bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Randomised clinical trial to compare total contact casts, healing sandals and a shear‐reducing removable boot to heal diabetic foot ulcers
Authors: Lavery Lawrence A , Higgins Kevin R , La Fontaine Javier , Zamorano Ruben G , Constantinides George P , Kim Paul J 
Published: February 2014

AbstractThe objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of three off‐loading techniques to heal diabetic foot wounds: total contact casts (TCCs), healing sandals (HSs) and a removable boot with a shear‐reducing foot bed (SRB). This was a 12‐week, single‐blinded randomised clinical trial with three parallel treatment groups of adults with diabetes and a foot ulcer (n = 73). Ulcer healing was defined as full reepithelialisation with no drainage. Diabetic patients with grade UT1A or UT2A forefoot ulcers on the sole of the foot were enrolled. Patients with malignancy, immune‐compromising diseases, severe peripheral vascular disease (ankle‐brachial index < 0·60 or transcutaneous oxygen < 25 mm/Hg), alcohol or substance abuse within 6 months, untreated osteomyelitis or Charcot arthropathy with residual deformity that would not fit the HS or boot were excluded. In the intent‐to‐treat analysis, significantly higher proportion of patients were healed in the TCC group (69·6%) compared to those treated with the SRB (22·2%, P < 0·05). There was no difference in the rate of healed ulcers in the HS (44·5%) and TCC groups. Ulcers in the TCC group healed faster than those in the HS group (5·4 ± 2·9 versus 8·9 ± 3·5 weeks, P < 0·02). However, there was no difference in the time to healing in the TCC and SRB groups (6·7 ± 4·3 weeks, P = 0·28). Patients who used HS were significantly more active (4022 ± 4652 steps per day, P < 0·05) than those treated with TCCs (1447 ± 1310) or SRB (1404 ± 1234). It is concluded that patients treated with TCCs had the highest proportion of healed wounds and fastest healing time. The novel shear‐reducing walker had the lowest healing and highest rate of attrition during the study.
Extracellular matrix assessment of infected chronic venous leg ulcers: role of metalloproteinases and inflammatory cytokines
Authors: Serra Raffaele , Grande Raffaele , Buffone Gianluca , Molinari Vincenzo , Perri Paolo , Perri Aldina , Amato Bruno , Colosimo Manuela , de Franciscis Stefano 
Published: February 2014

AbstractChronic venous ulcer (CVU) represents a dreaded complication of chronic venous disease (CVD). The onset of infection may further delay the already precarious healing process in such lesions. Some evidences have shown that matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are involved and play a central role in both CVUs and infectious diseases. Two groups of patients were enrolled to evaluate the expression of MMPs in infected ulcers and the levels of inflammatory cytokines as well as their prevalence. Group I comprised 63 patients (36 females and 27 males with a median age of 68·7 years) with infected CVUs, and group II (control group) comprised 66 patients (38 females and 28 males with a median age of 61·2 years) with non‐infected venous ulcers. MMP evaluation and dosage of inflammatory cytokines in plasma and wound fluid was performed by means of enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay test; protein extraction and immunoblot analysis were performed on biopsied wounds. The first three most common agents involved in CVUs were Staphylococcus aureus (38·09%), Corynebacterium striatum (19·05%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12·7%). In this study, we documented overall higher levels of MMP‐1 and MMP‐8 in patients with infected ulcers compared to those with uninfected ulcers that showed higher levels of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9. We also documented higher levels of interleukin (IL)‐1, IL‐6, IL‐8, vascular endothelial growth factor and tumour necrosis factor‐alpha in patients with infected ulcers with respect to those with uninfected ulcers, documenting a possible association between infection, MMP activation, cytokine secretions and symptoms. The present results could represent the basis for further studies on drug use that mimic the action of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases in order to make infected CVU more manageable.
Basic concepts regarding fracture healing and the current options and future directions in managing bone fractures
Authors: Bigham‐Sadegh Amin , Oryan Ahmad 
Published: February 2014

AbstractFracture healing is a complex physiological process, which involves a well‐orchestrated series of biological events. Repair of large bone defects resulting from trauma, tumours, osteitis, delayed unions, non‐unions, osteotomies, arthrodesis and multifragmentary fractures is a current challenge of surgeons and investigators. Different therapeutic modalities have been developed to enhance the healing response and fill the bone defects. Different types of growth factors, stem cells, natural grafts (autografts, allografts or xenografts) and biologic‐ and synthetic‐based tissue‐engineered scaffolds are some of the examples. Nevertheless, these organic and synthetic materials and therapeutic agents have some significant limitations, and there are still no well‐approved treatment modalities to meet all the expected requirements. Bone tissue engineering is a newer option than the traditional grafts and may overcome many limitations of the bone graft. To select an appropriate treatment strategy in achieving a successful and secure healing, more information concerning injuries of bones, their healing process and knowledge of the factors involved are required.The main goals of this work are to present different treatment modalities of the fractured bones and to explain how fractures normally heal and what factors interfere with fracture healing. This study provides an overview of the processes of fracture healing and discusses the current therapeutic strategies that have been claimed to be effective in accelerating fracture healing.
Fine‐Scaled Piezoelectric Ceramic/Polymer 2‐2 Composites for High‐Frequency Transducer
Authors: Zhang Ye , Jiang Yun , Lin Xiujuan , Xie Rui , Zhou Kechao , Button Tim W. , Zhang Dou 
Published: February 2014

