bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optical projection angiography
Authors: Liao Riwei , Wang Mingyi , Zhang Fuli , Han Dingan , Wang Ruikang K. , Yang Guojian , Zeng Yaguang
Published: November 2016

We propose the optical projection angiography (OPA) based on lateral dynamic scattering light for visualizing a three-dimensional (3D) blood-flow network. In OPA, a pulsed laser source illuminates a live biological sample for eliminating digital camera integration effects. The 2D flow image can be obtained by separating the dynamic and static scattering light signal of each camera pixel in the frequency domain. Flow images at a different angle are combined to reconstruct the 3D volume of the sample to realize OPA. Moreover, as our experiment retains the bright-field optical projection tomography (OPT) setup, the OPA image for the circulatory system and the OPT image for the skeletal structure can simultaneously be reconstructed. The experimental results can potentially be applied in physiological development studies.
Electromagnetic waves and instabilities in a non-degenerate quantum dusty plasma
Authors: Rubab N. , Jaffer G.
Published: November 2016

In this paper, we have investigated the effects of Bohm potential on the low frequency wave propagation in a dense non-degenerate dusty magnetoplasma. We have employed two potential theory to study the quantum modification of kinetic Alfvén wave on a dust acoustic velocity branch. The linear dispersion relation and growth rate of instability of dust kinetic Alfvén wave are obtained by incorporating Bohm quantum potential in the linearized Vlasov model. It is found that unlike in classical plasma, the presence of CQ which arises through the Bohm potential, tends to enhance the dispersion of the particles, while the growth rates are suppressed. The importance and relevance to compact astrophysical objects and space dusty plasma environments is also pointed out.
Explicit high-order noncanonical symplectic algorithms for ideal two-fluid systems
Authors: Xiao Jianyuan , Qin Hong , Morrison Philip J. , Liu Jian , Yu Zhi , Zhang Ruili , He Yang
Published: November 2016

An explicit high-order noncanonical symplectic algorithm for ideal two-fluid systems is developed. The fluid is discretized as particles in the Lagrangian description, while the electromagnetic fields and internal energy are treated as discrete differential form fields on a fixed mesh. With the assistance of Whitney interpolating forms [H. Whitney, Geometric Integration Theory (Princeton University Press, 1957); M. Desbrun et al., Discrete Differential Geometry (Springer, 2008); J. Xiao et al., Phys. Plasmas 22, 112504 (2015)], this scheme preserves the gauge symmetry of the electromagnetic field, and the pressure field is naturally derived from the discrete internal energy. The whole system is solved using the Hamiltonian splitting method discovered by He et al. [Phys. Plasmas 22, 124503 (2015)], which was been successfully adopted in constructing symplectic particle-in-cell schemes [J. Xiao et al., Phys. Plasmas 22, 112504 (2015)]. Because of its structure preserving and explicit nature, this algorithm is especially suitable for large-scale simulations for physics problems that are multi-scale and require long-term fidelity and accuracy. The algorithm is verified via two tests: studies of the dispersion relation of waves in a two-fluid plasma system and the oscillating two-stream instability.
Dynamics of three unidirectionally coupled autonomous Duffing oscillators and application to inchworm piezoelectric motors: Effects of the coupling coefficient and delay
Authors: Tchakui Murielle Vanessa , Woafo Paul
Published: November 2016

This work deals with the dynamics of three unidirectionally coupled Duffing oscillators and that of three coupled piezoelectric actuators, considering the special case of inchworm motors. Two configurations of the network are studied: ring configuration and chain configuration. The effects of the coupling coefficient and the time delay are analyzed through different bifurcation diagrams and phase difference variation. It is shown that varying the coupling coefficient and the time delay leads to the appearance of different dynamical behaviors: steady states, periodic and quasiperiodic oscillations, chaos, and phase synchronization.
Hemorheological alterations of red blood cells induced by non-thermal dielectric barrier discharge plasma
Authors: Kim Jeongho , Kim Jae Hyung , Chang Boksoon , Choi Eun Ha , Park Hun-Kuk
Published: November 2016

Atmospheric pressure non-thermal plasma has been introduced in various applications such as wound healing, sterilization of infected tissues, blood coagulation, delicate surgeries, and so on. The non-thermal plasma generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), including ozone. Various groups have reported that the produced ROS influence proliferation and differentiation of cells, as well as apoptosis and growth arrest of tumor cells. In this study, we investigated the effects of non-thermal plasma on rheological characteristics of red blood cells (RBC). We experimentally measured the extent of hemolysis, deformability, and aggregation of red blood cells (RBC) with respect to exposure times of non-thermal plasma. RBC morphology was also examined using field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The absorbance of hemoglobin released from the RBCs increased with increasing exposure time of the non-thermal plasma. Values of the elongation index and aggregation index were shown to decrease significantly with increasing plasma exposure times. Therefore, hemorheological properties of RBCs could be utilized to assess the performance of various non-thermal plasmas.
Exchange coupled Mn-Mn pair: An approach for super-broadband 1380 nm emission in α-MnS
Authors: Chen Z. T. , Song E. H. , Wu M. , Zhou B. , Zhang Q. Y.
Published: November 2016

