bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Final follow-up of the Multicentre Aneurysm Screening Study (MASS) randomized trial of abdominal aortic aneurysm screening
Authors: Thompson S G , Ashton H A , Gao L , Buxton M J , Scott R A P 
Published: October 2012

Abstract

Background
The long-term effects of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening were investigated in extended follow-up from the UK Multicentre Aneurysm Screening Study (MASS) randomized trial.

Methods
A population-based sample of men aged 65–74 years were randomized individually to invitation to ultrasound screening (invited group) or to a control group not offered screening. Patients with an AAA (3·0 cm or larger) detected at screening underwent surveillance and were offered surgery after predefined criteria had been met. Cause-specific mortality data were analysed using Cox regression.

Results
Some 67 770 men were enrolled in the study. Over 13 years, there were 224 AAA-related deaths in the invited group and 381 in the control group, a 42 (95 per cent confidence interval 31 to 51) per cent reduction. There was no evidence of effect on other causes of death, but there was an overall reduction in all-cause mortality of 3 (1 to 5) per cent. The degree of benefit seen in earlier years of follow-up was slightly diminished by the occurrence of AAA ruptures in those with an aorta originally screened normal. About half of these ruptures had a baseline aortic diameter in the range 2·5–2·9 cm. It was estimated that 216 men need to be invited to screening to save one death over the next 13 years.

Conclusion
Screening resulted in a reduction in all-cause mortality, and the benefit in AAA-related mortality continued to accumulate throughout follow-up. Registration number: ISRCTN37381646 (http://www.controlled-trials.com).
Effect of balloon size and stepwise inflation technique on the acute results of inoue mitral commissurotomy
Authors: Feldman Ted , Carroll John D. , Herrmann Howard C. , Holmes David R. , Bashore Thomas M. , Isner Jeffrey M. , Dorros Gerald , Tobis Jonathan M. 
Published: October 2012

AbstractCurrently percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTMC) is performed by most operators using stepwise inflation of the Inoue balloon beginning at a small diameter and increasing size by a sequence of inflations to nominal diameter. The effect of balloon size on procedure results using the Inoue balloon has not been evaluated. In 260 patients final balloon inflation was to nominal size in 42% of pts, larger than nominal size (overinflated) in 10%, and less than nominal size (underinflated) in 48% of pts. The average number of inflations was 3 (range 1–9). Pressure gradient and Doppler mitral regurgitation (MR) were assessed after each inflation. When MR increased, further inflations were not done.Patients in whom the balloon was overinflated underwent more balloon inflations than those in whom it was inflated to nominal size (5·0 ± 2·1 vs. 2·9 ± 1·4, p < 0·01). Those with balloon underinflation had fewer balloon inflations (2·4 ± 1·2 vs. 2·9 ± 1·4, p < 0·01). The post PTMC valve area in patients with overinflation was slightly less than those with nominal inflations (1·6 ± 0·4 vs. 1·8 ± 0·7), and with underinflation the valve area was no different compared to nominal inflation. Using a stepwise procedure, if mitral regurgitation was noted to increase after a balloon inflation, the procedure would be stopped even if less than an ideal result was achieved. Fewer inflations were done in patients in whom the balloon was inflated to less than nominal size because of the appearance of mitral regurgitation. No statistical differences in the incidence of increased mitral regurgitation ≥ 2+ were noted when the balloon was overinflated (4%), inflated to nominal size (8%), or underinflated (8%).Since an ideal method for selecting balloon size has not been determined the ability to increase inflated balloon diameter by stepwise dilatation may maximize the gain in area and limit the increase in MR during PTMC.
Urokinase infusion after unsuccessful angioplasty in patients with chronic total occlusion of native coronary arteries
Authors: Ceceña Felipe A. 
Published: October 2012

AbstractPercutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is often unsuccessful in patients with chronic total occlusion of coronary arteries. In this study, prolonged urokinase infusion (≤ 24 hr) was administered to 20 patients with chronic total coronary artery occlusion in whom previous PTCA had failed. An intracoronary bolus of urokinase, 120,000 IU, was followed by urokinase infusion, up to 200,000 IU/hr, if necessary, until angiography demonstrated reperfusion and a guiding wire could be advanced past the occlusion site. These results were achieved in 18 of the 20 cases. The two failures occurred early in the series, when the maximum urokinase infusion rate was 120,000 IU/hr. All but one patient with re‐established flow subsequently had successful PTCA. Urokinase infusion was well tolerated, with no evidence of intramyocardial hemorrhage. Pretreatment with prolonged urokinase infusion appears to increase the likelihood of successful PTCA in patients with chronic total occlusion of coronary arteries.
Radiation‐induced stenosis of the left main coronary artery
Authors: Wan Sun King , Babb Joseph D. 
Published: October 2012

AbstractIsolated left main coronary artery stenosis induced by mediastinal radiation is a well‐documented but rare entity. Its clinical manifestations can be latent for many years, but its ominous sequela cannot be ignored. We report here such a patient presenting 16 yr postmediastinal radiation, the longest documented latency to date.
Partial congenital defect of the left pericardium: Angiographic diagnosis and treatment by thoracoscopic pericardiectomy: Case report
Authors: Rees Andrew P. , Risher William , McFadden P. Michael , Ramee Stephen R. , White Christopher J. 
Published: October 2012

AbstractCongenital defects of the pericardium are extremely rare and frequently difficult to diagnose. We present a diagnosis of partial congenital defect of the left pericardium based on a characteristic chest X‐ray and left ventriculogram. Additionally, we report findings of a diastolic, migratory coronary stenosis on coronary arteriography which, to date, has not been reported. Confirmation of the diagnosis by mediastinoscopy was followed by thoracoscopic pericardiectomy.
Repeatability of ultrashort echo time‐based two‐component T2* measurements on cartilages in human knee at 3 T
Authors: Qian Yongxian , Williams Ashley A. , Chu Constance R. , Boada Fernando E. 
Published: October 2012

AbstractRepeatability of in vivo measurement of multicomponent T2* relaxation in articular cartialges in human knee is important to clinical use. This study evaluated the repeatability of two‐component T2* relaxation on seven healthy human subjects. The left knee was scanned once a day in three consecutive days, on a clinical 3T MRI scanner with eight‐channel knee coil and ultrashort echo time pulse sequence at 11 echo times = 0.6–40 ms. The intrasubject and intersubject repeatability was evaluated via coefficient of variation (CV = standard deviation/mean) in four typical cartilage regions: patellar, anterior articular, femoral, and tibial regions. It was found that the intrasubject repeatability was good, with CV < 10% for the short‐ and long‐T2* relaxation time in the layered regions in the four cartilages (with one exception) and CV < 13% for the component intensity fraction (with two exceptions). The intersubject repeatability was also good, with CV ∼8% (range 1–15%) for the short‐ and long‐T2* relaxation time and CV ∼10% (range 2–20%) for the component intensity fraction. The long‐T2* component showed significantly better repeatability (CV ∼8%) than the short‐T2* component (CV∼12%) (P < 0.005). These CV values suggest that in vivo measurement of two‐component T2* relaxation in the knee cartilages is repeatable on clinical scanner at 3 T, with a signal‐to‐noise ratio of 90. Magn Reson Med, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Linking a learning progression for natural selection to teachers' enactment of formative assessment
Authors: Furtak Erin Marie 
Published: October 2012

AbstractLearning progressions, or representations of how student ideas develop in a domain, hold promise as tools to support teachers' formative assessment practices. The ideas represented in a learning progression might help teachers to identify and make inferences about evidence collected of student thinking, necessary precursors to modifying instruction to help students advance in their learning. The study reported in this article took the novel approach of using a learning progression for natural selection to support teachers' enactment of formative assessment. Sources of data include interviews and videotapes of six high school biology teachers leading assessment conversations around the same formative assessment questions. Results indicate that while teachers picked out and made inferences about student ideas related to the learning progression during assessment conversations, they did not use all parts of the learning progression in the same way. Furthermore, several of the teachers seemed to use the learning progressions simply as catalogs of misconceptions to be “squashed” rather than drawing upon the developmental affordances offered by a learning progression. Results are framed in terms of the utility of learning progressions as supports for classroom practice. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 49: 1181–1210, 2012
The Common Core: Insights Into the K–5 Standards
Authors: McLaughlin Maureen , Overturf Brenda J. 
Published: October 2012

