bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Simplified Percutaneous Gastrostomy
Authors: Cwikiel W. , Walther B. 
Published: June 2015

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a simple radiological method for the creation of percutaneous gastrostomy. Material and Methods: Percutaneous gastrostomy was created in 15 patients. After a blunt dissection of the abdominal wall under local anesthesia, puncture of the stomach was performed. A 6-mm peel-off introducer sheath was used to place the permanent catheter. Immediate use of the catheter was allowed. Results: The procedure was successful in all cases and no procedural complications were seen. Conclusion: The method is simple, cost-saving, and may be recommended as an alternative to other methods.
Conventional Radiography and Bone Scintigraphy in the Prognostic Evaluation of Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease
Authors: Kaniklides C. , Sahlstedt B. , Lönnerholm T. , Moberg A. 
Published: June 2015

Purpose: The role of conventional radiography and bone scintigraphy in predicting the outcome of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease was investigated. Material and Methods: The 75 children reviewed (86 hips) were followed up to the primary healing of the disease. The findings at conventional radiography (obtained at presentation, at the time of maximum capital head involvement, and at the end of the healing process of the disease) were compared to early bone scintigraphy features. Results and Conclusion: Bone scintigraphy provided more accurate information concerning the extent of the necrotic process than initial radiographs. Moreover it could determine revascularization and consequently the stage of the disease. The method was, however, unable to predict the outcome of the disease in some of the cases, particularly if it was performed late after the onset of symptoms. Conventional radiography provided important information about other parameters such as “head-at-risk” signs which facilitated treatment selection. Of these signs not only lateral subluxation but also metaphyseal changes strongly predispose to severe deformity of the hip joint.
Postoperative MR Imaging and Ultrasonography of Surgically Repaired Achilles Tendon Ruptures
Authors: Karjalainen P. T. , Ahovuo J. , Pihlajamäki H. K. , Soila K. , Aronen H. J. 
Published: June 2015

Purpose: To evaluate and compare MR and US findings in an unselected group of patients with 1–3-year-old surgically repaired complete ruptures of the Achilles tendon. Material and Methods: Thirteen patients with complete Achilles tendon rupture underwent clinical, MR and US examinations. The average time interval from rupture to postoperative imaging was 18 months. Results: The cross-sectional area of a postoperative tendon was 4.2 times that of the unaffected side. The shape of the operated tendon was more rounded than the unaffected side and it had irregular margins both in MR imaging and in US examination. In 4 of 13 cases an intratendinous area of intermediate to high signal intensity on proton density- and T2- weighted images was seen on MR. The size of this area varied from 4 to 18% of the cross-sectional tendon area. Two patients with the largest intratendinous area had poor clinical outcome. On US the tendon had mixed echogenicity in all cases and the tendon bands were thinner and shorter than normal. Comparison of dimension between MR and US revealed that in a.p. dimension the correlation was good (r=0.87, p=0.001), but in transversal width there was no significant correlation (r=0.58, p=0.06). Conclusion: The increased size and round irregular area of the operated Achilles tendon rupture was well detected by both MR and US, but intratendinous lesions were seen only by MR.
Helical CT in the Examination of Bile Duct Obstruction
Authors: Lähde S. 
Published: June 2015

