bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Direct Assimilation of Radar Reflectivity Data Using 3DVAR: Treatment of Hydrometeor Background Errors and OSSE Tests
Authors: Liu Chengsi , Xue Ming , Kong Rong
Published: November 2018

Despite the well-known importance of background error covariance in data assimilation, not much study has been focused on its impact on the assimilation of radar reflectivity within a three-dimensional variational (3DVar) framework. In this study, it is shown that unphysical analysis increments of hydrometeors are produced when using vertically homogeneous background error variance. This issue cannot be fully solved by using the so-called hydrometeor classification in the reflectivity observation operator. Alternatively, temperature-dependent background error profiles for hydrometeor control variables are proposed. With such a treatment, the vertical background error profiles are specified to be temperature dependent, allowing for more physical partitioning of radar-observed precipitation information among the liquid and ice hydrometeors. The 3DVar analyses using our treatment are compared with those using constant background error or “hydrometeor classification” through observing system simulation experiments with a simulated supercell storm. Results show that 1) 3DVar with constant hydrometeor background errors produces unphysical rainwater at the high levels and unphysical snow at the low levels; 2) the hydrometeor classification approach reduces unphysical rainwater and snow at those levels, but the analysis increments are still unphysically spread in the vertical by the background error covariance when the vertically invariant background errors are used; and 3) the temperature-dependent background error profiles enable physically more reasonable analyses of liquid and ice hydrometeors from reflectivity assimilation.
The New Language Policy of the Nigerian Army: National Integration or Linguistic Imperialism?
Authors: Mensah Eyo
Published: November 2018

I argue in this paper that the new language policy of the Nigerian Army recognizes and promotes the dominant languages as resources for military training, intelligence gathering and peace building, while the dominated languages are marginalized, alienated and relegated, thus the policy infringes on the fundamental linguistic rights of speakers of minoritized languages in the army. I further maintain that the Nigerian Army’s exclusive language policy is harmful to the army as a national institution and call for explicit status planning of the Nigerian Pidgin to serve as the language of wider communication in the army in response to its emerging sociolinguistic challenges.
A Canadian Academic Hospital’s Initial MAID Experience: A Health-Care Systems Review
Authors: Ball Ian M. , Hodge Brent , Jansen Sandy , Nickle Susan , Sibbald Robert W.
Published: November 2018

Background:

Following the Supreme Court of Canada’s Carter Decision, medical assistance in dying (MAID) became possible with individual court orders in February 2016. Subsequently, on June 17, 2016, legislation was passed that eliminated the need for court orders, essentially making physicians the arbiters of these requests. Canadian health-care facilities now face the challenge of addressing this unprecedented patient health-care need.

Aim:

To describe the manner in which London Health Sciences Center has approached local and regional requests for MAID, including the administration, ethics, privacy, and clinical process.

Design:

A health-care systems descriptive study.

Setting/Participants:

Between June 6, 2016, and May 30, 2018, London Health Sciences Center’s MAID Internal Resource Committee triaged and referred 260 cases. Ninety-six received the requisite assessments were deemed eligible for and received MAID.

Results:

The procedure was completed in hospital 59 (61%) times, and 37 (39%) times in the community (either private residence or long-Term Care facility). Nineteen patients did not meet MAID criteria and 63 patients died while awaiting the procedure. The median wait time between first request and referral was 1 day. The median time between referral and the procedure was 12.0 days. The ratio of referrals to completed cases is 96 of 260 (or 37% conversion rate).

Conclusion:

Our MAID processes, including our committee structure, referral triage process, and physical site have all undergone extensive review and improvement cycles throughout these first 2 years with the aim of ensuring that this procedure is managed in a respectful, confidential, safe, efficient, and patient-centered manner.
Delineating the Clinical Spectrum Associated With Xq25q26.2 Duplications: Report of 2 Families and Review of the Literature
Authors: Herriges John C. , Arch Ellen M. , Burgio Pamela A. , Baldwin Erin E. , LaGrave Danielle , Lamb Allen N. , Toydemir Reha M.
Published: November 2018

To date, 13 patients with interstitial microduplications involving Xq25q26.2 have been reported. Here, we report 6 additional patients from 2 families with duplications involving Xq25q26.2. Family I carries a 5.3-Mb duplication involving 26 genes. This duplication was identified in 3 patients and was associated with microcephaly, growth failure, developmental delay, and dysmorphic features. Family II carries an overlapping 791-kb duplication that involves 3 genes. This duplication was identified in 3 patients and was associated with learning disability and speech delay. The size and gene content of published overlapping Xq25q26.2 duplications vary, making it difficult to define a critical region or establish a genotype-phenotype correlation. However, patients with overlapping duplications have been found to share common clinical features including microcephaly, growth failure, intellectual disability, learning difficulties, and dysmorphic features. The 2 families presented here provide additional insight into the phenotypic spectrum and clinical significance of duplications in this region.
Clinical Use and Efficacy of Levetiracetam for Absence Epilepsies
Authors: Nolan Danielle , Lester Shannon G. , Rau Stephanie M. , Shellhaas Reneé A.
Published: November 2018

Background:

Levetiracetam is prescribed for a broad spectrum of seizure types but does not have a specific indication for absence epilepsy. We hypothesized that levetiracetam is commonly prescribed for children with absence epilepsies and evaluated the efficacy of this medication for absence epilepsy treatment in clinical practice. We also hypothesized that electroencephalographic (EEG) findings could help predict levetiracetam efficacy.

