bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
High Satisfaction and Low Distress in Breast Cancer Patients One Year after BRCA‐Mutation Testing without Prior Face‐to‐Face Genetic Counseling
Authors: Sie Aisha S. , Spruijt Liesbeth , van Zelst‐Stams Wendy A. G. , Mensenkamp Arjen R. , Ligtenberg Marjolijn J. L. , Brunner Han G. , Prins Judith B. , Hoogerbrugge Nicoline 
Published: November 2015

AbstractAccording to standard practice following referral to clinical genetics, most high risk breast cancer (BC) patients in many countries receive face‐to‐face genetic counseling prior to BRCA‐mutation testing (DNA‐intake). We evaluated a novel format by prospective study: replacing the intake consultation with telephone, written and digital information sent home. Face‐to‐face counseling then followed BRCA‐mutation testing (DNA‐direct). One year after BRCA‐result disclosure, 108 participants returned long‐term follow‐up questionnaires, of whom 59 (55 %) had previously chosen DNA‐direct (intervention) versus DNA‐intake (standard practice i.e., control: 45 %). Questionnaires assessed satisfaction and psychological distress. All participants were satisfied and 85 % of DNA‐direct participants would choose this procedure again; 10 % would prefer DNA‐intake and 5 % were undecided. In repeated measurements ANOVA, general distress (GHQ‐12, p = 0.01) and BC‐specific distress (IES‐bc, p = 0.03) were lower in DNA‐direct than DNA‐intake at all time measurements. Heredity‐specific distress (IES‐her) did not differ significantly between groups. Multivariate regression analyses showed that choice of procedure did not significantly contribute to either general or heredity‐specific distress. BC‐specific distress (after BC diagnosis) did contribute to both general and heredity‐specific distress. This suggests that higher distress scores reflected BC experience, rather than the type of genetic diagnostic procedure. In conclusion, the large majority of BC patients that used DNA‐direct reported high satisfaction without increased distress both in the short term, and 1 year after conclusion of genetic testing.
Predicting conversion to dementia in a memory clinic: A standard clinical approach compared with an empirically defined clustering method (latent profile analysis) for mild cognitive impairment subtyping
Authors: McGuinness Bernadette , Barrett Suzanne L. , McIlvenna John , Passmore Anthony Peter , Shorter Gillian W. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractIntroductionMild cognitive impairment (MCI) has clinical value in its ability to predict later dementia. A better understanding of cognitive profiles can further help delineate who is most at risk of conversion to dementia. We aimed to (1) examine to what extent the usual MCI subtyping using core criteria corresponds to empirically defined clusters of patients (latent profile analysis [LPA] of continuous neuropsychological data) and (2) compare the two methods of subtyping memory clinic participants in their prediction of conversion to dementia.MethodsMemory clinic participants (MCI, n = 139) and age‐matched controls (n = 98) were recruited. Participants had a full cognitive assessment, and results were grouped (1) according to traditional MCI subtypes and (2) using LPA. MCI participants were followed over approximately 2 years after their initial assessment to monitor for conversion to dementia.ResultsGroups were well matched for age and education. Controls performed significantly better than MCI participants on all cognitive measures. With the traditional analysis, most MCI participants were in the amnestic multidomain subgroup (46.8%) and this group was most at risk of conversion to dementia (63%). From the LPA, a three‐profile solution fit the data best. Profile 3 was the largest group (40.3%), the most cognitively impaired, and most at risk of conversion to dementia (68% of the group).DiscussionLPA provides a useful adjunct in delineating MCI participants most at risk of conversion to dementia and adds confidence to standard categories of clinical inference.
A priori collaboration in population imaging: The Uniform Neuro‐Imaging of Virchow‐Robin Spaces Enlargement consortium
Authors: Adams Hieab H.H. , Hilal Saima , Schwingenschuh Petra , Wittfeld Katharina , van der Lee Sven J. , DeCarli Charles , Vernooij Meike W. , Katschnig‐Winter Petra , Habes Mohamad , Chen Christopher , Seshadri Sudha , van Duijn Cornelia M. , Ikram M. Kamran , Grabe Hans J. , Schmidt Reinhold , Ikram M. Arfan 
Published: November 2015

