bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Radicular compression of the nerve root in the intervertebral foramen by an intervertebral cervical disc extrusion of a dachshund
Authors: Elliott Ross Christopher , Boucher Charles
Published: June 2018

This is an interesting case presentation of cervical intervertebral disc extrusion in a dachshund with acute neck pain and a nerve root signature in the right forelimb. There was no extradural compression of the spinal cord but lateralised extruded intervertebral disc material where the entire amount of disc material was located deep in the intervertebral foramen, leading to compression of the nerve root. The patient did not respond to conservative treatment, and the pain and nerve root sign persisted. A CT scan showed what was assumed to be a lateralised fragment of calcified extruded disc material in the intervertebral foramen. This necessitated a dorsolateral approach to remove the extruded disc material via a haemilaminectomy. The patient responded very well to surgery and made a full recovery.
An Assignment Procedure from Particles to Mesh that Preserves Field Values
Authors: Duque Daniel , Español Pep
Published: June 2018

In computational fluid dynamics there have been many attempts to combine the advantages of having a fixed mesh, on which to carry out spatial calculations, with using particles moving according to the velocity field. These ideas in fact go back to particle-in-cell methods, proposed about 60 years ago. Of course, some procedure is needed to transfer field information between particles and mesh. There are many possible choices for this “assignment”, or “projection”. Several requirements may guide this choice. Two well-known ones are conservativity and stability, which apply to volume integrals of the fields. An additional one is here considered: preservation of information. This means that assignment from the particles onto the mesh and back should yield the same field values when the particles and the mesh coincide in position. The resulting method is termed “mass” assignment, due to its strong similarities with the finite element method. Several procedures are tested, including the well-known FLIP, on three scenarios: simple 1D convection, 2D convection of Zalesak’s disk, and a CFD simulation of the Taylor–Green periodic vortex sheet. Mass assignment is seen to be clearly superior to other methods.
A Porous Microbeam Model for Bending and Vibration Analysis Based on the Sinusoidal Beam Theory and Modified Strain Gradient Theory
Authors: Wang Yan Qing , Zhao Hu Long , Ye Chao , Zu Jean W.
Published: June 2018

In this research, we analyze size-dependent bending and vibration of microbeams made of porous metal foams. The porous microbeam model is developed based on the sinusoidal beam theory and the modified strain gradient theory. Hamilton’s principle is employed to obtain the governing equations and boundary conditions of the porous microbeam. Analytical solutions are presented for deflections and natural frequencies of the porous microbeam by using Navier’s method. The influences of the porosity distribution, the porosity coefficient, the slenderness ratio, and the microbeam thickness are clarified on the static bending and free vibration of porous microbeams. These findings can be applied to the design of metal foam microstructures in engineering.
Performance Investigation of Single Adsorption Refrigeration System Driven by Solar Heat Storage
Authors: Boushaba Hicham , Mimet Abdelaziz
Published: June 2018

The aim of this paper is to provide a global study of an adsorption refrigeration machine driven by solar heat storage and collected by parabolic trough collector. The system operates with ammonia (as refrigerant) and activated carbon (as adsorbent). A mathematical model interpreting the progression of the heat and the mass transfer at each element of the prototype has been developed. The solar irradiation and the real ambient temperature variations corresponding to a usual summer day in Tetouan (Morocco) are considered. The system performance is evaluated trough specific cooling power (SCP) as well as solar coefficient of performance (SCOP), which was estimated by a dynamic simulation cycle. The pressure, temperature and adsorbed mass profiles in the Adsorber have been calculated. The effects of significant design and operating parameters on the system performance have been investigated. The results show the capability of our system to realize an encouraging performance and to overcome the intermittence of the adsorption refrigeration machines. For a daily solar irradiation of 18[Formula: see text]MJ[Formula: see text]m[Formula: see text] and operating conditions of evaporation temperature [Formula: see text]C, condensation temperature [Formula: see text]C and generation temperature [Formula: see text]C, the results show that the process could achieve an SCP of 115[Formula: see text]W[Formula: see text]kg[Formula: see text] and it could produce a daily specific cooling capacity of 3310[Formula: see text]kJ[Formula: see text]kg[Formula: see text], whereas its SCOP could attain 0.141.
CoveringLSH
Authors: Pagh Rasmus
Published: June 2018

We consider a new construction of locality-sensitive hash functions for Hamming space that is
covering
in the sense that is it guaranteed to produce a collision for every pair of vectors within a given radius
r
. The construction is
efficient
in the sense that the expected number of hash collisions between vectors at distance 
cr
, for a given
c
>1, comes close to that of the best possible data independent LSH without the covering guarantee, namely, the seminal LSH construction of Indyk and Motwani (STOC’98). The efficiency of the new construction essentially
matches
their bound when the search radius is not too large—e.g., when
cr
=
o
(log (
n
)/ log log
n
), where
n
is the number of points in the dataset, and when
cr
= log (
n
)/
k
, where
k
is an integer constant. In general, it differs by at most a factor ln (4) in the exponent of the time bounds. As a consequence, LSH-based similarity search in Hamming space can avoid the problem of false negatives at little or no cost in efficiency.
On the Integrality Gap of Degree-4 Sum of Squares for Planted Clique
Authors: Hopkins Samuel B. , Kothari Pravesh , Potechin Aaron Henry , Raghavendra Prasad , Schramm Tselil
Published: June 2018

The problem of finding large cliques in random graphs and its “planted” variant, where one wants to recover a clique of size ω > log (
n
) added to an Erdős-Rényi graph
G
∼
G
(
n
,1/2), have been intensely studied. Nevertheless, existing polynomial time algorithms can only recover planted cliques of size ω = Ω (√
n
). By contrast, information theoretically, one can recover planted cliques so long as ω > log (
n
).

