bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High‐normal urinary albumin‐to‐creatinine ratio is independently associated with metabolic syndrome in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A cross‐sectional community‐based study
Authors: Li Mei‐Fang , Feng Qi‐Ming , Li Lian‐Xi , Tu Yin‐Fang , Zhang Rong , Dong Xue‐Hong , Lu Jun‐Xi , Bao Yu‐Qian , Jia Wei‐Ping , Hu Ren‐Ming
Published: November 2014

Aims/Introduction

Microalbuminuria is positively related to metabolic syndrome (MetS). Our aim was to investigate whether urinary albumin‐to‐creatinine ratio (UACR) within the normal range is independently associated with MetS in Chinese community‐based patients with type 2 diabetes.

Materials and Methods

A total of 514 participants (206 males and 308 females; mean age 66 years) with UACR less than 3.5 mg/mmol were enrolled from two downtown areas of Shanghai. The participants were stratified into quartiles according to UACR levels. The prevalence of MetS was assessed and compared among the four groups by binary logistic regression.

Results

Compared with participants with UACRs in the first quartile, the other quartiles had a higher prevalence of MetS (65.9%, 74.4% and 81.3%, respectively, P = 0.001) after adjustment for sex and age. After adjusting for potential confounders, participants in the second to the fourth quartile group had a 1.36‐, 1.84‐ and 2.73‐fold risk of MetS, respectively, relative to those in the lowest quartile. Furthermore, UACR, whether as quartile groups or as a continuous variable, is an independent predictor of MetS after fully adjusting for other variables.

Conclusions

These results suggest that UACR even within the normal range is independently associated with MetS in Chinese community‐based patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Trajectory of body mass index before the development of type 2 diabetes in Japanese men: Toranomon Hospital Health Management Center Study 15
Authors: Heianza Yoriko , Arase Yasuji , Kodama Satoru , Tsuji Hiroshi , Tanaka Shiro , Saito Kazumi , Hara Shigeko , Sone Hirohito
Published: November 2014

Aims/Introduction

We aimed to investigate the long‐term trajectory of general adiposity assessed by the body mass index (BMI) before the onset of type 2 diabetes in Japanese individuals.

Materials and Methods

We retrospectively examined data on 1,553 Japanese men without diabetes. Mean BMI and incident cases of diabetes (diabetes indicated by fasting glucose concentrations ≥7.0 mmol/L, a self‐reported history of clinician‐diagnosed diabetes, or glycated hemoglobin ≥6.5% (≥48 mmol/mol) were assessed on an annual basis over a 10‐year period after the baseline examination.

Results

Mean (standard deviation) BMI at the time of diagnosis was 24.4 kg/m2 (3.1 kg/m2) among cases of diabetes (n = 191). An increasingly high BMI was associated with the early stage of the disease development, such as an 8‐ to 10‐year prediagnosis period; individuals who developed diabetes experienced a prolonged and stable elevated BMI of ≥24.4 kg/m2 over the 8 years before the diagnosis of diabetes. The mean BMI among the non‐cases of diabetes did not exceed 23.2 kg/m2 throughout the period.

Conclusions

These results suggested that Japanese men who eventually developed diabetes during the 10‐year observation period were not characterized as obese, but had stable high‐normal BMIs before the onset of diabetes. Previous evidence showed that values for glycemic markers rapidly increased before the development of diabetes; however, the present study showed a slight gain in BMI in the earlier stage of the natural history of diabetes followed by a prolonged period of overweight.
Phylogenetic Relationships and Morphological Character Evolution of Photosynthetic Euglenids (Excavata) Inferred from Taxon‐rich Analyses of Five Genes
Authors: Karnkowska Anna , Bennett Matthew S. , Watza Donovan , Kim Jong Im , Zakryś Bożena , Triemer Richard E.
Published: November 2014

Photosynthetic euglenids acquired chloroplasts by secondary endosymbiosis, which resulted in changes to their mode of nutrition and affected the evolution of their morphological characters. Mapping morphological characters onto a reliable molecular tree could elucidate major trends of those changes. We analyzed nucleotide sequence data from regions of three nuclear‐encoded genes (nSSU, nLSU, hsp90), one chloroplast‐encoded gene (cpSSU) and one nuclear‐encoded chloroplast gene (psbO) to estimate phylogenetic relationships among 59 photosynthetic euglenid species. Our results were consistent with previous works; most genera were monophyletic, except for the polyphyletic genus Euglena, and the paraphyletic genus Phacus. We also analyzed character evolution in photosynthetic euglenids using our phylogenetic tree and eight morphological traits commonly used for generic and species diagnoses, including: characters corresponding to well‐defined clades, apomorphies like presence of lorica and mucilaginous stalks, and homoplastic characters like rigid cells and presence of large paramylon grains. This research indicated that pyrenoids were lost twice during the evolution of phototrophic euglenids, and that mucocysts, which only occur in the genus Euglena, evolved independently at least twice. In contrast, the evolution of cell shape and chloroplast morphology was difficult to elucidate, and could not be unambiguously reconstructed in our analyses.
Detection of Viable but Nonculturable Cells of Listeria monocytogenes with the Use of Direct Epifluorescent Filter Technique
Authors: Olszewska Magdalena A. , Panfil‐Kuncewicz Helena , Łaniewska‐Trokenheim Łucja
Published: November 2014

