bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical outcomes and complications following primary total elbow arthroplasty using the Latitude prosthesis
Authors: Cinats David , Bois Aaron J , Hildebrand Kevin A
Published: May 2018

Background

The Latitude total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) is an implant with limited published data on its performance and outcomes. The aim of this study was to report the short-term outcomes of the Latitude TEA as well as to describe the radiographic outcomes and complications.

Methods

The Latitude was implanted in 20 patients (23 elbows) in a linked configuration. Patients were recalled to clinic for the assessment of their range-of-motion and compared to preoperative values. Administration of functional outcome measures was also performed.

Results

Mean follow-up was 4.7 years (range, 1 to 7.5 years) with four elbows requiring revision. The flexion–extension arc improved from 86.6 to 101.3 (range, 76 to 126) postoperatively (p = 0.04). The average Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand score was 28.1 (range, 5.8 to 50.4) and the average Mayo Elbow Performance Score was 89.6 (range, 76 to 100), with 83% of elbows scoring in the good or excellent range. Radiolucencies were detected in 60% of patients and 31% of these lucencies progressed in size at the time of follow-up.

Conclusions

The Latitude prosthesis provides patients with favorable clinical outcomes with improvements in their range-of-motion and a complication rate comparable to other elbow arthroplasty implants.
Intentional and Unintentional Empathy for Pain Among Physicians and Nonphysicians
Authors: Spring Victoria L. , Cameron C. Daryl , McKee Stephanie , Todd Andrew R.
Published: May 2018

Empathy can be both beneficial and costly. This trade-off is pertinent for physicians who must care for patients while maintaining emotional distance to avoid burnout. Prior work using self-report and neurophysiological measures has found mixed evidence for differences in empathy between physicians and nonphysicians. We used implicit measurement and multinomial modeling to examine intentional empathy (IE) and unintentional empathy (UE) for pain among physicians and demographically matched nonphysicians. Relative to nonphysicians, physicians displayed greater ability to judge the painfulness of target experiences (i.e., IE). Contrary to some prior work, however, physicians and nonphysicians displayed comparable spontaneous resonance with distracter experiences (i.e., UE). These findings suggest that physicians may be more likely than nonphysicians to empathize with others’ pain when empathy aligns with their overt goals.
Economic Issues Are Moral Issues: The Moral Underpinnings of the Desire to Reduce Wealth Inequality
Authors: Franks Andrew S. , Scherr Kyle C.
Published: May 2018

Economic inequality is a pervasive and growing source of social problems such as poor health, crime, psychological disorders, and lack of trust in others. U.S. citizens across the political spectrum both underperceive the extent of economic inequality and would prefer to live in a society with much less inequality than both exist in reality and in their subjective estimations. Across multiple studies, we examined the ability of “moral foundations” to predict people’s desire to reduce economic inequality (while also replicating research showing widespread desire for a more equal society). Moral foundations endorsements consistently predicted desire to reduce inequality even when controlling for other relevant factors (e.g., political orientation). In addition, requests for donations to an organization focused on reducing economic inequality were able to elicit more money when the requests largely appealed to the type of moral foundations endorsed by participants.
Serum heat shock protein 70 levels as a biomarker for inflammatory processes in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Lechner Patricia , Buck Dorothea , Sick Lisa , Hemmer Bernhard , Multhoff Gabriele
Published: May 2018

Background

Inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes are hallmarks of multiple sclerosis (MS). The synthesis of the major stress-inducible heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) is induced by inflammation.

Objective

The purpose of this study is to determine whether Hsp70 in serum can serve as a potential biomarker to distinguish inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes in MS.

Methods

Serum was obtained from 94 patients: 26 clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), 40 relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS), 19 secondary progressive MS (SPMS), and nine primary progressive MS (PPMS). As controls, serum samples were collected from patients with non-inflammatory neurological diseases (NINDs, n = 41), other inflammatory neurological diseases (OINDs, n = 28) and healthy donors (HDs, n = 114). Serum levels of Hsp70 were quantified using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay detecting free and liposomal Hsp70 (lipHsp70 ELISA).

Results

Patients with MS displayed significantly higher Hsp70 serum levels than HDs ( p < 0.001) and significantly lower levels than OINDs ( p = 0.001). A subgroup analysis revealed that Hsp70 serum levels of CIS/RRMS patients are significantly higher than those of patients with progressive MS (SPMS/PPMS) ( p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Inflammation causes the release of Hsp70 into the blood. As CIS/RRMS are associated with higher Hsp70 serum levels than progressive MS, serum Hsp70 levels might provide a marker for inflammatory processes.
People’s Councils for Ethical Machine Learning
Authors: McQuillan Dan
Published: May 2018

