bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Two Different Cultures on Juvenile Attitudes Toward the Police in China
Authors: Wang Xinting , Zhao Jihong (Solomon) , Zhang Hongwei
Published: September 2019

This study examines juvenile attitudes toward the police (JATP) from an unconventional angle by examining the possible effect of two different cultures along with more conventional factors typically associated with youth attitude formation. A unique feature of this study is the inclusion of measures of attachment to both the traditional Chinese culture and Western popular culture. The data were collected from 30 minority middle schools with more than 6,500 students in a southern autonomous region in China in 2014. The primary findings indicate that juveniles who are more firmly attached to the traditional Chinese culture and who show respect for parents/teachers tend to hold a more positive view of the police. In contrast, juveniles who endorse Western popular culture and are perceived as a fan of that culture are more likely to hold a negative view of the police, societal actors who are viewed as primary representatives of the mainstream culture.
High-Performance Impact-Resistant Concrete Mixture for Transportation Infrastructure Applications
Authors: Baral Kamal , Tatar Jovan , Zhang Qian
Published: September 2019

Engineered cementitious composites (ECC) is a class of high-performance fiber-reinforced cementitious composites featuring metal-like strain-hardening behavior under tension and high ductility. The highly ductile behavior of ECC often results in high impact resistance and energy absorption capacity, which make ECC suitable for applications in structures that are prone to impact damages, like exterior bridge girders, bridge piers, and crash barriers. In a recent study, a new ECC mixture has been developed using domestically available polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers and regular river sand in replacement of imported PVA fibers and fine silica sand that are normally used in other ECC mixtures. The newly developed mixture, with improved local accessibility of raw materials, enables structural-scale applications of ECC in transportation infrastructures. To evaluate the suitability of the mixture for impact-resistant structures, in this paper, the tensile and flexural behavior of the newly developed material were characterized under pseudo-static loading and high strain-rate loadings up to 10−1 s−1. Direct drop-weight impact test was also conducted to assess the impact resistance and energy absorption capacity of the material. It was ensured that the ECC mixture maintains high tensile strain capacity above 1.8% under all tested strain rates. Regarding the damage characteristics, energy absorption capacity and load-bearing capacity during repeated impact loadings, ECC was found to have 75% higher energy dissipation capacity compared with regular reinforced concrete specimens and superior damage tolerance. The research results demonstrated that the newly developed ECC has a great potential to improve the impact resistance of transportation infrastructures.
A Case Series of Successful Repair of Articular Cartilage Fragments in the Knee
Authors: Churchill Jessica L. , Krych Aaron J. , Lemos Mark J. , Redd Morganne , Bonner Kevin F.
Published: September 2019

Background:

It is unclear whether chondral fragments without bone have the potential to heal after fixation. Controversy exists and opinions differ regarding the optimal treatment of chondral defects after pure chondral fracture.

Purpose:

To determine clinical and radiographic outcomes after internal fixation of traumatic chondral fragments repaired to bone in the knee.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

A retrospective clinical and radiographic evaluation of 10 male patients with a mean age of 14.6 years (range, 10-25 years) at the time of surgery was performed. Eight of 10 patients were skeletally immature. Patients were selected by operating surgeons per the presence of a large displaced pure chondral fragment on magnetic resonance imaging and confirmed on intraoperative inspection. All patients had a diagnosed traumatic displaced pure chondral fracture of the knee (without bone) and underwent internal fixation with minimum 1-year follow-up. Validated patient-reported and surgeon-measured outcomes were collected pre- and postoperatively. All patients were evaluated at a mean 56 months postoperatively.

Results:

At surgery, the mean defect size that was primarily repaired with the displaced chondral fragment was 1.9 × 2.0 cm. With minimum 1-year follow-up, there were no clinical failures. All 8 patients who had subsequent magnetic resonance imaging follow-up had radiographic evidence of complete healing of the chondral fragment back to bone. At a mean follow-up of 56 months (range, 13-171 months; median, 36 months), patients had a mean International Knee Documentation Committee score of 94.74 (range, 87.4-100), a mean Marx Activity Scale score of 14.4 (range, 8-16), and a mean Tegner Activity Scale score of 7 (range, 5-9). At final follow-up, all patients except 1 returned to sports.

Conclusion:

The treatment of large traumatic chondral fragments is controversial. In this select series of 10 young patients who underwent primary repair with internal fixation, there were no failures clinically. Patients demonstrated excellent short-term clinical and radiographic results after fixation of these relatively large chondral fragments in the knee.
Community Profile of Primary Education in Madras Presidency in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries: Part II: 1885–1935
Authors: Chowdhury Probal Roy
Published: September 2019

