bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Regional Integration, Bilateral Diplomacy and African Trade: Evidence from the Gravity Model
Authors: Afesorgbor Sylvanus Kwaku 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe paper examines the impact of two main instruments of economic diplomacy — regional integration and commercial diplomacy on export flows among African states. We test whether there is any evidence of a trade‐off or complementary interaction between these two instruments in trade facilitation using the gravity model for 45 African states over the period 1980–2005. The results show that bilateral diplomatic exchange is a more significant determinant of bilateral exports among African states compared to regional integration. We also find that the trade–stimulating effect of diplomatic exchange is less pronounced among African countries that shared membership of the same regional bloc.
Adaptation and validation of an Arabic version of a 10‐item patient‐reported outcome measure of physical function in rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Farrag Shaza Mohamed , Abdelnaby Mai Mohamed , Mohamed Aly Elsayed 
Published: December 2019

AbstractAimTo adapt and validate an Arabic version of the short form of physical function measure (PF‐10a), a generic questionnaire for physical function, in Egyptian patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).MethodsAfter standardized linguistic validation of the Arabic version of PF‐10a, with forward and backward translation, the questionnaire was completed by 70 Egyptian RA patients who were diagnosed according to American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism 2010 classification criteria, on two occasions 3‐5 days apart. The internal consistency and test–retest reliability were evaluated using Cronbach's alpha and intra‐class correlation. The content validity of the Arabic PF‐10a was tested against Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ‐DI), Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) and Disease Activity Score in 28 joints using erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28‐ESR). In addition, serology results, hand radiographs, and treatments received were all recorded.ResultsMost of our patients were female (88.6%) with a mean age of 49.2 ± 10.5 years. They had a mean disease duration of 7.3 ± 7 years and an active disease with a mean CDAI of 33.1 ± 12.6. The mean value of PF‐10a was 34.6 ± 6.2. The Cronbach's alpha for Arabic PF‐10a was 0.904. Intra‐CLASS CORRELATION was 0.897. Arabic PF‐10a correlated strongly with HAQ‐DI (−0.746), moderately with CDAI, patient global assessment, and pain (−0.457, −0.417, and −0.371 respectively).ConclusionThe validation study showed that the Arabic PF‐10a had acceptable psychometric characteristics, in terms of internal consistency and construct validity. The Arabic PF‐10a is a reliable and valid instrument to be used by Arabic RA patients.
The clinical performance of midline catheters—An observational study
Authors: Bundgaard Madsen Emma , Sloth Erik , Skov Illum Britta , Juhl‐Olsen Peter 
Published: December 2019

BackgroundThe use of peripheral venous catheters (PVCs) is hampered by short dwell time, and central venous catheters (CVCs) are often preferred for medium‐ to long‐time intravenous treatment. Ultrasound techniques allow for easy catheter insertion into the major veins of the upper arm. A new generation of midline catheters, PowerGlide Pro, utilises a one‐hand Seldinger technique and can be inserted by one single operator without assistance. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical performance of the PowerGlide Pro midline catheter.MethodsConsecutively inserted midline catheters were followed in a prospective, observational quality control study. Endpoints were dwell time, the incidence of premature catheter removal, causes of catheter removal and the dwell time and incidence rates of predefined subgroups representing potential effect modifiers.ResultsHundred midline catheters, of which 98 were accessible to follow‐up, were inserted in 70 patients. Median dwell time was 8 days and 60 catheters were removed before the indication for intravenous therapy had ceased. The overall incidence for premature catheter removal was 71.8/1000 days and no significant effects of subgroups (sex, body mass index, catheter reinsertions, significant comorbidity, anticoagulant therapy, irritant infusions) were identified for either dwell time or the incidence rate for premature midline catheter removal. The most frequent reasons for premature catheter removal were pain during infusion, clotted catheter or signs of infection.ConclusionThe median dwell time of the midline catheters was 8 days with substantial variation, whereas the incidence for premature catheter removal was 71.8/1000 catheter days. The majority of midline catheters were removed prematurely.
Plasma metabolic alterations in patients with severe obesity and non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis
Authors: Cabré Noemí , Luciano‐Mateo Fedra , Baiges‐Gayà Gerard , Fernández‐Arroyo Salvador , Rodríguez‐Tomàs Elisabet , Hernández‐Aguilera Anna , París Marta , Sabench Fàtima , Del Castillo Daniel , López‐Miranda José , Menéndez Javier A. , Camps Jordi , Joven Jorge 
Published: December 2019

