bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Associations between objectively measured and self‐reported sleep with academic and cognitive performance in adolescents: DADOS study
Authors: Adelantado‐Renau Mireia , Beltran‐Valls Maria Reyes , Migueles Jairo H. , Artero Enrique G. , Legaz‐Arrese Alejandro , Capdevila‐Seder Ana , Moliner‐Urdiales Diego
Published: January 2019

Adequate sleep has been positively related with health and school achievement outcomes during adolescence. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations of objectively measured and self‐reported sleep duration and quality with academic and cognitive performance in adolescents. This study was conducted with 257 adolescents (13.9 ± 0.3 years) from the DADOS study (Deporte, ADOlescencia y Salud). Objectively measured and self‐reported sleep duration and quality were obtained by a wrist‐worn GENEActiv accelerometer and the Spanish version of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire, respectively. Academic performance was analysed through school records using four indicators: math, language, science and grade point average score. Cognitive performance was measured using the Spanish version of the “SRA Test of Educational Ability”. After Benjamini–Hochberg correction for the false discovery rate, objectively measured sleep duration was negatively associated with verbal ability (β = −0.179, p = .004), whilst self‐reported sleep quality was positively associated with academic performance (β ranging from 0.209 to 0.273; all p < .001). These associations remained significant after further controlling for physical fitness and physical activity. Conversely, there were no associations between self‐reported sleep duration and objective sleep quality with academic and cognitive performance. Our findings fit in line with previous research showing that sleep quality may play an important role on adolescents’ academic performance. Further interventional research is needed to clarify the mechanisms by which sleep is related to academic performance in youth.
Postoperative cystogram findings predict recovery of urinary continence after robot‐assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy
Authors: Fukui Shinji , Kagebayashi Yoriaki , Iemura Yusuke , Matsumura Yoshiaki , Samma Shoji
Published: January 2019

Objectives

To assess the association between postoperative cystogram findings and subsequent outcomes on urinary continence after robot‐assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP).

Methods

A retrospective review of 250 consecutive patients who were observed for at least 12 months after RALP. The postoperative cystogram findings examined were: the location of the bladder neck, degree of bladder abnormalities, and presence of outflow of contrast medium into the urethra during the filling phase of cystography. The continence status based on pad usage was recorded. Those who required no pad or only a safety pad were defined as continent.

Results

Patients with a bladder neck location above the middle of the pubic symphysis height exhibited significantly higher continence levels than those with a lower bladder neck location at both postoperative 3 and 12 months (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.0002, respectively). The higher a bladder neck was located, the earlier the urinary continence was achieved after RALP (P < 0.0001). Patients without contrast outflow into the urethra during cystogram demonstrated a significantly more favorable continence status at the 3‐month follow‐up (P = 0.004). Patients without bladder abnormalities on postoperative cystogram demonstrated a significantly more favorable continence status at the 12‐month follow‐up than those with bladder abnormalities (P = 0.01).

Conclusions

Postoperative cystogram findings may predict recovery of urinary continence after RALP.
Optimal harvesting of a renewable resource in a polluted environment: An allocation problem of the sole owner
Authors: Pichika Srinivasu D. N. , Zawka Simon D.
Published: January 2019

This study presents an allocation problem of the sole owner between a renewable resource harvesting and pollution reduction. Decline in the revenues due to the presence of pollution in the environment drives the harvester to allocate a part of the available effort capacity towards pollution reduction through environmental treatment and pollutant inflow reduction to improve the resource growth as well as quality of the harvest. Hence, the interest is to find an optimal effort allocation to maximize the present value of the total net revenues on infinite horizon. Therefore, an optimal harvest problem on infinite horizon has been formulated, and it is solved using the standard techniques of optimal control. Results of the study highlight that allocating a part of the available effort capacity towards pollution reduction improves not only the revenue from the harvest but also survival rate of the resource. Key results of the study are demonstrated through numerical simulations.

Recommendations for Resource Managers

Effect of pollution on the live stock is adverse, and it should be considered as one of the important parameters in resource management objectives. The presence of pollution in the environment affects both the resource growth and quality of biomass, resulting in reduced revenue from the harvest.

Pollution is inevitable (especially in developing countries), and hence investing a part of the available effort capacity on pollution reduction (instead of harvesting by the entire capacity) can be considered as an alternative to improve the revenue.

Environmental treatment and pollutant inflow reduction are some of the activities that can be applied to reduce pollution.

