bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effect of two different orthoses on pain, hand function, patient satisfaction and preference in patients with thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis
Authors: Vegt A. E. van der , Grond R. , Grüschke J. S. , Boomsma M. F. , Emmelot C. H. , Dijkstra P. U. , Sluis C. K. van der 
Published: February 2017

Aims The aim of this study was to compare the Push Ortho Thumb Brace CMC and a custom-made orthosis in the treatment of patients with primary osteoarthritis of the carpometacarpal joint of the thumb. Our outcome measures were pain scores, tests of hand function, patient satisfaction and patient preference. Patients and Methods A multicentre crossover randomised controlled trial was conducted which included 63 patients (44 women) with primary osteoarthritis of the carpometacarpal joint of the thumb. Of these, 59 patients with a mean age of 60.1 years (standard deviation 8.2), completed the study. Patients used both orthoses for two weeks with a two-week washout period in-between. Pain was measured on a 10-cm visual analogue scale. Hand function was assessed using the Jebsen Taylor Hand Function test, Nine Hole Peg Test, key grip, pinch grip and Functional Index for Hand Osteoarthritis. Patient preference was assessed using the Dutch version of the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology score. Results Both orthoses resulted in a minor reduction in pain scores without significant difference between the two orthoses. The Push Ortho Thumb Brace CMC interfered less with key grip (p < 0.001) and the Nine Hole Peg Test (p < 0.001) than the custom-made orthosis. The Push Ortho Thumb Brace CMC had a higher patient satisfaction (p < 0.001) and most patients preferred this orthosis for future use. Conclusion When considering an orthosis for osteoarthritis of the carpometacarpal joint of the thumb, patients may prefer the Push Ortho Thumb Brace CMC. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2017;99-B:237–44.
Injuries to the upper extremities in polytrauma
Authors: Macke C. , Winkelmann M. , Mommsen P. , Probst C. , Zelle B. , Krettek C. , Zeckey C. 
Published: February 2017

Aims To analyse the influence of upper extremity trauma on the long-term outcome of polytraumatised patients. Patients and Methods A total of 629 multiply injured patients were included in a follow-up study at least ten years after injury (mean age 26.5 years, standard deviation 12.4). The extent of the patients’ injury was classified using the Injury Severity Score. Outcome was measured using the Hannover Score for Polytrauma Outcome (HASPOC), Short Form (SF)-12, rehabilitation duration, and employment status. Outcomes for patients with and without a fracture of the upper extremity were compared and analysed with regard to specific fracture regions and any additional brachial plexus lesion. Results In all, 307 multiply-injured patients with and 322 without upper extremity injuries were included in the study. The groups with and without upper limb injuries were similar with respect to demographic data and injury pattern, except for midface trauma. There were no significant differences in the long-term outcome. In patients with brachial plexus lesions there were significantly more who were unemployed, required greater retraining and a worse HASPOC. Conclusion Injuries to the upper extremities seem to have limited effect on long-term outcome in patients with polytrauma, as long as no injury was caused to the brachial plexus. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2017;99-B:255–60.
Study of periodic and nonnegative periodic solutions of nonlinear neutral functional differential equations via fixed points
Authors: Mesmouli Mouataz Billah , Ardjouni Abdelouaheb , Djoudi Ahcene 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
In this paper, we study the existence of periodic and non-negative periodic solutions of the nonlinear neutral differential equation

d
dt

x
(
t
)
=
−
a

(
t
)

h

(
x

(
t
)
)
+

d
dt

Q

(
t
,

x

(
t
−
τ

(
t
)
)
)
+
G

(
t
,

x
(
t
)
,

x

(
t
−
τ

(
t
)
)
)
.

$${{\rm{d}} \over {{\rm{dt}}}}{\rm{x}}({\rm{t}}) = - {\rm{a}}\;({\rm{t}})\;{\rm{h}}\;({\rm{x}}\;({\rm{t}})) + {{\rm{d}} \over {{\rm{dt}}}}{\rm{Q}}\;({\rm{t}},\;{\rm{x}}\;({\rm{t}} - {\rm \tau} \;({\rm{t}}))) + {\rm{G}}\;({\rm{t}},\;{\rm{x}}({\rm{t}}),\;{\rm{x}}\;({\rm{t}} - {\rm \tau} \;({\rm{t}}))).$$

