bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How to Identify an Arbitrage of Type B on Capital Markets
Authors: Zaremba Leszek
Published: February 2018

We propose here a 1-period matrix model of a fraction of the Polish financial market (for our purposes it will suffice to focus on a fraction of the market) built up from the point of view of the Polish biggest listed company KGHM. Using this model we construct an arbitrage portfolio consisting of 5 different assets, namely shares of KGHM, Treasury bills and 3 kinds of stock options. We recall the concept of arbitrage of type A and type B (called also an arbitrage I and arbitrage II, resp.) and illustrate it with examples. To prove that an arbitrage is possible to conduct, we separately distinguish scenarios when options prices are determined by the Black-Scholes formula, and when they deviate from their theoretical values. We prove that in all those cases an arbitrage of type B can be conducted. Since our approach does not rely on the specifics of Poland as a country, it can be equally well implemented in any other country which offers Treasury bills, as well as call and put options on shares of selected companies (KGHM in the studied case). The purpose of this study is to encourage practitioners to conduct an arbitrage in their own country, especially in a case when call and put options are offered on a local OTC market.
The microvascular and morphostructural changes of nails in psoriatic patients with nail disease; a link between ultrasound and videocapillaroscopy findings in the nailfold
Authors: Bakirci Ureyen Sibel , Kara Rabia Oztas , Erturk Zeynep , Yaldiz Mahizer
Published: February 2018

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the link between nail fold vessel resistive index (NVRI) measured by ultrasound (US) and capillary loops diameters measured using nailfold videocapillarascopy (NVC), and to assess the morphological appearance of the nail bed in patients with psoriatic nail disease (PND) as compared with healthy controls (HCs).Material and methods: This study was conducted in patients with PND and HCs. General demographic data were collected and clinical assessments were performed for all subjects. The nail plate thickness (NPT) was measured on gray scale using US. The NVRI was measured using color Doppler (CD) US. The measurements of the apical, arterial, venous limb diameters and morpho-structural changes (tortuous, cross-linked capillaries) were assessed using NVC.Results: Thirty-four patients with PND and 15 HCs were enrolled in this study. The two groups were matched for age and body mass index (BMI). Patients with PND had higher NPT and NVRI in comparison with HCs [(20 (17-23) vs 14 (14-15), p<0.001), (0.55 (0.51-0.61) vs 0.43 (0.38-0.49), p<0.001), respectively]. A higher proportion of patients with PND had tortuous capillaries than HCs (62% and 20% respectively, p=0.005). The mean NVRI was higher in patients with PND who had tortuous capillaries than patients who did not have tortuous capillaries (0.58 (0.7) and 0.52 (0.09), respectively p=0.033).Conclusion: Microvascular changes can be detected easily using non-invasive methods such as US and NVC. These methods can provide an objective data to better assess PND.
Effects of electric field on polysilicon gettering of iron and copper in highly boron-doped silicon
Authors: Koh Song-Foo , Yap Seong-Shan , Tou Teck-Yong
Published: February 2018

The polysilicon gettering behavior of iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) in highly boron doped silicon was studied under isothermal annealing with and without the presence of an electric field. Depth profiles of Fe and Cu in the polysilicon were obtained by dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry. Enhanced gettering as a result of the electric field can be attributed to the drift-behavior of Fe and Cu over thermal diffusion at elevated temperature. While the polysilicon-silicon interfacial segregation acted against the back-diffusion of Cu, the same was not observed for Fe. About 61% of Cu and 35% of Fe were trapped in polysilicon after 2 days owing to strong interfacial segregations.
The Effects of 3-Month Skill-Based and Plyometric Conditioning on Fitness Parameters in Junior Female Volleyball Players
Authors: Idrizovic Kemal , Gjinovci Bahri , Sekulic Damir , Uljevic Ognjen , João Paulo Vicente , Spasic Miodrag , Sattler Tine
Published: February 2018

Purpose: This study compared the effects of skill-based and plyometric conditioning (both performed in addition to regular volleyball training twice a week for 12 wk) on fitness parameters in female junior volleyball players. Methods: The participants [n = 47; age: 16.6 (0.6) y; mass: 59.4 (8.1) kg; height: 175.1 (3.0) cm] were randomized into a plyometric (n = 13), a skill-based (n = 17), and a control (n = 17) groups. The variables included body height, body mass, calf girth, calf skinfold, corrected calf girth, countermovement jump, 20-m-sprint, medicine ball toss, and sit-and-reach test. Results: Two-way analysis of variance (time × group) effects for time were significant (P < .05) for all variables except body mass. Significant group × time interactions were observed for calf skinfold [η2 = .14; medium effect size (ES)], 20-m sprint (η2 = .09; small ES), countermovement jump (η2 = .29; large ES), medicine ball (η2 = .58; large ES), with greater gains (reduction of skinfold) for plyometric group, and sit-and-reach (η2 = .35; large ES), with greater gains in plyometric and skill-based groups. The magnitude-based inference indicated positive changes in 1) medicine ball toss and countermovement jump for all groups; 2) sit-and-reach for the plyometric and skill-based groups; and 3) 20-m sprint, calf girth, calf skinfold, and corrected calf girth for plyometric group only. Conclusion: Selected variables can be improved by adding 2 plyometric training sessions throughout the period of 12 weeks. Additional skill-based conditioning did not contribute to improvement in the studied variables compared with regular volleyball training.
Landscape variation influences trophic cascades in dengue vector food webs
Authors: Weterings Robbie , Umponstira Chanin , Buckley Hannah L.
Published: February 2018

