bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Behaviours and attitudes of recreational fishers toward safety at a ‘blackspot’ for fishing fatalities in Western Australia
Authors: Jasper Randall , Stewart Barbara A. , Knight Andrew
Published: January 2017

Issue addressed

Recreational fishing, particularly rock fishing, can be dangerous; 30 fatalities were recorded in Western Australia from 2002–2014. This study investigates differences in behaviours and attitudes towards safety among fishers at a fishing fatality ‘black spot’ in Australia.

Methods

A total of 236 fishers were surveyed at Salmon Holes, Western Australia in 2015. Fishers were grouped by country of origin and significant differences among groups for behaviours and attitudes towards personal safety were identified.

Results

Of fishers surveyed, 53% were born in Asia. These fishers self‐assessed as poorer swimmers (F = 23.27, P < 0.001), yet were more likely to have fished from rocks (χ2 = 20.94, P < 0.001). They were less likely to go close to the water to get a snagged line (χ2 = 15.44, P < 0.001) or to drink alcohol while fishing ( χ2 = 8.63, P < 0.001), and were more likely to agree that they would drown if swept into the sea (χ2 = 9.49, P < 0.001). Although most respondents agreed that wearing a life jacket made fishing safer, 78% ‘never’ wore a life jacket while fishing.

Conclusions

Some fishers who were poor swimmers and were aware of the dangers of rock fishing still choose to fish from rocks.

So what?

Our results support the proposal that the wearing of life jackets should be promoted, if not made mandatory, while water safety education campaigns should be continued and target vulnerable communities.
Impala, Aepyceros melampus: does browse quality influence their use of sites originally utilised as short-duration kraals in a southern African savanna?
Authors: Huruba Rangarirai , Mundy Peter J. , Sebata Allan , Purchase Gianetta K. , MacFadyen Duncan N.
Published: January 2017

In eastern and southern Africa, some ranch owners are now keeping cattle overnight in temporary corrals (hereafter referred to as kraals) within rangelands for short durations to improve grass production. However, this has profound effects on the woody plant community. For instance, cattle break woody plant stems and strip them of foliage, initiating resprouting. The resprouts produced have high foliar nitrogen (N) and reduced condensed tannin (CT) concentrations, making them attractive to herbivores. The aim of this study was to determine the key nutrient-quality parameters of resprouts that make previously kraaled sites attractive to impala soon after cattle removal at Debshan Ranch in central Zimbabwe. We determined resprout length, foliar N, phosphorus (P), potassium, CT, fibre and rumen fermentation of three browse species, viz. Grewia monticola Sond., Terminalia sericea Burch. ex DC. and Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight and Arn., and related them to impala use of previously kraaled sites. We used impala dung density to determine the use patterns of previously kraaled sites 2, 4, 12 and 24 weeks after cattle removal and compared them with the surrounding vegetation. Impala use of previously kraaled sites was highest 4 weeks after cattle removal and lowest in the surrounding vegetation. Resprout length increments were 6-fold over a 10-week growth period in all three woody species. Foliar N and P were generally higher, whereas CT was lower, in previously kraaled sites than the surrounding vegetation in all three of the plant browse species. Impala use of previously kraaled sites showed a strong negative relationship with foliar CT. We conclude that kraaling initiates strong resprout responses by woody plants soon after cattle removal, to produce resprouts of high nutrient quality, which attract herbivores such as impala.
Academically elite students in Singapore
Authors: Lu Luke
Published: January 2017

This paper draws on a Linguistic Ethnography (Blommaert & Rampton 2011) of a group of academically elite students in Singapore. The group comprises locals born in Singapore, as well as immigrants from China and Vietnam. My informants all attended a top-ranked secondary school in Singapore. I present data from interviews and a focus group discussion with them about their aspirations and educational pathways. These academically elite students describe a conventional aspiration amongst their peers involving transnational mobility and attending top-ranked universities in the US and UK. My informants discursively construct this aspiration as preferred, with a sense that they are expected to conform to such a trajectory. I argue that their consistent orientation toward the ideal trajectory and production of discourse about it denotes a collective moral stance (Ochs & Capps 2002), and hence a disposition embedded in a social field (Hanks 2005). In response to Archer’s (2012) theorisations that dominant modes of reflexivity have changed, my informants’ relatively stable orientations and ways of acting demonstrate how Bourdieu’s notion of habitus continues to be relevant in late-modernity. In practical terms, this study also shows a clear link between elite schools, and the aspirations and resultant trajectories of individuals. This has direct implications for policy-makers in Singapore where the Ministry of Education has been attempting to curb elitism in the education system.
A preliminary study on the effects of an E-gloss tool on incidental vocabulary learning when reading Chinese as a foreign language
Authors: Poole Frederick J. , Sung Ko-Yin
Published: January 2017

