bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Factors Influencing Discharge Destination After Total Knee Arthroplasty
Authors: Schwarzkopf Ran , Ho Jenny , Quinn John R. , Snir Nimrod , Mukamel Dana 
Published: April 2016

Introduction: The demand for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) continues to challenge hospital financial resources. Hospitals have countered this economic demand by reducing patient length of stay (LoS), thus requiring a higher utilization of extended care facilities (ECF) and home with home health care (HHC). With an increase in the number of insured low-income families following the Affordable Care Act (ACA), TKA patients’ demographics are anticipated to change. Both trends have significant economic implications, and predicting the discharge destinations of TKA patients would help plan for future health expenditures. The purpose of this study was to determine which variables are significant in predicting discharge destinations of patients treated with TKA. Methods: We utilized the California Hospital Discharge data set of the year 2010. For each hospitalization, the data set includes information about patient demographics (age, gender, race, and ethnicity), insurance type, diagnoses and procedures, and patient disposition. Discharge to home was the reference category. Discharges to a skilled nursing home and discharge to home with home care were the 2 additional alternatives. Independent variables included the Charlson comorbidity index, payer category (private, Medicare, Medical, and other), race, ethnicity, age, and gender. Results: Over 28 611 TKAs were reviewed with 45.9% discharged to HHC, 29.9% going to ECF, and 24.2% going home without home health care. Race, age, insurance, and morbidity proved to be highly significant factors influencing patient discharge destination ( P < .001). Medicare coverage relative to private payers was a strong predictor for discharge destination (relative risk ratio (RRR) 1.69, P < .001). The strongest predictors were black and Asian races relative to whites (RRR 1.54, P < .01). Male gender was the only factor that lowered the risk of discharge to a nursing home (RRR 0.43, P < .001). Conclusions: This study provides insight on which patient characteristics influence discharge destination after TKA. Race, age, insurance, and morbidity were highly significant ( P < .001) factors on patient discharge destination.
A Retrospective Review of the Two-Step Tuberculin Skin Test in Dialysis Patients
Authors: Foster Rukhsana , Ferguson Thomas W. , Rigatto Claudio , Lerner Blake , Tangri Navdeep , Komenda Paul 
Published: April 2016

Background: Reactivation of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is a health concern for patients on dialysis or receiving a kidney transplant, as these patients are often immunosuppressed. The most frequently used test for LTBI screening in this population is the tuberculin skin test (TST). The diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) of the TST in a contemporary North American or Western European dialysis population is unknown. Objectives: Our objective was to determine the diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility of the two-step TST in patients receiving dialysis. Design: This is a retrospective cohort study. Setting: This study is set at four tertiary dialysis units across Winnipeg, Manitoba. Patients: There are 483 chronic hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients in the study. Measurements: The measurements are sensitivity and specificity of the TST with respect to abnormal chest X-ray. Methods: All patients received a two-step TST and assessment of risk factors for prior tuberculosis (TB) infection between February 2008 and December 2008. This cohort was retrospectively linked to our tuberculosis registry to ascertain if prophylaxis was received for LTBI. Results: At an induration cutoff of 5 mm, 62 (13 %) patients had a positive two-step TST. Patients with a known Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination were more likely to test positive (50 % of those with a positive TST had a BCG versus 34 % with a negative TST, p = 0.05). Using a diagnostic gold standard of an abnormal chest X-ray as a proxy for LTBI, the sensitivity of the TST was only 14 % and the specificity was 88 %. Only 8 of 62 patients with a positive TST (13 %) received prophylaxis for LTBI. None of the patients who tested negative were treated. Limitations: There is a lack of a truly accurate gold standard for LTBI. Conclusions: The TST has limited diagnostic and clinical utility for LTBI screening in patients on dialysis. Further research into the diagnostic accuracy of interferon-gamma release assays and a revision of LTBI screening guidelines in patients on dialysis should be considered.