We invert this equation to construct a sum of a completely continuous map and a large contraction which is suitable for applying the modificatition of Krasnoselskii’s theorem. The Caratheodory condition is used for the functions Q and G.
Several identities involving the falling and rising factorials and the Cauchy, Lah, and Stirling numbers
Authors: Qi Feng , Shi Xiao-Ting , Liu Fang-Fang 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
In the paper, the authors find several identities, including a new recurrence relation for the Stirling numbers of the first kind, involving the falling and rising factorials and the Cauchy, Lah, and Stirling numbers.
Molecular typing of bacteria for epidemiological surveillance and outbreak investigation / Molekulare Typisierung von Bakterien für die epidemiologische Überwachung und Ausbruchsabklärung
Authors: Ruppitsch Werner 
Published: February 2017

SummaryConstant confrontations with microbial threats pose major challenges to human and animal health, agricultural and food production, and public safety. Identifying pathogenic bacteria (species) and tracking strains (by series of well-characterized isolates) to their sources are especially important in outbreak investigations. Compared to the identification of the species, the identification of the source and spread of microbial infections represents a major—and many times futile—challenge. This is due to the multitude of ways microorganisms can occur and spread within healthcare facilities and in the community; how, when, and where they can contaminate the complex nutrition chain, leading to natural and man-made outbreaks.Typing is the characterization of isolates or strains below species or subspecies level. Typing of bacterial isolates is an essential procedure to identify the microbe causing the illness or to track down an outbreak to the suspected source. In the genomic era, the introduction of molecular methods has largely replaced phenotypic methods and “molecular epidemiology” has emerged as a new discipline. The current molecular typing methods can be classified into three categories: (a) PCR-based methods, (b) DNA fragment analysis-based methods, and (c) DNA sequence-based methods, including the new exciting era of high-throughput genome sequencing.
Syphacia muris infection delays the onset of hyperglycemia in WBN/Kob-Lepr
fa rats, a new type 2 diabetes mellitus model
Authors: Taira K. , Yazawa R. , Watanabe A. , Ishikawa Y. , Okamoto M. , Takahashi A. , Asai F. 
Published: February 2017

Summary
Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common endocrine disorders and its continuous global increase is due to factors as population growth, urbanization, aging, and increasing prevalence of obesity and physical inactivity. The effect of pinworm infection on the development of hyperglycemia was examined in WBN/K-Lepf (fa/fa) rats, a new model of the obese type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with pancreatitis. The rats were orally administered Syphacia muris eggs (infected group) and distilled water (control group). Hyperglycemia onset in the infected group was significantly delayed compared to the control group. Neither body weight nor intake of food and water were affected by S. muris infection. This study demonstrated that S. muris infection delayed the onset of T2DM in fa/fa rats and suggested that elucidation of the underlying mechanism and relevant pathways in the helminth-mediated protection may lead to the development of a new strategy to prevent diabetes mellitus.
Numerical Simulation and Experimental Casting of Nickel-Based Single-Crystal Superalloys by HRS and LMC Directional Solidification Processes
Authors: Yan Xuewei , Wang Run’ nan , Xu Qingyan , Liu Baicheng 
Published: February 2017

AbstractMathematical models for dynamic heat radiation and convection boundary in directional solidification processes are established to simulate the temperature fields. Cellular automaton (CA) method and Kurz-Giovanola-Trivedi (KGT) growth model are used to describe nucleation and growth. Primary dendritic arm spacing (PDAS) and secondary dendritic arm spacing (SDAS) are calculated by the Ma-Sham (MS) and Furer-Wunderlin (FW) models respectively. The mushy zone shape is investigated based on the temperature fields, for both high-rate solidification (HRS) and liquid metal cooling (LMC) processes. The evolution of the microstructure and crystallographic orientation are analyzed by simulation and electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) technique, respectively. Comparison of the simulation results from PDAS and SDAS with experimental results reveals a good agreement with each other. The results show that LMC process can provide both dendritic refinement and superior performance for castings due to the increased cooling rate and thermal gradient.
Stratifying risk of falls in community-dwelling elderly adults through a simple tool
Authors: Schettino Ludmila , Pereira Rafael , Coqueiro Raildo S. , Fernandes Marcos H. 
Published: February 2017

