bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Utilizing a PLASMIC score‐based approach in the management of suspected immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: a cost minimization analysis within the Harvard TMA Research Collaborative
Authors: Upadhyay Vivek A. , Geisler Benjamin P. , Sun Lova , Uhl Lynne , Kaufman Richard M. , Stowell Christopher , Makar Robert S. , Bendapudi Pavan K. 
Published: May 2019

SummaryThe PLASMIC score is a recently described clinical scoring algorithm that rapidly assesses the probability of severe ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13) deficiency among patients presenting with microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia. Using a large multi‐institutional cohort, we explored whether an approach utilizing the PLASMIC score to risk‐stratify patients with suspected immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) could lead to significant cost savings. Our consortium consists of institutions with an unrestricted approach to ADAMTS13 testing (Group A) and those that require pre‐approval by the transfusion medicine service (Group B). Institutions in Group A tested more patients than those in Group B (P < 0·001) but did not identify more cases of iTTP (P = 0·29) or have lower iTTP‐related mortality (P = 0·84). Decision tree cost analysis showed that applying a PLASMIC score‐based strategy to screen patients for ADAMTS13 testing in Group A would have reduced costs by approximately 27% over the 12‐year period of our study compared to the current approach. Savings were primarily driven by a reduction in unnecessary therapeutic plasma exchanges, but lower utilization of ADAMTS13 testing and subspecialty consultations also contributed. Our data indicate that using the PLASMIC score to guide ADAMTS13 testing and the management of patients with suspected iTTP could be associated with significant cost savings.
Development and content validation of the Urethroplasty Training and Assessment Tool (UTAT) for dorsal onlay buccal mucosa graft urethroplasty
Authors: Jasionowska Sara , Shabbir Majed , Brunckhorst Oliver , Khan Muhammad Shamim , Manzoor Hussain , Dasgupta Prokar , Anderson Paul , Barbagli Guido , Ahmed Kamran 
Published: May 2019

ObjectivesTo develop and validate the Urethroplasty Training and Assessment Tool (UTAT) using Healthcare Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (HFMEA) for training and assessment of urology trainees learning this urethral reconstruction technique, as urethroplasty is the ‘gold standard’ treatment for long and recurrent urethral strictures and with a variety of techniques and a lack of standardised reconstructive curricula, there is a need for procedure‐specific training tools to improve surgeon training and patient safety.Materials and MethodsThis international observational study was performed over an 11‐month period. The HFMEA was used to identify and evaluate hazardous stages of urethroplasty to develop the UTAT. Hazard scores were calculated for the included steps of urethroplasty. Content validation was performed by 12 expert surgeons and multidisciplinary teams from international tertiary centres.ResultsThe HFMEA process resulted in an internationally validated UTAT. Hazard scores ≥4 and single point weaknesses were included to implement actions and outcome measures. Content validation was achieved by circulating the process map, hazard analysis table, and developed tools. Changes were implemented based on the feedback received from expert surgeons. The content validated dorsal onlay buccal mucosa graft bulbar UTAT contained five phases, 10 processes and 23 sub‐processes.ConclusionsThe modular UTAT offers a comprehensive validated training tool developed via a detailed HFMEA protocol. This may be utilised to standardise the training and assessment of urology trainees.
Systemic risk contagion in FX market: A frequency connectedness and network analysis
Authors: Polat Onur 
Published: May 2019

