bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessment of topical corticosteroid ointment on postcesarean scars prevention: A prospective clinical trial
Authors: Meseci Elif 
Published: February 2019

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of corticosteroid ointment in hypertrophic scars prevention following Cesarean section.
Methods: This study was conducted between June 2017-May 2018 in Acıbadem Kozyatagı Hospital. Sixty-one patients (31 treatment and 30 control patients) took part in the current study which evaluated wound outcomes and patient satisfaction. All patients’ wound characteristics were assessed via the modified Vancouver Scar Scale (MVSS) score (height, pigmentation, vascularity, and pliability) at baseline (post-op 10th day), three months and six months. The treatment group received corticosteroid cream every other day for three months. Comparative evaluations and time-bound changes were evaluated in both groups.
Results: The mean age of the subjects was 31.28 ± 3.95 years. While the height and vascularity subsection scores of corticosteroid recipients were significantly reduced compared to those without treatment at three months, the scores were similar at six months. Furthermore, pliability and pigmentation decreased equally in both groups. There was high satisfaction with scar healing in the experimental group (20%, n=6), while 12.9% (n=4) of the patients were satisfied in the control group. Two patients reported itching after treatment.
Conclusions: The clinical outcomes in both groups were similar. Although vascularity and height parameters improved in three months, similar results were also observed in the group that did not receive treatment after the end of six months. This may have been due to the fact that treatment was stopped after three months. We recommend that the hypothesis be tested in larger series in future studies.
How to cite this:Meseci E. Assessment of topical corticosteroid ointment on postcesarean scars prevention: A prospective clinical trial. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(2):309-314. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.2.553
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The relationship between levels of Alexithymia and communication skills of nursing students
Authors: Sancar Behire , Aktas Demet 
Published: February 2019

Background & Objective: Effective communication in the nursing profession is not just a personal skill but is accepted as a learned and gained technique in the instructional process. It is possible for nurses to professionally provide effective and quality service with the establishment, development, and transfer to emotion of effective communication with people. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between levels of alexithymia and communication skills of nursing students.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among students attending the School of Nursing in a university in Turkey in the 2017-2018 Spring semester. A total of 634 nursing students participated in the study. The data in the study were collected with the “Student Introduction Form”, the “Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS)” and the “Communication Skills Scale (CSS)”. Means, standard deviations, t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation analysis were used for the analysis.
Results: The mean TAS scores of the nursing students were found to be 56.31±8.82, and the students had “moderate alexithymia” based on the average scores of the scale. The mean CSS scores of the nursing students in the study was found to be 91.16±12.99, and the students had “Good level of communication” based on the average scores of the scale. In our study, a negative and moderate correlation between the levels of alexithymia of nursing students and their communication skills was detected (p: 0.001).
Conclusion: It was found that as the levels of alexithymia of nursing student increased, their communication skills decreased.
How to cite this:Sancar B, Aktas D. The relationship between levels of Alexithymia and communication skills of nursing students. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(2):489-494. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.2.604
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Predicting the Future: Using Simulation Modeling to Forecast Patient Flow on General Medicine Units
Authors: Mishra Vimal , Tu Shin‐Ping , Heim Joseph , Masters Heather , Hall Lindsey , Clark Ralph R , Dow Alan W 
Published: February 2019

BACKGROUNDHospitals are complex adaptive systems within which multiple components such as patients, practitioners, facilities, and technology interact. A careful approach to optimization of this complex system is needed because any change can result in unexpected deleterious effects. One such approach is discrete event simulation, in which what‐if scenarios allow researchers to predict the impact of a proposed change on the system. However, studies illustrating the application of simulation in optimization of general internal medicine (GIM) team inpatient operations are lacking.METHODSAdministrative data about admissions and discharges, data from a time‐motion study, and expert opinion on workflow were used to construct the simulation model. Then, the impact of four changes – aligning medical teams with nursing units, adding a hospitalist team, adding a nursing unit, and adding both a nursing unit and hospitalist team with higher admission volume – were modeled on key hospital operational metrics.RESULTSAligning medical teams with nursing units improved team metrics for aligned teams but shifted patients to unaligned teams. Adding a hospitalist team had little benefit, but adding a nursing unit improved system metrics. Both adding a hospitalist team and a nursing unit would be required to maintain operational metrics with increased patient volume.CONCLUSIONUsing simulation modeling, we provided data on the implications of four possible strategic changes on GIM inpatient units, providers, and patient throughput. Such analyses may be a worthwhile investment to study strategic decisions and make better choices with fewer unintended consequences. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2018;14:9‐15. Published online first November 28, 2018. © 2019 Society of Hospital Medicine
Statistical Modeling and Aggregate‐Weighted Scoring Systems in Prediction of Mortality and ICU Transfer: A Systematic Review
Authors: Linnen Daniel T , Escobar Gabriel J , Hu Xiao , Scruth Elizabeth , Liu Vincent , Stephens Caroline 
Published: February 2019

