bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Finite element analysis of hydrogen effects on superelastic NiTi shape memory alloys: Orthodontic application
Authors: Elkhal Letaief Wissem , Fathallah Aroua , Hassine Tarek , Gamaoun Fehmi
Published: February 2018

Thanks to its greater flexibility and biocompatibility with human tissue, superelastic NiTi alloys have taken an important part in the market of orthodontic wires. However, wire fractures and superelasticity losses are notified after a few months from being fixed in the teeth. This behavior is due to the hydrogen presence in the oral cavity, which brittles the NiTi arch wire. In this article, a diffusion-mechanical coupled model is presented while considering the hydrogen influences on the NiTi superelasticity. The model is integrated in ABAQUS finite element software via a UMAT subroutine. Additionally, a finite element model of a deflected orthodontic NiTi wire within three teeth brackets is simulated in the presence of hydrogen. The numerical results demonstrate that the force applied to the tooth drops with respect to the increase in the hydrogen amount. This behavior is attributed to the expansion of the NiTi structure after absorbing hydrogen. In addition, it is shown that hydrogen induces a loss of superelasticity. Hence, it attenuates the role of the orthodontic wire on the correction tooth malposition.
Novel GREM1 Variations in Sub-Saharan African Patients With Cleft Lip and/or Cleft Palate
Authors: Gowans Lord Jephthah Joojo , Oseni Ganiyu , Mossey Peter A. , Adeyemo Wasiu Lanre , Eshete Mekonen A. , Busch Tamara D. , Donkor Peter , Obiri-Yeboah Solomon , Plange-Rhule Gyikua , Oti Alexander A. , Owais Arwa , Olaitan Peter B. , Aregbesola Babatunde S. , Oginni Fadekemi O. , Bello Seidu A. , Audu Rosemary , Onwuamah Chika , Agbenorku Pius , Ogunlewe Mobolanle O. , Abdur-Rahman Lukman O. , Marazita Mary L. , Adeyemo A. A. , Murray Jeffrey C. , Butali Azeez
Published: February 2018

Objective:

Cleft lip and/or cleft palate (CL/P) are congenital anomalies of the face and have multifactorial etiology, with both environmental and genetic risk factors playing crucial roles. Though at least 40 loci have attained genomewide significant association with nonsyndromic CL/P, these loci largely reside in noncoding regions of the human genome, and subsequent resequencing studies of neighboring candidate genes have revealed only a limited number of etiologic coding variants. The present study was conducted to identify etiologic coding variants in GREM1, a locus that has been shown to be largely associated with cleft of both lip and soft palate.

Patients and Method:

We resequenced DNA from 397 sub-Saharan Africans with CL/P and 192 controls using Sanger sequencing. Following analyses of the sequence data, we observed 2 novel coding variants in GREM1. These variants were not found in the 192 African controls and have never been previously reported in any public genetic variant database that includes more than 5000 combined African and African American controls or from the CL/P literature.

Results:

The novel variants include p.Pro164Ser in an individual with soft palate cleft only and p.Gly61Asp in an individual with bilateral cleft lip and palate. The proband with the p.Gly61Asp GREM1 variant is a van der Woude (VWS) case who also has an etiologic variant in IRF6 gene.

Conclusion:

Our study demonstrated that there is low number of etiologic coding variants in GREM1, confirming earlier suggestions that variants in regulatory elements may largely account for the association between this locus and CL/P.
Anomalous Extratemporal Facial Nerve in Oculoauriculovertebral Spectrum
Authors: Head Linden K. , Xuan Lisa , Boyd Kirsty U. , Peters Daniel A.
Published: February 2018

Facial nerve dysfunction is common in oculoauriculovertebral spectrum (OAVS). However, the course of the nerve has rarely been described. A 23-year-old woman with OAVS underwent excision of microtic ear remnants in preparation for an osseointegrated prosthesis and suffered iatrogenic transection of the facial nerve—the pes anserinus was within the subcutaneous tissue 15 mm posterior and 15 mm cephalad to the external acoustic meatus. The patient underwent primary nerve repair and regained nearly complete preoperative function. When considering reconstruction for OAVS patients, clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for anomalous facial nerve anatomy.
Cervical Spine Injury From Unrecognized Craniocervical Instability in Severe Pierre Robin Sequence Associated With Skeletal Dysplasia
Authors: Zhu Xiao , Evans Kelly N. , El-gharbawy Areeg , Lee Jonathan Y. , Brooker Jack E. , Jabbour Noel , Tyler-Kabara Elizabeth C. , Madan-Khertarpal Suneeta , Losee Joseph E. , Goldstein Jesse A.
Published: February 2018

Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS) can be associated with skeletal dysplasias, presenting with craniocervical instability and devastating spinal injury if unrecognized. The authors present the case of an infant with PRS and a type II collagenopathy who underwent multiple airway-securing procedures requiring spinal manipulation before craniocervical instability was identified. This resulted in severe cervical cord compression due to odontoid fracture and occipitoatlantoaxial instability. This case highlights the importance of early cervical spine imaging and cautious manipulation in infants with PRS and suspected skeletal dysplasia.
Strategies for Coping With Career Indecision During the College-to-Work Transition: Concurrent and Predictive Validity
Authors: Lipshits-Braziler Yuliya , Braunstein-Bercovitz Hedva , Kapach-Royf Nitzan
Published: February 2018

