bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Virtual reality‐assisted localization and three‐dimensional printing‐enhanced multidisciplinary decision to treat radiologically occult superficial endobronchial lung cancer
Authors: Yoon Soon Ho , Goo Jin Mo , Lee Chang‐Hoon , Cho Jae Young , Kim Dong‐Wan , Kim Hak Jae , Paeng Jin Cheol , Kim Young Tae
Published: September 2018

Herein, we report the unique case of a 75‐year‐old male patient who had undergone a left upper lobectomy for lung cancer and developed an incidental superficial endobronchial squamous cell carcinoma in the right upper lobe that was not localizable on modern cross‐sectional imaging modalities. The superficial endobronchial squamous cell carcinoma was successfully localized by computed tomography‐driven virtual reality endoscopy and was identically matched with a small, whitish, patch lesion on bronchoscopy. The localized lesion was annotated on the corresponding computed tomography images, and illustrated in a fabricated three‐dimensional (3D)‐printed airway model. Because the exact anatomic location of the lesion and the acute angle of the adjacent bronchial trajectory were visible in the 3D model, enhanced multidisciplinary consultation resulted in the decision to treat the lesion using photodynamic therapy. Photodynamic therapy was successfully performed without complications. A follow‐up bronchoscopy two months after treatment confirmed that the superficial endobronchial squamous cell carcinoma had been cured.
Quantitative profiling of cytokines and chemokines in DOCK8‐deficient and atopic dermatitis patients
Authors: Jacob Minnie , Bin Khalaf Duaa , Alhissi Safa , Arnout Rand , Alsaud Bander , Al‐Mousa Hamoud , Lopata Andreas L. , Alazami Anas M. , Dasouki Majed , Abdel Rahman Anas M.
Published: September 2018

Background

Hyper‐IgE syndromes (HIES) are a clinically overlapping, heterogeneous group of inborn errors of immunity characterized by elevated serum IgE level, eosinophilia, atopy, and immune dysregulation. Deficiency of DOCK8 protein is potentially a life‐threatening autosomal recessive HIES and only curable with bone marrow transplantation. Hence, the diagnosis of DOCK8 deficiency is critical and should be sought at an early stage to initiate definitive therapy.

Methods

Serum samples from patients with DOCK8 deficiency and atopic dermatitis were profiled on a cytokine/chemokine panel for potential differential expression.

Results

CXCL10 and TNF‐A were upregulated in DOCK8 patients when compared to AD, possibly contributing toward increased susceptibility to infections and cancer. In contrast, epidermal growth factor (EGF) was significantly downregulated in a subgroup of DOCK8‐deficient and AD patients, while IL‐31 expression was comparable between both DOCK8‐deficient and AD cohorts, possibly contributing toward pruritus seen in both groups.

Conclusion

This comprehensive cytokine profile in HIES patients reveals distinctive biomarkers that differentiate between the DOCK8‐deficient and AD patients. The unique expression profile of various inflammatory cytokines in patients with DOCK8 deficiency vs atopic dermatitis likely reflects disease‐specific perturbations in multiple cellular processes and pathways leading to a predisposition to infections and allergies seen in these patients. These data agree with the role for EGF replacement therapy in EGF‐deficient individuals with AD as well as DOCK8 deficiency through a potential shared pathway. In addition, these novel biomarkers may be potentially useful in distinguishing DOCK8 deficiency from AD allowing early‐targeted treatment options.
Surgical treatment of early stage breast cancer in the Auckland and Waikato regions of New Zealand
Authors: Campbell Ian , Lao Chunhuan , Blackmore Tania , Edwards Melissa , Hayes Louise , Ng Alex , Lawrenson Ross
Published: September 2018

Background

The aim of this study was to understand the factors influencing the use of surgical options by New Zealand women with newly diagnosed breast cancer.

Methods

Using data from the Auckland and Waikato breast cancer registers, we included 11 798 women diagnosed with stage I–III breast cancer from June 2000 to May 2013. The characteristics of women receiving different surgical treatments and having immediate breast reconstruction following mastectomy were examined. A logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio of having breast‐conserving surgery (BCS) versus mastectomy and immediate post‐mastectomy reconstruction. Bilateral breast cancer cases and women with unilateral breast cancer, but who had bilateral surgery, were also identified.

Results

Fifty‐two percent of women received BCS and 44% had mastectomy over the study period. Key influences associated with BCS were age, mode of diagnosis, socio‐economic status and public or private treatment. Just under half of the women who underwent bilateral surgery did not have bilateral cancer. Nineteen percent of women undergoing mastectomy underwent immediate reconstruction. Implant use increased slightly over the study period but there was a decrease in the use of autologous flap procedures.

