bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Seasonal Changes in the Combined Glucose‐Insulin Tolerance Test in Normal Aged Horses
Authors: Funk R.A. , Wooldridge A.A. , Stewart A.J. , Behrend E.N. , Kemppainen R.J. , Zhong Q. , Johnson A.K. 
Published: May 2012

BackgroundEquine metabolic syndrome (EMS) is an increasingly recognized problem in adult horses. Affected horses are often obese and predisposed to the development of laminitis, especially in the spring and summer months. In addition, in the summer and fall months, increases in endogenous insulin concentrations, a marker of EMS, have been reported.Hypothesis/ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to evaluate seasonal changes in results of the combined glucose‐insulin tolerance test (CGIT), a diagnostic test for EMS.AnimalsNine healthy, aged horses with no history of laminitis and no clinical signs of EMS.MethodsHorses were given dextrose (150 mg/kg) and insulin (0.1 U/kg) IV. Plasma glucose concentrations were measured at 0, 1, 5, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, and 150 minutes and serum insulin concentrations at 0, 5, and 75 minutes. Testing was performed in February, May, June, August, September, and November. Mean glucose concentrations, characteristics of the curve, and insulin concentrations during the CGIT were compared across months using repeated measures ANOVA (P < .05).ResultsNo CGIT parameters indicated insulin resistance, but mean area under the curve for glucose concentrations was significantly lower in August and November compared to February and in November compared to June, indicating increased insulin‐mediated glucose clearance. Glucose nadir was significantly lower in November compared to that in February.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceNo clinically relevant differences were seen in the results of the CGIT, suggesting that season minimally affects results of this test in normal aged horses in the southeastern United States.
Serum Pepsinogen‐A, Canine Pancreatic Lipase Immunoreactivity, and C‐Reactive Protein as Prognostic Markers in Dogs with Gastric Dilatation‐Volvulus
Authors: Israeli I. , Steiner J. , Segev G. , Kass P.H. , Suchodolski J.S. , Sattasathuchana P. , Bruchim Y. , Yudelevitch S. , Aroch I. 
Published: May 2012

BackgroundPepsinogens are proenzymes secreted by gastric chief cells. In humans, their serum concentrations reflect gastric mucosal morphological and functional status.ObjectivesTo evaluate serum canine pepsinogen‐A (cPG‐A), C‐reactive protein (CRP), and canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (cPLI) concentrations in dogs with gastric dilatation‐volvulus (GDV).AnimalsSixty‐six dogs presented withGDVand 79 healthy controls.MethodsBlood was collected prospectively, and records retrospectively reviewed.ResultsMediancPG‐A concentration was higher inGDVdogs (median, 397 μg/L; range, 37–5,410) compared to controls (median,cPG‐A 304 μg/L; range, 18–848;P = .07). Mortality rate inGDVdogs was 22.7%. In nonsurvivors ofGDV, mediancPG‐A was higher compared to survivors (median, 746 μg/L; range, 128–5,409 versus median, 346; range, 36–1,575, respectively;P = .003). The proportion of dogs with increasedcPG‐A increased with gastric wall damage score (P = .007). AnROCanalysis ofcPG‐A as a predictor of death showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.75, higher than lactate (AUC0.66), and corresponded to a sensitivity and specificity of 53% and 88%, respectively.CRPwas increased in 48 dogs (75%),cPLIwas >200 μg/L in 26 dogs (39.4%) and >400 μg/L in 12 dogs (18.2%) but both analytes had no association with outcome.ConclusionsPresurgicalcPG‐A concentration was positively and significantly associated with gastric wall lesion severity, but, based onROCanalysis, it was only a moderate outcome predictor.CRPandcPLIwere commonly increased in dogs withGDV.
An exploratory study of primary care pharmacist-led epilepsy consultations
Authors: Fogg Angela , Staufenberg Ekkehart F , Small Ian , Bhattacharya Debi 
Published: May 2012

Abstract

Objective
Most epilepsies are managed with anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), but medication non-adherence has been frequently reported. Satisfying patient information needs has demonstrated improved adherence. Multi-professional working has been encouraged to provide cost-effective health services by using the most appropriate healthcare professional. Research has demonstrated that pharmacist-led consultations are acceptable to patients with other medical conditions and therefore may be appropriate for patients with epilepsy. We aimed to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a pharmacist-led epilepsy consultation (PLEC) study. This encompassed estimating the eligibility and consent rate for a PLEC study, plus the acceptability of potential intervention outcome measures and likely effects.

