bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Simulating “Peripheral Harm” as an AMBER Alert Issuance Criterion: Implications for Anticipating Threats to Child Safety
Authors: Williams Joshua H. , Griffin Timothy , Miller Danielle , Wooldredge John
Published: October 2015

Although there is some limited research on the effectiveness of the America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response (AMBER) Alert system, to date, there has been no research specifically examining the viability of prospective AMBER Alert issuance criteria. Using data acquired from various media accounts of 446 AMBER Alerts issued in the United States and Canada, we examine how well “peripheral harm” (harm to someone other than the abducted child during the course of the abduction) predicts subsequent harm to the abducted child. Counterintuitively (from the perspective of AMBER Alert issuance decision making), peripheral harm or threat is negatively associated with harm to the victim in cases involving an AMBER Alert. Furthermore, this negative finding is spurious, and is primarily driven by the fact that, disproportionately, the abductors who commit “peripheral harm” in AMBER alert cases are parents and other family members of the child who are presumably unlikely to harm child relatives despite whatever violence they might commit (or threaten) against others. We discuss the implications for the use of peripheral harm as an AMBER Alert issuance criterion, the empirical evaluation of the system, and the public discourse surrounding the AMBER Alert system and its relationship to child protection in general.
Experimental evaluation of cyclic stresses on axially loaded bolted joints
Authors: Griza Sandro , da Silva Marcio EG , dos Santos Silvando V , Strohaecker Telmo R
Published: October 2015

The bolted joints fatigue behavior was analyzed by using torque as tightening method and steel and aluminum as members’ material. The bolt used in the current study was the M6 class 8.8. The bolt preload value was calculated based on the bolts’ elongation in each applied torque. The fatigue limit increases as the torque increases up to the torque limit to fracture the bolt. This behavior was seen in both members’ material. Steel members support higher torque before bolt fracture. An analytical study also evaluated the relationship between the cyclic stress amplitude and the mean stress experienced by fatigue-tested bolts based on the available models for joint stiffness. The results were compared to the bolt fatigue diagram by Burguete and Patterson. The herein studied linear elastic theoretical models showed wide range in the correlation between stress amplitude and mean stress.
Two classes of reconfigurable parallel mechanisms constructed with multi-diamond kinematotropic chain
Authors: Ye Wei , Fang Yuefa , Guo Sheng , Chen Yaqiong
Published: October 2015

This paper presents a novel multi-diamond kinematotropic chain that has various motion branches. The motion allowed by the chain in different branches is identified based on Lie group theory. A planar reconfigurable limb is obtained by adding a prismatic joint to the output link of the multi-diamond kinematotropic chain, leading to the construction of a class of planar reconfigurable parallel mechanisms. With the multi-diamond kinematotropic chain evolving into different motion branches, the planar reconfigurable mechanisms have three distinct configurations in which different operation modes including the 2T1R mode, 2T mode and 1T1R mode can be carried out. The multi-diamond kinematotropic chain is also integrated in the design of spatial reconfigurable limbs, resulting in the construction of a class of spatial reconfigurable parallel mechanisms with ten mobility configurations.
A model for computer-aided creative design based on cognition and iteration
Authors: Yang Kun , Li Yan , Xiong Yan , Yan Jing-yuan , Na Hui-zhen
Published: October 2015

Conceptual design is the most creative and important stage in product design process. A computer-aided creative design (CACD) system is indispensable to provide effective support for human-oriented creative behavior and iterative decision-making during the conceptual design process. Based on cognition and iteration, this study proposes a triplhelix innovative solving model to guide the construction of CACD system. In this model, three types of space are established, including design flow space as reference for mapping direction, knowledge inspiration space as source of stimulus information, and solution operating space as carrier. The cooperation among the triple space is organized based on memory information processing theory, so as to inspire designers’ cognitive thinking to generate product solutions. In addition, the iterative operations of design elements among function, behavior, and structure utilizing the proposed triple space are discussed. With this model, the designers can develop multiple innovative solutions according to expected design types (variant, adaptive, original), and different cognitive stimulation (extension, analogy, mutation) of design knowledge can also be obtained. Then, a prototype system of computer-aided creative design platform is developed to implement this innovative solving model. Finally, a design case of espresso machine is presented to demonstrate the practicability and validity of the prototype system.
Utility of TWEAK to assess neuropsychiatric disease activity in systemic lupus erhytematosus
Authors: Fragoso-Loyo H , Atisha-Fregoso Y , Nuñez-Alvarez C A , Llorente L
Published: October 2015

Objective

The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as a biomarker in neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE).

Methods

Thirty three NPSLE patients were evaluated at hospitalization and six months later. As controls, five SLE patients with septic meningitis, 51 hospitalized SLE patients without a history of neuropsychiatric (NP) manifestations and without infections, 16 SLE patients without NP manifestations (surgical-SLE), four patients with primary neuropsychiatric disorders, and 25 patients with non-autoimmune diseases were also studied. Serum and CSF samples were drawn at hospitalization, except non-NPSLE patients, in whom only serum was studied, and six months later in 19 NPSLE and 27 non-NPSLE patients. Serum and CSF TWEAK levels were measured by ELISA; values are expressed in pg/mL.

