bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A low noise modular current source for stable magnetic field control
Authors: Biancalana Valerio , Bevilacqua Giuseppe , Chessa Piero , Dancheva Yordanka , Cecchi Roberto , Stiaccini Leonardo
Published: March 2017

A low cost, stable, programmable, unipolar current source is described. The circuit is designed in view of a modular arrangement, suitable for applications where several DC sources must be controlled at once. A hybrid switching/linear design helps in improving the stability and in reducing the power dissipation and cross-talking. Multiple units can be supplied by a single DC power supply, while allowing for a variety of maximal current values and compliance voltages at the outputs. The circuit is analogically controlled by a unipolar voltage, enabling current programmability and control through commercial digital-to-analogue conversion cards.
Transient energy relaxation in scattering-assisted terahertz quantum cascade lasers
Authors: Wang F. , Guo X. G. , Cao J. C.
Published: March 2017

We adopt a self-consistent Maxwell–Bloch method to investigate the energy relaxation process from unsaturated to saturated in the scattering-assisted terahertz quantum cascade laser. In the lasing-establishment process, more nonequilibrium LO phonons are accumulated and more electrons are thermalized. At the same time, more efficient energy relaxation of the saturated situation can be found compared with the unsaturated situation. These phenomena stem from the improved electron transport efficiency across the active region, due to the lasing-induced lifetime reduction of electrons in the upper lasing subband. The simulation results are qualitatively identical with previous experimental results.
FeSiAl soft magnetic composites with NiZn ferrite coating produced via solvothermal method
Authors: Li Jing , Peng Xiaoling , Yang Yanting , Ge Hongliang , Wang Dunhui , Du Youwei
Published: March 2017

NiZn ferrites were selected as coating agents to prepare NiZn/FeSiAl soft magnetic composites (SMCs) in order to improve the soft magnetic property. It is based upon the higher permeability of magnetic NiZn ferrites than that of traditional nonmagnetic coatings, and also relative higher resistance than that of MnZn ferrites. The effects of molding pressure, annealing temperature, and content of insulation on the magnetic properties were studied. As molding pressure increases, the effective permeability increases firstly and then decreases, while the core loss shows a reverse trend, and both get the best performance at 1.6 GPa. With increasing temperature, the permeability increases, reaches the maximum value at 660 °C and then decreases, while the core loss has a reverse trend, and both get the minimum value at 700 °C. The permeability increases with increasing NiZn from 0.1% to 3%, and then decreases. The D-C bias property of FeSiAl SMCs increases with increasing both mica and NiZn content. The larger resistance of mica also causes the better D-C bias property.
Left-handed metacomposites containing carbon fibers and ferromagnetic microwires
Authors: Luo Y. , Qin F. X. , Scarpa F. , Carbonell J. , Ipatov M. , Zhukova V. , Zhukov A. , Gonzalez J. , Panina L. V. , Peng H. X.
Published: March 2017

We investigate the microwave behavior of polymer-based metacomposites containing ferromagnetic microwires and carbon fibers. A notable transmission window is observed from the metacomposite containing 3mm spaced parallel microwire array in 1-7 GHz, verifying a left-handed behavior. In the hybrid metacomposites containing both parallel wires and carbon fibers, such transmission window is preserved with a much higher transmittance due to the improved impedance match and hence decreased reflection loss. The introducing of continuous carbon fibers leads to a remarkable anisotropic behavior: left-handed properties are turned on/off by rotating the electric excitation by 90 degrees. The proposed metacomposites are promising for microwave cloaking and sensing applications for aerospace-graded structural components.
Remote sensing of microfluidic tracers by light scattering from microcrystals under magnetic fields
Authors: Takanezawa Y. , Kashiwagi H. , Iwasaka M.
Published: March 2017

This paper presents a new magnetic method for microfluidic visualization using low-density, highly buoyant, strongly reflective and magnetically responsive microcrystals. Microcrystal suspensions were passed through a channel with or without exposure to a magnetic field using a permanent magnet. This approach enhanced the contrast of the flow patterns. We also observed the movements of microcrystals in a paramagnetic aqueous solution containing MnCl2. In the paramagnetic solution, guanine crystals showed migration both to and from the higher magnetic fields in the microfluidic path. In contrast, microcrystals with diamagnetic susceptibility caused a stream only towards lower magnetic fields. Flow pattern measurements were also carried out using microcrystalline cellulose and boron nitride crystals. The methods developed here are expected to be useful for advancing microfluidic mechanics through the use of magnetic field effects on microcrystals in liquids.
Parity-time symmetric complex-coupled distributed feedback laser with excellent immunity to external optical feedback
Authors: Ke Cheng , Li Xun , Xi Yanping
Published: March 2017

In this paper, we propose an external optical feedback resistant distributed feedback (DFB) laser diode (LD) by exploiting parity-time symmetric complex coupling. With its complex refractive index followed a parity-time symmetry, the grating shows a strongly asymmetric reflection to the contra-propagating light inside the DFB cavity, which effectively rejects the returning light from one end. Consequently, the DFB LD is much less sensitive to external optical feedback. On the contrary, the transmissivity of such grating is still symmetric so that the output light of the DFB LD is not affected. Numerical simulation result shows that the lasing wavelength drift can be less than 0.2 nm with a SMSR exceeding 45 dB under a coherent external optical feedback as high as -10 dB.
Changes in nutritive characteristics associated with plant height, and nutrient selection by dairy cows grazing four perennial pasture grasses
Authors: Cullen B. R. , Bullen D. , Hutcheson C. , Jacobs J. L. , Deighton M. H.
Published: March 2017

