bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Associations between Maternal Exposure to Bisphenol A or Triclosan and Gestational Hypertension and Preeclampsia: The MIREC Study
Authors: Camara Louopou Rosalie , Arbuckle Tye Elaine , Trottier Helen , Fraser William Donald 
Published: December 2018

Background Little is known about the association between bisphenol A (BPA) or triclosan (TCS) exposure and hypertension in pregnancy.
Objective To investigate potential associations between maternal urinary concentrations of BPA or TCS and gestational hypertension (GH) and preeclampsia.
Study Design Among 1,909 pregnant women participating in the maternal-infant research on environmental chemicals (MIREC) study, urinary concentrations of BPA and TCS were measured in the first trimester by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using isotope dilution. Blood pressure was measured during each trimester. Multinomial regression was performed to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the associations between these phenols and GH and preeclampsia.
Results BPA and TCS were not associated with GH or preeclampsia. However, in multiparous women, BPA (0.50–1.30 µg/L) was associated with decreased risk of GH (aOR =0.45; 95%CI: 0.21–0.98) while among nulliparous women, TCS was associated with an increased risk of GH (3.60–32.60 µg/L; aOR = 2.58; 95% CI: 1.09–6.13 and > 32.60 µg/L: aOR = 2.74; 95% CI: 1.15–6.51).
Conclusion BPA and TCS urinary concentrations were not associated with GH or preeclampsia; however, our results suggest an association between TCS and GH in nulliparous women. Additional studies are required to confirm our results.
Sports mega‐event legacies and adult physical activity: A systematic literature review and research agenda
Authors: Annear Michael J. , Shimizu Yasuo , Kidokoro Tetsuhiro 
Published: December 2018

AbstractSports mega‐events, such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games, have the potential to inspire increases in population physical activity, yet investigations concerning such legacy outcomes have been inconclusive. This may be due to research design limitations or inconsistent leveraging of potential hosting benefits by event organizers. This systematic review aims to identify current knowledge about the capacity of sports mega‐events to inspire increases in physical activity participation among adult populations and develop a research agenda to guide future legacy evaluations. Peer‐reviewed, English‐language studies published on or after the year 2000 were considered. Six academic databases and grey literature sources were searched, and articles were assessed for methodological quality. Reporting followed PRISMA conventions for systematic reviews. Nine studies were selected after quality evaluation, including previous reviews, quantitative and qualitative research. Most studies found no evidence for long‐term physical activity outcomes associated with hosting sports mega‐events, although limitations and gaps were identified. These included lack of longitudinal or cohort studies, limited differentiation of subpopulations, use of non‐validated instruments, and lack of triangulation for qualitative findings. Only one cohort study from Japan identified sustainable and significant physical activity increases resulting from a previous sports mega‐event. Considering theory, the commonly cited Demonstration Effect was reportedly an unreliable framework, although the Festival Effect and Social Ecological Model appear more promising for anticipating and explaining legacy effects. With less than two years until the Tokyo 2020 Olympiad, it is appropriate to commence high‐quality legacy research drawing on lessons learned from previous studies.
Interspecific aggression among parapatric and sympatric songbirds on a tropical elevational gradient
Authors: Boyce Andy J , Martin Thomas E 
Published: December 2018

Abstract
Interspecific competition is hypothesized to be a strong force that sets species range limits and drives parapatric distributions of closely related species on tropical mountains. Yet, experimental evidence that competition drives spatial segregation of closely related species on elevational gradients is rare. To test whether competition limits elevational ranges of tropical songbirds, we conducted reciprocal playback experiments on 2 pairs of species with adjacent but nonoverlapping (parapatric) distributions and 1 pair of sympatric species. We found asymmetric interspecific aggression in one parapatric pair (Pycnonotidae) and a complete absence of interspecific aggression in the other (Zosteropidae). We also found asymmetric interspecies aggression in a pair of sympatric flycatchers (Muscicapidae). Our results indicate that interspecific aggression may set range limits in some cases, but it is not a prerequisite for parapatry. Furthermore, the presence of interspecific aggression between co-occurring relatives suggests that while competition may play a role in limiting species distributions, interspecific aggression alone is not sufficient evidence to assert that competition is the primary driver of parapatric distributions.
Transcriptome alterations in myotonic dystrophy skeletal muscle and heart
Authors: Wang Eric T , Treacy Daniel , Eichinger Katy , Struck Adam , Estabrook Joseph , Olafson Hailey , Wang Thomas T , Bhatt Kirti , Westbrook Tony , Sedehizadeh Sam , Ward Amanda , Day John , Brook David , Berglund J Andrew , Cooper Thomas , Housman David , Thornton Charles , Burge Christopher 
Published: December 2018

