bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Relationship Between Carotid Atherosclerosis and Pulse Pressure with Renal Hemodynamics in Hypertensive Patients
Authors: Geraci Giulio , Mulè Giuseppe , Costanza Giuseppa , Mogavero Manuela , Geraci Calogero , Cottone Santina 
Published: March 2016

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Structural atherosclerotic damage, arterial stiffness, pulse pressure (PP), and renal hemodynamics may interact and influence each other. Renal resistance index (RRI) appears as a good indicator of systemic vascular changes. The aim of our study was to assess the independent relationships of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV), and peripheral PP with RRI in hypertensives with various degrees of renal function.

METHODS
We enrolled 463 hypertensive patients (30–70 years) with normal renal function (group 0; n = 280) and with chronic kidney disease (groups I–V; n = 183). All subjects underwent ultrasonographic examination of intrarenal and carotid vasculature, as well as a 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.

RESULTS
A statistically significant difference in RRI, cIMT, aPWV, and clinic PP was observed in the different 6 groups (all P &lt; 0.001), even after adjustment for age. RRI correlated with cIMT ( r = 0.460, P &lt; 0.001), aPWV ( r = 0.386, P &lt; 0.001), clinic PP ( r = 0.279, P &lt; 0.001), and 24-h PP ( r = 0.229, P &lt; 0.001) in the entire study population. These correlations were similar in subjects with and without renal dysfunction. In the overall study population, the association between RRI, cIMT, and clinic PP remained statistically significant even after adjustment for various confounding factors, whereas the relationship between RRI and aPWV was lost in multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS
cIMT and clinic PP rather than directly aPWV are associated with intrarenal hemodynamics. Our results confirm that in hypertensives RRI not only detects derangement of intrarenal circulation but may also be considered as a sensor of systemic vascular changes, independently of level of renal function.
Cumulative Hypoxemia During Sleep Predicts Vascular Endothelial Dysfunction in Patients With Sleep-Disordered Breathing
Authors: Sawatari Hiroyuki , Chishaki Akiko , Nishizaka Mari , Tokunou Tomotake , Adachi Sonomi , Yoshimura Chikara , Ohkusa Tomoko , Ando Shin-ichi 
Published: March 2016

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is associated with repeated intermittent hypoxemia, and it is known as one of the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Previous studies assessing the effects of frequency and depth of hypoxemia on cardiovascular diseases have shown conflicting results. The aim of the current study was to clarify what SDB-related parameters most predict endothelial dysfunction to better understand the pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction in patients with SDB.

METHODS
We conducted polysomnography (PSG) and measured flow-mediated vasodilation response (%FMD) in 50 outpatients suspected of SDB. Evaluated indices included: apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), 3% oxygen desaturation index (3%ODI), averaged arterial oxygen saturation (averaged SpO 2 ), lowest arterial oxygen saturation (lowest SpO 2 ), ratio of arterial oxygen saturation &lt;90% (&lt;SpO 2 90%), and averaged time desaturation summation index (TDS: [100%-averaged SpO 2 ] × total sleep time).

RESULTS
Significant differences were observed only in the TDS between the first and third ( P = 0.03) and between the first and forth ( P = 0.04) quartile groups, stratified by %FMD. The %FMD showed a significant relationship with TDS ( β = −0.47, P = 0.001), even after adjusting for confounding factors ( β = −0.33, P = 0.02). In contrast, AHI, 3%ODI, averaged SpO 2 , lowest SpO 2 , and &lt;SpO 2 90% showed no significant relationships.

