bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ten-year experience in subclavian revascularisation. A parallel comparative observational study
Authors: Byrne C , Tawfick W , Hynes N , Sultan S
Published: August 2015

Introduction

Subclavian stenosis has a prevalence of approximately 2% in the community, and 7% within a clinical population. It is closely linked with hypertension and smoking. There is a relative paucity of published data to inform clinicians on the optimal mode of treatment for subclavian artery stenosis.

Objectives

To compare clinical outcomes of subclavian bypass surgery with that of subclavian endovascular re-vascularisation. Endpoints were survival time, re-intervention-free survival, and symptom-free survival.

Method

In all, 21 subclavian interventions were performed from 2000 to 2010. We compared angioplasty vs angioplasty with stenting vs bypass.

Results

Technical success was 100% in all groups. Symptom-free survival, at 70 months, was 60% in the angioplasty group, 100% in the angioplasty and stenting group and 75% in the bypass group. Re-intervention rate was 40% in the angioplasty group, 0% in the angioplasty and stenting group and 25% in the bypass group. Median time for re-intervention was 9.5 months in angioplasty patients and 36 months in bypass patients ( p = 0.102). Target lesion revascularisation was 20.0% for angioplasty procedures, 16.67% for angioplasty and stenting and 25% for bypass procedures.

Conclusion

Angioplasty with stenting provides improved symptom-free survival and freedom from re-intervention in patients with symptomatic subclavian artery stenosis.
Role of academic managers in workload and performance management of academic staff
Authors: Graham Andrew T.
Published: August 2015

This small-scale case study focused on academic managers to explore the ways in which they control the workload of academic staff and the extent to which they use the workload model in performance management of academic staff. The links that exist between the workload and performance management were explored to confirm or refute the conceptual dichotomy, identified from the literature, exist in practice. A conceptualization derived from neoliberal ideology is described which uses new public management as the anchor for the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the three academic managers in each of the faculties and the transcripts analysed. The analysis of the responses confirmed that workload and performance management are not linked at the operational level, confirming the dichotomy in practice. Further research is suggested that would focus on the perceptions of academic staff directly affected by the workload and performance management processes.
Ultrasound clinical progress monitoring: Who, where and how?
Authors: Harrison Gill
Published: August 2015

Prior to assessment of final ultrasound clinical competency it is important to monitor clinical progress, provide high quality feedback and encourage skills development. The role of the supervisor, mentor and assessor are fundamental to the on-going progress monitoring of ultrasound trainees. This article forms the second part of a larger project which was to elicit ultrasound practitioners’ opinions on how progress should be monitored, where and by whom. An on-line questionnaire was used to gain opinions from ultrasound practitioners. Totally, 116 responses were received from professionals with an interest in ultrasound assessment. Results suggested that experienced, qualified ultrasound practitioners should undertake the role of supervisor and assessor, having been prepared for that role by the training centre. Formative monitoring should take place both within the clinical department and possibly the training centre, using a range of methods. Following completion of the training, practitioners should have a preceptorship period to consolidate their knowledge and skills for 3 to 6 months or until further competencies have been demonstrated. Formative progress monitoring should be a recognised part of ultrasound training. Essentially, staff undertaking supervision and assessor roles should be supported and trained to ensure a high quality, consistent learning experience for ultrasound trainees. Additionally, they should provide appropriate feedback to the trainee and education centre.
Teachers’ interpersonal style and its relationship to emotions, causal attributions, and type of challenging behaviors displayed by students with intellectual disabilities
Authors: Alevriadou Anastasia , Pavlidou Kyriaki
Published: August 2015

Teachers’ interpersonal style is a new field of research in the study of students with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviors in school context. In the present study, we investigate emotions and causal attributions of three basic types of challenging behaviors: aggression, stereotypy, and self-injury, in relation to teachers’ interpersonal style. One hundred and seventy seven Greek general and special educator teachers participated in the study by completing a three-scaled questionnaire. Statistical analysis revealed that the type of challenging behaviors affected causal attributions. According to regression analysis, emotions, teaching experience, expertise in special education, and gender explained a significant amount of variance in interpersonal style. Emotions were found to have a mediating role in the relationship between causal attributions and interpersonal style of “willingness to support,” when challenging behaviors were attributed to stable causes or causes under the control of the individual with intellectual disabilities.
Out of Work and Out of Luck? Layoffs, System Justification, and Hiring Decisions for People Who Have Been Laid Off
Authors: Monteith Margo J. , Burns Mason D. , Rupp Deborah E. , Mihalec-Adkins Brittany P.
Published: August 2015

Are hiring decisions affected by knowledge that a job applicant was previously laid off? We expected decisional biases to be linked with the motivational tendency to believe that society is fair and outcomes are just and deserved (hereafter, system justifying beliefs [SJBs]). Indeed, hiring decisions were more likely to disadvantage a laid off applicant as SJBs increased both when detailed job application information was reviewed for one laid off applicant (Study 1) and when the applicant was described as one of many laid off as the result of corporate downsizing (Study 2). Furthermore, both experiments supported a mediation model, whereby greater endorsement of SJBs was associated with greater perceptions of weaknesses in the laid off applicant, which in turn led to less sympathy, and finally to biased hiring decisions. Study 2 additionally demonstrated that all findings held when controlling for other ideologies.
Mirtazapine for antipsychotic-induced acute akathisia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials
Authors: Praharaj Samir Kumar , Kongasseri Sreejayan , Behere Rishikesh V. , Sharma Podila Satya Venkata Narasimha
Published: August 2015

Objective:

To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials of mirtazapine for the treatment of antipsychotic-induced acute akathisia (AIAA).

