bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of the Primary Information Source Used for Decision Making on Treatment Perceptions and Regret in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Shaverdian Narek , Kishan Amar U. , Veruttipong Darlene , Demanes D. Jeffrey , Kupelian Patrick , McCloskey Susan , Steinberg Michael L. , King Christopher R. 
Published: May 2017

Objective:
To assess the impact of the primary source of information used by prostate cancer patients to select a radiation treatment on their overall treatment experience and on treatment regret.

Methods:
Patients with low to favorable intermediate-risk prostate cancer treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, or high-dose rate brachytherapy were surveyed. The questionnaire explored the decision-making experience, treatment experience, and treatment regret.

Results:
In total, 322 consecutive patients were surveyed with an 86% (n=276) response rate. In total, 48% (n=132) selected their radiation oncologist as the primary information source, 23% (n=62) selected their urologist, 16% (n=44) selected the Internet, 6% (n=17) selected other patients, and 8% (n=21) selected other. In total, 39% of patients who selected the Internet as their primary information source reported their actual treatment experience to be worse than expected versus 13% of respondents who selected their urologist, 12% who selected other patients, and 2% who selected their radiation oncologist (P<0.01). Similarly, 43% who selected the Internet as their primary information source endorsed treatment regret versus 10% who selected their urologist, and 7% who selected their radiation oncologist (P<0.01). On multivariate regression, only patients who selected the Internet as their primary information source were more likely to endorse treatment regret (odds ratio, 46.47; P<0.001) and a worse treatment perception (odds ratio, 83.33; P<0.001).

Conclusions:
Patients who used the Internet as their primary information source were significantly more likely to endorse treatment regret and a worse than expected overall treatment experience. These data highlight the potential dangers of Internet-based resources and the importance for physicians to proactively counsel patients.
Treatment and Outcomes of Primary Urethra Cancer
Authors: Eng Tony Y. , Chen Tiffany W. , Patel Abhilasha J. , Vincent Jill N. , Ha Chul S. 
Published: May 2017

Background:
Urethral cancer is a rare malignancy, representing <1% of all malignancies. Optimal management, due to its rarity, presents as a treatment dilemma for physicians. There is a lack of consensus regarding treatment as large randomized trials cannot be performed; thus, optimal management decisions rely on study of retrospective cases. This is a review of our institutional experience with urethral cancer treated with various treatment modalities.

Methods:
A retrospective chart review was performed on 31 patients treated for primary cancer of the urethra from 1958 to 2008. The patients were stratified by sex, histologic type, stage, date of diagnosis, type of treatment, and last follow-up. Early stage cases were designated as Tis-T2N0M0 and advanced cases were designated as T3-4, N+ or M+. Analysis was performed based on clinical stage, treatment modalities and outcomes.

Results:
Fourteen early stage cases and 17 advanced stage cases of urethral cancer were analyzed. The majority of early stage cases occurred in men (M:F=8:6) and the majority of advanced stage cases occurred in women (M:F=5:12). The most common histology was squamous cell carcinoma for both early and advanced stage cases. Surgery was the preferred modality of treatment for early stage cases (surgery used in 13 cases vs. chemo/radiotherapy used in 1 case) while for advanced cases, radiation ±chemotherapy was commonly used. Overall survival for this series was 45% at mean follow-up of 7 years. Eight of the 14 cases of early stage cancer remained disease free at last follow-up. Comparatively, only 5 of 17 with advanced cancers had no apparent disease at last follow-up. All but one of those patients were treated with combined modality therapy.

Conclusions:
Patients with early stage urethral cancers do well with single modality therapy, whereas patients who present with advanced cancers may benefit from combined modality therapy. More extensive study is required to recommend a particular treatment protocol. However, in this rare malignancy, institutional experiences provide the best evidence currently due to the lack of multi-institutional trials.
A Deceptively Simple Solution for Refractory Melasma: Glycolic Acid Peels and Hydroquinone at Home
Authors: Mashiko Takanobu , Oka Aiko , Osawa Ema , Koshima Isao 
Published: May 2017

Summary:Although various treatment methods for melasma have developed, substantial improvement of the condition is sometimes difficult. We have experientially found that some of refractory melasma caused by daily friction can easily be treated by using a combination of a peeling agent (20% glycolic acid) and a depigmenting agent (5% hydroquinone) twice daily at home. And here, by performing skin biopsies, we revealed the pathological mechanism: hyperkeratosis caused by repeated physical stimulus, which prevents infiltration of topical therapeutic agents, was dramatically reduced by chemical peeling, resulting that the melanin pigments were effectively cleared by topical hydroquinone.
Trim Labiaplasty
Authors: Furnas Heather J. 
Published: May 2017