Machine learning is a form of knowledge production native to the era of big data. It is at the core of social media platforms and everyday interactions. It is also being rapidly adopted for research and discovery across academia, business, and government. This article will explores the way the affordances of machine learning itself, and the forms of social apparatus that it becomes a part of, will potentially erode ethics and draw us in to a drone-like perspective. Unconstrained machine learning enables and delimits our knowledge of the world in particular ways: the abstractions and operations of machine learning produce a “view from above” whose consequences for both ethics and legality parallel the dilemmas of drone warfare. The family of machine learning methods is not somehow inherently bad or dangerous, nor does implementing them signal any intent to cause harm. Nevertheless, the machine learning assemblage produces a targeting gaze whose algorithms obfuscate the legality of its judgments, and whose iterations threaten to create both specific injustices and broader states of exception. Given the urgent need to provide some kind of balance before machine learning becomes embedded everywhere, this article proposes people’s councils as a way to contest machinic judgments and reassert openness and discourse.
Evaluating Sampling Methods for Content Analysis of Twitter Data
Authors: Kim Hwalbin , Jang S. Mo , Kim Sei-Hill , Wan Anan
Published: May 2018

Despite the existing evaluation of the sampling options for periodical media content, only a few empirical studies have examined whether probability sampling methods can be applicable to social media content other than simple random sampling. This article tests the efficiency of simple random sampling and constructed week sampling, by varying the sample size of Twitter content related to the 2014 South Carolina gubernatorial election. We examine how many weeks were needed to adequately represent 5 months of tweets. Our findings show that a simple random sampling is more efficient than a constructed week sampling in terms of obtaining a more efficient and representative sample of Twitter data. This study also suggests that it is necessary to produce a sufficient sample size when analyzing social media content.
The Paradox of Financing Public Higher Education in Tanzania and the Fate of Quality Education: The Experience of Selected Universities
Authors: Mgaiwa Samson John
Published: May 2018

This article examines the sources of funding for public university education in Tanzania. The article also examines the trends in Other Charges and Capital Development funding for selected public universities in Tanzania taking a leap of years from 2010/2011 to 2015/2016 and their implications for quality issues in the provision of higher education. Results indicate that the sources of financing for public universities in Tanzania are unreliable and unsustainable. The findings further show that government approval rates for budgetary requests from universities decreased over the 6 years. At the same time, the proportion of government-approved funds and those released to universities decreased during the period under review. This article argues that given the unreliability of sources of higher education funding and decreasing budget approval rate and disbursed funds, the fate of quality higher education in the Country is questionable should the trend continue. Based on the findings, conclusions are drawn and recommendations made in light of the weaknesses identified and the review of the system of public university education funding in Tanzania.
Impacting Urban Students’ Academic Achievement and Executive Function Through School-Based Arts Integration Programs
Authors: Moss Taylor E. , Benus Matthew J. , Tucker Elizabeth A.
Published: May 2018

Arts integration in school-based curriculum has been an area of interest in the United States since formal schooling began in the 1800s. Arts integration uses art forms such as, visual arts, music, drama, or dance with a language arts, math, science, and/or social studies curriculum. This article examines nine studies that assessed the effects of school-based arts integration on urban students’ academic achievement. Findings suggest that an arts-integrated curriculum has positive effects on urban student academic achievement. Despite the positive impact of arts integration, the cumulative understanding of current research does not definitively offer an explanation for why arts integration successfully impacts student achievement. The analysis of findings suggests that improvements in core content knowledge may be a minor outcome when compared with possible developmental gains in executive function (representational knowledge, operational processes, and self-regulation) from an arts integration program. Opportunities to focus future research in arts integration programs around the construct of executive function are suggested and justified based on analysis of findings.
The Mediating Role of Sleep Quality in the Relationship Between Personality and Subjective Well-Being
Authors: Lai Catie C. W.
Published: May 2018

The literature has shown that personality is linked with subjective well-being. However, the nature of this link and its underlying mechanisms require further investigation. This study examined the potential associations between personality traits and facets of subjective well-being, when the effects of the demographic variables were taken into account. This study also tested the mediating role of sleep quality in these associations. In late 2013, a national probability sample of Australian residents ( N = 13,424; M age = 44.3 years; 47% male) completed a questionnaire comprising measures of personality, subjective well-being, sleep quality, and demographic variables. Structural equation modeling showed that when controlling for the demographic variables, each personality trait was uniquely related to facets of subjective well-being. The results also demonstrated that sleep quality partially mediated these associations. Individuals showing higher levels of extraversion, conscientiousness, and emotional stability reported better sleep quality and greater subjective well-being, whereas individuals displaying greater agreeableness reported worse sleep quality and poorer subjective well-being. These results differentiated the personality traits in terms of their connections with the facets of subjective well-being and highlighted the potential role of good sleep quality in promoting subjective well-being.
Minimally invasive modified Camitz opponensplasty for severe carpal tunnel syndrome
Authors: Nanno Mitsuhiko , Kodera Norie , Tomori Yuji , Takai Shinro
Published: May 2018

Purpose:

We aimed to compare the clinical results and the complications between the minimally invasive modified Camitz opponensplasty and the conventional Camitz opponensplasty for severe carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and to evaluate the efficacy of the modified technique for CTS.

