bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hypercalcemia in pregnancy – a multifaceted challenge: case reports and literature review
Authors: Rey Evelyne , Jacob Claude‐Emilie , Koolian Maral , Morin Francine 
Published: September 2016

Key Clinical MessageHypercalcemia in pregnancy is an uncommon event that can cause major maternal morbidity and/or fetal or neonatal morbidity and mortality. Management is a challenge for the clinicians, especially as regards to investigations in pregnancy, surgery, and the use of cinacalcet and bisphosphonates. We present three case reports and discuss management.
Totally submuscular implantation of subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator: a safe and effective solution for obese or oversized patients
Authors: Droghetti Andrea , Locatelli Alessandro , Casiraghi Bruno , Malacrida Maurizio , Arupi Michele , Ragusa Mark 
Published: September 2016

Key Clinical MessageThe subcutaneous implantable cardioverter–defibrillator (S‐ICD) is a safe alternative to transvenous ICD. We describe a submuscular S‐ICD placement technique in a severely obese with an oversized chest. Submuscular configuration allows optimal system positioning and impendence values warranting a safe and effective shock transmission. This technique is safe and improves patients comfort.
Seed‐Mediated Growth of Colloidal Metal Nanocrystals: Scaling up the Production through Geometric and Stoichiometric Analyses
Authors: Figueroa‐Cosme Legna , Park Jinho , Bao Shixiong , Xia Younan 
Published: September 2016

AbstractDespite the remarkable progress in shape‐controlled synthesis of noble‐metal nanocrystals, there still exists a major gap between academic studies and industrial applications. This gap can be largely attributed to the inability to produce nanocrystals in large quantities while retaining uniformity and good control over both size and shape. Here we provide a new perspective on increasing the volume of production during a synthesis of colloidal nanocrystals via seed‐mediated growth. We demonstrate that the yield of Pd octahedra and Pd@Pt3−4L (L: atomic layers) core–shell octahedra with different sizes can be increased from ca. 2 mg to over 500 mg without compromising the product quality. Specifically, we apply geometric and stoichiometric analyses to calculate the minimum amounts of reagents needed for the complete evolution of Pd cubic seeds into Pd octahedra, and subsequently for the formation of Pd@Pt3−4L core–shell octahedra through conformal Pt coating. The simple analyses allow us to obtain uniform products by avoiding homogeneous nucleation while minimizing the waste of reagents.
Portability with efficiency of the advection of BRAMS between multi‐core and many‐core architectures
Authors: Silva Junior Manoel Baptista , Panetta Jairo , Stephany Stephan 
Published: September 2016

SummaryThe continuous growth of spatial resolution and forecasting period in current atmospheric models demands increasing processing power supplied by supercomputers with hundreds or thousands of nodes. Currently, most of these models are operationally executed on supercomputers composed of nodes with tens of cores (multi‐core architecture). Newer supercomputer generations have nodes with multi‐core processors coupled to processing accelerators, typically graphics cards with hundreds of cores (many‐core architecture). The rewriting of model codes to use both architectures efficiently, that is, executing with or without graphics cards, represents a challenge because these models have hundreds of thousands of lines. The OpenMP programming interface proposed decades ago is a de facto standard that efficiently explores multi‐core architectures. A new programming interface, OpenACC, is being proposed for many‐core architectures. These two programming interfaces are similar, because they are based on parallelization directives for the concurrent execution of threads. This work shows the feasibility of writing a single portable code embedding both interfaces and presenting acceptable efficiency when executed on nodes with multi‐core or many‐core architecture. The code chosen as a case study is the advection of scalars, a part of the dynamics of the regional atmospheric model Brazilian Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (BRAMS). The dynamics of a model is harder to parallelize because of data dependencies between adjacent grid points. Single‐node executions of the advections of scalars for different grid sizes using OpenMP or OpenACC yielded similar speed‐ups, showing the feasibility of the proposed approach. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A CCII‐based non‐inverting Schmitt trigger and its application as astable multivibrator for capacitive sensor interfacing
Authors: De Marcellis Andrea , Ferri Giuseppe , Mantenuto Paolo 
Published: September 2016