CONCLUSIONS
This study shows the validity of TDS in predicting endothelial damage in patients with SDB. Cumulative hypoxemia, rather than the frequency of hypoxemic events presented as AHI, may be a greater contributing factor in causing endothelial dysfunction. A simple index like TDS may be a useful and novel indicator of the influence of SDB on the vasculature.
Phasing for medical sequencing using rare variants and large haplotype reference panels
Authors: Sharp Kevin , Kretzschmar Warren , Delaneau Olivier , Marchini Jonathan 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Motivation: There is growing recognition that estimating haplotypes from high coverage sequencing of single samples in clinical settings is an important problem. At the same time very large datasets consisting of tens and hundreds of thousands of high-coverage sequenced samples will soon be available. We describe a method that takes advantage of these huge human genetic variation resources and rare variant sharing patterns to estimate haplotypes on single sequenced samples. Sharing rare variants between two individuals is more likely to arise from a recent common ancestor and, hence, also more likely to indicate similar shared haplotypes over a substantial flanking region of sequence.
Results: Our method exploits this idea to select a small set of highly informative copying states within a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) phasing algorithm. Using rare variants in this way allows us to avoid iterative MCMC methods to infer haplotypes. Compared to other approaches that do not explicitly use rare variants we obtain significant gains in phasing accuracy, less variation over phasing runs and improvements in speed. For example, using a reference panel of 7420 haplotypes from the UK10K project, we are able to reduce switch error rates by up to 50% when phasing samples sequenced at high-coverage. In addition, a single step rephasing of the UK10K panel, using rare variant information, has a downstream impact on phasing performance. These results represent a proof of concept that rare variant sharing patterns can be utilized to phase large high-coverage sequencing studies such as the 100 000 Genomes Project dataset.
Availability and implementation: A webserver that includes an implementation of this new method and allows phasing of high-coverage clinical samples is available at https://phasingserver.stats.ox.ac.uk/.
Contact: marchini@stats.ox.ac.uk
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Rapid genotype refinement for whole-genome sequencing data using multi-variate normal distributions
Authors: Arthur Rudy , O’Connell Jared , Schulz-Trieglaff Ole , Cox Anthony J. 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Motivation: Whole-genome low-coverage sequencing has been combined with linkage-disequilibrium (LD)-based genotype refinement to accurately and cost-effectively infer genotypes in large cohorts of individuals. Most genotype refinement methods are based on hidden Markov models, which are accurate but computationally expensive. We introduce an algorithm that models LD using a simple multivariate Gaussian distribution. The key feature of our algorithm is its speed.
Results: Our method is hundreds of times faster than other methods on the same data set and its scaling behaviour is linear in the number of samples. We demonstrate the performance of the method on both low- and high-coverage samples.
Availability and implementation: The source code is available at https://github.com/illumina/marvin
Contact: rarthur@illumina.com
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Ecology, distribution, and predictive occurrence modeling of Palmer’s chipmunk (Tamias palmeri): a high-elevation small mammal endemic to the Spring Mountains in southern Nevada, USA
Authors: Lowrey Christopher , Longshore Kathleen , Riddle Brett , Mantooth Stacy 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Although montane sky islands surrounded by desert scrub and shrub steppe comprise a large part of the biological diversity of the Basin and Range Province of southwestern North America, comprehensive ecological and population demographic studies for high-elevation small mammals within these areas are rare. Here, we examine the ecology and population parameters of the Palmer’s chipmunk (Tamias palmeri) in the Spring Mountains of southern Nevada, and present a predictive GIS-based distribution and probability of occurrence model at both home range and geographic spatial scales. Logistic regression analyses and Akaike Information Criterion model selection found variables of forest type, slope, and distance to water sources as predictive of chipmunk occurrence at the geographic scale. At the home range scale, increasing population density, decreasing overstory canopy cover, and decreasing understory canopy cover contributed to increased survival rates.
Obstacles to activity pacing: assessment, relationship to activity and functioning
Authors: Cane Douglas , McCarthy Mary , Mazmanian Dwight 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Activity pacing is frequently included among the strategies provided to individuals with chronic pain to manage pain and improve functioning. Individuals with chronic pain may, however, limit their use of activity pacing because they perceive significant obstacles to its use. This study describes the development of a measure to assess obstacles to activity pacing and examines the relationship of this measure to activity patterns and functioning. A sample of 637 individuals with chronic pain completed items describing potential obstacles to activity pacing as part of their pretreatment assessment. Item analyses were used to construct a 14-item measure of obstacles to activity pacing. A subset of these individuals completed the measure again after completion of a group treatment program. The resulting measure demonstrated excellent internal consistency and was minimally affected by social desirability. Correlations with measures of activity and psychosocial functioning provided initial construct validity for the measure. Sex differences were found with women initially identifying more obstacles to activity pacing. Fewer obstacles were identified by both men and women after treatment, and these changes were related to modest changes in activity patterns and functioning. The present results identify a number of obstacles that may limit the use of activity pacing by individuals with chronic pain. Treatment may result in a decrease in the number of obstacles identified, and this change is related to changes in the individual's activity pattern and psychosocial functioning.
(S)-lacosamide inhibition of CRMP2 phosphorylation reduces postoperative and neuropathic pain behaviors through distinct classes of sensory neurons identified by constellation pharmacology
Authors: Moutal Aubin , Chew Lindsey A. , Yang Xiaofang , Wang Yue , Yeon Seul Ki , Telemi Edwin , Meroueh Seeneen , Park Ki Duk , Shrinivasan Raghuraman , Gilbraith Kerry B. , Qu Chaoling , Xie Jennifer Y. , Patwardhan Amol , Vanderah Todd W. , Khanna May , Porreca Frank , Khanna Rajesh 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Chronic pain affects the life of millions of people. Current treatments have deleterious side effects. We have advanced a strategy for targeting protein interactions which regulate the N-type voltage-gated calcium (CaV2.2) channel as an alternative to direct channel block. Peptides uncoupling CaV2.2 interactions with the axonal collapsin response mediator protein 2 (CRMP2) were antinociceptive without effects on memory, depression, and reward/addiction. A search for small molecules that could recapitulate uncoupling of the CaV2.2–CRMP2 interaction identified (S)-lacosamide [(S)-LCM], the inactive enantiomer of the Food and Drug Administration–approved antiepileptic drug (R)-lacosamide [(R)-LCM, Vimpat]. We show that (S)-LCM, but not (R)-LCM, inhibits CRMP2 phosphorylation by cyclin dependent kinase 5, a step necessary for driving CaV2.2 activity, in sensory neurons. (S)-lacosamide inhibited depolarization-induced Ca2+ influx with a low micromolar IC50. Voltage-clamp electrophysiology experiments demonstrated a commensurate reduction in Ca2+ currents in sensory neurons after an acute application of (S)-LCM. Using constellation pharmacology, a recently described high content phenotypic screening platform for functional fingerprinting of neurons that uses subtype-selective pharmacological agents to elucidate cell-specific combinations (constellations) of key signaling proteins that define specific cell types, we investigated if (S)-LCM preferentially acts on certain types of neurons. (S)-lacosamide decreased the dorsal root ganglion neurons responding to mustard oil, and increased the number of cells responding to menthol. Finally, (S)-LCM reversed thermal hypersensitivity and mechanical allodynia in a model of postoperative pain, and 2 models of neuropathic pain. Thus, using (S)-LCM to inhibit CRMP2 phosphorylation is a novel and efficient strategy to treat pain, which works by targeting specific sensory neuron populations.
Cultural distance, innovation and export performance
Authors: Azar Goudarz , Drogendijk Rian 
Published: March 2016

