bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessment of flow‐mediated dilatation in the superficial femoral artery using a sustained shear stress stimulus via calf plantar‐flexion exercise
Authors: King T. J. , Schmitter S. M. , Pyke K. E.
Published: February 2017

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

The aim was to establish the ability of a newly designed leg exercise technique to produce sustained elevations in shear rate that stimulate flow‐mediated dilatation (FMD) in the superficial femoral artery and to determine the repeat trial stability of the FMD response.

What is the main finding and its importance?

Calf plantar‐flexion exercise can be used to increase shear stress and stimulate FMD in the superficial femoral artery. However, the magnitude of FMD varied systematically when multiple trials were repeated in short succession.

The superficial femoral artery (SFA) is susceptible to vascular disease, and a technique to assess flow‐mediated dilatation (FMD) in this vessel in response to a sustained shear stress stimulus could provide important information about endothelial function. The aim of this study was to establish the ability of a newly designed SFA leg exercise–FMD (LEX‐FMD) technique to produce sustained elevations in shear rate, which stimulate FMD, and to determine the repeat trial stability of the FMD response. The SFA FMD stimulated by reactive hyperaemia (RH) and calf plantar‐flexion exercise (LEX) was assessed via ultrasound in 19 healthy men (n = 10) and women (n = 9). The two experimental visits included either four trials of LEX‐FMD or four trials of RH‐FMD. The shear stress stimulus was estimated as the shear rate (blood velocity/SFA diameter). Results are expressed as the means ± SD. The LEX steady‐state shear rate was consistent between trials (P = 0.176), whereas the RH shear rate area under the curve was higher in trial 1 versus trials 2–4 (P < 0.05). The %RH‐FMD (four‐trial mean 4.9 ± 2.5%) and absolute RH‐FMD were not significantly different between trials (P = 0.465 and P = 0.359, respectively). Both %LEX‐FMD and absolute LEX‐FMD were higher during trial 3 (4.8 ± 3.4%) than trial 1 (3.6 ± 2.7%; P = 0.026 and P = 0.026, respectively). The magnitude of RH‐FMD and LEX‐FMD did not differ (P = 0.241). These results indicate that calf plantar‐flexion exercise can be used to increase shear stress and stimulate FMD in the SFA. However, although SFA RH‐FMD was stable across four trials, LEX‐FMD varied systematically when multiple trials were repeated in rapid succession.
Transient Heat Conduction in On-Chip Interconnects Using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition Method
Authors: Barabadi Banafsheh , Kumar Satish , Joshi Yogendra K.
Published: February 2017

A major challenge in maintaining quality and reliability in today's microelectronics chips comes from the ever increasing levels of integration in the device fabrication, as well as from the high current densities. Transient Joule heating in the on-chip interconnect metal lines with characteristic sizes of tens of nanometer, can lead to thermomechanical fatigue and failure due to the thermal expansion coefficient mismatch between different materials. Full-field simulations of nearly a billion interconnects in a modern microprocessor are infeasible due to the grid size requirements. To prevent premature device failures, a rapid predictive capability for the thermal response of on-chip interconnects is essential. This work develops a two-dimensional (2D) transient heat conduction framework to analyze inhomogeneous domains, using a reduced-order modeling approach based on proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and Galerkin projection. POD modes are generated by using a representative step function as the heat source. The model rapidly predicted the transient thermal behavior of the system for several cases, without generating any new observations, and using just a few POD modes.
Leading Edge Jet Impingement Under High Rotation Numbers
Authors: Elston Cassius A. , Wright Lesley M.
Published: February 2017

The effect of rotation on jet impingement cooling is experimentally investigated in this study. Pressurized cooling air is supplied to a smooth, square channel in the radial outward direction. To model leading edge impingement in a gas turbine, jets are formed from a single row of discrete holes. The cooling air from the first pass is expelled through the holes, with the jets impinging on a semi-circular, concave surface. The inlet Reynolds number varied from 10,000 to 40,000 in the square supply channel. The rotation number and buoyancy parameter varied from 0 to 1.4 and 0 to 6.6 near the inlet of the channel, and as coolant is extracted for jet impingement, the rotation and buoyancy numbers can exceed 10 and 500 near the end of the passage. The average jet Reynolds number varied from 6000 to 24,000, and the jet rotation number varied from 0 to 0.13. For all test cases, the jet-to-jet spacing (s/djet = 4), the jet-to-target surface spacing (l/djet = 3.2), and the impingement surface diameter-to-diameter (D/djet = 6.4) were held constant. A steady-state technique was implemented to determine regionally averaged Nusselt numbers on the leading and trailing surfaces inside the supply channel and three spanwise locations on the concave target surface. It was observed that in all rotating test cases, the Nusselt numbers deviated from those measured in a nonrotating channel. The degree of separation between the leading and trailing surface increased with increasing rotation number. Near the inlet of the channel, heat transfer was dominated by entrance effects, however moving downstream, the local rotation number increased, and the effect of rotation was more pronounced. The effect of rotation on the target surface was most clearly seen in the absence of crossflow. With pure jet impingement, the deflection of the impinging jet combined with the rotation-induced secondary flows offered increased mixing within the impingement cavity and enhanced heat transfer. In the presence of strong crossflow of the spent air, the same level of heat transfer is measured in both the stationary and rotating channels.
Reducing falls after hospital discharge: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial evaluating an individualised multimodal falls education programme for older adults
Authors: Hill Anne-Marie , Etherton-Beer Christopher , McPhail Steven M , Morris Meg E , Flicker Leon , Shorr Ronald , Bulsara Max , Lee Den-Ching , Francis-Coad Jacqueline , Waldron Nicholas , Boudville Amanda , Haines Terry
Published: February 2017

