bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Null Geodesic Congruences, Asymptotically-Flat Spacetimes and Their Physical Interpretation
Authors: Adamo Timothy M. , Newman Ezra T. , Kozameh Carlos 
Published: April 2013

AbstractA priori, there is nothing very special about shear-free or asymptotically shear-free null geodesic congruences. Surprisingly, however, they turn out to possess a large number of fascinating geometric properties and to be closely related, in the context of general relativity, to a variety of physically significant effects. It is the purpose of this paper to try to fully develop these issues.This work starts with a detailed exposition of the theory of shear-free and asymptotically shear-free null geodesic congruences, i.e., congruences with shear that vanishes at future conformal null infinity. A major portion of the exposition lies in the analysis of the space of regular shear-free and asymptotically shear-free null geodesic congruences. This analysis leads to the space of complex analytic curves in an auxiliary four-complex dimensional space, ${\mathcal H}$-space. They in turn play a dominant role in the applications.The applications center around the problem of extracting interior physical properties of an asymptotically-flat spacetime directly from the asymptotic gravitational (and Maxwell) field itself, in analogy with the determination of total charge by an integral over the Maxwell field at infinity or the identification of the interior mass (and its loss) by (Bondi’s) integrals of the Weyl tensor, also at infinity.More specifically, we will see that the asymptotically shear-free congruences lead us to an asymptotic definition of the center-of-mass and its equations of motion. This includes a kinematic meaning, in terms of the center-of-mass motion, for the Bondi three-momentum. In addition, we obtain insights into intrinsic spin and, in general, angular momentum, including an angular-momentum-conservation law with well-defined flux terms. When a Maxwell field is present, the asymptotically shear-free congruences allow us to determine/define at infinity a center-of-charge world line and intrinsic magnetic dipole moment.
The Kerr/CFT Correspondence and its Extensions
Authors: Compère Geoffrey 
Published: April 2013

AbstractWe present a first-principles derivation of the main results of the Kerr/CFT correspondence and its extensions using only tools from gravity and quantum field theory, filling a few gaps in the literature when necessary. Firstly, we review properties of extremal black holes that imply, according to semi-classical quantization rules, that their near-horizon quantum states form a centrally-extended representation of the one-dimensional conformal group. This motivates the conjecture that the extremal Kerr and Reissner-Nordström black holes are dual to the chiral limit of a two-dimensional CFT. We also motivate the existence of an SL(2, ℤ) family of two-dimensional CFTs, which describe in their chiral limit the extremal Kerr-Newman black hole. We present generalizations in anti-de Sitter spacetime and discuss other matter-coupling and higher-derivative corrections. Secondly, we show how a near-chiral limit of these CFTs reproduces the dynamics of near-superradiant probes around near-extremal black holes in the semi-classical limit. Thirdly, we review how the hidden conformal symmetries of asymptotically-flat black holes away from extremality, combined with their properties at extremality, allow for a microscopic accounting of the entropy of non-extremal asymptotically-flat rotating or charged black holes. We conclude with a list of open problems.
Stationary Black Holes: Uniqueness and Beyond
Authors: Chruściel Piotr T. , Costa João Lopes , Heusler Markus 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThe spectrum of known black-hole solutions to the stationary Einstein equations has been steadily increasing, sometimes in unexpected ways. In particular, it has turned out that not all black-hole-equilibrium configurations are characterized by their mass, angular momentum and global charges. Moreover, the high degree of symmetry displayed by vacuum and electro-vacuum black-hole spacetimes ceases to exist in self-gravitating non-linear field theories. This text aims to review some developments in the subject and to discuss them in light of the uniqueness theorem for the Einstein-Maxwell system.
An efficient uric acid biosensor based on tin oxide thin film matrix
Authors: Arora Kashima , Tomar Monika , Gupta Vinay 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACTUric acid biosensor has been developed using tin oxide (SnO2) thin film. The electrochemistry of the developed thin film based electrode is investigated by using cyclic voltammetry. The obtained results demonstrate that the semiconducting SnO2matrix offers a striking electrocatalytic activity to the immobilized uricase towards the oxidation of uric acid and promotes the transfer of electrons from the active sites of enzyme onto the electrode. SnO2 thin film matrix gives a high sensitivity of 0.2 mA/mM and a shelf life of 20 weeks. Moreover, SnO2electrode exhibits excellent selectivity and outstanding analytical stability and reproducibility, which enables a reliable and selective determination of uric acid. The SnO2based uric acid biosensor shows a linear variation in a wide range from 0 to 1.0 mM of uric acid concentration and the Michaelis Menten Constant (Km) is estimated to be 0.28 mM which indicated the high affinity of uricase towards its analyte (uric acid). The results indicate that the SnO2thin film matrix offers a new and promising platform for the development of novel biosensors.
Femoral Neck Stress Fracture
Authors: Konetsky Michael , Miller Joseph , Tripp Courtney 
Published: April 2013

