bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Postpartum Breastfeeding Promotion and Duration of Exclusive Breastfeeding in Western Nepal
Authors: Khanal Vishnu , Lee Andy H. , Karkee Rajendra , Binns Colin W.
Published: August 2015

Background

Encouragement and skills provided to mothers during the postpartum period have been found to be successful in increasing exclusive breastfeeding rates. However, evidence from developing countries is limited. This study aimed to ascertain whether education and skill support provided by health workers during the postpartum period were associated with increased duration of exclusive breastfeeding in Western Nepal.

Methods

A community‐based prospective cohort study was conducted between January and October 2014, in the Rupandehi district of Nepal. Information on breastfeeding promotion provided by health workers after birth was collected from 649 mothers. The association between breastfeeding promotion and exclusive breastfeeding was investigated using multivariable Cox regression analysis.

Results

Of the 649 mothers, 35 percent received all eight types of breastfeeding promotion advice, and 60 percent received six or more such types of advice. Breastfeeding promotion, such as “breastfeeding on demand” (hazard ratio [HR] 0.74 [95% CI 0.59–0.92]) and “not to provide pacifier or teats” (HR 0.82 [95% CI 0.68–0.97]), were significantly associated with a lower risk of exclusive breastfeeding cessation. The dose–response relationship was also significant for the number of advices received (HR 0.94 [95% CI 0.90–0.97]).

Conclusions

This study provides evidence that breastfeeding education and support immediately after childbirth could increase the duration of breastfeeding. The results suggest further attention to breastfeeding promotion in all maternity hospitals and birthing centers through skilled birth attendants.
Planned Home VBAC in the United States, 2004–2009: Outcomes, Maternity Care Practices, and Implications for Shared Decision Making
Authors: Cox Kim J. , Bovbjerg Marit L. , Cheyney Melissa , Leeman Lawrence M.
Published: August 2015

Background

In the United States, the number of planned home vaginal births after cesarean (VBACs) has increased. This study describes the maternal and neonatal outcomes for women who planned a VBAC at home with midwives who were contributing data to the Midwives Alliance of North America Statistics Project 2.0 cohort during the years 2004–2009.

Method

Two subsamples were created from the parent cohort: 12,092 multiparous women without a prior cesarean and 1,052 women with a prior cesarean. Descriptive statistics were calculated for maternal and neonatal outcomes for both groups. Sensitivity analyses comparing women with a prior vaginal birth and those who were at the lowest risk with various subgroups in the parent cohort were also conducted.

Results

Women with a prior cesarean had a VBAC rate of 87 percent, although transfer rates were higher compared with women without a prior cesarean (18% vs 7%, p < 0.001). The most common indication for transfer was failure to progress. Women with a prior cesarean had higher proportions of blood loss, maternal postpartum infections, uterine rupture, and neonatal intensive care unit admissions than those without a prior cesarean. Five neonatal deaths (4.75/1,000) occurred in the prior cesarean group compared with 1.24/1,000 in multiparas without a history of cesarean (p = 0.015).

Conclusion

Although there is a high likelihood of a vaginal birth at home, women planning a home VBAC should be counseled regarding maternal transfer rates and potential for increased risk to the newborn, particularly if uterine rupture occurs in the home setting.
The Implications of the Value Chain and Financial Institutions for Work and Employment: Insights from the Video Game Industry in Poland, Sweden and Germany
Authors: Teipen Christina
Published: August 2015

What are the reasons for national differences of international market access in high‐risk software development and what is the role of employment regulation? This analysis elucidates this question based on national sector studies of the video games industry with particular focus on financial systems, skill formation as well as work and employment systems in Sweden, Germany and Poland. National financial architectures and education are a decisive factor. However, the results also suggest that the ‘varieties‐of‐capitalism’ (VoC) approach underestimates industry divergence within and across supposedly homogeneous national models, especially in the field of labour regulation. The author proposes to link VoC theory to a transnational perspective, which complementarily takes into account firm embeddedness in industry‐specific value chains.
Degree of Cajal–Retzius Cell Mislocalization Correlates with the Severity of Structural Brain Defects in Mouse Models of Dystroglycanopathy
Authors: Booler Helen S. , Williams Josie L. , Hopkinson Mark , Brown Susan C.
Published: August 2015

The secondary dystroglycanopathies are characterized by the hypoglycosylation of alpha dystroglycan, and are associated with mutations in at least 18 genes that act on the glycosylation of this cell surface receptor rather than the Dag1 gene itself. At the severe end of the disease spectrum, there are substantial structural brain defects, the most striking of which is often cobblestone lissencephaly. The aim of this study was to determine the gene‐specific aspects of the dystroglycanopathy brain phenotype through a detailed investigation of the structural brain defects present at birth in three mouse models of dystroglycanopathy—the FKRPKD, which has an 80% reduction in Fkrp transcript levels; the Pomgnt1null, which carries a deletion of exons 7–16 of the Pomgnt1 gene; and the Largemyd mouse, which carries a deletion of exons 5–7 of the Large gene. We show a rostrocaudal and mediolateral gradient in the severity of brain lesions in FKRPKD, and to a lesser extent Pomgnt1null mice. Furthermore, the mislocalization of Cajal–Retzius cells is correlated with the gradient of these lesions and the severity of the brain phenotype in these models. Overall these observations implicate gene‐specific differences in the pathogenesis of brain lesions in this group of disorders.
Young Children's Comprehension of Temporal Relations in Complex Sentences: The Influence of Memory on Performance
Authors: Blything Liam P. , Davies Robert , Cain Kate
Published: August 2015

