bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparative Effectiveness of Two Walking Interventions on Participation, Step Counts, and Health
Authors: Smith-McLallen Aaron , Heller Debbie , Vernisi Kristin , Gulick Diana , Cruz Samantha , Snyder Richard L.
Published: June 2016

Purpose:

To (1) compare the effects of two worksite-based walking interventions on employee participation rates; (2) compare average daily step counts between conditions, and; (3) examine the effects of increases in average daily step counts on biometric and psychologic outcomes.

Design:

We conducted a cluster-randomized trial in which six employer groups were randomly selected and randomly assigned to condition.

Setting:

Four manufacturing worksites and two office-based worksite served as the setting.

Subjects:

A total of 474 employees from six employer groups were included.

Intervention:

A standard walking program was compared to an enhanced program that included incentives, feedback, competitive challenges, and monthly wellness workshops.

Measures:

Walking was measured by self-reported daily step counts. Survey measures and biometric screenings were administered at baseline and 3, 6, and 9 months after baseline.

Analysis:

Analysis used linear mixed models with repeated measures.

Results:

During 9 months, participants in the enhanced condition averaged 726 more steps per day compared with those in the standard condition (p < .001). A 1000-step increase in average daily steps was associated with significant weight loss for both men (−3.8 lbs.) and women (−2.1 lbs.), and reductions in body mass index (−0.41 men, −0.31 women). Higher step counts were also associated with improvements in mood, having more energy, and higher ratings of overall health.

Conclusions:

An enhanced walking program significantly increases participation rates and daily step counts, which were associated with weight loss and reductions in body mass index.
Work Stressors in Late Midlife and Physical Functioning in Old Age
Authors: Nilsen Charlotta , Agahi Neda , Kåreholt Ingemar
Published: June 2016

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between work stressors in late midlife and physical functioning in old age. Method: Two linked nationally representative Swedish surveys were used: the 1991 Level of Living Survey (age 57-65) and the 2011 Swedish Panel Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old. Work stressors were measured with the job demand–control model and physical functioning in old age with physical performance tests, lung function tests, and self-reported mobility. Ordered logistic and linear regressions were performed ( n = 166-214). Results: High demands, low control, and high strain (i.e., high demands combined with low control) were associated with limited physical functioning in women. Low control and passive jobs were associated with limited physical functioning in men. Discussion: Work stressors in late midlife are important predictors of physical functioning in older adults. However, women and men seem to be vulnerable to different work stressors.
Rolling element bearing fault diagnostics: Development of health index
Authors: Kumar HS , Pai Srinivasa P , Sriram NS , Vijay GS
Published: June 2016

This article develops and compares health indices using different approaches namely singular value decomposition, average value of the cumulative feature and Mahalanobis distance for assessing the rolling element bearing condition. The vibration signals for four conditions of rolling element bearing are acquired from a customized bearing test rig under variable load conditions. Seventeen statistical features are extracted from wavelet coefficients of the denoised signals. Feature selection is performed using singular value decomposition and kernel Fisher discriminant analysis. These selected features are used in these three approaches to develop health indices. Finally, a comparison of the three proposed approaches is made to select the best approach which can be effectively used for fault diagnosis of rolling element bearings.
Investigating the effect of nanoparticle on thermo-economic optimization of fin and tube heat exchanger
Authors: Hajabdollahi Hassan , Hajabdollahi Zahra
Published: June 2016

In this paper, the effects of Al2O3 nanoparticles suspended in the water-based fluid on the thermo-economic properties of a fin and tube heat exchanger are studied using fast and elitism nondominated sorting genetic algorithm. Nine design parameters are selected as design parameters, and the total annual cost and effectiveness are considered as the two objective functions. First, the effect of nanoparticle on the total annual cost versus effectiveness is obtained at different cold side mass flow rates, and the results are compared with the base fluid. The results show that nanoparticles have a significant influence on the total annual cost and effectiveness in a lower cold side mass flow rates. Next, the heat exchanger volume versus effectiveness for the optimum points is measured at different cold side mass flow rates. It is demonstrated that, adding Al2O3 nanoparticle to the base fluid for the fixed value of effectiveness, decreases the heat exchanger volume, and this reduction is more significant in the lower mass flow rates. The pressure drop and total heat transfer surface area versus effectiveness for the optimum points are also obtained with and without nanoparticle. An increase in the tube side pressure drop is revealed in the nanofluid. In addition, due to the increase in the overall heat transfer coefficient, the lower heat transfer surface area is required for the fixed value of effectiveness. Finally, variations of objective functions versus particle volumetric concentration for five typical optimum points are estimated. It is concluded that an optimal value for the volumetric concentration can be obtained, in which the effectiveness is highest.
A ‘long-fuse domestication’ of the horse? Tooth shape suggests explosive change in modern breeds compared with extinct populations and living Przewalski’s horses
Authors: Seetah Krish , Cardini Andrea , Barker Graeme
Published: June 2016

