bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the simplicity of simple heuristics
Authors: Štukelj Gašper
Published: August 2019

Recent evidence suggests that the take-the-best heuristic—flagship of “fast and frugal heuristics” research program—might in fact not be as frugal as tallying, which is considered to be a more complex strategy. Characterizing a simple decision strategy has always seemed straightforward, and the debate around the simplicity of the take-the-best heuristic is mostly concerned with a proper specification of the heuristic. I argue that the predominate conceptions of “simplicity” and “frugality” need to be revised. To this end, a number of recent behavioral and neuroscientific results are discussed. The example of take-the-best heuristic serves as an entry point to a foundational debate on bounded agency. I argue that the fast and frugal heuristics needs to question some of its legacy from the classical AI research. For example, the assumption that the bottleneck of decision-making process is information processing due to its serial nature. These commitments are hard to reconcile with the modern neuroscientific view of a human decision-maker. In addition, I discuss an overlooked source of uncertainty, namely neural noise, and compare a generic heuristic model to a similar neural algorithm.
SMARCA4-Deficient Thoracic Sarcoma: A Case Report and Review of Literature
Authors: Stewart Brian D. , Kaye Frederic , Machuca Tiago , Mehta Hiren J. , Mohammed Tan-Lucien , Newsom Kimberly J. , Starostik Petr
Published: August 2019

SMARCA4-deficient thoracic sarcoma (SMARCA4-DTS) is a recently described entity with a poor prognosis that is defined by certain genetic alterations in the BAF chromatin remodeling complex, specifically SMARCA4 and SMARCA2. We present a case of a SMARCA4-DTS in a 59 year-old male with a heavy smoking history who was found to have an unexpected right upper lobe lung mass on routine chest radiograph after a visit to his primary care physician. This led to a biopsy with a diagnosis of poorly differentiated carcinoma at an outside institution. The patient was subsequently seen at our facility for surgical intervention. The right upper lobectomy contained a 7.2-cm poorly differentiated malignancy with slightly discohesive cells arranged in sheets and nests, abundant geographic necrosis, and with many areas showing rhabdoid morphology. The tumor was focally reactive for CK7, AE1/3, Cam5.2, and SALL4 and showed scattered reactivity for CD34 and SOX2. There was complete loss of reactivity for both SMARCA4 and SMARCA2. The histology and immunophenotype were all consistent with the diagnosis of a SMARCA4-DTS. Next-generation sequencing showed a frameshift mutation in the SMARCA4 gene and no abnormality with the SMARCA2 gene. Interestingly, this tumor was confined to the pulmonary parenchyma with no invasion of the visceral pleura nor the mediastinum and with no clinically apparent metastases at the time of presentation. This case is presented to add to the cohort of cases described to date and to discuss the immunohistochemical and molecular findings with regard to SMARCA2.
From Conditioning to Emotion: Translating Animal Models of Learning to Human Psychopathology
Authors: Heller Aaron S.
Published: August 2019

Emotional responses are not static but change as a consequence of learning. Organisms adapt to emotional events and these adaptations influence the way we think, behave, and feel when we encounter similar situations in the future. Integrating recent work from rodent models and research on human psychopathology, this article lays out a model describing how affective events cause learning and can lead to anxiety and depression: affective events are linked to conditioned stimuli and contexts. Affective experiences entrain oscillatory synchrony across distributed neural circuits, including the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, and nucleus accumbens, which form associations that constitute the basis of emotional memories. Consolidation of these experiences appears to be supported by replay in the hippocampus—a process by which hippocampal firing patterns recreate the firing pattern that occurred previously. Generalization of learning occurs to never before experienced contexts when associations form across distinct but related conditioned stimuli. The process of generalization, which requires cortical structures, can cause memories to become abstracted. During abstraction, the latent, overlapping features of the learned associations remain and result in the formation of schemas. Schemas are adaptive because they facilitate the rapid processing of conditioned stimuli and prime behavioral, cognitive, and affective responses that are the manifestations of the accumulation of an individual’s conditioned experiences. However, schemas can be maladaptive when the generalization of aversive emotional responses are applied to stimuli and contexts in which affective reactions are unnecessary. I describe how this process can lead to not only mood and anxiety disorders but also psychotherapeutic treatment.
Marriage Equality Time: Entanglements of sexual progress and childhood innocence in Irish primary schools
Authors: Neary Aoife , Rasmussen Mary Lou
Published: August 2019

Ireland is a majority-Catholic country that has, in recent times, been held up as a model of sexual progress internationally. We employ the term Marriage Equality Time (MET) to signify the tensions related to temporality, sexuality and children that emerged as Marriage Equality (ME) was introduced in Ireland. Drawing on a study with six primary schools during the ME referendum, this article captures MET in its emergent state, exploring how parents, teachers and principals were processing what ME might mean for children and schools. This analysis of MET illustrates how it mediates imaginaries of childhood innocence, sexuality and the nation-state.
Stereotypic morality: The influence of group membership on moral foundations
Authors: Winget Jeremy R. , Tindale R. Scott
Published: August 2019

