bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Kinetic-MHD hybrid simulation of fishbone modes excited by fast ions on the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST)
Authors: Pei Youbin , Xiang Nong , Hu Youjun , Todo Y. , Li Guoqiang , Shen Wei , Xu Liqing
Published: March 2017

Kinetic-MagnetoHydroDynamic hybrid simulations are carried out to investigate fishbone modes excited by fast ions on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak. The simulations use realistic equilibrium reconstructed from experiment data with the constraint of the q = 1 surface location (q is the safety factor). Anisotropic slowing down distribution is used to model the distribution of the fast ions from neutral beam injection. The resonance condition is used to identify the interaction between the fishbone mode and the fast ions, which shows that the fishbone mode is simultaneously in resonance with the bounce motion of the trapped particles and the transit motion of the passing particles. Both the passing and trapped particles are important in destabilizing the fishbone mode. The simulations show that the mode frequency chirps down as the mode reaches the nonlinear stage, during which there is a substantial flattening of the perpendicular pressure of fast ions, compared with that of the parallel pressure. For passing particles, the resonance remains within the q = 1 surface, while, for trapped particles, the resonant location moves out radially during the nonlinear evolution. In addition, parameter scanning is performed to examine the dependence of the linear frequency and growth rate of fishbones on the pressure and injection velocity of fast ions.
Ramping turn-to-turn loss and magnetization loss of a No-Insulation (RE)Ba2Cu3Ox high temperature superconductor pancake coil
Authors: Wang Y. , Song H. , Yuan W. , Jin Z. , Hong Z.
Published: March 2017

This paper is to study ramping turn-to-turn loss and magnetization loss of a no-insulation (NI) high temperature superconductor (HTS) pancake coil wound with (RE)Ba2Cu3Ox (REBCO) conductors. For insulated (INS) HTS coils, a magnetization loss occurs on superconducting layers during a ramping operation. For the NI HTS coil, additional loss is generated by the “bypassing” current on the turn-to-turn metallic contacts, which is called “turn-to-turn loss” in this study. Therefore, the NI coil's ramping loss is much different from that of the INS coil, but few studies have been reported on this aspect. To analyze the ramping losses of NI coils, a numerical method is developed by coupling an equivalent circuit network model and a H-formulation finite element method model. The former model is to calculate NI coil's current distribution and turn-to-turn loss, and the latter model is to calculate the magnetization loss. A test NI pancake coil is wound with REBCO tapes and the reliability of this model is validated by experiments. Then the characteristics of the NI coil's ramping losses are studied using this coupling model. Results show that the turn-to-turn loss is much higher than the magnetization loss. The NI coil's total ramping loss is much higher than that of its insulated counterpart, which has to be considered carefully in the design and operation of NI applications. This paper also discusses the possibility to reduce NI coil's ramping loss by decreasing the ramping rate of power supply or increasing the coil's turn-to-turn resistivity.
Photoexcited terahertz conductivity dynamics of graphene tuned by oxygen-adsorption
Authors: Zhang Zeyu , Lin Tie , Xing Xiao , Lin Xian , Meng Xiangjian , Cheng Zhenxiang , Jin Zuanming , Ma Guohong
Published: March 2017

By using optical pump-terahertz (THz) probe spectroscopy, the photoexcited terahertz conductivity dynamics of chemical vapor deposition grown graphene is investigated in different atmospheric environments. It is shown that the Fermi energy of doped graphene is engineered by oxygen adsorption and desorption, which is probed by transient THz conductivity measurement. We show that the ultrafast energy relaxation processes depend on Fermi energy (changed by environmental gas) and the density of excited carriers (changed by photo-excitation fluence). The rise process of the negative conductivity dynamics becomes less efficient upon decreasing the Fermi energy and/or increasing the pump fluence. All findings show that the Fermi energy of graphene engineered by environmental gas allows us to tune the ultrafast energy relaxation pathways in photoexcited graphene.
Exceptional transport property in a rolled-up germanium tube
Authors: Guo Qinglei , Wang Gang , Chen Da , Li Gongjin , Huang Gaoshan , Zhang Miao , Wang Xi , Mei Yongfeng , Di Zengfeng
Published: March 2017

Tubular germanium (Ge) resistors are demonstrated by rolling-up thin Ge nanomembranes (NMs, 50 nm in thickness) with electrical contacts. The strain distribution of rolled-up Ge microtubes along the radial direction is investigated and predicted by utilizing micro-Raman scattering spectroscopy with two different excitation lasers. Electrical properties are characterized for both unreleased GeNMs and released/rolled-up Ge microtubes. The conductivities of GeNMs significantly decrease after rolling-up into tubular structures, which can be attributed to surface charging states on the conductance, band bending, and piezo-resistance effect. When illuminated with a light source, facilitated by the suppressed dark current of rolled-up Ge tubes, the corresponding signal-to-noise ratio can be dramatically enhanced compared with that of planar GeNMs.
The status of Chinese permanent magnet industry and R&D activities
Authors: Dong Shengzhi , Li Wei , Chen Hongsheng , Han Rui
Published: March 2017

