bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An insight into frequency and predictors leading psychiatric patients to visit faith healers: A hospital-based cross-sectional survey, Karachi, Pakistan
Authors: Khoso Aneeta , Soomro Rafiq Ahmed , Quraishy Ayesha Muquim , Khan Hammad Ali , Ismail Saba , Nazaz Mehrunnisa , Younus Sana , Zainab Saima 
Published: February 2018

Background: Psychiatric illnesses have recently escalated in numbers, with patients resorting to various forms of healthcare providers, including faith healers. This delays early psychiatric treatment, resulting in further mental health deterioration of the patient. Various factors impact the mode of treatment preferred by psychiatric patients. Aims: To determine the frequency of psychiatric patients visiting faith healers, presenting at the outpatient department of Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, and to explore the predictors that direct them toward visiting faith healers. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted using a semi-structured pre-tested questionnaire, employing a total of 219 male and female psychiatric patients. Patients were recruited through non-random consecutive sampling technique. SPSS 18 was used for statistical analysis. Results: About 32% of the patients had visited a faith healer in their lifetime. Frequency of current visitors declined; the most frequent reason being stated was no relief from their treatment. Students, patients of upper middle class and those coming for initial visit to a psychiatrist were more likely to visit a faith healer. Patients who knew of someone previously visiting a faith healer were less likely to have visited a faith healer. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of a multisectoral approach to dealing with psychiatric patients to help in bridging the treatment gap in mental health.
Advanced diffusion-weighted imaging in patients with optic neuritis deficit – value of reduced field of view DWI and readout-segmented DWI
Authors: Seeger Achim , Schulze Maximilian , Schuettauf Frank , Ernemann Ulrike , Hauser Till-Karsten 
Published: February 2018

Objective The objective of this article is to evaluate advanced techniques of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements of the optic nerve in patients with optic neuritis. Methods In this prospective and institutional review board-approved trial, we examined 15 patients with acute visual loss and clinical signs of optic neuritis including thin-slice multi-shot segmented readout of long variable echo trains (rs-EPI, RESOLVE) DWI and reduced field-of view DWI using a parallel transmit system (rFOV-EPI). Conventional single-shot echo-planar DWI (ss-EPI) of the whole brain was available in 13 patients. Subjective image quality was compared using a four-point scale and objective ADC measurements were performed in comparison with the non-affected side. Results In the intraorbital segment, subjective image quality was significantly higher in rFOV-EPI (score 3.3 ± 0.8) compared with rs-EPI (score 2.1 ± 0.8) and ss-EPI (score 0.9 ± 0.8). Diagnosis was hampered in the canalicular segment ( n = 3) and the intracranial segment ( n = 1) in all applied DWI techniques. ADC measurements of the affected side differed significantly in all DWI sequences ss-EPI (sensitivity 54%, accuracy 77%), rs-EPI (sensitivity 71%, accuracy 86%), and rFOV-EPI (sensitivity 73%, accuracy 87%). Conclusion Optic neuritis in the intraorbital segment can be detected with high sensitivity without the need for contrast application. Using rFOV-EPI improves subjective image quality compared with rs-EPI and ss-EPI. Due to its higher spatial resolution, rFOV-EPI was the preferred technique in our study and can ensure the diagnosis in the intraorbital segment. However, artefacts occur in the canalicular and intracranial segment of the optic nerve, therefore contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images must still be considered as the gold standard.
Prevalence and risk factors for venous thromboembolism in children with sickle cell disease: an administrative database study
Authors: Kumar Riten , Stanek Joseph , Creary Susan , Dunn Amy , O’Brien Sarah H. 
Published: February 2018

Key Points
Adults with SCD have an increased incidence of VTE, but similar data in children are lacking. In this 7-year, multicenter retrospective study, 1.7% of children with SCD developed VTE.
C/EBPα overrides epigenetic reprogramming by oncogenic transcription factors in acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Loke Justin , Chin Paulynn Suyin , Keane Peter , Pickin Anna , Assi Salam A. , Ptasinska Anetta , Imperato Maria Rosaria , Cockerill Peter N. , Bonifer Constanze 
Published: February 2018