To become proficient readers of Chinese, learners must identify characters quickly and accurately. Learners who are able to recognize characters rapidly are able to focus on the overall message rather than the meaning of individual characters. However, the complex orthography of Chinese makes decoding characters difficult. E-gloss tools such as Dim Sum have been highly touted as solutions to ease this burden for second language learners of Chinese (Shen & Tsai 2010; Xie & Tao 2009). Research has shown that when learners use these tools, reading speeds and comprehension scores improve; however, no research has investigated the effect of such tools on incidentally-learned vocabulary. This study compared incidental vocabulary gains by 19 students in two different Chinese courses, reading four texts with an e-gloss tool and four texts in a traditional paper format. Although a significant difference between the two reading formats was not found, simple comparisons of learning gains by individual learners in both reading formats suggest that students’ learning and reading styles may impact the effectiveness of reading with or without the e-gloss tool.
“Crisis is written all over me”
Authors: Koutsoulelou Stamatia
Published: January 2017

This paper aims at analyzing a corpus of Greek songs written during the contemporary Greek socio-economic crisis, along with a corpus of internet comments on these songs, as carriers of textual, socio-political and ideological information. Specifically, the combination of quantitative corpus analysis and qualitative critical discourse analysis uncovers the main themes of the songs, namely the negative representation of the crisis, its main causes and consequences, and potential ways of recovery. This allows us to reconstruct personal, collective and national identities shaped as a significant social and ideological phenomenon. Finally, recurrent motifs emerging from our corpora are found to function as argumentative points about the economic, social and psychological burden and risk, the politicians’ responsibility, and the formulation of a solution worthy of the Greek history and civilization.
Sociolinguistic representations of the military in Greek comedy films
Authors: Stamou Anastasia G. , Christou Stavros
Published: January 2017

This paper aims to explore cinematic representations of the military in peacetime, and more importantly, from a socio-cultural setting in which mandatory military service is highly devalued. Focusing on three Greek popular comedy films, we examined humorous depictions of the military. By adopting the ‘identities in interaction’ model of Bucholtz and Hall, our analysis suggested that the use of the formal vs. the informal military sociolect indexed the contrasting identities of film officers vs. soldiers as well as their diverging views about the military. On the other hand, the use of the informal military sociolect by soldiers established an affinity among them, helping them to jointly construct the army in their talk as unjust, corrupted and ineffective for the Turkish ‘threat’.
Karachi weds Lahore
Authors: Kirk Gwendolyn
Published: January 2017

This paper investigates the mixing of Urdu and Punjabi language elements in a comic television serial –Larka Karachi Ka Kuri Lahore Di – that aired during the month of Ramzan (Urdu for Ramadan) in 2012. The serial features exaggerated depictions of a Punjabi Lahori family and amuhajir(Urdu-speaking) Karachiite family. Of particular interest is the way marked phonological features and lexical items are deployed to highlightpanjabiyat(‘Punjabi-ness’). This study explores relationships between the humorous performance of language mixing and language ideologies in Pakistan. Even in places wherepanjabiyatis strongly emphasized, the lexico-grammatical choices made by the characters still render the language maximally understandable to an Urdu-speaking (rather than Punjabi-speaking) audience. Using theories of ‘mixed language,’ this study seeks to address the importance and implications of these ways of performing ethnolinguistic identity.
The very sensitive question
Authors: Karrebæk Martha Sif , Ghandchi Narges
Published: January 2017

This paper engages with ideological difference, education, and expressions of insecurity on the basis of a year-long ethnographic fieldwork in two Farsi heritage language classrooms and the group of Iranian immigrants organized around these classrooms in Copenhagen, Denmark. We show how insecurity and surveillance gave meaning to different space-times, or chronotopes (Bakhtin 1981), evoked by the participants, and to the understandings of community. The contemporary state of Iran and political and religious ideologies associated with this were subject to taboo in class but not necessarily elsewhere. We argue that this partly motivated the structure and content of the classroom, as the teacher tried to create a neutral space for children whose parents’ ideological backgrounds were potentially incompatible. This could liberate the children from their parents’ anxieties and it made the teacher’s job less vulnerable. Linguistic Ethnography (Rampton 2007) is the analytic framework of the paper.
A subtle kind of certainty
Authors: Parnaby Patrick F.
Published: January 2017

Using data collected from 42 semi-structured interviews with professional financial planners and eight recorded meetings between planners and clients, this paper examines two interrelated social phenomena from a Bourdieusian (1977, 1991) perspective. First, it examines how professional financial planners legitimize their expertise by constructing and maintaining a distinction between short-term economic uncertainty on one hand, and the inevitability of long-term economic growth on the other. Second, it conceptualizes those legitimation practices in terms of their symbiotic relationship to broader structural conditions. The analysis concludes by reflecting on the significance of misrecognition as it relates to industry claims about the future.
Emotion in interaction
Authors: Ahn Mikyung
Published: January 2017

The present paper investigates how the Korean sentence-final particle-taniis used to mark mirativity. More interestingly, this paper discusses how Korean speakers or writers employ this mirative marker-tani(i) to often express their negative emotions and satisfy their face needs and (ii) to elicit the reader’s engagement, using data from theSejongContemporary Spoken and Written Corpus. This paper also examines the development of-tani: The non-subjective complementations, in this case involving constructions with the quotative-tani, come to be reinterpreted as subjective constructions with sentence-final-tani, syntactically and pragmatically reanalyzed as a mirative marker. In addition, the findings from this study have broader theoretical and cross-linguistic implications for the existence of mirativity as distinct from evidentiality and the interaction of mirativity with the expression of emotional attitudes (see DeLancey 2001, 2012).
Heat treatment effect on wear behaviour of HVOF-sprayed near-nanostructured coatings
Authors: Ben Mahmud T. , Khan T. I. , Farrokhzad M. A.
Published: January 2017