Today’s modern world affords many benefits, one of which is the ability to have near-instantaneous interactions with groups and cultures other than our own. Though advantageous in many situations, one challenge for these groups is navigating what they perceive to be right and wrong in a cooperative manner despite having different modes of morality. Moral foundations theory holds groups use the same moral foundations to guide their judgments and decision making, but there has been little research on how the perception of these foundations differs within and between groups. Thus, the current study examined how moral foundations operate from a group perspective and potential outgroup moderators of moral foundations. Participants rated the extent to which various groups used moral foundations in one of two conditions. Each condition contained an ingroup and three outgroups that conformed to the quadrants of the stereotype content model. Results showed significant differences in the harm, fairness, and loyalty foundations between ingroups and outgroups. Moreover, the type of outgroup significantly influenced moral foundations scores. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering moral foundations at the group level.
Experimental study on panel zone behavior of diaphragm-through connections to concrete-filled tube columns
Authors: Wu Liao
Published: August 2019

In order to verify the accuracy of the panel zone shear capacity calculation method of diaphragm-through connections which were proposed in previous research, the low cycle repeated load tests of six cross-shaped specimens were carried out. The seismic performance of the panel zone’s stress distribution, failure mode, hysteresis curve, and skeleton curve are comprehensively studied and analyzed. The results showed that the steel tube web and core concrete were mainly participating to bear the horizontal shear force, and the “steel frame” composed of the steel tube flange and through-diaphragm was negligible for the shear resistance; the core concrete strut calculated width and height were all one-fourth of the height and width of the panel zone. The test results are in good agreement with the results of the calculation method, which indicated that the calculation method proposed in the previous research results had good accuracy and applicability, and would use for the panel zone shear capacity calculated in the connections design.
The curiosity effect: Information seeking in the contemporary news environment
Authors: Scacco Joshua M , Muddiman Ashley
Published: August 2019

This research investigates how digital news headlines influence contemporary news information seeking. In two studies (a lab experiment and a field test), we examine how the presentation of news information—traditional, summary news headlines or clickbait, curiosity news headlines—influences the attitudinal and behavioral components of news seeking. Study 1 models the news-seeking process, finding that summary headlines heighten perceptions of headline information adequacy, which increase expectations that an article will provide clear information, which in turn increase anticipated audience engagement with news compared to some curiosity headlines. Study 2 determines that individuals’ selection behavior on nine local newspaper websites also favors summary headlines. The findings encourage researchers to employ information-seeking mechanisms in understanding news selection decisions.
‘This is your brain on devices’: Media accounts of young children’s use of digital technologies and implications for parents and teachers
Authors: Laidlaw Linda , O’Mara Joanne , Wong Suzanna So Har
Published: August 2019

Contemporary children are growing up in a post-typographic era, where mobile electronic devices and digital texts are increasingly present. For parents and educators, shifts into new digital practices and new text forms can create a sense of uncertainty. In response to parent and teacher interest, popular media have frequently focused on topics relating to young children and shifting digital practices. This study addresses popular media accounts of children and digital technologies over five years (2013–2018), looking in particular at the emergence of mobile devices and their impact on children’s changing literacy practices. The authors collected popular media articles over this time period and analysed them for the ways in which children and digital technologies were represented and these media called on teachers and parents to respond. The authors provide an overview of their findings and address key themes from the articles, sharing influential examples and addressing the implications and influences of media perspectives. Finally, the authors examine the implications of popular media accounts in relation to informing parent beliefs and approaches, and curriculum responses.
Understanding the soot reduction associated with injection timing variation in a small-bore diesel engine
Authors: Rao Lingzhe , Zhang Yilong , Kook Sanghoon , Kim Kenneth S , Kweon Chol-Bum
Published: August 2019

