bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ferric maltol therapy for iron deficiency anaemia in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: long‐term extension data from a Phase 3 study
Authors: Schmidt C. , Ahmad T. , Tulassay Z. , Baumgart D. C. , Bokemeyer B. , Howaldt S. , Stallmach A. , Büning C. ,   the AEGIS Study Group
Published: May 2016

SummaryBackgroundFerric maltol was effective and well‐tolerated in iron deficiency anaemia patients with inflammatory bowel disease during a 12‐week placebo‐controlled trial.AimTo perform a Phase 3 extension study evaluating long‐term efficacy and safety with ferric maltol in inflammatory bowel disease patients in whom oral ferrous therapies had failed to correct iron deficiency anaemia.MethodsAfter 12 weeks of randomised, double‐blind treatment, patients with iron deficiency anaemia and mild‐to‐moderate ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease received open‐label ferric maltol 30 mg b.d. for 52 weeks.Results111 patients completed randomised treatment and 97 entered the open‐label ferric maltol extension. In patients randomised to ferric maltol (‘continued’; n = 50), mean ± s.d. haemoglobin increased by 3.07 ± 1.46 g/dL between baseline and Week 64. In patients randomised to placebo (‘switch’; n = 47), haemoglobin increased by 2.19 ± 1.61 g/dL. Normal haemoglobin was achieved in high proportions of both continued and switch patients (89% and 83% at Week 64, respectively). Serum ferritin increased from 8.9 μg/L (baseline) to 26.0 μg/L (Week 12) in ferric maltol‐treated patients, and to 57.4 μg/L amongst all patients at Week 64. In total, 80% of patients reported ≥1 adverse event by Week 64. Adverse events considered related to ferric maltol were recorded in 27/111 (24%) patients: 8/18 discontinuations due to adverse events were treatment‐related. One patient was withdrawn due to increased ulcerative colitis activity.ConclusionsNormal haemoglobin was observed in ≥80% of patients from weeks 20–64 of long‐term ferric maltol treatment, with concomitant increases in iron storage parameters. Ferric maltol was well‐tolerated throughout this 64‐week study.
Within‐ and Between‐Sector Quality Differences in Early Childhood Education and Care
Authors: Bassok Daphna , Fitzpatrick Maria , Greenberg Erica , Loeb Susanna 
Published: June 2016

This study leverages nationally representative data (N ≈ 6,000) to examine the magnitude of quality differences between (a) formal and informal early childhood education and care providers; (b) Head Start, prekindergarten, and other center‐based care; and (c) programs serving toddlers and those serving preschoolers. It then documents differences in children's reading and math skills at age 5 between those who had enrolled in formal and informal settings. Cross‐sector differences are substantially reduced when accounting for a set of quality measures, though these measures do less to explain more modest differences in outcomes within the formal sector. Results inform current efforts aimed at improving the quality of early childhood settings by highlighting the large quality differences across sectors and their relationship with child development.
Achieving consensus for the histopathologic diagnosis of melanocytic lesions: use of the modified Delphi method
Authors: Carney Patricia A. , Reisch Lisa M. , Piepkorn Michael W. , Barnhill Raymond L. , Elder David E. , Knezevich Stevan , Geller Berta M. , Longton Gary , Elmore Joann G. 
Published: June 2016