Conclusion

Surgical management of women with localized breast cancer was generally in line with guidelines, but with potential to further increase the use of breast conservation and immediate reconstruction in suitable cases.
Use of hormonal contraceptives among immigrant women and their daughters in Norway: Data from the Norwegian Prescription Database
Authors: Diaz Esperanza , Omland Gry , Hannestad Yngvild , Ruths Sabine
Published: September 2018

Introduction

Immigrants and their offspring constitute 16.3% of the population in Norway. Knowledge about their contraceptive use is important in order to inform adequate family planning services. Prior research has shown less use of contraception among first‐generation immigrants than among non‐immigrant women. Our aim is to compare the use of hormonal contraceptives between immigrants and their adult daughters.

Material and methods

Information from the Norwegian Prescription Database on all hormonal contraceptives dispensed at all pharmacies in Norway in 2008 was merged with demographic, socioeconomic and immigration data from the National Population Register and information from the Regular General Practitioner Database and the Medical Birth Registry Norway. A total of 10 451 women aged 16‐30 from five countries with relatively large numbers of immigrants and adult daughters living in Norway in 2008 were included in the study. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were conducted. The main outcome measure was use of any hormonal contraceptive.

Results

More daughters of immigrants from Vietnam compared with immigrant women from these countries (odds ratio [OR] 2.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.8‐2.8) and Poland (OR 2.3, 95% CI: 1.6‐3.3) used hormonal contraceptives. However, no adjusted differences between generations were detected for immigrants from Pakistan (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0‐1.4), Morocco (OR 1.0, 95% CI 0.7‐1.4) or Chile (OR 1.3, 95% CI 0.8‐1.9).

Conclusions

Further research should explore the reasons for heterogeneity in use of contraception among daughters of immigrants from different origins and explore whether daughters of immigrant mothers from some areas have unmet needs of contraception.
Midtrimester isolated short femur and perinatal outcomes: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: D'Ambrosio Valentina , Vena Flaminia , Marchetti Claudia , Di Mascio Daniele , Perrone Seila , Boccherini Chiara , Pizzuti Antonio , Benedetti Panici Pierluigi , Giancotti Antonella
Published: September 2018

Introduction

Fetal femur length below the expected value has been described as a marker of aneuploidy, skeletal dysplasia, intrauterine growth restriction and small‐for‐gestational‐age neonate. The aim of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to evaluate the strength of association between isolated short femur length and intrauterine growth restriction or small‐for‐gestational‐age, and perinatal adverse outcomes.

Material and methods

PubMed, EMBASE and Medline were searched from the inception of each database to May 2018. Selection criteria included prospective and retrospective cohort studies of singleton pregnancies between 18 and 28 weeks of gestation, with sonographic finding of isolated short femur length, without any structural chromosomal abnormality. The meta‐analysis was performed by computing odds ratios using both fixed and random‐effects models. Quality assessment of the included studies was performed using the Newcastle‐Ottawa Scale.

Results

Six studies including 3078 cases of isolated short femur length (study group) and 222 303 normal femur length (control group) were included. The prevalence of intrauterine growth restriction or small‐for‐gestational‐age in the study group was 14.2%, compared with 5.2% in the control group (odds ratio of 4.04, 95% confidence interval 3.63‐4.50). Isolated short femur length was associated with a higher incidence of low birthweight (study group: 22.10% vs control group: 8.57%, odds ratio 3.24, 95% confidence interval 2.34‐4.48), Apgar <7 at 5 minutes (study group: 3.98% vs control group: 1.79%, odds ratio 3.56, 95% confidence interval 1.87‐6.77), preterm birth (study group: 12.16% vs control group: 8.16%, odds ratio 3.09, 95% confidence interval 1.57‐6.08), fetal death (study group: 1.83% vs control group: 0.44%, odds ratio 6.48, 95% confidence interval 3.70‐11.35) and neonatal intensive care unit admission (study group: 15.34% vs control group: 14.81%, odds ratio 2.11, 95% confidence interval 0.56‐7.93).

Conclusions

There is a significant association between isolated short femur length and intrauterine growth restriction or small‐for‐gestational‐age and poor perinatal outcome.
Studying the process of enamel powder preparation for émail champlevé by colour measurements and μ‐X‐ray mappings
Authors: Röhrs S. , Lambacher L. , Tagle R.
Published: September 2018

Colour measurements and non‐destructive μ‐X‐ray mappings have been used for the first time in a comprehensive study of medieval émail champlevé works from different production areas in France and Germany. This approach has given a new insight into the enamel powder preparation process of the glass material used for enamelling. Colour measurements demonstrated that all production centres used glass of very similar hues, but with large differences in colour saturation. The μ‐X‐ray mapping results of blue enamels are described by a semi‐qualitative approach. Significant variations in oxide contents of lead, cobalt, manganese and antimony oxides were found. The variations suggest that more than one glass material was used to prepare the powder for enamelling. The variations in antimony and cobalt show that glass had different degrees of opacity and colour depth. The manganese and lead contents, which do not correlate with the cobalt or antimony contents, indicate that probably glass of different base compositions was used to prepare the enamel powder for one champlevé field.
Modulation of the inflammatory response after sclerotherapy for hydrocoele/spermatocoele
Authors: Jahnson Staffan , Rosell Johan , Aljabery Firas
Published: September 2018

Objective

To investigate the modulation of the inflammatory response after sclerotherapy for hydrocoele/spermatocoele.

