bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Accuracy of NEXUS II head injury decision rule in children: a prospective PREDICT cohort study
Authors: Babl Franz E , Oakley Ed , Dalziel Stuart R , Borland Meredith L , Phillips Natalie , Kochar Amit , Dalton Sarah , Cheek John Alexander , Gilhotra Yuri , Furyk Jeremy , Neutze Jocelyn , Donath Susan , Hearps Stephen , Crowe Louise M , Arpone Marta , Bressan Silvia , Lyttle Mark D
Published: August 2018

Objective

The National Emergency X-Radiography Utilisation Study II (NEXUS II) clinical decision rule (CDR) can be used to optimise the use of CT in children with head trauma. We set out to externally validate this CDR in a large cohort.

Methods

We performed a prospective observational study of patients aged <18 years presenting with head trauma of any severity to 10 Australian/New Zealand EDs. In a planned secondary analysis, we assessed the accuracy of the NEXUS II CDR (with 95% CI) to detect clinically important intracranial injury (ICI). We also assessed clinician accuracy without the rule.

Results

Of 20 137 total patients, we excluded 28 with suspected penetrating injury. Median age was 4.2 years. CTs were obtained in ED for 1962 (9.8%), of whom 377 (19.2%) had ICI as defined by NEXUS II. 74 (19.6% of ICI) patients underwent neurosurgery.

Sensitivity for ICI based on the NEXUS II CDR was 379/383 (99.0 (95% CI 97.3% to 99.7%)) and specificity was 9320/19 726 (47.2% (95% CI 46.5% to 47.9%)) for the total cohort. Sensitivity in the CT-only cohort was similar. Of the 18 022 children without CT in ED, 49.4% had at least one NEXUS II risk criterion. Sensitivity for ICI by the clinicians without the rule was 377/377 (100.0% (95% CI 99.0% to 100.0%)) and specificity was 18 147/19 732 (92.0% (95% CI 91.6% to 92.3%)).

Conclusions

NEXUS II had high sensitivity, similar to the derivation study. However, approximately half of unimaged patients were positive for NEXUS II risk criteria; this may result in an increased CT rate in a setting with high clinician accuracy.
For debate: health service support planning for large-scale defensive land operations (part 2)
Authors: Bricknell Martin , Finn A , Palmer J
Published: August 2018

This is the second of two articles that considers the medical planning implications of large-scale defensive military operations. This paper describes a unified approach to theatre level health services support planning based on four phases: collection, hospitalisation, evacuation and reception. It highlights the need for a modular and agile system of medical capability building blocks that can be grouped together for specific military medical challenges. It also reintroduces the concepts of mass casualty and the medical reserve. These two papers are designed to encourage debate around how we should be organised to face the new challenges of health services support in potential peer-on-peer military operations.
Effects of office workstation type on physical activity and stress
Authors: Lindberg Casey M , Srinivasan Karthik , Gilligan Brian , Razjouyan Javad , Lee Hyoki , Najafi Bijan , Canada Kelli J , Mehl Matthias R , Currim Faiz , Ram Sudha , Lunden Melissa M , Heerwagen Judith H , Kampschroer Kevin , Sternberg Esther M
Published: August 2018

Objective

Office environments have been causally linked to workplace-related illnesses and stress, yet little is known about how office workstation type is linked to objective metrics of physical activity and stress. We aimed to explore these associations among office workers in US federal office buildings.

Methods

We conducted a wearable, sensor-based, observational study of 231 workers in four office buildings. Outcome variables included workers’ physiological stress response, physical activity and perceived stress. Relationships between office workstation type and these variables were assessed using structural equation modelling.

Results

Workers in open bench seating were more active at the office than those in private offices and cubicles (open bench seating vs private office=225.52 mG (31.83% higher on average) (95% CI 136.57 to 314.46); open bench seating vs cubicle=185.13 mG (20.16% higher on average) (95% CI 66.53 to 303.72)). Furthermore, workers in open bench seating experienced lower perceived stress at the office than those in cubicles (−0.27 (9.10% lower on average) (95% CI −0.54 to −0.02)). Finally, higher physical activity at the office was related to lower physiological stress (higher heart rate variability in the time domain) outside the office (−26.12 ms/mG (14.18% higher on average) (95% CI −40.48 to −4.16)).

Conclusions

Office workstation type was related to enhanced physical activity and reduced physiological and perceived stress. This research highlights how office design, driven by office workstation type, could be a health-promoting factor.
Heparin-induced thrombocytopaenia
Authors: Prince Mark , Wenham Tim
Published: August 2018

Heparin-induced thrombocytopaenia (HIT) is a severe and potentially life-threatening adverse drug reaction. Patients become extremely hypercoagulable, and this can lead to life-threatening and limb-threatening thrombosis with a mortality of 5%–10%. HIT is an antibody-mediated process in which platelet activation occurs. Diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion along with a scoring system and laboratory testing. Patients suspected of having HIT must not receive any further heparin or low-molecular weight heparin and must be started on an alternative anticoagulant such as argatroban or danaparoid. Fondaparinux may also be considered but is not licenced for this indication.
Bridging the HIV-syphilis testing gap: dual testing among men who have sex with men living in China
Authors: Ong Jason J , Liao Meizhen , Lee Amy , Fu Hongyun , Pan Stephen W , Tang Weiming , Wei Chongyi , Dan Wu , Yang Bin , Yang Ligang , Wang Cheng , Tucker Joseph D
Published: August 2018

Objectives

The WHO recommends dual testing for HIV and syphilis among key populations, including men who have sex with men (MSM). We assessed the proportion of men who had dual tested and reasons for not dual testing.