Results of this study provide an important information for the sole owner who faces a decline in the revenue from resource harvesting in a polluted environment.
Resilience and finances on Aotearoa New Zealand farms: Evidence from a random survey on the sources and uses of debt
Authors: Greig Bruce , Nuthall Peter , Old Kevin
Published: January 2019

Debt and income are keystones to financial resilience on New Zealand farms. This article utilises a survey on finance to assess farm financial health using a new model of resilience. It shows the majority of farms are financially strong. Further borrowing and development are possible. With increasing variability resulting from the longer term trade liberalisation as well as global warming impacts, the high equity will provide future resilience. On the other hand, profit levels are not high relative to the investment, but this has been the case for decades and has not caused problems due to farmer and farm family resilience.
Weight loss and lifestyle interventions for obstructive sleep apnoea in adults: Systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Carneiro‐Barrera Almudena , Díaz‐Román Amparo , Guillén‐Riquelme Alejandro , Buela‐Casal Gualberto
Published: January 2019

Lifestyle interventions addressing diet, exercise‐training, sleep hygiene, and/or tobacco/alcohol cessation are recommended in the management of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Yet their effectiveness on this condition still requires further research. This systematic review and meta‐analysis was aimed at establishing (a) the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions on apnoea‐hypopnoea index (AHI), oxygen desaturation index (ODI), excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), and secondary OSA measures among adults, and (b) which intervention characteristics may drive the greatest improvements. A systematic search of studies was conducted using CINAHL, ProQuest, Psicodoc, Scopus, and Web of Science, from inception to April 2018. Standardized mean differences were calculated using the inverse variance method and random‐effects models. The meta‐analyses of 13 randomized controlled trials and 22 uncontrolled before‐and‐after studies (1420 participants) revealed significant reductions on AHI (d = −0.61 and −0.46, respectively), ODI (d = −0.61 and −0.46) and EDS (d = −0.41 and −0.49). Secondary OSA outcomes were also improved after interventions. However, effectiveness of interventions differed depending on their components, OSA severity, and gender. Thus, until future research further supports the differential effectiveness among lifestyle interventions on OSA, those addressing weight loss through diet and exercise‐training may be the most effective treatments for male patients with moderate‐severe OSA.
Persistent VA dissociation during atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia: The existence of upper common pathway
Authors: Iqbal Mohammad , Munawar Muhammad , Pramudya Arsha , Karwiky Giky , Achmad Chaerul
Published: January 2019

The existence of the upper common pathways is not well‐established yet. This case describes atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia with persistent ventriculoatrial dissociation that proof of upper common pathway existence.
A report on the impact of remote monitoring in patients with S‐ICD: Insights from a prospective registry
Authors: Ninni Sandro , Delahaye Camille , Klein Cédric , Marquie Christelle , Klug Didier , Lacroix Dominique , Brigadeau François , Potelle Charlotte , Kouakam Claude , Finat Loïc , Guedon‐Moreau Laurence
Published: January 2019

Introduction

Several clinical studies have demonstrated that remote monitoring (RM) offers potential benefits in transvenous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). The potential interest of RM in subcutaneous‐ICD (S‐ICD) recipients has never been evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the alert burden and its clinical relevance in a prospective cohort of S‐ICD recipients.

Methods

We prospectively and consecutively enrolled all patients undergoing S‐ICD implantation at Lille University Hospital from September 2015 to January 2017 and gave them a LATITUDE™ NXT RM system. The relevance of transmissions was assessed by the following ratio: number of transmissions leading to reaction or intervention per patient/number of transmissions per patient.

Results

From September 2015 to January 2017, 69 patients were enrolled with a mean follow‐up of 415 ± 96.3 days. The mean age was 44.6 ± 15.6 years old, and 25% (n = 17) had ischemic cardiomyopathy. At the end of follow‐up, 12% of the patients had events recorded by RM. These events were related to nine ICD shocks and eight untreated events. A total of 1,423 transmissions were collected. Most of these transmissions were patient‐initiated without any event (77%, n = 1,096) or scheduled without any event (19%, n = 272). Only 3.2% ± 1.1 of the transmissions per patient led to reactions or interventions.

Conclusion

On the basis of the current method of transmitting, S‐ICD RM allowed detection of relevant events in 12% of patients but generated a high unactionable transmission burden. As a result of these findings, efforts should be made to optimize transmissions considering automatic transmissions and to focus on patient education.
Identification of recombinants carrying stripe rust resistance gene Yr57 and adult plant stem rust resistance gene Sr2 through marker‐assisted selection
Authors: Lodhi Sumaira , Bariana Harbans , Randhawa Mandeep , Gul Alvina , John Peter , Bansal Urmil
Published: January 2019

Many stem rust resistance genes have been formally named in wheat. Adult plant stem rust resistance gene Sr2 was mapped in the short‐arm of chromosome 3B. Stripe rust resistance gene Yr57, identified in Aus91463, was mapped about 5 cM away from Sr2 based on its linkage with Sr2‐linked marker gwm533. The objective of this study was to combine Sr2 and Yr57 in a single genotype. A mapping population containing 107 recombinant inbred lines was developed from a cross between Aus91463‐Yr57 and Hartog‐Sr2. This population was tested at the seedling stage in the glasshouse for variation in stripe rust response, and high temperature induced Sr2‐linked seedling chlorosis. The RIL population was screened for Sr2‐linked pseudo black chaff phenotype at the adult plant stage in field. Five recombinants carrying Sr2 and Yr57 in coupling were detected using phenotypic and marker data. Four recombinants also carried leaf rust resistance gene Lr23 from Aus91463. These recombinants are being used as triple rust resistance source in the Australian Cereal Rust Control Program.
The Behaviour of Banking Stocks During the Financial Crisis and Recessions. Evidence from Changes‐in‐Changes Panel Data Estimations
Authors: Asteriou Dimitrios , Pilbeam Keith , Sarantidis Antonios
Published: January 2019

