bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A unified approach to simulation and upscaling of single‐phase flow through vuggy carbonates
Authors: Pal Mayur
Published: July 2011

Numerical modeling of flow through vuggy porous media, mainly vuggy carbonates, is a challenging endeavor. Firstly, because the presence of vugs can significantly alter the effective porosity and permeability of the medium. Secondly, because of the co‐existence of porous and free flow regions within the medium and the uncertainties in defining the exact boundary between them. Traditionally, such heterogeneous systems are modeled by the coupled Darcy–Stokes equations. However, numerical modeling of flow through vuggy porous media using coupled Darcy–Stokes equations poses several numerical challenges particularly with respect to specification of correct interface condition between the porous and free‐flow regions. Hence, an alternative method, a more unified approach for modeling flows through vuggy porous media, the Stokes–Brinkman model, is proposed here. It is a single equation model with variable coefficients, which can be used for both porous and free‐flow regions. This also makes the requirement for interface condition redundant. Thus, there is an obvious benefit of using the Stokes–Brinkman equation, which can be reduced to Stokes or Darcy equation by the appropriate choice of parameters. At the same time, the Stokes–Brinkman equation provides a smooth transition between porous and free‐flow region, thereby taking care of the associated uncertainties. A numerical treatment for upscaling Stokes–Brinkman model is presented as an approach to use Stokes–Brinkman model for multi‐phase flow. Numerical upscaling methodology is validated by analyzing the error norm for numerical pressure convergence. Stokes–Brinkman single equation model is tested on a series of realistic data sets, and the results are compared with traditional coupled Darcy–Stokes model. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Automated regional wall motion abnormality detection by combining rest and stress cardiac MRI: Correlation with contrast‐enhanced MRI
Authors: Suinesiaputra Avan , Frangi Alejandro F. , Kaandorp Theodorus A.M. , Lamb Hildo J. , Bax Jeroen J. , Reiber Johan H.C. , Lelieveldt Boudewijn P.F.
Published: July 2011

Purpose:

To correlate an automated regional wall motion abnormality (RWMA) detection method based on combined rest and dobutamine‐stress cardiac MRI with the assessment of myocardial infarction from contrast‐enhanced MRI (CE‐MRI), and to demonstrate that adding stress data improves the detection of scar segments compared with rest data alone.

Materials and Methods:

An automated RWMA detection method was built based on a statistical model of normokinetic myocardium from 41 healthy volunteers. The method was adapted to detect changes in RWMA from rest to stress. Twelve patients with myocardial infarction were included in the experiment. The correlation with CE‐MRI was performed on two measurements: infarct transmurality and scar detection.

Results:

Compared with infarct transmurality, the probability of normokinetic motion decreased progressively as infarct transmurality increased. These probability values were 0.59 for non‐scar segments, for <25% transmurality was 0.4 (SE = 0.04), for 25–50% was 0.33 (SE = 0.03), for 50–75% was 0.21 (SE = 0.03) and for ≥75% was 0.10 (SE = 0.03). For scar tissue detection, adding stress data significantly improved the performance (P < 0.001, confidence interval = 99.9%). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy increased by 34%, 30%, and 32%, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve was 0.63 when rest‐only data was used, but it was improved to 0.87 when stress data was added.

Conclusion:

The presented automated RWMA assessment was capable of detecting wall motion improvements from rest to stress. The method correlated well with infarct transmurality from CE‐MRI. Detection of scar regions was more accurate when rest and stress data were combined compared with rest data alone. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2011;. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
World War II contrails: a case study of aviation‐induced cloudiness
Authors: Ryan A. C. , MacKenzie A. R. , Watkins S. , Timmis R.
Published: July 2011

Dense and persistent condensation trails or contrails were produced by daytime US Army Air Force (USAAF) bombing raids, flown from England to Europe during World War II (WW2). These raids occurred in years when civilian air travel was rare, giving a predominantly contrail‐free background sky, in a period when there were more meteorological observations taken across England than at any time before or since. The aircraft involved in the raids entered formation at contrail‐forming altitudes (generally over 16 000 ft, approximately 5 km) over a relatively small part of southeast England before flying on to their target. This formation strategy provides us a unique opportunity to carry out multiple observation‐based comparisons of adjacent, same day, well‐defined overflown and non‐over‐flown regions.

We compile evidence from archived meteorological data, such as Met Office daily weather reports and individual station meteorological registers, together with historical aviation information from USAAF and Royal Air Force (RAF) tactical mission reports. We highlight a number of potential dates for study and demonstrate, for one of these days, a marked difference in the amount of high cloud cover, and a statistically significant (0.8 °C) difference in the 07:00–13:00 UTC temperature range when comparing data from highly overflown stations to those upwind of the flight path on the same day. Although one event cannot provide firm conclusions regarding the effect of contrails on climate, this study demonstrates that the wealth of observational data associated with WW2 bombing missions allows detailed investigation of meteorological perturbations because of aviation‐induced cloudiness. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological Society
Comparison of SERS effectiveness of copper substrates prepared by different methods: what are the values of enhancement factors?
Authors: Dendisová‐Vyškovská Marcela , Prokopec Vadym , Člupek Martin , Matějka Pavel
Published: July 2011

Surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy is an analytical method for the detection of low amounts of analytes adsorbed on an appropriate coinage metal (Au, Ag, Cu) surface. Generally, the values of the enhancement factor are the highest on silver, lower on gold and relatively very low on copper. In this study, we have focused on the estimation of the enhancement factors of copper surface/substrates formed by different preparation procedures. The SERS activity of large electrochemically prepared substrates and colloidal systems is compared. The surface morphology of the large substrates was studied using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The size distribution of colloidal nanoparticles was monitored by dynamic light scattering. The values of enhancement factor are in both cases more than 105 for the FT‐SERS spectra, demonstrating the fundamental role of nanostructured copper as a substrate material at the excitation wavelength (1064 nm) used. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Intra‐lesional interleukin‐2 for the treatment of in‐transit melanoma
Authors: Boyd Kirsty U. , Wehrli Bret M. , Temple Claire L.F.
Published: July 2011

Purpose

To investigate the role of intra‐lesional interleukin‐2 (IL‐2) injection for treatment of in‐transit melanoma metastases.

Methods

Consecutive patients with in‐transit metastases were treated with intra‐lesional IL‐2 injections. Two independent observers evaluated response to treatment using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria. A blinded pathologist confirmed clinical response with post‐treatment biopsies.

Results

Thirty‐nine patients were included. Patients received biweekly IL‐2 injections. At each treatment session, a mean of 2.08 ml (5 µ/ml) of IL‐2 were distributed amongst a mean of 12 (range 1–57) in‐transit lesions. Patients were followed for an average of 30.4 months (range 2.2–66.6 months).

The overall patient response rate was 82%. A complete response was obtained in 20 patients (51%), a partial response in 12 (31%), and no response in seven (18%). Of the 629 in‐transit metastases, 479 (76%) completely resolved. Complete responders had a significant in transit‐free (P = 0.0005) and an overall (P = 0.012) survival advantage compared with partial responders.

Conclusions

The treatment of in‐transit metastatic melanoma with intra‐lesional IL‐2 resulted in a 76% percent clearance of lesions. Complete response is associated with superior in transit‐free and overall survival when compared with partial response. J. Surg. Oncol. 2011; 104:711–717. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Outcomes of elderly patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery and perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy for colorectal cancer peritoneal carcinomatosis
Authors: Klaver Yvonne L.B. , Chua Terence C. , de Hingh Ignace H.J.T. , Morris David L.
Published: July 2011

Background

The combined treatment of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and perioperative chemotherapy (PIC) for colorectal peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) is a rigorous surgical treatment most suited for fit and young patients. With technical maturity and improved perioperative care, we examined the outcomes of elderly patients undergoing CRS and PIC for colorectal PC.

Methods

All consecutive patients treated in two tertiary centers for PC of colorectal cancer who were 70 years of age or older at the time of surgery were included. Data on patient characteristics, concomitant diseases, operation details, perioperative course, and follow‐up were retrieved from medical charts. Primary outcomes were perioperative morbidity and mortality. Secondary outcomes were disease‐free and overall survival.

Results

Twenty‐four patients (11 male) were included in this study (mean age 73.5 years). In eight patients major complications occurred. In six patients the postoperative course was complicated by minor adverse events. There was no perioperative mortality. Median overall survival was 35 months with a 6, 12, and 18 months survival rate of 94%, 83%, and 68%, respectively.

Conclusions

CRS and PIC for colorectal PC may be safely performed with acceptable morbidity in selected elderly patients. When considering patients for surgery, performance status, and the disease extent should be used as eligibility criteria rather than age. J. Surg. Oncol. 2012; 105:113–118. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Automatic sample preparation of sulfonamide antibiotic residues in chicken breast muscle by using dynamic microwave‐assisted extraction coupled with solid‐phase extraction
Authors: Wang Hui , Xu Yang , Song Weitao , Zhao Qi , Zhang Xiaopan , Zeng Qinglei , Chen Haiyan , Ding Lan , Ren Nanqi
Published: July 2011

In the work, a rapid, simple and high‐throughput sample preparation method was developed for the determination of sulfonamide (SA) antibiotic residues in chicken breast muscle. The extraction and clean‐up were online combined and up to 20 samples can be treated simultaneously in 6 min. The SAs were first extracted with acetonitrile under the action of microwave energy, and then the extract was directly introduced into the SPE column for on‐line clean‐up and concentration. Subsequently, the SAs eluted from the SPE column were determined by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The precisions of extraction results of 20 samples were in the range of 4.9–7.4%. The limits of detection and quantification obtained were in the range of 2.4–3.6 ng/g and 8.6–11.3 ng/g for SAs, respectively. The recoveries of SAs obtained by analyzing chicken muscles at three fortified levels (10, 50 and 500 ng/g) were in the range of 82.6–93.2%. The results of the validation process prove that the proposed method is suitable for treating numbers of complex samples simultaneously in a short time.
Incidence of revision adenoidectomy in children
Authors: Grindle Christopher R. , Murray Ryan C. , Chennupati Sri K. , Barth Patrick C. , Reilly James S.
Published: July 2011

Objective/Hypothesis:

Adenoidectomy is a frequently performed procedure in the pediatric population. Revision rates and indications for a second procedure in children are scarce.

Study Design:

Retrospective cohort study.

Methods:

Patient records at a multistate pediatric healthcare system were searched for all CPT codes that included adenoidectomy in children less than 12 years of age for a 5‐year period (2005–2010). A subset of patients was identified for whom the same CPT codes appeared more than once in this 5‐year period. The indication, age, gender, adenoid size, and technique of adenoidectomy were recorded.

Results:

A total of 23,612 occurrences of the CPT codes were identified. The subset of patients with multiple CPT codes, indicating revision adenoidectomy, included 304 records (1.3%). Mean age at first procedure was 2.8 years (SD = 1.7 years). Mean age at second procedure was 4.7 years (SD = 1.99 years). Mean interval between procedures was 1.8 years (SD = 1.1 years).

Conclusions:

Revision adenoidectomy occurs at a rate of 1.3%. Reasons for revision include persistence symptoms ranging from adenoiditis to recurrent otitis to obstructive sleep apnea.
Transoral robotic surgery and adjuvant therapy for oropharyngeal carcinomas and the influence of p16INK4aon treatment outcomes
Authors: Quon Harry , Cohen Marc A. , Montone Kathleen T. , Ziober Amy F. , Wang Li Ping , Weinstein Gregory S. , O'Malley Bert W.
Published: July 2011

Objectives/Hypothesis:

To determine the prognostic influence of p16INK4aimmunohistochemistry on the survival of resectable oropharyngeal carcinomas (OPSCC).

Study Design:

Retrospective pathologic evaluation of a prospective single‐arm cohort study at a tertiary referral center.

Methods:

There were 48 patients with resectable OPSCC who consented for transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and banked tissue specimen for assessment. TORS was with or without adjuvant radiation or chemoradiation. Main outcome measures were p16INK4astatus, human papillomavirus status, local‐regional disease control, and overall, disease‐specific, and disease‐free survival.

Results:

p16INK4aand HPV positivity were identified in 73% and 74% of patients respectively. With a median follow‐up of 38.8 months (2.5–63.3 months), only one local‐regional relapse has occurred in both the p16INK4a‐positive and p16INK4a‐negative cohorts. No disease‐specific, disease‐free, and overall survival differences were observed between p16INK4a‐positive and p16INK4a‐negative patients (P= .446,P= .277,P= .643, respectively).

Conclusions:

p16INK4awas not prognostic in resectable OPSCC when treated with an initial TORS approach. Laryngoscope, 2013
A new class of numerical sequences and its applications to uniform convergence of sine series
Authors: Szal Bogdan
Published: July 2011

In the present paper we introduce a new class of sequences called GM(β, r), which is a generalization of the class considered by Tikhonov in 13. Moreover, we obtain sufficient and necessary conditions for uniform convergence of sine series with (β, r)‐general monotone coefficients.
Multi‐Criteria Ratios: What is the Unit?
Authors: Wedley William C. , Choo Eng Ung
Published: July 2011

When Analytic Hierarchy Process ratios are normalized to sum to unity, the unit of measure becomes obscure. This paper investigates this obscurity and whether ratio measurement is possible when there is no prior knowledge of the measurement unit. Initially, we look at ratio scales of tangible attributes of objects with well‐known measures. Then, ratio scales of unknown intangible attributes of objects are analysed. We discover that natural zero and a specific unit of measure are not necessarily used explicitly in deriving ratio scale measures. Nevertheless, the derived scale does have a derived unit of measurement. We conclude that although composite multi‐criteria answers are possible in ratio form, it is important to know that a unit of measure exists if ambiguities are to be avoided. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Robustness Consideration in Multi‐Criteria Decision Making to an Aircraft Selection Problem
Authors: Sun Xiaoqian , Gollnick Volker , Stumpf Eike
Published: July 2011

In aircraft concept selection, uncertainties, resulting from economic noise variables such as fuel price, load factor, so on always exist in the decision making process. These uncertainties are often addressed using Taguchi loss functions for robustness analysis. The study presented in this paper is to utilize multi‐criteria decision making (MCDM) methods to solve an aircraft concept selection problem for a hypothetical airline when considering the robustness of the decision. Three MCDM methods were used to conduct the concept selection, including ELimination and Choice Expressing REality, simple additive weighting and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution. In this study, robustness is introduced as an additional decision criterion in the aircraft selection process. The impact with and without robustness consideration is compared in order to demonstrate how the proposed method makes trade‐offs between nominal performance and address uncertainty in the decision‐making process. In addition, sensitivity analysis is performed to investigate the influence of the decision criteria, especially robustness, on the final ranking of alternatives. The implementation of three MCDM methods on the aircraft selection problem also demonstrates the potential application of MCDM methods in the assessment of air transportation systems, while balancing economical, ecological, and technical constraints. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Triple‐band CPW‐FED L‐shaped monopole antenna with small ground plane
Authors: Chung Kwok L. , Chaimool Sarawuth
Published: July 2011

This article presents a CPW‐fed planar monopole antenna with a small ground‐plane size. The monopole antenna is a triple‐band design and is meant for mobile handsets with WiFi and WiMAX features. The planar structure comprises an L‐shaped monopole backed by a stub‐loaded open‐loop resonator. The proposed antenna features three bandwidths of 2.25–2.62 GHz, 3.25–4.97 GHz, and 5.2–6.30 GHz, which yielded the maximum gain of around 1 to 2 dBi. Reduction effects of ground‐plane on antenna's performance rectified by the parameters of open‐loop resonator are also investigated. The overall dimensions are 46 (W) × 34 (L) × 0.8 (d) mm3. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 53:2274–2277, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.26240
Laboratory on sea urchin fertilization
Authors: Vacquier Victor D.
Published: July 2011

Since about 1880, the eggs and sperm of sea urchins have been used for the study of fertilization, the metabolic activation of development and gene regulatory mechanisms governing embryogenesis. Sea urchin gametes are a favorite material for observations of the process of fertilization in advanced high school, community college, and university biology laboratory courses. This article is a laboratory handout, designed for the student to follow in learning about fertilization. In addition to observations of sperm–egg interaction, simple experiments are described that demonstrate some mechanisms involved in the process. The hope is that by making simple observations of fertilization, the student will gain an appreciation for the fact that successive generations of higher organisms are bridged by the fusion of egg and sperm, two very different single cells. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 78:553–564, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
PGC‐1α protects neurons and alters disease progression in an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mouse model
Authors: Liang Huiyun , Ward Walter F. , Jang Youngmok C. , Bhattacharya Arunabh , Bokov Alex F. , Li Yan , Jernigan Amanda , Richardson Arlan , Van Remmen Holly
Published: July 2011

Introduction: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease. We sought to determine whether peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC‐1α) would have a beneficial effect on this disease. Methods: PGC‐1α transgenic mice were crossed with SOD1 mutant G93A DL mice. Results: We observed a moderate but non‐significant increase in average lifespan in PGC‐1α/G93A DL mice, as compared with G93A DL mice (292 ± 3 days vs. 274 ± 7 days). Although the onset of ALS was not altered, progression of the disease was significantly slower (∽34% increase in duration) in the PGC‐1α/G93A DL mice. These mice also exhibited markedly improved performance on the rotarod test, and the improved motor activity was associated with a decreased loss of motor neurons and less degeneration of neuromuscular junctions. Conclusion: A sustained level of excitatory amino acid transporter protein 2 (EAAT2) in astrocytes of the PGC‐1α/G93A DL mice may contribute to neuronal protection. Muscle Nerve 2011
Evidence for cell density affecting C2C12 myogenesis: possible regulation of myogenesis by cell–cell communication
Authors: Tanaka Kanako , Sato Kaori , Yoshida Tomomi , Fukuda Toshio , Hanamura Kenji , Kojima Nobuhiko , Shirao Tomoaki , Yanagawa Takashi , Watanabe Hideomi
Published: July 2011

Introduction: Community effect is a phenomenon caused by cell–cell communication during myogenesis. In myogenic C2C12 cells in vitro, the confluent phase is needed for myogenesis induction. Methods: To examine the cell‐density effect, growth kinetics and myogenic differentiation were investigated in cells plated at four different cell densities. Results: We found that expression of a myogenic differentiation marker was high in a density‐dependent manner. At high density, where cell–cell contact was obvious, contact inhibition after the proliferation stage was accompanied by microarray findings demonstrating upregulation of negative regulating cell‐cycle markers, including CDKI p21 and the muscle differentiation markers MyoD and myogenin. Interestingly, developmentally regulated protein expression (drebrin) protein expression was also upregulated in a density‐dependent manner. Conclusions: These results suggest that contact inhibition after the proliferation stage may induce growth arrest via cell–cell communication through the expression of CDKI p21 and may be responsible for progressing cell fusion. Muscle Nerve 2011
Artificial neural networks and nonlinear regression techniques to assess the influence of slake durability cycles on the prediction of uniaxial compressive strength and modulus of elasticity for carbonate rocks
Authors: Yagiz S. , Sezer E. A. , Gokceoglu C.
Published: July 2011

Understanding rock material characterizations and solving relevant problems are quite difficult tasks because of their complex behavior, which sometimes cannot be identified without intelligent, numerical, and analytical approaches. Because of that, some prediction techniques, like artificial neural networks (ANN) and nonlinear regression techniques, can be utilized to solve those problems. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the cycling integer of slake durability index test on intact rock behavior and estimate some rock properties, such as uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and modulus of elasticity (E) from known rock index parameters using ANN and various regression techniques. Further, new performance index (PI) and degree of consistency (Cd) are introduced to examine the accuracy of generated models. For these purposes, intact rock dataset is established by performing rock tests including uniaxial compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, Schmidt hammer, effective porosity, dry unit weight, p‐wave velocity, and slake durability index tests on selected carbonate rocks. Afterward, the models are developed using ANN and nonlinear regression techniques. The concluding remark given is that four‐cycle slake durability index (Id4) provides more accurate results to evaluate material characterization of carbonate rocks, and it is one of the reliable input variables to estimate UCS and E of carbonate rocks; introduced performance indices, both PI and Cd, may be accepted as good indicators to assess the accuracy of the complex models, and further, the ANN models have more prediction capability than the regression techniques to estimate relevant rock properties. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effect of the word “Loving” on compliance to a fundraising request: evidence from a French field study
Authors: Guéguen Nicolas , Jacob Céline , Charles‐Sire Virginie
Published: July 2011

In a field setting, students (N = 1800) on different campus locations were asked by a young female confederate for a donation during a health fundraising solicitation (French Téléthon). The solicitor wore a white tee‐shirt with different inscriptions: no inscription, “Loving = Helping”, and “Donating = Helping”. Results found that, compared with the no inscription condition, the number of donators increased when the tee‐shirt “Loving = Helping” was worn by the solicitor‐confederate and decreased when wearing the tee‐shirt “Donating = Helping”. The activation spreading theory is used to explain these results. Practical interest for health fundraising organizations is developed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Electrically conductive acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber elastomers prepared by dopamine‐induced surface functionalization and metallization
Authors: Du Weiwei , Zou Hua , Tian Ming , Zhang Liqun , Wang Wencai
Published: July 2011

A novel method for the preparation of electrical conductive surface silvered acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber (NBR) was developed. Dopamine was spontaneously oxide polymerized and deposited onto the surface of NBR. Electroless plating of silver was carried out on the poly(dopamine) (PDA)‐functionalized NBR surface. The composition of the NBR surface was studied by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XPS results showed that PDA was successfully deposited onto the NBR surface. The morphology of the NBR surface was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM images showed that PDA had formed a distinctive layer ready for electroless deposition of silver. The catechol/quinone groups on the PDA molecular structure can be used as binding sites for silver ions. The silvered NBR showed high surface conductivity of 1.4 Ω. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluation of drug interactions and dosing in 484 neurological inpatients using clinical decision support software and an extended operational interaction classification system (Zurich Interaction System)
Authors: Guzek Markus , Zorina Olesya I. , Semmler Alexander , Gonzenbach Roman R. , Huber Martin , Kullak‐Ublick Gerd A. , Weller Michael , Russmann Stefan
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The current study aimed at identifying and quantifying critical drug interactions in neurological inpatients using clinical decision support software (CDSS). Reclassification of interactions with a focus on clinical management aimed to support the development of CDSS with higher efficacy to reduce overalerting and improve medication safety in clinical practice.

Methods

We conducted a cross‐sectional study in consecutive patients admitted to the neurology ward of a tertiary care hospital. We developed a customized interface for mass analysis with the CDSS MediQ, which we used for automated retrospective identification of drug interactions during the first day of hospitalization. Interactions were reclassified according to the Zurich Interaction System (ZHIAS), which incorporates the Operational Classification of Drug Interactions (ORCA). Dose adjustments for renal impairment were also evaluated.

Results

In 484 patients with 2812 prescriptions, MediQ generated 8 “high danger,” 518 “average danger,” and 1233 “low danger” interaction alerts. According to ZHIAS, 6 alerts involved contraindicated and 33 alerts involved provisionally contraindicated combinations, and 327 alerts involved a conditional and 1393 alerts involved a minimal risk of adverse outcomes. Thirty‐five patients (6.2%) had at least one combination that was at least provisionally contraindicated. ZHIAS also provides categorical information on expected adverse outcomes and management recommendations, which are presented in detail. We identified 13 prescriptions without recommended dose adjustment for impaired renal function.

Conclusions

MediQ detected a large number of drug interactions with variable clinical relevance in neurological inpatients. ZHIAS supports the selection of those interactions that require active management, and the effects of its implementation into CDSS on medication safety should be evaluated in future prospective studies. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Self‐efficacy beliefs mediate the relationship between subjective cognitive functioning and physical and mental well‐being after hematopoietic stem cell transplant
Authors: Wu Lisa M. , Austin Jane , Hamilton Jada G. , Valdimarsdottir Heiddis , Isola Luis , Rowley Scott , Warbet Rachel , Winkel Gary , Redd William H. , Rini Christine
Published: July 2011

Objective

Cognitive problems are commonly reported by hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) survivors and are associated with poorer physical and mental well‐being. It was hypothesized that adverse effects of subjective cognitive impairment occur because cognitive difficulties reduce survivors' confidence that they can manage HSCT‐related symptoms—that is, self‐efficacy for symptom management.

Methods

Hematopoietic stem cell transplant survivors (n = 245), 9 months to 3 years post‐HSCT, completed measures of subjective cognitive functioning, self‐efficacy for symptom management, and clinically important outcomes: depressed mood, anxiety, and quality of life. Mediation analyses using bootstrapping were conducted to investigate whether effects of subjective cognitive impairment on these outcomes were mediated by self‐efficacy for cognitive, emotional (SE‐Emotional), social (SE‐Social), and physical (SE‐Physical) symptom management.

Results

Self‐efficacy mediated relations between subjective cognitive impairment and depressed mood (total indirect effect = −0.0064 and 95% CI −0.0097 to −0.0036), anxiety (total indirect effect = −0.0045, CI −0.0072 to −0.0021), and quality of life (total indirect effect = 0.0952, CI 0.0901 to 0.2642). SE‐Emotional was a unique mediator when the outcome was depressed mood and anxiety. SE‐Social, SE‐Physical, and SE‐Emotional were specific mediators when outcome was quality of life.

Conclusions

Findings support the conclusion that subjective cognitive impairment reduces HSCT survivors' confidence in their ability to manage common post‐HSCT symptoms, with implications for physical and mental well‐being. Interventions that help enhance survivors' self‐efficacy, particularly self‐efficacy for the management of emotional symptoms, are likely to benefit HSCT survivors who report subjective cognitive impairment. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Flexural waves of carbon nanotubes based on generalized gradient elasticity
Authors: Shen J. , Wu J.‐X. , Song J. , Li X.‐F. , Lee K.Y.
Published: July 2011

Using generalized gradient elasticity, this paper studies transverse wave characteristics of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in a free space and embedded in a surrounding elastic medium. For flexural waves propagating in single‐walled CNTs, the phase and group velocities are obtained analytically and they are scale‐dependent. For single‐walled CNTs surrounded by an elastic medium, waves with frequencies lower than the cut‐off frequency cannot travel. For double‐walled CNTs, waves of acoustic and optical modes are both present, and the cut‐off frequency is dependent on the van der Waals force and the surrounding medium, but independent of the scale parameters. The phase speed of flexural waves is strongly affected by the surrounding medium for very low frequencies, and by gradient coefficients for higher frequencies. Dispersion relations are presented graphically to show the scale effects of wave speed with and without a surrounding elastic medium.
InGaN quantum dot growth in the limits of Stranski–Krastanov and spinodal decomposition
Authors: Figge Stephan , Tessarek Christian , Aschenbrenner Timo , Hommel Detlef
Published: July 2011

Most commonly used for the self‐assembling of InGaN quantum dots is a Stranski–Krastanov growth scheme. Often neglected is the influence of spinodal decomposition, although it is frequently discussed with quantum well growth. In this publication we will expose the influence of both mechanisms on the formation process of quantum dots. This paper gives an insight in the theoretical background of quantum dot formation and covers the growth by molecular beam epitaxy and metal organic vapor phase epitaxy. Stranski–Krastanov like growth has been verified by the surface evolution beyond the critical thickness as seen by atomic force microscopy on uncapped samples. The overgrowth of such samples led to dissolution of the quantum dots. Indium compositions within the miscibility gap below critical thickness yielded spinodal phase separation in meander like structures These structures are in agreement with the theory from Hilliard and Cahn. Based on spinodal decomposition overgrowth schemes have been developed which showed reliable quantum dot emission. Such layers have been implemented into device structures such as LEDs and laser structures.

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Packaging Off‐flavour Detection Ability of Two Food Simulants
Authors: Forsgren Gunnar , del Mar Lorente Lamas María , Sánchez Climent María José
Published: July 2011

One of the many important tasks of packages that are intended for direct food contact is to preserve the flavour of the food properly. It is therefore important to measure to what extent the materials can evoke off‐flavours in the packed foodstuff in terms of intensity, e.g. by use of numbers, and in terms of quality, e.g. by use of descriptors. Such intensity assessments introduce a need for calibration procedures.

A procedure based on matching off‐flavour intensities of real packaging materials to those of simplified calibration samples has been developed. Defining the concentrations of the calibration samples, based on simplified model systems corresponding to the actual intensity numbers, paves the way for a more uniform quantification. Keeping the complex reality in mind, such model system studies are useful for identifying critical points of the applied analytical methods. Furthermore, off‐flavour interactions between packaging materials and different foodstuffs can be better understood.

The sensory detection ability of one odorant, benzaldehyde, was higher when added to aqueous icing sugar (detection threshold 0.3 μg/g) than to coconut oil (5 μg/g). The assessors' individual sensitivity differed considerably, but their ability was clearly higher when judging the aqueous icing sugar. In contrast, coconut oil showed higher sorption capacity and retention of benzaldehyde than did the sugar, pointing out that a coconut oil‐based calibration system is more stable than a sugar‐based one.

Real paperboard products induced off‐flavour into coconut oil. The off‐flavour intensities and qualities differed but were complex in relation to the calibration samples. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Deterministic and ensemble‐based prediction of Adriatic Sea sirocco storms leading to ‘acqua alta’ in Venice
Authors: Bertotti Luciana , Bidlot Jean‐Raymond , Buizza Roberto , Cavaleri Luigi , Janousek Martin
Published: July 2011

The accuracy of deterministic and probabilistic forecasts of storms in the Adriatic Sea that lead to the flooding of Venice is discussed. We consider ECMWF state‐of‐the‐art high‐resolution single deterministic and lower‐resolution ensemble‐based forecasts of meteorological and sea states (waves) for five storms that affected Venice between 1966 and 2008. Notwithstanding the complicated local orographic situation, it is shown that ECMWF single, deterministic forecasts provide accurate information up to 3–4 days in advance. This range is further extended to between 4 and 6 days if ensemble‐based, probabilistic forecasts are considered. The assessment of the quality of Ensemble Prediction System (EPS) probabilistic forecasts during the winters of 2008–2009 and 2009–2010 over the Adriatic and the Mediterranean Seas, and the North Atlantic Ocean, is also discussed to provide a proper statistical evaluation of the accuracy of EPS‐based probabilistic forecasts of the wind over the sea. Average results indicate that EPS probabilistic forecasts over these areas are skilful for the whole forecast range considered in this study. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological Society
A scalable gaussian process analysis algorithm for biomass monitoring
Authors: Chandola Varun , Vatsavai Ranga Raju
Published: July 2011

Biomass monitoring is vital for studying the carbon cycle of earth's ecosystem and has several significant implications, especially in the context of understanding climate change and its impacts. Recently, several change detection methods have been proposed to identify land cover changes in temporal profiles (time series) of vegetation collected using remote sensing instruments, but do not satisfy one or both of the two requirements of the biomass monitoring problem, that is, operating in online mode and handling periodic time series. In this paper, we adapt Gaussian process (GP) regression to detect changes in such time series in an online fashion. While GP have been widely used as a kernel‐based learning method for regression and classification, their applicability to massive spatiotemporal data sets, such as remote sensing data, has been limited owing to the high computational costs involved. We focus on addressing the scalability issues associated with the proposed GP based change detection algorithm. This paper makes several significant contributions. First, we propose a GP based online time series change detection algorithm and demonstrate its effectiveness in detecting different types of changes in Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data obtained from a study area in IA, USA. Second, we propose an efficient Toeplitz matrix based solution which significantly improves the computational complexity and memory requirements of the proposed GP based method. Specifically, the proposed solution can analyze a time series of length t in O(t2) time while maintaining a O(t) memory footprint, compared to the O(t3) time and O(t2) memory requirement of standard matrix manipulation based methods. Third, we describe a parallel version of the proposed solution which can be used to simultaneously analyze a large number of time series. We study three different parallel implementations: using threads, Message Passing Interface (MPI), and a hybrid implementation using threads and MPI. Experimental results show that the hybrid implementation scales better than the multithreaded and MPI based implementations. The application of the proposed scalable algorithm is demonstrated in analyzing massive remote sensing observation data. The hybrid implementation, using 1536 computing cores, can analyze an NDVI data set for the Iowa study area in nearly 5 s, while a serial algorithm, using standard Cholesky decomposition based routines, takes several days to process the same data set. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining 4: 430–445, 2011
Anti‐virus in‐the‐cloud service: are we ready for the security evolution?
Authors: Yan Wei , Ansari Nirwan
Published: July 2011

The ever‐increasing malware variants pose serious challenges for traditional signature‐based anti‐virus (AV) scan engines. To effectively handle the scale and magnitude of new malware variants, AV functionality is being moved from the user desktop into the cloud. AV in‐the‐cloud service is becoming the next‐generation security infrastructure designed to defend against virus threats. It provides reliable protection service delivered through data centers worldwide, which are built on virtualization technologies. Nowadays, cloud‐based security services are gaining bullish projections in both consumer and enterprise markets. However, are we getting ready for the cloud evolution? Security vendors are facing various challenges regarding the architectural design, implementation, and validation. Owing to the lack of operation standards among vendors and very few research works conducted up to this point, researchers have no references of AV cloud testing to rely on. In this paper, the architecture of AV in‐the‐cloud service is described. The challenges and solutions are discussed and illustrated by examples taken from our cutting‐edge research on practical applications. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Surface modification and wear test of carbon steel by plasma electrolytic nitrocarburizing
Authors: Rastkar Ahmad Reza , Shokri Babak
Published: July 2011

