bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Stability analysis of a polymer film casting problem
Authors: Kallel A. , Hachem E. , Rapetti F. , Demay Y. , Agassant J. F. 
Published: March 2015

SummaryThe polymer cast film process consists of stretching a molten polymer film between a flat die and a drawing roll. Drawing instabilities are often encountered and represent a drastic limitation to the process. Newtonian fluid film stretching stability is investigated using two numerical strategies. The first one is a ‘tracking’ method, which consists of solving Stokes equations in the whole fluid area (extrusion die and stretching path) by finite elements. The interface is determined to satisfy a kinematic equation. A domain decomposition meshing technique is used in order to account for a flow singularity resulting from the change in the boundary conditions between the die flow region and the stretching path region. A linear stability method is then applied to this transient kinematic equation in order to investigate the stability of the stationary solution. The second method is a direct finite element simulation in an extended area including the fluid and the surrounding air. The time‐dependent interface is captured by solving an appropriate level‐set function. The agreement between the two methods is fair. The influence of the stretching parameters (Draw ratio and drawing length) is investigated. For a long stretching distance, a critical Draw ratio around 20 delimitating stable and unstable drawing conditions is obtained, and this agrees well with the standard membrane models, which have been developed 40 years ago. When decreasing the stretching distance, the membrane model is no longer valid. The 2D models presented here point out a significant increase of the critical Draw ratio, and this is consistent with experimental results. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Explaining Declining Rates of Institutional LTC Use in the Netherlands: A Decomposition Approach
Authors: de Meijer Claudine , Bakx Pieter , van Doorslaer Eddy , Koopmanschap Marc 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThe use of long‐term care (LTC) is changing rapidly. In the Netherlands, rates of institutional LTC use are falling, whereas homecare use is growing. Are these changes attributable to declining disability rates, or has LTC use given disability changed? And have institutionalization rates fallen regardless of disability level, or has LTC use become better tailored to needs? We answer these questions by explaining trends in LTC use for the Dutch 65+ population in the period 2000–2008 using a nonlinear variant of the Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition. We find that changes in LTC use are not due to shifts in the disability distribution but can almost entirely be traced back to changes in the way the system treats disability. Elderly with mild disability are more likely to be treated at home than before, whereas severely disabled individuals continue to receive institutional LTC. As a result, LTC use has become better tailored to the needs for such care. This finding suggests that policies that promote LTC in the community rather than in institutions can effectively mitigate the consequences of population aging on LTC spending. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Determinants of Care Home Closure
Authors: Allan Stephen , Forder Julien 
Published: March 2015

SummaryThis study investigates the causes of full closure of care homes in the English care home/nursing home market. We develop theoretical arguments about two causes for closure that are triggered by errors or external shocks: poor economic sustainability and regulatory action. Homes aiming to operate with lower quality in the market are argued for a number of reasons to be more susceptible to errors/shocks in setting quality, especially negative errors, leading to an empirical hypothesis that observed quality should negatively affect closure chance. In addition, given quality, homes facing relatively high levels of local competition should also have an increased chance of closure. We use a panel of care homes from 2008 and 2010 to examine factors affecting their closure status in subsequent years. We allow for the potential endogeneity of home quality and use multiple imputation to replace missing data. Results suggest that homes with comparatively higher quality and/or lower levels of competition have less chance of closure than other homes. We discuss that the results provide some support for the policy of regulators providing quality information to potential purchasers in the market. © 2015 The Authors. Health Economics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Testing the Bed‐Blocking Hypothesis: Does Nursing and Care Home Supply Reduce Delayed Hospital Discharges?
Authors: Gaughan James , Gravelle Hugh , Siciliani Luigi 
Published: March 2015