Methods
Eligible patients with a diagnosis of epilepsy and prescribed AEDs were invited by telephone to attend a PLEC. Baseline adherence, general mental well-being, epilepsy-related quality of life and satisfaction with information received about epilepsy medication were recorded. The intervention was a 30 min consultation to provide participants with an opportunity to ask questions related to their epilepsy therapy. Baseline data collection was repeated after 2 months.

Results
Of 106 (97.2%) consenting patients, 82 (77.4%) attended the PLEC. The 2 month follow-up questionnaire was fully completed by 50 (67.6%) participants. The number (percentage ± 95% confidence interval) of participants reporting adherent behaviour pre-PLEC was 22 (44.0 ± 13.7%) which increased to 30 (60 ± 13.6%) post-PLEC (P &lt; 0.03, McNemar test).

Discussion
Accepting the limitations of a before-and-after study and small sample size, the findings suggest that a PLEC may improve adherence. A definitive trial is necessary to confirm the effect of a PLEC and establish the longevity and cost-effectiveness of the outcomes. Attrition of potential participants not contactable by telephone suggests the need for additional postal contact in subsequent trials. A reduction in loss to follow-up is also desirable and potentially achievable using telephone reminders.
An assessment of community pharmacists' responses to hypothetical medical emergency situations
Authors: McMillan Sara S , Hattingh H Laetitia , King Michelle A 
Published: May 2012

Abstract

Objective
To investigate community pharmacists' proposed actions in hypothetical medical emergency situations in South-East Queensland, Australia.

Method
A survey was posted to 151 Gold Coast and Toowoomba community pharmacies in October 2009. Pharmacists were asked to document their opinions regarding the pharmacist's role in medical emergencies and to respond to statements associated with two hypothetical medical emergency situations: an anaphylaxis and an asthma attack.

Key findings
Forty-five pharmacists responded to the survey (29.8%). In response to a hypothetical situation involving an asthma attack, 41 pharmacists (91.1%) agreed that they would assist the asthmatic person to administer salbutamol through a spacer, with 28 pharmacists (62.2%) confident in treating an asthma attack in the pharmacy. In comparison, only 21 pharmacists (21/38; 55.3%) agreed to administer an adrenaline auto-injector (Epi-Pen) for a child experiencing an anaphylaxis, with nine respondents (9/38; 23.7%) indicating that they would ask the mother for directions in a situation where they were unsure how to administer it. There were comments questioning whether indemnity insurance covers pharmacists for medicine administration, and 12 pharmacists (12/38; 31.6%) indicated that if they were unsure about insurance cover they would ask the mother to administer the adrenaline.

Conclusion
Pharmacists' responses to administering medications in hypothetical medical emergencies were variable. The cause of this variation is multi-factorial and likely to include familiarity with the medication, its safety profile and uncertainty about the pharmacist's role and responsibilities in these situations. Further clarification, training and guidelines are needed in order to address this.
Quality Use of Medicines – medication safety issues in naming; look-alike, sound-alike medicine names
Authors: Ostini Remo , Roughead Elizabeth E , Kirkpatrick Carl M J , Monteith Greg R , Tett Susan E 
Published: May 2012

Abstract

Objective
To review current literature with the objective of developing strategies and recommendations to enhance patient safety and minimise clinical issues with look-alike, sound-alike medication names.

Methods
A comprehensive search of the PubMed database and an Australian online repository of Quality Use of Medicines projects was conducted to identify publications addressing look-alike, sound-alike medication problems. Author networks, grey literature and the reference lists of published articles were also used to identify additional material.

Key findings
Thirty-two publications describing the extent of the specific problem and recommending solutions were identified. The majority of these publications provided a qualitative assessment of the issues, with few quantitative estimates of the severity of the problem and very little intervention research. As a result, most recommendations for addressing the problem are the result of expert deliberations and not experimental research. This will affect the capacity of the recommendations to ameliorate and resolve problems caused by look-alike, sound-alike medication names. Themes identified from articles included the nature and causes of look-alike, sound-alike problems, potential solutions and recommendations.

