bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thermal analysis of hydrodynamic lubricated journal bearings in internal combustion engines
Authors: Lorenz Norbert , Offner Günter , Knaus Oliver
Published: February 2017

Hydrodynamic journal bearings are essential components in the internal combustion engines. The prediction of their reliability, durability, and economy, and also of their friction loss power and wear, are of highest importance. For an appropriate representation of the hydrodynamic load-carrying capacity and also the friction behavior, the multibody dynamics of the contacting components, the shape of the contacting component surfaces, the amount of the available lubricant, and the properties of the lubricant itself are of importance. A Reynolds-averaged equation with laminar flow conditions in combination with a dry asperity contact model and a multibody dynamic simulation of the structural components is a typical modeling approach for that purpose. Furthermore, this paper shows a newly developed model for the temperature distribution in the lubricant and the bearing structures. It includes thermal interface conditions between these domains, which incorporates the asperity energy source and predicts the temperature in supply areas. The presented method is applied for a typical engineering task of a sensitivity analysis for oils with different viscosity index improvers in a main bearing of a four-cylinder inline diesel engine. The influence of the oil film temperature on the oil film viscosity and, therefore, on the load-carrying capacity is shown. Furthermore, the simplified two-dimensional approach is compared with a three-dimensional approach in terms of the obtained result. The presented results show similar accuracy of the two-dimensional approach compared to the equivalent three-dimensional case.
Using asynchronous written online communications for qualitative inquiries: a research note
Authors: Schiek Daniela , Ullrich Carsten G
Published: February 2017

Qualitative online inquiries are being used more and more but their use has been little methodologically refined so far. This is already true for a systematic differentiation between asynchronous/synchronous and oral/written varieties of communication and their specific benefits when we use them as qualitative research instruments. In this note, we focus on the methodological benefits of asynchronous online communication between absent communication partners with a time lag. Before doing so, we discriminate between synchrony and asynchrony in (human) social interaction and arrange them on a continuum of decreasing action cues and conceptual speech elements.
The Role of the Home Environment in Dementia Care and Support: Systematic review of Qualitative Research
Authors: Soilemezi Dia , Drahota Amy , Crossland John , Stores Rebecca
Published: February 2017

Background

The domestic home is the preferred site for care provision for people with dementia and their families, therefore creating a dementia and caring friendly home environment is crucial. This systematic review synthesised qualitative studies to explore the role of the home environment and identify potential barriers and facilitators in home dementia care and support to inform future practice and research.

Methods

A systematic search in 12 databases identified international qualitative literature on perceptions and experiences of community-dwelling people with dementia, family and formal carers regarding the role of the home environment and ways to tackle daily challenges.

Results

Forty qualitative studies were included and analysed using thematic synthesis. The main three themes were: ‘home as a paradox’, ‘there is no magic formula’ and ‘adapting the physical space, objects and behaviour’. Findings indicate that home is an important setting and is likely to change significantly responding to the changing nature of dementia. Themes were later validated by family carers of people with dementia.

Conclusions

The home environment is an important setting for care and needs to remain flexible to accommodate changes and challenges. Family carers and people with dementia implement and often improvise, various environmental strategies. Continuous and tailor-made support at home is required.
Delta Brush Pattern Is Not Unique to NMDAR Encephalitis: Evaluation of Two Independent Long-Term EEG Cohorts
Authors: Baykan Betul , Gungor Tuncer Ozlem , Vanli-Yavuz Ebru Nur , Baysal Kirac Leyla , Gundogdu Gokcen , Bebek Nerses , Gurses Candan , Altindag Ebru , Tuzun Erdem
Published: February 2017

Purpose. Although its specificity has not previously been investigated in other cohorts, delta brush pattern (DBP) is increasingly reported in the EEGs of patients with anti- N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis. Methods. We aimed to investigate the DBP in the EEGs of 2 cohorts; patients with change in consciousness for various causes monitored in the intensive care unit (ICU) (n = 106) and patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) with or without antineuronal antibodies (n = 76). Results. These patients were investigated for the presence of DBP, defined as an EEG pattern characterized by delta activity at 1 to 3 Hz with superimposed bursts of rhythmic 12- to 30-Hz activity. Two investigators blindfolded for the clinical and immunological data independently analyzed the EEGs for recognition of this pattern. An EEG picture compatible with DBP was observed in 4 patients; only 1 of them (1.3%) belonged to the MTLE group. She did not bear any of the investigated autoantibodies and was seizure-free after epilepsy surgery. In the ICU group, there were 3 additional patients showing DBP with various diagnoses such as hypoxic encephalopathy, brain tumor, stroke, and metabolic derangements. All of them had died in 1-month period. Conclusions. Our results underlined that DBP is not unique to NMDAR encephalitis; it may very rarely occur in MTLE with good prognosis after surgery and second, in ICU patients who have high mortality rate. Therefore, the presence of this pattern should alert the clinician for NMDAR encephalitis but other possible etiologies should not be ignored.
Differentiation Between Pyogenic Flexor Tenosynovitis and Other Finger Infections
Authors: Kennedy Colin D. , Lauder Alexander S. , Pribaz Jonathan R. , Kennedy Stephen A.
Published: February 2017