Validation and Quality Assessment of the Kilimanjaro Cancer Registry
Authors: Zullig Leah L. , Schroeder Kristin , Nyindo Pilli , Namwai Theresia , Silayo Elvis , Msomba Angelah , Munishi Michael Oresto , Karia Francis , Muiruri Charles , Bartlett John , Maro Venance , Zafar S. Yousuf 
Published: April 2016

Purpose Global cancer burden has increasingly shifted to low- and middle-income countries and is particularly pronounced in Africa. There remains a lack of comprehensive cancer information as a result of limited cancer registry development. In Moshi, Tanzania, a regional cancer registry exists at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center. Data quality is unknown. Our objective was to evaluate the completeness and quality of the Kilimanjaro Cancer Registry (KCR). Methods In October 2015, we conducted a retrospective review of KCR by validating the internal consistency of registry records with medical and pathology records. We randomly sampled approximately 100 total registry cases. Four reviewers not associated with the KCR manually collected data elements from medical records and compared them with KCR data. Results All 100 reviewed registry cases had complete cancer site and morphology included in the registry. Six had a recorded stage. For the majority (n = 92), the basis of diagnosis was pathology. Pathology reports were found in the medical record for 40% of patients; for the remainder, these were stored separately in the pathology department. Of sampled registry cases, the KCR and medical records were 98% and 94% concordant for primary cancer site and morphology, respectively. For 28%, recorded diagnosis dates were within 14 days of what was found in the medical record, and for 32%, they were within 30 days. Conclusion The KCR has a high level of concordance for classification and coding when data are retrieved for validation. This parameter is one of the most important for measuring data quality in a regional cancer registry.
Phenomenon of Socio-cultural Adaptation of Anglo-Saxon PR-communications in Russia
Authors: Чилингир  , Chilingir E. 
Published: April 2016

This article describes the process of the English term “public relations” entering
the Russian language and culture; there is the term (and its Russian
synonyms) frequency statistics in Russian texts as well. Analysis of spelling
usage of the English term (in official documents, professional sphere, and
informal contexts) has been done. The article also provides a forecast that
in some time the term пиар (in Russian spelling) will become neutral, and
will possibly remain the only one name for that sphere of activity.
Does Corporate Governance Matter More for High Financial Slack Firms?
Authors: John Kose , Li Yuanzhi , Pang Jiaren 
Published: April 2016

The effect of corporate governance may depend on a firm’s financial slack. On one hand, financial slack may be spent by managers for their private benefits; a high level is likely associated with severe agency conflicts. Thus corporate governance matters more for high financial slack firms (i.e., the wasteful spending hypothesis). On the other hand, financial slack provides insurance against future uncertainties; a low level may signal deviations from the best interests of shareholders. Then corporate governance is more effective for low financial slack firms (i.e., the precautionary needs hypothesis). We differentiate the two hypotheses using the passage of antitakeover laws to identify exogenous variation in governance. Consistent with the wasteful spending hypothesis, the laws’ passage has a larger negative impact on the operating and stock market performance of high financial slack firms. Further analysis shows that these firms do not invest more but become less efficient at cost management after the laws’ passage. This paper was accepted by Wei Jiang, finance.
Optimal Strategies for Flood Prevention
Authors: Eijgenraam Carel , Brekelmans Ruud , den Hertog Dick , Roos Kees 
Published: April 2016

Flood prevention policy is of major importance to the Netherlands since a large part of the country is below sea level and high water levels in rivers may also cause floods. In this paper we propose a dike height optimization model to determine economically efficient flood protection standards. We improve the model proposed by David van Dantzig [van Dantzig D (1956) Economic decision problems for flood prevention. Econometrica 24(3):276–287] after a devastating flood in the Netherlands in 1953. Our model is nonconvex, but we derive an explicit simple expression for the global optimal solution, which is periodic. We also discuss how to use this optimal investment policy to derive an efficient flood protection standard. The rather simple expression for this standard gives us much insight into how it depends on several relevant economic and climate model parameters. This approach has been applied to all dike rings in the Netherlands, and the resulting standards have been stated in the new Delta Programme 2015, which has been accepted by the government. This paper was accepted by Yinyu Ye, optimization.