PurposeFalls are among the main disabling events for elderly adults and the identification of old people prone to falls enables the development of preventive and rehabilitative strategies. This study aimed to develop a simple tool, based on easily obtained variables (anthropometric measurements, motor performance tests and sociodemographic characteristics), to early identify community-dwelling old people prone to falls.MethodsThe population-based household study was conducted among 316 elders (60 years old) of both sexes, living in the urban area of Lafaiete Coutinho in Brazil. History of falls in the previous 12 months (dependent variable), sociodemographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements and motor performance tests results (explanatory variables) were recorded, and a multivariate logistic regression was applied to identify the association between the explanatory variables and the history of falls. Fall probability for each elderly adult was calculated from the logistic regression parameters, and the predictive power of the final model and the cutoff for higher propensity to fall were evaluated on the basis of the receiver operating characteristic curve.ResultsThe prevalence of falls was 25.8% and the final model was influenced by the variables of sex (female) and poor performance in the balance test. The estimated probability model predicted approximately 66.5% (95% CI, 61–72%) of the falls. The sensitivity and specificity were 58 and 70%, respectively.ConclusionsWe conclude that there is a high prevalence of falls among the studied elderly individuals, and the proposed method allowed to construct a simple tool for screening old adults prone to fall.
Simpson’s Paradox in the interpretation of “leaky pipeline” data
Authors: Walton Paul H. , Walton Daniel J. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe traditional ‘leaky pipeline’ plots are widely used to inform gender equality policy and practice. Herein, we demonstrate how a statistical phenomenon known as Simpson’s paradox can obscure trends in gender ‘leaky pipeline’ plots. Our approach has been to use Excel spreadsheets to generate hypothetical ‘leaky pipeline’ plots of gender inequality within an organisation. The principal factors, which make up these hypothetical plots, can be input into the model so that a range of potential situations can be modelled. How the individual principal factors are then reflected in ‘leaky pipeline’ plots is shown. We find that the effect of Simpson’s paradox on leaky pipeline plots can be simply and clearly illustrated with the use of hypothetical modelling and our study augments the findings in other statistical reports of Simpson’s paradox in clinical trial data and in gender inequality data. The findings in this paper, however, are presented in a way, which makes the paradox accessible to a wide range of people.
Challenges for Leading Multinational and Multicultural Military Units
Authors: Smolarek Mirosław 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
The paper deals with the opportunities and challenges which might face a commander leading multinational and multicultural troops, especially in peacekeeping and peace support operations. Peacekeeping missions have had an international character since their beginning. Internationalization of operations provides legitimacy to a mission and greater international support. However the combined operation causes significant challenges, especially for commanders, who have to lead these types of military units. The paper presents the benefits as well as challenges which faces the international leader in multiethnic environment. The author, based on his own experience gained in international deployments, presents his views and suggestions regarding the aspects of commanding multinational and multicultural troops.
Changes in Security Policy and Perceptions of the Baltic States 2014 – 2016
Authors: Jakniunaite Dovile 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe article proposes the analytical review on what and how to think about the security of the Baltic States from 2014 till 2016 by evaluating and reflecting the main changes in their security policy and perceptions. These three years demonstrated that the perceptions about security itself have not changed much while comparing with the previous five years. The changes were mostly in the security measures. The security discourse intensified a lot also, which was significant not only for the internal civic mobilisation, but even more importantly, but even more importantly for the mobilisation of the attention of the partners and their increased commitment. I explain my argument in two steps: first, by using traditional - rationalists - questions to analyse security policy, and second, by discussing security perceptions and discourses and asking these questions: security “for whom”, security “from what”, and security “how”.
