bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Aging and the Social Ecology of Everyday Interpersonal Perception: What is Perceived, in Whom, and Where?
Authors: Castro Vanessa L , Isaacowitz Derek M 
Published: November 2017

Abstract

Objectives
Despite a proliferation of research in interpersonal perception and aging, no research has identified the nature of the social and emotional perceptions made by aging individuals in everyday life. In this study, we aimed to identify the social ecological features that characterize everyday interpersonal perception across the adult lifespan.

Method
Three studies were conducted. Study 1 identified and compared the targets and locations of young, middle-age, and older adults’ everyday interpersonal perceptions; these perceptions were categorized into types in Study 2. Study 3 applied these categorizations to identify and compare the social ecology surrounding aging individuals’ interpersonal perceptions.

Results
Everyday interpersonal perceptions were directed toward familiar others and occurred in familiar locations, although the specific familiar targets and locations sometimes varied significantly with age. However, the types of perceptions made in everyday life did not vary significantly between age groups.

Discussion
Aging individuals make similar types of interpersonal judgments, but the targets and locations of these judgments may change with age. Future studies on interpersonal perception and aging will need to account for these features of the aging individual’s social ecology to provide an accurate assessment of the aging process.
Strategic leadership capacity building for Sub-Saharan African health systems and public health governance: a multi-country assessment of essential competencies and optimal design for a Pan African DrPH
Authors: Agyepong Irene Akua , Lehmann Uta , Rutembemberwa Elizeus , Babich Suzanne M , Frimpong Edith , Kwamie Aku , Olivier Jill , Teddy Gina , Hwabamungu Boroto , Gilson Lucy 
Published: November 2017

Abstract
Leadership capacity needs development and nurturing at all levels for strong health systems governance and improved outcomes. The Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) is a professional, interdisciplinary terminal degree focused on strategic leadership capacity building. The concept is not new and there are several programmes globally–but none within Africa, despite its urgent need for strong strategic leadership in health. To address this gap, a consortium of institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa, UK and North America have embarked on a collaboration to develop and implement a pan-African DrPH with support from the Rockefeller Foundation. This paper presents findings of research to verify relevance, identify competencies and support programme design and customization. A mixed methods cross sectional multi-country study was conducted in Ghana, South Africa and Uganda. Data collection involved a non-exhaustive desk review, 34 key informant (KI) interviews with past and present health sector leaders and a questionnaire with closed and open ended items administered to 271 potential DrPH trainees. Most study participants saw the concept of a pan-African DrPH as relevant and timely. Strategic leadership competencies identified by KI included providing vision and inspiration for the organization, core personal values and character qualities such as integrity and trustworthiness, skills in adapting to situations and context and creating and maintaining effective change and systems. There was consensus that programme design should emphasize learning by doing and application of theory to professional practice. Short residential periods for peer-to-peer and peer-to-facilitator engagement and learning, interspaced with facilitated workplace based learning, including coaching and mentoring, was the preferred model for programme implementation. The introduction of a pan-African DrPH with a focus on strategic leadership is relevant and timely. Core competencies, optimal design and customization for the sub-Saharan African context has broad consensus in the study setting.
Lessons to learn from epidemiologic studies in ARDS
Authors: McNicholas Bairbre A. , Rooney Grainne M. , Laffey John G. 
Published: November 2017

Purpose of review
Recent advances in our understanding of the epidemiology of ARDS has generated key insights into the incidence, risk factors, demographics, management and outcomes from this devastating clinical syndrome.

Recent findings
ARDS occurs in 10% of all ICU patients, in 23% of all mechanically ventilated patients, with 5.5 cases per ICU bed each year. Although some regional variation exists regarding ARDS incidence, this may be less than previously thought. Subphenotypes are increasingly identified within the ARDS cohort, with studies identifying a ‘hyperinflammatory’ or ‘reactive’ subgroup that has a higher mortality, and may respond differently to therapeutic interventions. Demographic factors, such as race, may also affect the therapeutic response. Although mortality in ARDS is decreasing in clinical trials, it remains unchanged at approximately 40% in major observational studies. Modifiable ventilatory management factors, including PEEP, airway pressures, and respiratory rate are associated with mortality in ARDS. Hospital and ICU organizational factors play a role in outcome, whereas socioeconomic status is independently associated with survival in patients with ARDS. The Kigali adaptation of the Berlin ARDS definition may provide useful insights into the burden of ARDS in the developing world.

