bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Percutaneous Needle Tenotomy for the Treatment of Lateral Epicondylitis: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Authors: Mattie Ryan , Wong Joseph , McCormick Zachary , Yu Sloane , Saltychev Mikhail , Laimi Katri 
Published: October 2016

AbstractObjectiveTo analyze the literature to determine whether controlled studies on percutaneous tenotomy have been published, and if so, to systematically assess the efficacy of percutaneous tenotomy for the treatment of tendinosis at the lateral epicondyle of the elbow.DesignSystematic review of the available literature.MethodsCochrane Controlled Trials Register (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases were searched in November 2015, unrestricted by date. After the initial search, we excluded conference proceedings, theses, reviews, expert opinions, and publications written in languages other than English. Next, 2 independent reviewers screened all of the remaining records with regard to their titles and abstracts, and subsequently, the full texts of identified publications potentially relevant to the present study.ResultsSix articles focused on percutaneous tenotomy, none of which were controlled against a placebo or conservative treatment group. The absence of true randomized controlled trials created a great deal of heterogeneity between the studies; thus we could not include any of our studies in the intended final quantitative analysis with meta‐analysis tools. We describe all 6 studies identified by this systematic review with a detailed analysis of the procedural methods, outcome measures, and conclusions of each study.ConclusionsPercutaneous tenotomy presents an alternative to surgical release of the common extensor tendon for the treatment of chronic tendinosis at the lateral epicondyle of the elbow. Current research supporting the efficacy of this procedure, however, is of low quality (level II to level IV).Level of EvidenceIII
Assessing Occupancy and Its Relation to Healthcare-Associated Infections
Authors: Goldstein Neal D. , Ingraham Bailey C. , Eppes Stephen C. , Drees Marci , Paul David A. 
Published: October 2016

Occupancy has been associated with risk for healthcare-associated infections, yet its definition varies widely. Occupancy can be modeled as a function of census, acuity of the patient care unit, staffing ratio, or some combination. This article discusses the appropriate parameterization of these measures and how to interpret their impact.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016:1–3
Sensor allocation problems on the real line
Authors: Kranakis Evangelos , Shaikhet Gennady 
Published: October 2016

AbstractA large numbernof sensors (finite connected intervals) are placed randomly on the real line so that the distances between the consecutive midpoints are independent random variables with expectation inversely proportional ton. In this work we address two fundamental sensor allocation problems. The interference problem tries to reallocate the sensors from their initial positions to eliminate overlaps. The coverage problem, on the other hand, allows overlaps, but tries to eliminate uncovered spaces between the originally placed sensors. Both problems seek to minimize the total sensor movement while reaching their respective goals. Using tools from queueing theory, Skorokhod reflections, and weak convergence, we investigate asymptotic behaviour of optimal costs asnincreases to ∞. The introduced methodology is then used to address a more complicated, modified coverage problem, in which the overlaps between any two sensors can not exceed a certain parameter.
Compound geometric approximation under a failure rate constraint
Authors: Daly Fraser 
Published: October 2016

AbstractWe consider compound geometric approximation for a nonnegative, integer-valued random variable W. The bound we give is straightforward but relies on having a lower bound on the failure rate of W. Applications are presented to M/G/1 queuing systems, for which we state explicit bounds in approximations for the number of customers in the system and the number of customers served during a busy period. Other applications are given to birth–death processes and Poisson processes.
Coalescence on critical and subcritical multitype branching processes
Authors: Hong Jyy-I 
Published: October 2016

AbstractConsider a d-type (d<∞) Galton–Watson branching process, conditioned on the event that there are at least k≥2 individuals in the nth generation, pick k individuals at random from the nth generation and trace their lines of descent backward in time till they meet. In this paper, the limit behaviors of the distributions of the generation number of the most recent common ancestor of any k chosen individuals and of the whole population are studied for both critical and subcritical cases. Also, we investigate the limit distribution of the joint distribution of the generation number and their types.
Distribution of the smallest visited point in a greedy walk on the line
Authors: Gabrysch Katja 
Published: October 2016

