bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Putting Artificial Intelligence And Expert Systems To Work for The Hospitality Industry
Authors: Farsad Behshld 
Published: July 2017

Artificial intelligence (AI) has existed formally as a field of science and technology for over thirty years. 109634808801200264Nevertheless, it has no precise definition due to it's diversity. Over the years Al has developed into three principal branches: expert systems, natural language communication, and robotics. Expert systems (ES) among the three branches is currently attracting much attention and is of most interest to many professionals as well as organizations. However, the development of expert systems—the computer programs that emulate the thinking processes of human brain in solving problems—is very complex and extremely costly. Although the current applications of ES are mainly is space exploration, it should be noted that some of the greatest opportunities for expert systems in the hospitality industry lie in small, routine, everyday tasks like departmental budget analysis, shift scheduling, credit verification, and room assignment.
Social care research
Authors: Glanville Julie , Golder Su , Glanville Julie , Mather Lisa , Wright Kath 
Published: July 2017

Unlike health care research, with its relatively well-developed research registers and major indexed databases, finding out about social care research is more of a challenge. However, the following selected key resources form part of a growing range of excellent information services. As a user of the Internet, you are the best judge of the value and usefulness of relevant websites. If you would like to alert readers to useful web pages or suggest topics for this column please send details to:
The Role of Daclizumab in Balancing Resources for Inpatient and Outpatient Transplant Services
Authors: Korsun Angelina , Vincenti Flavio , Ruck Dorothy , Whitelaw Nevin , Ladoulis Charles , Whitelaw George 
Published: July 2017

Transplant professionals have the dual responsibility of achieving acceptable clinical outcomes and controlling costs. One approach transplant centers have used to control transplant-related costs has been to decrease patients' length of stay, and thus it has decreased significantly in the last 6 years. This reduction in resource consumption has been accomplished by increased efficiency in providing transplantation services, expanding the number of outpatient services available, and integrating new technologies. Future cost containment measures by payers, especially Medicare, will continue to require that transplant centers manage resources and meet financial objectives while achieving acceptable clinical outcomes. Daclizumab, a new immunosuppressive drug, is used as an example in this article, which assesses its value in helping meet resource management and financial goals.
Economic Evaluation of Kidney Transplantation versus Hemodialysis in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease in Hungary
Authors: Kaló Zoltán , Járay Jeno , Nagy Júlia 
Published: July 2017

Background— Kidney transplantation is generally acknowledged as the more clinically effective and more cost-effective option in managing patients with end-stage renal disease, compared with dialysis. This study looked for confirmatory evidence in a Hungarian population. Methods— Patients (n = 242) with end-stage renal disease who received cadaveric kidney transplantation during 1994 were followed up for 3 years. They were compared with patients (n = 840) receiving hemodialysis who were on a waiting list for transplantation. Data were collected retrospectively. Treatments were compared for clinical efficacy and for cost-effectiveness. Results— At month 36, the standard mortality hazard function was 3.5 times higher in the group receiving hemodialysis ( P<.0001) than in the transplant recipients. Average treatment costs per patient over the 3 years were also significantly higher ( P<.0001) in the hemodialysis group than in the group that received transplants. The cost of 1 year gained by transplantation was significantly less ( P<.0001) than the cost associated with hemodialysis. Conclusions— Compared with hemodialysis, kidney transplantation provides greater survival benefits to patients with end-stage renal disease, at less cost.
Evaluation Guidelines for Adult and Pediatric Kidney Transplant Programs: The Missouri Experience
Authors: Hillerman Wanda L. , Russell Cynthia L. , Barry Dana , Brewer Brenda , Bianchi Lyn , Cundiff Wendy , Friedman Barry , Hoff Judy , Hood Annette , Mahon Mitch , Olesky Jan , White Monique 
Published: July 2017

