bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Agreement Between Older Subjects and Proxy Informants on History of Surgery and Childbirth
Authors: Robbins Jessica M. , Wolfson Christina M. , Bergman Howard , Clarfield A. Mark , Kleiman Simcha , Bilker Warren , Baumgarten Mona
Published: April 2015

OBJECTIVES: To assess the agreement between proxy informants' reports of history of surgery and childbirth and older index subjects' own recall.

DESIGN: Interrater reliability study.

SETTING: An outpatient family medicine clinic and a provincial electoral district in Montreal, Canada.

PARTICIPANTS: Eighty‐two subjects aged 65 years and older without cognitive impairment, identified from clinic and community settings, and each index subject's proxy respondent.

MEASUREMENTS: Identical questionnaires were administered to index subjects and proxies.

RESULTS: Proxies failed to report 39% of non‐childbirth surgeries reported by index subjects, but failed to report only 10% of childbirths. Female proxies were significantly less likely than male proxies to underreport non‐childbirth surgeries after controlling for age of index subject and interval since surgery. Longer interval since surgery was significantly associated with greater underreporting, whereas age of the index subject and relationship between proxy and index subject were not. Agreement between proxies and index subjects on date of surgery was much higher for childbirths than for non‐childbirth surgeries.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that proxy respondents can provide reliable information on older women's history of childbirth but that use of proxy respondents for history of non‐childbirth surgeries may result in substantial underreporting. J Am Geriatr Soc 48:975–979, 2000.
GERIATRICS IN MANAGED CARE
Authors: Brummel‐Smith Kenneth V. , Boult Chad , Rassen Joshua , Rassen Amy , Moore Richard J. , Robison Stephanie
Published: April 2015

OBJECTIVE: To measure the effects of case management on an older population's costs of health care.

DESIGN: A 1‐year randomized controlled trial.

SETTING: Multiple sites of care in San Francisco, California.

PARTICIPANTS: Patients aged 65 or older of primary care physicians in a large provider organization bearing financial risk for their care (n = 6409).

INTERVENTION: Screening for high risk and provision of social work‐based case management.

OUTCOME MEASURES: Volume and cost of hospital, physician, case management, and other health‐related services.

RESULTS: The experimental group used more case management services than the control group (0.09 vs 0.02 months per person, P < .001). The experimental group's average total payments for health care were slightly lower ($3148 vs $3277, P = .40).

CONCLUSIONS: This study provides no statistically significant evidence that social work‐oriented case management reduces the use or the cost of health care for high‐risk older people. Other potentially favorable effects of this type of case management need to be evaluated, as do the effects of other types of case management. J Am Geriatr Soc 48:996–1001, 2000.
Long‐Term Home Health Care for the Impoverished Frail Homebound Aged: A Twenty‐Seven‐Year Experience
Authors: Kellogg F. Russell , Brickner Philip W.
Published: April 2015

The Chelsea‐Village Program (CVP) is a long‐term home healthcare program for a largely isolated and impoverished frail homebound aged population, based at Saint Vincent's Hospital in New York City. Since January 1973, our CVP teams of physicians, nurses, and social workers have cared for the homebound aged over the long term. Twenty‐seven years later, we have made 42,866 home visits to 2264 persons in lower Manhattan, an area of New York City housing a high concentration of older people. Our purpose is to help our patients remain in their own homes and community at the maximum possible level of personal control and to maintain the best attainable health. Additionally, the program is a valuable component of the Hospital's Primary Care Adult Medicine residency program. It also serves as a laboratory for the study of health problems faced by the homebound aged and the solutions to these problems. The program, a medical‐social model, has required modest philanthropic investments, dedicated service by physicians, nurses, and social workers, and the support of a hospital with a strong charitable mission.

The CVP experience has encouraged the creation of other long‐term home healthcare programs across the country, including the Medicaid‐supported Nursing Home Without Walls program that spans New York State. Thus, the CVP can be viewed as a model rather than an idiosyncratic non‐replicable phenomenon. As such, the program has established that multidisciplinary healthcare teams, in collaboration with a teaching hospital, can provide long‐term home health care to homebound older people in the local community. Moreover such a practice is mutually beneficial. J Am Geriatr Soc 48:1002–1011, 2000.
Polymorphism of M3AlX Phases (M = Ti, Zr, Hf; X = C, N) and Thermomechanical Properties of Ti3AlN Polymorphs
Authors: Zhang Yanhui , Franke Peter , Seifert Hans Jürgen , Wang Jingyang
Published: April 2015

M3AlX (M = Ti/Zr/Hf, X = C/N) compounds are promising high‐temperature structural ceramics. However, their interesting polymorphism, thermomechanical stabilities, and thermal and mechanical properties were not fully understood. In this work, the polymorphisms of M3AX phases are investigated by combining first‐principles and lattice dynamics calculations. Only Ti3AlN shows polymorphic transition between the cubic and orthorhombic phases at around 1105 K; but other M3AlX phases do not display similar polymorphic phase transition. Furthermore, the temperature‐dependent heat capacity, thermal expansion, and elastic stiffness of Ti3AlN polymorphic phases are reported for the first time to explore the relationship between crystal structures, and mechanical and thermal properties. Ti3AlN polymorphs show anisotropic thermal expansion and elastic stiffness; and the orthorhombic Ti3AlN is suggested as a promising damage tolerant nitride, which has similar properties with the previously reported Zr3AlN and Hf3AlN.
Are we failing to prepare nursing and midwifery students to deal with domestic abuse? Findings from a qualitative study
Authors: Bradbury‐Jones Caroline , Broadhurst Karen
Published: April 2015

Aims

To investigate student nurses’ and midwives’ knowledge, confidence and educational needs regarding recognition and responses to domestic abuse.

