bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Composites of poly(L‐lactide‐trimethylene carbonate‐glycolide) and surface modified SBA‐15 as bone repair material
Authors: Wang Jielin , Du Beibei , Fan Zhongyong , Li Suming , Yun Peng , Su Feng 
Published: January 2018

This work aims to develop novel composites from a poly(L‐lactide‐co‐trimethylene carbonate‐co‐glycolide) (PLTG) terpolymer and mesoporous silica (SBA‐15) nanofillers surface modified by post‐synthetic functionalization. SBA‐15 first reacts with a silane coupling agent, γ‐aminopropyl‐trimethoxysilane to introduce ammonium group. PLLA chains were then grafted on the surface of SBA‐15 through ammonium initiated ring‐opening polymerization of L‐lactide. Composites were prepared via solution mixing of PLTG terpolymer and surface modified SBA‐15. The structures and properties of pure SBA‐15, γ‐aminopropyl‐trimethoxysilane modified SBA‐15 (H2N‐SBA‐15), PLLA modified SBA‐15 (PLLA‐NH‐SBA‐15), and PLTG/PLLA‐NH‐SBA‐15 composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N2 adsorption‐desorption, differential scanning calorimetry, contact angle measurement, and mechanical testing. The results demonstrated that PLLA chains were successfully grafted onto the surface of SBA‐15 with grafting amounts up to 16 wt.%. The PLTG/PLLA‐NH‐SBA‐15 composites exhibit good mechanical properties. The tensile strength, Young's modulus, and elongation at break of the composite containing 5 wt.% of PLLA‐NH‐SBA‐15 were 39.9 MPa, 1.3 GPa, and 273.6%, respectively, which were all higher than those of neat PLTG or of the composite containing 5 wt.% of pure SBA‐15. Cytocompatibility tests showed that the composites present very low cytotoxicity.
Effect of polystyrenes with different architectures on the β‐nucleating efficiency and toughening of isotactic polypropylene
Authors: Liu Jingru , Li Chen , Hu Fangming 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe effect of polystyrenes (PSs) with different architectures (three‐arm star‐shaped polystyrene (sPS), comb‐like branched polystyrene (cPS) and linear polystyrene) on their β‐nucleating efficiency for isotactic polypropylene (iPP) during crystallization and final impact and the tensile properties of iPP/PS blends were investigated by dynamic rheological measurements, SEM, DSC, polarized optical microscopy, wide angle X‐ray diffraction and mechanical property measurements. The results show that the architecture of PS has marked influence on its dispersibility in iPP and β‐nucleating efficiency. For iPP/cPS blend, plenty of short side chains reduce the probability of cPS chain entanglements, facilitating the interdiffusion between iPP and cPS chains. A favorable interfacial interaction results in good dispersibility, high β nucleating efficiency and an excellent toughening effect of cPS on iPP. However, the relatively high chain entanglement degree of sPS may not be in favor of chain diffusion between iPP and sPS and therefore relatively poor dispersibility and toughening effect are obtained. The elongation at break and impact strength of iPP were dramatically improved, especially with the addition of 1 wt% cPS. The toughening mechanism of PS on iPP is the dissipated energy caused by cavitation and the β‐nucleating effect of PS. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Facile preparation of silver/reduced graphene oxide/chitosan colloid and application of the nanocomposite in antibacterial and catalytic activity
Authors: An Jing , Guo Guizhen , Yin Rong , Luo Qingzhi , Li Xueyan , Liu Fan , Wang Desong 
Published: January 2018

AbstractReduced graphene oxide (RGO) decorated with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was synthesized by a facile solution‐based approach in chitosan (CS) solution. The morphology and elemental composition of as‐prepared Ag/RGO/CS colloid were characterized by SEM and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, respectively. TEM images show that most of the AgNPs are uniformly dispersed in the CS matrix while the other nanoparticles are decorated on the RGO nanosheets. XRD indicates that the interlayer distance of RGO is between 0.34 and 1.87 nm while the diameter of face‐centered cubic AgNPs is no more than 30 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of the Ag/RGO/CS colloid confirms the formation of AgNPs and RGO. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy proves that both the Ag − O bond and the C − N bond exist in the nanocomposite. Antimicrobial assays were performed using the most common species of Gram bacteria. The inhibitory effect indicates that the incorporation of AgNPs and RGO significantly improves the antimicrobial activity of CS colloid. In addition, the nanocomposite colloid exhibits significant catalytic activity toward the reduction of 4‐nitrophenol by NaBH4. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
A Review of the Literature: The Needs of Nontraditional Students in Postsecondary Education
Authors: MacDonald Kris 
Published: January 2018

