bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surgery for Aortic Dilatation in Patients With Bicuspid Aortic Valves
Authors:   2010 ACCF/AHA/AATS/ACR/ASA/SCA/SCAI/SIR/STS/SVM GUIDELINES FOR THE DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH THORACIC AORTIC DISEASE REPRESENTATIVE MEMBERS*, Hiratzka Loren F. , Creager Mark A. , Isselbacher Eric M. , Svensson Lars G. ,   2014 AHA/ACC Guideline for the Management of Patients With Valvular Heart Disease Representative Members*, Nishimura Rick A. , Bonow Robert O. , Guyton Robert A. , Sundt Thoralf M. ,   ACC/AHA TASK FORCE MEMBERS, Halperin Jonathan L. , Levine Glenn N. , Anderson Jeffrey L. , Albert Nancy M. , Al-Khatib Sana M. , Birtcher Kim K. , Bozkurt Biykem , Brindis Ralph G. , Cigarroa Joaquin E. , Curtis Lesley H. , Fleisher Lee A. , Gentile Federico , Gidding Samuel , Hlatky Mark A. , Ikonomidis John , Joglar José , Kovacs Richard J. , Ohman E. Magnus , Pressler Susan J. , Sellke Frank W. , Shen Win-Kuang , Wijeysundera Duminda N.
Published: December 2015

Two guidelines from the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American Heart Association (AHA), and collaborating societies address the risk of aortic dissection in patients with bicuspid aortic valves and severe aortic enlargement: the “2010 ACCF/AHA/AATS/ACR/ASA/SCA/SCAI/SIR/STS/SVM Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Patients With Thoracic Aortic Disease” (Circulation. 2010;121:e266–e369) and the “2014 AHA/ACC Guideline for the Management of Patients With Valvular Heart Disease” (Circulation. 2014;129:e521–e643). However, the 2 guidelines differ with regard to the recommended threshold of aortic root or ascending aortic dilatation that would justify surgical intervention in patients with bicuspid aortic valves. The ACC and AHA therefore convened a subcommittee representing members of the 2 guideline writing committees to review the evidence, reach consensus, and draft a statement of clarification for both guidelines. This statement of clarification uses the ACC/AHA revised structure for delineating the Class of Recommendation and Level of Evidence to provide recommendations that replace those contained in Section 9.2.2.1 of the thoracic aortic disease guideline and Section 5.1.3 of the valvular heart disease guideline.
Cardio-Oncology
Authors: Bellinger Andrew M. , Arteaga Carlos L. , Force Thomas , Humphreys Benjamin D. , Demetri George D. , Druker Brian J. , Moslehi Javid J.
Published: December 2015

Cardio-oncology (the cardiovascular care of cancer patients) has developed as a new translational and clinical field based on the expanding repertoire of mechanism-based cancer therapies. Although these therapies have changed the natural course of many cancers, several may also lead to cardiovascular complications. Many new anticancer drugs approved over the past decade are “targeted” kinase inhibitors that interfere with intracellular signaling contributing to tumor progression. Unexpected cardiovascular and cardiometabolic effects of patient treatment with these inhibitors have provided unique insights into the role of kinases in human cardiovascular biology. Today, an ever-expanding number of cancer therapies targeting novel kinases and other specific cellular and metabolic pathways are being developed and tested in oncology clinical trials. Some of these drugs may affect the cardiovascular system in detrimental ways and others perhaps in beneficial ways. We propose that the numerous ongoing oncology clinical trials are an opportunity for closer collaboration between cardiologists and oncologists to study the cardiovascular and cardiometabolic changes caused by the modulation of these pathways in patients. In this regard, cardio-oncology represents an opportunity and a novel platform for basic and translational investigation and can serve as a potential avenue for optimization of anticancer therapies and for cardiovascular research and drug discovery.
The Ryutin Affair and the “Terrorism” Narrative of The Purges
Authors: Clark William A.
Published: December 2015

Described by one prominent Russian historian as “the only genuine conspiracy against Stalin,” and by another as “the process that would lead to the Terror,” the Ryutin Affair of the 1930s is inextricably tied to the events that surround the consolidation of Stalin’s dictatorship. It serves as a common thread linking Stalin’s repudiation of the nep in 1928, the internal party resistance of the Right Opposition, the destruction of intra-party dialogue on important policy questions, the systematic elimination of Stalin’s perceived rivals within the leadership, and the public show trials that punctuated the Terror. And yet, detailed accounts of the Ryutin Platform and the political affair that followed are largely absent from the English-language historiography of the period. Rather, the Ryutin Affair, despite its key role in the story of Stalin’s consolidation of power and radical turn to the Left after 1928, has gone largely underspecified in the literature.

