bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rationale and design of the improving Care for Cardiovascular Disease in China (CCC) project: a national registry to improve management of atrial fibrillation
Authors: Hao Yongchen , Liu Jing , Smith Sidney C , Huo Yong , Fonarow Gregg C , Ge Junbo , Liu Jun , Taubert Kathryn A , Morgan Louise , Guo Yang , Zhou Mengge , Zhao Dong , Ma Changsheng
Published: July 2018

Introduction

Inadequate management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) has been reported in China for anticoagulation therapy and treatment for concomitant diseases. An effective quality improvement programme has been lacking to promote the use of evidence-based treatments and improve outcome in patients with AF.

Methods and analysis

The Improving Care for Cardiovascular Disease in China-AF programme is a collaboration of the American Heart Association and the Chinese Society of Cardiology. This programme is designed to promote adherence to AF guideline recommendations and outcomes for inpatients with AF. Launched in February 2015, 150 hospitals are recruited by geographic-economic regions across 30 provinces in China. Each month, 10–20 inpatients with AF are enrolled in each hospital. A web-based data collection platform is used to collect clinical information for patients with AF, including patients’ demographics, admission information, medical history, in-hospital care and outcomes, and discharge medications for managing AF. The quality improvement initiative includes monthly benchmarked reports on hospital quality, training sessions, regular webinars and recognitions of hospital quality achievement. Primary analyses will include adherence to performance measures and guidelines. To address intrahospital correlation, generalised estimating equation models will be applied. As of March 2017, 28 801 AF inpatients have been enrolled.

Ethics and dissemination

This study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University. Results will be published in peer-reviewed medical journals.

Trial registration number

NCT02309398.
Who is coaching the coach? Knowledge of depression and attitudes toward continuing education in coaches
Authors: Hegarty Erin M , Weight Erianne , Register-Mihalik Johna K
Published: July 2018

Background

The rate of depression among collegiate athletes ranges from 16% to 23%, with particularly high findings of prevalence in track and field athletes (34%). Collegiate athletes have also been found to underuse mental health resources. Given this high prevalence of depression and demonstrated reluctance to seek help, it is important to explore the awareness and understanding of depression among the individuals who work most closely with this population.

Objective

To assess coaches’ knowledge and awareness of depression among their athletes and describe their level of interest in receiving continuing education.

Method

All National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I cross-country and track and field coaches were invited to participate in an online survey. The sample consisted of 253 participants, of whom 56 (25%) identified themselves as female and 170 (75%) as male with 14 (±10.4) years of coaching experience. Respondents completed the Adolescent Depression Awareness Program (ADAP) questionnaire and related questions. Differences in depression knowledge and interest in continuing education were calculated by gender, event specialty, length of coaching experience and certification history using analysis of variance and χ2analysis.

Results

The mean score on the ADAP depression questionnaire was 83%. Significant differences were not observed by gender, length of coaching experience, coaching title or certification history. Distance coaches scored significantly higher on the test than sprints coaches. Coaches estimated that 11% of their former and current student-athletes have struggled with depression. 77% of coaches indicated a ‘strong interest’ in receiving continuing education.

Conclusions

The findings of this study indicate the participating coaches have a goodknowledge of depressionfor individuals without formal education on the topic but may lack depressionawareness. This hypothesis is supported by the finding that coaches in the sample found out an athlete was suffering from depression most often by the athlete self-reporting.
Atrial secretion of ANP is suppressed in renovascular hypertension: shifting of ANP secretion from atria to the left ventricle
Authors: Tan Rui , Ahn You Mee , Kim Hye Yoom , Lee Yun Jung , Cho Kyung Woo , Kang Dae Gill , Lee Ho Sub
Published: July 2018

In the present study, the change in secretion of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) from the atria was defined in hypertension accompanied by ventricular hypertrophy and increased synthesis of ANP. To identify the change of the secretion and mechanisms involved, experiments were performed in isolated perfused beating atria from sham-operated normotensive and renovascular hypertensive rats. Expression of ANP, natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR)-C, components of the renin-angiotensin system, and muscarinic signaling pathway was measured in cardiac tissues. Basal levels of ANP secretion and acetylcholine (ACh)- and stretch-induced activation of ANP secretion were suppressed in the atria from hypertensive compared with normotensive rats. ACh increased ANP secretion via M2 muscarinic ACh receptor-ACh-sensitive K+ channel signaling. In hypertensive rats, ANP concentration increased in the left ventricle but decreased in the right ventricle. The atrial concentration of ANP was not changed in hypertensive compared with normotensive rats. ANP mRNA expression was accentuated in the left ventricle but suppressed in the other cardiac chambers in the hearts of hypertensive rats. NPR-C expression was inversely related to ANP mRNA levels. Angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) expression was accentuated in the cardiac chambers from hypertensive rats compared with normotensive rats, whereas angiotensin II type 2 receptor, M2 muscarinic receptor, and Kir3.4 channels were suppressed. AT1R blockade with losartan reversed the change observed in hypertensive rats. The present findings indicate that renovascular hypertension shifts the major site of ANP secretion and synthesis from the atria to the left ventricle through modulation of the expression of ANP, NPR-C, AT1R, and the M2 muscarinic signaling pathway.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Renovascular hypertension suppresses the atrial secretion of ANP and shifts the major site of the regulation of ANP secretion and synthesis from atria to the hypertrophied left ventricle possibly via modulation of the expression of ANP, natriuretic peptide receptor-C, angiotensin II subtype 1 receptor, and M2 muscarinic signaling pathway.
Forestalling BRAF-Inhibitor Resistance in a Shocking Way
Authors: Sullivan Ryan J.
Published: July 2018