The goal of the present research was to test a model of strategies for coping with career indecision during the college-to-work transition and its accompanied measure (the Strategies for Coping with Career Indecision–College-to-Work Transition Questionnaire [SCCI-CWTQ]), as predictors of career choice-related outcomes. Study 1 ( N = 522) supported the psychometric properties of the SCCI-CWTQ in a sample of college seniors and confirmed the model’s hierarchical structure with three coping styles: productive, support-seeking, and nonproductive styles. Study 2 ( N = 659) tested the concurrent and incremental predictive validity of the SCCI-CWTQ. The results showed that productive coping style was positively associated with a sense of coping efficacy, career decision status, and career choice satisfaction 1 year following graduation, whereas using a nonproductive coping style was negatively related to those outcomes and positively associated with career decisional distress. Theoretical as well as practical implications pertaining to career decision-making during the college-to-work transition are suggested.
Organising the unthinkable in times of crises: Will climate engineering become the weapon of last resort in the Anthropocene?
Authors: Lederer Markus , Kreuter Judith
Published: February 2018

In this article, we ask how the approaches of climate engineering – mostly highly technological approaches to address the challenge of global climate change – might be organised in the age of the Anthropocene. We understand the term ‘Anthropocene’ to be characterised by crisis, on one hand, and by promise, on the other. In particular, we aim to raise doubts on the dominant perspective on the organisation of climate engineering, which assumes these approaches to be regulated through legalistic means. Drawing an analogy to the early development stages of nuclear weapons, we point out that, instead of following a legalistic rationale, climate engineering organisation might pursue a logic of technical feasibility, political acceptance and bureaucratic momentum.
Social work, participation, and poverty
Authors: Boone Katrien , Roets Griet , Roose Rudi
Published: February 2018

Although participatory social work approaches have been considered as a fruitful strategy, critical questions are raised in relation to the social justice aspirations of participatory social work with people in poverty. Inspired by the work of Nancy Fraser, we provide an in-depth insight in the complexities of supporting participatory parity in ‘Associations where People in Poverty Raise their Voice’. Combining semi-structured interviews and focus groups with practitioners in these organisations, we shed light on the complexities of the ‘how’, the ‘who’, and the ‘what’ of social justice that arise in such participatory practice.

Findings

Our findings suggest that even in practices that situate the principle of participatory parity at the heart of their fight for social justice, power asymmetries and social inequalities require attention. Exclusionary mechanisms become apparent in how practitioners try to support participatory parity of people in poverty in the different components in the organisation. When practitioners try to overcome these exclusionary effects, a sheer complexity and inescapable power struggles become visible. Moreover, the ambiguity of how practitioners attempt to empower people in poverty and enhance structural change leads to tensions between affirmative and transformative strategies in the fight against poverty.

Applications

Practitioners should be aware that they will never be able to resolve or escape inherent complexities in their attempts to work on a par with people in poverty. Nevertheless, it remains valuable to make continuous efforts to inform the public debate about the socially unjust nature of poverty and social inequality in our societies.
The Effects of Resistance Training on Health of Children and Adolescents With Disabilities
Authors: Legerlotz Kirsten
Published: February 2018

Many parents still hesitate to encourage their children to participate in resistance training programs. This is unfortunate since recent research shows that resistance training can positively affect children’s health. This narrative review aims to present an overview of the health-associated effects resistance training can provide particularly in children and adolescents with disabilities by describing its effects on muscle strength, physical function, mental health, self-concept, obesity, and injury prevention. To illustrate the variety of possible fields of application, the effects of resistance training in children and adolescents suffering from Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, joint hypermobility, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, obesity, and spina bifida are discussed. Although randomized controlled trials with a sufficiently large sample size are rare, the research presented in this review indicates that this mode of training might be a potent tool to improve mental and physical health by improving muscle strength, body composition, self-concept or functionality, reducing pain or injury risk, and strengthening bone or tendons even in the most vulnerable groups of children with physical or mental disability. Furthermore, it has to be emphasized that compared with other types of treatment resistance training is considered to be without adverse effects.
Effect of different surface modified nanoparticles on viscosity of nanofluids
Authors: Zhang Shenghan , Han Xiaoxue
Published: February 2018

Resistance to fluid flow creates various problems, and fluid viscosity reduction can effectively control these problems. Hydrophilic TiO2-water and hydrophilic-lipophilic TiO2-water nanofluids were prepared by stirring and ultrasonic mixing; the rotational viscometer was used to measure the viscosity of nanofluids that formed by different surface modifications of nano-titanium dioxide and deionized water. The results show that the viscosity of TiO2-water nanofluid increases with the decrease in the temperature and increase in the mass fraction of nanoparticles, the hydrophilic TiO2-water nanofluids has a slightly larger viscosity than the hydrophilic-lipophilic TiO2-water nanofluids, and the higher the mass fraction of the nanoparticles is, the greater the difference is.
Research of mission success importance for a multi-state repairable k-out-of-n system
Authors: Zhao Jiang-Bin , Hou Pei-Yong , Cai Zhi-Qiang , Li Yang , Guo Peng
Published: February 2018