Patients and Methods

All patients with hydrocoele or spermatocoele presenting at the Department of Urology, University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden, from 2006 to 2012, were included in this prospective observational study of sclerotherapy for hydrocoele/spermatocoele using polidocanol as a sclerosing agent and adjuvant antibiotic and anti‐inflammatory medication (AAAM) for modulation of the inflammatory response. Patients were clinically evaluated within 24–48 h after a complication or adverse event possibly related to sclerotherapy. Evaluation of cure was scheduled after 3 months and re‐treatment, if necessary was carried out in the same manner as the first treatment. Groups of patients were compared using the chi‐squared test and logistic regression analysis.

Results

From a total of 191 patients, AAAM was given to 126, of whom 5% had subclinical epididymitis/swelling (SES) compared to 26% of the patients without AAAM (P < 0.001). No other complication was observed. The rate of cure for the whole group of patients was 93% after one or two treatments and significantly higher in the group with AAAM than in the group without AAAM (96% vs 88%, P = 0.03).

Conclusions

Modulation of the inflammatory response after sclerotherapy resulted in a lower incidence of SES and an increased cure rate.
Mortality after radical prostatectomy in a matched contemporary cohort in Sweden compared to the Scandinavian Prostate Cancer Group 4 (SPCG‐4) study
Authors: Cazzaniga Walter , Garmo Hans , Robinson David , Holmberg Lars , Bill‐Axelson Anna , Stattin Pär
Published: September 2018

Objective

To investigate if results in terms of absolute risk in mature randomised trials are relevant for contemporary decision‐making. To do so, we compared the outcome for men in the radical prostatectomy (RP) arm of the Scandinavian Prostate Cancer Group Study number 4 (SPCG‐4) randomised trial with matched men treated in a contemporary era before and after compensation for the grade migration and grade inflation that have occurred since the 1980s.

Patients and methods

A propensity score‐matched analysis of prostate cancer mortality and all‐cause mortality in the SPCG‐4 and matched men in the National Prostate Cancer Register (NPCR) of Sweden treated in 1998–2006 was conducted. Cumulative incidence of prostate cancer mortality and all‐cause mortality was calculated. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for a matching on original Gleason Grade Groups (GGG) and second, matching with GGG increased one unit for men in the NPCR.

Results

Matched men in the NPCR treated in 2005–2006 had half the risk of prostate cancer mortality compared to men in the SPCG‐4 (HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.19–1.14). In analysis of men matched on an upgraded GGG in the NPCR, this difference was mitigated (HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.36–1.47).

Conclusions

Outcomes after RP for men in the SPCG‐4 cannot be directly applied to men in the current era, mainly due to grade inflation and grade migration. However, by compensating for changes in grading, similar outcomes after RP were seen in the SPCG‐4 and NPCR. In order to compare historical trials with current treatments, data on temporal changes in detection, diagnostics, and treatment have to be accounted for.
Causes and consequences of ontogenetic dietary shifts: a global synthesis using fish models
Authors: Sánchez‐Hernández Javier , Nunn Andy D. , Adams Colin E. , Amundsen Per‐Arne
Published: September 2018

Ontogenetic dietary shifts (ODSs), the changes in diet utilisation occurring over the life span of an individual consumer, are widespread in the animal kingdom. Understanding ODSs provides fundamental insights into the biological and ecological processes that function at the individual, population and community levels, and is critical for the development and testing of hypotheses around key concepts in trophic theory on model organisms. Here, we synthesise historic and contemporary research on ODSs in fishes, and identify where further research is required. Numerous biotic and abiotic factors can directly or indirectly influence ODSs, but the most influential of these may vary spatially, temporally and interspecifically. Within the constraints imposed by prey availability, we identified competition and predation risk as the major drivers of ODSs in fishes. These drivers do not directly affect the trophic ontogeny of fishes, but may have an indirect effect on diet trajectories through ontogenetic changes in habitat use and concomitant changes in prey availability. The synthesis provides compelling evidence that ODSs can have profound ecological consequences for fish by, for example, enhancing individual growth and lifetime reproductive output or reducing the risk of mortality. ODSs may also influence food‐web dynamics and facilitate the coexistence of sympatric species through resource partitioning, but we currently lack a holistic understanding of the consequences of ODSs for population, community and ecosystem processes and functioning. Studies attempting to address these knowledge gaps have largely focused on theoretical approaches, but empirical research under natural conditions, including phylogenetic and evolutionary considerations, is required to test the concepts. Research focusing on inter‐individual variation in ontogenetic trajectories has also been limited, with the complex relationships between individual behaviour and environmental heterogeneity representing a particularly promising area for future research.
Multinucleate cell angiohistiocytoma: Case report and literature review
Authors: Grgurich Elise , Quinn Kelly , Oram Christian , McClain Richard , Lountzis Nektarios
Published: September 2018

