bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessing Effectiveness of a Geriatrics Rotation for Second-Year Internal Medicine Residents
Authors: Siegler Eugenia L. , Jalali Cathy , Finkelstein Emily , Ramsaroop Sharda , Ouchida Karin , Carmen Tessa Del , Logio Lia 
Published: July 2014

Abstract

Background
Residents need to acquire an understanding of the biopsychosocial aspects of caring for older adults with chronic illness, along with effective use of interdisciplinary services inside and outside of the hospital.

Objective
We expanded the geriatric medicine experience for second-year internal medicine residents and present the results of the first year's experience.

Methods
We paired a mandatory rotation for postgraduate year–2 internal medicine residents (2 weeks of day and 1 week of night inpatient experience in the Acute Care for Elders Unit), and a 1-week outpatient systems-based practice experience with online modules and readings. Evaluation included a case presentation, an oral examination, a written questionnaire for all residents, and a global assessment of the residents' performance on the geriatrics portion of the 2012 In-Training Examination (ITE).

Results
All residents passed their oral examination; there was little difference between classes in systems-based practice knowledge. More than 90% (21 of 23) of the residents who took the rotation reported that it left a lasting impression on how they would care for their patients. Mean ITE scores in geriatrics for all residents increased from 53% (versus 61% overall) in 2010 to 87% (versus 81%) in 2012, although they dropped to 69% (versus 82%) in 2013.

Conclusions
A rotation in geriatrics that is highly rated and covers both acute care and systems-based practice concepts is feasible for internal medicine residents. Residents did not learn detailed knowledge about specific programs for older adults, but clinical geriatrics knowledge improved.
An End-of-Year Oral Examination for Internal Medicine Residents: An Assessment Tool for the Clinical Competency Committee
Authors: Mount Cristin A. , Short Patricia A. , Mount George R. , Schofield Christina M. 
Published: July 2014

Abstract

Background
Comprehensive evaluations of clinical competency consume a large amount of time and resources. An oral examination is a unique evaluation tool that can augment a global performance assessment by the Clinical Competency Committee (CCC).

Objective
We developed an oral examination to aid our CCC in evaluating resident performance.

Methods
We reviewed tools used in our internal medicine residency program and other training programs in our institution. A literature search failed to identify reports of a similar evaluation tool used in internal medicine programs. We developed and administered an internal medicine oral examination (IMOE) to our postgraduate year–1 and postgraduate year–2 internal medicine residents annually over a 3-year period. The results were used to enhance our CCC's discussion of overall resident performance. We estimated the costs in terms of faculty time away from patient care activities.

Results
Of the 54 residents, 46 (86%) passed the IMOE on their first attempt. Of the 8 (14%) residents who failed, all but 1 successfully passed after a mentored study period and retest. Less than 0.1 annual full-time equivalent per faculty member was committed by most faculty involved, and the time spent on the IMOE replaced regular resident daily conference activities.

Conclusions
The results of the IMOE were added to other assessment tools and used by the CCC for a global assessment of resident performance. An oral examination is feasible in terms of cost and can be easily modified to fit the needs of various competency committees.
Similarity scaling of turbulence in a temperate lake during fall cooling
Authors: Tedford Edmund W. , MacIntyre Sally , Miller Scott D. , Czikowsky Matthew J. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractTurbulence, quantified as the rate of dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy (ε), was measured with 1400 temperature‐gradient microstructure profiles obtained concurrently with time series measurements of temperature and current profiles, meteorology, and lake‐atmosphere fluxes using eddy covariance in a 4 km2 temperate lake during fall cooling. Winds varied from near calm to 5 m s−1 but reached 10 m s−1 during three storm events. Near‐surface values of ε were typically on the order of 10−8 to 10−7 m2 s−3 and reached 10−5 m2 s−3 during windy periods. Above a depth equal to |LMO|, the Monin‐Obukhov length scale, turbulence was dominated by wind shear and dissipation followed neutral law of the wall scaling augmented by buoyancy flux during cooling. During cooling, εz = 0.56
/kz + 0.77 JB0 and during heating εz = 0.6
/kz, where
is the water friction velocity computed from wind shear stress, k is von Karman's constant, z is depth, and JB0 is surface buoyancy flux. Below a depth equal to |LMO| during cooling, dissipation was uniform with depth and controlled by buoyancy flux. Departures from similarity scaling enabled identification of additional processes that moderate near‐surface turbulence including mixed layer deepening at the onset of cooling, high‐frequency internal waves when the diurnal thermocline was adjacent to the air‐water interface, and horizontal advection caused by differential cooling. The similarity scaling enables prediction of near‐surface ε as required for estimating the gas transfer coefficient using the surface renewal model and for understanding controls on scalar transport.
A robust multimodel framework for ensemble seasonal hydroclimatic forecasts
Authors: Mendoza Pablo A. , Rajagopalan Balaji , Clark Martyn P. , Cortés Gonzalo , McPhee James 
Published: July 2014