Previous research has documented nutritive characteristics of perennial ryegrass-based pastures and subsequent nutrient-selection differentials when dairy cows graze such pastures, but there has been little comparable research on alternative pasture grasses. The aim of the present study was to compare the pre-grazing nutritive characteristics of four perennial grasses, how nutrients vary with plant height, and selection differentials achieved by dairy cows grazing these grasses in late winter and late spring. The study utilised an established field experiment, with four replicates of monoculture swards of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.) and prairie grass (Bromus willdenowii Kunth.), in western Gippsland, Victoria. Eighty individual tillers per replicate were sampled to ground level immediately pre- and post-grazing in late winter (July–August, vegetative tillers only) and late spring (November–December, vegetative and reproductive tillers sampled separately), dissected into three height categories (0–5 cm, 5–10 cm and 10+ cm) and analysed for nutritive characteristics. For vegetative tillers in both seasons, perennial ryegrass had the highest estimated metabolisable energy concentration and lowest neutral detergent fibre concentration of all species. In spring, reproductive tillers had consistently lower nutritive characteristics than did vegetative tillers. Selection differentials, calculated as the ratio of nutritive characteristics selected by the herd to that available pre-grazing, showed that cows selected herbage with higher crude protein concentration but there was little evidence for selection of higher metabolisable energy concentration. The selection differentials reflected the vertical distribution of nutrients in the tillers. The present results have provided new information to assist in developing grazing guidelines for alternative perennial grasses.
Black-swan events in animal populations
Authors: Anderson Sean C. , Branch Trevor A. , Cooper Andrew B. , Dulvy Nicholas K.
Published: March 2017

Significance

Black swans—statistically improbable events with profound consequences—happen more often than expected in financial, social, and natural systems. Our work demonstrates the rare but systematic presence of black-swan events in animal populations around the world (mostly birds, mammals, and insects). These events are predominantly downward, implying that unexpected population crashes occur more frequently than increases. Black-swan events are not driven by life history (e.g., lifespan) but by external causes such as extreme winters and disease. Ignoring the presence of downward black swans may severely underestimate extinction risk in animal populations, particularly under a changing climate, where such extreme events are expected to increase in frequency and magnitude.
Eliciting probabilistic expectations: Collaborations between psychologists and economists
Authors: Bruine de Bruin Wändi , Fischhoff Baruch
Published: March 2017

We describe two collaborations in which psychologists and economists provided essential support on foundational projects in major research programs. One project involved eliciting adolescents’ expectations regarding significant future life events affecting their psychological and economic development. The second project involved eliciting consumers’ expectations regarding inflation, a potentially vital input to their investment, saving, and purchasing decisions. In each project, we sought questions with the precision needed for economic modeling and the simplicity needed for lay respondents. We identify four conditions that, we believe, promoted our ability to sustain these transdisciplinary collaborations and coproduce the research: (i) having a shared research goal, which neither discipline could achieve on its own; (ii) finding common ground in shared methodology, which met each discipline’s essential evidentiary conditions, but without insisting on its culturally acquired tastes; (iii) sharing the effort throughout, with common language and sense of ownership; and (iv) gaining mutual benefit from both the research process and its products.
Structure of deformed wing virus, a major honey bee pathogen
Authors: Škubník Karel , Nováček Jiří , Füzik Tibor , Přidal Antonín , Paxton Robert J. , Plevka Pavel
Published: March 2017

Significance

Honey bee populations in Europe and North America have been decreasing since the 1950s. Deformed wing virus (DWV), which is undergoing a worldwide epidemic, causes the deaths of individual honey bees and collapse of whole colonies. We determined three-dimensional structures of DWV at different conditions and show that the virus surface is decorated with protruding globular extensions of capsid proteins. The protruding domains contain a putative catalytic site that is probably required for the entry of the virus into the host cell. In addition, parts of the DWV RNA genome interact with the inside of the virus capsid. Identifying the RNA binding and catalytic sites within the DWV virion offers prospects for the development of antiviral treatments.
Mechanisms regulating angiogenesis underlie seasonal control of pituitary function
Authors: Castle-Miller Jennifer , Bates David O. , Tortonese Domingo J.
Published: March 2017

Significance

Adaptation to seasonal changes in the environment is critical for survival in all species. In vertebrates, annual oscillations in pituitary hormones underlie the regulation of seasonal physiology. We found that, in sheep, the duration of pineal melatonin output at night controls the production of different forms of the protein vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) within a specific pituitary region, the pars tuberalis. Forms that block blood-vessel growth are made in winter, but those that stimulate it are made in summer. Further to the resulting remodelling of the vascular connection between the brain and pituitary, the temporally divergent VEGF-A variants operate as messenger signals on endocrine cells of a different part of the gland, the pars distalis, to regulate seasonal fertility.
Functional characterization of CFI-402257, a potent and selective Mps1/TTK kinase inhibitor, for the treatment of cancer
Authors: Mason Jacqueline M. , Wei Xin , Fletcher Graham C. , Kiarash Reza , Brokx Richard , Hodgson Richard , Beletskaya Irina , Bray Mark R. , Mak Tak W.
Published: March 2017

