bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Professional judgement about re-offending: Factorial survey
Authors: Mullineux Judith , Taylor Brian J , Giles Melanie
Published: May 2019

Social workers in criminal justice provide reports to courts, including assessments of the likelihood of re-offending, which are used to assist in judicial decisions. This study used a factorial survey with 93 social workers employed as probation officers to measure factors influencing their judgement of the risk of re-offending.

Findings

Analysis using regression and analysis of variance showed that judgements about the likelihood of re-offending were influenced by dynamic factors (such as substance misuse, support networks, level of responsibility taken for offending behaviour and cooperation with probation supervision) as well as more widely tested static risk factors (such as previous convictions and age).

Application

This study highlights a range of dynamic factors that might inform review of criminal justice social work assessment tools which typically incorporate the better-tested static factors. The findings will contribute to current thinking in social work education which is starting to address issues of risk and decision making more explicitly in the curriculum at both qualifying and post-qualifying stages. The more nuanced assessment of factors considered by experienced criminal justice social workers will complement the evidence from more strongly evidenced static risk factors to inform teaching about professional judgements. As we seek to incorporate statistical knowledge into the human processes of social work assessment, Brunskwik’s Lens Model and other psycho-social rationality models – which bridge between analytic and descriptive models of human judgement – may be useful conceptualisations of the professional judgement process in social work.
Oral traditions and mounds, owls and movement at Poverty Point: An archaeological ethnography of multispecies embodiments and everyday life
Authors: Bloch Lee
Published: May 2019

Collaborative and Indigenous archaeologies call on researchers to recenter theory and practice on descendant peoples' lives and ways of knowing. Extending this project, this article takes story and dance as a site of theory, foregrounding Indigenous modes of embodiment in which bodily and sensory perspectives are cultivated through participation in more-than-human beings. Drawing on research with members of a small, Muskogee-identified community in the US South, it frames the large-scale earthworks at the Poverty Point site in Louisiana as representing a horned owl. This evokes stories about a people who lived in an owl-shaped village and who could move in particularly owlish ways. Critiquing ontological frameworks in which the sensory is universal and mind is removed from body and land, I argue that ancient peoples may have cultivated perspectival embodiments through the everyday activity of living together in the collective form of an owl. Moreover, as contemporary descendants return to Poverty Point, the land animates shared, multispecies sensory fields that enroll descendants into a longue durée of owlish encounters and entanglements, or what my hosts simply call “Owl's teachings.” Here, I call for an archaeology reimagined in the context of Native American and Indigenous studies, asking how mounds might animate resurgent possibilities rooted in (and routed through) deep Indigenous histories of return.
Countering hate speech through arts and arts education
Authors: Jääskeläinen Tuula
Published: May 2019

Hate speech has become a growing topic of discussion and debate on a global scale, especially as advances in the internet transform communication on many levels. Among scholars, hate speech has been defined as any form of expression – for example by means of speech, images, videos or online activity – that has the capacity to increase hatred against a person or people because of a characteristic they share or a group to which they belong. In order to maintain the integrity of a functioning democracy, it is important to identify the best balance between allowing freedom of expression and protecting other human rights by countering hate speech. In addition to strengthening the legal framework to address the cases when hate speech can be considered criminal, and developing automated monitoring of online systems to prevent the spreading of cyberhate, counter narratives can be utilized by the targets of hate speech and their communities to create campaigns against hate speech. The employment of artists’ expression and arts education have great potential for creating different counter narratives to challenge one-sided narratives and hate speakers’ simplified generalizations. Because hate speech is not an easy issue to address in schools, clear research evidence, concrete guidelines and practical examples can help teachers to contribute, along with their students, in combating it. A great body of evidence supporting the beneficial social impacts of the arts and culture fields is already available, but much more research, backed by sufficient resources, is needed to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of intervention strategies in countering hate speech through arts education.
Addressing guideline and policy changes during pragmatic clinical trials
Authors: Curtis Lesley H , Dember Laura M , Vazquez Miguel A , Murray David , DeBar Lynn , Staman Karen L , Septimus Edward , Mor Vincent , Volandes Angelo , Wells Barbara L , Huang Susan S , Green Beverly B , Coronado Gloria , Meyers Catherine M , Tuzzio Leah , Hernandez Adrian F , Sugarman Jeremy
Published: May 2019

While conducting a set of large-scale multi-site pragmatic clinical trials involving high-impact public health issues such as end-stage renal disease, opioid use, and colorectal cancer, there were substantial changes to both policies and guidelines relevant to the trials. These external changes gave rise to unexpected challenges for the trials, including decisions regarding how to respond to new clinical practice guidelines, increased difficulty in implementing trial interventions, achieving separation between treatment groups, and differential responses across sites. In this article, we describe these challenges and the approaches used to address them. When deliberating appropriate action in the face of external changes during a pragmatic clinical trial, we recommend considering the well-being of the participants, clinical equipoise, and the strength and quality of the evidence associated with the change; involving those charged with data and safety monitoring; and where possible, planning for potential external changes as the trial is being designed. Any solution must balance the primary obligation to protect the well-being of participants with the secondary obligation to protect the integrity of the trial in order to gain meaningful answers to important public health questions.
Patient-Specific Approach to Mitral Valve Replacement in Infants Weighing 10 kilograms or less
Authors: Mater Kathryn , Ayer Julian , Nicholson Ian , Winlaw David , Chard Richard , Orr Yishay
Published: May 2019

Background:

Mitral valve replacement (MVR) is the only option for infants with severe mitral valve disease that is not reparable; however, previously reported outcomes are not always favorable. Our institution has followed a tailored approach to sizing and positioning of mechanical valve prostheses in infants requiring MVR in order to obtain optimal outcomes.