Results

The mean ± SD age of NPSLE patients was 31 ± 13.1 years, which was similar across study groups ( p = 0.54). TWEAK levels in serum were not different across the study groups. In CSF, TWEAK levels were higher in NPSLE, surgical-SLE and primary neuropsychiatric groups than in non-autoimmune patients: median (IQR) 159.2 (94.1–374.9), 172.3 (125.3–421.9), 371.3 (143–543) vs 122.1 (76.1–212.4), respectively; all p < 0.05. Six months later, when the neuropsychiatric manifestations were clinically in remission, serum or CSF TWEAK did not vary from baseline in NPSLE patients.

Conclusions

TWEAK levels are slightly elevated in CSF in SLE patients compared with non-autoimmune controls, irrespective of the presence of NP manifestations. TWEAK levels in serum and CSF do not seem to be a useful biomarker of CNS involvement in SLE.
Efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban vs warfarin in high-risk patients with antiphospholipid syndrome: Rationale and design of the Trial on Rivaroxaban in AntiPhospholipid Syndrome (TRAPS) trial
Authors: Pengo V , Banzato A , Bison E , Zoppellaro G , Padayattil Jose S , Denas G
Published: October 2015

Background

New oral anticoagulants may simplify long-term therapy in conditions requiring anticoagulation. Rivaroxaban is a direct factor Xa inhibitor that has been extensively studied and is now approved for the prevention and therapy of a number of thromboembolic conditions.

Objective and methods

This is a multicentre, randomized, open-label, study that will evaluate if Rivaroxaban 20 mg od (or 15 mg od in patients with moderate renal insufficiency) is non-inferior to warfarin (INR target 2.5), for the prevention of thromboembolic events, major bleeding and death in high risk (triple positive) patients with antiphospholipid syndrome. Secondary endpoints will assess the incidence of any individual component of the composite end point. An external adjudication committee will evaluate all suspected outcome events. This will be a unique trial, as it will enrol the biggest homogenous cohort of high risk APS individuals.

Conclusion

The methods and the study design should be appropriate to achieve study results that are both scientifically valid and relevant to clinical practice.
Lupus-like eruption as the presenting sign of acute myeloblastic leukemia
Authors: Cedeno-Laurent F , Obstfeld A E , Boni A , Lipoff J B
Published: October 2015

Cutaneous manifestations are often the presenting sign of internal malignancies. Up to 50% of patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) have skin findings. Connective tissue disease, particularly dermatomyositis and, rarely, lupus, have been reported as a paraneoplastic syndrome to various internal malignancies, but seldom with leukemias. We report the case of a middle-aged woman ultimately diagnosed with acute myeloblastic leukemia, who presented initially with a malar eruption, joint pains, and diffuse rash on the upper and lower extremities, with pathology consistent with lupus erythematosus and negative autoimmune serology. There are no prior reports of cutaneous lupus as the presenting sign of AML, and this case highlights the importance of considering paraneoplastic phenomena with presentations of connective tissue disease in older patients, especially with negative serology.
Toward a manifesto for the ‘public understanding of big data’
Authors: Michael Mike , Lupton Deborah
Published: October 2015

In this article, we sketch a ‘manifesto’ for the ‘public understanding of big data’. On the one hand, this entails such public understanding of science and public engagement with science and technology–tinged questions as follows: How, when and where are people exposed to, or do they engage with, big data? Who are regarded as big data’s trustworthy sources, or credible commentators and critics? What are the mechanisms by which big data systems are opened to public scrutiny? On the other hand, big data generate many challenges for public understanding of science and public engagement with science and technology: How do we address publics that are simultaneously the informant, the informed and the information of big data? What counts as understanding of, or engagement with, big data, when big data themselves are multiplying, fluid and recursive? As part of our manifesto, we propose a range of empirical, conceptual and methodological exhortations. We also provide Appendix 1 that outlines three novel methods for addressing some of the issues raised in the article.
Prescription drones: On the techno-biopolitical regimes of contemporary ‘ethical killing’
Authors: Schwarz Elke
Published: October 2015

As military technologies progress at a pace that challenges human cognitive and reasoning capacities, it is becoming ever more difficult to appraise the ethics of their use. In this article, I argue that the contours of ethical killing are shaped and constrained by a medical discourse that has its basis in a deeper regime of techno-biopolitical expertise. Narratives and representations of drones as surgical, ethical and wise instruments for counter-terrorism activities rely not only on the rendering neutral of both technology and practice, but also on a conflation of technology with practice as a biopolitical necessity. In this conflation, I argue, the practice of targeted killing is adiaphorized. Images and metaphors of the body politic turn drone-strikes into a form of medicine that experts prescribe as a means of treating or preventing political cancers, diseases and illnesses. Ethics, in turn, is treated as a primarily technical matter – something to be technologically clarified and administered from an expert space beyond the zone of ethical contestation. As long as this is the case, ethics will remain but a cog in our new killing machines.
Vernacular theories of everyday (in)security: The disruptive potential of non-elite knowledge
Authors: Vaughan-Williams Nick , Stevens Daniel
Published: October 2015

