bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
N-11C-Methyl-Dopamine PET Imaging of Sympathetic Nerve Injury in a Swine Model of Acute Myocardial Ischemia: A Comparison with13N-Ammonia PET
Authors: Zhou Weina , Wang Xiangcheng , He Yulin , Nie Yongzhen , Zhang Guojian , Wang Cheng , Wang Chunmei , Wang Xuemei
Published: January 2016

Objective. Using a swine model of acute myocardial ischemia, we sought to validateN-11C-methyl-dopamine (11C-MDA) as an agent capable of imaging cardiac sympathetic nerve injury.Methods. Acute myocardial ischemia was surgically generated in Chinese minipigs. ECG and serum enzyme levels were used to detect the presence of myocardial ischemia. Paired11C-MDA PET and13N-ammonia PET scans were performed at baseline, 1 day, and 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery to relate cardiac sympathetic nerve injury to blood perfusion.Results. Seven survived the surgical procedure. The ECG-ST segment was depressed, and levels of the serum enzymes increased. Cardiac uptake of tracer was quantified as the defect volume. Both before and immediately after surgery, the images obtained with11C-MDA and13N-ammonia were similar. At 1 to 6 months after surgery, however,11C-MDA postsurgical left ventricular myocardial defect volume was significantly greater compared to13N-ammonia.Conclusions. In the Chinese minipig model of acute myocardial ischemia, the extent of the myocardial defect as visualized by11C-MDA is much greater than would be suggested by blood perfusion images, and the recovery from myocardial sympathetic nerve injury is much slower than the restoration of blood perfusion.11C-MDA PET may provide additional biological information during recovery from ischemic heart disease.
DFT Studies of Caffeic Acid Antioxidant: Molecular Orbitals and Composite Reactivity Maps Correlation with Photophysical Characteristics and Photochemical Stability
Authors: Abdel-Mottaleb M. S. A.
Published: January 2016

This paper describes experimentally verifiable computational chemistry results of the environmentally benign caffeic acid (CA) antioxidant. Computations at density functional level (DFT) and its time dependent (TD) extension are carried out to explain results obtained experimentally in our laboratories. Emphases are on acidity constants, photodegradation, fluorescence quenching by metal ligation, and UV-Vis absorption characteristics of CA. Additionally, quantitative structure activity indices and composite maps that visualizing nucleophilicity, electrophilicity, and potential energy surface (PES map) are computed and discussed.
Performance of Used Tire Cushion Layer under Rockfall Impact
Authors: Sun Jianhu , Chu Zhaojun , Liu Yingfang , Luo Weiming , Wang Min
Published: January 2016

Rock shed is widely used in traffic lines against rockfall. In order to cushion rockfall impact and dissipate impact energy, cushion layer is usually adopted in rock shed. Used tire cushion layer is proposed in this paper and it can cushion rockfall impact utilizing large radial deformation of tire. Reinforced concrete structure model is built with used tire cushion layer and artificial rockfall test is carried out. Twelve tests are divided into 4 sets with different rockfall mass, rockfall height, and tire filling material. Simplified calculation model with spring-damper is derived from radial repeated compression test of used tire, which improves the calculation efficiency. Test and numerical simulation show that application of used tire cushion layer in rock shed can cushion rockfall impact and effectively reduce peak acceleration and the maximum impact force. Filling sand and gravel in tire can improve tire stiffness and energy absorption capacity but will decrease cushion effect due to its large density. With the same impact energy, light rockfall is more destructive than weight rockfall for used tire cushion layer.
High-Speed Train Stop-Schedule Optimization Based on Passenger Travel Convenience
Authors: Chen Dingjun , Ni Shaoquan , Xu Chang’an , Lv Hongxia , Wang Simin
Published: January 2016

The stop-schedules for passenger trains are important to the operation planning of high-speed trains, and they decide the quality of passenger service and the transportation efficiency. This paper analyzes the specific manifestation of passenger travel convenience and proposes the concepts of interstation accessibility and degree of accessibility. In consideration of both the economic benefits of railway corporations and the travel convenience of passengers, a multitarget optimization model is established. The model aims at minimizing stop cost and maximizing passenger travel convenience. Several constraints are applied to the model establishment, including the number of stops made by individual trains, the frequency of train service received by each station, the operation section, and the 0-1 variable. A hybrid genetic algorithm is designed to solve the model. Both the model and the algorithm are validated through case study.
Bioactive Peptides from Angelica sinensis Protein Hydrolyzate Delay Senescence in Caenorhabditis elegans through Antioxidant Activities
Authors: Wang Qiangqiang , Huang Yunxuan , Qin Chuixin , Liang Ming , Mao Xinliang , Li Shuiming , Zou Yongdong , Jia Weizhang , Li Haifeng , Ma Chung Wah , Huang Zebo
Published: January 2016

