bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modified oil film force model for investigating motion characteristics of rotor-bearing system
Authors: He Hong-jun , Jing Jianping
Published: May 2014

The oil film force induced from bearings has a direct influence on the stable operation of a rotor system because the change in motion characteristics will lead to variation of the oil film force. An accurate oil film force model is therefore critical to predict the motion characteristic state of a rotor system. The linear oil film force model and the Muszynska model are employed by many scholars to predict linear force and nonlinear oil film force respectively. When the rotor system has a larger eccentricity ratio, the changing law of the rotor system is not predicted by the Muszynska model. In this paper an improved oil film force model is developed for the motion changing law. This model is based on short bearing assumption with the turbulence effect and rotor motion equation included. The motion law is well described by this model. In particular the dynamic characteristics can be described well by the modified model. To verify the simulation results of the modified model, an experiment is carried out. Finally, there is a comparison between theoretical and experimental results and it is found that the theoretical results are in good agreement with the experimental results. This paper provides a reference for further research of the motion changing law of rotor systems.
Putting Health Back Into Health Insurance Choice
Authors: Atanasov Pavel , Baker Tom
Published: May 2014

What are the barriers to voluntary take-up of high-deductible plans? We address this question using a large-scale employer survey conducted after an open-enrollment period in which a new high-deductible plan was first introduced. Only 3% of the employees chose this plan, despite the respondents’ recognition of its financial advantages. Employees who believed that the high-deductible plan provided access to top physicians in the area were three times more likely to choose it than employees who did not share this belief. A framed field experiment using a similar choice menu showed that displaying additional financial information did not increase high-deductible plan take-up. However, when plans were presented as identical except for the deductible, respondents were highly likely to choose the high-deductible plan, especially in a two-way choice. These results suggest that informing plan choosers about high-deductible plans’ health access provisions may affect choice more strongly than focusing on their financial advantages.
Does Favorable Selection Among Medicare Advantage Enrollees Affect Measurement of Hospital Readmission Rates?
Authors: Wong Edwin S. , Hebert Paul L. , Maciejewski Matthew L. , Perkins Mark , Bryson Chris L. , Au David H. , Liu Chuan-Fen
Published: May 2014

Literature indicates favorable selection among Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollees compared with fee-for-service (FFS) enrollees. This study examined whether favorable selection into MA affected readmission rates among Medicare-eligible veterans following hospitalization for congestive heart failure in the Veterans Affairs Health System (VA). We measured total (VA + Medicare FFS) 30-day all-cause readmission rates across hospitals and all of VA. We used Heckman’s correction to adjust readmission rates to be representative of all Medicare-eligible veterans, not just FFS-enrolled veterans. The adjusted all-cause readmission rate among FFS veterans was 27.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 26.5% to 27.7%), while the adjusted readmission rate among Medicare-eligible veterans was 25.3% (95% CI = 23.6% to 27.1%) after correcting for favorable selection. Readmission rate estimates among FFS veterans generalize to all Medicare-eligible veterans only after accounting for favorable selection into MA. Estimation of quality metrics should carefully consider sample selection to produce valid policy inferences.
The digital transformation of human identity
Authors: Nagy Peter , Koles Bernadett
Published: May 2014

The current article explores patterns of identity development in virtual worlds, with the aim of introducing a conceptual model of virtual identity. Despite the rapid spread of virtual environments, no model has been developed to date that fully captures this complex entity. Rather than taking a purely social approach, as has been the dominant trend in most prior work, the structural elements used in this current framework incorporate several dimensions and approaches identity as a conglomerate of personal, social, relational and material aspects. Building on an extensive body of the available literature, with the current conceptual model, we intend to provide a comprehensive base on which to further expand theoretically as well as empirically in future work-related concerning identity in virtual worlds.
Be my guest! Challenges and practical solutions of undertaking interviews with children in the home setting
Authors: Coad Jane , Gibson Faith , Horstman Maire , Milnes Linda , Randall Duncan , Carter Bernie
Published: May 2014

This article aims to share critical debate on undertaking interviews with children in the home setting and draws on the authors’ extensive research fieldwork. The article focuses on three key processes: planning entry to the child’s home, conducting the interviews and exiting the field. In planning entry, we include children’s engagement and issues of researcher gender. In conducting the interviews, we consider issues such as the balance of power, the importance of building a rapport, the voluntary nature of consent and the need for a flexible interview structure. Finally, we address exiting from the child’s home with sensitivity at the end of the interview and/or research study. Undertaking research in the child’s home provides a known and familiar territory for the child, but it means that the researcher faces a number of challenges that require solutions whilst they are a guest in a child’s home.
Sustainability, cognitive technologies and the digital semiosphere
Authors: Bruni Luis E.
Published: May 2014

