bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of an iterative model-based reconstruction of pediatric abdominal CT with regard to image quality and radiation dose
Authors: Aurumskjöld Marie-Louise , Söderberg Marcus , Stålhammar Fredrik , von Steyern Kristina Vult , Tingberg Anders , Ydström Kristina 
Published: August 2017

Background In pediatric patients, computed tomography (CT) is important in the medical chain of diagnosing and monitoring various diseases. Because children are more radiosensitive than adults, they require minimal radiation exposure. One way to achieve this goal is to implement new technical solutions, like iterative reconstruction. Purpose To evaluate the potential of a new, iterative, model-based method for reconstructing (IMR) pediatric abdominal CT at a low radiation dose and determine whether it maintains or improves image quality, compared to the current reconstruction method. Material and Methods Forty pediatric patients underwent abdominal CT. Twenty patients were examined with the standard dose settings and 20 patients were examined with a 32% lower radiation dose. Images from the standard examination were reconstructed with a hybrid iterative reconstruction method (iDose4), and images from the low-dose examinations were reconstructed with both iDose4 and IMR. Image quality was evaluated subjectively by three observers, according to modified EU image quality criteria, and evaluated objectively based on the noise observed in liver images. Results Visual grading characteristics analyses showed no difference in image quality between the standard dose examination reconstructed with iDose4 and the low dose examination reconstructed with IMR. IMR showed lower image noise in the liver compared to iDose4 images. Inter- and intra-observer variance was low: the intraclass coefficient was 0.66 (95% confidence interval = 0.60–0.71) for the three observers. Conclusion IMR provided image quality equivalent or superior to the standard iDose4 method for evaluating pediatric abdominal CT, even with a 32% dose reduction.
Combined pelvic and femoral reconstruction in children with cerebral palsy
Authors: Alassaf Nabil , Saran Neil , Benaroch Theirry , Hamdy Reggie Cherine 
Published: August 2017

Objective The primary aim of this study was to determine the effect of age, femoral head migration, and ambulatory status on radiographic outcomes after combined pelvic and femoral reconstruction in children with cerebral palsy. The secondary aim was to evaluate the fate of the opposite hip after unilateral reconstruction. Methods A retrospective cohort study design of consecutive patients from 1995–2009 was used. The records were screened for patients who underwent varus derotational osteotomy and modified Dega osteotomy. Results Eighty-five hips in 71 patients were included. The mean age was 8.4 ± 3.2 years and the mean follow-up was 6.6 ± 3.1 years. The final measures were a mean migration index of 20% ± 15.58%, centre edge angle of 28.45° ± 15.98°, and Sharp’s angle of 40.75° ± 8.5°. Those values were not correlated with age and the initial migration index. Nonambulatory status did not negatively affect hip stability. Final measurements of the contralateral hips were similar to the reconstructed hips, and the cumulative incidence for later reconstruction was 5.67%. Conclusions Regardless of age, preoperative displacement, and ambulation, the combined procedure provides durable radiographic improvement. In unilateral cases, there is a low risk of later deterioration of the opposite side.
Opportunities for a meaningful life for working-aged adults with neurological conditions living in residential aged care facilities: A review of qualitative research
Authors: Levack William , Thornton Kerry 
Published: August 2017

Introduction The aim of this review was to identify and synthesise findings from all published qualitative research investigating the experiences of working-aged adults with neurological conditions living in residential aged care facilities. Methods A qualitative metasynthesis approach was used. Two authors independently screened all citations and critically appraised all included studies. Data extraction and analysis was undertaken using conceptual description and interpretive explanation. Sensitivity analysis was used to ensure credibility of review findings. Findings Seven studies were identified, with varying relevance to this review. Five themes were identified that described the experiences of working-aged adults regarding contributors and barriers to social participation and personal growth. These related to: (1) safety; (2) dignity; (3) dependency; (4) flexibility; and (5) the ‘size’ of one’s physical and social world. Conclusions All people should have the option to live in private residences rather than institutional care should they choose to do so. However, if residential aged care is the only option available, more efforts are needed to ensure that these facilities are sufficiently resourced, have appropriately trained staff, and are encouraged to be creative and flexible in their service delivery to meet the individual needs of their residents, particularly working-aged adults with neurological conditions.
Serum Vitamin D Level Associates With Handgrip Muscle Strength Among Ethiopian Schoolchildren: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Wakayo Tolassa , Belachew Tefera , Whiting Susan J. 
Published: August 2017

