bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Introducing consumer directed care in residential care settings for older people in Australia: views of a citizens’ jury
Authors: Laver Kate , Gnanamanickam Emmanuel , Whitehead Craig , Kurrle Susan , Corlis Megan , Ratcliffe Julie , Shulver Wendy , Crotty Maria
Published: March 2018

Objectives

Health services worldwide are increasingly adopting consumer directed care approaches. Traditionally, consumer directed care models have been implemented in home care services and there is little guidance as to how to implement them in residential care. This study used a citizens’ jury to elicit views of members of the public regarding consumer directed care in residential care.

Methods

A citizens’ jury involving 12 members of the public was held over two days in July 2016, exploring the question: For people with dementia living in residential care facilities, how do we enable increased personal decision making to ensure that care is based on their needs and preferences? Jury members were recruited through a market research company and selected to be broadly representative of the general public.

Results

The jury believed that person-centred care should be the foundation of care for all older people. They recommended that each person’s funding be split between core services (to ensure basic health, nutrition and hygiene needs are met) and discretionary services. Systems needed to be put into place to enable the transition to consumer directed care including care coordinators to assist in eliciting resident preferences, supports for proxy decision makers, and accreditation processes and risk management strategies to ensure that residents with significant cognitive impairment are not taken advantage of by goods and service providers. Transparency should be increased (perhaps using technologies) so that both the resident and nominated family members can be sure that the person is receiving what they have paid for.

Conclusions

The views of the jury (as representatives of the public) were that people in residential care should have more say regarding the way in which their care is provided and that a model of consumer directed care should be introduced. Policy makers should consider implementation of consumer directed care models that are economically viable and are associated with high levels of satisfaction among users.
How feeling connected to one’s own community can increase support for addressing injustice impacting outgroup communities
Authors: Neufeld Katelin H. S. , Gaucher Danielle , Starzyk Katherine B. , Boese Gregory D.
Published: March 2018

How can agents of social change increase public support for minority communities? In three studies, we demonstrate how heightened feelings of community connection can predict support for addressing injustice in minority communities. Community connection, when experimentally evoked (Study 1) or measured (Study 3), was associated with heightened support for the government addressing substandard conditions in an African American housing project (Studies 1 and 3) and Native American reservations (Study 1). Mediation analyses revealed that this effect emerges, at least in part, because of a heightened perceived value of all communities—not merely one’s own (Studies 1 and 3). One reason that stronger feelings of community connection lead to (Study 2) or are associated with (Study 3) greater valuing of communities is a strengthened superordinate community identity. We tested additional potential mediators of the community connection–support relationship; out-group identification mediated but outgroup attachment did not. Implications for social change are discussed.
Explaining excess morbidity amongst homeless shelter users: A multivariate analysis for the Danish adult population
Authors: Benjaminsen Lars , Birkelund Jesper Fels
Published: March 2018

Aims: This article analyses excess morbidity amongst homeless shelter users compared to the general Danish population. The study provides an extensive control for confounding and investigates to what extent excess morbidity is explained by homelessness or other risk factors. Methods: Data set includes administrative micro-data for 4,068,926 Danes who were 23 years or older on 1 January 2007. Nationwide data on shelter use identified 14,730 individuals as shelter users from 2002 to 2006. Somatic diseases were measured from 2007 to 2011 through diagnosis data from hospital discharges. The risk of somatic diseases amongst shelter users was analysed through a multivariate model that decomposed the total effect into a direct effect and indirect effects mediated by other risk factors. Results: The excess morbidity associated with shelter use is substantially lower than in studies that did not include an extensive control. Approximately 80% of excess morbidity amongst shelter users is attributed to other risk factors. A large part of the excess morbidity is explained by substance abuse problems and lack of employment, whilst mental illness, low income, low education, civil status and ethnic minority background explain only a limited part. However, when conducting an extensive control for confounding, a significantly higher morbidity was identified amongst shelter users for infectious diseases, lung, skin, blood and digestive diseases, injuries, and poisoning. Conclusions: Ill health amongst homeless shelter users is widely explained by substance abuse problems and other risk factors. Nonetheless, for many diseases homelessness poses an additional risk to the health.
Number of hospital contacts with alcohol problems predicts later risk of alcoholic liver cirrhosis
Authors: Askgaard Gro , Tolstrup Janne S. , Kjær Mette S. , Leon David A.
Published: March 2018

