bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Leadership or Policy? Explaining the 2015 Queensland Election Result
Authors: Williams Paul D.
Published: April 2018

Australian electoral politics historically have been described as stable, with hung parliaments rare and changes of government infrequent. However, the 2015 Queensland election, where a government with the largest parliamentary majority in Australian history was defeated after a single term in office, seriously challenges assumptions of Australian electoral stability, and determining the causes behind this result is therefore of significant scholarly interest. While many journalistic analyses of the 2015 Queensland election argue that the distinctive leadership style of Liberal‐National Party leader Campbell Newman was wholly or principally responsible for the government's defeat, this article argues the result emerged from a confluence of factors, with two — a contentious LNP policy to lease major government‐owned assets, and Campbell Newman's “combative” leadership style — of relatively equal significance as principal determinants.
Relationships between core ideological motives, social and economic conservatism, and religiosity: Evidence from a Turkish sample
Authors: Saribay Selahattin Adil , Yilmaz Onurcan
Published: April 2018

The “conservatism as motivated social cognition” approach posits two core ideological motives underlying political conservatism across cultures. However, there is a scarcity of tests from non‐Western cultures, and much research has failed to distinguish between social and economic conservatism. Using a relatively large undergraduate sample from a non‐Western, predominantly Muslim country (Turkey), we tested the associations among resistance to change and opposition to equality motives, social and economic conservatism, right‐wing political orientation, and religiosity. In line with the “conservatism as motivated social cognition” account, we found that (a) social conservatism is more strongly related to resistance to change (rather than opposition to equality), (b) economic conservatism is more strongly related to opposition to equality (rather than resistance to change), (c) social conservatism is the strongest predictor of right‐wing political orientation among other conservatism measures, and (d) political orientation and religiosity had divergent effects: While right‐wing political orientation was related to economic conservatism, religiosity was inversely related to the latter, providing support for previous work indicating a resemblance between leftists and Islamists in Turkey. The results generally support the motivated social cognition approach to conservatism while also highlighting the importance of distinguishing between social and economic conservatism.
Cross‐sectional study showed that breakfast consumption was associated with demographic, clinical and biochemical factors in children and adolescents
Authors: Silva Fabiana A. , Padez Cristina , Sartorelli Daniela S. , Oliveira Renata M. S. , Netto Michele P. , Mendes Larissa L. , Cândido Ana Paula C.
Published: April 2018

Aim

We investigated the demographic, anthropometric, clinical, biochemical and behavioural factors associated with children and adolescents who missed breakfast.

Methods

This 2012 cross‐sectional study was carried out in the city of Juiz de Fora, Brazil, with a sample of 684 students: 191 children aged 7–9 and 493 adolescents aged 10–14. Data on demographic, physical activity and breakfast consumption were based on a 24‐hour recall record and a three‐day dietary record. Weight, height, body fat, waist circumference and blood pressure were also measured. Finally, samples were collected for analysis of blood total cholesterol, low‐density and high‐density lipoproteins, triglycerides and glucose. The statistics are presented as prevalence ratios (PR) with 95% confidence (95% CI) intervals.

Results

Missing breakfast was more common among adolescents than children (30% versus 22%) and among girls of all ages than among boys (33% versus 22%). It was also associated with children, but not adolescents, with increased levels of diastolic blood pressure (PR 5.6, 95% CI 1.8–17.4), total cholesterol (PR 1.5, 95% CI 1.2–1.9) and low‐density lipoprotein (PR 2.1, 95% CI 1.5–2.9).

Conclusion

Missing breakfast was more common among adolescents and females and associated with increased levels of diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol and low‐density lipoprotein in children.
Does Adolescent Popularity Mediate Relationships between Both Theory of Mind and Love of Money and Consumer Ethics?
Authors: Gentina Elodie , Tang Thomas Li‐Ping
Published: April 2018

We develop a dual‐impact theory, treat popularity (peer nominations) as a common mediator between both theory of mind and love of money and consumer ethics (deceptive/misleading/harmful shopping practices). We theorise our direct and indirect paths as follows: Directly, love of money is more strongly related to consumer unethical beliefs than theory of mind. Indirectly, theory of mind attracts popularity that fuels consumer unethical beliefs. Our data from multiple sources (survey of 769 French teenagers and peer nominations of popularity) support our theory. Multi‐group analyses across gender, age, school, and money reveal new discoveries: Theory of mind directly excites consumer unethical beliefs for teens with money from work only. Love of money is related to consumer unethical beliefs—much stronger for senior high school (HS) students than for junior HS teens and much stronger for males than for females. Without money (from work and from parents), teenagers with high theory of mind become popular, but have no consumer unethical beliefs. Theory of mind is not related to girls' popularity, but popular girls have consumer unethical beliefs. Our alarming insights illustrate: Increasing work experience and age induces consumer unethical beliefs. Our theory provides implications for retail managers and to the fields of behavioural economics, monetary intelligence, and business ethics.
Real‐world use of elbasvir‐grazoprevir in patients with chronic hepatitis C: retrospective analyses from the TRIO network
Authors: Flamm S. L. , Bacon B. , Curry M. P. , Milligan S. , Nwankwo C. U. , Tsai N. , Younossi Z. , Afdhal N.
Published: April 2018

Background

Elbasvir‐grazoprevir is indicated for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes 1 and 4.