Archaeological and molecular data suggest that horses were domesticated comparatively recently, the genetic evidence indicating that this was from several maternal haplotypes but only a single paternal one. However, although central to our understanding of how humans and environmental conditions shaped animals during domestication, the phenotypic changes associated with this idiosyncratic domestication process remain unclear. Using geometric morphometrics on a sample of horse teeth including Pleistocene wild horses, modern Icelandic and Thoroughbred domestic horses, Przewalski’s wild horses of recent age and domestic horses of different ages through the Holocene, we show that, despite variations in size likely related to allometry (changes to bone size in proportion to body size), natural and artificial selective pressures and geographic and temporal heterogeneity, the shape of horse teeth has changed surprisingly little over thousands of years across Eurasia: the shapes of the premolars of prehistoric and historic domestic horses largely resemble those of Pleistocene and recent wild horses. However, this changed dramatically after the end of the Iron Age with an explosive increase in the pace and scale of variation in the past two millennia, ultimately resulting in a twofold jump in the magnitude of shape divergence in modern breeds. Our findings indicate that the pace of change during domestication may vary even within the same structure with shape, but not size, suggesting a ‘long-fuse’ model of phenotypic modification, where an initial lengthy period of invariance is followed by an explosive increase in the phenotypic change. These observations support a testable model that is applicable to other traits and species and add a new layer of complexity to the study of interactions between humans and the organisms they domesticated.
Sequential designs with small samples: Evaluation and recommendations for normal responses
Authors: Nikolakopoulos Stavros , Roes Kit CB , van der Tweel Ingeborg
Published: June 2016

Sequential monitoring is a well-known methodology for the design and analysis of clinical trials. Driven by the lower expected sample size, recent guidelines and published research suggest the use of sequential methods for the conduct of clinical trials in rare diseases. However, the vast majority of the developed and most commonly used sequential methods relies on asymptotic assumptions concerning the distribution of the test statistics. It is not uncommon for trials in (very) rare diseases to be conducted with only a few decades of patients and the use of sequential methods that rely on large-sample approximations could inflate the type I error probability. Additionally, the setting of a rare disease could make the traditional paradigm of designing a clinical trial (deciding on the sample size given type I and II errors and anticipated effect size) irrelevant. One could think of the situation where the number of patients available has a maximum and this should be utilized in the most efficient way. In this work, we evaluate the operational characteristics of sequential designs in the setting of very small to moderate sample sizes with normally distributed outcomes and demonstrate the necessity of simple corrections of the critical boundaries. We also suggest a method for deciding on an optimal sequential design given a maximum sample size and some (data driven or based on expert opinion) prior belief on the treatment effect.
The life, times, and health care of Harry L Hopkins: Presidential advisor and perpetual patient
Authors: Pappas Theodore N , Swanson Sven
Published: June 2016

Harry Hopkins was the most important nontitled allied leader in World War II. He was the advisor to President Roosevelt who managed the diplomacy between Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin from 1941 to 1946. Throughout these times, Hopkins was ill and required transfusions, admissions to the hospital, and nutritional supplementation to keep him well enough to travel the world and manage the allied war diplomacy. There has been no unifying theory to account for all his symptoms and his reported pathologic and autopsy findings. In this paper, we will review his political and medical history and a differential diagnosis of his illness.
Productivity Spillovers from FDI, Absorptive Capacity and Self-innovation Capabilities of Resource Area: Evidence from 1992–2013 in Shanxi, China
Authors: Li-Ming Xiao , Rui Jia , Rui Jing
Published: June 2016

The resource areas development is facing increasingly serious challenge in post-crisis era; it is essential to propose a reasonable approach for improving the self-innovation capability of resource area by using technology spillover of foreign direct investment (FDI) and applying absorptive capacity as the conduction medium. Based on the development characteristics of resource areas, the ‘micro-meso-macro’ view three-dimensional conceptual framework of FDI spillover, absorptive capacity and self-innovation capability was constructed. Then, the empirical analysis was conducted in three steps: first, the FDI technology spillover effects between Shanxi and three eastern provinces (Jiangsu, Liaoning and Hebei) were compared; second, the absorptive capacity and the relative factors were compared; third, by taking Shanxi province as an example, the relationship between FDI technology spillover and the self-innovation capacity was verified and the conduction medium role of absorptive capacity was investigated. Finally, by combining the theoretical and empirical analysis, three suggestions were put forward for reference.
A Comparison of Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory Measures: Unique Associations With Social Interaction Anxiety and Social Observation Anxiety
Authors: Kramer Sam L. , Rodriguez Benjamin F.
Published: June 2016