SummaryThis paper presents a novel second‐generation current conveyor (CCII)‐based non‐inverting Schmitt trigger topology. By means of the use of only three resistances, it is possible to set easily the threshold values or, in addition, the trigger can be set also to work as a zero‐voltage comparator. The theoretical working principle has been confirmed through PSpice simulations implementing an integrated CCII, designed in a low‐cost standard complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor technology (Austria Micro Systems (AMS) 0.35 µm) with low‐voltage low‐power characteristics, and then by experimental tests on the fabricated printed circuit board prototype through the use of the commercial component AD844 (Analog Devices) as CCII. As its main application example, the presented trigger has been employed to implement an astable multivibrator proposed here as a capacitive sensor interface capable to accurately detect about five decades of capacitive variations in the range of [100 pF–5.5 μF] with a maximum relative error lower than ±10%. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evolution of the elaborate male intromittent organ of Xiphophorus fishes
Authors: Jones Julia C. , Fruciano Carmelo , Keller Anja , Schartl Manfred , Meyer Axel 
Published: September 2016

AbstractInternally fertilizing animals show a remarkable diversity in male genital morphology that is associated with sexual selection, and these traits are thought to be evolving particularly rapidly. Male fish in some internally fertilizing species have “gonopodia,” highly modified anal fins that are putatively important for sexual selection. However, our understanding of the evolution of genital diversity remains incomplete. Contrary to the prediction that male genital traits evolve more rapidly than other traits, here we show that gonopodial traits and other nongonopodial traits exhibit similar evolutionary rates of trait change and also follow similar evolutionary models in an iconic genus of poeciliid fish (Xiphophorus spp.). Furthermore, we find that both mating and nonmating natural selection mechanisms are unlikely to be driving the diverse Xiphophorus gonopodial morphology. Putative holdfast features of the male genital organ do not appear to be influenced by water flow, a candidate selective force in aquatic habitats. Additionally, interspecific divergence in gonopodial morphology is not significantly higher between sympatric species, than between allopatric species, suggesting that male genitals have not undergone reproductive character displacement. Slower rates of evolution in gonopodial traits compared with a subset of putatively sexually selected nongenital traits suggest that different selection mechanisms may be acting on the different trait types. Further investigations of this elaborate trait are imperative to determine whether it is ultimately an important driver of speciation.
Worse prognosis of real‐world patients with acute heart failure from the Czech AHEAD registry in comparison to patients from the RELAX‐AHF trial
Authors: Spinar Jindrich , Jarkovsky Jiri , Spinarova Lenka , Vitovec Jiri , Linhart Ales , Widimsky Petr , Miklik Roman , Zeman Kamil , Belohlavek Jan , Malek Filip , Cihalik Cestmir , Spac Jiri , Felsoci Marian , Ostadal Petr , Dusek Ladislav , Kettner Jiri , Vaclavik Jan , Littnerova Simona , Monhart Zdeněk , Malek Josef , Parenica Jiri ,   on behalf of the AHEAD registry investigators
Published: September 2016

AbstractAimsThe randomized clinical trial RELAX‐AHF demonstrated a positive effect of vasodilator therapy with serelaxin in the treatment of AHF patients. The aim of our study was to compare clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients from the AHEAD registry who met criteria of the RELAX‐AHF trial (relax‐comparable group) with the same characteristics and outcomes of patients from the AHEAD registry who did not meet those criteria (relax‐non‐comparable group), and finally with characteristics and outcomes of patients from the RELAX‐AHF trial.Methods and resultsA total of 5856 patients from the AHEAD registry (Czech registry of AHF) were divided into two groups according to RELAX‐AHF criteria: relax‐comparable (n = 1361) and relax‐non‐comparable (n = 4495). As compared with the relax‐non‐comparable group, patients in the relax‐comparable group were older, had higher levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, lower creatinine clearance, and a higher number of comorbidities. Relax‐comparable patients also had significantly lower short‐term as well as long‐term mortality rates in comparison to relax‐non‐comparable patients, but a significantly higher mortality rate in comparison to the placebo group of patients from the RELAX‐AHF trial. Using AHEAD score, we have identified higher‐risk patients from relax‐comparable group who might potentially benefit from new therapeutic approaches in the future.ConclusionsOnly about one in five of all evaluated patients met criteria for the potential treatment with the new vasodilator serelaxin. AHF patients from the real clinical practice had a higher mortality when compared with patients from the randomized clinical trial.
Quality of life and long‐term mortality in patients with advanced chronic heart failure treated with intermittent low‐dose intravenous inotropes in an outpatient setting
Authors: Chernomordik Fernando , Freimark Dov , Arad Michael , Shechter Michael , Matetzky Shlomi , Savir Yulia , Shlomo Nir , Peled Amir , Goldenberg Ilan , Peled Yael 
Published: September 2016