Methods:

Outcomes for 22 infants ≤10 kg who have undergone MVR in Sydney, Australia, from 1998 to 2016, were analyzed. Patients were at a mean age of 6.8 ± 4.1 months (range: 0.8-13.2 months) and a mean weight of 5.4 ± 1.8 kg at the time of MVR. Most patients (81.8%) had undergone at least one previous cardiac surgical procedure prior to MVR, and 36.4% had undergone two previous procedures. Several surgical techniques were used to implant mechanical bileaflet prostheses.

Results:

All patients received bileaflet mechanical prostheses, with 12 receiving mitral prostheses and 10 receiving inverted aortic prostheses. Surgical technique varied between patients with valves implanted intra-annularly (n = 6), supra-annularly (n = 11), or supra-annularly with a tilt (n = 5). After a mean follow-up period of 6.2 ± 4.4 years, the survival rate was 100%. Six (27.3%) patients underwent redo MVR a mean of 102.2 ± 10.7 months after initial MVR. Four (18.2%) patients required surgical reintervention for development of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and three (13.6%) patients required permanent pacemaker placement during long-term follow-up.

Conclusions:

The tailored surgical strategy utilized for MVR in infants at our institution has resulted in reliable valve function and excellent survival. Although redo is inevitable due to somatic growth, the bileaflet mechanical prostheses used displayed appropriate durability.
A comparison of clinical and patient-reported outcome measures of TKR: Comparison of Asian to North American patients
Authors: Budhiparama Nicolaas C , Gaudiani Michael A , White Peter B , Satalich James , Nelissen Robert GHH , Ranawat Amar S , Ranawat Chitranjan S
Published: May 2019

Background:

Cultural differences between continents may also affect the outcome on interventions. This study compared an Asian and North American cohort of total knee replacement (TKR) patients.

Questions/purposes:

This study aims to compare the patient-reported outcome measures as well as a functional outcome after TKR between these two different patient populations with a different cultural societal background in two different countries.

Patients and Methods:

A retrospective study on two cohorts of 76 Asian TKR patients and 64 North American TKR patients were compared. Demographics, patient-reported outcome measures (Knee Society Score (KSS), Patient-Administered Questionnaire (PAQ), and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC)), knee range of motion (RoM), and radiographic component position were compared.

Results:

The Asian cohort had more females compared to the North American and significantly worse preoperative RoM, and worse KSS function score and PAQ pain scores. The preoperative KSS knee score and WOMAC scores were comparable between the two groups. Postoperatively, the differences in WOMAC and KSS knee scores were significant, while KSS function and PAQ were comparable between groups.

Conclusions:

Even though Asian TKR patients had significantly worse preoperative scores, their postoperative outcomes were comparable to North Americans. The higher preoperative functional deficit and the higher pain levels in the Asian population might be due to cultural differences and/or socioeconomic reasons, which made Asian patients present with more severe conditions in the preoperative consultation for a possible surgical treatment compared to North Americans. More research is needed to investigate the difference between these cultural impacts on TKR outcomes.

Level of Evidence:

Level III/Retrospective cohort study.
Bipolar hemiarthroplasty using microarc oxidation-coated cementless stem in patients with unstable intertrochanteric fracture
Authors: Lee Young-Kyun , Won Heejae , Roa Kristoffer Roland U. , Ha Yong-Chan , Koo Kyung-Hoi
Published: May 2019

Purpose:

Treatment for an unstable intertrochanteric fracture in elderly patients is challenging. Bipolar hemiarthroplasty (HA) using microarc oxidation (MAO) coating has been a treatment option alternative to internal fixation. However, the outcome of bipolar HA using MAO-coated stem in these patients is unknown.

Methods:

From July 2007 to April 2016, 234 (older than 65 years) patients (234 hips) who were diagnosed as having unstable intertrochanteric fractures were treated with bipolar HA using a fully MAO-coated standard-length rectangular cementless stem. During the arthroplasty, the greater trochanteric and the medial fracture fragments were attached to the stem and fixed with two to three 16-gauge wires. Forty-eight patients (48 hips) died within postoperative 2 years. The remaining 186 patients (186 hips) were followed up for a mean of 4.3 (range 2–10) years.

Results:

With the exception of 4 patients who died during hospitalization, 176 of 230 ( 76.5%) patients could ambulate independently with or without an assistive device at the time of hospital discharge. Venous thromboembolism occurred in seven patients (3.0%). One hip dislocated due to a fall 1 month after the arthroplasty. Periprosthetic femoral fracture occurred in four patients and periprosthetic acetabular fracture in one patient. One patient had periprosthetic of acute pyelonephritis. There was no focal osteolysis around the femoral stem.