The convergence of digital and multimodal cognitive technologies offers the possibility to interact in an ‘on-line’ cultural process mediated by new ways of representing our thoughts, emotions, ideas, beliefs, opinions and behaviours. Such technological integration not only alters and introduces innovations in the interactive and representational modes of networked media, perhaps inducing changes in our cognitive functions, but also conditions the global cultural dynamics by potentially organizing, funnelling, tagging and ‘semantically’ predigesting knowledge through the ‘intelligent’ digital technosphere. The ecology of ideas in such complex and accelerating semiotic space will present highly contradictory and dissonant tendencies in cultural processes. This may pose great difficulties for individuals, communities and whole cultural layers when trying to reconcile such tendencies with a sustainable direction that does not disrupt the life-support systems and the cognitive (and physiological) health of individuals and communities.
Genre, culture and the semiosphere: New Horror cinema and post-9/11
Authors: Ndalianis Angela
Published: May 2014

What has been labelled ‘New Horror’ cinema has opened up its boundaries to incorporate signs specific to social and political events that accompanied and followed the events of 9/11. The reality of terror is transported into the fictional universe of horror. This article presents an interpretation of New Horror cinema using Yuri Lotman’s theory of the semiosphere and Wilma Clark’s extension of his theory in order to engage in a critical rethinking of how genres intersect with culture. The primary focus is on contemporary horror films that function as allegories that address post-9/11 and, in turn, to apply Lotman’s theory of the semiosphere and the concept of cultural ‘explosions’ to account for the generic shifts that have transformed the structure of the horror genre.
Morabeza, cash or body: Prison, violence and the state in Praia, Cape Verde
Authors: Zoettl Peter Anton
Published: May 2014

In the past decade, Cape Verde has been facing severe and growing problems of youth delinquency and gang-related violence. The state has reacted to this challenge mainly with a securitization politics, expanding and modernizing its security forces. As a result, the Cape Verdean prison population has more than doubled over the same period. In the capital city of Praia, more and more youths from the disadvantaged periphery find themselves behind bars, serving long sentences for mostly drug- and gang-related crimes, in what seems to be a replication of the experience of many Cape Verdean immigrants in Portugal and elsewhere. In a personal fieldwork account, the article sketches out parallels between the experiences of immigrant youth in Portugal and marginalized youth in Cape Verde, and discusses the way the Cape Verdean state is presently dealing with the phenomenon of ‘youth delinquency’. Essentialist notions of the country’s supposed culture of ‘ morabeza’ (gentleness) are confronted with actual patterns of symbolic and physical violence, revealing a persistent unwillingness of Cape Verdean public discourse to face up to the country’s growing structural socioeconomic disequilibrium.
Celebrity advocacy and public engagement: The divergent uses of celebrity
Authors: Markham Tim
Published: May 2014

This article sounds a cautionary note about the instrumental use of celebrity advocacy to (re)engage audiences in public life. It begins by setting out the steps necessary to achieve public recognition of a social problem requiring a response. It then presents empirical evidence which suggests that those most interested in celebrity, while also paying attention to the main stories of the day, are least likely to participate in any form of politics. However, this does not rule out the possibility of forging a link between celebrity and public engagement, raising questions about what would potentially sustain such an articulation. After discussing the broader cultural context of celebrity advocacy, in which perceived authenticity functions as a valorised form of symbolic capital, the article outlines a phenomenological approach to understanding the uses audiences make of celebrity advocacy, using the example of a Ewan McGregor UNICEF appeal for illustration. It concludes that while media encounters with celebrities can underpin a viewer’s sense of self, this is as likely to lead to the rationalisation of inaction as a positive response to a charity appeal.
The role of celebrities in mediating distant suffering
Authors: Scott Martin
Published: May 2014

How effective are celebrities, not just in helping to draw attention to distant suffering, but in actually regulating spectators’ mediated experiences of the lives of distant strangers? What function does the perceived authenticity of a celebrity play in their role as mediator? This article seeks to address such questions by analysing the results of an audience study involving two phases of focus groups separated by a two-month diary study. The results show that celebrities certainly help to shape our mediated experiences of distant suffering – but not always in the ways and to the extent we might expect. What is clear is that celebrities are generally ineffective in cultivating a cosmopolitan engagement with distant suffering.
Hopes of hospitality: Media, refugee crisis and the politics of a place
Authors: Nikunen Kaarina
Published: May 2014

The article investigates the relevance of geographical imagination in refugee politics in the Mediterranean coast. It is based on empirical research conducted in Calabria, southern Italy, in a small village that in 1997 decided to host over 300 refugees that shipwrecked on its coast. By welcoming refugees the village, Badolato, appropriated politics of hospitality to gain new cultural and economic value for the village that was suffering from high unemployment rates and an ageing population. The story, exceptional as it was, soon attracted international media to cover the story of Badolato. The article depicts developments in the village over the course of 14 years and shows the force and changes over time of media publicity in the process. It points out the relevance of media for the process of geographical imagination and the contradictory and complex implications of the process.
The Eurozone crisis in light of the Latin American experience
Authors: Vuolo Rubén Lo
Published: May 2014