Citizens increasingly occupy a central role in the policy rhetoric of British National Security Strategies, and yet the technocratic methods by which risks and threats are assessed and prioritized do not consider the views and experiences of diverse publics. Equally, security studies in both ‘traditional’ and ‘critical’ guises has privileged analysis of elites over the political subject of threat and (in)security. Contributing to the recent ‘vernacular’ and ‘everyday’ turns, this article draws on extensive critical focus-group research carried out in 2012 across six British cities in order to investigate (1) which issues citizens find threatening and how they know, construct and narrate ‘security threats’, and (2) the extent to which citizens are aware of, engage with and/or refuse government efforts to foster vigilance and suspicion in public spaces. Instead of making generalizations about what particular ‘types’ of citizens think, however, we develop a ‘disruptive’ approach inspired by the work of Jacques Rancière. While many of the views, anecdotes and stories reproduce the police order, in Rancière’s terms, it is also possible to identify political discourses that disrupt dominant understandings of threat and (in)security, repoliticize the grounds on which national security agendas are authorized, and reveal actually existing alternatives to cultures of suspicion and unease.
Evaluation of The Cervista HPV A9 group In Screening Patients for Cervical Cancer
Authors: Zhao Jinghui , Du Hui , Belinson Jerome L , Qu Xinfeng , Zhang Wei , Mei Jing , Yang Bin , Wang Chun , Zhang Lijie , Wu Ruifang
Published: October 2015

Objective

To exploit the prevalence of HPV genotypes 52/58 in a Chinese population, we evaluated algorithms that the use the Cervista Assay A9 group for primary cervical cancer screening.

Methods

The SHENCCAST II trial database was re-analyzed, focussing on the A9 pool of the Cervista HR-HPV Assay. Results for the detection CIN2+ and CIN3+ were correlated with a genotyping assay (MALDI-TOF) and cervical cytology to explore various screening algorithms.

Results

This analysis included 8,556 women with a mean age of 38.9. CIN 2+ rates were 2.7% (233/8556); CIN 3+ rates were 1.7% (141/8556). Overall HPV infection rates were 11.1% (950/8556) for Cervista, in which A5/A6, A7 and A9 groups were 26.5% (227/950), 22.9% (218/950) and 67.8% (644/950), respectively. The HPV A9 group is highly predictive of high-grade cervical lesions (CIN2+ OR = 103.61, CIN3+ OR = 128.059). Sensitivity and specificity for Cervista A9 group for CIN 2+ was 85.4% and 94.7%, and for CIN 3+ 89.4% and 93.8% respectively. Cervista A9 Assay followed by triage cytology for non-A9 positives has sensitivity and specificity for CIN2+ of 91.5% of 93.5%, and for CIN 3+ 94.3% and 92.6%.

Conclusion

Using the Cervista A9 as the primary screen instead of the full Cervista assay, the percentage referred to colposcopy would decrease from 11.1% to 8.8% and percentage requiring cytology would decrease from 11.1% to 3.6%. Sensitivity of detecting CIN 2+(91.5%), CIN3+(94.3%) would remain similar to the complete Cervista HR-HPV assay for CIN 2+(93.1%), CIN3+(95.0%).
Intellectual disability in Indigenous Australians: issues and challenges
Authors: Balaratnasingam Sivasankaran , Roy Meera
Published: October 2015

Objectives:

Literature on Indigenous Australians (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) and intellectual disability (ID) is summarized in order to identify current state of knowledge, gaps, and areas for further research.

Methods:

A selective review of psychiatric literature using relevant medical databases was undertaken. Key articles were identified and their findings described.

Results:

ID is reported to be more prevalent in Indigenous Australians. Sociocultural constructs and a lack of validated psychometric measures affect what is considered to be ID in Indigenous communities. Prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal factors impair brain development and contribute to ID in Indigenous communities. Comorbid physical and psychiatric disorders need to be assessed and managed.

Conclusions:

ID is an emerging area of health concern for general and mental health professionals working with Indigenous Australians. This important area requires further research, appropriate training, and resourcing.
The Racial Invariance Thesis Revisited
Authors: Unnever James D. , Barnes J. C. , Cullen Francis T.
Published: October 2015

The racial/ethnic invariance thesis is a foundational assumption of the general theories of crime. It assumes that all persons, regardless of their racial/ethnic background, engage in problematic behaviors for the same reasons. This thesis allows general theories to be generalizable and, for the most part, has received empirical and theoretical support. Yet, recent research and new theoretical developments question the validity of the racial/ethnic invariance thesis, breathing new life into the debate over whether the factors that influence African American youths’ problematic behaviors are similar to those that influence the behaviors of other youths. Drawing on data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods–Longitudinal Cohort Study (PHDCN-LCS), our results question the validity of the invariance thesis by showing that the impact of perceived discrimination by the police has a stronger influence on African American youths’ externalizing problems than it does for other youths.
Modeling and simulation of the electro-chemical behavior of chemically stimulated polyelectrolyte hydrogel layer composites
Authors: Sobczyk Martin , Wallmersperger Thomas
Published: October 2015