Direct epifluorescent filter technique was studied as a method to enumerate Listeria monocytogenes in artificially contaminated cheese. Occurrences of viable but nonculturable (VBNC) cells of L. monocytogenes prompted us to investigate the viability of this pathogen in hard cheese during refrigerated storage under different packaging conditions. This study compared the results of two enumeration methods: epifluorescent microscopic counting and plating. The microscopic enumeration was based on fluorescent staining with carboxyfluorescein diacetate (CFDA) for tracing cells that display metabolic activity. In this study, the L. monocytogenes persisted well throughout a prolonged storage of cheese, regardless of the packaging conditions. Based on a discrepancy between CFDA and plate count results, a dormant fraction of VBNC cells was distinguished, thus greater quantities of VBNC cells were estimated along with storage time. We conclude that direct epifluorescent filter technique may be an attractive approach for assessing bacterial viability, especially for pathogens with the ability to enter a dormant state.

Practical Applications

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen with a remarkable long‐term ability to persist in a variety of ready‐to‐eat foods. The plating method for enumeration of L. monocytogenes in food is well established, but it is time consuming and relies only on cell reproduction, so that injured and nonculturable cells have no chance to be counted. As a solution, we describe a rapid method for the enumeration of L. monocytogenes in cheese using the direct epifluorescent filter technique. This method is based on fluorescent staining of cells with a metabolic activity indicator and cell counting with the help of epifluorescence microscopy. The method presented in this study allows the rapid enumeration of both active and nonculturable cells of L. monocytogenes and could be used by predictive microbiologists for precise estimation of the safety of dairy products with respect to pathogenic bacteria.
First experiences of high‐fidelity simulation training in junior nursing students in Korea
Authors: Lee Suk Jeong , Kim Sang Suk , Park Young‐Mi
Published: November 2014

Aim

This study was conducted to explore first experiences of high‐fidelity simulation training in Korean nursing students, in order to develop and establish more effective guidelines for future simulation training in Korea.

Methods

Thirty‐three junior nursing students participated in high‐fidelity simulation training for the first time. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, data were collected from reflective journals and questionnaires of simulation effectiveness after simulation training. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze simulation effectiveness and content analysis was performed with the reflective journal data.

Results

Five dimensions and 31 domains, both positive and negative experiences, emerged from qualitative analysis: (i) machine–human interaction in a safe environment; (ii) perceived learning capability; (iii) observational learning; (iv) reconciling practice with theory; and (v) follow‐up debriefing effect. More than 70% of students scored high on increased ability to identify changes in the patient's condition, critical thinking, decision‐making, effectiveness of peer observation, and debriefing in effectiveness of simulation.

Conclusion

This study reported both positive and negative experiences of simulation. The results of this study could be used to set the level of task difficulty in simulation. Future simulation programs can be designed by reinforcing the positive experiences and modifying the negative results.
People who are transgender: mental health concerns
Authors: McCann E.
Published: November 2014

Accessible summary

The aim of the study was to elicit the views and opinions of transgender people in relation to mental health concerns.

Four people who identified as transgender participated in semi‐structured interviews.

The main results showed that challenges existed for people around mental health issues.

Mental health nurses can play a key role in the provision of psychosocial supports to transgender people and their families.

Government policy makers are becoming increasingly interested in the views and experiences of people who utilize mental health services to inform rights‐based and socially inclusive health and social care initiatives. However, very little information exists in the available literature about transgender people in this regard. The current research was part of a larger mixed methods study that used surveys and in‐depth semi‐structured interviews. This paper reports on the findings from the interview data that relate to the unique mental health experiences of the people whom identified as transgender (n = 4). The data were subject to thematic analysis, and the main themes that emerged included service experiences, treatment issues, other supports, and hopes and aspirations. Participants identified challenges and opportunities for enhancing mental health service provision for transgender people and their families. Some of the highlighted concerns related to practitioner attributes and relevant psychosocial supports. Mental health nurses are well placed to use their knowledge and therapeutic skills to support people who identify as transgender and significant people in their lives.
Consulting with children in the development of self‐efficacy and recall tools related to nutrition and physical activity
Authors: Lassetter Jane H. , Ray Gaye , Driessnack Martha , Williams Mary
Published: November 2014

Purpose

This article chronicles our efforts to develop an instrument with and for children—complete with insights, multiple iterations, and missteps along the way. The instruments we developed assess children's self‐efficacy and recall related to healthy eating and physical activity.

Design and Methods

Five focus groups were held with 39 children to discuss the evolving instrument.

Results

A nine‐item self‐efficacy instrument and a 10‐item recall instrument were developed with Flesch–Kincaid grade levels of 1.8 and 4.0, respectively, which fifth graders can complete in less than 5 min.

