bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Improved Characterization of Groundwater Flow in Heterogeneous Aquifers Using Granular Polyacrylamide (PAM) Gel as Temporary Grout
Authors: Klepikova Maria V. , Roques Clement , Loew Simon , Selker John 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThe range of options for investigation of hydraulic behavior of aquifers from boreholes has been limited to rigid, cumbersome packers, and inflatable sleeves. Here we show how a new temporary borehole sealing technique using soft grains of polyacrylamide (PAM) gel as a sealing material can be used to investigate natural groundwater flow dynamics and discuss other possible applications of the technology. If no compressive stress is applied, the gel packing, with a permeability similar to open gravel, suppresses free convection, allowing for local temperature measurements and chemical sampling through free‐flowing gel packing. Active heating laboratory and field experiments combined with temperature measurements along fiber optic cables were conducted in water‐filled boreholes and boreholes filled with soft grains of polyacrylamide gel. The gel packing is shown to minimize the effect of free convection within the well column and enable detection of thin zones of relatively high or low velocity in a highly transmissive alluvial aquifer, thus providing a significant improvement compared to temperature measurements in open boreholes. Laboratory experiments demonstrate that under modest compressive stress to the gel media the permeability transitions from highly permeable to nearly impermeable grouting. Under this configuration the gel packing could potentially allow for monitoring local response pressure from the formation with all other locations in the borehole hydraulically isolated.
Data‐Driven Model Uncertainty Estimation in Hydrologic Data Assimilation
Authors: Pathiraja S. , Moradkhani H. , Marshall L. , Sharma A. , Geenens G. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThe increasing availability of earth observations necessitates mathematical methods to optimally combine such data with hydrologic models. Several algorithms exist for such purposes, under the umbrella of data assimilation (DA). However, DA methods are often applied in a suboptimal fashion for complex real‐world problems, due largely to several practical implementation issues. One such issue is error characterization, which is known to be critical for a successful assimilation. Mischaracterized errors lead to suboptimal forecasts, and in the worst case, to degraded estimates even compared to the no assimilation case. Model uncertainty characterization has received little attention relative to other aspects of DA science. Traditional methods rely on subjective, ad hoc tuning factors or parametric distribution assumptions that may not always be applicable. We propose a novel data‐driven approach (named SDMU) to model uncertainty characterization for DA studies where (1) the system states are partially observed and (2) minimal prior knowledge of the model error processes is available, except that the errors display state dependence. It includes an approach for estimating the uncertainty in hidden model states, with the end goal of improving predictions of observed variables. The SDMU is therefore suited to DA studies where the observed variables are of primary interest. Its efficacy is demonstrated through a synthetic case study with low‐dimensional chaotic dynamics and a real hydrologic experiment for one‐day‐ahead streamflow forecasting. In both experiments, the proposed method leads to substantial improvements in the hidden states and observed system outputs over a standard method involving perturbation with Gaussian noise.
Agreement, Modeling of Categorical
Authors: Nelson Kerrie P. , Barlow William 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
This article describes models and summary measures that can be used for assessing the agreement between raters' categorical classifications. Models often describe the agreement between observers in ways that are more satisfactory than using simple single measures such as kappa. These models take chance agreement and ordinal association into account, and the effects of covariates may also be incorporated. Modeling techniques include logistic regression models, the log‐linear model, generalized linear mixed models, and models using generalized estimating equations when more than two categories are involved. More complex models are required if there are more than two raters.
Quality Assurance and Issues in Healthcare Quality
Authors: Mitra Amitava 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
The healthcare sector in the United States is rather unique. This is due to the various customers, their associated needs, multiple entities who pay for the services, and the different types of payment schemes. Beyond this lies the challenge of selecting appropriate metrics to monitor quality. In this article, we discuss the role of information technology in the healthcare sector, and the obstacles and challenges in its implementation to improve the quality of care and reduce costs. We examine one particular area of analyzing customer satisfaction data as this is a common form of data collection in the healthcare sector.
