bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of operation timing on post‐operative infections following colorectal cancer surgery
Authors: Li Cai‐Xia , An Xiao‐Xia , Zhao Bing , Wu Shui‐Jing , Xie Guo‐Hao , Fang Xiang‐Ming
Published: February 2016

Background

To investigate the impact of operation timing on post‐operative infections in a cohort of patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery.

Methods

We prospectively analysed surgical outcomes in patients who underwent colorectal cancer surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, from January to December in 2014. In this non‐randomized trial, patients were divided into three groups according to the surgery start time: CT1 (07:00 to 12:00 h), CT2 (12:01 to 18:00 h), and CT3 (18:01 h to midnight). The primary outcome was the proportion of patients developing infections within 4 weeks of the surgical procedure.

Results

Out of 756 patients that were enrolled in the study, 118 developed post‐operative infections. The results from blood and pus culture showed 97.1% specimen as being pathogen‐free. The overall incidence of post‐operative infection was 14.5% (38 of 262), 15.3% (46 of 300) and 17.5% (34 of 194) in the CT1, CT2 and CT3 group, respectively, with no significant inter‐group differences. However, white blood cell counts, C‐reactive protein and glucose levels at 24 h after the surgical procedure showed significant differences between the three groups (one‐way ANOVA, P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The occurrence of post‐operative infection in patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery was not associated with operation timing. The expression of several inflammatory markers, such as white blood cell counts, C‐reactive protein and blood glucose levels tended to correlate with the surgery start time.
Kid depletion in mouse oocytes associated with multinucleated blastomere formation and inferior embryo development
Authors: Egashira Akiyoshi , Yamauchi Nobuhiko , Islam Md. Rashedul , Yamagami Kazuki , Tanaka Asami , Suyama Hikaru , El‐Sayed El‐Sharawy Mohamed , Tabata Shoji , Kuramoto Takashi
Published: February 2016

This study investigated the knockdown (KD) of Kid on maturation developmental competence and multinucleation of mouse germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes after parthenogenetic activation. Data revealed that Kid messenger RNA (mRNA) was expressed in GV and MII stage oocyte and 1‐ and 2‐cell embryos. Additionally, Kid mRNA expression in the Kid KD group decreased by nearly 46% compared to the control small interfering RNA (siRNA) groups. The rate of multinucleated embryos in the Kid KD group (52.4%) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than the control siRNA group (4.7%). Finally, the developmental rates were significantly lower in the Kid siRNA group at > 4‐cell stage (28.6% vs. 53.5%) and the blastocyst stage (2.4% vs. 23.3%) compared to the control siRNA groups. Suppression of Kid using siRNA caused multinucleation in early embryos with high frequency and it may increase 2‐ to 4‐cell arrested embryos and reduce the developmental competence to blastocyst.
The association between non‐vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants and gastrointestinal bleeding: a meta‐analysis of observational studies
Authors: He Ying , Wong Ian C. K. , Li Xue , Anand Shweta , Leung Wai K. , Siu Chung Wah , Chan Esther W.
Published: February 2016

Particular concerns have been raised regarding the association between non‐vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) and the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB); however, current findings are still inconclusive. We conducted a systematic review with a meta‐analysis to examine the association between NOACs and GIB in real‐life settings. We performed a systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE and CINAHL Plus up to September 2015. Observational studies that evaluated exposure to NOACs reporting GIB outcomes were included. The inverse variance method using the random‐effects model was used to calculate the pooled estimates. Eight cohort studies were included in the primary meta‐analysis, enrolling 1442 GIB cases among 106 626 dabigatran users (49 486 patient‐years), and 184 GIB cases among 10 713 rivaroxaban users (4046 patient‐years). The pooled incidence rates of GIB were 4.50 [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.17, 5.84] and 7.18 (95% CI 2.42, 12.0) per 100 patient‐years among dabigatran and rivaroxaban users, respectively. The summary risk ratio (RR) was 1.21 (95% CI 1.05, 1.39) for dabigatran compared with warfarin, and 1.09 (95% CI 0.92, 1.30) for rivaroxaban. Subgroup analyses showed a dose‐related effect of dabigatran, with a significantly higher risk of GIB for 150 mg b.i.d. (RR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.34, 1.70) but not for 75 mg b.i.d. or 110 mg b.i.d.. In addition, the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)/histamine H2‐receptor antagonists (H2RAs) influenced the association in dabigatran users, whereas this effect was modest among rivaroxaban users. In conclusion, our meta‐analysis suggested a slightly higher risk of GIB with dabigatran use compared with warfarin, whereas no significant difference was found between rivaroxaban and warfarin for GIB risk.
Joint Model for Left-Censored Longitudinal Data, Recurrent Events and Terminal Event: Predictive Abilities of Tumor Burden for Cancer Evolution With Application to the FFCD 2000–05 Trial
Authors: Król Agnieszka , Ferrer Loïc , Pignon Jean-Pierre , Proust-Lima Cécile , Ducreux Michel , Bouché Olivier , Michiels Stefan , Rondeau Virginie
Published: February 2016

