bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Frequency‐domain wideband compressive spectrum sensing
Authors: Sabahi Mohamad Farzan , Masoumzadeh Maliheh , Forouzan Amir Reza
Published: May 2016

The authors study the power spectrum density (PSD) estimation of wideband wide‐sense stationary (WSS) signals with sub‐Nyquist sampling rate. Owing to the large bandwidth, Nyquist rate sampling of such signals needs very high rate analogue‐to‐digital converters. It is important to note that PSD estimation does not necessarily require reconstruction of the original signal. Indeed, the power spectrum can be directly obtained from sub‐Nyquist samples. In this study, a new method for reconstructing the power spectrum in the frequency domain for WSS signals is presented. The main idea is to divide the whole spectrum into N equal‐length segments and calculate the average PSD in each segment using a frequency‐domain representation of sub‐Nyquist samples. In addition, the capability of the proposed method, as a detector of spectrum holes, is studied using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Then, the analysis of false alarm probability is provided. Simulation results for the additive white Gaussian noise channel and the slowly fading frequency selective channel show that the proposed method considerably outperforms available techniques.
Ring‐based linear network coding on erroneous cyclic networks
Authors: Samady‐khaftari Vahid , Esmaeili Morteza
Published: May 2016

In this study, the authors study ring‐based linear network coding over erroneous cyclic networks over commutative rings such as a principal ideal domain or discrete valuation ring. In the first part, they study coherent field‐based linear error‐correcting network codes (LENCs) over cyclic networks. By changing alphabet symbols from fields to commutative rings, they extend Zhang's formulation for LENCs restricted on acyclic networks to cyclic networks, and generalise fundamental results and concepts such as the minimum rank distance and the refined Singleton bound, and show that this bound is tight. In the second part, they generalise some main results such as the free distance and the generalised Singleton bound from convolutional codes to ring‐based LENCs over cyclic networks. In the third part, they propose an algebraic method for calculating sink bit error probability of ring‐based linear network codes over all erroneous networks by using the authors’ formulations.
Road vanishing point detection using weber adaptive local filter and salient‐block‐wise weighted soft voting
Authors: Fan Xue , Shin Hyunchul
Published: May 2016

In this study, a novel and efficient technique is proposed for road vanishing point detection in challenging scenes. Currently, most existing texture‐based methods detect the vanishing point using pixel wise texture orientation estimation and voting map generation, which suffers from high computational complexity. Since only road trails (e.g. road edges, ruts, and tire tracks) would contribute informative votes to vanishing point detection, the Weber adaptive local filter is proposed to distinguish road trails from background noise, which is envisioned to reduce the workload and to eliminate uninformative votes introduced by the background noise. Furthermore, instead of using the conventional pixel‐wise voting scheme, the salient‐block‐wise weighted soft voting is developed to eliminate most of the noise votes introduced by incorrectly estimated pixel‐wise texture orientations, and to further reduce the computation time of voting stage as well. The experimental results on the benchmark dataset demonstrate that the proposed method shows superior performance. The authors’ method is about ten times faster in detection speed and outperforms by 3.6% in detection accuracy, when compared with a well‐known state‐of‐the‐art approach.
Robust group fused lasso for multisample copy number variation detection under uncertainty
Authors: Sharifi Noghabi Hossein , Mohammadi Majid , Tan Yao‐Hua
Published: May 2016

One of the most important needs in the post‐genome era is providing the researchers with reliable and efficient computational tools to extract and analyse this huge amount of biological data, in which DNA copy number variation (CNV) is a vitally important one. Array‐based comparative genomic hybridisation (aCGH) is a common approach in order to detect CNVs. Most of methods for this purpose were proposed for one‐dimensional profiles. However, slightly this focus has moved from one‐ to multi‐dimensional signals. In addition, since contamination of these profiles with noise is always an issue, it is highly important to have a robust method for analysing multi‐sample aCGH profiles. In this study, the authors propose robust group fused lasso which utilises the robust group total variations. Instead of l 2,1 norm, the l 1 − l 2 M‐estimator is used which is more robust in dealing with non‐Gaussian noise and high corruption. More importantly, Correntropy (Welsch M‐estimator) is also applied for fitting error. Extensive experiments indicate that the proposed method outperforms the state‐of‐the art algorithms and techniques under a wide range of scenarios with diverse noises.
Neonatal Gardner Fibroma Leads to Detection of Familial Adenomatous Polyposis: Two Case Reports
Authors: Schäfer Mattias , Kadmon Martina , Schmidt Wolfgang , Treiber Irmgard , Moog Ute , Sutter Christian , Stehr Maximilian
Published: May 2016

Gardner fibromas (GFs) have only recently been described as poorly circumscribed tumor-like lesions, which are exceedingly rare in children. GFs are associated with APC gene mutations and therefore with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). So far there is only very limited literature on GF in the neonatal period. We present two children with GF diagnosed at birth and subsequent FAP with very different clinical courses. In one case, the disease led to extensive surgery of the thoracic wall and detection of FAP in the father with the need of immediate proctocolectomy. In the other patient (with a positive family history for FAP) the disease remained stable. Our cases indicate that the diagnosis of GF in the neonatal period requires the exclusion of FAP both in the child as well as the parents. Since the clinical behavior of GF cannot be predicted, continuous monitoring is mandatory. Depending on tumor site and growth, individual therapeutic options must be thoroughly considered. Surgical resection, if necessary, has to be inevitably total to prevent recurrence.
UV + V UV double-resonance studies of autoionizing Rydberg states of the hydroxyl radical
Authors: Green Amy M. , Liu Fang , Lester Marsha I.
Published: May 2016