This study investigates the effect of heat treatment on changes in microstructure and wear behaviour of WC-NiCr coatings. Two feedstock powders with a similar chemical composition and different particle sizes (near nano-structured WC-17NiCr and microstructured WC-15NiCr) were used. High-velocity oxyfuel spraying technique was used to deposit coatings on to a mild steel substrate using identical spraying parameters. Coated samples were then heat treated in a nitrogen atmosphere at 500 and 700°C. The effect of heat treatment on changes in hardness and wear performance of the coatings was studied using microstructural analysis, micro-hardness indentation and abrasive wear tests. The results showed that the heat treatment increased the hardness of both coatings and a corresponding increase in wear resistance was recorded. The formation of a brittle CrWO4 phase in the microstructured coating resulted in brittle fracture of the coating and this gave lower wear resistance compared to the nanostructured coatings.
Photocatalytic efficacy of ZnO films – light intensity and thickness effects
Authors: Ravichandran K. , Sindhuja E. , Uma R. , Arun T.
Published: January 2017

The aim of this work is to investigate the effects of film thickness, light intensity and Ag incorporation on the photoctalytic efficacy of zinc oxide films. ZnO films with different thicknesses were prepared using an automated home-made jet nebuliser spray technique. The results show that the thickness of the film has no appreciable influence on the photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO films whereas the light intensity strongly influences the photocatalytic activity of ZnO films. It is also found that doping of Ag with ZnO causes considerable enhancement in the photocatalytic activity. The dye degradation rate constant in the case of undoped ZnO film with thickness 400 nm is 0.0263min-1, whereas for Ag doped ZnO film having the same thickness, it is 0.0530 min−1. The reason for this enhancement in the photocatalytic efficacy of ZnO:Ag film is addressed with the help of optical band gap and the reported characteristics of Ag.
Synthesis and characterisation of tin sulphide thin films
Authors: Kamli Kenza , Hadef Zakaria , Chouial Baghdadi , Zaidi Beddiaf , Hadjoudja Bouzid , Chibani Allaoua
Published: January 2017

Stannous sulphide (SnS) thin films have been synthesised using two different solutions. The solutions were prepared by the dilution of SnCl2 and thiourea in distilled water and methanol separately. The effects of solvents and deposition time on the properties of the prepared thin films are investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the variation of the solvent and the deposition durations alters the structure of the prepared films. The films analysis by scanning electron microscope showed that the SnS films prepared with methanol are more dense and smooth than the SnS films prepared with distilled water. The resistivity depends on the used solvent and their growth duration. The elemental composition of the films deposited during 30 min with methanol indicate that SnS is quasi-stoichiometric, while those prepared with distilled water are slightly Sn rich. We have also found that the films deposited with distilled water are n-type, whereas those prepared with methanol are p-type.
Genetic and epigenetic control of the spatial organization of the genome
Authors: Brickner Jason
Published: January 2017

Eukaryotic genomes are spatially organized within the nucleus by chromosome folding, interchromosomal contacts, and interaction with nuclear structures. This spatial organization is observed in diverse organisms and both reflects and contributes to gene expression and differentiation. This leads to the notion that the arrangement of the genome within the nucleus has been shaped and conserved through evolutionary processes and likely plays an adaptive function. Both DNA-binding proteins and changes in chromatin structure influence the positioning of genes and larger domains within the nucleus. This suggests that the spatial organization of the genome can be genetically encoded by binding sites for DNA-binding proteins and can also involve changes in chromatin structure, potentially through nongenetic mechanisms. Here I briefly discuss the results that support these ideas and their implications for how genomes encode spatial organization.
Predicting Success in a Productive Asset Transfer Program: A Goat Program in Haiti
Authors: Thompson William M. , Magnan Nicholas
Published: January 2017

Livestock transfer programs have become an essential component of many non‐governmental organizations’ (NGOs) strategies for reducing poverty among smallholders and subsistence farmers in less developed countries. Despite their prevalence, the literature surrounding the effectiveness of this class of productive asset intervention is only starting to emerge. In this paper, we examine an NGO‐sponsored goat transfer‐and‐training program in rural Haiti. Before realizing the ultimate program goals of improved health, greater levels of education, better housing, and more productive farms, beneficiaries must build sustainable herds of healthy goats. Our intent is to identify household characteristics correlated with success in the program. Therefore, we measure a set of outcomes related to herd health and growth, and explain their variation across beneficiaries by regressing them on a set of household variables. We use the results of the regressions to evaluate hypotheses informed by current literature in asset‐based poverty. Specifically, we find compelling evidence that the wealthiest beneficiaries build smaller, less valuable herds compared to poorer beneficiaries. We find equally compelling evidence that geography affects herd growth. In addition, we find that access to land significantly reduces kid mortality, a key to sustainable, profitable goat herding. Finally, we find some evidence that female beneficiaries experience lower kid mortality. To the extent that these findings hold in other contexts, NGOs can improve the targeting of livestock programs by screening beneficiaries on these criteria.
Associations Between Genetic Variants of NADPH Oxidase-Related Genes and Blood Pressure Responses to Dietary Sodium Intervention: The GenSalt Study
Authors: Han Xikun , Hu Zunsong , Chen Jing , Huang Jianfeng , Huang Chen , Liu Fangchao , Gu Charles , Yang Xueli , Hixson James E. , Lu Xiangfeng , Wang Laiyuan , Liu De-Pei , He Jiang , Chen Shufeng , Gu Dongfeng
Published: January 2017

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to comprehensively test the associations of genetic variants of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase-related genes with blood pressure (BP) responses to dietary sodium intervention in a Chinese population.

