bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development of a model to quantify the accessibility of a Canadian trauma
system
Authors: Tansley Gavin , Schuurman Nadine , Erdogan Mete , Bowes Matthew , Green Robert , Asbridge Mark , Yanchar Natalie 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACT

Objectives
Trauma systems have been widely implemented across Canada, but access to
trauma care remains a challenge for much of the population. This study aims to
develop and validate a model to quantify the accessibility of definitive care
within one provincial trauma system and identify populations with poor access
to trauma care.

Methods
A geographic information system (GIS) was used to generate models of
pre-scene and post-scene intervals, respectively. Models were validated using a
population-based trauma registry containing data on prehospital time intervals
and injury locations for Nova Scotia (NS). Validated models were then applied
to describe the population-level accessibility of trauma care for the NS
population as well as a cohort of patients injured in motor vehicle collisions
(MVCs).

Results
Predicted post-scene intervals were found to be highly correlated with
documented post-scene intervals (β 1.05,
p&lt;0.001). Using the model, it was found that
88.1% and 42.7% of the population had access to Level III and Level I trauma
care within 60 minutes of prehospital time from their residence, respectively.
Access for victims of MVCs was lower, with 84.3% and 29.7% of the cohort having
access to Level III and Level I trauma care within 60 minutes of the location
of injury, respectively.

Conclusion
GIS models can be used to identify populations with poor access to care
and inform service planning in Canada. Although only 43% of the provincial
population has access to Level I care within 60 minutes, the majority of the
population of NS has access to Level III trauma care.
FOOL ME ONCE: CAN INDIFFERENCE VINDICATE INDUCTION?
Authors: Barnett Zach , Li Han 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACTRoger White (2015) sketches an ingenious new solution to the problem of induction. He argues from the principle of indifference for the conclusion that the world is more likely to be induction-friendly than induction-unfriendly. But there is reason to be skeptical about the proposed indifference-based vindication of induction. It can be shown that, in the crucial test cases White concentrates on, the assumption of indifference renders induction no more accurate than random guessing. After discussing this result, the paper explains why the indifference-based argument seemed so compelling, despite ultimately being unsound.
Difficulties Quitting for Smokers with and without a Respiratory Disease and Use of a Tailored Intervention for Smoking Cessation – A Qualitative Study
Authors: Alexis-Garsee Camille , Gilbert Hazel , Burton Martha , van den Akker Olga 
Published: March 2017

Introduction: Smokers with respiratory diseases are less likely to quit than those without impaired lung function, yet few studies have investigated the effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions with this population, and none have used a computer-tailored approach.Aims: This paper aims to fill this gap in the literature by exploring smokers’ experiences when trying to quit and their perceptions of a computer-tailored intervention.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 smokers recruited from six general practises in North London. Thematic analysis was conducted to examine participants’ previous experiences of quitting and their perceptions of receiving personal tailored feedback reports to aid smoking cessation.Results: Participants discussed how their positive smoking experiences coupled with their negative cessation experiences led to conflicts with quitting smoking. Although the computer-tailored intervention was key in prompting quit attempts and participants valued its personal approach; it was not sufficient as a stand-alone intervention.Conclusions: The results highlight the difficulties that smokers experience when quitting and the need for a more personalised stop smoking service in smokers with respiratory diseases. The study also demonstrates the application and potential for computer-tailored intervention as part of a wider programme of long-term smoking cessation.
Adaptation and validation of the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale – Cognitive (ADAS-Cog) in a low-literacy setting in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Paddick Stella-Maria , Kisoli Aloyce , Mkenda Sarah , Mbowe Godfrey , Gray William Keith , Dotchin Catherine , Ogunniyi Adesola , Kisima John , Olakehinde Olaide , Mushi Declare , Walker Richard William 
Published: March 2017

ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the feasibility of a low-literacy adaptation of the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale – Cognitive (ADAS-Cog) for use in rural sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for interventional studies in dementia. No such adaptations currently exist.MethodsTanzanian and Nigerian health professionals adapted the ADAS-Cog by consensus. Validation took place in a cross-sectional sample of 34 rural-dwelling older adults with mild/moderate dementia alongside 32 non-demented controls in Tanzania. Participants were oversampled for lower educational level. Inter-rater reliability was conducted by two trained raters in 22 older adults (13 with dementia) from the same population. Assessors were blind to diagnostic group.ResultsMedian ADAS-Cog scores were 28.75 (interquartile range (IQR), 22.96–35.54) in mild/moderate dementia and 12.75 (IQR 9.08–16.16) in controls. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.973 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.936–1.00) for dementia. Internal consistency was high (Cronbach’s α 0.884) and inter-rater reliability was excellent (intra-class correlation coefficient 0.905, 95% CI 0.804–0.964).ConclusionThe low-literacy adaptation of the ADAS-Cog had good psychometric properties in this setting. Further evaluation in similar settings is required.
Synbiotic supplementation in lean patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a pilot, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial
Authors: Mofidi Fatemeh , Poustchi Hossein , Yari Zahra , Nourinayyer Babak , Merat Shahin , Sharafkhah Maryam , Malekzadeh Reza , Hekmatdoost Azita 
Published: March 2017

AbstractAlthough non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the leading aetiology of liver disorders in the world, there is no proven treatment for NAFLD patients with normal or low BMI. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of synbiotics supplementation in NAFLD patients with normal or low BMI. In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial, fifty patients with NAFLD were assigned to take either a synbiotic supplement or a placebo capsule for 28 weeks. Both groups were advised to follow a healthy lifestyle. At the end of the study, hepatic steatosis and fibrosis reduced in both groups; however, the mean reduction was significantly greater in the synbiotic group rather than in the placebo group (P<0·001). Furthermore, serum levels of fasting blood sugar, TAG and most of the inflammatory mediators reduced in the synbiotic group significantly compared with the placebo group (P<0·05). Our results provide evidence that synbiotic supplementation improves the main features of NAFLD in patients with normal and low BMI, at least partially through reduction in inflammatory indices. Further studies are needed to address the exact mechanism of action of these effects.
Genetic risk scores, sex and dietary factors interact to alter serum uric acid trajectory among African-American urban adults
Authors: Beydoun May A. , Canas Jose-Atilio , Fanelli-Kuczmarski Marie T. , Tajuddin Salman M. , Evans Michele K. , Zonderman Alan B. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractSerum uric acid (SUA), a causative agent for gout among others, is affected by both genetic and dietary factors, perhaps differentially by sex. We evaluated cross-sectional (SUAbase) and longitudinal (SUArate) associations of SUA with a genetic risk score (GRS), diet and sex. We then tested the interactive effect of GRS, diet and sex on SUA. Longitudinal data on 766 African-American urban adults participating in the Healthy Aging in Neighborhood of Diversity across the Lifespan study were used. In all, three GRS for SUA were created from known SUA-associated SNP (GRSbase (n 12 SNP), GRSrate (n 3 SNP) and GRStotal (n 15 SNP)). Dietary factors included added sugar, total alcohol, red meat, total fish, legumes, dairy products, caffeine and vitamin C. Mixed-effects linear regression models were conducted. SUAbase was higher among men compared with that among women, and increased with GRStotal tertiles. SUArate was positively associated with legume intake in women (γ=+0·14; 95 % CI +0·06, +0·22, P=0·001) and inversely related to dairy product intake in both sexes combined (γ=−0·042; 95 % CI −0·075, −0·009), P=0·010). SUAbase was directly linked to alcohol consumption among women (γ=+0·154; 95 % CI +0·046, +0·262, P=0·005). GRSrate was linearly related to SUArate only among men. Legume consumption was also positively associated with SUArate within the GRStotal’s lowest tertile. Among women, a synergistic interaction was observed between GRSrate and red meat intake in association with SUArate. Among men, a synergistic interaction between low vitamin C and genetic risk was found. In sum, sex–diet, sex–gene and gene–diet interactions were detected in determining SUA. Further similar studies are needed to replicate our findings.
Ministerial Directives to Local Government in Zimbabwe: Top-Down Governance in a Decentralized Constitution
Authors: Chigwata Tinashe Carlton , Muchapondwa Varaidzo Violet , Visser Jaap de 
Published: March 2017

