bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neurological Complications During Pulsatile Ventricular Assistance With the Berlin Heart EXCOR in Children: Incidence and Risk Factors
Authors: Polito Angelo , Netto Roberta , Soldati Massimiliano , Brancaccio Gianluca , Grutter Giorgia , Amodeo Antonio , Ricci Zaccaria , Morelli Stefano , Cogo Paola
Published: April 2013

The aim of this study is to describe the incidence of brain injury (BI) in children with end‐stage cardiac failure who were supported with the Berlin Heart EXCOR ventricular assist device (VAD) as a bridge to heart transplantation. Between January 2002 and January 2012, all patients <18 years of age who underwent the implantation of the Berlin Heart EXCOR at Bambino Gesú Children's Hospital were included. A total of 25 patients were included in this study. Median age and weight at implantation were 22.4 months (range 3.6–154.2) and 10 kg (range 4.5–36), respectively. Diagnosis included cardiomyopathy (n = 20) and congenital heart disease (n = 5). Eleven patients received atrial cannulation. Nine patients underwent biventricular assist device support. Seven patients underwent extracorporeal membrane oxygenation before the implantation of the EXCOR VAD. Median duration of VAD support was 51 days (range 2–167). Nine patients had evidence of acute BI including intracranial hemorrhage (n = 5) and cerebral ischemia (n = 4). Freedom from BI at 30, 60, and 90 days from VAD implantation was 80.7, 69.9, and 43.3%, respectively. Weight <10 kg at implantation was significantly associated with BI. BI is a frequent complication among children supported with EXCOR VAD and is associated with lower weight at implantation. However, our data do not support the association between size and BI. Future prospective multicenter studies are warranted to further help understand the etiology and the impact of BI and to improve functional outcomes for children undergoing EXCOR VAD mechanical support.
Parent satisfaction with early and delayed abduction splinting therapy of developmental hip dysplasia
Authors: Bergo Kaja K , Rosendahl Karen
Published: April 2013

Aim

To determine whether treatment for mild hip dysplasia instigated in the newborn period was preferred over a delayed treatment by the parents, as delayed treatment for mild hip dysplasia detected in newborns is an acceptable medical policy.

Methods

During a study period of 16 months from 2010 to 2011, parents attending the paediatric radiology outpatient clinic at Haukeland University Hospital for a follow‐up of their baby with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), were invited to fill in a questionnaire on parent satisfaction on information provided, and on follow‐up and treatment given.

Results

A total of 91 parents were included, of which 66 (72.5%) had their babies treated from birth (group 1), while 25 (27.5%) had their child treated from 5 weeks onwards (group 2).

Although parents in the delayed treatment group, in retrospect, were less satisfied with timing of the treatment than those in the early treatment group (p < 0.00), their general impression and total satisfaction did not differ (p = 0.29).

Conclusion

The overall parent satisfaction on follow‐up and treatment did not differ according to whether treatment was instigated at birth or later in infancy.
IMMEDIATE SETTLEMENT OR ENDURING A STRIKE: THE CHOICE OF SIGNALS
Authors: Yao Zhiyong
Published: April 2013

Some labour contract negotiations involve strikes while most conclude with immediate settlement. This article offers a model of union‐firm negotiation with private information to show that either strikes or immediate settlement will take place in the equilibrium. Different from most signalling literature where the signals are exogenously given, this article endogenizes the choice of signals. We compare two signals, the employment level and the strategic delay. We show that the low‐revenue firm will choose the signal which gives it higher payoff while separating itself from the high‐revenue firm.
Lipid synthesis and processing proteins ABHD5, PGRMC1 and squalene synthase can serve as novel immunohistochemical markers for sebaceous neoplasms and differentiate sebaceous carcinoma from sebaceoma and basal cell carcinoma with clear cell features
Authors: Chen Wei‐Shen , Chen Pei‐Ling , Li Jianping , Lind Anne C. , Lu Dongsi
Published: April 2013

Background

Sebaceous carcinoma represents a rare and potentially fatal adnexal malignancy. Poorly‐differentiated sebaceous carcinoma consisting of infiltrative basaloid tumor cells with inapparent lipid vesicles can mimic basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Conversely, other epithelial tumors can exhibit clear cell histopathology and mimic sebaceous carcinoma. At the present time, immunohistochemical markers unique for sebaceous carcinoma are limited.

Methods

We evaluated the expression of three lipid synthesis/processing protein markers alpha/beta hydrolase domain‐containing protein 5 (ABHD5), progesterone receptor membrane component‐1 (PGRMC1) and squalene synthase (SQS) in sebaceous carcinoma and investigated their utility in differentiating sebaceous tumors from BCC with clear cell features. Immunohistochemistry was performed on 23 sebaceous carcinomas, 14 sebaceomas and 14 BCCs with clear cell features.

Results

In sebaceous carcinomas, ABHD5 showed dispersed, cytoplasmic punctate and/or vesicular staining (n = 19/23, 83%), while PGRMC1 and SQS each showed vesicular and membranous staining in tumor cells (n = 22/23, 96%). In all sebaceomas, these markers highlighted tightly clustered lipid vesicles in sebocytes. All BCCs with clear cell features were negative for these three markers.