Evidence suggests that the behavior inhibition system (BIS) and fight-flight-freeze system play a role in the individual differences seen in social anxiety disorder; however, findings concerning the role of the behavior approach system (BAS) have been mixed. To date, the role of revised reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST) subsystems underlying social anxiety has been measured with scales designed for the original RST. This study examined how the BIS, BAS, and fight, flight, freeze components of the fight-flight-freeze system uniquely relate to social interaction anxiety and social observation anxiety using both a measure specifically designed for the revised RST and a commonly used original RST measure. Comparison of regression analyses with the Jackson-5 and the commonly used BIS/BAS Scales revealed important differences in the relationships between RST subsystems and social anxiety depending on how RST was assessed. Limitations and future directions for revised RST measurement are discussed.
Longitudinal and Sex Measurement Invariance of the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales
Authors: Orri Massimiliano , Rouquette Alexandra , Pingault Jean-Baptiste , Barry Caroline , Herba Catherine , Côté Sylvana M. , Berthoz Sylvie
Published: June 2016

The Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) is a personality instrument based on six evolutionary-related brain systems that are at the foundation of human emotions and behaviors: SEEKING, CARING, PLAYFULNESS, FEAR, ANGER, and SADNESS. We sought to assess for the short and long versions of the ANPS: (a) the longitudinal measurement invariance and long-term (4-year) stability and (b) the sex measurement invariance. Using data from a Canadian cohort ( N = 518), we used single-group confirmatory factor analysis to assess longitudinal invariance and multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis to assess sex invariance, according to a five-step approach evaluating five invariance levels (configural, metric, scalar, residual, and complete). Results supported full longitudinal invariance for both versions for all invariance levels. Partial residual invariance was supported for sex invariance. The long-term stability of both versions was good to excellent. Implications for personality assessment and ANPS development are discussed.
Mayors, Accomplishments, and Advancement
Authors: Heberlig Eric S. , McCoy Justin , Leland Suzanne M. , Swindell David A.
Published: June 2016

This article examines the effects of accomplishments on the career paths of big-city mayors. Using data from 104 cities with populations over 160,000 from 1992 to 2012, this study examines the extent to which performance in economics, crime, and recruiting mega-events affects mayors’ decisions to seek reelection or other offices, or retire. Results indicate those mayors of cities with population growth, a decrease in the crime rate, and that host certain mega-events (presidential nominating conventions) are more likely to seek another office than other mayors. A decrease in the crime rate seems to help mayors win reelection while none of the other accomplishments appear to improve their chances of winning campaigns for other offices.
Why Investing in Diversity Management Matters: Organizational Attraction and Person–Organization Fit
Authors: Madera Juan M. , Dawson Mary , Neal Jack A.
Published: June 2016

Corporate investments in diversity management programs have increased over the past two decades. Across two samples, the current study used experimental methods to examine if organizational attraction and person–organization fit (P–O fit) are influenced by corporate investment in diversity management. In Study 1, 132 hotel managers read about a hotel company that either invested in diversity management programs or removed their investment. In Study 2, 159 hospitality students on the job market read about a hotel company that either invested in diversity management programs or did not read this statement. The results of the current study showed why investing in diversity management matters, namely, because investing in diversity management influences organizational attraction. Across two studies, the participants were more attracted to an organization if the organization invested in diversity management and P–O fit mediated the relationship between corporate investment in diversity management and organizational attraction.
The Connection between Personal Traumas and Educational Exclusion in Young People’s Lives
Authors: King Hannah
Published: June 2016

The correlation between young people with poor outcomes and educational exclusion is well documented, but the relationship between the two is taken for granted and remains unexplored. A qualitative longitudinal research project, employing innovative biographic and visual methods, explored this relationship. This article argues that the timing of exclusion is directly related to periods of increased or intense trauma with the transference of emotionality from one domain (personal) to another (educational). This methodological approach enables a distinctive and powerful way of understanding young people’s experiences of exclusion and social change, through the voices of the young people themselves. An original methodological and empirical contribution is made by exploring the unique value of a biographical longitudinal approach focusing on critical moments to understanding young people’s experiences of exclusion; the relationship between multiple traumas in young people’s lives; and how these traumas precipitate exclusion.
Experimental study of light gauge steel framing floor systems under fire conditions
Authors: Baleshan Balachandren , Mahendran Mahen
Published: June 2016

Cold-formed steel members can be assembled in various combinations to provide cost-efficient and safe light gauge floor systems for buildings. Such light gauge steel framing floor systems are widely accepted in industrial and commercial building construction. Light gauge steel framing floor systems must be designed to serve as fire compartment boundaries and provide adequate fire resistance. Floor assemblies with higher fire resistance rating are needed to develop resilient building systems for extreme fire events. Recently, a new composite panel system based on external insulation has been developed for light gauge steel framing floors to provide higher fire resistance rating under fire conditions. This article presents the details of an experimental investigation of light gauge steel framing floors made of both the conventional (with and without cavity insulation) and the new composite panel systems under standard fires. Analysis of the fire test results showed that the thermal and structural performance of externally insulated light gauge steel framing floor system was superior than conventional light gauge steel framing floors with or without cavity insulation. Details of the experimental results including the temperature and deflection profiles measured during the tests are presented along with the joist failure modes. Such fire performance data can be used in the numerical modelling of light gauge steel framing floor systems to further improve the understanding of their fire behaviour and to develop suitable fire design rules.
Supporting parents in late modernity through parent education: A mixed-methods study in Hong Kong
Authors: To Siu-ming , So Yuk-yan , Tsoi Kcon-wah , Iu Kan Siu-mee , Chan Ting-sam
Published: June 2016