Key Points
C/EBPα directly represses the leukemia maintenance program; however, the pattern of repressed genes is specific for each type of AML. Overexpression of C/EBPα does not globally displace these proteins from their binding sites, but overrides their repressive activity.
Rapid and ultra-sensitive quantitation of disease-associated α-synuclein seeds in brain and cerebrospinal fluid by αSyn RT-QuIC
Authors: Groveman Bradley R. , Orrù Christina D. , Hughson Andrew G. , Raymond Lynne D. , Zanusso Gianluigi , Ghetti Bernardino , Campbell Katrina J. , Safar Jiri , Galasko Douglas , Caughey Byron 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThe diagnosis and treatment of synucleinopathies such as Parkinson disease and dementia with Lewy bodies would be aided by the availability of assays for the pathogenic disease-associated forms of α-synuclein (αSynD) that are sufficiently sensitive, specific, and practical for analysis of accessible diagnostic specimens. Two recent αSynDseed amplification tests have provided the first prototypes for ultrasensitive and specific detection of αSynDin patients’ cerebrospinal fluid. These prototypic assays require 5–13 days to perform. Here, we describe an improved α-synuclein real time quaking-induced conversion (αSyn RT-QuIC) assay that has similar sensitivity and specificity to the prior assays, but can be performed in 1–2 days with quantitation. Blinded analysis of cerebrospinal fluid from 29 synucleinopathy cases [12 Parkinson’s and 17 dementia with Lewy bodies] and 31 non-synucleinopathy controls, including 16 Alzheimer’s cases, yielded 93% diagnostic sensitivity and 100% specificity for this test so far. End-point dilution analyses allowed quantitation of relative amounts of αSynDseeding activity in cerebrospinal fluid samples, and detection in as little as 0.2 μL. These results confirm that αSynDseeding activity is present in cerebrospinal fluid. We also demonstrate that it can be rapidly detected, and quantitated, even in early symptomatic stages of synucleinopathy.
Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Limitations of Intensification of Therapy in a Developing Country
Authors: Jain Punit , Korula Anu , Deshpande Prashant , PN Nisham , Abu Alex Ansu , Abraham Aby , Srivastava Alok , Janet Nancy Beryl , Lakshmi Kavitha M. , Balasubramanian Poonkuzhali , George Biju , Mathews Vikram 
Published: February 2018

Purpose Limited data exist on intensifying chemotherapy regimens in the treatment of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) outside the setting of a clinical trial. Materials and Methods Retrospectively, data from 507 consecutive adults (age ≥ 15 years) with a diagnosis of ALL treated at our center were analyzed. Standard-risk (SR) patients were offered treatment with a modified German Multicenter ALL (GMALL) regimen, whereas high-risk (HR) patients were offered intensification of therapy with hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone (HCVAD). Because of resource constraints, a proportion of HR patients opted to receive the same treatment regimen as used for SR patients. Results There were 344 SR patients (67.8%) and 163 HR patients (32.2%) at diagnosis. Among the HR patients, 53 (32.5%) opted to receive intensification with the HCVAD regimen. The SR cohort showed a superior 5-year event-free survival rate compared with the HR cohort (47.3% v 23.6%, respectively; P < .001). Within the HR subgroup, there was no statistically significant difference in overall survival or event-free survival between patients who received the modified GMALL regimen (n = 59) and patients who received HCVAD (n = 53). Conclusion Intensified therapy in the HR subset was associated with a significant increase in early treatment-related mortality and cost of treatment. A modified GMALL regimen was found to be cost-effective with clinical outcomes comparable to those achieved with more intensive regimens.
Outcomes in Treatment-Naïve Patients With Metastatic Extremity Osteosarcoma Treated With OGS-12, a Novel Non–High-Dose Methotrexate–Based, Dose-Dense Combination Chemotherapy, in a Tertiary Care Cancer Center
Authors: Bajpai Jyoti , Chandrasekharan Arun , Simha Vijai , Talreja Vikas , Karpe Ashay , Pandey Nikihil , Singh Ashish , Rekhi Bharat , Vora Tushar , Ghosh Jaya , Banavali Shripad , Gupta Sudeep 
Published: February 2018

PurposeMetastatic osteosarcoma is largely treated with high-dose methotrexate (HDMTX)–based therapy, especially in the pediatric population. This mandates complex pharmacokinetic monitoring in a costly inpatient setting to mitigate unpredictable serious toxicities. Hence, a non-HDMTX–based regimen is worth exploring, especially in India and low- and middle-income countries.Materials and MethodsAll consecutive treatment-naïve patients with metastatic osteosarcoma were prospectively treated on the novel OGS-12 protocol consisting of sequential doublets of doxorubicin, cisplatin, and ifosfamide. Four cycles were administered as neoadjuvant therapy followed by planned curative intent surgery and metastasectomy when feasible, followed by four cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy. Baseline characteristics, histologic response, event-free survival (EFS), overall survival (OS), and toxicity data were prospectively collected.ResultsThree hundred seventeen patients were enrolled onto the OGS-12 protocol from 2011 to 2014, of whom 80 (25%) had metastatic disease; median age was 17 years. The majority of patients were nutritionally challenged with high-risk features. At presentation, 83% of patients (66 patients) had lung metastases. After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 57% of patients were histologically good responders. Four-year EFS and OS rates were 24% and 27%, respectively, in the intent-to-treat population and 27% and 29%, respectively, in the per-protocol analysis. Significant grade 3 or 4 toxicities were febrile neutropenia (51%), thrombocytopenia (36%), and anemia (54%). Histologic response was an independent predictor for EFS and OS in patients who underwent surgery. Surgical intervention was found to be significant for survival in univariable analysis.ConclusionThe novel, low-cost, non-HDMTX–based, dose-dense OGS-12 regimen has shown comparable outcomes to international standards in metastatic osteosarcomas and is worthy of wider clinical application. An aggressive multimodality approach may result in long-term survival in a select group of patients and, hence, is worth considering.
Integrated Biomedical System
Authors: Ricke Darrell O. , Harper James , Shcherbina Anna , Chiu Nelson , Boettcher Tara 
Published: February 2018

