bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rejecting and accepting international migrant patients into primary care practices: a mixed method study
Authors: Mota Lorena , Mayhew Maureen , Grant Karen J. , Batista Ricardo , Pottie Kevin
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– International migrants frequently struggle to obtain access to local primary care practices. The purpose of this paper is to explore factors associated with rejecting and accepting migrant patients into Canadian primary care practices.

Design/methodology/approach

– Mixed methods study. Using a modified Delphi consensus approach among a network of experts on migrant health, the authors identified and prioritized factors related to rejecting and accepting migrants into primary care practices. From ten semi-structured interviews with the less-migrant-care experienced practitioners, the authors used qualitative description to further examine nuances of these factors.

Findings

– Consensus was reached on practitioner-level factors associated with a reluctance of practitioners to accept migrants − communication challenges, high-hassle factor, limited availability of clinicians, fear of financial loss, lack of awareness of migrant groups, and limited migrant health knowledge – and on factors associated with accepting migrants − feeling useful, migrant health education, third party support, learning about other cultures, experience working overseas, and enjoying the challenge of treating diseases from around the world. Interviews supported use of interpreters, community resources, alternative payment methods, and migrant health education as strategies to overcome the identified challenges.

Research limitations/implications

– This Delphi network represented the views of practitioners who had substantive experience in providing care for migrants. Interviews with less-experienced practitioners were used to mitigate this bias.

Originality/value

– This study identifies the facilitators and challenges of migrants’ access to primary care from the perspective of primary care practitioners, work that complements research from patients’ perspectives. Strategies to address these findings are discussed.
Feedback from American participants of a Mental Health First Aid training course
Authors: Ploper Viviana , Jones Rise , Kraus Dana J , Schmidt Annie , Corrigan Patrick
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a course meant to train participants in how to identify and respond to signs of mental disorders and crises. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a qualitative study of MHFA participants to get a sense of some values and challenges associated with the training.

Design/methodology/approach

– Results from an online survey of 143 participants yielded 24 discrete themes. Survey responses were gathered into a single data set and coded by two independent raters.

Findings

– Themes were sorted into four categories: MHFA benefits, training limitations, challenges to MHFA, and resources that facilitate MHFA. Several benefits emerged, consistent with findings from Australian studies.

Research limitations/implications

– Findings represent a sample of people who completed the program in Chicago; research needs to determine how perceived benefits and limitations vary by geographic area.

Originality/value

– Findings echoed many of the benefits found in studies conducted outside the USA and can be used to further improve MHFA training as it expands in the US market.
Applying health communications to mental illness stigma change
Authors: Michaels Patrick J. , Kosyluk Kristin , Butler Ellen
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– Advocates and researchers have made mental illness stigma elimination a public health priority. Research on stigma change strategies has highlighted programmatic delivery strengths; however, an area in need of further development is in messaging capable of attaining specific behavior change. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– Change goals were incorporated into an existing model of stigma change to propose the TLC4 model (Targeted, Local, Credible, Continuous, Contact, Change Goals). This paper reviews health communications literature regarding tailored messaging, applying these principles to stigma change programs to enhance behavioral impact.

Findings

– Tailored messages comprises four elements: capturing and maintaining attention, actively thinking about information, having emotional appeal, and making material relevant to each person. Incorporation of these elements enhances the likelihood of an individual making a behavior change.

Originality/value

– This review can guide facilitators of stigma change programs to craft presentations with tailored messages in directive call-to-actions. Future directions for evaluation of message and behavioral change impact are discussed.
Analysis of lung tumor initiation and progression in transgenic mice for Cre‐inducible overexpression of Cul4A gene
Authors: Wang Yang , Xu Zhidong , Mao Jian‐Hua , Hung Ming‐Szu , Hsieh David , Au Alfred , Jablons David M. , You Liang
Published: June 2015

Background

Lung cancer is the leading cause of morbidity and death worldwide. Although the available lung cancer animal models have been informative and further propel our understanding of human lung cancer, they still do not fully recapitulate the complexities of human lung cancer. The pathogenesis of lung cancer remains highly elusive because of its aggressive biologic nature and considerable heterogeneity, compared to other cancers. The association of Cul4A amplification with aggressive tumor growth and poor prognosis has been suggested. Our previous study suggested that Cul4A is oncogenic in vitro, but its oncogenic role in vivo has not been studied.

Methods

Viral delivery approaches have been used extensively to model cancer in mouse models. In our experiments, we used Cre‐recombinase induced overexpression of the Cul4A gene in transgenic mice to study the role of Cul4A on lung tumor initiation and progression and have developed a new model of lung tumor development in mice harboring a conditionally expressed allele of Cul4A.

