bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Parenting contributors to early emerging problem behaviour in children of mothers in methadone maintenance treatment
Authors: Finger Brent , Jobin Allison , Bernstein Victor J. , Hans Sydney
Published: June 2017

This study explored whether variations in parenting provided by mothers with substance‐abuse disorders are related to behaviour problems in their young children and whether specific parenting practices are associated with specific types of behaviour problems. Mother‐reported and observational assessments were used to examine contributions of parenting behaviour and home environment to internalizing and externalizing behaviour problems in 150 preschool children of mothers receiving methadone‐maintenance treatment for heroin addiction. In multivariate analyses, mother‐reported child externalizing behaviour was related to greater maternal harshness and to mother history of illicit drug use during pregnancy but not other features of substance use and treatment history. Observer‐coded child internalizing behaviour was related to less maternal sensitivity and less provision of learning activities in the home. Additionally, mother report of her own psychopathology symptoms was related to mother‐reported, but not observer‐coded, child internalizing and externalizing problems. Findings suggest that women in substance abuse treatment should receive parenting interventions and that interventions should focus on increasing maternal sensitivity, reducing harshness, and providing children with cognitively stimulating environments. Findings also suggest that the need for attention to ongoing mental health problems of women in substance abuse treatment—both for their own well‐being and the well‐being of their children.

Highlights

This study explored whether variations in parenting provided by mothers with substance‐abuse disorders are related to behavior problems in their young children.

Maternal harshness was related to child externalizing behavior, low sensitivity, and low provision of learning opportunities to child internalizing problems.

Findings suggest that women in substance abuse treatment should be provided access to parenting interventions.
The effects of type of instruction, animacy cues, and dimensionality of objects on the shape bias in 3‐ to 6‐year‐old children
Authors: Davidson Denise , Rainey Vanessa R. , Vanegas Sandra B. , Hilvert Elizabeth
Published: June 2017

Robust evidence exists for the shape bias, or children's tendency to extend novel names and categorize objects more readily on the basis of shape than on other object features. However, issues remain about the conditions that affect the shape bias and its importance as a linguistic device. In this research, we examined how type of instruction (common noun naming,proper noun naming,same kind, andgoes with), animacy of objects (animate, inanimate), and dimensionality of objects (two‐dimensional, three‐dimensional) affect the shape bias in 3‐ to 6‐year‐old children. Overall, all children showed strong use of the shape bias with categorization (same kind, goes with) instructions, the former in line with the shape‐as‐cue theory. Additionally, the shape bias was quite robust in the inanimate condition, regardless of type of instruction or dimensionality of objects. However, in the animate condition, aproper noun naminginstruction coupled with an animate object cue reduced the shape bias across both two‐ and three‐dimensional objects. Implications of these findings are presented.

Highlights

This study assessed the “shape bias,” a linguistic strategy young children routinely use when confronted with the task of extending a novel name from one object to another.

Novel name extension and categorization tasks were used in this study.

Shape bias was affected by the type of instructions, animacy of objects, and dimensionality of objects.
Lucerastat, an Iminosugar for Substrate Reduction Therapy: Pharmacokinetics, Tolerability, and Safety in Subjects With Mild, Moderate, and Severe Renal Function Impairment
Authors: Guérard Nicolas , Zwingelstein Christian , Dingemanse Jasper
Published: June 2017

Lucerastat, an inhibitor of glucosylceramide synthase, has the potential for substrate reduction therapy in glycosphingolipid storage disorders such as Fabry disease. In pharmacokinetic studies in rats, dogs, and healthy subjects, the main route of elimination was renal. The pharmacokinetics, tolerability, and safety of lucerastat were evaluated in subjects with mild (group A), moderate (group B), and severe (group C) renal impairment. Group D included healthy subjects. Thirty‐two subjects (8 per group) were included in this single‐center, open‐label study and received a single oral dose of 1000 mg lucerastat in groups A and B and 500 mg in groups C and D. The degree of renal impairment of the subjects was based on estimated glomerular filtration rate. Plasma lucerastat concentrations (dose‐corrected) were higher in groups B and C compared to group D. The elimination phase half‐life was slower in groups B (9.6 hours) and C (16.1 hours) compared to group D (7.0 hours). Increased exposure to lucerastat was observed in subjects from groups B and C with ratio of geometric means (90%CI) of 1.60 (1.29, 1.98) for group B vs D and 3.17 (2.76, 3.65) for group C vs D. There were no clinically relevant abnormalities in vital signs, 12‐lead electrocardiograms, and clinical laboratory values. Four nonserious adverse events were reported by 4 subjects (1 in group A, 3 in group D). Lucerastat was well tolerated in all dose groups. Dose adjustment is warranted in subjects with moderate and severe renal impairment.
Population Pharmacokinetics of Imatinib in Nigerians With Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: Clinical Implications for Dosing and Resistance
Authors: Adeagbo Babatunde Ayodeji , Olugbade Tiwalade Adewale , Durosinmi Muheez Alani , Bolarinwa Rahman Ayodele , Ogungbenro Kayode , Bolaji Oluseye Oladotun
Published: June 2017

Imatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is the drug of choice for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia in Nigeria. Several studies have established interindividual and interpopulation variations in imatinib disposition although no pharmacokinetic study have been conducted in an African population since the introduction of the drug. This study explored a population pharmacokinetic approach to investigate the disposition of imatinib in Nigerians and examined the involvement of some covariates including genetic factors in the variability of the drug disposition with a view to optimize the use of the drug in this population. A total of 250 plasma concentrations from 126 chronic myeloid leukemia patients were quantified using a validated method. A population pharmacokinetic model was fitted to the data using NONMEM VII software, and the influences of 12 covariates were investigated. The mean population‐derived apparent steady‐state clearance, elimination half‐life, area under the concentration‐time curve over 24 hours, and volume of distribution were 17.2 ± 1.8 L/h., 12.05 ± 2.1 hours, 23.26 ± 0.6 μg·h/mL, and 299 ± 20.4 L, respectively. Whole blood count, ethnicity, CYP3A5*3, and ABCB1 C3435T were found to have significant influence on the apparent clearance, while the interindividual variability in clearance and interoccasion variability in bioavailability were 17.4% and 20.4%, respectively. There was a wide variability in apparent clearance and area under the curve compared to those reported in other populations. Thus, treatment with a standard dose of imatinib in this population may not produce the desired effect in most of the patients, whereas continuous exposure to a low drug concentration could lead to pharmacokinetic‐derived resistance. The authors suggest the need for therapeutic drug monitoring–guided dose individualization in this population.
Disseminated Mycobacterium intracellulare infection with multiple abscesses on extremities in a woman with chronic corticosteroid therapy
Authors: Yaita Kenichiro , Akiyoshi Hisashi , Nakae Ichiro , Kawasaki Yuji , Nakama Kenjiro , Sakai Yoshiro , Masunaga Kenji , Watanabe Hiroshi
Published: June 2017

A 78‐year‐old Japanese woman with rheumatoid arthritis was admitted to our hospital due to fever. She had been prescribed prednisolone and bucillamine. Computed tomography revealed abscesses on extremities. M. intracellulare was cultured from her calcaneus osteomyelitis, and this result pointed to a disseminated mycobacterial infection. We drained the abscesses and found M. intracellulare. We started antimycobacterial agents, but the patient died finally. Disseminated mycobacterial infection is rare but critical, and the possibility of such an infection in an immunocompromised patient should be a prime consideration when choosing appropriate drugs and surgical approaches.
Synthesis of Nitro, Dinitro, and Polynitroalkylamino Derivatives of Trifurazanoxide
Authors: Duddu Raja , Hoare John , Sanchez Peggy , Damavarapu Reddy , Parrish Damon
Published: June 2017

The synthesis and characterization of 3‐chlorocarbohydroxymoyl‐4‐nitro‐1,2,5‐oxadiazole and its transformation to dinitro trifurazanoxide were described for the first time. Synthesis of new amino nitro and trinitroethylamino trifurazanoxide has been presented.
An Efficient Synthesis of Ivacaftor
Authors: Zhang Rui , Han Guanyu , Jiang Luobin , Shen Yao , Yang Rui , Mao Yongjun , Wang Hang
Published: June 2017

New and practical synthetic route of ivacaftor is described on a grams scale. An electrophilic addition of two t‐butyl groups to the aromatic ring is adopted to prepare 5‐amino‐2,4‐di‐t‐butylphenol in 61% yield over three steps with 98.1% purity (high‐performance liquid chromatography). An intramolecular cyclization of ethyl 3‐(2‐aminophenyl)‐3‐oxo‐propanoate with dimethylformamide‐dynamic mechanical analysis is used to prepare 4‐oxo‐1,4‐dihydroquinoline‐3‐carboxylic acid in 54% yield over four steps. Ivacaftor is obtained by condensation of the two parts in 71% yield with 99.1% purity (high‐performance liquid chromatography).
Greater sage‐grouse nest survival in Northwestern Wyoming
Authors: Taylor Jimmy D. , Holt R. Douglas , Orning Elizabeth K. , Young Julie K.
Published: June 2017

Nest survival, along with female survival and chick survival, is the most important vital rates to population growth of greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage‐grouse). We used global positioning system and very high‐frequency transmitters on female sage‐grouse to identify 204 nests and monitor incubation on 5 sites in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming from 2011 to 2014; we determined nest fate and identified predators with camera traps. We used an information‐theoretic approach to compare 6a priorinest survival models. Nest survival was best described by a model that included differences across study sites and ranged from 0.20 ± 0.01 (SE) to 0.56 ± 0.05. Coyotes (Canis latrans) were the apex predator, and coyotes were removed annually by United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Inspection Service, Wildlife Services on 4 of 5 sites to reduce depredation to livestock and big game (removal = 0–0.56 coyotes/km2/site). Coyotes were the greatest contributor to nest failure, followed by common ravens (Corvus corax), abandonment, and female mortality. The direct effect of nest depredation by coyotes was greater than other reported sage‐grouse studies, yet our nest survival rates were consistent with others reported throughout the species range. Coyote removal did not appear to have indirect effects, such as a mesopredator release, on nest survival. Nest survival was least on a site where coyotes and ravens depredated nests at nearly the same rate, and where ravens were observed nesting on infrastructure close to nesting sage‐grouse. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.
Secretory pathway Ca2+‐ATPases promote in vitro microcalcifications in breast cancer cells
Authors: Dang Donna , Prasad Hari , Rao Rajini
Published: June 2017

