bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Critical appraisal of the application of propensity score methods in the urology literature
Authors: Nayan Madhur , Hamilton Robert J. , Juurlink David N. , Finelli Antonio , Kulkarni Girish S. , Austin Peter C. 
Published: June 2017

ObjectivesTo determine whether studies that used propensity score (PS) methods in the urology literature provide sufficient detail to allow scientific reproducibility and whether appropriate statistical tests were used to obtain valid measures of effect.Materials and MethodsWe searched OVID Medline and the Science Citation Index from inception to November 2016 to identify studies that used PS methods in five general urology journals. From each included article, we extracted pertinent information related to the PS methodology, such as estimation of the PS, whether balance diagnostics were performed, and the statistical analysis performed.ResultsWe identified 114 articles for inclusion. Matching on the PS was the most common method used (62 studies, 54.4%). Of all studies, 103 (90.4%) described which covariates were used to estimate the PS; however, only 24 provided justification for the selected covariates. Although the majority of studies (70.2%) performed some sort of diagnostic evaluation to assess balance, few studies (24.6%) used appropriate methods for balance assessment. Only four (6.4%) studies that used PS matching provided sufficient detail to replicate the matching strategy. Finally, the majority (77.4%) of studies that used PS matching explicitly used inappropriate statistical methods to estimate the effect of an exposure on an outcome.ConclusionsIn the urology literature PS methods were poorly described and implemented. We provide recommendations for improvement to allow scientific reproducibility and obtain valid measures of effect from their use.
Classroom and School Predictors of Civic Engagement Among Black and Latino Middle School Youth
Authors: Jagers Robert J. , Lozada Fantasy T. , Rivas‐Drake Deborah , Guillaume Casta 
Published: June 2017

This study used short‐term longitudinal data to examine the contributions of democratic teaching practices (e.g., the Developmental Designs approach) and equitable school climate to civic engagement attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors among 515 Black and Latino middle school students (47.9% male). Concurrent experiences of democratic homeroom and classroom practices, and equitable school climate were associated with higher scores on each civic engagement component. The relation between classroom practices and civic attitudes was more robust when school climate was seen as more equitable. Longitudinally, homeroom practices and equitable school climate predicted higher civic attitudes 1 year later. Discussion focuses on civic attitudes and future research on school experiences that support civic engagement among youth of color.
Commentary: Studying and Testing the Positive Youth Development Model: A Tale of Two Approaches
Authors: Lerner Richard M. 
Published: June 2017

Interest in promoting positive development among children and adolescents has always been a focus of developmental science. Historically, many researchers framed this interest using a deficit model that sought to optimize positive development by reducing problems. In the context of the articles in this special section, the author discuss a different conception of positive youth development that has emerged across the past 25 years, one that capitalizes on human plasticity and tests a strength‐based model (instead of a deficit one). This model seeks to identify the process that could enhance the attributes of young people that are valued by them and others (e.g., parents, peers, teachers, mentors, coaches, and faith leaders), as compared to processes that reduce or prevent undesirable characteristics.
Thyrotrophin levels and coronary artery calcification: Cross‐sectional results of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA‐Brasil)
Authors: Peixoto de Miranda Érique José F. , Bittencourt Márcio Sommer , Staniak Henrique Lane , Pereira Alexandre C. , Foppa Murilo , Santos Itamar S. , Lotufo Paulo A. , Benseñor Isabela M. 
