bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Augustan Temple and Forum of the Colony of Barcino: A 90 Degree Turn
Authors: Orengo Hector A. , Cortés Ada 
Published: January 2014

SummaryThe Augustan Roman temple at Barcino has been a key element during the last 60 years in the research of the colony's urban development. Its peculiar elongated and narrow plan, first proposed in 1835, and its location at the highest point of the ancient city have dictated our understanding of the urban layout of Barcino by conditioning the shape of the city's forum and affecting the interpretation of the archaeological excavations carried out in the area since then. This paper proposes an alternative plan of the temple, based on data drawn from recent archaeological excavations, topographical analysis, typological comparisons, and the study of written sources. Our alternative hypothesis for the temple permits an in‐depth reinterpretation of the plan of the forum and the evolution of the urban plan.
TRANSPARENT TESTA2 regulates embryonic fatty acid biosynthesis by targeting FUSCA3 during the early developmental stage of Arabidopsis seeds
Authors: Wang Zhong , Chen Mingxun , Chen Tianlong , Xuan Lijie , Li Zhilan , Du Xue , Zhou Longhua , Zhang Guoping , Jiang Lixi 
Published: January 2014

SummaryTRANSPARENT TESTA2 (TT2) regulates the biosynthesis of proanthocyanidins in the seed coat of Arabidopsis. We recently found that TT2 also participates in inhibition of fatty acid (FA) biosynthesis in the seed embryo. However, the mechanism by which TT2 suppresses the accumulation of seed FA remains unclear. In this study, we show that TT2 is expressed in embryos at an early developmental stage. TT2 is directly bound to the regulatory region of FUSCA3 (FUS3), and mediates the expression of numerous genes in the FA biosynthesis pathway. These genes include BCCP2, CAC2, MOD1 and KASII, which encode proteins involved in the initial steps of FA chain formation, FAD2 and FAD3, which are responsible for FA desaturation, and FAE1, which catalyzes very‐long‐chain FA elongation. Loss of function of TT2 results in reduced expression of GLABRA2 but does not cause a significant reduction in the mucilage attached to the seed coats, which competes with FA for photosynthates. TT2 is expressed in both maternal seed coats and embryonic tissues, but proanthocyanidins are only found in wild‐type seed coats and not in embryonic tissues. The amount of proanthocyanidins in the seed coat is negatively correlated with the amount of FAs in the embryo.
Breakdown Strength Characteristic of RBDPO and Mineral Oil Mixture as an Alternative Insulating Liquid for Transformer
Authors: M. Yusnida , Azmi Kiasatina , Ahmad Mohd Azmier , Ahmad Zulkifli , Kamarol Mohamad 
Published: January 2014

Mineral oil (MO) works as an important electrical insulation and coolant in transformer which is non-biodegradable and nearly running out. Therefore, for sustainable and environmental concern, an alternative biodegradable insulating oil that potential to replace the mineral oil is introduced. In view of that, the breakdown strength characteristic of Refined Bleached Deodorized Palm Oil (RBDPO) and MO mixtures were investigated by varying the mixing percentage of RBDPO from 0% to 100% at 40oC. The results showed that the breakdown strength of the oil mixture abruptly decline to the minimum breakdown voltage of 50 kV at 20% of RBDPO mixture and gradually increased when the ratio of the RBDPO is added. The highest breakdown strength is achieved 87kv at 80% of RBDPO content. The result of kinematic viscosity is also presented.
An Exploratory Study of Malaysian Technology-based Firms Leadership Styles
Authors: Arshad Azlin Shafinaz , Rasli Amran , Mustafar Mastora , Norhalim Nadhirah 
Published: January 2014

Leaders are effective when they are able to determine the success or failure of a firm. In a recent study on leadership styles within technology-based firms, three leadership styles have been identified; transformational, transactional and ambidextrous leadership. The present study is conducted to determine the level of leadership styles of technology-based firms in Malaysia based on these three styles. A survey was conducted on 46 technology-based firms in Malaysia. The findings revealed that all constrcuts of leadership styles were found to be significant. Practical implications are discussed and suggestions for future research are made.
An Exploratory Study of Operations Management Best Practices
Authors: Mustafar Mastora , Rasli Amran , Mohamad Arshad Azlin Shafinaz , Norhalim Nadhirah 
Published: January 2014

The purpose of this paper is to conduct an exploratory investigation on the level of operations management best practices. A sample random t-test analysis was used upon a high technology company that was selected based on simple random sampling from government agency directory. After various attempts, 72 out of 138 are providing feedback. However, only 34 can be used, the rest did not answer completely. Descriptive analysis and t-test analysis were performed on 34 completed feedbacks. Six factors in the form of quality commitment, customer focus, formalization of performance measurement, people management, process management and technology management were examined as predictors for operations management best practices. Findings indicated that the mean value is more than 3 for all dimensions. Furthermore, most cases are significant as the selected samples are high technology based companies and their workers are knowledgeable in terms of operations management best practices.
Pre-operative fasting - a patient centered approach
Authors: Hamid Sana 
Published: January 2014