Many scholars have looked for similarities between the recent crisis in the Eurozone and the crises that have occurred in the past in developing countries and particularly in Latin America. Problems of balance of payments, public debt, overvaluation of the exchange rate and unregulated capital inflows are frequently mentioned to compare common features of different crisis events. Additionally, Continental European countries are following similar processes of welfare state retrenchment and labour market segmentation to Latin American cases in the past, but in different institutional contexts and with different levels of economic development. This article will discuss common features of past Latin American crises and the current crisis in the Eurozone in order to show how such a comparison could help to manage (and avoid) crises in an integrated financial world as well as to teach how a faulty institutional design can arise from a defective understanding of how financial capitalism works in a complex internationally integrated economic system.
High-altitude mountaineering made safer
Authors: Sumann Günther , Hochholzer Thomas , Faulhaber Martin , Burtscher Martin
Published: May 2014

Mountains all over the world are attracting a steadily growing number of visitors due to the increasing number of cheap flights; the construction of new roads, railways, and cable cars; and commercial offers of trekking tours and expeditions to attempt even the world's highest peaks. However, one must not forget that mountains are typically inhospitable areas characterised by cold and hypoxic environments and rapidly changing weather and track conditions associated with a relatively high risk of accidents and emergencies. Beside the objective hazards, subjective hazards, for example physical fitness and health status, mountaineering skills, and equipment, contribute substantially to the risk. Whereas in some regions, for example the Alps, rescue operations and medical emergency interventions can be performed rapidly and effectively, this is absolutely not the case in most of the very remote areas and on very high mountains. Therefore, the understanding of the risk associated with the various modes of mountaineering as well as knowledge about how to optimise prevention is of the utmost importance. Ultimately, it is the informed mountaineer who has to decide whether the risks are acceptable or not. Continuing joint efforts of scientists, medical and alpine institutions, expedition organisers, and mountaineers will help to make high-altitude mountaineering safer.
Pareto multi-objective optimum design of vehicle-suspension system under random road excitations
Authors: Jamali A , Shams H , Fasihozaman M
Published: May 2014

This work presents a new framework by integrating some recent methods in the fields of road and vehicle modeling and optimization for multi-objective optimization of a passive vehicle model capable of estimating vehicle performance in facing random road excitation. To achieve this purpose, simulation of an actual random road power spectral density is employed, and a five-degree of freedom half-car model, capable of approximating vehicle performance, is developed. Furthermore, with the aid of stochastic theory, criteria of vehicle performance, including ride comfort (acceleration of seat) and road holding (working space and vertical tyre velocity), are calculated in terms of root mean square. These criteria are applied as objective functions in multi-objective uniform-diversity genetic algorithm optimization of the vehicle model. Based on different performance criteria, several design points are chosen from Pareto front, and frequency responses of those designs are depicted. Comparison between results of current work and those reported in a single-objective optimization study delineates a considerable improvement in the performance of the vehicle-vibration model. It is concluded from the obtained results that the proposed framework enables designers to select proper primary designs as a basis of later design stages with regard to the priority of desired performance criteria.
Is innovation a useful concept for arts and humanities research?
Authors: Gulbrandsen Magnus , Aanstad Siri
Published: May 2014

This article argues that innovation may constitute a useful perspective on the link between society and arts and humanities research. Innovation is here seen as ‘something new put into practical use’, and there are two reasons why it can be relevant for humanities. First, there has been an expansion of what innovation refers to; it is now commonly used for non-economic change processes in public, private and non-profit organisations. Second, arts and humanities are not unique in their contribution to innovation: good teaching, research, dissemination and external relations are the central contributions for all university disciplines. But this does not mean that it is easy to promote innovation at universities in general and in arts and humanities in particular. Through examples from a historical case study at the University of Oslo, different tensions are analysed related to indicators, infrastructure, teaching versus research and quality. All these need to be handled in such a way as to avoid fruitless conflicts, misunderstandings and poorly designed policies and university strategies .
Action research as a method for changing patient education practice in a clinical diabetes setting
Authors: Voigt Jane R , Hansen Ulla M , Glindorf Mette , Poulsen Rie , Willaing Ingrid
Published: May 2014

Action research is potentially a useful method for changing clinical practice by involving practitioners in the process of change. The aim of this study was to explore the utility of action research in bridging the gap between research and practice. Diabetes educators in collaboration with researchers developed and implemented a participatory, group-based diabetes education program in a diabetes clinic in the Danish health care system. The research process included a variety of qualitative methods: workshops, classroom observations, video recordings and semi-structured interviews. These methods aimed at obtaining contextual sensitivity, allowing dynamic interactions with educators and people with diabetes. Despite challenges, the study demonstrates how action research methods contribute to development and change of diabetes education practice while simultaneously adding knowledge to the action research community.
Technical Perspectives on Theory in Screen-Based Virtual Reality Environments
Authors: Ausburn Lynna J. , Ausburn Floyd B.
Published: May 2014

The Problem

Human resource development (HRD) functions in a world of exploding technology to which it has responded by developing virtual HRD (VHRD). Through appropriate technology, VHRD can lead organizations into more effective learning, both formal and informal. Screen-based virtual reality environments (SVREs) are well suited as a platform for this learning advancement. However, many HRD professionals may be unfamiliar with the technical theories underpinning SVRE design. Understanding these theories is important for using this technology effectively.