Summary:
A labiaplasty is a surgical procedure that reduces the length of redundant labia minora. The trim, also known as edge excision, linear, and amputation labiaplasty, is a technique commonly used. Complications associated with a trim labiaplasty include overresection and scalloped labia edges. This video features an operative technique that aims to reduce labia minora to an appropriate final length with smooth, unscalloped edges.
Intranasal Fentanyl as a Pain Management Modality During Dressing Changes in the Outpatient Setting
Authors: Nederveld Cindy , Barron Avery , Porter Austin , Recicar John 
Published: May 2017

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of intranasal (IN) fentanyl versus an oral opioid for managing pain during a pediatric burn dressing change in the outpatient setting.MethodsPreviously healthy children with burn injuries who underwent dressing changes in the outpatient setting were prospectively enrolled in a comparative trial. The patients were matched based on demographics, burn size, and location. The patients were divided into two treatment groups: One group received IN fentanyl immediately before their dressing change, whereas the other group received an oral opioid 30 minutes before their burn clinic visit. Revised Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (rFLACC) pain scores were calculated to assess effectiveness.ResultsSixty-four patients were included (n= 32 per group). rFLACC scores for children who received IN fentanyl decreased from 5.06 ± 2.5 during treatment to 0.50 ± 0.14 after treatment (p< .0001). Similarly, rFLACC scores for children who received an oral opioid decreased from 6.47 ± 2.3 during treatment to 1.19 ± 1.9 after treatment (p< .0001). There was no significant difference in the average rFLACC pain scores of the two groups (p> .05).ConclusionIN fentanyl and oral opioid are equally effective for managing pain associated with burn dressing changes in the outpatient setting. However, IN fentanyl showed a more rapid onset of action and provided a more reliable form of pain control.
Everyday Life After Colon Cancer
Authors: Stuhlfauth Susanne , Melby Line , Hellesø Ragnhild 
Published: May 2017

Background:
There is little research regarding how everyday life is affected by colon cancer treatment. Few studies exist that exclusively examine patients with Dukes C colon cancer. Most studies include other types of bowel cancer and different stages.

Objectives:
The aims of this study were to explore and describe how colon cancer survivors experience everyday life in general and sexuality in particular after treatment of Dukes C colon cancer.

Methods:
The study is exploratory and descriptive and uses semistructured interviews to collect data. Nine participants were interviewed regarding their everyday lives up until 2 years after concluded treatment. The analysis was done using Graneheim and Lundman’s method of content-analysis.

Results:
Bodily changes are a consequence of colon cancer. Exhaustion, colon problems, and visible bodily changes are some of the challenges that survivors are faced with. Socializing with friends was different, and work had to be facilitated. Social networks proved to be a good support, and spouses were considered to be the most important source of social support. Sexual challenges were experienced by men and women alike.

Conclusion:
Participants experience changes in day-to-day life after cancer treatment. Social networks and the participants’ own coping strategies are key to shaping everyday life after treatment.

Implication for Practice:
It is crucial that healthcare professionals have a holistic view of patients. Both partners and physical activity were identified as an integral part of coping. Seniors are often less active, and some have lost their spouses, it is therefore especially important to examine this demographic. A survey before and after treatment can help optimize rehabilitation.
Staring at My Body
Authors: Chuang Li-Yu , Hsu Yu-Yun , Yin Shu-Yuan , Shu Bih-Ching 
Published: May 2017

Background:
Breast cancer takes time for its survivors after a mastectomy to adjust to their changed bodies. There are limited studies about the process of how those survivors accept the changes of their bodies and how they reestablish their new selves.

Objective:
The aim of this study was to understand the perception of body from women diagnosed with breast cancer more than 5 years previously and whose treatment included a mastectomy.

Methods:
A phenomenological method was applied to this study. Women who received a mastectomy at least 5 years previously were invited to participate. Eight participants were recruited from southern Taiwan.

Results:
Twenty transcripts were obtained and analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. Three themes were obtained from the data analysis: “restoration of the body image,” “abandonment of objectification,” and “redefinition of self.” Subthemes were also identified and described.

Conclusion:
The results indicate that women with breast cancer have embodied the recovering experience to a new self and have adapted to identify their new bodies. They overcome being a female body with an absent breast(s) by discovering the value of their existence and being free from self-objectification.

Implications for Practice:
This study contributes to the understanding of the perception of body in long-term breast cancer survivors, which reflects the process of adjusting to the loss of a breast/breasts to reconstructing a new body experience. Health professionals could help and encourage women undergoing a mastectomy to engage in self-recovery by searching for and affirming self-value.
The Differences in Preference for Truth-telling of Patients With Cancer of Different Genders
Authors: Chen Shih-Ying , Wang Hung-Ming , Tang Woung-Ru 
Published: May 2017

Background:
Patients' personality traits, especially age, gender, and cancer stage, tend to affect doctors' truth-telling methods. However, there is a lack of studies investigating the influence of patients' gender on truth-telling, especially for Asian cultures.