Methods

In 2017, an online survey of MSM was conducted in eight cities from two provinces in China. Data on sociodemographics and sexual behaviours were collected. Descriptive analysis was used to examine the experience of dual testing. Multivariable logistic regression identified characteristics associated with men who had dual tested.

Results

Among 802 men who had ever tested for HIV, 297 dual tested (37%, 95% CI 34 to 40). Men dual tested in a variety of settings: public hospital (35%), voluntary counselling and testing sites (28%), self-testing at home (18%), community-based organisation (8%), community health centre (7%), other (3%) or private hospital (1%). Greater odds for dual testing was found in men who had disclosed their sexuality to a healthcare provider (adjusted OR (AOR) 1.81, 95% CI 1.27 to 2.59, p=0.001), and who had substantial (AOR 2.71, 95% CI 1.67 to 4.41, p<0.001) or moderate community engagement in sexual health (AOR 2.30, 95% CI 1.49 to 3.57, p<0.001), compared with those with no community engagement. The most common reasons for not dual testing were no knowledge that they could be dual tested (34%), did not ask the doctor to be dual tested (25%) and did not believe they were at risk for syphilis (19%).

Conclusions

Chinese MSM are dual testing through a variety of test sites, including home self-testing. However, the overall dual testing rate remains low despite recent efforts to integrate HIV and syphilis testing.
From a Flapping Bumblebee to an Evolving Sand Dune: A Reconstruction-Based Algorithm to Feature the Digitally Recorded Objects
Authors: Zhang Yang , Wu Changsong , Gao Yanjia , Yang Bin
Published: August 2018

A reconstruction-based image processing algorithm is developed to automatically extract feature points of digitalized 2D objects. This algorithm, which is introduced using a bumblebee flight case, is made up of two parts: a four-connected dot chasing rearrangement scheme and an extreme point extraction on a polarized contour. It is then applied to a dune evolution case that is simulated with a cellular automation model. The results show that the proposed algorithm is effective in characterizing individual moving objects. An additional algorithm is developed to categorize the extracted feature points of a bumblebee with translucent wings.
Torsional Waves in a Fiber Composite Medium at a Loosely Bonded Interface Constrained Between Dry Sandy Layer and Gravitating Poroelastic Substrate
Authors: Gupta Shishir , Kundu Santimoy , Pati Prasenjit
Published: August 2018

The objective of this paper is to study the effect of loosely bonded interface on torsional surface wave propagation in a fiber reinforced composite medium constrained between dry sandy layer and an anisotropic gravitating poroelastic substrate. All the media are assumed to be under initial stress. The dispersion relation on this proposed multilayer ground structure has been derived in closed form under certain boundary conditions, which contain Whittaker function and its derivative, which is further expanded asymptotically, retaining up to only the linear terms. The numerical solution for the limiting case of torsional surface waves is also discussed. As a special case of the problem, when the entire medium is isotropic and one of the upper layer vanishes and removing the initial stress and gravity, the dispersion relation obtained is in agreement with the classical Love type wave equation. The influence of various technical constants, such as sandy parameter, reinforcement parameter, porosity parameter, Biot’s gravity parameter, loosely bonded parameters, initial stress of both the layers and half spaces on the phase velocity of torsional surface wave has been pointed out by means of graphs.
Pathways for Balancing Exploration and Exploitation in Innovations: A Review and Expansion of Ambidexterity Theory
Authors: Alizadeh Yasser , Jetter Antonie J.
Published: August 2018

Organizational research describes the inherent tension between innovation, as a means to adapt to environmental change, and continuing to do what one does well and what current customers appreciate. Managing this tension successfully leads to so-called ambidexterity. How to achieve it is still a matter of debate: proponents of structural approaches recommend a separation of exploration and exploitation, while proponents of so-called contextual ambidexterity suggest that contextual factors such as culture and process are equal if not more critical in leading the organization to ambidexterity. Based on the findings of empirical ambidexterity research, many more factors are suggested, though they are rarely researched in an ambidexterity context nor are the interdependencies between the factors and the known ambidexterity strategies described. To guide future research, this paper develops an expanded and system-focused framework for achieving ambidexterity. It is used to review and integrate findings from organizational theory and neighboring disciplines, including project management theories, knowledge management theories, human resource management theories, and open and distributed innovation theories. Managerial implications are discussed and illustrated with a case example. The resulting work provides the basis for explicitly modeling the drivers and inhibitors of exploration and exploitation and their interdependencies. In future research, this can be used to better understand and overcome conflicting objectives, devise new approaches for achieving ambidexterity, and ultimately design more successful organizations.
Scenario of two-fluid dark energy models in Bianchi type-III Universe
Authors: Tiwari Rishi Kumar , Beesham Aroonkumar , Shukla Bhupendra Kumar
Published: August 2018

