bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multifidelity Analysis for Predicting Rare Events in Stochastic Computational Models of Complex Biological Systems
Authors: Pienaar Elsje
Published: August 2018

Rare events such as genetic mutations or cell-cell interactions are important contributors to dynamics in complex biological systems, eg, in drug-resistant infections. Computational approaches can help analyze rare events that are difficult to study experimentally. However, analyzing the frequency and dynamics of rare events in computational models can also be challenging due to high computational resource demands, especially for high-fidelity stochastic computational models. To facilitate analysis of rare events in complex biological systems, we present a multifidelity analysis approach that uses medium-fidelity analysis (Monte Carlo simulations) and/or low-fidelity analysis (Markov chain models) to analyze high-fidelity stochastic model results. Medium-fidelity analysis can produce large numbers of possible rare event trajectories for a single high-fidelity model simulation. This allows prediction of both rare event dynamics and probability distributions at much lower frequencies than high-fidelity models. Low-fidelity analysis can calculate probability distributions for rare events over time for any frequency by updating the probabilities of the rare event state space after each discrete event of the high-fidelity model. To validate the approach, we apply multifidelity analysis to a high-fidelity model of tuberculosis disease. We validate the method against high-fidelity model results and illustrate the application of multifidelity analysis in predicting rare event trajectories, performing sensitivity analyses and extrapolating predictions to very low frequencies in complex systems. We believe that our approach will complement ongoing efforts to enable accurate prediction of rare event dynamics in high-fidelity computational models.
DIY peer review and monograph publishing in the arts and humanities
Authors: Butchard Dorothy , Rowberry Simon Peter , Squires Claire
Published: August 2018

In order to explore monograph peer review in the arts and humanities, this article introduces and discusses an applied example, examining the route to publication of Danielle Fuller and DeNel Rehberg Sedo’s Reading Beyond the Book: The Social Practices of Contemporary Literary Culture (2013). The book’s co-authors supplemented the traditional ‘blind’ peer-review system with a range of practices including the informal, DIY review of colleagues and ‘clever friends’, as well as using the feedback derived from grant applications, journal articles and book chapters. The article ‘explodes’ the book into a series of documents and non-linear processes to demonstrate the significance of the various forms of feedback to the development of Fuller and Rehberg Sedo’s monograph. The analysis reveals substantial differences between book and article peer-review processes, including an emphasis on marketing in review forms and the pressures to publish, which the co-authors navigated through the introduction of ‘clever friends’ to the review processes. These findings, drawing on science and technology studies, demonstrate how such a research methodology can identify how knowledge is constructed in the arts and humanities and potential implications for the valuation of research processes and collaborations.
Public service media online, advertising and the third-party user data business: A trade versus trust dilemma?
Authors: Sørensen Jannick Kirk , Van den Bulck Hilde
Published: August 2018

News and media web pages generate valuable consumer data, collected by third-party servers. Using longitudinal experiments, this article shows that third-party servers are active in 34 cases of European public service media (PSM) websites from 19 countries. This constitutes a pressing privacy problem in relation to GDPR and challenges the notion of PSM organizations as particularly trusted providers of media content. This has implications for their role and placement in the commercial media landscape as well as for their independency, but also for their survival in the future media landscape. Our analysis shows not only connections between the presence of advertisement and the number of third-party servers found but also a reflection of different types of European media systems. To provide a benchmark for our analysis, we also analysed 64 private media websites for the presence of third-party servers. The empirical results suggest a pressing need for discussions on whether and how PSM organizations can participate in the commercial web ecology of user data exchange and utilization, for example, for the purposes of user profiling, targeting and PSM performance measurement.
Factors impacting employment for people with autism spectrum disorder: A scoping review
Authors: Scott Melissa , Milbourn Ben , Falkmer Marita , Black Melissa , Bӧlte Sven , Halladay Alycia , Lerner Matthew , Taylor Julie Lounds , Girdler Sonya
Published: August 2018

The aim of this study is to holistically synthesise the extent and range of literature relating to the employment of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Database searches of Medline, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Scopus, ERIC, Web of Science and EMBASE were conducted. Studies describing adults with autism spectrum disorder employed in competitive, supported or sheltered employment were included. Content analysis was used to identify the strengths and abilities in the workplace of employees with autism spectrum disorder. Finally, meaningful concepts relating to employment interventions were extracted and linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets for autism spectrum disorder. The search identified 134 studies for inclusion with methodological quality ranging from limited to strong. Of these studies, only 36 evaluated employment interventions that were coded and linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, primarily focusing on modifying autism spectrum disorder characteristics for improved job performance, with little consideration of the impact of contextual factors on work participation. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets for autism spectrum disorder are a useful tool in holistically examining the employment literature for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. This review highlighted the key role that environmental factors play as barriers and facilitators in the employment of people with autism spectrum disorder and the critical need for interventions which target contextual factors if employment outcomes are to be improved.
Teamwork doubting and doubting teamwork
Authors: Benoliel Pascale , Schechter Chen
Published: August 2018