Practice Implications

When assessing children in clinical practice or research, we should use instruments that have been developed with children's feedback and are child‐centered. Without that assurance, assessment results can be questionable.
The Development of Antonym Knowledge in American Sign Language (ASL) and Its Relationship to Reading Comprehension in English
Authors: Novogrodsky Rama , Caldwell‐Harris Catherine , Fish Sarah , Hoffmeister Robert J.
Published: November 2014

It is unknown if the developmental path of antonym knowledge in deaf children increases continuously with age and correlates with reading comprehension, as it does in hearing children. In the current study we tested 564 students aged 4–18 on a receptive multiple‐choice American Sign Language (ASL) antonym test. A subgroup of 138 students aged 7–18 took the Stanford Achievement Test reading comprehension test. The results showed that antonym knowledge depended more strongly on age for deaf children with deaf parents than for deaf children with hearing parents. This indicates more developmentally typical acquisition for deaf children with deaf parents, consistent with early natural language exposure. Multiple regressions demonstrated that ASL antonym knowledge eliminated the advantage of deaf parents for reading. This establishes a language effect of ASL on reading comprehension in English.
Robust Optimization Strategy for the Shortest Path Problem under Uncertain Link Travel Cost Distribution
Authors: Shahabi Mehrdad , Unnikrishnan* Avinash , Boyles Stephen D.
Published: November 2014

This article employs a robust optimization approach for the shortest path problem where travel cost is uncertain and exact information on the distribution function is unavailable. We show that under such conditions the robust shortest path problem can be formulated as a binary nonlinear integer program, which can then be reformulated as a mixed integer conic quadratic program. Based on this reformulation, we present an outer approximation algorithm as a solution algorithm which is shown to be highly efficient for this class of programs. Numerical experiments conducted on small to large networks further compare the robust optimization‐based strategy to the classical deterministic shortest path in terms of the uncertainty in the network.
Chordoid meningiomas: Incidence and clinicopathological features of a case series over 18 years
Authors: Di Ieva Antonio , Laiq Simin , Nejad Romina , Schmitz Erika M. , Fathalla Hussein , Karamchandani Jason , Munoz David G. , Cusimano Michael D.
Published: November 2014

Chordoid meningioma (CM) is a rare subtype of meningioma, classified as gradeII, which exhibits a high rate of recurrence following subtotal resection. We retrospectively examined nine cases of chordoid meningioma over a case series of 1743 meningiomas (0.52%) operated upon at our institution from 1995 to 2013. All the reported clinicopathological findings were analyzed. Two hundred and twenty‐oneCMcases have been published to date worldwide and few single‐center large case series have been issued. Seventy‐five percent of the cases that underwent subtotal resection at our institution had recurrence within 1 year. Total resection of the tumor should be the major objective of surgery to reduce the possibility of tumor recurrence. The percentage of chordoid features within the tumor specimen could assist in predicting the pathogenesis of the lesion. The correlation of the index of proliferation to recurrence rate is still controversial. Much debate exists with regard to the role of adjuvant radiotherapy inCMcases. Immunohistochemical, cytological and ultrastructural studies should be used in combination to assure a correct diagnosis ofCM. Owing to the rare occurrence of this meningioma subtype, larger case series are required to assist in providing a reference for diagnosis and to improve the therapeutic management ofCM.
Three gangliogliomas: Results of GTG‐banding, SKY, genome‐wide high resolution SNP‐array, gene expression and review of the literature
Authors: Xu Li‐Xin , Holland Heidrun , Kirsten Holger , Ahnert Peter , Krupp Wolfgang , Bauer Manfred , Schober Ralf , Mueller Wolf , Fritzsch Dominik , Meixensberger Jürgen , Koschny Ronald
Published: November 2014

According to the World Health Organization gangliogliomas are classified as well‐differentiated and slowly growing neuroepithelial tumors, composed of neoplastic mature ganglion and glial cells. It is the most frequent tumor entity observed in patients with long‐term epilepsy. Comprehensive cytogenetic and molecular cytogenetic data including high‐resolution genomic profiling (single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)‐array) of gangliogliomas are scarce but necessary for a better oncological understanding of this tumor entity. For a detailed characterization at the single cell and cell population levels, we analyzed genomic alterations of three gangliogliomas using trypsin‐Giemsa banding (GTG‐banding) and by spectral karyotyping (SKY) in combination with SNP‐array and gene expression array experiments. By GTG and SKY, we could confirm frequently detected chromosomal aberrations (losses within chromosomes 10, 13 and 22; gains within chromosomes 5, 7, 8 and 12), and identify so far unknown genetic aberrations like the unbalanced non‐reciprocal translocation t(1;18)(q21;q21). Interestingly, we report on the second so far detected ganglioglioma with ring chromosome 1. Analyses of SNP‐array data from two of the tumors and respective germline DNA (peripheral blood) identified few small gains and losses and a number of copy‐neutral regions with loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in germline and in tumor tissue. In comparison to germline DNA, tumor tissues did not show substantial regions with significant loss or gain or with newly developed LOH. Gene expression analyses of tumor‐specific genes revealed similarities in the profile of the analyzed samples regarding different relevant pathways. Taken together, we describe overlapping but also distinct and novel genetic aberrations of three gangliogliomas.
Short‐, middle‐ and long‐term safety of superparamagnetic iron oxide‐labeled allogeneic bone marrow stromal cell transplantation in rat model of lacunar infarction
Authors: Tan Chengbo , Shichinohe Hideo , Abumiya Takeo , Nakayama Naoki , Kazumata Ken , Hokari Masaaki , Hamauchi Shuji , Houkin Kiyohiro
Published: November 2014