Background

Domestic abuse is a serious global problem and has greater, negative effects on long‐term health than more obvious diseases, such as diabetes. Nurses and midwives are well‐placed to recognize and respond to domestic abuse but many lack confidence in this area. There is firm evidence that training can increase the confidence of Registered Nurses and midwives in responding to domestic abuse. But the issue of undergraduate preparation is significantly under‐investigated.

Design

A qualitative study.

Methods

Nursing and midwifery students were recruited using purposive sampling. We facilitated eight focus groups with a total of 55 students (student midwives N = 32; student nurses n = 23). Data were collected between May–November 2014.

Findings

Students in the study viewed the issue of domestic abuse as important and they possessed sound theoretical knowledge of its nature and consequences. However, they lacked confidence in recognizing and responding to abuse and were concerned about the implications of this for their future practice as registered practitioners. Interactive learning opportunities that engaged with service users and involved experts from practice were viewed as important educational requirements.

Conclusion

Most students in the study felt insufficiently prepared to deal with the issue of domestic abuse. They perceived this as a cyclical state of disempowerment that would impact negatively on their practice and on their own ability to support nursing and midwifery students of the future.
First report of Chilo partellus in Turkey, a new invasive maize pest for Europe
Authors: Bayram A. , Tonğa A.
Published: April 2015

The spotted stem borer, Chilo partellus (Swinhoe, 1885) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), an invasive pest of wild and cultivated grasses in Asia and Africa, was found for the first time during periodic surveys of maize fields in the East Mediterranean region of Turkey in September and October 2014. The pest was recorded in maize fields of three of four provinces surveyed (Adana, Hatay and Osmaniye; it was not detected in Icel province). The Mediterranean corn stalk borer, Sesamia nonagrioides Lefebvre (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is the dominant maize pest in the East Mediterranean region of Turkey, followed by the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). The new invasive species comprised 4.9% of the total number of collected lepidopteran pests collected from maize stems and cobs in locations infested by C. partellus. No natural enemies of the new pest were recorded during our surveys. We discuss possible interactions among these three lepidopteran pests sharing the same habitat, prospects for control of C. partellus by the control methods currently used against S. nonagrioides and O. nubilalis, and also speculate on the path of invasion taken by C. partellus into Turkey.
Inter‐population ovarian fluid variation differentially modulates sperm motility in Atlantic cod Gadus morhua
Authors: Beirão J. , Purchase C. F. , Wringe B. F. , Fleming I. A.
Published: April 2015

This study tested the hypothesis that the effects of Atlantic cod Gadus morhua ovarian fluid on sperm motility variables are population specific. Sperm from a northern G. morhua population were activated in the presence of ovarian fluid from either northern or southern G. morhua at different concentrations. Ovarian fluid acted as a filter, in some cases reducing sperm swimming performance compared with seawater. Fluid from females foreign in population (southern) to the males (northern) had a greater inhibiting effect than those from the native population. Follow‐up analysis indicated that the ovarian fluids had lower Ca2+ concentration in northern than southern G. morhua, which could be the causative mechanism. If widespread, such cryptic female choice could reduce the incidence of intraspecific hybridization among diverged populations and contribute to reproductive isolation.
Dietary intake in the dependent elderly: evaluation of the risk of nutritional deficit
Authors: Fernández‐Barrés S. , Martín N. , Canela T. , García‐Barco M. , Basora J. , Arija V. ,   Project ATDOM‐NUT group
Published: April 2015

Background

Malnutrition is a frequent problem in elderly dependent patients and their prognosis is adversely affected. Assessment of food consumption and adequacy of energy and nutrient intake of dependent elderly is needed to plan any selected actions for this population.

Methods

The study comprised a multicentre cross‐sectional study of 190 users (≥65 years) of a home care programme provided by primary care centers in Tarragona (Spain), at nutritional risk (Mini Nutritional Assessment: 17–23.5 points). Food consumption was assessed using a semiquantitative validated food frequency questionnaire. Energy intake was compared with the Spanish dietary reference intake (DRI) and nutritional intakes with the DRI of the American Institute of Medicine.