Aims: Alcoholic liver cirrhosis is usually preceded by years of heavy drinking. We investigated whether the risk of alcoholic liver cirrhosis increases as the number of hospital contacts with alcohol problems goes up. Methods: This was a supplementary analysis on a nationwide register-based cohort study. All patients in Denmark with an initial hospital contact with alcohol problems (alcohol intoxication, harmful alcohol use or alcohol dependence) 1998–2002, free of liver disease, were followed for diagnosis of alcoholic liver cirrhosis. The number of subsequent hospital contacts with alcohol problems was estimated as a time-dependent variable for each patient. Results: In all, 36,044 hospital patients with an initial hospital contact with alcohol problems were included. These patients had 301,525 subsequent hospital contacts with alcohol problems. Risk of alcoholic liver cirrhosis increased ( p < 0.0001) with number of alcohol hospital contacts in both men and women for up to nine contacts. Conclusions: The number of prior hospital contacts with alcohol problems might provide clinicians with a helpful metric in deciding whether to offer preventive interventions for alcoholic liver cirrhosis.
Quectures: Personalised constructive learning in lectures
Authors: McQueen Heather A , McMillan Craig
Published: March 2018

Active learning exercises engage students during lectures, but often fail to take account of the individual learning position of each student. The ‘quecture’ is a partially flipped lecture that incorporates students posing their own questions (quecture questions), discussing them during lectures and revisiting them later. These interactive learning events are designed to personalise students’ construction of learning during lectures. Quectures were trialled in direct comparison with both fully flipped and traditional lectures, providing information on student attitudes, experiences and engagement with the learning strategy. Quectures were favoured by participants over the two other lecture formats and were found to be helpful both in increasing learning and in improving study habits, although some students had difficulty adjusting to, or disliked, the new mode of learning. The student-posed questions were also perceived by students to improve enquiry skills and to personalise learning. Although many chose not to engage with the strategy, those who did felt more engaged with, and more responsible for their own learning during quectures than in traditional lectures. Future work will be required to generalise the effectiveness of this strategy as well as to fine tune for optimum benefit. It will also be important to investigate which subpopulations of students preferentially engage or disengage with the strategy, and to unpick any relationship between this engagement and academic performance.
Experimental optimization of hydrodynamic performance of catamarans using hydrofoil element
Authors: Najafi Amin , Aliakbari Taghi , Hashemi Seyed Abolfazl
Published: March 2018

Daily increase in fuel cost and also marine environment pollution tends designers and engineers to design and optimize based on reducing losses and energy consumption. Reduction of fuel consumption and marine environment pollution are categorized in high priority problems in design of new vessels and optimization of current ones. Using hydrofoil between two hulls is one of the best strategies in optimization cycle of fuel consumption of catamarans. HYSUCAT comes from “Hydrofoil Supported Catamarans” and stands for a vessel which is composed of a catamaran hull and hydrofoils mounted between two hulls. These hydrofoils tolerate part of hull weight in high speed and decrease wetted surface of vessel. This element reduces drag of vessel and consequently fuel consumption by decreasing the wetted surface. This research deals with determination of a suitable hydrofoil section to reduce drag and increase stability of a catamaran vessel using experimental data. Full-scale foils were constructed and mounted on a vessel in continue, and its performance was examined in sea tests. Determining the best section and also the most suitable position for mounting the foil is a novel study in the field of hydrodynamics of catamaran vessels.
Statistical modeling for deformation analysis of concrete arch dams with influential horizontal cracks
Authors: Hu Jiang , Wu Suhua
Published: March 2018

Several concrete dams all over the world exhibit severe cracks. It is very important to investigate the influence of cracks on the long-term behavior of dam structures to ensure safe operation. The interpretation of measured dam displacements is usually based on statistical hydrostatic-seasonal-time and hydrostatic-thermal-time models. The main purpose of this article is to present a statistical hydrostatic-thermal-crack-time model to interpret displacements of concrete arch dams with influential horizontal cracks. The hydrostatic-thermal-crack-time model is applied to analyze the Chencun dam, an arch–gravity dam with a large-scale horizontal crack on the downstream face. The crack stretches horizontally across most of the dam blocks. Its crack mouth opening displacement had been continually increasing even after reinforcement treatment, accompanied by abnormal deformation characteristics of the arch–cantilever system. A three-dimensional finite element model, containing the pre-existing crack using special gap elements, is built to reproduce the structural response, assess the contribution of the crack on the registered movements, and obtain the relationship between the crack mouth opening displacement and the dam crest displacement. Based on this, the hydrostatic-thermal-CMOD-time model considering crack mouth opening displacement is developed. Compared with the traditional models, the hydrostatic-thermal-crack-time model is expected to provide a better fit accuracy. The results also show that the crack and the corresponding reinforcement measure have a significant effect on the deformation behavior of the dam. This can provide some useful indications for concrete structures with similar problems.
Do offenders have distinct offending patterns before they join adult gang criminal groups? Analyses of crime specialization and escalation in offence seriousness
Authors: Pedersen Maria Libak
Published: March 2018

Researchers have put serious efforts into identifying youth at high risk of joining gangs. Their main focus has been on street gangs, whereas risk factors for joining adult gang criminal groups have received less attention. This study examines crime specialization and crime seriousness prior to gang initiation among 564 adult gang members, 800 outlaw bikers and matched comparison groups of offenders (up to three offenders convicted of the same number of offences) who stayed out of such gangs. The data stem from Statistics Denmark and the Police Intelligence Database. The study findings demonstrate that the gang members and the outlaw bikers commit more serious offences than their non-gang counterparts, but the study also provides evidence that it is difficult – most likely impossible – to identify upcoming members of gangs by paying attention to crime patterns only.
Generative design method for lattice structure with hollow struts of variable wall thickness
Authors: Wang Yedong , Jing Shikai , Liu Yonghui , Song Guohua , Qie Longfei , Xing Hao
Published: March 2018

