bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evidence Review for Teacher Praise to Improve Students’ Classroom Behavior
Authors: Moore Tara C. , Maggin Daniel M. , Thompson Kelly M. , Gordon Jason R. , Daniels Stephanie , Lang Lucinda E.
Published: March 2018

In this study, a systematic review was conducted to examine the evidence base for teacher praise for students without severe disabilities in K–12 classroom settings. Specifically, reviewers followed standards presented by the Council for Exceptional Children and the What Works Clearinghouse to evaluate the methodological quality of 30 studies meeting inclusion criteria. Only 11 studies were rated as being methodologically sound. The review team then classified effects of the 11 methodologically sound studies and provided an overall evidence-based classification for the practice using both sets of standards. Results indicated there is currently insufficient evidence to identify teacher praise as an evidence-based practice for this population of students. A further evaluation of this research base provided no discernable patterns for when and for whom teacher praise is likely to be effective. Implications for practice and future research are provided.
iStent inject as a reasonable alternative procedure following failed trabeculectomy?
Authors: Davids Anja-Maria , Pahlitzsch Milena , Boeker Alexander , Torun Necip , Bertelmann Eckart , Maier-Wenzel Anna-Karina , Hager Annette , Gonnermann Johannes , Klamann Matthias
Published: March 2018

Purpose:

The aim of this study is to assess the intraocular pressure lowering effect and the performance of the glaucoma therapy of the iStent inject in glaucoma patients with uncontrolled intraocular pressure after failed trabeculectomy.

Methods:

In this retrospective study, iStent inject implantation (Glaukos Corporation, Laguna Hills, CA, USA) was performed in 22 eyes of 21 subjects suffering from glaucoma (n = 18 primary open angle glaucoma, n = 3 pseudoexfoliation glaucoma, and n = 1 for secondary glaucoma) with an intraocular pressure above target pressure after failed trabeculectomy (mean = 9.6 ± 8.1 years; range: 1–35 years). The intraocular pressure and the number of antiglaucomatous medication were assessed preoperatively, 1 day, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after surgery and compared to preoperative findings (SPSS v23.0; Shapiro–Wilk test, Wilcoxon test, Friedman test).

Results:

The results showed a significant intraocular pressure decrease from 22.5 ± 4.6 to 15.5 ± 3.4 mmHg after 1 year follow-up (p = 0.012). The glaucoma therapy was 2.6 ± 1.2 preoperatively and reduced to 2.25 ± 1.5 number of medications after 1 year (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the number of medication during the whole follow-up period (1 year, p = 0.012). No significant intra- or postoperative complications were reported.

Conclusion:

Minimal invasive glaucoma surgery (iStent inject) can offer an effective intraocular pressure reduction in advanced adult primary and secondary open angle glaucoma after failed trabeculectomy in a follow-up period of 1 year. Glaucoma therapy, however, needs to be maintained to achieve an individual target pressure and to prevent glaucoma progression. In addition, a failure rate of 27.3% makes it necessary to select carefully patients for this treatment option.
Effect of changing from preserved prostaglandins to preservative-free tafluprost in patients with glaucoma on tear film thickness
Authors: Hommer Anton , Schmidl Doreen , Kromus Martina , Bata Ahmed M , Fondi Klemens , Werkmeister René M , Baar Carina , Schmetterer Leopold , Garhöfer Gerhard
Published: March 2018

Purpose:

Long-term glaucoma therapy with preservative-containing eye drops may impact ocular surface health. This study was performed to investigate whether a switch from preserved topical prostaglandin therapy to preservative-free tafluprost therapy improves precorneal tear film thickness in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

Methods:

A total of 30 patients who were under topical preservative-containing prostaglandin monotherapy for at least 6 months were included. Patients were then switched from preserved prostaglandin therapy to unpreserved tafluprost drops once daily. Tear film thickness was measured at baseline and 4 and 12 weeks after therapy change with an ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography system. Furthermore, clinical measures of ocular surface disease were determined and symptoms were assessed using the Dry Eye–Related Quality-of-Life Score.

Results:

After switching to unpreserved tafluprost, tear film thickness significantly increased from 4.7 ± 0.5 to 5.0 ± 0.6 µm 4 weeks after therapy change and still tended to be increased after 12 weeks (4.8 ± 0.7 µm). Breakup time significantly increased from 5.1 ± 2.3 to 7.2 ± 3.4 s and to 10.1 ± 3.6 s after therapy change. In addition, a significant decrease in corneal staining score from 1.8 ± 0.7 to 1.4 ± 0.8 after 4 weeks and to 0.7 ± 0.7 after 12 weeks treatment was observed. Switching to preservative-free drops reduced Dry Eye–Related Quality-of-Life Score from 11.4 ± 11.0 to 5.7 ± 6.4 and to 4.7 ± 7.5.