This study shows the in-cylinder soot reduction mechanism associated with injection timing variation in a small-bore optical diesel engine. For the three selected injection timings, three optical-/laser-based imaging diagnostics were performed to show the development of high-temperature reaction and soot within the cylinder, which include OH* chemiluminescence, planar laser–induced fluorescence of hydroxyl and planar laser–induced incandescence. In addition, detailed soot morphology analysis was conducted using thermophoresis-based soot particle sampling from two locations within the piston bowl, and the subsequent analysis of transmission electron microscope (TEM) images of the sampled soot aggregates was also conducted. The results suggest that when fuel injection timing is varied, ambient gas temperature makes a predominant effect on soot formation and oxidation. This is primarily combustion phasing effect as the advanced fuel injection moved the start of combustion closer to the top dead centre, and therefore, soot formation and oxidation occurred at elevated ambient gas temperature. There was an overall development pattern of in-cylinder soot consistently found for three injection timings of this study. The planar laser–induced incandescence images showed that a few small soot pockets first appear around the jet axis, which promptly grow into large soot regions behind the head of the flame marked planar laser–induced fluorescence of hydroxyl. The soot signals disappear due to significant oxidation induced by surrounding OH radicals. When the injection timing is advanced, the soot formation becomes higher as indicated by higher total laser–induced incandescence coverage, increased sampled particle counts and larger and more stretched soot aggregate structures. However, soot oxidation is also enhanced under this elevated ambient temperature environment. At the most advanced injection timing of this study, the enhanced soot oxidation outperformed the increased soot formation with both peak laser–induced incandescence signal coverage and late-cycle coverage showing lower values than those of more retarded injection timings.
Exercise Behaviors and Fatigue in Patients Receiving Immunotherapy for Advanced Melanoma: A Cross-Sectional Survey via Social Media
Authors: Hyatt Amelia , Drosdowsky Allison , Williams Narelle , Paton Elizabeth , Bennett Fiona , Andersen Hayley , Mathai Jared , Milne Donna
Published: August 2019

Objective: Treatment with immunotherapy has positively changed the long-term outlook of many patients with advanced melanoma; however, fatigue is a common and debilitating side effect. Evidence indicates exercise can improve treatment-related fatigue for patients receiving chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, currently little is known about exercise behaviors and preferences of patients receiving immunotherapy. This project aimed to describe self-reported levels of fatigue related to immunotherapy; patient perspectives of exercise behaviors; and barriers and facilitators to engagement in exercise for patients receiving, or recently completed immunotherapy for unresectable stage III and stage IV melanoma. Method: A cross-sectional purpose-built survey was distributed to members of the Melanoma Patients Australia closed Facebook group via an online survey platform. The survey remained active for 1 month, with 3 posts during this time inviting members to participate. Results: A total of 55 responses were collected. Just over half the participants (n = 31; 56%) described exercising while receiving immunotherapy, with walking as the most common activity (n = 24; 77%). Participants described a range of physical and emotional benefits of exercise, the most predominant being fatigue reduction. Barriers to exercise also included fatigue and competing physical demands at home or work. Patient understanding of what constitutes exercise appeared to differ from clinical classifications. Conclusions: Results from this study indicate that patients are engaging in exercise while receiving immunotherapy, with the intent of mediating treatment-related fatigue. Identification of preferred exercise activities and barriers will assist in developing tailored exercise interventions for this cohort.
Comparison of Fluid Dynamics Variations Between Chimney and Fenestrated Endografts for Pararenal Aneurysms Repair: A Patient Specific Computational Study as Motivation for Clinical Decision-Making
Authors: Moulakakis Konstantinos G. , Kakisis John , Gonidaki Eleni , Lazaris Andreas M. , Tsangaris Sokrates , Geroulakos George , Manopoulos Christos
Published: August 2019

Background-Aim:

Limited data exist concerning the fluid dynamic changes induced by endovascular aortic repair with fenestrated and chimney graft modalities in pararenal aneurysms. We aimed to investigate and compare the wall shear stress (WSS) and flow dynamics for the branch vessels before and after endovascular aortic repair with fenestrated and chimney techniques.

Methods:

Modeling was done for patient specific pararenal aortic aneurysms employing fenestrated and chimney grafts (Materialise Mimics 10.0) before and after the endovascular procedure, using computed tomography scans of patients. Surface and spatial grids were created using the ANSYS CFD meshing software 2019 R2. Assessment of blood flow, streamlines, and WSS before and after aneurysm repair was performed.

Results:

The endovascular repair with chimney grafts leaded to a 43% to 53% reduction in perfusion in renal arteries. In fenestrated reconstruction, we observed a 15% reduced perfusion in both renal arteries. In both cases, we observed a decrease in the recirculation phenomena of the aorta after endovascular repair. Concerning the grafts of the renal arteries, we observed in both the transverse and longitudinal axes low WSS regions with simultaneous recirculation of the flow 1 cm distal to the ostium sites in both aortic graft models. High WSS regions appeared in the sites of ostium.

Conclusions:

We observed reduced renal perfusion in chimney grafts compared to fenestrated grafts, probably caused by the long and kinked characteristics of these devices.
A brief history of pharmacy admissions in North America
Authors: Davis Erin , Braha Richard , McAlorum Shannon , Kelly Debbie
Published: August 2019

