bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Surveillance for central-line–associated bloodstream infections: Accuracy of different sampling strategies
Authors: Kourkouni Elani , Kourlaba Georgia , Chorianopoulou Evangelia , Tsopela Grammatiki-Christina , Kopsidas Ioannis , Spyridaki Irene , Tsiodras Sotirios , Roilides Emmanuel , Coffin Susan , Zaoutis Theoklis E. ,   for the PHIG investigators
Published: August 2018

AbstractBackgroundActive daily surveillance of central-line days (CLDs) in the assessment of rates of central-line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) is time-consuming and burdensome for healthcare workers. Sampling of denominator data is a method that could reduce the time necessary to conduct active surveillance.ObjectiveTo evaluate the accuracy of various sampling strategies in the estimation of CLABSI rates in adult and pediatric units in Greece.MethodsDaily denominator data were collected across Greece for 6 consecutive months in 33 units: 11 adult units, 4 pediatric intensive care units (PICUs), 12 neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), and 6 pediatric oncology units. Overall, 32 samples were evaluated using the following strategies: (1) 1 fixed day per week, (2) 2 fixed days per week, and (3) 1 fixed week per month. The CLDs for each month were estimated as follows: (number of sample CLDs/number of sampled days) × 30. The estimated CLDs were used to calculate CLABSI rates. The accuracy of the estimated CLABSI rates was assessed by calculating the percentage error (PE): [(observed CLABSI rates − estimated CLABSI rates)/observed CLABSI rates].ResultsCompared to other strategies, sampling over 2 fixed days per week provided the most accurate estimates of CLABSI rates for all types of units. Percentage of estimated CLABSI rates with PE ≤±5% using the strategy of 2 fixed days per week ranged between 74.6% and 88.7% in NICUs. This range was 79.4%–94.1% in pediatric onology units, 62.5%–91.7% in PICUs, and 80.3%–92.4% in adult units. Further evaluation with intraclass correlation coefficients and Bland-Altman plots indicated that the estimated CLABSI rates were reliable.ConclusionSampling over 2 fixed days per week provides a valid alternative to daily collection of CLABSI denominator data. Adoption of such a monitoring method could be an important step toward better and less burdensome infection control and prevention.
A noninferiority cluster-randomized controlled trial on antibiotic postprescription review and authorization by trained general pharmacists and infectious disease clinical fellows
Authors: Rattanaumpawan Pinyo , Upapan Prasit , Thamlikitkul Visanu 
Published: August 2018

AbstractObjectiveWe compared the effectiveness of antibiotic postprescription review and authorization (PPRA) determined by infectious disease (ID) clinical fellows with that of trained general pharmacists.MethodsWe conducted a noninferiority cluster-randomized controlled trial in 6 general medical wards at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. Three wards were randomly assigned to the intervention (ie, the pharmacist PPRA group), and another 3 wards were assigned to the control (ie, the fellow PPRA group). We enrolled all patients in the study wards who received 1 or more doses of the targeted antibiotics: piperacillin/tazobactam, imipenem/cilastatin, and meropenem. The noninferiority margin was 10% for the favorable clinical response and 1.5 defined daily doses (DDDs) for the targeted antibiotics.ResultsWe enrolled 303 patients in the pharmacist PPRA group and 307 patients in the ID fellow PPRA group. The baseline and clinical characteristics were similar in the 2 groups. The difference in the favorable response of patients who received the targeted antibiotics (ie, the pharmacist PPRA group minus the fellow PPRA group) was 5.15% (95% confidence interval [CI], –2.69% to 12.98%); the difference in the DDD of targeted antibiotic use (ie, the pharmacist PPRA group minus the fellow PPRA group) was 0.62 (95% CI, –1.57 to 2.82). We observed no significant difference in the DDD of overall antibiotics, 28-day mortality, 28-day ID-related mortality, favorable microbiological outcome, or antibiotic-associated complications.ConclusionsWe confirmed the noninferiority of pharmacist PPRA in terms of favorable clinical response; however, noninferiority in targeted antibiotic consumption could not be established. Therefore, using trained general pharmacists rather than ID clinical fellows could be an alternative in a resource-limited setting.Clinical trials registration: clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT 01797133
Comparing colony-forming units in inpatient nurses: Should military nurses who provide patient care wear hospital-provided scrubs?