ObjectiveTo understand the sophisticated nature of coming to consensus when diagnosing complex melanocytic lesions among a panel of experienced dermatopathologists.MethodsA total of 240 melanocytic lesions were assessed independently by three experienced dermatopathologists with their diagnoses mapped into one of five Melanocytic Pathology Assessment Tool and Hierarchy for Diagnosis (MPATH‐DX) categories: (I) nevus/mild atypia, (II) moderate atypia, (III) severe atypia/melanoma in situ, (IV) T1a invasive melanoma and (V) ≥ T1b invasive melanoma. The dermatopathologists then discussed the cases, using a modified Delphi method to facilitated consensus building for cases with discordant diagnoses.ResultsFor most cases, a majority of interpretations (two or three of three) agreed with the consensus diagnosis in 95% of Category I, 64% of Category II, 84% of Category III, 88% for Category IV and 100% of Category V cases. Disagreements were typically due to diagnostic threshold differences (64.5%), differing contents on slides even though the slides were sequential cuts (18.5%), and missed findings (15.3%). Disagreements were resolved via discussion of histopathologic features and their significance while reviewing the slides using a multi‐headed microscope, considering treatment recommendations, citing existing literature, reviewing additional slides for a case, and choosing a provisional/borderline diagnosis to capture diverse opinions. All experienced pathologists participating in this study reported that the process of coming to consensus was challenging for borderline cases and may have represented compromise rather than consensus. They also reported the process changed their approaches to diagnosing complex melanocytic lesions.ConclusionsThe most frequent reason for disagreement of experienced dermatopathologists was differences in diagnostic thresholds related to observer viewpoints. A range of approaches was needed to come to consensus, and this may guide pathology groups who do not currently hold consensus conferences.
A diagnostic head and neck fine needle aspiration service can be provided using liquid‐based cytology only
Authors: Robinson I. 
Published: June 2016

ObjectiveLiquid‐based cytology (LBC) has been used for non‐gynaecological specimens since its introduction into routine use in cervical cytology in the mid‐1990s. There are still relatively few large studies comparing performance in reporting the head and neck fine‐needle aspirations (H&N FNA) processed by LBC only to conventional direct smears (CDS).MethodsThis study compared 686 H&N FNAs processed by LBC only with 3719 CDS. All were taken under ultrasound (US) guidance by a small cohort of three consultant radiologists and reported by the author.ResultsThe (smaller) LBC sample was statistically representative of the larger CDS population at an alpha level of 0.05. There was no difference between CDS and LBC at a 95% confidence interval (CI) when comparing specificity and sensitivity (specificity: 94.8–96.5% versus 90.2–95.4%; sensitivity: 91.4–94.1% versus 86.8–93.4%). The inadequate rate between the two techniques was similar, 0.5–1.0% for CDS versus 0.7–2.5% for LBC. The significance difference was in the suspicious rate which was greater at 2.8–5.8% for LBC versus 1.7–2.6% for CDS. Consequently, there was a slight but non‐significant difference between the two populations with respect to the overall accuracy: 93.5–95.1% for CDS versus 89.4–93.7% for LBC.ConclusionsWhile there are morphological differences between LBC and CDS in H&N FNAs, once a degree of familiarity is achieved, the two techniques have equivalent sensitivity, specificity and inadequate rates.
Postictal ammonia as a biomarker for electrographic convulsive seizures: A prospective study
Authors: Albadareen Rawan , Gronseth Gary , Landazuri Patrick , He Jianghua , Hammond Nancy , Uysal Utku 
Published: June 2016

SummaryObjectiveTransient hyperammonemia (THA) was reported to follow generalized convulsions without sufficient evidence to confirm the epileptic nature of those events. We aimed to determine if postictal THA can differentiate between different types of events as confirmed electroencephalographically using video–electroencephalography (vEEG) monitoring.MethodsIn our prospective cohort, we screened all consented adults (>18 years) admitted to the epilepsy monitoring unit. Ammonia was checked at baseline, within 60 min of the event (for all patients) and 24 h after event (whenever possible). Patients were grouped into generalized convulsive seizures (GCS), psychogenic nonepileptic seizures with convulsions (PNES‐C), or focal seizures (FS) based on vEEG. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and parametric/nonparametric methods.ResultsOf 78 patients enrolled, 13 had GCS, 8 had FS, and 9 had PNES‐C. The groups were different with regard to gender (p = 0.04) and baseline ammonia (p = 0.02), but not age. The change in ammonia postictally from baseline was significantly different among the three groups (p = 0.004). The area under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve for postictal ammonia to distinguish GCS from other groups was 0.88 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.69–0.96) suggesting ammonia to be a good test differentiating epileptic GCS from other events. An ammonia level of ≥80 μmol/L correctly classified 80% of our patients (sensitivity 53.9%, specificity 100%).SignificanceOur results provide objective evidence for the association between THA and GCS seizures utilizing vEEG monitoring, and a basis for future studies to determine the role of postictal ammonia as an inexpensive diagnostic test to diagnose GCS.
Only a Matter of Education Policy Ideals? German Professors’ Perception of the Bologna Process
Authors: Brändle Tobias 
Published: June 2016

