bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
‘An assembly of disorders’: Exploring Illness as a Motive for Female Spa‐Visiting at Bath and Tunbridge Wells throughout the Long Eighteenth Century
Authors: McCormack Rose Alexandra
Published: November 2017

The depiction of frivolous women, flocking to English spa resorts in pursuit of diversion rather than good health, is common in eighteenth‐century fiction, creating a caricature that remains largely unchallenged. Taking Bath and Tunbridge Wells as case studies, this article investigates illness as a genuine motive for female resort‐visiting. Utilising manuscript material, spa guide books and medical treatises, the article identifies specific ailments for which women sought a cure at the resorts, giving particular attention to gynaecological complaints. It also considers which illnesses women suffered in silence and which they regarded as fashionable afflictions to exhibit at the spa.
‘Such gaudy tulips raised from dung’: Cosmetics, Disease and Morality in Jonathan Swift's Dressing‐Room Poetry
Authors: Aske Katherine
Published: November 2017

While enabling women to embody fashionable trends and the idealised beauty of the period, cosmetics also offered a disguise, not only for ugly and ageing faces but for disease also. Taking examples from advertisements, cosmetic commentaries and Jonathan Swift's dressing‐room poetry, this article demonstrates that, in the eighteenth century, cosmetics, fashion and disease are intimately linked to beauty and issues of morality by cultural factors.
Laurence Sterne, Fame and Fashionable Disease
Authors: Lawlor Clark
Published: November 2017

This article argues that the ‘fashionable’ diseases of consumption and melancholy were both linked by eighteenth‐century medical theory about nervous diseases and sensibility, and that these diseases ‘worked’ for the novelist Laurence Sterne to promote his fiction and fame as a man of sensibility and sentiment. Through his own life and those of his literary and artistic characters Sterne exploited the long literary and medical tradition of melancholy and consumption as diseases of genius, but also used the newer rationales of the mid‐eighteenth century to link the two conditions in a contemporary way.
Consumption and the Stage: A Late‐Blooming Fashion
Authors: Barker Roberta
Published: November 2017

Consumption reigned for much of the long eighteenth century as one of Europe's most modish ailments, but in English and French theatre things were quite different. Far from propagating the sentimental vogue for consumption, the eighteenth‐century stage often satirised it as a risible affectation. Only with the birth of French Romantic theatre and its subsequent rise to transatlantic popularity did drama begin to depict consumptive protagonists who embodied a new conception of bourgeois heroism for a revolutionary age. Through a comparative analysis of English and French performances this essay explores consumption's belated, but triumphant, emergence as a fashionable stage disease.
Fashionable Discourse of Disease at the Watering‐Places of Literature, 1770‐1820
Authors: O'Connell Anita
Published: November 2017

As centres for health as well as fashionable holiday destinations, spas and seaside resorts provided rich terrain for the intersection of fashion and illness. The combination of sociability and ill health gave rise to a fashionable discourse of disease as an increasingly intensive focus on medicalisation was perpetuated by fashionable conversation. Many complained that such talk led to imagining illnesses, thus spreading trends for certain diseases. This article examines satires of the fashionable conversation of disease at the watering‐places, arguing that they take issue with a perceived rising vein of hypochondria within these centres for illness and sociability.
The challenge of generalist care in remote Australia: Beyond aeromedical retrieval
Authors: Pancer Zachary , Moore Malcolm , Wenham John T. , Burridge Maelynn
Published: November 2017

Objective

To examine clinical service activity amongst patients of the Royal Flying Doctor Service South Eastern Section in Far West New South Wales and to evaluate the management of chronic disease among frequent users of evacuation services.

Design

A retrospective audit of the Royal Flying Doctor Service South Eastern Section patient database inclusive of patients within the geographical study area who accessed a clinical or remote consultation, or evacuation service at least once between 1 July 2008 and 30 June 2013. Frequent users of evacuation services (≥3 evacuations per year) were investigated through RFDS patient files for determinants of chronic disease management.

Main outcome measures

Category of service accessed, clinical consultation amongst frequent evacuees, determinants of chronic disease management.

Results

Total number of evacuees increased by 5.4%; number of remote and clinical consultation patients increased by 5.4%. Of the 47 frequent users of evacuation services, 19 (40%) were infrequent or non‐users of clinics (≤3 attendances per year) and 32 (70%) did not have a general practice management plan. Frequent evacuees averaged 2.7 chronic conditions per patient and had seen an average of 16.8 primary care physicians over the 5‐year evaluation.

