bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving service quality in healthcare organisations through geomarketing statistical tools
Authors: Cavallone Mauro , Magno Francesca , Zucchi Alberto
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how geomarketing statical tools (notably, gravitational models) can support healthcare organisations to improve the quality of their services.

Design/methodology/approach

Geomarketing tools were applied to the analysis of data (91,478 observations) concerning the performance of nuclear magnetic resonance.

Findings

Geomarketing models can support and enhance the planning of service provisions of healthcare organisations. Drawing the planning actions on the patient needs and actual behaviours allow the healthcare organisations to obtain better market performance.

Practical implications

The results support the health service planning activities related to covering the so-called “offer gaps”.

Originality/value

This is the first study to apply geomarketing to improve the quality of healthcare services.
Testing the metabolic theory of ecology with marine bacteria: different temperature sensitivity of major phylogenetic groups during the spring phytoplankton bloom
Authors: Arandia‐Gorostidi Nestor , Huete‐Stauffer Tamara Megan , Alonso‐Sáez Laura , G. Morán Xosé Anxelu
Published: August 2017

Although temperature is a key driver of bacterioplankton metabolism, the effect of ocean warming on different bacterial phylogenetic groups remains unclear. Here, we conducted monthly short‐term incubations with natural coastal bacterial communities over an annual cycle to test the effect of experimental temperature on the growth rates and carrying capacities of four phylogenetic groups: SAR11, Rhodobacteraceae, Gammaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. SAR11 was the most abundant group year‐round as analysed by CARD‐FISH, with maximum abundances in summer, while the other taxa peaked in spring. All groups, including SAR11, showed high temperature‐sensitivity of growth rates and/or carrying capacities in spring, under phytoplankton bloom or post‐bloom conditions. In that season, Rhodobacteraceae showed the strongest temperature response in growth rates, estimated here as activation energy (E, 1.43 eV), suggesting an advantage to outcompete other groups under warmer conditions. In summer E values were in general lower than 0.65 eV, the value predicted by the Metabolic Theory of Ecology (MTE). Contrary to MTE predictions, carrying capacity tended to increase with warming for all bacterial groups. Our analysis confirms that resource availability is key when addressing the temperature response of heterotrophic bacterioplankton. We further show that even under nutrient‐sufficient conditions, warming differentially affected distinct bacterioplankton taxa.
Implementing Interoperability in the Seafood Industry: Learning from Experiences in Other Sectors
Authors: Bhatt Tejas , Gooch Martin , Dent Benjamin , Sylvia Gilbert
Published: August 2017

Interoperability of communication and information technologies within and between businesses operating along supply chains is being pursued and implemented in numerous industries worldwide to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of operations. The desire for greater interoperability is also driven by the need to reduce business risk through more informed management decisions. Interoperability is achieved by the development of a technology architecture that guides the design and implementation of communication systems existing within individual businesses and between businesses comprising the supply chain. Technology architectures are developed through a purposeful dialogue about why the architecture is required, the benefits and opportunities that the architecture offers the industry, and how the architecture will translate into practical results. An assessment of how the finance, travel, and health industries and a sector of the food industry—fresh produce—have implemented interoperability was conducted to identify lessons learned that can aid the development of interoperability in the seafood industry. The findings include identification of the need for strong, effective governance during the establishment and operation of an interoperability initiative to ensure the existence of common protocols and standards. The resulting insights were distilled into a series of principles for enabling syntactic and semantic interoperability in any industry, which we summarize in this article. Categorized as “structural,” “operational,” and “integrative,” the principles describe requirements and solutions that are pivotal to enabling businesses to create and capture value from full chain interoperability. The principles are also fundamental to allowing governments and advocacy groups to use traceability for public good.
The Expanding Role of Traceability in Seafood: Tools and Key Initiatives
Authors: Lewis Sara G. , Boyle Mariah
Published: August 2017

In the last decade, a range of drivers within the seafood sector have incentivized the application of traceability to issues beyond food safety and inventory management. Some of the issues motivating the expanded use of traceability within the global seafood sector include: increased media attention on the legal and social risks within some seafood supply chains, governmental traceability requirements, private‐sector sustainability commitments, and others. This article begins with an overview of these topics in the seafood industry, and why many nongovernment organizations (NGOs), companies, and government actors have turned to traceability as a tool to address them. We discuss how traceability connects to key requirements of environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Later, we review the range of traceability services, tools, software solutions, and the due diligence measures that are currently being leveraged within the seafood sector. The paper concludes with a discussion of several NGO‐ and industry‐led traceability initiatives that are examples of seafood traceability improvements.
Rifaximin treatment is associated with reduced risk of cirrhotic complications and prolonged overall survival in patients experiencing hepatic encephalopathy
Authors: Kang S. H. , Lee Y. B. , Lee J.‐H. , Nam J. Y. , Chang Y. , Cho H. , Yoo J.‐J. , Cho Y. Y. , Cho E. J. , Yu S. J. , Kim M. Y. , Kim Y. J. , Baik S. K. , Yoon J.‐H.
Published: August 2017

Background

Rifaximin might decrease the risk of portal hypertension‐related complications by controlling small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

Aim

To evaluate whether rifaximin was associated with the risk of death and cirrhotic complications.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective study that included 1042 patients experiencing hepatic encephalopathy (HE): 421 patients without hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC; the non‐HCC cohort) and 621 patients with HCC (the HCC cohort). The primary endpoint was overall survival and secondary endpoints were recurrence of HE and the development of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP), hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) and variceal bleeding.

