bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ultrafine-Grained Plates of Al-Mg-Si Alloy Obtained by Incremental Equal Channel Angular Pressing: Microstructure and Mechanical Properties
Authors: Lipinska Marta , Chrominski Witold , Olejnik Lech , Golinski Jacek , Rosochowski Andrzej , Lewandowska Malgorzata 
Published: July 2017

Abstract
In this study, an Al-Mg-Si alloy was processed using via incremental equal channel angular pressing (I-ECAP) in order to obtain homogenous, ultrafine-grained plates with low anisotropy of the mechanical properties. This was the first attempt to process an Al-Mg-Si alloy using this technique. Samples in the form of 3 mm-thick square plates were subjected to I-ECAP with the 90 deg rotation around the axis normal to the surface of the plate between passes. Samples were investigated first in their initial state, then after a single pass of I-ECAP, and finally after four such passes. Analyses of the microstructure and mechanical properties demonstrated that the I-ECAP method can be successfully applied in Al-Mg-Si alloys. The average grain size decreased from 15 to 19 µm in the initial state to below 1 µm after four I-ECAP passes. The fraction of high-angle grain boundaries in the sample subjected to four I-ECAP passes lay within 53 to 57 pct depending on the examined plane. The mechanism of grain refinement in Al-Mg-Si alloy was found to be distinctly different from that in pure aluminum with the grain rotation being more prominent than the grain subdivision, which was attributed to lower stacking fault energy and the reduced mobility of dislocations in the alloy. The ultimate tensile strength increased more than twice, whereas the yield strength was more than threefold. Additionally, the plates processed by I-ECAP exhibited low anisotropy of mechanical properties (in plane and across the thickness) in comparison to other SPD processing methods, which makes them attractive for further processing and applications.
Application of a Theoretical Model Toward Understanding Continued Food Insecurity Post Hurricane Katrina
Authors: Clay Lauren A. , Papas Mia A. , Gill Kimberly , Abramson David M. 
Published: July 2017

ABSTRACTObjectiveDisaster recovery efforts focus on restoring basic needs to survivors, such as food, water, and shelter. However, long after the immediate recovery phase is over, some individuals will continue to experience unmet needs. Ongoing food insecurity has been identified as a post-disaster problem. There is a paucity of information regarding the factors that might place an individual at risk for continued food insecurity post disaster.MethodsUsing data from a sample (n=737) of households severely impacted by Hurricane Katrina, we estimated the associations between food insecurity and structural, physical and mental health, and psychosocial factors 5 years after Hurricane Katrina. Logistic regression models were fit and odds ratios (OR) and 95% CI estimated.ResultsNearly one-quarter of respondents (23%) reported food insecurity 5 years post Katrina. Marital/partner status (OR: 0.7, CI: 0.42, 0.99), self-efficacy (OR: 0.56, CI: 0.37, 0.84), sense of community (OR: 0.7, CI: 0.44, 0.98), and social support (OR: 0.59, CI: 0.39, 0.89) lowered the odds of food insecurity and explained most of the effects of mental health distress on food insecurity. Social support, self-efficacy, and being partnered were protective against food insecurity.ConclusionsRecovery efforts should focus on fostering social-support networks and increased self-efficacy to improve food insecurity post disaster. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:47–56)
Identification of Keywords From Twitter and Web Blog Posts to Detect Influenza Epidemics in Korea
Authors: Woo Hyekyung , Sung Cho Hyeon , Shim Eunyoung , Lee Jong Koo , Lee Kihwang , Song Gilyoung , Cho Youngtae 
Published: July 2017

