bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Disability-inclusive electoral systems: analyzing the Philippine electoral policy using the disability convention (DisCo) policy framework
Authors: Cruz John Paul P.
Published: September 2015

For more than a century now, the Philippines has been at the forefront of democracy in the Southeast Asian region. Since the early 1990s, the country has sought to institutionalize democratic processes, which aim to meaningfully engage Filipinos in the public and political spheres. In line with its efforts of strengthening its electoral systems, it has also taken a leading role in the region in promoting and protecting the rights of voters with disabilities by becoming one of the first States Parties to ratify the United Nations convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). A key provision of the UNCRPD is affording voters with disabilities the equal opportunity to engage in every electoral process on an equal basis with other abled-bodied voters. However, in spite of recent developments, the Philippines has yet to effectively implement disability-inclusive electoral policies and processes that would not only engage able-bodied Filipino voters but also one of the country’s largest minority community—Filipino voters with disabilities. This paper examines the effectiveness of the Philippine government in ensuring that Filipino voters with disabilities are guaranteed with and are able to exercise their right to suffrage. Using a mixed method approach and the disability convention (DisCo) policy framework, this research evaluates the content of existing legislative measures relating to the country’s electoral system, the corresponding executive and budgetary support to implement electoral laws and policies for Filipino voters with disabilities, the administrative and coordinating capacity of implementing electoral agencies, the prevailing attitude of the society towards Filipino voters with disabilities, and the degree of participation of Filipino voters with disabilities in the development of Philippine electoral laws and policies.
The ERα-PI3K Cascade in Proopiomelanocortin Progenitor Neurons Regulates Feeding and Glucose Balance in Female Mice
Authors: Zhu Liangru , Xu Pingwen , Cao Xuehong , Yang Yongjie , Hinton Antentor Othrell , Xia Yan , Saito Kenji , Yan Xiaofeng , Zou Fang , Ding Hongfang , Wang Chunmei , Yan Chunling , Saha Pradip , Khan Sohaib A. , Zhao Jean , Fukuda Makoto , Tong Qingchun , Clegg Deborah J. , Chan Lawrence , Xu Yong
Published: September 2015

Estrogens act upon estrogen receptor (ER)α to inhibit feeding and improve glucose homeostasis in female animals. However, the intracellular signals that mediate these estrogenic actions remain unknown. Here, we report that anorexigenic effects of estrogens are blunted in female mice that lack ERα specifically in proopiomelanocortin (POMC) progenitor neurons. These mutant mice also develop insulin resistance and are insensitive to the glucose-regulatory effects of estrogens. Moreover, we showed that propyl pyrazole triol (an ERα agonist) stimulates the phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway specifically in POMC progenitor neurons, and that blockade of PI3K attenuates propyl pyrazole triol-induced activation of POMC neurons. Finally, we show that effects of estrogens to inhibit food intake and to improve insulin sensitivity are significantly attenuated in female mice with PI3K genetically inhibited in POMC progenitor neurons. Together, our results indicate that an ERα-PI3K cascade in POMC progenitor neurons mediates estrogenic actions to suppress food intake and improve insulin sensitivity.
On Death, Dying, and Terminality: Today, Yesterday, and Tomorrow
Authors: Halper Thomas
Published: September 2015

Not long ago, America viewed death and dying with a familiar fear and hostility. But today the subject has become fashionable, part of the transient pop culture, and as a consequence, trivialized and sentimentalized.

When lifespans were shorter, deaths quicker, and man felt helpless before nature, death and dying were repeated intruders into the daily routine, usually occurring at home. But with the birth of the modern clinic in late eighteenth century Europe, the focus shifted from the patient to his affliction. Medicine became more scientific and effective as a result; yet the patient has suffered from this change, too, often feeling profoundly alienated from the entire medical apparatus. For terminally ill patients, the problem is especially severe; but the hospice approach (patient-centered like the old medieval hospital, and yet owing much to modern specialization and technology) promises physical and emotional amelioration of suffering in an imperfect but valuable departure from recent tradition.
The Antitrust Implications of Relative Value Studies in Medicine
Authors: Havighurst Clark C. , Kissam Philip C.
Published: September 2015

Relative value studies are lists of “relative values” of different professional services. Antitrust enforcement agencies recently have filed several complaints against the promulgation of relative value studies by professional organizations of physicians, alleging that these lists have been used to fix and increase physician fees. This article examines the status of professionally sponsored relative values studies under antitrust law and suggests several reasons why they should be held unlawful. In particular, such relative value studies threaten to eliminate desirable competition among private third-party payers in the development of effective cost-containment strategies as well as among physicians in the setting of fees. Moreover, the alleged benefits of professionally sponsored relative value studies could be achieved by alternative means that do not similarly restrict competition in the provision of medical services.
Choice by Constraint: The Selection and Function of Specialties among Women Physicians-in-Training
Authors: Davidson Lynne R.
Published: September 2015

This paper asserts that the selection of medical specialty by women physicians-in-training is a “choice by constraint.” Comparative data on men and women interns and residents are provided in order to document parameters of constraint in three separate areas: 1) subjective reasons for selection of medical specialty and subspecialty; 2) the type of practice a physician intends to enter; and 3) the differential function served by high vs. low interaction specialties.

