bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Are They Ready to Teach With Technology? An Investigation of Technology Instruction in Music Teacher Education Programs
Authors: Haning Marshall
Published: May 2015

The purpose of this research was to investigate the type, quantity, and effects of technology instruction currently being provided to undergraduate music education majors. Undergraduate participants ( n = 46) at 10 degree-granting institutions completed an online survey on the technology instruction received during their undergraduate degree programs and their plans for future technology implementation in their classrooms. Participants’ responses indicated that 63% had taken a required technology course during their undergraduate degree program. Required technology courses were most commonly taught by the college/school/department of music, with music notation software and sound mixing and editing applications being the most common topics covered. Participants indicated that more technology instruction in instructional and student-centered applications was desired, with 43% of participants indicating that they did not feel prepared to effectively use technology in their future teaching positions.
Distinguishing Racism from Ideology
Authors: Zigerell L. J.
Published: May 2015

Research using symbolic racism has provided evidence that racial bias has widespread social and political impact in the United States, influencing phenomena such as opposition to policies designed to help blacks, disapproval of Barack Obama, and membership in the Tea Party. However, symbolic racism has a racial component and a conservative component, so many researchers have attempted to isolate the racial component of symbolic racism with statistical control; however, the literature lacks guidelines about the effectiveness of such statistical control. To address this shortcoming, I report results from two studies using the 2012 ANES Time Series Study. Study 1 provides guidelines for the effect size necessary to support an inference that variation in a dependent variable is influenced by the racial component of symbolic racism. The nature of this racial component has been inconsistently described in the literature, so Study 2 reports evidence that symbolic racism sometimes predicts black opposition to policies designed to help blacks, which suggests that the characterization of the residual effect of symbolic racism as racial animosity is stronger than warranted by the data. Together, these studies can help researchers better identify when racial bias is an influence and better understand what this influence represents.
Embodied Homelessness
Authors: Finley Susan
Published: May 2015

I locate my art and scholarship in the liminal spaces between the contrived socially and historically constructed metanarratives that explain poverty and the actual lived experiences of street youths, residents in tent communities, and sheltered and unsheltered children in America. Murals, poetry, re-purposed design and constructions, “found art,” and ecoaesthetics have been used for the telling of these personal experiences in an attempt to make meanings of the contradictions and unspoken assumptions of social metanarratives, unbalanced as they are with the fractured lives imposed by homeless-otherness. It is in this context of art-making and “in order to extend and expand their proposed functions prosthetically, linking the present with the past, the familiar with the strange, to see and understand the one from the other back and forth, and again” that I explore “the expansion, extension, and intersection of cultural spaces” that represent the premise of Charles Garoian’s book The Prosthetic Pedagogy of Art.
The Prosthetic Space of Art
Authors: jagodzinski jan
Published: May 2015

This article uses Charles Garoian’s excellent study The Prosthetic Pedagogy of Art as a jumping off point to confirm the strength of his thesis on “prosthetics of space and time.” It does so by exploring the “visual” via both Derridean and Deleuzian philosophies in relation to the image of thought. It does this through a series of thought experiments and ends with a meditation on an “accelerated aesthetic” via a televised episode from the British series Black Mirror.
The Influence of Teaching Method on Performance of Suicide Assessment in Baccalaureate Nursing Students
Authors: Luebbert Rebecca , Popkess Ann
Published: May 2015

BACKGROUND: Student nurses identify many barriers to assessing patients’ risk for suicide. OBJECTIVE: This pilot study developed and tested an innovative active learning strategy using simulated standardized patients to determine its effectiveness in teaching suicide assessment skills to a sample of 34 junior and senior baccalaureate nursing students. DESIGN: This study employed an experimental, two-group posttest design and three National League for Nursing/Laerdal Simulation Evaluation instruments. After reading about suicide assessment, the experimental group was exposed to a simulated standardized patient portraying a suicidal patient. The control group received a recorded lecture on suicide assessment. RESULTS: The experimental group demonstrated a significant difference in student scores of self-confidence, satisfaction, and student perceptions of the educational practices (active learning, collaboration, and appeal to diverse learning styles) when compared to the lecture format. CONCLUSION: Suicide assessment is a critical assessment skill set that can be effectively taught to nursing students using standardized patients.
How Research Conclusions Go Wrong
Authors: Suter W. Newton , Suter Paula M.
Published: May 2015

Home health clinicians work in a climate of increasing concern about evidence-based care arising from scientific research and program evaluation. Inconsistent research findings pose challenges for those creating and implementing research-based best practice guidelines. This challenge is intensified by the claim from world-renowned scholar John P. A. Ioannidis that “most published research findings are false.” We believe that many conclusions are false and many are true. This article provides a framework for understanding why many research conclusions are indeed false. We examine problems such as ransacking, bias, senseless comparisons, threats to conclusion validity, and statistical influences that lead to wrong conclusions. Understanding sources of influence that foster wrong conclusions enables the critical consumer of home health research to make sound judgments that translate into true evidence-based care.
Co-Production of Prolonged, Complex, and Negative Services
Authors: Spanjol Jelena , Cui Anna S. , Nakata Cheryl , Sharp Lisa K. , Crawford Stephanie Y. , Xiao Yazhen , Watson-Manheim Mary Beth
Published: May 2015

