bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Open‐label phase 2 study of faldaprevir, deleobuvir and ribavirin in Japanese treatment‐naive patients with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection
Authors: Yatsuhashi Hiroshi , Kodani Nobuyoshi , Ugai Hiroyuki , Omata Masao
Published: May 2015

Aim

The safety and efficacy of the NS3/4A protease inhibitor faldaprevir in combination with the non‐nucleoside NS5B polymerase inhibitor deleobuvir and ribavirin in Japanese treatment‐naive patients with chronic genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection was evaluated.

Methods

In this multicenter, open‐label phase 2 study, patients were assigned to 8 weeks of treatment with 80 mg (group 1) or 120 mg (group 2) faldaprevir once daily (q.d.) in combination with deleobuvir 600 mg twice daily and weight‐based ribavirin. This was followed by a 24‐week treatment with faldaprevir 120 mg q.d. in combination with peginterferon‐α‐2a and ribavirin. The primary objective was safety; virological response at weeks 4 and 8 was a secondary endpoint.

Results

Twelve and 13 patients were treated in group 1 and 2, respectively; all were infected with HCV genotype 1b. All patients experienced a drug‐related adverse event (AE). The frequency of individual events was generally numerically greater in group 2 than 1. The most common AEs were nausea (66.7%, group 1; 76.9%, group 2) and vomiting (33.3%, group 1; 61.5%, group 2). Virological response at weeks 4 and 8 was achieved by 11 (91.7%) patients in group 1; in group 2, 12 (92.3%) patients achieved virological response at week 4 and all at week 8. All patients who achieved the week 8 endpoint achieved sustained virological response at week 12.

Conclusion

Faldaprevir 80 or 120 mg q.d. in combination with deleobuvir and ribavirin was tolerable and had similar efficacy in Japanese patients with HCV genotype 1 infection. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01528735.
Markers of renal disease and function are associated with systemic inflammation in HIV infection
Authors: Gupta SK , Kitch D , Tierney C , Melbourne K , Ha B , McComsey GA ,   AIDS Clinical Trials Group Study A5224s Team
Published: May 2015

Objectives

Both renal disease and systemic inflammation predict non‐AIDS‐defining events and overall mortality in HIV‐infected patients. Here, we sought to determine the relationships between renal disease and circulating inflammation markers.

Methods

We performed a secondary analysis of AIDS Clinical Trials Group Study A5224s to determine if markers of renal disease [urine protein:creatinine ratio (uPCR), urine albumin:creatinine ratio (uACR), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), using Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD‐EPI) creatinine and cystatin C‐creatinine] were associated with markers of systemic inflammation [high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein, interleukin‐6, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, soluble TNF‐α receptor I (sTNFRI), sTNFRII, and soluble vascular cellular and intercellular adhesion molecules]. We correlated these renal and inflammatory markers prior to antiretroviral initiation and after 96 weeks of therapy.

Results

We found that eGFR (estimated using CKD‐EPI cystatin C‐creatinine), uPCR, and uACR were significantly correlated with most assessed markers of systemic inflammation prior to antiretroviral initiation. uPCR and eGFR (using CKD‐EPI cystatin C‐creatinine), but not uACR, remained significantly correlated with most of the assessed inflammatory markers after 96 weeks of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Most of these correlations, although statistically significant, were < 0.50. eGFR using CKD‐EPI creatinine was much less frequently associated with inflammation markers and only significantly correlated with sTNFR1 at week 0 and with sTNFRI and II at week 96.

Conclusions

Renal disease and function were associated with systemic inflammation in HIV infection, both before and after ART. Systemic inflammation may partially explain the relationships between proteinuria, albuminuria, and reduced renal function and future adverse outcomes.
The influence of washing and selection processes on the contents of glycoalkaloid and other toxic compounds during industrial chip production
Authors: Rytel Elżbieta , Tajner‐Czopek Agnieszka , Kita Agnieszka , Miedzianka Joanna , Bronkowska Monika
Published: May 2015

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of pretreatment selection and washing processes of potatoes on the manual and optic control on the contents of nitrates (V), and glycoalkaloids after the peeling and frying processes are applied in the industrial production of potato chips. The highest reduction in nitrate quantity was found after the manual selection process of the potatoes and their slicing, as well as after frying the chips. The preselection process of the raw material, slicing and rinsing the potato slices, as well as frying the chips, had the largest influence on the losses of glycoalkaloids. In these samples, 74% remained after pretreatment of the raw material, 29% remained after slicing, and 10% remained in the chips after frying relative to the unpeeled potatoes.
Encrustations of the urinary catheter and prevention strategies: a literature review
Authors: Marcone Marchitti Claudia , Boarin Mattia , Villa Giulia
Published: May 2015