Introduction

Older adults frequently fall after discharge from hospital. Older people may have low self-perceived risk of falls and poor knowledge about falls prevention. The primary aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of providing tailored falls prevention education in addition to usual care on falls rates in older people after discharge from hospital compared to providing a social intervention in addition to usual care.

Methods and analyses

The ‘Back to My Best’ study is a multisite, single blind, parallel-group randomised controlled trial with blinded outcome assessment and intention-to-treat analysis, adhering to CONSORT guidelines. Patients (n=390) (aged 60 years or older; score more than 7/10 on the Abbreviated Mental Test Score; discharged to community settings) from aged care rehabilitation wards in three hospitals will be recruited and randomly assigned to one of two groups. Participants allocated to the control group shall receive usual care plus a social visit. Participants allocated to the experimental group shall receive usual care and a falls prevention programme incorporating a video, workbook and individualised follow-up from an expert health professional to foster capability and motivation to engage in falls prevention strategies. The primary outcome is falls rates in the first 6 months after discharge, analysed using negative binomial regression with adjustment for participant's length of observation in the study. Secondary outcomes are injurious falls rates, the proportion of people who become fallers, functional status and health-related quality of life. Healthcare resource use will be captured from four sources for 6 months after discharge. The study is powered to detect a 30% relative reduction in the rate of falls (negative binomial incidence ratio 0.70) for a control rate of 0.80 falls per person over 6 months.

Ethics and dissemination

Results will be presented in peer-reviewed journals and at conferences worldwide. This study is approved by hospital and university Human Research Ethics Committees.

Trial registration number

ACTRN12615000784516.
Death of outrage over talking about dying
Authors: Bhavsar Nrupen A , Constand Sara , Harker Matthew , Taylor Donald H
Published: February 2017

Objectives

We examined public reaction to the proposed Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services rule reimbursing physicians for advanced care planning (ACP) discussions with patients.

Methods

Public comments made on regulations.gov were reviewed for relevance to ACP policy and their perceived position on ACP (ie, positive, negative and neutral). Descriptive statistics were used to quantify the results.

Results

A total of 2225 comments were submitted to regulations.gov. On review, 69.0% were categorised as irrelevant; among relevant comments (n=689), 81.1% were positive, 18.6% were negative and 0.002% were neutral. Individuals submitted a greater percentage of the total comments as compared to organisations (63.5% and 36.5%, respectively).

Conclusions

The US Medicare programme is a tax financed social insurance programme that covers all patients 65 years of age and older, including 8 in 10 decedents annually, and it is the part of the US healthcare system most similar to the rest of world. There has been a trend globally towards recognising the importance of aligning patient preferences with care options, including palliative care to deal with advanced life limiting illness. However, ACP is not widely used in the USA, potentially reducing the use of palliative care. Reimbursing ACP discussions between physicians, patients and their family has the potential to have a large impact on the quality of life of persons near death, which can greatly impact public health and the comfort in dealing with our ultimate demise.
Anti-inflammatory effects of dabrafenib in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Lee In-Chul , Kim Jongdoo , Bae Jong-Sup
Published: February 2017

The screening of bioactive compound libraries can be an effective approach for repositioning FDA-approved drugs or discovering new treatments for human diseases (drug repositioning). Drug repositioning refers to the development of existing drugs for new indications. Dabrafenib (DAB) is a B-Raf inhibitor and initially used for the treatment of metastatic melanoma therapy. Here, we tested the possible use of DAB in the treatment of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated vascular inflammatory responses. The anti-inflammatory activities of DAB were determined by measuring permeability, neutrophils adhesion and migration, and activation of pro-inflammatory proteins in LPS-activated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and mice. We found that DAB inhibited LPS-induced barrier disruption, expression of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), and adhesion and transendothelial migration of neutrophils to human endothelial cells. DAB also suppressed LPS-induced hyperpermeability and leukocytes migration in vivo. Furthermore, DAB suppressed the production of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) or interleukin (IL)-6 and the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) or extracellular regulated kinases (ERK) 1/2 by LPS. Moreover, treatment with DAB resulted in reduced LPS-induced lethal endotoxemia. These results suggest that DAB possesses anti-inflammatory functions by inhibiting hyperpermeability, expression of CAMs, and adhesion and migration of leukocytes, thereby endorsing its usefulness as a therapy for vascular inflammatory diseases.
Comparative empirical analysis of flow-weighted transit route networks in R-space and evolution modeling
Authors: Huang Ailing , Zang Guangzhi , He Zhengbing , Guan Wei
Published: February 2017