This study examines customer coproduction in a prolonged, complex, and negative service context—medication adherence in chronically ill individuals. We integrate services and medical perspectives to develop a novel theoretical framework of adherence as a nested system of coproduction behaviors, characterized by temporal and scope dimensions. Utilizing a qualitative approach, our findings point to two key insights about coproduction in the customer sphere. First, the enactment and form of regular-restricted, intermittent-intermediate, and irregular-expansive coproduction behaviors are determined by the characteristics of the customer sphere—that is, coproduction is contextualized. Second, the coproduction system in the customer sphere is complex and the different levels are interdependent. Our research contributes to the emerging literature on service coproduction by elucidating the behaviors through which customers strive toward adherence. The identified coproduction framework holds important implications for providers of prolonged and complex services and future research directions.
Sexed Bodies and Military Masculinities
Authors: Kronsell Annica
Published: May 2015

This article explores the European Union (EU)’s Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) through a framework based on feminist institutional theory that highlights the durability in the dynamics of gender relations. Path dependency based on historic features of military institutions—a strict sex division based on “gender war roles”—has influenced the development of different CSDP bodies. The CSDP is sexed because male bodies dominate the organizations studied, yet this remains invisible through normalization. A dominant EU hierarchical military masculinity is institutionalized in the EU’s Military Committee, combat heterosexual masculinity in the Battle groups, and EU protector masculinity in the EU Training missions. The CSDP embodies different types of military masculinities; the relations between them are important for the reproduction of the gender order through a gendered logic of appropriateness. Yet, this too is invisible as part of the informal aspects of organizations. While women’s bodies are written out of the CSDP, the construction of femininity in relation to the protector/protected binary is central to it. Two protected femininities are read in the texts. The vulnerable femininity of women in conflict areas is important for how the CSDP understands itself in relation to gender mainstreaming. In relation to the vulnerable femininity, CSDP constructs an EU protector masculinity, in turn, set against an aggressive violent masculinity in the areas where missions are deployed. Women’s bodies are absent from the CSDP and they lack agency but are nevertheless associated with a protected femininity.
Serial activists: Political Twitter beyond influentials and the twittertariat
Authors: Bastos Marco T , Mercea Dan
Published: May 2015

This article introduces a group of politically charged Twitter users that deviates from elite and ordinary users. After mining 20 M tweets related to nearly 200 instances of political protest from 2009 to 2013, we identified a network of individuals tweeting across geographically distant protest hashtags and revisited the term “serial activists.” We contacted 191 individuals and conducted 21 in-depth, semi-structured interviews thematically coded to provide a typology of serial activists and their struggles with institutionalized power. We found that these users have an ordinary following, but bridge disparate language communities and facilitate collective action by virtue of their dedication to multiple causes. Serial activists differ from influentials or traditional grassroots activists and their activity challenges Twitter scholarship foregrounding the two-step flow model of communication. The results add a much needed depth to the prevalent data-driven treatment of political Twitter by describing a class of extraordinarily prolific users beyond influentials and the twittertariat.
Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Autologous Vein Graft Reconstructions of the Lower Extremity
Authors: Jongkind Jeroen , Ünlü Çaĝdaş , Vahl Anco , Voorwinde Tony , Nieuwenhuizen Roos van , Bosma Jan
Published: May 2015

Background:

Different factors contribute to infection after arterial reconstructive surgery. Prophylactic antibiotic use during surgery is widespread, however, there is insufficient evidence to support the use of prophylactic antibiotics with autologous vein grafting. The aim of our study was to assess the effect of single-dose prophylactic antibiotics in patients undergoing autologous vein grafting.

Methods:

Patients undergoing arterial bypass reconstruction in the lower extremity between 2004 and 2012 were retrospectively screened for use of vein grafts. Patients receiving single-dose antibiotic prophylaxis (group 1) were compared with those not receiving prophylaxis (group 2).

Results:

Primary outcome was surgical site infection (SSI), and 142 patients were included. The SSI occurred in 22% of patients in group 1 and in 29% of patients in group 2 ( P = .39; odds ratio: 1.46 confidence interval 95%: 0.61-3.47).

Conclusions:

Results showed no significant effect from single-dose antibiotic prophylaxis on lowering the incidence of SSI.
“What Do You Do All Day?!”
Authors: O’Malley Michael P. , Long Tanya A. , King Jeffry
Published: May 2015

Multiple and complex issues simultaneously present themselves for the principal’s attention. Learning how to identify, prioritize, synthesize, and act in relation to these issues poses a particular challenge to early career principals. This case study engages aspiring and current school leaders in critical reflection upon leadership opportunities and practices in a simulated setting that elicits challenges commonly experienced by early career principals. Discussion questions integrate educational leadership research specific to the case issues. Activity suggestions focus on use of the case as a collaborative assessment in an educational leadership admissions process, midpoint review, or course; as a self-assessment; and in supervision of principals.
Winning Is Everything
Authors: Clayton Ashley B. , Grantham Ashley , McGurrin Daniel P. , Paparella Paul , Pellegrino Lauren N.
Published: May 2015