Methods:

Studies were identified using online searches of PUBMED/MEDLINE and Cochrane database (CENTRAL), along with websites recording trial information such as www.clinicaltrials.gov , www.controlled-trials.com , and www.clinicalstudyresults.org . The study eligibility criteria were randomized, double-blind clinical trials comparing mirtazapine with placebo for AIAA with standardized rating for akathisia as outcome measure. The methodological quality of included trials was assessed using the Jadad Scale. Separate meta-analyses were undertaken for each outcome (response rate and complete remission) and treatment effects were expressed as Mantel–Haenszel risk ratio (RR). Fixed-effect meta-analysis was performed as heterogeneity was not significant. Number need to treat (NNT) as a measure of relative treatment effectiveness was calculated.

Results:

A systematic review of the literature revealed six studies that had assessed mirtazapine for the treatment of AIAA. Of these, two studies ( n = 86) met the review inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. A meta-analysis was performed to see the effect size of response rate and complete remission. For response rate, RR was 6.67 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.14–20.78], favoring mirtazapine compared with placebo, and the overall effect was significant ( p = 0.001, NNT 4, 95% CI 2.6–8.6). For complete remission, RR was 6.20 (95% CI 1.74–22.08), favoring mirtazapine compared with placebo, and the overall effect was significant ( p = 0.005, NNT 5, 95% CI 2.9–11.6).

Conclusions:

Although limited to only two studies and small sample, existing data support the efficacy of mirtazapine for the treatment of AIAA, with one in four patients showing partial response and one in five patients showing complete remission.
Multiple sclerosis in Latin America: A different disease course severity? A collaborative study from the MSBase Registry
Authors: Rojas Juan Ignacio , Patrucco Liliana , Trojano Maria , Lugaresi Alessandra , Izquierdo Guillermo , Butzkueven Helmut , Jokubaitis Vilija , Duquette Pierre , Girard Marc , Grand’Maison Francois , Grammond Pierre , Oreja-Guevara Celia , Hupperts Raymond , Boz Cavit , Petersen Thor , Bergamaschi Roberto , Giuliani Giorgio , Lechner-Scott Jeannette , Barnett Michael , Rio Maria Edite , Van Pesch Vincent , Amato Maria Pia , Iuliano Gerardo , Fiol Marcela , Slee Mark , Verheul Freek , Fernandez-Bolanos Ricardo , Poehlau Dieter , Saladino Maria Laura , Braber-Moerland Leontien Den , Deri Norma , Oleschko-Arruda Walter , Cabrera-Gomez Jose Antonio , Paine Mark , Vella Norbert , Kister Ilya , Skromne Eli , Savino Aldo , Shaw Cameron , Moore Fraser , Vucic Steve , Petkovska-Boskova Tatjana , Bacile Elizabeth Alejandra Bacile , Santiago Vetere , Cristiano Edgardo
Published: August 2015

Limited data suggest that multiple sclerosis (MS) in Latin America (LA) could be less severe than in the rest of the world. The objective was to compare the course of MS between LA and other regions.

Methods

Centers from 18 countries with >20 cases enrolled in the MSBase Registry participated. Patients with MS with a disease duration of >1 year and <30 years at time of EDSS measurement were evaluated. The MS Severity Score (MSSS) was used as a measure of disease progression. Comparisons among regions (North America, Europe, Australia and LA), hemispheres and countries were performed.

Results

A total of 9610 patients were included. Patients were from: Europe, 6290 (65.6%); North America, 1609 (16.7%); Australia, 1119 (11.6%); and LA, 592 (6.1%). The mean MSSS in patients from LA was 4.47 ± 2.8, 4.53 ± 2.8 in North America, 4.51 ± 2.8 in Europe and 4.49 ± 2.7 in Australia. Mean MSSS in the northern hemisphere was 4.51 ± 1.6 compared to 4.48 ± 1.9 in the southern hemisphere. No differences were found for MSSS among hemispheres ( p = 0.68), regions ( p = 0.96) or countries ( p = 0.50).