Significance

At present, microtubule-targeting agents are the most important antimitotic drugs used in the clinic. However, there is an urgent need for the discovery of new approaches to more effectively target tumor cells with less toxicity. Emerging strategies for anticancer therapy include exploiting cell-cycle checkpoint vulnerabilities and genomic instability in cancer cells. The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) is important for cell survival, and its inactivation generates lethal genomic instability in cancer cells. Inhibition of SAC signaling through targeting of monopolar spindle 1 (Mps1) has provided an indication of the feasibility of such an approach. We report here the cellular and antitumor effects of CFI-402257, a potent and specific small-molecule inhibitor of Mps1. CFI-402257 is currently in a phase I clinical trial (
ClinicalTrials.gov
ID: NCT02792465).
Self-interrupted synthesis of sterically hindered aliphatic polyamide dendrimers
Authors: Jishkariani Davit , MacDermaid Christopher M. , Timsina Yam N. , Grama Silvia , Gillani Syeda S. , Divar Masoumeh , Yadavalli Srujana S. , Moussodia Ralph-Olivier , Leowanawat Pawaret , Berrios Camacho Angely M. , Walter Ricardo , Goulian Mark , Klein Michael L. , Percec Virgil
Published: March 2017

Significance

Hydrolytically and enzymatically stable nanoscale synthetic constructs, with well-defined structures that exhibit antimicrobial activity, offer exciting possibilities for diverse applications in the emerging field of nanomedicine. Herein, we demonstrate that it is the core conformation, rather than periodicity, that ultimately controls the synthesis of sterically hindered aliphatic polyamide dendrimers. The latter self-interrupt at a predictable low generation number due to backfolding of their peripheral groups, which in turn leads to well-defined nanoarchitectures.
Balanced semisimple filtrations for tilting modules
Authors: Hazi Amit
Published: March 2017

LetUlU_lbe a quantum group at anllth root of unity, obtained via Lusztig’s divided powers construction. Many indecomposable tilting modules forUlU_lhave been shown to have what we call abalanced semisimple filtration, or a Loewy series whose semisimple layers are symmetric about some middle layer. The existence of such filtrations suggests a remarkably straightforward algorithm for calculating these characters if the irreducible characters are already known. We first show that the results of this algorithm agree with Soergel’s character formula for the regular indecomposable tilting modules. We then show that these balanced semisimple filtrations really do exist for these tilting modules.
Slowly oscillating periodic solutions for a nonlinear second order differential equation with state-dependent delay
Authors: Zhang Ling , Guo Shangjiang
Published: March 2017

In this paper, a second order differential equation with state-dependent delay is investigated. The existence of slowly oscillating periodic solutions is established by using Browder’s theorem on the existence of a non-ejective fixed point.
Remarks on factoriality and 𝑞-deformations
Authors: Skalski Adam , Wang Simeng
Published: March 2017

We prove that the mixed

q
q

-Gaussian algebra

Γ

Q

(

H

R

)

\Gamma _{Q}(H_{\mathbb {R}})

associated to a real Hilbert space

H

R

H_{\mathbb {R}}

and a real symmetric matrix

Q
=
(

q

i
j

)

Q=(q_{ij})

with

sup

|

q

i
j

|

>
1

\sup |q_{ij}|>1

, is a factor as soon as

dim
⁡

H

R

≥
2

\dim H_{\mathbb {R}}\geq 2

. We also discuss the factoriality of

q
q

-deformed Araki-Woods algebras, in particular showing that the

q
q

-deformed Araki-Woods algebra

Γ

q

(

H

R

,

U

t

)

\Gamma _{q}(H_{\mathbb {R}},U_{t})

given by a real Hilbert space

H

R

H_{\mathbb {R}}

and a strongly continuous group

U

t

U_{t}

is a factor when

dim
⁡

H

R

≥
2

\dim H_{\mathbb {R}}\geq 2

and

U

t

U_{t}

admits an invariant eigenvector.
On the growth of Lebesgue constants for convex polyhedra
Authors: Kolomoitsev Yurii , Lomako Tetiana
Published: March 2017

In this paper, new estimates of the Lebesgue constant
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="script upper L left-parenthesis upper W right-parenthesis equals StartFraction 1 Over left-parenthesis 2 pi right-parenthesis Superscript d Baseline EndFraction integral Underscript double-struck upper T Superscript d Baseline Endscripts StartAbsoluteValue sigma-summation Underscript bold-italic k element-of upper W intersection double-struck upper Z Superscript d Baseline Endscripts e Superscript i left-parenthesis bold-italic k comma bold-italic x right-parenthesis Baseline EndAbsoluteValue d bold-italic x">

L

(
W
)
=

1

(
2
π

)
d

∫

T

d

|

∑

k

∈
W
∩

Z

d

e

i
(

k

,

x

)

|

d

x

\begin{equation*} \mathcal {L}(W)=\frac 1{(2\pi )^d}\int _{{\Bbb T}^d}\bigg |\sum _{\mathbfit {k}\in W\cap {\Bbb Z}^d} e^{i(\mathbfit {k}, \mathbfit {x})}\bigg | \textrm {d}\mathbfit {x} \end{equation*}

for convex polyhedra

W
⊂

R

d

W\subset {\Bbb R}^d

are obtained. The main result states that if

W
W

is a convex polyhedron such that
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="left-bracket 0 comma m 1 right-bracket times midline-horizontal-ellipsis times left-bracket 0 comma m Subscript d Baseline right-bracket subset-of upper W subset-of left-bracket 0 comma n 1 right-bracket times midline-horizontal-ellipsis times left-bracket 0 comma n Subscript d Baseline right-bracket">

