bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Determining long-term outcome of transthoracic Heller's myotomy when other methods fail: A single centere cases series
Authors: Baram Aram , Essa Rawand A. 
Published: June 2019

ABSTRACT

Objective:
We aimed to estimate the long-term outcomes of transthoracic Heller's myotomy without fundoplication.

Methods:
This single centere, retrospective study included patients followed up for signs of cure, recurrence of symptoms, and different aspects of quality of life estimated over several years. Data were obtained directly from the patients and the medical records. The scores of patients with early and late dysphagia were compared preoperatively and postoperatively to estimate the quality of life (QoL).

Results:
A total of 48 patients (37 women and 11 men) who underwent surgery for achalasia between 2008 and 2018 were included. The mean age was 43.5 (19–68) years. The mean follow-up duration was 60.5 (1–120) months. Dysphagia, regurgitation, and heartburn were the most common symptoms, occurring in 100% of patients. The outcomes were an excellent success rate and estimation of QoL. After the first 6 months of follow-up, patients who underwent surgery developed grades 1–3 dysphagia. After 1–10 years of follow-up, 39 (81.25%) patients had grade 1 dysphagia, whereas 9 (18.75%) still had grade 2 dysphagia. During the long-term follow-up, only 77% of patients developed regurgitation, while 91.6% had heartburn. QoL changed according to dysphagia scores (from 5 to 1). However, the score of 26 patients (54.16%) decreased to 1; after 1 year of follow-up, 42 patients (87.5%) obtained a dysphagia score of 1. After 1–10 years of follow-up, 97.2% of patients underwent barium oesophagogram and showed a small-calibre oesophagus.

Conclusion:
Transthoracic Heller's myotomy is a safe and durable procedure that is associated with a durable long-term success rate and less recurrence, without necessity for any type of anti-reflux surgery.

Highlights:
Dynamically Changing Cattle Market Linkages with Supply-Side-Controlled Transitions
Authors: Li Wenying , Li Yunhan , Dorfman Jeffrey H. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractCattle are costly to transport, which could lead to segmented regional cattle markets. The cointegration of cattle prices over regions has been of research interest for decades. This article investigates price cointegration between regional cattle markets in the United States and proposes a simple procedure for incorporating a flexible transition function into an economic indicator–controlled smooth transition autoregressive (ECON-STAR) model to evaluate market dynamics. The empirical results show that these markets have been highly integrated when excess supply exists, but when cattle inventories decrease, the market pattern becomes very regionally segmented.
Services for emergency department patients experiencing early pregnancy complications: A survey of Ontario hospitals
Authors: Glicksman Robin , McLeod Shelley L , Thomas Jackie , Varner Catherine 
Published: June 2019

ABSTRACTObjectivesWomen experiencing complications of early pregnancy frequently seek care in the emergency department (ED), because most have not yet established care with an obstetrical provider. The primary objective of this study was to explore the services available (ED management, ultrasound access, and follow-up care) for ED patients experiencing early pregnancy loss or threatened early pregnancy loss in Ontario hospitals.MethodsThe emergency medicine chiefs of 71 Ontario hospital EDs with an annual census of more than 30,000 ED patient visits in 2017 were invited to complete a 30-item, online questionnaire using modified Dillman methodology.ResultsRespondents from 63 EDs across Ontario completed the survey (response rate 88.7%). Of the EDs surveyed, 34 (54.0%) reported that they did not have access to early pregnancy clinic services for women who presented to the ED with early pregnancy complications that were safe to discharge home. At these hospitals, it was found that patients were followed up in 14 (41.2%) EDs for the same complications, including pregnancy of unknown location and threatened abortion. Respondents also stated that a radiologist-interpreted ultrasound was available to only 22 (34.9%) of hospital sites for 24 hours, 7 days per week for women with early pregnancy complications.ConclusionsThe results of this study highlight the reliance of some hospitals on the ED to provide ongoing follow-up care to patients experiencing complications of early pregnancy. The lack of clinical resources and specialized personnel in Ontario hospital EDs makes supporting these women longitudinally unrealistic, exposing them to undue risk and complications.
Neurological Worsening After Implantable Pulse Generator Replacement
Authors: Kumar Niraj , Murgai Aditya , Jog Mandar 
Published: June 2019