Patients with an indwelling urinary catheter are at risk of developing urinary tract infection: for each day of the catheter remaining in situ, there is an increasing risk from 3% to 7% for infection to appear. One of the main complications of catheterization is the onset of encrustations, frequently resulting in obstruction of the catheter. Aim of this study is to describe the problem of indwelling urinary catheter encrustation and prevention strategies. A narrative review of the literature was conducted. Indwelling urinary catheter encrustations originate more easily when urine contains high concentrations of poorly soluble constituents and when the state of the urinary tract enables their precipitation as an alkaline urinary pH, often associated with the presence of bacteria urease‐producers, for instance Proteus mirabilis. Urease can generate crystals and this process keeps going until the accumulation of crystalline deposits block the urine flow within the catheter lumen. The literature suggests that there are manifold pharmacological and non‐pharmacological strategies to prevent encrustations. The literature analysis suggests that the permanence of the catheter could potentially be one of the most relevant causes of encrustation. The catheterization duration is the most important risk factor for bacteriuria, essential for the process of encrustation to start off. There are many prevention strategies, among which promotion of nucleation pH (pHn) supplementation in the daily diet with liquids containing citrate; this is the most simple and suitable for all patients being inexpensive and effective.
Evaluating vehicle painting plans in an automobile assembly plant using an integrated AHP‐PROMETHEE approach
Authors: Oliveira Márcia , Fontes Dalila B. M. M. , Pereira Teresa
Published: May 2015

The painting activity is one of the most complex and important activities in automobile manufacturing. The inherent complexity of the painting activity and the frequent need for repainting usually turn the painting process into a bottleneck in automobile assembly plants, which is reflected in higher operating costs and longer overall cycle times. One possible approach for optimizing the performance of the paint shop is to improve the efficiency of the color planning. This can be accomplished by evaluating the relative merits of a set of vehicle painting plans. Since this problem has a multicriteria nature, we resort to the multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) methodology to tackle it. A recent trend in the MCDA field is the development of hybrid approaches that are used to achieve operational synergies between different methods. Here we apply, for the first time, an integrated approach that combines the strengths of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE), aided by Geometrical Analysis for Interactive Aid (GAIA), to the problem of assessing alternative vehicle painting plans. The management of the assembly plant found the results of value and is currently using them in order to schedule the painting activities such that an enhancement of the operational efficiency of the paint shop is obtained. This efficiency gain has allowed the management to bid for a new automobile model to be assembled at this specific plant.
Long‐term employment intensity of sectoral output growth in Tunisia
Authors: SASSI Seifallah , GOAIED Mohamed
Published: May 2015

This article examines the long‐term ability of Tunisian industries to generate employment opportunities. Using a panel data set of 15 industries over 1983–2010, the authors estimate their long‐run output–employment elasticities, using the “mean group” estimator. They argue that economic policy should target the most labour‐intensive industries, particularly service industries and export manufacturing industries. After demonstrating the inability of the mining industry to absorb labour, the authors highlight the long‐run jobless growth in the hotel, bar and restaurant industry and suggest that future investment in this industry will yield no results and that future tourism policy should focus rather on para‐tourism activities.
Arterial Stiffness and Peripheral and Central Blood Pressure in Patients With Sickle Cell Disease
Authors: Pikilidou Maria , Yavropoulou Maria , Antoniou Maria , Papakonstantinou Eleftherios , Pantelidou Despoina , Chalkia Panagiota , Nilsson Peter , Yovos John , Zebekakis Pantelis
Published: May 2015

Blood pressure (BP) in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) has been reported to be lower than in persons in the general population. Data on arterial stiffness, which is an important risk factor for the progression of BP, are inconclusive for this patient population. Forty‐five adult patients with SCD and 40 controls matched for sex, age, and body mass index were studied. Brachial systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were significantly lower in the patient group (SBP 115.1±13.8 mm Hg vs 121.9±11.3 mm Hg and DBP 68.5±8.0 mm Hg vs 80.6±9.1 mm Hg, P<.05, respectively). Augmentation index (AIx), however, was significantly higher in SCD patients compared with healthy controls (24.9±9.6 for patients vs 12.4±10.8 for controls, P<.001), while carotid femoral pulse wave velocity was comparable between the two groups. The study shows that mechanisms other than arterial elasticity are involved in the low BP phenotype of patients with SCD.
The CD4+AT2R+ T cell subpopulation improves post‐infarction remodelling and restores cardiac function
Authors: Skorska Anna , von Haehling Stephan , Ludwig Marion , Lux Cornelia A. , Gaebel Ralf , Kleiner Gabriela , Klopsch Christian , Dong Jun , Curato Caterina , Altarche‐Xifró Wassim , Slavic Svetlana , Unger Thomas , Steinhoff Gustav , Li Jun , David Robert
Published: May 2015

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major condition causing heart failure (HF). After MI, the renin angiotensin system (RAS) and its signalling octapeptide angiotensin II (Ang II) interferes with cardiac injury/repair via the AT1 and AT2 receptors (AT1R, AT2R). Our study aimed at deciphering the mechanisms underlying the link between RAS and cellular components of the immune response relying on a rodent model of HF as well as HF patients. Flow cytometric analyses showed an increase in the expression of CD4+ AT2R+ cells in the rat heart and spleen post‐infarction, but a reduction in the peripheral blood. The latter was also observed in HF patients. The frequency of rat CD4+ AT2R+ T cells in circulating blood, post‐infarcted heart and spleen represented 3.8 ± 0.4%, 23.2 ± 2.7% and 22.6 ± 2.6% of the CD4+ cells. CD4+ AT2R+ T cells within blood CD4+ T cells were reduced from 2.6 ± 0.2% in healthy controls to 1.7 ± 0.4% in patients. Moreover, we characterized CD4+ AT2R+ T cells which expressed regulatory FoxP3, secreted interleukin‐10 and other inflammatory‐related cytokines. Furthermore, intramyocardial injection of MI‐induced splenic CD4+ AT2R+ T cells into recipient rats with MI led to reduced infarct size and improved cardiac performance. We defined CD4+ AT2R+ cells as a T cell subset improving heart function post‐MI corresponding with reduced infarction size in a rat MI‐model. Our results indicate CD4+ AT2R+ cells as a promising population for regenerative therapy, via myocardial transplantation, pharmacological AT2R activation or a combination thereof.
Telocyte dynamics in psoriasis
Authors: Manole C.G. , Gherghiceanu Mihaela , Simionescu Olga
Published: May 2015

