bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Governing renewables: Policy feedback in a global energy transition
Authors: Meckling Jonas
Published: June 2018

Complex global problems such as climate change have not been met with deep international cooperation but with complex systems of governance across multiple scales. This includes the global governance of renewable energy, the fastest growing source of electric power globally. How did the complex system of governance for renewable energy emerge, evolve, and institutionalize? This article posits that policy feedback on market actors helps to explain the evolution of renewable energy governance. The extent to which policy expands or limits market opportunities for firms shapes significantly the coalitions that emerge in support of new institutions, such as policies and organizations, in global renewable energy governance. This article examines the role of policy feedback for three major periods of renewable energy governance, focusing on a case for each period: (1) the emergence and expansion of domestic policy in Germany’s feed-in tariff, (2) international cooperation in the creation of the International Renewable Energy Agency, and (3) international competition in the European Union-China solar trade dispute. The findings contribute to our understanding of complex interdependence in a policy-driven global energy transition, complementing analyses of domestic energy transitions. They also suggest that policymakers can—to some extent—strategically leverage feedback dynamics to promote market transformations in the absence of comprehensive international cooperation.
Immediate Vitrectomy Following Inadvertent Intravitreal Injection of Depo-Medrol
Authors: Karsaliya Gopal , Dooner James W. , Wong Robert W.
Published: June 2018

Purpose:

To report a case of an iatrogenic intraocular injection of Depo-Medrol where prompt vitrectomy was performed leading to a good visual and anatomical outcome.

Methods:

Retrospective case report and review of the literature.

Results:

A 61-year-old man received an injection of Depo-Medrol for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia that was inadvertently injected into the globe of the left eye leading to sudden and severe vision loss. Prompt vitrectomy was performed within 4 hours. Electroretinogram revealed that b-wave amplitudes in scotopic and photopic conditions were decreased by 25%. Following subsequent cataract surgery, the patient’s visual acuity improved to 20/20 vision.

Conclusions:

The toxic effects of Depo-Medrol may be dependent on the temporal and spatial contact of the preservative with the retina where prolonged exposure may cause widespread retinal damage hindering visual rehabilitation. Immediate vitrectomy may be crucial to preserve the anatomy and function of the retina.
Petrophysical and geomechanical analysis of the Lower Paleozoic shale formation, North Poland
Authors: Stadtmuller Marek , Lis-Śledziona Anita , Słota-Valim Małgorzata
Published: June 2018

The complexity of shale formation interpretation requires an accurate evaluation of a detailed petrophysical model in association with the analysis of the geomechanical properties. Mineralogy plays an important role in controlling shale’s mechanical properties, among which one of the most problematic parameters to establish is the Biot’s coefficient. Although, this parameter is necessary to determine the magnitude of the effective stresses acting in the reservoir, it is not included in the standard protocols used in Poland. This paper presents a comprehensive petrophysical and geomechanical evaluation of the unconventional reservoirs of lower Paleozoic age formation: lower Silurian and Ordovician deposits located in the onshore part of the Baltic Basin (Poland). In this study, the Biot’s coefficient from well-log data was calculated. Initially, a calibrated rock-physics model was derived to provide a set of relationships between the elastic and petrophysical properties. Based on an accurate, calibrated petrophysical model, the effective bulk modulus along with the Biot’s coefficient and horizontal stresses were calculated. Ultimately, the tectonic regime was determined. Using full-waveform sonic data analysis, the horizontal anisotropy was estimated. The directions of maximum and minimum horizontal stress were established based on several X-tended Range Micro Imager images of breakout structures and drilling-induced fractures.
Individuals seeking gender reassignment: marked increase in demand for services
Authors: Fielding Josephine , Bass Christopher
Published: June 2018

Aims and method

To describe the pattern of referrals and characteristics of people aged over 18 seeking gender reassignment in Oxfordshire over a 6-year period (2011–2016).

Results

A total of 153 individuals attended for assessment (of 162 referred); 97 (63.4%) were natal males and 56 (36.6%) were natal females. Mean age at referral was markedly different between the two groups, with females being younger. The number of referral significantly increased over the time period, by an average of 18% per year (95% CI 1.08–1.30). Eighty-seven patients sought transition from male to female, and 46 from female to male, while a smaller group (n = 13) had non-binary presentations. Twelve patients (7.8%) had autism spectrum disorder.

Clinical implications

There are various possible reasons for the increased demand for services for people with gender dysphoria, which we discuss here. When planning services in the UK, both the increase in overall referral rates and the apparent earlier age at referral should be taken into account.

Declaration of interest

None.
Delivery of Pediatric Cancer Care in Mexico: A National Survey
Authors: Rodriguez-Romo Laura , Olaya Vargas Alberto , Gupta Sumit , Shalkow-Klincovstein Jaime , Vega-Vega Lourdes , Reyes-Lopez Alfonso , Cicero-Oneto Carlo , Mejia-Arangure Juan , Gonzalez-Ramella Oscar , Pineiro-Retif Rafael , Lopez-Facundo Aracely , de los Angeles Del Campo-Martinez Maria , Tejocote Isidoro , Brennan Kelly , Booth Christopher M.
Published: June 2018

Purpose

Limited data describe the delivery of pediatric cancer care in Mexico. We report a nationwide survey of pediatric cancer units.

