bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the Summertime Planetary Boundary Layer with Different Thermodynamic Stability in China: A Radiosonde Perspective
Authors: Zhang Wanchun , Guo Jianping , Miao Yucong , Liu Huan , Song Yu , Fang Zhang , He Jing , Lou Mengyun , Yan Yan , Li Yuan , Zhai Panmao
Published: November 2017

Strongly influenced by thermodynamic stability, the planetary boundary layer (PBL) is key to the exchange of heat, momentum, and moisture between the ground surface and free troposphere. The PBL with different thermodynamic stability across the whole of China, however, is not yet well understood. In this study, the occurrence frequency and spatial distribution of the convective boundary layer (CBL), neutral boundary layer (NBL), and stable boundary layer (SBL) were systematically investigated, based on intensive summertime soundings launched at 1400 Beijing time (BJT) throughout China’s radiosonde network (CRN) for the period 2012 to 2016. Overall, the occurrences of CBL, NBL, and SBL account for 70%, 26%, and 4%, respectively, suggesting that CBL dominates in summer throughout China. In terms of the spatial pattern of PBL height, a prominent north–south gradient can be found with higher PBL height in northwest China. In addition, the PBL heights of CBL and NBL were found to be positively (negatively) associated with near-surface air temperature (humidity), whereas no apparent relationship was found for SBL. Furthermore, clouds tend to reduce the occurrence frequency, irrespective of PBL type. Roughly 70% of SBL cases occur under overcast conditions, much higher than those for NBL and CBL, indicating that clouds govern to some extent the occurrence of SBL. In contrast, except for the discernible changes in PBL height under overcast conditions relative to those under clear-sky conditions, the changes in PBL height under partly cloudy conditions are no more than 170 m for both NBL and CBL types.
Aggregated Royalties for Top-Down FRAND Determinations
Authors: Contreras Jorge L.
Published: November 2017

In an environment in which widely adopted technical standards may each be covered by large numbers of patents, there have been increasing calls for courts to determine “fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory” (FRAND) royalties payable to holders of standards-essential patents (SEPs) using “top-down” methodologies. Top-down royalty approaches begin with the aggregate royalty that should be payable with respect to all SEPs covering a particular standard, and then allocate a portion of the total to individual SEPs. Top-down approaches avoid many drawbacks associated with bottom-up approaches in which royalties for individual SEPs are assessed, often in an inconsistent and piecemeal manner, without regard for the other SEPs that cover the standard. Yet despite the potential benefits of top-down methodologies, one of the most promising means for determining aggregate royalty levels—joint agreement by the members of the relevant standards-development organization (SDO)—has gained little traction. The idea of SDO participants jointly negotiating FRAND royalties attracted the attention of commentators and antitrust agencies about a decade ago, when a handful of SDOs began to explore mandatory ex ante rate disclosure requirements. But few SDOs adopted such policies, and joint negotiations were never incorporated into the mainstream standardization process. One reason that SDOs have been hesitant to endorse joint royalty negotiations is the perceived risk of antitrust liability arising from concerted action among competitors. But as numerous commentators and antitrust officials have reiterated, this fear is largely misplaced in the context of industry standard-setting. Thus, SDOs should follow the lead of patent pools and begin more actively to determine aggregate patent royalty burdens for standards that they develop. In addition, antitrust and competition authorities should assure the market that collective agreement on aggregate royalty rates alone should not give rise to antitrust liability.
The Exploitative Abuse Prohibition
Authors: Shiraishi Tadashi
Published: November 2017

The prohibition of exploitative abuse has attracted increasing attention in recent years, activated by many modern issues, also involving intellectual property rights. This article takes a bird’s-eye view of the policy distance between the United States, a core supporter of nonintervention, and the European Union, a core supporter of modest intervention. The article also examines the response of Japanese law, which includes the prevention of abuse of a superior bargaining position, a functional equivalent to the prohibition of exploitative abuse in this context. The provision against abuses of a superior bargaining position in Japan has been recently enforced in the context of private lawsuits as well. Such a holistic research framework will enable us to explore the potential responses of competition law to the challenges raised by data protection, the sharing economy, and other modern issues.
A Century of Experimentation
Authors: Ivanov Alexey , Voinikanis Elena
Published: November 2017

The Soviet system of knowledge production based on cooperation, knowledge sharing, but also intense competition was already an inspiration for innovation policymakers in the U.S. and in Europe back in the 1950 and 1960s. Nowadays, as the global economy is moving towards a new mode of production, the Soviet case may still play an important role to help to frame a better institutional approach to innovation. With the dramatic challenges already brought by the fourth industrial revolution and the tectonic economic and social shifts it is expected to cause around the world, the Soviet case with all its pros and cons is becoming more and more relevant for this debate as it provides necessary empirical data to consider other institutional approaches to innovation distinct from the established property-focused model. In this context, intellectual property and competition law scholars hopefully would better understand the Soviet innovation system through further academic studies.
SEP Litigation and Huawei
Authors: Podszun Rupprecht
Published: November 2017