BACKGROUNDThe clinical deterioration of patients in general hospital wards is an important safety issue. Aggregate‐weighted early warning systems (EWSs) may not detect risk until patients present with acute decline.PURPOSEWe aimed to compare the prognostic test accuracy and clinical workloads generated by EWSs using statistical modeling (multivariable regression or machine learning) versus aggregate‐weighted tools.DATA SOURCESWe searched PubMed and CINAHL using terms that described clinical deterioration and use of an advanced EWS.STUDY SELECTIONThe outcome was clinical deterioration (intensive care unit transfer or death) of adult patients on general hospital wards. We included studies published from January 1, 2012 to September 15, 2018.DATA EXTRACTIONFollowing 2015 PRIMSA systematic review protocol guidelines; 2015 TRIPOD criteria for predictive model evaluation; and the Cochrane Collaboration guidelines, we reported model performance, adjusted positive predictive value (PPV), and conducted simulations of workup‐to‐detection ratios.DATA SYNTHESISOf 285 articles, six studies reported the model performance of advanced EWSs, and five were of high quality. All EWSs using statistical modeling identified at‐risk patients with greater precision than aggregate‐weighted EWSs (mean AUC 0.80 vs 0.73). EWSs using statistical modeling generated 4.9 alerts to find one true positive case versus 7.1 alerts in aggregate‐weighted EWSs; a nearly 50% relative workload increase for aggregate‐weighted EWSs.CONCLUSIONSCompared with aggregate‐weighted tools, EWSs using statistical modeling consistently demonstrated superior prognostic performance and generated less workload to identify and treat one true positive case. A standardized approach to reporting EWS model performance is needed, including outcome definitions, pretest probability, observed and adjusted PPV, and workup‐to‐detection ratio.
Clinical Guideline Highlights for the Hospitalist: Maintenance Intravenous Fluids in Infants and Children
Authors: Girdwood Sonya Tang , Parker Michelle W , Shaughnessy Erin E 
Published: February 2019

GUIDELINE TITLE2018 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Clinical Practice Guideline: Maintenance Intravenous Fluids in ChildrenRELEASE DATENovember 26, 2018PRIOR VERSIONNot ApplicableDEVELOPERMultidisciplinary subcommittee of experts assembled by the AAPFUNDING SOURCEAAPTARGET POPULATIONPatients 28 days to 18 years of age requiring maintenance intravenous fluids (IVFs).
The negative effect of the chicken feather meal in the diet on growth performance of the shortfin eel Anguilla bicolor larvae
Authors: Thamren Muhammad Y. , Batubara Agung Setia , Nurfadillah Nurfadillah , Dewiyanti Irma , Muchlisin Zainal A. 
Published: February 2019