Recently, both basic and clinical studies demonstrated that bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC) transplantation therapy can promote functional recovery of patients withCNSdisorders. A non‐invasive method for cell tracking usingMRIand superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO)‐based labeling agents has been applied to elucidate the behavior of transplanted cells. However, the long‐term safety ofSPIO‐labeledBMSCs still remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the short‐, middle‐ and long‐term safety of theSPIO‐labeled allogeneicBMSCtransplantation. For this purpose,BMSCs were isolated from transgenic rats expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) and were labeled withSPIO. TheNa/KATPase pump inhibitor ouabain or vehicle was stereotactically injected into the right striatum of wild‐type rats to induce a lacunar lesion (n = 22). Seven days after the insult, eitherBMSCs orSPIOsolution were stereotactically injected into the left striatum. A 7.0‐TeslaMRIwas performed to serially monitor the behavior ofBMSCsin the host brain. The animals were sacrificed after 7 days (n = 7), 6 weeks (n = 6) or 10 months (n = 9) after the transplantation.MRIdemonstrated thatBMSCsmigrated to the damage area through the corpus callosum. Histological analysis showed that activated microglia were present around the bolus of donor cells 7 days after the allogeneic cell transplantation, although an immunosuppressive drug was administered. TheSPIO‐labeledBMSCsresided and started to proliferate around the route of the cell transplantation. Within 6 weeks, large numbers ofSPIO‐labeledBMSCsreached the lacunar infarction area from the transplantation region through the corpus callosum. SomeSPIOnanoparticles were phagocytized by microglia. After 10 months, the number ofSPIO‐positive cells was lower compared with the 7‐day and 6‐week groups. There was no tumorigenesis or severe injury observed in any of the animals. These findings suggest thatBMSCs are safe after cell transplantation for the treatment of stroke.
Baccalaureate nursing students' perceptions of learning and supervision in the clinical environment
Authors: Dimitriadou Maria , Papastavrou Evridiki , Efstathiou Georgios , Theodorou Mamas
Published: November 2014

This study is an exploration of nursing students' experiences within the clinical learning environment (CLE) and supervision provided in hospital settings. A total of 357 second‐year nurse students from all universities in Cyprus participated in the study. Data were collected using the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher instrument. The dimension “supervisory relationship (mentor)”, as well as the frequency of individualized supervision meetings, were found to be important variables in the students' clinical learning. However, no statistically‐significant connection was established between successful mentor relationship and team supervision. The majority of students valued their mentor's supervision more highly than a nurse teacher's supervision toward the fulfillment of learning outcomes. The dimensions “premises of nursing care” and “premises of learning” were highly correlated, indicating that a key component of a quality clinical learning environment is the quality of care delivered. The results suggest the need to modify educational strategies that foster desirable learning for students in response to workplace demands.
Determination of the clinical egg allergy phenotypes using component‐resolved diagnostics
Authors: Dang Thanh D. , Mills Clare E. N. , Allen Katrina J.
Published: November 2014

IgE‐mediated egg allergy presents as one of the most common food allergies in children and is a food which is widely consumed all over the world. Measurement of egg white‐specific IgE levels has been shown to be a poor predictor of clinical phenotypes of egg allergy, including to raw egg white, but particularly to baked or cooked egg. Egg white and yolk contain more than 20 different glycoproteins, including ovomucoid, ovalbumin, ovotransferrin, alpha‐livetin, and the newly identified Gal d 6. Recent developments in component‐resolved diagnostic technology, including microarrays, have enabled us to improve the way in which we diagnose food allergy. This technology allows us to measure specific IgE antibodies to individual egg allergens which have been highly purified. Characterization of the major egg allergens could help profile the relevant binding epitopes to each region and may also help diagnose the different clinical phenotypes of egg allergy.
Reduced neonatal regulatory T cell response to microbial stimuli associates with subsequent eczema in high‐risk infants
Authors: Ismail Intan H. , Boyle Robert J. , Mah Li‐Jeen , Licciardi Paul V. , Tang Mimi L. K.
Published: November 2014

Background

Regulatory T cells (Treg) play an essential role in early immune programming and shaping the immune response towards a pro‐allergic or tolerant state. We evaluated cord blood Treg and cytokine responses to microbial and non‐microbial stimuli in infants at high risk of allergic disease and their associations with development of allergic disease in the first year.

Methods

Cord blood mononuclear cells from 72 neonates were cultured with toll‐like receptors (TLR2) ligands: lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and heat‐killed Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (HKL); TLR4 ligand: lipopolysaccharide (LPS); ovalbumin (OVA); anti‐CD3; or media for 48 h. Treg numbers and Treg cytokines were assessed in relation to allergic disease outcomes during the first year of life (eczema and atopic sensitization).

Results

Infants with eczema (n = 24) had reduced percentages of FoxP3hiCD25hi Treg in LTA (p = 0.01, adj p = 0.005) and HKL (p = 0.04, adj p = 0.02) stimulated cultures as well as reduced IL‐10 (p = 0.01) production following HKL stimulation compared to those without eczema (n = 48). No differences in Treg or cytokine responses to LPS, OVA or anti‐CD3 were seen. Infants who developed sensitization had lower percentages of Treg following TLR2 stimulation (but not other stimuli) compared to non‐sensitized infants.