A novel technique was utilized to fabricate fine‐scaled piezoelectric ceramic/polymer 2‐2 composites for high‐frequency ultrasonic transducers. Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) was used as raw material. Tape‐casted acetylene black tapes were used to define kerfs after sintering. A one‐directional supporter was utilized to avoid distortion of PZT elements. PZT elements with 20 ± 2 μm width exhibited good consistency in longitudinal direction. A resonant method was utilized to evaluate the piezoelectric and dielectric properties of the composites. A 72‐μm‐thick composite with an aspect ratio of ~3.6 exhibited a kt of 0.61 with satisfied piezoelectric and dielectric properties. A prototype high‐frequency ultrasonic transducer was fabricated and evaluated by an underwater pulse‐echo test. The center frequency was found to be 23.75 MHz, with −6 dB bandwidth of 5.5 MHz.
Electronic Structure and Luminescence Properties of Phosphor Li8Bi2(MoO4)7: Dy3+
Authors: Zhao Jin , Guo Chongfeng , Su Xiangying , Noh Hyeon Mi , Jeong Jung Hyun 
Published: February 2014

Dy3+‐doped Li8Bi2(MoO4)7 (LBM: Dy3+) white‐emitting phosphors have been prepared by sol‐gel method at about 400~550°C low temperature. The electronic structure of Li8Bi2(MoO4)7 is also calculated using density functional theory. The calculation results show that Li8Bi2(MoO4)7 has a direct band gap with 2.63 eV, the top of the valence band and the bottom of the conduction band are dominated by O 2p and Mo 4d, respectively. The effect from Bi3+ ions is so weak that it could be neglected, which is also be proved by the experimental results. The crystal structure and luminescent properties of the obtained phosphors are characterized by powder X‐ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectrum, respectively. Photoluminescence results showed that the obtained phosphors can be excited efficiently by near‐UV 387 nm and generated white light emission. The yellow/blue ratio and Commission International de I'Eclairage color coordinates could be tuned by adjusting the concentration of Dy3+. Results demonstrated that Li8Bi2(MoO4)7: Dy3+ was a potential white light‐emitting phosphor candidate for NUV‐based w‐LEDs.
Market Behavior of Institutional Investors around Bankruptcy Announcements
Authors: Frino Alex , Jones Stewart , Lepone Andrew , Wong Jin Boon 
Published: February 2014

AbstractThis paper examines, using proprietary ASX data containing institutional holdings, if institutional investors exit en mass prior to announcements of financial distress. Evidence indicates that while some institutional investors exit the stock, the withdrawal is gradual, commencing approximately 115 days prior to event. This is driven by active institutional investors reacting to the release of the financially distressed companies’ last publicly released financial reports. There is no significant decline in institutional holdings before announcements; most institutional investors hold financially distressed shares through to failure. There is evidence that the lack of disclosure drives the increase in information asymmetry prior to company failure.
Adaptive formative feedback to improve strategic search decisions in task‐oriented reading
Authors: Llorens A.C. , Cerdán R. , Vidal‐Abarca E. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractThis study analyses the effectiveness of adaptive formative feedback to boost strategic search decisions and performance when students are asked to answer a set of questions in a task‐oriented reading situation. We compared automatic feedback that included information about the right answer with feedback that also included the connection between the students' strategic search decisions and their performance. Ninety‐two high school students read two non‐continuous texts. They received feedback during a training phase, and then they read and also received feedback with a similar text in a final phase. Text and questions were presented using a new computer‐based technology that provided automatic adaptive feedback depending on the experimental condition: right‐answer feedback, strategic‐search‐decisions feedback and placebo feedback. We found that strategic‐search‐decisions feedback improved strategic decisions over right‐answer and placebo feedback in the final text, which in turn improved question‐answering performance. Some positive effects were also found during training. These results open new possibilities to adaptive automatic procedures to teach task‐oriented reading skills to students.
Many faces of monogenic diabetes
Authors: Schwitzgebel Valerie M 
Published: February 2014