This paper seeks to contribute to a remedy by tracing the impact of the Ryutin Affair – predicated as it was on a 194-page philosophical denunciation of Stalin and his policies written and circulated within party circles by Moscow party official Martem’ian Ryutin – in the events surrounding Stalin’s key claim during the period of the purges that leading figures of the Bolshevik leadership (Zinoviev, Kamenev, Bukharin, Tomsky, Rykov and others) were engaged in a terrorist conspiracy against Stalin and his inner leadership. As one after another of Stalin’s rivals are eliminated, and as one after another of the key protagonists in these events admit to terroristic plans against “Stalin and his clique,” Ryutin steadfastly denied terroristic intent and refused to be a willing participant in the denunciations that were part and parcel of the purge trials. The paper reveals Stalin’s determination to defend his “terrorism” narrative – a narrative rejected by the Politburo in 1932 when Stalin initially sought Ryutin’s execution but resurrected successfully in 1936 as the basis of the Show Trials.
The Other Jewish Century
Authors: Sloin Andrew
Published: December 2015

This review essay examines works of Russian and Soviet Jewish History by Eugene Avrutin, Oleg Budnitskii, and Yaacov Ro’i that focus on the relationship between Jews and the state during the “long” Russian twentieth century. The works examine this relationship in three discrete periods: the late imperial era proceeding the revolutions of 1917; the era of the Russian Civil War; and the late Soviet era of stagnation and decline. Challenging interpretations of Soviet historiography that have emphasized the open inclusion of Jews in the Soviet project, these works collectively stress the need to reconsider the persistence of racial discourses and anti-Semitism that structured relations between Jews and the state before and after the Bolshevik revolution.
New species of cynipid inquilines of the genus Saphonecrus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Synergini) from the Eastern Palaearctic, with a re-appraisal of known species world-wide
Authors: SCHWÉGER SZABINA , MELIKA GEORGE , TANG CHANG-TI , YANG MAN-MIAO , Stone Graham N. , Nicholls James A. , SINCLAIR FRAZER , HEARN JACK , BOZSÓ MIKLÓS , PÉNZES ZSOLT
Published: December 2015

Fifteen new species of cynipid inquilines, Saphonecrus chinensis Tang & Schwéger, S. gilvus Melika & Schwéger, S. globosus Schwéger & Tang, S. leleyi Melika & Schwéger, S. lithocarpii Schwéger & Melika, S. longinuxi Schwéger & Melika, S. morii Schwéger & Tang, S. nantoui Tang, Schwéger & Melika, S. nichollsi Schwéger & Melika, S. pachylomai Schwéger, Tang & Melika, S. robustus Schwéger & Melika, S. saliciniai Melika, Tang & Schwéger, S. shanzhukui Melika & Tang, S. symbioticus Melika & Schwéger, and S. taitungi Schwéger, Tang & Melika, from the Eastern Palaearctic are described. Descriptions, diagnoses, biology, and host associations for the new species, and a key to Palaearctic Saphonecrus species are given. All new taxa form distinct units as demonstrated by the molecular phylogenetic analyses of Palaearctic Saphonecrus species. The status of some earlier described Saphonecrus species is discussed also. The Synergini genus Lithonecrus Nieves-Aldrey & Butterill, 2014 is synonymized with Lithosaphonecrus Tang, Melika & Bozsó, 2013. Three Saphonecrus species are transferred to Synergus: Synergus brevis (Weld) comb. nova, Synergus hupingshanensis (Liu, Yang & Zhu) comb. nova, and Synergus yukawai (Wachi, Ide & Abe) comb. nova. Synophrus vietnamensis Abe, Ide, Konishi & Ueno is transferred to Lithosaphonecrus: Lithosaphonecrus vietnamensis Abe, Ide, Konishi & Ueno), comb. nova. The current number of valid Saphonecrus species worldwide is 36.
Eddy Activity Sensitivity to Changes in the Vertical Structure of Baroclinicity
Authors: Yuval Janni , Kaspi Yohai
Published: December 2015

The relation between the mean meridional temperature gradient and eddy fluxes has been addressed by several eddy flux closure theories. However, these theories give little information on the dependence of eddy fluxes on the vertical structure of the temperature gradient. The response of eddies to changes in the vertical structure of the temperature gradient is especially interesting since global circulation models suggest that as a result of greenhouse warming, the lower-tropospheric temperature gradient will decrease whereas the upper-tropospheric temperature gradient will increase. The effects of the vertical structure of baroclinicity on atmospheric circulation, particularly on the eddy activity, are investigated. An idealized global circulation model with a modified Newtonian relaxation scheme is used. The scheme allows the authors to obtain a heating profile that produces a predetermined mean temperature profile and to study the response of eddy activity to changes in the vertical structure of baroclinicity. The results indicate that eddy activity is more sensitive to temperature gradient changes in the upper troposphere. It is suggested that the larger eddy sensitivity to the upper-tropospheric temperature gradient is a consequence of large baroclinicity concentrated in upper levels. This result is consistent with a 1D Eady-like model with nonuniform shear showing more sensitivity to shear changes in regions of larger baroclinicity. In some cases, an increased temperature gradient at lower-tropospheric levels might decrease the eddy kinetic energy, and it is demonstrated that this might be related to the midwinter minimum in eddy kinetic energy observed above the northern Pacific.
Gender, family life course and attitudes towards divorce in Sweden
Authors: Andersson Linus
Published: December 2015