It has been 15 years since China dominated the rare earth permanent magnet market in 2001. The annual output of sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets in China reached a new record of 126,300 tonnages in 2015 while the output in 2001 is only 6,500 tonnages. The average growth rate from 2001 to 2015 is about 23.5% though the output in 2012 suffers a deep drop due to the well known rare earth crisis in 2011. Currently, the RE magnet production capability in China seems to be over developed compared to actual requirements. Needless to say the oversupply situation implies a hard time for RE magnet manufacturers due to the fierce competition but maybe a good time for the whole industry. The motivation for a company to develop new technology and more competitive products with better performance and/or lower costs is greatly enhanced. The objective of this paper is to give a general picture of Chinese REPM industry and market including the output capability, the status of competition, the development of magnet application and the market trend. Some new research hot points potentially being applied, for example the Cerium magnet, will be introduced as well.
Incremental comprehension of pitch relationships in written music: Evidence from eye movements
Authors: Hadley Lauren V , Sturt Patrick , Eerola Tuomas , Pickering Martin J
Published: March 2017

To investigate how proficient pianists comprehend pitch relationships in written music when they first encounter it, we conducted two experiments in which proficient pianists’ eyes were tracked while they read and played single-line melodies. In Experiment 1, participants played at their own speed; in Experiment 2, they played with an external metronome. The melodies were either congruent or anomalous, with the anomaly involving one bar being shifted in pitch to alter the implied harmonic structure (e.g. non-resolution of a dominant). In both experiments, anomaly led to rapid disruption in participants’ eye movements in terms of regressions from the target bar, indicating that pianists process written pitch relationships online. This is particularly striking because in musical sight-reading, eye movement behaviour is constrained by the concurrent performance. Both experiments also showed that anomaly induced pupil dilation. Together, these results indicate that proficient pianists rapidly integrate the music that they read into the prior context and that anomalies in terms of pitch relationships lead to processing difficulty. These findings parallel those of text reading, suggesting that structural processing involves similar constraints across domains.
Attentional bias to threat in the general population is contingent on target competition, not on attentional control settings
Authors: Wirth Benedikt Emanuel , Wentura Dirk
Published: March 2017

Dot-probe studies usually find an attentional bias towards threatening stimuli only in anxious participants. Here, we investigated under what conditions such a bias occurs in unselected samples. According to contingent-capture theory, an irrelevant cue only captures attention if it matches an attentional control setting. Therefore, we first tested the hypothesis that an attentional control setting tuned to threat must be activated in (non-anxious) individuals. In Experiment 1, we used a dot-probe task with a manipulation of attentional control settings (‘threat’ – set vs. control set). Surprisingly, we found an (anxiety-independent) attentional bias to angry faces that was not moderated by attentional control settings. Since we presented two stimuli (i.e., a target and a distractor) on the target screen in Experiment 1 (a necessity to realise the test of contingent capture), but most dot-probe studies only employ a single target, we conducted Experiment 2 to test the hypothesis that attentional bias in the general population is contingent on target competition. Participants performed a dot-probe task, involving presentation of a stand-alone target or a target competing with a distractor. We found an (anxiety-independent) attentional bias towards angry faces in the latter but not the former condition. This suggests that attentional bias towards angry faces in unselected samples is not contingent on attentional control settings but on target competition.
Armenia: some features of internal (in)stability
Authors: Novikova Gayane
Published: March 2017

The April 2016 four-day “war” in the area of the Nagorny Karabakh conflict, as well as the developments that followed, have unveiled a whole stratum of serious problems in “stable” Armenia, including ones relating to defence issues. The aftermath of these events will continue to strongly influence internal processes in all three state entities: Armenia, the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, and Azerbaijan. This article aims to analyse some long-term consequences of the 2–5 April 2016 events in terms of their influence on Armenian internal political and social developments. The political transformations ongoing currently in Armenia can be best described as a “palace coup d’état”: they have been initiated by a ruling elite which benefited from general population’s low levels of public participation and social mobilization. In the absence of a charismatic leader and strong leadership in general, a tangible programme of action, or unity among the different components of civil society, the ruling elite retains the capacity to influence the varying reconstitution of groups and to alleviate, through small-scale concessions, tensions in Armenian society.
Master equations and the theory of stochastic path integrals
Authors: Weber Markus F , Frey Erwin
Published: March 2017