Results

Here we show that the use of a recombinant adenovirus expressing Cre‐recombinase (“AdenoCre”) to induce Cul4A overexpression in the lungs of mice allows controls of the timing and multiplicity of tumor initiation. Following our mouse models, we are able to study the potential role of Cul4A in the development and progression in pulmonary adenocarcinoma as well.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate that Cul4A is oncogenic in vivo, and this mouse model is a tool in understanding the mechanisms of Cul4A in human cancers and for testing experimental therapies targeting Cul4A.
Clear principles are needed for integrity in gambling research
Authors: Livingstone Charles , Adams Peter J.
Published: June 2015

Commercial gambling is expanding rapidly across the globe. However, the field of gambling research has not kept pace with this expansion, and continues to focus on prevalence studies and individuated treatment regimes, with little attention to the political, economic or technological underpinnings of commercial gambling. The implications of this lack of sophistication in the research agenda are that society is ill‐equipped to understand the nature and underlying causes of gambling harms, and how these might best be avoided, minimized or ameliorated. Around the world, various levels of government benefit from gambling revenue, with consequences for the independent regulation of gambling. Further, there is considerable industry influence on the research agenda, often involving similar techniques to those employed previously by the tobacco and alcohol industries to engage researchers. This influence is compounded by a failure of many gambling researchers and journals to adopt traditional academic safeguards, such as the disclosure of conflicts of interest, and by many arguing for a ‘partnership model’ with industry to advance the research agenda. This paper identifies five basic principles to restore reasonable standards of integrity in gambling studies: (1) research should not be funded by the proceeds of gambling; (2) research priorities should not be influenced by the beneficiaries of gambling; (3) conferences and other research fora should not be influenced by industry; (4) funding sources should be disclosed in journals and at conferences; and (5) meaningful access to gambling products and environments must be part of licensing. We also propose a range of actions to promote greater transparency and independence in the gambling research field.
Bats Fertilize Roost Trees
Authors: Voigt Christian C. , Borissov Ivailo , Kelm Detlev H.
Published: June 2015

Using nitrogen isotope ratio as proxy for nutrient transfer, we tracked nutrients from bat excreta to seed exocarp in Dipteryx panamensis that host bat roosts, suggesting that trees may benefit from nutrients of bat guano deposited into hollow tree trunks.
Delay in auditory behaviour and preverbal vocalization in infants with unilateral hearing loss
Authors: Kishon‐Rabin Liat , Kuint Jacob , Hildesheimer Minka , Ari‐Even Roth Daphne
Published: June 2015

Aim

To evaluate the impact of unilateral hearing loss (UHL) on early aural/oral communication skills of infants by comparing performance to infants with bilateral normal hearing (BNH).

Method

Thirty‐four infants with UHL (median age 9.4mo, 25th–75th centile 7.34–12.15) and 331 control infants with BNH (median age 9mo, 6.0–13.38) were divided into two subgroups based on risk factors known to cause developmental delay: low risk and high risk. Early auditory skills and preverbal vocalizations were assessed using two parent questionnaires: the Infant‐Toddler Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale and the Production of Infants Scale Evaluation.

Results

Of the infants with UHL, 21% showed delays in auditory behaviour and 41% delays in preverbal vocalizations, compared to their peers with BNH (p<0.01). After adjusting for risk level, delayed auditory behaviour and preverbal vocalizations were approximately four and nine times more common in infants with UHL compared to BNH respectively (p<0.01).

Interpretation

This is the first study to show that infants with UHL are at higher risk of delay in early aural/oral communication abilities compared to infants with BNH even in the absence of other known risk factors for developmental delay. This has important implications for early intervention and habilitation of infants with UHL, in order to reduce some of the negative long‐term consequences of what was once considered ‘minor’ hearing loss.
Diagnosis of acute dental trauma: the importance of standardized documentation: a review
Authors: Andreasen Frances M. , Kahler Bill
Published: June 2015

In 1985 Andreasen and Andreasen published a paper on the diagnosis of luxation injuries and outlined the importance of standardized clinical, radiographic, and photographic techniques. Now 30 years later, these recommendations remain current in the International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) guidelines for the management of dental trauma and describe circumstances surrounding the time of injury, the extent of trauma (e.g., type of luxation injury), healing potential (e.g., stage of root development) as well as information concerning subsequent treatment. The purpose of this review was to include findings for other types of trauma and to discuss more recent studies that augment and/or improve on the original findings from 30 years ago. The present review discusses the use of a standardized clinical registration (pulpal sensibility testing, laser Doppler flowmetry, mobility testing), radiographic survey, and photographic registration of the traumatized patient. Moreover, the value of digital radiographs and recent developments in computer tomography with respect to possible enhancement of the trauma diagnosis are discussed.
Resolution of paraneoplastic immune thrombocytopenia following everolimus treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Zheng S. , Chan H. , Epstein R. J. , Joseph J. E.
Published: June 2015

Autoimmune thrombocytopenia is an uncommon but reported paraneoplastic manifestation of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Treatment usually involves management of the underlying malignancy; however, steroids have shown a benefit in published case reports. Here, we describe a patient with profound thrombocytopenia secondary to metastatic RCC. It was refractory to steroid and intravenous immunoglobulin, but the platelet count improved markedly following initiation of everolimus. The possible explanation includes immunomodulation, tumour lysis or a combination of both effects. This is the first reported case of everolimus used in paraneoplastic thrombocytopenia from RCC. More studies are needed for further investigation of its potential use in secondary immune thrombocytopenia from RCC and perhaps other malignancies.
Intervention in informal caregivers who take care of older people after a stroke (InCARE): study protocol for a randomised trial
Authors: Araújo Odete , Lage Isabel , Cabrita José , Teixeira Laetitia
Published: June 2015

Aim

This study aims at describing an intervention based on informal caregivers' skills when taking care of older people after a stroke (InCARE).

