bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Opportunistic Quantitative CT Bone Mineral Density Measurement at the Proximal Femur Using Routine Contrast-Enhanced Scans: Direct Comparison With DXA in 355 Adults
Authors: Ziemlewicz Timothy J , Maciejewski Alyssa , Binkley Neil , Brett Alan D , Brown J Keenan , Pickhardt Perry J 
Published: April 2016

ABSTRACT

For patients undergoing routine contrast-enhanced CT examinations, an opportunity exists for concurrent osteoporosis screening without additional radiation exposure or patient time using proximal femur CT X-ray absorptiometry (CTXA). We investigated the effect of i.v. contrast enhancement on femoral neck CTXA T-score measurement compared with DXA. This cohort included 355 adults (277 female; mean age, 59.7 ± 13.3 years; range, 21 to 90 years) who underwent standard contrast-enhanced CT assessment at 120 kVp over an 8-year interval, as well as DXA BMD assessment within 100 days of the CT study (mean 46 ± 30 days). Linear regression and a Bland-Altman plot were performed to compare DXA and CTXA results. CTXA diagnostic sensitivity and specificity was evaluated with DXA as the reference standard. There was good correlation between DXA and CTXA (r2 = 0.824 for both areal BMD and T-scores) and the SD of the distribution of residuals was 0.063 g/cm2 or 0.45 T-score units. There was no trend in differences between the two measurements and a small bias was noted with DXA T-score +0.18 units higher than CTXA. CTXA had a sensitivity for discriminating normal from low bone mineral density of 94.9% (95% CI, 90.6% to 97.4%). For opportunistic osteoporosis screening at routine post-contrast abdominopelvic CT scans, CTXA produces T-scores similar to DXA. Because femoral neck CTXA BMD measurement is now included in the WHO Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) tool, this opportunistic method could help to increase osteoporosis screening because it can be applied regardless of the clinical indication for CT scanning. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Combining bioadsorption and photoelectrochemical oxidation for the treatment of soil‐washing effluents polluted with herbicide 2,4‐D
Authors: Chair Khaoula , Bedoui Ahmed , Bensalah Nasr , Fernández‐Morales Francisco J , Sáez Cristina , Cañizares Pablo , Rodrigo Manuel A 
Published: April 2016

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe aim of this work is to evaluate the effectiveness of complete treatment of soil spiked with 2,4‐D, consisting of soil washing, followed by bioadsorption with activated sludge and electrochemical and photoelectrochemical oxidation of resulting wastewater using BDD anodes combined with UV light irradiation.RESULTSResults show that 2,4‐D is very efficiently removed from synthetic soil by soil‐washing without the use of surfactants. The effluent can be treated by bioadsorption with fresh activated sludge coming from a municipal wastewater treatment plant and the maximum adsorption capacity is 0.012 mg 2,4‐D mg−1 biomass. Despite the low contact time between the biomass and the soil‐washing effluent, results fit well to a Langmuir isotherm.CONCLUSIONSPhotoelectrolysis with diamond anodes is more efficient than single electrolysis and the influence of potential radicalary oxidants produced on the anode surface from sulfate and chloride and activated by UV light can explain the better results. Both electrolysis and photoelectrolysis can lead to the complete mineralization of 2,4‐D, regardless of the biomass/herbicide ratio applied in the previous bioadsorption process. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry
Not ready, not set…discharge: Patient‐reported barriers to discharge readiness at an academic medical center
Authors: Harrison James D. , Greysen Ryan S. , Jacolbia Ronald , Nguyen Alice , Auerbach Andrew D. 
Published: April 2016

