bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Psychological Factors and Long-Term Abstinence After Smoking Cessation Treatment
Authors: Boudrez Hedwig 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThis study evaluated the association between psychological variables, measured by questionnaire at the start of a smoking cessation treatment, and smoking abstinence, 8 years after treatment. A total of 124 patients presenting at the stop-smoking clinic of the University Hospital in Ghent, Belgium, were included. Besides the Reasons for Smoking Scale (RSS), Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), and smoking status, a psychological questionnaire (NEO PI-R) was presented at baseline. A postal survey after 8 years was executed in order to assess smoking status and smoke-free survival. In 2008, 103/124 answered the postal survey. 66/103 (64.1%) had relapsed. More men then women were smoke-free (46.2% vs. 18.4%; p = .004). Several associations between psychological baseline characteristics and smoking status at follow-up were detected: lower abstinence at follow-up was associated with lower self-discipline (p = .001), lower goal-directedness (p = .03), higher score on symptoms of depression (p = .03), higher anxiety score (p = .01), higher score on the variable shame (p = .02). Some of these associations are confirmed by Kaplan-Meier survival scores that show borderline significance in case of depression (p = .06), statistically significance in case of self-discipline (p = .05) and shame (p = .05) and clear statistical significance in case of anxiety (p = .007). An association between psychological variables at the start of a smoking cessation treatment and smoking abstinence, even after 8 years, can be accepted.
A Plan of Group Therapy for Smoking Cessation in Patients Suffering From Buerger's Disease: A Case Series Study in Northeast Iran
Authors: Fazeli Bahare , Arshadi Hamidreza 
Published: January 2014