AbstractWe provide a framework for careful analysis of the different methodological choices we make when constructing multimodel ensemble seasonal forecasts of hydroclimatic variables. Specifically, we focus on three common modeling decisions: (i) number of models, (ii) multimodel combination approach, and (iii) lead time for prediction. The analysis scheme includes a multimodel ensemble forecasting algorithm based on nonparametric regression, a set of alternatives for the options previously pointed, and a selection of probabilistic verification methods for ensemble forecast evaluation. The usefulness of this framework is tested through an example application aimed to generate spring/summer streamflow forecasts at multiple locations in Central Chile. Results demonstrate the high impact that subjectivity in decision‐making may have on the quality of ensemble seasonal hydroclimatic forecasts. In particular, we note that the probabilistic verification criteria may lead to different choices regarding the number of models or the multimodel combination method. We also illustrate how this objective analysis scheme may lead to results that are extremely relevant for the case study presented here, such as skillful seasonal streamflow predictions for very dry conditions.
PLXNA4 is associated with Alzheimer disease and modulates tau phosphorylation
Authors: Jun Gyungah , Asai Hirohide , Zeldich Ella , Drapeau Elodie , Chen CiDi , Chung Jaeyoon , Park Jong‐Ho , Kim Sehwa , Haroutunian Vahram , Foroud Tatiana , Kuwano Ryozo , Haines Jonathan L. , Pericak‐Vance Margaret A. , Schellenberg Gerard D. , Lunetta Kathryn L. , Kim Jong‐Won , Buxbaum Joseph D. , Mayeux Richard , Ikezu Tsuneya , Abraham Carmela R. , Farrer Lindsay A. 
Published: July 2014

ObjectiveMuch of the genetic basis for Alzheimer disease (AD) is unexplained. We sought to identify novel AD loci using a unique family‐based approach that can detect robust associations with infrequent variants (minor allele frequency < 0.10).MethodsWe conducted a genome‐wide association study in the Framingham Heart Study (discovery) and NIA‐LOAD (National Institute on Aging–Late‐Onset Alzheimer Disease) Study (replication) family‐based cohorts using an approach that accounts for family structure and calculates a risk score for AD as the outcome. Links between the most promising gene candidate and AD pathogenesis were explored in silico as well as experimentally in cell‐based models and in human brain.ResultsGenome‐wide significant association was identified with a PLXNA4 single nucleotide polymorphism (rs277470) located in a region encoding the semaphorin‐3A (SEMA3A) binding domain (meta‐analysis p value [meta‐P] = 4.1 × 10−8). A test for association with the entire region was also significant (meta‐P = 3.2 × 10−4). Transfection of SH‐SY5Y cells or primary rat neurons with full‐length PLXNA4 (TS1) increased tau phosphorylation with stimulated by SEMA3A. The opposite effect was observed when cells were transfected with shorter isoforms (TS2 and TS3). However, transfection of any isoform into HEK293 cells stably expressing amyloid β (Aβ) precursor protein (APP) did not result in differential effects on APP processing or Aβ production. Late stage AD cases (n = 9) compared to controls (n = 5) had 1.9‐fold increased expression of TS1 in cortical brain tissue (p = 1.6 × 10−4). Expression of TS1 was significantly correlated with the Clinical Dementia Rating score (ρ = 0.75, p = 2.2 × 10−4), plaque density (ρ = 0.56, p = 0.01), and Braak stage (ρ = 0.54, p = 0.02).InterpretationOur results indicate that PLXNA4 has a role in AD pathogenesis through isoform‐specific effects on tau phosphorylation. Ann Neurol 2014;76:379–392
Poly‐3‐hydroxyalkanoates‐co‐polyethylene glycol methacrylate copolymers for pH responsive and shape memory hydrogel
Authors: Gumel Ahmad Mohammed , Annuar Mohamad Suffian Mohamad 
Published: July 2014