Findings suggest that severe constraints occur on the specific level of subspecialty, rather than on the more general level of specialty. Findings also show that high and low interaction specialties serve two distinctly separate socioemotional functions for different types of women. Within the present medical system these functions are considerably restrictive.
Public Choice in Health: Problems, Politics, and Perspectives on Formulating National Health Policy
Authors: Blumstein James F. , Zubkoff Michael
Published: September 2015

Development of health policy goals necessitates a choice among normative premises—an accommodation of conflicting values. Any debate that does not identify underlying assumptions or link policy prescriptions to a theoretical perspective is destined to degenerate into uncommunicative and unproductive rhetorical posturing. A sensible approach toward formulating national health policy requires that competing values be identified and discussed explicitly. This article will examine the effect that selection of different theoretical perspectives can have on the identification of problems and on the formulation of prescriptive policies in the health field. It will also focus on the different values that are promoted by different policy perspectives and consider alternative modes for implementing value choices.
Ideology, Class, and the National Health Service
Authors: Klein Rudolf
Published: September 2015

Since the start of the British National Health Service, disputes between the government and the medical profession have become formalized battles with well-recognized rules. But between 1974 and 1976 the consensus underlying the conflict was challenged by the Labour Government's policy on private practice and pay beds. This paper examines the course of the conflict and analyzes the factors underlying the eruption of this issue. It draws attention to the role of the trade-unions in activating the Labour Party's latent ideological commitment on private practice. Although the issue appears to conform to a class-conflict model, this simple symmetry becomes blurred on closer analysis. In conclusion the paper argues that while socio-structural factors extrinsic to the health service explain the appearance of private practice on the political agenda, it is factors endogenous to the NHS which explain the outcome of the dispute. In turn, however, these endogenous factors have little to do with the fact that the NHS is delivering a commodity called “health.” Instead, what is important is that the NHS is a complex organization and, as such, depends on the co-operation of a variety of groups—ranging from the medical profession to laundry workers. The analysis, therefore, concludes that the power of the medical profession derives not from its elite status but from its position as an organized group in a complex industry.
Public Capabilities and Health Care Effectiveness: Implications from a Comparative Perspective
Authors: Heidenheimer Arnold J.
Published: September 2015

This article examines inter-relationships between “centers” and “peripheries” within political, professional and health care systems. It seeks to determine which conditions tend to improve the capacity of public authorities to further such measures of effectiveness as access to, quality of, and complementarity of health care delivery. Examples are selected from the experience of the United States and West European countries.
Health Development and Political Policy: The Lesson of Cuba
Authors: Roemer Milton I.
Published: September 2015

In comparison to other Latin American countries at a similar or more advanced stage of economic development, Cuba has a relatively high ranking on major health status indicators. This paper examines the reasons for this contrast and concludes that they are largely political. This suggests that the severe health deficiencies of most developing countries are not inevitable consequences of poverty.
Structural Conflicts in the Neighborhood Health Center Program: The National and Local Perspectives
Authors: May Jude Thomas , Durham Mary L. , New Peter Kong-ming
Published: September 2015

The paper reports the findings of a study of the neighborhood health center (NHC) program which was initiated by the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) in 1965. The study focuses on the structure of the NHC system (funding agency, operating agency, and community board), analyzes the goals of the different sets of actors, and argues that the conflicts which evolved within the system were the natural outcome of the divergence in the goals of the different actors. Based on a series of 88 in-depth interviews with key health officials in OEO as well as project officers in NHCs throughout the country, the study suggests a framework for a more comprehensive analysis of the outcome of the NHC program and notes the implications of these findings for some current health legislation.
Nursing Home Utilization Patterns: Implications for Policy
Authors: Scanlon William J.
Published: September 2015

Nursing homes represent the fastest growing component of health care expenditures, over half of which come from public funds. This paper reviews research on nursing home utilization with regard to several policy issues concerning the subsidization of long-term care by Medicaid. As a background, the paper defines and contrasts three concepts; need, demand, and utilization. It then indicates how Medicaid policies regarding reimbursement of homes and eligibility for support can result in a chronic shortage of beds and describes the estimated effects on utilization of eight variables: Medicaid generosity, age structure, family resources, racial composition, residence, financial capability of the elderly, price of nursing home care and alternative sources of care. The paper concludes that there is a need for: subsidization of a more comprehensive set of long-term care services, a review of reimbursement policies, and improved methods of allocating existing nursing home beds among persons desiring care.
Community Organizing Lessons for Health Care Consumers
Authors: Checkoway Barry , Doyle Michael
Published: September 2015