Super-broadband near-infrared (NIR) emission centered at 1380 nm with a full width at half maximum of 161 nm and a decay lifetime of 241 μs has been demonstrated in α-MnS. We find that the NIR emission originates from exchange coupled Mn-Mn pairs in α-MnS based on the detail analysis of photoluminescence excitation spectra, transient spectra, temperature dependent photoluminescence spectra as well as the crystal structure of α-MnS. Mechanism of exchange interaction between nearest-neighbor Mn2+ ions is discussed in detail. The finding offers the possibilities of designing NIR emitting source for various photonic applications.
Aerodynamic modification to a circular cylinder to enhance the piezoelectric wind energy harvesting
Authors: Hu Gang , Tse K. T. , Kwok K. C. S. , Song Jie , Lyu Yuan
Published: November 2016

This study aims to expand the aeroelastic unstable range of a circular cylinder for improving the efficiency of a vortex-induced vibration (VIV)-based wind energy harvester. The kinetic energy of the harvester is provided by flow-induced vibration of a circular cylinder. Two small-diameter cylindrical rods were attached on two sides of the circular cylinder parallel to the cylinder axis and symmetrical to the stagnation line at a series of circumferential locations. This was inspired by rain-wind-induced vibrations of stay-cables of cable-stayed bridges. It was found that attaching two small-diameter cylindrical rods at the circumferential location θ = 60° significantly expands the aeroelastic unstable range for the circular cylinder. The wind energy harvester with this configuration harnesses the wind energy beyond the VIV onset wind speed and is sustained over the range of wind speed. Therefore, this configuration possesses a dramatic superiority over a plain circular cylinder as the kinetic source of a wind energy harvester.
Low-damping sub-10-nm thin films of lutetium iron garnet grown by molecular-beam epitaxy
Authors: Jermain C. L. , Paik H. , Aradhya S. V. , Buhrman R. A. , Schlom D. G. , Ralph D. C.
Published: November 2016

We analyze the structural and magnetic characteristics of (111)-oriented lutetium iron garnet (Lu3Fe5O12) films grown by molecular-beam epitaxy, for films as thin as 2.8 nm. Thickness-dependent measurements of the in- and out-of-plane ferromagnetic resonance allow us to quantify the effects of two-magnon scattering, along with the surface anisotropy and the saturation magnetization. We achieve effective damping coefficients of 11.1(9)×10−4 for 5.3 nm films and 32(3)×10−4 for 2.8 nm films, among the lowest values reported to date for any insulating ferrimagnetic sample of comparable thickness.
Electrorotation of a metallic coated Janus particle under AC electric fields
Authors: Chen Yu-Liang , Jiang Hong-Ren
Published: November 2016

Electrorotations (EROTs) of the Pt-silica Janus particles are measured in different conditions under rotating electric fields. Unlike simple particles, we find that the rotation direction of a Janus particle is mainly opposite to the direction of the electric field (counter-field), which is similar to the metallic particles, while the rotation direction may reverse from counter-field to co-field at the low-frequency region (<1 kHz) and high-frequency region (>1 MHz), depending on the thickness of metallic coating and conductivities of solutions. We also find that EROT of a Janus particle reaches a maximum angular speed at a characteristic frequency, which increases with the thickness of metallic coating and can be one order higher than that of a fully metallic coated particle. These results suggest that the EROT responses of a Janus particle have both dielectric and metallic features and these responses are not simply averaged responses of its both sides. Half side metallic coating reduces the time of polarization due to the lack of fully electric field screening ability comparing with the metallic particles. The special properties of polarization of a Janus particle under electric fields may provide a method to create designable micro-rotors or active particles for applications.
Atomistic simulation on the plastic deformation and fracture of bio-inspired graphene/Ni nanocomposites
Authors: Yang Zhenyu , Wang Dandan , Lu Zixing , Hu Wenjun
Published: November 2016

Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to investigate the plastic deformation and fracture behaviors of bio-inspired graphene/metal nanocomposites, which have a “brick-and-mortar” nanostructure, consisting of hard graphene single-layers embedded in a soft Ni matrix. The plastic deformation mechanisms of the nanocomposites were analyzed as well as their effects on the mechanical properties with various geometrical variations. It was found that the strength and ductility of the metal matrix can be highly enhanced with the addition of the staggered graphene layers, and the plastic deformation can be attributed to the interfacial sliding, dislocation nucleation, and cracks' combination. The strength of the nanocomposites strongly depends on the length scale of the nanostructure and the interlayer distance as well. In addition, slip at the interface releases the stress in graphene layers, leading to the stress distribution on the graphene more uniform. The present results are expected to contribute to the design of the nanolayered graphene/metal composites with high performance.
Long-term effects of fertilisers and organic sources on soil organic carbon fractions under a rice–wheat system in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of north-west India
Authors: Das D. , Dwivedi B. S. , Singh V. K. , Datta S. P. , Meena M. C. , Chakraborty D. , Bandyopadhyay K. K. , Kumar R. , Mishra R. P.
Published: November 2016