Results

Mean (SD) age was 85.0 (7.2) years (67.5% female). The food items consumed were varied but lower than the recommended portions for cereals, fruits, vegetables and legumes. Energy intake was 7454.2 (1553.9 kJ day–1) [1781.6 (371.4) kcal day–1] (97.7% of recommended dietary allowance; RDA) and protein intake was 1.0 (0.4) g kg–1 of weight (121.4% of RDA). Proteins provided 13.3%, carbohydrates provided 39.9% and fats provided 45.8% of energy intake. The intakes of calcium, vitamin D, vitamin E and folates were less than two‐thirds of the RDA and their probability of inadequate intake was >85%.

Conclusions

Dietary intakes of elderly dependent patients at nutritional risk were well balanced. In general, energy and protein intakes meet the recommendations. The diet was high in energy density, low in complex carbohydrates, high in simple carbohydrates and excessive in fats. The dependent elderly had inadequate intake of micronutrients often related to fragility, such as calcium, vitamin D, vitamin E and folates.
Prediction of adherence to a gluten‐free diet using protection motivation theory among adults with coeliac disease
Authors: Dowd A. J. , Jung M. E. , Chen M. Y. , Beauchamp M. R.
Published: April 2015

Background

Coeliac disease is a chronic autoimmune disease that requires strict adherence to a gluten‐free diet. However, strict adherence to a gluten‐free diet is difficult, with findings from a recent review suggesting that up to 42% of individuals with coeliac disease do not eat a strict gluten‐free diet.

Methods

The present study aimed to examine psychosocial predictors of adherence (purposeful and accidental) to a gluten‐free diet among adults with coeliac disease over a 1‐month period. In this longitudinal study, 212 North American adults with coeliac disease completed online questionnaires at two time points, baseline and 1 month later.

Results

The results revealed that intentions partially mediated the effects of symptom severity, self‐regulatory efficacy, planning and knowledge on purposeful gluten consumption. Intentions did not mediate the effects of severity, response cost, self‐regulatory efficacy, planning and knowledge for accidental gluten consumption but, interestingly, self‐regulatory efficacy directly predicted fewer accidental incidents of gluten‐consumption.

Conclusions

These findings delineate the differential psychological processes in understanding accidental and purposeful gluten consumption among adults with coeliac disease and emphasise the importance of bolstering self‐regulatory efficacy beliefs to prevent accidental and purposeful consumption of gluten.
Periodontal disease in a remote Asian population: association between clinical and microbiological parameters
Authors: Kvarnvik Christine , Söljegård Emelie , Charalampakis Georgios , Suksu‐art Narong , Dahlén Gunnar
Published: April 2015

Objective

The aim was to clinically and microbiologically describe the periodontal conditions in a remote adult Asian population with poor oral hygiene.

Methods

The subjects were 30–60‐year‐old adults of Karen Hill tribes with no access to dental care. Eighty‐six subjects were selected randomly. Clinical registrations included number of remaining teeth, plaque index (PlI), bleeding on probing (BoP), clinical attachment loss (CAL), and probing pocket depth (PPD). Subgingival plaque samples were collected and analyzed with the checkerboard method.

Results

Subjects of the study group had mean number of remaining teeth of 26.5 despite the abundant plaque and a high bleeding score. Severe periodontitis (CAL ≥ 7 mm) was recorded in 12.9% of the youngest age group (30–39 years) while it was significantly higher (52%) in the middle group (40–49 years) and (60%) in the eldest age group (50–60 years). Pathological pocketing (PPD ≥ 7 mm) was significantly lower in all age groups. Age, betel chewing, and a microbiological cluster including at least one of Prevotella tannerae, Filifactor alocis and Porphyromonas endodontalis significantly correlated with the severity of periodontal disease.

Conclusion

Age, betel chewing, and a new bacterial complex other than the “red complex” correlated to periodontal breakdown in this remote adult Asian population.
Toward a Standard Approach to Operationalizing Coercive Control and Classifying Violence Types
Authors: Hardesty Jennifer L. , Crossman Kimberly A. , Haselschwerdt Megan L. , Raffaelli Marcela , Ogolsky Brian G. , Johnson Michael P.
Published: April 2015

Coercive control is central to distinguishing between Johnson's (2008) 2 main types of intimate partner violence: (a) coercive controlling violence and (b) situational couple violence. Approaches to assessing coercive control, however, have been inconsistent. Using data from 2 projects involving divorcing mothers (N = 190), the authors compared common analytic strategies for operationalizing coercive control and classifying types of violence. The results establish advantages to measuring coercive control in terms of frequency versus number of tactics, illustrate the use of both hierarchical and k‐means clustering methods to identify patterns of coercive control and evaluate clustering solutions, and offer a suggested cutoff for classifying violence types in general samples of separated women using the Dominance–Isolation subscale of the widely used Psychological Maltreatment of Women Inventory (Tolman, 1992). Finally, the authors demonstrate associations between types of violence and theoretically relevant variables, including frequency and severity of violence, harassment and violence after separation, fear, and perceived threat.
Reflexive Organizing for Knowledge Sharing: An Ethnomethodological Study of Service Technicians
Authors: Yamauchi Yutaka
Published: April 2015

