bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Perceptions in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Bouhouche Lamyae , Rostom Samira , Idrissi Zineb Malouli , Bahiri Rachid , Hajjaj-Hassouni Najia 
Published: January 2017

Objective
To compare perceptions of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to those of their families regarding pain and subjective experience of the disease.

Methods
It was a monocentric study, including 120 RA patients (according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria). The questionnaires were developed during meetings of RA patients, rheumatologists, and methodologists while referring to the literature. The patient questionnaire comprised 22 items organized in 4 sections: pain, perceived experience of the disease, activity restrictions, and help received. Concordance among patients, family, and friends replies was evaluated using the kappa coefficient.

Results
The mean age was 42 ± 12 years with female predominance 110 (91.7%). The family member was usually the spouse (46.3%). Joint pain was described by patients as spontaneous (98.3%), unpredictable (95.9%), and variable (95.1%). RA had negatively affected work-related activities (100%), recreational activities (98.4%), family life (87.6%), relationships with friends (77.7%), sexual activities (50.4%), plans for having children (47.1%), and intimate relationships (46.3%). Concordance between patients and family perceptions was mediocre for pain severity (kappa: 0.3) and main joint-pain characteristics, excellent for majority items of experience of the disease (kappa > 0.80). Family tended to underestimate pain severity and to overestimate negative effects of RA on patient’s life.

Conclusion
We found a good agreement between patients’ and family members’ perceptions. It is essential that any family support be in accordance with patients’ needs. Our qualitative analysis objectified, in addition to a major physical impact of the disease, a negative psychosocial effect.
Study of Intrapatient Variability and Reproducibility of Quantitative Tumor Perfusion Parameters Evaluated With Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography
Authors: Lassau Nathalie , Coiffier Bénédicte , Faivre Laura , Benatsou Baya , Bidault Sophie , Girard Elizabeth , Asselain Bernard , Pitre-Champagnat Stéphanie , Koscielny Serge 
Published: January 2017

Objectives
Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) ultrasonography (US) is a functional imaging technique enabling quantitative assessment of solid tumor perfusion in metastatic patients treated with antiangiogenic therapies.
The objective of this prospective single-center study was to evaluate in real-life conditions (in routine clinical practice) the intrapatient variability and reproducibility of DCE-US parameters.

Materials and Methods
Each patient provided written informed consent and had 2 DCE-US examinations (preprandial and postprandial) at baseline, day 15, and 1 month after treatment initiation. Perfusion curves were recorded after Sonovue injections to determine 7 perfusion parameters. Dynamic contrast-enhanced US examinations were analyzed in pairs: preprandial and postprandial. Log transformed values were used to determine the variability of the pairs (within-subject coefficient of variation) and their reproducibility (Spearman correlation coefficient).

Results
We included 60 patients (23 colon cancers, 36 kidney cancers, and 1 breast cancer) treated with axitinib (26 patients), sunitinib (27 patients), and other antiangiogenic treatments (7 patients). The 60 patients included 38 men (63%) and 22 women (37%) with a median age of 62 (range, 25–82 years). Thirty patients had hepatic and 30 had extrahepatic target lesions. Data were analyzed for 128 pairs of DCE-US: 45 (baseline), 45 (day 15), and 38 (1 month). Preprandial and postprandial values were not significantly different. For area under the curve and area under the washout, the correlation coefficient between preprandial and postprandial values was 0.89; the associated within-subject coefficients of variation were 61% and 64%, respectively. However, the range of individual variations (postprandial value/preprandial value) was less than 2 logs for a range of parameter values of about 4 logs. Variability was independent of the metastatic site.

