bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Karma or Immortality: Can Religion Influence Space‐Time Mappings?
Authors: Li Heng , Cao Yu 
Published: January 2018

AbstractPeople implicitly associate the “past” and “future” with “front” and “back” in their minds according to their cultural attitudes toward time. As the temporal focus hypothesis (TFH) proposes, future‐oriented people tend to think about time according to the future‐in‐front mapping, whereas past‐oriented people tend to think about time according to the past‐in‐front mapping (de la Fuente, Santiago, Román, Dumitrache, & Casasanto, 2014). Whereas previous studies have demonstrated that culture exerts an important influence on people's implicit spatializations of time, we focus specifically on religion, a prominent layer of culture, as potential additional influence on space‐time mappings. In Experiment 1 and 2, we observed a difference between the two religious groups, with Buddhists being more past‐focused and more frequently conceptualizing the past as ahead of them and the future as behind them, and Taoists more future‐focused and exhibiting the opposite space‐time mapping. In Experiment 3, we administered a religion prime, in which Buddhists were randomly assigned to visualize the picture of the Buddhas of the Past (Buddha Dipamkara) or the Future (Buddha Maitreya). Results showed that the pictorial icon of Dipamkara increased participants' tendency to conceptualize the past as in front of them. In contrast, the pictorial icon of Maitreya caused a dramatic increase in the rate of future‐in‐front responses. In Experiment 4, the causal effect of religion on implicit space‐time mappings was replicated in atheists. Taken together, these findings provide converging evidence for the hypothesized causal role of religion for temporal focus in determining space‐time mappings.
Prevalence of influenza A infection in the Middle‐East: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Moghoofei Mohsen , Monavari Seyed Hamidreza , Mostafaei Shayan , Hadifar Shima , Ghasemi Amir , Babaei Farhad , Kavosi Hoda , Tavakoli Ahmad , Javanmard Davod , Esghaei Maryam , Khodabandehlou Nilofar 
Published: January 2018

AbstractObjectiveThis systematic review and meta‐analysis was performed to determine the prevalence rate of influenza virus from different parts of Middle East region, and present an overall relative frequency (RF) for this region.MethodsThe authors performed a systematic literature review from several reliable databases such as PubMed, ISI Web of Science and Scopus during 2000–2016. Furthermore, the keywords of this research were ‘Influenza’, ‘Subtype’, ‘Seroprevalence’, ‘Incidence’, ‘Seroepidemiology’, ‘H1N1’, ‘H3N2’, ‘H5N1’, ‘H9N2’, ‘Middle‐East’ and ‘Meta‐analysis’. The reported data were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria.ResultsThe authors selected 71 studies out of 1147 for the present review. The overall estimation of the prevalence of influenza virus was 10.2% [95% confidence interval (CI): 10.1%–10.3%]. However, based on our records, the evident heterogeneity of influenza virus was observed among the studies (Cochran Q test, P value <.001 and I‐squared = 100%). It should be noted that influenza virus infection's RF varied from 0.5% in Qatar to 70% in Syria.ConclusionsThe results of this review are remarkable, they show that influenza infection RF is variable due to several factors. Thus, further researches should be taken to minimize the emergence and transmission of influenza virus.
Validation of the dyspnoea‐12 scale into Portuguese speaking COPD patients
Authors: Simsic Aline Aparecida , Yorke Janelle , Regueiro Eloisa Gatti , Di Lorenzo Valeria Pires , Baddini‐Martinez José 
Published: January 2018