Methods

An electronic survey was distributed to 74 pediatric cancer units in Mexico to describe case volumes; organization of care; and availability of medical/surgical specialists, supportive care, complex therapies, and diagnostic services. Centers were classified as low (< 30 new patients/year), medium (30 to 59/year) and high (≥ 60/year).

Results

Sixty-two centers completed the survey (response rate, 84%). The median annual new case volume per center was 50 (interquartile range [IQR], 23 to 81). Thirty-four percent (n = 21), 26% (n = 16), and 40% (n = 25) of units were low-, medium-, and high-volume centers, respectively. Treatment units reported a median of two pediatric oncologists (IQR, 2) and one pediatric hematologist (IQR, 1 to 2). Availability of medical and surgical subspecialists varied by center size, with substantially more specialist support at higher-volume centers ( P < .01). Multidisciplinary tumor boards are available at 29% (six of 21), 56% (nine of 16), and 76% (19 of 25) of low- to high-volume centers, respectively ( P = .005). Radiation and palliative care services are available at 42% (n = 26) and 63% (n = 36) of all centers, which did not vary by center volume. Educational support for hospitalized children and school reintegration programs are available at 56% (n = 36) and 58% (n = 36) of centers, respectively. One third (38% [n = 23]) of centers reported that at least one half of patients were lost to follow-up during the transition from pediatric to adult programs.

Conclusion

A large variation exists in annual case volumes across Mexican pediatric cancer centers. Additional efforts to increase access to multidisciplinary, supportive, and palliative care across all pediatric cancer units in Mexico are required.
Local Option: The Rational Use of Local Therapy in Patients at High Risk to Die of Metastatic Progression
Authors: Boffa Daniel J.
Published: June 2018

On occasion, clinicians may be motivated to offer local therapy (eg, surgery, radiation, ablation) to patients with advanced cancer in the hope of prolonging survival (as opposed to palliating a symptom). An appropriately informed discussion of risks and benefits should push clinicians to reflect on the rationale for use of local therapy in a patient who is far more likely to die as a result of systemic progression. Ultimately, the justification for local therapy in advanced cancer must be based on several assumptions of what a patient’s cancer will and will not do. The following is an attempt to provide the framework for patients and their care teams to collectively consider the assumptions surrounding the use of local therapy and the potential consequences of being wrong.
Readmissions After Complex Cancer Surgery: Analysis of the Nationwide Readmissions Database
Authors: Zafar Syed Nabeel , Shah Adil A. , Nembhard Christine , Wilson Lori L. , Habermann Elizabeth B. , Raoof Mustafa , Wasif Nabil
Published: June 2018

Purpose:

Hospital readmissions after surgery are a focus of quality improvement efforts. Although some reflect appropriate care, others are potentially preventable readmissions (PPRs). We aim to describe the burden, timing, and factors associated with readmissions after complex cancer surgery.

Methods:

The Nationwide Readmissions Database (2013) was used to select patients undergoing a complex oncologic resection, which was defined as esophagectomy/gastrectomy, hepatectomy, pancreatectomy, colorectal resection, lung resection, or cystectomy. Readmissions within 30 days from discharge were analyzed. International Classification of Diseases (9th revision) primary diagnosis codes were reviewed to identify PPRs. Multivariable logistic regression analyses identified demographic, clinical, and hospital factors associated with readmissions.

Results:

Of the 59,493 eligible patients, 14% experienced a 30-day readmission, and 82% of these were deemed PPRs. Half of the readmissions occurred within the first 8 days of discharge. Infections (26%), GI complications (17%), and respiratory conditions (10%) accounted for most readmissions. Factors independently associated with an increased likelihood of readmission included Medicaid versus private insurance (odds ratio [OR], 1.32; 95% CI, 1.17 to 1.48), higher comorbidity score (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.33 to 1.63), discharge to a facility (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.29 to 1.51), prolonged length of stay (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.32 to 1.52), and occurrence of a major in-hospital complication (OR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.16 to 1.34).

Conclusion:

One in seven patients undergoing complex cancer surgery suffered a readmission within 30 days. We identified common causes of these and identified patients at high risk for such an event. These data can be used by physicians, administrators, and policymakers to develop strategies to decrease readmissions.
Use of sodium 4-phenylbutyrate to define therapeutic parameters for reducing intracerebral hemorrhage and myopathy in Col4a1 mutant mice
Authors: Hayashi Genki , Labelle-Dumais Cassandre , Gould Douglas B.
Published: June 2018