The Solution

This article offers HRD professionals an introduction to SVREs and the technical theory inherent within their design, and discusses implications of SVREs for learning and VHRD. It also describes the Theory U leadership model as a framework for researching and using SVREs in VHRD.

The Stakeholders

This article is aimed at both VHRD researchers and practitioners. It encourages researcher/practitioner partnerships as an appropriate strategy for developing, evaluating, and applying this technology.
Thermodynamics of aerogel-treated nonwoven fabrics at subzero temperatures
Authors: Venkataraman Mohanapriya , Mishra Rajesh , Jasikova Darina , Kotresh TM , Militky Jiri
Published: May 2014

Nonwoven fabrics and aerogel have complementary properties required for good thermal insulation. In this work, the polyester/polyethylene nonwoven thermal wraps treated with amorphous silica aerogel are studied and characterized with regard to thermodynamical properties at subzero temperatures. The characterization of physical structure was done by scanning electron microscope. C-Therm TCi thermal conductivity analyzer was used to measure thermal properties like conductivity, resistance, and effusivity at subzero temperatures. Heat transfer caused by convection through the thermal wraps was measured by particle image velocimetry technique, which allows obtaining information about the current distribution of velocities in two-dimensional array in a flowing fluid. Vector and scalar maps of the fluid flow were caused by thermal convection. The samples were studied for different temperature gradients. On scientific evaluation of results, thermal conductivity and thermal effusivity were found to be differing with respect to different temperatures and fabric density. Thermal resistance showed an increase as the fabric thickness increases. It was observed that fabric density and the aerogel present in the structures have a significant effect on thermal properties of aerogel-treated nonwoven fabrics. The findings in this study are significant and can be used for further research in aerogel-treated nonwoven fabrics.
Endograft connector technique to treat popliteal artery aneurysm in a morbid obese patient
Authors: Pecoraro Felice , Bajardi Guido , Dinoto Ettore , Vitale Gaetano , Bellisi Mario , Bracale Umberto Marcello
Published: May 2014

Surgical repair of popliteal artery aneurysm in morbid obese patients poses additional challenges. We report a morbid obese patient who had a 59 mm right popliteal artery aneurysm which was successfully treated with the endograft connector technique. This technique was used to perform the distal anastomosis of the below-knee femoro-popliteal bypass. A 10 mm Dacron graft was used as a main graft bypass and an 11 mm/10 cm stentgraft as endograft connector. Following the respective tunnel of the Dacron graft, an end-to-side proximal anastomosis was performed at distal femoral artery. The aneurysm exclusion was obtained through a proximal and a distal ligation. Postoperative duplex showed adequate bypass patency. Knee x-rays demonstrated no signs of stent kinking/fractures. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged home on fourth day post operative. The six-month computed tomography scan and the 12-month duplex control showed a patent bypass with no signs of stenosis.
‘Red Fury’: Historical memory and Spanish football
Authors: Camino Mercedes
Published: May 2014

Known affectionately as ‘La Roja’ (‘The Red One’), the Spanish national football team has had a trajectory that is inextricably linked with the country’s historical and political events. The ‘historical memory’ of this convoluted historical period also infuses the history of the sport itself in Spain and is thoroughly marked by the authoritarian regime that governed the country at the time (1939–1975). This is a history that is indelibly marked by the military coup led by Francisco Franco and the dictatorship that followed it, which remain contested ground in twenty-first-century Spain. It is this historical amalgamation, this article will argue, that makes Spanish football an exemplary arena from which to observe the processes of memorialising and coming to terms with a divisive past.
Building food safety into the company culture: a look at Maple Leaf Foods
Authors: Jespersen Lone , Huffman Randy
Published: May 2014

Maple Leaf Foods learned a hard lesson following its tragic 2008 Listeria outbreak that ended up taking the lives of 23 Canadians. The organization has since 2008 transformed its commitment to food safety with a strong drive and manifest in embedding sustainable food safety behaviours into the existing company culture. Its focus on combining technical risk analysis with behavioural sciences has led to the development and deployment of a food safety strategy deeply rooted in the company values and management commitment. Using five tactics described in this article the organization has been on a journey towards food safety transformation through adoption of best practices for people and systems. The approach to food safety has been one where food safety is treated as a non-competitive issue and Maple Leaf Foods have been open to sharing learning about what happened and how the organization will continue to take a leadership position in food safety to continuously raise the bar for food safety across the industry. Maple Leaf Foods has benefited tremendously by learning about best practice from numerous companies in North America and around the world. The authors believe this brief story will bring value to others as we continue to learn and improve.
Empowerment in the field of health promotion: recognizing challenges in working toward equity
Authors: Berry Nicole S. , Murphy Jill , Coser Larissa
Published: May 2014