Conclusions

Our analyses did not discover any difference in mean MSSS among patients from different regions, hemispheres or countries.
The social construction of cultural differences in a Siberian joint-venture megaproject
Authors: van den Ende Leonore , van Marrewijk Alfons
Published: August 2015

Cross-cultural cooperation in joint ventures does not take place in a power-free context but is threatened by struggles between partners over cultural differences and conflicting interests. All project partners have their own perspectives, interpretations, intentions and practices, which challenge the undertakings of cross-cultural collaboration. Therefore, it is the aim of this paper to study how employees make sense of their cultural differences in a multinational joint venture. To do so, the cross-cultural collaboration between joint-venture partners Gazprom and Shell is studied over three months of fieldwork during the Sakhalin Energy II megaproject in Siberia. The contribution of this paper is the theorization of culture as socially constructed and the exhibition of how cultural differences are negotiated to create a system which is a cultural hybrid, securing Shell-based management practices and values while simultaneously localizing the project in the Russian framework. As such, hybridization can represent an antidote to power struggles and cultural discrepancies.
Relevance and Methodology for the Morphological Analysis of Oocyte Quality in IVF and ICSI
Authors: Lasiene Kristina , Lasys Vidmantas , Glinskyte Sandra , Valanciute Angelija , Vitkus Aleksandras
Published: August 2015

Oocytes collected from patients following ovarian stimulation exhibit varying qualities. The quality of oocytes has an effect on its subsequent fertilization, developmental competence post-fertilization and the viability of resultant embryos. The aim of this article was to review the morphological criteria devised for assessment of oocyte quality by ordinary light and polarized light microscopy before IVF or ICSI. The parameters employed in the evaluation of oocyte morphology include the appearance of: structure of the cumulus–oocyte complex, oocyte cytoplasm, perivitelline space, zona pellucida, polar body and meiotic spindle.
Single or Group Culture of Mammalian Embryos: The Verdict of the Literature
Authors: Reed Michael L. , Woodward Bryan J. , Swain Jason E.
Published: August 2015

During infertility treatment with IVF, embryos are cultured either in groups or individually. Each approach has potential benefits and detriments, and the purpose of this review is to try to come to a consensus based on the literature as to which approach yields superior results. Group culture of embryos may produce better quality embryos via secretion of embryotrophic factors, while opponents of the approach argue that embryos cultured together may either deplete the media of substrates or negatively affect nearby embryos via the transmission of other secreted factors. In these cases, quantity of embryos, volume of media and proximity and quality of companion embryos are also important factors to consider. While it has long been accepted that group culture is beneficial for embryos from various animal species, emerging data also suggest a similar benefit in the human. Conversely, embryos cultured individually avoid potential substrate depletion, negative impact from factors secreted from companion embryos, while more practically permitting the ability to monitor and track the embryo for identification via morphology or molecular analysis to select and transfer potentially superior embryos. Importantly, advancements in embryo culture platforms now permit tracking of individual embryos, while also offering ability to reap the benefits of group culture. These approaches utilize confined microenvironments immediately surrounding the embryos that may be conducive for periodic sampling/analysis, while also allowing access to a larger media reservoir to avoid substrate depletion. Thus, though questions remain as to optimal embryo density and volume of culture media, group embryo culture in the correct culture platform is likely to be superior to individual embryo culture.
Sperm DNA Fragmentation: Origin and Impact on Human Reproduction
Authors: Henkel Ralf R. , Franken Daniel R.
Published: August 2015

Sperm DNA can be damaged due to a multitude of different noxae, which include disease, and occupational and environmental factors. Depending on the magnitude of the damage, such lesions may be repaired by the oocyte or the embryo. If this is not possible, a permanent damage can be manifested leading to mutations of the male genome. In cases where the oocyte or the embryo does not counter these damages to the male genome in terms of repair or an early abortion, sperm DNA damage and fragmentation can be a cause of numerous diseases including childhood cancer.
The Sperm Centrosome: Its Role and Significance in Nature and Human Assisted Reproduction
Authors: Schatten Heide , Rawe Vanesa Y. , Sun Qing-Yuan
Published: August 2015

In humans and other non-rodent mammalian species, the sperm's centriole-centrosome complex is an essential component for successful fertilization and serves as template for all centrioles during subsequent cell divisions, embryo development, divisions of most adult somatic cells, as well as in primary cilia formation and functions. Dysfunctions of this complex can be causes for infertility, developmental disorders, and play a role in various adulthood diseases. While assisted reproductive technology (ART) has been able to overcome sperm motility dysfunctions by employing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), we currently do not yet have therapies to overcome dysfunctions of the centriole-centrosome complex although several lines of investigations have addressed the causes for centriole-centrosome dysfunctions and implications for sperm aster formation and union of the parental genomes. The present review highlights the importance of the centriole-centrosome complex and its significance for fertilization and embryo development.
Comparison of Blastocyst Development and Cycle Outcome in Patients with eSET Using Either Conventional or Time Lapse Incubators. A Prospective Study of Good Prognosis Patients
Authors: Kahraman Semra , Çetinkaya Murat , Pirkevi Caroline , Yelke Hakan , Kumtepe Yeşim
Published: August 2015

