bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
REDUCING SERIOUS HARM FOR PEDIATRIC CARDIAC INPATIENTS AT A LARGE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
Authors: Cooper David , Storey Jean , Mustin Laurie , Anderson Jeffrey , Hanke Sam , Clarke-Meyers Katie , Brown James , Simon Katie , Kimball Thomas
Published: October 2015

Background

Serious harm is a composite outcome that includes the following 10 preventable patient morbidities: Catheter-Associated Blood Stream Infection (CA-BSI), Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CA-UTI), Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP), Pressure Ulcer, Serious PIV extravasation, Level 6–9 Adverse Drug Events, Surgical Site Infection (SSI), Serious Falls, Preventable Codes Outside ICU, and Surgical Sentinel Events. Failure to prevent harm results in increased length of stay, cost and mortality.

Objectives

In efforts to improve system level safety outcomes for cardiac patients, the Heart Institute Safety, Quality and Value leadership aligned strategic priorities and projects across our microsystems to reduce serious harm.

Methods

Pareto charts identified the largest contributors to serious harm in the Heart Institute. Active QI work was then prioritized to these areas with focused QI consultant and data support. PDSA cycles were then used to test and implement change. Process control charts were used to evaluate change in the Serious Harm rate.

Results

The largest contributors to harm were identified as CA-BSI, SSI and VAP. For FY15, we were able to reduce Serious Harm from 22.8 to 20.5 per 10,000 patient days and the Centerline was shifted from 30.0 to 18.1 per 10,000 patient days.

Conclusions

Having leadership take a system level approach to drive and support alignment of QI projects resulted in reduction of Serious Harm to cardiac patients. This can be spread to other HI programs to achieve similar results.

Figure 1Figure 2
CREATING CULTURES OF SAFETY: PARADOXICAL EFFECTS OF IDENTICAL SAFETY CULTURE INTERVENTIONS ON INPATIENT HOSPITAL UNITS
Authors: Chiou Howard
Published: October 2015

Background

Our knowledge of how to create safety cultures is extremely limited. This research utilized an unusual opportunity to longitudinally study how the same intervention—an evidence-based bundle, including bedside multidisciplinary rounds and a quality-safety checklist—altered culture differently on three inpatient hospital units.

Objectives

Using methods from both anthropology and quality improvement, this research evaluates the dynamic process of implementing a highly complex culture change intervention by: (1) describing the units at baseline, (2) characterizing the transformation of units during implementation, and (3) identifying the activities and contextual factors that accelerated or hindered the implementation process.

Methods

Three inpatient internal medicine units in the US and Australia were studied over two years. Data collection included over 420 hours of ethnographic participant observation, 102 semi-structured interviews with hospital staff, and 141 safety culture questionnaires. Qualitative data was coded and analyzed using modified grounded theory, and triangulated against the quantitative using iterative constant comparison and cross-case analysis.

Results

The intervention successfully disrupted cultural norms on one unit, but unexpectedly failed to do so at another. The implementation was well-resourced and consistent between units. However, the failed unit suffered from an inadvertent reinforcement of hierarchy within rounds, mutations in the meaning of checklists, and interactions with local hierarchies and conceptions of nurse-patient relationships.

Conclusions

This research informs the design of subsequent culture change interventions, as reports of failure to change culture are rare in the literature. This study uniquely expands previous understanding by building a framework based in the social sciences for understanding and changing safety culture.
USE OF QUALITY IMPROVEMENT (QI) METHODOLOGY TO DECREASE LENGTH OF STAY (LOS) FOR NEWBORNS WITH UNCOMPLICATED GASTROSCHISIS
Authors: McClead Rick , Ryshen Gregory , Dail James , Gossard Mary , Dienhart Molly , Aldrink Jennifer
Published: October 2015

Background

Gastroschisis (G), an abdominal wall birth defect, can be repaired surgically, but recovery, feeding advancement, and subsequent hospitalization (LOS) can be prolonged.

Objectives

We aimed to decrease LOS of G patients from a baseline of 41 days (n=26 patients) to 34 days by December 2010 and sustain for 6 months.

Methods

In 2009, a QI team was established to reduce LOS. Subjects were newborns >34 weeks gestation with uncomplicated G. Model for Improvement and SPC methodology were used. Rational subgroup analysis (RSA) was used to assess impact of surgical approach and other factors on LOS. Subgroup medians were compared via ANOVA of log-transformed data.

Results

From June 2010 to August 2015, 100 subjects were evaluated. Special cause variation in LOS was not detected until July 2014. A new baseline of 27 days was established figure 1. RSA revealed a longer LOS for patients undergoing a silicon silo procedure in the operating room (OR) for gradual reduction of abdominal contents followed by a later secondary OR abdominal closure (n=27; LOS, 44.5 days; IQR, 33.5 days) compared to patients undergoing either a primary OR closure (n=48; LOS, 29 days; IQR, 14 days) or a bedside silo placed under local anesthesia followed by secondary OR closure (n=25; LOS, 30 days; IQR, 16 days). (p<0.001). (figure 2 and 3)

Conclusions

Standardized care and a change in surgical approach decreased LOS 34% in newborns with G. The causal relationship between LOS, multiple anesthesia and/or excessive bowel manipulation remain to be determined.

