bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Manually controlled targeted prostate biopsy with real‐time fusion imaging of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging and transrectal ultrasound: An early experience
Authors: Shoji Sunao , Hiraiwa Shinichiro , Endo Jun , Hashida Kazunobu , Tomonaga Tetsuro , Nakano Mayura , Sugiyama Tomoko , Tajiri Takuma , Terachi Toshiro , Uchida Toyoaki 
Published: October 2014

ObjectivesTo report our early experience with manually controlled targeted biopsy with real‐time multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging and transrectal ultrasound fusion images for the diagnosis of prostate cancer.MethodsA total of 20 consecutive patients suspicious of prostate cancer at the multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging scan were recruited prospectively. Targeted biopsies were carried out for each cancer‐suspicious lesion, and 12 systematic biopsies using the BioJet system. Pathological findings of targeted and systematic biopsies were analyzed.ResultsThe median age of the patients was 70 years (range 52–83 years). The median preoperative prostate‐specific antigen value was 7.4 ng/mL (range 3.54–19.9 ng/mL). Median preoperative prostate volume was 38 mL (range 24–68 mL). The number of cancer‐detected cases was 14 (70%). The median Gleason score was 6.5 (range 6–8). Cancer‐detected rates of the systematic and targeted biopsy cores were 6.7 and 31.8%, respectively (P < 0.0001). In six patients who underwent radical prostatectomy, the geographic locations and pathological grades of clinically significant cancers and index lesions corresponded to the pathological results of the targeted biopsies.ConclusionProstate cancers detected by targeted biopsies with manually controlled targeted biopsy using real‐time multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging and transrectal ultrasound fusion imaging have significantly higher grades and longer length compared with those detected by systematic biopsies. Further studies and comparison with the pathological findings of whole‐gland specimens have the potential to determine the role of this biopsy methodology in patients selected for focal therapy and those under active surveillance.
Fabrication of a Novel Calcium Carbonate Composite Ceramic as Bone Substitute
Authors: He Fupo , Yang Fanwen , Zhu Jixiang , Peng Ye , Tian Xiumei , Chen Xiaoming 
Published: October 2014

The coral, whose main composition is aragonite‐type calcium carbonate, has been widely used as bone substitute in clinic. However, the study on calcium carbonate bioceramic has not been largely reported due to difficulty in sintering calcium carbonate which is liable to evidently decompose at low temperature. In this study, a novel calcium carbonate composite ceramic was fabricated by sintering fast at a low temperature. A degradable, biocompatible phosphate‐based glass (PG) which grew liquid at a low temperature was added as sintering agent in the sintering process. The sintering schedule was explored by thermal analysis. The phase composition, microstructure, compressive strength, and biocompatibility of calcium carbonate composite ceramics were evaluated. The results revealed that the optimum holding time at the sintering temperature was 20 min. The obtained calcium carbonate composite ceramics did not produce calcium oxide but new compounds according to phase analysis. The compressive strength of calcium carbonate composite ceramics correspondingly increased with growing addition of PG ranging from 10 to 50 wt%. The cell proliferation on the calcium carbonate composite ceramic was not compromised but augmented compared to the neat calcium carbonate ceramic without adding PG as sintering agent. The novel calcium carbonate composite ceramic is a promising bone substitute for bone defects.
Effects of CuO Addition on Electrical Properties of 0.6BiFeO3–0.4(Bi0.5K0.5)TiO3 Lead‐Free Piezoelectric Ceramics
Authors: Hagiwara Manabu , Fujihara Shinobu 
Published: October 2014