METHODS

We conducted a 7-day low-sodium intervention followed by a 7-day high-sodium intervention among 1,906 participants in rural China. BP measurements were obtained at baseline and each dietary intervention using a random-zero sphygmomanometer. Linear mixed-effect models were used to assess the additive associations of 63 tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms in 11 NADPH oxidase-related genes with BP responses to dietary sodium intervention. Gene-based analyses were conducted using the truncated product method. The Bonferroni method was used to adjust for multiple testing in all analyses.

RESULTS

Systolic BP (SBP) response to high-sodium intervention significantly decreased with the number of minor T allele of marker rs6967221 in RAC1 (P = 4.51 × 10−4). SBP responses (95% confidence interval) for genotypes CC, CT, and TT were 5.03 (4.71, 5.36), 4.20 (3.54, 4.85), and 0.56 (−1.08, 2.20) mm Hg, respectively, during the high-sodium intervention. Gene-based analyses revealed that RAC1 was significantly associated with SBP response to high-sodium intervention (P = 1.00 × 10−6) and diastolic BP response to low-sodium intervention (P = 9.80 × 10−4).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggested that genetic variants of NADPH oxidase-related genes may contribute to the variation of BP responses to sodium intervention in Chinese population. Further replication of these findings is warranted.
Cerebral Magnesium Levels in Preeclampsia; A Phosphorus Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study
Authors: Nelander Maria , Weis Jan , Bergman Lina , Larsson Anders , Wikström Anna-Karin , Wikström Johan
Published: January 2017

BACKGROUND

Magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) is used as a prophylaxis for eclamptic seizures. The exact mechanism of action is not fully established. We used phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS) to investigate if cerebral magnesium (Mg2+) levels differ between women with preeclampsia, normal pregnant, and nonpregnant women.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study comprised 28 women with preeclampsia, 30 women with normal pregnancies in corresponding gestational week (range: 23–41 weeks) and 11 nonpregnant healthy controls. All women underwent 31P-MRS from the parieto-occipital region of the brain and were interviewed about cerebral symptoms. Differences between groups were assessed by analysis of variance and Tukey’s post-hoc test. Correlations between Mg2+ levels and specific neurological symptoms were estimated with Spearman’s rank test.

RESULTS

Mean maternal cerebral Mg2+ levels were lower in women with preeclampsia (0.12 mM ± 0.02) compared to normal pregnant controls (0.14 mM ± 0.03) (P = 0.04). Nonpregnant and normal pregnant women did not differ in Mg2+ levels. Among women with preeclampsia, lower Mg2+ levels correlated with presence of visual disturbances (P = 0.04). Plasma levels of Mg2+ did not differ between preeclampsia and normal pregnancy.

CONCLUSIONS

Women with preeclampsia have reduced cerebral Mg2+ levels, which could explain the potent antiseizure prophylactic properties of MgSO4. Within the preeclampsia group, women with visual disturbances have lower levels of Mg2+ than those without such symptoms.
Image-based surrogate biomarkers for molecular subtypes of colorectal cancer
Authors: Popovici Vlad , Budinská Eva , Dušek Ladislav , Kozubek Michal , Bosman Fred
Published: January 2017

Motivation

Whole genome expression profiling of large cohorts of different types of cancer led to the identification of distinct molecular subcategories (subtypes) that may partially explain the observed inter-tumoral heterogeneity. This is also the case of colorectal cancer (CRC) where several such categorizations have been proposed. Despite recent developments, the problem of subtype definition and recognition remains open, one of the causes being the intrinsic heterogeneity of each tumor, which is difficult to estimate from gene expression profiles. However, one of the observations of these studies indicates that there may be links between the dominant tumor morphology characteristics and the molecular subtypes. Benefiting from a large collection of CRC samples, comprising both gene expression and histopathology images, we investigated the possibility of building image-based classifiers able to predict the molecular subtypes. We employed deep convolutional neural networks for extracting local descriptors which were then used for constructing a dictionary-based representation of each tumor sample. A set of support vector machine classifiers were trained to solve different binary decision problems, their combined outputs being used to predict one of the five molecular subtypes.

Results

A hierarchical decomposition of the multi-class problem was obtained with an overall accuracy of 0.84 (95%CI=0.79–0.88). The predictions from the image-based classifier showed significant prognostic value similar to their molecular counterparts.

