bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Racial/Ethnic Differences in Gestational Diabetes Prevalence and Contribution of Common Risk Factors
Authors: Pu Jia , Zhao Beinan , Wang Elsie J. , Nimbal Vani , Osmundson Sarah , Kunz Liza , Popat Rita A. , Chung Sukyung , Palaniappan Latha P. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractBackgroundThe White House, the American Heart Association, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute have all recently acknowledged the need to disaggregate Asian American subgroups to better understand this heterogeneous racial group. This study aims to assess racial/ethnic differences in relative contribution of risk factors of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among Asian subgroups (Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese), Hispanics, non‐Hispanic blacks, and non‐Hispanic whites.MethodsPregnant women in 2007–2012 were identified through California state birth certificate records and linked to the electronic health records in a large mixed‐payer ambulatory care organisation in Northern California (n = 24 195). Relative risk and population attributable fraction (PAF) for specific racial/ethnic groups were calculated to assess the contributions of advanced maternal age, overweight/obesity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) standards and World Health Organization (WHO)/American Diabetes Association (ADA) body mass index cut‐offs for Asians), family history of type 2 diabetes, and foreign‐born status.ResultsGDM was most prevalent among Asian Indians (19.3%). Relative risks were similar across all race/ethnic groups. Advanced maternal age had higher PAFs in non‐Hispanic whites (22.5%) and Hispanics (22.7%). Meanwhile family history (Asian Indians 22.6%, Chinese 22.9%) and foreign‐borne status (Chinese 40.2%, Filipinos 30.2%) had higher PAFs in Asian subgroups. Overweight/obesity was the most important GDM risk factor for non‐Hispanic whites, Hispanics, Asian Indians, and Filipinos when the WHO/ADA cut‐off points were applied. Advanced maternal age was the only risk factor studied that was modified by race/ethnicity, with non‐Hispanic white and Hispanic women being more adversely affected than other racial/ethnic groups.ConclusionsOverweight/obesity, advanced maternal age, family history of type 2 diabetes, and foreign‐borne status are important risk factors for GDM. The relative contributions of these risk factors differ by race/ethnicity, mainly due to differences in population prevalence of these risk factors.
Creating Tactile Space during a University Extension Field Day Event: The Case of a Sustainable Agriculture Innovation
Authors: Cowan Jeremy S. , Goldberger Jessica R. , Miles Carol A. , Inglis Debra A. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractDrawing on the concept of “tactile space,” we evaluate the experiential learning environment of a university extension field day event focused on a sustainable agriculture innovation: biodegradable plastic mulch. Introduced by sociologist Michael Carolan, “tactile spaces” are sensuously rich learning environments where participants interact with each other and the environment in an “embodied” and “embedded” manner leading to long‐lasting attitudinal and behavioral change. In our study, farmers, extension professionals, crop consultants, and mulch manufacturers participated in a field day event designed to provide both embodied and embedded experiences in an effort to stimulate interest in biodegradable plastic mulch, an economically and environmentally sustainable alternative to polyethylene mulch. Field day participants engaged in hands‐on demonstrations preceded and followed by focus group sessions. Enhancing the learning environment in these ways improved the success of the field day event by encouraging practice‐based forms of learning, which supplemented and reinforced the claims made about biodegradable plastic mulch. However, the tactile space could have been enriched by providing more opportunities for participants to become embedded within the environment, and by adding elements to overcome the temporal limitations of the field day event. This research contributes to the broader literature on participatory research and extension.
Stock Returns and Exchange Rate Nexus in Ghana: A Bayesian Quantile Regression Approach
Authors: Boako Gideon , Omane‐Adjepong Maurice , Frimpong Joseph Magnus 
Published: July 2015

