bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Estimating Prevalent Diagnoses and Rates of New Diagnoses of HIV at the State Level by Age Group Among Men who Have Sex With Men in the United States
Authors: Jones Jeb , Grey Jeremy A , Purcell David W , Bernstein Kyle T , Sullivan Patrick S , Rosenberg Eli S 
Published: May 2018

Abstract

Background
Men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States experience a disproportionate rate of diagnosis of HIV. Surveillance data demonstrate age-based disparities among MSM, with higher rates of diagnosis among MSM age ≤34 years nationally. Population size estimates within age group at the state level have not been available to determine rates for each state. We estimated the size of the MSM population in 5 age groups in each state and estimated the rate of prevalent HIV diagnoses in 2013 and new HIV diagnoses in 2014.

Methods
We used data from the General Social Survey, American Community Survey, and previously published estimates from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to estimate the population of MSM in 5 age groups at the state level. We combined these estimates with surveillance data to estimate age-stratified rates of prevalent diagnoses in 2013 and new diagnoses in 2014 in each state. We estimated standardized prevalence and diagnosis ratios comparing the Northeast, South, and West regions with the Midwest.

Results
Rates of prevalent diagnoses increased with increasing age, and rates of new diagnoses were highest among younger age groups. In the United States, the new diagnosis rate among those age 18–24 years in 2014 was 1.4 per 100 MSM without a diagnosis. The highest diagnosis rates were observed among men age ≤34 years in the South.

Conclusions
Age-stratified estimates of HIV prevalence and new diagnosis rates at the state level can inform public health prevention strategies and resource allocation.
Differential Effects of Extended Exercise and Memantine Treatment on Adult Neurogenesis in Male and Female Rats
Authors: Cahill Shaina P , Cole John Darby , Yu Ru Qi , Clemans-Gibbon Jack , Snyder Jason S 
Published: May 2018

ABSTRACTThe creation of new neurons in adulthood has potential for treating a number of disorders that are characterized by neurodegeneration or impaired plasticity. Animal models of reduced neurogenesis, and studies of the volume and structural integrity of the hippocampus in humans, suggest a possible therapeutic role for adult neurogenesis in age-related cognitive decline, depression, and schizophrenia. Research over the past 20 years has identified a number of approaches for enhancing adult neurogenesis, such as exercise, NMDA receptor antagonists, antidepressant drugs and environmental enrichment. However, despite the chronic nature of many disorders that impact the human hippocampus, most animal studies have only examined the efficacy of neurogenic treatments over relatively short timescales (∼1 month or less). Additionally, investigations into the regulation of neurogenesis typically include only 1 sex, even though many disorders that affect the hippocampus differentially impact males and females. Here, we therefore tested whether two known pro-neurogenic treatments, running and the NMDA receptor antagonist, memantine, could lead to long-term increases in neurogenesis in male and female rats. We found that continuous access to a running wheel (cRUN) initially increased neurogenesis in both sexes, but effects were minimal after 1 month (both sexes) and completely absent after 5 months (males). Similarly, a single injection of memantine (sMEM) only transiently increased adult neurogenesis in both males and females. To determine whether extended increases in neurogenesis were possible with 2 months of RUN and MEM treatments, we subjected rats to interval running (iRUN), weekly memantine injections (mMEM), or combined treatments (iRUN-mMEM, mMEM-iRUN). We found that 2 months of iRUN increased DCX+ cell density in females but iRUN-mMEM treatment increased DCX+ cell density in males. However, analyses with thymidine analogs revealed that neurogenesis was minimally increased during the initial phases of the 2 month treatments. Collectively, our findings identify sex differences in the efficacy of neurogenic manipulations, which may be relevant for designing plasticity-promoting treatments that target the hippocampus.
Identification and design of vinyl sulfone inhibitors against Cryptopain-1 – a cysteine protease from cryptosporidiosis-causing Cryptosporidium parvum
Authors: Banerjee Arpita 
Published: May 2018