The present study investigated 3‐ to 7‐year‐olds' (N = 91) comprehension of two‐clause sentences containing the temporal connectives before or after. The youngest children used an order of mention strategy to interpret the relation between clauses: They were more accurate when the presentation order matched the chronological order of events: “He ate his lunch, before he played in the garden” (chronological) versus “Before he played in the garden, he ate his lunch” (reverse). Between 4 and 6 years, performance was influenced by a combination of factors that influenced processing load: connective type and presentation order. An independent measure of working memory was predictive of performance. The study concludes that the memory demands of some sentence structures limits young children's comprehension of sentences containing temporal connectives.
A screening model for oral cancer using risk scores: development and validation
Authors: Krishna Rao Sreevidya , Mejia Gloria C. , Logan Richard M. , Kulkarni Muralidhar , Kamath Veena , Fernandes Donald J , Ray Satadru , Roberts‐Thomson Kaye
Published: August 2015

Objective

A study was conducted to develop and validate a screening model using risk scores to identify individuals at high risk for developing oral cancer in an Indian population.

Methods

Life‐course data collected from a multicentre case–control study in India were used. Interview was conducted to collect information on predictors limited to the time before the onset of symptoms or cancer diagnosis. Predictors included statistically significant risk factors in the multivariable model. A risk score for each predictor was derived from respective odds ratios (OR). Discrimination of the final model, risk scores and various risk score cut‐offs was examined using the c statistic. The optimal cut‐off was determined as the one with good area under curve (AUC) and high sensitivity. Predictive ability of the regression model and cut‐off risk score was determined by calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV). Models were validated from a bootstrap sample.

Results

Smoking, chewing quid and/or tobacco, alcohol, a family history of upper aero‐digestive tract cancer, diet and oral hygiene behaviour were the predictors. Risk scores ranged from 0 to 28. Area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for risk scores was good (0.866). The sensitivity (0.928) and negative predictive value (0.927) were high, while specificity (0.603) and positive predictive value (0.607) were low for a risk score cut‐off of 6.

Conclusion

A risk score model to screen for individuals with high risk of oral cancer with satisfactory predictive ability was developed in the Indian population. Validation of the model in other populations is necessary before it can be recommended to identify subgroups of the population to be directed towards more extensive clinical evaluation.
Antibody deficiency in Rubinstein‐Taybi syndrome
Authors: Herriot R. , Miedzybrodzka Z.
Published: August 2015

The developmental disorder Rubinstein‐Taybi syndrome (RTS) is frequently complicated by recurrent respiratory infections. In many cases this is likely to be the result of microaspiration or gastro‐oesophageal reflux but, in a proportion, underlying antibody deficiency is a potentially modifiable susceptibility factor for infection. Relatively subtle, specific defects of pneumococcal antibody production have previously been described in the context of RTS. Here, we report a rare association between the syndrome and an overt, major primary antibody deficiency disorder (common variable immune deficiency) which was successfully managed with immunoglobulin replacement therapy. Early recognition and investigation for antibody deficiency associated with RTS allied to effective and optimized treatment are essential to minimize morbidity and mortality and improve quality and duration of life.
Quantifying the relative irreplaceability of important bird and biodiversity areas
Authors: Di Marco Moreno , Brooks Thomas , Cuttelod Annabelle , Fishpool Lincoln D.C. , Rondinini Carlo , Smith Robert J. , Bennun Leon , Butchart Stuart H.M. , Ferrier Simon , Foppen Ruud P.B. , Joppa Lucas , Juffe‐Bignoli Diego , Knight Andrew T. , Lamoreux John F. , Langhammer Penny F. , May Ian , Possingham Hugh P. , Visconti Piero , Watson James E.M. , Woodley Stephen
Published: August 2015

World governments have committed to increase the global protected areas coverage by 2020, but the effectiveness of this commitment for protecting biodiversity depends on where new protected areas are located. Threshold‐ and complementarity‐based approaches have been independently used to identify important sites for biodiversity. We brought together these approaches by performing a complementarity‐based analysis of irreplaceability in important bird and biodiversity areas (IBAs), which are sites identified using a threshold‐based approach. We determined whether irreplaceability values are higher inside than outside IBAs and whether any observed difference depends on known characteristics of the IBAs. We focused on 3 regions with comprehensive IBA inventories and bird distribution atlases: Australia, southern Africa, and Europe. Irreplaceability values were significantly higher inside than outside IBAs, although differences were much smaller in Europe than elsewhere. Higher irreplaceability values in IBAs were associated with the presence and number of restricted‐range species; number of criteria under which the site was identified; and mean geographic range size of the species for which the site was identified (trigger species). In addition, IBAs were characterized by higher irreplaceability values when using proportional species representation targets, rather than fixed targets. There were broadly comparable results when measuring irreplaceability for trigger species and when considering all bird species, which indicates a good surrogacy effect of the former. Recently, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has convened a consultation to consolidate global standards for the identification of key biodiversity areas (KBAs), building from existing approaches such as IBAs. Our results informed this consultation, and in particular a proposed irreplaceability criterion that will allow the new KBA standard to draw on the strengths of both threshold‐ and complementarity‐based approaches.
Portrayal of sustainability principles in the mission statements and on home pages of the world's largest organizations
Authors: Garnett Stephen T. , Lawes Michael J. , James Robyn , Bigland Kristen , Zander Kerstin K.
Published: August 2015