Over the last 25 years, the language of empowerment has been woven into the guiding missions and descriptions of institutions, funding and projects globally. Although theoretical understandings of empowerment within the domain of health promotion remain contentious, we have little idea of how a shift toward an empowerment agenda has affected the daily work of those in the field of health promotion. A systematic examination of the implementation of the empowerment agenda is important as it can help us understand how redistributive agendas are received within the multiple institutional contexts in which health promotion work is carried out. The goal of this study, therefore, was to try to understand the empowerment agenda within the context of everyday health promotion. We conducted semi-structured interviews with health promoters from a variety of geographical regions, institutional backgrounds, and job capacities. Essentially we found that empowerment remains conceptually dear to health promoters’ understanding of their work, yet at the same time, mainstreaming empowerment is at odds with central trends and initiatives that govern this work. We argue that many of the stumbling blocks that have hindered this specific agenda are actually central stumbling blocks for the wider field of health promotion. We examine some of the barriers to implementing transformational change. Overcoming the primary limitations uncovered in this exploration of empowerment is actually crucial to progressive work in health promotion in general, particularly work that would seek to lessen inequities.
Case review in urology multidisciplinary team meetings: What members think of its functioning
Authors: Sarkar Somita , Arora Sonal , Lamb Benjamin W , Green James SA , Sevdalis Nick , Darzi Ara
Published: May 2014

Objective:

To improve communication and decision making between specialists, multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) were introduced with the premise they would improve cancer care for patients. Minimal evidence exists on MDT functionality. We investigated MDT members’ views on barriers to optimal functioning and explored their suggestions for improvements.

Materials and methods:

Twenty urology MDT members from seven hospitals including surgeons, oncologists, pathologists, radiologists and clinical nurse specialists took part in a semi-structured interview study. Interviews focused on information presentation, case discussion, factors affecting the multidisciplinary team meeting (MDM) and potential improvements. Interviews were transcribed and analysed through emergent theme analysis.

Results:

Factors negatively influencing the MDMs included insufficient time to prepare cases so that enough information is available to make appropriate decisions; absence of the clinician in charge or not knowing the patient; and lack of a systematic approach to case discussion. Recommendations included protected time for case preparation, focusing on performance and comorbidities of the patient, standardising the MDT meeting and improving case selection.

Conclusions:

MDTs in urology have contributed to advances in cancer care but there is significant scope for further improvement. Implementing recommendations from team members on the front line may help drive quality in this sensitive domain.
In Search of the Aboriginal Self
Authors: Robertson Lloyd Hawkeye
Published: May 2014

Notions of aboriginal cultural reclamation and healing presuppose the existence of distinctly aboriginal selves that were damaged or lost in a process of colonization and that those selves can be “restored” in some meaningful way. Such aboriginal healing has been done without a detailed examination of the selves of individuals to be assisted in this manner. This article examines the selves of four contemporary individuals with varying relationships to the concept of aboriginality using a method of mapping the self with elemental units of culture called “memes.” It is suggested that a spectrum of healthy selves is possible for people who either identify with aboriginality culturally or satisfy a racial definition of the concept. The co-evolution of the self and culture is discussed along with the utility of various definitions of what it means to be aboriginal in a North American context.
Managing the potential and pitfalls during clinical translation of emerging stem cell therapies
Authors: Main Heather , Munsie Megan , O’Connor Michael D
Published: May 2014

We are moving into a new era of stem cell research where many possibilities for treatment of degenerative, chronic and/or fatal diseases and injuries are becoming primed for clinical trial. These reports have led millions of people worldwide to hope that regenerative medicine is about to revolutionise biomedicine: either through transplantation of cells grown in the laboratory, or by finding ways to stimulate a patient's intrinsic stem cells to repair diseased and damaged organs. While major contributions of stem cells to drug discovery, safety and efficacy testing, as well as modelling ‘diseases in a dish’ are also expected, it is the in vivo use of stem cells that has captured the general public's attention. However, public misconceptions of stem cell potential and applications can leave patients vulnerable to the influences of profit driven entities selling unproven treatments without solid scientific basis or appropriate clinical testing or follow up. This review provides a brief history of stem cell clinical translation together with an overview of the properties, potential, and current clinical application of various stem cell types. In doing so it presents a clearer picture of the inherent risks and opportunities associated with stem cell research translation, and thus offers a framework to help realise invested expectations more quickly, safely and effectively.
Overcoming the translational roadblocks: a cancer care and research model
Authors: Braun Lauren , Daudt Helena ML , Watson Peter
Published: May 2014