Calcification of the breast is often an outward manifestation of underlying molecular changes that drive carcinogenesis. Up to 50% of all non‐palpable breast tumors and 90% of ductal carcinoma in situ present with radiographically dense mineralization in mammographic scans. However, surprisingly little is known about the molecular pathways that lead to microcalcifications in the breast. Here, we report on a rapid and quantitative in vitro assay to monitor microcalcifications in breast cancer cell lines, including MCF7, MDA‐MB‐231, and Hs578T. We show that the Secretory Pathway Ca2+‐ATPases SPCA1 and SPCA2 are strongly induced under osteogenic conditions that elicit microcalcifications. SPCA gene expression is significantly elevated in breast cancer subtypes that are associated with microcalcifications. Ectopic expression of SPCA genes drives microcalcifications and is dependent on pumping activity. Conversely, knockdown of SPCA expression significantly attenuates formation of microcalcifications. We propose that high levels of SPCA pumps may initiate mineralization in the secretory pathway by elevating luminal Ca2+. Our new findings offer mechanistic insight and functional implications on a widely observed, yet poorly understood radiographic signature of breast cancer.
On simulation improvement of the Noah_LSM by coupling with a hydrological model using a double‐excess runoff production scheme in the GRAPES_Meso model
Authors: Wang Lili , Chen Dehui , Bao Hongjun , Zhang Ke
Published: June 2017

Land surface models play an important role in simulating mass, energy and momentum exchanges between the atmosphere and land surface in numerical weather prediction systems. The Noah land surface model (Noah_LSM) is adapted to describe the water and energy balance in the GRAPES_Meso model (V4.0). However, the Noah_LSM does not distinguish the infiltration‐excess runoff and the saturation‐excess runoff effects and does not simulate runoff routing, making its applicability limited in China. In this work, the Noah_LSM was improved by incorporating double‐excess runoff production and routing schemes. The double‐excess runoff production scheme is based on the depletion of water storage coupling with the Holtan method. The Muskingum model is used for routing. To evaluate the performance of the improved model, numerical simulations were carried out using the old and improved models to investigate the feedback of changes in the land surface hydrological model to numerical simulations for meteorology. The results demonstrate that the improved land surface hydrological model affects numerical simulations for meteorology in terms of the soil temperature, soil moisture, air temperature and wind speed as well as predicting rainfall events better in terms of the rainfall regime.
Preparation and characterization of glass fiber–reinforced polyethylene terephthalate/linear low density polyethylene (GF‐PET/LLDPE) composites
Authors: Alqaflah Abdulmajeed M. , Alotaibi Muhammad L. , Aldossery Jiyad N. , Alghamdi Mohammed S. , Alsewailem Fares D.
Published: June 2017

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was melt blended with linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and subsequently compounded with glass fibers (GF) as reinforcements at percentages ranging from 15 to 45 wt% of LLDPE and 5 to 30 wt% of GF. Thermal, morphological, and mechanical properties of the prepared composites were investigated. It was found that compounding PET/LLDPE blends with GF would be beneficial in producing composites that are thermally stable with good mechanical properties. For example, the impact strength of the composites containing 85/15 wt% (PET/LLDPE) at relatively high loading of GF, ie, from 15 to 30 wt%, was higher than that of the GF‐reinforced neat PET. When increasing the percentage of LLDPE in the composites, the impact strength increased with increasing GF content, and this was also better than that of GF‐reinforced PET whose impact strength drastically decreased upon increasing the GF%. The improvement in mechanical properties of the composite, we suggest, should be correlated with the morphologies of the composites where the visualized interface adhesion tended to be better at higher loadings of both LLDPE and GF.
iTRAQ‐based proteomics of sunflower cultivars differing in resistance to parasitic weed Orobanche cumana
Authors: Yang Chong , Xu Ling , Zhang Na , Islam Faisal , Song Wenjian , Hu Luyang , Liu Dan , Xie Xiaonan , Zhou Weijun
Published: June 2017

Orobanche cumana is an obligate root parasite causing severe damage to many economically important crops, including sunflowers worldwide. For efficient control measures, it is necessary to understand the resistant mechanism during interaction at molecular level. The present study emphasizes on comparative proteomics to investigate the mechanistic basis of compatible and incompatible interaction of O. cumana with resistant (JY207) and susceptible (TK0409) sunflowers. More than 3500 proteins were identified from two cultivars by iTRAQ analysis. Identified proteins associated with general functions, posttranslational modification, energy production and conversion, carbohydrate transport and metabolism, and signal transduction mechanisms were the most represented category of induced proteins in both cultivars. The resistant interaction was characterized by alteration of defense‐related proteins involved in recognition of parasites, accumulation of pathogenesis‐related proteins, biosynthesis of lignin, and detoxification of toxic metabolites in JY207 after inoculation. The susceptible interaction was characterized by decreased abundance of proteins involved in biosynthesis and signaling of plant growth regulators including auxin, gibberellin, brassinosteroid, and ethylene in TK0409 after inoculation. The present study provides comprehensive details of proteins and differential modulation of pathways regulated under compatible and incompatible interaction, allowing the identification of important molecular components for development of sustainable resistance against this parasite.
Moisture statistics in free convective boundary layers growing into linearly stratified atmospheres
Authors: Mellado Juan Pedro , Puche Marc , van Heerwaarden Chiel C.
Published: June 2017

