bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Investigating microbial co-occurrence patterns based on metagenomic compositional data
Authors: Ban Yuguang , An Lingling , Jiang Hongmei 
Published: June 2015

AbstractMotivation: The high-throughput sequencing technologies have provided a powerful tool to study the microbial organisms living in various environments. Characterizing microbial interactions can give us insights into how they live and work together as a community. Metagonomic data are usually summarized in a compositional fashion due to varying sampling/sequencing depths from one sample to another. We study the co-occurrence patterns of microbial organisms using their relative abundance information. Analyzing compositional data using conventional correlation methods has been shown prone to bias that leads to artifactual correlations.Results: We propose a novel method, regularized estimation of the basis covariance based on compositional data (REBACCA), to identify significant co-occurrence patterns by finding sparse solutions to a system with a deficient rank. To be specific, we construct the system using log ratios of count or proportion data and solve the system using the l1-norm shrinkage method. Our comprehensive simulation studies show that REBACCA (i) achieves higher accuracy in general than the existing methods when a sparse condition is satisfied; (ii) controls the false positives at a pre-specified level, while other methods fail in various cases and (iii) runs considerably faster than the existing comparable method. REBACCA is also applied to several real metagenomic datasets.Availability and implementation: The R codes for the proposed method are available at http://faculty.wcas.northwestern.edu/∼hji403/REBACCA.htmContact: hongmei@northwestern.eduSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Discharge Readiness after Tricompartment Knee Arthroplasty
Authors: Machi Anthony T. , Sztain Jacklynn F. , Kormylo Nicholas J. , Madison Sarah J. , Abramson Wendy B. , Monahan Amanda M. , Khatibi Bahareh , Ball Scott T. , Gonzales Francis B. , Sessler Daniel I. , Mascha Edward J. , You Jing , Nakanote Ken A. , Ilfeld Brian M. 
Published: June 2015

AbstractAbstract
Continuous adductor canal block did not appreciably decrease the time to overall discharge readiness when compared with continuous femoral nerve block even though it did decrease the time until adequate mobilization because both groups often required intravenous opioids beyond the time to mobilization.

Background:
The authors conducted a randomized, controlled, parallel-arm, superiority study to test the hypothesis that a continuous adductor canal block decreases the time to attain four discharge criteria compared with a continuous femoral nerve block after tricompartment knee arthroplasty.

Methods:
Subjects undergoing tricompartment knee arthroplasty were randomized using computer-generated lists to either an adductor canal or femoral perineural catheter (3-day ropivacaine 0.2% infusion) in an unmasked manner. The primary outcome was the time to attain four criteria: (1) adequate analgesia; (2) intravenous opioids independence; (3) ability to stand, walk 3 m, return, and sit down; and (4) ambulate 30 m.

Results:
Subjects with an adductor canal catheter (n = 39) reached all four criteria in a median of 55 h (interquartile, 42 to 63 h) compared with 61 h (49 to 69 h) for those with a femoral catheter (n = 41; 95% CI, −13 to 1 h; P = 0.12). The percentage of subjects who reached the two mobilization criteria on postoperative days 1 and 2 were 72 and 95% for those with an adductor canal catheter (n = 39), but only 27 and 76% in subjects with a femoral catheter (n = 41; both P < 0.001). Differences in pain scores at rest and intravenous opioid requirements were minimal, but femoral infusion improved dynamic analgesia (P = 0.01 to 0.02).

Conclusion:
Compared with a continuous femoral nerve block, a continuous adductor canal block did not appreciably decrease the time to overall discharge readiness even though it did decrease the time until adequate mobilization, primarily because both groups experienced similar analgesia and intravenous opioid requirements that—in most cases—exceeded the time to mobilization.
Sufentanil Sublingual Tablet System for the Management of Postoperative Pain after Knee or Hip Arthroplasty
Authors: Jove Maurice , Griffin David W. , Minkowitz Harold S. , Ben-David Bruce , Evashenk Mark A. , Palmer Pamela P. 
Published: June 2015

AbstractAbstract
In this phase 3 trial, 426 patients were randomized to receive the sufentanil sublingual tablet system or a placebo, with IV opioid rescue after major lower extremity orthopedic surgery. The primary outcome measure of summed pain intensity difference in the first 48 h compared with baseline was better with sufentanil than placebo although nausea and pruritus were also increased with sufentanil.

Background:
Complications with IV patient-controlled analgesia include programming errors, invasive access, and impairment of mobility. This study evaluated an investigational sufentanil sublingual tablet system (SSTS) for the management of pain after knee or hip arthroplasty.

