bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Tropical Cyclone Projections: Changing Climate Threats for Pacific Island Defense Installations
Authors: Widlansky Matthew J. , Annamalai H. , Gingerich Stephen B. , Storlazzi Curt D. , Marra John J. , Hodges Kevin I. , Choy Barry , Kitoh Akio 
Published: September 2018

Abstract
Potential changing climate threats in the tropical and subtropical North Pacific Ocean were assessed, using coupled ocean–atmosphere and atmosphere-only general circulation models, to explore their response to projected increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Tropical cyclone occurrence, described by frequency and intensity, near islands housing major U.S. defense installations was the primary focus. Four island regions—Guam and Kwajalein Atoll in the tropical northwestern Pacific, Okinawa in the subtropical northwestern Pacific, and Oahu in the tropical north-central Pacific—were considered, as they provide unique climate and geographical characteristics that either enhance or reduce the tropical cyclone risk. Guam experiences the most frequent and severe tropical cyclones, which often originate as weak systems close to the equator near Kwajalein and sometimes track far enough north to affect Okinawa, whereas intense storms are the least frequent around Oahu. From assessments of models that simulate well the tropical Pacific climate, it was determined that, with a projected warming climate, the number of tropical cyclones is likely to decrease for Guam and Kwajalein but remain about the same near Okinawa and Oahu; however, the maximum intensity of the strongest storms may increase in most regions. The likelihood of fewer but stronger storms will necessitate new localized assessments of the risk and vulnerabilities to tropical cyclones in the North Pacific.
The Role of Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge in Ecosystem-Based Adaptation: A Review of the Literature and Case Studies from the Pacific Islands
Authors: Nalau Johanna , Becken Susanne , Schliephack Johanna , Parsons Meg , Brown Cilla , Mackey Brendan 
Published: September 2018

Abstract
Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) is increasingly being advocated as a climate adaptation approach that can deliver multiple benefits to communities. EbA scholarship argues that community-based projects can strengthen those ecosystems that deliver critical services to communities and in doing so enhance community resilience. In particular, the inclusion of indigenous and traditional knowledge (ITK) into community-based EbA projects is positioned as critical to successful climate adaptation. Yet, there is surprisingly little investigation into how ITK is being defined and incorporated into EbA initiatives. This paper critically reviews EbA literature and provides empirical examples from Vanuatu and Samoa to demonstrate the different ways ITK relates to EbA projects. We find that there is widespread recognition that ITK is important for indigenous and local communities and can be employed successfully in EbA. However, this recognition is more aspirational than practical and is not being necessarily translated into ITK-informed or ITK-driven EbA projects. ITK should not be conceptualized simply as a collection of local environmental information that is integrated with Western scientific knowledge. Instead, ITK is part of nested knowledge systems (information–practices–worldviews) of indigenous peoples. This knowledge includes local natural resource management, sociocultural governance structures, social norms, spiritual beliefs, and historical and contemporary experiences of colonial dispossession and marginalization. At present, most EbA projects focus on the provision of information to main decision-makers only; however, since ITK is held collectively, it is essential that entire communities are included in ITK EbA projects. There is a huge potential for researchers and ITK holders to coproduce knowledge that would be best placed to drive climate adaptation in a changing world.
Eustachian Tube Balloon Dilation: Emerging Practice Patterns for a Novel Procedure
Authors: Micucci Steven , Keschner David B , Liang Jonathan 
Published: September 2018

Objectives: To review the role of eustachian tube balloon dilation (ETBD) in the setting of chronic Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) and ascertain how ETBD is currently being used in practice today. Methods: An online survey included 20 questions designed by 3 investigators to examine how otolaryngologists utilize ETBD in the management of ETD. The survey was distributed to the members of the American Rhinologic Society (ARS), American Otological Society (AOS), and American Neurotology Society (ANS) in their respective annual electronic mailings in April and May of 2017. Results: A total of 1105 and 633 surveys were sent to ARS and AOS/ANS members, respectively. Of those, 157 surveys were returned (126 from ARS and 31 from AOS/ANS). Of those returning the survey, 72 (50%) had not performed ETBD and were excluded from subsequent analysis. Forty-four (66%) respondents consider ETBD after failure of medical management; conversely, 18 (27%) and 26 (39%) consider ETBD after failure of 1 or more trial of myringotomy tube placement. Routine testing for ETBD includes audiogram with tympanometry 64 (96%) and preoperative computer tomography (CT) 38 (57%). Fifty-three (80%) practitioners only perform ETBD in adults 18 years and older. Thirty-four (53%) respondents describe ETBD as “great” or “good,” while 27 (42%) were unsure, and only 3 (5%) did not like ETBD. Conclusions: Eustachian tube balloon dilation is a novel technique for the treatment of chronic ETD, and its role continues to evolve and develop. Current practice patterns demonstrate wide variability in the assessment of ETD, heterogeneity in the timing of ETBD, and controversy in preoperative CT screening.
Hearing-health intervention for nightclub staff
Authors: Welch David , Ma Ellen , Reddy Ravi 
Published: September 2018