Background: Hospital transfer decisions regarding pyogenic flexor tenosynovitis (PFT) are made difficult by emergency department presentations similar to other finger infections, with pain, redness, and functional limitation. Our objectives were to: (1) determine diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of Kanavel signs; and (2) identify existing factors most predictive of PFT during initial presentation. Methods: Adult patients who underwent surgical consultation for concern of PFT over a 5-year period were identified retrospectively. Bivariate screening identified clinical criteria for differentiation, and multivariate logistic regression was performed to control for confounding. We then created a prediction algorithm for diagnosis of PFT. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate diagnostic accuracy. Results: Patients with PFT differed significantly from those with non-PFT finger infections in regard to the 4 Kanavel signs, duration of symptoms less than 5 days, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Sensitivity of the Kanavel signs ranged from 91.4% to 97.1%. Specificity ranged from 51.3% to 69.2%. Logistic regression identified independent predictors for PFT as tenderness along the flexor tendon sheath, pain with passive extension, and duration of symptoms less than 5 days. A prediction algorithm incorporating these 3 factors showed an area under the ROC curve of 0.91 (95% confidence interval, 0.840-0.979). Conclusions: Kanavel signs have high sensitivity for detecting PFT but have poor specificity on an individual basis. Clinical prediction algorithms that combine the relevant factors may be helpful in the development of clinical prediction tools and educational materials for optimization of emergency hand care systems. Further prospective study is needed.
Ring Avulsion Injuries: A Systematic Review
Authors: Bamba Ravinder , Malhotra Gautam , Bueno Reuben A. , Thayer Wesley P. , Shack R. Bruce
Published: February 2017

Background: Ring avulsion injuries can range from soft tissue injury to complete amputation. Grading systems have been developed to guide treatment, but there is controversy with high-grade injuries. Traditionally, advanced ring injuries have been treated with completion amputation, but there is evidence that severe ring injuries can be salvaged. The purpose of this systematic review was to pool the current published data on ring injuries. Methods: A systematic review of the English literature published from 1980 to 2015 in PubMed and MEDLINE databases was conducted to identify patients who underwent treatment for ring avulsion injuries. Results: Twenty studies of ring avulsion injuries met the inclusion criteria. There were a total of 572 patients reported with ring avulsion injuries. The Urbaniak class breakdown was class I (54 patients), class II (204 patients), and class III (314 patients). The average total arc of motion (TAM) for patients with a class I injury was 201.25 (n = 40). The average 2-point discrimination was 5.6 (n = 10). The average TAM for patients with a class II injury undergoing microsurgical revascularization was 187.0 (n = 114), and the average 2-point discrimination was 8.3 (n = 40). The average TAM for patients with a class III injury undergoing microsurgical revascularization was 168.2 (n = 170), and the average 2-point discrimination was 10.5 (n = 97). Conclusions: Ring avulsion injuries are commonly classified with the Urbaniak class system. Outcomes are superior for class I and II injuries, and there are select class III injuries that can be treated with replantation. Shared decision making with patients is imperative to determine whether replantation is appropriate.
Efficacy of Short-Term Robot-Assisted Rehabilitation in Patients With Hand Paralysis After Stroke: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Villafañe Jorge H. , Taveggia Giovanni , Galeri Silvia , Bissolotti Luciano , Mullè Chiara , Imperio Grace , Valdes Kristin , Borboni Alberto , Negrini Stefano
Published: February 2017

Background: We evaluated the effectiveness of robot-assisted motion and activity in additional to physiotherapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) on stroke patients with hand paralysis. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted. Thirty-two patients, 34.4% female (mean ± SD age: 68.9 ± 11.6 years), with hand paralysis after stroke participated. The experimental group received 30 minutes of passive mobilization of the hand through the robotic device Gloreha (Brescia, Italy)﻿, and the control group received an additional 30 minutes of PT and OT for 3 consecutive weeks (3 d/wk) in addition to traditional rehabilitation. Outcomes included the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Modified Ashworth Scale, Barthel Index (BI), Motricity Index (MI), short version of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH), and the visual analog scale (VAS) measurements. All measures were collected at baseline and end of the intervention (3 weeks). Results: A significant effect of time interaction existed for NIHSS, BI, MI, and QuickDASH, after stroke immediately after the interventions (all, P < .001). The experimental group had a greater reduction in pain compared with the control group at the end of the intervention, a reduction of 11.3 mm compared with 3.7 mm, using the 100-mm VAS scale. Conclusions: In the treatment of pain and spasticity in hand paralysis after stroke, robot-assisted mobilization performed in conjunction with traditional PT and OT is as effective as traditional rehabilitation.
Effectiveness and safety of daptomycin in patients with infective endocarditis undergoing heart valve replacement: a subgroup analysis from real-world data
Authors: Guleri Achyut , Utili Riccardo , Dohmen Pascal , Hamed Kamal
Published: February 2017

Background:

European Cubicin® Outcomes Registry and Experience (EU-CORE) was a retrospective, non-interventional, multicenter registry that collected real-world clinical outcomes following daptomycin use for the treatment of Gram-positive infections. EU-CORE data from patients with infective endocarditis (IE) who underwent heart valve replacement were analysed.