Multinucleate cell angiohistiocytoma is a rare, vascular, fibrohistiocytic proliferation that has a benign but progressive course. The clinical presentation is that of grouped red‐purple papules and nodules characteristically located on the lower extremities in women. The histopathology shows a proliferation of narrow vessels within thickened collagen bundles associated with multinucleate giant cells. These lesions are probably reactive in nature, and several mechanisms of pathogenesis, including hormonal, have been proposed. Different modalities, including intense pulsed light and pulsed‐dye laser, have been used for treatment of these lesions. We report a case of a 74‐year‐old Caucasian woman with long‐standing multinucleate angiohistiocytoma on her bilateral thighs that eluded diagnosis for several years. Upon biopsy and histopathological analysis, the diagnosis was made. Treatment options were entertained, although ultimately not pursued by the patient. We report this case to increase clinical awareness of this rare disease and to contribute to the ongoing literature aimed to further characterize this condition.
Cognitive‐motor interference during goal‐directed upper‐limb movements
Authors: Bank Paulina J. M. , Marinus Johan , van Tol Rosanne M. , Groeneveld Iris F. , Goossens Paula H. , de Groot Jurriaan H. , van Hilten Jacobus J. , Meskers Carel G. M.
Published: September 2018

Research and clinical practice have focused on effects of a cognitive dual‐task on highly automated motor tasks such as walking or maintaining balance. Despite potential importance for daily life performance, there are only a few small studies on dual‐task effects on upper‐limb motor control. We therefore developed a protocol for assessing cognitive‐motor interference (CMI) during upper‐limb motor control and used it to evaluate dual‐task effects in 57 healthy individuals and two highly prevalent neurological disorders associated with deficits of cognitive and motor processing (57 patients with Parkinson's disease [PD], 57 stroke patients). Performance was evaluated in cognitive and motor domains under single‐ and dual‐task conditions. Patterns of CMI were explored to evaluate overall attentional capacity and attention allocation. As expected, patients with neurological deficits showed different patterns of CMI compared to healthy individuals, depending on diagnosis (PD or stroke) and severity of cognitive and/or motor symptoms. Healthy individuals experienced CMI especially under challenging conditions of the motor task. CMI was greater in PD patients, presumably due to insufficient attentional capacity in relation to increased cognitive involvement in motor control. Although no general increase of CMI was observed in stroke patients, correlation analyses suggested that especially patients with severe motor dysfunction experienced CMI. Clinical ratings of cognitive and motor function were weakly associated with CMI, suggesting that CMI reflects a different construct than these unidimensional clinical tests. It remains to be investigated whether CMI is an indicator of difficulties with day‐to‐day activities.
Subjectivism, instrumentalism, and prudentialism about reasons: On the normativity of instrumental transmission
Authors: Abizadeh Arash
Published: September 2018

According to a subjectivist theory, normative reasons are grounded in facts about our desires. According to an instrumentalist theory, reasons are grounded also in facts about the relevant means to desired objects. These are distinct theories. The widespread tendency to conflate the normativity of subjective and instrumentalist precepts obscures two facts. First, instrumentalist precepts incorporate a subjective element with an objective one. Second, combining these elements into a single theory of normative reasons requires explaining how and why they are to be combined. I argue that the most plausible justification for combining the two elements—which appeals to a theory of well‐being—exposes the inadequacy of the instrumentalist theory: The grounds required to justify the instrumentalist combination are also grounds for the normativity of prudential precepts and with them practical reasons that may have no internal connection to an agent's conative, motivational states.
Size‐by‐environment interactions: a neglected dimension of species' responses to environmental variation
Authors: Tredennick Andrew T. , Teller Brittany J. , Adler Peter B. , Hooker Giles , Ellner Stephen P.
Published: September 2018

In both plant and animal systems, size can determine whether an individual survives and grows under different environmental conditions. However, it is unclear whether and when size‐dependent responses to exogenous environmental fluctuations affect population dynamics. Size‐by‐environment interactions create pathways for environmental fluctuations to influence population dynamics by allowing for negative covariation between sizes within vital rates (e.g. small and large individuals have negatively covarying survival rates) and/or size‐dependent variability in a vital rate (e.g. survival of large individuals varies less than small individuals through time). Whether these phenomena affect population dynamics depends on how they are mediated by elasticities (they must affect the sizes and vital rates that matter) and their projected impacts will depend on model functional form (the impact of reduced variance depends on the relationship between the environment and vital rate). We demonstrate these ideas with an analysis of fifteen species from five semiarid plant communities. We find that size‐by‐environment interactions are common but do not impact long‐term population dynamics. Size‐by‐environment interactions may yet be important for other species. Our approach can be applied to species in other ecosystems to determine if and how size‐by‐environment interactions allow them to cope with, or exploit, fluctuating environments.
Aquatic insects rich in omega‐3 fatty acids drive breeding success in a widespread bird
Authors: Twining Cornelia Wingfield , Shipley Jeremy Ryan , Winkler David W.
Published: September 2018

