bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Formal and informal inter‐organizational coordination: How nurses adapt in complex pathways
Authors: Doessing Anne 
Published: April 2018

SummaryWith the coordination of health care services becoming increasingly complex, the challenges of fragmentation cannot be solved by administrative restructuring alone. Attention must also be given to the coordination practices of professional groups, and, in this respect, the nursing profession is a particularly interesting case. Based on a qualitative case study of Danish nurses in hospital, municipality, and general practice, this article addresses the following question: How does the nursing profession practice formal and informal inter‐organisational coordination in complex pathways, and what is the interplay between the 2 types of coordination? The findings contribute to our knowledge of coordination at the operative level of health care by identifying specific informal practices in inter‐organisational coordination and by showing how informal coordination is activated to support formal coordination in a concurrent organisational and professional ambition of integration. The nurses studied here proved very loyal to formal inter‐organisational coordination mechanisms, prioritising them as first choices of action. When formal procedures were found insufficient, however, the nurses temporarily switched to informal coordination. This was triggered by random encounters with fragmentation, a strong professional engagement in making things work in the interest of the patient, and a constant striving to be on top of things. Informal inter‐organisational coordination is broken down into supplementary and by‐passing practices, and 4 specific by‐passing practices are identified. The discussion offers insight into how a lack of agency related to formal inter‐organisational coordination can be related to negotiated settlements, and informal coordination is considered in terms of “rule bending” within complex systems.
Describing and evaluating healthcare priority setting practices at the county level in Kenya
Authors: Waithaka Dennis , Tsofa Benjamin , Kabia Evelyn , Barasa Edwine 
Published: April 2018

SummaryBackgroundHealthcare priority setting research has focused at the macro (national) and micro (patient level), while there is a dearth of literature on meso‐level (subnational/regional) priority setting practices. In this study, we aimed to describe and evaluate healthcare priority setting practices at the county level in Kenya.MethodsWe used a qualitative case study approach to examine the planning and budgeting processes in 2 counties in Kenya. We collected the data through in‐depth interviews of senior managers, middle‐level managers, frontline managers, and health partners (n = 23) and document reviews. We analyzed the data using a framework approach.FindingsThe planning and budgeting processes in both counties were characterized by misalignment and the dominance of informal considerations in decision making. When evaluated against consequential conditions, efficiency and equity considerations were not incorporated in the planning and budgeting processes. Stakeholders were more satisfied and understood the planning process compared with the budgeting process. There was a lack of shifting of priorities and unsatisfactory implementation of decisions. Against procedural conditions, the planning process was more inclusive and transparent and stakeholders were more empowered compared with the budgeting process. There was ineffective use of data, lack of provisions for appeal and revisions, and limited mechanisms for incorporating community values in the planning and budgeting.ConclusionCounty governments can improve the planning and budgeting processes by aligning them, implementing a systematic priority setting process with explicit resource allocation criteria, and adhering to both consequential and procedural aspects of an ideal priority setting process.
Strategy on a Page: An ArchiMate‐based tool for visualizing and designing strategy
Authors: Aldea Adina , Iacob Maria‐Eugenia , van Hillegersberg Jos , Quartel Dick , Franken Henry 
Published: April 2018

