bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Parsonage-Turner syndrome following post-exposure prophylaxis
Authors: Fransz Duncan P , Schönhuth Casper P , Postma Tjeerd J , van Royen Barend J 
Published: August 2014

Abstract

Background
The ‘Parsonage-Turner syndrome’ (PTS) is a rare but distinct disorder with an abrupt onset of shoulder pain, followed by weakness and atrophy of the upper extremity musculature, and a slow recovery requiring months to years. To our best knowledge, this is the first case describing symptoms and signs of PTS following the administration of a post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) regimen against possible human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

Case presentation
A 25-year-old Caucasian man presented with pain and unilateral scapular winging following PEP against possible HIV and HBV infection. Although atrophy and weakness were observed for the right supraspinatus muscle, a full range of motion was achievable. Neurological examination, plain radiography of the right shoulder and electromyography showed no additional abnormalities. The patient was diagnosed with post-vaccination PTS and treated non-operatively. During the following 15 months the scapular winging receded and full muscle strength was regained.

Conclusion
Parsonage-Turner syndrome is a rare clinical diagnosis. The precise pathophysiological mechanism of PTS remains unclear, but it seems to involve an interaction between genetic predisposition, mechanical vulnerability and an autoimmune trigger. An immunological event, such as – in this case – a vaccination as part of PEP treatment, can trigger the onset of PTS. The clinical presentation is distinctive with acute severe pain followed by patchy paresis, atrophy and sensory symptoms that persist for months to years. No currently available tests can provide a definite confirmation or exclusion of PTS. Routine blood examination, electromyography (EMG), and computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) serve mainly to exclude other disorders. The recovery can be quite lengthy, non-operative treatment is the accepted practice. Supplementary administration of oral prednisolone could shorten the duration of pain. Although the outcome is typically preferable, a substantial amount of patients are left with some residual paresis and functional impairment.
Prevalence of hospital malnutrition among cardiac patients: results from six nutrition screening tools
Authors: Pathirana Anidu K , Lokunarangoda Niroshan , Ranathunga Ishara , Santharaj Wijeyasingam Samuel , Ekanayake Ruwan , Jayawardena Ranil 
Published: August 2014

Abstract
Malnutrition is highly prevalent among hospitalized patients, ranging from 30% to 50% depending on the patient population and the criteria used for diagnosis. Identifying early those who are malnourished and at risk of malnutrition and intervening at an early stage will improve patients overall prognosis and will reduce the costs to the state. Even though cardiac patients are at risk of malnutrition, data on the prevalence of malnutrition among cardiology inpatients is limited. The aim of the study was to assess malnutrition status of the newly admitted patients in a specialist cardiology institution in Sri Lanka by internationally recommended nutrition screening and assessment tools. During study period, 322 (61.22%) males and 204 (38.78%) females were recruited. Malnutrition status assessed by each screening tool had a wide variation. According to Mini Nutritional Assessment tool 69.6% were having possible malnutrition. Malnutrition Screening Tool 47.9% to be at risk of malnutrition. Subjective Global Assessments categorized only 4.2% as malnourished on the other hand Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool categorized 20.4% and 19.6% subjects as at medium risk and high risk of malnutrition respectively. Nutritional Risk Screening detected 6.3%, 25.1% and 24.9% patients to be mildly, moderately and severely malnourished respectively. Short Nutrition Assessment Questionnaire categorized 5.0% and 17.7% patients to be moderately malnourished and severely malnourished correspondingly. In conclusion, Although malnutrition was prevalent among this population, a wide variation in the nutritional status when assessed by widely used internationally recognized tools was observed.
Item Sequence on Test Performance: Easy Items First?
Authors: Soureshjani Kamal Heidari 
Published: August 2014