AbstractRecently, it has been discussed how actors at universities perceive the Bologna Process. However, there is a lack of understanding about the determinants influencing attitudes towards the reform. In particular, the relation between education policy ideals and perceptions of the Bologna Process has gone unobserved. Based on a survey at three universities in North Rhine‐Westphalia in Germany, this article shows that a congruence of education policy ideals with the goals of the Bologna Process leads to a more positive perception of the reform. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models show that these findings are stable when controlled for socio‐demographic characteristics, changes of everyday work and involvement in the implementation of the Bologna Process. Thus, it is worthwhile to take into account the education policy ideals of involved actors when analysing perceptions of educational reforms.
Periodontal therapy and glycaemic control among individuals with type 2 diabetes: reflections from the PerioCardio study
Authors: Kapellas K , Mejia G , Bartold PM , Skilton MR , Maple‐Brown LJ , Slade GD , O'Dea K , Brown A , Celermajer DS , Jamieson LM 
Published: June 2016

AbstractObjectivesDiabetes mellitus and periodontal disease are highly prevalent among Indigenous Australian adults. Untreated periodontitis impacts glycaemic control in people with diabetes. The aim of this study was to report on the effect of periodontal therapy on glycaemic control among people with obesity.MethodsThis subgroup analysis is limited to 62 participants with diabetes from the original 273 Aboriginal Australian adults enrolled into the PerioCardio study. Intervention participants received full‐mouth non‐surgical periodontal scaling during a single, untimed session while controls were untreated. Endpoints of interest included change in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), C‐reactive protein (CRP) and periodontal status at 3 months post‐intervention.ResultsThere were more females randomized to the treatment group (n = 17) than control (n = 10) while the control group had a higher overall body mass index (BMI) [mean (SD)] 33.1 (9.7 kg m−2) versus 29.9 (6.0 kg m−2). A greater proportion of males were followed up at 3 months compared to females, P = 0.05. Periodontal therapy did not significantly reduce HbA1c: ancova difference in means 0.22 mmol mol−1 (95% CI −6.25 to 6.69), CRP: ancova difference in means 0.64 (95% CI −1.08, 2.37) or periodontal status at 3 months.ConclusionsNon‐surgical periodontal therapy did not significantly reduce glycated haemoglobin in participants with type 2 diabetes. Reasons are likely to be multifactorial and may be influenced by persistent periodontal inflammation at the follow‐up appointments. Alternatively, the BMI of study participants may impact glycaemic control via alternative mechanisms involving the interplay between inflammation and adiposity meaning HbA1c may not be amenable to periodontal therapy in these individuals.
A prospective comparison of times to presentation and treatment of regional and remote head and neck patients in North Queensland, Australia
Authors: Tan J. Y.‐A. , Otty Z. A. , Vangaveti V. N. , Buttner P. , Varma S. C. , Joshi A. J. , Kelly J. , Collins M. , Sabesan S. S. 
Published: June 2016

