bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitor Allopurinol Prevents Oxidative Stress‐Mediated Atrial Remodeling in Alloxan‐Induced Diabetes Mellitus Rabbits
Authors: Yang Yajuan , Zhao Jianping , Qiu Jiuchun , Li Jian , Liang Xue , Zhang Zhiwei , Zhang Xiaowei , Fu Huaying , Korantzopoulos Panagiotis , Letsas Konstantinos P. , Tse Gary , Li Guangping , Liu Tong
Published: May 2018

Background

There are several mechanisms, including inflammation, oxidative stress and abnormal calcium homeostasis, involved in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation. In diabetes mellitus (
DM
), increased oxidative stress may be attributable to higher xanthine oxidase activity. In this study, we examined the relationship between oxidative stress and atrial electrical and structural remodeling, and calcium handling abnormalities, and the potential beneficial effects of the xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol upon these pathological changes.

Methods and Results

Ninety rabbits were randomly and equally divided into 3 groups: control, DM, and allopurinol‐treated DM group. Echocardiographic and hemodynamic assessments were performed in vivo. Serum and tissue markers of oxidative stress and atrial fibrosis, including the protein expression were examined. Atrial interstitial fibrosis was evaluated by Masson trichrome staining. I
CaL
was measured from isolated left atrial cardiomyocytes using voltage‐clamp techniques. Confocal microscopy was used to detect intracellular calcium transients. The Ca
2+
handling protein expression was analyzed by Western blotting. Mitochondrial‐related proteins were analyzed as markers of mitochondrial function. Compared with the control group, rabbits with DM showed left ventricular hypertrophy, increased atrial interstitial fibrosis, oxidative stress and fibrosis markers, I
CaL
and intracellular calcium transient, and atrial fibrillation inducibility. These abnormalities were alleviated by allopurinol treatment.

Conclusions

Allopurinol, via its antioxidant effects, reduces atrial mechanical, structural, ion channel remodeling and mitochondrial synthesis abnormalities induced by DM‐related increases in oxidative stress.
Worldwide revision of the genus Phaenoglyphis (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea, Figitidae, Charipinae)
Authors: Ferrer-Suay Mar , Selfa Jesús , Mata-Casanova Noel , Hidalgo Nicolas Pérez , Pujade-Villar Juli
Published: May 2018

A complete revision of the world species of the genus Phaenoglyphis
Förster, 1869 has been conducted. A total of 25 species of Phaenoglyphis are valid after studying their type material. Two new species are described: Phaenoglyphis belizini
sp. n. and Phaenoglyphis palmirae
sp. n. Two species are synonymized: P. dolichocera (Cameron, 1889) with P. nigripes (Thomson, 1877) and P. pecki
Andrews, 1978 with P. villosa (Hartig, 1841). Phaenoglyphis bangalorensis
Kurian, 1953 was considered as incertae sedis. Phaenoglyphis duplocarpentieri (Kieffer, 1904) and P. hedickei
Hedicke, 1928 are considered lost. Other three species are discarded as valid species because they are missing important parts without which the species cannot be defined: P. cincta (Hartig, 1841), P. frigidus (Belizin, 1968) and P. repentinus
Belizin, 1962. A complete redescription and an illustrative plate are presented. A key to species of the genus Phaenoglyphis is given. Phylogenetic analysis based on morphological characters has been performed.
Large-Scale Environmental Conditions Related to Midsummer Extreme Rainfall Events around Japan in the TRMM Region
Authors: Hamada Atsushi , Takayabu Yukari N.
Published: May 2018

The precipitation characteristics of extreme events in August determined from 13 years of satellite data around Japan in the TRMM observation region and their relationship with large-scale environmental conditions are examined. Two types of extreme events, extreme rainfall and extreme convective events, are defined in each analysis grid box using maximum near-surface rainfall and maximum 40-dB Z echo-top height in each event, respectively. There are clear differences in precipitation characteristics between the two types of extreme events. Extreme rainfall events are more organized precipitation systems than the extreme convective events, with relatively lower echo-top heights and very low lightning activity. There are also clear differences in the related environmental conditions, where the environments related to the extreme rainfall events are somewhat convectively stable and very humid in almost the entire troposphere. These facts are consistent with our previous studies and reinforce the importance of warm-rain processes in extremely intense precipitation productions. The environments related to the extreme rainfall events exhibit a zonally extended moist anomaly in the free troposphere from southern China to the east of Japan, indicating that the excessive moisture transported from the west by a large-scale flow may partially play a role in producing environmental conditions favorable for extreme rainfall. On the other hand, the environments related to extreme convective events are not associated with free-tropospheric moisture inflow. The relationships with the tropical cyclones and upper-tropospheric dynamical fields are also examined, and are found to be clearly different between the extreme rainfall events and extreme convective events.
Applications of an Updated Atmospheric Energetics Formulation
Authors: Trenberth Kevin E. , Fasullo John T.
Published: May 2018