In this paper, we have analyzed the equation of state parameter for dark energy in the spatially homogeneous and anisotropic Bianchi type-III spacetime filled with a barotropic fluid and dark energy by considering a variable deceleration parameter. To solve the Einstein field equations, we assume that the expansion scalar is proportional to the shear scalar. We find that during the evolution of the Universe, the equation of state and the cosmological parameters are positive decreasing functions of cosmic time [Formula: see text]. Also, we discuss the physical parameters, as well as the jerk and cosmic span parameters, which predict that the Universe in this model approaches the [Formula: see text]CDM model at late times.
Quaternary quadratic lattices over number fields
Authors: Kirschmer Markus , Nebe Gabriele
Published: August 2018

We relate proper isometry classes of maximal lattices in a totally definite quaternary quadratic space [Formula: see text] with trivial discriminant to certain equivalence classes of ideals in the quaternion algebra representing the Clifford invariant of [Formula: see text]. This yields a good algorithm to enumerate a system of representatives of proper isometry classes of lattices in genera of maximal lattices in [Formula: see text].
Research Topic Analysis in Engineering Management Using a Latent Dirichlet Allocation Model
Authors: Kim Jin Ho , Chen Weiru
Published: August 2018

Traditional journal analyses of topic trends in IS journals have manually coded target articles from chosen time periods. However, some research efforts have been made to apply automatic bibliometric approaches, such as cluster analysis and probabilistic models, to find topics in academic articles in other research areas. The purpose of this study is thus to investigate research topic trends in Engineering Management from 1998 through 2017 using an LDA analysis model. By investigating topics in EM journals, we provide partial but meaningful trends in EM research topics. The trend analysis shows that there are hot topics with increasing numbers of articles, steady topics that remain constant, and cold topics with decreasing numbers of articles.
Oxygen penetration and mineral stability within the San Manuel tailings, AZ
Authors: Declercq J. , Bowell R. J.
Published: August 2018

Environmental impact assessment of tailings storage facilities focuses on defining the reactivity and potential for acid rock drainage and metal leaching (ARDML) through geochemical testing of representative samples and numerical predictive calculations. The acid generation potential of tailings is dependent on the reactivity of their sulphide content which is directly proportional to the oxygen concentration within the material. As such, predicting the oxygen concentration as a function of time and depth is critical to understand the acid generation potential of tailings material.

The aim of this study was to predict the oxygen flux and concentration as a function of time and depth within the San Manuel flotation copper tailings in Arizona, USA. This flow was combined with mineralogical data, including the presence of encapsulated sulphide, oxygen and moisture content to model oxidation and metal release in the tailings.

Numerical simulations, using reactive transport code MIN3P, correctly reproduced the San Manuel field and analytical results when the sulphide reactivity was controlled by reducing the effective sulphide mass within the numerical models from total sulphide to available sulphide. These calculations effectively demonstrated that an effective control minimizing sulphide oxidation exists within a portion of the San Manuel tailings.
Mapping of fluid, alteration and soil geochemical anomaly as a guide to regional mineral exploration for the Dehua gold orefield of Fujian Province, SE China
Authors: Ni Pei , Li Su-Ning , Bao Tan , Zheng Wen-Yan , Wang Guo-Guang , Xiang Hong-Liang , Chi Zhe , Pan Jun-Yi , Huang Bao , Ding Jun-Ying , Dai Bao-Zhang
Published: August 2018

The Dehua gold ore-field, located in the central-eastern Fujian Province, SE China, is an important part of the renowned Dehua-Youxi-Yongtai gold ore production area. The ore-field contains several low-intermediate sulphidation epithermal gold deposits and numerous gold-bearing mineralized bodies. The extensive presence of intensely altered rocks, suitable structural environment, acidic intrusions and volcanic-subvolcanic rocks indicates an important potential for epithermal gold mineralization. In this work, fluid inclusion homogenization temperature and alteration mapping was carried out by fluid inclusion microthermometry in quartz and identification of alteration minerals closely related to the known mineralization. The result shows the trend of temperature contour curves as well as the shape of low argillic alteration zones implying that the area north of Qiucun might be profitable for future mineral exploration. The fluid and alteration mapping, in combination with soil geochemical mapping, defines the architecture of the epithermal-porphyry ore-forming system in the Dehua ore-field. Finally, the presence of intensely altered areas, high value zones of hydrothermal fluid flows and combined anomaly areas of multi-element association indicate that the region north of Qiucun has an important potential as a preferred target area for gold prospecting in the Dehua ore-field.
Personal Mobile Messaging in Context
Authors: Buschek Daniel , Hassib Mariam , Alt Florian
Published: August 2018