Abstract
Among several factors affecting the performance of testees on a test is the sequence of the test items. The present study served as an attempt to shed light on the effect of test item sequence on Iranian EFL learners' performance on a test of grammar. To achieve such a purpose, 70 language learners of English at Pooyesh Institute in Shiraz (the capital of Fars province, Iran) were given two tests (one with easy to difficult items and the other just the reverse) were designed. The results of the study revealed that the sequence of items affect foreign language learners' performance. That is, those taking easy to difficult test outperforming students taking the difficult to easy test. The study also bears a set of implications.
An Analysis of Phonological Processes Involved in Spoken English of Hong Kong Primary Pre-service Teachers
Authors: Leung Cynthia B , Brice Alejandro E 
Published: August 2014

Abstract
This study investigated the English phonological processes and speech articulation of adult Cantonese-English speakers residing in Hong Kong. The Phonology Test for Cantonese Speakers of English (PTCSE) was developed to assess English articulation and phonological processes of native speakers of Cantonese. Data from 37 adult participants, analyzed descriptively, yielded a total of 466 phonological process deviations. Two syllable words presented the most difficulty, followed by three and single syllable words. Results indicated this group of Cantonese-English speaking participants displayed a wide variety of articulatory patterns, some of which were not evidenced by the literature. Phonological processes noted in this study included: (a) stopping; (b) fronting; (c) deaffrication; (d) gliding; (e) devoicing; (f) lip rounding; (g) backing; (h) affrication; (i) voicing; (j) pre-vocalic singleton omission; (k) post-vocalic singleton omission; (l) consonant sequence reduction; (m) vowel deviations; and, (n) vowel additions. Five suggested instructional strategies focusing on speech production are provided.
PIK3CA mutations in androgen receptor-positive triple negative breast cancer confer sensitivity to the combination of PI3K and androgen receptor inhibitors
Authors: Lehmann Brian D , Bauer Joshua A , Schafer Johanna M , Pendleton Christopher S , Tang Luojia , Johnson Kimberly C , Chen Xi , Balko Justin M , Gómez Henry , Arteaga Carlos L , Mills Gordon B , Sanders Melinda E , Pietenpol Jennifer A 
Published: August 2014

Abstract
Introduction
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous collection of biologically diverse cancers, which contributes to variable clinical outcomes. Previously, we identified a TNBC subtype that has a luminal phenotype and expresses the androgen receptor (AR+). TNBC cells derived from these luminal AR + tumors have high frequency phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA) mutations. The purpose of this study was to determine if targeting phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) alone or in combination with an AR antagonist is effective in AR + TNBC.

Methods
We determined the frequency of activating PIK3CA mutations in AR + and AR- TNBC clinical cases. Using AR + TNBC cell line and xenograft models we evaluated the effectiveness of PI3K inhibitors, used alone or in combination with an AR antagonist, on tumor cell growth and viability.

Results
PIK3CA kinase mutations were highly clonal, more frequent in AR + vs. AR- TNBC (40% vs. 4%), and often associated with concurrent amplification of the PIK3CA locus. PI3K/mTOR inhibitors had an additive growth inhibitory effect when combined with genetic or pharmacological AR targeting in AR + TNBC cells. We also analyzed the combination of bicalutamide +/- the pan-PI3K inhibitor GDC-0941 or the dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor GDC-0980 in xenograft tumor studies and observed additive effects.

Conclusions
While approximately one third of TNBC patients respond to neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy, recent studies have shown that patients with AR + TNBC are far less likely to benefit from the current standard of care chemotherapy regimens and novel targeted approaches need to be investigated. In this study, we show that activating PIK3CA mutations are enriched in AR + TNBC; and, we show that the growth and viability of AR + TNBC cell line models is significantly reduced after treatment with PI3K inhibitors used in combination with an AR antagonist. These results provide rationale for pre-selection of TNBC patients with a biomarker (AR expression) to investigate the use of AR antagonists in combination with PI3K/mTOR inhibitors.
Monitoring the diversity of malaria and dengue vector in Karachi: studying variation of genera and subgenera of mosquitoes under different ecological conditions
Authors: Shaikh Saima , Kazmi Syed Jamil H , Qureshi Salman 
Published: August 2014