Conclusions

High‐risk children who develop allergic disease in the first year of life have deficient Treg responses to microbial stimuli but not allergen from the time of birth, which may contribute to failure of immune tolerance development in infancy.
Narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy starting and incremental dose in patients with psoriasis: comparison of percentage dose and fixed dose protocols
Authors: Parlak Nehir , Kundakci Nihal , Parlak Adem , Akay Bengu Nisa
Published: November 2014

Background/Purpose

It was aimed to investigate the ideal narrowband ultraviolet B (NB UVB) phototherapy protocol that has the maximal efficacy, minimal side effect profile, minimal cumulative UVB dose, and a shorter duration of therapy.

Methods

Fifty‐one patients with psoriasis vulgaris were included in the study. The patients were divided into the percentage dose (group 1) and the fixed dose groups (group 2). In group 1, the initial NB UVB dose was 50% of the minimal erythema dose and 20% of the previous dose increase made in the next sessions, and in group 2, the starting dose and the dose increases were determined based on the skin types and applied with fixed doses.

Results

Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 90 was achieved in 22 out of 27 (81.5%) patients in group 1, and in 19 out of 24 (79.2%) patients in group 2. The difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.82). No statistically significant difference was found between the two regimens in the cumulative NB UVB dose, side effect profile, and the number of sessions with improvement of the initial PASI score by 90% (for all data, P > 0.05).

Conclusion

These two treatment protocols were not superior to each other in terms of cumulative NB UVB dose, efficacy, total number of treatment sessions, and side effect profiles.
Regression Analysis of Sparse Asynchronous Longitudinal Data
Authors: Cao Hongyuan , Zeng Donglin , Fine Jason P.
Published: November 2014

We consider estimation of regression models for sparse asynchronous longitudinal observations, where time-dependent responses and covariates are observed intermittently within subjects. Unlike with synchronous data, where the response and covariates are observed at the same time point, with asynchronous data, the observation times are mismatched. Simple kernel-weighted estimating equations are proposed for generalized linear models with either time invariant or time-dependent coefficients under smoothness assumptions for the covariate processes which are similar to those for synchronous data. For models with either time invariant or time-dependent coefficients, the estimators are consistent and asymptotically normal but converge at slower rates than those achieved with synchronous data. Simulation studies evidence that the methods perform well with realistic sample sizes and may be superior to a naive application of methods for synchronous data based on an ad hoc last value carried forward approach. The practical utility of the methods is illustrated on data from a study on human immunodeficiency virus.
A New Non-Parametric Stationarity Test of Time Series in the Time Domain
Authors: Jin Lei , Wang Suojin , Wang Haiyan
Published: November 2014

We propose a new double-order selection test for checking second-order stationarity of a time series. To develop the test, a sequence of systematic samples is defined via Walsh functions. Then the deviations of the autocovariances based on these systematic samples from the corresponding autocovariances of the whole time series are calculated and the uniform asymptotic joint normality of these deviations over different systematic samples is obtained. With a double-order selection scheme, our test statistic is constructed by combining the deviations at different lags in the systematic samples. The null asymptotic distribution of the statistic proposed is derived and the consistency of the test is shown under fixed and local alternatives. Simulation studies demonstrate well-behaved finite sample properties of the method proposed. Comparisons with some existing tests in terms of power are given both analytically and empirically. In addition, the method proposed is applied to check the stationarity assumption of a chemical process viscosity readings data set.
Sparsifying the Fisher Linear Discriminant by Rotation
Authors: Hao Ning , Dong Bin , Fan Jianqing
Published: November 2014

Many high dimensional classification techniques have been proposed in the literature based on sparse linear discriminant analysis. To use them efficiently, sparsity of linear classifiers is a prerequisite. However, this might not be readily available in many applications, and rotations of data are required to create the sparsity needed. We propose a family of rotations to create the sparsity required. The basic idea is to use the principal components of the sample covariance matrix of the pooled samples and its variants to rotate the data first and then to apply an existing high dimensional classifier. This rotate-and-solve procedure can be combined with any existing classifiers and is robust against the level of sparsity of the true model. We show that these rotations do create the sparsity that is needed for high dimensional classifications and we provide theoretical understanding why such a rotation works empirically. The effectiveness of the method proposed is demonstrated by several simulated and real data examples, and the improvements of our method over some popular high dimensional classification rules are clearly shown.
Diabetes empowerment and needs for self‐management support among people with type 2 diabetes in a rural inland community in northern Sweden
Authors: Isaksson Ulf , Hajdarevic Senada , Abramsson MaiGreth , Stenvall Jessica , Hörnsten Åsa
Published: November 2014

Background

Self‐management among people with T2D includes being responsible for attaining a blood sugar level within the normal range, eating healthy food, exercising and following prescriptions for medication, something that may need support. In rural areas, access to health care may be limited, and support from family members becomes important.