Nontraditional students, or adult learners, are the new majority in the classroom in any sector of higher education according to the National Center for Education Statistics. These students are considered nontraditional if they identify with at least one of the following criteria: be at least 25 years old, attend school part‐time, work full‐time, be a veteran, have children, wait at least one year after high school before entering college, have a GED instead of a high school diploma, being a first‐generation student (FGS), are enrolled in nondegree programs, or have reentered a college program. This population also tends to be predominantly female. As this population trend grows exponentially in higher education, it is imperative for administrators and instructors to learn how to work with these students, as they deal with far different struggles to stay in school than their traditional counterparts. This review of the current literature will explore the best practices for what nontraditional students need based on the varied issues they face in reentering a classroom. A lack of knowledge about this population has led to low enrollment rates and high attrition rates, leaving some schools especially in the for‐profit sector, struggling to stay afloat. It is imperative that as populations shift, so do pedagogical and supportive approaches within postsecondary institutions in order to retain these students and ensure their academic success.
Enhanced surface free energy of UHMWPE fibers and its interfacial adhesion behavior to PI resins
Authors: He Runqin , Chang Qiuxiang , Huang Xinjun , Li Jian 
Published: January 2018

Mechanical properties of composites made up of ultra‐high‐molecular‐weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber, polyimide (PI), and TiO2 particles were investigated. The hybrid composite of 20 vol% of UHMWPE fiber with TiO2 showed tensile strength greater than UHMWPE fiber/PI composite. A positive hybrid effect in tensile strength is obtained. It is observed that addition of small amount of TiO2 to UHMWPE fiber/PI increased the tensile strength of the composite by 28%. With increase in TiO2 loading to 1 to 3 vol%, the impact strength of the hybrid composite is increased from 55 KJ/m2 to 69 KJ/m2. This maximum value is more than one and a half times greater than the impact strength of neat UHMWPE fiber/PI composite.
Surface interaction of H2O and H2S onto Ca12O12 nanocluster: Quantum‐chemical analyses
Authors: Rad Ali Shokuhi , Aghaei Sadegh Mehdi , Pazoki Hossein , Binaeian Ehsan , Mirzaei Mahmoud 
Published: January 2018

To find the selectivity of H2S, we explicate the adsorption properties of water (H2O) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) molecules on the external surfaces of free Ca12O12 nanocages using the density functional theory method. More specifically, binding energies, natural bond orbital charge transfer, dipole moment, molecular electrostatic potential, frontier molecular orbitals, density of states, and global indices of activities are calculated to deeply understand the impacts of the aforementioned molecules on the electronic and chemical properties of Ca12O12 nanocages. Our theoretical findings indicate that although H2O seems to be adsorbed in molecular form, the H2S molecule is fully dissociated during the adsorption process because of the weak bond between sulfur and hydrogen atoms of the molecule. Interestingly, the highest occupied molecular orbital–lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy gap of the nanocage is decreased by 1.87 eV upon H2S adsorption, indicating that the electrical conductivity of the nanocage is strongly increased by the dissociation process. In addition, the values of softness and electrophilicity for the H2S‐Ca12O12 complex are higher than those for the free nanocage. Our results suggest that Ca12O12 nanoclusters show promise in the adsorption/dissociation of H2S molecules, which can be used further for designing its selective sensor.
Relationship style and glycaemic control in women with type 2 diabetes: The mediating role of psychological distress
Authors: Braizat Omar , Feinn Richard , Abbott Gina , Wagner Julie 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThis study examined whether depressive symptoms and/or diabetes distress mediate the association between relationship style and glycaemic control in women with diabetes. Seventy‐five women with type 2 diabetes completed the Relationship Questionnaire. Participants endorsing “secure” or “preoccupied” adult attachment were combined into the interactive relationship style and “dismissing/avoidant” or “fearful” adult attachment were combined into the independent relationship style. Glycaemic control was a latent variable composed of A1c and 48‐hr continuously measured glucose. Diabetes distress was assessed with the Problem Areas in Diabetes scale and depressive symptoms with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. A parallel multiple mediation model with relationship style as the independent variable, glycaemic control as the dependent variable, and Problem Areas in Diabetes and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale as mediators, tested indirect effects. Bias‐corrected bootstrap with 10,000 replications was used to construct 95% confidence intervals. The indirect association of relationship style with glycaemic control through diabetes distress was significant (effect = −0.09, p = .036, 95CI = −0.19–0.01), but through depressive symptoms was not. A model testing the indirect association of relationship style with diabetes distress through glycaemic control was not significant. Results suggest that relationship style is associated with glycaemic control through diabetes distress in women with type 2 diabetes.
Correction to: Age at disease onset and peak ammonium level rather than interventional variables predict the neurological outcome in urea cycle disorders
Authors: Posset Roland , Garcia‐Cazorla Angeles , Valayannopoulos Vassili , Leão Teles Elisa , Dionisi‐Vici Carlo , Brassier Anaïs , Burlina Alberto B. , Burgard Peter , Cortès‐Saladelafont Elisenda , Dobbelaere Dries , Couce Maria L. , Sykut‐Cegielska Jolanta , Häberle Johannes , Lund Allan M. , Chakrapani Anupam , Schiff Manuel , Walter John H. , Zeman Jiri , Vara Roshni , Kölker Stefan ,   Additional individual contributors of the E‐IMD consortium
Published: January 2018