Background

Most informal caregivers feel unprepared to deliver assistance in activities of daily living at home. This lack of preparedness can lead to misconceptions, burden and affect their health, which, consequently, may imply hospital readmissions or early institutionalization of the older adults.

Design

A single blinded randomised trial.

Methods

This study will recruit 198 dyads, comprising old stroke survivors and their caregivers, who will be divided into two groups: intervention and control (protocol approved in May 2013). Inclusion criteria: (informal caregivers) absence of cognitive impairment; resident in the Cávado Region; to return the informed consent (older people) are over 65 years of age; have had a first stroke and; be dependent on at least one of the self‐care activities post hospital discharge. Primary outcome: informal caregivers' skills. Secondary outcomes: include burden and Health Quality of Life in informal caregivers; functionality, hospital readmission and institutionalization of older people stroke survivors, measured 1 and 3 months after InCARE programme.

Discussion

The InCARE programme will highlight new ways to understand the feasibility of a large trial, which supports caregivers who take care of older people after a stroke. It will be expected that the level of burden decreases, thus helping informal caregivers enhance their quality of life. Also, it is expected that older people's functionality will be improved and that hospital readmission or institutionalization may be avoided.
Correlates of condom use and condom‐use motivation among young South Africans
Authors: Devine‐Wright Hannah , Abraham Charles , Onya Hans , Ramatsea Susan , Themane Mahlapahlapana , Aarø Leif Edvard
Published: June 2015

A survey of South African secondary school students aged 12–17 years (n = 893) included measures designed to investigate relationships between beliefs about HIV/AIDS, condom use, interpersonal relationships, and two dependent measures: motivation to use condoms and reported condom use. We predicted that motivation would be an important correlate of reported condom use and that traditional cultural beliefs included in social cognition models would predict condom use motivation. Hierarchical multiple regression showed that 10% of the variance in reported condom use was accounted for by condom use motivation and age. Condom self‐efficacy, beliefs about condoms and injunctive norms accounted for much of the variance. Other beliefs included susceptibility to HIV and attribution of HIV to asexual sources such as witchcraft indicating that an expanded model of modifiable cognitions may be optimal when designing HIV interventions among young South Africans.
Oxidative stress factors and C‐reactive protein in patients with oral lichen planus before and 2 weeks after treatment
Authors: Hashemy Seyed Isaac , Gharaei Shideh , Vasigh Samaneh , Kargozar Sanaz , Alirezaei Banafsheh , Jahed Keyhani Fereshteh , Amirchaghmaghi Maryam
Published: June 2015

Objectives

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is an inflammatory disease with an unknown origin. Oxidative stress is suspected to play a role in its pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum levels of oxidative stress factors and C‐reactive protein in patients with OLP.

Materials & Methods

In this case–control study, 25 patients with OLP and 23 control subjects were enrolled. Serum levels of C‐reactive protein (CRP), malondialdehyde (MDA), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were investigated in both groups. In case group, all these factors were re‐evaluated after 14 days of treatment. The characteristics of the lesions were also recorded at each visit.

Results

Serum levels of MDA were significantly higher (P = 0.009), and TAC was significantly lower (P < 0.001) in patients with OLP. There were no significant differences between serum levels of TAC, CRP, and MDA in patients with OLP before and after treatment (P = 0.174, P = 0.556, P = 0.194, respectively). However, the difference in serum levels of TAC between erosive and atrophic patients with keratotic OLP was significant (P = 0.024).

Conclusion

We concluded patients with OLP have increased of serum MDA and the decrease of serum TAC compared with the healthy subjects, and 14‐day treatment of OLP did not have any effect on serum levels of oxidative stress factors.
“What He Did Was Lawful”: Divorce Litigation and Gender Inequality inChina
Authors: Li Ke
Published: June 2015

Sociolegal research has shed considerable light on gender inequality in the civil justice system. Existing research, however, rarely looks beyond court proceedings to examine gender inequality stemming from the prior stages in civil litigation. This article fills the gap by addressing the question of whether and how the early moments in disputing produce inequality between women and men. Based on a mixed‐methods study of divorce litigation inChina, I identify two critical moments in the early stages in disputing: the initiation stage and the suit‐filing stage. Findings from the two stages indicate that, early on in disputing, the legal profession routinely dismisses and violates women's rights in marriage and family. Moreover, due to the legal profession's failure to convert important rights on the books into formal claims, women's marital grievances and rights claims fall through cracks long before they can enter court proceedings. These findings suggest that gender inequality can result not only from judicial decision making, but also from dispute processing conducted prior to—and outside of—court proceedings.
Natural and induced B‐1 cell immunity to infections raises questions of nature versus nurture
Authors: Baumgarth Nicole , Waffarn Elizabeth E. , Nguyen Trang T.T.
Published: June 2015

