bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Recurrent cerebrospinal fluid shunt infection and the efficacy of reusing infected ventricular entry sites
Authors: Winston Ken R. , Ho Joseph T. , Dolan Susan A. 
Published: April 2013

Object
The objective of this investigation was to review the clinical characteristics of recurrent CSF shunt infections in a large pediatric neurosurgical practice and to assess the safety and efficacy of reusing original ventricular entry sites for external ventricular drainage during treatment of infections and for subsequent reinsertion of shunts.

Methods
Prospectively accrued clinical data on all patients treated at Children's Hospital Colorado for CSF shunt infections within a 10.5-year span were retrospectively investigated.

Results
One hundred twenty-one consecutive cases of CSF shunt infection met inclusion criteria. Recurrent shunt infection attributable to the management of these infections occurred in 14 cases (11.6%). Three recurrent infections were with their original organisms, 7 were organisms different from the original organisms, and 4 were indeterminate.

Conclusions
Half or more of recurrent shunt infections were with organisms different from the original organism, and hence were new-type infections introduced during the management of the original infections. Incomplete eradication of original pathogens accounted for 3 (21.4%) of the 14 recurrent infections. Reusing recently infected or contaminated ventricular entry sites, both for CSF drainage during treatment and for implantation of new shunts, was as safe, with regard to risk of recurrent infection, as switching to new entry sites. Prior evidence of shunt infection is not, alone, a sufficient reason to change to a previously well-functioning site, and reuse of contaminated ventricular entry sites avoids all risks associated with making new ventricular entries.
Instantaneous center of rotation behavior of the lumbar spine with ligament failure
Authors: Alapan Yunus , Demir Cihan , Kaner Tuncay , Guclu Rahmi , İnceoğlu Serkan 
Published: April 2013

Object
The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of ligament failure on the instantaneous center of rotation (ICR) in the lower lumbar spine.

Methods
A 3D finite element model of the L4–5 segment was obtained and validated. Ligament failure was simulated by reducing ligaments in a stepwise manner from posterior to anterior. A pure bending moment of 7.5 Nm was applied to the model in 3 anatomical planes for the purpose of validation, and a 6-Nm moment was applied to analyze the effect of ligament failure. For each loading case, ligament reduction step, and load increment, the range of motion of the segment and the ICR of the mobile (L-4) vertebra were calculated and characterized.

Results
The present model showed a consistent increase in the range of motion as the ligaments were removed, which was in agreement with the literature reporting the kinematics of the L4–5 segment. The shift in the location of the ICR was below 5 mm in the sagittal plane and 3 mm in both the axial and coronal planes.

Conclusions
The location of the ICR changed in all planes of motion with the simulation of multiple ligament injury. The removal of the ligaments also changed the load sharing within the motion segment. The change in the center of rotation of the spine together with the change in the range of motion could have a diagnostic value, revealing more detailed information on the type of injury, the state of the ligaments, and load transfer and sharing characteristics of the segment.
Plate fixation in the cervical spine: traditional paramedian screw configuration compared with unique unilateral configuration
Authors: Mageswaran Prasath , McLain Robert F. , Colbrunn Robb , Bonner Tara , Hothem Elijah , Bartsch Adam 
Published: April 2013

Object
This study compared the fixing strength and stability achieved by a unilateral plate and screw configuration against a standard cervical fixation plate using a single-level corpectomy and allograft strut graft model.