Polyelectrolyte hydrogels are viscoelastic electroactive polymers which respond to external physical or chemical stimuli by a reversible volume phase transition. Novel fabrication methods allow the creation of hydrogel layer composites in which each layer shows a different sensitivity (e.g. to a different stimulus). This offers new opportunities, for example, in the design of new microsensors, microactuators and microfluidic devices as well as for high-selective membranes and target-specific drug delivery systems. Since only few research groups numerically investigated the transport mechanisms in hydrogel layer composites, a gap remains to describe the movement and transient distribution of ions inside the layer system.

In this article, the multifield formulation is adopted to describe the transient distribution of ions in salt-sensitive hydrogel layer composites on the basis of a numerical simulation. For this, the Nernst-Planck and the Poisson equation are solved using one-dimensional finite elements for both anionic-anionic and anionic-cationic gel layer composites under chemical stimulation. Between adjacent gels, an additional interlayer is introduced to account for the physical and chemical bonding region between the gels. Adaptive mesh refinement provides a good resolution close to the interface between the adjacent gel layers. The obtained results are used to predict the osmotic pressure inside the gels and the dependent swelling of the gel layer composite. The excellent agreement of the obtained results with the Donnan equilibrium demonstrates the high potential of the method applied to predict the behavior of hydrogel layer composites.
Understanding piezoelectric composite–based actuators with nonlinear and 90° domain walls effects
Authors: Wiwattananon Peerawan , Bergsma Otto K , Bersee HEN
Published: October 2015

Piezoelectric materials possess nonlinear behavior when actuated in a large electric field and show a large deflection when embedded inside a composite laminate such as a LIghtweight Piezoelectric Composite Actuator. Linear and nonlinear COMSOL multi-physics finite element models were developed and validated using the actuation response of three different layups of LIghtweight Piezoelectric Composite Actuators under a cantilever beam configuration. The linear model incorporated the linear piezoelectric coefficient given from the manufacturer, while the nonlinear model incorporated the nonlinear piezoelectric coefficient plus permanent strain offset in the piezoelectric material as a result of a high applied electric field. The linear model significantly underestimated the experimental values of the actuator response and it showed that taking nonlinearity and permanent strain offset into account is an essential practice when an actuator is operated in high electric fields and accurate prediction is required.
Non-contact inspection of rail surface and internal defects based on electromagnetic ultrasonic transducers
Authors: Han Soon-Woo , Cho Seung-Hyun , Jang Gang-Won , Park Jin-Ho
Published: October 2015

A non-contact ultrasonic rail integrity inspection technique is discussed in this work as an alternative to concurrent contact-type ultrasonic testing method using piezoelectric transducers, which have some disadvantages due to physical contact between transducers and rails. To this end, transducers which can produce and measure elastic waves in rails without any physical contact were suggested based on electromagnetic ultrasonic transducers. The transducers were designed to selectively produce ultrasonic bulk waves or surface waves according to excitation frequency; it is possible to detect internal and surface defects with same transducer. Simulations using finite element models were performed to determine transducer operating frequencies optimal to defect types. With a series of experiments, it was shown that the proposed method could detect rail internal damages without any physical contact. The effects of air gap between the transducer and a rail and the position of a receiving transducer on the signals were studied to check practical lift-off distance and scanning speed of the method. Non-contact examination of rail surface defects was also carried out using the same transducers only by changing the frequency of excitation current and showed successful results.
The Last 10 Days of Patients With Glioblastoma
Authors: Thier Katrin , Calabek Bernadette , Tinchon Alexander , Grisold Wolfgang , Oberndorfer Stefan
Published: October 2015

Background:

High-grade gliomas are the most frequent primary brain tumors. Despite improvement in diagnostics and treatment, survival is still poor and quality-of-life issues are of major importance. Little is known regarding the clinical signs and symptoms of dying patients with glioblastoma.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to investigate signs and symptoms as well as therapeutic strategies in patients with glioblastoma in the end-of-life phase in order to improve end-of-life care.

Methods:

In this prospective single-center study, clinical data were obtained using a standardized protocol. We descriptively analyzed signs, symptoms, and therapeutic strategies on a daily basis.

Results:

A total of 57 patients, who died due to glioblastoma in a hospital setting, were included. The most frequent signs and symptoms in the last 10 days before death were decrease in level of consciousness (95%), fever (88%), dysphagia (65%), seizures (65%), and headache (33%). Concerning medication, 95% received opioids. There was a high need for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (77%) and anticonvulsants (75%). Steroids were given to 56%.