As observations and atmospheric reanalyses have improved, the diagnostics that can be computed with confidence also increase. Accordingly, a new formulation of the energetics of the atmosphere is laid out, with a view to advancing diagnostic studies of Earth’s energy budget and flows. It is utilized to produce assessments of the vertically integrated divergences in both the atmosphere and ocean. Careful conservation of mass is required, with special attention given to the hydrological cycle and redistribution of mass associated with precipitation and evaporation, and a new method for ensuring this is developed. It guarantees that the atmospheric divergence is associated with moisture and precipitation, unlike previous methods. A new term, identified as associated with the enthalpy of precipitation, is included in a preliminary way. It is sensitive to the formulation, and the use of temperature in degrees Celsius instead of Kelvin greatly reduces errors and produces the extra term with values up to about ±5 W m−2. New results for 2000 to 2016 are presented for the vertical-mean and annual-mean diabatic atmospheric heating, atmospheric moistening, and total atmospheric energy divergence. Results for the atmospheric divergence are combined with top-of-atmosphere radiation observations to deduce total surface energy fluxes. Along with estimates of changes in ocean heat content, the Atlantic Ocean meridional heat transports are recomputed for March 2000 through 2013. The new results are compared with previous estimates and an assessment is made of the effects of the new mass balance, change in temperature scale, and the extra precipitation enthalpy term.
On the Detection of Statistical Heterogeneity in Rain Measurements
Authors: Jameson A. R. , Larsen M. L. , Kostinski A. B.
Published: May 2018

The application of the Wiener–Khintchine theorem for translating a readily measured correlation function into the variance spectrum, important for scale analyses and for scaling transformations of data, requires that the data be wide-sense homogeneous (stationary), that is, that the first and second moments of the probability distribution of the variable are the same at all times (stationarity) or at all locations (homogeneity) over the entire observed domain. This work provides a heuristic method independent of statistical models for evaluating whether a set of data in rain is wide-sense stationary (WSS). The alternative, statistical heterogeneity, requires 1) that there be no single global mean value and/or 2) that the variance of the variable changes in the domain. Here, the number of global mean values is estimated using a Bayesian inversion approach, while changes in the variance are determined using record counting techniques. An index of statistical heterogeneity (IXH) is proposed for rain such that as its value approaches zero, the more likely the data are wide-sense stationary and the more acceptable is the use of the Wiener–Khintchine theorem. Numerical experiments as well as several examples in real rain demonstrate the potential of IXH to identify statistical homogeneity, heterogeneity, and statistical mixtures. In particular, the examples demonstrate that visual inspections of data alone are insufficient for determining whether they are wide-sense stationary. Furthermore, in this small data collection, statistical heterogeneity was associated with convective rain, while statistical homogeneity appeared in more stratiform or mixed rain events. These tentative associations, however, need further substantiation.
Determination of Elemental Content in Solder Mask Samples Used in Printed Circuit Boards Using Different Spectroanalytical Techniques
Authors: Sperança Marco Aurelio , Virgilio Alex , Pereira-Filho Edenir Rodrigues , Batista de Aquino Francisco Wendel
Published: May 2018

Solder masks are essential materials used in the manufacture of printed circuit boards (PCB). This material protects PCBs against several types of damage and performance failure. In this study, the capabilities of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) were investigated for the direct analysis of solder masks typically commercialized for homemade PCB production, and inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) was used to obtain a chemical profile for the target analytes Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn, and Zn. Inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was also employed for the determination of potentially toxic elements, such as As, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Hg. In addition to the qualitative information that may be useful for obtaining the spectral profile related to the raw materials present in solder masks formulations, LIBS was also applied for major elements (Al, Ba, Cu, Fe, Mg, and Zn) determination, but due to the low sensitivity, the obtained results were only semi-quantitative for Ba. Regarding Cd, Cr, Hg, and Pb, the samples analyzed were following the restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS) directive of the European Union.
Analysis of Rare Earth Elements in Uranium Using Handheld Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (HH LIBS)
Authors: Manard Benjamin T. , Wylie E. Miller , Willson Stephen P.
Published: May 2018

A portable handheld laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (HH LIBS) instrument was evaluated as a rapid method to qualitatively analyze rare earth elements in a uranium oxide matrix. This research is motivated by the need for development of a method to perform rapid, at-line chemical analysis in a nuclear facility, particularly to provide a rapid first pass analysis to determine if additional actions or measurements are warranted. This will result in the minimization of handling and transport of radiological and nuclear material and subsequent exposure to their associated hazards. In this work, rare earth elements (Eu, Nd, and Yb) were quantitatively spiked into a uranium oxide powder and analyzed by the HH LIBS instrumentation. This method demonstrates the ability to rapidly identify elemental constituents in sub-percent levels in a uranium matrix. Preliminary limits of detection (LODs) were determined with values on the order of hundredths of a percent. Validity of this methodology was explored by employing a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standard reference materials (SRM) 610 and 612 (Trace Elements in Glass). It was determined that the HH LIBS method was able to clearly discern the rare earths elements of interest in the glass or uranium matrices.
Quo vadis? The local government in Turkey after public management reforms
Authors: Tan Evrim
Published: May 2018

