bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Alternative Measurement Configurations for Extracting Bulk Optical Properties Using an Integrating Sphere Setup
Authors: Thennadil Suresh N. , Chen Yi-chieh
Published: August 2016

The usual approach for estimating bulk optical properties using an integrating sphere measurement setup is by acquiring spectra from three measurement modes namely collimated transmittance (Tc), total transmittance (Td), and total diffuse reflectance (Rd), followed by the inversion of these measurements using the adding–doubling method. At high scattering levels, accurate acquisition of Tc becomes problematic due to the presence of significant amounts of forward-scattered light in this measurement which is supposed to contain only unscattered light. In this paper, we propose and investigate the effectiveness of using alternative sets of integrating sphere measurements that avoid the use of Tc and could potentially increase the upper limit of concentrations of suspensions at which bulk optical property measurements can be obtained in the visible–near-infrared (Vis-NIR) region of the spectrum. We examine the possibility of replacing Tc with one or more reflectance measurements at different sample thicknesses. We also examine the possibility of replacing both the collimated (Tc) and total transmittance (Td) measurements with reflectance measurements taken from different sample thicknesses. The analysis presented here indicates that replacing Tc with a reflectance measurement can reduce the errors in the bulk scattering properties when scattering levels are high. When only multiple reflectance measurements are used, good estimates of the bulk optical properties can be obtained when the absorption levels are low. In addition, we examine whether there is any advantage in using three measurements instead of two to obtain the reduced bulk scattering coefficient and the bulk absorption coefficient. This investigation is made in the context of chemical and biological suspensions which have a much larger range of optical properties compared to those encountered with tissue.
Deep Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diode (LED)-Based Sensing of Sulfur Dioxide
Authors: Michel Anna P.M. , Kapit Jason
Published: August 2016

With the recent development of deep ultraviolet (DUV) light emitting diodes (LEDs) comes the possibility of targeting absorption bands of several gases, including sulfur dioxide (SO2). SO2 has strong absorption bands in the 300 nm spectral region. The low cost and small size of DUV LEDs, coupled with their spectral coverage, makes them viable sources for new gas sensors. Here, we demonstrate the capability to use absorption spectroscopy with a balanced detection scheme using a 300 nm DUV LED source for SO2 detection at concentrations ranging from less than 1 ppm to 50 ppm.
Rethinking differentiation — Using teachers’ time most effectively
Authors: Marshall Kim
Published: August 2016

The goals of differentiation are laudable, but in recent years, many question whether it is really possible for a teacher to tailor instruction for 20 to 30 different students and whether it's desirable to differentiate by learning styles. Differentiation is just one factor in effective instruction. Supervisors who walk into a classroom looking for differentiation run the risk of missing the forest for the trees. Wouldn't it be better to ask two broader questions (variations on Rick DuFour's well-known catechism): What are students supposed to be learning? Are all students mastering it? Research tells us what will produce high levels of student learning: appropriate goals; a positive classroom climate and culture; instructional strategies that will best convey the content being taught; and, among other things, effective use of assessment data to fine-tune teaching and follow-up with students who haven't yet mastered what's been taught.
Project-based learning not just for STEM anymore
Authors: Duke Nell K. , Halvorsen Anne-Lise , Strachan Stephanie L.
Published: August 2016

The popularity of project-based learning has been driven in part by a growing number of STEM schools and programs. But STEM subjects are not the only fertile ground for project-based learning (PBL). Social studies and literacy content, too, can be adapted into PBL units to benefit teaching and learning, the authors argue. They review key studies on PBL in social studies and literacy education, two examples of successful social studies/literacy PBL units, and conclude with tips for developing social studies and literacy projects in classrooms.
7 reasons for accommodating transgender students at school
Authors: Arenas Alberto , Gunckel Kristin L. , Smith William L.
Published: August 2016

Schools have become ground zero for clashes over transgender rights, and critics are denouncing academic institutions — and more recently, the Obama administration — for supporting transgender students in their right to use restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. This article responds to the seven most common claims made by critics and explains why these arguments are problematic.
“Refugee from St. Domingue Living in This City”
Authors: Neidenbach Elizabeth C.
Published: August 2016

Through Cuba and other points, the Haitian Revolution drove thousands of free women of color to New Orleans between 1791 and 1810. This significant influx coincided with the Louisiana Purchase, tripling the city’s Francophone free black population at a transitional moment. Through a close analysis of testaments recorded by refugee women soon after their arrival, this article investigates the gendered strategies they employed to survive their dislocation and rebuild their lives. Wills serve as a valuable source to uncover the social networks utilized by refugees resettling in New Orleans. The relationships captured in wills indicate how the process of migration both reproduced and transformed social relations from Saint-Domingue. Testaments also illuminate the spatial components of the testators’ relationships, enabling a reconstruction of refugee women’s social geography. Mapping these networks exposes where (re)connections occurred in the city and emphasizes the ways in which free women of color refugees shaped the development of New Orleans.
Occurrence and genesis of minerals and their influences on pores and fractures in the high-rank coals
Authors: Wang Tian , Sang Shuxun , Liu Shiqi , Du Yi
Published: August 2016