Conclusion:

Due to a decrease in level of consciousness and cognitive impairment, assessment of clinical signs and symptoms such as headache at the end of life is difficult. Based on the signs and symptoms in the last days before death in patients with glioblastoma, supportive drug treatment remains challenging. Our study emphasizes the importance of standardized guidelines for end-of-life care in patients with glioblastoma.
A Rasch Model Analysis of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale
Authors: Goh Hong Eng , Marais Ida , Ireland Michael James
Published: October 2015

The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale was developed to measure individual differences in the tendency to be mindful. The current study examined the psychometric properties of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale in a heterogeneous sample of 565 nonmeditators and 612 meditators using the polytomous Rasch model. The results showed that some items did not function the same way for these two groups. Overall, meditators had higher mean estimates than nonmeditators. The analysis identified a group of items as highly discriminating. Using a different model, Van Dam, Earleywine, and Borders in 2010 identified the same group of items as highly discriminating, and concluded that they were the items with the most information. Multiple pieces of evidence from the Rasch analysis showed that these items discriminate highly because of local dependence, hence do not supply independent information. We discussed how these different conclusions, based on similar findings, result from two very different paradigms in measurement.
Fatal posterior revesible leukoencephalopathy syndrome associated coma induced by bevacizumab in metastatic colorectal cancer and review of literature
Authors: Eryılmaz Melek Karakurt , Mutlu Hasan , Salim Derya Kıvrak , Musri Fatma Yalçın , Coşkun Hasan Şenol
Published: October 2015

Posterior reversible leukoencephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a syndrome characterized by headache, hypertension, confusion, visual disturbance, and seizures accompanied by subcortical vasogenic edema, predominantly involving the parietal and occipital lobes. The syndrome is usually described in malignant hypertension, eclampsia, renal failure, immunosuppressive, and cytotoxic chemotherapies. Bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody that binds to the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been linked to PRES. We carried out review of reports documenting the occurrence of PRES in patients receiving bevacizumab. This literature review was conducted by utilizing PubMed Database. If early diagnosed, PRES is reversible. We present a case of fatal PRES-associated coma induced by bevacizumab in metastatic colorectal cancer.
Sleep Deprivation Impairs and Caffeine Enhances My Performance, but Not Always Our Performance
Authors: Faber Nadira S. , Häusser Jan A. , Kerr Norbert L.
Published: October 2015

What effects do factors that impair or enhance performance in individuals have when these individuals act in groups? We provide a framework, called the GIE ("Effects of Grouping on Impairments and Enhancements”) framework, for investigating this question. As prominent examples for individual-level impairments and enhancements, we discuss sleep deprivation and caffeine. Based on previous research, we derive hypotheses on how they influence performance in groups, specifically process gains and losses in motivation, individual capability, and coordination. We conclude that the effect an impairment or enhancement has on individual-level performance is not necessarily mirrored in group performance: grouping can help or hurt. We provide recommendations on how to estimate empirically the effects individual-level performance impairments and enhancements have in groups. By comparing sleep deprivation to stress and caffeine to pharmacological cognitive enhancement, we illustrate that we cannot readily generalize from group results on one impairment or enhancement to another, even if they have similar effects on individual-level performance.
The Metabolic Effects of Consumption of Yellow Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) on Some Biochemical Parameters in Experimental Rats
Authors: Udeme Nelson , Okafor Polycarp , Eleazu Chinedum
Published: October 2015

The metabolism of yellow cassava (variety TMS 01/1368) was investigated in male albino rats fed a diet containing yellow cassava for 7 to 28 days. There were significant increases ( P < 0.05) in total and free cyanide and thiocyanate in the sera and urine samples of the experimental rats compared with the control, significant increases ( P < 0.05) in serum glucose, alanine aminotransaminase, aspartate aminotransaminase, and alkaline phosphatase levels of the experimental rats compared with the control, significant decreases ( P < 0.05) in serum albumin of the experimental rats compared with the control, but no significant differences ( P > 0.05) in the serum total proteins of the experimental rats compared with the control. The experimental rats treated for 7, 14, 21, or 28 days exhibited body weight decreases of 5.11%, 11.10%, 19.16%, and 24.18%, respectively, whereas the control group showed 9.17% gain in body weight. Total and free cyanide concentrations were detected in the liver, kidney, and heart of most of the rats in both the experimental and control groups, except for free cyanide in the control group that was not detected. Metabolism of the yellow cassava variety in experimental rats was capable of exposing the animals to cyanide, underscoring the need for its proper processing before consumption by humans.
Association of mineralisations in the stifle joint of domestic cats with degenerative joint disease and cranial cruciate ligament pathology
Authors: Voss Katja , Karli Philemon , Montavon Pierre M , Geyer Hans
Published: October 2015

Objectives

The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence, size, location and appearance of mineralisations in feline stifle joints, and to evaluate their relationship with osteoarthritis and cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) status.

Methods

Presence or absence, and size of mineralisations were determined from lateral stifle radiographs of 25 cats with CrCL rupture, and 44 cat cadavers without CrCL rupture. Mineralisations were classified as small, medium or large. Prevalence was compared between the clinically affected cats and the cadavers; the cadaver group was subdivided into an age-matched and an older group. Ten stifles with varying sizes of mineralisations were prepared as whole-knee specimens for histopathology. Location and appearance of the mineralisations, and degenerative changes in the cruciate ligaments, menisci, articular cartilage and joint capsule are described.