For the reliability analysis of complex equipment system, one of the key objectives is that the equipment can complete the specified mission as expected. First of all, this article presents the analysis method of mission success importance for a multi-state k-out-of- n repairable system based on multi-state multi-valued decision diagram as well as the implementation procedure. Second, the engineering significance of mission success importance for a multi-state repairable 2-out-of-3 system is discussed by comparing the component order of mission success importance with multi-state Birnbaum importance, multi-state Fussell–Vesely importance, performance achievement worth, and performance reduction worth. Finally, the change rule of mission success importance is presented for a multi-state 2-out-of-3 repairable system when the reliability of a component is changed. The analysis results show that the engineering significance and change rule of mission success importance could provide effective support for mission success optimization of a repairable system.
Evaluating service development in critical care: The impact of establishing a medical high dependency unit on intensive care unit workload, case mix, and mortality
Authors: Amiruddin Nabeel , Prescott Gordon J , Coventry Douglas A , Jansen Jan O
Published: February 2018

Background

Critical care services underpin the delivery of many types of secondary care, and there is increasing focus on how to best deliver such services. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of establishing a medical high dependency unit, in a tertiary referral center, on the workload, case mix, and mortality of the intensive care unit.

Methods

Single-center, 11-year retrospective study of patients admitted to the general intensive care unit, before and after the opening of the medical high dependency unit, using interrupted time series methodology.

Results

Over the duration of the study period, 3209 medical patients were admitted to the intensive care unit. There was a constant rate of medical admissions to the intensive care unit until the opening of the medical high dependency unit, followed by a statistically significant decline thereafter. There was a statistically significant decrease in the average severity of illness of medical patients prior to the opening of the medical high dependency unit, but there was no evidence of a change following the opening of the unit. There was no evidence of a statistically significant change in the estimated mean standardized mortality ratio for either medical or surgical admissions after the intervention.

Conclusions

The opening of a medical high dependency unit had a minimal impact on the intensive care unit. There was, in all likelihood, an unmet need—of less seriously ill patients, who were previously looked after on a normal ward, but did not require intensive care unit admission—who are now cared for in the new medical high dependency unit. Interrupted time series analysis, although not without limitations, is a useful mean of evaluating changes in service delivery.
Using patient experiences to develop services for chronic pain
Authors: Outlaw Peter , Tripathi Shiva , Baldwin Jacqueline
Published: February 2018

Purpose:

The aim of this study was to improve the overall experience for patients using chronic pain services at a large teaching hospital in England. Experience-based co-design methodology was used to gain a greater understanding of patients’ experiences and to produce a list of priorities for change when improving the patient experience.

Method:

A total of seven video-recorded patient interviews were conducted to capture a range of patient experiences of using the chronic pain service. The interviews were analysed to identify ‘touchpoints’ which are areas in which patients experienced a heightened emotional response to their interaction with the service or staff. A short trigger film was compiled to illustrate these touchpoints to staff and gain their commitment to improve patients’ experiences when using the service. A patient experience event was held at which patients discussed the touchpoints and identified the most significant areas for change that would improve their experiences of using the chronic pain service.

Results:

A wide range of touchpoints were identified. The lack of information provided before arriving for a procedure and the need for a short debrief after clinic were prioritised for improvement. Patients valued the development of good relationships with clinic staff and feeling properly listened to for the first time. The patient experience event allowed the key points patients would like to know before a procedure, to be drawn up in a list, which could be passed onto staff.

Conclusion:

This study featured collaboration between patients and staff to improve patients’ experiences of using chronic pain services. Through patient participation, a comprehensive list of recommendations for service improvement was produced, and possible solutions were identified. The involvement of patients in driving change and re-designing services is shaping a more patient-centred chronic pain clinic and improving the experience for all the patients who use the service.
Reducing Commercial Truck Driver BMI Through Motivational Interviewing and Self-Efficacy
Authors: Wilson Juanita L. , Wolf Debra M. , Olszewski Kimberly A.
Published: February 2018

Obesity is recognized as a national and global health epidemic. Commercial truck drivers (CTDs) have a higher obesity rate and lower life expectancy compared with the general population. CTDs work sedentary jobs with long hours that pose barriers to healthy eating and regular exercise. An evidenced-based practice (EBP) change project that used motivational interviewing (MI) and education regarding diet and exercise over a 4-week period was found to have a positive impact on CTDs behavior. Results revealed an increase in aggregated self-efficacy for weight loss (14.8%, exceeding the benchmark of 11%). For aggregated body mass index (BMI), CTDs lost a mean of 0.65 kg/m2, over a 4-week period which was statistically significant at p = .0001. The results suggest a short-term MI intervention can be effective when implemented as a clinical standard for CTDs.
Improving Study Outcomes for College Students With Executive Functioning Challenges
Authors: Rivera Christopher J. , Wood Charles L. , James Morgan , Williams Sarah
Published: February 2018