The hydroxyl radical (OH) is a key oxidant in atmospheric and combustion chemistry. Recently, a sensitive and state-selective ionization method has been developed for detection of the OH radical that utilizes UV excitation on the A2Σ+–X2Π transition followed by fixed 118 nm vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation to access autoionizing Rydberg states [J. M. Beames et al., J. Chem. Phys. 134, 241102 (2011)]. The present study uses tunable VUV radiation generated by four-wave mixing to examine the origin of the enhanced ionization efficiency observed for OH radicals prepared in specific A2Σ+ intermediate levels. The enhancement is shown to arise from resonant excitation to distinct rotational and fine structure levels of two newly identified 2Π Rydberg states with an A3Π cationic core and a 3d electron followed by ionization. Spectroscopic constants are derived and effects due to uncoupling of the Rydberg electron are revealed for the OH 2Π Rydberg states. The linewidths indicate a Rydberg state lifetime due to autoionization on the order of a picosecond.
Vibration-based energy harvesting with piezoelectrets having high d31 activity
Authors: Zhang X. , Pondrom P. , Wu L. , Sessler G. M.
Published: May 2016

Sandwiched fluoroethylene propylene films with charged, parallel-tunnel voids between the layers, which exhibit high d31 piezoelectric activity, were designed. Stripes of such piezoelectrets were exposed to mechanical stress in length direction by a seismic mass excited to vibrations. Due to the piezoelectricity of the films, a current in a terminating resistor is generated. The harvested power across the resistor amounts to about 0.2 mW for a seismic mass of 2 g and an acceleration of 1 g. In comparison with other piezoelectret or with poly(vinylidene fluoride) harvesters, the generated power referred to equal acceleration and force, is significantly larger.
Equations of state for the α and γ polymorphs of cyclotrimethylene trinitramine
Authors: Cawkwell M. J. , Luscher D. J. , Addessio F. L. , Ramos K. J.
Published: May 2016

Equations of state for the α and γ polymorphs of the energetic molecular crystal cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX) have been developed from their Helmholtz free energies. The ion motion contribution to the Helmholtz free energy is represented by Debye models with density-dependent Debye temperatures that are parameterized to vibrational densities of states computed from dispersion-corrected density functional theory. By separating the vibrational density of states into low frequency modes of mainly lattice phonon character and high frequency modes of intramolecular character we were able to significantly improve the description of the heat capacity at low temperatures and the thermal contribution to the pressure. The ion motion contribution to the Helmholtz free energy of the high pressure γ polymorph was constructed from that of the α polymorph to reproduce the temperature-independent transformation pressure seen experimentally. The static lattice energies for both polymorphs were constructed to reproduce published isothermal compression data. The equations of state have been applied to the prediction of the path of the principal Hugoniot in the equilibrium phase diagram.
Localised polymer networks in chiral nematic liquid crystals for high speed photonic switching
Authors: Tartan Chloe C. , Salter Patrick S. , Booth Martin J. , Morris Stephen M. , Elston Steve J.
Published: May 2016

Self-assembled periodic structures based upon chiral liquid crystalline materials have significant potential in the field of photonics ranging from fast-switching optoelectronic devices to low-threshold lasers. The flexoelectro-optic effect, which is observed in chiral nematic liquid crystals (LCs) when an electric field is applied perpendicular to the helical axis, has significant potential as it exhibits analogue switching in 10–100 μs. However, the major technological barrier that prohibits the commercial realisation of this electro-optic effect is the requirement of a uniform, in-plane alignment of the helix axis between glass substrates. Here, it is shown that periodic polymer structures engineered in the nematic phase of a chiral nematic LC device using direct laser writing can result in the spontaneous formation of the necessary uniform lying helix (ULH) state. Specifically, two-photon polymerization is used in conjunction with a spatial light modulator so as to correct for aberrations introduced by the bounding glass substrates enabling the polymer structures to be fabricated directly into the device. The ULH state appears to be stable in the absence of an externally applied electric field, and the optimum contrast between the bright and dark states is obtained using polymer structures that have periodicities of the order of the device thickness.
Bond energies of ThO+ and ThC+: A guided ion beam and quantum chemical investigation of the reactions of thorium cation with O2 and CO
Authors: Cox Richard M , Citir Murat , Armentrout P. B. , Battey Samuel R. , Peterson Kirk A.
Published: May 2016