In oncology, the international WHO and RECIST criteria have allowed the standardization of tumor response evaluation in order to identify the time of disease progression. These semi-quantitative measurements are often used as endpoints in phase II and phase III trials to study the efficacy of new therapies. However, through categorization of the continuous tumor size, information can be lost and they can be challenged by recently developed methods of modeling biomarkers in a longitudinal way. Thus, it is of interest to compare the predictive ability of cancer progressions based on categorical criteria and quantitative measures of tumor size (left-censored due to detection limit problems) and/or appearance of new lesions on overall survival. We propose a joint model for a simultaneous analysis of three types of data: a longitudinal marker, recurrent events, and a terminal event. The model allows to determine in a randomized clinical trial on which particular component treatment acts mostly. A simulation study is performed and shows that the proposed trivariate model is appropriate for practical use. We propose statistical tools that evaluate predictive accuracy for joint models to compare our model to models based on categorical criteria and their components. We apply the model to a randomized phase III clinical trial of metastatic colorectal cancer, conducted by the Fédération Francophone de Cancérologie Digestive (FFCD 2000–05 trial), which assigned 410 patients to two therapeutic strategies with multiple successive chemotherapy regimens.
Marginal Mean Models for Zero-Inflated Count Data
Authors: Todem David , Kim KyungMann , Hsu Wei-Wen
Published: February 2016

Zero-inflated regression models have emerged as a popular tool within the parametric framework to characterize count data with excess zeros. Despite their increasing popularity, much of the literature on real applications of these models has centered around the latent class formulation where the mean response of the so-called at-risk or susceptible population and the susceptibility probability are both related to covariates. While this formulation in some instances provides an interesting representation of the data, it often fails to produce easily interpretable covariate effects on the overall mean response. In this article, we propose two approaches that circumvent this limitation. The first approach consists of estimating the effect of covariates on the overall mean from the assumed latent class models, while the second approach formulates a model that directly relates the overall mean to covariates. Our results are illustrated by extensive numerical simulations and an application to an oral health study on low income African-American children, where the overall mean model is used to evaluate the effect of sugar consumption on caries indices.
Estimating Optimal Shared-Parameter Dynamic Regimens with Application to a Multistage Depression Clinical Trial
Authors: Chakraborty Bibhas , Ghosh Palash , Moodie Erica E. M. , Rush A. John
Published: February 2016

A dynamic treatment regimen consists of decision rules that recommend how to individualize treatment to patients based on available treatment and covariate history. In many scientific domains, these decision rules are shared across stages of intervention. As an illustrative example, we discuss STAR*D, a multistage randomized clinical trial for treating major depression. Estimating these shared decision rules often amounts to estimating parameters indexing the decision rules that are shared across stages. In this article, we propose a novel simultaneous estimation procedure for the shared parameters based on Q-learning. We provide an extensive simulation study to illustrate the merit of the proposed method over simple competitors, in terms of the treatment allocation matching of the procedure with the “oracle” procedure, defined as the one that makes treatment recommendations based on the true parameter values as opposed to their estimates. We also look at bias and mean squared error of the individual parameter-estimates as secondary metrics. Finally, we analyze the STAR*D data using the proposed method.
Maternity Outcomes in Manitoba Women: A Comparison between Midwifery‐led Care and Physician‐led Care at Birth
Authors: Thiessen Kellie , Nickel Nathan , Prior Heather J. , Banerjee Ankona , Morris Margaret , Robinson Kristine
Published: February 2016

Background

Registered midwives, obstetricians/gynecologists, and general or family practice physicians (GPs) provide maternity care across Canada. Few North American studies have assessed whether maternity outcomes differ across these three groups. This study compared maternal and neonatal outcomes of low‐risk pregnant women whose birth was attended by registered midwives, obstetricians/gynecologists, and family practice physicians in Winnipeg, Manitoba from 2001/02 to 2012/13.

Methods

Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to examine differences in types of intervention, mode of delivery, and outcomes by provider type among low‐risk women. Logistic regression models controlled for socio‐demographic and birth‐related covariates.

Results

Low‐risk births comprised 83,774 (48.7%) of total births (n = 171,910). The adjusted odds ratio (aOR), (95% confidence interval) for midwife vs OB/GYN showed women who had a midwife attend the birth had reduced odds of having an episiotomy 0.47 (0.40–0.54), epidural 0.25 (0.23–0.27), and cesarean delivery 0.13 (0.10–0.16) and their infants had less Neonatal Intensive Care Unit admissions 0.28 (0.18–0.43). The aOR for GP versus OB/GYN showed women who had a GP had reduced odds of having an epidural/spinal 0.83 (0.79–0.88) and cesarean delivery 0.44 (0.40–0.48).

Conclusions

The effectiveness of Manitoba maternity services can be improved with increased use of integrated midwifery services. Future research should examine how midwifery and physician‐led models of care differ, and the influence of these differences on birth outcomes and cost‐effectiveness to the health care system. Improvement of data tracking systems is also needed.
Men presenting with prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) values of over 100 ng/mL
Authors: Ang Mann , Rajcic Branimir , Foreman Darren , Moretti Kim , O'Callaghan Michael E.
Published: February 2016

Objectives

To investigate overall survival and prostate cancer‐specific mortality in men with prostate cancer presenting with a PSA level <100 ng/mL at the time of diagnosis.