Over the past decade, there has been an increase in postsecondary programs seeking to meet the needs of students with high incidence disabilities (e.g., learning disability, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]). Many of these students experience difficulties with executive functioning, that is, effectively applying problem-based strategies to set and obtain goals. There is limited research to enhance academic performance and retain this population throughout their college experience. This study investigated the use of a task analysis and goal setting intervention for improving the study skills and overall task completion by three college students with executive functioning challenges. Results demonstrated a functional relation between the intervention and dependent variables. Suggestions for future research and implications for practice are discussed.
Data: Sharing Is Caring
Authors: Levenstein Margaret C. , Lyle Jared A.
Published: February 2018

Data sharing promotes scientific progress by permitting replication of prior scientific analyses and by increasing the return on the human and financial investments made in data collection. The costs of data sharing can be reduced through the implementation of best practices in data management across the research life cycle; this article provides specific guidance on these practices. The benefits of data sharing will be reaped when researchers who share their data are rewarded with citations and recognition of the intellectual value inherent in producing new scientific data.
Antiphospholipid antibodies and recurrent thrombosis after a first unprovoked venous thromboembolism
Authors: Kearon Clive , Parpia Sameer , Spencer Frederick A. , Baglin Trevor , Stevens Scott M. , Bauer Kenneth A. , Lentz Steven R. , Kessler Craig M. , Douketis James D. , Moll Stephan , Kaatz Scott , Schulman Sam , Connors Jean M. , Ginsberg Jeffrey S. , Spadafora Luciana , Bhagirath Vinai , Liaw Patricia C. , Weitz Jeffrey I. , Julian Jim A.
Published: February 2018

Key Points

The same type of APA on 2 occasions or >1 type of APA on the same or different occasions is associated with recurrent VTE. APA and D-dimer levels seem to be independently associated with recurrence after a first unprovoked VTE.
Employment in the Treatment of Mental Diseases in the Upper Classes
Authors: Bower David
Published: February 2018

It is not less true now than when Dr. Watts sang, “Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do,” and two of the Commissioners in Lunacy, after their latest inspection of my asylum on the 18th of this month, said in their report, “Many of the gentlemen are usefully employed for some hours daily, and those whom we saw at work expressed themselves as well pleased with their occupations. We are extremely glad to find that Dr. Bower has successfully combated the difficulty of finding employment for gentlemen patients. Amusements in the shape of games are also found for both sexes.”
Exaltation in Chronic Alcoholism
Authors: Fox Bonville Bradley
Published: February 2018

During the last four years, as medical officer in an asylum sufficiently populous to offer a fairly wide field for study, but not too large to prevent each individual case from receiving its own share of investigation, no subject has attracted me more than the occurrence of delusions of exaltation and optimism in the Insanity of Chronic Alcoholism. And this mainly for two reasons, viz., the divergence of opinion of good authorities as to the frequency of the association of such ideas with this particular class of insanity, and the difficulty which not seldom attends the accurate recognition of their true character and import. If in this paper I can report the salient features of these cases, they may, perhaps, have an interest to others to whom they present no difficulties in diagnosis; and if the inferences that are drawn from them seem occasionally to deviate from those of writers of experience, it must be remembered that the cases are too few to admit of any but tentative statements, and that such will be put forward as suggestions and not as dogmas, though at the same time the accuracy of the facts and descriptions from which they are deduced can be guaranteed.
Hallucinations in General Paralysis of the Insane, especially in Relation to the Localization of Cerebral Functions
Authors: Mickle Wm. Julius
Published: February 2018

In the next place we arrive at the consideration of—

B. The supposed cortical auditory centre. (First temporesphenoidal convolution.)
2. Italian Retrospect
Authors: Gasquet J. R.
Published: February 2018

A great part of the activity of Italian psychologists has been devoted during the last two years to the study of hypnotism. It may be generally remarked that their results have been rather confirmatory of what was previously known than in discovering new phenomena, though some of importance will presently be mentioned.
State of Lunacy in Great Britain and Ireland. 1868
Authors: J. T. D.
Published: February 2018

The Twenty-third Report of the Commissioners in Lunacy is dated 31st March, 1869. It is a thick volume of 408 pages, of which 107 comprise the report proper, the remainder forming the usual appendices, which consist of—

(A.)

The number of insane persons in asylums.

(B.)

Licences and change of proprietorships.

C.D.

Average weekly cost of maintenance in asylums and hospitals in 1868.

(E.)

Entries in visitors' books of county and borough asylums.

(F.)

The state of the Criminal Asylum, Broadmoor.

(G.)

Entries in visitors' books in hospitals.

(H.)

Entries at Fort Pitt and Yarmouth.

(I.)