Semiparametric Theory
Authors: Kennedy Edward H. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractIn this article, we give a brief review of semiparametric theory, using as a running example the common problem of estimating an average causal effect. Semiparametric models allow at least part of the data‐generating process to be unspecified and unrestricted, and can often yield robust estimators that nonetheless behave similarly to those based on parametric likelihood assumptions, for example, fast rates of convergence to normal limiting distributions. We discuss the basics of semiparametric theory, focusing on influence functions.
StochasticEM
Authors: Nielsen Søren Feodor 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThe expectation maximization (EM) algorithm is a useful tool for finding the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) in incomplete data problems. In some problems, however, the E step (and/or the M step) of the algorithm may be difficult to implement. Here, the stochastic EM algorithm can provide a useful alternative by replacing the E step of the EM algorithm with a fixed number of simulations, turning the M step into a maximization of the complete data log‐likelihood. The output of the stochastic EM algorithm forms a Markov chain that under sufficient regularity conditions is ergodic with an asymptotically normal invariant distribution. Draws from the invariant distribution form a consistent asymptotically normal estimator of the unknown parameters.
Ordering and Grain Growth in Charged Block Copolymer Bulk Films: A Comparison of Solvent‐Related Processes
Authors: Ryan Justin J. , Mineart Kenneth P. , Lee Byeongdu , Spontak Richard J. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractWhile prior efforts have demonstrated that the morphologies of block copolymer (BC) bulk films can be controlled through judicious chemical design and thermal annealing, recent interest has focused on regulating the orientation of BC nanostructures and minimizing defects. Thermal processes developed to achieve this purpose for nonpolar BCs are not, however, suitable for orienting microphase‐ordered BCs composed of at least one block with charged moieties that can form thermally stable ionic clusters. To overcome this challenge, we have previously applied solvent‐vapor (SV) annealing to block ionomer (BI) bulk films composed of midblock‐sulfonated pentablock copolymers and established that this approach yields highly ordered morphologies that display evidence of improved in‐plane orientation. Here, we employ small‐angle X‐ray scattering to compare the effectiveness of three solvent‐related processes–SV annealing, SV permeation, and SV sorption–on BI ordering and grain growth, and offer explanations for observed differences on the basis of thermodynamic‐ and transport‐related considerations. Differences in the experimental design of these solvent‐related processes are found to affect nanostructural development, as evidenced by the extent of in‐plane grain growth.
A Tunable Multigate Indium‐Tin‐Oxide‐Assisted All‐Dielectric Metasurface
Authors: Forouzmand Ali , Salary Mohammad Mahdi , Inampudi Sandeep , Mosallaei Hossein 
Published: February 2018

AbstractIn this paper, an optically active reflective metasurface with tunable phase performance is designed which operates based on the excitation of both electric and magnetic resonances in a silicon‐made nanoantenna element and the use of layered indium tin oxide (ITO)–alumina under the influence of external multigate biasing. The capability of achieving robust control over the reflection characteristics of two closely spaced electric and magnetic resonances is investigated. Adopting the multigate biasing enables relatively high reflection amplitude of 0.4 over the entire phase‐change coverage (≈180°) in the near‐infrared regime by exploiting the constructive interference between the geometrical resonances. The physical mechanism behind this ITO‐assisted metal–insulator–semiconductor building block can be described as the strong confinement of electromagnetic fields at the vicinity of ITO layers and the possibility of modulating the carrier concentrations of the integrated active materials by electrically varying the bias voltage. The uniformity of reflection magnitude for all reflection phase coverage, relatively high reflectivity, and electro‐optical tunability is leveraged to design three multifunctional devices with step‐by‐step increase in complexity of biasing network including ultrathin reconfigurable linear/circular polarizer (simple identical biasing), dynamical beam steering platform (two‐state biasing), and tunable metalens with controllable on‐ and off‐axes focusing pattern in real‐time (advanced element‐by‐element biasing).
