bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Acoustic Tomography Technique for Concurrently Observing the Structure of the Atmosphere and Water Bodies
Authors: Finn Anthony , Rogers Kevin
Published: November 2016

The opacity of water to radio waves means there are few, if any, techniques for remotely sensing it and the atmosphere concurrently. However, both these media are transparent to low-frequency sound (<300 Hz), which makes it possible to contemplate systems that take advantage of the natural integration along acoustic paths of signals propagating through both media. This paper proposes—and examines with theoretical analysis—a method that exploits the harmonics generated by the natural signature of a propeller-driven aircraft as it overflies an array of surface and underwater sensors. Correspondence of the projected and observed narrowband acoustic signals, which are monitored synchronously on board the aircraft and by both sensor sets, allows the exact travel time of detected rays to be related to a linear model of the constituent terms of sound speed. These observations may then be inverted using tomography to determine the inhomogeneous structures of both regions. As the signature of the aircraft comprises a series of harmonics between 50 Hz and 1 kHz, the horizontal detection limits of such a system may be up to a few hundred meters, depending on the depth of the sensors, roughness of the water surface, errors due to refraction, and magnitude of the sound field generated by the source aircraft. The approach would permit temperature, wind, and current velocity profiles to be observed both above and below the water’s surface.
The Probability Anomaly Correlation and Calibration of Probabilistic Forecasts
Authors: van den Dool Huug , Becker Emily , Chen Li-Chuan , Zhang Qin
Published: November 2016

An ordinary regression of predicted versus observed probabilities is presented as a direct and simple procedure for minimizing the Brier score (BS) and improving the attributes diagram. The main example applies to seasonal prediction of extratropical sea surface temperature by a global coupled numerical model. In connection with this calibration procedure, the probability anomaly correlation (PAC) is developed. This emphasizes the exact analogy of PAC and minimizing BS to the widely used anomaly correlation (AC) and minimizing mean squared error in physical units.
Efficacy and Safety of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Elderly Patients in the Second-Generation Drug-Eluting Stent Era: The SHINANO Registry
Authors: Miura Takashi , Miyashita Yusuke , Motoki Hirohiko , Kobayashi Hideki , Kobayashi Masanori , Nakajima Hiroyuki , Kimura Hikaru , Akanuma Hiroshi , Mawatari Eiichiro , Sato Toshio , Hotta Shoji , Kamiyoshi Yuichi , Maruyama Takuya , Watanabe Noboru , Eisawa Takayuki , Aso Shinichi , Hashizume Naoto , Ebisawa Soichiro , Ikeda Uichi
Published: November 2016

Background:

We evaluated the 1-year outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for elderly patients (aged ≥ 80 years) in the second-generation drug-eluting stent (DES) era.

Methods and Results:

Between August 2012 and July 2013, 1923 consecutive patients (mean age, 71 ± 11 years; ≥80 years, 23%; men, 77%) who underwent 2250 elective/urgent PCI procedures were enrolled in the Shinshu Prospective Multicenter Analysis for Elderly Patients with Coronary Artery Disease Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention registry. The primary end point was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs; cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke) at 1 year. The 1-year incidence of MACEs, cardiac death, and stroke was significantly higher in elderly patients than in nonelderly patients (12.4% vs 5.3%, P < .0001; 7.8% vs 2.2%, P < .0001; and 2.8% vs 1.3%, P = .033, respectively). However, no significant difference in elective PCI procedures was detected. In elderly patients, the incidence of cardiac death and target lesion revascularization was significantly lower for DES than for non-DES (2.7% vs 10.5%, P = .0001 and 4.1% vs 8.6%, P = .029, respectively).

Conclusion:

Although elderly patients had a significantly poorer prognosis than younger patients, the adverse events rate was comparable in those patients who underwent elective PCI in the second-generation DES era.
Social and emotional education with Australian Year 7 and 8 middle school students: A pilot study
Authors: Midford Richard , Cahill Helen , Geng Gretchen , Leckning Bernard , Robinson Gary , Te Ava Aue
Published: November 2016

Objective:

This pilot study sought to better understand what can be achieved by an evidence-based classroom social and emotional education programme.

Design and Methods:

A 10-lesson, classroom-based programme that taught about emotional literacy, personal strengths, coping and problem-solving strategies, stress management, emotional regulation and support seeking was provided to 56 students in Years 7 (13 years) and 8 (14 years) in an Australian middle school. Teachers were trained to deliver the programme, with participatory modelling of each activity. Before and after delivery of the programme, students were surveyed for their social and emotional wellbeing using the Kessler 10 (K10) instrument for non-specific psychological distress; the ‘Internal Assets’, ‘School Resources’ and ‘Cooperation and Communication’ questions from the Resilience and Youth Development Module (RYDM) of the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS); and questions developed for this study on class connectedness and social and emotional skills. Subsequent to programme completion, focus groups were conducted with teachers and participating students to gauge programme fidelity, utility and engagement.