Collagen type IV alpha 1 (COL4A1) and alpha 2 (COL4A2) form heterotrimers that constitute a major component of nearly all basement membranes. COL4A1 and COL4A2 mutations cause a multisystem disorder that includes variable cerebrovascular and skeletal muscle manifestations. The pathogenicity of COL4A1 and COL4A2 mutations is generally attributed to impaired secretion into basement membranes. Sodium 4-phenylbutyrate (4PBA) is a US Food and Drug Administration-approved drug that promotes mutant heterotrimer secretion in vitro and in vivo. Here, we use different 4PBA treatment paradigms to define therapeutic parameters for preventing cerebrovascular and muscular pathologies in Col4a1 mutant mice. We show the efficacy of long-term 4PBA treatment in reducing the severity of intracerebral hemorrhages (ICHs) in Col4a1 mutant mice aged up to 8 months. In addition, we demonstrate that maximal efficacy of 4PBA on ICH and myopathy was achieved when treatment was initiated prenatally, whereby even transient 4PBA administration had lasting benefits after being discontinued. Importantly, postnatal treatment with 4PBA also reduced ICH and skeletal myopathy severities in Col4a1 mutant mice, which has significant clinical implications for patients with COL4A1 and COL4A2 mutations.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Autophagy and airway fibrosis: Is there a link?
Authors: Kota Anudeep , Deshpande Deepak A. , Haghi Mehra , Oliver Brian , Sharma Pawan
Published: June 2018

In the past decade, an emerging process named “autophagy” has generated intense interest in many chronic lung diseases. Tissue remodeling and fibrosis is a common feature of many airway diseases, and current therapies do not prevent or reverse these structural changes. Autophagy has evolved as a conserved process for bulk degradation and recycling of cytoplasmic components to maintain basal cellular homeostasis and healthy organelle populations in the cell. Furthermore, autophagy serves as a cell survival mechanism and can also be induced by chemical and physical stress to the cell. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that autophagy plays an essential role in vital cellular processes, including tissue remodeling. This review will discuss some of the recent advancements made in understanding the role of this fundamental process in airway fibrosis with emphasis on airway remodeling, and how autophagy can be exploited as a target for airway remodeling in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Best practice data life cycle approaches for the life sciences
Authors: Griffin Philippa C. , Khadake Jyoti , LeMay Kate S. , Lewis Suzanna E. , Orchard Sandra , Pask Andrew , Pope Bernard , Roessner Ute , Russell Keith , Seemann Torsten , Treloar Andrew , Tyagi Sonika , Christiansen Jeffrey H. , Dayalan Saravanan , Gladman Simon , Hangartner Sandra B. , Hayden Helen L. , Ho William W.H. , Keeble-Gagnère Gabriel , Korhonen Pasi K. , Neish Peter , Prestes Priscilla R. , Richardson Mark F. , Watson-Haigh Nathan S. , Wyres Kelly L. , Young Neil D. , Schneider Maria Victoria
Published: June 2018

Throughout history, the life sciences have been revolutionised by technological advances; in our era this is manifested by advances in instrumentation for data generation, and consequently researchers now routinely handle large amounts of heterogeneous data in digital formats. The simultaneous transitions towards biology as a data science and towards a ‘life cycle’ view of research data pose new challenges. Researchers face a bewildering landscape of data management requirements, recommendations and regulations, without necessarily being able to access data management training or possessing a clear understanding of practical approaches that can assist in data management in their particular research domain.

Here we provide an overview of best practice data life cycle approaches for researchers in the life sciences/bioinformatics space with a particular focus on ‘omics’ datasets and computer-based data processing and analysis. We discuss the different stages of the data life cycle and provide practical suggestions for useful tools and resources to improve data management practices.
Laboratory growth of denitrifying water column microbial consortia from deep-sea shipwrecks in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Haridas Dhanya , Biffinger Justin C. , Boyd Thomas J. , Fulmer Preston A. , Hamdan Leila J. , Fitzgerald Lisa A.
Published: June 2018

Background: Shipwrecks serve as a rich source for novel microbial populations that have largely remained undiscovered. Low temperatures, lack of sunlight, and the availability of substrates derived from the shipwreck’s hull and cargo may provide an environment in which microbes can develop unique metabolic adaptations.  

Methods: To test our hypothesis that shipwrecks could influence the microbial population involved in denitrification when a consortium is grown in the laboratory, we collected samples proximate to two steel shipwrecks in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Then under laboratory conditions, we grew two independent denitrifying microbial consortia. Each consortium was grown by using the BART assay system and analyzed based on growth kinetics, ion chromatography and 16S amplicon sequencing.

Results: Both denitrifying consortia were different from each other based on varied growth profiles, rates of nitrate utilization and 16S amplicon sequencing.

Conclusions: Our observations conclude that the laboratory grown water column microbial consortia from deep-sea shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico are able to undergo aggressive denitrification.
Case Report: Pulmonary and Liver Sarcoidosis Suspected of Metastasis
Authors: Jafari Behnam , Sabz Gholamabas , Masnavi Elahe , Panahi Roghaye , Jokar Saeid , Roozbehi Amrollah , Hasanzadeh Sajad
Published: June 2018

Introduction: Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disease with unknown cause that can vary from an asymptomatic condition. Almost half of the patients with sarcoidosis have no symptoms. In this article, we describe a sarcoidosis patient with lung and liver engagement; it may be confused with metastasis.

