bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Four-Corner Arthrodesis with a Radiolucent Locking Dorsal Circular Plate: Technique and Outcomes
Authors: Rudnick Benjamin , Goljan Peter , Pruzansky Jason S. , Bachoura Abdo , Jacoby Sidney M. , Rekant Mark S. 
Published: March 2014

Background Scaphoid excision and four-corner arthrodesis (FCA) is an acceptable motion sparing procedure used to treat wrist arthritis. Recently, a locking dorsal circular plate composed of polyether-ether-ketone has been introduced (Xpode®; TriMed Inc.). The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of this specific plate design with regard to FCA. Methods A retrospective chart review of all patients who underwent FCA with an Xpode® between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2012 was conducted. Patients were contacted and asked to return to clinic for clinical and ***radiographic follow-up. Patient demographics, range of motion, grip strength, and complications were collected from medical records. Patients completed a patient-rated wrist evaluation (PRWE). A paired t test was used to compare means, and p values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results Twenty-six procedures (24 patients) were identified. One patient required full wrist fusion following the initial procedure. Of the 25 remaining wrists, arthrodesis was successfully achieved in 20 (80 %). Eleven patients (13 wrists, 52 %) returned to clinic for an average follow-up of 28 months. Mean wrist extension improved from 30 to 47°, and flexion decreased from 33 to 23°. Average grip strength was 77 % of the uninjured side. The mean PRWE scores for pain and function were 19.7 and 17.1, respectively. Five patients underwent additional operations (two hardware removals, two contracture releases, and one distal radial ulnar joint arthroplasty). Conclusions FCA with the Xpode® yielded reasonable results for pain and function and demonstrated a fusion rate of 80 %.
Tibial eminence fractures in the paediatric population: A systematic review
Authors: Coyle Christy , Jagernauth Simond , Ramachandran Manoj 
Published: March 2014

Introduction We present a systematic review of the literature for the management of tibial eminence fractures in the paediatric population. Our aims were to assess modalities of injury, treatment options available and their associated complications. Materials and methods We found 740 relevant citations in the English literature up to 1 October 2012, of which 36 full text articles met our inclusion criteria. Results Our results show that skiing, sports and motor vehicle accidents are increasingly common modes of injury, in addition to the commonly described fall off of a bicycle. Most studies advocate non-operative management for type I Meyer's and McKeever's fractures and reduction and internal fixation for type II and III fractures. Better long-term results have been reported with arthroscopic surgery compared to open surgery. There is no consensus as to which type of fixation is best suited for tibial eminence fractures; methods available include excision of the bony fragment, K-wire, screw and, absorbable suture fixation, and more recently, suture anchor and meniscal arrow. The main complications reported include arthrofibrosis, non-union, mal-union, pain and severe laxity. Early post-operative range of motion exercises have been shown to reduce the incidence of arthrofibrosis. Conclusion As all papers report results from small case series, Level I studies are required to produce more definitive evidence for the management of paediatric tibial eminence fractures.
Vorticity transport in the leading-edge vortex on a rotating blade
Authors: Wojcik Craig J. , Buchholz James H. J. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractVorticity transport is analysed within the leading-edge vortex generated on a rectangular flat plate of aspect ratio 4 undergoing a starting rotation motion in a quiescent fluid. Two analyses are conducted on the inboard half of the blade to better understand the vorticity transport mechanisms responsible for maintaining the quasi-equilibrium state of the leading-edge vortex. An initialglobalanalysis between the$25$and$50\, \%$spanwise positions suggests that, although spanwise velocity is significant, spanwise convection of vorticity is insufficient to balance the flux of vorticity from the leading-edge shear layer. Subsequent detailed analyses of vorticity transport in planar control volumes at the$25$and$50\, \%$spanwise positions verify this conclusion and demonstrate that vorticity annihilation due to interaction between the leading-edge vortex and the opposite-sign layer on the plate surface is an important, often dominant, mechanism for regulation of leading-edge-vortex circulation. Thus, it provides an important condition for maintenance of an attached leading-edge vortex on the inboard portion of the blade.
Distributed control of multiple non-holonomic robots with sector vision and range-only measurements for target capturing with collision avoidance
Authors: Zakhar'eva A. , Matveev A. S. , Hoy M. C. , Savkin A. V. 
Published: March 2014