Kinetic energy dependent reactions of Th+ with O2 and CO are studied using a guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometer. The formation of ThO+ in the reaction of Th+ with O2 is observed to be exothermic and barrierless with a reaction efficiency at low energies of k/kLGS = 1.21 ± 0.24 similar to the efficiency observed in ion cyclotron resonance experiments. Formation of ThO+ and ThC+ in the reaction of Th+ with CO is endothermic in both cases. The kinetic energy dependent cross sections for formation of these product ions were evaluated to determine 0 K bond dissociation energies (BDEs) of D0(Th+–O) = 8.57 ± 0.14 eV and D0(Th+–C) = 4.82 ± 0.29 eV. The present value of D0 (Th+–O) is within experimental uncertainty of previously reported experimental values, whereas this is the first report of D0 (Th+–C). Both BDEs are observed to be larger than those of their transition metal congeners, TiL+, ZrL+, and HfL+ (L = O and C), believed to be a result of lanthanide contraction. Additionally, the reactions were explored by quantum chemical calculations, including a full Feller-Peterson-Dixon composite approach with correlation contributions up to coupled-cluster singles and doubles with iterative triples and quadruples (CCSDTQ) for ThC, ThC+, ThO, and ThO+, as well as more approximate CCSD with perturbative (triples) [CCSD(T)] calculations where a semi-empirical model was used to estimate spin-orbit energy contributions. Finally, the ThO+ BDE is compared to other actinide (An) oxide cation BDEs and a simple model utilizing An+ promotion energies to the reactive state is used to estimate AnO+ and AnC+ BDEs. For AnO+, this model yields predictions that are typically within experimental uncertainty and performs better than density functional theory calculations presented previously.
Optimizing phosphorus diffusion for photovoltaic applications: Peak doping, inactive phosphorus, gettering, and contact formation
Authors: Wagner Hannes , Dastgheib-Shirazi Amir , Min Byungsul , Morishige Ashley E. , Steyer Michael , Hahn Giso , del Cañizo Carlos , Buonassisi Tonio , Altermatt Pietro P.
Published: May 2016

The phosphosilicate glass (PSG), fabricated by tube furnace diffusion using a POCl3 source, is widely used as a dopant source in the manufacturing of crystalline silicon solar cells. Although it has been a widely addressed research topic for a long time, there is still lack of a comprehensive understanding of aspects such as the growth, the chemical composition, possible phosphorus depletion, the resulting in-diffused phosphorus profiles, the gettering behavior in silicon, and finally the metal-contact formation. This paper addresses these different aspects simultaneously to further optimize process conditions for photovoltaic applications. To do so, a wide range of experimental data is used and combined with device and process simulations, leading to a more comprehensive interpretation. The results show that slight changes in the PSG process conditions can produce high-quality emitters. It is predicted that PSG processes at 860 °C for 60 min in combination with an etch-back and laser doping from PSG layer results in high-quality emitters with a peak dopant density Npeak = 8.0 × 1018 cm−3 and a junction depth dj = 0.4 μm, resulting in a sheet resistivity ρsh = 380 Ω/sq and a saturation current-density J0 below 10 fA/cm2. With these properties, the POCl3 process can compete with ion implantation or doped oxide approaches.
Helicon waves in uniform plasmas. IV. Bessel beams, Gendrin beams, and helicons
Authors: Urrutia J. M. , Stenzel R. L.
Published: May 2016

Electromagnetic waves in the low frequency whistler mode regime are investigated experimentally and by digital data superposition. The radiation from a novel circular antenna array is shown to produce highly collimated helicon beams in a uniform unbounded plasma. The differences to Bessel beams in free space are remarked upon. Low divergence beams arise from the parallel group velocity of whistlers with phase velocity either along the guide field or at the Gendrin angle. Waves with angular momentum are produced by phasing the array in the circular direction. The differences in the field topologies for positive and negative modes numbers are shown. It is also shown that in uniform plasmas, the radial amplitude profile of the waves depends on the antenna field topology. Thus, there are no helicon “eigenmodes” with radial Bessel function profiles in uniform plasmas. It is pointed out that phase measurements in helicon devices indicate radial wave propagation which is inconsistent with helicon eigenmode theory based on paraxial wave propagation. Trivelpiece-Gould modes also exist in uniform unbounded plasmas.
Tailoring the mass distribution and functional group density of dimethylsiloxane-based films by thermal evaporation
Authors: Töpper Tino , Lörcher Samuel , Weiss Florian , Müller Bert
Published: May 2016

The tailoring of molecular weight distribution and the functional group density of vinyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) by molecular beam deposition is demonstrated herein. Thermally evaporated PDMS and its residue are characterized using gel permeation chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance. Thermal fragmentation of vinyl groups occurs for evaporation temperatures above 487 K (214 °C). At a background pressure of 10−6 mbar, the maximum molecular weight distribution is adjusted from (700 ± 100) g/mol to (6100 ± 100) g/mol with a polydispersity index of 1.06 ± 0.02. The content of vinyl-termination per repeating unit of PDMS is tailored from (2.8 ± 0.2)% to (5.6 ± 0.1)%. Molecular weights of vinyl-terminated PDMS evaporated at temperatures above 388 K (115 °C) correspond to those attributed to trimethyl-terminated PDMS. Side groups of linear PDMS dominate intermolecular interactions and vapor pressure.
Fabricating Ohmic contact on Nb-doped SrTiO3 surface in nanoscale
Authors: Wang Yuhang , Shi Xiaolan , Lai Xubo , Gao Zhipeng , Liu Lixin , Wang Yuan , Zhu Wenjun , Meng Chuanmin , Zhang Liuwan
Published: May 2016