In the 2015 case Huawei/ZTE, the Court of Justice of the European Union took one of its rare opportunities to rule on the interface of antitrust and patent law. The question before the Court was whether the holder of a standard-essential patent abuses a dominant position by seeking an injunction against a potential licensee. Regarding a previous line of cases under European law, the Court took a surprisingly easy solution by forcing the companies to get back to the negotiation table. This may be attributed to a new methodological balancing approach of the Court. While acknowledging the problem of patent thickets, the Court restrains the role of antitrust authorities in this field.
Resistance to Change and Performance: Toward a More Even-Handed View of Dispositional Resistance
Authors: Oreg Shaul
Published: November 2017

The tendency to resist changes is generally viewed in a negative light. In the present studies, I aim for a more balanced view and focus on the relationship between dispositional resistance to change and task performance. I demonstrate in three studies that whereas resistant individuals rate more poorly on nonroutine tasks, they outperform nonresistors on routine tasks. In Study 1, using data from 79 job applicants demonstrated, dispositional resistance to change was negatively associated with participants’ performance on nonroutine tasks and positively associated with their performance on routine tasks. These effects were replicated among 73 lab participants who performed an unstructured and dynamic nonroutine task (Study 2) and 108 participants who performed a routine and monotonous task (Study 3). The findings support a more balanced view of dispositional resistance to change, acknowledging its potential benefits for performing routine tasks, alongside its detrimental effects for performance on nonroutine tasks.
Improved mechanical performance of bisphenol-A graphene-oxide nano-composites
Authors: Bansal Suneev Anil , Singh Amrinder Pal , Kumar Anil , Kumar Suresh , Kumar Navin , Goswamy Jatinder Kumar
Published: November 2017

Epoxy resins have been extensively utilized for mechanical strength applications in the field of aerospace, automobiles, marine, defence, etc. Improving the strength as well as fracture behaviour of the light weight materials is challenging. Present work is an attempt to enhance elastic modulus, hardness and fracture resistance simultaneously by reinforcing the epoxy (bisphenol-A) matrix with a new-age two-dimensional atomically thin graphene oxide filler. Wet chemical oxidation method was used to prepare graphene oxide sheets. Morphological study of the synthesized graphene oxide was carried out using scanning electron microscopy. Fourier-transformed infrared, ultraviolet–visible and Raman spectroscopic techniques were also employed to ascertain the synthesis of graphene oxide. The results confirmed the synthesis of well oxidized graphene oxide sheets. The prepared graphene oxide sheets were then sonicated in acetone solution to ensure better dispersion in the bisphenol-A graphene oxide nano-composite using 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 wt.% graphene oxide reinforcement. Solution mixing method was used to synthesize the polymer nano-composite. Scanning electron microscopy results revealed the smooth dispersion of graphene oxide in the bisphenol-A matrix. Nano-indentation of the bisphenol-A graphene oxide nano-composite showed a considerable jump in elastic modulus at 1 wt.% and hardness at 0.50 wt.% of graphene oxide reinforcement. Fracture resistance of bisphenol-A graphene oxide composite as represented by ratio of elastic modulus to hardness was enhanced by 24% as compared to the pristine bisphenol-A. Our results demonstrate a promising way to improve the mechanical characteristics of epoxy resins through graphene oxide reinforcement at low weight percentages.
Tax Preferences, Fiscal Transparency, and the Meaning of Welfare: An Experimental Study
Authors: Stanley Liam , Hartman Todd K
Published: November 2017

What is the effect of providing personally tailored budgetary information on public attitudes to tax and spending? We address this question with a survey experiment based on the annual tax summaries introduced by the UK tax authorities in 2014. By subtly manipulating the categories of state spending – in particular, the controversial category of ‘welfare’ – to invoke a sense of unfairness, we show how budget information in general and the United Kingdom’s annual tax summaries in particular impact support for state spending. Though the stated aim of providing personalised tax receipts to income taxpayers is to enhance fiscal transparency, doing so may also damage support for state spending if the information provides a sense that existing redistribution is unfair. The article contributes to political science debates about public attitudes to tax and spending, the character and trade-offs of fiscal transparency, and the framing effects of welfare.
Fitness Trends and Disparities Among School-Aged Children in Georgia, 2011-2014
Authors: Bai Yang , Saint-Maurice Pedro F. , Welk Gregory J.
Published: November 2017

Objectives:

Although FitnessGram fitness data on aerobic capacity and body mass index (BMI) have been collected in public schools in Georgia since the 2011-2012 school year, the data have not been analyzed. The primary objective of our study was to use these data to assess changes in fitness among school-aged children in Georgia between 2011 and 2014. A secondary objective was to determine if student fitness differed by school size and socioeconomic characteristics.

Methods:

FitnessGram classifies fitness into the Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ) or not within the HFZ for aerobic capacity and BMI. We used data for 3 successive school years (ie, 2011-2012 to 2013-2014) obtained from FitnessGram testing of students in >1600 schools. We calculated the percentage of students who achieved the HFZ for aerobic capacity and BMI. We used growth curve models to estimate the annual changes in these proportions, and we determined the effect of school size and socioeconomic status on these changes.