The presence of telocytes (TCs) as distinct interstitial cells was previously documented in human dermis. TCs are interstitial cells completely different than dermal fibroblasts. TCs are interconnected in normal dermis in a 3D network and may be involved in skin homeostasis, remodelling, regeneration and repair. The number, distribution and ultrastructure of TCs were recently shown to be affected in systemic scleroderma. Psoriasis is a common inflammatory skin condition (estimated to affect about 0.1–11.8% of population), a keratinization disorder on a genetic background. In psoriasis, the dermis contribution to pathogenesis is frequently eclipsed by remarkable epidermal phenomena. Because of the particular distribution of TCs around blood vessels, we have investigated TCs in the dermis of patients with psoriasis vulgaris using immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). IHC and IF revealed that CD34/PDGFRα‐positive TCs are present in human papillary dermis. More TCs were present in the dermis of uninvolved skin and treated skin than in psoriatic dermis. In uninvolved skin, TEM revealed TCs with typical ultrastructural features being involved in a 3D interstitial network in close vicinity to blood vessels in contact with immunoreactive cells in normal and treated skin. In contrast, the number of TCs was significantly decreased in psoriatic plaque. The remaining TCs demonstrated multiple degenerative features: apoptosis, membrane disintegration, cytoplasm fragmentation and nuclear extrusion. We also found changes in the phenotype of vascular smooth muscle cells in small blood vessels that lost the protective envelope formed by TCs. Therefore, impaired TCs could be a ‘missed’ trigger for the characteristic vascular pathology in psoriasis. Our data explain the mechanism of Auspitz's sign, the most pathognomonic clinical sign of psoriasis vulgaris. This study offers new insights on the cellularity of psoriatic lesions and we suggest that TCs should be considered new cellular targets in forthcoming therapies.
Shear zone and nappe formation by thermal softening, related stress and temperature evolution, and application to the Alps
Authors: Schmalholz S. M. , Duretz T.
Published: May 2015

We present the results of two‐dimensional thermo‐mechanical numerical simulations of the formation of kilometre‐scale shear zones and tectonic nappes which are generated by thermal softening during horizontal shortening. This model is thermo‐mechanically coupled and conserves energy by converting mechanical work into heat. The results show that in homogeneous material, the temperature increase in shear zones caused by viscous heating can be ~100 °C. The characteristic width of the thermally perturbed part of the deforming zone is three times larger than the width of the corresponding shear zone because of diffusive heating of the wall rock. Therefore, temperature variations initiated by shear heating may be difficult to identify based on petrological inferences of field data. During lithospheric shortening with a bulk rate of 2.5 × 10−15 s−1, a nappe forms in the crust at a depth of ~45 km. Peak temperatures in the nappe reach ~600 °C (~100 °C increase due to shear heating). Significant shear heating occurs only locally and is not active continuously in time along the entire crustal shear zone. Peak values of the maximal principal stress locally reach 2.5 GPa in the nappe. Peak values of temperature and maximal principal stress increase locally to ~770 °C (~300 °C increase due to shear heating) and ~3.8 GPa, respectively, if the applied bulk shortening rate is 5 × 10−15 s−1 and if higher effective viscosities for the crust are applied. In the model lithosphere, high differential stresses (>500 MPa) and significant stress deviations from the lithostatic pressure (>50%) occur only locally and are transient. The highest average effective viscosity of the model lithosphere is ~2 × 1022 Pa s, which is in agreement with the estimates for the continental lithosphere. A characteristic feature of the presented dynamic nappe model is a significant stress decrease and cooling within a hundred thousand to 2 million years. These rates of decompression and cooling are discussed in the context of microstructural and metamorphic observations. The results also show that differential stresses in mature shear zones can be several hundred MPa smaller than at the onset of shear zone formation, which suggests that estimates based on microstructural analysis of rocks in ductile shear zones provide minimum values. The presented model could explain the formation of coherent Alpine nappes with inferred high‐pressure (1.5–2.5 GPa) and ultrahigh‐pressure (>3 GPa) conditions in 40–60 km depth at the base of an orogenic wedge.
Complications and Mortality in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement With Edwards SAPIEN & SAPIEN XT Valves: A Meta‐Analysis of World‐Wide Studies and Registries Comparing the Transapical and Transfemoral Accesses
Authors: GHATAK ABHIJIT , BAVISHI CHIRAG , CARDOSO RHANDERSON N. , MACON CONRAD , SINGH VIKAS , BADHEKA APURVA O. , PADALA SANTOSH , COHEN MAURICIO G. , MITRANI RAUL , O'NEILL WILLIAM , DE MARCHENA EDUARDO
Published: May 2015

Introduction

Both transfemoral (TF) and transapical (TA) routes are utilized for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) using Edwards SAPIEN & SAPIEN XT valves. We intended to perform a meta‐analysis comparing the complication rates between these two approaches in studies published before and after the standardized Valve Academic Research Consortium (VARC) definitions.