Methods:

Twenty-eight hands in 24 patients with severe CTS who had disorder of the thumb opposition with thenar muscle atrophy (group 1) were treated by minimally invasive modified Camitz opponensplasty, passing the transferred palmaris longus (PL) tendon under the abductor pollicis brevis (APB) fascia using only palm and thumb incision, and no incision to either wrist crease or forearm. Ten hands in 10 patients (group 2) were treated by the conventional Camitz opponensplasty. Clinical evaluation was made by comparing the results before and after surgery for the angle of the thumb palmar abduction, pinch power, and grip strength.

Results:

All clinical findings significantly improved after surgery compared with before surgery in all patients. In group 1, there were no complications including transferred tendon bowstring, painful wrist scar, or injury to the palmar cutaneous branch of the median nerve in all hands. Conversely, patients in group 2 had four painful wrist scars and nine bowstrings of the transferred tendon.

Conclusions:

Several complications have been considered to attribute to the long incision and an extensive dissection crossing the wrist crease from the palm to the wrist in the conventional Camitz procedure. The current modified Camitz opponensplasty by minimally invasive incision without straddling the wrist crease is a simple and effective procedure that can decrease the risk of painful scar around the wrist crease in severe CTS patients with disorder of thumb opposition. Additionally, this technique, by passing the transferred PL tendon under the APB fascia, is useful in restoring the thumb opposition immediately, and in preventing the bowstringing of the transferred tendon.
Myocardial Infarction as an Early Presentation in Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura: A Rare Case Series
Authors: Dahal Sumit , Ghimire Dipesh K. C. , Sapkota Saroj , Dahal Suyash , Kafle Paritosh , Bhandari Manjul
Published: May 2018

Renal and neurological involvements are frequently seen in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). Cardiac involvement, however, has been rarely reported. In this article, we present 2 cases of myocardial infarction in patients with TTP. In the first case, a young man presented with non–ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction that resolved promptly with plasmapheresis. The second patient developed ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction early in the course of the disease and died before plasmapheresis could be initiated. Hence, a high degree of suspicion with prompt diagnosis and treatment is needed to prevent mortality associated with cardiac involvement in TTP.
Afebrile Benign Convulsion Associated With Mild Gastroenteritis
Authors: Khosroshahi Nahid , Rahbarimanesh Aliakbar , Boroujeni Farhad Asadi , Eskandarizadeh Zahra , Zoham Mojdeh Habibi
Published: May 2018

Background:

Benign convulsion with mild gastroenteritis is a new clinical entity that occurs in children who are otherwise healthy.

Method:

This cohort study held among patients with afebrile convulsion and accompanying gastroenteritis in a tertiary children hospital during a 2-year period. Demographic and clinical data were analyzed. Neurodevelopmental milestones were observed during a follow-up period of 12 to 24 months.

Results:

Twenty-five patients aged 3 to 48 months with female predominance were enrolled. Ninety-three percent of cases experienced generalized tonic-clonic seizures. One-third of seizures occurred in clusters. Primary laboratory findings and electroencephalography were normal except for 3 with few epileptic waves. During the follow-up period, no seizure recurrence happened. Long-term antiepileptic treatment was unnecessary.

Conclusion:

Afebrile convulsion accompanying mild gastroenteritis is a convulsive disorder with reassuring prognosis. Due to its benign course, comprehensive neurodiagnostic evaluation and long-term antiepileptic drugs are usually avoidable.
Consensus recommendations for the diagnosis and clinical management of Rosai-Dorfman-Destombes disease
Authors: Abla Oussama , Jacobsen Eric , Picarsic Jennifer , Krenova Zdenka , Jaffe Ronald , Emile Jean-Francois , Durham Benjamin H. , Braier Jorge , Charlotte Frédéric , Donadieu Jean , Cohen-Aubart Fleur , Rodriguez-Galindo Carlos , Allen Carl , Whitlock James A. , Weitzman Sheila , McClain Kenneth L. , Haroche Julien , Diamond Eli L.
Published: May 2018

Rosai-Dorfman-Destombes disease (RDD) is a rare non–Langerhans cell histiocytosis characterized by accumulation of activated histiocytes within affected tissues. RDD, which now belongs to the R group of the 2016 revised histiocytosis classification, is a widely heterogeneous entity with a range of clinical phenotypes occurring in isolation or in association with autoimmune or malignant diseases. Recent studies have found NRAS, KRAS, MAP2K1, and ARAF mutations in lesional tissues, raising the possibility of a clonal origin in some forms of RDD. More than 1000 reports have been published in the English literature; however, there is a lack of consensus regarding approach for the clinical management of RDD. Although in most cases RDD can be observed or treated with local therapies, some patients with refractory or multifocal disease experience morbidity and mortality. Here we provide the first consensus multidisciplinary recommendations for the diagnosis and management of RDD. These recommendations were discussed at the 32nd Histiocyte Society Meeting by an international group of academic clinicians and pathologists with expertise in RDD. We include guidelines for clinical, laboratory, pathologic, and radiographic evaluation of patients with RDD together with treatment recommendations based on clinical experience and review of the literature.
Prevalence and patterns of drug resistance among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Hangzhou, China
Authors: Li Qingchun , Zhao Gang , Wu Limin , Lu Min , Liu Wei , Wu Yifei , Wang Le , Wang Ke , Qian Han-Zhu , Xie Li
Published: May 2018

Background

To evaluate prevalence and patterns of drug resistance among pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients in Hangzhou City, China.