BACKGROUNDPlanning for discharge from the hospital should begin early in each patient's stay and focus on the patient's needs.OBJECTIVETo determine how often patient‐reported barriers to discharge on admission were resolved by discharge and to explore associations between barriers and readmission.DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSA prospective observational study of patients admitted to an academic medical center.INTERVENTION AND MEASUREMENTSPatients completed a barriers to discharge survey from the start of hospitalization to discharge. Primary outcomes were the prevalence of discharge barriers, rates of resolution of barriers during hospitalization, and comparisons between barriers identified in admission and discharge surveys.RESULTSOne hundred sixty‐three patients were enrolled, and 68 patients (42%) completed an admission survey and discharge survey ≤48 hours before discharge. Patients completed on average 1.82 surveys (standard deviation, 1.10; range, 1–8). Total and mean numbers of barriers were highest on the admission survey and decreased until the fourth survey. On average, the total number of barriers to discharge decreased by 0.15 (95% confidence interval: 0.01‐0.30) per day (P = 0.047). Ninety percent of patients were discharged with at least 1 issue. The 3 most common barriers on the admission and discharge survey remained the same: pain, lack of understanding of recovery plan, and daily‐living activities.CONCLUSIONSPatient‐reported barriers to discharge are prevalent and incompletely addressed. This suggests an opportunity for improved discharge planning and a framework for communication between providers and patients. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2016;11:610–614. © 2016 Society of Hospital Medicine
Initial experience of generalized intravoxel incoherent motion imaging and diffusion tensor imaging (GIVIM‐DTI) in healthy subjects
Authors: Ye Qiong , Chen Zhongwei , Zhao Youfan , Zhang Zhenhua , Miao Haiwei , Xiao Qinqin , Wang Meihao , Li Jiance 
Published: April 2016

PurposeTo evaluate the feasibility of combined generalized intravoxel incoherent imaging and diffusion tensor imaging (GIVIM‐DTI) to access the renal microstructure and microcirculation with respiratory triggering.Materials and MethodsA total of 28 young healthy volunteers with no history of renal disease were recruited into our study. GIVIM‐DTI images were acquired with respiratory triggering at 3 Tesla. The following diffusion and pseudodiffusion parameters were obtained: pure tissue diffusion (
), fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), mean pseudodiffusion (
), perfusion volume fraction (
), dispersion of pseudodiffusion (
), and an estimate of the microcirculation flow velocity (
). The renal left–right difference was analyzed using a paired t‐test. The corticomedullary difference was assessed using the one‐way analysis of variance test. The reliability of individual parameters was evaluated with the coefficient of variation (CV).ResultsAmong all parameters, only the cortical
showed a bilateral difference (P = 0.045). The cortical
and
were significantly higher (P < 0.001 for both) than those in the medulla, but
was significantly lower (P < 0.001) in the cortex, and the
values showed no significant corticomedullary difference (P = 0.068). The diffusion parameters
and MD were significantly higher (P < 0.001 for both) in the cortex than in the medulla. The cortical FA was significantly lower (P < 0.001) than the corresponding medullary value. Good consistency (CV < 20%) was obtained in the values of
, FA, and MD, moderate consistency (CV < 50%) in
, and poor consistency (CV > 50%) was found in
,
and
.ConclusionGIVIM‐DTI shows promise for advancing the characterization of the renal microstructure and microcirculation. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2016;44:732–738.
Longitudinal assessment of subcortical gray matter volume, cortical thickness, and white matter integrity in HIV‐positive patients
Authors: Corrêa Diogo Goulart , Zimmermann Nicolle , Tukamoto Gustavo , Doring Thomas , Ventura Nina , Leite Sarah C.B. , Cabral Rafael Ferracini , Fonseca Rochele Paz , Bahia Paulo R.V. , Gasparetto Emerson Leandro 
Published: April 2016

PurposeTo longitudinally evaluate the cortical thickness and deep gray matter structures volume, measured from T1 three‐dimensional (3D) Gradient echo‐weighted imaging, and white matter integrity, assessed from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of HIV‐positive patients.Materials and MethodsTwenty‐one HIV‐positive patients on stable highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) with CD4+ T lymphocytes count >200 cells/mL and viral load <50 copies/mL underwent two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans with a median interval of 26.6 months. None of the patients had HIV‐related dementia. T1 3D magnetization prepared rapid gradient echo‐weighted imaging and DTI along 30 noncolinear directions were performed using a 1.5 Tesla MR scanner. FreeSurfer was used to perform cortical volumetric reconstruction and segmentation of deep gray matter structures. For tract‐based spatial statistics analysis, a white matter skeleton was created, and a permutation‐based inference with 5000 permutations, with a threshold of P < 0.05 was used to identify abnormalities in fractional anisotropy (FA). The median, radial, and axial diffusivities were also projected onto the mean FA skeleton.ResultsThere were no significant differences in cortical thickness, deep gray matter structures volumes or diffusivity parameters between scans at the two time points (considering P < 0.05).ConclusionNo longitudinal differences in cortical thickness, deep gray matter volumes, or white matter integrity were observed in an HIV‐positive population on stable HAART, with undetectable viral load and high CD4+ T lymphocytes count. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2016;44:1262–1269.
A new approach to compact semiconductor device modelling with Qucs Verilog‐A analogue module synthesis
Authors: Brinson M. E. , Kuznetsov V. 
Published: April 2016