Additive manufacturing technology can make products of arbitrary shapes, greatly expanding the design space of lattice structures. Compared with traditional solid lattice structures, the lattice structures with hollow struts have higher flexural strength, which arouses interests of designers recently. However, owing to the more complex shapes of structures, the model generation and design are facing more challenges. In this article, a novel generative design method for the creation of lattice structures with hollow struts is proposed. This method consists of three stages: initialization, analysis, and optimization. First of all, a ground structure is generated automatically based on initial conditions. Then, the finite element analysis is used to get the stress and coordinate information of finite element nodes as well as deformation information of the ground structure. At last, a rapid optimization method is presented based on the idea of mapping the strut equivalent stress to the strut wall thickness to optimize materials distribution. The proposed method is validated through a case study, demonstrating that this method can enhance performance of products while reducing the complexity of the optimization problem.
Effects of Congruent and Incongruent Stimulus Colour on Flavour Discriminations
Authors: Wieneke Leonie , Schmuck Pauline , Zacher Julia , Greenlee Mark W. , Plank Tina
Published: March 2018

In addition to gustatory, olfactory and somatosensory input, visual information plays a role in our experience of food and drink. We asked whether colour in this context has an effect at the perceptual level via multisensory integration or if higher level cognitive factors are involved. Using an articulatory suppression task, comparable to Stevenson and Oaten, cognitive processes should be interrupted during a flavour discriminatory task, so that any residual colour effects would be traceable to low-level integration. Subjects judged in a three-alternative forced-choice paradigm the presence of a different flavour (triangle test). On each trial, they tasted three liquids from identical glasses, with one of them containing a different flavour. The substances were congruent in colour and flavour, incongruent or uncoloured. Subjects who performed the articulatory suppression task responded faster and made fewer errors. The findings suggest a role for higher level cognitive processing in the effect of colour on flavour judgements.
Start making sense: Art informing health psychology
Authors: Kaptein Ad A , Hughes Brian M , Murray Michael , Smyth Joshua M
Published: March 2018

Growing evidence suggests that the arts may be useful in health care and in the training of health care professionals. Four art genres – novels, films, paintings and music – are examined for their potential contribution to enhancing patient health and/or making better health care providers. Based on a narrative literature review, we examine the effects of passive (e.g. reading, watching, viewing and listening) and active (e.g. writing, producing, painting and performing) exposure to the four art genres, by both patients and health care providers. Overall, an emerging body of empirical evidence indicates positive effects on psychological and physiological outcome measures in patients and some benefits to medical training. Expressive writing/emotional disclosure, psychoneuroimmunology, Theory of Mind and the Common Sense Model of Self-Regulation are considered as possible theoretical frameworks to help incorporate art genres as sources of inspiration for the further development of health psychology research and clinical applications.
Educating for justice and righteousness in Nigerian society: Applying Freire’s pedagogy of the oppressed
Authors: Ango Samuel Peni
Published: March 2018

Nigerian society is bedeviled by corruption and injustice, whose prevalence may be partly explained by the dominant educational systems in the country. Paulo Freire has suggested that unjust systems are sustained by educational systems that condition learners to accept injustice. He also indicts the church for supporting such educational systems. He proposes the problem-posing education that helps learners to question and act against the conditions of their oppression to gain freedom from such conditions. This article proposes that, as the Bible enjoins us to “train up a child in the way that he should go” (Prov 22:6), and Jesus Christ often posed problems to encourage learners to think and act, Freire’s problem-posing approach is a good model for Christian educators to use in nurturing justice and righteousness in Nigeria, Africa, and the entire world.
Reconciliatory socialization: Conceptualizing the experiences of Evangelical Christian doctoral students in secular higher education
Authors: Espinoza Benjamin D
Published: March 2018

Weidman, Twale and Stein’s (2001) model of graduate student socialization has served as a theoretical starting point for understanding the experiences of doctoral students. Although a number of scholars have critiqued the model for failing to account for the unique experiences of different student groups, none has specifically approached the model with Evangelical Christian doctoral students in mind. Building on the literature on Evangelical Christian students in secular higher education, this article offers a reconceptualization of Weidman et al.’s (2001) model that accounts for the unique experiences of Evangelical Christian doctoral students in secular higher education. This revised model, called reconciliatory socialization, serves as a conceptual framework by which to conduct empirical research on the experiences of Evangelical Christian doctoral students in secular settings.
Stringent or nonstringent complete remission and prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia: a Danish population-based study
Authors: Øvlisen Andreas K. , Oest Anders , Bendtsen Mette D. , Bæch John , Johansen Preben , Lynggaard Line S. , Mølle Ingolf , Mortensen Thomas B. , Weber Duruta , Ertner Gideon , Schöllkopf Claudia , Thomassen Jesper Q. , Nielsen Ove Juul , Østgård Lene Sofie Granfeldt , Bøgsted Martin , Dybkær Karen , Johnsen Hans E. , Severinsen Marianne T.
Published: March 2018