AbstractIn this study, we analyse systemic risk contagion between a set of most actively traded currencies (EURO, JPY, GBP, AUD, CAD and CHF) by application of VAR based frequency connectedness proposed by Baruník and Křehlík. By using this novel approach, we gauge foreign exchange (FX) market connectedness in 200‐day frequency band using spectral representation of variance decompositions of VAR and identify directional spillovers between the most actively traded foreign exchange rates. Dynamics of the overall spillover index reveals that the index capture well‐known financial stress incidents properly. Finally, network topology of directional spillovers between currency pairs is provided for visulalization interconnectedness between them.
Quantifying biases in marine‐protected‐area placement relative to abatable threats
Authors: Kuempel Caitlin D. , Jones Kendall R. , Watson James E.M. , Possingham Hugh P. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractMarine protected areas (MPAs) are a critical defense against biodiversity loss in the world's oceans, but to realize near‐term conservation benefits, they must be established where major threats to biodiversity occur and can be mitigated. We quantified the degree to which MPA establishment has targeted stoppable threats (i.e., threats that can be abated through effectively managed MPAs alone) by combining spatially explicit marine biodiversity threat data in 2008 and 2013 and information on the location and potential of MPAs to halt threats. We calculated an impact metric to determine whether countries are protecting proportionally more high‐ or low‐threat ecoregions and compared observed values with random protected‐area allocation. We found that protection covered <2% of ecoregions in national waters with high levels of abatable threat in 2013, which is ∼59% less protection in high‐threat areas than if MPAs had been placed randomly. Relatively low‐threat ecoregions had 6.3 times more strict protection (International Union for Conservation of Nature categories I–II) than high‐threat ecoregions. Thirty‐one ecoregions had high levels of stoppable threat but very low protection, which presents opportunities for MPAs to yield more significant near‐term conservation benefits. The extent of the global MPA estate has increased, but the establishment of MPAs where they can reduce threats that are driving biodiversity loss is now urgently needed.
Hyperkinetic movement disorders in congenital disorders of glycosylation
Authors: Mostile G. , Barone R. , Nicoletti A. , Rizzo R. , Martinelli D. , Sturiale L. , Fiumara A. , Jankovic J. , Zappia M. 
Published: May 2019

Background and purposeCongenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) represent an increasing number of rare inherited metabolic diseases associated with abnormal glycan metabolism and disease onset in infancy or early childhood. Most CDG are multisystemic diseases mainly affecting the central nervous system. The aim of the current study was to investigate hyperkinetic movement disorders in patients affected by CDG and to characterize phenomenology based on CDG subtypes.MethodsSubjects were identified from a cohort of patients with CDG who were referred to the University Hospital of Catania, Italy. Patients were evaluated by neurologists with expertise in movement disorders and videotaped using a standardized protocol.ResultsA variety of hyperkinetic movement disorders was detected in eight unrelated CDG patients. Involuntary movements were generally observed early in childhood, maintaining a clinical stability over time. Distribution ranged from a generalized, especially in younger subjects, to a segmental/multifocal involvement. In patients with phosphomannomutase 2 CDG, the principal movement disorders included dystonia and choreo‐athetosis. In patients affected by other CDG types, the movement disorders ranged from pure generalized chorea to mixed movement disorders including dystonia and complex stereotypies.ConclusionsHyperkinetic movement disorder is a key clinical feature in patients with CDG. CDG should be considered in the differential diagnosis of childhood‐onset dyskinesia, especially when associated with ataxia, developmental delay, intellectual disability, autism or seizure disorder.
Analysis and prediction of high‐speed train wheel wear based on SIMPACK and backpropagation neural networks
Authors: Wang Shuwen , Yan Hao , Liu Caixia , Fan Ning , Liu Xiaoming , Wang Chengguo 
Published: May 2019

AbstractAs train running speeds increase, the wheel–rail interactions of high‐speed trains are becoming more complicated, and predicting and monitoring wheel wear are becoming increasingly important for the safe operation of high‐speed trains. Therefore, identifying the critical factors that affect the wear of wheel–rail interactions and developing novel methods to predict wheel wear are of great importance. In this work, SIMPACK is used to establish a dynamic model of a high‐speed train and to investigate the normal and lateral contact forces of the wheel–rail interfaces and the wear of the wheels for a train passing through a specially designed route that consists of straight‐line, smooth‐curved, and circular tracks. The wheel wear is predicted by means of the Archard wear model based on the SIMPACK analysis, and the wear is validated by a backpropagation neural network (BPNN) classification based on daily measured data provided by the Beijing Railway Administration. The results from the SIMPACK dynamic simulation and the BPNN classification show that the position of a wheel in a bogie has a significant effect on the wheel wear, but the position of a carriage in a train does not have a significant effect on the wheel wear. The findings from this study are very useful for the maintenance and safe operation of high‐speed trains.
Three‐Dimensional Numerical Investigation of Pore Water Pressure and Deformation of Pumped Aquifer Systems
Authors: Zhang Yun , Yan Xuexin , Yang Tianliang , Wu Jichun , Wu Jianzhong 
Published: May 2019