ABSTRACT:Background:Most of the implantable pulse generators (IPGs) in deep brain stimulation (DBS) used to date are non-rechargeable requiring regular replacements. IPG replacement is a minor surgical procedure, but adverse events including neurological worsening have been reported. In this study, we determine the possibility of neurological worsening after IPG replacement in Parkinson’s disease (PD) cases on chronic DBS therapy (CDT) and its electrophysiological basis along with the therapeutic interventions used to alleviate them.Methods:This study is a retrospective chart review of PD cases on CDT followed at London Movement Disorders Centre from January 2010 to December 2016. Included cases were those who underwent one or more IPG replacement.Results:A total of 45 PD cases on CDT underwent 62 IPG replacements involving 121 channels. Neurological worsening was observed in 16 (35.5%) cases following 17 (27.4%) IPG replacements, all following dual-channel IPG replacements. Tremor (41.2%), speech (35.3%), and gait (23.5%) worsened most commonly. Deviation from the pre-replacement parameters including voltage and impedance resulting in change in total electrical energy delivered (TEED) was the most common electrophysiological correlate, observed in 82.4% (14/17) IPGs having neurological worsening. This included switched laterality in a dual-channel IPG. Neurological worsening in the remaining 17.6% cases was hardware-related.Conclusion:Neurological worsening followed 27.4% of IPG replacements in PD cases on CDT with approximately 82.4% of these being avoidable by carefully monitoring stimulation parameters to match pre-replacement TEED values.
High-repetition-rate and high-power picosecond regenerative amplifier based on a single bulk Nd:GdVO4 crystal
Authors: Guo Jie , Wang Wei , Lin Hua , Liang Xiaoyan 
Published: June 2019

We report on a high-repetition-rate, high-power continuously pumped Nd:GdVO4regenerative amplifier. Numerical simulations successfully pinpoint the optimum working point free of bifurcation instability with simultaneous efficient energy extraction. At a repetition rate of 100 kHz, a maximum output power of 23 W was obtained with a pulse duration of 27 ps, corresponding to a pulse energy of$230~\unicode[STIX]{x03BC}\text{J}$. The system displayed an outstanding stability with a root mean square power noise as low as 0.3%. The geometry of the optical resonator and the pumping scheme enhanced output power in the$\text{TEM}_{00}$mode with a single bulk crystal. Accordingly, nearly diffraction-limited beam quality was produced with$M^{2}\approx 1.2$at full pump power.
The impact of incorporating early rapid influenza diagnosis on hospital occupancy and hospital acquired influenza
Authors: Nesher Lior , Tsaban Gal , Dreiher Jacob , Rolston Kenneth V.I. , Ifergane Gal , Shemer Yonat , Borer Abraham , Riesenberg Klaris 
Published: June 2019

AbstractObjective:To assess the impact of incorporating early rapid influenza diagnosis on antimicrobial usage, nosocomial influenza transmission, length of stay, and occupancy rates among hospitalized patients.Setting:A 1,100 bed tertiary-care hospital in southern Israel.Methods:We implemented early rapid detection of influenza with immediate communication of results. Using Orion methods, we compared the 2017–2018 influenza season to the prior season in our hospital and to the 2017–2018 occupancy rates at other Israeli hospitals.Results:During the intervention season, 5,006 patients were admitted; 1,824 were tested for influenza, of whom 437 (23.9%) were positive. In the previous season, 4,825 patients were admitted; 1,225 were tested and 288 (23.5%) were positive. Time from admission to test report decreased from 35.5 to 18.4 hours (P < .001). Early discharge rates significantly increased, from 21.5% to 41.6% at 36 hours, from 37.2% to 54.5% at 48 hours, and from 66% to 73.2% at 72 hours. No increase in repeat ER visits, readmission, or mortality rates was observed. Hospital occupancy decreased by 10% compared to the previous year and was 26% lower than the national rate. Hospital-acquired influenza cases were reduced from 37 (11.4%) to 12 (2.7%) (P < .001). Antibiotic usage was reduced both before and after notification of test results by 16% and 12%, respectively.Conclusions:Implementing this intervention led to earlier discharge of patients, lower occupancy in medical wards, reduced antibiotic administration, and fewer hospital-acquired influenza events. This strategy is useful for optimizing hospital resources, and its implementation should be considered for upcoming influenza seasons.
“This Country Is Not for Anyone”: Explanations of Low National Pride in the Czech Republic
Authors: Vlachová Klára 
Published: June 2019