Decline in soil organic carbon (SOC) content is considered a key constraint for sustenance of rice–wheat system (RWS) productivity in the Indo-Gangetic Plain region. We, therefore, studied the effects of fertilisers and manures on SOC pools, and their relationships with crop yields after 18 years of continuous RWS. Total organic C increased significantly with the integrated use of fertilisers and organic sources (from 13 to 16.03gkg–1) compared with unfertilised control (11.5gkg–1) or sole fertiliser (NPKZn; 12.17gkg–1) treatment at 0–7.5cm soil depth. Averaged across soil depths, labile fractions like microbial biomass C (MBC) and permanganate-oxidisable C (PmOC) were generally higher in treatments that received farmyard manure (FYM), sulfitation pressmud (SPM) or green gram residue (GR) along with NPK fertiliser, ranging from 192 to 276mgkg–1 and from 0.60 to 0.75gkg–1 respectively compared with NPKZn and NPK+cereal residue (CR) treatments, in which MBC and PmOC ranged from 118 to 170mgkg–1 and from 0.43 to 0.57gkg–1 respectively. Oxidisable organic C fractions revealed that very labile C and labile C fractions were much larger in the NPK+FYM or NPK+GR+FYM treatments, whereas the less-labile C and non-labile C fractions were larger under control and NPK+CR treatments. On average, Walkley–Black C, PmOC and MBC contributed 29–46%, 4.7–6.6% and 1.16–2.40% towards TOC respectively. Integrated plant nutrient supply options, except NPK+CR, also produced sustainable high yields of RWS.
An oscillating tragedy of the commons in replicator dynamics with game-environment feedback
Authors: Weitz Joshua S. , Eksin Ceyhun , Paarporn Keith , Brown Sam P. , Ratcliff William C.
Published: November 2016

Significance

Classical game theory addresses how individuals make decisions given suitable incentives, for example, whether to use a commons rapaciously or with restraint. However, classical game theory does not typically address the consequences of individual actions that reshape the environment over the long term. Here, we propose a unified approach to analyze and understand the coupled evolution of strategies and the environment. We revisit the originating tragedy of the commons example and evaluate how overuse of a commons resource changes incentives for future action. In doing so, we identify an oscillatory tragedy of the commons in which the system cycles between deplete and replete environments and cooperation and defection behavior, highlighting new challenges for control and influence of feedback-evolving games.
Relationships between cortical myeloarchitecture and electrophysiological networks
Authors: Hunt Benjamin A. E. , Tewarie Prejaas K. , Mougin Olivier E. , Geades Nicolas , Jones Derek K. , Singh Krish D. , Morris Peter G. , Gowland Penny A. , Brookes Matthew J.
Published: November 2016

Significance

This paper identifies a significant relationship between cortical myeloarchitecture and functional connectivity in the human brain. This is a significant step toward understanding the role of myelin in shaping large-scale neural networks. Our results extend recent work showing that electrical activity promotes myelination and add significant weight to the argument that neural oscillations are a core mediator of brain connectivity.
Does Holiness Have a Color? The Religious, Ethnic, and Political Semiotics of Colors in Mauritius
Authors: Couacaud Leo
Published: November 2016

Colors play an important role in the social landscape of Mauritius. First and foremost, they help to distinguish the separate identities of the island’s major religious faiths. But that is not all, as they also serve to reinscribe cultural differences between the island’s various ethnic groups. And there is also evidence to suggest that this ethnoreligious color symbolism is exploited by the island’s major political parties to mobilize the support of voters. So saturated is the Mauritian social landscape with these color schema, that is hard to see how the society can overcome its ethnic divisions and foster a sense of national unity until these cultural practices are attenuated. Indeed as long as the state continues to allocate subsidies to religious organizations on the basis of their ability to objectify their respective cultural differences, it is unlikely such practices are going to disappear anytime soon. The aforementioned issues are explored using a variety of anthropological theories and methods, with particular emphasis laid in the article on the benefits of adopting a more nuanced symbolic approach to the construction of ethnicity in Mauritius to that which is currently available in the literature.
Meeting the Universe Two-Thirds of the Way (Witchful Thinking)
Authors: Kockelman Paul
Published: November 2016

What is the relation between wishes and witches, between Grice and Freud, between political repression and scientific rendering? What is the relation between ideational and affective phenomena (such as desire and jealousy) and material processes (such as particle scattering and diffusion barriers)? This article demonstrates the broad similarities underlying conversational implicature and dream interpretation, focusing on the use of communicative intentions and repressed wishes as grounds for motiving inferences. It describes a variety of other hermeneutics that evince a similar logic, albeit with different grounds—witch trials among the Azande, and taboo-reckoning among the Maya. And it details the intimate relation between such hermeneutics and the techniques scientists use to produce and interpret laboratory phenomena, and thereby render the real. It foregrounds the affective nature of such processes: the pleasures and pains of laboring in productively constrained, and phenomena-creating, inferential spaces.
Debating the Industrial Limits of Domestic Hip Hop
Authors: Kohl Owen Nathaniel
Published: November 2016