Mouse B‐1 cells are not only major producers of steady‐state natural antibodies but also rapid responders to infections and inflammation. These discrete functions may be the outcomes of distinct environmental or developmental triggers that drive B‐1 cells toward IgM production or an effector cell fate. Alternatively, distinct B‐1 cell subsets may exist, which differ in their functional plasticity. In this paper, we summarize existing data suggesting that B‐1 cells form a heterogeneous group of cells with distinct developmental requirements and nonoverlapping functions. Most spleen B‐1 cells differ in development from that of bone marrow and peritoneal cavity B‐1 cells, in that they develop in the absence of natural IgM. Functional heterogeneity is revealed by findings that B‐1 cells in the bone marrow and spleen, but not the peritoneal cavity, generate natural serum IgM, while the latter are rapid responders to inflammatory and infectious insults, resulting in their relocation to secondary lymphoid tissues. A clearer understanding of the developmental and functional differences within the B‐1 cell pool may reveal how they might be harnessed for prophylaxis or therapy.
Helen Holt: A Centenarian's Reflections on a Lifetime of Public Service
Authors: Kunz Karen , DeFrank‐Cole Lisa
Published: June 2015

Women have made great strides in the past 100 years. As the iconic cigarette commercial told us almost 50 years ago, “You've come a long way, baby!” Yet women are still underrepresented in the highest leadership ranks, including state and federal office. Before being asked to “lean in” or share valuable insights, a small group of very capable women were leaders long before those two words were seen in the same sentence. One such remarkable woman, Helen Holt, was a “servant‐leader” throughout her illustrious and inspiring career as a member of West Virginia's House of Delegates, then as secretary of state (1957–58), and later as a presidential appointee charged with developing the nation's nursing home system. Holt's work in state and federal government, her appointment by seven U.S. presidents to develop and implement the national nursing home program that is still in use today, and her leadership in civic and nonprofit organizations have made her an inspiration to countless women and men.
The multifaceted vigilance – nurses’ experiences of caring encounters with patients suffering from substance use disorder
Authors: Johansson Louice , Wiklund‐Gustin Lena
Published: June 2015

Background

Nursing care is guided by a value base focusing on promoting dignity and health by means of the caring relationship. However, previous research has revealed that negative attitudes towards ‘addicted’ patients, as well as these patients’ behaviour, can give rise to negative emotions such as frustration and disappointment among nurses. This can contribute to a judgmental and controlling attitude towards patients. To preserve order, nursing interventions focusing on creating structure and stability could be applied in a way that challenges caring values.

Aims and objectives

This study aimed to describe how nurses’ working in inpatient psychiatric care experience caring encounters with patients suffering from substance use disorder (SUD).

Design

This qualitative study is part of a clinical application project focusing on value‐based care of patients suffering from SUD. Data were obtained during four reflective group dialogues with six nurses in a psychiatric hospital.

Methods

The transcribed dialogues were subjected to latent qualitative content analysis.

Results

The analysis facilitated the organisation of the findings into a coherent pattern. A common thread of meaning was conceptualised as a theme labelled ‘the multifaceted vigilance’, describing how nurses strived to deliver good care, while at the same time being vigilant towards patients’ behaviour as well as their own reactions to it. Within that theme, four categories described experiences related to different challenges nurses face in caring encounters.

Conclusion

We suggest that this perhaps unavoidable aspect of caring encounters can be an asset. Thus, if acknowledged and subject to reflection, being vigilant could be understood as a strength enabling nurses to safeguard caring values, and to use their authority to promote patients’ health and alleviate suffering.
Patient explanations for non‐attendance at type 2 diabetes self‐management education: a qualitative study
Authors: Schwennesen Nete , Henriksen Jan Erik , Willaing Ingrid
Published: June 2015

Aim

To explore reasons for non‐attendance at type 2 diabetes self‐management education.

Methods

To elicit the main themes explaining non‐attendance, 15 semi‐structured interviews were conducted with persons referred to, but not attending, self‐management education. Systematic text condensation was applied to code and generate themes subsequently organised under individual and organisational factors.

Results

Individual (illness, lack of perceived benefit) and organisational factors relating to schedule (four whole days, time of day, notification) and content (supermarket visit) were cited as reasons for non‐attendance.