Context Rigorous candidate evaluation is paramount for estimating risk and long-term success with transplantation. In addition, because of increasing waiting times, patients are seeking listing at multiple centers or transferring waiting time from one center to another. Variations in center evaluation criteria are becoming increasingly important to patients. Objective To describe the similarities and differences among the evaluation guidelines for adult and pediatric kidney transplant programs in Missouri. Design A descriptive design was used. Setting and Participants Kidney transplant nurse coordinators from 7 adult and 4 pediatric kidney transplant programs from 10 centers in Missouri were invited to submit the kidney transplant candidate evaluation guidelines from their programs. Results Guidelines were submitted by nurse coordinators from all programs. Consults with the kidney transplant team members, including surgeon, nephrologist, social worker, and nurse coordinator, were included in all of the programs. For the adult programs, 67% (20/30) of the tests and laboratory values were agreed on by at least 70% of the program transplant team members. Similarly, for the pediatric programs, 62% (16/26) of the age-appropriate tests and laboratory values were agreed on by at least 75% of the program transplant team members. Conclusions Within the Missouri programs, testing is consistent whether the center is large or small, adult or pediatric. Transplant teams should periodically review their kidney transplant recipient evaluation criteria for similarities to and differences from the current state-of-the-science and surrounding programs.
Education Related to Organ Donation and Transplantation in Undergraduate Nursing Schools: 1993 versus 2000
Authors: Chabalewski Franki L. , Ellis James M. , McGaw Lin Johnson 
Published: July 2017

Purpose To evaluate the change in the amount and type of content related to organ donation and transplantation in US nursing schools from 1993 to 2000. Methods A survey of 700 nursing schools was conducted in 2000, and its results were compared with results of a similar survey conducted in 1993. Three hundred fifty schools (53.3%) completed the 2000 survey, and 426 (61%) completed the 1993 survey. Results Although the amount of time dedicated to donation ( P=.82) and transplantation ( P=.26) issues did not change significantly, the number and types of topics presented, such as minority concerns and cultural issues, increased significantly. There was also a significant increase ( P=.002) in faculty ratings of whether it is important to expose new graduates to this content. A significant increase was also observed in the number of schools that reported that organ procurement professionals presented such content to students (31% to 42%, P=.006). Conclusion Although the amount of time spent on these issues has not increased, the number of topics that are now included in the nursing curriculum has increased. In 2000, nursing faculty perceived such content as more important to include in the school's curriculum than in 1993. This change in perception may be a first step in creating a nursing workforce that is knowledgeable about organ donation and transplantation.
Attitudes of Potential Candidates for Heart and Heart-Lung Transplantation to Xenotransplantation
Authors: Long Tracy , Wray Jo , Myers Lynn , Banner Nicholas 
Published: July 2017

Context and Objectives Whether the fact that a transplanted organ is non-human would affect acceptance levels among potential recipients of heart and heart-lung xenografts has not been determined. Studies in renal patients have produced contradictory results. Furthermore, no previous studies have examined the attitudes toward xenotransplantation among the chief caregivers of potential transplant recipients. Participants and Measures Fifty-nine patients and 54 caregivers responded to a questionnaire that requested their views on xenotransplantation, the source and level of their knowledge about xenotransplantation, and the perceived costs and benefits of this intervention. Patients' and caregivers' attitudes to animal experimentation and killing animals for human benefit were also assessed by using a specifically designed attitude questionnaire. Results Fifty-six percent of patients and 48% of caregivers were unsure about xenotransplantation. Seventy-nine percent of patients and 85% of caregivers indicated that they had received little or no information about xenotransplantation, and what information they had received was from nonmedical sources. Availability of organs was the main perceived benefit (36% of patients and 40% of caregivers) and ethical and moral issues were the main perceived cost (20% of patients and 25% of caregivers). Overall patients and caregivers were in agreement with animal experimentation and killing animals for human benefit. Conclusions Potential heart and heart-lung recipients and their caregivers have limited information about xenotransplantation and are currently unsure about the acceptability of this procedure. Although this uncertainty may be due to their lack of information about this intervention, it may also reflect concerns about the morality of breeding animals solely to provide organs for transplantation.
Avoidant Coping with Health Problems is Related to Poorer Quality of Life among Lung Transplant Candidates
Authors: Myaskovsky Larissa , Dew Mary Amanda , Switzer Galen E. , Hall Martica , Kormos Robert L. , Goycoolea Jean M. , DiMartini Andrea F. , Manzetti Jan D. , McCurry Kenneth R. 
Published: July 2017

Context Lung transplant candidates face numerous health-related stressors. Although previous work has described the range of coping strategies candidates may use, whether those strategies are related to quality of life in physical functioning, emotional, and social domains has rarely been examined. Methods Adult lung transplant candidates (N=128) participated in semistructured interviews that included questions regarding global and domain-specific quality of life and a multidimensional assessment of coping with health-related problems. Demographic characteristics, health status, and other psychosocial variables were also assessed, and their effects were examined and controlled in multivariate analyses of the coping–quality-of-life relationship. Results Respondents were most likely to use active, acceptance, and support-seeking strategies to cope with health problems. Self-blame or avoidance were rarely used. Although used least often, avoidant coping was the most strongly and consistently related to quality of life. With demographic and psychosocial variables controlled, higher avoidant coping remained associated with significantly poorer global quality of life, bodily pain, difficulty with daily work or activities as a function of emotional problems, and depressive symptomatology. Avoidant coping accentuated the association of poor health status and lower quality of life. Among respondents with lower health status, using more avoidant coping was associated with greater difficulty functioning in daily activities as a result of emotional problems. Those with higher health status had less difficulty functioning in daily activities as a result of emotional problems. Conclusions Transplant team members are encouraged to be aware of and help patients refrain from using avoidant coping strategies.
Mortality from Time of Listing for Transplantation as an Indicator of Candidate Outcomes
Authors: Nathan Steven D. , Barnett Scott D. , Ahmad Shahzad , Harrison Jane , Shorr Andrew F. , Lefrak Edward A. , Burton Nelson A. 
Published: July 2017

Context Survival after transplantation has traditionally been the statistic most closely scrutinized as to the efficacy of the procedure and a program's performance. We propose that mortality from the time of listing is a more significant outcome measure for potential transplant candidates. We present our lung transplant program's outcomes using this measure. Methods An analysis was performed on all patients listed for lung transplantation at our institution between 1997 and 2002. Kaplan-Meier analyses of survival at 1, 2, and 3 years after listing were assessed. Results One hundred forty-eight patients qualified for the analysis; of these, 96 received transplants. The median time to transplantation was 142 days. Twenty-five of the patients died while waiting for a transplant. The median time to death for these patients was 311 days. Of the 27 transplant recipients who died, the median time from listing to death was 547 days. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year mortality rates after being listed were 20.0%, 32.4%, and 39.7%, respectively, for all patients. Conclusions Mortality after listing is a more relevant statistic for prospective transplant candidates. Intraprogram comparisons of listed nontransplant survival to listed transplant survival may facilitate the acceptance of sicker patients for transplant consideration. It may also help foster the development of an “alternate” list for transplantation and prove useful in helping determine organ prioritization.
Family Conversations about Organ Donation
Authors: Thompson Teresa L. , Robinson James D. , Kenny R. Wade 
Published: July 2017

Objective To describe family conversations about organ donation and to examine interrelationships among the content and outcomes of these conversations, and attitudes toward organ donation. Design Closed and open-ended survey questions. Participants 353 men and 488 women. Main Outcome Measures Content analysis of reports of conversations and of reactions of family members to the conversations, as well as closed items assessing both those issues and attitudes toward donation. Results Most respondents who were willing to donate their organs had not talked with their families about their donation wishes. Conversations that did occur were typically about the patient's donation wishes and moral and altruistic reasons for donation, or included a story about donation. These approaches, as well as talking about the reasons for wishing to donate, were associated with positive responses from family members, whereas discussing fears about being declared dead prematurely or about the medical establishment were associated with negative responses.
Are Organ Donation Attitudes and Beliefs, Empathy, and Life Orientation Related to Donor Registration Status?
Authors: Rodrigue James R. , Cornell Danielle L. , Jackson Shannon I. , Kanasky William , Marhefka Stephanie , Reed Alan I. 
Published: July 2017

Context The severe organ donor shortage necessitates additional research on variables that may distinguish those who register to be organ donors and those who do not. Such research has important implications for the development of educational interventions. Objective To examine whether registered organ donors differ significantly from nondonors on measures of organ donation beliefs and attitudes, empathy, and life orientation. Design and Setting Prospective participants were approached about the study while visiting a local branch of the Department of Motor Vehicles. Once consent was obtained, participants completed several questionnaires. Participants Two hundred fifty community dwellers who visited the Department of Motor Vehicles office in Alachua County, Fla. Main Outcome Measures Organ donor registration status, beliefs about organ donation, attitudes toward organ donation, empathy, and life orientation (ie, optimism). Results Registered organ donors reported more positive beliefs toward organ donation than did nonregistered participants or participants who were undecided about their registration status. Registered organ donors also reported more positive organ donation attitudes and more optimism than did nonregistered participants.
Factors Predictive of Signed Consent for Posthumous Organ Donation
Authors: Godin Gaston , Bélanger-Gravel Ariane , Gagné Camille , Blondeau Danielle 
Published: July 2017

Context The shortage of organs for transplantation has led public health authorities to invest significant efforts in the promotion of organ donation. Objective To identify factors predictive of signed consent for posthumous organ donation by using the theory of planned behavior. Participants and Design A random sample of 602 adults completed a questionnaire at baseline, and behavior was self-reported 15 months later. Results Logistic regression indicated that intention, perceived behavioral control, moral norm, and past behavior were factors predictive of consent for posthumous organ donation. Participants' perceived behavioral control, past behavior, and moral norm were also predictive of intention to sign, but attitude and perceived barriers were 2 additional determinants. Finally, anticipated regret and knowledge of persons who had made an organ donation were 2 moderators of the intention-behavior relationship. Conclusion Overall, the results showed that intention is an important determinant of signing the organ donor's consent sticker and also highlighted that moral consideration and perceived difficulties could be 2 potential avenues for designing interventions.
Intermittent Antegrade Cardioplegia: Isolated Heart Preservation with the Asporto Heart Preservation Device
Authors: Rivard Andrew L. , Hellmich Christina , Swingen Cory M. , Kamdar Forum D. , Cordova Erin J. , Holstad Jonathan , Baranowski Thomas J. , Bianco Richard W. , John Ranjit 
Published: July 2017

Background A major problem in procurement of donor hearts is the limited time a donor heart remains viable. After cardiectomy, ischemic hypoxia is the main cause of donor heart degradation. The global myocardial ischemia causes a cascade of oxygen radical formation that cumulates in an elevation in hydrogen ions (decrease in pH), irreversible cellular injury, and potential microvascular changes in perfusion. Objective To determine the changes of prolonged storage times on donor heart microvasculature and the effects of intermittent antegrade perfusion. Materials and Methods Using porcine hearts flushed with a Ribosol-based cardioplegic solution, we examined how storage time affects microvascular myocardial perfusion by using contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging at a mean (SD) of 6.1 (0.6) hours (n=13) or 15.6 (0.6) hours (n=11) after cardiectomy. Finally, to determine if administration of cardioplegic solution affects pH and microvascular perfusion, isolated hearts (group 1, n=9) given a single antegrade dose, were compared with hearts (group 2, n=8) given intermittent antegrade cardioplegia (150 mL, every 30 min, 150 mL/min) by a heart preservation device. Khuri pH probes in left and right ventricular tissue continuously measured hydrogen ion levels, and perfusion intensity on magnetic resonance images was plotted against time. Results Myocardial perfusion measured via magnetic resonance imaging at 6.1 hours was significantly greater than at 15.6 hours (67% vs 30%, P=.00008). In group 1 hearts, the mean (SD) for pH at the end of 6 hours decreased to 6.2 (0.2). In group 2, hearts that received intermittent antegrade cardioplegia, pH at the end of 6 hours was higher at 6.7 (0.3) ( P=.0005). Magnetic resonance imaging showed no significant differences between the 2 groups in contrast enhancement (group 1, 62%; group 2, 40%) or in the wet/dry weight ratio. Conclusion Intermittent perfusion maintains a significantly higher myocardial pH than does a conventional single antegrade dose. This difference may translate into an improved quality of donor hearts procured for transplantation, allowing longer distance procurement, tissue matching, improved outcomes for transplant recipients, and ideally a decrease in transplant-related costs.
Communicating Effectively about Donation: An Educational Intervention to Increase Consent to Donation
Authors: Siminoff Laura A. , Marshall Heather M. , Dumenci Levent , Bowen Gordon , Swaminathan Aruna , Gordon Nahida 
Published: July 2017

Context Families' refusal to consent to solid organ donation is a major contributor to the organ deficit in the United States. Previous research has identified organ procurement coordinators as best able to obtain consent from families; however, few studies have examined the effects of coordinator training programs on consent rates. Objective To test the effects of the Communicating Effectively About Donation intervention on the rate of family consent to solid organ donation. Design A nonrandomized repeated measures design. Setting and Participants Participants included 17 hospitals, 502 donor-eligible patients and their families, and 22 coordinators from an organ procurement organization in Ohio. Intervention Coordinators were given in-service training on the use of effective relational and affective communication techniques through a day-long interactive workshop and simulated donation scenarios. Main Outcome Measures Families' final donation decision and coordinators' donation-related behaviors. Results Training of coordinators was associated with increases in coordinators' comfort speaking with patients' families about donation and answering donation-related questions, in the amount of time coordinators spent discussing donation with family members, and in the number of donation-related topics discussed with families. Consent rates increased from 46.3% to 55.5% after the intervention. Conclusions The results suggest that improving coordinators' communication skills may be a fruitful avenue for increasing the rate of family consent to donation; however, a more definitive test of the training is needed to confirm the intervention's effectiveness.
Liver Transplant Recipients: Individual, Social, and Environmental Resources
Authors: Stilley Carol S. , DiMartini Andrea F. , Tarter Ralph E. , DeVera Michael , Sereika Susan , Dew Mary Amanda , King Jennifer , Flynn William B. 
Published: July 2017

Context Patient characteristics are important in the liver transplant population because of proven associations between individual and environmental factors, treatment adherence, and health outcomes in general medical and other transplant populations. Objective To determine generalizability of the sample to other liver transplant populations and to establish reliability of measures used to assess individual and environmental resources. Design Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data in a longitudinal study of adherence and health outcomes. Participants, Setting Ninety first-time adult liver transplant recipients at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center completed assessments of sociodemographic, health history, psychosocial, and environmental factors shortly after surgery; adherence and health outcomes were tracked throughout the study. Results The medical center cohort was older, less racially diverse, and contained more living donors than the national sample. Our sample was generally comparable to the medical center cohort on pretransplant sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Reliability/internal consistency on psychological measures was similar between our sample and most published norms. The mean scores on all coping scales in our sample were higher than normative. Our patients indicated a more negative perception of family environment and perceived relationships with their primary caregiver more positively than did the normative group. Conclusion The generalizability of our sample to the parent population and reliability of individual and environmental measures reported here will enable us to examine relationships and the value of patient and contextual resources for predicting treatment adherence and health outcomes among liver transplant recipients.