There are many challenges to the process of translating the knowledge gained in the laboratory into new clinical approaches that can meet the needs of patients, clinicians and the wider community. We describe here an initiative that has borrowed concepts and principles from participatory research to produce a new process embedded in a cancer center aiming to facilitate translational research and overcome the three translational roadblocks. The centre‐wide project named Personal Response Determinants in Cancer Therapy (PREDICT) operates with the support of the centre's leadership, staff, volunteers and patients to contribute to current and future cancer research successes. We describe the different phases of the project, the current structure and lessons learned during its evolution, highlighting how PREDICT contributes to translational research and its linkage to participatory research concepts. Despite the contextualized nature of the PREDICT initiative, we believe that the framework developed for the project has the potential to help other clinical centers to overcome the translational research roadblocks.
Introducing an osteopathic approach into neonatology ward: the NE-O model
Authors: Cerritelli Francesco , Martelli Marta , Renzetti Cinzia , Pizzolorusso Gianfranco , Cozzolino Vincenzo , Barlafante Gina
Published: May 2014

Background

Several studies showed the effect of osteopathic manipulative treatment on neonatal care in reducing length of stay in hospital, gastrointestinal problems, clubfoot complications and improving cranial asymmetry of infants affected by plagiocephaly. Despite several results obtained, there is still a lack of standardized osteopathic evaluation and treatment procedures for newborns recovered in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The aim of this paper is to suggest a protocol on osteopathic approach (NE-O model) in treating hospitalized newborns.

Methods

The NE-O model is composed by specific evaluation tests and treatments to tailor osteopathic method according to preterm and term infants’ needs, NICU environment, medical and paramedical assistance. This model was developed to maximize the effectiveness and the clinical use of osteopathy into NICU.

Results

The NE-O model was adopted in 2006 to evaluate the efficacy of OMT in neonatology. Results from research showed the effectiveness of this osteopathic model in reducing preterms’ length of stay and hospital costs. Additionally the present model was demonstrated to be safe.

Conclusion

The present paper defines the key steps for a rigorous and effective osteopathic approach into NICU setting, providing a scientific and methodological example of integrated medicine and complex intervention.
Phenotypic and metabolic traits of commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts
Authors: Barbosa Catarina , Lage Patrícia , Vilela Alice , Mendes-Faia Arlete , Mendes-Ferreira Ana
Published: May 2014

Currently, pursuing yeast strains that display both a high potential fitness for alcoholic fermentation and a favorable impact on quality is a major goal in the alcoholic beverage industry. This considerable industrial interest has led to many studies characterizing the phenotypic and metabolic traits of commercial yeast populations. In this study, 20Saccharomyces cerevisiaestrains from different geographical origins exhibited high phenotypic diversity when their response to nine biotechnologically relevant conditions was examined. Next, the fermentation fitness and metabolic traits of eight selected strains with a unique phenotypic profile were evaluated in a high-sugar synthetic medium under two nitrogen regimes. Although the strains exhibited significant differences in nitrogen requirements and utilization rates, a direct relationship between nitrogen consumption, specific growth rate, cell biomass, cell viability, acetic acid and glycerol formation was only observed under high-nitrogen conditions. In contrast, the strains produced more succinic acid under the low-nitrogen regime, and a direct relationship with the final cell biomass was established. Glucose and fructose utilization patterns depended on both yeast strain and nitrogen availability. For low-nitrogen fermentation, three strains did not fully degrade the fructose.

This study validates phenotypic and metabolic diversity among commercial wine yeasts and contributes new findings on the relationship between nitrogen availability, yeast cell growth and sugar utilization. We suggest that measuring nitrogen during the stationary growth phase is important because yeast cells fermentative activity is not exclusively related to population size, as previously assumed, but it is also related to the quantity of nitrogen consumed during this growth phase.
Impact of the diagnostic changes to post-traumatic stress
disorder for DSM-5 and the proposed changes to ICD-11
Authors: O'Donnell Meaghan L. , Alkemade Nathan , Nickerson Angela , Creamer Mark , McFarlane Alexander C. , Silove Derrick , Bryant Richard A. , Forbes David
Published: May 2014

Background

There have been changes to the criteria for diagnosing post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) in DSM-5 and changes are proposed for ICD-11.

Aims

To investigate the impact of the changes to diagnostic criteria for PTSD
in DSM-5 and the proposed changes in ICD-11 using a large multisite
trauma-exposed sample and structured clinical interviews.

Method

Randomly selected injury patients admitted to four hospitals were
assessed 72 months post trauma (n = 510). Structured
clinical interviews for PTSD and major depressive episode, as well as
self-report measures of disability and quality of life were
administered.

Results

Current prevalence of PTSD under DSM-5 scoring was not significantly
different from DSM-IV (6.7% v. 5.9%, z
= 0.53, P = 0.59). However, the ICD-11 prevalence was
significantly lower than ICD-10 (3.3% v. 9.0%,
z =–3.8, P<0.001). The PTSD
current prevalence was significantly higher for DSM-5 than ICD-11 (6.7%
v. 3.3%, z = 2.5, P
= 0.01). Using ICD-11 tended to show lower rates of comorbidity with
depression and a slightly lower association with disability.