The aim of this study is to compare blastocyst development and cycle outcomes of good prognosis elective single embryo transfer patients using conventional or time lapse incubators. A randomized study was designed to evaluate embryo development until the blastocyst stage in either conventional or time-lapse incubators in good prognosis patients. Furthermore cycle outcomes of the patients were evaluated. The study involved 64 patients (33 for time-lapse and 31 for conventional incubation) in their first or second treatment cycle, with no recurrent spontaneous miscarriages, age<35 years, body mass index <28 kg/m2 and ≥8 oocytes retrieved. The primary outcome was the proportion of good and top quality blastocysts on day 5 and the secondary outcome was the implantation and pregnancy rates after elective single embryo transfer in good prognosis patients. The analysis performed revealed no statistical difference between both groups for blastocyst development, implantation and clinical pregnancy rates. In a selected good prognosis elective single embryo transfer population, similar rates of good and top quality blastocysts and comparable implantation and pregnancy rates were achieved. However, the stable culture conditions provided by time-lapse incubators and the use of morphokinetic parameters may allow the selection of the best available embryos with high developmental capacity, especially in poor prognosis patients.
Seeing Can Be Remembering
Authors: Spanò Goffredina , Peterson Mary A. , Nadel Lynn , Rhoads Candace , Edgin Jamie Ogline
Published: August 2015

Recent work suggests that memory representations may guide basic perceptual functions, such as figure-ground perception. In three studies we assessed top-down contributions to figure-ground perception in typical development and in two developmental disorders: Down syndrome (DS) and autism (ASD). We investigated how figure-ground segregation is modulated by high-level cues (i.e., memory representations) and low-level cues (i.e., convexity and surface integration). Study 1 results showed that both high-level and low-level contributions to figure-ground perception are functional by the age of 4 years. In Study 2, individuals with DS exhibited intact figure-ground segregation based on low level cues when compared with mental age–matched participants, but they showed attenuated effects of high-level memory cues on figure-ground assignment. In Study 3, individuals with ASD showed intact effects of both high-level and low-level cues on figure-ground perception, counter to previous suggestions that high-level influences on perception are usually impaired in ASD.
Structural basis for quinine-dependent antibody binding to platelet integrin αIIbβ3
Authors: Zhu Jianghai , Zhu Jieqing , Bougie Daniel W. , Aster Richard H. , Springer Timothy A.
Published: August 2015

Key Points

Quinine binds to quinine-dependent antibodies first and causes CDR loop reconfiguration. A hybrid paratope consisting of quinine and reconfigured CDR recognizes its target epitope.
Pre-existing atrial fibrillation and risk of arterial thromboembolism and death in intensive care unit patients: a population-based cohort study
Authors: Gamst Jacob , Christiansen Christian Fynbo , Rasmussen Bodil Steen , Rasmussen Lars Hvilsted , Thomsen Reimar Wernich
Published: August 2015

Introduction

Pre-existing atrial fibrillation (AF) may worsen prognosis in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods

In a cohort study (2005–2011) including all patients with first-time ICU admissions in Denmark (n=57,110), we compared patients with and without pre-existing AF and estimated absolute risks and relative risks (RRs) of arterial thromboembolism and death within 30 days and 365 days following admission, using Kaplan-Meier methods and multivariate regression analyses. We analysed the prognostic impact of AF within strata of patient age, sex, coexisting cardiac diseases, and ICU therapies.

Results

Among ICU patients, 5065 (9 %) had pre-existing AF. Compared with patients without AF, those with AF were older (median age 75 vs. 62 years) and had more comorbidity. The risk of arterial thromboembolism was 2.8 % in patients with AF and 2.0 % in non-AF patients at 30 days, and 4.3 % and 2.9 %, respectively, at 365 days. Corresponding RRs were 1.41 crude and 1.14 (95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.93–1.40) adjusted at 30 days, and 1.50 crude and 1.20 (95 % CI 1.02–1.41) adjusted at 365 days. Thirty-day mortality was 27 % in patients with pre-existing AF and 16 % in non-AF patients (crude RR 1.67, adjusted RR 1.04, 95 % CI 0.99–1.10). Corresponding mortality estimates at 365 days were 40.9 % and 25.4 %, respectively (crude RR 1.61, adjusted RR 1.03, 95 % CI 1.00–1.07). In stratified analyses, pre-existing AF increased mortality in ICU patients aged <55 years (adjusted RR at 30 days 1.73, 95 % CI 1.29–2.32; adjusted RR at 365 days 1.34, 95 % CI 1.06–1.69) and in ICU patients treated with mechanical ventilation (adjusted RR at 30 days 1.12, 95 % CI 1.05–1.20, adjusted RR at 365 days 1.09, 95 % CI: 1.04–1.15). Analyses stratified by sex and coexisting cardiac diseases yielded adjusted RRs close to 1.