Authors: West Gordon F. , Resendiz Marisol , Lustik Michael B. , Nahid Md A. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractObjectiveTo compare bacterial contamination of military-approved uniforms and hospital-provided scrubs donned by nursing staff in an inpatient setting.DesignRandomized experimental crossover study.SettingLarge academic military medical center.MethodsInpatient units were randomized to predetermine the order of uniform sampling. Participants included nursing staff who provided direct patient care across 7 eligible inpatient units. Sampling of 6 designated sites on the uniform was completed on arrival to work, at ~4 hours into their shift, and at the 8-hour time point, for a total of 18 samples. Sampling of each participant occurred on 2 separate occasions, once in a military-approved uniform, and once in hospital-provided scrubs. After 24 hours of incubation, a colony-counting machine was used to calculate the total colony-forming units (CFU) of the sample.ResultsAcross all time points, military-approved uniforms demonstrated a 2-fold bacterial increase at the abdominal site and 3-fold increases at the sleeve cuff and waist pocket regions compared to the same regions on hospital-provided scrubs.ConclusionNurses should be aware that bacteria are present at much higher levels on their personal military uniforms compared to hospital-provided scrubs. Additional research is needed to determine whether these findings are a function of wear, laundering, or environmental factors. Nurses should adhere to daily uniform washing to reduce bacterial load and minimize risk of nosocomial infections to the patients they care for.
Backfire: The Dark Side of Nonviolent Resistance
Authors: Gross Michael L. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractAlthough nonviolent resistance assumes the moral high ground because its tactics do not intend to harm adversaries, severe ethical difficulties arise when nonviolent activists intentionally provoke harm to themselves. This occurs in a process called “backfire,” as hunger strikers or demonstrators provoke a disproportionately brutal and often lethal response from their adversaries to draw world attention and sympathy to their cause. As cases studies from Ireland, East Timor, and Israel demonstrate, backfire can offer insurgents and national liberation movements significant strategic gains. In Ireland, a 1981 IRA hunger strike radicalized the IRA's campaign against Britain. In East Timor, the massacre of hundreds of Timorese demonstrating for independence in 1991 galvanized world opinion and eventually brought international intervention and statehood. In Israel, the Marmara flotilla of 2010 and mass demonstrations in Gaza in the spring of 2018 refocused world attention on Palestinian grievances while easing the Israeli-imposed land and naval blockade. These events were transformative, but their success depended upon the careful cultivation of violence. An anathema to ideological nonviolence, backfire is often used by strategic activists who will mix violent and nonviolent tactics as circumstances demand. Ethically discharging this tactic requires organizers to articulate feasible operational goals while protecting minors, to mitigate risk, to obtain free and informed consent from participants, and to constantly evaluate the costs and benefits of political action.
Reconstructing Globalization in an Illiberal Era
Authors: DeMartino George F. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractIn their new indictments of global neoliberalism and the economic profession's culpability in its harms, Dani Rodrik and Joseph Stiglitz press the case for reconstructed globalization that generates benefits for all and not just for corporate and financial elites. Both books are deeply consistent with the insights of Karl Polanyi, who had identified the inherent contradictions of the project to create what he called a self-regulating economy. Like Polanyi, Rodrik and Stiglitz are attentive to the inadequacies of neoliberalism, and both emphasize the capture of the state and international economic policy by elites, who have turned their backs on those left behind. While Stiglitz emphasizes that the profession knows how to fix the problem by applying modern Keynesian insights, Rodrik emphasizes the inherent epistemic limitations facing economists. Indeed, his arguments about development policy reflect the insights of Friedrich Hayek into the limits of economic expertise.
