bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Condom use among Swedes while traveling internationally: A qualitative descriptive study
Authors: Lejelind Eva , Westerling Ragnar , Sjögren Fugl‐Meyer Kerstin , Larsson Kjerstin 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThis study explores factors influencing condom use among Swedish women and men who visited a sexual health clinic after unprotected sex during international travel. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 25 women and 25 men. The data were analyzed using conventional content analysis. The informants' narratives were categorized as strategies and barriers. Strategies found were: risk assessment, testing, and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. The barriers were characterized as technical and personal or emotional. The findings indicate that sexual behavior may be different while traveling internationally, and that a release of social constraints and increased alcohol consumption were risk factors for practicing unprotected sex. Some of the strategies may be appropriate for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections, but several strategies and most barriers were used to explain why unprotected sex was practiced. Thus, people need the opportunity to reconsider strategies and strengthen confidence in their ability to use condoms. An individual‐based approach employed within routine health care may support the practice of safer sex and prevent further transmission of sexually transmitted infections.
Esophageal sensitivity to acid in patients with Barrett's esophagus is not related to preserved esophageal mucosal integrity
Authors: Weijenborg P. W. , Smout A. J. P. M. , Krishnadath K. K. , Bergman J. G. H. M. , Verheij J. , Bredenoord A. J. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractBackgroundPatients with Barrett's esophagus (BE) usually have severe gastroesophageal reflux. However, they often have surprisingly few reflux symptoms. We hypothesized that BE patients are less sensitive to acid than gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients without Barrett and that this is due to an unusual preservation of mucosal integrity of the squamous epithelium prohibiting transepithelial acid diffusion.MethodsWe prospectively analyzed esophageal sensitivity and esophageal mucosal integrity in GERD patients with and without BE and healthy subjects. An acid perfusion test was performed and mucosal integrity was assessed in vivo by electrical tissue impedance spectroscopy and ex vivo by Ussing chamber experiments with biopsy specimens.Key ResultsGastroesophageal reflux disease patients with BE were less sensitive to acid than GERD patients without BE, but more sensitive to acid than healthy controls (time to perception Barrett's 14.0 minutes, GERD 4.6 minutes, controls 17.5 minutes). However, extracellular impedance (6.2 and 5.7 vs 8.4×103 Ω/m) and transepithelial resistance (94.0 and 89 vs 118 Ω/cm2) was similar in BE and GERD patients and significantly lower than in healthy subjects. Transepithelial fluorescein flux was equally increased in GERD patients with and without BE (1.6 and 1.7×103 vs 0.6×103 nmol/cm2/h).Conclusions & InferencesEsophageal hypersensitivity to acid is less pronounced in BE patients than in GERD patients without Barrett. However, mucosal integrity of the squamous epithelium is equally impaired in GERD patients with and without Barrett, indicating that factors other than esophageal mucosal barrier integrity explain the difference in acid sensitivity between those with BE and those without.
Differences in retinal shape between East Asian and Caucasian eyes
Authors: Verkicharla Pavan K. , Suheimat Marwan , Schmid Katrina L. , Atchison David A. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractPurposeTo investigate whether retinal shape is different between East Asians and Caucasians.MethodsThere were 36 East Asian and 40 Caucasian young adults, with refractions between +0.75D and −5.50D. Peripheral eye lengths were obtained after pupil dilation using the Lenstar partial coherence interferometer. Measurements were obtained along the horizontal and vertical meridians of the visual field out to ±35° and ±30°, respectively, in 5° steps. Retinal co‐ordinates were estimated using a validated method from the peripheral eye length measurements and ray‐tracing through a modified Le Grand full theoretical eye. Rays were directed normally towards the anterior cornea. Retinal shapes were described in terms of vertex radius of curvature (Rv), asphericity (Q) and equivalent radius of curvature (REq) along both horizontal and vertical meridians.ResultsRv was smaller in East Asian than in Caucasians (mean difference ± 95% CI −0.7 ± 0.5 mm), along the horizontal meridian than the vertical meridian (−1.2 ± 0.6 mm), and in myopia than in emmetropia (−1.0 ± 0.6 mm). Rv along the horizontal meridian, but not along the vertical meridian, became smaller as myopia increased. Q did not vary significantly with meridian, refraction group or race. The same pattern of results occurred for REq as for Rv. The percentage differences of heights under the estimated retinal surfaces showed steeper retinas in East Asians than in Caucasians; the differences between East Asian and Caucasian emmetropes were 2.5% and <1% along horizontal and vertical meridians, respectively, and corresponding differences for myopes were 4.6% and 1.8%.ConclusionEast Asians had steeper retinas than Caucasians. The horizontal meridian had steeper retinas than the vertical meridian. Myopes had steeper retinas than emmetropes. Racial differences in retinal shape in both emmetropes and myopes, combined with the high prevalence of myopia in East Asia, suggest that retinal shape may play a role in myopia development.