Methods
Multidirectional in vitro flexibility tests were performed using a robotic spine testing system. Human cadaveric spines were assessed for spinal stability after vertebral corpectomy and anterior instrumentation. Specimens were mounted cranially and caudally on custom jigs that were then attached to load cells on the robotic system's end effector and base pedestal. C2–T1 spine specimens (n = 6) were tested intact; then after C-5 corpectomy (the vertebral body was excised), allograft placement and anterior plate fixation were performed. The surgeons performed a uniform corpectomy and reconstruction of each specimen in a protocol fashion. Two plates were compared: a unilateral 4-hole cervical plate designed to obtain rigid fixation using 4 convergent fixation screws all placed unilateral to the vertebral midline, and a standard cervical plate with bilateral plate screw configuration. The plate testing sequence was selected at random to limit bias. Fixation screws were matched for length and diameter. Pure moments were applied under load control (maximum 1.8 Nm) in flexion, extension, left/right lateral bending, and left/right axial rotation. Vertebral motion was measured using an optoelectronic system. The mean relative range of motion between C-4 and C-6 was compared among groups using repeated-measures ANOVA (significance level of 0.05).

Results
In comparing the intact construct and 2 different plates in all planes of motion, only motion in extension (intact vs unilateral plate, p = 0.003; intact vs standard plate, p = 0.001) and left axial rotation (intact vs unilateral plate, p = 0.019) were significantly affected. In terms of immediate cervical stability after 1-level corpectomy and placement of an allograft reconstruction, the unilateral plate showed comparable stiffness to the standard plate in all 3 motion planes (flexion [p = 0.993], extension [p = 0.732], left lateral bending [p = 0.683], right lateral bending [p = 0.546], left axial rotation [p = 0.082], and right axial rotation [p = 0.489]). The unilateral plate showed a trend toward improved stiffness in axial rotation. In no direction did the unilateral configuration prove significantly less stiff than the traditional configuration.

Conclusions
The unilateral plate design proposed here requires minimal dissection and retraction beyond the midline of tissues susceptible to scar, postoperative pain, and swelling. The authors' study suggests that a unilateral plate can be configured to provide comparable fixation strength and torsional stiffness compared with traditional, widely accepted plate designs.
Effective thermal conductivity of reservoir freshwater ice with attention to high temperature
Authors: Huang W. , Li Z. , Liu X. , Zhao H. , Guo S. , Jia Q. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractA study on effective thermal conductivity (ETC) of natural ice in a reservoir with <3% gas content and ∼300 mg L−1 dissolved matter content in the parent water was conducted in a laboratory. Ice sections were prepared to obtain the ice crystal structure, gas bubble content and ice density. Profiles of horizontal and vertical thermal conductivity of ice samples were determined with attention to relatively high temperature spanning 0 to –10°C. A detailed comparative analysis was conducted of the effects on ETC of direction, ice crystal structure, gas bubbles and temperature. Gas inclusions had little impact on the thermal conductivity of natural reservoir ice due to their quite low content (<3%). At high ice temperature the ETC decreases remarkably as ice temperature approaches the melting point, as the ETC of sea ice does due to its brine volume at ice temperature approaching its melting point. The measured conductivities for temperatures higher than –4°C were less than expected from previous work on saline ice. Whether this was due to the measurement techniques or actual properties of the reservoir ice is not clear. The present findings could lead to better understanding of the thermal processes of ice in natural freshwater bodies.
A look at the date of snowmelt and correlations with the Arctic Oscillation
Authors: Foster J.L. , Cohen J. , Robinson D.A. , Estilow T.W. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractSpring snow cover across Arctic lands has, on average, retreated ∼5 days earlier since the late 1980s compared to the previous 20 years. However, it appears that since about the late 1980s the date the snowline first retreats north during the spring has changed only slightly: in the last ∼20 years snow has not been disappearing significantly earlier. Snowmelt changes observed since the late 1980s have been step-like, unlike the more continuous downward trend seen in Arctic sea-ice extent. At 70° N, several longitudinal segments (of 10°) show significant (negative) trends, while only two longitudinal segments at 60° N show significant trends, one positive and one negative. These variations appear to be related to variations in the Arctic Oscillation (AO). When the springtime AO is strongly positive, snow melts earlier. When it is strongly negative, snow disappears later in the spring. The winter AO is less straightforward. At higher latitudes (70° N), a positive AO during the winter months is correlated with later snowmelt, but at lower latitudes (50° N and 60° N) a positive wintertime AO is correlated with earlier snowmelt. If the AO during the winter months is negative, the reverse is true. Similar stepwise changes (since the late 1980s) have been noted in sea surface temperatures and in phytoplankton abundance as well as in snow cover.
Les greffes phraséologiques – ou quand la syntaxe se compromet
Authors: Legallois Dominique 
Published: April 2013