Regulating Secondary Flow in Ultra‐Low Aspect Ratio Microchannels by Dimensional Confinement
Authors: Shen Shaofei , Kou Lisha , Zhang Xuan , Wang Defu , Niu Yanbing , Wang Jinyi 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThe ability to control the movement of fluids is significant in biological analysis, chemical synthesis, and medical diagnostics. Microfluidic technologies have achieved promising progresses in fluid manipulation by curvilinear channel geometries due to the presence of secondary flows. However, most of these devices are not designed in low aspect ratio microchannels because of the difficulty of weak Dean effect. Herein, we describe an inertial microfluidic system that allows deterministic regulation of secondary flows by geometric confinement in ultra‐low aspect ratio microchannels. On the introduction of a series of micro‐obstacles in semicircular microchannels, the resulting acceleration of secondary flow can be applied to remarkably potentiate many molecular interactions and reactions with a high mixing efficiency and speed under a wide range of flow capacity. The strategy to engineer secondary flow used in this work offers new insights pointing to low aspect ratio, ease‐to‐use, high‐throughput, and considerable flexibility for designing efficient microfluidic devices in diverse fluid manipulations.
Microsatellite markers for study of the invasive species Rumex alpinus (Polygonaceae)
Authors: Šurinová Mária , Jarošová Andrea , Münzbergová Zuzana 
Published: February 2018

Premise of the StudyPolymorphic microsatellite markers were developed to study genetic diversity, population structure, and dispersal strategies of the highly invasive species Rumex alpinus (Polygonaceae).Methods and ResultsFifteen polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed using a 454 sequencing approach and used to genotype 72 individuals from six populations in Austria and France. All markers were polymorphic in at least one investigated population, and the number of alleles ranged from one to four alleles per locus. Observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.06 to 1.0 and from 0.18 to 0.72, respectively.ConclusionsThese 15 markers will be useful for characterizing dispersal strategies and gene flow assessment between R. alpinus populations and other, often weedy Rumex species.
Reversal of Sepsis‐Like Features of Neutrophils by Interleukin‐1 Blockade in Patients With Systemic‐Onset Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Authors: ter Haar Nienke M. , Tak Tamar , Mokry Michal , Scholman Rianne C. , Meerding Jenny M. , de Jager Wilco , Verwoerd Anouk , Foell Dirk , Vogl Thomas , Roth Johannes , Leliefeld Pieter H. C. , van Loosdregt Jorg , Koenderman Leo , Vastert Sebastiaan J. , de Roock Sytze 
Published: February 2018

ObjectiveNeutrophils are the most abundant innate immune cells in the blood, but little is known about their role in (acquired) chronic autoinflammatory diseases. This study was undertaken to investigate the role of neutrophils in systemic‐onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), a prototypical multifactorial autoinflammatory disease that is characterized by arthritis and severe systemic inflammation.MethodsFifty patients with systemic‐onset JIA who were receiving treatment with recombinant interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist (rIL‐1Ra; anakinra) were analyzed at disease onset and during remission. RNA sequencing was performed on fluorescence‐activated cell–sorted neutrophils from 3 patients with active systemic‐onset JIA and 3 healthy controls. Expression of activation markers, apoptosis, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and degranulation of secretory vesicles from neutrophils were assessed by flow cytometry in serum samples from 17 patients with systemic‐onset JIA and 15 healthy controls.ResultsNeutrophil counts were markedly increased at disease onset, and this correlated with the levels of inflammatory mediators. The neutrophil counts normalized within days after the initiation of rIL‐1Ra therapy. RNA‐sequencing analysis revealed a substantial up‐regulation of inflammatory processes in neutrophils from patients with active systemic‐onset JIA, significantly overlapping with the transcriptome of sepsis. Correspondingly, neutrophils from patients with active systemic‐onset JIA displayed a primed phenotype that was characterized by increased ROS production, CD62L shedding, and secretory vesicle degranulation, which was reversed by rIL‐1Ra treatment in patients who had achieved clinical remission. Patients with a short disease duration had high neutrophil counts, more immature neutrophils, and a complete response to rIL‐1Ra, whereas patients with symptoms for >1 month had normal neutrophil counts and an unsatisfactory response to rIL‐1Ra. In vitro, rIL‐1Ra antagonized the priming effect of IL‐1β on neutrophils from healthy subjects.ConclusionThese results strongly support the notion that neutrophils play an important role in systemic‐onset JIA, especially in the early inflammatory phase of the disease. The findings also demonstrate that neutrophil numbers and the inflammatory activity of systemic‐onset JIA are both susceptible to IL‐1 blockade.