AbstractIntroductionVirchow‐Robin spaces (VRS), or perivascular spaces, are compartments of interstitial fluid enclosing cerebral blood vessels and are potential imaging markers of various underlying brain pathologies. Despite a growing interest in the study of enlarged VRS, the heterogeneity in rating and quantification methods combined with small sample sizes have so far hampered advancement in the field.MethodsThe Uniform Neuro‐Imaging of Virchow‐Robin Spaces Enlargement (UNIVRSE) consortium was established with primary aims to harmonize rating and analysis (www.uconsortium.org). The UNIVRSE consortium brings together 13 (sub)cohorts from five countries, totaling 16,000 subjects and over 25,000 scans. Eight different magnetic resonance imaging protocols were used in the consortium.ResultsVRS rating was harmonized using a validated protocol that was developed by the two founding members, with high reliability independent of scanner type, rater experience, or concomitant brain pathology. Initial analyses revealed risk factors for enlarged VRS including increased age, sex, high blood pressure, brain infarcts, and white matter lesions, but this varied by brain region.DiscussionEarly collaborative efforts between cohort studies with respect to data harmonization and joint analyses can advance the field of population (neuro)imaging. The UNIVRSE consortium will focus efforts on other potential correlates of enlarged VRS, including genetics, cognition, stroke, and dementia.
Kazakhstan's economic soft balancing policy vis-à-vis Russia: From the Eurasian Union to the economic cooperation with Turkey
Authors: Nurgaliyeva Lyailya 
Published: November 2015

What has been the reaction of Kazakhstan toward the rising power and influence of Russia since 1994? This paper uses the concept of soft-balancing, specifically analyzing economic issues using Stephen Walt's balance of threats approach, in an analysis of Kazakhstan's relationship with Russia. It examines instances of Kazakhstan's internal and external economic soft balancing efforts vis-à-vis Russia to explain how it used economic tools to protect its energy security from Russia. After 1991, which marked the collapse of the Soviet Union, the newly independent countries of the former Soviet Union – the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), including Kazakhstan, needed to create an institution that could tackle economic and energy problems in the region. I argue that the Eurasian Union idea promoted by the president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, was a skillful attempt to simultaneously maintain a close cooperation with Russia and to soft balance against Russia's influence through collaboration with other CIS countries. However, that initiative failed and did not have the intended economic soft balancing effect. When Russia started asserting its economic and political power over the Central Asian and Caspian regions, Nazarbayev once again resorted to the economic soft balancing policy, but this time by relying on outside players. Part 2 of this article discusses two cases of such external economic soft balancing efforts: participation in the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline project, and the economic cooperation with Turkey as part of a free trade zone. The BTC pipeline project and the close economic cooperation with Turkey ended up being a more productive soft balancing effort than the earlier Eurasian Union initiative.
Motoric cognitive risk syndrome and risk of mortality in older adults
Authors: Ayers Emmeline , Verghese Joe 
Published: November 2015

AbstractIntroductionCognitive impairment is associated with increased mortality. We examined the association between motoric cognitive risk (MCR) syndrome, a predementia syndrome characterized by slow gait and cognitive complaints, and survival.MethodsA total of 11,867 nondemented participants aged >65 years from three established cohort studies in the United States and Europe were screened for MCR. Mortality risk of MCR was assessed with Cox and logistic regression models.ResultsAt baseline, 836 (7.0%) participants had MCR. Over a median follow‐up of 28 months, 1603 participants died (758 in first 2 years). MCR was associated with increased mortality overall (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.46–1.96) and 2‐year mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.50–2.38). The association remained after accounting for established mortality risk factors as well as baseline gait speed and memory performance.DiscussionMCR is associated with increased mortality. Older adults should be screened for MCR to identify at‐risk individuals for dementia and death.
Interarm differences in systolic blood pressure and the risk of dementia and subclinical brain injury
Authors: Pase Matthew P. , Beiser Alexa , Aparicio Hugo , DeCarli Charles , Vasan Ramachandran S. , Murabito Joanne , Seshadri Sudha 
Published: November 2015