Conclusions

In this study, patients cited both individual and organisational factors as explaining non‐attendance at type 2 diabetes self‐management education. Further studies should take into account the importance of timing and of tailoring schedules and content to individuals’ life situations and resources. As organisational factors are likely to vary across programmes and settings, more case studies are needed to further elucidate the dynamic relationship between individual and organisational factors to explain non‐attendance at type 2 diabetes self‐management education.
Europe 2020 and the Fight against Poverty – Beyond Competence Clash, Towards ‘Hybrid’ Governance Solutions?
Authors: Jessoula Matteo
Published: June 2015

The supranational strategy ‘Europe 2020’ came along with two main innovations for social policy coordination in the EU: a quantified poverty reduction target and a new governance framework – the ‘European Semester’. Aiming to assess the effectiveness of the novel strategy in prompting the emergence of a European(‐ized) anti‐poverty arena – thus inherently multilevel and multi‐stakeholder, as well as integrated (across policy sectors) – the article first presents the strategy evolution at the supranational level in 2011–14. Then it analyzes its implementation in five member states – Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden and the UK – through the first four annual cycles. By directing the analytical focus on processes – rather than outcomes – in order to capture the domestic changes produced by the Europe 2020 anti‐poverty strategy, the article argues that the latter marked significant discontinuity with the Social Inclusion Open Method of Coordination. The new strategy increased the political salience of the poverty issue both at the supranational level and in the selected member states, while leading to a ‘competence clash’ between national governments and the EU in Germany, Sweden and the UK. The emergence of such main tension substantially constrained the Europe 2020 potential in these three countries. Differently, in Italy and Poland, the implementation was smoother and the effects along the participation and integration dimensions were more evident. We contend that national policy legacies, the relevance of EU social funds, as well as partisan preferences, help to explain the differential effects of Europe 2020. The article concludes by suggesting that recent decisions at the EU level might eventually bring European anti‐poverty coordination beyond soft‐law towards ‘hybrid’ governance solutions.
In vivoconfocal microscopy for the detection of canine fungal keratitis and monitoring of therapeutic response
Authors: Ledbetter Eric C. , Norman Mary L. , Starr Jennifer K.
Published: June 2015

Objective

To describein vivocorneal confocal microscopy of dogs during the clinical course of fungal keratitis and correlate findings with clinical evaluations and anex vivoexperimental canine fungal keratitis model.

Animals Studied

Seven dogs with naturally acquired fungal keratitis andex vivocanine corneas experimentally infected with clinical fungal isolates.

Procedures

Dogs with naturally acquired fungal keratitis were examined byin vivolaser scanning confocal microscopy. Initial confocal microscopic examinations were performed to assist in establishing the diagnosis of fungal keratitis. Serial confocal microscopic examinations were performed to guide antifungal chemotherapy. Confocal microscopy images of canine corneal fungal isolates were obtained by examination of experimentally infectedex vivocanine corneas to corroboratein vivofindings.

Results

Fungi cultured and detected byPCRfrom canine corneal samples includedCandida albicans,Fusarium incarnatum‐equiseti,Malassezia pachydermatis, and aRhodotorulasp. Linear, branching, interlocking, hyperreflective structures were detected by confocal microscopy in dogs with filamentous fungal keratitis and round to oval hyperreflective structures were detected in dogs with yeast fungal keratitis. Antifungal chemotherapy was associated with a progressive reduction in the distribution and density of corneal fungal elements, alterations to fungal morphology, decreased leukocyte numbers, restoration of epithelial layers, and an increased number of visible keratocyte nuclei. No dogs had a recurrence of fungal keratitis following medication discontinuation. Confocal microscopic fungal morphologies were similar betweenin vivoandex vivoexaminations.

Conclusions

In vivocorneal confocal microscopy is a rapid method of diagnosing fungal keratitis in dogs and provides a noninvasive mechanism for monitoring therapeutic response.
Organizational Performance and Executive Pay in Israel's System of Higher Education
Authors: Horkin Amir , Mevorach Baruch , Katz Ytzhak
Published: June 2015

In the business sector, the relationship between performance and pay is mostly measured with reference to an organization's business results on the one hand and the pay awarded to its senior management on the other hand. The present research shifts the analytical focus to the third sector and to higher-education institutions, assessed in their case—where the notion of profitability loses its relevance—on their performance as perceived by their clients, namely the student body. Our research results point to a positive, strong and significant relationship between performance and executive pay (with a one-year lag) and to a positive, weak and significant relationship between executive pay and performance (again, with a one-year lag). Furthermore, it is the state-funded (hereinafter: budgeted) colleges, where executive pay was by far the lowest, that achieved the highest satisfaction score (averaging 2011 and 2013), despite a slight drop in satisfaction observed in this category from 2011 to 2013. Taken together, however, higher-education institutions saw their satisfaction scores increase in 2013 compared to 2011. The paper leaves aside research performance rankings of higher-education institutions, due to the fact that most institutions in Israel are teaching oriented. As a matter of fact, only few Israeli universities are ranked by international ranking organizations. Furthermore, unfortunately, Israel does not have a formal system of higher education institutions research rankings. In the paper, a large body of literature on performance-related pay in school teaching is not covered.
Performance Analysis of a Nonrecessed Hybrid Conical Journal Bearing Compensated With Capillary Restrictors
Authors: Khakse Prashant G. , Phalle Vikas M. , Mantha S. S.
Published: June 2015