Pores and fractures constitute connected networks for fluid migration and production in or from coal reservoirs. The existence of minerals in coal not only increases the heterogeneity of the reservoir but also influences the development and connectivity of pores and fractures in the coal. By applying X-ray diffraction environmental scanning electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer type, the occurrence modes and geneses of minerals were investigated in representative high-rank coals from the Qinshui basin, North China. Additionally, their impact on the development and connectivity of pores and fractures was explored in the high-rank coal. The results show that illite and kaolinite are the dominant minerals, comprising 57.74% of the mineral volume on average. The minerals fall into three genetic types, including detrital, syngenetic, and epigenetic, of which syngenetic minerals are the most common. The occurrence modes of the minerals depend on their geneses. The detrital minerals are mostly granular; the syngenetic minerals are agglomerates, stripped aggregates, and disseminated fine particles, and the epigenetic minerals are fracture fillings. At the micro-scale, the influences of the minerals on pores and fractures in the high-rank coals are mainly denoted by micro-fracture fillings, development of mineral pores, and generation of differential deformation pores and fractures. Differential deformation pores and fractures appear at the boundaries between clay and brittle minerals or clay and organic matter due to their physical and chemical property differences related to the regional thermal metamorphism of the coal. The coal samples are always connected by thermogenic pores and mineral pores, favoring connectivity of the pores and fractures in the coal. Moreover, the dissolved pores and intercrystalline pores are largely interconnected. This study focused on the effects of minerals on the pore and fracture structure of the high-rank coal reservoir. The results provide a better understanding of the migration networks and fluid mechanisms related to complex pores and fractures, particularly in high-rank coal reservoirs.
Qualitative methods II
Authors: Dowling Robyn , Lloyd Kate , Suchet-Pearson Sandra
Published: August 2016

Various identified ‘turns’ in human geography, such as relational, non-representational, material and performative, urge and enable geographers to rethink complex people-nature relationships as contingent and layered processes, and the world as projects of human and more-than-human inhabitation. This shift challenges researchers to do geography differently, or in other words, invites alterations in thinking and methods. This progress report focuses on how qualitative researchers in human geography are grappling with the challenge of more-than-human research methodologies. We chart analyses of more-than-human worlds that are reliant on conventional methodological approaches, as well as more innovative methodological approaches which extend more-than-human understandings whilst recognizing their own limits. The report finally considers a small but growing body of work that takes an additional methodological step in developing human–more-than-human collaborative research relationships that are actively engaging with power relationships by reconsidering the author-ity of their research. We conclude that although the more-than-human ‘turn’ is being thoroughly debated and engaged with in theory, the implications of this have not carried through to the same extent in terms of praxis.
Transport provision and the practice of mobilities production
Authors: Lin Weiqiang
Published: August 2016

This paper propounds a practised understanding of transport provision. While transport geography tends to focus on the effects of planning, mobilities studies view transport provision as framing backdrops of mobile lives. Neither has fully addressed how transport provision is a derivative of mundane practices that contingently lay transport’s structural foundations. This paper argues that delineating these practices imputes a much-needed ‘livingness’ to transport’s formal production and allows for more congruous conversations between transport provision and use. Through a three-part examination, I foreground what potentially goes on during transport’s planning and operations, and highlight the contingencies of these less-than-unitary processes.
Engagement in system redesign
Authors: Anderson Bradley , Hansson Wendy Kai
Published: August 2016

For the past several years, Interior Health (IH) has worked collaboratively with Aboriginal leaders to build strong relationships and develop an environment of reciprocal accountability and knowledge exchange. All partners are committed to working together to change the healthcare system so that it responds appropriately and effectively to the needs of a population of people with the poorest health outcomes. The development of the IH Aboriginal Health and Wellness Strategy is an example of meaningful engagement with First Nations communities in the IH region at the system level. The strategy was built by IH, led by First Nations, and developed in collaboration with First Nations, Urban, and Métis partners. It aims to address the shared long-term goal of improving the overall health and wellness of Aboriginal people and enable a cultural transformation to overcome the barriers that are stopping Aboriginal people from seeking care from a shared healthcare system.
Simulation study on improving the selective catalytic reduction efficiency by using the temperature rise in a non-road transient cycle
Authors: Wang Tae Joong , Kim Duk Sang , Ahn Tae Shik
Published: August 2016

