bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of a Pulsed Xenon Ultraviolet Disinfection System for Reduction of Healthcare-Associated Pathogens in Hospital Rooms
Authors: Nerandzic Michelle M. , Thota Priyaleela , Sankar C. Thriveen , Jencson Annette , Cadnum Jennifer L. , Ray Amy J. , Salata Robert A. , Watkins Richard R. , Donskey Curtis J. 
Published: January 2015

OBJECTIVETo determine the effectiveness of a pulsed xenon ultraviolet (PX-UV) disinfection device for reduction in recovery of healthcare-associated pathogens.SETTINGTwo acute-care hospitals.METHODSWe examined the effectiveness of PX-UV for killing ofClostridium difficilespores, methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA), and vancomycin-resistantEnterococcus(VRE) on glass carriers and evaluated the impact of pathogen concentration, distance from the device, organic load, and shading from the direct field of radiation on killing efficacy. We compared the effectiveness of PX-UV and ultraviolet-C (UV-C) irradiation, each delivered for 10 minutes at 4 feet. In hospital rooms, the frequency of native pathogen contamination on high-touch surfaces was assessed before and after 10 minutes of PX-UV irradiation.RESULTSOn carriers, irradiation delivered for 10 minutes at 4 feet from the PX-UV device reduced recovery ofC. difficilespores, MRSA, and VRE by 0.55±0.34, 1.85±0.49, and 0.6±0.25 log10colony-forming units (CFU)/cm2, respectively. Increasing distance from the PX-UV device dramatically reduced killing efficacy, whereas pathogen concentration, organic load, and shading did not. Continuous UV-C achieved significantly greater log10CFU reductions than PX-UV irradiation on glass carriers. On frequently touched surfaces, PX-UV significantly reduced the frequency of positiveC. difficile, VRE, and MRSA culture results.CONCLUSIONSThe PX-UV device reduced recovery of MRSA,C. difficile, and VRE on glass carriers and on frequently touched surfaces in hospital rooms with a 10-minute UV exposure time. PX-UV was not more effective than continuous UV-C in reducing pathogen recovery on glass slides, suggesting that both forms of UV have some effectiveness at relatively short exposure times.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014;00(0): 1–6
Comparison of Immune Response to the Influenza Vaccine in Obese and Nonobese Healthcare Workers
Authors: Sweet Michael A. , McCullers Jonathan A. , Lasala Paul R. , Briggs Frank E. , Smithmyer Anne , Khakoo Rashida A. 
Published: January 2015

OBJECTIVETo determine whether there is a difference in antibody titers and functionality after receipt of the influenza vaccine for obese versus nonobese healthcare workers (HCW).DESIGNProspective observational study.SETTINGTertiary medical center.PARTICIPANTSHealthcare workers.METHODSBaseline influenza antibody titers for obese and nonobese HCW were recorded during the hospital’s 2011 annual influenza vaccination day and follow-up antibody titers were measured 4 weeks later. Antibodies were measured using the hemagglutination inhibition assay and functionality was measured using the micro-neutralization method.RESULTSOf 200 initial HCWs, 190 completed the study (97 obese and 93 nonobese). Seroprotection after immunization was not significantly different for nonobese compared with obese HCW for each strain (influenza A [H1N1], 99% and 99%; influenza A [H3N2], 100% and 99%; and influenza B, 67% and 71%, respectively)All geometric mean titers measured by micro-neutralization showed statistically significant increases in activity. In comparison, there was no difference in the 4-fold increase in H1N1 or B titers. There was a significant difference in the 4-fold increase of H3N2 titers between the nonobese and obese HCWs (82/93 [88%] vs 64/97 [66%], P=.003)In an ad hoc analysis we found that obese HCWs had a statistically greater number of 4-fold decreases in titers with H1N1 and H3N2.CONCLUSIONSThere was no significant difference in protection from influenza between obese and nonobese HCWs after immunization.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014;00(0): 1–5
State Law Mandates for Reporting of Healthcare-Associated Clostridium difficile Infections in Hospitals
Authors: Reagan Julie , Herzig Carolyn T.A. , Pogorzelska-Maziarz Monika , Dick Andrew W. , Stone Patricia W. , Divya Srinath JD 
Published: January 2015

US state and territorial laws were reviewed to identify Clostridium difficile infection reporting mandates. Twenty states require reporting either under state law or by incorporating federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ reporting requirements. Although state law mandates are more common, the incorporation of federal reporting requirements has been increasing.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014;00(0): 1–3
Overtreatment of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria: Identifying Targets for Improvement
Authors: Hartley Sarah , Valley Staci , Kuhn Latoya , Washer Laraine L. , Gandhi Tejal , Meddings Jennifer , Chenoweth Carol , Malani Anurag N. , Saint Sanjay , Srinivasan Arjun , Flanders Scott A. 
Published: January 2015

Treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria contributes to antimicrobial overuse in hospitalized patients. Indications for urine culture, treatment, and targets for improvement were evaluated in 153 patients. Drivers of antimicrobial overuse included fever with an alternative source, altered mental status, and leukocytosis, which led 435 excess days of antimicrobial therapy.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014;00(0): 1–4
Impact of Universal Gowning and Gloving on Health Care Worker Clothing Contamination
Authors: Williams Calvin , McGraw Patty , Schneck Elyse E. , LaFae Anna , Jacob Jesse T. , Moreno Daniela , Reyes Katherine , Fernando Cubillos G. , Kett Daniel H. , Estrella Ronald , Morgan Daniel J. , Harris Anthony D. , Drees Marci 
Published: January 2015

OBJECTIVETo determine whether gowning and gloving for all patient care reduces contamination of healthcare worker (HCW) clothing, compared to usual practice.DESIGNCross-sectional surveys.SETTINGFive study sites were recruited from intensive care units (ICUs) randomized to the intervention arm of the Benefits of Universal Gown and Glove (BUGG) study.PARTICIPANTSAll HCWs performing direct patient care in the study ICUs were eligible to participate.METHODSSurveys were performed first during the BUGG intervention study period (July–September 2012) with universal gowning/gloving and again after BUGG study conclusion (October–December 2012), with resumption of usual care. During each phase, HCW clothing was sampled at the beginning and near the end of each shift. Cultures were performed using broth enrichment followed by selective media. Acquisition was defined as having a negative clothing culture for samples taken at the beginning of a shift and positive clothing culture at for samples taken at the end of the shift.RESULTSA total of 348 HCWs participated (21–92 per site), including 179 (51%) during the universal gowning/gloving phase. Overall, 51 (15%) HCWs acquired commonly pathogenic bacteria on their clothing: 13 (7.1%) HCWs acquired bacteria during universal gowning/gloving, and 38 (23%) HCWs acquired bacteria during usual care (odds ratio [OR], 0.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.2–0.6). Pathogens identified includedS. aureus(25 species, including 7 methicillin-resistantS. aureus[MRSA]),Enterococcusspp. (25, including 1 vancomycin-resistantEnterococcus[VRE]),Pseudomonasspp. (4),Acinetobacterspp. (4), andKlebsiella(2).CONCLUSIONNearly 25% of HCWs practicing usual care (gowning and gloving only for patients with known resistant bacteria) contaminate their clothing during their shift. This contamination was reduced by 70% by gowning and gloving for all patient interactions.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014;00(0): 1–7
Postoperative Burden of Hospital-Acquired Clostridium difficile Infection
Authors: Abdelsattar Zaid M. , Krapohl Greta , Alrahmani Layan , Banerjee Mousumi , Krell Robert W. , Wong Sandra L. , Campbell Darrell A. , Aronoff David M. , Hendren Samantha 
Published: January 2015

OBJECTIVEClostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a common hospital-acquired infection. Previous reports on the incidence, risk factors, and impact of CDI on resources in the surgical population are limited. In this context, we study CDI across diverse surgical settings.METHODSWe prospectively identified patients with laboratory-confirmed postoperative CDI after 40 different general, vascular, or gynecologic surgeries at 52 academic and community hospitals between July 2012 and September 2013. We used multivariable regression models to identify CDI risk factors and to determine the impact of CDI on resource utilization.RESULTSOf 35,363 patients, 179 (0.51%) developed postoperative CDI. The highest rates of CDI occurred after lower-extremity amputation (2.6%), followed by bowel resection or repair (0.9%) and gastric or esophageal operations (0.7%). Gynecologic and endocrine operations had the lowest rates (0.1% and 0%, respectively). By multivariable analyses, older age, chronic immunosuppression, hypoalbuminemia (≤3.5 g/dL), and preoperative sepsis were associated with CDI. Use of prophylactic antibiotics was not independently associated with CDI, neither was sex, body mass index (BMI), surgical priority, weight loss, or comorbid conditions. Three procedure groups had higher odds of postoperative CDI: lower-extremity amputations (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 3.5; P=.03), gastric or esophageal operations (aOR, 2.1; P=.04), and bowel resection or repair (aOR, 2; P=.04). Postoperative CDI was independently associated with increased length of stay (mean, 13.7 d vs 4.5 d), emergency department presentations (18.9 vs 9.1%) and readmissions (38.9% vs 7.2%, all P<.001).CONCLUSIONSIncidence of postoperative CDI varies by surgical procedure. Postoperative CDI is also associated with higher rates of extended length of stay, emergency room presentations, and readmissions, which places a potentially preventable burden on hospital resources.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2015;36(1): 40–46
The association between parental and adolescent substance misuse: findings from the Irish CASE study
Authors: Keeley Helen S. , Mongwa T. , Corcoran P. 
Published: January 2015

BackgroundSelf-report data from 2716 adolescents aged 15–17 years old in Irish schools were analysed to consider the association between psycho-social factors and the presence of adolescent substance and alcohol abuse, with an emphasis on family circumstances.MethodsData were collected using the ‘Lifestyle and Coping Questionnaire’ which includes questions about lifestyle, coping, problems, alcohol and drug use, deliberate self-harm, depression, anxiety, impulsivity and self-esteem. Two additional questions were added to the standard questionnaire regarding parental substance misuse.ResultsAdolescent substance abuse was more common in boys; parental substance misuse increased the risk of adolescent abuse of alcohol and drugs; the increased risk was marginally higher if the parental substance abuse was maternal rather than paternal; the increased risk was higher if the parental substance abuse affected both rather than one of the parents, especially regarding adolescent drug abuse; the magnitude of the increased risk was similar for boys and girls. Parental substance misuse increased the risk of adolescent substance abuse even after adjusting for other family problems and the adolescent’s psychological characteristics.ConclusionsThis study indicates that parental substance misuse affects the development of both alcohol and drug misuse in adolescent children independent of other family problems and the psychological characteristics of the adolescent. A wider perspective is needed, including societal and family issues, especially parental behaviour, when attempting to reduce risk of adolescent addiction. The impact on children of parental substance misuse also needs consideration in clinical contexts.
Rock dissolution patterns and geochemical shutdown of –brine–carbonate reactions during convective mixing in porous media
Authors: Fu X. , Cueto-Felgueroso L. , Bolster D. , Juanes R. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractMotivated by the process of $\text{CO}_{2}$ convective mixing in porous media, here we study the formation of rock-dissolution patterns that arise from geochemical reactions during Rayleigh–Bénard–Darcy convection. Under the assumption of instantaneous chemical equilibrium, we adopt a formulation of the local reaction rate as a function of scalar dissipation rate, a measure that depends solely on flow and transport, and chemical speciation, which is a measure that depends only on the equilibrium thermodynamics of the chemical system. We use high-resolution simulations to examine the interplay between the density-driven hydrodynamic instability and the rock dissolution reactions, and analyse the impact of geochemical reactions on the macroscopic mass exchange rate. We find that dissolution of carbonate rock initiates in regions of locally high mixing, but that the geochemical reaction shuts down significantly earlier than shutdown of convective mixing. This early shutdown feature reflects the important role that chemical speciation plays in this hydrodynamics–reaction coupled process. Finally, we extend our analysis to three dimensions and explore the morphology of dissolution patterns in three dimensions.
Transition of transient channel flow after a change in Reynolds number
Authors: He S. , Seddighi M. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractIt has previously been shown that the transient flow in a channel following a step increase of Reynolds number from 2800 to 7400 (based on channel half-height and bulk velocity) is effectively a laminar–turbulent bypass transition even though the initial flow is turbulent (He & Seddighi, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 715, 2013, pp. 60–102). In this paper, it is shown that the transient flow structures exhibit strong contrasting characteristics in large and small flow perturbation scenarios. When the increase of Reynolds number is large, the flow is characterized by strong elongated streaks during the initial period, followed by the occurrence and spreading of isolated turbulent spots, as shown before. By contrast, the flow appears to evolve progressively and the turbulence regeneration process remains largely unchanged during the flow transient when the Reynolds number ratio is low, and streaks do not appear to play a significant role. Despite the major apparent differences in flow structures, the transient flow under all conditions considered is unambiguously characterized by laminar–turbulent transition, which exhibits itself clearly in various flow statistics. During the pre-transition period, the time-developing boundary layers in all the cases show a strong similarity to each other and follow closely the Stokes solution for a transient laminar boundary layer. The streamwise fluctuating velocity also shows good similarity in the various cases, irrespective of the appearance of elongated streaks or not, and the maximum energy growth exhibits a linear rate similar to that in a spatially developing boundary layer. The onset of transition is clearly definable in all cases using the minimum friction factor, and the critical time thus defined is strongly correlated with the free-stream turbulence in a power-law form.
Thermomagnetic convection in a layer of ferrofluid placed in a uniform oblique external magnetic field
Authors: Rahman Habibur , Suslov Sergey A. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractLinear stability of magnetoconvection of a ferromagnetic fluid contained between two infinite differentially heated non-magnetic plates in the presence of an oblique uniform external magnetic field is studied in zero gravity conditions. The thermomagnetic convection that arises is caused by the spatial variation of magnetisation occurring due to its dependence on the temperature. The critical values of the governing parameters at which the transition between motionless and convective states is observed are determined for various field inclination angles and for fluid magnetic parameters that are consistently chosen from a realistic experimental range. It is shown that, similar to natural paramagnetic fluids, the most prominent convection patterns align with the in-layer component of the applied magnetic field but in contrast to such paramagnetic fluids the instability patterns detected in ferrofluids can be oscillatory. It is also found that, contrary to paramagnetic fluids, the stability characteristics of magnetoconvection in ferrofluids depend on the magnitude of the applied field which becomes an additional parameter of the problem. This is shown to be due to the nonlinearity of the magnetic field distribution within the ferrofluid.
Some Weighted Group Algebras are Operator Algebras
Authors: Lee Hun Hee , Samei Ebrahim , Spronk Nico 
Published: January 2015

AbstractLet G be a finitely generated group with polynomial growth, and let ω be a weight, i.e. a sub-multiplicative function on G with positive values. We study when the weighted group algebra ℓ1 (G, ω) is isomorphic to an operator algebra. We show that ℓ1 (G, ω) is isomorphic to an operator algebra if ω is a polynomial weight with large enough degree or an exponential weight of order 0 < α < 1. We demonstrate that the order of growth of G plays an important role in this problem. Moreover, the algebraic centre of ℓ1 (G, ω) is isomorphic to a Q-algebra, and hence satisfies a multi-variable von Neumann inequality. We also present a more detailed study of our results when G consists of the d-dimensional integers ℤd or the three-dimensional discrete Heisenberg group ℍ3(ℤ). The case of the free group with two generators is considered as a counter-example of groups with exponential growth.
Age, growth and reproduction of European hake (Merluccius merluccius (Linn., 1758)) in the Central Aegean Sea, Turkey
Authors: Soykan Ozan , İlkyaz Akin T. , Metın Gülnur , Kinacigıl H. Tuncay 
Published: January 2015

Specimens of European hake were collected by a traditional demersal trawl between July 2004 and June 2007 from İzmir Bay, Central Aegean Sea. A total of 2108 individuals were sampled during the study and the female: male sex ratio of the stock was 1:0.89. The length–weight relationship was W = 0.00341L3.24 (R2 = 0.994) for all individuals. A high gonadosomatic index was evident over most of the year but it was minimal from August to October. The estimated age composition was 1–5 years; the length and weight at infinity were calculated as L∞ = 54.53 cm and W∞ = 1455.77 g respectively. In addition, growth coefficient was found to be k = 0.315 y−1 and to = −0.223 y (R2 = 0.99). Total mortality ratio of the stock was calculated as Z = 1.539 y−1, while natural and fishing based mortality ratio were estimated as M = 0.579 y−1 and F = 0.959 y−1 respectively, with the exploitation ratio (E) of the stock estimated to be 0.624.
The influence of prior training on GPs’ attitudes to sickness absence certification post-fit note
Authors: Money Annemarie , Hann Mark , Turner Susan , Hussey Louise , Agius Raymond 
Published: January 2015

AimTo investigate the attitudes to health and work of general practitioners (GPs) with training in occupational medicine (OM) compared with non-OM trained GPs, since the introduction of the fit note.BackgroundChanges to the UK sickness certification system since 2010 and the introduction of the fit note required GPs to change their focus to what patients can do, rather than what they cannot do in relation to work. In an effort to reduce the UK sickness absence burden, GPs completion of the fit note should help to keep people in work, or assist patients to return to work as quickly as possible after a period of absence.MethodsQuestionnaire data were collected via the 7th National General Practitioner Worklife Survey.FindingsResults indicate that responses from GPs who had undertaken training in OM, and GPs having received some form of work and health training in the 12-month period before the study were associated with significantly more positive attitudes to patients’ returning to work and to the fit note. This study reveals evidence of a difference between trained and non-trained GPs in their attitude to the fit note, and to work and health generally. Further work investigating the effect of specific training in OM on the management and recognition of ill-health by GPs is recommended.
The special case of the three body problem, when gravitational potential is given as the Kislik potential
Authors: Shuvalova A. , Salnikova T. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractIn this paper we consider the special case of the planar circular restricted three-body problem by the example of the problem of the Earth, the Moon and a point mass, where the gravitational potentials of the Earth and the Moon are given as the Kislik potential. The Kislik potential takes into account the flattening of a celestial body on the poles. We find the relative equilibria solutions for a point mass and analyze their stability. We describe the difference between the obtained points and the classical solution of the three-body problem.
Modeling resonant trojan motions in planetary systems
Authors: Efthymiopoulos Christos , Páez Rocío I. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractWe consider the dynamics of a small trojan companion of a hypothetical giant exoplanet under the secular perturbations of additional planets. By a suitable choice of action-angle variables, the problem is amenable to the study of the slow modulation, induced by secular perturbations, to the dynamics of an otherwise called ‘basic’ Hamiltonian model of two degrees of freedom (planar case). We present this Hamiltonian decomposition, which implies that the slow chaotic diffusion at resonances is best described by the paradigm of modulational diffusion.
Impact flux of asteroids and water transport to the habitable zone in binary star systems
Authors: Bancelin D. , Pilat-Lohinger E. , Eggl S. , Dvorak R. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractBy now, observations of exoplanets have found more than 50 binary star systems hosting 71 planets. We expect these numbers to increase as more than 70% of the main sequence stars in the solar neighborhood are members of binary or multiple systems. The planetary motion in such systems depends strongly on both the parameters of the stellar system (stellar separation and eccentricity) and the architecture of the planetary system (number of planets and their orbital behaviour). In case a terrestrial planet moves in the so-called habitable zone (HZ) of its host star, the habitability of this planet depends on many parameters. A crucial factor is certainly the amount of water. We investigate in this work the transport of water from beyond the snow-line to the HZ in a binary star system and compare it to a single star system.
Eccentricity estimates in hierarchical triple systems
Authors: Georgakarakos Nikolaos , Eggl Siegfried 
Published: January 2015

AbstractPerturbation theory in the three body problem has greatly advanced our ability to understand and model a variety of systems ranging from artificial satellites to stars and from extrasolar planets to asteroid-Jupiter interactions. In a series of papers, we developed an analytical technique for estimating the orbital eccentricity of the inner binary in hierarchical triple systems. The method combined the secular theory with calculations of short period terms. The derivation of the short term component was based on an expansion of the rate of change of the Runge-Lenz vector by using first order perturbation theory, while canonical perturbation theory was used to investigate the secular evolution of the system. In the present work we extend the calculation to the orbit of the outer binary. At the same time, we provide an improved version for some previous results. A post-Newtonian correction is included in our model. Our analytical estimates are compared with numerical and analytical results on the subject and applications to stellar triples and extrasolar planets are discussed.