bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A combination of captopril challenge test after saline infusion test improves diagnostic accuracy for primary aldosteronism
Authors: Lin Chuan , Yang Jun , Fuller Peter J. , Jing Huan , Song Ying , He Wenwen , Du Zhipeng , Luo Ting , Cheng Qingfeng , Yang Shumin , Wang Hongman , Li Qifu , Hu Jinbo ,   The Chongqing Primary Aldosteronism Study (CONPASS) Group
Published: November 2019

AbstractContextThe saline infusion test (SIT) is a common confirmatory test for primary aldosteronism (PA). According to the guideline, a postinfusion plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) of 5‐10 ng/dL is considered indeterminate, and recommendations for diagnostic strategies are currently limited in this situation.ObjectiveTo explore whether an addition of the captopril challenge test (CCT) could improve the diagnostic accuracy in patients with indeterminate SIT.MethodsA total of 280 hypertensive patients with high risk of PA completed this study. Subjects were defined as SIT indeterminate based on their PAC post‐SIT. These patients then underwent the CCT where PACs post‐CCT >11 ng/dL were considered positive. Using fludrocortisone suppression test (FST) as the reference standard, diagnostic parameters including area under the receiver‐operator characteristic curves (AUC), sensitivity and specificity were calculated.ResultsThere were 65 subjects (23.2%) diagnosed as PA indeterminate after SIT. With the addition of CCT, true‐positive numbers increased from 134 to 147, and false‐negative numbers decreased from 27 to 14. Compared to SIT alone, a combination of SIT and CCT showed a higher AUC (0.91 [0.87,0.94] vs 0.87 [0.83,0.91], P = .041) and an increased sensitivity for the diagnosis of PA (0.91 [0.86,0.95] vs 0.83 [0.76,0.89], P = .028), while the specificity remained similar. In the subgroup with indeterminate SIT results, using PAC post‐CCT resulted in a 36% higher AUC than using PAC post‐SIT alone for the diagnosis of PA.ConclusionFor patients under investigation for possible PA who have indeterminate SIT results, an addition of CCT improves the diagnostic accuracy.
Lie detection using extreme learning machine: A concealed information test based on short‐time Fourier transform and binary bat optimization using a novel fitness function
Authors: Dodia Shubham , Edla Damodar R. , Bablani Annushree , Cheruku Ramalingaswamy 
Published: November 2019

AbstractLie detection is one of the major challenges that is being faced by the forensic sciences. Identification of lie on the basis of a person's mental behavior is a tedious task. Brain‐computer interface is one such medium which provides a solution to this problem by displaying visual stimuli and recording subject's brain responses. A P300 response is elicited whenever a person comes across a familiar stimuli in a series of rare stimuli. This P300 response is used for the lie detection method. In the proposed concealed information test, acquired signals are preprocessed to discard noise. Then, short‐time Fourier transform method is applied to extract features from the preprocessed electroencephalogram signals. To avoid the curse of dimensionality and to reduce computational overhead, binary bat algorithm is applied, which helps in choosing optimal subset of features. The obtained set of features is given as an input to the extreme learning machine classifier for training of guilty and innocent samples. The performance of the system is assessed using 10‐fold cross‐validation. The resultant accuracy obtained from the proposed lie detection system is 88.3%. The system has provided efficient results in contrast with most of the state‐of‐the‐art lie detection methods.
Seed Banking as Cryopower: A Cryopolitical Account of the Work of the International Board of Plant Genetic Resources, 1973–1984
Authors: Peres Sara 
Published: November 2019

