bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effect of dairy sewage sludge amendment on repellency and hydraulic conductivity of soil aggregates from two depths of Eutric Cambisol
Authors: Król Anna , Lipiec Jerzy , Frąc Magdalena 
Published: February 2015

AbstractAppropriate management of sewage sludge is an important worldwide issue due to the still growing amount of wastewaters. In the study we examined to what extent the addition of dairy sewage sludge compared with mineral fertilization affects porosity, repellency index, and hydraulic conductivity of variously sized aggregates from two soil depths of Eutric Cambisol derived from loess: 5–15 cm and 25–35 cm. The repellency index was calculated as a ratio of ethanol and water sorptivity. Data on water and ethanol sorptivities of initially air‐dry soil aggregate fractions were obtained from steady state flow measurements using an infiltration device. Hydraulic conductivity was determined by measuring water infiltration at five pressure heads: –8, –6, –4, –2, and 0 cm of water column with the same device as for sorptivity determination. Addition of sewage sludge to the soil decreased the soil repellency index by an average of 27% in topsoil and 32% in subsoil for both aggregate sizes, respectively, and increased hydraulic conductivity about four times in both layers. Smaller aggregates (15–20 mm diameter) from soil amended with sewage sludge, in comparison with larger ones (30–35 mm diameter), had a higher repellency index by 36 and 24% in topsoil and subsoil, respectively. As for aggregates from soil with mineral fertilization, those differences were smaller and equal to 15% in subsoil, in topsoil smaller aggregates even had slightly lower repellency index (by 5%). Aggregates taken from the upper soil layer were more water repellent and had smaller hydraulic conductivity than those taken from subsoil, regardless of soil treatment and aggregate size.
Endoscopic transcanal corridors to the lateral skull base: Initial experiences
Authors: Marchioni Daniele , Alicandri‐Ciufelli Matteo , Rubini Alessia , Presutti Livio 
Published: February 2015

Objectives/HypothesisSurgical approaches to the lateral skull base, internal auditory canal (IAC), and petrous bone are widely known and have been extensively recorded. Despite the benign nature and limited dimensions of lesions located in this anatomical region, extirpative surgical approaches are often required to reach and remove the disease. The aim of present report was to describe our initial experiences with minimally invasive endoscopic approaches to the lateral skull base.Study DesignRetrospective review of patients' charts and video recordings from surgery.MethodsTwelve patients were included in the study. Three main corridors to the lateral skull base were identified: the transcanal suprageniculate corridor, the transcanal transpromontorial corridor, and the transcanal infracochlear corridor. Landmarks, tips, and pitfalls of the approaches have been reviewed and highlighted.ResultsThese corridors provide a direct approach to pathology involving the fundus, IAC, cochlea, petrous apex and geniculate ganglion region, without any external incision. The pathology was successfully removed in most cases with no important postoperative complications and reasonable facial nerve outcomes.ConclusionsThe transcanal endoscopic approaches to the lateral skull base proved to be successful for pathology removal involving the fundus, IAC, cochlea, petrous apex, and geniculate ganglion region. Future widespread application of this kind of approach in lateral skull base surgery will depend on the development of technology, and surgical and anatomical refinements.Level of Evidence4. Laryngoscope, 125:S1–S13, 2015
A ten‐year review of soft tissue reactions around percutaneous titanium implants for auricular prosthesis
Authors: Tzortzis Sevasti , Tzifa Konstantina , Tikka Theofano , Worrollo Steve , Williams Joanne , Reid Andrew P. , Proops David 
Published: February 2015