Teams of teachers and administrators have become more and more common as a framework for improving responsiveness to the ever more dynamic educational environment. Although teamwork is often expected to broaden the team’s collective knowledge base, consequently improving team effectiveness, research shows that this potential effectiveness is not always reached. The article seeks to explore the concept of collective doubting – the inquiry into routine and habitual perceptions and assumptions – and its importance to the teamwork processes, a topic that has been vastly under-investigated in the educational context. Specifically, we propose that collective doubting in the teamwork process has a dynamic nature, and that the doubting process should be carefully considered in the context of different stages in team development. Our goal is to increase both theoretical and practical knowledge about the process of collective doubt in such a way as to facilitate team effectiveness. We further seek to delineate the internal and external activities in which principals can engage to promote a constructive doubting process in the team context. Implications for principals, as well as for further avenues of research, are suggested.
Gender discrimination and juries in the 20th century
Authors: Choo Andrew L-T , Hunter Jill
Published: August 2018

This article presents a comparative study of the 20th-century exclusion of women from participation on juries. It explains that until the 1970s, and in some cases even the 1990s, substantial formal limitations on jury franchise were placed on women in Ireland, Canada, the United States, New Zealand and Australia. This situation existed notwithstanding women’s equality of political franchise through the vote and despite judicial references to the centrality of the jury. While in England and Wales women were not treated differently from men in formal terms after the 1920s, property qualifications denied them substantive equality and informal limitations excluded women disproportionately. We highlight some distinctive features of the English experience as compared and contrasted with the laws and policies on jury composition operating in other jurisdictions, and ask whether the legacies left by the traditionally unrepresentative jury and the battles for gender equality offer lessons relevant to understanding jury trials in contemporary times.
Testing the reflection assumption
Authors: Flowe Heather D , Carline Anna , Karoğlu Nilda
Published: August 2018

In the US, experts are often called upon to provide evidence during criminal trials regarding eyewitness identification research. A key factor is probative value: to what extent are findings from laboratory studies generalisable to the real world? In order to answer this question, this article explores the issue of eyewitness ecology, a term referring to the environmental context in which people witness crimes, which includes characteristics of perpetrators and the viewing conditions, as well as the identification context. Specifically, we explore the extent to which the typical eyewitness ecology found in laboratory studies reflects or is similar to real-world conditions. We coded the characteristics of the published literature on criminal identification in the laboratory ( n = 309), and the results were compared to the characteristics of a stratified random sample of felony cases ( n = 721) obtained from a large metropolitan district in the United States. This analysis demonstrated that in the criminal cases compared to the laboratory studies, duration of exposure to the culprit and retention interval length were significantly longer, and weapons, violence and showup identifications were more prevalent. Additionally, the laboratory studies and criminal cases differed with respect to participant/witness race. These findings indicate a need to broaden the range of conditions employed in the laboratory to increase the applicability of eyewitness identification research to the legal system.
Performance evaluation of a reticulated shell with atmospheric corrosion damage
Authors: Chen Bo , Wu Jing-bo , Zhi Lunhai , Feng Ke
Published: August 2018

The study on damage evaluation induced by atmospheric corrosion of engineering structures has attracted more and more international concern over the past three decades. However, the effects of atmospheric corrosion on reticulated shells have not been systematically investigated. In this regard, the performance assessment of a reticulated shell subjected to atmospheric corrosion damage is actively conducted in this study. The atmospheric corrosion model of shell elements is first presented, and a refined exponential model for estimating the corrosion depth of steel materials is developed by using the pattern recognition technique. The sensitivity of stiffness matrix to element thickness is established by using Euler–Bernoulli beam element. The sensitivity of mass matrix to element thickness is developed based on lumped mass assumption. Then, the expression of natural frequency sensitivity to element thickness and mass is derived by considering the section loss induced by both the inner and outer surface corrosion. In addition, the explicit expression of frequency sensitivity to mass of spherical joints is also established in detail. The nonlinear static structural analysis is conducted to evaluate effects of atmospheric corrosion on the stress of structural elements. A real reticulated shell constructed in northern China is taken as the example structure to examine the feasibility of the proposed approach and to assess the potential damage caused by atmospheric corrosion to the structure.
Imagining big data: Illustrations of “big data” in US news articles, 2010–2016
Authors: Pentzold Christian , Brantner Cornelia , Fölsche Lena
Published: August 2018