Methods

We performed a comprehensive electronic database search for studies published until January 2014 comparing TF and TA approaches using the Edwards SAPIEN/SAPIEN XT aortic valve. Studies were analyzed based on the following endpoints: 1‐year mortality, 30‐day mortality, stroke, new pacemaker implantation, bleeding, and acute kidney injury.

Results

Seventeen studies were included in the meta‐analysis. Patients undergoing TA TAVR had a significantly higher logistic EuroSCORE (24.6 ± 12.9 vs. 21.3 ± 12.0; P < 0.001). The cumulative risks for 30‐day mortality (RR 0.61; 95%CI 0.46–0.81; P = 0.001), 1‐year mortality (RR 0.68; 95%CI 0.55–0.84; P < 0.001), and acute kidney injury (RR 0.53; 95%CI 0.38–0.73; P < 0.001) were significantly lower for patients undergoing TF as compared to TA approach. Both approaches had a similar incidence of 30‐day stroke, pacemaker implantation, and major or life‐threatening bleeding. Studies utilizing the VARC definitions and those pre‐dating VARC yielded similar results.

Conclusion

This meta‐analysis demonstrates a decreased 30‐day and 1‐year mortality in TF TAVR as compared to TA TAVR. Post‐procedure acute kidney injury and the need for renal replacement therapy are also significantly lower in the TF group. These differences hold true even after utilizing the standardized Valve Academic Research Consortium criteria. (J Interven Cardiol 2015;28:266–278)
Unusual Vascular Complications Associated with Transradial Coronary Procedures Among 10,324 Patients: Case Based Experience and Treatment Options
Authors: TATLI ERSAN , BUTURAK ALI , CAKAR AKIF , VATAN BULENT M. , DEGIRMENCIOGLU ALEKS , AGAC TARıK M. , KILIC HARUN , GUNDUZ HUSEYIN , AKDEMIR RAMAZAN
Published: May 2015

Objectives

We aimed to present our experience regarding the unusual vascular complications and specific treatment strategies in patients who underwent transradial coronary procedure (TRC).

Background

Transradial access provides lower vascular access site complication rates compared with transfemoral access. However, there is lack of data obtained from large study populations concerning the incidence and treatment strategies of hemorrhagic and vascular complications following a TRC in the literature.

Methods

10,324 patients (2,652 patients with percutaneous coronary intervention and 7,672 patients with a diagnostic transradial coronary angiography) who underwent a TRC from February 2010 to December 2014 were reviewed to identify cases of large hematoma, perforation, arteriovenous fistula, and pseudoaneurysm.

Results

The observed incidence was 0.44% (45 patients) for all unusual vascular and hemorrhagic complications. Of these 45 patients; 32 patients (0.31%) presented with large hematoma (≥6 cm), 8 patients (0.08%) presented with perforation, 4 patients (0.04%) presented with arteriovenous fistula (AVF), and only 1 case (0.009%) presented with radial artery pseudoaneurysm. Forty‐one of forty‐five patients were managed with mechanical compression. Surgery was performed in only 3 cases; a patient with a brachial artery perforation leading to compartment syndrome, a patient with AVF resulting in limb ischemia, and a patient with radial artery pseudoaneurysm. A right internal mammarian artery perforation resulting in huge breast hematoma was treated via endovascular graft stent implantation.

Conclusions

Hemorrhagic and vascular complications are rarely seen during TRC. However, majority of these complications could be managed conservatively without a requirement for surgical reconstruction. (J Interven Cardiol 2015;28:305–312)
The role of patch testing in the management of oral lichenoid reactions
Authors: Suter Valerie G. A. , Warnakulasuriya Saman
Published: May 2015

Background and Objectives

The distinction of oral lichenoid reactions from oral lichen planus may be difficult in a clinical setting. Our aims were to ascertain the utility of patch testing to confirm the association of oral lichenoid reactions with dental restorations and to identify the benefits of replacement of restorations, primarily made of amalgam.

Methods

Patients seen in an oral medicine unit over a 10‐year period diagnosed with oral lichenoid reactions, with oral lichen planus resistant to treatment or with atypical lichenoid features were included in this study. All had been subjected to skin patch testing. Histopathology reports blinded to patch test results were scrutinized. Patch‐test‐positive subjects were advised to have their restorations replaced. All were followed up to determine disease resolution for at least 3 months thereafter.

Results

Among 115 patients, 67.8% patients reacted positive to a dental material and nearly a quarter to mercury or amalgam. No correlation was found between pathology and skin patch testing results (P = 0.44). A total of 87 patients were followed up in clinic, and among 26 patch‐test‐positive patients who had their amalgam fillings replaced, moderate to complete resolution was noted in 81%.