AbstractWe consider a greedy walk on a Poisson process on the real line. It is known that the walk does not visit all points of the process. In this paper we first obtain some useful independence properties associated with this process which enable us to compute the distribution of the sequence of indices of visited points. Given that the walk tends to +∞, we find the distribution of the number of visited points in the negative half-line, as well as the distribution of the time at which the walk achieves its minimum.
On randomly spaced observations and continuous-time random walks
Authors: Basrak Bojan , Špoljarić Drago 
Published: October 2016

AbstractWe consider random variables observed at arrival times of a renewal process, which possibly depends on those observations and has regularly varying steps with infinite mean. Due to the dependence and heavy-tailed steps, the limiting behavior of extreme observations until a given time t tends to be rather involved. We describe the asymptotics and extend several partial results which appeared in this setting. The theory is applied to determine the asymptotic distribution of maximal excursions and sojourn times for continuous-time random walks.
The entirely coupled region of supercritical contact processes
Authors: Tzioufas Achillefs 
Published: October 2016

AbstractWe consider translation-invariant, finite-range, supercritical contact processes. We show the existence of unbounded space-time cones within which the descendancy of the process from full occupancy may with positive probability be identical to that of the process from the single site at its apex. The proof comprises an argument that leans upon refinements of a successful coupling among these two processes, and is valid ind-dimensions.
Proposing the short Neurological Evaluation Scale
Authors: Ojagbemi Akin , Emsley Robin , Gureje Oye 
Published: October 2016

ObjectivesThe time required in completing the 26 items of neurological examinations in the standard Neurological Evaluation Scale (NES) may limit its utility in pragmatic clinical situations. We propose the Short Neurological Evaluation Scale (S-NES) for use in busy clinical settings, and in research.MethodsUsing confirmatory factor analyses, we identified 12 items of neurological examination showing significant overlap with previously reported theoretical and empirical categories of neurological soft signs (NSS) in schizophrenia. This provided justification for the development of a shorter version of the NES based on the empirically identified NSS. In the present study, we relied on existing data to present an initial validation of the S-NES against the referent standard 26-item NES. We determined sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios. Posterior-test probability was estimated using a Bayesian nomogram plot.ResultsUsing data derived from 84 unmedicated or minimally treated patients with first-episode schizophrenia, 12 empirically determined items of neurological examinations showed high agreement with the 26 items in the standard NES battery (sensitivity=96.3%, specificity=100%, and posterior-test probability=100%).ConclusionsWithin limitations of validity estimates derived from existing data, the present results suggest that the design of the S-NES based on empirically identified 12 items of neurological examination is a logical step. If successful, the S-NES will be useful for rapid screening of NSS in busy clinical settings, and also in research.
UNITY THROUGH DIVERSITY: A CASE STUDY OF CHRISLAM IN LAGOS
Authors: Janson Marloes 
Published: October 2016

ABSTRACTThis article presents an ethnographic case study of Chrislam, a series of religious movements that fuse Christian and Muslim beliefs and practices, in its socio-cultural and political-economic setting in Nigeria's former capital Lagos. In contrast to conventional approaches that study religious movements in Africa as syncretic forms of ‘African Christianity’ or ‘African Islam’, I suggest that ‘syncretism’ is a misleading term to describe Chrislam. In fact, Chrislam provides a rationale for scrutinizing the very concept of syncretism and offers an alternative analytical case for understanding its mode of religious pluralism. To account for the religious plurality in Chrislam, I employ assemblage theory because it proposes novel ways of looking at Chrislam's religious mix that are in line with the way in which its worshippers perceive their religiosity. The underlying idea in Chrislam's assemblage of Christianity and Islam is that to be a Christian or Muslim alone is not enough to guarantee success in this world and the hereafter; therefore, Chrislam worshippers participate in Christian as well as Muslim practices, appropriating the perceived powers of both.
REFLECTIONS ON MUSLIM–CHRISTIAN ENCOUNTERS IN WEST AFRICA
Authors: Soares Benjamin 
Published: October 2016