This paper examines the impact of the financial crisis and economic recessions on bank shares compared to the overall stock market index for 18 OECD countries from 1993 to 2015. The empirical methodology utilizes the changes‐in‐changes approach. We compare and contrast the returns of the banking stock price index (treatment group) in each country with their general stock price index (control group), which experiences smaller changes. Our results suggest that bank returns on average perform significantly worse than that of the general stock price index during recessions. In addition, we also find significantly greater volatility in bank share returns.
Riboflavin photo‐cross‐linking method for improving elastin stability and reducing calcification in bioprosthetic heart valves
Authors: Lei Yang , Guo Gaoyang , Jin Wanyu , Liu Mengwei , Wang Yunbing
Published: January 2019

Background

Glutaraldehyde cross‐linked bioprosthetic heart valves might fail due to progressive degradation and calcification.

Methods

In this study, we developed a new BHVs preparation strategy named as “HPA/TRA/FMN” that utilized 3,4‐hydroxyphenylpropionic acid (HPA)/tyramine (TRA) conjugated pericardium and riboflavin 5’‐monophosphate (FMN) initiated photo‐cross‐linking method. HPA/TRA‐pericardium conjugation would provide extra phenol groups for FMN initiated photo‐cross‐linking.

Results

The feeding ratio of riboflavin 5’‐monophosphate was optimized. The collagenase and elastase enzymatic degradation in vitro, biomechanics, calcification, elastin stability in vivo, and macrophage marker CD68 were characterized. We demonstrated that riboflavin photo‐cross‐linked pericardiums had great collagen and elastin stability, improved mechanical properties, better resistance for calcification, and less CD68 positive macrophages in rat subdermal implantation study.

Conclusions

This new riboflavin photo‐cross‐linking strategy would be a promising method to make BHVs which have better elastin stability, less calcification, and reduced inflammatory response.
Investigation of the Relationship Between the Leisure and Stepping Frequencies of the Students Receiving Recreation Education
Authors: Alpullu Aytekin , Demir Gökalp
Published: January 2019

The simplest and easiest type of physical activity for a healthy individual is walking. Development of technology day by day brought along inactivity and related diseases. The purpose of exercise is to prevent and slow down diseases caused by a sedentary lifestyle. The aim of the study is to reveal the effect of walking on body composition of the individual and to investigate the relationship between the stepping frequency before and after taking a recreation course of the students studying at the faculty of sports sciences.A total of 150 volunteers consisting of 97 males and 53 females aged between 18-26 and older participated in the study. The study lasted 12 weeks. The daily stepping frequencies of all participants were recorded with the pedometer program on their mobile phones. The recreation course was given as two hours of lectures per week to the students studying in three departments (teaching, coaching, management).As a result of the correlation test used in this study, the stepping frequency was found to be increased after the recreation course was explained. Awareness was created after the lecturing. No significant relationship was found between this awareness and the age of males and females, and between this awareness and the number of distance and daily steps taken.
School Administrators and Generation Z Students’ Perspectives for a Better Educational Setting
Authors: Çetin Münevver , Halisdemir Meral
Published: January 2019

The purpose of this study is to examine the school administrators and Generation Z’s perspectives towards each other. The conflict between school administrators and the emerging generation has always been a hot-debate research topic, and it is undeniable that each generation with new defining characteristics make this subject to be worthwhile to re-consider and re-discuss. For this research, from various schools in Istanbul, Kadikoy province, 15 different school administrators and 20 different students of Z generation which were born 2000 and after were volunteered to participate to the research group. This study employed phenomenology pattern and semi- structured negotiation for data collection, and the analysis of the data has been done by using NVIVO 10 program. The study revealed that there are numerous factors that affect the school administrator’s lives: new demands and challenges emerging with new generation, the adaptation problem to the modern instructional technologies and computer-aided teaching system, the role ambiguity, parent’s approach and outside relations influence quality and school management adversely. On the other hand, the analysis of Generation Z student’s perspective brings up a new perspective to the issue of generation gap. From their perspective, the school administrators fail to act in accordance with the changing time and its demands. Most important of all, the generation gap causes the problem of communication, empathy and identification, and this has a decisive, particularly negative influence on their perspective of school life and school administrators. In this study, expectations, responses and critical insights are examined from the lenses of school administrators and students in a way to provide recommendations that could be remedy for the concerns of the school administrators and Generation Z students not only in theory but also in practice.
An analytic physically motivated model of the mammalian cochlea
Authors: Alkhairy Samiya A. , Shera Christopher A.
Published: January 2019