AbstractIntroductionThis study examined whether interarm differences in systolic blood pressure (IDSBP) ≥10 mm Hg were associated with the risk of incident dementia and subclinical brain injury.MethodsBetween 1992 and 1998, 2063 participants of the Framingham Heart Study underwent assessment of IDSBP with results related to the 10‐year risk of incident dementia including clinically characterized Alzheimer's disease. Secondary outcomes included markers of subclinical brain injury on magnetic resonance imaging.ResultsHigh IDSBP were associated with a greater risk of incident dementia (hazard ratio [HR] 1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09–3.40) and Alzheimer's disease (HR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.29–4.18), but only in those who carried an apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele. IDSBP also predicted lower total brain volumes and more prevalent silent brain infarcts in those who were APOE ε4 positive.DiscussionHigh IDSBP were associated with an increased risk of dementia, including clinical Alzheimer's disease, and subclinical brain injury in those who were APOE ε4 positive.
Ultrasound Evaluation of the Lower Trapezius in Adolescent Baseball Pitchers
Authors: Hellem Aaron R. , Hollman John H. , Sellon Jacob L. , Pourcho Adam , Strauss Jeffrey , Smith Jay 
Published: November 2015

AbstractBackgroundBiomechanical studies have demonstrated that the lower trapezius (LT) facilitates normal shoulder function, and given its potential role in causing and/or perpetuating dysfunction, clinicians have begun to evaluate and rehabilitate the LT in the context of comprehensive shoulder rehabilitation programs. Although some studies have compared side‐to‐side differences in LT thickness among nonthrowers, no studies have been performed to examine the normal ultrasound appearance of the LT in the adolescent throwing population.ObjectivesTo examine whether LT thickness and cross‐sectional area (CSA) differ between dominant and nondominant sides in adolescent baseball pitchers and to determine the inter‐rater and intrarater reliability of the sonographically measured parameters.Study DesignObservational, repeated measures study.SettingHospital‐based outpatient practice.ParticipantsThirty asymptomatic male baseball pitchers aged 13‐18 years with at least 3 years of pitching experience from a convenience sample in the Rochester, Minnesota, area.MethodsLT thickness and CSA were measured at the T8 and T5 vertebral levels at rest, and thickness was measured again in active prone T‐ and Y‐pose positions by multiple investigators. Side‐to‐side differences in thickness and CSA were examined, and inter‐rater and intrarater measurement reliability coefficients were estimated.Main Outcome MeasurementsThickness and cross‐sectional area were measured. For reliability, we calculated intraclass correlation coefficients along with the standard error of measurement and the minimal detectable change.ResultsResting LT thickness was 0.064 cm greater on the dominant side than on the nondominant side (P = .001). During contraction, LT thickness was 0.084 and 0.097 cm greater on the dominant side in the T and Y poses (P = .036 and P = .001, respectively). The CSA at the T5 level was 0.36 cm2 greater on the dominant side than on the nondominant side (P < .001). Inter‐rater and intrarater reliability coefficients exceeded 0.898 across all levels of measurement.ConclusionAsymptomatic adolescent pitchers have greater resting and contracted LT thickness and resting CSA on the dominant versus the nondominant side, although the quantitative differences are small. These differences suggest that structural changes and asymmetry can manifest at young ages; however, clinically, the nondominant arm can be used as a control in the adolescent pitching population. Ultrasound provides a noninvasive way to reliably evaluate LT thickness and CSA in adolescent pitchers.
Direct numerical simulation of turbulent channel flow over porous walls
Authors: Rosti Marco E. , Cortelezzi Luca , Quadrio Maurizio 
Published: November 2015