AbstractThe implications of freezing seeds to conserve genes statically and for the long term are complex and deserve further reflection to appreciate seed banking as an attempt to detach seeds from their life cycle. Here, I use a cryopolitical framework to explore this in the context of the activities of the International Board of Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) between 1973 and 1984. I suggest that the emergence of seed banks is a shift toward a cryopower mode of governance, where technoscientific intervention in the biology of seeds was presented as a means to manage the survival of seeds. The project of ex situ conservation is a socio‐technical effort by international institutions such as IBPGR and a variety of institutions with seed repositories. In creating a coldscape, they sought to make genetic resources into frozen seeds that were stable and mobile, not only across space but, importantly, over time. Consequently, our interpretations of seed banks as sites of geopolitical significance in the controversies over access to seeds can be complemented by considering their biopolitical importance as interventions that extend the power of IBPGR and other institutions toward plant life, and the future.
The interaction effect between intraspecific competition and seed quality on the life‐history traits of the seed‐feeding beetleAcanthoscelides macrophthalmus
Authors: Cesar Cássia S. , Rossi Marcelo N. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractIt has been shown that intraspecific competition and resource quality may affect life‐history traits of insects, such as body size, fecundity, and survival. However, intraspecific competition and resource quality may interact with each other. The study of such interacting effects is crucial for understanding the influence of these ecological variables on the selection of specific life‐history traits. Here, we investigated whether the interaction between intraspecific larval competition and variation in resource quality affects adult emergence and survival, egg size, fecundity, body size, and sexual size dimorphism (SSD) of the seed‐feeding beetleAcanthoscelides macrophthalmus(Schaeffer) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae) when infestingLeucaena leucocephala(Lam.) De Wit (Fabaceae), its host plant. In the laboratory, beetles were reared on seeds that differed in quality (e.g., different hardness, seed size, water content), in the presence or absence of larval competition. Body size and SSD did not differ between treatments (with and without competition), nor were they affected by varying resource quality. Females subjected to competition during the larval stage and females emerging from seeds of higher quality, displayed the highest fecundity. The proportion of emergent adults was higher in the absence of competition. In addition, larger eggs were laid on the low‐quality resource in the absence of competition, showing a trade‐off between egg size and egg number. Adult survival differed among treatments and resource qualities, suggesting a higher investment in adult survival for individuals emerging from seeds of low quality in the presence of competition. Whether changes in specific traits could be selected for in detriment of others will depend on the strength of intraspecific competition, the variation in resource quality, and the plasticity in the life‐history traits investigated. This needs further clarification.
The inverted postnational constellation: Identitarian populism in context
Authors: Azmanova Albena , Dakwar Azar 
Published: November 2019

AbstractAs exemplified by the pan‐European ‘Identitarian movement’ (IM), contemporary far‐right populism defies the habitual matrix within which right‐wing radicalism has been criticised as a negation of liberal cosmopolitanism. The IM's political stance amalgamates features of cultural liberalism and racialist xenophobia into a defence of ‘European way of life.’ We offer an alternative decoding of the phenomenon by drawing on Jürgen Habermas's ‘postnational constellation.’ It casts the IM's protectionist qua chauvinistic populism as ‘inverted’ postnationalism, engendered through territorial and ethnic appropriation of universal political values. As such, inclusionary ideals of cosmopolitan liberalism and democracy purporting humanistic postnationalism have been transformed by Identitarians into elements of a privileged civilisational life‐style to be protected from ‘intruders.’ Remaining within the remit of the grammar of the postnational constellation, trans‐European chauvinism, we contend, is susceptible to inclusive articulation. Foregrounding radical emancipatory social transformation would however require not more democracy, but a principled critique of capitalism.
Discourse theory of law in times of populism
Authors: Marxsen Christian 
Published: November 2019

AbstractJürgen Habermas's discourse theory of law has shaped debates on what we consider to be legitimate law. This contribution will firstly identify the Zeitgeist in which discourse theory emerged. Secondly, it points out the emancipatory potential of law that discourse theory has helped us to understand, both on a domestic and a transnational level. Thirdly, the paper turns to discuss two recent challenges for the discourse theory of law, namely (a) the realities of social power that undermine and contradict its promises, and (b) the rise of populism, which places the core normative assumptions of discourse theory in doubt.
Of citizens and plebeians: Postnational political figures in Jürgen Habermas and Jacques Rancière
Authors: Flatscher Matthias , Seitz Sergej 
Published: November 2019