In this work, we continue the investigation of algorithms from the Sum of Squares hierarchy for solving the planted clique problem begun by Meka, Potechin, and Wigderson [2] and Deshpande and Montanari [25]. Our main result is that degree four SoS does not recover the planted clique unless ω > √
n
/ polylog
n
, improving on the bound ω >
n
1/3
due to Reference [25].

An argument of Kelner shows that the this result cannot be proved using the same certificate as prior works. Rather, our proof involves constructing and analyzing a new certificate that yields the nearly tight lower bound by “correcting” the certificate of References [2, 25, 27].
Erratum
Authors: Nutov Zeev
Published: June 2018

There are two errors in our article “Approximating Minimum-Cost Connectivity Problems via Uncrossable Bifamilies” (
ACM Transactions on Algorithms
(
TALG
), 9(1), Article No. 1, 2012). In that article, we consider the (undirected) S
URVIVABLE
N
ETWORK
problem. The input consists of a graph
G
=(
V
,
E
) with edge-costs, a set
T
⊆
V
of terminals, and connectivity demands {
r

st

> 0 :
st
∈
D
⊆
T
×
T
} . The goal is to find a minimum cost subgraph of
G
that for all
st
∈
D
contains

r
st

pairwise internally disjoint
st
-paths. We claimed ratios
O
(
k
ln
k
) for rooted demands when the set
D
of demand pairs form a star, where
k
= max

st
∈
D

r

st

is the maximum demand. This ratio is correct when the requirements are
r

st

=
k
for all
t
∈
T
\{
s
}, but for general rooted demands our article implies only ratio
O
(
k
2
) (which, however, is still the currently best-known ratio for the problem). We also obtained various ratios for the node-weighted version of the problem. These results are valid, but the proof needs a correction described here.
Introduction to the Special Issue on Human-Centered Machine Learning
Authors: Fiebrink Rebecca , Gillies Marco
Published: June 2018

Machine learning is one of the most important and successful techniques in contemporary computer science. Although it can be applied to myriad problems of human interest, research in machine learning is often framed in an impersonal way, as merely algorithms being applied to model data. However, this viewpoint hides considerable human work of tuning the algorithms, gathering the data, deciding what should be modeled in the first place, and using the outcomes of machine learning in the real world. Examining machine learning from a human-centered perspective includes explicitly recognizing human work, as well as reframing machine learning workflows based on situated human working practices, and exploring the co-adaptation of humans and intelligent systems. A human-centered understanding of machine learning in human contexts can lead not only to more usable machine learning tools, but to new ways of understanding what machine learning is good for and how to make it more useful. This special issue brings together nine articles that present different ways to frame machine learning in a human context. They represent very different application areas (from medicine to audio) and methodologies (including machine learning methods, human-computer interaction methods, and hybrids), but they all explore the human contexts in which machine learning is used. This introduction summarizes the articles in this issue and draws out some common themes.
Prototyping a Web-Scale Multimedia Retrieval Service Using Spark
Authors: Guđmundsson Gylfi Þór , Jónsson Björn Þór , Amsaleg Laurent , Franklin Michael J.
Published: June 2018

The world has experienced phenomenal growth in data production and storage in recent years, much of which has taken the form of media files. At the same time, computing power has become abundant with multi-core machines, grids, and clouds. Yet it remains a challenge to harness the available power and move toward gracefully searching and retrieving from web-scale media collections. Several researchers have experimented with using automatically distributed computing frameworks, notably Hadoop and Spark, for processing multimedia material, but mostly using small collections on small computing clusters. In this article, we describe a prototype of a (near) web-scale throughput-oriented MM retrieval service using the Spark framework running on the AWS cloud service. We present retrieval results using up to 43 billion SIFT feature vectors from the public YFCC 100M collection, making this the largest high-dimensional feature vector collection reported in the literature. We also present a publicly available demonstration retrieval system, running on our own servers, where the implementation of the Spark pipelines can be observed in practice using standard image benchmarks, and downloaded for research purposes. Finally, we describe a method to evaluate retrieval quality of the ever-growing high-dimensional index of the prototype, without actually indexing a web-scale media collection.
Enhanced Cancer Immunotherapy with Smad3-Silenced NK-92 Cells
Authors: Wang Qing-Ming , Tang Patrick Ming-Kuen , Lian Guang-Yu , Li Chunjie , Li Jinhong , Huang Xiao-Ru , To Ka-Fai , Lan Hui-Yao
Published: June 2018