AbstractAimsThere are limited data on the effect of low‐dose, intermittent inotropic therapy in an outpatient setting on the quality of life (QOL) in patients with advanced refractory heart failure (HF) symptoms. We aimed to analyse the effect of this treatment modality on QOL and subsequent survival.Methods and resultsThe study population comprised 287 consecutive patients with advanced refractory HF symptoms who were treated with low‐dose, intravenous intermittent inotropic therapy in the HF Day Care Service at Sheba Medical Centre between September 2000 and September 2012. All patients completed a baseline Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLWHFQ), and 137 (48%) completed a 1 year follow‐up questionnaire. MLWHFQ scores' means ranged from 0 (better QOL) to 5 (worse QOL). Mean age was 68 ± 12, 86% were men, 77% had ischaemic cardiomyopathy, and the mean left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) was 26% ± 13. The mean baseline MLWHFQ score was 3.1 (±1), while the mean at 1 year of treatment was of 2.7 (±1.1), indicating an overall improvement in QOL associated with intermittent low‐dose inotrope therapy (p < 0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that younger age, non‐ischaemic cardiomyopathy, and worse renal function were independently associated with improvement in QOL at 1 year. Improvement in QOL was not associated with a significant survival benefit during subsequent follow‐up.ConclusionsIn patients with advanced refractory HF symptoms, treatment with low‐dose, intermittent intravenous inotropes in an outpatient setting is associated with significant improvement in QOL. However, improvement in QOL in this population does not appear to affect subsequent long‐term survival.
Unmet Needs, Unwanted Persons: A Call for Expansion of Safe Haven Laws
Authors: Bruce Lori 
Published: September 2016

AbstractLegislative strategies for reducing infant abandonment and neonaticide developed in response to a series of sensational cases that occurred in Texas in 1999. The media coverage of these cases implied that the incidence of the crime was increasing, and Texas legislators responded with a law permitting parents to anonymously surrender their newborn at designated locations such as hospitals. This was the first “safe haven” law. Interest peaked nationwide, and by 2008 all states had a similar version of the law. These laws can trigger rapid cessation of parental rights and a fast‐tracked adoption to a preapproved family, reflecting the legislators’ assumption that it is better to permit struggling mothers to leave their children with well‐intentioned strangers than to abandon the children or end their lives. These laws, however, suffer from several inadequacies.
Telos versus Praxis in Bioethics
Authors: Chambers Tod S. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractThe authors of “A Conceptual Model for the Translation of Bioethics Research and Scholarship” argue that bioethics must respond to institutional pressures by demonstrating that it is having an impact in the world. Any impact, the authors observe, must be “informed” by the goals of the discipline of bioethics. The concept of bioethics as a discipline is central to their argument. They begin by citing an essay that Daniel Callahan wrote in the first issue of Hastings Center Studies. Callahan argued in this 1973 piece that bioethics had yet to attain the status of a discipline, and he lauded the freedom of being able to define a new discipline. Callahan's essay shares with Mathews and colleague's a peculiarity: neither ever defines what it means to refer to something as a “discipline.” To define a discipline does mean attending to the intended end product of scholarly activity, so I concur with Mathews et al.’s focus on outcomes. But I am concerned that in their argument they confusingly entangle their understanding of an academic discipline's internal goals, its telos, with its potential to have an impact on the external world, its praxis. The confusion that this can bring exposes what I believe is a profound problem within bioethics, the discipline's peculiar and at times intellectually hazardous relationship with its institutional hosts.
How the different material and shape of the blood collection tube influences the Concentrated Growth Factors production
Authors: Bonazza Veronica , Borsani Elisa , Buffoli Barbara , Castrezzati Stefania , Rezzani Rita , Rodella Luigi Fabrizio 
Published: September 2016