Urban public transit system is a typical mixed complex network with dynamic flow, and its evolution should be a process coupling topological structure with flow dynamics, which has received little attention. This paper presents the R-space to make a comparative empirical analysis on Beijing’s flow-weighted transit route network (TRN) and we found that both the Beijing’s TRNs in the year of 2011 and 2015 exhibit the scale-free properties. As such, we propose an evolution model driven by flow to simulate the development of TRNs with consideration of the passengers’ dynamical behaviors triggered by topological change. The model simulates that the evolution of TRN is an iterative process. At each time step, a certain number of new routes are generated driven by travel demands, which leads to dynamical evolution of new routes’ flow and triggers perturbation in nearby routes that will further impact the next round of opening new routes. We present the theoretical analysis based on the mean-field theory, as well as the numerical simulation for this model. The results obtained agree well with our empirical analysis results, which indicate that our model can simulate the TRN evolution with scale-free properties for distributions of node’s strength and degree. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the global evolutional mechanism of transit network that will be used to exploit planning and design strategies for real TRNs.
‘A charm to impose on the vulgar’: the medicinal and magical applications of the snakestone bead within the British Isles
Authors: Pymm Rachael
Published: February 2017

The medicinal uses of the snakestone bead within the British Isles are surveyed and considered for the first time. The snakestone beads of the British Isles – often annular beads formed of glass or paste, but also other items similar in form – were employed against a variety of ailments, including several of the most deadly childhood diseases of the nineteenth century: teething, whooping cough and ague. In addition, they were used in the treatment of livestock and as a remedy for eye diseases. The eighteenth century saw the snakestone beads conflated with the hag-stone and employed as an amulet against witches and evil spirits.
Archaeological medicinal earths as antibacterial agents: the case of the Basel Lemnian
sphragides
Authors: Photos-Jones E. , Edwards C. , Häner F. , Lawton L. , Keane C. , Leanord A. , Perdikatsis V.
Published: February 2017

This paper presents the scientific investigation of three Lemnian
sphragides
(
terra sigillata
, stamped earth), a famed medicinal clay in antiquity, dated to the sixteenth–seventeenth centuries, and presently in the Museum for the History of Pharmacy, University of Basel. The three specimens are compared with clays from the purported locality of its extraction, at Kotsinas, NE Lemnos, Greece. The study suggests a local origin for the Basel samples; it also demonstrates, for the first time, that the three Lemnian
sphragides
have a significant antibacterial effect against
Staphylococcus aureus
, a common Gram-positive pathogen, but have no such effect against
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, a Gram-negative microorganism. Clay samples from the purported locality of extraction showed no antibacterial effect against
S. aureus
. Subsequent analysis with ultra-performance liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) revealed the presence of organic constituents in one
sphragis
which were absent from a sample of modern clay. A fungal secondary metabolite is proposed here as the active ingredient but other factors may also play a role. The ongoing investigation into the bioactivity of some medicinal clays might aid in the re-evaluation of Belon's statement included at the start of this paper, namely, that the Lemnian earth worked only because people in the past wished it to work.
Gastrointestinal immune and microbiome changes during parenteral nutrition
Authors: Pierre Joseph F.
Published: February 2017

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a lifesaving therapy that provides intravenous nutrition support to patients who cannot, or should not, feed via the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Unfortunately, PN also carries certain risks related to infection and metabolic complications compared with enteral nutrition. In this review, an overview of PN and GI immune and microbiome changes is provided. PN impacts the gut-associated lymphoid tissue functions, especially adaptive immune cells, changes the intestinal epithelium and chemical secretions, and significantly alters the intestinal microbiome. Collectively, these changes functionally result in increased susceptibility to infectious and injurious challenge. Since PN remains necessary in large numbers of patients, the search to improve outcomes by stimulating GI immune function during PN remains of interest. This review closes by describing recent advances in using enteric nervous system neuropeptides or microbially derived products during PN, which may improve GI parameters by maintaining immunity and physiology.
Optogenetic identification of hypothalamic orexin neuron projections to paraventricular spinally projecting neurons
Authors: Dergacheva Olga , Yamanaka Akihiro , Schwartz Alan R. , Polotsky Vsevolod Y. , Mendelowitz David
Published: February 2017