Imagining “big data” brings up a palette of concerns about their technological intricacies, political significance, commercial value, and cultural impact. We look at this emerging arena of public sense-making and consider the spectrum of press illustrations that are employed to show what big data are and what their consequences could be. We collected all images from big data-related articles published in the online editions of The New York Times and The Washington Post. As the first examination of the visual dimension of big data news reports to date, our study suggests that big data are predominantly illustrated with reference to their areas of application and the people and materials involved in data analytics. As such, they provide concrete physical form to abstract data. Rather than conceiving of potential ramifications that are more or less likely to materialize, the dominant mode of illustration draws on existing, though often trite, visual evidence.
Qualitative analysis of Schizonepeta annua (Pall.) Schischk essential oil by gas chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry
Authors: Bai Xi , Maitusong Jumai , Mahinur Bakri , Aisa Haji A , Maiwulanjiang Maitinuer
Published: August 2018

In this study, a method for the qualitative analysis of small molecular compounds in Schizonepeta annua (Pall.) Schischk essential oil was established based on gas chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. In addition to an automated search of the NIST library, the identification of oxygenated monoterpenes, phenolic esters, and phenolic compounds was achieved by two additional strategies. One strategy involved comparing the relative errors of accurate masses measured for ions in the experimental spectra with those calculated for fragments identified from the NIST database of candidate matches. The second strategy involved combination of the product ion scans and positive chemical ionisation spectra for structural elucidation. Overall, 95.45% of the total essential oil volatile chemical content of Schizonepeta annua (Pall.) Schischk was identified, with phenolic monoterpenes dominating.
Marketing, the past and corporate heritage
Authors: Balmer John M. T. , Burghausen Mario
Published: August 2018

We argue for a more expansive conceptualization of the past’s relevance in, and for, marketing. Such a differentiated approach to the past is pregnant with possibilities in terms of advancing scholarship apropos temporal agency in marketing along with consumption practices. Symptomatic of this perspective is the increased mindfulness of the rich palate of past-related concepts. Significantly, the corporate heritage notion – because of its omnitemporal nature – represents a distinct and meaningful vector on the past by coalescing the past, present and future into a new type of temporality. As such, the authors reason this expansive conceptualization of ‘the past-in-marketing’ is both timely and efficacious. While sensitive of the importance of the historical method in marketing and the history of marketing scholarship and practice per se, this broader marketing approach to and of the past highlights the ideational and material manifestations of the past-in-the-present and an envisaged past-in-the-future.
Traveling Groups Stick Together: How Collective Directional Movement Influences Social Cohesion
Authors: Wilson Stuart , Bassiou Evangelia , Denli Aysel , Dolan Lynsey C. , Watson Matthew
Published: August 2018

We tested the hypothesis that the social act of moving through space with others—collective directional movement—is associated with greater levels of group cohesion compared to static activities. We asked participants to imagine participating in activities as part of a same-sex group and found that imagining going on a journey is associated with higher levels of expected cohesion compared to imagining attending a meeting (Study 1) or an event (Study 2). Study 3 replicates the main effect using different manipulations and finds that it persists regardless of whether the imagined group were friends or strangers. Two further studies employed real-world tasks and show that the effect is not a consequence of goal ascription (Study 4) or synchrony/exertion (Study 5). We argue that the link between this activity and cohesion is a consequence of its ubiquity in social ecologies and the interdependence and shared common fate of those engaged in it.
Assess Connect Transform In Our Neighborhood: A framework for engaging community partners in community-based participatory research designs
Authors: Brown Mary Ellen , Stalker Katie C
Published: August 2018

Community-based participatory research calls for high levels of community involvement and shared power between community partners and researchers. Though a body of literature exists on the process and outcomes of community-engaged research, to date this literature has primarily been limited to a reporting of individual case studies. The purpose of this paper is to introduce an overarching framework for engaging community members in decision-making action and practices surrounding the community-based participatory research design process. The Assess Connect Transform In Our Neighborhood framework is built on the principle of shared expertise, as researchers and community partners bring with them unique skills, experiences, and competencies that are vital to balancing scientific rigor and community authenticity in community-engaged research. As more researchers understand the “how” of engaging communities in the research design process, research teams may face fewer obstacles to launching research that is realistic, legitimate, and rigorous, leading to actionable community change.
Physicians and caregivers do differ in ethical attitudes to daily clinical practice
Authors: Telléus Patrik Kjærsdam , Holdgaard Dorte Møller , Thørring Birthe
Published: August 2018

It is commonly assumed that there are differences in physicians’ and caregivers’ ethical attitudes towards clinical situations. The assumption is that the difference is driven by different values, views and judgements in specific situations. At Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark, we aimed to investigate these assumptions by conducting a large quantitative study. The study design, based on the Factorial Survey Method, was a carefully constructed survey with 50 questions designed to test which factors influenced the respondents’ ethical reasoning. The factors were clustered into three categories of ethical reasoning and values. The categories were formulated in terms of easily recognizable ethical positions: consequential ethics, deontological ethics and relational ethics. Based on 2129 respondents, we found significant support for the assumption of differences between physicians and caregivers. The group of caregivers favoured the relational ethics view in clinical ethical situations, and the group of physicians favoured the position of deontological ethics.
A Case Study for Social Marketing
Authors: Rubenstein Lisa , Dukes Stephanie , Fearing Carolyn , Foster Brenda K. , Painter Kirstin , Rosenblatt Abram , Rubin Wendy
Published: August 2018