0.6BiFeO3–0.4(Bi0.5K0.5)TiO3 (0.6BF–0.4BKT) ceramic samples with 0.0–4.0 mol% CuO were prepared by the solid‐state reaction. The CuO addition aided the densification of the samples and slightly increased the lattice constant. The relaxor‐like defuse dielectric peak of 0.6BF–0.4BKT became sharper with increasing the CuO content. Polarization–electric field curve of the undoped 0.6BF–0.4BKT was a pinched loop in the as‐sintered state, while that was a square hysteresis with a large remanent polarization of 48 μC/cm2 after the thermal quenching, demonstrating a strong domain wall pinning due to defect dipoles. We found that the CuO addition up to 2.0 mol% facilitates the polarization switching in the as‐sintered samples to increase the remanent polarization and the piezoelectric d33 coefficient. The results of the structural and electrical investigations suggested that the copper ion acts as a donor in 0.6BF–0.4BKT by compensating the potassium vacancy created by the evaporation of K2O during the calcination and sintering processes.
Dielectric Relaxation in Zr‐Doped SrTiO3 Ceramics Sintered in N2 with Giant Permittivity and Low Dielectric Loss
Authors: Wang Zhijian , Cao Minghe , Zhang Qi , Hao Hua , Yao Zhonghua , Wang Zhihao , Song Zhe , Zhang Yiming , Hu Wei , Liu Hanxing 
Published: October 2014

SrTiZrxO3 (x = 0, 0.002, 0.006, 0.01, and 0.014) ceramics with a weak temperature‐dependent giant permittivity (>104) and a very low dielectric loss (<0.01) were fabricated using the conventional solid‐state reaction method by sintering them in N2 at 1500°C. With increasing Zr content, the permittivity decreased from approximately 48 000 to 18 000 and the dielectric loss decreased from approximately 0.005 to 0.003. According to the XRD, XPS, and ac conductivity analysis, the dielectric properties of pure SrTiO3 ceramics sintered in N2 were due to the existence of the giant defect dipoles generated by the fully ionized oxygen vacancies and Ti3+ ions, while the dielectric properties of SrTiZrxO3 (x > 0) ceramics were also influenced by the defect dipoles (). The giant permittivity and low dielectric loss phenomenon could be explained by giant defect dipoles related to oxygen vacancies.
The Influence of Cation Additives on Grain‐Boundary Mobility in Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (YAG)
Authors: Zamir Shlomit 
Published: October 2014

Pure yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) nano‐powders, doped with 1.4 at.% of La2O3, ZrO2, MgO, Nb2O5, and SiO2, were vacuum sintered to full density and subjected to grain growth at 1700°C, for up to 15 h. The YAG intrinsic grain‐boundary (GB) mobility, determined from the pure fully dense YAG specimens, was 2.9 × 10−16 [m3·N−1·s−1]. All dopants, except for La2O3, increased the GB mobility compared to pure YAG (La2O3 didn't cause any significant change in YAG's GB mobility). All GBs were found to be free of secondary phases or intergranular films. These findings differ from numerous publications where dopants were found to either inhibit grain growth by solute drag, or to enhance grain growth due to liquid phase sintering. It was found that the GB mobility systematically increased with the decrease in the dopant cation radius. Moreover, it seems that vacancy population plays an important role in determining the GB mobility of YAG.
Imaging for metastatic disease in patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer: are doctor's perceptions in keeping with the guidelines?
Authors: Simos Demetrios , Hutton Brian , Graham Ian D. , Arnaout Angel , Caudrelier Jean‐Michel , Clemons Mark 
Published: October 2014