The present paper deals with the performance analysis of a nonrecessed hole-entry hydrostatic/hybrid conical journal bearing with capillary restrictors. Finite element method has been used for solving the modified Reynolds equation governing the flow of lubricant in the clearance space of journal and bearing. The hole-entry hybrid conical journal bearing performance characteristics have been depicted for a wide range of radial load parameter (W¯r  = 0.25–1.5) with uniform distribution of holes at an angle of 30 deg in the circumferential direction. The numerically simulated results have been presented in terms of maximum fluid film pressure, minimum fluid film thickness, lubricant flow rate, direct fluid film stiffness coefficients, direct fluid film damping coefficients, and stability threshold speed. However, the proposed investigation of nonrecess hole-entry hybrid conical journal bearing shows important performance for bearing stiffness and minimum fluid film thickness at variable radial load and at given operating speed.
Deterministic absorbed dose estimation in computed tomography using a discrete ordinates method
Authors: Norris Edward T. , Liu Xin , Hsieh Jiang
Published: June 2015

Purpose:

Organ dose estimation for a patient undergoing computed tomography (CT) scanning is very important. Although Monte Carlo methods are considered gold‐standard in patient dose estimation, the computation time required is formidable for routine clinical calculations. Here, the authors instigate a deterministic method for estimating an absorbed dose more efficiently.

Methods:

Compared with current Monte Carlo methods, a more efficient approach to estimating the absorbed dose is to solve the linear Boltzmann equation numerically. In this study, an axial CT scan was modeled with a software package, Denovo, which solved the linear Boltzmann equation using the discrete ordinates method. The CT scanning configuration included 16 x‐ray source positions, beam collimators, flat filters, and bowtie filters. The phantom was the standard 32 cm CT dose index (CTDI) phantom. Four different Denovo simulations were performed with different simulation parameters, including the number of quadrature sets and the order of Legendre polynomial expansions. A Monte Carlo simulation was also performed for benchmarking the Denovo simulations. A quantitative comparison was made of the simulation results obtained by the Denovo and the Monte Carlo methods.

Results:

The difference in the simulation results of the discrete ordinates method and those of the Monte Carlo methods was found to be small, with a root‐mean‐square difference of around 2.4%. It was found that the discrete ordinates method, with a higher order of Legendre polynomial expansions, underestimated the absorbed dose near the center of the phantom (i.e., low dose region). Simulations of the quadrature set 8 and the first order of the Legendre polynomial expansions proved to be the most efficient computation method in the authors’ study. The single‐thread computation time of the deterministic simulation of the quadrature set 8 and the first order of the Legendre polynomial expansions was 21 min on a personal computer.

Conclusions:

The simulation results showed that the deterministic method can be effectively used to estimate the absorbed dose in a CTDI phantom. The accuracy of the discrete ordinates method was close to that of a Monte Carlo simulation, and the primary benefit of the discrete ordinates method lies in its rapid computation speed. It is expected that further optimization of this method in routine clinical CT dose estimation will improve its accuracy and speed.
Business decisions
Authors: Mervis Jeffrey
Published: June 2015

What does it take for an academic scientist to become an entrepreneur? Here are some of their stories.
The Indian advantage
The Outsourcer The Story of India's IT Revolution
Dinesh C. Sharma
MIT Press, 2015. 294 pp.
Authors: Banerjee Somaditya
Published: June 2015

A commitment to national self-sufficiency set the stage for the rise of India's information technology industry
Monoclonal Antibody-Defined Specific C Epitope of Brucella O-Polysaccharide Revisited
Authors: Zygmunt Michel S. , Bundle David R. , Ganesh N. Vijaya , Guiard Julie , Cloeckaert Axel
Published: June 2015

The C epitope of
Brucella
O-polysaccharide (O-PS) has so far lacked definitive structural identity. Revised structures for this antigen revealed a unique capping perosamine tetrasaccharide consisting of a sequence of 1,2:1,3:1,2 interresidue linkages. Here, using synthetic oligosaccharide glycoconjugates, the α-1,3 linkage of the O-PS is shown to be an integral structural requirement of this epitope. Although A-dominant strains possess only one or two copies of the capping tetrasaccharide, this creates a unique pentasaccharide antigenic determinant with the linkage sequence 1,2:1,3:1,2:1,2 that is always present in major pathogenic
Brucella
species.
Infection Patterns Induced in Naive Adult Woodchucks by Virions of Woodchuck Hepatitis Virus Collected during either the Acute or Chronic Phase of Infection
Authors: Freitas Natalia , Lukash Tetyana , Rodrigues Louise , Litwin Sam , Kallakury Bhaskar V. , Menne Stephan , Gudima Severin O.
Published: June 2015

The infectivity of hepadnavirus virions produced during either acute or chronic stages of infection was compared by testing the ability of the virions of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) to induce productive acute infection in naive adult woodchucks. Serum WHV collected during acute infection was compared to virions harvested from WHV-infected woodchucks during either (i) early chronic infection, when WHV-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was not yet developed, or (ii) late chronic infection, when established HCC was terminal. All tested types of WHV inoculum were related, because they were collected from woodchucks that originally were infected with standardized WHV7 inoculum. Despite the individual differences between animals, the kinetics of accumulation of serum relaxed circular DNA of WHV demonstrated that the virions produced during early or late chronic infection are fully capable of inducing productive acute infection with long-lasting high viremia. These findings were further supported by the analysis of such intrahepatic markers of WHV infection as replicative intermediate DNA, covalently closed circular DNA, pregenomic RNA, and the percentage of WHV core antigen-positive hepatocytes measured at several time points over the course of 17.5 weeks after the inoculation. In addition, the observed relationship between the production of antibodies against WHV surface antigens and parameters of WHV infection appears to be complex. Taken together, the generated data suggest that
in vivo
hepadnavirus virions produced during different phases of chronic infection did not demonstrate any considerable deficiencies in infectivity compared to that of virions generated during the acute phase of infection.