Background: Despite varying serum levels of 25(OH)D among schoolchildren in Ethiopia, data are lacking whether this affects their muscle function as measured by handgrip strength of these children. Handgrip strength may be used as a proxy indicator of muscle strength and function. This study evaluated the association between serum levels of 25(OH)D and handgrip strength among schoolchildren in Ethiopia. Methods: The study used a data set from a school-based cross-sectional study conducted on a total of 174 randomly selected schoolchildren from urban (N = 89) and rural (N = 85) settings of Adama Town and Adama Woreda, respectively. Handgrip strength, serum 25(OH)D levels, and anthropometry were measured for each child following standard procedures, while data on demographic characteristics of children and their parents were collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. A multivariable linear regression model was used to determine the association between serum vitamin D level and handgrip strength after adjusting for other predictors. Results: The mean handgrip muscle strength of the students was 17.6 ± 6.9 kg. The average serum 25(OH)D for the group was 54.5 ± 15.8 nmol/L. On multivariable linear regression model, serum 25(OH)D level was significantly associated with handgrip strength (β = 0.06, P = .008) of the children after controlling for potential confounders. Other variables, female gender (β = −2.20, P = .004), age (β = 1.97, P < .001), height (β = .22, P < .001), weight (β = 0.33, P < .001), and triceps skinfold thickness (β = −0.19, P = .023), were identified to have significant association with handgrip strength of schoolchildren. Conclusion: Serum 25(OH)D levels had significant positive association with handgrip strength of Ethiopian schoolchildren. The results imply the need for incorporating school nutrition education on consumption of foods rich in important nutrients including vitamin D-rich foods in the school curricula and also enhancing behavioral change communication toward exposure to sunlight in the school to produce adequate vitamin D. Further longitudinal study involving a larger sample is recommended to confirm the findings.
Bidirectional degeneration in the visual pathway in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD)
Authors: Tian De-Cai , Su Lei , Fan Moli , Yang Jian , Zhang Rui , Wen Peng , Han Yujuan , Yu Changlu , Zhang Chao , Ren Honglei , Shi Kaibin , Zhu Zilong , Dong Yinhua , Liu Yaou , Shi Fu-Dong 
Published: August 2017

Objective: This study aims to investigate whether bidirectional degeneration occurs within the visual pathway and, if so, the extent of such changes in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). Methods: In total, 36 NMOSD and 24 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Three-dimensional T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging were used to analyze damage to the posterior visual pathway. Damage to the anterior visual pathway was measured by optical coherence tomography. Results: In total, 24 NMOSD with prior optic neuritis (NMOON) patients showed significant reduction of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer, inner and outer retinal thickness, lateral geniculate nucleus volume, primary visual cortex volume, and decreased integrity of optic radiations, compared with 12 NMOSD without prior optic neuritis (NMONON) patients and 24 HCs. In NMONON, only the inner retinal thickness and the integrity of optic radiations were significantly reduced in comparison with HCs. Moreover, patients with optic neuritis showed severe bidirectional degeneration, the loss of the RNFL was greater than the atrophy of V1. Conclusion: Our study indicated the presence of trans-synaptic degeneration in NMOSD. Damage to the inner retina and optic radiations can be observed even in NMONON. After an episode of optic neuritis, the anterior visual pathway damage is greater than the posterior visual pathway damage.
The diagnosis and management of renal trauma
Authors: Austin James , Rajkumar Govindaraj 
Published: August 2017

Background: Renal trauma is less common but often occurs in polytrauma. Most trauma is blunt and the severity of the injury varies in different circumstances. Assessment: There is a series of features that should prompt investigation but none are reliably seen in all trauma cases and a low threshold for suspecting renal injury should be taken. A urine dip is essential. Investigation: Computerised tomography is the main modality. Follow-up imaging may be used if complications arise and ultrasound may be used in some cases. Management: Approaches include surgical, radiological and conservative. The latter has been achieved in all grades but intervention will be required in haemodynamic instability. Complications: Haemorrhage, infection and urine extravasation are common and require intervention. There are many long-term complications and hypertension can occur by a variety of mechanisms.
Centenarians With Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Authors: Stem Maxwell S. , Mammo Danny A. , Yonekawa Yoshihiro , Todorich Bozho , Thomas Benjamin J. , Williams George A. 
Published: August 2017

Purpose: To report the clinical findings in patients ≥100 years old who have age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods: We identified patients ≥100 years old who had non-neovascular AMD, neovascular AMD or both. Results: Sixty-two patients were included. The mean (SD) age was 102 (1.4) years (range, 100-106 years). Most patients were white (n = 51, 82%), women (n = 51, 82%), and had at least 1 eye affected by neovascular AMD (n = 55, 89%). The mean Snellen visual acuity (VA) among eyes with neovascular AMD was worse than that for eyes with non-neovascular AMD (20/600 [range, 20/40-hand motions] vs 20/250 [range, 20/20-hand motions], respectively, P = .03). Eyes with an intact subfoveal ellipsoid zone (EZ) had much better mean VA than eyes with an absent or disrupted EZ (20/50 vs 20/500, P = .002). Conclusion: Most centenarians with AMD in our cohort had the neovascular form, and these individuals tended to have poorer vision than those with non-neovascular AMD. The presence of an intact subfoveal EZ is associated with better VA in eyes with neovascular or non-neovascular AMD compared to eyes with an absent or disrupted EZ.
The Effect of Calorie Posting Regulation on Consumer Opinion: A Flexible Latent Dirichlet Allocation Model with Informative Priors
Authors: Puranam Dinesh , Narayan Vishal , Kadiyali Vrinda 
Published: August 2017

In 2008, New York City mandated that all chain restaurants post calorie information on their menus. For managers of chain and standalone restaurants, as well as for policy makers, a pertinent goal might be to monitor the impact of this regulation on consumer conversations. We propose a scalable Bayesian topic model to measure and understand changes in consumer opinion about health (and other topics). We calibrate the model on 761,962 online reviews of restaurants posted over eight years. Our model allows managers to specify prior topics of interest such as “health” for a calorie posting regulation. It also allows the distribution of topic proportions within a review to be affected by its length, valence, and the experience level of its author. Using a difference-in-differences estimation approach, we isolate the potentially causal effect of the regulation on consumer opinion. Following the regulation, there was a statistically small but significant increase in the proportion of discussion of the health topic. This increase can be attributed largely to authors who did not post reviews before the regulation, suggesting that the regulation prompted several consumers to discuss health in online restaurant reviews. Data and the online appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2017.1048 .
Investor Overconfidence, Firm Valuation, and Corporate Decisions
Authors: Adebambo Biljana N. , Yan Xuemin (Sterling) 
Published: August 2017

Behavioral theory predicts that investor overconfidence leads to overpricing because overconfident investors overestimate the quality of their information and underestimate risk. We test this prediction by using a measure of investor overconfidence derived from the characteristics and holdings of U.S. equity mutual fund managers. We find that firms with more overconfident investors are relatively overvalued based on the market-to-book ratio and a misvaluation measure. The result is stronger among stocks with greater mutual fund ownership, particularly by active mutual funds. Firms with more overconfident investors also exhibit lower subsequent stock returns, issue more equity, and invest more. Overall, our findings suggest that investor overconfidence is significantly related to firm valuation and corporate decisions. The Internet appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2017.2806 . This paper was accepted by Neng Wang, finance.
Numerical Solution of Time-Dependent Problems with Fractional Power Elliptic Operator
Authors: Vabishchevich Petr N. 
Published: August 2017

Abstract
An unsteady problem is considered for a space-fractional equation in a bounded domain.
A first-order evolutionary equation involves a fractional power
of an elliptic operator of second order. Finite element approximation in
space is employed. To construct approximation in time, standard two-level schemes are used.
The approximate solution at a new time-level is obtained as a solution of
a discrete problem with the fractional power of the elliptic operator.
A Padé-type approximation is constructed on the basis of special
quadrature formulas for an integral representation of the fractional power elliptic operator
using explicit schemes. A similar approach is applied in the numerical implementation of implicit schemes.
The results of numerical experiments are presented for a test two-dimensional problem.
Combining Ability Analysis for Achene Yield and Related Components in Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)
Authors: Riaz Adeel , Tahir Muhammad Hammad Nadeem , Rizwan Muhammad , Nazir Mian Faisal , Riaz Bisma 
Published: August 2017