This review provides a pedagogic and self-contained introduction to master equations and to their representation by path integrals. Since the 1930s, master equations have served as a fundamental tool to understand the role of fluctuations in complex biological, chemical, and physical systems. Despite their simple appearance, analyses of master equations most often rely on low-noise approximations such as the Kramers–Moyal or the system size expansion, or require ad-hoc closure schemes for the derivation of low-order moment equations. We focus on numerical and analytical methods going beyond the low-noise limit and provide a unified framework for the study of master equations. After deriving the forward and backward master equations from the Chapman–Kolmogorov equation, we show how the two master equations can be cast into either of four linear partial differential equations (PDEs). Three of these PDEs are discussed in detail. The first PDE governs the time evolution of a generalized probability generating function whose basis depends on the stochastic process under consideration. Spectral methods, WKB approximations, and a variational approach have been proposed for the analysis of the PDE. The second PDE is novel and is obeyed by a distribution that is marginalized over an initial state. It proves useful for the computation of mean extinction times. The third PDE describes the time evolution of a ‘generating functional’, which generalizes the so-called Poisson representation. Subsequently, the solutions of the PDEs are expressed in terms of two path integrals: a ‘forward’ and a ‘backward’ path integral. Combined with inverse transformations, one obtains two distinct path integral representations of the conditional probability distribution solving the master equations. We exemplify both path integrals in analysing elementary chemical reactions. Moreover, we show how a well-known path integral representation of averaged observables can be recovered from them. Upon expanding the forward and the backward path integrals around stationary paths, we then discuss and extend a recent method for the computation of rare event probabilities. Besides, we also derive path integral representations for processes with continuous state spaces whose forward and backward master equations admit Kramers–Moyal expansions. A truncation of the backward expansion at the level of a diffusion approximation recovers a classic path integral representation of the (backward) Fokker–Planck equation. One can rewrite this path integral in terms of an Onsager–Machlup function and, for purely diffusive Brownian motion, it simplifies to the path integral of Wiener. To make this review accessible to a broad community, we have used the language of probability theory rather than quantum (field) theory and do not assume any knowledge of the latter. The probabilistic structures underpinning various technical concepts, such as coherent states, the Doi-shift, and normal-ordered observables, are thereby made explicit.
Transition to thermohydrodynamic lubrication problem
Authors: Ciuperca I. , Feireisl E. , Jai M. , Petrov A.
Published: March 2017

We consider a non-isothermal Stokes equation used to calculate the pressure distribution in a thin layer of lubricant film between two surfaces. The problem is described in 2D and 3D settings by the Stokes and heat transfer equations. Under appropriate regularity assumptions on the data, existence results for the non-isothermal Stokes is recalled. Using a formal asymptotic expansion, we obtain a generalized Reynolds equation coupled with a limit energy equation, the so-called non-isothermal Reynolds system. Then existence and uniqueness are proved for this system by using a fixed-point argument. Finally, a rigorous justification of the convergence is established.
cnAnalysis450k: an R package for comparative analysis of 450k/EPIC Illumina methylation array derived copy number data
Authors: Knoll Maximilian , Debus Jürgen , Abdollahi Amir
Published: March 2017

Motivation

Detailed copy number (CN) variation data can be obtained from 450k or EPIC Illumina methylation assays. However, the effects of different preprocessing strategies (normalization, transformation and selection of gain/loss cutoff values) on variant calling have not been evaluated systematically.

Results

We provide an R package which allows to directly compare any preprocessed CN data. It provides its own CN alteration detection methodology: segments are identified through detection of changes in variance of CN data and are subsequently filtered for significance. Meaningful cutoffs for gain/loss definition can be identified automatically through analysis of the resulting ΔCN distributions of all analyzed samples. Three exemplary datasets (2x450k, 1xEPIC) were selected for comparative analyses of Raw, Illumina, SWAN, Quantile, Noob, Funnorm and Dasen normalizations. Importantly, all CN data distributions were skewed (-0.66 to -1.2) therefore requiring different gain/loss cutoffs. Depending on the normalization method, prominent baseline differences between samples could be observed. We present a workflow, which alleviates both issues: Z-transformation removes baseline differences between samples, and automatic cutoff selection circumvents the problems accompanying the skewed distributions. Additional filtering of candidates by significance yields comparable results for most enumerated normalization methods except for SWAN. In contrast, manual cutoff determination results in highly variable numbers of variant calls, highly dependent on the selected normalization method. Taken together, we present a workflow which allows to robustly identify copy number alterations in methylation array data fairly independent of the applied normalization.

Availability and Implementation

The cnAnalysis450k package is available on github (https://github.com/mknoll/cnAnalysis450k).