SummaryBackgroundObesity can influence hepatic mitochondrial function, and cause non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Diagnosis and follow‐up rely on invasive liver biopsy so blood‐based markers are urgently required.AimTo investigate whether values of circulating metabolites from energy and one‐carbon (1‐C) metabolism may: (a) reflect hepatic mitochondrial flexibility failure and (b) act as NASH biomarkers.MethodsPatients with severe obesity undergoing bariatric surgery (n = 270) were investigated using quantitative targeted plasma metabolomics. Comparisons were with non‐obese controls without liver disease (n = 50). Obese patients with NASH (n = 53) and without NASH (n = 130) representing extreme groups of liver disease were assessed to test the diagnostic ability of the measured circulating metabolites. Paired liver biopsy and plasma samples from NASH patients were available 1 year post‐surgery and were evaluated to monitor metabolomic changes with liver damage resolution.ResultsWe identified correlations between human liver metabolism and obesity. High‐plasma α‐ketoglutarate (α‐KG) and lactate concentrations in NASH patients indicating citric acid cycle replenishment via glutaminolysis might also be a crucial point in NASH onset. Plasma measurements of α‐KG, β‐hydroxybutyrate, pyruvate and oxaloacetate reduced the uncertainty in clinical diagnosis of NASH [area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.826] and predicted NASH resolution without ambiguity (AUC of 0.999).ConclusionChanges in plasma mitochondrial metabolites appear to be associated with NASH. These metabolic responses may be dynamically remodelled following resolution of liver damage through massive weight loss.
Placental transporter‐mediated drug interactions and offspring congenital anomalies
Authors: Ellfolk Maria , Tornio Aleksi , Niemi Mikko , Leinonen Maarit K. , Lahesmaa‐Korpinen Anna‐Maria , Malm Heli 
Published: December 2019

AimsP‐glycoprotein (P‐gp) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) are efflux transporters expressed in the placenta, limiting their substrates from reaching the foetus. Our aim was to investigate if concomitant prenatal exposure to several substrates or inhibitors of these transporters increases the risk of congenital anomalies.MethodsThe national Drugs and Pregnancy database, years 1996–2014, was utilized in this population‐based birth cohort study. In the database, the Medical Birth Register, the Register on Induced Abortions, the Malformation register and the Register on Reimbursed Drug Purchases have been linked. The University of Washington Metabolism and Transport Drug Interaction Database was used to identify substrates and inhibitors of P‐gp and BCRP. We included singleton pregnancies ending in birth or elective termination of pregnancy due to foetal anomaly. Known teratogens were excluded. We identified women exposed 1 month before pregnancy or during the first trimester to P‐gp/BCRP polytherapy (n = 21 186); P‐gp/breast cancer resistance protein monotherapy (n = 97 906); non‐P‐gp/BCRP polytherapy (n = 78 636); and unexposed (n = 728 870). We investigated the association between the exposure groups and major congenital anomalies using logistic regression adjusting for several confounders.ResultsThe prevalence of congenital anomalies was higher in the P‐gp/BCRP polytherapy group (5.5%) compared to the P‐gp/BCRP monotherapy (4.7%, OR 1.13; 95% CI 1.05–1.21), the non‐P‐gp/BCRP polytherapy (4.9%, OR 1.14; 95% CI 1.06–1.22), and to the unexposed groups (4.2%, OR 1.23; 95% CI 1.15–1.31).ConclusionThe results suggest a role of placental transporter‐mediated drug interactions in teratogenesis.
The Medication Adherence Report Scale: A measurement tool for eliciting patients' reports of nonadherence
Authors: Chan Amy Hai Yan , Horne Rob , Hankins Matthew , Chisari Claudia 
Published: December 2019