The multicharacter biographies of hip hop artists, consumers, and distributors in post-Yugoslav spaces (ex-YU) straddle a period of seemingly never-ending, teleologic ‘transitions.’ The business models of regional music industries have also dramatically changed after the emergence of new forms of digital distribution. These transformations each occur within broader, often violent shifts from self-managed state socialism to clientelistic neoliberalism. I analyze artists’ discussions of professional limitations and the debates surrounding brand acts, or artists’ symbolic range of ambivalent, critical, and pragmatic stances toward media industries. Artists often compare the precarious present of a marginal position within the record business in ex-YU using frames that reference foreign and past elsewheres, including an era of ‘good life’ socialism. A debate has emerged as to whose future a new present laden with brands and industry regulation best serves.
From Discourse to Thought: An Ethnopoetic Analysis of a Chol Mayan Folktale
Authors: Rodríguez Lydia
Published: November 2016

Classic Whorfian work has explored the relationship between grammatical features and cognition, but how languages can also influence thought through discursive patterns remains a largely unexplored topic in the neo-Whorfian agenda. In this article, I conduct an ethnopoetic analysis of a Chol traditional story to investigate the relationships between Chol “fashions of speaking,” in the Whorfian sense of the term, and cognitive patterns. I revisit a classic Whorfian topic—how speakers of different languages conceptualize time—but through close examination of how temporal relationships between events are deployed in narrative contexts. I argue that Chol narratives possess a nonlinear plot structure, which exemplifies the kind of non-iconic, nonlinear presentation of sequential events that is characteristic of Chol discourse and thought.
Pellet cloud characterisation, scaling and estimation of the material- and temperature distribution inside the cloud
Authors: Cseh G. , Kocsis G. , Lang P.T. , Plöckl B. , Szepesi T. , Veres G.
Published: November 2016

Using spatially calibrated images of fast visible cameras, a database was established containing pellet cloud images and the related pellet- and plasma parameters. Using this database, two scalings were derived for the cloud size along the magnetic field lines as a function of pellet speed and ablation rate (first case) and pellet speed, pellet volume, plasma temperature and plasma density (second case). Using the images—based on the number of radiation maxima—the four main cloud shapes were also categorized. The isotope effect (the effect of hydrogen pellets in hydrogen or helium plasma) was also investigated with particular attention devoted to the cloud characteristics. Finally, a synthetic diagnostic—which simulates the measurement system and produces a synthetic pellet cloud image based on the output of the pellet cloud simulation—was developed to reveal the underlying density- and temperature distributions of the observed pellet cloud images. Using this synthetic diagnostic, one of the main identified cloud shapes was reconstructed. Our goal is to derive a scaling law for the toroidal extension of the pellet cloud at different pellet- and plasma conditions, to give a more reliable input for the pellet ELM triggering simulations and using these two results—a better understanding of the pellet-caused pressure perturbation.
Increased Antiviral Treatment Among Hospitalized Children and Adults With Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza, 2010–2015
Authors: Appiah Grace D , Chaves Sandra S , Kirley Pam D , Miller Lisa , Meek James , Anderson Evan , Oni Oluwakemi , Ryan Patricia , Eckel Seth , Lynfield Ruth , Bargsten Marisa , Zansky Shelley M , Bennett Nancy , Lung Krista , McDonald-Hamm Christie , Thomas Ann , Brady Diane , Lindegren Mary L , Schaffner William , Hill Mary , Garg Shikha , Fry Alicia M , Campbell Angela P
Published: November 2016

Using population-based surveillance data, we analyzed antiviral treatment among hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza. Treatment increased after the influenza A(H1N1) 2009 pandemic from 72% in 2010–2011 to 89% in 2014–2015 (P < .001). Overall, treatment was higher in adults (86%) than in children (72%); only 56% of cases received antivirals on the day of admission.
Decentralized iterative learning control for large-scale linear discrete-time systems with fixed initial state errors
Authors: Fu Qin , Gu Panpan , Wu Jianrong
Published: November 2016

This article addresses the problem of iterative learning control for large-scale linear discrete-time systems with fixed initial state errors. And two kinds of the system structures are considered in this article, one of them is the system whose input signal's dimension is less than or equal to the output dimension and the other one is the system whose output signal's dimension is less than or equal to the input dimension. According to the characteristics of the systems, decentralized learning schemes are proposed for such large-scale linear discrete-time systems, and the corresponding discrete-time output limiting trajectories under the action of the decentralized learning schemes are presented. The proposed controller of each subsystem only relies on local output variables without any information exchanging with other subsystems. Using the contraction mapping method, we show that the schemes can guarantee the output of each subsystem to converge uniformly to the corresponding discrete-time output limiting trajectory over all the given discrete-time points within a finite time interval. Furthermore, the decentralized initial rectifying strategies are applied to the large-scale linear discrete-time systems for eliminating the effect of the fixed initial state errors, and the corresponding decentralized learning schemes are established. When the learning schemes are applied to the large-scale linear discrete-time systems, the output of each subsystem can converge to the desired reference trajectory of each subsystem over all the given discrete-time points within a pre-specified interval no matter what value the fixed state error takes. Simulation examples illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
J-GEM follow-up observations of the gravitational wave source GW151226*
Authors: Yoshida Michitoshi , Utsumi Yousuke , Tominaga Nozomu , Morokuma Tomoki , Tanaka Masaomi , Asakura Yuichiro , Matsubayashi Kazuya , Ohta Kouji , Abe Fumio , Chimasu Sho , Furusawa Hisanori , Itoh Ryosuke , Itoh Yoichi , Kanda Yuka , Kawabata Koji S. , Kawabata Miho , Koshida Shintaro , Koshimoto Naoki , Kuroda Daisuke , Moritani Yuki , Motohara Kentaro , Murata Katsuhiro L. , Nagayama Takahiro , Nakaoka Tatsuya , Nakata Fumiaki , Nishioka Tsubasa , Saito Yoshihiko , Terai Tsuyoshi , Tristram Paul J. , Yanagisawa Kenshi , Yasuda Naoki , Doi Mamoru , Fujisawa Kenta , Kawachi Akiko , Kawai Nobuyuki , Tamura Yoichi , Uemura Makoto , Yatsu Yoichi
Published: November 2016