Conclusion

Most frequent evacuees had several chronic conditions, multiple primary care providers, did not have a general practice management plan and had infrequent clinic reviews. This evidence highlights the challenge of remote primary care and the need to improve systems of chronic disease management. It underlines the importance of current local efforts to improve electronic records, follow‐up and team care and to explore further telehealth implementation.
To click or not to click: Effectiveness of rating classroom behaviors on academic achievement with tablets
Authors: Chen Weiyun , Gu Xiaoqing , Wong Lung‐Hsiang
Published: November 2017

Due to the time constraint and lack of concise contextualized classroom behavior indicators, current typical primary school classroom behavior management practices are ad‐hoc and lack historical data support. To circumvent these problems, we designed a tablet‐based classroom behavior management system (CBMS) for a primary school setting. The CBMS aids teachers in establishing concise and consistent behavioral expectations based on teaching experience and expertise, thus allowing them to conveniently provide timely feedback on pupils’ performance and log ratings on a daily basis. We conducted a 1.5 years field study in a primary school Chinese course in East China, in which 124 pupils in the first grade and four Chinese teachers participated. The analysis of recorded data indicates that teachers’ daily behavioral ratings are positively correlated with their pupils’ academic achievements. The behavior rating strategy and indicators in CBMS can act as a substitute in promoting pupil's academic achievements. Our proposed system shows the feasibility and potential of handheld computer‐based assessment strategy in implementing cost‐effective classroom organization practices for low grade‐level primary school pupils.
Seeing Iconic Gestures While Encoding Events Facilitates Children's Memory of These Events
Authors: Aussems Suzanne , Kita Sotaro
Published: November 2017

An experiment with 72 three‐year‐olds investigated whether encoding events while seeing iconic gestures boosts children's memory representation of these events. The events, shown in videos of actors moving in an unusual manner, were presented with either iconic gestures depicting how the actors performed these actions, interactive gestures, or no gesture. In a recognition memory task, children in the iconic gesture condition remembered actors and actions better than children in the control conditions. Iconic gestures were categorized based on how much of the actors was represented by the hands (feet, legs, or body). Only iconic hand‐as‐body gestures boosted actor memory. Thus, seeing iconic gestures while encoding events facilitates children's memory of those aspects of events that are schematically highlighted by gesture.
Impact of hypercortisolism on skeletal muscle mass and adipose tissue mass in patients with adrenal adenomas
Authors: Delivanis Danae A. , Iñiguez‐Ariza Nicole M. , Zeb Muhammad H. , Moynagh Michael R. , Takahashi Naoki , McKenzie Travis J. , Thomas Melinda A. , Gogos Charalambos , Young William F. , Bancos Irina , Kyriazopoulou Venetsana
Published: November 2017

Context

Abdominal visceral adiposity and central sarcopenia are markers of increased cardiovascular risk and mortality.

Objective

To assess whether central sarcopenia and adiposity can serve as a marker of disease severity in patients with adrenal adenomas and glucocorticoid secretory autonomy.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Patients

Twenty‐five patients with overt Cushing's syndrome (CS), 48 patients with mild autonomous cortisol excess (MACE) and 32 patients with a nonfunctioning adrenal tumour (NFAT) were included.

Methods

Medical records were reviewed, and body composition measurements (visceral fat [VAT], subcutaneous fat [SAT], visceral/total fat [V/T], visceral/subcutaneous [V/S] and total abdominal muscle mass) were calculated based on abdominal computed tomography (CT).

Results

In patients with overt CS, when compared to patients with NFAT, the V/T fat and the V/S ratio were increased by 0.08 (P < .001) and by 0.3 (P < .001); however, these measurements were decreased by 0.04 (P = .007) and 0.2 (P = .01), respectively, in patients with MACE. Total muscle mass was decreased by −10 cm2 (P = .02) in patients with overt CS compared to patients with NFAT. Correlation with morning serum cortisol concentrations after dexamethasone suppression testing revealed that for every 28 nmol/L cortisol increase there was a 0.008 increase in V/T (P < .001), 0.02 increase in the V/S fat ratio (P < .001) and a 1.2 cm2 decrease in mean total muscle mass (P = .002).

Conclusions

The severity of hypercortisolism was correlated with lower muscle mass and higher visceral adiposity. These CT‐based markers may allow for a more reliable and objective assessment of glucocorticoid‐related disease severity in patients with adrenal adenomas.
Intrapartum glycaemic control and neonatal hypoglycaemia in pregnancies complicated by diabetes: a systematic review
Authors: Yamamoto J. M. , Benham J. , Mohammad K. , Donovan L. E. , Wood S.
Published: November 2017

Aims

To examine whether, in neonates of mothers with Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes, in‐target intrapartum glycaemic control was associated with a lower risk of neonatal hypoglycaemia compared with out‐of‐target glycaemic control.

Methods

We searched PubMed and EMBASE for all available publications, regardless of year, based on a published protocol (PROSPERO CRD42016052439). Studies were excluded if they did not report original data or were animal studies. Data were extracted from published reports in duplicate using a prespecified data extraction form. The main outcome of interest was the association between in‐target intrapartum glycaemic control and neonatal hypoglycaemia.

Results

We screened 2846 records for potential study inclusion; 23 studies, including approximately 2835 women with diabetes, were included in the systematic review. Only two of those studies specifically examined in‐target vs out‐of‐target intrapartum glycaemic control. Of the studies included, six showed a relationship between intrapartum glucose and neonatal hypoglycaemia, five others showed a relationship in at least one of the analyses performed and 12 did not find a significant relationship. Only one study was identified as having a low risk of bias.