AbstractProlonged pre-operative fasting can be an unpleasant experience and result in serious medical complications. The Royal College of Nursing guidelines state a minimum fasting period of six hours for food and two hours for clear fluids, prior to elective anaesthesia or sedation in healthy patients. We audited the Moorfields South Pre-operative Assessment Unit fasting instruction policy to ensure it is clear and in accordance with national guidelines.A questionnaire assessing the clarity and accuracy of fasting instructions and patient hydration was employed to survey patients undergoing elective anaesthesia or sedation in July 2013 (first cycle) and September 2013 (second cycle). The fasting instruction policy and patient information leaflet were reviewed; they state “nothing to eat or drink from midnight” for morning surgery and “nothing to eat or drink from 7AM” for afternoon surgery.The 10 patients surveyed in the first cycle reported that the instructions they were given were clear. 70% expressed subjective dehydration and 40% showed clinical evidence of dehydration. The patients had not been encouraged to drink clear fluids up till two hours before surgery. Patients fasted for unnecessarily prolonged periods, the longest of which was 17 hours.Our interventions were: delivering a teaching session to update staff of current pre-operative fasting guidelines, producing a patient information leaflet that was correct, reader-friendly and comprehensive and displaying posters as a reminder of the updated fasting instruction policy.The 12 patients surveyed in the second cycle had been encouraged to drink clear fluids up till two hours before surgery. A dramatically reduced 25% expressed subjective dehydration and 25% showed clinical evidence of dehydration. The longest fasting period was reduced to eight hours.We encourage all hospitals to adopt a patient centered approach to pre-operative fasting, dispelling the “nil my mouth for eight hours” policy, to improve patient wellbeing and satisfaction.
The perception of time in childhood migraine
Authors: Vicario Carmelo M , Gulisano Mariangela , Martino Davide , Rizzo Renata 
Published: January 2014

Introduction Migraine is a syndrome rather common in children. Recent results have accounted evidence of altered activity corresponding to the supplemental motor area in this pediatric population. Given the role of this region in the motor timing of supra-second temporal intervals, we hypothesized that time representation is abnormal in childhood migraine. Subjects and methods We compared time-processing abilities between 11 children with migraine and 11 age-matched healthy children, employing a time reproduction task in which subjects actively reproduced different supra-second temporal intervals. Results We show that children with migraine are less accurate (overestimate) and more variable in reproducing time intervals. Conclusion Results are discussed on the basis of the recent evidence about abnormal cortical and neurochemical activity in childhood migraine, but also in relation to a possible alteration of spatial attention mechanisms in this clinical population. The low number of patients examined represents a limit of this study and indicates that further investigation is needed.
Synergistic effects of BuChE non-UU phenotype and paraoxonase (PON1) 55 M allele on the risk of systemic lupus erythematosus: influence on lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and oxidative stress, preliminary report
Authors: Bahrehmand F , Vaisi-Raygani A , Rahimi Z , Ahmadi R , Kiani A , Tavilani H , Vaisi-Raygani H , Pourmotabbed T 
Published: January 2014

There is some evidence indicating lipid peroxidation can affect progression of atherosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and glomerulonephritis in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Human butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) and paraoxonase-1 (PON1) are two major bioscavenger enzymes that are associated with inflammation, oxidative stress and lipid metabolism. Hyperlipidemia, increase in lipid oxidation reactions and defects in antioxidant status may lead to increased oxidative stress and high frequency of CVDs in SLE. It has also been suggested that deficiency in the function of the antioxidant system and an increase in reactive oxygen release (ROS) may play an important role in the pathogenesis of SLE. This study is the first investigation to examine the association of BuChE phenotypes, PON1 (L55M; PON-55-M) polymorphism, the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), neopterin, lipid-lipoprotein and activities of BuChE and arylesterase activity (ARE) of PON with severity of SLE. The present case-control study consisted of 109 SLE patients and 101 gender- and age-matched, unrelated healthy control subjects from the population of west Iran. We found that the PON-55-M allele and BuChE non-UU act synergistically to increase the risk of SLE by 2.5 times (1.03–6.7, p = 0.044). There was a significant negative correlation between severity of SLE with serum BuChE activity ( R = −0.31, p < 0.001) and positive correlation with serum neopterin level. The SLE patients with the PON-55-M (M/L + M/M) allele or with BuChE non-UU phenotype had significantly lower serum ARE and BuChE activities than those with PON-55-L/L or BuChE-UU phenotypes, respectively. In addition, their serum levels of MDA, neopterin and LDL-C were significantly elevated, suggesting that these individuals are more susceptible to CVD. However, further studies are needed to shed more light on the contribution of the M allele of PON1 and non-UU phenotypes of BuChE in the development of SLE in different ethnicities.
A descriptive study of the factors associated with damage in Malaysian patients with lupus nephritis
Authors: Shaharir SS , Ghafor AH Abdul , Said MS Mohamed , Kong NCT 
Published: January 2014

