bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Inter-rater and test–retest reliability of quality assessments by novice student raters using the Jadad and Newcastle–Ottawa Scales
Authors: Oremus Mark , Oremus Carolina , Hall Geoffrey B C , McKinnon Margaret C ,   ECT & Cognition Systematic Review Team
Published: August 2012

IntroductionQuality assessment of included studies is an important component of systematic reviews.ObjectiveThe authors investigated inter-rater and test–retest reliability for quality assessments conducted by inexperienced student raters.DesignStudent raters received a training session on quality assessment using the Jadad Scale for randomised controlled trials and the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) for observational studies. Raters were randomly assigned into five pairs and they each independently rated the quality of 13–20 articles. These articles were drawn from a pool of 78 papers examining cognitive impairment following electroconvulsive therapy to treat major depressive disorder. The articles were randomly distributed to the raters. Two months later, each rater re-assessed the quality of half of their assigned articles.SettingMcMaster Integrative Neuroscience Discovery and Study Program.Participants10 students taking McMaster Integrative Neuroscience Discovery and Study Program courses.Main outcome measuresThe authors measured inter-rater reliability using κ and the intraclass correlation coefficient type 2,1 or ICC(2,1). The authors measured test–retest reliability using ICC(2,1).ResultsInter-rater reliability varied by scale question. For the six-item Jadad Scale, question-specific κs ranged from 0.13 (95% CI −0.11 to 0.37) to 0.56 (95% CI 0.29 to 0.83). The ranges were −0.14 (95% CI −0.28 to 0.00) to 0.39 (95% CI −0.02 to 0.81) for the NOS cohort and −0.20 (95% CI −0.49 to 0.09) to 1.00 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.00) for the NOS case–control. For overall scores on the six-item Jadad Scale, ICC(2,1)s for inter-rater and test–retest reliability (accounting for systematic differences between raters) were 0.32 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.52) and 0.55 (95% CI 0.41 to 0.67), respectively. Corresponding ICC(2,1)s for the NOS cohort were −0.19 (95% CI −0.67 to 0.35) and 0.62 (95% CI 0.25 to 0.83), and for the NOS case–control, the ICC(2,1)s were 0.46 (95% CI −0.13 to 0.92) and 0.83 (95% CI 0.48 to 0.95).ConclusionsInter-rater reliability was generally poor to fair and test–retest reliability was fair to excellent. A pilot rating phase following rater training may be one way to improve agreement.
EMPIRICAL COMPARISON OF METHODS FOR THE HIERARCHICAL PROPAGATION OF HYBRID UNCERTAINTY IN RISK ASSESSMENT, IN PRESENCE OF DEPENDENCES
Authors: PEDRONI NICOLA , ZIO ENRICO 
Published: August 2012

Risk analysis models describing aleatory (i.e., random) events contain parameters (e.g., probabilities, failure rates, …) that are epistemically-uncertain, i.e., known with poor precision. Whereas aleatory uncertainty is always described by probability distributions, epistemic uncertainty may be represented in different ways (e.g., probabilistic or possibilistic), depending on the information and data available.The work presented in this paper addresses the issue of accounting for (in)dependence relationships between epistemically-uncertain parameters. When a probabilistic representation of epistemic uncertainty is considered, uncertainty propagation is carried out by a two-dimensional (or double) Monte Carlo (MC) simulation approach; instead, when possibility distributions are used, two approaches are undertaken: the hybrid MC and Fuzzy Interval Analysis (FIA) method and the MC-based Dempster-Shafer (DS) approach employing Independent Random Sets (IRSs). The objectives are: i) studying the effects of (in)dependence between the epistemically-uncertain parameters of the aleatory probability distributions (when a probabilistic/possibilistic representation of epistemic uncertainty is adopted) and ii) studying the effect of the probabilistic/possibilistic representation of epistemic uncertainty (when the state of dependence between the epistemic parameters is defined).The Dependency Bound Convolution (DBC) approach is then undertaken within a hierarchical setting of hybrid (probabilistic and possibilistic) uncertainty propagation, in order to account for all kinds of (possibly unknown) dependences between the random variables.The analyses are carried out with reference to two toy examples, built in such a way to allow performing a fair quantitative comparison between the methods, and evaluating their rationale and appropriateness in relation to risk analysis.
The Relationship Between Homologous Recombination Repair and the Sensitivity of Human Epidermis to the Size of Daily Doses Over a 5-Week Course of Breast Radiotherapy
Authors: Somaiah Navita , Yarnold John , Daley Frances , Pearson Ann , Gothard Lone , Rothkamm Kai , Helleday Thomas 
Published: August 2012