Conclusions

There is a paucity of high‐quality data supporting the association of glucose during labour and delivery with neonatal hypoglycaemia in pregnancies complicated by diabetes. Further studies are required to examine the impact of tight glycaemic targets in labour.
Real‐world evidence for off‐label intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischaemic stroke
Authors: Tsivgoulis G. , Lioutas V‐A.
Published: November 2017

Click here to view the accompanying paper in this volume.
Evaluation of a multifactorial approach to reduce the prevalence of pressure injuries in regional Australian acute inpatient care settings
Authors: Smith Sarah K , Ashby Samantha E , Thomas Lynette , Williams Felicity
Published: November 2017

The aim of the study was to compare the changes in the prevalence of pressure injuries from 2008 to 2014 in relation to staff behaviour in acute/subacute inpatient care settings. In 2008, the large regional health district Hunter New England Local Health District implemented an initiative called the Crystal Model which resulted in changes in their policy and an e‐learning education program for all nursing staff. A retrospective cross sectional study compared data from the 2008, 2010 and 2014 point prevalence surveys of PI in acute services. These were collected as part of an annual pressure injury prevention and management quality audit for adult inpatients. The total number of participants included 1407 participants in 2008, 1331 participants in 2010 and 1199 participants in 2014. From 2008 to 2014 there was a 15.7% decrease in percentage of patients with hospital‐acquired pressure injuries and the percentages of each stage of pressure of injury 1–4 decreased. From 2008 to 2014 the completion and documentation of risk assessment, the documentation of repositioning and the implementation of pressure‐relieving equipment increased. A multifactorial model can reduce the prevalence of pressure injuries in acute inpatient settings. The theories of knowledge translation and the modified Theory of Planned Behaviour can be utilised to analyse changes in health professionals habituated pressure injury prevention practice
More SPRINT controversy
Authors: Messerli F. H. , Bangalore S. , Rimoldi S. F.
Published: November 2017

Click here to view the Original Article by Y. Obi et al.
The genetics of obstructive sleep apnoea
Authors: Mukherjee Sutapa , Saxena Richa , Palmer Lyle J.
Published: November 2017

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a common chronic disease and is associated with high social and economic costs. OSA is heritable, and there is evidence of both direct genetic contributions to OSA susceptibility and indirect contributions via ‘intermediate’ phenotypes such as obesity, craniofacial structure, neurological control of upper airway muscles and of sleep and circadian rhythm. Investigation of the genetics of OSA is an important research area and may lead to improved understanding of disease aetiology, pathogenesis, adverse health consequences and new preventive strategies and treatments. Genetic studies of OSA have lagged behind other chronic diseases; however recent gene discovery efforts have been successful in finding genetic loci contributing to OSA‐associated intermediate phenotypes. Nevertheless, many of the seminal questions relating to the genetic epidemiology of OSA and associated factors remain unanswered. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge of the genetics of OSA, with a focus on genomic approaches to understanding sleep apnoea.
Multilevel Hierarchical BayesianVersusState Space Approach in time Series Small Area Estimation: the Dutch Travel Survey
Authors: Bollineni-Balabay Oksana , Brakel Jan , Palm Franz , Boonstra Harm Jan
Published: November 2017

This study compares state space models (estimated with the Kalman filter with a frequentist approach to hyperparameter estimation) with multilevel time series models (based on the hierarchical Bayesian framework). The application chosen is the Dutch Travel Survey featuring small sample sizes and discontinuities caused by the survey redesigns. Both modelling approaches deliver similar point and variance estimates. Slight differences in model-based variance estimates appear mostly in small-scaled domains and are due to neglecting uncertainty around the hyperparameter estimates in the state space models, and to a lesser extent to skewness in the posterior distributions of the parameters of interest. The results suggest that the reduction in design-based standard errors with the hierarchical Bayesian approach is over 50% at the provincial level, and over 30% at the national level.
Busted amidst the Boom: The Creation of New Insecurities and Inequalities within Pennsylvania's Shale Gas Boomtowns
Authors: Schafft Kai A. , McHenry‐Sorber Erin , Hall Daniella , Burfoot‐Rochford Ian
Published: November 2017

In the middle of the first decade of this century new technological innovations enabled the extraction of natural gas through the use of hydraulic fracturing within gas‐bearing shale and other unconventional energy reserves. As a consequence, many places, often in economically lagging rural areas, saw dramatic change as they were socially and economically transformed through rapid natural resource development. Although scholarship on so‐called boomtown development has long explored social disruption associated with the sudden influx of workers and rapid economic development, this literature has tended to overlook the ways in which such development can create new poverty in the very midst of economic expansion. This article, through an examination of key informant interviews with low‐income residents and human service providers within Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale region, discusses the contradictory processes by which new insecurity and social exclusions may be created precisely as a consequence of economic expansion associated with rapid natural resource development.
A Look over the Wall: Using the Graphic Novel drüben! to Teach Linguistic, Literary, Cultural, and Visual Skills
Authors: Ludewig Julia
Published: November 2017