Case report: A 39-year-old man, with known as hypothyroidism who had come to the emergency ward with dyspnea and coughing after exposure to detergents in a closed environment. The patient smoked for 10 years (3 pack/year). No other findings were found in clinical examinations except for wheezing in the right lung. The patient's chest radiography was shown a mass. For further investigation, spiral CT scan was performed. Large lymph nodes on the right side of the trachea, measuring about 23 mm and a mass of 70 × 77 mm in the vicinity of the right lung hilum and a hypodense nodule in the posterior part of the liver with malignancy suspicious were reported. After several biopsy results was shown chronic granulomatous inflammation, the most important differential diagnosis is tuberculosis (TB) and sarcoidosis. Sputum smear, culture, and PCR were performed for tuberculosis. Also, the level of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) was measured for sarcoidosis. the results ruled out TB and shown a higher level of ACE (ACE = 88 IU/L).After diagnosis treatment started with prednisolone. Now, the patient is in the follow- up.

Conclusion: In hilar lymphadenopathy of lung sarcoidosis is the importance differential diagnosis that should be considered.
New insights into the immunomodulatory properties of poxvirus cytokine decoy receptors at the cell surface
Authors: Hernaez Bruno , Alcami Antonio
Published: June 2018

Poxviruses encode a set of secreted proteins that bind cytokines and chemokines as a strategy to modulate host defense mechanisms. These viral proteins mimic the activity of host cytokine decoy receptors but have unique properties that may enhance their activity. Here, we describe the ability of poxvirus cytokine receptors to attach to the cell surface after secretion from infected cells, and we discuss the advantages that this property may confer to these viral immunomodulatory proteins.
Autonomic nervous system assessment in people with HIV: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Rosario Martin , Gonzalez-Sola Maryvi
Published: June 2018

Background: People diagnosed with HIV may exhibit orthostatic hypotension (OH) as a result of the infection and of secondary effects of medications. Such impairments are attributed to autonomic nervous system (ANS) deficits. The purpose of this study was to assess OH during a balance sensory condition test (SCT) and evaluate the role of the cardiac autonomic system, regarding blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR), during this balancing task. We hypothesized that BP and heart rate would rise with an increase in postural instability, thus revealing OH.

Methods: Eight individuals diagnosed with HIV were recruited from a community health center in the area of San Juan, Puerto Rico. BP and HR were measured after 5 minutes of sitting, immediately after standing up and 1 minute after this, during the SCT. A t-test was used to assess the difference between BP in sitting, BP in standing, and BP while performing the SCT. HR was also evaluated the same way.

Results: There was an increase of more than 10 mmHg in systolic BP (SBP) from sitting compared to standing while performing the SCT (p≤0.01). Likewise, HR and SBP standing versus standing during the SCT increased significantly (p≤0.01). 

Conclusion: The results of this study show that the ANS may be impaired in people with HIV.
Measuring the effectiveness of maternal delivery services: A cross-sectional and qualitative study of perinatal mortality in six primary referral hospitals, Kenya
Authors: Ayah Richard , Ongore Dismas , Agwanda Alfred T.O.
Published: June 2018

Background: The effective performance of hospitals is critical to overall health system goal achievement. Global health system performance frameworks are often used as part of global benchmarking, but not within low and middle-income countries as part of service delivery performance measurement. This study explored the utility of perinatal mortality as a measure of hospital effectiveness.

Methods: A cross sectional, mixed methods study of six primary referral hospitals, differentiated by ownership, was conducted from 10th June to 9th October 2015. Monthly summary hospital data of maternal delivery services (MDS) were abstracted to determine the perinatal mortality. Tests of associations were used to correlate bed turnover, skilled staffing, method of delivery and perinatal mortality. Additionally, 40 questionnaire interviews were held with hospital board members and the management team to assess the availability of standard operating procedures (SOP) in MDS. Qualitative data was analysed thematically.

Results: All six hospitals reported having SOP in managing MDS. The average perinatal mortality rate for all the hospitals was 24.63 per 1,000 live births. However, a perinatal death was 2.6 times more likely in public hospitals compared to private hospitals (29.8 vs 11.4 per 1,000 births respectively). The average caesarean section rate for all hospitals was 25.9%, but the odds of a caesarean section were 1.67 higher in a private hospital compared to a public hospital (P<0.001 95% CI: 1.58-1.77). Perinatal mortality was associated with bed turnover ratio (R squared 0.260, P=0.001), and skilled staff availability (R squared 0.064,P<0.001).