Methods:
This prospective, randomized, parallel-arm, double-blind study randomized postoperative patients at 34 U.S. sites to receive SSTS 15 μg (n = 315) or an identical placebo system (n = 104) and pain scores were recorded for up to 72 h. Adult patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists status 1 to 3 after primary total unilateral knee or hip replacement under general anesthesia or with spinal anesthesia that did not include intrathecal opioids were eligible. Patients were excluded if they were opioid tolerant. The primary endpoint was the time-weighted summed pain intensity difference to baseline over 48 h. Secondary endpoints included total pain relief, patient and healthcare professional global assessments, and patient and nurse ease-of-care questionnaires.

Results:
Summed pain intensity difference (standard error) was higher (better) in the SSTS group compared with placebo (76 [7] vs. −11 [11], difference 88 [95% CI, 66 to 109]; P < 0.001). In the SSTS group, more patients and nurses responded “good” or “excellent” on the global assessments compared with placebo (P < 0.001). Patient and nurse ease-of-care ratings for the system were high in both groups. There was a higher incidence of nausea and pruritus in the SSTS group.

Conclusion:
SSTS could be an effective patient-controlled pain management modality in patients after major orthopedic surgery and is easy to use by both patients and healthcare professionals.
Risk of Vascular Thrombotic Events Following Discontinuation of Antithrombotics After Peptic Ulcer Bleeding
Authors: Kim Seung Young , Hyun Jong Jin , Suh Sang Jun , Jung Sung Woo , Jung Young Kul , Koo Ja Seol , Yim Hyung Joon , Park Jong Jae , Chun Hoon Jai , Lee Sang Woo 
Published: June 2015

Goals:
To evaluate whether the risk of cardiovascular events increases when antithrombotics are discontinued after ulcer bleeding.

Background:
Peptic ulcer bleeding associated with antithrombotics has increased due to the increase in the proportion of elderly population. Little is known about the long-term effects of discontinuing antithrombotics after peptic ulcer bleeding. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the risk of cardiovascular events increases when antithrombotics are discontinued after ulcer bleeding.

Study:
We reviewed the medical records of patients with ulcer bleeding who were taking antiplatelet agents or anticoagulants at the time of ulcer bleeding. Cox-regression model was used to adjust for potential confounders, and analyzed association between discontinuation of antithrombotic drugs after ulcer bleeding and thrombotic events such as ischemic heart disease or stroke.

Results:
Of the 544 patients with ulcer bleeding, 72 patients who were taking antithrombotics and followed up for >2 months were analyzed. Forty patients discontinued antithrombotics after ulcer bleeding (discontinuation group) and 32 patients continued antithrombotics with or without transient interruption (continuation group). Thrombotic events developed more often in discontinuation group than in the continuation group [7/32 (21.9%) vs. 1/40 (2.5%), P=0.019]. Hazard ratio for thrombotic event when antithrombotics were continuously discontinued was 10.9 (95% confidence interval, 1.3-89.7). There were no significant differences in recurrent bleeding events between the 2 groups.

Conclusions:
Discontinuation of antithrombotics after peptic ulcer bleeding increases the risk of cardiovascular events. Therefore, caution should be taken when discontinuing antithrombotics after ulcer bleeding.
Unexpected monophyletic origin of
Ephoron shigae
unisexual reproduction strains and their rapid expansion across Japan
Authors: Sekiné K. , Hayashi F. , Tojo K. 
Published: June 2015

The burrowing polymitarcyid mayfly
Ephoron shigae
is distributed across Japan, Korea, northeast China and far east Russia. Some populations are bisexual, and others are unisexual, i.e. geographically parthenogenetic throughout Japan. In general, parthenogenetic organisms are often found in harsh environments, such as at high latitudes and altitudes, in xeric as opposed to mesic conditions, in isolated habitats such as islands and island-like areas, and at the peripheral regions of the taxon's range. In
E. shigae
, however, the distributions of bisexual and unisexual populations overlap broadly in their respective geographical ranges. In the analysis of mitochondrial 16S rRNA and COI, we revealed that unisexual populations were of monophyletic origin and recently differentiated somewhere in western Japan. In the nuclear DNA EFI-
α
analysis, parthenogenetic strains had two genotypes, i.e. the heterozygous genotype of E1/E3 and the homozygous genotype of E1/E1 or E3/E3, while specimens of bisexual lineage had 20 genotypes. These results are consistent with an automixis mode of reproduction for the parthenogenetic strains, and also support the monophyletic origin of the parthenogenetic strains. Furthermore, there would be no gene flow between the specimens of the bisexual lineage and those of the parthenogenetic strain.
Automated Contamination Detection in Single-Cell Sequencing
Authors: Lux Markus , Hammer Barbara , Sczyrba Alexander 
Published: June 2015

AbstractNovel methods for the sequencing of single-cell DNA offer tremendous opportunities. However, many techniques are still in their infancy and a major obstacle is given by sample contamination with foreign DNA. In this contribution, we present a pipeline that allows for fast, automated detection of contaminated samples by the use of modern machine learning methods. First, a vectorial representation of the genomic data is obtained using oligonucleotide signatures. Using non-linear subspace projections, data is transformed to be suitable for automatic clustering. This allows for the detection of one vs. more genomes (clusters) in a sample. As clustering is an ill-posed problem, the pipeline relies on a thorough choice of all involved methods and parameters. We give an overview of the problem and evaluate techniques suitable for this task.
Frailty – from bedside to buzzword?
Authors: Manthorpe Jill , Iliffe Steve 
Published: June 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to explore common usage and understanding of the term “frailty”, which is increasingly used in health care debates in England.