Isle of Man Asylum. Report of Superintendent.

(J.)

Pauper lunatics and idiots not in asylums, &c.

(K.)

Workhouses.

(L.)

Statistical tables, with a copy of entry made by Commissioners on a special visit to St. Luke's Hospital, and the reply of the Committee thereto.
Analgesic Effects of Oxycodone Relative to Those of Sufentanil, in the Presence of Midazolam, During Endoscopic Injection Sclerotherapy for Patients With Cirrhosis and Esophageal Varices
Authors: Quan Zhefeng , Luo Chao , Chi Ping , Wang Lujie , He Haili
Published: February 2018

BACKGROUND:

We evaluated the efficacy and gastroenterologist/patient satisfaction of midazolam combined with oxycodone, relative to that of midazolam combined with sufentanil, for anesthesia during endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) in patients with cirrhosis and esophageal varices.

METHODS:

Patients with cirrhosis (20–69 years of age), body mass index, 18–25 kg/m2, American Society of Anesthesiology patient classification physical status I–II who underwent elective EIS were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups. In this prospective, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial, 1 group received midazolam and oxycodone (n = 64), and the other group received midazolam and sufentanil (n = 63). Primary and secondary outcome measures were compared between groups. The primary outcome measure was the incidence of hypoxia. Secondary outcome measures included perioperative limb movement, need for rescue analgesics, need for additional sedative propofol, specified adverse reactions (postoperative myoclonus, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and drowsiness), gastroenterologist satisfaction, and patient satisfaction with postoperative analgesia.

RESULTS:

Patients in the midazolam–oxycodone group had 32% fewer episodes of hypoxia than did those in the midazolam–sufentanil group (95% confidence interval [CI], –45% to –18%; P < .001), 36.73% fewer perioperative limb movements (95% CI, –51.73% to –21.73%; P < .001), 19.12% fewer required rescue analgesics (95% CI, –30.85% to –7.40%; P = .002), and less propofol requirement in the perioperative period (before EIS, –17.83%; 95% CI, –33.82% to –1.85%; P = .003; throughout EIS, –36.73%; 95% CI, –51.73% to –21.73%; P < .001). The incidence rates for adverse reactions were similar between groups. Both the gastroenterologist and patients reported higher degrees of satisfaction with oxycodone than with sufentanil.

CONCLUSIONS:

Oxycodone in combination with midazolam may provide an anesthetic technique that results in fewer episodes of hypoxia and other adverse conditions during EIS.
Neuraxial Anesthesia During Cesarean Delivery for Placenta Previa With Suspected Morbidly Adherent Placenta: A Retrospective Analysis
Authors: Markley John C. , Farber Michaela K. , Perlman Nicola C. , Carusi Daniela A.
Published: February 2018

BACKGROUND:

General anesthesia (GA) is often selected for cesarean deliveries (CD) with placenta previa and suspected morbidly adherent placenta (MAP) due to increased risk of hemorrhage and hysterectomy. We reviewed maternal outcomes and risk factors for conversion to GA in a cohort of patients undergoing CD and hysterectomy under neuraxial anesthesia (NA).

METHODS:

We performed a single-center, retrospective cohort study of parturients undergoing nonemergent CD for placenta previa with suspected MAP from 1997 to 2015. Patients were classified according to whether they received GA, NA, or intraoperative conversion from NA to GA. The primary outcome measure was postoperative acuity, defined as the need for intensive care unit admission, arterial embolization, reoperation, or ongoing transfusion with ≥3 units packed red blood cells. We additionally identified variables positively associated with intraoperative conversion from NA to GA during hysterectomy. Confounding was controlled with logistic regression models.

RESULTS:

Of 129 patients undergoing nonemergent CD for placenta previa with suspected MAP, 122 (95%) received NA as the primary anesthetic. NA was selected in the majority of patients with a body mass index ≥40 kg/m2 (9 of 10, 90%), a history of ≥3 prior CDs (18 of 20, 90%), suspected placenta increta or percreta (29 of 35, 83%), and Mallampati classification ≥3 (19 of 21, 90%). Of 72 patients with NA at the time of delivery who required hysterectomy, 15 (21%) required conversion to GA intraoperatively. Converted patients had a higher rate of major packed red blood cell transfusion (60% vs 25%; P = .01), with similar rates of massive transfusion (9% vs 7%; P = 1.0). Converted patients also had a higher incidence of postoperative acuity (47% vs 4%; P < .0001), including 5 intensive care unit admissions for airway management after large-volume resuscitation. After adjusting for multiple confounders, the only independent predictors of conversion among hysterectomy patients were longer surgical duration (adjusted odds ratio 1.54, 95% CI, 1.01–2.42) and a history of ≥3 prior CDs (adjusted odds ratio, 6.45; 95% CI, 1.12–45.03).

