bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
High percentage of microbial colonization of osteosynthesis material in clinically unremarkable patients
Authors: Knabl Ludwig , Kuppelwieser Bettina , Mayr Astrid , Posch Wilfried , Lackner Michaela , Coraҫa‐Huber Débora , Danita Adrian , Blauth Michael , Lass‐Flörl Cornelia , Orth‐Höller Dorothea 
Published: December 2018

AbstractStabilization of fractures with internal fixation devices is a common procedure and implant‐associated infections are a dreaded complication. The exact pathomechanism is not completely understood; however, microbial colonization of osteosynthesis material is considered a trigger for infection. This study aimed to determine the colonization rate of osteosynthesis implants in patients with no clinical or laboratory signs of infection, using two methods, conventional culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of sonication fluid. Fifty‐seven patients aged between 18 and 79 years without signs of infection who underwent routine removal of osteosynthesis devices between March 2015 and May 2017 were included in this study. Osteosynthesis material was investigated by sonication followed by cultivation of the sonication fluid in blood culture bottles and PCR analysis, simultaneously. Additionally, electron scanning microscopy was performed in nine representative implants to evaluate biofilm production. Thirty‐two (56.1%) implants showed a positive result either by culture or PCR with coagulase‐negative staphylococci being the most commonly identified microorganism (68.1%). Furthermore, the detection rate of the culture (50.9%) was significantly higher compared to PCR (21.1%). The scanning electron microscopy imaging demonstrated biofilm‐like structures in four of six culture and/or PCR‐positive samples. This study is the first, to the best of our knowledge, to demonstrate bacterial colonization of osteosynthesis implants in healthy patients with no clinical or laboratory signs of infection. Colonization rate was unexpectedly high and conventional culture was superior to PCR in microbial detection. The common understanding that colonization is a trigger for infection underlines the need for strategies to prevent colonization of implant material like antibiotic‐loaded coating or intraoperative gel application.
A new propeller trapezius muscle flap for reconstruction of posterior trunk defects: An anatomic study and report of three cases
Authors: Meyerson Joseph , O'Brien Andrew , Calvin Nicholas , Chandawarkar Rajiv 
Published: December 2018

BackgroundReconstruction of complex back defects, especially after corrective spine surgery, is a challenging problem. In these patients hardware issues predominate and flap failure has serious consequences. Certain subunits of the back pose even greater problems, specifically the central region between T9 and T12. The purpose of this article is to present a novel technique for reconstruction of such spinal defects using a newly described trapezius muscle propeller flap based on the dorsal scapular vessels.MethodsFour cadaveric trapezius muscle propeller flaps were raised to ensure appropriate rotation into central region of the posterior trunk between T9 and T12. Three patients all had similar presentations with a history of scoliosis, previous failed spinal instrumentation, prominent hardware, impending exposure, worsening kyphosis, and back pain. The patients underwent planned extension fusions from the upper thoracic to lumbar vertebrae by orthopedic surgery. All three patients lacked local reconstructive options and propeller trapezius muscle flaps were dissected.ResultsAll cadaveric dissections demonstrated adequate rotation of the muscle flap without tension or kinking of the vascular pedicle. For the case studies, two patients had right sided trapezius flaps utilized, one patient had injury to the right dorsal scapular vessels during dissection, thus a left sided trapezius was rotated. One patient had complications including a seroma requiring aspiration and superficial wound breakdown. All had complete healing with no postoperative shoulder dysfunction noted.ConclusionAs a result, the trapezius muscle propeller flap is found to be a novel flap that provides a simple, yet robust solution to an otherwise difficult reconstructive problem.
Compact unequal filtering power divider operating in two bands with controllable characteristic impedances
Authors: Tian Riyun , Weng Zibin , Zhang Chi , Wang Lei 
Published: December 2018

AbstractA design method for unequal filtering power dividers (PDs) working at 2 bands is presented in this article. Compared with conventional unequal PDs, in this method, each section of the proposed circuit uses transmission lines whose characteristic impedances are controllable to avoid high‐impedance line. Meanwhile, the conventional λ/4 transmission line in PDs is substituted with a pair of proper dual‐mode resonators. To prove the effectiveness of the proposed design principle, a miniaturized unequal filtering PD working at 3.5 and 4.9 GHz is designed, fabricated and measured. Eventually, it is clear that the simulated results and the measurements have favorable agreement.
Tri‐core photonic crystal fiber based refractive index dual sensor for salinity and temperature detection
Authors: Amiri Iraj S. , Paul Bikash Kumar , Ahmed Kawsar , Aly Arafa H. , Zakaria Rozalina , Yupapin Preecha , Vigneswaran Dhasarathan 
Published: December 2018

AbstractThis article discusses the tri‐core photonic crystal microstructure fiber for the process of simultaneous sensing for salinity and temperature of water substances. This kind of microstructure is preferred in many sensing application to scale the detection process in micrometer range. In this novel sensor, the sensitivity is calculated through coupling mechanism by tracking wavelength shift of various concentrations of salinity and temperature using finite element method. The sensible samples are in liquid and are infiltrated into the framed hollow cavity. Based on the coupling principle between silica substrate and the analyte material, the sense of the salt as well as temperature is obtained. Finally, it is noted that sensitivity of the salt level in water as 5404.9 nm/RIU for x polarization direction and 5674 nm/RIU for y polarization direction have been calculated with the temperature sensitivity of 4 nm/°C in the same water substances.
Low profile octa‐band antenna without lumped elements for WWAN/LTE metallic narrow‐frame tablet computers
Authors: Chen Chu‐Hui , Jiao Yong‐Chang , Weng Zi‐Bin 
Published: December 2018

AbstractA low profile octa‐band antenna with a small size of 74 × 5 × 0.8 mm3 for the WWAN/LTE metallic narrow‐frame tablet computer is proposed. The antenna consists of a driven strip and a ground strip. A gap of 2.5 mm in width is disposed at the top of metallic frame, and a T‐shaped open slot is formed by the ground clearance and the metallic frame. As a result, additional slot resonant modes can be excited, and the operating bandwidth of the antenna is widened. With only 5 mm ground clearance, the antenna successfully covers all WWAN/LTE bands without any lumped elements. The antenna is fabricated. The measured results show that the antenna operates in 698‐960 and 1710‐2690 MHz bands with good radiation efficiencies. The proposed antenna is suitable for the metallic narrow‐frame tablet computer applications.
Knowledge‐based dose prediction models for head and neck cancer are strongly affected by interorgan dependency and dataset inconsistency
Authors: Wang Yibing , Heijmen Ben J. M. , Petit Steven F. 
Published: December 2018

PurposeThe goal of this study was to generate a large treatment plan database for head and neck (H&N) cancer patients that can be considered as the gold standard to train and validate models for knowledge‐based (KB) treatment planning and QA. With this dataset, the intrinsic prediction performance, the effect of interorgan dependency, and the impact of dataset inconsistency was investigated for an existing treatment planning QA model.MethodsThe CT scans of 108 previously treated oropharyngeal patients were used to establish the plan database. For each patient, 15 Pareto optimal treatment plans with different planning priorities for the parotid glands were generated with fully automatic multicriterial treatment planning (1620 plans in total). For each of the 15 sets of plans in the database, a KB model was trained with 54 patients and validated on the other 54 by comparing the predictions with the achieved doses. The dose prediction accuracy (predicted—achieved) of the KB models was assessed and compared among the different models to characterize the intrinsic performance and effect of interorgan dependency. In addition, the effect of dataset inconsistency with respect to planning prioritizations was investigated by mixing plans with different prioritizations, for the training, the validation dataset, and for both combined.ResultsIn the case of a high planning priority, the mean ± SD of the prediction error for the mean dose of the parotid glands was only 0.2 ± 2.2 Gy, but this increased to 1.0 ± 5.0 Gy in the case that the parotid glands had a low planning priority. Dataset inconsistency (in planning priority) led to a large increase in prediction error for the parotid glands (mean ± SD) from 0.2 ± 2.2 Gy to 2.8 ± 3.3 Gy, −3.2 ± 5.0 Gy or −0.6 ± 5.4 Gy, depending on the way the datasets were mixed.ConclusionsThe generated plan database can be used to validate and characterize KB prediction models for H&N cancer and will be made available upon request. The investigated KB model performed well in case the parotid glands had a high planning priority (little dependence on lower priority OARs), but poorly for organs for which the dose strongly depends on other higher priority OARs. To improve the performance of KB prediction models for H&N cancer, interorgan dependency should be modeled and accounted for. Dataset inconsistency has a large negative impact on the prediction errors of KB models and should be avoided as much as possible.
Flow MR fingerprinting
Authors: Flassbeck Sebastian , Schmidt Simon , Bachert Peter , Ladd Mark E. , Schmitter Sebastian 
Published: December 2018

PurposeTo investigate the feasibility to quantify blood velocities within the magnetic resonance fingerprinting framework, while providing relaxometric maps of static tissue.MethodsBipolar gradients are inserted into an SSFP‐based MRF sequence to achieve velocity‐dependent signal phases, allowing tri‐directional time‐resolved velocity component quantification. The accuracy of both relaxometric mapping and velocity quantification was validated in vivo and in phantom studies.ResultsSimulations determined that even for strong cardiac cycle length variations (700–1400 ms) Flow‐MRF determines accurate velocity maps deviating <0.1% from the ground truth on average. The cardiac cycle length variability only results in reduced velocity‐to‐noise ratios. Good agreement in the velocity quantification between a standard phase–contrast cine and the Flow‐MRF sequence was reached in phantom experiments. Relaxometric phantom experiments determined mean deviations between Flow‐MRF and spin‐echo‐based reference measurements of 89 ± 25 ms / 0.8 ± 2.5 ms over the range of 630–2630 ms / 49–145 ms for T1 / T2, respectively. The in vivo study of a human knee determined mean T1 / T2 values of 1383 ± 75 ms / 26 ± 4 ms for the gastrocnemius muscle that agree with literature values.ConclusionFlow‐MRF presents a novel way of quantifying velocities while simultaneously providing relaxometric maps of static tissue and it can potentially be a viable method to accelerate the inherently long acquisition times of time‐resolved velocity quantification.
Double‐row 18‐loop transceive–32‐loop receive tight‐fit array provides for whole‐brain coverage, high transmit performance, and SNR improvement near the brain center at 9.4T
Authors: Avdievich Nikolai I. , Giapitzakis Ioannis‐Angelos , Bause Jonas , Shajan Gunamony , Scheffler Klaus , Henning Anke 
Published: December 2018

PurposeTo improve the transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) performance of a human head array and provide whole‐brain coverage at 9.4T, a novel 32‐element array design was developed, constructed, and tested.MethodsThe array consists of 18 transceiver (TxRx) surface loops and 14 Rx‐only vertical loops all placed in a single layer. The new design combines benefits of both TxRx and transmit‐only–receive‐only (ToRo) designs. The general idea of the design is that the total number of array elements (both TxRx and Rx) should not exceed the number of required Rx elements. First, the necessary number of TxRx loops is placed around the object tightly to optimize the Tx performance. The rest of the elements are loops, which are used only for reception. We also compared the performance of the new array with that of a state‐of‐the‐art ToRo array consisting of 16 Tx‐only loops and 31 Rx‐only loops.ResultsThe new array provides whole‐brain coverage, ~1.5 times greater Tx efficiency and 1.3 times higher SNR near the brain center as compared to the ToRo array, while the latter delivers higher (up to 1.5 times) peripheral SNR.ConclusionIn general, the new approach of constructing a single‐layer array consisting of both TxRx‐ and Rx‐only elements simplifies the array construction by minimizing the total number of elements and makes the entire design more robust and, therefore, safe. Overall, our work provides a recipe for a Tx‐ and Rx‐efficient head array coil suitable for parallel transmission and reception as well as whole‐brain imaging at UHF.
Acceleration of vessel‐selective dynamic MR Angiography by pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling in combination with Acquisition of ConTRol and labEled images in the Same Shot (ACTRESS)
Authors: Suzuki Yuriko , Okell Thomas W. , Fujima Noriyuki , van Osch Matthias J.P. 
Published: December 2018

PurposeThe recently introduced “Acquisition of ConTRol and labEled imaging in the Same Shot” (ACTRESS) approach was designed to halve the scan time of arterial spin labeling (ASL) ‐based 4D‐MRA by obtaining both labeled and control images in a single Look‐Locker readout. However, application for vessel‐selective labeling remains difficult. The aim of this study was to achieve a combination of ACTRESS and vessel‐selective labeling to halve the scan time of vessel‐selective 4D‐MRA.MethodsBy Bloch equation simulations, Look‐Locker pseudocontinuous‐ASL (pCASL) was optimized to achieve constant static tissue signal across the multidelay readout, which is essential for the ACTRESS approach. Additionally, a new subtraction scheme was proposed to achieve visualization of the inflow phase even when labeled blood will have already arrived in the distal arteries during the first phase acquisition due to the long duration of the pCASL labeling module. In vivo studies were performed to investigate the signal variation of the static tissue, as well as to assess image quality of vessel‐selective 4D‐MRA with ACTRESS.ResultsIn in vivo studies, the mean signal variation of the static tissue was 8.98% over the Look‐Locker phases, thereby minimizing the elevation of background signal. This allowed visualization of peripheral arteries and slowly arriving arterial blood with image quality as good as conventional pCASL within half the acquisition time. Vessel‐selective pCASL‐ACTRESS enabled the separated visualization of vessels arising from internal and external carotid arteries within this shortened acquisition time.ConclusionBy combining vessel‐selective pCASL and ACTRESS approach, 4D‐MRA of a single targeted arterial tree was achieved in a few minutes.
Bienenverträgliche Insektizide – eine Utopie?
Authors: Groß Michael 
Published: December 2018

AbstractDie EU hat festgelegt: Ab Ende des Jahres dürfen Landwirte drei Neonicotinoide nicht mehr im Freiland verwenden. Doch was kann diese ersetzen? Denn ein Produkt, das ehemals als aussichtsreicher Kandidat galt, gefährdet möglicherweise nicht nur Bienen, sondern auch Hummeln.
Blickpunkt Anorganik ‐ Spektroskopie: Licht ins Dunkel der Metalloenzyme
Authors: Rickmeyer Kerstin , Daumann Lena J. 
Published: December 2018

AbstractDie Natur hat metallbasierte Katalysatoren hervorgebracht, die Reaktionen in einer Weise beeinflussen, von der Synthesechemiker nur träumen können. Um diese Verbindungen als Inspiration zu nutzen, müssen die Prozesse in der Natur verstanden sein.
Effects of chronic fentanyl administration on behavioral characteristics of mice
Authors: Fujii Kazuki , Koshidaka Yumie , Adachi Mayumi , Takao Keizo 
Published: December 2018

AbstractBackgroundFentanyl, a synthetic opioid categorized as a narcotic analgesic, has a 100‐ to 200‐fold stronger effect than most opioids, such as morphine. Fatal accidents due to chronic use and abuse of fentanyl are a worldwide social problem. One reason for the abuse of fentanyl is its psychostimulant effects that could induce behavioral changes. The effects of chronic fentanyl administration on behavior, however, are unclear.MethodsAdult male C57BL/6J mice were chronically administered fentanyl (0.03 or 0.3 mg/kg/d i.p.), and various behaviors were assessed using a behavioral test battery.ResultsMice chronically administered a high dose of fentanyl (0.3 mg/kg/d) exhibited decreased anxiety‐like behavior as assessed by the open field and elevated plus maze tests. On the other hand, interruption of fentanyl administration led to increased anxiety‐like behavior as observed in the light and dark transition test. The hot plate test revealed that chronic administration of fentanyl reduced pain sensitivity. High‐dose chronic fentanyl administration reduced the locomotor stimulatory effects of cocaine. The results, however, failed to reach the threshold for study‐wide statistical significance.ConclusionChronic fentanyl administration induces some behavioral changes in mice. Although further studies are needed to clarify the underlying mechanisms of the behavioral effects of chronic fentanyl administration, our findings suggest that fentanyl is safe under properly controlled conditions.
Synthesis of n‐alkyl methacrylate polymers with pendant carbazole moieties and their derivatives
Authors: Bandera Yuriy , McFarlane Tucker M. , Burdette Mary K. , Jurca Marek , Klep Oleksandr , Foulger Stephen H. 
Published: December 2018

ABSTRACTNew methacrylate monomers with carbazole moieties as pendant groups were synthesized by multistep syntheses starting from carbazoles with biphenyl substituents in the aromatic ring. The corresponding polymers were prepared using a free‐radical polymerization. The novel polymers contain N‐alkylated carbazoles mono‐ or bi‐substituted with biphenyl groups in the aromatic ring. N‐alkyl chains in polymers vary by length and structure. All new polymers were synthesized to evaluate the structural changes in terms of their effect on the energy profile, thermal, dielectric, and photophysical properties when compared to the parent polymer poly(2‐(9H‐carbazol‐9‐yl)ethyl methacrylate). According to the obtained results, these compounds may be well suited for memory resistor devices. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 70–76
Top‐down lignomic matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry analysis of lignin oligomers extracted from date palm wood
Authors: Albishi Tasahil , Mikhael Abanoub , Shahidi Fereidoon , Fridgen Travis D. , Delmas Michel , Banoub Joseph 
Published: December 2018

RationaleWe report for the first time the top‐down lignomic analysis of the virgin released lignin (VRL) oligomers obtained from the Saudi date palm wood (SDPW), using a matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight/time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF/TOF) instrument. In addition, we are proposing new collision‐induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry (CID‐MS/MS) fragmentation routes for this series of unreported VRL oligomers.MethodsWe have used direct MALDI‐TOF‐MS analysis of the mixture of lignin oligomers without any chromatographic pre‐separation. High‐energy CID‐MS/MS analyses were used to confirm the precursor ion structures.ResultsSix protonated lignin oligomer molecules were identified: [C19H24O8 + H]+ as H(8‐O‐4')G; [C50H52O19 + H]+ as H(8‐O‐4')H(8‐O‐4'')S(8‐O‐4''')S(8‐O‐4'''')G; [C58H54O18+ H]+ as H(8‐O‐4')H(8‐O‐4'')H(8‐O‐4''')G(8‐O‐4'''')S(8‐O‐4''''')G; [C58H54O19 + H]+ as H(8‐O‐4')H(8‐O‐4'')H(8‐O‐4''')S(8‐O‐4'''')S(8‐O‐4''''')G; [C61H68O25 + H]+ as H(8‐O‐4')G(8‐O‐4'')G(8‐O‐4''')S(8‐O‐4'''')S(8‐O‐4''''')G; and [C61H68O26 + H]+ as C(8‐O‐4')G(8‐O‐4'')G(8‐O‐4''')S(8‐O‐4'''')S(8‐O‐4''''')G units (H = coniferyl, S = sinapyl, and G = p‐coumaryl). Two distonic cations were identified as [C39H43O15 + H]+• and [C40H43O16 + H]+• deriving from two tetrameric lignin oligomers. The high‐energy MS/MS analyses allowed the confirmation of the proposed structures of this series of lignin oligomers.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first elucidation of the lignin structure of the Saudi seedling date palm wood that was accomplished using a top‐down lignomic strategy that has not previously been published. The complex high‐energy CID‐MS/MS fragmentations presented herein are novel and have never been described before.
Development and control of a military rescue robot for casualty extraction task
Authors: Choi Byunghun , Lee Wonsuk , Park Gyuhyun , Lee Youngwoo , Min Jihong , Hong Seongil 
Published: December 2018

AbstractThis paper presents the development and control methodology of a military rescue robot for a casualty extraction task. The new rescue robot (HURCULES) equipped with electric actuators for the casualty extraction task on the battle field is introduced. In this paper, mechanical designs of the HURCULES are described in detail. One of the noticeable features in the mechanical design is to use the worm gear in the joint to maintain the safety of the casualty even with power‐off and to reduce the energy through a selected operating mode. Moreover, unlike the upper body of a conventional humanoid robot, the chest plate is installed and used to properly distribute the casualty’s weight to the dual‐arm manipulator and the chest plate when carrying the wounded person. The HURCULES is valuable because the rescue robots for use on the battle field are very rare. And, the HURCULES is the first rescue robot for use on the battle field in South Korea. Primarily, a semiautonomous control strategy is applied to the HURCULES. The maneuvering stability of the HURCULES is needed when approaching and escaping a casualty while maneuvering on uneven terrain, and it maintains autonomously by the HURCULES. A variety of maneuvering experiments on various terrains were conducted, and satisfactory results for the casualty extraction task were obtained. In particular, the field experiments in this paper were performed at an accredited test site. Besides, additional experiments were conducted to enhance the field applicability.
Effects of soluble copper and copper oxide nanoparticle exposure on the immune system of mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis
Authors: Torres‐Duarte Cristina , Hutton Sara , Vines Carol , Moore James , Cherr Gary N. 
Published: December 2018

AbstractCopper and copper oxide nanomaterials (nCuO) can enter the marine environment negatively impacting mussels, an environmental and commercially relevant organism. We analyzed the effects on the immune system of adult mussels exposed to soluble copper (CuSO4, 20‐50 μg/L) or nCuO (100‐450 μg/L). CuSO4 caused significant copper accumulation in gills and cell‐free hemolymph, while nCuO caused cell damage to gills and significant copper accumulation in hemocytes, the most abundant cells in the hemolymph. Both sources of copper caused cellular toxicity in hemocytes by increasing reactive oxygen species production and lysosome abundance, and decreasing multi‐drug resistance transporter activity. Though hemocyte abundance was not affected, their in‐vitro phagocytic activity decreased, explaining the slight (but not statistically significant) increase in bacterial proliferation in mussels exposed to the pathogenic bacteria Vibrio tubiashii following copper exposure. Thus, exposure to non‐lethal concentrations of CuSO4 or nCuO can potentially increase mussel susceptibility to bacterial infections.