Objectives/HypothesisSoft tissue reactions around abutments are the most common complications of percutaneous osseointegrated implants. The main objective of this study was to review our series of osseointegrated implants, evaluate the degree of adverse skin reactions around the auricular abutments, and compare with skin reactions in the pediatric bone‐anchored hearing aid (BAHA) population. The reason for comparing these two groups was the difference in abutment shape and position in skin with different characteristics.Study DesignA retrospective case analysis of 131 patient notes.MethodsWe retrospectively studied 131 pediatric and adult patients who underwent an osseointegrated auricular prosthesis over a 10‐year period (1997–2007).ResultsThere were 95 adults and 36 children who had been implanted and fitted with an auricular prosthesis during the 10‐year study period. All patients were followed up postoperatively for a 2‐year minimum up to a 14‐year maximum follow‐up. Thirteen (13/36, 36%) children and seven adults (7/95, 7%) had a skin reaction around the ear prosthesis.ConclusionsThe literature review has supported our study results and has shown that children have higher skin reactions in both BAHA and auricular prostheses than adults. Adverse skin reactions in the pediatric auricular group were significantly lower that the pediatric BAHA group.Level of Evidence4 Laryngoscope, 125:1934–1939, 2015
Detection of ideal reservoir level after laryngectomy using endoilluminator in voice rehabilitation
Authors: Sirin Ali Ahmet , Erdim Ibrahim , Baykal Bahadir , Oghan Fatih , Yilmazer Rasim , Guvey Ali , Kayhan Fatma Tulin 
Published: February 2015

ObjectiveTo assess the diagnostic value of a novel device, the endoilluminator, in patients who can or cannot attain effective speech after application of voice prosthesis.Study DesignProspective clinical study.MethodsThirty‐four patients who underwent total laryngectomy and whose insufflation test was positive were included. As a result of efforts to develop an insufflation test that includes a light apparatus, we attained a device that we call an endoilluminator. We found that the area it illuminated when a patient achieved effective speech was a predictive factor for the test result. That is, patients for whom the upper part of the tracheostomy (where the standard tracheoesophageal fistula will be opened) was illuminated were categorized as the positive test group, whereas those for whom the neck skin above this region was illuminated were categorized as the negative test group.ResultsIn 27 of the 34 patients, appropriate localization was determined using the endoilluminator, and these patients achieved effective speech. In the remaining seven patients, localization was inappropriate and they did not achieve effective speech during the first week, first month, or third month postpuncture. In further investigations of these seven patients, a pharyngoesophageal spasm was detected in five, and a pharyngoesophageal stricture was detected in two.ConclusionEndoilluminator increases the success rate of the insufflation test by accurately predicting a patient's ability to achieve effective speech after application of voice prosthesis.Level of Evidence4. Laryngoscope, 125:E239–E244, 2015
Formation of DNA‐Copolymer Fibrils Through an Amyloid‐Like Nucleation Polymerization Mechanism
Authors: Kedracki Dawid , Filippov Sergey K. , Gour Nidhi , Schlaad Helmut , Nardin Corinne 
Published: February 2015

Conjugation of a hydrophobic poly(2‐oxazoline) bearing tertiary amide groups along its backbone with a short single stranded nucleotide sequence results in an amphiphilic comb/graft copolymer, which organizes in fibrils upon direct dissolution in water. Supported by circular dichroism, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and scattering data, fibrils are formed through inter‐ and intramolecular hydrogen bonding between hydrogen accepting amide groups along the polymer backbone and hydrogen donating nucleic acid grafts leading to the formation of hollow tubes.
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Screening Chemicals for Receptor‐Mediated Toxicological and Pharmacological Endpoints: Using Public Data to Build Screening Tools within a KNIME Workflow
Authors: Steinmetz F. P. , Mellor C. L. , Meinl T. , Cronin M. T. D. 
Published: February 2015