Since excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) is known to be associated with aging and age‐related diseases, strategies modulating ROS level and antioxidant defense systems may contribute to the delay of senescence. Here we show that the protein hydrolyzate from Angelica sinensis was capable of increasing oxidative survival of the model animal Caenorhabditis elegans intoxicated by paraquat. The hydrolyzate was then fractionated by ultrafiltration, and the antioxidant fraction (<3 kDa) was purified by gel filtration to obtain the antioxidant A. sinensis peptides (AsiPeps), which were mostly composed of peptides with <20 amino acid residues. Further studies demonstrate that AsiPeps were able to reduce the endogenous ROS level, increase the activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase, and decrease the content of the lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde in nematodes treated with paraquat or undergoing senescence. AsiPeps were also shown to reduce age pigments accumulation and extend lifespan but did not affect the food‐intake behavior of the nematodes. Taken together, our results demonstrate that A. sinensis peptides (AsiPeps) are able to delay aging process in C. elegans through antioxidant activities independent of dietary restriction.
Accuracy Improvement of Discharge Measurement with Modification of Distance Made Good Heading
Authors: Lee Jongkook , Shin Hongjoon , Ahn Jeonghwan , Jeong Changsam
Published: January 2016

Remote control boats equipped with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) are widely accepted and have been welcomed by many hydrologists for water discharge, velocity profile, and bathymetry measurements. The advantages of this technique include high productivity, fast measurements, operator safety, and high accuracy. However, there are concerns about controlling and operating a remote boat to achieve measurement goals, especially during extreme events such as floods. When performing river discharge measurements, the main error source stems from the boat path. Due to the rapid flow in a flood condition, the boat path is not regular and this can cause errors in discharge measurements. Therefore, improvement of discharge measurements requires modification of boat path. As a result, the measurement errors in flood flow conditions are 12.3–21.8% before the modification of boat path, but 1.2–3.7% after the DMG modification of boat path. And it is considered that the modified discharges are very close to the observed discharge in the flood flow conditions. In this study, through the distance made good (DMG) modification of the boat path, a comprehensive discharge measurement with high accuracy can be achieved.
The Role of Forkhead Box Protein M1 in Breast Cancer Progression and Resistance to Therapy
Authors: Saba Raya , Alsayed Alhareth , Zacny James P. , Dudek Arkadiusz Z.
Published: January 2016

The Forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) is a transcription factor that has been implicated in normal cell growth and proliferation through control of cell cycle transition and mitotic spindle. It is implicated in carcinogenesis of various malignancies where it is activated by either amplification, increased stability, enhanced transcription, dysfunction of regulatory pathways, or activation of PI3K/AKT, epidermal growth factor receptor, Raf/MEK/MAPK, and Hedgehog pathways. This review describes the role of FOXM1 in breast cancer. This includes how FOXM1 impacts on different subtypes of breast cancer, that is, luminal/estrogen receptor positive (ER+), expressing human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), basal-like breast cancer (BBC), and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). The review also describes different tested preclinical therapeutic strategies targeting FOXM1. Developing clinically applicable therapies that specifically inhibit FOXM1 activity is a logical next step in biomarker-driven approaches against breast cancer but will not be without its challenges due to the unique properties of this transcription factor.
Association between Perioperative Blood Transfusions and Clinical Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Bladder Cancer Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Study
Authors: Cata Juan P. , Lasala Javier , Pratt Greg , Feng Lei , Shah Jay B.
Published: January 2016

Background. Perioperative blood transfusions are associated with poor survival in patients with solid tumors including bladder cancer. Objective. To investigate the impact of perioperative blood transfusions on oncological outcomes after radical cystectomy. Design. Systematic review and meta-analysis. Setting and Participants. Adult patients who underwent radical cystectomy for bladder cancer. Intervention. Packed red blood cells transfusion during or after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer. Outcome Measurements and Statistical Analysis. Recurrence-free survival (RFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS). We calculated the pooled hazard ratio (HR) estimates and 95% confidence intervals by random and fixed effects models. Results and Limitation. Eight, seven, and five studies were included in the OS, CSS, and RFS analysis, respectively. Blood transfusions were associated with 27%, 29%, and 12% reduction in OS, CSS, and RFS, respectively. A sensitivity analysis supported the association. This study has several limitations; however the main problem is that it included only retrospective studies. Conclusions. Perioperative BT may be associated with reduced RFS, CSS, and OS in patients undergoing RC for BC. A randomized controlled study is needed to determine the causality between the administration of blood transfusions and bladder cancer recurrence.
Adverse Childhood Experiences, Negative Emotionality, and Pathways to Juvenile Recidivism
Authors: Wolff Kevin T. , Baglivio Michael T.
Published: January 2016

Prior work has illustrated youth exposed to adverse parenting practices are more likely to offend and juvenile offenders with maltreatment histories more likely to re-offend. In addition, aggressive tendencies and a hostile interpretation of the actions of others and one’s environment increase antisocial behavior. Unfortunately, the pathways by which those effects occur are not well understood. Using a sample of more than 25,000 juvenile offenders, we use structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the pathways by which adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) affect juvenile delinquency. Results indicate ACEs have both a direct and indirect effect on recidivism, with nearly half of the total effect of ACEs on re-offending operating through negative emotionality. Policy implications are discussed.
A Matter of Psychological Safety
Authors: Ulusoy Nazan , Mölders Christina , Fischer Sebastian , Bayur Hakan , Deveci Serol , Demiral Yücel , Rössler Wulf
Published: January 2016

