bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Optimized wound closure using a biomechanical abdominal model
Authors: Cooney G. M. , Kiernan A. , Winter D. C. , Simms C. K. 
Published: February 2018

Abstract

Background
Suturing techniques for midline abdominal wall incisions vary between surgeons. This study uses a biomechanical abdominal model to assess tissue stretch using different suturing techniques for midline laparotomy closure.

Methods
Deformation tests were performed on the linea alba of 48 porcine abdominal walls. Each pattern was tested three times at pressures ranging from 0 to 20 kPa using different continuous suturing techniques and a control.

Results
There was a sevenfold improvement when the best performing bite separation and bite width ([5, 16] mm) was compared with the most poorly performing combination ([15, 4] mm). The traditional bite and width separation ([10, 10] mm) and the recently proposed combination ([5, 5] mm) may not be optimal, and substantial improvements in surgical outcome may be achieved by changing to a [5,16]-mm combination.

Conclusion
These findings suggest using a small bite separation (5 mm) and large bite width (16 mm) during abdominal wound closure may be optimal. Surgical relevanceSuturing techniques for midline abdominal wall incisions vary between surgeons. This experimental study suggests substantial potential for improved tissue apposition by changing the suturing approach from the traditional clinical recommendation of 10 mm for both bite separation and bite width to a bite separation of 5 mm and a bite width of 16 mm. These findings support recent European Hernia Society guidelines and the recent randomized STITCH (Suture Techniques to Reduce the Incidence of The inCisional Hernia) trial, which found that small separations are more effective than large separations, but suggest that they should be combined with large bite depths.
Synthesis of Alpha‐trifluoromethylthio Carbonyl Compounds: A Survey of the Methods for the Direct Introduction of the SCF3 Group on to Organic Molecules
Authors: Rossi Sergio , Puglisi Alessandra , Raimondi Laura , Benaglia Maurizio 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThe role of fluorine atoms in drug discovery has become of fundamental importance, due to their ability to confer unprecedented therapeutic profiles on a molecule. In this framework, the trifluoromethylthio group (SCF3) is attracting an increasing attention in pharmaceutical, agrochemical and material chemistry and it is commonly used to modulate lipophilicity, bioavailability and metabolic stability of newly designed molecules. Actually, several drugs whose biological activity is strictly related to the presence of a SCF3 residue in the molecular scaffold are already on the market. Despite trifluoromethylthiolated carbonyl derivatives present a high potential of application in medicinal chemistry, synthetic approaches to α‐SCF3‐substituted carbonyl compounds are still limited, and catalytic strategies to access optically active functionalized carbonyl compounds are almost unexplored. The present review will discuss the use of radical, nucleophilic and electrophilic trifluoromethylthiolating reagents, to synthesize decorated trifluoromethylthio carbonyl derivatives, with a particular attention on catalytic methodologies and stereoselective methods affording enantiomerically enriched molecules.
Experimental Analysis of the Relation between Rheological Properties of Suspensions and their Microstructure
Authors: Krauss Hans‐Werner , Dreßler Inka , Budelmann Harald 
Published: February 2018

AbstractVerschiedene Faktoren beeinflussen das Verhalten von feststoffreichen Suspensionen. Unter anderem gelten der Einfluss der Schergeschichte, die Feststoffkonzentration und der Agglomeratdurchmesser als wesentliche Einflussgrößen. In dieser Studie werden die genannten Parameter und deren Auswirkung auf die Mikrostruktur und die makrorheologischen Eigenschaften von feststoffreichen Kalksteinmehlsuspensionen untersucht. Hierfür wird im Rheometer die Partikelgrößenverteilung in situ mittels ORM‐Sonde aufgenommen.
A Quasi‐3D compartmental multi‐scale approach to detect and quantify diseased regional lung constriction using spirometry data
Authors: Kannan Ravishekar (Ravi) , Singh Narender , Przekwas Andrzej 
Published: February 2018