Background: Capabilities for generating and storing large amounts of data relevant to individual health and performance are rapidly evolving and have the potential to accelerate progress toward quantitative and individualized understanding of many important issues in health and medicine. Recent advances in clinical and laboratory technologies provide increasingly complete and dynamic characterization of individual genomes, gene expression levels for genes, relative abundance of thousands of proteins, population levels for thousands of microbial species, quantitative imaging data, and more – all on the same individual. Personal and wearable electronic devices are increasingly enabling these same individuals to routinely and continuously capture vast amounts of quantitative data including activity, sleep, nutrition, environmental exposures, physiological signals, speech, and neurocognitive performance metrics at unprecedented temporal resolution and scales. While some of the companies offering these measurement technologies have begun to offer systems for integrating and displaying correlated individual data, these are either closed/proprietary platforms that provide limited access to sensor data or have limited scope that focus primarily on one data domain (e.g. steps/calories/activity, genetic data, etc.). Methods: The Integrated Biomedical System is developed as a Ruby on Rails application with a relational database. Results: Data from multiple wearable monitors for activity, sleep, and physiological measurements, phone GPS tracking, individual genomics, air quality monitoring, etc. have been integrated into the Integrated Biomedical System. Conclusions: The Integrated Biomedical System is being developed to demonstrate an adaptable open-source tool for reducing the burden associated with integrating heterogeneous genome, interactome, and exposome data from a constantly evolving landscape of biomedical data generating technologies. The Integrated Biomedical System provides a scalable and modular framework that can be extended to include support for numerous types of analyses and applications at scales ranging from personal users, communities and groups, to potentially large populations.
Using theories of change to design monitoring and evaluation of community engagement in research: experiences from a research institute in Malawi
Authors: Gooding Kate , Makwinja Regina , Nyirenda Deborah , Vincent Robin , Sambakunsi Rodrick 
Published: February 2018