In the 2000s, Turkey has reformed its public administration system in line with New Public Management (NPM) principles towards a more decentralized system. Although the initial aim of the reform process is set to achieve a decentralized and more efficient public management system, the empirical data and official statistics cast doubt on whether this outcome will ever be achieved. Analyzing local government legislation, the discretion of central government in local governance, and the changes in the status of local government in public governance, the article presents the evolution of the local government system in Turkey during the Justice and Development Party government.

Points for practitioners

The public management reform experience of Turkey resembles the NPM reform patterns in countries with Napoleonic state tradition. Similar to these countries, the emphasis on managerial practices over participatory elements has been prevalent in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of public services. Yet, the findings in the Turkish case challenge the proposition that managerial reforms alone, without improving local democratic governance, can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of public services.
Anti-ultraviolet and anti-static modification of polyethylene terephthalate fabrics with graphene nanoplatelets by a high-temperature and high-pressure inlaying method
Authors: Zhang Cheng , Zhong Ling , Wang Dingfei , Zhang Fengxiu , Zhang Guangxian
Published: May 2018

Grafting graphene on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers requires a large number of environmentally harmful chemicals. In this study, a facile high-temperature and high-pressure method of inlaying graphene nanoplatelets was applied to fabricate anti-ultraviolet (UV) and anti-static graphene/PET composites. The resulting graphene-inlaid (GI) PET fabric, which showed excellent anti-ultraviolet and anti-static properties, was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform–infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Results suggested that graphene had been inlaid into the PET fiber surface, and that the optimal inlaying conditions were as follows: inlaying temperature 200℃, inlaying pressure 15 MPa, and inlaying time 15 s. The UV protection factor of the GI PET fabric under optimal conditions could reach 50+ and was maintained at 50+ after 50 laundering cycles. The peak values of the static voltage and its half-time in the GI PET fabric could be reduced from 500.0 V to 10.0 V and from 7.39 s to 0.53 s, respectively, and the electrical resistivity of the GI PET fabric was 36.04 ± 0.14 kΩ.cm. The breaking strengths of the GI PET fabrics could be retained over 70.0% that of the pure PET fabric. The facile high-temperature and high-pressure inlaying method is an eco-friendly technique that requires very few chemicals, except for ethyl alcohol.
Neighborhood Environment and Disparities in Health Care Access Among Urban Medicare Beneficiaries With Diabetes: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Ryvicker Miriam , Sridharan Sridevi
Published: May 2018

Older adults’ health is sensitive to variations in neighborhood environment, yet few studies have examined how neighborhood factors influence their health care access. This study examined whether neighborhood environmental factors help to explain racial and socioeconomic disparities in health care access and outcomes among urban older adults with diabetes. Data from 123 233 diabetic Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older in New York City were geocoded to measures of neighborhood walkability, public transit access, and primary care supply. In 2008, 6.4% had no office-based “evaluation and management” (E&M) visits. Multilevel logistic regression indicated that this group had greater odds of preventable hospitalization in 2009 (odds ratio = 1.31; 95% confidence interval: 1.22-1.40). Nonwhites and low-income individuals had greater odds of a lapse in E&M visits and of preventable hospitalization. Neighborhood factors did not help to explain these disparities. Further research is needed on the mechanisms underlying these disparities and older adults’ ability to navigate health care. Even in an insured population living in a provider-dense city, targeted interventions may be needed to overcome barriers to chronic illness care for older adults in the community.
Statistical Power in Longitudinal Network Studies
Authors: Stadtfeld Christoph , Snijders Tom A. B. , Steglich Christian , van Duijn Marijtje
Published: May 2018

Longitudinal social network studies can easily suffer from insufficient statistical power. Studies that simultaneously investigate change of network ties and change of nodal attributes (selection and influence studies) are particularly at risk because the number of nodal observations is typically much lower than the number of observed tie variables. This article presents a simulation-based procedure to evaluate statistical power of longitudinal social network studies in which stochastic actor-oriented models are to be applied. Two detailed case studies illustrate how statistical power is strongly affected by network size, number of data collection waves, effect sizes, missing data, and participant turnover. These issues should thus be explored in the design phase of longitudinal social network studies.
On Being More Amenable to Threatening Risk Messages Concerning Close Others (vis-à-vis the Self)
Authors: Klein William M. P. , Ferrer Rebecca A.
Published: May 2018