AbstractObjectiveSocial media data are a highly contextual health information source. The objective of this study was to identify Korean keywords for detecting influenza epidemics from social media data.MethodsWe included data from Twitter and online blog posts to obtain a sufficient number of candidate indicators and to represent a larger proportion of the Korean population. We performed the following steps: initial keyword selection; generation of a keyword time series using a preprocessing approach; optimal feature selection; model building and validation using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, support vector machine (SVM), and random forest regression (RFR).ResultsA total of 15 keywords optimally detected the influenza epidemic, evenly distributed across Twitter and blog data sources. Model estimates generated using our SVM model were highly correlated with recent influenza incidence data.ConclusionsThe basic principles underpinning our approach could be applied to other countries, languages, infectious diseases, and social media sources. Social media monitoring using our approach may support and extend the capacity of traditional surveillance systems for detecting emerging influenza. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018; 12: 352–359)
The Iowa Disinfection Cleaning Project: Opportunities, Successes, and Challenges of a Structured Intervention Program in 56 Hospitals
Authors: Carling Philip , Herwaldt Loreen A. 
Published: July 2017

OBJECTIVEA diverse group of hospitals in Iowa implemented a program to objectively evaluate and improve the thoroughness of disinfection cleaning of near-patient surfaces. Administrative benefits of, challenges of, and impediments to the program were also evaluated.METHODSWe conducted a prospective, quasi-experimental pre-/postintervention trial to improve the thoroughness of terminal room disinfection cleaning. Infection preventionists utilized an objective cleaning performance monitoring system (DAZO) to evaluate the thoroughness of disinfection cleaning (TDC) expressed as a proportion of objects confirmed to have been cleaned (numerator) to objects to be cleaned per hospital policy (denominator)×100. Data analysis, educational interventions, and objective performance feedback were modeled on previously published studies using the same monitoring tool. Programmatic analysis utilized unstructured and structured information from participants irrespective of whether they participated in the process improvement aspects to the program.RESULTSInitially, the overall TDC was 61% in 56 hospitals. Hospitals completing 1 or 2 feedback cycles improved their TDC percentages significantly (P<.0001; P<.005). Overall, 22 hospitals (39.3%) completed all 3 study phases and significantly increased their TDC percentages to a mean of 89%. Moreover, 6 hospitals maintained the program beyond the planned study period and sustained TDC percentages >90% for at least 38 months. A survey of infection preventionists found that lack of time and staff turnover were the most common reasons for terminating the study early.CONCLUSIONThe study confirmed that hospitals using this program can improve their TDC percentages significantly. Hospitals must invest resources to improve cleaning and to sustain their gains.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:960–965
Reducing Second Gram-Negative Antibiotic Therapy on Pediatric Oncology and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Services
Authors: Wattier Rachel L. , Levy Emily R. , Sabnis Amit J. , Dvorak Christopher C. , Auerbach Andrew D. 
Published: July 2017