Natural killer (NK) cells, early effectors in anticancer immunity, are paralyzed by TGFβ1, an immunosuppressive cytokine produced by cancer cells. Development and activity of NK cells are largely inhibited in the Smad3-dependent tumor microenvironment. Here, we used genetic engineering to generate a stable SMAD3-silencing human NK cell line, NK-92-S3KD, whose cancer-killing activity and cytokine production were significantly enhanced under TGFβ1-rich condition compared with the parental cell line. Interestingly, we identified that the IFNG gene is a direct E4BP4 target gene. Thus, silencing of SMAD3 allows upregulation of E4BP4 that subsequently promoting interferon-γ (IFNγ) production in the NK-92-S3KD cells. More importantly, NK-92-S3KD immunotherapy increases the production of not only IFNγ, but also granzyme B and perforin in tumors; therefore, inhibiting cancer progression in two xenograft mouse models with human hepatoma (HepG2) and melanoma (A375). Thus, the NK-92-S3KD cell line may be useful for the clinical immunotherapy of cancer. Cancer Immunol Res; 6(8); 965–77. ©2018 AACR.
Risk of Preeclampsia and Pregnancy Complications in Women With a History of Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: Tangren Jessica Sheehan , Wan Md Adnan Wan Ahmad Hafiz , Powe Camille E. , Ecker Jeffrey , Bramham Kate , Hladunewich Michelle A. , Ankers Elizabeth , Karumanchi S. Ananth , Thadhani Ravi
Published: June 2018

An episode of clinically recovered acute kidney injury (r-AKI) has been identified as a risk factor for future hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Our objective was to assess whether r-AKI was associated with future preeclampsia and other adverse pregnancy outcomes and to identify whether severity of AKI or time interval between AKI and pregnancy was associated with pregnancy complications. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of women who delivered infants between 1998 and 2016 at Massachusetts General Hospital. AKI was defined using the 2012 Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes laboratory criteria with subsequent clinical recovery (estimate glomerular filtration rate, >90 mL/min per 1.73 m
2
before conception). AKI was further classified by severity (Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes stages 1–3) and time interval between AKI episode and the start of pregnancy. Women with r-AKI had an increased rate of preeclampsia compared with women without previous r-AKI (22% versus 9%;
P
<0.001). Infants of women with r-AKI were born earlier (gestational age, 38.2±3.0 versus 39.0±2.2 weeks;
P
<0.001) and were more likely to be small for gestational age (9% versus 5%;
P
=0.002). Increasing severity of r-AKI was associated with increased risk of preeclampsia for stages 2 and 3 AKI (adjusted odds ratio, 3.5; 95% confidence interval, 2.1–5.7 and adjusted odds ratio, 6.5; 95% confidence interval, 3.5–12.0, respectively), but not for stage 1 (adjusted odds ratio, 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 0.9–3.2). A history of AKI before pregnancy, despite apparent full recovery, was associated with increased risk of pregnancy complications. Severity and timing of the AKI episode modified the risk.
Growth and nutritional value of Moina macrocopa (Straus, 1820) fed with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Phaffia rhodozyma
Authors: Manklinniam Piyapan , Chittapun Supenya , Maiphae Supiyanit
Published: June 2018

The nutritional value, astaxanthin level and population growth of Moina macrocopa fed with Chlorella sp., Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Phaffia rhodozyma in eight treatments (C1: 1 × 105 cells/ml; C2: 1 × 106 cells/ml; S1: 4 × 106 cells/ml; S2: 4 × 107 cells/ml; P1: 4 × 107 cells/ml; P2: 4 × 108 cells/ml; SP1: S + P 4 × 106 : 4 × 107 cells/ml; and SP2: S + P 4 × 106 : 4 × 108 cells/ml) were examined. The results showed that lipid content was significantly different among the treatments but protein and carbohydrate were not. C2 had the highest lipid content (11.83 ± 0.87%) whereas C1 and SP1 had the highest protein (76.26 ± 2.84%) and carbohydrate (14.56 ± 3.04%), respectively. In addition, SP1 had the highest astaxanthin level (0.83 ± 0.19 μg/g) and S1 showed fastest population growth rate (0.81 day−1). This indicated that feeding on S. cerevisiae resulted in high lipid and astaxanthin levels and a concentration of 4 × 106 cells/ml enhanced the population growth of M. macrocopa. Therefore, it could replace or be used as supplementary to Chlorella sp. for cladoceran production in mass cultures.
The Spirit of the Letter: The Hebrew Inscription in Bermejo’s Piedat Revisited
Authors: Glazer-Eytan Yonatan
Published: June 2018

The Hebrew inscription in the Piedat attributed to Bartolomé Bermejo is usually viewed in relation to the possible involvement of conversos in the painting. Offering a broader exploration of the local setting as well as the visual and textual models available to Bermejo, this article goes beyond a narrow converso interpretation and situates the inscription within two different contexts: an environment of growing Christian interest in Hebraic knowledge and an Aragonese artistic experimentation with the iconography of the Man of Sorrows.
Tepuidessus grulai sp. nov. from Acopán Tepui in Venezuela (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae: Bidessini)
Authors: KODADA JAN , HENDRICH LARS , BALKE MICHAEL
Published: June 2018