This article discusses the potential and challenges of teaching a second‐semester German class with Simon Schwartz's graphic novel drüben! () alongside a traditional textbook. While the class explored linguistic, literary, and cultural‐historical aspects of drüben!, a GDR‐themed family memoir, the focus here is on those pedagogical interventions which dealt with the training of visual literacy. The article outlines how instructors can use the novel to not only familiarize students with the depicted cultural artifacts and practices, but also to introduce them to the visual language of comic books and culture‐specific traditions of visual representation more generally. Sample lesson units and exercises are provided along with reflections on what worked and on ways to overcome the shortcomings that were encountered. One such shortcoming was the gap between students’ passive and active language capabilities, which one could bridge by providing (comic book) specific Redemittel. Even though adding or focusing on visual literacy requires substantial effort on both the students’ and the instructor's side, comics and graphic novels offer a holistic and not least motivating way of training language, cultural, and visual skills.
Using Contests to Connect: A View from the Collegiate Level
Authors: Belgum Kirsten
Published: November 2017

This article investigates how language contests can serve as an effective element of articulation in language education. Educators and researchers have reflected on how to facilitate the progress of language learners from high school to college through shared learning outcomes across institutional divides and by developing common guidelines for assessment and curriculum development. Less attention had been paid to cocurricular events, such as language contests. In analyzing data collected in a survey conducted among collegiate volunteers for a high school language contest hosted at a university, this article points to the relevance of cocurricular educational activities in connecting high school and college language learning and programs.
Lehrwerke aus Deutschland: Eine Alternative für Anfängerkurse an US‐Universitäten?
Authors: Sippel Lieselotte , Nimmrichter Susanne
Published: November 2017

Die Umstellung von einem traditionellen amerikanischen Lehrwerk auf ein in den deutschsprachigen Ländern publiziertes und auf dem Gemeinsamen europäischen Referenzrahmen basierendes Lehrwerk (GeR‐Lehrwerk) kann für Deutschabteilungen in den USA eine riskante Entscheidung sein, denn GeR‐Lehrwerke verzichten auf englische Erklärungen oder Übersetzungen. Es wäre deshalb nachvollziehbar, wenn Lehrende an amerikanischen Universitäten befürchteten, dass derartige Lehrwerke ihre Studierenden – insbesondere Anfänger – überfordern. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht die Reaktion von Studierenden auf GeR‐Lehrwerke und amerikanische Lehrwerke.

Die Studie wurde in zehn Erstsemester‐Deutschkursen mit 171 Studierenden an vier amerikanischen Universitäten durchgeführt, wobei in fünf Kursen GeR‐Lehrwerke verwendet wurden. Am Semesterende füllten die Studierenden einen Fragebogen zu ihrem Lehrwerk aus, der auf den Gebrauch bzw. Nicht‐Gebrauch der englischen Sprache sowie anderweitige Stärken und Schwächen der Lehrwerke abzielte. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass die Mehrheit der Studierenden positiv auf ihr jeweiliges Lehrwerk reagierte und kein wesentlich größerer Anteil der Studierenden mit GeR‐Lehrwerken Frustration über ihr Lehrwerk empfand als der entsprechende Anteil der Lernenden mit amerikanischen Lehrwerken. Die Einsprachigkeit der GeR‐Lehrwerke beurteilten viele Studierende nicht als Nachteil, sondern als Herausforderung, die einen positiven Effekt auf ihren Lernprozess hatte. Die Ergebnisse dieser Studie unterstützen deshalb den Einsatz von GeR‐Lehrwerken an amerikanischen Universitäten.
Editor's Introduction and Review: Coordination and Context in Cognitive Science
Authors: Kello Christopher T.
Published: November 2017

The role of coordination in cognitive science has been on the rise in recent years, in terms of coordination among neurons, coordination among sensory and motor systems, and coordination among individuals. Research has shown that coordination patterns corresponding to cognitive activities depend on the various contexts in which the underlying interactions are situated. The present issue ofTopics in Cognitive Sciencecenters on studies of coordination that address the role of context in shaping or interpreting dynamical patterns of human behavior. This introductory article reviews some of the prior literature leading up to current and future research on coordination and context in cognitive science.
Characterisation of Young People According to Their Financial Attitudes and Behaviours - A Survey on the Financial Behaviour and Attitudes of Students in Higher Education
Authors: Zsótér Boglárka , Németh Erzsébet
Published: November 2017

Financial markets and products are becoming increasingly complex. This trend goes hand in hand with an ever-deepening financial information gap. Researchers and marketers should get acquainted with behaviour, habits and attitudes of future’s consumers better. One of the key target groups in exploring this area includes secondary school and university students, as most of the financial education programmes address them. The aim of this study to find out young adults’ characteristics regarding their financial behaviour and attitudes. By segmenting and describing Hungarian undergraduates according to their financial attitudes, the present study sets out to contribute to the success of financial educational programmes, initiated by either the public sector (financial education) or the business sector, with the aim to enhance the level of financial literacy. Based on the database of 2070 respondents, using principal component analysis and K-means clustering, we found that the young people can be categorised into three groups: (1) conservatives, (2) rebels and (3) experienced. The distinct differences in the attitudes and experiences of the three groups suggest that their financial education should be based on different foundations, which is worth considering when developing the relevant curricula.
Tire Art: Environmental Education through Science, Visual and Language Arts
Authors: Song Young Imm Kang , Creegan-Quinquis Maureen , Min DongSun , Kang HuiKyeong
Published: November 2017