Introduction Renal involvement is the most common serious complication in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Objective The objective of this article is to investigate and determine the associated factors of disease damage among lupus nephritis (LN) patients. Methods Medical records of LN patients who attended regular follow-up for at least one year in the Nephrology/SLE Clinic, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), were reviewed. Their Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR) Damage Index scores were noted. Univariate analysis and multivariable regression analysis were performed to determine the independent factors of disease damage in LN. Results A total of 150 patients were included and their follow-up duration ranged from one to 20 years. Sixty (40%) LN patients had disease damage (SDI ≥1). In the univariate analysis, it was associated with age, longer disease duration, antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), higher maximum daily oral prednisolone dose (mg/day), lower mean C3 and C4, higher chronicity index and global sclerosis on renal biopsies ( p < 0.05). Patients who received early (≤3 months after the SLE diagnosis) hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), optimum HCQ dose at 6.5 mg/kg/day and achieved early complete remission (CR) were less likely to have disease damage ( p < 0.05). After adjustment for age, gender, disease duration and severity, multivariable regression analysis revealed that a higher maximum daily dose of oral prednisolone was independently associated with disease damage while early HCQ and CR were associated with lower disease damage. Conclusion Higher maximum daily prednisolone dose predicted disease damage whereas treatment with early HCQ and early CR had a protective role against disease damage.
Factors Associated With Futile End-Of-Life Intensive Care in a Cancer Hospital
Authors: Cruz Vasco Moscovici da , Camalionte Lucimara , Caruso Pedro 
Published: January 2014

Background: Management of critically ill patients involves weighing potential benefit of advanced life support against preserving quality of life, avoidance of futile measures and rational use of resources. Aim: Our study aims to identify the predisposing factors involved in the institution and maintenance of futile intensive care support in terminally ill cancer patients in whom no additional treatment for the malignant disease would be offered. Design: We retrospectively analysed the medical records of patients who died in a tertiary cancer hospital (Hospital A C Camargo, São Paulo, Brazil) during an eight month period. Medical futility was defined when a patient, despite having been stated in the hospital records as having no possible lifespan extending treatment, was admitted to intensive care and received advanced life support. These cases were compared to controls who received palliative end-of-life care. Results: Three hundred and forty-seven deaths were recorded, of which 238 did not undergo futile treatment, 71 received full code treatment and 38 received futile treatments. Statistically significant predisposing factors for medical futility were, in our analysis, lack of palliative care team consultation (p < 0.001) and hematologic malignancy (p = 0.036). Qualitative analysis of medical records traced futile treatments to physicians’ lacking proactive attitudes in considering prognosis and talking to families. Conclusions: We conclude that a significant minority of end-of-life care consists of futile treatments. Strategies to increase Oncologists’ and Critical Care specialists’ alertness to these issues and expand indications of Palliative Care consultations are recommended.
Compliance with safe handling guidelines of antineoplastic drugs in Jordanian hospitals
Authors: Al-Azzam Sayer I , Awawdeh Banan T , Alzoubi Karem H , Khader Yousef S , Alkafajei Ahmed M 
Published: January 2014

Objective To evaluate the compliance of healthcare workers with standard safety guidelines during the preparation and administrations of antineoplastic medications. Design A cross-sectional survey study. Setting All hospitals in Jordan where healthcare workers are involved in preparation and administration of antineoplastic medications. Participants All healthcare workers who are involved in preparation and administration of antineoplastic medications in Jordanian hospitals. Intervention A questionnaire that covered information about work place, healthcare workers, and use of personal protective equipments during handling of antineoplastic medications was self-filled by each participant. Main outcome measures Compliance rates with workplace requirements, healthcare workers, and use of personnel protective equipments. Results Majority of participants (74.2%), representing nine out of 15 (60%) hospitals, reported full compliance of workplace with all requirements of the guidelines. Items with full compliance in all hospitals were availability of policies and procedures for safe handling of antineoplastic agents, availability of reporting system, and availability of sharp containers. Concerning healthcare workers’ guidelines, worker with full compliance were 46.4% of participants. Items with least compliance rate were working inside biological safety cabinet (65.1%) and having training program on handling chemotherapy medications (66.7%). Finally, concerning items-related personal protective equipments, only 10.7% of participants reported full compliance. Items with least compliance rates were wearing goggles (eye protection), shoe cover, and hair cover. Conclusions Results of this study showed the levels of compliance with guidelines pertaining to work place and workers who prepare and administer antineoplastic medications. Among other points, compliance with guidelines pertaining to wearing personnel protective equipments was limited and required further improvement.
Effect of Cilostazol Prescribed in a Pragmatic Treatment Program for Intermittent Claudication
Authors: Lee Constance , Nelson Peter R. 
Published: January 2014

