bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and factors associated with preoperative anxiety among elective surgical patients at University of Gondar Hospital. Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia, 2017. A cross-sectional study
Authors: Y.B. Woldegerima , G.L. Fitwi , H.T. Yimer , A.G. Hailekiros 
Published: November 2017

ABSTRACT

Background:
Anxiety is defined as an overwhelming experience of fear, worry and nervousness. It is one of the commonest events that can happen to patients waiting for surgical operations. It has multiple psychophysiological adverse effects. Even though, it has variety of unwanted consequences, in clinical practice, preoperative anxiety is commonly neglected by clinicians. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with preoperative anxiety among elective surgical patients at the University of Gondar Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia, 2017.

Method:
Institution-based, cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June, 2017 in University of Gondar Hospital. After obtaining ethical approval from institutional review board, 178 willing adult patients scheduled for elective surgical operations were included in the. Level of anxiety was measured by State and Trait Anxiety Inventory. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS statistical package version 20. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabs and binary logistic regression analysis were performed to identify predictors of preoperative anxiety. The strength of the association was presented using AOR with 95% confidence interval and p-value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results:
A total of 178 patients (98 female and 80 male) enrolled with 98.34% response rate. We observed preoperative anxiety in 59.6% patients. The mean (± SD) of STAI score was 48.63 ± 17.56. High preoperative anxiety was associated with age 18–30 years (AOR = 6.92, 95% CI = 1.39–33.82), age 31–45 years (AOR = 5.72, 95% CI = 1.61–20.28), no income (AOR = 3.21, 95% CI = 1.01–10.27), low income (AOR = 3.06, 95% CI = 1.18–7.93). Rural residency (AOR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.16–0.89) was associated with lower risk for preoperative anxiety. Fear of being unable to recover from anesthesia (53.9%), postoperative pain (51.7%), family concerns (43.3%) were leading sources of preoperative anxiety. Significant association with preoperative anxiety found in fear of death (AOR = 2.40, 95% CI = 1.08–5.32), family concern (AOR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.03–4.50), fear of dependency (AOR = 2.75, 95% CI = 1.57–7.20) and fear of disability (AOR = 2.75, 95% CI = 1.22–6.21).

Conclusions:
Preoperative anxiety was high in University of Gondar Hospital. Young age, no/low income, urban residence, fear of death, dependency, disability and family concerns were predictors of preoperative anxiety. Patients need to be assessed regularly for anxiety during the preoperative visit and appropriate anxiety reducing methods should be introduced in our Hospital.

Highlights:
Control of a supersonic elliptical jet
Authors: Bajpai A. , Rathakrishnan E. 
Published: November 2017

ABSTRACTMach 2 jet from a convergent-divergent elliptical nozzle, of aspect ratio 2, has been controlled with limiting flat and arc tabs. The mixing promoting capability of the flat and arc tabs were studied in the presence of different levels of pressure gradient, at the nozzle exit, corresponding to nozzle pressure ratios of 4 to 8, in steps of one. The geometrical blockage of both the tabs is 5% of nozzle exit area. For the flat tab along the minor axis, the waves in the core become weaker and the core length becomes shorter than the uncontrolled jet, at all the NPRs studied. But the flat tab along the major axis promotes mixing only for some NPRs and retards the mixing for the rest of the NPRs studied. At NPR 5, the flat tab along the minor axis causes the largest core length reduction of 86%. For circular arc tab, along the minor axis, the maximum core length reduction is 55% at NPR 6. Arc tab along the major axis protects the core length for the entire range of the nozzle pressure ratios tested and maximum extension in core length is found at NPR 4, which is 40%.
Breaking from and building on the past: Helsinki and Dublin after independence
Authors: Niemi Marjaana 
Published: November 2017