Patients

Five‐thousand seven hundred and sixteen patients with prostate cancer and a recorded diagnostic PSA level extracted from the South Australian Prostate Cancer Clinical Outcomes Collaborative (SA‐PCCOC) database. Men included were diagnosed between January 1998 and August 2013.

Methods

Patients were divided into groups according to diagnostic PSA level: <20, 20‐≤100, 100‐≤200 ng/mL, 200‐≤500 ng/mL, and >500 ng/mL. Outcomes measured include overall survival and prostate cancer‐specific mortality. Clinical stage, Gleason score and the presence of bony metastasis was evaluated to determine if they were prognostic factors in patients with PSA over 100 at diagnosis. Cox proportional hazards and competing risks regression were used to model overall survival and prostate cancer‐specific mortality outcomes respectively.

Results

Of this cohort, 241 patients (4.2%) had a diagnostic PSA level >100 ng/mL. Patients with PSA >100 ng/mL have a significant reduction in five (29.1% vs 62.5% vs 87%) and ten‐year (18.2% vs 36.7% vs 70.7%) overall survival when compared to men with diagnostic PSA 20–100 and <20 ng/mL respectively. In this group, prostate cancer‐specific mortality was associated with Gleason score and metastases, but not PSA level at diagnosis. Overall survival was associated with PSA level, Gleason score and age. There was a linear increase in risk (overall survival) as PSA increased until 200 and no association thereafter. Models of overall survival and prostate cancer‐specific mortality incorporating a risk stratification developed by Izumi et al. predicted overall survival but not prostate cancer‐specific mortality. The use of this stratification did not improve model accuracy.

Conclusion

Only a small number of men (4.2%) with prostate cancer present with PSA >100 ng/mL at diagnosis. Overall survival at five and ten years was significantly poorer in patients with PSA >100 ng/mL. In this cohort of men presenting with PSA >100 at diagnosis, PSA level was not associated with prostate cancer‐specific mortality. Gleason score and metastases are significant prognostic factors in this group of men.
Estradiol modulates Na+‐dependent HCO3−transporters altering intracellular pH and ion transport in human Sertoli cells: A role on male fertility?
Authors: Bernardino Raquel L. , Costa Ana R. , Martins Ana D. , Silva Joaquina , Barros Alberto , Sousa Mário , Sá Rosália , Alves Marco G. , Oliveira Pedro F.
Published: February 2016

Background information

Infertile men often present deregulation of serum estrogen levels. Notably, high levels of estradiol (E2) are associated with low sperm production and quality. Sertoli cells (SCs) are responsible for spermatogenesis maintenance and are major targets for the hormonal signalling that regulates this complex process.

Results

In this study, we used primary cultures of human SCs and studied the localisation, expression and functionality of the Na+‐dependent HCO3−transporters by confocal microscopy, immunoblot, epifluorescence and voltage clamp after 24 h of exposure to E2 (100 nM). All studied transporters were identified in human SCs. In E2‐treated human SCs, there was an increase in NBCn1, NBCe1 and NDCBE protein levels, as well as an increase in intracellular pH and a decrease in transcellular transport.

Conclusions

We report an association between increased levels of E2 and the expression/function of Na+‐dependent HCO3−transporters in human SCs. Our results provide new evidence on the mechanisms by which E2 can regulate SCs physiology and consequently spermatogenesis. These mechanisms may have an influence on male reproductive potential and help to explain male infertility conditions associated with estrogen deregulation.

Significance

Exposure to E2 increased human SCs intracellular pH. E2 is a modulator of ionic transcellular transport in human SCs.
Taphonomic phenomenon of ancient hair from Glacial Beringia: perspectives for palaeoecological reconstructions
Authors: Kirillova Irina V. , van der Plicht Johannes , Gubin Stanislav V. , Zanina Oksana G. , Chernova Olga F. , Lapteva Elena G. , Trofimova Svetlana S. , Zinovyev Eugeny V. , Zharov Anton A. , Fadeeva Elena O. , Van Kolfschoten Thijs , Shidlovskiy Fedor K. , Kotov Alexey A.
Published: February 2016

An accumulation of mammoth hair, discovered in the Bol'shaya Chukochya River valley (northeast Yakutia, Russia), was found to contain remains of terrestrial and aquatic organisms, including plants, insects, crustaceans, birds and mammals. Radiocarbon dating indicated that this post‐mortem taphocoenosis represented multiple time periods. The mammoth hair was dated to older than 45 ka BP, the plants were dated to 12 750±50 a BP (which corresponds to a shift in the environmental conditions and landscapes during the formation of thermokarst in northeastern Russia) and the bird feathers were dated to 4115±40 a BP. A scenario of the formation of this fossil assemblage is proposed, covering the MIS 3‐1 time range. The hair also yielded various Arctic branchiopod crustaceans, which inhabit shallow temporary water bodies and therefore are important for reconstruction of palaeoenvironments. The cladoceran subgenus Daphnia (Ctenodaphnia), currently absent from the Asian part of Beringia, is reported from this region for the first time. The study demonstrates that the discovered permafrost‐preserved hair is a unique repository of Ice Age organisms.
Environmental processes derived from peatland geochemistry since the last deglaciation in Dajiuhu, Shennongjia, central China
Authors: Li Yuanping , Ma Chunmei , Zhou Bin , Cui Anning , Zhu Cheng , Huang Run , Zheng Chaogui
Published: February 2016