The present study investigates the impact of union formation, parenthood and union dissolution on Swedes’ attitudes toward divorce. The results, based on fixed-effects models of longitudinal data from the Young Adult Panel Study (YAPS), suggest a prevalent, albeit small, influence of family life-course events on attitudes toward divorce in Sweden. Attitudes toward divorce are studied using two survey statements: ‘It is too easy to get divorced in today’s Sweden’ (item A) and ‘Parents should stay together for the sake of their children’ (item B). For both items, union dissolution from parental relationships is associated with a decrease in intolerance toward divorce, but only for women. For men, but not for women, parental union formation increases intolerance toward divorce as measured by item B. The results are discussed in relation to the literature on gendered family life-course experiences.
Interconnecting boundaries of identity and belonging and hierarchy-making within transnational mobility studies: Framing inequalities
Authors: Anthias Floya
Published: December 2015

The article explores the collision and collusion between inequalities and identities with a focus on transnational mobilities. The author engages critically with the notions of identity and belonging before exploring racism, and integration and diversity discourses and practices, as ways in which non-belongings become shaped and reinforced. Belonging and identity simultaneously raise the question about boundaries of ‘difference’ and ‘identity’ and how they are struggled over but also relate to how people are placed hierarchically within societal systems of resource allocation and inequality. Struggles about membership, entitlements and belonging become ever more politicized where there is competition over resources in the translocational and transnational spaces of today’s world. Racisms forge and reconstitute forms of non-belonging which are central to inequalities, and as forms of boundary- and hierarchy-making, mark the boundaries in particularly violent and dehumanizing ways. Diversity and integration discourses are discussed in relation to European developments in the management of migration, with a particular focus on the UK. They are regarded as being underpinned by a hierarchization, culturalization and essentialization of difference. Finally, the article explores the potential of a ‘translocational’ and intersectional frame for understanding the transnational positioning of social actors in terms of hierarchy and inequality.
Ascriptive hierarchies: Caste and its reproduction in contemporary India
Authors: Jodhka Surinder S
Published: December 2015

Social science literature on caste tends to view it as a peculiar institution of the Hindus, emanating from their past tradition and religious beliefs/scriptures. This view also presumes that the processes of urbanization and industrialization, unleashing the process of modernization, will end caste, eventually producing a shift from a closed system of social hierarchy to an open system of social stratification based on individual achievement, merit and hard work. Drawing from a large volume of recent writings the author argues in this article that this approach to the understanding of caste is based on an assumption of Indian exceptionalism. Such an orientalist view of caste also denies the possibility of deploying the framework of caste for understanding caste-like ascriptive hierarchies that exist in many other (if not all) societies. Some of the recent theorizations of caste could perhaps provide useful conceptual tools for developing a comparative understanding of social inequalities.
Income differentials and global migration in the contemporary world-economy
Authors: Korzeniewicz Roberto Patricio , Albrecht Scott
Published: December 2015

Shifting the unit of analysis from the nation-state to the world as a whole fundamentally changes our understanding of migration. Elsewhere, the authors have argued that ascriptive criteria centered on national identity and citizenship have long served as a fundamental basis of inequality in the world. Here, they develop a model that seeks to identify the main forces driving migration across the world-economy. They test this model by drawing on an original cross-national dataset on population flows. This allows them to more precisely identify country- and region-specific patterns of outgoing and incoming migration, and to assess the relative weight of specific variables (e.g., wage differentials between countries, the extent of income inequality and social mobility in sending and receiving countries, civil war, famine, geopolitical location, and migration policy regimes) in explaining these patterns. Finally, the authors discuss the implications of their findings for a more productive understanding of global social stratification and mobility in the contemporary world-economy.
Peacekeeping: Canada’s past, but not its present and future?
Authors: Carroll Michael K
Published: December 2015

For Canadians there has been a great mystique surrounding peacekeeping. The idea that Canada is—or perhaps more appropriately was—a peacekeeping nation par excellence resonates deeply. Yet, however good this myth has made Canadians feel about themselves and their international contributions, it has ultimately done a disservice, leading to unrealistic expectations about what Canada and the blue berets could accomplish on the world stage. Furthermore, Canada’s involvement in United Nations peacekeeping operations has not been motivated solely by altruism, but rather has been based on eminently practical factors of national self-interest. There is much that the Canadian Armed Forces has to offer the world in terms of future peace and security operations, but it remains to be seen whether peacekeeping factors into this equation.
Who will care for the health of aging Chinese parents who lose their only child? A review of the constraints and implications
Authors: Li Yan
Published: December 2015

This article concentrates on analyzing the health and social constraints of elderly Chinese parents who lose their only child. This newly developed vulnerable group of childless elderly has resulted from the Chinese one-child policy. Based on a qualitative study in Beijing, this article examines the psychological suffering, healthcare, and emotional support experienced by older people who lose their only child and who lack appropriate support from the government and society. The rapid increase in the number of childless elderly is producing profound health and social implications that require the development of appropriate policies in China.
Social geographies II
Authors: Del Casino Vincent J.
Published: December 2015