SummarySince the introduction of SPICE non‐linear controlled voltage and current sources, they have become a central feature in the interactive development of behavioural device models and circuit macromodels. The current generation of SPICE‐based open source general public license circuit simulators, including Qucs, Ngspice and Xyce©, implements a range of mathematical operators and functions for modelling physical phenomena and system performance. The Qucs equation‐defined device is an extension of the SPICE style non‐linear B type controlled source which adds dynamic charge properties to behavioural sources, allowing for example, voltage and current dependent capacitance to be easily modelled. Following, the standardization of Verilog‐A, it has become a preferred hardware description language where analogue models are written in a netlist format combined with more general computer programming features for sequencing and controlling model operation. In traditional circuit simulation, the generation of a Verilog‐A model from a schematic, with embedded non‐linear behavioural sources, is not automatic but is normally undertaken manually. This paper introduces a new approach to the generation of Verilog‐A compact device models from Qucs circuit schematics using a purpose built analogue module synthesizer. To illustrate the properties and use of the Qucs Verilog‐A module synthesiser, the text includes a number of semiconductor device modelling examples and in some cases compares their simulation performance with conventional behavioural device models. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ranking of multi‐day extreme precipitation events over the Iberian Peninsula
Authors: Ramos Alexandre M. , Trigo Ricardo M. , Liberato Margarida L. R. 
Published: April 2016

ABSTRACTAn objective method for ranking extreme precipitation episodes in different time scales over the Iberian Peninsula (IP) is presented. It relies on the extensive use of the high‐resolution (0.2°) gridded daily precipitation database available for the IP, spanning from 1950 to 2008. The sum of the normalized anomalies is computed over different time scales (2–10 days) to allow ranking the different anomalous precipitation multi‐day periods. The magnitude of a precipitation episode is given taking into account the area (in percentage) that has precipitation anomalies above two standard deviations (std) and the mean values of these anomalies over this area. With these criteria, we are able to evaluate the spatial extent of the precipitation episodes as well as their spatially integrated intensity. Different precipitation rankings are built for the entire IP, for Portugal and independently for six of the major river basins in the IP. The different rankings correctly detect and categorize the most extreme precipitation episodes which occurred on the various domains. For each domain, in general, results show that few events dominate the top ten of a particular ranking; specific extreme events at shorter time scales (e.g. 2–3 days) may be absent from the top rankings at longer time scales (e.g. 10 days). When comparing the different domains, the top ten events are generally different from each other, thus highlighting the spatial variability of extreme precipitation in the IP. Moreover the methodology used to build the rankings imply that some events are considered extreme due to particularly high precipitation totals, while other episodes are more dependent on extensive areas affected by less extreme precipitation values. The different rankings revealed to be an useful tool for future studies in identifying the meteorological impacts of extreme precipitation episodes at the regional scale covering relatively large areas.
Gait mechanics in those with/without medial compartment knee osteoarthritis 5 years after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
Authors: Khandha Ashutosh , Manal Kurt , Wellsandt Elizabeth , Capin Jacob , Snyder‐Mackler Lynn , Buchanan Thomas S. 
Published: April 2016