ABSTRACTAmong historians, social scientists and scholars of religion there has been increased recognition of the importance of studying Islam and Christianity in Africa not separately but rather together as lived religions in dynamic interaction over time. In this article, I trace how scholars have arrived at such a point and consider some of the challenges of conducting research on religious encounters, and particularly those associated with studying Islam and Christianity, Muslims and Christians together. I frame this discussion in terms of some of the theoretical and methodological issues at stake in advancing the study of religious encounters in Africa and draw from my own research and the work of others on the topic, particularly in West Africa, to reflect upon how this important field of inquiry has developed and what it has accomplished.
Bolivian Tariff Policy during the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries: High Average Tariff and Unbalanced Regional Protection
Authors: PERES-CAJÍAS JOSÉ ALEJANDRO 
Published: October 2016

AbstractThis article demonstrates that Bolivian tariff policy during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was not as passive as previously assumed and that the average tariff ratio remained high. However, high average tariffs coexisted for a long time with free-entry rights for different products which represented the main economic activity of certain Bolivian regions. Furthermore, the competitiveness of products was sometimes mostly determined by the geographic fragmentation of the country and the uneven pattern of railway construction rather by than tariffs. Therefore, beyond its high average level, the protectionist effect of tariffs was sometimes constrained by institutional and geographical restrictions.
Demolishing Legitimacy: Bogotá’s Urban Reforms for the 1948 Pan-American Conference
Authors: OELZE MICAH 
Published: October 2016

AbstractTraditional accounts of the 1948Bogotazo– the riot in Bogotá, Colombia, sparked by the assassination of populist leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán – have overlooked the urban context that explains the extent of the destruction. Preparing to host the 1948 IX Pan-American Conference, Bogotá had undergone aggressive urban reforms that financially burdened and dispossessed residents. More than just a political figure, Gaitán was recognised as an urban advocate for the marginalised. They responded to his death by destroying reform projects and symbols of political authority. Informed by architectural journals, legislation and periodicals, this article shows that Bogotá’s elite and dispossessed alike inscribed their political projects onto the urban landscape.
Tactics of the Governed: Figures of Abandonment in Andean Peru
Authors: RASMUSSEN MATTIAS BORG 
Published: October 2016

AbstractAbandonment has become a performative idiom in Andean Peru, where it retains its purchase despite the investments of the state. Local development is tied to the desire to be governed. In spite of prolonged state presence, the villages’ relationship to authorities is continuously and persistently figured as one of abandonment: villages are abandoned because someone is deliberately holding them in such unfortunate conditions. To figure abandonment in village politics is to draw on this idiom as an effective means of both communicating the historical experience of governance and putting forward morally grounded claims to local authorities. The idiom of abandonment is therefore both effective and affective as a critique of governance and a claim to citizenship.
THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF SOVEREIGN DEFAULTS IN LATIN AMERICA 1870-2012
Authors: Boonman Tjeerd Menno 
Published: October 2016

ABSTRACTThis article analyzes sovereign debt defaults in four Latin American countries—Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico—for the period 1870-2012. The impact of sovereign defaults on real GDP growth is generally short-lived, while the impact in terms of output losses is deep and lasts long. Defaults in the period 1972-2012 show a deep and long-lasting impact compared to defaults in earlier periods. Moreover, the length of the contraction that follows a default is associated with favourable international conditions in the run-up to a default, while the depth of the contraction is associated with an expansive domestic economy in the run-up to a default. The results fit with boom–bust theories and sudden stop models.
A studyforrest extension, simultaneous fMRI and eye gaze recordings during prolonged natural stimulation
Authors: Hanke Michael , Adelhöfer Nico , Kottke Daniel , Iacovella Vittorio , Sengupta Ayan , Kaule Falko R. , Nigbur Roland , Waite Alexander Q. , Baumgartner Florian , Stadler Jörg 
Published: October 2016