Conclusion

ABHD5, PGRMC1 and SQS are novel markers for sebaceous carcinoma and can reliably distinguish sebaceous neoplasms from non‐sebaceous tumors, specifically BCC with clear cell features.
The Temple and the Bazaar: Wikipedia as a Platform for Open Authority in Museums
Authors: Phillips Lori Byrd
Published: April 2013

Museums today grapple with the reconciliation of traditional models of authority with the expectation to incorporate new voices in cultural interpretation. At the same time, society is increasingly empowered by a social Web that provides collaboration, connectivity, and openness. This paper frames the dialogue of authority and openness around parallel theories within the museum and technology communities, offering Wikipedia as a platform for facilitating new perspectives in collaborative knowledge‐sharing between museums and communities. Expanding on the metaphors of the museum as “the Temple and the Forum” and the Web as “the Cathedral and the Bazaar,” this essay argues that issues of democratization, voice, and authority in museums can be addressed through Wikipedia's community, process, and its potential as a model for a new Open Authority in museums.
Digital Asset Management: Where to Start
Authors: McGovern Megan
Published: April 2013

The creation of a comprehensive digital asset management strategy for a museum can seem like a daunting or even impossible task, but it need not be. This paper will show how the creation of a comprehensive digital asset management strategy document, outlining the administrative principles, policies, technical specifications, and operating guidelines for digital initiatives, can be accomplished in discrete, manageable tasks. Once created, such a document can form the backbone of an institution's digital activities and provide the basis for an RFP for a digital asset management system. This paper proposes a model framework for institutional digital asset management plans, including standards, tasks, and decisions. Each of the elements in the framework is discussed in both general, best‐practice terms and also specifically, presenting case studies and lessons learned from Corning Museum of Glass.
Characteristics of post‐traumatic headaches in children following mild traumatic brain injury and their response to treatment: a prospective cohort
Authors: Kuczynski Andrea , Crawford Susan , Bodell Lisa , Dewey Deborah , Barlow Karen M
Published: April 2013

Aim

Post‐traumatic headaches (PTHs) following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are common; however, few studies have examined the characteristics of PTHs or their response to treatment. The aims of this study were (1) to describe the clinical characteristics of PTH in a prospective cohort of children presenting to a paediatric emergency department with mTBI, and (2) to evaluate the response of PTH to treatment.

Method

The emergency department cohort was obtained from a prospective longitudinal cohort study of symptoms following mTBI (n=670; 385 males, 285 females) and a comparison group of children with extracranial injury (n=120; 61 males, 59 females). A retrospective chart review of a separate cohort of children from a brain injury clinic (the treatment cohort) treated for PTH was performed (n=44; 29 females, 15 males; mean age 14y 1mo, SD 3y 1mo). The median time since injury was 6.9 months (range 1–29mo). The mean follow‐up interval after treatment started was 5.5 weeks (SD 4.3wks).

Results

Among the emergency department cohort (n=39; 20 males, 19 females; mean age 11y 1mo, SD 4y 3mo) 11% of children were symptomatic with PTHs at a mean of 15.8 days (SD 11.6d) post injury. Three months post injury, 7.8% of children complained of headaches; of those, 56% had pre‐existing headaches and 18% had experienced migraine before the injury. Although headache type varied, 55% met the criteria for migraine. A family or past medical history of migraine was present in 82% of cases. Among the treatment cohort, medications included amitriptyline, flunarizine, topiramate, and melatonin, with an overall response rate of 64%.

Conclusion

This is the first prospective cohort study to describe the clinical characteristics of PTHs following mTBI in children. Migraine was the most common headache type seen; other headaches included tension‐type, cervicogenic, and occipital neuralgias, and 64% responded to treatment. Referral to a headache specialist should be considered, especially when the features are not typical of one of the primary headache disorders.
Ebstein's Anomaly with Subpulmonary Obstruction– A Rare Association
Authors: Singh Bhupinder , Subramanyan Anand , Jayaranganath M. , Manjunath C. N.
Published: April 2013

Ebstein's anomaly comprises a wide spectrum of congenital cardiac abnormalities involving the tricuspid valve (TV) apparatus and the architecture of the morphological right ventricle (RV). We report a case of Ebstein's anomaly in a 3‐year‐old boy having a unique association with severe subpulmonic obstruction caused by tethered and dysplastic anterior tricuspid leaflet (ATL), and a large ventricular septal defect. In view of poorly functioning RV, the baby was planned for a bidirectional Glenn shunt with subsequent Fontan completion.
ASD Device Embolization: Caught in the Act
Authors: Mahesh Kumar Saktheeswaran , Subramanian Venkateshwaran , Krishnamoorthy Kavassery Mahadevan , Sivasankaran Sivasubramonian
Published: April 2013

Mini‐Abstract

Atrial septal defects (ASD) are often complex in shape and deciding an appropriate device size is important to avoid embolization as well as erosion. Here, we describe a patient with an oval ASD whose percutaneous closure was complicated by device embolization which was caught live by transoesophageal echocardiography.
Imaging Cardiac Sarcoidosis: The Incremental Benefit of Speckle Tracking Echocardiography
Authors: Shah Benoy N. , De Villa Manuel , Khattar Rajdeep S. , Senior Roxy
Published: April 2013

Mini‐Abstract

Echocardiography is the front‐line investigation for assessment of cardiac morphology and function. Assessment of ventricular systolic function has traditionally been defined by the ejection fraction (EF). However, EF is influenced by preload and after load and is inadequate as a sole indicator of systolic performance. Studies have also shown its inability to detect early myocardial dysfunction.