Figure 1Figure 2Figure 3
UNDERSTANDING VARIATION IN SUCCESS IN A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVE IN SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA.
Authors: Groot Gary , McMullen Linda , Hamilton Jessica , Schwartz Laura
Published: October 2015

Background

Unexplained variation in clinical practice can be an indicator of poor quality of care. In Saskatchewan, Canada the Variation and Appropriateness Working Group (VAWG) engaged three clinical working groups (CWG) to consider the causes of variation in surgical practice.

Objectives

Using the Model for Understanding Success in Quality Improvement (MUSIQ) framework, we conducted a qualitative study aimed at exploring VAWG's successes and barriers.

Methods

We used semi-structured interviews, meetings notes, and VAWG project documents as data for understanding the functioning and context of the CWGs.

Results

Our comparison of the CWGs highlights the similarities and differences between these groups. All groups identified next steps for understanding the root causes of variation; however, even in the CWG that exhibited positive micro contextual attributes and that made the most progress, success was limited due to the external environment common to all three CWGs. The external environment, the Saskatchewan health care system, did not signal that this work was a priority and physicians did not have the structural support needed to fully engage and advance this work.

Conclusions

Our research highlights the importance of both micro and macro contextual factors critical to the success of physician-driven quality improvement. The MUSIQ framework identifies features of the Saskatchewan context that can be built upon, and areas were significant work and investment is needed to increase the likelihood of success in future projects. Lessons learned are impacting the implementation of subsequent work; however, there are still critical factors to be addressed in Saskatchewan.
REDUCING LABORATORY TESTING IN A TERTIARY MEDICAL CENTRE: A RESIDENT-LED MULTILEVEL QUALITY INTERVENTION
Authors: Lee Matilda Xw , Choong Clarice , Teo Winnie ZY , Fan Kristie HR , Lim Lye Heng , Ong Lizhen , Saw Sharon , Lim Tow-Keang , Santosa Amelia , Lahiri Manjari
Published: October 2015

Background

Hospital in-patient laboratory testing is steadily rising, contributing to increasing healthcare costs, errors, and unnecessary treatments. Strategies to reduce over-utilization of laboratory tests have been tried with mixed results.

Objectives

To reduce the volume of the most frequently ordered laboratory tests by 10% over 6 months.

Methods

The most commonly ordered tests in medical wards were determined and a survey was conducted among residents and faculty to determine the perceived causes of over-testing. A resident-led multilevel collaborative campaign was launched. This comprised of education sessions (intern and resident teaching), cost awareness information (mini cards, computer screensavers), publicity (reminders to on-call teams), regular audits and feedback. The focus was on changing test ordering behavior and culture. Monthly average test numbers were compared with those in the preceding year.

Results

The campaign was launched in 8 medical wards from the period of September 2014 to February 2015. The top 6 laboratory tests/panels (full blood count, renal panel, calcium panel, liver panel, C-reactive protein and acute coronary screen) were selected based on order-volume. There was a 9.4% reduction in tests ordered during the study period, resulting in costs savings estimated at $34,235 per month. Results were sustained over the 6-month study period. Reduced testing had no effect on in-hospital mortality (3.17% post-intervention vs. 3.02% pre-intervention, p=0.47).

Conclusions

The development of a multilevel collaborative initiative resulted in reduction in test-ordering and significant and sustained costs savings. Approaches targeting culture change may be a feasible method of maintaining a lean health care system.

Figure 1

Run chart.

Figure 2

Overview of tests per patient day.

Figure 3

Overview of tests per patient.
TRANSFORMING A CANADIAN MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY: LABORATORY AUTOMATION AND LEAN PROCESSES REDUCE ERRORS, IMPROVE STANDARDIZATION AND RESULT QUALITY WHILE IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY
Authors: Page Norma
Published: October 2015

Background

Focused on excellence and innovation, DynaLIFEDx has transformed their Microbiology laboratory, which serves hospital and community patients, with the BD Kiestra Total Laboratory Automation (TLA) system.

Objectives

In 2013, DynaLIFEDx partnered with Becton Dickinson to implement the Kiestra TLA driving transformation from a traditional microbiology laboratory to a high quality, standardized, LEAN operation supporting improved patient care.

Methods

LEAN process observation, change management, value stream mapping and simulation modelling tools allowed for the design of the optimal BD Kiestra Technology and supported process improvement planning for every aspect of the laboratory operation.

Results

Impressive results were achieved through the integration of People, Process and Technology. Employing automatic barcoding and media selection reduced manual process errors by 87%. Smart Read A incubators provide optimal growth conditions for earlier detection of positive cultures. High resolution digital images support improved accuracy and TAT. The implementation of single piece flow supported a 67% reduction in time from receipt in the lab to planting by the TLA system.

Conclusions

Current practices in diagnostic microbiology laboratories are manual, error prone and time consuming leading to delays in critical reports. Automation systems have the potential to revolutionize patient care by improving standardization and time to result. However; as the results obtained at DynaLIFEDx demonstrate, only by combining this technology with up front and downstream process improvements, can the full advantages of the system be realized. Implications of the data reported here include significant improvements in therapy delivery, improved patient outcomes and changes in diagnostic reporting guidelines.

Figure 1

Fewer processing errors.

Figure 2

Staffing matches demand.