Results

In the non‐HCC cohort, 145 patients received rifaximin plus lactulose (the rifaximin group) and 276 patients received lactulose alone (the control group). The multivariate analysis revealed that rifaximin was significantly associated with lower risk of death (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.697; P = .024) and reduced the risk of recurrent HE (aHR, 0.452; P < .001), SBP (aHR, 0.210; P < .001) and variceal bleeding (aHR, 0.425; P = .011) but not HRS (aHR, 0.598; P = .08). In the HCC cohort, 173 patients received rifaximin plus lactulose and 448 patients received lactulose. Rifaximin was not associated with the risk of death (aHR, 1.177; P = .121). Rifaximin was associated with lower risk of SBP (aHR, 0.323; P < .001) but not with variceal bleeding (aHR, 0.660; P = .104) or recurrent HE (aHR, 0.689; P = .057). The risk of Clostridium difficile‐associated diarrhoea was not different between the groups (aHR, 0.028; P = .338).

Conclusions

In patients without HCC, rifaximin treatment was significantly associated with prolonged overall survival and reduced risks of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, variceal bleeding and recurrent hepatic encephalopathy.
Maximum permissible load for Kiso horses trotting over a short, straight course
Authors: Matsuura Akihiro , Inoue Sota , Irimajiri Mami , Hodate Koichi
Published: August 2017

This study aimed to determine the load‐bearing capacity of trotting Kiso horses using gait analysis. Ten Kiso horses with a height at withers of 128 cm were included. Their riders were fitted with a marker (70 mm in diameter placed on their chest) recorded by two digital DVD cameras while trotting along a short, straight course. In total, eight tests were performed for each horse: the first with a 70 kg load; six with randomly loaded weights ranging 80–130 kg; and then a final test again with a 70 kg load. Three‐dimensional movement of the marker was analyzed using a motion capture system. The time series of vertical displacement of the marker underwent spectrum analysis by the maximum entropy method, and the autocorrelation coefficient was calculated. The first two peaks of the autocorrelation were defined as symmetry and regularity, and their sum was defined as stability. Regularity in the 120 kg test (0.54) was lower than that in the first 70 kg test (0.61), and stability in the 120 kg test (1.31) was lower than that in the first 70 kg test (1.42). We concluded that the maximum permissible load for a trotting Kiso horse is < 120 kg, which represents 31% of its bodyweight.
Lipoxygenase‐mediated generation of lipid peroxides enhances ferroptosis induced by erastin and RSL3
Authors: Shintoku Ryosuke , Takigawa Yuta , Yamada Keiichi , Kubota Chisato , Yoshimoto Yuhei , Takeuchi Toshiyuki , Koshiishi Ichiro , Torii Seiji
Published: August 2017

In cancer cells the small compounds erastin and RSL3 promote a novel type of cell death called ferroptosis, which requires iron‐dependent accumulation of lipid reactive oxygen species. Here we assessed the contribution of lipid peroxidation activity of lipoxygenases (LOX) to ferroptosis in oncogenic Ras‐expressing cancer cells. Several 12/15‐LOX inhibitors prevented cell death induced by erastin and RSL3. Furthermore, siRNA‐mediated silencing of ALOX15 significantly decreased both erastin‐induced and RSL3‐induced ferroptotic cell death, whereas exogenous overexpression of ALOX15 enhanced the effect of these compounds. Immunofluorescence analyses revealed that the ALOX15 protein consistently localizes to cell membrane during the course of ferroptosis. Importantly, treatments of cells with ALOX15‐activating compounds accelerated cell death at low, but not high doses of erastin and RSL3. These observations suggest that tumor ferroptosis is promoted by LOX‐catalyzed lipid hydroperoxide generation in cellular membranes.
c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase in pancreatic tumor stroma augments tumor development in mice
Authors: Sato Takeshi , Shibata Wataru , Hikiba Yohko , Kaneta Yoshihiro , Suzuki Nobumi , Ihara Sozaburo , Ishii Yasuaki , Sue Soichiro , Kameta Eri , Sugimori Makoto , Yamada Hiroaki , Kaneko Hiroaki , Sasaki Tomohiko , Ishii Tomohiro , Tamura Toshihide , Kondo Masaaki , Maeda Shin
Published: August 2017

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a life‐threatening disease and there is an urgent need to develop improved therapeutic approaches. The role of c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) in PDAC stroma is not well defined even though dense desmoplastic reactions are characteristic of PDAC histology. We aimed to explore the role of JNK in PDAC stroma in mice. We crossed Ptf1aCre/+;KrasG12D/+ mice with JNK1−/− mice to generate Ptf1aCre/+;KrasG12D/+;JNK1−/− (Kras;JNK1−/−) mice. Tumor weight was significantly lower in Kras;JNK1−/− mice than in Kras;JNK1+/− mice, whereas histopathological features were similar. We also transplanted a murine PDAC cell line (mPC) with intact JNK1 s.c. into WT and JNK1−/− mice. Tumor diameters were significantly smaller in JNK1−/− mice. Phosphorylated JNK (p‐JNK) was activated in α‐smooth muscle actin (SMA)‐positive cells in tumor stroma, and mPC‐conditioned medium activated p‐JNK in tumor‐associated fibroblasts (TAF) in vitro. Relative expression of Ccl20 was downregulated in stimulated TAF. Ccl20 is an important chemokine that promotes CD8+ T‐cell infiltration by recruitment of dendritic cells, and the number of CD8+ T cells was decreased in Kras;JNK1+/− mice compared with Kras;JNK1−/− mice. These results suggest that the cancer secretome decreases Ccl20 secretion from TAF by activation of JNK, and downregulation of Ccl20 secretion might be correlated with reduction of infiltrating CD8+ T cells. Therefore, we concluded that inhibition of activated JNK in pancreatic tumor stroma could be a potential therapeutic target to increase Ccl20 secretion from TAF and induce accumulation of CD8+ T cells, which would be expected to enhance antitumor immunity.
Diagnostic and prognostic role of urinary collagens in primary human bladder cancer
Authors: Miyake Makito , Morizawa Yosuke , Hori Shunta , Tatsumi Yoshihiro , Onishi Sayuri , Owari Takuya , Iida Kota , Onishi Kenta , Gotoh Daisuke , Nakai Yasushi , Anai Satoshi , Chihara Yoshitomo , Torimoto Kazumasa , Aoki Katsuya , Tanaka Nobumichi , Shimada Keiji , Konishi Noboru , Fujimoto Kiyohide
Published: August 2017

Collagen type 4 alpha 1 (COL4A1) and collagen type 13 alpha 1 (COL13A1) produced by urothelial cancer cells support the vital oncogenic property of tumor invasion. We investigated the diagnostic and prognostic capability of COL4A1 and COL13A1 in voided urine and compared the observed values with those of fragments of cytokeratin‐19 (CYFRA21‐1), nuclear matrix protein 22 (NMP‐22), and voided urine cytology in bladder cancer (BCa). We collected voided urine samples from 154 patients newly diagnosed with BCa, before surgery and from 61 control subjects. Protein levels of COL4A1, COL13A1, CYFRA21‐1, and NMP‐22 in urine supernatants were measured using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays. Diagnostic performance and optimal cut‐off values were determined by receiver operating characteristic analysis. Urine levels of COL4A1, COL13A1, the combined values of COL4A1 and COL13A1 (COL4A1 + COL13A1), and CYFRA21‐1 were significantly elevated in urine from patients with BCa compared to the controls. Among these biomarkers, the optimal cut‐off value of COL4A1 + COL13A1 at 1.33 ng/mL resulted in 57.4%, 83.7%, 56.1%, 80.7%, and 91.7% sensitivity for low‐grade tumors, high‐grade tumors, Ta, T1, and muscle invasive disease, respectively. We evaluated the prognostic value of preoperative urine levels in 130 non‐muscle invasive BCa samples after the initial transurethral surgery. A high urinary COL4A1 + COL13A1 was found to be an independent risk factor for intravesical recurrence. Although these data need to be externally validated, urinary COL4A1 and COL13A1 could be a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for BCa. This easy‐to‐use urinary signature identifies a subgroup of patients with a high probability of recurrence and progression in non‐muscle invasive and muscle invasive BCa.
Investigating service features to sustain engagement in early intervention mental health services
Authors: Becker Mackenzie , Cunningham Charles E. , Christensen Bruce K. , Furimsky Ivana , Rimas Heather , Wilson Fiona , Jeffs Lisa , Madsen Victoria , Bieling Peter , Chen Yvonne , Mielko Stephanie , Zipursky Robert B.
Published: August 2017

Aim

To understand what service features would sustain patient engagement in early intervention mental health treatment.

Methods

Mental health patients, family members of individuals with mental illness and mental health professionals completed a survey consisting of 18 choice tasks that involved 14 different service attributes. Preferences were ascertained using importance and utility scores. Latent class analysis revealed segments characterized by distinct preferences. Simulations were carried out to estimate utilization of hypothetical clinical services.

Results

Overall, 333 patients and family members and 183 professionals (N = 516) participated. Respondents were distributed between a Professional segment (53%) and a Patient segment (47%) that differed in a number of their preferences including for appointment times, individual vs group sessions and mode of after‐hours support. Members of both segments shared preferences for many of the service attributes including having crisis support available 24 h per day, having a choice of different treatment modalities, being offered help for substance use problems and having a focus on improving symptoms rather than functioning. Simulations predicted that 60% of the Patient segment thought patients would remain engaged with a Hospital service, while 69% of the Professional segment thought patients would be most likely to remain engaged with an E‐Health service.

Conclusions

Patients, family members and professionals shared a number of preferences about what service characteristics will optimize patient engagement in early intervention services but diverged on others. Providing effective crisis support as well as a range of treatment options should be prioritized in the future design of early intervention services.
Can grip strength and/or walking speed be simple indicators of the deterioration in tongue pressure and jaw opening force in older individuals?
Authors: Wakasugi Yoko , Tohara Haruka , Machida Nami , Nakane Ayako , Minakuchi Shunsuke
Published: August 2017

Objectives

Swallowing‐related muscle strength decreases due to sarcopenia, and older people are at risk for sarcopenia and the resultant dysphagia. However, no studies have assessed the direct relationships between whole‐body strength and swallowing‐related muscles. Therefore, this study investigates the relationships between decreased whole‐body strength, which is easily evaluated, and swallowing‐related muscle strength.