The move from a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy to a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, both in the United States and in Canada, has been accompanied by a general move towards increased prepharmacy admission requirements and longer pharmacy programs. Historically, the most thoroughly researched pharmacy admissions variables include grade point average (GPA), Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT), interviews and critical thinking tests. Most programs now require a combination of academic (GPA ± PCAT) and nonacademic characteristics (e.g., interviews, volunteering, critical thinking tests, essays). This review focuses on GPA and the PCAT as academic admissions measures and the interview (both traditional and the multiple mini-interview) and critical thinking tests as nonacademic measures. There is evidence that prepharmacy GPA, the PCAT and admissions interviews are correlated with academic success in a pharmacy program. Repeating a prepharmacy course is a negative predictor of academic success. The multiple mini-interview and various critical thinking tests have been studied in pharmacy admissions, but the evidence to date does not support their use for predicting success. Several areas require further research, including finding an effective measure of reasoning and critical thinking skills. The relationship between admission test scores and clinical performance also requires further study, as academic achievement in pharmacy programs has been the main measure of success to date.
Carceral violence at the intersection of madness and crime in Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City
Authors: Fawcett Christina , Kohm Steven
Published: August 2019

The action-adventure video games Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009) and Batman: Arkham City (2011) draw on familiar comic book narratives, themes and characters to situate players in a world of participatory violence, crime and madness. In the first game, the player-as-Batman is situated in Arkham Asylum, a high-security facility for the criminally insane and supervillains that also temporarily houses a general population of prisoners from Blackgate Penitentiary. The elision of criminality and mental illness becomes amplified in the second game with the establishment of Arkham City, a combined facility that conflates asylum and prison, completely dissolving any distinction between crime and madness. We draw on Rafter’s conceptual framework of popular criminology to seriously interrogate the representation of violence, crime and madness in these games. More than simply texts offering popular explanations for crime, the games directly implicate the player in violence enacted upon the bodies of criminals and patients alike. Violence is necessary to move the action of the game forward and evokes a range of emotional responses from players who draw from personal experience and other cultural and media representations as they navigate the game. We argue that while the game celebrates violence and the brutal conditions of incarceration, it also offers possibilities for subversive and critical readings. While working to affirm assumptions about crime and mental illness, the game also provides a visceral and visual critique of excessive punishment by the state as a source of injustice for those deemed mad or bad.
A cluster analysis of high-performance handball players' perceived motivational climate: Implications on motivation, implicit beliefs of ability and intention to be physically active
Authors: Gómez-López Manuel , Merino-Barrero Juan Andrés , Manzano-Sánchez David , Valero-Valenzuela Alfonso
Published: August 2019

The aims of this study were to uncover the different motivational climate profiles to compare differences on their implicit beliefs of sports ability, motivational orientation, and intention to be physically active, and finally to analyse the relationship of the gender with motivational climate profiles, in a large sample of high-performance handball players in Spain. A total of 444 (233 males, 211 females) high-performance handball players agreed to participate. They completed a questionnaire that included the Spanish validated versions of Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire, Conceptions of the Nature of Athletic Ability Questionnaire-2, Sport Motivation Scale and Intention to be Physically Active Questionnaire. A hierarchical cluster analysis uncovered two independent motivational climate profiles that were confirmed by a K-Means cluster analysis: “mastery climate” and “performance climate”. The results revealed that the mastery climate profile comprised players with less amotivation and higher scores in both incremental ability belief and greater intention to be physically active, and more women than men. By contrast, the performance climate profile comprised players with higher scores in extrinsic motivation and amotivation, both entity ability belief, lower intention to be physically active and primarily men. The importance of the coach in creating a mastery climate that fosters athletes' engagement was confirmed.
An in-vitro biomechanical assessment of humeral head migration following irreparable rotator cuff tear and subacromial balloon reconstruction
Authors: Reeves Jacob M , Singh Supriya , Langohr G Daniel G , Athwal George S , Johnson James A
Published: August 2019

Background

A resorbable subacromial balloon has been developed to address humeral head migration following posterosuperior rotator cuff tears. The purpose of this experimental assessment was to quantify the effect of balloon augmentation on humeral head position.

Methods

Eight cadaveric shoulders were subjected to 0°, 30°, 60° and 90° of abduction via a shoulder simulator. The deltoid was activated at 40N, then 80N. The subscapularis and infraspinatus with teres minor were then applied independently and together to create four muscle activation states for each deltoid load. The shoulder was tested intact, torn, then with the balloon. The centre of the humeral head was tracked using active optical markers.

Results

When the rotator cuff was torn, the humeral head translated superior by 1.4 ± 1 mm overall (P = 0.009). Following balloon augment, the humeral head translated inferiorly by 2 ± 2 mm relative to the intact state (P = 0.042), and significantly more anterior than the intact (3 ± 2 mm; P = 0.005) state. Rotator cuff variation was only significantly different when the balloon was used, with the subscapularis translating the humeral head posteriorly (P = 0.006).

Discussion

The subacromial balloon inferiorized the humeral head compared to the torn state. Unexpected anterior humeral head translation was attributed to the posterosuperior balloon placement relative to the humeral head.
Compositional analysis of the association between mortality and 24-hour movement behaviour from NHANES
Authors: McGregor Duncan E , Palarea-Albaladejo Javier , Dall Philippa M , del Pozo Cruz Borja , Chastin Sebastien F M
Published: August 2019

Aims

Previous prospective studies of the association between mortality and physical activity have generally not fully accounted for the interplay between movement behaviours. A compositional data modelling approach accounts for relative scale and co-dependency in time-use data across physical activity behaviours of the 24-hour day.

Methods

A prospective analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005–2006 on N = 1468 adults (d = 135 deaths) in ages 50–79 years was undertaken using compositional Cox regression analysis. Daily time spent in sedentary behaviour, light intensity (LIPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was determined from waist-mounted accelerometer data (Actigraph 7164) and supplemented with self-reported sleep data to determine the daily time-use composition.

Results

The composition of time spent in sedentary behaviour, LIPA, MVPA and sleep was associated with mortality rate after allowing for age and sex effects (p < 0.001), and remained significant when other lifestyle factors were added (p < 0.001). This was driven primarily by the preponderance of MVPA; however, significant changes are attributable to LIPA relative to sedentary behaviour and sleep, and sedentary behaviour relative to sleep. The final ratio ceased to be statistically significant after incorporating lifestyle factors. The preponderance of MVPA ceased to be statistically significant after incorporating health at outset and physical limitations on movement.

Conclusions

An association is inferred between survival rate and the physical activity composition of the day. The MVPA time share is important, but time spent in LIPA relative to sedentary behaviour and sleep is also a significant factor. Increased preponderance of MVPA may have detrimental associations at higher levels of MVPA.
Preparing Preservice School Counselors to Serve Students With Disabilities: A Case Study
Authors: Goodman-Scott Emily , Bobzien Jonna , Milsom Amy
Published: August 2019

Using a case study, researchers examined how preservice school counselors experienced course content and activities related to students with disabilities. Course content, activities, and pedagogical strategies were based on recommendations from counselor education scholars and Bandura’s model of self-efficacy. Aligned with case study research (Yin), researchers gathered and triangulated both quantitative and qualitative data, which revealed that participants reported an overarching positive experience, gaining knowledge and confidence and appreciating practical experiences regarding course content and activities specific to students with disabilities.
Outcomes of renal transplantation in patients with previous hematologic malignancies
Authors: Hedvat Jessica , Nair Vinay , Miko Leandra , Menon Madhav C , Santeusanio Andrew
Published: August 2019

Recommendations regarding the appropriateness of renal transplantation in patients with prior hematologic malignancies are limited. Given the lack of available data, studies are needed to assess which of these patients will maximally benefit from renal transplantation. This study was undertaken to describe the incidence of new or recurrent malignancy as well as patient and allograft survival, acute rejection, and serious infections in patients with prior hematologic malignancies receiving renal transplantation. This was a single center retrospective review of all adult patients with a previous hematologic malignancy who received a living or deceased renal transplantation between January 2009 and January 2016. Eight renal transplantation recipients with prior hematologic malignancies were identified and followed for a minimum of 3 years. Six patients received prior chemotherapy and five had a prior hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Median time from remission to transplant was 2.6 years. Three-year patient and allograft survival were 87% and 75%, respectively. Three patients were diagnosed with new cancers within 3 years post-renal transplantation; one of which died from cancer-related complications with a functioning allograft. There was concern for recurrent hematologic malignancies in two patients based on serologic studies, but, both of these patients were alive with functioning allografts at 3-year follow-up. Our experience suggests that renal transplantation can be successfully performed in select patients with prior hematologic malignancy but with a significant risk for de novo malignancy post-transplant, which may be associated with an overall poor prognosis. Decisions regarding renal transplantation candidacy should be made based on risk stratification and multidisciplinary discussions with patients, hematologists, and transplant providers.
Discovery of a CD10-negative B-progenitor in human fetal life identifies unique ontogeny-related developmental programs
Authors: O’Byrne Sorcha , Elliott Natalina , Rice Siobhan , Buck Gemma , Fordham Nicholas , Garnett Catherine , Godfrey Laura , Crump Nicholas T. , Wright Gary , Inglott Sarah , Hua Peng , Psaila Bethan , Povinelli Benjamin , Knapp David J. H. F. , Agraz-Doblas Antonio , Bueno Clara , Varela Ignacio , Bennett Phillip , Koohy Hashem , Watt Suzanne M. , Karadimitris Anastasios , Mead Adam J. , Ancliff Phillip , Vyas Paresh , Menendez Pablo , Milne Thomas A. , Roberts Irene , Roy Anindita
Published: August 2019

By comparing fetal and adult B-lymphopoiesis, the authors identify a prepro–B-cell subset in humans that marks the origin of B-cell lineage commitment in utero.
Determining If a Somatic Tumor Mutation Is Targetable and Options for Accessing Targeted Therapies
Authors: Bruinooge Suanna Steeby , Sherwood Shimere , Grubbs Stephen , Schilsky Richard L.
Published: August 2019