Estonian Perceptions of Security: Not Only About Russia and the Refugees
Authors: Veebel Viljar , Ploom Illimar 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
The current study focuses on the Estonian perceptions of security and on the defence situation both globally and locally. The dynamic results of the public opinion surveys on security risks conducted in Estonia over the last 10 years (2006-2016) will be presented. In addition, to understand whether some of the security risks could be over- or underestimated in Estonia, these results will be compared with the views expressed recently by the World Economic Forum, particularly the Global Risks Report 2016. Also, the arguments why some topics have played or are currently playing key role in the Estonian security perception will be presented and discussed.
Syntactic Complexity in Danish Radio News
Authors: Blom Jonas Nygaard 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe present article documents a diachronic decline in syntactic complexity in manuscript-based radio news on the primary Danish public service channel, DR, from 1946 to 2006. This decline corresponds to a general shift in radio news language from a traditional formal news style to a modern news style based on the principles of natural spoken language. It is, however, hard to assess whether the syntactic changes have had an effect on how easy or difficult it is to understand what is being said on DR – a topic that has been frequently and fervently debated in the Danish press.
Put a Tiger in Your Text
Authors: Dahlberg Leif 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe subject of this article is the extensive use of metalepsis as an argumentative and rhetorical device in media discourse, and in particular in advertising. Metalepsis, a form of metonymy, sets up an inverted relation – causal, logical or contiguous – between terms and/or objects, either as an aesthetic effect or a means of persuasion. The first part of the article discusses the use of metalepsis in literature and film; the second part discusses the use of the figure in mass media and advertising; the third part discusses the relation between advertising, art, and popular culture. The final part of the article discusses the pervasive use metalepsis in advertising. Since metalepsis is a powerful rhetorical device, I have chosen the figure of the tiger to illustrate how it operates in advertising and media discourse.
Tomorrow’s Journalists
Authors: Nygren Gunnar , Degtereva Elena , Pavlikova Marina 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe present article describes trends in the development of the journalistic profession as seen by Swedish and Russian students in journalism. The study focuses on the results of a survey carried out among students at three Swedish and three Russian institutions of higher education. The survey demonstrates numerous similarities in ideals and values as well as in understanding of the professional code of journalism among students in Russia and Sweden. Historical background is evident in the students’ different interpretations of key problems of journalism and in their assessment of freedom of the press. Finally, the research questions the professional future of journalism, focusing on possible threats and presenting several development scenarios for the industry.
Articulation, Acoustics and Perception of
Mandarin Chinese Emotional Speech
Authors: Erickson Donna , Zhu Chunyue , Kawahara Shigeto , Suemitsu Atsuo 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
This paper studies articulatory, acoustic and perceptual characteristics of Mandarin Chinese
emotional utterances as produced by two speakers, expressing Neutral, Angry, Sad and Happy emotions.
Articulatory patterns were recorded using ElectroMagnetic Articulography (EMA), together with acoustic
recordings. The acoustic and articulatory analysis revealed that Happy and Angry were generally higherpitched,
louder, and produced with a more open mouth than Neutral or Sad. Sad is produced with low
back tongue dorsum position and Happy, with a forward position, and for one speaker, duration was longer
for Angry and Sad. Moreover, F1 and F2 are more dispersed (i.e., hyperarticulated) in emotional speech
than Neutral speech. Perception tests conducted with 18 native listeners suggest that listeners were able
to perceive the expressed emotions far above chance level. The louder and higher pitched the utterance,
the more emotional the speech tends to be perceived. We also explore specific articulatory and acoustic
correlates of each type of emotional speech, and how they impact perception.
Evaluation of Effect CAT -262C/T, SOD + 35A/C, GPx1 Pro197Leu Polymorphisms in Patients with IBD in the Polish Population
Authors: Mrowicki Jerzy , Mrowicka Małgorzata , Majsterek Ireneusz , Mik Michał , Dziki Adam , Dziki Łukasz 
Published: February 2017

AbstractInflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are a heterogeneous group of disorders in the course dominated by chronic, recurrent gastrointestinal inflammation. It is believed that the activation of IBD occurs in patients with a genetic predisposition to their development. Chronic inflammation develops as a result of an excessive reaction of the immune system principally under the influence of environmental risk factors. Among them, it has been shown that the mechanism of oxidative stress is associated with the pathophysiology of inflammatory bowel disease, responsible for the commencement and progress of these diseases.was the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of individual antioxidant enzymes, and the prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease that may be associated with increased levels of oxidative stress.A total of 111 IBD patients, including 65 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 46 with Crohn’s disease (CD) and 125 healthy controls recruited from the Polish population, were genotyped forThe performed analysis of genetic polymorphisms of antioxidant enzymes showed that polymorphic variant of the CAT -262 C / T may have protective effects in patients with ulcerative colitis in the range of genotype C / T; OR = 0.49 (0.25-0.99), p = 0.044. Trend protective, but statistically unrelated, it was also observed for genotype T / T and T allele of the same polymorphism and genotypes and allelesIt has been shown that the polymorphism of antioxidant enzymes
Biotope Determinants of EPT Assamblages Structure – Târnava Watershed (Transylvania, Romania) Case Study
Authors: Curtean-Bănăduc Angela 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
This study aims to analyze the biotopic factors affecting the EPT assemblage diversity in the rivers of the Târnava Watershed. Our research revealed that the high diversity of the Plecoptera communities is associated with river reaches with boulder and cobble lithological substrate, accentuated slope and natural bank dynamics, and also it is directly correlated with dissolved oxygen and inversely correlated with chemical and biochemical oxygen demand, total hardness, nitrates and total nitrogen in the water. The high diversity of the Trichoptera communities is associated with water which presents moderate quantities of nutrients (total phosphorus, phosphates) and with river reaches with heterogeneous structures (where runs and bends were present). The diversity of the Ephemeroptera communities is positively correlated with the multiannual average flow and riverbed width.
Altered Channel Conductance States and Gating of GABAAReceptors by a Pore Mutation Linked to Dravet Syndrome
Authors: Hernandez Ciria C. , Kong Weijing , Hu Ningning , Zhang Yujia , Shen Wangzhen , Jackson Laurel , Liu Xiaoyan , Jiang Yuwu , Macdonald Robert L. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractWe identified ade novomissense mutation, P302L, in the γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor γ2 subunit geneGABRG2in a patient with Dravet syndrome using targeted next-generation sequencing. The mutation was in the cytoplasmic portion of the transmembrane segment M2 of the γ2 subunit that faces the pore lumen. GABAAreceptor α1 and β3 subunits were coexpressed with wild-type (wt) γ2L or mutant γ2L(P302L) subunits in HEK 293T cells and cultured mouse cortical neurons. We measured currents using whole-cell and single-channel patch clamp techniques, surface and total expression levels using surface biotinylation and Western blotting, and potential structural perturbations in mutant GABAAreceptors using structural modeling. The γ2(P302L) subunit mutation produced an ∼90% reduction of whole-cell current by increasing macroscopic desensitization and reducing GABA potency, which resulted in a profound reduction of GABAAreceptor-mediated miniature IPSCs (mIPSCs). The conductance of the receptor channel was reduced to 24% of control conductance by shifting the relative contribution of the conductance states from high- to low-conductance levels with only slight changes in receptor surface expression. Structural modeling of the GABAAreceptor in the closed, open, and desensitized states showed that the mutation was positioned to slow activation, enhance desensitization, and shift channels to a low-conductance state by reshaping the hour-glass-like pore cavity during transitions between closed, open, and desensitized states. Our study revealed a novel γ2 subunit missense mutation (P302L) that has a novel pathogenic mechanism to cause defects in the conductance and gating of GABAAreceptors, which results in hyperexcitability and contributes to the pathogenesis of the genetic epilepsy Dravet syndrome.