bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Predicting response to cardiac resynchronization therapy: Use of strict left bundle branch block criteria
Authors: Hadjis Alexios , AlTurki Ahmed , Proietti Riccardo , Montemezzo Mauricio , Bernier Martin , Joza Jacqueline , Hadjis Tomy , Essebag Vidal 
Published: February 2019

AbstractBackgroundCardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) reduces morbidity and mortality in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). CRT efficacy is greater in left bundle branch block (LBBB). This study aimed to determine if strict LBBB criteria predict an improved QRS duration and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) response after CRT.MethodsHFrEF patients who received a CRT device at a single quaternary center were included. Patients were divided into three groups based on baseline QRS morphology. Group 1 consisted of patients with strict LBBB. Group 2 had conventional LBBB, and group 3 had non‐LBBB morphology. Outcomes assessed included change in QRS duration after CRT, change in LVEF, and all‐cause mortality.ResultsIn 231 patients, 56% of patients were in group 1, 29% were in group 2, and 15% were in group 3. Patients with strict LBBB had a significant reduction in QRS duration (–20.9 ± 12.4 ms) compared to conventional LBBB (6.7 ± 19.4 ms; P < 0.0001) and non‐LBBB (3.9 ± 29.3 ms; P < 0.0001). Patients with strict LBBB had a significant increase in LVEF (19.5 ± 10.2) compared to conventional LBBB (5.3 ± 12.6; P < 0.0001) and non‐LBBB (–1.3 ± 10.9; P < 0.0001). There was moderate negative correlation between changes in QRS duration and LVEF (correlation coefficient = –0.63, P < 0.0001). Strict LBBB criteria were associated with a significant reduction in mortality compared to conventional LBBB (odds ratio 0.49, 95% confidence interval 0.24 to 0.99; P = 0.046).ConclusionsStrict LBBB predicted a reduction in QRS duration and an increase in LVEF compared to conventional LBBB and non‐LBBB morphology in patients with HFrEF who received CRT.
Team tenure and team performance: A meta‐analysis and process model
Authors: Gonzalez‐Mulé Erik , S. Cockburn Bethany , W. McCormick Brian , Zhao Peng 
Published: February 2019

AbstractTeam tenure is a key component of models of team effectiveness. However, the nature of the relationship between team tenure and team performance is unclear due to underdeveloped theory on the nature of team tenure, various unintegrated theoretical conceptualizations of team tenure, and mixed empirical findings. Further, there is a lack of theory as to the intervening team processes and emergent states that account for the “black box” of the team tenure–team performance relationship. Accordingly, we conducted meta‐analyses of the relationships of team tenure with team processes and performance. Our results, based on 622 effect sizes reported in 169 studies, show that team tenure, conceptualized as additive team tenure, collective team tenure, and team tenure dispersion, is positively related to team performance. Relative weights analysis found additive team tenure to be a relatively more important predictor of team performance than collective team tenure or team tenure dispersion. We found that team cognition, motivational‐affective states, and behavioral processes mediate the relationships of additive team tenure, collective team tenure, and team tenure dispersion with team performance, respectively. We discuss the implications of these findings for research and practice.
An Optimization‐Based Framework for the Identification of Vulnerabilities in Electric Power Grids Exposed to Natural Hazards
Authors: Fang Yi‐Ping , Sansavini Giovanni , Zio Enrico 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThis article proposes a novel mathematical optimization framework for the identification of the vulnerabilities of electric power infrastructure systems (which is a paramount example of critical infrastructure) due to natural hazards. In this framework, the potential impacts of a specific natural hazard on an infrastructure are first evaluated in terms of failure and recovery probabilities of system components. Then, these are fed into a bi‐level attacker–defender interdiction model to determine the critical components whose failures lead to the largest system functionality loss. The proposed framework bridges the gap between the difficulties of accurately predicting the hazard information in classical probability‐based analyses and the over conservatism of the pure attacker–defender interdiction models. Mathematically, the proposed model configures a bi‐level max‐min mixed integer linear programming (MILP) that is challenging to solve. For its solution, the problem is casted into an equivalent one‐level MILP that can be solved by efficient global solvers. The approach is applied to a case study concerning the vulnerability identification of the georeferenced RTS24 test system under simulated wind storms. The numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework for identifying critical locations under multiple hazard events and, thus, for providing a useful tool to help decisionmakers in making more‐informed prehazard preparation decisions.
What about Rural Blight? Housing and Neighborhood Conditions in Southeastern Small Towns
Authors: Skobba Kim , Osinubi Adenola , Tinsley Karen L. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThough the concept of blight clarifies housing and neighborhood changes in rural and small towns experiencing disinvestment and decline, the term is rarely examined outside of urban discourse. This study explores the extent of rural blight and its relationship to community characteristics using survey results from elected officials and staff members of small towns in one southeastern state. We examine the historical background of blight, including its connections to urban renewal, racial bias and stereotyping, and the broken windows theory. Among the small towns in the study, economic blight, particularly dilapidated housing, was prevalent. Social blight, which includes behaviors that are thought to be threatening or criminal in nature, was less common but correlated moderately with economic forms of blight. While social disorganization and collective efficacy theories link a range of demographic characteristics to physical and social disorder, our findings pointed only to a significant relationship between communities with a higher portion of the population who are black and multiple forms of extensive blight. More research is needed to understand the relationship, both observed and perceived, between economic and social blight in rural small towns and how these issues may be remediated through local collective action.
Effects of land vs water jump exercise: Implications for exercise design targeting bone health
Authors: Chien Kuei‐Yu , Chang Wei‐Gang , Sanders Mary E. , Chen Chia‐Hsin , Wu Wan‐Chun , Chen Wan‐Chin 
Published: February 2019