OBJECTIVETo evaluate interventions to reduce avoidable antibiotic use on pediatric oncology and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) services.DESIGNInterrupted time series.SETTINGAcademic pediatric hospital with separate oncology and HSCT services.PARTICIPANTSChildren admitted to the services during baseline (October 2011–August 2013) and 2 intervention periods, September 2013–June 2015 and July 2015–June 2016, including 1,525 oncology hospitalizations and 301 HSCT hospitalizations.INTERVENTIONIn phase 1, we completed an update of the institutional febrile neutropenia (FN) guideline for the pediatric oncology service, recommending first-line β-lactam monotherapy rather than routine use of 2 gram-negative agents. Phase 2 included updating the HSCT service FN guideline and engagement with a new pediatric antimicrobial stewardship program. The use of target antibiotics (tobramycin and ciprofloxacin) was measured in days of therapy per 1,000 patient days collected from administrative data. Intervention effects were evaluated using interrupted time series with segmented regression.RESULTSPhase 1 had mixed effects–long-term reduction in tobramycin use (97% below projected at 18 months) but rebound with increasing slope in ciprofloxacin use (+18% per month). Following phase 2, tobramycin and ciprofloxacin use on the oncology service were both 99% below projected levels at 12 months. On the HSCT service, tobramycin use was 99% below the projected level and ciprofloxacin use was 96% below the projected level at 12 months.CONCLUSIONSLocally adapted guidelines can facilitate practice changes in oncology and HSCT settings. More comprehensive and ongoing interventions, including follow-up education, feedback, and engagement of companion services may be needed to sustain changes.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol2017;38:1039–1047
IS IT UNCONSTITUTIONAL TO PROHIBIT FAITH-BASED SCHOOLS FROM BECOMING CHARTER SCHOOLS?
Authors: Sugarman Stephen D. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThis article argues that it is unconstitutional for state charter school programs to preclude faith-based schools from obtaining charters. The first section describes the “school choice” movement of the past fifty years, situating charter schools in that movement. The current state of play of school choice is documented and the roles of charter schools, private schools (primarily faith-based schools), and public school choice options are elaborated. The second section argues that based on the current state of the law it should not be unconstitutional, under the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, for states to elect to make faith-based schools eligible for charters, and, therefore, the current practice of formal discrimination on the basis of religion against families and school founders who want faith-based charter schools should be deemed unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court. Put differently, this is not the sort of issue in which the “play in the joints” between the Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses should apply so as to give states the option of restricting charter schools to secular schools.
Comparative assessment of canine-origin Lactobacillus johnsonii CPN23 and dairy-origin Lactobacillus acidophillus NCDC 15 for nutrient digestibility, faecal fermentative metabolites and selected gut health indices in dogs
Authors: Kumar Sachin , Pattanaik Ashok K. , Sharma Shalini , Gupta Reema , Jadhav Sunil E. , Dutta Narayan 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThe present experiment was undertaken to validate a probiotic of canine origin for its potential use in dogs. A total of fifteen adult female Labrador dogs were allocated to three equal groups and fed a basal diet without probiotic (control) or with probiotic of either canine (Lactobacillus johnsonii CPN23; cPRO) or dairy (L. acidophilus NCDC 15; dPRO) origin for 9 weeks. The digestibility of most macronutrients remained similar among the groups; however, fibre digestibility was improved (P = 0·034) in dogs receiving cPRO. The faecal fermentative metabolites ammonia (P < 0·05) and lactate (P = 0·094) were altered favourably, indicating a positive influence of both probiotics. Faecal concentrations of acetate, propionate and butyrate were increased (P < 0·01) in both probiotic groups. However, improvements were higher in cPRO v. dPRO. The delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction to intradermal inoculation of phytohaemagglutinin-P was higher (P = 0·053) in cPRO as compared with control. The antibody response to sheep erythrocytes was, however, similar across the three groups. Overall, in dogs, the canine-origin probiotic was superior when compared with the dairy-origin probiotic.
Chronology and glass chemistry of tephra and cryptotephra horizons from lake sediments in northern Alaska, USA
Authors: Monteath Alistair J. , van Hardenbroek Maarten , Davies Lauren J. , Froese Duane G. , Langdon Peter G. , Xu Xiaomei , Edwards Mary E. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractHolocene tephrostratigraphy in Alaska provides independent chronology and stratigraphic correlation in a region where reworked old (Holocene) organic carbon can significantly distort radiocarbon chronologies. Here, we present new glass chemistry and chronology for Holocene tephras preserved in three Alaskan lakes: one in the eastern interior and two in the southern Brooks Range. Tephra beds in the eastern interior lake-sediment core are correlated with the White River Ash and the Hayes tephra set H (~4200–3700 cal yr BP), and an additional discrete tephra bed is likely from the Aleutian arc/Alaska Peninsula. Cryptotephras (nonvisible tephras) found in the Brooks Range include the informally named “Ruppert tephra” (~2700–2300 cal yr BP) and the Aniakchak caldera-forming event II (CFE II) tephra (~3600 cal yr BP). A third underlying Brooks Range cryptotephra is chemically indistinguishable from the Aniakchak CFE II tephra (4070–3760 cal yr BP) and is likely to be from an earlier eruption of the Aniakchak volcano.
Dating of Iron Age Agriculture in the Negev Highlands: A Response to Shahack-Gross and Finkelstein
Authors: Bruins Hendrik J , van der Plicht Johannes 
Published: July 2017