For years, football and basketball players at Prestige University were earning college credit for classes that never existed. The students were enrolled in fake courses, known as “ghost classes,” with no formal instruction or required meeting times and requiring only a single term paper. Faculty, staff, and administrators were complicit in quietly providing student athletes in revenue-generating sports academic credit for coursework they did not complete. However, the scandal became nationwide news, forcing Prestige to reconsider its key values and mission and placing the integrity of the university’s academic and athletics programs in jeopardy.
The invisible silence of race: On exploring some experiences of minority group teachers at South African schools
Authors: Davids Nuraan , Waghid Yusef
Published: May 2015

In its hasty retreat from a racialized and racist South Africa, democratic South Africa was intent on embracing the newly formed ‘rainbow nation’. It would be a nation free from all forms of oppression, and unshackled by anger and hatred, as made visible in the life of Nelson Mandela – the first president of a non-racial, democratic South Africa. It made sense to open schools to all races, inviting children, once divided along lines of race, ethnicity and cultures, to share a uniform, share a school and learn together. Admissions determined on the basis of race and ethnicity, were considered part of an apartheid past. Given the newly established landscape of desegregated schools, many teachers opted for posts at schools where they were previously not allowed to teach. This meant, for example, that coloured teachers began teaching at White schools, and Black teachers at Indian schools. Although not in the same numbers as learners, teachers began to migrate across racial lines in terms of teaching posts.

This paper draws on research conducted with what the authors refer to as minority group teachers. These are teachers who do not form part of the majority group in the school in terms of race and ethnicity. In exploring the issues of race and ethnicity of minority group teachers at schools, this paper examines how the silence around conversations on race, ethnicity, religion, culture and language – what its authors call the identity of ‘otherness’ – leads to an invisibility that pretends there is no difference. In other words, if the identity of ‘otherness’ is not discussed, it does not exist. Secondly, this paper explores how this invisibility of ‘otherness’ experienced by teachers affects their teaching in diverse classroom settings. Thirdly, in exploring a conception of ‘otherness’, it is not the intention of this paper to advance an argument in defence of deracialized schooling. Instead, it looks for a language that can break the silence around race and racism – one that is not necessarily constituted by race. As such, this paper argues for a language of ‘otherness’ that is constituted by conceptions of infancy, potentiality and becoming – a language that will re-imprint itself on a re-imagined consciousness of post-apartheid citizenship.
Curating media learning: Towards a porous expertise
Authors: McDougall Julian , Potter John
Published: May 2015

This article combines research results from a range of projects with two consistent themes. Firstly, we explore the potential for curation to offer a productive metaphor for the convergence of digital media learning across and between home / lifeworld and formal educational / systemworld spaces – or between the public and private spheres. Secondly, we draw conclusions from these projects to argue that the acceptance of transmedia literacy practices as a site for rich educational work – in media education and related areas – can only succeed if matched by a convergence of a more porous educator–student expertise.
Platelet glycoprotein VI binds to polymerized fibrin and promotes thrombin generation
Authors: Mammadova-Bach Elmina , Ollivier Véronique , Loyau Stéphane , Schaff Mathieu , Dumont Bénédicte , Favier Rémi , Freyburger Geneviève , Latger-Cannard Véronique , Nieswandt Bernhard , Gachet Christian , Mangin Pierre H. , Jandrot-Perrus Martine
Published: May 2015

Key Points

GPVI interaction with polymerized fibrin triggers a new loop amplifying thrombin generation and platelet recruitment at the clot surface.
Global incidence and mortality of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a systematic review
Authors: Hutchinson John , Fogarty Andrew , Hubbard Richard , McKeever Tricia
Published: May 2015

As idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis emerges as an important public health problem, there is a need to coordinate data on incidence and mortality globally. This study aims to systematically assess all available studies to investigate the global burden of disease.

Medline and Embase databases were searched systematically for all population-based studies of incidence or mortality of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Clinical case series and prevalence studies were excluded. The search was supplemented using the Google search engine, hand-searching of references and conference abstracts. Data were extracted independently by two authors using a pre-specified proforma, with assessment of methodological quality.

34 studies were identified, providing data from 21 countries from 1968–2012. 28 studies reported incidence data and eight reported mortality data. In studies from the year 2000 onwards, we estimated a conservative incidence range of 3–9 cases per 100 000 per year for Europe and North America. Incidence was lower in East Asia and South America. The majority of studies showed an increase in incidence over time.

The incidence of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is increasing worldwide and rates are coming together across countries. Current data suggest incidence is similar to that of conditions such as stomach, liver, testicular and cervical cancers.
Pulmonary vascular response patterns during exercise in interstitial lung disease
Authors: Degani-Costa Luiza H. , Levarge Barbara , Digumarthy Subba R. , Eisman Aaron S. , Harris R. Scott , Lewis Gregory D.
Published: May 2015

When overt pulmonary hypertension arises in interstitial lung disease (ILD), it contributes to exercise intolerance. We sought to determine the functional significance of abnormal pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) responses to exercise in ILD.

27 ILD patients and 11 age-matched controls underwent invasive cardiopulmonary exercise testing (iCPET). Mean PAP (mPAP) was indexed to cardiac output (Q´T) during exercise, with a mPAP–Q´Tslope ≥3 mmHg·min·L−1defined as an abnormal pulmonary vascular response.