AbstractBackground and aimsDyspnoea‐12 assesses dyspnea based on the physical and affective components of the symptom. The aim of this study was to translate the Dyspnoea‐12 into Portuguese, and to obtain validation data regarding the use of this tool in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD).MethodsThe English version of the scale Dyspnoea‐12 underwent a formal translation process into Portuguese as spoken in Brazil with the final version being called Dyspnoea‐12‐Pt. The latter was applied to 51 Portuguese‐speaking patients with COPD (33 men; age: 66.4 ± 8.1 years; FEV1: 48.7% ± 17.2% pred). Participants also completed the Medical Research Council dyspnea scale (MRC), the Baseline Dyspnea Index (BDI), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale, the Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and performed spirometry and the Six‐Minute Walk Test (6 MWT). Forty‐five volunteers in stable clinical conditions also completed the Dyspnoea‐12‐Pt scale approximately 2 weeks after the first evaluation.ResultsDyspnoea‐12‐Pt showed significant correlations with the scales MRC (r = 0.494), BDI (r = −0.511), SGRQ (r = 0.806), Anxiety (r = 0.471), Depression (0.414) and walked distance in the 6 MWT (r = 0.329). Cronbach's alpha of Dyspnoea‐12‐Pt total was 0.921 and the intraclass correlation coefficient between sequential measures was 0.829.ConclusionThe scale Dyspnoea‐12‐Pt exhibits acceptable psychometric properties and may be used as an evaluation tool of dyspnea in Portuguese speaking COPD patients.
The association of self‐reported diabetes with impaired social functioning in low‐, middle‐ and high‐income countries: findings from the World Health Survey
Authors: Loerbroks A. , Herr R. M. , Icks A. , Bosch J. A. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractAimEpidemiological studies from high‐income countries show that diabetes is associated with impaired social functioning. As healthcare systems in middle‐ and low‐income countries offer fewer resources to curtail the potential social impact of diabetes, we performed a comparative study on the diabetes–social impairment link in low‐, middle‐ and high‐income countries.MethodsWe use data from the cross‐sectional World Health Survey (n = 235 428 from 10 low‐income, 29 middle‐income and 9 high‐income countries). Diabetes was defined by self‐reports of a diagnosis. Impaired social functioning was considered present if participants reported severe or extreme difficulties with personal relationships or participation in the community. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in the overall sample and by income regions. ORs were corrected for demographics and health‐related lifestyles, and then additionally adjusted for impairments that may explain any observed association (i.e. impaired vision, mood, cognition and mobility).ResultsIn the overall sample, we confirmed an association between self‐reported diabetes and impaired social functioning (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.18–1.83). The strength of that relationship increased with decreasing country income (e.g. OR in low‐income countries = 2.23, 95% CI = 1.14–4.37). Associations were substantially attenuated by further correction for impairments, in particular mood problems, in the overall sample (OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.72–1.16) and all income regions.ConclusionsSelf‐reported diabetes is associated with impaired social functioning in high‐ and middle‐income countries, and this relationship is even stronger in low‐income countries. Associations are largely explained by physical and mental impairments, which may be due to diabetes.
Firm Competition and CEO Turnover: Evidence from US Railroad Deregulation
Authors: Aldunate Felipe 
Published: January 2018

AbstractIn this article, I examine how changes in the competitive environment of firms affect matches between chief executive officers (CEOs) and firms. I exploit the 1980 Staggers Rail Act, which drastically deregulated the freight railroad industry, as a source of arguably exogenous variation in the operating environment. Using hand‐collected data, I obtain three main findings: first, CEO turnover rates increase; second, relative to utility firms, railroad CEOs have more business education and show broader work experience after deregulation; and third, firm performance leads to CEO turnover only during the regulated period.
Tax Composition and Growth: A Broad Cross-country Perspective
Authors: Acosta-Ormaechea Santiago , Sola Sergio , Yoo Jiae 
Published: January 2018

AbstractWe investigate how changes in the composition of tax revenue affect long-run growth in a broad cross-section of countries. To do this, we construct a new dataset that covers 70 countries (23 high-, 23 middle- and 24 low-income countries), with at least 20 years of observations during the period 1970-2009. In the context of revenue-neutral reallocations, we find that increasing consumption and property taxes while reducing income taxes boosts long-term growth. Among income taxes, we find that social security contributions and personal income taxes tend to have a stronger negative association with growth relative to corporate income taxes. Results, however, depend on countries’ development levels, suggesting nonlinearities in the relation between taxes and growth even after controlling for convergence effects. Although results are robust for high- and middle-income countries, these are generally not significant for low-income countries.
Minimally invasive liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma of patients with liver damage B: A propensity score‐based analysis
Authors: Noda Takehiro , Eguchi Hidetoshi , Iwagami Yoshifumi , Yamada Daisaku , Asaoka Tadafumi , Gotoh Kunihito , Kawamoto Koichi , Kobayashi Shogo , Hashimoto Yasuji , Takeda Yutaka , Tanemura Masahiro , Umeshita Koji , Doki Yuichiro , Mori Masaki 
Published: January 2018