ABSTRACTMultifunctional hydrogels combining the capabilities of cellular pH responsiveness and shape memory, are highly promising for the realization of smart membrane filters, controlled drug released devices, and functional tissue‐engineering scaffolds. In this study, lipase was used to catalyze the synthesis of medium‐chain‐length poly‐3‐hydroxyalkanoates‐co‐polyethylene glycol methacrylate (PHA‐PEGMA) macromer, which was used to prepare pH‐responsive and shape memory hydrogel via free radical polymerization. Increasing the PEGMA fraction from 10 to 50% (mass) resulted in increased thermal degradation temperature (Td) from 430 to 470°C. Highest lower critical solution temperature of 37°C was obtained in hydrogel with 50% PEGMA fraction. The change in PEGMA fraction was also found to highly influence the hydrogel's hydration rate (r) from 2.8 × 10−5 to 7.6 × 10−5 mL·s−1. The hydrogel's equilibrium weight swelling ratio (qe), protein release and its diffusion coefficient (Dm) were all found to be pH dependent. Increasing the phosphate buffer pH from 2.4 to 13 resulted in increased qe from 2 to 16 corresponding to the enlarging of network pore size (ξ) from 150 to 586 nm. Different types of crosslinker for the hydrogel influenced its flexibility and ductility. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 41149.
Use of percutaneous image‐guided coaxial core‐needle biopsy for diagnosis of intraabdominal lymphoma
Authors: Shimizu Ikuo , Okazaki Yoichi , Takeda Wataru , Kirihara Takehiko , Sato Keijiro , Fujikawa Yuko , Ueki Toshimitsu , Hiroshima Yuki , Sumi Masahiko , Ueno Mayumi , Ichikawa Naoaki , Kobayashi Hikaru 
Published: July 2014

AbstractAlthough pathological diagnosis is essential for managing malignant lymphoma, intraabdominal lesions are generally difficult to approach due to the invasiveness of abdominal surgery. Here, we report the use of percutaneous image‐guided coaxial core‐needle biopsy (CNB) to obtain intraabdominal specimens for diagnosing intraabdominal lymphomas, which typically requires histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation. We retrospectively reviewed consecutive cases involving computed tomography (CT)‐ or ultrasonography (US)‐guided CNB to obtain pathological specimens for intraabdominal lesions from 1999 to 2011. Liver, spleen, kidney, and inguinal node biopsies were excluded. We compared CNBs with laparotomic biopsies. A total of 66 CNBs were performed for 59 patients (32 males, 27 females; median age, 63.5), including second or third repeat procedures. Overall diagnostic rate was 88.5%. None of the patients required additional surgical biopsies. Notably, the median interval between recognition of an intraabdominal mass and biopsy was only 1 day. Forty‐five procedures were performed for hematological malignancies. Adequate specimens were obtained for histopathological diagnosis in 86% of cases. Flow cytometry detected lymphoma cells in 79.5% of cases. Twelve patients (nine males, three females; median age, 60) were eligible for surgical biopsy. While every postoperative course was satisfactory, median duration from lesion recognition to therapy initiation for lymphoma cases was significantly shorter for CNB than for surgical biopsy (14 vs. 35 days). While one‐fourth of the patients were not eligible for the procedures, CNB is safe and highly effective for diagnosis of intraabdominal lymphomas. This method significantly improves sampling and potentially helps attain immunohistological distinction, allowing for more timely therapy initiation.
Methyl Yellow: A Potential Drug Scaffold for Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Geldenhuys Werner J. , Kochi Akiko , Lin Li , Sutariya Vijaykumar , Dluzen Dean E. , Van der Schyf Cornelis J. , Lim Mi Hee 
Published: July 2014