AbstractPlatelet concentrates, such as Concentrated Growth Factors (CGF), are autologous preparations obtained from the patient's own blood and rich in platelets, growth factors and cytokines involved in the key processes of tissue regeneration. These autologous concentrates differ in the way of preparation and also in the content of platelets, growth factors and leucocytes, as well as in the fibrin network architecture. So it is difficult to have a standardized product. The aim of the present study was to evaluate how the use of test tubes of different material, for blood collection, could influence the CGF production. Three different test tubes were used and the obtained CGFs were subjected to histomorphological and immunohistochemical analyses. Results showed that the tube material and shape influenced the CGF composition. In fact, according to the type of tube used, the obtained CGFs showed differences in morphology, in the fibrin network architecture and in blood cell localization and distribution.
Amino‐functionalized cotton fiber for enhanced adsorption of active brilliant red X‐3B from aqueous solution
Authors: Deng Hui , Ning JiaHong , Wang XiaoNing 
Published: September 2016

AbstractAn amino‐functionalized sorbent (ACF) was prepared by grafting amine group onto cotton fiber (CF) using tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA). The resulting composite was characterized using various instrumental techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) and pHpzc analysis. FTIR spectrum and pHpzc analysis illustrated the involvement of amine groups in the X‐3B sorption process. ACF sorbent was tested for its ability to remove X‐3B from an aqueous solution in batch experiments. The adsorption efficiency of ACF was 100% in comparison with 5.52% of raw cotton fiber when initial concentration of active brilliant red X‐3B was 30 mg/l. Results suggested that solution pH hardly affected the removal of X‐3B, and ACF remained stable sorption efficiency in the pH range of 3.0–12.0. High values of correlation coefficients indicated the adsorption kinetics could best described by the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic equation. The sorption isotherm of ACF fitted the Langmuir equilibrium model, with the maximum adsorption capacity of 270.27 mg/g at 293K. The obtained thermodynamic parameters showed that the adsorption of X‐3B onto the adsorbent was spontaneous and exothermic. The excellent regeneration performance provided strong evidence of the potential of ACF for technological applications of dye removal.
Fractal features of carbon–nickel composite thin films
Authors: Ţălu Ştefan , Bramowicz Miroslaw , Kulesza Slawomir , Dalouji Vali , Solaymani Shahram , Valedbagi Shahoo 
Published: September 2016

AbstractThis work analyses the three‐dimensional (3‐D) surface texture of carbon–nickel (C–Ni) films grown by radio frequency (RF) magnetron co‐sputtering on glass substrates. The C–Ni thin films were deposited under different deposition times, from 50 to 600 s, at room temperature. Atomic force microscopy was employed to characterize the 3‐D surface texture data in connection with the statistical, and fractal analyses. It has been found that up to 180 s the sputtering occurs in more metal content mode and in greater than 180 s it occurs in more non‐metal content mode. This behavior demonstrated a strong link between the structural and morphological properties of C–Ni composite films and facilitates a deeper understanding of structure/property relationships and surface defects in prepared samples. Furthermore, these findings can be applied to research on the mechanisms to prepare and control high‐quality C–Ni films.
Evidence for strain‐specific immunity to pneumonia in bighorn sheep
Authors: Cassirer E. Frances , Manlove Kezia R. , Plowright Raina K. , Besser Thomas E. 
Published: September 2016