AbstractMonogenic diabetes represents a heterogeneous group of disorders resulting from defects in single genes. Defects are categorized primarily into two groups: disruption of β‐cell function or a reduction in the number of β‐cells. A complex network of transcription factors control pancreas formation, and a dysfunction of regulators high in the hierarchy leads to pancreatic agenesis. Dysfunction among factors further downstream might cause organ hypoplasia, absence of islets of Langerhans or a reduction in the number of β‐cells. Many transcription factors have pleiotropic effects, explaining the association of diabetes with other congenital malformations, including cerebellar agenesis and pituitary agenesis. Monogenic diabetes variants are classified conventionally according to age of onset, with neonatal diabetes occurring before the age of 6 months and maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) manifesting before the age of 25 years. Recently, certain familial genetic defects were shown to manifest as neonatal diabetes, MODY or even adult onset diabetes. Patients with neonatal diabetes require a thorough genetic work‐up in any case, and because extensive phenotypic overlap exists between monogenic, type 2, and type 1 diabetes, genetic analysis will also help improve diagnosis in these cases. Next generation sequencing will facilitate rapid screening, leading to the discovery of digenic and oligogenic diabetes variants, and helping to improve our understanding of the genetics underlying other types of diabetes. An accurate diagnosis remains important, because it might lead to a change in the treatment of affected subjects and influence long‐term complications.
Continuous, large‐scale simulation model for flood risk assessments: proof‐of‐concept
Authors: Falter D. , Dung N.V. , Vorogushyn S. , Schröter K. , Hundecha Y. , Kreibich H. , Apel H. , Theisselmann F. , Merz B. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractIn this paper we present the Regional Flood Model (RFM), a process‐based model cascade developed for large‐scale basins. The objective of this study is to demonstrate that flood risk assessments, based on a continuous simulation approach, including rainfall–runoff, 1D river network, 2D hinterland inundation and damage estimation models, are feasible at the scale of large catchments. RFM is applied to the German part of the Elbe catchment including around 2700 river‐km. For this proof‐of‐concept study, simulations are performed continuously over the period of 1990–2003. Simplification of equations and parallelisation enable the continuous 2D hydrodynamic inundation simulation with reasonable run‐times on a relatively high resolution of 100 m. As uncertainties are introduced with each module along the model chain, results are evaluated, where possible, with observed data. Results indicate that uncertainties are significant, especially for hydrodynamic simulations. This is basically a consequence of low data quality and disregarding dike breach effects in the simulations. Reliable information on overbank cross‐sections and dikes is expected to considerably improve the results. We conclude that the large‐scale simulation of catchment processes, inundation and damage, driven by long‐term climate data, is viable within a continuous simulation framework. It has the potential to provide a spatially consistent, large‐scale picture of flood risk.
Lessons learned from southern and eastern Asian urban floods: from a local perspective
Authors: Osti R. , Nakasu T. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractThis study analyses 21 fatal flood events from 10 different southern and eastern Asian countries. The case‐specific flood disaster‐related data mainly categorised into flood characteristics, socio‐economy, disaster preparedness, emergency response and impact are collected from the concerned authorities in each country. Data for all selected flood events are compiled and compared to check the seriousness of the flood problem at different localities in the selected regions. At least one flood event from each country, namely Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh and Nepal, is considered. The analysis was divided into three parts: (1) flood impact sector analysis, (2) flood human death cause analysis and (3) flood disaster critical cause and effect analysis. The result shows that the majority of flood‐related deaths was mainly caused by drowning, which accounts 44% of flood deaths. Despite the evacuation advisories issued in 65% cases, many people stayed at homes either due to the lack of timely available information or due to confusion about the reliability of provided information or ignorance or overconfidence with their safety. In many cases, the early warning information did not reach to the community because of the lack of appropriate communication mechanisms. Most of the areas were protected by some levels of structural measures such as levees, but the quantity and quality of such measures are not sufficient and are not often linked to non‐structural measures. Large‐scale floods acutely impacted on public infrastructures. The worst hit sector was transportation. These results imply the importance of mainstreaming disaster risk management in the development sectors. Mainstreaming flood disaster risk management in the development sectors does not necessarily mean to only protect the hard gained development but at the same time to accelerate and enhance the effort of building resiliency and therefore the socioeconomic development by better planning and designing of any kind of infrastructures in the flood plain areas. The findings from this study are helpful in identifying, prioritising and coordinating the measures for the effective flood risk management at the localities.
Clinicopathologic analysis of the simple nodular type of well‐differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma with extensive peliotic change
Authors: Nomura Yoriko , Nakashima Osamu , Kumabe Tsutomu , Akiba Jun , Ogasawara Sachiko , Kage Masayoshi , Hisafumi Kinoshita , Yano Hirohisa 
Published: February 2014