In the second part of this article, we discuss the changing community profile of boys studying in primary schools in Madras Presidency during the period 1885–1935. From the annual reports of the Department of Public Instruction in Madras Presidency (RDPI), we compile the community profile of boys under instruction in the Presidency of Madras for the years 1889–90, 1895–96, 1899–1900, 1905–06, 1920–21 and 1934–35, and compare these trends with the community profile of boys studying under the indigenous education system in ca. 1825 and also under the governmental education system during the nineteenth century. Since the reports of the DPI provide us only with the aggregate data on the levels of enrolment of Vaisyas and Sudras as also of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), a nuanced understanding of the educational deprivations suffered by various communities can be arrived at only from the Census data on literacy. For this purpose, we also present a detailed analysis of the data on the literacy of selected communities as reported in the Census of 1921.
Gauge Policy of the Colonial Government: A Reappraisal
Authors: Bhagat Gautam Kumar
Published: September 2019

The gauge policy of the British government, from the very beginning of the construction of railways in India to the end of British rule, was a much more controversial issue. The higher authority of the government always considered the matter from an economic point of view and did not give any importance to the convenience and comfort of the passengers as well as of the serious evils of the break of gauge. It was assumed that the inconvenience of a break of gauge was confined to the actual handling change of transshipment, the amount being equivalent to a few miles of extra haulage. But the main evil of the break of gauge was much graver. When an all India gauge policy was needed to solve the aforesaid problems, the colonial government did nothing in this direction and consciously showed indifference regarding the haphazard policy of gauge.
Educational Program for Promoting Collaboration Between Community Care Professionals and Convenience Stores
Authors: Igarashi Ayumi , Matsumoto Hiroshige , Takaoka Manami , Kugai Haruna , Suzuki Miho , Yamamoto-Mitani Noriko
Published: September 2019

Convenience stores play an important role in supporting community-dwelling older adults’ lives. This study aimed to describe the development of and to evaluate an educational program to promote collaboration between communities and convenience stores in Japan. We developed the educational program based on interviews of convenience store staff to encourage them to collaborate with health/social care professionals for helping older adults. We conducted pre- and post-program questionnaire surveys of 184 participants to evaluate the program. After the program, the total score for attitudes toward dementia ( p = .010) improved significantly among the convenience store staff. On the contrary, the score for “solidarity and proactiveness,” a subscale for sense of community, improved significantly among health/social care professionals ( p = .003). This educational program can have a significant effect on the perceptions and attitudes for supporting older adults, depending on the participants’ occupations. This educational program could foster community networks, leading to an age-friendly community.
A Quasiexperimental Study of the Bystander Plus Program for Changing Rape Culture Beliefs
Authors: Cadaret Michael C. , Johnson Nicole L. , Devencenzi Melissa L. , Morgan Elizabeth M.
Published: September 2019

Sexual violence is considered a public health crisis and is particularly a problem on college campuses. Efforts for rape prevention at the collegiate level have included decreasing rape myth acceptance and increasing prosocial bystander behaviors. Although bystander models vary in regard to format and target population (e.g., male, female, or combined programs), they hold the same goals and underlying principles: to teach individuals how to effectively, and safely, intervene before, during, and after potential rape scenarios. In line with this research, the current study examined the efficacy of a bystander plus program, that goes beyond single session bystander focused programs to include a stronger focus on culture change and consciousness-raising across two sessions. The program was offered to undergraduate students ( n = 23), the intervention group, over two sequential weeks. The first session was based on a modified version of Bringing in the Bystander, called Empowering the Bystander (ETB). ETB is a 60-min interactive session in which presenters provide information and lead discussions and activities aimed to address rape myths, to increase sexual assault survivor empathy, to learn prosocial bystander behaviors, and to increase awareness of rape culture at large. We followed this with a consciousness-raising group called Define It! that asked participants to define and operationalize concepts such as sexual assault and rape culture in their own lives. Students in an introductory psychology course served as a control group ( n = 58) and did not receive the intervention. Both students within the intervention and control groups completed demographics and the Rape Culture Inventory (RCI) at pre-, post-, and 1-month postintervention. Results revealed a decrease in personal and perceived college endorsement of rape culture beliefs among intervention versus control participants. We discuss the implications of these results with concern to bystander programming and future directions for bystander plus program development.
Understanding the Dissolution of Nonprofit Organizations: A Financial Management Perspective
Authors: Lu Jiahuan , Shon Jongmin , Zhang Pengju
Published: September 2019

The financial antecedents of nonprofit dissolution have not been well studied, although there is growing scholarly attention devoted to the dissolution of nonprofit organizations. Using longitudinal data on U.S. public charities from 2005 to 2015, this study employs the Cox proportional-hazards model to examine the effects of overhead costs and revenue mix on nonprofit dissolution. In particular, we find that spending on employee compensation and fundraising each has a nonlinear, U-shaped relationship with the likelihood of nonprofit dissolution. We also find that commercial nonprofits are less likely to dissolve than their noncommercial counterparts. Finally, revenue diversification has a favorable effect on nonprofits’ survival prospects. These findings provide important managerial implications for nonprofits to sustain their operations and influence in practice.
Advancing Public Health Through Tax-Exempt Hospitals: Nonprofits’ Revenue Streams and Provision of Collective Goods
Authors: Park Young Joo , Peng Shuyang
Published: September 2019