In this paper, an analytic model of the mammalian cochlea is developed. A mixed physical-phenomenological approach by utilizing existing work on the physics of classical box-representations of the cochlea and behavior of recent data-derived wavenumber estimates is used. Spatial variation is incorporated through a single independent variable that combines space and frequency. This paper arrives at closed-form expressions for the organ of Corti velocity, its impedance, the pressure difference across the organ of Corti, and its wavenumber. Model tests using real and imaginary parts of chinchilla data from multiple locations and for multiple variables are performed. The model also predicts impedances that are qualitatively consistent with current literature. For implementation, the model can leverage existing efforts for both filter bank or filter cascade models that target improved algorithmic or analog circuit efficiencies. The simplicity of the cochlear model, its small number of model constants, its ability to capture the variation of tuning, its closed-form expressions for physically-interrelated variables, and the form of these expressions that allows for easily determining one variable from another make the model appropriate for analytic and digital auditory filter implementations as discussed here, as well as for extracting macromechanical insights regarding how the cochlea works.
Measurement of acoustic dissipation occurring in narrow channels with wet wall
Authors: Ueda Yuki , Ogura Naoyuki
Published: January 2019

The acoustic dissipation that occurs in a porous medium is experimentally investigated. Two conditions are tested. One is that the wall of the porous medium is wet by water, and the other is that it is dry. Experimental results show that water does not affect viscous dissipation; however, it affects the dissipation caused by pressure oscillation. Furthermore, it is found that the effect of water on the dissipation due to pressure oscillation increases with the temperature of the working gas. A theory that can consider the effect of condensation and evaporation on sound propagation is used to investigate the result. The theoretically and experimentally obtained values of dissipation are in good agreement. The reason for the effect of water is analyzed using the theory.
Biology in the bank
Authors: Kaiser Jocelyn , Gibbons Ann
Published: January 2019

How an open-access trove of data on Britons is unlocking the genetics of disease, behavior, and physical traits.
Weakening synapses to cull memories
Authors: Mandelberg Nataniel J. , Tsien Richard
Published: January 2019

Calcium sensor synaptotagmin-3 helps weaken synaptic strength and supports forgetting
Beer: an uncommon cause of anaphylaxis
Authors: Pita Joana Sofia , Sousa Nuno , Bartolome Borja , Loureiro Carlos , Bom Ana Todo
Published: January 2019

Beer is one of the most consumed alcoholic beverages worldwide but allergic reactions to this beverage are uncommon. The authors present a case report of a 32-year-old male patient, sent to our Allergy and Immunology Department due to anaphylaxis minutes after Franziskaner beer ingestion. He tolerates all other alcoholic beverages. Prick tests to cereals were positive to wheat, corn and barley, as well as to peach. Prick-to-prick tests were performed with nine beer brands, all positive. Immunoglobulin (Ig)E to Pru p 3 was 14.8 kU/L. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis inhibition immunoblotting was performed with the Franziskaner beer extract in solid phase and both cereal extracts (wheat, barley and corn) and Pru p 3 as inhibitors. Extracts from wheat, barley and corn, and Pru p 3 purified protein were able to inhibit almost totally the IgE-binding to the Franziskaner beer extract. It seemed likely that the IgE-binding bands detected in the Franziskaner beer extract could be an LTP from cereals.
Perspectives and experiences of collecting antenatal colostrum in women who have had diabetes during pregnancy: a North Queensland semistructured interview study
Authors: Casey Jordan Rita Rose , Mogg Erin Louise , Banks Jennifer , Braniff Kathleen , Heal Clare
Published: January 2019

Objectives

To explore and describe the experiences and perspectives of collecting and storing colostrum in the antenatal period in women who have had diabetes in pregnancy.

Design

Face-to-face, semistructured interviews analysed with purposive sampling and thematic analysis.

Setting

A regional hospital in North Queensland with a high prevalence of diabetes in pregnancy.

Participants

Six women with a previous pregnancy complicated by diabetes who were advised to collect and store colostrum in pregnancy.

Results

Six themes were identified: wariness of medicalisation (adjusting to an ‘abnormal’ pregnancy, seeking continuity of care, determination to reduce formula, fear of invasive intervention); underlying altruism (providing the best for baby, preparing for complications, eager for milk donation); internal pressure to succeed (coping with confronting information, disheartened by failures, constant fear of insufficient supply, overwhelming guilt, concern for future breastfeeding success); self-management and ownership (adapting to awkwardness, developing strategies for success, actively seeking education, gaining confidence to request help, accepting personal limitations); frustrated by waste (encroaching on time, squandering a precious resource, ambiguous about necessity) and building fortitude for motherhood (physically preparing for breast feeding, symbolic of the imminent infant, establishing early relationships with supports, approaching challenges with realistic optimism).