AimsThis study aimed to establish the psychometric properties of a questionnaire measure of patients' adherence to medications to elicit patients' report of medication use in a variety of clinical samples. The reliability and validity were assessed in patients with hypertension. Additional analyses were performed on other patient groups.MethodsUsing a cross‐sectional study design, a 10‐item version of the Medication Adherence Report Scale (©Professor Rob Horne) was piloted in two samples of patients receiving treatment for hypertension (n = 50 + 178), asthma (n = 100) or diabetes (n = 100) at hospital outpatient or community clinics in London and the south‐east of England. Following principal components analysis, five items were retained to form MARS‐5 (©Professor Rob Horne). Evaluation comprised internal reliability, test‐retest reliability, criterion‐related validity (relationship with blood pressure control) and construct validity (relationship with patients' beliefs about medicines).ResultsThe MARS‐5 demonstrated acceptable reliability (internal and test‐retest) and validity (criterion‐related and construct validity) in these patient groups. Internal reliability (Cronbach's α) ranged from 0.67 to 0.89 across all patient groups; test‐retest reliability (Pearson's r) was 0.97 in hypertension. Criterion‐related validity was established with more adherent hypertension patients showing better blood‐pressure control (χ2 = 4.24, df = 1, P < .05). Construct validity with beliefs about medicines was demonstrated with higher adherence associated with stronger beliefs in treatment necessity and lower treatment concerns.ConclusionsThe MARS‐5 performed well on several psychometric indicators in this study. It shows promise as an effective self‐report tool for measuring patients' reports of their medication use across a range of health conditions.
Conflicting perspectives mediate the relation between parents’ and preschoolers’ self‐referent mental state talk during collaboration
Authors: McLoughlin Niamh , Leech Kathryn A. , Chernyak Nadia , Blake Peter R. , Corriveau Kathleen H. 
Published: December 2019

We examined the relations between the referent of parents and preschoolers’ mental state talk during a collaborative puzzle‐solving task (N = 146 dyads;n = 81 3‐year‐olds,n = 65 4‐year‐olds). The results showed that parents’ references to their own knowledge and beliefs (self‐referent cognitive talk), and references to their child’s knowledge and beliefs (child‐referent cognitive talk) were both related to children’s (primarily self‐referent) cognitive talk. We then tested whether any of the observed relations could be explained by the presence of conflicting perspectives within the collaborative interaction. Mediational analyses revealed that conflicting perspectives mediated the positive relation between parents’ production of self‐referent cognitive talk and child cognitive talk. By contrast, the positive relation between parents’ production of child‐referent cognitive talk and child cognitive talk did not depend on the presence of this type of conflict. These findings highlight an important mechanism through which parents’ references to their own mind might promote children’s developing mental state talk in collaborative contexts.
Changes in neurocognitive function and central nervous system structure in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia survivors after treatment: a meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhou Chendan , Zhuang Yong , Lin Xingjie , Michelson Alan D. , Zhang Aijun 
Published: December 2019