CONCLUSIONS:

NA was applied to and successfully used in the majority of patients with suspected MAP. Our findings support selective conversion to GA during hysterectomy in these patients, focusing on those with the highest levels of surgical complexity.
Disentangling the Effects of a Banking Crisis: Evidence from German Firms and Counties
Authors: Huber Kilian
Published: February 2018

Lending cuts by banks directly affect the firms borrowing from them, but also indirectly depress economic activity in the regions in which they operate. This paper moves beyond firm-level studies by estimating the effects of an exogenous lending cut by a large German bank on firms and counties. I construct an instrument for regional exposure to the lending cut based on a historic, postwar breakup of the bank. I present evidence that the lending cut affected firms independently of their banking relationships, through lower aggregate demand and agglomeration spillovers in counties exposed to the lending cut. Output and employment remained persistently low even after bank lending had normalized. Innovation and productivity fell, consistent with the persistent effects. (JEL E32, E44, G01, G21, G32, R11, R23)
Endoplasmic reticulum-to-Golgi transitions upon herpes virus infection
Authors: Wild Peter , Kaech Andres , Schraner Elisabeth M. , Walser Ladina , Ackermann Mathias
Published: February 2018

Background: Herpesvirus capsids are assembled in the nucleus, translocated to the perinuclear space by budding, acquiring tegument and envelope, or released to the cytoplasm via impaired nuclear envelope. One model proposes that envelopment, “de-envelopment” and “re-envelopment” is essential for production of infectious virus. Glycoproteins gB/gH were reported to be essential for de-envelopment, by fusion of the “primary” envelope with the outer nuclear membrane. Yet, a high proportion of enveloped virions generated from genomes with deleted gB/gH were found in the cytoplasm and extracellular space, suggesting the existence of alternative exit routes.

Methods: We investigated the relatedness between the nuclear envelope and membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex, in cells infected with either herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) or a Us3 deletion mutant thereof, or with bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) by transmission and scanning electron microscopy, employing freezing technique protocols.

Results:  The Golgi complex is a compact entity in a juxtanuclear position covered by a membrane on thecisface. Golgi membranes merge with membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum forming an entity with the perinuclear space. All compartments contained enveloped virions. After treatment with brefeldin A, HSV-1 virions aggregated in the perinuclear space and endoplasmic reticulum, while infectious progeny virus was still produced.

Conclusions: The data suggest that virions derived by budding at nuclear membranes are intraluminally transported from the perinuclear space via Golgi -endoplasmic reticulum transitions into Golgi cisternae for packaging. Virions derived by budding at nuclear membranes are infective like Us3 deletion mutants, which  accumulate in the perinuclear space. Therefore, i) de-envelopment followed by re-envelopment is not essential for production of infective progeny virus, ii) the process taking place at the outer nuclear membrane is budding not fusion, and iii) naked capsids gain access to the cytoplasmic matrix via impaired nuclear envelope as reported earlier.
Recent advances in understanding how rod-like bacteria stably maintain their cell shapes
Authors: van Teeffelen Sven , Renner Lars D.
Published: February 2018

Cell shape and cell volume are important for many bacterial functions. In recent years, we have seen a range of experimental and theoretical work that led to a better understanding of the determinants of cell shape and size. The roles of different molecular machineries for cell-wall expansion have been detailed and partially redefined, mechanical forces have been shown to influence cell shape, and new connections between metabolism and cell shape have been proposed. Yet the fundamental determinants of the different cellular dimensions remain to be identified. Here, we highlight some of the recent developments and focus on the determinants of rod-like cell shape and size in the well-studied model organismsEscherichia coliandBacillus subtilis.
Case Report: A rare case of prosthetic valve infective endocarditis caused by Aerococcus urinae
Authors: Adeel Muhammad , Tariq Saman , Akthar Hisham , Zaghloul Ahmed , Iorgoveanu Corina , Dehner Carina
Published: February 2018

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a serious and life-threatening cardiac condition, most commonly caused by staphylococci, Streptococcus viridans, and enterococci. However, in special settings, IE can be caused by rare organisms. Here we present a case of IE caused by Aerococcus urinae in a 75-year-old man with a bioprosthetic aortic valve.  Aerococcus urinae is a gram-positive, catalase-negative microorganism and is usually an isolate of complicated urinary tract infections in the elderly male population.  . Improvements in diagnostic testing including use of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization– a time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) have played an important role in isolating Aerococcus.
The life cycle of platelet granules
Authors: Sharda Anish , Flaumenhaft Robert
Published: February 2018

Platelet granules are unique among secretory vesicles in both their content and their life cycle. Platelets contain three major granule types—dense granules, α-granules, and lysosomes—although other granule types have been reported. Dense granules and α-granules are the most well-studied and the most physiologically important. Platelet granules are formed in large, multilobulated cells, termed megakaryocytes, prior to transport into platelets. The biogenesis of dense granules and α-granules involves common but also distinct pathways. Both are formed from thetrans-Golgi network and early endosomes and mature in multivesicular bodies, but the formation of dense granules requires trafficking machinery different from that of α-granules. Following formation in the megakaryocyte body, both granule types are transported through and mature in long proplatelet extensions prior to the release of nascent platelets into the bloodstream. Granules remain stored in circulating platelets until platelet activation triggers the exocytosis of their contents. SolubleN-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins, located on both the granules and target membranes, provide the mechanical energy that enables membrane fusion during both granulogenesis and exocytosis. The function of these core fusion engines is controlled by SNARE regulators, which direct the site, timing, and extent to which these SNAREs interact and consequently the resulting membrane fusion. In this review, we assess new developments in the study of platelet granules, from their generation to their exocytosis.
The use of eHealth to promote physical activity in patients with mental health conditions: a systematic review
Authors: Moran Jonathan , Kelly Grainne , Haberlin Ciarán , Mockler David , Broderick Julie
Published: February 2018