ABSTRACTTransmission of pathogens commonly carried by domestic sheep and goats poses a serious threat to bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) populations. All‐age pneumonia die‐offs usually ensue, followed by asymptomatic carriage of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae by some of the survivors. Lambs born into these chronically infected populations often succumb to pneumonia, but adults are usually healthy. Surprisingly, we found that introduction of a new genotype (strain) of M. ovipneumoniae into a chronically infected bighorn sheep population in the Hells Canyon region of Washington and Oregon was accompanied by adult morbidity (100%) and pneumonia‐induced mortality (33%) similar to that reported in epizootics following exposure of naïve bighorn sheep. This suggests an immune mismatch occurred that led to ineffective cross‐strain protection. To understand the broader context surrounding this event, we conducted a retrospective analysis of M. ovipneumoniae strains detected in 14 interconnected populations in Hells Canyon over nearly 3 decades. We used multi‐locus sequence typing of DNA extracts from 123 upper respiratory tract and fresh, frozen, and formalin‐fixed lung samples to identify 5 distinct strains of M. ovipneumoniae associated with all‐age disease outbreaks between 1986 and 2014, a pattern consistent with repeated transmission events (spillover) from reservoir hosts. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the strain associated with the outbreak observed in this study was likely of domestic goat origin, whereas strains from other recent disease outbreaks probably originated in domestic sheep. Some strains persisted and spread across populations, whereas others faded out or were replaced. Lack of cross‐strain immunity in the face of recurrent spillovers from reservoir hosts may account for a significant proportion of the disease outbreaks in bighorn sheep that continue to happen regularly despite a century of exposure to domestic sheep and goats. Strain‐specific immunity could also complicate efforts to develop vaccines. The results of our study support existing management direction to prevent contacts that could lead to pathogen transmission from domestic small ruminants to wild sheep, even if the wild sheep have previously been exposed. Our data also show that under current management, spillover is continuing to occur, suggesting that enhanced efforts are indicated to avoid introducing new strains of M. ovipneumoniae into wild sheep populations. We recommend looking for new management approaches, such as clearing M. ovipneumoniae infection from domestic animal reservoirs in bighorn sheep range, and placing greater emphasis on existing strategies to elicit more active cooperation by the public and to increase vigilance on the part of resource managers. © 2016 The Wildlife Society.
Polymer Flooding: The Influence of Polymer Chemical Structure and the Porous Medium
Authors: Cardoso Oldemar Ribeiro , Lima Vidal Rosangela Regia , de Lima Bruna Vital , de Carvalho Balaban Rosangela 
Published: September 2016

SummaryPolymer flooding is one of the chemical processes used to enhance the petroleum recovery. The injection of a polymer dissolved in water into a reservoir aims to increase the water viscosity, leading to an improvement of areal and vertical sweep efficiency of the oil that is located inside the pores of the rock formation. The polysaccharides (mainly xanthan gum) and polyacrylamides have been used extensively for this purpose by the oil industry, and several papers were published. However, it is not clear yet how to choose the best polymer for a specific rock formation. In this paper, four polyacrylamides with different structures were evaluated for polymer flooding and the results were correlated to the permeability of the sandstone's core employed. The polyacrylamides of higher average molar mass and higher radius of gyration were more effective in the enhancement of pressure inside the pore rock, especially with the decrease of rock permeability. Even in this case, no evidence of damage by polymer retention or adsorption on the pore rock was shown, indicating that the high polymers selected are good candidates to EOR.
Organophilization of Muscovite Mica for the Synthesis of High Molar Mass/Branched‐Polyethylene Blend Nanocomposites
Authors: Oliveira Patrícia L. , Morais Jacson S. , Oliveira Vital R. , de Fátima V. Marques Maria 
Published: September 2016

SummaryUltra‐high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has excellent physical and mechanical properties. However, due to the high viscosity of UHMWPE it is difficult to process by conventional extrusion and injection since this polymer does not flow. One of the methodologies used to enable the processing of UHMWPE is by obtaining UHMWPE blends. In the present work, we have synthesized polymer blends directly in the polymerization reactor employing a mixture of catalysts, where one catalyst has a nickel center able to produce a low viscosity polyethylene, which would facilitate the processing of the material, and the other catalyst contain a titanium center responsible for the synthesis of UHMWPE. However, the incorporation of another polymer in the UHMWPE matrix can decrease its properties. Therefore, to prevent property losses, the incorporation of a nanoclay in the blend improves the properties of the final material. We used muscovite mica as nanofiller since it has higher aspect ratio than montmorillonite. Mica was modified by treatment with LiNO3/ammonium‐salt, resulting in a sharp increase of the interlayer distance. The obtained organomica was used as support for the co‐immobilization of Ti/Ni catalytic mixture to produce nanocomposites of the blend UHMWPE/branched‐PE/Mica.