Purpose: To assess the role of helical CT in the examination of cholestasis. Material and Methods: The US and CT reports of 36 consecutive patients with confirmed bile duct obstruction were evaluated in retrospect, the given diagnoses were compared with each other, and the final diagnoses confirmed by ERCP, surgery, fine needle or endoscopic biopsy, or autopsy. The bile duct was evaluated from helical 3-mm or 5-mm images reconstructed with 1-mm or 2-mm spacings, respectively, obtained after a bolus injection of 140 ml contrast medium containing 300 mg I/ml. Cross-section images and 2-D reformats displaying the extrahepatic bile duct in its full length were recorded for the interpretation. Results: An obstruction secondary to a choledochal gall stone was present in 14 patients, a tumoral obstruction in 18, a post-inflammatory stricture in 2, and chronic pancreatitis in one patient. In one patient the obstruction present at US was over at CT. A choledochal stone was correctly diagnosed at US in 14% and at CT in 71 % of the cases. A correct tumor diagnosis was achieved in 28% and 44% of the cases, respectively. Benign and malignant bile duct wall involvement could not be reliably discriminated. The 2-D display was of significant value in assessing the nature and extent of the obstructive agent. Conclusion: Helical CT supplemented with 2-D reformats was a useful method in the cases of cholestasis where US failed to demonstrate the cause of obstruction. An impacted stone can be visualized with high confidence while a tumoral obstruction is to be suspected when the cause of blockage is not directly visible.
Cost-benefit analysis: Newborn screening for inborn errors of metabolism in Lebanon
Authors: Khneisser I , Adib S , Assaad S , Megarbane A , Karam P 
Published: June 2015

Objectives Few countries in the Middle East-North Africa region have adopted national newborn screening for inborn errors of metabolism by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). We aimed to evaluate the cost-benefit of newborn screening for such disorders in Lebanon, as a model for other developing countries in the region. Methods Average costs of expected care for inborn errors of metabolism cases as a group, between ages 0 and 18, early and late diagnosed, were calculated from 2007 to 2013. The monetary value of early detection using MS/MS was compared with that of clinical “late detection”, including cost of diagnosis and hospitalizations. Results During this period, 126000 newborns were screened. Incidence of detected cases was 1/1482, which can be explained by high consanguinity rates in Lebanon. A reduction by half of direct cost of care, reaching on average 31,631 USD per detected case was shown. This difference more than covers the expense of starting a newborn screening programme. Conclusion Although this model does not take into consideration the indirect benefits of the better quality of life of those screened early, it can be argued that direct and indirect costs saved through early detection of these disorders are important enough to justify universal publicly-funded screening, especially in developing countries with high consanguinity rates, as shown through this data from Lebanon.
Restorative Proctocolectomy for Ulcerative Colitis in 1985–2009
Authors: Helavirta I. , Huhtala H. , Hyöty M. , Collin P. , Aitola P. 
Published: June 2015

Background and Aims: Restorative proctocolectomy is the most common operation in patients with ulcerative colitis. The aim was to evaluate long-term changes in our operative treatment and early and late complications related to restorative proctocolectomy. Material and Methods: The study comprised 352 (149 females) patients over 18 years of age with ulcerative colitis who underwent restorative proctocolectomy in 1985–2009 median follow-up time of 5 years. Results: The indication for surgery was active chronic colitis in 168 (47.7%), acute colitis in 159 (45.2%), and cancer or dysplasia in 25 (7.1%) patients. Ileal pouch-anal anastomosis was performed using hand-sewn anastomosis with mucosectomy in 283 patients and stapled anastomosis in 69. A shift from hand-sewn to stapler ileal pouch-anal anastomosis took place in 2005. Covering ileostomy was carried out in 133 (37.8%) patients. There were 82 (23.3%) J-pouch-related complications. The operative mortality was 0.3%. There were significantly fewer leakages and early re-operations when covering ileostomy was used than when it was omitted: 6.0% versus 16.4% (p = 0.004), 4.5% versus 11.9% (p = 0.02), respectively. There were more strictures in hand-sewn than in stapled ileal pouch-anal anastomoses (17.6% vs. 0%, p = 0.001). Pouchitis occurred at least once in 134 (38.1%) patients. Conclusion: The ileal pouch-anal anastomosis technique used in restorative proctocolectomy had changed over the past years from hand-sewn to stapled anastomosis. Covering ileostomy seemed to protect against major complications. Pouchitis was the most common late complication.
Risks and benefits of trial participation: A qualitative study of participants’ perspectives in Russia
Authors: Zvonareva Olga , Kutishenko Natalia , Kulikov Evgeny , Martsevich Sergey 
Published: June 2015