Methods:

We reviewed the charts of all patients treated for new-onset absence epilepsies at our pediatric neurology clinic between January 2011 and January 2016. Among 158 children diagnosed with absence epilepsies, 72 were treated with levetiracetam.

Results:

Levetiracetam was discontinued in 74% (n = 53/72) because of incomplete seizure control (59%, n = 35/72) and/or intolerable side effects (41%, n = 24/72) after a median 8.5 months (interquartile range 2, 17 months). Among patients for whom levetiracetam was effective, 44% (n = 8/18) had polyspikes on their initial EEG, versus 27% (n = 14/52) of patients for whom levetiracetam was discontinued ( P = .17). The maximal prescribed dose was lower for children in whom levetiracetam was effective (29 ± 13 mg/kg/d) than those for whom levetiracetam failed (42 ± 20 mg/kg/d; P = .005).

Conclusion:

In routine clinical practice, levetiracetam is often chosen for patients with absence seizures. However, only about one-quarter of children with absence epilepsy in this study became seizure free with levetiracetam. When effective, levetiracetam can control absence epilepsy at a relatively low dose. Lack of seizure control requiring continued dose escalation should prompt early consideration of a therapeutic medication transition.
The Spaces of Nostalgia(s) and the Politics of Belonging in Contemporary Chernivtsi, Western Ukraine
Authors: Koziura Karolina
Published: November 2018

This article is part of the special cluster titled Bukovina and Bukovinians after the Second World War: (Re)shaping and (re)thinking a region after genocide and ‘ethnic unmixing’, guest edited by Gaëlle Fisher and Maren Röger.

This article explores ways in which Habsburg nostalgia has become an important factor in contemporary place-making strategies in the city of Chernivtsi, Western Ukraine. Through the analysis of diasporic homecomings, city center revitalization, and nationalist rhetoric surrounding the politics of monuments, I explore hybrid and diverse ways in which Habsburg nostalgia operates in a given setting. Rather than a static and homogenous form of place attachment, in Chernivtsi different cultural practices associated with Habsburg nostalgia coexist with each other and depending on the political context as well as the social position of the “nostalgic agents” manifest themselves differently. Drawing from my long-term ethnographic fieldwork, I argue that in order to fully understand individuals’ attachment to space, it is necessary to grasp both the subtle emotional ways in which the city is experienced by individuals as well as problematize the role of the built environment in the visualization of collective memory and emotions of particular groups. The focus on changing manifestations of the Habsburg nostalgia can bring then a better understanding of the range and scope of the city’s symbolic resources that might be mobilized for various purposes.
Bukovina: A Borderland Region in (Trans-)national Historiographies after 1945 and 1989–1991
Authors: Fisher Gaëlle , Röger Maren
Published: November 2018

This article is part of the special cluster titled Bukovina and Bukovinians after the Second World War: (Re)shaping and (re)thinking a region after genocide and ‘ethnic unmixing’, guest edited by Gaëlle Fisher and Maren Röger.

This introductory essay provides an overview of the historiography of the borderland region of Bukovina after 1945 and 1989–1991. Presenting the approaches adopted in different national contexts after the end of the Second World War, it points to the methodological nationalism which characterized research on the region during the Cold War. We show that while the historiography of Bukovina on the ground, in Romania and the Soviet Union, refracted wider national ideologies, abroad, particularly in West Germany and Israel, it remained for a long time the prerogative of small groups of “Bukovinians,” who saw it as their “lost home.” We explore both the similarities and differences between these narratives and stakeholders as well as the changes that took place after 1989–1991, especially in Romania and Ukraine. We show that while divided, the actors behind the narratives and thereby the narratives themselves have been connected in complex ways over the decades and particularly since the collapse of communism. Indeed, while for a long time the study of Bukovina resisted transnationalism, it nevertheless constituted and constitutes an ultimately transnational research object. Today, Bukovina remains a space of contest but it is also a space of opportunity, not least for researchers interested in the contested histories of borderland regions. This essay therefore contextualizes the themes and issues addressed in the following cluster of articles and identifies avenues for future research in this field.
Are Devaluations Expansionary in Laos?
Authors: Kyophilavong Phouphet , Shahbaz Muhammad , Lamphayphan Thongphet , Kim Byoungki , Wong Michael C. S.
Published: November 2018

