bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
OMDP: An ontology-based model for diagnosis and treatment of diabetes patients in remote healthcare systems
Authors: Chen Li , Lu Dongxin , Zhu Menghao , Muzammal Muhammad , Samuel Oluwarotimi Williams , Huang Guixin , Li Weinan , Wu Hongyan
Published: May 2019

Millions of adults have diabetes across the globe and the overall cost for managing diabetic patients has reached up to approximately 250 million. A major constraint in existing ontology-based systems for diagnosing and treating diabetes is the presence of semantic inconsistencies and lack of a comprehensive clinical approach primarily due to consideration of a limited number of classes in the model. In this research, we are focused on building an ontology-based model for diabetic patients by collecting detailed diabetic knowledge of subjects for further diagnosis and treatment. The concept of semantic resources to electronic health record standards is an essential factor for semantic interoperability in remote health monitoring. This study applies semantic web ontology language for developing ontology-based model for diabetic patients to aid doctors in reaching an efficient diagnostic decision about the status of diabetes by applying Semantic Web Rule Language. A total of 766 medical records from clinical environment were selected in this study, and 269 of them were known for developing diabetes. The experimental results suggest that the proposed solution is more accurate in managing diabetes compared to other medical applications. The performance analysis of the ontology-based model for diabetic patients regarding the accuracy of disease prediction, diagnosing diabetes, and recommending medicine is 95%, 98%, and 85%, respectively.
Robotic Septal Myectomy Without Anterior Leaflet Incision during Mitral Valve Repair
Authors: Onan Burak , Kadirogullari Ersin , Kahraman Zeynep , Sen Onur
Published: May 2019

Bulging subaortic septum in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a potential risk factor for systolic anterior motion after mitral valve repair. Systolic anterior motion may cause postoperative mitral regurgitation and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction despite conservative management. During “minimally invasive endoscopic” and “robotic” mitral repair procedures, systolic anterior motion is prevented with concomitant septal myectomy through the mitral valve orifice. Technically, the exposure of the bulging subaortic septum is traditionally done with detachment of the anterior mitral leaflet from its annulus, leaving a 2-mm rim of leaflet attached to the annulus. The leaflet is then sutured after myectomy. As an alternative technique in robotic surgery, the exposure of the subaortic septum is feasible without anterior leaflet incision with the use of dynamic atrial retractor in mitral repair procedures. Here, we present a patient who underwent concomitant robotic mitral valve repair with posterior chordal implantation, ring annuloplasty, and septal myectomy without anterior leaflet incision using the da Vinci surgical system.
Using Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in Mixed Methods Research: An Evaluation of an Integrated Care Program for Frequently Hospitalized Older Adults in Singapore
Authors: Penkunas Michael J. , Matchar David B. , Wong Chek Hooi , Liu Chang , Chan Angelique W. M.
Published: May 2019

Traditional evaluation techniques are often not suitable for studying health interventions operating in real-world settings, particularly when interventions operate through complex causal pathways. We describe a mixed methods design for evaluating an integrated home care and social support service targeting mature and older adults (55+ years) in Singapore. Here, nurses and community health workers visit patients’ homes to address health and social needs while facilitating linkages to community-based services and providing caregiver support. Our mixed methods evaluation plan is composed of three components: quantitative comparison of hospital-based service utilization, cost-effectiveness analysis, and qualitative investigation into the experiences of patients, caregivers, and individuals who declined services. This article contributes a description of how cost-effectiveness analysis adds value when incorporated into mixed methods studies.
Self-loosening behavior of bolt in curvic coupling due to materials ratcheting at thread root
Authors: Jiang Xiangjun , Li Zhi , Wang Yanping , Pan Fengqun
Published: May 2019

This article presents the bolt self-loosening mechanism in curvic coupling due to the structural ratcheting under cyclic loading. Finite element simulations are carried out under several loading conditions with different preloads and cyclic torque loadings on curvic coupling. To avoid relative rotation between bolt and nut in simulation, the surface between the threads of bolt and nut are connected together. The finite element analysis results reveal that the local cyclic plasticity occurring near the roots of the engaged threads resulted in cyclic strain ratcheting. The structural ratcheting causes the gradual loss of clamping force with loading cycles in bolts and the stresses to redistribute in the curvic coupling. Either the structural ratcheting behavior or the fatigue strength of the curvic coupling is more sensitive to the magnitude of the torque load in contrast to the magnitude of the preload of the bolt. Comparatively, the large preload of the bolt or the low magnitude of the torque load is benefit for improving the structural integrity in curvic coupling under the bolt self-loosening.
Semi-analytical modeling of advanced water injection in low permeability reservoirs under non-Darcy-flow condition
Authors: Li Chengyong , Yang Jing , Ye Jianwen , Zhou Jun , Zhang Ran , Feng Qing
Published: May 2019