Mobile text messaging is one of the most important communication channels today, but it suffers from lack of expressiveness, context and emotional awareness, compared to face-to-face communication. We address this problem by augmenting text messaging with information about users and contexts. We present and reflect on lessons learned from three field studies, in which we deployed augmentation concepts as prototype chat apps in users’ daily lives. We studied (1) subtly conveying context via dynamic font personalisation (
TapScript
), (2) integrating and sharing physiological data – namely heart rate – implicitly or explicitly (
HeartChat
) and (3) automatic annotation of various context cues: music, distance, weather and activities (
ContextChat
). Based on our studies, we discuss chat augmentation with respect to privacy concerns, understandability, connectedness and inferring context in addition to methodological lessons learned. Finally, we propose a design space for chat augmentation to guide future research, and conclude with practical design implications.
A Comprehensive Side-Channel Information Leakage Analysis of an In-Order RISC CPU Microarchitecture
Authors: Zoni Davide , Barenghi Alessandro , Pelosi Gerardo , Fornaciari William
Published: August 2018

Side-channel attacks are a prominent threat to the security of embedded systems. To perform them, an adversary evaluates the goodness of fit of a set of key-dependent power consumption models to a collection of side-channel measurements taken from an actual device, identifying the secret key value as the one yielding the best-fitting model. In this work, we analyze for the first time the microarchitectural components of a 32-bit in-order RISC CPU, showing which one of them is accountable for unexpected side-channel information leakage. We classify the leakage sources, identifying the data serialization points in the microarchitecture and providing a set of hints that can be fruitfully exploited to generate implementations resistant against side-channel attacks, either writing or generating proper assembly code.
Language of Kin Relations and Relationlessness
Authors: Ball Christopher
Published: August 2018

Language has long been at the center of kinship studies, where there has been a tendency to see the role of language in terms of nomenclature for labeling preexisting relations. Linguistic anthropologists have turned to the constitutive role of language in the formation of kin relations. People enact kin relations through behaviors that include, but are not limited to, the linguistic. Rather than static grids of terminology, linguistic anthropology finds its empirical object in the reflexive practices of speakers as they construct, reformulate, transform, and sometimes undercut cultural norms for being kin. Taking kinship behaviors that include language to be in dialectical relation to kinship structures, I review recent work that exemplifies linguistic anthropology's pragmatic approach to kinship, from the richness and diversity of kin relations to the possibility of the lack of kin relations as such.
Molecular Diagnostics for Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection
Authors: Dicks Kristen V. , Stout Jason E.
Published: August 2018

Resistance to antimycobacterial drugs is a major barrier to effective treatment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Molecular diagnostic techniques based on the association between specific gene mutations and phenotypic resistance to certain drugs offer the opportunity to rapidly ascertain whether drug resistance is present and to alter treatment before further resistance develops. Current barriers to successful implementation of rapid diagnostics include imperfect knowledge regarding the full spectrum of mutations associated with resistance, limited utilization of molecular diagnostics where they are most needed, and the requirement for specialized laboratory facilities to perform molecular testing. Further understanding of genotypic–phenotypic correlates of resistance and streamlined implementation platforms will be necessary to optimize the public health impact of molecular resistance testing for M. tuberculosis.
Treating Tissue Factor–Positive Cancers with Antibody–Drug Conjugates That Do Not Affect Blood Clotting
Authors: Theunissen Jan-Willem , Cai Allen G. , Bhatti Maryam M. , Cooper Anthony B. , Avery Andrew D. , Dorfman Ryan , Guelman Sebastian , Levashova Zoia , Migone Thi-Sau
Published: August 2018

The primary function of tissue factor (TF) resides in the vasculature as a cofactor of blood clotting; however, multiple solid tumors aberrantly express this transmembrane receptor on the cell surface. Here, we developed anti-TF antibody–drug conjugates (ADC) that did not interfere with the coagulation cascade and benchmarked them against previously developed anti-TF ADCs. After screening an affinity-matured antibody panel of diverse paratopes and affinities, we identified one primary paratope family that did not inhibit conversion of Factor X (FX) to activated Factor X (FXa) and did not affect conversion of prothrombin to thrombin. The rest of the antibody panel and previously developed anti-TF antibodies were found to perturb coagulation to varying degrees. To compare the anticancer activity of coagulation-inert and -inhibitory antibodies as ADCs, a selection of antibodies was conjugated to the prototypic cytotoxic agent monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) through a protease-cleavable linker. The coagulation-inert and -inhibitory anti-TF ADCs both killed cancer cells effectively. Importantly, the coagulation-inert ADCs were as efficacious as tisotumab vedotin, a clinical stage ADC that affected blood clotting, including in patient-derived xenografts from three solid tumor indications with a need for new therapeutic treatments—squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), ovarian, and gastric adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, a subset of the anti-TF antibodies could also be considered for the treatment of other diseases associated with upregulation of membranous TF expression, such as macular degeneration. Mol Cancer Ther; 17(11); 2412–26. ©2018 AACR.
Oscillatory Dynamics of Perceptual to Conceptual Transformations in the Ventral Visual Pathway
Authors: Clarke Alex , Devereux Barry J. , Tyler Lorraine K.
Published: August 2018

