bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Meta‐analysis of Carbon Nanoparticles for Identifying Lymph Nodes and Protecting Parathyroid Glands during Surgery
Authors: Li Yin , Jian Wen‐Hua , Guo Zhu‐Ming , Li Qiu‐Li , Lin Shao‐Jian , Huang Hai‐Yan
Published: April 2015

Objective

To investigate the ability of carbon nanoparticles (CNs) to identify lymph nodes and protect parathyroid glands during thyroid cancer surgery.

Data Sources

English and Chinese literature in PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, EMBASE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the China Biology Medicine Database, the China Master’s and Doctoral Theses Full‐Text Database, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the WANFANG database, and the Cqvip database (from January 2009 to July 2014).

Review Methods

Studies were included if they were randomized controlled trials or nonrandomized controlled trials for thyroidectomy and central neck dissections that compared the use of CNs with methylene blue or a blank control in patients undergoing initial thyroid cancer surgery. The primary outcomes were the number of retrieved central lymph nodes and the accidental parathyroid removal rate.

Results

This meta‐analysis identified 11 randomized controlled trials and 4 nonrandomized controlled trials comprising 1055 patients. Compared with the outcomes of the blank controls, the use of CNs resulted in an average of 2.71 more lymph nodes removed per patient (weighted mean difference = 2.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.68‐3.74, P <. 001), a 23% lower rate of accidental parathyroid removal (odds ratio = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.10‐0.54, P =. 0008), and similarly reduced rates of transient hypoparathyroidism and hypocalcemia. Compared with methylene blue, the use of CNs resulted in an average of 1.50 more lymph nodes removed per patient (weighted mean difference = 1.50, 95% CI = 0.11‐2.89, P =. 03) and a 5% reduction in the rate of accidental parathyroid removal (odds ratio = 0.05, 95% CI = 0.01‐0.29, P =. 0007).

Conclusion

CNs partially improve the extent and accuracy of neck dissection and preserve the normal anatomic structure and physiologic function of the parathyroid glands during thyroid cancer surgery.
Computerized tomography-guided sphenopalatine ganglion pulsed radiofrequency treatment in 16 patients with refractory cluster headaches: Twelve- to 30-month follow-up evaluations
Authors: Fang Luo , Jingjing Lu , Ying Shen , Lan Meng , Tao Wang , Nan Ji
Published: April 2015

Background

Sphenopalatine ganglion percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation treatment can improve the symptoms of cluster headaches to some extent. However, as an ablation treatment, radiofrequency thermocoagulation treatment also has side effects.

Objective

To preliminarily evaluate the efficacy and safety of a non-ablative computerized tomography-guided pulsed radiofrequency treatment of sphenopalatine ganglion in patients with refractory cluster headaches.

Methods

We included and analysed 16 consecutive cluster headache patients who failed to respond to conservative therapy from the Pain Management Center at the Beijing Tiantan Hospital between April 2012 and September 2013 treated with pulsed radiofrequency treatment of sphenopalatine ganglion.

Results

Eleven of 13 episodic cluster headaches patients and one of three chronic cluster headaches patient were completely relieved of the headache within an average of 6.3 ± 6.0 days following the treatment. Two episodic cluster headache patients and two chronic cluster headache patients showed no pain relief following the treatment. The mean follow-up time was 17.0 ± 5.5 months. All patients enrolled in this study showed no treatment-related side effects or complications.

Conclusion

Our data show that patients with refractory episodic cluster headaches were quickly, effectively and safely relieved from the cluster period after computerized tomography-guided pulsed radiofrequency treatment of sphenopalatine ganglion, suggesting that it may be a therapeutic option if conservative treatments fail.
L’analyse statistique des tables de contingence carrées - L’homogamie socioprofessionnelle en France II. L’apport des modèles d’association
Authors: Bouchet-Valat Milan
Published: April 2015

Statistical Analysis of Square Contingency Tables - Social-professional Homogamy in France II. The Contribution of Association Models: Contrary to correspondence analysis (CA), log-multiplicative association models are only known by a restricted audience in France. This second article uses the latter technique to analyze a socioeconomic homogamy table (based on the two-digit catégories socioprofessionnelles of the spouses) from the INSEE Labour Force Surveys conducted between 2003 and 2010. It illustrates the strong resemblance between the two approaches, and highlights the advantages brought by the greater flexibility of association models. They provide a view of the social space both more accurate and easier to interpret than CA, in particular by giving special status to endogamous couples (in which the spouses belong exactly to the same group). They also allow us to analyze specifically men-women asymmetries which emerge from the choice of a spouse (hypergamy), an essential issue poorly apprehended by classical methods.
Combining Text-mining Analysis and Agent-based Modeling Methods - A Case Study to Address a Controversy
Authors: Delanoë Alexandre , Galam Serge
Published: April 2015