Abstract
Purpose: A molecular understanding of tissue sensitivity to radiotherapy fraction size is missing. Here, we test the hypothesis that sensitivity to fraction size is influenced by the DNA repair system activated in response to DNA double-strand breaks (DSB). Human epidermis was used as a model in which proliferation and DNA repair were correlated over 5 weeks of radiotherapy.
Experimental design: Radiotherapy (25 fractions of 2 Gy) was prescribed to the breast in 30 women with early breast cancer. Breast skin biopsies were collected 2 hours after the 1st and 25th fractions. Samples of contralateral breast skin served as controls. Sections were coimmunostained for Ki67, cyclin A, p21, RAD51, 53BP1, and β1-integrin.
Results: After 5 weeks of radiotherapy, the mean basal Ki67 density increased from 5.72 to 15.46 cells per millimeter of basement membrane (P = 0.002), of which the majority were in S/G2 phase, as judged by cyclin A staining (P &lt; 0.0003). The p21 index rose from 2.8% to 87.4% (P &lt; 0.0001) after 25 fractions, indicating cell cycle arrest. By week 5, there was a 4-fold increase (P = 0.0003) in the proportion of Ki67-positive cells showing RAD51 foci, suggesting increasing activation of homologous recombination.
Conclusions: Cell cycle arrest in S/G2 phase in the basal epidermis after a 5-week course of radiotherapy is associated with greater use of homologous recombination for repairing DSB. The high fidelity of homologous recombination, which is independent of DNA damage levels, may explain the low-fractionation sensitivity of tissues with high-proliferative indices, including self-renewing normal tissues and many cancers. Clin Cancer Res; 18(19); 5479–88. ©2012 AACR.
In Vivo Cardiac Myosin Binding Protein C Gene Transfer Rescues Myofilament Contractile Dysfunction in Cardiac Myosin Binding Protein C Null Mice
Authors: Merkulov Sergei , Chen Xiaoqin , Chandler Margaret P. , Stelzer Julian E. 
Published: August 2012

Background—
Decreased expression of cardiac myosin binding protein C (cMyBPC) in the heart has been implicated as a consequence of mutations in cMyBPC that lead to abnormal contractile function at the myofilament level, thereby contributing to the development of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in humans. It has not been established whether increasing the levels of cMyBPC in the intact heart can improve myofilament and in vivo contractile function and attenuate maladaptive remodeling processes because of reduced levels of cMyBPC.

Methods and Results—

We performed in vivo gene transfer of cMyBPC by direct injection into the myocardium of cMyBPC-deficient (cMyBPC
−/−
) mice, and mechanical experiments were conducted on skinned myocardium isolated from cMyBPC
−/−
hearts 21 days and 20 weeks after gene transfer. Cross-bridge kinetics in skinned myocardium isolated from cMyBPC
−/−
hearts after cMyBPC gene transfer were significantly slower compared with untreated cMyBPC
−/−
myocardium and were comparable to wild-type myocardium and cMyBPC
−/−
myocardium that was reconstituted with recombinant cMyBPC in vitro. cMyBPC content in cMyBPC
−/−
skinned myocardium after in vivo cMyBPC gene transfer or in vitro cMyBPC reconstitution was similar to wild-type levels. In vivo echocardiography studies of cMyBPC
−/−
hearts after cMyBPC gene transfer revealed improved systolic and diastolic contractile function and reductions in left ventricular wall thickness.