AbstractAssessing compounds for their pharmacological and toxicological properties is of great importance for industry and regulatory agencies. In this study an approach using open source software and open access databases to build screening tools for receptor‐mediated effects is presented. The retinoic acid receptor (RAR), as a pharmacologically and toxicologically relevant target, was chosen for this study. RAR agonists are used in the treatment of a number of dermal conditions and specific types of cancer, such as acute promyelocytic leukemia. However, when administered chronically, there is strong evidence that RAR agonists cause hepatosteatosis and liver injury. After compiling information on ligand‐protein‐interactions, common substructures and physico‐chemical properties of ligands were identified manually and coded into SMARTS strings. Based on these SMARTS strings and calculated physico‐chemical features, a rule‐based screening workflow was built within the KNIME platform. The workflow was evaluated on two datasets: one with RAR agonists exclusively and another large, chemically diverse dataset containing only a few RAR agonists. Possible modifications and applications of screening workflows, dependent on their purpose, are presented.
Expression of TGFβ superfamily components and other markers of oocyte quality in oocytes selected by brilliant cresyl blue staining: Relevance to early embryonic development
Authors: Ashry Mohamed , Lee KyungBon , Mondal Mohan , Datta Tirtha K. , Folger Joseph K. , Rajput Sandeep K. , Zhang Kun , Hemeida Nabil A. , Smith George W. 
Published: February 2015

SUMMARYBrilliant cresyl blue (BCB) is a super‐vital stain that has been used to select competent oocytes in different species. One objective of the present study was to assess the relationship between BCB staining, which correlates with an oocyte's developmental potential, and the transcript abundance for select TGFβ‐superfamily components, SMAD2/3 and SMAD1/5 phosphorylation levels, and oocyte (JY1) and cumulus‐cell (CTSB, CTSK, CTSS, and CTSZ) transcript markers in bovine oocytes and/or adjacent cumulus cells. The capacity of exogenous follistatin or JY1 supplementation or cathepsin inhibitor treatment to enhance development of embryos derived from low‐quality oocytes, based on BCB staining, was also determined. Cumulus‐oocyte complexes (COCs) from abattoir‐derived ovaries were subjected to BCB staining, and germinal‐vesicle‐stage oocytes and cumulus cells were harvested from control, BCB+, and BCB− (low‐quality oocyte) groups for real‐time PCR or Western‐blot analysis. Remaining COCs underwent in vitro maturation, in vitro fertilization, and embryo culture in the presence or absence of the above exogenous supplements. Levels of FST, JY1, BMP15, and SMAD1, 2, 3, and 5 transcripts were higher in BCB+ oocytes whereas CTSB, CTSK, CTSS, and CTSZ mRNA abundance was higher in cumulus cells surrounding BCB− oocytes. Western‐blot analysis revealed higher SMAD1/5 and SMAD2/3 phosphorylation in BCB+ than BCB− oocytes. Embryo‐culture studies demonstrated that follistatin and cathepsin inhibitor treatment, but not JY‐1 treatment, improve the developmental competence of BCB− oocytes. These results contribute to a better understanding of molecular indices of oocyte competence. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 82: 251–264, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Electrical impedance myography in duchenne muscular dystrophy and healthy controls: A multicenter study of reliability and validity
Authors: Zaidman Craig M. , Wang Lucy L. , Connolly Anne M. , Florence Julaine , Wong Brenda L. , Parsons Julie A. , Apkon Susan , Goyal Namita , Williams Eugene , Escolar Diana , Rutkove Seward B. , Bohorquez Jose L. ,   the DART‐EIM Clinical Evaluators Consortium*
Published: February 2015

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Electrical impedance myography (EIM) is a non‐invasive, painless, objective technique to quantify muscle pathology. Methods: We measured EIM in 8 arm and leg muscles in 61 boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and 31 healthy boys, ages 3–12 years, at 5 centers. We determined the reliability of EIM and compared results in boys with DMD to controls and to 6‐minute walk distance (6MWD), North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA), timed functional tests (TFTs), and strength (hand‐held dynamometry). Results: EIM was well tolerated and had good inter‐ and intrarater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.81–0.96). The averaged EIM phase value from all muscles was higher (P < 0.001) in controls (10.45 ± 2.29) than boys with DMD (7.31 ± 2.23), and correlated (P ≤ 0.001) with 6MWD (r = 0.55), NSAA (r = 0.66), TFTs (r = –0.56), and strength (r = 0.44). Conclusion: EIM is a reliable and valid measure of disease severity in DMD. Longitudinal studies comparing EIM with other assessments over time in DMD are warranted. Muscle Nerve 52: 592–597, 2015
Gene expression and fiber type variations in repeated vastus lateralis biopsies
Authors: Boman Niklas , Burén Jonas , Antti Henrik , Svensson Michael B. 
Published: February 2015