AbstractBackground and AimPeliosis hepatis‐like blood‐filled cavities are frequently observed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Peliotic change (PC) is commonly seen in moderately differentiated HCCs and rarely in well‐differentiated HCCs. We conducted clinicopathological analysis of well‐differentiated HCC with PC (PHCC).MethodsA total of 1225 patients underwent hepatectomy at Kurume University Hospital between 1992 and 2010. Of these, 101 cases were diagnosed as well‐differentiated HCC. Immunohistochemical double staining of CD34 and α smooth muscle actin was performed to examine the number and diameter of arterial blood vessels and drainage veins around tumors. We compared the clinical manifestations, histopathological features, and imaging findings of these cases.ResultsSeven cases of 101 well‐differentiated HCCs had PC. Almost of PHCCs were macroscopically classified as the simple nodular type with a fibrous capsule, and microscopically showed thin trabecular arrangement of tumor cells and extensive dilated sinusoid‐like structures filled with red blood cells. The number of arteries inside the tumor was significantly higher in PHCCs than in the simple nodular type of well‐differentiated HCCs without PC. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed in the ratio of the number of irregularly shaped drainage veins around the tumor to the tumor diameter. Imaging revealed that most of the tumors had capsule‐like structures and showed prolonged enhancement in the delayed phase of dynamic study of imagings.ConclusionPC is unusually observed in well‐differentiated HCC and the size of PHCC was larger than that of well‐differentiated HCC without PC and most are detected as a hypervascular tumor on images.
Life Cycle Assessment of Electric and Fuel Cell Vehicle Transport Based on Forest Biomass
Authors: Singh Bhawna , Guest Geoffrey , Bright Ryan M. , Strømman Anders Hammer 
Published: February 2014

SummaryUse of biomass‐based electricity and hydrogen in alternative transport could provide environmentally sustainable transport options with possible improvements in greenhouse gas balance. We perform a life cycle assessment of electric vehicle (EV) and fuel cell vehicle (FCV) powered by bioelectricity and biohydrogen, respectively, derived from Norwegian boreal forest biomass, considering the nonclimate neutrality of biological carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and alteration in surface albedo resulting from biomass harvesting—both with and without CO2 capture and storage (CCS)—while benchmarking these options against EVs powered by the average European electricity mix. Results show that with due consideration of the countering effects from global warming potential (GWP) factors for biogenic CO2 emissions and change in radiative forcing of the surface for the studied region, bioenergy‐based EVs and FCVs provide reductions of approximately 30%, as compared to the reference EV powered by the average European electricity mix. With CCS coupled to bioenergy production, the biomass‐based vehicle transport results in a net global warming impact reduction of approximately 110% to 120% (giving negative GWP and creating a climate‐cooling benefit from biomass use). Other environmental impacts vary from −60% to +60%, with freshwater eutrophication showing maximum reductions (40% for the EV case and 60% for the FCV case) and photochemical oxidation showing a maximum increase (60% in the FCV value chain).
Psychosocial profiles of children with achondroplasia in terms of their short stature‐related stress: a nationwide survey in Japan
Authors: Nishimura Naoko , Hanaki Keiichi 
Published: February 2014

Aims and objectivesTo assess psychosocial profiles of children with achondroplasia using a nationwide survey.BackgroundAchondroplasia, showing short stature and disproportionately short limbs, causes physical inconvenience such as difficulty in reaching high objects. It is, however, still controversial whether the condition is associated with psychological problems, especially in childhood.DesignA cross‐sectional descriptive design was employed.MethodsTo evaluate psychosocial profiles and adaptation processes in children with achondroplasia, we developed an inventory of scales based on the psychological stress model of which conceptual framework was comprised of stressor, coping process, coping resource and adaptation outcome domains. Participants were recruited nationwide through the largest advocacy support group for achondroplasia in Japan. Of the 130 group members, 73 X‐ray‐diagnosed patients, aged 8–18 years, completed the inventory of questionnaires to be analysed.ResultsAs for the stressor domain, patients experienced short stature‐related unpleasant experiences more frequently (z‐score: +1·3 in average, +3·9 in physical inconvenience). Nevertheless, these experiences had little effect on the coping process (threat appraisal: −0·2, control appraisal: +0·1) and the adaptation outcome (stress response: +0·3, self‐concept: 0·0). Interestingly, self‐efficacy in the coping resource domain was noticeably increased (+3·1) and was strongly correlated with most variables in the coping process and in adaptation outcome domains.ConclusionsAlthough the children with achondroplasia experienced more short stature‐related stressors, there was no evidence of any psychosocial maladaptation. This finding suggests that coping process as well as coping resources such as self‐efficacy could be important targets for promoting psychological adjustment in children with achondroplasia.Relevance to clinical practiceTo help children with achondroplasia adapt socially, nurses and other healthcare providers should routinely assess their psychological adaptation process, especially cognitive appraisal and self‐efficacy.