bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of the Local Public Hospital Reform on the Efficiency of Medium‐Sized Hospitals in Japan: An Improved Slacks‐Based Measure Data Envelopment Analysis Approach
Authors: Zhang Xing , Tone Kaoru , Lu Yingzhe 
Published: March 2017

ObjectiveTo assess the change in efficiency and total factor productivity (TFP) of the local public hospitals in Japan after the local public hospital reform launched in late 2007, which was aimed at improving the financial capability and operational efficiency of hospitals.Data Sources and Data CollectionSecondary data were collected from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on 213 eligible medium‐sized hospitals, each operating 100–400 beds from FY2006 to FY2011.Study DesignThe improved slacks‐based measure nonoriented data envelopment analysis models (Quasi‐Max SBM nonoriented DEA models) were used to estimate dynamic efficiency score and Malmquist Index.Principal FindingsThe dynamic efficiency measure indicated an efficiency gain in the first several years of the reform and then was followed by a decrease. Malmquist Index analysis showed a significant decline in the TFP between 2006 and 2011. The financial improvement of medium‐sized hospitals was not associated with enhancement of efficiency. Hospital efficiency was not significantly different among ownership structure and law‐application system groups, but it was significantly affected by hospital location.ConclusionsThe results indicate a need for region‐tailored health care policies and for a more comprehensive reform to overcome the systemic constraints that might contribute to the decline of the TFP.
Is there consensus across international evidence‐based guidelines for the management of bipolar disorder?
Authors: Parker G. B. , Graham R. K. , Tavella G. 
Published: March 2017

ObjectiveTo examine the level of agreement across professionally auspiced evidence‐based guidelines for managing the bipolar disorders.MethodsA literature search in PubMed, the National Guideline Clearinghouse, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and PsycInfo was undertaken using the search terms ‘bipolar disorder’ and ‘guidelines’, generating 11 evidence‐based guidelines published by professional organisations over the 2002–2015 period. Each guideline was reviewed by two independent reviewers and key themes extracted via qualitative analyses.ResultsThere was agreement on issues such as the first‐line treatment of mania where mood‐stabilising and/or an antipsychotic medication together with tapering or ceasing antidepressant medications was most commonly recommended. Differences included the extent to which (i) the different bipolar disorders were defined or not, (ii) there were separate recommendations for bipolar I and bipolar II disorders vs. non‐differentiating general bipolar management strategies, (iii) ‘general’ vs. severity‐based recommendations were made, and (iv) narrow vs. broad sets of candidate medications were nominated, while there was variable consideration of treatments such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).ConclusionsWhile there was some consistency across guidelines on key recommendations, there was also substantial inconsistencies, limiting the generation of any ‘meta‐consensus’ model for managing the bipolar disorders.
Transforming Transformers into Militainment: Interrogating the DoD‐Hollywood Complex
Authors: Mirrlees Tanner 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThis article examines how the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Hollywood collaborated to manufacture the blockbuster films Transformers (T) and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (TRF) to sell in global markets and to sell a positive image of DoD personnel, policy, technology, and practice to the world. T and TRF are global militainment films made by the “DoD‐Hollywood complex” to make money in markets and put the U.S. military before the world in a positive light. To show how, the article's first section defines the “DoD‐Hollywood complex,” presents a brief 20th‐century history of its formation, and describes the current DoD institutions, policies, and practices that fuse DoD publicity agencies to Hollywood filmmakers. The second section highlights how DoD assisted T and TRF's production and contemplates why Hollywood solicited DoD support. The third section shows how T and TRF put DoD in a positive light. The conclusion addresses some of the consequences of T and TRF with regard to democratic theory. By showing T and TRF to be global militainment commodities, this article interrogates the nexus of “reel” and “real” U.S. military power and sheds light on how DoD interacts with Hollywood studios to influence how it gets screened by entertainment media and seen by global spectators.
The Soviet‐Afghan War in Fiction
Authors: Secker Tom 
Published: March 2017

AbstractFictionalized accounts, particularly feature films, about the Soviet‐Afghan War in the 1980s have played a significant role in shaping public opinion about the history of the region and issues related to Islamic militancy. Novels and films in the West have portrayed the Soviet army as brutal and genocidal and the mujahideen who resisted the invaders as “freedom fighters.” Russian movies have also portrayed the soldiers in a somewhat negative light and the mujahideen as evil terrorists. No fictional treatment has provided enough background to the conflict to reveal that the Russians entered Afghanistan only to provide support to a communist regime that had gained power on its own, and none have revealed the extent of aid from the United States, the United Kingdom, Iran, Pakistan, and China to the mujahideen. The CIA sponsored Charlie Wilson's War, the movie that comes closest to capturing the larger context of the war, but even in that case, crucial elements were removed from early drafts of the script that presented a more complex and accurate picture of the war. In particular, movies have failed to explore the possible links between U.S. support for mujahideen in the 1980s and violent attacks by Islamic extremists since 2001. The one exception is Charlie Wilson's War, where changes to the script had the result of downplaying and trivializing those links.
The influence of donor factors on corneal organ culture contamination
Authors: Gruenert Anja K. , Rosenbaum Katja , Geerling Gerd , Fuchsluger Thomas A. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractPurposeTo evaluate the contamination rate and the corresponding spectrum of microbes and to identify donor risk factors for corneal organ culture contaminations.MethodsA total of 3306 organ‐cultured donor corneas were included in the study. We performed a retrospective database analysis to evaluate donor factors such as gender, age, death‐to‐explantation interval (DEI), procurement site and cause of death and to determine their influence on donor cornea contaminations. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated for each factor.ResultsThe overall contamination rate was 7.8% (n = 259). Younger donor age (OR: 2.2, p = 0.003, chi‐squared test), a DEI of more than 24 hr (OR: 1.6, p < 0.001), hospitalization prior to death (OR: 2.2, p < 0.001) and death caused by sepsis (OR: 2.7, p < 0.001) were associated with an increased risk of contamination, whereas donor gender did not have an effect on donor cornea contaminations. The most frequently isolated microbes were Enterococci (19%), Staphylococci (10.8%) and Candida (37.4%).ConclusionThis study helps to estimate the contamination risk of a cultured cornea based on specific donor factors. However, donors with risk factors should not be generally excluded from cornea donation. Further studies including antibiograms might clarify whether a change in the antibiotic composition of the culture medium would be useful to deal with the increasing number of multi‐resistant microbes.
MD simulations and multivariate studies for modeling the antileishmanial activity of peptides
Authors: Guerra Mirian Elisa Rodrigues , Fadel Valmir , Maltarollo Vinícius Gonçalves , Baldissera Gisele , Honorio Kathia Maria , Ruggiero José Roberto , dos Santos Cabrera Marcia Perez 
Published: March 2017

Leishmaniasis, a protozoan‐caused disease, requires alternative treatments with minimized side‐effects and less prone to resistance development. Antimicrobial peptides represent a possible choice to be developed. We report on the prospection of structural parameters of 23 helical antimicrobial and leishmanicidal peptides as a tool for modeling and predicting the activity of new peptides. This investigation is based on molecular dynamic simulations (MD) in mimetic membrane environment, as most of these peptides share the feature of interacting with phospholipid bilayers. To overcome the lack of experimental data on peptides’ structures, we started simulations from designed 100% α‐helices. This procedure was validated through comparisons with NMR data and the determination of the structure of Decoralin‐amide. From physicochemical features and MD results, descriptors were raised and statistically related to the minimum inhibitory concentration against Leishmania by the multivariate data analysis technique. This statistical procedure confirmed five descriptors combined by different loadings in five principal components. The leishmanicidal activity depends on peptides’ charge, backbone solvation, volume, and solvent‐accessible surface area. The generated model possesses good predictability (q2 = 0.715, r2 = 0.898) and is indicative for the most and the least active peptides. This is a novel theoretical path for structure–activity studies combining computational methods that identify and prioritize the promising peptide candidates.
Development of dental anxiety in schoolchildren: A 2‐year prospective study
Authors: Soares Fernanda C. , Lima Rodrigo A. , de Barros Mauro V. G. , Dahllöf Göran , Colares Viviane 
Published: March 2017

AbstractAimTo assess the development of high dental anxiety and the factors that are associated with it over a 2‐year period.DesignThis longitudinal study focused on 416 Brazilian children aged 5‐7 years over 2 years. Interviews were conducted with the children's parents to investigate the children's health‐related behaviours. Additionally, the children's dental caries experience was clinically evaluated to obtain information about DMFT/dmft (decayed, filled and missing teeth) indices. Using the Dental Anxiety Question, children whose parents responded “yes” to the prompt “Is he/she very afraid of going to the dentist?” were classified as having high dental anxiety. Multilevel mixed‐effects logistic regression was used to analyse factors to determine the extent to which they were associated with high dental anxiety longitudinally.ResultsThe prevalence of high dental anxiety in children at baseline was 16.2%, whereas it was 19.8% at follow‐up. Additionally, 38% of the children with high dental anxiety at baseline still had the condition after two years, although 62% of them no longer had high dental anxiety. The incidence of high dental anxiety at 2‐year follow‐up was 15.0%. Children who used medication chronically had a 2.1 times greater likelihood of having high dental anxiety. Furthermore, children whose parents reported high dental anxiety had a 2.6 times greater likelihood of having high dental anxiety themselves. A one‐unit increase in a child's dmft score increased the risk of high dental anxiety by 1.1 times at follow‐up.ConclusionAfter two years, the incidence of high dental anxiety was 15.0%. Poor oral health, unstable general health and parents with high dental anxiety were factors that were associated with this type of anxiety in schoolchildren. It is important that dentists are aware of children's high dental anxiety and the associated factors so that they can appropriately intervene. Dentists fulfil an important role and should stimulate and promote good general hygiene habits that may prevent future problems.
Immigrant inviability promotes reproductive isolation among host‐associated populations of the gall wasp Belonocnema treatae
Authors: Zhang Linyi , Driscoe Amanda , Izen Rebecca , Toussaint Calli , Ott Jim R. , Egan Scott P. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractEcological speciation describes the evolutionary process whereby divergent natural selection between environments generates reproductive isolation. Studying the magnitude of sequential reproductive barriers between ecologically divergent populations improves our understanding of the way these barriers evolve and how each contributes to the speciation process. Immigrant inviability describes the lower fitness of immigrants in non‐native environments and is an important, but long underexplored, reproductive barrier. In this study, we test the role of immigrant inviability among host‐associated populations of the gall wasp Belonocnema treataeMayr (Hymenoptera: Cynipini: Cynipidae) by measuring the ability of gall wasps to initiate and complete gall formation, while avoiding host immune responses, on closely related native and non‐native live oaks, Quercus virginianaMill., Quercus fusiformisSmall, and Quercus geminataSmall (Fagaceae). In general, we found evidence for immigrant inviability when B. treatae populations colonized non‐native host species. However, patterns were variable among years, suggesting that episodic events may play an important role in connecting ecologically divergent populations.
Effect of host deprivation on the foraging behavior of the Asian citrus psyllid parasitoid Tamarixia radiata: observations from the laboratory and the field
Authors: Tena A. , Stouthamer R. , Hoddle M.S. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), is a significant citrus pest and the parasitoid Tamarixia radiata (Waterston) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) has been released in various citrus‐producing areas in classical biological control programs targeting D. citri. We investigated the effect of host deprivation on the foraging behavior and patch utilization by T. radiata. In the laboratory, females deprived of hosts for 3 days tended to leave patches of 12 nymphs without parasitizing hosts during the ca. 30 min they spent in the patch before leaving. Moreover, half of these females failed to host feed, and those that did host feed, on average, needed more than 15 min to complete feeding. Conversely, non‐host‐deprived females parasitized on average three nymphs before leaving patches without host feeding during the ca. 39 min they spent in the patch. These laboratory observations were compared to mass‐reared female T. radiata that were released onto colonies of D. citri nymphs infesting citrus in the field. Release vials were provisioned with honey and these females had no opportunities to host feed over the 1‐ to 2‐day containment period prior to release. When introduced onto D. citri colonies, 68% T. radiata females abandoned D. citri patches prior to probing hosts, in part, because Argentine ants, Linepithema humile (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), tending colonies disturbed searching parasitoids. These results from laboratory and field studies are discussed in the context of classical biological control, with the aim of understanding how to manipulate host availability and ant activity so establishment rates and impact of T. radiata can be improved.
Low dimensional representation of face space by face‐selective inferior temporal neurons
Authors: Salehi Sina , Dehaqani Mohammad‐Reza A. , Esteky Hossein 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe representation of visual objects in primate brain is distributed and multiple neurons are involved in encoding each object. One way to understand the neural basis of object representation is to estimate the number of neural dimensions that are needed for veridical representation of object categories. In this study, the characteristics of the match between physical‐shape and neural representational spaces in monkey inferior temporal (IT) cortex were evaluated. Specifically, we examined how the number of neural dimensions, stimulus behavioral saliency and stimulus category selectivity of neurons affected the correlation between shape and neural representational spaces in IT cortex. Single‐unit recordings from monkey IT cortex revealed that there was a significant match between face space and its neural representation at lower neural dimensions, whereas the optimal match for the non‐face objects was observed at higher neural dimensions. There was a statistically significant match between the face and neural spaces only in the face‐selective neurons, whereas a significant match was observed for non‐face objects in all neurons regardless of their category selectivity. Interestingly, the face neurons showed a higher match for the non‐face objects than for the faces at higher neural dimensions. The optimal representation of face space in the responses of the face neurons was a low dimensional map that emerged early (~150 ms post‐stimulus onset) and was followed by a high dimensional and relatively late (~300 ms) map for the non‐face stimuli. These results support a multiplexing function for the face neurons in the representation of very similar shape spaces, but with different dimensionality and timing scales.
Controlling the marginal false discovery rate in inferences from a soil dataset withα‐investment
Authors: Lark R. M. 
Published: March 2017

SummaryLarge datasets on soil provide a temptation to search for relations between variables and then to model and make inferences about them with statistical methods more properly used to test preplanned hypotheses on data from designed experiments or sample surveys. The control of family‐wise error rate (FWER) is one way to improve the robustness of inferences from tests of multiple hypotheses. In its simplest form, hypothesis testing with FWER control lacks statistical power. Theα‐investment approach to controlling the marginal false discovery rate is one method proposed to improve statistical power. In this paper I outline theα‐investment approach and then demonstrate it in the analysis of a dataset on the rate of CO2emission from incubated intact cores of soil from a transect over Cretaceous rocks in eastern England. Hypotheses are advanced after considering the literature and examining relations among the available soil variables that might be proposed as explanatory factors for the variation of CO2emissions. They are then tested in sequence withα‐investment, such that the rejection of null hypotheses increases the power to reject later ones, while controlling the overall marginal false discovery rate at a specified value. This paper illustrates the use ofα‐investment to test a multiple set of hypotheses on a soil dataset; statistical power is improved by ordering the sequence of hypotheses on the basis of process knowledge. The approach could be useful in other areas of soil science where covariates must be selected for predictive statistical models, notably in the development of pedotransfer functions and in digital soil mapping.Highlightsα‐investment controls marginal false discovery rate in statistical inference.Hypotheses were advanced about soil factors that affect CO2emission from soil.These hypotheses were tested in sequence with control of marginal false discovery rate.Soil properties, land use and parent material were significant predictors.
Disease spread in age structured populations with maternal age effects
Authors: Clark Jessica , Garbutt Jennie S. , McNally Luke , Little Tom J. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractFundamental ecological processes, such as extrinsic mortality, determine population age structure. This influences disease spread when individuals of different ages differ in susceptibility or when maternal age determines offspring susceptibility. We show that Daphnia magna offspring born to young mothers are more susceptible than those born to older mothers, and consider this alongside previous observations that susceptibility declines with age in this system. We used a susceptible‐infected compartmental model to investigate how age‐specific susceptibility and maternal age effects on offspring susceptibility interact with demographic factors affecting disease spread. Our results show a scenario where an increase in extrinsic mortality drives an increase in transmission potential. Thus, we identify a realistic context in which age effects and maternal effects produce conditions favouring disease transmission.
The Kollias legacy: Skin autofluorescence and beyond
Authors: Bargo Paulo R. , Doukas Apostolos , González Salvador , Menon Gopinathan , Pappas Apostolos , Ruvolo Eduardo C. , Stamatas Georgios N. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractIn a paper published at the J Invest Dermatol in 1998 Nik Kollias and coworkers described distinct changes in skin native fluorescence associated with skin aging and photoaging, using in vivo fluorescence excitation spectroscopy. The assignment of the 295 nm band to tryptophan fluorescence had a profound significance influencing many later studies from multiple groups. The reproducible changes in skin native fluorescence suggested that aging causes predictable alterations in both the epidermis and the dermis, whereas chronic UV exposure induces the appearance of new fluorophores. This seminal, but insufficiently widely appreciated work deserves re‐examination as it points to important horizons in future experimental dermatology, such as cancer diagnostics, diabetes, wound healing, and understanding skin aging and photoaging mechanisms.
Epidermal keratinocytes sense dsRNA via the NLRP3 inflammasome, mediating interleukin (IL)‐1β and IL‐18 release
Authors: Dai Xiuju , Tohyama Mikiko , Murakami Masamoto , Sayama Koji 
Published: March 2017

AbstractSkin epidermis, in addition to its barrier function, is able to actively sense harmful pathogens using pattern recognition receptors. In immune cells, the nucleotide‐binding oligomerization domain, leucine‐rich repeat and pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome can mediate innate immunity against viral infection via a mechanism involving viral dsRNA recognition. Epidermal keratinocytes express NLRP3 inflammasome, which can sense contact sensitizers and mite allergens, leading to pro‐interleukin (IL)‐1β and pro‐IL‐18 cleavage into their active forms. Skin often faces viral infection. However, it is unknown whether viral dsRNA can be detected by the keratinocyte NLRP3 inflammasome. We transfected polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C), a synthetic viral dsRNA analogue, into cultured primary human keratinocytes at the aid of Lipofectamine 2000, and found that transfected poly I:C activated caspase‐1 and induced caspase‐1‐dependent release of IL‐1β and IL‐18, which were suppressed on transfection with NLRP3 siRNA. The activation of keratinocyte NLRP3 inflammasome by transfected poly I:C was dependent on dsRNA‐induced protein kinase (PKR) activation, and priming with type I interferons upregulated NLRP3 inflammasome activation through promoting PKR activation in poly I:C‐transfected keratinocytes. In conclusion, the NLRP3 inflammasome can act as a sensor of dsRNA in epidermal keratinocytes, which may be important in both skin innate immune defense against viral infection and skin inflammation.