Conclusions—
This proof-of-concept study demonstrates that gene therapy designed to increase expression of cMyBPC in the cMyBPC-deficient myocardium can improve myofilament and in vivo contractile function, suggesting that cMyBPC gene therapy may be a viable approach for treatment of cardiomyopathies because of mutations in cMyBPC.
An Assessment of Low-Level Baroclinity and Vorticity within a Simulated Supercell
Authors: Beck Jeffrey , Weiss Christopher 
Published: August 2012

Abstract
Idealized supercell modeling has provided a wealth of information regarding the evolution and dynamics within supercell thunderstorms. However, discrepancies in conceptual models exist, including uncertainty regarding the existence, placement, and forcing of low-level boundaries in these storms, as well as their importance in low-level vorticity development. This study offers analysis of the origins of low-level boundaries and vertical vorticity within the low-level mesocyclone of a simulated supercell. Low-level boundary location shares similarities with previous modeling studies; however, the development and evolution of these boundaries differ from previous conceptual models. The rear-flank gust front develops first, whereas the formation of a boundary extending north of the mesocyclone undergoes numerous iterations caused by competing outflow and inflow before a steady-state boundary is produced. A third boundary extending northeast of the mesocyclone is produced through evaporative cooling of inflow air and develops last. Conceptual models for the simulation were created to demonstrate the evolution and structure of the low-level boundaries. Only the rear-flank gust front may be classified as a “gust front,” defined as having a strong wind shift, delineation between inflow and outflow air, and a strong pressure gradient across the boundary. Trajectory analyses show that parcels traversing the boundary north of the mesocyclone and the rear-flank gust front play a strong role in the development of vertical vorticity existing within the low-level mesocyclone. In addition, baroclinity near the rear-flank downdraft proves to be key in producing horizontal vorticity that is eventually tilted, providing a majority of the positive vertical vorticity within the low-level mesocyclone.
Building a Tropical–Extratropical Cloud Band Metbot
Authors: Hart Neil C. G. , Reason Chris J. C. , Fauchereau Nicolas 
Published: August 2012

Abstract
An automated cloud band identification procedure is developed that captures the meteorology of such events over southern Africa. This “metbot” is built upon a connected component labeling method that enables blob detection in various atmospheric fields. Outgoing longwave radiation is used to flag candidate cloud band days by thresholding the data and requiring detected blobs to have sufficient latitudinal extent and exhibit positive tilt. The Laplacian operator is used on gridded reanalysis variables to highlight other features of meteorological interest. The ability of this methodology to capture the significant meteorology and rainfall of these synoptic systems is tested in a case study. Usefulness of the metbot in understanding event-to-event similarities of meteorological features is demonstrated, highlighting features previous studies have noted as key ingredients to cloud band development in the region. Moreover, this allows the presentation of a composite cloud band life cycle for southern Africa events. The potential of metbot to study multiscale interactions is discussed, emphasizing its key strength: the ability to retain details of extreme and infrequent events. It automatically builds a database that is ideal for research questions focused on the influence of intraseasonal to interannual variability processes on synoptic events. Application of the method to convergence zone studies and atmospheric river descriptions is suggested. In conclusion, a relation-building metbot can retain details that are often lost with object-based methods but are crucial in case studies. Capturing and summarizing these details may be necessary to develop a deeper process-level understanding of multiscale interactions.
Matlab Software for Spatial Panels
Authors: Elhorst J. Paul 
Published: August 2012

Elhorst provides Matlab routines to estimate spatial panel data models at his website. This article extends these routines to include the bias correction procedure proposed by Lee and Yu if the spatial panel data model contains spatial and/or time-period fixed effects, the direct and indirect effects estimates of the explanatory variables proposed by LeSage and Pace, and a selection framework to determine which spatial panel data model best describes the data. To demonstrate these routines in an empirical setting, a demand model for cigarettes is estimated based on panel data from forty-six US states over the period 1963–1992.
Dreamtelling and Meeting the ‘Other’. A Conflicting German–Jewish Dialogue
Authors: Friedman Robi 
Published: August 2012