SummaryNowadays, organizations need to be able to adjust more rapidly to the circumstances of their environment, at a strategic, tactical, and operational level. However, most software tools are designed to support the tactical and operational levels, while at a strategic level there are not many options available. In this paper, we propose a software tool which supports modelling of strategic information, covering several well‐known strategy techniques, and also facilitates the design of highly customizable management dashboards. To validate our proposed software tools, we perform two case studies, with two inherently different organizations, namely a public university and an investment fund.
Centering the How: What Teacher Candidates’ Means of Mediation Can Tell Us About Engaging Adolescent Writers
Authors: Barnes Meghan E. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractProspective teachers often draw on their own experiences with writing as they envision and plan for future writing instruction. Rather than analyzing the types and topics of writing that teacher candidates engaged in as K–16 students, this study inquired into the mediational means shaping their writing processes. The teacher candidates in this study partnered with local high school students to blog about their varied in‐ and out‐of‐school experiences with writing. An analysis of these blogs revealed that three overarching mediational means—rules, time, and purpose—had either restrictive or enabling effects on participants’ writing. Findings from this study suggest that the value students attach to writing is a function of the mediational means that shape the experience. This study suggests that as literacy teachers prepare for writing instruction, they should pay particular attention to the restrictive and enabling effects of the various mediational means employed.
Evaluation of long‐term effects of artificial sweeteners on rat brain: a biochemical, behavioral, and histological study
Authors: Erbaş Oytun , Erdoğan Mümin Alper , Khalilnezhad Asghar , Solmaz Volkan , Gürkan Fulya Tuzcu , Yiğittürk Gürkan , Eroglu Hüseyin Avni , Taskiran Dilek 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThe aim of the present study was to compare the effects of artificial sweeteners (aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose) on rat brain. Twenty‐four adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were included in the study. The control group (n = 6) received regular tap water, whereas other groups received aspartame (3 mg/kg/day, n = 6,) or saccharin (3 mg/kg/day, n = 6) or sucralose (1.5 mg/kg/day, n = 6) in the drinking water. Following 6 weeks, the passive avoidance learning (PAL) test was performed to evaluate the neurobehavioral effects of sweeteners. The brains were assessed for lipid peroxides, neuron count, and Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunohistochemistry. Our results demonstrated that chronic intake of sweeteners significantly impaired PAL performance in all groups. Hippocampal CA1–CA3 areas revealed significantly lower neuronal count in aspartame and increased GFAP expression in all groups. Brain lipid peroxides were significantly higher in all groups. Our findings suggest that long‐term consumption of artificial sweeteners may have harmful effects on cognition and hippocampal integrity in rats.
A facile PCR‐RFLP method for genotyping of ITPA rs1127354 and rs7270101 polymorphisms
Authors: Alavian Seyed Ehsan , Sharafi Heidar , Shirmast Paniz , Alavian Seyed Moayed , Behnava Bita , Pouryasin Mohammad , Keshvari Maryam , Pouryasin Ali 
Published: April 2018

BackgroundInosine triphosphate pyrophosphatase (ITPA) gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs1127354 and rs7270101, may cause a functional impairment in ITPase enzyme, resulting anemia protection in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection undergoing ribavirin (RBV)‐dependent regimens. The main purpose of this study was to provide and validate a simple, rapid, and inexpensive polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP) technique for genotyping of ITPA rs1127354 and rs7270101 polymorphisms in chronic HCV‐infected patients.MethodsIn the current study, 100 Iranian patients with chronic hepatitis C were examined and genotyped for ITPA rs1127354 and rs7270101 gene polymorphisms. To genotype rs1127354 and rs7270101 polymorphisms, PCR‐RFLP technique and sequencing technique were performed on these samples. To validate the PCR‐RFLP method, the PCR‐RFLP genotyping results should be 100% concordant with the PCR‐sequencing results.ResultsThe rs1127354 and rs7270101 polymorphisms of ITPA gene were genotyped by PCR‐RFLP technique and sequencing simultaneously, and the results of both techniques were 100% concordant in all 100 patients. Both PCR‐RFLP and sequencing techniques indicated that the genotypic frequency of rs7270101 was 80% AA, 19% AC and 1% CC, and for rs1127354 was 79% CC, 20% CA and 1% AA, respectively.ConclusionWe developed and validated a rapid and inexpensive PCR‐RFLP technique for the detection of ITPA rs1127354 and rs7270101 gene polymorphisms.
Role of geranylgeranylacetone as non‐toxic HSP70 inducer in liver surgery: clinical application
Authors: Tashiro Seiki , Miyake Hidenori , Rokutan Kazuhito 
Published: April 2018