Conclusions

Skin patch testing is a valuable tool to confirm clinically suspected oral lichenoid reactions. Pathology diagnoses of oral lichenoid reactions did not correlate with patch test results. Prospective studies are needed to ascertain that a clinically suspected oral lichenoid reaction with a positive patch test result may resolve after the replacement of amalgam fillings.
Synchronic and diachronic variation in the use of spatial frames of reference: An analysis of Japanese route instruction
Authors: Kataoka Kuniyoshi , Asahi Yoshiyuki
Published: May 2015

By focusing on everyday use of spatial ‘frames of reference’ (FOR) in route instruction, we propose some possible explanations for the seemingly contradictory trends observed in FOR‐based and deixis‐based spatial expressions in Japanese. We examined the data obtained in a series of longitudinal surveys conducted in Japan over 50 years (1953, 1972 and 2008). Our GoldVarb analysis confirmed what is called a ‘retrograde’ lifespan change. This indicates that, first, synchronically, the preference for External FOR (that is, based on North‐South‐East‐West) increases as community members grow older. This means they shift toward the local norm through ‘age‐grading’. Secondly, diachronically, the preference for Internal FOR (based on Right‐Left‐Front‐Back) has gradually increased over the past century. There is, therefore, a ‘generational change’ motivated by the linguistic marketplace. In contrast, as a community‐wide preference for Internal FOR expressions prevails, there is an accompanying gradual decrease in the use of deictic expressions such as ‘here/there/over there’. This indicates a partially complementary relationship between deixis and Internal FOR.
Coping with trauma in domestic migrant worker narratives: Linguistic, emotional and psychological perspectives
Authors: Ladegaard Hans J.
Published: May 2015

Trauma can be defined as an event that goes beyond ordinary modes of experience and linguistic representation. It represents a break not just with a particular form of representation but with the possibility of representation at all. Drawing on a large corpus of domestic migrant worker narratives, the article analyses trauma narratives in which migrant women share their experiences while working for abusive employers. The stories deal with unspeakable suffering and humiliation, and the article attempts to outline the narrative structures that characterise trauma storytelling: broken narratives with voids in the narrative flow. It also analyses the emotional component of trauma narratives focusing on crying, which is seen as an authentication of feeling and meaning. Finally, the article considers how the women make sense of their traumatic experiences, and how peer support becomes essential in the narrators' attempts to rewrite their life stories from victimhood to survival and beyond.
Stancetaking and the joint construction of zine producer identities in a research interview
Authors: Stockburger Inge Z.
Published: May 2015

This article examines the construction of zine producer identities (self and other) during a research interview. Zines are self‐published texts that circulate in mainly underground communities. In this study, I draw on dialogic understandings of the notion of ‘stance’ to show how a zine producer accomplishes a situated identity performance in the interview that also functions as an interdiscursive move in a larger conversation about the role Do‐It‐Yourself (DIY) ethics should play in zine communities. Specifically, I show how this speaker displays stances in relation to recognizable social types within zine communities but also the canonical stances associated with these social types. I unpack the features that work in support of this stancetaking, including discourse markers, constructed dialogue, referring terms, and prosodic cues. The analysis also foregrounds how the interviewer's turns contributed to these emergent stance displays, which furthers our understanding of the dynamic social context of the research interview.
Patterns of emergency department use for dental and oral health care: implications for dental and medical care coordination
Authors: DeLia Derek , Lloyd Kristen , Feldman Cecile A. , Cantor Joel C.
Published: May 2015

Objectives

To describe emergency department (ED) utilization for oral conditions (OCs) focusing on total volume, costs, repeat utilization, small area predictors, and implications for dental and medical care coordination.

Methods

Administrative and demographic data for New Jersey were used to identify users of the ED for OCs and a group of “high users,” defined as individuals with four or more ED visits for OCs during 2008‐2010. Cost‐to‐charge ratios were used to estimate costs, and linear regression models applied to zip codes were used to determine strongest predictors of small area variation in ED use for OCs.

Results

ED visits for OC generated $25.5 million in costs during 2008‐2010. High users represented 4.2 percent of all users and 21.3 percent of ED visits for OCs. Almost all high users had a diagnosis of “dental disorder not otherwise specified,” and tobacco use disorder was the most common comorbid medical condition. Young adults (ages 19‐34), non‐Hispanic blacks, and the medically uninsured were over‐represented among high users. High users routinely spread their use across multiple hospitals (e.g., 40 percent of them visited three or more hospitals). Local dentist supply and ED use for other conditions were significant predictors of zip code‐level ED use for OCs.

Conclusions

Coordination of medical and dental treatment might improve health and reduce costs if targeted to high user populations. Health‐care delivery reforms, such as accountable care organizations, could provide vehicles for achieving this coordination. Important challenges include fragmentation of ED visits across hospitals, adequacy of dentist supply, and broader reliance on the ED for health problems.
Technologically Reflective Individuals as Enablers of Social Innovation*
Authors: Schweitzer Fiona , Rau Christiane , Gassmann Oliver , van den Hende Ellis
Published: May 2015

