bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Menstrual management in developmentally delayed adolescent females
Authors: Chuah Irene , McRae Alexandra , Matthews Kim , Maguire Ann M. , Steinbeck Katharine 
Published: March 2017

BackgroundRequests for assistance in menstrual management and menstrual suppression are a common, emotive and sometimes controversial aspect of adolescent disability care.AimsTo review the uptake and outcomes of menstrual suppression among adolescent patients with developmental delay.MethodsA retrospective review of the medical records of adolescent females with intellectual disability referred for menstrual management to the Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecology Clinic, Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, for the three‐year period between January 1, 2010 and January 1, 2013.ResultsEighty adolescent patients with developmental delay were identified. A third (n = 28) of the patients were pre‐menarcheal at first review with parent/caregivers seeking anticipatory advice. Of the post‐menarcheal patients, the median age of menarche was 12 years (range 10–15 years). First and second line interventions were documented as were reasons for change where applicable. The combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP) was the most frequently used therapy (67%), and 19 patients in total had a levonorgestrel releasing intrauterine system (LNG‐IUS) inserted (31%). Our study population differs from similar previously published groups in the marked absence of the use of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate or the subdermal etonogestrel releasing device.ConclusionAs a paediatrician, it is important to address menstrual management issues and allay caregiver concerns with appropriate advice. Our study supports the use of the COCP as sound first line management in achieving menstrual suppression. The LNG‐IUS appears to be a favourable second line option. Further investigation into longer‐term outcomes and potential complications of device insertion is recommended.
The relationship between J waves and contact of lung cancer with the heart
Authors: Hayashi Hideki , Wu Qi , Horie Minoru 
Published: March 2017

BackgroundJ waves result mainly from an increased density of transient outward current (Ito). Mechanical stretch to the heart activates multiple signal transduction pathways, in which Ito may be involved. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that mechanical contact of lung cancer with the heart may manifest J waves.MethodsWe reviewed 12‐lead electrocardiograms to examine whether J waves were associated with contact of lung cancer with the heart. J waves were defied as an elevation of ≥0.1 mV at the junction between QRS complex and ST segment with either notching or slurring morphology. The locational interaction between lung cancer and the heart was determined by computed tomography image.ResultsA total of 264 patients (176 men; mean 68.5 ± 10.7 years) with lung cancer were evaluated. The prevalence of J waves was 25.4% in the total population. J waves were present in 40 of 44 (90.9%) patients with the contact. In contrast, J waves were present in 25 of 220 (11.4%) patients without the contact. The sensitivity and specificity of the contact for J waves were 90.9% and 88.6%, respectively. The odds ratio of the contact with the heart to the presence of J waves was 78 (95% confidence interval 25.7–236.4). The appearance of J waves that coincided with the development of lung cancer was observed in 12 patients.ConclusionThe presence of J waves was associated with the contact of lung cancer with the heart.
Moral Hard‐Wiring and Moral Enhancement
Authors: Persson Ingmar , Savulescu Julian 
Published: March 2017

AbstractWe have argued for an urgent need for moral bioenhancement; that human moral psychology is limited in its ability to address current existential threats due to the evolutionary function of morality to maximize cooperation in small groups.We address here Powell and Buchanan's novel objection that there is an ‘inclusivist anomaly’: humans have the capacity to care beyond in‐groups. They propose that ‘exclusivist’ (group‐based) morality is sensitive to environmental cues that historically indicated out‐group threat. When this is not present, we are inclusivist. They conclude that moral bioenhancement is unnecessary or less effective than socio‐cultural interventions.We argue that Powell and Buchanan underestimate the hard‐wiring features of moral psychology; their appeal to adaptively plastic, conditionally expressed responses accounts for only a fragment of our moral psychology. In addition to restrictions on our altruistic concern that their account addresses – such as racism and sexism – there are ones it is ill‐suited to address: that our concern is stronger for kin and friends and for concrete individuals rather than for statistical lives; also our bias towards the near future. Hard‐wired features of our moral psychology that are not clearly restrictions in altruistic concern also include reciprocity, tit‐for‐tat, and others. Biomedical means are not the only, and maybe not the most important, means of moral enhancement. Socio‐cultural means are of great importance and there are currently no biomedical interventions for many hard‐wired features. Nevertheless research is desirable because the influence of these features is greater than our critics think.
Diagrams benefit symbolic problem‐solving
Authors: Chu Junyi , Rittle‐Johnson Bethany , Fyfe Emily R. 
Published: March 2017