AimMinimally invasive liver resection (MILR) is considered a safe and feasible treatment for malignant liver tumors. However, few studies have investigated the surgical outcomes of MILR in patients with impaired liver function. Liver damage is used for consideration of hepatectomy. The aim of this study is to clarify the efficacy of MILR for patients with impaired liver function by using propensity score matching.MethodsNinety‐nine patients with liver damage B underwent hepatic resection were analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups, the MILR group (n = 24) and the open liver resection (OLR) group (n = 75). After matching of a propensity score, we compared clinicopathological features and surgical outcomes.ResultsAfter matching, 36 patients (18 patients from each group) were selected and the patients’ characteristics and tumor characteristics were not significantly different between the two groups. Blood loss (P = 0.0163) and complication rate (P = 0.0162) were significantly decreased in the MILR group. Complications were observed in eight patients, comprising one patient in the MILR group and seven patients in the OLR group. The postoperative hospital stay was significantly shortened in the MILR group (P = 0.0118).ConclusionMinimally invasive liver resection might be effective for patients with impaired liver function. It reduces surgical complications and consequently shortens hospitalization time.
Ecological Fallacy and Covariates: New Insights based on Multilevel Modelling of Individual Data
Authors: Gnaldi Michela , Tomaselli Venera , Forcina Antonio 
Published: January 2018

SummaryThe paper provides a new and more explicit formulation of the assumptions needed by the ordinary ecological regression to provide unbiased estimates and clarifies why violations of these assumptions will affect any method of ecological inference. Empirical evidence is obtained by showing that estimates provided by three main ecological inference methods are heavily biased when compared with multilevel logistic regression applied to a unique set of individual data on voting behaviour. The main findings of our paper have two important implications that can be extended to all situations where the assumptions needed to apply ecological inference are violated in the data: (i) only ecological inference methods that allow one to model the effect of covariates have a chance to produce unbiased estimates, and (ii) there are certain data generating mechanisms producing a kind of bias in ecological estimates that cannot be corrected by modelling the effect of covariates.
The interplay between fragility and crime in African states: a case study of Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire
Authors: Opasina Oladapo Kayode 
Published: January 2018

AbstractA sizable number of African countries are becoming increasingly fragile, chiefly because of their persistently weak institutions and their incapacity to respond adequately to a plethora of well‐known and emerging security, political, and socio‐economic challenges. This article investigates the connection between fragility and crime in contemporary Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire. Field research was conducted in the two West African countries, where opinions of representative samples of the populations were sought through questionnaires, in‐depth interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs). What are the prevailing and emerging criminal threats confronting Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire in contemporary dispensation? On the one hand, the research discovers that organised crime like kidnapping for ransom, terrorism (referring to the activities of Boko Haram), rape of underage minors and girls, and the ‘baby factory’ industry, is prevalent as a result of state fragility in Nigeria; and, on the other hand, cybercrime in Côte d'Ivoire. The article suggests an urgent need for proactive action in order to prevent the fast‐growing threats identified in Nigeria being replicated in Côte d'Ivoire, especially at this time when the latter is in its post‐conflict phase. Also, the transnational nature of the above‐mentioned organised crime has grave implications for regional and international security, stemming from the fact that perpetrators often have established global networks and operations.
A bi‐objective mathematical model for product allocation in block stacking warehouses
Authors: Öztürkoğlu Ömer 
Published: January 2018