People often respond defensively to risk messages impugning their own behavior. We explored whether people are more amenable to risk messages impugning a close other’s behavior. In two experiments, participants learned how being overweight could influence their own cancer risk or that of an opposite-sex close other. As predicted, participants expressed higher affective risk perceptions (i.e., worry) and experiential risk perceptions for their close others than for themselves. Participants in the close other condition also reported greater interest in diagnostic testing and additional information (Experiment 1) and greater interest in consulting a provider and more plans for remediation (Experiment 2). These effects were mediated by a combination of worry and experiential risk perceptions. The self/other difference emerged even though participants endorsed the messages as believable and relevant; participants were simply more willing to extrapolate from the message to their close other’s risk than to their own risk.
Institutional Illogics: The Unconscious and Institutional Analysis
Authors: Vince Russ
Published: May 2018

The theme of this essay is how to engage with unconscious dynamics in our analysis of institutions. The essay clarifies the ways in which the unconscious influences institutional structures and organizational practices, and this is the main theoretical contribution to organization studies. A conceptual framework is presented that can help scholars of organizations and institutions to deepen analysis and understanding of how people’s organizational lives can be shaped by dynamics that are beyond reason, as well as how such dynamics are embedded in social structures. The terms unconscious and institution are aligned to illustrate a new concept, ‘institutional illogics’. This refers to the structuring and unsettling effects of unconscious dynamics, particularly social defences and shared fantasies, on organizations and institutions. Examples from published, empirical papers are used to illustrate the value of the framework. The concept of illogics is intended to encourage balance alongside the influence of logics on institutional analysis.
User requirements for national research and education networks for research in West and Central Africa
Authors: Kashefi Armin , Taylor Simon JE , Abbott Pamela , Anagnostou Anastasia , Tessa Ousmane Moussa , Oaiya Omo , Barry Boubakar , Alline Damien
Published: May 2018

National research and education networks (NRENs) play a critical role in the development of communication network infrastructure and networked services for researchers and educators. They help close ‘digital divides’ between and within countries and are an essential factor for national and international development. In collaboration with the West and Central African Research and Education Network (WACREN), the TANDEM project has developed a roadmap for the development of NRENs in the region. This was based on the results of a survey that was conducted to investigate user requirements of networked services. The analysis of the 561 responses to a three-part questionnaire divided into 11 education, 22 research and 2 technical management questions identified key educational and research service needs. This article reports on the results of the survey with respect to research services. Highlights include respondents wanting regular access to online conference and academic articles (89%), a range of research services including online library resources, video conferencing, collaboration tools, online data access and storage, online library resources and inter-university login (>87%), access to remote computing facilities (80%) and high performance computing facilities (77%). A desire to share data with others online (74%) was also identified. Respondents also indicated that they would like to access research services through a range of device types–Laptops (96%), Fixed PC (86%) and Mobile Devices (81%). Poor network connectivity was consistently identified as being a major barrier to research in the region.
Humanoid gait generation in complex environments based on template models and optimality principles learned from human beings
Authors: Clever Debora , Hu Yue , Mombaur Katja
Published: May 2018

In this paper, we present an inverse optimal control-based transfer of motions from human experiments to humanoid robots and apply it to walking in constrained environments. To this end, we introduce a 3D template model, which describes motion on the basis of center-of-mass trajectory, foot trajectories, upper-body orientation, and phase duration. Despite its abstract architecture, with prismatic joints combined with damped series elastic actuators instead of knees, the model (including dynamics and constraints) is suitable for describing both human and humanoid locomotion with appropriate parameters. We present and apply an inverse optimal control approach to identify optimality criteria based on human motion capture experiments. The identified optimal strategy is then transferred to a humanoid robot template model for gait generation by solving an optimal control problem, which takes into account the properties of the robot and differences in the environment. The results of this step are the center-of-mass trajectory, the foot trajectories, the torso orientation, and the single and double support phase durations for a sequence of steps, allowing the humanoid robot to walk within a new environment. In a previous paper, we have already presented one computational cycle (from motion capture data to an optimized robot template motion) for the example of walking over irregular stepping stones with the aim of transferring the motion to two very different humanoid robots (iCub@Heidelberg and HRP-2@LAAS). This study represents an extension, containing an entirely new part on the transfer of the optimized template motion to the iCub robot by means of inverse kinematics in a dynamic simulation environment and also on the real robot.
The shadows in healthcare leadership
Authors: Nigro Tracey Lynn
Published: May 2018

This article outlines personality traits such as psychopathy, narcissism, Machiavellianism, and sadism which, when elevated in health leaders, may have negative effects upon teams, the organizations they work for, and ultimately the public. The implications of such traits for specific core health leadership competency domains are explored as well as potential mitigation approaches to minimize and possibly redirect such personality traits.
A three-step model of stress management for health leaders
Authors: Hartney Elizabeth
Published: May 2018