We report the discovery of the second Bidessini diving beetle species from a Venezuelan table-top mountain (also referred to as "tepui"). Tepuidessus grulai sp. nov. from Acopán Tepui can easily be separated from Tepuidessus breweri Spangler, 1981, described from Roraima Tepui, about 140 km apart from Acopán Tepui, by its much broader habitus with distinct outline discontinuity between pronotum and elytra, well developed, long and deep basal striae on pronotum and elytra and by the unbordered apical abdominal ventrite.
Overlooked mammal diversity and conservation priorities in Italy: Impacts of taxonomic neglect on a Biodiversity Hotspot in Europe
Authors: GIPPOLITI SPARTACO , GROVES COLIN P.
Published: June 2018

For more than half a century, little taxonomic revisionary work has been directed towards extant European mammals so that the limits of most geographically widespread polytypic species remained scientifically untested. Occasionally, taxonomic changes have been proposed and several new species have been resurrected / discovered in the last decades mainly on the basis of genetic studies, often considered the only tool to establish objective species boundaries. Nevertheless, the precise details of species boundaries, subspecific variation and phylogenetic relationships remain unknown for several European mammal taxa. The inadequacies of outdated, incomplete taxonomic knowledge reach an extreme in southern Europe, and notably Italy, where cryptic species abound and specimen-based research is scanty. The state of mammalian taxonomic knowledge in Italy shows that Linnaean and Wallacean shortfalls are no means restricted to hyperdiverse, understudied tropics. They undermine our knowledge of temperate regions, with severe consequences for biodiversity conservation policies in Europe, where conservation assessments overlook significant endemic biodiversity. European mammalogy stands to benefit from an infusion of the tree-thinking philosophy that undergirds evolutionary theory and particularly phylogenetic methods systematics. Furthermore, it is important that taxonomic research be seen as a normal part of scientific advancement and of critical importance as the basis of a sound biodiversity conservation policy.
Evidence-Informed Policy from an International Perspective
Authors: Chupein Thomas , Glennerster Rachel
Published: June 2018

This article discusses the history of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in development economics and the ways in which their use has shaped disciplinary practices and development policy over the past two decades. We first explain how increased use of academic-run RCTs internationally has led to important methodological breakthroughs that have advanced our knowledge of human behavior as well as changes in how research is conducted, including routine practice of in-field apprenticeships for young researchers and the establishment of robust research infrastructure in numerous developing countries around the world. We then explore three ways in which the scale-up of evidence-informed programs and policies based on findings from RCTs have achieved real-world impact, giving examples for each. These include how rigorous evidence can help to resolve contentious policy debates; enable policy-makers to assess external validity of findings and draw lessons across contexts; and support institutionalization of evidence use in various types of organizations.
Association of Dyslipidemia, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation With Redox Status in VLDL, LDL, and HDL Lipoproteins in Patients With Renal Disease
Authors: Miljkovic Milica , Stefanovic Aleksandra , Simic-Ogrizovic Sanja , Vekic Jelena , Bogavac-Stanojevic Natasa , Cerne Darko , Kocbek Petra , Marc Janja , Jelic-Ivanovic Zorana , Spasojevic-Kalimanovska Vesna , Kotur-Stevuljevic Jelena
Published: June 2018

Some cardiovascular complications in patients with chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease may be caused by structurally and functionally modified lipoproteins. Redox status (advanced oxidation protein products [AOPPs]), prooxidant–antioxidant balance, total protein sulfhydryl (SH-groups), and paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity were assessed in 77 renal patients and 20 controls. Lipoproteins were isolated using ultracentrifugation. PON1, PON3, and pentraxin-3 concentration were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Dyslipidemia-Oxy-Inflammation (DOI) score was calculated as a sum of dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, and inflammation scores. The dyslipidemia score ( P < .001), oxy score ( P < .01), inflammation score (P < .001), and the DOI score ( P < .001) were higher in patient groups compared with controls. The very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) fraction contained the highest amount of AOPP ( P < .001) compared with other lipoprotein fractions in all groups. The low-density lipoprotein (LDL) fraction contained elevated AOPP in all groups compared with the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) fraction ( P < .001). Significant positive correlation was observed between AOPP in LDL fraction and DOI score (ρ = 0.510, P < .01). Dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, and inflammation play an interactive role in renal disease and are mutually associated with redox status in VLDL, LDL, and HDL lipoproteins in plasma of renal patients.
Connexin 26 Immunohistochemistry in Temporal Bones With Cochlear Otosclerosis
Authors: Miller Mia E. , Lopez Ivan A. , Linthicum Fred H. , Ishiyama Akira
Published: June 2018

Hypothesis:

Connexin-26 (Cx26) expression is diminished in the spiral ligament of subjects with hearing loss and cochlear otosclerosis (CO).

Background:

Human temporal bone (HTB) studies have demonstrated that CO is associated with hyalinization of the spiral ligament. We hypothesize that hyalinization is associated with a loss of fibrocytes with a consequent decline in Cx26 expression. Cx26 and Connexin-30 (Cx30) encode gap junction proteins expressed in supporting cells of the organ of Corti, the spiral limbus, stria vascularis, and in fibrocytes of the spiral ligament. These gap junctions are critical for potassium recycling and maintenance of the endocochlear potential. Diminished expression of these proteins would likely be associated with hearing dysfunction.