This report examines how social geographers are engaging with the questions that robots and robotic technologies provoke. First, it discusses Marxist analyses of machines and troubles the role that robots play in social production and reproduction. Second, robots as actors in assemblages of sociospatial relations are interrogated for their role in state violence. Third, the dynamic change brought about by smart cities and their algorithmic subjects is discussed. The concluding section is speculative, discussing robots and the ethics of care. This report asks social geographers to reimagine their social geographies in relation to the role of robots in everyday life.
The Extra-Examination Time Granting Policy
Authors: Cahan Sorel , Nirel Ronit , Alkoby Moty
Published: December 2015

Differential granting of extra-examination time (EET) is commonly based on learning disabilities (LD) status: EET is granted to LD examinees and is denied to nondisabled examinees. We argue that LD serves as a proxy for the extent to which time limitation affects the examinee’s test score ( e). Hence, the validity of the LD-based EET granting policy depends on how well LD status serves as a proxy for e. Reanalysis of 11 comparative experimental studies of the effect of EET shows that LD status is a poor proxy for e. The proportion of nondisabled examinees who benefit from EET roughly equals the corresponding proportion among LD students. Implications of these results for the validity and fairness of this policy are discussed.
Transdermal solid delivery of epigallocatechin-3-gallate using self-double-emulsifying drug delivery system as vehicle: Formulation, evaluation and vesicle-skin interaction
Authors: Hu Caibiao , Gu Chengyu , Fang Qiao , Wang Qiang , Xia Qiang
Published: December 2015

The present study investigated a self-double-emulsifying drug delivery system loaded with epigallocatechin-3-gallate to improve epigallocatechin-3-gallate skin retention. The long chain solid lipids (cetostearyl alcohol) and macadamia oil were utilized as a carrier to deliver the bioactive ingredient. Response surface methodology was used to optimize the formulation, and the solid lipid to total lipid weight ratio, concentration of epigallocatechin-3-gallate and hydrophilic surfactant on skin retention were found to be the principal factors. The optimum formulation with high encapsulation efficiency (95.75%), self-double-emulsification performance (99.58%) and skin retention (87.24%) were derived from the fitted models and experimentally examined, demonstrating a reasonable agreement between experimental and predicted values. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate-self-double-emulsifying drug delivery system was found to be stable for 3 months. Transdermal studies could explain a higher skin diffusion of epigallocatechin-3-gallate from the self-double-emulsifying drug delivery system compared with EGCG aqueous solution. In vitro cytotoxicity showed that epigallocatechin-3-gallate-self-double-emulsifying drug delivery system did not exert hazardous effect on L929 cells up to 1:10.
Promoting spinal fusions by biomineralized silk fibroin films seeded with bone marrow stromal cells: An in vivo animal study
Authors: Gu Yong , Chen Liang , Niu Hai-Yun , Shen Xiao-Feng , Yang Hui-Lin
Published: December 2015

Objectives

To prepare a biomineralized nano silk fibroin film seeded with bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), and to evaluate its performance in spinal fusion.

Methods

The silk fibroin film was mineralized in a modified, simulated body fluid, seeded with BMSCs, and evaluated in a rat model of posterolateral lumbar fusion, compared with pure silk fibroin, silk fibroin/bone marrow stromal cells, mineralized silk fibroin, mineralized silk fibroin/bone marrow stromal cells, iliac crest bone, and no graft. After 12 weeks, all rats were sacrificed and underwent manual palpation, micro-CT scanning, biomechanical testing, and histology.

Results

The infrared spectrum, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy demonstrated deposition of mineral layers on the silk fibroin film surface. The fusion rate, bone volume, relative strength and stiffness, and histological score of the mineralized silk fibroin/bone marrow stromal cells were slightly lower than the autograft, but without any significant difference ( p > 0.05). In addition, the mineralized silk fibroin was significantly greater in most parameters than the silk fibroin/bone marrow stromal cells ( p < 0.05).

Conclusion

The mineralized silk fibroin resembles natural bone structurally, and the cellular and mineral layers of silk fibroin are both critical to bone regeneration. The ability to promote spinal fusion is enhanced when the mineralized silk fibroin is seeded with bone marrow stromal cells.
Surveying Residential Burglaries: A Case Study of Local-Level Crime Measurement
Authors: Brame Robert , Turner Michael G. , Paternoster Raymond
Published: December 2015

Our goal is to document the general issues that arise in estimating and comparing local crime rates over time and for different cities. Data are drawn from police-based residential burglary counts and the National Crime Victimization Survey to obtain interval estimates of residential burglary incidence at the local level. Ambiguity exists when making point estimates of crime that are based entirely on Uniform Crime Reports data. Sources of this ambiguity include (a) the “Hierarchy Rule,” (b) population estimates used in estimating the burglary rate, and (c) variation in the probability that a residential burglary victim reports the incident to the police. Analyses document uncertainty of burglary rates when comparing across cities and over time. We think it will be useful to begin reporting crime patterns in terms of a range of uncertainty that expresses both what is known and unknown about the numbers that are used to measure those patterns.
Analysis of “Powder Keg Theory” in State Escape Statutes
Authors: Kim Mijin , Mellow Jeff
Published: December 2015

Escape research has debunked the powder keg theory that all escapes are inherently violent and may explode into violence at any given time. The vast majority of escapes takes place from minimum secure facilities and do not involve force at time of escape or recapture. Nevertheless, federal defendants often receive unduly harsh sentences based on prior escape convictions because courts assume that the majority of escapes are violent for purposes of sentencing enhancement. This study analyzed all 50 U.S. state escape statutes to determine which states classify escapes in a manner consistent with the powder keg theory. Results indicated that the majority of state statutes neither concurred with the powder keg theory nor favored a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between escapes and potential violence. Policy implications of these findings and potential pathways for future escape research are discussed. This article concludes that criminal acts of escape must be reconsidered for sentencing purposes in relation to their potential violence, risks, and intentions.
Sensor-based exploration for planar two-identical-link robots
Authors: Shao Ming-Lei , Yan Rui-Jun , Wu Jing , Lee Ji-Yeong , Han Chang-Soo , Shin Dong-Ik , Shin Kyoo-Sik
Published: December 2015

We present a new roadmap based on a generalized Voronoi graph for two-identical-link mobile robots to explore an unknown planar environment. It is called the L2-generalized Voronoi graph and is defined in terms of workspace distance measurements using only sensor-provided information, with the robot having the maximum distance from obstacles, and is therefore optimum in a point of view for exploration and obstacle avoidance. The configuration of the robot possesses four degrees of freedom, and hence the roadmap is one-dimensional in an unknown configuration space [Formula: see text]. The L2-generalized Voronoi graph is not always connected, and so is connected with an additional structure called the L2R-edge, where the robot is tangent to a GVD structure with the same orientation for the two links. This roadmap is termed L2 hierarchical generalized Voronoi graph. The L2 hierarchical generalized Voronoi graph includes two structures: the L2 hierarchical generalized Voronoi graph and the L2R edge. Although the condition of two identical links looks somewhat constraining, the L2 hierarchical generalized Voronoi graph is still worth pursuing because the case is very common in the engineering environment.
Reliability of chemotherapy preparation processes: Evaluating independent double-checking and computer-assisted gravimetric control
Authors: Carrez Laurent , Bouchoud Lucie , Fleury-Souverain Sandrine , Combescure Christophe , Falaschi Ludivine , Sadeghipour Farshid , Bonnabry Pascal
Published: December 2015

Background and objectives

Centralized chemotherapy preparation units have established systematic strategies to avoid errors. Our work aimed to evaluate the accuracy of manual preparations associated with different control methods.

Method

A simulation study in an operational setting used phenylephrine and lidocaine as markers. Each operator prepared syringes that were controlled using a different method during each of three sessions (no control, visual double-checking, and gravimetric control). Eight reconstitutions and dilutions were prepared in each session, with variable doses and volumes, using different concentrations of stock solutions. Results were analyzed according to qualitative (choice of stock solution) and quantitative criteria (accurate, <5% deviation from the target concentration; weakly accurate, 5%–10%; inaccurate, 10%–30%; wrong, >30% deviation).

Results

Eleven operators carried out 19 sessions. No final preparation (n = 438) contained a wrong drug. The protocol involving no control failed to detect 1 of 3 dose errors made and double-checking failed to detect 3 of 7 dose errors. The gravimetric control method detected all 5 out of 5 dose errors. The accuracy of the doses measured was equivalent across the control methods ( p = 0.63 Kruskal–Wallis). The final preparations ranged from 58% to 60% accurate, 25% to 27% weakly accurate, 14% to 17% inaccurate and 0.9% wrong. A high variability was observed between operators.

Discussion

Gravimetric control was the only method able to detect all dose errors, but it did not improve dose accuracy. A dose accuracy with <5% deviation cannot always be guaranteed using manual production. Automation should be considered in the future.
Respondent Incentives in a National Face-to-face Survey
Authors: Grauenhorst Thomas , Blohm Michael , Koch Achim
Published: December 2015

Respondent incentives are a popular instrument to achieve higher response rates in surveys. However, the use of incentives is still a controversial topic in the methodological literature with regard to the possible reduction or increase in response quality. We conducted an experiment in a large-scale German face-to-face study in which the treatment group was promised a modest monetary incentive. We used different indicators of response quality and compared the incentivized group with the control group. Our results indicate that in general there are no systematic differences between the incentivized and the control group concerning response quality. We found some hints that specific subgroups react differently to incentives in terms of response behavior. While response quality usually tends to be lower for older respondents, we found that in the incentivized group the response quality is higher for older respondents as compared to younger ones regarding the level of item nonresponse.
Expression of Annexin A2 and Its Correlation With Drug Resistance and Recurrence of Bladder Cancer
Authors: Hu Huihui , Zhao Jin , Zhang Man
Published: December 2015

Objective:

To explore the expressions of annexin A2 in bladder cancer cell lines and bladder cancer tissues, we want to find the relationship among annexin A2, drug resistance, and recurrence of bladder cancer.

Methods:

Our laboratory established the PUMC-91 bladder cancer cell line against gradient concentration of Adriamycin (0.3, 0.6, and 1.0 μg/mL), and we also collected 60 cases of surgically resected bladder cancer recurrent tissue samples. The tissues were classified into 2 groups according to the frequency of recurrence (<6 months and >2 years) after initial surgery. The method of immunohistochemistry was used to examine the differences in the expression of annexin A2.