[
0
,

m
1

]
×
⋯
×
[
0
,

m
d

]
⊂
W
⊂
[
0
,

n
1

]
×
⋯
×
[
0
,

n
d

]

[0,m_1]\times \dots \times [0,m_d]\subset W\subset [0,n_1]\times \dots \times [0,n_d]

, then
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="c left-parenthesis d right-parenthesis product Underscript j equals 1 Overscript d Endscripts log left-parenthesis m Subscript j Baseline plus 1 right-parenthesis less-than-or-equal-to script upper L left-parenthesis upper W right-parenthesis less-than-or-equal-to upper C left-parenthesis d right-parenthesis s product Underscript j equals 1 Overscript d Endscripts log left-parenthesis n Subscript j Baseline plus 1 right-parenthesis comma">

c
(
d
)

∏

j
=
1

d

log
⁡
(

m
j

+
1
)
≤

L

(
W
)
≤
C
(
d
)
s

∏

j
=
1

d

log
⁡
(

n
j

+
1
)
,

\begin{equation*} c(d)\prod _{j=1}^d \log (m_j+1)\le \mathcal {L}(W)\le C(d)s\prod _{j=1}^d \log (n_j+1), \end{equation*}

where

s
s

is a size of the triangulation of

W
W

.
Behavioural ecology and marine conservation: a bridge over troubled water?
Authors: Dill Lawrence M.
Published: March 2017

Behavioural ecology is an evolutionary-based discipline that attempts to predict how animals will behave in a given set of environmental circumstances and how those behavioural decisions will impact population growth and community structure. Given the rapidly changing state of the ocean environment it seems that this approach should be a beneficial tool for marine conservation, but its promise has not been fully realized. Since many conservation issues involve alterations to an animal’s habitat, I focus on how habitat selection models developed by behavioural ecologists may be useful in thinking about these sorts of problems, and mitigating them. I then briefly consider some other potential applications of behavioural ecology to marine conservation. Finally, I emphasize that the strength of a functional approach like behavioural ecology is that it allows predictions, from first principles, of responses to environmental changes outside the range of conditions already experienced and studied, and its models may be broadly generalizable across species and ecosystems.
Two NRAMP6 Isoforms Function as Iron and Manganese Transporters and Contribute to Disease Resistance in Rice
Authors: Peris-Peris Cristina , Serra-Cardona Albert , Sánchez-Sanuy Ferrán , Campo Sonia , Ariño Joaquin , San Segundo Blanca
Published: March 2017

Metal ions are essential elements for all living organisms. However, metals can be toxic when present in excess. In plants, metal homeostasis is partly achieved through the function of metal transporters, including the diverse natural resistance-associated macrophage proteins (NRAMP). Among them, the OsNramp6 gene encodes a previously uncharacterized member of the rice NRAMP family that undergoes alternative splicing to produce different NRAMP6 proteins. In this work, we determined the metal transport activity and biological role of the full-length and the shortest NRAMP6 proteins (l-NRAMP6 and s-NRAMP6, respectively). Both l-NRAMP6 and s-NRAMP6 are plasma membrane-localized proteins that function as iron and manganese transporters. The expression of l-Nramp6 and s-Nramp6 is regulated during infection with the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, albeit with different kinetics. Rice plants grown under high iron supply show stronger induction of rice defense genes and enhanced resistance to M. oryzae infection. Also, loss of function of OsNramp6 results in enhanced resistance to M. oryzae, supporting the idea that OsNramp6 negatively regulates rice immunity. Furthermore, nramp6 plants showed reduced biomass, pointing to a role of OsNramp6 in plant growth. A better understanding of OsNramp6-mediated mechanisms underlying disease resistance in rice will help in developing appropriate strategies for crop protection.
Multidisciplinary Mentoring Programs to Enhance Junior Faculty Research Grant Success
Authors: Freel Stephanie A. , Smith Paige C. , Burns Ebony N. , Downer Joanna B. , Brown Ann J. , Dewhirst Mark W.
Published: March 2017

Problem

Junior faculty face challenges in establishing independent research careers. Declining funding combined with a shift to multidisciplinary, collaborative science necessitates new mentorship models and enhanced institutional support.

Approach

Two multidisciplinary mentorship programs to promote grant success for junior faculty were established at the Duke University School of Medicine beginning in 2011. These four-month programs—the Path to Independence Program (PtIP) for National Institutes of Health (NIH) R applicants and the K Club for NIH K applicants—use multiple senior faculty mentors and professional grant-writing staff to provide a 20-hour joint curriculum comprising a series of lectures, hands-on workshops, career development counseling, peer groups, and an internal study section. In March 2016, the authors analyzed the success rate for all NIH grants submitted by participants since program enrollment. In a 2015 postprogram survey, participants rated their feelings of support and competency across six skill factors.