AbstractCapital cities play a significant role in interpreting a country’s past and charting its future. In the aftermath of the First World War nine new European states, Finland and Ireland among them, were confronted with the question of how to create a capital city befitting their new status and national identity. Instead of designing and constructing an entirely new capital city which would have marked a clean break from the past, all these states chose an existing city as the capital. This article will examine processes through which two capitals, Helsinki and Dublin, were renewed physically and symbolically to make the political change ‘real’ to people, but also to reinterpret the past and create a ‘teleology for the present’. The aim is to discuss the ways in which the changes, planned and implemented, both reflected and reinforced new interpretations of the history of the city and the nation, and the continuities and discontinuities the changes created between the past and the present. Some elements and versions of the past were chosen over others, preserved and reinvented in the cityscape, while others were ignored, hidden or denied.
Basal dynamics of Kronebreen, a fast-flowing tidewater glacier in Svalbard: non-local spatio-temporal response to water input
Authors: VALLOT DOROTHÉE , PETTERSSON RICKARD , LUCKMAN ADRIAN , BENN DOUGLAS I. , ZWINGER THOMAS , VAN PELT WARD J. J. , KOHLER JACK , SCHÄFER MARTINA , CLAREMAR BJÖRN , HULTON NICHOLAS R. J. 
Published: November 2017

ABSTRACTWe evaluate the variability in basal friction for Kronebreen, Svalbard, a fast-flowing tidewater glacier. We invert 3 years (2013–15) of surface velocities at high temporal resolution (generally 11 days), to estimate the changing basal properties of the glacier. Our results suggest that sliding behaviour of Kronebreen within a year is primarily influenced by changes in water input patterns during the meltwater season and basal friction is highly variable from a year to another. At present, models usually employ parameterisations to encompass the complex physics of glacier sliding by mathematically simulate their net effect. For such ice masses with strong seasonal variations of surface melt, the spatio-temporal patterns of basal friction imply that it is neither possible nor appropriate to use a parameterisation for bed friction that is fixed in space and/or time, at least in a timescale of a few years. Basal sliding may not only be governed by local processes such as basal topography or summer melt, but also be mediated by factors that vary over a larger distance and over a longer time period such as subglacial hydrology organisation, ice-thickness changes or calving front geometry.
Molecular characterization and diagnostic potential of serine proteinase inhibitors from Taenia solium
Authors: Liu Guangxue , Liang Panhong , Mao Li , Zhang Shaohua , Wang Lijie , Zheng Yadong , Guo Aijiang , Hou Junling , Luo Xuenong 
Published: November 2017

AbstractSerine protease inhibitors (serpins) play essential physiological roles in a wide range of biological processes. Serpins are researched limited inTaenia solium, although some are considered to participate in host immune responses. Tsserpins were identified as typical serpins due to the primary structure of characteristic features: the serpin motif, serpin signature and reaction centre loop (RCL). RCLs of four serpin genes (TsB6, Ts4848, Ts12383 and Ts570) contained the conserved sequences of inhibitory serpins, which may involve in immune regulation. TsEP45 differed greatly from the patterns of representative serpins, suggesting that TsEP45 may be non-inhibitory. The bioinformatic analyses were supposed that Tsserpins might be a potential antigen for diagnosis. The five recombinant Tsserpin proteins were expressed and identified reacting withCysticercus cellulosae-positive serum samples. The indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISAs) based on Tsserpins were developed and validated, one of the five Tsserpins, TsEP45, showed excellent diagnostic results with 93·33% sensitivity and 94·12% specificity, respectively. This performance was in perfect accordance with the results of the bioinformatic analysis. This study provided a comprehensive demonstration of sequences and structural-based analysis of Tsserpins. The iELISAs based on five Tsserpins were developed and compared.TsEP45 was the potential species-specific antigen for developing iELISA to detect porcine cysticercosis.
A New Sample Preparation System for Micro-14C Dating of Glacier Ice with a First Application to a High Alpine Ice Core from Colle Gnifetti (Switzerland)
Authors: Hoffmann Helene , Preunkert Susanne , Legrand Michel , Leinfelder David , Bohleber Pascal , Friedrich Ronny , Wagenbach Dietmar 
Published: November 2017