AbstractIn this response to the reply by Shahack-Gross and Finkelstein (2017), we present additional data of our research at Horvat Haluqim. This includes phytolith percentages and multicellular phytolith stomata in a thin section of a layer in Terraced Field 12, dated by radiocarbon (14C) to the Late Bronze–Early Iron Age. We also show thin-section evidence of aggrading sediment laminations in this terraced field. A new 14C date is given of the Early Islamic Period in Terraced Field 7, as differences in terrace wall architecture are highlighted. We revisit the interpretation by Shahack-Gross and Finkelstein in relation to herd management. Our 14C dates attest that terrace agriculture based on runoff/floodwater irrigation occurred in the Negev Highlands during several periods, including the Iron Age.
Ecological preferences of large carnivores in remote, high-altitude protected areas: insights from Buxa Tiger Reserve, India
Authors: Sarkar Mriganka Shekhar , Segu Harika , Bhaskar J. V. , Jakher Rajendra , Mohapatra Swati , Shalini K. , Shivaji S. , Reddy P. Anuradha 
Published: July 2017

AbstractDifficult terrain and inclement weather limit our knowledge of large predators, such as the tigerPanthera tigris, in the Himalayas. A lack of empirical data on large carnivores can lead to mismanagement of protected areas and population declines. We used non-invasive genetic and remote sensing data to inform the management of such high-altitude protected areas. We used the tiger as a focal species to investigate prey preference and habitat suitability in India's Buxa Tiger Reserve, which encompasses several eco-geographical regions in the Himalayan and subtropical zones. During 2010–2013, 909 faecal samples were collected, of which 372 were confirmed, using genetic analysis, to be of tiger origin. Fourteen prey species/groups were identified in 240 tiger faecal samples, largely dominated by goatsCapraspp. (26.59%), rhesus macaquesMacaca mulatta(22.22%) and cattleBosspp. (20.63%). Considering only the wild prey species for which survey data are available, however, and frequency of occurrence of prey in faecal samples, hog deerAxis porcinus, sambar deerRusa unicolorand spotted deerAxis axiswere the most preferred prey species. Using faecal sample locations to examine the relationship between tiger presence and environmental features indicated that the niche for tigers is narrower than the available protected area: c. 62% of core protected area is suitable, of which only 17% is highly suitable for tigers. Tigers prefer dense vegetation, open forests, riverine vegetation and areas close to water sources. Faecal sample-based studies have the potential to generate data that can help us understand the ecology of elusive carnivore species inhabiting high-altitude landscapes.
The silent impact of hearing loss: using longitudinal data to explore the effects on depression and social activity restriction among older people
Authors: ANDRADE CLÁUDIA CAMPOS , PEREIRA CÍCERO ROBERTO , SILVA PEDRO ALCÂNTARA DA 
Published: July 2017

ABSTRACTHearing loss is frequent in old age and has been associated with fewer social activities and depression. However, hearing problems have also been associated with other comorbidities, which prevent more definitive conclusions about the unique role on older people's wellbeing. Moreover, little attention has been paid to the psychological processes through which this relationship occurs. This study aims to investigate the effect of hearing loss on older adults’ wellbeing from a longitudinal perspective. Using data from three points in time, we investigated the mutual relationship between hearing loss, depression and social activities. Based on longitudinal data of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) from ten European countries, we conducted the test of competing auto-regressive cross-lagged theoretical models. Results show that hearing loss reduces social activity, which is mediated by depression. The adequacy of this model (versus a model proposing that social activity restriction mediates the relationship between hearing loss and depression) was supported in each of the countries of the sample. Findings showing that hearing loss can contribute to depression and, subsequently, to restriction in social activities have implications for early detection and clinical interventions on hearing loss.
Biogeographical patterns among deep sea megabenthic communities across the Drake Passage
Authors: Auscavitch Steven R. , Waller Rhian G. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractBiogeographical patterns among deep sea benthic communities in the Drake Passage remain poorly understood as a consequence of poor sampling resolution and the spatial remoteness of many sea floor features. Hard-bottom features, including at least 20 seamounts, remain uncharacterized with respect to their benthic megafaunal community assemblages. Here, we present community assemblage patterns from several locations across the Drake Passage to better understand the faunal relationships between deep sea floor communities in the region. Towed camera surveys were conducted on nine topographical features ranging from shelf environments on the southern Chilean Margin, the western Antarctic Peninsula shelf and seamounts in the central Drake Passage. These are the first quantitative measurements of megafaunal abundance at two seamount complexes in the central Drake Passage and multivariate analyses are used to examine the factors influencing species distributions. Three biogeographical groupings were identified based on species assemblages and environmental variables specific to major water mass boundaries in the region: sub-Antarctic Mode Water (318–523 m), Antarctic Intermediate Water (504–1128 m) and Circumpolar Deep Water (1837–3034 m). Further examination of megafaunal associations between sea floor structures may provide clues as to how sub-Antarctic communities are connected throughout the greater Southern Ocean.
TRUCK SAFETY BARRIERS FOR MINING SITES
Authors: FOWKES NEVILLE , DURKIN STEVE , BASSOM ANDREW P. 
Published: July 2017

Safescape is a Western Australian company that has recently developed a device for improved safety in open-pit mines. Serious accidents can occur when large trucks veer off the roads running around the edge of the mine. The conventional technique to mitigate the risk is to pile waste rock to form a so-called bund on the edge of the road. This method is not fail safe though as vehicles can, and do, drive completely over the bund. In this paper, we describe a new device that consists of a row of filled polyethylene shell units which are linked together and sit on the road side of the rock bund. The vertical front face of the edge protector prevents out of control dump trucks from climbing over the bund and into the pit, so that they push against the barriers and heave the broken rock behind the bund. The models developed here suggest that the primary resistance to an impacting truck is provided by the large heaving force with the barrier simply facilitating this process. The theory indicates that the total resistance is independent of truck speed, meaning that simple barrier pushing experiments are sufficient to validate the analysis. The conclusions of the theory and field tests suggest that in a worst-case scenario involving the normal impact of a 500 tonne filled dump truck, the barriers and bund move a few metres before coming to rest.
Anaerobic microorganisms in astrobiological analogue environments: from field site to culture collection
Authors: Cockell C. S. , Schwendner P. , Perras A. , Rettberg P. , Beblo-Vranesevic K. , Bohmeier M. , Rabbow E. , Moissl-Eichinger C. , Wink L. , Marteinsson V. , Vannier P. , Gomez F. , Garcia-Descalzo L. , Ehrenfreund P. , Monaghan E.P. , Westall F. , Gaboyer F. , Amils R. , Malki M. , Pukall R. , Cabezas P. , Walter N. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractAstrobiology seeks to understand the limits of life and to determine the physiology of organisms in order to better assess the habitability of other worlds. To successfully achieve these goals we require microorganisms from environments on Earth that approximate to extraterrestrial environments in terms of physical and/or chemical conditions. The most challenging of these environments with respect to sample collection, isolation and cultivation of microorganisms are anoxic environments. In this paper, an approach to this challenge was implemented within the European Union's MASE (Mars Analogues for Space Exploration) project. In this review paper, we aim to provide a set of methods for future field work and sampling campaigns. A number of anoxic environment based on characteristics that make them analogous to past and present locations on Mars were selected. They included anoxic sulphur-rich springs (Germany), the salt-rich Boulby Mine (UK), a lake in a basaltic context (Iceland), acidic sediments in the Rio Tinto (Spain), glacier samples (Austria) and permafrost samples (Russia and Canada). Samples were collected under strict anoxic conditions to be used for cultivation and genomic community analysis. Using the samples, a culturing approach was implemented to enrich anaerobic organisms using a defined medium that would allow for organisms to be grown under identical conditions in future physiological comparisons. Anaerobic microorganisms were isolated and deposited with the DSMZ (Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen GmbH) culture collection to make them available to other scientists. In MASE, the selected organisms are studied with respect to survival and growth under Mars relevant stresses. They are artificially fossilized and the resulting biosignatures studied and used to investigate the efficacy of life detection instrumentation for planetary missions. Some of the organisms belong to genera with medical and environmental importance such asYersiniaspp., illustrating how astrobiology field research can be used to increase the availability of microbial isolates for applied terrestrial purposes.