Design/methodology/approach
– This is a commentary from the perspectives of health and social care researchers. Recent policy and research are drawn upon in the arguments presented.

Findings
– Most research on the subject of frailty comes from clinical practice although a parallel sociological or gerontological critique of the social construction is emerging. The public is likely to come across the term frailty through the media’s adoption of the term. Different definitions of frailty mean that estimates of the numbers of “frail people” will vary.

Research limitations/implications
– The commentary draws on material in the English language and on policy, commentary, and research material.

Practical implications
– The commentary may prompt reflection in practice and policy development on the usage of the term frailty and promote efforts to ensure that its meaning is clear and that it is acceptable to those to whom it is applied.

Originality/value
– The paper contributes to debates about frailty by considering the implications of using the term across health and social care and in integrated settings and encounters. It draws on medical presentations of the term frailty and on critiques of it as a powerful discourse.
Self-regulated learning behaviour in the finance industry
Authors: Milligan Colin , Fontana Rosa Pia , Littlejohn Allison , Margaryan Anoush 
Published: June 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to explore the role of self-regulatory behaviours in predicting workplace learning. As work practices in knowledge-intensive domains become more complex, individual workers must take greater responsibility for their ongoing learning and development.Design/methodology/approach– The study was conducted with knowledge workers from the finance industry. In all, 170 participants across a range of work roles completed a questionnaire consisting of three scales derived from validated instruments (measuring learning opportunities, self-regulated learning [SRL] and learning undertaken). The relationship between the variables was tested through linear regression analysis.Findings– Data analysis confirms a relationship between the learning opportunities provided by a role, and learning undertaken. Regression analysis identifies three key SRL behaviours that appear to mediate this relationship: task interest/value, task strategies and self-evaluation. Together they provide an insight into the learning processes that occur during intentional informal learning.Research limitations/implications– This quantitative study identifies a relationship between specific SRL behaviours and workplace learning undertaken in one sector. Qualitative studies are needed to understand the precise nature of this relationship. Follow-up studies could explore whether the findings are generalisable to other contexts.Practical implications– Developing a deeper understanding of how individuals manage their day-to-day learning can help shape the learning and development support provided to individual knowledge workers.Originality/value– Few studies have explored the role of self-regulation in the workplace. This study adds to our understanding of this critical element of professional learning.
Influence of audit committees on internal audit conformance with internal audit standards
Authors: Alzeban Abdulaziz 
Published: June 2015

Purpose
– This study aims to provide empirical evidence of the association between audit committee characteristics and internal audit conformance with the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing (ISPPIA).

Design/methodology/approach
– Seventy-four usable responses were received from a survey of chief internal auditors (CIAs) from Saudi companies listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange.

Findings
– The results indicate that audit committee characteristics (the presence of independent members on the committee, members’ expertise in auditing and accounting and meeting with the CIA) influence internal audit conformance with the ISPPIA. Additionally, they demonstrate that such conformance is also influenced by CIA tenure.

Practical implications
– The findings of this study also have significant implications for audit committees wishing to improve their overall effectiveness, by identifying the impact of the committee’s characteristics on internal audit conformance with the ISPPIA.

Originality/value
– The results add to the literature on internal audit standards by introducing a Middle Eastern perspective and simultaneously providing insights for companies in their attempts to adhere to the international standards, hence, supporting efforts towards good corporate governance.
From the library to the Information Commons
Authors: Pacios Ana Reyes 
Published: June 2015

Purpose
– This paper aims to show the progress made by 37 universities in Spain in adopting the “Information Commons” model, a strategy planed 10 years ago by the Spanish University Library Network (hereafter referred to as REBIUN) to meet the demands of the European Higher Education Area.

Design/methodology/approach
– A Web survey was sent to 70 supervisors or directors of Spanish university libraries.

Findings
– This paper reveals current approaches toward the goal of convergence and provides an idea of the extent to which universities have thus far managed to integrate services and resources in the Information Commons. Not all libraries have initiated this path or it is still in its early stages and the transformation is taking place at different “speeds” or degrees of implementation.

Originality/value
– The paper shows, for the first time, that the incomplete, scant or absent integration of university services and resources in an Information Commons has to do with multiple factors in each library. The human factor is the key element in this type of change process. Commitment, network building and synergies are thus necessary factors in the success of this process.
Hiring for attitude and training for skill in the library
Authors: Massis Bruce 
Published: June 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to emphasize that hiring a library employee in possession of a positive and winning attitude can pay enormous benefits for the organization far into the future.

Design/methodology/approach
– Literature review and commentary on this topic has been addressed by professionals, researchers and practitioners.

Findings
– While it can be difficult to completely be certain that one has made the right choice with every hire, at least by developing a set of effective interview questions, listening closely to the candidate’s responses and appraising any negative bent in mood or language with the objective of assessing attitude at the outset of the interview can lead to a more successful hiring experience.

Originality/value
– The value in addressing this issue is to submit that hiring employees for their attitude and training them for their skills can result in a workplace where the positive benefits of such hires can be realized daily.
Nuisance or discerning? The social construction of street hawkers in Ghana
Authors: Sarpong Sam , Nabubie Ibrahim B. 
Published: June 2015

Purpose– The paper aims to focus on how the dualism “petty trading and traffic” exacerbates the development of a social bond among traders from various communities and ethnic groups in Ghana. As understood in their normal innocuous sense, “traffic and petty trading” independently mark off two generally distinguishable exclusive partners. However, both petty trading and traffic now denote essential aspects of contemporary Ghana’s new social order shared uniquely among informal traders. The paper dilates on this phenomenon.Design/methodology/approach– The theory underpinning this study is social constructionism. Social constructionism is part of a post-modern understanding of the nature of reality. It is a strand of sociology, pertaining to the ways in which social phenomena are created, institutionalised and made into tradition by humans. The core idea of constructionism, therefore, is that some social agent produces or controls some object. ’s (1967) situational constraints thesis also provides an important element to this paper. The thesis maintains that the poor in society are constrained by the facts of their situation; hence, the poor are unable to translate many of their ideals into reality in view of the considerable poverty that engulfs them. The thesis, reiterates that once the constraints of poverty are removed, the poor would have no difficulty adopting mainstream behavioural patterns and seizing available opportunities. The thesis is significant in exploring the objectives of this paper.Findings– The paper finds that petty trading has given its adherents a new wave of life. The picture that emerges is that, although street hawkers are seen as a nuisance, a failure in society and lacking knowledge, they have become mindful of what society thinks about them. As a result, some have devised means to cope with what they do and also to find new ways to address the challenges facing them. The findings confirmed that people are self-reflexive beings and that they shape their own behaviour despite the influence of a variety of social factors that may constrain them. The study found that street hawkers have found a way to make life more meaningful for themselves than are actually perceived.Originality/value– The paper seeks to discover the daily lives of petty traders, which have been stealthily tied in to urban development and planning. It brings a new dimension to the issue of petty trading. The fundamental argument of the paper is that the multidimensional nature of poverty is leading petty traders to a new consciousness which bodes well for them. These traders are shaping their own behaviour despite the influence of a variety of social factors that may constrain them. The social bond and interrelationship that permeate their working relationship has created a basis for which they now forge close ties that promote an inclusion from the exclusion that they are generally enjoined to.
The arguments for environmental rights in Niger Delta: a theoretical framework
Authors: Samy Martin , Lokpobiri Heineken , Dawodu Ade 
Published: June 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to examine the extent to which environmental rights enforcement is currently practiced in Nigeria and the relevant characteristics for the development of a legal framework for the practice of environmental rights enforcement in Nigeria, particularly in the interest of the Niger Delta region of the country. The Niger Delta region of Nigeria is rich with abundant hydrocarbon resources and plays host to numerous multinational oil companies. For over five decades, oil spills and gas flaring from the operations of these companies have polluted water bodies and degraded farmlands on which the inhabitants depend for their livelihood. However, the absence of a legal regime of environmental rights has made it difficult for inhabitants of the region to seek legal remedy against these companies.Design/methodology/approach– This paper examines the extent to which environmental rights enforcement is currently practiced in Nigeria and the relevant characteristics for the development of a legal framework for the practice of environmental rights enforcement in Nigeria, particularly in the interest of the Niger Delta region of the country.Findings– Nigeria does not have constitutional environmental rights. The legal implication of this provision is that it is not justiciable as such no court of law can exercise jurisdiction to hear any matter that is connected with the provisions of that chapter. In other words, even the government’s “constitutional” responsibility to protect the environment cannot be judicially enforced, let alone environmental rights for victims of environmental damage.Originality/value– The original and significant contribution of this paper is to highlight the real issues and address them through substantive and procedural environmental rights provisions either in the constitution or positive legislations.