Conclusion

Women with diabetes in pregnancy experience guilt and stress about the added risk of hypoglycaemia to their babies and strive to provide the best for their babies by collecting and storing colostrum, even if this leads to distress to themselves. It is crucial that these women be provided accurate, realistic advice about the benefits and disadvantages of collecting colostrum in the antenatal period.
Comparison of depression and anxiety between HIV-negative men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) and men who have sex with men only (MSMO): a cross-sectional study in Western China
Authors: Hu Ying , Zhong Xiao-ni , Peng Bin , Zhang Yan , Liang Hao , Dai Jiang-hong , Zhang Juying , Zhong Xiao-hua , Huang Ai-long
Published: January 2019

Objective

To compare the prevalence of depression, anxiety and comorbidity between HIV-negative men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) and men who have sex with men only (MSMO) and examine the associated factors with depression and anxiety separately.

Design

A cross-sectional study.

Setting

The study was conducted in Western China.

Participants

From April 2013 to October 2014, 2422 participants aged 18–65 years, who were male at birth, had engaged in sex with male partners in the past 6 months, self-reported negative or unknown HIV status, were willing to participate and provided informed consent were recruited using non-probability sampling. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. A total of 1809 HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM) were eligible for the final analysis.

Results

Of 1809 MSM, 16.1% were MSMW and 83.9% were MSMO. The prevalence of depression, anxiety and comorbidity was 50.86%, 36.43% and 32.65%, respectively, for MSMW; these results were higher than those for MSMO (35.18%, 23.52% and 18.91%, respectively). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the prevalence of depression and anxiety was higher among MSMW than among MSMO. The prevalence of depression and/or anxiety was associated with young age, lower educational level, lower monthly income, lower HIV score and some risky sexual behaviour (had never engaged in HIV counselling, had obtained commercial sexual services in the past 6 months and sometimes/always looked for sexual partners through the internet). The prevalence of depression and anxiety was lower for those who drank less than once a week than for those who never drank.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest the need to address mental health among MSMW. Future health intervention strategies should integrate mental health services and traditional HIV prevention programmes and should consider the differences between MSMW and MSMO.

Trial registration number

ChiCTR-TRC-13003849; Pre-results.
Development of a global health bachelor curriculum in China: a Delphi study
Authors: Guan Li , Gao Pan , Liu SuYang , Liu YiSi , Li XiangYu , Liu FeiFei , Mao ZongFu , Lu YuanAn , Xiang Hao
Published: January 2019

Objective

This study aimed to establish the first global health bachelor curriculum in China.

Design

The Delphi methodology was used to determine expert consensus on which courses should be included in the global health bachelor curriculum. A literature review and a workshop proceeding were performed to generate courses. Then a two-round Delphi process was conducted with 28 invited experts from universities, health administrative departments and non-governmental organisations to rate courses using a 5-point Likert scale. Additionally, the experts could alter, add or delete courses as appropriate. Consensus was predefined as a mean score of 4 or above and the percent agreement (proportion of panel members scoring ‘very important’ or ‘important’) no less than 75%.

Results

The responses in the two-round Delphi process were 85.7% and 70.8%, respectively. In the first round, 12 courses did not meet the inclusion criteria and were removed. Based on the participants’ comments, 32 courses were included in round 2. In the second round, the consensus was reached on 31 courses which were selected as the final curriculum. These courses were categorised into five modules, including General Knowledge, Methodology, Global Health Issues, Intercultural Communication, and Health Policy and Programme Management.

Conclusion

This study established the first global health bachelor curriculum in China. It will provide guidance for other educational institutions to develop similar programmes or curricula in the future.
Protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of sex hormones and diabetes risk in ageing men and women of African ancestry
Authors: Kufe Nyuyki Clement , Masemola Maphoko , Chikowore Tinashe , Kengne Andre Pascal , Olsson Tommy , Goedecke Julia H , Micklesfield Lisa K
Published: January 2019

Aim

To present the protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available evidence examining the association between sex hormones and type 2 diabetes risk in ageing men and women of African descent.

Methods

We shall conduct a comprehensive search of published studies that examined the association between sex hormones and type 2 diabetes risk in men and women aged ≥40 years from 01/01/1980 to 31/03/2018 with no language restriction. Databases to be searched include: PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, ISI Web of Science, Clinical Trial registries, Google Scholar and institutional websites such as the WHO, American Diabetes Association, International Diabetes Federation, World Diabetes Foundation, European Association for the Study of Diabetes, African Journal Online and ProQuest databases. This protocol is developed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols guidelines. Independent screening for eligible studies using defined criteria and data extraction, will be completed in duplicate. Discrepancies will be resolved by consensus or consultation with a third researcher. Risk of bias of included studies will be assessed by the appropriate Cochrane risk of bias tool. The overall association estimates will be pooled using appropriate meta-analytic techniques. Heterogeneity will be assessed using Cochrane Q statistic and the inconsistency index (I2). The random effects model will be used to calculate a pooled estimate.