AbstractHere we present an update of thestudyforrest(http://studyforrest.org) dataset that complements the previously released functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data for natural language processing with a new two-hour 3 Tesla fMRI acquisition while 15 of the original participants were shown anaudio-visualversion of the stimulus motion picture. We demonstrate with two validation analyses that these new data support modeling specific properties of the complex natural stimulus, as well as a substantial within-subject BOLD response congruency in brain areas related to the processing of auditory inputs, speech, and narrative when compared to the existing fMRI data for audio-only stimulation. In addition, we provide participants' eye gaze location as recorded simultaneously with fMRI, and an additional sample of 15 control participants whose eye gaze trajectories for the entire movie were recorded in a lab setting—to enable studies on attentional processes and comparative investigations on the potential impact of the stimulation setting on these processes.
Evolutionary plasticity of restorer-of-fertility-like proteins in rice
Authors: Melonek Joanna , Stone James D. , Small Ian 
Published: October 2016

AbstractHybrid seed production in rice relies on cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) induced by specific mitochondrial proteins, whose deleterious effects are suppressed by nuclear Restorer of Fertility (RF) genes. The majority of RF proteins belong to a specific clade of the RNA-binding pentatricopeptide repeat protein family. We have characterised ‘restorer-of-fertility-like’ (RFL) sequences from 13 Oryza genomes and the Brachypodium distachyon genome. The majority of the RFL sequences are found in genomic clusters located at two or three chromosomal loci with only a minor proportion being present as isolated genes. The RFL genomic cluster located on Oryza chromosome 10, the location of almost all known active rice RF genes, shows extreme variation in structure and gene content between species. We show evidence for homologous recombination events as an efficient mechanism for generating the huge repertoire of RNA sequence recognition motifs within RFL proteins and a major driver of RFL sequence evolution. The RFL sequences identified here will improve our understanding of the molecular basis of CMS and fertility restoration in plants and will accelerate the development of new breeding strategies.
Thermal referral: evidence for a thermoceptive uniformity illusion without touch
Authors: Cataldo Antonio , Ferrè Elisa Raffaella , di Pellegrino Giuseppe , Haggard Patrick 
Published: October 2016

AbstractWhen warm thermal stimulators are placed on the ring and index fingers of one hand, and a neutral-temperature stimulator on the middle finger, all three fingers feel warm. This illusion is known as thermal referral (TR). On one interpretation, the heterogenous thermal signals are overridden by homogenous tactile signals. This cross-modal thermo-tactile interaction could reflect a process of object recognition, based on the prior that many objects are thermally homogenous. Interestingly, the illusion was reported to disappear when the middle digit was lifted off the thermal stimulator, suggesting that tactile stimulation is necessary. However, no study has investigated whether purely thermal stimulation might induce TR, without any tactile object to which temperature can be attributed. We used radiant thermal stimulation to deliver purely thermal stimuli, which either were or were not accompanied by simultaneous touch. We found identical TR effects in both the original thermo-tactile condition, and in a purely thermoceptive condition where no tactile object was present. Control experiments ruled out explanations based on poor spatial discrimination of warm signals. Our purely thermoceptive results suggest that TR could reflect low-level organization of the thermoceptive pathway, rather than a cognitive intermodal modulation based on tactile object perception.
‘Artilysation’ of endolysin λSa2lys strongly improves its enzymatic and antibacterial activity against streptococci
Authors: Rodríguez-Rubio Lorena , Chang Wai-Ling , Gutiérrez Diana , Lavigne Rob , Martínez Beatriz , Rodríguez Ana , Govers Sander K. , Aertsen Abram , Hirl Christine , Biebl Manfred , Briers Yves , García Pilar 
Published: October 2016