Object recognition requires dynamic transformations of low-level visual inputs to complex semantic representations. Although this process depends on the ventral visual pathway, we lack an incremental account from low-level inputs to semantic representations and the mechanistic details of these dynamics. Here we combine computational models of vision with semantics and test the output of the incremental model against patterns of neural oscillations recorded with magnetoencephalography in humans. Representational similarity analysis showed visual information was represented in low-frequency activity throughout the ventral visual pathway, and semantic information was represented in theta activity. Furthermore, directed connectivity showed visual information travels through feedforward connections, whereas visual information is transformed into semantic representations through feedforward and feedback activity, centered on the anterior temporal lobe. Our research highlights that the complex transformations between visual and semantic information is driven by feedforward and recurrent dynamics resulting in object-specific semantics.
Flight Planning with a Digital Computer
Authors: Kraght Peter E.
Published: August 2018

Safety, passenger comfort, and operating economy require that commercial airline flights be preflight planned. There are many route and altitude combinations between origination and destination. Manual selection of the best is tedious, costly in man-hours, and never perfect. A digital computer can do the job quickly, using few man-hours, with a higher order of perfection. American Airlines contracted with IBM to develop jointly a flight planning program for a 60,000 digit IBM 1620 computer. The program was placed into operation on 4 February 1962 and quickly expanded to produce 5000 lines of flight plans for over 200 trips daily. Operating cost savings are on the order of several million dollars annually. The program continuously surrounds an aircraft with a set of prognostic temperatures and winds valid by the craft's clocks at the plane's altitude. The program also selects the optimum route and the optimum altitude profile on the selected route. Flight plans on the optimum route at the optimum altitude are automatically delivered to the flight crew and the controlling dispatchers.
the inadvertent modification of the atmosphere by air pollution
Authors: Schaefer Vincent J.
Published: August 2018

There has been a very noticeable increase in air pollution during the past ten years over and downwind of the several large metropolitan areas of the United States such as the Northwest—Vancouver-Seattle-Tacoma-Portland; the West Coast from San Francisco-Sacramento-Fresno-Los Angeles; the Front Range of the Rockies from Boulder-Denver-Colorado Springs-Pueblo; the Midwest—Omaha-Kansas City-St. Louis-Memphis; the Great Lakes area of Chicago-Detroit-Cleveland-Buffalo; and the Northeast—Washington-Philadelphia-New York-Boston. The worst accumulation of particulate matter occurs at the top of the inversion which commonly intensifies at night at levels ranging from 1000 to 4000 ft or so above the ground. This dense concentration of air-suspended particles is most apparent to air travelers. Thus, it has not as yet disturbed the general public except during periods of stagnant weather systems when the concentration of heavily polluted air extends downward and engulfs them on the highways, at their homes and in their working areas.
The Impacts of Atmospheric and Surface Parameters on Long-Term Variations in the Planetary Albedo
Authors: Jian Bida , Li Jiming , Wang Guoyin , He Yongli , Han Ying , Zhang Min , Huang Jianping
Published: August 2018

Planetary albedo (PA; shortwave broadband albedo) and its long-term variations, which are controlled in a complex way by various atmospheric and surface properties, play a key role in controlling the global and regional energy budget. This study investigates the contributions of different atmospheric and surface properties to the long-term variations of PA based on 13 years (2003–15) of albedo, cloud, and ice coverage datasets from the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) Single Scanner Footprint edition 4A product, vegetation product from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and surface albedo product from the Cloud, Albedo, and Radiation dataset, version 2 (CLARA-A2). According to the temporal correlation analysis, statistical results indicate that variations in PA are closely related to the variations of cloud properties (e.g., cloud fraction, ice water path, and liquid water path) and surface parameters (e.g., ice/snow percent coverage and normalized difference vegetation index), but their temporal relationships vary among the different regions. Generally, the stepwise multiple linear regression models can capture the observed PA anomalies for most regions. Based on the contribution calculation, cloud fraction dominates the variability of PA in the mid- and low latitudes while ice/snow percent coverage (or surface albedo) dominates the variability in the mid- and high latitudes. Changes in cloud liquid water path and ice water path are the secondary dominant factor over most regions, whereas change in vegetation cover is the least important factor over land. These results verify the effects of atmospheric and surface factors on planetary albedo changes and thus may be of benefit for improving the parameterization of the PA and determining the climate feedbacks.
Regulating Crime: The Birth of the Idea, Its Nurture, and the Implications for Contemporary Criminology
Authors: Clarke Ronald V.
Published: August 2018

This volume’s contention that regulations have a powerful role in crime control contradicts the prevailing positivism of criminology—that is, the contention that criminality is largely explained by criminals’ past experiences. This article draws upon recent critiques of positivism and explains the implications for contemporary criminology. It begins by describing the ideas of a London magistrate, Patrick Colquhoun, about the determinants of crime and the best means of its control. Colquhoun’s writings were the first developed discussion of regulating crime, but they were soon eclipsed by positivist thinking. I list numerous weakness of positivism and argue that, instead of seeing offenders’ behavior as determined by their past, greater account should be taken of the situational inducements and opportunities to commit crime that they encounter in their everyday lives. Instead of positivism, the dominant model of criminology and crime control should be a neoclassicist, bounded rational choice model, which would introduce situational design and management changes to restrict offenders choices and modify behavior. That change in orientation would open limitless opportunities for criminologists.
Privatizing Crime Control
Authors: Tilley Nick
Published: August 2018