The Dajiuhu mire deposit is a sensitive archive of palaeoenvironmental evolution in the East Asian monsoon region. The aim of this study of the elemental geochemistry of a sediment core from Dajiuhu was to improve our understanding of the geochemical behaviour of elements in peat deposits, as well as the environmental and climatic history of the East Asian monsoon region since the Late Pleistocene. We conducted a principal components analysis (PCA) on inorganic geochemical data obtained byICP‐MSandXRFSfrom a sediment core spanning the last 16 ka. In addition, spectral analysis was applied to thePC1 score profile to test periodicities. ThePCAresults suggest that variations in elemental concentrations in the Dajiuhu core are controlled by three main factors: input of inorganic mineral matter, effect of biological processes and a combination of changes in redox conditions and biological processes. Interpretation of the data suggests that monsoon precipitation increased, albeit with significant volatility, during the last deglaciation (16.0–11.3 cal. kaBP). The early Holocene (11.3–9.4 cal. kaBP) was a humid period, and was followed by monsoon deterioration in the early stages of the middle Holocene. A warm and wet climate dominated between 7.0 and 4.2 cal. kaBP, correlating with the Holocene Climatic Optimum. After a two‐step decrease in monsoon precipitation, beginning at 4.2 cal. kaBP, the climate became more arid until 0.9 cal. kaBP, after which humidity once again increased. The spectral analysis revealed statistically significant periodicities of approximately 1480, 360, 316, 204 and 188 years, indicating solar forcing for the East Asian monsoon evolution over millennial to centennial time scales and a link between the East Asian monsoon and North Atlantic climate.
Late Quaternary changes in sediment composition on the NE Greenland margin (~73° N) with a focus on the fjords and shelf
Authors: Andrews John T. , Stein Rüdiger , Moros Matthias , Perner Kerstin
Published: February 2016

In order to document changes in Holocene glacier extent and activity in NE Greenland (~73° N) we study marine sediment records that extend from the fjords (PS2631 and PS2640), across the shelf (PS2623 and PS2641), to the Greenland Sea (JM07‐174GC). The primary bedrock geology of the source areas is the Caledonian sediment outcrop, including Devonian red beds, plus early Neoproterozoic gneisses and early Tertiary volcanics. We examine the variations in colour (CIE*), grain size, and bulk mineralogy (from X‐ray diffraction of the <2 mm sediment fraction). Fjord core PS2640 in Sofia Sund, with a marked red hue, is distinct in grain size, colour and mineralogy from the other fjord and shelf cores. Five distinct grain‐size modes are distinguished of which only one is associated with a coarse ice‐rafting signal – this mode is rare in the mid‐ and late Holocene. A sediment unmixing program (SedUnMixMC) is used to characterize down‐core changes in sediment composition based on the upper late Holocene sediments from cores PS2640 (Sofia Sund), PS2631 (Kaiser Franz Joseph Fjord) and PS2623 (south of Shannon Is), and surface samples from the Kara Sea (as an indicator of transport from the Russian Arctic shelves). Major changes in mineral composition are noted in all cores with possible coeval shifts centred c. 2.5, 4.5 and 7.5 cal. ka BP (±0.5 ka) but are rarely linked with changes in the grain‐size spectra. Coarse IRD (>2 mm) and IRD‐grain‐size spectra are rare in the last 9–10 cal. ka BP and, in contrast with areas farther south (~68° N), there is no distinct IRD signal at the onset of neoglaciation. Our paper demonstrates the importance of the quantitative analysis of sediment properties in clarifying source to sink changes in glacial marine environments.
What Gets Covered? An Examination of Media Coverage of the Environmental Movement in Canada
Authors: Corrigall‐Brown Catherine
Published: February 2016

Cet article analyse les communiqués de presse de World Wildlife Fund (WWF) et Greenpeace afin d’évaluer comment les tactiques et les cadrages déployées par ces deux organisations environnementales affectent l'attention médiatique qu'elles ont reçu dans The Globe and Mail et National Post entre 2000 et 2010. Bien qu'il soit clair que certaines tactiques soient plus susceptibles de capter l'attention médiatique, les résultats indiquent, cependant, que la totalité du répertoire de tactiques et cadrages ne sont pas tous efficace pour les deux groupes étudiés. Par exemple, un appel à la mobilisation citoyenne concernant un problème amène à une augmentation de l'attention médiatique dans le cas de Greenpeace, mais non pour WWF. Aussi, l'utilisation de recherche n'affecte pas la couverture médiatique pour WWF, alors qu'elle affecte négativement l'attention médiatique pour Greenpeace. Cette étude démontre que l'effet des choix tactiques sur la couverture médiatique est contingent sur l'identité du groupe mobilisant.
Inhibited attachment behaviour and disinhibited social engagement behaviour as relevant concepts in referred home reared children
Authors: Scheper F. Y. , Abrahamse M. E. , Jonkman C. S. , Schuengel C. , Lindauer R. J. L. , de Vries A. L. C. , Doreleijers T. A. H. , Jansen L. M. C.
Published: February 2016

Background

Disorders of attachment and social engagement have mainly been studied in children, reared in institutions and foster care. There are few studies amongst home reared children living with biological parents. The aim of this study was to test the clinical significance of inhibited attachment behaviour and disinhibited social engagement behaviour in young home reared children, referred for treatment of emotional and behavioural problems, compared with young children in treatment foster care.