Ecologists studying bird foraging ecology have generally focused on food quantity over quality. Emerging work suggests that food quality, in terms of highly unsaturated omega‐3 fatty acids (HUFA), can have equally important effects on performance.HUFA, which are present in aquatic primary producers, are all but absent in vascular plants, andHUFAcontent is also correspondingly higher in aquatic insects. Here, we show that Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) chicks rapidly accumulateHUFAfrom food during the nestling period. Using data sampled over 24 years, we also show that Tree Swallow breeding success is positively associated with the availability ofHUFA‐rich aquatic insects. Variation in aquatic insect biomass during chick development was a strong predictor of fledging success, whereas variation in terrestrial insects had little effect on fledging success. Our results highlight the potential for nutritional mismatches between insectivores and high‐quality prey to affect avian reproductive performance.
Getting it right or getting it cursed: Auction prices in a residential real estate bubble
Authors: Branigan Clare , Muckley Cal , Ryan Paul
Published: September 2018

This is the first study to test for a winner's curse in a bubble market. Our hand‐collected sample comprises the sequence of bids and the experience of the winning bidder at Irish residential real estate auctions, prior to the collapse of the bubble. Portfolios of practitioner‐ and hedonic pricing model‐selected self‐similar properties provide benchmark property price estimates. We show neither real estate investors nor owner occupiers shade auction bids to avoid the winner's curse and both raise bids in line with competition. Winning investor bidders pay more for properties, ride the wave of a property bubble, and potentially exacerbate it.
Genomic clustering of fitness‐affecting mutations favors the evolution of chromosomal instability
Authors: Raynes Yevgeniy , Weinreich Daniel M.
Published: September 2018

Most solid cancers are characterized by chromosomal instability (CIN)—an elevated rate of large‐scale chromosomal aberrations and ploidy changes. Chromosomal instability may arise through mutations in a range of genomic integrity loci and is commonly associated with fast disease progression, poor prognosis, and multidrug resistance. However, the evolutionary forces promoting CIN‐inducing alleles (hereafter, CIN mutators) during carcinogenesis remain poorly understood. Here, we develop a stochastic, individual‐based model of indirect selection experienced by CIN mutators via genomic associations with fitness‐affecting mutations. Because mutations associated with CIN affect large swaths of the genome and have the potential to simultaneously comprise many individual loci, we show that indirect selection on CIN mutators is critically influenced by genome organization. In particular, we find strong support for a key role played by the spatial clustering of loci with either beneficial or deleterious mutational effects. Genomic clustering of selected loci allows CIN mutators to generate favorable chromosomal changes that facilitate their rapid expansion within a neoplasm and, in turn, accelerate carcinogenesis. We then examine the distribution of oncogenic and tumor‐suppressing loci in the human genome and find both to be potentially more clustered along the chromosome than expected, leading us to speculate that human genome may be susceptible to CIN hitchhiking. More quantitative data on fitness effects of individual mutations will be necessary, though, to assess the true levels of clustering in the human genome and the effectiveness of indirect selection for CIN. Finally, we use our model to examine how therapeutic strategies that increase the deleterious burden of genetically unstable cells by raising either the rate of CIN or the cost of deleterious mutations affect CIN evolution. We find that both can inhibit CIN hitchhiking and delay carcinogenesis in some circumstances, yet, in line with earlier work, we find the latter to be considerably more effective.
Characterization of stable ductile crack propagation by CTOA: Review of theory and applications
Authors: Tyson William R. , Newman Jim C. , Xu Su
Published: September 2018

Fracture toughness is a crucial material property in structural design with metallic materials. For resistance against crack initiation, the crack‐tip opening displacement (CTOD) (or, equivalently, the J integral) is well established. For resistance against crack extension, the “resistance curve” (J as a function of crack size) may be used for limited amounts of crack growth. However, for crack increments much larger than the material thickness, the most useful criterion for toughness characterization is the crack‐tip opening angle (CTOA). During the past three decades, standards have been introduced to enable reproducible measurement of CTOA. Simultaneously, improved computer‐aided photographic methods have been developed to measure surface CTOA during the fracture process, and analysis of the mechanics of bend specimens has enabled deduction of the CTOA from load and displacement. Elastic‐plastic finite‐element analyses using a constant‐CTOA fracture criterion have been used to simulate fracture of laboratory specimens and structural components and to transfer the properties measured from laboratory‐scale specimens to structural applications. This paper reviews the state of the art in measurement and application of CTOA.
Global‐local fatigue assessment of an ancient riveted metallic bridge based on submodelling of the critical detail
Authors: Liu Z. , Correia J. , Carvalho H. , Mourão A. , de Jesus A. , Calçada R. , Berto F.
Published: September 2018