AbstractThis paper presents analysis of the relationship and dependence structure between stock returns and exchange rates in Ghana using data of daily periodicity from January 4, 2011 to July 31, 2014. Analyses are conducted by means of Bayesian quantile regression (QR) technique and multiple causality tests. Our findings suggest high dependence of the equity market on the foreign exchange market in Ghana, and that the link between the two markets follows the international trade‐oriented model more than the portfolio balance theory. We report that among the six exchange rates used, only the cedi–dollar registers instantaneous effect on the equity market.
The Economic Value of Time: Evidence from Africa
Authors: Wondemu Kifle 
Published: July 2015

AbstractWhen excessive and inefficiently implemented, government interventions can result in significant economic losses for citizens. These include the often‐significant cost of lost time. This paper thus aims to estimate the potential economic welfare benefit of reducing public office waiting times. Based on data from Johannesburg, Lagos and Addis Ababa, we show that a one‐hour reduction in waiting time improves welfare by 66‐74% of the average local wage. High‐income earners, college graduates and private‐sector employees enjoy higher gains. Moreover, we note that the proxies currently used to quantify time‐saving benefits diverge significantly from the rate at which individuals substitute time for money. Our analysis also indicated a substantial delay‐induced citywide efficiency loss. Introducing public–private partnership and charging premium fees for faster service delivery are justifiable both on grounds of equity and efficiency.
Trajectories of Breadth of Participation in Organized Activity During Childhood
Authors: Aumètre Florence , Poulin François 
Published: July 2015

AbstractThis study aimed to identify the trajectories of breadth of participation in organized activities during childhood and to examine the predictors of membership in these trajectories (child's individual and family characteristics measured in Kindergarten). A sample of 1038 children, recruited in Kindergarten, was assessed yearly between Kindergarten and grade 4. Semiparametric group‐based modeling brought out four trajectories: the no participation group (13.5 percent), the increasing group (26.4 percent), the decreasing group (14.1 percent), and the high group (46.1 percent). Prosociality predicted membership in the no participation group, as compared with the increasing group. Social withdrawal predicted membership in the no participation group, as compared with the high group. High family income and higher maternal education predicted membership in the increasing, decreasing, and high trajectory groups, as compared with the no participation group. Higher paternal education predicted membership in the high group, as compared with the increasing group. Overall, family variables had a greater impact than individual variables on the probability that the child would participate in a broader range of organized activities.
Chinese Trust in the Police: The Impact of Political Efficacy and Participation
Authors: Hu Rong , Sun Ivan Y. , Wu Yuning 
Published: July 2015

ObjectiveWe assessed the influences of political efficacy and political participation on public perceptions of police trustworthiness in China.MethodsDrawing upon approximately 10,000 cases collected by the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), we used multivariate regression to assess the impact of two types of political efficacy, internal efficacy and external efficacy, and three forms of political participation, engaging in community affairs, grassroots election, and rightful resistance, on public trust in the police, controlling for demographics and social trust and justice.ResultsWe found that external efficacy and grassroots election are positively related to trust in the police, whereas internal efficacy and rightful resistance are negatively associated with such trust. Background characteristics, such as gender, ethnicity, age, education, and household registration, and social trust and justice variables are also predictive of Chinese perceptions of police trustworthiness.ConclusionPolitical efficacy and participation mattered in influencing trust in the police. The Chinese government should continue its political reforms by allowing greater public participation in the selection of political representatives and the decision‐making process of public policy.
Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome due to donor‐specific HLA‐antibodies
Authors: Kauke T. , Kneidinger N. , Martin B. , Dick A. , Schneider C. , Schramm R. , Meimarakis G. , Preissler G. , Eickelberg O. , von Dossow V. , Behr J. , Hatz R. , Neurohr C. , Winter H. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractChronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) is a limiting factor for long‐term survival in lung transplant recipients. Donor‐specific human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐antibodies (DSA) have been suggested as potential risk factors for CLAD. However, their impact on clinical outcome following lung transplantation remains controversial. We performed a single‐center study of 120 lung transplant recipients transplanted between 2006 and 2011. Patient sera were investigated before and after transplantation. The sera were screened by means of Luminex® technology (Luminex Inc., Austin, TX, USA) for IgG‐HLA‐class I and class II antibodies (ab). Using single antigen beads, DSA were identified and correlated retrospectively with clinical parameters. After transplantation 39 out of 120 patients (32.5%) were positive for HLA‐ab. The incidence of de novo DSA formation was 27 of 120 patients (22.5%). Eleven of 27 (41%) of de novo DSA‐positive patients developed BOS compared to 13 of 93 (14%) DSA‐negative patients (p = 0.002). Furthermore, the generation of de novo DSA was independently associated with the development of BOS in multivariable analysis [hazard ration (HR) 2.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0–6.08; p = 0.046). Our results indicate that de novo DSA are associated with the development of BOS after lung transplantation. Monitoring of HLA‐ab after transplantation is useful for identifying high‐risk patients and offers an opportunity for early therapeutic intervention.
Predicting storage‐dependent damage to red blood cells using nitrite oxidation kinetics, peroxiredoxin‐2 oxidation, and hemoglobin and free heme measurements
Authors: Oh Joo‐Yeun , Stapley Ryan , Harper Victoria , Marques Marisa B. , Patel Rakesh P. 
Published: July 2015

