bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A survey of views and practice patterns of dialysis medical directors toward end-of-life decision making for patients with end-stage renal disease
Authors: Fung Enrica , Slesnick Nate , Tamura Manjula Kurella , Schiller Brigitte 
Published: January 2016

Background: Patients with end-stage renal disease report infrequent end-of-life discussions, and nephrology trainees report feeling unprepared for end-of-life decision making, but the views of dialysis medical directors have not been studied. Aim: Our objective is to understand dialysis medical directors’ views and practice patterns on end-of-life decision making for patients with ESRD. Design: We administered questionnaires to dialysis medical directors during medical director meetings of three different dialysis organizations in 2013. Survey questions corresponded to recommendations from the Renal Physicians Association clinical practice guidelines on initiation and withdrawal of dialysis. Setting/participants: There were 121 medical director respondents from 28 states. Results: The majority of respondents felt “very prepared” (66%) or “somewhat prepared” (29%) to participate in end-of-life decisions and most (80%) endorsed a model of shared decision making. If asked to do so, 70% of the respondents provided prognostic information “often” or “nearly always.” For patients with a poor prognosis, 36% of respondents would offer a time-limited trial of dialysis “often” or “nearly always”, while 56% of respondents would suggest withdrawal from dialysis “often” or “nearly always” for those with a poor prognosis currently receiving dialysis therapy. Patient resistance and fear of taking away hope were the most commonly cited barriers to end-of-life discussions. Conclusion: Views and reported practice patterns of medical directors are consistent with clinical practice guidelines for end-of-life decision making for patients with end-stage renal disease but inconsistent with patient perceptions.
Early Weightbearing After Operatively Treated Ankle Fractures
Authors: Tan Eric W. , Sirisreetreerux Norachart , Paez Adrian G. , Parks Brent G. , Schon Lew C. , Hasenboehler Erik A. 
Published: January 2016

Background: No consensus exists regarding the timing of weightbearing after surgical fixation of unstable traumatic ankle fractures. We evaluated fracture displacement and timing of displacement with simulated early weightbearing in a cadaveric model. Methods: Twenty-four fresh-frozen lower extremities were assigned to Group 1, bimalleolar ankle fracture (n=6); Group 2, trimalleolar ankle fracture with unfixed small posterior malleolar fracture (n=9); or Group 3, trimalleolar ankle fracture with fixed large posterior malleolar fracture (n=9) and tested with axial compressive load at 3 Hz from 0 to 1000 N for 250 000 cycles to simulate 5 weeks of full weightbearing. Displacement was measured by differential variable reluctance transducer. Results: The average motion at all fracture sites in all groups was significantly less than 1 mm ( P < .05). Group 1 displacement of the lateral and medial malleolus fracture was 0.1±0.1 mm and 0.4±0.4 mm, respectively. Group 2 displacement of the lateral, medial, and posterior malleolar fracture was 0.6±0.4 mm, 0.5±0.4 mm, and 0.5±0.6 mm, respectively. Group 3 displacement of the lateral, medial, and posterior malleolar fracture was 0.1±0.1 mm, 0.5±0.7 mm, and 0.5±0.4 mm, respectively. The majority of displacement (64.0% to 92.3%) occurred in the first 50 000 cycles. There was no correlation between fracture displacement and bone mineral density. Conclusion: No significant fracture displacement, no hardware failure, and no new fractures occurred in a cadaveric model of early weightbearing in unstable ankle fracture after open reduction and internal fixation. Clinical Relevance: This study supports further investigation of early weightbearing postoperative protocols after fixation of unstable ankle fractures.
Gender differences in carpal tunnel relative cross-sectional area: a possible causative factor in idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome
Authors: Sassi S. A. , Giddins G. 
Published: January 2016