Key Points

sCR and non-sCR in acute myeloid leukemia are associated with different prognoses. Three lineage blood cell recoveries have independent impacts on prognosis.
Mbf1 ensures Polycomb silencing by protecting E(z) mRNA from degradation by Pacman
Authors: Nishioka Kenichi , Wang Xian-Feng , Miyazaki Hitomi , Soejima Hidenobu , Hirose Susumu
Published: March 2018

Under stress conditions, the coactivator Multiprotein bridging factor 1 (Mbf1) translocates from the cytoplasm into the nucleus to induce stress-response genes. However, its role in the cytoplasm, where it is mainly located, has remained elusive. Here, we show that Drosophila Mbf1 associates with E(z) mRNA and protects it from degradation by the exoribonuclease Pacman (Pcm), thereby ensuring Polycomb silencing. In genetic studies, loss of mbf1 function enhanced a Polycomb phenotype in Polycomb group mutants, and was accompanied by a significant reduction in E(z) mRNA expression. Furthermore, a pcm mutation suppressed the Polycomb phenotype and restored the expression level of E(z) mRNA, while pcm overexpression exhibited the Polycomb phenotype in the mbf1 mutant but not in the wild-type background. In vitro, Mbf1 protected E(z) RNA from Pcm activity. Our results suggest that Mbf1 buffers fluctuations in Pcm activity to maintain an E(z) mRNA expression level sufficient for Polycomb silencing.
The case for increased funding, resources and education at a UK trauma unit
Authors: Navaratne Lalin , Robinson Michael , Bowley Douglas , Raven David
Published: March 2018

The major trauma population in the UK is becoming older, with a shift in reasons for injury from road traffic collisions to falls from <2 metres. Patients presenting with major trauma after low energy mechanisms may not trigger direct transfer to a major trauma centre or trauma team activation at a Trauma Unit (TU). This phenomenon of ‘underappreciated’ injury has been referred to as ‘stealth trauma’. The objective of this study was to describe the major trauma patient demographics at a UK TU, thereby highlighting this emerging trend. The Trauma Audit and Research Network database was reviewed to identify all trauma patients managed at a single TU during 2015. In total, 80/324 (24.7%) patients were classified as major trauma, corresponding to a 54% increase from the previous year. The largest single group was 76-85 year-olds. Overall, 81.3% of major trauma patients were managed locally at the TU compared to 67.3% at the time of the last annual report. These findings suggest that major trauma admissions to TU are on the rise, with the majority of patients being older people. Adequate allocation of resources and funding through best practice tariffs and intelligent commissioning of services needs to be made to support appropriate patient care.
Digitalisation in healthcare: An analysis of projects proposed by practitioners
Authors: Habran Enguerrand , Saulpic Olivier , Zarlowski Philippe
Published: March 2018

Background:

Digitalisation in healthcare is a multifaceted phenomenon that remains emergent. Driven by technology, innovations would not sufficiently meet the needs and expectations of clinicians and patients, resulting in the proliferation of poorly integrated solutions.

Aim:

This study aimed to understand how practitioners envisioned digital innovation in healthcare, to shed light on debates about how to improve innovation efficiency.

Methods:

A total of 45 responses were selected from a call for projects issued by a public sector fund, among which 29 responses included digital data in their design.

Findings:

When they are conducted and sponsored by healthcare practitioners, digital innovations were found to genuinely target healthcare objectives. They also tended to promote participatory approaches and exhibit a concern for equity in healthcare. However, they generally failed to address transferability issues or efficiency objectives and the reported evidence on which the projects relied was usually scarce.

Conclusion:

Further research is needed to understand the specific sociotechnical stakes underpinning digital innovations in healthcare. For policymakers and funding bodies, this study proposes that the project design should explicitly integrate assessment of their scalability, and their impact on the usual dimensions of healthcare performance: quality of medical and patient care, efficiency, and equity.
Repositioning stroke patients with pusher syndrome to reduce incidence of pressure ulcers
Authors: Chitambira Benjamin , Evans Susan
Published: March 2018

Pressure ulcers cost the NHS between £1.8 billion and £2.6 billion annually. In stroke and other neurological conditions, the pusher syndrome leads to a sensation of falling to the unaffected side of the body, even when lying still in bed. Regular turning fails to help in these cases, as patients turn themselves to the side on which they feel safe. In this quality improvement initiative, repositioning was carried out by placing pillows under the affected side. This prevented patients turned onto the unaffected side from turning themselves onto their back or onto their affected side. The incidence of pressure ulcers was one patient in 140 over 2 months compared with an average monthly rate of five patients over a similar period in the previous year. The pusher syndrome is a risk factor that causes difficulty with repositioning and increases the incidence of pressure ulcers. Training to identify and properly reposition patients with this impairment reduces the incidence of pressure ulcers.
A 2-week stroke review identifies unmet needs in patients discharged home from a hyperacute stroke unit
Authors: Crow Jennifer
Published: March 2018