Increasing traffic demands (ie, load intensity and operational life) on ancient riveted metallic bridges and the fact that these bridges were not explicitly designed against fatigue make the fatigue performance assessment and fatigue life prediction of riveted bridges a concern. This paper proposes a global‐local fatigue analysis method that integrates beam‐to‐solid submodeling, elastoplastic of material in local region, and local fatigue life prediction approach. The proposed beam‐to‐solid submodeling can recognize accuracy local stress/strain information accompanying with the global structural effect on the fatigue response of local riveted joints. The fatigue life is predicted based on cumulative damage rule, local strains, and number of cycles with consideration of traffic data, where the relation between the fatigue life and local strain is derived according to the Basquin and Manson‐Coffin law. Besides, the elastoplastic of material is considered. The proposed methodology for fatigue life prediction based on local strain parameter and the Palmgren‐Miner linear damage hypothesis is implemented in a case study of an ancient riveted bridge.
Dimensions of ant diversity on a small tropical island
Authors: Agavekar Gaurav , Agashe Deepa , Economo Evan P.
Published: September 2018

Recent appreciation of the multidimensional nature of biodiversity has prompted biologists to examine the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic attributes of natural communities. Simultaneous consideration of such multiple diversity dimensions provides valuable insights into various community assembly processes.

We studied the alpha and beta components of ant diversity on a simple island landscape dominated by adjacent but abiotically distinct evergreen (humid & dense canopy) and littoral (dry & sparse canopy) forest habitats. We sought to (i) describe and examine interrelationships of ant diversity dimensions, and (ii) identify potential processes structuring ant communities by comparing the diversity patterns of observed and randomly generated communities.

We found that the drier littoral habitat had lower ant species richness and non‐random community composition, but had similar functional diversity as evergreen forests. This result is in contrast with previous studies comparing intact and human‐altered habitats that reported severe loss of ant functional diversity with reduced richness. In our study, the functional similarity between habitats was maintained because communities in littoral forests were functionally overdispersed than expected by chance. We suggest that competition and/or thermal tolerance of ants may drive overdispersion of littoral ant communities.

At the small spatial scale of our island, phylogenetic diversity was a poor predictor of habitat differences despite significant phylogenetic signal in functional traits and non‐random functional diversity patterns. Our work highlights the need for a broad range of studies comparing multidimensional diversity in adjacent habitats that would provide a baseline for interpreting community‐level changes due to anthropogenic pressures.
AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF UNCERTAINTY IN COORDINATION GAMES
Authors: Ioannou Christos A. , Makris Miltiadis
Published: September 2018

Global games and Poisson games have been proposed to address equilibrium indeterminacy in Common Knowledge Coordination games. The present study investigates in a controlled setup, using as controls Common Knowledge games, whether idiosyncratic uncertainty about economic fundamentals (Global games) or uncertainty about the number of actual players (Poisson games) may influence subjects' behavior. We find that uncertainty about the number of actual players has more influence on subjects' behavior than idiosyncratic uncertainty about economic fundamentals. Furthermore, subjects' behavior under Poisson population‐size uncertainty is closer to the respective theoretical prediction than subjects' behavior under idiosyncratic uncertainty about economic fundamentals.
Fabrication of hydroxyapatite blended cyclic type polylactic acid and poly (ε‐caprolactone) tissue engineering scaffold
Authors: Yong Leng Chuan , Abdul Malek Nur Farihah , Se Yong Eh Noum , Yap Wei Hsum , Nobuyuki Mase , Yoshitaka Nakaya
Published: September 2018

The ultimate goal of tissue engineering serves to repair, restore damaged tissue or organ due to accident or disease. In this research, we are aimed at investigating the feasibility of processing cyclic type polylactic acid (PDLLA)/poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL)/hydroxyapatite (HA) biomaterial into tissue engineering scaffold (TES) with variable mechanical properties, well interconnected pore architecture, and controlled hydrophilicity. For this, an in‐house built bone scaffold 3D printing (BS3P) system was applied to two biomaterials, namely PDLLA‐PCL and HA‐PCL. These two biomaterials were produced by optimizing the robotic control system. Morphological investigation by scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed both TES formed by new materials able to show honeycomb‐like architectures, excellent fusion at the filament junctions, high uniformity, complete interconnectivity, and controlled channel characteristics of the TES. Compression tests align with the typical behavior of a porous material undergoing deformation. In vitro cell culture study and confocal laser microscopy (CLM) showed enhanced cell adhesion, proliferation, and extracellular matrix (ECM) formation. The results demonstrated the eligibility of the BS3P system to produce TES, and the suitability of the new biomaterial scaffolds in enhancing cell biocompatibility.
Curvature dependence of the surface tension and crystal nucleation in liquids
Authors: Schmelzer Jürn W. P. , Abyzov Alexander S. , Ferreira Eduardo B. , Fokin Vladimir M.
Published: September 2018

To achieve a quantitative agreement of experimental data with theoretical predictions, in classical nucleation theory a curvature‐ or size‐dependence of the surface tension of critical clusters has to be accounted for. For its description, frequently the Tolman equation is chosen. Tolman derived his relation originally in application to droplets or bubbles in one‐component fluids assuming that nucleation is caused by variations of pressure. As shown here his approach and the resulting basic relations are applicable also to the description of crystal nucleation in multi‐component fluids if either pressure or temperature is changed. Estimates of the Tolman parameter in application to crystallization are advanced for both the mentioned cases. The Tolman parameter is shown to depend on the surface tension for a planar interface, the number of components in the liquid, the bulk properties of both the liquid and crystal phases, and the way the metastable state is generated. In addition, we develop a method of improving the precision in the specification of the curvature dependence of the surface tension in melt crystallization going beyond the Tolman equation in its original form. The results are applied successfully to the description of crystal nucleation in silicate glass‐forming melts.
Experiences of pharmacy staff during the introduction of the checking technician role in New Zealand
Authors: Napier Patti , Norris Pauline , Green James , Braund Rhiannon
Published: September 2018

Objectives

To investigate the experiences of the participants in a study introducing a Pharmacy Accuracy Checking Technician (PACT) role, and specifically their perceptions of any advantages and disadvantages.

