bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Communication skills training and the conceptual structure of empathy among medical students
Authors: Son Daisuke , Shimizu Ikuo , Ishikawa Hirono , Aomatsu Muneyoshi , Leppink Jimmie 
Published: April 2018

Introduction Medical and healthcare professionals’ empathy for patients is crucially important for patient care. Some studies have suggested that a significant decline in empathy occurs during clinical training years in medical school as documented by self-assessed empathy scales. Moreover, a recent study provided qualitative evidence that communication skills training in an examination context, such as in an objective structured clinical examination, might stimulate perspective taking but inhibit the development of compassionate care. Therefore, the current study examined how perspective taking and compassionate care relate to medical students’ willingness to show empathic behaviour and how these relations may change with communication skills training.
Methods A total of 295 fourth-year Japanese medical students from three universities completed the Jefferson Empathy Scale and a newly developed set of items on willingness to show empathic behaviour twice after communication skills training, pertaining to post-training and retrospectively for pre-training.
Results The findings indicate that students’ willingness to show empathic behaviour is much more correlated with perspective taking than with compassionate care. Qualitative descriptive analysis of open-ended question responses revealed a difficulty of feeling compassion despite showing empathic behaviour.
Discussion These findings shed light on the conceptual structure of empathy among medical students and generate a number of hypotheses for future intervention and longitudinal studies on the relation between communication skills training and empathy.
Improvements to the Vulva, Vestibule, Urethral Meatus, and Vagina in Women Treated With Ospemifene for Moderate to Severe Dyspareunia: A Prospective Vulvoscopic Pilot Study
Authors: Goldstein Sue W. , Winter Ashley G. , Goldstein Irwin 
Published: April 2018

Abstract

Introduction
Ospemifene, an oral selective estrogen receptor modulator approved for the treatment of mild to moderate dyspareunia from menopause, has been shown to moderate sexual pain and vaginal epithelial cell characteristics. However, no prospective vulvoscopic studies have been performed.

Aim
To examine, in menopausal women taking ospemifene 60 mg daily, changes to the vulva, vestibule, urethral meatus, and vaginal region over 20 weeks using vulvoscopy in a prospective open-label pilot study.

Methods
Vulvoscopic photographs taken at screening and the end of therapy assessed for changes in the appearance of the vulva, vestibule, urethral meatus, and vagina rated by a single reviewer using a 10-parameter Likert rating scale, the Vulvoscopic Genital Tissue Appearance Scale (VGTA). In addition, the cotton-tipped swab test and subject diary scores were assessed over the 20-week treatment period and compared before and after the intervention using Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

Main Outcome Measure
Changes in VGTA score from baseline to end of study.

Results
8 subjects (age = 59 ± 4.7 years) completed all visits and were included in the analysis of vulvoscopic photographs (n = 258). There were significant changes during the study period for urethral meatal prominence, introital stenosis, vestibular pallor, vestibular erythema, mucosal moisture, vaginal rugation, and anterior wall prominence (P &lt; .05). Total pain score during cotton-tipped swab testing decreased from 11 (interquartile range = 10–16) before the intervention to 1 (interquartile range = 0–3) at the end of the study. Quantitative diary analysis indicated an increase in the number of sexual events, decrease in rates of pain during foreplay and intercourse, and decrease in use of lubricant at study completion (P &lt; .05).

Conclusions
Ospemifene 60 mg daily for 20 weeks showed improvement in physical examination findings in this prospective study of menopausal women with dyspareunia, as documented on vulvoscopic photography. These changes were consistent with improvements in subject-reported pain and sexual function.
Making information security easier
Authors: Briner Luke 
Published: April 2018

There is a perception that information security is basically some paperwork and a few pieces of hardware, a bit like fitting a burglar alarm to your house. Alternatively, too many people think that security is too complex and they effectively give up. Luke Briner of PixelPin believes that the current information security environment is too ad hoc, with piecemeal solutions, poorly defined roles and a rat's nest of certification, regulation and law. He makes a plea for greater simplicity and a clearer view of goals and the paths to them. For too many people, information security makes their head hurt. At best we can keep a light grip on a small part of the risk base, but at worst it feels like trying to climb a greasy pole. For every strong movement upwards we end up feeling like we know less than we did before. How is that possible? Just like being a doctor, lawyer or tightrope walker, working in information security is hard. Very hard.
eMBeDding for impact and scale in developing contexts
Authors: GAURI VARUN 
Published: April 2018