Post-war, German generations continue to foster an elaboration of guilt and shame. One seminar approaches this difficult subject through a process of mourning, separation from parental position, and transgenerational elaboration of previously uncontained emotions (or what has been called coping with ‘the past in the present’) (Sandler, 1987). This may be described as an encounter between ‘me’, the ego-syntonic aspects of the Self, and the inexcusable, bad and thus hitherto ‘not-me’. Without such an encounter, all relationships and identification with this dark side are projected away into the monster Nazi identity, causing an impossible split in the German psychic reality. Indirectly ‘working’1 in the presence of an Israeli Jewish conductor, seems conducive to elaborating some of the shame, guilt and identification with both German and Israeli elders. The elaboration of difficult emotions through the relationships and dreams within the group proves to be an instrument with great potential for mutual growth.
On Analysing Large Groups
Authors: Knott Heribert 
Published: August 2012

The large group can ideally be a transitional space between the public arena of an institution and the private intimacy of the individual. The large group conductor should be able to help the group to serve this purpose. This article briefly refers to some aspects of the common ground group analysis and psychoanalysis share. It is however not about the differences between the two. This article discusses the level of anxiety and the respective different transference levels in the large group. Several suggestions are made in order to help the group conductor in dealing with his own anxieties and those of the group in regard to these emotions. ‘Negative capability’ is seen as a prerequisite to a fully working group analytic large group. Reference is made in particular to institutional aspects of large groups.
Relationship Between Nonprescribed Therapy Use for Illness Prevention and Health Promotion and Health-Related Quality of Life
Authors: Altizer Kathryn P. , Nguyen Ha T. , Neiberg Rebecca H. , Quandt Sara A. , Grzywacz Joseph G. , Lang Wei , Bell Ronny A. , Arcury Thomas A. 
Published: August 2012

Objectives: This study describes the nonprescribed therapy use (prayer, over-the-counter medications [OTC’s], home remedies, vitamins, herbs and supplements, and exercise) for health promotion among rural elders. It also delineates the association of such therapy use with physical and mental health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Method: The sample ( N = 200) consisted of African American and White elders from south-central North Carolina. Participants completed baseline interviews and repeated measures of nonprescribed therapy use over a 6-month follow-up. Results: Prayer had the highest percentage (80.7%) of use for health promotion followed by OTC (54.3%); vitamins only (49.3%); herbs and supplements (40.5%); exercise (31.9%); and home remedies (5.2%). Exercise was significantly associated with better physical HRQoL ( p < .05). However, elders who used nonprescribed therapies had poorer mental HRQoL than nonusers, adjusting for potential confounders. Conclusion: This analysis suggests that use of some nonprescribed therapies for health promotion is associated with poorer mental HRQoL.
Vitamin D and Depression
Authors: Kwasky Andrea N. , Groh Carla J. 
Published: August 2012

Background: Depression is emerging as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in young adults. New biological assessment strategies such as biological markers are needed to more accurately assess for depression in this age group. Vitamin D may present such an opportunity. Objective: A descriptive correlational design with convenience sampling was used to address the research question: Is there a relationship between vitamin D serum levels and depression scores in young adult women? Design: One hundred thirty-nine participants completed a health questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, and had serum vitamin D, 25(OH)D, levels drawn. Results: No statistically significant correlation between vitamin D level and depression was identified. Statistically significant differences between African American and Caucasian women were detected on vitamin D levels but not on the Beck Depression Inventory. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, vitamin D cannot be used as a biomarker for depression in women aged 18 to 24 years. Clinical implications of no relationship between vitamin D and depression will be explored and the cut-point for serum 25(OH)D levels will be discussed.
An Assessment of Students’ Confidence in Performing Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Skills
Authors: Fiedler Ruth Anne , Breitenstein Susie , Delaney Kathleen 
Published: August 2012