Conservation can be achieved only if sustainability is embraced as core to organizational cultures. To test the extent to which the related concepts of sustainability, conservation, response to climate change, poverty alleviation, and gender equity have been incorporated into organizational culture, we compared mission statements published from 1990 to 2000 with those published in 2014 for 150 organzations, including conservation nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), aid NGOs, government development agencies, resource extraction companies, and retailers (30 in each category). We also analyzed the 2014 home web pages of each organization. Relative to the earlier period, the frequency with which mission statements mentioned poverty alleviation, biodiversity conservation, and a range of sustainable practices increased only slightly by 2014, particularly among resource extractors and retail companies. Few organizations in any sector had embedded either climate change or gender equity into their mission statements. In addition, the proportional intensity with which any of the aspirations were expressed did not change between periods. For current home pages, conservation NGOs, resource extractors, and government agencies were significantly more likely to acknowledge the importance of matters that were not part of their core business, but few aid agencies or retail companies promoted goals beyond alleviation of crises and profit maximization, respectively. Overall, there has been some progress in recognizing poverty alleviation, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable practices, but gender equity and a determination to reduce impacts on climate change are still rarely promoted as central institutional concerns. Sustainability in general, and biodiversity conservation in particular, will not be achieved unless their importance is more widely apparent in core communication products of organizations.
Efficient Mining of Discriminating Relationships Among Attributes Involving Arithmetic Operations
Authors: Duan Lei , Dong Guozhu , Wang Xianming , Tang Changjie
Published: August 2015

Contrast patterns describe differences between two or more data sets or data classes; they have been proven to be useful for solving many kinds of problems, such as building accurate classifiers, defining clustering quality measures, and analyzing disease subtypes. This article investigates the mining of a new kind of contrast patterns, namely discriminating inter‐attribute functions (DIFs), which represent arithmetic‐expression‐based inter‐attribute relationships that distinguish classes of data. DIFs are an expressive and practical alternative of item‐based contrast patterns and can express discriminating relationships such as “weight/(height)2 is more likely to be ≤25 in one class than in another class.” Besides introducing the DIF mining problem, this article makes theoretical and algorithmic contributions on the problem. We prove that DIF mining is MAX SNP‐hard. Regarding how to efficiently mine DIFs, we present a set of rules to prune the search space of arithmetic expressions by eliminating redundant ones (equivalent to some others). We give two algorithms: one for finding all DIFs satisfying given thresholds and another for finding certain optimal DIFs using genetic computation techniques. The former is useful when the number of attributes is small, whereas the latter is useful when that number is large; both use the redundant arithmetic‐expression pruning rules. A performance study shows that our techniques are effective and efficient for finding DIFs.
Filling a lacune in perinatal stroke outcomes
Authors: Kirton Adam
Published: August 2015

This commentary is on the original article by Ecury‐Goossen et al. on pages 49–56 of this issue.
Designing and Sustaining a Foreign Language Writing Proficiency Assessment Program at the Postsecondary Level
Authors: Bernhardt Elizabeth , Molitoris Joan , Romeo Ken , Lin Nina , Valderrama Patricia
Published: August 2015

Writing in postsecondary foreign language contexts in North America has received far less attention in the curriculum than the development of oral proficiency. This article describes one institution's process of confronting the challenges not only of recognizing the contribution of writing to students' overall linguistic development, but also of implementing a program‐wide process of assessing writing proficiency. The article reports writing proficiency ratings that were collected over a 5‐year period for more than 4,000 learners in 10 languages, poses questions regarding the proficiency levels that postsecondary learners achieved across 2 years of foreign language instruction, and relates writing proficiency scores to Simulated Oral Proficiency Interview ratings for a subset of students. The article also articulates the crucial relationship between professional development and writing as well as the role of technology in collecting and assessing writing samples.
Hydroclimatology of extreme river flows
Authors: Garner Grace , Van Loon Anne F. , Prudhomme Christel , Hannah David M.
Published: August 2015

Floods and droughts are recurrent events with characteristics of frequency, magnitude, duration and timing occupying the opposing extremes of natural river flow regimes. This hydrological variability, driven by climate and meteorology and modified by river basin processes, is a key determinant of physicochemical river habitat influencing the structure and function of freshwater communities.

A changing (warming) climate is projected to alter water and heat inputs to river systems that drive river flow, and thus, hydrological processes may be subject to unprecedented future change, resulting in potentially unprecedented river flow extremes.

We review the hydroclimatology of extreme river flows in changing climates and draw case studies from the European temperate regions.