Figure 3

LEAN lab layout.
Improving the provision of driving advice on discharge after abdominal surgery
Authors: Buss Imogen , Gould Laura
Published: October 2015

Ensuring the safety of patients is a vital duty of a doctor. It is their responsibility to advise patients about activity limitations on discharge from hospital. This study aims to assess the current provision of driving advice for patients after abdominal surgery and institute improvements to this provision of information in North Bristol NHS Trust.

A preliminary questionnaire ascertained current doctor’s knowledge regarding limitations of driving postoperatively and whether information was communicated to patients. Baseline retrospective data were collected from electronic discharge summaries to determine documentation of advice provision. Educational interventions were introduced, followed by data collection after each intervention.

Initial questionnaires demonstrated poor knowledge amongst doctors and a lack of provision of driving advice postoperatively. After multiple educational interventions, the provision of driving advice on electronic discharge summaries increased from 0% (0) at baseline to 75% (9).

Initially, the provision of driving advice postoperatively was poorly documented for inpatients undergoing abdominal surgery; following multiple educational interventions, the provision of written advice improved. Future plans include the introduction of prewritten sentences onto the electronic discharge summaries to facilitate ease of information provision and a reaudit in 12 months.
Physiology-guided myocardial revascularisation in complex multivessel coronary artery disease: beyond the 2014 ESC/EACTS guidelines on myocardial revascularisation
Authors: Piek Jan J , Claessen Bimmer E , Davies Justin E , Escaned Javier
Published: October 2015

For patients with multivessel coronary artery disease there are two options for revascularisation: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery (CABG). In daily clinical practice, a heart team consisting of an interventional cardiologist and a cardiothoracic surgeon decide on the most appropriate mode of revascularization. The current European guidelines on myocardial revascularisation include updated recommendations for patients with multivessel coronary artery disease. In patients with stable angina, three-vessel disease and a SYNTAX score of 23–32 or >32 a class I level of evidence A recommendation for CABG was issued as compared to PCI which received a class III recommendation. Although the authors of this viewpoint greatly appreciate the efforts of the guideline committee, we believe that it was an oversight not to include recommendations on physiology-guided PCI in multivessel disease (MVD). In this viewpoint, it is argued that physiology-guided revascularization using current-generation drug-eluting stents is a reasonable alternative for complex multivessel disease.
Dairy vet with global experience
Authors: Fishwick John
Published: October 2015

Having been born into a busy veterinary household, John Fishwick was advised to choose a non‐veterinary career; however, as a teenager he ignored that advice, having decided that a veterinary career would suit him. He has worked in practice in the UK and abroad and is now head of the Department of Production and Population Health at the Royal Veterinary College
Two garnet growth events in polymetamorphic rocks in southwest Spitsbergen, Norway: insight in the history of Neoproterozoic and early Paleozoic metamorphism in the High Arctic
Authors: Majka Jarosław , Kośmińska Karolina , Mazur Stanisław , Czerny Jerzy , Piepjohn Karsten , Dwornik Maciej , Manecki Maciej
Published: October 2015

Geochronological studies in northern Wedel Jarlsberg Land, southwestern Svalbard (Norway), showed that the Tonian (c. 950 Ma) igneous rocks were subjected to metamorphism during the Torellian (c. 640 Ma) and early Caledonian (470–460 Ma) events. Predominant augen gneisses, derived from a Tonian protolith, are intercalated in that area, with schists comprising two distinct metamorphic mineral assemblages. The M1 (Torellian) assemblage containing garnet-I + quartz + plagioclase-I + biotite-I + muscovite-I was formed under amphibolite-facies conditions at c. 550–600 °C and 5–8 kbar (1 kbar = 100 MPa). The M2 (Caledonian) assemblage comprising garnet-II + quartz + plagioclase-II + biotite-II + muscovite-II + zoisite + chlorite crystallized at c. 500–550 °C and 9–12 kbar, corresponding to epidote–amphibolite facies conditions. The M2 mineral assemblage constitutes the pervasive Caledonian fabric of the schists that was subsequently reactivated in a left-lateral strike-slip shear regime. The subsequent c. 70° clockwise rotation of the original structure to its present position was caused by a large-scale passive rotation during the Paleogene Eurekan orogeny. The new pressure–temperature estimates suggest that metamorphic basement in the study area was consolidated during the Torellian middle-grade event and then overprinted by Caledonian moderate- to high-pressure subduction-related metamorphism. A following sinistral shear zone assembled the present structure of basement units. Our results pose a question about the possible extent of Torellian precursor to the Caledonian basement across the High Arctic and the scale of its subsequent involvement in early Caledonian subduction. In conjunction with previous studies, the results suggest a possible correlation between southwestern Spitsbergen and the Pearya Terrane in Ellesmere Island.
Biomonitoring of metals and metalloids with raptors from Portugal and Spain: a review
Authors: Carneiro Manuela , Colaço Bruno , Colaço Jorge , Faustino-Rocha Ana I. , Colaço Aura , Lavin Santiago , Oliveira Paula A.
Published: October 2015

