bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparative Usability Testing of Conventional and Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery Devices
Authors: McCrory Bernadette , Lowndes Bethany R. , LaGrange Chad A. , Miller Emily E. , Hallbeck M. Susan 
Published: November 2012

Objective: The objective was to perform competitive usability testing to assess the user experience of conventional laparoscopic and laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) devices. Background: Recent advancements in single-incision instrumentation have created more interest in and usage of LESS. However, neither LESS nor its novel multichannel access devices have been thoroughly studied. Method: Using a simulation test bed and standardized laparoscopic surgery task, the user experience of three commercially available LESS devices was compared to conventional laparoscopic ports based on time on task, errors, task success, and perceived ease of use. Results: There were no significant differences between devices for time on task, errors, or task success ( p > .05). For all devices, there were significantly more recoverable than unrecoverable errors, and errors occurred more frequently during the second phase of the task when the dominant hand was more active ( p < .0001). Conventional laparoscopy was rated as easier to use than were the LESS devices ( p < .01). Conclusion: Device performance of a basic laparoscopic task was similar in both conventional laparoscopy and LESS. Each of the LESS devices facilitated efficient and accurate aiming and grasping movements compared to conventional laparoscopy. Further investigation of human factors and ergonomics of LESS is needed to further develop, evaluate, and refine single-site surgery technologies to create a user experience equivalent to conventional laparoscopy. Application: Competitive usability testing of medical devices yields objective performance data that can be used to inform purchase decisions and future device design improvements.
“A Good Man Always Knows His Limitations”
Authors: Loughran Thomas A. , Paternoster Raymond , Piquero Alex R. , Fagan Jeffrey 
Published: November 2012

Objectives: This study examines the prevalence of overconfidence in the perceived risk of committing crime and whether such overconfidence is related to criminal behavior. Methods: Two samples were used—a sample of high school students who committed minor offenses and a sample of serious juvenile offenders most with felony arrests. Overconfidence in risk was estimated as the difference between the perceived risk of arrest for one’s self and for a generalized other. The proportion of over- and underconfident persons were estimated in both samples, while pooled and random effects logit models were used to estimate the effect of risk on both self-reported offending and arrest within the sample of serious offenders. Results: A large proportion of youth were found to be overconfident with respect to their perceived risk, with a higher prevalence in the conventional high school sample. Within the sample of serious juvenile offenders, being overconfident about one’s own risk was found to be related to both self-reported offending and arrest, net of a base rate measure of others’ risk. Conclusions: We outline a theory of the relationship between overconfidence and crime that links overconfidence with a self-attribution bias and biased updating of perceived risk with new information.
“We Are Not Marginals”
Authors: Renfrew Daniel 
Published: November 2012

The expanding squatter settlements of Latin America’s cities are emblematic of the new forms of spatial inequality and social suffering wrought by the neoliberal order. In the context of the return of the “dangerous classes” across the Americas, the dominant classes have mobilized the culture-of-poverty and marginality myths of the 1960s as a means of governance by placing responsibility for the “pathologies” of poverty on a criminalized urban underclass. Analysis of the debates regarding the meanings of Uruguay’s new urban poor in relation to a lead-poisoning epidemic in Montevideo links the growth of economic and housing informality to social exclusion and marginality, and reveals the efforts of those in power to shift responsibility for lead poisoning onto its victims. It also identifies various responses of squatters to hegemonic forms of culturalism and othering, including the displacing of culturalist discourses onto similar “others,” “strategic othering” emphasizing their structural vulnerability to urban environmental hazards, and the use of their status as lead victims to assert their humanity and rights. La expansión de asentamientos ocupados en las ciudades de América Latina es emblemático de las nuevas formas de desigualdad espacial y sufrimiento social labrado por el orden neoliberal. En el contexto del retorno de “las clases peligrosas” a través de las Américas, las clases dominantes han movilizado los mitos de la cultura de pobreza y marginalidad de los 1960 como medio de gobernación, colocando la responsabilidad de las “patologías” de la pobreza en una subclase de criminalidad urbana. Un análisis de los debates en torno al significado de los nuevos pobres urbanos de Uruguay, relacionado con un caso de una epidemia de contaminación de plomo en Montevideo, vincula el crecimiento de economía y vivienda informal con la exclusión social y marginalidad y revela los esfuerzos de los que están en el poder de desplazar la responsabilidad del envenenamiento con plomo a sus victimas. Así mismo, identifica varias respuestas de los ocupantes a las formas hegemónicas de culturalismo y el hacer de “otro,” incluyendo el desplazamiento del discurso culturalista encima de similares “otros” hacer de “otro estratégicamente,” poniéndole énfasis a su vulnerabilidad estructural a los peligros del medio ambiente urbano, y el uso de su estatus como victimas del plomo para acertar su humanidad y sus derechos.
Effect of cross-linking on adhesion property of benzoyl-peroxide-cured epoxidized natural rubber (ENR 50) adhesives
Authors: Poh Beng Teik , Lim Chun Hsiung 
Published: November 2012