AbstractNational pride is a group-based and sometimes collective emotion that people feel toward their nation-state. It is often measured by the general national pride item in cross-national surveys. Czechs are among those nations whose members express low levels of general national pride in comparison with those of other nations in the European Union. Scholars debate the extent to which general national pride is influenced by social desirability or other identifiable reasons. The goal of this article is to identify the specific reasons that influence general national pride in the Czech Republic. Using data from the October 2015 round of the survey Naše společnost, I examine what makes Czechs proud of their country. Among frequently mentioned reasons for national pride are the country’s beauty, nature, cities, and history, as well as respondents’ family and friends. Results of an ordinal regression analysis based on the European Values Study 2008 data confirm that general national pride is significantly influenced by political interest, confidence in government and satisfaction with the development of democracy, happiness, and social trust.
Bridging Past and Present Traumas: The Emergence of Kosovo Serb Ethnoscape in the Dynamic Interaction between the Enclaved Environment and History Textbooks’ Content
Authors: Fort Emilie 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThis article deals with the use of history textbooks imported from Serbia in the specific context of Kosovo Serb enclavement. It provides a content analysis of history textbooks used by Kosovo Serb pupils in Kosovo in terms of their contribution to Kosovo Serb collective identity building. This article focuses on the interaction between the enclaved environment within which Kosovo Serbs have lived since 1999 and the narratives contained in the history textbooks, to highlight how this interaction influences the way Kosovo Serbs consider their identity. First, I start by showing that history textbooks used by Kosovo Serbs in Kosovo emphasize religious identity. Next, I argue that dialogic relation between past and present, understood through the dynamic interaction between the enclaved environment and history textbook narratives, contributes to the emergence of enclaves as ethnoscapes.
Self-rated amygdala activity: an auto-biological index of affective distress
Authors: MacDuffie Katherine E. , Knodt Annchen R. , Radtke Spenser R. , Strauman Timothy J. , Hariri Ahmad R. 
Published: June 2019

Abstract
Auto-biological beliefs—beliefs about one’s own biology—are an understudied component of personal identity. Research participants who are led to believe they are biologically vulnerable to affective disorders report more symptoms and less ability to control their mood; however, little is known about the impact of self-originating beliefs about risk for psychopathology, and whether such beliefs correspond to empirically derived estimates of actual vulnerability. Participants in a neuroimaging study (n = 1256) completed self-report measures of affective symptoms, perceived stress, and neuroticism, and an emotional face processing task in the scanner designed to elicit threat responses from the amygdala. A subsample (n = 63) additionally rated their own perceived neural response to threat (i.e., amygdala activity) compared to peers. Self-ratings of neural threat response were uncorrelated with actual threat-related amygdala activity measured via BOLD fMRI. However, self-ratings predicted subjective distress across a variety of self-report measures. In contrast, in the full sample, threat-related amygdala activity was uncorrelated with self-report measures of affective distress. These findings suggest that beliefs about one’s own biological threat response—while unrelated to measured neural activation—may be informative indicators of psychological functioning.
How Do Observers Assess Resolve?
Authors: Kertzer Joshua D , Renshon Jonathan , Yarhi-Milo Keren 
Published: June 2019

