bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparative Study of Outcomes among Patients with Polycystic Kidney Disease on Hemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis
Authors: Yang Ju-Yeh , Chen Likwang , Chao Chia-Ter , Peng Yu-Sen , Chiang Chih-Kang , Kao Tze-Wah , Chien Kuo-Liong , Wu Hon-Yen , Huang Jenq-Wen , Hung Kuan-Yu 
Published: August 2015

AbstractPolycystic kidney disease (PCKD) is the most common hereditary cause of end-stage renal disease, the complications of which may prevent the choice of peritoneal dialysis (PD). The aim of this study was to explore the effects of dialysis modality on outcomes in patients with PCKD. We extracted a cohort of 1417 adult patients with PCKD initiating long-term dialysis therapy in 1999–2010 from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, among which 125 patients chose PD. The patients on HD were older and had a higher comorbidity index compared to those on PD. We compared the risks for death, hospitalization and medical expenditures between the patients on PD and propensity-score matched patients on hemodialysis (HD). The overall survival did not differ between the patients on PD and HD. The patients on PD tended to have higher hazard ratios (HR) for the first episode of hospitalization (adjusted HR 1.34 [95% CI, 1.04−1.79]). The annual medical expenses were 10% lower for the patients on PD. PD is an equivalent choice of renal replacement therapy to HD for patients with PCKD in terms of survival. Although the patients on PD had a higher risk for hospitalization, the medical expenditure for PD was 10% lower.
Projecting excess emergency department visits and associated costs in Brisbane, Australia, under population growth and climate change scenarios
Authors: Toloo Ghasem , Hu Wenbiao , FitzGerald Gerry , Aitken Peter , Tong Shilu 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe direct and indirect health effects of increasingly warmer temperatures are likely to further burden the already overcrowded hospital emergency departments (EDs). Using current trends and estimates in conjunction with future population growth and climate change scenarios, we show that the increased number of hot days in the future can have a considerable impact on EDs, adding to their workload and costs. The excess number of visits in 2030 is projected to range between 98–336 and 42–127 for younger and older groups, respectively. The excess costs in 2012–13 prices are estimated to range between AU$51,000–184,000 (0–64) and AU$27,000–84,000 (65+). By 2060, these estimates will increase to 229–2300 and 145–1188 at a cost of between AU$120,000–1,200,000 and AU$96,000–786,000 for the respective age groups. Improvements in climate change mitigation and adaptation measures are likely to generate synergistic health co-benefits and reduce the impact on frontline health services.
Dairy Streptococcus thermophilus improves cell viability of Lactobacillus brevis NPS-QW-145 and its γ-aminobutyric acid biosynthesis ability in milk
Authors: Wu Qinglong , Law Yee-Song , Shah Nagendra P. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractMost high γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) producers are Lactobacillus brevis of plant origin, which may be not able to ferment milk well due to its poor proteolytic nature as evidenced by the absence of genes encoding extracellular proteinases in its genome. In the present study, two glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) genes, gadA and gadB, were found in high GABA-producing L. brevis NPS-QW-145. Co-culturing of this organism with conventional dairy starters was carried out to manufacture GABA-rich fermented milk. It was observed that all the selected strains of Streptococcus thermophilus, but not Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, improved the viability of L. brevis NPS-QW-145 in milk. Only certain strains of S. thermophilus improved the gadA mRNA level in L. brevis NPS-QW-145, thus enhanced GABA biosynthesis by the latter. These results suggest that certain S. thermophilus strains are highly recommended to co-culture with high GABA producer for manufacturing GABA-rich fermented milk.
Facile Synthesis of Carbon Nanosphere/NiCo2O4 Core-shell Sub-microspheres for High Performance Supercapacitor
Authors: Li Delong , Gong Youning , Zhang Yupeng , Luo Chengzhi , Li Weiping , Fu Qiang , Pan Chunxu 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThis paper introduced a process to prepare the carbon nanosphere (CNS)/NiCo2O4core-shell sub-microspheres. That is: 1) CNSs were firstly prepared via a simple hydrothermal method; 2) a layer of NiCo2O4precursor was coated on the CNS surface; 3) finally the composite was annealed at 350 °C for 2 hours in the air and the CNS/NiCo2O4core-shell sub-microspheres were obtained. This core-shell sub-microsphere was prepared with a simple, economical and environmental-friendly hydrothermal method and was suitable for large-scale production, which expects a promising electrode candidate for high performance energy storage applications. Electrochemical experiments revealed that the composite exhibited remarkable electrochemical performances with high capacitance and desirable cycle life at high rates, such as: 1) the maximum specific capacitance was up to 1420 F/g at 1 A/g; 2) about 98.5% of the capacitance retained after 3000 charge-discharge cycles; 3) the capacitance retention was about 72% as the current density increase from 1 A/g to 10 A/g.
High-throughput sequencing enhanced phage display enables the identification of patient-specific epitope motifs in serum
Authors: Christiansen Anders , Kringelum Jens V. , Hansen Christian S. , Bøgh Katrine L. , Sullivan Eric , Patel Jigar , Rigby Neil M. , Eiwegger Thomas , Szépfalusi Zsolt , Masi Federico de , Nielsen Morten , Lund Ole , Dufva Martin 
Published: August 2015

AbstractPhage display is a prominent screening technique with a multitude of applications including therapeutic antibody development and mapping of antigen epitopes. In this study, phages were selected based on their interaction with patient serum and exhaustively characterised by high-throughput sequencing. A bioinformatics approach was developed in order to identify peptide motifs of interest based on clustering and contrasting to control samples. Comparison of patient and control samples confirmed a major issue in phage display, namely the selection of unspecific peptides. The potential of the bioinformatic approach was demonstrated by identifying epitopes of a prominent peanut allergen, Ara h 1, in sera from patients with severe peanut allergy. The identified epitopes were confirmed by high-density peptide micro-arrays. The present study demonstrates that high-throughput sequencing can empower phage display by (i) enabling the analysis of complex biological samples, (ii) circumventing the traditional laborious picking and functional testing of individual phage clones and (iii) reducing the number of selection rounds.
Understanding complex biogeographic responses to climate change
Authors: Seabra Rui , Wethey David S. , Santos António M. , Lima Fernando P. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractPredicting the extent and direction of species’ range shifts is a major priority for scientists and resource managers. Seminal studies have fostered the notion that biological systems responding to climate change-impacted variables (e.g., temperature, precipitation) should exhibit poleward range shifts but shifts contrary to that expectation have been frequently reported. Understanding whether those shifts are indeed contrary to climate change predictions involves understanding the most basic mechanisms determining the distribution of species. We assessed the patterns of ecologically relevant temperature metrics (e.g., daily range, min, max) along the European Atlantic coast. Temperature metrics have contrasting geographical patterns and latitude or the grand mean are poor predictors for many of them. Our data suggest that unless the appropriate metrics are analysed, the impact of climate change in even a single metric of a single stressor may lead to range shifts in directions that would otherwise be classified as “contrary to prediction”.
Novel actions of 2-deoxy-D-glucose: protection against Shiga toxins and changes in cellular lipids
Authors: Kavaliauskiene Simona , Skotland Tore , Sylvänne Tuulia , Simolin Helena , Klokk Tove Irene , Torgersen Maria Lyngaas , Lingelem Anne Berit Dyve , Simm Roger , Ekroos Kim , Sandvig Kirsten 
Published: August 2015

2-Deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) is a structural analogue of glucose with well-established applications as an inhibitor of glycolysis and N-glycosylation. Importantly, 2DG has been shown to improve the efficacy of several cancer chemotherapeutic agents in vivo and thus it is in clinical studies in combination with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, although 2DG has been demonstrated to modulate many cellular functions, including autophagy, apoptosis and cell cycle control, little is known about the effects of 2DG on intracellular transport, which is of great importance when predicting the effects of 2DG on therapeutic agents. In addition to proteins, lipids play important roles in cellular signalling and in controlling cellular trafficking. We have, in the present study, investigated the effects of 2DG on cellular lipid composition and by use of protein toxins we have studied 2DG-mediated changes in intracellular trafficking. By quantifying more than 200 individual lipid species from 17 different lipid classes, we have found that 2DG treatment changes the levels and/or species composition of several lipids, such as phosphatidylinositol (PI), diacylglycerol (DAG), cholesteryl ester (CE), ceramide (Cer) and lysophospho-lipids. Moreover, 2DG becomes incorporated into the carbohydrate moiety of glycosphingolipids (GSLs). In addition, we have discovered that 2DG protects cells against Shiga toxins (Stxs) and inhibits release of the cytotoxic StxA1 moiety in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The data indicate that the 2DG-induced protection against Stx is independent of inhibition of glycolysis or N-glycosylation, but rather mediated via the depletion of Ca2+ from cellular reservoirs by 2DG. In conclusion, our results reveal novel actions of 2DG on cellular lipids and Stx toxicity.
Memristor pattern recogniser: isolated speech word recognition
Authors: Maan A.K. , James A.P. , Dimitrijev S. 
Published: August 2015

A memristor‐based pattern‐matching circuit for realising a hardware oriented approach to isolated speech word recognition is introduced. As distinct from algorithmic solutions, the approach takes advantage of the memristor to memorise and match speech templates in a fast, parallel, low‐power and scalable architecture. When tested for isolated word recognition by simulations on the benchmark (TIMIT) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology database, recognition accuracies of 94.5% on clean words and 88% on words with a SNR of 5 dB were achieved.
Wideband compact directive metasurface enabled pair of slot antennas
Authors: Majumder B. , Kandasamy K. , Mukherjee J. , Ray K.P. 
Published: August 2015