Conclusion:

Our data show that switching to preservative-free tafluprost leads to an increase in tear film thickness, breakup time, and an improvement of Dry Eye–Related Quality-of-Life Score. Our results therefore indicate that a switch to unpreserved tafluprost is beneficial for ocular surface health in patients under long-term preserved prostaglandin eye drops.
Scoping the evidence for EarlyBird and EarlyBird Plus, two United Kingdom-developed parent education training programmes for autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Dawson-Squibb John-Joe , Davids Eugene Lee , de Vries Petrus J
Published: March 2018

EarlyBird and EarlyBird Plus are parent education and training programmes designed by the UK National Autistic Society in 1997 and 2003, having been delivered to more than 27,000 families in 14 countries. These group-based programmes aim to (1) support parents immediately after diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, (2) empower parents, encouraging a positive perception of their child’s autism spectrum disorder and (3) help parents establish good practice. In the absence of any previous comprehensive review, we performed a scoping review of all peer-reviewed publications on EarlyBird/EarlyBird Plus. A search was conducted between February and June 2016 using EbscoHost, Sabinet, SAGE Journals, Directory of Open Access Journals, BioMed Central, Scopus, ScienceDirect and grey literature. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts for inclusion. In total, 18 articles were identified: 16 from the United Kingdom and 2 from New Zealand. We reviewed the context, study populations, design, outcome measures, whether focus was on parental perception, parental change or child changes and programme feasibility. Strong parental support for the acceptability but lower level evidence of efficacy of EarlyBird/EarlyBird Plus was found. Future research should consider randomised controlled trials. There is no research on EarlyBird/EarlyBird Plus in low-resource settings; therefore, we recommend broader feasibility evaluation of EarlyBird/EarlyBird Plus including accessibility, cultural appropriateness and scalability.
Computer vision analysis captures atypical attention in toddlers with autism
Authors: Campbell Kathleen , Carpenter Kimberly LH , Hashemi Jordan , Espinosa Steven , Marsan Samuel , Borg Jana Schaich , Chang Zhuoqing , Qiu Qiang , Vermeer Saritha , Adler Elizabeth , Tepper Mariano , Egger Helen L , Baker Jeffery P , Sapiro Guillermo , Dawson Geraldine
Published: March 2018

To demonstrate the capability of computer vision analysis to detect atypical orienting and attention behaviors in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder. One hundered and four toddlers of 16–31 months old (mean = 22) participated in this study. Twenty-two of the toddlers had autism spectrum disorder and 82 had typical development or developmental delay. Toddlers watched video stimuli on a tablet while the built-in camera recorded their head movement. Computer vision analysis measured participants’ attention and orienting in response to name calls. Reliability of the computer vision analysis algorithm was tested against a human rater. Differences in behavior were analyzed between the autism spectrum disorder group and the comparison group. Reliability between computer vision analysis and human coding for orienting to name was excellent (intra-class coefficient 0.84, 95% confidence interval 0.67–0.91). Only 8% of toddlers with autism spectrum disorder oriented to name calling on >1 trial, compared to 63% of toddlers in the comparison group (p = 0.002). Mean latency to orient was significantly longer for toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (2.02 vs 1.06 s, p = 0.04). Sensitivity for autism spectrum disorder of atypical orienting was 96% and specificity was 38%. Older toddlers with autism spectrum disorder showed less attention to the videos overall (p = 0.03). Automated coding offers a reliable, quantitative method for detecting atypical social orienting and reduced sustained attention in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder.
Linguistic attitudes and contact effects in Toronto’s heritage languages: A variationist sociolinguistic investigation
Authors: Nagy Naomi
Published: March 2018

Aims and objectives:

I review several methods of constructing bridges between structural linguistic variation in language contact situations and linguistic attitudes and prestige.

Methodology design:

Data are examined for heritage varieties of Cantonese, Faetar, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian and Ukrainian spoken in Toronto, Canada, and in the corresponding homeland varieties, in an effort to consider how the notions of ‘prestige’ and ‘attitude’ are best operationalized in heritage language studies and to seek associations between structural variation and prestige. Linguistic variation is explored via multivariate analysis of (linguistic and) social factors, in order to determine which factors best account for the selection of competing variants of selected sociolinguistic variables (primarily null subject variation and voice onset time) in spontaneous speech. The attitudinal or prestige aspect is explored in several ways: comparison of ethnolinguistic vitality, language status (in popular and academic media) and ethnic orientation. It is hypothesized that: • communities with a higher ethnolinguistic vitality will be more resistant to contact-induced variation; • varieties exhibiting more contact-induced variation will more likely have acquired a label distinct from the homeland variety; • within a generation, speakers with greater affinity for or more frequent use of English will show stronger contact effects; and • successive generations of speakers, with increasing contact with English, will show greater contact effects.

Conclusions/originality/significance:

These hypotheses are not supported by our data.
The continuity of social care when moving across regional boundaries
Authors: Marsland Dave , White Caroline , Manthorpe Jill
Published: March 2018

This paper reports the experiences of adults in receipt of social care when relocating to new local authorities, and of family carers. While many matters need to be considered when moving, the study focused specifically on the ‘portability’ of social care. The study draws on data from semi-structured interviews conducted between July and November 2013 with 12 adults who had relocated between English local authorities. Data were collected prior to the implementation of the Care Act 2014; the potential impact of the Act in respect of relocation is considered.

