bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Successful implementation of an appendectomy process improvement protocol
Authors: Bradley Matthew , Kindvall Angela , Logan Judy , Bailey Jeffrey , Elster Eric , Rodriguez Carlos 
Published: June 2019

BackgroundA key component of a process improvement program is the institution of hospital-specific protocols to address certain disparities and streamline patient care. In that regard, we evaluated the implementation of an outpatient laparoscopic appendectomy (OLA) protocol at a tertiary military hospital. We hypothesized that OLA would reduce length of stay (LOS) without increasing complications.MethodsIn August 2016, our institution implemented an OLA protocol—defined as discharge within 24 hours of surgery. Exclusion criteria included age <18 years old, grade 4 or 5 appendicitis, immunosuppression, current pregnancy, and no supervision during the first 24 hours postdischarge. To determine OLA’s effect on LOS, analysis of variance was used to perform a comparison between the years 2014 and 2017. Successful outpatient appendectomies were recorded preprotocol and postprotocol, as well as readmission complications.ResultsIn 2017, the first full year of protocol implementation, 44 of 59 (75%) patients met the inclusion criteria, and all but 2 (42 of 44, 95%) stayed for less than 24 hours. Of the two outliers, one developed acute on chronic kidney disease and one had a slow return of bowel function following grade 3 appendicitis. Complications were low across all years (one per year). In 2017, the readmission was for percutaneous drainage of an abscess. Overall, protocol implementation produced a significant decrease in LOS.DiscussionOLA protocol decreased LOS at a military hospital and should be expanded to other department of defense (DoD) facilities. Further research is needed to identify cost benefit to the military health system.Level of evidenceIII.
Forage yield, nutritive value, and ensilability of sweet pearl millet and sweet sorghum in five Canadian ecozones
Authors: Alix Hugo , Tremblay Gaëtan F. , Chantigny Martin H. , Bélanger Gilles , Seguin Philippe , Fuller Keith D. , Bittman Shabtai , Hunt Derek , Larney Francis J. , Acharya Surya N. , Vanasse Anne 
Published: June 2019

Sweet pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] and sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], previously tested for ethanol production, were evaluated as high sugar crops for animal feeds to possibly replace silage corn (Zea mays L.). We compared the forage yield, nutritive value, and ensilability of one hybrid of sweet pearl millet and two of sweet sorghum to a locally adapted silage corn hybrid in five Canadian ecozones. Forage yields of sweet pearl millet and sorghum were similar to that of silage corn in the Boreal Shield, Mixedwood Plain, and Atlantic Maritime ecozones, greater in the Prairies, and lower in the Pacific Maritime ecozone. Across sites, forage dry matter concentration was less for sweet pearl millet (289 g kg−1) and sweet sorghum (245 g kg−1) than for silage corn (331 g kg−1). Sweet pearl millet had a lower total digestible nutrient (TDN) concentration (452 g kg−1 DM) and aNDF digestibility (NDFd) than sweet sorghum and silage corn along with greater neutral detergent fibre (aNDF) and water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) concentrations than silage corn. Sweet sorghum had greater aNDF and WSC, lower starch, and similar TDN (534 g kg−1 DM) concentrations, but greater NDFd compared with silage corn. Sweet pearl millet and sorghum fermented as well as silage corn, reaching low pH values and acceptable concentrations of lactic and volatile fatty acids. Sweet sorghum is therefore a viable alternative to silage corn in Canada except in the Pacific Maritime ecozone, but early-maturing hybrids with acceptable DM concentration at harvest are required.
WKB and “cubic-WKB” methods as an adiabatic approximation
Authors: Iida Shinji 
Published: June 2019

This paper shows that WKB wave function can be expressed in the form of an adiabatic expansion. To build a bridge between two widely invoked approximation schemes seems pedagogically instructive. Further, “cubic-WKB” method that has been devised in order to overcome the divergence problem of WKB can be also presented in the form of an adiabatic approximation: The adiabatic expansion of a wave function contains a certain parameter. When this parameter is adjusted so as to make the next order correction vanish approximately, the adiabatic wave function becomes equivalent to that of the “cubic-WKB”.
Ab initio calculations of Li2(Co, Mn)O8 solid solutions for rechargeable batteries
Authors: Eglitis Roberts 
Published: June 2019