Orexin neurons, and activation of orexin receptors, are generally thought to be sympathoexcitatory; however, the functional connectivity between orexin neurons and a likely sympathetic target, the hypothalamic spinally projecting neurons (SPNs) in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) has not been established. To test the hypothesis that orexin neurons project directly to SPNs in the PVN, channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) was selectively expressed in orexin neurons to enable photoactivation of ChR2-expressing fibers while examining evoked postsynaptic currents in SPNs in rat hypothalamic slices. Selective photoactivation of orexin fibers elicited short-latency postsynaptic currents in all SPNs tested ( n = 34). These light-triggered responses were heterogeneous, with a majority being excitatory glutamatergic responses (59%) and a minority of inhibitory GABAergic (35%) and mixed glutamatergic and GABAergic currents (6%). Both glutamatergic and GABAergic responses were present in the presence of tetrodotoxin and 4-aminopyridine, suggesting a monosynaptic connection between orexin neurons and SPNs. In addition to generating postsynaptic responses, photostimulation facilitated action potential firing in SPNs (current clamp configuration). Glutamatergic, but not GABAergic, postsynaptic currents were diminished by application of the orexin receptor antagonist almorexant, indicating orexin release facilitates glutamatergic neurotransmission in this pathway. This work identifies a neuronal circuit by which orexin neurons likely exert sympathoexcitatory control of cardiovascular function.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY This is the first study to establish, using innovative optogenetic approaches in a transgenic rat model, that there are robust heterogeneous projections from orexin neurons to paraventricular spinally projecting neurons, including excitatory glutamatergic and inhibitory GABAergic neurotransmission. Endogenous orexin release modulates glutamatergic, but not GABAergic, neurotransmission in these pathways.
Responsabilidade e carga psíquica na gestão de risco
Authors: Domingos Maria de Lurdes Costa , Lins Leandro de Lima Borges
Published: February 2017

Este trabalho visa analisar a responsabilidade e a carga psíquica na gestão de risco. Observa-se que historicamente risco e responsabilidade estão intrinsecamente associados. Discute-se a emergência e o desenvolvimento da responsabilidade na interação entre a dinâmica psíquica individual e o contexto ambiental. Reflete-se sobre a carga psíquica que a gestão de risco no gerenciamento da excelência exerce sobre o trabalhador. A amostra foi realizada nos setores de petróleo e gás, segurança pública do estado do Rio de Janeiro, investimentos e também na gestão de multidões e grandes eventos. Os dados, coletados em duas entrevistas abertas e oito entrevistas semiestruturadas, foram submetidos à análise de conteúdo. Os resultados indicaram que os gestores de risco de organizações contemporâneas possuem altos níveis de ansiedade mobilizada pela cobrança interna e externa para prevenir desastres em um futuro incerto. Sugere-se o desenvolvimento de mecanismos organizacionais que favoreçam a oxigenação da tensão que mobiliza esse profissional ao enfrentamento dos riscos ameaçadores do viver saudável.
Perfil profissional e sociodemográfico dos terapeutas ocupacionais do Estado do Paraná, Brasil
Authors: Mariotti Milton Carlos , Bernardelli Rafaella Stradiotto , Nickel Renato , Zegbhbi Abdo Augusto , Teixeira Maria Luiza Vautier , Costa Filho Ruy Moreira da
Published: February 2017

O conhecimento do perfil dos terapeutas ocupacionais, tendências na formação e mercado de trabalho permitem o vislumbre da identidade da profissão e a projeção de tendências futuras. Objetivo: Traçar o perfil profissional e sociodemográfico de terapeutas ocupacionais do Paraná em 2015. Método: Pesquisa quantitativa, observacional, de caráter transversal, realizada por meio de questionário respondido por amostra representativa de 188 dos 680 profissionais inscritos no Conselho Profissional. Resultados: O conjunto de profissionais do Paraná inscritos é constituído predominantemente por mulheres jovens e se concentra na capital do estado. A maioria graduou-se nos últimos 10 anos, possui pós-graduação latu sensu, porém poucos possuem mestrado ou doutorado. A maioria trabalha exclusivamente na profissão, num único emprego, em instituição pública, com carga horária de 6 horas diárias. As principais áreas de atuação são Saúde Mental, Saúde Funcional, Contextos Sociais e Contextos Hospitalares . A renda mensal varia entre o piso e 4 mil reais. Conclusão: Nos últimos 15 anos houve aumento expressivo no número de profissionais e na qualificação deles. O perfil profissional demonstrou que a profissão está em fase de amadurecimento e consolidação no mercado de trabalho.
III Seminário Nacional de Pesquisa em Terapia Ocupacional: Contribuições para o Desenvolvimento da Área.
Authors: Oliver Fátima Corrêa , Lopes Roseli Esquerdo , Malfitano Ana Paula Serrata , Silva Ana Cristina Cardoso da , Silva Rodrigo Alves dos Santos
Published: February 2017