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
From reads to operational taxonomic units: an ensemble processing pipeline for MiSeq amplicon sequencing data
Authors: Mysara Mohamed , Njima Mercy , Leys Natalie , Raes Jeroen , Monsieurs Pieter
Published: March 2017

The development of high-throughput sequencing technologies has provided microbial ecologists with an efficient approach to assess bacterial diversity at an unseen depth, particularly with the recent advances in the Illumina MiSeq sequencing platform. However, analyzing such high-throughput data is posing important computational challenges, requiring specialized bioinformatics solutions at different stages during the processing pipeline, such as assembly of paired-end reads, chimera removal, correction of sequencing errors, and clustering of those sequences into Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). Individual algorithms grappling with each of those challenges have been combined into various bioinformatics pipelines, such as mothur, QIIME, LotuS, and USEARCH. Using a set of well-described bacterial mock communities, state-of-the-art pipelines for Illumina MiSeq amplicon sequencing data are benchmarked at the level of the amount of sequences retained, computational cost, error rate, and quality of the OTUs. In addition, a new pipeline called OCToPUS is introduced, which is making an optimal combination of different algorithms. Huge variability is observed between the different pipelines in respect to the monitored performance parameters, where in general the amount of retained reads is found to be inversely proportional to the quality of the reads. By contrast, OCToPUS achieves the lowest error rate, minimum number of spurious OTUs, and the closest correspondence to the existing community, while retaining the uppermost amount of reads when compared to other pipelines. The newly introduced pipeline translates Illumina MiSeq amplicon sequencing data into high-quality and reliable OTUs, with improved performance and accuracy compared to the currently existing pipelines.
Modeling Endothelial Cell Loss After Descemet Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty: Data From 5 Years of Follow-up
Authors: Fajgenbaum Mark A. P. , Hollick Emma J.
Published: March 2017

Purpose:

To report 5-year outcomes for graft survival and endothelial cell survival after Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK) including regression modeling for cell survival over time.

Methods:

This is a single-institution, retrospective, consecutive interventional series of 210 primary DSEK grafts operated for low-to-moderate risk indications, specifically Fuchs dystrophy and bullous keratopathy. Primary outcomes were cumulative graft survival and % endothelial cell loss from 3 months through 5 years; the secondary outcome was to trend endothelial cell density over time by least-squares and mixed nonlinear modeling.

Results:

Cumulative graft survival was high at 99%, 98%, and 94% at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively. Mean endothelial cell loss was (mean ± SD) 44% ± 16%, 56% ± 17%, and 67% ± 13% at 1, 3, and 5 years. The trend in mean endothelial cell density over time by least square regression was accurately and parsimoniously described by a straight line taking earliest values (3 mo) through to 5 years, with a rate of cell loss of 148 ± 13 cells·mm−2·yr−1. Higher-order polynomial and exponential models did not provide a closer regression fit. Mixed nonlinear modeling using exponential decay equations confirmed a relatively stable rate of cell loss for DSEK from 3 months through to 5 years, in contrast to penetrating keratoplasty models using similar techniques in previous studies.

Conclusions:

DSEK graft survival is high in our series through 5 years. Endothelial cell loss occurs at a relatively constant albeit low-grade rate from the earliest postoperative measurements through 5 years.
Monitoring of the physical exam in sepsis
Authors: Postelnicu Radu , Evans Laura
Published: March 2017

Purpose of review

Monitoring of mental status and peripheral circulatory changes can be accomplished noninvasively in patients in the ICU. Emphasis on physical examination in conditions such as sepsis have gained increased attention as these evaluations can often serve as a surrogate marker for short-term treatment efficacy of therapeutic interventions. Sepsis associated encephalopathy and mental status changes correlate with worse prognosis in patients. Evaluation of peripheral circulation has been shown to be a convenient, easily accessible, and accurate marker for prognosis in patients with septic shock. The purpose of this article is to emphasize the main findings according to recent literature into the monitoring of physical examination changes in patients with sepsis.

Recent findings

Several recent studies have expanded our knowledge about the pathophysiology of mental status changes and the clinical assessment of peripheral circulation in patients with sepsis. Sepsis-associated encephalopathy is associated with an increased rate of morbidity and mortality in an intensive care setting. Increased capillary refill time (CRT) and persistent skin mottling are strongly predictive of mortality, whereas temperature gradients can reveal vasoconstriction and more severe organ dysfunction.