Influence of family demographic factors on social communication questionnaire scores
Authors: Rosenberg Steven A. , Moody Eric J. , Lee Li‐Ching , DiGuiseppi Carolyn , Windham Gayle C. , Wiggins Lisa D. , Schieve Laura A. , Ledbetter Caroline M. , Levy Susan E. , Blaskey Lisa , Young Lisa , Bernal Pilar , Rosenberg Cordelia R. , Fallin M. Daniele 
Published: February 2018

This study examined the effect of demographic factors on Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) scores in children aged 30–68 months. Diagnoses of ASD were made after a gold standard evaluation that included the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), and the Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised (ADI‐R). The relationship of demographic variables to SCQ scores was compared in two source populations: (a) children recruited from clinical and educational sources serving children who have ASD or other developmental disorders (CE) and (b) children recruited from birth certificates to represent the general population (BC). The impact of the demographic variables—child sex, child age, maternal language, maternal ethnicity, maternal education, maternal race, and household income—on total SCQ score were studied to examine their impact on the SCQ's performance. Demographic factors predicting the SCQ total score were used to generate ROCs. Factors that had a significant influence on SCQ performance were identified by examining the area under the ROCs. Optimal SCQ cut‐points were generated for significant factors using the Youden's Index. Overall male sex, lower household income, lower maternal education and Black race predicted higher SCQ scores. In this sample, the most common optimum value for the SCQ cut‐point across the different sociodemographic groups was 11. Autism Res 2018, 11: 695–706. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Lay SummaryScreeners are used to help identify children who are more likely to have ASD than their peers. Ideally screeners should be accurate for different groups of children and families. This study examined how well the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) predicts ASD. We found that male sex, lower household income, lower maternal education and Black race were associated with higher SCQ scores. In this study an SCQ cut‐point of 11 worked best across the different sociodemographic groups in our sample.
Optimierter Teilsicherheitsfaktor für Lasten aus Equipment im schweren Industriebau
Authors: Glowienka Simon 
Published: February 2018

AbstractDie Berechnung von Baustrukturen im Industriebau erfolgt bislang auf Basis der baurechtlich eingeführten Regelwerke wie etwa DIN EN 1990 oder DIN EN 1992, um nur ein paar Beispiele zu nennen. Auf die entsprechenden Baustrukturen, wie z. B. Fundamente oder Bühnen, wirken neben den umweltbedingten Lasten vor allem auch Belastungen aus schwerem Equipment, die in der Regel auch maßgebend für die Bemessung werden. Da entsprechende Lasten vollständig, aber auch nur teilweise wirken können, gelten sie im Allgemeinen als veränderliche Lasten (Qk) im Sinne von DIN EN 1990 und werden daher üblicherweise mit dem Teilsicherheitsbeiwert γQ = 1,50 beaufschlagt, in besonderen Fällen darf γQ = 1,35 verwendet werden [1, 2]. Im Gegensatz zu sonstigen veränderlichen Einwirkungen verfügen Lasten aus Equipment jedoch nur über eine viel geringere Schwankungsbreite und sind generell genauer vorhersagbar. Daher verfügen Tragwerke, die basierend auf den eingeführten Normen bemessen sind, über ein deutlich höheres Zuverlässigkeitsniveau als nach DIN EN 1990 gefordert, was jedoch im Wiederspruch zu der Forderung steht, Tragwerke wirtschaftlich zu bemessen. Im Folgenden wird der Ansatz kritisch diskutiert und ein optimierter Vorschlag unterbreitet.