Conclusions
There are many existing medications which can potentially cause clinical issues due to mix-ups because of similar sounding or looking medication names. This confusion can be lethal for some medication errors. A multifaceted, integrated approach involving all aspects of the medication use process, from initial naming of INN through to consumer education, is suggested to minimise this issue for medication safety.
Offenders have higher delay‐discounting rates than non‐offenders after controlling for differences in drug and alcohol abuse
Authors: Arantes Joana , Berg Mark E. , Lawlor Dayle , Grace Randolph C. 
Published: May 2012

Purpose. Do criminal offenders discount future rewards more rapidly than non‐offenders? Theories of criminality assume that impulsivity is a key predictor of offending and suggest an affirmative answer, but there are no prior relevant studies with adult offenders and the only previous study with juveniles failed to find that offenders discounted delayed rewards more steeply than controls (Wilson & Daly, 2006).Method. We measured rates of delay discounting for adult offenders incarcerated in two medium‐security facilities in New Zealand (n= 63) and non‐offender controls (n= 70) using a questionnaire which asked participants to nominate an indifference point – an amount of money to be received after a delay that was equal in value to an immediate amount – for immediate rewards varying from $500 to $4,000. Indifference points were converted to annual discounting rates. Self‐reported measures of alcohol and drug abuse were also obtained.Results. Offenders discounted future rewards substantially more than non‐offenders, and rates varied systematically with amount and delay for both groups, consistent with previous research. The difference in delay discounting between offenders and controls remained significant after controlling for self‐reported drug and alcohol use. There were no significant gender differences.Conclusions. These results suggest that offenders have a deficit in delay discounting, likely appearing in late adolescence or early adulthood, which may lead them to make suboptimal choices.
Evaluating the effectiveness of the Supporting Offenders through Restoration Inside (SORI) Programme delivered in seven prisons in England and Wales
Authors: Beech Anthony R. , Chauhan Jaymini 
Published: May 2012

Purpose. Supporting Offenders through Restoration Inside (SORI) is a programme that aims to: increase victim empathy in offenders; motivate offenders to change their offending behaviour; and to take personal responsibility for the harm that he has caused. A 5‐day course based on the SORI principles has been piloted across seven prison sites in the UK. The aim of the study reported here was to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme across these sites.Methods. Three psychometric questionnaires [Victim Concerns, Locus of Control, and Stages of Change (SoC) scales] were administered to the participants immediately before and after the programme had taken place (data were available for 131 participants for the Victim Concern Scale, 82 participants for the Locus of Control measure, and 96 participants for the SoC questionnaire). These psychometric measures were the primary research outcome. Statistical analyses were employed to assess whether any changes had been effected by the programme.Results. The results of this study found that: participants had an enhanced victim concern for all types of victims, were more motivated to change their offending behaviours, and were more willing to take responsibility for their actions, after completion of the course. No change was found in terms of participants seeing themselves as being more in control of their actions/environment.Conclusions. The results lend support for the notion that the 5‐day SORI course is effective in increasing participants’ levels of victim concern and motivation to change, while not really impacting upon levels of ownership for one's ownership for one's actions. Suggestions for future research and limitations of the study are discussed in the paper.
Will get fooled again: Emotionally intelligent people are easily duped by high‐stakes deceivers
Authors: Baker Alysha , ten Brinke Leanne , Porter Stephen 
Published: May 2012