It is only recently that health providers, policy makers, researchers, and the public have begun to focus on the importance of the mental health needs of children, youth, and young adults. There is a growing understanding that children’s mental health issues must be addressed early to improve behavioral health outcomes for children and decrease or prevent problems later in life for the child, his or her family, and the community as a whole. The Caring for Every Child’s Mental Health Campaign (Campaign) is a social marketing program funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that improves the nation’s behavioral health, with a mission of reducing the impact of substance abuse and mental illness in communities across the country. The Campaign’s goals are to increase awareness of children’s mental health issues and promote the development, expansion, and sustainability of innovative approaches to delivering community mental health services for children and youth with mental disorders. The Campaign addresses these goals by providing social marketing training and technical assistance to federally funded grantees in local communities. The Campaign and the grantees are funded through SAMHSA’s Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program. The purpose of this article is to inform professionals in the field of social marketing about how a program at the national level provides support to local, state, tribal, and territorial grantees to facilitate grassroots systems change using a social marketing approach.
Oral Antibiotics Are Effective for the Treatment of Hand Osteomyelitis in Children
Authors: Kargel Jennifer S. , Sammer Douglas M. , Pezeshk Ronnie A. , Cheng Jonathan
Published: August 2018

Background: Acute osteomyelitis of the hand is common in the pediatric population. Treatment with intravenous antibiotics is expensive and is associated with catheter-site infection and thrombosis. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of managing osteomyelitis of the hand in children with oral antibiotics. Methods: A retrospective review of cases of acute osteomyelitis of the hand at a single pediatric institution over a 4.5-year period was performed. Demographic and clinical data were reviewed, and treatment courses and outcomes were analyzed. Results: In total, 21 patients with acute osteomyelitis of the hand were included in the study. Of the 21 patients, 17 were initiated on a 6-week course of oral antibiotics upon diagnosis. Thirteen were successfully treated with oral antibiotics alone, 3 required subsequent surgical debridement, and 3 required conversion to intravenous antibiotics. Of the 21 patients, 4 were treated with surgical debridement upon diagnosis due to gross purulent drainage and then initiated on a 6-week course of oral antibiotics. All patients who underwent debridement were treated successfully with postoperative oral antibiotics. Conclusions: Most cases of osteomyelitis of the hand in children can be treated with oral antibiotics, either as the primary treatment or as postoperative therapy. Surgical debridement is indicated when purulence is present at the time of initial diagnosis or if the infection progresses during treatment with oral antibiotics. The use of oral antibiotics for treating acute osteomyelitis of the hand in children may result in decreased cost and fewer catheter-associated complications.
Research on air suspension with novel dampers based on glowworm swarm optimization proportional–integral–derivative algorithm
Authors: Xiao Ping , Gao Hong , Shi Peicheng , Niu Limin
Published: August 2018

In order to enhance automotive ride performance, permanent magnets and magnetic valves were introduced in magnetorheological dampers and hence permanent magnets and magnetic valves introduced in magnetorheological damper’s air suspension was studied. First, on the basic principle of providing magnetic field by permanent magnets and adjusting damping force by magnetic valves, a novel permanent magnets and magnetic valves introduced in magnetorheological damper was designed. On the basis of equivalent surface current model, magnetic induction intensity activated by permanent magnets in damping channel was calculated, and damping force model was built based on hydromechanics theory. Damping force–displacement experiments and damping force–velocity experiments were carried out, and the theoretical model of permanent magnets and magnetic valves introduced in magnetorheological damper was verified. Then, physical and mathematical models of 4 degree-of-freedom permanent magnets and magnetic valves introduced in magnetorheological damper air suspension model were built. In order to enhance the controlling effects of the studied air suspension, optional moving operation, moving variation operation and operation of step size changing with fluorescein proportionality were introduced into glowworm swarm optimization algorithm, and glowworm swarm optimization proportional–integral–derivative controlling algorithm was designed. Finally, three experiments with input of impact road surface, sine wave road surface, and white noise road surface were carried out, and the experimental results verified that the working performance of permanent magnets and magnetic valves introduced in magnetorheological damper air suspension based on glowworm swarm optimization proportional–integral–derivative controlling algorithm was good.
Diagnosis accuracy of serum glypican-3 level in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review with meta-analysis
Authors: Li Jian , Wang Tiezheng , Jin Boxun , Li Wenlei , Wang Zhenshun , Zhang Haitao , Song Yunjun , Li Ning
Published: August 2018

