bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
People‐centric sensing in assistive healthcare: Privacy challenges and directions
Authors: Giannetsos Thanassis , Dimitriou Tassos , Prasad Neeli R.
Published: February 2011

As the domains of pervasive computing and sensor networking are expanding, there is an ongoing trend towards assistive living and healthcare support environments that can effectively assimilate these technologies according to human needs. Most of the existing research in assistive healthcare follows a more passive approach and has focused on collecting and processing data using a static‐topology and an application‐aware infrastructure. However, with the technological advances in sensing, computation, storage, and communications, a new era is about to emerge changing the traditional view of sensor‐based assistive environments where people are passive data consumers, with one where people carry mobile sensing elements involving large volumes of data related to everyday human activities. This evolution will be driven by people‐centric sensing and will turn mobile phones into global mobile sensing devices enabling thousands new personal, social, and public sensing applications. In this paper, we discuss our vision for people‐centric sensing in assistive healthcare environments and study the security challenges it brings. This highly dynamic and mobile setting presents new challenges for information security, data privacy and ethics, caused by the ubiquitous nature of data traces originating from sensors carried by people. We aim to instigate discussion on these critical issues because people‐centric sensing will never succeed without adequate provisions on security and privacy. To that end, we discuss the latest advances in security and privacy protection strategies that hold promise in this new exciting paradigm. We hope this work will better highlight the need for privacy in people‐centric sensing applications and spawn further research in this area. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Minimizing insider misuse through secure Identity Management
Authors: Fuchs Ludwig , Pernul Günther
Published: February 2011

To avoid insider computer misuse, identity, and authorization data referring to the legitimate users of systems must be properly organized, constantly and systematically analyzed, and evaluated. In order to support this, structured and secure Identity Management is required. A comprehensive methodology supporting Identity Management within organizations has been developed, including gathering of identity data spread among different applications, systematic cleansing of user account data in order to detect semantic as well as syntactic errors, grouping of privileges and access rights, and semiautomatic engineering of user roles. The focus of this paper is on the cleansing of identity and account data leading to feedback where insider misuse due to existing privileges which go beyond the scope of the users' current need‐to‐know may occur. The paper in detail presents used data cleansing mechanisms and underlines their applicability in two real‐world case studies. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Depth resolution and inhomogeneity of the sputtering dose with sample rotation and ion beam rastering
Authors: Shard A. G. , Seah M. P.
Published: February 2011

Sample rotation during sputter depth profiling can improve the measured depth resolution. We examine some of the practical issues of particular relevance to rotation conditions in SIMS. There are many ways of arranging the rotation for sputtering and, to illustrate the issues, one configuration is studied. Through simulations of the spatial distribution of ion dose using a rastered ion beam and sample rotation, we demonstrate that significant variations in the distribution of ion dose across the surface can occur during the profile. With rotational frequencies much lower than raster frequencies, as used for Auger and XPS, these variations are typically small and have the same periodicity as the rotation. If rotational frequencies are similar to, or larger than the raster frequency, then large spatial variations in dose can occur. In this case, extreme care must be taken to ensure that the two frequencies are not related by a simple rational number and that the sputtering ion beam size should be significantly broader than the line spacing of the raster, but significantly smaller than the raster size. Specific recommendations are provided for setting both the rotation frequency and the size of the sputtering ion beam in order to ensure that the relative standard deviation of the ion dose across the analysis area remains lower than 1%. However, the best method may be a stepwise rotation of 90° after each analysis and sputtering cycle. © Crown copyright 2011. Reproduced with the permission of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The density of interface states and their relaxation times in Au/Bi4Ti3O12/SiO2/n‐Si(MFIS) structures
Authors: Bülbül M. M. , Altındal Ş. , Parlaktürk F. , Tataroğlu A.
Published: February 2011

Bismuth titanate (Bi4Ti3O12) (BTO) thin films were fabricated on an n‐type Si substrate and annealed by rapid thermal annealing methods. The I‐V measurement shows that the device has properties of Schottky diode with the ΦB0 of 0.76 eV, n of 2.42, and leakage current of about 10−7 A at − 8 V. The experimental C‐V‐f and G/w‐V‐f characteristics of metal‐ferroelectric‐insulator‐semiconductor (MFIS) structures show fairly large frequency dispersion especially at low frequencies due to interface states Nss. The energy distribution of (Nss) has been determined by using the high‐low frequency capacitance (CHF− CLF) and conductance method. The relaxation time (τ) of interface states was calculated from the conductance method. It has been shown that both the Nss and relaxation time increase almost exponentially with bias, which activates traps located at deeper gap energies. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A proof of concept phase II non‐inferiority criterion
Authors: Neuenschwander Beat , Rouyrre Nicolas , Hollaender Norbert , Zuber Emmanuel , Branson Michael
Published: February 2011

Traditional phase III non‐inferiority trials require compelling evidence that the treatment vs control effect bfθ is better than a pre‐specified non‐inferiority margin θNI. The standard approach compares this margin to the 95 per cent confidence interval of the effect parameter. In the phase II setting, in order to declare Proof of Concept (PoC) for non‐inferiority and proceed in the development of the drug, different criteria that are specifically tailored toward company internal decision making may be more appropriate. For example, less evidence may be needed as long as the effect estimate is reasonably convincing.

We propose a non‐inferiority design that addresses the specifics of the phase II setting. The requirements are that (1) the effect estimate be better than a critical threshold θC, and (2) the type I error with regard to θNI is controlled at a pre‐specified level. This design is compared with the traditional design from a frequentist as well as a Bayesian perspective, where the latter relies on the Level of Proof (LoP) metric, i.e. the probability that the true effect is better than effect values of interest. Clinical input is required to establish the value θC, which makes the design transparent and improves interactions within clinical teams. The proposed design is illustrated for a non‐inferiority trial for a time‐to‐event endpoint in oncology. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Extended model‐based designs for more complex dose‐finding studies
Authors: O'Quigley John , Conaway Mark
Published: February 2011

We discuss extensions of model‐based designs, such as the continual reassessment method, for use in dose‐finding studies. Rather than work with a single model to carry out the design and analysis of a dose‐finding study we indicate how the use of several models can greatly increase flexibility. We can appeal to established results on Bayesian model choice and this device makes the inferential problem essentially straightforward. The greater flexibility enables us to take on board many different kinds of added complexity. Examples include extended models to deal with subject heterogeneity, extended models to take account of different treatment schedules and extended models to tackle the problem of partial ordering. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dose‐finding approach for dose escalation with overdose control considering incomplete observations
Authors: Mauguen A. , Le Deley M. C. , Zohar S.
Published: February 2011

We propose a hybrid design, the time‐to‐event dose‐escalation method with overdose control (TITE‐EWOC), introducing the time‐to‐event approach, developed by Cheungit et al., in the EWOC method, developed by Babb et al. The aim of this new design is to decrease the dose‐finding trial duration, without impairing the characteristics of the EWOC design, especially the overdose control ability. We conducted a simulation study, exploring four dose–toxicity relationships and three mean inter‐patient arrival times. Performances of TITE‐EWOC were compared with those of the EWOC method. This study shows that the trial duration can be greatly decreased with the TITE‐EWOC, without impacting the proportion of overdosed patients or the number of dose‐limiting toxicities by trial, for all explored dose–toxicity relationships, except for very short inter‐patient arrival times. The ability of the method to find the true maximum tolerated dose remains unchanged. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multiple imputation analysis of case–cohort studies
Authors: Marti Helena , Chavance Michel
Published: February 2011

The usual methods for analyzing case–cohort studies rely on sometimes not fully efficient weighted estimators. Multiple imputation might be a good alternative because it uses all the data available and approximates the maximum partial likelihood estimator. This method is based on the generation of several plausible complete data sets, taking into account uncertainty about missing values. When the imputation model is correctly defined, the multiple imputation estimator is asymptotically unbiased and its variance is correctly estimated. We show that a correct imputation model must be estimated from the fully observed data (cases and controls), using the case status among the explanatory variable. To validate the approach, we analyzed case–cohort studies first with completely simulated data and then with case–cohort data sampled from two real cohorts. The analyses of simulated data showed that, when the imputation model was correct, the multiple imputation estimator was unbiased and efficient. The observed gain in precision ranged from 8 to 37 per cent for phase‐1 variables and from 5 to 19 per cent for the phase‐2 variable. When the imputation model was misspecified, the multiple imputation estimator was still more efficient than the weighted estimators but it was also slightly biased. The analyses of case–cohort data sampled from complete cohorts showed that even when no strong predictor of the phase‐2 variable was available, the multiple imputation was unbiased, as precised as the weighted estimator for the phase‐2 variable and slightly more precise than the weighted estimators for the phase‐1 variables. However, the multiple imputation estimator was found to be biased when, because of interaction terms, some coefficients of the imputation model had to be estimated from small samples. Multiple imputation is an efficient technique for analyzing case–cohort data. Practically, we suggest building the analysis model using only the case–cohort data and weighted estimators. Multiple imputation can eventually be used to reanalyze the data using the selected model in order to improve the precision of the results. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Generalized propensity score for estimating the average treatment effect of multiple treatments
Authors: Feng Ping , Zhou Xiao‐Hua , Zou Qing‐Ming , Fan Ming‐Yu , Li Xiao‐Song
Published: February 2011

The propensity score method is widely used in clinical studies to estimate the effect of a treatment with two levels on patient's outcomes. However, due to the complexity of many diseases, an effective treatment often involves multiple components. For example, in the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), an effective treatment may include multiple components, e.g. Chinese herbs, acupuncture, and massage therapy. In clinical trials involving TCM, patients could be randomly assigned to either the treatment or control group, but they or their doctors may make different choices about which treatment component to use. As a result, treatment components are not randomly assigned. Rosenbaum and Rubin proposed the propensity score method for binary treatments, and Imbens extended their work to multiple treatments. These authors defined the generalized propensity score as the conditional probability of receiving a particular level of the treatment given the pre‐treatment variables. In the present work, we adopted this approach and developed a statistical methodology based on the generalized propensity score in order to estimate treatment effects in the case of multiple treatments. Two methods were discussed and compared: propensity score regression adjustment and propensity score weighting. We used these methods to assess the relative effectiveness of individual treatments in the multiple‐treatment IMPACT clinical trial. The results reveal that both methods perform well when the sample size is moderate or large. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Engineering Nanocarriers for siRNA Delivery
Authors: Tan Shawn J. , Kiatwuthinon Pichamon , Roh Young Hoon , Kahn Jason S. , Luo Dan
Published: February 2011

The discovery of RNA interference has revitalized the long ongoing pursuit of gene therapy for the treatment of diseases. Nevertheless, despite promising results from experimental studies, there remains a pressing need for the development of nanocarriers that are clinically‐relevant, biocompatible, efficient, and that can be tailored to specific disease targets. This review surveys the broad spectrum of nanomaterials and their functional add‐ons, and aims to provide a guide towards engineering nanocarriers for effective siRNA delivery.
Controlled Release of Fe3O4 Nanoparticles in Encapsulated Microbubbles to Tumor Cells via Sonoporation and Associated Cellular Bioeffects
Authors: Yang Fang , Zhang Miao , He Wen , Chen Ping , Cai Xiaowei , Yang Li , Gu Ning , Wu Junru
Published: February 2011

Fe3O4 nanoparticles embedded in the shells of encapsulated microbubbles could be used therapeutically as in situ drug‐delivery vehicles. Bioeffects on liver tumor cells SMMC‐7721 due to the excitation of Fe3O4 nanoparticles attached to microbubbles generated by ultrasound (US) are studied in an in vitro setting. The corresponding release phenomenon of Fe3O4 nanoparticles from the shells of the microbubbles into the cells via sonoporation and related phenomena, including nanoparticle delivery efficiency, cell trafficking, cell apoptosis, cell cycle, and disturbed flow of intracellular calcium ions during this process, are also studied. Experimental observations show that Fe3O4 nanoparticles embedded in the shells of microbubbles can be delivered into the tumor cells; the delivery rate can be controlled by adjusting the acoustic intensity. The living status or behavior of Fe3O4‐tagged tumor cells can then be noninvasively tracked by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It is further demonstrated that the concentration of intracellular Ca2+ in situ increases as a result of sonoporation. The elevated Ca2+ is found to respond to the disrupted site in the cell membrane generated by sonoporation for the purpose of cell self‐resealing. However, the excessive Ca2+ accumulation on the membrane results in disruption of cellular Ca2+ cycling that may be one of the reasons for the death of the cells at the G1 phase. The results also show that the Fe3O4‐nanoparticle‐embedded microbubbles have a lower effect on cell bioeffects compared with the non‐Fe3O4‐nanoparticle‐embedded microbubbles under the same US intensity, which is beneficial for the delivery of nanoparticles and simultaneously maintains the cellular viability.
Discovering programming rules and violations by mining interprocedural dependences
Authors: Chang Ray‐yaung , Podgurski Andy
Published: February 2011

This paper presents a novel approach to discovering implicit programming rules and rule violations in a code base, which integrates static interprocedural analysis and graph mining techniques to identify both function‐call ordering rules and conditional rules that check input parameters or return values of functions. The approach discovers rules even when rule instances cross function boundaries. Rules are modeled as graph minors of dependence graphs augmented with edges indicating shared data dependences. The approach employs two innovative algorithms: a greedy one for mining maximal frequent minors from a set of interprocedural dependence spheres and a heuristic minor‐matching algorithm for discovering rule violations. We evaluated our approach on the latest versions of three applications: net‐snmp, openssl, and the Apache HTTP server. It detected 62 new bugs (24 involving rules with interprocedural instances), 35 of which have been confirmed and fixed recently by developers based on our reports. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Scenarios‐based testing of systems with distributed ports
Authors: Hierons Robert M. , Merayo Mercedes G. , Núñez Manuel
Published: February 2011

Distributed systems are usually composed of several distributed components that communicate with their environment through specific ports. When testing such a system we separately observe sequences of inputs and outputs at each port rather than a global sequence and potentially cannot reconstruct the global sequence that occurred. Typically, the users of such a system cannot synchronize their actions during use or testing. However, the use of the system might correspond to a sequence of scenarios, where each scenario involves a sequence of interactions with the system that, for example, achieves a particular objective. When this is the case there is the potential for a significant delay between two scenarios and this effectively allows the users of the system to synchronize between scenarios. If we represent the specification of the global system by using a state‐based notation, we say that ait scenario is any sequence of events that happens between two of these operations. We can encode scenarios in two different ways. The first approach consists of marking some of the states of the specification to denote these synchronization points. It transpires that there are two ways to interpret such models and these lead to two implementation relations. The second approach consists of adding a set of traces to the specification to represent the traces that correspond to scenarios. We show that these two approaches have similar expressive power by providing an encoding from marked states to sets of traces. In order to assess the appropriateness of our new framework, we show that it represents a conservative extension of previous implementation relations defined in the context of the distributed test architecture: if we consider that all the states are marked then we simply obtain ioco (the classical relation for single‐port systems) while if no state is marked then we obtain dioco (our previous relation for multi‐port systems). Finally, we concentrate on the study of controllable test cases, that is, test cases such that each local tester knows exactly when to apply inputs. We give two notions of controllable test cases, define an implementation relation for each of these notions and relate them. We also show how we can decide whether a test case satisfies these conditions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
D‐cycloserine facilitates extinction of cocaine self‐administration in rats
Authors: Thanos Panayotis K. , Bermeo Carlos , Wang Gene‐Jack , Volkow Nora D.
Published: February 2011

Previous research has indicated that D‐cycloserine [DCS; a N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) partial agonist] facilitates the extinction of conditioned fear as well as the extinction of cocaine conditioned place preference. Sprague Dawley rats were first trained to self‐administer cocaine and then we compared their extinction behavior (lever pressing) following treatment with vehicle; 15 mg/kg DCS; or 30 mg/kg DCS. We showed that 30 mg/kg DCS, but not 15 mg/kg significantly accelerated extinction of cocaine self‐administration behavior when compared with saline by almost half (4 days vs. 9 days). At 2 weeks when all animals had extinguished, there were no longer differences between the groups. The present findings support of the potential of NMDA partial agonists as prospectively valuable in facilitating the extinction of cocaine‐seeking behavior. More specifically, we demonstrate that 30 mg/kg DCS was effective at significantly accelerating the extinction of cocaine self‐administration behavior in rats. These results provide further support for the potential of DCS as a treatment strategy for addiction. Synapse, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Altered expression of Dscam in temporal lobe tissue from human and experimental animals
Authors: Shen Lan , Xiao Zheng , Pan Yumin , Fang Min , Li Chengshan , Chen Dan , Wang Liang , Xi Zhiqin , Xiao Fei , Wang Xuefeng
Published: February 2011

Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule (Dscam) is a neural adhesion molecule that plays an essential role in the establishment of neural circuits. Considerable evidence suggests that Dscam is required for axon guidance and dendritic arborization. Our aim was to investigate the expression of Dscam in the temporal lobes of patients with intractable epilepsy (IE) and of experimental animals. In this study, we used immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and western blotting to examine Dscam expression in thirty‐five surgical samples from brains of IE patients and 15 control brain samples. We also measured the levels of Dscam during the entire epileptic process in a rat model of temporal lobe epilepsy. Dscam expression in IE patients was significantly higher compared with that in the controls. In addition, Dscam was also highly expressed in the rat brain during the different phases of the epileptic process. It is the first time to find abnormal expression of Dscam in the brain tissues in patients with IE. And this finding provides an experimental evidence for the study of neuronal circuit remodeling and synaptic plasticity in IE, furthermore, our results also suggest that Dscam may be involved in the generation and the development of IE. Synapse, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Inhibition of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine metabolism leads to marked decrease in 3,4‐dihydroxymethamphetamine formation but no change in serotonin neurotoxicity: Implications for mechanisms of neurotoxicity
Authors: Mueller Melanie , Yuan Jie , Maldonado Adrian Concepcion , Mccann Una D. , Ricaurte George A.
Published: February 2011

3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)'s O‐demethylenated metabolite, 3,4‐dihydroxymethamphetamine (HHMA), has been hypothesized to serve as a precursor for the formation of toxic catechol‐thioether metabolites (e.g., 5‐N‐acetylcystein‐S‐yl‐HHMA) that mediate MDMA neurotoxicity. To further test this hypothesis, HHMA formation was blocked with dextromethorphan (DXM), which competitively inhibits cytochrome P450 enzyme‐mediated O‐demethylenation of MDMA to HHMA. In particular, rats were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups (n = 9–12 per group): (1) Saline/MDMA; (2) DXM/MDMA; (3) DXM/Saline; (4) Saline/Saline. During drug exposure, time‐concentration profiles of MDMA and its metabolites were determined, along with body temperature. One week later, brain serotonin (5‐HT) neuronal markers were measured in the same animals. DXM did not significantly alter core temperature in MDMA‐treated animals. A large (greater than 70%) decrease in HHMA formation had no effect on the magnitude of MDMA neurotoxicity. These results cast doubt on the role of HHMA‐derived catechol‐thioether metabolites in the mechanism of MDMA neurotoxicity. Synapse, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evaluation of dopamine D2/3specific binding in the cerebellum for the positron emission tomography radiotracer [11C]FLB 457: Implications for measuring cortical dopamine release
Authors: Narendran Rajesh , Mason N. Scott , Chen Chi‐Min , Himes Michael , Keating Patrick , May Maureen A. , Rabiner Eugenii A. , Laruelle Marc , Mathis Chester A. , Frankle W. Gordon
Published: February 2011

In a recent positron emission tomography (PET) study, we demonstrated the ability to measure amphetamine‐induced dopamine (DA) release in the human cortex with the DA D2/3 radioligand [11C]FLB 457. As previous studies in animals have shown that a relatively high fraction of the [11C]FLB 457 signal in the cerebellum represents specific binding to D2/3 receptors, there was concern that the use of the cerebellum as a measure of nonspecific binding (i.e., reference region) to derive [11C]FLB 457 binding potential (BP) (BPND) would bias cortical DA release measurements. Thus, we evaluated the fractional contribution of specific binding to D2/3 receptors in the human cerebellum for [11C]FLB 457. Six healthy human subjects (5M/1F) were studied twice with [11C]FLB 457, once at baseline and again following a single oral dose of 15 mg of aripiprazole, a D2/3 partial agonist. [11C]FLB 457 distribution volume (VT) was estimated using kinetic analysis in the cortical regions of interest and potential reference regions. The change in [11C]FLB 457 VT following aripiprazole ranged from −33 to −42% in the cortical regions of interest (ROIs). The aripiprazole‐induced change in [11C]FLB 457 VT in three potential reference regions suggests significant specific binding the cerebellum (CER, –17 ± 12%), but not pons (PON, –10 ± 10%) and centrum semiovale (CESVL, –3 ± 12%). Nevertheless, a reanalysis of the published [11C]FLB 457 test–retest and amphetamine studies suggests that the use of the PON VT and CESVL VT as an estimate of nonspecific binding to derive [11C]FLB 457 BPND in DA release studies is unlikely to be successful because it leads to less reproducible outcome measures, which in turn diminishes the ability to measure DA release in the cortex. D2/3 blocking studies with aripiprazole and [11C]FLB 457 suggest specific binding to D2/3 receptors in the cerebellum. These data also suggest that the contribution of specific binding to D2/3 receptors in the cerebellum is lower than that in the cortical ROIs and that CER VT is mostly representative of nonspecific binding. Nevertheless, caution is advised when using reference tissue methods that rely solely on the cerebellum signal as an input function to quantify [11C]FLB 457 BPND. Synapse, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Assessing equity beyond knowledge‐ and skills‐based outcomes: A comparative ethnography of two fourth‐grade reform‐based science classrooms
Authors: Carlone Heidi B. , Haun‐Frank Julie , Webb Angela
Published: February 2011

When evaluating equity, researchers often look at the “achievement gap.” Privileging knowledge and skills as primary outcomes of science education misses other, more subtle, but critical, outcomes indexing inequitable science education. In this comparative ethnography, we examined what it meant to “be scientific” in two fourth‐grade classes taught by teachers similarly committed to reform‐based science (RBS) practices in the service of equity. In both classrooms, students developed similar levels of scientific understanding and expressed positive attitudes about learning science. However, in one classroom, a group of African American and Latina girls expressed outright disaffiliation with promoted meanings of “smart science person” (“They are the science people. We aren't like them”), despite the fact that most of them knew the science equally well or, in one case, better than, their classmates. To make sense of these findings, we examine the normative practice of “sharing scientific ideas” in each classroom, a comparison that provided a robust account of the differently accessible meanings of scientific knowledge, scientific investigation, and scientific person in each setting. The findings illustrate that research with equity aims demands attention to culture (everyday classroom practices that promote particular meanings of “science”) and normative identities (culturally produced meanings of “science person” and the accessibility of those meanings). The study: (1) encourages researchers to question taken‐for‐granted assumptions and complexities of RBS and (2) demonstrates to practitioners that enacting what might look like RBS and producing students who know and can do science are but pieces of what it takes to achieve equitable science education. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., Inc. J Res Sci Teach 48: 459–485, 2011
Nanotechnology for surgeons
Authors: Weldon Christopher , Tian Bozhi , Kohane Daniel S.
Published: February 2011

At first glance it might appear that nanomedicine is irrelevant to surgery as it is practiced today, as surgery is generally concerned with the manipulation of decidedly macroscopic devices. However, surgery as a discipline is obviously not limited to clinical procedures, but dovetails with parallel medical therapeutics. Consequently, methodologies that can enhance overall perioperative care are important. An alternative view is that nanomedicine is perhaps destined to put surgeons out of certain kinds of business—much as minimally invasive techniques including invasive radiology have progressively infringed on clinical areas that were once the purview of more conventional surgical approaches. As is often the case, the truth is somewhere in the middle. In any event nanotechnology certainly has the potential to affect the field. It is important to understand that potential and how it can be harnessed. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2011 3 223–228 DOI: 10.1002/wnan.128

This article is categorized under:

Diagnostic Tools > Diagnostic Nanodevices

Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanoscale Tools and Techniques in Surgery

Toxicology and Regulatory Issues in Nanomedicine > Toxicology of Nanomaterials
Systems biology and the future of medicine
Authors: Loscalzo Joseph , Barabasi Albert‐Laszlo
Published: February 2011

Contemporary views of human disease are based on simple correlation between clinical syndromes and pathological analysis dating from the late 19th century. Although this approach to disease diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment has served the medical establishment and society well for many years, it has serious shortcomings for the modern era of the genomic medicine that stem from its reliance on reductionist principles of experimentation and analysis. Quantitative, holistic systems biology applied to human disease offers a unique approach for diagnosing established disease, defining disease predilection, and developing individualized (personalized) treatment strategies that can take full advantage of modern molecular pathobiology and the comprehensive data sets that are rapidly becoming available for populations and individuals. In this way, systems pathobiology offers the promise of redefining our approach to disease and the field of medicine. WIREs Syst Biol Med 2011 3 619–627 DOI: 10.1002/wsbm.144

This article is categorized under:

Translational, Genomic, and Systems Medicine > Translational Medicine
An Ionic Liquid Based Single Step Room Temperature Route for the Synthesis of Molybdenum Cluster Compounds
Authors: Ahmed Ejaz , Ahrens Eike , Heise Martin , Ruck Michael
Published: February 2011

A soft and convenient single step route is developed to synthesize molybdenum cluster compounds using an ionic liquid as reaction medium. Bi[Mo5Cl13]Cl and [BiCl][Mo6Cl14] were isolated from the ionic liquid [BMIM]Cl/AlCl3 ([BMIM]+: 1‐n‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium) and characterized. Black, cubic crystals of Bi[Mo5Cl13]Cl are obtained at room temperature by the reaction of bismuth, BiCl3, and MoCl5 in Lewis‐acidic ionic liquid [BMIM]Cl/AlCl3. Bi[Mo5Cl13]Cl crystallizes in the cubic space group Pn$\bar{3}$ with a = 1291.6(3) pm. In the [Mo5Cl13]2– cluster, the molybdenum atoms form a square pyramid with Mo–Mo bond lengths 258.9(2) pm and 259.5(2) pm. The structure is a defect variant of the Pb[Mo6Cl14] type; in statistical distribution one of the molybdenum atoms is missing in the cluster core. The bismuth(III) cations, which are in octahedral coordination by the apical chloride ions of the clusters, connect the cluster anions into a three dimensional network. Light red crystals of monoclinic [BiCl][Mo6Cl14] were obtained by the oxidation of bismuth with MoCl5 in [BMIM]Cl/AlCl3. The structure determination is in excellent agreement with literature data of crystals obtained by high temperature syntheses.
Time‐budgets and activity patterns of captive Sunda pangolins (Manis javanica)
Authors: Challender Daniel W. S. , Thai Nguyen Van , Jones Martin , May Les
Published: February 2011

This is the first assessment of Manis javanica behavior in captivity. The aim of the investigation was to assess behavior in order to suggest ways of improving captive care and management of the species. This was undertaken by constructing time‐budgets and activity patterns and identifying any abnormal repetitive behavior (ARB) exhibited. Scan and focal animal sampling were implemented in observations of seven subjects. Analyses detailed idiosyncrasies in how subjects partitioned their active time. Peak activity occurred between 18:00 and 21:00 hr. Two ARBs, clawing and pacing, were identified and the cessation of clawing in one subject was possible by modifying its enclosure. Stress‐related behavior, understood to be related to several factors, means maintaining this species in captivity remains problematic. Recommendations are made pertaining to husbandry, captive management, and future research. Zoo Biol 31: 206–218, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Entropy solution theory for fractional degenerate convection–diffusion equations
Authors: Cifani Simone , Jakobsen Espen R.
Published: February 2011

We study a class of degenerate convection–diffusion equations with a fractional non-linear diffusion term. This class is a new, but natural, generalization of local degenerate convection–diffusion equations, and include anomalous diffusion equations, fractional conservation laws, fractional porous medium equations, and new fractional degenerate equations as special cases. We define weak entropy solutions and prove well-posedness under weak regularity assumptions on the solutions, e.g. uniqueness is obtained in the class of bounded integrable solutions. Then we introduce a new monotone conservative numerical scheme and prove convergence toward the entropy solution in the class of bounded integrable BV functions. The well-posedness results are then extended to non-local terms based on general Lévy operators, connections to some fully non-linear HJB equations are established, and finally, some numerical experiments are included to give the reader an idea about the qualitative behavior of solutions of these new equations.
A Novel Technique for Identifying Opportunities to Improve Environmental Hygiene in the Operating Room
Authors: Jefferson Julie , Whelan Rita , Dick Brian , Carling Philip
Published: February 2011

Environmental cleaning and disinfection is essential for optimizing safe patient care in the OR; however, perioperative staff members have not had an easy‐to‐use, objective method for determining whether high‐touch, potentially contaminated surfaces have been cleaned during terminal room cleaning. To address this issue, members of the Healthcare Environmental Hygiene Study Group used a transparent, removable, environmentally stable disclosing agent and handheld ultraviolet light to determine whether potentially contaminated surfaces had been contacted by a wet disinfection cleaning cloth during terminal cleaning of ORs. Results from the project showed that 237 of 946 targeted surfaces (25%) had the disclosing agent removed (ie, were cleaned). The use of the disclosing agent for staff education and process monitoring has led to significant improvements in the disinfection cleaning process.
AORN Ergonomic Tool 1: Lateral Transfer of a Patient from a Stretcher to an OR Bed
Authors: Waters Thomas , Baptiste Andrea , Short Manon , Plante‐Mallon Lori , Nelson Audrey
Published: February 2011

Moving patients can result in injuries to patients and staff members. Lateral patient transfers from a stretcher to an OR bed pose a high risk for musculoskeletal disorders, including lower back, shoulder, and neck injuries for perioperative personnel. AORN Ergonomic Tool 1: Lateral Transfer of a Patient from a Stretcher to an OR Bed helps perioperative staff members determine best practices for safe lateral patient transfers. Safe moving of the patient is determined by the starting and ending position required and the patient's weight. Current ergonomic safety concepts and scientific evidence regarding weight limits help to determine how many caregivers are needed to safely move patients and whether mechanical assistance is needed during lateral transfers.
Perioperative Pharmacology: Antibiotic Administration
Authors: Wanzer Linda , Goeckner BradLee , Hicks Rodney W.
Published: February 2011

Accurate and timely administration of antibiotics is a crucial element of perioperative patient care but, often, pharmacologic implications of antibiotics are overlooked or misunderstood. Preventable medication errors that involve antimicrobials occur throughout the perioperative continuum. Examples of errors associated with antimicrobial use include omitted doses, duplicate doses, incorrect doses, and antimicrobial products given to patients with preexisting allergies. Perioperative nurses can contribute to safe antibiotic administration through education and improved communication. Perioperative managers should ensure that practitioners have access to standards for antibiotic administration and accurate information and assistive technologies. Numerous resources, including measurement tools and published guidelines, are available to support adherence to surgical site infection prevention requirements and assist in ensuring effective and safe perioperative antibiotic use.
The Smart Parent's Guide to Getting Your Kids Through Checkups, Illnesses, and Accidents
Authors: Beckwith Helen
Published: February 2011

The Smart Parent's Guide To Getting Your Kids Through Checkups, Illnesses, And Accidents Jennifer Trachtenberg, MD 2010, Free Press 318 pages $16 softcover
Intravascular Ultrasound Pocket Guide
Authors: Schilling Christian
Published: February 2011

Intravascular Ultrasound Pocket Guide Robert J. Russo 7th edition 2011, Jones and Bartlett Publishers 108 pages $21.95 spiral‐bound
Increase in Sharps Injuries in Surgical Settings Versus Nonsurgical Settings After Passage of National Needlestick Legislation
Authors: Jagger Janine , Berguer Ramon , Phillips Elayne Kornblatt , Parker Ginger , Gomaa Ahmed E.
Published: February 2011

Background

The operating room is a high‐risk setting for occupational sharps injuries and bloodborne pathogen exposure. The requirement to provide safety‐engineered devices, mandated by the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act of 2000, has received scant attention in surgical settings.

Study Design

We analyzed percutaneous injury surveillance data from 87 hospitals in the United States from 1993 through 2006, comparing injury rates in surgical and nonsurgical settings before and after passage of the law. We identified devices and circumstances associated with injuries among surgical team members.

Results

Of 31,324 total sharps injuries, 7,186 were to surgical personnel. After the legislation, injury rates in nonsurgical settings dropped 31.6%, but increased 6.5% in surgical settings. Most injuries were caused by suture needles (43.4%), scalpel blades (17%), and syringes (12%). Three‐quarters of injuries occurred during use or passing of devices. Surgeons and residents were most often original users of the injury‐causing devices; nurses and surgical technicians were typically injured by devices originally used by others.

Conclusions

Despite legislation and advances in sharps safety technology, surgical injuries continued to increase during the period that nonsurgical injuries decreased significantly. Hospitals should comply with requirements for the adoption of safer surgical technologies, and promote policies and practices shown to substantially reduce blood exposures to surgeons, their coworkers, and patients. Although decisions affecting the safety of the surgical team lie primarily in the surgeon's hands, there are also roles for administrators, educators, and policy makers.
The daily rhythm of mice
Authors: Ripperger Jürgen A. , Jud Corinne , Albrecht Urs
Published: February 2011

The house mouse Mus musculus represents a valuable tool for the analysis and the understanding of the mammalian circadian oscillator. Forward and reverse genetics allowed the identification of clock components and the verification of their function within the circadian clockwork. In many cases unforeseen links were discovered between a particular circadian regulatory protein and various diseases or syndromes. Thus, this model system is not only perfectly suited to pinpoint the components of the mammalian circadian clock, but also to unravel metabolic, physiological, and pathological processes linked to the circadian timing system.
Protein nutrition of the neonate
Authors: Reeds Peter J. , Burrin Douglas G. , Davis Teresa A. , Fiorotto Marta L. , Stoll Barbara , Goudoever Johannes B. van
Published: February 2011

The period of growth and development between birth and weaning is crucial for the long-term well-being of the organism. Protein deposition is very rapid, is achieved with a high nutritional efficiency, and is accompanied by marked differences in the growth rates of individual tissues and a series of maturational processes. These important aspects of development occur while the neonate is consuming a single and highly-specific food source, milk. Surprisingly, although there is a clear relationship between the nutrient density of milk and the growth rate of its recipient, this relationship does not apply to the overall amino acid composition of mixed milk proteins. Some amino acids, notably glycine and arginine, are supplied in milk in quantities that are much less than the needs of the neonate. The milk-fed neonate is therefore capable of carrying out a tightly-regulated transfer of N from amino acids in excess to those that are deficient. The rapid growth of the neonate is supported by a high rate of tissue protein synthesis. This process appears to be activated by the consumption of the first meals of colostrum. Recent research has identified that skeletal muscle and the brain are specifically responsive to an unidentified factor in colostrum. Following the initial anabolic response the rate of protein synthesis in some tissues, notably muscle, falls from birth to weaning. This decrease reflects a progressively smaller anabolic response to nutrient intake, which not only involves an overall fall in the capacity for protein synthesis, but also in responses to insulin and amino acids. The study of growth and protein metabolism, and their regulation in the neonate is not only important for pediatrics, but may provide important pointers to more general aspects of regulation that could be applied to the nutrition of the mature animal.
Role of dietary carbohydrate and frequent eating in body-weight control
Authors: Kirk T. R.
Published: February 2011

Despite widespread interest in body-weight control, the prevalence of obesity continues to rise worldwide. Current public health advice for obesity prevention is clearly failing. The present paper examines the appropriateness of current public health advice for body-weight control, i.e. to reduce consumption of fatty foods, to reduce consumption of sugar and to avoid snacking between meals. An increase in carbohydrate : fat ratio should improve body-weight control, as high-carbohydrate low-fat diets are less likely to lead to overeating, and if overeating does occur, less of the excess energy is likely to be stored as fat. However, it is suggested that for the long-term prevention of weight gain, advice to increase consumption of carbohydrate-rich foods may be more effective than advice which focuses on reducing consumption of fatty food. Moreover, in view of the inverse relationship between fat and sugar intakes, sugar may have a positive role to play in body-weight control in facilitating an increase in carbohydrate : fat ratio. Snacking for most individuals appears not to adversely affect body-weight control, and for some it may improve control. This situation may exist because frequent eating helps appetite control, thus preventing overeating at meals, and as snacks overall tend to be higher in carbohydrate and lower in fat than meals, frequent eating may be a strategy for increasing carbohydrate : fat ratio. It is also suggested that eating ‘little and often’ may be a more compatible pattern of eating for a physically-active lifestyle than eating large meals. Perhaps the most appropriate advice on food intake that would work synergistically with concurrent advice to increase physical activity is to eat more carbohydrate, and to eat frequently.
Signalling in body-weight homeostasis: neuroendocrine efferent signals
Authors: Webber Jonathan , Macdonald Ian A.
Published: February 2011

Whilst a number of neuroendocrine afferent signals are implicated in body-weight homeostasis, the major efferent pathway is the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which affects both energy expenditure and substrate utilization. Thyroid hormones and their interactions with the SNS may also have a role to play. Some of the variability in resting energy expenditure can be explained by differences in SNS activity, and β-blockade can reduce energy expenditure and diet-induced thermogenesis in Caucasians. Excess energy intake leads to SNS activation and increased diet-induced thermogenesis. A relationship has also been demonstrated between spontaneous physical activity and SNS activity. In many animal models the SNS activates brown adipose tissue thermogenesis, hence increasing diet-induced thermogenesis and dissipating excess energy as heat. This effect is mediated via β3-adrenoceptors and activation of an uncoupling protein unique to brown adipose tissue. Homologous proteins have been identified in human tissues and may play a role in human energy expenditure. How the SNS is implicated in this process is unclear at present. β3-Adrenoceptor polymorphism has been associated both with lower resting energy expenditure in some populations and with reduced autonomic nervous system activity. SNS effects on substrate cycling may also play a role. In the development of obesity the effects of the SNS in promoting lipolysis and fat oxidation are likely to be at least as important as its effects on thermogenesis. β-Blockade has relatively small effects on energy expenditure, but more pronounced effects on reducing lipid oxidation, so tending to favour fat storage and weight gain. Low lipid oxidation is a risk factor for weight gain, and there is some evidence that low basal sympathetic nerve activity in muscle is associated with this process. Overall, the relationship between SNS activity and obesity is complex, with evidence of low SNS activity occurring in some, but not all, studies.