In this study, the transient nitrogen oxide reduction performance of a urea selective catalytic reduction system installed on a non-road diesel engine was tested on an engine dynamometer bench over a scheduled non-road transient cycle mode. Based on the measurement results, the characteristics of the transient selective catalytic reduction behaviours of nitrogen oxide reduction were evaluated. Also, in this study, the effects of several thermal management strategies for improving the selective catalytic reduction efficiency was investigated by transient selective catalytic reduction simulations. The kinetic parameters of the current simulation code for selective catalytic reduction were calibrated and validated by comparison with the measurement data. As a result of this study, it was found that a thermal management strategy utilizing a partial temperature rise in the transient time domain can be an efficient approach for improving the transient selective catalytic reduction efficiency, in comparison with the temperature rise over the entire cycle period. Furthermore, this study can provide some guideline data for the magnitude and the duration of the temperature rise required to obtain the target selective catalytic reduction efficiency over the non-road transient cycle mode. In the last part of this study, the impact of the variation in the space velocity on the transient selective catalytic reduction efficiency was assessed using transient selective catalytic reduction simulations.
Mucinous and Signet Ring Cell Differentiation Affect Patterns of Metastasis in Colorectal Carcinoma and Influence Survival
Authors: Kermanshahi Taher Reza , Magge Deepa , Choudry Haroon , Ramalingam Leksmi , Zhu Benjamin , Pingpank James , Ahrendt Steven , Holtzman Matthew , Zeh Herbert , Bartlett David , Zureikat Amer , Pai Reetesh K.
Published: August 2016

Peritoneal metastasis in colorectal carcinoma is associated with a dismal prognosis; however, features that correlate with patterns of metastatic spread are not well characterized. We analyzed the clinicopathologic and molecular features of 166 patients with colorectal carcinomas stratified by metastases to the peritoneum or liver. Mucinous and signet ring cell differentiation were more frequently observed in colorectal carcinoma with peritoneal dissemination compared to colorectal carcinoma with liver metastasis (mucinous differentiation: 62% vs 23%, P < .001; signet ring cell differentiation: 21% vs 0%, P < .0001). The significant association of mucinous differentiation with peritoneal dissemination compared with liver metastasis was identified in patients with both synchronous and metachronous development of metastasis ( P < .01). In contrast, colorectal carcinomas with liver metastasis were more frequently low-grade (90% vs 72%, P = .005) and associated with dirty necrosis (81% vs 56%, P = .001) compared with colorectal carcinomas with peritoneal dissemination. No significant differences were identified between colorectal carcinoma with peritoneal metastasis versus liver metastasis with respect to KRAS mutations, BRAF mutation, or high levels of microsatellite instability. Patients with tumors involving the peritoneum had a significantly worse overall survival in comparison to patients with liver metastasis lacking peritoneal involvement ( P = .02). When including only those patients with peritoneal metastasis, the presence of any mucinous or signet ring cell differentiation was associated with a significantly worse overall survival ( P = .006). Our findings indicate that mucinous and signet ring cell differentiation may be histologic features that are associated with an increased risk of peritoneal dissemination and poor overall survival in patients with peritoneal metastasis.
Tolerability and Efficacy of Eltrombopag in Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenia: Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Elgebaly Ahmed Saber , Ashal Gehad El , Elfil Mohamed , Menshawy Ahmed
Published: August 2016

Background:

Eltrombopag is an oral thrombopoietin receptor agonist that stimulates the production of normally functioning platelets. The aim of this meta-analysis is to synthesize evidence about the safety and efficacy of eltrombopag for both adult and children with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).

Methods:

A computer literature search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central was conducted. Records were screened for eligible studies, and data were extracted and synthesized using Review Manager for Windows. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were conducted to investigate whether treatment effect varies significantly between adults and children.

Results:

Six randomized controlled trials (N = 611 patients) were included in the final analysis. The overall effect estimates favored eltrombopag group in terms of overall platelet response (relative risk [RR]: 3.42; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.51-4.65; P < .0001), incidence of significant bleeding (RR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.41-0.77; P = .0004), and number of cases needed to rescue treatment (RR: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.32-0.65; P < .0001). The efficacy of eltrombopag did not differ significantly between children and adults except for incidence of any bleeding (RR: 0.83 vs 0.51; P = .008).