SUMMARYWe consider a team of autonomous kinematically controlled non-holonomic planar Dubins car-like vehicles. The team objective is to encircle a given target so that all vehicles achieve a common and pre-specified distance from it and are uniformly distributed over the respective circle, and the entire formation rotates around the target with a prescribed angular velocity. The robots do not communicate with each other and any central decision-maker. The sensing capacity of any vehicle is heavily restricted: It has access only to the distance to the target and to the distances to the companion vehicles that are in a given disc sector centered at the vehicle at hand; no robot can distinguish between its companions, and does not know their parameters. A distributed control law is proposed, and mathematically rigorous proofs of its non-local convergence as well as collision avoidance property are presented. The performance of the control law is illustrated by computer simulations and experiments with real robots.
Seroprevalence and genotype of Chlamydia in pet parrots in China
Authors: ZHANG N.-Z. , ZHANG X.-X. , ZHOU D.-H. , HUANG S.-Y. , TIAN W.-P. , YANG Y.-C. , ZHAO Q. , ZHU X.-Q. 
Published: March 2014

SUMMARYParrots are one of the most popular pet birds in China, and can harbour Chlamydia which has significance for human and animal health. We investigated, by indirect haemagglutination assay, the seroprevalence of Chlamydia infection in four species of parrots, namely budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), lovebirds (Agapornis sp.), cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) and Alexandrine parakeets (Psittacula eupatria) that were collected from Weifang and Beijing cities, North China and explored the association between potential risk factors and chlamydial seropositivity. We further determined the genotype of Chlamydia in 21 fresh faecal samples based on the ompA sequence by reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships. Of the 311 parrots examined, 35·37% (95% confidence interval 30·06–40·68) were seropositive, and species, gender, age, season and geographical location were identified as risk factors. Two PCR-positive samples represented Chlamydia psittaci genotype A. The occurrence of C. psittaci genotype A in the droppings of two pet parrots in China suggests potential environmental contamination with Chlamydiaceae and may raise a public health concern.
Liquid Phase Electron-Beam-Induced Deposition on Bulk Substrates Using Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy
Authors: Bresin Matthew , Botman Aurelien , Randolph Steven J , Straw Marcus , Hastings Jeffrey Todd 
Published: March 2014

AbstractThe introduction of gases, such as water vapor, into an environmental scanning electron microscope is common practice to assist in the imaging of insulating or biological materials. However, this capability may also be exploited to introduce, or form, liquid phase precursors for electron-beam-induced deposition. In this work, the authors report the deposition of silver (Ag) and copper (Cu) structures using two different cell-less in situ deposition methods—the first involving the in situ hydration of solid precursors and the second involving the insertion of liquid droplets using a capillary style liquid injection system. Critically, the inclusion of surfactants is shown to drastically improve pattern replication without diminishing the purity of the metal deposits. Surfactants are estimated to reduce the droplet contact angle to below ~10°.
Algorithm and FPGA implementation of interpolation‐based soft output MMSE MIMO detector for 3GPP LTE
Authors: Salari Amin , Fakhraie Sied Mehdi , Abbasfar Aliazam 
Published: March 2014

The number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) sub‐carriers in modern wireless communication systems such as Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE) can be as high as 2048. Channel matrix of data sub‐carriers in conventional multiple‐input–multiple‐output (MIMO) receivers is derived by interpolating channel matrix of pilot sub‐carriers and MIMO detection is performed on each interpolated channel matrix. Symbol detection on sub‐carrier by sub‐carrier basis demands a very high computational power. This study presents the first very‐large scale integration implementation of a novel 4 × 4 interpolation‐based soft output minimum‐mean‐squared error (MMSE) MIMO detector which combines channel estimation and MIMO detection. The detector computes MMSE matrix on pilot sub‐carriers using proposed division‐free matrix inversion algorithm and obtains MMSE matrix of data sub‐carriers by interpolation, reducing computational complexity by more than 66%. The throughput of the implemented detector on Virtex‐7 field programmable gate array (FPGA) exceeds 1 Gbps with 2.1 µs latency.
Design and implementation of a wavelet analysis‐based shunt fault detection and identification module for transmission lines application
Authors: Usama Yasir , Lu Xiaomin , Imam Hasib , Sen Chitradeep , Kar Narayan C. 
Published: March 2014