Conclusions

In ICU patients, pre-existing AF was associated with modestly increased risk of arterial thromboembolism when adjusted for the substantially higher age and comorbidity levels in patients with AF, whereas there was no overall association with mortality. In ICU patients aged <55 years and in those treated with mechanical ventilation, AF predicted increased mortality.
Convergence theorems for generalized nonexpansive mappings in uniformly convex Banach spaces
Authors: Thakur Dipti , Thakur Balwant Singh , Postolache Mihai
Published: August 2015

In this paper, we prove strong and weak convergence theorems for a mapping defined on a bounded, closed and convex subset of a uniformly convex Banach space, satisfying the RCSC condition. This condition was introduced by Karapınar (Dynamical Systems and Methods, 2012). We first establish the demiclosed principle for the mapping satisfying the RCSC condition. Then, using this principle, we establish the weak and strong convergence theorems. Results in the paper extend and improve a number of important results in this literature such as Khan and Suzuki (Nonlinear Anal. 80:211-215, 2013) and Reich (J. Math. Anal. Appl. 67:274-276, 1979).
Endpoints of multivalued nonexpansive mappings in geodesic spaces
Authors: Panyanak Bancha
Published: August 2015

Let X be either a uniformly convex Banach space or a reflexive Banach space having the Opial property. It is shown that a multivalued nonexpansive mapping on a bounded closed convex subset of X has an endpoint if and only if it has the approximate endpoint property. This is the first result regarding the existence of endpoints for such kind of mappings even in Hilbert spaces. The related result in a complete CAT(0) space is also given.
Obesity, Aspirin, and Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Carriers of Hereditary Colorectal Cancer: A Prospective Investigation in the CAPP2 Study
Authors: Movahedi Mohammad , Bishop D. Timothy , Macrae Finlay , Mecklin Jukka-Pekka , Moeslein Gabriela , Olschwang Sylviane , Eccles Diana , Evans D. Gareth , Maher Eamonn R. , Bertario Lucio , Bisgaard Marie-Luise , Dunlop Malcolm G. , Ho Judy W.C. , Hodgson Shirley V. , Lindblom Annika , Lubinski Jan , Morrison Patrick J. , Murday Victoria , Ramesar Raj S. , Side Lucy , Scott Rodney J. , Thomas Huw J.W. , Vasen Hans F. , Burn John , Mathers John C.
Published: August 2015

Purpose

In the general population, increased adiposity is a significant risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC), but whether obesity has similar effects in those with hereditary CRC is uncertain. This prospective study investigated the association between body mass index and cancer risk in patients with Lynch syndrome (LS).

Patients and Methods

Participants with LS were recruited to the CAPP2 study, in which they were randomly assigned to receive aspirin 600 mg per day or aspirin placebo, plus resistant starch 30 g per day or starch placebo (2 × 2 factorial design). Mean intervention period was 25.0 months, and mean follow-up was 55.7 months.

Results

During follow-up, 55 of 937 participants developed CRC. For obese participants, CRC risk was 2.41× (95% CI, 1.22 to 4.85) greater than for underweight and normal-weight participants (reference group), and CRC risk increased by 7% for each 1-kg/m2 increase in body mass index. The risk of all LS-related cancers in obese people was 1.77× (95% CI, 1.06 to 2.96; P = .03) greater than for the reference group. In subgroup analysis, obesity was associated with 3.72× (95% CI, 1.41 to 9.81) greater CRC risk in patients with LS with MLH1 mutation, but no excess risk was observed in those with MSH2 or MSH6 mutation (P = .5). The obesity-related excess CRC risk was confined to those randomly assigned to the aspirin placebo group (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.75; 95% CI, 1.12 to 6.79; P = .03).

Conclusion

Obesity is associated with substantially increased CRC risk in patients with LS, but this risk is abrogated in those taking aspirin. Such patients are likely to benefit from obesity prevention and/or regular aspirin.
Effects of Music Therapy on Anesthesia Requirements and Anxiety in Women Undergoing Ambulatory Breast Surgery for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Bradley Palmer Jaclyn , Lane Deforia , Mayo Diane , Schluchter Mark , Leeming Rosemary
Published: August 2015

Purpose

To investigate the effect of live and recorded perioperative music therapy on anesthesia requirements, anxiety levels, recovery time, and patient satisfaction in women experiencing surgery for diagnosis or treatment of breast cancer.

Patients and Methods

Between 2012 and 2014, 207 female patients undergoing surgery for potential or known breast cancer were randomly assigned to receive either patient-selected live music (LM) preoperatively with therapist-selected recorded music intraoperatively (n = 69), patient-selected recorded music (RM) preoperatively with therapist-selected recorded music intraoperatively (n = 70), or usual care (UC) preoperatively with noise-blocking earmuffs intraoperatively (n = 68).

Results

The LM and the RM groups did not differ significantly from the UC group in the amount of propofol required to reach moderate sedation. Compared with the UC group, both the LM and the RM groups had greater reductions (P < .001) in anxiety scores preoperatively (mean changes [and standard deviation: −30.9 [36.3], −26.8 [29.3], and 0.0 [22.7]), respectively. The LM and RM groups did not differ from the UC group with respect to recovery time; however, the LM group had a shorter recovery time compared with the RM group (a difference of 12.4 minutes; 95% CI, 2.2 to 22.5; P = .018). Satisfaction scores for the LM and RM groups did not differ from those of the UC group.

