bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Myocardial infarction complicating blunt chest trauma: Case report and literature review
Authors: Demerouti Eftychia , Stavridis George , Pavlides Gregory , Karatasakis George
Published: November 2019

Myocardial infarction represents a mechanical complication of blunt chest trauma, a rare but life-threatening condition in which careful evaluation is mandatory. Early intervention is crucial, and coronary stenting or bypass graft surgery is described with generally satisfactory long-term outcomes. We present a 28-year-old man who developed extensive myocardial infarction and circulatory arrest after a blunt chest trauma in a professional water polo game. The cardiac computed tomography and the coronary angiography demonstrated left main artery dissection; the echocardiogram revealed anterior myocardial infarction with a severely decreased left ventricular ejection fraction, and the patient underwent coronary angioplasty with stent implantation. Six days later, he complained about chest pain due to acute stent thrombosis, and coronary artery bypass grafting was performed. Left ventricular heart failure was treated with specific heart failure drug therapy and a biventricular pacemaker and defibrillator. Ten years later, the patient has a good quality of life, is asymptomatic and works as a water polo coach under heart failure drug therapy and regular follow-up.
Dyadic effects of type D personality and perceived control on health-related quality of life in cardiac arrest survivors and their spouses using the actor–partner interdependence model
Authors: Israelsson Johan , Persson Carina , Bremer Anders , Strömberg Anna , Årestedt Kristofer
Published: November 2019

Background:

There is a lack of knowledge about factors associated with health-related quality of life in cardiac arrest survivors and their spouses. In addition, survivors and spouses are likely to affect each other’s health-related quality of life.

Aims:

The aim was to investigate if a distressed personality and perceived control among cardiac arrest survivors and their spouses were associated with their own and their partner’s health-related quality of life.

Methods:

This dyadic cross-sectional study used the actor–partner interdependence model to analyse associations between a distressed personality (type D personality), perceived control (control attitudes scale), and health-related quality of life (EQ index and EQ visual analogue scale).

Results:

In total, 126 dyads were included in the study. Type D personality and perceived control in cardiac arrest survivors were associated with their own health-related quality of life. In their spouses, a significant association was found for type D personality but not for perceived control. In addition, type D personality and perceived control in survivors were associated with health-related quality of life in their spouses.

Conclusions:

Type D personality and perceived control are factors that might be considered during post cardiac arrest, because of the associations with health-related quality of life in survivors and spouses. More research is needed to test psychosocial interventions in the cardiac arrest population in order to improve health-related quality of life.
Analysis of the effect of production parameters on sound absorption and abrasion resistance performance of needlepunched nonwovens for automotive carpet applications using Taguchi method
Authors: Palak Handan , Karagüzel Kayaoğlu Burçak
Published: November 2019

In this study, sound absorption and abrasion resistance performance of needlepunched nonwovens produced from blend of round polyethylene terephthalate/hexaflower polyethylene terephthalate/low melt polyethylene terephthalate fibers with various weight ratios, i.e. 50/40/10, 40/40/20, 70/20/10, 50/30/20, were reported. The carded webs were bonded by needlepunching at two punch densities, i.e. 400–500 punches/cm2 and penetration depths, i.e. 11-6-6 and 13-8-8 mm, then passed through an through-air thermal bonding oven to melt low melt polyethylene terephthalate fibers within the samples. Design of experiments was planned according to Taguchi method, and an optimum sample, produced according to optimum production levels, was determined. In order to further improve the sound absorption and abrasion resistance performance, as a first approach, a low denier nonwoven top layer was combined with the optimum sample. As a second method, samples were back coated with a styrene butadiene resin and the changes in sound absorption were analyzed. The effect of production parameters on sound absorption and abrasion resistance was analyzed using a Minitab statistical software. As a result, fiber blend ratio, penetration depth, and areal density significantly affected sound absorption and abrasion resistance performance of nonwoven samples. On the other hand, punch density was found to be statistically insignificant over sound absorption and abrasion resistance. The optimum sample reached to a sound absorption coefficient value of 0.273 at 2000 Hz, and showed a fiber loss percentage of 1.55% and was found to be a suitable facing material for automotive carpet applications.
Use of Customized Bacteriophages in the Treatment of Chronic Nonhealing Wounds: A Prospective Study
Authors: Patel Dev Raj , Bhartiya Satyanam K. , Kumar Rajesh , Shukla Vijay K. , Nath Gopal
Published: November 2019