All control subjects had mPAP–Q´Tslopes <3 mmHg·min·L−1(mean±sem1.5±0.1 mmHg·min·L−1). 15 ILD patients had mPAP–Q´Tslopes ≥3 mmHg·min·L−1(4.1±0.2 mmHg·min·L−1) and were labelled as having ILD plus pulmonary vascular dysfunction (PVD). Subjects without pulmonary hypertension and with mPAP–Q´Tslopes <3 mmHg·min·L−1(1.9±0. 2 mmHg·min·L−1) were labelled as ILD minus PVD (n=12). ILD+PVD and ILD−PVD patients did not differ in terms of age, sex, body mass index, pulmonary function testing or degree of exercise oxygen desaturation. Peak oxygen consumption was lower in ILD+PVD than in ILD−PVD (13.0±0.9versus17±1.1 mL·kg−1·min−1, p=0.012) and controls (19.8±1.7 mL·kg−1·min−1, p=0.003). ILD+PVD patients had increased dead space volume (VD)/tidal volume (VT) and minute ventilation/carbon dioxide production at the anaerobic threshold.

In ILD, mPAP–Q´Tslope ≥3 mmHg·min·L−1is associated with lower peak oxygen consumption, increasedVD/VTand inefficient ventilation. While noninvasive parameters were unable to predict those with abnormal pulmonary vascular responses to exercise, iCPET-derived mPAP–Q´Tslope may aid in identifying physiologically significant, early pulmonary vascular disease in ILD.
Scalability of the Heat and Current Treatment on SWCNTs to Improve their Crystallinity and Thermal and Electrical Conductivities
Authors: Matsumoto Naoyuki , Oshima Azusa , Sakurai Shunsuke , Yumura Motoo , Hata Kenji , Futaba Don N
Published: May 2015

We have investigated the scalability of our post-synthesis graphitization process for single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), which applies heat and current to SWCNTs to improve the thermal and electrical conductivities. This investigation was performed by examining the relationship between the processing conditions and the amount of treated SWCNTs. Characterization of all cases of treated SWCNTs showed the same level of improvement of ~3 times to both the thermal and electrical conductivities and that the SWCNTs remained SWCNTs, i.e., no change in diameter or wall number. These results provided evidence that the ability to improve the crystallinity of the SWCNTs was independent of the treatment amount. Further, our results showed that an increase in SWCNT amount required increased applied current density or increased in applied temperature to achieve optimum property improvement. Finally, we found a trade-off between the current density and temperature indicating that either a high current or high temperature was required to achieve the optimum process conditions. These results demonstrated that our heat and current SWCNT treatment was fundamentally scalable and applied towards larger scale (i.e., gram-level or more) amounts of SWCNT.
A dynamic evolutionary and functional landscape of plant phased small interfering RNAs
Authors: Zheng Yi , Wang Ying , Wu Jian , Ding Biao , Fei Zhangjun
Published: May 2015

Background

Secondary, phased small interfering RNAs (phasiRNAs) derived from protein-coding or noncoding loci (PHAS) are emerging as a new type of regulators of gene expression in plants. However, the evolution and function of these novel siRNAs in plant species remain largely unexplored.

Results

We systematically analyzed PHAS loci in 23 plant species covering major phylogenetic groups spanning alga, moss, gymnosperm, basal angiosperm, monocot, and dicot. We identified over 3,300 PHAS loci, among which ~1,600 were protein-coding genes. Most of these PHAS loci were novel and clade- or species-specific and showed distinct expression patterns in association with particular development stages, viral infection, or abiotic stresses. Unexpectedly, numerous PHAS loci produced phasiRNAs from introns or exon–intron junction regions. Our comprehensive analysis suggests that phasiRNAs predominantly regulate protein-coding genes from which they are derived and genes from the same families of the phasiRNA-deriving genes, in contrast to the dominant trans-regulatory mode of miRNAs. The stochastic occurrence of many PHAS loci in the plant kingdom suggests their young evolutionary origins.

Conclusions

Our study discovered an unprecedented diversity of protein-coding genes that produce phasiRNAs in a wide variety of plants, and set a kingdom-wide foundation for investigating the novel roles of phasiRNAs in shaping phenotype diversities of plants.
Mass cytometry as a platform for the discovery of cellular biomarkers to guide effective rheumatic disease therapy
Authors: Nair Nitya , Mei Henrik E , Chen Shih-Yu , Hale Matthew , Nolan Garry P , Maecker Holden T , Genovese Mark , Fathman C Garrison , Whiting Chan C
Published: May 2015

The development of biomarkers for autoimmune diseases has been hampered by a lack of understanding of disease etiopathogenesis and of the mechanisms underlying the induction and maintenance of inflammation, which involves complex activation dynamics of diverse cell types. The heterogeneous nature and suboptimal clinical response to treatment observed in many autoimmune syndromes highlight the need to develop improved strategies to predict patient outcome to therapy and personalize patient care. Mass cytometry, using CyTOF®, is an advanced technology that facilitates multiparametric, phenotypic analysis of immune cells at single-cell resolution. In this review, we outline the capabilities of mass cytometry and illustrate the potential of this technology to enhance the discovery of cellular biomarkers for rheumatoid arthritis, a prototypical autoimmune disease.
Automated classification for HEp-2 cells based on linear local distance coding framework
Authors: Xu Xiang , Lin Feng , Ng Carol , Leong Khai Pang
Published: May 2015