Water flooding is widely used to enhance oil recovery in the oilfield. Advanced water injection technology has proven to be an effective method of development for these low permeability reservoirs. Nevertheless, the fluid flow in a low permeability reservoir is governed by non-Darcy flow and the threshold pressure gradient effect. Several efforts have been made experimentally and numerically to design and optimize the field operation parameters. However, it is still challenging to simulate and predict the impact of various injection parameters on well performance in a computationally efficient manner. A simple and efficient semi-analytical model is developed for advanced water injection which considers non-Darcy flow and threshold pressure effects. The stimulated reservoir volume can be evaluated by calculating the pressure gradient distribution. The impact of water injection rate, total injection volume, and injection time on stimulated reservoir volume is investigated. Finally, a field-scale numerical simulation and experiment are conducted to validate the proposed model. This model provides reservoir engineers a simple and accurate tool for predicting, evaluating, and optimizing the advanced water injection operation practices.
A weighted K-means clustering approach to solve the redundancy allocation problem of systems having components with different failures
Authors: Karimi Behzad , Niaki Seyed Taghi Akhavan , Miriha Seyyed Masih , Ghare Hasanluo Mahsa , Javanmard Shima
Published: May 2019

A nonlinear integer programming model is developed in this article to solve redundancy allocation problems with multiple components having different failure rates in the series–parallel configuration using an active strategy. The main objective of this research is to select the number and the type of each component in subsystems so as the reliability of the system under certain constraints is maximized. To this aim, a weighted K-means clustering method is proposed, in which the analytical network process is employed to assign weights to the components of each cluster. As the proposed model belongs to the class of nondeterministic polynomial-time hardness problems, precise solution methods cannot solve it in large scale. Therefore, an invasive weed optimization algorithm, due to its proven high efficiency, is utilized to solve the problem. As there is no benchmark available in the literature, a harmony search algorithm and a genetic algorithm are employed as well to validate the results obtained. In order to find better solutions, response surface methodology is used to tune the parameters of the solution algorithms. Some numerical illustrations are solved in the end to not only show the application of the proposed methodology but also to validate the solution obtained and to compare the performance of the three solution algorithms. Experimental results are generally in favor of the invasive weed optimization.
A novel sentiment classification model based on online learning
Authors: Qiu Ningjia , Shen Zhuorui , Hu Xiaojuan , Wang Peng
Published: May 2019

Memory limitation and slow training speed are two important problems in sentiment analysis. In this paper, we propose a sentiment classification model based on online learning to improve the training speed of the sentiment classification. First, combining the adaptive adjustment of learning rate of the Adadelta algorithm and the characteristics of avoid frequent jitter of Adam algorithm in the later stage of training, we present a novel Adamdelta algorithm. It solves the problem that learning rate of traditional follow the regularized leader (FTRL)-Proximal online learning algorithm will disappear with the increase of training times. Moreover, we gain an optimized logistic regression (LR) model and use it to the sentiment classification of online learning. Finally, we compare the proposed algorithm with five similar models with the experimental data of the IMDb movie review dataset. Experimental results show that the improved algorithm has better classification effect and can effectively improve the precision and recall of the classifier.
Transforming Rehabilitation: Probation practice, architecture and the art of distributions
Authors: Tidmarsh Matt
Published: May 2019

This article explores probation practice through the architecture and arrangement of a probation office led by a Community Rehabilitation Company. It presents findings from an ethnographic study of a probation office in a large city, combining observations of the research site with data derived from interviews with 20 members of staff. Drawing on Foucault’s art of distributions, the article highlights how the managerial dynamics of recent decades have filtered into the physicality of the office to influence probation practice. It argues that probation practice under Transforming Rehabilitation can be situated along a managerial continuum, as standardized, computer-based work has become further entrenched within the office.
Progress and prospects in the management of kidney stones and developments in phyto-therapeutic modalities
Authors: Akram Muhammad , Idrees Muhammad
Published: May 2019

The aim of this article was to review some of the new and commonly used medicinal plants in the treatment of kidney stones, emphasizing medicinal uses, pharmacological activity, and research study of medicinal plants. Renal stones are a common problem worldwide with substantial morbidities and economic costs. The high economic burden associated with kidney stones is linked mainly with healthcare costs. In vitro and in vivo studies on alternative treatment of kidney stones have been searched by using words such as phytotherapy of kidney stones, medicinal plants used in kidney stones, and lithotriptic activity of plants. Articles reviewed showed that medicinal plants have lithotriptic potential. Medicinal plants may be useful in treatment of kidney stones. This study was aimed to explore and elaborate the efficacy and availability of alternative treatment for kidney stones and to provide safe, cost effective, and efficacious management options as well as reduce the burden of disease. Cost effectiveness may enable improvements in treatment efficiency that can benefit patients and the healthcare system. Further randomized clinical trials should be conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of medicinal plants.
Being a Woman Entrepreneur in Turkey: Life Role Expectations and Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy
Authors: Fis Ahmet Murat , Ozturkcan Selcen , Gur Faik
Published: May 2019