Outcomes

From October 2011 to March 2016, the programs engaged 265 senior faculty mentors, 145 PtIP participants, and 138 K Club participants. Success rates for NIH grant applications were 28% (61 awards/220 decisions) for PtIP participants—an increase over the 2010 Duke University junior faculty baseline of 11%—and 64% (38/59) for K Club participants. Respondents reported significantly increased feelings of support and self-ratings for each competency post program.

Next Steps

The authors plan to expand the breadth of both the mentorship pool and faculty served. Broad implementation of similar programs elsewhere could bolster success, satisfaction, and retention of junior faculty investigators.
Starting With Lucy: Focusing on Human Similarities Rather Than Differences to Address Health Care Disparities
Authors: Clementz Laura , McNamara Megan , Burt Nicole M. , Sparks Matthew , Singh Mamta K.
Published: March 2017

Problem

Multicultural or cultural competence education to address health care disparities using the traditional categorical approach can lead to inadvertent adverse consequences. Nontraditional approaches that address these drawbacks while promoting humanistic care are needed.

Approach

In September 2014, the Cleveland VA Medical Center’s Center of Excellence in Primary Care Education Transforming Outpatient Care (CoEPCE-TOPC) collaborated with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH) to develop the Original Identity program, which uses a biocultural anthropologic framework to help learners recognize and address unconscious bias and starts with a discussion of humans’ shared origins. The program comprises a two-hour initial learning session at the CMNH (consisting of an educational tour in a museum exhibit, a didactic and discussion section, and patient case studies) and a one-hour wrap-up session at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.

Outcomes

The authors delivered the complete Original Identity program four times between March and November 2015, with 30 CoEPCE-TOPC learners participating. Learners’ mean ratings (n = 29; response rate: 97%) for the three initial learning session questions were consistently high (4.2–4.6) using a five-point scale. Comments to an open-ended question and during the audio-recorded wrap-up sessions also addressed the program objectives and key elements (e.g., bias, assumptions, stereotyping).

Next Steps

The authors are completing additional qualitative analysis on the wrap-up session transcriptions to clarify factors that make the program successful, details of learners’ experience, and any interprofessional differences in interpreting content. The authors believe this innovative addition to health care education warrants further research.
Effectiveness and Safety of Surgical Excision in the Treatment of Digital Mucoid Cysts
Authors: Balakirski Galina , Loeser Christoph , Baron Jens M. , Dippel Edgar , Schmitt Laurenz
Published: March 2017

BACKGROUND

Digital mucoid cysts have a tendency for recurrence after operative intervention. Several procedures are in use.

OBJECTIVE

Retrospective evaluation for effectiveness, safety and patient satisfaction by using a questionnaire after treatment for digital mucoid cysts with targeted surgical excision and closure by flap-design.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All patients treated with surgical excision for digital mucoid cysts at the Dermatology Department of the Ludwigshafen City Hospital between 2007 and 2011 were evaluated using a specially designed questionnaire.

RESULTS

We evaluated 31 patients. The patient group consisted of 65% women, the median age was 61 years. Seventy-eight percent of patients with nail involvement had a marked improvement or complete resolution of this complaint after surgery. A few complications (e.g., redness, pain or hematoma) were observed after treatment, but no patients required oral antibiotics. Patient evaluation of cosmetic outcome revealed high satisfaction with the procedure, nevertheless recurrence of the digital mucoid cysts was observed in 22.5% of all cases.

CONCLUSION

Surgical excision in treatment of digital mucoid cysts was shown to be effective and safe. However, possible advantages and disadvantages of this treatment option should be discussed with the patients before a decision on the kind of therapy is reached.
Addressing Traumatic Stress in the Acute Traumatically Injured Patient
Authors: Frank Claire A. , Schroeter Kathryn , Shaw Chris
Published: March 2017

Psychological injuries after an acute traumatic event are commonly overlooked. Currently within United States, there is no consistently utilized screening process that addresses traumatic stress within the acute trauma population. Roy's Adaptation Model guided this project, focusing on the idea that bedside nurses are at the frontline of providing early identification through nursing assessment. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate whether the implementation of the Primary Care-Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PC-PTSD) screening tool by bedside nurses would result in identifying more patients at risk for traumatic stress after an acute trauma as compared with the use of no screening method. This descriptive survey study took place over a 6-week period at a Midwest Level 1 trauma hospital. The results revealed that the tool did not increase the number of health psychology consults when compared with the same 6-week period a year prior when no tool was used. Nonetheless, use of the PC-PTSD tool did trigger 28% of the patients to receive a health psychology consult. Forty-five percent of patients who received a health psychology consult were recommended outpatient therapy. Utilization of this tool by bedside nurses did not adversely increase a number of inappropriate health psychology consults. These results agree with the literature and further suggest that there are a clinically significant number of acute trauma patients who are at risk for traumatic stress. With this screening tool, nurses accurately assessed patients and connected them with timely psychological treatment.
Cannabis Use Has Negligible Effects Following Severe Traumatic Injury
Authors: AbdelFattah Kareem R. , Edwards Courtney R. , Cripps Michael W. , Minshall Christian T. , Phelan Herb A. , Minei Joseph P. , Eastman Alexander L.
Published: March 2017