Conclusion:

Eltrombopag is a tolerable and effective drug for the management of chronic ITP in children and adults.
News Notes
Authors: Miller Douglass W.
Published: August 2016

News Notes must be in the hands of Professor Miller, School of Journalism, Syracuse University, by the first of the month preceding publication. Notes for the June issue must reach him by May 1.
Business Management and Advertising
Authors: Allen Charles L.
Published: August 2016

STUDENTS and research workers in advertising, business and related phases of journalism are asked to inform Professor Allen of significant studies in these fields and, when possible, to send copies or digests of such studies to him. — The Editor.
Evaluation of electronic health record implementation on pharmacist interventions related to oral chemotherapy management
Authors: Finn Anastasia , Bondarenka Carolyn , Edwards Kathy , Hartwell Rebekah , Letton Cathy , Perez Andy
Published: August 2016

Background

With the ever growing arsenal of oral chemotherapy agents now available, cancer treatment is being increasingly managed in the outpatient setting. However, oral chemotherapy use is often associated with several potential obstacles and complications. In order to provide optimal patient safety and oral chemotherapy monitoring, our institution implemented an oral chemotherapy program managed by clinical pharmacists electronically through Epic Beacon.

Objective

To describe implementation of a novel pharmacist-managed oral chemotherapy program and evaluate pharmacist interventions before and after implementation of an oral chemotherapy program.

Methods

This was a single-center retrospective chart review of documented pharmacy interventions for oral chemotherapy prescriptions during three months prior to as well as three months following Epic Beacon implementation. Time periods for data inclusion were October–December 2013 (pre-Beacon) and October–December 2014 (post-Beacon). Patients included in the study had one or more oral chemotherapy orders during the pre-Beacon period, the post-Beacon period, or both pre- and post-Beacon. Our analysis did not include oral chemotherapy orders that were placed outside of a treatment plan in the post-Beacon period.

Results

A total of 240 patients with 450 total oral chemotherapy orders were assessed over the duration of the study. Beacon implementation allowed a greater number of oral chemotherapy orders to be reviewed, with 134 oral chemotherapy orders reviewed in the study period prior to Beacon implementation and 316 orders reviewed in the post-Beacon period. Additionally, there were 660% more pharmacist interventions (89 interventions pre-Beacon versus 681 interventions post-Beacon), with an increased focus on coordination of care, chemotherapy calendar coordination, and assistance with treatment plans. Furthermore, implementation of Epic Beacon allowed identification of over 500% more chemotherapy order errors (41 total errors identified pre-Beacon versus 250 total errors identified post-Beacon). Pharmacists were also able to identify more significant, serious, or potentially lethal errors following implementation. The time associated with oral chemotherapy review and intervention also increased accordingly with number of orders reviewed.

Conclusion

Implementation of an electronic workflow for oral chemotherapy dramatically increased pharmacist review of orders, resulting in improved documentation of interventions and errors, decreased need for clarification of orders, as well as increased volume of prescriptions at our on-site pharmacy. This study demonstrates a comprehensive approach to maximize safety when oral chemotherapy is utilized as a component of the treatment regimen.
Recovery stories: An anthropological exploration of moral agency in stories of mental health recovery
Authors: Myers Neely Anne Laurenzo
Published: August 2016

Moral agency has been loosely defined as the freedom to aspire to a “good life” that makes possible intimate relationships with others. This article uses ethnographic research to further the discussion of the role of moral agency in mental health recovery. This article attends to the ebb and flow of moral agency in the life stories of three people diagnosed with a serious psychiatric disability at different stages in their individual recoveries to illustrate particular aspects of moral agency relevant for recovery. From these, a more complex notion of moral agency emerges as the freedom not only to aspire to a “good life,” but also to achieve a “good” life through having both the intention to aspire and access to resources that help bring one’s life plans to fruition. Each storyteller describes an initial Aristotelian peripeteia, or “breach” of life plan, followed by an erosion of moral agency and sense of connection to others. The stories then diverge: some have the resources needed to preserve moral agency, and others attempt to replenish moral agency that has been eroded. In these stories, the resources for preserving and nourishing moral agency include the ability to cultivate the social bases of self-respect, autobiographical power, and peopled opportunities. These stories cumulatively suggest that without such resources one’s attempts to preserve or nourish the moral agency needed for recovery after the peripeteia, which is often perpetuated by the onset and experience of serious mental illness, may fall short.
Children’s Court Magistrates’ Views of Restorative Justice and Therapeutic Jurisprudence Measures for Young Offenders
Authors: Richards Kelly , Bartels Lorana , Bolitho Jane
Published: August 2016

Restorative justice and therapeutic jurisprudence measures have recently been introduced into youth justice systems. As gatekeepers to these measures, Children’s Court magistrates play a crucial role in their success. However, little research has been undertaken on magistrates’ views of these measures. This article addresses this gap by presenting results of interviews undertaken with Children’s Court magistrates in New South Wales, Australia. Our research suggests that magistrates are enthusiastic about the philosophy of both restorative and therapeutic measures, but are reluctant to embrace them if they consider them under-resourced, poorly understood and/or poorly implemented. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Development of a long-range multi-area scanning ultrasonic propagation imaging system built into a hangar and its application on an actual aircraft
Authors: Shin Hye-Jin , Lee Jung-Ryul
Published: August 2016