AbstractMyotonic dystrophy (dystrophia myotonica, DM) is a multi-systemic disease caused by expanded CTG or CCTG microsatellite repeats. Characterized by symptoms in muscle, heart and central nervous system, among others, it is one of the most variable diseases known. A major pathogenic event in DM is the sequestration of muscleblind-like proteins by CUG or CCUG repeat-containing RNAs transcribed from expanded repeats, and differences in the extent of MBNL sequestration dependent on repeat length and expression level may account for some portion of the variability. However, many other cellular pathways are reported to be perturbed in DM, and the severity of specific disease symptoms varies among individuals. To help understand this variability and facilitate research into DM, we generated 120 RNASeq transcriptomes from skeletal and heart muscle derived from healthy and DM1 biopsies and autopsies. A limited number of DM2 and Duchenne muscular dystrophy samples were also sequenced. We analyzed splicing and gene expression, identified tissue-specific changes in RNA processing and uncovered transcriptome changes strongly correlating with muscle strength. We created a web resource at http://DMseq.org that hosts raw and processed transcriptome data and provides a lightweight, responsive interface that enables browsing of processed data across the genome.
Rational Links and DT Invariants of Quivers
Authors: Stošić Marko , Wedrich Paul 
Published: December 2018

AbstractWe prove that the generating functions for the colored HOMFLY-PT polynomials of rational links are specializations of the generating functions of the motivic Donaldson–Thomas invariants of appropriate quivers that we naturally associate with these links. This shows that the conjectural links–quivers correspondence of Kucharski–Reineke–Stošić–Sułkowski as well as the LMOV conjecture holds for all rational links. Along the way, we extend the links–quivers correspondence to tangles and, thus, explore elements of a skein theory for motivic Donaldson–Thomas invariants.
Resolutions of Proper Riemannian Lie Groupoids
Authors: Posthuma Hessel , Tang Xiang , Wang Kirsten 
Published: December 2018

AbstractIn this paper we prove that every proper Lie groupoid admits a regularization to a regular proper Lie groupoid. When equipped with a Riemannian metric, we show that it admits regularization to a regular Riemannian proper Lie groupoid, arbitrarily close to the original one in the Gromov–Hausdorff distance between the quotient spaces. We construct the regularization via a successive blow-up construction on a proper Lie groupoid. We also prove that our construction of the regularization is invariant under Morita equivalence of groupoids, showing that it is a desingularization of the underlying differentiable stack.
Dramatic spectral transition of X-ray pulsar GX 304−1 in low luminous state
Authors: Tsygankov Sergey S , Rouco Escorial Alicia , Suleimanov Valery F , Mushtukov Alexander A , Doroshenko Victor , Lutovinov Alexander A , Wijnands Rudy , Poutanen Juri 
Published: December 2018

Abstract
We report on the discovery of a dramatic change in the energy spectrum of the X-ray pulsar GX 304−1 appearing at low luminosity. Particularly, we found that the cut-off power-law spectrum typical for accreting pulsars, including GX 304−1 at higher luminosities of LX ∼ 1036–1037 erg s−1, transformed at lower luminosity of LX ∼ 1034 erg s−1 to a two-component spectrum peaking around 5 and 40 keV. We suggest that the observed transition corresponds to a change of the dominant mechanism responsible for the deceleration of the accretion flow. We argue that the accretion flow energy at low accretion rates is released in the atmosphere of the neutron star, and the low-energy component in the source spectrum corresponds to the thermal emission of the optically thick, heated atmospheric layers. The most plausible explanations for the high-energy component are either the cyclotron emission reprocessed by the magnetic Compton scattering or the thermal radiation of deep atmospheric layers partly Comptonized in the overheated upper layers. Alternative scenarios are also discussed.
beRBP: binding estimation for human RNA-binding proteins
Authors: Yu Hui , Wang Jing , Sheng Quanhu , Liu Qi , Shyr Yu 
Published: December 2018

Abstract
Identifying binding targets of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) can greatly facilitate our understanding of their functional mechanisms. Most computational methods employ machine learning to train classifiers on either RBP-specific targets or pooled RBP–RNA interactions. The former strategy is more powerful, but it only applies to a few RBPs with a large number of known targets; conversely, the latter strategy sacrifices prediction accuracy for a wider application, since specific interaction features are inevitably obscured through pooling heterogeneous datasets. Here, we present beRBP, a dual approach to predict human RBP–RNA interaction given PWM of a RBP and one RNA sequence. Based on Random Forests, beRBP not only builds a specific model for each RBP with a decent number of known targets, but also develops a general model for RBPs with limited or null known targets. The specific and general models both compared well with existing methods on three benchmark datasets. Notably, the general model achieved a better performance than existing methods on most novel RBPs. Overall, as a composite solution overarching the RBP-specific and RBP-General strategies, beRBP is a promising tool for human RBP binding estimation with good prediction accuracy and a broad application scope.
How Educational Theory Can Inform the Training and Practice of Plastic Surgeons
Authors: Sadideen Hazim , Plonczak Agata , Saadeddin Munir , Kneebone Roger 
Published: December 2018