Results:

There was an improvement in psychological distress that approached significance ( t = 2, df = 42, p = .053), although the symptomatic score remained in the range indicative of medium-level distress. Cooperation and communication improved significantly ( t = −2.34, df = 42, p = .024) as did class connectedness ( t = −2.46, df = 43, p = .018). There was no change in individual resilience factors, school protective factors, or social and emotional skills. The focus groups were generally positive about the programme, but indicated fidelity was compromised, mainly because the lesson periods were too short.

Conclusion:

While this small-scale pilot study has a number of limitations, it does indicate the need to improve the psychological wellbeing of middle school students. The findings also provide evidence that brief social and emotional education programmes can have some positive effects.
Negotiating structural inequalities: Marriage, sexuality, and domesticity in Mridula Garg’s Chittacobra
Authors: Arora Bharti
Published: November 2016

The patriarchal, virilocal, patrilineal structure of the family in India not only exploits class upper-caste/middle-class women’s claims to equality within marriage but also renders their sexuality as particularly tied to the reproductive project of heterosexuality. Moreover, the institutionalization of marriage produces asymmetrical gendered relations to an extent that women are reduced to being men’s property and possession, rigidly placed under their sexual ownership. This is mirrored and upheld by the institutional structures of the nation, especially the legislative and adjudicatory framework and how it approaches marriage, incidents of extra-marital affairs, divorce, legitimate progeny, and varied property laws. The latest example of this is the Government Ordinance rejecting the recommendations by the Justice J. S. Verma Committee to criminalize marital rape. Thus, the patriarchal biases inherent in the structures of the nation-state are not willing to reconsider marriage and women’s negotiation of their sexuality out of the hegemonic framework that naturalizes consent. Through a reading of Mridula Garg’s Chittacobra, this article focuses on the discourses around sexuality and intimacy within and outside the institution of marriage, highlighting how the gendered biases endorsed by the family–community–nation continuum negate other modes of identifying relationships and concerns of sexuality that may rest on mediation of lived experience and individual subjectivities. Although first published in 1979, the concerns raised by Garg in Chittacobra significantly illustrate how patriarchal institutions like marriage, even as late as the contemporary context, operate with categories like good and bad women, constantly rendering them fluid and temporal, offering an insight into and interrogating the concomitant structures of the violence inherent in this intimacy.
Estrogen-Induced Monocytic Response Correlates with Temporomandibular Disorder Pain: A Case Control Study
Authors: Ribeiro-Dasilva M.C. , Fillingim R.B. , Wallet S.M.
Published: November 2016

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are a set of conditions characterized by pain and dysfunction in the temporomandibular joint and muscles of mastication. These pain conditions are associated with considerable morbidity, societal costs, and reduced quality of life. The prevalence varies between 4% and 10%, with females at higher risk, and a higher prevalence occurs during reproductive years. The increased prevalence of TMD in females and low prevalence in childhood reinforce that sex hormones, like estrogen, play an important, complex role in the pathophysiology of these disorders. The goal of this study was to determine whether women with TMD exhibit a monocytic hyperinflammatory response compared with control women, and to examine associations of monocytic inflammatory responses with clinical pain. Eighteen women, aged 18 to 35 y, were seen during their follicular menstrual phase. A blood sample was collected, a clinical questionnaire about pain history was administered, and a Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) exam was performed. Extracted monocytes were stimulated with the toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 ligand, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), in the presence and absence of estrogen, and the levels of IL6 expression evaluated. Women with TMD showed a systemic hyperinflammatory phenotype, manifested by an increased monocytic release of cytokines after an inflammatory insult, and this was further increased by estrogen. In addition, monocytes from participants who self-reported more pain on the VAS scale produced higher levels of IL6 compared with those from participants who self-reported lower pain sensitivity. These data suggest that an estrogen-induced hyperinflammatory phenotype in women with TMD may at least in part contribute to heightened clinical pain, perhaps via central sensitization.
Neonatal Satellite Cells Form Small Myotubes In Vitro
Authors: Carvajal Monroy P.L. , Grefte S. , Kuijpers-Jagtman A.M. , Von den Hoff J.W. , Wagener F.A.D.T.G.
Published: November 2016