Methods:

Clinical outcomes were assessed as success (cured or improved), failure, or non-evaluable. Adverse events (AEs) were recorded for up to 30 days after daptomycin treatment.

Results:

Of 610 patients with IE, 198 [32.5%; left-sided IE (LIE), 166 (83.8%); right-sided IE (RIE), 21 (10.6%); both LIE and RIE, 11 (5.6%)] underwent heart valve replacement. Other than cardiovascular disease, renal disease (18.2%), sepsis (16.2%), and diabetes mellitus (15.2%) were the most significant underlying diseases. Major pathogens in patients with positive culture results (68.0%) were Staphylococcus aureus [36.8%; methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), 12.8%] and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS; 31.6%). Daptomycin treatment [median duration (range), 21 days (1–112)] resulted in high clinical success in patients with S. aureus (88.4%; MRSA, 80.0%) and CoNS (81.1%) infections, with an overall success rate of 83.3%. Clinical success rate was high (90.0%) in patients who received daptomycin dose >6 mg/kg/day. Overall clinical success rate in patients followed for up to 2 years was 90.7%. AEs and serious AEs possibly related to daptomycin were reported in 6 (3.0%) and 4 (2.0%) patients, respectively.

Conclusions:

Daptomycin treatment was effective and well tolerated with a sustained response in patients with IE who underwent heart valve surgery. A trend towards better clinical outcomes was observed with higher daptomycin doses.
An intragenic deletion within CTNNA2 intron 7 in a boy with short stature and speech delay: A case report
Authors: Paganelli Valeria , Giordano Mara , Meazza Cristina , Schena Lucia , Bozzola Mauro
Published: February 2017

Background/Objectives:

Deletions on the short arm of chromosome 2 at bands p11 and p12 have been detected in association with short stature, mild mental retardation and speech delay.

Results:

We describe a 4 year-old boy with some facial dysmorphic traits, congenital malformations and pre- and post-natal growth failure. He also presented marked expressive language problems. The molecular karyotype revealed a 108 Kb deletion within the seventh intron of the CTNNA2 gene at 2p11.2-p12. We observed that some features (short stature, facial dysmorphisms and speech delay) were present in our patient and in patients carrying much larger overlapping deletions.

Conclusions:

The description of this small intragenic rearrangement might help to elucidate the role of the single genes included in the 2p11.2-p12 critical region.
Ultrasonographic follow-up of functional chronic constipation in adults: A report of two cases
Authors: Yabunaka Koichi , Nakagami Gojiro , Komagata Kazunori , Sanada Hiromi
Published: February 2017

Chronic constipation is a disorder frequently encountered in clinical practice. Here, we describe the use of ultrasonography as a new approach to the follow-up of adult patients with functional chronic constipation. Specifically, we report two cases of functional chronic constipation: fecal retention in the rectum and not fecal retention in the rectum. In the not fecal retention in the rectum patient, ultrasonography showed no evidence of fecal retention in the rectum, including no rectal fecaloma, whereas in the fecal retention in the rectum patient, fecal retention in the rectum was clearly recognized. Moreover, ultrasonography can guide the choice of laxative, enema, or appropriate manual maneuver to treat chronic constipation. As a simple and noninvasive method for assessing functional chronic constipation in adults, ultrasonography not only provides important clinical information but can also aid in determining the location of fecal retention.
Mixed urinary incontinence- what should we treat first?
Authors: Khoo CCK , Kujawa M , Reid S , Sahai A
Published: February 2017

Mixed urinary incontinence (MUI) is defined as ‘the involuntary loss of urine associated with urgency and also with effort or physical exertion, or on sneezing or coughing’. It is highly prevalent, increases with age and affects women more than men. It has a significant negative impact on health-related quality of life (HRQL). Additionally, treatment of mixed urinary incontinence places a large financial burden on both individuals and the NHS. Optimal management of this common condition is contested – should we treat the urge urinary incontinence (UUI), stress urinary incontinence (SUI) or predominant symptom first? At the 2015 BAUS Section of Female, Neurological and Urodynamic Urology this subject was debated. Based on a common scenario, the authors of the debate present the arguments for treating the urge urinary incontinence component, stress urinary incontinence component or the predominant symptom of mixed urinary incontinence first, before making recommendations for current practice.
Package graphic design and innovation: A comparative study of Bordeaux and Barossa wine visual codes
Authors: Celhay Franck , Masson Josselin , Garcia Karine , Folcher Pauline , Cohen Justin
Published: February 2017