AbstractHeat shock proteins (HSPs) are rapidly synthesized into cells in response to various types of physical or chemical insults and induce potent resistance to the stressors. A stress‐inducible HSP70 is not expressed in normal conditions, but once HSP70 is excessively induced under various environmental stresses, HSP70‐expressing cells can survive even under lethal conditions. In this review, we focused on the potential role of HSPs particularly HSP70 in liver surgery. A non‐toxic HSP70 inducer, geranylgeranylacetone (GGA), has been introduced to exert a potent cytoprotective action against liver injury after ischemia/reperfusion, massive hepatectomy and liver transplantation in animal experiments. We have tried to explain possible therapeutic benefits of GGA in liver surgery. However, any dependable clinical application has not been done. One of the reasons is that any randomized clinical trial has not being carried out in clinical cases. Therefore, we have advocated the national scale randomized clinical trial for dependable clinical application of GGA.
Electrochemical monitoring of malondialdehyde biomarker in biological samples via electropolymerized amino acid/chitosan nanocomposite
Authors: Hasanzadeh Mohammad , Mokhtari Fozieh , Jouyban‐Gharamaleki Vahid , Mokhtarzadeh Ahad , Shadjou Nasrin 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThis study reports on the electropolymerization of a low toxic and biocompatible nanopolymer with entitle poly arginine‐graphene quantum dots‐chitosan (PARG‐GQDs‐CS) as a novel strategy for surface modification of glassy carbon surface and preparation of a new interface for measurement of malondialdehyde (MDA) in exhaled breath condensate. Electrochemical deposition, as a well‐controlled synthesis procedure, has been used for subsequently layer‐by‐layer preparation of GQDs‐CS nanostructures on a PARG prepolymerized on the surface of glassy carbon electrode using cyclic voltammetry techniques in the regime of −1.5 to 2 V. The modified electrode appeared as an effective electroactivity for detection of MDA by using cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, and differential pulse voltammetry. The prepared modified electrode demonstrated a noticeably good activity for electrooxidation of MDA than PARG. Enhancement of peak currents is ascribed to the fast heterogeneous electron transfer kinetics that arise from the synergistic coupling between the excellent properties of PARG and semiconducting polymer, GQDs as high density of edge plane sites and subtle electronic characteristics and unique properties of CS such as excellent film‐forming ability, high permeability, good adhesion, nontoxicity, cheapness, and a susceptibility to chemical modification. The prepared sensor showed 1 oxidation processes for MDA at potentials about 1 V with a low limit of quantification 5.94 nM. Finally, application of new sensor for determination of MDA in exhaled breath condensate was suited. In general, the simultaneous attachment of GQDs and CS to structure of poly amino acids provides new opportunities within the personal healthcare.
Total choline quantification measured by 1H MR spectroscopy as early predictor of response after neoadjuvant treatment for locally advanced breast cancer: The impact of immunohistochemical status
Authors: Drisis Stylianos , Flamen Patrick , Ignatiadis Michael , Metens Thierry , Chao Shih‐Li , Chintinne Marie , Lemort Marc 
Published: April 2018