This study investigates whether currency devaluation is expansionary for Laos. We combine cointegration and vector error correction method (VECM) Granger causality analysis to examine long-run and causal relationships among selected macroeconomic variables. Our results confirm the presence of cointegration among the variables and support expansionary effects of currency devaluation on economic growth of Laos. Government spending increases economic growth but money supply decreases the growth. World income is inversely linked with Laos’ economic growth. Our evidence supports the devaluation-led growth hypothesis.
Kinship Probate Guardianship: An Important Permanency Option for Children
Authors: Hernández Julia , Berrick Jill Duerr
Published: November 2018

A growing number of children are being raised by relatives under a variety of different care arrangements. Although the extant literature provides rough estimates of the number and characteristics of children living in most care arrangements, research on kinship probate guardianship is especially scarce. This article focuses on kinship probate guardianship in an effort to build the literature on this understudied population. It examines demographic information about caregivers and children pursuing kinship probate guardianship, the circumstances that necessitate children’s alternative care, and reasons for selecting this custodial arrangement. Findings suggest that children and caregivers who select into kinship probate guardianship have characteristics similar to those of children and caregivers in other types of kinship care. These children move into the homes of their relatives for a variety of reasons, primarily including parental desertion, detention, and drug use.
Sensitivity to situated positionings: Generating insight into organizational change
Authors: Ybema Sierk , Kamsteeg Frans , Veldhuizen Karlien
Published: November 2018

Within ethnographic forms of organisational research, sensitivity to context is generally acknowledged as a critical ingredient for analysing processes and practices. When conducting such research, however, researchers typically privilege one particular research context for generating knowledge: although some ethnographic scholars underscore the importance of adopting a diversity of both insider and outsider roles, ethnographic research is usually equated with gaining a deep familiarity with the field of study through immersion. First, we argue that, although immersion elicits valuable knowledge ‘from within’, its prioritisation inevitably blinds the researcher’s eye to equally interesting insights stemming from alternative – and often unintended – positionings. Testifying to the significance of researchers’ relational reflexivity for data interpretation, we show how a variety of researcher’ positionings vis-à-vis the researched generated a variety of insights. Critical sensitivity to fieldworker identities in an ethnographic study of planned organisational change within a police organisation allowed us, second, to criticise the change management literature for routinely building on a fixed dichotomy between ‘change agents’ and ‘change recipients’ and to empirically demonstrate a wider variety of police officers’ positionings in relation to change initiatives (i.e. countering, complying with and co-opting) and its initiators (i.e. engaging in other-depreciating, self-questioning or self-affirming identity work).
Highly affected groups: Gay men and racial others in West Germany’s AIDS epidemic, 1981–1992
Authors: Ewing Christopher
Published: November 2018

This article examines racial discourses in (West) German gay publications between 1981 and 1992 as well as how issues of race and migration factored into AIDS activism during this period. While there were some attempts to organize against xenophobia in gay journals and gay-led AIDS activist groups, it was not until the 1987 Bavarian proposal that would limit the civil liberties of gay men and immigrants in order to fight HIV/AIDS that anti-xenophobia and anti-racism became major themes for AIDS activists. Throughout this period, highly exoticizing perceptions of men of color, particularly men from Muslim-majority countries, remained prevalent in many gay publications, pointing to the limited success of these efforts.
Young people’s investments in sexual relationships: A different prioritization of self in the negotiation of safe sex practices in South Africa
Authors: van der Riet Mary , Sofika Dumisa , Akhurst Jacqueline , Daniels Harry
Published: November 2018

In the South African context of high HIV prevalence, sexual relationships are entwined with risk. This qualitative study in a rural context examined how young people negotiate sexual practices and engage with this risk. Data was gathered from men and women (aged 15 to 33) in eight focus groups and 11 individual interviews. Abdication of self-care and deprioritization of self in the negotiation of safe sexual practices are reformulated into an understanding of the varied investments that young people make in particular kinds of sexual relationships. Sexual activity was found to underpin social reputation and identity production. In the trade-off between health protection and group membership, identity was related to investments in relationships that secured status for both genders. Future health-related interventions would need to work with other constructions of self in sexual relationships.
Methodological explorations of interpreter-mediated interaction: novel insights from multimodal analysis
Authors: Davitti Elena
Published: November 2018

Research in Dialogue Interpreting (DI) has traditionally drawn on qualitative analysis of verbal behaviour to explore the complex dynamics of these ‘triadic’ exchanges. Less attention has been paid to interpreter-mediated interaction as a situated, embodied activity where resources other than talk (such as gaze, gestures, head and body movement, proxemics) play a central role in the co-construction of the communicative event. This article argues that understanding the complexity of DI requires careful investigation of the interplay between multiple interactional resources, i.e. verbal in conjunction with visual, aural, embodied and spatial meaning-making resources. This call for methodological innovation is strengthened by the emergence of video-mediated interpreting, where interacting via screens without sharing the same physical space adds a further layer of complexity to interactional dynamics. Drawing on authentic extracts from interpreter-mediated interaction, both face-to-face and video-mediated, this article problematizes how the integration of a multimodal perspective into qualitative investigation of interpreter-mediated interaction can contribute to the advancement of our understanding of key interactional dynamics in DI and, in turn, broaden the scope of multimodality to include new, uncharted territory.
A scientist engineer’s contribution to therapeutic discovery and development
Authors: Wilson Jennifer L
Published: November 2018