This international project examined the use of an arts-integrated approach to teaching and learning 8th grade science and language art. It involved two arts faculty collaborating with classroom teachers in the US and South Korea. In the context of the "Tire Art project”, students and teachers were guided through several 2D and 3D creative interactions emphasizing innovative uses for recycled car tires and bicycle wheels. In this paper, authors discuss the learning that happened through the arts, and the learning that happened (by teachers) of arts integration methods. It is to be noted that integration is not only about the arts. In fact, if teachers take advantage of this approach, they will discover more connections and bridges between various non-art subjects. When teachers are as affected by innovative approaches as the students, they often feel more confident and empowered in their professional competencies.
RNA binding proteins and the pathological cascade in ALS/FTD neurodegeneration
Authors: Ito Daisuke , Hatano Mami , Suzuki Norihiro
Published: November 2017

Mutant proteins associated with the neurodegenerative diseases ALS and FTD contribute to dysfunction of the intracellular RNA and protein quality control machineries, providing potential targets for developing new therapeutics.
Matrix-binding checkpoint immunotherapies enhance antitumor efficacy and reduce adverse events
Authors: Ishihara Jun , Fukunaga Kazuto , Ishihara Ako , Larsson Hans M. , Potin Lambert , Hosseinchi Peyman , Galliverti Gabriele , Swartz Melody A. , Hubbell Jeffrey A.
Published: November 2017

Matrix-binding peptide conjugation to immune checkpoint blockade antibodies enhances antitumor efficacy and reduces adverse events.
FDA-CDC Antimicrobial Resistance Isolate Bank: a Publicly Available Resource To Support Research, Development, and Regulatory Requirements
Authors: Lutgring Joseph D. , Machado María-José , Benahmed Faiza H. , Conville Patricia , Shawar Ribhi M. , Patel Jean , Brown Allison C.
Published: November 2017

The FDA-CDC Antimicrobial Resistance Isolate Bank was created in July 2015 as a publicly available resource to combat antimicrobial resistance. It is a curated repository of bacterial isolates with an assortment of clinically important resistance mechanisms that have been phenotypically and genotypically characterized. In the first 2 years of operation, the bank offered 14 panels comprising 496 unique isolates and had filled 486 orders from 394 institutions throughout the United States. New panels are being added.
The Complexities of Nocardia Taxonomy and Identification
Authors: Conville Patricia S. , Brown-Elliott Barbara A. , Smith Terry , Zelazny Adrian M.
Published: November 2017

Nocardiaspecies are a complex group of organisms considered to belong to the aerobic actinomycetes. Of the validly described species, many have been implicated as the cause of serious human infections, especially in immunocompromised patients. The genus has a complicated taxonomic history; this is especially true forNocardia asteroides, the type species of the genus and previously the most frequently reported nocardial taxon from human specimens. We provide background on the current taxonomy ofNocardia, with a focus on clinically relevant species, and discuss the currently available methods used to accurately identify isolates to the species, complex, or group level.
mecC
-Harboring Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Hiding in Plain Sight
Authors: Ford Bradley A.
Published: November 2017

Previously there was scant data on the performance of laboratory testing to detect
mecC
-mediated beta-lactam resistance in
Staphylococcus aureus
. Kriegeskorte and colleagues (J Clin Microbiol 56:e00826-17, 2018,
https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00826-17
) report the performance of various clinical tests for the detection of
mecC
-harboring methicillin-resistant
S. aureus
(MRSA), which failed to identify from 0 to 41% of tested
mecC
-harboring MRSA isolates. Changes in practice and new test development are necessary to address the challenge of
mecC
-harboring MRSA.
Clinical characteristics of children evaluated for suspected pulmonary embolism with D-dimer testing
Authors: Kanis Jessica , Pike Jonathan , Hall Cassandra L , Kline Jeffrey A
Published: November 2017

Background

We sought to determine clinical variables in children tested for suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) that predict PE+ outcome for the development of paediatric PE prediction rule.

Methods

Data were collected by query of a laboratory database for D-dimer from January 2004 to December 2014 for a large multicentre hospital system and the radiology database for pulmonary vascular imaging in children aged 5–17. Using explicit, predefined methods, trained abstractors, determined if D-dimer was sent in the evaluation of PE and then recorded predictor data which was tested for association with PE+ outcome using univariate techniques.