Successful use of calcium channel blocker for management of arterio-venous malformations following Fontan procedure
Authors: Hamzeh Ramzi , Bulbul Ziad , Assy Jana 
Published: August 2018

AbstractIn diffuse forms of arteriovenous malformation following Fontan procedure, “classical” medical therapy, inhaled nitric oxide and sildenafil, may play a role, until re-direction of hepatic flow to pulmonary circulation cures it. However, in refractory cases, as reported in our 2-year-old patient, unusual medications such as calcium channel blockers can be tried and continued if patients respond adequately.
Aging and Attentional Control: Examining the Roles of Mind-Wandering Propensity and Dispositional Mindfulness
Authors: Fountain-Zaragoza Stephanie , Puccetti Nicole A. , Whitmoyer Patrick , Prakash Ruchika Shaurya 
Published: August 2018

AbstractObjectives: Aging is associated with declines in performance on certain laboratory tasks of attentional control. However, older adults tend to report greater mindful, present-moment attention and less mind-wandering (MW) than young adults. For older adults, high levels of these traits may be protective for attentional performance. This study examined age-related differences in global (i.e., full-task) and local (i.e., pre-MW) attentional control and explored the variance explained by MW and mindfulness. Methods: Cross-sectional comparisons were conducted on data from a previously reported sample of 75 older adults (ages, 60–75 years) and a new sample of 50 young adults (ages, 18–30 years). All participants completed a Go/No-Go task and a Continuous Performance Task with quasi-random MW probes. Results: There were few age-related differences in attentional control. Although MW was not associated with decrements in global performance, local performance measures revealed deleterious effects of MW, which were present across age groups. Older adults reported higher trait mindfulness and less MW than young adults, and these variables helped explain the lack of observed age-related differences in attentional control. Conclusions: Individual differences in dispositional mindfulness and MW propensity explain important variance in attentional performance across age. Increasing present-moment focus and reducing lapses in attention represent important targets for cognitive rehabilitation interventions. (JINS, 2018, 24, 876–888)
Trends and determinants of stunting among under-5s: evidence from the 1995, 2001, 2006 and 2011 Uganda Demographic and Health Surveys
Authors: Yang Ying Ying , Kaddu Gabriella , Ngendahimana David , Barkoukis Hope , Freedman Darcy , Lubaale Yovani AM , Mupere Ezekiel , Bakaki Paul M 
Published: August 2018

AbstractObjectiveTo describe trends of childhood stunting among under-5s in Uganda and to assess the impact of maternal education, wealth and residence on stunting.DesignSerial and pooled cross-sectional analyses of data from Uganda Demographic and Health Surveys (UDHS) of 1995, 2001, 2006 and 2011. Prevalence of stunting and mean height-for-age Z-score were computed by maternal education, wealth index, region and other sociodemographic characteristics. Multivariable logistic and linear regression models were fitted to survey-specific and pooled data to estimate independent associations between covariates and stunting or Z-score. Sampling weights were applied in all analyses.SettingUganda.SubjectsChildren aged <5 years.ResultsWeighted sample size was 14 747 children. Stunting prevalence decreased from 44·8% in 1995 to 33·2% in 2011. UDHS reported stunting as 38% in 1995, underestimating the decline because of transitioning from National Center for Health Statistics/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention standards to WHO standards. Nevertheless, one in three Ugandan children was still stunted by 2011. South Western, Mid Western, Kampala and East Central regions had highest odds of stunting. Being born in a poor or middle-income household, of a teen mother, without secondary education were associated with stunting. Other persistent stunting predictors included small birth size, male gender and age 2–3 years.ConclusionsSustained decrease in stunting suggests that child nutrition interventions have been successful; however, current prevalence does not meet Millennium Development Goals. Stunting remains a public health concern and must be addressed. Customizing established measures such as female education and wealth creation while targeting the most vulnerable groups may further reduce childhood stunting.