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Muscle sample collection can introduce variation in any measured variable due to inter‐ and intramuscle variation. We investigated the variation in gene expression and fiber type composition after repeated biopsy sampling from the vastus lateralis muscle. Methods: Six subjects donated 3 tissue samples each. One hour after baseline sampling from 1 vastus lateralis muscle, samples from both vastus lateralis muscles were obtained. Results: The fiber type composition differed between biopsies taken from the same leg. There were no within‐subject differences in gene expression between the 3 biopsies. Multivariate analysis supports a model in which gene expression differs significantly between individuals but is not affected by repeated muscle biopsy sampling from the same subject. Conclusion: One vastus lateralis muscle sample per subject is sufficient to establish a reliable baseline for comparing gene expression representing selected pathways over time within the same individual. Muscle Nerve 52: 812–817, 2015
Business‐driven policy optimization for service management
Authors: Rubio‐Loyola Javier , Toscano‐Pulido Gregorio , Charalambides Marinos , Magaña‐Aguilar Marisol , Serrat‐Fernández Joan , Pavlou George , Galeana‐Zapién Hiram 
Published: February 2015

SummaryThe performance of services offered by network operators has a direct impact on its reputation, on its revenue due to new customer subscriptions, and also on penalties that can apply when services are not provided to an acceptable quality level. Previous research on business‐oriented network and service optimization has mainly focused on optimizing individual business indicators, such as profit and revenue, in isolation without analyzing the effect on network configurations and the subsequent impact on other indicators. Given that different business objectives are usually incompatible, a single network configuration cannot optimize them simultaneously. Determining the configuration and the associated trade‐offs that satisfy multiple objectives is a complex task. This paper addresses this gap and presents a framework that derives policy configurations that optimize the business value of the network infrastructure. We describe a methodology to quantify business functions considering the dynamics of network events, the dynamics of end‐user service usage, the nature of the business indicators, and their relationships with the underlying control methods. The proposed approach addresses the complexity of the target problem through a surrogate‐based optimization approach properly tailored to match our application domain needs. We evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach through experimentation in a simulation environment we developed over OPNET. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Preference‐sensitive risk‐cutoff values for prenatal‐integrated screening test for Down syndrome
Authors: Yan Jia , Ayer Turgay , Keskinocak Pinar , Caughey Aaron B. 
Published: February 2015

AbstractObjectiveFor a pregnant woman considering prenatal screening for early detection of Down Syndrome (DS), there are at least two major outcomes of interest: undetected DS live births and euploid procedure‐related fetal losses. The risk‐cutoff value of 1/270 has been commonly used for recommending a diagnostic test. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of women's preferences for different pregnancy outcomes on the optimal risk‐cutoff values for integrated screening.MethodWe built a Monte Carlo simulation model of 100 000 singleton second‐trimester pregnancies to assess the probabilities of DS live births and euploid procedure‐related fetal losses for various risk‐cutoff values. To capture how undesirable some women may view an undetected DS live birth relative to a euploid procedure‐related fetal loss, we used a ratio W1 : W2 of weights (penalties) assigned to these two adverse pregnancy outcomes.ResultsAs the relative weight changes, the optimal risk‐cutoff value changes significantly.ConclusionA one‐size‐fits‐all risk‐cutoff value, such as 1/270, may not always be the best choice, depending on the preferences of women. Preference‐sensitive risk‐cutoff values for DS screening have the potential to improve the pregnancy outcomes and patient satisfaction. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Flow‐sensitive runtime estimation: an enhanced hot spot detection heuristics for embedded Java just‐in‐time compilers
Authors: Lee Seong‐Won , Moon Soo‐Mook , Kim Seong‐Moo 
Published: February 2015