An engineering perspective views cells as complex circuits that process inputs – drugs, environmental cues – to create complex outcomes – disease, growth, death – and this perspective has immense potential for drug development. Logical rules can describe the features of cells and reductionist approaches have exploited these rules for drug development. In contrast, the reductionist approach serially characterizes cellular components and develops a deep understanding of each component’s specific role. This approach underutilizes the full system of biomolecules relevant to disease pathology and drug effects. An engineering perspective provides the tools to understand and leverage the full extent of biological systems; applying both reverse and forward engineering, a strength of the engineering approach has demonstrated progress in advancing understanding of disease and drug mechanisms. Drug development lacks sufficient engineering specifications, or empirical models, of drug pharmacodynamic effects and future efforts to derive empirical models of drug effects will streamline this development. At this stage of progress, the scientist engineer is uniquely poised to solve problems in therapeutics related to modulating multiple diseases with a single or multiple therapeutic agents and identifying pharmacodynamics biomarkers with knowledge of drug pathways. This article underscores the value of these principles in an age where drug development costs are soaring and finding efficacious therapies is challenging.

Impact statement

Many untreated diseases are not monogenic and are instead caused by multiple genetic defects. Because of this complexity, computational, logical, and systems understanding will be essential to discovering novel therapies. The scientist engineer is uniquely disposed to use this type of understanding to advance therapeutic discovery. This work highlights benefits of the scientist engineer perspective and underscores the potential impact of these approaches for future therapeutic development. By framing the scientist engineer’s tool set and increasing awareness about this approach, this article stands to impact future therapeutic development efforts in an age of rising development costs and high drug attrition.
High-accuracy localization for indoor group users based on extended Kalman filter
Authors: Wang Tian , Liang Yuzhu , Mei Yaxin , Arif Muhammad , Zhu Chunsheng
Published: November 2018

Indoor localization has attracted increasing research attentions in the recent years. However, many important issues still need to be further studied to keep pace with new requirements and technical progress, such as real-time operation, high accuracy, and energy efficiency. In order to meet the high localization accuracy requirement and the high localization dependable requirement in some scenarios, we take the users as a group to utilize the mutual distance information among them to get better localization performance. Moreover, we design a mobile group localization method based on extended kalman filter and believable factor of non-localized nodes, which can alleviate the influence caused by environmental noisy and unstable wireless signals to improve the localization accuracy. Besides, we implement a real system based on ZigBee technique and perform experiments on the campus of Huaqiao University. Experimental results and theoretical analysis validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Adaptability analysis of radiative transport diffusion approximation in planar-graded-index media
Authors: Liu Lijun , Shi Hong , Liu Xiaoyan
Published: November 2018

To study the applicability of diffusion approximation method, the influence of the optical thickness, scattering albedo, and wall emissivity of the examined medium on the accuracy of the diffusion approximation is analyzed. The accuracy is determined by comparison with results obtained by using the Monte Carlo method. By calculating the dimensionless radiation heat flux distributions at the bottom of the medium for various parameter combinations, the influence of each optical parameter is analyzed. In addition, the adaptability of the diffusion approximation method to the case of a gradient-index medium is examined. The results show that in the homogeneous-refractive-index medium and the gradient-index medium, the accuracy of diffusion approximation method is improved by an increase in the optical thickness or the scattering albedo and by a decrease in the wall emissivity. Moreover, the maximum relative errors are primarily distributed at the medium boundary and center. In the case of increased optical thickness or decreased wall emissivity, the error of the diffusion approximation method becomes stable and remains at a small value.
Experiment-based thermal behavior research about the feed drive system with linear scale
Authors: Li Yang , Zhang Jun , Su Dongxu , Zhou Changxing , Zhao Wanhua
Published: November 2018

Positioning error of the feed drive system has great influence of the machining quality. In order to guarantee the positioning accuracy, the linear grating scale is adopted to form a full-closed loop. However, due to the inner heat sources and environmental temperature variations, the linear grating scale could expand and the thermally induced positional deviation is generated. In this article, temperatures and positional deviations of the ball screw feed drive system and the linear motor feed drive system equipped with linear scales were tested. The factors that affect the positioning error were analyzed. Then, the temperatures and positioning coordinates were used as inputs to build the thermally induced positional deviation model of full closed-loop feed drive system. Based on the model, coordinate values of the machine tool were adjusted and the compensation was implemented. The testing results verified that after compensation, the positional deviations were greatly reduced.
Minimum control effort–based path planning and nonlinear guidance for autonomous mobile robots
Authors: Quillen Paul , Subbarao Kamesh
Published: November 2018