Two major competing life roles, work and family, are reported to dominate people’s efforts in constructing a life. Here, we aim to explore whether and how attributed life roles and related coping strategies of current and aspiring women entrepreneurs meaningfully differentiate and whether the existence of entrepreneurs in their families affects the formation of these different clusters. In our empirical, two-part exploratory study conducted in the emerging economy setting of Turkey, first, we utilize the survey results of 234 women entrepreneurs to explore the issue, and then in the second part of the study, we administer face-to-face interviews to draw out some critical insights. We end up with three different clusters differentiating in their responses to challenges and effect of these on their entrepreneurial self-efficacy beliefs. We believe our study may shed some light on understanding nonhomogeneous women response to roles and challenges in the society and women’s entrepreneurial journey.
Working Toward Cross-Cultural Adaptation: Preliminary Psychometric Evaluation of the Affect Knowledge Test in Japanese Preschoolers
Authors: Watanabe Naomi , Denham Susanne A. , Jones Nicole M. , Kobayashi Tessei , Bassett Hideko H. , Ferrier David E.
Published: May 2019

To facilitate preschoolers’ emotional development, it is useful to have a developmentally and culturally appropriate measure of emotion knowledge. The Affect Knowledge Test (AKT), a widely used measure of emotion knowledge, has been previously used with diverse cultural groups, including Japanese preschoolers, despite scarce reliability and validity information. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to conduct field tests of the Japanese-translated version of the AKT and a preliminary psychometric evaluation of the measure with Japanese preschoolers. Initial analyses of the Japanese-translated version of the AKT showed that the emotion recognition scale had a low internal consistency and subscales were hardly correlated with each other. After emotion faces used in the AKT were modified based on the interdependent cultures’ attention bias in emotion decoding, both reliability and construct-related validity were improved to satisfactory levels. These findings highlight the importance of cross-cultural adaptation of measures and demonstrate preliminary validity evidence for future adaptation of the AKT with Japanese preschoolers.
Conceptualizing Alternative Theater and Alternative Performance Space in Postindependence Zimbabwe
Authors: Sibanda Nkululeko
Published: May 2019

This article proposes conceptual working definitions for alternative theater and alternative spatiality as they apply to postindependence Zimbabwean theater practice. These conceptual definition proposals identify and delineate the contemporary Zimbabwean spatial appreciation of alternative performance space and esthetic practice. In this article, I implicate alternative performance esthetics and spatiality in how the past, as the people’s cultural frame of reference, can remain compatible with the demands of the present, and possibly the future. As a popular strategy, alternative theater performance spaces are presented as ways of reworking the colonial mapping process leading to the development of a new map, that is, a visible site of deconstructive attack. This remapping process presents a new spatial and esthetic knowledge situated within hybrid/ syncretic alternative performance space.
Positive and Negative Themes Depicted in Combat-Related Sports Films
Authors: Watts Andrew , Lucas Christy , Brzozowski Eric , Winthrop Zachary , King Tonya S. , Olympia Robert P.
Published: May 2019

Participation in boxing, mixed martial arts, and wrestling is extremely popular among children and adolescents. The objective of this study was to determine themes depicted in a select number of combat-related films. Twenty films were independently viewed and analyzed by 4 reviewers. The average number of positive and negative themes was 34.4 and 18.1 mean events/hour for all included films, respectively. The most common positive themes were “positive interactions with family/friends/fans,” “importance of mentorship,” and “positive interactions with a coach/trainer” (4.23, 3.63, and 3.06 mean events/hour, respectively). The most common negative themes were “choosing to do the wrong thing,” “negative interactions with family/friends/fans,” and “poor sportsmanship” (2.70, 2.00, and 1.58 mean events/hour, respectively). In conclusion, the co-viewing of combat-related films among pediatric athletes and their coaches/trainers and/or parents in order to focus on “teachable moments” may encourage the acquisition and development of positive themes and the avoidance and de-emphasis of negative themes.
The temporality of place: Constructing a temporal typology of crime in commercial precincts
Authors: Corcoran J , Zahnow R , Kimpton A , Wickes R , Brunsdon C
Published: May 2019

Well established in criminological scholarship is the way that crime is neither spatially nor temporally uniformly distributed. Rather crime is distributed in a manner that means it is both particular places and particular times that are subject to the majority of crime events. Furthermore, we know that crime varies over the course of a day and week, with periods of time the same place can function as a crime generator, a crime attractor or as a crime detractor. What is less evident is the way in which some places ‘flip’ from a largely crime free space to one that provides the necessary preconditions for crime to occur. In this paper we focus on commercial precincts as the context, given their functional importance in our daily lives; providing places of employment, recreation and a locus for social encounters. By spatially integrating crime incident data and census information and employing circular, clustering and spline regression techniques we examine the intensity, tempo and timing of crime in these locales and generate a temporal typology for 2286 commercial precincts across Queensland, Australia.
Case Series: Allograft Tibiotalocalcaneal Arthrodesis Utilizing Fresh Talus
Authors: Vaughn Joshua , DeFontes Kenneth W. , Keyser Cornelia , Bluman Eric M. , Smith Jeremy T.
Published: May 2019

Background:

Talar body osteonecrosis can be a difficult condition to treat. Recent reports highlight a high rate of failure with the use of femoral head allograft. Additionally, higher rates of failure have been reported in diabetics and smokers. Our institution attempted a novel technique utilizing fresh allograft talus in attempt to improve on a reported 50% nonunion rate.