Immigration entails the risk of feeling disconnected in the receiving society, in both everyday life and the workplace. This may affect the way immigrant employees relate to their job and their workplace. In this article, we investigate the affective commitment of Turkish immigrant employees in Germany (TG) and their subsequent work engagement, mental health, and turnover intention. Specifically, we compared TG ( n = 201) to both German employees in Germany (GG; n = 1,406) and Turkish employees in Turkey (TT; n = 362). Our results show that the effect of immigration background on mental health, work engagement, and turnover through affective commitment depends on the level of perceived psychological safety at the workplace, specifically in terms of an open and inclusive work climate. The results suggest that psychological safety is particularly helpful in enhancing immigrant employees’ positive attitudes toward the workplace. Our study provides new insights on the well-being of immigrant employees, specifically TG, and the different needs of diverse workforces. Given our findings, future studies should explore more deeply the positive influences that psychological safety has on minority groups and their workplace attitudes.
Relation Between Health-Related Quality of Life and Sleep Quality With Adjustment for Comorbidity Among the Korean Elderly
Authors: Kwon Amy M. , Shin Chol
Published: January 2016

It is an important public health problem to identify risk factors of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among the elderly. We recruited subjects from Ansan, Korea, as a subset of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES), which is an ongoing population study, and followed up their sleep quality for 6 years. Mixed effect models were used to estimate the association between sleep quality and HRQoL, and we found that overall HRQoL was significantly lower to the elderly having poor sleep quality with adjustment for significant covariates although sleep quality showed a significant interaction effect with time for the mental component summary of SF-12. In particular, the elderly having lack of quality sleep appeared to have good general health, but their functional performances were significantly poor.
Role of combination of hexagonal boron nitride and graphite in NAO friction material
Authors: Aranganathan N , Bijwe Jayashree , Khatri DS
Published: January 2016

Copper is added in non-asbestos organic (NAO) friction materials (FM) to increase the thermal conductivity and to enhance the lubricity at high temperature apart from the well-accepted fact that it influences tribological performance also. Copper is being phased out slowly in FM formulations because of its proven threat to the aquatic life. Nowadays, the research in this area is being focussed on finding alternatives to Cu.

Hexa-boron nitride (hBN) also known as white graphite is a ceramic powdery filler, having crystalline structure similar to that of graphite along with various desirable properties (such as higher thermo-oxidative stability and thermal conductivity) which could be possibly suitable for developing Cu-free FMs. Hence, it was thought worthwhile to explore hBN as a potential ingredient in FM formulation for replacing copper. Five FMs in the form of brake shoes were developed, keeping all other ingredients identical and varying combinations of two solid lubricants viz. graphite and hBN systematically. The amount of these two solid lubricants was purposefully kept high (20%) so that the effect on performance properties could be visible clearly. Samples were tribo-evaluated using chase test rig as per IS 2742 standard. The paper discusses on the influence of these solid lubricants on performance properties of the series of five FMs.
Experimental simulation of the friction, temperature, and wear distributions for polyamide–steel gear contact using twin-disc setup
Authors: Mbarek Meftah , Rhaiem Sadok , Kharrat Mohamed , Dammak Maher
Published: January 2016

The friction and wear phenomena in metal–polymer gears are directly connected to the kinematic and load conditions at each location on the flank and face of the tooth. This study investigates the characterization of the distribution of friction, temperature, and wear in the regions close to the pitch point of the contact between the teeth of a polyamide–steel gear. Twin-disc test configuration is considered using polyamide (PA66) disc and nonalloyed structural steel C45 disc with different diameters. The effect of the slip ratios (4%, 12%, 20%, and 28%) were studied at a constant pressure of 34 MPa, and a constant rotational speed of 300 r/min. The contact conditions were controlled with the measurements of the friction coefficient and the two discs surface temperatures using a thermal imager. The results have proven that the wear and friction are closely related to the contact temperature generated by the sliding phenomenon. For points closer to the pitch point, the coefficients of friction and temperature are characterized by a quasi-linear increase with time, and have a similar pattern at both flank and face sides. For these points, the wear increases slowly. For points far from the pitch point, the coefficients of friction and temperature reached a steady state after an initial linear increase. For these points, the friction coefficient and temperature evolutions with the test duration show a gap between the flank and face sides of the tooth. The wear increases dramatically at the flank side, whereas it increases slowly at the face side of the tooth. During the test, a transferred film of PA66 was formed on the steel surface causing the development of adhesive interactions between the contacting discs which increase the friction coefficient and the contact temperature.
Study on the basic characteristics of a contactless air film conveyor using viscous traction
Authors: Zhong Wei , Xu Ke , Li Xin , Tao Guoliang , Kagawa Toshiharu
Published: January 2016

