bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Improving Toothbrushing with a Smartphone App: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Alkilzy Mohammad , Midani Rama , Höfer Margarita , Splieth Christian 
Published: May 2019

<b><i>Objectives:</i></b> Performing proper toothbrushing is a complicated process for children. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a smartphone app for improving manual toothbrushing via a gravitation sensor. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> In this prospective, controlled, single-blinded, randomized clinical trial, 49 children (mean age 5.1 ± 0.6 years, 27 female) were randomly assigned to test (<i>n</i> = 26) and control (<i>n</i> = 23) groups. All children were provided with manual toothbrushes with an integrated gravitation sensor and they received oral health instructions. Only the children of the test group got an additional smartphone app to visualize and reward proper brushing in form and time. At baseline and recalls after 6 and 12 weeks, plaque and gingival indices (QHI, PBI) were recorded for analysis between the two groups. <b><i>Results:</i></b> At baseline, there were no significant differences between the test and control group regarding plaque and gingival indices (QHI: 2.36 ± 0.7 and 2.42 ± 0.8; <i>p</i> = 0.94; PBI: 0.42 ± 0.2 and 0.47 ± 0.3; <i>p</i> = 0.59). At the 6- and 12-week recalls, the test group showed statistically ­significantly better oral health indices than the controls (6-week recall, QHI: 0.8 ±0.5 and 1.88 ± 0.9; <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001; PBI: 0.08 ± 0.1 and 0.26 ± 0.2; <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001; 12-week recall, QHI: 0.44 ± 0.5 and 1.49 ± 0.7; <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001; PBI: 0.05 ± 0.18 and 0.21 ± 0.1; <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The results highlight the enormous possibilities of a toothbrushing application via the smartphone, at least for medium-term oral hygiene improvement in preschool children and even after excluding the app. The long-term effect should also be investigated to exclude the expected novelty effect.
Osteological criteria for the specific identification of Monitor lizards (Varanus Merrem, 1820) remains in subfossil deposits of Sundaland and continental Southeast Asia
Authors: Bochaton Corentin , Ivanov Martin , Claude Julien 
Published: May 2019

Abstract
The identification at species level of subfossil remains of lizards from tropical regions currently suffers from strong limitation linked to the lack of comprehensive work conducted on the osteology of modern taxa. The aim of this study is to provide osteological criteria allowing for the specific identification of the subfossil remains of Sundaland and continental Southeast Asian monitor lizards (Varanus sp.), which are often well-represented in the deposits of this geographic area. To do so we performed an osteological study of the four species occurring in this region (V. bengalensis sensu lato, V. salvator, V. dumerilii, and V. rudicollis) using a large set of 88 skeletons of modern specimens. The observation of the full set of specimens allows us to define 41 osteological criteria distributed on 20 different anatomical parts which enable the specific identification of isolated bones of the studied species. The results highlight the importance of taking account of the morphological intraspecific variability by the use of large samples of specimens to avoid identification errors. They also show that the distinction of closely related taxa remains complex even when detailed morphological analyses are performed.
Why It Is Difficult to Eradicate Malaria in Sub-Sahara Africa
Authors: Abdullahi Ali Arazeem , Abubakar Anas Danasabe 
Published: May 2019

Abstract
Malaria is a major public health problem in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA). First-time pregnant mothers and children below the age of five are the most vulnerable. Governments of the region have relied on both local and international donor agencies to fight against malaria where emphasis has been on financial interventions, provision and distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs), provision of rapid-test apparatus, and drugs for first line treatment. However, the impacts of local and global efforts have been minimally felt as the burden of malaria continues unabated. The rate of malaria infections is still apocalyptically alarming. This article argues that the reason why cases and deaths attributable to malaria continue to rise is because wrong approaches are used in the so-called broad fight against malaria. Based on the assumptions of the epidemiological triangle model, the web of causation and social determinants of health, the article argues that for countries in SSA to effectively fight malaria, the nexus between the agent, host, and environment must be acknowledged. It is constructively argued that efforts to tame the scourge of malaria in SSA would be in futility where the environmental factors that produce the breeding ground for malaria are not adequately addressed. European and American experiences are compared to sufficiently substantiate this line of argument.
Marital Happiness in Time of Change: the Case of United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Authors: Alibeli Madalla A. , Na’amneh Mahmoud M. , Nair Satish 
Published: May 2019

Abstract
This study examined the extent to which marital happiness in the UAE can be correctly predicted from the knowledge of individuals’ subjective evaluations of their marital relational factors, including communication patterns, conflict resolution, marital role relationships, managing finance, children’s responsibilities sharing, and flexibility and closeness while holding constant the effects of the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of those individuals. To that end, self-administered questionnaires and in-depth interviews were conducted by trained research assistants. The study revealed important insights corresponding to marital happiness in the UAE, and predicted a number of factors that appeared to significantly predict this very important issue in society, in particular, communication patterns and conflict resolution style.
Understanding Globalized Digital Labor in the Information Age
Authors: Cárdenas-García Jaime F. , Soria De Mesa Bruno , Romero Castro Diego 
Published: May 2019