Plasma electrolytic nitrocarburizing (PEN/C) was applied to the surface of carbon steel under the boiling condition of saturated urea electrolyte. In addition to the general effect of the bath temperature, different applied voltages and processing times were also considered in this new process. Optical and scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, microhardness and pin‐on‐disc wear tests were used to characterize the PEN/C‐treated surfaces. A mixture of θ‐(Fe3C) and ε‐(Fe2–3N) was found in the compound layers. At certain conditions, dense surface layers with minimum porosity were observed at the top of the samples. The boiling condition resulted in special character of the compound layers on the surface. The layers consisted of some irregularities grown inward the samples andaffected the characteristics of the surface layers. The microhardness of the PEN/C‐treated layers increased up to 1280 HV0.1, which was 3 to 4 times higher than that for untreated material and higher than that obtained by other investigators (750 HV0.1). PEN/C decreased the wear loss of carbon steel significantly due to the change of the adhesive wear of untreated material to the abrasive mode of treated surfaces. The major advantage of this technique was a higher growth rate of the nitrocarburized layers and a more significant improvement in the tribological performance of the treated samples if compared to similarly oriented surface treatments. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Colloidally Stable Silicon Nanocrystals with Near‐Infrared Photoluminescence for Biological Fluorescence Imaging
Authors: Henderson Eric J. , Shuhendler Adam J. , Prasad Preethy , Baumann Verena , Maier‐Flaig Florian , Faulkner Daniel O. , Lemmer Uli , Wu Xiao Yu , Ozin Geoffrey A.
Published: July 2011

Luminescent silicon nanocrystals (ncSi) are showing great promise as photoluminescent tags for biological fluorescence imaging, with size‐dependent emission that can be tuned into the near‐infrared biological window and reported lack of toxicity. Here, colloidally stable ncSi with NIR photoluminescence are synthesized from (HSiO1.5)n sol–gel glasses and are used in biological fluorescence imaging. Modifications to the thermal processing conditions of (HSiO1.5)n sol–gel glasses, the development of new ncSi oxide liberation chemistry, and an appropriate alkyl surface passivation scheme lead to the formation of colloidally stable ncSi with photoluminescence centered at 955 nm. Water solubility and biocompatibility are achieved through encapsulation of the hydrophobic alkyl‐capped ncSi within PEG‐terminated solid lipid nanoparticles. Their applicability to biological imaging is demonstrated with the in‐vitro fluorescence labelling of human breast tumor cells.
Monolayers at air‐water interfaces: from origins‐of‐life to nanotechnology
Authors: Ariga Katsuhiko , Hill Jonathan P.
Published: July 2011

The air‐water interface presents several interesting features, namely a) a molecularly flat environment, b) a boundary region between two phases with different dielectric constants, c) permits or promotes dynamic interactions within the interface region, and d) a point of interaction between hydrophobic compounds and aqueous molecules. Accordingly, Langmuir monolayers at the air‐water interface have several unique characteristics and properties, which require investigation. In this review‐type personal account, typical examples of molecular recognition and molecular patterning at air‐water interfaces are first introduced, followed by descriptions of specific and unusual properties of monolayers on water. In addition, two examples of our own results concerning Langmuir monolayers are explained. We have selected examples from two apparently unrelated research areas, these being the origin of life and future nanotechnology, in order to emphasize the diverse scientific contribution of research on monolayers at the air‐water interface. DOI 10.1002/tcr.201100004
The maze of paramutation: a rough guide to the puzzling epigenetics of paramutation
Authors: Brzeski Jan , Brzeska Katarzyna
Published: July 2011

Epigenetic mechanisms maintain gene expression states through mitotic and sometimes meiotic cell divisions. Paramutation is an extreme example of epigenetic processes. Not only an established expression state is transmitted through meiosis to the following generations but also an information transfer occurs between alleles and leads to heritable changes in expression state. As a consequence the expression states can rapidly propagate in population, violating Mendelian genetics. Recent findings unraveled an essential role for siRNA‐dependent processes in paramutation. Despite significant progress, the overall picture is still puzzling and many important questions remain to be answered. WIREs RNA 2011 2 863–874 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.97

Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > RNAi: Mechanisms of Action

RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease

RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Development
Combinatorial patterns of histone modifications in Saccharomyces.cerevisiae
Authors: Cui Xiang‐Jun , Li Hong , Liu Guo‐Qing
Published: July 2011

Histone modification is an important subject of epigenetics that plays an intrinsic role in transcriptional regulation. It has been suggested that multiple histone modifications act in a combinatorial fashion to form a ‘histone code’. In this study, the combinatorial patterns of histone modifications were studied by using a Bayesian network at the level of individual nucleosomes in S. cerevisiae. Our results indicated that there were 23 combinatorial patterns for 12 histone modifications investigated when a general Bayesian network was constructed. Meanwhile, different networks were also constructed for the genes with high transcript levels (H‐network) and low transcript levels (L‐network), respectively. Comparison among the general network, H‐network and L‐network illustrated four conserved combinations: H2BK16Ac → H3K4me3; H3K14Ac → H3K4me3; H2AK7Ac → H3K14Ac; and H4K12Ac → H3K18Ac. The detailed analysis for some combinations demonstrated that the combinations were ascribed to some histone‐modifying enzymes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.