The current healthcare system is often as highly stressful environment for patients, their families, and for the employees of the system. Health leaders also experience stress, which can have profound repercussions if not well managed. This article describes the impact of stress on the brain and nervous system functioning of health leaders, then, drawing on evidence from the literature, presents a three-step model for managing stress at the individual, team/organizational, and system levels.
Enhancing health leadership performance using neurotherapy
Authors: Swingle Paul G. , Hartney Elizabeth
Published: May 2018

The discovery of neuroplasticity means the brain can change, functionally, in response to the environment and to learning. While individuals can develop harmful patterns of brain activity in response to stressors, they can also learn to modify or control neurological conditions associated with specific behaviors. Neurotherapy is one way of changing brain functioning to modify troubling conditions which can impair leadership performance, through responding to feedback on their own brain activity, and enhancing optimal leadership functioning through learning to maximize such cognitive strengths as mental efficiency, focus, creativity, perseverance, and executive functioning. The present article outlines the application of the concept of optimal performance training to organizational leadership in a healthcare context, by describing approaches to neurotherapy and illustrating their application through a case study of a health leader learning to overcome the neurological and emotional sequelae of workplace stress and trauma.
A neuroscience-based approach to changing organizational behaviour
Authors: Rock David
Published: May 2018

The greatest challenge in healthcare management is not identifying what changes are needed but actually changing behaviour on a long-term basis. Traditional approaches to organizational change are doomed to fail because they focus almost entirely on raising awareness. But countless studies show that the mere intention to change is not sufficient to reshape behaviour. In this article, we propose a new approach to organizational change informed by the principles of neuroleadership. The framework is called PHS: Priorities, Habits, Systems. The steps are as follows: (1) priorities: inform people about what changes are desired, (2) habits: teach people new habits, (3) systems: implement organizational systems to support and sustain new habits over the long term. By building solutions informed by the science of how the brain actually works, we believe organizations can bridge the intention behaviour gap and create lasting behaviour change.
Surveiller l’observance des médicaments : les conséquences pour les patients et les dispensateurs de soins
Authors: Gheorghiu Bobby , Nayani Seema
Published: May 2018

La non-observance des médicaments est un enjeu mondial primordial qui peut être responsable de résultats cliniques indésirables chez les patients et accroître les coûts pour le système de santé. Un processus facilitant la transmission d’avis de non-observance violerait-il l’autonomie individuelle ou les attentes en matière de confidentialité? En revanche, les patients qui ne prennent pas leurs médicaments se rendent peut-être à risque sans le savoir et sans que les prescripteurs en soient informés et puissent intervenir. Avec l’avènement des méthodes électroniques de surveillance de l’observance des médicaments, un nouveau niveau de complexité s’ajoute à ce dilemme éthique. Les auteurs présentent deux scénarios observés en clinique, qui reflètent des situations courantes au sein du système de santé canadien.
Osama Bin Laden and His Jihadist Global Hegemonic Masculinity
Authors: Messerschmidt James W. , Rohde Achim
Published: May 2018

This article examines for the first time the jihadist global hegemonic masculinity of Osama bin Laden. Based on Bin Laden’s public statements translated into English, the authors examine how in the process of constructing a rationale for violent attacks primarily against the United States, he simultaneously and discursively formulates a jihadist global hegemonic masculinity. The research adds to the growing interest in discursive global hegemonic masculinities, as well as jihadist masculinities in the Middle East, by scrutinizing how Bin Laden’s jihadist global hegemonic masculinity is produced in and through his public statements. The authors close their discussion by demonstrating how Bin Laden’s discursive practices are embedded in a clash of competing global hegemonic masculinities on the world stage.
Characterization of Pharmacy Resident Interventions on an Academic Inpatient Internal Medicine Rotation
Authors: Petite Sarah E.
Published: May 2018

Purpose:

To characterize the clinical interventions of postgraduate year 1 (PGY-1) pharmacy residents on a required, 1-month, inpatient adult internal medicine service at an academic medical center.

Methods:

The interventions completed by PGY-1 pharmacy residents on a required, adult internal medicine rotation were analyzed. Documentation of clinical interventions was performed by the PGY-1 residents, and the significance of the intervention was subsequently determined. Acceptance rates of clinical interventions were also documented and reviewed.

Results:

A total of 2161 interventions were documented by 14 PGY-1 pharmacy residents between January 2016 and May 2017. Of these interventions, 2016 (93.3%) had a positive, or accepted, outcome. The significance of the majority of interventions was moderate (93.5%), indicating that either an improvement in drug therapy effectiveness, decreased hospital length of stay, reduction in cost, or prevention in harm had occurred. The most common intervention types were recommendations to add, change, or discontinue a medication therapy, completion of a pharmacy dosing consult or conducting an admission medication reconciliation.

