bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Barriers and facilitators to birth without epidural in a tertiary obstetric referral center: Perspectives of health care professionals and patients
Authors: Knox Alyssa , Rouleau Geneviève , Semenic Sonia , Khongkham Malisa , Ciofani Luisa 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBackgroundEpidural rates are high in tertiary obstetric referral centers, even though many patients in tertiary settings might not want or need epidural analgesia. Epidural rates are influenced by factors including labor support and routine medical intervention. This study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to birth without epidural in a Canadian tertiary center, from the perspectives of doctors, nurses, and patients.MethodsIn this qualitative exploratory study, individual, semi‐structured interviews were conducted in 2016 with 5 doctors, 5 nurses, and 4 patients who intended to birth without epidural. Interviews were audio‐recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using inductive qualitative thematic analysis.ResultsSeveral contextual factors in the tertiary center facilitated or were barriers to birth without epidural. The following themes emerged: (1) differing perceptions of pain, (2) being ready for things to go wrong, (3) labor support is more labor intensive, and (4) having insufficient resources for birth without epidural.ConclusionsReconciling patient birth goals with staff focus on patient safety is challenging in the tertiary context. Discrepancies between health care professional and patient attitudes about childbirth pain may influence decision‐making about epidural use. Maintaining labor support skills is challenging for health care professionals who have limited exposure to birth without epidural. There is a need to allocate dedicated resources to better support birth without epidural. Specifically, support could be improved through the implementation of guidelines for assessment and management of labor pain, provision of a variety of pain management options, and labor support training for health care professionals.
What are the risk factors associated with hospital birth among women planning to give birth in a birth center in Washington State?
Authors: Stephenson‐Famy Alyssa , Masarie Kaitlin S. , Lewis Ali , Schiff Melissa A. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBackgroundFew studies have evaluated risk factors associated with hospital birth among women planning to give birth in a birth center in the United States. This study describes the obstetrical risk factors for hospital birth among women intending to deliver in a birth center in Washington State.MethodsWe performed a retrospective cohort study of Washington State birth certificate data for women with singleton, term pregnancies planning to give birth at a birth center from 2004 to 2011. We assessed risk factors for hospital birth including demographic, obstetrical, and medical characteristics. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of the association between risk factors and hospital birth.ResultsAmong the 7118 women planning to give birth at a birth center during the study period, 7% (N = 501) had a hospital birth, and 93% delivered at a birth center (N = 6617). The strongest risk factors for hospital transfer included nulliparity (OR 7.2 [95% CI 5.3‐9.8]), maternal age >40 years (OR 3.7 [95% CI 2.1‐6.7]), inadequate prenatal care (OR 3.7 [95% CI 2.7‐5.0]), body mass index ≥30 (OR 2.1 [95% CI 1.6‐3.0]), government health insurance (OR 9.3 [95% CI 5.0‐17.1]), and hypertension (10.1 [95% CI 5.7‐18.1]). Among nulliparous women, all of these demographic and obstetrical factors remained strongly associated with hospital birth.ConclusionsThis information may be useful for counseling women who plan a birth center birth about the risk of hospital birth.
Assessing the relationship between physician availability and viral load suppression in British Columbia
Authors: Amram Ofer , Wang Lu , Sereda Paul , Shoveller Jean A. , Barrios Rolando , Montaner Julio S.G. , Lima Viviane D. 
Published: December 2017

Key Messages

Individuals residing in areas where there are substantially fewer physicians available to provide HIV treatment have a higher chance of not achieving viral suppression.
Individuals residing in rural areas have poorer health outcomes when compared to those residing in urban areas.
Discrepancies in HIV treatment outcomes exist despite the fact that HIV treatment costs are borne directly by government.
The rise of economics in competition policy: A Canadian perspective
Authors: Boyer Marcel , Ross Thomas W. , Winter Ralph A. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractCompetition policy in Canada and elsewhere has changed remarkably over the last 50 years—in large measure due to advances in economics. In this article, we trace the impact of developments in industrial organization on the three central areas of competition policy: cartels, single firm conduct and mergers. We focus on Canadian competition policy but draw comparisons with developments in the United States and Europe.
Interaction of antivirals with a heptameric bundle model of the p7 protein of hepatitis C virus
Authors: Dahl Sophie L. , Kalita Monoj Mon , Fischer Wolfgang B. 
Published: December 2017