Background: The Russian Federation is one of the emerging clinical trial regions where the numbers of international clinical trials have been significantly rising over the course of recent years. Purpose: Our aims were to describe and explain risk–benefit calculus by clinical trial participants in Russia and to analyse the significance of the results for the ethical regulation of globalizing clinical trials. Methods: In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 individuals participating in trials for cardiovascular disease. Analysis was based on the inductive constant comparative method. Results: Interviewed participants perceived multiple benefits in trial enrolment including regular check-ups, provision and explanation of individual test results, the opportunity to ask investigators for advice and the provision of treatment recommendations for those with limited access to a physician outside of the trial. Participants tried to manage risks of trial enrolment by paying attention to how they felt and reporting changes to investigators. Regular monitoring, the opportunity to drop out of the trial and health insurance provision in case of adverse events were viewed as further minimizing individual risks. Importantly, interviewed trial participants did not assess the risks and benefits of a single trial independently of wider social situation or particularities of their own health condition. Value of trial enrolment benefits for participants was enhanced by the healthcare system that was viewed as being unresponsive to the needs of people with cardiovascular disease. Therefore, in their risk–benefit assessment, participants weighed enrolment risks against the risks of dealing with their fragile health without continuous contact with a medical professional. Limitations: A relatively small number of interviews was conducted, only participants of cardiovascular disease trials were interviewed and the extent to which the described perspectives are generalizable is not established. Conclusion: The risk–benefit assessment as performed by most interviewed trial participants involved multiple components, including the ones unrelated to the trial itself, and was largely context-dependent. Perspectives of research participants can enrich frameworks for the evaluation of trial risks and benefits.
Targeted therapies in CLL: mechanisms of resistance and strategies for management
Authors: Woyach Jennifer A. , Johnson Amy J. 
Published: June 2015

Abstract
The therapy of relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has changed dramatically in the past year with the regulatory approval of idelalisib and ibrutinib, with other therapeutic small molecules likely to become widely available in the next few years. Although durable remissions are being seen in many patients with these agents, it is becoming apparent that some patients with high genomic risk disease will relapse. Next-generation sequencing in patients as well as in vitro models is affording us the opportunity to understand the biology behind these relapses, which is the first step to designing rational therapies to prevent and treat targeted therapy-resistant CLL. These strategies are critical, as these relapses can be very difficult to manage, and a coordinated effort to put these patients on clinical trials will be required to efficiently determine the optimal therapies for these patients. In this review, we will describe mechanisms of resistance, both proven and hypothesized, for idelalisib, ibrutinib, and venetoclax, describe patterns of resistance that have been described with ibrutinib, and discuss potential strategies for management of disease resistant to these drugs as well as potential strategies to prevent resistance.
Some fixed point theorems in Menger PbM-spaces with an application
Authors: Hasanvand Firoozeh , Khanehgir Mahnaz 
Published: June 2015

AbstractIn this paper, we establish the structure of Menger PbM-spaces as a generalization of Menger PM-spaces. We present some fixed point theorems for a new class of contractive mappings in the framework of Menger PbM-spaces. We also provide examples to illustrate the results presented herein. Then we utilize our main result to obtain the existence and uniqueness of a solution for a Volterra type integral equation.
A comparison of competing amplitude variation with offset techniques applied to tight gas sand exploration in the Cooper Basin of Australia
Authors: Tyiasning Stephanie , Cooke Dennis 
Published: June 2015