Conclusion:

The result of cementless HA using MAO-coated stem enabled early ambulation in most (76.5%) of elderly patients with unstable intertrochanteric fractures and the results were encouraging.
The Black Diamonds of Sydney Harbour
Authors: Elias Ann
Published: May 2019

This article explores the case study of a coal mine that was first tunneled under Sydney Harbour in 1897 but closed in 1931. Specifically, it examines how the history of the mine intersects with aesthetics, race, colonialism, and Indigenous dispossession. Centered on the story of an English mining company that first sought a mine site in a pastoral area of the city, but under public pressure was forced to select instead a grimy working class suburb on the opposite harbor shore, the article argues that environmental aesthetics and tastes in beauty collaborated with extractivism. The argument emerges that economics, art, and aesthetics are inextricably linked in this history and further, that while the mine excited the industrial imagination through the aesthetic of the sublime, and associations with darkness and vastness, it conflicted with colonial settler tastes for the pastoral imagination defined by the aesthetics of the beautiful and its associations with light. The article discusses the context of a settler economy in lands stolen from Indigenous peoples, and how conceptualizations of the sublime and beautiful, as well as dark and light, were aligned with the racialization of the properties of coal and space above and below ground.
Brentuximab vedotin followed by bendamustine supercharge for refractory or relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma
Authors: Picardi M. , Della Pepa R. , Giordano C. , Pugliese N. , Mortaruolo C. , Trastulli F. , Rascato M. G. , Cappuccio I. , Raimondo M. , Memoli M. , Monteverde M. , Mascolo M. , Pane F.
Published: May 2019

Key Points

FDG-PET–negative status achieved with salvage therapy is the most important determinant of favorable outcome after HSCT, for patients with R/R cHL. Our modified Bv+Bs salvage regimen led to deep metabolic responses in the majority of patients, establishing a bridge to transplant.
Effect of a text message intervention on alcohol-related harms and behaviours: secondary outcomes of a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Sharpe Sarah , Kool Bridget , Whittaker Robyn , Lee Arier C. , Reid Papaarangi , Civil Ian , Ameratunga Shanthi
Published: May 2019

Objective

Mobile Health approaches show promise as a delivery mode for alcohol screening and brief intervention. The ‘YourCall’ trial evaluated the effect of a low-intensity mobile phone text message brief intervention compared with usual care on hazardous drinking and alcohol-related harms among injured adults. This paper extends our previously published primary outcome analysis which revealed a significant reduction in hazardous drinking associated with the intervention at 3 months, with the effect maintained across 12 months follow-up. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effect of the intervention on alcohol-related harms and troubles and help-seeking behaviours (secondary outcomes) at 12-months follow-up.

Results

A parallel two-group, single-blind, randomised controlled trial was conducted in 598 injured inpatients aged 16–69 years identified as having medium-risk hazardous drinking. Logistic regression models applied to 12-month follow-up data showed no significant differences between intervention and control groups in self-reported alcohol-related harms and troubles and help-seeking behaviours. Although this text message intervention led to a significant reduction in hazardous alcohol consumption (previously published primary outcome), changes in self-reported alcohol-related harms and troubles and help seeking behaviours at 12-months follow up (secondary outcomes) were small and non-significant.

Trial registration

ACTRN12612001220853. Retrospectively registered 19 November 2012.
An empower hamilton loop based data collection algorithm with mobile agent for WSNs
Authors: Wang Jin , Gu Xiujian , Liu Wei , Sangaiah Arun Kumar , Kim Hye-Jin
Published: May 2019

In wireless sensor networks (WSNs), sensor devices must be equipped with the capabilities of sensing, computation and communication. These devices work continuously through non-rechargeable batteries under harsh conditions, the batter span of nodes determines the whole network lifetime. Network clustering adopts an energy neutral approach to extend the network life. The clustering methods can be divided into even and uneven clustering. If even clustering is adopted, it will cause the cluster head nodes (CHs) in vicinity of the base station to relay more data and cause energy hole phenomenon. Therefore, we adopt a non-uniform clustering method to alleviate the problem of energy hole. Furthermore, to further balance and remit resource overhead of the entire network, we combined the PEGASIS algorithm and the Hamilton loop algorithm, through a mixture of single-hop and multiple hops mechanisms, inserting a mobile agent node (MA) and designing an optimal empower Hamilton loop is obtained by the local optimization algorithm. MA is responsible for receiving and fusing packet from the CHs on the path. Network performance results show that the proposed routing algorithm can effectively prolong network lifetime, equalize resource expenditure and decrease the propagation delay.
Multi-modal tomography to assess dechlorination treatments of iron-based archaeological artifacts
Authors: Jacot-Guillarmod Mathieu , Schmidt-Ott Katharina , Mannes David , Kaestner Anders , Lehmann Eberhard , Gervais Claire
Published: May 2019