Methods

The Disturbances of Attachment Interview, Maltreatment Classification System, the Child Behaviour Checklist and Parenting Stress Index were used in 141 referred home reared children and 59 referred foster children, aged 2.0–7.9 years (M = 4.7, SE = 1.3), 71% boys.

Results

Inhibited attachment behaviour was less prevalent in the referred home reared group (9%) than in the foster care group (27%). Disinhibited social engagement behaviour was found in 42% of the home reared group, similar to the foster care group. Inhibited attachment behaviour and disinhibited social engagement behaviour were not associated with child maltreatment. More inhibited attachment behaviour was associated with clinical levels of child internalizing and externalizing behaviour in the home reared group, not in the foster care group. In both groups, more disinhibited social engagement behaviour was associated with clinical levels of externalizing behaviour and with more parenting stress.

Conclusions

Even without evident links to maltreatment, results of this study suggest clinical significance of inhibited attachment behaviour and disinhibited social engagement behaviour in young home reared children referred for treatment of emotional and behavioural problems.
Patterns and correlates of co‐occurrence among multiple types of child maltreatment
Authors: Kim Kihyun , Mennen Ferol E. , Trickett Penelope K.
Published: February 2016

This study examined the patterns and correlates of the types of maltreatment experienced by adolescents aged 9–12, participating in an ongoing longitudinal study on the impact of neglect on children's development. Using case record abstraction, the study compared the child protection classification and findings from the case record abstraction with regard to the rates of four types of maltreatment (i.e. physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect) as well as co‐occurrence across multiple types of maltreatment. Next, the study examined the frequently observed patterns of child maltreatment. Finally, the study investigated whether aspects of caretaker functioning and the detailed incident characteristics in the cases of neglect differed by the number of different types of maltreatment the children experienced. Results showed significant discrepancies between the Child Protective Service classification and case record abstraction. Child Protective Service classification considerably underestimated the rate of co‐occurrence across multiple types of maltreatment. Neglect accompanied by physical and emotional abuse was the most common form. Some of the caretaker functioning variables distinguished the number of types of maltreatment. Based on the findings, future‐research directions and practice implication were discussed.
What do we know about the social networks of single parents who do not use supportive services?
Authors: McArthur Morag , Winkworth Gail
Published: February 2016

The role that social support and social networks play in mediating isolation and stress experienced by vulnerable families is well established. However, a major issue facing supportive human services is to find and engage families with limited social networks and link them to supports that could improve outcomes for their families. This paper reports on the results of in‐depth interviews with 20 sole parents with children aged under 5 who were not well connected to services. It documents their social networks with the use of a social network map. Using a social capital lens, the analysis attempts to differentiate the different relationships in the participants' lives. Most participants were not satisfied with their informal networks, with conflicted or ambivalent reliance on family, absence of support and community engagement and fragility of informal networks. Although this group of isolated mothers does encounter the formal service system, the opportunities to increase and strengthen their networks do not eventuate. Better understanding of the nature and extent of social networks can inform practitioners and policy‐makers of the critical factors needed to increase service use for parents with limited resources.
Children of prisoners – children's decision making about contact
Authors: Saunders Vicky
Published: February 2016

Children commonly experience considerable disruption to their care when a parent is incarcerated. Maintaining relationships between children and their incarcerated parents can present particular challenges, and for a growing number of children, continuing contact with their incarcerated parent is a key issue. Most of the research about children's experiences of parental incarceration is filtered through adults who may or may not have spoken with children. This article draws on data collected for a research project which aimed to build an understanding of the needs and issues facing children and young people living in the Australian Capital Territory, who have experienced parental incarceration. This paper considers one key finding; children and young people's perspectives on contact with their incarcerated parent. This was reflected in four thematic clusters: quality of relationships; participation in decision making; the challenges and benefits of contact and practical issues.
The Interdisciplinarity of Collaborations in Cognitive Science
Authors: Bergmann Till , Dale Rick , Sattari Negin , Heit Evan , Bhat Harish S.
Published: February 2016

We introduce a new metric for interdisciplinarity, based on co‐author publication history. A published article that has co‐authors with quite different publication histories can be deemed relatively “interdisciplinary,” in that the article reflects a convergence of previous research in distinct sets of publication outlets. In recent work, we have shown that this interdisciplinarity metric can predict citations. Here, we show that the journal Cognitive Science tends to contain collaborations that are relatively high on this interdisciplinarity metric, at about the 80th percentile of all journals across both social and natural sciences. Following on Goldstone and Leydesdorff (2006), we describe how scientometric tools provide a valuable means of assessing the role of cognitive science in broader scientific work, and also as a tool to investigate teamwork and distributed cognition. We describe how data‐driven metrics of this kind may facilitate this exploration without relying upon rapidly changing discipline and topic keywords associated with publications.
Temporal transferability of stream fish distribution models: can uncalibrated SDMs predict distribution shifts over time?
Authors: Huang Jian , Frimpong Emmanuel A. , Orth Donald J.
Published: February 2016

Aim

We aim to assess the temporary transferability of species distribution models (SDMs) for stream fish species in terms of discrimination power and calibration.