We have developed a tight gas amplitude variation with offset (AVO) case history from the Cooper Basin of Australia that addressed the exploration problem of mapping thin fluvial tight gas sand bodies. In the Cooper Basin, Permian Toolachee and Patchawarra sands are difficult to interpret on seismic data due to strong reflections from adjacent Permian coals. This is not the common AVO problem of distinguishing between coal and gas sand, but a more difficult class-I AVO problem of mapping fluvial sands beneath a sheet coal that varies in thickness. We have reviewed local rock properties and concluded that Poisson’s ratio is probably the most appropriate rock property to solve the above exploration problem. We have compared various seismic attributes made using the extended elastic impedance (EEI) technique and a rotation of near and far partial stacks. In a synthetic modeling study that included random noise and tuning, we compared the noise-discrimination abilities of three competing AVO crossplot techniques and “rotated” the attributes made from them. These three crossplots were as follows: intercept versus gradient (I-G), full-stack versus far-minus-near (Full-FmN), and near-stack versus far-stack (N-F). Previous papers on this subject have found that (I-G) crossplots had a spurious correlation in the presence of noise that did not occur with the (Full-FmN) and (N-F) crossplots. We found that for our class-I AVO case, (1) the advantage of the (Full-FmN) and (N-F) crossplots disappeared in the presence of tuning, (2) if tuning was present, the optimal rotation angle was determined by the “tuning angle,” not by the noise angle or some desired EEI angle, and (3) if the three different crossplots were rotated by their respective “tuning” angles, the results were identical.
Validation of InnoSPICE for Technology Transfer
Authors: Mitasiunas Antanas , Besson Jeremy , Boronowsky Michael , Woronowicz Tanja 
Published: June 2015

Abstract
Innovation and technology transfer consist mainly of process-oriented activities and can be described in process-oriented terms by an innovation and technology transfer process capability model such as InnoSPICE. To verify such a thesis, an extended validation of the InnoSPICE adequacy for different factual innovation and technology transfer activities is needed. The purpose of this paper is to validate the InnoSPICE model for technology transfer led by a technology developer based on capability assessment of technology transfer process for several various research results.
Models and Methods of Software Configuration Management
Authors: Bartusevics Arturs , Novickis Leonids , Leye Stefan 
Published: June 2015

Abstract
The paper provides collection of experience of developing models and methods for implementation of software configuration management process. Nowadays, during the age of agility, startup of new software development projects is like an explosion. Sometimes, in a few days a customer is willing to get the first release, but formalized and reusable process for its creating is not ready yet. Software configuration management controls the evolution of software items and supports building and deployment process for product releases. Models and methods for implementation of software configuration management are presented in the paper. Unlike other approaches, the provided models and methods are related to decrease software configuration management implementation time in new projects. The paper provides a simplified use case to illustrate practical application of the mentioned methods and models.
Kollektive Erinnerung
Authors: Stolz Michael 
Published: June 2015

AbstractThe French sociologist Maurice Halbwachs (1877–1945) conceived remembrance as a product of ›collective memory‹ and explained this idea in his book on ›La Topographie légendaire des Évangiles en Terre sainte‹ (1941) showing that the topography of the Holy Land was predominantly an imaginary landscape construed by Christian communities. Following this concept, this article studies the ›Palästinalied‹, a text describing the arrival of a pilgrim in the Holy Land in the time of the crusades, abundantly transmitted under the name of Walther von der Vogelweide. The high degree of textual variance in the diverse manuscripts testifies the acting of ›collective memory‹ in the medieval poetic tradition. Of special interest in this context are the strophic arrangements, the variation of deictic markers, the reworking of melodic models documented in the manuscript transmission and the diatopic opposition existing between the emphasis of ›distant love‹ expressed in Jaufré Rudel’s Occitan song ›Lanqand li jorn son lonc en mai‹ (one of the named models) and the attitude of proximity prevailing in the ›Palästinalied‹.
Limit theorem for multitype critical branching process evolving in random environment
Authors: Dyakonova Elena E. 
Published: June 2015