Specifically, we adopt a ‘catchment perspective’, in which an understanding of meteorological and hydrological processes is used to (i) conceptually define extreme river flows, (ii) explain the (natural) climatic and catchment processes that drive extreme river flows, (iii) discuss future potential changes driven by an anthropogenically modified climate and (iv) identify uncertainties associated with projections of future climate‐driven hydrological shifts.
Evidence for SiO2‐NaCl complexing in H2O‐NaCl solutions at high pressure and temperature
Authors: Newton R. C. , Manning C. E.
Published: August 2015

Experimental studies reveal complex dissolution behavior of quartz in aqueous NaCl solutions at high temperature and pressure, involving variation from salting‐in to salting‐out that changes with temperature, pressure, and salt concentration. The behavior is not explainable by traditional electrostatic theory. An alternative hypothesis appeals to complexing of SiO2 with NaCl and can explain the observations. However, the hypothesis of complexing, as previously applied, is inadequate in several respects: it neglects polymerization of solute silica, regards the SiO2‐NaCl hybrid complex(es) as anhydrous, which seems unlikely, and invokes an incorrect stoichiometry of the hydrated silica monomer, now known to be Si(OH)4•2H2O. These neglected features can be incorporated into the complexing model in a revised formulation based on a simple thermodynamic analysis using existing quartz solubility data. The analysis leads to a quasi‐ideal solution model with silica monomers, dimers, and two distinct hydrous SiO2‐NaCl hybrid complexes with overall NaCl:H2O = 1:6, one Na‐bearing and one Cl‐bearing. Their (equal) molar concentrations (Xhc) are governed by a pressure‐ and temperature‐dependent equilibrium constant, , where aNacl and are the respective activities of the solvent components. The stability of the hybrid complexes (i.e., their concentration) is very sensitive to H2O activity. The entire set of experimental quartz‐solubility data at 700°C, 1–15 kbar, is reproduced with high fidelity by the expression (P is pressure in kbar), including the transition from low‐pressure salting‐in to high pressure salting‐out. The results indicate that hybrid SiO2‐NaCl complexes are the main hosts for dissolved silica at NaCl concentrations greater than 6 wt%, which are likely common in crustal fluids. At higher temperatures, approaching the critical end point in the system SiO2‐H2O, the model becomes progressively inaccurate, probably because polymers higher than the dimer become significant as SiO2 concentration increases.
Effective gas permeability of Tight Gas Sandstones as a function of capillary pressure – a non‐steady‐state approach
Authors: Amann‐Hildenbrand A. , Dietrichs J. P. , Krooss B. M.
Published: August 2015

Single‐ and two‐phase (gas/water) fluid transport in tight sandstones has been studied in a series of permeability tests on core plugs of nine tight sandstones of the southern North Sea. Absolute (Klinkenberg‐corrected) gas permeability coefficients (kgas_inf) ranged between 3.8 × 10−16 and 6.2 × 10−19 m2 and decreased with increasing confining pressure (10–30 MPa) by a factor 3–5. Klinkenberg‐corrected (intrinsic) gas permeability coefficients were consistently higher by factors from 1.4 to 10 than permeability coefficients determined with water. Non‐steady‐state two‐phase (He/water) flow experiments conducted up to differential pressures of 10 MPa document the dynamically changing conductivity for the gas phase, which is primarily capillary‐controlled (drainage and imbibition). Effective gas permeability coefficients in the two‐phase flow tests ranged between 1.1 × 10−17 and 2.5 × 10−22 m², corresponding to relative gas permeabilities of 0.03% and 10%. In the early phase of the nonstationary flow regime (before establishment of steady‐state conditions), they may be substantially (>50%) lower. Effective gas permeability measurements are affected by the following factors: (i) Capillary‐controlled drainage/imbibition, (ii) viscous–dynamic effects (iii) and slip flow.
Dielectric barrier discharge plasma for microbial decontamination of dried laver: effects on physicochemical characteristics
Authors: Kim Je‐Wook , Puligundla Pradeep , Mok Chulkyoon
Published: August 2015

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma in atmospheric pressure air was used for microbial decontamination of thin sheets of dried laver, which are commonly used in kimbab preparation. Microbial contaminants namely aerobic bacteria, moulds and marine bacteria were found in sun‐dried laver sheets. DBD plasma was generated at an output voltage of 30 kV AC and a frequency of 30 kHz. Upon the plasma treatment of laver, 2.5‐log (99.68%), nearly 1.5‐log (96.84%) and above 1.0‐log (90%) unit reductions in viable counts of aerobic bacteria, marine bacteria and moulds were observed over a 10‐min period, respectively. The inactivation pattern fitted well to Singh–Heldman model or pseudo first‐order kinetics. Compared to control laver, no significant (P > 0.05) changes in the colour characteristics, total phenolic content and 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity were observed in plasma‐treated laver. Furthermore, DBD plasma‐treated laver sheets had exerted no negative impact on the sensory characteristics of kimbab and can extend the shelf life.
Nobody's responsibility: the precarious position of disabled employees in the UK workplace
Authors: Foster Deborah , Scott Peter
Published: August 2015