Location

New River basin, eastern United States.

Methods

In this study, we used Lasso‐regularized logistic regression (LLR), boosted regression trees (BRT), MaxEnt, and ensemble model (ENS) to evaluate the habitat suitability of 16 fish species with different rarity and temperature preference based on historical species occurrences obtained during 1950–1990. These SDMs were used to make probabilistic predictions of species presence in the independent datasets sampled during 2012–2014. We evaluated the temporal transferability of these SDMs in terms of discrimination power and calibration with the temporarily independent datasets.

Results

The area under the receiver‐operating‐characteristic curve (AUC) was over 0.6 for 13 (81%) of the species in the evaluations of ENS models with the independent datasets. Cool‐water species and species with small local population size traits tended to have good temporal transferability. With observed species prevalence as the discrimination cut‐off, LLR had the highest overall accuracy for 13 of the 16 species and highest specificity for 10 species, whereas MaxEnt had the highest sensitivity for 14 species. Biases, under‐ or over‐fitting problems were common in the temporal model transfers, among the modelling approaches used here.

Main conclusions

SDMs developed with historical data generally had moderate to good discrimination power but they tended to systematically underestimate current probability of species presence. To predict species distribution shifts over time, SDMs should be well‐calibrated with high discrimination power. We suggest reclassifying predicted probability of species occurrence to ordinal ranks to deal with (under‐ and over‐estimation) bias, and fine‐tuning variable selection with regularization or cross validation to remedy under‐ and over‐fitting.
Cerebrovascular disease in children with HIV‐1 infection
Authors: Hammond Charles K , Eley Brian , Wieselthaler Nicky , Ndondo Alvin , Wilmshurst Jo M
Published: February 2016

An estimated 3.2 million children worldwide have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has resulted in prolonged survival, leading to an increase in complications previously recognized in adults. Children with HIV infection have increased risk of cerebrovascular disease from multiple aetiologies including HIV‐associated vasculopathy, opportunistic vasculitis, cardioembolism or coagulopathy, all of which may be secondary to the infection. Prevalence of cerebrovascular disease in HIV‐infected children is underestimated because of limited neuroimaging in low and middle income countries, silent events without overt motor manifestations, and mislabeling as HIV encephalopathy for non‐motor manifestations such as behavioural and cognitive difficulties. No management guidelines for cerebrovascular disease in HIV‐infected children exist but common practices target risk factors for stroke in low and middle income countries. Where capacity permits, screening for opportunistic infections, vasculitis, coagulopathy and cardioembolism is important. Optimising virological suppression, correction of anaemia, control of seizures and aspirin prophylaxis are management priorities. Neurosurgical interventions may have a role.
Activity capacity and activity performance: time to be specific?
Authors: Ryan Jennifer M
Published: February 2016

This commentary is on the original article by Mitchell et al. on pages 767–773 of this issue.
Comparison of the exposure–response relationship of dapagliflozin in adult and paediatric patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Parkinson J. , Tang W. , Johansson C‐C. , Boulton D. W. , Hamrén B.
Published: February 2016

Aims

To quantitatively compare the exposure–response relationship of dapagliflozin in adult and paediatric patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to assess the potential impact of covariate effects.

Methods

Data from three clinical studies of single‐dose (2.5, 5 and 10 mg), orally administered dapagliflozin in adult (NCT00162305, NCT00538174) and paediatric (NCT01525238) patients with T2DM were analysed to examine the relationship between dapagliflozin exposure (area under concentration–time curve) and response [24‐h urinary glucose excretion (UGE)] using a sigmoidal maximum effect model. Baseline fasting plasma glucose (FPG), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), baseline 24‐h UGE, sex and race were evaluated as covariates.

Results

Data from 63 predominantly white or Asian (92.4%) adult and 20 paediatric (45.8% white; 45.8% black) patients were included. The model appeared robust, with predictions fitting well with observed data. Baseline eGFR, FPG and sex were significant covariates in both populations; race was a significant covariate in the paediatric population only. Model‐predicted UGE response was higher in paediatric (47.4, 67.5 and 85.9 g/24 h for 2.5, 5 and 10 mg) than in adult (31.2, 43.5 and 54.3 g/24 h for 2.5, 5 and 10 mg) patients, which may be associated with the higher eGFR values in paediatric patients.