Background: Controlled trials of cilostazol for claudication demonstrate improvements in walking distance and quality of life. Without the structure of a study environment, it is not certain that cilostazol has similar efficacy. Method: Retrospective review of patients prescribed cilostazol for claudication was undertaken. Patients were advised to stop smoking and increase exercise but no formal programs were instituted. The primary outcome measure was patient-reported improvement in claudication symptoms. Secondary outcomes were smoking cessation and participation in regular exercise. Results: Over a 2-year period, 77 patients were prescribed cilostazol as initial treatment for claudication. Follow-up for 3 months was available for 69 (90%) patients. Noncompliance was reported in 20% of patients. Of the overall group, 58% (73% of compliant patients) of patients reported improvement in claudication symptoms, 4% of patients reported smoking cessation, and 7% reported regular exercise. Conclusion: Despite minimal behavior modification, up to 70% of patients taking cilostazol report an improvement in claudication symptoms with few side effects.
Nationwide Comparative Impact of Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair of Acute Uncomplicated Type B Aortic Dissections
Authors: Shah Tejas R. , Rockman Caron B. , Adelman Mark A. , Maldonado Thomas S. , Veith Frank J. , Mussa Firas F. 
Published: January 2014

Objective: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for acute uncomplicated type B aortic dissection (TBAD) remains controversial. This study aims to evaluate the impact of TEVAR on mortality, morbidity, length of stay (LOS), and discharge status in patients with acute uncomplicated TBAD. Methods: We analyzed the National Inpatient Sample from 2009 and 2010. Patients were categorized according to the type of treatment: TEVAR or medical management. Outcomes, including mortality, stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), acute renal failure, discharge disposition, and LOS, were compared between the treatment groups. Results: We identified 4706 patients with TBAD. Mean age was 67 years and 55% were male. Treatment options included TEVAR in 504 and medical management in 4202. The overall adjusted in-hospital mortality was similar for both the groups (8.5% for TEVAR vs 10.3% for medical management, P = .224). The TEVAR carried higher risk of stroke (odds ratio [OR] = 1.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.14-2.27]; P = .0073). The TEVAR was associated with prolonged LOS (12 vs 5.6 days, P < .0001) and patients were less likely to be discharged home (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.54-0.99; P = .013). When stratified by age, all outcomes were similar between the 2 groups, with the exception of longer LOS with TEVAR. Conclusions: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair for acute uncomplicated TBAD was associated with similar in-hospital mortality, MI, and renal failure as compared to medical management. The TEVAR had higher rate of stroke up to the age 70 years and longer LOS. Because extending TEVAR to less complicated patients could only decrease TEVAR mortality rates, these findings support the more widespread use of TEVAR to treat patients with uncomplicated TBAD.
Cardiac Catheter Procedures During Extracorporeal Life Support
Authors: Panda Biswa R. , Alphonso Nelson , Govindasamy Maheshkumar , Anderson Benjamin , Stocker Christian , Karl Tom R. 
Published: January 2014

Background: Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) is a valuable tool for situations in which cardiac disease acutely threatens the life of a child. Residual anatomic lesions have a strong negative influence on survival when ECLS is used after cardiac operations. Accurate diagnostic information is essential, and although noninvasive studies are preferred (eg, echocardiography and thoracic computed tomographic angiography), they are not always logistically practical nor adequate in complex situations under the loading and nonpulsatile flow conditions of ECLS. Methods: We analyzed our experience (February 2009 to August 2012) with cardiac ECLS for 59 children. Of the 59 children, 22 (median age and weight 19.5 days and 4 kg) with advanced cardiac dysfunction had catheter studies performed during support. Results: The 22 patients had 28 studies, without major adverse events relating to the procedure or transport. Problems leading to further therapeutic procedures (catheter based seven, hybrid two, or surgical eight) were discovered in 17 of the 22 patients. For 22 catheterized patients, total time on ECLS, weaning probability, and survival to discharge were 151.6 ± 122.6 hours, 81%, and 68%, respectively, similar to that for the 37 cardiac support patients not requiring catheter studies during support ( P = 0.94, 0.37, and 0.59, respectively). Conclusion: Assuming that undiscovered anatomic and/or hemodynamic issues would have had a strong negative influence on survival, we may conclude that the risk–benefit ratio was positive and favorable. Catheter studies during ECLS are safe and should be performed expeditiously when diagnostic questions cannot be resolved by noninvasive means.