Background:

Previous studies have evaluated the diagnostic value of serum glypican-3 in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the results remain inconsistent and even controversial. Thus, the aim of the present meta-analysis was to clarify the diagnostic accuracy of serum glypican-3 for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods:

A meta-analysis including 22 studies was performed with 2325 cases and 2280 controls. Relevant studies were searched in the EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science databases, covering relevant papers published until November 1, 2017. The quality of the studies was assessed by revised QUADAS tools. Sensitivity, specificity, and other measures were pooled and determined to evaluate the accuracy of serum glypican-3 in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma by random-effects models. Summary receiver operating characteristic curve (sROC) analysis was performed to summarize the overall test performance.

Results:

The results showed that the pooled overall diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and 95% confidence interval (CI) for serum glypican-3 in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma were 68% (56-79%) and 92% (82-96.0%), respectively. Besides, the summary diagnostic odds ratio and 95% CI for glypican-3 were 23.53 (8.57-64.63). In addition, the area under sROC and 95% CI was 0.87 (0.84-0.90). The major design deficiencies of included studies were differential verification bias, and a lack of clear exclusion and inclusion criteria.

Conclusions:

The results of this meta-analysis suggested that serum glypican-3 was acceptable as a moderate diagnostic marker in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma compared with healthy individuals, which could elevate the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis. Furthermore, more well-designed studies with large sample sizes are needed to show the effectiveness of glypican-3 in the differential diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Design of non-inferiority randomized trials using the difference in restricted mean survival times
Authors: Weir Isabelle R , Trinquart Ludovic
Published: August 2018

Background/aims

Non-inferiority trials with time-to-event outcomes are becoming increasingly common. Designing non-inferiority trials is challenging, in particular, they require very large sample sizes. We hypothesized that the difference in restricted mean survival time, an alternative to the hazard ratio, could lead to smaller required sample sizes.

Methods

We show how to convert a margin for the hazard ratio into a margin for the difference in restricted mean survival time and how to calculate the required sample size under a Weibull survival distribution. We systematically selected non-inferiority trials published between 2013 and 2016 in seven major journals. Based on the protocol and article of each trial, we determined the clinically relevant time horizon of interest. We reconstructed individual patient data for the primary outcome and fit a Weibull distribution to the comparator arm. We converted the margin for the hazard ratio into the margin for the difference in restricted mean survival time. We tested for non-inferiority using the difference in restricted mean survival time and hazard ratio. We determined the required sample size based on both measures, using the type I error risk and power from the original trial design.

Results

We included 35 trials. We found evidence of non-proportional hazards in five (14%) trials. The hazard ratio and the difference in restricted mean survival time were consistent regarding non-inferiority testing, except in one trial where the difference in restricted mean survival time led to evidence of non-inferiority while the hazard ratio did not. The median hazard ratio margin was 1.43 (Q1–Q3, 1.29–1.75). The median of the corresponding margins for the difference in restricted mean survival time was −21 days (Q1–Q3, −36 to −8) for a median time horizon of 2.0 years (Q1–Q3, 1–3 years). The required sample size according to the difference in restricted mean survival time was smaller in 71% of trials, with a median relative decrease of 8.5% (Q1–Q3, 0.4%–38.0%). Across all 35 trials, about 25,000 participants would have been spared from enrollment using the difference in restricted mean survival time compared to hazard ratio for trial design.

Conclusion

The margins for the hazard ratio may seem large but translate to relatively small differences in restricted mean survival time. The difference in restricted mean survival time offers meaningful interpretation and can result in considerable reductions in sample size. Restricted mean survival time-based measures should be considered more widely in the design and analysis of non-inferiority trials with time-to-event outcomes.
Determination of hygrothermal properties of cementitious mortar: The effect of partial replacement of cement by incinerated sewage sludge ash
Authors: Krejcirikova Barbora , Rode Carsten , Peuhkuri Ruut
Published: August 2018

Two sewage sludge ashes were used as substitutes for cement and their effect on the hygrothermal properties of mortar was examined. Different cement to ash ratios and two ash pre-treatment methods (water washing and grinding) were in focus. The impact of cement replacement by sewage sludge ashes on thermal conductivity, sorption isotherms, water vapour permeability and carbonation was described with standard cement-based mortar as the reference material. Measurement results showed that thermal conductivity decreased by 15% when 30% of the cement was replaced by sewage sludge ash. Water vapour permeability increased as the cement to ash ratio was reduced. Sorption was tested by two methods; although differences in the sorption isotherms of mortars were reported when a climatic chamber method was applied, no differences, or only minor differences, were observed with the desiccator method. Measurements revealed that cement-based mortar possessed a higher content of carbonate than cement-ash-based mortar, and it thus appears that the carbonation rate was higher when the cement content was high.
Working through the violent past: Practices of restorative justice through memory and dialogue in Italy
Authors: Bull Anna Cento
Published: August 2018

