bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biological materials in colorectal surgery: current applications and potential for the future
Authors: Hübner M. , Streit D. , Hahnloser D. 
Published: November 2012

AbstractBiological materials are increasingly used in abdominal surgery for ventral, pelvic and perineal reconstructions, especially in contaminated fields. Future applications are multi‐fold and include prevention and one‐step closure of infected areas. This includes prevention of abdominal, parastomal and pelvic hernia, but could also include prevention of separation of multiple anastomoses, suture‐ or staple‐lines. Further indications could be a containment of infected and/or inflammatory areas and protection of vital implants such as vascular grafts. Reinforcement patches of high‐risk anastomoses or unresectable perforation sites are possibilities at least. Current applications are based mostly on case series and better data is urgently needed. Clinical benefits need to be assessed in prospective studies to provide reliable proof of efficacy with a sufficient follow‐up. Only superior results compared with standard treatment will justify the higher costs of these materials. To date, the use of biological materials is not standard and applications should be limited to case‐by‐case decision.
A Single‐Stage Approach to Learning Phonological Categories: Insights From Inuktitut
Authors: Dillon Brian , Dunbar Ewan , Idsardi William 
Published: November 2012

AbstractTo acquire one’s native phonological system, language‐specific phonological categories and relationships must be extracted from the input. The acquisition of the categories and relationships has each in its own right been the focus of intense research. However, it is remarkable that research on the acquisition of categories and the relations between them has proceeded, for the most part, independently of one another. We argue that this has led to the implicit view that phonological acquisition is a “two‐stage” process: Phonetic categories are first acquired and then subsequently mapped onto abstract phoneme categories. We present simulations that suggest two problems with this view: First, the learner might mistake the phoneme‐level categories for phonetic‐level categories and thus be unable to learn the relationships between phonetic‐level categories; on the other hand, the learner might construct inaccurate phonetic‐level representations that prevent it from finding regular relations among them. We suggest an alternative conception of the phonological acquisition problem that sidesteps this apparent inevitability and acquires phonemic categories in a single stage. Using acoustic data from Inuktitut, we show that this model reliably converges on a set of phoneme‐level categories and phonetic‐level relations among subcategories, without making use of a lexicon.
The association between body mass index and health‐related quality of life: influence of ethnicity on this relationship
Authors: McDonough C. , Dunkley A. J. , Aujla N. , Morris D. , Davies M. J. , Khunti K. 
Published: November 2012

AbstractAimsThe association between obesity and a poorer health‐related quality of life (HRQL) has previously been explored. The influence of ethnicity on this relationship has less frequently been considered. We aimed to explore the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and HRQL in a mixed population of White European (WE) and South Asian (SA) ethnicity.MethodsCross‐sectional data were analysed (n = 4989, 16% SA) from a population‐based diabetes screening study. BMI categories were based on ethnic‐specific cut‐points. HRQL was categorized low (<0.848) or high (≥0.848) according to the median EQ5D score. Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between BMI and HRQL. Interaction analysis was conducted to determine the effect of ethnicity.ResultsOverweight (OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.10–1.41, p < 0.001) and obese people (OR = 1.81, 95% CI: 1.56–2.10, p < 0.001) had increased odds of having a low HRQL compared to normal weight people. After adjusting for potential confounders, age, gender, ethnicity, deprivation score, fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and smoking, this association was strengthened further. However, for obese people, SA ethnicity significantly reduced the risk of having a low HRQL when compared to WEs (adjusted OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.34–0.97).ConclusionsOur findings provide further evidence of an association between increasing BMI and low HRQL but suggest that SA ethnicity modifies this relationship. These results could have important health implications and are a basis for further research.
The Additive Diagnostic Role of Coronary Flow Reserve in Noninvasive Evaluation of Coronary Stenosis on Left Descending Artery Previously Detected by Multislice Computed Tomography
Authors: Mladenovic Zorica , Djordjevic‐Dikic Ana , Tavciovski Dragan , Angelkov Andjelka Ristic , Jovic Zoran , Djuric Predrag 
Published: November 2012