Background/AimThis study aims to examine differences between outer regional (OR) and remote/very remote (RVR) patients in northern Queensland, Australia in the times taken to receive various aspects of head and neck cancer management.MethodsOur study prospectively recruited head and neck cancer patients presenting to three North Queensland regional hospitals from January 2009 to January 2011. Data on demographic and cancer‐specific details, comorbidities and timing of presentation to various services, were collected using a self‐administered questionnaire that included two questions in relation to possible reason for delays to health services. Multivariate linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the effects of various demographic characteristics on time delays. Survival and disease recurrence data were analysed in 2014.ResultsOne hundred and fifty‐eight patients participated. RVR patients had significantly longer median times between diagnosis and first treatment compared with OR patients (P = 0.015). Indigenous patients had significant delays from diagnosis to first treatment (P = 0.013) and visit to first specialist and treatment (P = 0.031) compared to non‐Indigenous patients. Longer median times between symptoms and first treatment was associated with low income (P = 0.03) and lower education level (P = 0.04). Disease recurrence was higher for RVR patients compared with OR patients (P = 0.04), without significant differences in overall survival. Possible reasons for delays included patient and professional factors.ConclusionSignificant delays in various aspects of head and neck cancer management were associated with remoteness, Indigenous and socioeconomic status. While patient and professional factors could be addressed at local levels, sustainable improvement in outcomes requires a state and national level approach.
Enhancing revenue by offering a flexible product option
Authors: Chen Jing , Bell Peter C. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractWe examine a revenue‐enhancing opportunity for perishable products that face demand uncertainty with fixed capacity and limited product options, and where customers have distinct preferences in product selection. We use an airline as an example of such products in this paper. An airline provides several product options for customers, as it operates multiple flights between the same origin‐destination at different times of the same day. We consider customers with a strong preference for a specific flight and introduce a segment of customers who are flexible with their travel plans and have no specific flight preference on that day. We find that under some circumstances, the airline offering the flexible ticket to attract price‐sensitive, flexible customers will enhance revenues. We investigate the optimal number of seats to reserve from the flights for the various fare classes and the fare for the flexible ticket. The implications of this research for the product with market disruption are also discussed.
A lexicographic approach to the robust resource‐constrained project scheduling problem
Authors: Palacio Juan D. , Larrea Olga L. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThe resource‐constrained project scheduling problem (RCPSP) is one of the most studied problems in the context of project scheduling. Given the NP‐hardness nature of the problem, the RCPSP has been solved mainly using heuristics. Moreover, most of the studies consider a single objective for the problem. This paper presents an exact approach based on two mixed‐integer linear programming (MILP) models to solve the RCPSP. The first MILP aims to minimize makespan, while the second MILP maximizes the robustness of the schedule. The mathematical formulations are solved using a lexicographic approach. We illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed models by solving standard instances for the RCPSP available in the project scheduling problems library (PSLIB) library. Computational results show that it is possible to find alternate optimal solutions with the maximum robustness subject to the minimum makespan for instances with up to 90 activities.
Heuristics for the two‐machine scheduling problem with a single server
Authors: Arnaout Jean‐Paul 
Published: May 2016

AbstractIn this paper, the NP‐hard two‐machine scheduling problem with a single server is addressed. The problem consists of a given set of jobs to be scheduled on two identical parallel machines, where each job must be processed on one of the machines, and prior to processing, the job is set up on its machine using one server; the latter is shared between the two machines. An ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm is introduced for the problem and its performance was assessed by comparing with an exact solution (branch and bound [B&B]), a genetic algorithm (GA), and simulated annealing (SA). The computational results reflected the superiority of “ACO” in large problems, with a performance similar to SA and GA in smaller problems, while solving the tested problems within a reasonable computational time.
Metaheuristics for truck loading in the car production industry
Authors: Respen Jean , Zufferey Nicolas 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThe delivery of goods to car factories is a challenging problem. The French car manufacturer Renault is facing daily a complex truck loading problem in which various goods must be packed into a truck such that they fulfill different constraints. As trucks can deliver goods to different factories on the same tour, classes of items have been defined, where a class is associated with a delivery point. The consideration of these classes, in addition to large standard deviations, over the sizes of the items are new features in the packing literature. Because of the problem structure and computation time limit constraint imposed by practitioners, it will be shown that exact algorithms are not appropriate from a practical standpoint. We propose efficient metaheuristics to tackle this problem. First, in contrast with the classical literature, the proposed tabu search relies on the joint use of different types of moves (an efficient diversification mechanism is also proposed to enhance its performance). Then, the recombination operator used in the developed genetic algorithm takes into account all the problem features and is able to build well‐balanced offspring solutions. Finally, within the framework of ant algorithms, the benefit of an unconventional decision selection mechanism is discussed. An extension of the problem is proposed at the end, which consists in tackling all the instances within a common time limit. In this context, it will be shown that a combination of the algorithms is the most powerful strategy.
Rho‐associated protein kinase 1 (ROCK1) is increased in Alzheimer's disease and ROCK1 depletion reduces amyloid‐β levels in brain
Authors: Henderson Benjamin W. , Gentry Erik G. , Rush Travis , Troncoso Juan C. , Thambisetty Madhav , Montine Thomas J. , Herskowitz Jeremy H. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractAlzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia and mitigating amyloid‐β (Aβ) levels may serve as a rational therapeutic avenue to slow AD progression. Pharmacologic inhibition of the Rho‐associated protein kinases (ROCK1 and ROCK2) is proposed to curb Aβ levels, and mechanisms that underlie ROCK2′s effects on Aβ production are defined. How ROCK1 affects Aβ generation remains a critical barrier. Here, we report that ROCK1 protein levels were elevated in mild cognitive impairment due to AD (MCI) and AD brains compared to controls. Aβ42 oligomers marginally increased ROCK1 and ROCK2 protein levels in neurons but strongly induced phosphorylation of Lim kinase 1 (LIMK1), suggesting that Aβ42 activates ROCKs. RNAi depletion of ROCK1 or ROCK2 suppressed endogenous Aβ40 production in neurons, and Aβ40 levels were reduced in brains of ROCK1 heterozygous knock‐out mice compared to wild‐type littermate controls. ROCK1 knockdown decreased amyloid precursor protein (APP), and treatment with bafilomycin accumulated APP levels in neurons depleted of ROCK1. These observations suggest that reduction of ROCK1 diminishes Aβ levels by enhancing APP protein degradation. Collectively, these findings support the hypothesis that both ROCK1 and ROCK2 are therapeutic targets to combat Aβ production in AD.
imageMitigating amyloid‐β (Aβ) levels is a rational strategy for Alzheimer's disease (AD) treatment, however, therapeutic targets with clinically available drugs are lacking. We hypothesize that Aβ accumulation in mild cognitive impairment because of AD (MCI) and AD activates the RhoA/ROCK pathway which in turn fuels production of Aβ. Escalation of this cycle over the course of many years may contribute to the buildup of amyloid pathology in MCI and/or AD.
Feasibility and Effects of Short Activity Breaks for Increasing Preschool‐Age Children's Physical Activity Levels
Authors: Alhassan Sofiya , Nwaokelemeh Ogechi , Mendoza Albert , Shitole Sanyog , Puleo Elaine , Pfeiffer Karin A. , Whitt‐Glover Melicia C. 
Published: June 2016