Conclusion:

PGY-1 pharmacy residents have a positive impact on patient care in the inpatient adult internal medicine setting.
Disparities in Nursing Home Use and Quality Among African American, Hispanic, and White Medicare Residents With Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias
Authors: Rivera-Hernandez Maricruz , Kumar Amit , Epstein-Lubow Gary , Thomas Kali S.
Published: May 2018

Objective: This article examines differences in nursing home use and quality among Medicare beneficiaries, in both Medicare Advantage and fee-for-service, newly admitted to nursing homes with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). Method: Retrospective, national, population-based study of Medicare residents newly admitted to nursing homes with ADRD by race and ethnic group. Our analytic sample included 1,302,099 nursing home residents—268,181 with a diagnosis of ADRD—in 13,532 nursing homes from 2014. Results: We found that a larger share of Hispanic Medicare residents that are admitted to nursing homes have ADRD compared with African American and White beneficiaries. Both Hispanics and African Americans with ADRD received care in segregated nursing homes with fewer resources and lower quality of care compared with White residents. Discussion: These results have implications for targeted efforts to achieve health care equity and quality improvement efforts among nursing homes that serve minority patients.
Highly efficient supercapacitor using single-walled carbon nanotube electrodes and ionic liquid incorporated solid gel electrolyte
Authors: Siyahjani Shirin , Oner Saliha , Singh Pramod K , Varlikli Canan
Published: May 2018

Gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) comprising a low viscosity ionic liquid, that is, 1-propyl-3-methyl imidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl sulfonyl)imide (PMI-TFSI, viscosity 38 cP at 20°C) and a polymer, that is, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) have been prepared using solution cast technique and characterized by impedance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, optical microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Blending PMI-TFSI with PVA matrix hindered the crystallinity of polymer matrix and presented remarkable enhancement in electrical conductivity with a conductivity maxima at 250 wt% PMI-TFSI. The prepared electric double-layer capacitor using single-walled carbon nanotube as symmetric electrodes and PVA:250 wt% PMI-TFSI as GPE presented a capacitance value of about 28 F g−1.
Calixarene–based cyanate ester resin for high-temperature material
Authors: Ning Yi , Chen Yichi , Wang Mingcun , Zhou Kaiyun , Su Tao , Wang Zhiqiang
Published: May 2018

p-tert-Butylcalix[4]arene-derived cyanate ester resins, both single and binary systems, were synthesized and studied for their thermal properties. The results showed that pure calixarene cyanate ester can be thermally cured at comparatively high temperature, which remains in original powder state after thermally cured. So the pure calixarene cyanate ester resin fails to meet the processing demands of resin-matrixed composite. In this work, p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene cyanate ester was chemically functionalized to have highly decreased thermal cure temperature (by copolymerization with epoxy, bisphenol A cyanate ester (BPACE), and polysilazane (PSZ), respectively). The binary resins were thermally cured into monolithic materials. The optimal acceleration of thermal cure reaction was achieved with an addition of 10% PSZ. The addition of epoxy resin decreased thermal resistance and carbon yield of p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene cyanate ester and addition of BPACE slightly decreased thermal resistance and carbon yield, while PSZ highly improved thermal resistance and carbon yield. Glass transition temperature of the co-cured resin of calixarene cyanate ester with 10% PSZ was much higher than that of conventional BPACE. Calixarene cyanate ester possesses much better property than that of conventional BPACE resin.
2017 European guideline for the screening, prevention and initial management of hepatitis B and C infections in sexual health settings
Authors: Brook Gary , Brockmeyer Norbert , van de Laar Thijs , Schellberg Sven , Winter Andrew J
Published: May 2018

This guideline updates the 2010 European guideline for the management of hepatitis B and C virus infections. It is primarily intended to provide advice on testing, prevention and initial management of viral hepatitis B and C for clinicians working in sexual health clinical settings in European countries. The guideline is in a new question and answer format based on clinical situations, from which population/intervention/comparison/outcome questions were formulated. Updates cover areas such as epidemiology, point-of-care tests for hepatitis B, hepatitis C risk and ‘chemsex’, and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis and hepatitis B. We have also included a short paragraph on hepatitis E noting there is no evidence for sexual transmission. The guideline has been prepared in accordance with the Europe protocol for production available at http://www.iusti.org/regions/europe/pdf/2017/ProtocolForProduction2017.pdf
Median bias reduction in random-effects meta-analysis and meta-regression
Authors: Kyriakou Sophia , Kosmidis Ioannis , Sartori Nicola
Published: May 2018

The reduction of the mean or median bias of the maximum likelihood estimator in regular parametric models can be achieved through the additive adjustment of the score equations. In this paper, we derive the adjusted score equations for median bias reduction in random-effects meta-analysis and meta-regression models and derive efficient estimation algorithms. The median bias-reducing adjusted score functions are found to be the derivatives of a penalised likelihood. The penalised likelihood is used to form a penalised likelihood ratio statistic which has known limiting distribution and can be used for carrying out hypothesis tests or for constructing confidence intervals for either the fixed-effect parameters or the variance component. Simulation studies and real data applications are used to assess the performance of estimation and inference based on the median bias-reducing penalised likelihood and compare it to recently proposed alternatives. The results provide evidence on the effectiveness of median bias reduction in improving estimation and likelihood-based inference.
Why is Growth More Difficult to Achieve for Biopharmaceutical Latecomer Firms? Evidence from Taiwan
Authors: Hu Mei-Chih , Hsu Wen-Ching , Wu Ching-Yan
Published: May 2018