AbstractPut‐away and picking operations in warehouses play a critical role in determining operating costs and customer response time. While the place where products are put away has an important effect on picking efficiency due to accessibility, it also affects space usage, which is critical for space availability and space costs. Hence, this study focuses on put‐away operations in pallet‐in pallet‐out block stacking warehouses. We develop a unique bi‐objective mathematical model and a constructive heuristic algorithm to allocate products to storage lanes while considering two objectives simultaneously: minimizing total travel distance and maximizing average storage usage. We test our model and heuristic through a real company case study and randomly generated large‐sized problem instances. We show that the model and heuristic offer better storage usage with reduced travel distance than the company's approach when the two objectives have equal weight. We also present a set of nondominated solutions for each problem instance. We present that the heuristic seems beneficial for the warehouse industry due to its short run time and effective solutions.
Reliability of morning, before‐dinner, and at‐bedtime home blood pressure measurements in patients with hypertension
Authors: Fujiwara Takeshi , Hoshide Satoshi , Kanegae Hiroshi , Nishizawa Masafumi , Kario Kazuomi 
Published: January 2018

The authors evaluated differences in the reliability of home blood pressure measurements taken in the morning, before dinner, and at bedtime. Forty‐eight patients with hypertension (age range, 50–89 years; mean age, 76.4 years) measured their home blood pressure using a validated automatic information/communication technology‐based device for 14 consecutive days. Those days were divided into the first seven days (1–7) and the following 8 to 14 days (days 8–14) and compared systolic blood pressure (SBP) reliability in the two periods for each measurement time point. In Bland‐Altman analyses, morning SBP showed the least standard error of measurement (3.0 mm Hg). There were fixed biases in morning and before‐dinner SBP with average limits of agreement of 3.9 and 6.4 mm Hg, respectively. For at‐bedtime SBP, a random error was detected and the minimal detectable change was 13.8 mm Hg. The percentage of near‐maximal variation of morning SBP was the smallest at 18.1%. Morning SBP therefore provided the most reliable home blood pressure value in the day.
The Rise and Fall of Merkozy: Franco‐German Bilateralism as a Negotiation Strategy in Eurozone Crisis Management
Authors: Schoeller Magnus G. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe close co‐operation between French President Sarkozy and German Chancellor Merkel (‘Merkozy’) dominated a significant part of eurozone crisis management. Yet, after the election of a new French government in 2012, the Franco‐German co‐operation in the Economic and Monetary Union deteriorated. This article asks why the Franco‐German tandem got stuck. Drawing on bargaining theory, it argues that Germany used ‘Merkozy’ as a negotiation strategy to further its aims in eurozone crisis management. However, when the preferences of the two countries were no longer reconcilable due to changes in France as well as in the negotiation environment, the strategy failed. Thus, while much of the literature has focused on the persistence of the Franco‐German partnership, this approach accounts for variation in its functioning. The results provide an explanation for the rise and fall of Merkozy and bear implications for assessing the future Franco‐German relationship.
Substance use through adolescence into early adulthood after childhood‐diagnosed ADHD: findings from the MTA longitudinal study
Authors: Molina Brooke S.G. , Howard Andrea L. , Swanson James M. , Stehli Annamarie , Mitchell John T. , Kennedy Traci M. , Epstein Jeffery N. , Arnold L. Eugene , Hechtman Lily , Vitiello Benedetto , Hoza Betsy 
Published: January 2018

