Authors: Williams Duncan , Da Rocha Marcio Alves
Published: March 2017

The notion of Brazilian identity, or Brazilian-ness, can be understood from the representations of identity that are encoded in Belo Horizonte’s Sepultura, Brazil’s most successful heavy metal act, now 30 years old. In this article, we consider it interesting to look not only at the music produced historically by a region but also at how the region influences and refracts itself in the production of new music. Sepultura’s distinct flavour of heavy metal offers a unique way of examining this process in the context of Brazilian identity.
Book Reviews
Authors: Barone Stefano , DiGioia Amanda , Musser Jordan
Published: March 2017

Islam and Popular Culture, Karin Van Nieuwkerk, Mark Levine and Martin Stokes (Eds) (2016)

Austin: University of Texas Press, 404 pp.,

ISBN: 978-1-4773-0887-5, h/bk, $63.65, ISBN: 978-1-4773-0904-9, p/bk, $23.42

 

Heavy Metal Music Studies and Popular Culture, Brenda Gardenour Walter, Gabby Riches, Dave Snell and Bryan Bardine (Eds) (2016)

Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 214 pp., ISBN: 978-1-137-45667-0, h/bk, £68

 

Global Metal Music and Culture: Current Directions in Metal Studies, Andy R. Brown, Karl Spracklen, Keith Kahn-Harris and Niall W. R. Scott (Eds) (2016)

London: Routledge, 370 pp. ISBN: 978-1-1388-2238-2, h/bk, $119
Black Sabbath’s pioneering lyrical rhetoric: Tragic structure and cathartic potential in song narratives
Authors: Barnett Brett A.
Published: March 2017

Widely credited with establishing heavy metal, Black Sabbath released their first two albums in 1970, Black Sabbath and Paranoid, and those albums’ success signalled a paradigm shift in rock, garnering the band international fame. Although having a self-perception of being a ‘heavy underground’ band, Black Sabbath would go on to sell more than 75 million albums worldwide. With Black Sabbath having their final tour in 2017, this article examines lyrics contained in a sample of hit songs appearing on Black Sabbath and Paranoid to better understand why the band’s songs struck such a responsive chord with listeners. In examining lyrics from Black Sabbath’s earliest hits, this article provides a perspective from which the band’s songs can be shown as frequently containing the basic elements of Greek tragedy – tragic situation, tragic result, tragic hero and nemesis – a recurring pattern that may have served a cathartic function for listeners. Like Greek tragedies, Black Sabbath’s songs involve stories of extreme human suffering, often under extraordinary circumstances, having the ability to elicit emotional responses from audiences. By hearing narratives about the extreme suffering experienced by persons not unlike themselves, listeners are able to participate vicariously in the heroes’ fear, pain and grief. Thus, just as Aristotle believed Greek tragedies induced a catharsis – a purging of negative emotions – in viewers, the author argues that Black Sabbath’s lyrical narratives could serve a therapeutic function for listeners.
Narración colaborativa como tecnología blanda: funciones, aplicaciones y desafíos
Authors: Belsunces Gonçalves Andreu
Published: March 2017

De acuerdo a las ciencias cognitivas la narración nos ayuda a conocer, recordar, aprender o organizar nuestra percepción y pensamientos. Estas funciones han sido desplegadas a lo largo de la historia y son aplicadas actualmente por la mercadotecnia, el management o los recursos humanos para persuadir, crear comunidad o guiar el comportamiento. Asimismo, en el actual contexto de “cultura participativa”, la narración entendida como dispositivo está siendo explorada como técnica de creación colectiva en ámbitos como el activismo o la investigación. A través del análisis de varios proyectos, este artículo tiene como objetivo definir la narración colaborativa como tecnología blanda haciendo énfasis en su aplicación en el terreno del empoderamiento ciudadano.
Estado de sitio; gesto de coleccionar: Conversando con Rafael Tormo Cuenca
Authors: Echevarría Madinabeitia Izaskun
Published: March 2017

A partir de la conversación con el artista valenciano Rafael Tormo Cuenca surge una reflexión en torno a nuestra relación con el mundo en este momento en el que nos relacionamos a través de dispositivos tecnológicos y pareciera que nuestro entorno social físico ha quedado abandonado. Esta comunicación parte de un proyecto de comisariado que consiste en dar forma a ciertas ideas que rodean esta hipótesis y las vincula al pensamiento contemporáneo, con la figura central de Walter Benjamin visto desde la mirada de Hito Steyerl y el propio artista. El acto de coleccionar, la incidencia de la tecnología y otras formas de economía son analizadas aquí desde el fenómeno de las grandes exposiciones universales en contraposición a la práctica artística en sí misma.
Historias en tránsito
Authors: Urquieta Robles Luis
Published: March 2017