Conclusions
This study showed that area under the curve and area under the washout are the 2 most reproducible DCE-US parameters.
Prospective Outcomes of a Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation Program Including Vaginal Electrogalvanic Stimulation for Urinary, Defecatory, and Pelvic Pain Symptoms
Authors: Schmitt Jennifer J. , Singh Ruchira , Weaver Amy L. , Mara Kristin C. , Harvey-Springer Randina R. , Fick Felecia R. , Occhino John A. 
Published: January 2017

Objectives
This study evaluated our experience after implementing a pelvic floor rehabilitation program including behavioral modification, biofeedback, and vaginal electrogalvanic stimulation (EGS).

Methods
This prospective cohort study evaluated outcomes of patients with pelvic floor dysfunction (urinary or defecatory dysfunction, pelvic pain/dyspareunia) who underwent pelvic floor rehabilitation. Patients received 4 to 7 sessions (1 every 2 weeks) including biofeedback and concluded with 30 minutes of vaginal EGS. Surveys assessed subjective changes in symptoms; success was evaluated using a 10-point visual analog scale (VAS) at the final session (10 = most successful). Paired comparisons of responses at baseline and final treatment were evaluated.

Results
Ninety-four patients were followed up through therapy completion. Treatment indications included urinary (89.4%), defecatory (33.0%), and pelvic pain or dyspareunia (30.9%); 44.7% of patients had a combination of indications. Among women with urinary symptoms, the percentage reporting leakage decreased from 92.9% to 79.3% (P = 0.001), leakage at least daily decreased from 69.0% to 39.5% (P < 0.001), daily urgency with leakage decreased from 42.7% to 19.5% (P = 0.001), daily urgency without leakage decreased from 41.5% to 18.3% (P < 0.001), and median VAS rating (0 = not at all, 10 = a great deal) of daily life interference decreased from 5 to 1.5 (P < 0.001). The median success ratings were 8, 8, and 7 for treatment of urinary symptoms, pelvic pain/dyspareunia, and bowel symptoms, respectively.

Conclusions
An aggressive pelvic rehabilitation program including biofeedback with vaginal EGS had a high rate of self-reported subjective success and satisfaction and should be considered a nonsurgical treatment option in patients with pelvic floor dysfunction.
Ultrasonographic Features of Female Urethral Diverticula: A Retrospective Study of 25 Patients
Authors: Wang Xia , Dou Chaoran , Yan Yulin , Bai Yun , Hu Bing , Ying Tao 
Published: January 2017

Objectives
This article summarizes the ultrasonographic features of female urethral diverticula on biplane transrectal ultrasound (B-TRUS).

Methods
A retrospective study was performed with 25 consecutive women who were diagnosed and treated as having urethral diverticulum (UD) between January 2012 and March 2016. All the patients were preoperatively evaluated using B-TRUS. The number, location, configuration, size, and type of the UD on B-TRUS were assessed.

Results
Twenty-eight diverticula were found on B-TRUS. Twenty-two patients had single diverticulum, whereas the other 3 had double diverticula. The locations included proximal (14%), mid (46%), and distal (40%) urethra. In transverse section, the configuration presented as round or oval (46%), and horseshoe-like or circumferential (54%). The maximal diameter of the 28 diverticula ranged from 3 to 48 mm. The types contained simple UD (36%) and complex UD (64%). Color blood flow signal could be detected in the septa, cystic wall, and solid mass, whereas negative in other areas inside the UD.

Conclusions
Various sonographic characters of female UD could be observed during the evaluation, including single or multiple diverticula, different sites, diverse shapes, and septa, calculi, or neoplasm inside diverticulum, all of which could be clearly displayed on B-TRUS.
Relative Frequencies of Arteritic and Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy in an Arab Population
Authors: Gruener Anna M. , Chang Jessica R. , Bosley Thomas M. , Al-Sadah Zakeya M. , Kum Clarissa , McCulley Timothy J. 
Published: January 2017

Background:
To evaluate the relative frequencies of arteritic and nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) in an Arab population and to compare and contrast these findings with known epidemiological data from Caucasian populations.