Landscapes affect natural dengue vector control through food webs in both terrestrial and aquatic environments.
Plasma Levels of Rifampin Correlate with the Tuberculosis Drug Activity Assay
Authors: Niward Katarina , Ek Blom Linnea , Davies Forsman Lina , Bruchfeld Judith , Eliasson Erik , Schön Thomas , Chryssanthou Erja , Paues Jakob
Published: February 2018

The plasma tuberculosis drug activity (TDA) assay may be an alternative tool for therapeutic drug monitoring in resource-limited settings. In tuberculosis (TB) patients (
n
= 30), TDA and plasma levels of first-line drugs were analyzed 2 h postdose, 2 weeks after treatment initiation. Patients with plasma levels of rifampin lower than 8 mg/liter had a significantly lower median TDA (1.40 versus 1.68,
P
= 0.0013). TDA may be used to identify TB patients with suboptimal rifampin levels during TB treatment.
Detection of TR
34
/L98H
CYP51A
Mutation through Passive Surveillance for Azole-Resistant Aspergillus fumigatus in the United States from 2015 to 2017
Authors: Berkow Elizabeth L. , Nunnally Natalie S. , Bandea Alex , Kuykendall Randall , Beer Karlyn , Lockhart Shawn R.
Published: February 2018

The emergence of azole-resistant
Aspergillus fumigatus
has become a clinical problem in many parts of the world. Several amino acid mutations in the azole target protein Cyp51Ap contribute to this resistance, with the most concerning being the environmentally derived TR
34
/L98H and TR
46
/Y121F/T289A mutations. Here, we performed passive surveillance to assess a sample of the
A. fumigatus
population in the United States for the presence of these mutations. We found 1.4% of those isolates to exhibit elevated MIC via broth microdilution, and five of those isolates harbored the TR
34
/L98H mutation.
Complete Genome Sequence of
Xanthomonas arboricola
pv. juglandis Strain DW3F3, Isolated from a
Juglans regia
L. Bacterial Blighted Fruitlet
Authors: Fu Benzhong , Chen Qianqian , Wei Mi , Zhu Jieqian , Zou Lulu , Li Guoyuan , Wang Lihua
Published: February 2018

Here, we report the complete genome sequence of
Xanthomonas arboricola
pv. juglandis DW3F3, a strong pathogenic strain isolated from blighted walnut immature fruit (
Juglans regia
L. cv. Qingxiang). The genome consists of a single chromosome (5,144 kb).
Regulatory Role of an Interdomain Linker in the Bacterial Chemotaxis Histidine Kinase CheA
Authors: Ding Xueye , He Qiang , Shen Fenglin , Dahlquist Frederick W. , Wang Xiqing
Published: February 2018

The histidine kinase CheA plays a central role in signal integration, conversion, and amplification in the bacterial chemotaxis signal transduction pathway. The kinase activity is regulated in chemotaxis signaling complexes formed via the interactions among CheA's regulatory domain (P5), the coupling protein CheW, and transmembrane chemoreceptors. Despite recent advancements in the understanding of the architecture of the signaling complex, the molecular mechanism underlying this regulation remains elusive. An interdomain linker that connects the catalytic (P4) and regulatory domains of CheA may mediate regulatory signals from the P5-CheW-receptor interactions to the catalytic domain. To investigate whether this interdomain linker is capable of both activating and inhibiting CheA, we performedin vivoscreens to search for P4-P5 linker mutations that result in different CheA autokinase activities. Several CheA variants were identified with kinase activities ranging from 30% to 670% of the activity of wild-type CheA. All of these CheA variants were defective in receptor-mediated kinase activation, indicating that the natural receptor-mediated signal transmission pathway was simultaneously affected by these mutations. The altered P4-P5 linkers were sufficient for making significant changes in the kinase activity even in the absence of the P5 domain. Therefore, the interdomain linker is an active module that has the ability to impose regulatory effects on the catalytic activity of the P4 domain. These results suggest that chemoreceptors may manipulate the conformation of the P4-P5 linker to achieve CheA regulation in the platform of the signaling complex.

IMPORTANCEThe molecular mechanism underlying kinase regulation in bacterial chemotaxis signaling complexes formed by the regulatory domain of the histidine kinase CheA, the coupling protein CheW, and chemoreceptors is still unknown. We isolated and characterized mutations in the interdomain linker that connects the catalytic and regulatory domains of CheA and found that the linker mutations resulted in different CheA autokinase activities in the absence and presence of the regulatory domain as well as a defect in receptor-mediated kinase activation. These results demonstrate that the interdomain linker is an active module that has the ability to impose regulatory effects on CheA activity. Chemoreceptors may manipulate the conformation of this interdomain linker to achieve CheA regulation in the platform of the signaling complex.
Acupuncture ‘dose’ (Number of Treatments) and Insurance Benefits in the Usa
Authors: Schwehr Natalie A , Shippee Nathan D , Johnson Pamela Jo
Published: February 2018

Background

An adequate treatment dose, including a sufficient number of acupuncture treatments, is important for the clinical effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for common conditions.