The methodological approach proposed here combines textual statistical analysis and agent-based simulations. The controversy concerning the unusual disappearance of pollinating bees (Apis mellifera) covered in the French press over a period of 13 years was chosen to describe the different stages of this heuristic framework. First, the articles are categorized according to the origin they attribute to the phenomenon as a univariate cause, a multivariate cause or a lack of understanding. Then, the different proportions of agents supporting either of these causes are obtained and reproduced from a dynamic opinion model, which shows the existence of agents with pre-determined choices. The change in the proportions over time leads to questionning the consistency of the data concerning the independence of all agents. In particular, it becomes possible to assume the existence of networks of influence, a hypothesis that could be verified by other techniques such as qualitative, ethnographic or interview methods.
Improving Treatment Trial Outcomes for Rett Syndrome
Authors: Neul Jeffrey L. , Glaze Daniel G. , Percy Alan K. , Feyma Tim , Beisang Arthur , Dinh Thuy , Suter Bernhard , Anagnostou Evdokia , Snape Mike , Horrigan Joseph , Jones Nancy E.
Published: April 2015

Rett syndrome is a genetically based neurodevelopmental disorder. Although the clinical consequences of Rett syndrome are profound and lifelong, currently no approved drug treatments are available specifically targeted to Rett symptoms. High quality outcome measures, specific to the core symptoms of a disorder are a critical component of well-designed clinical trials for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. The Clinical Global Impression Scale is a measure of global clinical change with strong face validity that has been widely used as an outcome measure in clinical trials of central nervous system disorders. Despite its favorable assay sensitivity in clinical trials, as a global measure, the Clinical Global Impression Scale is not specific to the signs and symptoms of the disorder under study. Development of key anchors for the scale, specific to the disorder being assessed, holds promise for enhancing the validity and reliability of the measure for disorders such as Rett syndrome.
CNTNAP2 Is Significantly Associated With Speech Sound Disorder in the Chinese Han Population
Authors: Zhao Yun-Jing , Wang Yue-Ping , Yang Wen-Zhu , Sun Hong-Wei , Ma Hong-Wei , Zhao Ya-Ru
Published: April 2015

Speech sound disorder is the most common communication disorder. Some investigations support the possibility that the CNTNAP2 gene might be involved in the pathogenesis of speech-related diseases. To investigate single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the CNTNAP2 gene, 300 unrelated speech sound disorder patients and 200 normal controls were included in the study. Five single-nucleotide polymorphisms were amplified and directly sequenced. Significant differences were found in the genotype ( P = .0003) and allele ( P = .0056) frequencies of rs2538976 between patients and controls. The excess frequency of the A allele in the patient group remained significant after Bonferroni correction ( P = .0280). A significant haplotype association with rs2710102T/+rs17236239A/+2538976A/+2710117A ( P = 4.10e-006) was identified. A neighboring single-nucleotide polymorphism, rs10608123, was found in complete linkage disequilibrium with rs2538976, and the genotypes exactly corresponded to each other. The authors propose that these CNTNAP2 variants increase the susceptibility to speech sound disorder. The single-nucleotide polymorphisms rs10608123 and rs2538976 may merge into one single-nucleotide polymorphism.
Use of Premixed Parenteral Nutrition During a Phosphate Shortage in a Non–Critically Ill Population
Authors: Curtis Caitlin S. , Busch Rebecca A. , Crass Ryan L. , Webb Aaron P. , Kudsk Kenneth A.
Published: April 2015

Background: Drug shortages pose prescribing problems to clinicians. During fiscal year (FY) 2014, an acute shortage of intravenous potassium phosphate (K‐Phos IV), a common supplement in parenteral nutrition (PN), prompted the use of premixed instead of individualized PN to conserve K‐Phos IV. Here we quantify the K‐Phos IV conserved by using premixed PN and the associated cost differences. Materials and Methods: Costs of preparing premixed PN vs individualized PN of equivalent composition were calculated for FY 2014 at a single‐center tertiary care facility. Quantity and cost of K‐Phos IV saved were calculated based on the number of premixed PN prescriptions. Costs for FY 2015 were projected based on drug costs from July 2014. Results: During FY 2014, prescribing premixed in lieu of individualized PN conserved 16,440 mmol K‐Phos IV but increased the cost of PN by $4080.45. However, increases in K‐Phos IV cost at the end of FY 2014 resulted in premixed PN as a relatively less expensive therapy than individualized PN for our institution. Cost savings of $7092.20 due to use of premixed PN is projected for FY 2015. Conclusions: Prescribing premixed PN conserves K‐Phos IV during shortages, but it increased direct drug spending in non–critically ill patients at our institution during FY 2014. Persistent shortages can drive market costs of K‐Phos IV, however, necessitating frequent reconsideration of resource utilization.
Notes on Natural Law and Covenant
Authors: Bowlin John
Published: April 2015

This essay is an intervention into the recent discussion among Protestant moral theologians about the natural law. It takes up two tasks. First, it draws out some of the connections that obtain between the natural law and the divine work of creation and providence as they bear on human agency. Then, second, it shows how this connection between natural law and divine work can be usefully described in terms of covenant. What emerges in bare outline is the covenantal logic of gift and law, good and right, love and justice, relationship and requirement.
‘No Polycarps among Us’? Questions for Reformed Political Theology Today
Authors: Smit Dirk J.
Published: April 2015

