bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A single and double slotting radial acoustic metamaterial plate
Authors: Gao Nansha , Hou Hong , Xin Hang 
Published: April 2017

This paper presents the low-frequency acoustic properties of a new single and double slotting radial acoustic metamaterial plate which is arranged in the axial coordinate. The band structures, transmission spectra, and eigenmode displacement fields of this kind of acoustic metamaterial are different from previous studies. Numerical calculation results show that the first-order band gap (BG) of the radial flexible elastic metamaterial plate is below 200 Hz. A multiple-vibration coupling mechanism is proposed to explain the low-frequency band gaps. By changing the geometric parameters a, t, and g, the location and width of the low-frequency band gaps can be varied neatly. In summary, rational design of geometries and materials is the crucial pathway to open and lower BGs, and could restrain low-frequency vibration similarly. This can be used to protect infrasound, generate filters, and design acoustic devices.
Design and Implementation of a GSI-Based Convection-Allowing Ensemble-Based Data Assimilation and Forecast System for the PECAN Field Experiment. Part II: Overview and Evaluation of a Real-Time System
Authors: Johnson Aaron , Wang Xuguang , Degelia Samuel 
Published: April 2017

Abstract
Multiscale ensemble-based data assimilation and forecasts were performed in real time during the Plains Elevated Convection At Night (PECAN) field experiment. A 20-member ensemble of forecasts at 4-km grid spacing was initialized daily at both 1300 and 1900 UTC, together with a deterministic forecast at 1-km grid spacing initialized at 1300 UTC. The configuration of the GSI-based data assimilation and forecast system was guided by results presented in Part I of this two-part study. The present paper describes the implementation of the real-time system and the extensive forecast products that were generated to support the unique interests of PECAN researchers. Subjective and objective verification of the real-time forecasts from 1 June through 15 July 2015 is conducted, with an emphasis on nocturnal mesoscale convective systems (MCSs), nocturnal convective initiation (CI), nocturnal low-level jets (LLJs), and bores on the nocturnal stable layer. Verification of nocturnal precipitation during overnight hours, a proxy for MCSs, shows both greater skill and spread for the 1300 UTC forecasts than the 1900 UTC forecasts. Verification against observed soundings reveals that the forecast LLJs systematically peak, veer, and dissipate several hours before the observations. Comparisons with bores that passed over an Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer reveal an ability to predict borelike features that is greatly improved at 1-km, compared with 4-km, grid spacing. Objective verification of forecast CI timing reveals strong sensitivity to the PBL scheme but an overall unbiased ensemble.
Social capital and knowledge sharing in academic research teams
Authors: García-Sánchez Paola , Díaz-Díaz Nieves L. , De Saá-Pérez Petra 
Published: April 2017

The purpose of this article is to analyse the role of social capital within academic research teams and its influence on knowledge sharing. An empirical study was carried out with 87 academic research teams at a Spanish university. The results show that internal ties have a positive effect on trust. Moreover, the results also reflect that both dimensions of social capital (internal ties and trust) have a positive and significant effect on research teams’ knowledge sharing. Therefore, the findings reveal that the network’s structure has a positive influence on the quality of relationships among academic researchers that favour knowledge sharing. Points for practitioners The results provide universities’ managers with a better understanding of internal social capital in academic research teams, which has important implications for researchers’ willingness to collaborate and share knowledge. Public university managers may use strategies to improve interdependence among research team members, favouring social relations among researchers. Thus, public universities should enhance research teams with stronger ties and high levels of trust that increase knowledge sharing.
What is stable pain control? A prospective longitudinal study to assess the clinical value of a personalized pain goal
Authors: Fainsinger Robin , Nekolaichuk Cheryl , Fainsinger Lara , Muller Viki , Fainsinger Lisa , Amigo Pablo , Brisebois Amanda , Burton-Macleod Sarah , Ghosh Sunita , Gilbert Rebekah , Tarumi Yoko , Thai Vincent , Wolch Gary 
Published: April 2017