The occurrence of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) in patient serum has significant relation to some specific autoimmune diseases. Indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) on human epithelial type 2 (HEp-2) cells is the recommended methodology for detecting ANAs in clinic practice. However, the currently practiced manual detection system suffers from serious problems due to subjective evaluation. In this paper, we present an automated system for HEp-2 cells classification. We adopt a bag-of-words (BoW) framework which has shown impressive performance in image classification tasks because it can obtain discriminative and effective image representation. However, the information loss is inevitable in the coding process. Therefore, we propose a linear local distance coding (LLDC) method to capture more discriminative information. Our LLDC method transforms original local feature to more discriminative local distance vector by searching for local nearest few neighbors of the local feature in the class-specific manifolds. The obtained local distance vector is further encoded and pooled together to get salient image representation. The LLDC method is combined with the traditional coding methods to achieve higher classification accuracy. Incorporated with a linear support vector machine classifier, our proposed method demonstrated its effectiveness on two public datasets, namely, the International Conference on Pattern Recognition (ICPR) 2012 dataset and the International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP) 2013 training dataset. Experimental results show that the LLDC framework can achieve superior performance to the state-of-the-art coding methods for staining pattern classification of HEp-2 cells.
Parallel computing subgradient method for nonsmooth convex optimization over the intersection of fixed point sets of nonexpansive mappings
Authors: Iiduka Hideaki
Published: May 2015

Nonsmooth convex optimization problems are solved over fixed point sets of nonexpansive mappings by using a distributed optimization technique. This is done for a networked system with an operator, who manages the system, and a finite number of users, by solving the problem of minimizing the sum of the operator’s and users’ nondifferentiable, convex objective functions over the intersection of the operator’s and users’ convex constraint sets in a real Hilbert space. We assume that each of their constraint sets can be expressed as the fixed point set of an implementable nonexpansive mapping. This setting allows us to discuss nonsmooth convex optimization problems in which the metric projection onto the constraint set cannot be calculated explicitly. We propose a parallel subgradient algorithm for solving the problem by using the operator’s attribution such that it can communicate with all users. The proposed algorithm does not use any proximity operators, in contrast to conventional parallel algorithms for nonsmooth convex optimization. We first study its convergence property for a constant step-size rule. The analysis indicates that the proposed algorithm with a small constant step size approximates a solution to the problem. We next consider the case of a diminishing step-size sequence and prove that there exists a subsequence of the sequence generated by the algorithm which weakly converges to a solution to the problem. We also give numerical examples to support the convergence analyses.
Teleost leukocyte immune-type receptors activate distinct phagocytic modes for target acquisition and engulfment
Authors: Lillico Dustin M E , Zwozdesky Myron A , Pemberton Joshua G , Deutscher Julianna M , Jones Lena O , Chang John P , Stafford James L
Published: May 2015

Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) IpLITRs belong to the Ig superfamily and regulate innate immune cell effector responses. This study tested the hypothesis that ITAM-dependent and ITAM-independent phagocytic pathways are engaged by different subtypes of the IpLITR family. When stably expressed in RBL-2H3 cells, the ITAM-containing fusion-construct IpLITR 2.6b/IpFcRγ-L stimulated phagocytic responses that were abrogated at suboptimal incubation temperatures and by pharmacological inhibitors of the classic signaling components of the mammalian FcR-dependent phagocytic pathway. Interestingly, the ITIM-containing receptor IpLITR 1.1b also induced phagocytosis through an actin-dependent mechanism, but this process was insensitive to the pharmacological inhibitors tested and remained functional at temperatures as low as 22°C. The IpLITR 1.1b also displayed a unique target-acquisition phenotype that consisted of complex, membranous protrusions, which captured targets in phagocytic cup-like structures but often failed to completely engulf targets. Taken together, these findings suggest that teleost immunoregulatory receptors that associate with ITAM-containing adaptors can engage conserved components of the phagocytic machinery to engulf extracellular targets akin to the classic FcR-mediated response in mammals. Alternatively, IpLITR 1.1b displays a stalled phagocytic phenotype that is likely dependent on the selective recruitment of the minimal molecular machinery required for target capture but results in incomplete target engulfment. Overall, this study demonstrates that IpLITRs can selectively engage distinct components of the phagocytic process and provides important new information regarding the target acquisition as well as internalization mechanisms involved in controlling phagocytic responses across vertebrates.
Barriers to Physician Adherence to Evidence-Based Monitoring Guidelines in Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
Authors: Goldberg Stuart L. , Akard Luke P. , Dugan Michael J. , Faderl Stefan , Pecora Andrew L.
Published: May 2015

The authors conclude that resource barriers, lack of familiarity, and lack of agreement restrict adoption of evidence-based chronic myelogenous leukemia guidelines, but efforts to facilitate use are not desired.
Trends in Use and Safety of Image-Guided Transthoracic Needle Biopsies in Patients With Cancer
Authors: Accordino Melissa K. , Wright Jason D. , Buono Donna , Neugut Alfred I. , Hershman Dawn L.
Published: May 2015