BACKGROUNDStorage‐dependent damage to red blood cells (RBCs) varies significantly. Identifying RBC units that will undergo higher levels of hemolysis during storage may allow for more efficient inventory management decision‐making. Oxidative‐stress mediates storage‐dependent damage to RBCs and will depend on the oxidant:antioxidant balance. We reasoned that this balance or redox tone will serve as a determinant of how a given RBC unit stores and that its assessment in “young” RBCs will predict storage‐dependent hemolysis.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODSRBCs were sampled from bags and segments stored for 7 to 42 days. Redox tone was assessed by nitrite oxidation kinetics and peroxiredoxin‐2 (Prx‐2) oxidation. In parallel, hemolysis was assessed by measuring cell‐free hemoglobin (Hb) and free heme (hemin). Correlation analyses were performed to determine if Day 7 measurements predicted either the level of hemolysis at Day 35 or the increase in hemolysis during storage.RESULTSHigher Day 7 Prx‐2 oxidation was associated with higher Day 35 Prx‐2 oxidation, suggesting that early assessment of this variable may identify RBCs that will incur the most oxidative damage during storage. RBCs that oxidized nitrite faster on Day 7 were associated with the greatest levels of storage‐dependent hemolysis and increases in Prx‐2 oxidation. An inverse relationship between storage‐dependent changes in oxyhemoglobin and free heme was observed underscoring an unappreciated reciprocity between these molecular species. Moreover, free heme was higher in the bag compared to paired segments, with opposite trends observed for free Hb.CONCLUSIONMeasurement of Prx‐2 oxidation and nitrite oxidation kinetics early during RBC storage may predict storage‐dependent damage to RBC including hemolysis‐dependent formation of free Hb and heme.
Prior Distributions of Material Parameters for Bayesian Calibration of Growth and Remodeling Computational Model of Abdominal Aortic Wall
Authors: Seyedsalehi Sajjad , Zhang Liangliang , Choi Jongeun , Baek Seungik 
Published: July 2015