We perform direct numerical simulations (DNS) of a turbulent channel flow over porous walls. In the fluid region the flow is governed by the incompressible Navier–Stokes (NS) equations, while in the porous layers the volume-averaged Navier–Stokes (VANS) equations are used, which are obtained by volume-averaging the microscopic flow field over a small volume that is larger than the typical dimensions of the pores. In this way the porous medium has a continuum description, and can be specified without the need of a detailed knowledge of the pore microstructure by independently assigning permeability and porosity. At the interface between the porous material and the fluid region, momentum-transfer conditions are applied, in which an available coefficient related to the unknown structure of the interface can be used as an error estimate. To set up the numerical problem, the velocity–vorticity formulation of the coupled NS and VANS equations is derived and implemented in a pseudo-spectral DNS solver. Most of the simulations are carried out at$Re_{{\it\tau}}=180$and consider low-permeability materials; a parameter study is used to describe the role played by permeability, porosity, thickness of the porous material, and the coefficient of the momentum-transfer interface conditions. Among them permeability, even when very small, is shown to play a major role in determining the response of the channel flow to the permeable wall. Turbulence statistics and instantaneous flow fields, in comparative form to the flow over a smooth impermeable wall, are used to understand the main changes introduced by the porous material. A simulation at higher Reynolds number is used to illustrate the main scaling quantities.
Optimal renewal interval for malting barley seed
Authors: OVASKA S. , MYYRÄ S. , NIEMI J.K. , PELTONEN-SAINIO P. 
Published: November 2015

SUMMARYThe present study explored the optimal long-term seed renewal strategy for malting barley for use either of farm-saved seed (FSS) or commercially certified seed (CCS). The dynamic optimization problem was solved by a dynamic programming routine with known parameters for one-period returns and transition equations. The model parameters represented Finnish farm-level returns and costs, as well as genetic improvements in barley yield potential. The results suggested that there is a farm-level economic incentive not to use CCS every year, despite the higher yield potential of CCS compared with FSS. The simulations highlighted the reasons behind the observed yield gap between genetic improvements in yield potential and attained yields at the farm scale.
Grievances, governance and Islamist violence in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Dowd Caitriona 
Published: November 2015

AbstractWhat explains the emergence of Islamist violence as a substantial security threat in such diverse contexts as Kenya, Mali and Nigeria? This article addresses this question through an exploration of the strategies of governance employed by states, and how these shape the emergence and mode of collective violence. Conflict research often emphasises the specificity of Islamist violence; but these conflicts can be understood as a form of political exclusion and grievance-based violence, comparable to other forms of political violence. Further, violent Islamist groups emerge fromlocalconditions: the areas in which groups are established share similarlocalexperiences of governance and political marginalisation; a history of violent conflict on which Islamist militants capitalise; and key triggering events expanding or reinforcing state exclusion. These findings challenge a narrative emphasising theglobal, interconnected nature of Islamist violence. This article pairs data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Dataset (ACLED) with Afrobarometer survey data and case study evidence to identify drivers of Islamist violence across three African countries.
Does democratisation foster effective taxation? Evidence from Benin
Authors: Piccolino Giulia 
Published: November 2015

AbstractFiscal sociology has alleged the existence of a mutually reinforcing effect between the emergence of representative government and effective taxation. This paper looks at Benin, a low-income country that successfully democratised in the early 1990s. It finds that Benin appears to have reinforced its extractive capacities since democratisation. However, the effect of democratisation has been indirect, while the influence of the International Financial Institutions (IFI) and the size of the country's informal sector have played a more direct role. Nevertheless, the hypothesis that effective taxation is based on a quasi-consensual relationship between the state and the taxpayers finds some confirmation.
Bounded by the State: Government Priorities and the Development of Private Philanthropic Foundations in China
Authors: Lai Weijun , Zhu Jiangang , Tao Lin , Spires Anthony J. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractFrom a regulatory perspective, philanthropy in China has been officially modernized. Since the government established a legal framework in 2004 based on models from overseas, the number of private foundations in China has grown more than six-fold. Drawing on a nationally representative survey of 214 private foundations conducted in 2012, we present a landscape view of these new philanthropic institutions, discussing both who begins foundations and how their monies are used. We find that despite the rise of new private wealth in China and the adoption of the private foundation form, government priorities are structuring the field of Chinese philanthropy in key and consequential ways. We conclude with some considerations of the implications of these findings for the development of broader civil society.
Drawings of Traditional Aboriginal Children: The Effects of European Contact
Authors: Lendon R. 
Published: November 2015