Conclusions

The diagnostic systems performed in different ways in terms of current
prevalence rates and levels of comorbidity with depression, but on other
broad key indicators they were relatively similar. There was overlap
between those with PTSD diagnosed by ICD-11 and DSM-5 but a substantial
portion met one but not the other set of criteria. This represents a
challenge for research because the phenotype that is studied may be
markedly different according to the diagnostic system used.
p600 regulates spindle orientation in apical neural progenitors and contributes to neurogenesis in the developing neocortex
Authors: Belzil Camille , Asada Naoyuki , Ishiguro Kei-ichiro , Nakaya Takeo , Parsons Kari , Pendolino Valentina , Neumayer Gernot , Mapelli Marina , Nakatani Yoshihiro , Sanada Kamon , Nguyen Minh Dang
Published: May 2014

Apical neural progenitors (aNPs) drive neurogenesis by means of a program consisting of self-proliferative and neurogenic divisions. The balance between these two manners of division sustains the pool of apical progenitors into late neurogenesis, thereby ensuring their availability to populate the brain with terminal cell types. Using knockout and in utero electroporation mouse models, we report a key role for the microtubule-associated protein 600 (p600) in the regulation of spindle orientation in aNPs, a cellular event that has been associated with cell fate and neurogenesis. We find that p600 interacts directly with the neurogenic protein Ndel1 and that aNPs knockout for p600, depleted of p600 by shRNA or expressing a Ndel1-binding p600 fragment all display randomized spindle orientation. Depletion of p600 by shRNA or expression of the Ndel1-binding p600 fragment also results in a decreased number of Pax6-positive aNPs and an increased number of Tbr2-positive basal progenitors destined to become neurons. These Pax6-positive aNPs display a tilted mitotic spindle. In mice wherein p600 is ablated in progenitors, the production of neurons is significantly impaired and this defect is associated with microcephaly. We propose a working model in which p600 controls spindle orientation in aNPs and discuss its implication for neurogenesis.
The role of DNA damage response in zebrafish and cellular models of Diamond Blackfan Anemia
Authors: Danilova Nadia , Bibikova Elena , Covey Todd M. , Nathanson David , Dimitrova Elizabeth , Konto Yoan , Lindgren Anne , Glader Bertil , Radu Caius G. , Sakamoto Kathleen M. , Lin Shuo
Published: May 2014

Ribosomal biogenesis involves processing of pre-rRNA in assembly with ribosomal proteins (RPs). Deficiency of some RPs impairs processing and causes Diamond Blackfan Anemia (DBA) associated with anemia, congenital malformations, and cancer. p53 mediates many features of DBA but the mechanism of p53 activation remains unclear. Another hallmark of DBA is upregulation of adenosine deaminase (ADA) suggesting changes in nucleotide metabolism. In RP-deficient zebrafish, we found activation of both nucleotide catabolism and biosynthesis consistent with the need to break and replace the faulty rRNA. We also found upregulation of dNTP synthesis, a typical response to replication stress and DNA damage. Both RP-deficient zebrafish and human hematopoietic cells showed activation of the ATR/ATM/CHK1/2/p53 pathway. Other features of RP deficiency included an imbalanced dNTP pool, ATP depletion, and AMPK activation. Replication stress and DNA damage in cultured cells in non-DBA models can be decreased by exogenous nucleosides. Therefore, we treated RP-deficient zebrafish embryos with exogenous nucleosides and observed decreased activation of p53 and AMPK, reduced apoptosis, and rescue of hematopoiesis. Our data suggest that DNA damage response contributes to p53 activation in cellular and zebrafish models of DBA. Furthermore, rescue of RP-deficient zebrafish with exogenous nucleosides suggests that nucleoside supplements may be beneficial in DBA.
Quinoxaline Dendrimers at the Air–Aqueous Interface and Their Photoluminescent Properties
Authors: Choi Soyoung , Eom Yu Kyung , Kim Hwan Kyu , Sohn Daewon
Published: May 2014

The monolayer behaviors of two dendrimers containing a hydrophilic core group (carboxy group) and hydrophobic branches (quinoxaline and methoxyphenyl groups), 2,3-bis{4-[2,3-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)quinoxalin-6-yloxy]phenyl}quinoxaline-6-carboxylic acid (G2) and 2,3-bis[4-(2,3-bis{4-[2,3-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)quinoxalin-6-yloxy]phenyl}quinoxalin-6-yloxy)phenyl]quinoxaline-6-carboxylic acid (G3), were studied using surface pressure–area (Π–A) isotherms and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Surface pressure–area isotherms show that the limiting area of G2 increased but G3 decreased on the europium ion-containing subphase than on the water subphase. The Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films of dendrimer–europium ion complexes preserve their original luminescent properties and the packing of further layers does not cause quenching of luminescence.
Preparation of Self-stratifying Epoxy–Polyacrylate Emulsions with Three-layer Core–Shell Structures
Authors: Liu Lizhu , Li Jinfeng , Zhang Xiaorui , Jin Ke
Published: May 2014