AbstractRadiometric dating of glacier ice is an essential tool where stratigraphic dating methods cannot be applied. This study focuses on Alpine glacier ice and presents a new sample preparation system for dating of glacier ice samples via radiocarbon (14C) dating of the microscopic particulate organic carbon (POC) fraction incorporated in the ice matrix. An adaptable, low-cost inline filtration-oxidation-unit (REFILOX) has been developed, which for the first time unifies all sample preparation steps from ice filtration to CO2quantification in one closed setup. A systematic14C investigation of modern European aerosol samples revealed that a POC combustion temperature of 340°C provides the best representation of the real sample age. A very low process blank of maximally 0.3±0.1 µgC now enables14C dating of high Alpine ice samples, where POC concentrations are generally low (typically 10–50 µgC/kg), in an ice sample mass range of 300–500 g. In a first successful application, the method was used to obtain age constraints for an ice core from the cold, high Alpine firn saddle Colle Gnifetti (Switzerland). Analysis of the bottom ice core sections revealed a basal age of 4171–3923 cal yr BP but also a so far enigmatic discontinuity in the age-depth relationship.
Barleyβ-glucan reduces blood cholesterol levels via interrupting bile acid metabolism
Authors: Wang Yanan , Harding Scott V. , Thandapilly Sijo J. , Tosh Susan M. , Jones Peter J. H. , Ames Nancy P. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractUnderlying mechanisms responsible for the cholesterol-lowering effect ofβ-glucan have been proposed, yet have not been fully demonstrated. The primary aim of this study was to determine whether the consumption of barleyβ-glucan lowers cholesterol by affecting the cholesterol absorption, cholesterol synthesis or bile acid synthesis. In addition, this study was aimed to assess whether the underlying mechanisms are related to cholesterol 7αhydroxylase (CYP7A1) SNP rs3808607 as proposed by us earlier. In a controlled, randomised, cross-over study, participants with mild hypercholesterolaemia (n30) were randomly assigned to receive breakfast containing 3 g high-molecular weight (HMW), 5 g low-molecular weight (LMW), 3 g LMW barleyβ-glucan or a control diet, each for 5 weeks. Cholesterol absorption was determined by assessing the enrichment of circulating13C-cholesterol over 96 h following oral administration; fractional rate of synthesis for cholesterol was assessed by measuring the incorporation rate of2H derived from deuterium oxide within the body water pool into the erythrocyte cholesterol pool over 24 h; bile acid synthesis was determined by measuring serum 7α-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one concentrations. Consumption of 3 g HMWβ-glucan decreased total cholesterol (TC) levels (P=0·029), but did not affect cholesterol absorption (P=0·25) or cholesterol synthesis (P=0·14). Increased bile acid synthesis after consumption of 3 g HMWβ-glucan was observed in all participants (P=0·049), and more pronounced in individuals carrying homozygous G of rs3808607 (P=0·033). In addition, a linear relationship between log (viscosity) ofβ-glucan and serum 7α-HC concentration was observed in homozygous G allele carriers. Results indicate that increased bile acid synthesis rather than inhibition of cholesterol absorption or synthesis may be responsible for the cholesterol-lowering effect of barleyβ-glucan. The pronounced TC reduction in G allele carriers of rs3808607 observed in the previous study may be due to enhanced bile acid synthesis in response to high-viscosityβ-glucan consumption in those individuals.
The helminth community of a population ofRattus norvegicusfrom an urban Brazilian slum and the threat of zoonotic diseases
Authors: Carvalho-Pereira Ticiana , Souza Fábio N. , Santos Luana R. N. , Walker Ruth , Pertile Arsinoê C. , de Oliveira Daiana S. , Pedra Gabriel G. , Minter Amanda , Rodrigues Maria Gorete , Bahiense Thiago C. , Reis Mitermayer G. , Diggle Peter J. , Ko Albert I. , Childs James E. , da Silva Eduardo M. , Begon Mike , Costa Federico 
Published: November 2017