We use dimensional analysis and direct numerical simulations to characterize specific humidity statistics in the equilibrium (quasi‐steady) entrainment regime of cloud‐free convective boundary layers that grow into linearly stratified free atmospheres. The first three moments and the mean vertical flux are studied for arbitrary combinations of free‐atmosphere lapse‐rates and surface fluxes of buoyancy and specific humidity. First, we find the combination of these parameters that distinguishes between the entrainment‐drying regime and the surface‐moistening regime. We also provide a zero‐order model describing both regimes. Second, we parametrize the variances in the mixed layer and in the entrainment zone separately, based on convective and entrainment‐zone scales, respectively. We show that the large variances in the entrainment zone are not only due to large production rates, but also due to low dissipation rates. Third, we provide the skewness for any regime between the pure drying limit and the pure moistening limit. The variation of the skewness indicates that knowing the sign of the skewness near the surface is often insufficient to distinguish between drying and moistening regimes, in contrast to previous conjectures. In a more general context, this paper further supports the applicability of direct numerical simulations to investigate the atmospheric boundary layer, as inferred from the degree of Reynolds number similarity observed in the results and from the consistency of the derived parametrizations with field measurements.
The influence of noncovalent interactions in metal‐free organic dye molecules to augment the efficiency of dye sensitized solar cells: A computational study
Authors: Biswas Abul Kalam , Das Amitava , Ganguly Bishwajit
Published: June 2017

The efficiency of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) can be enhanced with achieving better planarity of metal‐free organic dye molecules and thinning of their aggregation on the semiconductor surface. We report that the subtle noncovalent N…S interaction between the substituted phosphazene group and thiophene spacer unit in dye molecule which induces the desired planarity and avoid aggregation of such molecules on the TiO2 surface using DFT calculations. DFT results show that phosphazene group increases the maximum absorption wavelength (λmax), driving force for electrons injection (ΔGinjection), singlet excited state lifetime (τ), dipole moments (μnormal), and number of electrons transferred from dye to TiO2 surface (Δq), which are known to augment the efficiency of DSSCs. Further, the lower ΔGregeneration value of phosphazene containing dyes (e.g., –.37 eV, dye 2) than the reported dyes (e.g., –.81 eV, dye 1) indicate the faster electron injection rate from the former dye to the semiconductor TiO2. The role of phosphazene group to prevent the aggregation of dye molecules on the TiO2 anatase surface was also examined with GGA‐PBE/DNP level of theory. The calculated results suggest that the dye molecules on 1‐(TiO2)38 and 2‐(TiO2)38 anatase clusters avoids the aggregation due to the steric congestion induced by phosphazene group. This work reports to accomplish dual properties with subtle noncovalent interactions in dye molecules to augment the efficiency in DSSCs.
Population dynamics of brown trout in a Minnesota (USA) stream: A 25‐year study
Authors: Mundahl N.D.
Published: June 2017

Brown trout (Salmo trutta) were surveyed by mark recapture in a 200‐m section of Gilmore Creek, Minnesota, annually during fall 1989–2013 to assess long‐term trends in abundance. Young‐of‐year (YOY) fish comprised >68% of the population annually, but age 3 and older fish were present in 23 of 25 years. Trout abundance varied irregularly, peaking every 4 to 6 years. Fall densities of YOY brown trout were positively correlated with median annual stream discharge but inversely correlated with 10% exceedance discharge in May, at a nearby gaged stream. Changes in brown trout abundances were synchronized with those of trout in 2 nearby streams. Annual mortality rates (mean = 74%) and sizes of YOY trout were correlated with YOY densities, with high densities (>1.0 fish/m2) producing small size during fall and high cohort mortality. High YOY densities resulted in low proportional size structure‐quality (PSSQ, <20%) 1 and 2 years later. If similar brown trout population dynamics occur in other streams within the region, interpretation of short‐term studies of brown trout (e.g., regulation evaluations, creel surveys, population response to habitat improvement, seasonal movements, and growth rates) may be confounded.
Preference by juvenile Chinese sucker Myxocyprinus asiaticus, for substrate colour in zero versus slow velocity regimes suggest a change in habitat preference of wild juveniles after damming the Yangtze river
Authors: Shi X. , Chen Q. , Kynard B. , Gu X. , Liu D. , Luo J. , Han R.
Published: June 2017