Materials and methods

A total of 197 elderly individuals (97 men aged 78.5 ± 6.6 years and 100 women aged 77.8 ± 6.2 years) were enrolled. Grip strength, walking speed, tongue pressure and jaw opening force were measured, and the effects of age and the relationships between whole‐body strength and swallowing‐related muscle strength were investigated.

Results

With respect to age‐related changes, tongue pressure, jaw opening force, grip strength and walking speed decreased with age in men and women. The relationships between whole‐body strength and swallowing‐related muscle strength were analysed, with age used as the control variable. Among men, tongue pressure was correlated with grip strength and walking speed, whereas jaw opening force was correlated with grip strength. Among women, neither tongue pressure nor jaw opening force was correlated with grip strength or walking speed.

Conclusions

There was a sex‐based difference in the correlations between whole‐body strength and swallowing‐related muscle strength. Among men, swallowing‐related muscle strength was correlated with whole‐body strength, and grip strength could thus serve as a simple indicator for swallowing‐related muscle strength.

Clinical relevance

Decreased swallowing‐related muscle strength can be inferred in cases involving male patients for whom decreased grip strength is measured during physical examination or is otherwise suggested (eg, by an inability to open plastic bottles).
Effects of yogurt fermented withLactobacillus delbrueckiissp. bulgaricusOLL1073R‐1 on the IgA flow rate of saliva in elderly persons residing in a nursing home: A before‐after non‐randomised intervention study
Authors: Yamamoto Yuko , Fujino Kazuhiro , Saruta Juri , Takahashi Toru , To Masahiro , Fuchida Shinya , Shimizu Tomoko , Kamata Yohei , Misawa Kyoko , Tsukinoki Keiichi
Published: August 2017

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the alterations in the salivary IgA levels of elderly persons administered yogurt fermented withLactobacillus delbrueckiissp.bulgaricus(L. bulgaricus) OLL1073R‐1, which has been reported to reduce the risk of colds.

Background

Salivary immunoglobulin (Ig)A plays an important role in the defence of the oral cavity mucous membrane against foreign antigens and pathogens. Accordingly, low levels of salivary IgA are associated with an increased risk of upper respiratory tract infection. Furthermore, salivary IgA secretion has been reported to decrease with age. Recently, several studies have reported that certain strains ofLactobacillusand their products can modulate the immune response, but there are currently few studies on the effects of on the IgA level in human saliva.

Materials and methods

This was a before‐after non‐randomised intervention study. Thirty‐seven elderly persons (mean age, 82.7 years) residing in a single nursing home ingested 112 g of the yogurt every morning for 12 weeks. The participants’ saliva was collected before and after 4, 8 and 12 weeks of yogurt intake.

Results

Our results showed that yogurt intake affected the concentration of IgA in the saliva (P < .0001). Additionally, yogurt intake and the body weight of the participants affected the IgA flow rate of saliva (P = .0003 and .03, respectively).

Conclusion

Continuous intake of yogurt fermented withL. bulgaricusOLL1073R‐1 may help improve the mucosal immune function in elderly people with weakened immune systems.
Revealing Ireland's “Proper” Heart: Apology, Shame, Nation
Authors: Fischer Clara
Published: August 2017

This article contributes to feminist expositions of emotion and “matters of the heart” by highlighting the gendered nature of the mobilization of shame. It focuses on the role shame plays in state apology and the desire to recover pride. Specifically, it analyzes the state apology offered to the survivors of Magdalen Laundries by Enda Kenny, the Taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland. By drawing out how the state apology recreates the Irish nation, it traces the deployment of a potentially productive variety of the politics of shame, which comes to be subverted in the service of keeping the virtuous, feeling “heart” of Ireland—the nation's very core—intact across a temporal, moral continuum.
Daughters of the Enlightenment: Reconstructing Adorno on Gender and Feminist Praxis
Authors: Duford Rochelle
Published: August 2017

This article offers a reconstruction of Theodor Adorno's work as it concerns sex/gender and feminist praxis. Although the prevailing interpretation of Adorno's work conceptualizes its relationship to women as one of either exclusion or essentialism, I argue that both the reading of Sade's Juliette inDialectic of Enlightenment, as well as a number of Adorno's aphorisms inMinima Moralia, present complex feminist claims and commitments. Max Horkheimer and Adorno position Juliette as a subject of the Enlightenment, forestalling the possibility that womenquawomen are potentially utopian figures. I utilize Adorno's work inMinima Moraliato show that he—far from excluding or essentializing women—was interested in metaphorically capturing the subjective conditions developed by a system of binary sex/gender within a heteropatriarchal society. Indeed, one can find an iteration of queer theoretical commitments inMinima Moralia. As a result, I argue that he displays a number of straightforwardly feminist commitments: that a liberated society requires the disambiguation of sex from gender, affirming the nonnaturalness of our social sex/gender regime, and claiming that all subjects as gendered subjects are damaged by living within a heteropatriarchal society. Lastly, I provide preliminary evidence of Adorno's critique of (neo)liberal feminist praxis.
Oral Health Education and Promotion Programmes: Meta‐Analysis of 17‐Year Intervention
Authors: Ghaffari M , Rakhshanderou S , Ramezankhani A , Noroozi M , Armoon B
Published: August 2017

Objectives

Oral Health Education and Promotion Interventions (OHEPIs) focus on improving knowledge, to adopt favourable oral health behaviours that can enhance oral health and clinical oral health. However, no meta‐analyses exist that evaluate the effectiveness of OHEPI programmes. The aim of this meta‐analysis was to determine the effectiveness of oral health education and promotion programmes.

Methods

The PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane and ScienceDirect databases from years 2000 to 2016 were searched. Eleven studies based on Participant, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome Study (PICOs) and quality assessment criteria were selected for the systematic review and meta‐analysis. Meta‐analysis of the data was carried out using the Comprehensive Meta‐Analysis V2.0 software. As the heterogeneity of subgroups was higher than 50%, an effect random model was used for the computation of average odds ratio.

Results

The heterogeneity of the studies was higher than 50% (I2 = 92%, P < .001); therefore, the random effect model was used to calculate the average odds ratio. 3 subgroups, (A) programme outcomes (long‐ and short‐term outcomes), (B) age groups and (C) the follow‐up periods after the intervention, were extracted for the intervention review. Overall, programme outcome and the 3‐month subgroup follow‐up were both significantly increased (OR = 2. 41, CI: 1.3, 4.7; P = .005) (OR = 1.14, CI: 1.01, 1.30; P = .03) in terms of odds effectiveness of the interventions. But the age subgroups showed no significance (OR = 0.93, CI: 0.74, 1.17; P = .52) in odds effectiveness of the interventions.

Conclusions

This study found that past OHEPIs are effective and positive impacts on dental visits, attitudes, as well as brushing and flossing behaviours during 3 months post‐intervention among children.
A brief motivational interviewing as an adjunct to periodontal therapy—A potential tool to reduce relapse in oral hygiene behaviours. A three‐year study
Authors: Stenman J , Wennström JL , Abrahamsson KH
Published: August 2017

Objectives

To evaluate (ii) whether inclusion of a single motivational interviewing (MI) session, as an adjunct to periodontal therapy, might be beneficial for preventing relapse in oral hygiene behaviours among patients treated for chronic periodontitis and (ii) whether individual and clinical characteristics can be of predictive value for retention of sufficient oral hygiene behaviours.

Material & methods

This 3‐year follow‐up of a previously reported randomized controlled trial (RCT) study of 6‐month duration included 26 patients. Patients in the test group had received one MI session by a clinical psychologist before initiation of the periodontal treatment. Otherwise, all patients followed the same treatment protocol for conventional educational intervention and non‐surgical periodontal therapy. Efficacy variables assessed for evaluation of the standard of self‐performed periodontal infection control were marginal bleeding index (MBI; primary efficacy variable) and plaque score (PI).

Results

The patterns of change in MBI and PI scores were similar for test and control groups over the observation period. At 3 years, both groups showed a desirable mean full‐mouth MBI of 15%, a figure that was comparable to that at the short‐term evaluation after active periodontal treatment. The post‐treatment MBI was the only variable identified as a predictor of retained adequate oral hygiene behaviours.

Conclusion

A single MI session as an adjunct to conventional periodontal therapy could not be proven to be of long‐term beneficial additive effect with regard to prevention of relapse in oral hygiene behaviour. Desirable standard of self‐performed infection control after active periodontal treatment predicted the retention of sufficient oral hygiene behaviour over time.
Freeze‐cast yttria‐stabilized zirconia pore networks: Effects of alcohol additives
Authors: Miller Sarah , Xiao Xianghui , Setlock John , Farmer Serene , Faber Katherine
Published: August 2017

Freeze casting yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ) can be useful in making electrodes for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) by introducing hierarchical porosity to increase triple‐phase boundary (TPB) area while maintaining adequate fuel flow. In this study the influence of alcohol additives on pore structure of aqueous YSZ freeze‐cast samples was investigated. Slurries with ethanol, iso‐propyl alcohol, or methanol as additives were compared to a control sample. Pore characteristics along sample lengths were measured using X‐ray computed tomography reconstructions. The control sample showed significant changes in pore size along sample length, whereas pore size of the alcohol additive samples remained similar, indicating that freezing rates of the additive samples remained constant during solidification. Ice lens formation and interactions between alcohols and slurry functional additives (dispersant, surfactant, and binder) resulted in complex pore structures which show promise in increasing SOFC TPB area.
Developing a compliance‐based approach to address error, evasion and fraud in social security systems
Authors: Goveia Luana , Sosa Anahí
Published: August 2017

To support the improved administration of social security programmes, this article presents a preliminary compliance risk management (CRM) model for social security institutions to use as a tool to help address the operational challenges of error, evasion and fraud. Within the model, error, evasion and fraud are collectively referred to as issues of non‐compliance. The model's framework addresses non‐compliance in an integrated manner with regard to the main functions of contribution collection and benefit administration. The model aims to facilitate tackling these important issues by better permitting the identified challenges to be prioritized and, thereafter, addressed based on the assessed severity of their impacts and the cost‐effectiveness of the selected responses. Three generic types of intervention are recommended to tackle non‐compliance worldwide: prevention, detection and deterrence. The article's objective is to contribute to ongoing work to develop an encompassing CRM framework for all social security systems.
ARISTOTLE'S ETHICAL EGOISM
Authors: Gottlieb Paula
Published: August 2017

Accepting the controversial thesis that Aristotle is an ethical egoist, I argue that Aristotle's brand of ethical egoism is immune to four important objections to such a position. I analyse the causes of the four objections showing (a) that Aristotle does not have a conception of happiness which would give rise to the first three, and (b) that his account of practical reasoning, of which I provide an original interpretation, can deal with the fourth.
CORRESPONDENCE ON THE CHEAP
Authors: Ward Peter Al
Published: August 2017

In this paper, I distinguish between correspondence and deflationary conceptions of truth in terms of the modal status they attribute to the relation between a sentence and its truth conditions. And I distinguish between robust and minimalist correspondence conceptions on the basis of whether they provide a reductive analysis of the relation between a sentence and its truth conditions. I argue, contra deflationism, that a correspondence conception of truth is required in explanations of success by appealing to counterfactuals that such explanations must support. But I argue, contra Field, that nothing stronger than a minimalist correspondence conception is required.
IS THERE A NEUTRAL JUSTIFICATION FOR LIBERALISM?
Authors: Brighouse Harry
Published: August 2017

Neutralist defenses of liberalism fail because they cannot account for essential features of an acceptable liberal theory: a firm guarantee for a sphere of individual liberty, an account of our interest in being able to revise our moral commitments, a wide range of applicability, and the possibility of legitimate government in the face of rejection by unreasonable citizens. A liberalism based on the value of autonomy can address the problems which motivate neutralists, while succeeding in providing for the essential features just mentioned.
LOGICAL TRUTH IN MODAL LOGIC
Authors: McKeon Matthew
Published: August 2017

In this paper, I consider the criticism due to Hartry Field, John Pollack, William Hanson and James Hawthorne that the Kripkean requirement that a logical truth in modal logic be true at all possible worlds in all quantified model structures is unmotivated and misses some logical truths. These authors do not see the basis for making the logical truth of a modal sentence turn on more than the model structure given by one reading of the modal operator(s) which occur in the sentence. The primary goal here is to motivate the Kripkean requirement.
M2YSi (M=Rh, Ir): Theoretically predicted damage‐tolerant MAX phase‐like layered silicides
Authors: Zhou Yanchun , Xiang Huimin , Dai Fuzhi , Feng Zhihai
Published: August 2017

Searching for layered MAX phase‐like materials with properties of both ceramics and metals is a topic in its infancy. Herein, through a combination of crystal structure, electronic structure, chemical bonding, and elastic property investigations, we report two MAX phase‐like layered materials Rh2YSi and Ir2YSi. Rh2YSi and Ir2YSi have bulk modulus B of 150 and 185 GPa, respectively, which are comparable to the typical MAX phases like Ti2AlC, Ti3AlC2, and Ti3SiC2, but much lower shear modulus G (82 and 97 GPa for Rh2YSi and Ir2YSi, respectively) than MAX phases. The high stiffness is due to the presence of rigid Si2–M–Si3–M (M = Ir, Rh) units, while the low shear deformation resistance is due to the presence of metallic bonds and the weak bonds that link the rigid Si2–M–Si3–M (M = Ir, Rh) units. Based on the low shear deformation resistance and low Pugh's ratio, Rh2YSi and Ir2YSi are predicted as damage‐tolerant silicides and promising water vapor‐resistant interphase materials for SiCf/SiC composites if yttria or yttrium silicates are formed to protect the SiC fibers in oxygen containing environments. The possible slip systems are {0001} <> and {} <0001> for both Rh2YSi and Ir2YSi.
Wetting, reactivity, and phase formation at interfaces between Ni–Al melts and TiB2 ultrahigh‐temperature ceramic
Authors: Xi Lixia , Kaban Ivan , Nowak Rafal , Bruzda Grzegorz , Sobczak Natalia , Eckert Jürgen
Published: August 2017

The wetting, reactivity, and phase formation at the liquid Ni–Al/TiB2 ceramic interfaces have been investigated at the temperatures close to the Ni–Al liquidus line. The wetting kinetics has been studied by the sessile drop technique utilizing liquid drop dispension and high‐speed high‐resolution video imaging. It is established that the wetting behavior changes from a nonreactive for the Al‐rich melts to a dissolution‐reactive for the Ni‐rich melts. For the Ni concentration ≥40 at.%, TiB2 precipitates are found in the solidified Ni–Al droplets after the high‐temperature interaction of the melts with TiB2 substrates. Besides, new (Al,Ti)Ni3 and (Al,Ti)2Ni21B6 phases are formed due to dissolution of TiB2 ceramic in Ni‐rich melts and subsequent solidification.
Influence in the EU: Measuring Mutual Support
Authors: Fantini Marco , Staal Klaas
Published: August 2017

We assess a country's influence on decision‐making in the Council not merely on the basis of the number of its votes, but based on a novel measure that also takes into account the voting behaviour of other countries. A country that is likely to receive support from other countries will be more influential than a country with more votes, but which tends to be isolated in its policy preferences. We apply the methodology to a novel dataset and use it to assess whether changes in voting weights in the Lisbon Treaty influence the odds of whether countries get what they want when decisions are taken in the Council. We show that large Member States are less successful in getting support from others for their positions, while the changes in voting weights increase large Member States' influence, but statistically significant decrease it only for a subgroup of small Member States.
Scientific evidence on the links between periodontal diseases and diabetes: Consensus report and guidelines of the joint workshop on periodontal diseases and diabetes by the International Diabetes Federation and the European Federation of Periodontology
Authors: Sanz Mariano , Ceriello Antonio , Buysschaert Martin , Chapple Iain , Demmer Ryan T. , Graziani Filippo , Herrera David , Jepsen Søren , Lione Luca , Madianos Phoebus , Mathur Manu , Montanya Eduard , Shapira Lior , Tonetti Maurizio , Vegh Daniel
Published: August 2017

Background

Diabetes and periodontitis are chronic non‐communicable diseases independently associated with mortality and have a bidirectional relationship.

