bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of Different Nano‐Metric Particles on the Properties of Composite Solid Propellants
Authors: Pang Wei‐Qiang , Fan Xue‐Zhong , Zhao Feng‐Qi , Zhang Wei , Xu Hui‐Xiang , Yu Hong‐Jian , Xie Wu‐Xi , Yan Ning , Liu Fang‐Li 
Published: February 2014

AbstractSeveral industrial‐ and research‐type composite solid propellants containing different nano‐metric metal particles (such as aluminum, zirconium and titanium) with similar nominal composition, were prepared and experimentally analyzed. The effects of different nano‐metric powders on the rheological properties for metal/HTPB slurries and AP‐based composite propellant slurries were investigated. The strand burning rate and the associated combustion flame structure of propellants were determined. The energetic properties and the hazardous properties of propellants prepared were analyzed and the properties mentioned above were compared to those of a conventional aluminized propellant. The results show that aluminum powder can be sufficiently dispersed in HTPB binder. The propellant formulations containing nano‐metric particles are sensitive to impact and friction except for the base propellant with common aluminum powder, which is less sensitive to friction as compared to the other compositions. The nano‐metric additives can affect the combustion behavior and increase the burning rate of propellants compared with the common one (the reference propellant composition).
Surgical intervention for symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia is correlated with expression of the AP‐1 transcription factor network
Authors: Lin‐Tsai Opal , Clark Peter E. , Miller Nicole L. , Fowke Jay H. , Hameed Omar , Hayward Simon W. , Strand Douglas W. 
Published: February 2014

BACKGROUNDApproximately one‐third of patients fail medical treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia and associated lower urinary tract symptoms (BPH/LUTS) requiring surgical intervention. Our purpose was to establish a molecular characterization for patients undergoing surgical intervention for LUTS to address therapeutic deficiencies.METHODSClinical, molecular, and histopathological profiles were analyzed in 26 patients undergoing surgery for severe LUTS. Incidental transitional zone nodules were isolated from 37 patients with mild symptoms undergoing radical prostatectomy. Clinical parameters including age, prostate volume, medication, prostate specific antigen, symptom score, body mass index, and incidence of diabetes were collected. Multivariate logistic regression analysis with adjustments for potential confounding variables was used to examine associations between patient clinical characteristics and molecular targets identified through molecular profiling.RESULTSCompared to incidental BPH, progressive symptomatic BPH was associated with increased expression of the activating protein‐1 transcription factor/chemokine network. As expected, inverse correlations were drawn between androgen receptor levels and age, as well as between 5α‐reductase inhibitor (5ARI) treatment and tissue prostate specific antigen levels; however, a novel association was also drawn between 5ARI treatment and increased c‐FOS expression.CONCLUSIONSThis study provides molecular evidence that a network of pro‐inflammatory activating protein‐1 transcription factors and associated chemokines are highly enriched in symptomatic prostate disease, a profile that molecularly categorizes with many other chronic autoimmune diseases. Because 5ARI treatment was associated with increased c‐FOS expression, future studies should explore whether increased activating protein‐1 proteins are causal factors in the development of symptomatic prostate disease, inflammation or resistance to traditional hormonal therapy. Prostate 74:669–679, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Monitoring power transmission lines using a wireless sensor network
Authors: Lin Junru , Zhu Baohui , Zeng Peng , Liang Wei , Yu Haibin , Xiao Yang 
Published: February 2014

AbstractPower transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy from power plants to sub‐stations. A wireless sensor network is a promising technology for transmission line monitoring due to its low cost, easy installation, large‐scale coverage, and fault tolerance characteristics. A wireless sensor network is application‐specific; therefore, we investigate the new features and requirements of the wireless sensor network used in transmission line monitoring. Then, we propose an efficient wireless sensor network framework, which includes a clustering algorithm to simplify network management and to balance the network's energy consumption and a hybrid media access control (MAC) (H‐MAC) protocol to handle traffic variability. The framework takes advantage of the features of network topology and traffic pattern to optimize the protocols' performance on real time and energy efficiency. The results indicate that the H‐MAC shows a significant improvement in the network's reliability, real‐time performance, and energy efficiency, and the cluster hierarchy can balance the network's energy consumption. Furthermore, the cluster hierarchy also prolongs the network's lifetime. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of echinocandin preparations on adult rat ventricular cardiomyocytes
Authors: Arens C. , Uhle F. , Wolff M. , Röhrig R. , Koch C. , Schulte A. , Weiterer S. , Henrich M. , Weigand M.A. , Schlüter K.-D. , Lichtenstern C. 
Published: February 2014

Abstract

Background

Candida infections represent a relevant risk for patients in intensive care units resulting in increased mortality. Echinocandins have become the agents of choice for early and specific antifungal treatment in critically ill patients. Due to cardiac effects following echinocandin administration seen in intensive care unit (ICU) patients the in vitro effects of echinocandins and fluconazole on isolated cardiomyocytes of the rat were examined.