Safe Zone of Posterior Screw Insertion for Talar Neck Fractures on 3‐Dimensional Reconstruction Model
Authors: Wu Jian‐qun , Ma Sheng‐hui , Liu Song , Qin Cheng‐he , Jin Dan , Yu Bin 
Published: March 2017

ObjectiveTo investigate the optimal posterior screw placement and the geometry of safe zones for screw insertion in the talar neck.MethodsComputed tomography data for 15 normal feet were imported into Mimics 10.01 software for 3‐dimensional reconstruction; 4.0‐mm‐diameter screws were simulated from the lateral tubercle of the posterior process of the talus to the talar head. The range of screw paths trajectories and screw lengths at nine locations that did not breach the cortex of the talus were evaluated. In addition, the farthest (point a) and nearest point (point b) of the safe zone to the subtalar joint at each location, the anteversion angle (angle A), which is parallel to the sagittal plane, and the horizontal angle (angle B), which is perpendicular to the sagittal plane, were measured.ResultsThe safe zone was mainly between the 30% location and the 60% location; the width of each safe zone was 13.6° ± 1.4°; the maximum height of each safe zone was 7.8° ± 1.2°. The height of the safe zone was lowest at the 30% location (4.5°) and highest at the 50% location (7.3°). The mixed safe zone of all tali was between the 50% location and the 60% location. When a screw was inserted at point a, the safe entry distance (screw length) ranged from 48.8 to 49.5 mm, and when inserted to point b, the distance ranged from 48.2 to 48.9 mm. And inserting a 48.7 mm screw, 5.6° laterally and 7.4° superiorly, from the lateral tubercle of the posterior process of the talus towards the talar head is safest.ConclusionThe safe zone of posterior screw fixation have been defined applying to most talus, assuming the fractures are well reduced, this may strengthen the stability, shorten the operation time and reduce the incidence of surgical complications.
Therapeutic Outcomes of KalixIIin Treating Juvenile Flexible Flatfoot
Authors: Cao Le , Miao Xu‐dong , Wu Yong‐ping , Zhang Xiang‐feng , Zhang Qiang 
Published: March 2017

ObjectivesTo evaluate the therapeutic outcomes with KalixIIsubtalar arthroereisis in sinus tarsi for juvenile flexible flatfoot.MethodsA retrospective analysis of the data of 20 juveniles with symptomatic flexible flatfoot (27 feet) who underwent the KalixIIimplant procedure from January 2008 to September 2012 was performed. The pain during daily activities was assessed and followed up by use of a standard 10‐point visual analog scale (VAS), and function was evaluated using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle and hindfoot scoring system, and anteroposterior talar‐first metatarsal angle, lateral talar‐first metatarsal angle, calcaneal pitch angle, and talar declination angle at X‐ray film were measured to assess the therapeutic outcomes. Patients were asked to grade the result of the procedure as excellent, good, fair, or poor at latest follow‐up. The data was expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD). A paired Student'st‐test was used for comparisons of the preoperative and postoperative angular measurements for each foot,VASscores, andAOFASscores. In all tests,P< 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsThe mean age of the patients was 12.1 years (range, 7–16 years), and 16 left feet and 11 right feet were involved. All patients finished the follow‐up with a mean period of 28.1 months (range, 23–60 months). Eleven feet were treated with subtalar arthroereisis combined with reconstruction of the end point of the posterior tibialis tendon after dissection of the accessory scaphoid. The subtalar arthroereisis device displaced in 1 foot due to a fall from the inversion position 3 months after surgery, and was replaced by a new device after the failure of conservative treatment. The meanVASscore decreased from 5.6 ± 0.5 preoperatively to 1.2 ± 0.2 (P< 0.001), and the meanAOFAShindfoot and ankle score improved from 71.1 ± 6.1 preoperatively to 88.1 ± 6.3 (P< 0.001). Differences between preoperative and postoperative measurements for each radiographic variable were statistically significant (P< 