AbstractParkinson's disease (PD) is an age‐related neurodegenerative disease affecting movement. To date, there are no currently available therapeutic agents which can prevent or slow disease progression. Here, we evaluated an azobenzene derivative, methyl yellow (MY), as a potential drug scaffold for PD; its inhibitory activity toward monoamine oxidase B (MAO‐B) as well as drug‐like properties were investigated. The inhibitory effect of MY on MAO activity was determined by a MAO enzyme inhibition assay. In addition, the in vitro properties of MY as a drug candidate (e.g., blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability, serum albumin binding, drug efflux through P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp), drug metabolism by P450, and mitochondrial toxicity) were examined. In vivo effectiveness of MY was also evaluated in the 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) Parkinsonian mouse model. MY selectively inhibited MAO‐B in a dose‐dependent and reversible manner. MY was BBB‐permeable, bound relatively weakly to serum albumin, was an unlikely substrate for both systems of P‐gp and P450, and did not cause mitochondrial toxicity. Results from the MPTP Parkinsonian mouse model indicated that, upon treatment with MY, neurotoxicity induced by MPTP was mitigated. Investigations of MY demonstrate its inhibitory activity toward MAO‐B, compliant properties for drug consideration, and its neuroprotective capability in the MPTP Parkinsonian mouse model. These data provide insights into potential use, optimization, and new design of azobenzene derivatives for PD treatment.
Graphitic Silicon Nitride: A Metal‐Free Ferromagnet with Charge and Spin Current Rectification
Authors: Sen Sabyasachi , Chakrabarti Swapan 
Published: July 2014

AbstractAs a first example, herein we show that g‐Si4N3 is expected to act as a metal‐free ferromagnet featuring both charge and spin current rectification simultaneously. Such rectification is crucial for envisioning devices that contain both logic and memory functionality on a single chip. The spin coherent quantum‐transport calculations on g‐Si4N3 reveal that the chosen system is a unique molecular spin filter, the current‐voltage characteristics of which is asymmetric in nature, which can create a perfect background for synchronous charge and spin current rectification. To shed light on this highly unusual in‐silico observation, we have meticulously inspected the bias‐dependent modulation of the spin‐polarized eigenstates. The results indicate that, whereas only the localized 2p orbitals of the outer‐ring (OR) Si atoms participate in the transmission process in the positive bias, both OR Si and N atoms contribute in the reverse bias. Furthermore, we have evaluated the spin‐polarized electron‐transfer rate in the tunneling regime, and the results demonstrate that the transfer rates are unequal in the positive and negative bias range, leading to the possible realization of a simultaneous logic–memory device.
Ca3Si2O4N2:Ce3+,Li+ Phosphor for the Generation of White‐Light‐Emitting Diodes with Excellent Color Rendering Index Values
Authors: Huang Chien‐Hao , Chiu Yi‐Chen , Liu Wei‐Ren 
Published: July 2014

AbstractBlue‐emitting Ca3Si2O4N2:Ce3+,Li+ phosphors were successfully synthesized by solid‐state reactions for applications in white near‐ultraviolet (NUV) light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) with excellent color rendering index (CRI) values. The excitation and reflectance spectra of these phosphors reveal broad excitation and absorption in the NUV region, which matches well with those of NUV chips. This phosphors showed a broad blue emission at 436–488 nm that is dependent on the concentration of Ce3+ and Li+ ions; the quantum efficiency of (Ca0.94Ce0.03Li0.03)3Si2O4N2 is 23.6 % of that of the Ca5(PO4)3Cl:Eu2+ phosphor. The thermal stability of the (Ca0.94Ce0.03Li0.03)3Si2O4N2 phosphor below 100 °C was higher than that of the commercially available Ca5(PO4)3Cl:Eu2+ phosphor, and the activation energies were calculated to be 0.0445 and 0.0205 eV for the (Ca0.94Ce0.03Li0.03)3Si2O4N2 and Ca5(PO4)3Cl:Eu2+ phosphors. The optical properties of the white NUV LED gave an excellent CRI of 92.5 with International Commission on Illumination (CIE) chromaticity coordinates of (0.338, 0.345) at a correlated color temperature (CCT) of 5266 K.
Interval complete quadratic combination rule for the response spectrum analysis of buildings with accidental eccentricity
Authors: Muscolino Giuseppe , Versaci Claudia 
Published: July 2014