The aim of these study was to examine the effect of the replacement fish meal with chicken feather meal (CFM) for eel Anguilla bicolor larvae. The study was conducted at the Laboratory of Ichthyology, Faculty of Marine and Fisheries of Syiah Kuala University on September to October 2017. The Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with 7 treatments and 4 replications were used in this study. The tested dosage of CFM were of 0% CFM (control), 10% CFM, 20% CFM, 30% CFM, 40% CFM, 50% CFM and 60% CFM, where each treatment were contained of protein 32.26% (0% CFM), 33.09% (10% CFM), 36.20% (20% CFM), 39.10% (30% CFM), 41.22% (40% CFM), 45.43 ( 50% CFM) and 40.02% (60% CFM). The experimental fish were stocked in the plastic container at the stocking density of 15 fish container-1 and fed the experimental diets at the feeding level of 10% body weight a day for 60 days. The results showed that the application of CFM in the diet was not given a significant effect on the weight gain, daily weight gain, specific growth rate (P>0.05). In addition, the fish fed on CFM did not show growth rate even reduces the body weight of the experimental fish. It is concluded that the application of the CFM in diet gave the negative effect on the growth performance of the eel larvae.
Check list of the marine commercial and reef fishes of Belitung Timur, Bangka Belitung Islands, Indonesia
Authors: Akbar Helmy , Jailani Jailani , Suyatna Iwan , Destilawaty Destilawaty , Putra Singgih Afifa , Ambalika Indra 
Published: February 2019

Marine fish community is very sensitive to environmental changes. So the number of species, abundance, and biodiversity index can be used as a reference to assess the quality of the aquatic environment. The aim of this study was to describe fish biodiversity in Belitung Timur, Bangka Belitung Islands, Indonesia. Three islands were visited i.e. Pekandis Island, and Keran Island, Gosong Semut (Gosong refers to sandbar) for reef fish survey and for the economical fish study we also visited fisheries landing sites (i.e. Teluk Pering, Tanjung Batu Pulas, and Pantai Burung Mandi). The underwater visual census was used for in situ surveys of reef fish, and the fish species landed in fisheries landing site also been checked. Forty-two families of economical fish that had been landed by local fishermen were identified, and ten families of reef fish were found in reef systems of research location. A total of 10 families were recorded from three islands in Belitung Timur Regency. In addition, 42 families of commercial fish were also observed in fish landing sites from the coastline of Belitung Timur Regency, Bangka Belitung Islands.
The development of Home Design Awareness Scale in Children with Asthma<p>Astımlı Çocuklarda Ev Dizaynı Farkındalık Ölçeği geliştirilmesi
Authors: Aldem Muradiye , Geçkil Emine 
Published: February 2019

Nurses should educate, counsel and guide children with asthma and parents about home design. The purpose of this study is test the validity and reliability of the home design awareness scale in children with asthma. The methodological research was conducted between January 2017 and June 2018 with a total of 479 people. The sample consisted of a nursing department students, pediatric nurses working at a university and a public hospital, and parents of children with asthma in pediatric clinics and outpatient clinics of the same hospital. Data collected with socio-demographic form and developing home design awareness scale of children with asthma. For exploratory and confirmatory actor Analysis used SPSS 21 and LISREL 9.2 programs. As a result of the factor analysis, a scale consisting of 8 sub-dimensions with 23 items was obtained. CVI 0.85, Cronbach’s Alpha 0.86, RMSEA=0.065, SRMR=0.076, CFI=0.88, NNFI=0.85, GFI=0.83 of the scale were found. The scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool.Extended English summary is in the end of Full Text PDF (TURKISH) file. ÖzetHemşireler ev dizaynı konusunda astımı olan çocuk ve ebeveynlerine eğitim, danışmanlık, rehberlik yapmalıdır. Bu araştırmada, geliştirilen astımlı çocuklarda ev dizaynı farkındalık ölçeğinin geçerlik ve güvenirliğinin test edilmesi amaçlandı. Metodolojik tipteki araştırma Ocak 2017- Haziran 2018 tarihleri arasında toplam 479 kişi ile yapıldı. Örneklem hemşirelik bölümü öğrencileri, bir üniversite ve bir devlet hastanesinde çalışan çocuk hemşireleri, aynı hastanelerin çocuk klinikleri ve polikliniklerine başvuran astımlı çocukların ebeveynlerinden oluştu. Veriler sosyo-demografik bilgi formu ve geliştirilen astımlı çocuklarda ev dizaynı farkındalık ölçeği ile toplandı. Açıklayıcı ve doğrulayıcı faktör analizi için SPSS 21 ve LİSREL 9.2 programı kullanıldı. Faktör analizi sonucunda 23 maddeli 8 alt boyuttan oluşan bir ölçek elde edildi. Ölçeğin KGI 0.85, Cronbach’s Alpha 0.86, RMSEA=0.065, SRMR=0.076, CFI=0.88, NNFI=0.85, GFI=0.83 olduğu belirlendi. Ölçek geçerli ve güvenilir bir araçtır.
PERBANDINGAN BENTUK -TE IRU DAN -TSUZUKERU SEBAGAI PEMARKAH ASPEK IMPERFEKTIF DALAM BAHASA JEPANG
Authors: Nindya Elizabeth Ika Hesti 
Published: February 2019

-Te iru and -tsuzukeru form are both express the imperfective aspect. Although they both show the continuity of the situation but the situations they exhibit are not exactly the same. In terms of its form -te iru is hojodoushi, while -tsuzukeru is fukugoudoushi. In terms of the meaning, -te iru states the meaning of progressive aspects, habituatif, resultatif, keiken, kiroku, kanryou, while the -tsuzukeru expresses the meaning of continuous, and resultatif.
A DRAFT CLASSIFICATION OF ATTRIBUTES IN KOREAN AND POLISH LANGUAGES
Authors: BOROWIAK Anna 
Published: February 2019

Analyzing various classifications of sentence parts in Korean and Polish, it is easy to identify the existence of attributes in both of them, although the English term itself is not actually being used by Korean linguists, and thus might not be well known. Nevertheless, since the function of gwanhyeongeo (Kor. 관형어) in Korean, and attributes in Polish is similar, for the sake of transparency, this particular term will be used.The aim of this article is to propose a comprehensive classification of attributes in both target languages based on formal, syntactic and semantic parameters. In order to do it in the most exhaustive way, firstly different approaches concerning the definition of attributes, as well as the methods of their classification, proposed by various linguists in both languages will be examined. The author hopes to find out to which extent the typological differences between Korean and Polish are reflected in the attributes’ properties, according to which they can be classified.
Adaptive optimistic concurrency control for heterogeneous workloads
Authors: Guo Jinwei , Cai Peng , Wang Jiahao , Qian Weining , Zhou Aoying 
Published: February 2019

Optimistic concurrency control (OCC) protocols validate whether a transaction has conflicts with other concurrent transactions after this transaction completes its execution. In this work, we demonstrate that the validation phase has a great influence on the performance of modern in-memory database systems, especially under heterogeneous workloads. The cost of validating operations in a transaction is determined by two main factors. The first factor is the operation type. An OCC protocol would take much less cost on validating a single-record read operation than validating a key-range scan operation. The second factor is the workload type. Existing schemes in OCC variants for validating key-range scan perform differently under various workloads.
Although various validation schemes share the same goal of guaranteeing a transaction schedule to be serializable, there are remarkable differences between the costs they introduced. These observations motivate us to design an optimistic concurrency control which can choose a low-cost validation scheme at runtime, referred to as adaptive optimistic concurrency control (AOCC). First, at transaction-level granularity, AOCC can assign a validation method to a transaction according to the features of its operations. Furthermore, for each operation in a transaction, the validation method is selected according to not only the number of accessed records but also the instant characteristics of workloads. Experimental results show that AOCC has good performance and scalability under heterogeneous workloads mixed with point accesses and predicate queries.
Modified 30-Second Sit-to-Stand Test: Reliability and Validity in Older Adults Unable to Complete Traditional Sit-to-Stand Testing
Authors: McAllister Linda S. , Palombaro Kerstin M. 
Published: February 2019

Background and Purpose:
Sit-to-stand tests measure a clinically relevant function and are widely used in older adult populations. The modified 30-second sit-to-stand test (m30STS) overcomes the floor effect of other sit-to-stand tests observed in physically challenged older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine interrater and test-retest intrarater reliability for the m30STS for older adults. In addition, convergent validity of the m30STS, as well as responsiveness to change, was examined in older adults undergoing rehabilitation.

Methods:
In phase I, 7 older adult participants were filmed performing the m30STS. The m30STS was standardized to allow hand support during the rise to and descent from standing but required participants to let go of the armrests with each stand. Ten physical therapists and physical therapist assistants independently scored the filmed m30STS twice, with 21 days separating the scoring sessions. In phase II, 33 older adults with comorbidities admitted to physical therapy services at a skilled nursing facility were administered the m30STS, Berg Balance Scale, handheld dynamometry of knee extensors, and the modified Barthel Index at initial examination and discharge.

Results:
In phase I, the m30STS was found to be reliable. Interrater reliability using absolute agreement was calculated as intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)2,1 = 0.737 (P ≤ .001). Test-retest intrarater reliability using absolute agreement was calculated as ICC2,k = 0.987 (P ≤ .001). In phase II, concurrent validity was established for the m30STS for the initial (Spearman ρ = 0.737, P = .01) and discharge (Spearman ρ = 0.727, P = .01) Berg Balance Scale as well as total scores of the modified Barthel Index (initial total score Spearman ρ = 0.711, P = .01; discharge total score Spearman ρ = 0.824, P = .01). The initial m30STS predicted 31.5% of the variability in the discharge Berg Balance Scale. The m30STS did not demonstrate significant correlation with body weight–adjusted strength measures of knee extensors measured by handheld dynamometry. The minimal detectable change (MDC90) was calculated to be 0.70, meaning that an increase of 1 additional repetition in the m30STS is a change beyond error.

Conclusion:
The m30STS is a reliable, feasible tool for use in a general geriatric population with a lower level of function. The m30STS demonstrated concurrent validity with the Berg Balance Scale and modified Barthel Index but not with knee extensor strength to body weight ratio. One repetition of the m30STS was established as the MDC90 as change beyond error.
Potential Reuse of Treated Textile Effluent in Fly Ash Concrete
Authors: Ramya P. , Revathi V. , Sivamurthy Reddy S. 
Published: February 2019

Abstract
In a preliminary effort to deal with the present fresh water demand in the construction industry, this article examines the potential reuse of textile effluent as mixing water in making fly ash concrete. The effluents were collected from a textile industry at different stages of treatment, such as Collection Tank Effluent, Effluent after Anaerobic Treatment (EAT), Tertiary Treatment Effluent, and Reverse Osmosis Feed Effluent. The collected effluent samples have been analyzed to establish physicochemical characteristics and their effects on the properties of concrete, such as compressive strength, split tensile strength, and flexural strength. Higher salt content in effluent mix water significantly increased the final setting time of the binder. Furthermore, the workability of the concrete made with effluent mix water is relatively higher than that of the control concrete mix. Also, concrete mixes made with textile effluent mix water demonstrated greater strength than that of the control concrete. Furthermore, EAT mixes have exhibited maximum compressive strength compared with other mixes and also had superior durability compared with the control concrete mix. The higher strength can be attributed to the nucleation effect caused by the presence of a high concentration of total solids in the effluent. However, this concrete can be recommended for applications of plain cement concrete, such as pavements, industrial floors, and curbs/gutters.
Gaussian-Distributed Codon Frequencies of Genomes
Authors: Khomtchouk Bohdan B , Nonner Wolfgang 
Published: February 2019

Abstract
DNA encodes protein primary structure using 64 different codons to specify 20 different amino acids and a stop signal. Frequencies of codon occurrence when ordered in descending sequence provide a global characterization of a genome’s preference (bias) for using the different codons of the redundant genetic code. Whereas frequency/rank relations have been described by empirical expressions, here we propose a statistical model in which two different forms of codon usage co-exist in a genome. We investigate whether such a model can account for the range of codon usages observed in a large set of genomes from different taxa. The differences in frequency/rank relations across these genomes can be expressed in a single parameter, the proportion of the two codon compartments. One compartment uses different codons with weak bias according to a Gaussian distribution of frequency, the other uses different codons with strong bias. In prokaryotic genomes both compartments appear to be present in a wide range of proportions, whereas in eukaryotic genomes the compartment with Gaussian distribution tends to dominate. Codon frequencies that are Gaussian-distributed suggest that many evolutionary conditions are involved in shaping weakly-biased codon usage, whereas strong bias in codon usage suggests dominance of few evolutionary conditions.