AbstractWhile behavioral public policy remains underutilized in rich countries relative to its potential impact, the required infrastructure for diagnosing behavioral bottlenecks and the autonomy to act on those diagnoses are even less common in developing countries. At the World Bank, the Mind, Behavior, and Development Unit (eMBeD) aims to promote the systematic use of behaviorally informed tools in development policies and projects, institutionalize the use of behavioral science in development organizations and governments, provide evidence on scaled and sustainable behavioral solutions, and generate more and better behavioral data. By focusing on thorough diagnosis and ongoing adaptation, we aim to create impactful, behaviorally informed interventions in complex, resource-constrained settings. While Sanders, Snijders and Hallsworth (2018) raise valuable points about the implications for impactful behavioral public policy, for those working in developing countries, issues of replication and scale come with unique contextual challenges.
Influence of soybean bioactive peptides on performance, foot pad lesions and carcass characteristics in broilers
Authors: Abdollahi M. R. , Zaefarian F. , Gu Y. , Xiao W. , Jia J. , Ravindran V. 
Published: April 2018

SummaryThe influence of different inclusion levels of a biologically active peptide derived from soybeans by enzymatic hydrolysis, on growth performance, foot pad lesions and carcass characteristics in broilers were examined in this study. Starter (1 to 21 d) and finisher (22 to 42 d) diets, based on maize and soybean meal, were subjected to seven inclusion levels of a commercial soybean bioactive peptide (SBP) product (Fortide, Chengdu Mytech Biotech Co. Ltd., Chengdu, Sichuan, China) at 0.0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0 g/kg of diet. All diets were equivalent in respect of energy density, digestible amino acids and other nutrients. A total of 840, one-day-old male broilers (Ross 308) were allocated to 42 pens (20 birds/pen), which were randomly assigned to seven dietary treatments. During the starter period, there was no significant effect of SBP on weight gain and feed intake of the birds. However, a significant (P < 0.05) effect of SBP was observed for the feed conversion ratio (FCR), with SBP inclusion at 3.0 g/kg and above showing lower (P < 0.05) FCR values compared to the diet with no SBP. No effect of SBP was observed for weight gain and feed intake over the whole trial period. However, SBP inclusion tended (P = 0.06) to influence the FCR of birds. Increasing SBP inclusion level resulted in gradual decrease in FCR values, with SBP inclusion at 5.0 and 6.0 g/kg showing lower FCR values compared to the diet with no SBP. Overall, the present study suggests that dietary supplementation of SBP in broiler diets has the potential to improve FCR and to be used as a novel functional protein in poultry diets.
Surface mass balance of small glaciers on James Ross Island, north-eastern Antarctic Peninsula, during 2009–2015
Authors: ENGEL ZBYNĚK , LÁSKA KAMIL , NÝVLT DANIEL , STACHOŇ ZDENĚK 
Published: April 2018