From the late 1960s to the early 1980s, Italy suffered a prolonged period of political violence and ideologically inspired terrorist acts, which caused deep social wounds and led to a sharply divided memory, as epitomized by the numerous memoirs written by former terrorists and victims since the end of the violence. This article explores the prevalent modes that have characterized these memoirs as well as instances of reconciliation and dialogue in the Italian context. It argues that some of these memoirs and above all a recent dialogue between former perpetrators and victims can be best viewed through the lenses of agonistic memory and reconciliation. The latter should not be conceived in terms of re-establishing a mythical harmonious and consensual society or constructing a single shared memory of the past. Rather, it requires former enemies to confront each other with their divided memories and perspectives in an open-ended manner.
Early and midterm outcomes of endovascular treatment for chronic aneurysmal aortic dissection: a retrospective study
Authors: Kanaoka Yuji , Ohki Takao , Kurosawa Koji , Maeda Koji , Shukuzawa Kota , Hara Masayuki , Baba Takeshi , Takizawa Reo , Tachihara Hiromasa
Published: August 2018

Background:

The aim of this study was to evaluate endovascular treatment for enlarged Stanford type B chronic aneurysmal aortic dissection (CAAD). The conventional treatment for CAAD is open repair; however, the operative mortality is high in extensive prosthetic graft replacements.

Methods:

A retrospective single-center study was conducted on 74 consecutive patients who underwent endovascular treatment for CAAD in the past 8.5 years. In the partial exclusion (PE) group, entry sites in close proximity to the maximum diameter of CAAD were closed using a stent graft and reentry sites were left without closure. In the complete exclusion (CE) group, we attempted to close all entry and reentry sites.

Results:

A total of 43 patients (PE group) and 31 patients (CE group) were included with mean ages of 59 and 63 years, respectively. Operative mortalities of 2.3% and 0% were observed in the PE and CE groups, respectively. Complete tear closure was successful in 17 of 31 patients (54.8%) in the CE group. In the PE group, complete thrombosis of the false lumen was achieved in only one case (2.3%). Freedom rates from reentry closure were 90.2%, 86.9%, and 78.2% at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively. The diameter of the true lumen/aorta changed from 16.9/62.9 mm to 30.2/53.6 mm and from 13.7/55.1 mm to 25.8/51.0 mm in the aortic arch and descending thoracic aorta, respectively. The freedom rates from secondary intervention in successful and unsuccessful CE cases were 92.9% and 69.1%, respectively, at 1 year and 92.9% and 53.7%, respectively, at 3 years.

Conclusion:

Endovascular treatment for CAAD had favorable early and midterm outcomes.
Innovative new ways of consulting
Authors: Harmon Mark , Ellender Murray , Draper Richard
Published: August 2018

In the near future, autonomous cars will allow us to drive without driving, virtual reality will allow us to feel without touching, and genomics will pick up life-threatening diseases before they even begin. It is inevitable that the challenges of widespread access to good healthcare will involve digital solutions in line with a digital revolution in the banking and retail sectors. The NHS GP Forward View promotes and encourages general practice to innovate and explore new technology, applications and ways of working. This article considers the development of innovative new ways of consulting and the potential advantages and challenges of adopting new technology.
Alectinib in the treatment of ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer: an update on its properties, efficacy, safety and place in therapy
Authors: Vavalà Tiziana , Novello Silvia
Published: August 2018

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement is identified in 3–7% of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases, and ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have revolutionized the management of this subset of NSCLC patients. ALK–TKIs have been proven highly effective in ALK-rearranged advanced NSCLC patients, but after initial responses and benefit, a subsequent progression inevitably occurs. Understanding acquired-resistance mechanisms and defining an appropriate algorithm is becoming even more essential, particularly considering the availability of extremely efficacious next-generation ALK inhibitors. The aim of this review is the analysis of current data about ALK inhibition as a therapeutic strategy in ALK-rearranged NSCLC management, with a focus on a specific ALK–TKI, alectinib. Alectinib is a highly selective inhibitor of ALK and showed systemic and central nervous system (CNS) efficacy in the treatment of this particular population. The change of first-line approach, and consequently of further lines of therapy, in ALK-rearranged NSCLC patients is still a matter of debate. A summary of evidence from randomized trials evaluating alectinib will be presented in order to discuss the available clinical evidence, safety and place in therapy.
The Status Signals Paradox
Authors: Garcia Stephen M. , Weaver Kimberlee , Chen Patricia
Published: August 2018

Making friends is critical to well-being. We also live in a society where the display of status is ubiquitous and billions of dollars are spent on high-status consumer goods. In the present analysis, we introduce the Status Signals Paradox: When making new friends, people tend to think that displaying high-status markers of themselves (e.g., a BMW, a Tag Heuer watch) will make them more attractive to others than neutral markers (e.g., a Honda, a generic brand watch); however, from the perspective of would-be friends, individuals who display high-status markers are found to be less attractive as new friends than those with neutral status markers. Six studies provide converging evidence of the status signals paradox.
Inflammatory bowel disease and cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality: A meta-analysis
Authors: Sun Hong-Hao , Tian Feng
Published: August 2018

Background

The risk of cardiovascular disease occurrence and death in inflammatory bowel disease patients is still unclear.