AbstractCryptosporidiosis, a disease marked by diarrhea in adults and stunted growth in children, is associated with the unicellular protozoan pathogen Cryptosporidium; often the species parvum. Cryptopain-1, a cysteine protease characterized in the genome of Cryptosporidium parvum, had been earlier shown to be inhibited by a vinyl sulfone compound called K11777 (or K-777). Cysteine proteases have long been established as valid drug targets, which can be covalently and selectively inhibited by vinyl sulfones. This computational study was initiated to identify purchasable vinyl sulfone compounds, which could possibly inhibit cryptopain-1 with higher efficacy than K11777. Docking simulations screened a number of such possibly better inhibitors. The work was furthered to probe the enzymatic pocket of cryptopain-1, through in-silico mutations, to derive a map of receptor-ligand interactions in the docked complexes. The idea was to provide crucial clues to aid the design of inhibitors, which would be able to bind the protease well by making favorable interactions with important residues of the enzyme. The analyses dictated placement of ligands towards the front of the enzymatic cleft, and disfavored interactions deep within. The S1’ and S2 subsites of the enzyme preferred to remain occupied by polar ligand subgroups. Reasonably distanced ring systems and polar backbones of ligands were desired across the cleft. Large as well as inflexible subgroups were not tolerated. Double ringed systems such as substituted napthalene, especially in S1, were exceptions though. The S2 subsite, which is typically a specificity determinant in papain (C1) family cysteine proteases such as cathepsin L-like cryptopain-1, can possibly accommodate polar and hydrophobic ligand subgroups alike.
Review and assessment of the causes of deficiencies in design documents for large construction projects
Authors: Assaf Sadi , Hassanain Mohammad A. , Abdallah Abdullatif 
Published: May 2018

PurposeDesign documents’ deficiencies (DDDs) are a major issue that plagues the construction industry in many countries. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the major causes of DDDs in a fast expanding economy, where errors can translate to an adverse impact on the economy. This paper aims to identify and assess the causes of DDDs for large construction projects from the consultants’ perspective.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 20 causes of DDDs were shortlisted through an extensive literature survey. In total, 37 consultants based in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia participated in the study. The respondents were requested to provide their opinion with respect to the relative importance of the identified causes. The result of their responses was then used to rank the causes.FindingsBased on their significance indices, the most significant causes of DDDs were “assigning design tasks to designers who lack work experience,” “team members’ communication skills,” “the level and quality of the design professional’s education,” “cross-disciplinary coordination,” “effective design team,” and “lack of knowledge transfer mechanism.”Practical implicationsRecommendations were provided to mitigate the issues of DDDs. It is envisioned that through a better understanding of the major causes of DDDs, design firms will be better positioned to recognize DDDs’ causes and establish appropriate measures for reducing their occurrence. The findings of this paper are beneficial to all project stakeholders, including design firms, clients, contractors, and end users.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature by providing an assessment of the various causes of DDDs in the context of a rapidly expanding economy, where any inefficiency can lead to massive losses to the economy.
Public awareness of adverse drug reaction medical safety
Authors: AlHusaini Fatema AlZahra , Al Mubarak Muneer Mohammed Saeed 
Published: May 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the literature by assessing factors that typically engender adverse drug reactions (ADRs) jeopardizing medical safety. These factors are population knowledge, clarity in disclosure of the risks inhering ADRs and ADRs incidence. It seeks to minimize negative effect by early identification of drug reactions.

Design/methodology/approach
On the one hand, the study employs a model that shows relationships between various factors, and on the other hand, ADRs medical safety in the public healthcare sector.

Findings
Clarity of consultancy services in public healthcare significantly impact ADR medical safety. Population and healthcare provider education on ADRs medical safety are necessities. Implementation of an ADR reporting system in every healthcare institute is essential. This helps service providers to give a clear and accurate information to patients. It also makes patients more aware of consequences of ADRs.

Research limitations/implications
Time, place and sampling method are found to be the main study limitations. Researchers should take into their consideration the significant relationships between the factors and ADRs medical safety to improve level of awareness in the healthcare public sector.

Practical implications
Ways to improve ADR medical safety in healthcare sector are underscored. Healthcare service providers and professionals need to take into account the stipulated study factors in order to improve medical safety and reduce unnecessary medical costs.

Originality/value
Very few studies have been conducted on this topic; most of those that have been conducted were undertaken in western countries. This study assesses the level of healthcare safety in the country and suggests mechanisms to elevate that level.
Performance evaluation of a coagulation laboratory using Sigma metrics
Authors: Shaikh Muhammad Shariq , Ali Sidra Asad , Rashid Anila , Karim Farheen , Moiz Bushra 
Published: May 2018