ABSTRACTTwo small glaciers on James Ross Island, the north-eastern Antarctic Peninsula, experienced surface mass gain between 2009 and 2015 as revealed by field measurements. A positive cumulative surface mass balance of 0.57 ± 0.67 and 0.11 ± 0.37 m w.e. was observed during the 2009–2015 period on Whisky Glacier and Davies Dome, respectively. The results indicate a change from surface mass loss that prevailed in the region during the first decade of the 21st century to predominantly positive surface mass balance after 2009/10. The spatial pattern of annual surface mass-balance distribution implies snow redistribution by wind on both glaciers. The mean equilibrium line altitudes for Whisky Glacier (311 ± 16 m a.s.l.) and Davies Dome (393 ± 18 m a.s.l.) are in accordance with the regional data indicating 200–300 m higher equilibrium line on James Ross and Vega Islands compared with the South Shetland Islands. The mean accumulation-area ratio of 0.68 ± 0.09 and 0.44 ± 0.09 determined for Whisky Glacier and Davies Dome, respectively, is similar to the value reported for Vega Island and within the range of typical values for high-latitude glaciers.
Attack rates ofSirex noctilioand patterns of pine tree defenses and mortality in northern Patagonia
Authors: Martinson S.J. , Fernádez Ajó A.A. , Martínez A.S. , Krivak-Tetley F.E. , Villacide J.M. , Ayres M.P. , Corley J.C. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractAccidental and intentional global movement of species has increased the frequency of novel plant–insect interactions. In Patagonia, the European woodwasp,Sirex noctilio, has invaded commercial plantations of North American pines. We compared the patterns of resin defenses andS. noctilio-caused mortality at two mixed-species forests near San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. We observed lower levels of resin flow and higher levels of mortality inPinus contortacompared withPinus ponderosa. In general,S. noctilioattacked trees with lower resin compared with neighboring trees. Resin production inP. ponderosawas not related to growth rates, but forP. contorta, slower growing trees produced less resin than faster growing conspecifics. For all infested trees, attack density and number of drills (ovipositor probes) per attack did not vary with resin production. Most attacks resulted in one or two drills. Attack rates and drills/attack were basically uniform across the bole of the tree except for a decrease in both drills/attack and attack density in the upper portion of the crown, and an increase in the attack density for the bottom 10% of the tree. Planted pines in Patagonia grow faster than their counterparts in North America, and produce less resin, consistent with the growth-differentiation balance hypothesis. Limited resin defenses may help to explain the high susceptibility ofP. contortato woodwasps in Patagonia.
Survival ability of Mexican fruit fly males from different strains in presence of the predatory orb-weaving spider Argiope argentata (Araneae: Araneidae)
Authors: Dor A. , Liedo P. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThe sterile insect technique (SIT) is a key element for the integrated management of pest populations of the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens, in Mexico. Its success depends on the survival of mass-reared sterile males and their ability to mate with wild females. However, colonization and mass-rearing conditions can adversely affect their ability to avoid predators. To test if colony management strategies could contribute to improve field survival abilities of mass-reared flies, we compared the survival of males exposed to the orb-weaver spider Argiope argentata. Males compared originated from three strains with different colonization strategies: (a) a colony started from field-collected wild flies (replacement), (b) a colony started by hybridizing wild males with mass-reared adapted females (hybrid) and (c) a colony started with mass-reared males selected on the basis of their survival ability and mating competitiveness in field cages (selected). Mass-reared males and wild males were used as controls. Males were exposed to spiders under laboratory cage conditions. Overall, wild males showed better survival ability than mass-reared males. Regarding the colonization approach, wild males survived better than a hybrid, replaced and selected males. We conclude that mass-rearing conditions have a strong negative effect on the ability of males to escape spiders. The colonization systems evaluated did not counter this effect. The lower survival of males from the selected colony suggests that the selection over one generation did not contribute to improve males’ predator avoidance and escape abilities and probably needs to be modified. Possible explanations for this and implications on colonization and colony management for SIT purpose are discussed.
Detrital zircon geochronology and geochemistry of Jurassic sandstones in the Xiongcun district, southern Lhasa subterrane, Tibet, China: implications for provenance and tectonic setting
Authors: LANG XINGHAI , LIU DONG , DENG YULIN , TANG JUXING , WANG XUHUI , YANG ZONGYAO , CUI ZHIWEI , FENG YONGXIN , YIN QING , XIE FUWEI , HUANG YONG , ZHANG JINSHU 
Published: April 2018