While the increasing awareness of risk in late modernity has resulted in the proliferation and complication of parental roles and choices, few attempts have been made to explore how parent education can empower parents to reconstruct parenthood and transform parental lives. Based on the results of a mixed-methods study conducted in Hong Kong, this article discusses the possible outcomes and experiences of a parent education program that aimed to facilitate parents’ holistic growth in dealing with the prevailing culture of intensive parenting. The program was composed of 30 h of seminars and workshops. The participants included 387 Hong Kong Chinese parents recruited from seven primary schools and 27 nursery schools. A pretest–posttest assessment survey and postintervention focus groups were adopted for the evaluation methods.

Findings

The quantitative results showed that the participants experienced an enhancement in confidence, understanding, and trust in parenting. The qualitative findings indicated that the program helped the participants reflect upon the meaning of parenthood, underline the gains and accomplishments of parenting, and adjust parental expectations. They could also foster parent–child relationships in accordance with their children’s developmental needs, uniqueness, and emotions. As a result, these parents were more ready to face the challenges of the anxious parenting culture.

Applications

The findings support the reconceptualization of parent education as a reflexive practice. Such practice can unleash parents’ capacity to construct knowledge from their lived experiences and reconstitute their reflexive and emotional selves to negotiate life choices among the diversity of options in childrearing.
Acting under the influence: Plans as improvisational gifts
Authors: Boyer Robert HW , Hopkins Lewis D
Published: June 2016

Actors in complex urban environments cope with uncertainties and interdependencies by using each other’s plans, subscribing to pre-existing decision-making frameworks, and building relationships with other actors over long periods of time. Improvisational comedians employ similar strategies to create coherent and meaningful multi-actor stories without a script or director; in short, they use “gifts,” “games,” and “group mind” to cope with uncertainty on stage. We use the metaphor of improvisational theater to illustrate how many plans over many years work to shape the urban built environment. This is accomplished by reformatting over 30 years of plans created by public and private organizations in Charlotte, North Carolina, into an improvised dialog of plans. This improvised “set” reveals how plans are used as signals among diverse actors over long periods of time, offering a counter-narrative to a dominant “plans-as-consensus, then implement” narrative.
Knowledge-making on ‘ageing in a smart city’ as socio-material power dynamics of participatory action research
Authors: Suopajärvi Tiina
Published: June 2016

This article investigates participatory action research workshops from the perspective of feminist new materialism by asking, how we came to know ageing in the smart city of Oulu in northern Finland through collaborative workshops which aimed to include seniors into public service design. The most meaningful socio-material components in this knowledge-making are argued to be the shifts in social power relations, particular spatial and material practices, and the participant assemblage. These components intra-act transferring our understanding on ageing: ageing becomes a creative state where the seniors are included in the problem-solving instead of being citizens to be looked after, and thus being merely a socio-economic problem. The power dynamics are essential in participatory action research, therefore, the accountability of all agents should be carefully analysed to understand the impacts of epistemology both in design and social change.
Stifled [Queer] Voices
Authors: Teman Eric D.
Published: June 2016

Issues of bullying, suicide, self-expression, self-acceptance, self-harm, among others, within the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, ally, and others (GLBTQQA+) culture are explored through ethnodrama. I show the suffering, the silenced voices, and the pain endured by GLBTQQA+ college students in rural Wyoming. I act as a story- reteller, where I creatively and strategically edit the interview transcripts to maintain the narrative. The result is an ethnodrama.
Dick pics on blast: A woman’s resistance to online sexual harassment using humour, art and Instagram
Authors: Vitis Laura , Gilmour Fairleigh
Published: June 2016

This article brings to attention and explores women’s use of non-traditional forms of resistance to online sexual harassment. In this piece we use Anna Gensler’s Instagram art project Instagranniepants to examine how women are appropriating the language and practices of the cyber realm to expose online sexual harassment and to engender a creative resistance which is critical, comedic and entertaining. Drawing from interdisciplinary literature on witnessing, satire and shaming, we explore the techniques Gensler uses to not only document harassment but also resist, engage and punish those who seek to perpetrate it. This article problematises the stereotype of women as passive victims of online public spaces, and is critical of popular discourses that portray online spaces as exclusively risky and that position women as the natural victims of online violence. It concludes that a more nuanced account of women’s negotiation of online spaces is necessary, particularly as an overarching narrative of risk and victimisation undermines the liberatory potential of the online realm.
The field, fermented: Prestige and the vocational bind in communication research
Authors: Pooley Jefferson D
Published: June 2016