AbstractSpirometry is a widely used pulmonary function test to detect the airflow limitations associated with various obstructive lung diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and even obesity‐related complications. These conditions arise due to the change in the airway resistance, alveolar compliance, and inductance values. Currently, zero‐dimensional compartmental models are commonly used for calibrating these resistance, compliance, and inductance values, ie, solving the inverse spirometry problem. However, zero‐dimensional compartments cannot capture the flow physics or the spatial geometry effects, thereby generating a low fidelity prediction of the diseased lung. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models offer higher fidelity solutions but may be impractical for certain applications due to the duration of these simulations. Recently, a novel, fast‐running, and robust Quasi‐3D (Q3D) wire model for simulating the airflow in the human lung airway was developed by CFD Research Corporation. This Q3D method preserved the 3D spatial nature of the airways and was favorably validated against CFD solutions. In the present study, the Q3D compartmental multi‐scale combination is further improved to predict regional lung constriction of diseased lungs using spirometry data. The Q3D mesh is resolved up to the eighth lung airway generation. The remainder of the airways and the alveoli sections are modeled using a compartmental approach. The Q3D geometry is then split into different spatial sections, and the resistance values in these regions are obtained using parameter inversion. Finally, the airway diameter values are then reduced to create the actual diseased lung model, corresponding to these resistance values. This diseased lung model can be used for patient‐specific drug deposition predictions and the subsequent optimization of the orally inhaled drug products.
Integrating multiple disciplines to understand effects of anthropogenic noise on animal communication
Authors: Rosa Patricia , Koper Nicola 
Published: February 2018

AbstractAnthropogenic noise is pervasive and may affect wildlife in many ways. Anthropogenic noise also adds to the acoustic environment's complexity, making it more difficult for animals to detect and discriminate among important signals. By integrating knowledge gained from research in experimental psychoacoustics, psychophysics, and neurophysiology into applied ecology, we can refine our understanding of the impacts of anthropogenic noise on wild populations. A multidisciplinary approach is particularly important for understanding signal perception, masking, auditory scene analysis, multimodal communication, and cross‐modal interference. We demonstrate the benefits of using knowledge gained from a variety of different disciplines to understand masking effects of anthropogenic noise using our research on effects of petroleum infrastructure on grassland songbirds. Incorporating knowledge from diverse disciplines and involving several taxa, including humans, can help inform ecological conservation and management practices, and has the potential to help researchers generate novel and effective mitigation measures to counter negative effects of noise.
Positioning for College Success: The Evaluation of the Princeton University Preparatory Program's Work With High‐Achieving, Low‐Income Students
Authors: Millett Catherine M. , Kevelson Marisol J. C. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractIn summer 2015, Princeton University contracted with Educational Testing Service (ETS) to conduct an evaluation of the Princeton University Preparatory Program (PUPP), the college access program developed by Princeton University faculty and staff. The mixed‐method ETS evaluation of PUPP included the collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data on the program and its participants. Data revealed that the PUPP model is perceived by a majority of participants and stakeholders as a well‐designed and comprehensive program with effective practices, in particular the highly personalized nature of its services—lasting more than 3 years—and its strong emphasis on personal relationships. PUPP activities and instruction are viewed as high quality and rigorous. PUPP participants and stakeholders describe the program as highly beneficial for participants' academic and social–emotional skills and cultural knowledge and for their access to and preparation for college. Outcomes analyses confirm that participants tend to demonstrate strong academic outcomes and succeed in college. Participants also report attending more selective colleges than they otherwise would have, largely due to the supports provided by PUPP.
College Access Program Alumni Reflect on Their Experiences in the Program and Its Impact on Their Skills and College Outcomes
Authors: Millett Catherine M. , Saunders Stephanie R. , Kevelson Marisol J. C. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractAn evaluation of the Princeton University Preparatory Program (PUPP), a college access program for low‐income and high‐achieving public high school students, yielded favorable findings regarding the perceptions of program alumni. PUPP Alumni Survey respondents (N = 126) reported that PUPP had positively impacted their development of academic and social–emotional skills and their knowledge of college admissions and financial aid application processes and that they attended and graduated from college, including selective colleges, after completing PUPP. Some PUPP alumni believe that the program made college attendance a reality for them, while others believe PUPP enabled them to attend a more selective college than they otherwise would have. Although alumni were not immune from continued challenges, both financial and academic, during college, they tended to attribute their college enrollment and graduation successes at least in part to the personalized supports and resources PUPP provided.
A family of small, cyclic peptides buried in preproalbumin since the Eocene epoch
Authors: Fisher Mark F. , Zhang Jingjing , Taylor Nicolas L. , Howard Mark J. , Berkowitz Oliver , Debowski Aleksandra W. , Behsaz Bahar , Whelan James , Pevzner Pavel A. , Mylne Joshua S. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractOrbitides are cyclic ribosomally synthesized and post‐translationally modified peptides from plants; they consist of standard amino acids arranged in an unbroken chain of peptide bonds. These cyclic peptides are stable and range in size and topologies making them potential scaffolds for peptide drugs; some display valuable biological activities. Recently, two orbitides whose sequences were buried in those of seed storage albumin precursors were said to represent the first observable step in the evolution of larger and hydrophilic bicyclic peptides. Here, guided by transcriptome data, we investigated peptide extracts of 40 species specifically for the more hydrophobic orbitides and confirmed 44 peptides by tandem mass spectrometry, as well as obtaining solution structures for four of them by nuclear magnetic resonance. Acquiring transcriptomes from the phylogenetically important Corymbioideae subfamily confirmed the precursor genes for the peptides (called PawS1‐Like or PawL1) are confined to the Asteroideae, a subfamily of the huge plant family Asteraceae. To be confined to the Asteroideae indicates these peptides arose during the Eocene epoch around 45 Mya. Unlike other orbitides, all PawL‐derived Peptides contain an Asp residue, needed for processing by asparaginyl endopeptidase (AEP). This study has revealed what is likely to be a very large new family of orbitides, uniquely buried alongside albumin and processed by AEP.
Gibbs partitions: The convergent case
Authors: Stufler Benedikt 
Published: February 2018