Aim

To evaluate the utilization and outcomes of chronic HCV patients treated with elbasvir‐grazoprevir in the United States.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults treated with elbasvir‐grazoprevir with or without ribavirin for chronic HCV genotypes 1 or 4 infection. Data were collected from healthcare providers and specialty pharmacies through Innervation Platform, a proprietary, cloud‐based disease management program from Trio Health. The primary endpoint was per protocol sustained virological response 12 weeks post‐treatment (SVR12).

Results

Among 470 patients treated in 2016, 95% had HCV genotype 1 infection, 80% (373/468) were HCV treatment naïve and 70% (327/468) had non‐cirrhotic disease. Almost 3 quarters (73%) of patients received care in community practices. The majority (89%) of patients received elbasvir‐grazoprevir for 12 weeks. Per protocol SVR12 rates were 99% (396/402) for HCV genotype 1 and 95% (21/22) for HCV genotype 4. Among patients with Stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney diseases, 99% (113/114) achieved SVR12. In univariate analyses, variables significantly associated with per protocol SVR12 for the entire sample were therapy duration (P = 0.001), treatment experience (P = 0.016), and cirrhosis status (P = 0.001). However, among HCV genotype 1 patients, no variables were significant. Intent‐to‐treat SVR12 rates were 89% (396/447) for HCV genotype 1 and 91% (21/23) for HCV genotype 4.

Conclusion

Elbasvir‐grazoprevir is highly effective, and in this 2016 cohort, its use was predominantly in patients with HCV genotype 1 and as a 12‐week therapy without ribavirin.
Superchilled storage (−2.5 ± 1°C) extends the retention of taste‐active and volatile compounds of yellow‐feather chicken soup
Authors: Li Xiao , Zhu Jing , Qi Jun , Wang Peng , Xu Xinglian , Zhou Guanghong
Published: April 2018

This work investigated the effects of refrigerated storage (RS: 4 ± 1°C) and superchilled storage (SS: −2.5 ± 1°C) on non‐volatile and volatile compounds in chicken soup made from Chinese yellow‐feather broilers. The results from total viable count (TVC) and coliform analysis showed that soups were safe for human consumption after a storage period of 42 days. SS resulted in a significantly (p < .05) higher content of free amino acids (umami and sweet taste) and 5′‐nucleotides (inosine 5′‐monophosphate and adenosine 5′‐monophosphate) from 21 to 42 days compared to RS. Hexanal, (E)‐2‐decenal, (E,E)‐2,4‐decadienal and 2‐pentyl furan were described as the primary odorants. SS showed significantly lower values (p < .05) for ketones and hydrocarbons, higher values for aldehydes and alcohols from 14 to 42 days, when compared to RS. The results suggest that SS improved the flavor retention of chicken soup after 21 days of storage and is a potential alternative treatment compared to RS.
CP‐25 Alleviates Experimental Sjögren's Syndrome Features in NOD/Ltj Mice and Modulates T Lymphocyte Subsets
Authors: Gu Fang , Xu Shixia , Zhang Pengying , Chen Xiaoyun , Wu Yujing , Wang Chun , Gao Mei , Si Min , Wang Xinming , Heinrich Korner , Wu Huaxun , Wei Wei
Published: April 2018

Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune illness of the moisture‐producing glands such as salivary glands that is characterized by various immune abnormalities. The aetiology of pSS remains unclear and there is no curative agent. In this study, we investigated the putative therapeutic effects on a NOD/Ltj mouse model of Sjögren's syndrome‐like disorders of an ester derivative of paeoniflorin, paeoniflorin‐6′O‐benzene (termed CP‐25). Our study showed that CP‐25 alleviated effectively clinical manifestations in NOD/Ltj mice resulting, for example, in increased salivary flow and reduced histopathological scores. Furthermore, CP‐25 decreased lymphocyte viability in NOD/Ltj mice and attenuated the infiltration of Th1 cells and Th2 cells into the salivary glands of NOD/Ltj mice. In the spleen on NOD/Ltj mice, CP‐25 skewed the ratio of Th17 and regulatory T cells towards regulatory T cells. After treatment, concentrations of anti‐La/SSB and IgG antibodies were reduced and the titre of the inflammatory cytokines IFN‐γ, IL‐4, IL‐6 and IL‐17A in the serum on NOD/Ltj mice was alleviated. Thus, we define CP‐25 as a novel compound that is a potent therapeutic agent for pSS by modulating T lymphocyte subsets. Future studies will validate the use of CP‐25 as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of pSS.
Using Survival Information in Truncation by Death Problems without the Monotonicity Assumption
Authors: Yang Fan , Ding Peng
Published: April 2018