Nonprofit organizations play an essential role in the provision of collective goods. Focusing on a unique subsector in the United States, this study examines the extent to which nonprofit hospitals’ provision of community benefits is related to their revenue streams. Building on existing theories, we postulate that as the proportion of a certain revenue source (i.e., government grants, private contributions, and program fees) increases, its corresponding benefits also increase. Using data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 990 filed by tax-exempt hospitals nationwide, we performed panel data analysis with year and id fixed effects using robust standard errors. The findings show that the proportion of private donations is positively associated with community benefits, whereas that of program income is negatively related to community benefits. Overall, nonprofits’ decision to serve disadvantaged groups and larger communities is associated with their income sources. The study raises implications that are pertinent to nonprofit management, public administration, and health administration.
High optical transparency, low dielectric constant, and light color of organosoluble polyamides based on 10,10-bis[4-(4- amino-3-trifluoromethylphenoxy)phenyl]- 9(10H)-anthrone
Authors: Zhong Juan , Huang Zhen-Zhong , Wei Wei-Hong , Huang Bin , Song Cheng
Published: September 2019

A new aromatic diamine, 10,10-bis[4-(4-amino-3-trifluoromethylphenoxy)phenyl]-9( 10H)-anthrone (BATFPA), has been synthesized from anthrone via three-step procedure. Low-temperature polycondensation of BATFPA with various aromatic dicarboxylic acid chlorides produced novel fluorinated polyamides with moderate to high inherent viscosities of 0.75–1.03 dL/g while the weight-average molecular weight and number-average molecular weight were in the range of 66,000–74,000 and 37,000–41,000, respectively. Nearly, all the polymers were readily soluble in polar solvents, such as N,N-dimethyl acetamide (DMAc), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone, pyridine, and tetrahydrofuran, and afforded transparent, light-colored, and flexible films upon casting from DMAc solvent. These polymers had glass transition temperatures of 249–309°C, 10% weight loss temperatures of 486–517°C, and char yields of 53–61% at 800°C under nitrogen. All polymers were amorphous and their films exhibited tensile strengths of 64–86 MPa, tensile moduli of 1.8–2.2 GPa, and elongation at break of 10–18%. These polymers had dielectric constants ranging from 3.25 to 3.76 (100 Hz), low moisture uptake in the range of 0.72–1.18%, and high transparency with an ultraviolet–visible absorption cutoff wavelength in the 360–378 nm range.
Unsafe nursing documentation: A qualitative content analysis
Authors: Tajabadi Ali , Ahmadi Fazlollah , Sadooghi Asl Afsaneh , Vaismoradi Mojtaba
Published: September 2019

Background

Nursing documentation as a pivotal part of nursing care has many implications for patient care in terms of safety and ethics.

Objectives

To explore factors influencing nursing documentation from nurses’ perspectives in the Iranian nursing context.

Methods

This qualitative study was carried out using a qualitative content analysis of data collected from 2018 to 2019 in two urban areas of Iran. Semi-structured interviews (n = 15), observations, and reviews of patients’ medical files were used for data collection.

Ethical considerations

This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of research and regulations in terms of confidentiality of data, anonymity, and provision of informed consent.

Findings

The main theme of this study was “unsafe documentation.” Two categories, “types of errors in reporting” and “reasons of errors in reporting,” and 12 subcategories were developed indicating factors influencing nursing documentation in the Iranian nursing context.

Conclusion

In general, individual, organizational, and national factors affected nursing documentation in Iran. In this respect, hiring more nurses, application of reforms in the healthcare management structure, devising appropriate regulations regarding division of labor, constant education of healthcare staff, establishment of clinical governance, improvement of interpersonal relationships, development of hardware and software techniques for documentation, and provision of support should be done to improve the quality of nursing documentation. The above-mentioned suggestions can help nurses with a safe, ethical, lawful, and reliable documentation in nursing practice.
Gender Differences in Perceived Role Expectations, Mental Health, and Job Satisfaction of Civil Police Constables: A Quali-Quantitative Survey
Authors: Maurya Mahesh Kumar
Published: September 2019