SummaryAcute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is the most common malignancy in children. Although the survival rate has increased dramatically over the last decades, patients struggle with the adverse side effects of treatment. Treatment for ALL includes chemotherapy and irradiation ‐ both of which are linked to cognitive impairments and alterations in central nervous system (CNS) structure and function detected by neuroimaging and in neurocognitive studies. The present article is a meta‐analysis of the existing evidence for the mechanisms underlying changes in the CNS and neurocognitive function in ALL survivors after treatment. We found that compared with controls, ALL survivors develop: (i) cognitive sequelae in intelligence, academics, attention, memory, processing speed and executive function domains; (ii) decreased grey and white matter volume in cortical and several subcortical brain regions, with functional changes particularly in frontal regions and the hippocampus; (iii) neurocognitive impairments related to CNS changes; and (iv) reduction, but not resolution, of late neurocognitive sequelae in patients in whom prophylactic irradiation was replaced by systemic/intrathecal chemotherapy. Continued work with advanced functional magnetic resonance imaging techniques will hopefully allow the detection of early CNS changes as biomarkers to help guide early diagnosis and intervention for neurocognitive defects in patients with childhood ALL.
When transgressors intend to cause harm: The empowering effects of revenge and forgiveness on victim well‐being
Authors: Strelan Peter , Van Prooijen Jan‐Willem , Gollwitzer Mario 
Published: December 2019

When people are transgressed against, they are usually motivated to restore personal power that was threatened by the transgression. We argue and test the new idea that while revenge and forgiveness responses are typically seen as opposites, both may be empowering, depending on the offender’s intent to harm. Across two studies, one experimental (N = 381) and one employing an autobiographical recall paradigm (N = 251), we tested a moderated mediation model. Notably, we found that revenge is empowering at high levels of intent and forgiveness is empowering regardless of intent. Importantly, we also demonstrate that empowerment provides an explanation for the process by which getting revenge and forgiving are each associated with improved affective outcomes for victims.
Complementary strengths of spatially‐explicit and multi‐species distribution models
Authors: Lany Nina K. , Zarnetske Phoebe L. , Finley Andrew O. , McCullough Deborah G. 
Published: December 2019

Species distribution models (SDMs) project the outcome of community assembly processes – dispersal, the abiotic environment and biotic interactions – onto geographic space. Recent advances in SDMs account for these processes by simultaneously modeling the species that comprise a community in a multivariate statistical framework or by incorporating residual spatial autocorrelation in SDMs. However, the effects of combining both multivariate and spatially‐explicit model structures on the ecological inferences and the predictive abilities of a model are largely unknown. We used data on eastern hemlock Tsuga canadensis and five additional co‐occurring overstory tree species in 35 569 forest stands across Michigan, USA to evaluate how the choice of model structure, including spatial and non‐spatial forms of univariate and multivariate models, affects ecological inference about the processes that shape community composition as well as model predictive ability.Incorporating residual spatial autocorrelation via spatial random effects did not improve out‐of‐sample prediction for the six tree species, although in‐sample model fit was higher in the spatial models. Spatial models attributed less variation in occurrence probability to environmental covariates than the non‐spatial models for all six tree species, and estimated higher (more positive) residual co‐occurrence values for most species pairs. The non‐spatial multivariate model was better suited for evaluating habitat suitability and hypotheses about the processes that shape community composition. Environmental correlations and residual correlations among species pairs were positively related, perhaps indicating that residual correlations were due to shared responses to unmeasured environmental covariates. This work highlights the importance of choosing a non‐spatial model formulation to address research questions about the species–environment relationship or residual co‐occurrence patterns, and a spatial model formulation when within‐sample prediction accuracy is the main goal.
A context‐awareness model for activity recognition in robot‐assisted scenarios
Authors: Rodriguez Lera Francisco J. , Martín Rico Francisco , Guerrero Higueras Angel Manuel , Olivera Vicente Matellán 
Published: December 2019

AbstractContext awareness in ambient assisted living programmes for the elderly is a cornerstone in the current scenario of noncustomized service robots distributed around the world. This research proposes a context‐awareness system for a human–robot scene interpretation based on seven primary contexts and the American Occupational Therapy Association. The context‐awareness system defined here proposes an inference mechanism for the activity recognition supported on hierarchical Bayesian networks. However, when the information from sensors increases, the computational cost associated also increases. Thus, an evaluation of different Bayesian network models is necessary for decreasing its impact over the robot performance. Two topological models have been modelled and tested using OpenMarkov application: a two‐level approach of an input–observations layer and the activity recognition layer, and a three‐layer model setting apart a primary contexts layer, the input–observations layer, and the activity recognition layer. The qualitative and quantitative results presented here show better performance in terms of memory and memory in a three‐layer model. Besides, its effect on a hybrid architecture of a robotic platform is presented.
Endoscopy report mining for intelligent gastric cancer screening
Authors: Pan Jinxin , Ding Shuai , Yang Shanlin , Li Gang , Liu Xiao 
Published: December 2019