ABSTRACTDespite a plethora of theoretical frameworks, IR scholars have struggled with the question of how observers assess resolve. We make two important contributions in this direction. Conceptually, we develop an integrative framework that unites otherwise disconnected theories, viewing them as a set of heuristics actors use to simplify information-rich environments. Methodologically, we employ a conjoint experiment that provides empirical traction impossible to obtain using alternative research designs. We find that ordinary citizens are ‘intuitive deterrence theorists’ who focus to a great extent on capabilities, stakes, signals and past actions in judging resolve. We also find that observers see democracies as less resolved than autocracies (not more), casting doubt on key propositions of democratic credibility theory. Finally, a conceptual replication shows that a group of elite decision makers converge with the US public in how they interpret costly signals, and in viewing democracies as less resolved than autocracies.
Recaptures of feralBactrocera dorsalisandB. umbrosa(Diptera: Tephritidae) males after feeding on methyl eugenol
Authors: Tan K.-H. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractTwo major fruit fly pest species,Bactrocera dorsalisandB. umbrosa, are strongly attracted to methyl eugenol (ME) found in >450 plant species. They are, however, exclusive pollinators of certain daciniphilous (attracting Dacini fruit flies)Bulbophyllumorchids. A comparison between the recaptures of feral males after feedingad libitumon 0.6 mg ME (simulating an average floral quantity of an orchid flower–Trial 1) and 480 mg in Trial 2 was investigated using the non-invasive capture-mark-release-recapture (CMRR) technique. Based on daily CMRR over a 16-day period, using a different colour enamel paint each day, percentages ofB. dorsalismales recaptured in Trial 1 were significantly higher than those in Trial 2. However, forB. umbrosa, percentages of recaptures for different day-specific colours were highly variable due to low fly numbers captured/day. In Trial 1, of 756B. dorsalismales released, 36.4% were recaptured once, 7.7 twice, 2.4 three times and 0.4 four times. While in Trial 2 of 1157 released males, 6% were recaptured once and 0.3% twice. Of 67B. umbrosamales released, 28.4% were recaptured once and none more than once in Trial 1. Nevertheless, of 119 flies released in Trial 2, 25.2% were recaptured once and 3.3% twice. Overall, many marked males did return to a single ME-source to ‘refuel’ ME (a sex pheromone precursor). The results also show that a relatively high number of flies paid multi-visitations to a single 0.6 mg ME-source and indicate that the presence of natural ME-sources may impact area-wide IPM programmes.
Habitat visualization, acquisition features and necessity of the gammaproteobacterial symbiont of pistachio stink Bug, Acrosternum heegeri (Hem.: Pentatomidae)
Authors: Kashkouli M. , Fathipour Y. , Mehrabadi M. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractPlant-sucking stinkbugs are especially associated with mutualistic gut bacterial symbionts. Here, we explored the symbiotic relationship of a pistachio stinkbug, Acrosternum heegeri Fieber by histological, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), real-time PCR and molecular phylogenetic techniques. Furthermore, the effects of the symbiont on the resting/wandering behaviors of the newborn nymphs, pre-adult survival rates, and stage compositions were investigated. Transmission electron microscopy and real-time PCR analyses showed that a rod-shaped gammaproteobacterium was persistently located within the posterior midgut crypts. Molecular phylogenetic and FISH techniques strongly suggested that this symbiont should be placed in the genus Pantoea of the Enterobacteriales. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the presence of the bacterial cells on the egg surface which the surface sterilization of the eggs resulted in the successful removal of the symbiont from the eggs. Symbiotic and aposymbiotic A. heegeri showed no significant differences in the wandering behaviors of the first nymphal stages, while the symbiont-free insects suffered retarded growth and lower survivability. Together, the results highlight the habitat and acquisition features of Pantoea symbiont and its contribution in A. heegeri biology that might help us for better pest management in the future.
Disturbance and competition drive diversity effects in cabbage–aphid–onion systems with intra-specific genetic variation
Authors: Guilbaud C.S.E. , Khudr M.S. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractDecreased reliance on pesticides can be achieved through a clever use of eco-evolutionary knowledge via intercropping economically valuable crops with companion plants that can hamper pest outbreaks. We created a greenhouse multi-layered microcosm system to test two potato peach aphid clones, performing alone or in competition, on mixes of genetically variable cultivars of cabbage, with and without onion. The onion acted as a nuisance/disturbance for the pest, which was generally for the benefit of the cabbage albeit both plants sharing space and nutrients. The onion effect was context-specific and differed by aphid genotype. Onion variable nuisance negatively affected the numbers of one aphid genotype (green) across all contexts, while the other genotype (pink) numbers were decreased in two contexts only. However, the green performed better than the pink on all cases of cabbage di-mixes despite its numbers being capped when the onion was present. Further, there was also a general aphid propensity to wander off the plant along with a differential production of winged morphs to escape the onion-affected environments. Moreover, through a comparative increase in dry mass, which was subject to onion and aphid effects, a diversity effect was found where the cabbages of fully genetically variable microcosms sustained similar final dry mass compared with non-infested microcosms. Our findings provide fresh insights into the use of multi-layered contextual designs that not only allow disentangling the relative effects of genetic variation and modes of interaction, but also help integrate their benefits into pest management in view of companion planting.
Petrogenesis of high Ba–Sr plutons with high Sr/Y ratios in an intracontinental setting: evidence from Early Cretaceous Fushan monzonites, central North China Craton
Authors: Li Xi-Yao , Li San-Zhong , Huang Feng , Wang Yong-Ming , Yu Sheng-Yao , Cao Hua-Hua , Xie Wei-Ming 
Published: June 2019