In the last issue, Dr. Collins and Mr. Fielding discussed the art education of fringe-dwelling Aboriginal children. Here, Mrs. Lendon provides insights into the art of a group of traditionally oriented children and assesses the impact that the European culture has had on their artistic expression.In her letter, Mrs. Lendon particularly mentioned that she should be pleased to hear from any readers who have noticed interesting features in the art of rural or urban Aboriginal children.
A Matter of Commitment
Authors: Daniel John C. 
Published: November 2015

During the past 18 months, one of the most obvious differences recognized between two groups of students of the same age – those I have taught in Victorian secondary schools and those I now teach at the Yirrkala Post Primary School in the Northern Territory – is a huge difference in the degree of commitment to the function of the school.This does not express itself in an obvious antagonism of the students for the school or its teachers. Rather, while the European students would attempt to force the school to meet their needs, as they recognized them, our students place few demands. If, in the past, I adopted inappropriate methods or irrelevant subject matter, the students would quickly and obviously let me know and in a constructive way, if I cared to listen. If the school was promoting values which clashed with the family or particular social group values of a student, then often the student and the family would engage in conflict with the school.My present students apply themselves with almost equally stolid rigourousness, seemingly irrespective of the task. Can you imagine a class which is so docile that it will sometimes allow a new teacher to teach exactly the same subject matter as that already taught by a previous teacher? On appearances, is this a model class? Are the students and the parents so satisfied with the efforts of the school that they need never express antagonism or attempt to change what it is doing? I do not believe that this is so.
The Experiences of a First-Year Teacher in an Aboriginal School
Authors: Dawson Mary 
Published: November 2015

As a beginning teacher completing my first term in an Aboriginal school, I would like to reflect upon my experiences of the last three months.I was trained in a three year Primary course at Salisbury C.A.E. and accepted a position at Fregon Special Aboriginal School, 900 miles north-west of Adelaide. Fregon is an Aboriginal community which recently transferred from control by the Presbyterian Ecumenical Board of Missions to control by an Aboriginal Council. The community consists of approximately one hundred and fifty tribally-oriented Pitjantjatjara people and ten Europeans.I will deal with the following points which cover my experience – personal situation, cultural factors, teaching.
Child Involvement in Tribally Oriented Schools
Authors: Lister Ron 
Published: November 2015

Teachers of Aboriginal children have been concerned with the eventual end results of their teaching efforts for some time. We have probably all asked ourselves the impossible question, “Where are we going in Aboriginal education?” I remember attending a conference at which we were to discuss the topic, “Where are we going and why aren’t we getting there?” Needless to say, the discussions were as vague and undirected as the topic. Surely this will always be so whenever we attempt projecting our thoughts into the future of another culture. We simply cannot predict what the future holds for the children we teach.I would suggest it would be more valid and beneficial to our students if we carried on more discussion about Aboriginal children’s needs and abilities as individuals, then design our programs to suit the child and his environment. I believe generalizations have helped in creating the situation of deprivation we see on any reserve or mission, town or city. Generalizations have probably helped in making the school day utterly irrelevant for many Aboriginal children. Specifically, this is more likely to be so wherever Aboriginal schools have either adopted in toto programs designed for other schools or have been instructed to follow a program written by educationists who have perhaps only a shallow appreciation of a particular area. It is probably true to say that in most areas people who don’t live on the reserves and missions simply do not know what is happening on these places. They cannot know of the personalities involved in the programs they write. One wonders if the Watergate scandal would be with us if Richard Nixon had spent more time than the reported three days a month in the White House. He simply didn’t know what was happening either. So then, we cannot afford to generalize in Aboriginal Education and we need the autonomy necessary to enable the staff on the particular mission or reserve to create what they consider to be a relevant program. And within that program, the optimum development of the individual student must be catered for.