BackgroundThe format of a mathematics problem often influences students’ problem‐solving performance. For example, providing diagrams in conjunction with story problems can benefit students’ understanding, choice of strategy, and accuracy on story problems. However, it remains unclear whether providing diagrams in conjunction with symbolic equations can benefit problem‐solving performance as well.AimsWe tested the impact of diagram presence on students’ performance on algebra equation problems to determine whether diagrams increase problem‐solving success. We also examined the influence of item‐ and student‐level factors to test the robustness of the diagram effect.SampleWe worked with 61 seventh‐grade students who had received 2 months of pre‐algebra instruction.MethodStudents participated in an experimenter‐led classroom session. Using a within‐subjects design, students solved algebra problems in two matched formats (equation and equation‐with‐diagram).ResultsThe presence of diagrams increased equation‐solving accuracy and the use of informal strategies. This diagram benefit was independent of student ability and item complexity.ConclusionsThe benefits of diagrams found previously for story problems generalized to symbolic problems. The findings are consistent with cognitive models of problem‐solving and suggest that diagrams may be a useful additional representation of symbolic problems.
New insights in the development of syn‐depositional fractures in rimmed flat‐topped carbonate platforms, Neogene carbonate complexes, Sorbas Basin, SE Spain
Authors: Nooitgedacht Casimir W. , Kleipool Lucas M. , Andeweg Bernd , Reolid Jesús , Betzler Christian , Lindhorst Sebastian , Reijmer John J. G. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe formation of syn‐depositional fractures in carbonate platforms is considered an important feature in the understanding of platform evolution. This study investigates the mechanisms of fracture formation in rimmed flat‐topped carbonate platforms in the very well‐exposed Cariatiz Miocene Fringing Reef Unit, SE Spain. Fracture data were obtained using a combination of LIDAR and field mapping techniques, which proved useful in understanding general fracture trends. The morphological expression of fracture sets, preferred fracture localization, crosscutting relationships and fracture fill are characteristics that provide constraints on the timing of fracture formation and opening. Three dominant fracture populations were identified, amongst which a margin parallel and a margin perpendicular fracture set. Margin parallel fractures localize around the platform margin and form vertically extensive dikes that crosscut facies boundaries. The sedimentary fill of such fractures suggests syn‐depositional fracture formation under marine conditions. Together, fracture characteristics suggest a gravitational driver for the formation of tensile stress and the development of margin parallel fractures along the platform edge. Margin perpendicular structures form sub‐vertical dikes and fracture corridors. Margin perpendicular fractures localize on the platform slope and show two types of fracture fill, indicating marine and continental origins. Based on variations of fracture morphology along the carbonate platform, fracture localization, petrographic analysis of sedimentary fill and stable isotope analysis on sparite cements, we suggest a gravitational control on the formation of these fractures. Two mechanisms for the formation of subvertical margin perpendicular fractures are proposed: (1) principal stress rotation as a result of downslope loading. (2) Differential compaction over buried gulley systems on antecedent clinoform slopes. We suggest that the formation of sub‐vertical margin perpendicular fractures might be a systematic feature in slopes of flat‐topped carbonate platforms.
Effect of Parental Migration on the Academic Performance of Left‐behind Middle School Students in Rural China
Authors: Li Lili , Wang Lei , Nie Jingchun 
Published: March 2017