Conclusions

After a single oral dose of dapagliflozin, adult and paediatric patients with T2DM had similar exposure‐response relationships after accounting for significant covariates. These results support the planned dosage strategy for a phase III dapagliflozin safety and efficacy study in paediatric patients with T2DM, for whom treatment options are currently limited.
Phylogenetic properties of Tertiary relict flora in the east Asian continental islands: imprint of climatic niche conservatism and in situ diversification
Authors: Kubota Yasuhiro , Kusumoto Buntarou , Shiono Takayuki , Tanaka Takayuki
Published: February 2016

Understanding biodiversity patterns on islands has long been a central aim in ecology and conservation biology. Island‐specific biogeographical processes play substantial roles in the formation of endemic biota. Here, we examined how climate niche conservatism and geohistorical factors are interactively associated with in situ diversification of Tertiary relict flora in the east Asian continental islands. We generated two novel datasets for species distribution and phylogeny that included all of the known vascular plant species in Japan (5575). Then we tested phylogenetic signal of climatic tolerance, in terms of absolute minimum temperature and water balance, and explored environmental predictors of phylogenetic structure (evolutionary derivedness and clustering) of species assemblages. Although phylogenetic signal of climatic tolerance was significant across the phylogeny of most species, the strength of climatic niche conservatism differed among ferns, gymnosperms, angiosperm trees, and angiosperm herbs. For angiosperm trees, cold temperatures acted as environmental filters that generated phylogenetic derivedness/clustering of species assemblages. For fern and angiosperm herb species, however, phylogenetic properties were not associated with climatic harshness. These contrasting patterns among groups reflected climate niche evolution in vascular plants with different growth forms and traits; for example, diversification of angiosperm trees (but not fern and herb) occurred in response to historical climatic cooling. More importantly, geographical constraints contributed to evolutionary radiation that resulted from isolation by distance from the continent or by elevation. Quaternary climate change was also associated with clade‐specific radiation in refugial habitats. The degree to which geographical, geological, and palaeoclimatic variables explain the phylogenetic structure underscores the importance of isolation‐ and habitat‐stability‐related geohistorical processes in driving in situ diversification despite climatic niche conservatism. We propose that the highly endemic flora of the east Asian islands resulted from the interplay of idiosyncratic regional factors, and ecological and evolutionary processes, such as climate niche assembly and adaptive/nonadaptive radiation.
The role of abiotic and biotic factors in determining coexistence of multiple pollinators in the yucca–yucca moth mutualism
Authors: Darwell Clive T. , Segraves Kari A. , Althoff David M.
Published: February 2016

The determinants of a species' geographic distribution are a combination of both abiotic and biotic factors. Environmental niche modeling of climatic factors has been instrumental in documenting the role of abiotic factors in a species' niche. Integrating this approach with data from species interactions provides a means to assess the relative roles of abiotic and biotic components. Here, we examine whether the high host specificity typically exhibited in the active pollination mutualism between yuccas and yucca moths is the result of differences in climatic niche requirements that limit yucca moth distributions or the result of competition among mutualistic moths that would co‐occur on the same yucca species. We compared the species distribution models of two Tegeticula pollinator moths that use the geographically widespread plant Yucca filamentosa. Tegeticula yuccasella occurs throughout eastern North America whereas T. cassandra is restricted to the southeastern portion of the range, primarily occurring in Florida. Species distribution models demonstrate that T. cassandra is restricted climatically to the southeastern United States and T. yuccasella is predicted to be able to live across all of eastern North America. Data on moth abundances in Florida demonstrate that both moth species are present on Y. filamentosa; however, T. cassandra is numerically dominant. Taken together, the results suggest that moth geographic distributions are heavily influenced by climate, but competition among pollinating congeners will act to restrict populations of moth species that co‐occur.
Isolation drives taxonomic and functional nestedness in tropical reef fish faunas
Authors: Bender Mariana G. , Leprieur Fabien , Mouillot David , Kulbicki Michel , Parravicini Valeriano , Pie Marcio R. , Barneche Diego R. , Oliveira‐Santos Luiz Gustavo R. , Floeter Sergio R.
Published: February 2016

Taxonomic nestedness, the degree to which the taxonomic composition of species‐poor assemblages represents a subset of richer sites, commonly occurs in habitat fragments and islands differing in size and isolation from a source pool. However, species are not ecologically equivalent and the extent to which nestedness is observed in terms of functional trait composition of assemblages still remains poorly known. Here, using an extensive database on the functional traits and the distributions of 6316 tropical reef fish species across 169 sites, we assessed the levels of taxonomical vs functional nestedness of reef fish assemblages at the global scale. Functional nestedness was considerably more common than taxonomic nestedness, and generally associated with geographical isolation, where nested subsets are gradually more isolated from surrounding reef areas and from the center of biodiversity. Because a nested pattern in functional composition implies that certain combinations of traits may be represented by few species, we identified these groups of low redundancy that include large herbivore‐detritivores and omnivores, small piscivores, and macro‐algal herbivores. The identified patterns of nestedness may be an outcome of the interaction between species dispersal capabilities, resource requirements, and gradients of isolation among habitats. The importance of isolation in generating the observed pattern of functional nestedness within biogeographic regions may indicate that disturbance in depauperate and isolated sites can have disproportionate effects on the functional structure of their reef fish assemblages.
The Role of Socioeconomic Status in SAT–Freshman Grade Relationships Across Gender and Racial Subgroups
Authors: Higdem Jana L. , Kostal Jack W. , Kuncel Nathan R. , Sackett Paul R. , Shen Winny , Beatty Adam S. , Kiger Thomas B.
Published: February 2016