Targeting BRAF in BRAF-mutant melanoma is highly effective, but most patients develop resistance. HSP90 has been implicated and identified as a therapeutic target. Ultimately, early-stage clinical investigation will be necessary to provide proof of principle of this approach and if appropriate randomized trials to confirm promising findings. Clin Cancer Res; 24(22); 5496–8. ©2018 AACR.

See related article by Eroglu et al., p. 5516
Siglec-6 on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Cells Is a Target for Post-Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Antibodies
Authors: Chang Jing , Peng Haiyong , Shaffer Brian C. , Baskar Sivasubramanian , Wecken Ina C. , Cyr Matthew G. , Martinez Gustavo J. , Soden Jo , Freeth Jim , Wiestner Adrian , Rader Christoph
Published: July 2018

Although the 5-year survival rate of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients has risen to >80%, the only potentially curative treatment is allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT). To identify possible new monoclonal antibody (mAb) drugs and targets for CLL, we previously developed a phage display–based human mAb platform to mine the antibody repertoire of patients who responded to alloHSCT. We had selected a group of highly homologous post-alloHSCT mAbs that bound to an unknown CLL cell surface antigen. Here, we show through next-generation sequencing of cDNAs encoding variable heavy-chain domains that these mAbs had a relative abundance of ∼0.1% in the post-alloHSCT antibody repertoire and were enriched ∼1,000-fold after three rounds of selection on primary CLL cells. Based on differential RNA-seq and a cell microarray screening technology for discovering human cell surface antigens, we now identify their antigen as Siglec-6. We verified this finding by flow cytometry, ELISA, siRNA knockdown, and surface plasmon resonance. Siglec-6 was broadly expressed in CLL and could be a potential target for antibody-based therapeutic interventions. Our study reaffirms the utility of post-alloHSCT antibody drug and target discovery. Cancer Immunol Res; 6(9); 1008–13. ©2018 AACR.
Quantification of Hydrochlorothiazide and Ramipril/Ramiprilate in Blood Serum and Cerebrospinal Fluid: A Pharmacokinetic Assessment of Central Nervous System Adverse Effects
Authors: Sigaroudi Ali , Kinzig Martina , Wahl Oliver , Stelzer Christoph , Schroeter Michael , Fuhr Uwe , Holzgrabe Ulrike , Sörgel Fritz
Published: July 2018

Background: A drug must reach the central nervous system (CNS) in order to directly cause CNS adverse effects (AEs). Our current study addressed the pharmacokinetic (PK) background of the assumption that CNS concentrations of hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) and ramiprilate may directly cause CNS AEs such as headache and drowsiness. Methods: In neurological patients, paired serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were withdrawn simultaneously. Some of them were treated with HCT (n = 15, daily chronic doses 7.5–25 mg) or ramipril (n = 9, 2.5–10 mg). Total concentrations of HCT and ramiprilate were quantified in these samples. To this end, sensitive liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry methods were developed. Results: CSF reached 4.1% (interquartile ranges 2.5–5%) of total serum concentrations for HCT and 2.3% (1.7–5.7%) for ramiprilate, corresponding to about 11.3% and 5.5% of respective unbound serum concentrations. Conclusion: The PK/Pharmacodynamic characteristics of HCT and ramiprilate in the CNS are unknown. However, since the CSF levels of these agents, both free and bound, were much lower than the corresponding concentrations in serum, it is unlikely that the observed CNS AEs are mediated primarily via direct effects in the brain.
Comparison of 2 Perioperative Management Protocols and Their Influence on Postoperative Recovery after Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy: Standard Parenteral Nutrition, Selective Bowel Decontamination and Suprapubic Catheters?
Authors: Elekonawo Fortuné M.K. , van der Meeren Manon M.D. , Simkens Geert A. , de Wilt Johannes H.W. , de Hingh Ignace H. , Bremers Andreas J.A.
Published: July 2018