Chloride ions are an important actor in the corrosion of iron-based archaeological artifact. To stop this degradation, excavated objects are subjected to dechlorination treatment. However, there is no guarantee that this will remove all chloride from the object, as some can be found deep inside the object. To assess the ability of dechlorination treatment to remove chloride, we propose to use both neutron and X-ray tomography. Indeed, these tomographic techniques have sensitivities to different elements and are thus complementary. Neutron tomography in particular is highly sensitive to the presence of chloride. This study demonstrate that this methodology allows to detect local and global changes caused by the dechlorination treatment, an useful tool to assess the effectiveness of a treatment and potentially improve it.
Gaussian beam reconstruction of seismic data
Authors: Bai Min , Wu Juan , Zhang Hua , Zhang Mi , Chen Yangkang
Published: May 2019

We have developed a new Gaussian beam reconstruction algorithm using time-domain Gaussian beam (TGB) method to decompose seismic data. The TGB is characterized by a particular arrival time, location, amplitude, orientation, curvature, and extent. TGB decomposition and reconstruction of seismic data are implemented by the plane-wave decomposition (PWD) theory. First, we evaluate the construction principle of TGB, and then we develop the PWD filter to decompose seismic data into local plane waves by estimated dip fields and curvature fields of the seismic records. Next, the local plane waves in terms of TGBs are used to reconstruct seismic data through iteratively minimizing the residual error. Afterward, Gaussian beam depth migration is performed on the reconstructed data. Finally, we analyze the reconstruction results under the circumstance of seismic data with randomly missing traces. Numerical tests indicate that for data with missing traces, the Gaussian beam method obtains better reconstruction performance than the traditional projection onto convex sets method with the same number of iterations. The combination of Gaussian beam seismic data reconstruction and migration extends the research field of Gaussian beam migration, which has an important theoretical and practical significance.
Geophysical mapping of plume discharge to surface water at a crude oil spill site: Inversion versus machine learning
Authors: Terry Neil , Day-Lewis Frederick D. , Lane John W. , Trost Jared J. , Bekins Barbara A.
Published: May 2019

The interpretation of geophysical survey results to answer hydrologic, engineering, and geologic questions is critical to diverse problems for management of water, energy, and mineral resources. Although geophysical images provide valuable qualitative insight into subsurface architecture and conditions, translating geophysical images into quantitative information (e.g., saturation, concentration, and hydraulic properties) often involves substantial nonuniqueness and uncertainty owing to the limited resolution of geophysical imaging and uncertainty in petrophysical relations. We have developed a machine-learning approach to address these challenges in the context of a field-based investigation to map zones where a hydrocarbon plume was discharging to surface water at the National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Research Site in Bemidji, Minnesota, USA. The two-step approach combines multiple types of geophysical and direct information and effectively bypasses inversion and its associated assumptions. Integrating multifrequency electromagnetic induction, ground-penetrating radar, and fluid-sampling data, we first identify discharge zones and second estimate specific conductance versus depth. Compared with conventional inversion results, the machine-learning results (1) directly address the study objectives (delineating the discharge zones); (2) better extract depth-dependent information from the data, for which sensitivity diminishes rapidly with depth; and (3) quantify the uncertainty of the predictions (i.e., discharge versus nondischarge zones), rather than the uncertainty of the geophysical estimates (i.e., the standard error of estimation for the logarithm of electrical conductivity).
An enhanced fault-detection method based on adaptive spectral decomposition and super-resolution deep learning
Authors: Yuan Zhenyu , Huang Handong , Jiang Yuxin , Tang Jinbiao , Li Jingjing
Published: May 2019

Coherence is widely used for detecting faults in reservoir characterization. However, faults detected from coherence may be contaminated by some other discontinuities (e.g., noise and stratigraphic features) that are unrelated to faults. To further improve the accuracy and efficiency of coherence, preprocessing or postprocessing techniques are required. We developed an enhanced fault-detection method with adaptive scale highlighting and high resolution, by combining adaptive spectral decomposition and super-resolution (SR) deep learning into coherence calculation. As a preprocessing technique, adaptive spectral decomposition is first proposed and applied on seismic data to get a dominant-frequency-optimized amplitude spectrum, which has features of scale focus and multiple resolution. Eigenstructure-based coherence with dip correction is then calculated to delineate fault discontinuities. Following the remarkable success of SR deep learning in image reconstruction, a convolutional neural network (CNN) model is built and it then takes fault-detection images as the input to achieve enhanced results. The effectiveness of our proposed method is validated on a seismic survey acquired from Eastern China. Examples demonstrate that coherence from adaptive amplitude spectrum without dip correction is comparable to the dip-corrected one from seismic amplitude data at a certain degree, and they even highlight the specific scale of fault targets. Comparing fault detections from adaptive spectrum and some specific-frequency components, it can be concluded that adaptive spectral-based coherence highlights the primary scale of faults at various depths with only one single volume of data, thus improving the interpretation efficiency and reducing storage cost. Furthermore, with the trained CNN model, the resolution and signal-to-noise ratio of coherence images are effectively improved and the continuity of detected fault is promisingly enhanced.
The development of CRISPR for a mollusc establishes the formin Lsdia1 as the long-sought gene for snail dextral/sinistral coiling
Authors: Abe Masanori , Kuroda Reiko
Published: May 2019