Fabricating reliable nano-Ohmic contact on wide gap semiconductors is an important yet difficult step in oxide nanoelectronics. We fabricated Ohmic contact on the n-type wide gap oxide Nb-doped SrTiO3 in nanoscale by mechanically scratching the surface using an atomic force microscopy tip. Although contacted to high work function metal, the scratched area exhibits nearly linear IV behavior with low contact resistance, which maintains for hours in vacuum. In contrast, the unscratched area shows Fowler–Nordheim tunneling dominated Schottky rectifying behavior with high contact resistance. It was found that the Ohmic conductivity in the scratched area was drastically suppressed by oxygen gas indicating the oxygen vacancy origin of the Ohmic behavior. The surface oxygen vacancy induced barrier width reduction was proposed to explain the phenomena. The nanoscale approach is also applicable to macroscopic devices and has potential application in all-oxide devices.
Origin and annealing of deep-level defects in GaNAs grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy
Authors: Gelczuk Ł. , Stokowski H. , Dąbrowska-Szata M. , Kudrawiec R.
Published: May 2016

Deep-level defects were investigated by deep level transient spectroscopy on the as-grown and annealed GaNAs layers of various nitrogen (N) contents. The unintentionally doped (uid) GaNAs layers were grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy with N = 1.4%, 2.0%, 2.2%, and 2.4% on GaAs substrate. The possible origin and evolution of the deep-level defects upon annealing were analyzed with the use of the GaNAs band gap diagram concept [Kudrawiec et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 101, 082109 (2012)], which assumes that the activation energy of donor traps decreases with N-related downward shift of the conduction band. On the basis of this diagram and in comparison with previous results, the N-related traps were associated with (N−As)As or (N−N)As split interstitials. It was also proposed that one of the electron traps and the hole trap, lying at the same level position in the bandgap of the annealed uid-GaNAs layers, can both act as one generation-recombination center partially responsible for poor optical properties of this alloy.
Spin pumping in the nonlinear dynamic regime of a Pt/Y3Fe5O12 heterostructure
Authors: Zhou Hengan , Fan Xiaolong , Ma Li , Cui Lei , Jia Chenlong , Zhou Shiming , Gui Y. S. , Hu C.-M. , Xue Desheng
Published: May 2016

Spin pumping occurred under nonlinear spin dynamic has been studied in Pt(17 nm)/Y3Fe5O12(YIG 66 nm) heterostructure. By using high power excitation, the precession angle (θc) of YIG can reach a value as high as 22°, and distinct nonlinear dynamic effects such as foldover ferromagnetic resonance spectra and nonlinear damping have been witnessed. The linear relation between the dc component of spin current and  sin2θc has been tested from linear to nonlinear spin dynamics regimes. Our main finding is that spin mixing conductance is a robust parameter that is independent on the amplitude and damping of the dynamic system, at least in our experiment conditions.
Couple molecular excitons to surface plasmon polaritons in an organic-dye-doped nanostructured cavity
Authors: Zhang Kun , Shi Wen-Bo , Wang Di , Xu Yue , Peng Ru-Wen , Fan Ren-Hao , Wang Qian-Jin , Wang Mu
Published: May 2016

In this work, we demonstrate experimentally the hybrid coupling among molecular excitons, surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), and Fabry-Perot (FP) mode in a nanostructured cavity, where a J-aggregates doped PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) layer is inserted between a silver grating and a thick silver film. By tuning the thickness of the doped PVA layer, the FP cavity mode efficiently couples with the molecular excitons, forming two nearly dispersion-free modes. The dispersive SPPs interact with these two modes while increasing the incident angle, leading to the formation of three hybrid polariton bands. By retrieving the mixing fractions of the polariton band components from the measured angular reflection spectra, we find all these three bands result from the strong coupling among SPPs, FP mode, and excitons. This work may inspire related studies on hybrid light-matter interactions, and achieve potential applications on multimode polariton lasers and optical spectroscopy.
Repression and endurance: anathematized Hindu and Sikh women of Afghanistan
Authors: Emadi Hafizullah
Published: May 2016

Hindus and Sikhs, longtime minority religious communities in Afghanistan, have played a major role in the social, cultural, and economic development of the country. Their history in Afghanistan has not been faithfully documented nor relayed beyond the country's borders by their resident educated strata or religious leaders, rendering them virtually invisible and voiceless within and outside of their country borders. The situation of Hindu and Sikh women in Afghanistan is significantly more marginalized socially and politically. Gender equality and women's rights were central to the teachings of Guru Nanak, but gradually became irrelevant to the daily lives of his followers in Afghanistan. Hindu and Sikh women have sustained their hope for change and seized any opportunity presented to play a role in the process. Active participants in the social, cultural, and religious life of their respective communities as well as in Afghanistan's government, their contributions to social changes and the political process have gone mostly unnoticed and undocumented as their rights, equality, and standing in the domestic and public arena in Afghanistan continue to erode in the face of continuous discrimination and harassment.
Cosmology episodes: a reconceptualization
Authors: Orton James Douglas , O’Grady Kari A.
Published: May 2016

