bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Decreasing Hospital Length of Stay: Effects on Daily Functioning in Older Adults
Authors: van Vliet Majogé , Huisman Martijn , Deeg Dorly J. H. 
Published: March 2017

ObjectivesTo examine the effects of decreasing hospital length of stay (HLOS) on change in functioning from prehospital admission to posthospital discharge in older cohorts.DesignCohort‐sequential design.SettingNationwide, older population‐based Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA).ParticipantsIndividuals aged 68 and older with any hospital admission according to national medical registry data: two 10‐year age groups (68–77 (younger‐old) and 78–87 (older‐old)) in two periods (1996–99 (Period 1) and 2006–09 (Period 2)) (N = 1,212).MeasurementsHLOS was the main independent variable in multinomial logistic models, dichotomized as 1 to 5 days (short) and 6 days or longer (long). Outcomes were change scores in mobility and activities in daily living (ADLs). Respondents who died during the 3‐year period were assigned to a third outcome category.ResultsResults for both age groups showed more hospital admissions and shorter median HLOS in Period 2 than Period 1 (P < .05). Lower odds of decline in physical functioning were found in respondents with short HLOS than in those with long HLOS (for mobility: odds ratio (OR) = 0.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.23–0.54 (younger‐old) and OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.30–0.72 (older‐old); for ADLs: OR = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.19–0.48 (younger‐old) and OR = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.18–0.53 (older‐old)). Adjusting for confounders did not significantly change these estimates. Period did not modify these associations.ConclusionBecause the associations of HLOS with change in mobility and ADLs were the same in both periods, hospitalized older adults had neither advantage nor disadvantage from the decrease in HLOS. In addition, in both age groups, a greater percentage experienced the better functional outcomes and lower mortality associated with short admissions, which suggests an advantage of the decrease in HLOS.
The Frailty Phenotype and Palliative Care Needs of Older Survivors of Critical Illness
Authors: Pollack Lauren R. , Goldstein Nathan E. , Gonzalez Wendy C. , Blinderman Craig D. , Maurer Mathew S. , Lederer David J. , Baldwin Matthew R. 
Published: March 2017