L’article vise à distinguer deux modes d’innovation en syntaxe ; le premier mode, généralement bien décrit, est fondé sur l’analogie et la productivité. Le second mode, qui fait l’objet d’une discussion développée, est fondé sur « l’interception » d’une forme par une autre, phénomène désigné sous le terme de « greffe syntaxique ». Par exemple, la manifestation s’annonce pour être exceptionnelle est composé d’un mélange entre la manifestation s’annonce exceptionnelle et la manifestation est partie pour être exceptionnelle . L’article souligne le rôle joué par la phraséologie dans le phénomène de greffe, phénomène en œuvre également au niveau lexcical (les mots porte-manteaux) et collocationnel (greffe collocationnelle).
Landscape-level Factors Influencing Bog Turtle Persistence and Distribution in Southeastern New York State
Authors: Myers Andrew T. , Gibbs James P. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThe bog turtle Glyptemys muhlenbergii is a highly endangered species inhabiting freshwater wetlands of the eastern United States. Habitat degradation is considered one of the chief causes of bog turtle declines. Most of the studies investigating habitat requirements of bog turtles focus on intrawetland influences on bog turtle habitat, but few have explored landscape-level drivers of bog turtle distribution. To better understand causes of bog turtle declines, we combined bog turtle occurrence records with geographic data to contrast 12 landscape variables among wetlands containing extant populations of bog turtles (n  =  65) and 500 nearby and 500 distant, randomly located wetlands in southeastern New York State. In contrast to randomly chosen wetlands, bog turtles have persisted in relatively large, open-canopy wetlands (typically &gt;0.42 ha) within large watersheds (typically &gt;13.54 ha), in wetlands with more numerous stream connections, and more often in wetlands positioned atop carbonaceous rock types. Wetlands occurring within carbonaceous surficial geological settings may be more resistant to bog turtle habitat degradation and hence likely to support more persistent populations of bog turtles. Our findings that geomorphic features and intrawetland vegetation are the most useful predictors of bog turtle occurrence and persistence in southeastern New York State are important for generating more detailed hypotheses regarding drivers of bog turtle declines and are also helpful for prioritizing sites for bog turtle conservation and guiding surveys to discover new populations.
Integrin Regulation during Leukocyte Recruitment
Authors: Herter Jan , Zarbock Alexander 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
Integrins are recognized as vital players in leukocyte recruitment. Integrin malfunction causes severe disease patterns characterized by the inability to fight pathogens. Although inflammatory reactions are beneficial and necessary for host defense, these reactions have to be controlled to prevent tissue destruction and harmful sequelae. In this review, we discuss the different signaling pathways leading to the change of integrin adhesiveness in neutrophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes. We thereby focus on the importance of integrin activation for the different steps of the leukocyte recruitment cascade, including rolling, adhesion, postadhesion strengthening, intravascular crawling, and transmigration, as each step necessitates the proper functioning of a distinct set of integrin molecules that has to be activated specifically. Additionally, we discuss endogenous mechanisms that balance and counteract integrin activation and limit leukocyte recruitment at the site of inflammation. Further insight into these complex mechanisms may provide new approaches for developing new anti-inflammatory therapies.
Innate Immunity and Its Regulation by Mast Cells
Authors: St. John Ashley L. , Abraham Soman N. 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
Mast cells (MCs), which are granulated tissue-resident cells of hematopoietic lineage, constitute a major sensory arm of the innate immune system. In this review we discuss the evidence supporting the dual role of MCs, both as sentinels for invading pathogens and as regulatory cells throughout the course of acute inflammation, from its initiation to resolution. This versatility is dependent on the ability of MCs to detect pathogens and danger signals and release a unique panel of mediators to promote pathogen-specific clearance mechanisms, such as through cellular recruitment or vascular permeability. It is increasingly understood that MCs also contribute to the regulated contraction of immune activation that occurs within tissues as inflammation resolves. This overarching regulatory control over innate immune processes has made MCs successful targets to purposefully enhance or, alternatively, suppress MC responses in multiple therapeutic contexts.
Pulmonary comorbidities associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Luppi Fabrizio , Beghè Bianca , Roversi Pietro 
Published: April 2013