Objective: Sound levels in nightclubs are dangerously high. We administered the Dangerous Decibels hearing-health intervention to nightclub staff to test its efficacy. Design: In a single group, repeated measures were taken before training, a week after training and at 3 months after training. Setting: A nightclub in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. Method: We delivered training to 20 people who work in nightclubs: bar staff, disc jockeys (DJs), security staff and police. We assessed supports and barriers towards hearing-health behaviour, knowledge, attitudes and self-reported behaviour at the three time points. Results: The ratio of supports to barriers for good hearing-health behaviour improved 1 week after training and continued to improve at 3 months. Participants’ knowledge increased after training and was maintained 3 months later. Attitudes and self-reported behaviour did not change. Conclusion: The continued improvement in supports-to-barriers ratio at 3 months post-training has not been observed previously and may reflect a change in participants’ thinking as a result of the intervention. The lack of change in self-reported behaviour implies that the effect of acculturation to loud music in nightclubs was not wholly overcome.
Quantitative and sensory evaluation of odor retention on polyester/wool blends
Authors: Wang Jinfeng , Lu Xi , Wang Jing , Wang Xungai 
Published: September 2018

The odor sorption and emission characteristics of fabrics affect their functional performance, particularly for sportswear. This study systematically evaluated the impact of wool in polyester/wool blends on body odor retention properties. The odor sorption and emission of polyester/wool blend fabrics were quantitatively evaluated by an infrared-based spectrometer and by sensory testing. It was found that wool had the highest odor sorption capacity among all the test fabrics. Both odor sorption and emission are greatly affected by the presence of wool in the blends. Fabrics containing 20% wool had substantially reduced odor intensity compared to 100% polyester. The body odor retention properties of the 20/80 wool/polyester blend and the 100% polyester fabrics were also compared by wear trial, which further confirmed that the wool/polyester blend effectively reduced body odor intensity compared to 100% polyester. At low levels of body odor, fabric blends with at least 20% wool were shown to perform well, as they may not have reached their sorption capacity. Under higher and more extreme levels of body odor, where sorption plays a more important role, 100% wool showed higher sorption capacity than the blends. The data and methods presented in this paper provide a basis for optimizing the fiber composition of active wear garments with respect to odor.
Early infant attention as a predictor of social and communicative behavior in childhood
Authors: Bowers Katherine , Khoury Jane , Sucharew Heidi , Xu Yingying , Chen Aimin , Lanphear Bruce , Yolton Kimberly 
Published: September 2018

Background: The objective was to determine whether infant neurobehavior measured at five post-gestational weeks could predict social and communicative behavior (SCB) through five and eight years. Methods: Infant neurobehavior was assessed using the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Network Neurobehavioral Scale, and SCB was measured using the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Adjusted linear regression with generalized estimating equations were employed to estimate the association between infant neurobehavior and SCB. Interaction terms and stratification were used to identify potential effect modification by autism spectrum disorder risk factors. Results: The analyses include n = 214 and n = 227 participants who were examined at 5 weeks and followed to 4/5 and 8 years, respectively. Adjusting for maternal age, race, parity, and education as well as gestational age, only the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Network Neurobehavioral Scale summary score of “attention” (measured at mean 43.9 gestational weeks) was inversely associated with total SRS T-score through 5 years. However, in analyses stratified by maternal age, the inverse association between “attention” and SCB was significant, but only among offspring of women of advanced maternal age (≥35 y); in addition, higher scores of “excitability,” “lethargy,” and “arousal” were associated with increased total SRS T scores among women of advanced maternal age. The associations were no longer statistically significant at 8 years. Conclusions: Newborns with lower scores on the attention subscale (determined by an ability to localize and track animate and inanimate objects) were more likely to demonstrate deficits in SCB. In addition, infants with increased excitability, lethargy, or increased arousal were more likely to have impaired SCB that persisted through 5 years, but not at 8 years of age. Further work is necessary to identify specific aspects of infant neurobehavior that may affect childhood SCBs.
Baseline markers of inflammation, lipids, glucose, and Dietary Inflammatory Index scores do not differ between adults willing to participate in an intensive inflammation reduction intervention and those who do not
Authors: Crimarco Anthony , Turner-McGrievy Gabrielle M , Wirth Michael D , Shivappa Nitin , Dunn Caroline , Vyas Shraddha , Mandes Trisha , Hurley Thomas G , West Delia , Hébert James R 
Published: September 2018