In some randomized clinical trials, patients may die before the measurement time point of their outcomes. Even though randomization generates comparable treatment and control groups, the remaining survivors often differ significantly in background variables that are prognostic to the outcomes. This is called the truncation by death problem. Under the potential outcomes framework, the only well-defined causal effect on the outcome is within the subgroup of patients who would always survive under both treatment and control. Because the definition of the subgroup depends on the potential values of the survival status that could not be observed jointly, without making strong parametric assumptions, we cannot identify the causal effect of interest and consequently can only obtain bounds of it. Unfortunately, however, many bounds are too wide to be useful. We propose to use detailed survival information before and after the measurement time point of the outcomes to sharpen the bounds of the subgroup causal effect. Because survival times contain useful information about the final outcome, carefully utilizing them could improve statistical inference without imposing strong parametric assumptions. Moreover, we propose to use a copula model to relax the commonly-invoked but often doubtful monotonicity assumption that the treatment extends the survival time for all patients.
A new approach to the treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia targeting the receptor for growth hormone‐releasing hormone
Authors: Jimenez Joaquin J. , DelCanto Gina M. , Popovics Petra , Perez Aymee , Vila Granda Ailin , Vidaurre Irving , Cai Ren‐Zhi , Rick Ferenc G. , Swords Ronan T. , Schally Andrew V.
Published: April 2018

Growth hormone‐releasing hormone (GHRH) is secreted by the hypothalamus and acts on the pituitary gland to stimulate the release of growth hormone (GH). GHRH can also be produced by human cancers, in which it functions as an autocrine/paracrine growth factor. We have previously shown that synthetic antagonistic analogues of GHRH are able to successfully suppress the growth of 60 different human cancer cell lines representing over 20 cancers. Nevertheless, the expression of GHRH and its receptors in leukaemias has never been examined. Our study demonstrates the presence of GHRH receptor (GHRH‐R) on 3 of 4 human acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) cell lines—K‐562, THP‐1, and KG‐1a—and significant inhibition of proliferation of these three cell lines in vitro following incubation with the GHRH antagonist MIA‐602. We further show that this inhibition of proliferation is associated with the upregulation of pro‐apoptotic genes and inhibition of Akt signalling in leukaemic cells. Treatment with MIA‐602 of mice bearing xenografts of these human AML cell lines drastically reduced tumour growth. The expression of GHRH‐R was further confirmed in 9 of 9 samples from patients with AML. These findings offer a new therapeutic approach to this malignancy and suggest a possible role of GHRH‐R signalling in the pathology of AML.
Insights into the effects of the endocannabinoid system in cancer: a review
Authors: Fraguas‐Sánchez Ana Isabel , Martín‐Sabroso Cristina , Torres‐Suárez Ana Isabel
Published: April 2018

In the last few decades, the endocannabinoid system has attracted a great deal of interest in terms of its applications to clinical medicine. In particular, its applications in cancer probably represent one of the therapeutic areas with most promise. On the one hand, expression of the endocannabinoid system is altered in numerous types of tumours, compared to healthy tissue, and this aberrant expression has been related to cancer prognosis and disease outcome, suggesting a role of this system in tumour growth and progression that depends on cancer type. On the other hand, cannabinoids exert an anticancer activity by inhibiting the proliferation, migration and/or invasion of cancer cells and also tumour angiogenesis. However, some cannabinoids, at lower concentrations, may increase tumour proliferation, inducing cancer growth. Enough data has been provided to consider the endocannabinoid system as a new therapeutic target in cancer, although further studies to fully establish the effect of cannabinoids on tumour progression are still needed.
Family Photography and Persecuted Communities: Methodological Challenges
Authors: McAllister Kirsten Emiko
Published: April 2018

This paper examines methodological challenges involved in conducting research on family photographs from persecuted communities, using Japanese Canadian photos as a case study. Approaching family photography as a social practice that instills dominant familial ideologies, the paper examines their “performative scripts” that arrange family members according to normative identities and roles. The paper argues that researchers are not immune to scripts that shape how and what we have been socialized to see (and not see) in family photos. The paper thus presents techniques to distance oneself from these performative scripts and one's involvement in their social and emotional dynamics. Once able to disentangle oneself from the genre's normative practices, the paper argues it is necessary to situate the photos in their social and political context of persecution and survival. Given the insular, inward looking character of family photographs, the paper concludes by calling for intersectional analyses, reflecting on how one might bring one's own family photos into engagement with the photos of Indigenous families and turns to those of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nation.
Sibling Experiences in Middle Childhood Predict Sibling Differences in College Graduation
Authors: Sun Xiaoran , McHale Susan M. , Updegraff Kimberly A.
Published: April 2018

To illuminate how within‐family differences in achievement may emerge, this study examined sibling experiences in middle childhood as predictors of sibling differences in college graduation. First‐ and second‐borns from 152 families reported on their experiences with siblings and parents at ages 11.80 (SD = 0.56) and 9.22 (SD = 0.90), respectively, and on their educational attainment at about age 26. Significant childhood predictors of sibling differences in college graduation status included low sibling warmth, fathers’ differential time spent with siblings, and perceived unfair differential treatment by parents. Findings suggest long‐term implications of early sibling dynamics for educational attainment and provided novel insights into families’ role in achievement.
Preschool and Children's Outcomes in Elementary School: Have Patterns Changed Nationwide Between 1998 and 2010?
Authors: Bassok Daphna , Gibbs Chloe R. , Latham Scott
Published: April 2018