Nearly half of all states have legalized medical marijuana or recreational-use marijuana. As more states move toward legalization, the effects on injured patients must be evaluated. This study sought to determine effects of cannabis positivity at the time of severe injury on hospital outcomes compared with individuals negative for illicit substances and those who were users of other illicit substances. A Level I trauma center performed a retrospective chart review covering subjects over a 2-year period with toxicology performed and an Injury Severity Score (ISS) of more than 16. These individuals were divided into the negative and positive toxicology groups, further divided into the marijuana-only, other drugs-only, and mixed-use groups. Differences in presenting characteristics, hospital length of stay, intensive care unit (ICU) stays, ventilator days, and death were compared. A total of 8,441 subjects presented during the study period; 2,134 (25%) of these had toxicology performed; 843 (40%) had an ISS of more than 16, with 347 having negative tests (NEG); 70 (8.3%) substance users tested positive only for marijuana (MO), 323 (38.3%) for other drugs-only, excluding marijuana (OD), and 103 (12.2%) subjects showed positivity for mixed-use (MU). The ISS was similar for all groups. No differences were identified in Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), ventilator days, blood administration, or ICU/hospital length of stay when comparing the MO group with the NEG group. Significant differences occurred between the OD group and the NEG/MO/MU groups for GCS, ICU length of stay, and hospital charges. Cannabis users suffering from severe injury demonstrated no detrimental outcomes in this study compared with nondrug users.
Biomarkers of Environmental Enteric Dysfunction Among Children in Rural Bangladesh
Authors: Campbell Rebecca K. , Schulze Kerry J. , Shaikh Saijuddin , Mehra Sucheta , Ali Hasmot , Wu Lee , Raqib Rubhana , Baker Sarah , Labrique Alain , West Keith P. , Christian Parul
Published: March 2017

Objectives:

Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) may inhibit growth and development in low‐ and middle‐income countries, but available assessment methodologies limit its study. In rural Bangladesh, we measured EED using the widely used lactulose mannitol ratio (L:M) test and a panel of intestinal and systemic health biomarkers to evaluate convergence among biomarkers and describe risk factors for EED.

Methods:

In 539 18‐month‐old children finishing participation in a randomized food supplementation trial, serum, stool, and urine collected after lactulose and mannitol dosing were analyzed for biomarkers of intestinal absorption, inflammation, permeability and repair, and systemic inflammation. EED scores for each participant were developed using principal component analysis and partial least squares regression. Associations between scores and L:M and with child sociodemographic and health characteristics were evaluated using regression analysis.

Results:

EED prevalence (L:M > 0.07) was 39.0%; 60% had elevated acute phase proteins (C‐reactive protein >5 mg/L or α‐1 acid glycoprotein >100 mg/dL). Correlations between intestinal biomarkers were low, with the highest between myeloperoxidase and α‐1 antitrypsin (r = 0.33, P < 0.01), and biomarker values did not differ by supplementation history. A 1‐factor partial least squares model with L:M as the dependent variable explained only 8.6% of L:M variability. In adjusted models, L:M was associated with child sex and socioeconomic status index, whereas systemic inflammation was predicted mainly by recent illness, not EED.

Conclusions:

Impaired intestinal health is widespread in this setting of prevalent stunting, but a panel of serum and stool biomarkers demonstrated poor agreement with L:M. Etiologies of intestinal and systemic inflammation are likely numerous and complex in resource‐poor settings, underscoring the need for a better case definition with corresponding diagnostic methods to further the study of EED.
Use of High-Fidelity Simulation to Enhance Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Reduce Patient Falls
Authors: Bursiek April A. , Hopkins Matthew R. , Breitkopf Daniel M. , Grubbs Pamela L. , Joswiak Mary Ellen , Klipfel Janee M. , Johnson Kristine M.
Published: March 2017

Objectives

This pilot study aimed to determine the effect of nurse/physician interdisciplinary team training on patient falls. Specifically, we evaluated team training in a simulation center as a method for targeting and minimizing breakdowns in perceptions of respect, collaboration, communication, and role misunderstanding behaviors between care disciplines.

Methods

Registered nurses (RNs) were randomly assigned to participate. Residents were divided into groups and assigned based on their availability and clinical responsibility. All participants completed a demographic form, the Professional Practice Environment Assessment Scale (PPEAS), and the Mayo High Performance Teamwork Scale (MHPTS) after consenting and before participation in simulation training. The PPEAS and the MHPTS were readministered at 2 and 6 months after the simulation experience. Differences in MHPTS and PPEAS scores between the baseline and 2- and 6-month assessments were analyzed; fall rates over time were evaluated using Cochran-Armitage trend tests.

Results

After the team training exercises, teamwork as measured by the MHPTS improved significantly at both 2 and 6 months (P = 0.01; P < 0.001) compared with baseline measurement. Practice environment subscores, with the exception of positive organizational characteristics, also increased when measured 6 months after training. The primary outcome, reduction in anticipated patient falls, improved significantly (P = 0.02) over the course of the study.

Conclusions

Results of this pilot study show that team training exercises result in improvement in both patient safety (anticipated patient falls) and team member perception of their work environment. If validated by other studies, improvement in this patient safety metric would represent an important benefit of simulation and team training.
Barriers and Facilitators of Adverse Event Reporting by Adolescent Patients and Their Families
Authors: Sawhney Payal Naresh , Davis Linda Sue , Daraiseh Nancy M. , Belle Lisa , Walsh Kathleen E.
Published: March 2017

Objectives

The objectives were (1) to describe barriers and facilitators of adverse event reporting by adolescent patients and parents in a pediatric hospital and (2) to identify characteristics the participants wished to have in a formal reporting system of adverse events.