Background: Evaluation of community and public engagement in research is important to deepen understanding of how engagement works and to enhance its effectiveness. Theories of change have been recommended for evaluating community engagement, for their ability to make explicit intended outcomes and understandings of how engagement activities contribute to these outcomes. However, there are few documented examples of using theories of change for evaluation of engagement. This article reports experience of using theories of change to develop a framework for evaluating community engagement in research at a clinical research organisation in Malawi. We describe the steps used to develop theories of change, and the way theories of change were used to design data collection plans. Based on our experience, we reflect on the advantages and challenges of the theory of change approach. Methods: The theories of change and evaluation framework were developed through a series of workshops and meetings between engagement practitioners, monitoring and evaluation staff, and researchers. We first identified goals for engagement, then used ‘so that’ chains to clarify pathways and intermediate outcomes between engagement activities and goals. Further meetings were held to refine initial theories of change, identify priority information needs, and define feasible evaluation methods. Results: The theory of change approach had several benefits. In particular, it helped to construct an evaluation framework focused on relevant outcomes and not just activities. The process of reflecting on intended goals and pathways also helped staff to review the design of engagement activities. Challenges included practical considerations around time to consider evaluation plans among practitioners (a challenge for evaluation more generally regardless of method), and more fundamental difficulties related to identifying feasible and agreed outcomes. Conclusions: These experiences from Malawi provide lessons for other research organisations considering use of theories of change to support evaluation of community engagement.
The body as site of interweaving performance cultures: Between being a body and having a body
Authors: Fischer-Lichte Erika 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
This article deals with problems arising from the globalization of ‘embodied knowledge’ in the performing arts. Proceeding from the theories of Marcel Mauss and Hellmuth Plessner, the article introduces the concepts of the body-object and the body-subject, and discusses whether embodied knowledge only refers to certain specific body techniques, which will only impact upon the body as the object, or whether it also impacts upon the body as the site of the subject. Whether or not embodied knowledge practised by an actor/performer is part of a much broader field of knowledge, such as aesthetics, philosophy or religion, is also an important question that contributes to the fundamental argument of the article. To shed light on this issue, the article examines two treatises on acting from two different cultures, Bharata Muni’s the Natyasastra (second century bce and second century ce) and Johann Jakob Engel’s Practical Illustrations of Rhetorical Gestures and Action (1785–86), in order to evaluate their proposal on how to represent emotions in performance and what kinds of responses this may elicit from spectators. Similarly, I will examine two modes of interweaving performance practice: first, the actors who were trained in one particular style or tradition but acquired the bodily techniques of another cultural style later in their performance career; and second, the co-performing actors who were trained in and belonged to different performance traditions yet worked together onstage.
Fatwa on satellite TV and the development of Islamic religious discourse
Authors: Miladi Noureddine , Karim Saleh , Athambawa Mahroof 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Satellite TV and the Internet revolutions have reinvigorated religious discourse in public spaces. Across the world, religious TV channels and Internet religious websites have taken up the roles of traditional religious spaces such as churches, mosques, synagogues, gurdwaras and temples. Islamic religious content through fatwa (religious verdict) programmes and other online and satellite TV genre has attracted considerable attention over the last fifteen years. Such programmes have become influential platforms in constructing people’s opinions. On Islamic-oriented satellite TV channels, fatwa provision has nowadays become a sophisticated phenomenon exceeding the traditional scope of religious teaching. To understand fatwa and its possible impact, it is necessary to gauge the plethora of platforms available for audiences and users as sources of understanding their religious needs starting with satellite TV programmes to the unlimited online platforms for the diffusion of their religious decree. This research attempts to understand the extent to which fatwa programmes on satellite TV and radio are significant in shaping people’s opinion. Through the implementation of an extensive survey questionnaire on a sample of the Qatari society in addition to interviews with experts and religious scholars, findings show that fatwa on satellite programme can be very important in helping viewers better understand their religion. The results also indicated that respondents included in the survey showed apathy when it comes to the implementation of rulings coming from muftis on TV. In short, respondents may watch fatwa or religious programmes on satellite TV or they may listen to them on the Qur’an radio in Qatar but they do not necessarily consider them as totally authentic. Authentic scholarly views on matters of religious seem to be more credible when they originate from a reputable Imam whom they see face to face. Moreover, results show that satellite TV has facilitated the emergence of the pan-Arab mufti or global Faqeeh. It has also facilitated the emergence of independent muftis and freed fatwa from the official religious authorities in various countries.
Variational Approaches to P(X)-Laplacian-Like Problems with Neumann Condition Originated from a Capillary Phenomena
Authors: Heidarkhani Shapour , Afrouzi Ghasem A. , Moradi Shahin 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
This article presents several sufficient conditions for the existence of at least one weak solution and infinitely many weak solutions for the following Neumann problem, originated from a capillary phenomena,

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Numerical Investigation of the Wave-Front Tracking Algorithm for the Full Ultra-Relativistic Euler Equations
Authors: Abdelrahman Mahmoud A.E. 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
We introduce a generalized version of the front tracking algorithm for the full ultra-relativistic Euler system. The construction and analysis of this algorithm are somewhat simpler than other algorithms. Moreover, this scheme leads to a more robust and efficient result. The scheme also satisfies positivity. This scheme is compared with other two schemes by two numerical test cases. Furthermore we give another application of this scheme, namely we check the explicit formula of interaction of two generalized shocks, by further numerical test case.
On dynamical reconstruction of an input in a linear system under measuring a part of coordinates
Authors: Maksimov Vyacheslav I. 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
The problem of reconstructing an unknown input under measuring a part of phase coordinates of a system of ordinary differential equations is considered.
We propose a solving algorithm that is stable to perturbations and is based on the combination of ideas from the theory of dynamical inversion and the theory of guaranteed control.
The algorithm consists of two blocks: the block of dynamical reconstruction of unmeasured coordinates and the block of dynamical reconstruction of an input.
Accelerated mechanical fatigue interconnect testing method for electrical wire bonds
Authors: Czerny Bernhard , Khatibi Golta 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Every new development in device performance and packaging design, can drastically affect the reliability of devices due to implementation of new materials and design changes. High performance and high reliability demands in power electronics over several decades and a short time to market development, raise the need for very fast reliability testing methods. In this study a mechanical fatigue testing method is presented for evaluating the interfacial fatigue resistance of heavy Al wire bonded interconnects in high power modules. By separating the concurrent thermal, mechanical and environmental failure mechanisms a selective investigation of the desired failure mode is possible. The setup is designed to reproduce the thermo-mechanical shear stresses by mechanical means, while provoking the same lift-off failure mode as in power cycling tests. With a frequency variable test setup of a few Hz up to several kHz, measurements from 103 up to 108 loading cycles and determining the influence of the testing frequency on the fatigue life are possible. A semi-automated bond wire fatigue tester operating at 60 kHz is presented which is suitable for rapid screening and qualification of a variety of wire bonds at the stages of development and during the production.