AbstractGeochronological, major and trace element, and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic data are reported for the monzonitic rocks of the Fushan pluton in the Taihang Mountains, central North China Craton, in order to investigate their sources, petrogenesis and tectonic implications. Zircon U–Pb dating results reveal that the Fushan pluton was emplaced during the Early Cretaceous (∼126–124 Ma). The monzonites and quartz monzonites are mainly characterized by calc-alkaline and magnesian features and display light rare earth element (LREE) enrichment and flat heavy REE (HREE) patterns with slightly positive Eu anomalies. They have similar whole-rock initial87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.70653–0.70819),εNd(t) values (−13.6 to −18.6) and zirconεHf(t) values (−21.8 to −17.3). The primary magma of the Fushan pluton was derived from the partial melting of a spinel-facies amphibole-bearing ancient enriched lithospheric mantle. The monzonitic rocks also have high Ba–Sr and low Y and Yb contents, with high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios. These geochemical features of monzonitic rocks are not only inherited from the magma source but also significantly enhanced by crystal fractionation during magmatic evolution; e.g. hornblende fractionation increased the Ba–Sr concentrations and Sr/Y ratios. During the Early Cretaceous, the slab sinking and roll-back of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate could have created an ancient big mantle wedge beneath East Asia and induced a lithospheric extensional process in the central North China Craton within an intracontinental setting.
‘At Least the Government is Watching out for us Now’: Dalit perceptions and experiences of governance and cash transfers in three villages in Sarlahi, Nepal
Authors: DRUCZA KRISTIE 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThis article provides qualitative case studies and applies citizenship theory to reveal the way in which being in receipt of a cash transfer can help local poor and excluded Dalits to understand what it means to be a citizen of Nepal's state. Cash transfers can contribute to an individual's subjective sense of inclusion and citizenship. Although Dalits encounter disparities and rights abuses when dealing with local government over their cash transfer entitlements, their responses reveal a sense of agency in the positive way in which they interpret their entitlements. Although they may be mistreated at the local level, they feel valued because the central ‘state’ recognizes their plight and identity. Cash transfers are understood by Dalits through the lens of social exclusion, patronage, and the hierarchical society in which they live. They are an effective way of reaching large numbers of formerly excluded citizens and indicate that the state now includes them. As such, they can contribute towards building an inclusive state.