BackgroundValidation of new biomarkers is essential for the early evaluation of neoadjuvant treatments.PurposeTo determine whether measurements of total choline (tCho) by 1H spectroscopy could predict morphological or pathological complete response (pCR) of neoadjuvant treatment and whether breast cancer subgroups are related to prediction accuracy.Study TypeProspective, nonrandomized, monocentric, diagnostic study.PopulationSixty patients were initially included with 39 women participating in the final cohort.Field Strength/SequenceA 1.5T scanner was used for acquisition and MRS was performed using the syngo GRACE sequence.AssessmentMRS and MRI examinations were performed at baseline (TP1), 24–72 hours after first chemotherapy (TP2), after the end of anthracycline treatment (TP3), and MRI only after the end of taxane treatment (TP4). Early (EMR) and late (LMR) morphological response were defined as %ΔDmax13 or %ΔDmax14, respectively. Responders were patients with %ΔDmax >30. Pathological complete response (pCR) patients achieved a residual cancer burden score of 0.Statistical TestsT‐test, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, multiple regression, logistic regression, one‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis were used for the analysis.ResultsAt TP1 there was a significant difference between response groups for tCho1 concerning EMR prediction (P = 0.05) and pCR (P < 0.05) and for Kep1 (P = 0.03) concerning LMR prediction. At TP2, no modification of tCho and other parameters could predict response. At TP3, ΔtCho, ΔDmax, and ΔVol could predict LMR (P < 0.05 for all parameters), pCR (P < 0.05 for all parameters), and ΔKtrans could predict only pCR (P = 0.04). Logistic regression at baseline showed the highest area under the curve (AUC) of 0.9 for prediction of pCR. The triple negative (TN) subgroup showed significantly higher tCho at baseline (P = 0.02) and higher ΔtCho levels at TP3 (P < 0.05).Data ConclusionBaseline measurements of tCho in combination with clinicopathological criteria could predict non‐pCR with a high AUC. Furthermore, tCho quantification for prediction of pCR was more sensitive for TN tumors.Level of Evidence: 1Technical Efficacy: Stage 4J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;48:982–993.
Computer‐aided diagnosis of prostate cancer using a deep convolutional neural network from multiparametric MRI
Authors: Song Yang , Zhang Yu‐Dong , Yan Xu , Liu Hui , Zhou Minxiong , Hu Bingwen , Yang Guang 
Published: April 2018

BackgroundDeep learning is the most promising methodology for automatic computer‐aided diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) with multiparametric MRI (mp‐MRI).PurposeTo develop an automatic approach based on deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) to classify PCa and noncancerous tissues (NC) with mp‐MRI.Study TypeRetrospective.SubjectsIn all, 195 patients with localized PCa were collected from a PROSTATEx database. In total, 159/17/19 patients with 444/48/55 observations (215/23/23 PCas and 229/25/32 NCs) were randomly selected for training/validation/testing, respectively.SequenceT2‐weighted, diffusion‐weighted, and apparent diffusion coefficient images.AssessmentA radiologist manually labeled the regions of interest of PCas and NCs and estimated the Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI‐RADS) scores for each region. Inspired by VGG‐Net, we designed a patch‐based DCNN model to distinguish between PCa and NCs based on a combination of mp‐MRI data. Additionally, an enhanced prediction method was used to improve the prediction accuracy. The performance of DCNN prediction was tested using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated. Moreover, the predicted result was compared with the PI‐RADS score to evaluate its clinical value using decision curve analysis.Statistical TestTwo‐sided Wilcoxon signed‐rank test with statistical significance set at 0.05.ResultsThe DCNN produced excellent diagnostic performance in distinguishing between PCa and NC for testing datasets with an AUC of 0.944 (95% confidence interval: 0.876–0.994), sensitivity of 87.0%, specificity of 90.6%, PPV of 87.0%, and NPV of 90.6%. The decision curve analysis revealed that the joint model of PI‐RADS and DCNN provided additional net benefits compared with the DCNN model and the PI‐RADS scheme.Data ConclusionThe proposed DCNN‐based model with enhanced prediction yielded high performance in statistical analysis, suggesting that DCNN could be used in computer‐aided diagnosis (CAD) for PCa classification.Level of Evidence: 3Technical Efficacy: Stage 2J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;48:1570–1577
Nonsustained ventricular tachycardia does not affect the prognosis of neuromuscular diseases: A preliminary and retrospective study
Authors: Kamihara Takahiro , Yasuma Fumihiko , Murohara Toyoaki 
Published: April 2018

AbstractBackgroundNonsustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) is sometimes observed in patients with neuromuscular diseases (NMDs). The aim of this study was to assess the role of NSVT in the survival prognosis of NMD patients.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the patients with NMDs who had undergone Holter ECG recordings at a single center between February and August 2012. Sixty‐eight patients were enrolled in this study. The 5 year follow‐up was assessed according to the cumulative event‐free rate.ResultsTwenty‐one patients died during the follow‐up, seven of whom died by cardiac death. The Kaplan–Meier survival curve that compared the patients with NSVT and those without NSVT indicated the NSVT was not related to the rate of all causes of death or cardiac death in those patients with NMDs. The survival curve was not significantly changed after the adjustment by age and ejection fraction.ConclusionNo significant correlations between NSVT and the prognosis in patients with NMDs were found.
Synthesis of Natural Tea‐Saponin‐Based Succinic Acid Sulfonate as Anionic Foaming Agent
Authors: Fan Zexia , Deng Zhiyu , Wang Tengfei , Yang Weipeng , Wang Kun 
Published: April 2018