The establishment of left-right body asymmetry is a key biological process that is tightly regulated genetically. In the first application of CRISPR/Cas9 to a mollusc, we show decisively that the actin-related diaphanous gene Lsdia1 is the single maternal gene that determines the shell coiling direction of the freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis. Biallelic frameshift mutations of the gene produced sinistrally coiled offspring generation after generation, in the otherwise totally dextral genetic background. This is the gene sought for over a century. We also show that the gene sets the chirality at the one-cell stage, the earliest observed symmetry-breaking event linked directly to body handedness in the animal kingdom. The early intracellular chirality is superseded by the inter-cellular chirality during the 3rd cleavage, leading to asymmetric nodal and Pitx expression, and then to organismal body handedness. Thus, our findings have important implications for chiromorphogenesis in invertebrates as well as vertebrates, including humans, and for the evolution of snail chirality.

This article has an associated ‘The people behind the papers’ interview.
Intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders ‘on the fly’: insights from Drosophila
Authors: Coll-Tané Mireia , Krebbers Alina , Castells-Nobau Anna , Zweier Christiane , Schenck Annette
Published: May 2019

Intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are frequently co-occurring neurodevelopmental disorders and affect 2-3% of the population. Rapid advances in exome and genome sequencing have increased the number of known implicated genes by threefold, to more than a thousand. The main challenges in the field are now to understand the various pathomechanisms associated with this bewildering number of genetic disorders, to identify new genes and to establish causality of variants in still-undiagnosed cases, and to work towards causal treatment options that so far are available only for a few metabolic conditions. To meet these challenges, the research community needs highly efficient model systems. With an increasing number of relevant assays and rapidly developing novel methodologies, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is ideally positioned to change gear in ID and ASD research. The aim of this Review is to summarize some of the exciting work that already has drawn attention to Drosophila as a model for these disorders. We highlight well-established ID- and ASD-relevant fly phenotypes at the (sub)cellular, brain and behavioral levels, and discuss strategies of how this extraordinarily efficient and versatile model can contribute to ‘next generation’ medical genomics and to a better understanding of these disorders.
Alkaline phosphatase is a predictor of Bone Mineral Density in postmenopausal females
Authors: Tariq Sundus , Tariq Saba , Lone Khalid Parvez , Khaliq Saba
Published: May 2019

Objectives: The study was planned to determine whether serum calcium, phosphate and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) are predictors of bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal non-osteoporotic, osteopenic, and osteoporotic females.

Methods: In this cross sectional study, conducted at Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore in the year 2014-2015, postmenopausal females between 50-70 years of age were taken and divided into three groups non-osteoporotic (n=52), osteopenic (n=69) and osteoporotic (n=47). Serum ALP, phosphate and calcium were used in a stepwise multiple regression analysis to predict T-score in these groups.

Results: In normal postmenopausal females, the prediction model was statistically significant, F(2, 41) = 6.041, p < 0.05 and showed a T-score variance of 22%. T-score was primarily predicted by higher levels of phosphate and calcium. In postmenopausal osteopenic females, T-score was only predicted by lower levels of ALP. The model was statistically significant, F(1, 59) = 4.995, p < 0.05, and accounted for approximately 7% of the variance of T-score. In postmenopausal osteoporotic females, the prediction model contained no predictors.

Conclusion: Our study suggested that calcium and phosphate are the strongest predictors of T-score in postmenopausal normal females, while in postmenopausal osteopenic females ALP was the strongest predictor of T-score. Elevated serum ALP levels may help in determining loss of BMD in postmenopausal females.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.3.188

How to cite this:Tariq S, Tariq S, Lone KP, Khaliq S. Alkaline phosphatase is a predictor of Bone Mineral Density in postmenopausal females. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(3):749-753. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.3.188

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Efficacy of zinc sulfate on concurrent chemoradiotherapy induced taste alterations in oral cancer patients: A double blind randomized controlled trial
Authors: Khan Asma Hayat , Safdar Jawad , Siddiqui Saad Uddin
Published: May 2019

Objectives: To observe the efficacy of zinc sulfate on taste alterations in oral cancer patients receiving concurrent chemotherapy with radiotherapy.

Methods: Seventy patients were randomly assigned to both intervention and control group at Oncology Section of Atomic Energy Medical Centre Karachi from September 2017 to March 2018. One group received zinc sulfate capsules (50 mg TDS daily after meals) and the other group received placebo (thrice after meals). Patients were advised to start taking capsules on the first day of their chemoradiation. Both the groups continued the capsules a month after their CCRT ended.

Results: Sweet taste was most effected by cancer and its treatment followed by bitter and salty taste. Sour taste was least effected. When both the groups were compared for four tastes for detection threshold, the differences in observation at 3 stages of median IQR were not significant. For recognition threshold between zinc sulfate and placebo, no significant difference was observed in median IQR for salty taste and bitter taste. However, sweet taste (baseline p-value 0.245, end p-value 0.010, follow-up p-value 0.038) was statistically significant at end of CCRT and follow-up stage and sour taste (baseline p-value 0.24, end p-value 0.006, follow-up p-value 0.898) at end of CCRT only.