We present images from a patient with pulmonary sarcoidosis referred for echocardiography after developing palpitations. Two‐dimensional‐echocardiography was unremarkable but speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) revealed significantly abnormal regional myocardial strains. The images highlight the potential of STE to reveal early myocardial involvement in sarcoidosis.
Decreased A‐currents in hippocampal dentate granule cells after seizure‐inducing hypoxia in the immature rat
Authors: Peng Bi‐Wen , Justice Jason A. , He Xiao‐Hua , Sanchez Russell M.
Published: April 2013

Purpose

Cerebral hypoxia is a major cause of neonatal seizures, and can lead to epilepsy. Pathologic anatomic and physiologic changes in the dentate gyrus have been associated with epileptogenesis in many experimental models, as this region is widely believed to gate the propagation of limbic seizures. However, the consequences of hypoxia‐induced seizures for the immature dentate gyrus have not been extensively examined.

Methods

Seizures were induced by global hypoxia (5–7% O2 for 15 min) in rat pups on postnatal day 10. Whole‐cell voltage‐clamp recordings were used to examine A‐type potassium currents (IA) in dentate granule cells in hippocampal slices obtained 1–17 days after hypoxia treatment.

Key Findings

Seizure‐inducing hypoxia resulted in decreased maximum IA amplitude in dentate granule cells recorded within the first week but not at later times after hypoxia treatment. The decreased IA amplitude was not associated with changes in the voltage‐dependence of activation or inactivation removal, or in sensitivity to inhibition by 4‐aminopyridine (4‐AP). However, consistent with the role of IA in shaping firing patterns, we observed in the hypoxia group a significantly decreased latency to first spike with depolarizing current injection from hyperpolarized potentials. These differences were not associated with changes in resting membrane potential or input resistance, and were eliminated by application of 10 m 4‐AP.

Significance

Given the role of IA to slow action potential firing, decreased IA could contribute to long‐term hippocampal pathology after neonatal seizure‐inducing hypoxia by increasing dentate granule cell excitability during a critical window of activity‐dependent hippocampal maturation.
Impulsiveness mediates the association between GABRA2 SNPs and lifetime alcohol problems
Authors: Villafuerte S. , Strumba V. , Stoltenberg S. F. , Zucker R. A. , Burmeister M.
Published: April 2013

Genetic variants in GABRA2 have previously been shown to be associated with alcohol measures, electroencephalography (EEG) β waves and impulsiveness‐related traits. Impulsiveness is a behavioral risk factor for alcohol and other substance abuse. Here, we tested association between 11 variants in GABRA2 with NEO‐impulsiveness and problem drinking. Our sample of 295 unrelated adult subjects was from a community of families with at least one male with DSM‐IV alcohol use diagnosis, and from a socioeconomically comparable control group. Ten GABRA2 SNPs (single‐nucleotide polymorphisms) were associated with the NEO‐impulsiveness (P < 0.03). The alleles associated with higher impulsiveness correspond to the minor alleles identified in previous alcohol dependence studies. All ten SNPs are in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with each other and represent one effect on impulsiveness. Four SNPs and the corresponding haplotype from intron 3 to intron 4 were also associated with Lifetime Alcohol Problems Score (LAPS, P < 0.03) (not corrected for multiple testing). Impulsiveness partially mediates (22.6% average) this relation between GABRA2 and LAPS. Our results suggest that GABRA2 variation in the region between introns 3 and 4 is associated with impulsiveness and this effect partially influences the development of alcohol problems, but a direct effect of GABRA2 on problem drinking remains. A potential functional SNP rs279827, located next to a splice site, is located in the most significant region for both impulsiveness and LAPS. The high degree of LD among nine of these SNPs and the conditional analyses we have performed suggest that all variants represent one signal.
Diagnostic reliability of the Tzanck smear in dermatologic diseases
Authors: Eryılmaz Aydolu , Durdu Murat , Baba Mete , Yıldırım Fatma E
Published: April 2013

Background  The Tzanck smear is a simple, easily applicable, rapid, and inexpensive test for the diagnosis of erosive vesiculobullous, tumoral, and granulomatous diseases. The diagnostic accuracy of the Tzanck smear is known, but its diagnostic reliability has been evaluated only in herpetic infections and basal cell carcinoma.

Objectives  The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic reliability of the Tzanck smear in erosive vesiculobullous, tumoral, and granulomatous diseases.

Methods  Patients evaluated by Tzanck smear at Başkent University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, between February 2009 and July 2010, were included. Three dermatologists were involved in the study. Dermatologist A performed a clinical dermatologic examination, took the smear material, made a clinical diagnosis, and compared the clinical and cytological diagnoses. Dermatologists B and C evaluated the smears. Agreement between the latter two dermatologists on the cytological diagnoses was determined.