Previous research has not established a consistent difference in hand size or carpal tunnel cross-sectional area between patients with and without carpal tunnel syndrome. We tested the hypothesis that there would be no difference in relative carpal tunnel sizes between men and women. We defined relative carpal tunnel size as the cross-sectional areas at the inlet (level of the pisiform) and outlet (level of the hook of the hamate) of the carpal tunnel divided by the length of the capitate (as a measure of hand size). We made the measurements on the magnetic resonance imaging scans of 50 men and 50 women taken for symptoms unrelated to carpal tunnel syndrome. The mean relative cross-sectional area was appreciably smaller in women than men ( p < 0.05). This suggests that the carpal tunnel cross-sectional area relative to the size of the hand is constitutionally smaller in women than in men. This could in theory be a significant factor in patients developing carpal tunnel syndrome. Level of evidence: V
Sodium-Calcium Exchanger and Multiple Sodium Channel Isoforms in Intra-Epidermal Nerve Terminals
Authors: Persson Anna-Karin , Black Joel A , Gasser Andreas , Cheng Xiaoyang , Fischer Tanya Z , Waxman Stephen G 
Published: January 2016

Background: Nociception requires transduction and impulse electrogenesis in nerve fibers which innervate the body surface, including the skin. However, the molecular substrates for transduction and action potential initiation in nociceptors are incompletely understood. In this study, we examined the expression and distribution of Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) and voltage-gated sodium channel isoforms in intra-epidermal free nerve terminals. Results: Small diameter DRG neurons exhibited robust NCX2, but not NCX1 or NCX3 immunolabeling, and virtually all PGP 9.5-positive intra-epidermal free nerve terminals displayed NCX2 immunoreactivity. Sodium channel NaV1.1 was not detectable in free nerve endings. In contrast, the majority of nerve terminals displayed detectable levels of expression of NaV1.6, NaV1.7, NaV1.8 and NaV1.9. Sodium channel immunoreactivity in the free nerve endings extended from the dermal boundary to the terminal tip. A similar pattern of NCX and sodium channel immunolabeling was observed in DRG neurons in vitro. Conclusions: NCX2, as well as NaV1.6, NaV1.7, NaV1.8 and NaV1.9, are present in most intra-epidermal free nerve endings. The presence of NCX2, together with multiple sodium channel isoforms, in free nerve endings may have important functional implications.
CP-CHARM: segmentation-free image classification made accessible
Authors: Uhlmann Virginie , Singh Shantanu , Carpenter Anne E. 
Published: January 2016

Abstract
Background
Automated classification using machine learning often relies on features derived from segmenting individual objects, which can be difficult to automate. WND-CHARM is a previously developed classification algorithm in which features are computed on the whole image, thereby avoiding the need for segmentation. The algorithm obtained encouraging results but requires considerable computational expertise to execute. Furthermore, some benchmark sets have been shown to be subject to confounding artifacts that overestimate classification accuracy.

Results
We developed CP-CHARM, a user-friendly image-based classification algorithm inspired by WND-CHARM in (i) its ability to capture a wide variety of morphological aspects of the image, and (ii) the absence of requirement for segmentation. In order to make such an image-based classification method easily accessible to the biological research community, CP-CHARM relies on the widely-used open-source image analysis software CellProfiler for feature extraction. To validate our method, we reproduced WND-CHARM’s results and ensured that CP-CHARM obtained comparable performance. We then successfully applied our approach on cell-based assay data and on tissue images. We designed these new training and test sets to reduce the effect of batch-related artifacts.

Conclusions
The proposed method preserves the strengths of WND-CHARM - it extracts a wide variety of morphological features directly on whole images thereby avoiding the need for cell segmentation, but additionally, it makes the methods easily accessible for researchers without computational expertise by implementing them as a CellProfiler pipeline. It has been demonstrated to perform well on a wide range of bioimage classification problems, including on new datasets that have been carefully selected and annotated to minimize batch effects. This provides for the first time a realistic and reliable assessment of the whole image classification strategy.
The Feasibility of a Completely Automated Total IV Anesthesia Drug Delivery System for Cardiac Surgery
Authors: Zaouter Cedrick , Hemmerling Thomas M. , Lanchon Romain , Valoti Emanuela , Remy Alain , Leuillet Sébastien , Ouattara Alexandre 
Published: January 2016

BACKGROUND:
In this pilot study, we tested a novel automatic anesthesia system for closed-loop administration of IV anesthesia drugs for cardiac surgical procedures with cardiopulmonary bypass. This anesthesia drug delivery robot integrates all 3 components of general anesthesia: hypnosis, analgesia, and muscle relaxation.

METHODS:
Twenty patients scheduled for elective cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass were enrolled. Propofol, remifentanil, and rocuronium were administered using closed-loop feedback control. The main objective was the feasibility of closed-loop anesthesia defined as successful automated cardiac anesthesia without manual override by the attending anesthesiologist. Secondary qualitative observations were clinical and controller performances. The clinical performance of hypnosis control was the efficacy to maintain a bispectral index (BIS) of 45. To evaluate the hypnosis performance, BIS values were stratified into 4 categories: “excellent,” “good,” “poor,” and “inadequate” hypnosis control defined as BIS values within 10%, ranging from 11% to 20%, ranging from 21% to 30%, or >30% of the target value, respectively. The clinical performance of analgesia was the efficacy to maintain NociMap values close to 0. The analgesia performance was assessed classifying the NociMap values in 3 pain control groups: −33 to +33 representing excellent pain control, −34 to −66 and +34 to +66 representing good pain control, and −67 to −100 and +67 to +100 representing insufficient pain control. The controller performance was calculated using the Varvel parameters.

RESULTS:
Robotic anesthesia was successful in 16 patients, which is equivalent to 80% (97.5% confidence interval [CI], 53%–95%) of the patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Four patients were excluded from the final analysis because of technical problems with the automated anesthesia delivery system. The secondary qualitative observations revealed that the clinical performance of hypnosis allowed an excellent and good control during 70% (97.5% CI, 63%–76%) of maintenance time and an insufficient clinical performance of analgesia for only 3% (97.5% CI, 1%–6%) of maintenance time.

CONCLUSIONS:
The completely automated closed-loop system tested in this investigation could be used successfully and safely for cardiac surgery necessitating cardiopulmonary bypass. The results of the present trial showed satisfactory clinical performance of anesthesia control.
Synergistic Interactions Between Direct and Indirect Bypasses in Combined Procedures: The Significance of Indirect Bypasses in Moyamoya Disease
Authors: Uchino Haruto , Kim Jae-Hoon , Fujima Noriyuki , Kazumata Ken , Ito Masaki , Nakayama Naoki , Kuroda Satoshi , Houkin Kiyohiro 
Published: January 2016

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Whether additional indirect bypasses effectively contribute to revascularization in combined procedures remains unclear in patients with moyamoya disease.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the longitudinal changes associated with combined procedures while following up pediatric and adult patients long term and to assess whether any other clinical factors or hemodynamic parameters affected these changes to determine an optimal surgical strategy.

METHODS: We studied 58 hemispheres in 43 adults and 39 hemispheres in 26 children who underwent combined revascularization for moyamoya disease. To evaluate bypass development, we assessed the sizes of the superficial temporal artery and middle meningeal artery using magnetic resonance angiography. Multivariate analysis determined the effects of multiple variables on bypass development.

RESULTS: Indirect bypass (middle meningeal artery) development occurred in 95% and 78% of the pediatric and adult hemispheres, respectively. Of these, dual development of direct and indirect bypasses occurred in 54% of the pediatric hemispheres and in 47% of the adult hemispheres. Reciprocal superficial temporal artery regression occurred in 28% of the hemispheres during the transition from the postoperative acute phase to the chronic phase during indirect bypass development. Good indirect bypass development was associated with adult hemispheres at Suzuki stage 4 or greater (odds ratio, 7.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-39.4; P = .02). Disease onset type and preoperative hemodynamic parameters were not considered predictors for the development of surgical revascularization.

CONCLUSION: Simultaneous direct and indirect bypass development was most frequently observed, regardless of patient age and hemodynamic status. Applying indirect bypass as an adjunct to direct bypass could maximize revascularization in adults and children.
Analysis of microbiologically stimulated biomass of Salix viminalis L. in the presence of Cd2+ under in vitro conditions – implications for phytoremediation
Authors: Złoch Michał , Tyburski Jarosław , Hrynkiewicz Katarzyna 
Published: January 2016