PurposeTwo-thirds of medical decisions are based on laboratory test results. Therefore, laboratories should practice strict quality control (QC) measures. Traditional QC processes may not accurately reflect the magnitude of errors in clinical laboratories. Six Sigma is a statistical tool which provides opportunity to assess performance at the highest level of excellence. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate performance of the coagulation laboratory utilizing Sigma metrics as the highest level of quality.Design/methodology/approachQuality indicators of the coagulation laboratory from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2015, were evaluated. These QIs were categorized into pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical. Relative frequencies of errors were calculated and converted to Sigma scale to determine the extent of control over each process. The Sigma level of 4 was considered optimal performance.FindingsDuring the study period, a total of 474,655 specimens were received and 890,535 analyses were performed. These include 831,760 (93.4 percent) routine and 58,775 (6.6 percent) special tests. Stat reporting was requested for 166,921 (18.7 percent). Of 7,535,146 total opportunities (sum of the total opportunities for all indicators), a total of 4,005 errors were detected. There were 2,350 (58.7 percent) pre-analytical, 11 (0.3 percent) analytical and 1,644 (41 percent) post-analytical errors. Average Sigma value obtained was 4.8 with 12 (80 percent) indicators achieving a Sigma value of 4. Three (20 percent) low-performance indicators were: unacceptable proficiency testing (3.8), failure to inform critical results (3.6) and delays in stat reporting (3.9).Practical implicationsThis study shows that a small number of errors can decrease Sigma value to below acceptability limits. If clinical laboratories start using Sigma metrics for monitoring their performance, they can identify gaps in their performance more readily and hence can improve their performance and patient safety.Social implicationsThis study provides an opportunity for the laboratorians to choose and set world-class goals while assessing their performance.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge and belief, this study is the first of its kind that has utilized Sigma metrics as a QC tool for monitoring performance of a coagulation laboratory.
Overcoming public health risks to staff during the management of waste from healthcare facilities
Authors: Vaccari Mentore , Perteghella Andrea , Stolfini Martina , Tudor Terry 
Published: May 2018

PurposeThe management of public health risks is a key focus for the European Union. One of the key factors that has been shown to pose a public health risk is that of the management of needles from healthcare facilities. The paper aims to discuss this issue.Design/methodology/approachUsing audits of two case study hospitals based in northern Italy, this study sought to examine the key factors that resulted in needle stick injuries amongst staff and suggest measures to minimise these risks.FindingsThe number of needle stick injuries was influenced by various key factors including the time period during the year, the length of time employed, the location within the site, staff category and working hours.Practical implicationsSuggestions for overcoming the risk factors, including redesigning working patterns, staff training and awareness building, and the use of safety-engineered devices are outlined.Originality/valueThis study examined the incidence of needle stick injuries amongst healthcare staff in two Italian hospitals, which was lower than in other countries due to various factors, including recapping of needles not being allowed, the introduction of self-retractable needles and awareness campaigns about the correct disposal procedures of potentially infectious waste.
Nursing staff perceptions regarding the clinical audit tool used for relicensing inspections within eThekwini private hospitals in South Africa
Authors: Chellan Jamila , Sibiya Nokuthula Maureen 
Published: May 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess nursing staff perceptions regarding the clinical audit tool used for relicensing inspections within private hospitals in eThekwini district.

Design/methodology/approach
An exploratory sequential mixed method research design was used with a qualitative first phase involving a total population of 40 nurse managers through purposive sampling. Nurse managers (n=24) were interviewed. This was followed by a quantitative phase in which a structured questionnaire was administered to nurses (n=270) who were randomly sampled for the study from (n=4) hospitals. Documentation review, a third phase was used to corroborate the findings of the first two phases of the study.

Findings
The results of the study showed that the participants perceptions of the selected private hospitals in eThekwini district is that they have not fully implemented the approach to practice standards and healthcare audits in relation to three clinical domains of the National Core Standards and the Batho Pele principles. These findings were significant and denoted the need for a standardised clinical audit tool for private hospitals in eThekwini district.

Research limitations/implications
This study was confined to an independent group of hospitals and the findings may not be suitable for generalising across all private hospitals in eThekwini district.

Originality/value
These findings led to the development of a clinical audit tool with measurements representing elements of care that are critical to the provision of safe, quality health care services.
A history of SEA in France: government, engineers and mathematics
Authors: Antheaume Nicolas 
Published: May 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a history of social and environmental accounting (SEA) in France.

Design/methodology/approach
The choice is made to select and analyze three important breakthroughs in the development of SEA in France, at different periods. Three case studies are presented, based on secondary sources for two of them and on the author’s own research for the third one. The author choses the concept of organizational field, defined through its actors, how they interact, what they do, what tools and practices are being developed and what regulations are being enacted.

Findings
If each case is different in terms of context and outcome, all three present common characteristics which characterize the underlying forces which shaped SEA in France: mainly the role played by elites both in government and industry, an ability for industry to present its interests as the interests of France with an impact on the international standardization of some tools and regulatory issues such as product labeling. The French scene is dominated by engineers, characterized by quantitative tools which “measure” environmental performance, in line with the culture of the French elite for which mathematics are a tool for action and problem-solving. In a certain way this “depoliticized” environmental questions and made them a question of optimization more than a question of politics.

Practical implications
Because of the specific context in which some tools emerge, they may not be transferable to other countries without important changes.

Social implications
The focus on problem solving through quantitative tools to make the most rational decision, and the claim by the engineering profession to be in the best position to do so, is not a focus on accountability. This may be part of the reason why the accounting profession is not as involved as in other countries.