AbstractThis paper focuses on Habermas's notion of cosmopolitan democracy. Reconfiguring the basic ideas of democracy in postnational terms is inevitable if social and political integration is to succeed on a supranational level. In exploring Habermas's ideas, we draw on Rancière, whose thought stands in a complex relationship to Habermas. On the one hand, Rancière largely shares Habermas's diagnosis of the present. Both bemoan the erosion of the political caused by post‐democracy and censure the rise of right‐wing extremism in Western societies. On the other hand, and in contrast to Habermas, Rancière holds that these problems should be addressed not primarily by strengthening political institutions and reaching a consensus between conflicting parties, but by rethinking conflict and resistance. We show that Habermas's and Rancière's propositions can be productively brought in dialogue by focusing on the paradigmatic types of political subjectivity involved in their accounts: the citizen (Habermas) and the plebeian (Rancière).
Toxicity modelling of nanomaterials by origin evaluation of their physicochemical descriptors using a combination of principal component analysis and support vector machine methods
Authors: Jha Sunil Kr , Yoon Tae Hyun 
Published: November 2019

AbstractIn the present study, the performance of physicochemical descriptors of metal oxide nanomaterials on the basis of their origins, including descriptors related to element/ion, the metal oxide in bulk, and metal oxide in the media for toxicity modelling has been evaluated. Three published experimental nanomaterial data sets were selected for the study. The data set was divided into three subsets on the basis of the origin of descriptors; thereafter, each of them was analysed using principal component analysis for visual discrimination of toxic versus nontoxic nanomaterials in the principal component (PC) space. The metal oxide in media‐based descriptor subset results in the best visual clustering of toxicity of nanomaterials compared with the rest two subsets. It was also confirmed with the class separability measures in the PC space and classification accuracy of the support vector machine (SVM) method. PC scores of the metal oxide in media‐related descriptors results in the maximum value of class separability index (J = 0.0049) and the maximum classification accuracy of 96.43% of SVM classifier (sensitivity of 100%). A toxicity classification model of nanomaterials has been established using PC scores of optimal descriptor subset and SVM method.
Hospital use for non‐traumatic dental conditions among older adults in Florida
Authors: Tomar Scott L. , Morón Elías , Alwalie Amna 
Published: November 2019

AbstractObjectiveOlder Americans are at risk of many oral diseases and conditions, but limited access to dental care may lead to the use of hospital emergency departments (EDs) or inpatient admissions. This study examined the use of hospitals for non‐traumatic dental conditions (NTDCs) among persons aged ≥65 years in the Florida.MethodsWe analysed hospital use for NTDCs in Florida in 2018 from health department data sets. We calculated frequencies and rates of ED visits and hospital inpatient admissions, overall and by county, age, sex, race/ethnicity and principal payer. We also examined the source of hospital admission, primary diagnoses and charges.ResultsIn 2018, there were 4894 ED visits and 747 inpatient admissions for NTDCs among persons aged ≥65 years in Florida. The rate for ED visits was 112.30 per 100 000 population and for hospital inpatient admissions was 17.14; rates varied widely among counties. Medicare was the most common primary payer. Referrals from EDs accounted for 76.2% of inpatient admissions for NTDCs by older adults. Total charges were $21.4 million for ED visits and $40.2 million for inpatient admissions. The most common principal diagnosis for ED visits for NTDCs was “periapical abscess without sinus tract” (K04.7; 26.2%) and for inpatient admissions was “inflammatory conditions of the jaw” (M27.2; 19.1%). Of the 747 inpatient admissions, two people died.ConclusionsHospital use for NTDCs in Florida among persons aged ≥65 years is a clinical and financial challenge. Public coverage for basic adult dental services may lead to more effective use of funds and better health outcomes.
Gingivitis and plaque scores among residents of low‐income senior housing
Authors: Reisine Susan , Schensul Jean J. , Li Jianghong , Grady James , Ha Toan , Lalla Rajish 
Published: November 2019