AbstractHospital bed‐blocking occurs when hospital patients are ready to be discharged to a nursing home, but no place is available, so that hospital care acts as a more costly substitute for long‐term care. We investigate the extent to which greater supply of nursing home beds or lower prices can reduce hospital bed‐blocking using a new Local Authority (LA) level administrative data from England on hospital delayed discharges in 2009–2013. The results suggest that delayed discharges respond to the availability of care home beds, but the effect is modest: an increase in care home beds by 10% (250 additional beds per LA) would reduce social care delayed discharges by about 6–9%. We also find strong evidence of spillover effects across LAs: more care home beds or fewer patients aged over 65 years in nearby LAs are associated with fewer delayed discharges. © 2015 The Authors. Health Economics Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
ErgoVSM: A Tool for Integrating Value Stream Mapping and Ergonomics in Manufacturing
Authors: Jarebrant Caroline , Winkel Jörgen , Johansson Hanse Jan , Mathiassen Svend Erik , Öjmertz Birgitta 
Published: March 2015

AbstractValue stream mapping (VSM) is a lean tool aiming at waste reduction. Previous research suggests that the use of VSM may result in work intensification and thus an increased risk for the workers of developing work‐related musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). In the current study, VSM was developed to also consider physical exposure in the analyzed production system (ErgoVSM). As the VSM, ErgoVSM is based on a participatory approach. ErgoVSM was tested in a Swedish manufacturing company. The results suggest that ErgoVSM catalyzes change processes to include intervention proposals emphasizing ergonomics in addition to waste reduction. Thus, ErgoVSM appeared useful for the investigated target group of production engineers and experienced operators. The performance improvements suggested when using the ordinary VSM seemed not to be hampered by adding the ergonomics complement. However, the use of ErgoVSM was somewhat more time consuming than the use of VSM. In conclusion, ErgoVSM is suggested as a feasible tool to be used by production engineers and experienced operators for including ergonomics considerations in the rationalization process.
Prediction of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia incidence in Germany and of patients ineligible for standard chemotherapy
Authors: Eisemann Nora , Schnoor Maike , Katalinic Alexander 
Published: March 2015

AbstractChronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) patients often remain asymptomatic for several years after diagnosis. When the disease becomes symptomatic or progressive, chemotherapy with fludarabine in combination with an anti‐CD20 antibody (FCR) is recommended as standard therapy, except for patients with relevant comorbidity or with del(17p13) oder TP53 mutation. We predict the number of prevalent CLL patients in 2011–2020 who need first‐line therapy but are ineligible for FCR treatment. The input parameters of the Markov model are the estimated total CLL incidence (based on German cancer registry data) and clinical data on disease progression and patient characteristics (obtained by a systematic literature research). Plausibility ranges for the estimation of the total CLL incidence are given by the following: (1) inclusion of small lymphocytic lymphoma and (2) an alternative handling of death‐certificate‐only cases. The number of patients ineligible for FCR treatment increases from approximately 1200 in 2011 to approximately 1450 in 2020. The inclusion of small lymphocytic lymphoma cases results in 10% higher estimates, the alternative handling of death‐certificate‐only cases in 8% lower estimates. Recently, several new and targeted agents have been approved for CLL patients ineligible for standard treatment. Estimation of patient numbers is a prerequisite for planning of health care and for calculating the costs of treatment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rate and predictors of non‐response to first‐line antipsychotic treatment in first‐episode schizophrenia
Authors: Chiliza Bonginkosi , Asmal Laila , Kilian Sanja , Phahladira Lebogang , Emsley Robin 
Published: March 2015