ObjectivesTo assess symptoms in older intensive care unit (ICU) survivors and determine whether post‐ICU frailty identifies those with the greatest palliative care needs.DesignA prospective cohort study.SettingUrban tertiary care hospital and community hospital.ParticipantsMedical ICU survivors of mechanical ventilation aged 65 and older (N = 125).MeasurementsBaseline measurements of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), categorized as mild (0–3), moderate (4–6), and severe (7–10), and the frailty phenotype were made during the week before hospital discharge. Functional recovery was defined as a return to a Katz activity of daily living dependency count less than or equal to the prehospitalization dependency count within 3 months. In the last 29 participants recruited, we made additional assessments of fatigue and ESAS both at baseline and 1 month after discharge.ResultsFatigue was the most‐prevalent moderate to severe symptom (74%), followed by dyspnea (53%), drowsiness (50%), poor appetite (47%), pain (45%), depression (42%), anxiety (36%), and nausea (17%). At 1‐month follow‐up, there were no significant differences in the proportions of participants with moderate to severe symptoms. Each increase in baseline ESAS fatigue severity category was associated with 55% lower odds of functional recovery (odds ratio = 0.45, 95% confidence interval = 0.24–0.84), independent of age, sex, comorbidities, and critical illness severity. Frail participants had a higher median baseline total ESAS symptom distress score (34, interquartile range (IQR) 23–44) than nonfrail participants (13, IQR 9–22) (P < .001).ConclusionOlder ICU survivors have a high burden of palliative care needs that persist 1 month after discharge. Fatigue is the most‐prevalent symptom and may interfere with recovery. Post‐ICU frailty may be a useful trigger for palliative care consultation and a treatment target.
Analyzing Who, When, and Where: Data for Better Targeting of Resources for School‐Based Asthma Interventions
Authors: Raun Loren H. , Campos Laura A. , Stevenson Elizabeth , Ensor Katherine B. , Johnson Gwen , Persse David 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACTBACKGROUNDRates of uncontrolled asthma vary by demographics, space, and time. This article uses data on ambulance‐treated asthma attacks in children to analyze these variations so that school districts can improve their asthma management interventions.METHODSIncidence rates of 1826 ambulance‐treated asthma attacks for children aged 5‐18 years were calculated for school zones for elementary, middle, and high schools in the Houston (Texas) Independent School District (HISD). Zones with rates in the upper quartile were identified as the highest rate zones and were compared with other school zones in the district by demographics, location, and timing of attacks.RESULTSThe ambulance‐treated asthma rate was respectively 5, 3, and 2 times greater in the highest rate school zones compared with all other school zones for those school levels. Ambulance‐treated asthma attacks in the high‐rate school zones occurred most at midday and in the evening and high‐rate zones were often geographically contiguous. Schools in the high‐rate zones had a higher percent of socioeconomically disadvantaged students and were more often without a school nurse.CONCLUSIONSpatial and temporal analysis of ambulance data can be valuable tools for schools to focus policy and program interventions for the students in need of improved asthma management.
Revising the shock classification of meteorites
Authors: Fritz Jörg , Greshake Ansgar , Fernandes Vera A. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe current shock classification scheme of meteorites assigns shock levels of S1 (unshocked) to S6 (very strongly shocked) using shock effects in rock‐forming minerals such as olivine and plagioclase. The S6 stage (55–90 GPa; 850–1750 °C) relies solely on localized effects in or near melt zones, the recrystallization of olivine, or the presence of mafic high‐pressure phases such as ringwoodite. However, high whole rock temperatures and the presence of high‐pressure phases that are unstable at those temperatures and pressures of zero GPa (e.g., ringwoodite) are two criteria that exclude each other. Each type of high‐pressure phase provides a minimum shock pressure during elevated pressure conditions to allow the formation of this phase, and a maximum temperature of the whole rock after decompression to allow the preservation of this phase. Rocks classified as S6 are characterized not by the presence but by the absence of those thermally unstable high‐pressure phases. High‐pressure phases in or attached to shock melt zones form mainly during shock pressure decline. This is because shocked rocks (<60 GPa) experience a shock wave with a broad isobaric pressure plateau only during low velocity (<4.5 km s−1) impacts, which rarely occur on small planetary bodies; e.g., the Moon and asteroids. The mineralogy of shock melt zones provides information on the shape and temporal duration of the shock wave but no information on the general maximum shock pressure in the whole rock.
A Wavelet Support Vector Machine‐Based Neural Network Metamodel for Structural Reliability Assessment
Authors: Dai Hongzhe , Cao Zhenggang 
Published: March 2017

AbstractWavelet neural network (WNN) has been widely used in the field of civil engineering. However, WNN can only effectively handle problems of small dimensions as the computational cost for constructing wavelets of large dimensions is prohibitive. To expand the application of WNN to higher dimensions, this article develops a new wavelet support vector machine (SVM)‐based neural network metamodel for reliability analysis. The method first develops an autocorrelation wavelet kernel SVM and then uses a set of wavelet SVMs with different resolution as the activation function of WNN. The output of network is obtained through aggregating outputs of different wavelet SVMs. The method takes advantage of the excellent capacities of SVM to handle high‐dimensional problems and of the attractive properties of wavelet to represent complex functions. Four examples are given to demonstrate the application and effectiveness of the proposed method.
Global biogeography of seed dormancy is determined by seasonality and seed size: a case study in the legumes
Authors: Rubio de Casas Rafael , Willis Charles G. , Pearse William D. , Baskin Carol C. , Baskin Jerry M. , Cavender‐Bares Jeannine 
Published: March 2017

Summary

Seed dormancy is expected to provide ecological advantages by adjusting germination to the favorable growth period. However, many species produce nondormant seeds, particularly in wet tropical forests, a biogeographic pattern that is not well accounted for in current models.

We hypothesized that the global distribution of dormant seeds derives from their adaptive value in predictably fluctuating (i.e. seasonal) environments. However, the advantage conferred by dormancy might ultimately depend on other seed attributes, particularly size. This general model was tested within a phylogenetically informed framework using a data set comprising > 216 000 world‐wide observations of Fabaceae, spanning three orders of magnitude in seed size and including both dormant and nondormant seeds.