Offering an overview of challenges and questions, the essay situates contemporary directions and developments in Reformed thought about political ethics by considering whether four well-known slogans from the tradition of Reformed political thought are still meaningful and credible under changed conditions today. The four slogans, integrally related to one another, are the lordship of Christ, the prophetic role of the church, the love for justice, and the importance of calling. The essay draws primarily on recent South African experiences, where the Reformed tradition was deeply involved in both apartheid theology and the church struggle against apartheid. It engages with the North American Reformed philosopher Nicholas Wolterstorff as main interlocutor, since his own interest in political theology and his own convictions about justice and rights also developed in direct engagement with his own South African experiences.
Cooperative control of regenerative braking and friction braking for a hybrid electric vehicle
Authors: Kumar CS Nanda , Subramanian Shankar C
Published: April 2015

In this paper, a rear-wheel-driven series hybrid electric vehicle which has a mechanically operated friction brake system is studied. A new cooperative control of regenerative braking and friction braking called ‘combined braking’ is proposed for this vehicle configuration. A mechanism to adjust the proportions of regenerative braking and friction braking was proposed in this paper. Further, the braking force distribution between the front wheels and the rear wheels was analysed to ensure stable braking. The brake system characteristics were considered to ensure that the driver’s feel remains the same in the new proposed combined braking strategy. The simulation results under urban driving and across the Modified Indian Driving Cycle and vehicle road testing results show that the proposed combined braking can regenerate more than twice the braking energy of conventional parallel braking. Also, with combined braking, the braking force distribution between the front wheels and the rear wheels is closer to the ideal braking force distribution curve, which is desirable to ensure stable braking.
Rapid Cycles of Episodic Adjustment: Understanding the Holocene fluvial archive of the Daintree River of Northeastern Australia
Authors: Leonard Sonia , Nott Jonathan
Published: April 2015

The dramatic decline in the quality of coral reef cover of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) over recent decades has resulted in targeted research to better understand the dynamics of sedimentary sources within river systems of Northeastern Australia. European land-use practices are thought to have increased sediment yields to the GBR lagoon by 5–10 times, yet there is a poor understanding of the pre-1850 sediment dynamics. This study presents the first detailed alluvial chronology of the spatial and temporal responses of fluvial systems in the Wet Tropics of Northeastern Australia over the late Holocene. Valley fill sequences of the Daintree River, one of the least disturbed catchments draining to the GBR lagoon, are examined to investigate the significance of floodplain dynamics in sedimentary process. An optically stimulated luminescence chronology combined with a detailed sedimentary analysis suggests that floodplain stripping is a major, and hitherto unrecognised, source of sediment. Furthermore, rates of floodplain accretion are far greater than has been previously estimated from sediment modelling for wet tropical catchments. Spatial analysis of the topographical relationships between floodplain morphological units suggests that a total of 178,516 ton/ha of sediment has been stripped from three small confined floodplain reaches between 1038 ± 215 and 99 ± 10 years. Evidence suggests that these erosion events are followed by phases of rapid accretion with an average depositional rate of 3.87 ± 0.92 cm/yr between 572 ± 74 and 51 ± 12 years across the study area. The floodplain appears to be in a constant state of disequilibrium, experiencing spatially discontinuous phases of erosion and aggradation resulting in much higher volumes of sediment being redistributed within the catchment than previously considered. The unpredictable nature of these regimes and the shear volume of sediment mobilised poses significant challenges in managing sediment sources to the GBR lagoon.
5000 years of lacustrine ecosystem changes from Lake Petit (Southern Alps, 2200 m a.s.l.): Regime shift and resilience of algal communities
Authors: Cartier Rosine , Brisset Elodie , Paillès Christine , Guiter Frédéric , Sylvestre Florence , Ruaudel Florence , Anthony Edward J , Miramont Cécile
Published: April 2015

Sediments from Lake Petit (2200 m a.s.l., Southern Alps) are particularly relevant for analysis of coupled landscape palaeoecology and palaeolimnology. Diatom assemblages, organic matter composition of sediments (total nitrogen and organic carbon) and Pediastrum boryanum concentrations were obtained from a 144-cm-long core, enabling the reconstruction of the aquatic ecosystem over nearly the last 5000 cal. BP. From 4800 to 4300 cal. BP, Lake Petit was a stable diatom-productive water body dominated by alkaliphilous diatoms ( Staurosirella pinnata). During this period, nutrients and cations were supplied by the chemical weathering of podzols that developed under conifer woodlands. This overall stability was suddenly interrupted at 4200 cal. BP by a major detrital pulse that was probably climate linked (4200 cal. BP event) and that triggered a drop in diatom productivity and diversity. From 4100 to 2400 cal. BP, diatom productivity progressively decreased, whereas Pediastrum developed. Diatom assemblages were more diversified (predominance of Pseudostaurosira robusta, P. brevistriata and P. pseudoconstruens) and reflected a regime of continuous erosion, whereas slopes were colonised by grazed grasslands. Finally, from 2400 cal. BP to the present day, diatom assemblages reveal a slight acidification and nutrient enrichment of waters concomitant with increasing human pressure in the catchment. These results demonstrate the close links between ecosystems and the ready propagation of disturbances throughout watersheds that might lead to abrupt regime shifts in such alpine environments.
Holocene dynamics of an eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) forest site at the northern range of the species limit
Authors: Payette Serge , Pilon Vanessa , Couillard Pierre-Luc , Frégeau Mathieu
Published: April 2015

Eastern hemlock ( Tsuga canadensis) is a shade-tolerant tree of the temperate conifer-hardwood forests of northeastern North America whose northern limit of distribution coincides with the St Lawrence River around Québec City (Canada). We have analyzed the structure and dynamics of one of the very few old-growth hemlock stands in this area to evaluate its successional status at the Holocene scale. To document the origin and long-term development of the hemlock site, we have used conventional forest surveys and macrofossil analysis of woody debris and charcoal pieces at the soil surface and buried in the mineral soil. The ‘Rivière-du-Moulin hemlock forest’ is an old-growth forest, at least 1000 years old, whose structure has been rejuvenated by recurrent surface fires killing most plants of the shaded forest floor and facilitating hemlock regeneration. According to the number of fires and the corresponding fire intervals, the hemlock site experienced a sustained fire regime since the mid-Holocene, first in a developmental context of hardwood forests where beech ( Fagus), butternut ( Juglans), and birch ( Betula) were growing, and then for the last 2400–2100 years as conifer forests where hemlock prevailed throughout or during a large part of the period. Our data highlight the influence of fire on the dynamics of hemlock-hardwood stands, a forest ecosystem generally viewed as being controlled by local light and medium canopy-gap disturbances. Soil charcoal analysis of conifer-hardwood forests may be used concurrently with canopy-gap analysis to decipher the influence of stand-scale disturbances and to calculate better forest turnover at several time scales.
Estimates of over-diagnosis of breast cancer due to population-based mammography screening in South Australia after adjustment for lead time effects
Authors: Beckmann Kerri , Duffy Stephen W , Lynch John , Hiller Janet , Farshid Gelareh , Roder David
Published: April 2015

Objective

To estimate over-diagnosis due to population-based mammography screening using a lead time adjustment approach, with lead time measures based on symptomatic cancers only.

Subjects

Women aged 40–84 in 1989–2009 in South Australia eligible for mammography screening.

Methods

Numbers of observed and expected breast cancer cases were compared, after adjustment for lead time. Lead time effects were modelled using age-specific estimates of lead time (derived from interval cancer rates and predicted background incidence, using maximum likelihood methods) and screening sensitivity, projected background breast cancer incidence rates (in the absence of screening), and proportions screened, by age and calendar year.

Results

Lead time estimates were 12, 26, 43 and 53 months, for women aged 40–49, 50–59, 60–69 and 70–79 respectively. Background incidence rates were estimated to have increased by 0.9% and 1.2% per year for invasive and all breast cancer. Over-diagnosis among women aged 40–84 was estimated at 7.9% (0.1–12.0%) for invasive cases and 12.0% (5.7–15.4%) when including ductal carcinoma in-situ (DCIS).

Conclusions

We estimated 8% over-diagnosis for invasive breast cancer and 12% inclusive of DCIS cancers due to mammography screening among women aged 40–84. These estimates may overstate the extent of over-diagnosis if the increasing prevalence of breast cancer risk factors has led to higher background incidence than projected.
Lives of Deprivation or Lives of Industry
Authors: Drew Rose
Published: April 2015

Contemporary historical and medical writing on impairment in the medieval period claim the disabled were blighted evidence of God’s disfavour. Such opinions are often tautologies, unsupported by fourteenth-century primary sources such as Piers Plowman and Lollard writings. Vagrancy proclamations (1495), and dissolution of monasteries from 1538 encouraged self-sufficiency. Impairment may not have equalled poverty.
Dynamic mechanical analysis of magnetorheological composites containing silica-coated carbonyl iron powder
Authors: Małecki Paweł , Królewicz Michał , Krzak Justyna , Kaleta Jerzy , Pigłowski Jacek
Published: April 2015

This article describes the dynamic mechanical analysis of the behaviour of magnetorheological composites consisting of a magnetically active filler (carbonyl iron powder) and a soft thermoplastic elastomer matrix (styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene). The carbonyl iron particle surface was coated by a sol–gel silica layer to improve the adhesion between hydrophilic magnetic particles and the hydrophobic polymer. Isotropic magnetorheological composites containing 81.25 wt% unmodified and silica-coated carbonyl iron powder were manufactured. The surface morphology of the carbonyl iron particles was observed using transmission electron microscopy, while its magnetic properties were analysed with a vibrating sample magnetometer. The magnetomechanical properties of the prepared magnetorheological composites were determined through shearing tests performed in various magnetic fields. The magnetorheological composites containing modified carbonyl iron powder have lower magnetorheological effect in comparison to the composites with pure carbonyl iron powder.
Investigating the Lived Experience of Recovery in People Who Hear Voices
Authors: de Jager Adèle , Rhodes Paul , Beavan Vanessa , Holmes Douglas , McCabe Kathryn , Thomas Neil , McCarthy-Jones Simon , Lampshire Debra , Hayward Mark
Published: April 2015

Although there is evidence of both clinical and personal recovery from distressing voices, the process of recovery over time is unclear. Narrative inquiry was used to investigate 11 voice-hearers’ lived experience of recovery. After a period of despair/exhaustion, two recovery typologies emerged: (a) turning toward/empowerment, which involved developing a normalized account of voices, building voice-specific skills, integration of voices into daily life, and a transformation of identity, and (b) turning away/protective hibernation, which involved harnessing all available resources to survive the experience, with the importance of medication in recovery being emphasized. Results indicated the importance of services being sensitive and responsive to a person’s recovery style at any given time and their readiness for change. Coming to hold a normalized account of voice-hearing and the self and witnessing of preferred narratives by others were essential in the more robust turning toward recovery typology.
Evolutionary robotics techniques used to model information and control of visually guided braking
Authors: Kadihasanoglu Didem , Beer Randall D , Bingham Geoffrey P
Published: April 2015

This paper utilizes evolutionary robotics techniques as a hypothesis generator to explore optical variables and control strategies that could be used to solve a driving-like braking task. Given such a task, humans exhibit two different braking behaviors: continuously regulated braking and impulsive braking. Based on an oft-used experimental task in human perception/action research, a series of evolutionary robotics simulations were developed to explore the space of possible braking strategies by examining how braking strategies change as the optical information is manipulated. Our results can be summarized as follows: (1) behaviors similar to human behavior were observed only when the constraints were selected correctly; (2) the optical variables τ and proportional rate yielded significantly better braking performance; (3) two different classes of impulsive braking behaviors were observed, including one not reported in previous studies: discrete impulsive braking and oscillatory impulsive braking; (4) the optical variable τ is used to initiate and terminate braking; (5) the evolved model agents use a proportional rate control strategy to regulate braking continuously. We argue that combining psychological experiments and evolutionary robotics simulations is a promising research methodology that is useful for testing existing hypotheses and generating new ones.
Urinary Trypsin Inhibitor Reduced Inflammation Response Induced by Hyperlipidemia
Authors: Deng Ying , Kong Junying
Published: April 2015

Introduction and Objectives:

Atherosclerosis is recognized as a chronic inflammatory disease. The aim of this study was to examine the role of urinary trypsin inhibitor (UTI) in inflammation response induced by hyperlipidemia in rabbits.

Methods:

Thirty rabbits after injury of the right iliac artery endothelium were randomly divided into 3 groups: control group, model group, and UTI group. Iliac arteries were isolated and histology was performed on arterial regions that were injured by balloon after 8 weeks. Neointimal thickness (NT) and neointimal to media radio (N/M) were measured. Blood lipids, interleukin 6, and tumor necrosis factor-α were evaluated. Macrophages were evaluated by immunohistochemical analysis. MicroRNA-181b (miR-181b) was measured by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.

Results:

Urinary trypsin inhibitor therapy decreased serum inflammatory factor levels without significant changes in blood lipids. Compared with model group, UTI reduced macrophage infiltration of iliac artery (13.91 ± 2.03% vs 24.21 ± 8.94%, P < .01). Hyperlipidemia reduced the expression of miR-181b and increased NT and N/M ratio. Systemic administration of UTI rescued miR-181b expression and inhibited neointimal formation.

Conclusions:

Urinary trypsin inhibitor could reduce neointimal hyperplasia by inhibiting inflammatory response induced by hyperlipidemia and may become a potential antiatherosclerosis supplement.
Free vibration analysis of rotating tapered Timoshenko beams via variational iteration method
Authors: Chen Yanfei , Zhang Juan , Zhang Hong
Published: April 2015

Accurate determination of natural frequencies and mode shapes of the rotating tapered Timoshenko beam is important in engineering practice. This paper re-examines the free vibration of rotating tapered Timoshenko beams using the technique of variational iteration, which is relatively new and is capable of providing accurate solutions for eigenvalue problems in a quite easy way. Natural frequencies and mode shapes for rotating tapered Timoshenko beams with linearly varying height as well as linearly varying height and width are investigated via two numerical examples, and solutions are compared with results published in literature where available. Since the method constitutes a numerical procedure, the convergence of solutions which is important for practical implementation is evaluated as well, where efficiency and accuracy of variational iteration method in solving high order eigenvalue problems are demonstrated.
Patient and Physician Satisfaction with Telemedicine for Monitoring Vital Signs
Authors: Bratton Robert L
Published: April 2015

We evaluated user satisfaction with realtime telemedicine for monitoring vital signs. Over eight weeks, 20 patients and 12 residents in family medicine participated in the study. At the end of the study, the patients and doctors completed a questionnaire detailing satisfaction with the service. Responses were obtained from 18 of the 20 patients and were generally positive: 61 % were comfortable using the system and 94% did not believe that the technology had a negative effect on their relationship with the health-care provider. Eleven physician responses were obtained. Physicians were more uncertain about the benefits of the service: only 45% felt that telemedicine could adequately assess patients, although 82% felt that telemedicine would be an important part of primary-care services. From a user perspective, our study showed that patients were more satisfied with the telemedicine service than were doctors.
Teleradiology in Croatia
Authors: Vuletić S
Published: April 2015

A teleradiology system connecting 35 workstations in 27 hospitals was established in Croatia. In two years of operation, 2071 consultations were conducted using the system at an average rate of four neurosurgical teleconsultations per day. Eighty patients required urgent transfer to the tertiary hospital and 181 required non-urgent transfer. An additional 181 patients remained in their local hospital and were treated under the supervision of the tertiary hospital. The avoidance of unnecessary patient transfer led to significant cost savings.
Chamfered-bowl piston for ultra-low particulate combustion with diesel and soybean biodiesel in a single-cylinder compression-ignition engine
Authors: Kim Junghwan , Oh Seungmook , Lee Yonggyu , Lee Sunyoup , Kim Duksang , Lee Youngjae , Huh Kang Yul
Published: April 2015

Piston bowl geometries are critical to the combustion and emission characteristics of diesel engines. The present study investigated chamfered-bowl designs and biodiesel blending under a low-temperature combustion regime in order to achieve ultra-low particulate combustion (ULPC). The target soot level for ULPC was set at a filter smoke number value of 0.1 and engine experiments were conducted at the medium load condition. The injection visualization experiment provided the start of injection difference between the diesel and biodiesel fuels, while a three-dimensional computational simulation was conducted to examine the spray and combustion phenomena inside the engine cylinder.

The experimental engine was a 1 l single-cylinder diesel engine equipped with a common-rail direct-injection system. The engine was operated at a speed of 1400 rev/min and the intake pressure was set at 200 kPa for a 50 per cent load condition. Two chamfered-bowl pistons were prepared for comparison with the conventional re-entrant bowl piston, and the experimental results showed that the chamfered-bowl pistons achieved significant soot reduction. In addition, computational analysis using a KIVA model showed that the chamfered bowls achieved wider fuel distribution and enhanced combustion. Biodiesel blending further reduced soot emission, and an increase in nitric oxides with biodiesel blends was also observed.
Observing judicial work and emotions: using two researchers
Authors: Roach Anleu Sharyn , Bergman Blix Stina , Mack Kathy , Wettergren Åsa
Published: April 2015

Observation is an important component of research to examine complex social settings and is well-established for studying courtroom dynamics and judicial behaviour. However, the many activities occurring at once and the multiple participants, lay and professional, make it impossible for a sole researcher to observe and understand everything occurring in the courtroom. This article reports on the use of two researchers to undertake court observations, in two different studies, each nested in a different research design. The social nature of data collection and the value of dialogue between the two researchers in interpreting observed events, especially when studying emotion, are readily apparent in both studies.
Degradation modeling–based remaining useful life estimation: A review on approaches for systems with heterogeneity
Authors: Zhang Zhengxin , Si Xiaosheng , Hu Changhua , Kong Xiangyu
Published: April 2015

Prognostics and health management has drawn increasing attention and gained deepening recognition and widening applications during the past decades. Due to offering guidance for sequential managements involving inspection schedule, maintenance, replacement, and spare parts ordering, remaining useful life estimation has been termed as the kernel technology of prognostics and health management and is the focus of this research in the field of reliability. Heterogeneity is widespread in the inner states of a system and its related working environments. This article provides a review on approaches for degradation modeling and remaining useful life estimation, with an emphasis on the heterogeneity in the systems. Approaches for three kinds of heterogeneity, including the unit-to-unit variability, the variability in time-varying operating conditions, and the diversity of tasks and workloads of a system during its lifetime, are summarized consecutively, and the corresponding methods are provided. Merits and drawbacks are summed up, respectively, following each approach. In addition, several possible future research directions are provided at the end of this article.
Fiction from the Periphery: How Dutch Writers Enter the Field of English-Language Literature
Authors: van Es Nicky , Heilbron Johan
Published: April 2015

Literary translations are worldwide predominantly made from English, which is far ahead of any other language. While various studies have proposed interpretations of this supremacy few have examined translation flows in the opposite direction, studying how literary authors from the periphery can transcend the boundaries of their language and gain access to the center of the global literary world by being translated into English. From the theoretical perspective of a multi-level field approach, we propose a case study of how literary translations from Dutch are published and presented in the UK and the US. The study specifies by which mechanisms Dutch authors overcame the obstacles they encountered on the macro, meso and micro levels. The theoretical framework proposed contributes to sociological understanding of how authors from the periphery can enter an internationally dominant center, demonstrating that such an understanding is part of the same theoretical approach that accounts for the far more frequent flows from the core to the periphery.
Socio-spatial distance during the service delivery process: The case of restaurants
Authors: Clauzel Amélie , Riché Caroline
Published: April 2015

This research highlights the effects of socio-spatial distance between frontline employees, customers and co-clients in restaurants on the duration and expense of the consumption experience. Situations in which all those involved are very close to one another (intrusion) reduce both of these variables. The authors note a preference for positions removed both from staff and from fellow customers, especially in the case of individuals consuming as part of a group. Four interactional service situations – intrusion, conviviality, discretion and coldness – are interpreted according to customer group sizes.
Computers, coders, and voters: Comparing automated methods for estimating party positions
Authors: Hjorth Frederik , Klemmensen Robert , Hobolt Sara , Hansen Martin Ejnar , Kurrild-Klitgaard Peter
Published: April 2015