Methods

Sputum samples of smear positive TB patients enrolled in 2011 and 2015 were collected and tested for drug susceptibility, and demographic and medical record data were extracted from the electronic database of China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention. Chi-square test was used to compare drug resistance prevalence between new and treated patients and between male and female patients, and Chi-square test for trend was used to compare the prevalence over calendar years 2011 and 2015.

Results

Of 1326 patients enrolled in 2015, 22.3% had resistance to any first-line anti-TB drugs and 8.0% had multi-drug resistance (MDR); drug resistance rates among previously treated cases were significantly higher than among new cases. Significant declines of resistance to isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol and streptomycin, and MDR from 2011 to 2015 were observed among previously treated patients, while a significant decline of resistance to rifampin was observed among new cases.

Conclusions

While the prevalence of acquired drug resistance decreased due to due to implementation of DOTS-Plus program, the prevalence of primary drug resistance due to transmission remained high. Greater efforts should be made to screen drug resistance for case finding and to reduce transmission through improving the treatment and management of drug-resistant patients.
Comparison of paired human nasal and bronchial airway epithelial cell responses to rhinovirus infection and IL‐13 treatment
Authors: Roberts Nicole , Al Mubarak Reem , Francisco David , Kraft Monica , Chu Hong Wei
Published: May 2018

Background

Because of its advantage as a minimally invasive procedure, nasal brushings have been increasingly used and proposed as a valuable approach to study lower airway diseases in lieu of bronchial epithelial cells. However, there is limited or conflicting evidence pertaining to whether nasal samples can be surrogates to bronchial samples. The goal of the present study is to test whether nasal epithelial cells have similar antiviral and inflammatory responses to IL‐13 treatment and rhinovirus infection, a condition mimicking virally induced asthma exacerbation. Nasal and bronchial airway epithelial cells taken from the same patient were cultured under submerged and air–liquid interface (ALI) culture in the absence or presence of rhinovirus and IL‐13 treatment. Inflammatory cytokines IP‐10 and eotaxin‐3, antiviral gene Mx1 and viral levels were measured.

Results

In the absence of IL‐13 treatment, nasal and bronchial cells showed a similar IP‐10 response in both ALI and submerged cultures. Under the ALI culture, short term (e.g., 3 days) IL‐13 treatment had a minimal effect on viral and Mx1 levels in both cell types. However, prolonged (e.g., 14 days) IL‐13 treatments in both cell types decreased viral load and Mx1 expression. Under the submerged culture, IL‐13 treatment in both cell types has minimal effects on viral load, IP‐10 and Mx1. IL‐13‐induced eotaxin‐3 production was similar in both types of cells under either submerged or ALI culture, which was not affected by viral infection.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that nasal epithelial cells could serve as a surrogate to bronchial epithelial cells in future studies aimed at defining the role of type 2 cytokine IL‐13 in regulating pro‐inflammatory and antiviral responses.
Languaging in digital global South–North spaces in the twenty-first century: media, language and identity in political discourse
Authors: Bagga-Gupta Sangeeta , Rao Aprameya
Published: May 2018

Drawing inspiration from two theoretical framings: a sociocultural perspective on languaging and writings on a decolonial-turn, the study presented in this paper center-stages issues related to the need to engage analytically with, (i) social actions of political parties, citizens, including netizens in Web 2.0 settings, and (ii) alternative epistemologies where issues from the global-South are privileged. A central concern of decolonial linguistics enables asking new questions that destabilize established Eurocentric models of language. Thus, peripherally framed sociocultural premises contribute to critical social-humanistic perspectives that allow for (potentially) unpacking northern hegemonies and contributing to global-North challenges. Building upon an analytical design, this paper presents cross-disciplinary analysis of languaging in contemporary political mediascapes of the nation-states of India and Sweden. Bringing to bear that language does not only mirror reality, but is also a constitutive culturaltool, the study aims to highlight the contrastive ways in which the dominating political parties and citizens engage with languaging (i.e. the deployment of semiotic resources across language-varieties, modalities, including imagery). The study unpacks similarities and differences in salient issues related to the nature of social media and language and identity-positions in political discourse, highlighting dimensions of the participants voices. Thus, patterns that emerge from the contrastive analysis of political discourses, including the features of social media are highlighted and discussed. Data includes social media pages of two political parties from both the nation-states across a 6-week period at the end of 2017.
Human rights-based approaches to mental health legislation and global mental health
Authors: Eaton Julian
Published: May 2018

Globally, established practice in mental health services has tended to be codified into law in ways that are paternalistic, seeking to make decisions for patients that presume ‘best interest’ and which ultimately place power in the hands of medical authority. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) – which has been widely ratified globally – challenges these assumptions, instead placing the expressed will and preference of patients as the most important factor in decision-making, including treatment and consent to admission. The contradictions between these approaches cause profound challenges in legislation reform, but a human rights framework offers the potential for a paradigm shift in the way that people are treated in services, and in exploration of alternative practices that promise a more humane and dignified future for mental health care.
Radioembolization in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Riaz Ahsun , Lewandowski Robert , Salem Riad
Published: May 2018

The Oncology Grand Rounds series is designed to place original reports published in the Journal into clinical context. A case presentation is followed by a description of diagnostic and management challenges, a review of the relevant literature, and a summary of the authors’ suggested management approaches. The goal of this series is to help readers better understand how to apply the results of key studies, including those published in Journal of Clinical Oncology, to patients seen in their own clinical practice.

A 68-year-old man with a remote history of alcohol abuse presented with vague abdominal pain. A review of systems suggested the patient had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 1 (restriction of strenuous physical activity). There were no physical examination findings of note. Laboratory studies disclosed Child-Pugh A liver status (no ascites; no encephalopathy; total bilirubin, 1 mg/dL; albumin, 3.5 g/dL; and international normalized rato, 1.2). The alpha-fetoprotein was mildly elevated (19.5 ng/mL). Magnetic resonance imaging with contrast disclosed an infiltrative mass with extensive malignant right and left portal vein thrombosis ( Fig 1A ) with cavernous transformation of the portal vein. The infiltrative mass ( Fig 2A ) was biopsied, revealing hepatocellular carcinoma. No distant metastases were found on a bone scintigraphy or computerized tomography scan. Given these features, this patient was classified as Barcelona Clinic for Liver Cancer stage C. The patient was referred for management of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
Visual approach computation in feeding hoverflies
Authors: Thyselius Malin , Gonzalez-Bellido Paloma , Wardill Trevor , Nordström Karin
Published: May 2018

On warm sunny days female hoverflies are often observed feeding from a wide range of wild and cultivated flowers. In doing so, hoverflies serve a vital role as alternative pollinators, and suggested to be the most important after bees and bumblebees. Unless the flower hoverflies are feeding from is large, they do not readily share the space with other insects, but instead opt to leave. We have used high-speed videography followed by 3D reconstruction of flight trajectories to quantify how female Eristalis hoverflies respond to approaching bees, wasps and two different hoverfly species. We found that in 94% of the interactions the occupant female left the flower when approached by another insect. We found that compared to spontaneous take-offs, the occupant hoverfly's escape response was performed at ∼3 times higher speed (spontaneous take-off at 0.2±0.05 m/s compared with 0.55±0.08 m/s when approached by another Eristalis). The hoverflies tended to take off upward and forward, while taking the incomer's approach angle into account. Intriguingly, we found when approached by wasps that the occupant Eristalis took off at a higher speed and when the wasp was further away. This suggests that feeding hoverflies may be able to distinguish these predators, demanding impressive visual capabilities. Our results, including quantification of the visual information available before occupant take-off, provide important insight into how freely behaving hoverflies perform escape responses from competitors and predators (e.g. wasps) in the wild.
The unhappy postdoc: a survey based study
Authors: Grinstein Amir , Treister Roi
Published: May 2018

Background: The emerging public discourse about the “broken” postdoc system is mostly conceptual (with several recent exceptions). The current work offers an attempt to quantify postdocs’ perceptions, goals, and well-being.

Methods: A survey of 190 postdocs in North America.

Results: This article first reveals a surprisingly unhappy postdoc community with low life satisfaction. Second, it demonstrates how over the course of the fellowship many postdocs lose interest in the goal of pursuing a tenure track academic position (~20%) or in recommending the postdoc track to others (~30%). Finally, we find that among a large number of factors that can enhance life satisfaction for postdocs (e.g., publication productivity, resources available to them) only one factor stood out as significant: the degree to which atmosphere in the lab is pleasant and collegial.

Conclusions: Our findings can stimulate policy, managerial, and career development improvements in the context of the postdoc system.
Validation of EuroSCORE II in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery at the National Heart Institute, Kuala Lumpur: a retrospective review.
Authors: Musa Ahmad Farouk , Cheong Xian Pei , Dillon Jeswant , Nordin Rusli Bin
Published: May 2018

Background: The European System for Cardiac Operative Risk (EuroSCORE) II was developed in 2011 to replace the aging EUROScore for predicting in-house mortality after cardiac surgery. Our aim was to validate EuroSCORE II in Malaysian patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery at our Institute.

Methods: A retrospective single-center study was performed. A database was created to include EuroSCORE II values and actual mortality of 1718 patients undergoing CABG surgery in Malaysia from 1st January to 31st December 2016. The goodness-of-fit of EuroSCORE II was determined by the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test and discriminatory power with the areas under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve (AUC).

Results:Observed mortality rate was 4.66% (80 out of 1718 patients). The median EuroSCORE II value was 2.06% (Inter Quartile Range: 1.94%) (1st quartile: 1.45%, 3rd quartile: 3.39%). The AUC for EuroSCORE II was 0.7 (95% CI 0.640 – 0.759) indicating good discriminatory power. The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test did not show significant difference between expected and observed mortality in accordance to the EuroSCORE II model (Chi-square = 13.758, p = 0.089) suggesting good calibration of the model in this population. Cross-tabulation analysis showed that there is slight overestimation of EuroSCORE II in low-risk groups (0-10%) and slight underestimation in high-risk groups (>20%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that gender, age, total hospital stay, serum creatinine and critical pre-operative state are significant predictors of mortality post-CABG surgery.

Conclusion: This study indicated that the EuroSCORE II is a good predictor of post-operative mortality in the context of Malaysian patients undergoing CABG surgery. Our study also showed that certain independent variables might possess higher weightage in predicting mortality among this patient group. Therefore, it is suggested that EuroSCORE II can be safely used for risk assessment while ideally, clinical consideration should be applied on an individual basis.
Managing Digital Platforms in User Organizations: The Interactions Between Digital Options and Digital Debt
Authors: Rolland Knut H. , Mathiassen Lars , Rai Arun
Published: May 2018

As organizations increasingly use digital platforms to facilitate innovation, researchers are seeking to understand how platforms shape business practices. Although extant literature offers important insights into platform management from a platform-owner perspective, we know little about how organizations manage industry platforms provided by external parties to generate opportunities and overcome challenges in relation to their infrastructure and work processes. As part of larger ecosystems, these digital platforms offer organizations bundles of digital options that they can selectively invest in over time. At the same time, organizations’ previous investments in digital infrastructure and work processes produce a legacy of digital debt that conditions how they manage their digital platforms over time. Against this backdrop, we investigate how digital options and digital debt were implicated in a large Scandinavian media organization’s management of a news production platform over nearly 17 years. Drawing on extant literature and the findings from this case, we theorize the progression of and interactions between digital options and digital debt during an organization’s digital platform management in relation to its infrastructure and work processes. The theory reveals the complex choices that organizations face in such efforts: While they may have to resolve digital debt to make a platform’s digital options actionable, hesitancy to plant digital debt may equally well prevent them from realizing otherwise attractive digital options. Similarly, while identified digital options may offer organizations new opportunities to resolve digital debt, eagerness to realize digital options may just as easily lead to unwise planting of digital debt.
Expediente
Authors: Ekstasis Revista
Published: May 2018

Expediente vol.6 n.1 (2017)
Midwifery education: Reflecting on the past and changing for the future
Authors: Briscoe Lesley , Clarke Elinor
Published: May 2018

In 1993, Dr Lesley Briscoe was a clinical midwife, while Elinor Clarke, who wrote for the inagural issue, was a tutor and honorary lecturer. They look back on 25 years of midwifery education

Midwifery education is dynamic and responsive to changes in society, population demographic, theory and policy. Changes to education since British Journal of Midwifery began in 1993 have been phenomenal. The overarching aim of midwifery education is to prepare undergraduate students to be eligible to register as a midwife following a programme of theory and clinical practice and to enhance the potential of a midwifery workforce via postgraduate education. Reflecting on the past 25 years of midwifery education provides insights into the challenges of midwifery practice and the need to prepare midwives to be reflective and responsive to transformation as we advance towards 2025.
Women's experience of their sexual function during pregnancy and after childbirth: a qualitative survey
Authors: Khajehei Marjan , Doherty Maryanne
Published: May 2018

Background

Women's sexual function can be dramatically affected during and after pregnancy.

Aims

To explore Australian women's personal experience of changes in their sexual function during pregnancy and childbirth.

Methods

This was an online qualitative survey in which women across Australia who had given birth in the previous 12 months were invited to take part. A total of 273 responses were included.

Findings

The five main themes that emerged were: mental health changes; obstetric violence (including lack of support from caregivers, violation of privacy, instrumental delivery and episiotomy); relationship issues (including lack of support from partner, lack of intimacy and domestic violence); physical changes (including birth trauma and negative body image); and role conflict (including role incompatibility, breastfeeding and lack of sleep). Mental health changes were reported to have both positive and negative impacts on women's sexual function.

Conclusions

Women experience many changes in their sexual function during and after pregnancy. Health professionals should take an integrated approach to improve women's sexual function and overall wellness.
Quality of life assessment in companion animals: what, why, who, when and how
Authors: Belshaw Zoe
Published: May 2018

Quality of life is a commonly used phrase in veterinary medicine. It describes a complex evaluation that may be difficult for animals to perform, and the phrase ‘happiness’ may be a more crude but useful approximation. Quality of life assessments should be an integral part of our decision making, and should encompass evaluation of aspects of a pet's life beyond just its health. Assessments should aim both to evaluate an animal's quality of life and to look for ways in which it might be improved. This article will discuss the challenges of assessing quality of life in companion animals, and will review the range of different methods available for assessment of quality of life in cats and dogs.
Approach to canine paroxysmal dyskinesias
Authors: Posporis Christoforos , Wyatt Sophie , Wessmann Annette
Published: May 2018

The term ‘paroxysmal dyskinesia’ (PD) describes a manifestation of involuntary movement or muscle tone, which by definition is episodic in nature and self-limiting. The PDs remain poorly understood and frequently under-recognised conditions in veterinary patients. The purpose of this article is to review the basic classification and principles of recognition and diagnosis of PDs. This article introduces some of the breed-specific PDs, as well as the treatment/management options available and expected outcomes.
Surgical management of screw-tail in dogs
Authors: Roses Leonor , Yap Fui , Welsh Elizabeth
Published: May 2018

Ingrown tail, screw-tail or corkscrew tail is a condition found in English Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, Pugs and Boston Terriers. The anatomical malformation causes curling of the tail with chronic skin fold inflammation, infection and pain. Medical treatment is often unsatisfactory in affected dogs, due to the underlying anatomical abnormalities, and in these patients caudectomy (partial or complete) is the treatment of choice. A good understanding of the regional anatomy is essential to avoid damage of vital structures during surgery and to minimise post-operative complications. Although there is a lack of information in the literature regarding the type and frequency of complications encountered following this procedure, owner satisfaction following caudectomy is high.
Robotics in HPB surgery
Authors: Hanna Thomas , Imber Charles
Published: May 2018

Some major procedures and an assessment of their impact in the field
A short history of robotic surgery
Authors: Lane Tim
Published: May 2018

A concise review of the use of robotic technology to enhance surgery
Robotics in trauma and orthopaedics
Authors: Karuppiah Karthik , Sinha Joydeep
Published: May 2018

Recent advances and review of literature
Microvariación sintáctico-semántica-pragmática: El infinitivo frente al subjuntivo en el español (caribeño y mexicano)
Authors: Ortiz López Luis A. , Aponte Alequín Héctor
Published: May 2018

Las gramáticas del español describen como agramaticales oraciones en infinitivos con sujeto patente, como *Eso te pasa portú ir demasiadorápidoy *Paraella estar tranquilatiene que quitarse eso de la mente, frente a las cláusulas en indicativo, como,Eso te pasa porquevas demasiado rápido, o subjuntivo, como,Para que (ella/Ø)esté tranquilatiene que quitarse eso de la mente, como gramaticales. Hasta la fecha se ha estudiado la variación infinitivo/subjuntivo frente a la opcionalidad con el indicativo. La variación infinitivo/indicativo/subjuntivo ha sido ducumentada y estudiada en el Caribe, desde diversas perspectivas teóricas y se ha incorporado la anteposición del sujeto ante el infinitivo como variable independiente en hablantes bilingües. En cambio, no se ha examinado la presencia o ausencia del sujeto en la elección modal, ni se ha controlado el entorno oracional para investigar el efecto de la preposición en variación con el indicativo y el subjuntivo. Por ende, esta investigación examina este tipo de variación, desde la perspectiva de la microvariación modal, infinitivo/indicativo, y en relación con la variable sujeto (PRO vs. pro explícito y sujetos nominales) y la variable preposición “por” Para lograr ese ambiente controlado, se estudia una muestra de 96 participantes: 72 caribeños, y 24 mexicanos, a quienes se les administró un cuestionario de juicios de gramaticalidad, y 25 entrevistas orales a puertorriqueños y a 100 mexicanos, provenientes de PRESEEA. Los hallazgos se sometieron a un análisis variacionista, siguiendo GoldVarb 2010. Del análisis se desprende que los caribeños aceptan y usan con mayor frecuencia las formas verbales en infinitivo en C2s con sujeto patente, en primera persona singular, con sujetos pronominales, en primera persona singular, no específicos y actantes, que los mexicanos. Este comportamiento lingüístico evidencia que la gramática de los caribeños posee un subparámetro de interfaz sintaxis-pragmática que hace gramaticales este tipo de estructuras, con un significado procesal particular que posibilita la comprobación del rasgo nominativo en la Cláusula 2.
Behavioral and Neural Representations of Spatial Directions across Words, Schemas, and Images
Authors: Weisberg Steven M. , Marchette Steven A. , Chatterjee Anjan
Published: May 2018

Modern spatial navigation requires fluency with multiple representational formats, including visual scenes, signs, and words. These formats convey different information. Visual scenes are rich and specific but contain extraneous details. Arrows, as an example of signs, are schematic representations in which the extraneous details are eliminated, but analog spatial properties are preserved. Words eliminate all spatial information and convey spatial directions in a purely abstract form. How does the human brain compute spatial directions within and across these formats? To investigate this question, we conducted two experiments on men and women: a behavioral study that was preregistered and a neuroimaging study using multivoxel pattern analysis of fMRI data to uncover similarities and differences among representational formats. Participants in the behavioral study viewed spatial directions presented as images, schemas, or words (e.g., “left”), and responded to each trial, indicating whether the spatial direction was the same or different as the one viewed previously. They responded more quickly to schemas and words than images, despite the visual complexity of stimuli being matched. Participants in the fMRI study performed the same task but responded only to occasional catch trials. Spatial directions in images were decodable in the intraparietal sulcus bilaterally but were not in schemas and words. Spatial directions were also decodable between all three formats. These results suggest that intraparietal sulcus plays a role in calculating spatial directions in visual scenes, but this neural circuitry may be bypassed when the spatial directions are presented as schemas or words.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTHuman navigators encounter spatial directions in various formats: words (“turn left”), schematic signs (an arrow showing a left turn), and visual scenes (a road turning left). The brain must transform these spatial directions into a plan for action. Here, we investigate similarities and differences between neural representations of these formats. We found that bilateral intraparietal sulci represent spatial directions in visual scenes and across the three formats. We also found that participants respond quickest to schemas, then words, then images, suggesting that spatial directions in abstract formats are easier to interpret than concrete formats. These results support a model of spatial direction interpretation in which spatial directions are either computed for real world action or computed for efficient visual comparison.
Distinguishing the Roles of Dorsolateral and Anterior PFC in Visual Metacognition
Authors: Shekhar Medha , Rahnev Dobromir
Published: May 2018

Visual metacognition depends on regions within the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Two areas in particular have been implicated repeatedly: the dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) and the anterior PFC (aPFC). However, it is still unclear what the function of each of these areas is and how they differ from each other. To establish the specific roles of DLPFC and aPFC in metacognition, we used online transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to interfere causally with their functioning during confidence generation. Human subjects from both sexes performed a perceptual decision making and provided confidence ratings. We found a clear dissociation between the two areas: DLPFC TMS lowered confidence ratings, whereas aPFC TMS increased metacognitive ability, but only for the second half of the experimental blocks. These results support a functional architecture in which DLPFC reads out the strength of the sensory evidence and relays it to aPFC, which makes the confidence judgment by potentially incorporating additional, nonperceptual information. Indeed, simulations from a model that incorporates these putative DLPFC and aPFC functions reproduced our behavioral results. These findings establish DLPFC and aPFC as distinct nodes in a metacognitive network and suggest specific contributions from each of these regions to confidence generation.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThe prefrontal cortex (PFC) is known to be critical for metacognition. Two of its subregions, the dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) and the anterior PFC (aPFC), have been specifically implicated in confidence generation. However, it is unclear whether these regions have distinct functions related to the underlying metacognitive computation. Using a causal intervention with transcranial magnetic stimulation, we demonstrate that DLPFC and aPFC have dissociable contributions: targeting DLPFC decreased average confidence ratings, whereas targeting aPFC affected metacognitive scores specifically. Based on these results, we postulated specific functions for DLPFC and aPFC in metacognitive computation and corroborated them using a computational model that reproduced our results. Our causal results reveal the existence of a specialized modular organization in PFC for confidence generation.
Transparency and the Factory Farm: Agritourism and Counter-Activism at Fair Oaks Farms
Authors: Dutkiewicz Jan
Published: May 2018

The American meat industry has a fraught relationship with the visibility of its operations and the public narrative about its treatment of animals. As activists have used photographs and videos to reveal the industry's normally hidden practices, those in the meat business have historically pushed back by increasing the secrecy of their operations. However, the last decade has seen the industry turn to a new strategy: aggressive public relations outreach rooted in the paradigm of transparency. Generally, these are highly mediated public relations exercises, but at Indiana's Fair Oaks Farms, tourists are physically invited onto a fully functional hog breeding farm, which doubles as an agritourism destination and a microcosm of the industry's public relations strategy. Fair Oaks relies on both the tropes of alternative farming tourism and on strategic revelation—including literal glass walls—to craft a publicly palatable narrative about factory farming and factory-farmed animals.
Revisiting Coca-Cola's “Accidental” Entry into Communist Europe
Authors: Shkodrova Albena
Published: May 2018

This article focuses on the puzzling circumstances that led to the production of the first bottle of Coca-Cola in Eastern Europe—in Bulgaria in 1965. The curious story line is revisited because, while opposition to the expansion of the iconic drink after World War II particularly in Eastern Europe, has been well studied, more has come to light about the economic activities and intentions of the Bulgarian Communist Party. A central argument is that the ideological opposition of communist parties across Europe held less power than did local economic interests. What looked like the surprising “breakthrough” of Coca-Cola instead fit a general strategy to intensify trade with the West. The article broadens the understanding that local actors contributed to the cracking of the Iron Curtain at least as much as did the “irresistibility” of Western culture.