AbstractUrban slums provide suitable conditions for infestation by rats, which harbour and shed a wide diversity of zoonotic pathogens including helminths. We aimed to identify risk factors associated with the probability and intensity of infection of helminths of the digestive tract in an urban slum population ofRattus norvegicus. Among 299 rats, eleven species/groups of helminths were identified, of whichStrongyloidessp.,Nippostrongylus brasiliensisand, the human pathogen,Angiostrongylus cantonensiswere the most frequent (97, 41 and 39%, respectively). Sex interactions highlighted behavioural differences between males and females, as eg males were more likely to be infected withN. brasiliensiswhere rat signs were present, and males presented more intense infections ofStrongyloidessp. Moreover, rats in poor body condition had higher intensities ofN. brasiliensis. We describe a high global richness of parasites inR. norvegicus, including five species known to cause disease in humans. Among these,A. cantonensiswas found in high prevalence and it was ubiquitous in the study area – knowledge which is of public health importance. A variety of environmental, demographic and body condition variables were associated with helminth species infection of rats, suggesting a comparable variety of risk factors for humans.
Molecular detection ofCyclospora cayetanensisin human stool specimens using UNEX-based DNA extraction and real-time PCR
Authors: Qvarnstrom Yvonne , Benedict Theresa , Marcet Paula L. , Wiegand Ryan E. , Herwaldt Barbara L. , da Silva Alexandre J. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractCyclospora cayetanensisis a coccidian parasite associated with diarrheal illness. In the USA, foodborne outbreaks of cyclosporiasis have been documented almost every year since the mid-1990s. The typical approach used to identify this parasite in human stools is an examination of acid-fast-stained smears under bright-field microscopy. UV fluorescence microscopy of wet mounts is more sensitive and specific than acid-fast staining but requires a fluorescence microscope with a special filter not commonly available in diagnostic laboratories. In this study, we evaluated a new DNA extraction method based on the Universal Nucleic Acid Extraction (UNEX) buffer and compared the performances of four published real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for the specific detection ofC. cayetanensisin stool. The UNEX-based method had an improved capability to recover DNA from oocysts compared with the FastDNA stool extraction method. The best-performing real-time PCR assay was aC. cayetanensis-specific TaqMan PCR that targets the 18S ribosomal RNA gene. This new testing algorithm should be useful for detection ofC. cayetanensisin human stool samples.
Homer’s Vividness: An Enactive Approach
Authors: Grethlein Jonas , Huitink Luuk 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThe vividness of Homeric poetry has been admired since antiquity, but has been difficult to pin down with precision. It is usually thought to come about because readers are prompted to visualize the storyworld in the form of mental images seen with the mind's eye. But this cannot be right, both because there are serious scientific problems with the concept of ‘pictures in the head’ and because Homer does not offer many detailed descriptions, which are a prerequisite for eliciting detailed mental images. This article presents a different, and cognitively more realistic, take on the imageability of Homeric epic, which is based on recent reader-response studies inspired by the enactivist theory of cognition. These studies make a compelling case for readerly visualization as an embodied response, which does not depend on bright or detailed mental images. An analysis of the chariot race in Iliad 23 identifies specific features of what may be called an ‘enactive style’, notably the description of simple bodily actions. The final part of the article demonstrates that an enactivist take on Homer's vividness is not incompatible with the ancient concept of enargeia, the chief rhetorical term with which Homer's vividness is characterized in ancient criticism.
Risk factors for hospital-associated venous thromboembolism in critically ill children following cardiothoracic surgery or therapeutic cardiac catheterisation
Authors: Atchison Christie M. , Amankwah Ernest , Wilhelm Jean , Arlikar Shilpa , Branchford Brian R. , Stock Arabela , Streiff Michael , Takemoto Clifford , Ayala Irmel , Everett Allen , Stapleton Gary , Jacobs Marshall L. , Jacobs Jeffrey P. , Goldenberg Neil A. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractBackgroundPaediatric hospital-associated venous thromboembolism is a leading quality and safety concern at children’s hospitals.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine risk factors for hospital-associated venous thromboembolism in critically ill children following cardiothoracic surgery or therapeutic cardiac catheterisation.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective, case–control study of children admitted to the cardiovascular intensive care unit at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital (St. Petersburg, Florida, United States of America) from 2006 to 2013. Hospital-associated venous thromboembolism cases were identified based on ICD-9 discharge codes and validated using radiological record review. We randomly selected two contemporaneous cardiovascular intensive care unit controls without hospital-associated venous thromboembolism for each hospital-associated venous thromboembolism case, and limited the study population to patients who had undergone cardiothoracic surgery or therapeutic cardiac catheterisation. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for associations between putative risk factors and hospital-associated venous thromboembolism were determined using univariate and multivariate logistic regression.ResultsAmong 2718 admissions to the cardiovascular intensive care unit during the study period, 65 met the criteria for hospital-associated venous thromboembolism (occurrence rate, 2%). Restriction to cases and controls having undergone the procedures of interest yielded a final study population of 57 hospital-associated venous thromboembolism cases and 76 controls. In a multiple logistic regression model, major infection (odds ratio=5.77, 95% confidence interval=1.06–31.4), age ⩽1 year (odds ratio=6.75, 95% confidence interval=1.13–160), and central venous catheterisation (odds ratio=7.36, 95% confidence interval=1.13–47.8) were found to be statistically significant independent risk factors for hospital-associated venous thromboembolism in these children. Patients with all three factors had a markedly increased post-test probability of having hospital-associated venous thromboembolism.ConclusionMajor infection, infancy, and central venous catheterisation are independent risk factors for hospital-associated venous thromboembolism in critically ill children following cardiothoracic surgery or cardiac catheter-based intervention, which, in combination, define a high-risk group for hospital-associated venous thromboembolism.
Design/Entwurf: Observations
Authors: Hauser Susanne 
Published: November 2017