AbstractDue to an unfortunate error during the typesetting process, the collaborators were presented incorrectly.
Temporal unfolding of declining episodic memory on the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test in the predementia phase of Alzheimer's disease: Implications for clinical trials
Authors: Grober Ellen , Veroff Amy E. , Lipton Richard B. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractIntroductionFree and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT) performance identifies patients with preclinical disease at elevated risk for developing Alzheimer's dementia, predicting diagnosis better than other memory tests.MethodsBased on literature mapping FCSRT performance to clinical outcomes and biological markers, and on longitudinal preclinical data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, we developed the Stages of Objective Memory Impairment (SOMI) model. Five sequential stages of episodic memory decline are defined by Free Recall (FR) and Total Recall (TR) score ranges and years prior to dementia diagnosis. We sought to replicate the SOMI model using longitudinal assessments of 142 Einstein Aging Study participants who developed AD over 10 years.ResultsAverage time to diagnosis was seven years if FR was intact, four years if TR was intact, and two years if TR was impaired, consistent with SOMI model predictions. The SOMI identified incipient dementia with excellent sensitivity and specificity.DiscussionThe SOMI model provides an efficient approach for clinical trial cognitive screening in advance of more costly biomarker studies and ultimately in clinical practice, and provides a vocabulary for understanding AD biomarker patterns and for re‐analysis of existing clinical trial data.
OP22 Societal Perspective On Cost Drivers For Health Technology Assessment
Authors: Khowaja Asif , Mitton Craig , Qureshi Rahat , Bryan Stirling , Magee Laura , von Dadelszen Peter , Bhutta Zulfiqar 
Published: January 2018

INTRODUCTION:Understanding cost drivers and estimating societal costs are important challenges for economic evaluation of health technologies in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) (1). This study assessed community experiences of health resource utilization and perceived cost drivers from a societal perspective to inform the design of an economic model for the Community Level Interventions for Pre-eclampsia (CLIP) trials (2).METHODS:Qualitative research was undertaken alongside the CLIP trial in two districts of Sindh province, Pakistan. Nine focus groups were conducted with a wide range of stakeholders, including pregnant women, mothers-in-law, husbands, fathers-in-law, healthcare providers at community and health facility-levels, and health decision-/policy-makers at the district-level. The societal perspective included out-of-pocket (OOP), health system, and program implementation costs related to CLIP. Thematic analysis was performed using NVivo software.RESULTS:Most pregnant women and male decision makers reported a large burden of OOP costs for in- and out-patient care, informal care from traditional healers, self-medication, childbirth, newborn care, transport to health facility, and missed wages by caretakers. Many healthcare providers identified health system costs associated with human resources for hypertension risk assessment, transport, and communication about patient referrals. Health decision-/policy-makers recognized program implementation costs (such as the mobile health infrastructure, staff training, and monitoring/supervision) as major investments for the health system.CONCLUSIONS:Our investigation of care-seeking practices revealed financial implications for families of pregnant women, and program implementation costs for the health system. The societal perspective provided comprehensive knowledge of cost drivers to guide an economic appraisal of the CLIP trial in Sindh, Pakistan.
OP33 Developing A Public Version Of A Health Technology Assessment Report
Authors: Fearns Naomi , Riches Emma , Kelly Joanna , Macpherson Karen 
Published: January 2018

INTRODUCTION:As the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) community moves towards greater levels of Patient and Public Involvement (PPI), the need to communicate with the public about the results and impact of HTA, and of PPI itself, is also increasing. DECIDE was a European Commission funded collaborative project arising from the GRADE working group, which developed and evaluated strategies for effectively communicating the recommendations from clinical guidelines to a multiple stakeholders. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) led the work stream on patients and the public (1, 2). We extended the findings to develop a patient/public version of an HTA on Antimicrobial Wound Dressings (AWDs). The clinical and cost effectiveness evidence was inconclusive (3) which increased the importance of engagement with clinical and patient/public stakeholders.METHODS:A literature review, and a series of focus groups and user testing informed the development of a set of principles for designing patient versions of guidelines (1,2). Using these principles developed by the DECIDE collaboration, a patient version of the HTA was developed, in partnership with public volunteers and a standing public communications advisory group.RESULTS:We incorporated key facilitators of usability, such as distinct branding as material for the public, a clearly communicated purpose, and the layering of information. Other facilitators included a “friendly” and accessible tone which was achieved by the use of colour, icons, simple language and charts, and brief chunked text. While feedback about clarity, design and usefulness was generally positive, some public reviewers were concerned by the level of uncertainty and complexity in the findings.CONCLUSIONS:Using the principles from the DECIDE project, it is feasible and useful to develop public versions of an HTA report. The patient version is currently informing the development of educational material for patients/public about chronic wounds and AWDs by the Scottish Government. However, it remains a challenge to balance the complexity and uncertainty underlying evidence-based recommendations, with the need to provide accessible, understandable, and yet accurate information about them for the public.
OP70 Economic Impact Of Macular Edema Diseases, A Retrospective Study
Authors: Mennini Francesco , Fabiano Gianluca , Russo Simone , Marcellusi Andrea , Cerri Luca , Ricci Federico 
Published: January 2018