Published: June 2017

SummaryObjectiveThere is little information about the association between thyrotrophin (TSH) levels and coronary artery calcification (CAC). Our aim was to analyse the association between TSH quintiles and subclinical atherosclerosis measured by CAC, using baseline data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA‐Brasil).DesignCross‐sectional study.PatientsWe excluded individuals using medications that affect thyroid function and who self‐reported cardiovascular disease. We included euthyroid subjects and individuals with subclinical hypothyroidism (SCHypo) and subclinical hyperthyroidism (SCHyper). Logistic regression models evaluated CAC >100 Agatston units as the dependent variable, and increasing quintiles of TSH as the independent variable, adjusted for demographic and cardiovascular risk factors.ResultsOur sample included 3836 subjects, mean age 49 years (interquartile range 44‐56); 1999 (52.1%) were female, 3551 (92.6%) were euthyroid, 239 (6.2%) had SCHypo and 46 (1.2%) had SCHyper. The frequency of women, White people and never smokers as well as body mass index and insulin resistance increased according to quintiles. The 1st quintile for TSH (0‐0.99 mIU/L) was associated with CAC >100, using the 3rd quintile (1.39‐1.85 mIU/L) as reference (adjusted OR=1.57, 95% CI: 1.05‐2.35, P=.027), but no association was shown for the 5th quintile (2.68‐35.5 mIU/L) compared to the 3rd. Restricting the analysis to euthyroid subjects did not change the results. For women, but not for men, we observed a U‐shaped curve with 1st and 5th TSH quintiles associated with CAC>100.ConclusionLow and low‐normal (1st quintile) TSH levels were associated with CAC>100 Agatston units in a sample with subclinical thyroid disorders and euthyroid subjects.
CAD/CAM‐fabricated ceramic implant‐supported single crowns made from lithium disilicate: Final results of a 5‐year prospective cohort study
Authors: Spies Benedikt Christopher , Pieralli Stefano , Vach Kirstin , Kohal Ralf‐Joachim 
Published: June 2017

AbstractBackgroundAll‐ceramic bilayer systems suffer from technique‐sensitivity, resulting in increased technical complication rates. This might be overcome by monolithic reconstructions, facilitating digital workflows.PurposeTo evaluate the clinical and patient‐reported outcome of CAD/CAM‐fabricated implant‐supported single crowns (ISCs) made of lithium disilicate (LS2) cemented on ceramic implants 5 years after implant installation.Materials and methodsTwenty‐four patients were included in the study. All participants received a one‐piece ceramic implant in anterior (4 incisors) and posterior regions (10 premolars, 10 molars). LS2 crowns were computer‐aided designed (CAD), manufactured (CAM) and adhesively luted onto the implants. Follow‐ups were performed yearly up to 60 months after implant installation. The survival/success rates of the restorations were calculated according to modified US Public Health Service criteria as follows: Clinically relevant defects that could be repaired intraorally were accepted for survival, whereas small‐area chippings, roughness (ø < 2 mm), slightly soundable marginal gaps, minimal undercontours/overcontours, and tolerable color deviations were accepted for success. Kaplan‐Meier plots were used for the success/survival analyses. Furthermore, patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs) were assessed by applying visual analog scales (VAS). Linear (PROMs) and logistic (USPHS criteria) mixed models were fitted to evaluate time effects on response variables.ResultsTwenty‐two ISCs could be evaluated 55.2 ± 4.2 months after prosthetic delivery. Two patients were reported as drop‐outs (1 died, 1 moved abroad). No failures were observed, resulting in 100% survival. At two ISCs, a major‐roughness had to be treated. This resulted in a Kaplan‐Meier success estimate of 91.7% (95%CI: 70.6%‐97.9%). Compared with pretreatment, all surveys at prosthetic delivery except for self‐esteem (P = .375) showed significantly improved VAS scores. No decrease in satisfaction could be observed over time until the end of follow‐up (P ≥ .056).ConclusionConcerning survival/success rates and PROMs, the evaluated crown‐implant system showed favorable mid‐term results. To date, there are no comparable data available for implant‐supported ISCs made of LS2.