Results  In 500 patients, a total of 272 (54%) erosive vesiculobullous, 190 (38%) tumoral, and 38 (8%) granulomatous lesions were diagnosed. The diagnostic reliability of the Tzanck smear was reasonably substantial (κ = 0.59) for all types of lesions, substantial for erosive vesiculobullous (κ = 0.79) and granulomatous (κ = 0.68) lesions, and moderate (κ = 0.50) for tumoral lesions.

Conclusions  The Tzanck smear may be used for the evaluation of erosive vesiculobullous and granulomatous lesions with brief training. However, the evaluation of tumoral lesions by Tzanck smear requires more experience.
Treatment outcomes of a combined cognitive behavior therapy and pharmacotherapy for a sample of women with and without substance abuse histories on an acute psychiatric unit: Do therapeutic alliance and motivation matter?
Authors: Clarke Nickeisha , Mun Eun‐Young , Kelly Shalonda , White Helene R. , Lynch Katherine
Published: April 2013

Background and Objectives

Women with comorbid psychiatric and substance abuse problems (PwSA) experience more consequences from their use and typically have the poorest prognosis and outcome, compared to those with psychiatric problems but without substance abuse problems (PwoSA). The present study examined outcomes of a combined intensive inpatient cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and pharmacotherapy program for women with PwSA and PwoSA.

Methods

Sample consisted of 117 women on a women‐only acute inpatient unit (PwSA = 50, PwoSA = 67).

Results

Women in both groups made significant improvements in psychological functioning. High motivation at admission and therapeutic alliance at discharge were associated with improved psychological functioning at discharge for both groups.

Scientific Significance

Findings provide preliminary support for the efficacy of a combined CBT and pharmacotherapy program for women with psychiatric diagnoses on a women‐only acute inpatient unit, and for pre‐treatment motivation and therapeutic alliance as important correlates of better treatment outcomes. (Am J Addict 2013;22:556–573)
Matrix Corrections and Error Analysis in High‐Precision SIMS18O/16O Measurements of Ca–Mg–Fe Garnet
Authors: Ickert Ryan B. , Stern Richard A.
Published: April 2013

We report technical and data treatment methods for making accurate, high‐precision measurements of 18O/16O in Ca–Mg–Fe garnet utilising the Cameca IMS 1280 multi‐collector ion microprobe. Matrix effects were similar to those shown by previous work, whereby Ca abundance is correlated with instrumental mass fractionation (IMF). After correction for this effect, there appeared to be no significant secondary effect associated with Mg/Fe2+ for routine operational conditions. In contrast, investigation of the IMF associated with Mn‐ or Cr‐rich garnet showed that these substitutions are significant and require a more complex calibration scheme. The Ca‐related calibration applied to low‐Cr, low‐Mn garnet was reproducible across different sample mounts and under a range of instrument settings and therefore should be applicable to similar instruments of this type. The repeatability of the measurements was often better than ± 0.2‰ (2s), a precision that is similar to the repeatability of bulk techniques. At this precision, the uncertainties due to spot‐to‐spot repeatability were at the same magnitude as those associated with matrix corrections (± 0.1–0.3‰) and the uncertainties in reference materials (± 0.1–0.2‰). Therefore, it is necessary to accurately estimate and propagate uncertainties associated with these parameters – in some cases, uncertainties in reference materials or matrix corrections dominate the uncertainty budget.
Impact of an Educational Program on the Use of Standardized Nursing Languages for Nursing Documentation Among Public Health Nurses in Nigeria
Authors: Odutayo Patience Omonigho , Olaogun Adenike Ayobola , Oluwatosin Abimbola Oyeninhun , Ogunfowokan Adesola Adenike
Published: April 2013

Purpose

To measure the effect of an educational package on documentation of care among public health nurses (PHNs).

Method

A quasi‐experimental design was adopted. Forty PHNs working in primary healthcare settings were selected. Education was given through a 5‐day workshop. Documentation of care was assessed using a modified “Muller‐Staub Q‐DIO instrument.” Data were analyzed using t test third and twelfth months postintervention.

Findings

There was a significant improvement on documentation of care at p = .0001.

Conclusion

Educating PHNs and providing them with standardized nursing care plans enhance documentation of care.

Implication to Practice

A combination of education on the use of standardized nursing languages and standardized nursing care plans can enhance documentation of care. There is a need for more research on the use of standardized nursing languages in developing nations.
Disentangling the drivers of metacommunity structure across spatial scales
Authors: Meynard Christine N. , Lavergne Sébastien , Boulangeat Isabelle , Garraud Luc , Van Es Jérémie , Mouquet Nicolas , Thuiller Wilfried
Published: April 2013

Aim

Metacommunity theories attribute different relative degrees of importance to dispersal, environmental filtering, biotic interactions and stochastic processes in community assembly, but the role of spatial scale remains uncertain. Here we used two complementary statistical tools to test: (1) whether or not the patterns of community structure and environmental influences are consistent across resolutions; and (2) whether and how the joint use of two fundamentally different statistical approaches provides a complementary interpretation of results.

Location

Grassland plants in the French Alps.