Summary
ARDS exerts a substantial disease burden, with 40% of patients dying in hospital. Diverse factors, including patient-related factors such as age and illness severity, country level socioeconomic status, and ventilator management and ICU organizational factors each contribute to outcome from ARDS. Addressing these issues provides opportunities to improve outcome in patients with ARDS.
Environmental and epigenetic regulation of postprandial lipemia
Authors: Parnell Laurence D. , Ordovas Jose M. , Lai Chao-Qiang 
Published: November 2017

Purpose of review
Postprandial lipemia (PPL), the prolonged increase in plasma triglyceride-rich lipoproteins following food consumption, is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Genetic variation, environment and the interplay between these direct an individual's postprandial lipid response. From such interplay, inducible and reversible epigenetic changes arise. Increasing evidence suggests epigenetic variation contributes to postprandial response in lipids and risk.

Recent findings
Diet and exercise are central agents affecting postprandial lipemia - triglyceride, but heterogeneity of the findings warrant more and larger studies. Several epigenetic loci identified from a human intervention study account for a substantial proportion of PPL phenotype variation, but the burden to conduct an intervention study of postprandial responses likely limits translation to personalized nutrition.

Summary
The impact of both DNA methylation patterns and environmental factors such as diet, exercise, sleep and medication on PPL is multifaceted. Discovery of interactions that modify the association between CpG (oligodeoxydinucleotide) methylation and postprandial phenotypes is unfolding.
Why we do not expect dispersal probability density functions based on a single mechanism to fit real seed shadows
Authors: Cousens Roger D. , Hughes Barry D. , Mesgaran Mohsen B. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractBullock et al. (Journal of Ecology105:6‐19, 2017) have suggested that the theory behind the Wald Analytical Long Distance (WALD) model for wind dispersal from a point source needs to be re‐examined. This is on the basis that an inverse Gaussian probability density function (pdf) does not provide the best fit to seed shadows around individual source plants known to be dispersed by wind.We present two reasons why we would not necessarily expect any of the standard mechanistically derived pdfs to fit real seed shadows any better than empirical functions.Firstly, the derivation of “off‐the‐shelf” pdfs such as the Gaussian, exponential and inverse Gaussian involves only one of the processes and factors that together generate a real seed shadow. It is implausible to expect that a single‐process model, no matter how sophisticated in detail, will capture the behaviour of an entire, complex system, which may involve a number of sequential random processes, or a superposition of parallel random processes, or both.Secondly, even if there is only one process involved and we have a perfect model for that process, the basic parameters of the model would be difficult to pin down precisely. Moreover, these parameters are unlikely to remain constant over a dispersal season, so that effectively we observe the outcome of a linear combination of dispersal events with different parameter values, constituting a form of averaging over the parameters of the distribution. Simple examples show that averaging a pdf over its parameters can lead to a pdf from an entirely different class.Synthesis. The failure of the inverse Gaussian model to fit seed shadow data is not in itself a reason to doubt the validity of theWald Analytical Long Distancemodel for movement of particles through the air under specified environmental conditions. A greater awareness is needed of the differences between theWald Analytical Long Distanceand the inverse Gaussian (or Wald) and the purposes for which they are used. The complexity of dispersing populations of seeds means that any of the standard mechanistically derived pdfs will actually be merely empirical in this context. Shape and flexibility of a pdf is far more important for adequately describing data than some perceived higher status.
Medicare Advantage and Fee‐for‐Service Performance on Clinical Quality and Patient Experience Measures: Comparisons from Three Large States
Authors: Timbie Justin W. , Bogart Andy , Damberg Cheryl L. , Elliott Marc N. , Haas Ann , Gaillot Sarah J. , Goldstein Elizabeth H. , Paddock Susan M. 
Published: November 2017

ObjectiveTo compare performance between Medicare Advantage (MA) and Fee‐for‐Service (FFS) Medicare during a time of policy changes affecting both programs.Data Sources/Study SettingPerformance data for 16 clinical quality measures and 6 patient experience measures for 9.9 million beneficiaries living in California, New York, and Florida.Study DesignWe compared MA and FFS performance overall, by plan type, and within service areas associated with contracts between CMS and MA organizations. Case mix‐adjusted analyses (for measures not typically adjusted) were used to explore the effect of case mix on MA/FFS differences.Data Collection/Extraction MethodsPerformance measures were submitted by MA organizations, obtained from the nationwide fielding of the Medicare Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (MCAHPS) Survey, or derived from claims.Principal FindingsOverall, MA outperformed FFS on all 16 clinical quality measures. Differences were large for HEDIS measures and small for Part D measures and remained after case mix adjustment. MA enrollees reported better experiences overall, but FFS beneficiaries reported better access to care. Relative to FFS, performance gaps were much wider for HMOs than PPOs. Excluding HEDIS measures, MA/FFS differences were much smaller in contract‐level comparisons.ConclusionsMedicare Advantage/Fee‐for‐Service differences are often large but vary in important ways across types of measures and contracts.
Effects of Guideline and Formulary Changes on Statin Prescribing in the Veterans Affairs
Authors: Markovitz Adam A. , Holleman Rob G. , Hofer Timothy P. , Kerr Eve A. , Klamerus Mandi L. , Sussman Jeremy B. 
Published: November 2017