The purpose of the study was to examine the gender differences in perceptions of role expectations, mental health dimensions, and job satisfaction of police constables. The study further examined the potential mediating effects of psychological well-being and psychological distress on the nature of the relationship between dimensions of police role expectations and job satisfaction. Police constables (total number = 203: males = 144, females = 59) were surveyed in four districts (Varanasi, Mirzapur, Allahabad, and Lucknow) in the state of Uttar Pradesh of India. Participants’ responses were obtained on questionnaires, which measured demographic characteristics, police role expectations ( Maurya, 2017 ), psychological well-being and psychological distress ( Heubeck & Neill, 2000 ), and job satisfaction ( Dantzker’s, 1993 ). Data were statistically analyzed for examining the patterns of relationships between the variables. Additionally, the constables were also interviewed for eliciting their views on the prevailing job conditions. Findings revealed significant gender differences in the demographic variables, namely, experience and salary, aggressiveness and facilitative dimensions of role expectations, and the levels of psychological well-being among the male and female civil police constables. The authoritative role expectations were positively correlated with psychological distress of male participants only. While all aggressiveness, facilitative, and authoritative dimensions of police role expectations had significantly positive correlations with job satisfaction of male participants, only the facilitative dimension of role expectation was significantly positively correlated with job satisfaction of female participants. Psychological well-being of both male and female participants was positively correlated with job satisfaction. However, psychological distress was negatively correlated with job satisfaction of male participants only. Findings also highlight the mediating effects of psychological well-being on the prediction of job satisfaction by the facilitative dimension of role expectation among female police constables, while psychological distress exercised suppresser effects on the prediction of job satisfaction by the factor ‘aggressiveness’ among male police constables.
Barriers to Palliative Care in Pediatric Oncology in Switzerland: A Focus Group Study
Authors: Rost Michael , De Clercq Eva , Rakic Milenko , Wangmo Tenzin , Elger Bernice
Published: September 2019

Introduction: For children with cancer, early integration of pediatric palliative care in conjunction with curative treatments is recommended. In Switzerland, pediatric palliative care is mostly provided by an interdisciplinary primary oncology team that is mainly composed of nurses. However, only a small fraction of children receive pediatric palliative care and only a minority of them in a timely manner. The main aim was to identify barriers to the provision of pediatric palliative care in Swiss pediatric oncology. Method: This qualitative study consisted of five focus groups. In total, 29 pediatric oncology providers participated (13 nurses, 11 physicians, 4 psycho-oncologists, 1 social worker). Data were analyzed employing applied thematic analysis. Results: Analysis revealed eleven barriers: lack of financial resources, lack of prejob education regarding pediatric palliative care, lack of awareness in politics and policy making, absence of a well-established nationwide bridging care system, insufficient psychosocial and professional supervision for staff, understaffing, inadequate infrastructure of hospitals, asymmetry of factual and emotional knowledge between parents and providers, cultural aspects, irrational parental hopes, and “the unspoken.” Discussion: Awareness should be raised for pediatric palliative care (in particular in demarcation from palliative care in adults) among politics and policy makers which could lead to increased financial resources that, in turn, could be used to improve bridging care, hospital’s infrastructure, and team support. More flexibility for care determining factors is needed, for example, with respect to convening team meetings, short-termed staffing, and reimbursement at the interface between inpatient and outpatient services.
Republished: Clinical Decision Support for Early Recognition of Sepsis
Authors: Amland Robert C. , Hahn-Cover Kristin E.
Published: September 2019

Sepsis is an inflammatory response triggered by infection, with a high in-hospital mortality rate. Early recognition and treatment can reverse the inflammatory response, with evidence of improved patient outcomes. One challenge clinicians face is identifying the inflammatory syndrome against the background of the patient’s infectious illness and comorbidities. An approach to this problem is implementation of computerized early warning tools for sepsis. This multicenter retrospective study sought to determine clinimetric performance of a cloud-based computerized sepsis clinical decision support system (CDS), understand the epidemiology of sepsis, and identify opportunities for quality improvement. Data encompassed 6200 adult hospitalizations from 2012 through 2013. Of 13% patients screened-in, 51% were already suspected to have an infection when the system activated. This study focused on a patient cohort screened-in before infection was suspected; median time from arrival to CDS activation was 3.5 hours, and system activation to diagnostic collect was another 8.6 hours.
Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Piper Methysticum Leaf/Root/Stem Extract and Piper Methysticum Root Extract
Authors: Robinson Valerie , Bergfeld Wilma F. , Belsito Donald V. , Klaassen Curtis D. , Marks James G. , Shank Ronald C. , Slaga Thomas J. , Snyder Paul W. , Andersen F. Alan
Published: September 2019

Piper methysticum leaf/root/stem extract is the cosmetic ingredient name for a material derived from the leaves, roots, and stems of the Piper methysticum G. Forster plant, commonly known as kava kava. This and other kava-derived ingredients are used as skin-conditioning agents at concentrations from 0.0001% to 0.1%. The Food and Drug Administration issued a consumer advisory in 2002 expressing concern about liver damage in individuals who have ingested kava products. The available oral toxicity data support the concern about liver damage on ingestion but do not resolve the question, for example, whether these ingredients would be substantially absorbed through the skin. Other data needs are described, including toxicology data for yangonin, methysticin, and kavain, which may be present in kava-derived ingredients. Accordingly, the available data are insufficient to support the safety of these ingredients in cosmetics.
Initial treatment for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy: Ranibizumab combined with photodynamic therapy or fixed-dosing aflibercept monotherapy
Authors: Yoneda Ai , Wakiyama Harumi , Kurihara Junko , Kitaoka Takashi
Published: September 2019

Purpose:

To compare the 2-year outcomes of combination therapy using intravitreal ranibizumab and photodynamic therapy with those of fixed-dosing intravitreal aflibercept monotherapy as initial treatment for treatment-naïve polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy.