Methods:

Five patients who underwent tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) fusion utilizing fresh talar allograft were clinically and radiographically reviewed to evaluate fusion rates and functional outcomes.

Results:

Our case series of 5 patients had a 100% union rate, including 2 former smokers and 2 diabetic patients. There were no infections or complications. Functional outcomes also improved in our series of patients postoperatively as noted by their FAAM and SF-36 scores.

Conclusion:

TTC fusion using fresh allograft talus has a higher union rate than reported with femoral head allograft. This case series requires further study to evaluate whether this technique can be used beyond patients with osteonecrosis of the talus.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV, case series.
Generation of transgenic zebrafish with 2 populations of RFP- and GFP-labeled thrombocytes: analysis of their lipids
Authors: Fallatah Weam , De Silva Imesha W. , Verbeck Guido F. , Jagadeeswaran Pudur
Published: May 2019

Zebrafish thrombocytes are similar to mammalian platelets. Mammals have young platelets (also called reticulated platelets) and mature platelets. Likewise, zebrafish have 2 populations of thrombocytes; one is DiI-C18 (DiI)+ (DP), and the other is DiI− (DN). However, the mechanism of selective thrombocyte labeling by DiI is unknown. Furthermore, there is no transgenic zebrafish line where DP and DN thrombocytes are differentially labeled with fluorescent proteins. In this study, we found that Glo fish, in which the myosin light chain 2 promoter drives the rfp gene, have a population of thrombocytes that are red fluorescent protein (RFP) labeled. We also generated transgenic GloFli fish in which DP and DN thrombocytes are labeled with RFP and green fluorescent protein (GFP), respectively. Single-cell lipid analysis showed a twofold increase in phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and a twofold decrease in phosphatidylcholine (PC) in RFP+ thrombocytes compared with GFP+ thrombocytes, suggesting that lipid composition may be important for DiI differential labeling. Therefore, we tested liposomes prepared with different ratios of PC and PE and observed that liposomes prepared with higher amounts of PE favor DiI labeling, whereas the PC concentration had a modest effect. In liposomes prepared using only PE or PC, increased concentrations of PE resulted in increased DiI binding. These results suggest that because RFP+ thrombocytes have higher PE concentrations, DiI may bind to them efficiently, thus explaining the selective labeling of thrombocytes by DiI. This work also provides GloFli fish that should be useful in understanding the mechanism of thrombocyte maturation.
LncRNA SNHG1 contributes to sorafenib resistance by activating the Akt pathway and is positively regulated by miR-21 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells
Authors: Li Weidong , Dong Xuesong , He Changjun , Tan Gang , Li Ziyi , Zhai Bo , Feng Jing , Jiang Xian , Liu Chang , Jiang Hongchi , Sun Xueying
Published: May 2019

Background

Acquired resistance to sorafenib greatly limits its therapeutic efficiency in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Increasing evidence indicates that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in the resistance to anti-cancer drugs. The present study aims to explore the involvement of lncRNA SNHG1 (small nucleolar RNA host gene 1) in sorafenib resistance and how SNHG1 is associated with overexpressed microRNA-21 (miR-21) and the activated Akt pathway, which have been demonstrated to mediate this resistance in HCC cells.

Methods

Sorafenib-resistant HCC (SR-HCC) cells were generated and their sorafenib-resistant properties were confirmed by cell viability and apoptosis assays. Potential lncRNAs were screened by using multiple bioinformatics analyses and databases. The expression of genes and proteins was detected by qRT-PCR, Western blot and in situ hybridization. Gene silencing was achieved by specific siRNA or lncRNA Smart Silencer. The effects of anti-SNHG1 were evaluated in vitro and in experimental animals by using quantitative measures of cell proliferation, apoptosis and autophagy. The binding sites of miR-21 and SNHG1 were predicted by using the RNAhybrid algorithm and their interaction was verified by luciferase assays.

Results

The Akt pathway was highly activated by overexpressed miR-21 in SR-HCC cells compared with parental HCC cells. Among ten screened candidates, SNHG1 showed the largest folds of alteration between SR-HCC and parental cells and between vehicle- and sorafenib-treated cells. Overexpressed SNHG1 contributes to sorafenib resistance by activating the Akt pathway via regulating SLC3A2. Depletion of SNHG1 enhanced the efficacy of sorafenib to induce apoptosis and autophagy of SR-HCC cells by inhibiting the activation of Akt pathway. Sorafenib induced translocation of miR-21 to the nucleus, where it promoted the expression of SNHG1, resulting in upregulation of SLC3A2, leading to the activation of Akt pathway. In contrast, SNHG1 was shown to have little effect on the expression of miR-21, which downregulated the expression of PTEN, leading to the activation of the Akt pathway independently of SNHG1.

Conclusions

The present study has demonstrated that lncRNA SNHG1 contributes to sorafenib resistance by activating the Akt pathway and its nuclear expression is promoted by miR-21, whose nuclear translocation is induced by sorafenib. These results indicate that SNHG1 may represent a potentially valuable target for overcoming sorafenib resistance for HCC.
The frequency-domain airborne electromagnetic method with a grounded electrical source
Authors: Lin Jun , Kang Lili , Liu Changsheng , Ren Tongyang , Zhou Haigen , Yao Yao , Yu Shengbao , Liu Teng , Liu Peng , Zhang Ming
Published: May 2019

For surveys in areas with difficult access, ground-based electromagnetic (EM) systems are difficult to operate, time-consuming, and expensive, whereas airborne EM (AEM) systems are unsafe and uneconomic for small survey areas. We have developed a new frequency-domain airborne electromagnetic (FAEM) system called the ground-airborne frequency-domain EM (GAFEM) system to achieve rapid data acquisition in complex terrains with high safety and low cost. The system consists of a grounded electrical source and an airborne receiver carried by an unmanned rotorcraft. The grounded electrical source transmits a [Formula: see text] pseudorandom series obtaining signals at [Formula: see text] frequencies in one flight, which can maintain the resolution without reducing efficiency. The airborne receiver based on the unmanned rotorcraft makes the system flexible, convenient, and economical to operate in areas with difficult access. The system can conduct surveys in far- and non-far-field regions and can obtain the apparent resistivity to present a quick overview of the subsurface structure. To demonstrate the GAFEM system’s effectiveness and practical detection potential, we have performed two field surveys that revealed the shallow structure with tunnels and the deep structure at source-receiver distances of 3 and 6 km, respectively. The GAFEM system effectively revealed the apparent-resistivity difference with a sufficient investigation depth at large source-receiver distances. Thus, the system can be extended to various important applications for rapid surveys or deep investigations in areas with difficult access.
Adaptive traveltime inversion
Authors: Sun Bingbing , Alkhalifah Tariq
Published: May 2019

We have developed a method to obtain a misfit function for robust waveform inversion. In this method, called adaptive traveltime inversion (ATI), a matching filter that matches predicted data to measured data is computed. If the velocity model is relatively accurate, the resulting matching filter is close to a Dirac delta function. Its traveltime shift, which characterizes the defocusing of the matching filter, is computed by minimization of the crosscorrelation between a penalty function such as [Formula: see text] and the matching filter. ATI is constructed by minimization of the least-squares errors of the calculated traveltime shift. Further analysis indicates that the resulting traveltime shift corresponds to a first-order moment, the mean value of the resulting matching filter distribution. We extend ATI to a more general misfit function formula by computing different order moment of the resulting matching filter distribution. Choosing the penalty function in adaptive waveform inversion (AWI) as [Formula: see text], the misfit function of AWI is the second-order moment, the variance of the resulting matching filter distribution with zero mean. Because our ATI method is based on a global comparison using deconvolution, such as AWI, it can resolve the “cycle skipping” issue. We evaluate our ATI misfit function and compare it with state-of-the-art options such as least-squares inversion (L2 norm), wave-equation traveltime inversion, and AWI using schematic examples before moving to more complex examples, such as the Marmousi model. For the Marmousi model, starting with a 1D [Formula: see text] model, with data without low frequencies (no energy below 3 Hz), a meaningful estimation of the P-wave velocity model is recovered. Our ATI misfit function (first-order moment) indicates comparable performance with the AWI misfit function (the second-order moment). We also include a real data example from the Gulf of Mexico to demonstrate the effectiveness of our method.
Introduction to this special section: Rock physics
Authors: Li Yongyi , Vernik Lev , Chapman Mark , Sarout Joel
Published: May 2019

Rock physics links the physical properties of rocks to geophysical and petrophysical observations and, in the process, serves as a focal point in many exploration and reservoir characterization studies. Today, the field of rock physics and seismic petrophysics embraces new directions with diverse applications in estimating static and dynamic reservoir properties through time-variant mechanical, thermal, chemical, and geologic processes. Integration with new digital and computing technologies is gradually gaining traction. The use of rock physics in seismic imaging, prestack seismic analysis, seismic inversion, and geomechanical model building also contributes to the increase in rock-physics influence. This special section highlights current rock-physics research and practices in several key areas, namely experimental rock physics, rock-physics theory and model studies, and the use of rock physics in reservoir characterizations.
Testing popular rock-physics models
Authors: Mur Alan , Vernik Lev
Published: May 2019

In the spirit of classic rock physics, and as an ideal foundation for conventional quantitative interpretation workflows, we consider several popular models relating elastic rock properties to their composition, microstructure, and effective stress on the background of a worldwide log data set, incorporating sands and shales characterized by the maximum dynamic impedance range. We demonstrate that the patchy cement model, ellipsoidal inclusion model, and siliciclastic diagenesis model may be calibrated successfully against the world data set and used in seismic rock property log restoration/editing. We also demonstrate that some of these models present obvious challenges in terms of the information derived from quantitative seismic interpretation. Notably, the key input parameters used in these rock-physics models may show little resemblance to the rock parameters actually observed in geologic studies. Replacing the true rock parameters with the effective ones may do disservice to the science of rock physics in general.
Hebephrenia is dead, long live hebephrenia, or why Hecker and Chaslin were on to something
Authors: Barrera Alvaro , Curwell-Parry Owen , Raphael Marie-Claire
Published: May 2019

Since its first description in 1863, ‘hebephrenia’ has highlighted a group of patients characterised by an early onset of illness, formal thought disorder, bizarre behaviour and incongruent emotional expression. A proportion of patients with the most severe form of mental illness have a clinical presentation that is best captured by this diagnosis. Here, we outline the construct of hebephrenia and two of its core overlapping constituent parts: bizarre behaviour and the disorganisation dimension. We argue that, despite the removal of hebephrenia (disorganised schizophrenia) from DSM-5, clinicians should consider it as a differential diagnosis, particularly in suspected personality disorder.
Small Heterodimer Partner Regulates Dichotomous T Cell Expansion by Macrophages
Authors: Shahoei Sayyed Hamed , Kim Young-Chae , Cler Samuel J , Ma Liqian , Anakk Sayeepriyadarshini , Kemper Jongsook K , Nelson Erik R
Published: May 2019

The involvement of small heterodimer partner (SHP) in the inhibition of hepatic bile acid synthesis from cholesterol has been established. However, extrahepatic expression of SHP implies that SHP may have regulatory functions other than those in the liver. Here, we find that SHP mRNA expression is high in murine bone marrow cells, suggesting a physiological role within macrophages. Indeed, expression of SHP in macrophages decreases the transcriptional activity and nuclear localization of nuclear factor κB, whereas downregulation of SHP has the opposite effects. Expression of genes associated with macrophage–T cell crosstalk were altered by overexpression or downregulation of SHP. Intriguingly, increasing SHP expression in macrophages resulted in decreased T cell expansion, a hallmark of T cell activation, whereas knockdown of SHP resulted in increased expansion. Analyses of the expanded T cells revealed a dichotomous skewing between effector T cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs), with SHP overexpression reducing Tregs and downregulation of SHP increasing their expansion. The expanded Tregs were confirmed to be suppressive via adoptive transfers. IL-2 and TGF-β, known inducers of Treg differentiation, were found to be regulated by SHP. Furthermore, SHP occupancy at the promoter region of IL-2 was increased after macrophages were challenged with lipopolysaccharide. Neutralizing antibodies to IL-2 and TGF-β inhibited the expansion of Tregs mediated by downregulation of SHP. This study demonstrates that expression and activity of SHP within macrophages can alter T cell fate and identifies SHP as a potential therapeutic target for autoimmune diseases or solid cancers.
Ensuring the Future of the Affordable Care Act on the Health Insurance Marketplaces
Authors: Hosek Adrienne
Published: May 2019

Context: A decade after passage, a majority of Americans now support the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and Republican efforts to repeal it outright have failed. This article investigates whether the policy itself, through its beneficiaries, changed public opinion and sowed the seeds of its defense.

Methods: This study used an individual-level panel design to estimate the causal effect of implementation on opinion and electoral outcomes for ACA beneficiaries during the first year of open enrollment.

Findings: Individuals who enrolled in plans on the health insurance marketplaces had significantly more positive opinions of the ACA after implementation. Previously uninsured Medicaid enrollees also reported improved opinions, though results were not statistically significant. In contrast, uninsured individuals residing in states that did not expand Medicaid became significantly less supportive of the law. Changes in opinion persisted up to the 2014 midterm elections, and there is evidence that individuals with marketplace insurance became more supportive of Democratic candidates, although not more likely to vote for them.

Conclusions: Public support for the ACA was enhanced when its beneficiaries became more positive toward it during implementation. Recent changes to key ACA provisions have the potential to undermine the law's effectiveness, potentially leading to political action as benefits slowly begin to disappear.
“Getting to the Table”: Changing Ideas about Public and Patient Involvement in Canadian Drug Assessment
Authors: Boothe Katherine
Published: May 2019

Context: Involving patients and the public in health policy may contribute to legitimacy and accountability. However, tensions may arise between paradigms of scientific-evidence-based decision making and new ideas valuing inclusivity and patient experience when evaluating and allocating health resources. This article asks whether 10 years of experience with public and patient involvement in Canadian drug assessment has affected participants' ideas about how it works.

Methods: The author surveyed the ideas of participants in the drug assessment process (members of expert committees, officials, and patient groups) as described in reports and hearings in 2005, 2007, and 2012 and conducted interviews in 2014 and 2016.

Findings: The author found some consensus across groups of participants regarding the broad goals of health technology assessment (HTA) and the validity of some form of public and patient involvement. There were also important areas of disagreement and uncertainty about how public and patient involvement should be used in drug assessment and how much impact it has on deliberations and recommendations. Overall, uncertainly about the specific role for public and patient involvement in HTA limits the potential for ideational change among participants.

Conclusions: These findings have implications for evaluation of public and patient involvement, the way we understand ideational change, and practical questions of communicating health resource decisions.
Sources of Success in California's Individual Marketplace under the Affordable Care Act
Authors: Rasmussen Petra W. , Kominski Gerald F.
Published: May 2019

When passed in 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became the greatest piece of health care reform in the United States since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid. In the 9 years since its passage, the law has ushered in a drastic decrease in the number of uninsured Americans and has encouraged delivery system innovation. However, the ACA has not been uniformly embraced, and states differ in their implementation of the law and in their individual health insurance marketplace's successfulness. Furthermore, under the Trump administration the law's future and the stability of the individual market have been uncertain. Throughout, however, California has been a leader. Today, the state's marketplace, known as Covered California, offers comprehensive, standardized health plans to over 1.3 million consumers. California's success with the ACA is largely attributable to its historical receptiveness to health reform; its early adoption of the law; its decision to have Covered California operate as an active purchaser, help shape the plans sold through the marketplace, and design a consumer-friendly enrollment experience; its engagement with stakeholders and community partners to encourage enrollment; and Covered California's commitment to continually innovate, improve, and anticipate the needs of the individual market as the law moves forward.
Finding the peak of dynamic oxygen uptake during fatiguing exercise in fish
Authors: Zhang Yangfan , Gilbert Matthew J. H. , Farrell Anthony P.
Published: May 2019

As fish approach fatigue at high water velocities in a critical swimming speed (Ucrit) test, their swimming mode and oxygen cascade typically move to an unsteady state because they adopt an unsteady, burst-and-glide swimming mode despite a constant, imposed workload. However, conventional ṀO2 sampling intervals (5-20 min) tend to smooth any dynamic fluctuations in active ṀO2 (ṀO2active) and thus likely underestimate the peak ṀO2active. Here, we used rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to explore the dynamic nature of ṀO2active near Ucrit by using various sampling windows and an iterative algorithm. Compared with a conventional interval regression analysis of ṀO2active over a 10-min period, our new analytical approach generated a 23% higher peak ṀO2active. Therefore, we suggest that accounting for such dynamics in ṀO2active with this new analytical approach may lead to more accurate estimates of maximum ṀO2 in fishes.
Rising Government Debt: Causes and Solutions for a Decades-Old Trend
Authors: Yared Pierre
Published: May 2019

Over the past four decades, government debt as a fraction of GDP has been on an upward trajectory in advanced economies, approaching levels not reached since World War II. While normative macroeconomic theories can explain the increase in the level of debt in certain periods as a response to macroeconomic shocks, they cannot explain the broad-based long-run trend in debt accumulation. In contrast, political economy theories can explain the long-run trend as resulting from an aging population, rising political polarization, and rising electoral uncertainty across advanced economies. These theories emphasize the time-inconsistency in government policymaking, and thus the need for fiscal rules that restrict policymakers. Fiscal rules trade off commitment to not overspend and flexibility to react to shocks. This tradeoff guides design features of optimal rules, such as information dependence, enforcement, cross-country coordination, escape clauses, and instrument versus target criteria.
Artificial Intelligence: The Ambiguous Labor Market Impact of Automating Prediction
Authors: Agrawal Ajay , Gans Joshua S. , Goldfarb Avi
Published: May 2019

Recent advances in artificial intelligence are primarily driven by machine learning, a prediction technology. Prediction is useful because it is an input into decision-making. In order to appreciate the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs, it is important to understand the relative roles of prediction and decision tasks. We describe and provide examples of how artificial intelligence will affect labor, emphasizing differences between when the automation of prediction leads to automating decisions versus enhancing decision-making by humans.
Relationship between admission criteria and academic performance: A correlational study in nursing students
Authors: Yousafzai Imran Inayat , Jamil Brekhna
Published: May 2019

Background & Objective: An admission criterion is one of the key indicators of academic success. The purpose of admission process is to select best candidates for the particular program who will complete the program successfully. Thus rigorous admission criteria can predict academic performance, decrease failure rate and successful completion of degree. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between various variables in the existing admission criteria and academic performance.

Methods: A cross sectional study design was chosen. Data (2009-2017) was gathered from the records of Institute of Nursing Science, Khyber Medical University. Variables in the admission criteria included age, gender, previous academic performance, entry test score and experience. The dependent variable was academic performance measured in CGPA. The data was analyzed using correlation and regression analysis through SPSS and STATA.

Results: The results reported a significant relationship between admission criteria and the academic performance of nursing students. Various variables in the admission criteria i.e. SSC marks (r=0.32, p=>0.001), previous academic score at diploma level (r=0.48, p=>0.001) and entry test scores (r=0.26, p=>0.001) have significant relationship between academic performance. However, previous academic scores at diploma level were better predictors of the academic performance.

Conclusion: The study concludes to use integrated admission criteria for the selection of students and bring changes in the traditional admission process.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.3.217

How to cite this:Yousafzai II, Jamil B. Relationship between admission criteria and academic performance: A correlational study in nursing students. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(3):858-861.  doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.3.217

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Risks with Gynaecological problems on the health of University Students
Authors: Akarsu Rukiye Höbek , Alsac Selda Yuzer
Published: May 2019

Objective: To determine the risk with gynecological problems on the health of female university students.

Methods: The study was conducted as a descriptive in university in Central Anatolia, Turkey. The research population was composed of 1305 female university students studying at a university in Central Anatolia. The study was conducted between January and March 2017. The data were collected through a questionnaire consisting of 23 questions prepared by the researchers to determine the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants and the risk with gynecological problems they encountered. Numerical and percentage statistics were used to analyze the data.

Results: About 65.4 percent of the female students in this study previously had gynecological examination, and 38.8 percent of them were diagnosed with gynaecological problems. It was found that 87.6 percent of the female students had risk with gynecological disorders. the most common ones being dysmenorrhoea (63.2%), premenstrual syndrome (56.7%), urinary tract infection (22.4%), and polycystic ovarian syndrome (13%), respectively. 

Conclusions: It was found that nearly all the young girls had risk with gynecological problems and nearly half of them were diagnosed with different gynaecological disorders.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.3.834

How to cite this:Akarsu RH, Alsac SY. Risks with Gynaecological problems on the health of University Students. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(3):758-763.   doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.3.834

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Integrated Scheduling of Production and Two-Stage Delivery of Make-to-Order Products: Offline and Online Algorithms
Authors: Tang Lixin , Li Feng , Chen Zhi-Long
Published: May 2019

We study integrated production- and delivery-scheduling problems that arise in practical make-to-order settings in several industries. In these problems, make-to-order products are first processed in a plant and then delivered to customer sites through two stages of shipping: first, from the plant to a pool point (e.g., a port, a distribution, or a consolidation center) and, second, from the pool point to customer sites. The objective is to obtain a joint schedule of job processing at the plant and two-stage shipping of completed jobs to customer sites to optimize a performance measure that takes into account both delivery timeliness and total transportation costs. We consider two problems in which delivery timeliness is measured by total or maximum lead time of the jobs and study both offline and online versions of these problems. For the offline problems involving a single production line at the plant, we provide optimal dynamic programming algorithms. For the more general offline problems involving multiple production lines at the plant, we propose fast heuristics and analyze their worst-case and asymptotic performances. For the online problems, we propose online algorithms and analyze their competitive ratios. By comparing our offline heuristics with lower bounds using randomly generated test instances, it is shown that these heuristics are capable of generating near-optimal solutions quickly. Using real data from Baosteel’s Meishan plant, we also show that our corresponding offline heuristic generates significantly better solutions than Baosteel’s rule-based approach. In addition, our computational results on the performance of the online algorithms relative to the offline heuristics generate important methodological insights that can be used by practitioners in choosing a specific solution approach.
Interseções: revista de estudos interdisciplinares
Authors: Revista de estudos interdisciplinares Interseções
Published: May 2019

Periódico científico quadrimestral do Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Sociais (PPCIS) da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ).
Razões da evasão: abandono escolar entre jovens no Brasil
Authors: Salata André
Published: May 2019

Apesar da expansão do sistema de ensino do país nas últimas décadas, assim como a meta de tornar compulsória e universal a frequência escolar também de jovens com idade correspondente ao Ensino Médio, entre estes ainda há uma parcela significativa que não frequenta a escola. O artigo tem como objetivo estudar os principais fatores associados à evasão escolar de jovens entre 15 e 17 anos de idade. Mais especificamente, analisamos o efeito da origem socioeconômica dos jovens, assim como de sua situação de trabalho, sobre as chances de evasão. Para isso, utilizamos dados provenientes da PNAD (IBGE) de 2015 e, também, do suplemente de 2006, a partir dos quais rodamos estatísticas descritivas e modelos logit multivariados. Os resultados alcançados evidenciam o forte efeito do background domiciliar e do trabalho intensivo - com carga horária acima de 20 horas semanais - sobre as chances de evasão, mas colocam dúvidas sobre as leituras que tomam a eventual necessidade de trabalhar como principal mediadora do efeito da origem social sobre a evasão de jovens.