Monitoring of physical examination changes is a significant and critical intervention in patients with sepsis. Utilizing repeated neurologic evaluations, and assessing CRT, mottling score, and skin temperature gradients should be emphasized as important noninvasive diagnostic tools. The significance of these methods can be incorporated during the utilization of therapeutic strategies in resuscitation protocols in patients with sepsis.
Role of SHP2 in hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis
Authors: Pandey Ruchi , Saxena Mallika , Kapur Reuben
Published: March 2017

Purpose of review

SH2 domain-containing tyrosine phosphatase 2 (SHP2), encoded by PTPN11 plays an important role in regulating signaling from cell surface receptor tyrosine kinases during normal development as well as oncogenesis. Herein we review recently discovered roles of SHP2 in normal and aberrant hematopoiesis along with novel strategies to target it.

Recent findings

Cell autonomous role of SHP2 in normal hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis has long been recognized. The review will discuss the newly discovered role of SHP2 in lineage specific differentiation. Recently, a noncell autonomous role of oncogenic SHP2 has been reported in which activated SHP2 was shown to alter the bone marrow microenvironment resulting in transformation of donor derived normal hematopoietic cells and development of myeloid malignancy. From being considered as an ‘undruggable’ target, recent development of allosteric inhibitor has made it possible to specifically target SHP2 in receptor tyrosine kinase driven malignancies.

SHP2 has emerged as an attractive target for therapeutic targeting in hematological malignancies for its cell autonomous and microenvironmental effects. However a better understanding of the role of SHP2 in different hematopoietic lineages and its crosstalk with signaling pathways activated by other genetic lesions is required before the promise is realized in the clinic.
Behaviour change technique taxonomy: a method of describing head and neck cancer dysphagia intervention delivery
Authors: Toft Kate , Stringer Helen
Published: March 2017

Purpose of review

The purpose of the review is to examine the current state of the art of dysphagia intervention delivery description and to propose use of a new tool to facilitate this: the behaviour change technique taxonomy version 1 (BCTTv1).

Recent findings

Describing intervention delivery is difficult, and published research in the field of speech and language therapy (SLT) does not include detail on this key aspect of research protocols. Interventions themselves are often poorly delineated, and a way is needed of classifying how these interventions are delivered in practice.

Use of the BCTTv1 would facilitate clarity and transparency in intervention delivery description and have positive implications for research, clinical practice and undergraduate teaching if employed by the SLT profession.
Pediatric spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality in the era of advanced imaging
Authors: Farrell Caitlin A. , Hannon Megan , Lee Lois K.
Published: March 2017

Purpose of review

The current review describes the current evidence on pediatric spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA) with attention to the definition, epidemiology, and clinical presentation of the condition, as well as common MRI findings, management strategies, and outcomes.

Recent findings

Recent literature demonstrates that with more widespread MRI use, our understanding of SCIWORA has improved. The new literature, although still limited, provides a more granular conceptualization of patterns of injury as well as potential prognostic stratification of patients based on MRI findings. Through case studies and national database analyses, researchers have further defined the epidemiology and outcomes of SCIWORA.

Although SCIWORA occurs infrequently, thus making robust research a challenge, maintaining a high suspicion in the appropriate clinical setting ought to prompt acquisition of advanced imaging. For patients with persisting neurologic symptoms after trauma, despite negative plain films and cervical spine computed tomography, MRI can be helpful diagnostically as well as prognostically. Once SCIWORA is diagnosed, patients are treated nonoperatively with hard collar immobilization and physical therapy.
Low Hepatic Tissue Copper in Pediatric Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Authors: Mendoza Michael , Caltharp Shelley , Song Ming , Collin Lindsay , Konomi Juna V. , McClain Craig J. , Vos Miriam B.
Published: March 2017

Objective:

Animal models and studies in adults have demonstrated that copper restriction increases severity of liver injury in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This has not been studied in children. We aimed to determine if lower tissue copper is associated with increased NAFLD severity in children.

Methods:

This was a retrospective study of pediatric patients who had a liver biopsy including a hepatic copper quantitation. The primary outcome compared hepatic copper concentration in NAFLD versus non‐NAFLD. Secondary outcomes compared hepatic copper levels against steatosis, fibrosis, lobular inflammation, balloon degeneration, and NAFLD activity score (NAS).

Results:

The study analysis included 150 pediatric subjects (102 with NAFLD and 48 non‐NAFLD). After adjusting for age, body mass index z score, gamma glutamyl transferase, alanine aminotransferase, and total bilirubin, NAFLD subjects had lower levels of hepatic copper than non‐NAFLD (P = 0.005). In addition, tissue copper concentration decreased as steatosis severity increased (P < 0.001). Copper levels were not associated with degree of fibrosis, lobular inflammation, portal inflammation, or balloon degeneration.