Current commercially available rechargeable Li-ion batteries, for example LiCoO2, are working mostly in the 4 V regime. One often suggested possibility to improve the effectivity of Li-ion batteries are the creation of the 5 V cathode materials. We performed quantum mechanical calculations on the average battery voltage for the Li2Co[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]O8 (x = 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4) cathode materials by means of the WIEN2k computer program package. The calculated average battery voltages for x = 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 are equal to 3.95, 5, 4.47, 4.19 and 3.99 V. Our ab initio calculation results are compared with the available experimental data for x = 0, 1, 2 and 4 which are equal to 4, 5, 5 and 4 V. Thereby, for the Li2Co1Mn3O8 battery cathode material, our calculated average battery voltage around 5 V is in perfect agreement with the experimentally available battery voltage value of 5 Volt. Nevertheless, our calculated average battery voltage is underestimated (4.47 V) for the Li2Co2Mn2O8 cathode material, which also experimentally exhibits the 5 V voltage.
Influence of the Extent of Intraventricular Hemorrhage on Functional Outcome and Mortality in Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Authors: Roeder Sebastian S. , Sprügel Maximilian I. , Sembill Jochen A. , Giede-Jeppe Antje , Macha Kosmas , Madžar Dominik , Lücking Hannes , Hoelter Philip , Gerner Stefan T. , Kuramatsu Joji B. , Huttner Hagen B. 
Published: June 2019

<b><i>Background and Objective:</i></b> Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is a verified independent prognostic parameter in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). However, the impact of the extent of IVH on clinical outcomes is unestablished. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We analyzed 1,112 consecutive primary ICH patients of the UKER-ICH cohort (NCT03183167) and hypothesized that there is no difference in outcome between patients without IVH and patients with minor IVH not leading to obstructive hydrocephalus. Propensity score matching and multivariable analyses were performed to account for imbalances in baseline characteristics. Primary outcome was defined as functional outcome 3 months after ICH ­assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) dichotomized into favorable (mRS = 0–3) and unfavorable outcome (mRS = 4–6). Secondary outcomes included mortality at 3 months and a Graeb score-based threshold analysis for association of the extent of IVH with unfavorable clinical outcome. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Among the 461 out of 1,112 (41.5%) ICH patients with IVH, 191 out of 461 (41.4%) showed IVH without obstructive hydrocephalus and no requirement of external ventricular drain (EVD) placement. After adjusting for baseline imbalances we found no difference in functional outcome at 3 months between patients without IVH (No-IVH) and patients with IVH not requiring EVD (IVH-w/o-EVD): mRS 0–3: No-IVH 64/161 (39.8%) vs. IVH-w/o-EVD 53/170 (31.2%); <i>p</i> = 0.103. However, there was a trend toward a higher mortality in IVH-w/o-EVD patients (mRS 6: No IVH 40/161 [24.8%] vs. IVH-w/o-EVD 57/170 [33.5%]; <i>p</i> = 0.083). Multivariable analysis revealed that a Graeb score &#x3e;2 was independently associated with unfavorable outcome (mRS 4–6: OR 3.16 [1.54–6.48]; <i>p</i> = 0.002), and higher mortality (mRS 6: OR 2.57 [1.40–4.74]; <i>p</i> = 0.002) in IVH patients. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Small amounts of intraventricular blood (Graeb score ≤2) not leading to obstructive hydrocephalus are not associated with unfavorable outcome or death after ICH. Thus, IVH per se should not be considered a binary variable in outcome prediction for ICH patients.
MM-PNEMO: a mathematical model to assess handoff delay and packet loss
Authors: Islam Shayla , Hassan Abdalla Hashim Aisha , Hasan Mohammad Kamrul , Razzaque Md. Abdur 
Published: June 2019