Desde o ano de 2009, com o I Seminário Nacional de Pesquisa em Terapia Ocupacional (SNPTO), os pesquisadores da área discutem a institucionalização acadêmica e a produção do conhecimento em terapia ocupacional. Este relato descreve e analisa o III SNPTO, realizado em 2014, na Universidade Federal da Paraíba, por meio do estudo de relatórios do evento e a análise descritiva dos trabalhos publicados em seus Anais. Também são apresentados e discutidos os perfis dos participantes e indicadas as discussões e contribuições dos relatos dos 10 Grupos Temáticos de Trabalho realizados no evento. A análise de dados indica que a maior parte dos participantes era docente de instituições públicas. Em relação ao evento anterior, houve aumento do número de trabalhos e maior compromisso com a produção de conhecimento na área, observado pelo crescimento de pesquisas apresentadas, grande parte decorrente de experiências com dados empíricos sobre as práticas profissionais. Os participantes reconhecem a necessidade de se alcançar maior legitimidade no âmbito científico da profissão para acesso a apoio de agências de financiamento à pesquisa e maior institucionalidade acadêmica e indicaram a importância da continuidade desse evento.
Prognostic Impacts of Plasma Levels of Cyclophilin A in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Ohtsuki Tomohiro , Satoh Kimio , Omura Junichi , Kikuchi Nobuhiro , Satoh Taijyu , Kurosawa Ryo , Nogi Masamichi , Sunamura Shinichiro , Yaoita Nobuhiro , Aoki Tatsuo , Tatebe Shunsuke , Sugimura Koichiro , Takahashi Jun , Miyata Satoshi , Shimokawa Hiroaki
Published: February 2017

Objective—

Cyclophilin A (CyPA) is secreted from vascular smooth muscle cells, inflammatory cells, and activated platelets in response to oxidative stress. We have recently demonstrated that plasma CyPA level is a novel biomarker for diagnosing coronary artery disease. However, it remains to be elucidated whether plasma CyPA levels also have a prognostic impact in such patients.

Approach and Results—

In 511 consecutive patients undergoing diagnostic coronary angiography, we measured the plasma levels of CyPA, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and brain natriuretic peptide and evaluated their prognostic impacts during the follow-up (42 months, interquartile range: 25–55 months). Higher CyPA levels (≥12 ng/mL) were significantly associated with all-cause death, rehospitalization, and coronary revascularization. Higher hsCRP levels (≥1 mg/L) were also significantly correlated with the primary end point and all-cause death, but not with rehospitalization or coronary revascularization. Similarly, higher brain natriuretic peptide levels (≥100 pg/mL) were significantly associated with all-cause death and rehospitalization, but not with coronary revascularization. Importantly, the combination of CyPA (≥12 ng/mL) and hsCRP (≥1 mg/L) was more significantly associated with all-cause death (hazard ratio, 21.2; 95% confidence interval, 4.9–92.3,;
P
<0.001) than CyPA (≥12 ng/mL) or hsCRP (≥1 mg/L) alone.

Conclusions—

The results indicate that plasma CyPA levels can be used to predict all-cause death, rehospitalization, and coronary revascularization in patients with coronary artery disease and that when combined with other biomarkers (hsCRP and brain natriuretic peptide levels), the CyPA levels have further enhanced prognostic impacts in those patients.
Review of the mirine plant bug genus Eurystylus Stål from Japan and Taiwan (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Mirinae), with descriptions of two new species, a new synonymy and a new combination
Authors: YASUNAGA TOMOHIDE , NAKATANI YUKINOBU , CHÉROT FRÉDÉRIC
Published: February 2017

Species of the Old World mirine plant bug genus Eurystylus Stål (the Head Bugs) in Japan and Taiwan are reviewed. Four species are currently recognized. Two new species are diagnosed and described: E. ryukyus n. sp. (from SW Japan and Taiwan) and E. jingfui n. sp. (Taiwan). Two known species, E. coelestialium (Kirkaldy) and E. sauteri Poppius, are diagnosed; new distributional records are added for the latter. Two keys are provided to aid the identifications of (1) Eurystylus and four related genera and (2) the species of Eurystylus known from Japan and Taiwan. The phylogenetic relationships of Eurystylus with the assumed related genera are discussed. Eurystylomorpha Poppius is synonymized with Eurystylopsis Poppius, and a new combination, Eurystylopsis crassicornis (Poppius), is accordingly proposed.
Pattern and Significance of Asymptomatic Elevation of Liver Enzymes in Mycoplasma Pneumonia in Children
Authors: Jujaray Deepti , Juan Liu Zheng , Shrestha Shraddha , Ballgobin Ashiana
Published: February 2017

Mycoplasma infection is on the rise in recent times. It usually infects any system, including liver. This study aims to show the significance of elevated liver enzymes in mycoplasma pneumonia and to have a look at future prospects. This is a single-center retrospective study involving 105 children serologically positive for mycoplasma IgM and IgG antibodies and 50 with community-acquired pneumonia caused by organisms other than mycoplasma and Epstein-Barr virus from June 2015 to June 2016 and all without prior liver disease. The patients were followed after 10 days (7-14 days). The liver enzymes were significantly elevated in Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. The mean levels of alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase were 39.3 and 32.5 IU/L, respectively. There was a seasonal variation during the months of September and February. Liver involvement in mycoplasma pneumonia is mostly a benign condition and asymptomatic. It is insisted that children with continued elevation should be followed conservatively to avoid unnecessary diagnostic procedures in the future.
Reducing Antibiotic Exposure in Suspected Neonatal Sepsis
Authors: Grant Christopher Henry , Arnott Andrew , Brook Tim , Horne Alice , Hurst William , Kelly Sarah , Lang Christina , Payne Madeleine , Pert Hannah , Sparrow Sarah , Dokubo Pakaye Anne , Bee Natalie , Gibbs Ruth , Becher Julie-Clare
Published: February 2017