Materials such as aluminum alloys and carbon composites are widely used in aircraft structures. In the case of the use of Al-alloys in aircraft structures, fatigue cracks occur because of excessive and repeated loading and vibrations experienced during frequent flights. Meanwhile, composite materials are also damaged—for example, impact damage and debonding—and have defects, including voids, prepreg gaps, and overlaps created during the manufacturing process. Ultrasonic propagation imaging is a damage visualization technique that is used in structural inspections employing a laser scanning system and ultrasonic sensors. However, conventional ultrasonic propagation imaging or other scanning systems, such as a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer, only permit a single area to be inspected at one time. It is also difficult to inspect inaccessible areas, such as the upper skins of the aircraft wings. In this work, we describe a multi-area scanning ultrasonic propagation imaging system built in a hangar that is able to rapidly scan at a pulse repetition rate of 20 kHz. After acquiring the generated ultrasonic wave signal induced by laser excitation, ultrasonic propagation imaging videos for the in-plate guided wave are displayed. Finally, internal damage can be identified in a damage visualization platform. The developed multi-area scanning ultrasonic propagation imaging system is demonstrated by performing simultaneous inspections on two areas containing manufacturing defects in a large carbon/epoxy laminate. We also performed a demonstration of the hangar-based multi-area scanning ultrasonic propagation imaging system on an actual aircraft containing back surface cracks. The multi-area scanning ultrasonic propagation imaging system with tilting mirror systems installed in the hangar ceiling permitted a clear visualization of the damage. The damage visualization results confirm that the proposed multi-area scanning ultrasonic propagation imaging system and approach have excellent applicability as a built-in ultrasonic propagation imaging system for a Smart Hangar, which is a future structural health monitoring solution that will be used to realize a full-scale structural inspection of an actual aircraft.
Guided-wave signal processing by the sparse Bayesian learning approach employing Gabor pulse model
Authors: Wu Biao , Huang Yong , Chen Xiang , Krishnaswamy Sridhar , Li Hui
Published: August 2016

Guided waves have been used for structural health monitoring to detect damage or defects in structures. However, guided wave signals often involve multiple modes and noise. Extracting meaningful damage information from the received guided wave signal becomes very challenging, especially when some of the modes overlap. The aim of this study is to develop an effective way to deal with noisy guided-wave signals for damage detection as well as for de-noising. To achieve this goal, a robust sparse Bayesian learning algorithm is adopted. One of the many merits of this technique is its good performance against noise. First, a Gabor dictionary is designed based on the information of the noisy signal. Each atom of this dictionary is a modulated Gaussian pulse. Then the robust sparse Bayesian learning technique is used to efficiently decompose the guided wave signal. After signal decomposition, a two-step matching scheme is proposed to extract meaningful waveforms for damage detection and localization. Results from numerical simulations and experiments on isotropic aluminum plate structures are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach in mode identification and signal de-noising for damage detection.
Assessment of embedded fiber Bragg gratings for structural health monitoring of composites
Authors: Yeager Mike , Todd Michael , Gregory William , Key Chris
Published: August 2016

This work provides a system-level investigation into the use of embedded fiber Bragg grating optical sensors as a viable sensing architecture for the structural health monitoring of composite structures. The practical aspects of the embedding process are documented for both carbon fiber–reinforced polymer and glass fiber–reinforced polymer structures manufactured by both oven vacuum bag and vacuum-assisted resin transfer method processes. Initially, embedded specimens were subject to long-term water submersion to verify performance in an underwater environment. A larger, more complex jointed specimen was also fabricated with a fully embedded sensor network of fiber Bragg gratings and subjected to incrementally induced bearing damage. Using commercially available interrogation hardware, a damage detection structural health monitoring algorithm was developed and deployed. The results permit statistically precise detection of low levels of connection damage in the composite specimen.
Predictors of Cognitive Decline in a Rural and Remote Saskatchewan Population With Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Hager Drew , Kirk Andrew , Morgan Debra G. , Karunanayake Chandima , O’Connell Megan E.
Published: August 2016

To determine the predictors of cognitive decline in a rural and remote population with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), we examined the association between cognitive change and sociodemographic, clinical, and functional data at the initial day of diagnosis. Simple linear regression analysis and multiple regression analysis were used to determine the predictors of cognitive decline as measured by the difference in the Mini-Mental State Examination over 1 year. Our sample included 72 patients with AD. Age at the clinic day appointment was 75.3 (standard deviation [SD] = 7.44). History of hypertension and decreased ability to carry out activities of daily living were statistically significant and predicted greater cognitive decline at 1 year. Many previously suggested predictors of cognitive decline were not evidenced in this study. This research helps identify clinically useful predictors of decline in a rural and remote population with AD.
A novel minimal exposure path problem in wireless sensor networks and its solution algorithm
Authors: Feng Hao , Luo Lei , Wang Yong , Ye Miao , Dong Rongsheng
Published: August 2016