A simple novel compact wideband directive metasurface (MS) enabled antenna is proposed. Two same dimensions of edge fed slots are used to excite the MS layer which is made of a periodic arrangement of a rectangular loop‐based unit cell. An optimised resonant slot fed at the edge with a simple micro‐strip line together with the epsilon very large MS layer exhibits wideband behaviour. The antenna yields a bandwidth from 5.89 to 6.6 GHz for a voltage standing wave ratio < 2 (12%) compared with a measured fractional bandwidth of 14%. A maximum broadside directivity of 10.5 dBi has been achieved. Simulated efficiency is more than 87%. The measurements characteristics of this antenna are in agreement with simulated results.
Are ultralong gamma-ray bursts powered by black holes spinning down?
Authors: Nathanail Antonios , Contopoulos Ioannis 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are violent explosions, coming from cosmological distances. They are detected in gamma-rays (also X-rays, UV, optical, radio) almost every day, and have typical durations of a few seconds to a few minutes. Some GRBs have been reported with extraordinary durations of 104 s, the so-called ultralong GRBs. It has been debated whether these form a new distinct class of events or whether they are similar to long GRBs. According to Blandford & Znajek, the spin energy of a rotating black hole can be extracted electromagnetically, should the hole be endowed with a magnetic field supported by electric currents in a surrounding disc. We argue that this can be the case for the central engines of GRBs and we show that the duration of the burst depends on the magnetic flux accumulated on the event horizon of the black hole. We thus estimate the surface magnetic field of a possible progenitor star, and we conclude that an ultralong GRB may originate from a progenitor star with a relatively low magnetic field.
Promoting Perioperative Metabolic and Nutritional Care
Authors: Gillis Chelsia , Carli Francesco 
Published: August 2015

AbstractAbstract
Surgery represents a major stressor that disrupts homeostasis and can lead to loss of body cell mass. Integrated, multidisciplinary medical strategies, including enhanced recovery programs and perioperative nutrition support, can mitigate the surgically induced metabolic response, promoting optimal patient recovery following major surgery. Clinical therapies should identify those who are poorly nourished before surgery and aim to attenuate catabolism while preserving the processes that promote recovery and immunoprotection after surgery. This review will address the impact of surgery on intermediary metabolism and describe the clinical consequences that ensue. It will also focus on the role of perioperative nutrition, including preoperative nutrition risk, carbohydrate loading, and early initiation of oral feeding (centered on macronutrients) in modulating surgical stress, as well as highlight the contribution of the anesthesiologist to nutritional care. Emerging therapeutic concepts such as preoperative glycemic control and prehabilitation will be discussed.
This article is a narrative review that focuses on the role of perioperative nutrition in modulating the surgical stress response, as well as the contribution of the anesthesiologist to nutritional care. Preoperative nutrition risk, carbohydrate loading, early initiation of oral feeding, anesthetic strategies to facilitate nutritional gains, preoperative glycemic control, and prehabilitation will be addressed.
Nursing home report card and performance gap
Authors: Kim Ae-Sook 
Published: August 2015

Background:
With the aging of our society, concerns about the quality of nursing homes have been increasing. The Nursing Home Compare (NHC) report card is believed to reduce information asymmetry between the facility and potential residents and, consequently, improve nursing home quality. However, there is limited evidence about how nursing homes use this publicly disseminated performance information.

Purpose:
The aim of this study was to analyze the performance gap between nursing home administrators’ self-assessment and the NHC report card performance ratings and explore the factors contributing to the gap.

Methodology:
All 515 Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes in Indiana were surveyed between August and December 2013. The response rate was approximately 45%. The survey data were compared with the NHC data to identify the gap. Ordered logistic regression analysis was conducted.

Findings:
Despite voluntary participation, a reasonably high response rate, and anonymity, this study found that 62% of respondents either under- or overrated their facilities’ performance, with the majority overrating their performance. The following factors were associated with a smaller performance gap: nonprofit or government-owned status, higher staffing levels, a higher percentage of hours worked by registered nurses, and a higher market concentration. Longer work experience and greater county occupancy rates were associated with a larger performance gap.

Practice Implications:
The significant gap implies that administrators either do not regularly review the NHC report card or do not concur with the NHC ratings. To reduce the gap and thereby improve performance, it is necessary to stabilize the administrators’ position so that administrators know how they stand in the market and are consequently better equipped to successfully respond to the market. Facilities may also need to provide regular training on current technologies and facilitate use of the NHC report card, targeting administrators who are old and have many years of work experience.
A decision underlies phototaxis in an insect
Authors: Axel Gorostiza E. , Colomb Julien , Brembs Björn 
Published: August 2015

AbstractLike a moth into the flame - Phototaxis is an iconic example for innate preferences. Such preferences likely reflect evolutionary adaptations to predictable situations and have traditionally been conceptualized as hard-wired stimulus-response links. Perhaps therefore, the century-old discovery of flexibility inDrosophilaphototaxis has received little attention. Here we report that across several different behavioral tests, light/dark preference tested in walking is dependent on various aspects of flight. If we temporarily compromise flying ability, walking photopreference reverses concomitantly. Neuronal activity in circuits expressing dopamine and octopamine, respectively, plays a differential role in photopreference, suggesting a potential involvement of these biogenic amines in this case of behavioral flexibility. We conclude that flies monitor their ability to fly, and that flying ability exerts a fundamental effect on action selection inDrosophila. This work suggests that even behaviors which appear simple and hard-wired comprise a value-driven decision-making stage, negotiating the external situation with the animal’s internal state, before an action is selected.
Ownership, related party transactions and performance in China
Authors: Wan Yezhen , Wong Leon 
Published: August 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relative performance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and privately controlled firms in China, and whether related party transactions (RPTs) add to or subtract from their relative performance, measured by return on assets (ROA).

Design/methodology/approach
– Univariate and multivariate analyses of a sample of 90 firms that were listed in China between 2007 and 2009 (comprising 45 SOEs and 45 privately controlled firms matched on industry and size).

Findings
– The authors find that SOEs engage in more tunneling, but find no evidence that privately controlled firms engage to a greater degree in either tunneling or propping. During this period, SOEs outperformed privately controlled firms by almost 4.5 per cent in terms of ROA (unadjusted for RPTs), but their performance advantage was completely offset by tunneling by about 6 per cent of ROA such that they underperformed privately controlled firms by a net 1.5 per cent of ROA.

Research limitations/implications
– The research is limited by a relatively small sample size, and in measuring the value of RPTs as the total value of the transactions (which is observable) instead of the difference between the transaction prices and arms-length prices (which would be preferable but is not observable).

Practical implications
– The economics of investing in Chinese firms with different controlling interests and RPTs may be of interest not only to investors and other stakeholders in Chinese firms listed domestically, but also to international investors in overseas and cross-listed Chinese firms.

Originality/value
– This paper synthesizes research from ownership on performance and RPTs on performance, to disentangling the relative effects of ownership control and RPTs on the performance of Chinese publicly listed firms.
Continuous disclosure and information asymmetry
Authors: Russell Mark 
Published: August 2015

Purpose
– This paper aims to examine whether firms with high information asymmetry disclose more information under a continuous disclosure regime, and, second, the paper examines whether continuous disclosures reduce information asymmetry.

Design/methodology/approach
– The study models relations between continuous disclosures and information asymmetry using ordinary least squares regression and two-stage least squares regression.

Findings
– The study finds firms with high information asymmetry disclose more information. Further, the study finds that disclosure in the presence of high information asymmetry increases asymmetry. Finally, while bad news increases information asymmetry, the disclosure of firm-specific good and bad news is associated with reduced information asymmetry.

Originality/value
– The paper identifies conditions under which Continuous Disclosure Regime increases information in markets and influences information asymmetry.
The politics of knowledge: the responses to feminist research from academic leaders
Authors: Van den Brink Marieke 
Published: August 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the knowledge on the slow gender change in academia by examining university leaders’ defensive patterns of responses to feminist knowledge. Identifying the most common responses will enable scholars and practitioners engaged in equality work in academia to anticipate them and implement specialized interventions to target these arguments.

Design/methodology/approach
– The author developed a reflexive, composite methodology, combining participatory action research, documentary analysis and auto-ethnography. It is an explorative study, based on author’s own interpretations and experiences while talking about gender inequality issues in the academic setting. Data are drawn from discussions stemming from public lectures and encounters in the academic setting where academic leaders were present between 2009 and 2015.

Findings
– Three patterns of responses are identified: two defensive patterns and one which provides opportunities for change. The two defensive responses resisted the feminist knowledge on the basis of methodology/epistemology or the study’s findings. The pattern of commitment shows promising opportunities for change.

Research limitations/implications
– For future research, it could be interesting to further explore the role of leaders in gender equality work. The author examines leaders who are gender aware and analyze how they champion gender equality in their organizations and what actions they take to increase equality. The actual leadership work that has to be done to create gender equal or inclusive work places is an under researched premise.

Originality/value
– Hitherto, little is known about the way the feminist knowledge is received within in the academic community. This paper zooms in on this knowledge transfer and investigates a moment where feminist knowledge and academic leaders meet and learning opportunities occur. In addition, this paper shares the hard task we have as feminist scholars, and the feelings this brings to ones one identity as a scholar.