Nonhealing ulcers are a great challenge to surgeons as they may occasionally culminate in amputation of the affected part. Mostly nonhealing of wounds results due to infection by antibiotic-resistant bacteria and subsequent biofilm formation. However, customized bacteriophage therapy may take care of both of the above-mentioned hurdles. A total of 48 study subjects of age group 12 to 70 years, having minimum one eligible full-thickness wound and failed to heal in 6-week duration with conventional therapy, were included in this exploratory prospective study. Patients with systemic diseases, that is, burn, malignancy, dermatological disorders, and ulcers with leprosy or tuberculosis, were excluded. However, subjects having diabetes and hypertension were included in the study. The customized monophage for single bacterial infection and cocktail of phages specific to 2 or more infecting bacteria were applied on an alternate day over the wound surface. A total of 5 to 7 applications were made till the wound became free of infecting bacteria. The study period extended from August 2018 to May 2019. The study subjects were followed for 3 months since the start of therapy. A cure rate of 81.2% could be obtained, of which 90.5% (19/21) patients were nondiabetic and 74.1% (20/27) diabetic. The wounds infected with Klebsiella pneumoniae were observed with relatively delayed healing. Post phage therapy, the mean hemoglobin level and percentage of lymphocytes increased significantly. The customized local phage therapy is very promising in nonhealing ulcers.
Bio-inspired clustering scheme for Internet of Drones application in industrial wireless sensor network
Authors: Aftab Farooq , Khan Ali , Zhang Zhongshan
Published: November 2019

Recent technological improvements have revolutionized the wireless sensor network–based industrial sector with the emergence of Internet of Things. Internet of Drones, a branch of Internet of Things, is used for the communication among drones. As drones are mobile in nature, they cause frequent topological changes. This changing topology causes scalability, stability, and route selection issues in Internet of Drones. To handle these issues, we propose a bio-inspired clustering scheme using dragonfly algorithm for cluster formation and management. In this article, we propose cluster head election based on the connectivity with the base station along with the fitness function which consists of residual energy and position of the drones. Furthermore, for route selection we propose an optimal path selection based on the residual energy and position of drone for efficient communication. The proposed scheme shows better results as compared to other bio-inspired clustering algorithms on the basis of evaluation benchmarks such as cluster building time, network energy consumption, cluster lifetime, and probability of successful delivery. The results indicate that the proposed scheme has improved 60% and 38% with respect to ant colony optimization and grey wolf optimization, respectively, in terms of average cluster building time while average energy consumption has improved 23% and 33% when compared to the ant colony optimization and grey wolf optimization, respectively.
New yellow/orange-emitting heteroleptic iridium(III) complexes with 5,7-difluoro-2-phenylbenzothiazole ligand
Authors: Jing De-Kun , Xu Han-Ru , Yang Xiao-Han , Yang Rui-Lian , Liu Zhuo , Dou Shao-Bin , Mo Zheng-Rong , Li Gao-Nan , Niu Zhi-Gang
Published: November 2019

Two new phosphorescent iridium(III) complexes, (dfbt)2Ir(pic) and (dfbt)2Ir(acac) (dfbt = 5,7-difluoro-2-phenylbenzothiazole, pic = picolinate, acac = acetylacetonate), have been synthesized and characterized. Upon photoexcitation, both complexes exhibit strong yellow–orange emission in CH2Cl2 solution at room temperature with absolute quantum yields up to 99.0% and emission lifetimes up to 1.23 μs. The spectroscopic property has been calculated by density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory, thus suggesting that the lowest absorption and the emission originate from the metal-to-ligand charge transfer/ligand-centered transition.
The Macbeth of the American West: Tragedy, genre and landscape in Breaking Bad
Authors: Chisum Jeffrey
Published: November 2019

This article explores the AMC television series, Breaking Bad (2008–2013), through the lens of tragedy as it pertains to the American West (both the physical place and the west as a narrative symbol). The show is perhaps unique insofar as it frames its protagonist, Walter White (Bryan Cranston), as a figure who is simultaneously a western archetype and a tragically flawed ‘hero’ whose complex ambitions bring about his downfall. The series thus presents a powerful counterargument to George Steiner’s 1961 classic The Death of Tragedy and suggests that the American West on TV can be seen as an appropriate dramatic stage for new forms of tragic narrative.
Streaming intersectionality: Queer and trans television aesthetics in post-medium transformation
Authors: Goddard Michael N , Hogg Christopher
Published: November 2019

Following the first Trans TV dossier, this dossier shifts the focus from transformations of television industries, institutions, fans and audiences to questions of queer and trans* aesthetics and representation in contemporary television. It entails an intersectional approach, but one that looks at what happens to intersectional genealogies in the era of streamed, internet-distributed television. Do the post-network or even post-medium transformations identified in the first dossier facilitate the opening of queer and trans spaces in the contemporary television landscape? Or is the evolution of television more cyclical than linear, offering both moments of transgression and emergence, as well as reaction, in relation to new technological and institutional configurations? While the focus of most of the work is on the level of representation and aesthetics, the questions raised are pertinent to understanding the new configurations of technologies, production, distribution and consumption that characterise internet-distributed television, which, in turn, need to be positioned in relation to the complex intersectional genealogies of televisual content presented in this dossier.
Memorial space and its mnemonic function
Authors: Lauzon Robb Conrad
Published: November 2019