Conclusion

Including music therapy as a complementary modality with cancer surgery may help manage preoperative anxiety in a way that is safe, effective, time-efficient, and enjoyable.
Continuous Therapy Versus Fixed Duration of Therapy in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma
Authors: Palumbo Antonio , Gay Francesca , Cavallo Federica , Di Raimondo Francesco , Larocca Alessandra , Hardan Izhar , Nagler Arnon , Petrucci Maria T. , Hajek Roman , Pezzatti Sara , Delforge Michel , Patriarca Francesca , Donato Francesca , Cerrato Chiara , Nozzoli Chiara , Yu Zhinuan , Boccadifuoco Luana , Caravita Tommaso , Benevolo Giulia , Guglielmelli Tommasina , Vincelli Donatella , Jacques Christian , Dimopoulos Meletios A. , Ciccone Giovannino , Musto Pellegrino , Corradini Paolo , Cavo Michele , Boccadoro Mario
Published: August 2015

Purpose

Continuous therapy (CT) prolongs progression-free survival 1 (PFS1; time from random assignment until the first progression or death), but chemotherapy-resistant relapse may negatively impact overall survival (OS). Progression-free survival 2 (PFS2; time from random assignment until the second progression or death) may represent an additional tool to estimate outcome. This study evaluates the benefit of novel agent–based CT versus fixed duration of therapy (FDT) in patients with newly diagnosed myeloma.

Methods

We included patients enrolled onto three phase III trials that randomly assigned patients to novel agent–based CT versus FDT. Primary analyses were restricted to the intent-to-treat population eligible for CT (patients progression free and alive at 1 year after random assignment). Primary end points were PFS1, PFS2, and OS. All hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs were adjusted for several potential confounders using Cox models.

Results

In the pooled analysis of the three trials, 604 patients were randomly assigned to CT and 614 were assigned to FDT. Median follow-up was 52 months. In the intent-to-treat CT population, CT (n = 417), compared with FDT (n = 410), significantly improved PFS1 (median, 32 v 16 months, respectively; HR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.56; P < .001), PFS2 (median, 55 v 40 months, respectively; HR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.50 to 0.75; P < .001), and OS (4-year OS, 69% v 60%, respectively; HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.88; P = .003).

Conclusion

In this pooled analysis, CT significantly improved PFS1, PFS2, and OS. The improvement in PFS2 suggests that the benefit reported during first remission is not cancelled by a shorter second remission. PFS2 is a valuable end point to estimate long-term clinical benefit and should be included in future trials.
Evaluation of the Safety and Benefit of Phase I Oncology Trials for Patients With Primary CNS Tumors
Authors: Gounder Mrinal M. , Nayak Lakshmi , Sahebjam Solmaz , Muzikansky Alona , Sanchez Armando J. , Desideri Serena , Ye Xiaobu , Ivy S. Percy , Nabors L. Burt , Prados Michael , Grossman Stuart , DeAngelis Lisa M. , Wen Patrick Y.
Published: August 2015

Purpose

Patients with high-grade gliomas (HGG) are frequently excluded from first-in-human solid tumor trials because of perceived poor prognosis, excessive toxicities, concomitant drug interactions, and poor efficacy. We conducted an analysis of outcomes from select, single-agent phase I studies in patients with HGG. We compared outcomes to pooled analysis of published studies in solid tumors with various molecular and cytotoxic drugs evaluated as single agents or as combinations.

Patient and Methods

Individual records of patients with recurrent HGG enrolled onto Adult Brain Tumor Consortium trials of single-agent, cytotoxic or molecular agents from 2000 to 2008 were analyzed for baseline characteristics, toxicities, responses, and survival.

Results

Our analysis included 327 patients with advanced, refractory HGG who were enrolled onto eight trials involving targeted molecular (n = 5) and cytotoxic (n = 3) therapies. At enrollment, patients had a median Karnofsky performance score of 90 and median age of 52 years; 62% were men, 63% had glioblastoma, and the median number of prior systemic chemotherapies was one. Baseline laboratory values were in an acceptable range to meet eligibility criteria. Patients were on the study for a median of two cycles (range, < one to 56 cycles), and 96% were evaluable for primary end points. During cycle 1, grade ≥ 3 nonhematologic and grade ≥ 4 hematologic toxicities were 5% (28 of 565 adverse events) and 0.9% (five of 565 adverse events), respectively, and 66% of these occurred at the highest dose level. There was one death attributed to drug. Overall response rate (complete and partial response) was 5.5%. Median progression-free and overall survival times were 1.8 and 6 months, respectively.