AbstractExcessive groundwater withdrawal has caused severe land subsidence worldwide. The pore water pressure and the deformation of pumped hydrostratigraphic units are complex. A fully coupled three‐dimensional numerical simulation was carried out for different pumping plans in this paper. When groundwater is pumped from a confined aquifer, the great compaction occurs in the pumped aquifer and its upper and lower adjacent aquitard units. Land subsidence is smaller and the area affected by land subsidence is greater when groundwater is pumped from the deeper confined aquifer. The pore water pressure in the pumped confined aquifer changes immediately with pumpage. In the adjacent aquitard units, however, the pore water pressure increases in the early pumping time and decreases in the early recharging time. The decrease in the pore water pressure vertically spreads from the interface between aquitard and pumped aquifer to the other surface of the aquitard. The pumped aquifer compacts and rebounds immediately with pumping and non‐pumping or recharging actions, while the compaction and rebounding of the aquitard units clearly lag behind. The compaction of the adjacent aquitard unit first occurs near the interface between aquitard and pumped aquifer units, and the compaction zone spreads outward as the pumping goes on. The aquitards may expand vertically within some zones. Due to the inelastic deformation of soil skeleton, different pumping plans result in different land subsidence. For the same net pumpage, maximal land subsidence and horizontal displacement are the smallest for constant discharge and the greatest for recharge‐discharge cycle.
The power to pardon in late medieval and early modern Europe: New perspectives in the history of crime and criminal justice
Authors: Verreycken Quentin 
Published: May 2019

AbstractOver the past 30 years, few sources have been the subject of more scholarly attention than medieval and early modern pardon letters. These charters, issued by the royal or princely chancery in response to a petition addressed to the monarch and his council, were the strongest manifestation of the sovereign's right to remit crimes in many European polities, including France, England, the Low Countries, Castile, and Portugal. Following the paradigmatic interpretation of ordinary violence as the expression of well‐integrated social behaviours, historians of crime and criminal justice have found in petitions and pardon letters records of powerful narratives describing episodes of violence in the population's everyday life. Yet scholars have also debated the reliability of these stories, as they were obviously designed to support the petitioners' claim for pardon. Another major historiographical controversy concerns the articulation between the power to pardon and the criminal policies of the monarchs. While some historians considered the granting of pardon letters as the product of a weak or corrupted justice system that preferred to remit crimes in exchange for money rather prosecuting the perpetrators, others argued that the rise of the power to pardon followed the process of early modern State‐building and served to temper criminal prosecutions and assert the sovereign's right over the life and death of his subjects. This essay introduces the reader to the historiography of pardon letters and shows its connections with the recent developments in the history of crime and criminal justice in late medieval and early modern Europe.
Validation of HIV‐infected cohort identification using automated clinical data in the Department of Veterans Affairs
Authors: Kramer JR , Hartman C , White DL , Royse K , Richardson P , Thrift AP , Raychaudhury S , Desiderio R , Sanchez D , Chiao EY 
Published: May 2019