The divergent paths of tax development during different waves of democratization
Authors: Kato Junko , Toyofuku Miki 
Published: August 2018

AbstractTaxation is a critical part of state power and has evolved with modernization. Although tax systems are expected to converge as countries achieve economic development, there are variations in the scale and structure of tax revenues. A recurring question is which tax dominates state financing in democracies. Some scholars associate mature democracies with progressive income taxation, and others find that democracies have relied on regressive taxation on consumption. Learning from the history of tax development, this paper illuminates that countries in different democratic waves followed divergent paths of tax development in the process of modernization. The first and second wave democratizers established progressive income taxation in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and continued to rely on it. On the other hand, newly democratized countries came to rely heavily on the value-added tax, which was innovated in the mid-twentieth century, shortly before the beginning of the third wave of democratization. By shedding new light on the linkage between the development of modern taxation and the waves of democratization, the study demonstrates that the trajectory of modernization has shaped different tax systems.
Weak taxation and constraints of the welfare state in democratized Taiwan
Authors: Lin Chenwei 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThe relationship between taxation and welfare regime in Taiwan has largely been unexplored to date. This study argues that since taxation capacity of the state decides the fate of new welfare programs such as the public provision of long-term care, it also affects the trajectory of the welfare regime. Through the analysis of Taiwan's tax revenue structure and tax base, this study reveals that Taiwan, unlike many new democracies, has shone away from relying on goods and services taxes but at the same time continues to provide preferential tax treatment for the corporate world. The result has been the erosion of tax base which makes introducing new welfare programs extremely difficult even when new policies allow for credit-claiming. Therefore, the familialistic welfare regime persists because of a weakened taxation capacity. Furthermore, the political determinants of the weakened taxation capacity can be found in identity-based party politics, an influential capital vs acquiescent labor and the limited bargaining power of civil society.
Role of Edamame (Glycine max) Seed Size in Early-Season Crop–Weed Interactions
Authors: Crawford Laura E. , Williams Martin M. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractEdamame [Glycine max(L.) Merr.] differs from grain-type soybean in several aspects, one being that edamame seeds are 65% to 100% larger than grain-type soybean seed. Crop seed size has implications for weed management in grain-type soybean; however, the extent to which this observation holds true for edamame is unknown. Because weed interference continues to be a barrier to domestic edamame production, the objective was to quantify the effect of edamame seed size on the crop’s ability to tolerate weed interference (CT) and the crop’s ability to suppress weeds (WSA). Five edamame cultivars plus one grain-type cultivar were each sorted to create “small” and “large” seed size classes. Seed lots were included in a split–split plot design, whereby an additional experimental factor was presence or absence of velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrastiMedik.). Crop and weed emergence and growth were monitored through 8 wk after emergence (WAE). Crop plants from large seed had higher tolerance toA. theophrastithan plants from small seed, as evidenced by crop height, area, and biomass. Edamame seed size had little effect on WSA; however, crop cultivars differentially reducedA. theophrastileaf area and biomass at 4 and 8 WAE. While both seed size and edamame cultivar influence early-season crop competitive ability, the magnitude of these factors on CT and WSA underscores the importance of considering them not as stand-alone tactics but rather as useful additions to a more comprehensive integrated weed management system.
Reply to Comment by Zhang et al. on the Paper “Long‐Term Variations of Exospheric Temperature Inferred From foF1 Observations: A Comparison to ISR Ti Trend Estimates” by Perrone and Mikhailov
Authors: Perrone L. , Mikhailov A. V. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThe majority of Zhang et al. critical comments concern our method to retrieve aeronomic parameters from ionosonde foF1 observations. The main idea of the method was described by Mikhailov and Perrone (2016, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JA022716), but it is seen that an additional clarification is required. The method has been slightly changed to meet numerous comments of referees, and its description is given here. The comments by Zhang et al. are analyzed and answered.