This study employs data from both kindergarten cohorts of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (n ~ 12,450 in 1998; n ~ 11,000 in 2010) to assess whether associations between preschool participation and children's academic and behavioral outcomes—both at school entry (Mage = 5.6 years in both cohorts) and through third grade—have changed over time. Findings are strikingly similar across these two, nationally representative, U.S. cohorts: preschool is positively associated with academic outcomes and negatively associated with behavioral outcomes both at school entry and as children progress through school. Heterogeneity is documented with respect to child and preschool characteristics. However, there is no evidence that associations between preschool and medium‐term child outcomes differ by elementary school characteristics.
Genetic variant spectrum in 265 Chinese patients with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: Molecular analyses of PRF1, UNC13D, STX11, STXBP2, SH2D1A, and XIAP
Authors: Chen X. , Wang F. , Zhang Y. , Teng W. , Wang M. , Nie D. , Zhou X. , Wang D. , Zhao H. , Zhu P. , Liu H.
Published: April 2018

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare life‐threatening hyperinflammatory disease. This study aimed to investigate the frequencies and distributions of inherited variants in PRF1, UNC13D, STX11, STXBP2, SH2D1A, and XIAP genes in Chinese patients with HLH. A total of 265 patients diagnosed with HLH from January, 2010 to December, 2016 were recruited and analyzed for the 6 genes. Genetic variants were observed in 87 (32.83%) patients. 36 (13.58%) exhibited variants in UNC13D, 18 (6.79%) exhibited PRF1 variants, 10 (3.77%) had variants in XIAP, 9 (3.40%) exhibited variants in STXBP2, 6 (2.26%) carried variants in SH2D1A, 1 (0.38%) had STX11 variant, and 7 (2.64%) exhibited digenic variants. Monoallelic variants were the most common, which accounted for 49.43% of all cases with variants. All variants were confirmed to be germline‐derived. The present study describes a distinct variant spectrum in Chinese patients with HLH, whereby UNC13D is the most frequently mutated gene with missense variants that are the most common molecular defects. The variant profile of Chinese HLH patients is quite different from that of Western cohorts but similar to that of Korean patients, yet showing its own uniqueness. This racial difference shows the role of genetic background in the occurrence of HLH.
“For Now, We Are in Waiting”: Negotiating Time in Chile's Social Housing System
Authors: Koppelman Carter M.
Published: April 2018

Waiting for low–income housing is an increasingly common experience of the urban poor in both the global North and South, although little attention has been paid to its effects. Engaging a growing literature on time in systems of social provision, this article presents an ethnographic case study of waiting among poor housing–seekers in a peripheral district of Santiago, Chile. While illustrating how waiting is produced by state policies and practices that position homeless city–dwellers as passive clients, it challenges existing studies that argue that waiting produces durable submission to dominant state projects. In contrast, it shows that housing–seekers in Santiago actively negotiated a denigrating temporality of state provision through multiple practices, including collective contestation of arbitrary delays. By dissecting the conditions that enabled contentious responses to waiting for housing in Chile, this article aims to elucidate how such temporal contestation may emerge (or be precluded) in other contexts.
A 2‐year prospective study of single‐implant mandibular overdentures: Patient‐reported outcomes and prosthodontic events
Authors: Nogueira Túlio Eduardo , Aguiar Fernanda Maria Oliveira , de Barcelos Bento Alves , Leles Cláudio Rodrigues
Published: April 2018

Objective

This prospective clinical trial aimed to assess clinical and patient‐reported outcomes of the single‐implant mandibular overdenture treatment (SIMO) after a 2‐year follow‐up period.

Materials and methods

An external hexagon implant was inserted in the mandibular midline of 45 complete denture wearers. Participants had a mean age of 63.4 (SD = 8.3), and 75.6% were female. Based on the primary stability of the implant, immediate loading was performed in 38 patients (84.4%). O'ring/ball attachments were used for retention. Outcome assessment included the participants’ satisfaction with the dentures and oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) impacts at the 3‐, 6‐, 12‐, and 24‐month follow‐up visits after implant loading. Moreover, all prosthodontic events were recorded during this period.

Results

The post‐loading implant survival rate was 95.3%. There was a significant increase in satisfaction with the mandibular overdenture (p < .001) and a decrease in the overall OHRQoL impacts (p < .001) in the 3‐month follow‐up. No significant changes were observed between the 3‐ and 24‐month follow‐ups. The incidence of prosthodontic events was relatively high, including the need for matrix replacement and repair of the overdenture fracture. Most prosthodontic complications were minor and properly managed in periodic recall visits.

Conclusions

Single‐implant mandibular overdenture is a feasible alternative for subjects poorly adapted to the mandibular denture and resulted in significant improvement in patient satisfaction and quality of life measures. A careful selection of patients based on their demanding needs and expectations is essential to indicate this alternative. The incidence of maintenance events in the long term reinforces the need for periodical clinical monitoring.
Life‐threatening or nearly life‐threatening complications in living liver donors
Authors: Onur Asim , Akbulut Sami , Dirican Abuzer , Isik Burak , Yilmaz Sezai
Published: April 2018

Objective

To determine the relationship between a transplant center's experience and life‐threatening or nearly life‐threatening complications during living donor hepatectomy (LDH).

Methods

The medical records of 1140 patients who underwent LDH were analyzed. To determine the relationship between life‐threatening complications and a transplant center's experience, the following comparisons between LDH cases were performed: first 100 vs subsequent 100; first 100 vs subsequent 1040; first 200 vs subsequent 940; right hepatectomy vs left hepatectomy; and first 5 years of experience vs subsequent 5 years.

Results

A total of 36 life‐threatening or nearly life‐threatening complications developed in 34 of 1140 (2.98%) healthy individuals undergoing LDH. Of these, 5 occurred intraoperatively, 26 within 1 month, and 5 beyond 1 month. The most common complications were biliary problems and postoperative bleeding. None of the donors died at follow‐up. One donor underwent deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT) for severe hepatic failure. Only 2 comparisons were significantly different with regard to life‐threatening complications: the first 100 vs the subsequent 1040 (P = .03) and the first 200 vs the subsequent 940 (P = .01).

Conclusion

This study indicates that the incidence of life‐threatening or nearly life‐threatening complications are reduced by increased center experience (>200 LDHs).
Dermatologic toxicity from novel therapy using antimicrobial peptide LL‐37 in melanoma: A detailed examination of the clinicopathologic features
Authors: Dolkar Tsetan , Trinidad Celestine M. , Nelson Kelly C. , Amaria Rodabe N. , Nagarajan Priyadharsini , Torres‐Cabala Carlos A. , Ivan Doina , Prieto Victor G. , Tetzlaff Michael T. , Curry Jonathan L. , Aung Phyu P.
Published: April 2018

LL‐37 is a naturally occurring 37‐amino‐acid peptide that is part of the innate immune system in human skin. Preclinical studies have showed that intra‐tumoral injections of LL‐37 stimulate the innate immune system by activation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells, which mediate tumor destruction. LL‐37 intra‐tumoral injections have been utilized in a phase 1 clinical trial for melanoma patients with cutaneous metastases. We report dermatologic toxicity in a 63‐year‐old woman with stage IIIC melanoma of the right calf and inguinal lymph nodes. She was previously treated with nivolumab and combination chemotherapy (cisplatin, vinblastine and dacarbazine) and subsequently treated with LL‐37 injections upon progression of both prior regimens. She received a total of 8 weekly LL‐37 injections, with interval clinical shrinkage of injected lesions. However, approximately 45 days after initiation of this therapy, she presented with multiple verrucous papules and a vesiculo‐bullous lesion on the trunk and extremities. Clinically, most of these lesions were thought to be either squamous cell carcinoma or inflamed seborrheic keratosis. Histologically, 11 of the total 12 skin biopsies showed similar histopathologic features, with a prominent lichenoid inflammatory infiltrate admixed with eosinophils and an overlying atypical squamous epithelial proliferation with verrucous and keratoacanthoma‐like features and varying degrees of keratinocytic atypia. Interestingly, a majority of the lesions did not show spongiosis (11/12). All lesions resolved within 2 months of cessation of LL‐37 injection therapy. This case highlights adverse dermatological manifestations of LL‐37 therapy, similar to the consequences of other novel therapies.
Digital vs traditional: Are diagnostic accuracy rates similar for glass slides vs whole slide images in a non‐gynaecological external quality assurance setting?
Authors: Ross J. , Greaves J. , Earls P. , Shulruf B. , Van Es S. L.
Published: April 2018

Introduction

The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Programs introduced virtual microscopy cases into its cytopathology non‐gynaecological programme after a short pilot phase, to address the challenges of providing a purely glass slide‐based external quality assurance programme to multiple participants both locally and internationally. The use of whole slide image (WSI) cases has facilitated a more robust programme in relation to standardised material and statistical analysis, with access to a wider variety of specimen types and diagnostic entities.

Method

Diagnostic accuracy rates on 56 WSI were assessed against the reference diagnosis. A portion (12) of these WSI slides had been used in glass slide format in previous external quality assurance surveys, and the results of these were compared to the responses received as glass slide cases.

Results

Overall diagnostic accuracy for the 56 WSI cases was acceptable in comparison to the reference diagnosis. When these 12 cases were analysed individually, for seven of the 12 cases, virtual format was found to be not inferior to glass slides for diagnostic accuracy. For one case, accuracy using WSI for diagnosis was superior to glass format.