ABSTRACTThe objective of the study was to evaluate differences in gait mechanics 5 years after unilateral anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery, for non‐osteoarthritic (n = 24) versus osteoarthritic (n = 9) subjects. For the involved knee, the osteoarthritic group demonstrated significantly lower peak knee flexion angles (non‐osteoarthritic = 24.3 ± 4.6°, osteoarthritic = 19.1 ± 2.9°, p = 0.01) and peak knee flexion moments (non‐osteoarthritic = 5.3 ± 1.2% Body Weight × Height, osteoarthritic = 4.4 ± 1.2% Body Weight × Height, p = 0.05). Differences in peak knee adduction moment approached significance, with a higher magnitude for the osteoarthritic group (non‐osteoarthritic = 2.4 ± 0.8% Body Weight × Height, osteoarthritic = 2.9 ± 0.5% Body Weight × Height, p = 0.09). Peak medial compartment joint load was evaluated using electromyography‐informed neuromusculoskeletal modeling. Peak medial compartment joint load in the involved knee for the two groups was not different (non‐osteoarthritic = 2.4 ± 0.4 Body Weight, osteoarthritic = 2.3 ± 0.6 Body Weight). The results suggest that subjects with dissimilar peak knee moments can have similar peak medial compartment joint load magnitudes. There was no evidence of inter‐limb asymmetry for either group. Given the presence of inter‐group differences (non‐osteoarthritic vs. osteoarthritic) for the involved knee, but an absence of inter‐limb asymmetry in either group, it may be necessary to evaluate how symmetry is achieved, over time, and to differentiate between good versus bad inter‐limb symmetry, when evaluating knee gait parameters. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:625–633, 2017.
Kinetic and Mechanistic Investigations on Some N,N‐Chelated Pt(II) Oxalate Complexes with Some “S” Containing Biorelevant Ligands at Physiological Condition
Authors: Ray Sumon , Karmakar Parnajyoti , Chattopadhyay Animesh , Nandi Debabrata , Sarkar (Sain) Roshni , Ghosh Alak K 
Published: April 2016

ABSTRACTThe substitution of the chelating oxalate group by a group of nucleophiles, viz. thiourea (L1), 2‐thiouracil (L2), diethyldithiocarbamate (L3), dl‐penicillamine (L4), and thiosemicarbazide (L5) was studied under pseudo–first‐order conditions as a function of concentration and temperature using UV–vis spectrophotometry and stopped‐flow technique. π‐Accepting effects are often used to account for the unusual high lability of Pt(bipy) complexes. The complexes [Pt(dach)(oxalate)] (1) (dach = cis‐1,2‐diaminocyclohexane) and [Pt(bipy)(oxalate)] (2) (bipy = 2,2'‐bipyridine) and substituted products were isolated and characterized by FTIR and ESI‐MS spectroscopic analysis. The negative entropies of activation support a strong contribution from bond making in the transition state of the substitution processes.
Assessing Gully Erosion Occurrence in Forest Lands in Catalonia (Spain)
Authors: Selkimäki Mari , González‐Olabarria José Ramón 
Published: April 2016

AbstractGully erosion is an important land degradation process affecting soils around the world. This paper studies gully erosion in forest lands, analysing related local and environmental factors influencing its occurrence in Catalonia (north‐east Spain). The data on gully erosion are based on observations from the Third Spanish National Forest Inventory, and include 157 plots with gully erosion and 9932 non‐eroded plots for reference. The variables studied as potentially related to gully erosion occurrence included characteristics of the forest plots and variables describing drainage areas, such as land use configuration and edaphic and geological characteristics. For evaluating these factors affecting on gully erosion occurrence, a binary logistic model with stepwise selection of variables was used. The final model explained 30·4% of the variance. According to the results, the probability of gully erosion occurrence was increased with larger drainage area, steeper slope, presence of fine textured soils, increased urban land use and presence of unpaved roads. On the other hand, the dominance of forest and the presence of paved roads on the drainage area diminished gully erosion probability. The presented model can be used for mapping the areas with higher gully erosion risk, in an effort to direct land use planning and management in order to mitigate soil losses. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of high filling ratio on the weld strength of hot plate welded calcite filled polypropylene and its comparison with talc filling
Authors: Özes Ç. , Sayer S. , Yeni Ç. , Taşkıran E. 
Published: April 2016