We report the results of optical–infrared follow-up observations of the gravitational wave (GW) event GW151226 detected by the Advanced LIGO in the framework of J-GEM (Japanese collaboration for Gravitational wave ElectroMagnetic follow-up). We performed wide-field optical imaging surveys with the Kiso Wide Field Camera (KWFC), Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC), and MOA-cam3. The KWFC survey started at 2.26 d after the GW event and covered 778 deg2 centered at the high Galactic region of the skymap of GW151226. We started the HSC follow-up observations from ∼12 d after the event and covered an area of 63.5 deg2 of the highest probability region of the northern sky with limiting magnitudes of 24.6 and 23.8 for the i and z bands, respectively. MOA-cam3 covered 145 deg2 of the skymap with the MOA-red filter ∼2.5 mon after the GW alert. The total area covered by the wide-field surveys was 986.5 deg2. The integrated detection probability for the observed area was ∼29%. We also performed galaxy-targeted observations with six optical and near-infrared telescopes from 1.61 d after the event. A total of 238 nearby (≤100 Mpc) galaxies were observed with a typical I band limiting magnitude of ∼19.5. We detected 13 supernova candidates with the KWFC survey, and 60 extragalactic transients with the HSC survey. Two thirds of the HSC transients were likely supernovae and the remaining one third were possible active galactic nuclei. With our observational campaign, we found no transients that are likely to be associated with GW151226.
Sensitivity of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum to Prothioconazole and Thiophanate-Methyl and Gene Mutation Conferring Resistance to Thiophanate-Methyl
Authors: Petkar Aparna , Langston David B. , Buck James W. , Stevenson Katherine L. , Ji Pingsheng
Published: November 2016

Fusarium wilt, incited by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum, is a soilborne disease that affects watermelon production worldwide. Approaches for effective management of Fusarium wilt in watermelon are limited. Studies conducted in recent years indicated that prothioconazole and thiophanate-methyl reduced the disease significantly under field conditions. However, effects of the fungicides on different life stages of F. oxysporum f. sp. niveum and potential existence of fungicide resistance in F. oxysporum f. sp. niveum populations are unknown. In the present study, effects of prothioconazole and thiophanate-methyl on mycelium growth and spore germination of F. oxysporum f. sp. niveum isolates collected in watermelon fields in Georgia were determined. In vitro mycelium growth studies indicated that all 100 isolates evaluated were sensitive to prothioconazole; the effective concentration that suppressed mycelium growth by 50% ranged from 0.75 to 5.69 μg/ml (averaged 1.62 μg/ml). In contrast, 33 and 4% of the isolates were resistant to thiophanate-methyl at 10 and 100 μg/ml, respectively. Microconidial germination assays showed that 36 and 64% of the isolates tested were sensitive or intermediately sensitive to prothioconazole at 100 μg/ml but the fungicide did not inhibit spore germination at 10 μg/ml. Sequencing a portion of the β-tubulin gene of eight isolates resistant or sensitive to thiophanate-methyl indicated that fungicide resistance was associated with a point mutation at nucleotide position 200, resulting in a substitution of phenylalanine by tyrosine. This is the first report of isolates of F. oxysporum resistant to thiophanate-methyl. Results of the research suggest that prothioconazole may be a viable option for management of Fusarium wilt of watermelon whereas thiophanate-methyl should be used judiciously due to the existence of isolates resistant to the fungicide.
Genetic Loci Conditioning Adult Plant Resistance to the Ug99 Race Group and Seedling Resistance to Races TRTTF and TTTTF of the Stem Rust Pathogen in Wheat Landrace CItr 15026
Authors: Babiker E. M. , Gordon T. C. , Bonman J. M. , Chao S. , Rouse M. N. , Jin Y. , Newcomb M. , Wanyera R. , Bhavani S.
Published: November 2016