Methods:

We retrospectively reviewed 63 eyes of 61 patients with treatment-naïve polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy who had undergone at least 24 months of follow-up. In total, 43 eyes underwent intravitreal ranibizumab–photodynamic therapy combination therapy and 20 eyes underwent fixed-dosing intravitreal aflibercept monotherapy. Visual outcomes and the number of treatments were compared between the two groups.

Results:

The mean logarithm of minimal angle of resolution best-corrected visual acuity significantly improved from 0.48 ± 0.41 at baseline to 0.30 ± 0.47 at 24 months in the intravitreal ranibizumab–photodynamic therapy group ( p = .0002) and from 0.30 ± 0.18 at baseline to 0.16 ± 0.18 at 24 months in the intravitreal aflibercept group ( p = .004), with no significant intergroup differences. The mean number of intravitreal ranibizumab or intravitreal aflibercept injections over 24 months was 5.7 ± 4.5 in the intravitreal ranibizumab–photodynamic therapy group and 12.2 ± 3.8 in the intravitreal aflibercept group ( p < .0001).

Conclusion:

The intravitreal ranibizumab–photodynamic therapy combination therapy was noninferior to fixed-dosing intravitreal aflibercept monotherapy in improving visual acuity and required fewer injections.
Hydrogeochemical Analysis and Spatial Distribution of Groundwater Quality in Roundhill Landfill Vicinity of South Africa
Authors: Nyika Joan , Onyari Ednah
Published: September 2019

Groundwater is the most reliable resource for consumptive uses worldwide, but it is vulnerable to anthropogenic pollution in this post-industrialization era. Pollution of the resource may result from anthropogenic activities; hence, analysing the effects of leachate on groundwater is imperative. This study assessed the spatial distribution of physicochemical parameters of groundwater in Roundhill landfill vicinity of South Africa and conducted their hydrogeochemical analysis. Water samples were collected from 3 boreholes in the landfill surroundings and analysed for selected physicochemical characteristics. Spatial distribution of these parameters showed dominant pollution by Mn2+, Fe2+, and [Formula: see text], which surpassed prescribed allowable limits of the country in most of the study area. Possibilities of simple dissolution and ion mixing were deduced from the Durov diagram. Magnesium carbonate, sodium chloride, and mixed faces of groundwater were dominant in boreholes 1 to 3, respectively. The dominance of Ca2+, Cl−, Mg2+, and [Formula: see text] ions in some boreholes suggested anthropogenic pollution. Landfill leachate was associated with groundwater pollution in the study area.
Urban Art touristification: The case of Lisbon
Authors: Campos Ricardo , Sequeira Ágata
Published: September 2019

Urban Art is gradually assuming an increasingly significant role in the development of a city’s character, something which is often promoted by public institutions. This has been strongly instigated by the rhetoric of creative cities, present in the strategies for the urban development of many cities in recent years. The rising appreciation of this artistic movement and the recognition of the cultural and symbolic role it currently plays are accompanied by a growing offer of tourism services in this field, namely, through dozens of tours operated by multiple entities. The literature has, in fact, been paying some attention to this phenomenon of touristification of Urban Art. In this article, we draw on qualitative empirical material from an ongoing research project on Urban Art in the city of Lisbon. We consider the touristification of Urban Art in Lisbon to be a recent and still ongoing process involving several social actors with specific perspectives, strategies, actions and representations. We have concluded that there is currently a combination of social and economic factors favourable to the development of this process of touristification. This could not have happened without (a) a number of institutional initiatives, (b) local entrepreneurship ventures and (c) the development of a narrative shared by the different agents.
Children’s influence on parental purchase decisions: Scale development and validation
Authors: Dikcius Vytautas , Urbonavicius Sigitas , Pakalniskiene Vilmante , Pikturniene Indre
Published: September 2019

The article concentrates on the delineation between children’s participation and children’s influence in a family purchasing process. Lack of clarity between the two concepts results in misconceptions, inconsistencies, or even conflicting findings across studies. This study addresses the issue from theoretical and methodological perspectives. Taking into account the importance of children’s participation as a necessary, but not sufficient, pre-condition to demonstrate the influence, the study delineates the two variables and specifies the differences between them. This is supported with the development and validation of an alternative scale that directly measures children’s influence. Further analysis allows justification of the new scale and shows a theoretically supported difference between the measurements of children’s participation and influence in family-buying decision. The fact of making clear distinction between participation and influence leads to the enriched theoretical and methodological knowledge in the field and provides important managerial implications both in the family purchasing context and in other types of group interactions.
Elevated admission glucose is common and associated with high short-term complication burden after acute myocardial infarction: Insights from the VALIDATE-SWEDEHEART study
Authors: Ritsinger Viveca , Jensen Jens , Ohm Daniel , Omerovic Elmir , Koul Sasha , Fröbert Ole , Erlinge David , James Stefan , Lagerqvist Bo , Norhammar Anna
Published: September 2019

Objective:

To investigate the association between admission plasma glucose and cardiovascular events in patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with modern therapies including early percutaneous coronary intervention and modern stents.