The loop tack, shear and peel strength of cross-linked epoxidized natural rubber (ENR 50)-based adhesive were investigated. Coumarone–indene resin and toluene were used as the tackifier and solvent, respectively, throughout the study. Benzoyl peroxide was used to cross-link the ENR 50 adhesive at 80°C for 30 min. The dosage of benzoyl peroxide was varied from 1 to 5 parts per hundred parts of rubber (phr). The adhesive was coated on the polyethylene terephthalate substrate at various coating thickness using a SHEEN hand coater. Loop tack, shear and peel strength were determined by a Llyod adhesion tester operating at 30 cm min−1. The result shows that loop tack and peel strength of the ENR 50 adhesives indicate a maximum value at 2 phr of benzoyl peroxide dosage. This observation is attributed to the effect of optimum cross-linking of rubber chains that enhances the cohesive strength of the adhesive system. However, shear strength increases with increasing dosage of benzoyl peroxide, an observation that is associated with the steady increase in the cohesive strength resulting from increasing cross-linking of rubber chains. In all cases, the adhesion properties increase with increasing coating thickness.
Locking-In Effects Due to Early Interventions? An Evaluation of a Multidisciplinary Screening Programs for Avoiding Long-Term Sickness
Authors: Johansson Per , Lindahl Erica 
Published: November 2012

Objective: In this article, we estimate the effect of a multidisciplinary collaborationprogram on the length of sickness absence. The intention with the programwas to avoid long-term sickness absence by providing an early and holistic evaluation of the sick-listed individuals' conditions. The target group was individuals who were at risk of becoming long-term sick. The eligibility criteria were mainly based on register information that we have access to. Methods: Using this register information, we estimate different Cox regression models and apply a nonparametric matching estimator. We have also conducted a small randomized experiment. Results: The result from the randomized experiment is not statistically significant, but the point estimate provides the same result as was found in the observational study: The program prolongs rather than shortens the sickness absence spell. That is, the average sickness absence spell is prolonged by about 3 months. Conclusions: Our main explanation for this discouraging result is that the team focuses too much on rehabilitation rather than encouraging the sick-listed individual to return to work.
Correlation Between Endobutton Loop Length and Tunnel Widening After Hamstring Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Authors: Choi Nam-Hong , Oh Jong-Seok , Jung Seok-Hyun , Victoroff Brian N. 
Published: November 2012