In this paper, the effect of the hot plate welding parameters on the weld strength of 40 % calcite filled polypropylene were investigated by utilizing design of experiment and compared to talc filled polypropylene. The plate temperature and the heating time were considered as the process parameters. A mathematical predictive model of the weld strength was developed in terms of welding parameters. The results show that the mathematical model correlates well with the experimental results. The optimum welding parameters of calcite filled polypropylene are determined as 260 °C of plate temperature and heating time of 25 s. The welding strength of the joint welded at optimum parameters is found as 18.32 MPa. Hot plate welding efficiency of the 40 % calcite filled polypropylene is observed to be higher than 40 % talc filled polypropylene material.
Cell interactions and genetic regulation that contribute to testicular Leydig cell development and differentiation
Authors: Martin Luc J. 
Published: April 2016

SUMMARYLeydig cells, located within the interstitial compartment of the testis, are major contributors of androgen synthesis and secretion, which play an important role in testis development, normal masculinization, maintenance of spermatogenesis, and general male fertility. Accordingly, dysfunction of Leydig cells may lead to various male reproductive maladies, including primary hypogonadism, cryptorchidism, and hypospadias. A better understanding of how cell interactions and gene regulation contribute to testicular Leydig cell development and differentiation may therefore help limit the incidence of such male reproductive pathologies. Several hormones and signaling molecules have been identified as important regulators of Leydig cell differentiation and function. Recent work on the regulation of testis development, especially of Leydig cells, has focused on the Desert hedgehog and platelet‐derived growth factor signaling pathways. This review outlines recent findings regarding cell interactions and gene regulation involved in the development and regulation of fetal and adult Leydig cell populations. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 83: 470–487, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Pseudo Steady‐State Free Precession for MR‐Fingerprinting
Authors: Assländer Jakob , Glaser Steffen J. , Hennig Jürgen 
Published: April 2016

PurposeThis article discusses the signal behavior in the case the flip angle in steady‐state free precession sequences is continuously varied as suggested for MR‐fingerprinting sequences. Flip angle variations prevent the establishment of a steady state and introduce instabilities regarding to magnetic field inhomogeneities and intravoxel dephasing. We show how a pseudo steady state can be achieved, which restores the spin echo nature of steady‐state free precession.MethodsBased on geometrical considerations, relationships between the flip angle, repetition and echo time are derived that suffice to the establishment of a pseudo steady state. The theory is tested with Bloch simulations as well as phantom and in vivo experiments.ResultsA typical steady‐state free precession passband can be restored with the proposed conditions. The stability of the pseudo steady state is demonstrated by comparing the evolution of the signal of a single isochromat to one resulting from a spin ensemble. As confirmed by experiments, magnetization in a pseudo steady state can be described with fewer degrees of freedom compared to the original fingerprinting and the pseudo steady state results in more reliable parameter maps.ConclusionThe proposed conditions restore the spin‐echo‐like signal behavior typical for steady‐state free precession in fingerprinting sequences, making this approach more robust to B0 variations. Magn Reson Med 77:1151–1161, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
Image denoising for real‐time MRI
Authors: Klosowski Jakob , Frahm Jens 
Published: April 2016

PurposeTo develop an image noise filter suitable for MRI in real time (acquisition and display), which preserves small isolated details and efficiently removes background noise without introducing blur, smearing, or patch artifacts.Theory and MethodsThe proposed method extends the nonlocal means algorithm to adapt the influence of the original pixel value according to a simple measure for patch regularity. Detail preservation is improved by a compactly supported weighting kernel that closely approximates the commonly used exponential weight, while an oracle step ensures efficient background noise removal. Denoising experiments were conducted on real‐time images of healthy subjects reconstructed by regularized nonlinear inversion from radial acquisitions with pronounced undersampling.ResultsThe filter leads to a signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) improvement of at least 60% without noticeable artifacts or loss of detail. The method visually compares to more complex state‐of‐the‐art filters as the block‐matching three‐dimensional filter and in certain cases better matches the underlying noise model. Acceleration of the computation to more than 100 complex frames per second using graphics processing units is straightforward.ConclusionThe sensitivity of nonlocal means to small details can be significantly increased by the simple strategies presented here, which allows partial restoration of SNR in iteratively reconstructed images without introducing a noticeable time delay or image artifacts. Magn Reson Med 77:1340–1352, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine