bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Athlete Perceptions of Coaching Effectiveness and Athlete-Level Outcomes in Team and Individual Sports: A Cross-Cultural Investigation
Authors: Mohd Kassim Ahmad F. , Boardley Ian D. 
Published: February 2018

This research aimed to investigate whether athletes’ perceptions of their coach’s effectiveness on dimensions of coaching efficacy (i.e., motivation, technique, character building) predicted indicators of their competence, confidence, connection, and character in athletes from the UK and Malaysia. Athletes from team (volleyball, UKn = 46, Malaysian = 49; hockey, UKn = 34, Malaysian = 47; and basketball, UKn = 50, Malaysian = 50) and individual (squash, UKn = 47, Malaysian = 44; table tennis, UKn = 48, Malaysian = 47; and golf, UKn = 44, Malaysian = 47) sports completed questionnaires assessing the study variables. Multiple-regression analyses controlling for athletes’ sex, sport experience, and sport type showed in both samples that perceived motivation effectiveness positively predicted athletes’ connection and sport confidence, perceived technique effectiveness positively predicted their sport competence, and perceived character-building effectiveness positively predicted their moral identity. Thus, athletes’ perceptions of their coach may have important implications for athletes’ sport experiences in team and individual sports even in divergent cultures. Results are discussed in terms of their relevance for the coaching efficacy model and the athlete-level outcomes resulting from effective coaching.
Compounds with Potential Activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Sao Emani C. , Williams M. J. , Wiid I. J. , Baker B. , Carolis C. 
Published: February 2018

ABSTRACT

The high acquisition rate of drug resistance by
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
necessitates the ongoing search for new drugs to be incorporated in the tuberculosis (TB) regimen. Compounds used for the treatment of other diseases have the potential to be repurposed for the treatment of TB. In this study, a high-throughput screening of compounds against thiol-deficient
Mycobacterium smegmatis
strains and subsequent validation with thiol-deficient
M. tuberculosis
strains revealed that
ΔegtA
and
ΔmshA
mutants had increased susceptibility to azaguanine (Aza) and sulfaguanidine (Su);
ΔegtB
and
ΔegtE
mutants had increased susceptibility to bacitracin (Ba); and
ΔegtA
,
ΔmshA
, and
ΔegtB
mutants had increased susceptibility to fusaric acid (Fu). Further analyses revealed that some of these compounds were able to modulate the levels of thiols and oxidative stress in
M. tuberculosis
. This study reports the activities of Aza, Su, Fu, and Ba against
M. tuberculosis
and provides a rationale for further investigations.
GyrosFinger
Authors: Son Yunmok , Noh Juhwan , Choi Jaeyeong , Kim Yongdae 
Published: February 2018

Drones are widely used for various purposes such as delivery, aerial photography, and surveillance. Considering the increasing drone-related services, tracking the locations of drones can cause security threats such as escaping from drone surveillance, disturbing drone-related services, and capturing drones. For wirelessly monitoring the status of drones, telemetry is used, and this status information contains various data such as latitude and longitude, calibrated sensor outputs, and sensor offsets. Because most of the telemetry implementation supports neither authentication nor encryption, an attacker can obtain the status information of the drones by using an appropriate wireless communication device such as software-defined radio. While the attacker knows the locations of the drones from the status information, this information is not sufficient for tracking drones because the status information does not include any identity information that can bind the identity of the drone with its location.
<?tight?>In this article, we propose a fingerprinting method for drones in motion for the binding of the identity of the drone with its location. Our fingerprinting method is based on the sensor outputs included in the status information, i.e., the offsets of micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) gyroscope, an essential sensor for maintaining the attitude of drones. We found that the offsets of MEMS gyroscopes are different from each other because of manufacturing mismatches, and the offsets of five drones obtained through their telemetry are distinguishable and constant during their flights. To evaluate the performance of our fingerprinting method on a larger scale, we collected the offsets from 70 stand-alone MEMS gyroscopes to generate fingerprints. Our experimental results show that, when using the offsets of three and two axes calculated from 128 samples of the raw outputs per axis as fingerprints, the F-scores of the proposed method reach 98.78% and 94.47%, respectively. The offsets collected after a month are also fingerprinted with F-scores of 96.58% and 78.45% under the same condition, respectively. The proposed fingerprinting method is effective, robust, and persistent. Additionally, unless the MEMS gyroscope is not replaced, our fingerprinting method can be used for drone tracking even when the target drones are flying.
Venous Thromboembolism Risk in Head and Neck Cancer: Significance of the Preoperative Platelet‐to‐Lymphocyte Ratio
Authors: Tham Tristan , Rahman Lauren , Persaud Christina , Olson Caitlin , Costantino Peter 
Published: February 2018