This commentary argues that communication research’s main problem is reputational. The field’s marginal status—a product of its peculiar institutional history, with roots in vocational training—means that our work is not read by scholars from other disciplines. My claim is that the vocational model exacts a steep reputational price. The gap in prestige between the mainline disciplines and communication means that our scholarship is simply not read. Exiled to the professional-school margins of the university, communication scholars toil away in well-heeled obscurity. In exchange for relinquishing jurisdiction over media and communication, the commentary concludes, we might join a dynamic crossroads—where the vocational underwriting will not loom as large.
Unbearable lightness? Maybe because of the irrelevance/incommensurability of Western theories? An enigma of Indian Media Research
Authors: Murthy CSHN
Published: June 2016

This article hypothesizes that irrelevance/incommensurability of Western theories to the media studies on the side of global East and South, especially India, is one of the primary reasons for the growing unbearable lightness in communication research. While the study points out to the existing divergent views on the declining rigor in the communication research—especially with respect to methodologies—in the West, it also suggests that the six parameters that Servaes (2015) together with Anderson and Middleton (2014, 2015) offered as an agenda to help improve the current paradigms of communication research is quite ideal for the pursuing de-westernizing media research in India. In the process, the study traverses through various conflicts between different methodologies in communication research and how new paradigms, prompted by the rapid emergence of new technologies, have come to play key role in re-defining the current methodologies in communication research.
Recognizing ‘ourselves’ in media and communications research
Authors: Mansell Robin
Published: June 2016

In this article, I argue that interdisciplinarity in the media and communication field encourages a focus on why the media and communication matter. It helps to draw scholarly attention to the need for theory development and critical analysis of the material and symbolic facets of mediated communication. Interdisciplinarity offers a pathway for resisting the hegemony of disciplinary projects and this approach encourages reflexive engagement among scholars within the media and communication field and beyond. The interdisciplinary pathway differs from a disciplinary approach because it can be open and responsive to the lived problems and experiences of social actors, examined from a variety of theoretical standpoints. For this reason, the interdisciplinary approach to the field means that while there is a need for an orientation to the problems to be investigated, it does not need to own a set of ‘disciplinary’ problems.
Poststroke epilepsy: update and future directions
Authors: Zelano Johan
Published: June 2016

Stroke is among the most common causes of epilepsy after middle age. Patients with poststroke epilepsy (PSE) differ in several respects from patients with other forms of structural–metabolic epilepsy; not least in age, age-related sensitivity to side effects of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), and specific drug–drug interaction issues related to secondary-stroke prophylaxis. Encouragingly, there has lately been remarkable activity in the study of PSE. Three developments in PSE research deserve particular focus. First, large prospective trials have established the incidence and risk factors of PSE in the setting of modern stroke care. Stroke severity, cortical location, young age, and haemorrhage remain the most important risk factors. Second, although more studies are needed, epidemiological data indicate that the risk of PSE may be influenced, for instance, by statin treatment. Third, studies are emerging regarding the treatment and prognosis of PSE. Levetiracetam and lamotrigine may be well tolerated treatment options and seizure freedom is achieved in at least a similar proportion of patients as in other epilepsies. Furthermore, new animal models such as photothrombotic stroke gives hope of a more clear understanding of PSE epileptogenesis in the near future. In summary, PSE shows indications of maturing into an independent epilepsy research field. This review summarizes recent advances in our understanding of PSE and provides an update on management issues such as diagnosis, AED selection, and prognosis. Finally, future research challenges in the field are outlined.
Combination activity of neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir and α-tocopherol in influenza virus A (H3N2) infection in mice
Authors: Galabov Angel S , Mileva Milka , Simeonova Lora , Gegova Galina
Published: June 2016

Background

Influenza is a highly contagious viral infection of the respiratory system. To attack two processes involved in flu pathogenesis—viral replication in the infected body and oxidative damages, we studied the combination effect of neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir and antioxidant α-tocopherol in experimental model of influenza.

Methods

After inoculation of albino mice with 10 MLD50 (50% mouse lethal dose) of influenza virus A/Aichi/2/68 (H3N2), oseltamivir was applied orally at three doses, 2.5 mg/kg, 1.25 mg/kg, and 0.625 mg/kg, for five days post infection. α-Tocopherol (120 mg/kg, in sunflower oil) was administered intraperitoneally. Three schemes of α-tocopherol five-day course were tested: onset five or two days before infection, or on the virus inoculation day.

Results

Strongly dose-dependent augmented antiviral effect of the combination α-tocopherol and 0.625 mg/kg oseltamivir was demonstrated when α-tocopherol was administered simultaneously with oseltamivir: a pronounced decrease in mortality rate (a 78% protection), and a lengthening of mean survival time by 3.2–4 days. Lung parameters showed a substantial decrease in infectious virus content (Δ logs = 3.8/4.1) and a marked diminishment of lung index and pathology. Combination α-tocopherol with 1.25 mg/kg oseltamivir manifested a marked protective effect, but the effect on lung parameters was less. The combination effect of α-tocopherol with 2.5 mg/kg oseltamivir did not surpass the monotherapeutic effect of oseltamivir. When α-tocopherol was applied in courses starting five or two days before infection, its combination with oseltamivir was ineffective.