Wireless networks incorporate Mobile Nodes (MNs) that use wireless access networks to communicate. However, the communication among these MNs are not remained stable due to the poor network coverage during inter mobility. Moreover, the wireless nodes are typically small that results in resource-constrained. Thus, it is uphill to use algorithms having giant processing power or memory footprint. Accordingly, it is essential to check schemes consistently to evaluate the performance within the probable application scenario. To do so, numerical analysis could be a notable method to grasp the performance of mobility management schemes as well as the constraint of evolving mobility management solutions specifically for multi-interfaced MR in Proxy NEMO environment. This paper analyzes handoff performance by using a mathematical model of Multihoming-based scheme to support Mobility management in Proxy NEMO (MM-PNEMO) environment. Moreover, a comparative study has been made among the standard Network Mobility Basic Support Protocol (NEMO BSP), Proxy NEMO (PNEMO) and MM-PNEMO scheme respectively. The performance metrics estimated for these schemes are mainly handoff delay and packet loss. This paper also analysed the packet loss ratio and handoff gain as a function of cell radius, number of SMR and velocity respectively. It is apparent that, the MM-PNEMO scheme shows lower packet loss ratio (1%) compared to NEMO-BSP (11%) and P-NEMO (6%).
Using Statistical Modeling to Understand and Predict Pediatric Stem Cell Function
Authors: Shoja-Taheri Farnaz , George Alex , Agarwal Udit , Platt Manu O. , Gibson Greg , Davis Michael E. 
Published: June 2019

Background:
Congenital heart defects are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children, and despite advanced surgical treatments, many patients progress to heart failure. Currently, transplantation is the only effective cure and is limited by donor availability and organ rejection. Recently, cell therapy has emerged as a novel method for treating pediatric heart failure with several ongoing clinical trials. However, efficacy of stem cell therapy is variable, and choosing stem cells with the highest reparative effects has been a challenge.

Methods:
We previously demonstrated the age-dependent reparative effects of human c-kit+ progenitor cells (hCPCs) in a rat model of juvenile heart failure. Using a small subset of patient samples, computational modeling analysis showed that regression models could be made linking sequencing data to phenotypic outcomes. In the current study, we used a similar quantitative model to determine whether predictions can be made in a larger population of patients and validated the model using neonatal hCPCs. We performed RNA sequencing from c-kit+ progenitor cells isolated from 32 patients, including 8 neonatal samples. We tested 2 functional parameters of our model, cellular proliferation and chemotactic potential of conditioned media.

Results:
Interestingly, the observed proliferation and migration responses in each of the selected neonatal hCPC lines matched their predicted counterparts. We then performed canonical pathway analysis to determine potential mechanistic signals that regulated hCPC performance and identified several immune response genes that correlated with performance. ELISA analysis confirmed the presence of selected cytokines in good performing hCPCs and provided many more signals to further validate.

Conclusions:
These data show that cell behavior may be predicted using large datasets like RNA sequencing and that we may be able to identify patients whose c-kit+ progenitor cells exceed or underperform expectations. With systems biology approaches, interventions can be tailored to improve cell therapy or mimic the qualities of reparative cells.
Moral Habituation in the Law: Rethinking the Ethics of the Sharīʿa
Authors: Quadri Junaid 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThis essay contributes to a longstanding concern with the place of ethics in Islamic law, suggesting a reorientation of the debate through a consideration of the role of habituation in works of uṣūl and furūʿ. I demonstrate that the well-known emphasis on habituation in Aristotle’s ethics, and its underlying conception of character, exerted a heavy influence on writers of akhlāq works. I then examine the development of three fiqhī concepts – idmān, iqāma and iṣrār – to show how jurists embedded this conception of moral behavior in the discursive fiqh tradition, linking their disapproval of persistent sinful or morally distasteful behavior to a tangible legal effect: the forfeiture of the violator’s standing before the court. Based on this finding, I argue that jurists and moralists operated in a shared universe of normativity in which the commitment to habituation as a premier mode of ethical cultivation was held in common.
Similar look but different song: a new Cicadetta species in the montana complex (Insecta, Hemiptera, Cicadidae)
Authors: SUEUR JÉRÔME , PUISSANT STÉPHANE 
Published: June 2019