Findings

Although some positive experiences were identified, participants primarily reported challenges when moving with social care support. Five themes were identified, these related to the amount of organisation, planning and activity required; the need for a timely approach and the risk of delays and interruptions to care delivery; differences between the practices of local authorities; a lack of control and involvement; a negative impact on emotional and physical well-being. As a result of such difficulties, some experienced delays or interruptions to their care and support; lost all or some of their care package; experienced stress, anxiety and worry.

Applications

The paper documents the experiences of people relocating with social care support, which have been little explored to date within the UK or internationally, and contributes to the evidence base in respect of relocation and portability of care. It highlights the importance of smooth transitions for those relocating between local authorities, and the potential for social workers to assist by addressing potential problems.
Responsive play: Creating transformative classroom spaces through play as a reader response
Authors: Flint Tori K
Published: March 2018

This eight-month study, conducted in a first-grade classroom in the southwestern United States, analyzed young children's playful responses to literature. It focuses on framing a theory that underpins play as a form of reader response, which I term ‘responsive play’. It further aims to answer the overarching research question and the sub-question: What are the affordances of play for responding to text in a first-grade classroom? What are the sociocultural resources that children use to respond to and make meaning with text? Findings suggest that the children in this study created a space for learning and understanding, through their responsive play, that allowed them to think through, demonstrate, and share their experiential knowledge, their funds of knowledge, and their intertextual knowledge – as sociocultural resources – and to connect these to their literacy learning as they cooperatively transacted with and responded to various books. These findings suggest that children's play, language, and literacy are complementary, that children's responsive play should be encouraged in the classroom setting, and that children's experiences and funds of knowledge should be valued as additive to the academic learning context. Implications of this study include that responsive play can be viewed as a generative source of academic learning and that the notion of reader response, in research and practice, can be reconceived to include responsive play.
Passive localization of signal source based on wireless sensor network in the air
Authors: Wan Pengwu , Ni Yongjing , Hao Benjian , Li Zan , Zhao Yue
Published: March 2018

Passive localization of the wireless signal source attracts a considerable level of research interest for its wide applications in modern wireless communication systems. To accurately locate the signal source passively in the downtown area, sensors are carried on the unmanned aerial vehicles flying in the air, where the wireless sensor network can be established with an optimal geometry configuration conveniently. In this case, the influence of multipath fading can be avoided and the time difference of arrival measurement can be estimated precisely in Rician channel. By employing the operating center as a calibration source to refine the positions of the unmanned aerial vehicles, we present a simplified formulation of the time difference of arrival localization method according to the min-max criterion. To accurately estimate the position of the source, the nonlinear equations are relaxed using semidefinite programming to obtain an initial solution, which is utilized as the starting point of the iterative algorithm to refine the solution. In the simulation section, the validity and the robustness of the proposed methods are verified through the performance comparison with the Cramer–Rao lower bound.
Downregulation of neuroligin1 ameliorates postoperative pain through inhibiting neuroligin1/postsynaptic density 95-mediated synaptic targeting of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate receptor GluA1 subunits in rat dorsal horns
Authors: Guo Ruijuan , Li Huili , Li Xueyang , Xue Zhaojing , Sun Yuqing , Ma Danxu , Guan Yun , Li Junfa , Tian Ming , Wang Yun
Published: March 2018

Neuroligin1 is an important synaptic cell adhesion molecule that modulates the function of synapses through protein–protein interactions. Yet, it remains unclear whether the regulation of synaptic transmission in the spinal cord by neruoligin1 contributes to the development of postoperative pain. In a rat model of postoperative pain induced by plantar incision, we conducted Western blot study to examine changes in the expression of postsynaptic membrane of neuroligin1, postsynaptic density 95 (PSD-95), and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate (AMPA) receptor GluA1 and GluA2 subunits in the spinal cord dorsal horn after injury. The interaction between neuroligin1 and PSD-95 was further determined by using coimmunoprecipitation. Protein levels of neuroligin1 and GluA1, but not GluA2 and PSD-95, were significantly increased in the postsynaptic membrane of the ipsilateral dorsal horn at 3 h and 1 day after incision, as compared to that in control group (naïve). A greater amount of PSD-95 was coimmunoprecipitated with neuroligin1 at 3 h after incision than that in the control group. Intrathecal administration of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting neuroligin1 suppressed the expression of neuroligin1 in the spinal cord. Importantly, pretreatment with intrathecal neuroligin1 siRNA2497, but not scrambled siRNA or vehicle, prevented the upregulation of GluA1 expression at 3 h after incision, inhibited the enhanced neuroligin1/PSD-95 interaction, and attenuated postoperative pain. Together, current findings suggest that downregulation of spinal neuroligin1 expression may ameliorate postoperative pain through inhibiting neuroligin1/PSD-95 interaction and synaptic targeting of GluA1 subunit. Accordingly, spinal neuroligin1 may be a potential new target for postoperative pain treatment.
Synergistic activation of ERK1/2 between A-fiber neurons and glial cells in the DRG contributes to pain hypersensitivity after tissue injury
Authors: Yamakita Shunsuke , Horii Yasuhiko , Takemura Hitomi , Matsuoka Yutaka , Yamashita Ayahiro , Yamaguchi Yosuke , Matsuda Megumi , Sawa Teiji , Amaya Fumimasa
Published: March 2018

Background

Intense nociceptive signaling arising from ongoing injury activates primary afferent nociceptive systems to generate peripheral sensitization. ERK1/2 phosphorylation in dorsal root ganglion can be used to visualize intracellular signal activity immediately after noxious stimulation. The aim of this study was to investigate spatiotemporal characteristics of ERK1/2 phosphorylation against tissue injury in the primary afferent neurons.