Conclusions

Evidently, α-tocopherol could be considered as prospective component of influenza therapy in combination with oseltamivir.
Overcoming functional impairment in postpartum depressed or anxious women: a pilot trial of desvenlafaxine with flexible dosing
Authors: Misri Shaila , Swift Elena , Abizadeh Jasmin , Shankar Radhika
Published: June 2016

Objectives:

Antidepressants are the first line treatment for moderate to severe major depressive disorder (MDD) in perinatal and general populations. However, there appears to be paucity of evidence around antidepressant use in women with postpartum depression or anxiety. Selection of an appropriate antidepressant is crucial in promoting efficacy, optimizing tolerability, and managing comorbid anxiety or depression. Our aim was to investigate the treatment effect and tolerability profile of desvenlafaxine, and to examine the functionality of women with postpartum depression or anxiety after desvenlafaxine treatment.

Methods:

Fifteen postpartum women with depression or anxiety completed this 12-week prospective pilot study with a flexible dose of desvenlafaxine (50–100 mg). Participants were recruited at a tertiary care level program. Measures of depression (Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, MADRS), anxiety (Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, HAM-A), worry (Penn State Worry Questionnaire, PSWQ) and functional impairment (Sheehan Disability Scale, SDS) were completed at baseline, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks.

Results:

In the intention-to-treat analysis ( n = 17), the majority of women responded to medication (88.2%, n = 15), and reached remission of depressive (82.4%, n = 14) and anxiety symptoms (82.4%, n = 14). Remission of depression was achieved in a mean of 6.9 weeks [standard deviation (SD) = 3.01] at a mean dose of 71 mg/day (SD = 25.7). Significant decreases were observed on PSWQ worry scores ( p < 0.0001) and SDS scores for social ( p < 0.0001) and family life impairment ( p < 0.0001). The medication was generally well tolerated.

Conclusion:

The results of our prospective pilot study suggest that treatment with desvenlafaxine of postpartum mothers with depression or anxiety can lead to symptom remission and restoration of functionality.
Comparison of left ventricular ejection fraction values obtained using invasive contrast left ventriculography, two-dimensional echocardiography, and gated single-photon emission computed tomography
Authors: Garg Nadish , Dresser Thomas , Aggarwal Kul , Gupta Vishal , Mittal Mayank K , Alpert Martin A
Published: June 2016

Objectives:

Left ventricular ejection fraction can be measured by a variety of invasive and non-invasive cardiac techniques. This study assesses the relation of three diagnostic modalities to each other in the measurement of left ventricular ejection fraction: invasive contrast left ventriculography, two-dimensional echocardiography, and quantitative gated single-photon emission computed tomography.

Methods:

Retrospective chart review was conducted on 58 patients hospitalized with chest pain, who underwent left ventricular ejection fraction evaluation using each of the aforementioned modalities within a 3-month period not interrupted by myocardial infarction or revascularization.

Results:

The mean left ventricular ejection fraction values were as follows: invasive contrast left ventriculography (0.44±0.15), two-dimensional echocardiography (0.46±0.13), and gated single-photon emission computed tomography (0.37±0.10). Correlations coefficients and associated p values were as follows: invasive contrast left ventriculography versus two-dimensional echocardiography (r=0.69, p<0.001), invasive contrast left ventriculography versus gated single-photon emission computed tomography (r=0.80, p<0.0001), and gated single-photon emission computed tomography versus two-dimensional echocardiography (r=0.69, p<0.001).

Conclusion:

Our results indicate that strong positive correlations exist among the three techniques studied.
The quality of transitions from hospital to home: A hospital-based cohort study of patient groups with high and low readmission rates
Authors: Braet Anja , Weltens Caroline , Bruyneel Luk , Sermeus Walter
Published: June 2016

Introduction

The quality of transitions from the hospital to home is critical for preventing readmissions. The aims of this study were to evaluate variations in the quality of transitions across groups of patients and across hospitals with high and low readmission rates and to study the impact of transitions on postdischarge outcomes.

Methods

A multicenter cohort study was conducted at 12 Flemish hospitals between June 2013 and September 2015 to examine transitions for patients with heart failure, pneumonia, or total hip/knee arthroplasty. Hospitals with high and low readmission rates were selected based on readmission rates in 2008. The quality of the transitions was assessed based on readiness for discharge, patient education, general practitioner contributions to the discharge process, and timeliness and completeness of discharge summaries.

Results

A total of 233 patients were included in the study. Readiness for discharge was better in patients with total hip/knee arthroplasty than in those with heart failure or pneumonia (mean differences 11.1 (95% CI 5.3–16.9) ( p = 0.001) and 5.8 (95% CI 1.2–10.5) ( p = 0.016), respectively). Heart failure patients had better readiness scores in low readmission rates than in high readmission rates hospitals (mean difference 13.5 (95% CI 2.5–24.5)) ( p = 0.017). Insufficient timeliness of discharge summaries was a risk factor for postdischarge events (OR 10.564; 95% CI 1.476–75.603; p = 0.019).