AbstractRationale, aims and objectivesDespite multiple guidelines advocating against routine radiological evaluation for metastases in women with early stage breast cancer, imaging is still frequently overused. The objective of this study was to assess doctor's views on imaging guidelines, and an attempt to establish why personal and local clinical practice patterns regarding imaging may differ from current guidelines.MethodsCanadian doctors who treat breast cancer were invited by email to complete an online survey developed by members of the research team.ResultsResponses were received from 173 physicians (26% response rate). Most (82%) indicated awareness of at least one published imaging guideline. Sixty per cent indicated that they had read the recommendations of the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology ‘Top 5’ list for choosing wisely in oncology imaging and, of those, 81% agreed with it. However, most indicated that this recommendation has not influenced them to order less imaging. Over 95% of doctors identified suspicious history, physical examination findings and inflammatory breast cancer as important factors for performing imaging. The majority did not feel that patient demand, fear of litigation or ease of access to imaging influenced their ordering for imaging.ConclusionsThe majority of breast cancer doctors are aware of and generally agree that guidelines pertaining to staging imaging for early breast cancer are reflective of evidence. Despite this, adherence is variable and factors such as local practice patterns and disease biology may play a role. Alternative strategies, beyond simply publishing recommendations, are therefore required if there is to be a sustained change in doctor behaviour.
Uniform presentation of process evaluation results facilitates the evaluation of complex interventions: development of a graph
Authors: Bakker Franka C. , Persoon Anke , Schoon Yvonne , Olde Rikkert Marcel G. M. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractRationale, aims and objectivesProcess evaluation is a highly essential element for the increasing number of studies regarding multi‐component interventions. Yet, researchers are challenged to collect and present appropriate process outcomes in such way that it is easy and valuable to be used by other researchers and policy makers in interpreting and comparing intervention effects because of the absence of standards for conducting and publishing process evaluation. This article describes the development of a method to concisely summarize the results of process evaluations of complex multi‐component interventions.MethodsDevelopment of a graph with the aim to facilitate the reporting of process evaluation's results, based on a narrative review of the literature for process measures used in complex interventions for elderly people.ResultsSeventeen articles of process evaluations alongside effect studies of complex interventions were reviewed. From these articles, it was found that process evaluations should address whether the intervention (1) was implemented successfully; (2) was evaluated properly; and (3) can be continued in the future. A flow chart based on the essential components of an adequate process evaluation was developed. A simplified but highly informative figure reporting a summary of the results of the process evaluation is proposed and its use is explained by administering the figure to two studies including a process and effect evaluation of a complex intervention.ConclusionA graphical approach – which includes the core results of process evaluation and can be used directly in reporting effectiveness studies – will help researchers and policy makers to interpret and compare effects of complex multi‐component interventions.
Amelioration of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid‐induced colitis in mice by liquiritigenin
Authors: Min Joon Ki , Lee Chi Hoon , Jang Se‐Eun , Park Jae‐Woo , Lim Sung‐Jig , Kim Dong‐Hyun , Bae Hyunsu , Kim Hyo‐Jong , Cha Jae Myung 
Published: October 2014

AbstractBackground and AimThe anti‐inflammatory effects of liquiritigenin, a major flavonoid isolated from Glycyrrhizae uralensis, have been reported in many inflammation models. However, its protective effects have not been reported in a colitis model. This study investigated the anti‐inflammatory effect and mechanism of liquiritigenin for trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)‐induced colitis in mice.MethodsMale mice imprinting control regions (ICR) were randomly divided into five groups: normal, TNBS‐induced colitis, colitis treated with liquiritigenin at low dose (10 mg/kg) and high dose (20 mg/kg), or mesalazine (10 mg/kg). TNBS colitis induction was performed except for in the normal group, and they were treated with liquiritigenin or mesalazine except control group. The treatment effect was measured after three days treatment, by body weight, colon length, macroscopic score, histological score, levels of cytokines (tumor necrosis factor‐α, interleukin [IL]‐1β, IL‐6, and IL‐10) in colon tissue as well as the nuclear factor kappa‐light‐chain‐enhancer pathway of activated B cells (NF‐κB) activation.ResultsMice treated with high‐dose liquiritigenin showed significant body weight gain, inhibition of colon shortening, protective effect on histological damages, and myeloperoxidase activity of colon tissue compared with the control group. Furthermore, mice treated with high‐dose liquiritigenin experienced significantly suppressed tumor necrosis factor‐α, IL‐1β, and IL‐6 as well as enhanced IL‐10 expression (all P < 0.05). High‐dose liquiritigenin treatment group showed significant decreases in TNBS‐induced phosphorylation of IKKβ, p65, and IκB‐α.ConclusionLiquiritigenin may ameliorate TNBS‐induced colitis in mice by suppressing expression of pro‐inflammatory cytokines through NF‐κB pathway.
Why Do Firms Enter a New Product Market? A Two‐Dimensional Framework for Market Entry Motivation and Behavior
Authors: Kim Namwoon , Min Sungwook , Chaiy Seoil 
Published: October 2014