Results

Prevalence of articular mineralisations was 0.76 in stifles of cats with CrCL rupture (mean ± SD age 8.6 ± 4.5 years), 0.64 in stifles of age-matched cat cadavers and 0.74 in older cat cadavers (mean ± SD age 17.0 ± 2.4 years). Cats with CrCL rupture had a higher percentage of medium and large mineralisations than cats without CrCL rupture. Microscopically, small mineralisations were calcifications usually located in the cranial horn of the medial meniscus. Larger mineralisations were found to be ossifications, commonly located in the joint capsule and fat pad. Cats with larger mineralisations showed more signs of osteoarthritis, including degenerative changes in the CrCL.

Conclusions and relevance

Mineralisations in feline stifle joints were found to differ in size, appearance and location. Small mineralisations were usually confined to the medial meniscus, as described previously; larger mineralisations tended to be located in the tissues cranial to the menisci and seemed to be associated with osteoarthritis and CrCL pathology. Large mineralisations in feline stifles are ossifications in periarticular tissue and are associated with degenerative joint disease.
Analgesic efficacy of intraperitoneal administration of bupivacaine in cats
Authors: Benito Javier , Monteiro Beatriz , Lavoie Anne-Marie , Beauchamp Guy , Lascelles B Duncan X , Steagall Paulo V
Published: October 2015

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of intraperitoneal (IP) bupivacaine in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy (OVH).

Methods

Forty-five cats were included in a randomized, prospective, blinded study after owners’ written consent was obtained. The anesthetic protocol included acepromazine–buprenorphine–propofol–isoflurane. A ventral midline incision was made and cats (n = 15/group) were administered either IP saline 0.9% (negative and positive control groups; NG and PG, respectively) or IP bupivacaine (2 mg/kg; bupivacaine group; BG). Cats in the PG received meloxicam (0.2 mg/kg SC). An OVH was performed and postoperative pain was evaluated using a dynamic interactive visual analog scale (DIVAS), the UNESP-Botucatu multidimensional composite pain scale (MCPS) and mechanical nociceptive thresholds (MNT) for up to 8 h after the end of surgery. Postoperative sedation was evaluated using DIVAS. Rescue analgesia was provided with buprenorphine and/or meloxicam. Repeated measures linear models and a Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel test were used for statistical analysis ( P <0.05).

Results

There was a significant effect of treatment on the number of times rescue analgesia was administered ( P = 0.002) (PG, n = 2, 13%; NG, n = 12, 80%; BG, n = 4, 27%) with the number of rescues being higher in the NG group than in the PG ( P = 0.0004) and BG ( P = 0.02) groups. The DIVAS, MCPS and MNT were significantly different when compared with baseline values at different time points; however, data were not significantly different among groups.

Conclusions and relevance

Treatments PG and BG produced similar analgesia in terms of pain scores, number of times rescue analgesia was administered and MNT. Based on rescue analgesia, IP administration of bupivacaine provides analgesia in cats after OVH.
Heat analysis of ball bearing under nonuniform preload based on five degrees of freedom quasi-static model
Authors: Li Xiaohu , Li Huanfeng , Hong Jun , Zhang Yanfei
Published: October 2015

Bearing preload has a great impact on the service performance of high-speed spindle, such as the temperature rise and stiffness. Because of the flatness error of spacer, the axial parallelism error of the spindle, the nonuniform heat distribution of ball bearing and the external loads, the outer ring of the bearing is often subjected to nonuniform distributed loads, which will result in the misalignment between outer ring and spindle. In such conditions, traditional uniform preload method may not meet the requirements for bearing temperature rise and spindle rotation accuracy. In this paper, a nonuniform preload is presented which not only includes the preload magnitude in traditional way, but also involves the preload distribution nonuniformly. Firstly, an equivalent transformation for nonuniform preload is built to simplify the nonuniform preload acting on the outer ring. Then based on the Hertz contact theory and ball bearing geometry theory, a five degrees of freedom quasi-static model of ball bearing under nonuniform preload is established. On the basis of this model, internal load and other contact parameters in bearing are calculated and the heat mechanism of ball bearing is analyzed. Finally, according to the heat generation model under nonuniform preload which include both preload magnitude and distribution, effects of both uniform and nonuniform preload on bearing heat and its distribution are investigated and compared, and the contact forces in bearing are then analyzed. The results show that compared with uniform preload, proper nonuniform preload could effectively improve the contact status between balls and rings, decrease the heat generation rate, and reduce the excessive local heat in ball bearing under practical working conditions.
The multiple sclerosis-associated regulatory variant rs10877013 affects expression of CYP27B1 and VDR under inflammatory or vitamin D stimuli
Authors: Karaky Mohamad , Alcina Antonio , Fedetz María , Barrionuevo Cristina , Potenciano Victor , Delgado Concepción , Izquierdo Guillermo , Matesanz Fuencisla
Published: October 2015

Background:

Vitamin D deficit is considered an important risk factor for many inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

Objective:

To investigate the influence of the multiple sclerosis (MS)-associated regulatory variant rs10877013 on the expression of genes involved in vitamin D activation ( CYP27B1), vitamin D receptor ( VDR), and vitamin D degradation ( CYP24A1) under inflammatory environment or vitamin D.