The power utility companies have been trying to identify and locate three‐phase transmission line faults in the shortest possible time in order to prevent economic losses. In the last few decades, technology used for power system protection has evolved from electromechanical devices to solid state and processor‐based intelligent devices. This study presents the design and implementation of a wavelet analysis‐based fault detection and identification module that contemplates the analysis of high frequency transients produced during faults. The design was implemented on a cost effective low‐end embedded system. The proposed logic employs a multi‐resolution wavelet analysis of high frequency details in the range of 5–10 kHz. The amount of high frequency components present in the transformed current signals, obtained after processing, identifies the fault. The ground and line‐to‐line faults were classified on the basis of the adaptive thresholds obtained from system behaviour. The proposed approach, after the completion of simulations, was implemented on a digital signal controller. The developed fault detection and identification prototype was successful in accurately identifying the power system faults, thus validating the feasibility of the proposed methodology.
On fields with Property (B)
Authors: Amoroso Francesco , David Sinnou , Zannier Umberto 
Published: March 2014

Let

K
K

be a number field and let

L

/

K

L/K

be an infinite Galois extension with Galois group

G
G

. Let us assume that

G

/

Z
(
G
)

G/Z(G)

has finite exponent. We show that

L
L

has the Property (B) of Bombieri and Zannier: the absolute and logarithmic Weil height on

L
∗

L^*

is bounded from below outside the set of roots of unity by an absolute constant. We also discuss some features of Property (B): stability by algebraic extensions and relations with field arithmetic. As a side result, we prove that the Galois group over

Q

\mathbb {Q}

of the compositum of all totally real fields is torsion free.
Chemokine (C-C motif) Receptor 5 Is an Important Pathological Regulator in the Development and Maintenance of Neuropathic Pain
Authors: Matsushita Katsuyuki , Tozaki-Saitoh Hidetoshi , Kojima Chinami , Masuda Takahiro , Tsuda Makoto , Inoue Kazuhide , Hoka Sumio 
Published: March 2014

Abstract

Background:
The chemokine family has been revealed to be involved in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain. In this study, the authors investigated the role of chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3 and its receptors chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 1 and chemokine (C-C motif) receptor (CCR) 5 in neuropathic pain.

Methods:
A spinal nerve injury model was established in adult male Wistar rats. The von Frey test and hot plate test were performed to evaluate neuropathic pain behavior, and real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry were performed to understand the molecular mechanisms.

Results:
The expression levels of chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3 and CCR5 messenger RNA in the spinal cord were up-regulated after nerve injury, which was possibly due to CD11b-positive microglia. Single intrathecal administration of recombinant chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3 produced biphasic tactile allodynia; each phase of pain behavior was induced by different receptors. Intrathecal injection of CCR5 antagonist suppressed the development of tactile allodynia (12.81 ± 1.33 g vs. 3.52 ± 0.41 g [mean ± SEM, drug vs. control in paw-withdrawal threshold]; P < 0.05, n = 6 each) and could reverse established tactile allodynia (10.87 ± 0.91 g vs. 3.43 ± 0.28 g; P < 0.05, n = 8 and 7). Furthermore, Oral administration of CCR5 antagonist could reverse established tactile allodynia (8.20 ± 1.27 g vs. 3.18 ± 0.46 g; P < 0.05, n = 4 each).