ObjectiveWe aimed to investigate the association between the preoperative platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) undergoing major surgery.Study DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingAcademic tertiary hospital from 2011 to 2017.Subjects and MethodsPatients with confirmed HNC undergoing major surgery were included in this study. The preoperative PLR was recorded for all patients. Known VTE risk factors, including Caprini score, age, sex, smoking, body mass index, prior VTE, and anticoagulation, were also recorded. Risk factors were screened in univariate analysis using Wilcoxon's rank sum test and χ2 test (Bonferroni corrected). Significant covariates were included in a multivariate regression model. Bootstrap techniques were used to obtain credible confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsThere were 306 patients enrolled with 7 cases of VTE (6 deep vein thromboses and 1 pulmonary embolism. On univariate analysis, length of stay (P =. 0026), length of surgery (P =. 0029), and PLR (P =. 0002) were found to have significant associations with VTE. A receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed that yielded an area under the ROC of 0.905 (95% CI, 0.82‐0.98). Using an optimized cutoff, the multivariate model showed that length of surgery (β 95% CI, 0.0001‐0.0006; P =. 0056) and PLR (β 95% CI, 5.3256‐5.3868; P <. 0001) were significant independent predictors of VTE.ConclusionThis exploratory pilot study has shown that PLR offers a potentially accurate risk stratification measure as an adjunct to current tools in VTE risk prediction, without additional cost to health systems.
The prevalence of constant supportive observations in high, medium and low secure services
Authors: Lambert Katie , Chu Simon , Duffy Chris , Hartley Victoria , Baker Alison , Ireland Jane L. 
Published: February 2018

Aims and methodWe explored the prevalence and use of constant supportive observations (CSO) in high, medium and low secure in-patient services in a single National Health Service (NHS) mental health trust. From clinical records, we extracted data on the length of time of CSO, the reason for the initiation of CSO and associated adverse incidents for all individuals who were placed on CSO between July 2013 and June 2014.ResultsA small number of individuals accounted for a disproportionately large proportion of CSO hours in each setting. Adverse incident rates were higher on CSO than when not on CSO. There was considerable variation between different settings in terms of CSO use and the reasons for commencing CSO.Clinical implicationsThe study describes the prevalence and nature of CSO in secure forensic mental health services and the associated organisational costs. The marked variation in CSO use between settings suggests that mental health services continue to face challenges in balancing risk management with minimising restrictive interventions.Declaration of interestA.B. and J.L.I. are both directly employed by the NHS trust in which the study was conducted.
Effect-Site Target-Controlled Infusion in the Obese: Model Derivation and Performance Assessment
Authors: Cortínez Luis I. , Sepúlveda Pablo , Rolle Augusto , Cottin Pauline , Guerrini Alexandre , Anderson Brian J. 
Published: February 2018

BACKGROUND:
The aim of this study is to derive a propofol pharmacokinetic (PK) pharmacodynamic (PD) model to perform effect-site target-controlled infusion (TCI) in obese patients, and to analyze its performance along with that of other available PK models.

METHODS:
In the first step of the study, a 3-compartment PK model linked to a sigmoidal inhibitory E
max PD model by a first-order rate constant (keo) was used to fit propofol concentration–bispectral index (BIS) data. Population modeling analysis was performed by nonlinear mixed effects regression in NONMEM (ICON, Dublin, Ireland). PK data from 3 previous studies in obese adult patients (n = 47), including PD (BIS) data from 1 of these studies (n = 20), were pooled and simultaneously analyzed. A decrease in NONMEM objective function (ΔOBJ) of 3.84 points, for an added parameter, was considered significant at the 0.05 level. In the second step of the study, we analyzed the predictive performance (median predictive errors [MDPE] and median absolute predictive errors [MDAPE]) of the current model and of other available models using an independent data set (n = 14).