Summary:
It is important to optimize our current learning and teaching models, particularly in a climate of decreased clinical exposure. With technical advancements and clinical care now more accountable, traditional methods of skill acquisition need to be revisited. The past decade has seen changes in plastic surgery curricula. There has also been a shift toward competency-based training programs reflecting the growing emphasis on outcomes-based surgical education. This review explores the role of educational theory in promoting effective learning in practical skills teaching. Key models of educational theory are presented and their application to plastic surgery training to an expert level are highlighted. These models include (1) learning within communities of practice (Lave and Wenger’s theory); (2) the role of the zone of proximal development and importance of the availability of expert assistance (Vygotsky’s theory); (3) skill acquisition and retention (Dreyfus’ and Dreyfus’, and Fitts’ and Posner’s theories); (4) development of expertise after repeated practice and regular reinforcement (Ericsson’s theory); and (5) the assessment of competence (Miller’s triangle). Future plastic surgeons need to possess a thorough understanding of the technical and nontechnical skills required to manage patients effectively. Surgical educators are therefore compelled to develop practical training programs that can teach each of these skills in a safe, learner-centric manner. It is hoped that new approaches to surgical skills training are designed in light of our understanding of educational theory to optimize the training of the next generation of plastic surgeons.
QUANTIFICATION OF CHOROIDAL VASCULATURE BY HIGH-QUALITY STRUCTURE EN FACE SWEPT-SOURCE OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY IMAGES IN EYES WITH CENTRAL SEROUS CHORIORETINOPATHY
Authors: Ogawa Yuki , Maruko Ichiro , Koizumi Hideki , Iida Tomohiro 
Published: December 2018

Purpose:
To determine the density of the choroidal vasculature by high-quality structure en face optical coherence tomography (OCT) scanned at the same time as OCT angiography in eyes with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC).

Methods:
Thirty-five eyes of 30 patients with CSC (20 men and 10 women; average age, 48.4 years) were studied. Volume scans (12 × 12 mm-square) were obtained at the same time as OCT angiographic scans (Plex Elite 9000; Swept-Source OCT, Zeiss). High-quality structure en face images were flattened at Bruch membrane and binarized to identify and quantify the choroidal vascular density by the Bernsen method of the segmentation slab of one-half of the choroidal thickness. Similarly, high-quality structure en face choroidal images of 35 healthy eyes of 29 patients (18 men and 11 women; average age, 51.7 years) were binarized and analyzed as controls. The en face images were cropped to exclude the optic disk.

Results:
The mean cropped image size was 9.57 mm × 9.57 mm in the eyes with CSC and 9.48 mm × 9.48 mm in the healthy eyes (P = 0.41). In the eyes with CSC, the choroidal vascular density was 61.6 ± 7.5% of the choroid, which was significantly greater than that in the healthy eyes at 49.4 ± 7.5% (P < 0.01).

Conclusion:
High-quality structure en face OCT can be used to assess the density of the choroidal vessels quantitatively and noninvasively in eyes with CSC.
Exploring the Delivery of Healthcare in the Police Detention Center Through Remote Presence Technology
Authors: Woods Phil , Leidl Don , Luimes Janet , Butler Lorna 
Published: December 2018

ABSTRACT

Introduction:
There is overwhelming evidence to support the delivery of high-quality health service at a lower cost with the use of advanced technologies. Implementing remote presence technology to expand clinical care has been fraught with barriers that limit interprofessional collaboration and optimal client outcomes. In Canada, government ministries responsible for correctional services, policing, and health are well positioned to link federal, provincial, and regional services to enhance service delivery at the point of care for individuals detained within the justice system. Using remote presence technology to link the detention center with relevant health services such as the emergency room has the potential to open up a new care pathway.

Research Question:
The key research question was how a new intervention pathway for individuals detained in police service detention centers could be implemented.

Research Design:
Utilizing an exploratory qualitative research design, interviews were undertaken with 12 police service and six healthcare participants. Data were transcribed and thematically analyzed.

Findings:
Four main themes emerged and included role conflict, risk management, resource management, and access to services. A number of collaborative learning partnerships were identified by the participants.

Implications:
These themes reveal important facilitators and barriers to attending to the health needs of detainees within the police detention center through the utilization of remote presence.
Economic Value of Orthotic and Prosthetic Services Among Medicare Beneficiaries: A Claims-Based Retrospective Cohort Study, 2011–2014
Authors: Dobson Allen , Murray Kennan , Manolov Nikolay , DaVanzo Joan E. 
Published: December 2018

ABSTRACT

Background
There are few studies of the economic value of orthotic and prosthetic services. A prior cohort study of orthotic and prosthetic Medicare beneficiaries based on Medicare Parts A and B claims from 2007–2010 concluded that patients who received timely orthotic or prosthetic care had comparable or lower total health care costs than a comparison group of untreated patients. This follow-up study reports on a parallel analysis based on Medicare claims from 2011–2014 and includes Part D in addition to Parts A and B services and expenditures. Its purpose is to validate earlier findings on the extent to which Medicare patients who received select orthotic and prosthetic services had less health care utilization, lower Medicare payments, and potentially fewer negative outcomes compared to matched patients not receiving these services.

Methods
This is a retrospective cohort analysis of 78,707 matched pairs of Medicare beneficiaries with clinical need for orthotic and prosthetic services (N = 157,414) using 2011–2014 Medicare claims data. It uses propensity score matching techniques to control for observable selection bias. Economically, a cost-consequence evaluation over a four-year time horizon was performed.

Results
Patients who received lower extremity orthotics had 18-month episode costs that were $1,939 lower than comparable patients who did not receive orthotic treatment ($22,734 vs $24,673). Patients who received spinal orthotic treatment had 18-month episode costs that were $2,094 lower than comparable non-treated patients ($23,560 vs $25,655). Study group beneficiaries receiving both types of orthotics had significantly lower Part D spending than those not receiving treatment (p<0.05). Patients who received lower extremity prostheses had comparable 15-month episode payments to matched beneficiaries not receiving prostheses ($68,877 vs $68,893) despite the relatively high cost of the prosthesis.

Conclusions
These results were consistent with those found in the prior study and suggest that orthotic and prosthetic services provide value to the Medicare program and to the patient.
Doctor of Physical Therapy Student Experiences During Clinical Education: Patient Safety, Error, and the System
Authors: Struessel Tamara , Forster Jeri E. , Van Zytveld Chelsea 
Published: December 2018

Introduction/Review of Literature:
Medical error is inevitable due to complex environments and human fallibility. Other professions have published extensively on error reduction and students as a contributing aspect of clinical error. The physical therapy profession has lagged behind.

Purpose:
To explore doctor of physical therapy (DPT) student experiences with patient safety during clinical education, including factors that could potentially contribute to error.

Subjects:
Seventy DPT students at the University of Colorado.

Methods:
Sequential explanatory mixed methods design including quantitative (survey) and qualitative (focus group) data collection.

Results and Conclusion:
Ninety-one percent of students participated in the survey, and 13% in the focus groups. Five themes were identified, including 1) Facility safety culture, 2) Communication methods and frequency, 3) Widespread clinical education/clinical instructor variability, 4) Dual identity as student and clinician, and 5) Student stress. These themes all have the potential to increase patient safety risk.

Discussion and Conclusion:
Some issues identified in this paper are specific to students and need to be addressed at the clinical education level but with a focus on patient safety risk. However, many of the issues were related to the broader system and clinical environment and may have occurred without the student present. There are many opportunities for better academic and clinical partnerships with dual goals of improving educational excellence and reducing patient safety risk.
Acupuncture for hyperlipidemia
Authors: Peng Qinyan , Yao Xiaobin , Xiang Jiexiang , Wang Yuanping , Lin Xinmei 
Published: December 2018

Abstract

Background:
Hyperlipidemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Acupuncture has been widely applied in the treatment of hyperlipidemia. But its efficacy has not been evaluated scientifically and systematically. Therefore, we provide a protocol of systematic evaluation to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture treatment on patient with hyperlipidemia.

Methods:
We will search the following databases electronically, including 3 English literature databases (i.e., PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library) and 4 Chinese literature databases (i.e., Chinese Biological and Medical database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP, and Wanfang Database). We will also search randomized-controlled trials about acupuncture treatment for hyperlipidemia and the search time limit is from its establishment to October 2018. The primary outcome is lipid-lowering efficacy. Secondary outcomes are total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. We will use RevMan V.5.3 software as well to compute the data synthesis carefully when a meta-analysis is allowed.

Results:
This study will provide a high-quality synthesis to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture treatment on patient with hyperlipidemia.

Conclusion:
The conclusion of our systematic review will provide evidence to judge whether acupuncture is an effective intervention for patient with hyperlipidemia.