This research investigates the introduction of innovative designs through content and semiotic analyses of the visual codes of two wine regions: one known to be traditional (Bordeaux) and the other to be innovative (Barossa Valley). The content analysis indicates that the Australian wines differentiate themselves by choosing various themes and styles of illustration, while still conforming to the dominant visual codes for the layout, composition, typefaces and colours. Furthermore, the semiotic analysis shows that the themes and styles of illustration introduced in the Barossa category carry ‘signifieds’ that are relevant to the product category. Thus, the results indicate that the Barossa wineries fulfil two conditions suggested by the literature: moderate novelty and ‘ideal incongruence’ (unexpected but relevant). More importantly, by analysing the meanings of the visual codes used in the two wine regions, this work decodes the elements of graphic design language for the wine category, thus elucidating how it is possible to create a wine label that is unexpected but relevant. Finally, the research allows the identification of four main strategies for brand positioning and indicates how to express them through label graphic design.
A biomechanical analysis of tibial ACL reconstruction with graft length mismatch
Authors: Gaines Evan B , Lau Diana , Naziri Qais , Hayes Westley , Jauregui Julio J. , Kapadia Bhaveen H , Urban William P , Zikria Bashir A
Published: February 2017

Introduction:

The incidence of graft length mismatch (GLM) during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is reported to be up to 13%, with a rate of 20% when using bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) allografts. Multiple techniques have been described to accommodate for the longer BPTB graft. As no study has compared the biomechanical properties of these methods (with cyclic loading), we evaluated the strength of four different surgical techniques used to accommodate for GLM during ACL reconstruction.

Methods:

A total of 32 fresh-frozen bovine tibiae and patellar tendons were divided into four groups based on the method of tibial graft fixation: (1) sutures tied over a post, (2) bone staples, (3) screws and washers, and (4) soft-tissue conversion with interference screw. Biomechanical testing was performed comparing the tensile properties of graft fixation techniques under cyclic loading. Ability to withstand 1500 cycles of load, the maximum tensile strength at load-to-failure, and the mode-of-failure were evaluated.

Results:

Only group 4 had all grafts intact after 1500 loading cycles, while the other groups had one graft failure at 338 (group 1), 240 (group 2), and 309 (group 3) cycles. The highest mean load-to-failure was observed in group 3 at 762 ± 173 N, which was found to be significantly higher than the other groups. The mean loads to failure in groups 1–4 were 453 ± 86 N, 485 ± 246 N, 762 ± 173 N, and 458 ± 128 N.

Conclusion:

While there are multiple viable techniques for fixation of a BPTB graft in the case of GLM, this study demonstrated that direct screw fixation offers the strongest construct.
Proposal of new classification of femoral trochanteric fracture by three-dimensional computed tomography and relationship to usual plain X-ray classification
Authors: Shoda Etsuo , Kitada Shimpei , Sasaki Yu , Hirase Hitoshi , Niikura Takahiro , Lee Sang Yang , Sakurai Atsushi , Oe Keisuke , Sasaki Takeharu
Published: February 2017

Purpose:

Classification of femoral trochanteric fractures is usually based on plain X-ray findings using the Evans, Jensen, or AO/OTA classification. However, complications such as nonunion and cut out of the lag screw or blade are seen even in stable fracture. This may be due to the difficulty of exact diagnosis of fracture pattern in plain X-ray. Computed tomography (CT) may provide more information about the fracture pattern, but such data are scarce. In the present study, it was performed to propose a classification system for femoral trochanteric fractures using three-dimensional CT (3D-CT) and investigate the relationship between this classification and conventional plain X-ray classification.

Methods:

Using three-dimensional (3D)-CT, fractures were classified as two, three, or four parts using combinations of the head, greater trochanter, lesser trochanter, and shaft. We identified five subgroups of three-part fractures according to the fracture pattern involving the greater and lesser trochanters. In total, 239 femoral trochanteric fractures (45 men, 194 women; average age, 84.4 years) treated in four hospitals were classified using our 3D-CT classification. The relationship between this 3D-CT classification and the AO/OTA, Evans, and Jensen X-ray classifications was investigated.

Results:

In the 3D-CT classification, many fractures exhibited a large oblique fragment of the greater trochanter including the lesser trochanter. This fracture type was recognized as unstable in the 3D-CT classification but was often classified as stable in each X-ray classification.