Secondary analysis of a qualitative data set of perceived workplace ill treatment suggests that human resource and occupational health professionals play too subordinate, belated and haphazard a role, compared with ill‐equipped line managers, in the de‐escalation and resolution of ill treatment experienced by disabled and ill employees.
The Columbia River Treaty Renegotiation from the Perspective of Contract Theory
Authors: Brady Michael , Li Tongzhe , Yoder Jonathan
Published: August 2015

This paper contributes to the literature on transboundary water agreements by analyzing the Columbia River Treaty renegotiation from the perspective of contract theory. Contract theory has become a powerful part of the economics toolbox but it is much less well known outside of the discipline than game theory. We demonstrate the importance of the concept of contract completeness in identifying efficient contractual arrangements that can consider the tradeoffs of increased flexibility. The limited objectives of the first treaty meant that it was possible to write a complete contract. Climate change and more complex stakeholder interests have moved any future agreement into the realm of incomplete contracts. Alternative types of incomplete contracts are considered as potential future treaty arrangements. The approach used in this study should provide a more general framework for working through potential treaty designs from an efficiency standpoint.
Assessing Outputs, Outcomes, and Barriers in Collaborative Water Governance: A Case Study
Authors: Koebele Elizabeth A.
Published: August 2015

As freshwater supplies become increasingly threatened by overuse, pollution, and changes in climate, governing bodies have begun to recognize the urgent need for flexible, sustainable solutions to water use and management. Collaborative governance of water resources has arisen as a widespread strategy to develop such solutions in a way that integrates diverse stakeholder needs and works to create consensus‐driven management actions. Directly linking the outputs of collaborative processes to improved water sustainability is difficult even on a local scale. However, examining diverse collaborative governance processes, particularly the outputs and outcomes produced and barriers faced, is necessary as these processes continue to flourish at a multitude of scales and settings. In 2005, the state of Colorado initiated a collaborative governance process to assess its existing water resources and future water needs; the information gathered through this endeavor is now being used to inform the creation of Colorado's first statewide water plan. Using data from 28 in‐depth interviews with key participants in this process, this paper highlights not only what outputs and outcomes may be produced through a high‐stakes collaborative process, but also what barriers exist to producing desired outputs (and therefore, consequent outcomes). Gaining a better understanding of outputs, outcomes, and barriers within a statewide collaborative water governance process can provide insight into improving future decision‐making processes and evaluations of those processes in a variety of natural resource arenas.
The Nile and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Is There a Meeting Point between Nationalism and Hydrosolidarity?
Authors: Abdelhady Dalia , Aggestam Karin , Andersson Dan‐Erik , Beckman Olof , Berndtsson Ronny , Palmgren Karin Broberg , Madani Kaveh , Ozkirimli Umut , Persson Kenneth M. , Pilesjö Petter
Published: August 2015

The soon‐to‐be completed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which will be the largest hydroelectric power plant and among the largest reservoirs in Africa, has highlighted the need for expanding traditional integrated water resources management to better include the cultural, social, and political complexities of large water infrastructure in development projects. The GERD will store a maximum of 74 billion cubic meters of water corresponding to approximately the average annual outflow of the Nile from the Aswan high dam. Undoubtedly, the GERD will be vital for energy production and a key factor for food production, economic development, and poverty reduction in Ethiopia and the Nile Basin. However, the GERD is also a political statement that in one stroke has re‐written the hydropolitical map of the Nile Basin. The GERD has become a symbol of Ethiopian nationalism or “renaissance” (hidase in Amharic). A contrasting concept to nationalism is hydrosolidarity. This concept has been put forward to better stress equitable use of water in international water management challenges that would lead to sustainable socioeconomic development. We use the opposing notions of nationalism and hydrosolidarity at three different scales, everyday politics, state policies, and interstate and global politics to analyse some aspects of the new hydropolitical map of the Nile Basin. We argue that nationalism and national interests are not necessarily negative standpoints but that there may instead be a meeting point where regional and national interests join with hydrosolidarity principles. We believe that this meeting point can maximize not only the common good, but also the good from a national interest point of view. For this, it is important not increase collaboration instead of being locked in to the historical narrative of nationalistic culture and historical discourse. This would benefit and improve future sustainability.
The Solubility of Specific Metal Oxides in Molten Borate Glass
Authors: Amietszajew Tazdin , Seetharaman Sridhar , Bhagat Rohit
Published: August 2015

The solubility of Co3O4, Cu2O, CuO, NiO, and Mn2O3 in molten B2O3 and Na2O–2B2O3 has been studied at a temperature of 900°C under static conditions. The concentration of the dissolved metal oxides was determined by X‐EDS and XPS elemental analysis. Uniformity of metal distribution has been confirmed using X‐EDS and backscatter electron image mapping. It was found that the solubility of all metal oxides increased significantly with Na2O content in the B2O3 solvent. The impact of a temperature increase of 150°C and the influence of K2O doping were evaluated and found to not cause any significant change.
Flash Microwave Sintering of Transparent Yb:(LaY)2O3 Ceramics
Authors: Bykov Yury V. , Egorov Sergei V. , Eremeev Anatolii G. , Kholoptsev Vladislav V. , Rybakov Kirill I. , Sorokin Andrei A.
Published: August 2015