Conclusion

Patients with HGG who meet standard eligibility criteria may be good candidates for solid tumor phase I studies with single-agent molecular or cytotoxic drugs with favorable preclinical rationale and pharmacokinetic properties in this population.
Modernism, African Literature, and the Cold War
Authors: Kalliney Peter
Published: August 2015

Modernist concepts, especially aesthetic autonomy, were fundamental to the literature of decolonization in anglophone Africa. An archival examination of Black Orpheus, Transition, the Transcription Centre, and the African Writers of English Expression conference at Makerere in 1962 shows that many African writers were drawn to modernist principles of intellectual freedom and writerly detachment. Figures such as Rajat Neogy, Christopher Okigbo, and Wole Soyinka, all strongly associated with these emerging cultural institutions, repurposed modernist versions of aesthetic autonomy to declare their freedom from colonial bondage, from systems of racial discrimination, and even from the new postcolonial state. In the geopolitical context of the Cold War, modernist ideals of aesthetic detachment also gave these writers a language of ideological neutrality. The literary histories of modernism and of anglophone African literature became intertwined through avowals of Cold War neutrality from the first generation of postcolonial writers.
Rewriting Dr. No in 1962: James Bond and the End of the British Empire in Jamaica
Authors: Robertson James
Published: August 2015

“Rewriting Dr. No” reappraises the unexpected success of the first James Bond film and its depictions of colonial Jamaica just prior to independence. Recasting Ian Fleming's novel into a film prompted rewritings and alterations. Some reflect the transition to a script; others, and particularly the addition of a CIA agent to the cast, mark wider shifts as Britain's imperial presence came to an end. The choices made on how Jamaicans were depicted, along with the local resonances that helped make it surprisingly popular in Jamaica, shed unexpected light onto wider imperial transitions.
Nomenclatural notes on the genus Pteranthus (Caryophyllaceae) with lectotypifications of the names Camphorosma pteranthus and Pteranthus trigynus, and comments on Forsskål's seeds sent from Egypt
Authors: Iamonico Duilio , Friis Ib , Jarvis Charles E. , Freitag Helmut
Published: August 2015

The nomenclatural history of the genus Pteranthus (Caryophyllaceae) is reviewed. Original material of Camphorosma pteranthus and Pteranthus dichotomus came from a single gathering made by Forsskål in the desert outside Cairo, Egypt, in March 1762. The original material of C. pteranthus was grown from seed collected with the herbarium material of P. dichotomus. Pteranthus dichotomus is therefore considered a replacement name for C. pteranthus and lectotypified with the same specimen, no. 165.5 LINN (right‐hand plant). A supporting epitype is chosen from flowering herbarium material of the same gathering held at C (as florets are required to distinguish between varieties). The name P. trigynus is lectotypified by a specimen preserved at MA and the varietal status of P. dichotomus var. trigynus is confirmed.
Identification and lectotypification of the Solanaceae from Vellozo's Flora Fluminensis
Authors: Knapp Sandra , Barboza Gloria E. , Romero María Victoria , Vignoli-Silva Marcia , Giacomin Leandro L. , Stehmann João Renato
Published: August 2015

We review the 68 names of plants treated in genera treated or now recognised as Solanaceae from J.M. da C. Vellozo's Flora Fluminensis in the context of current floristic knowledge of the region around Rio de Janeiro in southern Brazil. Most of Vellozo's names are synonyms of names previously published or are illegitimate later homonyms, but several are accepted and in widespread use. Two names do not belong to solanaceaeous taxa, but to species in Apocynaceae and Violaceae respectively. We provide lectotypifications for all names, including those previously lectotypified using the published plates that do not qualify as original material. Type localities, previous lectotypifications and current accepted names are provided for all taxa.
Species delimitation in Orychophragmus (Brassicaceae) based on chloroplast and nuclear DNA barcodes
Authors: Hu Huan , Al-Shehbaz Ihsan A. , Sun Yongshuai , Hao Guoqian , Wang Qian , Liu Jianquan
Published: August 2015

Species delimitation is fundamental to the basic understanding of biodiversity because of the central role that the concept of species plays in most branches of biology. However, few studies have been designed to test conflicting delineations of plant species under an integrated species concept using DNA barcodes in combination with other lines of evidence. Such an approach may deliver more objective, testable and uniform species units as subjects for a range of studies. Here we aim to examine competing hypotheses of species delimitation in Orychophragmus, a member of the mustard family, based on these methods and principles. Two to seven species have previously been recognized in this genus by different taxonomists. We sequenced five commonly used DNA barcodes (nuclear ribosomal ITS and chloroplast matK, rbcL, trnH‐psbA, and trnL‐F) for 160 individuals collected across the major distribution ranges of all taxa currently recognized in the genus. Based on the monophyletic clusters produced by analysis of the combined nrITS and cpDNA sequence variations, we recovered nine independent evolutionary lineages that were further supported by diagnosable morphological traits, distinct inter‐cluster genetic gaps, reproductive isolation, and geographical distribution. These lineages may be treated as nine species. We also found substantial differences in the capacity of nrITS and cpDNA barcodes to discriminate between closely related species in two clades of the genus. Our empirical study of Orychophragmus highlights the importance of applying both chloroplast DNA and nrITS barcodes for species delimitation in plants.
IT-Enabled Broadcasting in Social Media: An Empirical Study of Artists’ Activities and Music Sales
Authors: Chen Hailiang , De Prabuddha , Hu Yu Jeffrey
Published: August 2015