Methods

Plantar incisions were made in the hind paws of Sprague-Dawley rats (n =150). Levobupivacaine was injected into the plantar aspect of the paws and ankles, Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor was injected into the paw, and carbenoxolone, dual inhibitor of the gap junction and pannexin channel, was intraperitoneally injected. Pain hypersensitivity was investigated by a behavioral study, while phosphorylated ERK1/2 was detected in dorsal root ganglion and hind paw using immunohistochemistry and Western blot.

Results

Phosphorylated ERK1/2 was induced in dorsal root ganglion (26.8 ± 2.9% at baseline, 65.6 ± 3.6% at 2 min, and 26.3 ± 3.4% at 2 h) after the incision. NF-200 positive A-fiber neurons and satellite glial cells were positive for phosphorylated ERK1/2. Injury-induced pain hypersensitivity was abolished by MEK inhibitor. Levobupivacaine treatment inhibited phosphorylated ERK1/2 induction, carbenoxolone treatment inhibited glial phosphorylated ERK1/2 at 2 min after the injury, and carbenoxolone inhibited pain hypersensitivity and neuronal phosphorylated ERK1/2 at 1 h after the injury.

Conclusion

ERK1/2 phosphorylation in A-fiber neurons and satellite glial cells immediately after injury contributes to the generation of pain hypersensitivity. Signal communication between neurons and satellite glial cells expands the duration of neuronal ERK1/2 phosphorylation and pain hypersensitivity at 1 h after tissue injury.
Resveratrol enhances IL-4 receptor-mediated anti-inflammatory effects in spinal cord and attenuates neuropathic pain following sciatic nerve injury
Authors: Xu Mu , Cheng Zhigang , Ding Zhuofeng , Wang Yunjiao , Guo Qulian , Huang Changsheng
Published: March 2018

Resveratrol has been showed to relieve neuropathic pain through its anti-inflammatory effects on the peripheral nerve system. However, it is not clear whether resveratrol, especially when administered systemically, is effective in alleviating the peripheral neuropathy-induced imbalance between pro- and anti-inflammatory responses in the central nervous system. To test this, we used a rat neuropathic pain model resulting from chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve. Resveratrol (200 mg/kg) or vehicle (dimethylsulfoxide) were administered intraperitoneally once daily for 14 consecutive days after chronic constriction injury. We found that resveratrol attenuated mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in rats with chronic constriction injury. After 14 days of resveratrol treatment, expression of several anti-inflammatory cytokine receptors, including IL-1RA and IL-1R2, was increased in the dorsal spinal cord of rats with chronic constriction injury, and IL-4Rα was increased in dorsal spinal cord neurons. Knockdown of IL-4Rα in a neuronal cell line reversed the resveratrol-induced upregulation of IL-1RA and IL-1R2. These results indicate that resveratrol enhances IL-4 receptor-mediated anti-inflammatory responses in the spinal cord and thus might contribute to the alleviation of central sensitization following peripheral nerve injury.
Sexual and Emotional Infidelity: Evolved Gender Differences in Jealousy Prove Robust and Replicable
Authors: Buss David M.
Published: March 2018

Infidelity poses threats to high-investment mating relationships. Because of gender differences in some aspects of reproductive biology, such as internal female fertilization, the nature of these threats differs for men and women. Men, but not women, for example, have recurrently faced the problem of uncertainty in their genetic parenthood. Jealousy is an emotion hypothesized to have evolved to combat these threats. The 1992 article Sex Differences in Jealousy: Evolution, Physiology, and Psychology reported three empirical studies using two different methods, forced-choice and physiological experiments. Results supported the evolution-based hypotheses. The article became highly cited for several reasons. It elevated the status of jealousy as an important emotion to be explained by any comprehensive theory of human emotions. Subsequent meta-analyses robustly supported the evolutionary hypotheses. Moreover, the work supported the evolutionary meta-theory of gender differences, which posits differences only in domains in which the sexes have recurrently faced distinct adaptive problems. It also heralded the newly emerging field of evolutionary psychology as a useful perspective that possesses the scientific virtues of testability, falsifiability, and heuristic value in discovering previously unknown psychological phenomena.
The Strength Model of Self-Regulation: Conclusions From the Second Decade of Willpower Research
Authors: Baumeister Roy F. , Tice Dianne M. , Vohs Kathleen D.
Published: March 2018

The strength model of self-regulation uses a muscle analogy to explain patterns of ego depletion, conservation of willpower, and improved performance after frequent exercise. Our 2007 overview of the literature has been well cited, presumably because of the phenomenon’s importance to theories of selfhood and a wide assortment of applied contexts, including problem behaviors. Some researchers have put forward rival theoretical accounts, and others have questioned the existence of the phenomenon. The weight of evidence continues to support the usefulness of the strength model, albeit amid continuing updates and revisions.
The Scientific Pursuit of Happiness
Authors: Myers David G. , Diener Ed
Published: March 2018