This study examines how organizing is done reflexively through practice in the context of knowledge sharing. Organizing concerns reduction of equivocality and sensemaking so that actions can be interpreted and coordinated. Reflexivity refers to the fact that this organizing is done through talk, and that talk is an action that requires organizing. To examine how this reflexive organizing is accomplished, detailed analysis of video‐recorded interactions among photocopier service technicians revealed various interactional methods to make actions of requesting and offering assistance understandable and relevant. To explain these methods, Goffman's concept of embedding is applied. By embedding other social situations in the current talk, one can project a certain sense of one's talk. This reflexive organizing clarifies that organizing is part of, not separate from, any practice and that knowledge sharing is accomplished not through a retrospective narrative but through reflexive construction of the situation in which talk is made possible.
Analysing Social Values in Identification; A Framework for Research on the Representation and Implementation of Values
Authors: Menard Rusten
Published: April 2015

This article contributes to the concept of social values by presenting analytical tools that explore how social values are classified, re‐presented and interpersonally performed in the construction of identities. I approach social values as classificatory systems of acceptability and desirability that are collectively generated. The meanings of social values are embedded in culture and in power imbalanced social relations; they constantly undergo reformulation in identification processes and are also used to define the social order. I suggest that social values can be analysed in relation to aspects of representation and interpersonal positioning that are also involved in the construction of identities: Value classifications involve compartmentalising moral orders into e.g. good, desirable, important, necessary; value projects are concerned with how value classifications and content occupy roles and become oriented to action; and value positioning is concerned with how narrators align with value classifications and projects as well as with individuals and groups seen to share or reject such classifications and projects.
Unionized Labour Market, Unemployment Allowances, Productive Public Expenditure And Endogenous Growth
Authors: Bhattacharyya Chandril , Gupta Manash Ranjan
Published: April 2015

An endogenous growth model with unionised labour market is developed to analyse the interaction between the tax financed productive public expenditure policy and the unemployment benefit policy. We consider both ‘Efficient Bargaining’ model and ‘Right to Manage’ model; and analyse properties of balanced growth rate maximising income tax policy as well as effects of unionisation. This growth rate maximising income tax rate exceeds the competitive output share of the public input in the presence of an unemployment benefit scheme. The growth effect of unionisation in the ‘Efficient Bargaining’ model and in the ‘Right to Manage’ model are different.
Rapid diagnosis of tinea incognito using handheld reflectance confocal microscopy: a paradigm shift in dermatology?
Authors: Navarrete‐Dechent Cristián , Bajaj Shirin , Marghoob Ashfaq A. , Marchetti Michael A.
Published: April 2015

Dermatophytoses are common skin infections. Traditional diagnostic tests such as skin scrapings for light microscopy examination, fungal cultures and biopsies remain imperfect due to false‐negative test results, cost, time required to perform the procedure, time delays in test results and/or a requirement for an invasive procedure. Herein, we present a case of an 80‐year‐old female whose tinea incognito was non‐invasively diagnosed within seconds using handheld reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM). As non‐invasive skin imaging continues to improve, we expect light‐based office microscopy to be replaced with technologies such as RCM, which has multiple and continually expanding diagnostic applications.
Anaemia management and mortality risk in newly visiting patients with chronic kidney disease in Japan: The CKD‐ROUTE study
Authors: Iimori Soichiro , Naito Shotaro , Noda Yumi , Nishida Hidenori , Kihira Hiromi , Yui Naofumi , Okado Tomokazu , Sasaki Sei , Uchida Shinichi , Rai Tatemitsu
Published: April 2015

Aim

To investigate the association between iron deficiency anaemia and mortality risk and assess the changes in anaemia and iron status after primary management by a nephrologist.

Methods

In this prospective cohort study, we stratified 951 non‐dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) G2–G5 patients newly visiting 16 nephrology centres into four groups according to the presence of anaemia with or without iron deficiency. All‐cause mortality, cardiovascular (CV)‐related mortality, and a change in anaemia and iron status after specialized primary care were the endpoints evaluated.

Results

During a median follow‐up time of 19 months, the number of all‐cause deaths and CV‐related deaths were 56 and 26, respectively. Compared with the control group, the groups with isolated anaemia and iron deficiency anaemia had significantly higher all‐cause mortalities (isolated anaemia: hazard ratio (HR), 3.37; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.76–6.44; iron deficiency anaemia: HR, 3.11; 95% CI, 1.21–8.01) and CV‐related mortalities (isolated anaemia: HR, 3.64; 95% CI, 1.36–9.73; iron deficiency anaemia: HR, 3.86; 95% CI, 1.11–13.41). In the isolated anaemia group, erythropoietin‐stimulating agent (ESA) prescriptions significantly increased to approximately 70%. However, in patients with both anaemia and iron deficiency, iron prescriptions only increased to 48.1%.