Design

Meta-analysis.

Methods

Pertinent studies were identified by searching articles in PubMed and Web of Knowledge to December 2017 and reviewing the reference lists of the retrieved articles. We used the fixed-effect model to pool the study-specific estimates when there was no indication of heterogeneity; otherwise, the random-effect model was used.

Results

A total of 27 articles was included, of which 11 studies reported the risk of cardiovascular disease incidence and 16 studies reported the risk of cardiovascular disease death. The pooled relative risks were 1.25 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.08, 1.44), 1.17 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.27) and 1.12 (95% CI: 1.05, 1.21) for cerebrovascular disease, coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction, respectively. In particular, the pooled relative risk was much higher in females. The pooled standardized mortality ratios were 1.01 (95% CI: 0.90, 1.14) for Crohn's disease patients and 0.93 (95% CI: 0.86, 1.01) for ulcerative colitis patients with low heterogeneity across studies. No publication bias was detected.

Conclusions

There was a positive association between inflammatory bowel disease and higher risk of cardiovascular disease incidence, particularly in females. Such an association was not observed for cardiovascular disease mortality.
Worster-Drought Syndrome Associated With LINS Mutations
Authors: McMillan Hugh J. , Holahan Anne-Lise , Richer Julie
Published: August 2018

Worster-Drought syndrome is a congenital, pseudobulbar paresis. There is no identified molecular etiology despite familial cases reported. The authors report a boy who was diagnosed with Worster-Drought syndrome due to longstanding drooling, dysphagia, and impaired tongue movement. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was unrevealing. At 14 years old, he remains aphonic with normal facial and extraocular movements. Nonsense mutations in the LINS gene, p.Glu366X and p.Lys393X, were found. Results from neuropsychological testing at 14 years old were consistent with a diagnosis of intellectual disability and revealed nonverbal reasoning skills at a 5-year-old level with relative sparing of his receptive vocabulary and visual attention. Compared to prior testing at 9 years old, his receptive language improved from a 6-year-old to an 8.5-year-old level. The authors report LINS mutations associated with Worster-Drought syndrome. This highlights that despite severe and persistent aphonia, receptive language improvements can be observed within the context of intellectual disability.
Institutional Review Board Basics for Pedagogy Research
Authors: Boling Whitney , Berlin Kathryn , Rahn Rhonda N. , Vogelzang Jody L. , Walter Gayle
Published: August 2018

The institutional review board (IRB) process is often protracted and can be a source of frustration, especially when you want your research and publications to move apace. However, because of historical events, the IRB is an important requirement for conducting research with human participants and is regulated by federal oversite. When conducting research as part of a pedagogical study, it is important to identify which level of IRB review (exempt, expedited, or full board) is required. The purpose of this article is to highlight IRB basics within the United States for pedagogy research. Although there are guidelines internationally, this article specifically focuses on U.S. IRBs, including a brief history of the IRB, pedagogical and community-based participatory research, IRB review, tips for IRB submissions, and example case studies.
Simulated Encounters With Vaccine-Hesitant Parents: Arts-Based Video Scenario and a Writing Exercise
Authors: Koski Kaisu , Lehto Juho T , Hakkarainen Kati
Published: August 2018

Vaccine hesitancy is an increasing and urgent global public health challenge. Medical students’ encounters with vaccine-hesitant parents, however, remain incidental and unexplored. During pre-clinical training, the vaccine-hesitant parents are typically represented through impersonal text-based cases, lists of their concerns, and sometimes a virtual patient. However, in reality, vaccine-hesitant parents have many health beliefs and arguments that are accompanied with intense emotions, and students remain unaware and unprepared for them. This study is an experimental pilot test in stimulating the medical students’ understanding of, and ability to respond to, vaccine-hesitant parents’ beliefs and questions. An arts-based video scenario and a writing exercise are used to demonstrate a rich case of vaccine hesitancy, including a simulated dialogue between a parent and a student. The study invites vaccine-hesitant parents to ask questions to medical students, then it incorporates these questions in a video scenario and subsequently invites the students to answer these questions as junior doctors. The study examines how the peer group discussion after the video viewing resembles a hospital breakroom conversation and how the written dialogue with a vaccine-hesitant parent simulates a consultation-room encounter.
Gelatinous Transformation of Bone Marrow in the Calcaneus, Diagnosed by Open Bone Biopsy in a Patient With Anorexia Nervosa
Authors: Tonogai Ichiro , Nakajima Daiki , Miyagi Ryo , Sairyo Koichi
Published: August 2018