Assigning political actors positions in ideological space is a task of key importance to political scientists. In this paper we compare estimates obtained using the automated Wordscores and Wordfish techniques, along with estimates from voters and the Comparative Manifesto Project (CMP), against expert placements. We estimate the positions of 254 manifestos across 33 elections in Germany and Denmark, two cases with very different textual data available. We find that Wordscores approximately replicates the CMP, voter, and expert assessments of party positions in both cases, whereas Wordfish replicates the positions in the German manifestos only. The results demonstrate that automated methods can produce valid estimates of party positions, but also that the appropriateness of each method hinges on the quality of the textual data. Additional analyses suggest that Wordfish requires both longer texts and a more ideologically charged vocabulary in order to produce estimates comparable to Wordscores. The paper contributes to the literature on automated content analysis by providing a comprehensive test of convergent validation, in terms of both number of cases analyzed and number of validation measures.
Lack of the nucleoside transporter ENT1 results in the Augustine-null blood type and ectopic mineralization
Authors: Daniels Geoff , Ballif Bryan A. , Helias Virginie , Saison Carole , Grimsley Shane , Mannessier Lucienne , Hustinx Hein , Lee Edmond , Cartron Jean-Pierre , Peyrard Thierry , Arnaud Lionel
Published: April 2015

Key Points

SLC29A1 encoding the equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (ENT1) specifies a novel blood group system that includes the Ata antigen. Although At(a−) people of African ancestry have functional ENT1, 3 siblings of European ancestry were identified who do not express ENT1.
Hemostatic agents of broad applicability produced by selective tuning of factor Xa zymogenicity
Authors: Ivanciu Lacramioara , Camire Rodney M.
Published: April 2015

Key Points

Modulation of FX(a) zymogenicity yields proteins with a broad range of half-lives and biologic function yet potent in vivo efficacy. Zymogen-like variants are attractive molecules for alleviating bleeding in different clinical scenarios such as hemophilia.
Impairment of exogenous lactate clearance in experimental hyperdynamic septic shock is not related to total liver hypoperfusion
Authors: Tapia Pablo , Soto Dagoberto , Bruhn Alejandro , Alegría Leyla , Jarufe Nicolás , Luengo Cecilia , Kattan Eduardo , Regueira Tomás , Meissner Arturo , Menchaca Rodrigo , Vives María Ignacia , Echeverría Nicolas , Ospina-Tascón Gustavo , Bakker Jan , Hernández Glenn
Published: April 2015

Introduction

Although the prognostic value of persistent hyperlactatemia in septic shock is unequivocal, its physiological determinants are controversial. Particularly, the role of impaired hepatic clearance has been underestimated and is only considered relevant in patients with liver ischemia or cirrhosis. Our objectives were to establish whether endotoxemia impairs whole body net lactate clearance, and to explore a potential role for total liver hypoperfusion during the early phase of septic shock.

Methods

After anesthesia, 12 sheep were subjected to hemodynamic/perfusion monitoring including hepatic and portal catheterization, and a hepatic ultrasound flow probe. After stabilization (point A), sheep were alternatively assigned to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (5 mcg/kg bolus followed by 4 mcg/kg/h) or sham for a three-hour study period. After 60 minutes of shock, animals were fluid resuscitated to normalize mean arterial pressure. Repeated series of measurements were performed immediately after fluid resuscitation (point B), and one (point C) and two hours later (point D). Monitoring included systemic and regional hemodynamics, blood gases and lactate measurements, and ex-vivo hepatic mitochondrial respiration at point D. Parallel exogenous lactate and sorbitol clearances were performed at points B and D. Both groups included an intravenous bolus followed by serial blood sampling to draw a curve using the least squares method.

Results

Significant hyperlactatemia was already present in LPS as compared to sham animals at point B (4.7 (3.1 to 6.7) versus 1.8 (1.5 to 3.7) mmol/L), increasing to 10.2 (7.8 to 12.3) mmol/L at point D. A significant increase in portal and hepatic lactate levels in LPS animals was also observed. No within-group difference in hepatic DO2, VO2 or O2 extraction, total hepatic blood flow (point D: 915 (773 to 1,046) versus 655 (593 to 1,175) ml/min), mitochondrial respiration, liver enzymes or sorbitol clearance was found. However, there was a highly significant decrease in lactate clearance in LPS animals (point B: 46 (30 to 180) versus 1,212 (743 to 2,116) ml/min, P <0.01; point D: 113 (65 to 322) versus 944 (363 to 1,235) ml/min, P <0.01).

Conclusions

Endotoxemia induces an early and severe impairment in lactate clearance that is not related to total liver hypoperfusion.
The socioeconomic and environmental impacts of wood energy value chains in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic map protocol
Authors: Cerutti Paolo Omar , Sola Phosiso , Chenevoy Audrey , Iiyama Miyuki , Yila Jummai , Zhou Wen , Djoudi Houria , Atyi Richard Eba’a , Gautier Denis Jean , Gumbo Davison , Kuehl Yannick , Levang Patrice , Martius Christopher , Matthews Robin , Nasi Robert , Neufeldt Henry , Njenga Mary , Petrokofsky Gillian , Saunders Matthew , Shepherd Gill , Sonwa Denis Jean , Sundberg Cecilia , van Noordwijk Meine
Published: April 2015

Background

The vast majority of households in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) depend on wood energy—comprising firewood and charcoal—for their daily energetic needs. Such consumption trends are expected to remain a common feature of SSA’s wood energy production and supply chains, at least in the short- to medium-terms. Notwithstanding its importance, wood energy generally has low priority in SSA national policies. However, the use of wood energy is often considered a key driver of unsustainable management and negative environmental consequences in the humid and dry forests.