Results:

Both elementary school boys (β = 1.31%, standard error [SE] = 0.23%, P < .001) and girls (β = 1.53%, SE = 0.26%, P < .001) had significant annual increases in achievement of HFZ for aerobic capacity. Elementary school boys (β = 3.11%, SE = 0.32%, P < .001) and girls (β = 3.09%, SE = 0.32%, P < .001) also had significant increases in their BMI HFZ achievement proportions, although these increases occurred primarily between 2011-2012 and 2012-2013. Body mass index HFZ achievement proportions were mixed for middle school students, and we did not observe increases for high school students. Larger school size and higher school socioeconomic status were associated with better aerobic capacity and BMI fitness profiles.

Conclusions:

Surveillance results such as these may help inform the process of designing state and local school-based fitness promotion and public health programs and tracking the results of those programs.
From protest to collaboration: The evolution of the community movements amid sociopolitical transformation in South Korea
Authors: Kim Sangmin
Published: November 2017

What roles do grassroots movements play in urban change? While many studies have focused on the substantive effects of grassroots movements in specific times and places, few have examined how a movement sustains its long-term development through changing sociopolitical and urban circumstances, and how this long-term, historical evolvement affects urban change. In exploring the development of the community movements over half a century in Korea, this paper examines the community movements’ various incarnations, from its function as a repository for early protest activism to recent collaborative efforts in response to the complex transformation of political and social systems and the subsequent development of urban and regional policies. Throughout this transformation in Korea, grassroots community movements have acted as a critical social catalyst, exerting major influence on the country’s shift from a prototypical modernist planning structure to a decentralised, participatory system.
Generalization of endothelial modelling of TSPO PET imaging: Considerations on tracer affinities
Authors: Rizzo Gaia , Veronese Mattia , Tonietto Matteo , Bodini Benedetta , Stankoff Bruno , Wimberley Catriona , Lavisse Sonia , Bottlaender Michel , Bloomfield Peter S , Howes Oliver , Zanotti-Fregonara Paolo , Turkheimer Federico E , Bertoldo Alessandra
Published: November 2017

The 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) is a marker of microglia activation and the main target of positron emission tomography (PET) ligands for neuroinflammation. Previous works showed that accounting for TSPO endothelial binding improves PET quantification for [11C]PBR28, [18F]DPA714 and [11C]-R-PK11195. It is still unclear, however, whether the vascular signal is tracer-dependent. This work aims to explore the relationship between the TSPO vascular and tissue components for PET tracers with varying affinity, also assessing the impact of affinity towards the differentiability amongst kinetics and the ensuing ligand amenability to cluster analysis for the extraction of a reference region. First, we applied the compartmental model accounting for vascular binding to [11C]-R-PK11195 data from six healthy subjects. Then, we compared the [11C]-R-PK11195 vascular binding estimates with previously published values for [18F]DPA714 and [11C]PBR28. Finally, we determined the suitability for reference region extraction by calculating the angle between grey and white matter kinetics. Our results showed that endothelial binding is common to all TSPO tracers and proportional to their affinity. By consequence, grey and white matter kinetics were most similar for the radioligand with the highest affinity (i.e. [11C]PBR28), hence poorly suited for the extraction of a reference region using supervised clustering.
Extending the Work of Cowen and Fowles: A Historical Analysis of Kentucky Teacher Contracts
Authors: Ingle W. Kyle , Wisman R. Aaron
Published: November 2017

We extend the work of Cowen and Fowles by examining contracts in Kentucky school districts with collective bargaining. Using document analysis, we sought to answer the following research question: Do key provisions of teacher contracts change over time? We also examine the most recently negotiated contract in Louisville schools (2013-2018). We find that it is far more likely for the provisions to remain substantively unchanged across Kentucky school districts, with some districts more active in negotiating substantive change than others. We find that teacher seniority rights generally diminished in teacher assignment and transfer provisions, except in reduction in force decisions.
“I Pray That We Will Find a Way to Carry on This Dream”: How a Law Enforcement Crackdown United an Online Community
Authors: Ladegaard Isak
Published: November 2017

Durkheim claimed that punishment of crime generates social cohesion as “honorable” people are united in emotional, passionate condemnation of those who transgress society’s moral boundaries. This study examines reactions to punishment in the punished group. Specifically, it examines how members of an online community responded when law enforcement shut down their websites. Drawing on data from three discussion forums, the author argues that the crackdown produced solidarity and enhanced a particular moral worldview that strengthened the community and enabled it to survive by migrating en masse to new websites.
Measurement of friction and noise from piston assembly of a single-cylinder motorbike engine at realistic speeds
Authors: Zavos Anastasios , Nikolakopoulos Pantelis G
Published: November 2017