Conclusions:

In this cohort of pediatric subjects with NAFLD, we observed decreased tissue copper levels in subjects with NAFLD when compared with non‐NAFLD subjects. In addition, tissue copper levels were lower in subjects with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, a more severe form of the disease, when compared with steatosis alone. Further studies are needed to explore the relationship between copper levels and NAFLD progression.
Lymphogranuloma Venereum-Serovar L2b Presenting With Painful Genital Ulceration: An Emerging Clinical Presentation?
Authors: Haber Roger , Maatouk Ismaël , de Barbeyrac Bertille , Bagot Martine , Janier Michel , Fouéré Sébastien
Published: March 2017

These 5 cases of atypical inflammatory lymphogranula venereum (LGV) serovar L2b presenting initially with edema and persistent painful ulceration illustrate that clinical manifestations of LGV in the current outbreak in men who have sex with men reflect the influence of both the serovars virulence and the host immune system and are not confined to proctitis. L2b serovar could have a particular high virulence profile, and the need for awareness of LGV as a cause of genital ulceration is crucial.
30-Day Potentially Avoidable Readmissions Due to Adverse Drug Events
Authors: Dalleur Olivia , Beeler Patrick E. , Schnipper Jeffrey L. , Donzé Jacques
Published: March 2017

Objective

To analyze the patterns of potentially avoidable readmissions due to adverse drug events (ADEs) to identify the most appropriate risk reduction interventions.

Methods

In this observational study, we analyzed a random sample of 534 potentially avoidable 30-day readmissions from 10,275 consecutive discharges from the medical department of an academic hospital. Readmissions due to ADEs were reviewed to identify the causative drugs and the severity and interventions to prevent them.

Results

Seventy cases (13.1%) of readmission were partially or predominantly due to ADEs, of which, 58 (82.9%) were serious ADEs. Overall, 65 (92.9%) of the ADEs have been confirmed to be preventable. Inappropriate prescribing was identified as the cause of ADE in 34 cases (48.6%) mainly involving diuretics, analgesics, or antithrombotics: misprescribing n = 19 (27.1%), underprescribing n = 8 (11.4%), and overprescribing n = 7 (10.0%). The remaining half of preventable ADEs (n = 36; 51.4%) were related to suboptimal patient monitoring/education, such as adherence issues (n = 6; 8.6%) or lack of monitoring (n = 31; 44.3%). In 64 cases (91.4%), the readmission could have been potentially prevented by better monitoring for drug efficacy/disease control, or for predictable side effect. Thirty-three (97.1%) of the 34 ADEs due to inappropriate prescribing could have also been prevented by better monitoring.

Conclusions

Adverse drug events accounted for approximately 13% of 30-day preventable readmissions. A half were due to prescription errors involving mainly diuretics, analgesics, or antithrombotics, and the other half were due to suboptimal patient monitoring/education, most frequently with antineoplastics. Both these avoidable causes may represent opportunities to reduce the total drug-related adverse events.
HUGIn: Hi-C Unifying Genomic Interrogator
Authors: Martin Joshua S. , Xu Zheng , Reiner Alex P. , Mohlke Karen L. , Sullivan Patrick , Ren Bing , Hu Ming , Li Yun
Published: March 2017

Motivation

High throughput chromatin conformation capture (3C) technologies, such as Hi-C and ChlA-PET, have the potential to elucidate the functional roles of non-coding variants. However, most of published genome-wide unbiased chromatin organization studies have used cultured cell lines, limiting their generalizability.

Results

We developed a web browser, HUGIn, to visualize Hi-C data generated from 21 human primary tissues and cell liens. HUGIn enables assessment of chromatin contacts both constitutive across and specific to tissue(s) and/or cell line(s) at any genomic loci, including GWAS SNPs, eQTLs and cis-regulatory elements, facilitating the understanding of both GWAS and eQTLs results and functional genomics data.

Availability

HUGIn is available athttp://yunliweb.its.unc.edu/HUGIn.

Contact

yunli@med.unc.eduandhum@ccf.org

Supplementary information:
Nascent RNA sequencing reveals a dynamic global transcriptional response at genes and enhancers to the natural medicinal compound celastrol
Authors: Dukler Noah , Booth Gregory T. , Huang Yi-Fei , Tippens Nathaniel , Danko Charles G. , Lis John T. , Siepel Adam
Published: March 2017