Conclusions:
Pharmacological blockade of CCR5 was effective in the treatment of the development and maintenance phases of neuropathic pain. Thus, CCR5 antagonists may be potential new drugs for the treatment of neuropathic pain.
Comparison of New Modeling Methods for Postnatal Weight in ELBW Infants Using Prenatal and Postnatal Data
Authors: Porcelli Peter J. , Rosenbloom S. Trent 
Published: March 2014

ABSTRACTObjectives:Postnatal infant weight curves are used to assess fluid management and evaluate postnatal nutrition and growth. Traditionally, postnatal weight curves are based on birth weight and do not incorporate postnatal clinical information. The aim of the present study was to compare the accuracy of birth weight–based weight curves with weight curves created from individual patient records, including electronic records, using 2 predictive modeling methods, linear regression (LR) and an artificial neural network (NN), which apply mathematical relations between predictor and outcome variables.Methods:Perinatal demographic and postnatal nutrition data were collected for extremely‐low‐birth‐weight (ELBW; birth weight <1000 g) infants. Static weight curves were generated using published algorithms. The postnatal predictive models were created using the demographic and nutrition dataset.Results:Birth weight (861 ± 83 g, mean ± 1 standard deviation [SD]), gestational age (26.2 ± 1.4 weeks), and the first month of nutrition data were collected from individual health records for 92 ELBW infants. The absolute residual (|measured − predicted|) for weight was 84.8 ± 74.4 g for the static weight curves, 60.9 ± 49.1 g for the LR model, and 12.9 ± 9.2 g for the NN model, analysis of variance: both LR and NN P < 0.01 versus static curve. NPO (nothing by mouth) infants had greater weight curve discrepancies.Conclusions:Compared with birth weight–based and logistic regression–generated weight curves, NN‐generated weight curves more closely approximated ELBW infant weight curves, and, using the present electronic health record systems, may produce weight curves better reflective of the patient's status.
Smad3‐Deficient Mice Have Reduced Esophageal Fibrosis and Angiogenesis in a Model of Egg‐Induced Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Authors: Cho Jae Youn , Doshi Ashmi , Rosenthal Peter , Beppu Andrew , Miller Marina , Aceves Seema , Broide David 
Published: March 2014

ABSTRACTObjectives:Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a food‐triggered disease associated with esophageal fibrosis and stricture formation in a subset of patients. In the present study we used a murine model of egg (ovalbumin [OVA])–induced EoE to determine whether inhibiting transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) signaling through the Smad3 pathway would inhibit features of esophageal remodeling including fibrosis, angiogenesis, and basal zone hyperplasia.Methods:Wild‐type (WT) and Smad3‐deficient (KO [knockout]) mice were sensitized intraperitoneally and then challenged chronically with intraesophageal OVA for 1 month. Levels of esophageal eosinophils, esophageal TGF‐β1+ and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)+ cells, and features of esophageal remodeling (fibrosis, angiogenesis, basal zone hyperplasia) were quantitated by immunohistochemistry and image analysis.Results:OVA challenge induced a similar increase in the levels of esophageal major basic protein (MBP)+ eosinophils and esophageal TGF‐β1+ cells in WT and Smad3 KO mice. Smad3 KO mice challenged with OVA had significantly less esophageal fibrosis and esophageal angiogenesis compared with OVA‐challenged WT mice. The reduced esophageal angiogenesis in Smad3 KO mice was associated with reduced numbers of VEGF+ cells in the esophagus. There was a trend toward OVA‐challenged Smad3 KO to have reduced basal zone hyperplasia, but this was not statistically significant.Conclusions:In a mouse model of egg‐induced EoE, Smad3‐deficient mice have significantly less esophageal remodeling, especially fibrosis and angiogenesis that is associated with reduced expression of VEGF. Targeting the TGF‐β1/Smad3 pathway may be a novel strategy to reduce esophageal fibrosis and its associated complications such as esophageal strictures in EoE.
Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria in Human Breast Milk
Authors: Soto Ana , Martín Virginia , Jiménez Esther , Mader Isabelle , Rodríguez Juan M. , Fernández Leonides 
Published: March 2014