Availability and Implementation

Source code used for the image analysis is freely available from https://github.com/higex/qpath.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
cyvcf2: fast, flexible variant analysis with Python
Authors: Pedersen Brent S , Quinlan Aaron R
Published: January 2017

Motivation

Variant call format (VCF) files document the genetic variation observed after DNA sequencing, alignment and variant calling of a sample cohort. Given the complexity of the VCF format as well as the diverse variant annotations and genotype metadata, there is a need for fast, flexible methods enabling intuitive analysis of the variant data within VCF and BCF files.

Results

We introduce cyvcf2, a Python library and software package for fast parsing and querying of VCF and BCF files and illustrate its speed, simplicity and utility.

Availability and Implementation

cyvcf2 is available from https://github.com/brentp/cyvcf2 under the MIT license and from common python package managers. Detailed documentation is available at http://brentp.github.io/cyvcf2/
Performance of two formal tests based on martingales residuals to check the proportional hazard assumption and the functional form of the prognostic factors in flexible parametric excess hazard models
Authors: Danieli Coraline , Bossard Nadine , Roche Laurent , Belot Aurelien , Uhry Zoe , Charvat Hadrien , Remontet Laurent
Published: January 2017

Net survival, the one that would be observed if the disease under study was the only cause of death, is an important, useful, and increasingly used indicator in public health, especially in population-based studies. Estimates of net survival and effects of prognostic factor can be obtained by excess hazard regression modeling. Whereas various diagnostic tools were developed for overall survival analysis, few methods are available to check the assumptions of excess hazard models. We propose here two formal tests to check the proportional hazard assumption and the validity of the functional form of the covariate effects in the context of flexible parametric excess hazard modeling. These tests were adapted from martingale residual-based tests for parametric modeling of overall survival to allow adding to the model a necessary element for net survival analysis: the population mortality hazard. We studied the size and the power of these tests through an extensive simulation study based on complex but realistic data. The new tests showed sizes close to the nominal values and satisfactory powers. The power of the proportionality test was similar or greater than that of other tests already available in the field of net survival. We illustrate the use of these tests with real data from French cancer registries.
Pretty Picky for a Generalist: Impacts of Toxicity and Nutritional Quality on Mantid Prey Processing
Authors: Rafter Jamie L. , Vendettuoli Justin F. , Gonda-King Liahna , Niesen Daniel , Seeram Navindra P. , Rigsby Chad M. , Preisser Evan L.
Published: January 2017

Prey have evolved a number of defenses against predation, and predators have developed means of countering these protective measures. Although caterpillars of the monarch butterfly,Danaus plexippus L., are defended by cardenolides sequestered from their host plants, the Chinese mantidTenodera sinensis Saussure guts the caterpillar before consuming the rest of the body. We hypothesized that this gutting behavior might be driven by the heterogeneous quality of prey tissue with respect to toxicity and/or nutrients. We conducted behavioral trials in which mantids were offered cardenolide-containing and cardenolide-freeD. plexippus caterpillars and butterflies. In addition, we fed mantids starved and unstarvedD. plexippus caterpillars from each cardenolide treatment and nontoxicOstrinia nubilalis Hübner caterpillars. These trials were coupled with elemental analysis of the gut and body tissues of bothD. plexippus caterpillars and corn borers. Cardenolides did not affect mantid behavior: mantids gutted both cardenolide-containing and cardenolide-free caterpillars. In contrast, mantids consumed bothO. nubilalis and starvedD. plexippus caterpillars entirely.Danaus plexippus body tissue has a lower C:N ratio than their gut contents, whileO. nubilalis have similar ratios; gutting may reflect the mantid’s ability to regulate nutrient uptake. Our results suggest that post-capture prey processing by mantids is likely driven by a sophisticated assessment of resource quality.
A ‘Rich Crop of Nervousness’: Childhood, Expertise, and the State in the mid-1880s British Over-Pressure Controversy
Authors: Bischof Christopher
Published: January 2017

This article explores the debates surrounding the 1884 over-pressure controversy in Britain about how to know children, the nature of professional expertise and the duty of the state. The idea of ‘over-pressure’ captured the public’s imagination in the wake of a partly social-scientific, partly sensationalist report on the state of elementary education by the crusading social reformer Dr James Crichton-Browne. This alleged that the high-stakes annual examination of elementary-school children led teachers to ‘over-pressure’ children to such an extent that it interfered with children’s growth, led them to sleepwalk, and even caused some to commit suicide. However, Crichton-Browne soon found himself in the centre of a vigorous debate as teachers, policy-makers and politicians sought to undercut his claims that a medical background allowed him to understand the condition of the nation’s children. The question of how to know children sparked a proliferation of claims to professional authority and expertise. Teachers asserted that their everyday intimacy with children uniquely positioned them to know children’s abilities and vulnerabilities and thus entitled them to more discretionary power to adapt education policies. Different parts of the state launched their own investigations into over-pressure and the condition of Britain’s children as they attempted to mobilise a bureaucratic mode of knowing. By galvanising new inquiries into the state of Britain’s children and debates about the very way by which to know them, the over-pressure controversy shaped the development not only of elementary education, but also ideas about childhood, professional expertise and the liberal state more broadly.
Anticoagulation for pregnant women with mechanical heart valves: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: D’Souza Rohan , Ostro Jackie , Shah Prakesh S. , Silversides Candice K. , Malinowski Ann , Murphy Kellie E. , Sermer Mathew , Shehata Nadine
Published: January 2017

Aims

To review maternal and foetal outcomes in women with mechanical heart valves (MHVs) treated with vitamin-K antagonists (VKAs), first-trimester heparin followed by VKAs (sequential treatment), low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) and unfractionated heparin (UFH) during pregnancy, in order to inform practice.