This study examines why the growth of biopharmaceutical firms in latecomer countries such as Taiwan has been slower than that of information and communication technology (ICT) firms. Unlike prior studies which have focused on the industry-level driving forces, this study offers a firm-level perspective to examine factors driving industry growth. By utilising the DEcision-MAking Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method, we analyse data collected in questionnaires with the top managers of biopharmaceutical and ICT firms in Taiwan, both public and non-public. We then compared and contrasted our empirical findings to capture theoretical and practical insights. Our empirical results demonstrate that the entrepreneurial activities of Taiwan’s biopharmaceutical firms are weak in terms of adaptation to external institutions and the utilisation of resources while the primary drivers of growth in Taiwan’s biopharmaceutical firms are rather (internal) institutional factors than resource-based factors, especially in the emerging and early growth stages. We conclude that the challenge for the latecomers lies on the institutional entrepreneurship to enable and affect the circulation of strategic resources so as to bring the firms onto the growth and mature stages.
Regulating Access and Protecting Traditional Health Knowledge through Intellectual Property Rights? Issues from a Holistic Health Systems Perspective
Authors: Priya Ritu , Kurian Chris M.
Published: May 2018

Traditional Health Knowledge (THK) has been a resource for modern pharmacology and the pharma-ceutical industry since its inception. Until the 2000s, there was little obligation to acknowledge the use of THK by the pharmaceutical industry. Now, with the intellectual property regime becoming a prominent mode of regulating use of pharmaceutical inventions and innovations, and attempts by the pharmaceutical industry to patent products based on THK, rights of THK holders are being fore-grounded. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is seeking to protect the rights of THK holders through international legal instruments under the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) framework. This article discusses dilemmas arising from this attempt at bringing together two diverse knowledge frameworks. It draws upon existing literature on the nature of THK and upon the debates of the WIPO’s Inter-Governmental Committee on Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expression (WIPO-IGC), and analyses them from the standpoint of a holistic health systems approach (HHSA) in an era of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The approach leads to the conclusion that deliberations and promulgations of the WIPO-IGC will have long-lasting implications for the survival of diversity and context-specificity in healthcare. Therein lies the significance of thinking through the policy and legal measures to be adopted nationally and internationally.
Challenges and Patterns of Seeking Primary Health Care in Slums of Karachi: A Disaster Lurking in Urban Shadows
Authors: Aleemi Abdur Rahman , Khaliqui Hina , Faisal Asima
Published: May 2018

This study aimed to evaluate the challenges and patterns of seeking primary health care services in slums of Karachi, where about 60% of the population lives in various informal settlements. We surveyed 8 largest slums of the metropolitan, and analyzed the data both descriptively and inferentially to evaluate the factors associated with health care seeking behavior. Significantly positive association of quality health care seeking behavior and various socioeconomic indicators were found. In addition, substantial insights about the conditions of slum dwellers and health challenges of the population, such as low immunization and low vaccinations, among others, were reported. Thus, the role of policymakers is emphasized to strategize for the inclusion of these people in national health plans and to develop health infrastructure near these communities. Furthermore, there is a strong need to increase awareness of the population about hygiene practices, importance of immunization, and importance of utilizing appropriate health care services.
Eastern equine encephalitis in puppies in Michigan and New York states
Authors: Andrews Caroline , Gerdin Jodie , Patterson Jon , Buckles Elizabeth L. , Fitzgerald Scott D.
Published: May 2018

Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is classified as a select agent and is capable of causing mortality in humans and a number of veterinary species. Herein, we describe 3 cases of EEE in puppies in Michigan and New York. Two puppies were euthanized following an acute history of seizures and obtundation. A littermate of one of these puppies died 2 wk earlier following a history of anorexia and fever. All 3 puppies lacked significant gross anatomic lesions at autopsy and tested negative for rabies virus. In all 3 puppies, histologic examination revealed necrotizing, neutrophilic, lymphoplasmacytic meningoencephalitis with strong positive immunohistochemical labeling for EEEV antigen in neurons and glial cells. The diagnosis of EEE was confirmed by PCR in one puppy and by plaque reduction neutralization testing in the other 2 dogs. EEE is rare in dogs, and has only been reported in puppies. The initial clinical signs of EEE in puppies are typically nonspecific, including anorexia, fever, and diarrhea, but rapidly progress to severe neurologic disease characterized by seizures and recumbency. Although rare, EEE should be considered as a differential diagnosis for neurologic disease in puppies, especially after more common diseases, such as canine distemper, rabies, and toxoplasmosis have been ruled out.
Fatal bromethalin intoxication in 3 cats and 2 dogs with minimal or no histologic central nervous system spongiform change
Authors: Romano Megan C. , Loynachan Alan T. , Bolin Dave C. , Bryant Uneeda K. , Kennedy Laura , Filigenzi Mike S. , Puschner Birgit , Poppenga Robert H. , Gaskill Cynthia L.
Published: May 2018