On stress/strain shielding and the material stiffness paradigm for dental implants
Authors: Korabi Raoof , Shemtov‐Yona Keren , Rittel Daniel 
Published: June 2017

AbstractBackgroundStress shielding considerations suggest that the dental implant material's compliance should be matched to that of the host bone. However, this belief has not been confirmed from a general perspective, either clinically or numerically.PurposeTo characterize the influence of the implant stiffness on its functionality using the failure envelope concept that examines all possible combinations of mechanical load and application angle for selected stress, strain and displacement‐based bone failure criteria. Those criteria represent bone yielding, remodeling, and implant primary stability, respectivelyMaterials and methodsWe performed numerical simulations to generate failure envelopes for all possible loading configurations of dental implants, with stiffness ranging from very low (polymer) to extremely high, through that of bone, titanium, and ceramics.ResultsIrrespective of the failure criterion, stiffer implants allow for improved implant functionality. The latter reduces with increasing compliance, while the trabecular bone experiences higher strains, albeit of an overall small level. Micromotions remain quite small irrespective of the implant's stiffness.ConclusionThe current paradigm favoring reduced implant material's stiffness out of concern for stress or strain shielding, or even excessive micromotions, is not supported by the present calculations, that point exactly to the opposite.
Trajectories of self‐care agency and associated factors in lung transplant recipients over the first 12 months following transplantation
Authors: Hu L. , Lingler J. H. , DeVito Dabbs A. , Dew M. A. , Sereika S. M. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractSelf‐care agency (SCA), defined as one's ability and willingness to engage in self‐care behaviors, can influence actual performance of self‐care behaviors in lung transplant recipients (LTRs). Understanding patterns of SCA over time may inform the design of interventions to promote self‐care in LTRs. Using group‐based trajectory modeling, we sought to identify patterns and correlates of SCA among 94 LTRs over the first 12 months post‐transplant. Baseline measures of sociodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial factors, and longitudinally assessed psychological distress were examined for their associations with predicted trajectory group membership. Three distinct stable (ie, zero slope) SCA trajectories were identified as follows: persistently low, persistently moderate, and persistently high. Based on the final multivariate model, requiring a re‐intubation after transplant (P=.043), discharged to a facility rather than home (P=.048), and reporting a higher level of baseline anxiety (P=.001) were significantly associated with lower SCA. Linear mixed models revealed that higher levels of anxiety and depression were associated with lower SCA in the persistently moderate and low SCA groups over the 12‐month time period (Ps<.05). LTRs who require a re‐intubation after transplant and are discharged to a facility other than home, and report high psychological distress, may need additional assistance to engage in post‐transplant self‐care behaviors.
Introduction of biosimilar insulins in Europe
Authors: Davies M. , Dahl D. , Heise T. , Kiljanski J. , Mathieu C. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractRegulatory approval of the first biosimilar insulin in Europe, LY2963016 insulin glargine (Abasaglar®), in 2014 expanded the treatment options available to people with diabetes. As biosimilar insulin products come to market, it is important to recognize that insulin products are biologicals manufactured through complex biotechnology processes, and thus biosimilar insulins cannot be considered identical to their reference products. Strict regulatory guidelines adopted by authorities in Europe, the USA and some other countries help to ensure that efficacy and safety profiles of biosimilar insulins are not meaningfully different from those of the reference products, preventing entry of biological compounds not meeting quality standards and potentially affecting people's glycaemic outcomes. This review explains the concept of biosimilar medicines and outlines regulatory requirements for registration of biosimilar insulins in Europe, which is illustrated by the successful development of LY2963016 insulin glargine and MK‐1293 insulin glargine (Lusduna®). Preclinical and clinical comparative studies of the biosimilar insulin glargine programmes include in vitro bioassays for insulin and insulin‐like growth factor 1 receptor binding, assessment of in vitro biological activity, evaluation of pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic profiles in phase I studies and assessment of long‐term safety and efficacy in phase III studies. The emergence of biosimilar insulins may help broaden access to modern insulins, increase individualized treatment options and reduce costs of insulin therapy.