Methods:

Histopathology and clinical characteristics of 45 HTB specimens with CO and spiral ligament hyalinization were reviewed. Those with sensorineural or mixed hearing loss but normal or near-normal hair cell counts were analyzed with light microscopy, and Cx26-immunoreactive (IR) signal was qualitatively assessed.

Results:

H&E staining demonstrated hyalinization in the spiral ligament and loss of type II and type III fibrocytes. Cx26-IR was diminished throughout the cochlea affected with CO compared with normal controls.

Conclusions:

Cx26-IR reduction in the spiral ligament of subjects with CO likely plays a role in hearing loss.
Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) Measurement of Uranium in Molten Salt
Authors: Williams Ammon , Phongikaroon Supathorn
Published: June 2018

In this current study, the molten salt aerosol–laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system was used to measure the uranium (U) content in a ternary UCl3–LiCl–KCl salt to investigate and assess a near real-time analytical approach for material safeguards and accountability. Experiments were conducted using five different U concentrations to determine the analytical figures of merit for the system with respect to U. In the analysis, three U lines were used to develop univariate calibration curves at the 367.01 nm, 385.96 nm, and 387.10 nm lines. The 367.01 nm line had the lowest limit of detection (LOD) of 0.065 wt% U. The 385.96 nm line had the best root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) of 0.20 wt% U. In addition to the univariate calibration approach, a multivariate partial least squares (PLS) model was developed to further analyze the data. Using partial least squares (PLS) modeling, an RMSECV of 0.085 wt% U was determined. The RMSECV from the multivariate approach was significantly better than the univariate case and the PLS model is recommended for future LIBS analysis. Overall, the aerosol-LIBS system performed well in monitoring the U concentration and it is expected that the system could be used to quantitatively determine the U compositions within the normal operational concentrations of U in pyroprocessing molten salts.
Hunger: A Missed Opportunity for Screening in the Pediatric Emergency Department
Authors: Robinson Tamar , Bryan Leah , Johnson Veda , McFadden Terri , Lazarus Sarah , Simon Harold K.
Published: June 2018

Background. The American Academy of Pediatrics and pediatric community recognize the importance of addressing social determinants of health. There are limited data on the prevalence of food insecurity or literature establishing protocols assessing food insecurity in the emergency department (ED). Methods. Two anonymous surveys were administered, one to families during their ED visit and another to ED staff to assess perceptions on the ED’s role in providing social support. Results. Thirty-three of 214 respondents (15.4%) reported food insecurity and are associated with economic risk factors ( P < .0001) and a lack of primary care ( P = .008). Overall, 83.2% of the ED staff believed knowing information about families’ social risk factors would help patient care and 77.6% believed that the ED staff should address families’ social needs. Conclusions. Food insecurity affects a significant portion of ED families across income ranges. Screening for food insecurity in the ED is important given association with lack of primary care. Hospital staff supports screening and intervention.
Facilitators and Barriers to Antibiotic Stewardship: A Qualitative Study of Pharmacists’ Perspectives
Authors: Appaneal Haley J. , Luther Megan K. , Timbrook Tristan T. , LaPlante Kerry L. , Dosa David M.
Published: June 2018

Background: The Veterans Affairs (VA) is a leader in the implementation and advancement of antibiotic stewardship programs throughout the nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also led national antibiotic stewardship efforts and has outlined core elements to improve antibiotic use in hospitals, long-term care, and outpatient settings. Many facilities still face challenges to the implementation and maintenance of successful programs, particularly in nonacute care settings. The objective of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators to antibiotic stewardship within the VA medical centers through qualitative interviews with pharmacists. Methods: Eight semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with pharmacists from 6 VA medical centers within VA New England Healthcare System. Pharmacist respondents were either pharmacy champions (for medical centers with established programs) or pharmacists with responsibilities in making antibiotic recommendations (locations without established programs). All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. NVivo 8 was used for data coding and analysis. Results: Pharmacists from all 8 medical centers were contacted for interviews and pharmacists from 6 medical centers agreed to interviews (75% VA New England medical center participation). Three main themes regarding antibiotic stewardship were identified from the interviews with pharmacists. Respondents described the importance of (1) a supportive organizational culture, (2) protected time for antibiotic stewardship, and (3) a cohesive organizational structure in the success of antibiotic stewardship programs. Conclusions: Our findings support the CDC core elements for antibiotic stewardship, in particular the importance of leadership commitment in the creation of a culture that supports antibiotic stewardship and in ensuring staff are given sufficient time for antibiotic stewardship efforts. Although a strong supportive culture has been built, strategies focused on fostering increased protected time for antibiotic stewardship and a cohesive organizational structure may be helpful in advancing and sustaining successful antibiotic stewardship programs that improve patient outcomes.
Fuzzy grey wolf optimization for controlled low-voltage ride-through conditions in grid-connected wind turbine with doubly fed induction generator
Authors: Madan Charan Jeet , Kumar Naresh
Published: June 2018