Results

D-dimer was ordered in 526 children for clinical suspicion of PE. Thirty-four of 526 were PE+ (6.4%, 95% CI 4.3% to 8.7%). The radiology database identified 17 additional patients with PE (n=51 PE+ total). Children evaluated for PE were primarily in the ED setting (80%), teenagers (88%) and 2:1 female:male. Children with PE had higher mean heart and higher respiratory rate and a lower pulse oximetry and haemoglobin concentration. On univariate analysis, five conditions were more frequent in PE+ compared with no PE: surgery, central line, limb immobility, prior PE or deep vein thrombosis and cancer.

Conclusions

The rate of PE diagnosis in children with D-dimer was 6.4%, similar to that seen in adults; most children with PE are over 13 years and had clinical predictors known to increase probability of PE in symptomatic adults. Future studies should use these criteria to develop a clinical decision rule for PE in children.
Duration analysis using matching pursuit algorithm reveals longer bouts of gamma rhythm
Authors: Chandran KS Subhash , Seelamantula Chandra Sekhar , Ray Supratim
Published: November 2017

The gamma rhythm (30–80 Hz), often associated with high-level cortical functions, is believed to provide a temporal reference frame for spiking activity, for which it should have a stable center frequency and linear phase for an extended duration. However, recent studies that have estimated the power and phase of gamma as a function of time suggest that gamma occurs in short bursts and lacks the temporal structure required to act as a reference frame. Here, we show that the bursty appearance of gamma arises from the variability in the spectral estimator used in these studies. To overcome this problem, we use another duration estimator based on a matching pursuit algorithm that robustly estimates the duration of gamma in simulated data. Applying this algorithm to gamma oscillations recorded from implanted microelectrodes in the primary visual cortex of awake monkeys, we show that the median gamma duration is greater than 300 ms, which is three times longer than previously reported values.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Gamma oscillations (30–80 Hz) have been hypothesized to provide a temporal reference frame for coordination of spiking activity, but recent studies have shown that gamma occurs in very short bursts. We show that existing techniques have severely underestimated the rhythm duration, use a technique based on the Matching Pursuit algorithm, which provides a robust estimate of the duration, and show that the median duration of gamma is greater than 300 ms, much longer than previous estimates.
Optimal use of limb mechanics distributes control during bimanual tasks
Authors: Córdova Bulens David , Crevecoeur Frédéric , Thonnard Jean-Louis , Lefèvre Philippe
Published: November 2017

Bimanual tasks involve the coordination of both arms, which often offers redundancy in the ways a task can be completed. The distribution of control across limbs is often considered from the perspective of handedness. In this context, although there are differences across dominant and nondominant arms during reaching control ( Sainburg 2002 ), previous studies have shown that the brain tends to favor the dominant arm when performing bimanual tasks ( Salimpour and Shadmehr 2014 ). However, biomechanical factors known to influence planning and control in unimanual tasks may also generate limb asymmetries in force generation, but their influence on bimanual control has remained unexplored. We investigated this issue in a series of experiments in which participants were instructed to generate a 20-N force with both arms, with or without perturbation of the target force during the trial. We modeled the task in the framework of optimal feedback control of a two-link model with six human-like muscles groups. The biomechanical model predicted a differential contribution of each arm dependent on the orientation of the target force and joint configuration that was quantitatively matched by the participants’ behavior, regardless of handedness. Responses to visual perturbations were strongly influenced by the perturbation direction, such that online corrections also reflected an optimal use of limb biomechanics. These results show that the nervous system takes biomechanical constraints into account when optimizing the distribution of forces generated across limbs during both movement planning and feedback control of a bimanual task.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Here, we studied a bimanual force production task to examine the effects of biomechanical constraints on the distribution of control across limbs. Our findings show that the central nervous system optimizes the distribution of force across the two arms according to the joint configuration of the upper limbs. We further show that the underlying mechanisms influence both movement planning and online corrective responses to sudden changes in the target force.
Mobility Aware Energy Efficient Clustering for MANET: A Bio-Inspired Approach with Particle Swarm Optimization
Authors: Khatoon Naghma , Amritanjali
Published: November 2017

Mobility awareness and energy efficiency are two indispensable optimization problems in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) where nodes move unpredictably in any direction with restricted battery life, resulting in frequent change in topology. These constraints are widely studied to increase the lifetime of such networks. This paper focuses on the problems of mobility as well as energy efficiency to develop a clustering algorithm inspired by multiagent stochastic parallel search technique of particle swarm optimization. The election of cluster heads takes care of mobility and remaining energy as well as the degree of connectivity for selecting nodes to serve as cluster heads for longer duration of time. The cluster formation is presented by taking multiobjective fitness function using particle swarm optimization. The proposed work is experimented extensively in the NS-2 network simulator and compared with the other existing algorithms. The results show the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm in terms of network lifetime, average number of clusters formed, average number of reclustering required, energy consumption, and packet delivery ratio.
Data Placement for Privacy-Aware Applications over Big Data in Hybrid Clouds
Authors: Xu Xiaolong , Zhao Xuan , Ruan Feng , Zhang Jie , Tian Wei , Dou Wanchun , Liu Alex X.
Published: November 2017