A qualitative meta-analysis of 164 citations to the phrase “cosmology episode” was conducted in order to create an evidence-based reconceptualization of the concept, yielding three findings. The first finding is the literature has moved towards the study of cosmology episodes
at multiple levels: i.e. individual, team, organizational, community, and national cosmology episodes. The second finding is the literature has moved towards the study of cosmology episodes as resilience processes: i.e. anticipating, sense-losing, improvising, sense-remaking,
and renewing. The third finding is the literature on cosmology episodes has diversified toward five distinct types: i.e. catastrophic, disastrous, contextualized, ancillary and metaphorical cosmology episodes. Taken together, these findings constitute a reconceptualization of the concept
of cosmology episode.
Toward a further understanding of work as spiritual
Authors: Peregoy Richard
Published: May 2016

This article explores work as spiritual, emphasizing Catholic social thought and related religious and spiritual writings with a view toward further understanding of work as spiritual, or integrating the sacred in the secular. The literature suggests that work, whatever its form, can
be spiritual. However work is done, when its purpose is either religious by the command of God, or spiritual by the innate being of man serving an individual desire or a connection to the universe, the activity exhibits a basic spiritual nature. Exploring this concept remains in an early and
incomplete stage and is the subject of additional research. The expression of work as spiritual appears in religions, belief systems, and secular literature. Modern Catholic social thought expressed in encyclicals which reflect earlier scriptural writings, supports a chain of interest drawn
through monotheistic religions, and other religions and belief systems. Further, this linkage of work as spiritual appears in the secular writings of, among others, Maslow, Palmer, Wilber, and the neuroscientists Newberg and Waldman. Work as spiritual conceptually exists as an intensely religious
experience and in the intense concentration involved in solving an intricate problem. Not as well-known is an understanding of work as spiritual as a way of enhancing personal development, serving others, and higher living that is not necessarily religious.
Commission errors in delay–execute prospective memory tasks
Authors: Schaper Philipp , Grundgeiger Tobias
Published: May 2016

Individuals frequently retrieve an intention, but the execution of the task needs to be delayed due to ongoing task demands - so-called delay-execute prospective memory (PM) tasks. We investigated commission errors in the delay-execute paradigm. Participants were told that a PM task is finished (PM task has been executed and is now finished for a final phase) or cancelled (PM task has been cancelled immediately after introduction). We observed commission errors and ongoing task performance in the final phase which included several irrelevant PM cues. In two experiments, we observed significantly more commission errors for cancelled compared to the finished intentions. In Experiment 2, commission errors were eliminated if the final phase required divided attention, regardless of PM task status. In addition, we observed significantly more PM cue interference on the ongoing task in the cancelled compared to the finished group, indicating that the PM task was retrieved in the cancelled group but not in the finished group. As retrieval and execution of the PM task were separated by a delay, the results indicate that commission errors are not always the result of a quick, spontaneous retrieval-execution sequence and may also occur when retrieval and execution are temporally separated.
Task-switch costs subsequent to cue-only trials
Authors: Swainson Rachel , Martin Douglas , Prosser Laura
Published: May 2016

There is abundant evidence that there is a performance cost associated with switching between tasks. This “switch cost” has been postulated to be driven by task performance on the preceding trial, but recent research challenges any necessary role of previous task performance in driving the cost. Across three experiments, we investigated whether it is difficult to switch from a task that was prepared but never performed. We replicated the finding of a switch cost following cue-only trials (involving no task performance) whilst controlling for a potential cue-switching confound. This cost was larger than that following completed trials when preparation interval was short (300 ms), and it reduced significantly with a longer preparation interval (1000 ms) on the current trial. We also found that preparing only to attend to a particular visual dimension (colour or shape) was sufficient to drive a significant subsequent switch cost, which appeared to be residual in nature; we speculate that this cost may reflect the persistence of unfulfilled task intentions and/or a strategic slowing when consecutive intentions conflict.
Intravenous Tigecycline Facilitates Cure of Severe Clostridium difficile Infection (CDI) After Failure of Standard Therapy: A Case Report and Literature Review of Tigecycline Use in CDI
Authors: Navalkele Bhagyashri D. , Lerner Stephen A.
Published: May 2016

Standard treatment for severe Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is oral vancomycin with metronidazole. After failure of this standard regimen, treatment becomes challenging. A young woman treated for septic shock developed CDI. Standard treatment failed and she was ineligible for fecal transplant. Addition of tigecycline to her regimen resulted in cure.
Hepatitis C Is Poorly Associated With Drug Use in Cambodian Americans in Lowell, Massachusetts
Authors: Yu Catherine , Gifford Allen L. , Christiansen Cindy L. , Drainoni Mari-Lynn
Published: May 2016

Background.  Hepatitis C (HCV) is the most common chronic blood-borne infection in the United States and affects Asian and non-Asian Americans comparably. Injection drug use, the most common national transmission risk, is not as prevalent in Asian-Americans, but prior studies do not include many Cambodian Americans. Lowell, Massachusetts has the second largest population of Cambodian Americans, allowing a direct comparison of HCV-infected Cambodian and non-Cambodian Americans not previously done. Improving our understanding of HCV risks in this unique community may improve their linkage to care.

Methods.  In this cross-sectional study, medical data were collected regarding HCV risk factors for HCV-infected Cambodian and non-Cambodian Americans seen at Lowell Community Health Center from 2009 to 2012.