With the emergence of social media and Web 2.0, broadcasting in the online environment has evolved into a new form of marketing due to the much broader reach enabled by information technology. This paper quantifies the effect of artists’ broadcasting activities on a well-known social media site for music, MySpace, on music sales. We employ a panel vector autoregression model to investigate the interrelationship between broadcasting promotions in social media and music sales, while controlling for influential factors such as advertising in traditional media channels, album prices, new music releases, user-generated content, and artist popularity. We characterize two types of broadcast messages in the MySpace context, personal and automated. We find that broadcasting in social media has a significant effect on sales even after controlling for the aforementioned factors, and more important, the effect mainly comes from personal messages rather than automated messages. We also show that the timing and content of personal messages play a role in affecting sales. Our findings point to the importance of conducting captivating conversations with customers in social media marketing.
Impact of Bayesian Learning and Externalities on Strategic Investment
Authors: Kwon H. Dharma , Xu Wenxin , Agrawal Anupam , Muthulingam Suresh
Published: August 2015

We investigate the interplay between learning effects and externalities in the problem of competitive investments with uncertain returns. We examine a game theoretic duopoly investment model in which (i) a firm can learn about the profitability of the investment by observing the performance of the first mover and (ii) externalities exist between the investments of two firms. We find a region of a war of attrition between the two firms in which the interplay between externalities and learning gives rise to counterintuitive effects on investment strategies and payoffs. In particular, we find that, contrary to the conventional war of attrition where an increase in benefits for the follower generally delays the first move, an increase in the rate of learning—which tends to benefit the follower—can hasten the first investment.

This paper was accepted by James Smith, decision analysis.
Liking and Following and the Newsvendor: Operations and Marketing Policies Under Social Influence
Authors: Hu Ming , Milner Joseph , Wu Jiahua
Published: August 2015

We consider a monopolistic firm selling two substitutable products to a stream of sequential arrivals whose purchase decisions can be influenced by earlier purchases. Before demand realizes, the firm faces a newsvendor problem for the two products with economies of scale in production for each. When consumers are responsive to others’ decisions, social influence amplifies demand uncertainty, leading to a lower profit for the firm. We propose three solutions for the firm to better cope with or even benefit from social influence: influencer recruitment and a reduced product assortment either before demand realization (ex ante) or under production postponement (ex post). First, the firm can offer promotional incentives to recruit consumers as influencers. We reveal an operational benefit of influencer marketing that a very small fraction of such influencers is sufficient to diminish sales’ unpredictability. Second, as the potential substitutability between products increases due to social influence, the firm may leverage the increased substitutability and enjoy lower cost in production by reducing product assortment before demand realization. Last, under production postponement, the firm can take advantage of the way that social influence results in demand herding and reduce product varieties by reacting to preorder information.

This paper was accepted by Martin Lariviere, operations management.
Building foundations
Authors: Hewson Claire
Published: August 2015

Building blocks can be found in a great variety of shapes and colours and can be a great tool to introduce Mathematics activities to children, while also helping them build on other skills.
When life is a beach
Authors: Hampshire Viv
Published: August 2015

Many children will have visited a beach over the summer. Viv Hampshire provides a range of activities to help you explore some of the natural and man-made objects that can be found on the beach.
Blowing the lid off
Authors: White Hilary
Published: August 2015

Aside from their traditional role of keeping items safe in a container, lids can also turn into a cheap base for a great range of activities, including using them for printing or turning them into a mobile.
The universe is expanding by entirely moving at some very high speed and not by flying away of the galaxies from each other
Authors: Abunaieb Salah
Published: August 2015

Expansion of the universe has already been confirmed by the Hubble discovered nebular red-shift. But, is it expanding in the simple Newtonian way that the distance between any observed distant star and the observer is continuously increasing? The argument against this is: If so, then the apparent brightness and size of that distant star will continuously decrease and thus the stars at the outer edge of the visible universe will disappear in no time. To understand the way in which the universe is expanding it is important, in accordance with the special theory of relativity, to bear in mind the fundamental difference between the way electromagnetic waves spread and the way Newtonian point particles move. Accordingly, the Hubble discovered nebular red-shift is explained here as due to relative motion between the Newtonian point particle observer, which is moving along with the entire universe, and the space-time fixed origins (Events) of the received pulses of light. But, as the source is also moving with the entire universe, these space-time fixed origins are continuously repeated on the continuous world line of the star and hence the recession is continuously repeated while the star remains at the same fixed distance from the observer.
Some types of fuzzy open sets in fuzzy topological groups
Authors: Hmod Mohamad Thigeel , A. Al-khafaji Munir , Majeed Taghreed Hur
Published: August 2015

The aim of this work is to introduce the definitions and study the concepts of fuzzy open (resp, fuzzy Î±- open, fuzzy semi- open, fuzzy pre- open, fuzzy regular- open, fuzzy b- open, fuzzy Î²- open) sets in fuzzy topological groups, and devote to study and discuss some of the basic concepts of some types of fuzzy continuous, fuzzy connected and fuzzy compact spaces in fuzzy topological groups with some theorems and Proposition are proved.