Conclusions:

It is difficult to evaluate fracture patterns involving the greater trochanter, especially large oblique fragments including the lesser trochanter, using plain X-rays. The 3D-CT shows the fracture line very clearly, making it easy to classify the fracture pattern.
Oral Health Care Guidelines, Training, and Resources among Stroke Care Providers
Authors: Ab.Malik N. , M.Yatim S. , Lam O.L.T. , Jin L. , McGrath C.
Published: February 2017

During a stroke, the mouth tends to become an unhealthy place and may give rise to various life-threatening conditions. To this end, there have been repeated calls to incorporate oral hygiene guidelines and practices for hospitalized stroke patients to prevent aspiration pneumonia and improve patients’ oral health. The objective of the study was to determine health care providers’ practices of oral health care among patients hospitalized after an occurrence of stroke and to determine health care providers’ background and work environment effect on these practices. A cross-sectional study was conducted among stroke care providers in 13 public hospitals in Malaysia. The questionnaires distributed were self-administered, where nursing staff provided details of their oral health care practices for stroke patients. Information on the background of health care providers and work environment was also collected. Overall, a total of 780 responses from the registered nurses were obtained. Almost half of the respondents (48.1%) reported that they recommended toothbrushing twice or more per day to stroke patients. Two-thirds (64.7%) reported that they performed daily mouthwashing on their patient, while less than half (38.8%) reported daily oral hygiene assistance. Result of the analysis revealed that oral hygiene practices were significantly associated with having working wards ( P < 0.05), level of qualification ( P < 0.05), having oral health care guidelines ( P < 0.001), specific resources ( P < 0.05), and attending previous training in oral care ( P < 0.001). Provision of oral hygiene practices for hospitalized stroke patients is important. A lack of oral health care guidelines, support from dental professionals, specific resources, training, and assistance in daily oral care for patients is evident and detrimental to oral hygiene practices. The current findings have significant implications for new initiatives to support health care providers, particularly the registered nurses performing oral health care for hospitalized stroke patients.

Knowledge Transfer Statement: This study may provide a basis of information for improving the delivery of oral health care to stroke patients. Enhancement in the training and improvement in the existing guidelines and resources is pivotal for the provision of better oral health care for the potential benefits to these patients, including their improved quality of life and disease prevention.
Oxytocin and Stress-related Disorders: Neurobiological Mechanisms and Treatment Opportunities
Authors: Sippel Lauren M. , Allington Casey E. , Pietrzak Robert H. , Harpaz-Rotem Ilan , Mayes Linda C. , Olff Miranda
Published: February 2017

Novel pharmacotherapies that improve outcomes for individuals with stress-related psychiatric disorders are needed. The neurohormone oxytocin (OT) is a promising candidate given its influence on the social–emotional brain. In this review, we present an overview of evidence supporting OT’s utility for treating major depressive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. We first discuss endogenous OT, which research suggests is not yet a reliable biomarker of stress-related disorders. Second, we review effects of intranasal (IN) OT on processes relevant to stress-related disorders in healthy populations (anhedonia, reward processing, psychosocial stress reactivity, fear/anxiety, and social behavior) and their neurobiological mechanisms (e.g., the salience network and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis). Third, we present the sparse but promising findings from clinical populations, followed by discussion of critical moderating variables to consider in the service of maximizing the therapeutic potential of OT (e.g., patient sex and child maltreatment). We also identify heterogeneous findings and limitations of existing research, including reliance on single-dose studies in psychiatrically healthy samples and unanswered questions regarding the effectiveness of IN drug delivery and dosing schedules. Well-controlled multidose studies including women and measures of potentially moderating variables are sorely needed and would inform our understanding of the utility of OT for preventing and treating stress-related psychiatric disorders.
The cumulative burden of double-stranded DNA virus detection after allogeneic HCT is associated with increased mortality
Authors: Hill Joshua A. , Mayer Bryan T. , Xie Hu , Leisenring Wendy M. , Huang Meei-Li , Stevens-Ayers Terry , Milano Filippo , Delaney Colleen , Sorror Mohamed L. , Sandmaier Brenda M. , Nichols Garrett , Zerr Danielle M. , Jerome Keith R. , Schiffer Joshua T. , Boeckh Michael
Published: February 2017

Key Points

We demonstrate frequent plasma detection of multiple double-stranded DNA viruses after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. There was a dose-response relationship of the cumulative burden of virus exposure with early (days 0-100) and late (days 101-365) mortality.
Directional structure-tensor-based coherence to detect seismic faults and channels
Authors: Wu Xinming
Published: February 2017

Seismic coherence is widely used in seismic interpretation and reservoir characterization to highlight (with low values) faults and stratigraphic features from a seismic image. A coherence image can be computed from the eigenvalues of conventional structure tenors, which are outer products of gradients of a seismic image. I have developed a simple but effective method to improve such a coherence image by using directional structure tensors, which are different from the conventional structure tensors in only two aspects. First, instead of using image gradients with vertical and horizontal derivatives, I use directional derivatives, computed in directions perpendicular and parallel to seismic structures (reflectors), to construct directional structure tensors. With these directional derivatives, lateral seismic discontinuities, especially those subtle stratigraphic features aligned within dipping structures, can be better captured in the structure tensors. Second, instead of applying Gaussian smoothing to each element of the constructed structure tensors, I apply approximately fault- and stratigraphy-oriented smoothing to enhance the lateral discontinuities corresponding to faults and stratigraphic features in the structure tensors. Real 3D examples show that the new coherence images computed from such structure tensors display much cleaner and more continuous faults and stratigraphic features compared with those computed from conventional structure tensors and covariance matrices.
The Nuts and Bolts of Performing Focused Cardiovascular Ultrasound (FoCUS)
Authors: Zimmerman Josh M. , Coker Bradley J.
Published: February 2017