Introduction Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by a relatively irreversible airflow limitation caused by chronic inflammation, in most cases tobacco-related. The impact of COPD on morbidity and mortality at the single-patient level depends upon the severity of COPD symptoms and the existence of other types of systemic and/or pulmonary disease, also known as co-morbid conditions.Materials and methods This review examines the pulmonary diseases commonly associated with COPD, in terms of their prevalence, clinical features, pathogenic mechanisms, prognoses, and implications for management of COPD.Results The incidence and prevalence of various pulmonary diseases are significantly increased in patients with COPD. These conditions include symptomatic bronchiectasis, combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema, lung cancer, sleep-related respiratory disorders, and pulmonary embolism. Some of these concomitant respiratory diseases have an independent negative impact on the prognosis of COPD patients, and their presence has important implications for treatment of these patients.Conclusions Physicians treating patients with COPD need to be aware of these coexisting pulmonary diseases. All patients with COPD should be carefully evaluated to identify pulmonary comorbidities, since they not only influence the prognosis but also have an impact on disease management. The treatment of COPD is no longer restricted exclusively to inhaled therapy. The therapeutic approach to this disease is becoming increasingly multidimensional in view of the fact that successful management of comorbidities might positively affect the course of COPD itself.
Study of cystatin C (Cys C) in relation to the calculation of the glomerular filtration rate and bioelectrical impedance analysis parameters in obese patients with and without type 2 diabetes
Authors: Liani Mario , Trabassi Ernesto , Tresca Ettore , Ciantra Giulia , Liani Rossella 
Published: April 2013

IntroductionAssessment of renal function based on quantification of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is essential for early detection of damage and progression of renal diseases. The purpose of our study was to determine the value of cystatin C (Cys C) assays in the calculation of the GFR and bioelectrical impedance analysis parameters in obese subjects aged 30-70 years with moderately damaged renal function.Materials and methodsCys C levels were measured with a new immunoturbidimetric kit (Roche Diagnostics) and an automated Cobas c6000 analyzer. In the GFR calculation, creatinine and Cys C levels were included. The GFR calculated with the equation that included Cys C in obese and normal-weight patients is not affected by changes in the lean body mass.ResultsObese patients (N = 70) had a mean (± SD) serum creatinine level of 1.52 ± 1.0 mg/dL and a mean Cys C level of 1.28 ± 0.59 mg/L. In this group, the GFR calculated on the basis of MDRD, Cys C, and creatinine clearance values showed similar filtered values between MDRD and Cys C and a DS value smaller in the case of Cys C. The correlation (R2) between GFR and its metabolite is higher in the case of Cys C when somatotype parameters (measured with bioelectrical impedance analysis) were introduced into the equation.ConclusionsWhen Cys C is included in calculations of GFR, the result shows a higher correlation degree compared to the MDRD system. Given that Cys C shows less intra-individual variability than creatinine, it can be applied in routine diagnostics in a larger number of patients.
Work Motivation and Organizational Commitment of the Faculty of the Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) in Region I, Philippines
Authors: Anicas Roel Palo 
Published: April 2013