AbstractUrban and rural local authorities constitute the lowest tier of Zimbabwe's multilevel system of government. These local governments have a constitutional “right to govern” that must be exercised within the constitutional, legislative and policy framework. Under the old constitutional order, the national government could supervise urban local authorities, for example by issuing policy directives to ensure that these authorities governed in a manner that enabled them to deliver on national and local goals. This article examines this supervisory instrument, the powers it gives the national government, its use in practice and its relevance under the new constitutional order. The main argument is that supervisory instruments, such as the power to issue policy directives to local governments, are necessary in any multilevel system of government. However, such supervisory powers must be balanced with the need for local autonomy, to allow local governments to deliver on their service delivery obligations and development mandate.
Maize–common bean intercropping to optimize maize-based crop production
Authors: ALEMAYEHU A. , TAMADO T. , NIGUSSIE D. , YIGZAW D. , KINDE T. , WORTMANN C. S. 
Published: March 2017

SUMMARYMaize (Zea maysL.)–common bean (Phaseolus vulgarisL.) intercropping is a recent practice in north-western Ethiopia and there is limited information on its productivity. A field experiment was conducted at South Achefer and Mecha in north-western Ethiopia during the 2012 and 2013 crop growing seasons to determine combinations of intercrop planting arrangement (IPA) with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) rates for optimizing maize–common bean intercrop productivity and profitability. Treatments consisted of factorial combinations of two IPA (single row of common bean between maize rows and paired rows of common bean between paired rows of maize), two N rates (92 and 128 kg N/ha) and two P rates (20 and 40 kg P/ha). A sole crop maize with recommended fertilizer rate of 128/40 kg N/P/ha was used as a control treatment. The treatments were laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Results indicated that land equivalent ratio was more than unity, and the intercrop system was 20% more productive relative to the sole crop. Maize equivalent yields were highest for most of the intercrop treatments relative to mono-crop maize with yield advantage of 14% from single row IPA with 128/20 kg N/P/ha. Single row IPA with 128/20 kg N/P/ha and paired row IPA with 92/20 kg N/P/ha increased financial returns by 16 and 8% relative to sole crop maize, respectively. Smallholder maize-based cropping of north-western Ethiopia could be nutritionally, agronomically and financially improved through maize–common bean intercropping of single row IPA with appropriate nutrient management.
Evaluating the submission of digital images as a method of surveillance for Ixodes scapularis ticks
Authors: KOFFI J. K. , SAVAGE J. , THIVIERGE K. , LINDSAY L. R. , BOUCHARD C. , PELCAT Y. , OGDEN N. H. 
Published: March 2017

SUMMARYWidespread access to the internet is offering new possibilities for data collection in surveillance. We explore, in this study, the possibility of using an electronic tool to monitor occurrence of the tick vector of Lyme disease, Ixodes scapularis. The study aimed to compare the capacity for ticks to be identified in web-based submissions of digital images/photographs, to the traditional specimen-based identification method used by the provincial public health laboratory in Quebec, Canada. Forty-one veterinary clinics participated in the study by submitting digital images of ticks collected from pets via a website for image-based identification by an entomologist. The tick specimens were then sent to the provincial public health laboratory to be identified by the ‘gold standard’ method using a microscope. Of the images submitted online, 74·3% (284/382) were considered of high-enough quality to allow identification. The laboratory identified 382 tick specimens from seven different species, with I. scapularis representing 76% of the total submissions. Of the 284 ticks suitable for image-based species identification, 276 (97·2%) were correctly identified (Kappa statistic of 0·92, Z = 15·46, P < 0·001). This study demonstrates that image-based tick identification may be an accurate and useful method of detecting ticks for surveillance when images are of suitable quality.
Parasite performance and host alternation: is there a negative effect in host-specific and host-opportunistic parasites?
Authors: VAN DER MESCHT LUTHER , KHOKHLOVA IRINA S. , WARBURTON ELIZABETH M. , KRASNOV BORIS R. 
Published: March 2017