Most studies of responses to transcriptional stimuli measure changes in cellular mRNA concentrations. By sequencing nascent RNA instead, it is possible to detect changes in transcription in minutes rather than hours, and thereby distinguish primary from secondary responses to regulatory signals. Here, we describe the use of PRO-seq to characterize the immediate transcriptional response in human cells to celastrol, a compound derived from traditional Chinese medicine that has potent anti-inflammatory, tumor-inhibitory and obesity-controlling effects. Our analysis of PRO-seq data for K562 cells reveals dramatic transcriptional effects soon after celastrol treatment at a broad collection of both coding and noncoding transcription units. This transcriptional response occurred in two major waves, one within 10 minutes, and a second 40-60 minutes after treatment. Transcriptional activity was generally repressed by celastrol, but one distinct group of genes, enriched for roles in the heat shock response, displayed strong activation. Using a regression approach, we identified key transcription factors that appear to drive these transcriptional responses, including members of the E2F and RFX families. We also found sequence-based evidence that particular TFs drive the activation of enhancers. We observed increased polymerase pausing at both genes and enhancers, suggesting that pause release may be widely inhibited during the celastrol response. Our study demonstrates that a careful analysis of PRO-seq time course data can disentangle key aspects of a complex transcriptional response, and it provides new insights into the activity of a powerful pharmacological agent.
Teaching and learning cooking skills in Home Economics
Authors: Granberg Albina , Olsson Viktoria , Mattsson Sydner Ylva
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore which elements of cooking skills Home Economics (HE) teachers in schools for students with mild intellectual disability (ID) consider important for their students to learn.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 22 qualitative interviews with HE teachers of students with mild ID were conducted. The transcripts were analyzed thematically using the sociocultural approach on learning and knowledge as a theoretical framework.

Findings

The elements of cooking skills that were emphasized included mastering the language of cooking, measuring, following recipes, representing an instrumental and task-centered – knowledge on cooking.

Practical implications

The results of this study provide an insight into cooking lessons in HE in schools, not only regarding the focus that teachers give to cooking skills, but also to how cooking skills can be understood on a theoretical level. This has implications for both regular schools and schools for students with mild IDs since the elements that teachers consider important then guide what the students are given to learn. Teachers should be conscious that the planning of lessons should also be based on the students’ specific circumstances and context.

Originality/value

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that provides knowledge about how HE teachers reason regarding which cooking skills they consider important for students to learn. HE is taught to both children and adolescents, and it is important to investigate teachers’ perceptions about the subject and how the teaching is organized, including cooking skills.
Effectiveness of Australian cooking skill interventions
Authors: Begley Andrea , Gallegos Danielle , Vidgen Helen
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of cooking skill interventions (CSIs) targeting adults to improve dietary intakes in public health nutrition settings.

Design/methodology/approach

A scoping review of the literature was used to identify and assess the quality and effectiveness of Australian single-strategy CSIs and multi-strategy programmes that included cooking for independent healthy people older than 16 years from 1992 to 2015.

Findings

There were only 15 interventions (n=15) identified for review and included CSIs as single strategies (n=8) or as part of multi-strategy programmes (n=7) over 23 years. The majority of the interventions were rated as weak in quality (66 per cent) due to their study design, lack of control groups, lack of validated evaluation measures and small sample sizes. Just over half (53 per cent) of the CSIs reviewed described some measurement related to improved dietary behaviours.

Research limitations/implications

There is inconclusive evidence that CSIs are effective in changing dietary behaviours in Australia. However, they are valued by policymakers and practitioners and used in public health nutrition programmes, particularly for indigenous groups.

Originality/value

This is the first time that CSIs have been reviewed in an Australian context and they provide evidence of the critical need to improve the quality CSIs to positively influence dietary behaviour change in Australia.
Cooking with offenders to improve health and well-being
Authors: Parsons Julie M.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the benefits of cooking one-to-one, alongside commensality (eating together) for improving offenders’/ex-offenders’ health and well-being, measured in terms of improved social skills, cultural competencies and successful resettlement.

Design/methodology/approach

Fieldwork conducted over nine months included; participant observation of lunch times (n=56) and cooking one-to-one with trainees (n=27), semi-structured interviews (n=23) and a “photo-dialogue” focus group with trainees (n=5) and staff (n=2).

Findings

Commensality is beneficial for offenders’ health and well-being. Further, preparing, cooking, serving and sharing food is a powerful means of improving self-esteem and developing a pro-social identity.

Research limitations/implications

The original focus of the research was commensality; it was during the study that the potential for cooking as an additional tool for health and well-being emerged. A future longitudinal intervention would be beneficial to examine whether the men continued to cook for others once released from prison and/or finished at the resettlement scheme.

Practical implications

Everyday cooking to share with others is an invaluable tool for improving self-worth. It has the potential to build pro-social self-concepts and improve human, social and cultural capital.

Social implications

Cooking lunch for others is a part of strengths-based approach to resettlement that values community involvement.

Originality/value

Cooking and eating with offenders/ex-offenders is highly unusual. Further hands-on cooking/eating activities are beneficial in terms of aiding self-confidence and self-respect, which are vital for improving offenders’/ex-offenders’ health and well-being.
Intercultural interactions in multinational subsidiaries
Authors: Rozkwitalska Malgorzata , Chmielecki Michal , Przytula Sylwia , Sulkowski Lukasz , Basinska Beata Aleksandra
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show how individuals perceive the quality of intercultural interactions at work in multinational subsidiaries and to address the question of what actually prevails in their accounts, i.e., “the dark side” or “the bright side.”