Many industries require contactless transport of delicate or clean products such as silicon wafers, flat foodstuffs and freshly painted objects. In this study, a contactless air film conveyor for flat objects is introduced. The object is supported by a thin film formed between the object and the conveyor surface and transported by viscous traction which is generated by controlled airflow underneath the object. Experimental and theoretical investigations are conducted on the basic characteristics (flow rate characteristics, film pressure distribution and viscous force). A theoretical model based on Reynolds equation coupling with incompressible Navier–Stokes equation is established to help analyze and understand these characteristics. The results show that air film pressure is symmetrically distributed along the direction perpendicular to the airflow in the actuating cells and non-symmetrically distributed along the airflow direction. The viscous force obtained by differentiating the pressure distribution implies that it consists of an actuating force produced by airflow in the pockets and a drag force resulted from airflow across the dam area. In addition, the influences on the viscous force from gap thickness, suction flow rate, inner bulge and depth of the pocket are discussed.
Effects of the slip surface on the tribological performances of high-speed hybrid journal bearings
Authors: Lin Qiyin , Wei Zhengying , Zhang Yubin , Wang Ning
Published: January 2016

The slip surface has a significant effect on the tribological performances of a slider bearing and a hydrodynamic journal bearing. Less attention has been paid to the influence of a boundary slip on a hybrid journal bearing. However, hybrid journal bearings are increasingly used due to their intrinsic advantages. The effects of slip surface on the performances of a hybrid journal bearing are studied in this work. The affecting rule of both the slip-region location and the size on the load-carrying capacity is obtained. Only a well-designed slip surface could improve the tribological performances of hybrid journal bearings. This work could provide a valuable guide for the design of a slip surface in high-speed hybrid journal bearings.
The analysis of elastohydrodynamic lubrication in the textured journal bearing
Authors: Yu Rufei , Chen Wei , Li Pei
Published: January 2016

In this work, the influences of flexibility and surface texture on the performances of a finite-long journal bearing have been investigated theoretically. Reynolds equation has been solved by using finite difference method. In this study, Winkler foundation model has been used to calculate the elastic deformation of the bearing bush or housing. The steady-state characteristics of a lubricated finite-long journal bearing are studied in the textured and untextured bearing surface, respectively. The simulation results of the present study indicate that the surface texture can appreciably change the shaft center-line locus and oil film pressure distribution comparatively to the smooth case. The texture arrangements on the bearing surface, the texture number in the circumferential or axial directions, and the texture depth in the radial direction, all of them have significant influences on the static characteristics of a flexible journal bearing.
Ethanol extract of Zhongtian hawthorn lowers serum cholesterol in mice by inhibiting transcription of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase via nuclear factor-kappa B signal pathway
Authors: Hu Hai-Jie , Luo Xue-Gang , Dong Qing-Qing , Mu Ai , Shi Guo-Long , Wang Qiu-Tong , Chen Xiao-Ying , Zhou Hao , Zhang Tong-Cun , Pan Li-Wen
Published: January 2016

Hawthorn is a berry-like fruit from the species of Crataegus. In China, it has another more famous name, Shan-Zha, which has been used to improve digestion as a traditional Chinese medicine or food for thousands of years. Moreover, during the last decades, hawthorn has received more attention because of its potential to treat cardiovascular diseases. However, currently, only fruits of C. pinnatifida and C. pinnatifida var. major are included as Shan-Zha in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. In this study, our results showed that the ethanol extract of Zhongtian hawthorn, a novel grafted cultivar of C. cuneata (wild Shan-Zha), could markedly reduce body weight and levels of serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and liver cholesterol of hyperlipidemia mice. It could suppress the stimulation effect of high-fat diet on the transcription of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR) and p65, and counteract the downregulation of CYP7A1 and LDLR. In addition, the results of luciferase reporter assay and Western blot showed that the transcriptional activity of HMGCR promoter was inhibited by Zhongtian hawthorn ethanol extract in a dose-dependent manner, while overexpression of p65 could reverse this transcriptional repression effect. These results suggested that Zhongtian hawthorn could provide health benefits by counteracting the high-fat diet-induced hypercholesteolemic and hyperlipidemic effects in vivo, and the mechanism underlying this event was mainly dependent on the suppressive effect of Zhongtian hawthorn ethanol extract on the transcription of HMGCR via nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signal pathway. Therefore, this novel cultivar of hawthorn cultivar which has much bigger fruits, early bearing, high yield, cold resistance, and drought resistance, might be considered as a good alternative to Shan-Zha and has great value in the food and medicine industry. In addition, to our best knowledge, this is also the first report that the extract of Crataegus could suppress the transcription of HMGCR via NF-κB signal pathway.
The effect of particulate matter on paper degradation
Authors: Grau-Bové Josep , Budič Bojan , Cigić Irena Kralj , Thickett David , Signorello Stefania , Strlič Matija
Published: January 2016

Background

In this work we explore the chemical effects of particulate matter on paper. We exposed paper made of pure cellulose to the environment in different locations in central London, outdoors (in sheltered conditions) and indoors, for a period of up to 6 months. We monitored particulate matter (PM) deposition by counting the particles deposited every month with a scanning electron microscope. We analysed elemental composition of the deposited particles using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. After accelerated degradation of the exposed samples, we determined the degree of polymerisation using viscometry.