Strain rate and temperature effects on elastic properties of polycaprolactone/starch composite
Authors: Nor Fethma M. , Lee Ho Yong , Lim Joong Yeon , Kurniawan Denni 
Published: April 2016

AbstractComposite of polycaprolactone (PCL) and starch is a potential biomaterial for tissue engineering scaffolds. During implantation, its mechanical properties might be compromised considering the various strain rates it is subjected to and that human body temperature is close to polycaprolactone’s melting temperature. This study aims at revealing the effect of strain rate and temperature to the elastic properties of polycaprolactone-starch composite. Tensile test at strain rates of 5, 0.1, and 0.01 mm/min at ambient and body temperatures were performed. It was revealed that strain rate as well as temperature readily have significant effects on the composite’s elastic properties. Such effects have similar trends with that of PCL homopolymer which is used as the composite’s matrix. Further analysis on the consequence of the finding was performed by applying the behavior to a finite element model of a porous scaffold and it was found that the discrepancy in elastic properties throughout the construct is even greater.
Reforming Regulatory Institutions: Enlarging the Space of Reasons
Authors: Kelly Henry 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
The most recent phase of global capitalism has been characterised by neoliberal arguments which have supported the deregulation of large sectors of world financial markets. This phenomenon has led to so-called financialization with capital attempting to separate itself from the material base of the economy. The instability of this form of economic activity in addition to the highly attractive short-term returns the financial sector has offered has been the main driver of the current global financial crisis.
This article will seek to examine the manners in which global regulatory frameworks can be reformed to ameliorate the current crisis and create an institutional architecture that will be robust to future shocks. It will be argued that reform needs to proceed in two directions depth and breadth. During the neoliberal phase of economic development, the public discourse on economic policy has centred on arguments based solely upon economic value, it will be suggested that a reformed framework needs to take into account and admit into the space of public reasons, ethical, aesthetic and civic arguments. This is due to the highly volatile nature of economic value and the necessity to acknowledge that in addition to being producers and consumers economic agents are also people.
In a similar vein following the work of Karl-Otto Apel on the public sphere, international regulatory institutions should take into consideration and be accountable to all those effected by their policies and actions. Given the increasingly integrated nature of the European and World economies agencies need to be rendered democratic
Authentic Needs and Genuine Productivity
Authors: Jivan Alexandru , Năchescu Miruna-Lucia 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
The paper deals with a critical debate regarding the common conception on human needs and on their fulfilment through the concern for productivity and growth.
It starts from the most common way of perceiving (and, implicitly, of developing) the economy, which is reappraised on the grounds of genuine liberalism; several routine approaches in economics and most common concerns in the economy are put under question.
The debate brings conclusions related to a widened area of issues concerning the assessment of economic activities and core educational recommendations, implying interventionism focused on developing responsibility on the very long term.