Background: A universal consensus regarding standardized pain outcomes does not exist. The personalized pain goal has been suggested as a clinically relevant outcome measure. Aim: To assess the feasibility of obtaining a personalized pain goal and to compare a clinically based personalized pain goal definition versus a research-based study definition for stable pain. Design: Prospective longitudinal descriptive study. Measures: The attending physician completed routine assessments, including a personalized pain goal and the Edmonton Classification System for Cancer Pain, and followed patients daily until stable pain control, death, or discharge. Stable pain for cognitively intact patients was defined as pain intensity less than or equal to desired pain intensity goal (personalized pain goal definition) or pain intensity ⩽3 (Edmonton Classification System for Cancer Pain study definition) for three consecutive days with <3 breakthroughs per day. Setting/participants: A total of 300 consecutive advanced cancer patients were recruited from two acute care hospitals and a tertiary palliative care unit. Results: In all, 231/300 patients (77%) had a pain syndrome; 169/231 (73%) provided a personalized pain goal, with 113/169 (67%) reporting a personalized pain goal ⩽3 (median = 3, range = 0–10). Using the personalized pain goal definition as the gold standard, sensitivity and specificity of the Edmonton Classification System for Cancer Pain definition were 71.3% and 98.5%, respectively. For mild (0–3), moderate (4–6), and severe (7–10) pain, the highest sensitivity was for moderate pain (90.5%), with high specificity across all three categories (95%–100%). Conclusion: The personalized pain goal is a feasible outcome measure for cognitively intact patients. The Edmonton Classification System for Cancer Pain definition closely resembles patient-reported personalized pain goals for stable pain and would be appropriate for research purposes. For clinical pain management, it would be important to include the personalized pain goal as standard practice.
Cost-effectiveness of a transitional home-based palliative care program for patients with end-stage heart failure
Authors: Wong Frances Kam Yuet , So Ching , Ng Alina Yee Man , Lam Po-Tin , Ng Jeffrey Sheung Ching , Ng Nancy Hiu Yim , Chau June , Sham Michael Mau Kwong 
Published: April 2017

Background: Studies have shown positive clinical outcomes of specialist palliative care for end-stage heart failure patients, but cost-effectiveness evaluation is lacking. Aim: To examine the cost-effectiveness of a transitional home-based palliative care program for patients with end-stage heart failure patients as compared to the customary palliative care service. Design: A cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted alongside a randomized controlled trial (Trial number: NCT02086305). The costs included pre-program training, intervention, and hospital use. Quality of life was measured using SF-6D. Setting/participants: The study took place in three hospitals in Hong Kong. The inclusion criteria were meeting clinical indicators for end-stage heart failure patients including clinician-judged last year of life, discharged to home within the service area, and palliative care referral accepted. A total of 84 subjects (study = 43, control = 41) were recruited. Results: When the study group was compared to the control group, the net incremental quality-adjusted life years gain was 0.0012 (28 days)/0.0077 (84 days) and the net incremental costs per case was −HK$7935 (28 days)/−HK$26,084 (84 days). The probability of being cost-effective was 85% (28 days)/100% (84 days) based on the cost-effectiveness thresholds recommended both by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (£20,000/quality-adjusted life years) and World Health Organization (Hong Kong gross domestic product/capita in 2015, HK$328117). Conclusion: Results suggest that a transitional home-based palliative care program is more cost-effective than customary palliative care service. Limitations of the study include small sample size, study confined to one city, clinic consultation costs, and societal costs including patient costs and unpaid care-giving costs were not included.
Granisetron plus dexamethasone for prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery: A meta-analysis
Authors: Zhu Min , Zhou Chengmao , Huang Bing , Ruan Lin , Liang Rui 
Published: April 2017

Objective This study was designed to compare the effectiveness of granisetron plus dexamethasone for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery. Methods We searched the literature in the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, and CNKI. Results In total, 11 randomized controlled trials were enrolled in this analysis. The meta-analysis showed that granisetron in combination with dexamethasone was significantly more effective than granisetron alone in preventing PONV in patients undergoing laparoscopy surgery. No significant differences in adverse reactions (dizziness and headache) were found in association with dexamethasone. Conclusion Granisetron in combination with dexamethasone was significantly more effective than granisetron alone in preventing PONV in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery, with no difference in adverse reactions between the two groups. Granisetron alone or granisetron plus dexamethasone can be used to prevent PONV in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery.
Management of Posterior Cruciate Ligament Tibial Avulsion Injuries: A Systematic Review
Authors: Hooper Perry O. , Silko Chris , Malcolm Tennison L. , Farrow Lutul D. 
Published: April 2017