Methods

Self-administered surveys were distributed during the introduction of a checking technician role in eight community and four hospital pharmacy sites. Surveys were conducted at three time points; at baseline, at mid-point and a final data collection. Questions covered staff perceptions on; technicians’ ability to take on this role, impact on workflow, impact on pharmacists’ time spent with patients and any perceived advantages or disadvantages.

Key findings

Three hundred and fifty-five responses were received from participants. There was significant support for the introduction of this new role, and the greatest advantage identified was an increase in time available to pharmacists to increase potential clinical activities. Many staff felt that this role could easily fit into their current workplace and workflow with minor adjustments. There was a perception that this new role would increase safety and decrease errors as a result of the separation of clinical and checking tasks. Respondents identified a need for more technicians; however, conversely concern was expressed of a negative impact on the number of pharmacists’ jobs.

Conclusions

Despite the disruption caused by the training process, the respondents believed this new role to be beneficial to both staff and patients, and that the new model would allow for increased error identification and enhanced safety.
Impact of vulvovaginal atrophy on pelvic floor muscle strength in healthy continent women
Authors: Sartori Dulcegleika VB , Gameiro Monica O , Kawano Paulo R , Yamamoto Hamilto A , Guerra Rodrigo , Domingues Maria AC , Leitão Victor ASS , Amaro João L
Published: September 2018

Objectives

To assess the correlation between hormonal status and pelvic floor muscle strength.

Methods

A total of 140 continent women were prospectively evaluated, and divided into four groups according to age: group 1 (n = 34) aged 30–40 years; group 2 (n = 38) aged 41–50 years; group 3 (n = 35) aged 51–60; and group 4 (n = 33) aged >60 years. The following parameters were evaluated: demographic data using clinical questionnaire; hypermobility of the bladder neck using swab test; vaginal trophism by gynecological examination; hormonal status of the vagina by cytology; and pelvic floor muscle strength using a perineometer and electromyography.

Results

There were no statistical differences between pelvic floor muscle strength, demographic characteristics, vaginal trophism and hypermobility of the bladder neck between groups (P > 0.05). There was a larger number of women with vaginal atrophy among those aged >60 years. Vaginal trophism assessed by pelvic examination was highly consistent with the findings of colpocytology (kappa test = 0.888). Electromyography showed that women with hypermobility had lower muscle resistance (endurance) when compared with those without hypermobility.

Conclusions

Although vaginal atrophy is more intense in women aged >60 years, no difference can be found in the pelvic floor muscle strength during the physiological aging process in continent women. As a consequence, trophism is not the only factor related to pelvic floor muscle strength, and it should not preclude the selection of patients who are referred to prophylaxis.
The Static and Dynamic Effects of Capital Factors on the Social Adaptation of Chinese Migrant Workers
Authors: Shen Suyan , Xue Mengying , Chen Zhe , Li Fang
Published: September 2018

The large influx of migrant workers from rural to urban areas indicates that their social adaptation is an important issue in understanding China's urbanization. This article uses Coleman's capital theory to analyse data from the 2012 and 2014 China Labour Force Dynamic Survey (CLDS), conducting a multiple linear regression model to study migrants’ economic, living and cultural adaptations. The results are determined through analysis of the static and dynamic effects of different capital factors. The static analysis results show that social adaptation can be improved by increasing the accumulation of various types of capital, while the dynamic analysis results show that social adaptation is a dynamic process. Optimizing the allocation of the corresponding capital elements can speed up migrant workers’ social adaptation. Therefore, the government must prioritize measures to improve and optimize migrant workers’ capital factors and promote their social adaptation, which will in turn accelerate urbanization in China.
Moral Hazard, Agency Cost, and Firm Growth
Authors: Li Rui , Wang Mengying
Published: September 2018

We study how the agency cost implied by the moral hazard problem in a firm dynamics model affects the life cycle growth pattern of firms. In the early stage of a firm's growth, the agency cost restricts the firm's capital input and diminishes over time, so that the firm's growth is driven by efficiency improvements and an exogenous progress in productivity. In the long run, when the firm loses its potential to improve efficiency, growth is driven only by the progress in productivity. As a result of this growth mechanism, consistent with the data, the growth rate and its volatility, as well as Tobin's Q, decrease with age and size. Moreover, the cross‐sectional distributions of firm size and managerial compensation obey a power law, as they do in the data. In addition, the model provides novel implications for how the characteristics of the production technology and the preferences of the economic agents affect the growth pattern of firms, and these implications are potentially testable.
The neurosurgical wound and factors that can affect cosmetic, functional, and neurological outcomes
Authors: Berry James A. D. , Miulli Dan E. , Lam Benjamin , Elia Christopher , Minasian Julia , Podkovik Stacey , Wacker Margaret R. S.
Published: September 2018