ObjectiveThe goals of this study were to (i) estimate the rate of non‐response to first‐line treatment in first‐episode schizophrenia, (ii) evaluate other outcomes associated with symptom non‐response and (iii) identify demographic, baseline clinical and early treatment response predictors of non‐response.MethodsThis was a single‐site, longitudinal cohort study assessing the effects of treatment with flupenthixol decanoate according to a standardised protocol over 12 months in patients with schizophrenia, schizophreniform and schizo‐affective disorders.ResultsOf 126 patients who received at least one dose of study medication, 84 (67%) completed the study. Fifteen (12%) met our predefined criteria for non‐response. Non‐responders were younger and at baseline had more prominent disorganised symptoms, poorer social and occupational functioning, poorer quality of life for psychological, social and environmental domains, more prominent neurological soft signs (NSS) and lower body mass index. At endpoint, the non‐responders were characterised by higher levels of symptomatology in all domains, poorer functional outcome, poorer quality of life and greater cognitive impairments. They also had more prominent NSS and lower body mass index. The strongest predictors of non‐response were more prominent baseline NSS and poor early (7 weeks) treatment response.ConclusionsResults are consistent with a lower rate of refractoriness to treatment in first‐episode schizophrenia compared with multi‐episode samples. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Modelling Sphagnum moisture stress in response to projected 21st‐century climate change
Authors: Moore P. A. , Waddington J. M. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractSphagnum moss is an important genus of plants responsible for large stores of soil organic carbon associated with wet habitats, such as northern peatlands. Northern peatlands, which contain globally significant quantities of legacy carbon, may be vulnerable to enhanced summer moisture deficits due to climate change. We adapted HYDRUS‐1D and a semi‐arid soil‐moisture model to investigate the role of microtopographic position and depth dependence of peat hydraulic properties on Sphagnum moisture‐stress response to current and projected climate conditions in an idealized northern Michigan peatland. Water table (WT) level was shown to have a strong control on pore‐water pressure (ψ) and thus on Sphagnum moisture stress. As a result of the close correspondence between surface peat hydraulic properties for hummocks and hollows used to parameterize our model, the microtopographic position was shown to have a greater impact on Sphagnum moisture stress. Model behaviour suggests that, while ψ maintains equilibrium‐profile values relative to the WT level for relatively shallow values, surface ψ becomes nonlinearly related to the WT level below a value of approximately −0.4 m, thus, greatly increasing the likelihood of desiccation under future climate scenarios, where growing‐season soil‐moisture deficits are projected to increase. The simulated range of instantaneous and cumulative moisture stress for hollows under future climate conditions closely corresponds to the contemporary range exhibited by hummocks. Therefore, in order to assess the competitive advantage of various Sphagnum species to future climate conditions, we argue that more data are needed to better inform a physiological ψ‐based moisture‐stress threshold, the evolution of the stress response to increasing levels of desiccation and its subsequent recovery dynamics. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A thermo‐alkaline lipase from a new thermophile Geobacillus thermodenitrificans AV‐5 with potential application in biodiesel production
Authors: Christopher Lew P , Zambare Vasudeo P , Zambare Archana , Kumar Hemanathan , Malek Ladislav 
Published: March 2015