Thirty‐day readmission after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage
Authors: Bjerkreim Anna Therese , Khanevski Andrej Netland , Glad Solveig Bergliot , Thomassen Lars , Naess Halvor , Logallo Nicola 
Published: February 2018

AbstractBackgroundIntracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the most severe form of stroke, but data on readmission after ICH are sparse. We aimed to determine frequency, causes, and predictors of 30‐day readmission after ICH.Materials and MethodsThis retrospective cohort study includes all spontaneous ICH survivors admitted to the stroke unit at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen in Norway from July 2007 to December 2013. Patients were followed by review of electronic medical charts, and the first unplanned readmission within 30 days after discharge was used as final outcome. Cox regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of 30‐day readmission.ResultsWe identified 226 patients with spontaneous ICH, 70 (31.0%) of whom died before discharge or were discharged to palliative care. Of the remaining 156 ICH survivors, 28 (18.0%) were readmitted within 30 days. Median time to readmission was 12 days (IQR 4.5 – 18.5). Most patients were readmitted due to infections (N = 13). None of the patients were readmitted with recurrent stroke. Pneumonia and enteral feeding during the index hospitalization were associated with readmission for infections (both p < .01). Age was the only independent predictor of readmission (HR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02 – 1.11, p = .006).ConclusionsAlmost one in five of our spontaneous ICH survivors was readmitted within 30 days, and most readmissions were caused by infections.
Data augmentation in food science: Synthesising spectroscopic data of vegetable oils for performance enhancement
Authors: Georgouli Konstantia , Osorio Maria Teresa , Martinez Del Rincon Jesus , Koidis Anastasios 
Published: February 2018

AbstractGenerating more accurate, efficient, and robust classification models in chemometrics, able to address real‐world problems in food analysis, is intrinsically related with the amount of available calibration samples. In this paper, we propose a data augmentation solution to increase the performance of a classification model by generating realistic data augmented samples. The feasibility of this solution has been evaluated on 3 main different experiments where Fourier transform mid infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopic data of vegetable oils were used for the identification of vegetable oil species in oil admixtures. Results demonstrate that data augmented samples improved the classification rate by around 19% in a single instrument validation and provided a significant 38% improvement in classification when testing in more than 10 different spectroscopic instruments to the calibration one.
The impact of noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary‐like nuclear features on the rate of malignancy for atypia of undetermined significance subcategories
Authors: Hang Jen‐Fan , Westra William H. , Zhou Amy G. , Cooper David S. , Ali Syed Z. 
Published: February 2018

BACKGROUNDThe recent revision in terminology, with noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary‐like nuclear features (NIFTP) replacing noninvasive follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma, has reclassified the clinically indolent tumor as nonmalignant. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of this change on the rate of malignancy (ROM) for subcategories of an atypia of undetermined significance (AUS) diagnosis on fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) cytology.METHODSConsecutive thyroid FNAs interpreted as AUS over a period of 4 years were retrospectively analyzed. The ROM for AUS subcategories, including atypia of undetermined significance with nuclear atypia (AUS‐N), atypia of undetermined significance with a microfollicular pattern (AUS‐F), atypia of undetermined significance with nuclear atypia and a microfollicular pattern (AUS‐N/F), atypia of undetermined significance with Hürthle cells (AUS‐H), and atypia of undetermined significance, not otherwise specified (AUS‐NOS), were analyzed.RESULTSOf the 426 nodules interpreted as AUS, 244 were surgically excised. The incidence of NIFTP in each subcategory was as follows: 18% for AUS‐N, 18% for AUS‐F, 9% for AUS‐N/F, 3% for AUS‐H, and 0% for AUS‐NOS. After the reclassification of NIFTP as nonmalignant, the ROM based on histologic follow‐up significantly decreased from 43% to 26% for AUS‐N (P < .001) and from 29% to 10% for AUS‐F (P = .008). The ROM for AUS‐N remained significantly higher than the ROM for AUS‐F (P = .030).CONCLUSIONSA subset of resected AUS nodules can be reclassified as NIFTP, and that significantly decreases the ROM, especially for AUS‐N and AUS‐F. Nonetheless, AUS‐N still harbors a substantially higher ROM than AUS‐F. Cancer Cytopathol 2018;126:309‐16. © 2018 American Cancer Society.