Objective

To examine the characteristics of US adults who used a full course of acupuncture (≥6 treatments), a short course (1–5 treatments) or no acupuncture, including use of insurance benefits for acupuncture among users.

Methods

We used population-based survey data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), the most current nationally representative data including use of acupuncture. We described subgroups of acupuncture users and used logistic regression to estimate the odds of past year acupuncture use versus non-use and completion of a full treatment course versus a short course. Covariates included demographic factors and health status. Analyses used strata, weights and clustering to account for the complex sample design.

Results

Among acupuncture users, 38% completed a full course. Acupuncture use was low (1.5%), but odds were higher among women and those with greater education and less poverty. Those who used acupuncture insurance benefits and who had greater education were more likely to receive a full treatment course. Insurance benefits attenuated disparities in use by sex and race/ethnicity.

Conclusion

Nationally, most people who use acupuncture do not receive a full treatment course. Considering evidence of effectiveness, low risk and relatively low cost of delivery, acupuncture could play a larger role in non-pharmaceutical treatment of common conditions such as pain. Policymakers should consider that, without insurance benefits for acupuncture, people are less likely to complete a full treatment course, which may contribute to disparities in use and health outcomes.
Acupuncture and in vitro fertilisation research: Current and future directions
Authors: Hullender Rubin Lee E , Anderson Belinda J , Craig LaTasha B
Published: February 2018

Background

Acupuncture is a common adjuvant treatment to support patients undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF). However, the impact of acupuncture and the different roles it can play in IVF remain unclear.

Objective

In this paper, we present an overview and critique of the current evidence on acupuncture's impact on IVF-related stress, describe harms, and propose future directions for investigation.

Conclusion

Two to three acupuncture sessions performed on or around the day of embryo transfer are insufficient interventions to improve IVF birth outcomes but provide significant IVF-related stress reduction. Research investigating acupuncture to support IVF is heterogeneous and confounded by the lack of an appropriate comparator. However, evidence suggests several acupuncture sessions improve endometrial thickness, reduce stress, and improve patient satisfaction. Observational studies suggest more sessions are associated with increases in clinical pregnancy and live birth rates. An optimised acupuncture intervention with a reasonable comparator is necessary for future studies, with evidence-based guidance on technique and number of sessions. Acupuncture should not be rejected as an adjuvant therapy for IVF, but more studies are needed to clarify acupuncture's role in supporting IVF cycles.
Dementia prevalence in a population at high vascular risk: the Trinidad national survey of ageing and cognition
Authors: Davis Gershwin , Baboolal Nelleen , Mc Rae Amanda , Stewart Robert
Published: February 2018

Objective

To investigate the dementia prevalence in a country with high levels of cardiovascular risk factors

Design and methods

Older people in Trinidad are recognised to have particularly high levels of cardiovascular risk factors. We carried out a survey in a nationally representative sample of people aged ≥70 years using household enumeration. Dementia status was ascertained using standardised interviews and algorithms from the 10/66 schedule and age-specific prevalence were compared with identically defined output from the 10/66 surveys of 16 536 residents in eight other low-income and middle-income countries.

Results

Of 1832 participants (77.0% response rate), dementia was present in 442 (23.4%). Prevalences were 12.0% in persons aged 70–74 years, 23.5% at 75–79, 25.8% at 80–84, 41.3% at 85–89 and 54.0% in those aged ≥90 years. Prevalence ratios compared with averages from 10/66 surveys in these age groups were 2.2, 2.6, 1.6, 1.7 and 1.6, respectively, and were 2.7, 2.8, 1.7, 1.4 and 0.8, respectively, compared with previously published consensus estimates for the Latin American region. Dementia was significantly associated with reported stroke and diabetes in logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic status and other vascular risk factors (OR (95% CI) 4.40 (2.70 to 7.19) and 1.56 (1.20 to 2.03), respectively). Projected national numbers of people with dementia (18 206) were 70%–100% higher than those estimated using most recent regional consensus prevalences.

Conclusion

In a nation with high levels of vascular risk, dementia prevalence is higher than expected, particularly at the lower end of the 70+ age range. International prevalence projections may need to take into account risk status as well as age structures.
Association between perceived stress, multimorbidity and primary care health services: a Danish population-based cohort study
Authors: Prior Anders , Vestergaard Mogens , Larsen Karen Kjær , Fenger-Grøn Morten
Published: February 2018

Objectives

Mental stress is common in the general population. Mounting evidence suggests that mental stress is associated with multimorbidity, suboptimal care and increased mortality. Delivering healthcare in a biopsychosocial context is key for general practitioners (GPs), but it remains unclear how persons with high levels of perceived stress are managed in primary care. We aimed to describe the association between perceived stress and primary care services by focusing on mental health-related activities and markers of elective/acute care while accounting for mental–physical multimorbidity.

Design

Population-based cohort study.

Setting

Primary healthcare in Denmark.

Participants

118 410 participants from the Danish National Health Survey 2010 followed for 1 year. Information on perceived stress and lifestyle was obtained from a survey questionnaire. Information on multimorbidity was obtained from health registers.

