bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Green Star is not a physical activity star
Authors: Creagh Robyn , McGann Sarah , Tye Marian , Jancey Jonine , Babb Courtney
Published: February 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on research investigating the relationship between physical activity and workplace design. In particular, the paper explores the social–ecological context of a new workplace building. This paper seeks to understand why better physical activity outcomes for the staff were not observed in the new building despite influence from a staff wellness committee during design; achieving success against existing best-practice indicators; and staff reporting increased feelings of wellness, energy and satisfaction with the new building.

Design/methodology/approach

Three design aspects are taken as a focus from within an opportunistic pre-/post-physical activity study of an organisation as they move from a building they occupied for 30 years into a new purpose-designed building. This study was conducted through mixed methods, incorporating ethnographic, architectural and quantitative means.

Findings

The social, spatial and personal context is important for understanding participant workplace-based physical activity. Despite the health and well-being goals and 5 Star Green Star outcomes of the new building, participants were sedentary for a substantive part of their workday in both buildings.

Practical implications

A well-designed environment can support staff feeling healthier, but the 5 Star Green Star rating does not implicitly ensure a healthier, activity-promoting environment. Facilities managers and designers can act to provide physically active paths as the most straightforward circulation option in workplaces.

Originality/value

The originality of this study lies in the opportunity to conduct a pre-/post-study of physical activity where the organisation, workforce and type of work are constant and where the variable is the building design, spatial configuration and location. The methods used in this study draw from both health promotion and architectural research practices.
Deer‐mediated changes in environment compound the direct impacts of herbivory on understorey plant communities
Authors: Sabo Autumn E. , Frerker Katie L. , Waller Donald M. , Kruger Eric L.
Published: February 2017

In forests of eastern North America, white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) can directly affect, via herbivory, the presence, abundance and reproductive success of many plant species. In addition, deer indirectly influence understorey communities by altering environmental conditions.

To examine how deer indirectly influence understorey plants via environmental modification, we sampled vegetation and environmental variables in‐ and outside deer exclosures (10–20 years old) located in temperate forests in northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA. We assessed how excluding deer affected understorey community composition and structure, the soil and light environment, and relationships between direct and indirect effects, using non‐metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), mixed linear models and nonparametric multiplicative regression (NPMR).

Excluding deer altered sapling communities and several aspects of the understorey environment. Excluding deer from plots with lower overstory basal area increased sapling abundance, decreasing the amount of light available to groundlayer plants. Exclusion also reduced soil compaction and the thickness of the soil E horizon.

The composition of understorey communities covaried in apparent response to the environmental factors affected by exclusion. In several common species and groups, E horizon thickness, compaction, openness, and/or total (sapling and overstory) basal area were significant predictors of plant frequency.

Complementary analyses revealed that deer exclusion also altered the frequency distributions of several species and groups across environmental space.

Synthesis. Deer alter many facets of the understorey environment, such as light availability, soil compaction and thickness of the soil E horizon, which, in turn, appear to mediate variation in plant communities. Those environmental modifications likely compound direct impacts of herbivory as drivers of understorey community change. Our results provide evidence that deer effects on the environment have important implications for forest composition. Thus, we suggest a re‐examination of the common assumption that understorey community shifts stem primarily from tissue removal.
Data mining: Potential applications in research on nutrition and health
Authors: Batterham Marijka , Neale Elizabeth , Martin Allison , Tapsell Linda
Published: February 2017

Aim

Data mining enables further insights from nutrition‐related research, but caution is required. The aim of this analysis was to demonstrate and compare the utility of data mining methods in classifying a categorical outcome derived from a nutrition‐related intervention.

Methods

Baseline data (23 variables, 8 categorical) on participants (n = 295) in an intervention trial were used to classify participants in terms of meeting the criteria of achieving 10 000 steps per day. Results from classification and regression trees (CARTs), random forests, adaptive boosting, logistic regression, support vector machines and neural networks were compared using area under the curve (AUC) and error assessments.

Results

The CART produced the best model when considering the AUC (0.703), overall error (18%) and within class error (28%). Logistic regression also performed reasonably well compared to the other models (AUC 0.675, overall error 23%, within class error 36%). All the methods gave different rankings of variables’ importance. CART found that body fat, quality of life using the SF‐12 Physical Component Summary (PCS) and the cholesterol: HDL ratio were the most important predictors of meeting the 10 000 steps criteria, while logistic regression showed the SF‐12PCS, glucose levels and level of education to be the most significant predictors (P ≤ 0.01).

Conclusions

Differing outcomes suggest caution is required with a single data mining method, particularly in a dataset with nonlinear relationships and outliers and when exploring relationships that were not the primary outcomes of the research.
Biomarkers for monitoring clinical efficacy of allergen immunotherapy for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and allergic asthma: an EAACI Position Paper
Authors: Shamji M. H. , Kappen J. H. , Akdis M. , Jensen‐Jarolim E. , Knol E. F. , Kleine‐Tebbe J. , Bohle B. , Chaker A. M. , Till S. J. , Valenta R. , Poulsen L. K. , Calderon M. A. , Demoly P. , Pfaar O. , Jacobsen L. , Durham S. R. , Schmidt‐Weber C. B.
Published: February 2017

Background

Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is an effective treatment for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (AR) with or without asthma. It is important to note that due to the complex interaction between patient, allergy triggers, symptomatology and vaccines used for AIT, some patients do not respond optimally to the treatment. Furthermore, there are no validated or generally accepted candidate biomarkers that are predictive of the clinical response to AIT. Clinical management of patients receiving AIT and efficacy in randomised controlled trials for drug development could be enhanced by predictive biomarkers.

Method

The EAACI taskforce reviewed all candidate biomarkers used in clinical trials of AR patients with/without asthma in a literature review. Biomarkers were grouped into seven domains: (i) IgE (total IgE, specific IgE and sIgE/Total IgE ratio), (ii) IgG‐subclasses (sIgG1, sIgG4 including SIgE/IgG4 ratio), (iii) Serum inhibitory activity for IgE (IgE‐FAB and IgE‐BF), (iv) Basophil activation, (v) Cytokines and Chemokines, (vi) Cellular markers (T regulatory cells, B regulatory cells and dendritic cells) and (vii) In vivo biomarkers (including provocation tests?).

Results

All biomarkers were reviewed in the light of their potential advantages as well as their respective drawbacks. Unmet needs and specific recommendations on all seven domains were addressed.

Conclusions

It is recommended to explore the use of allergen‐specific IgG4 as a biomarker for compliance. sIgE/tIgE and IgE‐FAB are considered as potential surrogate candidate biomarkers. Cytokine/chemokines and cellular reponses provided insight into the mechanisms of AIT. More studies for confirmation and interpretation of the possible association with the clinical response to AIT are needed.
The amount of television that infants and their parents watched influenced children's viewing habits when they got older
Authors: Chiu Yu‐Chan , Li Yi‐Fan , Wu Wen‐Chi , Chiang Tung‐liang
Published: February 2017

Aim

Excessive television (TV) exposure has negative impacts on a child's development, health and behaviour. This study examined the under‐researched area of what impact infant and parental TV viewing during a child's infancy had on the child's later viewing habits.

Methods

Data on 18 577 babies born in 2005 were collected from the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study, a prospective longitudinal study of a nationally representative cohort. Group‐based trajectory analysis was conducted to identify childhood TV viewing trajectories at 18, 36 and 66 months of age. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the influence of parents’ TV behaviour on their children's TV viewing trajectories.

Results

The percentage of children falling into the TV viewing trajectories that were identified were low (20%), increasing (46.5%) and high (33.5%). The child's TV viewing trajectory was significantly associated with the child's sex, parent's monthly household income, child's day care arrangements, maternal and paternal education, maternal and paternal TV viewing time and whether the child's TV viewing time was restricted.

Conclusion

The amount of TV that children watched when they were older was associated with a range of factors, and the results particularly highlight the need to restrict child and parental viewing time in infancy.
Editorial: improving in‐hospital management of decompensated cirrhosis by a ‘care bundle’ – hope, frustration, and lessons to learn
Authors: Bosch J.
Published: February 2017

Linked Content

This article is linked to Dyson et al and McPherson et al papers. To view these articles visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.13806 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.13933.
Letter: can transient elastography and body mass index predict fibrosis regression in HBV patients on long‐term nucleoside therapy?
Authors: Barone M. , Shahini E. , Di Leo A.
Published: February 2017

Linked Content

This article is linked to Seto et al paper. To view this article visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.13804.
Leximin Asymmetric Multiple Objective Distributed Constraint Optimization Problem
Authors: Matsui Toshihiro , Matsuo Hiroshi , Silaghi Marius , Hirayama Katsutoshi , Yokoo Makoto
Published: February 2017

The Distributed Constraint Optimization Problem (DCOP) lies at the foundations of multiagent cooperation. With DCOPs, the optimization in distributed resource allocation problems is formalized using constraint optimization problems. The solvers for the problem are designed based on decentralized cooperative algorithms that are performed by multiple agents. In a conventional DCOP, a single objective is considered.

The Multiple Objective Distributed Constraint Optimization Problem (MODCOP) is an extension of the DCOP framework, where agents cooperatively have to optimize simultaneously multiple objective functions. In the conventional MODCOPs, a few objectives are globally defined and agents cooperate to find the Pareto optimal solution. However, such models do not capture the interests of each agent. On the other hand, in several practical problems, the share of each agent is important. Such shares are modeled as preference values of agents. This class of problems can be defined using the MODCOP on the preferences of agents. In particular, we define optimization problems based on leximin ordering and Asymmetric DCOPs (Leximin AMODCOPs). The leximin defines an ordering among vectors of objective values. In addition, Asymmetric DCOPs capture the preferences of agents. Because the optimization based on the leximin ordering improves the equality among the satisfied preferences of the agents, this class of problems is important. We propose several solution methods for Leximin AMODCOPs generalizing traditional operators into the operators on sorted objective vectors and leximin. The solution methods applied to the Leximin AMODCOPs are based on pseudo trees. Also, the investigated search methods employ the concept of boundaries of the sorted vectors.
Access and Sharing Contents Through the Social Network: A POMDP Approach
Authors: Mekouar Soufiana , Bouyakhf El‐Houssine , El‐Hammani Sihame , Ibrahimi Khalil
Published: February 2017

Users interact in the social network by exchanging useful information. The huge amount of traffic generated requires the design of an accurate model for good management. Hence, knowing the consumers' access patterns is of a great interest for content owners. We propose a study of the access and sharing patterns based on the content's popularity. We suppose that popularity is inferred by the observation of the number of views. Our goal is twofold. On the one hand, we aim to help users select the optimal action that allows content owners to decide to change or not the used social network to another to increase their profits and, on the other hand, to assist consumers, according to their area of interest, to decide to access or not a posted content. We establish a threshold structure of the optimal policies based on a trade‐off study between profits (money, access to useful information, etc.) and costs (time spent to edit or consult content, etc.). The experimental results of the proposed analytical model show that both owners and consumers maximize their utility by choosing the best strategies.
Mislabeling Seafood Does Not Promote Sustainability: A Comment on Stawitz et al. (2016)
Authors: Mariani Stefano , Cawthorn Donna‐Mareè , Hanner Robert
Published: February 2017

Recently, Stawitz et al. collated existing primary literature on DNA identification of finfish products and conducted a series of analyses to explore the environmental and economic ripples of species substitution. While we agree that the assessment of the impacts of seafood mislabeling is paramount, we show that the main conclusion of the study, which hints at a positive ecological impact arising from misnaming traded finfish species, is not warranted by the data, and may inadvertently cause damage to public perceptions of seafood provision, sustainability, and marine resource management.
Evaluation of longitudinal left ventricular function in patients with coronary artery ectasia and vitamin D deficiency by 2D speckle tracking echocardiography
Authors: Aghajani Hasan , Faal Mohsen , Hosseinsabet Ali
Published: February 2017

Objectives

Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is defined as the dilation of at least one segment of the coronary arteries that reaches at least 1.5 times the size of a normal neighboring segment. It has been shown that left ventricular (LV) diastolic function is impaired in patients with CAE. Also, it has been shown that LV function is impaired in vitamin D–deficient subjects compared with vitamin D–sufficient subjects and vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in CAE patients. We hypothesized that LV function is impaired in patients with CAE so we evaluated longitudinal LV myocardial function by 2D speckle tracking echocardiography (2DSTE) in patients with CAE and vitamin D deficiency without significant coronary artery stenosis and compared the results with those of subjects with vitamin D deficiency and near‐normal coronary arteries.

Methods

Our study population comprised 21 consecutive patients with CAE and without significant coronary artery stenosis (<50%) and 31 control subjects with near‐normal coronary arteries. All subjects had vitamin D deficiency.

Results

All 2DSTE‐derived indices of longitudinal LV function, comprised of the absolute values of systolic strain (14.0±2.7% vs 15.4±2.3%, P=.039), systolic strain rate (1.2±0.2/s vs 1.3±0.2/s, P=.015), early diastolic strain rate (1.1±0.3/s vs 1.3±0.3 s−1, P=.030), and late diastolic strain rate (0.8±0.2/s vs 1±0.2/s, P=.005), were reduced in the patients with CAE and vitamin D deficiency.

Conclusions

The systolic and diastolic functions of the LV in the patients with CAE and vitamin D deficiency were impaired as evaluated by 2DSTE.
Inotuzumab ozogamicin in relapsed B‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Thota Swapna , Advani Anjali
Published: February 2017

Despite an improved understanding of disease biology and the use of multi‐agent chemotherapy, the long‐term survival of adults with B‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B‐ALL) ranges from 35% to 50%. Management of patients with relapsed B‐ALL, a group characterized by dismal outcomes, poses a clinical challenge. To address this unmet need, novel therapeutics are being investigated in the setting of relapsed B‐ALL with encouraging results. CD22 is an important B‐cell antigen expressed in 80‐90% of B‐ALL cases. CD22 undergoes constitutive endocytosis with antibody ligation, making it an attractive biologic target for immunoconjugates. Inotuzumab ozogamicin (IO), a CD22‐targeted antibody‐drug conjugate demonstrated impressive single agent activity even among heavily pretreated relapsed B‐ALL patients. A recent randomized phase III clinical trial demonstrates superiority of IO over standard of care chemotherapy as first‐ or second‐line salvage therapy for relapsed B‐ALL. In this review, we summarize the preclinical and clinical data available to date using IO in relapsed B‐ALL.
Experience counts: Integrating spearfishers’ skills and knowledge in the evaluation of biological and ecological impacts
Authors: Diogo H. , Pereira J. G. , Schmiing M.
Published: February 2017

Fishing experience and skills are not commonly considered in recreational fishery studies. To analyse potential different biological/ecological impacts of three experience levels of spearfishers (novice, intermediate and experienced), access point surveys were conducted over a period of 10 months in São Miguel Island (Azores archipelago). Groups differed in terms of catch rate and composition, species size and vulnerability (i.e. intrinsic vulnerability index of fishes to fishing). Experienced spearfishers explored different areas along the island coast, fished deeper and farther off shore, were more selective regarding fish size and target species, reached higher catch weights and had catches with a higher mean index of vulnerability. Results suggest that catch composition and rate not only depend on fish community and ecosystem health, but also on the expertise of the fishers who operate in a given area. Consequently, scientific studies should consider fishers’ experience in the survey design and data analysis to not over‐ or underestimate their potential impact.
An investigation of the biological basis of recruitment, growth and adult survival rate variability of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) from British Columbia: a synthesis
Authors: Tanasichuk R. W.
Published: February 2017

I explored the biological basis of variation in recruitment (age 3 abundance), growth and age‐specific adult survival rate for the major populations [West Coast Vancouver Island (WCVI), Strait of Georgia, Central Coast, North Coast and Haida Gwaii] of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) that inhabit British Columbian waters. The analyses were based on a synthesis of time series of empirical observations of herring population characteristics (egg deposition, age‐specific abundance and size) and prey, competitor and predator biomass/abundance. Recruitment was not correlated among populations. Recruitment variability was explained for WCVI herring only, as a consequence of prey (the euphausiid Thysanoessa spinifera) biomass during August in each of the first 3 years of life, and the biomass of piscivorous Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) during the first year of life. Recruit mass and adult mass‐at‐age were correlated among populations and over ages within populations. Recruit mass was affected by T. spinifera biomass in August of the first and third years of life. Adult mass‐at‐age variability was determined mainly by size at the beginning of the growth season, but also by T. spinifera biomass in August. Age‐specific adult survival rates were not correlated among the five populations. Survival rates decreased with age; there were additional population‐specific effects of somatic mass and T. spinifera biomass in August. The analyses were repeated using physical oceanographic explanatory variables. Only recruit mass variation was explained significantly by physical oceanographic variables, and the biological‐based explanation of recruit mass variability accounted for more of the variation.
The ethics of postoperative pain management: Mapping nurses' views
Authors: Cano Romero Maria Dolores , Muñoz Sastre Maria Teresa , Quintard Bruno , Sorum Paul C. , Mullet Etienne
Published: February 2017

Aim: We explored the positions of nurses working in hospitals regarding the acceptability of refusing to give a repeat dose of painkiller to a postoperative patient who requested it. These positions were compared with that of lay people, physicians, and other health professionals. Design and Methods: Factorial design was used to assess the impact of 6 situational factors: the patient's age, the current level of pain as assessed by the nurse, the number of requests, the level of risk associated with the administration of a repeat dose, the outcome of surgery, and the giving of alternative mild analgesics. We implemented a combination of scenario technique and of cluster analysis. Data were collected from April 2013 to December 2015. Participants: 138 registered nurses, 32 nurse's aides, 33 physicians, 23 psychologists, and 169 lay people participated in the study. Results: We found 4 qualitatively different meaningful positions. A plurality of participants (57% of nurses) considered that refusing was not acceptable, irrespective of circumstances. A substantial minority of participants (but 52% of physicians) considered that refusing was acceptable only if the level of pain was low and the risk was high. Other participants (mostly lay people) considered that refusing was always acceptable each time a risk of side effects, either serious or simply mild, was present.
Development and testing of the CALDs and CLES+T scales for international nursing students’ clinical learning environments
Authors: Mikkonen Kristina , Elo Satu , Miettunen Jouko , Saarikoski Mikko , Kääriäinen Maria
Published: February 2017

Aim

The purpose of this study was to develop and test the psychometric properties of the new Cultural and Linguistic Diversity scale, which is designed to be used with the newly validated Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher scale for assessing international nursing students’ clinical learning environments.

Background

In various developed countries, clinical placements are known to present challenges in the professional development of international nursing students.

Design

A cross‐sectional survey.

Methods

Data were collected from eight Finnish universities of applied sciences offering nursing degree courses taught in English during 2015–2016. All the relevant students (N = 664) were invited and 50% chose to participate. Of the total data submitted by the participants, 28% were used for scale validation. The construct validity of the two scales was tested by exploratory factor analysis, while their validity with respect to convergence and discriminability was assessed using Spearman's correlation.

Results

Construct validation of the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher scale yielded an eight‐factor model with 34 items, while validation of the Cultural and Linguistic Diversity scale yielded a five‐factor model with 21 items.

Conclusion

A new scale was developed to improve evidence‐based mentorship of international nursing students in clinical learning environments. The instrument will be useful to educators seeking to identify factors that affect the learning of international students.
Effects of flyway‐wide weather conditions and breeding habitat on the breeding abundance of migratory boreal waterbirds
Authors: Pavón‐Jordán Diego , Santangeli Andrea , Lehikoinen Aleksi
Published: February 2017

Anthropogenic habitat loss and climate change are among the major threats to biodiversity. Bioclimatic zones such as the boreal and arctic regions are undergoing rapid environmental change, which will likely trigger changes in wildlife communities. Disentangling the effects of different drivers of environmental change on species is fundamental to better understand population dynamics under changing conditions. Therefore, in this study we investigate the synergistic effect of winter and summer weather conditions and habitat type on the abundance of 17 migratory boreal waterbird species breeding in Finland using three decades (1986–2015) of count data. We found that above‐average temperatures and precipitations across the western and northern range of the wintering grounds have a positive impact on breeding numbers in the following season, particularly for waterbirds breeding in eutrophic wetlands. Conversely, summer temperatures did not seem to affect waterbird abundance. Moreover, waterbird abundance was higher in eutrophic than in oligotrophic wetlands, but long term trends indicated that populations are decreasing faster in eutrophic than in oligotrophic wetlands. Our results suggest that global warming may apparently benefit waterbirds, e.g. by increased winter survival due to more favourable winter weather conditions. However, the observed population declines, particularly in eutrophic wetlands, may also indicate that the quality of breeding habitat is rapidly deteriorating through increased eutrophication in Finland which override the climatic effects. The findings of this study highlight the importance of embracing a holistic approach, from the level of a single catchment up to the whole flyway, in order to effectively address the threats that waterbirds face on their breeding as well as wintering grounds.
Honest versus Misleading Certification
Authors: Mahenc Philippe
Published: February 2017

This paper questions the honesty of third‐party certification in the market for a good whose environmental quality is not observable by consumers. The certifier maximizes a weighted sum of its own revenue and social welfare. The higher the relative weight placed on revenue, the stronger the certifier's incentive to mislead consumers. Certification is analyzed as a costly signaling mechanism that, besides displaying labels, transmits information through market prices. Honest certification requires that prices credibly signal environmental quality to prevent cheating. I show that certification can only be honest when the certifier is driven more by social welfare than by profit. In the reverse case, the certifier cannot help jamming the price signal, thereby granting unreliable labels.
Diversity and Evolution of Paramoeba spp. and their Kinetoplastid Endosymbionts
Authors: Sibbald Shannon J. , Cenci Ugo , Colp Morgan , Eglit Yana , O'Kelly Charles J. , Archibald John M.
Published: February 2017

Members of the genus Paramoeba (including Neoparamoeba) (Amoebozoa) are single‐celled eukaryotes of economic and ecological importance because of their association with disease in a variety of marine animals including fish, sea urchins, and lobster. Interestingly, they harbor a eukaryotic endosymbiont of kinetoplastid ancestry, Perkinsela sp. To investigate the complex relationship between Paramoeba spp. and Perkinsela sp., as well as the relationships between different Paramoeba species, molecular data was obtained for four novel isolates. We also acquired new data from the urchin pathogen P. invadens. Comprehensive molecular phylogenetic analyses were carried out using 33 newly obtained 18S rDNA sequences from the host amoebae and 16 new 18S rDNA sequences from their corresponding Perkinsela sp., together with all publicly available 18S molecular data. Intra‐isolate 18S rDNA nucleotide diversity was found to be surprisingly high within the various species of Paramoeba, but relatively low within their Perkinsela sp. endosymbionts. 18S rDNA phylogenies and ParaFit co‐evolution analysis revealed a high degree of congruence between the Paramoeba and Perkinsela sp. tree topologies, strongly suggesting that a single endosymbiotic event occurred in the common ancestor of known Paramoeba species, and that the endosymbionts have been inherited vertically ever since.
Evaluation of Systematic Position of Helicoprorodontids and Chaeneids (Ciliophora, Litostomatea): An Attempt to Break Long Branches in 18S rRNA Gene Phylogenies
Authors: Vďačný Peter , Rataj Matej
Published: February 2017

Phylogenetic position of some free‐living litostomatean taxa has not been correctly determined because of long‐branch artifacts in 18S rRNA gene trees. The main aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of various masking algorithms, tree‐building techniques, binarization of DNA data as well as combining morphological and molecular data to eliminate long‐branch attraction of two problematic groups, helicoprorodontids and chaeneids. Guidance and SlowFaster masking in a combination with PhyloBayesian tree construction erased the artifactual positions of helicoprorodontids and chaeneids. On the other hand, binarization of DNA sequences and the strategy of combining morphological and molecular data eliminated only the artifactual position of chaeneids but not that of helicoprorodontids which were still being attracted by out‐group taxa. According to statistical tree topology tests and comparative morphological studies, helicoprorodontids are classified as a distinct order while chaeneids are considered to be fast evolving members of the order Lacrymariida. The high body contractility, “cephalization” of the anterior body end, and helicalization of the anterior portion of some or all somatic ciliary rows indicate relatedness of helicoprorodontids, chaeneids, and lacrymariids. On the other hand, the dorsal brush separated from the circumoral kinety by dense ciliary files supports kinships of chaeneids, lacrymariids, and didiniids.
Implementation of Observational Pain Management Protocol for Residents With Dementia: A Cluster‐RCT
Authors: Liu Justina Y. W. , Lai Claudia K. Y.
Published: February 2017

Objectives

To investigate whether the implementation of the Observational Pain Management Protocol (Protocol) can improve pain management for nursing home residents with dementia.

Design

A two‐group, single‐blinded, cluster‐randomized controlled trial.

Setting

Seventeen nursing homes.

Participants

Hundred and twenty eight recruited residents with advanced dementia and pain‐related diagnoses were allocated to either the control or the experimental conditions based on the randomized group allocated to their home.

Interventions

The Protocol, which includes assessing, interpreting, and verifying the participants’ observed pain scores, initiating pain‐relieving interventions according to the observed pain scores, and reassessment, was implemented in the experimental homes for 12 weeks to guide the pain management of the participants. Meanwhile, the control homes continued to employ their usual pain management strategies.

Measurements

These included the use of pain medications (measured by the Medication Quantification Scale) and non‐pharmacological pain treatments in terms of types and frequency, as well as the participants’ observational pain scores (assessed by Chinese‐Pain Assessment IN Advanced Dementia).

Results

A significant increase in the frequency (95% CI: −0.13 to −0.09, P < .01) and type (95% CI: −0.05 to −0.02, P < .01) of non‐pharmacological interventions used was seen in the experimental homes in comparison with the control homes. However, no statistically significant difference in the use of pain medications was observed. A significant reduction in the observational pain score (95% CI: −0.26 to −0.17, P < .001) was obtained only in the experimental home.

Conclusion

This study supports the view that the Protocol is of clinical utility in enhancing the use of non‐pharmacological pain‐relieving interventions among residents with advanced dementia, leading to a reduction in their observational pain‐related behaviors. However, the Protocol did not have any effect on the use of pain medications.
Study of efficacy of esthetic High‐Intensity Focused Ultrasound system on Iranian skin for reducing the laxity and wrinkles of aging
Authors: Saket Parvaneh , Shobeihi Shobeir , Mehrdadi Soroush
Published: February 2017

Background

Ultrasound is a mechanical wave that transmitted in a straight line and it can be focused at frequencies of 1‐7 MHz with a high degree of precision. An important aspect of HIFU is that damaging focal point is located several millimeters below the surface of the skin and tissue above and below the focal point remains unaffected. Due to absorption of this energy, temperature of tissue rises to more than 60°C and this stimulates the cells for collagen production and tissue rejuvenation.

Objective

To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of High‐Intensity Focused Ultrasound on Skin Laxity and wrinkles.

Material and Method

The study involved 22 women aged 35‐62 with skin type II‐IV. HIFU device with three transducers was employed. Various focal depths with different energies were used in accordance with skin thickness. Improvement for seven regions of face and whole face were evaluated by two dermatologists and patients 3 months after treatment.

Results

All of the patients completed the study. Three months after treatment, there was a highly statistical improvement in skin laxity for all of the patients. Also, the average percentage of improvement by doctor's opinion and patients was 58% and 60%, respectively.

Conclusion

The experimental data obtained from dermatologists and patients showed that HIFU appears to be a safe and effective modality for skin laxity treatment.
Bizarre cell dysplasia of the cervix
Authors: Ondič Ondrej , Ferko Radoslav , Kašpírková Jana , Švajdler Marián , Rýchly Boris , Talarčík Peter , Bouda Jiří , Michal Michal
Published: February 2017

Aim

The aim of this study was the characterization of a new subtype of high‐grade cervical squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) with enlarged cells containing bizarre nuclei: so‐called bizarre cell dysplasia (BCD).

Methods

A total of 29 cervical cone biopsy samples of this type of dysplasia were studied. Multi‐target polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization human papillomavirus (HPV) detection was performed in all cases. BCD was defined as a subtype of HSIL characterized by the presence of large dysplastic cells with abnormal, large pleomorphic nuclei or multinucleation causing nucleomegaly. This results in bizarre nuclear shapes. Bizarre cells are scattered throughout the whole thickness of the dysplastic squamous epithelium.

Results

The BCD lesions arise within the conventional/classic high grade or “bland” type squamous dysplasia HSIL. Statistically they were significantly associated with HVP type 16. A significant association with other studied viruses (Herpes simplex virus [HSV]1, HSV2, Varicella zoster virus, Epstein–Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, human herpesvirus 6, and human polyomaviruses BK and JC) was not confirmed.

Conclusions

BCD involves cytologically characteristic morphologic changes that are recognizable, but which may pose some risk of misdiagnosis as low‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesion due to the enlargement of dysplastic cells and multinucleation. Based on the unique histological, cytological and biological features of BCD including strong association with HPV 16 infection, we believe that this is a specific, and so far unrecognized variant of HSIL.
Clinical significance and predicting indicators of post‐cancer‐treatment survival in terminally ill patients with ovarian cancer
Authors: Utsumi Fumi , Kajiyama Hiroaki , Niimi Kaoru , Sekiya Ryuichiro , Sakata Jun , Suzuki Shiro , Shibata Kiyosumi , Mizuno Mika , Kikkawa Fumitaka
Published: February 2017

Aim

Women with ovarian cancer (OC) often experience relapse and receive further repetitive chemotherapy. The objective of this study was to overview the remaining survival time after the final chemotherapy and to examine influential clinicopathologic indicators in those patients.

Methods

The medical charts of deceased OC patients who had died of the disease between 2003 and 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. We investigated post‐cancer‐treatment survival (PCS) defined as the interval between the date of the final chemotherapy and death.

Results

In all, 77 patients were enrolled. Three patients (3.9%) had received chemotherapy in the last 2 weeks. Eight (10.4%), 28 (36.4%), and 44 (57.2%) patients had received chemotherapy in the last 30, 60, and 90 days, respectively. There were no differences in either survival after recurrence or overall survival between the shorter (<75 days) and longer (≥75 days) PCS groups. On the other hand, patients in the shorter PCS group had significantly fewer chances of referral to a hospice or home‐care than those in the latter group (P = 0.035). In multivariable analysis, a poorer performance status, an elevated white blood cell count, and a higher C‐reactive protein value were significantly correlated with a shorter PCS (P = 0.004, 0.006 and 0.027, respectively).

Conclusion

Half of the patients received chemotherapy within 75 days of death and we did not identify any survival benefit in patients who received chemotherapy near the end of life. We should provide information to patients about their prognosis and discuss the timing of withdrawal from chemotherapy from the early stage of their recurrence.
Loss‐of‐function mutation of the calcium sensor CBL1 increases aluminum sensitivity in Arabidopsis
Authors: Ligaba‐Osena Ayalew , Fei Zhangjun , Liu Jiping , Xu Yimin , Shaff Jon , Lee Sung‐Chul , Luan Sheng , Kudla Jörg , Kochian Leon , Piñeros Miguel
Published: February 2017

Despite the physiological importance of aluminum (Al) phytotoxicity for plants, it remained unknown if, and how, calcineurin B‐like calcium sensors (CBLs) and CBL‐interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) are involved in Al resistance.

We performed a comparative physiological and whole transcriptome investigation of an Arabidopsis CBL1 mutant (cbl1) and the wild‐type (WT).

cbl1 plants exudated less Al‐chelating malate, accumulated more Al, and displayed a severe root growth reduction in response to Al. Genes involved in metabolism, transport, cell wall modification, transcription and oxidative stress were differentially regulated between the two lines, under both control and Al stress treatments. Exposure to Al resulted in up‐regulation of a large set of genes only in WT and not cbl1 shoots, while a different set of genes were down‐regulated in cbl1 but not in WT roots. These differences allowed us, for the first time, to define a calcium‐regulated/dependent transcriptomic network for Al stress responses.

Our analyses reveal not only the fundamental role of CBL1 in the adjustment of central transcriptomic networks involved in maintaining adequate physiological homeostasis processes, but also that a high shoot–root dynamics is required for the proper deployment of Al resistance responses in the root.
Analytic and quality control validation and assessment of field performance of a point‐of‐care chemistry analyzer for use in the White rhinoceros
Authors: Hooijberg Emma H. , Steenkamp Gerhard , du Preez Jacques P. , Goddard Amelia
Published: February 2017

Background

A chemistry point‐of‐care analyzer would be useful for evaluating injured wildlife, particularly White rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) that survive poaching attempts. The IDEXX VetTest could be suitable, but species‐specific validation, development of a statistical quality control (QC) strategy, and evaluation under field conditions are necessary.

Objectives

The objectives were to (1) validate the VetTest for the White rhinoceros, (2) perform QC validation on the VetTest and generate a statistical QC strategy, and (3) apply this QC strategy to monitor performance under typical field conditions.

Methods

Differences between White rhinoceros heparin plasma and serum, short‐term imprecision, and reportable range using rhinoceros plasma and long‐term imprecision using commercial quality control material (QCM) were assessed against prescribed total allowable error (TEa) for up to 15 analytes. Quality control validation was performed using data from the long‐term imprecision study and TEa. A QC strategy using QCM was developed and used to monitor performance under field conditions.

Results

Imprecision was acceptable for all analytes except for ALP, ALT, and AST at low activities. The reportable range for AST and LDH differed from the manufacturer's specifications. Eleven analytes were suitable for statistical QC using the 13s rule, 3 using the 2s rule; ALP was not suitable. In the field, observed error was < TEa for all 15 analytes and the sigma metric was > 3.0 for 12 analytes.

Conclusions

The VetTest is suitable for use in the White rhinoceros. Statistical QC is possible for most analytes and useful for evaluation of field performance.
Cloud-Supported Coverage Control for Persistent Surveillance Missions
Authors: Peters Jeffrey R. , Wang Sean J. , Surana Amit , Bullo Francesco
Published: February 2017

A cloud-supported coverage control scheme is proposed for multi-agent, persistent surveillance missions. This approach decouples assignment from motion planning operations in a modular framework. Coverage assignments and surveillance parameters are managed on the cloud and transmitted to mobile agents via unplanned and asynchronous exchanges. These updates promote load-balancing, while also allowing effective pairing with typical path planners. Namely, when paired with a planner satisfying mild assumptions, the scheme ensures that (i) coverage regions remain connected and collectively cover the environment, (ii) regions may go uncovered only over bounded intervals, (iii) collisions (sensing overlaps) are avoided, and (iv) for time-invariant event likelihoods, a Pareto optimal configuration is produced in finite time. The scheme is illustrated in simulated missions.
Companies in the cloud: Digitizing lab operations
Authors: May Mike
Published: February 2017

A range of cloud-based tools—collectively known as the “Internet of Things” (IoT)—can connect everything in a lab, from research protocols and pipettes to data storage and manuscripts. As these tools get easier to use and data become more secure on them, an increasing number of scientists and companies will likely take advantage of complete connectivity.

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Beyond prediction: Using big data for policy problems
Authors: Athey Susan
Published: February 2017

Machine-learning prediction methods have been extremely productive in applications ranging from medicine to allocating fire and health inspectors in cities. However, there are a number of gaps between making a prediction and making a decision, and underlying assumptions need to be understood in order to optimize data-driven decision-making.
Ebola: A postmortem
The Politics of Fear Médecins Sans Frontières and the West African Ebola Epidemic
Michiel Hofman and Sokhieng Au, Eds.
Oxford University Press, 2017. 297 pp.
Authors: Pewen William F.
Published: February 2017

Aid workers and experts weigh in on the factors that enabled and exacerbated the West Africa epidemic
Laser-driven nanoparticle motion in liquids
Authors: Baum Peter
Published: February 2017

Electron microscopy reveals motion with nanometer and nanosecond resolution
Mutations during the Adaptation of H9N2 Avian Influenza Virus to the Respiratory Epithelium of Pigs Enhance Sialic Acid Binding Activity and Virulence in Mice
Authors: Yang W. , Punyadarsaniya D. , Lambertz R. L. O. , Lee D. C. C. , Liang C. H. , Höper D. , Leist S. R. , Hernández-Cáceres A. , Stech J. , Beer M. , Wu C. Y. , Wong C. H. , Schughart K. , Meng F. , Herrler G.
Published: February 2017

The natural reservoir for influenza viruses is waterfowl, and from there they succeeded in crossing the barrier to different mammalian species. We analyzed the adaptation of avian influenza viruses to a mammalian host by passaging an H9N2 strain three times in differentiated swine airway epithelial cells. Using precision-cut slices from the porcine lung to passage the parental virus, isolates from each of the three passages (P1 to P3) were characterized by assessing growth curves and ciliostatic effects. The only difference noted was an increased growth kinetics of the P3 virus. Sequence analysis revealed four mutations: one each in the PB2 and NS1 proteins and two in the HA protein. The HA mutations, A190V and T212I, were characterized by generating recombinant viruses containing either one or both amino acid exchanges. Whereas the parental virus recognized α2,3-linked sialic acids preferentially, the HA190 mutant bound to a broad spectrum of glycans with α2,6/8/9-linked sialic acids. The HA212 mutant alone differed only slightly from the parental virus; however, the combination of both mutations (HA190+HA212) increased the binding affinity to those glycans recognized by the HA190 mutant. Remarkably, only the HA double mutant showed a significantly increased pathogenicity in mice. In contrast, none of those mutations affected the ciliary activity of the epithelial cells which is characteristic for virulent swine influenza viruses. Taken together, our results indicate that shifts in the HA receptor affinity are just an early adaptation step of avian H9N2 strains; further mutational changes may be required to become virulent for pigs.

IMPORTANCE
Swine play an important role in the interspecies transmission of influenza viruses. Avian influenza A viruses (IAV) of the H9N2 subtype have successfully infected hosts from different species but have not established a stable lineage. We have analyzed the adaptation of IAV-H9N2 virus to target cells of a new host by passaging the virus three times in differentiated porcine respiratory epithelial cells. Among the four mutations detected, the two HA mutations were analyzed by generating recombinant viruses. Depending on the infection system used, the mutations differed in their phenotypic expression, e.g., sialic acid binding activity, replication kinetics, plaque size, and pathogenicity in inbred mice. However, none of the mutations affected the ciliary activity which serves as a virulence marker. Thus, early adaptive mutation enhances the replication kinetics, but more mutations are required for IAV of the H9N2 subtype to become virulent.