Wheat landrace CItr 15026 previously showed adult plant resistance (APR) to the Ug99 stem rust race group in Kenya and seedling resistance to Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici races QFCSC, TTTTF, and TRTTF. CItr 15026 was crossed to susceptible accessions LMPG-6 and Red Bobs, and 180 double haploid (DH) lines and 140 recombinant inbred lines (RIL), respectively, were developed. The 90K wheat iSelect single-nucleotide polymorphism platform was used to genotype the parents and populations. Parents and 180 DH lines were evaluated in the field in Kenya for three seasons. A major quantitative trait locus (QTL) for APR was consistently detected on chromosome arm 6AS. This QTL was further detected in the RIL population screened in Kenya for one season. Parents, F1, and the two populations were tested as seedlings against races TRTTF and TTTTF. In addition, the DH population was tested against race QFCSC. Goodness-of-fit tests indicated that the TRTTF resistance in CItr 15026 was controlled by two complementary genes whereas the TTTTF and QFCSC resistance was conditioned by one dominant gene. The TRTTF resistance loci mapped to chromosome arms 6AS and 6DS, whereas the TTTTF and QFCSC resistance locus mapped to the same region on 6DS as the TRTTF resistance. The APR identified in CItr 15026 should be useful in developing cultivars with durable stem rust resistance.
Phenazine-1-Carboxylic Acid Production by Pseudomonas fluorescens LBUM636 Alters Phytophthora infestans Growth and Late Blight Development
Authors: Morrison Christopher K. , Arseneault Tanya , Novinscak Amy , Filion Martin
Published: November 2016

Phytophthora infestans causes late blight of potato, one of the most devastating diseases affecting potato production. Alternative approaches for controlling late blight are being increasingly sought due to increasing environmental concerns over the use of chemical pesticides and the increasing resistance of P. infestans to fungicides. Our research group has isolated a new strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens (LBUM636) of biocontrol interest producing the antibiotic phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA). Wild-type LBUM636 was shown to significantly inhibit the growth of Phytophthora infestans in in vitro confrontational assays whereas its isogenic mutant (phzC−; not producing PCA) only slightly altered the pathogen’s growth. Wild-type LBUM636 but not the phzC− mutant also completely repressed disease symptom development on tubers. A pot experiment revealed that wild-type LBUM636 can significantly reduce P. infestans populations in the rhizosphere and in the roots of potato plants, as well as reduce in planta disease symptoms due to PCA production. The expression of eight common plant defense-related genes (ChtA, PR-1b, PR-2, PR-5, LOX, PIN2, PAL-2, and ERF3) was quantified in tubers, roots, and leaves by reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and revealed that the biocontrol observed was not associated with the induction of a plant defense response by LBUM636. Instead, a direct interaction between P. infestans and LBUM636 is required and PCA production appears to be a key factor for LBUM636’s biocontrol ability.
What Attitudes and Values Are Incorporated Into Self as Part of Professional Identity Construction When Becoming a Surgeon?
Authors: Cope Alexandra , Bezemer Jeff , Mavroveli Stella , Kneebone Roger
Published: November 2016

Purpose

To make explicit the attitudes and values of a community of surgeons, with the aim of understanding professional identity construction within a specific group of residents.

Method

Using a grounded theory method, the authors collected data from 16 postgraduate surgeons through interviews. They complemented these initial interview data with ethnographic observations and additional descriptive interviews to explore the attitudes and values learned by surgeons during residency training (2010–2013). The participants were attending surgeons and residents in a general surgical training program in a university teaching hospital in the United Kingdom.

Results

Participating surgeons described learning personal values or attitudes that they regarded as core to “becoming a surgeon” and key to professional identity construction. They described learning to be a perfectionist, to be accountable, and to self-manage and be resilient. They discussed learning to be self-critical, sometimes with the unintended consequence of seeming neurotic. They described learning effective teamwork as well as learning to take initiative and be innovative, which enabled them to demonstrate leadership and drive actions and agendas forward within the health care organization where they worked.

Conclusions

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to systematically explore the learning of professional identity amongst postgraduate surgeons. The study contributes to the literature on professional identity construction within medical education. The authors conclude that the demise of the apprenticeship model and the rise of duty hours limitations may affect not only the acquisition of technical skills but, more important, the construction of surgeon professional identity.
The Impact of Administrative Burden on Academic Physicians: Results of a Hospital-Wide Physician Survey
Authors: Rao Sandhya K. , Kimball Alexa B. , Lehrhoff Sara R. , Hidrue Michael K. , Colton Deborah G. , Ferris Timothy G. , Torchiana David F.
Published: November 2016

Purpose

To determine the characteristics of clinically active academic physicians most affected by administrative burden; the correlation between administrative burden, burnout, and career satisfaction among academic physicians; and the relative value and burden of specific administrative tasks.

Method

The authors analyzed data from the 2014 Massachusetts General Physicians Organization Survey. Respondents reported the percentage of time they spent on patient-related administrative duties and rated the value and burden associated with specific administrative tasks. A five-point Likert scale and multivariate regression identified predictors of administrative burden and assessed the impact of administrative burden on perceived quality of care, career satisfaction, and burnout.