AbstractIntroduction: Buerger's disease (BD) is a chronic peripheral vascular disease that affects the young smokers from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The only effective therapy for this disease is smoking cessation; otherwise the outcome of BD will be several amputations. Aims & Methods: Via 12 sessions, an elective pattern of group therapy was designed and tried with six volunteer patients. The therapy commenced with motivation, mixed with a behavioural and cognitive model appropriate to the patients' socioeconomic and educational status. Two extra training sessions of apposite and supporting behaviour were allocated for their family members. Urine cotinine level was measured before and after the group therapy. The aim of study was to lead the patients towards a self-help group. Results: A partial remission of the disease in one patient and a complete remission in four patients were the consequences of the present study. The average decline of urine cotinine level was about two ranks. One patient was not helped. Conclusion: Although the study faced major loss of subjects, in regards to dramatic changes in urine cotinine level, this plan of group therapy seems to be an effective and cost-effective option for clinical improvement in patients with BD, as a chronic and smoking-related disease.
Ousmane Sembene’s vicious circle: The politics and aesthetics of La Noire de …
Authors: Malčić Steven 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
La Noire de …, widely considered black Africas first independent feature film, is about a womans recognition of the duplicitous nature of neocolonial subjectivity, a duplicity that Sembene himself recognized during the production of the film. Historically, French cinematographic institutions, implanted in Senegal in order to facilitate African film-making, operated within a circular logic that required Sembene to be both French and Senegalese. Aesthetically, Sembene impugns this circular logic through his ironic use of focalization, montage and mise-en-scène, offering a critique not only of French neocolonialism, but also of assimilationist policies of the early Senegalese government. The result of such assimilationist collusion is the construction of a both/and existence, whereby nations subject to history are perceived as apart from time and space, and garner the qualities of myth, blinding both colonizer and colonized to the dialectical process responsible for such a fractured reality. In La Noire de … Sembene develops a spatiotemporal aesthetics of neocolonialism that acts as the primary structural principle of the film and reveals the contradictory existence of the neocolonial subject.
Root neck of Norway spruce as a source of bioactive lignans and stilbenes
Authors: Latva-Mäenpää Harri , Laakso Tapio , Sarjala Tytti , Wähälä Kristiina , Saranpää Pekka 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
Bioactive compounds of acetone-water extracts obtained from the root neck (RN) of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) have been studied for the first time. RN samples were divided into different zones and cut, and wood and bark were extracted separately with acetone-water. The extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The extractives have a tissue-specific distribution. Several lignans were identified in the heartwood. High concentrations (10%) of hydroxymatairesinol were found from the heartwood at the lowermost part of the RN. The inner part of the bark contained the highest concentrations of stilbene glucosides (20%), which were present in the outer bark only to a minor extent (0.2%). Pressurized hot water extraction was also applied and was found to be effective in separating lignans from biomass. Norway spruce roots and stumps are usually utilized for gaining bioenergy. The results presented here show that these abundant residual materials of forest economy may be a valuable source of highly bioactive compounds such as the lignan hydroxymatairesinol and stilbenes.
Viscoelastic–Viscoplastic Characterization of Unbound Granular Material
Authors: Levenberg Eyal 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThe mechanical behavior of unbound granular materials had proven to be extremely challenging. In the pavement field, as well as in other geotechnical disciplines, these materials are usually treated as time-independent. The objective of this work is to explore the applicability and potential for a viscoelastic-viscoplastic constitutive theory to characterize unbound granular materials. Such a theory contains as special cases the commonly applied elastic and elasto-plastic behavior types, it is capable of modeling time-dependence, and can be further compounded to simulate more sophisticated effects. Laboratory investigation is presented, in which a compacted granular specimen was exposed to a sequence of unidirectional creep and recovery cycles while under constant confinement conditions. Such a testing protocol offers an almost “automatic” separation of the behavior into resilient (viscoelastic) and permanent (viscoplastic) components. Described in detail are experimental issues related to specimen fabrication and instrumentation, and also test data processing for size reduction and resolution improvement. The measurements demonstrate that the material creeps under load and exhibits partial, time-dependent recovery while unloaded. A one-dimensional viscoelastic-viscoplastic constitutive theory is applied as a first attempt to reproduce the results. It is found that the model performs very well, simulating the observed data trends and magnitudes; it is therefore deemed potentially generalizable to more advanced conditions.
Model and Test Methods for Stability of Fresh Cement Paste
Authors: Peng Y. , Jacobsen S. , De Weerdt K. , Pedersen B. 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
The stability of fresh cement paste can be described as its ability to remain homogeneous over time. Instability in the form of sedimentation and bleeding occurs for various reasons related to the material composition. In this study, the relevant mechanisms for quantifying stability are reviewed, and a conceptual model is proposed describing the sedimentation progress in terms of bleeding (supernatant), the homogeneous zone, the variable concentration zone, and the compressible sediment zone. A sensitive hydrostatic pressure test (HYSPT) with good repeatability and without influence from evaporation was developed to describe the sedimentation process of fresh cement paste. HYSPT relies on the fact that the mainly restricted Stokesian settlement of particles causes changes in the solid fraction and the fresh density at a given height and time. The influence of the pressure detection direction and position were investigated by changing the inlet design of glass pipes. The pressure drop due to cement dissolution, chemical shrinkage, and paste structural buildup also was investigated but was found to be negligible compared to the effect of density variation due to sedimentation before setting. The sedimentation rates obtained from HYSPT measurements were found to coincide with the volume fraction variation detected via in situ measurements. The solid fraction and bleeding results were in alignment with the conceptual model.
Notch Effect and Fatigue Performance of Ti-6Al-4 V Sheets in Saline Environment
Authors: Baragetti S. , Gerosa R. 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
Ti-6Al-4 V grade is a well-known and largely employed alloy for many critical applications, especially when high mechanical and corrosion properties are needed. In the technical literature one of its negative aspects, i.e., its notch sensitivity in case of fatigue loading, especially in aggressive environments, is well described. The present experimental work is, hence, aimed at studying the fatigue behavior of notched Ti-6Al-4 V alloy samples (machined from a 5-mm-thick sheet) in standard laboratory conditions and in a saline solution with 3.5 wt. % NaCl. Axial fatigue (R = 0.1) loading was chosen and different notches were machined to obtain Kt values ranging from 2.55 to 13.34 [calculated by finite element method (FEM)]. By the step-loading technique, the fatigue limits for a constant life of 2 × 105 cycles varying the Kt factor and the test environment were determined. Finally, by replicas, the fatigue-crack lengths were measured and, by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the fracture surfaces were observed and related with the fatigue-crack propagation rates.
Nano-Halloysite Concentration Effects on Fracture Toughness of Diverse Epoxy Nanocomposites
Authors: Han Wei , Yu Yang , Tang Youhong , Sammut Karl 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
We experimentally report material design of halloysite nanotube (HNT)/epoxy composites, focusing on the effects of HNT concentration on thermal and mechanical properties, especially fracture toughness, of diverse epoxy composites with as-received and phenylphosphonic-acid (PPA)-treated HNTs prepared by mechanical mixing or ball-milling homogenization. It is demonstrated that, with HNT added in the region of 0.0–10.0 wt. %, significantly reinforced fracture toughness of the epoxy composites can be achieved. The epoxy composites prepared by ball-milling homogenization have much more uniform HNT size and dispersion than those prepared by simple mechanical mixing, enhancing their fracture toughness. The morphology of treated HNTs changes from nanotubes to nanoplatelets; as a result, with a substantial increase in the total contact area between HNT and epoxy and enhancing the fracture toughness of epoxy composites. This higher HNT concentration and the higher fracture toughness are achieved for various epoxy composites. However, the optimal concentration of HNT is 5.0 wt. % in this study. The addition of further HNT achieves only marginal fracture toughness enhancement and more negative effects appear, such as HNT concentration gradient in cured epoxy composites, high potential decrease in glass transition temperature (Tg), and potential immature tensile failure.
Effect of Notch Orientation on Fracture Toughness of a Submerged Arc Weld
Authors: Ali Muhammad S. , Pisarski Henryk G. 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
This paper reports the effect of notch orientation on the fracture toughness of a submerged arc weld as determined by performing standard fracture mechanics tests using single edge notched bend specimens having through-thickness and surface notches. The notch orientations used were NP (through-thickness notch at weld centerline running parallel to the weld direction), NQ (surface notch at weld centerline with the notch plane parallel to the weld but running perpendicular to the weld direction from the cap toward the root), and PQ (a surface notch where the notch plane is transverse to the weld and propagating from the cap toward the root). Testing was carried out over a range of temperatures. It was found that the NP notch orientation led to less scatter in fracture toughness, and the greatest amount of scatter was shown for NQ and PQ notch orientations. The test data for each notch orientation were used to determine the reference temperature T0 using ASTM E1921-13 and FITNET procedures. Values of T0 were subsequently used to define the temperature-versus-toughness transition curve (master curve) for each notch orientation. The fracture toughness predicted by the master curve analyses showed differences among the three notch orientations. As the FITNET procedure is more conservative for highly scattered data than the ASTM procedure, the predicted fracture toughness for the PQ and NQ notch orientations was significantly less than that for the NP notch orientation.
Determination of triplet excitons in organic semiconductor materials
Authors: Döring S. , Riedl T. , Rabe T. , Kowalsky W. 
Published: January 2014