Background: Tibial-sided avulsion injuries of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) generally require surgical intervention. No consensus exists concerning the optimal surgical treatment approach for these injuries. Purpose: To perform a systematic review investigating the open and arthroscopic surgical treatment modalities, outcomes, and complications of PCL tibial-sided bony avulsions. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: The authors performed a systematic review of the literature utilizing PubMed and EMBASE from 1975 to present outlining open versus arthroscopic surgical repair of PCL bony avulsion injuries and comparing subjective and objective postoperative patient-reported outcomes, including Tegner, IKDC (International Knee Documentation Committee), and Lysholm scoring systems, as well as rates of patient complications. The quest was performed in June 2016, and searched terms included posterior cruciate ligament, PCL, bony, avulsion(s), tibial-sided, open, and arthroscopic. Inclusion criteria included English-language studies involving surgical fixation strategies for PCL tibial-sided bony avulsions. Exclusion criteria included non-English language, case studies/case series, and subject matter not pertaining to PCL bony avulsions. Results: Twenty-eight articles comprising 637 patients met the criteria and were included in the final review. PCL injuries with a tibial-sided avulsion were the result of motor vehicle accidents in 68.4% of patients, with 59.0% of these injuries resulting from motorcycle accidents. The arthroscopic group had better IKDC grade A scores (78.9%), indicating a normal knee postoperatively, as compared with the open group (65.9%). The postoperative Lysholm scores were similar between the groups, with a mean of 95.0 in the arthroscopic group and 92.8 in the open group. The arthroscopic group also reported 100% return to preinjury level of activity, compared with 86.2% in the open group. The most common complication in both groups was arthrofibrosis, which was reported more often in the arthroscopic group (0%-35%) versus the open treatment group (0%-25%). Conclusion: In patients with displaced tibial-sided PCL avulsion fractures treated operatively, surgical approaches render similar outcomes and risks. While the arthroscopic group had somewhat higher subjective and objective knee outcome scores, it demonstrated a slightly higher rate of arthrofibrosis. The clear advantage of the arthroscopic approach is that concomitant intra-articular injuries seen on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging, such as meniscal tears or osteochondral loose fragments, can be addressed at the time of the index operation.
Evaluating the Usability of Authoring Environments for Serious Games
Authors: Slootmaker Aad , Hummel Hans , Koper Rob 
Published: April 2017

Background. The EMERGO method and online platform enable the development and delivery of scenario-based serious games that foster students to acquire professional competence. One of the main goals of the platform is to provide a user-friendly authoring environment for creating virtual environments where students can perform authentic tasks. Aim. We present the findings of an in-depth qualitative case study of the platform’s authoring environment and compare our findings on usability with those found for comparable environments in literature. Method. We carried out semi-structured interviews, with two experienced game developers who have authored a game for higher education, and a literature review of comparable environments. Findings. The analysis shows that the usability of the authoring environment is problematic, especially regarding understandability and learnability, which is in line with findings of comparable environments. Other findings are that authoring is well integrated with the EMERGO method and that functionality and reliability of the authoring environment are valued. Practical implications. The lessons learned are presented in the form of general guidelines to improve the understandability and learnability of authoring environments for serious games.
Analyzing Antidiabetes Drug Prescriptions With World Health Organization Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical/Defined Daily Dose Index to Assess Drug Utilization Pattern in Elderly Population of Rural Eastern India
Authors: Lahiry Sandeep , Kundu Avijit , Mukherjee Ayan , Choudhury Shouvik , Sinha Rajasree 
Published: April 2017

Objective: To analyze drug utilization (DU) pattern of antidiabetes drug (ADD) prescription in elderly type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in rural West Bengal based on 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical/Defined Daily Dose (ATC/DDD) Index. Methods: This was a prospective observational study. Prescription data of 600 elderly patients (age > 60 years) attending outpatient clinic were screened over 12 months (January 2015 to January 2016) from 5 different rural hospitals in West Bengal. Pooled data were sorted and classified in accordance with 2016 ATC/DDD WHO Index. Direct cost associated and consumption of ADD were measured as DDD/1000 patients/day. The adverse drug reactions (ADRs) related to antidiabetic medicines were monitored. Results: During the study period, mean age of patients recorded was 66.4 ± 5.0 years, with 66.6% (n = 396) having history of T2DM > 5 years. Follow-up encounters (n = 2328) revealed metformin (94.67%), sulfonylureas (SUs) (50.54%), pioglitazone (24.22%), voglibose (22.50%), insulin (9.75%), and acarbose (6.82%) to be more prevalent, constituting DU 90% (92.01%). Combination of metformin plus SU was recorded in most of the patients (56%). Insulin, however, was found to be an underutilized class ( P < .005). The DDD/1000 patients/day of metformin (2.918), glimepiride (1.577), and gliclazide (0.069) conformed to 2016 WHO ATC/DDD Index. The total ADD consumption during study period was 5.03 DDD/1000 patients/day. The average drug cost per encounter per day was Rs 11.24 ± 2.01. Nineteen ADRs were reported and their descriptions were found to be of hypoglycemia (n = 9), pedal edema (n = 2), and gastrointestinal upsets (n = 8). Target glycemic status was achieved in 40% monthly follow-up encounters. Low-store drug availability and poor compliance to treatment (>60%) were major determinants. Lack of regular aerobic exercises (>85%) and proper knowledge regarding medical nutrition therapy (MNT) (>80%) and low average consultation time (3.5 ± 0.6 minutes) were important contributing factors. Conclusions: The study exhibited increased utilization of 2 drug combinations of oral ADD and lower utilization of insulin during study period. Such inferences merit further exploration.
Mucosal healing and the risk of serious infections in patients with celiac disease
Authors: Emilsson Louise , Lebwohl Benjamin , Green Peter HR , Murray Joseph A , Mårild Karl , Ludvigsson Jonas F 
Published: April 2017