AbstractJurassic sandstones in the Xiongcun porphyry copper–gold district, southern Lhasa subterrane, Tibet, China were analysed for petrography, major oxides and trace elements, as well as detrital zircon U–Pb and Hf isotopes, to infer their depositional age, provenance, intensity of source-rock palaeo-weathering and depositional tectonic setting. This new information provides important evidence to constrain the tectonic evolution of the southern Lhasa subterrane during the Late Triassic – Jurassic period. The sandstones are exposed in the lower and upper sections of the Xiongcun Formation. Their average modal abundance (Q21F11L68) classifies them as lithic arenite, which is also supported by geochemical studies. The high chemical index of alteration values (77.19–85.36, mean 79.96) and chemical index of weathering values (86.19–95.59, mean 89.98) of the sandstones imply moderate to intensive weathering of the source rock. Discrimination diagrams based on modal abundance, geochemistry and certain elemental ratios indicate that felsic and intermediate igneous rocks constitute the source rocks, probably with a magmatic arc provenance. The detrital zircon ages (161–243 Ma) and εHf(t) values (+10.5 to +16.2) further constrain the sandstone provenance as subduction-related Triassic–Jurassic felsic and intermediate igneous rocks from the southern Lhasa subterrane. A tectonic discrimination method based on geochemical data of the sandstones, as well as detrital zircon ages from sandstones, reveals that the sandstones were most likely deposited in an oceanic island-arc setting. These results support the hypothesis that the tectonic background of the southern Lhasa subterrane was an oceanic island-arc setting, rather than a continental island-arc setting, during the Late Triassic – Jurassic period.
Barcoding hybrids: heterogeneous distribution of Schistosoma haematobium × Schistosoma bovis hybrids across the Senegal River Basin
Authors: BOON NELE A. M. , VAN DEN BROECK FREDERIK , FAYE DJIBY , VOLCKAERT FILIP A. M. , MBOUP SOULEYMANE , POLMAN KATJA , HUYSE TINE 
Published: April 2018

ABSTRACTHybridization events between Schistosoma species (Digenea, Platyhelminthes) are reported with increasing frequency, largely due to improved access to molecular tools. Nevertheless, little is known about the distribution and frequency of hybrid schistosomes in nature. Screening for hybrids on a large scale is complicated by the need for nuclear and mitochondrial sequence information, precluding a ‘simple’ barcoding approach. Here we aimed to determine and understand the spatiotemporal distribution of Schistosoma haematobium × Schistosoma bovis hybrids in the Senegal River Basin. From ten villages, distributed over the four main water basins, we genotyped a total of 1236 schistosome larvae collected from human urine samples using a partial mitochondrial cox1 fragment; a subset of 268 parasites was also genotyped using ITS rDNA. Hybrid schistosomes were unevenly distributed, with substantially higher numbers in villages bordering Lac de Guiers than in villages from the Lampsar River and the Middle Valley of the Senegal River. The frequency of hybrids per village was not linked with the prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis in that village. However, we did find a significant positive association between the frequency of hybrids per village and the prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni. We discuss the potential consequences of adopting a barcoding approach when studying hybrids in nature.
Seeking out SARI: an automated search of electronic health records
Authors: O'Horo John C. , Dziadzko Mikhail , Sakusic Amra , Ali Rashid , Sohail M. Rizwan , Kor Daryl J. , Gajic Ognjen 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThe definition of severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) – a respiratory illness with fever and cough, occurring within the past 10 days and requiring hospital admission – has not been evaluated for critically ill patients. Using integrated electronic health records data, we developed an automated search algorithm to identify SARI cases in a large cohort of critical care patients and evaluate patient outcomes. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all admissions to a medical intensive care unit from August 2009 through March 2016. Subsets were randomly selected for deriving and validating a search algorithm, which was compared with temporal trends in laboratory-confirmed influenza to ensure that SARI was correlated with influenza. The algorithm was applied to the cohort to identify clinical differences for patients with and without SARI. For identifying SARI, the algorithm (sensitivity, 86.9%; specificity, 95.6%) outperformed billing-based searching (sensitivity, 73.8%; specificity, 78.8%). Automated searching correlated with peaks in laboratory-confirmed influenza. Adjusted for severity of illness, SARI was associated with more hospital, intensive care unit and ventilator days but not with death or dismissal to home. The search algorithm accurately identified SARI for epidemiologic study and surveillance.
The association between tuberculosis and diphtheria
Authors: Coleman S. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThis research investigates the long-forgotten relationship between diphtheria and tuberculosis. Historical medical reports from the late 19th century are reviewed followed by a statistical regression analysis of the relationship between the two diseases in the early 20th century. Historical medical reports show a consistent association between diphtheria and tuberculosis that can increase the likelihood and severity of either disease in a co-infection. The statistical analysis uses historical weekly public health data on reported cases in five American cities over a period of several years, finding a modest but statistically significant relationship between the two diseases. No current medical theory explains the association between diphtheria and tuberculosis. Alternative explanations are explored with a focus on how the diseases assimilate iron. In a co-infection, the effectiveness of tuberculosis at assimilating extracellular iron may lead to increased production of diphtheria toxin, worsening that disease, which may, in turn, exacerbate tuberculosis. Iron-dependent repressor genes connect both diseases.
Ethnic and age differences in prediction of mortality by mid-upper arm circumference in children below 3 years of age in Nepal
Authors: Gupta Avni , Tielsch James M , Khatry Subarna K , LeClerq Steven C , Mullany Luke C , Katz Joanne 
Published: April 2018