SummaryJava just‐in‐time compilers often compile only hot methods because the compilation overhead is a part of the running time. This requires precise and efficient hot spot detection, which includes distinguishing hot methods from cold ones, detecting them as early as possible, and paying a small detection overhead. Hot spot detection is especially important in embedded applications because they show more of a start‐up phase behavior of a regular application where methods are not executed heavily, so the hot methods are not definite. Because a long‐running method is likely to be a hot method, we can detect a hot method by measuring its running time during interpretation. However, precise measurement of the running time during execution is too expensive, especially in embedded systems, so many counter‐based heuristics have been proposed to estimate it such as Oracle's HotSpot heuristic. One problem is that although the overhead of these heuristics is low, they do not estimate the running time precisely, which may lead to imprecise hot spot detection.This paper proposes a new hot spot detection heuristic called flow‐sensitive runtime estimation, which can estimate the running time more precisely than others with a relatively low overhead. It only counts important bytecode instructions dynamically, but it can obtain the precise count of all interpreted bytecode instructions with a simple arithmetic calculation. We also propose a static analysis technique to predict those hot methods which spends a huge execution time once invoked, so as to compile them at their first invocation. Our experimental results show that these techniques can improve the performance by as much as an average of 7.4% compared with the HotSpot heuristic for the benchmarks when they run once, which is often regarded as showing the start‐up phase behavior. Even for real embedded Java applications such as the digital TV Java Xlet applications, our techniques can improve the user response time by an average of 7.1%. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Getting Them Speaking: Classroom Social Factors and Foreign Language Anxiety
Authors: Effiong Okon 
Published: February 2015

This study, which focuses on foreign language anxiety (FLA) experienced by Japanese learners of English in four universities, explores causative agents by looking into the classroom. The research questions aim to explore how FLA is influenced by classroom social factors. The study adopted qualitative data collection procedures, and the field work took place over a period of 4 months. Data were obtained from observing the classes and interviewing 24 student and four teacher participants (two nonnative English speakers and two native English speakers). The findings of this study show that Japanese EFL learners experience higher levels of FLA as a result of the teacher's age, friendliness, tone of voice, and self‐presentation, as evidenced in their dress code. Other FLA predictors for higher anxiety were peer gender, familiarity, laughter, and a quiet class. Language teachers should therefore dress and appear less formal in class to alleviate FLA.
Correction of a Non-orthogonal, Three-Component Sonic Anemometer for Flow Distortion by Transducer Shadowing
Authors: Horst T. W. , Semmer S. R. , Maclean G. 
Published: February 2015

Abstract
We propose that flow distortion within a non-orthogonal CSAT3 sonic anemometer is primarily due to transducer shadowing, which is caused by wakes in the lee of the acoustic transducers impinging on their measurement paths. The dependence of transducer shadowing on sonic path geometry, wind direction and atmospheric stability is investigated with simulations that use surface-layer data from the Horizontal Array Turbulence Study (HATS) field program and canopy roughness-sublayer data from the CHATS (Canopy HATS) field program. We demonstrate the efficacy of correcting the CSAT3 for transducer shadowing with measurements of its flow distortion in the NCAR wind tunnel, combined with 6 months of data collected in the atmospheric surface layer with adjacent CSAT3 and orthogonal ATI-K sonic anemometers at the NCAR Marshall field site. CSAT3 and ATI-K measurements of the variance of vertical velocity

$$\sigma _w^2$$

σ
w
2

and the vertical flux of sonic temperature agree within 1 % after correction of both sonics for transducer shadowing. Both the simulations of transducer shadowing and the comparison of CSAT3 and ATI-K field data suggest a simple, approximate correction of CSAT3 surface-layer scalar fluxes with an increase on the order of 4–5 %, independent of wind direction and atmospheric stability. We also find that

$$\sigma _w/u_*$$

σ
w

/

u

∗

(where

$$u_*$$

u

∗

is the friction velocity) and

$$r_{uw}$$

r

u
w

(the correlation coefficient) calculated with corrected CSAT3 data are insensitive to wind direction and agree closely with known values of these dimensionless variables for neutral stratification, which is evidence for the efficacy of the correction of the horizontal wind components for transducer shadowing as well.