This article analyzes the efforts of health care consumers to organize independently of, but with reference to, the Health Systems Agency in east central Illinois. Beginning with a tactical investigation which disclosed a lack of effective public participation, consumers formed an organization which conducted a series of community forums to provide information and generate publicity about local health care issues, sponsored training workshops for consumer leaders and HSA board members, worked to delay the final designation of the agency, and organized to take control of the local HSA board. They recruited a large number of new HSA members, enlisted provider and consumer candidates to run for the board, conducted a vigorous election campaign, and finally claimed a majority of seats. Among the conclusions drawn are that health care planning cannot be considered apart from a context of politics, and that community organization is important for consumers wishing to exercise power.
New Health Professions After a Decade and a Half: Delegation, Productivity, and Costs in Primary Care
Authors: Record Jane Cassels , McCally Michael , Schweitzer Stuart O. , Blomquist Robert M. , Berger Benjamin D.
Published: September 2015

Though knowledge about physician's assistants and nurse practitioners is far from conclusive, these new health practitioners (NHPs) appear to perform a large percentage of primary care services at a high level of quality and productivity. Moreover, the gap between the physician/NHP substitution ratio and the NHP/physician cost ratio seems wide enough to assure cost savings when NHPs are used well.
The Right to Refuse Psychiatric Treatment: Some Legal and Ethical Considerations
Authors: Tancredi Laurence R.
Published: September 2015

This paper addresses some of the ethical and legal issues involving the rights of psychiatric patients to refuse treatment. Particular attention is focused on two recently decided cases—Rogers v. Okins, and Rennie v. Klein—that deal with the rights of involuntarily committed patients to refuse psychotropic medications. Both cases approach this issue in different ways, but inevitably point to some very complicated philosophical concepts such as the meaning of self-determination, autonomy and identity of personhood, especially as these concepts are applied to mentally ill patients.
Pricing Dental Services: A Market Testing Approach
Authors: Kushman John E.
Published: September 2015

Evidence from the economics literature is examined with reference to whether prices of dental services tend to equal or exceed production costs, and whether dentists may be characterized as price-takers or price-setters. Ability to generalize from the methods and conceptualization of costs is important in evaluating the evidence. Dentists appear to act as price-takers, but market prices remain greater than production costs. Conditions sufficient to produce a fully competitive result are apparently lacking in the dental services market.
Facile and Efficient Transformation of Lignocellulose into Levulinic Acid Using an AlCl3·6H2O/H3PO4 Hybrid Acid Catalyst
Authors: Nemoto Koji , Tominaga Ken-ichi , Sato Kazuhiko
Published: September 2015

Combination use of AlCl3·6H2O with H3PO4 has led to the development of an efficient water-tolerant catalyst system, acting cooperatively in aqueous media to produce levulinic acid from microcrystalline cellulose. This catalyst system was extended to the direct transformation of various raw biomass resources to levulinic acid in good yields.
piRNAs derived from ancient viral processed pseudogenes as transgenerational sequence-specific immune memory in mammals
Authors: Parrish Nicholas F. , Fujino Kan , Shiromoto Yusuke , Iwasaki Yuka W. , Ha Hongseok , Xing Jinchuan , Makino Akiko , Kuramochi-Miyagawa Satomi , Nakano Toru , Siomi Haruhiko , Honda Tomoyuki , Tomonaga Keizo
Published: September 2015

Endogenous bornavirus-like nucleoprotein elements (EBLNs) are sequences within vertebrate genomes derived from reverse transcription and integration of ancient bornaviral nucleoprotein mRNA via the host retrotransposon machinery. While species with EBLNs appear relatively resistant to bornaviral disease, the nature of this association is unclear. We hypothesized that EBLNs could give rise to antiviral interfering RNA in the form of PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), a class of small RNA known to silence transposons but not exogenous viruses. We found that in both rodents and primates, which acquired their EBLNs independently some 25–40 million years ago, EBLNs are present within piRNA-generating regions of the genome far more often than expected by chance alone (ℙ = 8 × 10−3–6 × 10−8). Three of the seven human EBLNs fall within annotated piRNA clusters and two marmoset EBLNs give rise to bona fide piRNAs. In both rats and mice, at least two of the five EBLNs give rise to abundant piRNAs in the male gonad. While no EBLNs are syntenic between rodent and primate, some of the piRNA clusters containing EBLNs are; thus we deduce that EBLNs were integrated into existing piRNA clusters. All true piRNAs derived from EBLNs are antisense relative to the proposed ancient bornaviral nucleoprotein mRNA. These observations are consistent with a role for EBLN-derived piRNA-like RNAs in interfering with ancient bornaviral infection. They raise the hypothesis that retrotransposon-dependent virus-to-host gene flow could engender RNA-mediated, sequence-specific antiviral immune memory in metazoans analogous to the CRISPR/Cas system in prokaryotes.
Looking at the factors associated with bullying and visits to the school nurse, in the United States
Authors: Perron Tracy
Published: September 2015

