bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Desire for predictive testing for Alzheimer’s disease and impact on advance care planning: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Sheffrin Meera , Stijacic Cenzer Irena , Steinman Michael A. 
Published: November 2016

Abstract
Background
It is unknown whether older adults in the United States would be willing to take a test predictive of future Alzheimer’s disease, or whether testing would change behavior. Using a nationally representative sample, we explored who would take a free and definitive test predictive of Alzheimer’s disease, and examined how using such a test may impact advance care planning.

Methods
A cross-sectional study within the 2012 Health and Retirement Study of adults aged 65 years or older asked questions about a test predictive of Alzheimer’s disease (N = 874). Subjects were asked whether they would want to take a hypothetical free and definitive test predictive of future Alzheimer’s disease. Then, imagining they knew they would develop Alzheimer’s disease, subjects rated the chance of completing advance care planning activities from 0 to 100. We classified a score > 50 as being likely to complete that activity. We evaluated characteristics associated with willingness to take a test for Alzheimer’s disease, and how such a test would impact completing an advance directive and discussing health plans with loved ones.

Results
Overall, 75% (N = 648) of the sample would take a free and definitive test predictive of Alzheimer’s disease. Older adults willing to take the test had similar race and educational levels to those who would not, but were more likely to be ≤75 years old (odds ratio 0.71 (95% CI 0.53–0.94)). Imagining they knew they would develop Alzheimer’s, 81% would be likely to complete an advance directive, although only 15% had done so already.

Conclusions
In this nationally representative sample, 75% of older adults would take a free and definitive test predictive of Alzheimer’s disease. Many participants expressed intent to increase activities of advance care planning with this knowledge. This confirms high public interest in predictive testing for Alzheimer’s disease and suggests this may be an opportunity to engage patients in advance care planning discussions.
Using paper pulp poultices in the field and laboratory to analyse salt distribution in building limestones
Authors: Egartner Isabel , Sass Oliver 
Published: November 2016

Abstract
We investigated the behaviour of salt solutions during the drying process in porous stone and the extraction of salts by paper pulp poultices (PPP). The investigations were carried out at a 300 year old boundary wall of the Worcester College in Oxford, UK, as well as under laboratory conditions. The laboratory blocks of porous, bioclastic limestone (Aflenzer stone, Austria) were cut into stone cubes and prisms (5 × 5 × 5 and 5 × 5 × 20 cm) and soaked first with ultrapure H2O and second with different concentrations (0.1, 0.5 and 1 mol l−1) of a saline solution of NaCl and Na2SO4 to determine their behaviour during the dehydration process under different conditions. After determining the capillary absorption coefficient and the capillary rise behaviour of the stone cubes, we sampled material by PPP and by drilling. The samples were immersed in ultrapure water and the salt ion content was measured via conductivity and ion chromatography (IC). The main aim of the laboratory analysis was to investigate the effectivity of the PPP in extracting salts from the stone and to derive a semi-quantitative calibration (PPP results vs. original salt content). The field work at the college boundary wall comprised sampling (PPP and stone surface material) at surfaces of different weathering features. Finally, the field work results were compared to the laboratory work. The lab experiment results show that approximately 24% of the salts within a 100% saturated stone cube moved into the poultice within the 1 h of application. At 75% and lower saturation degrees, only 14–11% of the salts moved into the respective poultices. For the field setting, the amount of anions extracted by PPP is 6–63% (mean 20.7%) of the amount found in the stone samples. The spatial distribution of salt ion concentrations, collected by poultices, corresponds with the ‘hot spots’ of weathering.
A unified perspective on ankle push-off in human walking
Authors: Zelik Karl E. , Adamczyk Peter G. 
Published: November 2016