Objective:
The aims of this study were to qualitatively investigate the differences in preferences for truth-telling for patients with cancer of different genders and explore patients' preferences for decision making.

Methods:
For this descriptive qualitative study, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 patients with cancer (10 men and 10 women) using a semistructured interview guide. All interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Data collection and analysis occurred concurrently; content analysis developed categories and themes.

Results:
Data analysis revealed 2 themes: (1) similar gender preferences for truth-telling and decision making: knowledge of their medical condition, direct and frank truthfulness, and assistance in decision making for subsequent treatment programs, and (2) preferences in truth-telling that differed by gender: women wanted family members present for confirmation of diagnosis, whereas men did not; men preferred truth-telling for only key points of their cancer, whereas women wanted detailed information; and men did not want to know their survival period, whereas women wanted this information.

Conclusions:
Our study revealed similar gender preferences for truth-telling regarding knowledge and decision making; however, preferences differed for family support, scope of information, and survival time.

Implications for Practice:
These findings can serve as a reference for nurses and other healthcare personnel when implementing truth-telling for patients given a diagnosis of cancer. Strategies can be targeted for specific preferences of men and women.
Open Hardware for neuro-prosthesis research: A study about a closed-loop multi-channel system for electrical surface stimulations and measurements
Authors: Rotermund David , Ernst Udo A. , Pawelzik Klaus R. 
Published: May 2017

1AbstractRecent progress in neuro-prosthetic technology gives rise to the hope that in the future blind people might regain some degree of visual perception. It was shown that electrically stimulating the brain can be used to produce simple visual impressions of light blobs (phosphenes). However, this perception is very far away from natural sight. For developing the next generation of visual prostheses, real-time closed-loop stimulators which measure the actual neuronal activities and on this basis determine the required stimulation pattern. This leads to the challenge to design a system that can produce arbitrary stimulation-patterns with up to ±70V and with up to 25mA while measuring neuronal signals with amplitudes in the order of mV. Furthermore, the interruption of the measurement by stimulation must be as short as possible and the system needs to scale to hundreds of electrodes. We discuss how such a system and especially its current pumps and input protection need to be designed and which problems arise. We condense our findings into an example design for which we provide all design files (boards, firmwares and software) as open-source. This is a first step in taking the existing open-sourcewww.open-ephys.orgrecording system and converting it into a closed-loop experimental setup for neuro-prosthetic research.
Association Mapping from Sequencing Reads UsingK-mers
Authors: Rahman Atif , Hallgrímsdóttir Ingileif , Eisen Michael B. , Pachter Lior 
Published: May 2017

AbstractGenome wide association studies (GWAS) rely on microarrays, or more recently mapping of whole-genome sequencing reads, to genotype individuals. The reliance on prior sequencing of a reference genome for the organism on which the association study is to be performed limits the scope of association studies, and also precludes the identification of differences between cases and controls outside of the reference. We present an alignment free method for association studies that is based on counting k-mers in sequencing reads, testing for associations directly between k-mers and the trait of interest, and local assembly of the statistically significant k-mers to identify sequence differences. Results with simulated data and an analysis of the 1000 genomes data provide a proof of principle for the approach. In a pairwise comparison of the Toscani in Italia (TSI) and the Yoruba in Ibadan, Nigeria (YRI) populations we find that sequences identified by our method largely agree with results obtained using standard GWAS based on variant calling from mapped reads. However unlike standard GWAS, we find that our method identifies associations with structural variations and sites not present in the reference genome revealing sequences absent from the human reference genome. We also analyze data from the Bengali from Bangladesh (BEB) population to explore possible genetic basis of high rate of mortality due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) among South Asians and find significant differences in frequencies of a number of non-synonymous variants in genes linked to CVDs between BEB and TSI samples, including the site rs1042034, which has been associated with higher risk of CVDs previously, and the nearby rs676210 in theApolipoprotein B (ApoB)gene.Author SummaryWe present a method for associating regions in genomes to traits or diseases. The method is based on finding differences in frequencies of short strings of letters in sequencing reads and do not require reads to be aligned to a reference genome. This makes it applicable to study of organisms with no or incomplete reference genomes. We test our method with simulated data and sequencing data from the 1000 genomes project and find agreement with the conventional approach based on alignment to a reference genome. In addition, our method finds associations with sequences not in reference genomes and reveals sequences missing from the human reference genome. We also explore high rates of mortality due to cardiovascular diseases among South Asians and find prevalence of variations in genes associated with heart diseases in samples from the Bengali from Bangladesh population including one that has been reported to be associated with early onset of cardiovascular diseases.
Grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) on small periodic targets using large beams
Authors: Pflüger Mika , Soltwisch Victor , Probst Jürgen , Scholze Frank , Krumrey Michael 
Published: May 2017

Grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) is often used as a versatile tool for the contactless and destruction-free investigation of nanostructured surfaces. However, due to the shallow incidence angles, the footprint of the X-ray beam is significantly elongated, limiting GISAXS to samples with typical target lengths of several millimetres. For many potential applications, the production of large target areas is impractical, and the targets are surrounded by structured areas. Because the beam footprint is larger than the targets, the surrounding structures contribute parasitic scattering, burying the target signal. In this paper, GISAXS measurements of isolated as well as surrounded grating targets in Si substrates with line lengths from 50 µm down to 4 µm are presented. For the isolated grating targets, the changes in the scattering patterns due to the reduced target length are explained. For the surrounded grating targets, the scattering signal of a 15 µm × 15 µm target grating structure is separated from the scattering signal of 100 µm × 100 µm nanostructured surroundings by producing the target with a different orientation with respect to the predominant direction of the surrounding structures. As virtually all lithographically produced nanostructures have a predominant direction, the described technique allows GISAXS to be applied in a range of applications,e.g. for characterization of metrology fields in the semiconductor industry, where up to now it has been considered impossible to use this method due to the large beam footprint.
Singapore’s success in combating corruption: lessons for policy makers
Authors: Quah Jon S.T. 
Published: May 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explain Singapore’s success in combating corruption and to identify the lessons for policy makers concerned with enhancing the anti-corruption measures in their countries.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper provides a brief literature review and analysis of Singapore’s policy context before explaining Singapore’s success in combating corruption and identifying the lessons for policy makers to enhance the effectiveness of the anti-corruption measures in their countries.

Findings
Singapore’s success in combating corruption can be attributed to the political will of the People’s Action Party government and the effectiveness of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau in investigating all corruption cases and enforcing the anti-corruption laws impartially, without fear or favour. Extrapolating from Singapore’s success, policy makers in other countries can learn these lessons: the critical importance of political will; addressing the causes of corruption and learning from past mistakes; establishing and supporting an independent anti-corruption agency with adequate resources; enforcing the anti-corruption laws impartially but not selectively against the government’s political opponents; and combating corruption is a marathon requiring perseverance and sustained effort.

Originality/value
Scholars, policy makers and anti-corruption practitioners will be interested in learning how Singapore has succeeded in combating corruption as well as the relevant lessons for policy makers.
Agricultural credit provision: what really determines farmers’ participation and credit rationing?
Authors: Asante-Addo Collins , Mockshell Jonathan , Zeller Manfred , Siddig Khalid , Egyir Irene S. 
Published: May 2017

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze determinants of farmers’ participation and credit rationing in microcredit programs using survey data from Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use the Garrett Ranking Technique to analyze farmers’ reasons for participation or non-participation in credit programs, a probit regression model to estimate factors influencing farm households’ participation, and the Heckman’s sample selection model to identify factors influencing farm households’ probability of being credit rationed by microcredit programs.FindingsThe results reveal that farm households participate in credit programs because of improved access to savings services and agricultural loans. Fear of loan default and lack of savings are reasons for non-participation in credit programs. Furthermore, membership in farmer-based organizations (FBOs) and the household head’s formal education are positively associated with farmers’ participation in credit programs. The likelihood of farmers being credit rationed (i.e. their loan applications were either rejected or the amount of credit they applied for was reduced) is less likely among higher income farmers and members of FBOs such as farmer cooperatives and savings clubs.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that policy strategies aiming to improve access to savings and credit services should educate farmers and strengthen FBOs that could serve as entry points for financial service providers. Such market smart strategies have the potential to improve farmers’ access to financial services and reduce rural poverty.Originality/valueAlthough existing studies have examined farmers’ participation in credit markets and credit rationing separately, the unique contribution of this paper is the analysis of participation in microcredit programs as well as the likelihood of farmers being credit rationed in Ghana.
Financial leverage and agency costs in agricultural cooperatives
Authors: Russell Levi A. , Briggeman Brian C. , Featherstone Allen M. 
Published: May 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which agency costs of leverage are present in farm supply and marketing cooperatives.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors calculate total factor productivity growth of a sample of agricultural cooperatives from 2005 to 2010 and use regression to determine the effect of leverage on productivity growth.

Findings
The findings indicate that there is a small but statistically significantly negative effect of leverage on productivity growth. This indicates that, at the margin, the costs of leverage outweigh the benefits.

Originality/value
This paper measures the magnitude of what is typically considered an important financial transaction cost. The authors find that the magnitude of this effect is small, indicating that government policy should address other financial issues.