Although pneumothorax was frequent in outpatients after IGTTNB, rates of hospitalization and chest tube placement were low. As screening for lung cancer increases, the authors anticipate an increased need for IGTTNB.
Implementing a User-Driven Online Quality Improvement Toolkit for Cancer Care
Authors: Luck Jeff , York Laura S. , Bowman Candice , Gale Randall C. , Smith Nina , Asch Steven M.
Published: May 2015

A combination of user-driven tool creation and centralized toolkit development seems to be effective for leveraging health information technology to spread disease-specific quality improvement tools within an integrated health care system.
Improving Documentation of Oral Chemotherapy at a Community Cancer Center
Authors: Enright Katherine , MacMillan Meghan , Lymburner Patricia , Sodoski Catherine , Gollee Simerjit , Carvalho Maritza , Van Dorn Laurie , Fung Ron , Almeida Bernadette
Published: May 2015

Intervention resulted in a meaningful and sustained improvement in the number of components of an oral chemotherapy care plan documented in the medical record.
Building Data Infrastructure to Evaluate and Improve Quality: PCORnet
Authors: Corley Douglas A. , Feigelson Heather Spencer , Lieu Tracy A. , McGlynn Elizabeth A.
Published: May 2015

The goal of PCORnet is to create a community of research that includes patients, clinicians, and health care delivery systems to improve the nation's ability to conduct comparative-effectiveness research.
Evaluating Primary Care Providers' Views on Survivorship Care Plans Generated by an Electronic Health Record System
Authors: Donohue SarahMaria , Sesto Mary E. , Hahn David L. , Buhr Kevin A. , Jacobs Elizabeth A. , Sosman James M. , Andreason Molly J. , Wiegmann Douglas A. , Tevaarwerk Amye J.
Published: May 2015

Survivorship care plans were viewed as useful for coordinating care and making clinical decisions. However primary care physicians desired shorter, clinician-oriented plans that were accessible via EHR and located in a standardized manner.
Potential and Challenges of Patient-Generated Health Data for High-Quality Cancer Care
Authors: Chung Arlene E. , Basch Ethan M.
Published: May 2015

Electronic health records and information technology that allow for customizable alerts, intelligent filtering of data, and meaningful aggregation of multiple streams of patient-generated health data with clinical data will be integral to the successful integration of patient-generated health data into routine cancer care.
Supporting Models to Transition Breast Cancer Survivors to Primary Care: Formative Evaluation of a Cancer Care Ontario Initiative
Authors: Grant Maria , De Rossi Stefanie , Sussman Jonathan
Published: May 2015

Using the approach described, wide-scale transition of appropriate breast cancer survivors from oncology-led practice is feasible over a fairly short timeframe.
Funding Cancer Quality Improvement: Payer's Perspective
Authors: Schumacher Heidi
Published: May 2015

The CMS Innovation Center has developed an oncology payment model, the Oncology Care Model, which aims to test the effect of care coordination on cancer care.
Extending the Quality and Safety Agenda From Parenteral to Oral Chemotherapy
Authors: Krzyzanowska Monika K. , Powis Melanie
Published: May 2015

This article describes some of the steps that can be taken across the entire oral chemotherapy journey to improve quality and safety by leveraging existing and emerging tools.
Improving Adherence With Oral Antiemetic Agents in Patients With Breast Cancer Receiving Chemotherapy
Authors: Hendricks Carolyn B.
Published: May 2015

Improvement in adherence to oral antiemetics among patients with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy was achieved and sustained in this small-practice setting using the framework provided by participation in the ASCO Quality Training Program.
Transforming Data From Information to Quality Improvement: A Panel Discussion With Electronic Health Record Vendors
Authors: Blayney Douglas W.
Published: May 2015

This session explores the approaches taken by various electronic health record vendors to measuring and improving the quality of cancer care.
Reframing Overuse in Health Care: Time to Focus on the Harms
Authors: Hicks Lisa K.
Published: May 2015

The author proposes a shift away from economic arguments toward a focus on patient-level harms caused by overuse, arguing that by focusing on how overuse affects our patients, we may begin to alter the practice.
Silver Oncologic Tsunami: Quality Issues in the Senior Adult Oncology Population
Authors: Chapman Andrew , MacKenzie Amy , Parker Ira
Published: May 2015

The interface between cancer and aging has been explored in research conducted over the past 10 years. Critical topics relevant to the biology of aging and cancer include: immune senescence, telomere shortening, and roles of chronic inflammation and antigen stimulation.
Quality Indicators of End-of-Life Care in Patients With Cancer: What Rate Is Right?
Authors: Barbera Lisa , Seow Hsien , Sutradhar Rinku , Chu Anna , Burge Fred , Fassbender Konrad , McGrail Kim , Lawson Beverley , Liu Ying , Pataky Reka , Potapov Alex
Published: May 2015

There is significant variation in end-of-life quality indicators across regions in four provinces in Canada. Applying this study's methods can support quality improvement by decreasing variation and striving for a target.
Introduction to Quality Issues in Vulnerable Populations
Authors: MacKenzie Amy R. , Parker Ira
Published: May 2015

The Quality Care Symposium featured an inaugural session focused on quality issues in vulnerable populations (senior adult, multimorbid, pediatric or young adult, and medically underserved groups), bringing critical issues affecting these populations to the fore.
Coarse dynamics and fixed-point theorem
Authors: Fukaya Tomohiro
Published: May 2015