Gelatinous transformation of bone marrow (GTBM) is a complication of various diseases, one of which is anorexia nervosa (AN). We describe a rare case of a 20-year-old man who presented to our clinic with a 3-month history of heel pain without trauma. At presentation, he was noted to have a low body mass index (BMI) of 16.2 kg/m2 and pancytopenia. On magnetic resonance imaging, the left calcaneus showed low intensity on T1-weighted and high intensity on T2-weighted images. Open biopsy was done because we suspected that the lesion was either a lymphoproliferative tumor or a trabecular-type bone metastatic tumor. However, tissue histology of bone samples showed atrophy of fat cells with deposition of gelatinous material and a decreased hematopoietic cell population. Therefore, we made a diagnosis of GTBM, most likely caused by AN. We started treatment with nutritional support, and 6 months later, the hematological parameters returned to normal and BMI improved to 19.4 kg/m2. He was able to return to work and had no left heel pain. This case indicates that foot and ankle surgeons need to be aware of this rare pathology, although it might be difficult to diagnose without biopsy. To our knowledge, very few descriptions of GTBM in the calcaneus have been reported to date.
Primary Ankle Arthrodesis vs ORIF for Severely Comminuted Pilon Fractures
Authors: Beckwitt Colin H. , Monaco Spencer J. , Gruen Gary S.
Published: August 2018

Background:

The treatment for highly comminuted pilon fractures remains controversial. The goal of this retrospective cohort study was to compare functional outcomes of primary arthrodesis of the tibiotalar joint (fusion) and open reduction internal fixation (ORIF).

Methods:

Patients who underwent primary ORIF or fusion for pilon fractures at our institution since 2000 were identified by Current Procedural Terminology ( CPT) code. Inclusion criteria for the ORIF cohort were patients with an AO/Orthopaedic Trauma Association type C3 pilon fracture. Additional inclusion criteria for the fusion cohort were patients whose fractures were deemed non-reconstructable by the treating surgeon. Outcome assessment was determined by the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) and Short Form 36-item health survey (SF-36), time to radiographic union or fusion, and wound-healing complications at a minimum of 2 years after their surgery.

Results:

Nineteen ORIF and 16 fusion patients completed the study’s outcome assessments. A higher rate of nonunion was observed in patients treated by primary ORIF than primary fusion (5/19 vs 1/16). Posttraumatic arthritis was observed in 11 of 19 primary ORIF patients. Primary fusion patients exhibited increased symptoms, pain, and physical role limits but were equivalent to primary ORIF patients on all other functional metrics examined.

Conclusions:

Primary ankle arthrodesis achieves a lower rate of nonunion and comparable functional outcomes to ORIF in patients with severely comminuted pilon fractures. The higher rate of nonunion observed in the primary ORIF group suggests that primary fusion should be considered an effective procedure for severe injuries to decrease the need for further operative intervention.

Level of Evidence:

Therapeutic Level III, retrospective cohort.
Circulating eosinophil levels do not predict severe exacerbations in COPD: a retrospective study
Authors: Adir Yochai , Hakrush Omar , Shteinberg Michal , Schneer Sonia , Agusti Alvar
Published: August 2018

Whether the level of circulating eosinophils in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients can predict the risk of exacerbations of COPD (ECOPD) or response to treatment is debated. Here, we evaluate the prevalence of elevated eosinophils in COPD patients and its relationship with severe ECOPD requiring hospitalisation.

We retrospectively reviewed the charts of COPD patients hospitalised in our centre between January 1, 2005 and November 30, 2015 because of ECOPD or other reasons (controls). In a second analysis, the ECOPD patients were divided into two subgroups based on having ECOPD in the next year after the index event or not. Circulating eosinophils, both during clinical stability and hospitalisation, as well as clinical and functional data and the relation to recurrent exacerbations were analysed.

We studied 992 COPD patients (318 ECOPD patients and 674 controls). Among ECOPD patients, 121 had one or more ECOPD during the year after the index event. The prevalence of eosinophils ≥2% was 72% in ECOPD patients and 71% in controls (p=0.93). Among ECOPD patients, eosinophil levels ≥2%, ≥4% or ≥300 cells·μL−1, either when clinically stable or during hospitalisation, did not show a significant association with the rate of recurrent severe exacerbations. The severity of airflow limitation was associated with recurrent exacerbations, but inhaled corticosteroid treatment was not.

The majority of COPD patients have circulating eosinophils >2% and a significant association with the risk of severe ECOPD or response to inhaled corticosteroids was not demonstrated.