The original minimal exposure path problem in wireless sensor networks did not consider path constraint conditions. To consider the actual demand, this article proposes a minimal exposure path problem that requires the passage of the path through the boundary of a certain region. In this situation, because a corresponding weighted graph model cannot be developed, the methods that are used to solve the original minimal exposure path problem (the grid method and the Voronoi diagram method) are ineffective. Thus, this article first converts the problem into an optimization problem with constraint conditions. Because of the difficulty in finding a solution due to the model’s high nonlinearity and high dimensional complexity, as well as the special characteristics of the problem, a hybrid genetic algorithm is proposed to find the solutions. This article also provides a proof for the convergence of the designed algorithm. A series of simulation experiments demonstrates that the designed optimization model with constraints and the hybrid genetic algorithm can effectively solve the proposed minimal exposure path problem.
Efficient data delivery based on content-centric networking for Internet of Things applications
Authors: Bosunia Mahfuzur R , Hasan Kamrul , Nasir Nazib Abdun , Kwon Seonghyuck , Jeong Seong-Ho
Published: August 2016

Content-centric networking is a new networking paradigm for efficient data distribution in various environments including wireless sensor networks. It is likely that everything which benefits from networking will be connected. Recently, we have seen a huge proliferation of heterogeneous wireless devices, sensors, and distributed applications. These devices may generate a vast amount of time-constrained data. Content-centric networking is greatly useful to increase the data availability and the efficiency of data delivery. Internet of Things will enable all the communication devices to be interconnected and make the data generated by or associated with devices or objects globally accessible. In this article, we propose a possible architecture, necessary components, and related mechanisms for efficient data delivery in the wireless Internet of Things environment, which is based on content-centric networking. We also present simulation results to show the feasibility of the proposed architecture.
Communicating with participants during the conduct of multi-center clinical trials
Authors: Augustine Erika F , Dorsey E Ray , Hauser Robert A , Elm Jordan J , Tilley Barbara C , Kieburtz Karl K
Published: August 2016

Background:

Communicating with trial participants is an important aspect of study conduct, relevant for informed consent and respect for participants. Group teleconferences are one means to convey information to trial participants. We used group teleconferences during an ongoing large-scale clinical trial to communicate important trial updates.

Methods:

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Exploratory Trials in Parkinson’s Disease Longitudinal Study-1 trial studied creatine for treatment of early-stage Parkinson’s disease. A total of 1741 participants enrolled at 45 sites in the United States and Canada to take part in a double-blind randomized trial of 5 years of treatment with creatine versus placebo. The study leadership held two teleconferences with study participants and their caregivers after each of two pre-specified interim analyses, for a total of four teleconferences. Each agenda included a presentation by study leadership followed by an open question and answer period. Teleconference recordings were made available to all site personnel and trial participants. Recordings were reviewed and abstracted for themes and topics of the presentations, participant questions, and discussion. Number of participants, connection time for each participant, number of questions, and caller connection time were summarized using descriptive statistics. After the first teleconferences, participants who remained on the call until the end were invited to complete a voluntary, four-question survey about the teleconference process. During the second teleconferences, participants were notified of premature study closure.

Results:

There were 258 callers for the first pair of teleconferences and 604 callers for the second pair of teleconferences. Study leaders answered more than 110 questions from study participants and caregivers across all calls. The most frequently asked question themes related to study drug, Parkinson’s disease, side effects, future research, and data analysis. The initial teleconferences were well received by participants. Based on responses to the post-call survey, 98% (118/121) of participants found the call useful, 91% (115/127) were interested in future similar calls, 88% stated the call made them more likely to continue in the study (112/128), and 85% (90/106) were satisfied overall with study communications.

Conclusion:

Teleconferences provide a convenient way to communicate with trial participants and can be used during the conduct of clinical trials to convey study progress and other information. For multi-site trials, teleconferences enable participants to engage directly with study leadership and to ask questions. Survey respondents were highly satisfied with the group teleconference experience. Future research is needed to determine whether teleconferences improve participants’ satisfaction with clinical trial participation and improve retention.
Combination therapy with biologic agents in rheumatic diseases: current and future prospects
Authors: Inui Kentaro , Koike Tatsuya
Published: August 2016

Strategies in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) based on ‘treat to target’ aim to control disease activity, minimize structural damage, and promote longer life. Several disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) have been shown to be effective including biological DMARDs (bDMARDs). Treatment guidelines and recommendations for RA have also been published. According to those guidelines, conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs), as monotherapy or combination therapy, should be used in DMARD-naïve patients, irrespective of the addition of glucocorticoids (GCs). Combination therapies with bDMARDs are also essential for conducting treatment strategies for RA, because in every recommendation or guideline for the management of RA, combination therapies of csDMARDs with bDMARDs are recommended for RA patients with moderate or high disease activity after failure of csDMARD treatment. bDMARDs are more efficacious if used concomitantly with methotrexate (MTX) than with MTX monotherapy or bDMARD monotherapy. Thus, retention has been reported to be longer when combined with MTX. The superior efficacy of combination therapy compared with MTX monotherapy or bDMARD monotherapy could be because: (1) it could help to minimize MTX toxicity by reducing the dose of MTX, thus retention rate of the same therapeutic regimen would become high; (2) anti-bDMARD antibodies are observed at lower concentrations when using MTX concomitantly, so less clearance of bDMARDs via less formation of bDMARD and an anti-bDMARD immune complex; (3) of the additive effects of MTX to bDMARD, especially the combination of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFis) with MTX. Hence, evidence suggests that combination therapy with bDMARDs is more efficacious than monotherapy using a csDMARD or bDMARD, and that MTX is the best drug for this purpose (if MTX is not contraindicated). Finding the most effective drug regimen at the lowest cost will be the aim of RA treatment in the future.
How are allied health notes used for inpatient care and clinical decision-making? A qualitative exploration of the views of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals
Authors: Pain Tilley , Kingston Gail , Askern Janet , Smith Rebecca , Phillips Sandra , Bell Leanne
Published: August 2016

Background:

Inpatient care is dependent upon the effective transfer of clinical information across multiple professions. However, documented patient clinical information generated by different professions is not always successfully transferred between them. One obstacle to successful information transfer may be the reader’s perception of the information, which is framed in a particular professional context, rather than the information per se.

Objective:

The aim of this research was to investigate how different health professionals perceive allied health documentation and to investigate how clinicians of all experience levels across medicine, nursing and allied health perceive and use allied health notes to inform their decision-making and treatment of patients.

Method:

The study used a qualitative approach. A total of 53 speech pathologists, nurses, doctors, occupational therapists, dieticians and social workers (8 males; 43 females) from an Australian regional tertiary hospital participated in eleven single discipline focus groups, conducted over 4 months in 2012. Discussions were recorded and transcribed verbatim and coded into themes by content analysis.

Findings:

Six themes contributing to the efficacy of clinical information transference emerged from the data: day-to-day care, patient function, discharge and discharge planning, impact of busy workloads, format and structure of allied health documentation and a holistic approach to patient care.

Discussion:

Other professions read and used allied health notes albeit with differences in focus and need. Readers searched for specific pieces of information to answer their own questions and professional needs, in a process akin to purposive sampling. Staff used allied health notes to explore specific aspects of patient function but did not obtain a holistic picture.

Conclusion:

Improving both the relationship between the various health professions and interpretation of other professions’ documented clinical information may reduce the frequency of communication errors, thereby improving patient care.
A chronology of tactics: Art tackles Big Data and the environment
Authors: Singer Brooke
Published: August 2016

Today data art is a full-fledged and maturing artistic practice. Like painting, artists are creating new visuals and representations with data. Like sculpture, artists are recombining bits to build something new out of the commonplace. Like photography, artists are using data to mirror or reflect contemporary society. In my own practice for the last 15 years I have been using data (both sourced and generated) to make works at the intersection of art, design and activism with a recent focus on environmental topics. It is my belief that through improved representation of, access to and public involvement with data we can increase understanding of important issues (such as environmental degradation) and provoke behavioural and systemic change. In this paper, I will examine the evolution of my work using data as my medium as well as outline tactics for data art to promote change.
Racial Discrimination and Pathways to Delinquency
Authors: Unnever James D. , Cullen Francis T. , Barnes J. C.
Published: August 2016

The current study draws on two cohorts of African American youths from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, Longitudinal Cohort Study to examine whether perceived racial discrimination directly and indirectly affects juvenile delinquency. The analyses reveal that racial discrimination may foster offending by increasing (1) the likelihood that African American youths will drop out of school and (2) the degree to which they associate with delinquent peers. Evidence supporting the pathway between racial discrimination, associating with delinquent peers, and offending was found after introducing controls for demographic, social, and individual trait factors. In a society that remains racialized, it thus appears that a full explanation of African Americans’ offending should take into account the ways in which racial subordination may place African American youths on pathways that lead toward criminal involvement.
Two Cases of Rhabdomyolysis (Haff Disease) After Eating Carp Fish
Authors: Louis Joey V. , Sein Saw , Lyon Claudia , Apergis George
Published: August 2016