Results

We observed higher deposition rates and higher metal concentration outdoors than indoors. Elemental analysis of the deposited particles revealed the presence of some transition metals (Fe, Cu, Cr) that can contribute to the degradation of cellulose fibres through the Fenton reaction. By comparing the degree of polymerisation of protected, unprotected and unexposed samples we could determine the relative contribution of PM deposition on the increase of the degradation rate. We found that the surface concentration of iron correlates with the reduction in the degree of polymerisation of the exposed paper.

Conclusions

The results suggest that the presence of Fenton metals in PM has a significant effect on the acceleration of the degradation of cellulose. However, we estimate that this will unlikely occur at the levels of area coverage by PM that are typically avoided in indoor heritage through preventive maintenance and cleaning.
Methylation of yeast ribosomal protein Rpl3 promotes translational elongation fidelity
Authors: Al-Hadid Qais , Roy Kevin , Chanfreau Guillaume , Clarke Steven G.
Published: January 2016

Rpl3, a highly conserved ribosomal protein, is methylated at histidine 243 by the Hpm1 methyltransferase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Histidine 243 lies close to the peptidyl transferase center in a functionally important region of Rpl3 designated as the basic thumb that coordinates the decoding, peptidyl transfer, and translocation steps of translation elongation. Hpm1 was recently implicated in ribosome biogenesis and translation. However, the biological role of methylation of its Rpl3 substrate has not been identified. Here we interrogate the role of Rpl3 methylation at H243 by investigating the functional impact of mutating this histidine residue to alanine (rpl3-H243A). Akin to Hpm1-deficient cells, rpl3-H243A cells accumulate 35S and 23S pre-rRNA precursors to a similar extent, confirming an important role for histidine methylation in pre-rRNA processing. In contrast, Hpm1-deficient cells but not rpl3-H243A mutants show perturbed levels of ribosomal subunits. We show that Hpm1 has multiple substrates in different subcellular fractions, suggesting that methylation of proteins other than Rpl3 may be important for controlling ribosomal subunit levels. Finally, translational fidelity assays demonstrate that like Hpm1-deficient cells, rpl3-H243A mutants have defects in translation elongation resulting in decreased translational accuracy. These data suggest that Rpl3 methylation at H243 is playing a significant role in translation elongation, likely via the basic thumb, but has little impact on ribosomal subunit levels. Hpm1 is therefore a multifunctional methyltransferase with independent roles in ribosome biogenesis and translation.
RNA-seq of human reference RNA samples using a thermostable group II intron reverse transcriptase
Authors: Nottingham Ryan M. , Wu Douglas C. , Qin Yidan , Yao Jun , Hunicke-Smith Scott , Lambowitz Alan M.
Published: January 2016

Next-generation RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) has revolutionized our ability to analyze transcriptomes. Current RNA-seq methods are highly reproducible, but each has biases resulting from different modes of RNA sample preparation, reverse transcription, and adapter addition, leading to variability between methods. Moreover, the transcriptome cannot be profiled comprehensively because highly structured RNAs, such as tRNAs and snoRNAs, are refractory to conventional RNA-seq methods. Recently, we developed a new method for strand-specific RNA-seq using thermostable group II intron reverse transcriptases (TGIRTs). TGIRT enzymes have higher processivity and fidelity than conventional retroviral reverse transcriptases plus a novel template-switching activity that enables RNA-seq adapter addition during cDNA synthesis without using RNA ligase. Here, we obtained TGIRT-seq data sets for well-characterized human RNA reference samples and compared them to previous data sets obtained for these RNAs by the Illumina TruSeq v2 and v3 methods. We find that TGIRT-seq recapitulates the relative abundance of human transcripts and RNA spike-ins in ribo-depleted, fragmented RNA samples comparably to non-strand-specific TruSeq v2 and better than strand-specific TruSeq v3. Moreover, TGIRT-seq is more strand specific than TruSeq v3 and eliminates sampling biases from random hexamer priming, which are inherent to TruSeq. The TGIRT-seq data sets also show more uniform 5′ to 3′ gene coverage and identify more splice junctions, particularly near the 5′ ends of mRNAs, than do the TruSeq data sets. Finally, TGIRT-seq enables the simultaneous profiling of mRNAs and lncRNAs in the same RNA-seq experiment as structured small ncRNAs, including tRNAs, which are essentially absent with TruSeq.
Decision making on timing of surgery for hip fracture patients on clopidogrel
Authors: Purushothaman B , Webb M , Weusten A , Bonczek S , Ramaskandhan J , Nanu A
Published: January 2016

Patients taking clopidogrel who sustain a fractured neck of femur pose a challenge to orthopaedic surgeons. The aim of this study was to determine whether delay to theatre for these patients affects drop in haemoglobin levels, need for blood transfusion, length of hospital stay and 30-day mortality. A retrospective review of all neck of femur patients admitted at two centres in the North East of England over 3 years revealed 85 patients.