Methods:

We used lipopolysaccharide and interferon-gamma (LPS+IFNγ) activated monocytes from 119 individuals and vitamin D-stimulated lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs, n = 109) of 1000 genomes to quantify the mRNA expression of vitamin D genes by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).

Results:

We found that CYP27B1 mRNA expression level was associated with the rs10877013 genotypes ( p = 5.0E-6) in LPS+IFNγ treated monocytes, but not in vitamin D-stimulated LCLs. Inversely, rs10877013 genotypes were associated with VDR expression in LCLs ( p = 6.0E-4) but not in monocytes. Finally, CYP24A1 was highly induced by the active form of vitamin D and its expression correlated with the expression of VDR in LCLs but neither the MS-associated variant in the region (rs2248359) nor any other variant located in 1 Mb around CYP24A1 was associated with its expression.

Conclusions:

The MS-associated variant rs10877013 is a genetic determinant that affects the functioning of the vitamin D system linking environmental and genetic factors.
No evidence for an effect on brain atrophy rate of atorvastatin add-on to interferon β1b therapy in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (the ARIANNA study)
Authors: Lanzillo Roberta , Quarantelli Mario , Pozzilli Carlo , Trojano Maria , Amato Maria Pia , Marrosu Maria G , Francia Ada , Florio Ciro , Orefice Giuseppe , Tedeschi Gioacchino , Bellantonio Paolo , Annunziata Pasquale , Grimaldi Luigi M , Comerci Marco , Brunetti Arturo , Bonavita Vincenzo , Alfano Bruno , Marini Stefano , Brescia Morra Vincenzo ,   the ARIANNA study group, Ardito Bonaventura , Bertolotto Antonio , Bianconi Claudio , Carolei Antonio , Carotenuto Antonio , Cocco Eleonora , Costantino Gianfranco , Maimone Daniele , Maniscalco Giorgia Teresa , Meola Giovanni , Motti Luisa , Patti Francesco , Provinciali Leandro , Protti Alessandra , Sacco Rosaria , Sinisi Leonardo , Schiavone Vittorio , Sosso Luisa , Stecchi Sergio , Vacca Giovanni , Vacchiano Veria , Zorzon Marino
Published: October 2015

Background:

A previous phase 2 trial has suggested that statins might delay brain atrophy in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.

Objectives:

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of atorvastatin add-on therapy on cerebral atrophy in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis.

Methods:

This randomised, placebo-controlled study compared atorvastatin 40 mg or placebo add-on therapy to interferon β1b for 24 months. Brain magnetic resonance imaging, multiple sclerosis functional composite score, Rao neuropsychological battery and expanded disability status scale were evaluated over 24 months.

Results:

A total of 154 patients were randomly assigned, 75 in the atorvastatin and 79 in the placebo arms, with a comparable drop-out rate (overall 23.4%). Brain atrophy over 2 years was not different in the two arms (−0.38% and −0.32% for the atorvastatin and placebo groups, respectively). Relapse rate, expanded disability status scale, multiple sclerosis functional composite score or cognitive changes were not different in the two arms. Patients withdrawing from the study had a higher number of relapses in the previous 2 years ( P=0.04) and a greater probability of relapsing within 12 months.

Conclusions:

Our results suggest that the combination of atorvastatin and interferon β1b is not justified in early relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis and adds to the body of evidence indicating an absence of significant radiological and clinical benefit of statins in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis.
Introducing Jus ante Bellum as a cosmopolitan approach to humanitarian intervention
Authors: Brown Garrett Wallace , Bohm Alexandra
Published: October 2015

Cosmopolitans often argue that the international community has a humanitarian responsibility to intervene militarily in order to protect vulnerable individuals from violent threats and to pursue the establishment of a condition of cosmopolitan justice based on the notion of a ‘global rule of law’. The purpose of this article is to argue that many of these cosmopolitan claims are incomplete and untenable on cosmopolitan grounds because they ignore the systemic and chronic structural factors that underwrite the root causes of these humanitarian threats. By way of examining cosmopolitan arguments for humanitarian military intervention and how systemic problems are further ignored in iterations of the Responsibility to Protect, this article suggests that many contemporary cosmopolitan arguments are guilty of focusing too narrowly on justifying a responsibility to respond to the symptoms of crisis versus demanding a similarly robust justification for a responsibility to alleviate persistent structural causes. Although this article recognizes that immediate principles of humanitarian intervention will, at times, be necessary, the article seeks to draw attention to what we are calling principles of Jus ante Bellum (right before war) and to stress that current cosmopolitan arguments about humanitarian intervention will remain insufficient without the incorporation of robust principles of distributive global justice that can provide secure foundations for a more thoroughgoing cosmopolitan condition of public right.
Challenges in conducting mHealth research with underserved populations: Lessons learned
Authors: Nelson Lonnie A , Zamora-Kapoor Anna
Published: October 2015