AbstractObjectivesThe purpose of this paper is to present Gingival Index (GI) and Plaque Scores (PS) of older and disabled adults living in low‐income senior housing and their association with sociodemographic, health status and oral health behaviours.MethodsParticipants were recruited from six low‐income senior housing residences in Connecticut. Primary outcome measures were Gingival Index (GI) and Plaque Scores (PS). Surveys assessed sociodemographic characteristic, beliefs and behaviours. Logistic regression analysis was used to model the binary outcomes of probability of unfavourable GI status (>=0.34) and unfavourable PS (>=74%) against variables including demographic characteristics, oral hygiene behaviours and health status.Results331 participants volunteered for the study. Mean baseline GI was 0.38 (SD: 0.3), and mean PS was 71.7% (SD: 18%). Logistic regression showed that males were more likely to have higher GI and plaque scores than females. Those with less formal education were more likely to have worse GI scores and high PS compared to those with college educations. Those with lower incomes and those who rated their oral health poor/fair were more likely to have higher PS.ConclusionParticipants had remarkably good gingival health regardless of relatively high PS. Males and less educated individuals should receive special attention when implementing oral hygiene interventions because of their relatively poor oral hygiene status.
Analyses of objective response rate, progression‐free survival, and adverse events in hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with lenvatinib: A multicenter retrospective study
Authors: Hatanaka Takeshi , Kakizaki Satoru , Nagashima Tamon , Namikawa Masashi , Tojima Hiroki , Shimada Yasushi , Takizawa Daichi , Naganuma Atsushi , Arai Hirotaka , Sato Ken , Harimoto Norifumi , Shirabe Ken , Uraoka Toshio 
Published: November 2019

AimThe aim of this study was to investigate the predictive factors of objective response rate (ORR) and progression‐free survival (PFS), and the correlation of albumin‐bilirubin (ALBI) grade with decreased appetite and fatigue in hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with lenvatinib.MethodsFrom March 2018 to December 2018, a total of 94 patients was included in this retrospective multicenter study.ResultsThe median age of all patients was 73 years (interquartile range 66–79.3 years), and approximately 78% patients were men. The ALBI grade was 1, 2, and 3 in 27 (28.7%), 64 (68.1%), and three patients (3.2%), respectively. The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage was early, intermediate, and advanced in one (1.1%), 22 (23.4%), and 71 patients (75.5%), respectively. Best radiological response was determined to complete response, partial response, stable disease, and progressive disease in 0 (0.0%), 24 (30.4%), 38 (48.1%), and 17 patients (21.5%), respectively, giving the ORR of 30.4%. The 3‐, 6‐, and 12‐month PFS was calculated to be 78.7% (95% CI 70.3–87.1%), 46.7% (95% CI 36.1–57.3%), and 17.4% (95% CI 6.6–28.2%). Multivariate analysis showed that the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer intermediate stage was shown to be the only significant factor affecting the ORR (odds ratio 3.78, 95% CI 1.14–12.5, P = 0.030) and PFS (hazard ratio 0.49, 95% CI 0.26–0.94, P = 0.030). The incidence of all grades of decreased appetite and fatigue was significantly less in patients with ALBI grade 1 compared with ALBI grade 2 + 3.ConclusionsThe Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer intermediate stage was the predictive factor affecting the ORR and PFS, and ALBI grade was a good predictive factor affecting the incidence of fatigue and decreased appetite.
When basal cell carcinomas became giant: an Italian multicenter study
Authors: Gualdi Giulio , Monari Paola , Calzavara‐Pinton Piergiacomo , Caravello Simone , Fantini Fabrizio , Bornacina Carlo , Specchio Francesca , Argenziano Giuseppe , Simonetti Vito , Caccavale Stefano , La Montagna Maddalena , Cecchi Roberto , Landi Christian , Simonacci Marco , Dusi Daniele , Puviani Mario , Zucchi Alfredo , Zampieri Pierfrancesco , Inchaurraga Maria A. G. , Savoia Francesco , Melandri Davide , Capo Alessandra , Amerio Paolo 
Published: November 2019

AbstractBackgroundGiant basal cell carcinoma (GBCC) is a basal cell carcinoma (BCC) enlarged in a diameter more than 5 cm. Since GBCCs are a highly infrequent entity and the occurrence rate is approximately 0.5–1% out of all BCC types, only anecdotal cases are reported, and causes and characteristics inducing development of this tumor are not defined.ObjectivesEvaluate causative factors and clinico‐histological characteristics of GBCCs.MethodsThe study is a 6‐month, hospital‐based case series study performed in 12 Italian dermatologic centers.ResultsA total of 59 cases and 458 control BCCs were collected. No significant differences existed between the two groups if we take into account social or cultural factors. The average duration of GBCCs is considerably longer than controls. GBCCs are located on unexposed areas while BCCs are on areas not usually covered by clothes. Superficial histological subtype was more frequent in the BCCs group, while infiltrative in GBCCs. GBCCs showed significantly higher local invasiveness, and greater metastatic capacity. More than half of GBCCs had been previously treated with one or more treatments.ConclusionsPatients with GBCCs appear to belong to two categories: (i) those who present with GBCC due to delay in accessing medical attention, and (ii) those who have BCCs previously treated with inappropriate strategies. Only very few cases can be carried out with intrinsic biological features of tumor aggressiveness. Social and cultural conditions do not appear to be involved in the development of GBCCS. These observations may help clinicians in selecting correct therapeutic strategies in the treatment of BCCs, which give rise to GBCC.
A healthy lifestyle education programme for health literacy and health‐promoting behaviours: A pre‐implementation and post‐implementation study
Authors: Ayaz‐Alkaya Sultan , Terzi Handan , Işık Betül , Sönmez Ebru 
Published: November 2019

AbstractAimThe aim of this study was to determine whether implementation of a healthy lifestyle education programme resulted in improved health literacy levels and healthy life style behaviours.MethodsA one‐group pretest‐posttest study design was used. This study was carried out with 30 women who were enrolled in a family health centre. A questionnaire comprising the Adult Health Literacy Scale, Healthy Lifestyle Behaviour Scale‐II, Perception of Health Scale, and Short Test of Functional Health Literacy was used for data collection. Eight home visits including training and follow‐up followed the first interview at the family health centre. The healthy lifestyle training was applied once per week during home visits. After the training sessions were completed, women were followed‐up through four home visits biweekly in the second and the third months.ResultsThe difference between the Adult Health Literacy Scale and Short Test of Functional Health Literacy pretest‐posttest mean scores was statistically significant (P < .05). Although the Perception of Health Scale and the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviour Scale‐II posttest scores were higher than the pretest scores, the difference between the groups was not statistically significant.ConclusionThe training and counselling intervention visits increased health literacy but did not significantly change the healthy life style behaviours and health perceptions of the women.
Patient factors affecting the proper completion of a goals‐of‐care form in a general medicine hospital admission
Authors: Potenzi Bradley , Lim Andy K. H. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractBackgroundThe goals‐of‐care (GOC) form is a resuscitation planning tool used to document informed decisions tailored for individual patients admitted to hospital. Proper and timely completion of the GOC form is essential for its effective utility.AimsTo identify patient factors which may affect the timely discussion and documentation of GOC forms in patients admitted under a general medicine unit.MethodsWe performed a cross‐sectional study of 2589 patients during 3093 admissions under the general medicine unit from January 2017 to July 2017 at Dandenong Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. The main outcome was the proper completion of GOC forms, defined as GOC completion within 48 h of admission and adequate discussion with the patient or substitute decision maker. We used logistic regression to determine the association between the main outcome and several patient‐related independent variables.ResultsA GOC form was completed in 66% of all admissions but only 35% were considered properly completed (timely and adequately discussed). In the general multivariable logistic regression model, the variables associated with proper completion of GOC forms were age (OR = 1.58), English as the main spoken language (OR = 1.43) and readmissions (OR = 1.27). In patients 75 years and older, additional factors associated with proper GOC completion were confusion on admission (OR = 1.31) and number of comorbidities (OR = 1.27).ConclusionsThe proper GOC form completion rates were suboptimal in general medicine admissions, particularly in younger patients with fewer comorbidities. Additional effort is needed to improve GOC completion in these patients and those whose primary spoken language is not English.