Background: Achieving adequate amounts of physical activity (PA) confers important physical and mental health benefits. Despite this, individuals with mental health conditions often do not meet recommended levels of PA. eHealth, the delivery of health information through internet and mobile technologies, is an emerging concept in healthcare which presents opportunities to improve PA in people with mental conditions. The aim of this systematic review is to explore if eHealth interventions increase PA levels among individuals with mental health conditions.

Methods: Databases searched included OVID Medline, EMBASE, PsychInfo and Web of Science using a combination of key-words and medical subject headings. Articles were included if they described an eHealth intervention designed to improve PA in individuals with mental health conditions. Two reviewers screened articles for inclusion.

Results: In total 2,994 articles were identified. Seven studies met the eligibility criteria. A variety of eHealth platforms designed to increase PA were described in these studies; web-based (n=4), web and mobile application (n=3) and e-mail-based (n=1), one study used both a web-based and mobile application. Three studies reported eHealth intervention significantly increased PA levels. Four studies reported that higher levels of PA resulted in improvements in mental health outcomes. 

Conclusion: eHealth interventions may be an innovative low cost method to increase PA levels which may have knock-on effects on mental health outcomes. Although some of the included studies in this review demonstrated promising results, methodological restrictions and potential biases from using subjective measures of PA limit the interpretability of these results.  Future research should evaluate this nascent technology using well designed trials.
Promoting assisted decision-making in acute care settings for care planning purposes: Study protocol
Authors: O'Donnell Deirdre , Ní Shé Éidín , Davies Carmel , Donnelly Sarah , Cooney Therese , O'Coimin Diarmuid , O'Shea Diarmuid , Kyne Lorraine , O'Sullivan Diarmaid , Rock Bernadette , O'Shea Marie , McAuliffe Eilish , O'Shaughnessy Ann , Kroll Thilo
Published: February 2018

Background: The Assisted Decision-Making (ADM) (Capacity) Act 2015 was enacted by Dáil Éireann in December 2015. The purpose of the act, as it applies to healthcare, is to promote the autonomy of persons in relation to their treatment choices, to enable them to be treated according to their will and preferences, and to provide healthcare professionals with important information about persons and their choices in relation to treatment. In practice, those patients with cognitive impairment, particularly dementia, and those with complex needs requiring composite decisions present the greatest challenge to healthcare professionals practicing in accordance with this legislation. Patients with complex needs requiring multifaceted decisions are often over 70 years of age and present in acute hospitals experiencing some form of cognitive impairment.

Objectives: The aim of this project is to develop an educational tool which will promote understanding of ADM among healthcare professionals working in acute care settings, and encourage their adoption of this understanding into their care planning with older people.

Research design: The study design for this project is mapped out over four consecutive work packages combining a multimethod approach including rapid realist review, qualitative exploration, participatory learning and action sets and intervention trialling and revision. This incremental and context sensitive approach to research design is appropriate for the exploration, development and evaluation of a complex behaviour change intervention.

Conclusion: The targeted beneficiaries of this project are healthcare professionals working within acute care settings as well as older people and their family carers who are interacting with the acute care system. The potential impact is improved communication between healthcare professionals and their patients in relation to assisted decision-making and care planning. This educational intervention will be embedded into the pedagogic strategies of the RCPI in their postgraduate education curricula as well as the continuous professional development scheme.
Service-Dominant Logic and Performance-Based Contracting: A Systems Thinking Perspective
Authors: Nowicki David , Sauser Brian , Randall Wesley , Lusch Robert
Published: February 2018

This paper extends recent theoretical advances by merging service-dominant logic (S-D logic) and performance-based contracting (PBC). S-D logic is a conceptual frame of reference that defines supply chain knowledge and skill as its fundamental building blocks of strategic benefit. Cocreation of value between actors and beneficiaries is central to S-D logic and is measured through performance outcomes. PBC is a transformational departure from traditional supply chain strategies that focuses on delivering performance instead of goods and services. PBC has found increasing use in large-scale complex systems where the postproduction costs exceed the production cost, such as defense, transportation, and healthcare. These systems are commonly called sustainment-dominated systems (SDSs). We use systems theory and the Boardman Soft Systems Methodology to develop a systemigram that corresponds to the 11 foundational premises of S-D logic in the context of PBC. We also verify the use of the systemigram as an instrument to instantiate systems thinking and move S-D logic from an abstract framework to a more actionable framework. This paper provides managers and researchers a systematic insight into how investment into knowledge, skills, and the cocreation of value can drive improved SDS life-cycle affordability in the context of PBC.
Systematic review of spica casting for the treatment of paediatric diaphyseal femur fractures
Authors: Tisherman R. T. , Hoellwarth J. S. , Mendelson S. A.
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Paediatric femur fractures are commonly encountered and often successfully managed with spica casting. Despite spica casting's long history there is little formal guidance for optimal outcomes and no consolidation of existing literature. The purpose of this study is to review the available literature regarding the use of spica casting for the management of paediatric diaphyseal femur fractures.