Methods:

Patients ( n = 5309) with established diabetes and patients without previously known diabetes with a reported admission plasma glucose, included in the VALIDATE trial 2014-2016, were followed for cardiovascular events (first of mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure) within 180 days. Event rates were analysed by four glucose categories according to the World Health Organization criteria for hyperglycaemia and definition of diabetes. Odds ratios were calculated in a multivariate logistic regression model.

Results:

Mean age was 67 ± 11 years. Previously known diabetes was present in 21.2% ( n = 1124). Cardiovascular events occurred in 3.7%, 3.8%, 6.6% and 15.7% in the four glucose level groups and 9.9% in those with known diabetes ( p < 0.001), while bleeding complications did not differ significantly (9.1%, 8.5%, 8.4%, 12.2% and 8.5%, respectively). After adjustment, odds ratio (95% confidence interval) was 1.00 (0.65–1.53) for group II, 1.62 (1.14–2.29) for group III and 3.59 (1.99–6.50) for group IV compared to the lowest admission plasma glucose group (group I). The corresponding number for known diabetes was 2.42 (1.71–3.42).

Conclusion:

In a well-treated contemporary population of acute myocardial infarction patients, 42% of those without diabetes had elevated admission plasma glucose levels with a greater risk for clinical events already within 180 days. Event rate increased with increasing admission plasma glucose levels. These findings highlight the importance of searching for undetected diabetes in the setting of acute myocardial infarction and that new treatment options are needed to improve outcome.
Topical Application of Teucrium polium Can Improve Wound Healing in Diabetic Rats
Authors: Fallah Huseini Hasan , Abdolghaffari Amir Hossein , Ahwazi Maryam , Jasemi Eghbal , Yaghoobi Maryam , Ziaee Mojtaba
Published: September 2019

Diabetic foot ulcer is one of the major complications among diabetic patients. Several studies have shown that the extract of Teucrium polium (T. polium) is effective in the treatment of diabetic and non-diabetic wounds, as well as burn wounds. The aim of current study was to assess the wound healing activity of T. polium extract ointment in diabetic rats. Sixty-four male Wistar rats were induced diabetes with alloxan injection (125 mg/kg) and surgical wound induced. The rats were divided into 8 groups of eight rats each: control group, eucerin group, phenytoin group, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5% and 10% T. polium groups. The ointment was dressed on the wound twice a day. The process of wound healing was screened by macroscopy and digitalization on days 14 and 21 and until complete wound healing. There was no infection in the wounds of rats in any groups. The process of wounds healing of the 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, and 10% T. polium ointments, with phenytoin ointment and base ointment (eucerin) on day 14 and 21, showed that the significant difference between the treatment groups with 4% (P = 0.003), 5% (P = 0.001), 10% (P = 0.001) T. polium ointment and phenytoin ointment group (P = 0.001) compared to eucerin group. The results of this study showed that T. polium extract ointment with a 10% ointment accelerates the wound healing process in diabetic rats and is comparable to the phenytoin group.
Ripple While You Walk, and You May Get Lost: Pathological High-Frequency Activity Can Alter Spatial Navigation Circuits
Authors: Brennan Ellen K.W. , Ahmed Omar J.
Published: September 2019

[Box: see text]
The Road to Diagnosis: Shortening the Diagnostic Odyssey in Epilepsy
Authors: Mefford Heather C.
Published: September 2019

[Box: see text]
PET/SPECT Molecular Probes for the Diagnosis and Staging of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Authors: Shao Tuo , Josephson Lee , Liang Steven H.
Published: September 2019

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a significant public health challenge afflicting approximately 1 billion individuals both in the Western world and in the East world. While liver biopsy is considered as gold standard in the diagnosis and staging of liver fibrosis, noninvasive imaging technologies, including ultrasonography, computed tomography, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography (PET) could offer more sensitive, comprehensive, and quantitative measurement for NAFLD. In this review, we focus on recent development and applications of PET/SPECT molecular probes that enable multispatial/temporal visualization and quantification of physiopathological progress at the molecular level in the NAFLD. We shall also discuss the limitations of current radioligands and future direction for PET/SPECT probe development.
Modeling and simulation of future capabilities with an automated computer-aided wargame
Authors: Langreck John , Wong Hermann , Hernandez Alejandro , Upton Stephen , McDonald Mary , Pollman Anthony , Hatch William
Published: September 2019

This article explores the development and application of an automated computer-aided wargame to establish high-level capability requirements and concepts of operations for future Navy unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned underwater vehicles. The Joint Theater Level Simulation-Global Operations serves as the modeling environment, in which a computer-aided exercise models the impact of future intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets. Automating wargame simulations permits the replication of a large-scale exercise without the continued investment of support personnel and operating units. The environment enables experimentation that provides force planners with pertinent metrics to inform decision-making.
A Mixed Methods Research Strategy to Study Children’s Play and Urban Physical Environments in Dhaka
Authors: Bhuyan Md Rashed , Zhang Ye
Published: September 2019