This article puts forth a framework using model-based techniques for path planning and guidance for an autonomous mobile robot in a constrained environment. The path plan is synthesized using a numerical navigation function algorithm that will form its potential contour levels based on the “minimum control effort.” Then, an improved nonlinear model predictive control approach is employed to generate high-level guidance commands for the mobile robot to track a trajectory fitted along the planned path leading to the goal. A backstepping-like nonlinear guidance law is also implemented for comparison with the NMPC formulation. Finally, the performance of the resulting framework using both nonlinear guidance techniques is verified in simulation where the environment is constrained by the presence of static obstacles.
Use of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors in older patients with ER-positive HER2-negative breast cancer: Young International Society of Geriatric Oncology review paper
Authors: Battisti Nicolò Matteo Luca , De Glas Nienke , Sedrak Mina S. , Loh Kah Poh , Liposits Gabor , Soto-Perez-de-Celis Enrique , Krok-Schoen Jessica L. , Menjak Ines B. , Ring Alistair
Published: November 2018

The current standard of care for the management of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer has been redefined by the introduction of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors. Although adults aged 65 years and older account for the majority of patients with breast cancer, limited data are available about the age-specific dosing, tolerability, and benefit of CDK4/6 inhibitors in this growing population. Older adults are under-represented in clinical trials and as a result, clinicians are forced to extrapolate from findings in younger and healthier patients when making treatment decisions for older patients. In this article, we review the limited age-specific evidence on the efficacy, toxicity, and quality of life (QoL) outcomes associated with the use of CDK4/6 inhibitors in older adults. We also describe ongoing trials evaluating CDK4/6 inhibitors in the older population and highlight that only a minority of adjuvant and metastatic trials of CDK4/6 inhibitors in the general breast cancer population includes geriatric assessments. Finally, we propose potential strategies to help guide decision making for fit and unfit older patients based on disease endocrine sensitivity, the need for rapid response and geriatric assessment.
Of Common Bonds: Accounting for Intergenerational Culture Competency in Community Policing
Authors: McLane-Davison Denise , Allen-Milton Sharlene , Archibald Paul , Holmes Robert
Published: November 2018

Community policing is grounded in a set of knowledge and skills that promotes a collaborative relationship between community residents, law enforcement, public and private industry, and governing elected officials to achieve safe and sustainable communities. In the fall of 2016, on the heels of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division’s Investigative Report, a cohort of Morgan State University’s School of Social Work faculty, trained in the results-based accountability (RBA) model, developed and implemented an interactive workshop on cultural competency with 70 community partners from law enforcement. Cultural competence is an inherit cornerstone of a viable community and police partnership. This article shares how outcome-based performance strategies such as RBA can facilitate a pathway for enhancing community generational cultural competence leading to public safety.
Efficacy of a Virtual Arthroscopic Simulator for Orthopaedic Surgery Residents by Year in Training
Authors: Yari Shahram S. , Jandhyala Chanakya K. , Sharareh Behnam , Athiviraham Aravind , Shybut Theodore B.
Published: November 2018

Background:

Virtual reality arthroscopic simulators are an attractive option for resident training and are increasingly used across training programs. However, no study has analyzed the utility of simulators for trainees based on their level of training/postgraduate year (PGY).

Purpose/Hypothesis:

The primary aim of this study was to determine the utility of the ArthroS arthroscopic simulator for orthopaedic trainees based on their level of training. We hypothesized that residents at all levels would show similar improvements in performance after completion of the training modules.

Study Design:

Descriptive laboratory study.

Methods:

Eighteen orthopaedic surgery residents performed diagnostic knee and shoulder tasks on the ArthroS simulator. Participants completed a series of training modules and then repeated the diagnostic tasks. Correlation coefficients ( r2) were calculated for improvements in the mean composite score (based on the Imperial Global Arthroscopy Rating Scale [IGARS]) as a function of PGY.

Results:

The mean improvement in the composite score for participants as a whole was 11.2 ± 10.0 points ( P = .0003) for the knee simulator and 14.9 ± 10.9 points ( P = .0352) for the shoulder simulator. When broken down by PGY, all groups showed improvement, with greater improvements seen for junior-level residents in the knee simulator and greater improvements seen for senior-level residents in the shoulder simulator. Analysis of variance for the score improvement variable among the different PGY groups yielded an f value of 1.640 ( P = .2258) for the knee simulator data and an f value of 0.2292 ( P = .917) for the shoulder simulator data. The correlation coefficient ( r2) was –0.866 for the knee score improvement and 0.887 for the shoulder score improvement.

Conclusion:

Residents training on a virtual arthroscopic simulator made significant improvements in both knee and shoulder arthroscopic surgery skills.