Patients were divided into two groups depending on whether they were taking clopidogrel alone (C) or with aspirin (CA). Haemoglobin drop was significantly different in the CA group that was operated on early (CA1) versus the group for which surgery was delayed by over 48 hours (CA2): 3.3g/dl and 1.9g/dl respectively (p=0.01). The mean inpatient stay in group C was 35.9 days while in group CA it was 19.9 days (p=0.002). The mean length of stay in group CA2 (26.7 days) was significantly longer than for CA1 patients (14.1 days) (p=0.01). There were no significant differences in mortality or wound complications.

Hip fracture patients on clopidogrel can be safely operated on early provided they are medically stable. Bleeding risk should be borne in mind in those patients on dual therapy with aspirin.
Assessment of penetration of dorsal screws after fixation of the distal radius using ultrasound: cadaveric study
Authors: Williams D , Singh J , Heidari N , Ahmad M , Noorani A , Di Mascio L
Published: January 2016

Introduction

Volar locking plates are used to treat unstable and displaced fractures of the distal radius. Potential advantages of stable anatomical reduction (eg early mobilisation) can be limited by penetration of dorsal screws, leading to synovitis and potential rupture of extensor tendons. Despite intraoperative imaging, penetration of dorsal screws continues to be a problem in volar plating of the distal radius. Ultrasound is a well recognised, readily available, diagnostic tool used to assess soft-tissue impingement by orthopaedic hardware. In this cadaveric study, we wished to ascertain the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound for identification of protrusion of dorsal screws after volar plating of the distal radius.

Methods

Four adult, unpaired phenol-embalmed cadaveric distal radii were used. A VariAx™ Distal Radius Volar Locking Plate system (Stryker, Kalamazoo, MI, USA) was employed for instrumented fixation. A portable SIUI CTS 900 ultrasound machine (Providian Medical, Eastlake, OH, USA) was used to image the dorsal cortex to ascertain screw penetration.

Results

Specificity and sensitivity of ultrasound for detection of screw protrusion through the dorsal cortex was 100%.

Conclusions

Ultrasound was found to be a safe and accurate method for assessment of dorsal-screw penetration through the dorsal cortex of the radius after volar plating of the distal radius. It also aids diagnosis of associated tendon disorders (eg tenosynovitis) that might cause pain and limit wrist function.
Best practices for scholarly authors in the age of predatory journals
Authors: Beall J
Published: January 2016

‘Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence, is the key to understanding our potential.’ Margaret J Wheatley

The focus of any academic or research author is to share his or her findings, and to gain respect and reward for publishing. The ideal journal is one that not only publishes an article quickly but also helps the author to improve the article before publication through peer review, selects only the best research so that the author’s article lies alongside other high quality articles, and provides maximum (and long-term) visibility and access to the article.

Unfortunately, in the real world, authors need to make tradeoffs between high quality journals, those that work quickly, those that are willing to accept the article and those that provide the best access. Into this mix has come the potential of open access as a means of increasing visibility: journals publish the article without a subscription barrier so anyone, anywhere, can read the article. However, the growth of open access (pushed by institutions, grant bodies and governments as a means of improving human health and knowledge) has come with some unforeseen consequences.

In this article, Jeffrey Beall discusses one recent phenomenon that has arisen from the open access movement: that of ‘predatory publishers’. These are individuals or companies that use the open access financial system (author pays, rather than library subscribes) to defraud authors and readers by promising reputable publishing platforms but delivering nothing of the sort. They frequently have imaginary editorial boards, do not operate any peer review or quality control, are unclear about payment requirements and opaque about ownership or location, include plagiarised content and publish whatever somebody will pay them to publish. Predatory publishers generally make false promises to authors and behave unethically. They also undermine the scholarly information and publishing environment with a deluge of poor quality, unchecked and invalidated articles often published on temporary sites, thus losing the scholarly record.

Jeffrey Beall, a librarian in Denver, US, has watched the rise of such fraudulent practice, and manages a blog site that names publishers and journals that he has identified as predatory. While Beall’s lists can provide librarians and knowledgeable authors with information on which journals and publishers to be cautious about, several legitimate publishers, library groups and others have joined forces to educate and inform authors in what to look for when selecting journals to publish in (or read). This initiative, called Think. Check. Submit. (http://thinkchecksubmit.org/), was launched in the latter half of 2015 and hopes to raise awareness of disreputable journals while clearly separating them from valid, high quality, open access journals (of which there are many).

PIPPA SMART

Guest Editor
Day surgery for achalasia cardia: Time for consensus?
Authors: Naumann DN , Zaman S , Daskalakis M , Nijjar R , Richardson M , Super P , Singhal R
Published: January 2016

Introduction

Laparoscopic Heller’s myotomy (LHM) is the most effective therapy for achalasia of the oesophagus. Most case series of LHM report a length of hospital stay (LOS) >1 day. We present 14 years of experience of LHM to examine the safety and feasibility of LHM as a day case procedure.

Methods

We retrospectively examined patients undergoing elective LHM for achalasia at our institution between 2000 and 2014. Demographics, episode statistics, prior investigations and interventions were collated. Outcomes, including LOS, complications and re-interventions, were compared for the periods before and after a consensus decision at our institution in 2008 to perform LHM as a day case procedure.