Our results confirmed our hypothesis: nondormant seeds can only evolve in climates with long growing seasons and/or in lineages that produce larger seeds. Conversely, dormancy should be evolutionarily stable in temperate lineages with small seeds. When the favorable season is fleeting, seed dormancy is the only adaptive strategy.

Based on these results, we predict that, within a given lineage, taxa producing larger, nondormant seeds will necessarily predominate in aseasonal environments, while plants bearing small, dormant seeds will be dominant under short growing seasons.
Cutting in the middleman: hidden substrates at the interface between proteases and plant development
Authors: Liu Chen , Moschou Panagiotis N. 
Published: March 2017

Contents

Summary
916

I.
Introduction
916

II.
DEK1: towards identification of protease substrates
917

III.
Separases: when proteolytic modules attain nonproteolytic functions
918

IV.
The peculiar case of a nonredundant subtilisin
919

V.
Towards a solution to the protease redundancy problem
920

VI.
Matters arising and closing remarks
921

Acknowledgements
921

References
921

SummaryProteases are integral components of proteome remodelling networks that regulate turnover of proteins and expand their functional diversity. Accumulating evidence highlights the importance of proteases as being central hubs of developmental programs. Yet the molecular pathways that many proteases act on, their natural substrates and their putative nonproteolytic functions remain largely elusive. Here, we discuss recent findings on proteases with functions that converge into plant development regulation, such as DEFECTIVE KERNEL 1 (DEK1), separase and subtilisins, to highlight conspicuous but unexplored aspects of protease biology. We also suggest an exploratory framework for addressing protease functions.
GA as a regulatory link between the showy floral traits color and scent
Authors: Ravid Jasmin , Spitzer‐Rimon Ben , Takebayashi Yumiko , Seo Mitsunori , Cna'ani Alon , Aravena‐Calvo Javiera , Masci Tania , Farhi Moran , Vainstein Alexander 
Published: March 2017

Summary

Emission of volatiles at advanced stages of flower development is a strategy used by plants to lure pollinators to the flower. We reveal that GA negatively regulates floral scent production in petunia.

We used Agrobacterium‐mediated transient expression of GA‐20ox in petunia flowers and a virus‐induced gene silencing approach to knock down DELLA expression, measured volatile emission, internal pool sizes and GA levels by GC‐MS or LC–MS/MS, and analyzed transcript levels of scent‐related phenylpropanoid‐pathway genes.

We show that GA has a negative effect on the concentrations of accumulated and emitted phenylpropanoid volatiles in petunia flowers; this effect is exerted through transcriptional/post‐transcriptional downregulation of regulatory and biosynthetic scent‐related genes. Both overexpression of GA20‐ox, a GA‐biosynthesis gene, and suppression of DELLA, a repressor of GA‐signal transduction, corroborated GA's negative regulation of floral scent.

We present a model in which GA‐dependent timing of the sequential activation of different branches of the phenylpropanoid pathway during flower development may represent a link between the showy traits controlling pollinator attraction, namely color and scent.
Electrical Storm in ICD Recipients with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy
Authors: YIN KANG , DING LIGANG , HUA WEI , ZHANG SHU 
Published: March 2017

BackgroundImplantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is the most important management for prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). However, some patients may receive multiple ICD therapies in a short period, a condition referred as “electrical storm” (ES).ObjectivesThis study aimed to determine the prevalence, therapeutic options, and prognostic implications of ES in ARVC patients with an ICD.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the baseline and follow‐up data of 39 ARVC patients with an ICD. ES was defined as three or more separated episodes of ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF) within a 24‐hour period.ResultsDuring a median follow‐up of 49 months (range 6–225), 12 of 39 (31%) patients suffered at least one episode of ES. The interval between the first ES and the initial ICD implantation ranged from 1 month to 109 months, and ES was the first ICD discharge in three patients. The median number of VT/VF events per ES was four (range 3–39). Five patients experienced 20 episodes of ES that were treated by antitachycardia pacing only, while the other seven patients suffered shock therapies during ES. In three patients, ES required emergency hospitalization, and the repeatedly occurred VT/VF was finally subsided by intravenous amiodarone. There was no significant difference in actual survival between patients with and without such an event.ConclusionsES is not rare in ARVC patients with an ICD for prevention of SCD, but it does not independently confer increased mortality. Intravenous amiodarone is effective in management of ES when VT/VF repeatedly occurred.
Quantum gravity and the nature of space and time
Authors: Matsubara Keizo 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThis is a nontechnical overview of how various approaches to quantum gravity suggest modifications to the way we conceptualize space and time. A theory of quantum gravity is needed to reconcile quantum physics with general relativity, our best theory for gravity. The most popular approaches to quantum gravity are string theory and loop quantum gravity. So far, no approach has been empirically successful, and there is no commonly accepted theory. Thus, the conclusions presented here are tentative. Many approaches suggest that space and time—or perhaps, it is better to talk about spacetime—might not be fundamental. Various views on how to think about time in quantum gravity are briefly presented.
Explanations of the gender gap in philosophy
Authors: Thompson Morgan 
Published: March 2017

AbstractRecently, researchers have begun to empirically investigate the gender gap in philosophy and provide potential explanations for the underrepresentation of women in philosophy relative to their representation in other disciplines. This empirical research as well as research on the gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields has shed light on a priori, armchair explanations of the gender gap. For example, implicit bias and stereotype threat may contribute much less to the philosophy gender gap than previously thought. However, new candidate contributing factors have emerged. Drawing on the theoretical resources concerning fixed mindsets in response to difficult tasks, a new theory suggests that practitioners in various fields, including philosophy, hold the belief that success in their fields requires natural brilliance (a brilliance‐based field‐specific ability belief). Further, the extent to which members of a field hold that belief predicts the diversity of the members of that field. Initial findings suggest that among the set of students who hold these beliefs, women are disproportionately disinterested in continuing in philosophy. Other hypotheses seem plausible, such as the idea that lay people hold gendered schemas about philosophy, but require more empirical support to be partial explanations. Future empirical research should focus on these plausible hypotheses, replications of previous findings, and investigating the effects of intersectionality within the gender gap.
Thomas Reid on Signs and Language
Authors: Powell Lewis 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThomas Reid's philosophy of mind, epistemology, and philosophy of language all rely on his account of signs and signification. On Reid's view, some entities play a role of indicating other entities to our minds. In some cases, our sensitivity to this indication is learned through experience, whereas in others, the sensitivity is built in to our natural constitutions. Unlike representation, which was presumed to depend on resemblances and necessary connections, signification is the sort of relationship that can occur without any intrinsic ties between the sign and the thing signified. Of particular interest is the priority Reid gives to natural signs (in contrast with artificial signs, that is, those signs instituted by humans). Reid deploys his robust account of natural signs in a way that allows him to sidestep some skeptical worries common in the early modern period, as well as in grounding “artificial” human languages like English or Cantonese on a more basic human capacity for communication, that is, itself, the result of our sensitivity to natural signs of other people's minds.
Domain-Selective Functional Analysis of Variance for Supervised Statistical Profile Monitoring of Signal Data
Authors: Pini Alessia , Vantini Simone , Colosimo Bianca Maria , Grasso Marco 
Published: March 2017

SummaryIn many applications, process monitoring has to deal with functional responses, which are also known as profile data. In these scenarios, a relevant industrial problem consists of detecting faults by combining supervised learning with functional data analysis and statistical process monitoring. Supervised learning is usually applied to the whole signal domain, with the aim of discovering the features that are affected by the faults of interest. We explore a different perspective, which consists of performing supervised learning to select inferentially the parts of the signal data that are more informative in terms of underlying fault factors. The procedure is based on a non-parametric domain-selective functional analysis of variance and allows us to identify the specific subintervals where the profile is sensitive to process changes. Benefits achieved by coupling the proposed approach with profile monitoring are highlighted by using a simulation study. We show how applying profile monitoring only to the identified subintervals can reduce the time to detect the out-of-control state of the process. To illustrate its potential in industrial applications, the procedure is applied to remote laser welding, where the main aim is monitoring the gap between the welded plates through the observation of the emission spectra of the welded material.
Antibodies to biotinylated red blood cells in adults and infants: improved detection, partial characterization, and dependence on red blood cell‐biotin dose
Authors: Schmidt Robert L. , Mock Donald M. , Franco Robert S. , Cohen Robert M. , North Anne K. , Cancelas José A. , Geisen Christof , Strauss Ronald G. , Vlaar Alexander P. , Nalbant Demet , Widness John A. 
Published: March 2017

BACKGROUNDBiotin‐labeled red blood cells (BioRBCs) are used for in vivo kinetic studies. Because BioRBC dosing occasionally induces antibodies, a sensitive and specific anti‐BioRBC detection assay is needed.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODSAims were to 1) develop a gel card assay to evaluate existing, naturally occurring and BioRBC‐induced plasma antibodies, 2) compare gel card and tube agglutination detection results, and 3) test for a relationship of antibody induction and BioRBC dose. Reagent BioRBCs were prepared using sulfo‐NHS biotin ranging from densities 18 (BioRBC‐18) to 1458 (BioRBC‐1458) µg/mL RBCs.RESULTSAmong BioRBC‐exposed subjects, gel card and tube agglutination results were concordant in 21 of 22 adults and all 19 infant plasma samples. Gel card antibody detection sensitivity was more than 10‐fold greater than tube agglutination. Twelve to 16 weeks after BioRBC exposure, induced anti‐antibodies were detected by gel card in three of 26 adults (12%) at reagent densities BioRBC‐256 or less, but in none of 41 infants. Importantly, induced anti‐BioRBC antibodies were associated with higher BioRBC dose (p = 0.008); no antibodies were detected in 18 subjects who received BioRBC doses less than or equal to BioRBC‐18. For noninduced BioRBC antibodies, six of 1125 naïve adults (0.3%) and none of 46 naïve infants demonstrated existing anti‐BioRBC antibodies using reagent BioRBC‐140 or ‐162. Existing anti‐BioRBCs were all neutralized by biotin compounds, while induced antibodies were not.CONCLUSIONSThe gel card assay is more sensitive than the tube agglutination assay. We recommend reagent BioRBC‐256 for identifying anti‐BioRBCs. Use of a low total RBC biotin label dose (≤ BioRBC‐18) may minimize antibody induction.
Testing of microencapsulated porcine hepatocytes in a new model of fulminant liver failure in baboons
Authors: Machaidze Zurab , Yeh Heidi , Wei Lingling , Schuetz Christian , Carvello Michele , Sgroi Antonino , Smith Rex N. , Schuurman Henk‐Jan , Sachs David H. , Morel Philippe , Markmann James F. , Bühler Léo H. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractBackgroundThere is no standard therapy for acute liver failure. Hepatocyte transplantation has been proposed for temporary liver function support, while the injured liver regenerates or while waiting for transplantation. We have previously shown such efficacy for microencapsulated porcine hepatocytes in mice with fulminant liver failure. We aimed to establish a large animal model for fulminant liver failure to assess the efficacy of microencapsulated porcine hepatocytes in temporary liver function support.MethodsThe model was developed in baboons; for testing microencapsulated hepatocytes, the best condition was 75% hepatectomy and 60 min warm ischemia time. Fulminant liver failure was characterized by steep increases in liver biochemical parameters, severe steatosis, and massive hepatocyte necrosis during the first 10 days. Hepatocytes from miniature swine were microencapsulated in alginate‐poly‐l‐lysine microspheres, and transplanted intraperitoneally immediately after hepatectomy and warm ischemia (80‐120 mL packed hepatocytes in 200‐350 mL microspheres, about 30%‐50% of the baboon's native liver volume).ResultsIn the control group, three of five animals were sacrificed after 6‐10 days because of fulminant liver failure, and two of five animals recovered normal liver function and survived until elective euthanasia (28 days). In the treatment group of four animals, one animal developed liver failure but survived to 21 days, and three animals recovered completely with normal liver function.ConclusionsThe results indicate that microencapsulated porcine hepatocytes provide temporary liver function support in baboons with fulminant liver failure. These data support development of this cell therapy product toward clinical trials in patients with acute liver failure.