ObjectiveTo compare the effects of two sequential policy changes—the addition of a high‐potency statin to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) formulary and the release of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) cholesterol guidelines—on VA provider prescribing.Data Sources/Study SettingRetrospective analysis of 1,100,682 VA patients, 2011–2016.Study DesignInterrupted time‐series analysis of changes in prescribing of moderate‐to‐high‐intensity statins among high‐risk patients and across high‐risk subgroups. We also assessed changes in prescribing of atorvastatin and other statin drugs. We estimated marginal effects (ME) of formulary and guideline changes by comparing predicted and observed statin use.Data Collection/Extraction MethodsData from VA Corporate Data Warehouse.Principal FindingsThe use of moderate‐to‐high‐intensity statins increased by 2 percentage points following the formulary change (ME, 2.4, 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2 to 2.6) and less than 1 percentage point following the guideline change (ME, 0.8, 95% CI, 0.6 to 0.9). The formulary change led to approximately a 12 percentage‐point increase in the use of moderate‐to‐high‐intensity atorvastatin (ME, 11.5, 95% CI, 11.3 to 11.6). The relatively greater provider response to the formulary change occurred across all patient subgroups.ConclusionsAddition of a high‐potency statin to formulary affected provider prescribing more than the ACC/AHA guidelines.
Geographic Disparities in Access to Nursing Home Services: Assessing Fiscal Stress and Quality of Care
Authors: Park Young Joo , Martin Erika G. 
Published: November 2017

ObjectiveWe test whether nursing homes serving predominately low‐income and racial minority residents (compositional explanation) or located in neighborhoods with higher concentrations of low‐income and racial minority residents (contextual explanation) have worse financial outcomes and care quality.Data SourcesHealthcare Cost Report Information System, Nursing Home Compare, Online Survey Certification and Reporting Certification, and American Community Survey.Study DesignA cross‐sectional study design of nursing homes within U.S. metropolitan areas.Data Collection/Extraction MethodsData were obtained from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and U.S. Census Bureau.Principal FindingsMedicaid‐dependent nursing homes have a 3.5 percentage point lower operating ratio. Those serving primarily racial minorities have a 2.64‐point lower quality rating. A 1 percent increase in the neighborhood population living in poverty is associated with a 1.20‐point lower quality rating, on a scale from 10 to 50, and a 1 percent increase in the portion of neighborhood black residents is associated with a 0.8 percentage point lower operating ratio and a 0.37 lower quality rating.ConclusionsMedicaid dependency (compositional effect) and concentration of racial minority residents in neighborhoods (contextual effect) are associated with higher fiscal stress and lower quality of care, indicating that nursing homes’ geographic location may exacerbate long‐term care inequalities.
Bovine Milk Allergens: A Comprehensive Review
Authors: Villa Caterina , Costa Joana , Oliveira Maria Beatriz P.P. , Mafra Isabel 
Published: November 2017