Background: Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC) is associated with considerable postoperative morbidity, including ileus and infectious complications. Perioperative care is believed to be an important factor for the development and treatment of postoperative morbidity. Patients and Methods: Data on case-matched patients from a retrospective database of 2 Dutch HIPEC centres was compared. Patient selection and procedures were identical in both hospitals although perioperative management items differ slightly. In centre B, immediate total parenteral nutrition (TPN), suprapubic urine bladder catheter placement (SPCs) and selective decontamination of the digestive-tract are standard care for CRS-HIPEC patients, while in centre A, they are not. Results: From a total of 223 patients, 68 consecutive patients from centre B were compared to 68 matched patients from centre A. TPN was administered to 54.4% of patients in centre A because of prolonged ileus, whereas it was standard of care in centre B. In all, 105 (77.2%) patients experienced postoperative complications including 17.6% who had a grades III–IV complication. The incidence of grade III-V complications was 18 (26.4%) in centre A and 8 (11.8%) in centre B (p = 0.03). Median hospital stay was 12 days (7–84) in A and 11(6–80) in centre B (p = 0.546). Conclusions: Gastrointestinal recovery after CRS-HIPEC seems to take longer as compared to other surgical procedures. Between the 2 centres, a significant difference in severe complications was found, while standard TPN, selective bowel decontamination and SPCs were the only identified differences in perioperative care.
Structural Genome Variations Related to Craniosynostosis
Authors: Poot Martin
Published: July 2018

Craniosynostosis refers to a condition during early development in which one or more of the fibrous sutures of the skull prematurely fuse by turning into bone, which produces recognizable patterns of cranial shape malformations depending on which suture(s) are affected. In addition to cases with isolated cranial dysmorphologies, craniosynostosis appears in syndromes that include skeletal features of the eyes, nose, palate, hands, and feet as well as impairment of vision, hearing, and intellectual development. Approximately 85% of the cases are nonsyndromic sporadic and emerge after de novo structural genome rearrangements or single nucleotide variation, while the remainders consist of syndromic cases following mendelian inheritance. By karyotyping, genome wide linkage, and CNV analyses as well as by whole exome and whole genome sequencing, numerous candidate genes for craniosynostosis belonging to the FGF, Wnt, BMP, Ras/ERK, ephrin, hedgehog, STAT, and retinoic acid signaling pathways have been identified. Many of the craniosynostosis-related candidate genes form a functional network based upon protein-protein or protein-DNA interactions. Depending on which node of this craniosynostosis-related network is affected by a gene mutation or a change in gene expression pattern, a distinct craniosynostosis syndrome or set of phenotypes ensues. Structural variations may alter the dosage of one or several genes or disrupt the genomic architecture of genes and their regulatory elements within topologically associated chromatin domains. These may exert dominant effects by either haploinsufficiency, dominant negative partial loss of function, gain of function, epistatic interaction, or alteration of levels and patterns of gene expression during development. Molecular mechanisms of dominant modes of action of these mutations may include loss of one or several binding sites for cognate protein partners or transcription factor binding sequences. Such losses affect interactions within functional networks governing development and consequently result in phenotypes such as craniosynostosis. Many of the novel variants identified by genome wide CNV analyses, whole exome and whole genome sequencing are incorporated in recently developed diagnostic algorithms for craniosynostosis.
Resumptive Pronouns Can Ameliorate Illicit Island Extractions
Authors: Ackerman Lauren , Frazier Michael , Yoshida Masaya
Published: July 2018

Syntax literature reports that resumptive pronouns (RPs) ameliorate island violations, but much psycholinguistics literature has found RPs to be no more acceptable than straightforwardly island-violating gaps, even though island production tasks consistently elicit RPs. However, psycholinguistic studies have typically compared RP and illicit gap conditions indirectly. We posit that RP island amelioration in comprehension is undetectable when participants cannot compare alternative sentences, and thus that the apparent production/comprehension split arises from methodological differences between perception and production experiments.

We present six experiments crossing three island types in two tasks (full-sentence forced choice and forced-choice fill-in-the-blank), manipulating gap location (island vs. nonisland). We find that RPs are preferred in islands and gaps in nonislands ( p = .0001). This suggests that RPs do ameliorate island violations and that the production/comprehension split is a methodological artifact.
Policies of Radicalisation as Anti- and Countercult Ideologies
Authors: Kühle Lene
Published: July 2018

The similarities between research in ‘new religious movements’ and radicalization has been noticed by several scholars. This article however attempt to view the entire logic of ‘radicalization controversies’ through the lens of ‘cult controveries’. With a point of departure in material from Denmark, similarities are found between the position of scholars attempting to provide nuanced understandings of complex phenomena as well as in dynamics between radical groups and counter-jihad groups. The article suggests that current understandings of processes of radicalisation, de-radicalisation and securitisation may benefit from insights from comparisons with anti-cult movements setting the agenda for public discourses on NRM movements in the 1980s.
Muslims Denouncing Violent Extremism
Authors: van Es Margaretha A.
Published: July 2018

This article explores statements made by Dutch Muslims against violent extremism, and explains these statements in the context of the growing pressure exerted on Muslim minorities in Europe to present themselves as peaceful and loyal citizens. It problematises the often-repeated call on Muslims to denounce terrorism, and reveals that Dutch Muslims have condemned violent extremism more often than is commonly acknowledged. However, essentialist statements about Islam as a violent religion often provoke competing essentialisms of Islam as a ‘religion of peace’. In analysing such statements as ‘performative performances’, the author demonstrates how public debate about violent extremism feeds into Muslim perceptions of what Islam ‘really’ is.
The fern family Gleicheniaceae (Polypodiopsida) in Brazil
Authors: LIMA LUCAS VIEIRA , SALINO ALEXANDRE
Published: July 2018