PurposeTo quantify ground reaction force (GRF), osteogenic index (OI), muscle activity, and blood lactate levels during continuous jumping performed in water and on land.MethodsThirteen post‐menopausal women (59.5 ± 6.8 years) performed two bouts of jumping, on land (LND) and in water at a depth of 1 m (WEX). Each 10‐minute, 40‐second bout consisted of 2 consecutive sets of squat, lunge, jumping jax, countermovement, and single legged jumps as intervals: 10 seconds maximal effort and 60 seconds recovery at 50% of heart rate reserve (HRR). Pre‐ and post‐exercise lower extremity rate of perceived exertion (RPE) was recorded, and 10‐µL earlobe blood samples were collected to assess lactate concentration. During exercise, data were collected for electromyography, GRF, and heart rate. Total GRF (TGRF) and total muscular activity (TMA) during each 10 seconds of jumping were measured. OI for one bout of continued jumps was determined by averaging GRF·ln (number of jumps + 1).ResultsThere were no differences between WEX and LND for percent HRR and RPE. TGRF, OI, TMA, and lactate concentration on LND jumps were significantly higher than WEX.ConclusionAt similar cardiorespiratory and RPE levels, the lower impact loading of 10 minutes 40 seconds of interval continuous jumping exercise in 1‐m depth was less osteogenic than on land. However, one daily bout of water jumping, 5 days per week resulted in a similar OI as 3 days of jumping on land. WEX might substitute or provide an adjunct to LND exercise to promote bone health.
Challenges to human rabies elimination highlighted following a rabies outbreak in bovines and a human in Punjab, India
Authors: Brookes Victoria J. , Gill Gurlal S. , Singh Balbir B. , Sandhu Bhupinder S. , Dhand Navneet K. , Aulakh Rabinder S. , Ward Michael P. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractIn August 2015, a rabies outbreak occurred in bovines in a Punjab village, India; subsequently, a farmer in the same village died of rabies in October 2015. We surveyed farmers to describe the outbreak, the demographics and rabies prophylaxis administered to householders on case farms, and farmers’ knowledge of rabies prevention and treatment. We used multiple correspondence analysis to guide investigation of associations between demographics, farm status and rabies knowledge, attitudes and practices. The number of affected bovines was unusually high; 15 cattle and buffalo died on 13 smallholder farms (attack rate 4%). Post‐exposure vaccinations were administered to 24 people (median 2 doses). Affected farms had significantly larger households and were more likely to keep their livestock outside (therefore, accessible by stray dogs), suggesting that the impact of the outbreak was disproportionally borne by households of lower socio‐economic status. Primary sources of rabies information were friends and neighbours, not health authorities or media. Women who had not received formal education were less likely to have heard of rabies. Although case farm participants were more likely to have heard about rabies from a veterinarian, their knowledge and practices to prevent rabies did not reflect the level expected considering their contact with a health professional; they were more likely to believe that traditional remedies prevent rabies and less likely to tell their children to avoid playing with stray dogs than participants from other farms. This study highlights knowledge dissemination disparities that, if typical of rural locations, could obstruct attempts to eliminate canine‐mediated human rabies in India. Therefore, understanding the pervasiveness and influence of traditional medical beliefs on treatment‐seeking behaviour, communication structures within villages and the impact of local practices such as carcass disposal on dog populations will be essential to ensure that rabies control strategies are effective in rural India.
Factors influencing suicide risk assessment clinical practice: protocol for a scoping review
Authors: Sequeira Lydia , Strudwick Gillian , Bailey Sharon M , De Luca Vincenzo , Wiljer David , Strauss John 
Published: February 2019