Crime problems largely result from opportunities, temptations, and provocations that have been provided to offenders unintentionally by those pursuing other private interests. There is a widespread notion that the state and its agencies can and ought to take full responsibility for crime control and that there is, therefore, nothing that nonstate actors can or need to do. In practice, there is little that the state can do directly to address the opportunities, temptations, and provocations for crime; but where crime control responsibilities have been accepted in the private sector, successful measures to reduce opportunities and temptations have been devised and adopted, preventing many crimes and reducing costs that would otherwise fall on the state as well as on victims. This article sets out the reasons why a shift in responsibility for crime prevention from the public to private sector can produce patterns of crime control that are both effective and socially desirable, albeit important roles remain for the public sector in stimulating and supporting such measures.
Regulation for High-Crime Places: Theory, Evidence, and Principles
Authors: Eck John E.
Published: August 2018

Crime tends to be concentrated at a relatively small proportion of proprietary places—small parcels of land that often have a single address and are used for a specific purpose, like housing or entertainment. This fact points to the potential of regulation to reduce crime. Drawing on research and theory, this article discusses why we should be concerned about crime places, how the management of places influences crimes, why and how place management regulation might be helpful for reducing crimes, criteria for selecting place-based regulatory instruments, why it might be necessary to adjust such regulation to neighborhood characteristics, and principles for applying a regulatory approach to crime places.
Situational Crime Prevention and the Ecological Regulation of Green Crime: A Review and Discussion
Authors: Lynch Michael J. , Stretesky Paul B. , Long Michael A.
Published: August 2018

Situational crime prevention theory suggests the need for innovative, non-criminal-justice polices to control crime, but that approach has not been widely employed by criminologists addressing the control of environmental crime. Numerous examples of innovative environmental social control practices can be found outside of the criminological literature; but within criminology, such studies have most often been undertaken by conservation criminologists, while green criminologists have undertaken empirical studies illustrating the ineffectiveness of traditional, punitive responses to environmental crime. Here, we briefly review the use of situational crime prevention theory and research by conservation criminologists and provide examples of environmental social control policies used by various nations that are consistent with situational crime prevention arguments. We also note that research and theory in other disciplines suggest that crime is produced by larger structural economic forces, indicating that situational crime prevention alone is likely not sufficient to control environmental crime.
From Hybrid Entrepreneurs to Entrepreneurial Billionaires: Observations on the Socioeconomic Heterogeneity of Self-employment
Authors: Bögenhold Dieter
Published: August 2018

Conventional discourses about self-employment are unsatisfactory since there is no clear acknowledgment of its heterogeneity. Interpretations tend to refer to an average type that does not exist in practice, and there are problems of coherence, demarcations, and overlap. Examining macro-level patterns of self-employment, a number of patterns emerge. First, self-employment includes both marginal and privileged positions, within individual countries and also in international comparisons. It can put people at risk of precariousness and poverty or it can be a vehicle to bring wealth to individuals and enterprises, contributing jobs and economic growth to society. Second, people increasingly switch between wage- or salary-dependent labor and self-employment and hybrid forms of employment, as forms of micro entrepreneurship are combined with dependent labor. Third, internationally, the ratio of women in solo self-employment is higher than that of men. Fourth, remarkable differences exist at the level of solo self-employment.
Spatio–Temporal Unboundedness: A Feature, Not a Bug, of Self-Employment
Authors: Cohen Rachel Lara
Published: August 2018

This article considers whether unbounded times and spaces of work are systematically associated with self-employment. In contrast to analyses that frame the spatial and temporal location of work as signifying autonomy or freedom, it posits that self-employment is produced by, and then reproduces, constraints on and preferences about spatio–temporal organization at both occupational and individual level. Using data from 5 years of the U.K. Labour Force Survey (2013-2017), the article takes a novel approach in the quantitative analysis of self-employment by conducting intraoccupational analysis within each of four relatively homogenous occupational groups: hairdressers, shopkeepers, art workers, and accountants. Analysis shows that (a) at population-level self-employment is strongly associated with both spatial and temporal unboundedness; (b) these effects are stronger for women than men; (c) in intraoccupational analyses, gender, alongside other sociodemographic measures, is largely nonsignificant, suggesting that the relationship between these and self-employment is primarily produced by differences associated with occupational segregation; and (d) the association between self-employment and different types of spatio–temporal unboundedness varies markedly by occupation. The article points to the importance of occupation and the spatio–temporal organization of concrete work activity in understanding the reproduction of self-employment. It concludes, therefore, that spatio–temporal unboundedness should be considered as a feature, or structural component, of self-employment, not a choice or by-product.
Large abnormal peak on capillary zone electrophoresis due to contrast agent
Authors: Wheeler Rachel D , Zhang Liqun , Sheldon Joanna
Published: August 2018

Background

Some iodinated radio-contrast media absorb ultraviolet light and can therefore be detected by capillary zone electrophoresis. If seen, these peaks are typically small with ‘quantifications’ of below 5 g/L. Here, we describe the detection of a large peak on capillary zone electrophoresis that was due to the radio-contrast agent, Omnipaque™.