A series of ligands are known experimentally to affect the infectivity cycle of the hepatitis C virus. The target protein for the ligands is proposed to be p7, a 63 amino acid polytopic channel‐forming protein, with possibly two transmembrane domains. Protein p7 is found to assemble into functional oligomers of various sizes, depending on the genotype (GT). Nine ligands are docked to various sites of a computationally derived heptameric bundle of p7 of GT1a. The energy of interaction, here binding energy, is calculated using three different docking programs (Autodock, MOE, LeadIT). Three protein regions are defined to which the ligands are placed, the loop region and the site with the termini as well as the mid‐region which is supposed to track poses inside the putative pore. A common feature is that the loop sites and poses either within the pore or at the intermonomer space of the bundle are preferred for all ligands with proposed binding energies smaller than −10 kJ/mol. BIT225, benzamine, amantadine, and NN‐DNJ show good overall scoring.
A model of well‐being for children with neurodevelopmental disorders: Parental perceptions of functioning, services, and support
Authors: Ritzema A. M. , Lach L. M. , Nicholas D. , Sladeczek I. E. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBackgroundBoth child function and supports and services have been found to impact the well‐being of parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). The relationship between function and services and the well‐being of children with NDD is less well‐understood and is important to clarify in order to effect program and service change.MethodsThe current project assessed whether child function as well as the adequacy of formal supports and services provided to children and their families were predictive of child well‐being. Well‐being was assessed using a measure of quality of life developed for use with children with NDD. Data from 234 parents were analysed using structural equation modelling.ResultsEach predictor was found to load significantly on the overall outcome variable of well‐being. Parent concerns about child function were significantly related to child well‐being; parents who reported more concerns about their children's functioning reported lower levels of child well‐being. Unmet needs for formal supports and services were also significantly related to child well‐being; parents who reported that more of their children's and family's service needs were unmet reported lower child well‐being. An indirect relationship was also found between child function and child well‐being. When parents reported that their formal support needs were adequately met, their children's functional difficulties had a lower impact on parent perceptions of their children's overall well‐being.ConclusionsTaken together, the results of the current study enrich our understanding of well‐being for children with NDD. Discussion focuses on the service implications for children with NDD and their families.
Bidirectional Rendering of Vector Light Transport
Authors: Jarabo Adrian , Arellano Victor 
Published: December 2017

AbstractOn the foundations of many rendering algorithms it is the symmetry between the path traversed by light and its adjoint path starting from the camera. However, several effects, including polarization or fluorescence, break that symmetry, and are defined only on the direction of light propagation. This reduces the applicability of bidirectional methods that exploit this symmetry for simulating effectively light transport. In this work, we focus on how to include these non‐symmetric effects within a bidirectional rendering algorithm. We generalize the path integral to support the constraints imposed by non‐symmetric light transport. Based on this theoretical framework, we propose modifications on two bidirectional methods, namely bidirectional path tracing and photon mapping, extending them to support polarization and fluorescence, in both steady and transient state.
Role of capsule endoscopy in alarm features and non‐responsive celiac disease: A European multicenter study
Authors: Perez‐Cuadrado‐Robles Enrique , Lujan‐Sanchis Marisol , Elli Luca , Juanmartinena‐Fernandez Jose‐Francisco , Garcıa‐Lledo Javier , Ruano‐Dıaz Lucıa , Egea‐Valenzuela Juan , Jimenez‐Garcıa Victoria‐Alejandra , Arguelles‐Arias Federico , Juan‐Acosta Mileidis San , Carretero‐Ribon Cristina , Alonso‐Lazaro Noelia , Rosa Bruno , Sanchez‐Ceballos Francisco , Lopez‐Higueras Antonio , Fernandez‐Urien‐Sainz Ignacio , Branchi Federica , Valle‐Muñoz Julio , Borque‐Barrera Pilar , Gonzalez‐Vazquez Santiago , Pons‐Beltran Vicente , Xavier Sofıa , Gonzalez‐Suarez Begona , Herrerıas‐Gutierrez Juan‐Manuel , Perez‐Cuadrado‐Martınez Enrique , Sempere‐Garcıa‐Arguelles Javier ,   Enteroscopy and Capsule Endoscopy Spanish Society Group of the Spanish Society of Digestive Endoscopy (SEED)
Published: December 2017