IntroductionEvery year, suicide accounts for nearly 800 000 deaths worldwide. Appropriate risk assessment and intervention are imperative since evidence demonstrates that a large proportion of those who die by suicide visit health professionals prior to their death. Much previous research has focused on identifying patient-level risk factors that can improve the risk assessment process through scales and algorithms. However, the best practice guidelines emphasise the importance of clinical interviews and prioritise the clinician’s final judgement. The purpose of this review is to (1) understand the clinician and organisational level barriers and facilitators that influence a clinician’s assessment of suicide risk, (2) identify the types of biases that exist within this process and (3) list any evidence-based training protocols and educational initiatives to aid (or support) clinicians with this process.Methods and analysisThis scoping review protocol uses the Arksey and O’Malley framework, and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses reporting guidelines for scoping reviews. Literature will be identified using a multidatabase search strategy developed in consultation with a medical librarian. The proposed screening process consists of a title and abstract scan, followed by a full-text review by two reviewers to determine the eligibility of articles. Studies outlining any factors that affect a clinician’s suicide risk assessment process, ranging from individual experience and behaviours to organisational level influences, will be included. A tabular synthesis of the general study details will be provided, as well as a narrative synthesis of the extracted data, organised into themes using the Situated Clinical Decision-Making framework.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is not required for this review. Results will be translated into educational materials and presentations for dissemination to appropriate knowledge users. Knowledge outputs will also include academic presentations at relevant conferences, and a published, peer-reviewed journal article.
Sarcoidosis in the UK: insights from British Thoracic Society registry data
Authors: Thillai Muhunthan , Chang William , Chaudhuri Nazia , Forrest Ian , Ho Ling-Pei , Lines Sarah , Maher Toby M , Spencer Lisa G , Spiteri Monica , Coker Robina 
Published: February 2019

IntroductionThe British Thoracic Society Sarcoidosis Registry allows physicians to record clinical data after gaining written consent from patients. The registry’s aim is to phenotype sarcoidosis in the UK.MethodsBetween February 2013 and July 2017, demographic details for 308 patients (with complete clinical data for 205 patients) presenting to 24 UK hospitals were recorded. This data was analysed to detail methods of presentation, diagnosis and management.ResultsFatigue was a significant complaint, affecting 30% of all patients. The most prevalent CT findings were nodules (in 77% of cases) with traction bronchiectasis (11%), distortion (9%) and ground glass (5%) less prominent. Of 205 patients with complete clinical data, only 64% had a diagnostic tissue biopsy. 35% of all patients underwent endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspirate (EBUS-TBNA) with 15% having a transbronchial biopsy. Use of EBUS-TBNA showed an overall increase over time, from 28% of all patients in 2013 to 43% in 2016. The most common steroid sparing treatment was methotrexate, but 42% of patients were not initiated on any pharmacological treatment at the time of inclusion.DiscussionFatigue was common and has shown association with poor quality of life. We therefore suggest using a fatigue questionnaire as part of all new patient assessments. It may be that EBUS-TBNA should be reserved for cases of stage I or II disease where there is a reported higher yield than using transbronchial biopsy alone. Bronchoalveolar lavage was not widely used in our data, but it is generally a safe and useful adjunct and should be used more widely.
World trauma education: hemorrhage control training for healthcare providers in India
Authors: Smith Lindsay Andrea , Caughey Sarah , Liu Susan , Villegas Cassandra , Kilaru Mohan , Gupta Aakanksha , Winchell Robert J , Narayan Mayur 
Published: February 2019

BackgroundHemorrhage remains a major cause of death around the world. Eighty percent of trauma patients in India do not receive medical care within the first hour. The etiology of these poor outcomes is multifactorial. We describe findings from the first Stop the Bleed (StB) course recently offered to a group of medical providers in southern India.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of 101 participants who attended StB trainings in India was performed. Pre-training and post-training questionnaires were collected from each participant. In total, 88 healthcare providers’ responses were analyzed. Three bleeding control skills were presented: wound compression, wound packing, and tourniquet application.ResultsAmong participants, only 23.9% had received prior bleeding control training. Participants who reported feeling ‘extremely confident’ responding to an emergency medical situation rose from 68.2% prior to StB training to 94.3% post-training. Regarding hemorrhage control abilities, 37.5% felt extremely confident before the training, compared with 95.5% after the training. For wound packing and tourniquet application, 44.3% and 53.4%, respectively, felt extremely confident pre-training, followed by 97.7% for both skills post-training. Importantly, 90.9% of StB trainees felt comfortable teaching newly acquired hemorrhage control skills. A significant majority of participants said that confidence in their wound packing and tourniquet skills would improve with more realistic mannequins.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this is the first StB training in India. Disparities in access to care, long transport times, and insufficient numbers of prehospital personnel contribute to its significant trauma burden. Dissemination of these critical life-saving skills into this region and the resulting civilian interventions will increase the number of trauma patients who survive long enough to reach a trauma center. Additionally, considerations should be given to translating the course into local languages to increase program reach.Level of EvidenceLevel IV.
Trauma ICU Prevalence Project: the diversity of surgical critical care
Authors: Michetti Christopher P , Fakhry Samir M , Brasel Karen , Martin Niels D , Teicher Erik J , Newcomb Anna 
Published: February 2019

BackgroundSurgical critical care is crucial to the care of trauma and surgical patients. This study was designed to provide a contemporary assessment of patient types, injuries, and conditions in intensive care units (ICU) caring for trauma patients.MethodsThis was a multicenter prevalence study of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma; data were collected on all patients present in participating centers’ trauma ICU (TICU) on November 2, 2017 and April 10, 2018.ResultsForty-nine centers submitted data on 1416 patients. Median age was 58 years (IQR 41–70). Patient types included trauma (n=665, 46.9%), non-trauma surgical (n=536, 37.8%), medical (n=204, 14.4% overall), or unspecified (n=11). Surgical intensivists managed 73.1% of patients. Of ICU-specific diagnoses, 57% were pulmonary related. Multiple high-intensity diagnoses were represented (septic shock, 10.2%; multiple organ failure, 5.58%; adult respiratory distress syndrome, 4.38%). Hemorrhagic shock was seen in 11.6% of trauma patients and 6.55% of all patients. The most common traumatic injuries were rib fractures (41.6%), brain (38.8%), hemothorax/pneumothorax (30.8%), and facial fractures (23.7%). Forty-four percent were on mechanical ventilation, and 17.6% had a tracheostomy. One-third (33%) had an infection, and over half (54.3%) were on antibiotics. Operations were performed in 70.2%, with 23.7% having abdominal surgery. At 30 days, 5.4% were still in the ICU. Median ICU length of stay was 9 days (IQR 4–20). 30-day mortality was 11.2%.ConclusionsPatient acuity in TICUs in the USA is very high, as is the breadth of pathology and the interventions provided. Non-trauma patients constitute a significant proportion of TICU care. Further assessment of the global predictors of outcome is needed to inform the education, research, clinical practice, and staffing of surgical critical care providers.Level of evidenceIV, prospective observational study.
Soil health indicators after 21 yr of no-tillage in south coastal British Columbia
Authors: Thomas Ben W. , Hunt Derek , Bittman Shabtai , Hannam Kirsten D. , Messiga Aimé J. , Haak Dennis , Sharifi Mehdi , Hao Xiying 
Published: February 2019