Abstract
The development of globalized digital labor brings to mind a labor process that seems to have changed dramatically from that of the industrial age. The toil of low-wage manual labor inside extensive buildings with smokestacks prevalent in the industrial age seems to have evolved into well-paid, enjoyable, meaningful labor in elegant buildings in tune with spacious vegetation-filled campuses. At the same time, social polarization is increasing with the threat of minimum-wage service labor and labor-replacing robots seeming to be the order of the day. The bottom line that drives this process seems to be the same as always, i.e. what benefits the capitalist owner is what is good for the digital workplace. This article seeks to identify and demystify the fundamental elements of digital labor in the globalized information age.
Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) in Rice Biotechnology Research in India
Authors: Kumar Avinash , Mallick Sambit 
Published: May 2019

Abstract
The present study examines the potential of Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) technology in the field of rice biotechnology research in India and how it is perceived and practiced by rice biotechnologists in selected scientific institutions under the aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and State Agricultural Universities (SAUs). The primary data for the study has been collected through in-depth personal interviews with molecular biologists and plant breeders engaged in rice biotechnology research in various institutional settings. A majority of the scientists emphasize the relative merits of MAS vis-à-vis the currently contentious transgenic approach for rice improvement in India. The MAS has emerged as an integrative, non-evasive, non-controversial, non-proprietary, and benign technology with the wider social acceptance that promotes open-mode, inclusive, and user-centered innovations in rice biotechnology research.
Fluctuations in State and Number among Nouns and Adjectives with the Gentilic Suffix in Samaritan Aramaic
Authors: Tarshin Alina 
Published: May 2019

Abstract
In Samaritan Aramaic we find the gentilic suffixes -’Cā:y, -’Cā: and -Cāʔi. Originally these suffixes signified different grammatical categories, but eventually they became interchangeable. This article examines all the forms with a gentilic suffix that are documented in the oral tradition of Samaritan Aramaic along with additional data derived from the manuscripts. It is suggested that fluctuations in state and number among these forms arose due to the phonetic resemblance between the various suffixes as well as due to the identical spelling of the suffixes -’Cā:y and -Cāʔi. It is shown that the manuscripts preserve traces of a more ancient stage of the use of gentilic suffixes and that most of the lexemes with the suffix are characterised by fossilised inflection. Thus, it is suggested that the fluctuations emerged during a later period, after Samaritan Aramaic was no longer spoken.
Qurʾānic Studies and Historical-Critical Philology
Authors: Neuwirth Angelika 
Published: May 2019

Qurʾānic scholarship in the west today tends to privilege historical queries, focusing on fragmented texts, their alleged subtexts, and the codex’s earliest venues of transmission. It usually abstains from attempts at making sense of the text as a literary artifact, let alone as an epistemic intervention into the reception of the Bible. Such concerns are left to philology which—if we follow Sheldon Pollock—is a tripartite venture: a query for “textual meaning,” an investigation into the text’s traditional understanding, i.e. its “contextual meaning,” and finally a re-thinking of one’s own scholarly preconceptions and responsibilities, the “philologist’s meaning.” Few topics are better suited to demonstrate the urgency of complementing historical with philological research than the Qurʾān’s controversial relation to the Bible. A fresh approach—updating the time-honored but somewhat fusty historical critical method—is required: a diachronic, yet contextual, and moreover holistic, reading of the Qurʾān. This paper will discuss texts that—featuring Muhammad and Moses respectively—reveal two major shifts in the relationship between the Qurʾān and Biblical tradition.Historical research should not be left alone: philology’s two assets, the contextual reading and moreover the researcher’s self-reflection, need to be admitted to the stage of Qurʾānic Studies. Christian interpretation of the Bible that, for historical and political reasons, has until now not taken the Qurʾān into account, could benefit substantially from the Qurʾān’s Biblical criticism, let alone its intrinsic challenge to rethink prevailing exclusivist positions.
Genera of the Asian Catfish Families Sisoridae and Erethistidae (Teleostei: Siluriformes)
Authors: THOMSON ALFRED W. , PAGE LAWRENCE M. 
Published: May 2019