RESULTS:
Step 1: The selected PKPD model produced an adequate fit of the data. Total body weight resulted in the best size scalar for volumes and clearances (ΔOBJ, −18.173). Empirical allometric total body weight relationships did not improve model fit (ΔOBJ, 0.309). A lag time parameter for BIS response improved the fit (ΔOBJ, 89.593). No effect of age or gender was observed. Step 2: Current model MDPE and MDAPE were 11.5% (3.7–25.0) and 26.8% (20.7–32.6) in the PK part and 0.4% (−10.39 to 3.85) and 11.9% (20.7–32.6) in the PD part. The PK model developed by Eleveld et al resulted in the lowest PK predictive errors (MDPE = <10% and MDAPE = <25%).

CONCLUSIONS:
We derived and validated a propofol PKPD model to perform effect-site TCI in obese patients. This model, derived exclusively from obese patient’s data, is not recommended for TCI in lean patients because it carries the risk of underdosing.
The Effect of Intermittent Oxytocin Pretreatment on Oxytocin-Induced Contractility of Human Myometrium In Vitro
Authors: Talati Chiraag , Carvalho Jose C. A. , Luca Alice , Balki Mrinalini 
Published: February 2018

BACKGROUND:
Prolonged continuous oxytocin administration during labor may induce oxytocin receptor desensitization, which attenuates the response of the myometrium to further oxytocin, increasing the risk of postpartum hemorrhage. The literature comparing pulsatile (intermittent) versus continuous oxytocin administration for induction and augmentation of labor is inconsistent with regard to maternal outcomes. We aimed to determine the effect of intermittent versus continuous oxytocin preexposure on myometrial responsiveness to subsequent oxytocin. We hypothesized that intermittent oxytocin pretreatment would result in superior subsequent oxytocin-induced contractility than continuous oxytocin pretreatment.

METHODS:
This in vitro study was undertaken using myometrium obtained from women undergoing elective cesarean deliveries. Each myometrial strip was mounted in an individual organ bath with physiological salt solution under homeostatic conditions and allocated to one of 3 groups: (1) control (no pretreatment); (2) continuous (pretreatment with oxytocin 10−5 M for 2 hours); or (3) intermittent (pretreatment with alternating oxytocin 10−5 M and physiological salt solution every 15 minutes, for 2 hours). After pretreatment, dose–response testing to oxytocin 10−10 to 10−5 M was performed and contractile parameters were measured. The primary outcome was motility index (MI, amplitude × frequency) of contractions.

RESULTS:
Eighteen women were recruited, and 86 successful experiments were performed (control n = 29, continuous n = 28, intermittent n = 29). The means (standard errors) of MI (√g·contractions/10 min) in the control, continuous, and intermittent groups were 2.34 (0.09), 1.78 (0.09), and 2.13 (0.11), respectively. The MI was significantly reduced in the continuous group when compared to the control (estimated difference [95% confidence interval {CI}], −0.56 [−0.81 to −0.31]; P < .01) and intermittent group (estimated difference [95% CI], −0.35 [−0.62 to −0.08]; P = .01). There was no significant difference in MI between the intermittent and control group (estimated difference [95% CI], −0.21 [−0.51 to 0.09]; P = .17).

CONCLUSIONS:
Human myometrium remains more responsive to subsequent oxytocin after intermittent compared to continuous exposure to oxytocin, most likely due to reduction in oxytocin receptor desensitization, or facilitation of receptor resensitization in the intermittent group. Hence, intermittent oxytocin administration during labor warrants further investigation as a technique to preserve uterine oxytocin responsiveness.
Comparison of Nasal Intubations by GlideScope With and Without a Bougie Guide in Patients Who Underwent Maxillofacial Surgeries: Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Pourfakhr Pejman , Ahangari Ailar , Etezadi Farhad , Moharari Reza Shariat , Ahmadi Ayat , Saeedi Negin , Najafi Atabak 
Published: February 2018

BACKGROUND:
Nasotracheal intubation is commonly performed to provide a secure airway for the maintenance of general anesthesia in maxillofacial surgeries. Routine nasotracheal intubation is performed under general anesthesia by direct laryngoscopy, frequently with the aid of Magill forceps. This method can be time-consuming and may cause bleeding in the field of view. A gum elastic bougie (GEB) is a cheap, slender, and flexible device that could expedite nasotracheal intubation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a GEB during nasotracheal intubation to facilitate the procedure and reduce the rate of complications.

METHODS:
In this randomized clinical trial study, 110 patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I–II from 15 to 65 years of age were randomized into 2 equal groups. In both groups, a GlideScope and armored tube were used. In the GEB group, GEB was used to facilitate nasal intubation while the nasal intubation was performed without the aid of GEB in the routine group. The difficult intubation (defined as >1 attempt for intubation) was the primary outcome, and the duration of the intubation, the presence of traces of bleeding, the need for a tube replacement, and the usage of Magill forceps were the secondary outcomes.

RESULTS:
The incidence of bleeding in the GEB group was 1.81% vs 43.63% in the routine group (P < .001). In 5.5% of the GEB group, Magill forceps were used to advance the tube versus 67.3% in the routine group (P < .001). The mean time for intubation in GEB group was 48.63 ± 8.53 vs 55.9 ± 10.76 seconds in the routine group (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS:
The GEB is a useful aid to nasotracheal intubation, reducing bleeding, the requirement for Magill forceps and, to a small degree, intubation time. A case exists for its routine use for this purpose.
Abdominal Muscle Density Is Inversely Related to Adiposity Inflammatory Mediators
Authors: VAN HOLLEBEKE RACHEL B. , CUSHMAN MARY , SCHLUETER EMMA F. , ALLISON MATTHEW A. 
Published: February 2018

ABSTRACT

Purpose
Skeletal muscle is the largest regulator of glucose metabolism, but few population-based studies have examined the associations between muscle and inflammation. We studied the relationships between abdominal muscle area and density with selected adiposity-associated inflammatory mediators.

Methods
Nearly 2000 subjects underwent computed tomography of the abdomen and had venous fasting blood drawn concomitantly. The computed tomography scans were interrogated for visceral and subcutaneous fat, as well as abdominal lean muscle areas and densities. We then categorized the muscle into locomotion (psoas) and stabilization (rectus, obliques, and paraspinal) groups. Blood samples were assayed for interleukin-6 (IL-6), resistin, C-reactive protein, and TNF-α.

Results
The mean age was 64.7 yr, and 49% were female. Forty percent were white, 26% Hispanic/Latino American, 21% African American, and 13% Chinese American. The mean body mass index was 28.0 kg·m−2, and 30% were obese (body mass index, >30 kg·m−2). Using multivariable linear regression models that included adjustment for abdominal muscle area, a 1-SD increment in the mean densities for total, stabilization, and locomotive abdominal muscle were each significantly associated with lower levels of IL-6 (β = −15%, −15%, and −9%, P < 0.01 for all) and resistin (β = −0.11, −0.11, and −0.07 ng·mL−1, P < 0.02 for all), but not C-reactive protein or TNF-α. Conversely, muscle area was not independently associated with any of the inflammatory mediators studied.

Conclusions
Higher densities of several muscle groups in the abdomen are significantly associated with lower IL-6 and resistin levels, independent of the muscle area in these groups. Techniques that enhance muscle density may reduce levels of adiposity-associated inflammatory mediators.
Creating and validating e-cases as educational tools in general practitioners’ continuing medical education context
Authors: Hadadgar Arash , Changiz Tahereh , Kononowicz Andrzej A. , Safaeian Leila , Mirshahzadeh Nahidossadat , Najimi Arash , Ahmadi Fatemeh , Mostafavizadeh Kamyar , Zary Nabil , Masiello Italo 
Published: February 2018

Abstract

Objective
This study aimed at creating electronic cases (e-cases) and analyzing their validity as a diagnostic assessment tool within the context of continuing medical education (CME) to measure general practitioners’ (GPs) knowledge of common infectious disease.

Methods
We designed assessment e-cases in an electronic CME platform. The e-cases were designed to measure GPs’ knowledge about diagnosis and treatment of common infectious disease in outpatient settings. The data collected were analyzed for five forms of evidence: content, response process, internal structure, relations with other variables and consequences.