The analysis of metals in different tissues of raptors has been an important tool for assessing metal pollution. Several studies using a range of sentinel raptor species have been carried out in Portugal and Spain since the 1980s to identify the adverse effects in the animals themselves and on their populations, to identify the contamination of the food chain, to determine the levels of environmental contamination and to estimate human health risks. The aim of this work is to provide synthesized information of the studies carried out in Portugal and Spain in the direct biomonitoring of metals and metalloids using raptors, through a systematic search of the published literature. The information is summarized taking into account specific issues, such as monitored raptor species, sampling periods, monitored areas, type of samples, analytical techniques used in the determination of the metals and metalloids, the analysed metals and metalloids, and overall analysis of the concentrations obtained. There is a striking difference between the number of studies performed in Portugal and Spain, and most of them have been carried out in Spain. The eagle owl, black kite, and common buzzard were the species from which the greatest number of individuals have been analysed. Among the most analyzed biological samples, the blood and liver samples were used to measure the concentrations of all studied metals, while bone was mainly collected to evaluate chronic exposure to lead and feathers to evaluate exposure to mercury during feather growth. Atomic absorption spectrometry has been the most frequently performed technique to determine the majority of metals and arsenic. In general, the concentrations of metals detected in raptor samples from Portugal and Spain are low and insufficient to produce toxic side effects. Only lead, in certain cases, can be related with toxic side effects. However, particular attention should be given to mercury due to its high toxicity, its transport from an aquatic environment to the adjacent terrestrial food web, and because the mercury toxicity threshold has yet to be established for raptors. This work confirms the need for further biomonitoring studies of metals with raptors, especially in Portugal; the establishing of national programs to conduct long-term studies; and creating a network between Portugal and Spain to study environmental contamination using raptors.
Even and odd Wigner negative binomial states: Nonclassical properties
Authors: Mojaveri B. , Dehghani A.
Published: October 2015

By using Wigner–Heisenberg algebra (WHA) and its Fock representation, even and odd Wigner negative binomial states (WNBSs) [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text] corresponds to the ordinary even and odd negative binomial states (NBSs)) are introduced. These states can be reduced to the Wigner cat states in special limit. We establish the resolution of identity property for them through a positive definite measure on the unit disc. Some of their nonclassical properties, such as Mandel’s parameter and quadrature squeezing have been investigated numerically. We show that in contrast with the even NBSs, even WNBSs may exhibit sub-Poissonian statistics. Also squeezing in the field quadratures appears for both even and odd WNBSs. It is found that the deformation parameter [Formula: see text] plays an essential role in displaying highly nonclassical behaviors.
First class models from linear and nonlinear second class constraints
Authors: Dehghani Mehdi , Mardaani Maryam , Monemzadeh Majid , Nejad Salman Abarghouei
Published: October 2015

Two models with linear and nonlinear second class constraints are considered and gauged by embedding in an extended phase space. These models are studied by considering a free non-relativistic particle on the hyperplane and hypersphere in the configuration space. The gauged theory of the first model is obtained by converting the very second class system to the first class one directly. In contrast, the first class system related to the free particle on the hypersphere is derived with the help of the infinite Batalin–Fradkin–Tyutin (BFT) embedding procedure. We propose a practical formula, based on the simplified BFT method, which is practical in gauging linear and some nonlinear second class systems. As a result of gauging these two models, we show that in the conversion of second class constraints to the first class ones, the minimum number of phase space degrees of freedom for both systems is a pair of phase space coordinates. This pair is made up of a coordinate and its conjugate momentum for the first model, but the corresponding Poisson structure of the embedded non-relativistic particle on hypersphere is a nontrivial one. We derive infinite correction terms for the Hamiltonian of the nonlinear constraints and an interacting gauged Hamiltonian is constructed by summing over them. At the end, we find an open algebra for three first class objects of the embedded nonlinear system.
Theoretical prediction of the structural, elastic, mechanical and phonon properties of bismuth telluride under pressure
Authors: Güler E. , Güler M.
Published: October 2015

Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) is one of the most intricate materials with its semiconducting, insulating and pressure-induced superconducting properties. Although different theoretical works have been carried out to understand the confusing properties of Bi2Te3, information about the high pressure structural, elastic, mechanical and phonon properties of this significant material is still rare. Unlike earlier theoretical approaches, two-body interatomic potentials in the Morse potential form have been employed for the first time to predict the density, phase transition pressure, elastic constants, bulk, shear and Young moduli and elastic wave velocities of Bi2Te3under pressures up to 12 GPa. [Formula: see text] phase transition pressure of Bi2Te3was found to be 10 GPa. The results of above elastic quantities agree well with experiments and are better than some of the published theoretical data. In addition, the effect of pressure on the phonon dispersion and density of states (DOS) were also evaluated with the same potential and their results are satisfactory, especially for the low-frequency acoustic portions of phonons.
OPTIMAL POLICIES IN TWO-STEP BINARY GAMES UNDER SOCIAL PRESSURE AND LIMITED RESOURCES
Authors: PELLIZZARI PAOLO , SARTORI ELENA , TOLOTTI MARCO
Published: October 2015