Conclusion: Zinc sulfate was not found to be beneficial in preventing chemoradiation induced taste alterations. Taste and smell alterations are common in patients with cancer and do not receive sufficient support to manage taste alterations. This area requires more research to develop a comprehensive understanding of the nature and its management.

Abbreviations: CCRT = Concurrent chemoradiotherapy. DT = Detection threshold. RT = Recognition threshold. AEMC = Atomic Energy Medical Centre.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.3.503

How to cite this:Khan AH, Safdar J, Siddiqui SU. Efficacy of zinc sulfate on concurrent chemoradiotherapy induced taste alterations in oral cancer patients: A double blind randomized controlled trial. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(3):624-629. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.3.503

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Flexibility in Long-Term Relationships: An Experimental Study
Authors: Hyndman Kyle , Honhon Dorothée
Published: May 2019

Problem definition: We compare two types of contracts that can govern business partnerships: indefinitely binding agreements (IBAs), wherein partners are bound together in a relationship of indefinite duration, and temporarily binding agreements (TBAs), wherein they are able to dissolve the relationship at any moment. Academic/practical relevance: Managers need to determine what type of contract they want to engage in with their business partners. Although Toyota famously argues for building strong, long-lasting relationships with its suppliers, such a commitment makes it difficult to escape from profit-losing relationships. Methodology: We conduct laboratory experiments in which subjects are matched in groups of two and play a two-person newsvendor game. In the IBA treatment, subjects are bound together; in the TBA treatment, they have the ability to dissolve their relationship and be subsequently rematched. We also consider a treatment where the subjects can choose between IBA and TBA, as well as treatments where dissolutions are made more difficult or lead to a fixed outside option rather than rematching. Results: We find that average earnings are higher in the IBA treatment. However, subjects in the TBA treatment with long-lasting partnerships tend to perform better than the average pair in IBA. We argue that TBA facilitates sorting between subjects, whereas IBA provides a greater incentive for forward-looking teaching behavior among subjects. When given the choice, most subjects choose TBA and do better than when the type of contract is imposed on them, irrespective of their choice. We also see evidence of better performance when dissolutions are no longer automatic upon request or lead to the subjects exiting the rematching pool. Managerial implications: Having the flexibility to dissolve a relationship can be beneficial—but this option must be used wisely. When entering into partnerships with suppliers and customers, managers should balance out the teaching benefits of long-term contracts, with the potential drawbacks of unpunished disingenuous behavior. Short-term contracts may be preferable if the parties can refrain from breaking up the partnership in dark times, which are beyond the control of the business partners.
On the Relationship Between Firms and Their Legal Environment: The Role of Cultural Consonance
Authors: Giorgi Simona , Maoret Massimo , J. Zajac Edward
Published: May 2019

In this study we seek to reconcile diverging dominant views on the relationship between firms and their legal environment by offering a cultural contingency perspective. We begin by accepting the notion that a new law will likely exert a powerful influence on targeted firms and that firms’ strategic responses include efforts to shape the impact of the new law. However, we suggest that the success of such response will be contingent on the degree of cultural consonance of firms’ strategic responses and the dominant cultural context at that time. We elaborate this view in our detailed qualitative and quantitative analyses of the automotive Safety Act of 1966 and the response by targeted firms. We provide evidence showing that the changes in the degree of cultural consonance of firms’ strategic response and the predominant cultural beliefs/values explain both the early failure of firms’ efforts to shape the impact of the law in the mid-1960s and the later success by the end of the 1970s. We highlight how firms’ cultural context provides both a constraint and an opportunity for firms seeking to shape legal environmental pressures, and we conclude by discussing the implications of our dynamic contingency perspective for research on law, culture, and strategy.
Designing a research-informed CPD cycle
Authors: Beauchamp Alex
Published: May 2019

Designing and implementing an effective, responsive and research-informed CPD cycle for your school requires five steps. Alex Beauchamp explains
Elaboração e caracterização físico-química e sensorial de iogurte prebiótico de tamarindo
Authors: Bessa Marcelino Maia , Silva Alvaro Gustavo Ferreira da
Published: May 2019