Aim
The study was designed to investigate a possible impact of echinocandins and fluconazole in clinically relevant concentrations on the in vitro contractile responsiveness and shape of isolated rat cardiomyocytes.

Material and methods
Ventricular cardiomyocytes were isolated from Lewis rats. Cardiomyocytes were cultured in the presence of all licensed echinocandin preparations and fluconazol at concentrations of 0 (control), 0.1, 1, 3.3, 10, 33 and 100 μg/ml for 90 min. Cells were stimulated by biphasic electrical stimuli and contractile responsiveness was measured as shortening amplitude. Additionally, the ratio of rod-shaped to round cells was determined.

Results
Anidulafungin concentrations of 3.3 and 10 μg/ml caused a significant increase in contractile responsiveness, caspofungin showed a significant decrease at 10 μg/ml and micafungin concentrations of 3.3–33 μg/ml led to a significant increase in cell shortening. Measurement was not possible at 33 μg/ml for anidulafungin and caspofungin and at 100 μg/ml for all echinocandins due to a majority of round-shaped, non-contracting cardiomyocytes. Fluconazole showed no significant effect on cell shortening at all concentrations tested. For the three echinocandins the ratio of round-shaped, non-contracting versus rod-shaped normal contracting cardiomyocytes increased in a dose-dependent manner.

Conclusions
Echinocandins impact the in vitro contractility of isolated cardiomyocytes of rats. This observation could be of great interest in the context of antifungal treatment.
Is There Life After DEBI? Examining Health Behavior Maintenance in the Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions Initiative
Authors: Feldman Matthew B. , Silapaswan Andrew , Schaefer Nathan , Schermele Daniel 
Published: February 2014

AbstractThe evidence‐based interventions that are identified, packaged, and disseminated by the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of the Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions (DEBI) initiative—commonly referred to the "DEBIs"—currently represent a primary source of HIV prevention interventions for community‐based providers. To date, little attention has focused on whether the intended outcomes of the DEBIs, i.e., reductions in HIV‐related risk behaviors, are maintained over time. This review summarized evidence for the sustainability of the effects of the DEBIs on HIV sexual risk behavior and intravenous drug use from studies of original and adapted DEBIs. Evidence of intervention decay or a lack of any intervention effect was identified in several original and adapted versions of the DEBIs included in this review. Recommendations include modifications to current criteria for inclusion in the DEBI portfolio, in addition to the development of remediation strategies to address intervention decay. Further, theoretical models that specify the processes that underlie the maintenance of health behaviors over time should be used in developing HIV prevention interventions.
Snow cover manipulation in agricultural fields: as an option for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions
Authors: Yanai Yosuke , Hirota Tomoyoshi , Iwata Yukiyoshi , Nemoto Manabu , Koga Nobuhisa , Nagata Osamu , Ohkubo Shinjiro 
Published: February 2014

AbstractShort‐term N2O emission occurs in relation to snowmelt within seasonally frozen soil. To understand the effects of changing winter climates on the N2O flux, snow cover manipulation experiments are useful. In Japan, snow cover manipulation is practiced by farmers to improve agricultural yield and is executed either by applying a broadcast of blackish agent onto the snow cover, which leads to faster snow‐melting thereby extending the crop‐growing season, or by snow cover removal/re‐accumulation, leading to an enhanced soil frost depth for weed management. Implementation of these practices involves using an amount of fossil fuel, in addition to influencing soil‐derived N2O emissions, therefore, the load factors of snow cover management practices per unit area of agricultural field were estimated in this study. Field data including micrometeorological conditions, ground surface flux of N2O, and amount of fossil fuel consumed during machinery operation for management practices, were obtained at two sites in Hokkaido over 2 years (2008–2010). Fuel consumption for the field spreading was found to be unexpectedly small (0.017 Mg CO2 eq ha−1). It was therefore suggested that acceleration of snowmelt may have the potential to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions if the agent used is a low‐degradable C‐rich material, such as charcoal. For soil frost control, the fossil fuel consumption during a set of snow cover removal/re‐accumulation (estimated as 0.052 Mg CO2 eq ha−1) is discussed, together with the relationship between possible mechanisms causing stimulation of N2O production in frozen soil and inherent large differences in N2O flux among sites.
Seasonal variation in children with developmental dysplasia of the hip
Authors: Loder Randall T. , Shafer Cody 
Published: February 2014