Purpose: Multislice computed coronary angiography (MSCT) provides valuable morphological information about coronary artery disease, but precise quantification of coronary stenosis remains difficult. Transthoracic color Doppler echocardiography (TDE) gives a new insight into the functional significance of coronary luminal narrowing. We have tried to assess the additive value of coronary flow reserve (CFR) determined by TDE over MSCT in prediction of a significant stenosis on the left anterior descending artery (LAD) using the invasive coronary angiography (ICA) as a reference method. Methods: This prospective study included 63 patients in stable cardiac status with previously detected atherosclerotic lesions on LAD by MSCT. CFR assessment by TDE with adenosine infusion was obtained to all patients (feasibility was 96.92%). CFR was determined as ratio between the peak diastolic flow velocity during adenosine infusion and at basal condition, a cutoff value indicating significant stenosis was <2. ICA was preformed to all patients 24–48 hours after CFR. Results: MSCT had sensitivity of 86.36%, specificity 53.66%, positive predictive value 50.00%, negative predictive value 88.00%, and diagnostic accuracy of 65.07% in detection of significant LAD stenosis. CFR had sensitivity 81.81%, specificity 97.06%, positive predictive value 94.74%, negative predictive value 89.19%, and diagnostic accuracy of 91.07%. When the results of both methods were agreed diagnostic accuracy was improved to 92.72%. Conclusion: Additional assessment of CFR by TDE increase diagnostic accuracy of MSCT angiography in detection of significant coronary artery lesions.
The lunule of caligid copepods: an evolutionarily novel structure
Authors: Kaji Tomonari , Venmathi Maran B. A. , Kondoh Yuusuke , Ohtsuka Susumu , Boxshall Geoff A. , Tsukagoshi Akira 
Published: November 2012

SUMMARYNearly half of the genera of the family Caligidae possess an evolutionarily novel structure called the “lunule” on the ventral surface of the frontal plate. Lunules are paired cup‐like suckers that assist in securing attachment of the copepod parasite to its host. Although present in genera such as Caligus and Pseudocaligus, lunules are absent in other caligid genera such as Lepeophtheirus as well as in more primitive caligiforms such as members of the families Trebiidae and Dissonidae. We compared the morphology and development of the anterior margin of the frontal plates between two caligids, Pseudocaligus fugu and Lepeophtheirus sekii, and a more basal caligiform, Dissonus heronensis (a dissonid), using scanning electron, transmission electron, and laser confocal microscopes. Our observations suggest that the lunules originated as a modification of the marginal membranes of the ancestral frontal plates. We also demonstrated the presence of an anlagen cell population for the lunule and marginal membrane in the developing frontal plate. These primordial cells can be detected as early as the first stage of the chalimus phase. Based on these observations, an evolutionary scenario for the lunule is proposed based on cytological evidence. This case study enhances our understanding of “evolutionary novelty,” which is a main focus of contemporary evolutionary developmental biology.
Analyse the role of the non‐singular stress in brittle fracture by BEM coupled with eigen‐analysis
Authors: CHENG C. , NIU Z. , RECHO N. , ZHOU H. 
Published: November 2012

ABSTRACTA coupled model resulting from the boundary element method and eigen‐analysis is proposed in this paper to analyse the stress field at crack tip. This new combine method can yield several terms of the non‐singular stress in the Williams asymptotic expansion. Then the maximum circumferential stress (MCS) criterion taken the non‐singular stress into account is introduced to predict the brittle fracture of cracked structures. Two earlier experiments are re‐examined by the present numerical method and the role of the non‐singular stress in the brittle fracture is investigated. Results show that if more terms of non‐singular stress are taken into account, the predicted crack propagation direction and the critical loading by MCS criterion are much closer to the existing experimental results, especially for dominating mode II loading conditions. Moreover, numerical results manifest that Williams series expansion can describe the stress field further from the crack tip if more non‐singular stress terms are adopted.
Fatigue strength prediction of ultra high strength steel butt‐welded joints
Authors: NYKÄNEN T. , BJÖRK T. , LAITINEN R. 
Published: November 2012