Os consumidores vêm se tornando cada vez mais exigentes na busca por alimentos que, além de nutritivos, promovam saúde e bem-estar. Assim, a indústria de laticínios tem buscado desenvolver produtos com essas características, os alimentos funcionais. Diante disso, objetivou-se com o presente trabalho a elaboração e caracterização, físico-química e sensorial, de iogurtes de tamarindo enriquecidos com prebióticos (inulina e fruto-oligossacarídeo). Foram elaboradas três formulações: A (sem adição dos prebióticos), B (acrescido de 3% de inulina) e C (com 3% de frutooligossacarídeo) que, por sua vez, foram submetidas às análises físico-químicas de umidade, cinzas, pH, acidez titulável e lipídeos; e à análise sensorial de aceitação e intenção de compra. A partir dos resultados, pode-se perceber que não houve diferença estatística nos parâmetros avaliados, exceto a umidade, que apresentou uma diferença entre as amostras. Quanto aos resultados da avaliação sensorial, observou-se que, estatisticamente, a adição dos prebióticos não promoveu interferência significativa (p < 0,05) em nenhum dos quesitos sensoriais avaliados, mostrando que todas as amostras foram bem aceitas, com índice de aceitabilidade > 70%. As formulações com adição dos prebióticos obtiveram aceitações semelhantes ao produto padrão, além de apresentar boas expectativas de comercialização. Dessa forma, foi possível perceber a viabilidade da adição de prebióticos em formulações de iogurte saborizado com tamarindo, contribuindo para a diversificação do setor lácteo e de alimentos funcionais.
Determinação da composição, partição e bioacessibilidade de cálcio em queijos Minas Padrão comerciais
Authors: Pereira João Pablo Fortes , Campos Náira Da Silva , De Oliveira Ângela Maria Ferreira , De Sousa Rafael Arromba , De Paula Junio César Jacinto , Da Silva Paulo Henrique Fonseca
Published: May 2019

Os queijos apresentam destaque entre os derivados lácteos pelos elevados teores lipídico, proteico e mineral. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar doze queijos Minas Padrão comercializados em Juiz de Fora. As análises ocorrerem quando os queijos estavam com intervalo entre 15 dias e 30 dias de fabricação de forma a avaliar os constituintes composicionais de relevância para a classificação no Regulamento Técnico de Identidade e Qualidade de Queijos, avaliar o potencial hidrogeniônico (pH) e, também, com relação ao teor, distribuição (frações de cálcio total, cálcio na fase aquosa e cálcio livre) e  bioacessibilidade do cálcio. Os valores médios encontrados foram: 42,4 ± 3,8 % m/m de umidade; 22,5 ± 1,4 % m/m de proteína; 26,7 ± 1,9% m/m de gordura; 46,3 ± 2,7 % de gordura do extrato seco; 687 ± 86 mg/100g de cálcio total; 482 ± 139 mg/100g de cálcio na fase aquosa; 99,3 ± 10,7 mg/100mL de “cálcio livre”; 37,1 ± 13,5 % de bioacessibilidade de cálcio; 5,14 ± 0,20 de pH. A falta de um regulamento para o queijo Minas Padrão dificulta a caracterização do produto. Em relação ao mineral estudado, a maior parte do cálcio presente no queijo encontra-se na sua fase aquosa, associada aos sais. O teor bioacessível de cálcio nos queijos Minas Padrão comerciais apresenta grande variação, cujas causas são diversas. Este trabalho contribui para a valorização nutricional e para o aperfeiçoamento dos marcos regulatórios de identidade e qualidade do queijo Minas Padrão, por meio da inédita caracterização deste alimento quanto ao teor, a partição entre fases (aquosa e livre) e à bioacessibilidade do cálcio.
Management of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in real clinical practice
Authors: Aseeva E. A. , Soloviev S. K. , Popkova T. V. , Nikishina N. Yu. , Mesnyankina A. A.
Published: May 2019

Recommendations for the management of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in real clinical practice are presented. They take into account the course, activity, damage, and consider assessment of these parameters with validated indices. The characteristic of therapeutic schemes is given, features of monitoring of patients with SLE are considered.
Registers of psoriatic arthritis. Literature review
Authors: Koltakova A. D.
Published: May 2019

Observational cohort investigations are an effective way to study chronic diseases, including psoriatic arthritis, in clinical practice. One of the tools to support such research is registers that collect data related to various aspects of the disease and pharmacotherapy. This review provides information on the main registers of patients with psoriatic arthritis.
Arte y belleza en la estética de Schelling. La indiferencia de lo ideal y real en «Philosophie der Kunst»
Authors: Bosch Magdalena
Published: May 2019

Este artículo analiza la idea de arte como indiferencia entre lo ideal y real en la Filosofía del Arte de Schelling. Se trata de un momento culminante de la obra de este autor, en la que concentra conceptos esenciales tratados en otros textos como el Sistema, la Filosofía de la naturaleza o Del yo como principio de la Filosofía. Este análisis descubre también otras oposiciones primordiales: entre infinito y finito, la libertad y la naturaleza, lo consciente y lo inconsciente. Estos polos opuestos se relacionan según la ontología del Absoluto que se desarrolla a lo largo de las obras mencionadas y se recoge, más maduramente, en el texto de 1802-3. Este estudio detalla la contradicción ideal-real, su superación a través de la obra de arte, la relación de verdad y belleza como representación del absoluto, cómo belleza y arte realizan ese absoluto, y la dinámica del espíritu ideal penetrando la naturaleza real.
Stability and Antibacterial Assessment of Copper Nanoparticles Dispersed on Cotton Fabrics
Authors: Fontenot Krystal R. , Nam Sunghyun , French Alfred D. , Condon Brian D.
Published: May 2019