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among perceived school climate, self-reported psychosomatic symptoms, visits to the school nurse for reported psychosomatic symptoms and reports of bullying behaviours among students' grades 3–12. In the study self-reported bullying behaviours were proposed to predict psychosomatic complaints at the school health office. Negatively perceived school climate was proposed to predict bullying behaviours. Lastly, the combination of bullying and negative school climate were proposed to predict psychosomatic complaints. Reports of bullying behaviours were found to significantly predict reports of psychosomatic complaints in school age children (Beta = 0.35, t = 5.5, P < 0.001). Bullying behaviours significantly predicted visits to the school health office for psychosomatic symptoms (Beta = .24, t = 3.7, P < 0.001). Negatively perceived school climate significantly predicted reports of bullying behaviours (Beta = 0.16, t = 2.3, P < 0.02). Negative perceived school climate significantly predicts reports of psychosomatic symptoms related to bullying (Beta = 0.35, t = 5.5, P < 0.001).
Taxonomy and distribution of species of the genus Acanthus (Acanthaceae) in mangroves of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
Authors: RAGAVAN P , SAXENA ALOK , MOHAN P M , JAYARAJ R S.C , RAVICHANDRAN K.
Published: September 2015

Ragavan P, Saxena A, Mohan PM, Jayaraj RSC, Ravichandran K. 2015. Taxonomy and distribution of species of the genus Acanthus (Acanthaceae) in mangroves of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. Biodiversitas 16: 225-237. A recent floristic surveyrevealed the occurrence of three species of Acanthus in mangroves of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. Of these Acanthusilicifolius and A. ebracteatus are shrubs, whereas A. volubilis is a climbing shrub. All the three Acanthus species were recorded from theAndaman Islands, but only A. ilicifolius from the Nicobar Islands. A. volubilis is easily distinguished from other two species by itsunarmed and twining delicate sprawling stems, un-serrated elliptical leaves, white corolla and absence of bracteoles. A. ilicifolius and A.ebracteatus are differentiated based on the presence and absences of bracteoles, corolla color, and position of Inflorescence anddirection of stem axial spines. A key for the species of Acanthus of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is also provided.
Screening and Management of Delirium in Critically Ill Patients
Authors: Farina Nicholas , Smithburger Pamela , Kane-Gill Sandra
Published: September 2015

Delirium is highly prevalent in the critically ill population and has been associated with numerous negative outcomes including increased mortality. The presentation of a delirious patient in the intensive care unit (ICU) is characterized by a fluctuating cognitive status and inattention that varies dramatically among patients. Delirium can present in 3 different motoric subtypes: hyperactive, hypoactive, and mixed. Two tools, the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist and Confusion Assessment ICU, are validated and recommended for the detection of delirium in critically ill patients. The identification of delirium in a critically ill patient should be facilitated using one of these tools. An intermediate form of delirium known as subsyndromal delirium also exists, although the significance of this syndrome is largely unknown. Another phenomenon known as sedation-related delirium has been recently described, although more research is needed to understand its significance. Patients in the ICU are exposed to many risk factors for developing delirium; controlling these risk factors is essential for preventing delirium development in critically ill patients. Nonpharmacologic interventions have been shown to prevent patients from developing delirium. Prevention is crucial because once delirium develops pharmacologic therapy is limited.
Ciprofloxacin: Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis (Prevention)
Authors: Generali Joyce A. , Cada Dennis J.
Published: September 2015

This Hospital Pharmacy feature is extracted from Off-Label Drug Facts, a publication available from Wolters Kluwer Health. Off-Label Drug Facts is a practitioner-oriented resource for information about specific drug uses that are unapproved by the US Food and Drug Administration. This new guide to the literature enables the health care professional or clinician to quickly identify published studies on off-label uses and determine if a specific use is rational in a patient care scenario. References direct the reader to the full literature for more comprehensive information before patient care decisions are made. Direct questions or comments regarding Off-Label Drug Uses to jgeneral@ku.edu .
Evaluation of a Pharmacist-Specific Intervention on 30-Day Readmission Rates for High-Risk Patients with Pneumonia
Authors: Lisenby Katelin M. , Carroll Douglas N. , Pinner Nathan A.
Published: September 2015

Background

Pharmacist interventions have been shown to have an impact on reducing readmission rates, however further research is necessary to target resources to high-risk populations and determine the most effective bundle of interventions.

Objective

To evaluate the effect of a pharmacist-bundled intervention on 30-day readmission rates for high-risk patients with pneumonia.

Methods

A pilot study with a historical control conducted at a community, teaching-affiliated medical center. Up to 65 selected subjects were included if they had pneumonia and any of the following high-risk criteria: admission within 6 months, at least 5 scheduled home medications, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or heart failure. A retrospective chart review was conducted to compile the historical control group that received usual care between June and November 2013. Patients admitted from December 2013 through March 2014 were reviewed to receive a bundled intervention. The primary outcome was 30-day readmission rates. Risk factors and reasons for readmission, pharmacist clinical interventions, and the time interval between discharge and readmission were also evaluated.

Results

A trend toward a reduced 30-day readmission rate was observed in the intervention group ( n = 43) compared to those who received usual care ( n = 65) (27.9% vs 40.0%; relative risk [RR], 0.6977; 95% CI, 0.3965–1.2278; P = .2119). The most commonly identified high-risk inclusion criteria were having at least 5 scheduled home medications and COPD. The time interval between discharge and readmission did not considerably differ between groups (10.8 vs 10.6 days).