Translating the German expressions Entwurf or Entwerfen into English seems to be an easy task: ‘design’ or ‘designing’ are the common choices recommended by dictionaries whenever a translation of Entwerfen or Entwurf is intended. The mutual translatability is evident since both ‘designing’ and Entwerfen refer to the same phase of an architectural process. Similarly, Entwurf and ‘design’ refer to the outcome of the architectural process as well. This confirms their exchangeability. It is notable that there are no similarly convincing alternative translations available, at least not in the form of single words or short expressions.‘both “designing” and Entwerfen refer to the same phase of an architectural process [and…] to the outcome of the architectural process‘But there is no doubt that the expressions ‘design’ and Entwurf refer to different practices and media. They stress different aspects of the process of developing new concepts, ideas or objects, and different aspects of the result. This is why the common translation becomes dubious. Translating proves to be a challenge. The term ‘design’ offers characteristic and conceptually important qualities, as does the German word Entwurf, and the implications of each are so different that there is some doubt that ‘design(ing)’ can function as the adequate translation of Entwerfen.
Low-latency teleoperations, planetary protection, and astrobiology
Authors: Lupisella Mark L. , Race Margaret S. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThe remote operation of an asset with time-delays short enough to allow for ‘real-time’ or near real-time control – often referred to as low-latency teleoperations (LLT) – has important potential to address planetary protection concerns and to enhance astrobiology exploration. Not only can LLT assist with the search for extraterrestrial life and help mitigate planetary protection concerns as required by international treaty, but it can also aid in the real-time exploration of hazardous areas, robotically manipulate samples in real-time, and engage in precise measurements and experiments without the presence of crew in the immediate area. Furthermore, LLT can be particularly effective for studying ‘Special Regions’ – areas of astrobiological interest that might be adversely affected by forward contamination from humans or spacecraft contaminants during activities on Mars. LLT can also aid human exploration by addressing concerns about backward contamination that could impact mission details for returning Martian samples and crew back to Earth.This paper provides an overview of LLT operational considerations and findings from recent NASA analyses and workshops related to planetary protection and human missions beyond Earth orbit. The paper focuses primarily on three interrelated areas of Mars operations that are particularly relevant to the planetary protection and the search for life: Mars orbit-to-surface LLT activities; Crew-on-surface and drilling LLT; and Mars surface science laboratory LLT. The paper also discusses several additional mission implementation considerations and closes with information on key knowledge gaps identified as necessary for the advance of LLT for planetary protection and astrobiology purposes on future human missions to Mars.