Methods

We used two approaches across five spatial resolutions (ranging from 1 km × 1 km to 30 km × 30 km): variance partitioning, and analysis of metacommunity structure on the site‐by‐species incidence matrices. Both methods allow the testing of expected patterns resulting from environmental filtering, but variance partitioning allows the role of dispersal and environmental gradients to be studied, while analysis of the site‐by‐species metacommunity structure informs an understanding of how environmental filtering occurs and whether or not patterns differ from chance expectation. We also used spatial regressions on species richness to identify relevant environmental factors at each scale and to link results from the two approaches.

Results

Major environmental drivers of richness included growing degree‐days, temperature, moisture and spatial or temporal heterogeneity. Variance partitioning pointed to an increase in the role of dispersal at coarser resolutions, while metacommunity structure analysis pointed to environmental filtering having an important role at all resolutions through a Clementsian assembly process (i.e. groups of species having similar range boundaries and co‐occurring in similar environments).

Main conclusions

The combination of methods used here allows a better understanding of the forces structuring ecological communities than either one of them used separately. A key aspect in this complementarity is that variance partitioning can detect effects of dispersal whereas metacommunity structure analysis cannot. Moreover, the latter can distinguish between different forms of environmental filtering (e.g. individualistic versus group species responses to environmental gradients).
First record of a bicephalic embryo of smalltail shark Carcharhinus porosus
Authors: Muñoz‐Osorio L. A. , Mejía‐Falla P. A. , Navia A. F.
Published: April 2013

This study reports the first bicephalic embryo of smalltail shark Carcharhinus porosus, which was removed from a pregnant female in coastal waters of the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean. The observation suggested that although the individual's body was well formed, the malformation of the head would have affected it survival.
Rotational Atherectomy for Left Main Coronary Artery Disease in Octogenarians: Transradial Approach in a Tertiary Center and Literature Review
Authors: DAHDOUH ZIAD , ROULE VINCENT , DUGUÉ AUDREY EMMANUELLE , SABATIER RÉMI , LOGNONÉ THÉRÈSE , GROLLIER GILLES
Published: April 2013

Objectives

The aim of this study was to appreciate the safety and effectiveness of transradial percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with rotational atherectomy for highly calcified left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease in octogenarians.

Background

Conventional surgery is still considered the preferred management for LMCA disease; but, when the lesion is severely calcified, and the patient is unsuitable for surgery, the interventional cardiologist faces a complex PCI traditionally approached by femoral access.

Methods

Between June 2004 and December 2010, octogenarians with calcified LMCA disease who were primary denied for surgical revascularization were enrolled. Procedural success and major adverse cerebral and cardiovascular events (MACCE) including death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, target lesion revascularization (TLR), or stroke during long‐term follow‐up were evaluated.

Results

Forty‐two consecutive patients≥80 years had undergone stenting for calcified LMCA disease (13 with rotational atherectomy, the “Rota” group, and 29 without rotational atherectomy, the “without Rota” group). Procedural success was good (92.3% vs. 96.6%, respectively, p = NS). Mean follow‐up time was 25.7 ± 21.4 and 28 ± 32.3 months, respectively. There was a TLR in 25% and 11.1%, respectively; p = NS. No difference was detected in terms of overall in‐hospital or long‐term mortality or MACCE.

Conclusion

Rotational atherectomy followed by stent implantation by transradial approach, when applied to heavily calcified lesions, appeared to be a safe and effective strategy for the treatment of LMCA disease in octogenarians who were refused for surgery. (J Interven Cardiol 2013;26:173–182)
Development, validation and reliability of a web‐based questionnaire to measure health‐related quality of life in dogs
Authors: Reid J. , Wiseman‐Orr M. L. , Scott E. M. , Nolan A. M.
Published: April 2013

Objectives

To describe the development, preliminary validation and reliability testing of a shortened web‐based form of GUVQuest, a structured questionnaire to measure health‐related quality of life in dogs.

Methods

The original 109 items were reduced using expert judgement and factor analysis. Validity was established by factor analysis and in a subsequent field trial using a “known groups” approach and classical test theory. Test–retest reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients.

Results

The instrument comprises 46 items each of which is rated by dog owners using a 7‐point Likert scale. Factor analysis revealed a sensible structure containing four health‐related quality of life domains (vitality, pain, distress and anxiety) accounting for 64·1% of the variability in the data. The field test involving 125 dogs demonstrated very good discriminative properties and intraclass correlation coefficient values of greater than 0·6.

Clinical Significance

This is the first report of a valid and reliable companion animal health‐related quality of life instrument, the contemporary approach to animal welfare measurement, which is presented in a web‐based format, with automated production of a health‐related quality of life profile. It offers major advantages to dog owners, practitioners and researchers.
Using formative research to design a context‐specific behaviour change strategy to improve infant and young child feeding practices and nutrition in Nepal
Authors: Locks Lindsey M. , Pandey Pooja R. , Osei Akoto K. , Spiro David S. , Adhikari Debendra P. , Haselow Nancy J. , Quinn Victoria J. , Nielsen Jennifer N.
Published: April 2013