SUMMARYEnvironmental fluctuations are expected to require special adaptations only if they are associated with a decrease in fitness. We compared reproductive performance between fleas fed on alternating (preferred and non-preferred) hosts and fleas fed solely on either a preferred or a non-preferred host to determine whether (1) host alternation incurs an immediate negative effect, and, if yes, then (2) whether this effect is greater in a host specialist (Parapulex chephrenis) than in host generalists (Xenopsylla conformisandSynosternus cleopatrae). We also compared flea performance under alternating host regimes with different host order (initial feeding on either a preferred or a non-preferred host). An immediate negative effect of alternating hosts on reproductive performance was found inP. chephrenisonly. These fleas produced 44·3% less eggs that were 3·6% smaller when they fed on alternating hosts as compared with a preferred host. In contrast,X. conformisandS. cleopatraeappeared to be able to adapt their reproductive strategy to host alternation by producing higher quality offspring (on average, 3·1% faster development and 2·1% larger size) without compromising offspring number. However, the former produced eggs that were slightly, albeit significantly, smaller when it fed on alternating hosts as compared with a preferred host. Moreover, host order affected reproductive performance in host generalists (e.g. 2·8% larger eggs when the first feeding was performed on a non-preferred host), but not in a host specialist. We conclude that immediate effects of environmental fluctuation on parasite fitness depend on the degree of host specialization.
Coloured tangles and signatures
Authors: CIMASONI DAVID , CONWAY ANTHONY 
Published: March 2017

AbstractTaking the signature of the closure of a braid defines a map from the braid group to the integers. In 2005, Gambaudo and Ghys expressed the homomorphism defect of this map in terms of the Meyer cocycle and the Burau representation. In the present paper, we simultaneously extend this result in two directions, considering the multivariable signature of the closure of a coloured tangle. The corresponding defect is expressed in terms of the Maslov index and of the Lagrangian functor defined by Turaev and the first-named author.
RECYCLING AND RECONFIGURING: METALWORK OF MAYA COMMUNITIES AT LAMANAI AND TIPU, BELIZE
Authors: Cockrell Bryan R. , Simmons Scott E. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractAnalysis of the two largest southern Maya lowland metal assemblages, from Lamanai (n = 187) and Tipu (n = 99), Belize reveals that Mesoamerican and European technologies were negotiated through the processes of recycling objects to create new forms and juxtaposing objects of different provenances for bodily ornamentation. Lamanai's occupants began acquiring metal as early asa.d.1100 and then engaged in on-site metallurgy as early asa.d.1450, continuing into the early seventeenth century. Tipu was a nexus for metals between the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. At both sites, metal objects were recovered primarily from human burials and midden deposits. A program of typological study and compositional analysis revealed forms shared between the sites but evidence of on-site metallurgy is supported only at Lamanai. Metals from these Maya communities, both centers of Spanishreducción, demonstrate that the southern Maya lowlands was by no means a “refuge” from Spanish aggression.
MATLATZINCO BEFORE THE AZTECS: JOSÉ GARCÍA PAYÓN AND THE SCULPTURAL CORPUS OF CALIXTLAHUACA
Authors: Umberger Emily , Faham Casandra Hernández 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThis article studies the sculptural corpus of the Matlatzinca state before it was conquered in the mid-1470s by the Aztec Empire. Previously, Matlatzinco had been an independent polity in the northern part of the Valley of Toluca surrounding the traditional center of government, which was also called Matlatzinco. After invading the area, the Aztecs renamed this city Calixtlahuaca and established their own provincial capital at nearby Tollocan (modern Toluca). Making Calixtlahuaca a symbol of control over the area, the Aztecs raised new architecture phases in the ancient city center and installed Aztec-style deity images.
Prospective, Head-to-Head Study of Three Computerized Neurocognitive Assessment Tools Part 2: Utility for Assessment of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Emergency Department Patients
Authors: Nelson Lindsay D. , Furger Robyn E. , Gikas Peter , Lerner E. Brooke , Barr William B. , Hammeke Thomas A. , Randolph Christopher , Guskiewicz Kevin , McCrea Michael A. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractObjectives:The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of three computerized neurocognitive assessment tools (CNTs; i.e., ANAM, DANA, and ImPACT) for assessing mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in patients recruited through a level I trauma center emergency department (ED).Methods:mTBI (n=94) and matched trauma control (n=80) subjects recruited from a level I trauma center emergency department completed symptom and neurocognitive assessments within 72 hr of injury and at 15 and 45 days post-injury. Concussion symptoms were also assessedviaphone at 8 days post-injury.Results:CNTs did not differentiate between groups at any time point (e.g.,M72-hr Cohen’sd=−.16, .02, and .00 for ANAM, DANA, and ImPACT, respectively; negative values reflect greater impairment in the mTBI group). Roughly a quarter of stability coefficients were over .70 across measures and test–retest intervals in controls. In contrast, concussion symptom score differentiated mTBIvs. control groups acutely), with this effect size diminished over time (72-hr and day 8, 15, and 45 Cohen’sd=−.78, −.60, −.49, and −.35, respectively).Conclusions:The CNTs evaluated, developed and widely used to assess sport-related concussion, did not yield significant differences between patients with mTBIversusother injuries. Symptom scores better differentiated groups than CNTs, with effect sizes weaker than those reported in sport-related concussion studies. Nonspecific injury factors, and other characteristics common in ED settings, likely affect CNT performance across trauma patients as a whole and thereby diminish the validity of CNTs for assessing mTBI in this patient population. (JINS, 2017,23, 293–303)
Evaluation of quality traits and their genetic variation in global collections ofBrassica napusL
Authors: Chen Biyun , Xu Kun , Li Hao , Gao Guizhen , Yan Guixin , Qiao Jiangwei , Wu Xiaoming 
Published: March 2017