IMPORTANCE
The generated data suggest that infectivity of virions produced during the early or late stages of chronic hepadnavirus infection is not compromised. Our novel results provided several lines of further evidence supporting the idea that during the state of chronic infection
in vivo
, the limitations of hepadnavirus cell-to-cell spread/superinfection (observed recently in the woodchuck model) are not due to the diminished infectivity of the virions circulating in the blood and likely are (i) related to the properties of hepatocytes (i.e., their capacity to support hepadnavirus infection/replication) and (ii) influenced by the immune system. The obtained results further extend the understanding of the mechanisms regulating the persistence of hepadnavirus infection. Follow-up studies that will further investigate hepadnavirus cell-to-cell spread as a potential regulator of the chronic state of the infection are warranted.
Ultrasound-guided hip joint injections are more accurate than landmark-guided injections: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Hoeber Shane , Aly Abdel-Rahman , Ashworth Nigel , Rajasekaran Sathish
Published: June 2015

Aim

To compare the accuracy of ultrasound (US)-guided versus landmark-guided hip joint injections.

Methods

PubMed, Medline and Cochrane libraries were searched up to 31 July 2014. Two independent authors selected studies assessing accuracy of intra-articular hip injections based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Selected papers were then evaluated for quality and a meta-analysis of accuracy was performed using random effects models.

Results

4 US-guided (136 hip injections) and 5 landmark-guided (295 hip injections) studies were reviewed. The weighted means for US-guided and landmark-guided hip injection accuracies were 100% (95% CI 98% to 100%) and 72% (95% CI 56% to 85%), respectively. US-guided hip injection accuracy was significantly higher than landmark-guided accuracy (p<0.0001).

This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis of the accuracy of US-guided versus landmark-guided hip joint injections that has revealed that US-guided injections are significantly more accurate than those that are landmark guided. Future studies should compare US with fluoroscopic-guided hip joint injections for accuracy, efficacy, safety profile, cost-effectiveness and patient satisfaction.
Developments in the invasive diagnostic–therapeutic cascade of women and men with acute coronary syndromes from 2005 to 2011: a nationwide cohort study
Authors: Hansen Kim Wadt , Soerensen R , Madsen M , Madsen J K , Jensen J S , von Kappelgaard L M , Mortensen P E , Galatius S
Published: June 2015

Objectives

To investigate for trends in sex-related differences in the invasive diagnostic–therapeutic cascade in a population of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS).

Design

A nationwide cohort study.

Setting

Administrative and clinical registries covering all hospitalisations, invasive cardiac procedures and deaths in the Danish population of 5.6 million inhabitants.

Participants

We included 52 565 patients aged 30–90 years who were hospitalised with a first ACS from January 2005 to November 2011. Follow-up was 60 days from the day of index admission.

Main outcome measures

Diagnostic coronary angiography, percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass within 60 days of index admission.

Results

Women constituted 36%, were older, had more comorbidity and were less likely to be admitted to a hospital with cardiac catheterisation facilities than men. Mortality rates were similar for both sexes. Diagnostic coronary angiography was performed less frequently on women compared with men, both within 1 day (31% vs 42%; p<0.001) and within 60 days (67% vs 80%; p<0.001), yielding adjusted female–male HRs of 0.83 (0.79–0.87) and 0.86 (0.84–0.89), respectively.Among the 39 677 patients undergoing coronary angiography, non-obstructive coronary artery disease was more frequent among women than men (22% vs 9%; p<0.001). Women were less likely to undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (58% vs 72%; p<0.001) and coronary artery bypass (6% vs 11%, p<0.001) within 60 days than men, yielding adjusted HRs of 0.96 (0.92–0.99) and 0.81 (0.74–0.89), respectively. The sex-related differences were not attenuated over time for any of the invasive cardiac procedures (p values for trend >0.05).