Background: In 2008, the American Psychiatric Nurses Association and the International Society for Psychiatric Nursing jointed developed Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing competencies for BSN students. In the newly created accelerated track of the BSN program, students spend less time than traditional students in psychiatric mental health (PMH) clinical practica. Objectives: The primary objective was to discover how the PMH practicum experience influences BSN students’ perceptions of their confidence in performing PMH clinical skills. Design: An evaluation design was used in this study. Results: There was significant improvement in students’ confidence performing PMH clinical competencies after completing the PMH nursing practicum. The current structure of clinical provides students with experiences that promote their confidence. Conclusions: Students self-assessment about learning needs and skill level should be assessed preclinically to allow for practice to gain confidence.
Modelling lubrication oil particle emissions from heavy-duty diesel engines
Authors: Tornehed Petter , Olofsson Ulf 
Published: August 2012

The impact of lubrication oil on particle exhaust emissions has attracted increasing attention as emissions of fuel-derived particles have been reduced. This paper presents a model for assessing the oil-related exhaust particle emissions of heavy-duty diesel engines. The model contains four sub-models describing the hydrocarbon, ash, carbon and sulphate particles. All sub-models were developed based on the results of a literature review, complemented by controlled engine tests to fill the knowledge gaps and verify assumptions where necessary. Exhaust after-treatment devices, such as diesel particulate filters, are not included in the model at this stage; in engines equipped with such devices, the modelling results could be used to assess the input of oil-related particulate matter into the exhaust after-treatment system or serve as a basis for further development. The modelling results indicate that the contribution of oil to airborne exhaust particles is substantial under low-load and motoring conditions. Reducing oil consumption is an effective way to reduce oil-related particle emissions.
The future of natural gas as a fuel in marine gas turbine for LNG carriers
Authors: El-Gohary M Morsy 
Published: August 2012

This paper discusses the suitability of using natural gas as a fuel for marine gas turbine electric propulsion (DFGE), utilizing natural boil-off gas and forced boil-off gas, as well as investigating its economical and environmental beneﬁts over other propulsion options. The benchmark ship chosen for this study has a capacity of 150,000 m3 and is powered by conventional steam propulsion. For this purpose a spreadsheet model was developed to determine the liquefied natural gas carrier operating costs for different propulsion options. This is in addition to a sensitivity analysis to study the effect of varying range, heavy fuel oil (HFO) and natural gas prices on ship operating cost. Recently, about 40% of the new orders shifted to slow speed diesel engines with re-liquefaction plant and dual fuel diesel electric propulsion. To date, marine gas turbines are not used in liquefied natural gas carriers. It was found that using natural gas as a fuel with the proposed marine gas turbine cycle at current HFO and natural gas prices provides the highest cost saving for a distance less than 4000 nautical miles (NM). With the expected changes in fuel prices, the proposed cycle achieves cost saving of 3% per round trip, and this saving is directly proportional to increasing fuel prices, compared to other options.
The effectiveness of a brief eating disorder training programme in medical settings
Authors: Linville Deanna , Aoyama Tessa , Knoble Naomi B. , Gau Jeff 
Published: August 2012

Objective: To investigate the longitudinal effectiveness of a brief eating disorder training on primary care providers’ self-perceived knowledge, skills and attitudes regarding eating disorder screening and intervention. Method: We trained 45 primary care providers (including nurses, nurse practitioners and physicians) practicing in 10 medical sites and measured their self-perceived knowledge, skills and attitudes on eating disorder screening and intervention using a 23-item questionnaire prior to, 1 week and 6 months after the training. Results: The eating disorder knowledge score and eating disorder skill level score showed pretest to posttest gains that were associated with large effect sizes ( d = 1.25 and 1.31, respectively). The significance and magnitude of effects carried over through the 6-month follow-up evaluation. Unlike the eating disorder knowledge and skill scores, there was no significant improvement in eating disorder attitudes from pretest to posttest or from pretest to the 6-month follow-up. Discussion: Findings show support for the effectiveness of a brief eating disorder training on primary care providers’ reported knowledge and skills for addressing eating disorders in their practice. These results underscore the importance of providing information to primary care providers on how they can more adequately screen and intervene with eating disorders, as part of primary care to their patients.