Clinical Relevance:

The current study adds to mounting evidence supporting virtual arthroscopic simulator–based training for orthopaedic residents. Most significantly, this study also provides a baseline for evidence-based targeted use of arthroscopic simulators based on resident training level.
Nudge to better care - blood cultures and catheter-related bloodstream infections in Germany at two points in time (2006, 2015)
Authors: Salm Florian , Schwab Frank , Behnke Michael , Brunkhorst Frank M. , Scherag André , Geffers Christine , Gastmeier Petra
Published: November 2018

Background

Blood cultures (BCs) are the gold standard for diagnosing sepsis and are prerequisite for a targeted antibiotic treatment and essential for patient outcomes. Aim of the study was to analyze the frequency of BCs, the rate of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) and to study the association between both parameters on intensive care units in Germany over time.

Methods

Cross-sectional studies at two points in time (2006, 2015) on ICUs participating in the German hospital infection surveillance system. CLABSIs were defined according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed using generalized linear models.

Results

A total of 639 ICUs participated in 2006 or 2015 and 90 ICUs (“core group”) in both years. Overall, 2,427,921 patient days from 644,575 patients were analyzed. In the ICU core group the frequency of BCs per 1000 patient days doubled from 57.8 (interquartile range [IQR] 29.8–101.2; 2006) to 128.2 (IQR 71.6–183.2; 2015). In the same time, the pooled median CLABSI rate decreased from 0.8 (IQR 0–1.9; 2006) per 1000 central-line catheter days to 0.2 (IQR 0–0.9; 2015).

Conclusions

From 2006 to 2015 the frequency of BCs increased on ICUs in Germany and is now within the recommended 100 to 200 BCs sets per 1000 patient days.
Postmortem Findings in a Young Man With Congenital Generalized Lipodystrophy, Type 4 Due to CAVIN1 Mutations
Authors: Patni Nivedita , Vuitch Frank , Garg Abhimanyu
Published: November 2018

Context

Congenital generalized lipodystrophy, type 4 (CGL4) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in caveolae-associated protein 1. Patients with CGL4 also have myopathy and cardiomyopathy with a predisposition for sudden death due to ventricular arrhythmias. However, the underlying pathology for these morbidities remains unknown. Therefore, we report on an autopsy of a Hispanic boy with CGL4.

Case Description

Our patient had early-onset generalized lipodystrophy, feeding difficulties, myopathy, atlanto-axial dislocation, and learning disabilities. He was diagnosed with catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) at age 8 years, had poor compliance with medications, and died suddenly at age 15.3 years. Autopsy showed marked loss of subcutaneous and omental fat with no inflammatory cells in adipose tissue and normal adipocytes in the parathyroid glands. There were adipocytes interdigitating cardiac muscle fibers, with fibro-fatty infiltration in the right ventricle, near coronary sinus, and atrioventricular node. There was no evidence of coronary heart disease. The quadriceps femoris muscle did not show adipocyte infiltration, inflammation, or fibrosis. The muscularis mucosa layer was thickened in the esophagus and at the gastro-duodenal junction, and the esophagus had prominent, large nerves in the subserosa. The liver weighed 3000 g, with minimal chronic inflammation and steatosis in 40% of parenchyma, primarily in zones 2 and 3. There was no spermatogenesis in the spermatic tubules.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that fibro-fatty infiltration of the right ventricle may contribute to CPVT in patients with CGL4. Thick muscularis mucosa and large nerves in the esophagus likely contributed to dysphagia and dysmotility. A lack of spermatids suggests infertility in affected male patients.
Early Clinical Indicators of Addison Disease in Adults With Type 1 Diabetes: A Nationwide, Observational, Cohort Study
Authors: Chantzichristos Dimitrios , Persson Anders , Miftaraj Mervete , Eliasson Björn , Svensson Ann-Marie , Johannsson Gudmundur
Published: November 2018

Context

Patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) have an increased risk of Addison disease (AD) development, but prediction of those at risk is not possible.

Objective

To determine whether there are early clinical indicators that may denote the development of AD in adults with T1DM.

Design

Observational, matched-cohort study.

Setting

Patient data from Swedish national registries [National Diabetes Register (NDR), Inpatient Register, and Prescription Drug Register].

Participants

All patients with T1DM diagnosed with concomitant AD (n = 66) among the 36,514 adult patients with T1DM in the NDR between 1998 and 2013. Each case was matched to five controls with T1DM alone (n = 330).

Main Outcome Measures

Clinical data and drug prescriptions were assessed prior to baseline (inclusion into the study) and prior to AD diagnosis. Analysis of covariance and estimated group proportions were used for comparisons.

Results

Prior to baseline, cases had a higher frequency of thyroid/antithyroid drug prescription than controls (9.1% vs 1.8%). Prior to AD diagnosis, cases had higher frequencies of diabetic retinopathy (12.1% vs 2.1%), infections requiring hospital admission (16.7% vs 2.1%), thyroid/antithyroid drug prescription (28.8% vs 7.0%), and glucagon prescription (18.2% vs 6.4%). There was no difference in glycated Hb between the groups prior to baseline or prior to AD diagnosis.