ObjectivesThe US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the largest integrated health care provider for HIV‐infected patients in the USA. VA data for HIV‐specific clinical and quality improvement research are an important resource. We sought to determine the accuracy of using the VA Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW), a fully automated medical records database for all VA users nationally, to identify HIV‐infected patients compared with a gold‐standard VA HIV Clinical Case Registry (CCR).MethodsWe assessed the test performance characteristics of each of our CDW criteria‐based algorithms (presence of one, two or all of the following: diagnostic codes for HIV, positive HIV laboratory tests, and prescription for HIV medication) by calculating their sensitivity (proportion of HIV‐positive patients in the CCR accurately detected as HIV‐positive by the CDW algorithm) and positive predictive value (PPV; the proportion of patients identified by the CDW algorithm who were classified as HIV‐positive from the CCR).ResultsWe found that using a CDW algorithm requiring two of three HIV diagnostic criteria yielded the highest sensitivity (95.2%) with very little trade‐off in PPV (93.5%).ConclusionsA two diagnostic criteria‐based algorithm can be utilized to accurately identify HIV‐infected cohorts seen in the nationwide VA health care system.
The effect of blue thermal treatment on endodontic instruments and apical debris extrusion during retreatment procedures
Authors: Doğanay Yıldız E. , Arslan H. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractAimTo determine the effect of blue thermal treatment on Reciproc (VDW, Munich, Germany) endodontic instruments and the amount of apically extruded debris during retreatment procedures.MethodologyThirty extracted mandibular molar teeth having mesial roots with a degree of curvature less than 20° and having an initial apical size equivalent to a size 10 K‐file were selected. The mesial roots of the teeth were removed from the cementoenamel junction to obtain a 15‐mm root length. The mesiobuccal canals were prepared to size F2 using the ProTaper Universal system (Dentsply Sirona, Ballaigues, Switzerland), filled with gutta‐percha and 2Seal (VDW) using the lateral compaction technique and then randomly divided into two groups (n = 15). The root fillings were removed with one of the following instruments using a crown‐down preparation technique: M‐Wire Reciproc or Reciproc Blue (both VDW). Apically extruded debris was collected in pre‐weighed Eppendorf tubes. The Eppendorf tubes were then stored in an incubator at 70 °C for five days to evaporate the distilled water. The data were analysed using the Mann–Whitney U test (P = 0.05).ResultsReciproc Blue (1.42 ± 0.4491 mg) extruded significantly less debris apically than M‐Wire Reciproc (2.56 ± 1.0232 mg) (P < 0.05).ConclusionsBlue thermal treatment of Reciproc instruments was associated with less debris extrusion during retreatment procedures.
Hypertension and Dementia: A comprehensive review from the HOPE Asia Network
Authors: Turana Yuda , Tengkawan Jeslyn , Chia Yook Chin , Hoshide Satoshi , Shin Jinho , Chen Chen‐Huan , Buranakitjaroen Peera , Nailes Jennifer , Park Sungha , Siddique Saulat , Sison Jorge , Ann Soenarta Arieska , Chin Tay Jam , Sogunuru Guru Prasad , Zhang Yuqing , Wang Ji‐Guang , Kario Kazuomi 
Published: May 2019

AbstractApproximately 365 million people in Asia were classified as elderly in 2017. This number is rising and expected to reach approximately 520 million by 2030. The risk of hypertension and cognitive impairment/dementia increases with age. Recent data also show that the prevalence of hypertension and age‐related dementia are rising in Asian countries. Moreover, not many people in Asian countries are aware of the relationship between hypertension and cognitive impairment/dementia. Furthermore, hypertension control is poorer in Asia than in developed countries. Hypertension is known to be a major risk factor for damage to target organs, including the brain. Decreased cognitive function can indicate the presence of target organ damage in the brain. Twenty‐four‐hour blood pressure profiles and blood pressure variability have been associated with cognitive impairment and/or silent cerebral diseases, such as silent cerebral infarction or white matter lesions, which are predisposing conditions for cognitive impairment and dementia. Hypertension that occurs in midlife also affects the incidence of cognitive impairments in later life. Managing and controlling blood pressure could preserve cognitive functions, such as by reducing the risk of vascular dementia and by reducing the global burden of stroke, which also affects cognitive function.
Surgical outcomes and the impact of major surgery on quality of life, activity impairment and sexual health in hidradenitis suppurativa patients: a prospective single centre study
Authors: Prens L.M. , Huizinga J. , Janse I.C. , Horváth B. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractBackgroundHidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic debilitating skin disease, frequently located in the groin and anogenital area, leading to a substantial impact on quality of life and sexual health in patients with HS. Skin‐tissue‐sparing excision with electrosurgical peeling (STEEP) is a procedure with known low recurrence rates and high patient satisfaction in retrospective series. However, a prospective study to investigate the impact of any major surgery on specific aspects of the quality of life has not yet been performed.ObjectiveTo assess surgical outcomes and the effect of major surgery on the general quality of life, sexual health and activity impairment in patients with HS.Materials and methodsA single centre prospective survey study was conducted among 40 patients undergoing major surgery. Surveys were completed prior to the surgery and 2, 6, 12 and 26 weeks after surgery. Besides the objective parameters (time to wound closure and surface of the wound), patient‐reported outcomes were reported.ResultsThirty‐nine patients with a total of 171 survey responses were included for analysis. Patients with Hurley stage I or II had a shorter time to wound closure (TTWC) compared to patients with Hurley stage III (P = 0.005). TTWC was significantly prolonged in patients treated with biologics (P < 0.001). Smoking did not significantly influence TTWC. For patient‐reported outcomes, DLQI and ASEX scores did not significantly improve during the study period of 6 months. However, activity and overall work impairment showed considerable improvement after surgery.ConclusionTime to wound closure is significantly prolonged by higher Hurley stage and treatment with biologics, contrastingly not by smoking. Major surgery improved the overall work and daily activity impairment.
Measurement of SSC in processing tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) by applying Vis‐NIR hyperspectral transmittance imaging and multi‐parameter compensation models
Authors: Wang Huting , Zhang Ruoyu , Peng Zhen , Jiang Yinglan , Ma Benxue 
Published: May 2019

AbstractProcessing tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is a very important horticultural product all over the world. Soluble solid content (SSC) as a key quality assessment parameter of processing tomato directly affects quality and cost of processing tomato products such as tomato paste. This study proposes an analytical method for quantitatively assessment of SSC in processing tomatoes by using the visible and near‐infrared (Vis‐NIR) hyperspectral transmittance imaging technique and multi‐parameter compensation models. Monte‐Carlo outlier detection method was applied to optimize sample set. The competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) algorithm was used to identify the optimal wavelengths from transmittance spectra. Two characteristic parameters including area (size) and weight of samples were measured and different models including conventional PLS/LS‐SVM models and multi‐parameter compensation PLS/LS‐SVM models were established, respectively. The results obtained by comparing all the established models showed that the multi‐parameter (spectrum, area, and weight) compensation CARS‐LS‐SVM model with 47 important wavelengths had the best assessment ability of SSC in processing tomatoes. The prediction accuracies of the optimal model are rcal = 0.95 and RMSEC = 0.16 for calibration set, and rpre = 0.94, RMSEP = 0.17 and RPD = 2.94 for prediction set, respectively. Research results indicated that the newly proposed Vis‐NIR hyperspectral transmittance imaging combining with multi‐parameter compensation LS‐SVM model would be potential as a noninvasive technique to quantitatively evaluate the SSC in processing tomatoes.Practical applicationsFast assessment of soluble solid content (SSC) in processing tomatoes has significant value for tomato processing in practical application. High quality processing tomatoes can reduce the processing cost and raise product prices. The newly proposed SSC measurement technique integrated both Vis‐NIR hyperspectral transmittance imaging and multi‐parameter compensation models. This technique can effectively overcome some disadvantageous influences from size and weight of processing tomatoes in the assessment process of SSC. Use of transmittance technology further improved the acquisition capability of effective spectral information from the tested object. This work was valuable for setting up the fast multispectral inspection system that can be used for SSC measurement of processing tomatoes in practical on‐line grading applications.