“Historias en tránsito” es un proyecto interactivo sonoro que se plantea como una metáfora, una representación del proceso inmigratorio que han vivido miles de personas, generada a partir de la abstracción de un espacio de circulación en un aeropuerto. Esta puesta en escena es confrontada y entrelazada con la realidad del relato oral de un grupo de inmigrantes residentes en Barcelona. Por medio de esta propuesta interactiva, se busca evidenciar una situación social que en nuestros días sigue aconteciendo pero no se valoriza de manera total, por lo que el proyecto pretende presentar esa cara menos visible. Si bien el trabajo está vinculado a una instalación interactiva, sus bases se enfocan en la antropología visual, utilizando como metodología matriz las entrevistas de tipo semiestructuradas y de foto elicitación a diversos inmigrantes, con el fin de abordar la carga de memoria de cada uno de ellos asociada a un grupo de imágenes presentadas que guardan relación con su territorio y cultura.
HIS bundle electrocardiogram in children with secundum atrial defects and patent ductus arteriosus
Authors: Madiyono Bambang , Trisnohadi Hanafi B. , Affandi Maemunah
Published: March 2017

The purpose of this swdy is to compare intra-atrial conduction (atrio-ventricular conduction and intraventricular conduction) in children with secundum atrial deptal defect (ASD II) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) using His bundle electrocardiogram (HBE).Six patienls with ASD II and seven with PDA, aged ranging from 3 to 11 years were included in the study. The diagnoses of all cases were confirmed by cardiac catheterization. The results of HBE studies showed that the PA, AH, HV, interval in ASD II were 31.7 ± 7.6 msec; 65.8 ± 16.8 msec; 42.5 ± 2.2 msec; and in eDA were 25 ± 7.8 msec; 77.9 ± 9.4 msec; 40 ± 3.8 I11sec respectively. The differences were statistically not significant (P > 0.05).The data showed that intra-atrial conduction in children with ASD II was not longer than that in PDA and also there was no difference in atrioventricular conduction and intraventricular conduction, although childrell with ASD II usually have abnormal ECG, like right bundle branch block.
Experience with sulphamethoxazole (SMZ)/trimethoprim (TMP) combination in purulent meningitis not responding to conventional microbial therapy
Authors: Sumarmo Sumarmo , K. Mugiyo , Mandoyono Mandoyono , P. Lauritha S. , Suntoro Adji
Published: March 2017

Tell infants ranging in age from two days to nine months with purulent meningitis who were considered therapeutic failures after conventional microbial therapy (i.e. ampicillin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, amikin, cloxacillin in any combination) were included in this study. A solution consisting of SMZ 80 mg/mL and TMP 16 mg/mL in propylene glycol (Bactrilll, Hoffman-La Roche A.G. Basle/Switzerland) was given intravenously to the patients. The daily dose was 10 mg/kg BW TMP/24 hours for the first three days followed by 6 mg/kg BW TMP/24 hours divided in two doses given intravenously every 12 hours.Nine patients recovered, 7 of them rapidly within 10 - 21 days after SMZ/TMP administration and the other 2 patients within 27 and 33 days respectively. One infant improved but died afterwards of complicatIons not related to the treatment.No hematological nor cutaneous and gastrointestinal side effects were observed. The liver and renal function test performed on 3 out of 10 cases on the first few days of the commencement of treatment and 3 weeks later, were all within normal limits.Our experience with the use of parenteral SMZ/TMP in infants with bacterial meningitis not responding to conventional microbial therapy gave encouraging results.
Ferrous sulfate liquid for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia
Authors: Soemantri Soemantri , Soedigbia A. G. , Hardiman I. , Hendarto Taty , Widjaja Widjaja
Published: March 2017

A study on the effect of ferrous sulfate liquid (lberet - 500 liquid) was conducted on a group of well-nourished children aged 6 months - 5 years.After 3 months 0/ treatment, hematological measurements revealed a statistically significant improvement as compared to the control group receiving placebo. Side effects were also found to be minimal. Thus ferrous sulfate liquid is recommended for treatment or supplement to anemia eradication, preferably associated with a high dose of vitamin C.