This paper identifies technologically reflective individuals and demonstrates their ability to develop innovations that benefit society. Technological reflectiveness (TR) is the tendency to think about the societal impact of an innovation, and those who display this capability in public are individuals who participate in online idea competitions focused on technical solutions for social problems (such as General Electric's eco‐challenge, the James Dyson Award, and the BOSCH Technology Horizon Award). However, technologically reflective individuals also reflect in private settings (e.g., when reading news updates), thus requiring a scale to identify them. This paper describes the systematic development of an easy‐to‐administer multi‐item scale to measure an individual's level of TR. Applying the TR scale in an empirical study on a health monitoring system confirmed that individuals' degree of TR relates positively to their ability to generate (1) more new product features and uses, (2) features with higher levels of societal impact, and (3) features that are more elaborated. This scale allows firms seeking to implement co‐creation in their new product development (NPD) process and sustainable solutions to identify such individuals. Thus, this paper indicates that companies wishing to introduce new technological products with a positive societal impact may profit from involving technologically reflective individuals in the NPD process.
Seasonal variation and freezing response of glucose transporter 2 in liver of the wood frog: implications for geographic variation in freeze tolerance
Authors: Rosendale A. J. , Lee R. E. , Costanzo J. P.
Published: May 2015

Subarctic populations of the wood frog Rana sylvatica survive freezing to temperatures at least 10–13°C below those of more southerly conspecifics. This profound freeze tolerance is due in part to an enhanced glucosic cryoprotectant system that requires rapid mobilization of glucose from hepatocytes during the early hours of freezing. To determine if glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) in the liver contributes to geographic variation in freeze tolerance, we examined changes in the protein's abundance seasonally and in response to experimental freezing in frogs from Interior Alaska and southern Ohio, USA. Using immunoblotting techniques, we found that GLUT2 abundance increased in preparation for winter in both populations, but tests with Ohioan frogs showed that that altered temperature alone does not cause these seasonal changes. In Ohioan frogs, transporter expression apparently was regulated transcriptionally, as mRNA levels, assessed using quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction, changed in accordance with protein abundance. However, this pattern was not observed in Alaskan frogs, suggesting that other mechanisms of regulation are important in this phenotype. Overall, GLUT2 abundance was constitutively greater and more responsive to freezing in Alaskan R. sylvatica, suggesting that GLUT2 contributes substantively to the extreme freeze tolerance of subarctic wood frogs.
Peter Winch on the Concept of Persuasion
Authors: Durante Raffaele
Published: May 2015

The aim of the paper is to give an account of Peter Winch's conception of persuasion. According to Winch, persuasive arguments are those carried out in order to let an interlocutor with a different world picture, and thus a different epistemology, see the point of our practices and beliefs. This involves convincing him of the fact that his way of thinking is neither unique nor better than other ones. Furthermore, given that there is no guarantee that one can arrive at a complete understanding of alien practices, persuasion may, in some cases, aim at the impossible.
Persuading the Tortoise
Authors: Marconi Diego
Published: May 2015

In On Certainty, Wittgenstein addressed the issue of beliefs that are not to be argued for, either because any grounds we could produce are less certain than the belief they are supposed to ground, or because our interlocutors would not accept our reasons. However, he did not address the closely related issue of justifying a conclusion to interlocutors who do not see that it follows from premises they accept. In fact, Wittgenstein had discussed the issue in the Remarks on the Foundations of Mathematics; his view had been that certain inferential practices are constitutive of our notions of thinking and inferring. I argue that his treatment of unfounded beliefs in On Certainty essentially replicates, mutatis mutandis, his treatment of basic logical inference.
Postpartum Mental Health Promotion: Perspectives from Mothers and Home Visitors
Authors: Chartier Mariette J. , Attawar Dhiwya , Volk Jennifer S. , Cooper Marion , Quddus Farzana , McCarthy Julie‐Anne
Published: May 2015

Objective

The object of this study was to examine the implementation of the Towards Flourishing Mental Health Promotion Strategy, a demonstration project designed to promote the mental well‐being of parents and their children that was added to an existing public health home visiting program.

Design and Sample

Structured interviews were conducted with program stakeholders including 13 women receiving home visiting services in the postpartum period and 6 home visitors.

Measures

Thematic analysis of individual transcripts was conducted and results were compiled according to common themes.

Results

The results indicate that women and home visitors perceived the integration of a mental health promotion strategy into an existing public health program as feasible, acceptable and useful. The strategy provides a mechanism for women and home visitors to dialog about mental health and appears to have early positive impacts on the women. Factors that facilitated and impeded the successful implementation of the strategy are described.

Conclusion

These results point to promising strategies to reach women early in the postpartum period to support their mental health. They also shed light on the barriers to supporting mental health, indicating the need to address stigma related to mental health and the social determinants of health.
Relationships among Puberty, Muscle and Fat, and Liveweight Gain during Mating in Young Female Sheep
Authors: Rosales Nieto CA , Ferguson MB , Thompson H , Briegel JR , Macleay CA , Martin GB , Thompson AN
Published: May 2015