Methods:
A retrospective review of the medical records of all patients diagnosed with AION at the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital (KKESH) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between 1997 and 2012.

Results:
Of 171 patients with AION, 4 had biopsy-proven giant-cell arteritis (GCA). The relative frequencies of arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AAION) and nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) in this Arab cohort were 2.3% and 97.7%, respectively.

Conclusions:
The relative frequencies of arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy and nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy differ between Arab and North American clinic-based populations, with giant-cell arteritis-related ischemia being much less frequent in Saudi Arabia.
The mayfly nymphAustrophlebioides pusillusHarker defies common osmoregulatory assumptions
Authors: Dowse Renee , Palmer Carolyn G. , Hills Kasey , Torpy Fraser , Kefford Ben J. 
Published: January 2017

Osmoregulation is a key physiological function, critical for homeostasis. The basic physiological mechanisms of osmoregulation are thought to be well established. However, through a series of experiments exposing the freshwater mayfly nymphAustrophlebioides pusillus(Ephemeroptera) to increasing salinities, we present research that challenges the extent of current understanding of the relationship between osmoregulation and mortality.A. pusillushad modelled 96 h LC10, LC50and LC99of 2.4, 4.8 and 10 g l−1added synthetic marine salt (SMS), respectively. They were strong osmoregulators. At aquarium water osmolality of 256 ± 3.12 mmol kg−1(±s.e.; equivalent to 10 g l−1added SMS), the haemolymph osmolality ofA. pusilluswas a much higher 401 ± 4.18 mmol kg−1(±s.e.). The osmoregulatory capacity ofA. pusillusdid not break down, even at the salinity corresponding to their LC99, thus their mortality at this concentration is due to factors other than increased internal osmotic pressure. No freshwater invertebrate has been previously reported as suffering mortality from rises in salinity that are well below the iso-osmotic point. Recently, studies have reported reduced abundance/richness of Ephemeroptera with slightly elevated salinity. Given that salinization is an increasing global threat to freshwaters, there is an urgent need for studies into the osmophysiology of the Ephemeroptera to determine if their loss at locations with slightly elevated salinity is a direct result of external salinity or other, possibly physiological, causes.
A non-equilibrium formulation of food security resilience
Authors: Smerlak Matteo , Vaitla Bapu 
Published: January 2017

Resilience, the ability to recover from adverse events, is of fundamental importance to food security. This is especially true in poor countries, where basic needs are frequently threatened by economic, environmental and health shocks. An empirically sound formalization of the concept of food security resilience, however, is lacking. Here, we introduce a general non-equilibrium framework for quantifying resilience based on the statistical notion of persistence. Our approach can be applied to any food security variable for which high-frequency time-series data are available. We illustrate our method with
per capita
kilocalorie availability for 161 countries between 1961 and 2011. We find that resilient countries are not necessarily those that are characterized by high levels or less volatile fluctuations of kilocalorie intake. Accordingly, food security policies and programmes will need to be tailored not only to welfare levels at any one time, but also to long-run welfare dynamics.
The problem of missing terms in term by term integration involving divergent integrals
Authors: Galapon Eric A. 
Published: January 2017

Term by term integration may lead to divergent integrals, and naive evaluation of them by means of, say, analytic continuation or by regularization or by the finite part integral may lead to missing terms. Here, under certain analyticity conditions, the problem of missing terms for the incomplete Stieltjes transform,

∫
0
a

f
(
x
)

(
ω
+
x
)

−
1

d
x

, and the Stieltjes transform itself,

∫
0

∞

f
(
x
)

(
ω
+
x
)