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the relationship between cultural distance (both perceived and objective), innovation and firm export performance.Design/methodology/approachHypotheses were tested here by structural equation modeling using data from 186 export ventures into 23 international markets by Swedish companies.FindingsThe results indicate that managers’ perceptions of substantial cultural differences as well as objective cultural differences (gauged using Hofstede’s (1980, 2001) scores for dimensions of national culture) and subsequent environmental uncertainty when expanding into culturally distant markets triggers strategies for interacting and integrating with the market environment. These include producing and adopting innovations to processes and products and to organizational strategy, structure and administrative procedures to cope with the new environment and overcome uncertainties. These innovations and the associated competitive advantages improve firm export performance.Originality/valueDespite much research into the relationship between firm internationalization and innovation, little attention has been paid to the effect of the characteristics of the foreign markets (specifically cultural differences) on firm innovation strategies. Moreover, much research has been devoted to the effect of innovation on firm export performance, but such research has mainly focused on one type of innovation, i.e. technological innovation, while the influence of organizational innovation on firm export performance has been basically ignored. The present study validates the explanatory of cultural distance (both perceived and objective) in relation to innovation strategies (technological and organizational) and export performance.
Increase in the demand for private higher education: unmasking the “paradox”
Authors: Garwe Evelyn Chiyevo 
Published: March 2016

Purpose– It is considered a mystery by many people that, despite charging significantly higher fees when compared to public institutions, research has shown an increase in the demand and enrolments at private higher education institutions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the critical factors considered by students when deciding to make private higher education institutions their institution of choice.Design/methodology/approach– The study uses a case study approach and draws data from all the six private higher education institutions in Zimbabwe. Self-administered questionnaires were given to students representing at least 5 per cent of the student enrolment and representing all gender, study disciplines and levels of study from each university.Findings– Irrespective of gender, six main factors influencing student choice were identified to be, in order of priority: access and opportunity; promotional information and marketing; reference or influence by others; quality of teaching and learning; fees and cost structure, and finally academic reputation and recognition.Research limitations/implications– The research was focused on a case study of Zimbabwe.Practical implications– The study has implications on the way private higher education institutions market, manage and sustain the quality of educational provision. The study therefore provides private institutions with useful and practical insights on what students want in their institution of choice. This will assist these institutions in strategising in order to sustain or gain competitive advantage and to maximise on the increasing demand for private education. Implications to government and public institutions are also given.Social implications– The study recognises the critical role played by private universities in improving access and recommends African Governments who face financial and resource constraints to fund and expand public universities to encourage private higher education as a meaningful and viable way to improve access and provide higher education opportunities to potential students.Originality/value– The study contributes to the current dearth of literature on factors influencing student choice to study with private institutions.
Understanding performance management in schools: a dialectical approach
Authors: Page Damien 
Published: March 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to provide a dialectical framework for the examination of performance management in schools.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper is based upon a qualitative study of ten headteachers that involved in-depth semi-structured interviews.