Background and AimThe role of capsule endoscopy (CE) in established celiac disease (CD) remains unclear. Our objective was to analyze the usefulness of CE in the suspicion of complicated CD.MethodsThis was a retrospective multicenter study. One hundred and eighty‐nine celiac patients (mean age: 46.6 ± 16.6, 30.2% males) who underwent CE for alarm symptoms (n = 86, 45.5%) or non‐responsive CD (n = 103, 54.5%) were included. Diagnostic yield (DY), therapeutic impact and safety were analyzed.ResultsCapsule endoscopy was completed in 95.2% of patients (small bowel transit time: 270.5 ± 100.2 min). Global DY was 67.2%, detecting atrophic mucosa (n = 92, 48.7%), ulcerative jejunoileitis (n = 21, 11.1%), intestinal lymphoma (n = 7, 3.7%) and other enteropathies (n = 7, 3.7%, six Crohn's disease cases and one neuroendocrine tumor).The DY of CE was significantly higher in patients presenting with non‐responsive disease compared to patients with alarm symptoms (73.8% vs 59.3%, P = 0.035). The new findings of the CE modified management in 59.3% of the cases. There were no major complications.ConclusionCapsule endoscopy may be a moderately helpful and safe diagnostic tool in the suspicion of complicated CD, modifying the clinical course of these patients.
Children retain implicitly learned phonological sequences better than adults: a longitudinal study
Authors: Smalle Eleonore H.M. , Page Mike P.A. , Duyck Wouter , Edwards Martin , Szmalec Arnaud 
Published: December 2017

AbstractWhereas adults often rely on explicit memory, children appear to excel in implicit memory, which plays an important role in the acquisition of various cognitive skills, such as those involved in language. The current study aimed to test the assertion of an age‐dependent shift in implicit versus explicit learning within a theoretical framework that explains the link between implicit sequence memory and word‐form acquisition, using the Hebb repetition paradigm. We conducted a one‐year, multiple‐session longitudinal study in which we presented auditory sequences of syllables, co‐presented with pictures of aliens, for immediate serial recall by a group of children (8–9 years) and by an adult group. The repetition of one Hebb sequence was explicitly announced, while the repetition of another Hebb sequence was unannounced and, therefore, implicit. Despite their overall inferior recall performance, the children showed better offline retention of the implicit Hebb sequence, compared with adults who showed a significant decrement across the delays. Adults had gained more explicit knowledge of the implicit sequence than children, but this could not explain the age‐dependent decline in the delayed memory for it. There was no significant age‐effect for delayed memory of the explicit Hebb sequence, with both age groups showing retention. Overall performance by adults was positively correlated with measures of post‐learning awareness. Performance by children was positively correlated with vocabulary knowledge. We conclude that children outperform adults in the retention over time of implicitly learned phonological sequences that will gradually consolidate into novel word‐forms. The findings are discussed in the light of maturational differences for implicit versus explicit memory systems that also play a role in language acquisition. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/G5nOfJB72t4
Predictive coding in auditory perception: challenges and unresolved questions
Authors: Denham Susan L. , Winkler István 
Published: December 2017