Epoxy–polyacrylate emulsions with three-layer core–shell structures were synthesized employing a two-stage emulsion polymerization procedure. The films prepared from the emulsions showed signs of self-stratification. This method may be applicable to the study of self-stratifying coatings.
Uptake and Electrochemical Ejection of Cesium Ion by a Prussian Blue-modified Electrode
Authors: Tatsuma Tetsu , Kuroiwa Yoshinori , Ishii Kazuyuki , Kudo Kazuaki , Sakoda Akiyoshi
Published: May 2014

Prussian blue (FeIII4[FeII(CN)6]3) electrochemically deposited on an indium tin oxide electrode was loaded with cesium ion in a diluted aqueous CsCl solution (ca. 40 ppb) followed by reduction or oxidation. Although reduction of Prussian blue does not increase the capacity of cesium uptake, oxidation of Prussian blue releases the entrapped cesium ion.
Synthesis of MCM-41 with High Manganese Content by Mechanochemical Pretreatment of the Starting Materials
Authors: Iida Takayuki , Sato Mitsutaka , Liu Zhendong , Numako Chiya , Nakahira Atsushi , Okubo Tatsuya , Wakihara Toru
Published: May 2014

Manganese-incorporated MCM-41 with high manganese content of Mn/(Mn + Si) = 9.2 mol % and BET specific surface area of 750 m2 g−1 was obtained by utilizing mechanochemical treatment. Clear differences in the state of manganese throughout the synthetic conditions were confirmed by various spectroscopic analyses.
Eclipsed Columnar Packing in Crystal Structure of Sumanenetrione
Authors: Shrestha Binod Babu , Morita Yuki , Kojima Tatsuhiro , Kawano Masaki , Higashibayashi Shuhei , Sakurai Hidehiro
Published: May 2014

Single crystals of sumanenetrione and the iodinated derivative were found to possess a columnar packing structure with characteristic eclipsed stacks in a convex-to-concave fashion. In each column, the molecules are perfectly stacked without twisting and slipping in contrast to pristine sumanene. The neighboring columns are arranged in the opposite directions.
Highly Efficient Water Oxidation on Rutile Titanium(IV) Oxide Powder in the Presence of Iodate Ions as Reversible Electron Acceptors
Authors: Maeda Kazuhiko
Published: May 2014

A high apparent quantum yield (AQY) of 25 ± 1% (at 365 nm) for water oxidation in the presence of iodate ions was achieved using a rutile titanium(IV) oxide that has relatively low density of surface defects.
Complexity-Augmented Triage: A Tool for Improving Patient Safety and Operational Efficiency
Authors: Saghafian Soroush , Hopp Wallace J. , Van Oyen Mark P. , Desmond Jeffrey S. , Kronick Steven L.
Published: May 2014

Hospital emergency departments (EDs) typically use triage systems that classify and prioritize patients almost exclusively in terms of their need for timely care. Using a combination of analytic and simulation models, we demonstrate that adding an up-front estimate of patient complexity to conventional urgency-based classification can substantially improve both patient safety (by reducing the risk of adverse events) and operational efficiency (by shortening the average length of stay). Moreover, we find that EDs with high resource (physician and/or examination room) utilization, high heterogeneity in the treatment time between simple and complex patients, and a relatively equal number of simple and complex patients benefit most from complexity-augmented triage. Finally, we find that (1) although misclassification of a complex patient as simple is slightly more harmful than vice versa, complexity-augmented triage is relatively robust to misclassification error rates as high as 25%; (2) streaming patients based on complexity information and prioritizing them based on urgency is better than doing the reverse; and (3) separating simple and complex patients via streaming facilitates the application of lean methods that can further amplify the benefit of complexity-augmented triage.
Integrated Charge Batching and Casting Width Selection at Baosteel
Authors: Tang Lixin , Wang Gongshu , Chen Zhi-Long
Published: May 2014

We study an integrated charge batching and casting width selection problem arising in the continuous casting operation of the steelmaking process at Shanghai, China based Baosteel. This decision-making problem is not unique to Baosteel; it exists in every large iron and steel company in the world. We collaborated with Baosteel on this problem from 2006 to 2008 by developing and implementing a decision support system (DSS) that replaced their manual planning method. The DSS is still in active use at Baosteel. This paper describes the solution algorithms we developed and imbedded in the DSS. For the general problem that is strongly NP-hard, a column generation-based branch-and-price (B&P) solution approach is developed to obtain optimal solutions. By exploiting the problem structure, efficient dynamic programming algorithms are designed to solve the subproblems involved in the column generation procedure. Branching strategies are designed in a way that ensures that after every stage of branching the structure of the subproblems is preserved such that they can still be solved efficiently. We also consider a frequently occurring case of the problem where each steel grade is incompatible with any other grade. For this special case, a two-level polynomial-time algorithm is developed to obtain optimal solutions. Computational tests on a set of real production data as well as on a more diverse set of randomly generated problem instances show that our algorithms outperform the manual planning method that Baosteel used to use by a significant margin both in terms of tundish utilization for almost every case, and in terms of total cost for most cases. Consequently, by replacing their manual method with our DSS, the estimated benefits to Baosteel include an annual cost saving of about US $1.6 million and an annual revenue increase of about US $3.25 million.