Previous studies have recognized the potential of mobile technology to improve health outcomes among underserved populations, but the challenges in conducting research into the use of mobile technology to improve health (mHealth) are not well understood. This manuscript identifies some of the most important challenges in conducting mHealth research with a sample of urban American Indian and Alaska Native mothers. We examined these challenges through an existing partnership with a community health agency. We conducted community consultations and a process monitoring phase for a pilot trial aimed at measuring the effect of a brief counselling session on participants’ adherence to use of a mobile app. We identify generalizable challenges in administrative, technological, and logistical domains that will be useful foreknowledge to other investigators planning to conduct mHealth research with underserved populations.
The relationship between childhood health anxiety, parent health anxiety, and associated constructs
Authors: Wright Kristi D , Reiser Sarah J , Delparte Chelsea A
Published: October 2015

The purpose of the present investigation was to explore the relationship between self-reported childhood health anxiety and self-reported parent health anxiety and associated constructs. Participants were 77 children (8–15 years) and one parent or guardian of each child. Children completed a measure of health anxiety and parents completed measures of health anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and depression. Results demonstrated a significant association between child health anxiety and all measures of self-reported parent measures, with the exception of the measure of anxiety sensitivity. No self-reported parent measures independently predicted child health anxiety. Future directions and implications are discussed.
The process of posttraumatic growth in individuals with traumatic spinal cord injury in Mainland China: An interpretative phenomenological analysis
Authors: Wang Yanbo , Wang Hongbiao , Wang Zhaoxin , Xie Haixia , Shi Jingyu , Zhao Xudong
Published: October 2015

This study aims to explore the process of posttraumatic growth for individuals who have sustained a traumatic spinal cord injury. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants with spinal cord injury from the local community. Interviews were recorded on audiotape and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three superordinate themes emerged: struggling in hopelessness, disentangling from disability, facing challenge, and achieving positive growth. Our findings reveal how individuals with spinal cord injury overcome their disability to achieve personal growth, and can contribute to clinicians’ understanding of psychological responses to spinal cord injury while promoting physical and psychological recovery in these individuals.
Effects of three forms of reading-based output activity on L2 vocabulary learning
Authors: Rassaei Ehsan
Published: October 2015

The current study investigated the effects of three forms of output activity on EFL learners’ recognition and recall of second language (L2) vocabulary. To this end, three groups of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) were instructed to employ the following three output activities after reading two narrative texts: (1) summarizing the texts and incorporating target vocabulary in the summary; (2) generating several general comprehension questions out of reading texts and answering those questions while incorporating target vocabulary; and (3) making predictions about what is to occur in the texts and including target vocabulary in the prediction. The results of a cued response production test and a multiple choice recognition test indicated that the three treatment conditions resulted in significant development of vocabulary knowledge. Moreover, the results revealed that making predictions and questioning/answering were more effective than summarizing for promoting L2 words knowledge.
Focus on form through task repetition in TBLT
Authors: van de Guchte Marrit , Braaksma Martine , Rijlaarsdam Gert , Bimmel Peter
Published: October 2015

Because there has been little research on focus on form during the post-task phase in task-based language teaching, this experimental study investigates the effects of task repetition after having directed learners’ attention to form during the main task. The study comprises two interventions, where each consisted of a task with a focus on a particular language structure. Forty-eight ninth-grade students learning German as a foreign language were randomly assigned to two conditions: one group repeated a similar task (R); the other group did not (NR). The first intervention targeted the German dative case after a preposition; the second German comparatives. Pretests, immediate and delayed posttests measured metalinguistic knowledge, written and oral accuracy as well as oral fluency. Results showed that on written accuracy and metalinguistic knowledge, the R condition outperformed the NR condition on both structures. No significant differences between conditions were found on oral accuracy and fluency.
Ultrasound in pre-hospital trauma care
Authors: Corcoran Frances , Bystrzycki Adam , Masud Syed , Mazur Stefan M , Wise David , Harris Tim
Published: October 2015

Pre-hospital medicine is developing rapidly. Increasingly, specialist pre-hospital medical practitioners are working in this environment and paramedics are advancing their skill base. Tools traditionally associated with hospital care are now used pre-hospital to improve diagnosis and intervention. In this paper, we assess the developing role of ultrasound in improving trauma care in the pre-hospital arena. Focused ultrasound is used to facilitate early diagnosis of pneumothorax and intraperitoneal/pericardial haemorrhage in trauma victims. Ultrasound may have a role in assessing the circulating blood volume, fracture diagnosis and triage in mass casualty scenarios. Information obtained using ultrasound may change diagnoses and consequently alter therapy, as well as patient disposition by highlighting injuries not identified on physical examination. Receiving hospitals can be alerted to injuries requiring intervention upon arrival. Ultrasound is also used to reduce complications and improve performance in numerous procedures such as obtaining vascular and intra-osseous access, paracentesis and tracheal tube placement. There is emerging evidence that ultrasound may be used safely pre-hospital without increasing on-scene times and with results comparable to use in hospital.