Outcome measures

General daytime consultations, out-of-hours services, mental health-related services and chronic care services in primary care obtained from health registers.

Results

Perceived stress levels were associated with primary care activity in a dose–response relation when adjusted for underlying conditions, lifestyle and socioeconomic factors. In the highest stress quintile, 6.8% attended GP talk therapy (highest vs lowest quintile, adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRR): 4.96, 95% CI 4.20 to 5.86), 3.3% consulted a psychologist (IRR: 6.49, 95% CI 4.90 to 8.58), 21.5% redeemed an antidepressant prescription (IRR: 4.62, 95% CI 4.03 to 5.31), 23.8% attended annual chronic care consultations (IRR: 1.22, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.29) and 26.1% used out-of-hours services (IRR: 1.47, 95% CI 1.51 to 1.68). For those with multimorbidity, stress was associated with more out-of-hours services, but not with more chronic care services.

Conclusion

Persons with high stress levels generally had higher use of primary healthcare, 4–6 times higher use of mental health-related services (most often in the form of psychotropic drug prescriptions), but less timely use of chronic care services.
Interactive voice response interventions targeting behaviour change: a systematic literature review with meta-analysis and meta-regression
Authors: Tsoli Stergiani , Sutton Stephen , Kassavou Aikaterini
Published: February 2018

Objective

A number of promising automated behaviour change interventions have been developed using advanced phone technology. This paper reviewed the effectiveness of interactive voice response (IVR)-based interventions designed to promote changes in specific health behaviours.

Methods

A systematic literature review of papers published between January 1990 and September 2017 in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, SCOPUS and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) was conducted. From the total of 2546 papers identified, 15 randomised control trials (RCTs) met the eligibility criteria and were included in a random effects meta-analysis. Meta-regression analysis was used to explore whether behaviour change techniques (BCTs) that were used in the interventions were associated with intervention effectiveness.

Results

Meta-analysis of 15 RCTs showed that IVR-based interventions had small but significant effects on promoting medication adherence (OR=1.527, 95% CI 1.207 to 1.932, k=9, p=0.000) and physical activity (Hedges’ g=0.254, 95% CI 0.068 to 0.439, k=3, p=0.007). No effects were found for alcohol (Hedges’ g=−0.077, 95% CI −0.162 to 0.007, k=4, p=0.073) or diet (Hedges’ g=0.130, 95% CI −0.088 to 0.347, k=2, p=0.242). In the medication adherence studies, multivariable meta-regression including six BCTs explained 100% of the observed variance in effect size, but only the BCT ‘information about health consequences’ was significantly associated with effect size (β=0.690, SE=0.199, 95% CI 0.29 to 1.08, p=0.000).

Conclusion

IVR-based interventions appear promising in changing specific health behaviours, such as medication adherence and physical activity. However, more studies are needed to elucidate further the combination of active components of IVR interventions that make them effective and test their feasibility and effectiveness using robust designs and objective outcome measures.
Music therapy in UK palliative and end-of-life care: a service evaluation
Authors: Graham-Wisener Lisa , Watts Grace , Kirkwood Jenny , Harrison Craig , McEwan Joan , Porter Sam , Reid Joanne , McConnell Tracey Helena
Published: February 2018

Music therapy aligns to the holistic approach to palliative and end-of-life care (PEOLC), with an emergent evidence base reporting positive effect on a range of health-related outcomes for both patient and family carer alongside high client demand. However, the current service provision and the role of music therapists in supporting individuals receiving PEOLC in the UK is currently unknown.

Objectives

This service evaluation aims to identify the provision, role and perceived impact of UK music therapists in supporting patients receiving PEOLC, their families and health and social care professionals.

Methods

A survey was distributed to the British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT) member mailing list in July 2017. BAMT is the professional body for Health and Care Professions Council registered music therapists in the UK.

Results

Fifty respondents identified themselves as music therapists currently working with clients receiving PEOLC. The respondents largely reported (84.7%) less than 10 years of experience working in PEOLC settings, with only a minority receiving statutory funding for their role. Music therapists most commonly reported supporting adults with neurological conditions, cancers and dementia.

Conclusions

Although promising that evidence suggests provision of music therapy in UK PEOLC settings in the past 10 years to have increased, lack of sustainable funding suggests the role to not be consistently accessible in PEOLC.
Alcohol dysregulates miR-148a in hepatocytes through FoxO1, facilitating pyroptosis via TXNIP overexpression
Authors: Heo Mi Jeong , Kim Tae Hyun , You Jueng Soo , Blaya Delia , Sancho-Bru Pau , Kim Sang Geon
Published: February 2018

Objective

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a leading cause of death among chronic liver diseases. However, its pathogenesis has not been completely established. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key contributors to liver diseases progression. This study investigated hepatocyte-abundant miRNAs dysregulated by ALD, its impact on hepatocyte injury and the underlying basis.

Design

Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) human and animal liver samples and hepatocytes were used to assess miR-148a levels. Pre-miR-148a was delivered specifically to hepatocytes in vivo using lentivirus. Immunoblottings, luciferase reporter assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence assays were carried out in cell models.