We carried out a taxonomic study of the leptosporangiate fern family Gleicheniaceae (Polypodiopsida) in Brazil out and accepted 17 species distributed in three genera. Taxonomic descriptions to the whole family, genera and species are provided, as well as keys to the genera and species, synonymies, maps, illustrations, and notes. We also provide nomenclatural notes and propose 21 lectotypes.
Description of the pupa of Climaciella brunnea (Say) (Mantispidae, Mantispinae) and a key to known pupae of mantispids from North America
Authors: MARQUEZ-LÓPEZ YESENIA , CONTRERAS-RAMOS ATILANO
Published: July 2018

Most works about Climaciella brunnea (Say) deal with predation and parasitoidism on wolf spiders (Lycosidae), or records of populations that mimic vespid wasps (Polistes spp.). Knowledge on immature mantispids is scarce, particularly about pupae. Currently, a key by Hoffman and Brushwein provides information on larvae and pupae of several North American species. Herein, the pupa of C. brunnea is described for the first time, on the basis of a specimen from central Mexico, and its position in the available key is proposed,. The pupa of Plega yucatanae Parker & Stange from southeastern Mexico is also incorporated to the key on the basis of a published description.
Southern Hemisphere Origins for Interannual Variations of Snow Cover over the Western Tibetan Plateau in Boreal Summer
Authors: Dou Juan , Wu Zhiwei
Published: July 2018

The climate response to the Tibetan Plateau (TP) snow cover (TPSC) has been receiving extensive concern. However, relatively few studies have been devoted to revealing the potential factors that can contribute to the TPSC interannual variability, especially during boreal summer. This study finds that the May Southern Hemisphere (SH) annular mode (SAM), the dominating mode of atmospheric circulation variability in the SH extratropics, exhibits a significant positive relationship with the interannual variations in western TPSC during boreal summer. Observational analysis and numerical experiments manifest that the signal of the May SAM can be “prolonged” by a meridional Indian Ocean tripole (IOT) sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) via atmosphere–ocean interaction. The IOT SSTA pattern persists into the following summer and excites anomalous local-scale zonal–vertical circulation. Subsequently, a tropical dipole rainfall (TDR) mode is induced with precipitation anomalies between the tropical western Indian Ocean and the eastern Indian Ocean–Maritime Continent. Rossby wave ray tracing diagnosis reveals that the wave energies, generated by the latent heat release of the TDR mode, can propagate northward into the western TP. As a response, abnormal cyclone (or anticyclone) and upward (or downward) movement are triggered over the western TP, providing favorable dynamical conditions for more (or less) TPSC. Moreover, the strong May SAM is usually followed by a cold air temperature anomaly over the western TP in summer, which is unfavorable for snow-cover melting, and vice versa. In brief, the IOT SSTA plays an “ocean bridge” role and the TDR mode plays an “atmosphere bridge” role in the process of the May SAM impacting the following summer TPSC variability. The results may provide new insight into the cross-equatorial propagation of the SAM influence.
A commentary and two responses to: ‘What are the effective public schools? Insights from New South Wales’ secondary schools using a stochastic frontier analysis with a panel dataset’
Authors: van den Honert Rob , Dancer Diane , Blackburn Vincent , Lietz Petra
Published: July 2018

This is a compilation of three items comprising first a commentary on “What are the effective public schools? Insights from New South Wales’ secondary schools using a stochastic frontier analysis with a panel dataset ” (Diane Dancer & Vincent Blackburn, Australian Journal of Education, 61(2), 2017. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004944117713555 ) followed by two responses to that commentary. The commentary by Rob van den Honert examines whether an appropriate measure of efficiency has been used to interpret the results in this study. He also fields the question: ‘is using resources more efficiently more important than achieving superior educational outcomes? In the second item, Diane Dancer and Vincent Blackburn respond to Rob van den Honert’s commentary. The third item by Petra Lietz is a brief response to Rob van den Honert’s commentary.
Matteo Garrone’s Primo Amore and the feeling of suffering: Between sickness, a search for meaning and formal control
Authors: Marini Alessandro
Published: July 2018

In the contemporary Italian scenario, Garrone’s work undoubtedly represents one of the best examples of cinema that bravely confronts reality. The social/political commitment takes shape, in Primo Amore, in different ways if compared to the usual cinematic procedure Garrone adopts in his other works. In Gomorra and Reality the denunciation of society is intense. Saviano’s novel is sectioned in order to highlight the basic issues (the assimilation of camorra with capitalism, the false ‘respectability’ of the establishment). The focus in Reality is a harsh critique of remunerative gratification, an instrument to control the masses. The plot of Primo Amore, a tragic love story centred on an obsession with feminine thinness, is a metaphor for the rejection of abundance, perceived as unsatisfactory and limiting. This article explores Garrone’s critical approach, focusing on the author’s figurative and stylistic choices, while highlighting the complexity of the entire representation.
Feasibility of engaging college students in a 10-day plant-based diet
Authors: Valdez Elizabeth Salerno , Pottinger Heidi , Urbon-Bonine Angela , Duncan Burris
Published: July 2018

Objective:

This study sought to determine the feasibility of (a) engaging college students in experiential learning through a 10-day whole foods plant-based diet intervention, (b) bringing pertinence to the course topics that had an emphasis on chronic conditions and (c) understanding how the intervention influenced students’ perceptions and behaviours.