BackgroundInconsistent findings exist regarding long‐term substance use (SU) risk for children diagnosed with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The observational follow‐up of the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA) provides an opportunity to assess long‐term outcomes in a large, diverse sample.MethodsFive hundred forty‐seven children, mean age 8.5, diagnosed with DSM‐IV combined‐type ADHD and 258 classmates without ADHD (local normative comparison group; LNCG) completed the Substance Use Questionnaire up to eight times from mean age 10 to mean age 25.ResultsIn adulthood, weekly marijuana use (32.8% ADHD vs. 21.3% LNCG) and daily cigarette smoking (35.9% vs. 17.5%) were more prevalent in the ADHD group than the LNCG. The cumulative record also revealed more early substance users in adolescence for ADHD (57.9%) than LNCG (41.9%), including younger first use of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, and illicit drugs. Alcohol and nonmarijuana illicit drug use escalated slightly faster in the ADHD group in early adolescence. Early SU predicted quicker SU escalation and more SU in adulthood for both groups.ConclusionsFrequent SU for young adults with childhood ADHD is accompanied by greater initial exposure at a young age and slightly faster progression. Early SU prevention and screening is critical before escalation to intractable levels.
Vitamin transporters in mice brain with aging
Authors: Marcos P. , González‐Fuentes J. , Castro‐Vázquez L. , Lozano M. V. , Santander‐Ortega M. J. , Rodríguez‐Robledo V. , Villaseca‐González N. , Arroyo‐Jiménez M. M. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractIts high metabolic rate and high polyunsaturated fatty acid content make the brain very sensitive to oxidative damage. In the brain, neuronal metabolism occurs at a very high rate and generates considerable amounts of reactive oxygen species and free radicals, which accumulate inside neurons, leading to altered cellular homeostasis and integrity and eventually irreversible damage and cell death. A misbalance in redox metabolism and the subsequent neurodegeneration increase throughout the course of normal aging, leading to several age‐related changes in learning and memory as well as motor functions. The neuroprotective function of antioxidants is crucial to maintain good brain homeostasis and adequate neuronal functions. Vitamins E and C are two important antioxidants that are taken up by brain cells via the specific carriers αTTP and SVCT2, respectively. The aim of this study was to use immunohistochemistry to determine the distribution pattern of these vitamin transporters in the brain in a mouse model that shows fewer signs of brain aging and a higher resistance to oxidative damage. Both carriers were distributed widely throughout the entire brain in a pattern that remained similar in 4‐, 12‐, 18‐ and 24‐month‐old mice. In general, αTTP and SVCT2 were located in the same regions, but they seemed to have complementary distribution patterns. Double‐labeled cell bodies were detected only in the inferior colliculus, entorhinal cortex, dorsal subiculum, and several cortical areas. In addition, the presence of αTTP and SVCT2 in neurons was analyzed using double immunohistochemistry for NeuN and the results showed that αTTP but not SVCT2 was present in Bergmann's glia. The presence of these transporters in brain regions implicated in learning, memory and motor control provides an anatomical basis that may explain the higher resistance of this animal model to brain oxidative stress, which is associated with better motor performance and learning abilities in old age.
Image Registration to Compensate for EPI Distortion in Patients with Brain Tumors: An Evaluation of Tract‐Specific Effects
Authors: Albi Angela , Meola Antonio , Zhang Fan , Kahali Pegah , Rigolo Laura , Tax Chantal M.W. , Ciris Pelin Aksit , Essayed Walid I. , Unadkat Prashin , Norton Isaiah , Rathi Yogesh , Olubiyi Olutayo , Golby Alexandra J. , O'Donnell Lauren J. 
Published: January 2018

ABSTRACTBACKGROUND AND PURPOSEDiffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) provides preoperative maps of neurosurgical patients’ white matter tracts, but these maps suffer from echo‐planar imaging (EPI) distortions caused by magnetic field inhomogeneities. In clinical neurosurgical planning, these distortions are generally not corrected and thus contribute to the uncertainty of fiber tracking. Multiple image processing pipelines have been proposed for image‐registration‐based EPI distortion correction in healthy subjects. In this article, we perform the first comparison of such pipelines in neurosurgical patient data.METHODSFive pipelines were tested in a retrospective clinical dMRI dataset of 9 patients with brain tumors. Pipelines differed in the choice of fixed and moving images and the similarity metric for image registration. Distortions were measured in two important tracts for neurosurgery, the arcuate fasciculus and corticospinal tracts.RESULTSSignificant differences in distortion estimates were found across processing pipelines. The most successful pipeline used dMRI baseline and T2‐weighted images as inputs for distortion correction. This pipeline gave the most consistent distortion estimates across image resolutions and brain hemispheres.CONCLUSIONSQuantitative results of mean tract distortions on the order of 1–2 mm are in line with other recent studies, supporting the potential need for distortion correction in neurosurgical planning. Novel results include significantly higher distortion estimates in the tumor hemisphere and greater effect of image resolution choice on results in the tumor hemisphere. Overall, this study demonstrates possible pitfalls and indicates that care should be taken when implementing EPI distortion correction in clinical settings.