The patient was a 19-year-old woman who recently completed a military basic training program. She was evaluated by a physical therapist in a direct-access capacity for a chief complaint of anterior right hip pain that limited her ability to run. Due to the limited sensitivity of radiographs, magnetic resonance imaging of the right hip was obtained, which revealed a stress fracture of the right distal femoral neck. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2013;43(4):275. doi:10.2519/jospt.2013.0407
Safety of Rituximab in Combination with Other Biologic Disease-modifying Antirheumatic Drugs in Rheumatoid Arthritis: An Open-label Study
Authors: Rigby William F.C. , Mease Philip J. , Olech Ewa , Ashby Mark , Tole Swati 
Published: April 2013

Objective.To characterize the safety of rituximab (RTX) in combination with biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods.We did an open-label study of the safety and efficacy of RTX in adult patients with active RA and an inadequate response to ≥ 1 biologic for ≥ 12 weeks (stable dose ≥ 4 weeks). RTX (2 × 500 mg) was added to patients’ current biologic and nonbiologic DMARD treatment. After 24 weeks, patients with 28-joint Disease Activity Score ≥ 2.6 were eligible for RTX retreatment. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients developing a serious adverse event (SAE) within 24 weeks of initiating RTX.Results.Patients (n = 176) received RTX with 18 different biologic/DMARD combinations. Adalimumab alone (n = 46; 26.1%) or etanercept alone (n = 37; 21.0%) plus RTX were the most common combinations. Overall, 90.9% and 76.1% of patients completed 24 and 48 weeks, respectively; 147 patients (83.5%) received a second course of RTX. Over 24 weeks, 9.1% of patients reported SAE (24.3 events/100 patient-yrs, 95% CI 15.5–38.1). The SAE rate was similar over 48 weeks (22.4 events/100 patient-yrs, 95% CI 15.9–31.5). Four serious infections were reported over 48 weeks (2.7 events/100 patient-yrs, 95% CI 1.0–7.2). No SAE occurred within 24 h of any RTX infusion. Efficacy responses improved numerically at Week 48 compared with Week 24.Conclusion.The overall safety profile of RTX in combination with 1 other biologic was consistent with that previously reported for RTX plus methotrexate or other nonbiologic DMARD. (Clinicaltrials.govNCT00443651)
Development of an Automated, Real Time Surveillance Tool for Predicting Readmissions at a Community Hospital
Authors: Gildersleeve R. , Cooper P. 
Published: April 2013

SummaryBackground: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Readmissions Reduction Program adjusts payments to hospitals based on 30-day readmission rates for patients with acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia. This holds hospitals accountable for a complex phenomenon about which there is little evidence regarding effective interventions. Further study may benefit from a method for efficiently and inexpensively identifying patients at risk of readmission. Several models have been developed to assess this risk, many of which may not translate to a U.S. community hospital setting.Objective: To develop a real-time, automated tool to stratify risk of 30-day readmission at a semi-rural community hospital.Methods: A derivation cohort was created by extracting demographic and clinical variables from the data repository for adult discharges from calendar year 2010. Multivariate logistic regression identified variables that were significantly associated with 30-day hospital readmission. Those variables were incorporated into a formula to produce a Risk of Readmission Score (RRS). A validation cohort from 2011 assessed the predictive value of the RRS. A SQL stored procedure was created to calculate the RRS for any patient and publish its value, along with an estimate of readmission risk and other factors, to a secure intranet site.Results: Eleven variables were significantly associated with readmission in the multivariate analysis of each cohort. The RRS had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (c-statistic) of 0.74 (95% CI 0.73-0.75) in the derivation cohort and 0.70 (95% CI 0.69-0.71) in the validation cohort.Conclusion: Clinical and administrative data available in a typical community hospital database can be used to create a validated, predictive scoring system that automatically assigns a probability of 30-day readmission to hospitalized patients. This does not require manual data extraction or manipulation and uses commonly available systems. Additional study is needed to refine and confirm the findings.Citation: Gildersleeve R, Cooper P. Development of an automated, real time surveillance tool for predicting readmissions at a community hospital. Appl Clin Inf 2013; 4: 153–169http://dx.doi.org/10.4338/ACI-2012-12-RA-0058
Speman®, A Proprietary Ayurvedic Formulation, Reverses Cyclophosphamide-Induced Oligospermia In Rats.
Authors: Mukram Mohd. Azeemuddin , Rafiq Mohamed , Anturlikar Suryakant D. , Patki Pralhad S. 
Published: April 2013