Results.  Cambodian Americans (n = 128) were older (mean age 53 vs 43 years old) and less likely to be male (41% vs 67%, P < .001) compared with non-Cambodians (n = 541). Cambodians had lower rates of injection drug use (1.6% vs 33.6%, P < .001) and any drug use (2.3% vs 82.1%, P < .001). More Cambodians were born between 1945 and 1965 (66.4% vs 44.5%). Within this birth cohort, more Cambodians had no other risk factor (82% vs 69%, P = .02). Fewer Cambodians had chronic HCV (53% vs 74%, P < .001).

Conclusions.  Birth between 1945 and 1965 was the major HCV risk factor for Cambodian Americans. Cambodians had lower rates of injection drug use or any drug use history. Risk behavior screening fails to describe HCV transmission for Cambodian Americans and creates a barrier to their linkage to care.
A Severe Case of Pigmentary Glaucoma in a Child With a Family History of Pigment Dispersion Syndrome
Authors: Aragno Vittoria , Zeboulon Pierre , Baudouin Christophe , Labbé Antoine
Published: May 2016

Purpose:

To report a case of severe pigmentary glaucoma (PG) in a 13-year-old boy of a family affected by pigment dispersion syndrome (PDS).

Patients and Methods:

A 13-year-old child was referred to our hospital for severe bilateral glaucoma. A complete ophthalmologic evaluation including refraction, intraocular pressure, central corneal thickness, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, gonioscopy, fundus examination, and ultrasound biomicroscopy was performed. Family members were also examined and a family pedigree was obtained.

Results:

Ophthalmologic examination revealed a severe bilateral PG with Krukenberg spindle and a widely open heavily pigmented iridocorneal angle. Ultrasound biomicroscopy showed a deep anterior chamber with pronounced iris concavity in both eyes. Within his family, his 15-year-old sister and 7-year-old brother were both affected by PDS diagnosed on gonioscopy findings.

Conclusions:

We report for the first time a severe case of pediatric PG with a family history of PDS. This case demonstrates that accurate screening is necessary in cases of familial PDS and PG, even in the pediatric population.
Impact of Burden of Thalassemia Major on Health-related Quality of Life in Omani Children
Authors: Mevada Surekha T. , Al Saadoon Muna , Zachariah Mathew , Al Rawas Abdul H. , Wali Yasser
Published: May 2016

To improve treatment outcome in young patients with homozygous β-thalassemia, evaluation of factors associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is essential to develop clinical, counseling, social, and school support programs. This study was performed to evaluate HRQoL in Omani children with thalassemia who have not been previously evaluated. All patients with thalassemia (5 to 18 y) on regular hypertransfusion from August 2013 to February 2014 were included. Demographic-clinical information was obtained from electronic patient records. The 23-item Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 with 4 multidimensional scales and 3 summary scores was used to assess HRQoL by both patients and caregivers. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 19. Delayed age at diagnosis and delayed initiation of chelation were independently associated with a negative impact on total PedsQL scores; children with higher pretransfusion hemoglobin and lower serum ferritin levels scored better overall. Patients self-rated their HRQoL scores lower as compared with caregivers. Although physical health was more affected than psychosocial health function from both patients’ (72.26±22.34 vs. 74.55±18.25) and caregivers’ (69.91±19.86 vs. 78.83±18.45) perspective, school functioning domain (68.05±21.30 and 69.71±18.96) scored the lowest. Low ratings for physical health and school functioning highlight the importance of adequate transfusion together with the need for a multidisciplinary teamwork by health care providers, social workers, counselors, family members, and school authorities to provide psychosocial support to prevent mental issues and improve academic performance in these young patients.
Two Uncommon Paraneoplastic Neurological Syndromes in a Child With Hodgkin Lymphoma
Authors: Srinivasan Arathi , Satish Gayathri , Scott Julius X. , Madhavan Ramprakash , Sathiyasekaran Malathi
Published: May 2016

Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS) are rare, remote effects of cancer that are usually caused by an altered immune response to the tumor and not due to the tumor mass, metastasis, infection, ischemia, or metabolic derangements. PNSs can affect any area of the central, the peripheral, and the autonomic nervous systems. These are rare in lymphomas compared with solid tumors attributed to their presentation even in late stages and the absence of onconeural antibodies. We present a child with stage IIB Hodgkin lymphoma who presented with dual PNS, achalasia cardia, and Holmes Adie pupil occurring synchronously with the cancer.
Pulmonary Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma and Solid Pseudopapillary Neoplasm of the Pancreas: A Coincidence of 2 Rare Tumors in an 8-Year-Old Boy
Authors: Boybeyi Ozlem , Oğuz Berna , Orhan Diclehan , Varan Ali , Karnak Ibrahim
Published: May 2016

Primary pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is extremely rare in children and is characterized by a mucus-secreting and squamous cell combination. Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas is a rare tumor of the pancreas, which is mostly seen in young women. We present the case of an 8-year-old boy previously diagnosed and treated by lung lobectomy for MEC. He was admitted to our hospital with an incidentally recognized mass at the pancreas during postoperative workout studies. Distal pancreatectomy was performed. Surgery was curative for both tumors. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of pseudopapillary neoplasm concomitant with MEC in the literature.
Burden of Cardiac Siderosis in a Thalassemia-Major Endemic Population: A Preliminary Report From Pakistan
Authors: Alvi Najveen , Tipoo Fateh A. , Imran Ahmed , Ashraf Muhammad N. , Qidwai Asim , Khursheed Mohammed , Moiz Bushra , Adil Salman N. , Fadoo Zehra , Altaf Sadaf , Pennell Dudley J. , Hasan Babar S.
Published: May 2016

Objective:

To describe the initial experience and demographics of T2* cardiac magnetic resonance–based myocardial-iron quantification of transfusion-dependent thalassemia-major (TM) patients from Pakistan and the correlation with serum ferritin.