Results

The miRNA profile and PCR analyses enabled us to find substantial decrease of miR-148a in the liver of patients with AH. In mice subjected to Lieber-DeCarli alcohol diet or binge alcohol drinking, miR-148a levels were also markedly reduced. In cultured hepatocytes and mouse livers, alcohol exposure inhibited forkhead box protein O1 (FoxO1) expression, which correlated with miR-148a levels and significantly decreased in human AH specimens. FoxO1 was identified as a transcription factor for MIR148A transactivation. MiR-148a directly inhibited thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) expression. Consequently, treatment of hepatocytes with ethanol resulted in TXNIP overexpression, activating NLRP3 inflammasome and caspase-1-mediated pyroptosis. These events were reversed by miR-148a mimic or TXNIP small-interfering RNA transfection. Hepatocyte-specific delivery of miR-148a to mice abrogated alcohol-induced TXNIP overexpression and inflammasome activation, attenuating liver injury.

Conclusion

Alcohol decreases miR-148a expression in hepatocytes through FoxO1, facilitating TXNIP overexpression and NLRP3 inflammasome activation, which induces hepatocyte pyroptosis. Our findings provide information on novel targets for reducing incidence and progression of ALD.
Risk factors for falls among older community dwellers in Shenzhen, China
Authors: Zhou Haibin , Peng Ke , Tiedemann Anne , Peng Ji , Sherrington Catherine
Published: February 2018

Objective

To determine the rate of falls reported by older community dwellers in Shenzhen, China and to identify fall-related risk factors.

Method

Participants were community dwellers residing in Shenzhen, China, who were aged 60 years and over and were recruited using multistage random sampling. All participants were surveyed about demographic and health-related information, mood, vision and hearing impairment, self-rated health and retrospective falls, and a test of balance was administered. Univariate and multivariate negative binomial regression was used to identify factors associated with a greater number of falls.

Result

Study participants were 1290 people aged 60–98 years (mean 68.2 years, SD ±6.5). One hundred and seventy-seven falls were reported. One hundred and eleven (8.6%) participants reported one fall in the past year, 17 (1.3%) participants reported two falls and 10 (0.8%) participants reported three or more falls. Univariate analysis showed that age, living alone, presence of a medical condition, medication usage, visual impairment, poor subjective body sense perception, low mood, poor self-rated health and poor balance were associated with a greater number of falls in the past year. Multivariate analysis identified presence of a medical condition (incidence rate ratio (IRR)=1.40, 95% CI 1.19 to 1.67), living alone (IRR=2.46, 95% CI 1.12 to 5.41), visual impairment (IRR=1.46, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.08), walking aid use (IRR=2.29, 95% CI 1.12 to 4.69) and impaired balance (IRR=1.05, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.10) to be significantly associated with a greater number of falls in the past year.

Conclusion

More falls occurred in older Chinese people with presence of a medical condition, living alone, visual impairment, used a walking aid and impaired balance.
Association of hand and arm disinfection with asthma control in US nurses
Authors: Dumas Orianne , Varraso Raphäelle , Boggs Krislyn M , Descatha Alexis , Henneberger Paul K , Quinot Catherine , Speizer Frank E , Zock Jan-Paul , Le Moual Nicole , Camargo Jr Carlos A
Published: February 2018

Objectives

To investigate the association between occupational exposure to disinfectants/antiseptics used for hand hygiene and asthma control in nurses.

Methods

In 2014, we invited female nurses with asthma drawn from the Nurses’ Health Study II to complete two supplemental questionnaires on their occupation and asthma (cross-sectional study, response rate: 80%). Among 4055 nurses (mean age: 59 years) with physician-diagnosed asthma and asthma medication use in the past year, we examined asthma control, as defined by the Asthma Control Test (ACT). Nurses were asked about the daily frequency of hand hygiene tasks: ‘wash/scrub hands with disinfectants/hand sanitizers’ (hand hygiene) and ‘wash/scrub arms with disinfecting products’ (surrogate of surgical hand/arm antisepsis). Analyses were adjusted for age, race, ethnicity, smoking status and body mass index.

Results

Nurses with partly controlled asthma (ACT: 20–24, 50%) and poorly controlled asthma (ACT ≤19, 18%) were compared with nurses with controlled asthma (ACT=25, 32%). In separate models, both hand and arm hygiene were associated with poorly controlled asthma. After mutual adjustment, only arm hygiene was associated with poorly controlled asthma: OR (95% CI) for <1 time/day, 1.38 (1.06 to 1.80); ≥1 time/day, 1.96 (1.52 to 2.51), versus never. We observed a consistent dose–response relationship between frequency of arm hygiene tasks (never to >10 times/day) and poor asthma control. Associations persisted after further adjustment for surfaces/instruments disinfection tasks.

Conclusions

Frequency of hand/arm hygiene tasks in nurses was associated with poor asthma control. The results suggest an adverse effect of products used for surgical hand/arm antisepsis. This potential new occupational risk factor for asthma warrants further study.
Futility and appropriateness: challenging words, important concepts
Authors: Taylor D Robin , Lightbody Calvin J
Published: February 2018

The provision of healthcare is being challenged by a ‘perfect storm’ of forces including an increasing population with multiple comorbidities, high expectations and resource limitations, and in the background, the pre-eminence of the ‘curative medical model’. Non-beneficial (futile) treatments are wasteful and costly. They have a negative impact on quality of life especially in the last year of life. Among professionals, frequent encounters with futility cause moral distress and demoralisation. The factors that drive non-beneficial treatments include personal biases, patient-related pressures and institutional imperatives. Breaking loose from the perceived necessity to deliver non-beneficial treatment is a major challenge. Curative intent should give way to appropriateness such that curative and palliative interventions are valued equally. Goals of treatment should be shaped by illness trajectory, the risk of harms as well as potential benefits and patient preferences. This strategy should be reflected in professional training and the design of acute services.
Stability of ARDS subphenotypes over time in two randomised controlled trials
Authors: Delucchi Kevin , Famous Katie R , Ware Lorraine B , Parsons Polly E , Thompson B Taylor , Calfee Carolyn S
Published: February 2018

Rationale

Two distinct acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) subphenotypes have been identified using data obtained at time of enrolment in clinical trials; it remains unknown if these subphenotypes are durable over time.

Objective

To determine the stability of ARDS subphenotypes over time.

Methods

Secondary analysis of data from two randomised controlled trials in ARDS, the ARMA trial of lung protective ventilation (n=473; patients randomised to low tidal volumes only) and the ALVEOLI trial of low versus high positive end-expiratory pressure (n=549). Latent class analysis (LCA) and latent transition analysis (LTA) were applied to data from day 0 and day 3, independent of clinical outcomes.

Measurements and main results

In ALVEOLI, LCA indicated strong evidence of two ARDS latent classes at days 0 and 3; in ARMA, evidence of two classes was stronger at day 0 than at day 3. The clinical and biological features of these two classes were similar to those in our prior work and were largely stable over time, though class 2 demonstrated evidence of progressive organ failures by day 3, compared with class 1. In both LCA and LTA models, the majority of patients (>94%) stayed in the same class from day 0 to day 3. Clinical outcomes were statistically significantly worse in class 2 than class 1 and were more strongly associated with day 3 class assignment.

Conclusions

ARDS subphenotypes are largely stable over the first 3 days of enrolment in two ARDS Network trials, suggesting that subphenotype identification may be feasible in the context of clinical trials.
Numerical studies on the interaction between two parallel D-cylinder and oscillated foil
Authors: Chao Li-Ming , Zhang Dong , Cao Yong-Hui , Pan Guang
Published: February 2018

To understand the interaction between the oscillated body and oncoming vortex, some numerical studies have been conducted on a system including two parallel D-cylinder and one oscillated foil in this paper. It is found that the distance between parallel D-cylinder and oscillated foil would play a key role in affecting the change regulation of thrust generation of oscillated foil, and the kinematics of oscillated foil would determine the value of propulsive thrust, the gap between two parallel D-cylinder would only affect the hydrodynamic performance of oscillated foil at intermediate conditions.
The structural, electronic and optical properties of Au–ZnO interface structure from the first-principles calculation
Authors: Huo Jin-Rong , Li Lu , Cheng Hai-Xia , Wang Xiao-Xu , Zhang Guo-Hua , Qian Ping
Published: February 2018

The interface structure, electronic and optical properties of Au–ZnO are studied using the first-principles calculation based on density functional theory (DFT). Given the interfacial distance, bonding configurations and terminated surface, we built the optimal interface structure and calculated the electronic and optical properties of the interface. The total density of states, partial electronic density of states, electric charge density and atomic populations (Mulliken) are also displayed. The results show that the electrons converge at O atoms at the interface, leading to a stronger binding of interfaces and thereby affecting the optical properties of interface structures. In addition, we present the binding energies of different interface structures. When the interface structure of Au–ZnO gets changed, furthermore, varying optical properties are exhibited.
A Unified Framework for Multi-Modal Isolated Gesture Recognition
Authors: Duan Jiali , Wan Jun , Zhou Shuai , Guo Xiaoyuan , Li Stan Z.
Published: February 2018

In this article, we focus on isolated gesture recognition and explore different modalities by involving RGB stream, depth stream, and saliency stream for inspection. Our goal is to push the boundary of this realm even further by proposing a unified framework that exploits the advantages of multi-modality fusion. Specifically, a spatial-temporal network architecture based on consensus-voting has been proposed to explicitly model the long-term structure of the video sequence and to reduce estimation variance when confronted with comprehensive inter-class variations. In addition, a three-dimensional depth-saliency convolutional network is aggregated in parallel to capture subtle motion characteristics. Extensive experiments are done to analyze the performance of each component and our proposed approach achieves the best results on two public benchmarks, ChaLearn IsoGD and RGBD-HuDaAct, outperforming the closest competitor by a margin of over 10% and 15%, respectively. Our project and codes will be released at https://davidsonic.github.io/index/acm_tomm_2017.html.
Design and Verification of Trusted Collective Adaptive Systems
Authors: Aldini Alessandro
Published: February 2018