Ethics and dissemination

No ethics clearance is required as no primary data will be collected. The systematic review and meta-analysis are part of a PhD project at WITS University (Johannesburg, South Africa) and results will be presented at conferences and published in a peer-review journal. The results will guide future population specific interventions.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42017074581.
Large-duct cholangiopathies: aetiology, diagnosis and treatment
Authors: Menon Shyam , Holt Andrew
Published: January 2019

Cholangiopathies describe a group of conditions affecting the intrahepatic and extrahepatic biliary tree. Impairment to bile flow and chronic cholestasis cause biliary inflammation, which leads to more permanent damage such as destruction of the small bile ducts (ductopaenia) and biliary cirrhosis. Most cholangiopathies are progressive and cause end-stage liver disease unless the physical obstruction to biliary flow can be reversed. This review considers large-duct cholangiopathies, such as primary sclerosing cholangitis, ischaemic cholangiopathy, portal biliopathy, recurrent pyogenic cholangitis and Caroli disease.
Stent-assisted coiling of cerebral aneurysms using the Y-stenting technique: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Granja Manuel F , Cortez Gustavo M , Aguilar-Salinas Pedro , Agnoletto Guilherme Jose , Imbarrato Gregory , Jaume Alejandra , Aghaebrahim Amin , Sauvageau Eric , Hanel Ricardo A
Published: January 2019

Background

Bifurcation aneurysms can be treated with stent-assisted coiling using two stents in a Y-configuration. We aim to investigate the angiographic and clinical outcomes of Y-stent constructs for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms.

Methods

A systematic review of PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Ovid EMBASE databases was conducted based on PRISMA guidelines. The study selection was performed using the ‘Ryyan’ application. Our analysis included 18 studies with 327 patients. Inclusion criteria were: articles published from January 2000 to November 2017, English language, including cerebral aneurysms treated via Y-stenting, and ≥5 cases with radiographic/clinical outcomes. Technical notes, editorials, reviews, and animal studies were excluded. A random-effect meta-analysis was performed on angiographic and clinical outcomes, including aneurysm occlusion, modified Rankin Scale, neurological outcome, and procedure-related mortality. 95% CIs and event rates were estimated. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed usingI2statistics.

Results

The procedure-related good outcome rate was 92% and complete occlusion rate was 91%. The permanent neurological deficit rate was 4% and procedure-related mortality was 2%. The procedure-related stroke rate was 12%. A total of 28/146 (19%) patients had ruptured aneurysms. At long-term follow-up, overall stroke rate was 9% in patients with unruptured aneurysm. The mortality rate was higher in cases with ruptured aneurysms than in those with unruptured aneurysms (18% vs 0.8%; p<0.001).

Conclusions

Y-stenting for bifurcation aneurysms yields a high rate of complete occlusion and low rates of mortality and stroke. Careful patient selection is needed.
Enhanced depolymerization and utilization of raw lignocellulosic material by co-cultures of Ruminiclostridium thermocellum with hemicellulose-utilizing partners
Authors: Froese Alan , Schellenberg John , Sparling Richard
Published: January 2019

Ruminiclostridium thermocellum is one of the most promising candidates for consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) of low-cost lignocellulosic materials to biofuels but it still shows poor performance in its ability to deconstruct untreated lignocellulosic substrates. One promising approach to increase R. thermocellum’s rate of hydrolysis is to co-culture this cellulose-specialist with partners that possess synergistic hydrolysis enzymes and metabolic capabilities. We have created co-cultures of R. thermocellum with two hemicellulose utilizers, Ruminiclostridium stercorarium and Thermoanaerobacter thermohydrosulfuricus, both of which secrete xylanolytic enzymes and utilize the pentose oligo- and monosaccharides that inhibit R. thermocellum’s hydrolysis and metabolism. When grown on milled wheat straw, the co-cultures were able to solubilize up to 58% more of the total polysaccharides than the R. thermocellum mono-culture control. Repeated passaging of the co-cultures on wheat straw yielded stable populations with reduced R. thermocellum cell numbers, indicating competition for cellodextrins released from cellulose hydrolysis, although these stabilized co-cultures were still able to outperform the mono-culture controls. Repeated passaging on Avicel cellulose also yielded stable populations. Overall, the observed synergism suggests that co-culturing R. thermocellum with other members is a viable option for increasing the rate and extent of untreated lignocellulose deconstruction by R. thermocellum for CBP purposes.
Regularity conditions for transformed potentials in the confluent supersymmetry algorithm
Authors: Schulze-Halberg Axel
Published: January 2019

We establish conditions ensuring that the potential generated by a confluent supersymmetry algorithm is free of singularities inside its domain. As a byproduct we obtain representations and integral formulas for transformation functions and Wronskians that are associated with the confluent supersymmetry algorithm.
Effect of the circular microstructure on absorbing properties of carbonyl iron rubber radar absorbing patch
Authors: Zhou Bi-Cheng , Wang Dong-Hong , Li Bao-Yi , Zhao Ya-Juan , Ma Jiang-Jiang , Li Ke-Xun
Published: January 2019