Purpose. There is major disagreement about the existence of individual differences in deception detection or naturally gifted detection ‘wizards’ (see O'Sullivan & Ekman, 2004 vs. Bond & Uysal, 2007). This study aimed to elucidate the role of a specific, and seemingly relevant individual difference – emotional intelligence (EI) and its subcomponents – in detecting high‐stakes, emotional deception.Methods. Participants (N= 116) viewed a sample of 20 international videos of individuals emotionally pleading for the safe return of their missing family member, half of whom were responsible for the missing person's disappearance/murder. Participants judged whether the pleas were honest or deceptive, provided confidence ratings, reported the cues they utilized, and rated their emotional response to each plea.Results. EI was associated with overconfidence in assessing the sincerity of the pleas and greater self‐reported sympathetic feelings to deceptive targets (enhanced gullibility). Although total EI was not associated with discrimination of truths and lies, the ability to perceive and express emotion (a component of EI), specifically, was negatively related to detecting deceptive targets (lower sensitivity [d′]). Combined, these patterns contributed negatively to the ability to spot emotional lies.Conclusions. These findings collectively suggest that features of EI, and subsequent decision‐making processes, paradoxically may impair one's ability to detect deceit.
The association between acculturation and recreational computer use among Latino adolescents in California
Authors: Shi L. , van Meijgaard J. , Simon P. 
Published: May 2012

SummaryBackgroundPhysical inactivity like recreational computer use is a likely factor in the rising obesity prevalence among Latino adolescents.ObjectivesUsing the data from California Health Interview Survey, we test the hypothesis whether acculturation is associated with recreational computer use among Latino adolescents.MethodsWe run linear regressions of the weekly time spent on recreational computer use among Latino adolescents, stratified first by gender and then by age group (12–14 and 15–17 years). Years living in the United States and language at home are used as key variables for acculturation.ResultsFor all four sub‐populations, living in the United States for less than 5 years is significantly associated with fewer hours on recreational computer use, compared with those US‐born. Among female adolescents, those who lived in the United States for 10 years or more spent fewer hours on recreational computer use than those US‐born. Among adolescents under 15, speaking English only and speaking English plus another language are both significantly associated with more hours on recreational computer use, compared with those who speak a non‐English language at home.ConclusionEducators and health professionals should heed the Latino adolescents’ possible increase in recreational computer use.
Laguerre semigroup and Dunkl operators
Authors: Saïd Salem Ben , Kobayashi Toshiyuki , Ørsted Bent 
Published: May 2012

AbstractWe construct a two-parameter family of actionsωk,aof the Lie algebra 𝔰𝔩(2,ℝ) by differential–difference operators on ℝN∖{0}. Herekis a multiplicity function for the Dunkl operators, anda>0 arises from the interpolation of the two 𝔰𝔩(2,ℝ) actions on the Weil representation ofMp(N,ℝ) and the minimal unitary representation of O(N+1,2). We prove that this actionωk,alifts to a unitary representation of the universal covering ofSL(2,ℝ) , and can even be extended to a holomorphic semigroup Ωk,a. In thek≡0 case, our semigroup generalizes the Hermite semigroup studied by R. Howe (a=2) and the Laguerre semigroup studied by the second author with G. Mano (a=1) . One boundary value of our semigroup Ωk,aprovides us with (k,a) -generalized Fourier transforms ℱk,a, which include the Dunkl transform 𝒟k(a=2) and a new unitary operator ℋk (a=1) , namely a Dunkl–Hankel transform. We establish the inversion formula, a generalization of the Plancherel theorem, the Hecke identity, the Bochner identity, and a Heisenberg uncertainty relation for ℱk,a. We also find kernel functions for Ωk,aand ℱk,afora=1,2 in terms of Bessel functions and the Dunkl intertwining operator.
An Abundance of Rare Functional Variants in 202 Drug Target Genes Sequenced in 14,002 People
Authors: Nelson Matthew R. , Wegmann Daniel , Ehm Margaret G. , Kessner Darren , St. Jean Pamela , Verzilli Claudio , Shen Judong , Tang Zhengzheng , Bacanu Silviu-Alin , Fraser Dana , Warren Liling , Aponte Jennifer , Zawistowski Matthew , Liu Xiao , Zhang Hao , Zhang Yong , Li Jun , Li Yun , Li Li , Woollard Peter , Topp Simon , Hall Matthew D. , Nangle Keith , Wang Jun , Abecasis Gonçalo , Cardon Lon R. , Zöllner Sebastian , Whittaker John C. , Chissoe Stephanie L. , Novembre John , Mooser Vincent 
Published: May 2012

A Deep Look Into Our GenesRecent debates have focused on the degree of genetic variation and its impact upon health at the genomic level in humans (see the Perspective byCasals and Bertranpetit).Tennessenet al.(p.64, published online 17 May), looking at all of the protein-coding genes in the human genome, andNelsonet al.(p.100, published online 17 May), looking at genes that encode drug targets, address this question through deep sequencing efforts on samples from multiple individuals. The findings suggest that most human variation is rare, not shared between populations, and that rare variants are likely to play a role in human health.
Poor professionalism identified through investigation of unsolicited healthcare complaints
Authors: van Mook Walther N K A , Gorter Simone L , Kieboom Wendy , Castermans Miem G T H , de Feijter Jeantine , de Grave Willem S , Zwaveling Jan Harm , Schuwirth Lambert W T , van der Vleuten Cees P M 
Published: May 2012

Abstract

Aim
To determine whether analysis of unsolicited healthcare complaints specifically focusing on unprofessional behaviour can provide additional information from the patients' perspective.

Methods
A qualitative study with content analysis of healthcare complaints and associated judgements using complaints filed from 2004 to 2009 at the complaints committee of a tertiary-referral centre. Subsequent comparison of the resulting categories of poor professionalism to categories perceived relevant by physicians in a previous study was performed.

Results
137 complaints (98%) yielded 46 different unprofessional behaviours grouped into 18 categories. The element ‘perceived medical complications and error’ occurred most commonly (n=77), followed by ‘having to wait for care’ and ‘insufficient or unclear clarification’ (n=52, n=48, respectively). The combined non-cognitive elements of professionalism (especially aspects of communication) were far more prominently discussed than cognitive issues (knowledge/skills) related to medical error. Most categories of professionalism elements were considered important by physicians but, nevertheless, were identified in patient complaints analysis. Some issues (eg, ‘altruism’, ‘appearance’, ‘keeping distance/respecting boundaries with patients’) were not perceived as problematic by patients and/or relatives, while mentioned by physicians. Conversely, eight categories of poor professionalism revealed from complaint analysis (eg, ‘having to wait for care’, ‘lack of continuity of care’ and ‘lack of shared decision making’) were not considered essential by physicians.

Conclusions
The vast majority of unprofessional behaviour identified related to non-cognitive, professionalism aspects of care. Complaints pertaining to unsatisfactory communication were especially noticeable. Incongruence is noted between the physicians' and the patients' perception of actual care.
TWO-STAGE DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTS APPROACH FOR PREDICTION OF RELIABILITY OF OPTOCOUPLERS
Authors: THADURI ADITHYA , VERMA A. K. , VINOD GOPIKA , RAJESH M. G. , KUMAR UDAY 
Published: May 2012

Conventionally, reliability prediction of electronic components is carried out using standard handbooks such as MIL STD 217 plus, Telcordia, etc. But these methods fail to provide a realistic estimate of reliability for upcoming technologies. Currently, electronic reliability prediction is moving towards applying the Physics of Failure approach which considers information on process, technology, fabrication techniques, materials used, etc. Industries employ different technologies like CMOS, BJT and BICMOS for various applications. The possibility of chance of failure at interdependencies of materials, processes, and characteristics under operating conditions is the major concern which affects the performance of the devices. They are characterized by several failure mechanisms at various stages such as wafer level, interconnection, etc. For this, the dominant failure mechanisms and stress parameters needs to be identified. Optocouplers are used in input protection of several instrumentation systems providing safety under over-stress conditions. Hence, there is a need to study the reliability and safety aspects of optocouplers. Design of experiments is an efficient and prominent methodology for finding the reliability of the item, as the experiment provides a proof for the hypothesis under consideration. One of the important techniques involved is Taguchi method which is employed for finding the prominent failure mechanisms in semiconductor devices. By physics of failure approach, the factors that are affecting the performance on both environmental and electrical parameters with stress levels for optocouplers are identified. By constructing a 2-stage Taguchi array with these parameters where output parameters decides the effect of top two dominant failure mechanisms and their extent of chance of failure can be predicted. This analysis helps us in making the appropriate modifications considering both the failure mechanisms for the reliability growth of these devices. This paper highlights the application of design of experiments for finding the dominant failure mechanisms towards using physics of failure approach in electronic reliability prediction of optocouplers for application of instrumentation.