Mixed methods research (MMR) is useful for addressing complex and multidisciplinary urban problems. This article demonstrates an integrated MMR approach with a novel two-phase exploratory sequential design while studying play, play space, and children’s (age 7-15 years) location preference for play in three residential areas in Dhaka. We used directly administered survey and interviews in the first phase to describe play and play space from children’s perspective. Informed by the first, we employed GIS-based spatial and statistical analysis in the second phase to study patterns of children’s location preference for play. Our article contributes to the methodological literature by combining MMR with urban spatial analysis in children’s play environment studies.
Singularity analysis and dexterity performance on a novel parallel mechanism with kinematic redundancy
Authors: Zhao Fuqun , Guo Sheng , Zhang Chengyu , Qu Haibo , Li Dian
Published: September 2019

This article presents a novel spatial parallel mechanism with kinematic redundancy. The design strategy and evolution of the proposed mechanism is introduced, and kinematic model of the mechanism is established. To simplify singularity analysis of this kind of mechanism, the virtual plane method which can separate the whole parallel mechanism into two parts is presented. The relative Jacobian matrices are established and illustrated with singularity configurations of three types. Kinematic performance is obtained to see redundancy effects on the mechanism. The orientational workspace is obtained by the regions of orientational angles with varied platform position. It shows the orientational workspace of the redundant mechanism is significantly larger. Evaluation of condition number demonstrates the proposed mechanism can clearly stay away from singularities with a large range of rotational angles. A trajectory example is conducted to further prove the proposed mechanism can produce a large range of rotational angles without meeting with singularities.
Wall patterns influence the perception of interior space
Authors: von Castell Christoph , Hecht Heiko , Oberfeld Daniel
Published: September 2019

The texture of an object’s surface influences its perceived spatial extent. For example, Hermann von Helmholtz reported that a square patch with black and white stripes appears elongated perpendicular to the stripes’ orientation. This time-honoured finding stands in contrast with more recent recommendations by interior-design experts who suggest that stripe wall patterns make rooms appear elongated in the direction parallel to the stripes’ orientation. In a series of four experiments, we presented stripe wall patterns and varied the orientation of the stripes (horizontal vs. vertical) and their density (number of stripes per degree of visual angle). Subjects estimated the width and height of stereoscopically presented interior spaces. Stripe patterns with higher densities made rooms appear both wider and higher than did stripe patterns with lower densities or plain walls. In contrast to both the predictions from the Helmholtz-square and the design guidelines, this effect was only weakly modulated by pattern orientation, in the sense that rooms appeared elongated in the direction parallel to the stripes’ orientation. We conclude that object-based texture effects cannot be generalised to interior space perception. For a room’s perceived spatial extent, pattern density is more important than pattern orientation.
Clientelism by Design: Personnel Politics under Xi Jinping
Authors: Doyon Jérôme
Published: September 2019

Since Xi Jinping took power in late 2012, analysts have puzzled over how best to define his political trajectory. Is he consolidating power and building a personality cult around himself, or is he strengthening the Party as an organisation? I tackle this issue by focusing on the transformation of personnel policies under Xi. I highlight an increasing concentration of power in the hands of Party leaders at all echelons. At the institutional level, the Party increasingly controls the management and disciplining of officials. At the level of the individual cadres themselves, promotion processes are increasingly managed behind closed doors and less importance is being given to objective criteria for cadre advancement. The age-based rules which structured the promotion of officials and ensured a high level of personnel turnover within the party state are also de-emphasised. I argue that these changes are paving the way for a more clientelist and aging party state.
Authoritarian Learning in China's Civil Society Regulations: Towards a Multi-Level Framework
Authors: Lang Bertram
Published: September 2019

How do authoritarian governments learn? What kind of events and experiences can lead them to adopt more or less restrictive policies towards social actors? And, how are such lessons from others' experiences integrated into new policies? These questions have been addressed and answered quite differently from various disciplinary perspectives, focusing either on international dynamics such as “authoritarian diffusion” or on domestic policy learning. This article seeks to integrate different perspectives on authoritarian learning by proposing a typological framework of positive and negative learning from three distinct sources: authoritarian peers, democratic countries, and subnational policy experiments. I argue that such a comprehensive framework better accounts for both the relative importance and for the interaction of different kinds of learning in national-level policy processes. To illustrate the framework's added analytical value, I use an exemplary case study of recent legislative changes to China's civil society policy, which have been alternatively interpreted as part of an authoritarian “wave” or as another step in incremental domestic learning processes.
Analysis of a Unique Postmarket Surveillance Dataset That a Glucose Test-Strip Demonstrates no Evidence of Interference and Robust Clinical Accuracy Irrespective of the Prescription Medication Status of a Large Cohort of Patients With Diabetes
Authors: Grady Mike , Cameron Hilary , Phillips Stuart , Smith Gillian , Setford Steven
Published: September 2019

Background:

Despite a marked increase in polypharmacy in patients with diabetes there have been no thorough evaluations of the impact of polypharmacy on the accuracy of any current blood glucose monitoring (BGM) system. This study evaluated the accuracy of a BGM test-strip with respect to polypharmacy using a large clinical registry dataset.