AbstractBACKGROUNDA thermophilic lipase‐producing Geobacillus thermodenitrificans strain AV‐5 was isolated from the Mushroom Spring of Yellowstone National Park in WY, USA and studied as a source of lipase for transesterification of vegetable oils to biodiesel.RESULTSA maximum activity of 330 U mL−1 was produced on 2% (v/v) waste cooking oil at 50 °C, pH 8, aeration rate of 1 vvm and agitation speed of 400 rpm. However, the higher lipase productivity (14.04 U mL−1 h−1) was found at a volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (kLa) value of 18.48 h−1. The partially purified lipase had a molecular weight, temperature and pH optimum of 50 kDa, 65 °C and pH 9, respectively, and was thermo‐alkali stable: at 70 °C, it retained 81% activity and 45% stability; at pH 10 it lost only 15% and 2.6% of its maximum activity and stability, respectively. Enzyme kinetic studies with p‐nitrophenyl laurate as substrate revealed high substrate specificity (km of 0.440 mmol L−1) and kinetic activity (vmax of 556 nmol mL min−1) of lipase.CONCLUSIONSThe kLa was found to be highly dependent on aeration and agitation rates. Following optimization of fermentation medium and parameters, a 7.5‐fold increase in lipase production by G. thermodenitrificans was attained. The lipase activity and substrate specificity (as km) are among the highest reported in the literature for bacterial lipases. It was demonstrated that the enzyme can produce biodiesel from waste cooking oil with a conversion yields of 76%. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Zooming in on the small: The plasticity of striatal dendritic spines in l‐DOPA–Induced dyskinesia
Authors: Fieblinger Tim , Cenci M. Angela 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThe spiny dendrites of striatal projection neurons integrate synaptic inputs of different origins to regulate movement. It has long been known that these dendrites lose spines and display atrophic features in Parkinson's disease (PD), but the significance of these morphological changes has remained unknown. Some recent studies reveal a remarkable structural plasticity of striatal spines in parkinsonian rodents treated with L‐3,4‐dihydroxyphenylalanine (L‐DOPA), and they demonstrate an association between this plasticity and the development of dyskinesia. These studies used different approaches and animal models, which possibly explains why they emphasize different plastic changes as being most closely linked to dyskinesia (such as a growth of new spines in neurons of the indirect pathway, or a loss of spines in neurons of the direct pathway, or the appearance of spines with aberrant synaptic features). Clearly, further investigations are required to reconcile these intriguing findings and integrate them in a coherent pathophysiological model. Nevertheless, these studies may mark the beginning of a new era for dyskinesia research. In addition to addressing neurochemical and molecular events that trigger involuntary movements, there is a need to better understand the long‐lasting structural reorganization of cells and circuits that maintain the brain in a “dyskinesia‐prone” state. This may lead to the identification of new efficacious approaches to prevent the complications of dopaminergic therapies in PD. © 2015 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Renin‐Angiotensin System: An Old Player with Novel Functions in Skeletal Muscle
Authors: Cabello‐Verrugio Claudio , Morales María Gabriela , Rivera Juan Carlos , Cabrera Daniel , Simon Felipe 
Published: March 2015

AbstractSkeletal muscle is a tissue that shows the most plasticity in the body; it can change in response to physiological and pathological stimuli. Among the diseases that affect skeletal muscle are myopathy‐associated fibrosis, insulin resistance, and muscle atrophy. A common factor in these pathologies is the participation of the renin‐angiotensin system (RAS). This system can be functionally separated into the classical and nonclassical RAS axis. The main components of the classical RAS pathway are angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE), angiotensin II (Ang‐II), and Ang‐II receptors (AT receptors), whereas the nonclassical axis is composed of ACE2, angiotensin 1–7 [Ang (1–7)], and the Mas receptor. Hyperactivity of the classical axis in skeletal muscle has been associated with insulin resistance, atrophy, and fibrosis. In contrast, current evidence supports the action of the nonclassical RAS as a counter‐regulator axis of the classical RAS pathway in skeletal muscle. In this review, we describe the mechanisms involved in the pathological effects of the classical RAS, advances in the use of pharmacological molecules to inhibit this axis, and the beneficial effects of stimulation of the nonclassical RAS pathway on insulin resistance, atrophy, and fibrosis in skeletal muscle.
Enhancing k‐space quantitative susceptibility mapping by enforcing consistency on the cone data (CCD) with structural priors
Authors: Wen Yan , Wang Yi , Liu Tian 
Published: March 2015