Background: This investigation was aimed to evaluate the effect of Speman®, a well known ayurvedic proprietary preparation, in an experimental model of cyclophosphamide-(CP) induced oligospermia in rats.Materials and Methods: Thirty male rats were randomized in to five, equally-sized groups. Rats in group 1 served as a normal control; group 2 served as an untreated positive control; groups 3, 4, 5 received Speman® granules at doses of 300, 600, and 900mg/kg body weight p.o. respectively, once daily for 13 days. On day four, one hour after the respective treatment, oligospermia was induced by administering a single dose of CP (100mg/kg body weight p.o.) to all the groups except group1. At the end of the study period the rats were euthanised and accessory reproductive organs were weighed and subjected to histopathological examination. The semen samples were subject to enumeration of sperms. Weight of the reproductive organs, histopathological examination of the tissues, and sperm count were the parameters studied to understand the effect of Speman® on rats with CP-induced oligospermia.Results: Changes that occurred due to the administration of CP at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight were dose dependently reversed with Speman® at a dose of 300, 600, and 900 mg/kg body weight. There was a statistically significant increase in sperm count and the weight of the seminal vesicle, epididymis, and prostate.Conclusion: Findings of this investigation indicate that Speman® dose dependently reversed the CP-induced derangement of various parameters pertaining to the reproductive system. This could explain the total beneficial actions of Speman® reported in several other clinical trials.
Extraordinary Weapons, Heroic Ethics, and Royal Justice in Early Irish Literature
Authors: Sayers William 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACT
The synthesis of pagan and Christian cosmologies that informs medieval Irish letters incorporates prestigious and extraordinary weapons, and other such objects into an all-compassing Nature, in which they are preferentially associated with the themes of heroic ethics, legitimate and just royal rule, and the removal of errant rulers through a cosmic deployment of the “instruments of their fate.” Yet only rhetorical effects of literary depiction raise such weapons to a status approximating the preternatural.
Specific Form and Poisonous Properties:
Authors: Gibbs Frederick W. 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACT
As a result of the availability of new and exotic drugs and a diversifying medical profession to serve burgeoning towns, some late thirteenth-century physicians began to inquire more explicitly about the difference between a medicine and a poison. Were some substances simply too dangerous to be used in general medical practice? That medical authorities had never agreed on a single definition of poison complicated progress on this front. Fifteenth-century physicians brought significantly new energy to bear on this question through a rigorous examination of the properties of poison and the extent to which it was defined and thought to operate by some kind of occult virtue. Fifteenth-century writing about poison thus provides an important new and early site for examining the historical development of occult influence, because the notion of specific form had become integral to poison's definition and its ontological status as a category of substance. These discussions were instrumental to the development of modern toxicology as well, as it helped further distinguish between the classical notion of pharmaka, in which no substance was singled out as uniquely different in kind from other substances, and that of venenum, which was increasingly defined as fundamentally harmful to the human body.
Nonperformance Variables as Predictors of Marching Band Contest Results
Authors: Rickels David A. 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine potential relationships between nonperformance variables and the scoring results of marching band contests in the United States. The term nonperformance variable refers to a characteristic of a competing marching band or its director that was not overtly evaluated by performance scoring criteria at a contest. Using an online questionnaire, data were collected from marching band directors whose bands participated in contests in six randomly selected states (n = 218). Results of a stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated five significant models predicting 50.0% of the variance in contest scores. The significant predictor variables included the size of the marching band; the number of uncertified paid assistant instructors; a scale of the director’s attitudes toward marching band and competition; the hours of weekly rehearsal; and the dollar budget of the marching band. These results carry implications for participants and administrators of band contests, and suggest the need for additional study of marching band competition assessments.
Mass Transport in Ion‐Exchange Membranes
Authors: Tanaka Yoshinobu 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
Irreversible thermodynamics is the fundamental principle that expresses the mass transport across ion‐exchange membranes. The overall mass transport equation is developed with electrodialysis experiments and applied to discuss the performance of an electrodialyzsis process. The computer simulation program is developed using fundamental principles of electrodialysis. Performance of saline water desalination is computed by inputting electrodialyzer specifications and operating conditions. Mechanism of concentration polarization is discussed based on the mass transport across a boundary layer formed on an ion‐exchange membrane. Mechanism of the water dissociation reaction is discussed based on electric potential generated by ion‐exchange groups in the membrane.
Pore Blocking Models
Authors: Ho Chia‐Chi 
Published: April 2013