Copper nanoparticles were synthesized in situ on cotton fabrics yielding a copper nanoparticle deposition of 78 mg/g. Cotton fibers and ascorbic acid stabilized and prevented oxidation of the copper nanoparticles as shown by the absence of changes in absorbance wavelength, surface charge, and fabric color after storage for six months under ambient conditions. Differences in the physical properties, compared to cotton fabric, for copper alkali (a prepared intermediate) and copper nanoparticle fabrics included fabric dimensions, absorbance wavelength, and surface morphology, supporting the presence of the copper-cellulose complex. The cotton and copper alkali fabrics showed high wettability and hydrophilicity, in contrast to the hydrophobic copper nanoparticle fabrics. The copper nanoparticle fabrics had effective antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with a growth inhibition of 99%.
Analysis of Traction Properties and Power of Wheels Used on Various Agricultural Soils
Authors: Czarnecki Jarosław , Brennensthul Marek , Białczyk Włodzimierz , Ptak Weronika , Gil Łukasz
Published: May 2019

The paper presents results of the research on traction properties of two tractor tyres used on two agricultural grounds. The first ground was a stubble and the second one cropland. The investigated tyres had the same structure (diagonal, with a traditional tyre tread but different external dimensions. The research was carried out in field conditions with the use of a stand aggregated with a farm tractor. Analysis covered traction efficiency, slide, towing power and power lost on the rolling resistance and wheel slide. Based on the obtained results it was concluded that on a ground with lower compaction, the values of power losses were higher and traction efficiency was lower. Moreover, it was proved that the value of the power lost for rolling resistance had a decisive impact on the values of traction efficiency
Reference intervals for serum total vitamin B12 and holotranscobalamin concentrations and their change points with methylmalonic acid concentration to assess vitamin B12 status during early and mid-pregnancy
Authors: Schroder Theresa H. , Tan Amy , Mattman Andre , Sinclair Graham , Barr Susan I. , Vallance Hilary D. , Lamers Yvonne
Published: May 2019

Background

Maternal vitamin B12 (B-12) adequacy is important for maternal health and optimal fetal growth. However, pregnancy-specific cut-offs for B-12 biomarkers are lacking.

Methods

Reference intervals for serum total B-12, holotranscobalamin (holoTC) and methylmalonic acid (MMA) concentrations were calculated following CLSI EP28-A3c guidelines in 723 pregnant women of European (50%) and South Asian (50%) ethnicity, residing in British Columbia, Canada, at median (range) 11.4 (8.3–13.9) and 16.1 (14.9–20.9) weeks of gestation. Change point analyses described relationships between log serum MMA concentration with serum total B-12 and holoTC concentrations, assuming linear-linear relationships.

Results

The central 95% reference interval limits indicated that serum total B-12 <89.9 and <84.0 pmol/L, holoTC <29.5 and <26.0 pmol/L and MMA >371 and >374 nmol/L, in the first and second trimesters, respectively, may indicate B-12 deficiency in pregnant women. The lower limits of total B-12 and holoTC and the upper limits of MMA significantly differed by ethnicity in both trimesters. According to the change point analysis, total B-12 <186 and <180 pmol/L and holoTC <62.2 and <67.5 pmol/L in the first and second trimesters, respectively, suggested an increased probability of impaired intracellular B-12 status, with no difference between ethnicities.

Conclusions

We present novel reference limits and change points for B-12 biomarkers, which may be employed to identify possible B-12 deficiency in women during early and mid-pregnancy. Future research is needed to validate these cut-offs and determine the predictors and functional outcomes associated with impaired B-12 status in ethnically diverse populations.
Kant’s Epistemological Reorientation of Ontology
Authors: Lau Chong-Fuk
Published: May 2019

This paper analyzes Kant’s epistemological reorientation of ontology, explaining in what sense Kant’s complex theory of transcendental idealism and empirical realism should be understood as an ontological realism under the framework of epistemological idealism. The paper shows that Kant’s concept of existence is only applicable to empirical objects in the spatiotemporal causal framework. Accordingly, not only things in themselves, but also epistemic conditions such as the transcendental subject and the faculties of sensibility and understanding cannot be said to exist. They are theoretical constructs in the transcendental discourse to account for the normative conditions of objective cognition and reality.
Enhanced THz EIT resonance based on the coupled electric field dropping effect within the undulated meta-surface
Authors: Wang Lan , Guo Xiaoqing , Zhang Yaxin , Zhou Xinlan , Yuan Lin , Zhang Ping , Liang Shixiong , Lan Feng , Zeng Hongxin , Zhang Ting , Kou Wei , Yang Ziqiang
Published: May 2019

In this paper, the enhanced terahertz (THz) electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) resonance is achieved based on the coupled electric field dropping effect within the undulated meta-surface. It is found that the height difference between the inner ring and the outer split ring could lead to a significant coupled mode with electric field dropping distribution. When the height of the inner ring increases, the electric field of the inner ring gradually cascades to the outer ring just as a waterfall so that the coupling between the two rings in a unit cell and two adjacent units is enhanced. Both the simulation and experimental results show that a nearly 95% transparency window which is twice that of traditional EIT can be observed by applying such coupled electric field dropping effect, which may provide a promising way to develop the high resonance intensity meta-surface in the THz region.