Background Patients with celiac disease (CD) are at increased risk of certain infections, but it is unknown if mucosal healing influences this risk. Methods We collected data on 29,096 individuals with CD (equal to villous atrophy) through Sweden’s 28 pathology departments undergoing biopsy 1969–2008. Through the Swedish Patient Register we obtained information on any infection and specifically sepsis, streptococcal infection, influenza, Clostridium difficile, herpes zoster and pneumococcal infection up until December 2009. We used Cox regression to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) for the risk of future diagnosis of infection according to mucosal healing on follow-up biopsy (persistent villous atrophy vs mucosal healing). Results Of 5598 CD individuals with no record of any infections before follow-up biopsy, 45% had persistent villous atrophy, 619 (24%) of them had a later infection, compared to 579 (19%) in those with mucosal healing ( p < 0.01); the yearly incidence was 2.1% in both groups. Adjusting for age, sex, calendar period, time between biopsies and education, persistent villous atrophy was however not associated with later infection overall (HR = 0.99; 95% CI = 0.88–1.11) or with any of the specific infections. Conclusions In CD, mucosal healing does not influence the risk of serious infection requiring hospital-based medical attention.
Trading pounds for points: Engagement and weight loss in a mobile health intervention
Authors: Hales Sarah , Turner-McGrievy Gabrielle M , Wilcox Sara , Davis Rachel E , Fahim Arjang , Huhns Michael , Valafar Homayoun 
Published: April 2017

Objective The objective of this study was to describe participant engagement and examine predictors of weight loss and points earned through the point-based incentive system of the Social Pounds Off Digitally (POD) app. Materials and methods Overweight and obese adults with Android smartphones/tablets (body mass index 25–49.9 kg/m2; N = 24) were recruited for a 3-month weight loss intervention. Participants completed a survey assessing demographics and personality and had their weight measured. Participants received the content of the intervention via podcasts and used the Social POD app to self-monitor diet, physical activity, and weight. The Social POD app contained: tracking features; in-app notifications to track; pre-set goals for tracking; newsfeed for updates on others’ goal attainment; ability to earn and track points for usage (exchanged for study-provided prizes); and a message screen. Analyses examined relationships between percent weight loss, personality characteristics, and total points earned. Results A total of 4843 points were earned (mean = 202 ± 105 points/participant). Most participants earned all three prizes (62.5%), followed by two prizes (21%), no prizes (12.5%), and one prize (4%). Total points earned significantly predicted percent weight loss ( B = −0.02, p = .01), and higher conscientiousness significantly predicted greater total points earned ( B = 10.27, p = .01), but other personality characteristics assessed did not. Conclusion A mobile app yielded moderately high participant engagement, as demonstrated by points earned. Earning points was significantly associated with percent weight loss, and conscientiousness was significantly associated with total points earned. Future research should examine whether point systems impact health behavior and weight loss when rewards are discontinued. Clinical trial registration number NCT02344836
A framework for synthesis of safety justification for digitally enabled healthcare services
Authors: Despotou George , Ryan Mark , Arvanitis Theodoros N , Rae Andrew J , White Sean , Kelly Tim , Jones Richard W 
Published: April 2017

Background Digitally enabled healthcare services combine socio-technical resources to deliver the required outcomes to patients. Unintended operation of these services may result in adverse effects to the patient. Eliminating avoidable harm requires a systematic way of analysing the causal conditions, identifying opportunities for intervention. Operators of such services may be required to justify, and communicate, their safety. For example, the UK Standardisation Committee for Care Information (SCCI) standards 0129 and 0160 require a safety justification for health IT (superseded versions were known as the Information Standards Board (ISB) 0129 & 0160. Initial as well as current standards are maintained by the NHS Digital. Method A framework was designed, and applied as proof of concept, to an IT-supported clinical emergencies (A&E) service. Evaluation was done qualitatively based on the authors’ experience, identifying potential benefits of the approach. Results The applied framework encapsulates analysis, and structures the generated information, into a skeleton of an evidence-based case for safety. The framework improved management of the safety activities, assigning ownership to stakeholders (e.g. IT developer), also creating a clear and compelling safety justification. Conclusions Application of the framework significantly contributed to systematising an exploratory approach for analysing the service, in addition to existing methods such as reporting. Its application made the causal chain to harm more diaphanous. Constructing a safety case contributed to: (a) identifying potential assurance gaps, (b) planning production of information and evidence, and (c) communication of the justification by graphical unambiguous means.