AbstractTea saponin (TS) is a relatively inexpensive natural nonionic surfactant extracted from parts of tea plants, which can be modified into an anionic surfactant to achieve better surface activity. In this paper, the synthesis of TS‐based succinic acid sulfonate as an anionic foaming agent is described. TS used as the hydrophobic source was modified by maleic anhydride (MAH) and then reacted with sodium bisulfite. Orthogonal experiment of a 2‐step reaction was designed and performed, resulting in 9 kinds of succinic acid tea‐saponin sulfonate (STS). 4‐Dimethylaminopyridine and tetrabutylammonium bromide were, respectively, used as catalyst for the esterification with MAH and the sulfonation with sodium bisulfite. During the synthesis process, N,N‐dimethylformamide was employed as the solvent and ethyl acetate as the extractant. The molecular structure of STS was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The foaming property of STS was investigated through comparison with different kinds of common surfactants. The results show great prospects of these environmentally friendly anionic surfactants.
Comparative Investigation of Dynamic Foam Behavior of Air–Water and CO2–Water Systems
Authors: Bathe Ganesh A. , Bhagat Mandar S. , Chaudhari Bhushan L. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to understand and compare the dynamic foam behavior of the surfactant Tween‐20 in air–water and CO2–water systems. The foam height in the CO2–water system was less than that in the air–water system, but the foam stability was better in the CO2–water system. The effect of temperature on axial dye displacement and foam bubble size was studied, where the foam generation ability of the surfactant was directly proportional to the temperature, while the foaminess was inversely proportional. The observed highest foam volume for the air–water system was 3922 ± 181 cm3 and for the CO2–water system 3195 ± 181 cm3 at 5.0 g L–1 of surfactant at air flow rate of 1 liter per minute (LPM) at 52 °C. The half‐life for the air–water and the CO2–water system was 110 and 40 s, respectively, at 5.0 g L–1 of surfactant at the air flow rate of 1 LPM and 28 °C. In wet foam, the liquid holdup range for the air–water system was 0.38–0.52% and for the CO2–water system 0.51–0.72% in the concentration range 1.0–5.0 g L–1 at 1 LPM gas flow rate.
Effects of high‐power ultrasound on microflora, enzymes and some quality attributes of a strawberry drink
Authors: Chen Liyi , Bi Xiufang , Cao Xiamin , Liu Lei , Che Zhenming 
Published: April 2018

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe objective of the present work was to study the effect of high‐power ultrasound (HPU) on the microflora, enzymes and some quality attributes of a strawberry drink and to provide a theoretical basis for strawberry drink processing conducive to the development of more nutritious and healthier strawberry drinks.RESULTSFresh strawberry drink was subjected to HPU treatment at 20 kHz (242, 605 and 968 W cm−2) for 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 min in an ice bath. Results showed that polyphenol oxidase (PPO), pectin methyl esterase (PME) and β‐glucosidase activities were decreased by 44.90, 89.11 and 84.71% respectively at 968 W cm−2 for 10 min. Lower L*, a* and b* values and higher browning degree (BD) were observed in HPU‐treated samples, resulting in a significant increase in ΔE value (P < 0.05). HPU treatment caused loss of viscosity and turbidity, while total soluble solids (TSS) and pH of the strawberry drink were stable. Total phenol content and antioxidant capacity increased while anthocyanin content decreased compared with untreated samples. Total aerobic bacteria (TAB) and molds and yeasts (M&Y) were reduced by 2.07 and 1.13 log10 cycles respectively at 968 W cm−2 for 10 min.CONCLUSIONSHPU can effectively achieve the effect of pasteurization and maintain the nutrients of strawberry drink. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry