bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pharmacist Calls to Older Adults with Cognitive Difficulties After Discharge in a Tertiary Veterans Administration Medical Center: A Quality Improvement Program
Authors: Paquin Allison M. , Salow Marci , Rudolph James L. 
Published: March 2015

ObjectivesTo evaluate the effect of the Pharmacological Intervention in Late Life (PILL) Service, which provides pharmacist telephone follow‐up after discharge of older adults from the hospital, on postdischarge acute care utilization.DesignRetrospective, secondary data analysis of a quality improvement project from 2010 to 2012.SettingTertiary Veterans Affairs hospital.ParticipantsParticipants were inpatients aged 65 and older with delirium risk or prescribed a dementia medication (N = 501, mean age 79.5 ± 8.0; 98% male).MeasurementsPILL Service pharmacist telephone follow‐up included a medication review and reconciliation within 5 days after hospital discharge. The time of the pharmacist call was examined in relation to the outcomes of emergency and urgent care encounters, readmissions, and mortality within 60 days.ResultsThe average number of discharge medications was 14.8 ± 5.7 with 2.8 ± 2.2 medication changes and 1.4 ± 1.8 discrepancies between medication order and instruction. After adjustment for age, number of medication changes, and number of discrepancies, every additional 5 minutes of pharmacist call was associated with a 15% reduction in 60‐day readmission (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.85, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.75–0.97) but was not associated with emergency or urgent care encounters (adjusted OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 0.91–1.17) or mortality (adjusted OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.58–1.20).ConclusionPharmacist‐led medication review, reconciliation, and telephone calls after hospital discharge were associated with fewer 60‐day hospital readmissions in this quality improvement program.
Anticholinergic Medications and Risk of Community‐Acquired Pneumonia in Elderly Adults: A Population‐Based Case–Control Study
Authors: Paul Kathleen J. , Walker Rod L. , Dublin Sascha 
Published: March 2015

ObjectivesTo determine whether use of anticholinergics is associated with risk of community‐acquired pneumonia in older adults.DesignPopulation‐based case–control study.SettingAn integrated healthcare delivery system in Washington State.ParticipantsData from a nested case–control study of community‐dwelling immunocompetent adults aged 65 to 94 were analyzed. Pneumonia cases (n = 1,039) were ascertained according to International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, codes from 2000 to 2003 and validated using chart review. Controls (n = 2,022) were matched 2:1 to cases according to age, sex, and year.MeasurementsAnticholinergic medication exposure was ascertained using prescription data; acute use was defined as one or more prescription fills 90 days or less before the index date (date of pneumonia diagnosis), past use was defined as one or more prescription fills within the prior year but none within 90 days, and chronic use was defined as three or more prescription fills within the prior year. The reference group was those with no fills in the prior year. Conditional logistic regression was used to analyze the association between anticholinergic use and pneumonia, adjusted for comorbidities.ResultsAcute use of anticholinergics was observed in 59% of cases and 35% of controls (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.08–3.13) and past use in 17% of cases and 23% of controls (aOR = 1.19, 95% CI = 0.92–1.53). Chronic use of anticholinergics was observed in 53% of cases and 36% of controls (aOR 2.07, 95% CI = 1.68–2.54). Results were not different for high‐ and low‐potency anticholinergic medications.ConclusionIn older adults, anticholinergic medication use is associated with pneumonia risk, adding to substantial evidence suggesting that these medications are high risk.
The Diversity of Mechanisms Influenced by Transthyretin in Neurobiology: Development, Disease and Endocrine Disruption
Authors: Alshehri B. , D'Souza D. G. , Lee J. Y. , Petratos S. , Richardson S. J. 
Published: March 2015

Transthyretin (TTR) is a protein that binds and distributes thyroid hormones (THs).TTRsynthesised in the liver is secreted into the bloodstream and distributesTHs around the body, whereasTTRsynthesised in the choroid plexus is involved in movement of thyroxine from the blood into the cerebrospinal fluid and the distribution ofTHs in the brain. This is important because an adequate amount ofTHis required for normal development of the brain. Nevertheless, there has been heated debate on the role ofTTRsynthesised by the choroid plexus during the past 20 years. We present both sides of the debate and how they can be reconciled by the discovery ofTHtransporters. New roles forTTRhave been suggested, including the promotion of neuroregeneration, protection against neurodegeneration, and involvement in schizophrenia, behaviour, memory and learning. Recently,TTRsynthesis was revealed in neurones and peripheral Schwann cells. Thus, the synthesis ofTTRin thecentral nervous system (CNS)is more extensive than previously considered and bolsters the hypothesis thatTTRmay play wide roles in neurobiological function. Given the high conservation ofTTRstructure, function and tissue specificity and timing of gene expression, this implies thatTTRhas a fundamental role, during development and in the adult, across vertebrates. An alarming number of ‘unnatural’ chemicals can bind toTTR, thus potentially interfering with its functions in the brain. One role ofTTRis delivery ofTHs throughout the CNS. ReducedTHavailability during brain development results in a reducedIQ. The combination of the newly discovered sites ofTTRsynthesis in theCNS, the increasing number of neurological diseases being associated withTTR, the newly discovered functions ofTTRand the awareness of the chemicals that can interfere withTTRbiology render this a timely review onTTRin neurobiology.
Using the GORE® Septal Occluder (GSO) in Challenging Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) Anatomies
Authors: GEIS NICOLAS A. , PLEGER SVEN T. , KATUS HUGO A. , HARDT STEFAN E. 
Published: March 2015

ObjectivesWe assessed efficacy and safety of the Gore® Septal Occluder (GSO) for patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure focusing on patients with challenging septal anatomies.BackgroundIn times of controversial discussion whether percutaneous PFO closure is superior to medical therapy for the prevention of recurrent embolic events after cryptogenic stroke, patient selection should mainly focus on individuals with an increased likelihood that the ischaemic event is related to the PFO. In this context, specific septal anatomies—such as the presence of an atrial septal aneurysm as well as long PFO tunnel anatomy—have been associated with a higher rate of cerebrovascular accidents.MethodsThe GSO was used for PFO closure in 41 patients presenting with either atrial septal aneurysm (ASA; 27/41; 65.9%) or long PFO tunnel (> 10 mm; 32/41; 78%). Seven of these patients even presented with a tunnel length ≥ 20 mm (7/41; 17.1%). Eighteen patients had both, long‐tunnel anatomy and ASA (18/41; 43.9%).ResultsThe GSO was successfully implanted in all cases. No procedural complications occurred and all patients were discharged the day after the procedure. Short‐term follow‐up, including TEE examination, in all patients was performed 37.6 ± 9.0 days after the procedure. Mid‐term follow‐up was performed after 192.7 ± 45.3 days. Later complications occurred in 7.3% (2 new onset atrial fibrillation, 1 device thrombus). Only 3 patients (7.3%) had more than trace residual shunts at 6‐weeks follow‐up. At 6‐months follow‐up, the complete closure rate was 95.1% (39/41).ConclusionsThe Gore® Septal Occluder is an efficient device for patent foramen ovale closure in challenging anatomies, including long‐tunnel PFOs and atrial septal aneurysms.
Erectile Dysfunction as a Marker for Cardiovascular Disease Diagnosis and Intervention: A Cost Analysis
Authors: Pastuszak Alexander W. , Hyman Daniel A. , Yadav Naveen , Godoy Guilherme , Lipshultz Larry I. , Araujo Andre B. , Khera Mohit 
Published: March 2015

Abstract

Introduction
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). We examine the costs of screening men with ED for CVD risk factors and the cost savings of treating these at risk men.

Aim
This study aims to evaluate the effect of screening men presenting with ED for CVD risk factors and to determine the cost effectiveness of this screening protocol.

Methods
The known incidence and prevalence of ED and CVD, the rate of undiagnosed CVD, and the effects of CVD treatment were used to model the change in prevalence of acute CVD events and ED as a function of the number of men with ED and CVD. The cost savings associated with reduction in acute cardiovascular (CV) events and ED prevalence was estimated over 20 years.

Main Outcome Measures
Acute CVD event rate reduction and associated cost savings were modeled over 20 years.

Results
The relative risk of ED in men with CVD is 1.47 and the coprevalence of both ED and CVD was estimated at 1,991,520 men. Approximately 44% of men with CVD risk factors are unaware of their risk. If all men presenting with ED were screened for CVD, 5.8 million men with previously unknown CVD risk factors would be identified over 20 years, costing $2.7 billion to screen. Assuming a 20% decrease in CV events as a result of screening and treatment, 1.1 million cardiovascular events would be avoided, saving $21.3 billion over 20 years. Similarly, 1.1 million cases of ED would be treated, saving $9.7 billion. Together, the reduction in acute CVD and ED treatment cost would save $28.5 billion over 20 years.

Conclusions
Screening for CVD in men presenting with ED can be a cost-effective intervention for secondary prevention of both CVD and, over the longer term, ED.
Infrequent dream recall associated with low performance but high overnight improvement on mirror‐tracing
Authors: Dumel Gaëlle , Carr Michelle , Marquis Louis‐Philippe , Blanchette‐Carrière Cloé , Paquette Tyna , Nielsen Tore 
Published: March 2015

SummaryAlthough sleep facilitates learning and memory, the roles of dreaming and habitual levels of recalling dreams remain unknown. This study examined if performance and overnight improvement on a rapid eye movement sleep‐sensitive visuomotor task is associated differentially with habitually high or low dream recall frequency. As a relation between dream production and visuospatial skills has been demonstrated previously, one possibility is that frequency of dream recall will be linked to performance on visuomotor tasks such as the Mirror Tracing Task. We expected that habitually low dream recallers would perform more poorly on the Mirror Tracing Task than would high recallers and would show less task improvement following a night of sleep. Fifteen low and 20 high dream recallers slept one night each in the laboratory and performed the Mirror Tracing Task before and after sleep. Low recallers had overall worse baseline performance but a greater evening‐to‐morning improvement than did high recallers. Greater improvements in completion time in low recallers were associated with Stage 2 rather than rapid eye movement sleep. Findings support the separate notions that dreaming is related to visuomotor processes and that different levels of visuomotor skill engage different sleep‐ and dream‐related consolidation mechanisms.
Population structure and dispersal of the coral‐excavating sponge Cliona delitrix
Authors: Chaves‐Fonnegra Andia , Feldheim Kevin A. , Secord Jesse , Lopez Jose V. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractSome excavating sponges of the genus Cliona compete with live reef corals, often killing and bioeroding entire colonies. Important aspects affecting distribution of these species, such as dispersal capability and population structure, remain largely unknown. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine levels of genetic connectivity and dispersal of Cliona delitrix across the Greater Caribbean (Caribbean Sea, Bahamas and Florida), to understand current patterns and possible future trends in their distribution and effects on coral reefs. Using ten species‐specific microsatellite markers, we found high levels of genetic differentiation between six genetically distinct populations: one in the Atlantic (Florida‐Bahamas), one specific to Florida and four in the South Caribbean Sea. In Florida, two independent breeding populations are likely separated by depth. Gene flow and ecological dispersal occur among other populations in the Florida reef tract, and between some Florida locations and the Bahamas. Similarly, gene flow occurs between populations in the South Caribbean Sea, but appears restricted between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic (Florida‐Bahamas). Dispersal of C. delitrix was farther than expected for a marine sponge and favoured in areas where currents are strong enough to transport sponge eggs or larvae over longer distances. Our results support the influence of ocean current patterns on genetic connectivity, and constitute a baseline to monitor future C. delitrix trends under climate change.
Travel Time Reliability Estimation Model Using Observed Link Flows in a Road Network
Authors: Uchida* Kenetsu 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThis article formulates a model that calculates travel time reliability in a road network. The sources of uncertainty addressed by the model are traffic capacity and travel demand. Because travel time reliability estimation problem, in general, is formulated as a path‐based problem, path enumeration can be required in advance. Thus, the path travel time reliability can depend on a path set enumerated in advance. For the purpose of determining the unique travel time reliability, a model that estimates stochastic path flows by using observed link flows is then presented. This method does not require predefined path set. However, this method is similar to the standard maximum likelihood (ML) estimation method, the method presented in this study is easier to be solved because the number of unknown parameters is much smaller than that of the standard ML estimation method. Numerical experiments using two networks are carried out to demonstrate the model presented in this article.
Dual stator dynamics in the Shewanella oneidensis MR‐1 flagellar motor
Authors: Paulick Anja , Delalez Nicolas J. , Brenzinger Susanne , Steel Bradley C. , Berry Richard M. , Armitage Judith P. , Thormann Kai M. 
Published: March 2015

SummaryThe bacterial flagellar motor is an intricate nanomachine which converts ion gradients into rotational movement. Torque is created by ion‐dependent stator complexes which surround the rotor in a ring. Shewanella oneidensis MR‐1 expresses two distinct types of stator units: the Na+‐dependent PomA4B2 and the H+‐dependent MotA4B2. Here, we have explored the stator unit dynamics in the MR‐1 flagellar system by using mCherry‐labeled PomAB and MotAB units. We observed a total of between 7 and 11 stator units in each flagellar motor. Both types of stator units exchanged between motors and a pool of stator complexes in the membrane, and the exchange rate of MotAB, but not of PomAB, units was dependent on the environmental Na+‐levels. In 200 mM Na+, the numbers of PomAB and MotAB units in wild‐type motors was determined to be about 7:2 (PomAB:MotAB), shifting to about 6:5 without Na+. Significantly, the average swimming speed of MR‐1 cells at low Na+ conditions was increased in the presence of MotAB. These data strongly indicate that the S. oneidensis flagellar motors simultaneously use H+ and Na+ driven stators in a configuration governed by MotAB incorporation efficiency in response to environmental Na+ levels.
Form and Process in Morton Feldman's Spring of Chosroes
Authors: Paynter Terrence 
Published: March 2015

AbstractMorton Feldman's Spring of Chosroes is named after a legendary Persian garden carpet. Although it is assumed that the asymmetrical geometric designs of garden carpets inspired the design of the piece, this article is primarily concerned with musical form and process. The music segments into discrete units, which I call modules, that are affiliated by coincident structural features and developmental relationships. The interconnected modules, particularly those that share aspects of pitch, rhythm and register, articulate the work's form. The formal plan is ABA′: section A′ engages the modular structure of section A, and parallelisms in section B create palindromic relationships. Two sets of modules, each of which is connected by developmental processes, make up large‐scale frameworks that reflect the ternary sectional structure and the palindromic design of section B. The music is structurally weighted towards its two central modules, each of which bisects a set of palindromically related modules and, together, the piece as a whole. Organic and inorganic processes unite all levels of form, connecting local and large‐scale structures. Effects of disconnectedness are shown to be surface phenomena arising from the interaction of disparate, ordered structures.
Kant and Kierkegaard on Inwardness and Moral Luck
Authors: Lockhart Jennifer Ryan 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThe traditional understanding of Kant and Kierkegaard is that their views on the good will and inwardness, respectively, commit them to denying moral luck in an attempt to isolate an omnipotent moral subject from involvement with the external world. This leaves them vulnerable to the criticism that their ethical thought unrealistically insulates morality from anything that happens in the world. On the interpretation offered here, inwardness and the good will are not contrasted with worldly happenings, but are instead a matter of worldly happenings that exhibit a particular temporal structure. Kant and Kierkegaard should not be understood as denying moral luck.
Architectural and biochemical changes in embryonic tissues of maize under cadmium toxicity
Authors: Wahid A. , Khaliq S. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractHeavy metals greatly alter plant morphology and architecture, however detailed mechanisms of such changes are not fully explored. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of cadmium (CdCl2·2.5H2O) on some germination, morphological, biochemical and histological characteristics of developing embryonic tissue of maize. In the first experiment, maize seeds were germinated in increasing levels of CdCl2 (200–2000 μm) in sand and measurements were taken of changes in germination and seedling development attributes. Based on these parameters, 1000 μM CdCl2 was chosen for detailed biochemical and histological measurements. In the second experiment, seeds were germinated in Petri dishes and supplied with 0 (control) or 1000 μM CdCl2 (Cd‐treated). Radicle, plumule, coleoptile and coleorhiza were measured for biochemical and histological changes. The highest amount of Cd was in the coleorhiza and radicle. Free proline, soluble sugars, anthocyanin, soluble phenolics, ascorbic acid, H2O2 and MDA were significantly higher in coleorhizae, followed by the coleoptile, radicle and plumule. Although the radicle and coleorhiza were relatively poor targets of Cd than the other tissues, Cd stress reduced cortical cell size and vascular tissues, and deformed xylem and phloem parenchyma in all plant parts. In conclusion, the main reason for reduced germination was the influence of Cd on architecture of the coleorhiza and coleoptile, which was the result of oxidative stress and other physiological changes taking place in these tissues.
Adaptive Management for Oil and Gas Development on Public Lands: An Innovative Approach to Resource Protection, or Symbolic Placation of Public Interests?
Authors: Wurtzebach Zachary 
Published: March 2015

AbstractEnergy development on public lands in the intermountain west is often contentious due to concerns over detrimental impacts to wildlife. To mitigate harm to ungulates and other species, federal agencies often utilize adaptive management, a structured decision‐making framework predicated on “learning while doing.” But in the context of recent energy development, does adaptive management represent an innovative approach to conservation, or is it a largely symbolic policy used to contain the scope of conflict? This article, rooted in the agenda‐setting literature, applies Sarah Pralle's (2006) framework to strategies of conflict containment used by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and industry in three contentious energy development projects in Wyoming. The findings indicate that the BLM's use of adaptive management can be understood as a strategy for conflict containment, rather than as a substantive policy change in public lands oil and gas development.
Strategies for safe living among lung transplant recipients: a single‐center survey
Authors: Jain A. , Humar A. , Lien D. , Weinkauf J. , Kumar D. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractBackgroundLung transplant (LT) recipients are at high risk for infection owing to lifelong immunosuppression and direct communication of the graft with the environment. Guidelines have been established for safe‐living strategies after transplantation. We conducted a survey of LT patients to determine compliance with these strategies.MethodsAdult LT outpatients completed a survey consisting of questions on a 5‐point Likert scale with the following categories: hand washing, gardening, respiratory infections, food and water safety, animal contact, travel, and occupation.ResultsA total of 194 LT recipients completed the survey (age 54.4 ± 13.3 years; time post transplant 4.76 ± 3.5 years). Regular hand washing was practiced usually or always by 87.6%. Of those who worked with soil/gardened, 70/99 (70.7%) never wore a mask and 15.7% never wore gloves. Pet ownership was common (52%), but most patients used specific precautions during handling. Over one‐third of patients continued employment after transplant but, of these, 56% had modified their occupation often because of perceived infectious risks. Most patients were fully compliant with influenza vaccination (92.3%). Patients <40 years of age were less likely to wear long‐sleeved clothing in mosquito season (P = 0.002), more likely to handle pet feces (P = 0.005), and less likely to wear a mask with sick contacts (P = 0.021).ConclusionsWe provide important insight into safe‐living practices following lung transplantation and identify specific areas and subgroups of patients that could be targeted for enhanced education, with potential significant clinical benefit.