Results

Of the eligible workforce, 1,774 physicians (96%) responded to the survey. On average, 24% of working hours were spent on administrative duties. Primary care physicians and women reported spending more time on administrative duties compared with other physicians. Two-thirds of respondents reported that administrative duties negatively affect their ability to deliver high-quality care. Physicians who reported higher percentages of time spent on administrative duties had lower levels of career satisfaction, higher levels of burnout, and were more likely to be considering seeing fewer patients in the future. Prior authorizations, clinical documentation, and medication reconciliation were rated the most burdensome tasks.

Conclusions

Administrative duties required substantial physician time and affected physicians’ perceptions of being able to deliver high-quality care, career satisfaction, burnout, and likelihood to continue clinical practice. There is variation in administrative burden across specialties, and multiple areas of work contribute to overall administrative workload.
How Entrustment Is Informed by Holistic Judgments Across Time in a Family Medicine Residency Program: An Ethnographic Nonparticipant Observational Study
Authors: Sagasser Margaretha H. , Fluit Cornelia R.M.G. , van Weel Chris , van der Vleuten Cees P.M. , Kramer Anneke W.M.
Published: November 2016

Purpose

Entrustment has mainly been conceptualized as delegating discrete professional tasks. Because residents provide most of their patient care independently, not all resident performance is visible to supervisors; the entrustment process involves more than granting discrete tasks. This study explored how supervisors made entrustment decisions based on residents’ performance in a long-term family medicine training program.

Method

A qualitative nonparticipant observational study was conducted in 2014–2015 at competency-based family medicine residency programs in the Netherlands. Seven supervisor–resident pairs participated. During two days, one researcher observed first-year residents’ patient encounters, debriefing sessions, and supervisor-resident educational meetings and interviewed them separately afterwards. Data were collected and analyzed using iterative, phenomenological inductive research methodology.

Results

The entrustment process developed over three phases. Supervisors based their initial entrustment on prior knowledge about the resident. In the ensuing two weeks, entrustment decisions regarding independent patient care were derived from residents’ observed general competencies necessary for a range of health problems (clinical reasoning, decision making, relating to patients); medical knowledge and skills; and supervisors’ intuition. Supervisors provided supervision during and after encounters. Once residents performed independently, supervisors kept reevaluating their decisions, informed by residents’ overall growth in competencies rather than by adhering to a predefined set of tasks.

Conclusions

Supervisors in family medicine residency training took a holistic approach to trust, based on general competencies, knowledge, skills, and intuition. Entrustment started before training and developed over time. Building trust is a mutual process between supervisor and resident, requiring a good working relationship.
Are Female Applicants Rated Higher Than Males on the Multiple Mini-Interview? Findings From the University of Calgary
Authors: Ross Marshall , Walker Ian , Cooke Lara , Raman Maitreyi , Ravani Pietro , Coderre Sylvain , McLaughlin Kevin
Published: November 2016

Purpose

The multiple mini-interview (MMI) improves reliability and validity of medical school interviews, and many schools have introduced this in an attempt to select individuals more skilled in communication, critical thinking, and ethical decision making. But every change in the admissions process may produce unintended consequences, such as changing intake demographics. In this article, two studies exploring gender differences in MMI ratings are reported.

Method

Cumulative meta-analysis was used to compare MMI ratings for female and male applicants to the University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine between 2010 and 2014. Multiple linear regression was then performed to explore gender differences in MMI ratings after adjusting for other variables, followed by a sensitivity analysis of the impact of varying the weight given to MMI ratings on the odds of females being ranked in the top 150 applicants for 2014.

Results

Females were rated higher than male applicants (standardized mean difference 0.21, 95% CI [0.11, 0.30], P < .001). After adjusting for other explanatory variables, there was a positive association between female applicant and MMI rating (regression coefficient 0.23 [0.14, 0.33], P < .001). Increasing weight assigned to MMI ratings was associated with increased odds of females being ranked in the top 150 applicants.

Conclusions

In this single-center study, females were rated higher than males on the MMI, and the odds of a female applicant being offered a position increased as more weight was given to MMI ratings. Further studies are needed to confirm and explain gender differences in MMI ratings.
Building a Global, Online Community of Practice: The OPENPediatrics World Shared Practices Video Series
Authors: Wolbrink Traci A. , Kissoon Niranjan , Mirza Nabila , Burns Jeffrey P.
Published: November 2016

Problem

Health care professionals are familiar with engaging in local communities of practice (CoPs) within their hospital, region, and/or country, but despite the availability of online technologies that facilitate online global collaboration, the health care sector has yet to fully embrace these tools.

Approach

In 2013, OPENPediatrics (an online social learning platform) launched the World Shared Practices video (WSP) series to engage and coalesce the global community of critical care clinicians. Each month, a 30- to 45-minute video featuring a pediatric critical care medicine expert, interspersed with questions for the audience, is released. Viewers contribute to the community discussion by leaving comments that display alongside the video. Clinicians are encouraged to asynchronously host an educational conference so they can watch the videos and participate in the discussion together.

Outcomes

From March 2013–November 2015, 28 WSPs were launched on a variety of topics. They were viewed over 18,414 times by 1,864 viewers in 132 countries and 760 hospitals; 1,155 comments were submitted. Attending physicians/consultants were the largest audience (36% [671/1,864]), and 37% (30/81) of responding viewers that commented in WSPs watched in small groups. The WSP series was reported to add value to respondents’ learning or teaching and to have had a positive impact on their knowledge or practice.