AbstractFor determination of best general and specific combiners for achene yield and related components, a study on a 7×7 diallel fashion in sunflower was conducted at experimental field of Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. The data were recorded on quantitative traits; days to maturity, plant height, stem diameter, head diameter, number of leaves, Achene per head, achene yield per plant, 100-achene weight, filled achene percentage and oil contents and subjected to Analysis of variance and combining abilities. The accessions were significant for studied traits except oil contents. The accessions A-544, A-554 and A-552 showed significant general combining ability effects days to maturity, plant height, stem diameter, head diameter, number of leaves and filled achene, achene per head and achene yield per plant. The best cross combination A-546×A-560 showed significant specific combining ability effects for number of leaves and filled achene percentage. Among reciprocal crosses, the cross A-560×A-534 proved best for plant height and stem diameter while A-548×A-546 for number of leaves and achene per head.
Frequency Based Risk Assessment of a Power Producer in Indian Electricity Market
Authors: Panda Debasmita , Singh S. N , Kumar Vimal 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThe power producers in Indian electricity market face risks pertaining to real time frequency deviation and spot price volatility. An increase in real time demand lowers the system frequency. This forces the producers to draw unscheduled interchange (UI) power by paying a penalty, known as availability based tariff (ABT). The paper proposes a novel framework for optimal portfolio strategy selection of a power producer using uncertainty of frequency deviation and spot electricity market. Mean variance portfolio theory is used to model the stochastic optimization problem. In Stage 1, the operational ABT uncertainty structure is modeled and optimization is performed to determine optimal portfolio allocation, considering spot market and bilateral contract as available trading options. In stage 2, optimal involvement of options to hedge the cost side risk of unscheduled power interchange (UPI) is studied. Spot price volatility is introduced during hedging analysis and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) technique is used to forecast the spot price range. A stochastic pseudo inspired particle swarm optimization (PIPSO) technique is proposed for enhanced profit-risk tradeoff. The model reflects that, spot and option trading could offer high risk protection vis-à-vis bilateral contract and can predominantly help in managing frequency penalty risk.
Power Smoothing Control of PMSG Based Wind Generation Using Supercapacitor Energy Storage System
Authors: Worku Muhammed Y. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThis paper proposes an efficient power smoothing control strategy for variable speed grid connected permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) based wind turbine generator (WTG) with supercapacitor energy storage system (SCESS). As WTG installations are increasing, these systems generate a fluctuated output power as a result of varying wind speed and need to have a power smoothing capability to have a smooth output power profile. The optimal size of the SCESS is determined and a controller is proposed and implemented to continuously charge and discharge the SCESS to achieve its objectives. The SCESS is exploited to minimize the short term fluctuation to have a smooth power profile during normal operation. A bi-directional buck boost converter is used to integrate the SCESS with the system. Two back to back connected three level Neutral Point Clamped (NPC) converters are used for the power conversion. The control strategy and the system model have been developed for the NPCs, the buck boost converter and the variable speed WTG system. The Real Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) based results conducted on 2 MW/4 kV PMSG verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed controller.
High Speed Method for CCT Estimation: Fundamental, Implemention and Application in Real-Time Simulation
Authors: Zareian Jahromi Mehdi , Montaser Kouhsari Shahram 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThis paper proposes a hybrid method based on corrected kinetic energy to determine the critical clearing time. The proposed method structure has been implemented utilizing network preserving model to take details of power systems into consideration. To implement proposed method, the initial critical point is estimated using new concept of equal area criterion. Critical corrected kinetic energy is obtained using method which determines the amount of severity of generator contribution in a fault scenario. Due to the latter, the behavior of AVR and governor are taken into account. From initial and corrected kinetic energy of generators and consequently system, high precision critical clearing time is calculated. In order to validate the proposed method, some comprehensive case studies have been conducted on the IEEE9-bus, IEEE39-bus and IEEE68-bus test systems. Some comprehensiveness in considering the details, simplicity in implementation and low computational cost are the outstanding features of the proposed approach. Also, simulation results approve that the proposed approach can be used in real-time application without loss of any detail in transient stability assessment.
Fusion Algorithm of Multi-focus Images with Weighted Ratios and Weighted Gradient Based on Wavelet Transform
Authors: Chen Wei-bin , Hu Mingxiao , Zhou Lai , Gu Hongbin , Zhang Xin 
Published: August 2017

Abstract
Multi-focus image fusion means fusing a completely clear image with a set of images of the same scene and under the same imaging conditions with different focus points. In order to get a clear image that contains all relevant objects in an area, the multi-focus image fusion algorithm is proposed based on wavelet transform. Firstly, the multi-focus images were decomposed by wavelet transform. Secondly, the wavelet coefficients of the approximant and detail sub-images are fused respectively based on the fusion rule. Finally, the fused image was obtained by using the inverse wavelet transform. Among them, for the low-frequency and high-frequency coefficients, we present a fusion rule based on the weighted ratios and the weighted gradient with the improved edge detection operator. The experimental results illustrate that the proposed algorithm is effective for retaining the detailed images.
Fractional vector calculus and fluid mechanics
Authors: Lazopoulos Konstantinos A. , Lazopoulos Anastasios K. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractBasic fluid mechanics equations are studied and revised under the prism of fractional continuum mechanics (FCM), a very promising research field that satisfies both experimental and theoretical demands. The geometry of the fractional differential has been clarified corrected and the geometry of the fractional tangent spaces of a manifold has been studied in Lazopoulos and Lazopoulos (Lazopoulos KA, Lazopoulos AK. Progr. Fract. Differ. Appl. 2016, 2, 85–104), providing the bases of the missing fractional differential geometry. Therefore, a lot can be contributed to fractional hydrodynamics: the basic fractional fluid equations (Navier Stokes, Euler and Bernoulli) are derived and fractional Darcy’s flow in porous media is studied.