Collective adaptive systems (CAS) often adopt cooperative operating strategies to run distributed decision-making mechanisms. Sometimes, their effectiveness massively relies on the collaborative nature of individuals’ behavior. Stimulating cooperation while preventing selfish and malicious behaviors is the main objective of trust and reputation models. These models are largely used in distributed, peer-to-peer environments and, therefore, represent an ideal framework for improving the robustness, as well as security, of CAS. In this article, we propose a formal framework for modeling and verifying trusted CAS. From the modeling perspective, mobility, adaptiveness, and trust-based interaction represent the main ingredients used to define a flexible and easy-to-use paradigm. Concerning analysis, formal automated techniques based on equivalence and model checking support the prediction of the CAS behavior and the verification of the underlying trust and reputation models, with the specific aim of estimating robustness with respect to the typical attacks conducted against webs of trust.
Baraza!
Authors: Lazem Shaimaa , Dray Susan
Published: February 2018

HCI education reflects the continual evolution of HCI, embracing the changing landscapes of technology, infrastructure, and technology use. This forum aims to provide a platform for HCI educators, practitioners, researchers, and students to share their perspectives, reflections, and experiences related to HCI education. ---
Sukeshini Grandhi, Editor
What We Talk About When We Talk About Information Retrieval
Authors: Zobel Justin
Published: February 2018

The field of information retrieval (IR) is typically defined, in a variety of different wordings, as concerned with retrieval of documents that satisfy an information need. In this essay, I argue that these definitions are inaccurate, fail to capture major threads of activity in IR research, and in particular are flawed because they omit the element of human participation in the retrieval process. After outlining some perspectives to consider in formulating better definitions, I offer an option, as an illustration of how the field might be presented; this option is centred on the purpose of IR, namely, support of cognition. There is an obvious need for a clear statement of the purpose of the discipline: information access is recognized as a human right and IR is the basis of a critical technology for providing that access -- one that is deeply intertwined with daily life and is changing human psychology. Well-grounded descriptions can encourage IR researchers to embrace a view of the field that enables richer connection with other disciplines, and should embody a vision of what IR research can accomplish.
Report on the 2017 ACM SIGIR International Conference Theory of Information Retrieval (ICTIR?17)
Authors: Fang Hui , Kamps Jaap , Kanoulas Evangelos , de Rijke Maarten , Yilmaz Emine
Published: February 2018

This is a report on ICTIR'17, which continued its tradition of being the premier forum for presentation of research on theoretical aspects of Information Retrieval (IR). This includes theory in a broad sense, including conceptual papers that explore key concepts, theoretical papers that model concepts and/or relations between concepts, and papers that study theory in experimental or industrial settings. The importance of information access and information processing in industry and academia is growing in a revolutionary way, making the discussion on fundamental and long term aspects, and their relation to short term success and failure, more urgent than ever before. To highlight the increasingly strong connections between Information Retrieval and its neighboring disciplines, ICTIR'17 explicitly welcomed papers in IR areas that overlap with Human Information Access, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing and Perception. ICTIR'17 in Amsterdam was a memorable conference. For those who like numbers: we had 142 attendees (biggest ICTIR ever), and 97 submissions with 52 accepted (largest ICTIR ever), 450/250 euro registration for everything (cheapest ICTIR ever), and for the first time in history the organization and keynotes of a leading IR conference where majority female (but selected for being outstanding researchers, of course).
Analgesic and Anti‐Inflammatory Effects of 80% Methanol Extract of Leonotis ocymifolia (Burm.f.) Iwarsson Leaves in Rodent Models
Authors: Alemu Asnakech , Tamiru Wondmagegn , Nedi Teshome , Shibeshi Workineh
Published: February 2018

Background. Pain and inflammation are the major health problems commonly treated with traditional remedies mainly using medicinal plants. Leonotis ocymifolia is one of such medicinal plants used in folkloric medicine of Ethiopia. However, the plant has not been scientifically evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate analgesic and anti‐inflammatory effects of the 80% methanol leaves extract of Leonotis ocymifolia using rodent models. Method. The central and peripheral analgesic effect of the extract at 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg dose levels was evaluated using hot plate and acetic acid induced writhing rodent models, whereas carrageenan induced paw edema and cotton pellet granuloma methods were used to screen anti‐inflammatory effect of the extract at the same dose levels. Acute toxicity test was also done. Data were analyzed using one‐way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test and p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results. The extract did not produce mortality up to 2000 mg/kg. All tested doses of the extract showed significant analgesic effect with maximum latency response of 62.8% and inhibition of acetic acid induced writhing. Maximum anti‐inflammatory effect was recorded at 6 h after induction, with 75.88% reduction in carrageenan induced paw edema. Moreover, all tested doses of extract significantly inhibited the formation of inflammatory exudates and granuloma formation (p < 0.001). Conclusion. The study indicated that the extract was safe in mice and it has both analgesic and anti‐inflammatory effect in rodent models.
WH‐EA: An Evolutionary Algorithm for Wiener‐Hammerstein System Identification
Authors: Zambrano J. , Sanchis J. , Herrero J. M. , Martínez M.
Published: February 2018