Methods

Serum from a patient was analysed by capillary zone electrophoresis, and the IgG, IgA, IgM and total protein concentrations were measured. The serum sample was further analysed by gel electrophoresis and immunofixation.

Results

Capillary zone electrophoresis results for the serum sample showed a large peak with a concentration high enough to warrant urgent investigation. However, careful interpretation alongside the serum immunoglobulin concentrations and total protein concentration showed that the abnormal peak was a pseudoparaprotein rather than a monoclonal immunoglobulin. This was confirmed by analysis with gel electrophoresis and also serum immunofixation. The patient had had a CT angiogram with the radio-contrast agent Omnipaque™; addition of Omnipaque™ to a normal serum sample gave a peak with comparable mobility to the pseudoparaprotein in the patient’s serum.

Conclusions

Pseudoparaproteins can appear as a large band on capillary zone electrophoresis. This case highlights the importance of a laboratory process that detects significant electrophoretic abnormalities promptly and interprets them in the context of the immunoglobulin concentrations. This should avoid incorrect reporting of pseudoparaproteins which could result in the patient having unnecessary investigations.
The effectiveness of a routine versus an extensive laboratory analysis in the diagnosis of anaemia in general practice
Authors: Schop Annemarie , Kip Michelle MA , Stouten Karlijn , Dekker Soraya , Riedl Jurgen , van Houten Ron J , van Rosmalen Joost , Dinant Geert-Jan , IJzerman Maarten J , Koffijberg Hendrik , Bindels Patrick JE , Kusters Ron , Levin Mark-David
Published: August 2018

Background

We investigated the percentage of patients diagnosed with the correct underlying cause of anaemia by general practitioners when using an extensive versus a routine laboratory work-up.

Methods

An online survey was distributed among 836 general practitioners. The survey consisted of six cases, selected from an existing cohort of anaemia patients ( n = 3325). In three cases, general practitioners were asked to select the laboratory tests for further diagnostic examination from a list of 14 parameters (i.e. routine work-up). In the other three cases, general practitioners were presented with all 14 laboratory test results available (i.e. extensive work-up). General practitioners were asked to determine the underlying cause of anaemia in all six cases based on the test results, and these answers were compared with the answers of an expert panel.

Results

A total of 139 general practitioners (partly) responded to the survey (17%). The general practitioners were able to determine the underlying cause of anaemia in 53% of cases based on the routine work-up, whereas 62% of cases could be diagnosed using an extensive work-up ( P = 0.007). In addition, the probability of a correct diagnosis decreased with the patient’s age and was also affected by the underlying cause itself, with anaemia of chronic disease being hardest to diagnose ( P = 0.003).

Conclusion

The use of an extensive laboratory work-up in patients with newly diagnosed anaemia is expected to increase the percentage of correct underlying causes established by general practitioners. Since the underlying cause can still not be established in 31.3% of anaemia patients, further research is necessary.
Predictive role of tear protein expression in the early diagnosis of Sjögren’s syndrome
Authors: Versura Piera , Giannaccare Giuseppe , Vukatana Gentiana , Mulè Rita , Malavolta Nazzarena , Campos Emilio C
Published: August 2018

Background

The contribution of tear protein expression in patients with presumed diagnosis of Sjögren syndrome is underestimated. We aimed to evaluate the role of tear proteins in the Sjögren syndrome early diagnosis.

Methods

Charts from 110 patients suspected of Sjögren syndrome were analysed and the subsequent diagnosis retrieved. Subjective symptoms (ocular surface disease index, OSDI), tear film break-up time (TFBUT), Schirmer test, Jones test, tear clearance (TC), corneal (NEI score) and conjunctival staining (van Bjerstelveldt score), esthesiometry, cytology, tear protein analysis (total protein [TP] content, lysozyme-C [LYS-C], lactoferrin [LACTO], lipocalin-1 [LIPOC-1] and albumin [ALB]) were analysed. The diagnostic performance with area under the curve (AUC) and odds ratio (OR) for each parameter were calculated.

Results

Thirty-five patients (31.8%) had been diagnosed as affected by Sjögren syndrome. Clinical tests showed lower diagnostic performance (OSDI > 44 [AUC 0.57], Schirmer ≤ 5 mm [0.59], TFBUT ≤ 3 s [0.72], TC > 1/16 [0.68], Jones ≤ 4 mm [0.68], corneal staining > 2 [0.51], conjunctival staining > 2 [0.78]) compared with tear proteins (LYS-C ≤ 1.5 mg/mL [0.79], LACTO ≤ 20% [0.94], LIPOC-1 ≤ 10% [0.89], ALB ≥ 15% [0.79]). LYS-C, LACTO, LIPOC-1 and ALB showed a significant association in predicting Sjögren syndrome vs. not-Sjögren syndrome dry eye (OR, respectively, 4.9, 5.5, 7.2, 6.7).