Findings
– The findings identified four dialectical tensions that underpin performance management in schools: the responsibility to teachers and the responsibility to pupils; external accountability and professional autonomy; discipline of teachers and support of teachers; fixed processes and improvisational practices.

Research limitations/implications
– This paper provides a means of examining the performance management of teachers from an alternative perspective, one that embraces tensions and contradictions and gives headteachers a richer understanding of how teachers are evaluated and judged.

Originality/value
– This paper moves beyond the traditional perspective of performance management in schools as a means of subjugation and control and offers an original dialectical framework within which to examine the phenomenon.
Mothers’ non-standard working schedules and family time
Authors: Murtorinne-Lahtinen Minna , Moilanen Sanna , Tammelin Mia , Rönkä Anna , Laakso Marja-Leena 
Published: March 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate Finnish working mothers’ experiences of the effects of non-standard working schedules (NSWS) on family time in two family forms, coupled and lone-parent families. Furthermore the aim is to find out what meanings mothers with NSWS attached to family time paying particular attention to the circumstances in which mothers experienced NSWS positively.

Design/methodology/approach
– Thematic analysis of 20 semi-structured interviews was used to investigate mothers’ experiences of the effects of NSWS on family time.

Findings
– The key factor generating positive experiences was the ability to maintain regularity and togetherness, which was enhanced by specific features of work, such as autonomy and regularity, and successful child care arrangements. Also important were the values mothers associated with family time. The results highlighted the more problematic situation of lone-parent families.

Research limitations/implications
– The main limitation of this study was the small sample size.

Practical implications
– The findings show how the parents of small children benefit from the regularity and flexibility in their working hours. Owing to irregular and varying working times, flexible around-the-clock childcare is needed. In Finland, an important question is how to organize the care of small school-aged children. Lone mothers, especially, may need services to help with domestic chores and childcare.

Social implications
– A non-resident parent can also be an important source of childcare. Therefore policymakers should take into account family type, including consideration of the rights to childcare of non-resident parents.

Originality/value
– This study adds to the literature by explaining more in depth, through the richness of qualitative data, the circumstances in which mothers experience NSWS positively.
Smartphone use and internet literacy of senior citizens
Authors: Hong S. G. , Trimi S. , Kim D. W. 
Published: March 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of smartphone use on the internet literacy and use by senior citizens.

Design/methodology/approach
– Empirical study.

Findings
– The results indicate that the use of smartphones does significantly impact the internet literacy and use of older individuals. Educational background and the duration of smartphone use enhance the ability of seniors to use the internet.

Research limitations/implications
– A similar study can be conducted in other different countries and see the effect (if any) of national cultures and the type/purpose of usage of the internet; an expansion of this research, with a larger sample size, and more variables would shed greater insight on this important topic.

Practical implications
– Study provide suggestions to governments, in cooperation with the private sectors, on how to diminish the digital divide for senior citizens not only to improve their well-being, but also because seniors are an important resource that contributes to society financially and intellectually.

Social implications
– Technology is an important factor that can be used to not only alleviate some of the burden and improve the quality of life of senior citizens, but it can also help increase seniors’ contributions to the society.

Originality/value
– This study contributes in the digital divide research: (digital divide) for senior citizens, contributing factors, and the importance of decreasing it.
Towards an integrated approach to homeless hospital discharge
Authors: Albanese Francesca , Hurcombe Rachel , Mathie Helen 
Published: March 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a small-scale evaluation of the Department of Health “Homeless Hospital Discharge Fund” (HHDF) in England.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper is based on a mixed-method approach comprising 52 telephone interviews with project staff, 48 responses from an online survey with staff, outcomes data collected by projects, 30 semi-structured interviews with patients and nine in-depth telephone interviews with staff and commissioners.

Findings
– Overall the 52 pilots funded under the “HHDF” provided positive health and accommodation outcomes for homeless people admitted and discharged from hospital. In contrast to previous studies patients described not feeling judged during their stay, however the admission process was a more mixed experience due to communication breakdown by hospital staff. Integrating housing and clinical staff in the hospital discharge projects produced better outcomes for patients and the availability of accommodation as part of the model allowed improved and more stable housing outcomes. We recommend integrated commissioning takes place for future funding of any hospital discharge projects.

Research limitations/implications
– The study was small in scale and carried out before some of the projects had become fully established. The data were self-reported and the quality and completeness varied between projects.

Originality/value
– This is one of the few examples of hospital discharge outcomes for homeless people across a number of different localities and project models which examine the role of both health and housing professionals in the process.