Methods:

Eligible TM patients presenting between April 2014 and April 2015 to Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan, for T2*CMR were included. The severity of myocardial-iron deposition was defined as follows: normal T2*>20 ms, mild-moderate T2*10 to 20 ms, and severe T2*<10 ms. Cardiac symptoms were classified using the NYHA functional classification. Echocardiographic systolic and diastolic functions were performed. Continuous variables were presented as the median (minimum-maximum value). Correlation was measured using the Spearman rank correlation. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with the NYHA functional class.

Results:

A total of 83 patients (49 male and 34 female) with TM, age 19 (5 to 45) years at presentation for T2*CMR, were reviewed. At presentation, 70% of the patients were classified as NYHA class II or worse. T2*<20 ms was observed in 62.6% of the patients, with 47% showing severe iron deposition (T2<10 ms). No correlation of T2*<20 ms (r=−0.157, P=0.302) and T2*<10 ms (r=−0.128, P=0.464) was observed with serum ferritin. On multivariate analysis, lower T2* values correlated with a worsening NYHA functional class.

Conclusions:

There is a high prevalence of severe myocardial iron load in Pakistani TM patients. Serum ferritin did not correlate with T2* values. Lower T2* was the only clinical factor associated with the NYHA functional class.
Method-dependent Discrepancies in Fetal Hemoglobin Quantification in Patients With Hemoglobin S
Authors: Creary Susan E. , Pyle-Eilola Amy L. , Varga Elizabeth , Cotten Steven W. , S. Lorey Thomas , Holmes Daniel T. , Greene Dina N.
Published: May 2016

Hemoglobin F (HbF) concentration is used in the diagnosis of certain hemoglobinopathies and accurate quantification is central to treatment of patients with sickle cell disease. The 2 most commonly used methods to quantify HbF are high performance liquid chromatography and capillary zone electrophoresis. This study reports discrepancies in HbF quantification between these methods when hemoglobin S is present in the sample. Clinicians and investigators should be mindful of the method used for HbF quantification when evaluating and treating patients who produce hemoglobin S.
Philadelphia Chromosome–positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in Lymphoid Blast Crisis
Authors: Kolenova Alexandra , Maloney Kelly W. , Hunger Stephen P.
Published: May 2016

The clinical characteristics of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in lymphoid blast crisis (BC) can resemble those of Philadelphia chromosome–positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL). Because of this, there can be concern as to whether a patient with newly diagnosed Ph+ leukemia has Ph+ ALL or CML in lymphoid BC. This distinction has significant potential therapeutic implications because most children with Ph+ ALL are now treated with chemotherapy plus a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, whereas allogeneic stem cell transplant is usually recommended for any patient with CML that presents in or later develops BC.
Impact of Communication Competency Training on Nursing Students’ Self-advocacy Skills
Authors: Doherty Christi , Landry Heidi , Pate Barbara , Reid Helen
Published: May 2016

Deficiencies in nursing students’ communication skills need to be addressed for students to influence and skillfully collaborate in crucial patient and self-advocacy conversations. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a communication competency educational program for nursing students (N = 61). A paired-sample t test determined that there was a statistical significance from pre to post intervention, indicating the importance of communication competency education for nursing students’ ability to advocate for themselves and their patients.
EMS Activations for School-Aged Children From Public Buildings, Places of Recreation or Sport, and Health Care Facilities in Pennsylvania
Authors: Catherine Andrew T. , Olympia Robert P.
Published: May 2016

Objectives

To determine the etiology of emergency medical services (EMS) activations in 2011 to public buildings, places of recreation or sport, and health care facilities involving children aged 5 to 18 years in Pennsylvania.

Methods

Electronic records documenting 2011 EMS activations as provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health's Bureau of EMS were reviewed. Data elements (demographics, dispatch complaint, mechanism of injury, primary assessment) from patients aged 5 to 18 years involved in an EMS response call originating from either a public building, a place of recreation and sport, or health care facility were analyzed.

Results

A total of 12,289 records were available for analysis. The most common primary assessments from public buildings were traumatic injury, behavioral/psychiatric disorder, syncope/fainting, seizure, and poisoning. The most common primary assessments from places of recreation or sport were traumatic injury, syncope/fainting, altered level of consciousness, respiratory distress, and abdominal pain. The most common primary assessments from health care facilities were behavioral/psychiatric disorder, traumatic injury, abdominal pain, respiratory distress, and syncope/fainting. When examining the mechanism of injury for trauma-related primary assessments, falls were the most common mechanism at all 3 locations, followed by being struck by an object. Of the 1335 serious-incident calls (11% of the total EMS activations meeting inclusion criteria), 61.2% were from public buildings, 14.1% from places of recreation or sport, and 24.7% from health care facilities.