Nowadays, a large number of groups choose to deploy their applications to cloud platforms, especially for the big data era. Currently, the hybrid cloud is one of the most popular computing paradigms for holding the privacy-aware applications driven by the requirements of privacy protection and cost saving. However, it is still a challenge to realize data placement considering both the energy consumption in private cloud and the cost for renting the public cloud services. In view of this challenge, a cost and energy aware data placement method, named CEDP, for privacy-aware applications over big data in hybrid cloud is proposed. Technically, formalized analysis of cost, access time, and energy consumption is conducted in the hybrid cloud environment. Then a corresponding data placement method is designed to accomplish the cost saving for renting the public cloud services and energy savings for task execution within the private cloud platforms. Experimental evaluations validate the efficiency and effectiveness of our proposed method.
Privacy Enhancing Keyboard: Design, Implementation, and Usability Testing
Authors: Ling Zhen , Borgeest Melanie , Sano Chuta , Fuller Jazmyn , Cuomo Anthony , Lin Sirong , Yu Wei , Fu Xinwen , Zhao Wei
Published: November 2017

To protect users from numerous password inference attacks, we invent a novel context aware privacy enhancing keyboard (PEK) for Android touch-based devices. Usually PEK would show a QWERTY keyboard when users input text like an email or a message. Nevertheless, whenever users enter a password in the input box on his or her touch-enabled device, a keyboard will be shown to them with the positions of the characters shuffled at random. PEK has been released on the Google Play since 2014. However, the number of installations has not lived up to our expectation. For the purpose of usable security and privacy, we designed a two-stage usability test and performed two rounds of iterative usability testing in 2016 and 2017 summer with continuous improvements of PEK. The observations from the usability testing are educational: (1) convenience plays a critical role when users select an input method; (2) people think those attacks that PEK prevents are remote from them.
Dynamics of a Nonautonomous Stochastic SIS Epidemic Model with Double Epidemic Hypothesis
Authors: Qi Haokun , Liu Lidan , Meng Xinzhu
Published: November 2017

We investigate the dynamics of a nonautonomous stochastic SIS epidemic model with nonlinear incidence rate and double epidemic hypothesis. By constructing suitable stochastic Lyapunov functions and using Has’minskii theory, we prove that there exists at least one nontrivial positive periodic solution of the system. Moreover, the sufficient conditions for extinction of the disease are obtained by using the theory of nonautonomous stochastic differential equations. Finally, numerical simulations are utilized to illustrate our theoretical analysis.
Glucose Intake Alters Expression of Neuropeptides Derived from Proopiomelanocortin in the Lateral Hypothalamus and the Nucleus Accumbens in Fructose Preference Rats
Authors: Jiao Guangfa , Zhang Guozhong , Wang Haiying , Zhao Weilin , Cui Yanwei , Liu Yongjing , Gao Feng , Yuan Fang , Zhang Yi
Published: November 2017

To study the neuroendocrine mechanism of sugar preference, we investigated the role of glucose feeding in the regulation of expression levels of neuropeptides derived from proopiomelanocortin (POMC) in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) in fructose preference rats. Fructose preference rats were induced by using the lithium chloride backward conditioning procedure. The fructose preference was confirmed by the two-bottle test. The drinking behavior of rats was assessed by the fructose concentration gradient test. The preference of 10% glucose or 0.1% saccharine was assessed, and the expression levels of neuropeptides derived from POMC in the LH and the NAc in fructose preference rats were measured by Western blot analysis. Fructose preference rats displayed a greater fructose preference than control rats. Furthermore, fructose preference rats preferred glucose solution rather than saccharine solution, while control rats preferred saccharine solution rather than glucose solution. The expression levels of neuropeptides derived from POMC in the LH and the NAc were changed by glucose but not saccharine intake. In summary, the data suggests that glucose intake increases the expression of neuropeptides derived from POMC in the LH and the NAc in fructose preference rats.
Multicarrier Waveform Harmonization and Complexity Analysis for an Efficient 5G Air Interface Implementation
Authors: Garcia-Roger David , Roger Sandra , Flores de Valgas Josue , Monserrat Jose F.
Published: November 2017

The coexistence of multiple air interface variants in the upcoming fifth generation (5G) wireless technology remains a matter of ongoing discussion. This paper focuses on the physical layer of the 5G air interface and provides a harmonization solution for the joint implementation of several multicarrier waveform candidates. Waveforms based either on cyclic prefix-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM) or on filter bank multicarrier (FBMC) are first presented through a harmonized system model. Complexity comparisons among five different waveforms are provided. Then, the complexity of a proposed configurable hardware implementation setup for waveform transmission and reception is evaluated. As a result, the harmonized transmitter and receiver exhibit 25–40% and 15–25% less complexity in floating-point operations, respectively, in comparison to two standalone implementations of the most complex waveform instances of the CP-OFDM and FBMC families. This highlights the similarities between both families and illustrates the component reuse advantages associated with the proposed harmonized solution.
Aphasia Following Left Putaminal Hemorrhage at a Rehabilitation Hospital
Authors: Maeshima Shinichiro , Okamoto Sayaka , Okazaki Hideto , Funahashi Reisuke , Hiraoka Shigenori , Hori Hirokazu , Yagihashi Kei , Fuse Ikuko , Tanaka Shinichiro , Asano Naoki , Sonoda Shigeru
Published: November 2017