AbstractCow milk allergy is one of the most common food allergies in early childhood and often persists through adult life, forcing an individual to a complete elimination diet. Milk proteins are present in uncounted food products, such as cheese, yogurt, or bakery item, exposing allergic persons to a constant threat. Many efforts have been made to overcome this global problem and to improve the life quality of allergic individuals. First, proper and reliable food labeling is fundamental for consumers, but the verification of its compliance is also needed, which should rely on accurate and sensitive analytical methods to detect milk allergens in processed foods. At the same time, strategies to reduce milk allergenicity, such as immunotherapy or the use of food processing techniques to modify allergen structure, have to be extensively studied. Recent research findings on the applicability of food processing, such as heat treatment, fermentation, or high pressure, have revealed great potential in reducing milk allergenicity. In this review, significant research advances on cow milk allergy are explored, focusing on prevalence, diagnosis, and therapy. Molecular characterization of cow milk allergens and cross‐reactivity with other nonbovine milk species are described, as well as the effects of processing, food matrix, and digestibility on milk allergenicity. Additionally, analytical methods for the detection of milk allergens in food are described, from immunoassays and mass spectrometry methods for protein analysis to real‐time polymerase chain reaction for DNA analysis.
Does buyer heterogeneity steepen or flatten quantity discounts?
Authors: Conlon John R. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThis article argues that as the distribution of a firm's buyers becomes more heterogeneous, the firm's profit‐maximizing quantity‐discount schedule becomes less steep. First, we note that one measure of heterogeneity is the slope of the hazard function, expressed in terms of a simple crossing condition. We then show that marginal price schedules, for distributions of buyers which are more heterogeneous by this measure, are less negatively sloped in that they cross schedules for more homogeneous distributions from below. Intuitively, quantity discounts are a response to an individual buyer's declining marginal utilities, and buyer heterogeneity interferes with this response.
The accuracy of hospital merger screening methods
Authors: Garmon Christopher 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThis article analyzes the accuracy of various prospective hospital merger screening methods used by antitrust agencies and the courts. The predictions of the screening methods calculated with pre‐merger data are compared with the actual post‐merger price changes of 28 hospital mergers measured relative to controls. The evaluated screening methods include traditional structural measures (e.g., Herfindahl‐Hirschman Index), measures derived from hospital competition models (e.g., diversion ratios, willingness‐to‐pay, and upward pricing pressure), and hospital merger simulation. Willingness‐to‐pay and upward pricing pressure are found to be more accurate at flagging potentially anticompetitive mergers for further investigation than traditional methods.
Using multi‐response models to investigate pathogen coinfections across scales: Insights from emerging diseases of amphibians
Authors: Stutz William E. , Blaustein Andrew R. , Briggs Cheryl J. , Hoverman Jason T. , Rohr Jason R. , Johnson Pieter T. J. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractAssociations among parasites affect many aspects of host–parasite dynamics, but a lack of analytical tools has limited investigations of parasite correlations in observational data that are often nested across spatial and biological scales.Here we illustrate how hierarchical, multiresponse modelling can characterize parasite associations by allowing for hierarchical structuring, offering estimates of uncertainty and incorporating correlational model structures. After introducing the general approach, we apply this framework to investigate coinfections among four amphibian parasites (the trematodesRibeiroia ondatraeandEchinostomaspp., the chytrid fungusBatrachochytrium dendrobatidisand ranaviruses) and among >2,000 individual hosts, 90 study sites and five amphibian host species.Ninety‐two percent of sites and 80% of hosts supported two or more pathogen species. Our results revealed strong correlations between parasite pairs that varied by scale (from among hosts to among sites) and classification (microparasite versus macroparasite), but were broadly consistent across taxonomically diverse host species. At the host‐scale, infection by the trematodeR. ondatraecorrelated positively with the microparasites,B. dendrobatidisand ranavirus, which were themselves positively associated. However, infection by a second trematode (Echinostomaspp.) correlated negatively withB. dendrobatidisand ranavirus, both at the host‐ and site‐level scales, highlighting the importance of differential relationships between micro‐ and macroparasites.Given the extensive number of coinfecting symbiont combinations inherent to natural systems, particularly across multiple host species, multiresponse modelling of cross‐sectional field data offers a valuable tool to identify a tractable number of hypothesized interactions for experimental testing while accounting for uncertainty and potential sources of co‐exposure. For amphibians specifically, the high frequency of co‐occurrence and coinfection among these pathogens—each of which is known to impair host fitness or survival—highlights the urgency of understanding parasite associations for conservation and disease management.
Macroinvertebrate‐based bioassessment of rivers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Authors: Desalegne Solomon A. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractChemical‐based studies have shown pollution of rivers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. However, as bioassessment is not a component of the river assessment and monitoring programmes, information on the ecological status of the rivers is limited. The study assessed the ecological status of the Little and Greater Akaki Rivers using macroinvertebrates. Macroinvertebrates were collected from twelve sites twice in the dry and wet seasons. There was abundance of few tolerant, collector‐gatherer taxa with a loss of most sensitive taxa that used to be part of the river systems. Macroinvertebrate communities from upper and lower reaches showed complete differentiation on the nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMS) ordination graph with upstream reaches composed of relatively sensitive taxa while the lower reaches dominated by tolerant taxa. Multiresponse permutation procedure (MRPP) showed significant difference between the two reaches. Macroinvertebrate communities from the dry and wet seasons did not show differentiation on the NMS ordination graph and MRPP did not show significant difference. Both rivers scored low in the South African Scoring System (SASS 5) and ETHbios, indicating ecological degradation. The results suggest that several decades of environmental degradation might have led to impoverished regional species pool, consisting mainly tolerant and generalist taxa constant throughout the year.
The Changing Role of a Bank's Treasury
Authors: Roszkowska Paulina , Prorokowski Lukasz 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThis study investigates the contemporary role of banks’ treasuries and shows how the treasury function is being transformed across the banking sector. Using a sample of international surveys of banks representing both emerging and advanced markets (with 35% of banks representing the Asia–Pacific region), we analyze the current and future challenges faced by treasuries. Including the Asia–Pacific banks in the analysis enables comparison of how the treasury departments differ in their search of revenue diversification under the conditions of tighter credit and liquidity, and what are the problems associated with treasury products offering as part of the revised strategies.