Methods

The PubMed database was queried for all research articles including the phrase “spica”. A total of 788 abstracts were reviewed for relevance to the current study. Data was extracted from all available research studies which specified tolerance for fracture angulation or shortening in the cast. Additionally, all articles describing alternative materials, methods for spica application, and complications of spica casting were reviewed.

Results

In all, 106 articles were found relevant to the management of diaphyseal femur fractures in the paediatric population. The aggregated, accepted fracture shortening decreased from 16 mm to 18 mm before age ten years to 12 mm to 14 mm after puberty. Aggregated, accepted angulation decreased from 14° to 16° varus/valgus and 18° to 22° pro/recurvatum before age two years, to 6° to 8° and 10° to 12° by puberty, respectively. The overall reported complication rate was 19.6%, with the most common complication being skin compromise in 8.2% of patients, followed by unacceptable angulation at the fracture site in 4.2% of patients and excessive limb shortening in 1.9% of patients.

Conclusion

This article reviews the available spica casting literature and compiles the available data. Spica casting offers a safe, effective means for definitive management of paediatric diaphyseal femur fractures. Future research identifying the rate and pattern of remodelling as it relates to angulation and shortening at various patient ages, particularly beyond the aforementioned norms, would be valuable to identify true biological tolerances versus accepted expert opinion.

Level of evidence Level II

Review of level II evidence
57th Venice Biennale and parallel exhibitions
Authors: Connolly Maeve
Published: February 2018

13 May – 26 November 2016
James Benning, taxidermist
Authors: Davis Glyn
Published: February 2018

This essay explores the relationship between cinema and taxidermy, and some of the ways in which artists and experimental film-makers have used the moving image to engage with the ramifications of stuffing and preserving animals. It is argued that the taxidermied creature’s eerie mixture of death and life has particular resonance for film-makers with an interest in slowness and stasis. James Benning’s 2014 film natural history, which was shot behind the scenes at the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna, serves as a central focus. As with other films by Benning, natural history can be understood as both structuralist and a landscape film. The film is compared to works depicting stuffed animals by other experimental film-makers who explore stillness and slowness; it is proposed that such film-makers can be conceived of as taxidermists. Finally, the article looks at the complex relations between cinema, taxidermy and sound. The aural dimension of Benning’s film, missing from many other artists’ engagements with taxidermy, enables a richer exploration of its operations.
Grandfather’s pear: Some notes on Stephen Dwoskin’s archive and the role of auto/biography in his films
Authors: O’Donoghue Darragh
Published: February 2018

This article derives from the author’s research in the archive of artist and experimental film-maker Stephen Dwoskin (1939–2012). It represents the preliminary stages of a longer-term investigation and is a response to the specificity of Dwoskin’s work, its use of archival materials and its relation to the physical archive housed in the University of Reading. It emphasises the ‘autobiographical’ strand in Dwoskin’s filmography and offers readings of the films Trying to kiss the moon (1994) and Grandpère’s pear (2003). It proposes the usefulness of Dwoskin’s theory of ‘soft’ film-making, outlined in Film is... (1975), his study of international avant-garde cinema. To contextualise these late autobiographical films, the article also draws on the work of Dwoskin’s neighbour, friend, colleague and collaborator Laura Mulvey, in particular, the book Death 24x a second (2006), with its analysis of the relationship between the materiality of traditional film-making and the digital technology of the present.
Afterword: Some reflections on the engagement of feminism with film from the 1970s to the present day
Authors: Mulvey Laura
Published: February 2018

In response to the 2015 ‘Feminisms’ issue of MIRAJ (4:1&2), this article will discuss the development of feminist engagement with film over the last four decades (most particularly in the United Kingdom), beginning with its origins in the radical film practices of the 1970s and noting its variations across time according to changes in social conditions and mentalities. Reference will be made to Mulvey’s original moments of engagement with film and feminist theory, and their conversion into practice notably in her own film Riddles of the Sphinx (1977 with Peter Wollen) and Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman (1975), but the article will also comment on ways in which the MIRAJ issue opened up histories and perspectives that are less widely discussed in the literature. The relationship of feminism to economic and social exploitation will also be discussed and forms of resistance will be identified, particularly in the culture of collectivities. Finally, the psychoanalytic approach proposed by Elizabeth Cowie in relation to affect and ‘gap’ will enter the frame, while slowness and duration in early feminist film will lead into a deeper discussion of practice.