Background: Previous reports have shown that graft fixation with the Endobutton is associated with tunnel widening because it provides distant fixation rather than aperture fixation. Hypothesis: A longer loop of the Endobutton results in greater tunnel widening than a shorter loop. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A total of 171 consecutive patients underwent hamstring anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction fixed with the Endobutton. They were followed for a minimum of 2 years postoperatively. A 15-mm loop was used in 20 patients, a 20-mm loop in 53, a 25-mm loop in 58, and a >30-mm loop in 40. On anterior-posterior (AP) and lateral radiographs, the measured diameters of the femoral tunnel at 2 years after surgery were compared with the diameter of the reamer used at surgery. The measured diameter of the tibial tunnel at 2 years after surgery was compared with measurements taken on the immediate postoperative day. The center of the tibial tunnel and direction of the ACL graft were also measured. Postoperative knee stability was evaluated using the Lachman test, pivot-shift test, and KT-1000 arthrometer. Functional evaluations were performed using the Lysholm score and Tegner activity scale. All measurements were compared among the 4 groups according to the length of the Endobutton loop. Results: The mean ± standard deviation (SD) diameter of the femoral tunnel increased by 50.7% ± 23.3% and 37.0% ± 18.8% on AP and lateral radiographs at 2 years after surgery, respectively. The mean ± SD diameter of the tibial tunnel increased by 40.8% ± 19.3% and 46.4% ± 22.6% on AP and lateral radiographs, respectively. No significant difference in tunnel widening was present according to the length of the Endobutton loop. There were no significant differences in the average center of the tibial tunnel or the average angle of the direction of the ACL graft among the 4 groups. There was no significant difference in Lachman test results, postoperative KT-1000 arthrometer side-to-side differences, Lysholm score, and Tegner activity scale score among the 4 groups. The group with a >30-mm loop showed a significant difference in the pivot-shift test than the other 3 groups ( P = .023). Conclusion: A longer Endobutton loop did not result in greater tunnel widening than a shorter loop. Long fixation distance may not be associated with tunnel widening after hamstring ACL reconstructions.
The protective role of pomegranate juice against carbon tetrachloride–induced oxidative stress in rats
Authors: Pirinççioğlu Mihdiye , Kızıl Göksel , Kızıl Murat , Kanay Zeki , Ketani Aydın 
Published: November 2012

Most pomegranate ( Punica granatum Linn., Punicaceae) fruit parts are known to possess enormous antioxidant activity. The present study was carried out to determine the phenolic and flavonoid contents of Derik pomegranate juice and determine its effect against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced toxicity in rats. Animals were divided into four groups ( n = 6): group I: control, group II: CCl4 (1 ml/kg), group III: CCl4 + pomegranate juice and group IV: CCl4 + ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). Treatment duration was 4 weeks, and the dose of CCl4 was administered once a week to groups II, III and IV during the experimental period. CCl4-treated rats caused a significant increase in serum enzyme levels, such as aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and total bilirubin, and decrease in albumin, when compared with control. Administration of CCl4 along with pomegranate juice or UDCA significantly reduces these changes. Analysis of lipid peroxide (LPO) levels by thiobarbutiric acid reaction showed a significant increase in liver, kidney and brain tissues of CCl4-treated rats. However, both pomegranate juice and UDCA prevented the increase in LPO level. Histopathological reports also revealed that there is a regenerative activity in the liver and kidney cells. Derik pomegranate juice showed to be hepatoprotective against CCl4-induced hepatic injury. In conclusion, present study reveals a biological evidence that supports the use of pomegranate juice in the treatment of chemical-induced hepatotoxicity.
Procedural and Educational Interventions to Reduce Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Rate and Central Line-Associated Blood Stream Infection Rate
Authors: Kellie Scott P. , Scott Michael J. , Cavallazzi Rodrigo , Wiemken Tim L. , Goss Linda , Parker Deanna , Saad Mohamed 
Published: November 2012

Background: Implementing best practice guidelines for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and central line-associated blood stream infection (CLA-BSI) has variable success. Our institution was concerned with high rates of VAP and CLA-BSI. This retrospective study was undertaken to see whether implementation of the below practices would reduce the rates of VAP and CLA-BSI without resorting to more expensive interventions such as subglottic endotracheal (ET) tube suctioning or silver-impregnated ET tubes. We utilized easily collectable data (standardized infection ratios [SIRs]) to rapidly assess whether interventions already in place were successful. This avoided cumbersome data collection and review. Methods: Retrospective data review calculated SIRs using National Healthcare Safety Network benchmarks. Rates and SIRs were compared using z tests with P values <.05 considered statistically significant. This data review attempted to examine the impact of education campaigns, staff meetings, in-services, physician checklist, nurse checklist, charge nurse checklist implementation, and chlorhexidine gluconate oral care addition to the VAP bundle. Additionally, central line insertion required nursing supervision, a checklist, and physician signature. Results: The incidence rate of VAP went from 9.88 occurrences/1000 vent days in 2009 to 0 occurrences/1000 vent days in 2010 ( P < .001). The CLA-BSI occurrences/1000 line days were 2.86 in 2009 and 0.97 in 2010 ( P = .0187). The SIR for VAP was 4.12 in 2009 and 0 in 2010 ( P < .001). For CLA-BSI, the SIR was 1.1 in 2009 and 0.37 in 2010 ( P = .04). Conclusions: Efforts to improve physician, patient, and staff education, and checklist implementation resulted in a decrease in VAP and CLA-BSI. This study confirms the applicability of best practice guidelines and suggests a benefit to the use of checklists. We utilize a practical approach for examining the success of these changes.
Compliance With Inpatient Drug Use Process Steps
Authors: Barthélémy Isabelle , Huet Estelle , Guilbeault Mélanie , Bussières Jean-François 
Published: November 2012

Objectives: The aim was to compare nursing staff compliance over the years, per health care unit, and per drug use process step. Methods: Compliance assessment was performed by nursing consultants with direct observation of the registered nurses and nursing assistants during the performance of 7 steps of the drug use process. A total of 36 compliance criteria were developed. The compliance to drug use process criteria was measured in 2007 (Prephase), 2008 (post 1), and 2011 (post 2). Totally, 10 health care units were evaluated, with a minimum of 10 doses evaluated per health care unit, including a minimum of 5 parental doses and a total of 100 nurses observed. Results: A total of 142 nurses were observed in the prephase, 140 nurses in the post 1 phase, and 98 in the post 2 phase (90% regular staff and 10% float staff). The overall compliance rates went from 77% in 2007 up to 87% in 2008 and down to 78% in 2011. Conclusions: This cross-sectional observational study revealed a significant difference in the drug use process compliance in terms of drug preparation and drug administration for inpatients at the bedside, between 2007 and 2011.
Antenatal betamethasone exposure alters renal responses to angiotensin-(1–7) in uninephrectomized adult male sheep
Authors: Bi Jianli , Contag Stephen A , Carey Luke C , Tang Lijun , Valego Nancy K , Chappell Mark C , Rose James C 
Published: November 2012

Antenatal corticosteroid exposure reduces renal function and alters the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system to favor angiotensin activation of angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT1R) mediated responses in ovine offspring. This study aimed to assess whether antenatal steroid exposure would affect renal responses to the direct intrarenal infusion of angiotensin-(1–7) in rams and the angiotensin receptors involved in mediating responses to the peptide. Adult, uninephrectomized rams exposed to either betamethasone or vehicle before birth received intrarenal angiotensin-(1–7) infusions (1 ng/kg/min) alone or in combination with antagonists to angiotensin receptors for 3 h. Basal sodium excretion (UNa) was significantly lower and mean arterial pressure was significantly higher in betamethasone- compared to the vehicle-treated sheep. Angiotensin-(1–7) decreased UNa more in betamethasone- than in vehicle-treated sheep. Candesartan reversed the response to angiotensin-(1–7) but D-Ala7-angiotensin-(1–7) did not. Angiotensin-(1–7) infusion decreased effective renal plasma flow in both groups to a similar extent and the response was reversed by candesartan, but was not blocked by D-Ala7-angiotensin-(1–7). Glomerular filtration rate increased significantly in both groups after 3 h infusion of angiotensin-(1–7) plus candesartan. These results suggest that antenatal exposure to a clinically relevant dose of betamethasone impairs renal function in rams. Moreover, angiotensin-(1–7) appears capable of activating the AT1R in uninephrectomized rams.
Imidapril provides a protective effect on pulmonary hypertension induced by low ambient temperature in broiler chickens
Authors: Hao Xue-Qin , Zhang Shou-Yan , Li Meng , Yang Zhen , Niu Ming-Fu , Sun Tong-Wen , Yang Dan-Li , Kong Tao , Li Jian 
Published: November 2012

Objective: The objective of this article is to explore the role of imidapril on pulmonary hypertension induced by low ambient temperature in broiler chickens. Materials and methods: Ninety chickens were randomly divided into three groups ( n = 30): a control group, a low-temperature group and an imidapril group. Chickens in the low-temperature group and imidapril group were exposed to low ambient temperature from 14 days of age until 45 days of age; chickens in the imidapril group were gavaged with imidapril 3 mg/kg once daily for 30 days. The pulmonary arterial pressure, main pulmonary arterial diameter and pulmonary arterial wall thickness were measured, and lung tissue ACE, ACE2 mRNA expression, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive cells and Ang II, Ang (1-7) concentration were evaluated. Results: The pulmonary arterial pressure was higher, the main pulmonary arterial diameter was wider and the pulmonary arterial wall was thicker in the low-temperature group than those in the control group and the imidapril group. ACE mRNA and PCNA-positive cells increased significantly in the low-temperature group compared with the control group and imidapril group; lung tissue Ang II concentration in the low-temperature group was higher, but Ang (1-7) content was lower than that in the control group and imidapril group. Conclusion: Imidapril provides a protective effect on pulmonary hypertension induced by low ambient temperature in broiler chickens.
Development of the Stanford Expectations of Treatment Scale (SETS): A tool for measuring patient outcome expectancy in clinical trials
Authors: Younger Jarred , Gandhi Vanisha , Hubbard Emily , Mackey Sean 
Published: November 2012

Background A patient’s response to treatment may be influenced by the expectations that the patient has before initiating treatment. In the context of clinical trials, the influence of participant expectancy may blur the distinction between real and sham treatments, reducing statistical power to detect specific treatment effects. There is therefore a need for a tool that prospectively predicts expectancy effects on treatment outcomes across a wide range of treatment modalities. Purpose To help assess expectancy effects, we created the Stanford Expectations of Treatment Scale (SETS): an instrument for measuring positive and negative treatment expectancies. Internal reliability of the instrument was tested in Study 1. Criterion validity of the instrument (convergent, discriminant, and predictive) was assessed in Studies 2 and 3. Methods The instrument was developed using 200 participants in Study 1. Reliability and validity assessments were made with an additional 423 participants in Studies 2 and 3. Results The final six-item SETS contains two subscales: positive expectancy (α = 0.81–0.88) and negative expectancy (α = 0.81–0.86). The subscales predict a significant amount of outcome variance (between 12% and 18%) in patients receiving surgical and pain interventions. The SETS is simple to administer, score, and interpret. Conclusion The SETS may be used in clinical trials to improve statistical sensitivity for detecting treatment differences or in clinical settings to identify patients with poor treatment expectancies.
Ventilatory Management and Extubation Criteria of the Neurological/Neurosurgical Patient
Authors: Souter M. J. , Manno Edward M. 
Published: November 2012

Approximately 200 000 patients per year will require mechanical ventilation secondary to neurological injury or disease. The associated mortality, morbidity, and costs are significant. The neurological patient presents a unique set of challenges to airway management, mechanical ventilation, and defining extubation readiness. Neurological injury and disease can directly or indirectly involve the process involved with respiration or airway control. This article will review the basics of airway management and mechanical ventilation in the neurological patient. The current state of the literature evaluating extubation criteria in the neurological patient will also be reviewed.