Recent research has shown that admissions tests retain the vast majority of their predictive power after controlling for socioeconomic status (SES), and that SES provides only a slight increment over SAT and high school grades (high school grade point average [HSGPA]) in predicting academic performance. To address the possibility that these overall analyses obscure differences by race/ethnicity or gender, we examine the role of SES in the test‒grade relationship for men and women as well as for various racial/ethnic subgroups within the United States. For each subgroup, the test‒grade relationship is only slightly diminished when controlling for SES. Further, SES is a substantially less powerful predictor of academic performance than both SAT and HSGPA. Among the indicators of SES (i.e., father's education, mother's education, and parental income), father's education appears to be strongest predictor of freshman grades across subgroups, with the exception of the Asian subgroup. In general, SES appears to behave similarly across subgroups in the prediction of freshman grades with SAT scores and HSGPA.
Mast cell tumour in the third eyelid of a mare
Authors: Shnaiderman‐Torban A. , Tatz A. , Oreff G. , Brenner O. , Dahan R. , Ofri R. , Kelmer G.
Published: February 2016

A 4‐year‐old Missouri Fox Trotter mare was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine with a reddish mass protruding from the third eyelid and adjacent palpebral conjunctiva of the left eye. On ophthalmic examination, the mare showed mild blepharospasm, mild mucopurulent discharge and mild corneal oedema in the left eye. Menace response, pupillary light reflexes and intraocular examination were normal. A rounded, fleshy red ulcerated mass, approximately 3 cm in diameter, expanded the edge of the outer surface of the medial third eyelid and conjunctiva of the ventromedial palpebral region. Physical examination was otherwise unremarkable. Based on history and clinical findings, surgical removal was elected. The tumour was excised and the conjunctiva in the area of tumour treated with cryotherapy. Histological evaluation revealed a mast cell tumour on the third eyelid. Nine months follow‐up revealed no recurrence.
‘She believed in me’. What patients with depression value in their relationship with practitioners. A secondary analysis of multiple qualitative data sets
Authors: Percival John , Donovan Jenny , Kessler David , Turner Katrina
Published: February 2016

Background

Clinical guidance promotes the practitioner–patient relationship as integral to good quality person‐centred care for patients with depression. However, patients can struggle to engage with practitioners and practitioners have indicated that they want more guidance on how to establish effective relationships with their patients.

Objective

To identify what practitioner attributes patients with depression particularly value or find problematic.

Method

A secondary analysis of data collected during four qualitative studies, all of which entailed interviewing patients diagnosed with depression about their treatment experiences. Patients in the four studies had received different treatments. These included antidepressants, cognitive behaviour therapy, facilitated physical activity and listening visits. We thematically analysed 32 patient accounts.

Results

We identified two complimentary sets of important practitioner attributes: the first based on the practitioner's bearing; the second based on the practitioner's enabling role. We found that patients value practitioners who consider their individual manner, share relevant personal information, show interest and acceptance, communicate clearly and listen carefully, collaborate on manageable goals and sanction greater patient self‐care and self‐compassion. It was also evident that patients receiving different treatments value the same practitioner attributes and that when these key practitioner qualities were not evident, patients were liable not to re‐attend or comply with treatment.

Conclusion

The practitioner attributes that patients with depression most value have a positive impact on their engagement with treatment. Patients emphasise the importance of a practitioner's demeanour and encouragement, rather than the amount of time or specific treatment a practitioner is able to provide.
‘Well, if the kids can do it, I can do it’: older rehabilitation patients' experiences of telerehabilitation
Authors: Shulver Wendy , Killington Maggie , Morris Claire , Crotty Maria
Published: February 2016

Background and objective

Although trials continue to emerge supporting the role of telerehabilitation, implementation has been slow. Key users include older people living with disabilities who are frequent users of hospital rehabilitation services but whose voices are rarely heard. It is unclear whether the use of technologies and reduced face‐to‐face contact is acceptable to these people. We report on a qualitative study of community dwelling participants who had received a home telerehabilitation programme as an alternative to conventional rehabilitation.

Design

Thirteen older participants, three spouses and one carer were interviewed. All had participated in an individualized therapy programme, using a combination of face‐to‐face and video consults with therapists. The programme used ‘off‐the‐shelf’ technologies including iPads for videoconferencing and electronic FitBitR devices. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using NVivo software.

Results

Thematic analysis resulted in five emergent themes: (i) telerehabilitation is convenient; (ii) telerehabilitation promotes motivation and self‐awareness; (iii) telerehabilitation fosters positive therapeutic relationships; (iv) mastering technologies used by younger relatives is a valued aspect of telerehabilitation; and (v) Telerehabilitation does not replace traditional face‐to‐face rehabilitation therapies.

Conclusions

Participants found telerehabilitation convenient and motivating, coped well with the technology and developed positive therapeutic relationships. The learning and practice aspects sat well in the context of a rehabilitation programme. The use of commercially available technologies may have contributed to respondents' high levels of acceptability. The perception of telerehabilitation as complementary to in‐person care and the expectation of technological support have implications for the implementation and delivery of telerehabilitation services to older people.