Conclusions

Iron deficiency anaemia and isolated anaemia were associated with all‐cause and CV‐related mortality. The absence of relative increase in iron prescriptions suggests that iron deficiency should be accurately assessed and iron supplementation should be appropriately used to manage anaemia in non‐dialysis patients with CKD.
Evaluation of uraemic pruritus in long‐term dialysis patients using a modified Chinese scale
Authors: Wang Wei‐Yun , Tarng Der‐Cherng , Chiang Li‐Chi , Chu Chi‐Ming , Wang Kwua‐Yun
Published: April 2015

Aim

To examine the reliability and validity of a modified Chinese version of the uraemic pruritus scale for measurement of different degrees of itching, as well as to identify the predictors for the severity of uraemic pruritus among long‐term dialysis patients.

Methods

Long‐term dialysis patients (n = 110) were recruited for a cross‐sectional study from a medical centre in Taiwan. A modified Chinese version of the uraemic pruritus scale was used to evaluate sleep disturbance and the severity, frequency and distribution of itching. Reliability was evaluated using item‐total correlations, Cronbach's α, and intra‐class correlation. Validity was evaluated by the content validity index, predictive and discriminative validity. Multiple linear regression was used on the predictors for the severity of uraemic pruritus.

Results

After optimization for reliability, the scale retained seven items. The Cronbach's α was 0.86, and the results showed that the scale had predictive and discriminative validity. High intact‐parathyroid hormone and creatinine clearance rate were important predictors for the severity of uraemic pruritus. The severity of uraemic pruritus was the important predictor for the sleeping disturbance.

Conclusion

The modified uraemic pruritus scale can discriminate between patients with a total pruritus score of ≥11 and those with a score of 0 points. The modified Chinese scale is a useful tool for clinically assessing the various degrees of itching among long‐term dialysis patients. Our study validates that it could apply to clinical practice in assessment of uraemic pruritus.
Cytokinin concentrations and CHASE‐DOMAIN CONTAINING HIS KINASE 2 (NaCHK2)‐ andNaCHK3‐mediated perception modulate herbivory‐induced defense signaling and defenses inNicotiana attenuata
Authors: Schäfer Martin , Meza‐Canales Ivan D. , Brütting Christoph , Baldwin Ian T. , Meldau Stefan
Published: April 2015

Herbivore attack elicits changes in cytokinins (CKs), but how these changes influence defense signaling remains poorly described. We investigated the influence of theCKpathway on the well‐described inducible defense pathways ofNicotiana attenuatain response to wounding with and without elicitors from the specialist herbivoreManduca sexta.

CKpathway manipulation often suffers from substantial side effects on plant growth and development. We therefore used multiple manipulation tools including spray application ofCKs, chemically‐inducible expression of theCKbiosynthesis enzyme isopentenyltransferase, and transient and constitutiveRNAi‐mediated gene silencing ofCKreceptors to resolve the function ofCKs in plant defense.

The results demonstrated thatCKconcentrations in leaves and perception through CHASE‐DOMAIN CONTAINING HIS KINASE 2 (NaCHK2) andNaCHK3 were important for the accumulation of jasmonic acid (JA) and phenolamides and proteinase inhibitor activity. By contrast, theCKpathway did not promote the accumulation of the activeJA‐isoleucine conjugate and negatively regulated the release of specific green leaf volatile esters. Interestingly,CKsignaling also promotes the systemic phenolamide accumulation.

We conclude that theCKpathway is an important regulator of herbivory‐inducible defense signaling and chemistry, which expands its reported participation in adjusting a plant's physiology to abiotic and biotic stress responses.
Troubling practices of control: re‐visiting Hannah Arendt's ideas of human action as praxis of the unpredictable
Authors: Kohlen Helen
Published: April 2015

In this article, Hannah Arendt's concept of action will be used to problematize current transformations of the health care sector and examine some responses by ethicists in light of those transformations. The sphere of human interaction that should typify health care work is identified as an action of unpredictable praxis in contrast to controllable procedures and techniques which increasingly take place in the health care sector.
Distinct impacts of different mammalian herbivore assemblages on arctic tundra CO2 exchange during the peak of the growing season
Authors: Metcalfe Daniel B. , Olofsson Johan
Published: April 2015

Herbivores play a key role in the carbon (C) cycle of arctic ecosystems, but these effects are currently poorly represented within models predicting land–atmosphere interactions under future climate change. Although some studies have examined the influence of various individual species of herbivores on tundra C sequestration, few studies have directly compared the effects of different herbivore assemblages. We measured peak growing season instantaneous ecosystem carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange (photosynthesis, respiration and net ecosystem exchange) on replicated plots in arctic tundra which, for 14 years, have excluded different portions of the herbivore population (grazed controls, large mammals excluded, both small and large mammals excluded). Herbivory suppressed photosynthetic CO2 uptake, but caused little change in ecosystem respiration. Despite evidence that small mammals consume a greater portion of plant biomass in these ecosystems, the effect of excluding only large herbivores was indistinguishable from that of excluding both large and small mammals. The herbivory‐induced decline in photosynthesis was not entirely attributable to a decline in leaf area but also likely reflects shifts in plant community composition and/or species physiology. One shrub species – Betula nana – accounted for only around 13% of total aboveground vascular plant biomass but played a central role in controlling ecosystem CO2 uptake and release, and was suppressed by herbivory. We conclude that herbivores can have large effects on ecosystem C cycling due to shifts in plant aboveground biomass and community composition. An improved understanding of the mechanisms underlying the distinct ecosystem impacts of different herbivore groups will help to more accurately predict the net impacts of diverse herbivore communities on arctic C fluxes.
Clinical manifestations and frequency of hypocalcemia in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome
Authors: Fujii Sachiko , Nakanishi Toshio
Published: April 2015

Background

This study investigated the evolution of hypocalcemia with age and its associated risk factors in patients with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22qDS) and congenital heart defects.

Method

A retrospective review of the medical records of 16 22qDS patients (nine female, seven male; age range, 20.5–43 years) was performed. The frequency of hypocalcemia, as well as the clinical course of the disease and the presence of other phenotypes, were investigated.

Results

Ten of the 16 patients (62.5%) had a history of hypocalcemia. Among the 10 patients, the first onset of hypocalcemia occurred in the following developmental periods: neonatal stage, n = 1; early childhood, n = 3; late childhood, n = 2; adolescence, n = 2; and adulthood, n = 2. Neonatal hypocalcemia was observed in one patient, but it was transient. Two patients had sustained hypocalcemia after cardiac surgery. Hypocalcemia in one patient was transient following cardiac surgery, but it recurred during early adulthood. One patient developed hypocalcemia at 43 years of age. Thymus defect tended to be correlated with history of hypocalcemia (P = 0.09). This condition was often transient (60%) and was triggered by physical stress, such as intracardiac surgery.

Conclusion

In 22qDS patients, hypocalcemia was often mild and transient during childhood, but it may recur in adulthood. Routine clinical measurement of serum calcium is recommended, particularly in 22qDS patients with thymic defect or in patients who are under physical stress.
Electroencephalogram valid rate in simple reaction time task as an easy index of children's attention functions
Authors: Liao Yu‐Chi , Guo Nai‐Wen , Lei Seng‐Hang , Fang Jhih‐Hong , Chen Jia‐Jin , Su Bei‐Yi , Chen Shin‐Jaw , Tsai Hsing‐Fang
Published: April 2015

Background

Electroencephalogram (EEG) signal artifacts occur often in children, but an EEG valid rate (VR), constructed by excluding the artifacts, might be meaningful to evaluate children's neuropsychological functions. The aim of this study was to develop an easy screening index, the EEGVR, and to investigate attention function in children using this index.

Methods

The EEG was carried out during a 4 min simple reaction time (SRT) task as standard procedure in 50 children, consisting of 26 with attention‐deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; mean age, 9.8 years; range, 8–11.3 years) and 24 without (mean age, 10.1 years; range, 7.8–12 years). An easy index was derived from the valid rate (VR) of EEG using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. The index was applied to regroup the 50 children into high VR (HVR) and low VR (LVR) groups, while the Comprehensive Non‐verbal Attention Test (CNAT) and four behavioral questionnaires were compared between the two groups in order to investigate the validity of this index.

Results

The EEGVR at 75% was optimal to identify HVR and LVR (sensitivity, 0.769; specificity, 0.792). The LVR group had significantly lower scores on both CNAT and the behavioral questionnaires, although the demographic variables and full‐scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) were similar between the two groups.

Conclusions

The EEGVR in an SRT task might be an easy and effective index to screen the attention function of children, and could consequently contribute to the early diagnosis of ADHD.
The Politics of Welfare Exclusion: Immigration and Disparity in Medicaid Coverage
Authors: Zhu Ling , Xu Ping
Published: April 2015

The rapid growth of the immigrant population in the United States, along with changes in the demographics and the political landscape, has often raised questions for understanding trends of inequality. Important issues that have received little scholarly attention thus far are excluding immigrants’ social rights through decisive policy choices and the distributive consequences of such exclusive policies. In this article, we examine how immigration and state policies on immigrants’ access to safety net programs together influence social inequality in the context of health care. We analyze the combined effect of immigration population density and state immigrant Medicaid eligibility rules on the gap of Medicaid coverage rates between native‐ and foreign‐born populations. When tracking inequality in Medicaid coverage and critical policy changes in the post‐PRWORA era, we find that exclusive state policies widen the native‐foreign Medicaid coverage gap. Moreover, the effect of state policies is conditional on the size of the immigrant population in that state. Our findings suggest immigrants’ formal integration into the welfare system is crucial for understanding social inequality in the U.S. states.
Is the Production of Embryos in Small‐Scale Farming an Economically Feasible Enterprise?
Authors: Sánchez Z , Lammoglia MA , Alarcón MA , Romero JJ , Galina CS
Published: April 2015