We review the history of happiness research that gave rise to our 1995 review. We then summarize—and update with a quick synopsis of more recent research—each of our conclusions regarding the associations of subjective well-being with age, gender, income, personal traits, social support, and religious engagement. Finally, we briefly review new research on the benefits of happiness, and of happiness interventions at both individual and national levels.
Sepsis in Obstetrics Score (SOS) utility and validation for triaging patients with obstetric sepsis in the emergency department: Evidence from a low income health care setting
Authors: Agarwal Rachna , Yadav Rajesh Kumar , Mohta Medha , Sikka Meera , Radhakrishnan Gita
Published: March 2018

Background

Illness severity scores commonly used in critical care settings are not considered appropriate in obstetric practice as they do not account for pregnancy physiology. A new illness severity score called the ‘Sepsis in Obstetrics Score’ (SOS) was introduced by Albright et al. for triaging patients with sepsis in pregnancy in an emergency department setting.

Objectives

We aimed to determine whether this score could predict the need for critical care support using the presence of organ failure as the identification criteria. Severity and culture positivity in pregnancy-associated sepsis was also assessed.

Materials and methods

All pregnant, postabortal and postpartum women with suspected sepsis were enrolled (as per systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria) were enrolled. Severe pregnancy-associated sepsis was defined as dysfunction of one or more organs due to sepsis. The severity of pregnancy-associated sepsis was graded according to the number of organ failures. A SOS cut off of 6 was taken for statistical analysis.

Results

Out of 100 women with pregnancy-associated sepsis, ‘severe sepsis’ was present in 58%. When the SOS test performance was compared with the severity of pregnancy-associated sepsis, it had sensitivity of 68.9% and specificity of 80.9%, positive predictive value of 83% and negative predictive value 65% to predict severe sepsis. The area under curve for the SOS detecting severe pregnancy-associated sepsis was 0.810. SOS predicted organ failure in pregnancy-associated sepsis and this was statistically significant for all organs involved. Culture positivity did not correlate with the SOS in our study.

Conclusions

Sepsis in Obstetrics Score correlated well with organ failure in pregnancy-associated sepsis. It had a high positive predictive value (83%) for severe sepsis.
Utility of serum phosphate as a marker for predicting the severity of post‐endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis
Authors: Choi Young Hoon , Jang Dong Kee , Lee Sang Hyub , Jang Sunguk , Choi Jin Ho , Kang Jinwoo , Paik Woo Hyun , Lee Jun Kyu , Ryu Ji Kon , Kim Yong-Tae
Published: March 2018

Background

To date, no reliable marker for predicting the severity of post‐endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis exists. A previous animal study reported a correlation between serum phosphate level and the severity of acute pancreatitis.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of serum phosphate as a marker for predicting the severity of post‐ERCP pancreatitis in humans.

Methods

A cohort of patients that were diagnosed with post‐ERCP pancreatitis between January 2005 and December 2016 was queried. In addition to serum phosphate levels measured between 12 and 24 hours after ERCP, several candidates deemed suitable for accurately predicting the severity of post‐ERCP pancreatitis were also explored.

Results

A total of 191 patients with severe (n = 42, 22.0%) and mild‐to‐moderate (n = 149, 78.0%) post‐ERCP pancreatitis were included. Several factors for predicting severe post‐ERCP pancreatitis were identified in the multivariate analysis: malignancy as the primary indication for ERCP (odds ratio (OR) 2.65, P = 0.038), systemic inflammatory response syndrome (OR 4.49, P = 0.016) and serum phosphate level (OR 1.97, P = 0.040). In the receiver operating characteristic analysis, the area under the curve of serum phosphate level for severe post‐ERCP pancreatitis was 0.65 (95% confidence interval, 0.56–0.75). The optimal cut‐off value of serum phosphate level for prediction of severe post‐ERCP pancreatitis was 3.35 mg/dL (sensitivity, 0.62; specificity, 0.73).

Conclusions

Serum phosphate level after ERCP can be used as a reliable prognostic marker in predicting the severity of post‐ERCP pancreatitis. Future prospective studies would be the cogent next step in validating its value.
Radical open surgery for management of extensive extra-prostatic benign prostatic hyperplasia
Authors: Bullock Nicholas , Serag Hosam , Kynaston Howard
Published: March 2018

Level of evidence: Not applicable.
The Effectiveness of Osteoporosis Screening and Treatment in the Midwest
Authors: Patel Dharmik , Worley John R. , Volgas David A. , Crist Brett D.
Published: March 2018

Introduction:

With osteoporosis on the rise across the United States, the goal of this prospective study is to determine the effectiveness of our Midwest level-1 trauma center in diagnosing, treating, and educating osteoporosis patients after fracture with the use of questionnaires. Secondarily, we aimed to identify barriers that prevent our patients from complying with bone health recommendations.