AbstractThe efficiency of phytoremediation might be highly affected by plant-associated microorganisms, and understanding of the underlying mechanisms is still a great challenge. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency parameters for Cd2+accumulation in the biomass of willow (Salix viminalis) as well as to define the biochemical response of the host plant when it is inoculated with selected bacterial strains (Massiliasp. andPseudomonassp.) or saprophytic fungus (Clitocybesp.) under controlledin vitroconditions. Inoculation of plants with bacterial strains affected the efficiency of phytoremediation process and was expressed as the quantity of accumulated Cd (Q), the bioaccumulation factor (BCF) and the translocation index (Ti); however, the effect was strain and plant organ specific. The level of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which is both an indicator of plant response to biological and/or abiotic environmental stress and a molecule involved in plant-microbial interactions, decreased under the influence of Cd2+in uninoculated plants (plant growth was inhibited by Cd2+) and increased in the inoculated variants of plants growing in the presence of Cd2+(microbiologically stimulated biomass). The saprophytic fungusClitocybesp. generally stimulated biomass and increased the level of H2O2synthesis in all the investigated plant organs and variants of the experiment. We suggest that determination of phytoremediation efficiency, and biochemical response (H2O2) of the host plant underin vitroconditions can help in predicting the final effect of plant-microbial systems in further field trials.
Duplex Methylation-Specific Semi-Quantitative Real-Time PCR for Cost-Effective & Time-Efficient Diagnostic Screening of Chromosome 15 and 14 Imprinted Regions
Authors: Ruszova E , Chmelarova M , Senkerikova M , Stefackova S 
Published: January 2016

Abstract

Purpose: Our goal was to develop two-tier strategy based on in house-designed methylation specific-duplex polymerase chain reactions (MS-PCRs) that could serve as a relatively simple, cost effective, time efficient approach for molecular screening of imprinted regions on chromosomes 15 and 14.

Patients and methods: Patients were referred to examination during infancy due to hypotonia and motor development delay. Duplex MS-PCRs were performed that enabled detection of methylated/unmethylated DNA in NDN and MEG3 CpG islands via plurality of detection channels on PCR instrument Rotor Gene 6000.

Results and discussion: Both, copy number variations as well as methylation changes, were revealed by our in house-designed methodology by focusing NDN gene. No imprinting aberrations were yet discovered in MEG3 gene. Clinical features of the patients were compared. In agree with literature no typical facial features were observed in PWS patient with imprinting defect and AS UPD patient seems to have a relatively better development and language ability in comparison to deletional form of the disease.

Conclusion: In conclusion we were able to establish new, throughput and robust diagnostic approach to PWS/AS.
Influence of Titanium on Crystallization and Wear Resistance of High Chromium Cast Iron
Authors: Studnicki A. , Dojka R. , Gromczyk M. , Kondracki M. 
Published: January 2016

Abstract
Paper presents the results of studies on primary crystallization and wear resistance of high chromium cast iron inoculated with ferrotitanium intended for work in abrasive conditions. Primary crystallization was examined with use of TDA method, wear tests of the samples were conducted using the modified pin-on-disk method.
Weighted Gagliardo–Nirenberg Inequalities Involving BMO Norms and Solvability of Strongly Coupled Parabolic Systems
Authors: Le Dung 
Published: January 2016

Abstract
New weighted Gagliardo–Nirenberg inequalities are introduced together with applications to the local/global existence of solutions to nonlinear strongly coupled and uniform parabolic systems. Much weaker sufficient conditions than those existing in literature for solvability of these systems will be established.
Measurement of temperature-dependent viscosity and thermal conductivity of alumina and titania thermal oil nanofluids
Authors: Cieśliński Janusz T. , Ronewicz Katarzyna , Smoleń Sławomir 
Published: January 2016

Abstract
In this study the results of simultaneous measurements of dynamic viscosity, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity and pH of two nanofluids, i.e., thermal oil/Al2O3 and thermal oil/TiO2 are presented. Thermal oil is selected as a base liquid because of possible application in ORC systems as an intermediate heating agent. Nanoparticles were tested at the concentration of 0.1%, 1%, and 5% by weight within temperature range from 20 °C to 60 °C. Measurement devices were carefully calibrated by comparison obtained results for pure base liquid (thermal oil) with manufacturer’s data. The results obtained for tested nanofluids were compared with predictions made by use of existing models for liquid/solid particles mixtures.
A strategy for elliptic curve primality proving
Authors: Kiss Gyöngyvér 
Published: January 2016