What are the energetic forces that induce established firms to enter new product markets? While most previous research has explained the economic profits expected from a new product market as firms' distinctive motivation for market entry, some recent studies also emphasize interfirm competition and benchmarking activities as another important factor that motivates firms' new market entry. To explain the established firms' diverse new product market entry behaviors, this study presents a two‐dimensional scheme of entry motivation in terms of the degrees oftarget market profit focusandcompetitor focus. The first dimension captures the economic motivation of firms' new market entry that ranges from focusing on the direct expected profits from the target market to considering more strategic/indirect benefit incentives. The second dimension captures the degree of firms' external motivation for entry affected by competitors that ranges from independent entry decisions to fully competitor‐oriented entry decisions.Using multiple‐industry survey data, the current study empirically verifies that these two entry motivation dimensions explain a great portion of actual firms' new product market entry behaviors and that they are independent of each other. Subsequently, this study validates that firms' operational size and their environmental factors like perceived technological uncertainty and competitive intensity upon new market entry affect the degrees of the two dimensions of firms' new product market entry motivation. More specifically, large firms less emphasize target‐market profits than small firms, and when perceived technological uncertainty is high, potential market entrants become less target market profit focused but more competitor focused. Under a highly competitive new market condition, firms focus on both target‐market profits and competitors.Based on the analysis of new market entry motivation dimensions, the current study proposes a new typology of established firms' market entry behaviors. The suggested typology represents the four different types of new product market entrants and examines specific characteristics and entry strategies for each type of potential entrants. This entry‐motivation framework should provide a deeper understanding of the backgrounds of entry behaviors and assist firms in developing appropriate entry strategies and in advantageously responding to rival firms' actions with regard to entry.
Who Knows What inNPDTeams: Communication Context, Mode, and Task Contingencies
Authors: Tang Fangcheng , Mu Jifeng , Thomas Ellen 
Published: October 2014

The use of cross‐functional teams in new product development (NPD) benefits firms in many ways. One benefit is the diverse knowledge team members bring to the project, but that benefit can only be appreciated if team members fully utilize and integrate the differentiated expertise of members. As reliance on cross‐functionalNPDteams grows, however, firms struggle to exploit the full potential of functionally diverse groups, the biggest obstacle being integrating team members' varied knowledge, expertise, and abilities. Therefore, understanding how information is integrated and used is a primary concern for both practitioners and researchers. Databases and other forms of hard data are methods team members can use to effectively share and integrate knowledge; another method based on social cognition is transactive memory systems (TMS).TMSindicates who will learn what and from whom. The notion is that knowledge is distributed among people in the group, and to make effective use of it, individuals need to know who knows what and who knows who knows what.Grounded in the knowledge‐based theory of the firm, this study investigates the influence of different communication contexts and modes onTMSunder differentNPDtask environments (i.e., exploitation and exploration) in cross‐functionalNPDteams. A theoretical model is developed and empirically tested using data collected from 272 ongoingNPDteams of 128Chinese high‐tech companies. Findings suggest that when teams face tasks defined by exploration, informal communication and face‐to‐face communication are positively associated withTMS, whereas for tasks defined by exploitation, formal communication and computer‐mediated communication are positively related withTMS. Additionally, this study found thatTMSis positively related toNPDperformance both in terms of project performance and in terms of market performance. Based on these findings, theoretical and managerial implications are drawn regarding resource deployment that encourages the development of effectiveTMSleading to successfulNPDprojects.
Big spleens and hypersplenism: fix it or forget it?
Authors: Boyer Thomas D. , Habib Shahid 
Published: October 2014