Conclusions

These data suggest that medical treatment of thyroid disease, a severe infection, and glucagon prescription for severe hypoglycemia should raise the suspicion of AD development in adults with T1DM. Development of diabetic retinopathy might also be associated with glucocorticoid deficiency and the development of AD among patients with T1DM.
In the Zone of Pure Potential
Authors: Lippens Ronnie
Published: November 2018

In 1970 the Dutch philosopher and psychiatrist Jan Hendrik van den Berg announced the end of classical psychoanalysis. In an age without taboos, the mere idea no longer made sense to van den Berg. In the same year Mark Rothko’s stark Chapel in Houston, Texas, was completed at the point in the painter’s life when he had exhausted his experimental attempts to visualize sovereign, superhuman life. Both events are not completely unrelated. Both mark the point in Western culture when radical sovereign aspiration gained its final momentum. The year 2016 marks the point when this Luciferian aspiration achieved hegemonic dominance to occupy the core of cultural life. We are now in a position to look back on Rothko’s Chapel and ask ourselves if, in this newly dawned Age of Light, there still is, as the painter seems to have suggested, a dark side, a zone of inner, hidden depth, and if, contrary to van den Berg’s prediction, it still makes sense to psychoanalyze the Luciferian moment. This article reflects on these questions.
Dispersion has a large effect (Cohen's d) on crop yield in crop residue application
Authors: Oda Masato
Published: November 2018

Background: Crop residue application can maintain soil fertility and sustain agriculture. However, the effects of residue application are unstable because of variable weather conditions and the residual effects of crop residue application. Residue application often reduces crop yields. I tried to clarify effective residue application factors in an environment which was has stable weather conditions and low residual effects.

Methods: Majuro atoll, a coral sand atoll near the equator, was selected for the experiment site because of its stable weather and low residual effect of coral sand. A factorial design experiment using sweet corn was conducted based on the following four factors: fungi propagation before application, cutting residue into pieces, dispersion (or accumulation) of applied residue, and placement (on the surface or incorporation) with an equal amount of crop residue. The effects of each factors on the corn yields were evaluated using Cohen’s power analysis.

Results: The dispersion showed the largest effect (p = 0.045, Cohen’s d = 1.2), which exceeded the effect of incorporation (p = 0.223, Cohen’s d = 0.7). The interaction of dispersion and incorporation showed a huge effect on corn yield (p = 0.005, Cohen’s d = 4.9).

Discussion: The effect of dispersion was not positive but it avoided the negative effects of residue clustering. The toxicity of the plant residue and generation of toxic substances by anaerobic decomposition are widely known. Anaerobic decomposition occurs inside the residue clusters. However, dispersion reduced the toxicity by adsorption in soil and avoiding anaerobic decomposition. Furthermore, incorporation showed an interaction effect, but surface placement did not.

Conclusion: The dispersion of crop residue enhanced the positive effect of crop residue incorporation by avoiding the toxicity from crop residue. This finding adds a new viewpoint for the controversy between conventional and conservation agriculture.
Cognitive Approach to Natural Science Terminology at EL Classes
Authors: Брукс Е. , Bruks E.
Published: November 2018

The purpose of this article was to conduct an analysis of scientific terminology in use. The analysis was based on the perception of the terminology in interlanguage contexts. Regarding the source of the study, a number of international terms were analyzed, which showed a specific ‘word usage’ in professional communication in order to prevent ‘false analogies’. In addition to its value for comparative linguistics, the study also reveals universals of lexical conceptual space. We present a typological study of terminology polysemy in order to construct a special perception on semantic similarity among the basic scientific terminology and in borrowings, specifically. The findings provide a sound basics and valuable implications for further research in this field which will improve, as we believe, the understanding among professionals on the global level and speed up the development of science.
Tradução e adaptação do Check List RE-AIM para a realidade Brasileira
Authors: Brito Fabiana Almeida , Benedetti Tânia Rosane Bertoldo , Tomicki Camila , Konrad Lisandra Maria , Sandreschi Paula Fabrício , Manta Sofia Wolker , Almeida Fabio
Published: November 2018

O objetivo foi traduzir e adaptar os itens de codificação relacionados às dimensões do modelo RE-AIM para auxiliar no planejamento e avaliação de programas de promoção da atividade física e saúde, bem como na análise da qualidade do relato em estudos de revisão sistemática. Foram realizadas equivalência conceitual, de itens e semântica por profissionais de saúde mono e bilíngues. Na análise conceitual e de itens foi realizada discussão entre especialistas e na semântica, tradução inversa (inglês para português) e reversa (português para inglês) dos itens. Posteriormente, foi avaliada a equivalência entre as retraduções e o conteúdo original. Dessa forma, foi apresentada a tradução e adaptação dos 54 itens que permite o planejamento e avaliação de programas e dos 21 itens para análise da qualidade das informações relatadas em evidências científicas. Espera-se contribuir para o planejamento e avaliação de programas ou revisões sistemáticas para promoção da atividade física e saúde.
Consistency and Inconsistency Between the Fundamental Relationships on Which Different Traffic Assignment Models Are Based
Authors: Carey Malachy , Humphreys Paul , McHugh Marie , McIvor Ronan
Published: November 2018