Discussion

To improve the quality of transitions from hospital to home, communication with general practitioner s must occur in a timely manner and with a focus on the continuity of care. Particularly, in patients with complex postdischarge needs, preparing patients for discharge is essential to prevent readmissions.
Online support system for students in higher education: Proof-of-concept study
Authors: Touloumakos Anna K , Goozée Rhianna , Papadatou-Pastou Marietta , Barley Elizabeth , Haddad Mark , Tzotzoli Patapia
Published: June 2016

Background

Providing support to the increasing numbers of students facing mental health difficulties in higher education (HE) can be difficult due to stigma or lack of resources. Alternative and/or complementary sources of support are needed, such as online interventions that are recognised for their therapeutic value and cost-effectiveness.

Objectives

We aim to provide evidence supporting the conceptual and practical value of a newly developed online multimedia intervention system for HE students who face mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety and depression and study-skills difficulties.

Methods

Students from five universities were invited to participate in a cross-sectional proof-of-concept study. Students were invited through the universities’ internal communication channels. Following demonstration of each part of the system, students completed a survey with quantitative and qualitative questions.

Results

Response was largely positive. Positive responses on the features of the questionnaire ranged between 65% and 86%; on the features of the workshops ranged between 57% and 91%; on ‘My place’ ranged between 65% and 79%; on the animated videos ranged between 79% and 92%; and on the overall system ranged between 78% and 89%. Participants indicated areas for improvement and ways in which such improvement could be accomplished; these then guided the development of the system.

Conclusions

The results confirm the need for such a system. It can complement student support services (SSS) by dealing with cases with mild to moderate difficulties, hence allowing SSS to prioritise and effectively address more severe cases. Potentially this method can provide a meaningful alternative to SSS; this is worth investigating further.
Probability of finding at least one euploid embryo and the euploidy rate according to the number of retrieved oocytes and female age using FISH and array CGH
Authors: Kahraman Semra , Çil Aylin Pelin , Oğur Çağrı , Semiz Altug , Yilanlioglu Cihangir
Published: June 2016

Objective:

To assess the probability of finding at least one euploid embryo (POE) and euploidy rate in preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) cycles for aneuploidy testing with fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) based on the number of retrieved oocytes after adjustment for age.

Design:

Retrospective data analysis.

Setting:

Private in vitro fertilization center in a general hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.

Patient(s):

In this study, 1412 couples with 1739 cycles were included.

Intervention(s):

Embryo biopsy at cleavage stage or trophectoderm biopsy analyzed by FISH or aCGH techniques.

Main outcome measure(s):

Probability of finding at least one euploid embryo for transfer and euploidy rate according to retrieved oocytes after adjustment for age.

Result(s):

Estimated probabilities of finding at least one euploid embryo were plotted based on age and number of retrieved oocytes. When controlled for age, the POE increased with each additional oocyte retrieved (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.08–1.14), but the euploidy rate did not. When retrieved oocytes were subgrouped, we found that the odds of finding at least one euploidy embryo were highest when 16–20 oocytes were retrieved compared to 1–5 oocytes with both FISH (OR 8.62, 95% CI 4.67–15.93) and aCGH (OR 2.78, 95% CI 1.07–7.21). However, the chances did not increase with the retrieval of more than 20 oocytes.

Conclusion(s):

The estimated probabilities of finding at least one transferrable embryo would enable more accurate counselling of patients based on age and the number of retrieved oocytes. As the highest estimates for finding one euploidy embryo were achieved with 15-20 oocytes, deciding the best protocol for ovarian stimulation to achieve the maximum number of oocytes for retrieval based on the patients age and ovarian reserve would be of crucial importance.
Measuring Interdisciplinarity Using Text
Authors: Evans Eliza D.
Published: June 2016

This article presents a new, text-based measure of interdisciplinarity. The author compares the text of a scholar’s publications with text from multiple disciplines and measures the extent to which a scholar’s work integrates language from distal and proximate disciplines. The measure is tested on all faculty members employed at Stanford University between 1993 and 2008. Comparisons among text, citation, and coauthorship measures of interdisciplinarity; measures of disciplinarity; and other variables provide validity evidence for the measure. This text-based measure of interdisciplinarity offers new opportunities for data analysis, especially for unstructured text and within book-centric fields such as the humanities.
Church Planting and Church Growth in Western Europe: An Analysis
Authors: Paas Stefan , Vos Alrik
Published: June 2016

Church planting is often seen as the best way to grow the church numerically. However, there is surprisingly little research examining this claim in any detail, and the research that exists turns out to be not very well-founded or unclear in terms of sources, definitions, and so forth. Recently, research has been conducted in three small Reformed denominations in the Netherlands, comparing older and younger churches with regard to converts and returnees. The results show that the younger churches gained approximately four times as many converts and five times as many returnees as did older churches. Three explanations seem the most plausible: younger churches are more often in good demographic locations, they spend more time and energy on outreach, and their leadership is more entrepreneurial.
Toward a Trinitarian Theology of Religions: A Pentecostal-Evangelical and Missiological Elaboration
Authors: Yong Amos
Published: June 2016