In this article, I argue that the meaning of memorial space can be better understood by turning our focus to the ambient characteristics of these spaces. Ambience is used here to refer to the environmental features that exist at the periphery of our attention. Here, I offer advice from ancient teachers of the art of memory that prescribes spaces with particular environmental qualities as evidence of the important role that these spaces serve in the storage and recollection of memories. Advice such as practice in solitude in dim lit spaces—or well lit, according to the teacher—highlights the importance that these ancient teachers placed on ambience for the proper storage of memories. We also know that these architectural mnemonic features were also “turned outward” to convey meaning. Instead of the traditional semiotic approach to architectural criticism that looks at commemorative symbolism, this article follows an approach that interrogates architecture’s mnemonic function. An analysis of the ambient features emphasized in Ottawa’s urban planning documents reveals that this is an important yet often overlooked aspect of urban spaces by those who study memorials. The Todd Plan, The Holt Report, and The Gréber Plan serve as a foundation for understanding the character of Ottawa’s space. Other more recent urban planning documents from the National Capital Commission are brought in to demonstrate how the role of ambience is afforded even greater prominence than it already was. Reconsidering the different types of spaces (natural and open space) and the role of sensation as uniquely ambient features of space open up new possibilities for examining the memories that these characteristics invoke in audiences. By unpacking the meaning of memorial space, through a mnemonic lens we are able to more thoughtfully engage with the reception of these spaces by visitors.
Preschool educational leaders: Who are they and what are they doing?
Authors: Barnes Kate , Hadley Fay , Cheeseman Sandra
Published: November 2019

This study sought to understand and illuminate the distinctive nature of the role of educational leader in preschool settings. Research regarding the educational leader role is limited, and in preschool settings it is scant. The theory of practice architecture was applied as an analytical framework to investigate how educational leaders of New South Wales preschools enacted their role. This article discusses phase 1 of a mixed method study which surveyed 153 preschool educational leaders. The findings indicated that preschool educational leaders were experienced, educated and enacted their roles in varied ways. They frequently used practices that were informal and collaborative, responding to their unique contexts and situations.
Lightness Discrimination Depends More on Bright Rather Than Shaded Regions of Three-Dimensional Objects
Authors: Toscani Matteo , Valsecchi Matteo
Published: November 2019

The brighter portions of a shaded complex object are in principle more informative about its lightness and are preferentially fixated during lightness judgments. In this study, we investigate whether preventing this strategy also has measurable detrimental effects on performance. Observers were presented with a reference and a comparison three-dimensional rendered object and had to choose which one was “painted with a lighter gray.” The comparison was rendered with different diffuse reflectance values. We compared precision between three different conditions: full image, 20% of the lightest pixels removed, or 20% of the darkest pixels removed. Removing the bright pixels maximally impaired performance. The results confirm that the strategy of relying on the brightest areas of a complex object in order to estimate lightness is functionally optimal, yielding more precise representations.
Music on-demand: A commentary on the changing relationship between music taste, consumption and class in the streaming age
Authors: Webster Jack
Published: November 2019

From providing on-demand access to vast catalogues of recorded music at little or no cost to the use of Big Data to personalise the experience of consuming music, music streaming platforms, such as Spotify and Apple Music, have the potential to disrupt the part that music taste plays in the performance of class identities and the reproduction of class privilege in ways not previously encountered. The influential sociologist, Pierre Bourdieu , demonstrated that cultural taste – what and how people consume cultural goods, such as music, food and fashion – is shaped by class background and in doing so serves to mark and reproduce class differences in everyday life. In this commentary, I consider how sociologists might address the important but challenging question of if and how are music streaming platforms shaping the part that music taste plays in the performance of class identities and the cultural reproduction of class privilege. I discuss some ways in which music streaming platforms may be shaping how class identities are performed through how people consume music, drawing attention to consumption practices that have the potential to both involve and resist the use of music streaming platforms in the pursuit of social distinction.
Digital Overuse and Subjective Well-Being in a Digitized Society
Authors: Büchi Moritz , Festic Noemi , Latzer Michael
Published: November 2019

In modern everyday life, individuals experience an abundance of digital information and communication options, and pressure to use them effectively and constantly. While there are many benefits attainable through the use of digital information and communication technologies (ICTs), digital overuse needs to be explored as it may impair individual well-being. A nationally representative survey explored the extent of perceived digital overuse (PDO) and tested its relation to social digital pressure, digital coping skills, and, to assess everyday offline relevance, to individual subjective well-being. Results indicated that 28% of Swiss Internet users pereived digital overuse, which was strongly and negatively associated with well-being. Social pressure was positively related to overuse. Differences in experiencing and dealing with digital overabundance are highly relevant to general well-being and need to be further researched in light of social change and ICT innovations.
The Empire Tweets Back? #HumanitarianStarWars and Memetic Self-Critique in the Aid Industry
Authors: Chonka Peter
Published: November 2019

In 2015, a series of memes appeared on Twitter under the hashtag #HumanitarianStarWars. Combining still images from the original Star Wars movies with ironic references to humanitarian/development jargon and institutions, the memes presented a humorous reflection on the modern aid industry. While memetic content has become an increasingly scrutinized area in digital culture studies—particularly with regard to unbounded and anonymous online communities, and popular discursive contestation—this article examines #HumanitarianStarWars to shed light on the possibilities and problematics of social media auto-critique undertaken by “insiders” in a particular professional realm. Keeping in mind critiques of the racial and imperial connotations of the (Western) pop-culture mythology itself, the article explores the use of the Star Wars franchise as a vehicle for commentary on an industry at work in the “Global South.” It highlights an ambiguous process of meaning-making that can be traced through the memes’ generation, circulation, and re-mediation. Although the memes provide a satirical self-reflection on practitioners’ experiences and perspectives of power relations in the global development industry, certain tendencies emerge in their remixing of this Hollywood universe that may reinforce some of the dynamics that they ostensibly critique. The article argues that examination of the ideological ambivalence of an institutional micro-meme can yield valuable insights into tensions playing out in professional social media spaces where public/private boundaries are increasingly and irrevocably blurred.
Brain tissue strain and balance impairments in children following a concussion: An exploratory study
Authors: Rochefort Coralie , Cournoyer Janie , Post Andrew , Hoshizaki T Blaine , Zemek Roger , Sveistrup Heidi
Published: November 2019

Background

Balance impairments present in approximately 30% of concussion cases. Biomechanical reconstructions model the degree and location of brain tissue strain associated with injury. The objective was to examine the relationship between the magnitude and location of brain tissue strain and balance impairment following a concussion.

Methods

Children one month post-concussion (n = 33) and non-injured children (n = 33) completed two balance conditions while standing on a Wii Balance Board that recorded the centre of pressure during (i) double-leg stance with eyes closed (EC) and (ii) dual-task (DT) combining double-leg stance while completing a cognitive task. Injury reconstructions were performed for 10 of the concussed participants. A 5th percentile Hybrid III headform was used to obtain linear and rotational acceleration time-curves of the head impact. These data were input in the University College Dublin Brain Trauma Model (UCDBTM) to calculate maximum principal strains and cumulative strain damage values at 10% (CSDM-10) and 20% (CSDM-20) for different brain regions. Correlations between balance and reconstruction variables were calculated.

Results

Out of the 10 reconstructed cases, six participants had impaired balance on the EC condition, six had impaired balance on the DT condition and four had impaired balance on both the EC and DT conditions. For maximum principal strain values, correlations with balance variables ranged from −0.0190 to 0.394 for the DT condition and from −0.225 and 0.152 for the EC condition. For CSDM-10 values, correlations with balance variables ranged from 0.280 to 0.386 for the DT condition and from −0.103 to 0.252 for the EC condition. For CSDM-20 values, correlations with balance variables ranged from 0.0629 to 0.289 for the DT condition and from −0.353 to −0.155 for the EC condition.

Conclusions

Although a subset of the concussed participants continued to show balance impairments, no association was established between the presence of balance impairment and the magnitude and/or location of brain tissue strain. Maintaining balance is a complex process integrated into multiple subcortical regions, white matter tracts and cranial nerves, which were not represented in the brain model, and as a result the UCDBTM may not be sensitive to damage in these areas.
Decision-Making Process of International Undergraduate Students: An Exploratory Narrative Inquiry into Reflections of Chinese Students in Canada
Authors: Wu Hantian
Published: November 2019

Purpose:

This research is an exploratory narrative inquiry into reflections of three Chinese international undergraduate students in a Canadian university, University S, which reveals participants’ entire decision-making processes as potential international undergraduate students.

Design/Approach/Methods:

A two-dimensional analytical framework has been constructed. One dimension is based on three phases of the entire decision-making process: the phases of deciding whether or not to study abroad, selecting destination countries, and choosing target institutions. The second dimension is based on three kinds of hypothetically proposed environmental factors within each phase: policy factors, (family and regional) socioeconomic factors, and information factors. First-hand data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted based on the analytical framework.

Findings:

This article suggests that both policymakers in the source country (i.e., China) and university administrators in the destination country (i.e., Canada) should further support potential international undergraduate students during each phase of their decision-making processes, particularly through optimizing information supply channels.

Originality/Value:

This article has the potential to construct a new theoretical framework as a supplement for analyzing the entire decision-making process of potential international students. As a pilot study, it provides a template for further investigations.
Failure of Cellularization of Ventriculotomy Patch Leading to Right Ventricular Pseudoaneurysm
Authors: Rao Sruti , Stewart Robert D. , Pettersson Gosta , Tan Carmela , Golz Suzanne , Komarlu Rukmini
Published: November 2019

Enlargement of the bulboventricular foramen (BVF) in double-inlet left ventricle or the ventricular septal defect (VSD) in tricuspid atresia with transposition of the great arteries is one approach for prevention or treatment of systemic ventricular outflow obstruction. Most often, BVF/VSD restriction is bypassed preemptively or addressed directly at the time of Glenn/Fontan procedures as part of staged univentricular palliation. We describe a patient who underwent enlargement of a restrictive VSD during Fontan completion and subsequently presented with an asymptomatic pseudoaneurysm of the right ventricle at the ventriculotomy site.
The Impact of a Workplace Wellness Program on Provider Health in Early Childhood Education Settings
Authors: Powers Jamie N. , Farewell Charlotte V. , Maiurro Emily , Puma Jini
Published: November 2019

Background: Early childhood education (ECE) working environments often contribute to poor health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to describe healthy eating–related and physical activity–related awareness and adoption of behavior change of ECE providers after participating in a workplace wellness (WW) program and to explore facilitators and barriers to ECE provider participation in WW program. Methods: The WW program offered healthy eating and physical activity challenges to promote ECE provider health and well-being. Approximately 1,000 ECE providers in Colorado from 35 ECE settings were invited to participate. After the intervention, ECE providers completed two surveys: (a) a provider postsurvey and (b) a WW challenge survey. Multivariable logistic regression modeling was used to examine factors associated with percent agreement that participation in the WW program increased awareness and adoption of health behaviors. Findings: A total of 250 (25%) ECE providers participated in WW program from 2015 to 2017. After participation, approximately 84% of respondents agreed they were more aware of the importance of eating fruits and vegetables and of being physically active, while 81% reported eating more fruits and vegetables, and 80% reported being more physically active in the workplace. Logistic regression models found that the length of time teaching in ECE settings was positively and significantly associated (odds ratio [OR] = 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.00, 1.21]) with the odds of providers agreeing that participation in the WW program increased their awareness of health behaviors. Conclusion/Application to Practice: The design and implementation of WW programs that emphasize facilitators, such as intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, as well as reduce barriers, such as time constraints and unachievable goal setting, may increase the awareness and adoptions of healthy eating–related and physical activity–related behaviors among ECE work settings.
Dependence Level of Rural Landless Households on Allocated Communal Land: Evidences from Kilte Awlaelo and Atsbi Wenberta Districts, Tigrai Region Northern Ethiopia
Authors: Negash Teklay , Oniki Shunji , Berhe Melaku
Published: November 2019

The problem of landlessness has become one of the major challenges facing rural farmers in Tigrai region since the early 1990s. To address the problem, the regional government of Tigrai started to redistribute degraded communal land to landless farmers by ensuring their participation in soil and water conservation activities and willingness to engage in the programme. Thus, the specific objectives of this study are to examine the livelihood options and analyse their economic dependence level of the rural landless households on the apportioned degraded communal land. Data were collected from randomly selected landless households and analysed using descriptive and econometric techniques. Accordingly, the study identified plantation of timber trees, grass collection, engaging in animal fattening, fruit or vegetable production, beekeeping and poultry production were the major livelihood activities practised in the allocated degraded communal land. The study also indicated that the major factors influencing the dependence level of rural landless households on allocated communal land include gender of household head, marital status of household head, distance to farmers’ training centre, livestock holding, land ownership, experience in the programme, communal land ownership type, financial support and per capita expenditure of the households. Therefore, the study concluded that even if the regional government tried to solve the problem of landlessness through hillside distribution programme, it could not sufficiently support the livelihood of the landless rural households in the study districts.
Youth Access to Agricultural Land from Peri-urban and Rural Perspective: A Study of Techiman Traditional Area in Ghana
Authors: Kidido Joseph Kwaku , Bugri John Tiah
Published: November 2019

This study examines youth access to agricultural land from both peri-urban and rural perspectives. Using the Techiman area as a case study, the study interviewed youth and elders made up of chiefs and family heads using multiple random sampling techniques. The results revealed that, the youth generally have access to small landholdings whether in the peri-urban or rural context. These small holdings were a manifestation of the challenges underling the youth access to land under customary system. The predominant challenges facing the youth included; high rental/acquisition cost, land scarcity and land disputes. The youth also suffered more from the urbanisation effects, but do not benefit from proceeds arising out of peri-urban land use conversions. The study recommends youth agricultural land access policy and a compensation regime which benefits both the youth and adults in land use conversions in the peri-urban areas of Ghana.
Suture Versus Screw Fixation of Tibial Spine Fractures in Children and Adolescents: A Comparative Study
Authors: Callanan Mark , Allen Judd , Flutie Brett , Tepolt Francis , Miller Patricia E. , Kramer Dennis , Kocher Mininder S.
Published: November 2019

Background:

Tibial spine fractures involve an avulsion injury of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) at the intercondylar eminence, typically in children and adolescents. Displaced fractures are commonly treated with either suture or screw fixation.

Purpose:

To investigate differences in various outcomes between patients treated with arthroscopic suture versus screw fixation for tibial spine avulsion fractures in one of the largest patient cohorts in the literature.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

A search of medical records was performed with the goal of identifying all type 2 and type 3 tibial spine avulsion fractures surgically treated between 2000 and 2014 at a pediatric hospital. All patients had a minimum of 12 months clinical follow-up, suture or screw fixation only, and no major concomitant injury.

Results:

There were 68 knees in 67 patients meeting criteria for analysis. There were no differences with regard to postsurgical arthrofibrosis ( P = .59), ACL reconstruction ( P = .44), meniscal procedures ( P = .85), instability ( P = .49), range of motion ( P = .51), return to sport ( P >.999), or time to return to sport ( P = .11). Elevation of the repaired fragment on postoperative imaging was significantly greater in the suture group (5.4 vs 3.5 mm; P = .005). Postoperative fragment elevation did not influence surgical outcomes. The screw fixation group had more reoperations (13 vs 23; P = .03), a larger number of reoperations for implant removal (3 vs 22; P < .001), and nearly 3 times the odds of undergoing reoperation compared with suture patients (odds ratio, 2.9; P = .03).

Conclusion:

Clinical outcomes between suture and screw fixation were largely equivalent in our patients. Postoperative fragment elevation does not influence surgical outcomes. Consideration should be given for the greater likelihood of needing a second operation, planned or unplanned, after screw fixation.
The Invisible Workers: Capturing Home-based Work in India
Authors: Samantroy Ellina
Published: November 2019

The present paper is contextualised within the backdrop of high informality and a declining female labour force participation in India. Women in India are predominantly in the informal sector engaged in various kinds of precarious employment including home based work that remains unaccounted and undercounted in National Accounting Statistics. Since the home based workers are not into a formal employment relationship and mostly work within the domains of the household, they largely remain outside the purview of social protection. The present paper provides an insight into home based work in India and tries to locate home based workers and their employment conditions vis a vis their location in various social groups. It also tries to understand the existing data gaps in capturing home based workers thereby attempting to locate the gender concerns in data sources for providing full visibility to the informal economy. The paper tries to provide policy recommendations for addressing the concerns associated with home-based workers and larger questions on reducing gendered vulnerabilities across social groups for a sustained labour market participation. The paper is based on secondary data from several governmental sources including the Census, National Sample Survey (NSS), Time Use Survey 1998–99 and the Economic Census.
Queering environmental regulation?
Authors: Farrales May , Hoogeveen Dawn , Sloan Morgan Vanessa , Catungal John Paul
Published: November 2019

Motivated by thinking at the intersection of queer theory and environmental regulation, the co-authors of this piece pay attention to a stubborn persistence we negotiate when dealing with environmental studies and politics – namely, how environmental regulation functions through discrete timelines with linear notions of progress and through bounded and static conceptions of space. Given the linear and bounded logics of environmental regulation, our collective commentary endeavours to ‘queer’ the logics of environmental regulation and questions of the environment and nature more broadly. Our intent is to capture emerging discussions on ‘queering environmental regulations’. Incomplete and ever evolving, we offer thoughts and questions from our distinct entry points to grapple with the limits and possibilities of taking up queer theory and linear logics that permeate regulatory procedures on the land.
MiRNA therapeutics based on logic circuits of biological pathways
Authors: Boscaino Valeria , Fiannaca Antonino , La Paglia Laura , La Rosa Massimo , Rizzo Riccardo , Urso Alfonso
Published: November 2019

Background

In silico experiments, with the aid of computer simulation, speed up the process of in vitro or in vivo experiments. Cancer therapy design is often based on signalling pathway. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small non-coding RNA molecules. In several kinds of diseases, including cancer, hepatitis and cardiovascular diseases, they are often deregulated, acting as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. miRNA therapeutics is based on two main kinds of molecules injection: miRNA mimics, which consists of injection of molecules that mimic the targeted miRNA, and antagomiR, which consists of injection of molecules inhibiting the targeted miRNA. Nowadays, the research is focused on miRNA therapeutics. This paper addresses cancer related signalling pathways to investigate miRNA therapeutics.

Results

In order to prove our approach, we present two different case studies: non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma. KEGG signalling pathways are modelled by a digital circuit. A logic value of 1 is linked to the expression of the corresponding gene. A logic value of 0 is linked to the absence (not expressed) gene. All possible relationships provided by a signalling pathway are modelled by logic gates. Mutations, derived according to the literature, are introduced and modelled as well. The modelling approach and analysis are widely discussed within the paper. MiRNA therapeutics is investigated by the digital circuit analysis. The most effective miRNA and combination of miRNAs, in terms of reduction of pathogenic conditions, are obtained. A discussion of obtained results in comparison with literature data is provided. Results are confirmed by existing data.

Conclusions

The proposed study is based on drug discovery and miRNA therapeutics and uses a digital circuit simulation of a cancer pathway. Using this simulation, the most effective combination of drugs and miRNAs for mutated cancer therapy design are obtained and these results were validated by the literature. The proposed modelling and analysis approach can be applied to each human disease, starting from the corresponding signalling pathway.
Better quality score compression through sequence-based quality smoothing
Authors: Shibuya Yoshihiro , Comin Matteo
Published: November 2019

Motivation

Current NGS techniques are becoming exponentially cheaper. As a result, there is an exponential growth of genomic data unfortunately not followed by an exponential growth of storage, leading to the necessity of compression. Most of the entropy of NGS data lies in the quality values associated to each read. Those values are often more diversified than necessary. Because of that, many tools such as Quartz or GeneCodeq, try to change (smooth) quality scores in order to improve compressibility without altering the important information they carry for downstream analysis like SNP calling.

Results

We use the FM-Index, a type of compressed suffix array, to reduce the storage requirements of a dictionary of k-mers and an effective smoothing algorithm to maintain high precision for SNP calling pipelines, while reducing quality scores entropy.

We present YALFF (Yet Another Lossy Fastq Filter), a tool for quality scores compression by smoothing leading to improved compressibility of FASTQ files. The succinct k-mers dictionary allows YALFF to run on consumer computers with only 5.7 GB of available free RAM. YALFF smoothing algorithm can improve genotyping accuracy while using less resources.

Availability

https://github.com/yhhshb/yalff
In-line filtration of intravenous infusion may reduce organ dysfunction of adult critical patients
Authors: Schmitt Elke , Meybohm Patrick , Herrmann Eva , Ammersbach Karin , Endres Raphaela , Lindau Simone , Helmer Philipp , Zacharowski Kai , Neb Holger
Published: November 2019

Background

The potential harmful effects of particle-contaminated infusions for critically ill adult patients are yet unclear. So far, only significant improved outcome in critically ill children and new-borns was demonstrated when using in-line filters, but for adult patients, evidence is still missing.

Methods

This single-centre, retrospective controlled cohort study assessed the effect of in-line filtration of intravenous fluids with finer 0.2 or 1.2 μm vs 5.0 μm filters in critically ill adult patients. From a total of n = 3215 adult patients, n = 3012 patients were selected by propensity score matching (adjusting for sex, age, and surgery group) and assigned to either a fine filter cohort (with 0.2/1.2 μm filters, n = 1506, time period from February 2013 to January 2014) or a control filter cohort (with 5.0 μm filters, n = 1506, time period from April 2014 to March 2015). The cohorts were compared regarding the occurrence of severe vasoplegia, organ dysfunctions (lung, kidney, and brain), inflammation, in-hospital complications (myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, pneumonia, and sepsis), in-hospital mortality, and length of ICU and hospital stay.

Results

Comparing fine filter vs control filter cohort, respiratory dysfunction (Horowitz index 206 (119–290) vs 191 (104.75–280); P = 0.04), pneumonia (11.4% vs 14.4%; P = 0.02), sepsis (9.6% vs 12.2%; P = 0.03), interleukin-6 (471.5 (258.8–1062.8) ng/l vs 540.5 (284.5–1147.5) ng/l; P = 0.01), and length of ICU (1.2 (0.6–4.9) vs 1.7 (0.8–6.9) days; P <  0.01) and hospital stay (14.0 (9.2–22.2) vs 14.8 (10.0–26.8) days; P = 0.01) were reduced. Rate of severe vasoplegia (21.0% vs 19.6%; P > 0.20) and acute kidney injury (11.8% vs 13.7%; P = 0.11) was not significantly different between the cohorts.

Conclusions

In-line filtration with finer 0.2 and 1.2 μm filters may be associated with less organ dysfunction and less inflammation in critically ill adult patients.

Trial registration

The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (number: NCT02281604).
“Where’s My Mentor?!” Characterizing Negative Mentoring Experiences in Undergraduate Life Science Research
Authors: Limeri Lisa B. , Asif Muhammad Zaka , Bridges Benjamin H. T. , Esparza David , Tuma Trevor T. , Sanders Daquan , Morrison Alexander J. , Rao Pallavi , Harsh Joseph A. , Maltese Adam V. , Dolan Erin L.
Published: November 2019

Undergraduate research experiences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields are championed for promoting students’ personal and professional development. Mentorship is an integral part of undergraduate research, as effective mentorship maximizes the benefits undergraduates realize from participating in research. Yet almost no research examines instances in which mentoring is less effective or even problematic, even though prior research on mentoring in workplace settings suggests negative mentoring experiences are common. Here, we report the results of a qualitative study to define and characterize negative mentoring experiences of undergraduate life science researchers. Undergraduate researchers in our study reported seven major ways they experienced negative mentoring: absenteeism, abuse of power, interpersonal mismatch, lack of career support, lack of psychosocial support, misaligned expectations, and unequal treatment. They described some of these experiences as the result of absence of positive mentoring behavior and others as actively harmful behavior, both of which they perceive as detrimental to their psychosocial and career development. Our results are useful to mentors for reflecting on ways their behaviors might be perceived as harmful or unhelpful. These findings can also serve as a foundation for future research aimed at examining the prevalence and impact of negative mentoring experiences in undergraduate research.
Feasibility of Capturing Cancer Treatment Data in the Utah All-Payer Claims Database
Authors: Hashibe Mia , Ou Judy Y. , Herget Kimberly , Bolton Dan , McPherson Jordan , Hawley Charles , Garvin Jennifer , Doherty Jennifer A. , Sweeney Carol
Published: November 2019

Purpose

Incompleteness of treatment data is a recognized limitation of cancer registry data. An all-payer claims database (APCD) is a tool that states use to capture health care information across systems and payer. We linked the Utah Cancer Registry (UCR) records to Utah’s statewide APCD and evaluated how this linkage led to improvements in the capture of cancer treatment information.

Methods

We linked cancers diagnosed and reported to the UCR with Utah APCD claims for the calendar years 2013 and 2014 using LinkPlus Software. For patients with breast or colorectal cancers, manual abstraction was completed to provide a gold-standard comparison for the treatment data obtained from the claims.

Results

Among 10,759 reportable cancer occurrences linked to the APCD, the claims identified additional patients with cancer who received therapies that had been unknown to the registry, increasing the proportion treated with chemotherapy from 23.7% to 27.6%, hormone therapy from 14.1% to 18.8%, immunotherapy from 4.3% to 13.2%, and radiation therapy from 24.9% to 27.5%. The APCD increased the sensitivity of treatment variables compared with the abstraction gold standard. Notably, sensitivity of hormonal therapy for breast cancer increased from 78.6% to 95.2% when augmented with APCD claims data. However, the APCD alone did not achieve as high specificity for treatment data as did the data collected through traditional registry methods.

Conclusions

This is the first study, to our knowledge, showing that linking cancer registry data with a statewide claims database that covers multiple insurance companies improves cancer treatment data collection. Linking of cancer registry and APCD data can improve comprehensiveness of cancer registry treatment data.
Development and Usage of eContour, a Novel, Three-Dimensional, Image-Based Web Site to Facilitate Access to Contouring Guidelines at the Point of Care
Authors: Sherer Michael V. , Lin Diana , Puri Kartikeya , Panjwani Neil , Zhang Zhigang , Murphy James D. , Gillespie Erin F.
Published: November 2019

PURPOSE

Variation in contouring quality by radiation oncologists is common and can have significant clinical consequences. Image-based guidelines can improve contour accuracy but are underused. We sought to develop a free, online, easily accessible contouring resource that allows users to scroll through cases with 3-dimensional images and access relevant evidence-based contouring information.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

eContour ( http://econtour.org ) was developed using modern Web technologies, primarily HTML5, Python, and JavaScript, to display JPEGs generated from DICOM files from real patient cases. The viewer has standard tools for image manipulation as well as toggling of contours and overlayed images and radiation dose distributions. Brief written content references published guidelines for contour delineation. Mixpanel software was used to collect Web page usage statistics.

RESULTS

In the first 3 years of operation (March 8, 2016 to March 7, 2019), a total of 13,391 users from 128 countries registered on the Web site, including 2,358 physicians from the United States. High-frequency users were more likely to be physicians ( P < .001) and from the United States ( P < .001). In one 6-month period, there were 68,642 individual case page views, with head-and-neck the most commonly viewed disease site (32%). Users who accessed a head-and-neck case were more likely to be high-frequency users, and 67% of repeat users accessed the same case more than once.

CONCLUSION

The large, diverse user base and steady growth in Web site traffic over the first 3 years of eContour demonstrate its strong potential to address the unmet need for dissemination and use of evidence-based contouring information at the point of care.