Results:

There were statistical differences in annexin A2 among normal bladder epithelial cell line SV-HUC-1, PUMC-91, PUMC-91 against 0.3 μg/mL Adriamycin, and PUMC-91 against 1.0 μg/mL Adriamycin ( P < .05). The expressions of Annexin A2 were found to be higher than those that recurred at >2 years ( P = .002) in the bladder cancer tissues and that recurred at <6 months after initial surgery. It was also associated with invasion depth (stage) of bladder cancer, such as higher expression in T2 (invasive muscular) group than Tis (carcinoma in situ) and T1 (invasive mucosa lamina propria) groups ( P = .003 and P = .000, respectively). But, it did not correlate with the differentiation (grade) of cancer cells in bladder cancer tissues ( P = .593).

Conclusion:

Annexin A2 can act as a valuable biomarker for predicting the drug resistance and recurrence of bladder cancer.
The Single Mother by Choice Myth
Authors: Hayford Sarah R. , Guzzo karen Benjamin
Published: December 2015

The “Single Mother by Choice” is far rarer than media depictions. A look at the numbers.
A fractional model to describe the Brownian motion of particles and its analytical solution
Authors: Yao Jing-Jing , Kumar Amit , Kumar Sunil
Published: December 2015

In this article, we apply a relatively modified analytic iterative method for solving a time-fractional Fokker–Planck equation subject to given constraints. The utilized method is a numerical technique based on the generalization of residual error function and then applying the generalized Taylor series formula. This method can be used as an alternative to obtain analytic solutions of different types of fractional partial differential equations such as Fokker–Planck equation applied in mathematics, physics, and engineering. The solutions of our equation are calculated in the form of a rapidly convergent series with easily computable components. The validity, potentiality, and practical usefulness of the proposed method have been demonstrated by applying it to several numerical examples. The results reveal that the proposed methodology is very useful and simple in determination of solution of the Fokker–Planck equation of fractional order.
Path planning of mobile robot by mixing experience with modified artificial potential field method
Authors: Min Huasong , Lin Yunhan , Wang Sijing , Wu Fan , Shen Xia
Published: December 2015

In this article, a new method is proposed to help the mobile robot to avoid many kinds of collisions effectively, which combined past experience with modified artificial potential field method. In the process of the actual global obstacle avoidance, system will invoke case-based reasoning algorithm using its past experience to achieve obstacle avoidance when obstacles are recognized as known type; otherwise, it will invoke the modified artificial potential field method to solve the current problem and the new case will also be retained into the case base. In case-based reasoning, we innovatively consider that all the complex obstacles are retrieved by two kinds of basic build-in obstacle models (linear obstacle and angle-type obstacle). Our proposed experience mixing with modified artificial potential field method algorithm has been simulated in MATLAB and implemented on actual mobile robot platform successfully. The result shows that the proposed method is applicable to the dynamic real-time obstacle avoidance under unknown and unstructured environment and greatly improved the performances of robot path planning not only to reduce the time consumption but also to shorten the moving distance.
The association between self-monitoring of blood glucose, hemoglobin A1C and testing patterns in community pharmacies
Authors: Mansell Kerry , Evans Charity , Tran David , Sevany Shellina
Published: December 2015

Objectives:

To determine if pharmacists providing advice on self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) to new meter users, based on the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs), resulted in improvements in A1C. SMBG testing patterns and pharmacist interactions were also observed.

Methods:

A cluster randomized, pilot study was performed, with pharmacies randomized to an intervention or control group. The intervention group provided SMBG education according to the CDA CPGs at baseline, 2 weeks, 1 month and 3 months; the control group provided usual care. The primary endpoint was the mean change in A1C measured at 6 months. Secondary endpoints included a description of SMBG patterns and lifestyle changes and were determined via a self-administered questionnaire.

Results:

Thirty-six participants (26 intervention, 10 control) were recruited from 9 pharmacies across Saskatchewan, Canada. Mean A1C decreased by −1.69 and −0.70 in the intervention and control groups, respectively ( p = 0.376). A total of 12 of 26 (46.2%) participants in the intervention group indicated they performed SMBG ≥7 times per week; 75% (9/12) of these were controlled by lifestyle or metformin alone. When applicable, most participants in the intervention group indicated they perform SMBG with exercise (62.5%), during illness (62.5%) and with hypoglycemic symptoms (81.3%) compared with 33.3%, 42.9% and 42.9% in the control group, respectively. Most participants in the intervention group (20/26; 76.9%) reported making lifestyle changes as a result of speaking with the pharmacist, with all indicating that they maintained these changes at 6 months.

Conclusions:

The results of this pilot study indicate that a larger study examining pharmacist interventions related to SMBG is feasible. Future studies are required to determine patient motivations and further evaluate the role of pharmacists in ensuring best practices to positively influence guideline-based blood glucose monitoring.
Case series of necrotizing fasciitis presenting to the Department of Emergency Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, from 2006 to 2012
Authors: Pek Jen Heng , Poh Juliana , Seth Puneet
Published: December 2015

Introduction:

We aim to review the clinical course of patients with necrotizing fasciitis (NF) presenting to the emergency department, hence determining the need for close monitoring for deterioration, and the need for urgent and rapid surgical intervention.

Methods:

A retrospective review of electronic medical records of patients with the main diagnosis of NF presenting to the Department of Emergency Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, from 2006 to 2012 was performed. Data was collected in standardized forms and used for analysis. Patients’ demographics, LRINEC scores, time to disposition, and clinical course and outcome were reviewed.

Results:

A total of 27 cases with the main diagnosis of NF were reviewed. The median age was 56 years (range 20–79). Twenty-four (88.9%) cases had significant underlying comorbidities. Only 18 (66.7%) cases had a LRINEC score of six or more, mandating careful evaluation for NF. Seven (25.9%) cases were managed in the resuscitation room, with median time taken from registration to resuscitation room being 14 min (range 0–231). Four (14.8%) cases were sent to the operation theater from the emergency department with a median time 321.5 min (range 286–436). Case fatality rate in this series was 14.8%.

Conclusions:

NF can result in gross morbidity and mortality if not treated in the early stages. The emergency physician needs to have a high index of suspicion to recognize the disease early and initiate prompt resuscitative efforts in septic patients, including urgent referral for surgical debridement.
Down syndrome increases hospital length of stay in children with bronchiolitis
Authors: Ting Teck Wah , Chan Hiok Yang , Wong Petrina Poh Chen , Testoni Daniela , Lee Jan Hau
Published: December 2015

Background:

Children with Down syndrome have an increased burden of respiratory infections. We hypothesized that children with Down syndrome hospitalized for bronchiolitis would stay longer compared with children without Down syndrome.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective case–control study of children with Down syndrome who were hospitalized for bronchiolitis in Singapore from 2004 to 2012.

Results:

There were 27 and 43 admissions in the Down syndrome and control groups respectively. More children with Down syndrome had congenital heart defects (14 (52%) vs. none in controls). Children with Down syndrome stayed longer in hospital compared with controls (7 (interquartile range (IQR) 5–14) vs. 3 (IQR 2–4) days, p<0.001). In a subgroup analysis of patients without or surgically corrected congenital heart defects, children with Down syndrome still had a longer stay (6 (IQR 5–8) vs. 3 (IQR 2–4) days, p<0.001).

Conclusion:

Our study suggests that children with Down syndrome hospitalized for bronchiolitis stayed longer in hospital compared with those without Down syndrome.
Short term effectiveness of haloperidol versus risperidone in first-episode schizophrenia
Authors: Chee Ashwin Weng Seng , Abidin Edimansyah bin , Verma Swapna Kamal
Published: December 2015

Aim:

The supposed superiority of second-generation antipsychotic medication over first-generation antipsychotic medication has been challenged recently by several studies. This naturalistic retrospective study aims to compare outcomes between patients admitted for the first time with first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorders who were started on either haloperidol or risperidone. Would choice of antipsychotic affect length of admission and three-month outcome?

Methods:

Seventy-seven patients from the Early Psychosis Intervention Programme at the Institute of Mental Health were included in this study. Length of stay was obtained from hospital electronic records. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores at three months were used to assess severity of psychopathology and level of functioning respectively. A secondary analysis was also done to measure time to discontinuation for any reason.

Results:

There was a significant reduction in PANSS total, positive, negative and general psychopathology scores in both groups at three months, with the patients on risperidone showing a greater reduction in PANSS negative scores compared to the patients on haloperidol. However, there were no statistically significant differences between length of hospitalization and total PANSS score at three months between the two groups. Time to discontinuation was longer in the risperidone group compared to the haloperidol group.

Conclusion:

The findings of this study suggest that risperidone has a better effect on negative symptoms and is better tolerated, resulting in a longer time to discontinuation. Thus, starting a patient with first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorder on risperidone would result in a better short-term outcome as compared to starting the same patient on haloperidol.
The use and impact of 12-lead electrocardiograms in acute stroke patients: A systematic review
Authors: Munro Scott FS , Cooke Debbie , Kiln-Barfoot Valerie , Quinn Tom
Published: December 2015

Background:

Stroke is a leading cause of mortality and disability across the globe. Emergency Medical Services assess and transport a large number of these patients in the prehospital setting. Guidelines for UK ambulance services recommend recording a 12-lead electrocardiogram in the prehospital environment, providing this does not add to significant delay in transporting the patient to hospital; however, this recommendation is not based on any evidence.

Methods:

A systematic review was conducted to search and synthesise the literature surrounding the use of prehospital electrocardiograms in acute stroke patients, focusing on the prevalence of abnormalities and their association with prognosis and outcome. Online databases, references from selected articles and hand searches were made to identify eligible studies. Two authors independently reviewed the studies to ensure eligibility criteria were met. Main outcomes were presence of abnormality on electrocardiogram, mortality and disability. No studies set in the prehospital environment were found by the search; therefore the eligibility criteria were widened to include hospital-based studies. A total of 18 studies were subsequently included in the review.

Results:

Although the prevalence of electrocardiogram abnormalities appears common in hospitalised patients, their prognostic impact on mortality, disability and other adverse outcomes is conflicting amongst the literature. There is a lack of research surrounding the use of prehospital electrocardiogram in acute stroke patients.

Conclusion:

Future studies should be based in the prehospital environment and should investigate whether undertaking an electrocardiogram in the prehospital setting affects clinical management decisions or has an association with mortality or morbidity.
Older and Wiser? Facebook Use, Privacy Concern, and Privacy Protection in the Life Stages of Emerging, Young, and Middle Adulthood
Authors: Van den Broeck Evert , Poels Karolien , Walrave Michel
Published: December 2015

A large part of research conducted on privacy concern and protection on social networking sites (SNSs) concentrates on children and adolescents. Individuals in these developmental stages are often described as vulnerable Internet users. But how vulnerable are adults in terms of online informational privacy? This study applied a privacy boundary management approach and investigated Facebook use, privacy concern, and the application of privacy settings on Facebook by linking the results to Erikson’s three stages of adulthood: emerging, young, and middle adulthood. An online survey was distributed among 18- to 65-year-old Dutch-speaking adults ( N = 508, 51.8% females). Analyses revealed clear differences between the three adult age groups in terms of privacy concern, Facebook use, and privacy protection. Results indicated that respondents in young adulthood and middle adulthood were more vulnerable in terms of privacy protection than emerging adults. Clear discrepancies were found between privacy concern and protection for these age groups. More particularly, the middle adulthood group was more concerned about their privacy in comparison to the emerging adulthood and young adulthood group. Yet, they reported to use privacy settings less frequently than the younger age groups. Emerging adults were found to be pragmatic and privacy conscious SNS users. Young adults occupied the intermediate position, suggesting a developmental shift. The impact of generational differences is discussed, as well as implications for education and governmental action.
The Problem of Citizens: E-Democracy for Actually Existing Democracy
Authors: Kreiss Daniel
Published: December 2015

This article argues that many contemporary e-democracy projects, particularly in the United States, have at their heart a model of atomistic, independent, rational, and general-interest citizens. As such, these projects, variously grouped under the labels of e-governance, online deliberation, open government, and civic technology, often assume a broad shared consensus about collective definitions of “public problems” that both does not exist and sidesteps debates over what these problems are and what potential solutions can and should be. Drawing on recent theories of political parties, social identity, and cultural cognition, this article argues that e-democracy efforts need to account for the fact that the citizens practitioners appeal to see themselves by default as members of social groups, and that this has implications for politics and what Jasanoff calls “civic epistemology.” Presenting the case of attempting to change Republican opinions about climate change, I argue that e-democracy initiatives should seek to foster collaboration and deliberation within, not between, parties and among partisans. To do so, e-democratic reformers need to explicitly structure the collaborative and deliberative environment so there is a range of intra-party opinions and beliefs as part of the consultative and policy-making process.
Assessing Music Students’ Motivation Using the MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation Inventory
Authors: Parkes Kelly A. , Jones Brett D. , Wilkins Jesse L. M.
Published: December 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of using a motivation inventory with music students in upper-elementary, middle, and high school. We used the middle/high school version of the MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation Inventory to survey 93 students in the 5th to 12th grades in one school. Our analysis revealed the inventory produced reliable and valid scores on the five MUSIC scales (MUSIC is an acronym for empowerment, usefulness, success, interest, and caring). Findings provide empirical evidence to support the validity of the five-factor structure of the MUSIC Model of Motivation for music students. Thus, the inventory may be used by music teachers as a reliable means to assess students’ motivation-related perceptions. We provide several strategies that music teachers can consider in designing instruction to be consistent with each component of the MUSIC model, as well as possible implications.
Brca1 deficiency causes bone marrow failure and spontaneous hematologic malignancies in mice
Authors: Vasanthakumar Aparna , Arnovitz Stephen , Marquez Rafael , Lepore Janet , Rafidi George , Asom Anase , Weatherly Madison , Davis Elizabeth M. , Neistadt Barbara , Duszynski Robert , Vardiman James W. , Le Beau Michelle M. , Godley Lucy A. , Churpek Jane E.
Published: December 2015

Key Points

Brca1 deficiency causes Fanconi anemia–like cytopenias, mitomycin C hypersensitivity, and spontaneous bone marrow failure. Brca1 is critical for the maintenance of normal hematopoietic progenitor function and genomic stability in the bone marrow.
Targeting of the bone marrow microenvironment improves outcome in a murine model of myelodysplastic syndrome
Authors: Balderman Sophia R. , Li Allison J. , Hoffman Corey M. , Frisch Benjamin J. , Goodman Alexandra N. , LaMere Mark W. , Georger Mary A. , Evans Andrew G. , Liesveld Jane L. , Becker Michael W. , Calvi Laura M.
Published: December 2015

Key Points

An in vivo model of MDS displays time-dependent defects in HSPCs and in microenvironmental populations. Normalization of the marrow microenvironment alters disease progression and transformation and improves hematopoietic function.