ABSTRACT
Muscle–tendon units about the ankle joint generate a burst of positive power during the step-to-step transition in human walking, termed ankle push-off, but there is no scientific consensus on its functional role. A central question embodied in the biomechanics literature is: does ankle push-off primarily contribute to leg swing, or to center of mass (COM) acceleration? This question has been debated in various forms for decades. However, it actually presents a false dichotomy, as these two possibilities are not mutually exclusive. If we ask either question independently, the answer is the same: yes! (1) Does ankle push-off primarily contribute to leg swing acceleration? Yes. (2) Does ankle push-off primarily contribute to COM acceleration? Yes. Here, we summarize the historical debate, then synthesize the seemingly polarized perspectives and demonstrate that both descriptions are valid. The principal means by which ankle push-off affects COM mechanics is by a localized action that increases the speed and kinetic energy of the trailing push-off limb. Because the limb is included in body COM computations, this localized segmental acceleration also accelerates the COM, and most of the segmental energy change also appears as COM energy change. Interpretation of ankle mechanics should abandon an either/or contrast of leg swing versus COM acceleration. Instead, ankle push-off should be interpreted in light of both mutually consistent effects. This unified perspective informs our fundamental understanding of the role of ankle push-off, and has important implications for the design of clinical interventions (e.g. prostheses, orthoses) intended to restore locomotor function to individuals with disabilities.
Ethical dilemmas in caring for a patient refusing amputation
Authors: Murphy Jane 
Published: November 2016

Mr A was a 79-year-old retired man living with his wife, to whom he was very close. They were non-practising Jews. Their married daughter and her husband lived outside London and, while being very supportive to Mr and Mrs A, worked full time and were raising their family. Mrs A was wheelchair-bound following previous non-specific cardiac problems; she was also asthmatic, and was able to do very little for herself and her husband. Mr A, who was mildly diabetic, had undergone several types of surgery over a long period. Some years after prosthetic knee surgery his left knee became infected and was discharging. He was admitted to the surgical orthopaedic ward, which was the second placement in my first student year. His knee was drained, a plaster cast was put on from knee to foot and physiotherapy was begun with the aim of restoring full mobility to enable him to return home. Mr A appeared to be coping well with his situation and was cooperative with staff. However, very soon after the plaster cast was applied Mr A complained of pain above and around the ankle. Cutting a window in the plaster revealed four small pressure sores (Fig. 1); the plaster was removed and the sores were dressed.
On the regularity of solutions of one-dimensional variational obstacle problems
Authors: Mandallena Jean-Philippe 
Published: November 2016

AbstractWe study the regularity of solutions of one-dimensional variational obstacle problems inW1,1{W^{1,1}}when the Lagrangian is locally Hölder continuous and globally elliptic. In the spirit of the work of Sychev [5, 6, 7], a direct method is presented for investigating such regularity problems with obstacles. This consists of introducing a general subclassℒ{\mathcal{L}}ofW1,1{W^{1,1}}, related in a certain way to one-dimensional variational obstacle problems, such that every function ofℒ{\mathcal{L}}has Tonelli’s partial regularity, and then to prove that, depending on the regularity of the obstacles, solutions of corresponding variational problems belong toℒ{\mathcal{L}}. As an application of this direct method, we prove that if the obstacles areC1,σ{C^{1,\sigma}}, then every Sobolev solution has Tonelli’s partial regularity.
Zur systematischen Bestimmung flacher Ausgänge nichtlinearer Mehrgrößensysteme
Authors: Fritzsche Klemens , Franke Matthias , Knoll Carsten , Röbenack Klaus 
Published: November 2016

Zusammenfassung
Der vorliegende Artikel leistet einen Beitrag zur systematischen Untersuchung nichtlinearer Systeme bezüglich Flachheit.
Es wird ein Algorithmus vorgeschlagen, der ausgehend von einer Linearisierung um eine beliebige Trajektorie eine
sog. unimodulare Vervollständigung der Tangentialsystemmatrix liefert. Um Flachheit schließlich nachzuweisen und einen
flachen Ausgang des nichtlinearen Systems zu bestimmen, muss diese Vervollständigung zusätzlich bestimmten
Integrabilitätsbedingungen genügen. Unter Zuhilfenahme einer frei verfügbaren Implementierung des Algorithmus wird die
systematische Flachheitsuntersuchung am Beispiel des Brückenkrans ausführlich demonstriert. Weiterhin ergeben sich in
einigen Fällen erhebliche Vereinfachungen, was beispielhaft am kinematischen Fahrzeugmodell gezeigt wird.
The Impacts of Rural Property Rights on Urban Unemployment, Wage Inequality, and Welfare in Developing Countries
Authors: Pi Jiancai , Ge Yang , Yin Jun 
Published: November 2016