AbstractWe study Gibbs partitions that typically form a unique giant component. The remainder is shown to converge in total variation toward a Boltzmann‐distributed limit structure. We demonstrate how this setting encompasses arbitrary weighted assemblies of tree‐like combinatorial structures. As an application, we establish smooth growth along lattices for small block‐stable classes of graphs. Random graphs with n vertices from such classes are shown to form a giant connected component. The small fragments may converge toward different Poisson Boltzmann limit graphs, depending along which lattice we let n tend to infinity. Since proper addable minor‐closed classes of graphs belong to the more general family of small block‐stable classes, this recovers and generalizes results by McDiarmid (2009).
Heterojunction Hybrid Solar Cells by Formation of Conformal Contacts between PEDOT:PSS and Periodic Silicon Nanopyramid Arrays
Authors: Wang Xixi , Liu Zhaolang , Yang Zhenhai , He Jian , Yang Xi , Yu Tianbao , Gao Pingqi , Ye Jichun 
Published: February 2018

AbstractSurface nanotexturing with excellent light‐trapping property is expected to significantly increase the conversion efficiency of solar cells. However, limited by the serious surface recombination arising from the greatly enlarged surface area, the silicon (Si) nanotexturing‐based solar cells cannot yet achieve satisfactory high efficiency, which is more prominent in organic/Si hybrid solar cells (HSCs) where a uniform polymer layer can rarely be conformably coated on nanotextured substrate. Here, the HSCs featuring advanced surface texture of periodic upright nanopyramid (UNP) arrays and hole‐conductive conjugated polymers, poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), are investigated. The tetramethylammonium hydroxide etching is used to smooth the surface morphologies of the Si‐UNPs, leading to reduced surface defect states. The uniform Si‐UNPs together with silane chemical‐incorporated PEDOT:PSS solution enable the simultaneous realization of excellent broadband light absorption as well as enhanced electrical contact between the textured Si and the conducting polymer. The resulting PEDOT:PSS/Si HSCs textured with UNP arrays show a promising power conversion efficiency of 13.8%, significantly higher than 12.1% of the cells based on the‐state‐of‐the‐art surface texture with random pyramids. These results provide a viable route toward shape‐controlled nanotexturing‐based high‐performance organic/Si HSCs.
A new small captorhinid reptile from the lower Permian of Oklahoma and resource partitioning among small captorhinids in the Richards Spur fauna
Authors: Modesto Sean P. , Scott Diane , Reisz Robert R. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractTwo partial reptile skulls and six dentigerous fragments from the lower Permian Richards Spur locality of Oklahoma represent a new genus and species of small captorhinid reptile. Labidosauriscus richardi gen. et sp. nov. is distinguished from other captorhinids in the reduction of the height of the ridges forming the characteristic net‐like, ridge‐and‐pit cranial sculpturing of captorhinids, and the superimposition of a system of finer pits and furrows over the primary ridge‐and‐pit cranial ornamentation. Labidosauriscus richardi shares with C. laticeps a post‐caniniform tooth morphology characterized by convex mesial and distal carinae that form a distinctly asymmetrical apex in labial aspect. The description of L. richardi brings to six the number of captorhinid species known from the productive Richards Spur fissure‐fill locality. Each of these species exhibits a distinctive post‐caniniform tooth morphology (or multiplication of these teeth), which is consonant with the hypothesis of resource partitioning among the small faunivorous and omnivorous captorhinids at Richards Spur. As an ‘exhumed early Permian hill’, Richards Spur provides a unique window into early reptile diversification in a distinctive upland environment that is rarely preserved in the tetrapod fossil record.
Association Between Healthcare-Associated Infection and Exposure to Hospital Roommates and Previous Bed Occupants with the Same Organism
Authors: Cohen Bevin , Liu Jianfang , Cohen Adam Ross , Larson Elaine 
Published: February 2018

OBJECTIVETo quantify the association between having a prior bed occupant or roommate with a positive blood, respiratory, urine, or wound culture and subsequent infection with the same organism.DESIGNCase-control study.SETTINGThe study included 4 hospitals within an academically affiliated network in New York City, including a community hospital (221 beds), a pediatric acute-care hospital (283 beds), an adult tertiary-/quaternary-care hospital (647 beds), and a pediatric and adult tertiary-/quaternary-care hospital (914 beds).PATIENTSAll 761,426 inpatients discharged from 2006 to 2012 were eligible. Cases included all patients who developed a healthcare-associated infection (HAI) with Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter baumannii, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecalis, or Enterococcus faecium. Controls were uninfected patients matched by fiscal quarter, hospital, and length of stay. For each bed occupied during the 3–5-day period prior to infection, microbiology results for assigned roommates and the patient who occupied the bed immediately prior to the case were collected. For controls, the day of infection of the matched case served as the reference point.RESULTSIn total, 10,289 HAIs were identified. In a multivariable analysis controlling for both exposures and patient characteristics, the odds of cases having been exposed to a prior bed occupant with the same organism were 5.83 times that of controls (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.62–9.39), and the odds of cases having been exposed to a roommate with the same organism were 4.82 times that of controls (95% CI, 3.67–6.34).CONCLUSIONInfected or colonized roommates and prior occupants do pose a risk, which may warrant enhanced terminal and intermittent cleaning measures.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2018;39:541–546
Stable-isotope analysis: a neglected tool for placing parasites in food webs
Authors: Sabadel A.J.M. , Stumbo A.D. , MacLeod C.D. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractParasites are often overlooked in the construction of food webs, despite their ubiquitous presence in almost every type of ecosystem. Researchers who do recognize their importance often struggle to include parasites using classical food-web theory, mainly due to the parasites' multiple hosts and life stages. A novel approach using compound-specific stable-isotope analysis promises to provide considerable insight into the energetic exchanges of parasite and host, which may solve some of the issues inherent in incorporating parasites using a classical approach. Understanding the role of parasites within food webs, and tracing the associated biomass transfers, are crucial to constructing new models that will expand our knowledge of food webs. This mini-review focuses on stable-isotope studies published in the past decade, and introduces compound-specific stable-isotope analysis as a powerful, but underutilized, newly developed tool that may answer many unresolved questions regarding the role of parasites in food webs.
What do we know about the life-history traits of widely hunted tropical mammals?
Authors: van Vliet Nathalie , Nasi Robert 
Published: February 2018

AbstractWe synthesize information on parameters useful for managing the hunting of two common mammal species that are important for local people in the Neotropics and Africa:Cuniculus pacaandPhilantomba monticola, respectively. We highlight the scarcity of data available on the parameters needed to manage these two species sustainably. As most of the studies were conducted > 40 years ago, we stress the need to supplement the information available using methodological and technical innovations. In particular, we call for new assessments covering the possible variations in parameter values across the species’ distribution ranges, and covering various anthropogenic contexts, to test density-dependent and compensatory processes that may explain the resilience of these species to hunting.
Dynamic networks of PTSD symptoms during conflict
Authors: Greene Talya , Gelkopf Marc , Epskamp Sacha , Fried Eiko 
Published: February 2018

AbstractBackgroundConceptualizing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms as a dynamic system of causal elements could provide valuable insights into the way that PTSD develops and is maintained in traumatized individuals. We present the first study to apply a multilevel network model to produce an exploratory empirical conceptualization of dynamic networks of PTSD symptoms, using data collected during a period of conflict.MethodsIntensive longitudinal assessment data were collected during the Israel–Gaza War in July–August 2014. The final sample (n = 96) comprised a general population sample of Israeli adult civilians exposed to rocket fire. Participants completed twice-daily reports of PTSD symptoms via smartphone for 30 days. We used a multilevel vector auto-regression model to produce contemporaneous and temporal networks, and a partial correlation network model to obtain a between-subjects network.ResultsMultilevel network analysis found strong positive contemporaneous associations between hypervigilance and startle response, avoidance of thoughts and avoidance of reminders, and between flashbacks and emotional reactivity. The temporal network indicated the central role of startle response as a predictor of future PTSD symptomatology, together with restricted affect, blame, negative emotions, and avoidance of thoughts. There were some notable differences between the temporal and contemporaneous networks, including the presence of a number of negative associations, particularly from blame. The between-person network indicated flashbacks and emotional reactivity to be the most central symptoms.ConclusionsThis study suggests various symptoms that could potentially be driving the development of PTSD. We discuss clinical implications such as identifying particular symptoms as targets for interventions.