SUMMARYThe accidental torsion, caused by several sources of structural uncertainties, gets the elastic response of a building different from that computed. To take into account of these uncertainties, building codes impose the introducing in every storey of the buildings an artificial eccentricity, called accidental, as a fraction of the plan dimension. Because, according to building codes, the accidental eccentricity can mathematically be expressed as a modification of the mass matrix, it follows that each mass modifications require new dynamic analyses that could be cumbersome from a numerical point of view. This paper proposes a new combination rule to obtain in closed form the maximum responses of structures with mass modification by the response spectrum analysis (RSA) without solving any further eigenproblem. In particular, the proposed procedure, based on the application to the RSA of the interval perturbation method, leads to an extension of the classical complete quadratic combination rule to the analysis of structural systems with uncertain‐but‐bounded parameter. In particular, for structural systems with accidental eccentricity, the proposed approach allows to directly evaluate the worst condition for the structural elements with a single RSA. This very remarkable result is obtained by adopting a new modal combination rule, here called interval complete quadratic combination. Numerical results evidence a very good accuracy of the interval complete quadratic combination for single‐storey buildings as well as for the analyzed multistorey buildings. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tree‐age control on reconstructed debris‐flow frequencies: examples from a regional dendrogeomorphic reconstruction in the Crimean Mountains
Authors: Šilhán Karel , Pánek Tomáš , Hradecký Jan , Stoffel Markus 
Published: July 2014

AbstractThe Crimean Mountains (Ukraine) are renowned for the highest occurrence of debris flows along the northern coast of the Black Sea, but information on their origin, frequency and triggers is widely lacking. This study reconstructs a regional time series of debris flows in eight catchments located on the slopes above Yalta. Dendrogeomorphic analyses were performed on 1122 increment cores selected from 566 black pines (Pinus nigra ssp. pallasiana) with clear signs of external damage induced by past debris‐flow activity. The trees sampled were divided into old and young trees. The sample contains 361 young trees with post‐1930 innermost rings and 205 old trees with pre‐1930 germination dates. The two groups of trees were analyzed separately to identify possible age effects in the reconstructed debris‐flow series and to assess the ability of P. nigra to record geomorphic disturbances over time. We date a total of 215 debris flows back to ad 1701 and observe a mean decadal frequency of 6.9 events, with a peak in activity during the 1940s (20 events). The young trees record an increase in debris‐flow activity over the last 70 years, whereas the frequency of events remained fairly constant in the old trees for the same period. By contrast, the formation of reaction wood became increasingly scarce with increasing tree age whereas the occurrence of abrupt growth suppression increased. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Using airborne thermal imaging data to measure near‐surface hydrology in upland ecosystems
Authors: Luscombe David J. , Anderson Karen , Gatis Naomi , Grand‐Clement Emilie , Brazier Richard E. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractUpland ecosystems are recognized for their importance in providing valuable ecosystem services including water storage, water supply and flood attenuation alongside carbon storage and biodiversity. The UK contains 10–15% of the global resource of upland blanket peatlands, the hydrology and ecology of which are highly sensitive to external anthropogenic and climatic forcing. In particular, drainage of these landscapes for agricultural intensification and peat extraction has resulted in often unquantified damage to the peatland hydrology, and little is understood about the spatially distributed impacts of these practices on near‐surface wetness. This paper develops new techniques to extract spatial data describing the near‐surface wetness and hydrological behaviour of drained blanket peatlands using airborne thermal imaging data and airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data. The relative thermal emissivity (Ɛr) of the ground surface is mapped and used as a proxy for near‐surface wetness. The results show how moorland drainage and land surface structure have an impact on airborne measurements of thermal emissivity. Specifically, we show that information on land surface structure derived from LiDAR can help normalize signals in thermal emissivity data to improve description of hydrological condition across a test catchment in Exmoor, UK. An in situ field hydrological survey was used to validate these findings. We discuss how such data could be used to describe the spatially distributed nature of near‐surface water resources, to optimize catchment management schemes and to deliver improved understanding of the drivers of hydrological change in analogous ecosystems. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.