Conclusions

The pharmacist-bundled intervention was associated with a reduced 30-day readmission rate for high-risk patients with pneumonia.
Expression of Carcinoembryonic Cell Adhesion Molecule 6 and Alveolar Epithelial Cell Markers in Lungs of Human Infants with Chronic Lung Disease
Authors: Gonzales Linda W. , Gonzalez Robert , Barrette Anne Marie , Wang Ping , Dobbs Leland , Ballard Philip L.
Published: September 2015

The membrane protein carcinoembryonic antigen cell adhesion molecule (CEACAM6) is expressed in the epithelium of various tissues, participating in innate immune defense, cell proliferation and differentiation, with overexpression in gastrointestinal tract, pancreatic and lung tumors. It is developmentally and hormonally regulated in fetal human lung, with an apparent increased production in preterm infants with respiratory failure. To further examine the expression and cell localization of CEACAM6, we performed immunohistochemical and biochemical studies in lung specimens from infants with and without chronic lung disease. CEACAM6 protein and mRNA were increased ~4-fold in lungs from infants with chronic lung disease as compared with controls. By immunostaining, CEACAM6 expression was markedly increased in the lung parenchyma of infants and children with a variety of chronic lung disorders, localizing to hyperplastic epithelial cells with a ~7-fold elevated proliferative rate by PCNA staining. Some of these cells also co-expressed membrane markers of both type I and type II cells, which is not observed in normal postnatal lung, suggesting they are transitional epithelial cells. We suggest that CEACAM6 is both a marker of lung epithelial progenitor cells and a contributor to the proliferative response after injury due to its anti-apoptotic and cell adhesive properties.
Immunocytochemical Evidence for Golgi Vesicle Involvement in Milk Fat Globule Secretion
Authors: Wooding F. B. Peter , Sargeant Timothy J.
Published: September 2015

The exact mechanism of secretion of the milk fat globule (MFG) from the mammary secretory cell is still controversial. We have previously suggested close involvement of Golgi vesicles in this process. This paper provides direct immunocytochemical evidence that butyrophilin is present in the Golgi stack and vesicles in ovine and caprine mammary glands. We suggest that it is the butyrophilin in the Golgi vesicle membrane that forms the specific association with the adipophilin on the lipid surface in the cytoplasm. Exocytosis of the associated Golgi vesicle will then initiate the process of MFG secretion. Further exocytosis of associated Golgi vesicles will continue and complete the process. Areas of the plasmalemma that have butyrophilin delivered by previous non-lipid associated Golgi exocytoses may also contribute to the process of forming the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM).
Identification of CEACAM5 as a Biomarker for Prewarning and Prognosis in Gastric Cancer
Authors: Zhou Jinfeng , Fan Xing , Chen Ning , Zhou Fenli , Dong Jiaqiang , Nie Yongzhan , Fan Daiming
Published: September 2015

MGd1, a monoclonal antibody raised against gastric cancer cells, possesses a high degree of specificity for gastric cancer (GC). Here we identified that the antigen of MGd1 is CEACAM5, and used MGd1 to investigate the expression of CEACAM5 in non-GC and GC tissues (N=643), as a biomarker for prewarning and prognosis. The expression of CEACAM5 was detected by immunohistochemistry in numerous tissues; its clinicopathological correlation was statistically analyzed. CEACAM5 expression was increased progressively from normal gastric mucosa to chronic atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia and finally to GC ( p<0.05). In gastric precancerous lesions (intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia), CEACAM5-positive patients had a higher risk of developing GC as compared with CEACAM5-negative patients (OR = 12.68, p<0.001). Besides, CEACAM5 was found positively correlated with invasion depth of gastric adenocarcinoma ( p<0.001). In survival analysis, CEACAM5 was demonstrated to be an independent prognostic predictor for patients with GC of clinical stage IIIA/IV ( p=0.033). Our results demonstrate that CEACAM5 is a promising biomarker for GC prewarning and prognostic evaluation.
Virtualization of information as the direction of development of accounting support systems. Empirical evidence from Poland
Authors: Bauer Kinga , Baran MichaÅ‚
Published: September 2015

A significant trend observed recently in shaping the communication condition between economic entities, and the authorities is the growing virtualization of information circulation. The aim of this article is to examine the attitudes and expectations of specialists (employees of accounting offices) towards the process. Opinions of the specialists and accounting community members were collected as part of a survey, in which the respondents came from the southern Polish territory. This location was chosen due to a particularly high rate of change to the location, which in turn made the respondents more sensitive to the issue. 114 interviews had been collected, which were then subjected to statistical analysis. The outcome, in the most general terms, indicates a generally positive attitude of the respondents towards the occurring phenomenon.
Colorectal carcinoma in Sudanese patients
Authors: Mohammed Mutaz , Musaad Abd elmagid , Eltayeb Elsaggad , A elaziz Muataz
Published: September 2015

