bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ethical Challenges Related to Patient Involvement in Health Technology Assessment
Authors: Vanstone Meredith , Abelson Julia , Bidonde Julia , Bond Kenneth , Burgess Raquel , Canfield Carolyn , Schwartz Lisa , Tripp Laura 
Published: June 2019

AbstractIncluding information and values from patients in HTA has the potential to improve both the process and outcomes of health technology policy decisions. Accordingly, funding and structural incentives to include patients in HTA activities have increased over the past several years. Unfortunately, these incentives have not yet been accompanied by a corresponding increase in resources, time, or commitment to responsiveness. In this Perspectives piece, we reflect on our collective experiences participating in, conducting, and overseeing patient engagement activities within HTA to highlight the ethical challenges associated with this area of activity. While we remain committed to the idea that patient engagement activities strengthen the findings, relevance, and legitimacy of health technology policy, we are deeply concerned about the potential for these activities to do ethical harm. We use this analysis to call for action to introduce strong protections against ethical violations that may harm patients participating in HTA engagement activities.
Let’s Get Real about Person- and Family-Centred Geriatric Home Care: A Realist Synthesis
Authors: Giosa Justine L. , Holyoke Paul , Stolee Paul 
Published: June 2019

RÉSUMÉCette étude a examiné les mécanismes complexes intervenant lors de la prestation de soins axés sur la personne et la famille (SAPF) par des équipes de soins gériatriques à domicile. Une approche par synthèse réaliste a été utilisée pour élaborer un cadre d’évaluation qui a inclus 159 références provenant de la littérature scientifique, des consultations d’experts canadiens en SAPF, des recherches ciblées dans les bases PubMed/MEDLINE® et CINAHL, et des recensions de la littérature grise canadienne. Les références ont été sélectionnées par deux personnes, selon une approche consensuelle avec évaluation de la qualité. Les données ont été extraites et synthétisées en tenant compte du contexte, des mécanismes et des configurations des résultats dans un cadre théorique de SAPF d’équipe pour les soins gériatriques à domicile. Le cadre présente les contributions spécifiques prédominantes des infirmières, des ergothérapeutes et des physiothérapeutes, leurs apports collectifs impliquant des communications pour des équipes virtuelles, ainsi que le soutien du système nécessité pour la prestation de SAPF d’équipe complets. Les résultats de cette étude pourraient contribuer à l’amélioration de l’éducation sur les SAPF et des lignes directrices sur les pratiques exemplaires, en vue d’assurer une prestation plus intégrée des SAPF dans les soins gériatriques offerts à domicile ou dans d’autres milieux comportant des équipes de soins.
Intravoxel incoherent motion imaging has the possibility to detect liver abnormalities in young Fontan patients with good hemodynamics
Authors: Shiraga Kazuhiro , Ono Kojiro , Inuzuka Ryo , Asakai Hiroko , Ookubo Takumi , Shirayama Akira , Higashi Kouji , Nakajima Hiromichi 
Published: June 2019

AbstractIntroduction:Liver fibrosis and cirrhosis are one of the critical complications in Fontan patients. However, there are no well-established non-invasive and quantitative techniques for evaluating liver abnormalities in Fontan patients. Intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging with MRI is a non-invasive and quantitative method to evaluate capillary network perfusion and molecular diffusion. The objective of this study is to assess the feasibility of intravoxel incoherent motion imaging in evaluating liver abnormalities in Fontan children.Materials and Methods:Five consecutive Fontan patients and four age-matched healthy volunteers were included. Fontan patients were 12.8 ± 1.5 years old at the time of MRI scan. Intravoxel incoherent motion imaging parameters (D, D*, and f values) within the right hepatic lobe were compared. Laboratory test, ultrasonography, and cardiac MRI were also conducted in the Fontan patients. Results of cardiac catheterization conducted within one year of the intravoxel incoherent motion imaging were also examined.Results:In Fontan patients, laboratory test and liver ultrasonography showed almost normal liver condition. Cardiac catheter and MRI showed good Fontan circulation. Cardiac index was 2.61 ± 0.23 L/min/m2. Intravoxel incoherent motion imaging parameters D, D*, and f values were lower in Fontan patients compared with controls (D: 1.1 ± 0.0 versus 1.3 ± 0.2 × 10−3 mm2/second (p = 0.04), D*: 30.8 ± 24.8 versus 113.2 ± 25.6 × 10−3 mm2/second (p < 0.01), and f: 13.2 ± 3.1 versus 22.4 ± 2.4% (p < 0.01), respectively).Conclusions:Intravoxel incoherent motion imaging is feasible for evaluating liver abnormalities in children with Fontan circulation.
A test of the feasibility of a visualization method to show the depth and duration of awareness during Method of Levels therapy
Authors: Grzegrzolka Jakub , Mansell Warren 
Published: June 2019