Contents

Greater depths of muscle are associated with better reproductive performance in ewe lambs, but, in adult ewes, reproductive performance also seems to vary with liveweight gain during the mating period. Therefore, in a large field study with Merino ewe lambs, we tested whether the relationships among eye muscle depth (EMD), fat depth (FAT) and reproductive performance depend on liveweight gain during the mating period. We selected lambs with a wide range in phenotypic values for depths of eye muscle (EMD) and fat (FAT) and assigned them to dietary treatments designed to achieve low (LOW, n = 244) or high (HIGH, n = 237) rates of liveweight gain during a 28‐day mating period. The LOW treatment maintained live weight, whereas the HIGH treatment gained 179 ± 3.8 g/day (p < 0.001). From those ewe lambs that attained puberty, first oestrus was detected at live weight 37.8 ± 0.2 kg and age 232 days. The proportion of ewes that attained puberty increased with EMD (p < 0.01). Ewes from the HIGH treatment were more fertile (pregnant ewes per 100 ewes exposed to rams) and had a higher reproductive rate (foetuses in utero per 100 ewes exposed to rams; p < 0.001) than those from the LOW treatment. Fertility and reproductive rate were positively correlated with weight gain during mating as well as live weight at the start of mating, FAT and EMD (p < 0.05 to <0.001). We conclude that faster growth, due to either extra nutrition during mating or higher phenotypic potential for fat and muscle, will increase reproductive performance in ewe lambs mated at 8 months of age.
Plug‐in bandwidth selector for recursive kernel regression estimators defined by stochastic approximation method
Authors: Slaoui Yousri
Published: May 2015

In this paper, we propose an automatic selection of the bandwidth of the recursive kernel estimators of a regression function defined by the stochastic approximation algorithm. We showed that, using the selected bandwidth and the stepsize which minimize themean weighted integrated squared error, the recursive estimator will be better than the non‐recursive one for small sample setting in terms of estimation error and computational costs. We corroborated these theoretical results through simulation study and a real dataset.
GmWRKY27 interacts with GmMYB174 to reduce expression of GmNAC29 for stress tolerance in soybean plants
Authors: Wang Fang , Chen Hao‐Wei , Li Qing‐Tian , Wei Wei , Li Wei , Zhang Wan‐Ke , Ma Biao , Bi Ying‐Dong , Lai Yong‐Cai , Liu Xin‐Lei , Man Wei‐Qun , Zhang Jin‐Song , Chen Shou‐Yi
Published: May 2015

Soybean (Glycine max) is an important crop for oil and protein resources worldwide. The molecular mechanism of the abiotic stress response in soybean is largely unclear. We previously identified multiple stress‐responsive WRKY genes from soybean. Here, we further characterized the roles of one of these genes, GmWRKY27, in abiotic stress tolerance using a transgenic hairy root assay. GmWRKY27 expression was increased by various abiotic stresses. Over‐expression and RNAi analysis demonstrated that GmWRKY27 improves salt and drought tolerance in transgenic soybean hairy roots. Measurement of physiological parameters, including reactive oxygen species and proline contents, supported this conclusion. GmWRKY27 inhibits expression of a downstream gene GmNAC29 by binding to the W–boxes in its promoter region. The GmNAC29 is a negative factor of stress tolerance as indicated by the performance of transgenic hairy roots under stress. GmWRKY27 interacts with GmMYB174, which also suppresses GmNAC29 expression and enhances drought stress tolerance. The GmWRKY27 and GmMYB174 may have evolved to bind to neighbouring cis elements in the GmNAC29 promoter to co‐reduce promoter activity and gene expression. Our study discloses a valuable mechanism in soybean for regulation of the stress response by two associated transcription factors. Manipulation of these genes should facilitate improvements in stress tolerance in soybean and other crops.
Smooth Surface Fabrication Based on Controlled Meniscus and Cure Depth in Microstereolithography
Authors: Pan Yayue , Chen Yong
Published: May 2015

In the layer-based additive manufacturing (AM) processes, a three-dimensional (3D) model is converted into a set of two-dimensional (2D) layers. Due to such conversion, one of the major problems in the layer-based AM processes is the poor surface finish associated with the layer-based stair-stepping effect. However, the surface finish is critical for various microscale applications such as micro-optics and microfluidics. The adoption of AM technologies as a means for fabricating end-use microcomponents and tooling has been limited by such poor surface finish. The aim of this research work is to apply the state-of-the-art meniscus approach and controlled cure depth planning in the mask image projection-based microstereolithography (MIP-μSL) process to address its surface finish challenge. Mathematical models of meniscus shapes and cure depths are developed for the MIP-μSL process. Related process parameters including the minimum meniscus points, sliced layer shapes for forming meniscus, grayscale image values, and Z offsetting values are optimized to achieve the minimum approximation errors between a built part and a given nominal geometric model. A set of test cases with various curved surfaces are designed to test the developed smooth surface fabrication method. The experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods for the MIP-μSL process.
A Model Updating Technique Based on the Constitutive Relation Error for In Situ Identification of Admittance Coefficient of Sound Absorbing Materials
Authors: Progneaux Aurélie , Bouillard Philippe , Deraemaeker Arnaud
Published: May 2015

The development of new absorbing materials and the description of their acoustical properties take an important place in the current acoustical researches. This paper focuses on the identification of the admittance coefficient of sound absorbing material from in situ measurements, using the constitutive relation error (CRE)-based updating technique. This technique consists of a two-stage approach, allowing to regularize the inverse problem. Moreover, the technique allows the detection of faulty sensors and therefore the correction of the erroneous measurements before the updating process. The technique is developed, in a first part of this paper, for acoustical problems with generalized boundary conditions, and illustrated, in a second part, on a numerical and a physical two-dimensional (2D) test case.
A study of Pt/α-Fe2O3 Nanocomposites by XPS
Authors: Warwick Michael E. A. , Kaunisto Kimmo , Carraro Giorgio , Gasparotto Alberto , Maccato Chiara , Barreca Davide
Published: May 2015