We study semigroup actions on a coarse space and the induced actions on the Higson corona from a dynamical point of view. Our main theorem states that if an action of an abelian semigroup on a proper coarse space satisfies certain conditions, the induced action has a fixed point in the Higson corona. As a corollary, we deduce a coarse version of Brouwer’s fixed-point theorem.
On the residue class distribution of the number of prime divisors of an integer
Authors: Coons Michael , Dahmen Sander R.
Published: May 2015

Let Ω(n) denote the number of prime divisors of n counting multiplicity. One can show that for any positive integer m and all j = 0,1,…,m – 1, we have

with α = 1. Building on work of Kubota and Yoshida, we show that for m > 2 and any j = 0,1,…,m – 1, the error term is not o(xα) for any α < 1.
A cohomological Tamagawa number formula
Authors: Huber Annette , Kings Guido
Published: May 2015

For smooth linear group schemes over ℤ, we give a cohomological interpretation of the local Tamagawa measures as cohomological periods. This is in the spirit of the Tamagawa measures for motives defined by Bloch and Kato. We show that in the case of tori, the cohomological and the motivic Tamagawa measures coincide, which proves again the Bloch-Kato conjecture for motives associated to tori.
The rationality problem for norm one tori
Authors: Endo Shizuo
Published: May 2015

We consider the problem of whether the norm one torus defined by a finite separable field extension K/k is stably (or retract) rational over k. This has already been solved for the case where K/k is a Galois extension. In this paper, we solve the problem for the case where K/k is a non-Galois extension such that the Galois group of the Galois closure of K/k is nilpotent or metacyclic.
Normality of orbit closures in the enhanced nilpotent cone
Authors: Achar Pramod N. , Henderson Anthony , Jones Benjamin F.
Published: May 2015

We continue the study of the closures of GL(V)-orbits in the enhanced nilpotent cone V × N begun by the first two authors. We prove that each closure is an invariant-theoretic quotient of a suitably defined enhanced quiver variety. We conjecture, and prove in special cases, that these enhanced quiver varieties are normal complete intersections, implying that the enhanced nilpotent orbit closures are also normal.
On self-injective algebras of stable dimension zero
Authors: Yoshiwaki Michio
Published: May 2015

Let A be a self-injective algebra over an algebraically closed field. We study the stable dimension of A, which is the dimension of the stable module category of A in the sense of Rouquier. Then we prove that A is representation-finite if the stable dimension of A is zero.
Notes on boundedness of spectral multipliers on Hardy spaces associated to operators
Authors: Anh Bui The
Published: May 2015

Let L be a nonnegative self-adjoint operator on L2 (X), where X is a space of homogeneous type. Assume that L generates an analytic semigroup e–tl whose kernel satisfies the standard Gaussian upper bounds. We prove that the spectral multiplier F(L) is bounded on for 0 < p < 1, the Hardy space associated to operator L, when F is a suitable function.
Stickelberger elements and Kolyvagin systems
Authors: Büyükboduk Kâzim
Published: May 2015

In this paper, we construct (many) Kolyvagin systems out of Stickelberger elements utilizing ideas borrowed from our previous work on Kolyvagin systems of Rubin-Stark elements. The applications of our approach are twofold. First, assuming Brumer’s conjecture, we prove results on the odd parts of the ideal class groups of CM fields which are abelian over a totally real field, and we deduce Iwasawa’s main conjecture for totally real fields (for totally odd characters). Although this portion of our results has already been established by Wiles unconditionally (and refined by Kurihara using an Euler system argument, when Wiles’s work is assumed), the approach here fits well in the general framework the author has developed elsewhere to understand Euler/Kolyvagin system machinery when the core Selmer rank is r > 1 (in the sense of Mazur and Rubin). As our second application, we establish a rather curious link between the Stickelberger elements and Rubin-Stark elements by using the main constructions of this article hand in hand with the “rigidity” of the collection of Kolyvagin systems proved by Mazur, Rubin, and the author.
Variation formulas for principal functions, II: Applications to variation for harmonic spans
Authors: Hamano Sachiko , Maitani Fumio , Yamaguchi Hiroshi
Published: May 2015

A domain D ⊂ Cz admits the circular slit mapping P(z) for a, b ∈ D such that P(z) – 1/(z – a) is regular at a and P(b) = 0. We call p(z) = log|P(z)| the Li-principal function and α = log |P′(b)| the L1-constant, and similarly, the radial slit mapping Q(z) implies the L0-principal function q(z) and the L0-constant β. We call s = α – β the harmonic span for (D, a, b). We show the geometric meaning of s. Hamano showed the variation formula for the L1-constant α(t) for the moving domain D(t) in Cz with t ∈ B:= {t ∈ C: |t| < ρ}. We show the corresponding formula for the L0-constant β (t) for D(t) and combine these to prove that, if the total space D = ∪t∈B(t, D (t)) is pseudoconvex in B × Cz, then s(t) is subharmonic on B. As a direct application, we have the subharmonicity of log cosh d(t) on B, where d(t) is the Poincaré distance between a and b on D(t).
Cohen-Macaulay binomial edge ideals
Authors: Ene Viviana , Herzog Jürgen , Hibi Takayuki
Published: May 2015

We study the depth of classes of binomial edge ideals and classify all closed graphs whose binomial edge ideal is Cohen-Macaulay.
Ordinary varieties and the comparison between multiplier ideals and test ideals
Authors: Mustaţă Mircea , Srinivas Vasudevan
Published: May 2015

We consider the following conjecture: if X is a smooth and irreducible n-dimensional projective variety over a field k of characteristic zero, then there is a dense set of reductions Xs to positive characteristic such that the action of the Frobenius morphism on Hn(Xs, OXs) is bijective. There is another conjecture relating certain invariants of singularities in characteristic zero (the multiplier ideals) with invariants in positive characteristic (the test ideals). We prove that the former conjecture implies the latter one in the case of ambient nonsingular varieties.
Hownotto prove the Alon-Tarsi conjecture
Authors: Stones Douglas S. , Wanless Ian M.
Published: May 2015

The sign of a Latin square is −1 if it has an odd number of rows and columns that are odd permutations; otherwise, it is +1. LetLEnandLonbe, respectively, the number of Latin squares of ordernwith sign +1 and −1. The Alon-Tarsi conjecture asserts thatLEn≠Lonwhennis even. Drisko showed thatLEp+1≢Lop+1(modp3) for primep≥ 3 and asked if similar congruences hold for orders of the formpk+ 1,p+ 3, orpq+ 1. In this article we show that ift≤n, thenLEn+1≢L0n+1(modt3) only ift = nandnis an odd prime, thereby showing that Drisko’s method cannot be extended to encompass any of the three suggested cases. We also extend exact computation ton≤ 9, discuss asymptotics forLo/LE, and propose a generalization of the Alon-Tarsi conjecture.
q-Titchmarsh-Weyl theory: series expansion
Authors: Annaby M. H. , Mansour Z. S. , Soliman I. A.
Published: May 2015

We establish aq-Titchmarsh-Weyl theory for singularq-Sturm-Liouville problems. We defineq-limit-point andq-limit circle singularities, and we give sufficient conditions which guarantee that the singular point is in a limit-point case. The resolvent is constructed in terms of Green’s function of the problem. We derive the eigenfunction expansion in its series form. A detailed worked example involving Jacksonq-Bessel functions is given. This example leads to the completeness of a wide class ofq-cylindrical functions.
Graded rings of rank 2 Sarkisov links
Authors: Brown Gavin , Zucconi Francesco
Published: May 2015

We compute a class of Sarkisov links from Fano 3-folds embedded in weighted Grassmannians using explicit methods for describing graded rings associated to a variation of geometric invariant theory (GIT) quotient.
Linear projections and successive minima
Authors: Soulé Christophe
Published: May 2015

Let X be an arithmetic surface, and let L be a line bundle on X. Choose a metric h on the lattice Λ of sections of L over X. When the degree of the generic fiber of X is large enough, we get lower bounds for the successive minima of (Λ,h) in terms of the normalized height of X. The proof uses an effective version (due to C. Voisin) of a theorem of Segre on linear projections and Morrison’s proof that smooth projective curves of high degree are Chow semistable.
Rouquier blocks of the cyclotomic Hecke algebras of G(de, e, r)
Authors: Chlouveraki Maria
Published: May 2015

The Rouquier blocks of the cyclotomic Hecke algebras, introduced by Rouquier, are a substitute for the families of characters defined by Lusztig for Weyl groups, which can be applied to all complex reflection groups. In this article, we determine them for the cyclotomic Hecke algebras of the groups of the infinite series G(de, e, r), thus completing their calculation for all complex reflection groups.
Hilbert-Samuel polynomials for the contravariant extension functor
Authors: Crabbe Andrew , Katz Daniel , Striuli Janet , Theodorescu Emanoil
Published: May 2015

Let (R,m) be a local ring, and let M and N be finite R-modules. In this paper we give a formula for the degree of the polynomial giving the lengths of the modules ExtiR(M,N/mnN). A number of corollaries are given, and more general filtrations are also considered.
Module structure of cells in unequal-parameter Hecke algebras
Authors: Pietraho Thomas
Published: May 2015

A conjecture of Bonnafé, Geck, Iancu, and Lam parametrizes Kazhdan-Lusztig left cells for unequal-parameter Hecke algebras in type Bn by families of standard domino tableaux of arbitrary rank. Relying on a family of properties outlined by Lusztig and the recent work of Bonnafé, we verify the conjecture and describe the structure of each cell as a module for the underlying Weyl group.
Motivic zeta functions for curve singularities
Authors: Moyano-Fernández J. J. , Zúňiga-Galindo W. A.
Published: May 2015

LetXbe a complete, geometrically irreducible, singular, algebraic curve defined over a field of characteristicpbig enough. Given a local ringOp,x at a rational singular pointPofX, we attached a universal zeta function which is a rational function and admits a functional equation ifOp,x is Gorenstein. This universal zeta function specializes to other known zeta functions and Poincaré series attached to singular points of algebraic curves. In particular, for the local ring attached to a complex analytic function in two variables, our universal zeta function specializes to the generalized Poincaré series introduced by Campillo, Delgado, and Gusein-Zade.