Methods and results

Medline, Embase and Central were searched from inception until February 2016. Two reviewers independently screened 1786 titles, reviewed 110 full-texts and extracted data and assessed risk-of-bias from 46 articles. Pooled incidence (95% confidence intervals) was calculated for maternal and foetal outcomes. Included studies had a moderate or high risk-of-bias. With VKAs, sequential treatment and LMWH, maternal mortality occurred in 0.9% (0.4–1.4), 2.0% (0.8–3.1) and 2.9% (0.2–5.7), thromboembolic complications in 2.7% (1.4–4.0), 5.8% (3.8–7.7) and 8.7% (3.9–13.4), livebirths in 64.5% (48.8–80.2), 79.9% (74.3–85.6) and 92.0% (86.1–98.0) and anticoagulant-related foetal/neonatal adverse events (embryopathy or foetopathy) in 2.0% (0.3–3.7), 1.4% (0.3–2.5) and 0%, respectively. When UFH is used throughout pregnancy, 11.2% (2.8–19.6) suffered thromboembolic complications. Foetal loss and adverse events occurred with first-trimester warfarin doses ≤ 5 mg/day, although there were more livebirths [83.6% (75.8–91.4) vs. 43.9% (32.8–55.0)] and fewer foetal anomalies [2.3% (0.7–4.0) vs. 12.4% (3.3–21.6)] with lower doses than with warfarin > 5 mg/day.

Conclusions

VKAs are associated with fewest maternal complications but also with fewest livebirths. Sequential treatment does not eliminate anticoagulant-related foetal/neonatal adverse events. LMWH is associated with the highest number of livebirths. The safety of UFH throughout pregnancy and first-trimester warfarin  ≤ 5 mg/day remains unconfirmed.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension in congenital heart disease: translational opportunities to study the reversibility of pulmonary vascular disease
Authors: van der Feen Diederik E. , Bartelds B. , de Boer Rudolf A. , Berger Rolf M.F.
Published: January 2017

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive and lethal pulmonary vascular disease (PVD). Although in recent years outcome has improved by new treatments that delay disease progression, a cure has not yet been achieved. In PAH associated with congenital heart disease (CHD), remodeling of the pulmonary vasculature reaches an irreversible phenotype similar to all forms of end-stage PAH. In PAH-CHD, however, also an early stage is recognised, which can be completely reversible. This reversible phase has never been recognised in other forms of PAH, most likely because these patients are only diagnosed once advanced disease has developed. We propose that the clinical model of PAH-CHD, with an early reversible and advanced irreversible stage, offers unique opportunities to study pathophysiological and molecular mechanisms that orchestrate the transition from reversible medial hypertrophy into irreversible plexiform lesions. Comprehension of these mechanisms is not only pivotal in clinical assessment of disease progression and operability of patients with PAH-CHD; specific targeting of these mechanisms may also lead to pharmacological interventions that transform ‘irreversible’ plexiform lesions into a reversible PVD: one that is amenable for a cure. In recent years, significant steps have been made in the strive to ‘reverse the irreversible’. This review provides an overview of current clinical and experimental knowledge on the reversibility of PAH, focussing on flow-associated mechanisms, and the near-future potential to advance this field.
Clinical characteristics of wild-type transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis: disproving myths
Authors: González-López Esther , Gagliardi Christian , Dominguez Fernando , Quarta Cristina Candida , de Haro-del Moral F. Javier , Milandri Agnese , Salas Clara , Cinelli Mario , Cobo-Marcos Marta , Lorenzini Massimiliano , Lara-Pezzi Enrique , Foffi Serena , Alonso-Pulpon Luis , Rapezzi Claudio , Garcia-Pavia Pablo
Published: January 2017

Aims

Wild-type transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRwt) is mostly considered a disease predominantly of elderly male, characterized by concentric LV hypertrophy, preserved LVEF, and low QRS voltages. We sought to describe the characteristics of a large cohort of ATTRwt patients to better define the disease.

Methods and results

Clinical findings of consecutive ATTRwt patients diagnosed at 2 centres were reviewed. ATTRwt was diagnosed histologically or non-invasively (LV hypertrophy ≥12 mm, intense cardiac uptake at 99mTc-DPD scintigraphy and AL exclusion). Mutations in TTR were excluded in all cases. The study cohort comprised 108 patients (78.6 ± 8 years); 67 (62%) diagnosed invasively and 41 (38%) non-invasively. Twenty patients (19%) were females. An asymmetric hypertrophy pattern was observed in 25 (23%) patients. Mean LVEF was 52 ± 14%, with 39 patients (37%) showing a LVEF < 50%. Atrial fibrillation (56%) and a pseudo-infarct pattern (63%) were the commonest ECG findings. Only 22 patients fulfilled QRS low-voltage criteria while 10 showed LV hypertrophy on ECG. Although heart failure was the most frequent profile leading to diagnosis (68%), 7% of individuals presented with atrioventricular block and 11% were diagnosed incidentally. Almost one third (35; 32%) were previously misdiagnosed.