Conclusions

Our identification of common EMS dispatch complaints, mechanisms of injury, and primary assessments can be used in the education of staff and preparation of facilities for medical emergencies and injuries where children spend time.
Impact of an Inpatient Psychiatric Unit on Pediatric Emergency Mental Health Care
Authors: Sheridan David C. , Johnson Kyle P. , Fu Rongwei , Spiro David M. , Hansen Matthew L.
Published: May 2016

Objectives

Mental health complaints are a frequent presentation to the pediatric emergency department (PED). It is unclear if having an on-site inpatient pediatric psychiatric unit impacts pediatric mental health care in the acute setting. The objective of this study was to compare PED mental health care between a pediatric tertiary care center with an associated inpatient child psychiatric unit (PAPED) and one that does not (NOPED) with the hypothesis that children have longer lengths of stay (LOS) at the PED without an inpatient unit.

Methods

This was a retrospective, observational study of all mental health presentations aged 1 to 18 years to 2 tertiary care PEDs from March 2012 to June 2013 with a final mental health diagnosis International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code.

Results

A total of 1409 patient encounters comprised the study group. The PAPED had a significantly higher rate of admission 41.3% versus 18.8% (P < 0.0001). The LOS was significantly longer at the NOPED compared with the PAPED with a visit of 15.6 versus 6.3, respectively (P < 0.0001). When LOS was stratified for disposition, patients requiring admission from the NOPED had a significantly longer LOS of 33.4 compared with an emergency department LOS of 8.1 at the PAPED (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions

Mental health care in the PED seems to be affected by having an associated inpatient child psychiatric unit. Further research needs to address this growing problem and ways to utilize community resources to develop safe outpatient plans and divert admission if possible.
ElusivePlasmodiumSpecies Complete the Human Malaria Genome Set
Authors: Rutledge Gavin G. , Böehme Ulrike , Sanders Mandy , Reid Adam J. , Maiga-Ascofare Oumou , Djimdé Abdoulaye A. , Apinjoh Tobias O. , Amenga-Etego Lucas , Manske Magnus , Barnwell John W. , Renaud François , Ollomo Benjamin , Prugnolle Franck , Anstey Nicholas M. , Auburn Sarah , Price Ric N. , McCarthy James S. , Kwiatkowski Dominic P. , Newbold Chris I. , Berriman Matthew , Otto Thomas D.
Published: May 2016

Despite the huge international endeavor to understand the genomic basis of malaria biology, there remains a lack of information about two human-infective species:Plasmodium malariaeandP. ovale. The former is prevalent across all malaria endemic regions and able to recrudesce decades after the initial infection. The latter is a dormant stage hypnozoite-forming species, similar toP. vivax. Here we present the newly assembled reference genomes of both species, thereby completing the set of all human-infectivePlasmodiumspecies. We show that theP. malariaegenome is markedly different to otherPlasmodiumgenomes and relate this to its unique biology. Using additional draft genome assemblies, we confirm thatP. ovaleconsists of two cryptic species that may have diverged millions of years ago. These genome sequences provide a useful resource to study the genetic basis of human-infectivity inPlasmodiumspecies.
MetaGxData: Clinically Annotated Breast, Ovarian and Pancreatic Cancer Datasets and their Use in Generating a Multi-Cancer Gene Signature
Authors: Gendoo Deena M.A. , Zon Michael , Sandhu Vandana , Manem Venkata SK , Ratanasirigulchai Natchar , Chen Gregory M , Waldron Levi , Haibe-Kains Benjamin
Published: May 2016

A wealth of transcriptomic and clinical data on solid tumours are under-utilized due to unharmonized data storage and format. We have developed the MetaGxData package compendium, which includes manually-curated and standardized clinical, pathological, survival, and treatment metadata across breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer data. MetaGxData is the largest compendium of curated transcriptomic data for these cancer types to date, spanning 86 datasets and encompassing 15,249 samples. Open access to standardized metadata across cancer types promotes use of their transcriptomic and clinical data in a variety of cross-tumour analyses, including identification of common biomarkers, establishing common patterns of co-expression networks, and assessing the validity of prognostic signatures. Here, we demonstrate that MetaGxData is a flexible framework that facilitates meta-analyses by using it to identify common prognostic genes in ovarian and breast cancer. Furthermore, we use the data compendium to create the first gene signature that is prognostic in a meta-analysis across 3 cancers. These findings demonstrate the potential of MetaGxData to serve as an important resource in oncology research and provide a foundation for future development of cancer-specific compendia.
Predictability and hierarchy in Drosophila behavior
Authors: Berman Gordon J. , Bialek William , Shaevitz Joshua W.
Published: May 2016

Even the simplest of animals exhibit behavioral sequences with complex temporal dynamics. Prominent amongst the proposed organizing principles for these dynamics has been the idea of a hierarchy, wherein the movements an animal makes can be understood as a set of nested sub-clusters. Although this type of organization holds potential advantages in terms of motion control and neural circuitry, measurements demonstrating this for an animal’s entire behavioral repertoire have been limited in scope and temporal complexity. Here, we use a recently developed unsupervised technique to discover and track the occurrence of all stereotyped behaviors performed by fruit flies moving in a shallow arena. Calculating the optimally predictive representation of the fly’s future behaviors, we show that fly behavior exhibits multiple time scales and is organized into a hierarchical structure that is indicative of its underlying behavioral programs and its changing internal states.