AbstractWe investigate a multitype critical branching process in an i.i.d. random environment. A functional limit theorem is proved for the logarithm of the number of particles in the process at moments nt, 0 ≤ t ≤ 1, conditioned on its survival up to moment n → ∞.
Membrane attack complex formation on a supported lipid bilayer: initial steps towards a CARPA predictor nanodevice
Authors: Yorulmaz Saziye , Tabaei Seyed R. , Kim Myunghee , Seo Jeongeun , Hunziker Walter , Szebeni János , Cho Nam-Joon 
Published: June 2015

AbstractThe rapid advance of nanomedicines and biologicals in pharmacotherapy gives increasing importance to a common adverse effect of these modern therapeutics: complement (C) activation-related pseudoallergy (CARPA). CARPA is a relatively frequent and potentially lethal acute immune toxicity of many intravenous drugs that contain nanoparticles or proteins, whose prediction by laboratory or in vivo testing has not yet been solved. Preliminary studies suggest that proneness of the drug to cause C activation in the blood of patients may predict the individual risk of CARPA, thus, a sensitive and rapid bedside assay for individualized assessment of a drug’s C activating potential could alleviate the CARPA problem. The goal of the present study was to lay down the foundations of a novel approach for real-time sensing of C activation on a supported lipid bilayer platform. We utilized the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) monitoring technique to measure the self-assembly of C terminal complex (or membrane attack complex [MAC]) on supported lipid bilayers rapidly assembled by the solvent-assisted lipid bilayer (SALB) formation method, as an immediate measure of C activation. By measuring the changes in frequency and energy dissipation of deposited protein, the technique allows extremely sensitive real-time quantification of the sequential assembly of MAC from its molecular components (C5b-6, C7, C8 and C9) and hence, measure C activation in the ambient medium. The present paper delineates the technique and our initial evidence with purified C proteins that the approach enables sensitive and rapid (real-time) quantification of MAC formation on a silicon-supported planar (phospho) lipid bilayer, which can be used as an endpoint in a clinically useful bedside C activation assay.
Family And Economic Growth In Poland
Authors: Sztaudynger Jan Jacek 
Published: June 2015

Abstract
In the article we test the hypothesis that the weakening of family ties, as measured by the reduction in the number of marriages, a cascade of divorces and the decrease in the fertility rate, has brought about an economic slowdown in Poland. We also suppose that the economic growth and increased standard of living influence the increasing number of marriages, the fertility rate, and results in a decreasing number of divorces.
We verify these hypotheses using an econometric model of economic growth with the family social capital. The model consists of seven stochastic equations and exhibits the feedback between GDP, labour productivity and some variables representing social capital, in particular the marriage disintegration ratio.
We try to verify the hypothesis of the existence of an optimal divorce rate for economic growth.
Prolegomena to the epistemology of languages for non-specialists: the example of CLIL
Authors: Chaplier Claire , O'Connell Anne-Marie 
Published: June 2015

Abstract
CLIL has attracted the attention of LSP teachers worldwide and generated much literature. As a teaching and learning tool, it is frequently referred to in pedagogy, but a lot less in the epistemology of didactics. The present contribution aims to show how CLIL is an interface between conceptual research and practical implementation but that it cannot serve as a conceptual tool in the shaping of didactics as a field of research. Instead, concepts should be understood as context-dependent; they also vary with the subject matter to which language is connected (English for law differs from English for science) and therefore need the contribution of human sciences to emerge in their own rights.
Enhancing student schematic knowledge of culture through literature circles in a foreign language classroom
Authors: Graham-Marr Alastair 
Published: June 2015

Abstract
Improving student understanding of a foreign language culture is anything but a peripheral issue in the teaching of a foreign language. This pilot study reports on a second year required English course in a university in Japan that took a Literature Circles approach, where students were asked to read short stories out of class and then discuss these stories in class. Although students reported that they did not gain any special insights into the target language culture presented, they did report that reading fiction as source material for classroom activity helps with the acquisition of a vocabulary set that is more closely associated with lifestyle and culture. The results suggest that further study is warranted. Procedures of this pilot study are described and interpreted in the context of the English education system in Japan.