Conclusion

The clinical spectrum of ATTRwt is heterogeneous and differs from the classic phenotype: women are affected in a significant proportion; asymmetric LV hypertrophy and impaired LVEF are not rare and only a minority have low QRS voltages. Clinicians should be aware of the broad clinical spectrum of ATTRwt to correctly identify an entity for which a number of disease-modifying treatments are under investigation.
Radial versus femoral access in patients with acute coronary syndromes with or without ST-segment elevation
Authors: Vranckx Pascal , Frigoli Enrico , Rothenbühler Martina , Tomassini Francesco , Garducci Stefano , Andò Giuseppe , Picchi Andrea , Sganzerla Paolo , Paggi Anita , Ugo Fabrizio , Ausiello Arturo , Sardella Gennaro , Franco Nicoletta , Nazzaro Marco , de Cesare Nicoletta , Tosi Paolo , Falcone Camillo , Vigna Carlo , Mazzarotto Pietro , Di Lorenzo Emilio , Moretti Claudio , Campo Gianluca , Penzo Carlo , Pasquetto Giampaolo , Heg Dik , Jüni Peter , Windecker Stephan , Valgimigli Marco ,   for the MATRIX Investigators
Published: January 2017

Aims

To assess whether radial compared with femoral access is associated with consistent outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS).

Methods and results

In the Minimizing Adverse Haemorrhagic Events by TRansradial Access Site and Systemic Implementation of angioX (MATRIX) programme patients were randomized to radial or femoral access, stratified by STEMI (2001 radial, 2009 femoral) and NSTE-ACS (2196 radial, 2198 femoral). The 30-day co-primary outcomes were major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as death, myocardial infarction, or stroke, and net adverse clinical events (NACE), defined as MACE or major bleeding In the overall study population, radial access reduced the NACE but not MACE endpoint at the prespecified 0.025 alpha. MACE occurred in 121 (6.1%) STEMI patients with radial access vs. 126 (6.3%) patients with femoral access [rate ratio (RR) = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.75–1.24; P = 0.76] and in 248 (11.3%) NSTE-ACS patients with radial access vs. 303 (13.9%) with femoral access (RR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.67–0.96; P = 0.016) (Pint = 0.25). NACE occurred in 142 (7.2%) STEMI patients with radial access and in 165 (8.3%) patients with femoral access (RR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.68–1.08; P = 0.18) and in 268 (12.2%) NSTE-ACS patients with radial access compared with 321 (14.7%) with femoral access (RR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.69–0.97; P = 0.023) (Pint = 0.76). All-cause mortality and access site-actionable bleeding favoured radial access irrespective of ACS type (Pint = 0.11 and Pint = 0.36, respectively).

Conclusion

Radial as compared with femoral access provided consistent benefit across the whole spectrum of patients with ACS, without evidence that type of presenting syndrome affected the results of the random access allocation.
Daily Memory Lapses in Adults: Characterization and Influence on Affect
Authors: Mogle Jacqueline , Muñoz Elizabeth , Hill Nikki L , Smyth Joshua M , Sliwinski Martin J
Published: January 2017

Objective

The current analyses examined the impact of daily memory lapses on daily affect and whether this impact varied across age.

Method

One hundred sixty-six adults (ages 20–79) completed assessments of memory lapses and affect each day for 7 consecutive days. Assessments included retrospective and prospective memory lapses as well as the impact of these lapses (how irritating, interfering, and consequential). Affect was assessed using ratings of daily positive and negative affect.

Results

Participants reported memory lapses on 33.3% of days. Prospective lapses were consistently rated as more consequential. Regardless of age, participants had significantly lower in positive affect and significantly higher in negative affect on days with a prospective lapse. Effects of retrospective lapses depended on age: compared to older adults, younger adults reported lower positive affect on days with a retrospective lapse.

Discussion

Previous work on daily memory lapses has focused on prospective lapses. Although retrospective lapses occurred more frequently in this sample, prospective lapses appeared to have a greater impact on daily experiences regardless of age. By measuring daily memory lapses and affect over consecutive days, we can begin to understand how the experience of forgetting impacts individuals at a micro-level.
Interacting convection modes in a saturated porous medium of nearly square planform: four modes
Authors: Florio Brendan J. , Bassom Andrew P. , Sakellariou Konstantinos , Stemler Thomas
Published: January 2017

Convection can occur in a confined saturated porous box when the associated Rayleigh number exceeds a threshold critical value: the identity of the preferred onset convection mode depends sensitively on the geometry of the box. Here we discuss examples for which the box dimensions are such that four modes share a common critical Rayleigh number. Perturbation theory is used to derive a system of coupled ordinary differential equations that governs the nonlinear interaction of the four modes and an analysis of this set is undertaken. In particular, it is demonstrated that as the Rayleigh number is increased beyond critical so a series of pitchfork bifurcations occur and multiple stable states are identified that correspond to the survival of just one of the four modes. The basins of attraction for each mode in the 4D phase space are described by a reduction to a suitable 3D counterpart.
Refugee Youth in Sweden Who Arrived as Unaccompanied Minors and Separated Children
Authors: Çelikaksoy Aycan , Wadensjö Eskil
Published: January 2017