The benefit of focused cardiovascular ultrasound as an adjunct to physical examination has been shown in numerous specialties and in diverse clinical settings. Although the value of these techniques to the practice of anesthesiology is substantial, they have only begun to be incorporated. This article reviews the basic techniques required to perform a bedside focused cardiovascular ultrasound (ie, FoCUS examination). This includes a discussion of patient positioning, breath control, probe position, and manipulation and was supplemented by normal and abnormal examples for review.
Snider Tire Optimizes Its Customers-Stores-Plants Transportation Network
Authors: Ahire Sanjay L. , Jensen John B.
Published: February 2017

We successfully redesigned the customer-store-plant production transportation network at Snider Tire, Inc. (STI), one of the largest commercial tire and retreading dealers in the United States, in two stages. We first optimized the plants-to-stores networks, and we then reengineered the customers-to-store truck routes. We used a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and optimization framework to improve key supply chain processes of plants’ capacity planning, and distribution routes optimization by focusing on the root causes of process problems and investigating process alternatives. This approach ensured that managers from this small, privately owned, traditional organization were part of the team that developed the solutions, enthusiastically implemented them, and co-owned them. As a result, STI is saving $2 million (16 percent) in annual transportation costs.
A Partitioning Algorithm for Markov Decision Processes with Applications to Market Microstructure
Authors: Chen Ningyuan , Kou Steven , Wang Chun
Published: February 2017

We propose a partitioning algorithm to solve a class of linear-quadratic Markov decision processes with inequality constraints and nonconvex stagewise cost; within each region of the partitioned state space, the value function and the optimal policy have analytical quadratic and linear forms, respectively. Compared to grid-based numerical schemes, the partitioning algorithm gives the closed-form solution without discretization error, and in many cases does not suffer from the curse of dimensionality. The algorithm is applied to two applications. In the main application, we present a model for limit order books with stochastic market depth to study the optimal order execution problem; stochastic market depth is consistent with empirical studies and necessary to accommodate various order activities. The optimal execution policy obtained by the algorithm significantly outperforms that of a deterministic market depth model in numerical examples. In the second application, we use the algorithm to compute the exact optimal solution to the renewable electricity management problem, for which previously only an approximate solution was known. As a comparison, we show that the approximate solution can be quite inaccurate for some initial states and thus demonstrate an advantage of the exact solution.

The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2016.2639 .

This paper was accepted by Yinyu-Ye, optimization.
Characterization of a Blood Spot Creatine Kinase Skeletal Muscle Isoform Immunoassay for High-Throughput Newborn Screening of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Authors: Moat Stuart J , Korpimäki Teemu , Furu Petra , Hakala Harri , Polari Hanna , Meriö Liisa , Mäkinen Pauliina , Weeks Ian
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUND

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive, lethal X-linked neuromuscular disorder with an average worldwide incidence of 1:5000. Blood spot creatine kinase (CK) enzyme assays previously used in newborn screening programs for DMD are nonspecific because measured CK enzyme activity is attributable to 3 isoenzyme forms of CK (CK-MM, CK-MB, and CK-BB) and it is the CK-MM isoform that is found predominantly in skeletal muscle. CK-MM is increased in boys with DMD owing to muscle damage. We describe a sensitive and specific automated immunoassay for CK-MM to screen for DMD in blood spots.

METHODS

The prototype assay was developed on the PerkinElmer GSP® analyzer to enable high-throughput screening. CK-MM was assayed using a solid phase, 2-site immunofluorometric system. Purified human CK-MM was used to create calibrators and controls.

RESULTS

The limit of blank (LOB), detection (LOD), and quantification (LOQ) values were <1, 3, and 8 ng/mL, respectively. The analytical measurement range was 4–8840 ng/mL. Interassay (n = 40) imprecision was <7% across the analytical range. Cross-reactivity was <5% for CK-MB and 0% for CK-BB. The mean recovery of CK-MM was 101% (range 87%–111%). Blood spots from newborn infants (n = 277) had a mean CK-MM concentration of 155 ng/mL and a 99th centile of 563 ng/mL. The mean blood spot CK-MM concentration from 10 cases of DMD was 5458 ng/mL (range 1217–9917 ng/mL).