The Cicadetta montana species complex includes six cicada species from the West-Palaearctic region. Based on acoustic diagnostic characters, a seventh species Cicadetta cantilatrix sp. nov. belonging to the complex is described. The type-locality is in France but the species distribution area extends to Poland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Macedonia and Montenegro. The calling song sequence consists of two phrases with different echemes. This calling pattern clearly differs from those produced by all other members of the complex, including C. cerdaniensis, previously mistaken with the new species. This description increases the acoustic diversity observed within a single cicada genus and supports the hypothesis that sound communication may play a central role in speciation.
A new species of Branchinecta (Crustacea: Anostraca) from Brasil
Authors: ROGERS D. CHRISTOPHER , FERREIRA ALOISIO 
Published: June 2019

Branchinecta ferrolimneta, a new species of fairy shrimp, is described from shallow temporary pools from west of Nova Lima, about 10 km south-southeast of Belo Horizonte, in southeastern Brasil. This new species is the second species of Branchinecta to be described from Brasil. B. ferrolimneta is unique among Branchinecta species in the form of the male second antenna, and the female brood pouch and dorsolateral ornamentation. Observations on the ecology of B. ferrolimneta are discussed.
A new species of Amblyseius Berlese (Acari: Phytoseiidae) from Brazil
Authors: DEMITE PETERSON R. , LOFEGO ANTONIO C. , FERES REINALDO J.F. 
Published: June 2019

Phytoseiid mites have received considerable world wide attention because of their potential as natural enemies of phytophagous mites (McMurtry, 1984). The Amblyseius obtusus group Chant is the largest species group in the genus Amblyseius. Chant & McMurtry (2004) divided the group into seven subgroups based on spermathecal morphology. The andersoni subgroup of Chant & McMurtry, 2004 is characterized by a spermatheca with the calyx dish-, cup-, bell-, or V-shaped, with the length/width ratio at the mid-point of the calyx < 3:1. A total of 24 species of the andersoni subgroup are known from the Neotropical region, 13 of these from Brazil (Moraes et al., 2004). A new species of this subgroup, Amblyseius paulofariensis sp. nov., is described and illustrated in this paper, from specimens collected in the semi-deciduous forest area of “Estação Ecológica de Paulo de Faria”, a protected natural area in the State of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, on three species of Euphorbiaceae: Acalypha diversifolia Jacq., Actinostemon communis (Müll. Arg.) and Alchornea glandulosa Poepp. & Endl.. In the region where this mites was found, the climate is of the type Cwa-Aw of Köppen, with two distinct seasons: one wet, from October to March, and the other dry, from April to September. The annual mean temperature is 25°C, with a maximum mean of 30°C and a minimum mean of 20°C (Barcha & Arid, 1971; Arid & Barcha, 1973).
A Spatial Pattern Analysis of Land Surface Roughness Heterogeneity and its Relationship to the Initiation of Weak Tornadoes
Authors: Markert Amanda , Griffin Robert , Knupp Kevin , Molthan Andrew , Coleman Tim 
Published: June 2019

Abstract
North Alabama is among the most tornado-prone regions in the United States and is composed of more spatially variable terrain and land cover than the frequently studied North American Great Plains region. Because of the high tornado frequency observed across north Alabama, there is a need to understand how land surface roughness heterogeneity influences tornadogenesis, particularly for weak-intensity tornadoes. This study investigates whether horizontal gradients in land surface roughness exist surrounding locations of tornadogenesis for weak (EF0–EF1) tornadoes. The existence of the horizontal gradients could lead to the generation of positive values of the vertical components of the 3D vorticity vector near the surface that may aid in the tornadogenesis process. In this study, surface roughness was estimated using parameterizations from the Noah land surface model with inputs from MODIS 500-m and Landsat 30-m data. Spatial variations in the parameterized roughness lengths were assessed using GIS-based grid and quadrant pattern analyses to quantify observed variation of land surface features surrounding tornadogenesis locations across spatial scales. This analysis determined that statistically significant horizontal gradients in surface roughness exist surrounding tornadogenesis locations.
On the Computation of Apparent Direct Solar Radiation
Authors: Räisänen Petri , Lindfors Anders V. 
Published: June 2019