For the accurate prediction of the vascular disease progression, there is a crucial need for developing a systematic tool aimed toward patient-specific modeling. Considering the interpatient variations, a prior distribution of model parameters has a strong influence on computational results for arterial mechanics. One crucial step toward patient-specific computational modeling is to identify parameters of prior distributions that reflect existing knowledge. In this paper, we present a new systematic method to estimate the prior distribution for the parameters of a constrained mixture model using previous biaxial tests of healthy abdominal aortas (AAs). We investigate the correlation between the estimated parameters for each constituent and the patient's age and gender; however, the results indicate that the parameters are correlated with age only. The parameters are classified into two groups: Group-I in which the parameters ce, ck1, ck2, cm2,Ghc, and ϕe are correlated with age, and Group-II in which the parameters cm1, Ghm, G1e, G2e, and α are not correlated with age. For the parameters in Group-I, we used regression associated with age via linear or inverse relations, in which their prior distributions provide conditional distributions with confidence intervals. For Group-II, the parameter estimated values were subjected to multiple transformations and chosen if the transformed data had a better fit to the normal distribution than the original. This information improves the prior distribution of a subject-specific model by specifying parameters that are correlated with age and their transformed distributions. Therefore, this study is a necessary first step in our group's approach toward a Bayesian calibration of an aortic model. The results from this study will be used as the prior information necessary for the initialization of Bayesian calibration of a computational model for future applications.
A method for evaluating image quality of monochrome and color displays based on luminance by use of a commercially available color digital camera
Authors: Tokurei Shogo , Morishita Junji 
Published: July 2015

Purpose:The aim of this study is to propose a method for the quantitative evaluation of image quality of both monochrome and color liquid‐crystal displays (LCDs) using a commercially available color digital camera.Methods:The intensities of the unprocessed red (R), green (G), and blue (B) signals of a camera vary depending on the spectral sensitivity of the image sensor used in the camera. For consistent evaluation of image quality for both monochrome and color LCDs, the unprocessed RGB signals of the camera were converted into gray scale signals that corresponded to the luminance of the LCD. Gray scale signals for the monochrome LCD were evaluated by using only the green channel signals of the camera. For the color LCD, the RGB signals of the camera were converted into gray scale signals by employing weighting factors (WFs) for each RGB channel. A line image displayed on the color LCD was simulated on the monochrome LCD by using a software application for subpixel driving in order to verify the WF‐based conversion method. Furthermore, the results obtained by different types of commercially available color cameras and a photometric camera were compared to examine the consistency of the authors’ method. Finally, image quality for both the monochrome and color LCDs was assessed by measuring modulation transfer functions (MTFs) and Wiener spectra (WS).Results:The authors’ results demonstrated that the proposed method for calibrating the spectral sensitivity of the camera resulted in a consistent and reliable evaluation of the luminance of monochrome and color LCDs. The MTFs and WS showed different characteristics for the two LCD types owing to difference in the subpixel structure. The MTF in the vertical direction of the color LCD was superior to that of the monochrome LCD, although the WS in the vertical direction of the color LCD was inferior to that of the monochrome LCD as a result of luminance fluctuations in RGB subpixels.Conclusions:The authors’ method based on the use of a commercially available color camera is useful to evaluate and understand the display performances of both monochrome and color LCDs in radiology departments.
Large Nosocomial Outbreak of Colistin-Resistant, Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Traced to Clonal Expansion of an
mgrB
Deletion Mutant
Authors: Giani Tommaso , Arena Fabio , Vaggelli Guendalina , Conte Viola , Chiarelli Adriana , Henrici De Angelis Lucia , Fornaini Rossella , Grazzini Maddalena , Niccolini Fabrizio , Pecile Patrizia , Rossolini Gian Maria 
Published: July 2015

ABSTRACT

We describe a large hospital outbreak (93 bloodstream infections) of colistin-resistant
Klebsiella pneumoniae
carbapenemase (KPC)-producing
K. pneumoniae
isolates which was mirrored by increased colistin consumption. The outbreak was mostly traced to the clonal expansion of an
mgrB
deletion mutant of an ST512 strain that produced KPC-3.
Molecular Epidemiology of Mycoplasma pneumoniae: Genotyping Using Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and SNaPshot Technology
Authors: Touati A. , Blouin Y. , Sirand-Pugnet P. , Renaudin H. , Oishi T. , Vergnaud G. , Bébéar C. , Pereyre S. 
Published: July 2015