Design:

Quasi-experimental design. Biomarkers, dietary perceptions and behaviours were collected at baseline and 11-day post-intervention.

Setting:

The study was implemented in the context of an undergraduate/graduate public health course.

Method:

We assessed the feasibility of the intervention using an acceptability focus, including participant retention in the intervention, and participant self-reported experience with the plant-based diet. We also utilised an implementation research focus, concerning the extent, likelihood and manner in which an intervention can be fully implemented as planned and proposed.

Results:

The intervention was determined to be feasible. Participants learned that their diet can affect multiple health conditions and all changed their diet in some way or another as a result. Of the 10 participants, mean change in total cholesterol was −26 mg/dL, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was −6.1 mg/dL and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was −21.6 mg/dL, all with p values <.05.

Conclusion:

Findings suggest that through experiential learning, students will consider a whole food plant-based diet and/or make some personal lifestyle changes as a result.
Double-layered nonlinear model predictive control based on Hammerstein–Wiener model with disturbance rejection
Authors: Cai Hongbin , Li Ping , Su Chengli , Cao Jiangtao
Published: July 2018

This paper presents the double-layered nonlinear model predictive control method for a continuously stirred tank reactor and a pH neutralization process that are subject to input disturbances and output disturbances at the same time. The nonlinear systems can be described as a Hammerstein -Wiener model. Furthermore, two nonlinear parts of the Hammerstein -Wiener model should be transformed into linear combination of known input and unknown disturbances, respectively. By taking advantage of Kalman filter, disturbances and states can be estimated. The estimated disturbances and states can be considered to calculate steady-state target in steady-state target calculation layer. Moreover, the state feedback control law can be obtained in dynamic control layer. A simple proof for offset-free control is given in the proposed method. The simulation results show that the controlled variable can achieve the offset-free control. It can be seen that the proposed method has better disturbance rejection performance, strong robustness and practical value.
How Does Stronger Protection of Intellectual Property Rights Affect National Pharmaceutical Expenditure? An Analysis of OECD Countries
Authors: Jung Youn , Kwon Soonman
Published: July 2018

Intellectual property rights (IPR) protection for pharmaceuticals has been comprehensive and strict since the establishment of the World Trade Organization in 1995 and the subsequent implementation of the TRIPS Agreement. This study investigated the relationship between the level of IPR and national pharmaceutical expenditure using panel data of 22 OECD countries from 1970 to 2009. The patent index was used to measure the level of national protection for IPR along with other covariates: GDP per capita, the percentage of population aged over 65, number of doctors, proportion of public financing among total pharmaceutical expenditure, under-5 mortality, price index, and period indicators. The regression analysis results showed that the level of IPR protection was significantly correlated with pharmaceutical spending even after controlling for various factors that affect pharmaceutical expenditure. The results were consistent in OLS regression and GLS regression. However, the effect of IPR was stronger and more significant in countries with a relatively small-sized pharmaceutical market than in those with big market. Many developed countries incur a financial burden due to rapidly growing pharmaceutical expenditure; therefore, the results of this study present the possibility that stronger IPR would produce welfare loss in developed countries.
Energy method for the calculation of the energy release rate of delamination in composite beams
Authors: Zheng Weiling , Kassapoglou Christos
Published: July 2018

An energy method based on beam theory is proposed to determine the strain energy release rate of an existing crack in composite laminates. The developed analytical method was implemented in isotropic materials, and the obtained strain energy release rate of a crack was validated by reference results and finite element solutions. The general behavior of crack growth on the left or right crack tip was evaluated, and basic trends leading to crack propagation to one side of the crack were established. A correction factor was introduced to improve the accuracy of the strain energy release rate for small cracks. The singularity at the crack tip caused by dissimilar materials was investigated and was found that the inclusion of the singularity effect could increase the accuracy for small cracks. The calculated strain energy release rate of a crack in a composite beam has been verified by comparing with a finite element model.
Narratives of Those Who “Love” Violently: Identity Issues and Construction of Meaning of the Batterers
Authors: Conde Rita , Gonçalves Rui Abrunhosa , Manita Celina
Published: July 2018

The present study aims to identify and analyze the interpretative repertoires on love and intimate relationships used by wife batterers, exploring how the repertoires may influence the development and experience of violent intimate relationships, and how this is linked to the identity issues. Twelve wife batterers participated in the study, answering to an individual interview on their lives’ love story. Through a discourse analysis of the data, five distinct interpretative repertoires were identified—romantic, companion, passionate, pragmatic and game-playing love—and their meaning construction was analyzed. It is discussed what repertoires reveal about gender roles prescribed by the model of masculinity, and how these gender roles constrain the construction of the identity, the personal growth and the self-actualization of the batterers.
The Lethal Burden of Survival
Authors: Bartoszko Aleksandra
Published: July 2018