AbstractIntroductionKarachi, a city of unique terrain and moderate tropical climate, is home to several mosquito species. The geographical distribution and density of these species may vary within the city, owing to their interaction with an ever-increasing population and urban settings. As a consequence, the prevalence of vector-borne diseases is unpredictable within the geographical limits of Karachi city. In this spatiotemporal study, 1,156 mosquito samples were collected from 50 study sites with unique ecological characteristics within the city and a taxonomical exercise was conducted to investigate different vector species thriving in different months and seasons of the year. The main genera of mosquitoes were identified and categorized using a pictorial key based on the standard guidelines of the Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit, substantiated with ancillary literature.ResultsThree important genera were found in Karachi:Anopheles,AedesandCulex. Important subgenera were subsequently identified, based on their susceptibility to major vector-borne diseases. January had the highest concentration of adult mosquitoes, as the colder weather conditions were suitable for breeding. May recorded the lowest number, owing to excessively hot weather when most of the breeding pockets had dried out; less vegetation (in pre-monsoon conditions) prevented mosquito growth.ConclusionsSlum areas showed an abundance of malaria and dengue vectors, owing to poor hygiene conditions caused by open sewage drains. Hence, a major precaution is to raise awareness among people about mosquito-borne diseases. The breeding habitats of these vectors should be studied using geospatial technologies to improve spatial and temporal coverage.
Analysis of Enantiofacial Selective Epoxidation Catalyzed by Flavin-containing Monooxygenase Lsd18 Involved in Ionophore Polyether Lasalocid Biosynthesis
Authors: Suzuki Gaku , Minami Atsushi , Shimaya Mayu , Kodama Takeshi , Morimoto Yoshiki , Oguri Hiroki , Oikawa Hideaki 
Published: August 2014

Abstract
Enzymatic epoxidation represents a key biosynthetic transformation in the construction of polyether skeletons. A single flavin-containing monooxygenase, Lsd18, is involved in ionophore polyether lasalocid biosynthesis and participates in the enantioselective epoxidations of the diene precursor. Biotransformation studies utilizing structurally simplified monoolefin analogs with different substitution patterns revealed important structural requirements for the enantiofacial selectivity of Lsd18-catalyzed epoxidations. These results enabled us to propose a substrate binding model of Lsd18, which was applied to the biosynthesis of other polyethers.
In-situ Measurements of Surface Reflection Properties
Authors: Müller-Trapet Markus , Vorländer Michael 
Published: August 2014

In order to characterize surfaces with respect to their sound reflecting properties, the absorption and the scattering or diffusion coefficient can currently be measured under standardized laboratory conditions. However, it is questionable whether the data from measurements performed under such laboratory conditions can be used to accurately model the actual sound field in rooms. Additionally, it is not always possible to obtain a transportable sample of a material. In-situ measurement methods can overcome these shortcomings, as they measure the desired quantities at the location where the material is installed. For this purpose, a portable setup was built that allows for a complete hemispherical measurement of the sound pressure distribution using less than 30 sensors. This contribution will present the setup together with the challenges for post-processing of the acquired data. First measurement results will be presented and discussed.
Role of Culture and Education in Strengthening Unity and Accord and in the Civic and Patriotic Education of the Younger Generation
Authors: Виноградова  , Vinogradova Natalya 
Published: August 2014

Vladimir Putin chaired a meeting of the Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations on July 3, 2014 in the Kremlin. The meeting participants
examined the role of culture and education in strengthening unity and accord and in the civic and patriotic education of the younger generation.
Collaboration between the hotel industry business entities and industry-specific higher education institutions as a contributor to improved competitiveness of graduates
Authors: Духовная Лилия , Dukhovnaya Liliya 
Published: August 2014