ABSTRACT

Molecular typing of
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
is an important tool for identifying grouped cases and investigating outbreaks. In the present study, we developed a new genotyping method based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) selected from the whole-genome sequencing of eight
M. pneumoniae
strains, using the SNaPshot minisequencing assay. Eight SNPs, localized in housekeeping genes, predicted lipoproteins, and adhesin P1 genes were selected for genotyping. These SNPs were evaluated on 140
M. pneumoniae
clinical isolates previously genotyped by multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA-5) and adhesin P1 typing. This method was also adapted for direct use with clinical samples and evaluated on 51 clinical specimens. The analysis of the clinical isolates using the SNP typing method showed nine distinct SNP types with a Hunter and Gaston diversity index (HGDI) of 0.836, which is higher than the HGDI of 0.583 retrieved for the MLVA-4 typing method, where the nonstable Mpn1 marker was removed. A strong correlation with the P1 adhesin gene typing results was observed. The congruence was poor between MLVA-5 and SNP typing, indicating distinct genotyping schemes. Combining the results increased the discriminatory power. This new typing method based on SNPs and the SNaPshot technology is a method for rapid
M. pneumoniae
typing directly from clinical specimens, which does not require any sequencing step. This method is based on stable markers and provides information distinct from but complementary to MLVA typing. The combined use of SNPs and MLVA typing provides powerful discrimination of strains.
First Report of Human Infection by Agromycesmediolanus, a Gram-Positive Organism Found in Soil
Authors: Sridhar Siddharth , Wang Angela Y. M. , Chan Jasper F. W. , Yip Cyril C. Y. , Lau Susanna K. P. , Woo Patrick C. Y. , Yuen Kwok-Yung 
Published: July 2015

ABSTRACT

We report the first human infection by a member of the
Agromyces
genus, a group of Gram-positive bacteria found in soil. A patient with a long-term venous catheter developed bacteremia due to a non-vancomycin-susceptible isolate of
Agromyces
mediolanus
. Rapid identification was possible by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry.
Reevaluation of an Acanthamoeba Molecular Diagnostic Algorithm following an Atypical Case of Amoebic Keratitis
Authors: Lau Rachel , Cunanan Marlou , Jackson Jonathan , Ali Ibne Karim M. , Chong-Kit Ann , Gasgas Jason , Tian Jinfang , Ralevski Filip , Boggild Andrea K. 
Published: July 2015

ABSTRACT

Amoebic keratitis (AK) is a potentially blinding infection, the prompt diagnosis of which is essential for limiting ocular morbidity. We undertook a quality improvement initiative with respect to the molecular detection of acanthamoebae in our laboratory because of an unusual case of discordance. Nine ATCC strains of
Acanthamoeba
and 40 delinked, biobanked, surplus corneal scraping specimens were analyzed for the presence of acanthamoebae with four separate real-time PCR assays. The assay used by the Free-Living and Intestinal Amebas Laboratory of the CDC was considered the reference standard, and the performance characteristics of each individual assay and pairs of assays were calculated. Outcome measures were sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV). Of 49 included specimens, 14 (28.6%) were positive by the gold standard assay, and 35 (71.4%) were negative. The sensitivities of the individual assays ranged from 64.3% to 92.9%, compared to the gold standard, while the specificities ranged from 88.6% to 91.4%. The PPVs and NPVs ranged from 69.2% to 78.6% and from 86.1% to 96.9%, respectively. Combinations of assay pairs led to improved performance, with sensitivities ranging from 92.9% to 100% and specificities ranging from 97.1% to 100%. ATCC and clinical strains of
Acanthamoeba
that failed to be detected by certain individual assays included
Acanthamoeba castellanii
,
Acanthamoeba culbertsoni
, and
Acanthamoeba lenticulata
. For three clinical specimens, false negativity of the gold standard assay could not be excluded. Molecular diagnostic approaches, especially combinations of highly sensitive and specific assays, offer a reasonably performing, operator-independent, rapid strategy for the detection of acanthamoebae in clinical specimens and are likely to be more practical than either culture or direct microscopic detection.