Originality/value
This paper also shows how France has been both a local field of SEA production, when it comes to developing quantitative tools, with occasional global reach, and an importer of global standards and SEA concepts which originated from the Anglo-Saxon word, when it comes to reporting. More generally, it is also a good illustration of how the development of a “local” organizational field is congruent with the characteristic of its national environment.
Assessing the effects of housing market shocks on output: the case of South Africa
Authors: Njindan Iyke Bernard 
Published: May 2018

Purpose
This paper aims to assess the effects of housing market shocks on real output in South Africa, by focusing on the real private consumption channel.

Design/methodology/approach
It measures housing market shocks as non-monetary housing shocks, uses a data set covering the period 1969Q4-2014Q4 and uses the agnostic identification procedure.

Findings
The paper finds that 20 per cent of the variation in house prices is explained by these shocks. The paper also finds that the effects of housing demand shocks on real private consumption are short-lived and generate a transitory real output response. Overall, housing demand shocks have managed to explain nearly 13 per cent and 14 per cent of the variation in real private consumption and real output respectively, over 20-quarters ahead forecast revision.

Research limitations/implications
This finding suggests that shocks emanating from the housing market in the country are essential and should be considered when making macroeconomic policy decisions.

Originality/value
None of the existing studies, to our knowledge, have empirically assessed the effects of housing market shocks on real output directly. This paper attempts to contribute to the literature by assessing the direct impact of housing market shocks on the real output, using South Africa as a case study.
Bonding of Si chips to low carbon steel boards using electroplated Sn solder
Authors: Hsu Shou-Jen , Lee Chin C. 
Published: May 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this research was to develop a new process to bond silicon (Si) chips to low carbon steel substrates using pure tin (Sn) without any flux.

Design/methodology/approach
Iron (Fe) substrates were first electroplated with a Sn layer, followed by a thin silver (Ag) layer that inhibits Sn oxidation thereafter. It is this Ag capping layer that makes the fluxless feature possible. Fluxless processes are more environmentally friendly and more likely to produce joints without voids. The Si chips were deposited with Cr/Au dual layer structure. The bonding process was performed at 240°C in vacuum. The Sn joint thickness was controlled by spacers during the bonding. Scanning electron microscopy images on cross sections exhibited quality joints without visible voids. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis was used to detect joint compositions.

Findings
It was revealed that the Sn layer was bonded to a Si chip at the Cr–Sn interface and to the Fe substrate by forming an FeSn2 intermetallic compound (IMC). The IMC is only 1.1 to 1.5 µm in thickness. Thin IMC is highly preferred because IMC deforms a little in accommodating the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch between Si and Fe. Shear test results showed that the fracture forces of the samples passed the military criteria by a wide margin.

Originality/value
This new fluxless bonding process on Fe should make Fe or low carbon steel a more likely choice of materials in optical modules and electronic packages.
BmHpo mutation induces smaller body size and late stage larval lethality in the silkworm, Bombyx mori
Authors: Xu Xia , Bi Hong‐Lun , Zhang Zhong‐Jie , Yang Yang , Li Kai , Huang Yong‐Ping , Zhang Yong , He Lin 
Published: May 2018

AbstractAs a core member of the Hippo signaling pathway, Hpo plays a critical role in regulating growth and development. Previous studies reported that loss of function of Hpo results in increased proliferation, reduced apoptosis and induction of tissue overgrowth in Drosophila. In this study, we used CRISPR/Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/Cas9) to study Hpo gene (BmHpo) function in the lepidopteran insect Bombyx mori, known commonly as the silkworm. Sequence analysis of BmHpo revealed an array of deletions in mutants. We found that BmHpo knockout resulted in defects in body size regulation, in developmental defects and pigment accumulation and early death. Our data show that BmHpo is essential for regulation of insect growth and development and that CRISPR/Cas9 technology can serve as a basis for functional analysis of target genes in lepidopteran insects.
Authentication of Small Berry Fruit in Fruit Products by DNA Barcoding Method
Authors: Wu Yajun , Li Meige , Yang Yange , Jiang Li , Liu Mingchang , Wang Bin , Wang Yingchun 
Published: May 2018

AbstractSmall berry fruit products are gaining an expanded market due to their high nutrition value. However, the authenticity of products is challenged by adulteration and mislabeling. To establish an accurate and robust method for identifying both known and unknown fruit species in small berry fruit products, DNA barcoding technology based on Sanger sequencing was adopted. To overcome the influence of processing conditions on DNA recovery, mini‐barcodes of rbcL and ITS and a medium‐barcode of psbA‐trnH were applied. To identify ingredients in products containing mixed species, plasmid cloning was applied to separate mixed barcodes. The method established in this paper could detect 1% to 10% target species in mixed fruit juice.