Patients in opioid substitution treatment (OST) in Norway are assigned a treatment modality based on their risk profiles, with an emphasis on overdose risk. One of several medications may be administered, including methadone, buprenorphine, buprenorphine–naloxone, and occasionally morphine. OST patients who are not satisfied with the assigned treatment are required to negotiate with OST staff to switch treatment modalities. During these negotiations, some inherent paradoxes arise: (1) OST contains both a harm reduction approach and an ideology that emphasizes abstinence and a drug-free life and (2) legal requirements for patient involvement in the choice of treatment clash with the clinicians’ intrinsic suspicion toward patients’ knowledge, experience, and pharmacological preferences. Drawing upon a year of ethnographic fieldwork, I discuss in this article how OST simultaneously reduces and reproduces risks. OST medications are primarily designed to manage withdrawal, with the patient’s survival as the priority rather than quality of life. But this corporeal focus combined with a mantra of harm reduction reduces patients to their physiology. Consequently, many OST patients live in a chronic survival modus—“I am surviving, not living”—which complicates their ability to acquire new social roles. As they struggle with medication side effects, poor health, isolation, and a need for recognition, many abandon their rehabilitation plans and disengage further from society. Thus, OST can produce a new kind of vulnerability, creates new subjects at risk, and by extension maintains risk of diversion, polydrug use, and overdose.
The Effects of Text-to-Speech on Reading Outcomes for Secondary Students With Learning Disabilities
Authors: Young Mary Cece , Courtad Carrie Anna , Douglas Karen H. , Chung Yun-Ching
Published: July 2018

This study investigated the effectiveness of text-to-speech (TTS) on the outcomes of reading comprehension and oral reading fluency (ORF) for four secondary students with learning disabilities. The researchers used a single-case A–B–A–B withdrawal design to evaluate the effectiveness of TTS on reading outcomes. All participants scored higher on reading comprehension after using TTS when reading instructional passages and maintained the skills for 4 weeks. Results on participants’ ORF also indicated an increased level of words read per min at the end of each accommodation condition. Comparison of pre- and posttest achievement on the Lexile assessment showed that two of the four participants increased their reading scores. Major findings are discussed with implications for practice and recommendations for future research to increase the use of TTS in the classroom.
Predicting Veracity From Linguistic Indicators
Authors: Burgoon Judee K.
Published: July 2018

Ample scientific research has confirmed significant linguistic differences between truthful and deceptive discourse in both laboratory and field experiments. That literature is reviewed, followed by presentation of an experiment that tested the effects of veracity on a wide array of linguistic indicators and tested which effects were moderated by motivation and modality. A 2 (veracity: truthful/deceptive) × 2 (incentives: high/low) × 3 (modality: FtF/audio/text) factorial experiment revealed that linguistic indicators of quantity, immediacy, vividness/dominance, specificity, complexity, diversity, and hedging/uncertainty were all affected by veracity, and veracity interacted with motivation in the latter four cases. Only personalism and affect failed to differ between truth and deception. Modality also affected language use but did not interact with veracity. Four linguistic indicators together successfully classified 76% of text-based deception and 76% to 78% of truthful responses from text, audio, and face-to-face interaction. The importance of context in predicting linguistic patterns is emphasized.
Sildenafil and calcitonin gene-related peptide dilate intradural arteries: A 3T MR angiography study in healthy volunteers
Authors: Christensen Casper Emil , Amin Faisal Mohammad , Younis Samaira , Lindberg Ulrich , de Koning Patrick , Petersen Esben Thade , Paulson Olaf Bjarne , Larsson Henrik Bo Wiberg , Ashina Messoud
Published: July 2018

Background

Sildenafil and calcitonin gene-related peptide are vasoactive substances that induce migraine attacks in patients. The intradural arteries are thought to be involved, but these have never been examined in vivo. Sildenafil is the only migraine-inducing compound for which cephalic, extracranial artery dilation is not reported. Here, we investigate the effects of sildenafil and calcitonin gene-related peptide on the extracranial and intradural parts of the middle meningeal artery.

Methods

In a double-blind, randomized, three-way crossover, placebo-controlled head-to-head comparison study, MR-angiography was recorded in healthy volunteers at baseline and twice after study drug (sildenafil/ calcitonin gene-related peptide/saline) administration. Circumferences of extracranial and intradural middle meningeal artery segments were measured using semi-automated analysis software. The area under the curve for circumference change was compared using paired t-tests between study days.