Global recommendations on strategies to improve infant feeding, care and nutrition are clear; however, there is limited literature that explains methods for tailoring these recommendations to the local context where programmes are implemented. This paper aims to: (1) highlight the individual, cultural and environmental factors revealed by formative research to affect infant and young child feeding and care practices in Baitadi district of Far Western Nepal; and (2) outline how both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used to design a context‐specific behaviour change strategy to improve child nutrition. Quantitative data on 750 children aged 12–23 months and their families were collected via surveys administered to mothers. The participants were selected using a multistage cluster sampling technique. The survey asked about knowledge, attitude and behaviours relating to infant and young child feeding. Qualitative data on breastfeeding and complementary feeding beliefs and practices were also collected from a separate sample via focus group discussions with mothers, and key informant interviews with mothers‐in‐law and husbands. Key findings revealed gaps in knowledge among many informants resulting in suboptimal infant and young child feeding practices – particularly with relation to duration of exclusive breastfeeding and dietary diversity of complementary foods. The findings from this research were then incorporated into a context‐specific nutrition behaviour change communication strategy.
Making use of expertise: a qualitative analysis of the experience of breastfeeding support for first‐time mothers
Authors: Leeming Dawn , Williamson Iain , Johnson Sally , Lyttle Steven
Published: April 2013

There is now a body of research evaluating breastfeeding interventions and exploring mothers' and health professionals' views on effective and ineffective breastfeeding support. However, this literature leaves relatively unexplored a number of questions about how breastfeeding women experience and make sense of their relationships with those trained to provide breastfeeding support. The present study collected qualitative data from 22 breastfeeding first‐time mothers in the United Kingdom on their experiences of, and orientation towards, relationships with maternity care professionals and other breastfeeding advisors. The data were obtained from interviews and audio‐diaries at two time points during the first 5 weeks post‐partum. We discuss a key theme within the data of ‘Making use of expertise’ and three subthemes that capture the way in which the women's orientation towards those assumed to have breastfeeding expertise varied according to whether the women (1) adopted a position of consulting experts vs. one of deferring to feeding authorities; (2) experienced difficulty interpreting their own and their baby's bodies; and (3) experienced the expertise of health workers as empowering or disempowering. Although sometimes mothers felt empowered by aligning themselves with the scientific approach and ‘normalising gaze’ of health care professionals, at other times this gaze could be experienced as objectifying and diminishing. The merits and limitations of a person‐centred approach to breastfeeding support are discussed in relation to using breastfeeding expertise in an empowering rather than disempowering way.
Embracing a Competency‐Based Specialty Curriculum for Community‐Based Nursing Roles
Authors: Levin Pamela F. , Swider Susan M. , Breakwell Susan , Cowell Julia M. , Reising Virginia
Published: April 2013

The Quad Council competencies for public health nursing (PHN) provide guidance in developing curricula at both the generalist and specialist level. However, these competencies are based on nursing roles in traditional public health agencies and community/public health is defined more broadly than official agency practice. The question arises as to whether community‐based specialties require largely the same knowledge and skill set as PHN. The purpose of the competency cross‐mapping project reported here was to (a) assess the intersection of the Quad Council competencies with four community‐based specialties and (b) ensure the appropriateness of a Quad Council‐based curriculum to prepare graduates across these four specialties (home health, occupational health, environmental health, and school nursing). This article details the multistep cross‐mapping process, including validation with practice leaders. Results indicate strong alignment of community‐based specialty competencies with Quad Council competencies. Community‐based specialty‐specific content that did not align well is identified, along with examples of didactic and clinical strategies to address gaps. This work indicates that a Quad Council‐based curriculum is appropriate to prepare graduates in community‐based specialties when attention to the specialty‐specific competencies in the clinical setting is included. This work guides the development of a doctorate of nursing practice curriculum in PHN, encompassing the four additional community‐based specialties.
Representations of Nature of Science in Selected Histories of Science in the Integrated Science Textbooks in China
Authors: Wei Bing , Li Yue , Chen Bo
Published: April 2013

This study aimed to examine the representations of nature of science (NOS) in the eight histories of science selected from three series of integrated science textbooks used in junior high school in China. Ten aspects of NOS were adopted in the analytical framework. It was found that NOS had not been well treated in the selected histories of science in the three series of science textbooks. Specifically, it was found that the empirical and inferential aspects were treated better than other aspects, and discrepancies existed among the three series of science textbooks and among the eight histories of science in terms of dealing with the target NOS aspects. Implications for addressing NOS in historical materials in science textbooks were discussed in the final part of this paper.
Pedagogical Imagination in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion
Authors: Foster Charles R.
Published: April 2013

Response to “Sketching the Contours of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion”
An improved tool for household faeces management in rural Bangladeshi communities
Authors: Sultana Rebeca , Mondal Utpal K. , Rimi Nadia Ali , Unicomb Leanne , Winch Peter J. , Nahar Nazmun , Luby Stephen P.
Published: April 2013

Objective

To explore child defecation and faeces management practices in rural Bangladesh with the aim to redesign and pilot a tool to facilitate removal and disposal of faeces.

Methods

We conducted six group discussions, six short interviews and three observations of practices and designed the new tool. We piloted the new tool and elicited feedback through two in‐depth interviews and two observations.

Results

Until three years of age, a child commonly defecates in the courtyard and occasionally inside the house. A heavy digging hoe was commonly used to remove child faeces. Mothers preferred a redesigned ‘mini‐hoe’ and found it easier to use for removal and disposal of liquid faeces.