Next Steps

Future research will focus on further describing the context and structure of the CoP and on more deeply investigating its higher-level outcomes and impact. More work is needed to identify barriers and strategies that improve online community engagement.
Using Text Reminder to Improve Childhood Immunization Adherence in the Philippines
Authors: Garcia-Dia Mary Joy , Fitzpatrick Joyce J. , Madigan Elizabeth A. , Peabody John W.
Published: November 2016

A comparative descriptive study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of text messages with pictures compared with plain text messages or verbal reminders in improving measles, mumps, and rubella immunization compliance in the rural areas of the Philippines. We found that text messaging with or without pictures is a feasible and useful tool in measles, mumps, rubella immunization compliance for childhood immunization. Texting with pictures (n = 23), however, was no more effective than plain text messaging (n = 19) or verbal reminder (n = 17) in improving measles, mumps, and rubella immunization compliance. Compared with parents who received verbal reminders alone, either type of text reminders was linked to parents bringing their child for measles, mumps, and rubella immunization on a timelier basis, as defined by the difference between the scheduled visit and the actual visit, although this was not statistically significant. Mobile technology that uses text reminders for immunization can potentially improve the communication process between parent, the public health nurse, and healthcare provider. Future studies can explore the application of plain text messages or text messages with pictures to improve compliance more broadly for maternal and child healthcare especially in rural areas of developing countries and may be a helpful tool for health promotion for this population.
NaoXinTong Enhances Atorvastatin-induced Plaque Stability While Ameliorating Atorvastatin-induced Hepatic Inflammation
Authors: Yang Xiaoxiao , Li Yan , Sun Lei , Liu Ying , Ma Chuanrui , Chen Yuanli , Tan Hao , Li Qi , Li Xiaoju , Wang Yong , Duan Yajun , Zhao Buchang , Han Jihong
Published: November 2016

Buchang NaoXinTong (NXT) is a Chinese medicine that has been used for many years for treatment of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) in China. Statins substantially reduce hypercholesterolemia and CHD mortality and morbidity. However, there is still a lot of CHD patients who do not respond well to statin therapy. Herein, we report the effects of NXT on atorvastatin-inhibited atherosclerosis and atorvastatin-induced hepatic side effects. After 10 weeks of high-fat diet (HFD) feeding, apoE-deficient mice were randomly divided into 4 groups and received the following treatment for another 8 weeks: group 1, HFD; group 2, HFD containing NXT; group 3, HFD containing atorvastatin; and group 4, HFD containing both NXT and atorvastatin. After treatment, serum lipid profiles, atherosclerotic lesions, and hepatic lipid content and inflammation were determined. NXT moderately increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, although had little effect on atorvastatin-induced reduction of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Both NXT and atorvastatin reduceden facelesions and sinus lesions of aortic root. In addition, NXT enhanced atorvastatin-induced lesion plaque stability by increasing smooth muscle cell/collagen content and reducing macrophage accumulation and calcification in lesion areas. The co-treatment of NXT and atorvastatin further reduced hepatic triglyceride levels by downregulating acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 while activating hormone-sensitive lipase, adipose triglyceride lipase, and comparative gene identification-58 expression. The AMPKα pathway was also further activated by the co-treatment. More importantly, the liver injuries caused by atorvastatin, such as hepatic inflammation and elevated serum aminotransferase activities, were substantially attenuated by NXT. Therefore, our study demonstrates that NXT enhances atorvastatin-induced plaque stability and ameliorates atorvastatin-induced hepatic side effects.
Validating the Quality of Life After Brain Injury Through Rasch Analysis
Authors: Chang Feng-Hang , Chen Chih-Yi , Liang Wen-Miin , Lin Mau-Roung
Published: November 2016

Objective:

The Quality of Life after Brain Injury (QOLIBRI), a cross-cultural instrument, has been validated in several languages; however, traditional psychometric approaches have critical limitations. Therefore, we applied the Rasch model for validating the 37-item QOLIBRI scale among a Chinese population with traumatic brain injury.

Participants and Setting:

In total, 587 participants (mean age: 44.2 ± 15.4 years; women, 46.3%) were surveyed in neurosurgery departments at 6 hospitals in Taipei, Taiwan.

Main Outcome Measure:

The QOLIBRI.

Results:

Of the 6 subscales of the QOLIBRI, 4 (cognition, self, daily life and autonomy, and social relationships) were unidimensional, valid, and reliable, whereas the remaining 2 (emotions and physical problems) exhibited poor unidimensionality, item and person reliability, and person-item targeting. Five items (energy, concentrating, getting out and about, sex life, and achievements) showed considerable differential item functioning among age groups, disability levels, and time since traumatic brain injury.

Conclusion:

According to item response theory, we identified psychometric issues in the emotions and physical problems subscales of the QOLIBRI as well as several differential item functioning items. Future research is required to determine whether similar results are observed in other language versions of the QOLIBRI or in other countries.