Results

Twelve healthy volunteers completed the study. The area under the curveBaseline-120min was significantly larger on both the sildenafil and the calcitonin gene-related peptide day in the intradural middle meningeal artery (calcitonin gene-related peptide, p = 0.013; sildenafil, p = 0.027) and the extracranial middle meningeal artery (calcitonin gene-related peptide, p = 0.0003; sildenafil, p = 0.021), compared to placebo. Peak intradural middle meningeal artery dilation was 9.9% (95% CI [2.9–16.9]) after sildenafil (T30min) and 12.5% (95% CI [8.1–16.8]) after calcitonin gene-related peptide (T30min). Peak dilation of the extracranial middle meningeal artery after calcitonin gene-related peptide (T30min) was 15.7% (95% CI [11.2–20.1]) and 18.9% (95% CI [12.8–24.9]) after sildenafil (T120min).

Conclusion

An important novel finding is that both sildenafil and calcitonin gene-related peptide dilate intradural arteries, supporting the notion that all known pharmacological migraine triggers dilate cephalic vessels. We suggest that intradural artery dilation is associated with headache induced by calcitonin gene-related peptide and sildenafil.
Fires originating in branch-circuit NM cables due to installation damage
Authors: Babrauskas Vytenis
Published: July 2018

A significant fraction of US structure fires originate in electrical wiring, and there is also reason to believe that these numbers may be systematically undercounted. The role of voltage surges and damaged insulation in creating the potential for fire is discussed. That damaged electrical insulation may lead to fire has been known for a century, yet details of the mechanisms by which this occurs have not been extensively studied. An Underwriters Laboratories study established that damage which may not appear visually striking may result in dielectric failure; such failures can be a direct cause of fire. Case histories are presented illustrating how mechanical damage associated with stapling of NM cables can result in serious fires. Reliability of branch-circuit wiring methods is discussed and possible preventive measures are described.
Breastfeeding Without Nursing: “If Only I’d Known More about Exclusively Pumping before Giving Birth”
Authors: Jardine Fiona M.
Published: July 2018

Background:

Human milk is understood to be the optimal nutrition for infants, yet many women struggle to nurse. Although exclusively pumping human milk can provide a solution, women may be unaware of this possibility and, thus, experience unnecessary frustration.

Research aim:

This study aimed to (a) determine the proportion of respondents who had heard of exclusive pumping prenatally; (b) describe sources that respondents turned to and/or received breastfeeding-related information from prenatally; (c) explore the ways in which respondents learned prenatally about exclusive pumping; (d) describe how useful respondents found various information sources when learning about exclusive pumping; and (e) describe the differences between respondents who first heard the term exclusive pumping prenatally versus postpartum.

Methods:

A cross-sectional, self-report, mixed-methods survey was administered online to a convenience sample of current and/or past exclusive pumpers ( N = 1,215). Descriptive statistics were produced (Research aims 1–4), and chi-square tests (Research aims 1, 2, and 5) and a Mann–Whitney U test (Research aim 5) were conducted, to identify trends and compare respondents.

Results:

Seventy-one percent ( n = 864) of respondents had not heard of exclusive pumping until after giving birth. Respondents reported that very few prenatal breastfeeding information sources mentioned or explained exclusive pumping. Women who had heard about exclusive pumping prior to giving birth ( n = 291, 24%) reported feeling more knowledgeable about how to exclusively pump and less frustrated, insecure, depressed, rejected, embarrassed, envious, burdened, guilty, and disappointed while exclusively pumping.

Conclusion:

For postpartum knowledge and affective outcomes to improve, prenatal infant feeding information and education must include information about exclusive pumping.
The adaptability of international arbitration: Reforming the arbitration mechanism to provide effective remedy for business-related human rights abuses
Authors: Yiannibas Katerina
Published: July 2018

This paper analyses the potential for international arbitration to provide effective remedy for business-related human rights abuses. Since the proliferation of international arbitration, the default arbitration mechanism as it stands has been contemplated by and large for the resolution of cross-border commercial disputes where the primary interests are efficiency and finality. However, there is evidence that human rights issues have emerged in international arbitration. Accordingly, if arbitration is to be used in such cases, the mechanism must be adapted in light of the particular issues that arise in the adjudication of human rights; the balance between transparency and confidentiality, reprisals against victims and human rights defenders, collective redress, financial assistance, the applicability of human rights standards. If proper procedures are in place to contemplate the particular interests involved in cases where the substantive claims involve human rights, the advantage of international arbitration is that it can provide direct access in a neutral forum for holding companies accountable where national jurisdictions are unavailable or difficult to access. This article begins by analysing the historical development of international arbitration so as to demonstrate a pattern of adaptability and flexibility vis-à-vis the subject matter of cross-border disputes. The article will then contemplate the potential of and concerns for international arbitration, putting forward specific recommendations for reforms of the international arbitration mechanism in cases where the substantive claims involve business-related human rights abuses.
Prediction of the in-piston-bowl swirl ratio of diesel engines
Authors: Sun Yanzhe , Wang Tianyou , Wen Ming , Li Yufeng , Tian Fuquan , Lu Zhen
Published: July 2018