0.001). Comparison of radiographic measurements showed that the anteroposterior talar‐first metatarsal (Meary) angle decreased by a mean of 12.8° ± 1.5°, the lateral talar‐first metatarsal (Meary) angle decreased by a mean of 15.4° ± 1.3°, the calcaneal pitch angle increased by a mean of −2.1° ± 0.7°, and the talar declination angle decreased by a mean of 17.9° ± 2.8°. Overall, 12 patients rated the result as excellent, 6 as good, and 2 as fair.ConclusionThe application of KalixIIin subtalar arthroereisis combined with dissection of accessory scaphoid and reconstruction of posterior tibialis tendon is an effective therapy for flexible juvenile flatfoot.
Does Age Impact on Expectations and Concerns of Patients Attending a Chronic Pain Clinic?
Authors: McLoughlin Margaret , Imran Ather , Hannigan Ailish , Harmon Dominic 
Published: March 2017

AbstractBackgroundRecognizing expectations and concerns of patients leads to more specialized management plans and greater adherence to treatment and improves outcomes. Little is known about how age impacts on expectations or concerns regarding pain in patients attending a chronic pain clinic.MethodsWe prospectively assessed the expectations and concerns of 100 adult patients at their first visit to a pain clinic. Patients reported their expectations and concerns for the clinic visit using a self‐completed questionnaire. Categories of concerns and expectations were compared across age groups (≤ 65 years, > 65 years) using the chi‐square test and Fisher's exact test.ResultsThirty‐nine patients (39%) were over 65 years of age (older patients). The most frequently stated site of pain was the lumbar spine for all patients regardless of age. Common concerns of all patients related to sleep and mobility, and the most common expectation related to analgesia. Younger patients were more concerned about employment (23% vs. 3% of older patients, P = 0.005) and social participation (21% vs. 5%, P = 0.03), whereas older patients were more likely to be concerned about mobility (46% vs. 15% of younger patients, P = 0.001). More younger patients expected education on the source of pain than did older patients (23% vs. 3%, P = 0.005), whereas older patients were more likely to be unsure or have no expectations (26% vs. 3%, P = 0.005).ConclusionWe found differences in patient expectations and concerns by age of those attending a chronic pain clinic. These differences can inform the communication process between physician and patient on treatment plans and outcomes.
A Relational Grounding for (Urban) Governance: Street‐Level Practices of Responsive Improvisation and Practical Change
Authors: Bartels Koen P. R. 
Published: March 2017

Related Content: Balfour (PAR May/June 2017)Related Content: Spicer (PAR May/June 2017)Related Content: Raadschelders (PAR May/June 2017)Related Content: Benavides (PAR May/June 2017)
Experimental analysis of the effect of standards on compliance and performance
Authors: Boussalis Constantine , Feldman Yuval , Smith Henry E. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractLegal directives – whether laws, regulations, or contractual provisions – can be written along a spectrum of specificity, about which behavioral and legal scholarship present conflicting views. We hypothesized that the combination of specificity and monitoring promotes compliance but harms performance and trust, whereas the combination of specificity and good faith enhances both the informative goal‐setting aspects of specificity and people's sense of commitment. To test these hypotheses, we used a 2x2x2 experimental design in which participants were instructed to edit a document with either general or detailed instructions, with a reference to good faith or without it, and with a review of the work or without it. Participants could engage in various levels and kinds of editing, allowing us to distinctly measure both compliance and performance. When participants require information and guidance, as in the case of editing, we found that specificity increases performance relative to the vague standard condition. We discuss the characteristics of the regulatory frameworks in which our findings are especially relevant.