A kind of radar absorber is designed and produced based on circular microstructure, which is composed of a circular microstructure, carbonyl iron rubber radar absorbing patch and metal backboard composition. Numerical simulation of effect of the circular microstructure on absorbing properties of carbonyl iron rubber radar absorbing patch is performed by means of the time domain finite integral method. Simulated results indicate that by using the holding absorber with the unchanged thickness of 2.5 mm, when the absorber unit size was P = 30 mm and the circular radius was R = 5 mm, the value of the minimum absorption peak can reach −43 dB, −10 dB absorption band shifted from 5.8–9.3 to 4.6–8.2 GHz, changing the parameters of circular microstructure greatly, expanding the absorbing bandwidth of microwave absorbing patch, reducing the reflectivity of resonance frequency. According to the simulation results, the samples are prepared and tested. The test results are in agreement with the simulation results.
A pedagogical approach to estimating the CO
2
budget of magmas
Authors: Moore Lowell R. , Bodnar Robert J.
Published: January 2019

On a planetary scale, the carbon cycle describes the movement of carbon between the atmosphere and the deep Earth. Carbon species are involved in diverse Earth processes, ranging from sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous petrology to the long-term viability of life at the Earth's surface. Volcanoes, and their associated magmatic systems, represent the interface through which carbon is transferred from the deep Earth to the surface. Thus, quantifying the CO
2
budget of volcanic systems is necessary for understanding the deep carbon cycle and, concomitantly, the CO
2
budget of the near surface, including the atmosphere. In this review, Kilauea volcano (Hawaii) is used as a case study to illustrate simple calculations that can account for processes that affect the amount and distribution of CO
2
in this relatively well-studied volcanic system. These processes include methods to estimate the concentration of CO
2
in a melt derived by partial melting of a source material, enrichment of CO
2
in the melt during fractional crystallization, exsolution of CO
2
from a fluid-saturated melt, trapping and post-entrapment modification of melt inclusions, and outgassing from the volcanic edifice. Our goal in this review is to provide straightforward example calculations that can be used to derive first-order estimates regarding processes that control the CO
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budgets of magmas and that can be incorporated into global carbon cycle models.
Late Paleozoic extensional reactivation of the Rheic–Rhenohercynian suture zone in SW England, the English Channel and Western Approaches
Authors: Alexander Andrew C. , Shail Robin K. , Leveridge Brian E.
Published: January 2019

The Rheic Ocean is a persistent feature of Paleozoic palaeogeographies whose closure contributed to the development of the Variscan Orogen and the formation of Pangaea. Geological and geophysical data indicate repeated episodes of Paleozoic rifting and plate convergence around SW England and the adjacent offshore areas. SW England occupied a lower plate position during the Devonian–Carboniferous, on the northern passive margin of the short-lived Rhenohercynian Ocean that had formed near a recently closed segment of the Rheic Ocean. Variscan plate convergence resulted in the development of the composite southwards-dipping Rheic–Rhenohercynian suture zone by the latest Devonian and inversion of the lower plate basins during the Carboniferous. Early Permian NNW–SSE extensional reactivation of this suture zone controlled the development of the Western Approaches basins in its hanging wall and provides an excellent example of Wilson cycle structural inheritance. The onshore expression of this episode includes shear zones and detachment faults consistent with top-to-the-SSE extensional reactivation of Variscan thrust faults. There is a progression to higher-angle brittle extensional faults that cut out earlier structures. Exhumation of the lower plate was accompanied by Early Permian mantle and concomitant crustal partial melting, the construction of the Cornubian Batholith and W–Sn–Cu fracture-hosted mineralization.
Describing fluvial systems: linking processes to deposits and stratigraphy
Authors: Best Jim , Fielding Christopher R.
Published: January 2019

The period since the 1960s witnessed significant progress in our ability to decipher the clastic rock record from a wide range of sedimentary environments, and spanning many spatio-temporal scales, from millimetric to that of the sedimentary basin, and involving processes acting on timescales of seconds to millions of years. This review assesses advances in four areas of fluvial sedimentology: the nature of alluvial dunes, the role of fine-grained suspended sediment, the linking of facies models and channel planform, and the reconstruction of drainage networks within ancient sedimentary successions. The synthesis reveals that we require new thinking and research to: (1) address the range of stratification produced by dunes and their palaeohydraulic implications; (2) evolve new bedform phase diagrams capable of incorporating the reality that many fluids transport fine-grained sediment, both in flow and within the bed, which may significantly modify the bedform morphology and phase space when compared with existing bedform stability diagrams; (3) develop new alluvial facies models in which planform channel pattern is not the fundamental discriminant; and (4) re-establish consideration of process mechanics as the heart of developing ideas and debates concerning fluvial deposit preservation and alluvial architecture.
Errors in Computing History
Authors: Glass Robert L. , Land Frank
Published: January 2019

The history of computing in practice is barely 70 years old. The field of computing theory/academe is barely 60 years old, if we start counting with the advent of computer science and information systems courses/degrees in the 1960s. Yet computing historians have gotten a number of things dreadfully wrong in that short period of time.
Open Models
Authors: Jin Zhi
Published: January 2019