AbstractChina's rapid development and urbanization over the past 30 years have caused large numbers of rural residents to migrate to urban areas in search of work. This has created a generation of children who remain behind in rural areas when their parents migrate for work. Previous research has found mixed impacts of parental migration on the educational achievement of left‐behind children (LBC), perhaps because of methodological deficiencies and lack of recognition of the heterogeneity of this population of children. Our study attempts to examine the impact of six types of parental migration on the academic achievement of a rural junior high school sample. Our study uses a panel of 7148 junior high school students to implement a difference‐in‐difference analysis and finds that parental migration has a negative and significant impact on the academic achievement of junior high school students. Our study suggests that the Chinese Government should implement measures to dismantle barriers to the human capital accumulation of LBC to ensure sustainable economic growth and human capital development in China.
Degradation of low‐carbon MgO‐C refractory by high‐alumina stainless steel slags in VOD ladle slagline
Authors: Li Tianqing , Li Nan , Yan Wen , Zhang Houxing , He Zhongyang , Liu Baikuan 
Published: March 2017

AbstractA new type of low‐carbon magnesia carbon refractory (LCMCR) substituting for MgO‐Cr2O3 refractory was successfully used in vacuum oxygen decarburization (VOD) ladle slagline, and the composition and microstructure of the used LCMCR were investigated. The results indicated that the decarburizing reaction (MgO‐C reaction) in the LCMCR under the VOD refining condition (high temperature, low pressure) was inhibited due to the low carbon content in the MgO‐C refractory and the dense layer formed between slag and original layer. The dense layer prevented the penetration of the external O2 into the LCMCR inside because of the lower permeability of this layer, and thus, the direct burnout of the C in the LCMCR was substantially restrained. On the other hand, the large size crystal and the ultra‐low inclusions (SiO2 and Fe2O3) content of the fused magnesia in the LCMCR made the magnesia more slag resistance, because the grain boundary in magnesia had higher slag penetration resistance and the contact area between the slag and the magnesia was reduced. The two aspects of the inhibited decarburizing reaction and the high quality magnesia synthetically contributed to the high slag resistance of the LCMCR.
Influence of infant feeding patterns over the first year of life on growth from birth to 5 years
Authors: Betoko A. , Lioret S. , Heude B. , Hankard R. , Carles S. , Forhan A. , Regnault N. , Botton J. , Charles M. A. , de Lauzon‐Guillain B. ,   on behalf of the EDEN Mother‐Child Cohort Study Group
Published: March 2017

SummaryObjectivesAs early‐life feeding experiences may influence later health, we aimed to examine relations between feeding patterns over the first year of life and child's growth in the first 5 years of life.MethodsOur analysis included 1022 children from the EDEN mother–child cohort. Three feeding patterns were previously identified, i.e. ‘Later dairy products introduction and use of ready‐prepared baby foods’ (pattern‐1), ‘Long breastfeeding, later main meal food introduction and use of home‐made foods’ (pattern‐2) and ‘Use of ready‐prepared adult foods’ (pattern‐3). Associations between the feeding patterns and growth [weight, height and body mass index {BMI}] were analysed by multivariable linear regressions. Anthropometric changes were assessed by the final value adjusted for the initial value.ResultsEven though infant feeding patterns were not related to anthropometric measurements at 1, 3 and 5 years, high scores on pattern‐1 were associated with higher 1–3 years weight and height changes. High scores on pattern‐2 were related to lower 0–1 year weight and height changes, higher 1–5 years weight and height changes but not to BMI changes, after controlling for a wide range of potential confounding variables including parental BMI. Scores on pattern‐3 were not significantly related to growth. Additional adjustment for breastfeeding duration reduced the strength of the associations between pattern‐2 and growth but not those between pattern‐1 and height growth.ConclusionOur findings emphasize the relevance of considering infant feeding patterns including breastfeeding duration, age of complementary foods introduction as well as type of foods used when examining effects of early infant feeding practices on later health. © 2017 World Obesity Federation
Setting and nanostructural evolution of metakaolin geopolymer
Authors: Chen Xu , Sutrisno Andre , Zhu Lingyang , Struble Leslie J. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe nanostructural evolution during formation of geopolymers and its correlation with setting have not been well understood. In this study, penetration resistance and ultrasonic wave reflection tests were conducted to measure setting, and solid‐state27AlNMRand liquid‐state29SiNMRwere used to examine nanostructural changes in a metakaolin geopolymer as a function of time. Aluminum was released rapidly during the first 10 hour after mixing and immediately condensed with silicate species in solution to form larger sized aluminosilicate oligomers, which then condensed to form large structural units. Our evidence suggests these units form near metakaolin particle surface. Smaller sized silicate ions in the sol phase then attach to these units to form a gel with a more interconnected network structure. The initial stage of this attaching process was seen to be associated with set, which in this mixture occurred at 15 hour.
Methodology for measuring fracture toughness of ceramic materials by instrumented indentation test with vickers indenter
Authors: Ma Dejun , Wang Jialiang , Sun Liang 
Published: March 2017