ABSTRACTThe formation of triplet excitons in semiconducting organic materials plays an important role for the operation of organic optoelectronic devices. Triplet excitons are difficult to investigate spectroscopically at room temperature due to their non-radiative character. Here we show the measurement of the triplet decay dynamics by a highly sensitive time-resolved measurement of the triplet state absorption using pump and probe experiments within a waveguide configuration. Pump and probe pulse have to be separated spatially and in time to ensure a segregation of singlet and triplet excitons. The non-radiative triplet excitons are detected at room temperature by their absorption. A variation of the time delay between pump and probe pulse allows for the investigation of the dynamics of the excitons. Former experiments made use of the photoluminescence of the material under investigation itself as source of probe light. But since there is a spectral shift between the photoluminescence band and the triplet absorption band the spectral bandwidth of probe light has to be broadened for the identification of the triplet absorption. Here we show how a widening of the probe light band up to red part of the spectrum is achieved by an application of extra emission layers. With the help of this technique the triplet exciton dynamics of the hole transport material 2,2',7,7'-tetrakis(diphenylamino)-9,9'-spirobifluorene (SpiroTAD) was measured and analyzed.
Spray Pyrolysis of CuIn(S,Se)2 Thin Films Using Hydrazine-based Solutions
Authors: Song Zhaoning , Phillips Adam B. , Krantz Patrick , Prabhakar Tejas , Khanal Rajendra R. , Xie Yao , DeWitt Jonathan L. , Stone Jon M. , Heben Michael J. 
Published: January 2014

ABSTRACTA novel approach to fabricate CuIn(S,Se)2 (CIS) thin films through ultrasonically spraying a hydrazine-based precursor solution onto a heated substrate is reported. The effects of the composition of the precursor solutions and the deposition temperature on the CIS film properties were investigated by comparing thin films fabricated using aqueous metal salt solution, anhydrous hydrazine solution, and hydrazine hydrate solution at various deposition temperatures. Crystallite size and texture coefficient in the preferred (112) orientation in the sprayed films increased when the aqueous solution was replaced by hydrazine-based solutions. Additionally, the hydrazine-based precursor solutions resulted in films with better surface smoothness and compositional uniformity than those fabricated using water-based solutions and the hydrazine hydrate solution resulting in the smoothest, most uniform films. The sprayed films were used to fabricate preliminary solar cells that demonstrated a modest photovoltaic response. With optimization, the synthesis of high-quality CIS films by spray pyrolysis from a hydrazine hydrate solution could demonstrate the potential for a low-cost, high-throughput manufacturing process.
Synthesis and Characterization of Copper-Silver Core-Shell Nanoparticles by Polyol Successive Reduction Process
Authors: Kheawhom Soorathep , Panyarueng Phatcharaphon 
Published: January 2014

ABSTRACTIn this work, spherical copper (core) - silver (shell) nanoparticles with diameter of 40-50 nm were synthesized through polyol successive reduction process in glycerol with addition of sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The process involves microwave-assisted reduction of copper nitrate by glycerol under atmospheric conditions and successive reduction of silver nitrate at the surface of copper nanoparticles synthesized. We investigated the influence of synthesis parameters including molar ratio of NaOH:Cu (0:1, 1:1, 3:1 and 5:1), the molar ratio of Ag:Cu (0.01:1, 0.05:1, 0.10:1, 0.15:1 and 0.20:1) on the size, structure and composition of the resulting particles. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (TEM/EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were used to characterize the particles obtained. The average size of the nanoparticles decreased with increasing of the ratio of sodium hydroxide. With the molar ratio of Ag:Cu greater than 0.05:1, the silver protective shell can prevent forming of copper oxide on the surface of nanoparticles.
Pertuzumab and Erlotinib in Patients With Relapsed Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Phase II Study Using 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Imaging
Authors: Hughes Brett , Mileshkin Linda , Townley Peter , Gitlitz Barbara , Eaton Keith , Mitchell Paul , Hicks Rodney , Wood Katie , Amler Lucas , Fine Bernard M. , Loecke David , Pirzkall Andrea 
Published: January 2014

Abstract

Author Summary

Background.
Combination blockade of human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) family signaling may confer enhanced antitumor activity than single-agent blockade. We performed a single-arm study of pertuzumab, a monoclonal antibody that inhibits HER2 dimerization, and erlotinib in relapsed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods.
Patients received pertuzumab (840-mg loading dose and 420-mg maintenance intravenously every 3 weeks) and erlotinib (150-mg or 100-mg dose orally, daily). The primary endpoint was response rate (RR) by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) at day 56 in all patients and those with EGFR wild-type tumors.

Results.
Of 41 patients, 28 (68.3%) experienced treatment-related grade ≥3 adverse events, including pneumatosis intestinalis (3 patients), resulting in early cessation of enrollment. Tissue samples from 32 patients showed mutated EGFR status in 9 of 41 (22%) and wild-type EGFR in 23 of 41 (56%). The FDG-PET RR for patients with assessments at day 56 was 19.5% in all patients (n = 41) and 8.7% in patients with wild-type EGFR NSCLC (n = 23). Investigator-assessed computed tomography RR at day 56 was 12.2%.