With its enormous environmental and monetary benefits, the wind turbine has become an acceptable alternative to the generation of electricity by fossil fuel or nuclear power plants. Research remains focused on improving the performance of wind turbines with maximum flexibility and gains. The main objective of the paper is to simulate a low-voltage ride-through (LVRT) control system that is convenient for the development of a controller that should have the ability to rectify fault signals. This paper proposes a novel method called grey wolf optimization with fuzzified error (GWFE) model to simulate the optimized control system. Further, it compares the GWFE-based LVRT system with the standard LVRT system, systems with minimum and maximum gain, and conventional methods like genetic algorithm (GA), differential evolution (DE), particle swarm optimization (PSO), ant bee colony (ABC), and grey wolf optimization (GWO) algorithms. Accordingly, it analyses the simulation results regarding qualitative analysis like active power, [Formula: see text] comparison, gain, pitch degree, reactive power, rotor current, stator current, and [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] measurements; and quantitative analysis like RMSE computation of [Formula: see text] with varying speed. Hence, the proposed GWFE algorithm is beneficial for simulating the LVRT system compared to other conventional methods.
Citizenship, Compassion, the Arts: People Living with Mental Illness Need a Caring Community
Authors: Potash Jordan S. , Ho Rainbow T. H. , Ho Andy H. Y.
Published: June 2018

Furthering social inclusion for marginalised members of society demands advocacy efforts focussed on holistic citizenship. Harnessing compassion, the arts can activate four component elements: narratives, actual stories and voices of members of a society; encounters, opportunities for dialogue among members of a society; reflection, values clarification and self-awareness and community, spaces that allow for creative engagement. This theoretical framework is demonstrated in an 18-month campaign designed to promote social inclusion by decreasing stigma and increasing public awareness of people living with mental illness in Hong Kong. The programme utilised an art exhibition created by people living with mental illness, guided relational viewing art-making workshops for the general public, and collaborative art-making opportunities. Integrating compassion and the arts into the citizenship framework provided participants with opportunities to engage with one another, clarify misconceptions and arrive at meaningful social policy programmatic initiatives.
Book review: Mishra, Deepak K. (Ed.), Internal Migration in Contemporary India
Authors: Mahanty Manasi
Published: June 2018

Mishra, Deepak K. (Ed.), Internal Migration in Contemporary India. New Delhi: SAGE, 2016, pp. 364, ₹995, ISBN: 978-93-51508-57-1.
Placing plants on paper: Lists, herbaria, and tables as experiments with territorial inventory at the mid-seventeenth-century Gotha court
Authors: Cooper Alix
Published: June 2018

Over the past several decades, historians of science have come increasingly to focus on the role of so-called “paper technologies,” reorganizing and transforming information through the use of paper and pen, in the emergence of modern science. Taking as a case study an effort by administrators in the seventeenth-century German princely state of Saxe-Gotha to enlist foresters and herb-women to catalog the medicinal plants of the territory, this article analyzes the varied forms of paperwork produced in the process, including an extremely unusual table, and argues that the table represented an effort to produce a synoptic visualization, akin to but not identical to a map, of the location of the territory’s herbs. While this table may not have ultimately succeeded as a viable paper technology, due to problems of incommensurability, it demonstrates the role of administrative practices and state actors in experimenting with information about the natural world during the early modern period.
A Critical Assessment of Indications of the National Prevalence of Illegal Drug Use in Japan
Authors: Brewster David
Published: June 2018

Indications of the national prevalence of illegal drug use in Japan have largely been presented from two main sources: official police-recorded statistics and a national self-report survey. Their findings have been often used to support a representation of Japan as having relatively low levels of illegal drug use in comparison to other developed countries. However, the use and presentation of these sources has rarely considered in any meaningful way their nature and accuracy in revealing patterns of illegal drug use. As such, there is a tendency to uncritically accept and reproduce dominant patterns that may distort and disguise a more realistic understanding. This article critically examines these two sources, identifying a series of methodological issues that may contribute toward an underrepresentation of illegal drug use. In doing so, it also argues that a more critical social science–informed perspective may allow for these sources to be better utilized and situated within the cultural context in which they are produced and which they claim to represent.
Comment on “Numerical investigation of the potential contamination of a shallow aquifer in producing coalbed methane” by Xianbo Su, Fengde Zhou, and Stephen Tyson
Authors: Hurter Suzanne , Rodger Iain , Garnett Andrew
Published: June 2018

This commentary addresses “Numerical investigation of the potential contamination of a shallow aquifer in producing coalbed methane” by Xianbo Su, Fengde Zhou, and Stephen Tyson. We think the models used in the simulations described in the paper are unrealistic, even as a conceptual worst case scenario. Concerns regarding how the results of these simulations are interpreted and portrayed, and in particular how they are related to previous works are discussed in detail. We believe the original paper uses language which could be misleading, and possibly alarmist, and we suggest references cited in the original paper may have been misinterpreted.
What do we mean when we talk about populism? Local politics, global movements and ‘the people’ in political coverage of the 2016 Australian federal and United States presidential elections
Authors: Brookes Stephanie
Published: June 2018