AbstractPredictive coding is arguably the currently dominant theoretical framework for the study of perception. It has been employed to explain important auditory perceptual phenomena, and it has inspired theoretical, experimental and computational modelling efforts aimed at describing how the auditory system parses the complex sound input into meaningful units (auditory scene analysis). These efforts have uncovered some vital questions, addressing which could help to further specify predictive coding and clarify some of its basic assumptions. The goal of the current review is to motivate these questions and show how unresolved issues in explaining some auditory phenomena lead to general questions of the theoretical framework. We focus on experimental and computational modelling issues related to sequential grouping in auditory scene analysis (auditory pattern detection and bistable perception), as we believe that this is the research topic where predictive coding has the highest potential for advancing our understanding. In addition to specific questions, our analysis led us to identify three more general questions that require further clarification: (1) What exactly is meant by prediction in predictive coding? (2) What governs which generative models make the predictions? and (3) What (if it exists) is the correlate of perceptual experience within the predictive coding framework?
An ecophysiological perspective on likely giant panda habitat responses to climate change
Authors: Zhang Yuke , Mathewson Paul D. , Zhang Qiongyue , Porter Warren P. , Ran Jianghong 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThreatened and endangered species are more vulnerable to climate change due to small population and specific geographical distribution. Therefore, identifying and incorporating the biological processes underlying a species’ adaptation to its environment are important for determining whether they can persist in situ. Correlative models are widely used to predict species’ distribution changes, but generally fail to capture the buffering capacity of organisms. Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) live in topographically complex mountains and are known to avoid heat stress. Although many studies have found that climate change will lead to severe habitat loss and threaten previous conservation efforts, the mechanisms underlying panda's responses to climate change have not been explored. Here, we present a case study in Daxiangling Mountains, one of the six Mountain Systems that giant panda distributes. We used a mechanistic model, Niche Mapper, to explore what are likely panda habitat response to climate change taking physiological, behavioral and ecological responses into account, through which we map panda's climatic suitable activity area (SAA) for the first time. We combined SAA with bamboo forest distribution to yield highly suitable habitat (HSH) and seasonal suitable habitat (SSH), and their temporal dynamics under climate change were predicted. In general, SAA in the hottest month (July) would reduce 11.7%–52.2% by 2070, which is more moderate than predicted bamboo habitat loss (45.6%–86.9%). Limited by the availability of bamboo and forest, panda's suitable habitat loss increases, and only 15.5%–68.8% of current HSH would remain in 2070. Our method of mechanistic modeling can help to distinguish whether habitat loss is caused by thermal environmental deterioration or food loss under climate change. Furthermore, mechanistic models can produce robust predictions by incorporating ecophysiological feedbacks and minimizing extrapolation into novel environments. We suggest that a mechanistic approach should be incorporated into distribution predictions and conservation planning.
Challenging a 15‐year‐old claim: The North Atlantic Oscillation index as a predictor of spring migration phenology of birds
Authors: Haest Birgen , Hüppop Ommo , Bairlein Franz 
Published: December 2017