PurposeThe inversion from the magnetic field to the magnetic susceptibility distribution is ill‐posed because the dipole kernel, which relates the magnetic susceptibility to the magnetic field, has zeroes at a pair of cone surfaces in the k‐space, leading to streaking artifacts on the reconstructed quantitative susceptibility maps (QSM). A method to impose consistency on the cone data (CCD) with structural priors is proposed to improve the solutions of k‐space methods.MethodsThe information in the cone region is recovered by enforcing structural consistency with structural prior, while information in the noncone trust region is enforced to be consistent with the magnetic field measurements in k‐space. This CCD method was evaluated by comparing the initial results of existing QSM algorithms to the QSM results after CCD enhancement with respect to the COSMOS results in simulation, phantom, and in vivo human brain.ResultsThe proposed method demonstrated suppression of streaking artifacts and the resulting QSM showed better agreement with reference standard QSM compared with other k‐space based methods.ConclusionBy enforcing consistency with structural priors in the cone region, the missing data in the cone can be recovered and the streaking artifacts in QSM can be suppressed. Magn Reson Med 75:823–830, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cut Mark Cluster Geometry and Equifinality in Replicated Early Stone Age Butchery
Authors: Merritt S. R. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractEarly Stone Age cut marks created during tool‐assisted carnivory potentially offer inferences into hominin butchery behaviour and access to complete or defleshed carcasses. Actualistic butchery trials of 16 goat and cow half‐carcasses were completed by an experienced butcher with replicated Oldowan tools to investigate how the geometric organisation of cut mark clusters reflects flake versus core tool use and bulk muscle versus scrap defleshing. A cluster of cut marks is defined as a series of adjacent cut mark striations that occur at an anatomical location and are bounded by unmarked cortical surface. Tool type and butchery action were predicted to differentially mark certain long bone portions and influence cluster attributes. Moulds of 613 cut mark clusters were photographed and measured using ImageJ software (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA) for cluster area, cut mark count, median cut mark length and standard deviation of cut mark length and angle. Analysis suggests the following results: (i) cluster attributes are correlated;(ii) changes in cluster geometry are related to increasing cut mark count and length but not tool type or defleshed muscle amount; (iii) large clusters occur on large animals; and (iv) long bone midshaft portions are cut‐marked during both bulk and scrap muscle defleshing. Analysis of 179 cut mark clusters on long bone shafts of sizes 1–4 mammals from three Okote member assemblages at Koobi Fora, Kenya, shows that archaeological clusters have a similar number of marks when compared with experimental clusters but are significantly smaller, have shorter median marks and include less deviation in mark length and angle. Archaeological clusters corroborate that increasing area is positively correlated with cut mark count, median mark length and standard deviation of mark length and angle. A quantitative inferential model that links cut mark cluster geometry to tool type or the amount of muscle defleshed is not supported by these data. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparison of administrative/billing data to expected protocol‐mandated chemotherapy exposure in children with acute myeloid leukemia: A report from the Children's Oncology Group
Authors: Miller Tamara P. , Troxel Andrea B. , Li Yimei , Huang Yuan‐Shung , Alonzo Todd A. , Gerbing Robert B. , Hall Matt , Torp Kari , Fisher Brian T. , Bagatell Rochelle , Seif Alix E. , Sung Lillian , Gamis Alan , Rubin David , Luger Selina , Aplenc Richard 
Published: March 2015

BackgroundRecently investigators have used analysis of administrative/billing datasets to answer clinical and pharmacoepidemiology questions in pediatric oncology. However, the accuracy of pharmacy data from administrative/billing datasets have not yet been evaluated. The primary objective of this study was to determine the concordance of Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) administrative/billing chemotherapy data with Children's Oncology Group (COG) protocol‐mandated chemotherapy and to assess the implications of this level of concordance for further PHIS research.ProcedureData from 384 pediatric patients (1,060 courses of chemotherapy) with acute myeloid leukemia treated on COG clinical trial AAML0531 were previously merged with PHIS data. PHIS chemotherapy administrative/billing data were reviewed for the first three courses of chemotherapy. Accuracy was assessed using three metrics: recognizability of chemotherapy pattern by course, chemotherapy administration pattern by individual medication, and concordance with the number of days of protocol‐defined chemotherapy.ResultsThe chemotherapy pattern was recognizable in 87.3% of courses when course‐wide accuracy was assessed. Chemotherapy administration pattern varied by medication. Cytarabine had perfect concordance 70.9% of the time, daunorubicin had perfect concordance 77.4% of the time, and etoposide had perfect concordance 67.8% of the time.ConclusionsThe accuracy of chemotherapy administrative/billing data supports the continued use of PHIS data for epidemiology studies as long as investigators perform data quality control checks and evaluate each specific medication prior to undertaking definitive analyses. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015;62:1184–1189. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.