Methods:

One hundred participants (≥55 years) were given 2 questionnaires (Fracture Risk Assessment Tool and a study-specific questionnaire) that were administered during the patient’s visit to the orthopedic trauma clinic. A group of patients diagnosed with osteoporosis was compared to a group of patients not diagnosed with osteoporosis. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 24 (IBM Corp, Chicago, Illinois).

Results:

Patients who had been diagnosed with osteoporosis were significantly older (72.7 vs 66.5, P = .009) and more were women (86.2% vs 66.2%, P = .043). Significantly, fewer patients without the diagnosis of osteoporosis had a history of fragility fracture (56.3%) compared to 92.9% of those diagnosed with osteoporosis ( P < .001). Of those with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) recommended by a healthcare provider, 20 (55.6%) of those without the diagnosis of osteoporosis and 13 (52%) of those with the diagnosis of osteoporosis had DXA screening before their fragility fracture ( P = .499). More patients diagnosed with osteoporosis (93.1%) were taking calcium and vitamin D supplementation compared to 66.2% of those without the diagnosis of osteoporosis ( P = .005). Only 37.9% of patients with the diagnosis of osteoporosis were receiving US Food and Drug Administration–approved medications for the management of their disease.

Discussion:

In patients without previous osteoporosis diagnosis, 59 (83.1%) of the 71 claimed that they did not receive any preventative education about osteoporosis, while 21 (72.4%) of the 29 patients with the diagnosis of osteoporosis claimed that they did not receive a preventative education ( P = .165). Both groups lacked optimum diagnosis, treatment, and education of osteoporosis.

Conclusion:

Our study highlights the need for a deliberate effort of a multidisciplinary team to focus efforts in all stages of osteoporosis management.
Lateral Eye Movements Increase False Memory Rates
Authors: Houben Sanne T. L. , Otgaar Henry , Roelofs Jeffrey , Merckelbach Harald
Published: March 2018

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a popular treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. However, little is known about the memory effects of EMDR. Using a misinformation paradigm, we examined whether lateral eye movements, as used in EMDR, enhance susceptibility to false memories. Undergraduates ( N = 82) saw a video depicting a car crash. Subsequently, participants either performed eye movements or held their eyes stationary. Afterward, all participants received misinformation in the form of an eyewitness narrative. The results indicate that eye movement participants were less accurate and were more susceptible to the misinformation effect than controls. Our finding suggests EMDR may have risky drawbacks in an eyewitness context and therefore urgently needs follow-up research.
Agricultural Policy, Employment Opportunities and Social Mobility in Rural Malawi
Authors: Chinsinga Blessings , Chasukwa Michael
Published: March 2018

Despite the youth accounting for more than half of the population of Malawi, they have been marginalized and pushed to the periphery of several development policy interventions. This article interrogates the question of how the youth and policy-makers view agricultural development as a means of social mobility for youth in Malawi. The paper argues that even though agricultural production is the main occupation in Malawi, young people do not value agriculture as a means of upward social mobility. Furthermore, youth and agriculture policy frameworks provide little support to youth in terms of access to affordable farm inputs, land, extension services, value addition initiatives, and markets. It is argued that Malawi is missing the strategic policy direction by not implementing non-traditional agriculture interventions that would engage the youth in a bid to reduce massive youth unemployment.
Insufficient Economic Convergence in the World Economy: How Do Economists Explain Why Too Many Countries Do Not Catch-up?
Authors: Herr Hansjörg , Ruoff Bea
Published: March 2018

This essay reviews different economic perspectives on the development of productivity and living standards in developing countries. It shows that neoclassical approaches to the problem of economic convergence fail to provide a satisfactory explanation of why economic convergence does not take place. In doing so, it reviews seven heterodox arguments on why developing countries do not converge. The article argues that the lack of economic convergence is a result of market forces which lead to the reproduction of underdevelopment. Therefore, comprehensive state interventions are needed to overcome underdevelopment. The article discusses different alternative policies which are needed to trigger development, thus countering the perspectives of neoliberal economists and the Washington Consensus.
Median-based Rules for Decision-making under Complete Ignorance
Authors: Bhattacharyya Aditi
Published: March 2018

This article characterizes a class of rules for decision-making when an agent knows the possible states of the world and the outcome of each of his/her actions for each state, but does not have any information about the probabilities of the states. The existing literature in this framework has mainly considered ‘max’-based or ‘min’-based rules and their variants. Such rules reflect rather extreme forms of optimism or pessimism on the part of an agent. In contrast, this paper focuses on the median outcome(s) and characterizes a class of decision-making rules which reflects a more ‘balanced’ attitude towards uncertainty. We also discuss a possible interpretation of our result in terms of the ranking of alternative social states that an individual may have when he/she is under the Rawlsian ‘veil of ignorance’.

JEL Classifications: D81
Outcomes and Predictors of Revision Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: An Evaluation of the Norwegian Knee Ligament Registry
Authors: Vap Alexander R. , LaPrade Robert F. , Engebretsen Lars
Published: March 2018

Objectives:

The Norwegian Ligament Registry (NKLR) provides an opportunity for quality surveillance and research. Intraoperative findings and outcome after revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (RACLR) is not as well studied as after primary ACL reconstruction. There were two objectives of this study. First, to evaluate the Norwegian Knee Ligament Registry (NKLR) for the occurrence, failure rate, graft choice, patient demographic profile (gender, age, body mass index), sport at time of injury and associated pathology (cartilage injuries, meniscal tears, other ligament injuries) for revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions (RACLR). Second, to match compare RACLR patients to primary ACL reconstructions in order to define possible predictors for those patients who will require RACLR.