Methods:

Medication profiles were analyzed for 830 subjects (334 with type 1 [T1D] and 496 with type 2 diabetes [T2D]) attending three hospitals. Blood samples were analyzed to determine clinical accuracy of the BGM test-strip compared to a laboratory comparator.

Results:

Across the 830 subjects, 473 different medications (41 diabetes and 432 nondiabetes) were recorded. Patients took on average 6.5 ( n = 1-23) individual medications and 4 ( n = 1-11) unique classes of medication. Clinical accuracy to EN ISO 15197:2015 criteria was met irrespective of increasing average number of individual medication, categorized from 1 to 4, 5 to 8, 9 to 12, and >12 taken per subject (97.7%, 98.4%, 98.1%, and 98.5%, respectively). Clinical accuracy to EN ISO 15197:2015 criteria was also met across 15 classes of medication using the combined dataset (98.1%; 13 003/13 253). Surveillance error grid analysis showed 98.8% (13 079/13 232) of readings presented no clinical risk. No individual class or combination of medication classes impacted clinical accuracy of the BGM test-strip.

Conclusions:

This comprehensive analysis for this specific test-strip platform demonstrated no evidence of interference and robust clinical accuracy of this test strip, irrespective of the prescription medication status of patients with diabetes.
Prenylflavanones as Novel T-Type Calcium Channel Blockers Useful for Pain Therapy
Authors: Nguyen Huy Du , Okada Takuya , Sekiguchi Fumiko , Tsubota Maho , Nishikawa Hiroyuki , Kawabata Atsufumi , Toyooka Naoki
Published: September 2019

Prenylated flavonoids have attracted much attention due to their promising and diverse bioactivities on multitarget tissues. To the best of our knowledge, our recent studies demonstrated first that (2 S)-6-prenylnaringenin (6-PNG), a hop component, blocks Cav3.2 T-type calcium channels (T-channels) and alleviates neuropathic and visceral pain with little side effects; it also indicated first that other natural prenylflavanones (PFVNs), such as sophoraflavanone G and (2 S)-8-PNG, or synthetic 6-PFVNs including (2 R/S)-6-PNG and its derivatives are capable of blocking T-channels and useful for pain therapy. Through the structure-activity relationship studies on the synthetic 6-PFVNs, we identified 6-(3-ethylpent-2-enyl)-5,7-dihydroxy-2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)chroman-4-one (8j or KTt-45) as the most potent blocker of Cav3.2 T-channels. It is interesting to recognize a prenylated flavonoid, belonging to other sub-classes, as a novel T-channel blocker. Therefore, this article will review some of our recent studies to introduce a new branch to researchers studying on prenylated flavonoids.
The mechanism of injury of a hybrid Bado type I/III Monteggia lesion: Analysis of a live recording from a gymnastics injury
Authors: Ng Bobby Kin-Wah , Wilkins Kaye E , Chau Wai-Wang
Published: September 2019

The injury mechanism of a case of hybrid Bado type I/III Monteggia fracture had been recorded live by the parent of a gymnast in a competition. This live recording was generously offered by the parent to the treating surgeon to study the injury mechanism. The video captured was segmented by slow motion frames to study the whole process of the injury mechanism. The injury mechanism was analyzed by the authors jointly to verify the interpretation of the loading mechanism and the resultant injury. The patient had been treated with conventional method with satisfactory result.
Effect of Endocrowns on Fracture Strength and Microleakage of Endodontically Treated Primary Molar Teeth
Authors: Seddik Tarek , Derelioglu Sera
Published: September 2019

Objectives:

Optimal restoration of endodontically treated teeth is very important for the durability of the endodontic treatment. The focus of this study was to evaluate the fracture strength and microleakage of composite endocrowns compared with Class II composite restorations in endodontically treated primary molar teeth.

Materials and Methods:

48 extracted second primary molars were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 (control): teeth with Class II and endodontic access cavities restored with G-aenial composite; group 2: endocrown restorations with G-aenial composite. After completing restorative procedures, teeth were subjected to thermal cycling (500 cycles). Compressive loading was applied to half of the samples, although the other half were immersed in 0.5% basic fucsin solution for 24 h, sectioned, and examined for dye penetration under stereomicroscope. Data were subjected to statistical analysis by the Mann-Whitney U test (α = 0.05).

Results:

The fracture strength of endocrowns (1741 ± 379.35 N) was significantly higher than that of the control group (1126.5 ± 405.39 N) ( P < .05). No statistical difference was found in microleakage between the 2 groups ( P > .05).

Conclusion:

Endocrown preparation increases the fracture strength of the final composite restoration when used in primary molar teeth. Composite endocrown restorations can be a practical and an esthetic option for restoring endodontically treated primary molar teeth.