ABSTRACTFirst, fatigue tests were performed on butt‐welded joints made of novel direct quenched ultra high strength steel with high quality welds. Two different welding processes were used: MAG and Pulsed MAG. The weld profiles, misalignments and residual stresses were measured, and the material properties of the heat‐affected zone were determined. Fatigue tests were carried out with constant amplitude tensile loading both for joints in as‐welded condition and for joints after ultrasonic peening treatment. Finally, in fatigue strength predictions, the crack initiation phase was estimated using the procedures described by Lawrence et al. [Lawrence F V, Ho N J and Mazumdar P K (1981) Predicting the fatigue resistance of welds. Annu. Rev. Mater. Sci, 11, 401–425]. The propagation phase was simply estimated using S–N curves for normal quality butt welds, which may contain pre‐existing cracks or crack‐like defects eliminating the crack initiation stage.
Do isolation and local habitat jointly limit the structure of stream invertebrate assemblages?
Authors: CAMPBELL REBECCA E. , McINTOSH ANGUS R. 
Published: November 2012

Summary1. Both local and regional processes simultaneously control species assemblages depending on spatial habitat configuration. In dendritic networks like streams, the unique spatial arrangement of habitats produces various combinations of local habitat size and isolation. Stream invertebrate assemblages could therefore be controlled by different combinations of local and regional processes, depending on their location in the network.2. Using quantile regression, we investigated how local habitat size, local environmental conditions and spatial isolation influenced variation in assemblage composition. Adult Trichoptera and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages were represented by non‐metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination scores, as were local environmental conditions, in four headwater stream networks in New Zealand.3. With increasing local habitat size, there was a decrease in variation in assemblage composition (NMDS scores) of both adult Trichoptera and benthic macroinvertebrates. This relationship between habitat size and assemblage variation was related to local habitat conditions at the upper limit of assemblage variability and spatial isolation at the lower limit of assemblage variability, for both adult Trichoptera and benthic assemblages, indicating joint local and regional controls on stream invertebrate assemblages.4. The relationships between local assemblages and their neighbours, based on community similarity scores, differed between benthic macroinvertebrates and adult Trichoptera. For benthic assemblages, the larger the stream, the more similar assemblages were to neighbouring assemblages, whereas there was no consistent relationship between assemblage similarity and stream size for adult Trichoptera. This difference in structuring could be attributed to contrasting spatial influences linked to the different dispersal modes of adults and larvae. However, because adult and benthic assemblages are not independent, the influence of life stage on spatial distribution is difficult to determine (i.e. it is essentially a ‘chicken and egg’ argument).5. Overall, our approach using quantile regression to evaluate limit responses, rather than regressions on means, has highlighted the joint importance of local habitat and spatial processes in structuring stream invertebrate assemblages. Furthermore, we have provided evidence for the importance of the spatial network arrangement and interactions between life stages and dispersal processes, in structuring stream assemblages.
‘You just change the channel if you don't like what you're going to hear’: gamblers’ attitudes towards, and interactions with, social marketing campaigns
Authors: Thomas Samantha L. , Lewis Sophie , Westberg Kate 
Published: November 2012

AbstractObjectivesTo investigate how gamblers interact with, and respond to, downstream social marketing campaigns that focus on the risks and harms of problem gambling and/or encourage help seeking.MethodsQualitative study of 100 gamblers with a range of gambling behaviours (from non‐problem to problem gambling). We used a Social Constructivist approach. Our constant comparative method of data interpretation focused on how participants' experiences and interactions with gambling influenced their opinions towards, and interactions with social marketing campaigns.ResultsThree key themes emerged from the narratives. (i) Participants felt that campaigns were heavily skewed towards encouraging individuals to take personal responsibility for their gambling behaviours or were targeted towards those with severe gambling problems. (ii) Participants described the difficulty for campaigns to achieve ‘cut through’ because of the overwhelming volume of positive messages about the benefits of gambling that were given by the gambling industry. (iii) Some participants described that dominant discourses about personal responsibility prevented them from seeking help and reinforced perceptions of stigma.Conclusions and implicationsSocial marketing campaigns have an important role to play in the prevention of gambling risk behaviours and the promotion of help seeking. Social marketers should explore how to more effectively target campaigns to different audience segments, understand the role of environmental factors in undermining the uptake of social marketing strategies and anticipate the potential unforeseen consequences of social marketing strategies.
Utilisation of sFLC assays – how well do we comply with guidelines?
Authors: Phillips D. P. , Talaulikar D. , Hawkins C. A. , Hickman P. E. 
Published: November 2012