Habitat preference of benthic riverine juvenile Chinese sucker, Myxocyprinus asiaticus, a protected species in China, is poorly understood. This situation makes it difficult to evaluate the potential impacts on juveniles after river alteration. To better understand the impact of damming, we studied preference of cultured juvenile Chinese sucker (7.90–8.55 cm, standard length) for dark versus light substrate colours in 2 velocity regimes: zero velocity (like on a reservoir bottom) and in a slow water current of 0.15–0.19 cm/s (like on the bottom of a slow flowing stream). In the slow current regime, juveniles chose black substrate during the day and night. This likely represents the natural substrate preference by wild suckers in a river. However, in the zero velocity regime, juveniles chose a black substrate during the day, but switched preference to a white substrate at night. The results suggest wild juveniles in the natural Yangtze River have evolved a preference for a black substrate during the day and night. However, after the river was impounded by the Three Gorges Dam and bottom velocity changed to a static regime, juveniles in the reservoir changed substrate colour preference and now prefer a light‐coloured substrate colour at night. Thus, damming likely caused a major behavioural change by juveniles. The adaptive significance and effect on fitness of this change in habitat preference is not known but should be investigated as wild Chinese sucker continue to decline in abundance.
Expansion of Umbilical Cord Blood Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Expressing Cells Generates Myeloid Progenitor Cells that Stimulate Limb Revascularization
Authors: Putman David M. , Cooper Tyler T. , Sherman Stephen E. , Seneviratne Ayesh K. , Hewitt Mark , Bell Gillian I. , Hess David A.
Published: June 2017

Uncompromised by chronic disease-related comorbidities, human umbilical cord blood (UCB) progenitor cells with high aldehyde dehydrogenase activity (ALDHhi cells) stimulate blood vessel regeneration after intra-muscular transplantation. However, implementation of cellular therapies using UCB ALDHhi cells for critical limb ischemia, the most severe form of severe peripheral artery disease, is limited by the rarity (<0.5%) of these cells. Our goal was to generate a clinically-translatable, allogeneic cell population for vessel regenerative therapies, via ex vivo expansion of UCB ALDHhi cells without loss of pro-angiogenic potency. Purified UCB ALDHhi cells were expanded >18-fold over 6-days under serum-free conditions. Consistent with the concept that ALDH-activity is decreased as progenitor cells differentiate, only 15.1% ± 1.3% of progeny maintained high ALDH-activity after culture. However, compared to fresh UCB cells, expansion increased the total number of ALDHhi cells (2.7-fold), CD34+/CD133+ cells (2.8-fold), and hematopoietic colony forming cells (7.7-fold). Remarkably, injection of expanded progeny accelerated recovery of perfusion and improved limb usage in immunodeficient mice with femoral artery ligation-induced limb ischemia. At 7 or 28 days post-transplantation, mice transplanted with expanded ALDHhi cells showed augmented endothelial cell proliferation and increased capillary density compared to controls. Expanded cells maintained pro-angiogenic mRNA expression and secreted angiogenesis-associated growth factors, chemokines, and matrix modifying proteins. Coculture with expanded cells augmented human microvascular endothelial cell survival and tubule formation under serum-starved, growth factor-reduced conditions. Expanded UCB-derived ALDHhi cells represent an alternative to autologous bone marrow as an accessible source of pro-angiogenic hematopoietic progenitor cells for the refinement of vascular regeneration-inductive therapies.
Tailor communication to different population needs
Authors: Sutton Halley
Published: June 2017

MINNEAPOLIS — If you're not tailoring your communication styles and messages to current and prospective students from different generations, you're missing out on a huge opportunity to speak directly to your students' interests and needs. In a session at the recent American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers annual conference, Christopher Cotton, admissions officer at the Baptist College of Health and Sciences, shared strategies for creating individual communications plans to speak to both adult and traditional‐aged students and prospects.
Retrospective Study of the Correlation Between Pathological Tumor Size and Survival After Curative Resection of T3 Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: Proposal for Reclassification of the Tumor Extending Beyond the Pancreas Based on Tumor Size
Authors: Kurata Masanao , Honda Goro , Murakami Yoshiaki , Uemura Kenichiro , Satoi Sohei , Motoi Fuyuhiko , Sho Masayuki , Matsumoto Ippei , Kawai Manabu , Yanagimoto Hiroaki , Fukumoto Takumi , Nagai Minako , Gosho Masahiko , Unno Michiaki , Yamaue Hiroki ,   for the Multicenter Study Group of Pancreatobiliary Surgery (MSG‐PBS)
Published: June 2017

Background

Even though most patients who undergo resection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma have T3 disease with extra‐pancreatic tumor extension, T3 disease is not currently classified by tumor size. The aim of this study was to modify the current TNM classification of pancreatic adenocarcinoma to reflect the influence of tumor size.

Methods

A total of 847 consecutive pancreatectomy patients were recruited from multiple centers. Optimum tumor size cutoff values were calculated by receiver operating characteristics analysis for tumors limited to the pancreas (T1/2) and for T3 tumors. In our modified TNM classification, stage II was divided into stages IIA (T3aN0M0), IIB (T3bN0M0), and IIC (T1‐3bN1M0) using tumor size cutoff values. The usefulness of the new classification was compared with that of the current classification using Akaike’s information criterion (AIC).