The study determines the levels of work motivation and organizational commitment of the faculty of the Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) in Region I, Philippines as basis for formulating the ROEL PALO ANICAS [RPA] Integrative Formula. The study uses the descriptive-correlational survey method. It utilized a three-part questionnaire and seven (7) PHEIs offering non-allied medical courses in Region I, Philippines served as respondents. A result reveals that the faculty is qualified in their respective positions because they possess the minimum requirements for their appointments. The work motivation of the faculty is more or less uniform; but the level of organizational commitment differed significantly, which implies that some have a lower level of organizational commitment. Age, highest educational attainment, and position were not significantly influenced by their levels of work motivation and organizational commitment due to individual differences on their perceptions. Faculty who are rewarded for their exemplary performance are stronger in their commitment while age and academic rank appear to have no significant relationship to work motivation as well as academic rank, which has no significant relationship to organizational commitment. Therefore, the administrations of each PHEIs in Region I, Philippines are encouraged to adopt the ROEL PALO ANICAS [RPA] Integrative Formula. Keywords - Education, work motivation; Organizational Commitment; Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs); Hygiene Factors/Extrinsic Motivation; Motivational Factors/Intrinsic Motivation and RPA Integrative Formula
Program Sustainability of B.S. Chemistry from the Purview of Performance in the Chemist Licensure Examination
Authors: Diopenes Georgina A. 
Published: April 2013

The study looked at sustainability of the B.S. Chemistry program particularly in Region 6 from the point of view of performance in the Chemist Licensure Examination (CLE). The respondents were the centers of excellence and development in chemistry before the issuance of CMO 05 s.2007, and the Region 6 schools offering B.S. Chemistry. The attributes of consistent top performing schools in the CLE from 2002 to 2006 constituted the profile of a Top Performing School (TPS) and was used in institutional benchmarking. Top performers are way ahead in excellence of their faculty and laboratory, and keep to the minimum the chemistry units in their curricula. The other respondents meet some of the benchmarks. Only two other centers of excellence are anywhere near the TPS profile but no other respondent meets the benchmark in CLE performance. Correlation analyses between CLE performance and the variables reveal CLE performance has a high correlation with chemistry specialization; high negative correlation with lecture credit units; and substantial relationship with enrollment. Problem in enrollment therefore, translates to a quality issue. Improving the instructional elements can be instrumental in increasing enrollment. Nevertheless, commitment and fortitude from principal stakeholders are equally necessary to keep the program viable. Keywords – Science Education, Benchmark, Top Performing School, Chemistry, Program Sustainability, Center of Excellence, Center of Development, Institutional benchmarking, Indices, Descriptive Study, Philippines
The Situation of Birth Registration among Special Groups: A Collective Action
Authors: Sarmiento Chona Q. , Amsid John Ralph H. , Salang Ere Lee Q. , Aquino Emmanuel L. 
Published: April 2013

The partnership of educational institutions together with the Local Civil Registrar and Far East Broadcasting Company initiated the study on Facilitating Birth Registration among IPs and Muslims as a peace development initiative to contribute to social transformation. The university’s mission and vision directed the efforts to facilitate= birth registration among four impoverished barangays predominantly identified with special groups. A survey administered at the household level provided breadth and quantitative information to the project outcomes and the uniqueness of the project at two phases. In-depth qualitative methods (focus group, community interviewing) provided greater understanding and insights into the different situations. The findings of the study revealed that the rate of registration among marginal groups in the identified areas was slow and the children were born in non-birthing facilities by traditional birth attendants. These children were also born to parents without Birth Registration. Illiteracy of the parents influenced their choice not to register their children. The high rate of illiteracy and poverty condition followed similar cycle of difficulty form on-birth registration application. The lack of birth registration documents has caused children to be disadvantage in terms of socio economic status, education, health care and protection. Keywords – Social Science, birth registration, special population, poverty, child rights, social transformation, descriptive qualitative research, Zamboanga City, Philippines