Abstract
This paper establishes a three-sector general equilibrium model to explore how rural property rights influence urban unemployment, skilled-unskilled wage inequality and social welfare in developing countries. Strengthened rural property rights generate the rent-gaining effect and the productivity-enhancing effect, and the interaction of these two effects determines the changes of urban unemployment, skilled-unskilled wage inequality and social welfare. In addition to the aforementioned two effects, the agricultural sector’s wage elasticity of unskilled labor demand also matters for the change of wage inequality.
GC-MS Characterisation of Products of Oxidation of Thiophenes Using the Fenton and Related Reagents
Authors: Sökmen Münewer , Allen David W. , Clench Malcolm R. , Hewson Alan T. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe oxidative degradation of thiophene, 2-methyl- and 3-methyl-thiophene, and their intermediate oxidation products, by the Fenton and related reagents, has been studied. Hydroxylated thiophenes were the main intermediate oxidation products, but a range of other apparently radical-derived oxidation products was also characterized. The ease of oxidisability was established as thiophene > 2-methylthiophene > 3-methylthiophene. Of the metal ion-hydrogen peroxide reagents studied, the Fenton system (Fell) was generally the most effective and the range of oxidation products formed was largely independent of the reagent used.
Structure - Activity Relations for the Photodegradation Reactions of Monosubstituted Anilines in TiO2 Suspensions
Authors: San Nevim , Çımar Zekiye 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe kinetics of the photocatalytic degradation reactions of nine different monosubstituted anilines have been investigated experimentally and theoretically. With the intention of finding certain indices in order to determine the degradation rates of aromatic pollutants, geometry optimizations of the anilines have been performed with the semi-empirical PM3 method. The molecular orbital calculations have been carried out by a self-consistent field SCF method using the restricted Hartree-Fock RHF formalism. The correlations between the apparent first-order rate constants and the molecular properties of the compounds have been examined. Three different quantitative structure-activity relationships, QSARs were developed expressing the logarithms of the rate constants in terms of the Brown constants σ
Measurements of Electron Energy by Emission Spectroscopy in Pulsed Corona and Dielectric Barrier Discharges
Authors: Kim Yongho , Hong Sang Hee , Cha Min Suk , Song Young-Hoon , Kim Seock Joon 
Published: November 2016