Targeted cancer therapies are drugs and biologics designed to affect cancer cell growth by blocking or interfering with specific molecular pathways in the cancer cell. Use of targeted agents usually requires verification through molecular testing that the patient’s tumor harbors the molecular biomarker that is the target of the drug or is predictive of treatment benefit. Genomic mutations may be clinically actionable if they are associated with response or resistance to a potential therapy. If a genomic test reveals an actionable alteration, there are several options for accessing the targeted therapy. This article is intended to help clinicians determine if a tumor mutation is potentially treatable with a marketed or investigational drug or biologic product and to offer guidance on how to access the product of interest.
Estimation of contrast-to-noise ratio in CT and CBCT images with varying scan settings in presence of different implant materials
Authors: Kursun-Cakmak Emine Şebnem , Demirturk Kocasarac Husniye , Bayrak Seval , Ustaoğlu Gülbahar , Noujeim Marcel
Published: August 2019

Objectives:

To assess the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of four different types of dental implant materials in CT and cone beam CT (CBCT) images with varying scan settings.

Methods:

Four different types of implants: zirconium (Zr), titanium (Ti) Grade 4 and 5 and titanium–zirconium (Ti–ZrO2) alloy were placed in a 3% gelatin phantom in a cylindrical plastic container and scanned with two different CT machines (GE Medical systems and Toshiba Medical Systems) and one CBCT machine (I-CAT, Imaging Sciences International) with different voxel sizes of 0.2, 0.25, 0.3 and 0.4 mm. Images were analyzed using ImageJ software with the purpose of estimating the CNR.

Results:

The CNR obtained from images acquired with CT was lower than the CBCT with all voxel sizes tested. 0.3 and 0.4 mm voxel sizes exhibited the highest CNR (p < 0.05) that gives the best image quality. Among the implant materials tested, titanium Grade 5 has the highest levels of CNR while Zirconium has the lowest (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

The optimum protocol for radiographic follow-up in areas near implants on the I-CAT is low-resolution settings (0.3 and 0.4 mm voxel sizes) which gave the highest CNR thus image quality. In presence of Zr implants, an alternative imaging modality (i.e., MRI) may be considered to avoid low-quality images.
Knowledge about the importance of antenatal care among females of child bearing age living in a suburban community of Lahore
Authors: Ahmed Hina , Manzoor Iram -
Published: August 2019

Background and Objectives: During the past few decades, females had been making conscious decision to have antenatal checkup from skilled health care provider due to improved education which had played a vital role to enhance their awareness regarding the importance of this comprehensive health service. The objective was to find out the perception of females of child bearing age about the importance of antenatal care during their last pregnancy, living in a suburban community of Kot-Lakhodare Lahore.

Methods: Females of reproductive age (15-49 years) living in Kot-Lakhodare were enrolled. Through a structured questionnaire, using convenient sampling technique, 1224 females of childbearing were interviewed through a cross sectional survey. The study was completed between January till August 2016. Question pertaining to their sociodemographic characteristics, perception about the importance of antenatal care services and comorbid conditions during the last pregnancy were asked. Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 21. The ethical approval both institutional and individual were duly taken.

Results: Mean age was 32 ±7.8SD years with education up to primary. Three quarter of females were un- employed with monthly income less than rupees 25,000 / month. All females 869(73%) who had perception about importance of antenatal checkup during their last pregnancy had no history of anemia, hypertension, diabetes and abortion (p<0.05). These females coming for the antenatal checkup delivered uneventfully by normal vaginal route and preferred government and private hospital for delivery and were vaccinated against Tetanus Toxoid (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The females of child bearing age during the last pregnancy had adequate knowledge about the importance of antenatal care which played an important role in prevention of comorbid conditions like anemia, hypertension, diabetes and risk of abortion. Moreover, they had the perception of importance of institutionalized deliveries, tetanus Toxoid vaccination coverage during pregnancy.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.1256

How to cite this:Ahmed H, Manzoor I. Knowledge about the importance of antenatal care among females of child bearing age living in a suburban community of Lahore. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(5):1344-1348. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.1256

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Psychological well-being of substance use patient: Role of religious therapy as the treatment
Authors: Bano Zaqia , Naz Iram , Leghari Naeem , Ahmed Ishtiaq
Published: August 2019

Objective: To evaluate the psychological well-being of substance use patients in comparison of combined religious therapy and pharmacotherapy effects with that of pharmacotherapy effects alone and also to assess the psychological well-being of drug addicts in comparison of demographics characteristics.

Methods: This experimental study was conducted at Department of Psychology, University of Gujrat from July 5th 2016 to July 25th 2017. A sample of 140 drug addicted patients was taken from different hospital. The pre and post-test of experimental and control group was done. Experimental group received standard pharmacotherapy along with religious therapy while patients in the control group only induced standard pharmacotherapy. The effectiveness of therapy was judged on their psychological well-being using California Psychological Inventory Well-being sub-scale.