INTRODUCTION:Inhibitors of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) have made possible the treatment of the Retinal Vascular Diseases (RVD) for which there were limited therapeutic resources. The aim of this work was to estimate annual direct costs of major macular edema diseases in Italy in particular Choroidal Neovascularization (CNV), Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) and Retinal Vein Occlusions (RVO) from the hospital perspectives.METHODS:This descriptive study was aimed at quantifying direct costs incurred by five hospitals in Italy. Administrative and clinical databases of Policlinico Tor Vergata in Rome were analyzed for a 6-year period. In this context, it was possible to stratify patients depending on the disease and number of eyes treated. From these results, a survey with structured questionnaires was developed involving four other hospitals in Italy. Thanks to that, direct costs (drugs and specialist) were estimated from the hospitals perspective in 2016.RESULTS:Interviews included 7,356 individuals of which 1,860 were treated in both eyes. Within the considered five hospitals, 64 percent of treated patients had CNV, 21 percent DME, and 15 percent RVOs. The average annual administration rate of anti-VEGF treatment resulted in 4.03 (Standard Deviation, SD 3.46) per patient eye: 4.69 (SD 1.75) for cases enrolled for less than one year (naïve) and 3.38 (SD 0.82) per patients treated for more than one year (experienced). Naïve patients had a mean per capita annual cost of EUR2,368 per eye (EUR2,536 for CNV; EUR2,280 RVO; EUR1,986 DME) of which EUR2,952 was related to the administration of on-label drugs mainly Eylea, Lucentis, Macugen, Ozurdex and EUR49 due to off-labels such as Avastin. Experienced patients average annual cost per eye was EUR1,689: EUR2.179 for the on-label drugs, EUR34 due to off-labels (EUR1,839 for CNV; EUR1,327 RVO; EUR1,399 DME). The average rate of the specialist annual visit was four times; the most frequent types were Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), Angiography, and Fundus Photography (FP).CONCLUSIONS:This is a first attempt to study direct costs incurred from the hospital perspective associated with RVD with overexpression of VEGF in Italy. This might represent a first step for further analysis assessing the burden of RVD diseases from the Italian National Health System perspective globally.
OP83 Value Assessment Framework: Evidence-Informed Deliberative Processes
Authors: Tummers Marcia , Baltussen Rob , Jansen Maarten , Bijlmakers Leon , Grutters Janneke , Kluytmans Anouck , Reuzel Rob , van der Wilt Gert Jan 
Published: January 2018

INTRODUCTION:Priority setting in health care has been long recognized as an intrinsically complex and value-laden process. Yet, Health Technology Assessment (HTA) agencies presently employ value assessment frameworks that are ill-fitted to capture the range and diversity of stakeholder values, and thereby risk to compromise the legitimacy of their recommendations. We propose ‘evidence-informed deliberative processes’ as an alternative framework with the aim to enhance this legitimacy.METHODS:The framework is based on an integration of two increasingly popular and complementary frameworks for priority setting: multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and accountability for reasonableness (A4R), Evidence-informed deliberative processes are, on the one hand, based on early, continued stakeholder deliberation to learn about the importance of relevant social values. On the other hand, they are based on rational decision-making – through evidence-informed evaluation of the identified values.RESULTS:The framework has important implications for how HTA agencies should ideally organize their processes. Firstly, HTA agencies should take the responsibility to organize stakeholder involvement. Second, agencies are advised to integrate their assessment and appraisal phase, allowing for the timely collection of evidence on values that are considered relevant. Third, HTA agencies should subject their specification of decision-making criteria to public scrutiny. Fourth, agencies are advised to use a checklist of potentially relevant criteria, and to provide argumentation how each criterion affected the recommendation. Fifth, HTA agencies must publish their argumentation and install options for appeal.CONCLUSIONS:Adopting ‘evidence-informed deliberative processes’ as a value assessment framework could be an important step forward for HTA agencies to optimize the legitimacy of their priority setting decisions. Agencies can incorporate elements according to their needs and affordances.