AbstractEndolysins constitute a promising class of antibacterials against Gram-positive bacteria. Recently, endolysins have been engineered with selected peptides to obtain a new generation of lytic proteins, Artilysins, with specific activity against Gram-negative bacteria. Here, we demonstrate that artilysation can also be used to enhance the antibacterial activity of endolysins against Gram-positive bacteria and to reduce the dependence on external conditions. Art-240, a chimeric protein of the anti-streptococcal endolysin λSa2lys and the polycationic peptide PCNP, shows a similar species specificity as the parental endolysin, but the bactericidal activity against streptococci increases and is less affected by elevated NaCl concentrations and pH variations. Time-kill experiments and time-lapse microscopy demonstrate that the killing rate of Art-240 is approximately two-fold higher compared to wildtype endolysin λSa2lys, with a reduction in viable bacteria of 3 log units after 10 min. In addition, lower doses of Art-240 are required to achieve the same bactericidal effect.
Pharmacokinetic comparison between quercetin and quercetin 3-O-β-glucuronide in rats by UHPLC-MS/MS
Authors: Yang Le-Le , Xiao Na , Li Xiao-Wei , Fan Yong , Alolga Raphael N. , Sun Xiao-Yue , Wang Shi-Lei , Li Ping , Qi Lian-Wen 
Published: October 2016

AbstractQuercetin is a natural flavonoid widely distributed in human diet and functional foods. Quercetin 3-O-β-glucuronide (Q3G) is present in wine and some medicinal plants. Quercetin and Q3G may be metabolized from each other in vivo. While quercetin has been the subject of many studies, the pharmacokinetic profiles of quercetin and Q3G (in animals) have not yet been compared. Herein, we prepared a column-based method for rapid isolation of Q3G from Nelumbo nucifera. Then, we developed an UHPLC-MS/MS method to compare the pharmacokinetics of quercetin and Q3G. Our results showed that the plasma concentration-time curves of quercetin and Q3G show two maxima (Tmax1 ≈ 0.75 h, Tmax2 ≈ 5 h). After oral administration of 100 mg/kg quercetin or 100 mg/kg Q3G in rats, predominantly Q3G was detected in plasma with AUC at 39529.2 ± 6108.2 mg·h·L−1 or 24625.1 ± 1563.8 mg·h·L−1, 18-fold higher than quercetin with AUC at 1583.9 ± 583.3 mg·h·L−1 or 1394.6 ± 868.1 mg·h·L−1, respectively. After intravenous injection of 10 mg/kg in rats, Q3G showed extensive tissue uptake in kidney (409.2 ± 118.4 ng/g), liver (166.1 ± 52.9 ng/g), heart (97.7 ± 22.6 ng/g), and brain (5.8 ± 1.2 ng/g). In conclusion, we have shown that Q3G is a major active component in plasma and tissue for oral administration of quercetin or Q3G.
Implication of vaccination against dengue for Zika outbreak
Authors: Tang Biao , Xiao Yanni , Wu Jianhong 
Published: October 2016

AbstractZika virus co-circulates with dengue in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Cases of co-infection by dengue and Zika have been reported, the implication of this co-infection for an integrated intervention program for controlling both dengue and Zika must be addressed urgently. Here, we formulate a mathematical model to describe the transmission dynamics of co-infection of dengue and Zika with particular focus on the effects of Zika outbreak by vaccination against dengue among human hosts. Our analysis determines specific conditions under which vaccination against dengue can significantly increase the Zika outbreak peak, and speed up the Zika outbreak peak timing. Our results call for further study about the co-infection to direct an integrated control to balance the benefits for dengue control and the damages of Zika outbreak.
A cohesive granular material with tunable elasticity
Authors: Hemmerle Arnaud , Schröter Matthias , Goehring Lucas 
Published: October 2016

AbstractBy mixing glass beads with a curable polymer we create a well-defined cohesive granular medium, held together by solidified, and hence elastic, capillary bridges. This material has a geometry similar to a wet packing of beads, but with an additional control over the elasticity of the bonds holding the particles together. We show that its mechanical response can be varied over several orders of magnitude by adjusting the size and stiffness of the bridges, and the size of the particles. We also investigate its mechanism of failure under unconfined uniaxial compression in combination with in situ x-ray microtomography. We show that a broad linear-elastic regime ends at a limiting strain of about 8%, whatever the stiffness of the agglomerate, which corresponds to the beginning of shear failure. The possibility to finely tune the stiffness, size and shape of this simple material makes it an ideal model system for investigations on, for example, fracturing of porous rocks, seismology, or root growth in cohesive porous media.