CONCLUSIONS

CK-MM can be reliably quantified in blood spots. The development of this CK-MM assay on a commercial immunoassay analyzer would enable standardized and high-throughput newborn blood spot screening of DMD.
CARBON SOURCE OPTIMIZATION FOR ANTIBIOTIC PRODUCTION FROM AAPTOS-ASSOCIATED BACTERIA Rhodobacteracea bacterium SP.2.11
Authors: Murniasih Tutik , Bayu Asep
Published: February 2017

Marine sponge Aaptos-aaptos is thought to produce antimicrobial aaptamine and its derivatives. To investigate whether its associated bacteria are in fact the producer of such bioactive compounds, a study of antibacterial compounds derived from Aaptos-associated bacteria was conducted. In this research, approximately 10 bacterial colonies were isolated from the sponge Aaptos aaptos. Among the bacteria isolated, the one that showed the most potential for producing antibacterial compounds was Rhodobacteracea bacterium. Extra and intracellular bacterial extract from this strain strongly inhibited the growth of pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio eltor, while were moderately effective against Bacillus subtilis. Optimization of antibacterial activity was conducted by culturing Rhodobacteraceae bacterium in various carbon sources such as glucose, lactose, amylum, molasses and glycerol. The highest production of biomass was obtained by culturing this bacteria in SYP (Seawater Yeast  Peptone) medium, enriched with 1% glycerol as the carbon source and with a harvesting time of around 56-104 hours. The highest activity (8 U/ml) was reached when culturing this strain in SYP medium without any adding of carbon sources. Data analysis using a statistical tool indicated that carbon sources added to medium do not have a significant effect on antibacterial activity. Characterizing the compound responsible for the antibacterial properties will be the topic of further work.Keywords : carbon source, Rhodobacteracea bacterium, Aaptos aaptos, associated bacteria
“My History, Finally Invented”: Nightwood and Its Publics
Authors: Wallace Laura K.
Published: February 2017

Djuna Barnes’s 1937 novel Nightwood has long been a mainstay of GLBTQ, lesbian, and/or queer canons, syllabi, and reading lists. This article argues that canons, syllabi, and reading lists promise readers the experience of “feeling public.” Drawing upon magazine and newspaper reviews, scholarly journal articles, memoirs, and reviews from the literary social networking site Goodreads, this article constructs a reception history of Nightwood that demonstrates that the book has been incorporated by modernist literary publics and lesbian publics into those publics’ own histories and into their members’ everyday worldmaking practices. This article compares historical and contemporary reading practices to argue that queer texts and reading practices make GLBTQ readers feel public, even in private. Queer novels performed important worldmaking work in the early 20th century, and continue to do so. Framed by affect studies, queer studies, and reception studies, the case study of Nightwood ’s history demonstrates that categories like “queer literature” shape affective reading practices, and vice versa.
Bullying and Victimization in Cyprus: The Role of Social Pedagogy
Authors: Georgiou Stelios N. , Stavrinides Panayiotis , Nikiforou Militsa
Published: February 2017

Bullying is a worldwide concern that affects negatively a significant minority of children. Over the past thirty years, a growing amount of empirical and theoretical work has been accumulated in the relevant literature. Researchers in Cyprus have focused on the causes and the prevalence of bullying, and have investigated numerous related factors (i.e. temperamental, relational, and contextual factors). In this paper, we will bring together recent empirical studies and theoretical work in order to draw a comprehensive picture of bullying in Cypriot schools. Our main objectives are to discuss local and international data on bullying; to analyze cross-cultural similarities and differences; to reflect on major issues related to bullying such as the psychosocial profiles of bullies, victims, and bully/victims, the causal factors and the consequences of bullying and victimization. Finally, we will discuss the role of the school, and particularly what is known as social pedagogy in preventing phenomena such as these from happening in our schools and our communities.
Social Pedagogy and School Community Preventing Bullying in Schools and Dealing with Diversity: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Authors: Mylonakou-Keke Iro
Published: February 2017

This paper presents a social pedagogical research programme that has been carried out during the years of economic crisis in Greece. It focuses on preventing bullying in schools, primarily by dealing with personal beliefs about diversity as well as by expanding and strengthening emotional, communication and social skills. What may differentiate this social pedagogical programme from others on bullying in schools is that it holds that positively dealing with diversity/otherness is important in preventing bullying, and that the programme is systemic in nature; that is, it utilises multiple possibilities arising from the transdisciplinary synergy of social pedagogy and systems science and is inspired by an emerging common philosophical and epistemological perception, integration of principles, methods and practices to be derived from the combined operation, at a higher level, of the two sciences.

This programme brings together: those involved directly or indirectly with the school and the wider community; all those who seek to create a powerful and consistent communications network to establish, strengthen, and eventually be inspired by what we call the ‘social pedagogical ethos’, which will shape and establish a new ‘social pedagogical culture’.
Religion and Religious Diversity within Education in a Social Pedagogical Context in Times of Crisis: Can Religious Education Contribute to Community Cohesion?
Authors: Koukounaras-Liagkis Marios
Published: February 2017

In this article the author argues that the teaching of religion(s) in education, in a social pedagogical context, can encourage community cohesion especially when, during the current harsh crisis, the need for cohesion seems to be of paramount importance in enabling seemingly insurmountable problems to be overcome. At the same time minorities become vulnerable and diversity, a matter of high priority, comes to the fore. The author reviews evidence of research on the effect of educational intervention within Religious Education on student attitudes toward religious diversity. He proposes that constructivist methodology, using theatre/drama as a means of Religious Education, could give people the choice to be critical religious believers and active members in a society applying the fundamental social pedagogical principle of tolerance to and respect for the ‘other’.
Social Pedagogy under Very Difficult Conditions: The Case of the Multicultural School of Athens
Authors: Kalagiakos Panagiotis
Published: February 2017