Background: Cancer is an increasingly important public health problem in developing countries, including Sudan. The burden of colorectal cancer in Sudan is unknown, mainly because of lack of statistics or under reporting. Colorectal carcinoma is the most common malignancy of the GI tract, unfortunately there are few statistical data regarding colorectal cancer, its geographical, ethnic distribution, & pattern of behavior in Sudan.Objective: To assess pattern of presentation, management, & postoperative complication of colorectal carcinoma patients who presented to Ibn Sina hospital.Patients and method: This is a descriptive study between (2012-2014); a prospective & retrospective study of histological confirmed cases of colorectal cancer was conducted at Ibn Sina hospital.Result: Sixty three patients were included within the study. The mean age of the patients was 50.5 (Â±11.7). The median duration until presentation was 10 months. Left-side colonic carcinoma was 81% represented the majority of cases with Rectosigmoid cancer account for 74% of all cases. The most common presenting symptoms were alteration of bowel habits 90.5% and rectal bleeding 84%. Anemia was reported in 62.5% of right side colonic carcinoma while only in 23.5% of left colonic carcinoma. CEA was found positive in 85.3% (n=35). Postoperative morbidity in this study was 38%. All tumors were adenocarcinoma, and 65% of the sample were advanced â€œDuke's stage C & D."Conclusion: A younger age group with late presentation and advance disease, making the possibility of cure difficult if we take into consideration the scarcity of the resources.
A problem peculiar to women: Mental health in menopause
Kadına özgü bir sorun: Menopozda ruh sağlığı
Authors: Ertekin Pınar Şükran , Yıldırım Gülay , Duran Özlem , Cesur Büşra
Published: September 2015

Menopause ranked among reproductive health is one of the issues that requires special consideration because of the position of women. In terms of the elimination of inequalities in gender-related health, it is important to investigate this issue in a holistic approach. Today with the increasing length of life, the time that spent in menopause period is increasing too. Accepted physiological event menopause leads to changes in physiological, mental, social and sexual ways. Changes in the levels of reproductive hormones lead to menstrual cycle disruption, vasomotor symptoms, sleep disorders and mood changes. As menopause period develops with pathological events which threaten life, impair quality of life and affect marriage relationship, it is an important period needs to be addressed by health professionals. In this context, identifying mental problems gone through in menopause period is important in terms of holistic approach. Women in menopause periods should be addressed in the biopsychosocial and cultural integrity and health professionals should determine women who are at risk of mental problems at an early stage and should provide support in a mental aspect.

 

Özet

Üreme sağlığı içinde yer alan menopoz, kadınların konumlarından dolayı özel yaklaşım gerektiren konulardan biridir. Cinsiyete bağlı sağlıkta eşitsizlik durumunun ortadan kaldırması açısından bütüncül yaklaşım içerisinde bu konunun araştırılmış olması önemlidir. Günümüzde yaşam süresinin uzaması ile birlikte menopoz döneminde geçirilen süre de artmaktadır. Fizyolojik bir olay olarak kabul edilen menopoz kadında fizyolojik, mental, sosyal ve cinsel yönden birçok değişimler yaşanmasına neden olmaktadır. Üreme hormonlarının düzeylerindeki değişiklikler sonucu adet döngüsünde bozulma, vazomotor belirtiler, uyku bozuklukları, duygu durum değişiklikleri görülebilmektedir. Menopoz dönemi yaşamı tehdit edici, yaşam kalitesini bozucu ve evlilik ilişkisini etkileyen patolojik olaylarla birlikte seyrettiği için sağlık profesyonelleri tarafından ele alınması gereken önemli bir dönemdir. Bu bağlamda menopoz döneminde yaşanan ruhsal sorunların belirlenmesi bütüncül yaklaşım açısından önem taşımaktadır. Menopoz döneminde olan kadınlar biyopsikososyal ve kültürel bütünlük içinde ele alınmalı, sağlık profesyonelleri, ruhsal sorunlar yönünden risk altında olan kadınları erken dönemde belirlemeli, ruhsal yönden destek almalarını sağlamalıdır.
A study on fourth grade students’ social emotional learning skills in terms of various variables
4. Sınıf öğrencilerinin sosyal duygusal öğrenme becerilerinin çeşitli değişkenlere göre incelenmesi
Authors: Şara Perihan , Hasanoğlu Gülcihan
Published: September 2015

Children who have outstanding social and emotional abilities develop more positive relations with their peers and adults; they maintain more positive emotional harmony and mental health; as a consequence, they put in better performance at school. Development of these skills takes place in the early stages of childhood, and continues throughout childhood and adolescence being affected by relations and social environment. Survey research has been adopted as quantitative research methods. The population of the questionnaire consists of 4th graders students who receive education in districts of Bursa and Uşak. Research samples have been attained by making use of criterion sampling which is one of the purposeful sampling methods. Questionnaire has been responded to by some 258 pupils in Bursa and some 200 in Uşak. The objective of this research is to discover if the socio-emotional learning abilities of these 4th graders show any differences in some variables such as gender, socio-economic level and residence in a greate or a little town. In the research, social-emotional learning scale, which was developed by Coryn, Spybrook, Evergreen and Blinkiewicz (2009) and adapted by Akın, Arslan and Demir (2012), and personal information questionnaire have been utilized as a means of data collection.

 

Özet

Güçlü sosyal ve duygusal becerilere sahip çocuklar; akranlarıyla ve yetişkinlerle daha olumlu ilişkilere ve daha olumlu duygusal uyum ve ruh sağlığına sahip olmakta, okullarda daha iyi performans göstermektedirler. Bu becerilerin gelişimi çocukluğun ilk yıllarında başlar, çocukluk ve ergenlik boyunca, ilişkiler ve sosyal çevre tarafından etkilenerek devam eder. Okullarda, sosyal ve duygusal gelişim ile akademik gelişim birbirine bağlı olarak sağlanabilir.  Araştırma nicel araştırma yöntemlerinden tarama modeli kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın evrenini Bursa ve Uşak illerindeki 4. sınıfa devam eden öğrenciler oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmanın örneklemi ise amaçlı örneklem yöntemlerinden ölçüt örneklem yönteminden yararlanılarak elde edilmiştir. Araştırmaya Bursa’dan 258, Uşak’tan 200 öğrenci katılmıştır. Bu çalışmada 4. sınıf öğrencilerinin sosyal duygusal öğrenme becerilerinin cinsiyete, sosyo-ekonomik düzeye ve büyük şehirde ya da küçük şehirde yaşama durumlarına göre farklılık gösterip göstermediği araştırılmıştır. Araştırmada 4.sınıftaki öğrencilerin Sosyal‐Duygusal Öğrenme becerilerini belirlemek üzere Coryn, Spybrook, Evergreen ve Blinkiewicz (2009) tarafından geliştirilen ve Akın, Arslan ve Demir (2012) tarafından uyarlanan Sosyal Duygusal Öğrenme Ölçeği (SDÖÖ) kullanılmıştır.
SEMA-JOIN
Authors: He Yeye , Ganjam Kris , Chu Xu
Published: September 2015

Join is a powerful operator that combines records from two or more tables, which is of fundamental importance in the field of relational database. However, traditional join processing mostly relies on string equality comparisons. Given the growing demand for ad-hoc data analysis, we have seen an increasing number of scenarios where the desired join relationship is not equi-join. For example, in a spreadsheet environment, a user may want to join one table with a subject column country-name, with another table with a subject column country-code. Traditional equi-join cannot handle such joins automatically, and the user typically has to manually find an intermediate mapping table in order to perform the desired join.

We develop a SEMA-JOIN approach that is a first step toward allowing users to perform semantic join automatically, with a click of the button. Our main idea is to utilize a data-driven method that leverages a big table corpus with over 100 million tables to determine statistical correlation between cell values at both row-level and column-level. We use the intuition that the correct join mapping is the one that maximizes aggregate pairwise correlation, to formulate the join prediction problem as an optimization problem. We develop a linear program relaxation and a rounding argument to obtain a 2-approximation algorithm in polynomial time. Our evaluation using both public tables from the Web and proprietary Enterprise tables from a large company shows that the proposed approach can perform automatic semantic joins with high precision for a variety of common join scenarios.
Compressed spatial hierarchical bitmap (cSHB) indexes for efficiently processing spatial range query workloads
Authors: Nagarkar Parth , Candan K. Selçuk , Bhat Aneesha
Published: September 2015

In most spatial data management applications, objects are represented in terms of their coordinates in a 2-dimensional space and search queries in this space are processed using spatial index structures. On the other hand, bitmap-based indexing, especially thanks to the compression opportunities bitmaps provide, has been shown to be highly effective for query processing workloads including selection and aggregation operations. In this paper, we show that bitmap-based indexing can also be highly effective for managing spatial data sets. More specifically, we propose a novel
compressed spatial hierarchical bitmap (cSHB)
index structure to support spatial range queries. We consider query workloads involving multiple range queries over spatial data and introduce and consider the problem of
bitmap selection
for identifying the appropriate subset of the bitmap files for processing the given spatial range query workload. We develop cost models for compressed domain range query processing and present query planning algorithms that not only select index nodes for query processing, but also associate appropriate bitwise logical operations to identify the data objects satisfying the range queries in the given workload. Experiment results confirm the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed
compressed spatial hierarchical bitmap (cSHB)
index structure and the range query planning algorithms in supporting spatial range query workloads.
Selective provenance for datalog programs using top-k queries
Authors: Deutch Daniel , Gilad Amir , Moskovitch Yuval
Published: September 2015

Highly expressive declarative languages, such asdatalog, are now commonly used to model the operational logic of data-intensive applications. The typical complexity of such datalog programs, and the large volume of data that they process, call for resultexplanation.Results may be explained through the tracking and presentation ofdata provenance, and here we focus on a detailed form of provenance (how-provenance), defining it as the set of derivation trees of a given fact. While informative, the size of suchfullprovenance information is typically too large and complex (even when compactly represented) to allow displaying it to the user. To this end, we propose a novel top-k query language for querying datalog provenance, supporting selection criteria based on tree patterns and ranking based on the rules and database facts used in derivation. We propose an efficient novel algorithm based on (1) instrumenting the datalog program so that, upon evaluation, it generates only relevant provenance, and (2) efficient top-k (relevant) provenance generation, combined with bottom-up datalog evaluation. The algorithm computes in polynomial data complexity a compact representation of the top-k trees which may be explicitly constructed in linear time with respect to their size. We further experimentally study the algorithm performance, showing its scalability even for complex datalog programs where full provenance tracking is infeasible.
Processing of probabilistic skyline queries using MapReduce
Authors: Park Yoonjae , Min Jun-Ki , Shim Kyuseok
Published: September 2015

There has been an increased growth in a number of applications that naturally generate large volumes of uncertain data. By the advent of such applications, the support of advanced analysis queries such as the skyline and its variant operators for big uncertain data has become important. In this paper, we propose the effective parallel algorithms using MapReduce to process the probabilistic skyline queries for uncertain data modeled by both discrete and continuous models. We present three filtering methods to identify probabilistic non-skyline objects in advance. We next develop a single MapReduce phase algorithm
PS-QP-MR
by utilizing space partitioning based on a variant of quadtrees to distribute the instances of objects effectively and the enhanced algorithm
PS-QPF-MR
by applying the three filtering methods additionally. We also propose the workload balancing technique to balance the workload of reduce functions based on the number of machines available. Finally, we present the brute-force algorithms
PS-BR-MR
and
PS-BRF-MR
with partitioning randomly and applying the filtering methods. In our experiments, we demonstrate the efficiency and scalability of
PS-QPF-MR
compared to the other algorithms.
Scaling up concurrent main-memory column-store scans
Authors: Psaroudakis Iraklis , Scheuer Tobias , May Norman , Sellami Abdelkader , Ailamaki Anastasia
Published: September 2015

Main-memory column-stores are called to efficiently use modern non-uniform memory access (NUMA) architectures to service concurrent clients on big data. The efficient usage of NUMA architectures depends on the data placement and scheduling strategy of the column-store. Most column-stores choose a static strategy that involves partitioning all data across the NUMA architecture, and employing a stealing-based task scheduler. In this paper, we implement different strategies for data placement and task scheduling for the case of concurrent scans. We compare these strategies with an extensive sensitivity analysis. Our most significant findings include that unnecessary partitioning can hurt throughput by up to 70%, and that stealing memory-intensive tasks can hurt throughput by up to 58%. Based on our analysis, we envision a design that adapts the data placement and task scheduling strategy to the workload.
An architecture for compiling UDF-centric workflows
Authors: Crotty Andrew , Galakatos Alex , Dursun Kayhan , Kraska Tim , Binnig Carsten , Cetintemel Ugur , Zdonik Stan
Published: September 2015

Data analytics has recently grown to include increasingly sophisticated techniques, such as machine learning and advanced statistics. Users frequently express these complex analytics tasks as workflows of user-defined functions (UDFs) that specify each algorithmic step. However, given typical hardware configurations and dataset sizes, the core challenge of complex analytics is no longer sheer data volume but rather the computation itself, and the next generation of analytics frameworks must focus on optimizing for this computation bottleneck. While query compilation has gained widespread popularity as a way to tackle the computation bottleneck for traditional SQL workloads, relatively little work addresses UDF-centric workflows in the domain of complex analytics.

In this paper, we describe a novel architecture for automatically compiling workflows of UDFs. We also propose several optimizations that consider properties of the data, UDFs, and hardware together in order to generate different code on a case-by-case basis. To evaluate our approach, we implemented these techniques in T
upleware
, a new high-performance distributed analytics system, and our benchmarks show performance improvements of up to three orders of magnitude compared to alternative systems.
A scalable distributed graph partitioner
Authors: Margo Daniel , Seltzer Margo
Published: September 2015

We present Scalable Host-tree Embeddings for Efficient Partitioning (Sheep), a distributed graph partitioning algorithm capable of handling graphs that far exceed main memory. Sheep produces high quality edge partitions an order of magnitude faster than both state of the art offline (e.g., METIS) and streaming partitioners (e.g., Fennel). Sheep's partitions are independent of the input graph distribution, which means that graph elements can be assigned to processing nodes arbitrarily without affecting the partition quality.

Sheep transforms the input graph into a strictly smaller elimination tree via a distributed map-reduce operation. By partitioning this tree, Sheep finds an upper-bounded communication volume partitioning of the original graph.

We describe the Sheep algorithm and analyze its space-time requirements, partition quality, and intuitive characteristics and limitations. We compare Sheep to contemporary partitioners and demonstrate that Sheep creates competitive partitions, scales to larger graphs, and has better runtime.
Maximum rank query
Authors: Mouratidis Kyriakos , Zhang Jilian , Pang HweeHwa
Published: September 2015

The top-kquery is a common means to shortlist a number of options from a set of alternatives, based on the user's preferences. Typically, these preferences are expressed as a vector of query weights, defined over the options' attributes. The query vector implicitly associates each alternative with a numeric score, and thus imposes a ranking among them. The top-kresult includes thekoptions with the highest scores. In this context, we define themaximum rankquery (MaxRank). Given a focal option in a set of alternatives, theMaxRankproblem is to compute the highest rank this option may achieve under any possible user preference, and furthermore, to report all the regions in the query vector's domain where that rank is achieved.MaxRankfinds application in market impact analysis, customer profiling, targeted advertising, etc. We propose a methodology forMaxRankprocessing and evaluate it with experiments on real and benchmark synthetic datasets.