ABSTRACTBACKGROUNDWe examined the effects of short bouts of structured physical activity (SBS‐PA) implemented within the classroom setting as part of designated gross‐motor playtime on preschoolers PA.METHODSPreschools were randomized to SBS‐PA (centers, N = 5; participants, N = 141) or unstructured free playtime (UPA) (centers, N = 5; participants, N = 150). SBS‐PA consisted of structured PA implemented in the classroom during the first 10 minutes of gross‐motor playtime followed by 20 minutes of free playtime. UPA consisted of 30 minutes of unstructured free playtime. Teachers implemented both conditions for 5 days/week for 6 months. PA was assessed with accelerometers (preschool‐day) and direct observation (30‐minute sessions). Generalized linear mixed models were used to examine the impact of the intervention.RESULTSRegarding the 30‐minute sessions, significant group main effects were observed for intervals spent at light (p < .001) and moderate‐to‐vigorous PA (MVPA, p < .001). Regarding the preschool‐day PA, significant group by visit interaction was observed for percent time spent in total preschool‐day MVPA (F (2, 254) = 3.54, p = .03). Percent of time spent in MVPA significantly decreased in both groups at 3 months and at 6 months.CONCLUSIONSBS‐PA can be implemented in classroom settings; however, further research is needed to examine its impact on preschoolers PA levels.
Audits or Distortions: The Optimal Scheme to Enforce Self‐Employment Income Taxes
Authors: ZILBERMAN EDUARDO 
Published: May 2016

AbstractI investigate the optimal auditing scheme for a revenue‐maximizing tax collection agency that observes not only reported profits, but also a single factor of production at each firm. Each firm is owned by a single entrepreneur whose managerial ability is random. The optimal auditing scheme is discontinuous and nonmonotone in ability. In intermediate audit costs, less productive entrepreneurs face auditing probabilities that increase in ability, whereas the ablest ones are not audited. Finally, the effective tax rate is higher in the middle of the managerial ability distribution; thus, the overall regressive (or progressive) bias that arises from evasion is unknown.