Abstract
Near-forward-scattered radiation coming from the vicinity of the sun’s direction impacts the interpretation of measurements of direct solar radiation by pyrheliometers and sun photometers, and it is also relevant for concentrating solar technology applications. Here, a Monte Carlo radiative transfer model is employed to study the apparent direct solar transmittance t(α), that is, the transmittance measured by an instrument that receives the radiation within a half-field-of-view (half-FOV) angle α from the center of the solar disk, for various ice cloud, water cloud, and aerosol cases. The contribution of scattered radiation to t(α) increases with increasing particle size, and it also depends strongly on ice crystal morphology. The Monte Carlo calculations are compared with a simple approach, in which t(α) is estimated through Beer’s law, using a scaled optical depth that excludes the part of the phase function corresponding to scattering angles smaller than α. Overall, this optical depth scaling approach works very well, although with some degradation of the performance for ice clouds for very small half-FOV angles (α &lt; 0.5°–1°), and in optically thick cases. The errors can be reduced by fine-tuning the optical depth scaling factors based on the Monte Carlo results. Parameterizations are provided for computing the optical depth scaling factors for water clouds, ice clouds, aerosols, and for completeness, Rayleigh scattering to allow for a simple calculation of t(α). It is also shown that the optical depth scaling used in delta-two-stream approximations is inappropriate for simulating the direct solar radiation received by pyrheliometers.
Uncertainty of Observation Impact Estimation in an Adjoint Model Investigated with an Observing System Simulation Experiment
Authors: Privé N. C. , Errico R. M. 
Published: June 2019

Abstract
Adjoint models are often used to estimate the impact of different observations on short-term forecast skill. A common difficulty with the evaluation of short-term forecast quality is the choice of verification fields. The use of self-analysis fields for verification is typical but incestuous, and it introduces uncertainty resulting from biases and errors in the analysis field. In this study, an observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) is used to explore the uncertainty in adjoint model estimations of observation impact. The availability of the true state for verification in the OSSE framework in the form of the nature run allows calculation of the observation impact without the uncertainties present in self-analysis verification. These impact estimates are compared with estimates calculated using self-analysis verification. The Global Earth Observing System, version 5 (GEOS-5), forecast model with the Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation system is used with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (NASA/GMAO) OSSE capability. The adjoint model includes moist processes, with total wet energy selected as the norm for evaluation of observation impacts. The results show that there are measurable but small errors in the adjoint model estimation of observation impact as a result of self-analysis verification. In general, observations of temperature and winds tend to have overestimated impacts with self-analysis verification while observations of humidity and moisture-affected observations tend to have underestimated impacts. The small magnitude of the differences in impact estimates supports the robustness of the adjoint method of estimating observation impacts.
Prediction of Tropical Cyclone Genesis from Mesoscale Convective Systems Using Machine Learning
Authors: Zhang Tao , Lin Wuyin , Lin Yanluan , Zhang Minghua , Yu Haiyang , Cao Kathy , Xue Wei 
Published: June 2019

Abstract
Tropical cyclone (TC) genesis is a problem of great significance in climate and weather research. Although various environmental conditions necessary for TC genesis have been recognized for a long time, prediction of TC genesis remains a challenge due to complex and stochastic processes involved during TC genesis. Different from traditional statistical and dynamical modeling of TC genesis, in this study, a machine learning framework is developed to determine whether a mesoscale convective system (MCS) would evolve into a tropical cyclone. The machine learning models 1) are built upon a number of essential environmental predictors associated with MCSs/TCs, 2) predict whether MCSs can become TCs at different lead times, and 3) provide information about the relative importance of each predictor, which can be conducive to discovering new aspects of TC genesis. The results indicate that the machine learning classifier, AdaBoost, is able to achieve a 97.2% F1-score accuracy in predicting TC genesis over the entire tropics at a 6-h lead time using a comprehensive set of environmental predictors. A robust performance can still be attained when the lead time is extended to 12, 24, and 48 h, and when this machine learning classifier is separately applied to the North Atlantic Ocean and the western North Pacific Ocean. In contrast, the conventional approach based on the genesis potential index can have no more than an 80% F1-score accuracy. Furthermore, the machine learning classifier suggests that the low-level vorticity and genesis potential index are the most important predictors to TC genesis, which is consistent with previous discoveries.