Aim

The aim of this study was to describe perceptions and associations of diabetes empowerment, self‐management ability and needs of self‐management support among people with T2D in a northern rural community of Sweden.

Method

People with T2D (n = 159) living a rural municipality in northern Sweden answered the SWE‐DES‐23 questionnaire and additional questions concerning self‐management and needs for self‐management support.

Results

A higher diabetes empowerment was associated with longer diabetes duration and support from healthcare professionals and relatives. Women rated a need for self‐management support significantly higher than men did. Nonretired persons rated a significantly higher need for self‐management support and a lower perception of support from healthcare professionals compared to retired persons. Cohabitant persons had a significantly higher perception of support from relatives and also estimated a higher need for relatives’ involvement in clinical visits compared to persons living alone. Both the newly diagnosed and also those people with a diabetes duration of 10–15 years rated a higher need for group support. Higher self‐awareness and readiness to change were apparent among people with short and long diabetes duration. Furthermore, self‐management ability, support from healthcare professionals and from relatives and lastly diabetes duration was associated with diabetes empowerment.

Conclusion

Not only people newly diagnosed with T2D should be offered patient‐centred group support, strengthening patient empowerment. For future, family‐focused care and education and training in person‐centred care among diabetes specialist nurses is recommended.
The Partial Linear Model in High Dimensions
Authors: Müller Patric , van de Geer Sara
Published: November 2014

Partial linear models have been widely used as flexible method for modelling linear components in conjunction with non‐parametric ones. Despite the presence of the non‐parametric part, the linear, parametric part can under certain conditions be estimated with parametric rate. In this paper, we consider a high‐dimensional linear part. We show that it can be estimated with oracle rates, using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator penalty for the linear part and a smoothness penalty for the nonparametric part.
Fast Image‐Space Silhouette Extraction for Non‐Photorealistic Landscape Rendering
Authors: Mower James E.
Published: November 2014

Landscape illustration, a core visualization technique for field geologists and geomorphologists, employs the parsimonious use of linework to represent surface structure in a straightforward and intuitive manner. Under the rubric of non‐photorealistic rendering (NPR), automated procedures in this vein render silhouettes and creases to represent, respectively, view‐dependent and view‐independent landscape features. This article presents two algorithms and implementations for rendering silhouettes from adaptive tessellations of point‐normal (PN) triangles at speeds approaching those suitable for animation. PN triangles use cubic polynomial models to provide a surface that appears smooth at any required resolution. The first algorithm, drawing on standard silhouette detection techniques in surface meshes, builds object space facet adjacencies and image space pixel adjacencies in the graphics pipeline following adaptive tessellation. The second makes exclusive use of image space analysis without referencing the underlying scene world geometry. Other than initial pre‐processing operations, recent advances in the OpenGL API allow implementations for both algorithms to be hosted entirely on the graphics processing unit (GPU), eliminating slowdowns through data transfer across the system memory bus. We show that both algorithms provide viable paths to real‐time animation of pen and ink style landscape illustrations but that the second demonstrates superior performance over the first.
Respective contributions of Arabidopsis DCL2 and DCL4 to RNA silencing
Authors: Parent Jean‐Sébastien , Bouteiller Nathalie , Elmayan Taline , Vaucheret Hervé
Published: November 2014

Dicer proteins are central to the different mechanisms involving RNA interference. Plants have evolved multiple DICER‐LIKE (DCL) copies, thus enabling functional diversification. In Arabidopsis, DCL2 and DCL4 process double‐stranded RNA into 22 and 21 nucleotide small interfering (si)RNAs, respectively, and have overlapping functions with regards to virus and transgene silencing. Nonetheless, some studies have reported that dcl2 or dcl4 single mutations are sometimes sufficient to hinder silencing. To better dissect the role of DCL2 and DCL4, we analyzed silencing kinetics and efficiencies using different transgenic systems in single and double mutant backgrounds. The results indicate that DCL2 stimulates transitivity and secondary siRNA production through DCL4 while being sufficient for silencing on its own. Notably, silencing of 35S‐driven transgenes functions more efficiently in dcl4 mutants, indicating that DCL4 mostly obscures DCL2 in wild‐type plants. Nonetheless, in a dcl4 mutant compromised in phloem‐originating silencing, ectopically expressed DCL2 allows restoration of silencing, suggesting that DCL2 is not, or poorly, expressed in phloem. Remarkably, this ectopic DCL2 contribution to phloem‐originating silencing is dependent on the activity of RNA‐DEPENDENT RNA POLYMERASE6. These results indicate that, despite differences in the silencing activity of their small RNA products, DCL2 and DCL4 mostly act redundantly yet hierarchically when present simultaneously.
ACCURACY OF A COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY BRONCHIAL WALL THICKNESS TO PULMONARY ARTERY DIAMETER RATIO FOR ASSESSING BRONCHIAL WALL THICKENING IN DOGS
Authors: Szabo David , Sutherland‐Smith James , Barton Bruce , Rozanski Elizabeth A. , Taeymans Olivier
Published: November 2014

Computed tomography is increasingly being used in veterinary medicine to evaluate animals with pulmonary signs such as coughing, tachypnea, and exercise intolerance, however, a quantitative measure of bronchial wall thickening has yet to be validated in veterinary medicine. Canine chronic bronchitis is a disease that is characterized histologically by thickening of the bronchial walls. Thoracic CT images of 16 dogs with chronic bronchitis and 72 dogs presenting for conditions unrelated to cough were evaluated. A ratio comparing the bronchial wall thickness to the adjacent pulmonary artery diameter was obtained in the right and left cranial and caudal lung lobes. There was no significant difference in dogs with chronic bronchitis or unaffected dogs between the left and right hemithorax, patient weight, patient age, image slice thickness, or CT machine used. Dogs with chronic bronchitis were found to have a significantly greater ratio than unaffected dogs (P < 0.001). The ratios in the cranial lung lobes were found to be significantly greater than the caudal lung lobes in both chronic bronchitis and unaffected dogs (P < 0.001). A receiver operating characteristic curve of the ratios in the cranial lung lobes had an area under the curve of 0.912, indicating high accuracy in predicting for bronchial wall thickening. A ratio of ≥0.6 in the cranial lung lobes was found to have a sensitivity of 77% and specificity of 100% in predicting for the presence of chronic bronchitis, and we propose using this cut‐off as supportive of bronchial wall thickening on CT.
The special linear version of the projective bundle theorem
Authors: Ananyevskiy Alexey
Published: November 2014

A special linear Grassmann variety$\text{SGr}(k,n)$is the complement to the zero section of the determinant of the tautological vector bundle over$\text{Gr}(k,n)$. For an$SL$-oriented representable ring cohomology theory$A^{\ast }(-)$with invertible stable Hopf map${\it\eta}$, including Witt groups and$\text{MSL}_{{\it\eta}}^{\ast ,\ast }$, we have$A^{\ast }(\text{SGr}(2,2n+1))\cong A^{\ast }(pt)[e]/(e^{2n})$, and$A^{\ast }(\text{SGr}(k,n))$is a truncated polynomial algebra over$A^{\ast }(pt)$whenever$k(n-k)$is even. A splitting principle for such theories is established. Using the computations for the special linear Grassmann varieties, we obtain a description of$A^{\ast }(\text{BSL}_{n})$in terms of homogeneous power series in certain characteristic classes of tautological bundles.
Thermal Property Imaging of Aluminum Nitride Composites
Authors: Yang Jia , Sato Toshiyuki , Czubarow Paul , Schmidt Aaron
Published: November 2014

Frequency domain thermoreflectance (FDTR) imaging is used to create quantitative thermal conductivity maps of porous Aluminum Nitride (AlN) particles embedded in epoxy. The AlN-epoxy composite is polished and coated with a metal layer. A piezo stage is used to move the sample for imaging with our FDTR system. For each pixel, a periodically modulated continuous-wave laser (the red pump beam) is focused to a Gaussian spot, less than 2 um in diameter, to locally heat the sample, while a second beam (the green probe beam) monitors the surface temperature through a proportional change in the metals' reflectivity. The pump beam is modulated simultaneously at six frequencies and the thermal properties of the AlN composite are extracted by minimizing the error between the measured probe phase lag at each frequency and an analytical solution to the heat diffusion equation in a multilayer stack of materials. A schematic of the AlN sample in our measurement system and an optical image of the polished surface of the AlN-epoxy composite before coating with metal is shown in a. Two scanning electron microscope images of the porous AlN particles prior to embedding in epoxy are shown in b. One of the six simultaneously collected phase images of the probe laser is shown in c. The dark blue regions in the phase image are pits on the sample surface. We fit the six phase images to our thermal model and obtain thermal conductivity maps. The conductivity maps of four particles are shown in d. A log color bar is used to highlight the contrast of thermal conductivity in a single particle. The thermal conductivity of the AlN particles ranges from 80W/mK in the dense regions to 5W/mK in the porous regions.
Device-Based In Vitro Techniques for Mechanical Stimulation of Vascular Cells: A Review
Authors: Davis Caleb A. , Zambrano Steve , Anumolu Pratima , Allen Alicia C. B. , Sonoqui Leonardo , Moreno Michael R.
Published: November 2014

The most common cause of death in the developed world is cardiovascular disease. For decades, this has provided a powerful motivation to study the effects of mechanical forces on vascular cells in a controlled setting, since these cells have been implicated in the development of disease. Early efforts in the 1970 s included the first use of a parallel-plate flow system to apply shear stress to endothelial cells (ECs) and the development of uniaxial substrate stretching techniques (Krueger et al., 1971, “An in Vitro Study of Flow Response by Cells,” J. Biomech., 4(1), pp. 31–36 and Meikle et al., 1979, “Rabbit Cranial Sutures in Vitro: A New Experimental Model for Studying the Response of Fibrous Joints to Mechanical Stress,” Calcif. Tissue Int., 28(2), pp. 13–144). Since then, a multitude of in vitro devices have been designed and developed for mechanical stimulation of vascular cells and tissues in an effort to better understand their response to in vivo physiologic mechanical conditions. This article reviews the functional attributes of mechanical bioreactors developed in the 21st century, including their major advantages and disadvantages. Each of these systems has been categorized in terms of their primary loading modality: fluid shear stress (FSS), substrate distention, combined distention and fluid shear, or other applied forces. The goal of this article is to provide researchers with a survey of useful methodologies that can be adapted to studies in this area, and to clarify future possibilities for improved research methods.
Kinetostatic Modeling of Fully Compliant Bistable Mechanisms Using Timoshenko Beam Constraint Model
Authors: Chen Guimin , Ma Fulei
Published: November 2014

Fully compliant bistable mechanisms (FCBMs) have numerous applications in both micro- and macroscale devices, but the nonlinearities associated with the deflections of the flexible members and the kinetostatic behaviors have made it difficult to design. Currently, the design of FCBMs relies heavily on nonlinear finite element modeling. In this paper, an analytical kinetostatic model is developed for FCBMs based on the beam constraint model (BCM) that captures the geometric nonlinearities of beam flexures that undergo relatively small deflections. An improved BCM (i.e., Timoshenko BCM (TBCM)) is derived based on the Timoshenko beam theory in order to include shear effects in the model. The results for three FCBM designs show that the kinetostatic model can successfully identify the bistable behaviors and make reasonable predictions for the locations of the unstable equilibrium points and the stable equilibrium positions. The inclusion of shear effects in the TBCM model significantly improves the prediction accuracy over the BCM model, as compared to the finite element analysis (FEA) results.
A New Hybrid Algorithm for Multi-Objective Robust Optimization With Interval Uncertainty
Authors: Cheng Shuo , Zhou Jianhua , Li Mian
Published: November 2014

Uncertainty is a very critical but inevitable issue in design optimization. Compared to single-objective optimization problems, the situation becomes more difficult for multi-objective engineering optimization problems under uncertainty. Multi-objective robust optimization (MORO) approaches have been developed to find Pareto robust solutions. While the literature reports on many techniques in MORO, few papers focus on using multi-objective differential evolution (MODE) for robust optimization (RO) and performance improvement of its solutions. In this article, MODE is first modified and developed for RO problems with interval uncertainty, formulating a new MODE-RO algorithm. To improve the solutions’ quality of MODE-RO, a new hybrid (MODE-sequential quadratic programming (SQP)-RO) algorithm is proposed further, where SQP is incorporated into the procedure to enhance the local search. The proposed hybrid approach takes the advantage of MODE for its capability of handling not-well behaved robust constraint functions and SQP for its fast local convergence. Two numerical and one engineering examples, with two or three objective functions, are tested to demonstrate the applicability and performance of the proposed algorithms. The results show that MODE-RO is effective in solving MORO problems while, on the average, MODE-SQP-RO improves the quality of robust solutions obtained by MODE-RO with comparable numbers of function evaluations.
Determination and analysis of minimum dose for achieving vertical sidewall in electron-beam lithography
Authors: Zhao Xinyu , Dai Qing , Lee Soo-Young , Choi Jin , Lee Sang-Hee , Shin In-Kyun , Jeon Chan-Uk
Published: November 2014

Prior to carrying out the proximity effect correction by optimizing the spatial distribution of dose in electron beam lithography, one first needs to determine the minimum total dose required. A conventional method typically used to determine the minimum total dose is the trial-and-error approach, which can be unnecessarily costly and wasteful. In this paper, two new dose determination methods are described, which utilize the concept of a “critical path” without any proximity effect correction effort. Also, the dependency of the minimum total dose and dose distribution on the feature and lithographic parameters is investigated. The simulation results show that the proposed dose-determination methods can adaptively and efficiently determine the minimum total dose. Thus, they have the potential to provide a practical and effective alternative to the conventional trial-and-error approach.
Substrate and temperature dependence of the formation of the Earth abundant solar absorber Cu2ZnSnS4 by ex situ sulfidation of cosputtered Cu-Zn-Sn films
Authors: Johnson Melissa , Manno Michael , Zhang Xin , Leighton Chris , Aydil Eray S.
Published: November 2014

Copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) thin films were synthesized by ex situ sulfidation of Cu-Zn-Sn metal alloy precursor films cosputtered from Cu, Cu-Zn, and Cu-Sn targets onto five different substrate materials: single crystal quartz, fused quartz, sapphire, Pyrex, and soda lime glass (SLG). Cosputtered precursor films, which were found to consist of Cu, Zn, and Sn metals and Cu6.26Sn5 ordered alloys, were sulfidized between 100 and 600 °C, corresponding to an S pressure range of 0.051–36 Torr. While CZTS forms at temperatures as low as 300 °C on all substrates, the film's phase composition is dominated by binary metal sulfides between 300 and 400 °C. Significant phase composition variations among films synthesized on different substrates begin to emerge at 400 °C. Films grown on SLG are nearly phase pure CZTS by 500 °C, with small amounts of ZnS. In contrast, films deposited on all other substrates persistently contain significant amounts of impurity phases such as SnS2 and Cu4Sn7S16 until the sulfidation temperature is increased to 600 °C. Significant grain growth also begins between 500 and 600 °C. At 600 °C, CZTS films synthesized on SLG were found to have significantly larger grains than films grown on any of the other substrates. These results demonstrate that CZTS phase purity and grain size, properties that may affect solar cell performance, are affected by impurity diffusion from the SLG substrate, further emphasizing the importance of selecting appropriate substrates.