Results: The results of the study confirmed that there was significant difference in the psychological well-being of control and experimental group (p-value <0.01). After the treatment a difference exists in the means of control and experimental (16.24 and 26.44 respectively) groups. An increase in the psychological well-being of those having religious therapy comparing to those not having religious therapy was observed. Further, comparing the demographic variables the means indicated that treatment affected all age groups, marital status and education level equally. Whereas, in the rural area (mean, 27.04) psychological well-being was better than the urban (mean=26.11) and with the income levels of 21,000 to 30,000 (mean, 27.57) there was more improvement as compared with other income levels (mean, 26.35 and mean, 26.03).

Conclusion: The religious therapy had a significant therapeutic effect on psychological well-being of the substance use patients and it is equally effective for all age group, marital status and educational level.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.561

How to cite this:Bano Z, Naz I, Leghari N, Ahmed I. Psychological well-being of substance use patient: Role of religious therapy as the treatment. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(5):1376-1381. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.561

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Change in corneal endothelial cell density after phacoemulsification in patients with type II diabetes mellitus
Authors: Khalid Muhammad , Hanif Muhammad Kashif , Islam Qamar ul , Mehboob Muhammad Asim
Published: August 2019

Objective: To compare the mean change in Corneal Endothelial cell Density (CED), from baseline (pre-operative value), two months after phacoemulsification cataract surgery between type II diabetic patients and non-diabetic patients.

Methods: This prospective stratified controlled study was conducted at PNS Shifa Hospital, Karachi. 80 eyes of 72 type II diabetic patients and 80 eyes of 77 non diabetic controls, having Nuclear Opalescence (NO) grades 2 and 3 on slit lamp examination underwent phacoemulsification surgery. CED was measured in cells/mm2, of concerned eye of each subject preoperatively and 2 months post operatively using specular microscope. The difference in mean CED change between the two groups after surgery was analyzed.

Results: Mean age of study population was 61.41± 6.76 years. Out of study population, 92 (57.5%) were males and 68 (42.5%) were females. There was a statistically significant difference between both groups in terms of mean post-operative CED, mean change in CED and mean frequency change in CED (p <0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between both groups in age, gender, laterality of eyes and mean pre-operative CED, (p >0.05). Difference of pre-operative CED from post-operative CED in each group was statistically significant.

Conclusion: There is a significant difference between diabetic population and normal population in terms of corneal endothelial loss after uneventful phacoemulsification cataract surgery.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.596

How to cite this:Khalid M, Hanif MK, Qamar ul Islam, Mehboob MA. Change in corneal endothelial cell density after phacoemulsification in patients with type II diabetes mellitus. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(5):1366-1369. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.596

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Risk factors for mortality among inpatients with smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis
Authors: Hameed Sidra , Zuberi Faisal Faiyaz , Hussain Sagheer , Ali Syed Khalid
Published: August 2019

Objective: To evaluate risk factors having significant effect on mortality of smear positive Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) inpatients.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Ojha Institute of Chest Diseases, Dow University Hospital Ojha Campus, Karachi. One hundred and seventy (170) inpatients of smear positive PTB confirmed by Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB) smear, aged between 13-80 years were enrolled by using consecutive sampling technique while patients with drug resistant Tuberculosis (TB) and extra pulmonary TB were excluded from the study. Selected patients were interviewed for collecting demographic data and risk factor data by using a standard questionnaire.

Results: Out of 170 PTB inpatients, mortality was observed in 23 (13.5%) patients among which male patients were 12 (52.2%), and female were 11 (47.8%). Mortality was significantly associated with increasing age (p=0.003), socioeconomic status (p=0.019), anemia (p=0.03), Chronic Liver Disease (CLD) (p=0.005), Diabetes Mellitus (DM) (p=0.001), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (p=0.007), Hypertension (HTN) (p=0.006), recurrent TB (p=0.001), and smoking (p=0.001).

Conclusion: Increasing age, poverty, smoking history, and presence of comorbidities like DM, CLD, HIV, hypertension, and anemia are associated with higher mortality in smear positive PTB cases.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.919

How to cite this:Hameed S, Zuberi FF, Hussain S, Ali SK. Risk factors for mortality among inpatients with smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(5):1361-1365. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.919

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Optimal Signaling Mechanisms in Unobservable Queues
Authors: Lingenbrink David , Iyer Krishnamurthy
Published: August 2019