Conclusions

Promoting modified local tools may contribute to improving environmental sanitation and health.
Declining Protection in Developing Countries: Fact or Fiction?
Authors: Milner Chris
Published: April 2013

This paper explores whether and to what extent evident trade reform, falling average tariffs and rising exports in recent decades overstate the extent to which protectionism has declined in developing countries, especially low‐income developing countries. It identifies remaining significant protection, especially of final manufactured goods; this being associated with the presence of peak tariffs, escalating tariff structures by stage of production and replacement of old forms of non‐tariff protection with new instruments of non‐tariff protection. It also identifies significant protection arising from high international trade costs induced by inefficiencies in transportation, ports and customs, and from the growth of exports to preference‐receiving, export markets.
Multibody Muscle Driven Model of an Instrumented Prosthetic Knee During Squat and Toe Rise Motions
Authors: Stylianou Antonis P. , Guess Trent M. , Kia Mohammad
Published: April 2013

Detailed knowledge of knee joint kinematics and dynamic loading is essential for improving the design and outcomes of surgical procedures, tissue engineering applications, prosthetics design, and rehabilitation. The need for dynamic computational models that link kinematics, muscle and ligament forces, and joint contacts has long been recognized but such body-level forward dynamic models do not exist in recent literature. A main barrier in using computational models in the clinic is the validation of the in vivo contact, muscle, and ligament loads. The purpose of this study was to develop a full body, muscle driven dynamic model with subject specific leg geometries and validate it during squat and toe-rise motions. The model predicted loads were compared to in vivo measurements acquired with an instrumented knee implant. Data for this study were provided by the “Grand Challenge Competition to Predict In-Vivo Knee Loads” for the 2012 American Society of Mechanical Engineers Summer Bioengineering Conference. Data included implant and bone geometries, ground reaction forces, EMG, and the instrumented knee implant measurements. The subject specific model was developed in the multibody framework. The knee model included three ligament bundles for the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) and the medial collateral ligament (MCL), and one bundle for the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). The implanted tibia tray was segmented into 326 hexahedral elements and deformable contacts were defined between the elements and the femoral component. The model also included 45 muscles on each leg. Muscle forces were computed for the muscle driven simulation by a feedback controller that used the error between the current muscle length in the forward simulation and the muscle length recorded during a kinematics driven inverse simulation. The predicted tibia forces and torques, ground reaction forces, electromyography (EMG) patterns, and kinematics were compared to the experimentally measured values to validate the model. Comparisons were done graphically and by calculating the mean average deviation (MAD) and root mean squared deviation (RMSD) for all outcomes. The MAD value for the tibia vertical force was 279 N for the squat motion and 325 N for the toe-rise motion, 45 N and 53 N for left and right foot ground reaction forces during the squat and 94 N and 82 N for toe-rise motion. The maximum MAD value for any of the kinematic outcomes was 7.5 deg for knee flexion-extension during the toe-rise motion.
Bubble-free replication of large area microstructures using gas-assisted UV embossing with modified reversal imprinting and gap-retained vacuuming
Authors: Huang Po-Hsun , Chen Han-Ming , Huang Tzu-Chien , Yang Sen-Yeu , Sun Yi-Ting
Published: April 2013

Air bubble defects have been regarded as a critical problem in ultraviolet (UV)-based imprinting/embossing processes, especially in large area fabrication. This paper reports a gas-assisted UV embossing process for bubble-free replication of large area microstructures. This gas-assisted pressurizing process provides uniform embossing pressure over the whole large area, while UV curing enables the process to be performed at room temperature and low pressure. To overcome the problem of air bubble entrapments in the large area UV embossing process, the mechanisms of modified reversal imprinting and gap-retained vacuuming have been developed and used. Experimental results show that the microstructures have been successfully transferred from the stamper to the polymethylmethacrylate substrate with the size of 230 × 203 mm2 inducing no air bubble defects.
Annually Resolved Ice Core Records of Tropical Climate Variability over the Past ~1800 Years
Authors: Thompson L. G. , Mosley-Thompson E. , Davis M. E. , Zagorodnov V. S. , Howat I. M. , Mikhalenko V. N. , Lin P.-N.
Published: April 2013

Quelccaya Ice Cap

Ice cores drilled in the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica are some of the most important sources of information about the paleoclimate of high latitudes. Comparable records from the tropics are rare, however, because there are so few locations at which long-lived, undisturbed ice can be found.

Thompson
et al.

(p.
945
, published online 4 April) report results obtained from one of the few such sites, the Quelccaya ice cap in the Peruvian Andes. The annually resolved data, extending back 1800 years, provide a detailed chronicle of changes in the isotopic composition of the oxygen in the ice, which are related to the sea surface temperature of the water's source. Analyses of a collection of major ions such as ammonium and nitrate reveal how atmospheric circulation in the region varied over that period. Finally, the radiocarbon content of ancient plants—recently exposed by the retreat of the ice sheet—reveals that Quelccaya has not been smaller for at least six thousand years.
Draft Genome Sequence of Amycolatopsis decaplanina Strain DSM 44594
T
Authors: Kaur Navjot , Kumar Shailesh , Bala Monu , Raghava Gajendra Pal Singh , Mayilraj Shanmugam
Published: April 2013

We report the 8.5-Mb genome sequence of
Amycolatopsis decaplanina
strain DSM 44594
T
, isolated from a soil sample from India. The draft genome of strain DSM 44594
T
consists of 8,533,276 bp with a 68.6% G+C content, 7,899 protein-coding genes, and 57 RNAs.
Influence of the 2009 financial crisis on detection of advanced pulmonary tuberculosis in Osaka city, Japan: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Danno Katsura , Komukai Jun , Yoshida Hideki , Matsumoto Kenji , Koda Shinichi , Terakawa Kazuhiko , Iso Hiroyasu
Published: April 2013

Objective

To investigate the association between the economic recession and the detection of advanced cases of pulmonary tuberculosis in Osaka city from 2007 to 2009.