Conclusions

In this nationwide study, men were more likely to undergo an invasive approach than women when hospitalised with a first ACS—a difference persisting from 2005 to 2011. Future studies should focus on the potential mechanisms behind this differential treatment.
Production of singly and doubly charged Higgs bosons from Higgs triplet model at future linear colliders
Authors: Shen Jie-Fen , Bi Yan-Ping , Yu Yi , Zhang Yan-Ju
Published: June 2015

The singly and doubly charged Higgs bosons (H± and H±±) are the typical particles predicted in the Higgs Triplet Model and the observation of these particles can be regarded as the direct evidence of new physics. In this paper, we focus on the study of the singly and doubly charged Higgs bosons associated production process: e+e- → H+H--W+. We present the production cross sections and the distributions of the transverse momenta and the rapidity distributions for outgoing particles. The numerical results show that the production rates can reach the level of several fb with reasonable parameter values. So, one can expect that enough signals could be produced in the future high-energy e+e- collider experiments. The relevant SM backgrounds are also discussed in the case that the vacuum expectation value of the triplet is around 1 GeV.
People and Mobile Robot Classification Through Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Optical Flow
Authors: Moreno Plinio , Figueira Dario , Bernardino Alexandre , Santos-Victor José
Published: June 2015

The goal of this work is to distinguish between humans and robots in a mixed human-robot environment. We analyze the spatio-temporal patterns of optical flow-based features along several frames. We consider the Histogram of Optical Flow (HOF) and the Motion Boundary Histogram (MBH) features, which have shown good results on people detection. The spatio-temporal patterns are composed of groups of feature components that have similar values on previous frames. The groups of features are fed into the FuzzyBoost algorithm, which at each round selects the spatio-temporal pattern (i.e. feature set) having the lowest classification error. The search for patterns is guided by grouping feature dimensions, considering three algorithms: (a) similarity of weights from dimensionality reduction matrices, (b) Boost Feature Subset Selection (BFSS) and (c) Sequential Floating Feature Selection (SFSS), which avoid the brute force approach. The similarity weights are computed by the Multiple Metric Learning for large Margin Nearest Neighbor (MMLMNN), a linear dimensionality algorithm that provides a type of Mahalanobis metric Weinberger and Saul, J. MaCh. Learn. Res.10 (2009) 207–244. The experiments show that FuzzyBoost brings good generalization properties, better than the GentleBoost, the Support Vector Machines (SVM) with linear kernels and SVM with Radial Basis Function (RBF) kernels. The classifier was implemented and tested in a real-time, multi-camera dynamic setting.
Towards a unified description of the electroweak nuclear response
Authors: Benhar Omar , Lovato Alessandro
Published: June 2015

We briefly review the growing efforts to set up a unified framework for the description of neutrino interactions with atomic nuclei and nuclear matter, applicable in the broad kinematical region corresponding to neutrino energies ranging between few MeV and few GeV. The emerging picture suggests that the formalism of nuclear many-body theory (NMBT) can be exploited to obtain the neutrino-nucleus cross-sections needed for both the interpretation of oscillation signals and simulations of neutrino transport in compact stars.
Exact canonically conjugate momenta approach to a one-dimensional neutron–proton system, I
Authors: Nishiyama Seiya , da Providência João
Published: June 2015

Introducing collective variables, a collective description of nuclear surface oscillations has been developed with the first-quantized language, contrary to the second-quantized one in Sunakawa's approach for a Bose system. It overcomes difficulties remaining in the traditional theories of nuclear collective motions: Collective momenta are not exact canonically conjugate to collective coordinates and are not independent. On the contrary to such a description, Tomonaga first gave the basic idea to approach elementary excitations in a one-dimensional Fermi system. The Sunakawa's approach for a Fermi system is also expected to work well for such a problem. In this paper, on the isospin space, we define a density operator and further following Tomonaga, introduce a collective momentum. We propose an exact canonically momenta approach to a one-dimensional neutron–proton (N–P) system under the use of the Grassmann variables.
Phenomenological analysis of rapidity distribution of negative pions in central 12C+12C collisions at $\sqrt{s_{nn}} = 3.14\, {\rm GeV}$
Authors: Olimov Khusniddin K. , Ali Qasim , Haseeb Mahnaz Q. , Arif Atif , Lutpullaev Sagdulla L. , Yuldashev B. S.
Published: June 2015

Various aspects of the simple phenomenological model, the grand combinational model (GCM), proposed earlier for the systematic description of the center-of-mass (cm) rapidity distributions of different particles produced in high energy heavy ion collisions, were analyzed. The values of GCM parameters were extracted from fitting the cm rapidity distributions of the negative pions in 12 C +12 C collisions at [Formula: see text] both in the experiment and using Modified FRITIOF Model. The GCM parameters extracted for the central 12 C +12 C collisions were compared with those obtained in central Pb + Pb collisions at super proton synchrotron (SPS) and alternating gradient synchrotron (AGS) energies between [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] and in central Au + Au collisions at Relativistic heavy ion collider (RHIC) energies between [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. The plausible physical interpretations for the GCM parameters were given. The initial assumption that the parameter β of GCM should be zero for symmetric systems with identical colliding nuclei was validated. The parameter γ of GCM was deduced to follow an approximate asymptotic behavior (γ → 0 as [Formula: see text] at very large cm energies, and γ ≅ 0 could possibly be related to complete dehadronization of the whole collision system, along with attaining its maximum possible energy density, in central collisions of identical nuclei. The behavior of cm energy dependence of γ suggested that it could possibly be sensitive to deconfinement phase transition.