This paper presents a thorough experimental study of piston assembly friction and noise in a single-cylinder motorbike engine operating at low speeds. The friction of the piston ring pack is evaluated using a foil strain gauge with minimal cylinder modification on the thrust side. The technique involves transmitting deformations through the cylinder bore and recording reflections from the lubricated interface as the piston assembly passes. Under these conditions, the piston side forces and the thermal deformations on the output side of the strain gauge sensor are critical. Therefore, the proposed methodology is designed under controlled operating conditions. The overall deformation of the piston assembly is analysed to measure the primary reflection due to friction between the piston assembly and the cylinder wall. Simultaneously, the piston assembly noise is recorded on the thrust side of the engine block using a microphone. Taking measured noise data into account, possible piston slap events resulting from varied engine speeds are taken into account using continuous wavelet signal analysis. The calibration procedure for both tests is also illustrated. The measured friction results show that the strain gauge technique is a challenging work in providing realistic results to enhance current technology. For low engine speeds, a higher contribution is noted by boundary friction at the top dead centre reversal, extending to the position of maximum combustion pressure in the power stroke. Furthermore, the main contribution of the piston slap is estimated at the thrust side when the piston assembly passes at the beginning of the combustion stroke. These results can also be attributed as data to validate piston ring models in terms of friction and piston slap.
The best of leaders at the worst of times: medical scientist and war premier
Authors: Coni Nicholas
Published: November 2017

Professor Juan Negrín López was Prime Minister of the democratically elected left-wing government of Spain for the latter two-and-a-half years of the three-year Civil War which ravaged the country between 1936 and 1939. The side loyal to the government lost, partly because of the generous aid received by their opponents from Germany and Italy, partly because of the Anglo-French agreement, observed by most countries but ignored by Germany and Italy, to outlaw arms supplies to either side, partly because of internal dissent, and partly because of the greater military capability of the enemy. Negrín led the country with tenacity and wisdom, but is remembered with ambivalence in Spain, and hardly at all elsewhere, although he spent the years of his post-war exile in the UK and France. This paper draws attention to a member of the medical profession who achieved both academic and political distinction, but whose career ended in a disaster which he was powerless to prevent. Among his admirable qualities, he should be remembered for his courage. Like most wars, the Spanish Civil War had its share of psychopaths and villains – but also its share of heroes, and Juan Negrín belongs among their number.
Web-Based Intervention to Improve Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Patients’ Shock-Related Anxiety and Quality of Life: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Yardımcı Tuğba , Mert Hatice
Published: November 2017

In spite of its effectiveness, implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) patients face psychological problems such as shock-related anxiety due to device shocks. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a web-based intervention program for ICD patients would reduce shock-related anxiety and improve quality of life compared with usual care. This was a randomized controlled trial study including a total of 76 patients. Data were collected using Turkish versions of the Florida Shock Anxiety Scale and Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) at 0 (baseline), 3, and 6 months. Following intervention, there was a significant decrease in shock anxiety levels of patients and a statistically significant increase in social functioning, role-physical, mental health, vitality, and bodily pain subdimensions of SF-36. While no statistically significant difference was found between groups in terms of summary scores of SF-36, our results suggest that web-based interventions can be useful for ICD patients.
Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis Versus Standard Anticoagulation for Acute Lower Extremity Deep Vein Thrombosis: A Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials
Authors: Lu Yongming , Chen Linyi , Chen Jinhui , Tang Tao
Published: November 2017

Standard anticoagulant treatment alone for acute lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is ineffective in eliminating thrombus from the deep venous system, with many patients developing postthrombotic syndrome (PTS). Because catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) can dissolve the clot, reducing the development of PTS in iliofemoral or femoropopliteal DVT. This meta-analysis compares CDT plus anticoagulation versus standard anticoagulation for acute iliofemoral or femoropopliteal DVT. Ten trials were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with anticoagulant alone, CDT was shown to significantly increase the percentage patency of the iliofemoral vein ( P < .00001; I2 = 44%) and reduce the risk of PTS ( P = .0002; I2 = 79%). In subgroup analysis of randomized controlled trials, CDT was not shown to prevent PTS ( P = .2; I2 = 59%). A reduced PTS risk was shown, however, in nonrandomized trials ( P < .00001; I2 = 47%). Meta-analysis showed that CDT can reduce severe PTS risk ( P = .002; I2 = 0%). However, CDT was not indicated to prevent mild PTS ( P = .91; I2 = 79%). A significant increase in bleeding events ( P < .00001; I2 = 33%) and pulmonary embolism (PE) ( P < .00001; I2 = 14%) were also demonstrated. However, for the CDT group, the duration of stay in the hospital was significantly prolonged compared to the anticoagulant group ( P < .00001; I2 = 0%). There was no significant difference in death ( P = .09; I2 = 0%) or recurrent venous thromboembolism events ( P = .52; I2 = 58%). This meta-analysis showed that CDT may improve patency of the iliofemoral vein or severe PTS compared with anticoagulation therapy alone, but measuring PTS risk remains controversial. However, CDT could increase the risk of bleeding events, PE events, and duration of hospital stay.
The Effectiveness of Daily Behavior Report Cards for Children With ADHD: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Iznardo Michelle , Rogers Maria A. , Volpe Robert J. , Labelle Patrick R. , Robaey Philippe
Published: November 2017