Free/libre and open source software (FLOSS) originated from "hacker culture" and struggled against software privatization. The idea is that anyone is freely licensed to use, copy, study, and change the software in any way, and the source code is openly shared so that people are encouraged to voluntarily improve the design of the software. This is in contrast to proprietary software, where the software is under restrictive copyright licensing and the source code is usually hidden from the users. To give the users such freedom and control in their use of software, Richard Stallman launched the GNU project (Stallman, 1983), together with a manifesto stating that everyone will be permitted to modify and redistribute GNU.
Risks to the Public
Authors: Neumann Peter G.
Published: January 2019

Edited by PGN (Risks Forum Moderator, with contribu- tions by others as indicated. Opinions are individual rather than organizational, with usual disclaimers implied. We ad- dress problems relating to software, hardware, people, and other circumstances relevant to computer systems. Ref- erences (R i j) to the online Risks Forum denote RISKS vol i number j. Cited RISKS items generally identify contributors and sources, together with URLs. Official RISKS archives are available at www.risks.org, with nice html formatting and search engine courtesy of Lindsay Mar- shall at Newcastle:; http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/i.j.html (also ftp://www.sri.com/risks). CACM Inside Risks: http://www.csl.sri.com/neumann/insiderisks.html
Passages
Authors: Groce Alex
Published: January 2019

Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister's Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams (Third Edition) is a fairly famous book. The first edition was published in 1987, and it has been widely read ever since. I reviewed DeMarco and Lister's Waltzing with Bears in this column before Peopleware precisely because some people might not be aware of Waltzing, while I assumed most people reading SEN would know of, and have read Peopleware.
A Progress Bar for the JPF Search Using Program Executions
Authors: Wang Kaiyuan , Converse Hayes , Gligoric Milos , Misailovic Sasa , Khurshid Sarfraz
Published: January 2019

Software model checkers, such as JPF, are routinely used to explore executions of programs that have very large state spaces. Sometimes the exploration can take a significant amount of time before a bug is found or the checking is complete, in which case the user must patiently wait, possibly for quite some time, to learn the result of checking. A progress bar that accurately shows the status of the search provides the user useful feedback about the time expected for the search to complete. This paper introduces JPFBar, a novel technique to estimate the percentage of work done by the JPF search by computing weights for the execution paths it explores and summing up the weights. JPFBar is embodied into a listener that prints a progress bar during JPF execution. An experimental evaluation using a variety of Java subjects shows that JPFBar provides accurate information about the search's progress and fares well in comparison with a statebased progress estimator that is part of the standard JPF distribution.
Assessing the Adequacy of Synthetic Programs for Learning SPF's Configurations
Authors: Paquin Maria , Sherman Elena , Jain Amit
Published: January 2019

Static program analysis is a powerful technique that reasons about a program's behavior without actually executing the program. To balance between the precision and the efficiency of an analyzer, developers often manually tune-up analyzer's parameters for a specific program. However, this task can be tedious and time-consuming. To automate the search for the optimal parameters for a program, researchers employ machine learning (ML) techniques, that from the existing data learn the relationship between the program and the optimal parameters, which it encodes in an ML model. The existing, or training, data set, plays an important role in the correctness of an ML model. In this work we investigate whether automatically generated programs are adequate for training an ML model, which determines SPF's configurations for a given Java method. To do this, we compare the performance of a model trained on real programs with that of a model trained on synthetic programs. Our results indicate that while synthetic programs are inadequate for training a model alone, adding them to the training set of real programs improves the classification power of the resulting model.
Automatic Data Structure Repair usingSeparation Logic
Authors: Zheng Guolong , Loc Le Quang , Nguyen ThanhVu , Phan Quoc-Sang
Published: January 2019

Software systems are often shipped and deployed with both known and unknown bugs. On-the-fly program repairs, which handle runtime errors and allow programs to continue successfully, can help software reliability, e.g., by dealing with inconsistent or corrupted data without interrupting the runni program. We report on our work-in-progress that repairs dat structure using separation logic. Our technique, inspired by existing works on specification-based repair, takes as input specification written in a separation logic formula and a concrete data structure that fails that specification, and performs on-thefly repair to make the data conforms with the specification. The use of separation logic allows us to compactly and precisely represent desired properties of data structures and use existing analyses in separation logic to detect and repair bugs in complex data structures. We have developed a prototype, called STARFIX, to repair invalid Java data structures violating given specifications in separation logic. Preliminary results show that tool can efficiently detect and repair inconsistent data structures including lists and trees.
Benchmarking of Java Verification Tools at the Software Verification Competition (SV-COMP)
Authors: Cordeiro Lucas C. , Kroening Daniel , Schrammel Peter
Published: January 2019

Empirical evaluation of verification tools by benchmarking is a common method in software verification research. The Competition on Software Verification (SV-COMP) aims at standardization and reproducibility of benchmarking within the software verification community in an annual basis, through comparative evaluation of fully-automatic software verifiers for C programs. Building upon this success, we describe here how to re-use the ecosystem developed around SV-COMP for benchmarking Java verification tools. We provide a detailed description of the rules for benchmark verification tasks, the integration of new tools into SV-COMP's benchmarking framework and also give experimental results of a benchmarking run on three state-of-the-art Java verification tools, JPF-SE, JayHorn and JBMC.