In this paper, we propose a model where binary games with many players are implemented at two subsequent dates. An external authority sets incentives to maximize the gain deriving from the project. We show that the interplay between the optimal participation shares at the two subsequent dates makes the optimal strategy nontrivial and, to some extent, unexpected. As an application, in the context of an insurgence muting into an armed rebellion, we study the emergence of escalation effects when many actors interact taking into account social recognition.
DETECTION AND DIFFERENTIATION OF THE VACCINE STRAIN AND FIELD ISOLATES OF DUCK HEPATITIS A VIRUS TYPE 1 USING REAL-TIME RT-PCR AND HIGH RESOLUTION MELTING ASSAYS
Authors: Li Kuang-Po , Ou Shan-Chia , Shien Jui-Hung , Chang Poa-Chun
Published: October 2015

Duck hepatitis A virus type 1 (DHAV-1) infection is a highly contagious and fatal disease of young ducklings. A live attenuated vaccine strain designated as 5886 has been used in Taiwan for the control of DHAV-1. Although several molecular biological methods are reported for diagnosis of DHAV-1 infection, none of them is able to discriminate between the vaccine strain and field viruses of DHAV-1. In the present study, a real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and high resolution melting (HRM) assay was developed for rapid detection and differentiation between the vaccine strain and field viruses of DHAV-1. This assay is highly specific for DHAV-1 and the detection limit is about 100 copies of the viral RNA. Experiments using fecal samples collected from ducklings experimentally infected with DHAV-1 showed that DHAV-1 could be detected in fecal samples as early as 6 h post-infection. In summary, a real-time RT-PCR and HRM assay is developed in this study and this assay could be valuable for diagnosis and surveillance of DHAV-1 infection in the field.
"Conference on 60 Years of Yang-Mills Gauge Field Theories"
Authors: Brink Lars
Published: October 2015

In 1954 Prof. Chen Ning Yang spent some time at Brookhaven National Laboratories where he met Robert Mills. They decided to study an extension of Quantum Electro Dynamics, where the local symmetry, the gauge symmetry, was a non-abelian symmetry algebra, SU(2), with three vector bosons mediating the forces between a doublet of matter particles. The symmetry that the authors had in mind was the isotopic symmetry and hence this was a prototype model for the strong interactions between protons and neutrons. The mass of the vector bosons was zero classically and the authors speculated that that they might obtain masses during quantization. On 1 October 1954 the Yang-Mills paper was published in the Physical Review. It was criticized directly by Wolfgang Pauli and others who argued that the vector particles would be massless leading to long-range interactions that was in contradiction to the experimental facts about the strong interactions. The interest in the paper was not so strong in the beginning.
CERN, LHC New Experimental Results from August to October 2015
Authors:   APPN Editorial Team
Published: October 2015

Results of the analyses by individual experiments (coloured) and both experiments together (black), showing the improvement in precision resulting from the combination of results.
Prestigious Chinese Universities Changed Leadership
Authors:   APPN Editorial Team
Published: October 2015

On 26 February 2015, a report from Chinese government website showed that Peking University just welcomed a new president, marking its third change of heads in less than seven years. Professor Lin Jianhua (林建华), 59, replaced Professor Wang Enge (王恩哥) as the 27th president of the university where he started study chemistry in 1978 and obtained his doctorate in inorganic chemistry.
Haiyan Gao Appointed as Duke Kunshan University's Vice Chancellor
Authors:   APPN Editorial Team
Published: October 2015

Haiyan Gao, the Henry Newson professor of physics at the Duke University, has recently been appointed as the vice chancellor for academic affairs at the Duke Kunshan University. She was the chair of the department of physics at Duke University from 2011 to 2014, and former president of the International Organization of the Chinese Physicists and Astronomers.
Report on the 11th Asia-Pacific Conference on Materials Processing (APCMP)
Authors: Gao Wei
Published: October 2015

The 11th Asia-Pacific Conference on Materials Processing (APCMP) was successfully held from the 6th to 9th July 2014, at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. The aim of this conference was to provide an opportunity for researchers and industrial practitioners from around the world to interchange information on the latest development and applications in materials science and technologies. This is an important international conference hosted by the University of Auckland, which also recognised the contributions of materials research by the University of Auckland.
Report on the OCPA8 Conference
Authors: Yeh Nai-Chang
Published: October 2015

Many events have happened in 2014. In this newsletter I am pleased to report that the OCPA8 Conference held in Singapore this June has been successfully concluded, with some of the highlights summarized below. I am also happy to announce the site and hosting organizations of the OCPA9 Conference, the 2014 OCPA Award winners, and various honors and recognitions recently received by the OCPA members.
17th Annual Conference of the Physical Society of Hong Kong
Authors: WONG Kin-Yiu
Published: October 2015

On June 7th 2014 (Saturday), the 17th Annual Conference of the Physical Society of Hong Kong (PSHK), was hosted by the Department of Physics of Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU). It was jointly organized by the Departments of Physics of six local universities (HKBU, CityU, CUHK, PolyU, HKUST, HKU), and was successfully held in the Tsang Chan Sik Yue Auditorium (and other second floor classrooms) of the Academic & Administration Building. The five themes of this conference are: (1) Metamaterials for Wave Manipulation; (2) Energy Materials and Devices; (3) Condensed Matter Physics; (4) Theoretical Physics and Astronomy; (5) Interdisciplinary Topics. Three internationally prestigious researchers, Prof. Ching W. Tang, Prof. Ping Sheng, and Prof. Henry Tye, were invited to give plenary talks, which were quite inspiring. Together with seventeen invited talks, forty contributed talks, and thirty-three posters, the Saturday event has attracted a total of more than one hundred participants consisting of local and overseas scholars and students. At the end of this conference, four Best Student Poster Awards were given to Chang Shuai (CUHK), Zhenghui Wu (HKBU), Shen Chan (HKUST), and Jiajun Zhang (CUHK). This important annual conference of PSHK will again be hosted by the Department of Physics at PolyU in the year 2015.
Hong Kong Scientists and Students Joined ATLAS Team at LHC, CERN
Authors:   APPN Editorial Team
Published: October 2015