Background: Chronic inflammation is associated with numerous chronic diseases and can be managed with diet. Aim: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in baseline characteristics and plasma inflammation levels between two groups of participants that participated in an intensive, lifestyle intervention or a remotely delivered intervention. This work also assessed the association between Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII)® scores and participants’ inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers at baseline. Method: Ninety-five participants (61 intervention, 34 control) chose to enroll in either a 12-month intervention consisting of a face-to-face nutrition, physical activity, and stress management intervention or a remotely-delivered intervention (control group) focusing on general cancer prevention. The intervention group met at the University of South Carolina for classes and the control group had materials emailed to them. A quantile regression was used to compare participants’ high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 levels. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the association between DII scores and biomarkers. Results: There were significant differences in age, body mass index, body fat percentage, and blood pressure between groups, but there were no differences in levels of inflammatory biomarkers. Values of interleukin-6 at the 90th percentile of its distribution were 8.31 pg/ml higher among those in DII quartile 4 compared with quartile 1 ( p = 0.02). All other outcomes were not significant. Conclusion: Given similar levels of inflammatory biomarkers, participants opting for the control group would also have benefited from a more intensive lifestyle intervention focusing on reducing inflammation.
A practical approach to tumescent local anaesthesia in ambulatory endovenous thermal ablation
Authors: Nyamekye Isaac K 
Published: September 2018

Background Thermal ablation, usually performed with tumescent local anaesthesia (TLA), is the preferred method for varicose veins treatment. Tumescent local anaesthesia is always cited; however, little detail of the procedure is presented in publications. This retrospective audit of clinical tumescent local anaesthesia practice aims to provide detailed information on an important aspect of endovenous practice. Methods Patients who underwent three types of endothermal treatment (Venefit, Radiofrequency Induce Thermal Therapy and Endovenous Laser Ablation) to a single saphenous trunk using tumescent local anaesthesia were assessed. Differences in tumescent local anaesthesia volume per unit length of treated vein were assessed for the followings: type of saphenous trunk, length of vein treated, effect of additional phlebectomy and bilateral versus interval unilateral treatment for bilateral veins. Descriptive data are reported as mean and standard deviation, and groups were compared using the one-way ANOVA test. Results Between 2008 and 2014, single-saphenous-trunk ambulatory TLA thermal ablation was performed in 979 patients, mean age was 54 years. A total of 1229 limbs had truncal ablations and synchronous phlebectomy was performed in 470 limbs. No tumescent local anaesthesia-related complications occurred. There was no significant difference in standardised tumescent local anaesthesia volume per centimetre (ml) used for the three devices. Tumescent local anaesthesia volume per centimetre (ml) differed significantly between saphenous trunks. On average, a standard 10–12 ml/cm of tumescent local anaesthesia was used for saphenous trunks. Mean total tumescent local anaesthesia volume per patient, when treating the great saphenous vein alone, was 931 ml for bilateral and 425 ml for unilateral treatment. Conclusion This report of over 1000 endovenous procedures demonstrates safe performance of laser and radiofrequency treatments using tumescent local anaesthesia. Although no attempt was made to determine minimum volume requirements, a mean tumescent local anaesthesia volume of 10–12 ml/cm administered to the perivenous space provides adequate anaesthesia for truncal saphenous ablation.
Preliminary report of a new type of braided vein stent in animals
Authors: Che Haijie , Jiang Jingjun , Liu Hao , Wei Jichang , Zhang Xiaoming 
Published: September 2018

Background Iliofemoral vein stenosis or occlusion is a common cause of severe chronic venous insufficiency. Endovascular venous stenting has become a preferred treatment because it is minimally invasive and has a high safety profile. Despite the wide application of the wallstent, it is not specifically designed for veins. There are currently few studies on braided stents in the field of veins. We designed a novel braided vein stent, which has higher radial resistive force and more optimized looped ends structure compared with the wallstent. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and performance of the stent in animals, providing a reference for further clinical trials. Methods The Wallstent is used as a control group. The novel stent and the Wallstent were implanted in the iliac vein of sheep. After 30 days and 90 days, vascular injury, thrombus, neointima coverage, and luminal stenosis were evaluated through venous angiography, endoscopic observation of stent specimen and histopathology. Imaging, histology, and integration data were analyzed by t-test for comparisons between the groups. Results Two groups of stents were successfully implanted. Follow-up observation showed that there was no thrombosis or obstruction >50% occurred in any group and no significant differences in patency, vascular injury, or intimal hyperplasia compared with the Wallstent. Conclusion The novel stent significantly increases the radial resistive force and does not increase vascular injury, thrombus and stent stenosis during 30-day and 90-day follow-up. The next step is to further validate the effectiveness of the stent through long-term animal observation and human clinical trials.
The effectiveness of backward walking as a treatment for people with gait impairments: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Balasukumaran Tharani , Olivier Benita , Ntsiea Mokgobadibe Veronica 
Published: September 2018