The number of children fleeing and/or seeking asylum alone without parents or guardians has been increasing during the last decade worldwide, where Sweden has been receiving the largest number of asylum claims by unaccompanied minors in Europe. Despite the growing interest in the situation of this group in destination countries, there is a lack of research articles that address this group with nationwide comprehensive data. This study examines the labour-market situation of the whole population of the refugee youth who entered Sweden as unaccompanied minors or separated children and were registered during the years 2003–12. We investigate whether this group is in a disadvantageous situation regarding labour-market incorporation compared to their counterparts who arrived with their families due to their specific marginalized and vulnerable position within society. The results show that this group exhibits capacity and resilience in terms of finding employment and willingness to work. The results are discussed with a structural incorporation framework from a reception and integration policy perspective as well as from an immigrant wellbeing and a ‘whole-child’ approach.
Fetal medicine, fetal anaesthesia, and fetal surgery
Authors: Russo Francesca , Van Mieghem Tim , Deprest Jan
Published: January 2017

Advances in prenatal imaging and the introduction of screening policies enable identification of high-risk pregnancies which can be followed up more meticulously. First-trimester evaluation is also used for assessment of risk for fetal anomalies. Further investigation may reveal a fetal anomaly. When the prognosis is poor, and treatment cannot wait until birth, fetal intervention may be warranted. This can be medical or surgical, some as simple as a needle-guided fetal blood transfusion. Over the last two decades, fetal surgery has become more popular, boosted by instrument development for minimal access fetal surgery and by successful clinical trials. More recently, open fetal surgery has become more popular again, following a successful trial on in utero repair of neural tube defects. Though not a lethal condition, prenatal surgery improves outcome as demonstrated in a randomized controlled trial. In the latter half of pregnancy, surgical intervention on the fetus requires adequate fetal anaesthesia.
Neonatal assessment and therapy
Authors: Johnston Ewen D. , Becher Julie-Clare
Published: January 2017

In this chapter an evidence-based approach to newborn stabilization and resuscitation is presented. The physiology of normal fetal–neonatal transition is described with an emphasis on relating the in utero disruption of this process to the clinical signs demonstrated by an asphyxiated infant. The understanding of these events leads us to the logical and systematic strategy for the infant who does not breathe spontaneously after delivery. The principal goals of providing warmth, and facilitating lung aeration are highlighted, along with a discussion of the necessary equipment, practicalities, and particular challenges of providing this life-saving care.
Non-pharmacological methods of pain relief and systemic analgesia in labour
Authors: McClune Grace , Hill David
Published: January 2017

Pain in labour is an issue common to women the world over. Healthcare professionals have an important role in helping women to understand this pain and to make informed choices regarding its management. Pain relief for labour comes in many forms. This chapter explores the theory behind labour pain and then discusses the use of non-pharmacological methods of pain relief (complementary therapies) or systemic analgesia in labour. The non-pharmacological methods described include those that aim to reduce painful stimuli and those that modulate pain sensation by the activation of peripheral sensory receptors or the enhancement of descending inhibitory pathways. Systemic analgesia in labour described in this chapter includes the use of inhalational agents, non-opioid analgesia, and opioid analgesia. The rationale behind the use of each method described is discussed along with evidence regarding the efficacy and limitations where available. Routes of administration and dosing are included where applicable. The potential for maternal or neonatal side effects is highlighted and conclusions drawn for each method as to the implications of the evidence to use in practice.
Initiation of neuraxial labour analgesia
Authors: Roofthooft Eva , Devroe Sarah , Van de Velde Marc
Published: January 2017

Labour can be a very painful process for which many parturients request analgesia. When neuraxial analgesia is chosen to manage labour pain, various choices have to be made, for example, which local anaesthetic drug, which maintenance strategy, and which adjuvant drug. The first choice, however, is how analgesia will be initiated. In this chapter the various options for analgesia (conventional epidural, combined spinal–epidural (CSE), caudal, and continuous spinal) are discussed. This chapter focuses more specifically on the choice between combined spinal–epidural and conventional epidural.
Maintenance of neuraxial labour analgesia
Authors: Sia Alex Tiong Heng , Sng Ban Leong , Leo Serene
Published: January 2017

Labour pain may be treated with epidural analgesia providing effective pain relief with no maternal sedation to allow maternal participation in the labouring process. Epidural analgesia is commonly initiated using an epidural or combined spinal–epidural technique. Most epidural maintenance regimens would include a long-acting amide anaesthetic in low concentration together with a lipophilic opioid to maximize analgesia whilst reducing motor blockade. With the advent of advanced infusion delivery systems, maintenance of epidural analgesia may be individualized through the use of patient-controlled epidural analgesia systems. Patient self-administered bolus is used as a feedback to increase local anaesthetic use when labour pain intensifies. Recent developments in pump technology and innovations have enabled novel epidural delivery systems such as automated mandatory boluses, variable frequency automated mandatory boluses, and computer integrated patient controlled epidural analgesia.