In a moment where public and media discussion in some Western democracies is concerned with labelling particular political parties, movements and ideas as ‘populist’, this article seeks to understand what is signified by the act of labelling. It undertakes an analysis of political and media discussions of populism during and following the 2016 Australian federal election and United States Presidential election. The article first conducts a discourse analysis of print and online news coverage in the two election cycles, analysing who and what is labelled populist in political journalism in these spaces. It then turns to an analysis of why: what is it about the current political moment that inspires the application of this label? The article explores how populism operates as shorthand for the identification of – and often, dismay about – the importation of the discourses, logics and technologies of cultural populism into the realm of ‘serious’ politics. It argues that the label masks a deeper conversation which diagnoses and delegitimises specific politicians and those who support them, as part of a broader project to explain the complexities of the present.
Attention control comparisons with SLT for people with aphasia following stroke: methodological concerns raised following a systematic review
Authors: Brady Marian C , Godwin Jon , Kelly Helen , Enderby Pam , Elders Andrew , Campbell Pauline
Published: June 2018

Objective:

Attention control comparisons in trials of stroke rehabilitation require care to minimize the risk of comparison choice bias. We compared the similarities and differences in SLT and social support control interventions for people with aphasia.

Data sources:

Trial data from the 2016 Cochrane systematic review of SLT for aphasia after stroke

Methods:

Direct and indirect comparisons between SLT, social support and no therapy controls. We double-data extracted intervention details using the template for intervention description and replication. Standardized mean differences and risk ratios (95% confidence intervals (CIs)) were calculated.

Results:

Seven trials compared SLT with social support ( n  =  447). Interventions were matched in format, frequency, intensity, duration and dose. Procedures and materials were often shared across interventions. Social support providers received specialist training and support. Targeted language rehabilitation was only described in therapy interventions. Higher drop-out ( P  =  0.005, odds ratio (OR) 0.51, 95% CI 0.32–0.81) and non-adherence to social support interventions ( P  <  0.00001, OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.09–0.37) indicated an imbalance in completion rates increasing the risk of control comparison bias.

Conclusion:

Distinctions between social support and therapy interventions were eroded. Theoretically based language rehabilitation was the remaining difference in therapy interventions. Social support is an important adjunct to formal language rehabilitation. Therapists should continue to enable those close to the person with aphasia to provide tailored communication support, functional language stimulation and opportunities to apply rehabilitation gains. Systematic group differences in completion rates is a design-related risk of bias in outcomes observed.
Combining tumor size and diffusion-weighted imaging to diagnose normal-sized metastatic pelvic lymph nodes in cervical cancers
Authors: Song Jiacheng , Hu Qiming , Huang Junwen , Ma Zhanlong , Chen Ting
Published: June 2018

Background

Detecting normal-sized metastatic pelvic lymph nodes (LNs) in cervical cancers, although difficult, is of vital importance.

Purpose

To investigate the value of diffusion-weighted-imaging (DWI), tumor size, and LN shape in predicting metastases in normal-sized pelvic LNs in cervical cancers.

Material and Methods

Pathology confirmed cervical cancer patients with complete magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were documented from 2011 to 2016. A total of 121 cervical cancer patients showed small pelvic LNs (<5 mm) and 92 showed normal-sized (5–10 mm) pelvic LNs (39 patients with 55 nodes that were histologically metastatic, 53 patients with 71 nodes that were histologically benign). Preoperative clinical and MRI variables were analyzed and compared between the metastatic and benign groups.

Results

LN apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values and short-to-long axis ratios were not significantly different between metastatic and benign normal-sized LNs (0.98 ± 0.15 × 10−3 vs. 1.00 ± 0.18 × 10−3 mm2/s, P = 0.45; 0.65 ± 0.16 vs. 0.64 ± 0.16, P = 0.60, respectively). Tumor ADC value of the metastatic LNs was significantly lower than the benign LNs (0.98 ± 0.12 × 10−3 vs. 1.07 ± 0.21 × 10−3 mm2/s, P = 0.01). Tumor size (height) was significantly higher in the metastatic LN group (27.59 ± 9.18 mm vs. 21.36 ± 10.40 mm, P < 0.00). Spiculated border rate was higher in the metastatic LN group (9 [16.4%] vs. 3 [4.2%], P = 0.03). Tumor (height) combined with tumor ADC value showed the highest area under the curve of 0.702 ( P < 0.00) in detecting metastatic pelvic nodes, with a sensitivity of 59.1% and specificity of 78.8%.

Conclusions

Tumor DWI combined with tumor height were superior to LN DWI and shape in predicting the metastatic state of normal-sized pelvic LNs in cervical cancer patients.
Serum total antioxidant capacity prior to liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with 1-year liver transplantation survival
Authors: Lorente Leonardo , Rodriguez Sergio T. , Sanz Pablo , Pérez-Cejas Antonia , Abreu-González Pedro , Padilla Javier , Díaz Dácil , González Antonio , Martín María M. , Jiménez Alejandro , Cerro Purificación , Barrera Manuel A.
Published: June 2018

Objective

To determine whether there was an association between serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels prior to in liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 1-year LT mortality.