This paper presents social pedagogy under very difficult conditions in the Multicultural School of Athens. More specifically, the paper introduces the Participatory Transformative Pedagogy model developed to train our students to overcome conflicts and to learn to coexist, communicate and gradually to participate to common actions and finally to collaborate effectively. Our efforts aim to introduce cooperation among students that have come from war-torn countries, have suffered a lot and finally meet, in the same school, students ‘responsible for their suffering’; this is the environment of the first multicultural School of Athens.

Participatory Transformative Pedagogy (PaTraPe), is a promising approach for making students develop relationships as the only way to deal with the demanding requirements of their classes that value cooperation. When sustainable relationships have been established, social pedagogy methods emerge. The aim of our model is to let a ‘social pedagogical wind’ blow in the Multicultural School of Athens, so that effective communication, community collaboration and social cohesion could be established.
Mine your Customers or Mine your Business: The Moderating Role of Culture in Online Word-of-Mouth Reviews
Authors: Tang Linghui
Published: February 2017

Consumer- and producer-generated content on the Internet has become an important source of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) for buyers making purchasing decisions. However, the cultural effect of eWOM on firm performance remains largely unexplored. This research contributes to the extant marketing literature by examining the moderating role of culture in the relationship between eWOM and product-market performance. The author finds that individualism, power distance, and uncertainty avoidance tempered the effect of eWOM on market share. In particular, the impact of press releases and negative reviews has been overrated. The findings suggest that effective online international marketing strategies should take into account local market values, country-of-origin effects, and product competition.
Invariants of the Brill–Noether curve
Authors: Castorena Abel , López Martín Alberto , Teixidor i Bigas Montserrat
Published: February 2017

For a projective nonsingular curve of genus g, the Brill–Noether locus

W
d
r

(
C
)

$W^r_d(C)$

parametrizes line bundles of degree d over C with at least r + 1 (linearly independent) sections. When the curve is generic and the Brill–Noether number ρ(g, r, d) equals 1, one can then talk of the Brill–Noether curve. We introduce combinatorial methods that, with help from the theory of limit linear series, allow us to find invariants of Brill–Noether loci. In particular, we explore the first two invariants of the Brill–Noether curve, giving a new way of calculating the genus of this curve and computing its gonality when C has genus 5.
A note on surfaces with pg
= q = 2 and an irrational fibration
Authors: Penegini Matteo , Polizzi Francesco
Published: February 2017

We study several examples of surfaces with pg
= q = 2 and maximal Albanese dimension that are endowed with an irrational fibration.
Mean width of random perturbations of random polytopes
Authors: Alonso-Gutiérrez David , Prochno Joscha
Published: February 2017

We prove some “high probability” results on the expected value of the mean width for random perturbations of random polytopes. The random perturbations are considered for Gaussian random vectors and uniform distributions on

ℓ
p
N

$\ell_p^N$

-balls and the unit sphere.
The Lightning Electromagnetic Pulse Coupling Effect Inside the Shielding Enclosure With Penetrating Wire
Authors: Jiao Xue , Yang Bo
Published: February 2017

To study the lightning electromagnetic pulse (LEMP) coupling and protection problems of shielding enclosure with penetrating wire, we adopt the model with proper size which is close to the practical engineering and the two-step finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is used for calculation in this paper. It is shown that the coupling voltage on the circuit lead inside the enclosure increases about 34 dB, when add 1.0 m long penetrating wire at the aperture, comparing with the case without penetrating wire. Meanwhile, the waveform, has the same wave outline as the lightning current source, shows that the penetrating wire brings a large number of low frequency component into the enclosure. The coupling effect in the enclosure will reduce greatly when penetrating wire has electrical connection with the enclosure at the aperture and the coupling voltage increase only about 12 dB than the case without penetrating wire. Moreover, the results show that though the waveguide pipe can reduce the coupling effect brought by the penetrating wire, the exposing part of penetrating wire can increase the coupling when the penetrating wire outside the enclosure is longer than the waveguide pipe and the longer the exposing part is, the stronger the coupling is.
Crystal structure of tetrakis(μ2-acetato-κ2
O:O′)-bis(2,2′-sulfonyldipyrazine-κ1
N)dicopper(II), C24H24Cu2N8O12S2
Authors: Qiang Hong , Xiao Guo-Wei , Sun Xin-Zhan
Published: February 2017

C24H24Cu2N8O12S2, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 10.4668(12) Å, b = 10.1315(12) Å, c = 14.9315(17) Å, β = 94.608(5)°, V = 1578.3(3) Å3, Z = 2, R
gt(F) = 0.0268, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.0796, T = 296 K.