SummaryIntroductionThere is a paucity of data on the utilisation of the serum‐free light chain (sFLC) and compliance with published guidelines.MethodsSerum‐free light chain assays requested at our institute for the diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of plasma cell dyscrasias from July 2008 to March 2010 were compared with the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) consensus guidelines.ResultsIn total, 1150 assays were performed (4.3 assays per patient, range 1–20). Eight hundred and forty‐four (73%) of these were performed for multiple myeloma (MM), 188 (16%) for monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, 72 (6%) for AL amyloidosis and 46 (4%) for smouldering myeloma. Of these, 49.6%, 22.9%, 1.4% and 69.6% of the monitoring assays were outside of IMWG recommendations, respectively. Of the 419 assays performed outside of guidelines for MM patients, 404 (96.4%) were due to monitoring of patients with a measurable M protein, while 24 (5.7%) were due to too frequent requesting (≤14 days) with 15 assays (3.6%) being noncompliant on both grounds.ConclusionUtilisation of the sFLC assay shows reasonable adherence to guidelines within our centre. We propose to further optimise usage of the test with the help of administrative processes and education of clinicians.
Immunogenicity and safety of a 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) monovalent vaccine in Chinese infants aged 6–35 months: a randomized, double‐blind, controlled phase I clinical trial
Authors: Li Yan‐Ping , Li Wei , Liang Xiao‐Feng , Liu Yan , Huang Xiao‐Chun , Li Chang‐Gui , Li Rong‐Cheng , Wang Jun‐Zhi , Wang Hua‐Qing , Yin Wei‐Dong 
Published: November 2012

Please cite this paper as: Li et al. (2012) Immunogenicity and safety of a 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) monovalent vaccine in Chinese infants aged 6–35 months: a randomized, double‐blind, controlled phase I clinical trial. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses DOI: 10.1111/irv.12028.Objectives  The goal of this double‐blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial was to assess the safety and immunogenicity of two different doses of a monovalent split‐virion 2009 pandemic influenza A/H1N1 vaccine without adjuvant in Chinese infants aged 6‐35 months.Design and setting  Subjects were randomly assigned to receive either a 2009 pandemic (H1N1) vaccine containing 7.5 or 15 μg haemagglutinin (HA) or a seasonal influenza vaccine. 2 doses of the H1N1 vaccines or the seasonal influenza vaccine were given 21 days apart in younger infants aged 6‐23 months or older infants aged 24‐35 months.Sample  Serum samples were collected immediately before the first injection and before and 21 days after the second injection.Main outcome measures  Primary outcomes were haemagglutinin inhibition (HI) antibody responses 21 days following each vaccination. Safety was monitoring throughout the study.Results  The first vaccination of 7.5 μg and 15 μg H1N1 vaccine induced seroprotective antibody titers (HI titers ≥ 1: 40) in 42.9‐57.4% of younger infants and 49.1‐61.0% older infants. Immune responses after completion of the two dose schedule were comparable in both age groups with seroprotective rates of 91‐98% in each vaccine and age group and GMTs of 173‐263. The H1N1 vaccine elicited similar rates of local and systemic adverse reactions as the seasonal influenza vaccine.Conclusions  The 2009 pandemic influenza A /H1N1 vaccine were highly immunogenic in infants aged 6‐35 months, and displayed a safety and reactogenicity profile similar to the seasonal influenza vaccine.Trial registration  ClinicalTrial.gov identifier: NCT01047202
Factors influencing the assessment of lung function in mice with influenza‐induced lung disease
Authors: Larcombe Alexander N. , Zosky Graeme R. , Thamrin Cindy , Bozanich Elizabeth M. , Hantos Zoltán , Sly Peter D. 
Published: November 2012