Although palatal muscle reconstruction in patients with cleft palate takes place during early childhood, normal speech development is often not achieved. We hypothesized that the intrinsic properties of head satellite cells (SCs) and the young age of these patients contribute to the poor muscle regeneration after surgery. First, we studied the fiber type distribution and the expression of SC markers in ex vivo muscle tissue from head (branchiomeric) and limb (somite-derived) muscles from neonatal (2-wk-old) and young (9-wk-old) rats. Next, we cultured SCs isolated from these muscles for 5, 7, and 9 d, and investigated the in vitro expression of SC markers, as well as changes in proliferation, early differentiation, and fusion index (myotube formation) in these cells. In our ex vivo samples, we found that virtually all myofibers in both the masseter (Mass) and the levator veli palatini (LVP) muscles contained fast myosin heavy chain (MyHC), and a small percentage of digastric (Dig) and extensor digitorum longus myofibers also contained slow MyHC. This was independent of age. More SCs were found in muscles from neonatal rats as compared with young rats [17.6 (3.8%) v. 2.3 (1.6%); P < 0.0001]. In vitro, young branchiomeric head muscle (BrHM) SCs proliferated longer and differentiated later than limb muscle SCs. No differences were found between SC cultures from the different BrHMs. SC cultures from neonatal muscles showed a much higher proliferation index than those from young animals at 5 d (0.8 v. 0.2; P < 0.001). In contrast, the fusion index in neonate SCs was about twice as low as that in SCs from young muscles at 9 d [27.6 (1.4) v. 62.8 (10.2), P < 0.0001]. In conclusion, SCs from BrHM differ from limb muscles especially in their delayed differentiation. SCs from neonatal muscles form myotubes less efficiently than those from young muscles. These age-dependent differences in stem cell properties urge careful consideration for future clinical applications in patients with cleft palate.
A Multisite Randomized Block Experiment on the Seamless System of Care Model for Drug-Involved Probationers
Authors: Wooditch Alese , Sloas Lincoln B. , Taxman Faye S.
Published: November 2016

This multisite randomized block experiment examines the efficacy of the seamless system of care for probationers (an integrated probation model combined with substance abuse treatment intervention onsite at a probation office). The sample consists of 251 drug-involved probationers randomized into probation with referral to community treatment or the seamless system of care. Key outcomes are examined over a 1-year period by recidivism risk level. When compared with probationers in the control group, the findings are that those in the seamless system of care group had fewer drug use days overall, less alcohol consumption, improved treatment initiation and adherence, but a higher number of days incarcerated. Low-risk seamless system participants had the most favorable outcomes compared with other study conditions. This study demonstrates the importance of tailoring interventions to the risk level of the probationer, and that the seamless system works better for lower risk offenders with substance use disorders.
A Taxonomy of Instructional Learning Opportunities in Teachers’ Workgroup Conversations
Authors: Horn Ilana Seidel , Garner Brette , Kane Britnie Delinger , Brasel Jason
Published: November 2016

Many school-improvement efforts include time for teacher collaboration, with the assumption that teachers’ collective work supports instructional improvement. However, not all collaboration equally supports learning that would support improvement. As a part of a 5-year study in two urban school districts, we collected video records of more than 100 mathematics teacher workgroup meetings in 16 different middle schools, selected as “best cases” of teacher collaboration. Building off of earlier discursive analyses of teachers’ collegial learning, we developed a taxonomy to describe how conversational processes differentially support teachers’ professional learning. We used the taxonomy to code our corpus, with each category signaling different learning opportunities. In this article, we present the taxonomy, illustrate the categories, and report the overall dearth of meetings with rich learning opportunities, even in this purposively sampled data set. This taxonomy provides a coding scheme for other researchers, as well as a map for workgroup facilitators aiming to deepen collaborative conversations.
Residents Open Their Homes to Tourists When Disaster Strikes
Authors: Hajibaba Homa , Karlsson Logi , Dolnicar Sara
Published: November 2016

Residents are key stakeholders of tourism destinations. Yet, to date, no study has investigated if and how residents can contribute to destination recovery when a disaster hits. The emergence of peer-to-peer networks offers an efficient platform for residents to open their homes to displaced tourists. Such help is particularly critical if key tourist infrastructure is severely damaged. But are residents willing to open their homes and help in other ways? The present study adopts a scenario-based survey research design, including Australians who live in tourism regions and Australian tourists. Results indicate that (1) segments of residents willing to support the tourism industry in disaster situations exist, and (2) tourists are willing to accept residents’ offers of support. The more immediate the emergency, the higher the willingness to help and accept help. These insights point to the potential of involving residents in destination recovery efforts.
Conceptualizing the Tensions Evoked by Gender Integration in the Military
Authors: Heinecken Lindy
Published: November 2016

The South African military has adopted an assertive affirmative action campaign to ensure that women are represented across all ranks and branches. This has brought about new tensions in terms of gender integration, related to issues of equal opportunities and meritocracy as well as the accommodation of gender difference and alternative values. The argument is made that the management of gender integration from a gender-neutral perspective cannot bring about gender equality, as it obliges women to conform to and assimilate masculine traits. This affects women’s ability to function as equals, especially where feminine traits are not valued, where militarized masculinities are privileged and where women are othered in ways that contribute to their subordination. Under such conditions, it is exceedingly difficult for women to bring about a more androgynous military culture espoused by gender mainstreaming initiatives and necessary for the type of missions military personnel are engaged in today.
The Philanthropic Turn of Religions in Post-Mao China: Bureaucratization, Professionalization, and the Making of a Moral Subject
Authors: Wu Keping
Published: November 2016

Religious philanthropy has grown steadily as a social force in post-Mao China. This article explores the interactions between religious policy and religious philanthropy to understand the transformations at the levels of the state, religious groups, and individuals. State policy toward religion has shifted significantly since the 1980s; however, religious groups initiated philanthropic practices in various forms long before state policies were in place. Recent regulations calling on the “religion sector” to contribute to the larger society have not only aimed at shedding the burdens of the socialist state but also demanded more transparency and accountability of religious groups. Based on fieldwork in Jiangsu province from 2006 to 2014, this article argues that religious groups have experienced increasing bureaucratization and professionalization with this turn to philanthropy, and these same processes have led individuals to participate in new forms of religious moral subject-making that draw on and go beyond “doing good deeds.”
A Model of Adaptive Mobilization: Implications of the CCP’s Diaoyan Politics
Authors: Tsai Wen-Hsuan , Chung Yen-Lin
Published: November 2016

Diaoyan (investigation and research) occupies a special place in the politics of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The concept can be broken down into two distinct types: symbolic diaoyan, and standard diaoyan. The former refers to the phenomenon of top leaders promoting and initiating the coordinated implementation of a particular political line. Leaders first promote their ideas through symbolic trips and speeches, and observe the extent of support for their political line within the ranks of the party elite. If support is forthcoming, the leader will then mobilize other central leaders to carry out standard diaoyan. This refers to investigation carried out by the central leaders into their own area of political responsibility within the scope of this overarching political line, with the aim of accumulating information and model experiences to inform specific policy decisions. These two types function in tandem: symbolic diaoyan promotes an abstract political line, and standard diaoyan fleshes out its substance. This article uses the term “adaptive mobilization model” to denote the use of diaoyan in the CCP’s policy making, and discusses two specific cases of Hu Jintao’s Scientific Outlook on Development and Xi Jinping’s China Dream to illustrate how regime adaptation and legitimization of the political line occur through the process of diaoyan.
Composite adaptive dynamic surface control of nonlinear systems in parametric strict-feedback form
Authors: Soukkou Yassine , Labiod Salim , Tadjine Mohamed
Published: November 2016

In this paper, a composite adaptive dynamic surface control scheme is developed for a class of parametric strict-feedback nonlinear systems. The proposed composite adaptation law uses both the surface error and the estimation error to update the parameters. In addition, by using the dynamic surface control technique, the problem of the explosion of complexity in the adaptive backstepping design is avoided. It is proved that the proposed scheme guarantees uniform ultimate boundedness of all signals in the closed-loop system with arbitrary small surface error by adjusting the design parameters. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach for an electrohydraulic actuator system.
I Am Aware of My Inconsistencies but Can Tolerate Them
Authors: Itzchakov Guy , Kluger Avraham N. , Castro Dotan R.
Published: November 2016

We examined how listeners characterized by empathy and a non-judgmental approach affect speakers’ attitude structure. We hypothesized that high quality listening decreases speakers’ social anxiety, which in turn reduces defensive processing. This reduction in defensive processing was hypothesized to result in an awareness of contradictions (increased objective-attitude ambivalence), and decreased attitude extremity. Moreover, we hypothesized that experiencing high quality listening would enable speakers to tolerate contradictory responses, such that listening would attenuate the association between objective- and subjective-attitude ambivalence. We obtained consistent support for our hypotheses across four laboratory experiments that manipulated listening experience in different ways on a range of attitude topics. The effects of listening on objective-attitude ambivalence were stronger for higher dispositional social anxiety and initial objective-attitude ambivalence (Study 4). Overall, the results suggest that speakers’ attitude structure can be changed by a heretofore unexplored interpersonal variable: merely providing high quality listening.
Critical Values for Yen’s Q3: Identification of Local Dependence in the Rasch Model Using Residual Correlations
Authors: Christensen Karl Bang , Makransky Guido , Horton Mike
Published: November 2016

The assumption of local independence is central to all item response theory (IRT) models. Violations can lead to inflated estimates of reliability and problems with construct validity. For the most widely used fit statistic Q3, there are currently no well-documented suggestions of the critical values which should be used to indicate local dependence (LD), and for this reason, a variety of arbitrary rules of thumb are used. In this study, an empirical data example and Monte Carlo simulation were used to investigate the different factors that can influence the null distribution of residual correlations, with the objective of proposing guidelines that researchers and practitioners can follow when making decisions about LD during scale development and validation. A parametric bootstrapping procedure should be implemented in each separate situation to obtain the critical value of LD applicable to the data set, and provide example critical values for a number of data structure situations. The results show that for the Q3 fit statistic, no single critical value is appropriate for all situations, as the percentiles in the empirical null distribution are influenced by the number of items, the sample size, and the number of response categories. Furthermore, the results show that LD should be considered relative to the average observed residual correlation, rather than to a uniform value, as this results in more stable percentiles for the null distribution of an adjusted fit statistic.
Choline Protects Against Intestinal Failure–Associated Liver Disease in Parenteral Nutrition–Fed Immature Rats
Authors: Zhu Jie , Lu Ting , Chen Fei , Yan Junkai , Chen Fan , Zhang Qiaosen , Wang Jifan , Yan Weihui , Yu Tingxi , Tang Qingya , Cai Wei
Published: November 2016

Background: Deficiency of choline, a required nutrient, is related to intestinal failure–associated liver disease (IFALD). Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effects of choline supplementation on IFALD and the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Male Sprague‐Dawley rats (4 weeks old) were fed AIN‐93G chow and administered intravenous 0.9% saline (control), parenteral nutrition (PN), or PN plus intravenous choline (600 mg/kg) for 7 days. We evaluated body weight, hepatic histology, biochemical indicators, triglycerides, oxidative status, methylation levels of peroxisomal proliferator‐activated receptor alpha (PPARα) gene promoter, expression of PPARα and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1), and levels of choline metabolites. Results: The PN + choline group exhibited improved body weight compared with the PN group. PN impaired hepatic function, increased hepatic triglycerides, induced dyslipidemia, enhanced reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde, and reduced total antioxidant capacity. The PN group had higher pathologic scores than the control group. These results were prevented by choline administration. Compared with the control group, PN increased PPARα promoter methylation and hepatic betaine concentration, reduced hepatic choline and phosphatidylcholine (PC) levels, decreased plasma choline and betaine concentrations, and downregulated PPARα and CPT1 mRNA and protein expression. Choline supplementation elevated hepatic choline and PC levels and enhanced plasma choline, betaine, and PC concentrations but reduced hepatic betaine level, reversed PPARα promoter hypermethylation, and upregulated PPARα and CPT1 mRNA and protein expression in PN‐fed rats, compared with rats receiving PN alone. Conclusion: Choline addition to PN may prevent IFALD by reducing oxidative stress, enhancing hepatic fat export, and promoting fatty acid catabolism in immature rats receiving PN.
Routinergency: Domestic securitization in contemporary Israel
Authors: Shapiro Matan , Bird-David Nurit
Published: November 2016

The Israeli law obliges the construction of bomb shelters as integrated rooms within every residential unit throughout the country. Based on 12 months of fieldwork and extensive interviews with both Jewish–Israeli and Arab–Palestinian citizens of Israel, we argue that the mundane presence and use of these everyday-cum-security spaces has produced a new civilian sensibility towards securitization, which we call ‘ routinergency’: the naturalization of security emergency as intrinsic to the flow of routine life. We demonstrate that while the privatization of domestic securitization affords reliable protection to every citizen, routinergency also excludes Arab–Palestinians from the ethnonational boundaries that still inform the constitution of collective identities in Israel. Yet, as embodied practice, routinergency also enables access to a universal form of citizenship in Israel, which is premised on socioeconomic criticism of Zionist discourse. We use the topological metaphor of a Mobius strip to discuss how mamad rooms accentuate the contemporary tension in Israel between these ethnonational and neoliberal vectors of citizenship.
Urban association rules: Uncovering linked trips for shopping behavior
Authors: Yoshimura Yuji , Sobolevsky Stanislav , Bautista Hobin Juan N , Ratti Carlo , Blat Josep
Published: November 2016

In this article, we introduce the method of urban association rules and its uses for extracting frequently appearing combinations of stores that are visited together to characterize shoppers’ behaviors. The Apriori algorithm is used to extract the association rules (i.e. if -> result) from customer transaction datasets in a market-basket analysis. An application to our large-scale and anonymized bank card transaction dataset enables us to output linked trips for shopping all over the city: the method enables us to predict the other shops most likely to be visited by a customer given a particular shop that was already visited as an input. In addition, our methodology can consider all transaction activities conducted by customers for a whole city. This approach enables us to uncover not only simple linked trips such as transition movements between stores but also the edge weight for each linked trip in the specific district. Thus, the proposed methodology can complement conventional research methods. Enhancing understanding of people’s shopping behaviors could be useful for city authorities and urban practitioners for effective urban management. The results also help individual retailers to rearrange their services by accommodating the needs of their customers’ habits to enhance their shopping experience.
Reexamining the Acculturation Gap: The Relationship Between the Bidimensional Parent-Adolescent Gap and Risky Behavior Among Mexican-Heritage Adolescents
Authors: Marsiglia Flavio F. , Kiehne Elizabeth , Ayers Stephanie L.
Published: November 2016

Elevated rates of risky behavior among Latino youth have been linked to features of acculturation such as discrepant rates of acculturation between parents and adolescents. This study examined how parent-adolescent mainstream and Mexican cultural gaps are differentially related to adolescent risky behavior through family conflict, parental monitoring, and parental involvement among Mexican immigrant families. Contrary to the acculturation gap–distress hypothesis, family conflict did not mediate the relationship between acculturation gaps and adolescent risky behavior. Whereas the mainstream cultural gap was associated with less risky adolescent behavior through increased parental monitoring and involvement, the opposite relationship emerged for the Mexican cultural gap. Findings are discussed in relation to the acculturation gap–distress model and the broader parent-child relationship context. Findings illuminate the practical, theoretical, and empirical importance of recognizing Mexican-heritage youth as embedded within an influential family milieu situated in a culturally plural context.
Percutaneous CT fluoroscopy-guided core biopsy of pancreatic lesions: technical and clinical outcome of 104 procedures during a 10-year period
Authors: Strobl Frederik Franz , Schwarz Jens Benjamin , Haeussler Sophia Marie , Paprottka Philipp Marius , Rist Carsten , Thierfelder Kolja Martin , Boeck Stefan , Heinemann Volker , Reiser Maximilian Ferdinand , Trumm Christoph Gregor
Published: November 2016

Background

In unclear pancreatic lesions, a tissue sample can confirm or exclude the suspected diagnosis and help to provide an optimal treatment strategy to each patient. To date only one small study reported on the outcome of computed tomography (CT) fluoroscopy-guided biopsies of the pancreas.

Purpose

To evaluate technical success and diagnostic rate of all CT fluoroscopy-guided core biopsies of the pancreas performed in a single university center during a 10-year period.

Material and Methods

In this retrospective study we included all patients who underwent a CT fluoroscopy-guided biopsy of a pancreatic mass at our comprehensive cancer center between 2005 and 2014. All interventions were performed under local anesthesia on a 16-row or 128-row CT scanner. Technical success and diagnostic rates as well as complications and effective patient radiation dose were analyzed.

Results

One hundred and one patients (54 women; mean age, 63.9 ± 12.6 years) underwent a total of 104 CT fluoroscopy-guided biopsies of the pancreas. Ninety-eight of 104 interventions (94.2%) could be performed with technical success and at least one tissue sample could be obtained. In 88 of these 98 samples, a definitive pathological diagnosis, consistent with clinical success could be achieved (89.8%). Overall 19 minor and three major complications occurred during the intra- or 30-day post-interventional period and all other interventions could be performed without complications; there was no death attributable to the intervention.

Conclusion

CT fluoroscopy-guided biopsy of pancreatic lesions is an effective procedure characterized by a low major complication and a high diagnostic rate.
Prevalence of congenital coronary artery anomalies as shown by multi-slice computed tomography coronary angiography: a single-centre study from Turkey
Authors: Tongut Aybala , Özyedek Zeki , Çerezci İsmail , Erentürk Selim , Hatemi Ali Can
Published: November 2016

Objective

Coronary artery anomaly (CAA) is a remarkable etiological factor for sudden cardiac death in young adults. The incidence of CAA is unknown, with most reliable data available based on postmortem/angiography investigations. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of different forms of coronary anomalies, and to investigate the relationships between demographic data and occurrence of CAA.

Methods

A total of 2401 consecutive patients (1805 men; mean age, 56 ± 11.7 years), who were referred between January 2005 and December 2008 for noninvasive multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) imaging, were retrospectively analysed.

Results

A total of 225 cases (191 men; mean age, 55.9 ± 12) of CAAs were identified (9.37%). Because 11 patients had multiple muscular bridges of the coronary arteries, 236 coronary artery anomalies were found in these 225 patients. Cases were classified into three groups: group 1, coronary anomalies of origin and distribution (n = 36, 1.5%); group 2, anomalies of intrinsic coronary arterial anatomy (n = 180, 7.49%); and group 3, anomalies of coronary termination (n = 9, 0.4%).

Conclusion

The prevalence of CAA was 9.37% in our single-centre study, which is consistent with previous research. A minimally invasive tool, such as MSCT angiography, should be used to identify CAA.
5-HT3 receptor antagonists for the prevention of postoperative shivering: a meta-analysis
Authors: Zhou Chengmao , Zhu Yu , Liu Zhen , Ruan Lin
Published: November 2016

Objective

We evaluated the efficacy of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists for the prevention of postoperative shivering.

Methods

We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE and Web of Knowledge to find randomized controlled trials (RCT) of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists for the prevention of postoperative shivering. Two researchers independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed quality in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and then conducted a meta-analysis using RevMan 5.2.

Results

Ultimately, 14 RCTs that included 980 patients were included in the analysis. We found that: 1) the incidence of shivering was significantly lower in 5-HT3 groups than placebo groups (relative risk, [RR] = 0.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.40 – 0.58); 2) there was no significant difference in the incidence of shivering between 5-HT3 groups and meperidine groups (RR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.60 – 1.34).

Conclusion

5-HT3 receptor antagonists appear to prevent postoperative shivering, with a broadly comparable efficacy to meperidine.
Range of motion of diabetic frozen shoulder recovers to the contralateral level
Authors: Vastamäki Heidi , Ristolainen Leena , Vastamäki Martti
Published: November 2016

Objective

To determine whether frozen shoulder heals equally well in patients with and without diabetes and whether dependency on insulin affects the outcome.

Methods

We retrospectively examined 178 patients with idiopathic frozen shoulder; 27 patients had diabetes. We evaluated range of motion, pain, and functional results. The mean follow-up was 9.7 years (SD, 7.1 years).

Results

In the presence of frozen shoulder, range of motion did not differ between patients with and without diabetes. At follow-up, range of motion in all directions of both the affected and unaffected shoulders of patients with diabetes was inferior to that of patients without diabetes. Among patients with diabetes, range of motion of the once-frozen shoulder reached the level of the unaffected shoulder. Patients with and without diabetes experienced similar pain except during exertion. The Constant–Murley score was not significantly different between the two groups, and insulin dependency did not lead to worse outcomes.

Conclusion

Frozen shoulder heals well in patients with diabetes.
Liquidity shock management: Lessons from Australian banks
Authors: Brown Christine , Do Viet , Trevarthen Oscar
Published: November 2016

Prior to the 2007–2009 financial crisis, international banks had an average share of around 65% of the syndicated loan market in Australia. When the crisis hit, the resulting liquidity shock resulted in globally active international banks exiting the Australian market. With limited global operations, the major Australian banks were able to absorb and manage the liquidity shock. This resulted in domestic banks carrying a significantly greater proportion of revolving credit facilities in their syndicated loan portfolios after 2008. Domestic bank willingness and ability to deal with the market disruption and to hold a greater proportion of high liquidity risk revolvers are directly linked to the level of their transaction deposits. Their increased involvement in revolving facilities cannot be fully explained by the certification effect or flight-to-home effect. It is not demand driven and is robust to endogeneity tests.
A Systematic Examination of the Linguistic Demand of Cognitive Test Directions Administered to School-Age Populations
Authors: Cormier Damien C. , Bulut Okan , Singh Deepak , Kennedy Kathleen E. , Wang Kun , Heudes Alethea , Lekwa Adam J.
Published: November 2016

The selection and interpretation of individually administered norm-referenced cognitive tests that are administered to culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students continue to be an important consideration within the psychoeducational assessment process. Understanding test directions during the assessment of cognitive abilities is important, considering the high-stakes nature of these assessments. Therefore, the linguistic demand of spoken test directions from the following commonly used cognitive test batteries was examined and compared: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V), Woodcock–Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ IV COG), Cognitive Assessment System, Second Edition (CAS2), and Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (KABC-II). On average, the linguistic demand of the standard test directions was greater than the linguistic demand of the supplementary test directions. When examining individual test characteristics, very few individual tests were identified as outliers with respect to the linguistic demand of their test directions. This finding differs from previous research and suggests that the linguistic demand of the required directions for most tests included in commonly used cognitive batteries is similar. Implications for future research and test development are discussed.
A Pilot Study Examining the Test–Retest and Internal Consistency Reliability of the ABLLS-R
Authors: Partington James W. , Bailey Autumn , Partington Scott W.
Published: November 2016

The literature contains a variety of assessment tools for measuring the skills of individuals with autism or other developmental delays, but most lack adequate empirical evidence supporting their reliability and validity. The current pilot study sought to examine the reliability of scores obtained from the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills–Revised (ABLLS-R). Two forms of reliability were measured: internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Analyses using data obtained from neuro-typical children ( N = 50) yielded strong evidence of internal consistency and test–retest reliability. These preliminary findings suggest that the ABLLS-R can yield reliable scores.
Trigger-happy? Military regimes and the timing of conflict
Authors: Siverson Randolph M , Johnson Richard AI
Published: November 2016

The proclivity of military regimes and their leaders for more frequent involvement in international conflict than other autocracies has been shown in several studies. The question raised here is not whether they participate in more conflicts and disputes, but rather whether after the leaders of military regimes enter office they initiate these acts more quickly than the leaders of other types of autocracies. Drawing on three authoritarian regime typologies and examining the time to the initiation of any dispute and the initiation of violent disputes, our results show that in comparison to other authoritarian leaders a subset of military leaders is distinctly trigger-happy.
Construction of Lambda, Mu, Sigma Values for Determining Mid‐Upper Arm CircumferencezScores in U.S. Children Aged 2 Months Through 18 Years
Authors: Abdel‐Rahman Susan M. , Bi Charlie , Thaete Kristi
Published: November 2016

Background:Mid‐upper arm circumference (MUAC) has proven highly predictive of morbidity and mortality associated with malnutrition better, in some cases, than other growth indicators, including body mass index (BMI)zscores and weight‐for‐heightzscores. A recent consensus statement recommended the inclusion of MUAC and MUACzscores in the nutrition assessment of children in the United States; however, the requisite data to permitzscore calculations for children aged >5 years have not been published.Objective:This investigation was designed to generate lambda mu sigma (LMS) values to permit the calculation of MUACzscores in U.S. children 2 months through 18 years of age.Design:Anthropometric data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999–2012) were used for model development (n = 28,995). Smoothed centiles were constructed and compared with previously described CDC percentiles. Independently collected MUAC data from 2 different U.S. studies were used for external validation (n = 1438).Statistical Analyses:Goodness‐of‐fit was assessed visually and statistically by examining detrended quantile‐quantile plots, Q statistics, and the distribution ofzscores.Results:The curves generated in this investigation fit the raw data well with no systematic bias and no sacrifice in fit for children aged <12 months. The curves were consistent with those published by the CDC, and the distributionzscores approximated 0 ± 1 in all age groups.Conclusions:These LMS values derived in this investigation can be used by clinicians to generate MUACzscores for U.S. children.
Virtual wall–based haptic-guided teleoperated surgical robotic system for single-port brain tumor removal surgery
Authors: Seung Sungmin , Choi Hongseok , Jang Jongseong , Kim Young Soo , Park Jong-Oh , Park Sukho , Ko Seong Young
Published: November 2016

This article presents a haptic-guided teleoperation for a tumor removal surgical robotic system, so-called a SIROMAN system. The system was developed in our previous work to make it possible to access tumor tissue, even those that seat deeply inside the brain, and to remove the tissue with full maneuverability. For a safe and accurate operation to remove only tumor tissue completely while minimizing damage to the normal tissue, a virtual wall–based haptic guidance together with a medical image–guided control is proposed and developed. The virtual wall is extracted from preoperative medical images, and the robot is controlled to restrict its motion within the virtual wall using haptic feedback. Coordinate transformation between sub-systems, a collision detection algorithm, and a haptic-guided teleoperation using a virtual wall are described in the context of using SIROMAN. A series of experiments using a simplified virtual wall are performed to evaluate the performance of virtual wall–based haptic-guided teleoperation. With haptic guidance, the accuracy of the robotic manipulator’s trajectory is improved by 57% compared to one without. The tissue removal performance is also improved by 21% ( p < 0.05). The experiments show that virtual wall–based haptic guidance provides safer and more accurate tissue removal for single-port brain surgery.
The asymptotic maximal procedure for subject randomization in clinical trials
Authors: Zhao Wenle , Berger Vance W , Yu Zhenning
Published: November 2016

The maximal procedure is a restricted randomization method that maximizes the number of feasible allocation sequences under the constraints of the maximum tolerated imbalance and the allocation sequence length. It assigns an equal probability to all feasible sequences. However, its implementation is not easy due to the lack of the Markovian property of the conditional allocation probabilities. In this paper, we propose the asymptotic maximal procedure, which replaces the sequence-length-dependent conditional allocation probabilities with their asymptotic values. The new randomization procedure is compared with the original maximal procedure and few other randomization procedures with the maximum tolerated imbalance via simulations and is found to be a practical choice for future clinical trials.
Variable selection for mixture and promotion time cure rate models
Authors: Masud Abdullah , Tu Wanzhu , Yu Zhangsheng
Published: November 2016

Failure-time data with cured patients are common in clinical studies. Data from these studies are typically analyzed with cure rate models. Variable selection methods have not been well developed for cure rate models. In this research, we propose two least absolute shrinkage and selection operators based methods, for variable selection in mixture and promotion time cure models with parametric or nonparametric baseline hazards. We conduct an extensive simulation study to assess the operating characteristics of the proposed methods. We illustrate the use of the methods using data from a study of childhood wheezing.
Analysis of an incomplete longitudinal composite variable using a marginalized random effects model and multiple imputation
Authors: Gosho Masahiko , Maruo Kazushi , Ishii Ryota , Hirakawa Akihiro
Published: November 2016

The total score, which is calculated as the sum of scores in multiple items or questions, is repeatedly measured in longitudinal clinical studies. A mixed effects model for repeated measures method is often used to analyze these data; however, if one or more individual items are not measured, the method cannot be directly applied to the total score. We develop two simple and interpretable procedures that infer fixed effects for a longitudinal continuous composite variable. These procedures consider that the items that compose the total score are multivariate longitudinal continuous data and, simultaneously, handle subject-level and item-level missing data. One procedure is based on a multivariate marginalized random effects model with a multiple of Kronecker product covariance matrices for serial time dependence and correlation among items. The other procedure is based on a multiple imputation approach with a multivariate normal model. In terms of the type-1 error rate and the bias of treatment effect in total score, the marginalized random effects model and multiple imputation procedures performed better than the standard mixed effects model for repeated measures analysis with listwise deletion and single imputations for handling item-level missing data. In particular, the mixed effects model for repeated measures with listwise deletion resulted in substantial inflation of the type-1 error rate. The marginalized random effects model and multiple imputation methods provide for a more efficient analysis by fully utilizing the partially available data, compared to the mixed effects model for repeated measures method with listwise deletion.