AbstractMany psychological therapies help clients to direct and sustain their awareness onto specific aspects of their problems to promote change. Yet, no theory-driven measure exists that can code moment-by-moment changes in awareness during a therapy session. It is known that awareness plays a crucial role in the process of change, but little is known about the underlying core processes. Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) offers a scientific explanation of psychological distress as loss of control and describes the role of awareness in processes responsible for restoring control by resolving any internal conflict. The Depth and Duration of Awareness Coding Scheme (D-DACS) was previously developed to capture the person’s current focus of awareness and its duration on the areas that from a PCT point of view are desirable in order to facilitate effective psychological change. The current research applies D-DACS to code three publicly available Method of Levels (MOL) therapy sessions delivered by an expert therapist and presents a visual representation of the client’s presumed attention in these sessions. The results showed that an average of 61.65% of the client’s attention was focused on the D-DACS areas, which is higher than the previous studies involving novel therapists. The produced visual representation of the clients’ presumed attention helps to examine the utility of this new coding scheme and further examine the validity of the underlying theory. Such work might help in examining effectiveness of therapy in meeting the underlying theoretical foundations of change. However, limitations and areas for improvement are also evident.Key learning aims
(1)To provide a rationale for the use of observer-rated measures of within-session processes involved in therapeutic change.(2)To describe the desired focus of the client’s awareness in order to facilitate effective psychological change as described by Perceptual Control Theory.(3)To use an earlier validated scheme to code the depth and duration of awareness of three clients in best practice videos of Method of Levels psychotherapy.(4)To present and test the feasibility of a visual representation of moment-to-moment changes in a client’s awareness in a therapy session.
Wintertime Large Temperature Inversions in the Yellow Sea Associated With the Cheju and Yellow Sea Warm Currents
Authors: Lie Heung‐Jae , Oh Kyung‐Hee , Cho Cheol‐Ho , Moon Jae‐Hong 
Published: June 2019

AbstractLarge temperature inversions in the Yellow Sea during winter were investigated by analyzing conductivity‐temperature‐depth data collected in January and February 1986, April 1996, and February 1997. Large inversions with temperature differences across inversion layers greater than 2 °C were observed at three places: southwest of Korea, southeast of the Shantung Peninsula, and on the northeastern flank of the Changjiang Banks. Pronounced thermohaline fronts were commonly established where warm offshore waters with high salinity were found below cold coastal waters with low salinity. In the southwestern area of Korea, where the front develops in an east‐to‐west direction, the Cheju Warm Current water flows eastward to the south of the front, while north of the front, cold Korean coastal water flows westward. In the southeastern area of Shantung Peninsula, where the front forms in northeast to southwest, the Yellow Sea Warm Current flows northeastward on the offshore side, while cold Chinese coastal water flows southwestward. Moderate temperature inversions were observed midwest of Korea and on Changjiang Banks when warm offshore waters extended into cold coastal areas. In the inversion areas, warm waters are heavier than cold waters, reflecting a stronger contribution of salinity to density than that of temperature. Consequently, isotherms and isohalines in the inversion areas commonly decline downward toward cold water areas. We concluded that the occurrence of large inversions is closely related to the advection of the Cheju Warm Current and Yellow Sea Warm Current waters to the thermohaline frontal zones where the warm offshore waters underlay lighter cold coastal waters.
The protein secretion modulator TMED9 drives CNIH4/TGFα/GLI signaling opposing TMED3-WNT-TCF to promote colon cancer metastases
Authors: Mishra Sonakshi , Bernal Carolina , Silvano Marianna , Anand Santosh , Ruiz i Altaba Ariel 
Published: June 2019

AbstractHow cells in primary tumors initially become pro-metastatic is not understood. A previous genome-wide RNAi screen uncovered colon cancer metastatic suppressor and WNT promoting functions of TMED3, a member of the p24 ER-to-Golgi protein secretion family. Repression of canonical WNT signaling upon knockdown (kd) of TMED3 might thus be sufficient to drive metastases. However, searching for transcriptional influences on other family members here we find that TMED3 kd leads to enhanced TMED9, that TMED9 acts downstream of TMED3 and that TMED9 kd compromises metastasis. Importantly, TMED9 pro-metastatic function is linked to but distinct from the repression of TMED3-WNT-TCF signaling. Functional rescue of the migratory deficiency of TMED9 kd cells identifies TGFα as a mediator of TMED9 pro-metastatic activity. Moreover, TMED9 kd compromises the biogenesis, and thus function, of TGFα. Analyses in three colon cancer cell types highlight a TMED9-dependent gene set that includes CNIH4, a member of the CORNICHON family of TGFα exporters. Our data indicate that TGFA and CNIH4, which display predictive value for disease-free survival, promote colon cancer cell metastatic behavior, and suggest that TMED9 pro-metastatic function involves the modulation of the secretion of TGFα ligand. Finally, TMED9/TMED3 antagonism impacts WNT-TCF and GLI signaling, where TMED9 primacy over TMED3 leads to the establishment of a positive feedback loop together with CNIH4, TGFα, and GLI1 that enhances metastases. We propose that primary colon cancer cells can transition between two states characterized by secretion-transcription regulatory loops gated by TMED3 and TMED9 that modulate their metastatic proclivities.
How sample heterogeneity can obscure the signal of microbial interactions
Authors: Armitage David W , Jones Stuart E 
Published: June 2019

AbstractMicrobial community data are commonly subjected to computational tools such as correlation networks, null models, and dynamic models, with the goal of identifying the ecological processes structuring microbial communities. A major assumption of these methods is that the signs and magnitudes of species interactions and vital rates can be reliably parsed from observational data on species’ (relative) abundances. However, we contend that this assumption is violated when sample units contain any underlying spatial structure. Here, we show how three phenomena—Simpson’s paradox, context-dependence, and nonlinear averaging—can lead to erroneous conclusions about population parameters and species interactions when samples contain heterogeneous mixtures of populations or communities. At the root of this issue is the fundamental mismatch between the spatial scales of species interactions (micrometers) and those of typical microbial community samples (millimeters to centimetres). These issues can be overcome by measuring and accounting for spatial heterogeneity at very small scales, which will lead to more reliable inference of the ecological mechanisms structuring natural microbial communities.
Controllable two-dimensional movement and redistribution of lithium ions in metal oxides
Authors: Tang Xiufeng , Chen Guoxin , Mo Zhaopeng , Ma Dingbang , Wang Siyuan , Wen Jinxiu , Gong Li , Zhao Lite , Huang Jingcheng , Huang Tengcheng , Luo Jianyi 
Published: June 2019

AbstractRechargeable lithium batteries are the most practical and widely used power sources for portable and mobile devices in modern society. Manipulation of the electronic and ionic charge transport and accumulation in solid materials has always been crucial for rechargeable lithium batteries. The transport and accumulation of lithium ions in electrode materials, which is a diffusion process, is determined by the concentration distribution of lithium ions and the intrinsic structure of the electrode material and thus far has not been manipulated by an external force. Here, we report the realization of controllable two-dimensional movement and redistribution of lithium ions in metal oxides. This achievement is one kind of centimeter-scale control and is achieved by a magnetic field based on the ‘current-driving model’. This work provides additional insight for building safe and high-capacity rechargeable lithium batteries.
Synthetic scaffolds for musculoskeletal tissue engineering: cellular responses to fiber parameters
Authors: Jenkins Thomas Lee , Little Dianne 
Published: June 2019