Discussion: The high perinatal mortality reported in public hospitals may be due to high bed turnover and relatively low caesarean section rate. Input measures of performance such as reporting standards of care and staffing levels are not useful performance indicators. Perinatal mortality as a performance indicator may be an ideal measure of the effectiveness of hospitals.
A chronic protocol of bilateral transcranial direct current stimulation over auditory cortex for tinnitus treatment: Dataset from a double-blinded randomized controlled trial
Authors: Yadollahpour Ali , Mayo Miguel , Saki Nader , Rashidi Samaneh , Bayat Arash
Published: June 2018

Preliminary studies have demonstrated the therapeutic potential of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for chronic tinnitus. However, the findings are controversial and most of the studies investigated effects of a single session of tDCS and short after-effects, ranging from hours to days. To our knowledge, there is no published study investigating the effects of a chronic protocol of bilateral tDCS over auditory cortex (AC) with one month follow-up in a double blinded randomized clinical trial. This dataset presents the results of a double-blinded placebo controlled trial investigating the effects of chronic protocol (10 sessions) of tDCS over AC with 1 month follow-up. The data of the two groups, real tDCS (n=25) and sham tDCS (n=15), are reported. The dataset includes three main data groups: patient- and tinnitus-specific data, data of the primary and secondary outcomes, and data on the adverse effects of and tolerability to tDCS. The first group includes demographic information, audiometric assessments, and tinnitus-specific characteristics. The second group includes tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) scores, tinnitus loudness, and tinnitus related distress based on 0-10 numerical visual analogue scale (VAS) scores. The values of the primary and secondary outcomes for pre-intervention and at different time points following interventions are presented. THI scores pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention and at 1 month follow-up; the scores of tinnitus loudness and distress scores for pre-intervention, and immediately, 1 hour, 1 week, and at 1 month after the last stimulation session are presented. Moreover, the adverse effects of and tolerability to the tDCS were assessed using a customized questionnaire after the last tDCS session. This dataset can be used alone or in combination with other datasets using advanced statistical analyses and modeling to investigate the treatment efficacy of tDCS in chronic intractable tinnitus.
Case Report: Corpus callosal apraxia following acute ischemic stroke
Authors: Narayanan Santhosh , Subramaniam Gomathy
Published: June 2018

The corpus callosum is a compact structure that connects the right and left cerebral hemispheres. Here we report the case of a 50 year old woman who presented with features of corpus callosum apraxia, initially mistaken as psychiatric symptom by her relatives. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance of brain confirmed the diagnosis of acute ischemic infarct in the body of the corpus callosum. Isolated stroke involving the corpus callosum is rarely reported in literature and is a diagnostic challenge due to atypical clinical features.
Morphology and performance of polyvinyl chloride membrane modified with Pluronic F127
Authors: Arahman Nasrul , Fahrina Afrilia , Wahab Mukramah Yusuf , Fathanah Umi
Published: June 2018

Background: Attempts to modify the morphology of membrane for application in industrial separation are being undertaken by many researchers. The present study discusses the morphological modification of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) membrane by combining the hydrophilic surfactant Pluronic F127 (PF127) in a polymer solution to improve the performance of the membrane. 

Method: The membrane is formed using the non-solvent induced-phase separation (NIPS) method. PF127 is added to the membrane solution as a membrane modifying agent. The effects of the surfactant concentration in the dope solution on the permeability of pure water, solute rejection, hydrophilic characteristics, and membrane morphology are investigated.

Results: Higher concentrations of PF127 had a significant effect on the permeability of pure water. The highest membrane permeation was 45.65 l/m2.hr.atm with the addition of 7% PF127 additive.

Conclusion: PF127 is successfully proposed as a membrane pore-forming agent in this work; the blending of this additive in appropriate amounts in the polymer solution is adequate to improve the performance of the PVC membrane.
Regenerative collagen biomembrane: Interim results of a Phase I veterinary clinical trial for skin repair
Authors: Kaasi Andreas , Lima-Neto João F. , Matiello-Filho José A. , Calejo Mário H.S. , Jardini André L. , Kharmandayan Paulo
Published: June 2018

Background: The availability of commercial tissue engineering skin repair products for veterinary use is scarce or non-existent. To assess features of novel veterinary tissue engineered medical devices, it is therefore reasonable to compare with currently available human devices. During the development and regulatory approval phases, human medical devices that may have been identified as comparable to a novel veterinary device, may serve as predicate devices and accelerate approval in the veterinary domain. The purpose of the study was to evaluate safety and efficacy of the biomembrane for use in skin repair indications.

Methods: In the study as a whole (3 year total length), 15 patients (animals), dogs and cats (male/female, <8 years) with skin lesions of different etiologies considered difficult to heal (size, >2 cm), with a wound depth equivalent to 2nd/3rd degree burns are to be studied from Day 0 to Day 120-240, post-application of the biomembrane. This interim report covers the 5 patients assessed to date and deemed eligible, of which 3 enrolled, and 2 have completed the treatment. Wound beds were prepared and acellular collagen biomembranes (Eva Scientific Ltd, São Paulo, Brazil) applied directly onto the wounds, and sutured at the margins to the patient's adjacent tissue. Wound size over time, healing rate, general skin quality and suppleness were assessed as outcomes. Qualitative (appearance and palpation) and quantitative (based on Image Analysis of photographs) wound assessment techniques were used.

Results: Both patients’ wounds healed fully, with no adverse effects, and the healing rate was comparable in both, maxing out at approximately 1 cm2/day.

Conclusions: Early results on the biomembrane's safety and efficacy indicate suitability for skin repair usage in veterinary patients.
Looking for effects of qualia on event-related brain potentials of close others in search for a cause of the similarity of qualia assumed across individuals
Authors: Bouten Sheila , Pantecouteau Hugo , Debruille J. Bruno
Published: June 2018

Qualia, the individual instances of subjective conscious experience, are private events. However, in everyday life, we assume qualia of others and their perceptual worlds, to be similar to ours. One way this similarity is possible is if qualia of others somehow contribute to the production of qualia by our own brain and vice versa. To test this hypothesis, we focused on the mean voltages of event-related potentials (ERPs) in the time-window of the P600 component, whose amplitude correlates positively with conscious awareness. These ERPs were elicited by images of the international affective picture system in 16 pairs of friends, siblings or couples going side by side through hyperscanning without having to interact. Each of the 32 members of these 16 pairs faced one half of the screen and could not see what the other member was presented with on the other half. One stimulus occurred on each half simultaneously. The sameness of these stimulus pairs was manipulated as well as the participants’ belief in that sameness by telling subjects’ pairs that they were going to be presented with the same stimuli in two blocks and with different ones in the two others. ERPs were more positive at all electrode subsets for stimulus pairs that were inconsistent with the belief than for those that were consistent. In the N400 time window, at frontal electrode sites, ERPs were again more positive for inconsistent than for consistent stimuli. As participants had no way to see the stimulus their partner was presented with and thus no way to detect inconsistence, these data might reveal an impact of the qualia of a person on the brain activity of another. Such impact could provide a research avenue when trying to explain the similarity of qualia across individuals.
Asistencia social e informalidad: analizando la relación en Colombia
Authors: Saavedra-Caballero Fabiola , Ospina Londoño Mónica
Published: June 2018

Este trabajo presenta evidencia sobre los efectos de los programas de asistencia social en el mercado laboral, tanto en el corto como en el mediano plazo. Evaluamos el impacto del programa de transferencias monetarias condicionadas “Familias en Acción” sobre la informalidad en Colombia a nivel individuo. Además, se realiza la evaluación utilizando tres perspectivas diferentes del concepto de “informalidad” que capturan diversas facetas del problema. Argumentamos que, a pesar de que no es un resultado deseable, ser beneficiario de programas de protección social podría crear incentivos perversos como la informalidad.Para alcanzar nuestro objetivo, utilizamos datos de la encuesta del programa “Familias en Acción” para identificar si el programa tiene algún efecto en la propensión de los trabajadores a participar en el mercado de trabajo informal en Colombia, uno y cuatro años después de la implementación del mismo. Nuestra estrategia empírica incluye una combinación de algoritmos de pareo, además de la metodología de diferencias en diferencias. Nuestros resultados muestran que la condición de informalidad de los trabajadores sí puede verse afectada en caso de recibir una transferencia monetaria condicionada.
Calidad de sueño del personal de enfermería
Authors: Satizábal Moreno Jineth Pilar , Marín Ariza Diego Andrés
Published: June 2018

Introducción: El objetivo de esta investigación fue medir la calidad de sueño percibida por el personal de enfermería de la E.S.E. Hospital Regional de Vélez en el año 2012. Materiales y métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo de corte trasversal con abordaje cualitativo; para la obtención de la información se aplicó el Índice de Calidad de sueño de Pittsburgh (versión colombiana) y se realizó un grupo focal con el 17 % de la población encuestada. Resultados: El Índice medio de calidad de sueño de la población fue de 4,1 ± 2,6 y la prevalencia de malos dormidores fue del 24,9 %. Los componentes del sueño más alterados fueron duración y latencia del sueño; por otra parte, los principales hallazgos del grupo focal se relacionan con la incidencia del tener hijos, especialmente si son pequeños, en la calidad de sueño; la identificación del estrés y de sus principales precursores de índole intralaboral (inseguridad en el trabajo, carga laboral y falta de respaldo institucional, entre otros) y extralaborales (problemas personales y el estado de las relaciones familiares), como un constructo relacionado con la calidad de sueño. Conclusión: Se recomendó al Hospital revisar y ajustar la organización de los turnos y otros aspectos organizacionales que redunden en una mejor calidad de sueño del personal de enfermería.
Assessing the health consequences of fitness to practise investigations
Authors: Watters Cathryn
Published: June 2018

Cathryn Watters of campaign group NMCWatch:registrant care argues that health problems and high attrition rates are down to the harsh treatment faced by nurses undergoing NMC investigation. cathrynwatters@mail.com
Implementation of outcomes-driven and value-based mental health care in the UK
Authors: Wallang Paul , Kamath Sanjith , Parshall Alice , Saridar Tahani , Shah Mahek
Published: June 2018

Health-care companies around the world face an unprecedented challenge of rising health-care costs, increasing life expectancy and escalating demand. Although national health-care budgets have increased (as a percentage of gross domestic product) health care continues to impart significant upward pressure on national expenditure, particularly in the UK ( Licchetta and Stelmach, 2016 ). Additionally a substantial funding gap will continue to grow ( Gainsbury, 2016 ). In response to this challenge a ‘value’ based strategy has gained momentum over the last two decades. Several pioneers of this approach (Sir Muir Gray at Oxford University, Professor Michael Porter at Harvard University and Professor Elizabeth Teisberg at Dell Medical School) emphasize the importance of organizations focusing on ‘value’. Porter and Teisberg (2006) highlight the ‘value equation’ as obtaining the very best patient outcomes for each unit of currency spent. Gray expands on this model, describing three types of value: allocative, technical and personal ( Gray, 2011 ). Although some global health-care organizations have embraced the value-based agenda to transform acute care facilities, mental health providers have been slow to consider the benefits of this approach. This article gives a broad overview of implementing a value-based model in mental health care, the significant development resources needed, organizational issues, and finally concludes with the benefits and a vision of value-based mental health care for the future.
Laboratory data as a quality indicator of health-care-associated infections in England
Authors: Jeyaratnam Dakshika , Planche Timothy
Published: June 2018

Routine diagnostic laboratory results, e.g. numbers of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemias, have been used as health-care-associated infection quality indicators for decades. The English health-care-associated infection quality indicator system was one of the earliest in the world to mandate the collection and public reporting of such data and has been associated with a reduction of MRSA bacteraemias and Clostridium difficile infections but has shown mixed results for other infections.

Diagnostic laboratory data vary greatly between hospitals depending not only on the underlying frequency of the infection of interest, but on the case mix, numbers of samples processed and laboratory factors, which limits benchmarking. Further, over-reliance on laboratory reports has led to unintended negative consequences in England. So, while acknowledging the successes of the English system, the authors believe that it should be appraised in light of the goals of quality of care, patient safety, fairness and providing meaningful data, and alternative healthcare-associated infection quality indicator measurements considered.
End of life care in the community: the role of ambulance clinicians
Authors: Pettifer Annie , Bronnert Rosanna
Published: June 2018

Overview

Ambulance clinicians are frequently called to patients who are approaching the end of their life. This article presents an overview of some of the issues that impact on the delivery of care to patients at the end of life, including symptom and urgent care needs in the last few days of life; preferences for care/place of care; and coordination of care. Each of these areas pose different challenges for ambulance clinicians. As a way of addressing some of the issues, this article outlines an online education package in end-of-life care, which has been specifically designed for ambulance clinicians in response to an analysis of their training needs. The learning outcomes and educational approach is described. The education aims to help equip ambulance clinicians with the knowledge and confidence that they need to deliver high-quality urgent end-of-life care.
Broad minded
Authors: Grenier Julian
Published: June 2018

It is time to reflect on a broad and balanced early years curriculum, and a revised EYFS should support us to think about what our children need, argues Dr Julian Grenier
Make links
Authors: Dubiel Jan
Published: June 2018

The split between Prime and Specific areas is valid, provided practitioners understand how they inter-relate, says Jan Dubiel
Take control
Authors: Faulder Marc , Kaye Lorraine
Published: June 2018

Technology – especially the kind that involves screens – always divides opinion when it comes to children. Meredith Jones Russell talks to two digital tech experts to find out how they think the subject should be represented within the revised EYFS
Fizz, bang…
Authors: Goddard Charlotte
Published: June 2018

Increasing numbers of early years settings are recognising the importance of STEM subjects within an early years curriculum. Charlotte Goddard speaks to one
The Problem of Holiness
Authors: Mittleman Alan
Published: June 2018

Holiness is an important but problematic concept for religious discourse. It is unclear what it means, both in classical texts and in contemporary usage. Holiness seems to signify a property in some cases and a relation in others. The Bible itself preserves a range of usages. Some of these are ontological: holiness as a would-be property inheres in objects, places, persons, or times. Other uses are imputed: holiness connotes a status that human beings ascribe to things. The range of use can be explicated by the concept of a social or institutional reality developed by Searle. Social facts entail valuations, intentions, and practices; they presuppose a basis of brute fact. A plausible contemporary view of holiness will link ontological and axiological commitments in such a way as to express the underlying goodness of being.
Is Ransom Enough?
Authors: Crisp Oliver D.
Published: June 2018

In recent systematic theology versions of the Ransom account of the atonement have proliferated. Much of this work uses Gustav Aulén's Christus Victor as a point of departure. In this paper I first distinguish between models and theories of atonement. Then I discuss three recent theological perorations of the Ransom model as a prelude to setting out four interpretive strategies for understanding this view of atonement. I then offer some critical remarks on these strategies, concluding that the Ransom view as set forth here does not provide a complete model of atonement.
Rites of Remission
Authors: Cuneo Terence
Published: June 2018

The texts of ancient liturgies of the Christian East repeatedly state that activities such as taking eucharist, baptizing, and anointing are for the remission of sin. But how could that be? What could the connection be between the performance of these actions, on the one hand, and the state of enjoying remission of sin, on the other? The first step toward providing a satisfactory answer to these questions is to note that, in the context of the liturgy, the phrase "remission of sin" is best understood to mean not forgiveness of sin but deliverance from the sin-disorder. With this meaning in mind, I present a model for how rites of certain kinds could be intelligibly understood to be for the remission of sin.
Three Replies: On Revelation, Natural Law and Jewish Autonomy in Theology
Authors: Hazony Yoram
Published: June 2018

I address three key questions in Jewish theology that have come up in readers’ criticism of my book The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture: (i) How should we think about God’s revelation to man if, as I have proposed, the sharp distinction between divine revelation and human reason is alien to the Hebrew Bible and classical rabbinic sources? (ii) Is the biblical Law of Moses intended to be a description of natural law, suggesting the path to life and the good for all nations? And (iii) what should be the role of the Jewish theologian, given the overwhelming prevalence of Christian conceptions of God and Scripture in contemporary theological discourse.
Could there be Suffering in Paradise? The Primal Sin, the Beatific Vision, and Suffering in Paradise
Authors: Worsley David Andrew
Published: June 2018

Paradise is often conceived as a place where suffering is not possible, so much so that the possibility of suffering in paradise has been used by various philosophers as a defeater for the possibility of paradise.[1]Employing a “reverse-engineered-theodicy,” I use Eleonore Stump’s morally-sufficient-reason for why God allows suffering in this earthly world to explore one condition that must obtain for suffering to remain impossible in paradise, namely, that internal fragmentation is not possible in paradise. After developing an intellectualist explanation of the primal sin (an alleged prior instance of internal fragmentation in a paradisiacal environment), I suggest one reason to believe that the internal fragmentation of redeemed humans in paradise is not possible. However, this reason does not extend to other non-human inhabitants of paradise, and so I suggest that it remains possible that these other inhabitants might yet become internally fragmented. Given that Christ-like consensual suffering that aids a third party’s internal integration is presumably morally justifiable (How else can we justify God allowing Christ to suffer?), I conclude by suggesting that the suffering of the redeemed in paradise is in fact possible (although quite unlikely). Therefore, even in paradise, there is a place for hope that the redeemed do not suffer, and for trust in others that they do not bring such suffering into being.[1] For one example see (Talbott 1990, 32).
Robert Jenson and Contemporary Metaphysics
Authors: Crocker James
Published: June 2018

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that, if we pursue an approach to metaphysics widespread in contemporary philosophy that moves from the study of language to ontology, but do not remove religious claims from the language deemed appropriate for the task, we end up with an approach to metaphysics which is remarkably similar to the kind of theological method which Robert Jenson has advocated for much of his career.
Analytic Theology and Analytic Philosophy of Religion: What’s the difference?
Authors: Baker-Hytch Max
Published: June 2018

Analytic theology is often seen as an outgrowth of analytic philosophy of religion. It isn’t fully clear, however, whether it differs from analytic philosophy of religion in some important way. Is analytic theology really just a sub-field of analytic philosophy of religion, or can it be distinguished from the latter in virtue of fundamental differences at the level of subject matter or methodology? These are pressing questions for the burgeoning field of analytic theology. The aim of this article, then, will be to map out several forms that analytic theology might (and in some cases actually does) take before examining the extent to which each can be thought to be distinct from analytic philosophy of religion.
The Experience of Beauty: Hugh and Richard of St. Victor on Natural Theology
Authors: Palmén Ritva
Published: June 2018

In this paper, I will argue that the Twelfth Century spiritually -oriented texts present an important, but often neglected instance of natural theology. My analysis will show that in the texts of Hugh of St. Victor (d. 1141) and his student Richard of St. Victor (d. 1173) we find a Christian Neo-Platonist variant of natural theology. The elements of natural theology form a central part of their larger spiritual programmes, which in turn are meant to guide the human being in her ascent into divine realities and thereby offer immediate experience of the presence of God. I will give special attention to Hugh’s treatise De Tribus Diebus, as it explores both the manifestations of the Trinity in the created world as well as the beauty of all created objects. Hugh’s account will be supplemented by an exposition of Richard’s idea of experience as a vital means for all knowing.
Divine Temporality, the Trinity, and the Charge of Arianism
Authors: Mullins R.T.
Published: June 2018

Divine temporality is all the rage in certain theological circles today. Some even suggesting that the doctrine of the Trinity entails divine temporality. While I find this claim a bit strong, I do think that divine temporality can be quite useful for developing a robust model of the Trinity. However, not everyone agrees with this. Paul Helm has offered an objection to the so-called Oxford school of divine temporality based on the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. He has argued that this form of divine temporality entails Arianism. In other words, divine temporality suffers from an inadequate doctrine of the Trinity. In this paper I shall first articulate the so-called Oxford school of divine temporality. From there I shall develop some of the Oxford school’s theological benefits that help flesh out the doctrine of the Trinity, and assuage the charge of Arianism. Then I shall offer an examination and refutation of the Arian charge to divine temporality in order to show that the divine temporalist can maintain a robust Trinitarian theology.
Christian apokatastasis: Two Paradigmatic Objections
Authors: Nemes Steven
Published: June 2018

The present essay elaborates upon some of the important constituent elements of the classical universalist tradition, documented in detail by Ilaria Ramelli’s recent research, in dialog with Oliver Crisp and Jerry Walls, two contemporary objectors to the doctrine of different backgrounds. Its central claim is that the classical universalist tradition can respond to and accommodate the concerns of its objectors while maintaining the firm conviction of the eventual universal salvation.