A team of physicists from Hong Kong has formally joined the ATLAS Collaboration at CERN since June, 2014. In 2012, the ATLAS Collaboration – along with the CMS Collaboration – co-discovered the Higgs boson. The discovery of the Higgs boson is widely regarded as a major step towards understanding the fundamental structure of matter and other mysteries of our universe. The admission of the Hong Kong team into ATLAS means, all these exciting opportunities of unveiling an era of new breakthroughs in fundamental physics, are now opened up to scientists and students from Hong Kong. The Hong Kong team plans to take up both hardware and software tasks on the muon detecting system and analysis of data to look for new physics.
Report on Asian Physics Olympiad (APhO) 2014
Authors:   APPN Editorial Team
Published: October 2015

The Asian Physics Olympiad (APhO), initiated in the year of 2000 by Indonesia, is an annual international physics competition devoted to students of secondary schools in the Asia region. It is usually held in late April or early May in which more than twenty countries and regions have participated in the competition since its beginning. Its conduction exactly follows that of International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) except each participating country is allowed to send eight contestants at the most instead of five as in IPhO.
PhysicsOverflow: A postgraduate-level physics Q&A site and open peer review system
Authors: Pallavi Sudhir Abhimanyu , Knöpfel Rahel
Published: October 2015

PhysicsOverflow is a high-level physics site intended to facilitate real-time discussion between academics and professional researchers in physics. It contains a graduate-level Q&A forum and an open peer review system for discussing and reviewing pre-prints. The Q&A forum is a physics counterpart of MathOverflow, accepting graduate-level physics questions, while the Reviews section is an open peer review system that intends to complement peer reviewing in conventional journals. There is also an "Open Problems" section to allow researchers to communicate and collaborate on their research problems, and a "Chat" section for more informal discussions relating to physics. Content may be commented and voted on to discuss the accuracy of posts. Moderation and policy discussions are done by the community, which can, through voting, decide on issues like closing questions and deleting posts. The site generally receives about 50,000 page views a month, and has received the attention of professional physicists, including string theorists, condensed matter theorists, experimentalists and mathematical physicists from around the globe.
Anomalous Magnetic Ground State in an LaAlO3/SrTiO3 Interface Probed by Transport through Nanowires
Authors: Ron A. , Maniv E. , Graf D. , Park J.-H. , Dagon Y.
Published: October 2015

In 2004 Ohtomo and Hwang discovered the conducting interface between the two insulating non-magnetic oxide crystals LaAlO 3 and SrTiO 3. Since its discovery this interface has been under intense research both on the theoretical and on the experimental fronts. The carrier density of the interface was found to be gate tunable. This carrier density controls the superconducting temperature in a non-monotonic fashion. Surprisingly, along with the superconductivity, various probes discovered the presence of magnetism these two orders are considered to be mutually excluded. None of the reported experiments has yet been able to determine the full nature of the magnetic ground state of the interface.
Lady Smith Woodward's tablecloth
Authors: Milner Angela C.
Published: October 2015

Arthur Smith Woodward's wife, Maud, recorded scientific visitors invited to their home between 1894 and 1944, on an embroidered tablecloth. The tablecloth contains 342 signatures covering a 50-year period. It forms a unique and fascinating historical record including many of the great figures of late nineteenth and early twentieth century biology, geology and palaeontology from around the world. Many other professionals, amateurs and collectors are also represented.
Caffeine improves performance in double poling during acute exposure to 2,000-m altitude
Authors: Stadheim H. K. , Nossum E. M , Olsen R. , Spencer M. , Jensen J.
Published: October 2015

There is limited research on the physiological effects of caffeine (CAF) ingestion on exercise performance during acute hypoxia. The aim of the present study was therefore to test the effect of placebo (PLA) and CAF (4.5 mg/kg) on double poling (DP) performance during acute hypoxia. Thirteen male subelite cross-country skiers (V̇o2max72.6 ± 5.68 ml·kg−1·min−1) were included. Performance was assessed as 1) an 8-km cross-country DP time-trial (C-PT), and 2) time until task failure at a set workload equal to ∼90% of DP V̇o2max. Testing was carried out in a hypobaric chamber, at 800 mbar (Pio2: ∼125 mmHg) corresponding to ∼2,000 m above sea level in a randomized double-blinded, placebo-controlled, cross-over design. CAF improved time to task failure from 6.10 ± 1.40 to 7.22 ± 1.30 min ( P < 0.05) and velocity the first 4 km ( P < 0.05) but not overall time usage for the 8-km C-PT. During submaximal exercise subjects reported lower pain in arms and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) following CAF ingestion. Throughout C-PTs similar RPE and pain was shown between treatments. However, higher heart rate was observed during the CAF 8 km (187 ± 7 vs. 185 ± 7; P < 0.05) and 90% C-PT (185 ± 7 vs. 181 ± 9) associated with increased ventilation, blood lactate, glucose, adrenaline, decreased pH, and bicarbonate. The present study demonstrates for the first time that CAF ingestion improves DP time to task failure although not consistently time trial performance during acute exposure to altitude. Mechanisms underpinning improvements seem related to reduced pain RPE and increased heart rate during CAF C-PTs.
Rational Risk-Benefit Decision-Making in the Setting of Military Mefloquine Policy
Authors: Nevin Remington L.
Published: October 2015

Mefloquine is an antimalarial drug that has been commonly used in military settings since its development by the US military in the late 1980s. Owing to the drug’s neuropsychiatric contraindications and its high rate of inducing neuropsychiatric symptoms, which are contraindications to the drug’s continued use, the routine prescribing of mefloquine in military settings may be problematic. Due to these considerations and to recent concerns of chronic and potentially permanent psychiatric and neurological sequelae arising from drug toxicity, military prescribing of mefloquine has recently decreased. In settings where mefloquine remains available, policies governing prescribing should reflect risk-benefit decision-making informed by the drug’s perceived benefits and by consideration both of the risks identified in the drug’s labeling and of specific military risks associated with its use. In this review, these risks are identified and recommendations are made for the rational prescribing of the drug in light of current evidence.
A Survey on Multisensor Fusion and Consensus Filtering for Sensor Networks
Authors: Li Wangyan , Wang Zidong , Wei Guoliang , Ma Lifeng , Hu Jun , Ding Derui
Published: October 2015

Multisensor fusion and consensus filtering are two fascinating subjects in the research of sensor networks. In this survey, we will cover both classic results and recent advances developed in these two topics. First, we recall some important results in the development of multisensor fusion technology. Particularly, we pay great attention to the fusion with unknown correlations, which ubiquitously exist in most of distributed filtering problems. Next, we give a systematic review on several widely used consensus filtering approaches. Furthermore, some latest progress on multisensor fusion and consensus filtering is also presented. Finally, conclusions are drawn and several potential future research directions are outlined.
Obesity and the Incidence of Upper Gastrointestinal Cancers: An Ecological Approach to Examine Differences across Age and Sex
Authors: Arnold Melina , Colquhoun Amy , Cook Michael B. , Ferlay Jacques , Forman David , Soerjomataram Isabelle
Published: October 2015

Background: Esophageal and gastric cancers differ in their epidemiology but have several risk factors in common. The aim of this study was to assess age and sex differences in the burden of esophageal and gastric cancers in the context of the global obesity epidemic.

Methods: Data from 50 countries were obtained from Cancer Incidence in Five Continents Volume X and GLOBOCAN 2012. Age-specific and age-standardized incidence rates of esophageal adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), as well as cardia (CGC) and noncardia (NCGC) gastric cancer, were estimated. Countries were grouped and analyzed according to their obesity prevalence.

Results: A gradient across quartiles of obesity prevalence was found for esophageal adenocarcinoma, with the highest incidence rates in high prevalence countries (ASR 3.0 vs. 0.8 per 100,000 in highest vs. lowest obesity quartiles, males). In contrast, for ESCC as well as for CGC and NCGC the reverse was true, with the highest rates observed in countries with the lowest obesity prevalence (ESCC, 2.2 vs. 11.5; CGC, 2.8 vs. 7.8; NCGC, 3.9 vs. 17.4 in highest vs. lowest obesity quartiles, males). Although for esophageal adenocarcinoma, sex and age differences in incidence were most pronounced in countries with a high prevalence of obesity, these differences were much smaller for the other cancer sites assessed.

Conclusions: Variation in obesity prevalence may partly explain age and sex differences in the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinomas.

Impact: Ecologic studies can help assess relationships between risk factors and cancer, and generate new hypotheses that may be pursued through more directed research. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(1); 90–97. ©2015 AACR.
Bevacizumab-Induced Inhibition of Angiogenesis Promotes a More Homogeneous Intratumoral Distribution of Paclitaxel, Improving the Antitumor Response
Authors: Cesca Marta , Morosi Lavinia , Berndt Alexander , Nerini Ilaria Fuso , Frapolli Roberta , Richter Petra , Decio Alessandra , Dirsch Olaf , Micotti Edoardo , Giordano Silvia , D'Incalci Maurizio , Davoli Enrico , Zucchetti Massimo , Giavazzi Raffaella
Published: October 2015