Results

Sixty patients with a mean age of 41±13 years were included, of whom 58% were male. The median LOS for all patients was 1 day (interquartile range [IQR] 0–2.25). Overall, LHM was performed as a day case in 27 (45%) cases, at 2/26 (7.7%) in the first period versus 25/34 (73.5%) in the second (p<0.01). There were no significant differences in age, gender or previous interventions between day surgery and non-day surgery groups. One patient required subsequent unplanned surgery, while six (10%) needed endoscopic treatment of recurrent symptoms within 12 months.

Conclusions

LHM can be performed safely as a day case procedure. Complication rates are low, with only a small proportion of patients requiring endoscopic treatment for symptom recurrence within 1 year.
A perfect legal storm
Authors: Mortensen Neil
Published: January 2016

Risk and negligence in an era of increased litigation.
Prevention – the way to cure the health service?
Authors: Marx Clare
Published: January 2016

Improving population health is better than curing the ailments caused by bad health.
from Westminster
Authors: Leahy Patrick
Published: January 2016

Simon Stevens: King of the NHS?
Gross negligence manslaughter and the healthcare professional
Authors: Vaughan Jenny
Published: January 2016

Jenny Vaughan looks at the escalating trend of criminal investigation into healthcare-related deaths in England and Wales and asks: did we see this coming?
Expert witnesses
Authors: MacFie John
Published: January 2016

A cross-examination of the role of the ‘medical expert’.
Risks, probability and people
Authors: Nash Guy F
Published: January 2016

Using the language of ‘gambling’ to help patients understand surgical risks and benefits.
Medical aspects of the Waterloo campaign of 1815
Authors: Crumplin Michael
Published: January 2016

200 years after the end of the Napoleonic wars, medical military historian Michael Crumplin examines the medical legacy of the Waterloo campaign of 15–18 June 1815.
When should placebo surgery as a control in clinical trials be carried out?
Authors: George AJT , Collett C , Carr AJ , Holm S , Bale C , Burton S , Campbell M , Coles A , Gottlieb G , Muir K , Parroy S , Price J , Rice ASC , Sinden J , Stephenson C , Wartolowska K , Whittall H
Published: January 2016

Placebo surgery – often maligned as ‘sham surgery’ – is a tough sell to patients and to many clinicians. But could surgical research benefit from increased use of placebo control groups?
Incident reporting feedback experience in a UK secondary care setting
Authors: Whitaker J , Ibrahim F
Published: January 2016

Are staff increasingly reluctant to complete incidence forms?
A weekend in Calais
Authors: Bhutta Hina Yaseen
Published: January 2016

A surgeon found herself so moved and concerned by media coverage of the unfolding humanitarian crisis that she headed straight to the heart of the infamous refugee camp in Northern France.
Smoke signals: Intelligent cutting
Authors: McConaghie Greg
Published: January 2016

The surgeon’s knife joins phones, cars and even toothbrushes on the long list of gadgets to get the ‘intelligent’ makeover.
More than just a dicky tummy
Authors: Saunders John
Published: January 2016

A misdiagnosis of pre-finals nerves culminates in a probing experience, causing one carefree medical student to examine his entire attitude to future practice.
Can a patient choose her surgeon?
Authors: Wheeler Robert
Published: January 2016

Each month we take a close look at a recent legal case with implications for the surgical profession.
What fate awaits social care spending?
Authors: Gottlieb Grace
Published: January 2016

A look at how policy gets formed at the RCS and other institutions.
Treasures from the Collections
Authors: Simpson Bruce
Published: January 2016

Designing Bodies: models of human anatomy from 1945 to now
Mr Slop and the lethal witness
Authors: Slop
Published: January 2016

Our man decides to get in on the medicolegal action and squares up to an old adversary.
“’Tis Prudence to Prevent th’Entire Decay”: Usufruct and Environmental Thought
Authors: Drew Erin
Published: January 2016

The eighteenth century has frequently been criticized for promulgating a hierarchical, utilitarian relationship between humans and the nonhuman world. This article argues that the legal concept of usufruct serves as the basis for eighteenth-century understandings of that hierarchy which show it to be more concerned with sustainable use of the environment than has heretofore been acknowledged. Usufruct explicitly combines the right to use nature with a responsibility to a higher authority to preserve it. Among the most important groups to whom humans are responsible according to eighteenth-century English writers are the future generations who will rely on the environment to survive.
Enlightenment Anthropocene
Authors: Mikhail Alan
Published: January 2016

This article offers an analysis of the emergence, use, and current popularity of the concept of the Anthropocene. It argues that much of the idea’s success derives from its seamless usability within established frameworks of Enlightenment thinking about history and modernity. The article then considers two challenges to the current casting of the Anthropocene. The first revolves around the periodization of the Anthropocene and the second around the kinds of human and nonhuman agency and politics it produces and precludes.
Circulating Salts: Chemical Governance and the Bifurcation of “Nature” and “Society”
Authors: van Driel Joppe , Roberts Lissa
Published: January 2016