Methods

This observational retrospective single-centre study of patients with LT for HCC measured serum levels of TAC and malondialdehyde (as a biomarker of lipid peroxidation) before LT. The study endpoint was 1-year LT mortality.

Results

This study included 142 patients who underwent LT for HCC. Patients who survived the first year ( n = 127) had significantly lower aged liver donors, significantly higher serum TAC levels, and significantly lower serum malondialdehyde levels compared with the non-survivors ( n = 15). Logistic regression analysis found that serum TAC levels (odds ratio [OR] 0.275; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.135, 0.562) and the age of the LT donor (OR 1.050; 95% CI 1.009, 1.094) were associated with 1-year LT mortality. There was an inverse association between serum levels of TAC and malondialdehyde levels (rho = –0.22).

Conclusions

There was an association between low serum TAC levels prior to LT for HCC and mortality during the first year after LT. There was an inverse association between serum TAC levels and lipid peroxidation as measured by malondialdehyde levels.
The Effect of Treatment Completion on Recidivism Among TASC Program Clients
Authors: Maume Michael O. , Lanier Christina , DeVall Kristen
Published: June 2018

Despite the enormous resources spent by states in the United States on bridging the gap between criminal justice and behavioral health services, there have been relatively few statewide evaluations of drug treatment client recidivism. We present the results of an evaluation of recidivism outcomes for a sample of individuals ( n = 1,274) referred to the Treatment Accountability for Safer Communities (TASC) program in North Carolina from 2007 to 2008. The methodology accounted for both client and offense characteristics drawn from TASC, court, and corrections records. Multivariate analyses indicated that program completion is the most important predictor of re-arrest in the 3-year follow-up period, followed by a number of protective and risk factors. More specifically, being female, older at the time of program entry, as well as higher levels of educational attainment decreased the odds of re-arrest, whereas using crack/cocaine increased the odds of re-arrest. Suggestions for future research and policy implications are provided.
Automatic Background Filtering Method for Roadside LiDAR Data
Authors: Wu Jianqing , Xu Hao , Sun Yuan , Zheng Jianying , Yue Rui
Published: June 2018

The high-resolution micro traffic data (HRMTD) of all roadway users is important for serving the connected-vehicle system in mixed traffic situations. The roadside LiDAR sensor gives a solution to providing HRMTD from real-time 3D point clouds of its scanned objects. Background filtering is the preprocessing step to obtain the HRMTD of different roadway users from roadside LiDAR data. It can significantly reduce the data processing time and improve the vehicle/pedestrian identification accuracy. An algorithm is proposed in this paper, based on the spatial distribution of laser points, which filters both static and moving background efficiently. Various thresholds of point density are applied in this algorithm to exclude background at different distances from the roadside sensor. The case study shows that the algorithm can filter background LiDAR points in different situations (different road geometries, different traffic demands, day/night time, different speed limits). Vehicle and pedestrian shape can be retained well after background filtering. The low computational load guarantees this method can be applied for real-time data processing such as vehicle monitoring and pedestrian tracking.
The Coverage of Classroom Management in Teacher Evaluation Rubrics
Authors: Gilmour Allison F. , Majeika Caitlyn E. , Sheaffer Amanda W. , Wehby Joseph H.
Published: June 2018

Many teachers struggle with the classroom management skills necessary to support students with disabilities. Teacher evaluation is a potential method for supporting teachers’ use of classroom management strategies. The authors evaluate the extent to which classroom management was included in state teacher evaluation rubrics and the types of classroom management topics that were included in the rubrics. They find that while one fifth of standards and indicators were related to classroom management, there was large variability across states. Rubrics that included classroom management focused on proactive strategies, but often did not include specific evidence-based practices that could help teachers improve their classroom management skills. Very few rubrics included any focus on how to address student misbehavior. In light of these findings, the authors provide a discussion of the importance of including high-quality standards and indicators about classroom management to support teachers of students with disabilities.
The Impact of a Mindfulness Intervention for Nurse Managers
Authors: Ceravolo Diane , Raines Deborah A.
Published: June 2018

Purpose: To examine the impact of a mindfulness intervention on nurse managers in an acute care hospital. Design: A pre/post intervention design with three data collection points: prior to, at the conclusion of, and at 3 months following the intervention. Method: A survey to measure the impact of a mindfulness workshops on nurse managers’ perception of professional quality of life, burnout, and perceived wellness. Findings: There were significant changes in the scores on the compassion satisfaction (T-1 mean 3.9, T-2 mean 4.5, p = .002) and burnout subscales (T-1 mean 3.4, T-2 mean 2.8, p = .016) of the Professional Quality of Life scale, and on personal burnout (T-1 mean 4.2, T-2 mean 3.8, p = .023) and work-related burnout (T-1 mean 4.0, T-2 mean 3.5, p = .029) on the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory scale, following the mindfulness intervention. The 3-month follow-up scores on compassion satisfaction were higher but not statistically significant ( p = .810). Scores on the burnout scales, while lower than the preintervention levels, were higher at the 3-month follow-up than immediately following the intervention. Conclusions: These findings suggest that mindfulness practices need to be reinforced. Without continuous reinforcement, it may become a self-care practice moved to the bottom of the list of things to be done among the activities of a busy day.