Unexplained rhabdomyolysis after eating fish is a rare condition caused by an unidentified toxin. Most of the incidences in the United States have been linked to consuming buffalo fish or crawfish. We present 2 cases of Haff disease in which the patients consumed grass carp as opposed to the usual suspects of buffalo fish or crawfish.
Disulfide HMGB1 derived from platelets coordinates venous thrombosis in mice
Authors: Stark Konstantin , Philippi Vanessa , Stockhausen Sven , Busse Johanna , Antonelli Antonella , Miller Meike , Schubert Irene , Hoseinpour Parandis , Chandraratne Sue , von Brühl Marie-Luise , Gaertner Florian , Lorenz Michael , Agresti Alessandra , Coletti Raffaele , Antoine Daniel J. , Heermann Ralf , Jung Kirsten , Reese Sven , Laitinen Iina , Schwaiger Markus , Walch Axel , Sperandio Markus , Nawroth Peter P. , Reinhardt Christoph , Jäckel Sven , Bianchi Marco E. , Massberg Steffen
Published: August 2016

Key Points

Sterile inflammation inducing venous thrombosis is coordinated by the damage-associated molecular pattern HMGB1 delivered by platelets. The effect of HMGB1 depends on the redox form, and disulfide HMGB1 induces NET formation, platelet aggregation, and monocyte activation.
CryGetter: a tool to automate retrieval and analysis of Cry protein data
Authors: Buzatto David , de Castro França Suzelei , Zingaretti Sônia Marli
Published: August 2016

Background

For many years, the use of chemical agents to control crop pests has been degrading the environment, bringing problems to humans and all living things. An alternative to deal with the pests is the use of biopesticides, biological agents capable of controlling these harmful organisms. One kind of biopesticide is Bacillus thuringiensis, a Gram-positive bacterium that synthesizes a protein that, when ingested by the pests, kills them and does not harm other species.

Results

Since the economical importance of Bacillus thuringiensis and its proteins significance, this work presents a software tool, called CryGetter, that is capable of retrieving data related to these proteins, store it and present it in a user friendly manner. The tool also aims to align the protein sequences and generate reports containing some statistical data concerning the alignments that were made.

Conclusions

CryGetter was created to help researchers of Bacillus thuringiensis and its proteins to speed up their data retrieval and analysis, allowing them to generate more accurate results. In this sense, the tool circumvents the error prone task of manually getting all the necessary data and processing them in various software systems to get the same result as CryGetter gets in a unique semiautomatic environment.
Minimal Residual Disease Assessment Improves Prediction of Outcome in Patients With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Who Achieve Partial Response: Comprehensive Analysis of Two Phase III Studies of the German CLL Study Group
Authors: Kovacs Gabor , Robrecht Sandra , Fink Anna Maria , Bahlo Jasmin , Cramer Paula , von Tresckow Julia , Maurer Christian , Langerbeins Petra , Fingerle-Rowson Günter , Ritgen Matthias , Kneba Michael , Döhner Hartmut , Stilgenbauer Stephan , Klapper Wolfram , Wendtner Clemens-Martin , Fischer Kirsten , Hallek Michael , Eichhorst Barbara , Böttcher Sebastian
Published: August 2016

Purpose

To determine the value of minimal residual disease (MRD) assessments, together with the evaluation of clinical response in chronic lymphocytic leukemia according to the 2008 International Workshop on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia criteria.

Patients and Methods

Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival of 554 patients from two randomized trials of the German CLL Study Group (CLL8: fludarabine and cyclophosphamide [FC] v FC plus rituximab; CLL10: FC plus rituximab v bendamustine plus rituximab) were analyzed according to MRD assessed in peripheral blood at a threshold of 10−4 and clinical response. The prognostic value of different parameters defining a partial response (PR) was further investigated.

Results

Patients with MRD-negative complete remission (CR), MRD-negative PR, MRD-positive CR, and MRD-positive PR experienced a median PFS from a landmark at end of treatment of 61 months, 54 months, 35 months, and 21 months, respectively. PFS did not differ significantly between MRD-negative CR and MRD-negative PR; however, PFS was longer for MRD-negative PR than for MRD-positive CR ( P = .048) and for MRD-positive CR compared with MRD-positive PR ( P = .002). Compared with MRD-negative CR, only patients with MRD-positive PR had a significantly shorter overall survival (not reached v 72 months; P = .001), whereas there was no detectable difference for patients with MRD-negative PR or MRD-positive CR ( P = 0.612 and P = 0.853, respectively). Patients with MRD-negative PR who presented with residual splenomegaly had only a similar PFS (63 months) compared with patients with MRD-negative CR (61 months; P = .354), whereas patients with MRD-negative PR with lymphadenopathy showed a shorter PFS (31 months; P < .001).

Conclusion

MRD quantification allows for improved PFS prediction in both patients who achive PR and CR, which thus supports its application in all responders. In contrast to residual lymphadenopathy, persisting splenomegaly does not impact outcome in patients with MRD-negative PR.