AbstractElectric field distributions and average electron energies are measured by an optical emission spectroscopic method to investigate streamer characteristics in a pulsed corona discharge (PCD) and a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in atmospheric air. In PCD, average electron energies appear to be in the range of 10 ~ 12 eV along the streamers. Time-resolved measurements show that streamers in DBD have a relatively low value of average electron energy of 9 ~ 10 eV. Enhancement of the electron energy is observed when DBD is operated in a non-uniform geometry, such as dielectric barrier with a hole.
Evaluation of Pulsed Power Sources for Plasma Generation
Authors: Yan K. , Winands G. J . J. , Nair S. A. , Heesch E. J. M. van , Pemen A. J. M. , Jong I. de 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThis paper reports repetitive pulsed power sources for generation of pulsed streamer corona and electrohydraulic spark discharge plasmas, respectively. Single- and multiple-switch circuit topologies are used for scaling the average power up. For positive streamer corona plasma, ultra-short (~ 50 ns) hybrid pulsedpower technologies have been under investigations with an industrial pilot system. For electrohydraulic spark discharge plasma, an all solid-switch pulsed power technology has been developed and introduced into the market since 2002. This paper also discusses critical circuit elements, such as heavy-duty thyristor, transmission line transformer, and triggered spark-gap switch, and their industrial applications.
Pulsed Multipoint-to-Plate Corona Discharge for VOC Abatement
Authors: Magureanu Monica , Mandache Nicolae Bogdan , Ruset Cristian 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThis contribution reports investigations on a pulsed corona discharge in multipoint-to-plate configuration, with the aim of total oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOC), in particular toluene. Both long pulses (1-2 ms), and short pulses (100 ns) were used. Much higher discharge currents (6-8 A) and energy per pulse (8-15 mJ) were obtained when using the short pulses, as compared to the values for long pulses (0.5 A , 1.5 mJ). Preliminary experiments in mixtures of air and toluene showed toluene conversion in the plasma of 25-30%, with CO
Experimental Study on the Effect of Different Noble Gas Admixtures on the Gas Temperature of Oxygen Plasma
Authors: Naoi K. , Sakamoto T. , Matsuura H. , Akatsuka H. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractWe measured rotational temperature of oxygen plasma by optical emission spectroscopy (OES) in order to examine approximate value of its gas temperature. We generated microwave discharge oxygen plasma in a cylindrical quartz tube whose inner diameter 26 mm with its discharge pressure 0.5 - 2.0 Torr. We measured the band spectrum of radiative transition A
Bioassay Test Protocol and Results for the Inactivation of Microbes in Drinking Water With a Water Treatment System Using a Low Pressure Mercury Lamp
Authors: Taylor Roy M. , Hoyt Anne , VanderKooi Karen J. , Conrad Kenneth E. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe need for reliable and effective means of treating drinking water to prevent illness due to consumption of microbe contaminated water has been realized as early as the 19th century. The development of ultraviolet light as a means of disinfecting water, which began as early as 1901, it's advantages and disadvantages are outlined in this paper. More importantly, system devices used in water treatment must have proper design, developed through awareness of flow dynamics, the impact on ultraviolet output imparted by water characteristics both organic and inorganic, and a knowledge of microbial inactivation requirements. Reliable and valid methods of performance evaluation are important to ensure standardized industry practices, thereby safeguarding the consumer. This paper discusses various standard test methods for evaluating performance of UV water treatment devices, with test results for such a device.
Degradation of Aqueous Phase Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) Using Pulsed Corona Discharges
Authors: Sahni Mayank , Finney Wright C. , Locke Bruce R. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe efficacy of pulsed corona discharges, an effective technique for removal of small aromatic and volatile organic compounds in water, to degrade aqueous phase polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) was tested. Experiments were conducted on the model PCB compound, 2,2′,4,4′- tetrachlorobiphenyl at its solubility limit (68 ppb) in water. The effects of various reactor configurations featuring liquid and combined liquid/gas discharges on the degradation rate and possible degradation mechanisms of the PCB congener were determined. The pulsed corona reactor led to nearly 70% degradation of the PCB congener within 60 min. Increased degradation rates due to the Fenton’s reactions were found upon the addition of ferrous salts in solution, and the degradation rate of the PCB was higher than those of phenol and nitrobenzene in the absence of ferrous salts. The two different reactor configurations tested, including direct discharge in water and simultaneous gas-liquid discharge, gave the same rate of PCB degradation in the Fenton’s case, thus raising the possibility that the PCB degradation mechanisms in both reactors are the same. The effect of the high voltage electrode material on the degradation of PCB was evaluated by performing experiments with electrodes made of either platinum or a nickel-chromium alloy.
The Role of Surface Reactions in De-NOx Processes in Corona Discharge-Catalyst (or Zeolite) Hybrid Systems
Authors: Dors M. , Mizeraczyk J. , Nichipor G. V. , Mok Y. S. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe objective of this work was to explain the efficient NOx removal from simulated flue gas observed in the hybrid corona discharge-catalyst hybrid systems with either V
Characteristics of DC Corona Streamers Induced by UV Laser Irradiation in Non-Thermal Plasma
Authors: Ohkubo T. , Kanazawa S. , Nomoto Y. , Kocik M. , Mizeraczyk J. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractPositive corona streamers are widely used in the field of air pollution control such as NOx or SOx removal and VOCs decomposition based on non-thermal plasma chemical process. In this study, the characteristics of DC positive corona streamers induced by UV laser irradiation are investigated in the tube-to-plane electrode configuration with electrode gap spacing of 3 cm. The streamer images were recorded using an ICCD camera with a nanosecond order time resolution. During the DC corona discharge, regular streamers appear with tens of ms intervals, the duration of which considerably fluctuates. This makes time resolved streamer observation by the ICCD camera extremely difficult. However, additional streamers with a predictable inception time can be induced by UV laser irradiation. As a result, the current waveform characteristics of the laser-induced streamers were obtained. In this work, three-dimensional streamer structures including the streamer propagation and branching were studied. Also the streamer propagation velocity was evaluated.
DC and Pulsed Surface Corona Discharge along a Dielectric Flat Plate in Air: Electrical Properties and Discharge-Induced Ionic Wind
Authors: Moreau Eric , Labergue Alexandre , Touchard Gérard 
Published: November 2016