Conclusion.
FDG-PET suggests that pertuzumab plus erlotinib is an active combination, but combination therapy was poorly tolerated, which limits its clinical applicability. More research is warranted to identify drug combinations that disrupt HER receptor signaling but that exhibit improved tolerability profiles.
The Multicenter, Phase II Prospective Study of Paclitaxel Plus Capecitabine as First-Line Chemotherapy in Advanced Gastric Carcinoma
Authors: Gong Jifang , Hu Bing , Zhang Xiaotian , Zhang Fengchun , Zhang Jun , Xu Nong , Fan Qingxia , Bai Yuxian , Jiao Shunchang , Wang Jinwan , Bai Chunmei , Zheng Leizhen , Shi Yingqiang , Liu Yunpeng , Liang Jun , Hu Guoqing , Cheng Ying , Xu Ruihua , Bai Yu , Shen Lin 
Published: January 2014

Abstract

Author Summary

Background.
The efficacy and toxicity of paclitaxel plus capecitabine (PX) as first-line treatment in advanced gastric cancer (AGC) was evaluated.

Methods.
Patients with previously untreated AGC were included. PX was given every 3 weeks until a maximum of six cycles or progression. Capecitabine monotherapy was continued for patients without disease progression. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival, and secondary endpoints were objective response rate, overall survival (OS), and safety.

Results.
Overall, 194 patients were treated per protocol and one patient was excluded because of allergy to paclitaxel. Response was evaluated in 175 patients, with an objective response rate of 34.8%. After a median follow-up of 33.2 months, disease progression was observed in 141 patients, 137 died, and 16 were lost to follow-up, with progression-free survival of 188 days and OS of 354 days. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, no factor remained an independent predictor of OS. Forty-five patients who received capecitabine monotherapy after PX had longer OS (531 days). Adverse events were mild (Fig. 1), and the most common grade 3–4 toxicities were leucopenia and neutropenia.

Conclusion.
PX as a first-line treatment has promising efficacy in AGC. Based on these data, a phase III study has been launched for further investigation.
Founding Family Ownership and the Selection of Industry Specialist Auditors
Authors: Kang Fei 
Published: January 2014

SYNOPSIS
This study examines how family firms' unique ownership structure and agency problems affect their selection of industry-specialist auditors. Using data from Standard & Poor's (S&P) 1500 firms, the results show that family firms are more likely to appoint industry-specialist auditors than non-family firms, which suggests that family firms have strong incentives to signal the quality of financial reporting. Additional analysis indicates that due to the potential entrenchment problems, family firms with family member CEOs or with dual-class shares have even a higher tendency to hire industry-specialist auditors to signal their disclosure quality.
Removal of zinc ions as zinc chloride complexes from strongly acidic aqueous solutions by ionic exchange
Authors: Gîlcă Emilia , Măicăneanu Andrada , Ilea Petru 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare several anion exchangers and to investigate the capacity of Amberlite IRA410 to remove zinc as chloride [ZnCl3]− from hydrochloric solutions (1 M). Influence of the process parameters such as stirring rate, resin quantity and zinc initial concentration over the removal process, was considered. The highest experimental ionic exchange capacity between the considered anionic exchangers, in the same working conditions (500 rpm, 5 g resin and 500 mg L−1), was obtained for Amberlite IRA410, 8.34 mg g−1. With an increase of zinc ions concentration, ionic exchange capacity increased up to 19.31 mg g−1 (1100 mg L−1). The experimental data were analysed using Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models. The results were also analyzed using sorption kinetics models, pseudo-first-, pseudo-second-order, intra-particle and film diffusion models. From the Dubinin-Radushkevich and Temkin isotherm models the mean free energy and heat of sorption were calculated to be 7.45 kJ mol−1, respectively 1×10−4 kJ mol−1, which indicates that zinc sorption is characterized by a physisorption process. Kinetic studies showed that the adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model.