Please cite this paper as: Larcombe et al. (2012) Factors influencing the assessment of lung function in mice with influenza‐induced lung disease. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses DOI: 10.1111/irv.12034.Background  The constant‐phase model (CPM) is commonly fit to respiratory system input impedance (Zrs) to estimate lung mechanics. Driving signal frequencies and the method of model fitting may influence the results, especially in cases of severe lung disease or under severe bronchoconstriction.Objective  To illustrate the effects of different CPM fits to Zrs data using a mouse model of influenza‐induced lung disease.Methods  BALB/c mice infected with influenza (or control) were challenged with methacholine. The CPM was fitted to Zrs, measured between 0·25 and 19·625 Hz, using both unweighted and weighted fits. The effect of different lowest frequencies was assessed.Results and Conclusions  For influenza‐infected mice, the unweighted fit was poor, and airway resistance (Raw) was often biologically impossible. The weighted fit provided more realistic estimates of Raw. Different model fits and minimal frequencies had little effect on tissue mechanics.
The genetic match between vaccine strains and circulating seasonal influenza A viruses in Vietnam, 2001–2009
Authors: Vuong Cuong D. , Hoang Phuong M. V. , Nguyen Hang L. K. , Nguyen Hien T. , Nguyen Thach C. , Le Thanh T. , Dennis David T. , Kapella Bryan K. , Kile James C. , Le Mai Q. 
Published: November 2012

Please cite this paper as: Vuong et al. (2013). The genetic match between vaccine strains and circulating seasonal influenza A viruses in Vietnam, 2001–2009. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 7(6), 1151–1157.Background Vietnam is currently developing domestic capability to manufacture influenza vaccines but information on the genetic and antigenic characteristics of locally circulating seasonal influenza viruses is limited. To assess the relevance of WHO recommended vaccine strains to the situation in Vietnam, we analyzed the genetic relatedness of the hemagglutinin (HA) gene of seasonal influenza A viruses circulating in Vietnam from 2001 to 2009 to WHO recommended vaccine strains over the same period.Methods and Principal findings We sequenced the HA gene of 32 H1N1 and 44 H3N2 seasonal influenza A isolates from laboratory‐based sentinel surveillance sites in Hanoi from 2001 to 2005 and from a national influenza surveillance system from 2005 to 2009. H1 and H3 HA phylogenetic trees rooted to vaccine strains A/Beijing/295/1995 (H1N1) and A/Moscow/10/1999 (H3N2), respectively, were constructed with contemporary HA sequences of isolates from neighboring countries. We found some genetic differences between seasonal influenza H3N2 viruses and three WHO influenza vaccine strains recommended for use in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres for the 2001–2004 and 2007–2008 seasons and close genetic identity of circulating H3N2 strains with the recommended WHO Southern Hemisphere vaccine strains for 2004 and 2009 seasons. The genetic similarity of circulating H1N1 strains with the WHO recommended vaccine strains are described for the study period 2001–2009.Conclusions The HA gene of seasonal influenza virus strains in Vietnam (especially influenza A/H3N2) showed varying degrees of genetic identity compared with those of the Northern or Southern Hemisphere vaccine strains recommended by WHO. The close relatedness of the HA of Vietnamese strains and contemporary strains from nearby countries indicate a good genetic match of circulating strains during study period. Greater representation of virus isolates from South East Asia in the vaccine strain selection process is desirable of influenza vaccine development in Vietnam.
The use of epidemiology in alcohol research
Authors: Rossow Ingeborg , Norström Thor 
Published: November 2012

AbstractAimsThis paper presents examples to illustrate the utility and limitations in the use of epidemiology in alcohol research and discusses some promising new directions.MethodsReview of literature, concentrating on epidemiological alcohol research with relevance to public health.Findings and conclusionEpidemiology offers tools for assessment of causes and effects of alcohol consumption as well as the effects of efforts to prevent alcohol consumption and its consequences. Epidemiological studies have made significant contributions to alcohol research with respect to public health and public policy. Fixed‐effects modelling, difference‐in‐differences estimation and integrated qualitative and epidemiological methods are promising but underused methods in epidemiological studies. Many epidemiological studies have limited transferability of knowledge to other cultures and jurisdictions.