External morphological traits diagnostic for valid genera in the Asian catfish families Sisoridae and Erethistidae were identified from publications and the examination of specimens. Diagnoses based on external morphological traits are predicted to significantly facilitate taxonomic revisions in these families. Erethistidae contains six valid genera (Ayarnangra, Caelatoglanis, Conta, Erethistes, Erethistoides, Pseudolaguvia) and about 25 species. Sisoridae contains 16 valid genera (Bagarius, Euchiloglanis, Exostoma, Gagata, Glaridoglanis, Glyptosternon, Glyptothorax, Gogangra, Myersglanis, Nangra, Oreoglanis, Parachiloglanis, Pareuchiloglanis, Pseudecheneis, Pseudexostoma, Sisor) and about 144 species. Lists of valid species and their distributions are given for each genus.
Redescription of the holotype of Finlaya lepchana Barraud, 1923 (Diptera: Culicidae: Aedini)
Authors: REINERT JOHN F. 
Published: May 2019

Barraud (1923a) provided the original description of Finlaya lepchana and based it on the holotype male and two other males from India, Tindharia, Darjeeling Hills, which were reared from larvae collected from bamboo stumps in October 1922. The description is brief and lacks many morphological details. Therefore, the holotype male, deposited in the Natural History Museum (NHM), London, United Kingdom, is redescribed below. The specimen is mounted on a minuten pin extending more or less vertically through the thorax between the mesal margins of the upper proepisterna and exiting the scutum anterior to the prescutellar area. The lower part of the minuten pin is inserted in a rectangular, yellow, plastic stage which is attached near its margin to an insect pin. Four labels are attached to the insect pin and include the following information: Finlaya lepchana Barr., % TYPE (handwritten in black ink except TYPE is typed on a red, paper, triangular label); terminalia ON SLIDE (hand printed in black ink on a white, paper, rectangular label); India: Tindaria, Darjiling Hills, IX.1922, bamboos, Capt. P.J. Barraud, B.M. 1923-207 (partially handwritten and remainder typed in black ink on a white, paper, rectangular label); HOLO- TYPE (printed in black ink on a small, circular, white, paper label with red border). The male genitalia, previously mounted on a microscope slide, have two labels as follow: AЁDES (FINLAYA) LEPCHANA Barr., INDIA, TINDHARIA, DARJEELING Dist., x.1922, from Bamboos, Coll. P. J. BARRAUD, B.M. 1923-207 (hand printed in black ink on a rectangular, brown paper label attached to the left side of the slide); HOLO- TYPE (label printed on a small, circular, white paper label with red border attached to the left side of the slide). The genitalia are mounted beneath a square cover slip and five psocids are embedded in the mounting medium on the margin of the cover slip. The spelling of “Tindaria” and “Darjiling” on the adult label differs from that reported by Barraud (1923a).
Changes in the peripheral blood cell count in pediatric patients with Down syndrome
Authors: Mang Niculina , Vizitiu Anda C. , Anghel Andrei 
Published: May 2019

Objectives Down syndrome (DS) is associated with multiple complications, including a high risk of leukemia and thyroid dysfunction. This clinical study aimed to examine the complete blood cell count in patients with DS without leukemia or transient abnormal myelopoiesis. We also aimed to evaluate the effect of thyroid dysfunction on hematological anomalies in DS. Methods We analyzed the peripheral blood cell count in 23 pediatric patients with DS with and without thyroid dysfunction and in 17 pediatric patients without DS with thyroid dysfunction. Results Patients with DS showed greater neutrophilia and lymphopenia than did patients with DS and hypothyroidism and patients with hypothyroidism. Surprisingly, patients with DS showed a significant degree of eosinopenia in the peripheral blood. Interestingly, hypothyroidism had an attenuating effect on different lineages in the complete blood count. However, these anomalies were specific for DS. Conclusions Our clinical findings support previous data on DS-associated changes in the complete blood count. Our study also shows novel alterations in the complete blood count in leukemia-free patients with DS in association with hypothyroidism. The attenuating effect of thyroid dysfunction on changes in different lineages in the context of DS is novel and deserves further analysis in larger studies.
Assessment of American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association-Approved Teams’ Websites for Patient-Oriented Content and Readability
Authors: Alfonso Allyson R. , DeMitchell-Rodriguez Evellyn M. , Ramly Elie P. , Noel Daphney Y. , Levy-Lambert Dina , Wang Maxime M. , Kantar Rami S. , Flores Roberto L. 
Published: May 2019

Objective: Informed decision-making relies on available information, including online resources. We evaluated the content and readability of websites published by American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA)-approved cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) teams in the United States. Design: Team websites were reviewed, and teams with no accessible website or <30 sentences of content were excluded. Website content was scored by presence/absence of 20 variables derived from ACPA approval standards. Readability was evaluated with 8 scales. Readability was then compared to American Medical Association (AMA) recommendations. The relationship between website content and readability was assessed. Main Outcome Measure(s): Content and readability of team websites. Results: From 167 reviewed teams, 47 (28.1%) had nonfunctional links, 17 (10.2%) had no accessible website, and 39 (23.4%) had <30 sentences. The average content score for all 111 team websites included was 14.5 (2.6) of 20. The combined average reading level across all scales (10.7 [1.9]) exceeded the AMA-recommended sixth-grade reading level; this finding held true for each individual website. Children’s Hospital-affiliated teams (n = 86) had a significantly higher content score (14.8 vs 13.5; P = .03) and better readability as evidenced by lower reading grade level (10.5 vs 11.4; P = .04). On linear regression, a higher content score significantly predicted better readability (β = −0.226; P < .001). Conclusions: Websites published by ACPA-approved CLP teams vary in accessibility and content and exceed the recommended reading level. These findings could inform future efforts to improve patient-oriented resources.
Clinical Outcomes of Osteochondral Lesions of the Tibial Plafond Following Arthroscopic Microfracture
Authors: Lee Wonyong , Tran Sterling , Cooper Minton T. , Park Joseph S. , Perumal Venkat 
Published: May 2019

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes and the level of sports activity following arthroscopic microfracture for osteochondral lesions of the tibial plafond. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted for patients who underwent arthroscopic microfracture surgery for osteochondral lesions of the tibial plafond from January 2014 to June 2017. For functional evaluation, the visual analog scale (VAS) pain score, Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) score, and Short Form-12 (SF-12) general health questionnaire were used. We also investigated the level of sports activity before and after the surgery. Sixteen patients were included in this study, and the mean follow-up period was 29.8 months. Results: The mean VAS score improved from 8.3 (range, 6-10) preoperatively to 1.8 (range, 0-4) postoperatively. The mean FAAM score was improved from 57.6 (range, 6.0-88.9) for the activities of daily living subscale and 34.5 (range, 3.1-92.6) for the sports subscale to 84.3 (range, 46.4-100.0) and 65.2 (range, 23.3-55.1) for each subscale, respectively, at the final follow-up. There were also improvements in the SF-12 score, from 36.3 (range, 23.3-55.1) preoperatively to 46.0 (range, 18.9-56.6) postoperatively for the SF-12 PCS, and from 41.3 (range, 14.2-65.0) preoperatively to 52.6 (range, 32.8-60.8) postoperatively for the SF-12 MCS. All functional scores showed significant differences clinically and statistically at the final follow-up. The level of sports activity after the surgery was significantly lower than their level before the surgery ( P = .012). Conclusion: Arthroscopic microfracture provided satisfactory clinical outcomes for osteochondral lesions of the tibial plafond. Though all the patients in this study were able to return to sports activity after the surgery, the postoperative level of sports activity was significantly lower than their preoperative level. Level of Evidence: Level IV, retrospective case series.
Effects of Extended-Release Niacin on Quartile Lp-PLA2 Levels and Clinical Outcomes in Statin-treated Patients with Established Cardiovascular Disease and Low Baseline Levels of HDL-Cholesterol: Post Hoc Analysis of the AIM HIGH Trial
Authors: Lyubarova Radmila , Albers John J. , Marcovina Santica M. , Yao Yao , McBride Ruth , Topliceanu Alexandru , Anderson Todd , Fleg Jerome L. , Desvigne-Nickens Patrice , Kashyap Moti L. , McGovern Mark E. , Boden William E. 
Published: May 2019

Background: Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (LpPLA2) is an inflammatory marker that has been associated with the presence of vulnerable plaque and increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) events. Objective: To assess the effect of extended-release niacin (ERN) on Lp-PLA2 activity and clinical outcomes. Methods: We performed a post hoc analysis in 3196 AIM-HIGH patients with established CV disease and low baseline levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) who were randomized to ERN versus placebo on a background of simvastatin therapy (with or without ezetimibe) to assess the association between baseline Lp-PLA2 activity and the rate of the composite primary end point (CV death, myocardial infarction, stroke, hospitalization for unstable angina, and symptom-driven revascularization). Results: Participants randomized to ERN, but not those randomized to placebo, experienced a significant 8.9% decrease in LpPLA2. In univariate analysis, the highest quartile of LpPLA2 activity (>208 nmol/min/mL, Q4) was associated with higher event rates compared to the lower quartiles in the placebo group (log rank P = .032), but not in the ERN treated participants (log rank P = .718). However, in multivariate analysis, adjusting for sex, diabetes, baseline LDL-C, HDL-C, and triglycerides, there was no significant difference in outcomes between the highest Lp-PLA2 activity quartile versus the lower quartiles in both the placebo and the ERN groups. Conclusion: Among participants with stable CV disease on optimal medical therapy, elevated Lp-PLA2 was associated with higher CV events; however, addition of ERN mitigates this effect. This association in the placebo group was attenuated after multivariable adjustment, which suggests that Lp-PLA2 does not improve risk assessment beyond traditional risk factors.