Methods

We used a qualitative design in which 6 focus groups, 3 with parents and 3 with adolescents, were conducted. The transcripts of audio recordings, notes of team debriefings, and written field notes of group behaviors were analyzed using NVivo software for qualitative data analysis.

Results

Participants reported that the quality of the experience with the health care system, type of communication with health care providers, and degree of personal self-confidence in communication within the health care system were 3 interacting factors influencing willingness to report adverse events. Preferred reporting mechanisms were different for different participants and included face-to-face meetings with hospital representatives, Web sites, smart phone capability, phone calls from a human, and paper mail. Reporting systems should be easy to use, ensure confidentiality, and provide user feedback.

Conclusions

Experience, communication, and confidence are 3 factors that can engage an adolescent patient and parents in their health care. Confident adolescent patients and parents in turn have a possibility of reporting an adverse safety event given an opportunity.
Real-World Efficacy of Daclatasvir and Sofosbuvir, With and Without Ribavirin, in HIV/HCV Coinfected Patients With Advanced Liver Disease in a French Early Access Cohort
Authors: Lacombe Karine , Fontaine Hélène , Dhiver Catherine , Metivier Sophie , Rosenthal Eric , Antonini Teresa , Valantin Marc Antoine , Miailhes Patrick , Harent Stanislas , Batisse Dominique , Pageaux Georges-Philippe , Chas Julie , Aumaitre Hugues , Dominguez Stephanie , Allegre Thierry , Lafeuillade Alain , Billaud Eric , De Truchis Pierre , Perre Philippe , Leroy Vincent , De Ledinghen Victor , Sogni Philippe , Dabis François , Zhao Yue , Filipovics Anne , Fedchuk Larysa , Akremi Raoudha , Bennai Yacia , Salmon Ceron Dominique
Published: March 2017

Background:

Efficacious, well-tolerated, direct antiviral agents have drastically changed the prognosis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) disease, but real-world data for oral treatments are limited in key populations such as HIV/HCV coinfection with advanced liver disease. Daclatasvir (DCV) efficacy and safety was assessed in the French “Autorisation Temporaire d'Utilisation” (ATU) program, providing DCV ahead of market authorization to patients with advanced HCV disease without other treatment options.

Methods:

This was a subanalysis of HIV/HCV coinfected ATU patients treated with DCV plus sofosbuvir (SOF). Recommended duration was 24 weeks; addition of ribavirin (RBV) and/or shorter treatment was at the physician's discretion. The primary efficacy analysis was sustained virologic response at posttreatment week 12 (SVR12; modified intention-to-treat). Safety was assessed by spontaneous adverse event reporting.

Results:

The efficacy population (N = 407) was mostly cirrhotic (72%, of whom 18% were decompensated), HCV treatment–experienced (82%), and infected with genotypes 1 (69%), 3 (12%), or 4 (19%). Median CD4 was 555 cells/mm3; 95% had HIV RNA <50 copies/mL. Most (74%) were treated for 24 weeks; 14% received RBV. SVR12 was 92% overall (95% confidence interval: 88.6% to 94.0%); 90% (86.4% to 93.2%) in patients with cirrhosis; 95% (88.9% to 97.5%) in patients without cirrhosis. SVR12 was consistent across HCV genotypes and antiretroviral regimens. Among 617 patients with safety data, 7 discontinued for an adverse event and 10 died.

Conclusions:

DCV+SOF±RBV achieved high SVR12 and was well tolerated in this large real-world cohort of HIV/HCV coinfected patients with advanced liver disease.
Electroconvulsive Therapy at a Veterans Health Administration Medical Center
Authors: Wilkinson Samuel T. , Rosenheck Robert A.
Published: March 2017

Objectives

Little epidemiologic research has examined the practice of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). We investigated sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, service use, and psychotropic medication prescription patterns associated with ECT use at a Veterans Health Administration Medical Center.

Methods

Among veterans receiving specialty mental health services, we compared those who received ECT with those who did not using bivariate χ

2
and t tests and multivariate logistic regression.

Results

In fiscal year 2012, 11,117 veterans received specialty mental health services, of whom 50 received ECT (0.45%) in FY2012 or FY2013. Those who received ECT were more likely to be diagnosed with major depressive or bipolar disorders and had substantially higher levels of mental health service usage (Cohen d > 0.75) and psychotropic prescription fills, including antidepressants (Cohen d = 2.66), antipsychotics (Cohen d = 2.15), lithium (Cohen d = 1.34), mood stabilizers (Cohen d = 1.30), and anxiolytic/sedative/hypnotics (Cohen d = 1.34).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that ECT is used as a treatment of last resort, although available evidence and guidelines recommend wider use.
Living in stable social groups is associated with reduced brain size in woodpeckers (
Picidae
)
Authors: Fedorova Natalia , Evans Cara L. , Byrne Richard W.
Published: March 2017