Prolonged antibiotic therapy is associated with antimicrobial resistance and increased mortality in preterm infants. We evaluated the impact of an automatic stop order (ASO) and C-reactive protein (CRP) on the duration of antibiotics and level of intervention in infants screened for early-onset sepsis who had negative cultures. We introduced an ASO for low-risk infants, then, consequently, for all infants treated for suspected sepsis. We subsequently introduced a single CRP measurement at 36 hours. Between 2011 and 2014, 4 time periods were studied, at baseline and after each intervention. The proportion of infants receiving ≤48 hours of antibiotics increased from 19% to 72.5% ( P < .0001), whereas that of infants receiving avoidable doses (>48 hours and <5 days) fell from 50% to 0.8% ( P < .0001). The use of an ASO decreased the proportion receiving avoidable doses from 26/92 (28.3%) to 9/293 (3.1%); P < .0001. There was a reduction in lumbar punctures performed, from 35% to 20%; P = .015.
Strategic Logic of Elite Purges in Dictatorships
Authors: Sudduth Jun Koga
Published: February 2017

Why do some leaders eliminate rivals from authoritarian regimes and therefore diminish elites’ capabilities to remove them via coup, while others do not? By examining both dictators’ incentives and opportunities to weaken regime elites, I show that dictators are more likely to eliminate rivals when elites’ capabilities to oust dictators are temporarily low. Thus, somewhat paradoxically, my theory predicts that dictators are more likely to weaken elites’ capabilities as the threat of coup decreases rather than when coup risk is high. Furthermore, I argue that successful coups that put new dictators in power temporarily diminish elites’ capabilities to remove dictators and, thus, provide a window of opportunity for the dictators to take steps to consolidate power. Empirical results using a new dataset on purges of militaries from 1969 to 2003 provide strong evidence for my hypotheses.
Babur: Salt, Social Closeness and Friendship
Authors: Gordon Stewart
Published: February 2017

This article explores whether the concept of ‘friendship’ is a useful and basic category for the analysis of South Asian history. It begins with a variety of characteristics of relationships that social science has identified as friendship. It then explores the Baburnama, focusing on the social closeness or social distance of several groups and individuals, such as queens, allied leaders, blood kin, clerics and recruits. None were socially close enough to Babur to merit the term friendship. In contrast to these more distant relations, some of the men in proximity to Babur were, indeed, very close. Babur uses two Turkish terms to describe these men. The first term is Içki, which translates as ‘Inner men’, that is, the small group of men (perhaps fifteen in number) who fought next to Babur in battle and often ate with him. They formed his guard at night. The second term is kukäldash, which translates as ‘breast brother’, meaning the few men who shared the same wet nurse as Babur. These men grew up with Babur and were his closest friends. He mourned bitterly when one was killed. Overall, Babur did have friends and companions who were loyal through thick and thin. They formed the very centre of his household troops and the centre of his army.
Understanding the Roles of Organizational Identification, Trust and Corporate Ethical Values in Employee Engagement–Organizational Citizenship Behaviour Relationship: A Study on Indian Managers
Authors: Srivastava Shalini , Madan Poornima
Published: February 2017

The rationale of the study is to comprehend the roles of organizational identification, trust and corporate ethical values (CEV) in employee engagement–organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) relationship. The study was administered on 246 middle-level managers who were representatives of 30 different public and private sector organizations in Delhi National Capital Region. The results of the study confirmed the hypotheses. The results of the study confirmed that organizational identification, trust and CEV moderate the employee engagement–OCB relationship. Organizations need to recognize that OCB are helping behaviours contributing appreciably to organizational effectiveness; such behaviours daub the social machinery of the organizations, plummeting conflicts and thereby augmenting organizational effectiveness. These behaviours offer a litheness, which goes beyond the job description and provides direction to work behaviour of individuals in organization. Understanding the relationship between these variables will help both public and private sector organizations about the role of organizational identification, trust and CEV in employee engagement–OCB relationship.
News for assimilation or integration? Examining the functions of news in shaping acculturation experiences of immigrants in the Netherlands and Spain
Authors: Alencar Amanda , Deuze Mark
Published: February 2017

This study investigates the functions of news media in shaping acculturation experiences of new economic and refugee immigrants in the Netherlands and Spain. Focus group data revealed that consumption of host country news media was mainly connected to immigrants’ deliberate strategies to assimilate the culture, politics and language of the host society, while exposure to transnational news was viewed in terms of strategies of integration in both countries. We also observed that participants’ educational background and language skills combined with their perceptions of the host country’s news have an impact on the use they make of news for assimilating and/or integrating into the host society. Finally, important sociopolitical conditions of the context influenced the ways participants use the news media in their process of acculturation.
Leisure activities and mobility device use among very old people in Latvia and in Sweden
Authors: Kylberg Marianne , Löfqvist Charlotte , Horstmann Vibeke , Iwarsson Susanne
Published: February 2017

Introduction

Opportunities for leisure activities and physical mobility are important for the ageing population. Therefore, we aim to describe leisure activities outside the home among very old (over 80 years of age) users and non-users of mobility devices in two European countries.

Method

Survey data on mobility device use, self-rated physical mobility and leisure activities outside the home were utilised for a Latvian ( n = 225) and Swedish ( n = 314) sample. Differences in type and number of leisure activities were studied between the countries and for four groups of participants according to use/non-use of and level of physical mobility.

Results

Significant differences in type and number of leisure activities were seen between the national samples and among the participant groups. In general, each participant group in the Swedish sample reported more leisure activities than did those in the Latvian sample. Non-users with good physical mobility reported significantly more leisure activities than all other participant groups.

Conclusion

There are differences between the two national contexts in the type and number of leisure activities reported. To support very old people’s participation in outdoor leisure activities, we need more knowledge as to how physical, institutional and sociocultural environments affect very old people’s opportunities to engage in and perform such activities.
The hustle economy
Authors: Thieme Tatiana Adeline
Published: February 2017

This article deploys the conceptual frame of hustle to examine the everyday dealings associated with uncertainty and accepted informalities that pervade realms of everyday life amongst youth in precarious urban geographies. In doing so, the discussion advances the theoretical linkages between prolonged periods of ‘waithood’, alternative interpretations of work, and experiments within the everyday city more broadly. The article argues that the hustle economy is a localized but globally resonant condition of contemporary urbanism, coupling generative possibilities that emerge from everyday experiences of uncertainty and management of insecurities associated with ‘life work’ outside the bounds of normative social institutions.
“This Is How We Work Here”: Informal Logic and Social Order in Primary Health Care Services in Mexico City
Authors: Saavedra Nayelhi Itandehui , Berenzon Shoshana , Galván Jorge
Published: February 2017

People who work in health care facilities participate in a shared set of tacit agreements, attitudes, habits, and behaviors that contribute to the functioning of those institutions, but that can also cause conflict. This phenomenon has been addressed tangentially in the study of bureaucratic practices in governmental agencies, but it has not been carefully explored in the specific context of public health care centers. To this end, we analyzed a series of encounters among staff and patients, as well as the situations surrounding the services offered, in public primary care health centers in Mexico City, based on Erving Goffman’s concepts of social order, encounter, and situation, and on the concepts of formal and informal logic. In a descriptive study over the course of 2 years, we carried out systematic observations in 19 health centers and conducted interviews with medical, technical, and administrative staff, and psychologists, social workers, and patients. We recorded these observations in field notes and performed reflexive analysis with readings on three different levels. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed through identification of thematic categories and subcategories. Information related to encounters and situations from field notes and interviews was selected to triangulate the materials. We found the social order prevailing among staff to be based on a combination of status markers, such as educational level, seniority, and employee versus contractor status, which define the distribution of workloads, material resources, and space. Although this system generates conflicts, it also contributes to the smooth functioning of the health centers. The daily encounters and situations in all of these health centers allow for a set of informal practices that provide a temporary resolution of the contradictions posed by the institution for its workers.
Beyond spatial scalability limitations with a massively parallel method for linear oscillatory problems
Authors: Schreiber Martin , Peixoto Pedro S , Haut Terry , Wingate Beth
Published: February 2017

This paper presents, discusses and analyses a massively parallel-in-time solver for linear oscillatory partial differential equations, which is a key numerical component for evolving weather, ocean, climate and seismic models. The time parallelization in this solver allows us to significantly exceed the computing resources used by parallelization-in-space methods and results in a correspondingly significantly reduced wall-clock time. One of the major difficulties of achieving Exascale performance for weather prediction is that the strong scaling limit – the parallel performance for a fixed problem size with an increasing number of processors – saturates. A main avenue to circumvent this problem is to introduce new numerical techniques that take advantage of time parallelism. In this paper, we use a time-parallel approximation that retains the frequency information of oscillatory problems. This approximation is based on (a) reformulating the original problem into a large set of independent terms and (b) solving each of these terms independently of each other which can now be accomplished on a large number of high-performance computing resources. Our results are conducted on up to 3586 cores for problem sizes with the parallelization-in-space scalability limited already on a single node. We gain significant reductions in the time-to-solution of 118.3× for spectral methods and 1503.0× for finite-difference methods with the parallelization-in-time approach. A developed and calibrated performance model gives the scalability limitations a priori for this new approach and allows us to extrapolate the performance of the method towards large-scale systems. This work has the potential to contribute as a basic building block of parallelization-in-time approaches, with possible major implications in applied areas modelling oscillatory dominated problems.
Determination of multidirectional myocardial deformations in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy by using two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography
Authors: Suzuki Ryohei , Mochizuki Yohei , Yoshimatsu Hiroki , Teshima Takahiro , Matsumoto Hirotaka , Koyama Hidekazu
Published: February 2017

Objectives

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a primary disorder of the myocardium, is the most common cardiac disease in cats. However, determination of myocardial deformation with two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography in cats with various stages of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has not yet been reported. This study was designed to measure quantitatively multidirectional myocardial deformations of cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Methods

Thirty-two client-owned cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and 14 healthy cats serving as controls were enrolled and underwent assessment of myocardial deformation (peak systolic strain and strain rate) in the longitudinal, radial and circumferential directions.

Results

Longitudinal and radial deformations were reduced in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, despite normal systolic function determined by conventional echocardiography. Cats with severely symptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy also had lower peak systolic circumferential strain, in addition to longitudinal and radial strain.

Conclusions and relevance

Longitudinal and radial deformation may be helpful in the diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Additionally, the lower circumferential deformation in cats with severe hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may contribute to clinical findings of decompensation, and seems to be related to severe cardiac clinical signs. Indices of multidirectional myocardial deformations by two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography may be useful markers and help to distinguish between cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and healthy cats. Additionally, they may provide more detailed assessment of contractile function in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Disenchantment of the world: Weber, Judaism, and Maimonides
Authors: Zisook Jonathan J
Published: February 2017

One of the central comparative-historical features of Max Weber’s sociology of religion is his theory of disenchantment, whereby magical forms of social action come to be eclipsed by religious forms. This article explicates Weber’s theory of disenchantment, underscoring his original distinction between magic and religion, while emphasizing the unique and often underappreciated position Judaism occupies in Weber’s theory. I accord special significance to the philosopher Maimonides as a medieval expositor of an ideal typically disenchanted form of Judaism. I apply Weber’s theory of disenchantment as a framework for understanding two central features of Maimonides’ intellectual legacy: (1) Maimonides’ codification of Jewish law; and (2) Maimonides’ philosophical and sociohistorical rationalizations of Biblical commandments. In so doing, I situate Maimonides within the broader discourse of sociology of religion and extend a Weberian analysis of Judaism into the medieval period, demonstrating that the role of Judaism in the historical development of “Western” rationality is not alone a product of antiquity as Weber contended.
Cluster-based optimal wireless sensor deployment for structural health monitoring
Authors: Fang Kun , Liu Chengyin , Teng Jun
Published: February 2017

A well-designed wireless sensor deployment method not only directly influences the number of deployed sensors and data accuracy, but also influences on network topology. As most of the energy cost comes from the transmission and receiving of data packets, clustering optimization in wireless sensor network becomes an important issue for energy-efficient coordination among the densely deployed nodes for data communication. In a typical hierarchical wireless sensor network, total intra-cluster communication distance and total distance of cluster heads to base station depend on number of cluster heads. This work presents a novel approach by selecting the number of clusters in hierarchical wireless sensor network. We analyze and demonstrate the validity of the cluster optimization for wireless sensor deployment using an example of a numerically simulated simply supported truss, in terms of efficient use of the constrained wireless sensor network resources. Followed by a cluster-based optimization framework, we show how to adopt our approach to achieve scalable and efficient deployment, through a comprehensive optimization study of a realistic wireless structural health monitoring system. Finally, we suggest optimal deployment scheme based on the comparative performance evaluation results in the case study.
Contextualizing “religion” of young Karl Marx: A preliminary analysis
Authors: Horii Mitsutoshi
Published: February 2017

Like any other social category, the meaning and conceptual boundary of “religion” is ambiguous and contentious. Historically speaking, its semantics have been transformed in highly complex ways. What is meant by “religion” reflects the specific norms and imperatives of the classifier. This article critically reflects upon the idea of “religion” employed by Karl Marx in the early 1840s. Marx reimagined the encompassing notion of “religion,” which was predominant in his time, by privatizing it in his attempt to critique the theological foundation of the Prussian state. In this process, young Marx’s discourse siphons what is claimed to be “religious” out of the categories of “philosophy,” “science,” and “politics.” In this way, Marx constructs the realm of nonreligion where he associates his own discourse with natural reason, against the reified notion of “religion” as fantastic illusions.
Improving dietary behaviour with nutrition labelling: Towards a research agenda that serves consumer well-being
Authors: Nabec Lydiane
Published: February 2017

The nutrition labelling on food products represents a major challenge for the public authorities: to improve the dietary behaviour of consumers. This article provides an overview of current knowledge on this issue and invites marketing researchers to consider the contributions of transformative consumer research (TCR) as part of a new research agenda. It aims to understand the effects of nutrition labelling on the food well-being of consumers in light of the specific features of their social, cultural and societal context.
Rhabdomyolysis Following Initiation of Posaconazole Use for Antifungal Prophylaxis in a Patient With Relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Mody Mayur D. , Ravindranathan Deepak , Gill Harpaul S. , Kota Vamsi K.
Published: February 2017

Posaconazole is a commonly used medication for antifungal prophylaxis in patients with high-risk acute leukemia, such as acute myeloid leukemia. Despite clinical data that show that posaconazole is superior to other antifungal prophylaxis medications, posaconazole is known to have many side effects and drug-drug interactions. We present a patient who developed rhabdomyolysis after being started on posaconazole for prophylaxis in the setting of relapsed acute myeloid leukemia.