How Oil Twists the Hegemon's Arm: The Case of the United States and Saudi Arabia and Their Ambivalent Partnership
Authors: Grey Felicia 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe U.S.–Saudi relationship is often seen as an oxymoron. These allies have differed in their foreign policy interests — varied in the need, one for the other — but never severed ties. When the 9/11 attacks are added to the mix, questions are raised about why these ambivalent allies continue to tolerate each other. This study argues that although the United States is the preponderant power, Saudi Arabia has primacy in the energy market. This has caused both countries to remain allies through the different oil crises, the 9/11 attacks, and in spite of the Arab‐Israeli conflict. This contravenes the hegemonic stability theory about alliance formation and duration.Saudi Arabia's roles in the 1973, 1979, 2008, and 2012–2015 oil crises all demonstrate its ability and willingness to act independently of the United States. The fact that it can do this and still maintain its strategic partnership with the United States is incredulous. This invites a revision of the hegemonic stability theory since strong and persistent defection from the hegemon's wishes should catalyze some comparable form of punishment or a severance of the relationship.
Distribution of the box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis Walker 1859) in the north‐eastern part of the Carpathian Basin with a new Ukrainian record and Hungarian data
Authors: Nagy A. , Szarukán I. , Csabai J. , Molnár A. , Molnár B. P. , Kárpáti Z. , Szanyi S. , Tóth M. 
Published: June 2017

After it was recorded in South‐West Germany and the Netherlands in 2007, the box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) spread rapidly in Europe and appeared in West Hungary in 2011. In the eastern part of the country the first specimen was caught in 2015 with a blacklight trap. On the basis of specimens of C. perspectalis caught in blacklight, pheromone or feeding attractant traps, the authors summarize its distribution and publish four new records from Hungary and the first data from West Ukraine (Transcarpathia). The flight dynamics of three generations of this pest are also described for 2015 and 2016.
Personality effects on spatial learning: Comparisons between visual conditions in a weakly electric fish
Authors: Kareklas Kyriacos , Elwood Robert W. , Holland Richard A. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractRecent research has explored links between cognition and personality, with prominent hypotheses proposing that personality drives consistent individual differences in cognitive function. These hypotheses particularly expect bolder individuals to be faster, but less accurate, as a trade‐off in cognitive function. However, cognitive processes are typically interconnected and defined in more complex terms than simply speed and accuracy. Here, we present evidence that personality‐based differences in learning rates are a result of differences in decision‐making during training in a two‐alternative forced‐choice spatial memory task. This was examined in the mormyrid fish Gnathonemus petersii in the presence of light, where both vision and the electric sense are available, and in the dark, where visibility is limited and fish rely mostly on electrosensing. The species is adapted for the dark to avoid visual predators; thus, the presence of light can induce high‐risk and the dark low‐risk. We show that light conditions had little effect on learning, with bolder fish learning faster both in the light and in the dark conditions. Yet the relationship between learning rates and error rates indicates that the effect on learning is indirectly influenced by accuracy during training. Speed‐accuracy trade‐offs were not found in decision‐making, with bolder individuals deciding faster and more accurately both in the light and in the dark. Only learning strategy was affected by light conditions, with significantly more fish preferring response to place learning in the dark than in the light, where distal cues were not visible. We conclude that other than effects from the integration of visual information, bolder individuals show a consistently greater tendency to explore and find food rewards during training. This affects their decision‐making and in turn their learning performance. We highlight the complexity by which personality‐based effects are exhibited in spatial associative learning.
Eavesdropping in solitary large carnivores: Black bears advance and vocalize toward cougar playbacks
Authors: Suraci Justin P. , Clinchy Michael , Roberts Devin J. , Zanette Liana Y. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractLarge carnivore behavioral responses to the cues of their competitors are rarely observed, but may mediate competition between these top predators. Playback experiments, currently limited to interactions involving group‐living large carnivores, demonstrate that attending to cues indicative of the immediate presence of heterospecific competitors plays a substantial role in influencing competition among these species. Group‐living species vocalize regularly to signal to one another, and competitors can readily “eavesdrop” on these acoustic cues. Solitary large carnivores also vocalize to conspecifics, but much less frequently, reducing the ease with which heterospecific competitors can eavesdrop. Eavesdropping could nonetheless play a substantive role in mediating competition among solitary large carnivores if the benefits of responding to the acoustic cues of heterospecific competitors (reducing risk or locating resources) are sufficiently large. Behavioral interactions between solitary large carnivore species are almost never observed, and there have been no experimental tests of their reactions to cues indicative of the immediate presence of other solitary large carnivores. We used an automated playback system to test the responses of a solitary large carnivore (black bear, Ursus americanus) to vocalizations of their similarly solitary competitor (cougar, Puma concolor), presenting both cougar and control vocalizations to free‐living bears foraging along shorelines in British Columbia, Canada. Both mothers with cubs and solitary bears were significantly more likely to advance and vocalize toward cougar than control playbacks, mothers producing one or both of two distinct vocalizations and solitary bears producing just one. Cougars could either represent a potential risk to bears (particularly cubs), or a source of resources, as bears are known to regularly scavenge cougar kills. Our results are consistent with bears eavesdropping on cougars for both these reasons. As with group‐living species, eavesdropping may be common among solitary large carnivores, and may be an important driver of competition between these species.
Antimicrobials used for surgical prophylaxis by equine veterinary practitioners in Australia
Authors: Hardefeldt L. Y. , Browning G. F. , Thursky K. , Gilkerson J. R. , Billman‐Jacobe H. , Stevenson M. A. , Bailey K. E. 
Published: June 2017

SummaryBackgroundAntimicrobials are widely used in Australian veterinary practices, but no investigation into the classes of antimicrobials used, or the appropriateness of use in horses, has been conducted.ObjectivesThe aim of the study was to describe antimicrobial use for surgical prophylaxis in equine practice in Australia.Study designCross‐sectional questionnaire survey.MethodsAn online questionnaire was used to document antimicrobial usage patterns. Information solicited in the questionnaire included demographic details of the respondents, the frequency with which antimicrobials were used for specific surgical conditions (including the dose, timing and duration of therapy) and practice antimicrobial use policies and sources of information about antimicrobials and their uses.ResultsA total of 337 members of the Australian veterinary profession completed the survey. Generally, the choice of antimicrobial was appropriate for the specified equine surgical condition, but the dose and duration of therapy varied greatly. While there was poor optimal compliance with British Equine Veterinary Association guidelines in all scenarios (range 1–15%), except removal of a nonulcerated dermal mass (42%), suboptimal compliance (compliant antimicrobial drug selection but inappropriate timing, dose or duration of therapy) was moderate for all scenarios (range 48–68%), except for an uninfected contaminated wound over the thorax, where both optimal and suboptimal compliance was very poor (1%). Veterinarians practicing at a university hospital had higher odds of compliance than general practice veterinarians (Odds ratio 3.2, 95% CI, 1.1–8.9, P = 0.03).Main limitationsMany survey responses were collected at conferences which may introduce selection bias, as veterinarians attending conferences may be more likely to have been exposed to contemporary antimicrobial prescribing recommendations.ConclusionsAntimicrobial use guidelines need to be developed and promoted to improve the responsible use of antimicrobials in equine practice in Australia. An emphasis should be placed on antimicrobial therapy for wounds and appropriate dosing for procaine penicillin.
Fracture mechanics‐based progressive damage modelling of adhesively bonded fibre‐reinforced polymer joints
Authors: Cameselle‐Molares Aida , Sarfaraz Roohollah , Shahverdi Moslem , Keller Thomas , Vassilopoulos Anastasios P. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractA quasi‐static progressive damage model for prediction of the fracture behaviour and strength of adhesively bonded fibre‐reinforced polymer joints is introduced in this paper. The model is based on the development of a mixed‐mode failure criterion as a function of a master R‐curve derived from the experimental results obtained from standard fracture mechanics joints. Consequently, the developed failure criterion is crack‐length and mode‐mixity dependent, and it takes into account the contribution of the fibre‐bridging effect. Energy release rate values for adhesively bonded double‐lap joints are obtained by using the virtual crack closure technique method in a finite element model, and the numerically obtained strain energy release rate is compared to the critical strain energy release rate given by the mixed‐mode failure criterion. The entire procedure is implemented in a numerical algorithm, which was successfully used for predicting the strength and R‐curve response of adhesively bonded double‐lap structural joints made of pultruded glass fibre‐reinforced polymers and epoxy adhesives.