Results

The optimum tumor size cutoff value distinguishing T1 and T2 was 2 cm, while T3 was divided into T3a and T3b at a tumor size of 3 cm. The median survival time of the stages IIA, IIB, and IIC were 44.7, 27.6, and 20.3 months, respectively. There were significant differences of survival between stages IIA and IIB (P = 0.02) and between stages IIB and IIC (P = 0.03). The new classification showed better performance compared with the current classification based on the AIC value.

Conclusions

This proposed new TNM classification reflects the influence of tumor size in patients with extra‐pancreatic tumor extension (T3 disease), and the classification is useful for predicting mortality.
Impact of premix antimicrobial preparation and time to administration in septic patients
Authors: Kufel Wesley D. , Seabury Robert W. , Meola Gregory M. , Darko William , Probst Luke A. , Miller Christopher D.
Published: June 2017

Objective

Strategies that reduce the time to antimicrobial administration, such as the availability of premix antimicrobials (PMAs) in the emergency department (ED), may better align with the goals of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign and improve outcomes in septic patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of antimicrobial preparation on time to administration in septic patients located in the emergency department (ED).

Methods

This was a retrospective, single-center, cohort study and adult patients with a diagnosis of sepsis who received at least one initial intravenous (IV) antimicrobial in the ED were included. Time to complete an empiric antimicrobial therapy was defined as the time between prescriber order entry and the infusion initiation time of the final antimicrobial agent of a patient’s antimicrobial regimen. Appropriate, empiric antimicrobial therapy was based on treatment recommendations by nationally accepted guidelines for the specific indication.

Results

The first antimicrobial was initiated earlier when available as a PMA preparation (median (IQR): premix 25 minutes (16.5-42.3) vs. non-premix 46 minutes (20-102), p=0.027). When comparing complete, empiric antimicrobial regimen administration, there was no difference in time to administration between regimens containing one or more non-premix antimicrobials and regimens containing all PMAs (median (IQR): premix 69 minutes (21-115) vs. non-premix 65 minutes (38.5-133.8); p=0.455).

Conclusions

PMA preparations significantly reduced time to administration of the first antimicrobial agent for septic patients treated in the ED, but time to administration of subsequent antimicrobials were not improved.
Healthcare Antibiotic Resistance Prevalence – DC (HARP-DC): A Regional Prevalence Assessment of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in Healthcare Facilities in Washington, District of Columbia
Authors: Reuben Jacqueline , Donegan Nancy , Wortmann Glenn , DeBiasi Roberta , Song Xiaoyan , Kumar Princy , McFadden Mary , Clagon Sylvia , Mirdamadi Janet , White Diane , Harris Jo Ellen , Browne Angella , Hooker Jane , Yochelson Michael , Walker Milena , Little Gary , Jernigan Gail , Hansen Kathleen , Dockery Brenda , Sinatro Brendan , Blaylock Morris , Harmon Kimary , Iyengar Preetha , Wagner Trevor , Nelson Jo Anne ,   HARP Study Team
Published: June 2017

OBJECTIVE

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are a significant clinical and public health concern. Understanding the distribution of CRE colonization and developing a coordinated approach are key components of control efforts. The prevalence of CRE in the District of Columbia is unknown. We sought to determine the CRE colonization prevalence within healthcare facilities (HCFs) in the District of Columbia using a collaborative, regional approach.

DESIGN

Point-prevalence study.

SETTING

This study included 16 HCFs in the District of Columbia: all 8 acute-care hospitals (ACHs), 5 of 19 skilled nursing facilities, 2 (both) long-term acute-care facilities, and 1 (the sole) inpatient rehabilitation facility.

PATIENTS

Inpatients on all units excluding psychiatry and obstetrics-gynecology.

METHODS

CRE identification was performed on perianal swab samples using real-time polymerase chain reaction, culture, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Prevalence was calculated by facility and unit type as the number of patients with a positive result divided by the total number tested. Prevalence ratios were compared using the Poisson distribution.

RESULTS

Of 1,022 completed tests, 53 samples tested positive for CRE, yielding a prevalence of 5.2% (95% CI, 3.9%–6.8%). Of 726 tests from ACHs, 36 (5.0%; 95% CI, 3.5%–6.9%) were positive. Of 244 tests from long-term-care facilities, 17 (7.0%; 95% CI, 4.1%–11.2%) were positive. The relative prevalence ratios by facility type were 0.9 (95% CI, 0.5–1.5) and 1.5 (95% CI, 0.9–2.6), respectively. No CRE were identified from the inpatient rehabilitation facility.

CONCLUSION

A baseline CRE prevalence was established, revealing endemicity across healthcare settings in the District of Columbia. Our study establishes a framework for interfacility collaboration to reduce CRE transmission and infection.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:921–929
Service users’ experiences of mental health tribunals in Ireland: a qualitative analysis
Authors: Murphy R. , McGuinness D. , Bainbridge E. , Brosnan L. , Keys M. , Felzmann H. , Murphy K. , Hallahan B. , Higgins A. , McDonald C.
Published: June 2017

Objectives

To explore the mental health tribunal experiences of people admitted involuntarily under the Mental Health Act 2001.