AbstractEvaluating quality traits is important to the selection of elite lines inBrassica napusL. In this study, the quality traits of 488 global collections ofB. napusL were evaluated for two consecutive years under central Chinese growing conditions, and a series of phenotypic data was obtained. The measured total glucosinolate content (GLC) and erucic acid content (ERU) values for 95.5% of the accessions were consistent with the original values, and large variations in quality traits were found among these accessions, thus enabling selection for these characters. In general, Chinese accessions tended to have a higher oil content (OC) than foreign accessions, while compared with winter and spring accessions, semi-winter accessions tended to have the highest OC. The mean GLC and ERU of Chinese rapeseed accessions showed gradual downward trends over time, and the genotypic variation in ERU accounted for 98.44% of the total variation, which was the highest among all 10 of the quality traits. Additionally, the heritability for ERU was largest among all 10 of the quality traits. Significant correlations were observed between different traits; OC had significantly (P< 0.01) negative correlation coefficients with oleic acid content, whereas OC had significantly (P< 0.01) positive correlation coefficients with ERU. Principal component analysis revealed that there was no clear boundary among materials of different geographic origins and different ecotypes according to the first two principal coordinates, respectively. This information about variations in quality traits revealed in this study could identify parents for improved rapeseed breeding.
The effects of payments for pharmaceuticals: a systematic literature review
Authors: Kolasa Katarzyna , Kowalczyk Marta 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe existence of different forms of out-of-pocket payments (OOPs) for pharmaceuticals across the globe provokes the question whether they can achieve more negative or positive consequences. A systematic literature review was conducted to assess the association between drug cost sharing and health care services utilization, health care costs as well as health outcomes. Studies published in The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase were searched with such keywords as: drug, pharmaceutical, cost sharing, out of pocket, co-payments paired with the following: impact, health outcomes, health care costs and utilization. The final review included 18 articles. A total of 11 publications reported the association between drug cost sharing and health care utilization patterns, of which nine found a statistically significant direct relationship. In all 10 publications concerned the association between drug copayments and health care costs. Majority were limited to the impact on the drug budget. Seven studies looked into the link between drug cost sharing and health outcomes, of which five reported statistically significant inverse relationship. There is some evidence for the association between drug copayments, health outcomes and health care services consumption. The optimal system of OOPs’ payments for pharmaceuticals needs to prevent drugs’ overconsumption and mitigate the risks of excessive cost sharing’s burden.