Yb:(LaY)2O3 ceramic samples have been sintered to almost full density in a fast microwave heating process with zero hold time. Rapid densification is observed at heating rates ranging from 50°C to 2400°C/min. The estimated value of the power absorbed in the materials per unit volume is from 10 to 400 W/cm3, which is similar to the processes of flash sintering under an applied dc/ac voltage. The microstructure of the sintered samples exhibits traces of a liquid‐like intergranular phase. The observed flash microwave sintering effect is associated with both preferential microwave absorption and enhanced mass transport within the softened grain boundaries arising due to an elevated concentration of defects and impurities therein. The volumetric nature of microwave heating gives rise to thermal stresses which can act as an additional driving force for sintering. The advantage of the microwave flash sintering process is that no electrodes are needed to supply the power to the articles undergoing sintering.
Modeling of Reactive Diffusion in Glass‐Ceramics
Authors: Tagantsev Dmitry K.
Published: August 2015

A model of reactive ion‐exchange diffusion in glassy materials (glasses and glass‐ceramics) has been developed. The model can be used to simulate the processes of ion‐exchange‐induced decrystallization of glass‐ceramics and ion‐exchange‐induced glass crystallization. Analysis of the model in dimensionless form resulted in determining a set of dimensionless complexes comprising dimensional parameters of the ion exchange system (diffusivity, rate constant of grain dissolution, initial size and composition of the crystalline grains, etc.). Numerical values of the complexes enable one, not solving the problem, to predict the composition and structure of glass‐ceramic subsurface layers produced in a certain glassy material and under given ion‐exchange conditions. It was shown that the developed model correctly describes experimental data on ion‐exchange‐induced glass‐ceramics decrystallization. It appears that the model can be used in developing a new technology of optical glass‐ceramics for photonic applications.
Rare‐Earth Free Phosphors with Ultra‐Broad Band Emission Application for High Color Rendering Index Lighting Source
Authors: Mao Zhi‐Yong , Wang Fang , Chen Jing‐Jing , Wang Da‐Jian
Published: August 2015

Rare‐earth containing phosphors have been widely applied in lighting and display fields in the past century. Lower cost rare‐earth free phosphors with high performance are highly desired driven by the exhaustion of rare earth resources and the requirement of cheaper production. Herein, Cu+ ions doped tetracalcium phosphate (TTCP) yellow emitting phosphors with quantum yield of 21% are exploited. Particularly, ultra‐broad band emission with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) about 200 nm throughout almost entire visible light region is observed for TTCP: Cu+ phosphors, evidencing its promising application in high color rendering index (CRI) lighting source. White light emission with CRI value about 94.3 is generated by combining this TTCP: Cu+ phosphor with commercial BaMgAl10O17: Eu2+ blue phosphor, exhibiting superiority over the traditional trichromatic phosphors. Therefore, we predict great potential application for this cheaper rare‐earth free TTCP: Cu+ phosphor in high CRI lighting sources.
A Novel Low‐Firing and Low Loss Microwave Dielectric Ceramic Li2Mg2W2O9 with Corundum Structure
Authors: Guo Huanhuan , Fang Liang , Jiang Xuewen , Li Jie , Lu Fengqi , Li Chunchun
Published: August 2015

The crystal structure and microwave dielectric properties of a novel low‐firing compound Li2Mg2W2O9 were investigated in this study. The phase purity and crystal structure were investigated using X‐ray diffraction analyses and Rietveld refinement. The best microwave dielectric properties of the ceramic with a low permittivity (εr) ~11.5, a quality factor (Q × f) ~31 900 GHz (at 10.76 GHz) and a temperature coefficient of the resonant frequency (τf) ~ −66.0 ppm/°C were obtained at the optimum sintering temperature (920°C). CaTiO3 was added into the Li2Mg2W2O9 ceramic to obtain a near zero τf, and 0.93Li2Mg2W2O9–0.07CaTiO3 ceramic exhibited improved microwave dielectric properties with a near‐zero τf ~ −1.3 ppm/°C, a εr ~21.6, a high Qu × f value ~20 657 GHz. The low sintering temperature and favorable microwave dielectric properties make it a promising candidate for LTCC applications.
Fabrication and Characterization of Transparent (Y0.98−xTb0.02Eux)2O3 Ceramics with Color‐Tailorable Emission
Authors: Lu Bin , Li Ji‐Guang , Sun Xudong , Sakka Yoshio
Published: August 2015