Conclusions

Tear proteins’ concentrations showed a significant higher accuracy compared with the traditional ocular clinical tests for reaching Sjögren syndrome’s diagnosis. In particular, LACTO and LIPOC-1 provided an excellent diagnostic performance and thus could likely be considered promising biomarkers of Sjögren syndrome.
Valid analytical performance specifications for combined analytical bias and imprecision for the use of common reference intervals
Authors: Hyltoft Petersen Per , Lund Flemming , Fraser Callum G , Sandberg Sverre , Sölétormos György
Published: August 2018

Background

Many clinical decisions are based on comparison of patient results with reference intervals. Therefore, an estimation of the analytical performance specifications for the quality that would be required to allow sharing common reference intervals is needed. The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC) recommended a minimum of 120 reference individuals to establish reference intervals. This number implies a certain level of quality, which could then be used for defining analytical performance specifications as the maximum combination of analytical bias and imprecision required for sharing common reference intervals, the aim of this investigation.

Methods

Two methods were investigated for defining the maximum combination of analytical bias and imprecision that would give the same quality of common reference intervals as the IFCC recommendation. Method 1 is based on a formula for the combination of analytical bias and imprecision and Method 2 is based on the Microsoft Excel formula NORMINV including the fractional probability of reference individuals outside each limit and the Gaussian variables of mean and standard deviation. The combinations of normalized bias and imprecision are illustrated for both methods. The formulae are identical for Gaussian and log-Gaussian distributions.

Results

Method 2 gives the correct results with a constant percentage of 4.4% for all combinations of bias and imprecision.

Conclusion

The Microsoft Excel formula NORMINV is useful for the estimation of analytical performance specifications for both Gaussian and log-Gaussian distributions of reference intervals.
Unwanted road to anaemia in transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy may continue irrespective of tafamidis treatment
Authors: Ikeda Tokunori , Masuda Teruaki , Ueda Mitsuharu , Yamashita Taro , Misumi Yohei , Shinriki Satoru , Ando Yukio
Published: August 2018

Background

This retrospective longitudinal study was performed to determine whether tafamidis treatment leads to improvements in commonly used blood data for transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP).

Methods

Commonly used blood data (complete blood count [including a haemogram], total protein, albumin, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, total bilirubin [T-Bil], creatine kinase, choline esterase, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR], serum amyloid A protein, TTR, haemoglobin A1c, free triiodothyronine [FT3] and free thyroxine [FT4]) were investigated in 33 TTR-FAP patients. These values included longitudinal data at three time points: six months before or after tafamidis treatment and one year after tafamidis treatment. Longitudinal changes in each blood item were examined using a linear mixed model, adjusting for age at starting tafamidis, sex, TTR-FAP stage and value before tafamidis treatment.

Results

Our results show elevated TTR concentrations after tafamidis treatment. In contrast, haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width, T-Bil, eGFR, FT3 and FT4, gradually decreased through a reference range. There were no characteristic observations in any other items. TTR binds to thyroid hormone; therefore, FT3 and FT4 decreased in inverse proportion to increased TTR concentrations.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, progression to anaemia may occur regardless of tafamidis treatment. Because anaemia is sometimes present in TTR-FAP, attention should be paid to longitudinal changes in commonly used blood data, irrespective of tafamidis treatment.
Difference of seasonal variation between glycated albumin and glycated haemoglobin
Authors: Tanaka Karin , Meguro Shu , Tanaka Masami , Irie Junichiro , Saisho Yoshifumi , Itoh Hiroshi
Published: August 2018

Background

Glycated albumin reflects 2–3-week glycaemic controls, and in addition to glycated haemoglobin, it has been used as a glycaemic control indicator. We presumed that glycated albumin also has seasonal variations and is related to temperature, similar to glycated haemoglobin.

Methods

The subjects were diabetic outpatients from April 2007 to March 2013. This resulted in the enrolment of 2246 subjects and the collection of a total of 53,968 measurements. Mean glycated haemoglobin, glycated albumin, and plasma glucose were calculated for each month over six years. The associations of the measures with each other and the average temperature for each month in Tokyo were assessed using Spearman rank correlation coefficients.

Results

Plasma glucose was highest in January and lowest in May. Glycated haemoglobin was highest in March and lowest in September. Glycated albumin was highest in May and lowest in December. Glycated albumin tended to have a disjunction with plasma glucose in winter. Glycated haemoglobin had seasonal variation, but glycated albumin did not. Plasma glucose and glycated haemoglobin showed significant negative correlations with temperature (rs = −0.359, P < 0.001, rs = −0.449, P < 0.001, respectively), but glycated albumin did not. However, glycated albumin was inter-correlated with plasma glucose (rs = 0.396, P < 0.001) and glycated haemoglobin (rs = 0.685, P < 0.001), and glycated haemoglobin was inter-correlated with plasma glucose (rs = 0.465, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Glycated albumin and glycated haemoglobin showed different seasonal variations from each other over the six-year study period. Thus, further studies to identify factors that contribute to glycated albumin are needed.