Methods

Employing a qualitative descriptive study design, data were collected from 23 service users who had experienced mental health tribunals during a recent involuntary admission. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted ~3 months post-revocation of their involuntary admission order. Data were analysed using an inductive thematic process.

Results

The majority of participants reported mixed experiences comprising positive and negative aspects in relation to information provision, emotional support and an inclusive atmosphere. Some participants reported receiving accessible information about the tribunal process, felt emotionally supported throughout, and encountered respectful and dignifying practices during the tribunal proceedings. However, many participants described experiencing non-inclusive practices, reported feeling ill-informed regarding the tribunal process, emotionally unsupported during and after the tribunal, and distressed by what they perceived as adversarial tribunal proceedings.

Conclusions

Systemic changes could ensure that the positive experiences encountered by the minority of participants in this study are more consistently experienced. Ongoing education and training of stakeholders in the provision of inclusive tribunal practices, and the provision of accessible information and emotional support to service users through the stages of the involuntary admission process appear likely to be beneficial. Service users should automatically be offered the option of having a support person of their choosing present during tribunals.
Effect of geometry and Reynolds number on the turbulent separated flow behind a bulge in a channel
Authors: Mollicone J.-P. , Battista F. , Gualtieri P. , Casciola C. M.
Published: June 2017

Turbulent flow separation induced by a protuberance on one of the walls of an otherwise planar channel is investigated using direct numerical simulations. Different bulge geometries and Reynolds numbers – with the highest friction Reynolds number simulation reaching a peak of $Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}=900$ – are addressed to understand the effect of the wall curvature and of the Reynolds number on the dynamics of the recirculating bubble behind the bump. Global quantities reveal that most of the drag is due to the form contribution, whilst the friction contribution does not change appreciably with respect to an equivalent planar channel flow. The size and position of the separation bubble strongly depends on the bump shape and the Reynolds number. The most bluff geometry has a larger recirculation region, whilst the Reynolds number increase results in a smaller recirculation bubble and a shear layer more attached to the bump. The position of the reattachment point only depends on the Reynolds number, in agreement with experimental data available in the literature. Both the mean and the turbulent kinetic energy equations are addressed in such non-homogeneous conditions revealing a non-trivial behaviour of the energy fluxes. The energy introduced by the pressure drop follows two routes: part of it is transferred towards the walls to be dissipated and part feeds the turbulent production hence the velocity fluctuations in the separating shear layer. Spatial energy fluxes transfer the kinetic energy into the recirculation bubble and downstream near the wall where it is ultimately dissipated. Consistently, anisotropy concentrates at small scales near the walls irrespective of the value of the Reynolds number. In the bulk flow and in the recirculation bubble, isotropy is restored at small scales and the isotropy recovery rate is controlled by the Reynolds number. Anisotropy invariant maps are presented, showing the difficulty in developing suitable turbulence models to predict separated turbulent flow dynamics. Results shed light on the processes of production, transfer and dissipation of energy in this relatively complex turbulent flow where non-homogeneous effects overwhelm the classical picture of wall-bounded turbulent flows which typically exploits streamwise homogeneity.
Multivariate and conditioned statistics of velocity and wall pressure fluctuations induced by a jet interacting with a flat plate
Authors: Mancinelli Matteo , Di Marco Alessandro , Camussi Roberto
Published: June 2017

The increasing size of aircraft engines is leading to reconsideration of their conventional integration in the under-wing configuration due to the strong interaction between the jet and the airframe components. As a consequence, more insight is needed into the complex mechanisms underlying the interaction phenomenon between the jet flow and a surface. The objective of this paper is to carry out a series of experimental tests on a simplified laboratory-scale model to approach/deepen the problem. This analysis is the continuation of a previous study (Di Marco et al., J. Fluid Mech., vol. 770, 2015, pp. 247–272) on a rigid flat plate installed tangentially to the axis of an incompressible jet. In the present work, the velocity and wall pressure fields were simultaneously measured for different radial distances of the plate from the nozzle axis. Pointwise hot-wire anemometer measurements were carried out to characterize the effect of the plate on the velocity field statistics up to the fourth-order moment. The analysis revealed that the presence of the plate brings about a deflection of the mean aerodynamic field over the surface and a reduction of the turbulence intensity. Wall pressure fluctuations induced by the jet flow over the plate were measured by a linear array of cavity-mounted microphones placed along the streamwise direction. The velocity/pressure cross-statistics are achieved in the time and frequency domains using cross-correlations and Fourier analysis. A wavelet-based conditional sampling procedure is applied as well to characterize the flow signatures related to the velocity and wall pressure fluctuations, revealing that the surface induces the breakdown of the large-scale turbulent structures. The dependence of the multivariate and conditioned statistics on the plate distance from the jet as well as on the streamwise and crosswise probe positions is extensively discussed. Different organized flow motions over the surface are found based on the wall pressure events detected. A scaling criterion for velocity signatures is also presented addressing the governing parameters of the jet–plate interaction phenomenon.
Self-similarity of wall-attached turbulence in boundary layers
Authors: Baars Woutijn J. , Hutchins Nicholas , Marusic Ivan
Published: June 2017