AbstractColloids and particles accumulating on membrane surfaces and/or in the membrane pores cause fouling, which results in a reduction in flux or an increase in transmembrane pressure for constant‐pressure and constant‐flux filtration operations, respectively. Traditionally, membrane fouling is described by one of the following classical models: pore blockage, pore constriction, and cake filtration. In this article, models describing flux decline during constant‐pressure filtration are reviewed. The focus is on flux decline analysis typically used to determine fouling mechanisms and the application of the models accounting for backtransport, deposit layer properties, and membrane morphology.
Thin‐Film Ceramic Membranes
Authors: Yacou Christelle , Wang David , Motuzas Julius , Zhang Xiwang , Smart Simon , Diniz da Costa João C. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractCeramic membranes have undergone a concerted research development in the past two decades, since their initial development for uranium isotope processing for the nuclear industry in 1940s. The diversity of inorganic materials, such as ceramics, metals, and nonpolymeric carbons, has allowed researchers to build membranes by a number of processes ranging from simple sol‐gel dip coating to chemical vapor deposition and complex plasma coatings among many others. This article specifically covers all the major preparation methods currently employed in the preparation of thin‐film ceramic membranes derived from silica, zeolites, titania, hierarchical structures, and perovkites.
Photocatalytic Ceramic Membranes
Authors: Zakersalehi Abolfazl , Choi Hyeok , Andersen Joel , Dionysiou Dionysios D. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractSemiconducting materials, in particular titanium dioxide (TiO2), under ultraviolet (UV) radiation are capable of producing highly reactive species, such as hydroxyl radicals, which readily and nonselectively oxidize and decompose organic pollutants in water. Such inorganic materials can be designed and fabricated in the form of water‐permeable membranes to combine the chemical decomposition of water contaminants with their concurrent physical separation, which is the conceptual basis for photocatalytic ceramic membranes (PCMs). The chemical function of PCMs can also induce water detoxification and disinfection, as well as antifouling action. The multiple actions of PCMs make them attractive for sustainable and versatile water treatment. Recently, progress in novel synthetic chemistry and fabrication routes for innovative PCMs, especially through nanotechnological approaches, has overcome some technical drawbacks of PCMs. This article provides an introduction to PCMs with emphasis on current advances in their fabrication and functionalization. Based on semiconducting TiO2materials under UV radiation, a concise description about the mechanism of photocatalytic reactions is presented, and the multiple functions of TiO2PCMs are overviewed. Some innovative fabrication approaches for PCMs, including the structural and compositional manipulation of monolith and composite TiO2membranes, are also described. Finally, the technical and economic limitations of PCMs and their prospects are briefly discussed.
Surface Modification of Membranes
Authors: Fang Yan , Xu Zhi‐Kang , Wu Jian 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
Surface modification of membranes has become a key issue in membrane science and technology. The major aim of surface modification is improving the performance of the membranes with a view to altering a wide range of characteristics of the surface, such as roughness, surface energy, surface charge, hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, and functionality. Based on these characteristics, the modification methods can be divided into two groups: (i) physical modification (polishing and grinding, thermal treatment, solvent post‐treatment, blending, and coating) and (ii) chemical modification (chemical procedures, plasma treatment, ultraviolet induced grafting, ozone treatment, high energy radiation, and enzymatic treatment). Although each method has its own advantages and limitations, interesting results can be obtained for the modified membranes in the form of improved properties. The modified membranes open the door to further development of membrane technology.
Dynamic Crossflow Filtration
Authors: Jaffrin Michel Y. 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
Dynamic crossflow filtration increases membrane performance through the use of membrane shear rates that are much higher than in conventional crossflow filtration. The production of these high shear rates requires specific modules with metal disks or rotors rotating at high speed near fixed membranes or rotating or vibrating membranes. The advantages and drawbacks of dynamic crossflow filtration will be discussed and currently available pilots and industrial dynamic filtration modules will be described. Specific methods for calculating the shear rate at membranes, which is the key factor governing permeate flux, will be presented for various types of modules. Recent applications of dynamic filtration published in the scientific literature, together with industrial case studies and comparisons with conventional crossflow will be reviewed.
These systems can be advantageous for end‐of‐pipe treatment when the goal is to maximize retentate concentration in order to reach at least 65% of solid concentration. In pharmaceutical and biotechnological applications, where a high purity is required, the higher membrane selectivity of dynamic filtration (better solute transmission in microfiltration and higher microsolute rejection in nanofiltration and reverse osmosis) is an important asset.
Industrial strategies of manufacturers of modules, New Logic Research (CA, USA), which has sold over 376 industrial vibrating modules; Bokela (Germany), which produces the rotating disk Dyno filter; and Metso Paper (Finland), which sells the Optifilter with rotors between, will be summarized.
Electro‐Membrane Processes
Authors: Singh Ajay K. , Shahi Vinod K. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractElectromembrane processes are well‐established techniques for the production of potable water from brackish water. During recent years, these processes have witnessed penetration into many areas such as energy production, food processing, personal care products, healthcare, production of high quality water, biomolecules separation, sensors, organic separation, industrial effluent treatment, etc. In this article, the principle of the electromembrane process is described along with its advantages and limitations for various applications. Recent developments in ion‐exchange membranes and their utilization in various areas are also described briefly.