Methods:

All patients identified in the NKLR from June 2004 until September 2016 that did not undergo cartilage restoration, meniscal transplant nor had a documented fracture at the primary reconstruction were included in the study. Revision rates at 1, 2 and 5 years were estimated with Kaplan-Meier analysis, and the estimated risk of RACLR based upon demographic and associated pathology was estimated with Cox regression analysis.

Results:

784 patients with an average age of 25.6 years (25.0-26.3) met the inclusion and exclusion criteria with 53.1% being male. 62.1% of revisions were performed with bone patellar bone (BPTB) autograft while 23% used hamstring autograft. Associated injuries of the menisci, cartilage, and other ligaments and the sport at the time of injury are listed (Table 1). 12.9% of RACLR patients went on to have a Re-revision ACLR at 5 years postop (Figure 1). Match comparisons of primary ACLR patients with RACLR demonstrated no significant difference in occurrence based upon age (<20, 20-30, and >30 years), graft choice (BPTB, Hamstring, Allograft, Bone Quadriceps Tendon (BQT)), cartilage injury (No injury, ICRS 1-2, ICRS 3-4), meniscal Injury, associated ligament injury, sport at time of injury or Body Mass Index (BMI).

Conclusion:

Based upon review of a large ligament reconstruction registry, one can expect that less than 13% of patients undergo a Re-revision ALCR following failure of a RALCR at 5 years. Match comparison of primary ACLR versus RACLR demonstrated no significant predictor of RACLR based upon age, graft choice, cartilage injury, meniscal injury, associated ligament injury, sport or BMI.
Anti-austerity voting in an era of economic crisis: Regional evidence from the 2015 referendum in Greece
Authors: Artelaris Panagiotis , Tsirbas Yannis
Published: March 2018

The austerity measures and structural reforms that Greece had to undertake since 2010 in exchange for financial aid divided the Greek political system into pro-austerity and anti-austerity camps. These divisions reached a climax with the July 2015 referendum. The paper attempts to assess the extent that to which the geographic patterns that emerged in voting were due to the differentiated economic regional impact of economic crisis. Using economic voting theory as a benchmark, and employing spatial econometric methods, the study contributes to a largely ignored topic, known as geographies of economic voting, providing new and valuable insights for an under-researched time period.
Conditioning experimentation: The struggle for place-based discretion in shaping urban infrastructures
Authors: Hodson Mike , Evans James , Schliwa Gabriele
Published: March 2018

Re-shaping infrastructure systems and social practices within urban contexts has been promoted as a critical way to address a range of contemporary economic, environmental and social challenges. Though there are many attempts to re-imagine more sustainable urban contexts the challenge remains how to achieve such change. In this context, urban experiments have emerged as a way to stage purposive infrastructure interventions and learn what works in practice. The paper integrates literatures on urban governance and urban socio-technical experiments to extend analytical understanding of urban experimentation. Through a case study of ‘sustainable transport’ experimentation in Greater Manchester, we argue that place-based priorities that inform action on sustainable urban futures are conditioned by non-place-based, particularly national, interests. Our paper makes two key contributions. First, we illustrate how the (narrow) national conditioning of place-based priorities translates in to experimentation in episodic ways that are highly contextual. We detail how national priorities, stipulations and funding are mediated and translated at the urban scale where they set conditions for the range of interventions that are feasible in a particular context. The interventions that follow are then materially embedded in place through experimentation with processes of governing and constituting capacity. Second, we argue that the learning generated through these processes of experimentation is only weakly communicated back to conditioning institutions. The result is that there is strong conditioning of experimentation but weak experimentation with conditions. The paper illustrates how the potential of experimentation is conditioned and thus it brings to the fore the need to understand experimentation politically.
Phase II Study of Crizotinib in East Asian Patients With ROS1-Positive Advanced Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Wu Yi-Long , Yang James Chih-Hsin , Kim Dong-Wan , Lu Shun , Zhou Jianying , Seto Takashi , Yang Jin-Ji , Yamamoto Noboru , Ahn Myung-Ju , Takahashi Toshiaki , Yamanaka Takeharu , Kemner Allison , Roychowdhury Debasish , Paolini Jolanda , Usari Tiziana , Wilner Keith D. , Goto Koichi
Published: March 2018

Purpose

Approximately 1% to 2% of non–small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) harbor a c-ros oncogene 1 ( ROS1) rearrangement. Crizotinib, an inhibitor of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), ROS1, and MET, has shown marked antitumor activity in a small expansion cohort of patients with ROS1-positive advanced NSCLC from an ongoing phase I study. We assessed the efficacy and safety of crizotinib in the largest cohort of patients with ROS1-positive advanced NSCLC.