Objective: We aimed to clarify the relationship between aphasia and hematoma type/volume in patients with left putaminal hemorrhage admitted to a rehabilitation facility. Methods: We evaluated the relationship between the presence, type, and severity of aphasia and hematoma type/volume in 92 patients with putaminal hemorrhage aged 29-83 years. Hematoma type and volume were evaluated on the basis of CT images obtained at stroke onset. The Standard Language Test for Aphasia was conducted as part of the initial assessment. Results: Aphasia was observed in 79 of 92 patients. A total of 31 patients had fluent aphasia, while 48 had non-fluent aphasia. Non-fluent aphasia often involved hematoma on the anterior limb of the internal capsule, while fluent aphasia often involved hematoma on the posterior limb of internal capsule. When the hematoma volume exceeded 20 mL, patients experienced difficulty in repeating spoken words. When hematoma volume exceeded 40 mL, non-fluent aphasia was observed in all patients. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that hematoma type and volume not only influence the development of aphasia following putaminal hemorrhage but also play a major role in determining the patient's fluency and repetition ability.
Sulkusfixierte Add-on-Intraokularlinse - Eine gute Lösung zum Ausgleich hoher Astigmatismen nach Keratoplastik
Authors: Bachmann Björn
Published: November 2017

Durch perforierende Keratoplastik (PK) wird oft ein starker Astigmatismus induziert, der häufig etwa 4 bis 6 Dioptrien beträgt. Je nach Wesen und Typologie des Astigmatismus können verschiedene Korrekturverfahren verwendet werden. Selektive Nahtentfernung, entspannende Inzisionen, Keilresektionen, Kompressionsnähte, photorefraktive Keratektomie und Laser-in-situ-Keratomileusis (LASIK) können Astigmatismus und Ametropie der Hornhaut reduzieren, gleichzeitig können sie jedoch auch eine Verringerung der Hornhautintegrität verursachen und zu einer Über- oder Unterkorrektur führen. Bei einem moderaten bis starken regulären Astigmatismus empfehlen die Autoren die Implantation einer multifokal-torischen Intraokularlinse (IOL) zur Erhaltung der Hornhautintegrität (insbesondere bei PK nach durch Herpeskeratitis verursachtem Hornhaut-Leukom). Wir beurteilten einen 45-jährigen Patienten, bei dem im Alter von 30 Jahren am linken Auge eine PK wegen eines durch Herpeskeratitis verursachten Hornhaut-Leukoms vorgenommen wurde, was zu einem starken Astigmatismus führte (7,50 dpt, Cyl. 5°). Der Patient wurde einer Phakoemulsifikation und Implantation einer angepassten multifokal-torischen IOL im linken Auge unterzogen. Die Korrektur eines PK-induzierten Restastigmatismus durch Implantation einer torischen IOL ist eine ausgezeichnete Wahl, muss aber in Bezug auf Patientenalter, Hornhautintegrität, Haltbarkeit des Transplantats und Operationsrisiko bewertet werden. Dies ist offenbar eine gut verträgliche therapeutische Wahl mit guten Ergebnissen.
The Cerebellar-Cerebral Microstructure Is Disrupted at Multiple Sites in Very Preterm Infants with Cerebellar Haemorrhage
Authors: Neubauer Vera , Djurdjevic Tanja , Griesmaier Elke , Biermayr Marlene , Gizewski Elke Ruth , Kiechl-Kohlendorfer Ursula
Published: November 2017

Background: Recent advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques have prompted reconsideration of the anatomical correlates of adverse outcomes in preterm infants. The importance of the contribution made by the cerebellum is now increasingly appreciated. The effect of cerebellar haemorrhage (CBH) on the microstructure of the cerebellar-cerebral circuit is largely unexplored. Objectives: To investigate the effect of CBH on the microstructure of cerebellar-cerebral connections in preterm infants aged <32 gestational weeks. Methods: Infants underwent diffusion tensor MRI at term-equivalent age. MRI was evaluated for CBH and additional supratentorial brain injury using a validated scoring system. Region of interest-based measures of brain microstructure (fractional anisotropy [FA] and apparent diffusion coefficient) were quantified in 5 vulnerable regions (the centrum semiovale, posterior limb of the internal capsule, corpus callosum, and superior and middle cerebellar peduncles). Group differences between infants with CBH and infants without CBH were assessed. Results: There were 267 infants included in the study. Infants with CBH (isolated and combined) had significantly lower FA values in all regions investigated. Infants with isolated CBH showed lower FA in the middle and superior cerebellar peduncles and in the posterior limb of the internal capsule. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that CBH causes alterations in localised and remote WM pathways in the developing brain. The disruption of the cerebellar-cerebral microstructure at multiple sites adds further support for the concept of developmental diaschisis, which is propagated as an explanation for the consequences of early cerebellar injury on cognitive and affective domains.