We compare the forms and properties of different macroscopic behavioral relationships on which different static and dynamic traffic assignment models have been based, namely, travel time-flow functions, travel time-occupancy functions, and flow-occupancy functions or flow-density functions. Given any one of these three relationships we can derive the other two, so that they appear mathematically equivalent. These three behavioral relationships focus on different variables, but they are meant to be observing the same traffic and are not meant to be inconsistent or incompatible with each other. However, we see that the forms and properties usually assumed for any one of these three relationships are often inconsistent or incompatible with the forms or properties that are usually assumed for the other two, or that are considered acceptable for the other two. It might be thought that any inconsistencies between these relationships are because of modeling different phenomena, however that does not explain some of the surprising differences or inconsistencies, for example, those we find implied by linear or piecewise linear functions or by the best known travel time-flow function, the US Bureau of Public Roads function. Such differences or inconsistencies are seldom mentioned in the literature, though they are important because these models are so central in network traffic assignment. They are important when considering or comparing the solutions or predictions from the various traffic assignment models. Yet even if not comparing solutions, it seems important to know whether the model being used is inconsistent with another model that is widely accepted and widely used for similar scenarios. The results do not suggest discontinuing the use of any of the three forms of relationships or the corresponding assignment models referred to above. Rather, they suggest that more attention should be given to noting such potential inconsistencies, incompatibilities, or limitations when considering, reporting, or comparing results or predictions from traffic assignment models. In some cases the results indicate the direction in which the model biases the predictions compared to those from an alternative model that could have been used. In some cases, alternative properties or functional forms could or should be developed or used.
Towards a spatial history of contemporary art in China
Authors: Yao Pauline J.
Published: November 2018

The development of contemporary art in China over the last four decades is a story that can be narrated along multiple trajectories. Equally, the term ‘contemporary’ can be used to refer to the adoption of particular art forms and styles, or to experimental strategies surrounding the making of art. In both cases, it is art’s intersection with space – spaces for making, for thinking, for sharing and for exhibiting – that has most deeply impacted our understanding of certain art in China as ‘contemporary’. This paper looks at recent developments in Chinese art through the lens of space, taking into account the importance of spatial positioning of art and the exhibitionary form as a key influencer upon artistic practices. It intends not to articulate an exhibition history so much as a spatial history, and seeks to establish new narratives for art history that are culturally and context specific.
Optimizing of extraction of bioactive components from Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae Rhamnoides L.) pomace and develope of antioxidant-enriched apple juice
Authors: Furulyas Diana , Dobó Viktória , Székely Dóra , Chaagnadorj Rentsentdavaa , Stefanovits-Bányai Éva , Stéger-Máté Mónika
Published: November 2018

In our study, we were looking for an alternative to use of sea buckthorn pomace to open new opportunities. The dried pomace was extracted in a different method to achieve the highest antioxidant content. Ethanol and acetone were used as solvents, applied in different concentration. For the selection of the optimum extraction method, four spectrophotometric measurements were performed. With the best extract, three types of apple juice were made from apple juice concentrate by diluting it with different percentages of water and pomace extracts. The spectrophotometric measurements were also performed for juice samples to check the increase in amount of antioxidant components in the apple juice. Acceptability of enriched juices was determined by sensory evaluation and short market research. Based on the results the optimum extraction agent is 40 m/m % acetone for enriching apple juice. The results showed that there is a demand for the consumption of enriched juice with sea buckthorn pomace extracts and the fruit juice enriched with the 1:1 ratio of extract: water mixture is the most optimum according to sensory evaluators. Further examination could reveal whether the extracted antioxidant content of the pomace could be used as bio-preservatives in the food industry.
Characterization of hydrocarbon reservoir by pore fluid and lithology using elastic parameters in an x field, Niger delta, Nigeria
Authors: . Akpabio , O Idara , . Ojo , T Odunayo
Published: November 2018

Quantitative rock physics analysis was carried out to determine the lithology and pore fluid of a reservoir in the Niger Delta. Density, compressional wave velocity and shear wave velocity logs were used as input to calculate elastic parameters such as velocity ratio, Poisson’s ratio, and Bulk Modulus, after estimating the hydrocarbon reservoir in the X field. The calculated velocity ratio log was used to differentiate between sand, sandstone and shale. Poisson’s ratio and velocity ratio were used delineate pore fluid content; gas sand, oil sand and sandstone formation from cross plot analysis. The reservoir in the field lies ranges from 9050 - 9426.5ft, (2760.25 – 2874.93m), this confirm what is obtained in the Niger Delta Basin. The Net Pay zones show an economical viable reservoir, it Net pay depth is 39 – 73.5ft. The Porosity and Permeability of the reservoirs suggested a productivity hydrocarbon reservoir. The reservoir lies between Gas sands, Oil sands and Brine sands, reservoir 2 and reservoir 3 are oil sand reservoirs while reservoir 1 lies between an oil sand and a brine sand.