Background It has been postulated that developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is more frequent in infants born in the winter months. It was the purpose of this study to ascertain if there was any seasonal variation in DDH at the author's institution and compare/contrast our results with those in the literature using rigorous mathematical fitting. Methods All children with DDH treated at the author's institution from 1993 to 2012 were identified. The month of birth was recorded and temporal variation was analyzed using cosinor analysis. Similar data from the literature was analyzed. Results There were 424 children (363 girls, 61 boys). An additional 22,936 children were added from the literature for a total of 23,360. Pearson's Chi-square test demonstrated a non-uniform distribution in the month of birth for both our 424 children as well as the combined literature series in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Cosinor analysis of the 424 children demonstrated double peaks in mid-March and mid-October. For the entire 23,360 children, no seasonal variation was observed in 2,205 (9.4 %), a single winter peak in 16,425 (70.3 %), a single summer peak in 1,280 (5.5 %), and double peaks in the spring and autumn in 3,450 (14.8 %). Conclusions This study partly supports the hypothesis of tight clothing/cold temperature as one factor in the etiology of DDH with the tighter clothing/swaddling increasing the risk of DDH. However ∼20 % of the DDH births demonstrated a non-winter peak. The single summer and double spring/autumn peaks, as well as in those series where no seasonal variation was noted, refutes the cold winter clothing hypothesis. Perhaps these different patterns in seasonal variation represent the heterogeneity of the genetic factors in DDH interacting with external factors (temperature and clothing) and internal factors (metabolic). Further study will be required to understand these different patterns in DDH seasonal variation. Level of evidence IV—case series.
A critical evaluation of alternative methods and paradigms for conducting mediation analysis in operations management research
Authors: Malhotra Manoj K. , Singhal Cherry , Shang Guangzhi , Ployhart Robert E. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractMediation as a theory testing approach has witnessed considerable adoption among Operations Management (OM) researchers. Although mediation‐testing methods have evolved tremendously in the past decade, their dissemination in the OM field has not seen parallel growth. These advanced techniques facilitate the testing of existing and complex hypotheses in a more precise manner. With the intent of critically evaluating existing and alternative methods for conducting mediation analysis needed to support sophisticated empirical research, this paper first reviews OM studies that tested for mediation in the past eleven years (2002–2012) from top‐tier OM journals. Four commonly used mediation approaches were identified. Based on principles of good theory building, type of mediation model, and properties of empirical data, we evaluate the existing methodologies and make recommendations on how to improve the rigor of OM mediation testing. Using published OM studies in top journals as examples, we then illustrate the relevance and advantages of these recommendations, as well as their ease of use. Furthermore, we empirically show that more robust and insightful results can be achieved by adopting these techniques, which in turn have the promise of leading to better theory building and testing in the field of operations management.
Spectral Classification Using Restricted Boltzmann Machine
Authors: Fuqiang Chen , Yan Wu , Yude Bu , Guodong Zhao 
Published: February 2014

AbstractIn this study, a novel machine learning algorithm, restricted Boltzmann machine, is introduced. The algorithm is applied for the spectral classification in astronomy. Restricted Boltzmann machine is a bipartite generative graphical model with two separate layers (one visible layer and one hidden layer), which can extract higher level features to represent the original data. Despite generative, restricted Boltzmann machine can be used for classification when modified with a free energy and a soft-max function. Before spectral classification, the original data are binarised according to some rule. Then, we resort to the binary restricted Boltzmann machine to classify cataclysmic variables and non-cataclysmic variables (one half of all the given data for training and the other half for testing). The experiment result shows state-of-the-art accuracy of 100%, which indicates the efficiency of the binary restricted Boltzmann machine algorithm.
Complex Analysis of the Stellar Binary HD25811: A Subgiant System
Authors: Al-Wardat Mashhoor A. , Widyan Hatem S. , Al-thyabat Ahmed 
Published: February 2014

AbstractThe visually close binary system HD25811 is analysed to estimate its physical and geometrical parameters in addition to its spectral type and luminosity class. The method depends on obtaining the best fit between the entire observational spectral energy distribution (SED) of the system and synthetic SEDs created by atmospheric modelling of the individual components, consistent with the system's modified orbital elements. The parameters of the individual components of the system are derived as: Taeff = 6850 ± 50 K, Tbeff = 7000 ± 50 K, log ga = 4.04 ± 0.10, log gb = 4.15 ± 0.10, Ra = 1.96 ± 0.20 R⊙, Rb = 1.69 ± 0.20 R⊙, Mav = 1.m97 ± 0.20, Mbv = 2.m19 ± 0.20, La = 7.59 ± 0.70L⊙, Lb = 6.16 ± 0.70L⊙ with dynamical parallax $\pi (\textrm {mas})=5.095\pm 0.095$. The analysis shows that the system consists of a 1.55M⊙ F2 subgiant star and a less evolved 1.50M⊙ F1 secondary subgiant star with ages around 2 Gy formed by fragmentation. Synthetic magnitudes of both components were calculated under Johnson-Cousins, Strömgren, and Tycho photometrical systems.
Lyman-α Forest and Cosmic Weak Lensing in a Warm Dark Matter Universe
Authors: Markovič Katarina , Viel Matteo 
Published: February 2014