Patients and Methods

This phase II, open-label, single-arm trial enrolled East Asian patients with ROS1-positive (assessed through validated AmoyDx assay [Amoy Diagnostics, Xiamen, China] at three regional laboratories) advanced NSCLC who had received three or fewer lines of prior systemic therapies. Patients were to receive oral crizotinib at a starting dose of 250 mg twice daily and continued treatment until Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1–defined progression (by independent radiology review [IRR]), unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal of consent. The primary end point was objective response rate (ORR) by IRR.

Results

In the efficacy and safety analyses, 127 patients were included, with 49.6% still receiving treatment at data cutoff. ORR by IRR was 71.7% (95% CI, 63.0% to 79.3%), with 17 complete responses and 74 partial responses. ORRs were similar irrespective of the number of prior lines of therapy, and responses were durable (median duration of response, 19.7 months; 95% CI, 14.1 months to not reached). Median progression-free survival by IRR was 15.9 months (95% CI, 12.9 to 24.0 months). No new safety signals associated with crizotinib were reported.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated clinically meaningful benefit and durable responses with crizotinib in East Asian patients with ROS1-positive advanced NSCLC. Crizotinib was generally well tolerated, with a safety profile consistent with previous reports.
Cord Metabolic Profiles in Obese Pregnant Women: Insights Into Offspring Growth and Body Composition
Authors: Patel Nashita , Hellmuth Christian , Uhl Olaf , Godfrey Keith , Briley Annette , Welsh Paul , Pasupathy Dharmintra , Seed Paul T , Koletzko Berthold , Poston Lucilla ,   UPBEAT Consortium
Published: March 2018

Context

Offspring exposed in utero to maternal obesity have an increased risk of later obesity; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown.

Objective

To assess the effect of an antenatal lifestyle intervention in obese women on the offspring’s cord blood metabolic profile and to examine associations of the cord blood metabolic profile with maternal clinical characteristics and offspring anthropometry at birth and age 6 months.

Design

Randomized controlled trial and cohort study.

Setting

The UK Pregnancies Better Eating and Activity Trial.

Participants

Three hundred forty-four mother-offspring pairs.

Intervention

Antenatal behavioral lifestyle (diet and physical activity) intervention.

Main Outcome Measures

Targeted cord blood metabolic profile, including candidate hormone and metabolomic analyses.

Results

The lifestyle intervention was not associated with change in the cord blood metabolic profile. Higher maternal glycemia, specifically fasting glucose at 28 weeks gestation, had a linear association with higher cord blood concentrations of lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs) 16.1 (β = 0.65; 95% confidence interval: 0.03 to 0.10) and 18.1 (0.52; 0.02 to 0.80), independent of the lifestyle intervention. A principal component of cord blood phosphatidylcholines and LPCs was associated with infant z scores of birth weight (0.04; 0.02 to 0.07) and weight at age 6 months (0.05; 0.00 to 0.10). Cord blood insulin growth factor (IGF)-1 and adiponectin concentrations were positively associated with infant weight z score at birth and at 6 months.

Conclusions

Concentrations of LPCs and IGF-1 in cord blood are related to infant weight. These findings support the hypothesis that susceptibility to childhood obesity may be programmed in utero, but further investigation is required to establish whether these associations are causally related.
Family Ruptures, Stress, and the Mental Health of the Next Generation
Authors: Persson Petra , Rossin-Slater Maya
Published: March 2018

This paper studies how in utero exposure to maternal stress from family ruptures affects later mental health. We find that prenatal exposure to the death of a maternal relative increases take-up of ADHD medications during childhood and anti-anxiety and depression medications in adulthood. Further, family ruptures during pregnancy depress birth outcomes and raise the risk of perinatal complications necessitating hospitalization. Our results suggest large welfare gains from preventing fetal stress from family ruptures and possibly from economically induced stressors such as unemployment. They further suggest that greater stress exposure among the poor may partially explain the intergenerational persistence of poverty. (JEL I12, J12, J13)
Family Ruptures, Stress, and the Mental Health of the Next Generation: Comment
Authors: Matsumoto Brett
Published: March 2018

The empirical methodology used by Persson and Rossin-Slater (2018) to estimate the causal effect of in utero exposure to stress contains a potentially significant flaw. They define the control group in a way that may bias their causal estimates and can lead to the finding of a significant relationship when there is none. In this note, I describe the source of the bias and suggest an alternative specification of the control group. (JEL I12, J12, J13)
Gilberta Keitha Chestertona krytyka brytyjskiego imperializmu
Authors: Sadło Krzysztof
Published: March 2018

Gilbert Keith Chesterton’s Critique of British ImperialismGilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936) was a famous English writer, a journalist, a philosopher and a Christian apologetic. In his works he dealt with many issues, among which were those concerning significant political questions that were widely discussed in public debates in the United Kingdom in the first decades of the twentieth century. This article describes and analyses Chesterton’s critical reflections on British imperialistic policy. The author: 1. Makes a brief analysis of the concept and the phenomenon of imperialism and imperialistic policy. 2. Presents Chesterton’s point of view on imperialism. 3. Depicts Chesterton’s vision of international order and England as part of this order. The author explains why imperialism must be, from a Christian point of view, found immoral and indicates how it is possible to remain being an English patriot while condemning the British Empire and its international politics.