−
1

d
x

, is resolved by lifting the integration in the complex plane. It is shown that the missing terms arise from the singularities of the complex-valued function
f
(
z
)(
ω
+
z
)
−1
, with the divergent integrals arising from term by term integration interpreted as finite part integrals.
Complete genomic characterisation of twoEscherichia colilineages responsible for a cluster of carbapenem resistant infections in a Chinese hospital
Authors: Zong Zhiyong , Fenn Samuel , Connor Christopher , Feng Yu , McNally Alan 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe increase in infections as a result of multi-drug resistant strains ofEscherichia coliis a global health crisis. The emergence of globally disseminated lineages ofE. colicarrying ESBL genes has been well characterised. An increase in strains producing carbapenemase enzymes and mobile colistin resistance is now being reported, but to date there is little genomic characterisation of such strains. Routine screening of patients within an ICU of West China Hospital identified a number ofE. colicarrying theblaNDM-5carbapenemase gene, found to be two distinct clones,E. coliST167 and ST617. Interrogation of publically available data shows isolation of ESBL and carbapenem resistant strains of both lineages from clinical cases across the world. Further analysis of a large collection of publically available genomes shows that ST167 and ST617 have emerged in distinct patterns from the ST10 clonal complex ofE. coli, but share evolutionary events involving switches in LPS genetics, intergenic regions and anaerobic metabolism loci. These may be evolutionary events which underpin the emergence of carbapenem resistance plasmid carriage inE. coli.
Chromosome contacts in activated T cells identify autoimmune disease candidate genes
Authors: Burren Oliver S , García Arcadio Rubio , Javierre Biola-Maria , Rainbow Daniel B , Cairns Jonathan , Cooper Nicholas J , Lambourne John J , Schofield Ellen , Dopico Xaquin Castro , Ferreira Ricardo C , Coulson Richard , Burden Frances , Rowlston Sophia P , Downes Kate , Wingett Steven W , Frontini Mattia , Ouwehand Willem H , Fraser Peter , Spivakov Mikhail , Todd John A , Wicker Linda S , Cutler Antony J , Wallace Chris 
Published: January 2017

BackgroundAutoimmune disease-associated variants are preferentially found in regulatory regions in immune cells, particularly CD4+T cells. Linking such regulatory regions to gene promoters in disease-relevant cell contexts facilitates identification of candidate disease genes.ResultsWithin four hours, activation of CD4+T cells invokes changes in histone modifications and enhancer RNA transcription that correspond to altered expression of the interacting genes identified by promoter capture Hi-C. By integrating promoter capture Hi-C data with genetic associations for five autoimmune diseases we prioritised 245 candidate genes with a median distance from peak signal to prioritised gene of 153 kb. Just under half (108/245) prioritised genes related to activation-sensitive interactions. This includedIL2RA, where allele-specific expression analyses were consistent with its interaction-mediated regulation, illustrating the utility of the approach.ConclusionsOur systematic experimental framework offers an alternative approach to candidate causal gene identification for variants with cell state-specific functional effects, with achievable sample sizes.
Phylogenomic Synteny Network Analysis Reveals an Ancient MADS-Box Transcription Factor Tandem Duplication and Lineage-Specific Transpositions
Authors: Zhao Tao , Holmer Rens , de Bruijn Suzanne , van den Burg Harrold A. , Schranz M. Eric 
Published: January 2017

ABSTRACTConserved genomic context (or synteny) provides critical information for comparative evolutionary analysis, such as the inference of ancient polyploidy events, recurrent genomic rearrangements across species and gene ancestry. With the increase of sequenced and assembled plant genomes, we now have the opportunity to use synteny to analyze the dynamics of gene family expansion and contraction across broad phylogenetic groups. Here we present an integrated approach to organize plant kingdom-wide gene synteny networks usingk-clique percolation. As an example, we analyzed the gene synteny network of the MADS-box transcription factor family based on fifty-one completed plant genomes. We conclude from two massive gene clusters that one of the two Type II MADS-box gene clades evolved from an ancient tandem gene duplication likely predating the radiation of seed plants, which then expanded by polyploidy events and sub-functionalization. This gene clade now contains key regulators of major phenotypes of angiosperms including flower development. Moreover, we find lineage-specific gene clusters derived from transposition events. For example, lineage-specific clusters in the Brassicales containing genes that are well-known for their function in controlling flower morphology (AP3andPI). Our phylogenomic synteny network approach can be applied to any group of species to gain new insights into the evolution and dynamics of any set of genes.
Cooperating or competing in three languages: cultural accommodation or alienation?
Authors: Gargalianou Vasiliki , Urbig Diemo , van Witteloostuijn Arjen 
Published: January 2017