Aims

To update the evidence for their epidemiological and mechanistic associations and re‐examine the impact of effective periodontal therapy upon metabolic control (glycated haemoglobin, HbA1C).

Epidemiology

There is strong evidence that people with periodontitis have elevated risk for dysglycaemia and insulin resistance. Cohort studies among people with diabetes demonstrate significantly higher HbA1C levels in patients with periodontitis (versus periodontally healthy patients), but there are insufficient data among people with type 1 diabetes. Periodontitis is also associated with an increased risk of incident type 2 diabetes.

Mechanisms

Mechanistic links between periodontitis and diabetes involve elevations in interleukin (IL)‐1‐β, tumour necrosis factor‐α, IL‐6, receptor activator of nuclear factor‐kappa B ligand/osteoprotegerin ratio, oxidative stress and Toll‐like receptor (TLR) 2/4 expression.

Interventions

Periodontal therapy is safe and effective in people with diabetes, and it is associated with reductions in HbA1C of 0.27–0.48% after 3 months, although studies involving longer‐term follow‐up are inconclusive.

Conclusions

The European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) report consensus guidelines for physicians, oral healthcare professionals and patients to improve early diagnosis, prevention and comanagement of diabetes and periodontitis.
Characterization of patients with suspected hypersensitivity to cervicovaginal fluid
Authors: Jankowski M. , Kodyra E. , Kaszubowska J. , Czajkowski R.
Published: August 2017

Background

Allergic reaction to seminal plasma was described decades ago. In USA, only tens of thousands women are estimated to be affected. Not only seminal plasma but also cervicovaginal fluid contains sex‐restricted antigens, yet allergy to cervicovaginal fluid has never been reported in medical literature. We came to a suspicion that because immunologic tests required to prove such a diagnosis, allergy to cervicovaginal fluid has never been reported yet it is not uncommon.

Objective

The objective of this study was to use an Internet‐based questionnaire to characterize the population of men with suspected hypersensitivity to cervicovaginal fluid.

Methods

A questionnaire designed to cover localized and systemic symptoms of hypersensitivity reaction was made available via the Internet. Respondents with postcoital adverse reactions were invited to participate. Only respondents who presented with at least two symptoms suggestive to hypersensitivity to seminal plasma or cervicovaginal fluid and were negative for STI, and known hypersensitivity reactions such as latex allergy were a subject for further analysis. Board‐certified dermatologists were surveyed for seeing bona fide cases of cervicovaginal fluid hypersensitivity.

Results

We have identified 52 cases of suspected hypersensitivity to cervicovaginal fluid (CVF). Both localized and systemic types of hypersensitivity were identified. A substantial number of dermatologists admitted to witnessing cases of hypersensitivity to CVF.

Conclusion

Based on data from affected individuals as well as the opinions of dermatologists worldwide, we believe that allergic reaction to cervicovaginal fluid is at least as common as seminal plasma allergy. However, remains unreported due to technical difficulties in diagnosis and dermatologists’ disbelief in its actual existence.
First detection of Edwardsiella ictaluri (Proteobacteria: Enterobacteriaceae) in wild Australian catfish
Authors: Kelly E , Martin P A J , Gibson‐Kueh S , Morgan D L , Ebner B C , Donaldson J , Buller N , Crook D A , Brooks S , Davis A M , Hammer M P , Foyle L , Hair S , Lymbery A J
Published: August 2017

The bacterium Edwardsiella ictaluri is considered to be one of the most significant pathogens of farmed catfish in the United States of America and has also caused mortalities in farmed and wild fishes in many other parts of the world. E. ictaluri is not believed to be present in wild fish populations in Australia, although it has previously been detected in imported ornamental fishes held in quarantine facilities. In an attempt to confirm freedom from the bacterium in Australian native fishes, we undertook a risk‐based survey of wild catfishes from 15 sites across northern Australia. E. ictaluri was detected by selective culturing, followed by DNA testing, in Wet Tropics tandan (Tandanus tropicanus) from the Tully River, at a prevalence of 0.40 (95% CI 0.21–0.61). The bacterium was not found in fishes sampled from any of the other 14 sites. This is the first report of E. ictaluri in wild fishes in Australia.
Food‐packaging interactions investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
Authors: Ciobotaru Ioana‐Alina , Ciobotaru Irina‐Elena , Vaireanu Danut‐Ionel , Benga Florin‐Mihai
Published: August 2017

A method to evaluate some possible potential interactions between food additives and the inner coating of packaging materials is described. This novel approach is based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and may be employed to determine such potential interactions by examining the modification of the capacity values of the inner coating of the packaging materials when the packaging material is exposed to any form of physical degradation or modifications. Although the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis data, resulting from the evaluation of canned carbonated beverages, offers an extended range of characteristic parameters, it was found that the associated capacitance value is in this case particularly suitable in supplying information that could describe the degradation induced by various factors. One has also presented a newly defined parameter that describes the interaction rate and may confirm or infirm the presence of such interactions regardless of the interaction mechanism.

Practical applications

This proposed method may be used in connection with food expertise to determine if any interactions take place between the food and the corresponding packaging materials or as a mean to determine the aging of packaging materials. Other potential uses envisage the determination of the aggressiveness of the processed food and/or the additives included in the processed food.
Pseudodominant inheritance pattern in a family with CMT2 caused by GDAP1 mutations
Authors: van Paassen Barbara W. , Bronk Marieke , Verhamme Camiel , van Ruissen Fred , Baas Frank , van Spaendonck‐Zwarts Karin Y. , de Visser Marianne
Published: August 2017

We report a family in which an autosomal dominantly inherited Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth (CMT) disease type 2 was suspected. The affected family members (proband, sister, father, and paternal aunt) showed intrafamilial clinical variability. The proband needed walking aids since adolescence because of generalized muscle weakness. The sister showed the same symptoms although to a lesser extent. The father and paternal aunt had foot deformity and atrophy of lower legs. A homozygous GDAP1 mutation was found in the proband and in the sister. Further testing showed compound heterozygous GDAP1 mutations in the father and paternal aunt. In this CMT2 family with a pseudodominant inheritance pattern DNA‐diagnostics revealed the presence of both homozygous and compound heterozygous GDAP1 mutations. We recommend including multiple family members in genetic studies on CMT families.
Survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes in extremely preterm infants 22–24 weeks of gestation born in Western Australia
Authors: Sharp Mary , French Noel , McMichael Judy , Campbell Catherine
Published: August 2017

Aim

The management of births at borderline viability continues to present dilemmas for health professionals and parents. The aim of the study was to review local outcomes of infants born between 22 and 24 weeks of gestation between 2004 and 2010 in Western Australia (WA) to aid perinatal counselling.

Methods

Survival data for the study were sourced retrospectively from the Neonatal Clinical Care Unit and Department of Health records of births in WA. Neurodevelopmental follow‐up outcomes were assessed using the most recent standardised assessment (Griffiths, Bayley‐III and Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, 3rd Ed) and medical examination of infants/children 12 months to 8 years from follow‐up clinic appointments.

Results

At these gestations, 159 survivors represented 72% of neonatal intensive care unit admissions, 53% of WA live births and 26% of WA live and still births; 5% of live births survived at 22 weeks, 46% at 23 weeks and 77% at 24 weeks. Of the 14 outborn/retrieved infants, 4 survived (29%). At a median age of 59 months, disabilities were severe in 13% of children (22–23w = 19%; 24w = 11%). The median test quotient was 90. Moderate and severe cognitive disability was found in 16%, cerebral palsy was found in 7% (n = 11), and 55% of children were free from impairment as defined in this study.

Conclusion

At these gestations, survival figures varied markedly with the chosen population denominator. Regional data are essential for valid population comparison. While many developmental difficulties occurred in these children, 78% were free from moderate or severe impairment at ages 3–5 years.
Effects of hydrocolloids as fat replacers on the physicochemical properties of produced Labneh
Authors: Saleh Mohammed , Al‐Baz Fahed , Al‐Ismail Khalid
Published: August 2017

This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of hydrocolloids when used as fat replacers on the physicochemical properties of Labneh. Four combination sets of carboxymethylcellulose, Arabic gum, carrageenan, and xanthan were used in a three factor mixture response surface methodology. Labneh water holding capacity (WHC), viscosity parameters, texture and sensory attributes were assessed. WHC played the critical role in affecting produced Labneh physical properties. Hydrocolloids influenced Labneh WHC in the following order; xanthan > Arabic gum > carrageenan > carboxymethylcellulose. Furthermore, xanthan showed an antagonistic effect with carboxymethylcellulose that lead to the decrease in WHC. Usage of 17% xanthan and 66% Arabic gum resulted in an increase in WHC to 98.6% which indicates a mixture response effect of hydrocolloids in affecting WHC of produced Labneh. The increase in carrageenan from 17% to 66% resulted in an increase in WHC from 62.7 to 70.7%. Consumer testing showed a superior Labneh sensory attributed using various hydrocolloids combinations compared to a control. Hydrocolloids were successfully used in Labneh as fat replacers. The developed reduced fat Labneh with its texture and sensory attributed that exceeded the full fat Labneh attributed can provide a solution to consumers with restricting fat diets.

Practical applications

Carbohydrate‐based fat replacers are of growing interest because of their physicochemical, sensorial properties, and health characteristics. The used hydrocolloids suggest plausible texture and sensory attributes solution in low or reduced fat content products including dairy products.
The New Legal Realism and The Realist View of Law
Authors: Dagan Hanoch , Kreitner Roy
Published: August 2017

New legal realism (NLR) furthers the legal realist legacy by focusing attention on both the pertinent social science and the craft that typifies legal discourse and legal institutions. NLR's globalized ambitions also highlight the potential of a nonstatist view of law. The realist view of law raises three challenges facing NLR: identifying the “lingua franca” of law as an academic discipline within which NLR insights on translation and synthesis should be situated; conceptualizing NLR's focus on bottom-up investigation, so that it does not defy the rule of law; and recognizing the normative underpinning for NLR's reformist impulse.