Patients assessed as having made a full recovery following their stroke are discharged home within 72 hours of admission from the hyper-acute stroke unit (HASU). An onward referral is made to those boroughs offering a 6-month review. Patient feedback revealed that those assessed as not needing any further input on discharge may experience difficulties when back in the community, and accessing appropriate services can be difficult. In this pilot project, 21 patients were reviewed 2 weeks after discharge by a stroke support worker (SSW) using the post-stroke checklist (PSC). The data revealed that 11 of the 21 participants identified unmet needs. The domains of mood and information about stroke prevention had the highest unmet needs. This project raises questions about the assessment processes and education provided on the HASU, and demonstrates the need for joined-up working between acute and community organisations to ensure stroke survivors are able to access ongoing support, information and advice.
Children and consent: the key issues
Authors: Smith Angela
Published: March 2018

Gaining a valid consent from a patient is an area of law that has developed in recent years. Based on the principle that patients should have autonomy over their own bodies, and provided an adult has the capacity to make a decision, a patient has the right to give or refuse permission to a healthcare professional who may wish to provide care or treatment to them. The issue, however, is complicated when dealing with patients under the age of 18. In the first of two articles, Angela Smith discusses some of the legal issues in respect of gaining a valid consent applicable to those patients who have not yet reached the age of majority.
Research Roundup
Authors: Costello John
Published: March 2018

John Costello provides a synopsis and brief review of a selection of recently published research articles of interest to neuroscience nurses, highlighting the key points to keep you up to date. A full reference is provided for those who wish to read the research in more detail.
Good communication with family of people with dementia at end of life: reflections of an Admiral Nurse
Authors: Knight Cathy , Dening Karen Harrison
Published: March 2018

As the incidence of dementia is increasing, so health and social care professionals are facing a challenge to deliver good quality end-of-life care. Historically, it is not an area that has been afforded much attention until recently, but interventions such as Admiral Nursing are well placed and equipped to work with and support families at this time. It is essential, in supporting a family to live as well as they can following a diagnosis of dementia, to facilitate dying well with or from dementia. This article uses a case study approach, combined with professional reflective practice, to explore the importance of good communication in the last few months, weeks and days of life in a family affected by dementia.
Why do patients with low back pain choose not to engage with physiotherapy following assessment?
Authors: Hinchliffe Natalie C , Lavin Nicole
Published: March 2018

Background/Aims:

This research explored the reasons why patients with low back pain chose not to return to physiotherapy following an assessment.

Methods:

Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted using five participants with low back pain. Data were analysed to produce codes, categories and themes.

Findings:

Data analysis produced expectations, communication and satisfaction as key themes. Findings suggest that expectations may and may not be linked to previous physiotherapy experience, with no clear link between expectations and satisfaction. Communication including sufficient time, listening skills, empathy, and caring qualities were highly regarded. Satisfaction levels were rated highly, despite not returning to physiotherapy. Participants reported pain resolution and personal choice as reasons for not returning.

Conclusions:

Findings support previous research suggesting expectations are multifaceted and individualised and not always linked to previous experience. Findings suggest the physiotherapist's excellent communication skills ensured an overall positive patient experience, maintaining high satisfaction levels.
Effect of core stability exercises and desensitisation therapy on limit of stability in diabetic peripheral neuropathy patients
Authors: Battesha Hanan Hosny M , Ahmed Gehan M , Amer Hanan A , El Gohary Amira M , Ragab Walaa M
Published: March 2018

Background/Aims:

The ability to maintain a standing and dynamic posture is a problem in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of core stability exercises and desensitisation therapy on posture stability in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Methods:

A total of 60 patients diagnosed with diabetic peripheral sensory motor neuropathy with average age from 55–70 years were involved in this study. Patients were assessed for posture stability before and after treatment using the Biodex Balance System. The patients were randomly divided into four equal groups. Group 1 (the control group) received a selected physical therapy programme for diabetic peripheral neuropathy patients. Group 2 received core stability exercises in addition to the same selected physical therapy programme for Group 1. Group 3 received desensitisation therapy in addition to the same selected physical therapy programme for Group 1. Group 4 received core stability exercises combined with desensitisation therapy in addition to the same selected physical therapy programme for Group 1. The intervention took place three times a week for 6 weeks.

Findings:

There was significant improvement of posture stability in Groups 2, 3, and 4 compared to Group 1, with Group 4 showing the most improvement.