In many systems with limited service capacity, customers must wait in a queue for service. When customers cannot observe the queue, how should a revenue-maximizing service provider convey information about wait times? In “Optimal Signaling Mechanisms in Unobservable Queues,” D. Lingenbrink and K. Iyer study this problem and characterize the structure of the optimal signaling mechanism. To signal optimally, the service provider uses two possible signals, “short” and “long,” to tell customers the queue length is short when below a threshold and long when above it. For the specific case of linear waiting costs, the authors explicitly compute this threshold. Furthermore, they show that for an optimally chosen fixed service price, optimal signaling produces the same expected revenue as a pricing mechanism that sets prices based on the number of customers waiting. This suggests that in settings where one cannot dynamically update prices, signaling can be effective in generating revenue.
Empty-Car Routing in Ridesharing Systems
Authors: Braverman Anton , Dai J. G. , Liu Xin , Ying Lei
Published: August 2019

Understanding the Fundamentals of Empty-Car Routing in Ridesharing Systems
Branch-and-Cut-and-Price for the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows and Convex Node Costs
Authors: He Qie , Irnich Stefan , Song Yongjia
Published: August 2019

Two critical yet frequently conflicting objectives for logistics and transportation service companies are improving customer satisfaction and reducing transportation cost. In particular, given a network of customer requests with preferred service times, it is very challenging to find vehicle routes and service schedules simultaneously that respect all operating constraints and minimize the total transportation and customers’ inconvenience costs. In this paper, we introduce the vehicle routing problem with time windows and convex node costs (VRPTW-CNC), in which we model each customer’s inconvenience cost as a convex function of the service start time at that customer. The VRPTW-CNC combines and extends both the standard vehicle routing problem with time windows and some previous results on the optimal service scheduling problem over a fixed route. We propose a branch-and-cut-and-price algorithm to solve the VRPTW-CNC with general convex inconvenience cost functions. To solve the pricing problem, our labeling algorithm only generates labels that possibly lead to optimal schedule times over a route, which significantly improves the effectiveness of pricing. Extensive computational results demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.
CANDU FIRE LOAD DENSITIES IN CANADIAN NUCLEAR PLANTS
Authors: Shalabi Hossam , Hadjisophocleous George
Published: August 2019

A fuel survey was carried out at all operating CANDU reactors in Canada in 5 sites (Bruce A, Bruce B, Darlington, Pickering, and Point Lepreau). The survey used the National Fire Protection Association 557 combination method for the fire zones that contain fire safe shutdown analysis equipment. A fire zone group list for the sites was developed to combine fire zones with similar functions; 38 fire zone groups were produced from this exercise. The results of the survey show that the average fuel load density for all 1230 fire zones is 170.1 MJ/m2, and the average fuel load is 79 183 MJ. The maximum fuel load density is 1319 MJ/m2, and the maximum fuel load is 2 785 404 MJ. High-energy arcing faults risk was found in 254 fire zones out of the 1230 fire zones. Electric fault is the highest ignition source risk present in all 1230 fire zones.
RESULTS OF A PHENOMENA IDENTIFICATION AND RANKING TABLE (PIRT) EXERCISE FOR A SEVERE ACCIDENT IN A SMALL MODULAR HIGH-TEMPERATURE GAS-COOLED REACTOR
Authors: Hummel David William , Chin Yu-Shan , Prudil Andrew , Williams Anthony , Masala Eugene , Waddington Geoffrey , Edwards Matthew , Yakabuskie Pamela , Jafri Tariq , Tran Thuy , Huang Xianmin , Liang Zhe
Published: August 2019

Canada has attracted specific interest from developers of nonwater-cooled small modular reactor (SMR) technologies, including concepts based on high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs). It is anticipated that some research and development (R&D) will be necessary to support safety analysis and licensing of these reactors in Canada. The Phenomena Identification and Ranking Table (PIRT) process is a formalized method in which a panel of experts identifies which physical phenomena are most relevant to the reactor safety analysis and how well understood these phenomena are. The PIRT process is thus a tool to assess current knowledge levels and (or) predictive capabilities of models, thus providing direction to a focused R&D program. This paper summarizes the results of a PIRT process performed by a panel of experts at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories for a limiting or “worst-case” accident scenario at a generic HTGR-type SMR. Suggestions are given regarding the highest priority R&D items to support severe accidents analysis of these reactors.
Social prescribing in cardiology: rediscovering the nature within us
Authors: Howarth Michelle , Lister Craig
Published: August 2019

Personalised care is integral to the delivery of the NHS England Long Term Plan. Enabling choice and supporting patients to make decisions predicated on ‘what matters to them’, rather than ‘what is the matter with them’ is a fundamental part of the NHS vision. Social prescribing uses non-medical, asset-based, salutogenic approaches to promote this personalised paradigm, and places the patient central to decision making. This article discusses how personalised care can be used to help people with cardiovascular disease using socially prescribed ‘nature-based’ interventions to support the pre-habilitation and rehabilitation of patients with cardiovascular disease. The concept of personalised care outlined and the significance of salutogenic principles as a complementary approach to the pathogenic model is discussed. The authors argue that this seemingly novel approach to using nature-based interventions can help promote wellbeing for people with cardiovascular disease as part of the wider personalised agenda.