AbstractSeveral studies have shown that a surface corona discharge may be used as an electrohydrodynamic actuator in order to control the airflow around profiles. For a few years, our laboratory has been working on this subject, specifically in the case of a DC corona discharge. The present paper deals with experimental work on DC and pulsed surface non-thermal plasmas produced between two wire electrodes flush mounted on the surface of a PMMA (polymethyl-methacrylate) insulating flat plate. The goal is to optimize the plasma actuator in terms of electro-mechanical efficiency in the absence of an external free airstream. First, electrical properties (such as discharge current versus applied voltage and discharge current versus time) of these different discharges are observed. Secondly, the time-averaged ionic wind induced by DC coronas and pulsed coronas is measured by means of a small diameter tube connected to a micro manometer.
Volume-Surface Discharge as an Ion Source for Plasma Technologies
Authors: Sokolova Marina V. , Krivov Sergey A. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractIn this paper experimental characteristics of discharge in a three-electrode system are presented. This system consists of a stripped electrode placed on upper side of a dielectric plate, while its reverse side has a metallic layer, and a metallic plane electrode placed at a distance ≅ 1 cm above the strips (parallel to them). With a high ac voltage (frequency 14 kHz) applied to the metallic layer, the stripped electrode is being grounded, surface discharge appears at the edges of the strips. If a high dc voltage is applied additionally to the plane electrode a direct current appears in the circuit including the gas gap and the stripped electrode. With dc voltage > 9 kV visible waves of glow discharge appear in the gas forming a volume-surface discharge. At certain conditions discrete channels can be seen inside the glow. Influence of different factors on current and structure of such a volume-surface discharge is analyzed.
Study of a Wide Area Carbon Nanotubes Preparation for an Environmental Application
Authors: Aoqui Shin-ichi , Suda Yoshiyuki , Ebihara Kenji , Uematsu Takahiko 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe gas occlusion of carbon-based material has recently attracted attention. Especially, for the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as its sensitivity has become known for gases such as NH
TiO2-Nitrogen Modified for Water Decolourisation under VIS Radiation
Authors: Wawrzyniak Beata , Tryba Beata , Morawski Antoni W. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe presented studies have focused on the application of photocatalysis in the degradation of azo dye Direct Green 99 (DG99) under artificial solar light irradiation. The comparison of three different TiO
Reactivity Indices for ortho/para Monosubstituted Phenols
Authors: San Nevim , Kılıç Murat , Çınar Zekiye 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe kinetics of the photocatalytic degradation reactions of twelve ortho/para mono-substituted phenols containing electron-donating or -withdrawing groups have been investigated experimentally. With the intention of determining the most suitable DFT reactivity descriptors, geometry optimizations of the compounds have been performed with the Density Functional Theory DFT at B3LYP/6-31G* level. In order to take the effect of solvent water into account, the calculations have been repeated for the optimized structures by using COSMO as the solvation model. Chemical hardness, softness, electronegativities, Fukui functions, local hardness and softness, local electrophilicities and softness differences for all phenol molecules have been calculated. Correlations between the apparent initial first-order rate constants determined in the experiments and the calculated DFT reactivity descriptors have been examined. Results show that the reactions investigated are electrophilic in nature. The local softness and softness differences correlate well with the reaction rates indicating that soft-soft interactions dominate in the photocatalytic degradation reactions of phenols.
Effect of the Sintering Temperature on the Photocatalytic Activity of CdO + CdTiO3 Thin Films
Authors: Mayén-Hernández Sandra Andrea , Torres-Delgado Gerardo , Castanedo-Pérez Rebeca , Mendoza-Alvarez Julio Gregorio , Zelaya-Angel Orlando 
Published: November 2016

AbstractCdO + CdTiO
Metal-Oxide Photoassisted Degradation of Binary Systems of Cationic / Anionic Surfactants and their Components in Aqueous Dispersions
Authors: Hidaka Hisao , Yanagisawa Ippei , Honjou Haruo , Koike Takayoshi , Oyama Toshiyuki , Serpone Nick 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe TiO