AbstractObjectiveTo assess ethnicity- and age-modified associations between mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and mortality in Nepalese children and whether sociodemographic factors explain these associations.DesignSecondary data analysis of children followed until 3 years of age. Estimated mortality hazard ratios (HR) for MUAC<11·5cm (recommended cut-off for identifying severe acute malnutrition among children ≥6 months old) compared with ≥11·5cm in younger (<6 months) and older children (≥6 months) of Pahadi and Madhesi ethnicity, adjusting for sex, socio-economic status (SES) and mother’s education using Cox proportional hazard models.SettingSarlahi, Nepal (21 October 2001–2 February 2006).SubjectsChildren (n48 492) enrolled in the Nepal Nutrition Intervention Project, Sarlahi-4.ResultsAmong children aged ≥6 months, MUAC<11·5 cm was associated with increased risk of mortality in both Pahadis (HR=4·01; 95 % CI 1·42, 11·76) and Madhesis (HR=5·60; 95 % CI 3·87, 8·11) compared with those with MUAC≥11·5 cm, after adjusting for sex, SES and maternal literacy. Among children <6 months old, MUAC<11·5 cm was not associated with mortality in Pahadis with (HR=1·12; 95 % CI 0·72, 1·73) or without adjusting (HR=1·17; 95 % CI 0·75, 1·18) as compared with Madeshis (adjusted HR=1·76; 95 % CI 1·35, 2·28).ConclusionsAmong older children, MUAC<11·5 cm is associated with subsequent mortality in both ethnicities regardless of other characteristics. However, among children aged <6 months, it predicted mortality only among Madhesis, while sociodemographic factors were more strongly associated with mortality than MUAC<11·5cm among Pahadis.
Plasmid-mediated colistin resistance in animals: current status and future directions
Authors: Sun Jian , Zeng Ximin , Li Xing-Ping , Liao Xiao-Ping , Liu Ya-Hong , Lin Jun 
Published: April 2018

AbstractColistin, a peptide antibiotic belonging to the polymyxin family, is one of the last effective drugs for the treatment of multidrug resistant Gram-negative infections. Recent discovery of a novel mobile colistin resistance gene,mcr-1, from people and food animals has caused a significant public health concern and drawn worldwide attention. Extensive usage of colistin in food animals has been proposed as a major driving force for the emergence and transmission ofmcr-1; thus, there is a worldwide trend to limit colistin usage in animal production. However, despite lack of colistin usage in food animals in the USA,mcr-1-positiveEscherichia coliisolates were still isolated from swine. In this paper, we provided an overview of colistin usage and epidemiology ofmcr-1in food animals, and summarized the current status of mechanistic and evolutionary studies of the plasmid-mediated colistin resistance. Based on published information, we further discussed several non-colistin usage risk factors that may contribute to the persistence, transmission, and emergence of colistin resistance in an animal production system. Filling the knowledge gaps identified in this review is critical for risk assessment and risk management of colistin resistance, which will facilitate proactive and effective strategies to mitigate colistin resistance in future animal production systems.