With the hotel industry developing through a replanning and a redesign of existing hotels, a construction of new hotels, a development and promotion of the high-profile hotel sector, an increase in the hotel room capacity, and creating new jobs in the sector, the demand for tourism- and hospitality-related professions sees a rapid and significant growth.
A vast majority of employers frequently face qualified personnel shortages, thus, the quality of specialist knowledge and skills as demonstrated by graduates is coming to the forth. The most urgent issue to be deal with at the current stage of the establishment and reformation of industry-specific higher education is the process of a comprehensive adaptation of the skills and competences that students acquire as part professional education to the demands and requirements of today’s labour market.
The article covers different approaches to the definition of “competitiveness on graduation”, considers the key criteria of a graduate’s competitiveness evaluation, and substantiates the need for a more synergetic and productive collaboration between industry-specific HE institutions and the hotel-industry professional community in developing and implementing personnel training. The author identifies the best theoretical and practical aspects of the collaboration, which must significantly contribute to graduates’ competitiveness in the sphere of hospitality.
Push, Pull, or Both? A Behavioral Study of How the Allocation of Inventory Risk Affects Channel Efficiency
Authors: Davis Andrew M. , Katok Elena , Santamaría Natalia 
Published: August 2014

In this paper we experimentally investigate how the allocation of inventory risk in a two-stage supply chain affects channel efficiency and profit distribution. We first evaluate two common wholesale price contracts that differ in which party incurs the risk associated with unsold inventory: a push contract in which the retailer incurs the risk and a pull contract in which the supplier incurs the risk. Our experimental results show that a pull contract achieves higher channel efficiency than that of a push contract, and that behavior systematically deviates from the standard theory in three ways: (1) stocking quantities are set too low, (2) wholesale prices are more favorable to the party stocking the inventory, and (3) some contracts are erroneously accepted or rejected. To account for these systematic regularities, we extend the existing theory and structurally estimate a number of behavioral models. The estimates suggest that a combination of loss aversion with errors organizes our data remarkably well. We apply our behavioral model to the advance purchase discount (APD) contract, which combines features of push and pull by allowing both parties to share the inventory risk, in a separate experiment as an out-of-sample test, and we find that it accurately predicts channel efficiency and qualitatively matches decisions. Two practical implications of our work are that (1) the push contract performs close to standard theoretical benchmarks, which implies that it is robust to behavioral biases, and (2) the APD contract weakly Pareto dominates the push contract; retailers are better off and suppliers are no worse off under the APD contract. Data, as supplemental material, are available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1940 . This paper was accepted by Serguei Netessine, operations management.
Interface Properties of Synthetic Rock Specimens: Experimental and Numerical Investigation
Authors: Smith S. E. , MacLaughlin M. M. , Adams S. L. , Wartman J. , Applegate K. , Gibson M. , Arnold L. , Keefer D. 
Published: August 2014

Abstract
To support the development of centrifuge models to simulate seismic rock slope failures, potential model materials were subjected to direct shear tests to characterize the properties of the interfaces. Three synthetic rock materials were investigated: blocks cast out of a commercially available gypsum cement, blocks cast out of a Nevada sand/gypsum mix, and rock blocks with sandpaper glued to the shear surfaces. The materials were evaluated primarily on the consistency of the measured properties and the observed shear failure behavior. The laboratory direct shear tests were modeled numerically with the software package UDEC to observe how well the numerical results using joint constitutive models available in the software compare to the experimental results. The Coulomb slip joint model predicts the interface behavior well for the gypsum and sand/gypsum materials, which displayed basic elastic-plastic behavior during shear, and the Coulomb slip with residual strength model captured the peak to residual behavior observed in the tests on the sandpaper interfaces. The use of a different joint shear stiffness value for each simulation, corresponding to the measured laboratory value associated with each applied normal stress, clearly contributed to this excellent match; more general models utilizing a constant joint shear stiffness value applied to blocks that are subjected to different normal stresses may not display such close agreement with observed behavior.
Antibiotic Susceptibility of Periodontal Streptococcus constellatus and Streptococcus intermedius Clinical Isolates
Authors: Rams Thomas E. , Feik Diane , Mortensen Joel E. , Degener John E. , van Winkelhoff Arie J. 
Published: August 2014

Background: Streptococcus constellatus and Streptococcus intermedius in subgingival dental plaque biofilms may contribute to forms of periodontitis that resist treatment with conventional mechanical root debridement/surgical procedures and may additionally participate in some extraoral infections. Because systemic antibiotics are often used in these clinical situations, and little is known of the antibiotic susceptibility of subgingival isolates of these two bacterial species, this study determined the in vitro susceptibility to six antibiotics of fresh S. constellatus and S. intermedius clinical isolates from human periodontitis lesions.Methods: A total of 33 S. constellatus and 17 S. intermedius subgingival strains, each recovered from separate patients with severe chronic periodontitis (n = 50) before treatment, were subjected to antibiotic gradient strip susceptibility testing with amoxicillin, azithromycin, clindamycin, ciprofloxacin, and doxycycline on blood‐supplemented Mueller‐Hinton agar and to the inhibitory effects of metronidazole at 16 mg/L in an enriched Brucella blood agar dilution assay. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute and European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing interpretative standards were used to assess the results.Results: Clindamycin was the most active antibiotic against S. constellatus (minimum inhibitory concentration at 90% [MIC90] 0.25 mg/L), and amoxicillin was most active against S. intermedius (MIC90 0.125 mg/L). A total of 30% of the S. constellatus and S. intermedius clinical isolates were resistant in vitro to doxycycline, 98% were only intermediate in susceptibility to ciprofloxacin, and 90% were resistant to metronidazole at 16 mg/L.Conclusion: Subgingival S. constellatus and S. intermedius exhibited variable antibiotic susceptibility profiles, potentially complicating empirical selection of periodontitis antibiotic therapy in patients who are species positive.
Platelet‐Rich Plasma Derived From Bone Marrow Aspirate Promotes New Cementum Formation
Authors: Nagata Maria J.H. , de Campos Natália , Messora Michel R. , Santinoni Carolina S. , Bomfim Suely R.M. , Fucini Stephen E. , Pola Natália M. , Neves Adrieli P. , de Almeida Juliano M. , Theodoro Letícia H. , Ervolino Edilson 
Published: August 2014

Background: This study evaluates the influence of platelet‐rich plasma derived from bone marrow aspirate (PRP‐BMA) on the healing of periodontal fenestration defects in rats.Methods: Periodontal fenestration defects were surgically created in the mandibles of 40 rats. The animals were randomly divided into two groups, control and PRP‐BMA, in which defects were filled with blood clot or PRP‐bma, respectively. Animals were euthanized at either 10 or 30 days post‐surgery. Histologic, histometric, and immunohistochemical analyses were performed. Percentage of new bone area (NBA), area of bone trabeculae (ABT), new cementum (NC), and extension of remaining defect were histometrically evaluated. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), bone sialoprotein (BSP), osteocalcin (OCN), and tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) immunohistochemical staining were performed. Immunolabeled cells were quantified. Data were statistically analyzed (analysis of variance; Tukey, P <0.05).Results: At 10 days, control and PRP‐BMA groups presented similar amounts of NBA and ABT; NC formation was not observed. At 30 days, control and PRP‐BMA groups presented similar amounts of NBA and ABT; the PRP‐BMA group showed NC formation with collagen fibers inserted obliquely or perpendicularly to the root surface. NC formation was not observed in any control group specimen. PRP‐ BMA presented higher numbers of PCNA‐positive and BSP‐positive cells than control at 10 and 30 days post‐surgery. No significant differences in the number of either OCN‐positive or TRAP‐positive cells were observed between groups at 10 or 30 days.Conclusion: PRP‐BMA promoted NC formation with a functional periodontal ligament when applied at experimental periodontal fenestration defects.