The antitumor activity of angiogenesis inhibitors is reinforced in combination with chemotherapy. It is debated whether this potentiation is related to a better drug delivery to the tumor due to the antiangiogenic effects on tumor vessel phenotype and functionality. We addressed this question by combining bevacizumab with paclitaxel on A2780-1A9 ovarian carcinoma and HT-29 colon carcinoma transplanted ectopically in the subcutis of nude mice and on A2780-1A9 and IGROV1 ovarian carcinoma transplanted orthotopically in the bursa of the mouse ovary. Paclitaxel concentrations together with its distribution by MALDI mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI) were measured to determine the drug in different areas of the tumor, which was immunostained to depict vessel morphology and tumor proliferation. Bevacizumab modified the vessel bed, assessed by CD31 staining and dynamic contrast enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI), and potentiated the antitumor activity of paclitaxel in all the models. Although tumor paclitaxel concentrations were lower after bevacizumab, the drug distributed more homogeneously, particularly in vascularized, non-necrotic areas, and was cleared more slowly than controls. This happened specifically in tumor tissue, as there was no change in paclitaxel pharmacokinetics or drug distribution in normal tissues. In addition, the drug concentration and distribution were not influenced by the site of tumor growth, as A2780-1A9 and IGROV1 growing in the ovary gave results similar to the tumor growing subcutaneously. We suggest that the changes in the tumor microenvironment architecture induced by bevacizumab, together with the better distribution of paclitaxel, may explain the significant antitumor potentiation by the combination. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(1); 125–35. ©2015 AACR.
The Sphingosine Kinase 2 Inhibitor ABC294640 Reduces the Growth of Prostate Cancer Cells and Results in Accumulation of Dihydroceramides In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Venant Heather , Rahmaniyan Mehrdad , Jones E. Ellen , Lu Ping , Lilly Michael B. , Garrett-Mayer Elizabeth , Drake Richard R. , Kraveka Jacqueline M. , Smith Charles D. , Voelkel-Johnson Christina
Published: October 2015

Despite recent advances in the development of novel therapies against castration-resistant prostate cancer, the advanced form of the disease remains a major treatment challenge. Aberrant sphingolipid signaling through sphingosine kinases and their product, sphingosine-1-phosphate, can promote proliferation, drug resistance, angiogenesis, and inflammation. The sphingosine kinase 2 inhibitor ABC294640 is undergoing clinical testing in cancer patients, and in this study we investigated the effects this first-in-class inhibitor in castration-resistant prostate cancer. In vitro, ABC294640 decreased prostate cancer cell viability as well as the expression of c-Myc and the androgen receptor, while lysosomal acidification increased. ABC294640 also induced a greater than 3-fold increase in dihydroceramides that inversely correlated with inhibition of dihydroceramide desaturase (DEGS) activity. Expression of sphingosine kinase 2 was dispensable for the ABC294640-mediated increase in dihydroceramides. In vivo, ABC294640 diminished the growth rate of TRAMP-C2 xenografts in syngeneic hosts and elevated dihydroceramides within tumors as visualized by MALDI imaging mass spectroscopy. The plasma of ABC294640-treated mice contained significantly higher levels of C16- and C24:1-ceramides (but not dihydro-C16-ceramide) compared with vehicle-treated mice. In summary, our results suggest that ABC294640 may reduce the proliferative capacity of castration-resistant prostate cancer cells through inhibition of both sphingosine kinase 2 and dihydroceramide desaturase, thereby providing a foundation for future exploration of this small-molecule inhibitor for the treatment of advanced disease. Mol Cancer Ther; 14(12); 2744–52. ©2015 AACR.
Carboplatin and Etoposide in Heavily Pretreated Patients with Progressive High-Grade Glioma
Authors: Tonder Michaela , Weller Michael , Eisele Günter , Roth Patrick
Published: October 2015

Background: Treatment of recurrent anaplastic glioma and glioblastoma remains a particular challenge in neurooncology. The lack of controlled trials results in poor evidence for all therapeutic options. Upon recurrence, many patients are treated with bevacizumab or one of the frequently used nitrosoureas such as lomustine. However, patients who still present in overall good condition after failure of multiple lines of therapy may ask for additional therapy. Methods: Here, we report our experience with the use of carboplatin in combination with etoposide as fourth- or fifth-line therapy in patients with progressive high-grade glioma. Results: The median Karnofsky performance status at the beginning of treatment was 80%. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 2.5 months. PFS at 6 months was 0%. Administration of carboplatin and etoposide was associated with grade 3 or 4 hematotoxicity in 8 of 12 patients. Conclusion: Carboplatin in combination with etoposide has an unfavorable risk-benefit profile in heavily pretreated glioma patients.
47,XY,+der(X)t(X;18)(p11.4;p11.22): A Unique Aneuploidy Associated with Klinefelter Syndrome due to an Extra Derivative X Chromosome Inherited Maternally
Authors: Liang Ji , Zhang Yongsheng , Wang Ruixue , Liang Zuowen , Yue Jiaming , Liu Ruizhi
Published: October 2015

A derivative X chromosome formed by translocation involving an X chromosome and a chromosome 18 in a Klinefelter syndrome (KS) patient with a 47,XXY karyotype has not been reported before. In this study, we present the clinical and molecular cytogenetic characteristics. The patient presented with small testes and azoospermia. G-banding analysis identified the karyotype as 47,XY,del(X)(p?11.4). Array CGH detected a 10.36-Mb duplication of chromosome region 18p11.22p11.32 (14,316-10,377,516) and a 111.18-Mb duplication of chromosome region Xp11.4q28 (61,931, 689-155,111,583), in addition to the normal chromosome 18 and an X chromosome. FISH results further revealed the extra 18p located at the end of the short arm of a deleted X chromosome, forming a derivative X chromosome. Finally, we identified the karyotype of the patient as 47,XY,+der(X)t(X;18)(p11.4;p11.22). The derivative X chromosome was maternally inherited. To our knowledge, this rare karyotype has not yet been reported in the literature. The present study may suggest a novel karyotype associated with KS.