AbstractMany migrant bird species that breed in the Northern Hemisphere show advancement in spring arrival dates. The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index is one of the climatic variables that have been most often investigated and shown to be correlated with these changes in spring arrival. Although the NAO is often claimed to be a good predictor or even to have a marked effect on interannual changes in spring migration phenology of Northern Hemisphere breeding birds, the results on relations between spring migration phenology and NAO show a large variety, ranging from no, over weak, to a strong association. Several factors, such as geographic location, migration phase, and the NAO index time window, have been suggested to partly explain these observed differences in association. A combination of a literature meta‐analysis, and a meta‐analysis and sliding time window analysis of a dataset of 23 short‐ and long‐distance migrants from the constant‐effort trapping garden at Helgoland, Germany, however, paints a completely different picture. We found a statistically significant overall effect size of the NAO on spring migration phenology (coefficient = −0.14, SE = 0.054), but this on average only explains 0%–6% of the variance in spring migration phenology across all species. As such, the value and biological meaning of the NAO as a general predictor or explanatory variable for climate change effects on migration phenology of birds, seems highly questionable. We found little to no definite support for previously suggested factors, such as geographic location, migration phenology phase, or the NAO time window, to explain the heterogeneity in correlation differences. We, however, did find compelling evidence that the lack of accounting for trends in both time series has led to strongly inflated (spurious) correlations in many studies (coefficient = −0.13, SE = 0.019).
Climate change as a driver of biotic homogenization of woody plants in the Atlantic Forest
Authors: Zwiener Victor P. , Lira‐Noriega Andrés , Grady Charles J. , Padial André A. , Vitule Jean R. S. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractAimThe importance of anthropogenic activities in reshaping biodiversity is increasing fast. Interactive effects of climate change, biological invasions and species replacement are poorly understood, particularly at large scales and in megadiverse biomes. We aimed to assess the effects of climate change as a driver of spatio‐temporal biodiversity patterns and homogenization of woody plants at multiple scales, in a hyperdiverse species assemblage.LocationThe Atlantic Forest, Brazil.Time periodPresent, future projections.Major taxa studiedWoody plants.MethodsWe used ecological niche modeling to estimate geographic distributions of 2,255 plant species under present and future climates. Range‐diversity plots based on species presence‐absence matrices and null models were used to explore changes in alpha and beta diversity, range size and covariance in species composition across ecoregions, climatic scenarios and within protected areas. We also partitioned dissimilarity into turnover and nestedness components and explored expansions and retractions of species’ ranges to infer invasive potential and implications for conservation in the future.ResultsDespite a general increase in local richness, beta diversity decreased with time. Similarity among sites was accentuated in severe climate change scenarios enhancing biotic homogenization at large scales. Changes were not constant or homogeneous across ecoregions and at smaller scales, but a consistent pattern was the reduction of beta diversity accompanied by increments in the mean range size of widespread species. Likewise, subsets of assemblages within protected areas presented higher similarity, increased mean range size and invariability of richness through time, indicating potential compositional turnover promoted by the expansion of widespread species.Main conclusionsExpansion of current generalist and disturbance‐tolerant species rather than extinction or retraction of local endemics may lead to woody plant homogenization in the tropics. The woody plant assemblage in the Atlantic Forest is prone to a structural reorganization due to climate change, threatening conservation of biodiversity and potentially leading to severe large‐scale biotic homogenization in the near future.
The legacy of water deficit on populations having experienced negative hydraulic safety margin
Authors: Benito Garzón Marta , González Muñoz Noelia , Wigneron Jean‐Pierre , Moisy Christophe , Fernández‐Manjarrés Juan , Delzon Sylvain 
Published: December 2017

AbstractAimThe aim was to examine whether recent mortality can be explained by hydraulic failure linked to water deficit.LocationWestern Europe.Time period1986–2014.Major taxa studiedForty‐four tree species.MethodsWe modelled the hydraulic safety margin (HSM) across the ranges of 44 tree species at their driest margin (n = 193,261 plots), defined as the difference between the estimated minimal soil water potential of each plot and the species water stress threshold, which corresponds to the hydraulic failure of the vascular system. Soil water potential was estimated by applying Campbell's equations on the minimal and maximal soil water contents estimated from 1979 to 2010 in the top 289 cm of soil and five soil textures across the species ranges. For each species, we modelled the amount of average mortality derived from plots of the Spanish and French National Forest Inventories to the variation in modelled hydraulic safety margin and environmental drivers across the species ranges using hurdle models.ResultsWe did not identify any global convergence of modelled HSM within the species distribution ranges, finding instead a rather large variability in modelled HSM for most of the studied species. Fifteen species, out of 25 for which the models were practicable, showed significantly higher mortality in populations with negative HSM in comparison to those showing positive HSM, with positive and negative interaction along the aridity index.Main conclusionsThe combination of competition, average climate and modelled HSM explained average tree mortality. Most of the species presented at least one population that had already experienced a negative HSM and many other populations a positive but narrow HSM, suggesting that climate change is likely to push some populations towards a higher risk of hydraulic failure in the drier conditions projected for Western Europe.