Group size predicts brain size in primates and some other mammal groups, but no such relationship has been found in birds. Instead, stable pair-bonding and bi-parental care have been identified as correlates of larger brains in birds. We investigated the relationship between brain size and social system within the family
Picidae
, using phylogenetically controlled regression analysis. We found no specific effect of duration or strength of pair-bonds, but brain sizes were systematically smaller in species living in long-lasting social groups of larger sizes. Group-living may only present a cognitive challenge in groups in which members have individually competitive relationships; we therefore propose that groups functioning for cooperative benefit may allow disinvestment in expensive brain tissue.
A statistical model for brain networks inferred from large-scale electrophysiological signals
Authors: Obando Catalina , De Vico Fallani Fabrizio
Published: March 2017

Network science has been extensively developed to characterize the structural properties of complex systems, including brain networks inferred from neuroimaging data. As a result of the inference process, networks estimated from experimentally obtained biological data represent one instance of a larger number of realizations with similar intrinsic topology. A modelling approach is therefore needed to support statistical inference on the bottom-up local connectivity mechanisms influencing the formation of the estimated brain networks. Here, we adopted a statistical model based on exponential random graph models (ERGMs) to reproduce brain networks, or connectomes, estimated by spectral coherence between high-density electroencephalographic (EEG) signals. ERGMs are made up by different local graph metrics, whereas the parameters weight the respective contribution in explaining the observed network. We validated this approach in a dataset of
N
= 108 healthy subjects during eyes-open (EO) and eyes-closed (EC) resting-state conditions. Results showed that the tendency to form triangles and stars, reflecting clustering and node centrality, better explained the global properties of the EEG connectomes than other combinations of graph metrics. In particular, the synthetic networks generated by this model configuration replicated the characteristic differences found in real brain networks, with EO eliciting significantly higher segregation in the
alpha
frequency band (8–13 Hz) than EC. Furthermore, the fitted ERGM parameter values provided complementary information showing that clustering connections are significantly more represented from EC to EO in the
alpha
range, but also in the
beta
band (14–29 Hz), which is known to play a crucial role in cortical processing of visual input and externally oriented attention. Taken together, these findings support the current view of the functional segregation and integration of the brain in terms of modules and hubs, and provide a statistical approach to extract new information on the (re)organizational mechanisms in healthy and diseased brains.
Functional identification of islet cell types by electrophysiological fingerprinting
Authors: Briant Linford J. B. , Zhang Quan , Vergari Elisa , Kellard Joely A. , Rodriguez Blanca , Ashcroft Frances M. , Rorsman Patrik
Published: March 2017

The α-, β- and δ-cells of the pancreatic islet exhibit different electrophysiological features. We used a large dataset of whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from cells in intact mouse islets (
N
= 288 recordings) to investigate whether it is possible to reliably identify cell type (α, β or δ) based on their electrophysiological characteristics. We quantified 15 electrophysiological variables in each recorded cell. Individually, none of the variables could reliably distinguish the cell types. We therefore constructed a logistic regression model that included all quantified variables, to determine whether they could together identify cell type. The model identified cell type with 94% accuracy. This model was applied to a dataset of cells recorded from hyperglycaemic βV59M mice; it correctly identified cell type in all cells and was able to distinguish cells that co-expressed insulin and glucagon. Based on this revised functional identification, we were able to improve conductance-based models of the electrical activity in α-cells and generate a model of δ-cell electrical activity. These new models could faithfully emulate α- and δ-cell electrical activity recorded experimentally.
Modelling damped acoustic waves by a dissipation-preserving conformal symplectic method
Authors: Cai Wenjun , Zhang Huai , Wang Yushun
Published: March 2017

We propose a novel stable and efficient dissipation-preserving method for acoustic wave propagations in attenuating media with both correct phase and amplitude. Through introducing the conformal multi-symplectic structure, the intrinsic dissipation law and the conformal symplectic conservation law are revealed for the damped acoustic wave equation. The proposed algorithm is exactly designed to preserve a discrete version of the conformal symplectic conservation law. More specifically, two subsystems in conjunction with the original damped wave equation are derived. One is actually the conservative Hamiltonian wave equation and the other is a dissipative linear ordinary differential equation (ODE) system. Standard symplectic method is devoted to the conservative system, whereas the analytical solution is obtained for the ODE system. An explicit conformal symplectic scheme is constructed by concatenating these two parts of solutions by the Strang splitting technique. Stability analysis and convergence tests are given thereafter. A benchmark model in homogeneous media is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and advantage of our method in suppressing numerical dispersion and preserving the energy dissipation. Further numerical tests show that our proposed method can efficiently capture the dissipation in heterogeneous media.
Effective purifying selection in ancient asexual oribatid mites
Authors: Brandt Alexander , Schaefer Ina , Glanz Julien , Schwander Tanja , Maraun Mark , Scheu Stefan , Bast Jens
Published: March 2017

Sex is beneficial in the long-term, because it can prevent mutational meltdown through increased effectiveness of selection. This idea is supported by empirical evidence of deleterious mutation accumulation in species with a recent transition to asexuality. Here, we studied the effectiveness of purifying selection in oribatid mites, which have lost sex millions of years ago and diversified into different families and species while reproducing asexually. We compared the accumulation of deleterious coding and non-coding mutations between three asexual and three sexual lineages using transcriptome data. Contrasting studies of young asexual lineages, we find evidence for strong purifying selection that is more effective in asexual compared to sexual oribatid mite lineages. Our results suggest that large populations likely sustain effective purifying selection and facilitate the escape of mutational meltdown in the absence of sex. Thus, sexper seis not a prerequisite for the long-term persistence of animal lineages.