Objective: This meta-analysis examined group-design studies investigating the effectiveness of Daily Behavior Report Cards (DBRC) as a school-based intervention to manage the classroom behavior of students with ADHD. Methods: A search of three article databases (PsycINFO, ERIC and Medline) identified seven group design evaluations of DBRC interventions. This meta-analysis included a total of 272 participants, with an average age of 7.9 years old. Three of the studies compared a control group to a treatment group with randomized group assignment, one study compared a control group to three treatment groups, two studies compared pre-and post-treatment scores in the same group, and one study compared pre-and post-treatment results of two intervention groups without random assignment. Dependent measures for these studies were teacher ratings (n = 5) and systematic direct observation of student academic and social behaviour (n = 2). Standardized mean differences ( Hedge’s g) were calculated to obtain a pooled effect size using fixed effects. Results: DBRCs were associated with reductions teacher-rated ADHD symptoms, with a Hedge’s g of 0.36 (95% CI: 0.12-0.60, z=2.93, p ≤ .005) with low heterogeneity (Q-value: 2.40, I2 = 0.00). This result excluded two studies that used observational coding instead of standardized tests to evaluate the effects of the intervention. A moderator analysis indicated that the effect size for systematic direct observation was large ( Hedge’s G = 1.05[95% CI: 0.66-1.44, z=5.25, p ≤ .00]), with very high heterogeneity (Q-value: 46.34, I2: 93.53). A second moderator analysis found differences in the effects of DBRCs for comorbid externalizing symptoms with an overall effect size of 0.34 (95%CI: -0.04-0.72, z=1.76 p =0.08) with high heterogeneity (Q-value: 3.98, I2: 74.85). Conclusions: DBRCs effectively reduce the frequency and severity of ADHD symptoms in classroom settings. Additionally, they have a significant effect on co-occuring externalizing behaviors. It appears that systematic direct observation may be a more sensitive measure of treatment effects compared to teacher ratings of ADHD symptoms.
Nonmonotonic Pathway Gene Expression Analysis Reveals Oncogenic Role of p27/Kip1 at Intermediate Dose
Authors: Nguyen Hien H , Tilton Susan C , Kemp Christopher J , Song Mingzhou
Published: November 2017

The mechanistic basis by which the level of p27Kip1expression influences tumor aggressiveness and patient mortality remains unclear. To elucidate the competing tumor-suppressing and oncogenic effects of p27Kip1on gene expression in tumors, we analyzed the transcriptomes of squamous cell papilloma derived from Cdkn1b nullizygous, heterozygous, and wild-type mice. We developed a novel functional pathway analysis method capable of testing directional and nonmonotonic dose response. This analysis can reveal potential causal relationships that might have been missed by other nondirectional pathway analysis methods. Applying this method to capture dose-response curves in papilloma gene expression data, we show that several known cancer pathways are dominated by low-high-low gene expression responses to increasing p27 gene doses. The oncogene cyclin D1, whose expression is elevated at an intermediate p27 dose, is the most responsive gene shared by these cancer pathways. Therefore, intermediate levels of p27 may promote cellular processes favoring tumorigenesis—strikingly consistent with the dominance of heterozygous mutations in CDKN1B seen in human cancers. Our findings shed new light on regulatory mechanisms for both pro- and anti-tumorigenic roles of p27Kip1. Functional pathway dose-response analysis provides a unique opportunity to uncover nonmonotonic patterns in biological systems.
Exploring the relationship between postmigratory stressors and mental health for asylum seekers and refused asylum seekers in the UK
Authors: Morgan Gareth , Melluish Steve , Welham Alice
Published: November 2017

Numerous studies have linked the high rates of traumatic events experienced by refugees to the elevated rate of mental health problems in these populations. A growing body of evidence has also highlighted the importance of considering postmigratory stressors when making sense of displaced person distress. This study explored the relationship between mental health and postmigratory stress for asylum seekers and refused asylum seekers in Britain. The study further examined if those refused asylum experienced elevated distress and postmigratory stress compared to those awaiting the outcome of asylum applications. Results indicated that participants ( N = 97) had endured a range of pre- and postmigratory stressors and had high scores on measures of anxiety, depression, and PTSD. A postmigratory factor comprising items associated with isolation, restrictive policies, and stressors associated with having an insecure immigration status, was significantly associated with PTSD scores. This relationship remained when controlling for the variance accounted for by premigratory trauma predictors. Being refused asylum was the strongest predictor of depression and anxiety. Those refused asylum scored higher on a factor associated with barriers to accessing services. Social materialist theories of distress are drawn upon to contextualise the heightened vulnerability of those refused asylum. The paper concludes by emphasising the problems associated with taking an exclusively trauma-focussed approach when working with asylum seekers and argues for community orientated interventions to support displaced people to cope with the various stressors endured in exile.
Factors associated with confidence in decision making and satisfaction with risk communication among patients with atrial fibrillation
Authors: Hedberg Berith , Malm Dan , Karlsson Jan-Erik , Årestedt Kristofer , Broström Anders
Published: November 2017

Background:

Atrial fibrillation is a prevalent cardiac arrhythmia. Effective communication of risks (e.g. stroke risk) and benefits of treatment (e.g. oral anticoagulants) is crucial for the process of shared decision making.

Aim:

The aim of this study was to explore factors associated with confidence in decision making and satisfaction with risk communication after a follow-up visit among patients who three months earlier had visited an emergency room for atrial fibrillation related symptoms.

Methods:

A cross-sectional design was used and 322 patients (34% women), mean age 66.1 years (SD 10.5 years) with atrial fibrillation were included in the south of Sweden. Clinical examinations were done post an atrial fibrillation episode. Self-rating scales for communication (Combined Outcome Measure for Risk Communication and Treatment Decision Making Effectiveness), uncertainty in illness (Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale–Community), mastery of daily life (Mastery Scale), depressive symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and vitality, physical health and mental health (36-item Short Form Health Survey) were used to collect data.

Results:

Decreased vitality and mastery of daily life, as well as increased uncertainty in illness, were independently associated with lower confidence in decision making. Absence of hypertension and increased uncertainty in illness were independently associated with lower satisfaction with risk communication. Clinical atrial fibrillation variables or depressive symptoms were not associated with satisfaction with confidence in decision making or satisfaction with risk communication. The final models explained 29.1% and 29.5% of the variance in confidence in decision making and satisfaction with risk communication.

Conclusion:

Confidence in decision making is associated with decreased vitality and mastery of daily life, as well as increased uncertainty in illness, while absence of hypertension and increased uncertainty in illness are associated with risk communication satisfaction.
Real-world clopidogrel utilization in acute coronary syndromes: patients selection and outcomes in a single-center experience
Authors: Castini Diego , Persampieri Simone , Cazzaniga Sara , Ferrante Giulia , Centola Marco , Lucreziotti Stefano , Salerno-Uriarte Diego , Sponzilli Carlo , Carugo Stefano
Published: November 2017

Background:

With this study, we sought to identify patient characteristics associated with clopidogrel prescription and its relationship with in-hospital adverse events in an unselected cohort of ACSs patients.

Materials and Methods:

We studied all consecutive patients admitted at our institution for ACSs from 2012 to 2014. Patients were divided into two groups based on clopidogrel or novel P2Y12 inhibitors (prasugrel or ticagrelor) prescription and the relationship between clopidogrel use and patient clinical characteristics and in-hospital adverse events was evaluated using logistic regression analysis.

Results:

The population median age was 68 years (57–77 year) and clopidogrel was prescribed in 230 patients (46%). Patients characteristics associated with clopidogrel prescription were older age, female sex, non-ST-elevation ACS diagnosis, the presence of diabetes mellitus and anemia, worse renal and left ventricular functions and a higher Killip class. Patients on clopidogrel demonstrated a significantly higher incidence of in-hospital mortality (4.8%) than prasugrel and ticagrelor-treated patients (0.4%), while a nonstatistically significant trend emerged considering bleeding events. However, on multivariable logistic regression analysis female sex, the presence of anemia and Killip class were the only variables independently associated with in-hospital death.

Conclusion:

Patients treated with clopidogrel showed a higher in-hospital mortality. However, clinical variables associated with its use identify a population at high risk for adverse events and this seems to play a major role for the higher in-hospital mortality observed in clopidogrel-treated patients.
Cancer Patients’ Recommendations for Nature-Based Design and Engagement in Oncology Contexts: Qualitative Research
Authors: Blaschke Sarah , O’Callaghan Clare C. , Schofield Penelope
Published: November 2017

Objectives:

To explore cancer patients’ recommendations for nature engagement based on their subjective nature experiences and observations in the cancer setting. The rationale was to gain practical insight for delineating relevant and translatable nature-based care and design opportunities in oncology contexts.

Background:

Innovative cancer care services are needed to respond to growing demand and shifting healthcare needs. Engagement with nature has shown multiple health benefits and presents a promising opportunity for application in healthcare to improve outcomes.

Method:

Qualitative research design using content analysis was used. Eligible adults with any cancer diagnosis participated in semistructured and audio-recorded interviews. Transcribed textual data included responses to two open-ended questions querying about participants’ recommendations related to nature-based opportunities in the cancer setting. Deductive analysis used three predetermined categories: “recommendation: features,” “recommendation: functions,” and “cautions.”

Results:

Twenty patients with cancer (nine female) participated. Broad recommendations incorporated (1) using nature for vital sensory stimulation and engagement, (2) using nature for personal space and freedom to enable private and social exploration, (3) using views to nature for distraction and comfort, and (4) accessing nature for physical activity and movement. Three critical factors were determined for avoiding adverse experiences: determining appropriate expenditure and resourcing, selection of appropriate nature-based design materials, and exercising caution around demanding nature engagement and harsh weather conditions.

Conclusions:

Cancer patients’ recommendations reveal the importance of engaging with nature in their experiences of health and recovery. The findings can inform planning appropriate and safe integration of beneficial nature engagement in cancer settings and support services.
Coronary artery anomalies: Unusually high incidence of anomalies with a malignant course in an Asian population
Authors: Alkhulaifi Abdulaziz M , Chooriyil Nidheesh , Alkuwari Maryam , Ghareep Abdelnasser N , Carr Cornelia
Published: November 2017

Objectives:

Coronary artery anomalies are uncommon, but important cardiac malformations, representing the second commonest cause of death in young athletes.

Methods:

We utilized computerized tomographic angiography to screen and precisely delineate coronary artery anomalies in patients with minimal cardiac symptoms.

Results:

During 3.5-year period, we performed 2888 computerized tomographic angiographies. A total of 33 (1.1%; 95% confidence interval = 0.7–1.5) cases of coronary artery anomalies were identified (mean age = 44 ± 13.5 (15–70) years). In total, 23 patients (mean age = 43 years) had malignant coronary artery anomalies with an inter-arterial course of the aberrant vessel: of which 3 had left main coronary artery arising from right coronary sinus and 20 right coronary artery from left sinus; 19 patients were of Asian and 14 were of Arab origins. Of interest, 21 out of 33 patients had chest pain, 5 had palpitations, and 2 had breathlessness. There were no examples of sudden cardiac death. All patients received appropriate advice regarding physical exertion and medical management, and remained well for 2–5 years of follow-up. Of 33 patients, 4 had significant symptomatic coronary artery disease requiring intervention: 1 percutaneous coronary intervention and 3 coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Conclusion:

There is a relatively high incidence of coronary artery anomalies with malignant course in Asians. The vast majority were managed conservatively.
In-office arthroscopy for the evaluation of chronic knee pain: A case report
Authors: West Jacob A , Amin Nirav H
Published: November 2017

This is a case report detailing the use of in-office needle arthroscopy (mi-eye 2™) in a patient with chronic knee pain and inconclusive magnetic resonance imaging findings. The patient is a 40-year-old male who presented to our clinic after an extended history of right knee pain along the medial aspect with previous failed treatments. Magnetic resonance imaging without contrast had demonstrated full-thickness chondral fissuring of the lateral patellar facet, mild abnormal signals of the proximal patellar tendon and Hoffa’s fat pad, and intact anterior cruciate ligament and posterior cruciate ligament. The patient was previously treated with an ultrasound-guided injection of 2 cm3 of 1% lidocaine without epinephrine and 1 cm3 of Kenalog-40 and scheduled for follow-up. At follow-up, clinical examination showed antalgic gait, minimal tenderness along medial joint line, medial pain in deep flexion, and no pain when in varus or valgus. Due to continued discomfort with a negative magnetic resonance imaging, in-office diagnostic arthroscopy was performed using mi-eye 2 revealing a tear of the mid-body of the medial meniscus. The patient subsequently underwent arthroscopic repair and is recovering well with complete resolution of medial joint pain. This report highlights the clinical utility of in-office diagnostic arthroscopy in the management of patients with persistent knee pain and negative or equivocal findings on magnetic resonance imaging.
Health Care Students’ Attitudes About Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy: Responses to Narrative Vignettes
Authors: Coons Kelly D. , Watson Shelley L. , Yantzi Nicole M. , Lightfoot Nancy E. , Larocque Sylvie
Published: November 2017

This article explores medical, midwifery, and nurse practitioner students’ attitudes about women who may consume alcohol throughout their pregnancies. Twenty-one health care students responded to a scenario-based vignette addressing alcohol consumption during pregnancy, as well as a semistructured interview, which were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis approach. Two primary themes related to students’ attitudes concerning alcohol consumption during pregnancy were identified: (a) divergent recommendations for different women, based on perceptions of their level of education, culture/ethnicity, and ability to stop drinking; and (b) understanding the social determinants of health, including the normalization of women’s alcohol consumption and potential partner violence. Health care professionals in training need further education about the risks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). In addition, health care students need training in how to engage in reflective practice to identify their own stereotypical beliefs and attitudes and how these attitudes may affect their practice.
Decitabine enhances targeting of AML cells by CD34+ progenitor-derived NK cells in NOD/SCID/IL2Rgnull mice
Authors: Cany Jeannette , Roeven Mieke W. H. , Hoogstad-van Evert Janneke S. , Hobo Willemijn , Maas Frans , Franco Fernandez Rosalia , Blijlevens Nicole M. A. , van der Velden Walter J. , Huls Gerwin , Jansen Joop H. , Schaap Nicolaas P. M. , Dolstra Harry
Published: November 2017

Key Points

CD34+ progenitor-derived NK cells and HMAs potently cooperate against AML cells. DAC-mediated modulation of CD34-derived NK cell phenotype, function, and trafficking results in enhanced anti-leukemic effect in vivo.
Supervised seismic facies analysis based on image segmentation
Authors: Liu Jinlin , Dai Xiaofeng , Gan Lideng , Liu Lei , Lu Wenkai
Published: November 2017

Seismic facies analysis aims to characterize the seismic expression of a reservoir by placing seismic attributes into classes that are presumably related to geologic heterogeneities. Supervised seismic facies analysis can be used to classify the seismic expression of reservoirs in oil field development using well control as the training samples. Manual seismic facies analysis is often subjective, and it is usually time-consuming. Pattern recognition techniques such as support vector machine and neural networks have been used to automate seismic facies analysis. However, they often do not produce satisfactory spatial continuity in their results. The spurious spatial discontinuities are usually caused by the so-called “over-fitting” problem inherent in these methods. To avoid this issue, we have developed a supervised seismic facies analysis method based on image segmentation that promotes spatial continuity of the classified seismic facies. The seed region growing technique borrowed from image segmentation is used to segment attribute maps outward from points of well control. In addition, we calculate the seismic facies probability distribution at every grid point in the seismic image. We use this probability distribution as a weighting coefficient to allow regions to grow anisotropically. As demonstrated by the results on a field data set, this approach improves spatial continuity and indicates promising results.
A method for inversion of 1D vertical soundings of gravity anomalies
Authors: Vitale Andrea , Di Massa Domenico , Fedi Maurizio , Florio Giovanni
Published: November 2017

We have developed a method to interpret potential fields, which obtains 1D models by inverting vertical soundings of potential field data. The vertical soundings are built through upward continuation of potential field data, measured on either a profile or a surface. The method assumes a forward problem consisting of a volume partitioned in layers, each of them homogeneous and horizontally finite, but with the density changing versus depth. The continuation errors, increasing with the altitude, are automatically handled by determining the coefficients of a third-order polynomial function of the altitude. Due to the finite size of the source volume, we need a priori information about the total horizontal extent of the volume, which is estimated by boundary analysis and optimized by a Markov chain process. For each sounding, a 1D inverse problem is independently solved by a nonnegative least-squares algorithm. Merging of the several inverted models finally yields approximate 2D or 3D models that are, however, shown to generate a good fit to the measured data. The method is applied to synthetic models, producing good results for either perfect or continued data. Even for real data, i.e., the gravity data of a sedimentary basin in Nevada, the results are interesting, and they are consistent with previous interpretation, based on 3D gravity inversion constrained by two gamma-gamma density logs.
Improvements to elastic full-waveform inversion using cross-gradient constraints
Authors: Manukyan Edgar , Maurer Hansruedi , Nuber André
Published: November 2017

Seismic full-waveform inversion (FWI) is potentially a powerful method for obtaining high-resolution subsurface images, but the results are often distorted by nonlinear effects and parameter trade-offs. Such distortions can be particularly severe in the case of multiparameter FWI, such as elastic FWI, in which inversion is performed simultaneously for P- and S-wave velocities and density. The problem can be alleviated by adding constraints in the form of plausible a priori information. A usually well-justified constraint includes the structural similarity of different model parameters; i.e., an anomalous body likely exhibits variations in all elastic properties, although their magnitudes may be different. To consider such types of a priori information, we have developed a structurally constrained elastic FWI, which is based on minimization of the cross products of gradients of different model parameters. Our synthetic 2D experiments show that structurally constrained FWI can significantly improve model reconstruction. It is also demonstrated that our approach still leads to improved results, even when the structural similarity between the individual parameter types is not exactly met. Inversions of field data show that in comparison to conventional FWI, structurally constrained FWI is able to match the field data equally well while requiring less structural complexity of the subsurface.
Oil accumulation, regional groundwater flow, and inert gas risk in the southern Danube Basin, Hungary
Authors: Rotár-Szalkai Ágnes , Csizmeg János , Vető István , Király Csilla
Published: November 2017

In spite of its considerable size and the presence of mature oil source rocks, the Neogene Danube Basin is characterized by the absence of commercial oil accumulations. However, important [Formula: see text] fields have been discovered in the basin, which have been possibly explained recently by displacement of oil by later migration of [Formula: see text] into the reservoirs. Previous studies performed independently in the southern, Hungarian part of the basin (known as the Little Hungarian Plain) have attempted to model petroleum generation/migration history, to identify sources of the [Formula: see text], and to understand the tectonic evolution of the basin and its deep-water flow regime. We were attempting to combine the results of these studies to interpret the fluid-migration history and reveal the influencing processes. This work supports the hypothesis that [Formula: see text] could have played a key role in preventing the formation of oil accumulations. During the latest Miocene, early mature oil and saline water, the latter formed by dissolution of up to now unidentified halites, moved together toward the Mihályi High, a regional uplifted structure in the central part of the basin. Modest amounts of oil could have been trapped there while saline water mixed with the low-salinity water of the reservoirs, with the [Formula: see text] arriving later and displacing the oil.