AbstractEndoscopy is an important tool for gastric cancer screening. Due to the lack of effective decision support system for endoscopy, the detection of gastric cancer in the clinic is usually with low sensitivity. In this paper, we propose a Genetic Algorithm optimized Neural Network (GAoNN) approach for gastric cancer detection based on endoscopy reports mining. Considering the fact that gastric cancer sensitivity can significantly improve the 5‐year survival rate of patients, both the prediction accuracy and the sensitivity are employed to construct a multiobjective optimization model for enhancing the classification performance of GAoNN. In particular, we extended an effective genetic algorithm Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA‐II) to train a neural network and reduced the complexity in training hyperparameters and improved the efficiency by substituting the computationally intensive stochastic gradient descent (SGD) algorithm in a neural network. Specifically, we designed the novel crossover and mutation operators and modified the nondominated ranking and crowding distance sorting procedures in NSGA‐II for GAoNN. Through testing on 8,546 real‐world endoscopy reports, we show that GAoNN achieves a prediction accuracy up to 83.74%, which is better than several competitors by significantly increasing sensitivity to 83.14%. GAoNN also reduces the training time by 30.94% when compared with conventional SGD‐based training, which indicates the feasibility of GAoNN in clinical practice.
RECLAIMING DAMASCUS: RESCRIPTING ISLAMIC TIME AND SPACE IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY
Authors: SAJDI DANA 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACTDisconnected from the original place and time of Islam and its own glorious early‐Islamic history, medieval Damascus felt like a temporally and spatially distant city. Through participating in newer hadith practices that facilitated the compression of time, Damascene scholars were able to diminish temporal distance to be closer to the Prophet. They also devised new spatial descriptions that enabled them to redefine space so that it could be easily occupied and revalued. Having inherited traditions of both the later hadith practices and the newer spatial discourses, the sixteenth‐century Damascene scholar, Shams al‐Din Ibn Tulun (d. 1546) combines them to provide chronotopic solutions to address personal and collective voids precipitated by Damascene distance, which were further intensified by the new Ottoman condition. Ibn Tulun locates the Prophet in the crevices of Damascus and allows himself and the Damascenes to be the exclusive cultivators and preservers of a local “iconographical” effort to conjure up the Prophet.
Formation and optimization of deposition surface shape during fused silica glass synthesis by chemical vapor deposition
Authors: Huang Yaosong 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThis paper investigates the effects of deposition surface shape on temperature distribution of fused silica glass by SiCl4 chemical vapor deposition and performs the optimization of deposition surface shape to obtain the glass with a small temperature gradient. The computational model is first developed to describe the complicated physical and chemical phenomenon in the system. Numerical simulations are then performed to evaluate the effects of SiCl4 injection position on flame characteristics and SiO2 deposition rate. It is found that the SiO2 deposition rates with the unimodal, uniform, and bimodal distributions are obtained when SiCl4 is injected from the central, secondary layer and fourth layer nozzles, respectively. The deposition surface shape is mainly determined by the gas temperature gradient and particle number density near the deposition surface. Thereafter, the temperature distributions in synthetic silica glass are presented for the cases with convex, flat, and concave deposition surface shapes. Large temperature gradients exist at the side of glass if the convex and concave surfaces are formed, although a high temperature uniformity is obtained in the center of glass for the convex deposition surface. The optimal surface shape that has a very small temperature gradient in glass is obtained by the optimization of deposition surface depth.