Current methods to identify Wiener‐Hammerstein systems using Best Linear Approximation (BLA) involve at least two steps. First, BLA is divided into obtaining front and back linear dynamics of the Wiener‐Hammerstein model. Second, a refitting procedure of all parameters is carried out to reduce modelling errors. In this paper, a novel approach to identify Wiener‐Hammerstein systems in a single step is proposed. This approach is based on a customized evolutionary algorithm (WH‐EA) able to look for the best BLA split, capturing at the same time the process static nonlinearity with high precision. Furthermore, to correct possible errors in BLA estimation, the locations of poles and zeros are subtly modified within an adequate search space to allow a fine‐tuning of the model. The performance of the proposed approach is analysed by using a demonstration example and a nonlinear system identification benchmark.
Assessment of Real‐Time Compaction Quality Test Indexes for Rockfill Material Based on Roller Vibratory Acceleration Analysis
Authors: Hua Tianbo , Yang Xingguo , Yao Qiang , Li Hongtao
Published: February 2018

Compaction quality is directly related to the structure and seepage stability of a rockfill dam. To timely and accurately test the compaction quality of the rockfill material, four real‐time test indexes were chosen to characterize the soil compaction degree based on the analysis of roller vibratory acceleration, including acceleration peak value (ap), acceleration root mean square value (arms), crest factor value (CF), and compaction meter value (CMV). To determine which of these indexes is the most appropriate, a two‐part field compaction experiment was conducted using a vibratory roller in different filling zones of the dam body. Data on rolling parameters, real‐time test indexes, and compaction quality indexes were collected to perform statistical regression analyses. Combined with the spectrum analysis of the acceleration signal, it was found that the CF index best characterizes the compaction degree of the rockfill material among the four indexes. Furthermore, the quantitative relations between the real‐time index and compaction quality index were established to determine the control criterion of CF, which can instruct the site work of compaction quality control in the rockfill rolling process.
Neonatal Hormone Concentrations and Risk of Testicular Germ Cell Tumors (TGCT)
Authors: Morimoto Libby M. , Zava David , McGlynn Katherine A. , Stanczyk Frank Z. , Kang Alice Y. , Ma Xiaomei , Wiemels Joseph L. , Metayer Catherine
Published: February 2018

Background: Testicular germ cell tumor (TGCT) incidence has increased over the last 40 years in the United States. In contrast to TGCT among infants, it is hypothesized that TGCT in adolescents and young men is the result of sex steroid hormone imbalance during early fetal development. However, little is known about the neonatal period when abrupt hormonal changes occur, and direct supporting evidence is scarce due to the difficulties in obtaining prediagnostic specimens.

Methods: We conducted a population-based case–control study examining hormone levels at birth among 91 infants (0–4 years) and 276 adolescents (15–19 years) diagnosed with TGCT, and 344 matched controls. Estrogen and androgen levels were quantified using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) from archived newborn dried blood spots. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between each hormone level and TGCT risk.

Results: Higher levels of androstenedione were associated with increased TGCT risk among adolescents [odds ratio (OR): 2.33, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.37–3.97 for highest vs. lowest quartile; P trend = 0.003] but not among infants (OR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.28–1.77). A similar pattern was observed for testosterone (OR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.00–3.00,) although the trend was not significant (P trend = 0.12). Associations were stronger among non-Hispanic white subjects, relative to Hispanics. There was no difference by tumor histologic subtype. Estriol (the only detectable estrogen) was not associated with TGCT risk in either age group.

Conclusions: Higher levels of neonatal androgens were associated with increased risk of TGCT among adolescents, suggesting that early life hormone levels are related to the later development of TGCT.

Impact: This is the first study with direct measures of sex steroid hormones to examine the relationship between estrogens and androgens at birth and risk of adolescent TGCT. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 27(4); 488–95. ©2018 AACR.
Physical Activity and Pancreatic Cancer Risk among Urban Chinese: Results from Two Prospective Cohort Studies
Authors: Wu Lang , Zheng Wei , Xiang Yong-Bing , Gao Yu-Tang , Li Hong-Lan , Cai Hui , Shu Xiao-Ou
Published: February 2018

Background: Associations between physical activity and pancreatic cancer risk are unclear.

Methods: In two prospective cohort studies, the Shanghai Women's Health Study and Shanghai Men's Health Study, physical activity and other information were collected at the baseline interview of 72,451 women and 60,037 men. Participants were followed up through annual linkage with a cancer registry in combination with in-person interviews taking place every 2 to 4 years.

Results: We identified 225 female and 159 male cases during a median follow up of 16.1 and 10.3 years, respectively. Adult exercise participation was significantly associated with a decreased pancreatic cancer risk in men [hazard ratio (HR), 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.71 (0.50–1.00)]. Meeting the recommended minimum exercise threshold to achieve health benefits of 150 min/week of moderate-intensity or 75 min/week of vigorous-intensity exercise was associated with further decreased pancreatic cancer risk [HR (95% CI): 0.59 (0.40–0.87)]. We also observed an inverse association between adolescent physical activity and pancreatic cancer risk in men [HR (95% CI): 0.54 (0.33–0.90)]. Exercise throughout one's lifetime was associated with a 68% decrease in pancreatic cancer risk [HR (95% CI): 0.32 (0.16–0.66)]. No significant association was found in women. Adult non-exercise daily activity and occupational activity were not associated with pancreatic cancer risk in either men or women.

Conclusions: Adult exercise and adolescent physical activity were significantly associated with a decreased pancreatic cancer risk in men but not in women.

Impact: These findings underscore the importance of investigating the possible modification by sex on the exercise and pancreatic cancer risk association. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 27(4); 479–87. ©2018 AACR.