AbstractTissue engineering often uses synthetic scaffolds to direct cell responses during engineered tissue development. Since cells reside within specific niches of the extracellular matrix, it is important to understand how the matrix guides cell response and then incorporate this knowledge into scaffold design. The goal of this review is to review elements of cell–matrix interactions that are critical to informing and evaluating cellular response on synthetic scaffolds. Therefore, this review examines fibrous proteins of the extracellular matrix and their effects on cell behavior, followed by a discussion of the cellular responses elicited by fiber diameter, alignment, and scaffold porosity of two dimensional (2D) and three dimensional (3D) synthetic scaffolds. Variations in fiber diameter, alignment, and scaffold porosity guide stem cells toward different lineages. Cells generally exhibit rounded morphology on nanofibers, randomly oriented fibers, and low-porosity scaffolds. Conversely, cells exhibit elongated, spindle-shaped morphology on microfibers, aligned fibers, and high-porosity scaffolds. Cells migrate with higher velocities on nanofibers, aligned fibers, and high-porosity scaffolds but migrate greater distances on microfibers, aligned fibers, and highly porous scaffolds. Incorporating relevant biomimetic factors into synthetic scaffolds destined for specific tissue application could take advantage of and further enhance these responses.
Classes of low-frequency earthquakes based on inter-time distribution reveal a precursor event for the 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake
Authors: Tokuda Tomoki , Shimada Hirohiko 
Published: June 2019

AbstractRecently, slow earthquakes (slow EQ) have received much attention relative to understanding the mechanisms underlying large earthquakes and to detecting their precursors. Low-frequency earthquakes (LFE) are a specific type of slow EQ. In the present paper, we reveal the relevance of LFEs to the 11 March 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake (Tohoku-oki EQ) by means of cluster analysis. We classified LFEs in northern Japan in a data-driven manner, based on inter-time, the time interval between neighboring LFEs occurring within 10 km. We found that there are four classes of LFE that are characterized by median inter-times of 24 seconds, 27 minutes, 2.0 days, and 35 days, respectively. Remarkably, in examining the relevance of these classes to the Tohoku-oki EQ, we found that activity in the shortest inter-time class (median 24 seconds) diminished significantly at least three months before the Tohoku-oki EQ, and became completely quiescent 30 days before the event (p-value = 0.00014). Further statistical analysis implies that this class, together with a similar class of volcanic tremor, may have served as a precursor of the Tohoku-oki EQ. We discuss a generative model for these classes of LFE, in which the shortest inter-time class is characterized by a generalized gamma distribution with the product of shape parameters vκ = 1:54 in the domain of inter-time close to zero. We give a possible geodetic interpretation for the relevance of LFE to the Tohoku-oki EQ.
Endangered island endemic plants have vulnerable genomes
Authors: Hamabata Tomoko , Kinoshita Gohta , Kurita Kazuki , Cao Ping-Lin , Ito Motomi , Murata Jin , Komaki Yoshiteru , Isagi Yuji , Makino Takashi 
Published: June 2019

AbstractLoss of genetic diversity is known to decrease the fitness of species and is a critical factor that increases extinction risk. However, there is little evidence for higher vulnerability and extinction risk in endangered species based on genomic differences between endangered and non-endangered species. This is true even in the case of functional loci, which are more likely to relate to the fitness of species than neutral loci. Here, we compared the genome-wide genetic diversity, proportion of duplicated genes (PD), and accumulation of deleterious variations of endangered island endemic (EIE) plants from four genera with those of their non-endangered (NE) widespread congeners. We focused on exhaustive sequences of expressed genes obtained by RNA sequencing. Most EIE species exhibited significantly lower genetic diversity and PD than NE species. Additionally, all endangered species accumulated deleterious variations. Our findings provide new insights into the genomic traits of EIE species.
Full‐current‐based directional pilot protection for VSC‐DC distribution systems
Authors: Li Meng , Jia Ke , Bi Tianshu , Wang Congbo , Zhu Rui , Yang Qixun 
Published: June 2019

Line protection is of great challenge for Voltage Source Converter‐Direct Current (VSC‐DC) distribution systems because the protection scheme must selectively identify the fault section as fast as possible. This study proposes a full‐current‐based directional pilot protection to meet the above requirements. The proposed protection utilises the full‐current (the measured current). The theoretical analyses, which have considered the influence of the VSC blocking, have proved that the full‐current has a certain direction during a pole‐to‐pole short‐circuit fault. Therefore, the protection is robust to the non‐linearity of the DC system. The theoretical analyses have also pointed out that the protection is immune to the line‐distributed capacitance. Both experimental and simulation results have demonstrated the analyses. The proposed protection can trip in <2 ms at a 1.6 kHz sampling rate in the experiments and within 1 ms at a 10 kHz sampling rate in the simulations. It can also correctly operate with 20 dB white noise and 20 Ω fault resistance. There is also no strict synchronisation requirement for the measurements of both the terminals. These features make the protection feasible for industry application.
Accurate frequency‐domain analysis and hybrid control method for isolated dual active bridge series resonant DC/DC converters
Authors: Wang Shien , Zheng Zedong , Li Chi , Xu Lie , Wang Kui , Li Yongdong 
Published: June 2019

This study proposes an accurate frequency model of dual active bridge series resonant DC/DC converters (DABSRC). Differing from the conventional first harmonic approximation method, the proposed steady‐state model considers all the harmonic components, which gives an accurate expression of transferred power and resonant current. Based on the proposed model, a precise soft switching criterion was derived, and the soft switching region was extended. On top of that, a hybrid control strategy combining phase shift modulation and frequency modulation was proposed, to achieve soft switching under wide voltage gain and load variations. Thanks to the extended soft switching region, DABSRC can achieve zero‐voltage‐switching turn‐on at light loads, only with a slight increase in switching frequency, hence improving the efficiency a lot. The accurate frequency model and the hybrid control were validated using a 500 W laboratory prototype. The experiment results showed accurate predictions of the proposed model and significant improvements in light load efficiency over a wide range of input voltages.
Oscillation induced by Hopf bifurcation in the p53–Mdm2 feedback module
Authors: Gao Chunyan , Ji Jinchen , Yan Fang , Liu Haihong 
Published: June 2019

This study develops an integrated model of the p53–Mdm2 interaction composed of five basic components and time delay in the DNA damage response based on the existing research work. Some critical factors, including time delay, system parameters, and their interactions in the p53–Mdm2 system are investigated to examine their effects on the oscillatory behaviour induced by Hopf bifurcation. It is shown that the positive feedback formed between p53 and the activity of Mdm2 in the cytoplasm can cause a slight decrease in the amplitude of the p53 oscillation. The length of the time delay plays an important role in determining the amplitude and period of the oscillation and can significantly extend the parameter range for the system to demonstrate oscillatory behaviour. The numerical simulation results are found to be in good agreement with the published experimental observation. It is expected that the results of this research would be helpful to better understand the biological functions of p53 pathway and provide some clues in the treatment of cancer.
Parameter estimation for sparse targets in phased‐MIMO radar
Authors: Zhu Can , Zhang Ning , Chen Zhimin , Chen Peng 
Published: June 2019

Parameter estimation using phased‐multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) radar is investigated in this study, where transmitting antennas are partitioned into subarrays to provide both waveform diversity and high coherent processing gain. By exploiting the target sparsity in the spatial domain, a compressed sensing‐based estimation method is proposed to jointly estimate the direction of arrivals and scattering coefficients of multiple targets in phased‐MIMO radar. Cramér‐Rao lower bound is derived from setting a performance limit on the presented algorithm, and simulation results are provided to validate its efficiency. Numerical examples reveal that efficient estimation can be obtained when the received signal‐to‐noise ratio exceeds a threshold at the level of about 5 dB. Also, the authors also show that the number of subarrays and the size of each subarray constitute a fundamental trade‐off in improving the estimation performance.