Results
A total of 46 GPs participated in the study. Among them, 87% perceived the e-cases as resembling the patients whom they visit in their everyday practice. Although attendance in this activity made 85% of the participants more cautious about prescription of antibiotics, we could not detect any statistically significant association between the assessment scores and the physicians’ previous antibiotic prescription. The diagnostic assessment with e-cases was supported by most of the elements of validity evidence, including content, response process, internal structure and consequences.

Conclusions
Overall, evidence suggests that using e-cases might be a valid diagnostic assessment CME activity to measure GPs’ knowledge of common infectious disease, but more research is necessary.
Intraoperative optical imaging of metabolic changes after direct cortical stimulation – a clinical tool for guidance during tumor resection?
Authors: Oelschlägel Martin , Meyer Tobias , Schackert Gabriele , Kirsch Matthias , Sobottka Stephan B. , Morgenstern Ute 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Brain tumor resection is even today one of the most challenging disciplines in neurosurgery. The current state of the art for the identification of tumor tissue during the surgical procedure comprises a wide variety of different tools, each with its own limitations and drawbacks. In this paper, we present a novel approach, the use of optical imaging in connection with direct electrical cortical stimulation (DCS), for identification of impaired tumor tissue and functional intact normal brain tissue under intraoperative conditions. Measurements with an optical imaging setup were performed as a proof of concept on three patients who underwent tumor resection of superficial gliomas. Direct electrical stimulations were applied on tumor tissue and surrounding brain tissue in each patient and characteristic features from the observed changes in the optical properties were compared between the different groups. The results reveal that in all patients a differentiation between non-functional tumor tissue and functional intact brain tissue was possible, and the technique might be a useful clinical tool in the future.
Analytical validation of the Hevylite assays for M-protein quantification
Authors: Jacobs Joannes F.M. , Haagen Inez-Anne , Lodder Astrid , van der Kroft Cieleke , de Kat Angelino Corrie M. , Croockewit Sandra , Nieuwenhuys Ed , Gelderman Kyra A. 
Published: February 2018

Abstract

Background:
The heavy/light chain (HLC) immunoassay quantifies the different heavy chain/light chain combinations of each immunoglobulin (Ig) class. This makes the HLC assay suited to quantify monoclonal immunoglobulins (M-protein) and for monitoring of patients with monoclonal gammopathies. This method is particularly advantageous for those samples in which electrophoretic quantification of the M-protein is not possible.

Methods:
In this study we tested the analytical performance of the HLC assay in 166 routine clinical samples and in 27 samples derived from the Dutch external quality assessment (EQA) for M-protein diagnostics (74 participating laboratories). Analytical accuracy was assessed by verification that the sum of the HLC-pairs equaled total Ig concentration. Sensitivity of the HLC assay was determined in a direct method comparison with immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE).

Results:
Comparison of HLC data with routine Ig diagnostics in 27 EQA samples showed very good correlation for both the quantification of polyclonal and monoclonal IgG, IgA and IgM (Pearson correlations [r] were 0.94, 0.99 and 0.99, respectively; slopes were 0.94, 1.07 and 0.98, respectively). The overall concordance between IFE and the HLC ratio was high (93%) with a Cohen κ coefficient of 0.84. Discrepancies between both assays were mainly caused by the higher sensitivity of IFE to detect monoclonality.

Conclusions:
We conclude that the HLC assay is an accurate method to quantify M-proteins that can improve monitoring of M-proteins in the beta fraction that cannot be quantified using electrophoretic techniques.
Schwierigkeiten der Bewertung von Stiftungshandeln: Das Beispiel Großbritannien
Authors: Siederer Nigel 
Published: February 2018

Zusammenfassung
Der Blick auf Stiftungen in Großbritannien macht zum einen die seit Jahrhunderten ungebrochene
Tradition deutlich, zum anderen aber auch, dass die britischen Stiftungen viel weniger als die in anderen Ländern in gesellschaftliche Diskurse eingreifen. Sie verstehen sich als Teile eines großen Sektors, in dem sie im wesentlichen eine unterstützende Funktion einnehmen. Sie sind daher, obwohl sie zum Teil eine erhebliche Grüße aufweisen, viel weniger als anderswo selbst Gegenstand der Debatte und Kritik.