The lower Fraser Valley is one of the most intensively cropped regions in Canada. Yet, how soil health indicators respond to long-term intensive agricultural management is poorly documented in this region. Thus, we evaluated a suite of soil health indicators in response to 21 growing seasons of continuous silage corn (Zea mays L.) under conventional tillage or no-tillage (0–20 cm soil layer). Wet aggregate stability, available water capacity, active carbon (permanganate oxidizable, POXC), and extractable potassium and extractable magnesium were significantly greater with no-till than conventional tillage, whereas 8 of 13 indicators were similar. Soil health indicators responded more favourably to no-till than conventional tillage.
A multi-region study reveals high overwinter loss of fall-applied reactive nitrogen in cold and frozen soils
Authors: Chantigny Martin H. , Bittman Shabtai , Larney Francis J. , Lapen David , Hunt Derek E. , Goyer Claudia , Angers Denis A. 
Published: February 2019

In cold agricultural regions, animal manure and synthetic fertilizers may be applied in the fall for convenience. However, the fate of applied nitrogen (N) is unclear and may differ depending on N source and interannual and regional variations in winter conditions. A multi-region study using 15N-labelled reactive N (NH4-15N) applied in the fall with pig slurry, dairy cattle slurry, and ammonium sulfate was carried out under a range of climatic conditions. Nitrification and immobilization of applied NH4-N occurred throughout the winter period at all sites. Transformation and losses were slower and less at the sites where significant soil freezing occurred than at the site where soil rarely froze, highlighting the repressive effect of frost. Nevertheless, losses were similar among sites with significant freezing despite marked differences in duration and extent of freezing. This suggests that soil microbes were adapted to prevailing winter conditions at each site and able to use and transform fall-applied N throughout the winter period. Overall, 47%–94% of fall-applied NH4-N was lost from the top 30 cm of soil before seeding in the next spring. Losses were generally greater with synthetic fertilizer than manures, likely because fresh carbon added with manures stimulated immobilization of NH4-N. This multi-region assessment indicates that reactive N applied in the fall has high vulnerability to loss in cold and frozen soils, and strategies for improving N retention over the winter are required even in areas where prolonged freezing occurs.
Phonon heat transport properties of graphene based on molecular dynamics simulations and lattice dynamics
Authors: Hui Zhixin , Chang Yufeng 
Published: February 2019

To choose an ideal method to study the phonon properties of graphene, the results of thermal conductivity (TC) of graphene computed using the equilibrium molecular dynamics (EMD), reverse nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (RNEMD) and direct nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (DNEMD) with Tersoff potential are compared, and we find that all of them are very close to each other. While two of them have been compared in the past, there is a lack of comparison of the three methods. Eventually, we choose the Green–Kubo method to study the temperature dependence of TC in graphene and find that the [Formula: see text] diverges with the system temperature T as [Formula: see text]T[Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] for the direction of armchair and zigzag, respectively, which is in reasonable agreement with the one in recent theoretical and experimental researches. To gain further insight into the TC, the phonon dispersion and the phonon density of states (PDOS), which depend on evaluating the eigenvalues and the eigenvectors of dynamical matrix, are calculated for graphene with dimensions of 30 × 30 unit cell by a combination of EMD simulations and lattice dynamics calculations.
Sexualidad y reconocimiento como apuestas a la transformación de la seguritización en El Salvador
Authors: Ospina Erika Julieta Rojas , Alvarez Josefina Echavarría 
Published: February 2019

The recognition of sexual diversity and gender is essential to contribute to peacebuilding and conflict transformation in society as a whole, especially in the postwar society of El Salvador. This essay maps cases of violence against transgender women in San Luis Talpa and offers an elicitive analysis that depicts the deep gender relations and sexuality that hide the reproduction of violence in modern security.