Where Are the Missing Coauthors? Authorship Practices in Participatory Research
Authors: Sarna‐Wojcicki Daniel , Perret Margaret , Eitzel M. V. , Fortmann Louise 
Published: March 2017

AbstractOriginally marginal, participatory research has become an increasingly important methodology in the social, biophysical, and interdisciplinary sciences. The overall increase in publications based on participatory research has raised questions about crediting the contributions of nonacademic collaborators. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, we analyzed trends and patterns in authorship and acknowledgment practices in a sample of 262 journal articles reporting on participatory research on rural livelihoods published from 1975 to 2013. Six percent of the researchers recognized the intellectual contributions of their nonacademic collaborators with coauthorship and 51 percent with acknowledgment. Through interviews with lead authors of coauthored articles, we analyzed factors that shaped whether authorship was shared with nonacademic collaborators. Despite facing numerous barriers, researchers were motivated to coauthor in order to recognize intellectual contributions, practice research ethics, and work toward epistemic decolonization. We argue that coauthorship can be an important component of epistemic justice in participatory research and encourage participatory researchers to discuss authorship with their nonacademic collaborators as a routine component of engaged scholarship. We also note that nonacademics’ contributions to scientific knowledge need to be taken into account in understandings of the practice of science.
Associations between thoracic radiographic changes and severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension diagnosed in 60 dogs via Doppler echocardiography: A retrospective study
Authors: Adams Dustin S. , Marolf Angela J. , Valdés‐Martínez Alejandro , Randall Elissa K. , Bachand Annette M. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractDoppler echocardiography is a noninvasive method for estimating and grading pulmonary arterial hypertension. No current literature associates significance of radiographic findings with severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension. We hypothesized that the number and conspicuity of radiographic findings suggestive of pulmonary arterial hypertension would be greater based on the severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Dogs with pulmonary arterial hypertension and normal control dogs were included in this retrospective, case control study. Three radiologists blinded to echocardiographic results scored thoracic radiographs for right ventricular and main pulmonary artery enlargement and pulmonary lobar artery enlargement, tortuosity, and blunting by multiple methods. Presence or absence of each finding was scored in an additive fashion and averaged for each grade of pulmonary arterial hypertension severity. Seventy‐one dogs (60 dogs with pulmonary arterial hypertension and 11 control dogs) of which some had multiple studies were included: 20 mild, 21 moderate, 25 severe, and 11 absent pulmonary arterial hypertension. The following radiographic findings were significantly associated with increasing pulmonary arterial hypertension severity: right ventricular enlargement by “reverse D” and “3/5–2/5 cardiac ratio” methods, main pulmonary artery enlargement, and caudal lobar artery enlargement by the “3rd rib” method. Mean scores for severe pulmonary arterial hypertension and normal dogs were significantly different (P‐value < 0.0001). Mean scores between different pulmonary arterial hypertension grades increased with severity but were not statistically significant. Individually and in combination, radiographic findings performed poorly in differentiating severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Findings indicated that thoracic radiographs should be utilized in conjunction with Doppler echocardiography in a complete diagnostic work‐up for dogs with suspected pulmonary arterial hypertension.
English in Hong Kong higher education
Authors: EVANS STEPHEN 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACTResearch conducted in the late twentieth century pointed to a gulf in Hong Kong's universities between institutional medium‐of‐instruction policy, which stipulated the use of English, and lecturers’ classroom practices, which often involved the use of Cantonese to present and explain the content of English‐language textbooks and teaching materials. This article examines the findings of a study which sought to determine whether the policy‐practice divide had widened or narrowed in the past two decades under the pressure of two potentially competing forces: globalisation and decolonisation. The evidence suggests that the policy‐practice disjunction may have narrowed significantly in recent years, with most of the participants’ teachers evidently making a determined effort to instruct and interact with their students in English in lectures and seminars.