An Analytical Model With a Critical Richardson Number Closure for Sediment‐Stratified Open Channel Flow
Authors: Chen Shih‐Nan , Chen Chiou‐Jiu 
Published: August 2018

AbstractAn analytical model is developed for sediment‐stratified open channel flow, with an objective to explore the parameter regime where the self‐induced stratification controls the vertical structure. The model exploits a critical Richardson number closure motivated by a suite of numerical experiments. It is shown that, with Rouse number (relative settling speed) below one, a buoyancy length scale LB, defined as the Monin‐Obukhov length scaled by a factor of 0.1, separates the water column into two regions. Below LB, the buoyancy destruction by sediment stratification is of secondary importance (as indicated by the factor 0.1), and the concentration and velocity closely resemble the unstratified Rousean and logarithmic distributions; Above LB, the sediment feedback in the turbulence kinetic energy balance helps maintain a critically stratified state, and the vertical profiles deviate markedly from the unstratified scaling. Incorporating this closure then leads to analytical expressions for concentration and velocity that compare well with the numerical model and prior studies. The influence of sediment stratification on vertical structure is governed by a dimensionless height LB/h (h is water depth). A smaller LB/h reflects a greater portion of critically stratified water column, indicative of a stronger stratification control. Large near‐bottom buoyancy destruction, as indicated by a large bottom Richardson number, and slow vertical decay, as indicated by a small Rouse number, lead to an expansion of critically stratified region and thus favor sediment stratification. It is shown further that, in sediment‐stratified regime, different concavities of concentration profiles are possible.
Petrology, Geochronology and Tectonic Setting of Early Triassic Alkaline Metagabbros From the Eastern Pontide Orogenic Belt (NE Turkey): Implications for the Geodynamic Evolution of Gondwana's Early Mesozoic Northern Margin
Authors: Eyuboglu Yener , Dudas Francis O. , Chatterjee Nilanjan , Santosh M. , Billor Mehmet Z. , Yuva Sabire 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThe Triassic geodynamic evolution of the Pontides Belt, which geographically corresponds to northern Anatolia, is still a matter of debate. We present and interpret geological, petrographical, geochemical, and geochronological data from small, discordant, metagabbroic rocks exposed in the Tokat Massif. Field and petrographic characteristics distinguish four subgroups: (i) medium‐grained, slightly lineated, clinopyroxene‐rich metagabbros; (ii) fine‐grained, nonlineated, clinopyroxene‐rich metagabbros; (iii) medium‐grained, nonlineated, brown amphibole‐rich metagabbros; and (iv) medium‐grained, slightly lineated, brown and blue amphibole‐rich metagabbros. Magmatic kaersutites give 39Ar/40Ar plateau ages of 244.6 ± 0.5 and 243.16 ± 0.92 Ma and overlap the U‐Pb age of titanite from a clinopyroxene‐rich sample. Inherited zircons (~460, ~880, and ~2600 Ma) in fine‐grained clinopyroxene‐rich metagabbros indicate interaction with a range of crustal rocks during the intrusion. The blue amphiboles are magnesioriebeckites that formed during metamorphism or late‐stage crystallization. Geochemical data, including whole rock major and trace element concentrations, and Sr‐Nd‐Pb isotope compositions reveal that both clinopyroxene‐ and amphibole‐rich metagabbros are alkaline in composition but derived from distinct mantle sources. They are compositionally distinct from mafic igneous rocks in the contemporaneous Permo‐Triassic Karakaya Complex that is well exposed in the western part of the Pontides Belt. Considering all data, we suggest that the Pontides Belt was shaped above a south dipping subduction zone during Permo‐Triassic and the alkaline gabbros that were emplaced into crustal rocks during Early Triassic back‐arc rifting of the northern margin of Gondwana.