Transparent (Y0.98−xTb0.02Eux)2O3 (x = 0–0.04) ceramics with color‐tailorable emission have been successfully fabricated by vacuum sintering at the relatively low temperature of 1700°C for 4 h. These ceramics have the in‐line transmittances of ~73%–76% at 613 nm, the wavelength of Eu3+ emission (the 5D0→7F2 transition). Thermodynamic calculation indicates that the Tb4+ ions in the starting oxide powder can essentially be reduced to Tb3+ under ~10−3 Pa (the pressure for vacuum sintering) when the temperature is above ~394°C. The photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra of the transparent (Y0.98−xTb0.02Eux)2O3 ceramics exhibit one spin‐forbidden (high‐spin, HS) band at ~323 nm and two spin‐allowed (low‐spin, LS) bands at ~303 and 281 nm. Improved emissions were observed for both Eu3+ and Tb3+ by varying the excitation wavelength from 270 to 323 nm, without notably changing the color coordinates of the whole emission. The transparent (Y0.98Tb0.02)2O3 ceramic exhibits the typical green emission of Tb3+ at 544 nm (the 5D4→7F5 transition). With increasing Eu3+ incorporation, the emission color of the (Y0.98−xTb0.02Eux)2O3 ceramics can be precisely tailored from yellowish‐green to reddish‐orange via the effective energy transfer from Tb3+ to Eu3+ under the excitation with the peak wavelength of the HS band. At the maximum Eu3+ emission intensity (x = 0.02), the ceramic shows a high energy‐transfer efficiency of ~85.3%. The fluorescence lifetimes of both the 544 nm Tb3+ and 613 nm Eu3+ emissions were found to decrease with increasing Eu3+ concentration.
Rapid Grain Growth in 3Y‐TZP Nanoceramics by Pressure‐Assisted and Pressure‐Less SPS
Authors: Salamon David , Kalousek Radek , Maca Karel , Shen Zhijian
Published: August 2015

Pressure‐less spark plasma sintering (SPS) is a new approach during which rapid densification of ceramic nanopowder green bodies is accompanied by rapid grain growth. Although the origin of this phenomenon has not yet been fully understood significant, difference in grain growth between pressure‐less and pressure‐assisted SPS was expected. In this work 3Y‐TZP nanopowder with average particle size of 12 nm was consolidated using two‐step approach: (1) at an intermediate temperature (600°C to 1000°C) SPS warm pressing followed by (2) high temperature (1400°C to 1600°C) pressure‐less SPS. The standard one step pressure‐assisted SPS experiments were quoted as references. Rapid grain growth was observed during both pressure‐less and standard SPS. The samples prepared by both approaches at the same sintering temperature (1400°C–1600°C) achieved identical grain size and grain size distribution, if large pores were eliminated in early stage by SPS warm pressing. The electric current, electromagnetic field, and mechanical pressure is proven to have a negligible direct influence on grain growth in 3Y‐TZP ceramics at temperatures above 1000°C under standard SPS conditions.
Electric‐Field‐Induced Domain Switching and Domain Texture Relaxations in Bulk Bismuth Ferrite
Authors: Khansur Neamul H. , Rojac Tadej , Damjanovic Dragan , Reinhard Christina , Webber Kyle G. , Kimpton Justin A. , Daniels John E.
Published: August 2015

Bismuth ferrite, BiFeO3, is an important multiferroic material that has attracted remarkable attention for potential applications in functional devices. While thin films of BiFeO3 are attractive for applications in nanoelectronics, bulk polycrystalline BiFeO3 has great potential as a lead‐free and/or high‐temperature actuator material. However, the actuation mechanisms in bulk BiFeO3 are still to be resolved. Here we report the microscopic origin of electric‐field‐induced strain in bulk BiFeO3 ceramic by means of in situ high‐energy X‐ray diffraction. Quantification of intrinsic lattice strain and extrinsic domain switching strain from diffraction data showed that the strain response in rhombohedral bulk BiFeO3 is primarily due to non‐180° ferroelectric domain switching, with no observable change in the phase symmetry, up to the maximum field used in the study. The origin of strain thus differs from the strain mechanism previously shown in thin film BiFeO3, which gives a similar strain/field ratio as rhombohedral bulk BiFeO3. A strong post‐poling relaxation of switched non‐180° ferroelectric domains has been observed and hypothesized to be due to intergranular residual stresses with a possible contribution from the conductive nature of the domain walls in BiFeO3 ceramics.
TNF‐α: a treatment target or cause of sarcoidosis?
Authors: Amber K.T. , Bloom R. , Mrowietz U. , Hertl M.
Published: August 2015

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease that affects numerous organs, commonly manifesting at the lungs and skin. While corticosteroids remain the first line of treatment, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) inhibitors have been investigated as one potential steroid sparing treatment for sarcoidosis. TNF‐α is one of many components involved in the formation of granulomas in sarcoidosis. While there have been larger scale studies of biologic TNF‐α inhibition in systemic sarcoidosis, studies in cutaneous disease are limited. Paradoxically, in some patients treated with biologic TNF‐α inhibitors for other diseases, treatment can induce the development of sarcoidosis. In the light of this complexity, we discuss the role of TNF‐α in granuloma formation, the therapeutic role of TNF‐α inhibition and immunologic abnormalities following treatment with these TNF‐α inhibitors including drug‐specific alterations involving interferon‐γ, lymphotoxin‐α, TNF receptor 2 (TNFR2) and T‐regulatory cells.
Rasch‐Transformed Total Neuropathy Score clinical version (RT‐TNSc©) in patients with chemotherapy‐induced peripheral neuropathy
Authors: Binda Davide , Cavaletti Guido , Cornblath David R. , Merkies Ingemar S. J. ,   on behalf of the CI‐PeriNomS study group
Published: August 2015

Composite scales such as the Total Neuropathy Score clinical version (TNSc©) have been widely used to measure neurological impairment in a standardized manner but they have been criticized due to their ordinal setting having no fixed unit. This study aims to improve impairment assessment in patients with chemotherapy‐induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) by subjecting TNSc© records to Rasch analyses. In particular, we wanted to investigate the influence of factors affecting the use of the TNSc© in clinical practice. TNSc© has 7 domains (sensory, motor, autonomic, pin‐prick, vibration, strength, and deep tendon reflexes [DTR]) each being scored 0–4. Data obtained in 281 patients with stable CIPN were subjected to Rasch analyses to determine the fit to the model. The TNSc© did not meet Rasch model's expectations primarily because of misfit statistics in autonomic and DTR domains. Removing these two, acceptable model fit and uni‐dimensionality were obtained. However, disordered thresholds (vibration and strength) and item bias (mainly cultural) were still seen, but these findings were kept to balance the assessment range of the Rasch‐Transformed TNSc© (RT‐TNSc©). Acceptable reliability findings were also obtained. A 5‐domains RT‐TNSc© may be a more proper assessment tool in patients with CIPN. Future studies are needed to examine its responsive properties.
Anti‐TNF alpha medications and neuropathy
Authors: Tsouni Pinelopi , Bill Olivier , Truffert André , Liaudat Christelle , Ochsner François , Steck Andreas J. , Kuntzer Thierry
Published: August 2015

We studied the clinical, electrophysiological, and pathological features, outcome, and frequency of anti‐tumor necrosis factor alpha (a‐TNF) medications‐induced neuropathies (ATIN) in patients with inflammatory disorders. Of 2,017 patients treated with a‐TNF medication, 12 patients met our inclusion criteria for a prevalence of 0.60% and an incidence of 0.4 cases per 1,000 person‐years. The median time from a‐TNF medication treatment to ATIN was 16.8 months (range 2–60 months). Six patients had focal or multifocal peripheral neuropathies. The other six had generalized neuropathies. For all, a‐TNF medication was stopped. Seven patients received immunoglobulin infusions. ATIN outcome was favorable in all but one patient. ATINs are rare and heterogeneous neuropathies. In 10 patients, the neuropathy was “inflammatory”, suggesting that it could be due to systemic pro‐inflammatory effects of a‐TNF agents.
Perspective: New Service Development: How the Field Developed, Its Current Status and Recommendations for Moving the Field Forward
Authors: Biemans Wim G. , Griffin Abbie , Moenaert Rudy K.
Published: August 2015

New service development (NSD) is a growing innovation discipline. Despite the growth of articles about NSD, several authors have criticized the lack of attention paid to NSD, compared with new product development (NPD), and the lack of consensus across NSD findings. At the same time, others have proclaimed that NSD is a sophisticated, mature field of research. This paper tries to resolve these issues by analyzing 230 empirical articles on NSD, published over a period of 30 years. It investigates the content of NSD research articles, the authors contributing to the field, and the research methodologies employed. It finds that, despite its growing popularity, the field has not moved forward substantively. NSD is a subject specialty but lacks an “invisible college” of researchers addressing the topic. This has resulted in a body of research that fails to provide managers with consistent answers to basic questions about how to most effectively manage NSD processes.

One of the main causes for the lack of coherence in the knowledge on this topic may stem from the fact that, rather than initially approaching research in the domain without ingoing bias and using grounded theory approaches to create initial understanding, many of the early researchers applied the concepts, frameworks, and methods used to understand NPD to the NSD domain. To correct this problem, it is proposed that the field of NSD needs to move forward in a significantly different manner. This paper provides several recommendations for attracting more academics to the field, elevating the visibility and status of NSD as a research domain, and also presents a research agenda that may help reorient future research in this area so that a more complete and coherent body of knowledge is generated that both advances the field and helps practitioners manage NSD more effectively and efficiently.
Evidence that non‐dreamers do dream: a REM sleep behaviour disorder model
Authors: Herlin Bastien , Leu‐Semenescu Smaranda , Chaumereuil Charlotte , Arnulf Isabelle
Published: August 2015

To determine whether non‐dreamers do not produce dreams or do not recall them, subjects were identified with no dream recall with dreamlike behaviours during rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder, which is typically characterised by dream‐enacting behaviours congruent with sleep mentation. All consecutive patients with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder or rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder associated with Parkinson's disease who underwent a video‐polysomnography were interviewed regarding the presence or absence of dream recall, retrospectively or upon spontaneous arousals. The patients with no dream recall for at least 10 years, and never‐ever recallers were compared with dream recallers with rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder regarding their clinical, cognitive and sleep features. Of the 289 patients with rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder, eight (2.8%) patients had no dream recall, including four (1.4%) patients who had never ever recalled dreams, and four patients who had no dream recall for 10–56 years. All non‐recallers exhibited, daily or almost nightly, several complex, scenic and dreamlike behaviours and speeches, which were also observed during rapid eye movement sleep on video‐polysomnography (arguing, fighting and speaking). They did not recall a dream following sudden awakenings from rapid eye movement sleep. These eight non‐recallers with rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder did not differ in terms of cognition, clinical, treatment or sleep measures from the 17 dreamers with rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder matched for age, sex and disease. The scenic dreamlike behaviours reported and observed during rapid eye movement sleep in the rare non‐recallers with rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (even in the never‐ever recallers) provide strong evidence that non‐recallers produce dreams, but do not recall them. Rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder provides a new model to evaluate cognitive processing during dreaming and subsequent recall.