ABSTRACTObjective:The objective of this work was to study the lactobacilli and bifidobacteria population in human milk of healthy women, and to investigate the influence that several factors (including antibioteraphy during pregnancy and lactation, country and date of birth, delivery mode, or infant age) may exert on such population.Methods:A total of 160 women living in Germany or Austria provided the breast milk samples. Initially, 66 samples were randomly selected and cultured on MRS‐Cys agar plates. Then, the presence of DNA from the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, and from most of the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species that were isolated, was assessed by qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using genus‐ and species‐specific primers.Results:Lactobacilli and bifidobacteria could be isolated from the milk of 27 (40.91%) and 7 (10.61%), respectively, of the 66 cultured samples. On the contrary, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium sequences were detected by PCR in 108 (67.50%) and 41 (25.62%), respectively, of the 160 samples analyzed. The Lactobacillus species most frequently isolated and detected was L salivarius (35.00%), followed by L fermentum (25.00%) and L gasseri (21.88%), whereas B breve (13.75%) was the bifidobacterial species most commonly recovered and whose DNA was most regularly found. The number of lactobacilli‐ or bifidobacteria‐positive samples was significantly lower in women who had received antibiotherapy during pregnancy or lactation.Conclusions:Our results suggest that either the presence of lactobacilli and/or bifidobacteria or their DNA may constitute good markers of a healthy human milk microbiota that has not been altered by the use of antibiotics.
Development of a Self‐Efficacy Scale for Adolescents and Young Adults With Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Izaguirre Marisa R. , Keefer Laurie 
Published: March 2014

ABSTRACTBackground:Pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) self‐management fits well within a social‐cognitive framework. At the heart of social‐cognitive theory is self‐efficacy, a set of beliefs about one's ability to perform certain tasks. Self‐efficacy is a strong predictor of health outcomes in chronic diseases and could serve as an intermediary outcome measure of self‐management for pediatric IBD. The aim of this preliminary study was to develop items for the design of a self‐efficacy scale specifically for adolescents and young adults with IBD.Methods:Survey development is an iterative process. As defined by the US Food and Drug Administration guidelines for developing a patient‐reported outcome measurement, the first step of this process is to obtain patient input. Using qualitative research methods, adolescents and young adults were recruited from an outpatient pediatric gastroenterology clinic to participate in a semistructured interview. Transcriptions of the recorded interviews were reviewed for themes related to self‐efficacy around disease management. A consensus panel of gastroenterologists and health psychologists reviewed the initially constructed items. Those specific items were then reviewed and adjusted by a panel of participants for content and understandability using cognitive interview methods. The resulting 13‐item scale is presented here.Results:Nineteen patients and 5 parents participated in the study. The study sample was 42% girls, 79% whites, 74% had Crohn disease, and 79% had not required surgery. Median age was 15 years (range 10–22 years). Theme analysis and expert review yielded 13 items across 4 theoretical domains: managing medical care, managing daily life with IBD, managing emotions, and managing the future with IBD.Conclusions:A 13‐item disease‐specific scale has been developed based on patient input to assess self‐efficacy around self‐management in adolescents with IBD. Efforts to validate this newly designed scale are presently under way.
Benefits of Attending a Summer Camp for Children With Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Salazar Guadalupe , Heyman Melvin B. 
Published: March 2014

ABSTRACTObjectives:The aim of the present study was to investigate knowledge of pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and perceptions of Camp Gut Busters, an IBD summer camp.Methods:The present ethnographic study uses traditional anthropological methods to investigate participants' knowledge and perceptions of Camp Gut Busters. Data were gathered using in‐depth qualitative interviews, participant observation during 4 Camp Gut Busters summer sessions, and attendance records for the summer camp. Participants either attended Camp Gut Busters (campers) or did not attend (noncampers). Campers' knowledge and perceptions were based on their actual experience at Camp Gut Busters, whereas those of noncampers were based on their expectations of camp.Results:Participant responses reference their illness experience with IBD, their struggles of learning to live with a chronic condition, and the benefits of attending a disease‐specific camp. Campers addressed notions of identity, the isolation associated with having a potentially stigmatizing chronic condition, therapeutic routines, and awareness of IBD. Noncampers focused on discomfort with IBD and their identity as an individual and child with the disease.Conclusions:Pediatric patients with IBD who attended a disease‐specific summer camp benefited from the experience. Exposure to peers with similar therapeutic routines and to the range of IBD helped campers build an empathetic social network and introduced a new perspective on their disease. Attending a disease‐specific camp helps pediatric patients with IBD in psychosocial adjustment and acquisition of knowledge about their disease. Ultimately, it helps them learn to live with their chronic condition.