Use of the neurotoxic rodenticide bromethalin has steadily increased since 2011, resulting in an increased incidence of bromethalin intoxications in pets. Presumptive diagnosis of bromethalin toxicosis relies on history of possible rodenticide exposure coupled with compatible neurologic signs or sudden death, and postmortem examination findings that eliminate other causes of death. Diagnosis is confirmed by detecting the metabolite desmethylbromethalin (DMB) in tissues. In experimental models, spongiform change in white matter of the central nervous system (CNS) is the hallmark histologic feature of bromethalin poisoning. We describe fatal bromethalin intoxication in 3 cats and 2 dogs with equivocal or no CNS white matter spongiform change, illustrating that the lesions described in models can be absent in clinical cases of bromethalin intoxication. Cases with history and clinical signs compatible with bromethalin intoxication warrant tissue analysis for DMB even when CNS lesions are not evident.
Cylindrical bending analysis of a layered two-dimensional piezoelectric quasicrystal nanoplate
Authors: Li Yang , Yang Lianzhi , Gao Yang , Pan Ernian
Published: May 2018

The piezoelectric effect is a significant property of quasicrystal. In this article, the exact solution is derived for a layered piezoelectric quasicrystal nanoplate with nonlocal effect in cylindrical bending. Based on the nonlocal theory and the pseudo-Stroh formalism, the exact solution for a homogeneous simply supported nanoplate is obtained. With the aid of the propagator matrix, the exact solution for a multilayered nanoplate is achieved. Numerical examples are carried out to reveal the influences of span-to-thickness ratio, nonlocal parameter, and stacking sequence on piezoelectric quasicrystal nanoplates with their top surface subjected to two loadings. One is a z-direction mechanical loading and the other is an electric potential loading. These results can be served as benchmarks for the design, numerical modeling, and simulation of layered two-dimensional piezoelectric quasicrystal nanoplates under cylindrical bending.
Comparison of Postoperative Bleeding in Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Patients Receiving Rivaroxaban, Enoxaparin, or Aspirin for Thromboprophylaxis
Authors: Lindquist Desirae E. , Stewart David W. , Brewster Aaryn , Waldroup Caitlin , Odle Brian L. , Burchette Jessica E. , El-Bazouni Hadi
Published: May 2018

Background:

Guidelines recommend the use of multiple pharmacologic agents and/or mechanical compressive devices for prevention of venous thromboembolism, but preference for any specific agent is no longer given in regard to safety or efficacy.

Objective:

To compare postoperative bleeding rates in patients receiving enoxaparin, rivaroxaban, or aspirin for thromboprophylaxis after undergoing elective total hip arthroplasty or total knee arthroplasty.

Methods:

This retrospective cohort analysis evaluated patients who received thromboprophylaxis with either enoxaparin, rivaroxaban, or aspirin. All data were collected from the electronic medical record. The primary outcome was any postoperative bleeding.

Results:

A total of 1244 patients were included with 366 in the aspirin, 438 in the enoxaparin, and 440 in the rivaroxaban arms. Those who received aspirin or enoxaparin were less likely to experience any bleeding compared to those patients who received rivaroxaban ( P < .05). There was also a lower rate of major bleeding in these groups, but the differences were not significant.

Conclusions:

Aspirin and enoxaparin conferred similar bleeding risks, and both exhibited less bleeding than patients who received rivaroxaban.
Free vibration analysis of coupled sloshing-flexible membrane system in a liquid container
Authors: Kolaei Amir , Rakheja Subhash
Published: May 2018

A finite element model is developed to study free vibration of a liquid in a tank of arbitrary geometry with a flexible membrane constraining the liquid free-surface. A variational formulation is initially developed using the Galerkin method, assuming inviscid, incompressible and irrotational flow. The resulting generalized eigenvalue problem is then reduced by considering only the elements on the liquid free-surface, which significantly reduces the computational time. The proposed physical model is subsequently implemented into the FEniCS framework to obtain coupled hydroelastic liquid-membrane frequencies and modes. The coupled frequencies are compared with those reported for rectangular and upright cylindrical tanks using analytical methods in order to illustrate the validity of the finite element model. The results are subsequently presented for a horizontal cylindrical tank with an elastic free-surface membrane for different fill ratios and tank lengths. The effects of the membrane tension on the free vibration of the liquid in the tank are further investigated by comparing the coupled liquid-membrane frequencies with slosh frequencies of the liquid alone. It is shown that sloshing frequencies can be effectively shifted to higher values to prevent resonance in partially filled moving containers.