α-Fe2O3 matrices were deposited on Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide (FTO) substrates by Plasma Enhanced-Chemical Vapor Deposition (PE-CVD) from Fe(hfa)2TMEDA (hfa = 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,4-pentanedionate; TMEDA = N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediamine). The obtained nanosystems were subsequently functionalized by platinum nanoparticles (NPs) via Radio Frequency (RF)-sputtering, exposing samples either to a pre- or post-sputtering thermal treatment at 650 °C for one hour in air. Interestingly, Pt oxidation state in the final composite systems strongly depended on the adopted processing conditions. In this work, a detailed X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analysis was carried out in order to investigate the material chemical composition, with particular regard to the relative Pt(0)/Pt(II)/Pt(IV) content. The obtained results evidenced that, when annealing is performed prior to sputtering, only PtO and PtO2 are revealed in the final Pt/α-Fe2O3 nanocomposite. In a different way, annealing after sputtering results in the co-presence of Pt(0), Pt(II) and Pt(IV) species, the former arising from the thermal decomposition of PtO2 to metallic platinum.
Dynamics of a bouncing ball
Authors: Chastaing J.-Y. , Bertin E. , Géminard J.-C.
Published: May 2015

We describe an experiment dedicated to the study of the trajectories of a ball bouncing on a vibrating plate. Using an experimental device of our own design, it is possible to impose arbitrary trajectories on the plate and we show that the entire trajectory of the ball can be reconstructed solely from measurement of the times the ball hits the plate. In this paper, we make use of our apparatus to introduce the notion of dissipative collisions and to propose three different ways to measure the associated restitution coefficient. We then report on correlations in the chaotic regime and theoretically discuss the complex patterns that are exhibited in the case of a sinusoidal vibration. Lastly, we show that the use of an aperiodic driving vibration makes it possible to minimize part of these correlations.
A more accurate theory of a flexible-beam pendulum
Authors: Dolfo Gilles , Vigué Jacques
Published: May 2015

A pendulum suspended by a flexible beam made of a thin metal strip is commonly used in clocks. However, the usual theory describing its motion is approximate and incomplete. We first recall that simple theory and we then present a more complete theory, which describes the shape of the flexible beam by elasticity theory. We find that the pendulum has two resonant frequencies, corresponding to different shapes of the flexible beam and different motions of the pendulum. The dynamical effects of the flexible beam are directly related to its dimensions and its Young's modulus.
Comment on “Varying-G Cosmology with Type Ia Supernovae” [Am. J. Phys. 79, 57–62 (2011)]
Authors: Sultana Joseph
Published: May 2015

In a recent paper, Dungan and Prosper claim that the Type Ia supernovae data alone are not enough to distinguish between the standard ΛCDM model and other models with varying G. To substantiate this, they present two spatially flat variable G FRW models with Λ = 0 that fit well the Type Ia supernova data. In these models they assumed that the energy momentum tensor of the matter distribution is conserved. We show that this assumption is inconsistent with variable G cosmology when Λ is assumed to be constant, thus rendering the suggested models erroneous.
Enhancing student learning of two-level quantum systems with interactive simulations
Authors: Kohnle Antje , Baily Charles , Campbell Anna , Korolkova Natalia , Paetkau Mark J.
Published: May 2015

The QuVis Quantum Mechanics Visualization project aims to address challenges of quantum mechanics instruction through the development of interactive simulations for the learning and teaching of quantum mechanics. In this article, we describe the evaluation of simulations focusing on two-level systems developed as part of the Institute of Physics Quantum Physics resources. Simulations are research-based and have been iteratively refined using student feedback in individual observation sessions and in-class trials. We give evidence that these simulations are helping students learn quantum mechanics concepts at both the introductory and advanced undergraduate level, and that students perceive simulations to be beneficial to their learning.
Visualizing Interstellar's Wormhole
Authors: James Oliver , von Tunzelmann Eugénie , Franklin Paul , Thorne Kip S.
Published: May 2015

Christopher Nolan's science fiction movie Interstellar offers a variety of opportunities for students in elementary courses on general relativity theory. This paper describes such opportunities, including: (i) At the motivational level, the manner in which elementary relativity concepts underlie the wormhole visualizations seen in the movie; (ii) At the briefest computational level, instructive calculations with simple but intriguing wormhole metrics, including, e.g., constructing embedding diagrams for the three-parameter wormhole that was used by our visual effects team and Christopher Nolan in scoping out possible wormhole geometries for the movie; (iii) Combining the proper reference frame of a camera with solutions of the geodesic equation, to construct a light-ray-tracing map backward in time from a camera's local sky to a wormhole's two celestial spheres; (iv) Implementing this map, for example, in Mathematica, Maple or Matlab, and using that implementation to construct images of what a camera sees when near or inside a wormhole; (v) With the student's implementation, exploring how the wormhole's three parameters influence what the camera sees—which is precisely how Christopher Nolan, using our implementation, chose the parameters for Interstellar's wormhole; (vi) Using the student's implementation, exploring the wormhole's Einstein ring and particularly the peculiar motions of star images near the ring, and exploring what it looks like to travel through a wormhole.