Use of Ancillary Carbapenemase Tests To Improve Specificity of Phenotypic Definitions for Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae
Authors: Miller Shelley A. , Hindler Janet A. , Chengcuenca Angelo , Humphries Romney M. 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACT

Carbapenemase-producing
Enterobacteriaceae
(CPE) are a significant threat to public health. In 2015, CDC revised the surveillance definition for CPE to include all
Enterobacteriaceae
resistant to any carbapenem tested. However, this definition is associated with poor specificity. We evaluated the performance of this definition, compared to carbapenemase PCR, for a collection of 125
Enterobacteriaceae
. We also investigated the impact of ancillary testing for carbapenemase of isolates that met the CDC CPE surveillance definition. The two ancillary tests evaluated were the Xpert Carba-R assay, a molecular test, and the carbapenem inactivation method (CIM). Two variables were evaluated for the CIM: suspension of organisms in double-distilled water (ddH
2
O) versus tryptic soy broth (TSB) to incubate disks, and incubation of plates for 6 h versus 18 to 20 h. The sensitivity and specificity of the Carba-R assay were 100% compared to the results of in-house PCR. The sensitivities of the CIM performed with TSB were 94.6% when read at 6 h and 97.7% when read at 18 to 20 h; the sensitivities with ddH
2
O were 88.0% when read at 6 h and 93.0% when incubated for 18 to 20 h. The specificity was 100% for all variables tested. Without ancillary testing, the sensitivity of the CDC definition was 98.9% for CPE, and the specificity was 6.1%. Testing isolates that screened positive by the CDC definition with the Xpert Carba-R did not change the sensitivity, and it improved the specificity to 100%. Similarly, the use of the CIM (TSB and 18 to 20 h of incubation) to confirm screen-positive isolates resulted in a sensitivity of 95.6% and specificity of 100%.
Interactions between the Dengue Virus Polymerase NS5 and Stem-Loop A
Authors: Bujalowski Paul J. , Bujalowski Wlodzimierz , Choi Kyung H. 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACT

The process of RNA replication by dengue virus is still not completely understood despite the significant progress made in the last few years. Stem-loop A (SLA), a part of the viral 5′ untranslated region (UTR), is critical for the initiation of dengue virus replication, but quantitative analysis of the interactions between the dengue virus polymerase NS5 and SLA in solution has not been performed. Here, we examine how solution conditions affect the size and shape of SLA and the formation of the NS5-SLA complex. We show that dengue virus NS5 binds SLA with a 1:1 stoichiometry and that the association reaction is primarily entropy driven. We also observe that the NS5-SLA interaction is influenced by the magnesium concentration in a complex manner. Binding is optimal with 1 mM MgCl
2
but decreases with both lower and higher magnesium concentrations. Additionally, data from a competition assay between SLA and single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) indicate that SLA competes with ssRNA for the same binding site on the NS5 polymerase. SLA
70
and SLA
80
, which contain the first 70 and 80 nucleotides (nt), respectively, bind NS5 with similar binding affinities. Dengue virus NS5 also binds SLAs from different serotypes, indicating that NS5 recognizes the overall shape of SLA as well as specific nucleotides.

IMPORTANCE
Dengue virus is an important human pathogen responsible for dengue hemorrhagic fever, whose global incidence has increased dramatically over the last several decades. Despite the clear medical importance of dengue virus infection, the mechanism of viral replication, a process commonly targeted by antiviral therapeutics, is not well understood. In particular, stem-loop A (SLA) and stem-loop B (SLB) located in the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) are critical for binding the viral polymerase NS5 to initiate minus-strand RNA synthesis. However, little is known regarding the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters driving these interactions. Here, we quantitatively examine the energetics of intrinsic affinities, characterize the stoichiometry of the complex of NS5 and SLA, and determine how solution conditions such as magnesium and sodium concentrations and temperature influence NS5-SLA interactions in solution. Quantitatively characterizing dengue virus NS5-SLA interactions will facilitate the design and assessment of antiviral therapeutics that target this essential step of the dengue virus life cycle.