One of the most substantive efforts in recent constructive Trinitarian theology of religions is by Gerald McDermott and Harold Netland. This article interacts with their proposal and expands their ideas from a perspective that foregrounds the work of the Holy Spirit (pneumatology). While evangelical thinking about the religions can remain disjunctive at the discursive level, evangelical mission vis-à-vis those in other faiths demands a more dynamic Trinitarian praxis than that developed by the authors. I thus propose a more pneumatologically informed Trinitarian theology of holistic Christian mission to undergird evangelical practice in our pluralistic world.
Properties of polypropylene/multiwall carbon nanotube composite films prepared by microlayer extrusion
Authors: Li Changjin , Jiao Zhiwei , Xiong Liangzhao , Yang Weimin
Published: June 2016

Polypropylene/multiwall carbon nanotube composites with 1, 9, 81, and 729 layers were prepared with a novel microlayer extrusion technology. The influences of multiwall carbon nanotube dispersion and orientation on crystallization behavior, mechanical properties, and thermal stability of composites were investigated. The results indicated that homogeneous dispersion and improved multiwall carbon nanotube orientation in matrix were obtained with more layers. The tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and elongation at break of polypropylene/multiwall carbon nanotube composites with 729 layers increased by 77%, 78%, and 149%, respectively, compared with 1 layer composites. The 81 and 729 layer samples displayed obvious double yielding points on the stress–strain curves. Furthermore, thermogravimetric analysis showed that the composites with more layers exhibited better thermal stability than the 1 layer composites. These results suggest that multiwall carbon nanotube dispersion and orientation in a matrix can be effectively improved through microlayer extrusion.
Regulation of EBV LMP1-triggered EphA4 downregulation in EBV-associated B lymphoma and its impact on patients’ survival
Authors: Huang Ya-Chi , Lin Sue-Jane , Lin Kai-Min , Chou Ya-Ching , Lin Chung-Wu , Yu Shan-Chi , Chen Chi-Long , Shen Tang-Long , Chen Chi-Kuan , Lu Jean , Chen Mei-Ru , Tsai Ching-Hwa
Published: June 2016

Key Points

EBV LMP1 dysregulates EphA4 expression via the ERK-Sp1 pathway. Downregulation of EphA4 is demonstrated in EBV+ DLBCL, which is significantly correlated with poor DLBCL survival.
Targeting Epstein-Barr virus–transformed B lymphoblastoid cells using antibodies with T-cell receptor–like specificities
Authors: Lai Junyun , Tan Wei Jian , Too Chien Tei , Choo Joanna Ai Ling , Wong Lan Hiong , Mustafa Fatimah Bte , Srinivasan Nalini , Lim Angeline Pei Chiew , Zhong Youjia , Gascoigne Nicholas R. J. , Hanson Brendon J. , Chan Soh Ha , Chen Jianzhu , MacAry Paul A.
Published: June 2016

Key Points

Anti-EBV TCR-like monoclonal antibodies reduce BLCLs tumor load in vivo. Anti-EBV TCR-like monoclonal antibodies mediate phagocytosis of BLCLs by macrophages.
A 1-day visit in a severe asthma centre: effect on asthma control, quality of life and healthcare use
Authors: van der Meer Akke-Nynke , Pasma Henk , Kempenaar-Okkema Wilma , Pelinck Jo-Anneke , Schutten Myrte , Storm Huib , ten Brinke Anneke
Published: June 2016

Patients with uncontrolled asthma report ongoing symptoms, poor quality-of-life and extensive healthcare use (HCU) and might benefit from management by a specialised severe asthma team. It is unknown whether a one-time evaluation by asthma experts, without long-term supervision by a specialised team, provides favourable outcomes. We evaluated asthma control (Asthma Control Questionnaire; ACQ), quality-of-life (Asthma-related Quality of Life Questionnaire; AQLQ) and HCU before and 1 year after a 1-day visit programme in a severe asthma centre, including a multidisciplinary assessment resulting in a personalised management plan to be implemented by patients own pulmonologists.

40 uncontrolled asthma patients completed questionnaires (ACQ, AQLQ, HCU) at baseline, and 6 and 12 months follow-up.

ACQ improved from 2.6 (interquartile range 1.7–3.2) to 1.8 (1.2–3.2) (p=0.003) and AQLQ from 4.8 (4.0–5.2) to 5.3 (4.4–6.0) (p<0.001). We found a reduction in patients with ≥2 exacerbations (95%versus17%; p<0.001), ≥1 emergency room visit (78%versus37%; p<0.001) and ≥1 hospitalisation (47%versus10%; p=0.001).

Evaluation of uncontrolled asthma patients in a 1-day visit programme in a severe asthma centre resulted in significant improvements in asthma control, quality-of-life and healthcare use after 1 year. This 1-day visit approach seems beneficial for uncontrolled asthma patients and might reduce their dependence on expensive treatment modalities and long-term management in specialised centres.