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the effect of using foreign languages on cooperative behavior in a prisoner’s dilemma setting. The cultural accommodation hypothesis suggests that people are less cooperative in English, associated with the Anglophone cultural cluster, than in French, which is – as is Belgium – associated with the more cooperative Latin European cultural cluster.Design/methodology/approachChoices are framed as pricing strategies in the context of duopolistic competition. In total, 422 Flemish-Belgium participants with English and French as foreign and Dutch as their native language played in one of three language treatments.FindingsWhile the authors observe differences between the native and both foreign languages, which are moderated by gender, the authors do not find any difference in effects between the two foreign languages that are associated with different cultures. Extending cultural accommodation arguments, the data suggests an effect specific to the use of the two selected foreign languages.Originality/valueThe authors contribute to this literature by reporting an experimental test of cultural accommodation and alienation effects related to two foreign languages. The authors explore novel arguments, related to cognitive psychology and gender effects.
Cross-cultural research and positive organizational scholarship
Authors: Cameron Kim 
Published: January 2017

PurposeIn view of the emphasis in cross-cultural research on negative factors such as cultural misfit, cultural distance, and the liability of foreignness, the purpose of this paper is to offer one explanation for why this is the case and highlight the advantages of giving at least equal emphasis to research on positive factors. Three propositions are offered to guide future cross-cultural research.Design/methodology/approachSummaries of empirical studies on the inherent inclinations of human systems toward the negative, as well as inclinations toward the positive, produce explanations for each of these biases and their implications for cross-cultural scholarship.FindingsBy prioritizing positive factors instead of negative factors, individuals and organizations perform at much higher levels than when the reverse is the case. Virtuous practices, in particular, are associated with positively deviant performance. Inasmuch as virtuousness is universally valued, its emphasis can address some of the liabilities of difference inherent in cross-cultural contexts.Originality/valueThe three propositions offered in the paper explain why negative biases exist, how positive biases provide an advantage to individuals and organizations, and highlight future directions for cross-cultural research. Social scientists have been challenged to help enable 51 percent of the world’s population to flourish by mid-century, and prioritizing positive cross-cultural phenomena is one prescription for achieving that objective.
TEHD analysis of a bidirectional thrust bearing in a pumped storage unit
Authors: Zhai Liming , Wang Zhengwei , Luo Yongyao , Li Zhongjie 
Published: January 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze lubrication characteristics of a bidirectional thrust bearing in a pumped storage, considering the effect of the thermal elastic deformation of the pad and collar.

Design/methodology/approach
This study used the fluid–solid interaction (FSI) technique to investigate the lubrication characteristics of a bidirectional thrust bearing for several typical operating conditions. The influences of the operating conditions and the thrust load on the lubrication characteristics were analyzed. Then, various pivot eccentricities were investigated to analyze the effects of the pivot position.

Findings
It is found that the effect of the radial tilt angle of the collar runner on the oil film is compensated for by the radial tilt of the pad. The central pivot support system is the main factor limiting the loads of bidirectional thrust bearings.

Originality/value
This paper has preliminarily revealed the lubrication mechanism of bidirectional tilting-pad thrust bearings. A three-dimensional FSI method is suggested to evaluate the thermal–elastic–hydrodynamic deformations of thrust bearings instead of the conventional method, which iteratively solves the Reynolds equation, the energy equation, the heat conduction equation and the elastic equilibrium equation.