Abstract
This paper deals with an implementation of the elliptic curve primality proving (ECPP) algorithm of Atkin and Morain. As the ECPP algorithm is not deterministic, we are developing a strategy to avoid certain situations in which the original implementation could get stuck and to get closer to the situation where the probability that the algorithm terminates successfully is 1. We apply heuristics and tricks in order to test the strategy in our implementation in Magma on numbers of up to 7000 decimal digits and collect data to show the advantages over previous implementations in practice.
Factoring multi power RSA moduli with a class of secret exponents
Authors: Akchiche Omar , Khadir Omar 
Published: January 2016

Abstract
In this paper, we consider the RSA variant based on the key equation ed ≡ 1 (mod φ(N)) where N = prq, r ≥ 2. We show that if the secret exponent d is close to any multiple of the prime factor p or its powers, then it is possible to factor N in polynomial time in log N.
Chaotic behavior of the lattice Yang-Mills on CUDA
Authors: Forster Richárd , Fülöp Ágnes 
Published: January 2016

Abstract
The Yang-Mills fields plays important role in the strong interaction, which describes the quark gluon plasma. The non-Abelian gauge theory provides the theoretical background understanding of this topic. The real time evolution of the classical fields is derived by the Hamiltonian for SU(2) gauge field tensor. The microcanonical equations of motion is solved on 3 dimensional lattice and chaotic dynamics was searched by the monodromy matrix. The entropy-energy relation was presented by Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy. We used block Hessenberg reduction to compute the eigenvalues of the current matrix. While the purely CPU based algorithm can handle effectively only a small amount of values, the GPUs provide enough performance to give more computing power to solve the problem.
Invasion of Alien Solidago Taxa into Urban Habitats: A Study of Selected Towns in Southern Poland
Authors: Chmura Damian , Dyba Patrycja , Kraj Paulina , Peplińska Natalia , Pilorz Agnieszka , Roman Mateusz 
Published: January 2016

Abstract
In Poland there are three invasive species of the genus Solidago native to North America. In the years 2010-2015 field survey in five tows in Oswiecim Basin and its vicinity was performed which aimed to examine frequency, habitat preferences and basic parameters of populations of these species. Amongst invasive goldenrods S. canadensis (79 localities) and S. gigantea (74) prevailed in the study area and are much more frequent than S. graminifolia (8). Populations of goldenrods were not very abundant and did not occupy large area, however, there were populations exceeding 500 m2 and that had more than 500 ramets except for S. graminifolia which occur at low densities. The Canadian goldenrod S. canadensis tended to occur more frequently in ruderal and segetal habitats than S. gigantea whereas S. graminifolia was encountered only at fallows. Both S. gigantea and S. canadensis were reported to occur in wetland habitats and sometimes formed monospecific stands what prove negative influence on biodiversity.
Effect of Xanthan gum Solution on the Preservation of Acerola (Malpighia glabra L.)
Authors: Quoc L.P.T. , Hoa D.P. , Ngoc H.T.B. , Phi T.T.Y. 
Published: January 2016

Abstract
Nowadays, storing fresh fruit and vegetable by edible film was the best method. There are a lot of chemical which can coat the surface of fruit to increase the preservation time. Among the chemicals was xanthan gum which was known as an additive and applied widely in food technology but it can use currently in the post harvest technology as an edible film. Coating of acerola fruit with xanthan gum has been found to delay the ripening process. Xanthan gum in aqueous solutions of 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4% (w/v) was applied as an edible coating of unripe acerola which were stored at 30°C and 70-80% RH for 6 days. Fruits were coated with 1.4% xanthan gum delayed the ripening process by slowing down the rate of respiration, in terms of percentage weight loss, soluble solids concentration (°Bx), total acidity and color of acerola fruit during storage as compared to the uncoated control and fruit treated with other xanthan gum concentration. The result suggest that using 1.4% xanthan gum as edible coating may form a protective barrier on the surface of acerola, the ripening process of acerola can be delayed and prevented oxygen penetration. It can be prolong the preservation during 6 days at 30°C without any negative effects on quality of fruit. The appearance of acerola does not have blemishes and which is fresh, shiny and bright colored.