This essay traces the transnational landscape of practices involving the extraction, refining, reuse, and valuation of salts, centered in the Netherlands in the period 1750–1850. It examines how industry, agriculture, and chemistry developed together with commercial and governance relations through these practices. While chemical governance first took up socio-material environments and nonhumans as integrated components in fostering welfare, in time it helped fragment the landscape of salt-related practices into distinct productive and administrative realms, implicating a bifurcation between “nature” and “society.” Thereby, the essay contributes to our understanding of how and when humans came to define their own actions as standing apart from an external “nature”—relevant for broader discussions of environmental history and as a compelling analytical perspective from which to view current discussions of the Anthropocene.
Introductory Remarks: The Anthropocene and the Eighteenth Century
Authors: McNeill J. R.
Published: January 2016

The term and concept of the Anthropocene has lately seeped into academic discourses and public discussions. This article considers some of its intellectual roots in European history, extending back to the origins of stratigraphy in the seventeenth century, and the debates surrounding it. Those debates concern the antiquity of the Anthropocene and its essential character. Depending on which variables one wishes to elevate above others, one can find good reason to claim the Anthropocene began millennia ago, in the late eighteenth century, or in the mid-twentieth.
Literary Plagiarism and Scientific Originality in the “Trans-Atlantic Wilderness” of Goldsmith, Aikin, and Barbauld
Authors: Bailes Melissa
Published: January 2016

This essay enhances our understanding of Oliver Goldsmith’s poem “The Deserted Village” (1770) by attending to other works in his oeuvre, especially his History of the Earth and Animated Nature (1774). Goldsmith’s natural history particularly drew ideas from the naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc, comte de Buffon, who famously portrayed Europe as a location of original biological forms, and the western hemisphere as departing from those origins, investing humans with the ability to alter themselves by altering their environment. Tracing similarities between calls for poetic novelty through scientific description in the works of Goldsmith and John Aikin, this essay displays how conceptions of biological, racial, and literary originality and degeneration also affected Anna Barbauld’s later repetition of Goldsmith’s themes in her poem, Eighteen Hundred and Eleven (1812).
Scottish Tobacco and Rhubarb: The Natural Order of Civil Cameralism in the Scottish Enlightenment
Authors: Jonsson Fredrik Albritton
Published: January 2016

At the end of the Enlightenment, Scottish landowners and agricultural improvers pioneered a series of experiments in import substitution, including large-scale trials in tobacco and rhubarb cultivation. They rejected the notion of empire as a natural division of labor between colonies and metropole. Through information networks and voluntary associations, they promoted a host of projects that upset the conventional order of the expanding fiscalmilitary state and its interest groups. These schemes of import substitution undercut both colonial and foreign trade in favor of an economic strategy of national autarky and civil cameralism within the British Isles.
Debating the Atmospheric Constitution: Yellow Fever and the American Climate
Authors: Golinski Jan
Published: January 2016

A series of deadly epidemics of yellow fever ravaged Philadelphia and other eastern seaboard cities of the United States in the 1790s. Although medical opinion failed to reach consensus on the causes of the outbreaks, the events substantially influenced American thinking about the benevolence and improvability of the national climate. The belief that climate was being civilized by extending cultivation across the continent gave way to a concern with improving the quality of air in specific urban locations. Measures to enhance urban sanitation arose from the debate over the American “atmospheric constitution” that was stimulated by the yellow fever epidemics.
The Spanish Plague That Never Was: Crisis and Exploitation in Cádiz During the Peste of Provence
Authors: Ermus Cindy
Published: January 2016

From 1720 to 1722, French authorities successfully confined a major outbreak of plague to the region of Provence, but efficient quarantining could not prevent the diplomatic and commercial effects of this catastrophe from extending beyond Marseille into other major European cities, including Cádiz, the principal port for the Carrera de Indias or Route to the Indies. This transnational study explores Spanish responses to the Peste of Provence (or Great Plague of Marseille) under the reforming and centralist policies of Philip V, and the long-term effects that these reactions had on the management of crisis and public health in Spain.
The Social Context of Substance Use and Perceived Risk among Rhode Island Urban Minority Adolescents
Authors: Criss Shaniece , Rodriguez Dahiana , Goldman Roberta E.
Published: January 2016

Our qualitative study examined how stresses of daily life affected substance use and perceived risk among Black and Hispanic adolescents. We conducted 11 focus groups with students aged 13–25 in public and alternative schools in Providence, Rhode Island, using Bourdieu’s Social Practice theoretical approach to guide questioning and data analysis. Despite participants’ frequent marijuana use, they perceived the emphasis society places on substance use as misguided, obfuscating the persistence of more critical problems such as stress and reduced opportunity resulting from neighborhood violence, poor schools, financial difficulties, and home troubles. Drug use appeared not to be a catalyst but a response. Our findings underscore the need for prevention strategies to address systemic racism and structural conditions limiting opportunities in young people’s lives. Planners should explore adolescents’ pragmatic decision-making contexts and ways that social, health, and community resources can together contribute to conditions where adolescents have opportunities to make healthful choices.