Conclusions:

Core stability exercises and desensitisation therapy are effective interventions for improving posture stability in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and the combination of the two interventions increases posture stability than performing each one separately.
Reliability and efficiency of three methods of calculating migration percentage on radiographs for hip surveillance in children with cerebral palsy
Authors: Kulkarni V. A. , Davids J. R. , Boyles A. D. , Cung N. Q. , Bagley A.
Published: March 2018

Purpose

Hip surveillance programmes for children with cerebral palsy (CP) utilize the migration percentage (MP) measurement to initiate referrals and recommend treatment. This study assesses the reliability and efficiency of three methods of MP measurement on anteroposterior (AP) pelvis radiographs.

Methods

A total of 20 AP pelvis radiographs (40 hips) of children with CP were measured by three raters on two occasions using three methods: digital measurement (DM) on a Picture Archiving and Communication System monitor, computer-aided measurement (CA) using a digital templating tool and mobile device application measurement (MA) using a freely available MP measurement tool. For each method, the time required to complete the MP measurement of both hips on each AP pelvis radiograph was measured. Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to determine reliability, and analysis of variance was used to compare groups.

Results

All three methods of determining MP showed excellent inter-rater and intra-rater reliability (ICC 0.976 to 0.989). The mean absolute difference in MP measurement was not significant between trials for a single rater (DM 2.8%, CA 1.9%, MA 2.2%) or between raters (DM 3.6%, CA 2.9%, MA 3.6%). The mean time to complete MP measurement was significantly different between methods, with DM = 151 seconds, CA = 73 seconds and MA = 80 seconds.

Conclusion

All three MP measurement methods were highly reliable with clinically acceptable measurement error. The time required to measure a hip surveillance radiograph can be reduced by approximately 50% by utilizing a computer-based or mobile application-based MP measurement tool.

Level of Evidence III
Brokering behaviour change: the work of behavioural insights experts in government
Authors: Feitsma Joram
Published: March 2018

A behavioural insights community has emerged within a growing number of governments. While this community helps to make policies more behavioural science based, its frontstage role models tend to assume a straightforward, instrumental and apolitical view of the science–policy relationship that seems unrealistic. This article therefore examines what goes on backstage in this community, based on an ethnographic study of behaviour experts in Dutch central government. The article argues that their work consists of a complex palette of practices (that is, choice architecture; analysis; capacity building). Because these practices resemble typical knowledge brokerage work, the article pushes for an envisaging of ‘behaviour experts as knowledge brokers’.
Austerity in the making: reconfiguring social policy through social impact bonds
Authors: Joy Meghan , Shields John
Published: March 2018

Social impact bonds (SIBs) are spreading worldwide in the absence of public debate and proof that they improve social outcomes, despite claims to advance evidence-based policymaking and transparency in government. A critical policy reading of SIBs elucidates this conundrum. We argue that SIBs are part of a neoliberal political project that uses austerity as an economic and moral symbol to manufacture consent for social service reform. The intent of this research provocation is to identify future avenues for empirical research on SIBs to further assess how the tool reconfigures social policy in a profoundly neoliberal direction.
Public deliberation in an era of communicative plenty
Authors: Ercan Selen A , Hendriks Carolyn M , Dryzek John S
Published: March 2018

This article introduces and develops the concept of ‘communicative plenty’ to capture the implications of the increasing volume of communication, both online and face-to-face, in contemporary democracies. Drawing on recent systems thinking in deliberative democracy, the article argues that communicative plenty can offer a viable context for large-scale public deliberation provided that: i) the spaces for voice and expression are accompanied by sufficient spaces of reflection and listening; and that ii) collective decisions involve sequencing of first expression, then listening and then reflection. To substantiate this proposal, two cases where conventional democratic practices were modified either formally or informally to promote greater listening and reflection are subjected to close empirical analysis. The analysis reveals that designing spaces of reflection and listening is a practical means to enhance public deliberation and so democracy, particularly in contexts vulnerable to an overload of expression and the democratic pathologies of communicative plenty.
The Yo-Yo IR2 test in professional basketball players
Authors: Gürses Veli Volkan , Akgül Mustafa Şakir , Ceylan Bayram , Baydil Bilgehan
Published: March 2018

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between direct method and indirect method (Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level II) that are used to determine aerobic capacity and endurance. Fourteen basketball players (22.49 ±04.82 year-old with the height 192.36±5.90 cm, weight 89.21±7.6 kg, Body fat percentage 11.07 ± 1.82 %) voluntarily participated in this study. Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level II protocol (YIRT 2) was implemented to participants. Distance covered by the athletes, estimated VO2max, direct VO2max, Anaerobic threshold VO2 and Anaerobic threshold heart rate (HRAT) values were recorded. Direct VO2max and other respiratory parameters were measured with telemetric gas analyzer. After 5 minute rest in supine position heart rates (HRrest), rest lactate levels (LArest) and maximal heart rate (HRmax) during the test and post test lactate levels (LApost) were measured. Pearson Correlation Test was used to determine the relationship between the variables. P value was set at 0,05. According to the findings, positively significant large correlation was found between estimated VO2max and direct VO2max(r = 0.504, p < 0.05), HRmax (r = 0.501, p < 0.05), positively significant large correlation was found between distance and Direct VO2max(r = 0.521, p < 0.05), HRmax (r = 0.516, p < 0.05). There is no significant relationship except above-mentioned variables (p<0.05). YIRT2 can guess VO2max of professional male basketball players and can be used to evaluate endurance.
Susceptibility to Oxidative Stress Is Determined by Genetic Background in Neuronal Cell Cultures
Authors: Günther Mattias , Al Nimer Faiez , Piehl Fredrik , Risling Mårten , Mathiesen Tiit
Published: March 2018

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to a deleterious and multifactorial secondary inflammatory response in the brain. Oxidative stress from the inflammation likely contributes to the brain damage although it is unclear to which extent. A largely unexplored approach is to consider phenotypic regulation of oxidative stress levels. Genetic polymorphism influences inflammation in the central nervous system and it is possible that the antioxidative response differs between phenotypes and affects the severity of the secondary injury. We therefore compared the antioxidative response in inbred rat strains dark agouti (DA) to piebald viral glaxo (PVG). DA has high susceptibility to inflammatory challenges and PVG is protected. Primary neuronal cell cultures were exposed to peroxynitrite (ONOO−), nitric oxide (NO), superoxide (O2−), and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE). Our findings demonstrated a phenotypic control of the neuronal antioxidative response, specific to manganese O2−dismutase (MnSOD). DA neurons had increased levels of MnSOD, equal levels of peroxiredoxin 5 (PRDX5), decreased oxidative stress markers 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) and 4-HNE and decreased neuronal death detected by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release after 24 h, and higher oxidative stress levels by CellROX than PVG after 2 h. It is possible that DA neurons had a phenotypic adaptation to a fiercer inflammatory environment. ONOO−was confirmed as the most powerful oxidative damage mediator, while 4-HNE caused few oxidative effects. Inducible NO synthase (iNOS) was not induced, suggesting that inflammatory, while not oxidative stimulation was required. These findings indicate that phenotypic antioxidative regulation affects the secondary inflammation, which should be considered in future individualized treatments and when evaluating antioxidative pharmacological interventions.
Longitudinally evaluated the relationship between body fat percentage and the risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus: Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES)
Authors: Park Sung Keun , Ryoo Jae-Hong , Oh Chang-Mo , Choi Joong-Myung , Jung Ju Young
Published: March 2018

Background

Body fat plays the significant role in maintaining glucose homeostasis. However, it is not fully identified how body fat percentage (BF%) has an impact on the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Thus, this study was to evaluate the incidental risk for T2DM according to BF% level.

Methods

In a community-based Korean cohort, 5972 Korean adults were divided into quintile groups by BF% and followed up for 10 years to monitor the development of T2DM. Cox proportional hazard model was used to evaluate the hazard ratios (HRs) for T2DM according to BF% quintile. Additionally, subgroup analysis was conducted by low and high level of BF% (cut-off: 25 in men and 35 in women) and body mass index (BMI).

Results

In adjusted model, compared to the BF% quintile 1 group, the risk for T2DM significantly increased over BF% of 22.8% in men and 32.9% in women (≥quintile 4). The level of BF% related to the increased risk for T2DM was lower in non-obese men (22.8%) than obese men (28.4%). In subgroup analysis, men with low BMI (<25) and high BF% (≥25) had the highest risk for T2DM than other subgroups (HRs: 1.83 (1.33–2.52)). However, this association did not show the statistical significance in women (HRs: 1.63 (0.98–2.72)).

Conclusion

The incidental risk for T2DM significantly increased over the specific level of BF%, which was lower in non-obese population than obese population. Gender difference was suggested in the incidental relationship between BF% and T2DM.
Potential negative effects of anti-histamines on male reproductive function
Authors: Mondillo Carolina , Varela María Luisa , Abiuso Adriana María Belén , Vázquez Ramiro
Published: March 2018

Histamine (HA) is a pleiotropic biogenic amine synthesized exclusively by histidine decarboxylase (HDC) in most mammalian tissues. The literature on the role of HA within the male gonad has expanded over the last years, attracting attention to potential unexpected side-effects of anti-histamines on testicular function. In this regard, HA receptors (HRH1, HRH2 and HRH4) have been described in Leydig cells of different species, including human. Via these receptors, HA has been reported to trigger positive or negative interactions with the LH/hCG signaling pathway depending upon its concentration, thereby contributing to the local control of testicular androgen levels. It should then be considered that anti-histamines may affect testicular homeostasis by increasing or decreasing steroid production. Additionally, HRH1 and HRH2 receptors are present in peritubular and germ cells, and HRH2 antagonists have been found to negatively affect peritubular cells and reduce sperm viability. The potential negative impact of anti-histamines on male reproduction becomes even more dramatic if we consider that HA has also been associated with human sexual behavior and penile erection. What is more, although testicular mast cells are the major source of locally produced HA, recent studies have described HDC expression in macrophages, Leydig cells and germ cells, revealing the existence of multiple sources of HA within the testis. Undoubtedly, the more we learn about the testicular histaminergic system, the more opportunities there will be for rational design of drugs aimed at treating HA-related pathologies, with minimum or nule negative impact on fertility.
Germline Variants in the POT1-Gene in High-Risk Melanoma Patients in Austria
Authors: Müller Christoph , Krunic Milica , Wendt Judith , von Haeseler Arndt , Okamoto Ichiro
Published: March 2018

Risk of melanoma is in part determined by genetic factors. Currently the only established high penetrance familial melanoma genes are CDKN2A and CDK4. Recent studies reported germline variants in POT1 in melanoma families. In the present study, we sequenced the entire POT1 gene in 694 patients from the M3-study. Patients with multiple primary melanomas (n = 163) or with a positive family history (n = 133) were classified as high-risk melanoma patients. Additionally, 200 single primary melanoma patients and 198 non-melanoma controls were sequenced. For prediction analysis 10 different tools were used.

In total 53 different variants were found, of which 8 were detected in high-risk melanoma patients, only. Two out of these 8 variants were located in exons and were non-synonymous: g.124510982 G>A (p.R80C) and g.124491977 T>G (p.N300H). While g.124491977 T>G was predicted to be neutral, 80% of the prediction tools classified g.124510982 G>A as deleterious. The variant, g.124467236 T>C, which possibly causes a change in the splice site was identified in a case with a positive family history in the present study. Another variant in the 5-UTR, g.124537261 A>G, was found in 2 high-risk patients. So, in conclusion, melanoma associated POT1 germline variants seem to be rare. Further studies are required to evaluate the role of POT1 for genetic counseling.
Repeat-Specific Functions for the C-Terminal Domain of RNA Polymerase II in Budding Yeast
Authors: Babokhov Michael , Mosaheb Mohammad M , Baker Richard W , Fuchs Stephen M
Published: March 2018

The C-terminal domain (CTD) of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) is required to regulate transcription and to integrate it with other essential cellular processes. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the CTD of Rpb1p consists of 26 conserved heptad repeats that are post-translationally modified to orchestrate protein factor binding at different stages of the transcription cycle. A long-standing question in the study of the CTD is if there are any functional differences between the 26 repeats. In this study, we present evidence that repeats of identical sequence have different functions based on their position within the CTD. We assembled plasmids expressing Rpb1p with serine to alanine substitutions in three defined regions of the CTD and measured a range of phenotypes for yeast expressing these constructs. Mutations in the beginning and middle regions of the CTD had drastic, and region-specific effects, while mutating the distal region had no observable phenotype. Further mutational analysis determined that Ser5 within the first region of repeats was solely responsible for the observed growth differences and sequencing fast-growing suppressors allowed us to further define the functional regions of the CTD. This mutational analysis is consistent with current structural models for how the RNAPII holoenzyme and the CTD specifically would reside in complex with Mediator and establishes a foundation for studying regioselective binding along the repetitive RNAPII CTD.
La Biología y las Matemáticas
Authors: León Francisco Javier
Published: March 2018

Los hallazgos de Mendel y sus leyes1 han trascendido en la comprensión de la Biología y la Medicina, dicho trabajo abrió las puertas para que otros científicos como Hardy y Weinberg demostraran que las matemáticas tienen un rol fundamental en la comprensión de distintos fenómenos biológicos y de esta forma el equilibrio en las frecuencias genotípicas y alélicas2 es más que el binomio cuadrado perfecto. Mediante las matemáticas se percibe que, tras cierto número de generaciones en una población de tamaño infinito se logra un equilibrio genético siempre y cuando se cumplan algunas condiciones como el apareamiento aleatorio, ausencia del efecto fundador, sin deriva genética, entre otros; siendo lo anterior fundamental para comprender diferentes fenómenos genéticos relacionados con la herencia y la genética poblacional. Años más tarde, Fisher empleó las matemáticas para combinar las leyes de Mendel con la selección natural de Darwin y de esta forma plantear su propia teoría evolutiva.Como los ejemplos anteriores, existen otros trabajos donde la biología celular y molecular, la medicina, las ingenierías, la economía, la agronomía se robustecen con el poder que tienen las matemáticas para comprender los fenómenos biológicos relacionados con cambios en secuencias de ADN3, polimorfismos genéticos4, en proteínas5, en la fisiología celular, en un organismo o en una comunidad. Es por ello que cada día la estadística aplicada tiene impacto a nivel clínico, social y de salud pública pues fortalece diversas áreas del conocimiento que se apoyan en un sin número de algoritmos matemáticos y abre la posibilidad para plantear diseños de experimentos, análisis e interpretación de datos, comprender la magnitud de los errores y la toma de decisiones frente a los datos que se generan, puesto que cuantifican y cualifican imparcialmente los resultados en la investigación