Design/methodology/approach

The authors report the findings from five subsidiaries located in Poland and interviews with 68 employees of these companies.

Findings

The “bright side” dominated the interviewees’ accounts. The phenomenon of high social identity complexity or common in-group identity can help explain the findings. The results also shed some new light on the associations between the context of subsidiaries and the perception of the quality of intercultural interactions.

Research limitations/implications

The paper contributes to the literature on cultural diversity and intercultural interactions in multinational subsidiaries. As the “bright side” of interactions was emphasized in the interviews, it particularly supports positive cross-cultural scholarship studies. Yet the explorative research does not allow for a broader generalization of the results.

Practical implications

Managers of multinational corporations (MNCs) should do the following: shape the context of MNCs to influence the dynamics of intercultural interactions and the way they are seen by their employees; emphasize common in-group identity to help their employees to adopt more favorable attitudes toward intercultural interactions; look for individuals with multicultural identity who display more positive approaches to intercultural contacts; place emphasis on recruiting individuals fluent in the MNC’s functional language; offer language training for the staff; and recruit employees with significant needs for development who will perceive more opportunities in intercultural contacts.

Social implications

The research demonstrates that the multicultural workplace of MNCs may be recognized by employees as activating the positive potential of the individuals and organizations that make up a society.

Originality/value

The accounts of intercultural interactions are analyzed to illuminate some significant foundations of how individuals perceive such interactions. The study provides a qualitative lens and highlights the positive approach to intercultural interactions. It may redress the imbalance in prior research and satisfy the need for positive cross-cultural scholarship.
Reverse educational spillovers at the firm level
Authors: Backes-Gellner Uschi , Rupietta Christian , Tuor Sartore Simone N.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine spillover effects across differently educated workers. For the first time, the authors consider “reverse” spillover effects, i.e. spillover effects from secondary-educated workers with dual vocational education and training (VET) to tertiary-educated workers with academic education. The authors argue that, due to structural differences in training methodology and content, secondary-educated workers with VET degrees have knowledge that tertiary academically educated workers do not have.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use data from a large employer-employee data set: the Swiss Earnings Structure Survey. The authors estimate ordinary least squares and fixed effects panel-data models to identify such “reverse” spillover effects. Moreover, the authors consider the endogenous workforce composition.

Findings

The authors find that tertiary-educated workers have higher productivity when working together with secondary-educated workers with VET degrees. The instrumental variable estimations support this finding. The functional form of the reverse spillover effect is inverted-U-shaped. This means that at first the reverse spillover effect from an additional secondary-educated worker is positive but diminishing.

Research limitations/implications

The results imply that firms need to combine different types of workers because their different kinds of knowledge produce spillover effects and thereby lead to overall higher productivity.

Originality/value

The traditional view of spillover effects assumes that tertiary-educated workers create spillover effects toward secondary-educated workers. However, the authors show that workers who differ in their type of education (academic vs vocational) may also create reverse spillover effects.
Can Spanish firms offer dual apprenticeships without making a net investment? Empirical evidence based onex antesimulations of different training scenarios
Authors: Muehlemann Samuel , Wolter Stefan C.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to simulate the potential costs and benefits for Spanish firms providing dual apprenticeship training.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper conducts simulations of ten training occupations in six different industries in Spain. For these simulations, the authors combined Spanish wage data and the existing training curriculum regarding instruction times in vocational school in Spain with data from Swiss firms offering training in similar occupations. These data contain information regarding the amount of workplace training, relative apprentice productivity, and the relative importance of non-wage training costs (such as training equipment).

Findings

The authors found that training occupation, training scenario, and firm size are important determinants of the authors’ simulations for the expected net costs of apprenticeship training in Spanish firms. Consequently, the break-even level of apprentices’ wages differs significantly by training occupation and training scenario, suggesting that one prescribed apprentice wage for all sectors and occupations would be detrimental to the willingness of many firms to provide training places.

Practical implications

Dual apprenticeship training may improve the labor market transition for Spanish youth. The paper provides guidelines for regulatory frameworks that allow firms to provide apprenticeship training without having to bear net training costs – an important condition given that apprentices are free to leave the training firm upon graduation.

Social implications

The authors’ simulations show that Spanish firms would be able to provide high-quality apprenticeship training programs that would also appeal to more talented youth because of the combination of a decent earning opportunity during the apprenticeship and good future career options.

Originality/value

This paper provides novel and direct empirical evidence regarding the framework conditions within the Spanish apprenticeship system, thus incentivizing both firms and individuals to participate in dual apprenticeship training programs.