Conclusion

Diagnostic accuracy, using WSI for cases in our external quality assurance programme is acceptable. As the use of digital microscopy in a large scale external quality assurance programme offers extensive advantages over a glass slide‐based format, our results encourage future comparison of diagnostic accuracy for virtual compared to glass slide format at a point in time where pathologists are becoming increasingly familiar with virtual microscopy in everyday practice.
A managed alcohol program in Sydney, Australia: Acceptability, cost‐savings and non‐beverage alcohol use
Authors: Ezard Nadine , Cecilio Michael E. , Clifford Brendan , Baldry Eileen , Burns Lucinda , Day Carolyn A. , Shanahan Marian , Dolan Kate
Published: April 2018

Introduction and Aims

Managed alcohol programs (MAPs) are a novel harm reduction intervention for people who experience long‐term homelessness and severe long‐term alcohol dependence. MAPs provide regulated amounts of alcohol onsite under supervision. Preliminary international evidence suggests that MAPs are associated with improvements such as reduced non‐beverage alcohol consumption and decreases in some alcohol‐related harms. There are currently no MAPs in Australia. We aimed to assess the feasibility of a MAP in inner‐Sydney.

Design and Methods

A survey among eligible homeless alcohol‐dependent residents of an inner‐Sydney short‐stay alcohol withdrawal service occurred in 2014 to assess acceptability. Administrative data were analysed to ascertain estimates of cost‐savings for a MAP based in Sydney.

Results

Fifty‐one eligible participants were surveyed. More than one‐quarter (28%) reported consumption of non‐beverage alcohol. A residential model received greatest support (76%); the majority (75%) of participants indicated a willingness to pay at least 25% of their income to utilise a MAP. Hospital and crisis accommodation cost‐savings were conservatively estimated at AUD$926 483.40 and AUD$347 574.00, respectively per year for a 15‐person residential MAP.

Discussion and Conclusions

Our findings demonstrate the acceptability of a MAP in Sydney among a target population sample, with the implementation of a residential MAP likely to produce significant cost‐savings. A trial of a Sydney MAP evaluating the impact on health and social outcomes, including a comprehensive economic evaluation, is strongly recommended.
Mapping Small‐scale Mineral Production Networks: The Case of Alluvial Diamonds in Ghana
Authors: McQuilken James , Hilson Gavin
Published: April 2018

In recent years, donors and certain governments have committed to formalizing artisanal and small‐scale mining (ASM) — low‐tech, labour‐intensive mineral extraction and processing. Few, however, are able to do so effectively because of a limited knowledge of how the sector operates, who it employs and where the commodities it mines are being channelled. This article argues that a radical reconceptualization of ASM will be needed if these challenges are to be overcome. As a starting point, it calls on donors and policy makers to adopt the Global Production Network (GPN) as a ‘lens’ for analysing the sector's organizational structures. Popular in geography scholarship, the GPN, though rarely used to study the intricacies of largely informal sectors such as ASM, could prove valuable here, aiding with the mapping of key production processes. In this article, the GPN is applied to Ghana's artisanal diamond mining sector, yielding valuable insights into its organization, the roles played by the different individuals who populate it, and the nature of the relationships between these individuals. Such information is key to designing more robust formalization and support strategies for ASM in Ghana; more generally, the exercise provides important lessons for other governments working to achieve similar goals.
Labour Control and Developmental State Theory: A New Perspective on Import‐substitution Industrialization in Latin America
Authors: Fishwick Adam
Published: April 2018

Drawing on historical research into the period of import‐substitution industrialization (ISI) in Chile and Argentina between the 1930s and 1960s, this article claims that developmental state theory (DST) obfuscates a crucial feature of state intervention in Latin America. Specifically, despite a long‐standing interest in state–society relations, DST has been unable to incorporate adequately into its analytical framework labour–state relations and labour control in the workplace. This is because DST, in its various guises, privileges state–society relations mediated by institutions from which labour is implicitly or explicitly excluded. Extending the analytical lens of DST, the article combines critical labour‐relations and labour‐process theories to identify the purposive establishment of ‘regimes of labour control’ via changes in institutional and workplace relations. Using this expanded framework, it shows how the often vacillating strategies pursued by the state under ISI in Chile and Argentina, and the inefficient outcomes of ISI in these countries, can be better understood by considering efforts designed to exert control over labour.
Differences in prevalence of diabetes among immigrants to Canada from South Asian countries
Authors: Banerjee A. T. , Shah B. R.
Published: April 2018

Aims

The prevalence of diabetes is high in South Asians migrants. However, most previous research has studied South Asians as a collective whole. The aim of this study was to examine diabetes prevalence among immigrants from five South Asian countries living in Ontario, Canada.

Methods

Population‐based health care and immigration databases were used to compare crude and adjusted diabetes prevalence on 1 January 2012 between immigrants to Ontario from different South Asians countries and the non‐immigrant population. The prevalence of diabetes was also stratified by various sociodemographic factors.

Results

There were 431 765 first‐generation South Asian immigrants; 68 440 (crude prevalence of 15.9%) of whom had a diagnosis of diabetes. After standardization for age, sex and income, diabetes prevalence was highest among South Asians from Sri Lanka (26.8%) followed by Bangladesh (22.2%), Pakistan (19.6%), India (18.3%) and Nepal (16.5%) in comparison with the non‐immigrant population (11.6%). Increased prevalence was evident among men compared with women in each country of South Asia. Sociodemographic indicators including income, education, English proficiency and refugee status were associated with increased prevalence of diabetes in specific populations from South Asia.

Conclusion

Striking differences in the prevalence of diabetes are evident among immigrants from different countries of South Asia. Awareness of the heterogeneity will help in recognizing priorities for the delivery of primary care for specific South Asian migrant populations with a range of settlement needs that also encompass social determinants of health.
Prevalence and determinants of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in obese subjects and the role of left ventricular global longitudinal strain and mass normalized to height
Authors: Dini Frank Lloyd , Fabiani Iacopo , Miccoli Mario , Galeotti Gian Giacomo , Pugliese Nicola Riccardo , D'Agostino Andreina , Scartabelli Alessandra , Conte Lorenzo , Salvetti Guido , Santini Ferruccio , Pedrinelli Roberto
Published: April 2018

Background

Left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction (DD) is a frequent finding in obesity and may predispose to the development of heart failure (HF). However, no data are available on the prevalence of DD after the introduction of the 2016 Recommendations of the American Society of Echocardiography and the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging.

Methods and results

To assess the impact of the new Recommendations on the prevalence of DD and on their clinical and echocardiographic correlates in obesity, a prospective study was performed in 588 subjects with an ejection fraction (EF) ≥50% and no history of HF either obese (n = 402; mean age: 47 ± 12 years; women 71%; body mass index [BMI]: 44 ± 8 kg/m2), overweight (n = 86; BMI: 28 ± 1 kg/m2), or with a normal weight (n = 100; BMI: 22 ± 2 kg/m2). All subjects underwent an echocardiographic and Doppler study, including the assessment of global longitudinal strain (GLS). DD occurred in 19% of obese patients, 12% of overweight subjects, and 2% of normal weight subjects. We used multivariable logistic analysis to assess the risk of DD. In patients with BMI ≥30 kg/m2, LV mass normalized to height (2.7) (OR: 1.04, P = .0028), and GLS (OR: 0.85, P = .0032) were associated with an increased risk of DD followed by EF (OR: 0.91, P = .045), diabetes (OR: 1.91, P = .065), and systolic blood pressure (OR: 1.02, P = .076).

Conclusion

These results show that DD is highly prevalent among obese subjects and impairment of longitudinal systolic mechanics, as reflected by GLS reduction, and LV mass normalized to height are major independent predictors of DD in this patients’ population.
Creating virtual 3‐dimensional models for teaching pre‐clinical tooth preparation: Students’ usages and perceptions
Authors: Lin W. S. , Chou J. C. , Charette J. R. , Metz M. J. , Harris B. T. , Choi N.
Published: April 2018

Purpose

This research aimed to evaluate the students’ usage and perceptions of using smartphones in their general dental education and learning tooth preparation with the individually designed virtual 3D instructional models in the pre‐clinical removable partial denture course.

Materials and Methods

Second‐year dental students were asked to voluntarily participate in a survey to investigate their demographic information, general usages of smartphones, perception of smartphones usage in dental education (construct 1) and perception of individually designed virtual 3D instructional models (construct 2). Students’ responses of general usages of the smartphones were compared with their demographic and educational backgrounds using nonparametric Kruskal‐Wallis test (for age) and Fisher's exact test (for sex, race and educational background). The sums of scores of the construct 1 and construct 2 were tested for associations with student's demographic and educational backgrounds using the Pearson product‐moment correlation (for age), t test (for sex and educational background) or one‐way ANOVA F test (for race) (α = .05).

Results

A 75% response rate (N = 90) was achieved in this study, and all 90 participants owned smartphones. Students’ responses to general usages of the smartphones were not significantly influenced by their demographic background. For the construct 1, more than 73% of participants responded either agree or strongly agree to the usage of smartphones in general dental education and pre‐clinical setting; however, only 49% of participants responded the same way in the clinical setting. For the construct 2, 48 of 90 participants viewed the 3D models, and more than 73% of these 48 participants responded either agree or strongly agree to the usage of the 3D models in the pre‐clinical course. Student's demographic background did not have significant influence on the sums of scores of the construct 1 and construct 2.

Conclusions

Within the limitations of this study, high usages and ownerships of smartphones were found amongst the students surveyed. The individually designed virtual 3D instructional models as supplemental teaching materials in the pre‐clinical course were perceived positively by the students.
Does ‘hacking’ surface type affect equine forelimb foot placement, movement symmetry or hoof impact deceleration during ridden walk and trot exercise?
Authors: Barstow A. , Bailey J. , Campbell J. , Harris C. , Weller R. , Pfau T.
Published: April 2018

Background

Both pleasure and competition horses regularly exercise on surfaces such as tarmac, gravel and turf during ‘hacking’. Despite this, there is limited evidence relating to the effect of these surfaces upon foot‐surface interaction.

Objectives

To investigate forelimb foot placement, hoof vibration and movement symmetry in pleasure horses on three commonly encountered hacking surfaces.

Study design

Quantitative gait study in a convenience sample.

Methods

Six horses regularly partaking in hacking exercise were ridden in walk and trot on all surfaces. Horses were equipped with one hoof‐mounted, accelerometer and four body‐mounted inertial measurement units (IMUs) to measure foot impact and movement symmetry. High‐speed (400FPS) video footage of foot‐placement was acquired (dorsal, palmar, lateral views). Foot‐impact and movement symmetry were analysed with a mixed effects model and Bowker symmetry tests for foot‐placement analysis.

Results

Vibration power and frequency parameters increase as perceived surface firmness increases from grass, to gravel, to tarmac (P≤0.001). Vibration power parameters were consistently greater at trot compared with walk (P≤0.001), but the same was not true for vibration frequency (P≥0.2). Greatest movement asymmetry was recorded during grass surface trotting. No significant difference in foot‐placement was detected between the three surfaces.

Main limitations

This was a field study using three commonly encountered hacking surfaces. Surface properties change easily with water content and temperature fluctuations so care must be taken when considering other similar surfaces, especially at different times of the year. Six leisure horses were used so the results may not be representative of horses of all types.

Conclusions

Vibration parameters generally increase as perceived surface firmness increases. Increasing speed alters vibration power but not frequency. Further investigations are required to determine the role that this may play in the development of musculoskeletal disease in horses.
Interactive effects of road salt and sediment disturbance on the productivity of seven common aquatic macrophytes
Authors: Stoler Aaron , Sudol Kelsey , Mruzek Joseph , Relyea Rick
Published: April 2018

Around the world, freshwater ecosystems are subjected to numerous stressors that can alter community composition in favour of stress‐tolerant species. Because combinations of stressors often result in non‐additive interactions, elucidating responses to isolated and combined stressors is important to understand the ecological responses to anthropogenic disturbance.

In this study, we explored the responses of common macrophyte species to two stressors of increasing concern: elevated salinity from road salt applications and turbidity from human recreational activities and shoreline development. The independent and interactive effects of environmentally relevant salt concentrations and turbidity on macrophyte productivity have received little attention. We hypothesised that both stressors in isolation would reduce macrophyte productivity and that the two stressors combined will lead to a greater (i.e. synergistic) reduction in productivity.

To test these hypotheses, we conducted dark‐ and light‐bottle experiments on seven species of native and invasive macrophytes under a factorial combination of three salt concentrations (0, 500 and 3,000 added mg Cl− L−1) and two turbidity conditions (clear and turbid via a disturbance to the sediment).

On average, macrophytes exhibited reduced productivity in response to increased salt, but results were highly species‐specific. Several species exhibited a unimodal response to elevated salinity, whereas Elodea canadensis exhibited a positive response to the high‐salt treatment. Similarly, macrophytes exhibited an average reduction in productivity under turbid conditions, but analysis of species‐specific responses revealed both neutral and negative responses. Combining the two stresses yielded non‐additive responses for some species. Specifically, Myriophyllum spicatum appeared to suffer from the combination of salt and turbidity, whereas Elodea canadensis and Ceratophyllum demersum benefited from the combination.

Our results suggest that increased anthropogenic disturbance of freshwater ecosystems can dramatically alter macrophyte species metabolism and might stimulate the growth of some species while deterring the growth of others.
The ecology of a system of natural mesocosms: Rock pools in the Atlantic Forest
Authors: Schiesari Luis , Sgambatti Monteiro Artur , Ilha Paulo , Pope Nathaniel , Corrêa Décio Tadeu
Published: April 2018

The methodological trade‐off between the realism of natural systems and the tractability of artificial systems has led ecologists to praise the qualities of natural micro‐ and mesocosms as an ideal means for investigating the processes that organise biological communities. Among the different types of naturally occurring micro‐ and mesocosms, clusters of rock pools combine a global distribution with the simplicity, replicability, tractability and structural homogeneity that are desirable in model experimental systems. However, critical geographical data gaps in the study of rock pools must be filled if ecologists are to use these as global model systems in community ecology.

In a year‐long study of a cluster of 181 rock pools in the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil, we conducted the first study on the ecology of freshwater rock pool communities in the entire Neotropical region, to the best of our knowledge. Building on published descriptions of the factors that drive community assembly within rock pools, we tested the hypotheses (1) that the effects of environmental factors prevail over those of spatial factors and (2) that pool volume and secondarily species interactions between consumers (anuran larvae), resources (leaf litter) and predators (dragonfly larvae) have a dominant role in driving species patterns of occurrence and abundance.

Our hypotheses were generally supported as community structure was clearly influenced by the environmental characteristics of individual pools, and not to the spatial relations among them. Pool volume had a consistent, positive influence on the probability of occurrence of dragonflies and tadpoles of three anuran species, possibly through the influence of volume on hydroperiod. However, the species most strongly associated with larger pools were not those with longer times until metamorphosis, but those with larger egg clutches. In addition, species occurrences were positively associated with resource availability as measured by leaf litter mass (significantly so for Rhinella and dragonflies). These observations suggest that within these severely confined freshwater systems, indicators of environmental stability and reduced intraspecific competition could be important ultimate criteria for oviposition site selection.

The ease of sampling and manipulating the rock pools at our Atlantic Forest site combined with the observation that these pools are governed by some of the same factors influencing community organisation in other rock pool systems around the world reinforces the merit of the system as a means to conduct global comparative studies of the ecology of communities and metacommunities.