Content

The present assay attempts to evaluate the feasibility of using embryo transfer in small community farmers by in vivo study and by modelling the results obtained. From the total of 59 donor cows, 62.7% responded to treatment, with a significant difference (p = 0.002) in the percentage of the response between breeds, being 90.5% (19/21) in Holstein and 47.4% (18/38) in Brahman. A total of 283 embryos were graded as transferable, while 141 as non‐transferable, without difference in the percentage of transferable embryo by breed (p = 0.18). The mean of transferable embryos graded as class I and II was not different between Holstein and Brahman (p = 0.96 and p = 0.92, respectively); besides, no differences were observed in the other grades (non‐transferable). The highest difference in costs, regardless of its quality by breed, was seen in the lower levels of probable fertility of the embryo transferred, even reaching several hundred dollars. When modelling the expected costs for embryo produced and transferred, values can reach nearly $2000.00 when the probable fertility is only 10%. However, when the probable fertility was 60%, embryo cost was close to $300.00. This technology seems to be viable on average or high‐scale systems, having a superovulatory response between 60 and 80% with 4–6 transferrable embryos. Yet, in small‐scale farming, due to the reduced number of donors and/or recipients, the costs surpass the economical feasibility of the technique.
Patients’ decisional control over care: a cross‐national comparison from both the patients’ and nurses’ points of view
Authors: Papastavrou Evridiki , Efstathiou Georgios , Tsangari Haritini , Karlou Chryssoula , Patiraki Elisabeth , Jarosova Darja , Balogh Zoltan , Merkouris Anastasios , Suhonen Riitta
Published: April 2015

Background

Patients’ decisional control over care is the ability or power for patients to decide what their involvement will be in healthcare decisions. There is evidence of limited agreement between the perceptions of patients and the perceptions of nurses and/or caregivers with regard to the degree of patient involvement in the planning and performance of their care.

Aim

To analyse and compare patients’ and nurses’ perceptions of patients’ decisional control over their own care.

Method

A multisite cross‐sectional comparative survey design was employed. Data were collected from hospitalised surgical inpatients (n = 1315) and their caregivers (n = 960 nurses) in five European countries. The Individualised Care Scale part B was used for collecting data from both the patients and nurses. Ethical standards were followed throughout the study.

Results

Significant between‐country differences were found between patients and nurses. In all countries, both patients and nurses regarded that decisional control over care had been actualised (ICS‐B: M = 3.75–4.47 and 3.48–4.33, respectively), but there were significant differences in their perceptions regarding four of the six items of the decisional control factor of the ICS‐B.

Conclusions

The results show that there are disparities between patients’ and nurses’ perceptions of patient involvement in care, probably due to cultural issues that need further exploration.

Clinical relevance

The disparities between patients’ and nurses’ perceptions on patients’ decisional control over their care should be taken into consideration as a potential cause of patient dissatisfaction with nursing care.
Increasing Validity by Recombining Existing Indices: MIPEX as a Measure of Citizenship Models*
Authors: Ruedin Didier
Published: April 2015

Objective

Researchers often reuse existing data and indices even in cases where theory demands different measures. Here, I argue that with little additional effort, it is possible to increase the validity of research by recombining individual indicators of existing indices.

Methods

This approach is demonstrated by using data from the widely used Migration Integration Policy Index (MIPEX), recombining some of the 148 indicators to approximate Koopmans et al.'s () two‐dimensional conception of citizenship models.

Results

The recombined MIPEX data match the desired conception of citizenship models and can be applied to all countries covered in the MIPEX. For the first time theoretically predicted ethnic‐pluralistic citizenship models (segregationism) are observed.

Conclusion

The approach presented can be applied to different data and research questions, leading to research making use of more appropriate data that match specific research rather than relying on what is readily available—thus increasing validity.
Alternative Methods to Enumerate Data on Race in Puerto Rico*
Authors: Allen Reuben
Published: April 2015

Nationalist discourse concerning race in Puerto Rico generally states that residents are of the same racially mixed heritage—a combination of Spanish, West African, and indigenous ancestry of various degrees. However, literature and casual observations suggest that the population is characterized by greater variation in physical appearances than what is posited by “admixture” discourse. Moreover, and further complicating the understanding of race, 2010 U.S. Census data show that over 75 percent of Puerto Ricans self‐identified as “White, alone,” and that only 3.3 percent of respondents indicated “Two or More Races.” Researchers, employers, and governmental agencies attempting to address issues of inequality, discrimination, and residential segregation have had to rely on existing U.S. Census data for analysis. Thus, the need for an alternative data collection process that can be used for various forms of socioeconomic analysis has become evident. The objective of this study was to develop two alternative instruments that emphasized a locally suited, culturally grounded, and standardizable conceptual foundation for the purpose of establishing more representative racial statistics in Puerto Rico. Methods included the administration of 248 copies of these alternative forms, in addition to a replica of the current U.S. Census form, to residents in Bayamón, a city located within the greater San Juan metropolitan area. Results showed that participants were less inclined to self‐identify as “White, alone” when given these alternative instruments, and that fewer individuals resorted to the selection of “Other” for race. In addition, observer‐reported data indicated that the sample was less white when compared to participant‐reported results. The conclusion was that both alternative instruments were considerably more effective in gauging racial composition than the 2010 U.S. Census form.
Comparison of Uncertainty Analyses for Crankshaft Applications
Authors: Elishakoff I. , Fu C. M. , Jiang C. , Ni B. Y. , Han X. , Chen G. S.
Published: April 2015

In this paper, four convex models (interval, parallelepiped, ellipsoidal, and super-ellipsoidal analyses) are introduced to describe the available data on uncertainty parameters for the engine’s crankshaft. The paper first evaluates the smallest area, such as box, ellipse, parallelogram, and super ellipse, which enclose the available data. Then, the Tchebycheff inequality is employed to inflate the uncertain domain to address the problem of forecasting data, i.e., variables taking values beyond the recorded uncertain data, as a limited amount of samples are used to construct the convex models. The minimum areas before and after the inflation are evaluated. Subsequently, the maximum stresses before and after the inflation of uncertain domain based on the areas of the convex models are obtained. The domain that predicts the minimum of the maximum stresses is declared as the best bounding figure, along with the attendant uncertainty model.
A Random Field Approach to Reliability Analysis With Random and Interval Variables
Authors: Hu Zhen , Du Xiaoping
Published: April 2015

Interval variables are commonly encountered in design, especially in the early design stages when data are limited. Thus, reliability analysis (RA) should deal with both interval and random variables and then predict the lower and upper bounds of reliability. The analysis is computationally intensive, because the global extreme values of a limit-state function with respect to interval variables must be obtained during the RA. In this work, a random field approach is proposed to reduce the computational cost with two major developments. The first development is the treatment of a response variable as a random field, which is spatially correlated at different locations of the interval variables. Equivalent reliability bounds are defined from a random field perspective. The definitions can avoid the direct use of the extreme values of the response. The second development is the employment of the first-order reliability method (FORM) to verify the feasibility of the random field modeling. This development results in a new random field method based on FORM. The new method converts a general response variable into a Gaussian field at its limit state and then builds surrogate models for the autocorrelation function and reliability index function with respect to interval variables. Then, Monte Carlo simulation is employed to estimate the reliability bounds without calling the original limit-state function. Good efficiency and accuracy are demonstrated through three examples.
Analysis of the Robustness and Recovery of Critical Infrastructures by Goal Tree–Success Tree: Dynamic Master Logic Diagram, Within a Multistate System-of-Systems Framework, in the Presence of Epistemic Uncertainty
Authors: Ferrario E. , Pedroni N. , Zio E.
Published: April 2015

In this paper, we evaluate the robustness and recovery of connected critical infrastructures (CIs) under a system-of-systems (SoS) framework taking into account: (1) the dependencies among the components of an individual CI and the interdependencies among different CIs; (2) the variability in component performance, by a multistate model; and (3) the epistemic uncertainty in the probabilities of transitions between different components states and in the mean values of the holding-times distributions, by means of intervals. We adopt the goal tree success tree–dynamic master logic diagram (GTST–DMLD) for system modeling and perform the quantitative assessment by Monte Carlo simulation. We illustrate the approach by way of a simplified case study consisting of two interdependent infrastructures (electric power system and gas network) and a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system connected to the gas network.
Neutron Radiography of Condensation and Evaporation of Hydrogen in a Cryogenic Condition
Authors: Bellur Kishan , Medici Ezequiel , Allen Jeffrey , Hermanson Jimes , Tamilarasan Arun , Hussey Daniel , Jacobson David , Leao Juscelino B. , McQuillen John
Published: April 2015

The condensation and evaporation of hydrogen under cryogenic conditions is visualized by using neutron imaging at the BT-2 Beam Facility at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The condensation and evaporation are controlled by adjusting temperature (20 K ~ 23 K) and pressure (1.3 ~ 1.95 bar absolute). The hydrogen contained in the aluminum test cell inside the cryostat has a large attenuation coefficient due to its large scattering cross section. The high sensitivity of neutron radiography to hydrogen allows the visualization of a meniscus and a contact line of evaporating hydrogenated cryogenic propellants. The graphic represents the temperature, pressure and corresponding images of liquid hydrogen in the test cell. The test cell is made of Aluminum 6061 with an inner diameter of 12 mm. The captured images are then median filtered and post-processed in order to find the volume of liquid hydrogen in the test cell as a function of time. The condensation/evaporation rates obtained from neutron imaging along with corresponding temperature and pressure are used to validate the evaporation model being developed by the authors.
Optimizing Wind Turbine Efficiency by Deformable Structures in Smart Blades
Authors: Alejandro Franco Jesus , Carlos Jauregui Juan , Toledano-Ayala Manuel
Published: April 2015

This paper presents a method for optimizing blade designs in smart rotors; the objective is to maximize power regardless of wind conditions. An extensive analysis of what is known as “smart blades,” from aeronautical solutions and helicopter rotors is provided. Moreover, trends in computational and experimental research are analyzed, an assessment and categorization of the options available for aerodynamic control surfaces are made. The study and analysis of its main components such as sensors, mechanisms of actuation, and materials are included. Advance research in this technology is presented as a potential solution for more efficient blade designs, and methods for reducing aerodynamic loads are discussed.