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of backward walking in the treatment of people with gait impairments related to neurological and musculoskeletal disorders. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized and quasi-randomized control studies. Data sources: Searched from the date of inception to March 2018, and included PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, PEDro, CINAHL, and the MEDLINE databases. Methods: Investigating the effects of backward walking on pain, functional disability, muscle strength, gait parameters, balance, stability, and plantar pressure in people with gait impairments. The PEDro scale was used to assess the quality. Similar outcomes were pooled by calculating the standardized mean difference. Results: Of the 21 studies (neurological 11 and musculoskeletal 10), 635 participants were included. The average PEDro score was 5.4/10. The meta-analysis demonstrated significant standardized mean difference values in favour of backward walking, with conventional physiotherapy treatment for two to four weeks to reduce pain (−0.87) and functional disability (−1.19) and to improve quadriceps strength (1.22) in patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis. The balance and stability in cases of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and gait parameters and muscle strength in anterior cruciate ligament injury improved significantly when backward walking was included as an exercise. There was no significant evidence in favour of backward walking in any of the other conditions. Conclusion: The systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that backward walking with conventional physiotherapy treatment is effective and clinically worthwhile in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Insufficient evidence was available for the remaining gait impairment conditions and no conclusions could be drawn.
Barriers and enablers to deprescribing in people with a life-limiting disease: A systematic review
Authors: Paque Kristel , Vander Stichele Robert , Elseviers Monique , Pardon Koen , Dilles Tinne , Deliens Luc , Christiaens Thierry 
Published: September 2018

Background: Knowing the barriers/enablers to deprescribing in people with a life-limiting disease is crucial for the development of successful deprescribing interventions. These barriers/enablers have been studied, but the available evidence has not been summarized in a systematic review. Aim: To identify the barriers/enablers to deprescribing of medications in people with a life-limiting disease. Design: Systematic review, registered in PROSPERO (CRD42017073693). Data sources: A systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and CENTRAL was conducted and extended with a hand search. Peer-reviewed, primary studies reporting on barriers/enablers to deprescribing in the context of explicit life-limiting disease were included in this review. Results: A total of 1026 references were checked. Five studies met the criteria and were included in this review. Three types of barriers/enablers were found: organizational, professional and patient (family)-related barriers/enablers. The most prominent enablers were organizational support (e.g. for standardized medication review), involvement of multidisciplinary teams in medication review and the perception of the importance of coming to a joint decision regarding deprescribing, which highlighted the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and involving the patient and his family in the decision-making process. The most important barriers were shortages in staff and the perceived difficulty or resistance of the nursing home resident’s family – or the resident himself. Conclusion and implications of key findings: The scarcity of findings in the literature highlights the importance of filling this gap. Further research should focus on deepening the knowledge on these barriers/enablers in order to develop sustainable multifaceted deprescribing interventions in palliative care.
Contemporary factors shaping the professional identity of occupational therapy lecturers
Authors: O’Shea John , McGrath Simon 
Published: September 2018

Introduction The contemporary factors of neoliberalism and evidence-based practice have implications for professional autonomy and values, education and training, ways of working and construction of knowledge. Occupational therapy lecturers are at the interface between student education and professional practice and therefore have unique insights into the way in which these factors are shaping their professional identity and that of the profession. Method Nine narrative inquiry focused interviews of occupational therapy lecturers from two universities were carried out. Data was interpreted through a Bourdieusian lens of professional habitus, and analysed thematically. Findings The main factors influencing occupational therapy lecturer identity were noted to be relationships between professional identity and artistry; the professional body of knowledge and language; evidencing practice, neoliberalism and changes to teaching and learning. Conclusion The structural factors of neoliberalism, evidence-based practice and associated policies are influencing the occupational therapy professional habitus and, in turn, occupational therapy lecturers’ professional identity. An effective critique of these structural factors is required to maintain the profession’s values and artistry and the knowledge upon which occupational therapy lecturers’ identity is formed and their approaches to teaching and learning are based.
Does corporate social responsibility reduce information asymmetry? Empirical evidence from Australia
Authors: Nguyen Van Ha , Agbola Frank W , Choi Bobae 
Published: September 2018

This study examines whether corporate social responsibility (CSR) reduces information asymmetry (IA). Using a firm-level CSR dataset of Australian publicly listed firms from 2004 to 2014, we estimate IA models using a fixed-effects panel estimator. We find that CSR performance is negatively associated with IA. Moreover, this negative relationship is stronger for larger firms and firms with stronger market power. We also find that the negative association between CSR and IA decreases for firms with a high level of equity risk. Our results are robust to alternative measures of CSR and IA, model specifications and endogeneity controls. JEL Classification: D82, G34, M14