Steady flow tests are widely used to evaluate the performance of intake ports in generating swirl flow in diesel engines. Such test data, however, may deviate largely from the real in-piston-bowl swirl ratio due to the complex unsteady air motion in the compression stroke. In this study, a new method is proposed to predict the unsteady in-piston-bowl swirl ratio of diesel engines from steady flow test data by focusing on three key steps, including the swirl field at intake valve close timing, swirl enhancement due to squish flow, and swirl decay during the compression stroke. Experimental results on an optically accessible diesel engine under non-firing conditions show that, at intake valve close, the relationship between the swirl ratio and the vertical location was approximately linear and the mean swirl ratio could be fitted by a Bessel function; the correlation between the swirl decay coefficient and surface-to-volume ratio was built by fitting the experiment data. Furthermore, the in-piston-bowl swirl ratio during the compression stroke could then be derived according to the conservation of angular momentum.
Proportion and predictors of loss to follow-up in a longitudinal cohort study of female entertainment and sex workers in Cambodia
Authors: Chhim Srean , Chhea Chhorvann , Sopheab Heng , Mathers Bradley M. , Kaldor John , Evans Jennifer L , Stein Ellen S. , Carrico Adam , Muth Sokunny , Song Ngak , Maher Lisa , Page Kimberly
Published: July 2018

We examined the proportion and correlates of loss to follow-up (LTFU) among female entertainment and sex workers (FESWs) in a longitudinal HIV prevention intervention trial in Cambodia. The Cambodia Integrated HIV and Drug Prevention Intervention trial tested a comprehensive package of interventions aimed at reducing amphetamine-type stimulant use and HIV risk among FESWs in ten provinces. The present study estimated the proportion of women LTFU and assessed factors associated with LTFU. Logistic regression analyses were used. Of a total 596 women enrolled, the cumulative proportion of LTFU was 29.5% (n = 176) between zero- and 12-month follow-up. In multivariate analyses, women with no living children (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1, 2.3) and those who experienced recent food insecurity (AOR 1.7; 95%CI: 1.1, 2.7) were more likely to be LTFU. Women who were members of the SMARTgirl HIV prevention programme for ≥ 6 months compared to non-members were less likely to be LTFU (AOR 0.3; 95%CI: 0.2, 0.6). LTFU was moderately high in this study and similar to other studies, indicating a need for strategies to retain this population in HIV prevention programmes and research. Interventions aimed at stabilizing women’s lives, including reducing food insecurity and creating communities of engagement for FESWs, should be considered.
Quantifying performance of a diagnostic test as the expected information for discrimination: Relation to the C-statistic
Authors: McKeigue Paul
Published: July 2018

Although the C-statistic is widely used for evaluating the performance of diagnostic tests, its limitations for evaluating the predictive performance of biomarker panels have been widely discussed. The increment in C obtained by adding a new biomarker to a predictive model has no direct interpretation, and the relevance of the C-statistic to risk stratification is not obvious. This paper proposes that the C-statistic should be replaced by the expected information for discriminating between cases and non-cases (expected weight of evidence, denoted as Λ), and that the strength of evidence favouring one model over another should be evaluated by cross-validation as the difference in test log-likelihoods. Contributions of independent variables to predictive performance are additive on the scale of Λ. Where the effective number of independent predictors is large, the value of Λ is sufficient to characterize fully how the predictor will stratify risk in a population with given prior probability of disease, and the C-statistic can be interpreted as a mapping of Λ to the interval from 0.5 to 1. Even where this asymptotic relationship does not hold, there is a one-to-one mapping between the distributions in cases and non-cases of the weight of evidence favouring case over non-case status, and the quantiles of these distributions can be used to calculate how the predictor will stratify risk. This proposed approach to reporting predictive performance is demonstrated by analysis of a dataset on the contribution of microbiome profile to diagnosis of colorectal cancer.
Relationship Between the Five Facets of Mindfulness on Mood and Substance Use Relapse
Authors: Temme Leslie J. , Wang Donna
Published: July 2018

This study examined which particular facets of mindfulness (nonreactivity, observing thoughts and feelings, acting with awareness, describing experience, and nonjudging of experience) accounted for improvements in mood and warning signs of relapse in an adult population. This exploratory study examined the impact of the five facets of mindfulness on both warning signs of relapse and mood in a primarily minority adult population in a residential substance abuse treatment facility. Results showed that all five facets were significantly correlated with mood and warning signs at the bivariate level. When considering the facets together, observing and nonjudging were related to mood, and acting with awareness and nonjudging were related to warning signs. Implications for future research and practice are offered.
Materials and techniques for percutaneous retrieval of intravascular foreign bodies
Authors: Rossi Umberto G , Rollandi Gian Andrea , Ierardi Anna Maria , Valdata Alessandro , Pinna Francesco , Pescatori Lorenzo Carlo , Gallieni Maurizio , Carrafiello Gianpaolo , Cariati Maurizio
Published: July 2018

The presence of an intravascular foreign body represents a well-known risk of serious complications. While in the past surgical removal of intravascular foreign body was the most common intervention, nowadays a percutaneous approach in the retrieval of an intravascular foreign body is widely accepted as the first-line technique. In the literature, many case reports describe different techniques and materials. This article summarizes and illustrates the main materials and techniques currently applied for percutaneous retrieval of intravascular foreign body, providing a simplified tool with different interventional possibilities, adaptable to different clinical situations.