AbstractVirtual crack closure technique and elastoplastic finite element method were employed to calculate the stress intensity factors (SIF) of ceramic materials on the tip of both half‐penny crack (HPC) and radial crack (RC) induced by Vickers indenter and the value of fracture toughness (KIC) was extracted by the design of equi‐SIF contour of HPC and RC crack front. Through dimensional theorem and regressive analysis, a functional relationship between instrumented indentation parameters, crack length of Vickers impression and fracture toughness of ceramic materials was established, thus a novel methodology has been presented for measuring fracture toughness of ceramic materials by instrumented Vickers indentation. Both numerical analysis and experiments have indicated that this methodology enjoys higher measurement precision compared with other available indentation methods. The methodology is universally suitable for HPC, RC as well as transition cracks and capable of determining fracture toughness and elastic modulus in a single indentation test. In addition, it saves the effort of measuring the diagonal length of Vickers impression in case that the impression remains unclear.
Effects of substituting nurse practitioners, physician assistants or nurses for physicians concerning healthcare for the ageing population: a systematic literature review
Authors: Lovink Marleen H. , Persoon Anke , Koopmans Raymond T.C.M. , Van Vught Anneke J.A.H. , Schoonhoven Lisette , Laurant Miranda G.H. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractAimsTo evaluate the effects of substituting nurse practitioners, physician assistants or nurses for physicians in long‐term care facilities and primary healthcare for the ageing population (primary aim) and to describe what influences the implementation (secondary aim).BackgroundHealthcare for the ageing population is undergoing major changes and physicians face heavy workloads. A solution to guarantee quality and contain costs might be to substitute nurse practitioners, physician assistants or nurses for physicians.DesignA systematic literature review.Data sourcesPubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, Web of Science; searched January 1995–August 2015.Review methodsStudy selection, data extraction and quality appraisal were conducted independently by two reviewers. Outcomes collected: patient outcomes, care provider outcomes, process of care outcomes, resource use outcomes, costs and descriptions of the implementation. Data synthesis consisted of a narrative summary.ResultsTwo studies used a randomized design and eight studies used other comparative designs. The evidence of the two randomized controlled trials showed no effect on approximately half of the outcomes and a positive effect on the other half of the outcomes. Results of eight other comparative study designs point towards the same direction. The implementation was influenced by factors on a social, organizational and individual level.ConclusionPhysician substitution in healthcare for the ageing population may achieve at least as good patient outcomes and process of care outcomes compared with care provided by physicians. Evidence about resource use and costs is too limited to draw conclusions.
Chinese 1 strain of Toxoplasma gondii excreted–secreted antigens negatively modulate Foxp3 via inhibition of the TGFßRII/Smad2/Smad3/Smad4 pathway
Authors: Chen Jinling , Huang Caiqun , Zhu Dandan , Shen Pei , Duan Yinong , Wang Jianxin , Yang Chunzhao , Wu Liting 
Published: March 2017

AbstractToxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic intracellular parasite and is considered an important aetiological factor in the process of abortion, especially as occurs in early gestation. Chinese 1 strain of T. gondii is a dominant genotype prevalent in China. Although it is known that early foetal resorption triggered by RH strain of T. gondii is attributable to immune mechanisms rather than its direct effect in uterus, the underlying mechanism of the abortion caused by Chinese 1 strain remains unclear. This study was designed to investigate the effect of excreted–secreted antigens (ESA) of Chinese 1 strain of T. gondii on the expression of forkhead box transcription factor (Foxp3) as it pertains to early pregnancy and abortion. ESA caused a marked inhibition in the expression of Foxp3 both in vivo and in vitro. In addition, ESA negatively modulated Smad2 and Smad3 at the posttranslational level. Smad2 siRNA cooperated with ESA to further suppress the level of Foxp3. This inhibitory effect on Foxp3 expression was partially abrogated by overexpression of Smad2, Smad3 and Smad4. Additionally, ESA attenuated the expression of TGFßRII, whereas TGFßRII agonist could profoundly reversed the decreased Foxp3 triggered by ESA. Collectively, the findings suggested that ESA restricted Foxp3 expression by inhibiting TGFßRII/Smad2/Smad3/Smad4 signalling, ultimately resulting in abortion.
Assessing finasteride‐associated sexual dysfunction using theFAERSdatabase
Authors: Gupta A.K. , Carviel J. , MacLeod M.A. , Shear N. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractBackgroundPostmarketing reports suggest that finasteride causes sexual dysfunction despite a low incidence reported in clinical trials. Therefore, the extent of risk remains unknown.ObjectiveTo determine whether the risk of sexual dysfunction is higher among individuals treated with finasteride compared to a baseline risk for all other drugs using the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database.MethodsA case by non‐case disproportionality approach was used whereby a reporting odds ratio (ROR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated. The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) was used to confirm results.ResultsA significant disproportionality in reporting of sexual dysfunction with the use of finasteride was observed whether finasteride was indicated for hair loss (ROR = 138.17, 95% CI: 133.13, 143.4), prostatic hyperplasia (ROR = 93.88, 95% CI: 84.62, 104.16) or any indication (ROR = 173.18, 95% CI: 171.08, 175.31). When these results were stratified by age, disproportionality was strongest at 31–45 years.ConclusionUse of finasteride has led to an increase in reports of sexual dysfunction where it is believed to be the primary suspect.
Patterns and mechanisms in instances of endosymbiont‐induced parthenogenesis
Authors: Ma W.‐J. , Schwander T. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractFemale‐producing parthenogenesis can be induced by endosymbionts that increase their transmission by manipulating host reproduction. Our literature survey indicates that such endosymbiont‐induced parthenogenesis is known or suspected in 124 host species from seven different arthropod taxa, withWolbachiaas the most frequent endosymbiont (in 56–75% of host species). Most host species (81%, 100 out of 124) are characterized by haplo‐diploid sex determination, but a strong ascertainment bias likely underestimates the frequency of endosymbiont‐induced parthenogenesis in hosts with other sex determination systems. In at least one taxon, hymenopterans, endosymbionts are a significant driver of transitions from sexual to parthenogenetic reproduction, with one‐third of lineages being parthenogenetic as a consequence of endosymbiont infection. Endosymbiont‐induced parthenogenesis appears to facilitate the maintenance of reproductive polymorphism: at least 50% of species comprise both sexual (uninfected) and parthenogenetic (infected) strains. These strains feature distribution differences similar to the ones documented for lineages with genetically determined parthenogenesis, with endosymbiont‐induced parthenogens occurring at higher latitudes than their sexual relatives. Finally, although gamete duplication is often considered as the main mechanism for endosymbiont‐induced parthenogenesis, it underlies parthenogenesis in only half of the host species studied thus far. We point out caveats in the methods used to test for endosymbiont‐induced parthenogenesis and suggest specific approaches that allow for firm conclusions about the involvement of endosymbionts in the origin of parthenogenesis.