AbstractWe review the current state of the theory of large-scale structure in a warm dark matter (WDM) cosmological model. In particular, we focus on the non-linear modelling of the matter power spectrum and on the mass function of dark matter haloes. We describe the results of N-body simulations with WDM and mention the effects that could be induced by baryonic physics. We also examine the halo model of large-scale structure and its recently suggested modifications for a WDM cosmology, which account for the small-scale smoothness of the initial matter density field and better fit the results of N-body simulations. Having described the theoretical models, we discuss the current lower limits on the WDM particle mass, mwdm, which correspond to upper limits on the WDM temperature under the assumption that the particles are thermal relics. The best such constraints come from the Lyα forest and exclude all masses below 3.3 keV at the 2σ confidence level. We finally review the forecasts for future lensing surveys, which will be of the same order of magnitude as the already existing constraints from the Lyα forest data but explore a different redshift regime.
The representation of older people in television advertisements and social change: the case of Japan
Authors: PRIELER MICHAEL , KOHLBACHER FLORIAN , HAGIWARA SHIGERU , ARIMA AKIE 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACTThe representation of social groups in advertising has been a major concern in academia. However, research focusing on older people has been scant and mainly conducted in Western countries. In Japan, the country that has been most affected by demographic change, this research area has received little attention. Through a content analysis of a systematic sample of 2,972 television advertisements broadcast on the five major commercial television stations in Japan in 1997 and 2007, this paper tries to fill this research gap, examining changes in the representation of older people in Japanese television advertising. When comparing 2007 to 1997, we found that older people appeared more often, were increasingly alone and in major roles, and were portrayed in more favourable ways, which suggests that their status changed. These changes appear to be related to the fact that older people have become more important within Japanese society. However, some aspects have remained unchanged; older people continue to be under-represented, which does not reflect demographic reality, and are used in advertisements for foods and beverages, confirming findings from previous studies. Our findings indicate that the representation of older people in Japanese television advertising has changed but remains unrealistic.
HARMONIZATION OF ETHICS IN HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT: A REVISION OF THE SOCRATIC APPROACH
Authors: Hofmann Bjørn , Droste Sigrid , Oortwijn Wija , Cleemput Irina , Sacchini Dario 
Published: February 2014

Background: Ethics has been part of health technology assessment (HTA) from its beginning in the 1970s, and is currently part of HTA definitions. Several methods in ethics have been used in HTA. Some approaches have been developed especially for HTA, such as the Socratic approach, which has been used for a wide range of health technologies. The Socratic approach is used in several ways, and there is a need for harmonization to promote its usability and the transferability of its results. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to stimulate experts in ethics and HTA to revise the Socratic approach.Methods: Based on the current literature and experiences in applying methods in ethics, a panel of ethics experts involved in HTA critically analyzed the limitations of the Socratic approach during a face-to-face workshop. On the basis of this analysis a revision of the Socratic approach was agreed on after deliberation in several rounds through e-mail correspondence.Results: Several limitations with the Socratic approach are identified and addressed in the revised version which consists of a procedure of six steps, 7 main questions and thirty-three explanatory and guiding questions. The revised approach has a broader scope and provides more guidance than its predecessor. Methods for information retrieval have been elaborated.Conclusion: The presented revision of the Socratic approach is the result of a joint effort of experts in the field of ethics and HTA. Consensus is reached in the expert panel on an approach that is considered to be more clear, comprehensive, and applicable for addressing ethical issues in HTA.
ATTITUDES AND ACCEPTANCE TOWARD THE TECHNOLOGY OF CRYONICS IN GERMANY
Authors: Kaiser Stephanie , Gross Dominik , Lohmeier Jens , Rosentreter Michael , Raschke Jürgen 
Published: February 2014

Objectives:This study explores the awareness and the degree of acceptance of the idea of the medical technology cryonics—the freezing of a corpse to revive it in the future—among German citizens.Methods:Data were collected on the basis of a representatively weighted online survey of 1,000 people aged between 16 and 69 years and resident in the Federal Republic of Germany.Results:Forty-seven percent stated that they had already heard of cryonics; 22 percent could imagine having their bodies cryonized after their deaths. For 53 percent, participation in the latest technological developments which correlated with the approval of the conceivability of cryopreservation was important. The majority of the respondents werenotskeptical or cautious about innovations in the medical field.Conclusions:The study shows that cryonics is known and accepted to a certain extent. However, a large proportion of respondents did not believe that it was desirable to use medical technology to overcome death, and fundamentally rejected a post-mortal continuation of life.