AbstractHypersplenism is a common manifestation of portal hypertension in the cirrhotic. More than half of cirrhotics will have low platelet counts, but neutropenia is much less common. Despite being common in the cirrhotic population, the presence of hypersplenism is of little clinical consequence. The presence of hypersplenism suggests more advanced liver disease and an increase in risk of complications, but there is no data showing that correcting the hypersplenism improves patient survival. In most series, the most common indications for treating the hypersplenism is to increase platelet and white blood cell counts to allow for use of drugs that suppress the bone marrow such as interferon alpha and chemotherapeutic agents. There are several approaches used to treat hypersplenism. Portosystemic shunts are of questionable benefit. Splenectomy, either open or laparoscopically, is the most effective but is associated with a significant risk of portal vein thrombosis. Partial splenic artery embolization and radiofrequency ablation are effective methods for treating hypersplenism, but counts tend to fall back to baseline long‐term. Pharmacological agents are also effective in increasing platelet counts. Development of direct acting antivirals against hepatitis C will eliminate the most common indication for treatment. We lack controlled trials designed to determine if treating the hypersplenism has benefits other than raising the platelet and white blood cell counts. In the absence of such studies, hypersplenism in most patients should be considered a laboratory abnormality and not treated, in other words forget it.
Gene flow between nascent species: geographic, genotypic and phenotypic differentiation within and between Aquilegia formosa and A. pubescens
Authors: Noutsos C. , Borevitz J. O. , Hodges S. A. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractSpeciation can be described as a reduction, and the eventual cessation, in the ability to interbreed. Thus, determining how gene flow differs within and between nascent species can illuminate the relative stage the taxa have attained in the speciation process. Aquilegia formosa and A. pubescens are fully intercompatible, yet occur in different habitats and have flowers specialized for pollination by hummingbirds and hawkmoths, respectively. Using 79 SNP loci, we genotyped nearly 1000 individuals from populations of both species in close proximity to each other and from putative hybrid zones. The species shared all but one SNP polymorphism, and on average, allele frequencies differed by only 0.14. However, the species were clearly differentiated using Structure, and admixed individuals were primarily identified at putative hybrid zones. PopGraph identified a highly integrated network among all populations, but populations of each species and hybrid zones occupied distinct regions in the network. Using either conditional graph distance (cGD) or Fst/(1‐Fst), we found significant isolation by distance (IBD) among populations. Within species, IBD was strong, indicating high historic gene flow. IBD extended approximately 100 km in A. pubescens and 30 km in A. formosa. However, IBD between the species was very weak and extended only a few km beyond hybrid zones, suggesting little recent gene flow. The extensive sharing of SNP polymorphisms between these species suggests that they are very early in the speciation process while the low signal of IBD suggests that they have largely ceased gene exchange.
Identification of clinical target areas in the brainstem of prion‐infected mice
Authors: Mirabile Ilaria , Jat Parmjit S. , Brandner Sebastian , Collinge John 
Published: October 2014

AimsWhile prion infection ultimately involves the entire brain, it has long been thought that the abrupt clinical onset and rapid neurological decline in laboratory rodents relates to involvement of specific critical neuroanatomical target areas. The severity and type of clinical signs, together with the rapid progression, suggest the brainstem as a candidate location for such critical areas. In this study we aimed to correlate prion pathology with clinical phenotype in order to identify clinical target areas.MethodWe conducted a comprehensive survey of brainstem pathology in mice infected with two distinct prion strains, which produce different patterns of pathology, in mice overexpressing prion protein (with accelerated clinical onset) and in mice in which neuronal expression was reduced by gene targeting (which greatly delays clinical onset).ResultsWe identified specific brainstem areas that are affected by prion pathology during the progression of the disease. In the early phase of disease the locus coeruleus, the nucleus of the solitary tract, and the pre‐Bötzinger complex were affected by prion protein deposition. This was followed by involvement of the motor and autonomic centres of the brainstem.ConclusionsNeurodegeneration in the locus coeruleus, the nucleus of the solitary tract and the pre‐Bötzinger complex predominated and corresponded to the manifestation of the clinical phenotype. Because of their fundamental role in controlling autonomic function and the overlap with clinical signs in sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, we suggest that these nuclei represent key clinical target areas in prion diseases.