To date, unsystematic assessments of the socio-economic and environmental consequences of wood energy use have underplayed its significance, thus further hampering policy debates. Therefore, a more balanced approach which considers both demand and supply dynamics is needed. This systematic map aims at providing a comprehensive approach to understanding the role and impacts of wood energy across all regions and aspects in SSA.

Methods

The objective of this systematic map is to collate evidence from studies of environmental and socio-economic impacts of wood energy value chains, by considering both demand and supply within SSA. The map questions are framed using a Populations, Exposure, Comparators and Outcomes (PECO) approach. We name the supply and demand of wood energy as the “exposure,” composed of wood energy production, harvesting, processing, and consumption. The populations of interest include both the actors involved in these activities and the forest sites where these activities occur. The comparator is defined as those cases where the same wood energy activities occur with i) available/accessible alternative energy sources, ii) regulatory frameworks that govern the sector and iii) alternative technologies for efficient use. The outcomes of interest encompass both socioeconomic and environmental impacts that can affect more than the populations named above. For instance, in addition to the direct socioeconomic impacts felt by participants in the wood energy value chain, forest dwellers may experience livelihood changes due to forest degradation caused by external harvesters. Moreover, intensified deforestation in one area may concurrently lead to forest regeneration in another.
I drink for my liver, Doc: emerging evidence that coffee prevents cirrhosis
Authors: Feld Jordan J. , Lavoie Élise G. , Fausther Michel , Dranoff Jonathan A.
Published: April 2015

Evidence demonstrating that regular ingestion of coffee has salutary effects on patients with chronic liver disease is accumulating rapidly. Specifically, it appears that coffee ingestion can slow the progression of liver fibrosis, preventing cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This should excite clinicians and scientists alike, since these observations, if true, would create effective, testable hypotheses that should lead to improved understanding on fibrosis pathogenesis and thus may generate novel pharmacologic treatments of patients with chronic liver disease.

This review is designed to examine the relevant clinical and epidemiological data in critical fashion and to examine the putative pharmacological effects of coffee relevant to the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. We hope that this will inspire relevant critical analyses, especially among “coffee skeptics”. Of note, one major assumption made by this review is that the bulk of the effects of coffee consumption are mediated by caffeine, rather than by other chemical constituents of coffee. Our rationales for this assumption are threefold: first, caffeine’s effects on adenosinergic signaling provide testable hypotheses; second, although there are  myriad chemical constituents of coffee, they are present in very low concentrations, and perhaps more importantly, vary greatly between coffee products and production methods (it is important to note that we do not dismiss the “botanical” hypothesis here; rather, we do not emphasize it at present due to the limitations of the studies examined); lastly, some (but not all) observational studies have examined both coffee and non-coffee caffeine consumption and found consistent effects, and when examined, no benefit to decaffeinated coffee has been observed. Further, in the interval since we examined this phenomenon last, further evidence has accumulated supporting caffeine as the effector molecule for coffee’s salutary effects.
Internal capsule integrity and its sex-related structural differences in early-onset schizophrenia - diffusion tensor imaging study.
Authors: Gawłowska Marta , Rabe-Jabłońska Jolanta , Gębski Piotr , Chomczyński Piotr
Published: April 2015

Cel

Najbardziej powtarzalne wyniki badań DTI (Diffusion Tensor Imaging-obrazowanie tensora dyfuzji) w schizofrenii dotyczą zmniejszonych wartości FA (Fractional Anizotropy-frakcjonalna anizotropia) w regionach płatów skroniowych i czołowych z towarzyszącymi nieprawidłowościami w obrębie łączących je włókien neuronalnych. Celem powyższego badania była ocena różnic w zakresie frakcjonalnej anizotropii w regionie torebki wewnętrznej pomiędzy pacjentami z EOS (Early Onset Schizophrenia-schizofrenia o wczesnym początku) i zdrową kontrolą, z naciskiem na płeć jako potencjalnie kluczowym czynnikiem determinującym dominujący wzorzec opisywanych zmian.

Metoda

Przy użyciu DTI przebadano 30 pacjentów z EOS oraz 30-osobową zdrową grupę kontrolną. Dokonano oceny FA w obrębie torebki wewnętrznej w kilku wyznaczonych regionach zainteresowania. Do analizy statystycznej użyto jednokierunkowego testu ANOVA (p<0.05).

Wyniki

Zaobserwowano znaczące statystycznie różnice w zakresie FA pomiędzy pacjentami z EOS i grupą kontrolną w regionie przedniej odnogi torebki wewnętrznej (ALIC) po stronie prawej – z niższymi wartościami FA w grupie pacjentów. Znamienne statystycznie różnice FA u badanych kobiet wykazano wyłącznie dla ALIC po prawej stronie. Nie stwierdzono żadnych różnic istotnych statystycznie u badanych mężczyzn.

Wnioski

1. Istnieją znamienne statystycznie różnice pomiędzy pacjentami z EOS (w podgrupie kobiet) i grupą kontrolną w zakresie dyfuzyjności istoty białej w regionie odnogi przedniej torebki wewnętrznej po stronie prawej.
2. Uzyskane wyniki sugerują zaangażowanie struktur torebki wewnętrznej w rozwój schizofrenii o wczesnym początku.