An assessment of the turbulent boundary layer flow structure, which is coherent with the near-wall region, is carried out through a spectral coherence analysis. This spectral method is applied to datasets comprising synchronized two-point streamwise velocity signals at a near-wall reference position and a range of wall-normal positions spanning a Reynolds-number range $Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}\sim O(10^{3}){-}O(10^{6})$. Within each dataset, a self-similar structure is identified from the coherence between the turbulence in the logarithmic region and at the near-wall reference position. This self-similarity is described by a streamwise/wall-normal aspect ratio of $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}_{x}/z\approx 14$, where $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}_{x}$ and $z$ are the streamwise wavelength and wall-normal distance respectively.
Expressing harmonic sums as fractions
Authors: Jameson G. J. O.
Published: June 2017

As usual, write

In [1], it is shown, by an elegant method, that for all n ⩾ 2, Hn is not an integer. The method can be traced back at least to [2, Exercise 251, p. 159]. Actually, rather more is shown: if Hn is expressed as a fraction an/bn in its lowest terms, then for all n ⩾ 2, bn is even. One way of looking at this is to say that once the term has entered the sum, the factor 2 persists in the denominator from then on. This suggests the following question:

(Q1) for primes p ⩾ 3, is bn a multiple of p for all n ⩾ p?

and more generally:

(Q2) for any prime p, is bn a multiple of pm for all n ⩾ pm?

In other words, once 1/pm has entered the sum, does the factor pm persist in the denominator?

Let dn denote the lowest common multiple of 1, 2, … , n. This number can be described as follows: for each prime p ⩽ n, let mp be the largest integer m such that pm ⩽ n. Then . Hence a positive answer to (Q2) would imply that bn simply equals dn.
Some alternative derivations of Craig's formula
Authors: Stewart Seán M.
Published: June 2017

In the performance of digital communication systems over fading channels, the error analysis is typically modelled using a Gaussian probability distribution. One function central to the analysis is what engineers routinely refer to as the (Gaussian) Q-function and is defined by

1

This is the canonical representation used for the function. In this paper a number of derivations of an important alternative representation for the Q-function known as Craig's formula will be given.
From Arlecchino to Wertmuller: modern Italian archetypes in the commedia all’italiana
Authors: Lawrence-Doyle Georgia
Published: June 2017

This article explores the trajectory of the Italian comic archetype, ‘The Opportunist’, and how it illuminates, and allows us to draws connections between, numerous junctures of modern Italian history. The caricature ‘Arlecchino’, deriving from the masked ‘types’ of the commedia dell’arte of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, is an historic exemplar of the Italian ‘everyman’ who simultaneously evades and exploits the established order in order to ‘get by’, ‘get ahead’ and survive. Filmmakers of la commedia all’italiana such as Mario Monicelli, Dino Risi and Lina Wertmuller, employed this caricature of the wily – yet ultimately harmless – petty crook in their work. They did so not in order to reinforce prejudices of Italians as self-serving and apathetic, but in order to examine what it meant to ‘survive’ 20 years of Fascism and the socio-political turmoil of post-war Italy. Examining how this caricature has historically evolved according to its ever-shifting social milieu illuminates not only certain defining moments of Italian history, but also how this archetype has contributed to popular understandings about Italy’s past and its people.
Radiocarbon Ecology of the Land Snail Helix Melanostoma in Northeastern Libya
Authors: Hill E A , Reimer P J , Hunt C O , Prendergast A L , Barker G W
Published: June 2017

Terrestrial gastropods are problematical for radiocarbon (14C) measurement because they tend to incorporate carbon from ancient sources as a result of their dietary behavior. The 14C ecology of the pulmonate land snail, Helix melanostoma in Cyrenaica, northeastern Libya, was investigated as part of a wider study on the potential of using terrestrial mollusk shell for 14C dating of archaeological deposits. H. melanostoma was selected out of the species available in the region as it has the most predictable 14C ecology and also had a ubiquitous presence within the local archaeology. The ecological observations indicate that H. melanostoma has a very homogenous 14C ecology with consistent variations in F14C across sample sites controlled by availability of dietary vegetation. The majority of dated specimens from non-urbanized sample locations have only a small old-carbon effect, weighted mean of 476±48 14C yr, with between ~1% and 9% of dietary F14C from non-organic carbonate sources. Observed instabilities in the 14C ecology can all be attributed to the results of intense human activity not present before the Roman Period. Therefore, H. melanostoma and species with similar ecological behavior are suitable for 14C dating of archaeological and geological deposits with the use of a suitable offset.
The Impact of Economic Crises on Political Representation in Public Communication: Evidence from the Eurozone
Authors: Weschle Simon
Published: June 2017

External threats such as war have been shown to disrupt representation as politicians ‘put politics aside’ and cooperate across cleavages. This article examines whether a severe economic crisis can have a similar effect. It introduces a new approach that provides a spatial representation of how political parties represent societal actors in their public interactions, based on more than 140,000 machine coded news events from eleven eurozone countries between 2001 and 2011. The study shows that in bad economic times, there is a compression of political representation: parties’ relationships with the societal groups they are closest to become less cooperative, while their relationships with the groups they are least close to become less conflictual.