Translation and psychometric properties of the Persian version of self-management of type 1 diabetes for adolescents
Authors: Karahroudy Fatemeh Alaee , Shahboulaghi Farahnaz Mohammadi , Hosseini Mohammad Ali , Rassouli Maryam , Biglarian Akbar 
Published: April 2016

AbstractThe present study was conducted to translate and assess the validation of the measure of self-management of type 1 diabetes for adolescents that developed by Schilling et al [Schilling LS, Knafl KA, Grey M. Changing patterns of self-management in youth with type I diabetes. J Pediatr Nurs 2006;21:412–24].The first stage of the study involved the translation of the measure of self-management of type 1 diabetes for adolescents into Persian based on the model proposed by Wild et al. in two versions [Wild D, Grove A, Martin M, Eremenco S, McElroy S, et al. Principles of good practice for the translation and cultural adaptation process for patient-reported outcomes (PRO) measures: report of the ISPOR task force for translation and cultural adaptation. Value Health 2005;8:94–104; Wild D, Eremenco S, Mear I, Martin M, Houchin C, et al. Multinational trials – recommendations on the translations required, approaches to using the same language in different countries, and the approaches to support pooling the data: the ISPOR patient-reported outcomes translation and linguistic validation good research practices task force report. Value Health 2009;12:430–40]. The translated versions were reviewed in consultation sessions with experts and the more appropriate items were selected and the final version was translated back into English in two versions and was then sent to the measure’s designer for confirmation. The content validity of the measure was then evaluated by a group of experts and found to be acceptable. The next stage evaluated the measure’s construct validity. This measure contains 52 items classified under five subscales. The confirmatory factor analysis was performed to assess the measure’s construct validity and was found to be acceptable. For evaluating the reliability of the measure, its internal consistency was assessed through calculating its Cronbach’s alpha and intra-class correlation. The measure’s consistency was measured through calculating its test-retest reliability.The assessment of the measure’s content validity revealed a content validity index of 0.98. For the construct validity of the measure using the confirmatory factor analysis, the following figures were obtained: NFI=0.97, RMSA=0.001, AGFI=0.81, IFI=0.833, GFI=0.83. In the assessment of the measure’s reliability, the intra-class correlation showed an overall Cronbach’s alpha of 0.88. The test-retest showed a consistency of 0.73 for the measure.The validation of the 48-item measure revealed that it can be used in the population of Iranian adolescents with type 1 diabetes (8 items changed their subscales and 4 items were removed).
The application of magnetic self-filter to optimization of AIN film growth process during the impulse plasma deposition synthesis
Authors: Chodun Rafal , Nowakowska-Langier Katarzyna , Okrasa Sebastian , Zdunek Krzysztof 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
This work presents the very first results of the application of plasma magnetic filtering achieved by a coil coupled with an electrical circuit of a coaxial accelerator during the synthesis of A1N thin films by use of Impulse Plasma Deposition method (IPD). The uniqueness of this technical solution lies in the fact that the filter is not supplied, controlled and synchronized from any external device. Our solution uses the energy from the electrical circuit of plasma accelerator. The plasma state was described on the basis of OES studies. Estimation of the effects of plasma filtering on the film quality was carried out on the basis of characterization of structure morphology (SEM), phase and chemical composition (vibrational spectroscopy). Our work has shown that the use of the developed magnetic self-filter improved the structure of the AlN coatings synthesized under the condition of impulse plasma, especially by the minimization of the tendency to deposit metallic aluminum droplets and columnar growth.
Study of high-strength and high-conductivity Cu–Sn–Fe alloys
Authors: Zhang Junting , Cui Xiaochao , Ma Jiankai , Wang Youhong 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
Cu–Sn–Fe alloys with different compositions were developed by casting, normalizing treatment, cold roll and subsequent annealing treatment. The results showed that the tensile strength and resistivity of the Cu–xSn–xFe alloys (where x represents wt.%) improved with increasing the content of Sn and Fe. Compared with the as-cast alloys, the resistivity and tensile strength of the Cu–xSn–xFe alloys after normalizing and cold rolling treatment increased. In addition, the resistivity and mechanical properties of the alloys after the annealing treatment were improved significantly. Finally, a conclusion could be drawn that the annealed Cu–2Sn–5Fe alloy had good mechanical properties and resistivity, and the values of the tensile strength, mechanical elongation and resistivity reached 552 MPa, 32 % and 1.92 μΩ cm, respectively.
Optical properties of porous Si/PECVD SiNX:H reflector on single crystalline Si for solar cells
Authors: Remache L. , Nychyporuk T. , Guermit N. , Fourmond E. , Mahdjoub A. , Lemiti M. 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
The improvement of optical confinement on the back crystalline silicon solar cell is one of the factors leading to its better performance. Porous silicon (PS) layer can be used as a back reflector (BR) in solar cells. In this work, single layers of porous silicon were grown by electrodeposition on a single crystalline silicon substrate. The measurement of the total reflectivity (RT) on Si/PS surface showed a significant improvement in optical confinement compared to that measured on Si/standard Al back surface field (BSF). The internal reflectivity (RB) extracted from total reflectivity measurements achieved 86 % for the optimized single PS layer (92 nm thick layer with 60 % porosity) in the wavelength range between 950 and 1200 nm. This improvement was estimated as more than 17 % compared to that measured on the surface of Si/BSF Al contact. To improve the stability and passivation properties of PS layer BR, silicon nitride layer (SiNx) was deposited by PECVD on a PS layer. The maximum measured total reflectivity for PS/SiNx achieved approximately 56 % corresponding to an improved RB of up to 83 %. The PS formation process in combination with the PECVD SiNx, can be applied in the photovoltaic cell technology and offer a promising technique to produce high-efficiency and low-cost c-Si solar cells.
Mucoadhesive chitosan-dextran sulfate nanoparticles of acetazolamide for ocular hypertension
Authors: Manchanda Satish , Sahoo Pravat K. , Majumdar Dipak K. 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
Chitosan-dextran sulfate nanoparticles of acetazolamide were formulated by using the ionic gelation technique, and evaluated for different attributes like particle size, ζ potential, drug entrapment, particle morphology, in vitro drug release, and in vivo efficacy. Particle size was observed to be changed with the increment of the drug/polymer ratio. Sustained in vitro drug release was exhibited by the particulate formulation that followed the Korsmeyer-Peppas kinetic model. Drug release from nanoparticles was found to occur, as shown by the results, through a combination of dissolution and diffusion. The optimized formulation had a particle size of 172.3 nm and ζ potential of 36.46 mV. The particles had a spherical shape and polydispersity index of 0.257. Decrease in crystallinity of the drug was indicated by powder X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry studies, in the optimized nanoparticle formulation. Approximately 2.5 times higher transcorneal permeation of drug was observed across the excised goat cornea, in comparison to the aqueous solution of drug, without any corneal damage, during ex vivo transcorneal studies. In vitro mucoadhesion studies showed 91.59% mucoadhesion. The in vivo studies involving ocular hypotensive activity in rabbits revealed significantly higher hypotensive activity with a p-value of <0.05, in contrast to a plain drug solution, with no signs of ocular irritation. The stability studies showed that the formulation was rather stable.
Soil Quality Assessment of Phaeozems and Luvisols from the Kujawy Region (Central Poland) / Ocena cech użytkowych czarnych ziem i gleb płowych rejonu Kujaw
Authors: Kobierski Mirosław , Kondratowicz-Maciejewska Krystyna , Kociniewska Katarzyna 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
To assess the soil quality of Phaeozems and Luvisols from Kujawy region (Kujawy-Pomerania Province, Poland), the soil quality indicators such as: content of organic matter and nutrients, as well as bulk density were used. The soils showed similar inherent properties (soil texture, depth to parent material, type of clay) and management practices (tillage, crop rotation, nutrient application). The following properties were determined: bulk density, grain size composition, exchangeable acidity, concentration of available forms of potassium, phosphorus and magnesium, and the content of total organic carbon (TOC) and nitrogen (Nt). The amounts of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved nitrogen (DN) were measured in the solution obtained after extraction with 0.004 M CaCl2. The stock of TOCs, Nts and DOCs, and DNs were calculated. The total organic carbon content in surface horizon of Phaeozems was significant higher (13.9-20.1 g·kg-1) than in Ap horizon of Luvisols (8.3-11.0 g·kg-1), which is a consequence of their origin. The stock of organic carbon in Ap horizon fell within 5.89 to 8.49 kg·m2 in Phaeozems and 3.80 to 4.81 kg·m2 in Luvisols. Although Phaeozems demonstrated a significant higher content of TOC, as compared with Luvisols, the amount of dissolved organic carbon was similar in both soil types, which points to a higher share of DOC in the total organic carbon content in Luvisols (up to 17.5% in Et horizon). The amounts of dissolved organic carbon and dissolved nitrogen and their stock do not depend on the type of soils if the management practices are similar.