Surgically accessing pathological lesions located within the central nervous system (CNS) frequently requires creating an incision in cosmetic regions of the head and neck. The biggest factors of surgical success typically tend to focus on the middle portion of the surgery, but a vast majority of surgical complications tend to happen towards the end of a case, during closure of the surgical site incisions. One of the most difficult complications for a surgeon to deal with is having to take a patient back to the operating room for wound breakdowns and, even worse, wound or CNS infections, which can negate all the positive outcomes from the surgery itself. In this paper, we discuss the underlying anatomy, pharmacological considerations, surgical techniques and nutritional needs necessary to help facilitate appropriate wound healing. A successful surgery begins with preoperative planning regarding the placement of the surgical incision, being cognizant of cosmetics, and the effects of possible adjuvant radiation therapy on healing incisions. We need to assess patient's medications and past medical history to make sure we can optimise conditions for proper wound reepithelialisation, such as minimizing the amount of steroids and certain antibiotics. Contrary to harmful medications, it is imperative to optimise nutritional intake with adequate supplementation and vitamin intake. The goals of this paper are to reinforce the mechanisms by which surgical wounds can fail, leading to postoperative complications, and to provide surgeons with the reminder and techniques that can help foster a more successful surgical outcome.
Relationship between depression scores and degree of skin perspiration: A novel cross‐sectional study
Authors: López‐López Daniel , Becerro‐de‐Bengoa‐Vallejo Ricardo , Losa‐Iglesias Marta Elena , Rodríguez‐Sanz David , Palomo‐López Patricia , Calvo‐Lobo César
Published: September 2018

Primary hyperhidrosis (PH) is a common pathological condition related to excessive sweating. It may be associated with depression. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to analyse and compare depression scores between subjects without PH (degree‐I) and patients with PH (degrees‐II, ‐III, and ‐IV). The secondary aim was to describe and compare depression scores among subjects with different PH degrees (I—without perceptible perspiration, II—tolerable perspiration, III—hardly tolerable perspiration, and IV—intolerable perspiration). A sample of 100 subjects with a median age of 23.00 ± 6.00 years was recruited from an outpatient medical centre, where medical history data were registered. The degree of PH was determined using the Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale from degrees I (mild) to IV (very severe). The depression scores were analysed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Statistically significant differences (P < 0.001) were observed for higher BDI scores in the patients with PH (degrees II, III, and IV) than in those without PH (degree‐I). Kruskal‐Wallis tests demonstrated statistically significant differences for BDI scores (P < 0.001), with higher values for degree‐III with respect to degree‐I and degree‐IV with respect to degree‐I. Patients with a greater degree (especially III/IV) of PH showed higher BDI scores compared with subjects without PH.
Revitalising Traditional Street Markets in Rural Korea: Design Thinking and Sense‐Making Methodology
Authors: Lee Hyun‐Kyung
Published: September 2018

This article reports on an academic–industrial cooperation between students at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology and a local foundation working to revitalise the Eonyang traditional market in Ulsan, South Korea. Students majoring in disciplines ranging from natural and applied sciences to business administration were introduced to design thinking, the double diamond model, and sense‐making as frameworks for generating creative outcomes. Those outcomes included media, signage and packaging, a display stand, an accessory for hikers, an artistic reinterpretation of the traditional store shutter, the design for a guesthouse and new packaging for locally produced products. Students presented their ideas at a public exhibition as team projects that involved 3D printing, CAD, Web‐design, graphic design and motion‐picture editing tools. The study reveals that students learn more effectively when pedagogy emphasises active learning and on‐site observation through design‐based integrated education. Its qualitative research involved interviews in which students experienced how design thinking methodology can transform a local economy. The methods reveal a new educational model centred upon creative and applied learning.
Agency and Social Construction: Practice of the Self in Art and Design
Authors: Matthews Miranda
Published: September 2018

Learning in the arts has the potential to be a co‐constructive means of inquiry for students, which enables experience of the self in relation to practice. This research explores a practice‐based investigation of agency as self‐definition, amid normative social constructions of the subject. The focus for data analysis is a project taught to BTEC Level 2 Art and Design students in a deprived area of North London (2010–12). A dialogue is presented between the implications for Sartre's theory of free‐will and a Foucauldian critique of social construction. Applications for this comparative theory are discussed here as a form of resistance to the compression of learning identities in art and design, and across the curriculum. This is an approach which encourages emancipated self‐representation, acknowledging cultural diversity, for a discursive environment viable at all levels of study. In exploring the data, a positioning of free‐will with social responsibility is identified as an inclusive forum for creative understanding, and the tolerance of difference.