Design

A repeated cross-sectional study.

Setting

Osaka city has been the highest tuberculosis burden area in Japan. After the previous global financial crisis, the unemployment rate in Osaka prefecture has deteriorated from 5.3% in 2008 to 6.6% in 2009.

Participants

During the study period, 3406 pulmonary tuberculosis cases were enrolled: 2530 males and 876 females; 1546 elderly cases (65 years and above) and 1860 young cases (under 65 years); 417 homeless cases and 2989 non-homeless cases.

Outcome measures

Patients’ information included the sex, age, registry, health insurances, places of detection, sputum smear test results, patients’ delay, doctors’ delay and the grade of chest x-ray findings. They were statistically analysed between 2007 and 2008, two years before and just before the financial crisis, and between 2008 and 2009, just before and after the financial crisis.

Results

The total numbers of pulmonary tuberculosis cases were 1172 in 2007, 1083 in 2008 and 1151 in 2009. In health examinations for non-homeless people, higher number of cases in 2009 were sputum smear positive, had respiratory symptoms and showed advanced disease in chest x-rays than those in 2008, with a longer patients’ delay. On the contrary, in health examination for homeless people, fewer cases of advanced pulmonary tuberculosis were found in 2009 than in 2008, with a shorter patients’ delay. In clinical examinations, there was no trend towards a difference between non-homeless and homeless people.

Conclusions

Although homeless people might be protected by public assistance, tuberculosis prevention and control need to be reinforced for the non-homeless population after the financial crisis.
Review of cases of IgA nephropathy
Authors: World Michael J
Published: April 2013

Objectives

A review of 26 years of British military renal pathology showed the commonest diagnosis to be immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy affecting 115/346 (33%) of cases. It was possible to follow-up 50/115 military patients with this condition with the primary objective to determine whether initial observations enabled a confident prediction of prognosis. Additionally, unpublished observations have shown that the incidence of glomerulonephritis in an Indo-Asian British military racial group was fourfold that in the majority Caucasians although the nature of pathology (IgA vs non-IgA nephropathy) was not statistically significantly different. The present study secondarily sought to determine if prognosis of IgA nephropathy was different in this Indo-Asian military group. Finally, some conclusions concerning the traditionally restrictive policy towards applicants for military service with evidence of active nephritis were attempted.

Methods

An archive of military renal patients covering 1985–2011 was reviewed and clinical details of cases of IgA nephropathy were extracted and analysed.

Results

95 cases (80 Caucasian, 15 Indo-Asian) were reviewed. There was no racial difference (p=0.2) in initial median estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, 86 vs 83 ml/min/1.73 m2). Altogether, initial median of mean arterial pressure (MAP) was 96 mm Hg (IQR=87–103) and median proteinuria was 485 mg/24 h (IQR=195–925). There was an inverse correlation between initial eGFR and both MAP (p=0.0008) and proteinuria (p=0.0006). In the 50 patients who were followed up, the change in eGFR with time (ΔeGFR) was calculated. 10 of the 44 Caucasians and 3/6 Indo-Asians showed significant changes in eGFR but population proportions were not significantly different (p=0.2). Altogether, 11/50 (22%) showed deteriorating eGFR despite therapeutic interventions, compared with those without deterioration; this was not due to different duration of observation (p=0.08), initial MAP (p=0.23) or initial proteinuria (p=0.07). There was no statistically significant correlation between ΔeGFR and initial MAP (p=0.6) or proteinuria (p=0.7).

Conclusions

The proportion of military cases of IgA nephropathy with deteriorating renal function (22%) was not different from that described in civilians, suggesting that military medical management (including operational restriction where necessary) was appropriate. Initial clinical observations, including racial group, did not permit confident prediction of prognosis thus mandating follow-up for all military cases. Relaxing current enlistment policy would be inadvisable given the inability to confidently predict prognosis in individual cases.
A METHOD OF ENCODING GENERALIZED LINK DIAGRAMS
Authors: MUSICK CHAD
Published: April 2013

We describe a method of encoding various types of link diagrams, including those with classical, flat, rigid, welded, and virtual crossings. We show that this method may be used to encode link diagrams, up to equivalence, in a notation whose length is a cubic function of the number of "riser marks". For classical knots, the minimal number of such marks is twice the bridge index, and a classical knot diagram in minimal bridge form with bridge index b may be encoded in space [Formula: see text]. A set of moves on the notation is defined. As a demonstration of the utility of the notation we give another proof that the Kishino virtual knot is non-classical.