AbstractThe role of the Common Core English Language Arts Standards in grades K – 5 literacy instruction is the focus of the article. The authors begin by raising four questions:(1) What is the essential philosophy of the Common Core State Standards?(2) What do educators need to know to use the College and Career Readiness Standards and Common Core State Standards effectively?(3) What do classroom teachers need to do differently to help their students achieve?(4)What is the role of professional development in the implementation of the Common Core State Standards?In the article, the authors respond to these queries and discuss a variety of challenges that states, school districts, and teachers face as they implement the Common Core.
Designing robust routing protocols to protect base stations in wireless sensor networks
Authors: Chen Juan , Zhang Hongli , Du Xiaojiang , Fang Binxing , Yan Liu 
Published: October 2012

ABSTRACTA base station is the controller and the data‐receiving center of a wireless sensor network. Hence, a reliable and secure base station is critical to the network. Once an attacker locates the base station, he or she can do many damages to the network. In this paper, we examine the base station location privacy problem from both the attack and defense sides. First, we present a new attack on base station: parent‐based attack scheme (PAS). PAS can locate a base station within one radio (wireless transmission) range of sensors in high‐density sensor networks. Different from existing methods, PAS determines the base station location on the basis of parent–child relationship of sensor nodes. Existing base station protection schemes cannot defend against PAS. Second, on the basis of PAS, we propose a two‐phase parent‐based attack scheme (TP‐PAS). Our simulation results demonstrate that TP‐PAS is able to determine the base station successfully in both low‐density and high‐density sensor networks. Then, to defend against PAS and TP‐PAS, we design a child‐based routing protocol and a parent‐free routing protocol for sensor networks. Our theory analysis and experiment results show that the parent‐free routing protocol has more communication cost and less end‐to‐end latency compared with the child‐based routing protocol. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A quadratic large sieve inequality over number fields
Authors: GOLDMAKHER LEO , LOUVEL BENOÎT 
Published: October 2012

AbstractWe formulate and prove a large sieve inequality for quadratic characters over a number field. To do this, we introduce the notion of an n-th order Hecke family. We develop the basic theory of these Hecke families, including versions of the Poisson summation formula.
Turán and Ramsey Properties of Subcube Intersection Graphs
Authors: JOHNSON J. ROBERT , MARKSTRÖM KLAS 
Published: October 2012

The discrete cube {0, 1}d is a fundamental combinatorial structure. A subcube of {0, 1}d is a subset of 2k of its points formed by fixing k coordinates and allowing the remaining d − k to vary freely. This paper is concerned with patterns of intersections among subcubes of the discrete cube. Two sample questions along these lines are as follows: given a family of subcubes in which no r + 1 of them have non-empty intersection, how many pairwise intersections can we have? How many subcubes can we have if among them there are no k which have non-empty intersection and no l which are pairwise disjoint?These questions are naturally expressed using intersection graphs. The intersection graph of a family of sets has one vertex for each set in the family with two vertices being adjacent if the corresponding subsets intersect. Let $\I(n,d)$ be the set of all n vertex graphs which can be represented as the intersection graphs of subcubes in {0, 1}d. With this notation our first question above asks for the largest number of edges in a Kr+1-free graph in $\I(n,d)$. As such it is a Turán-type problem. We answer this question asymptotically for some ranges of r and d. More precisely we show that if $(k+1)2^{\lfloor\frac{d}{k+1}\rfloor}<n\leq k2^{\lfloor\frac{d}{k}\rfloor}$ for some integer k ≥ 2 then the maximum edge density is $\bigl(1-\frac{1}{k}-o(1)\bigr)$ provided that n is not too close to the lower limit of the range.The second question can be thought of as a Ramsey-type problem. The maximum such n can be defined in the same way as the usual Ramsey number but only considering graphs which are in $\I(n,d)$. We give bounds for this maximum n mainly concentrating on the case that l is fixed, and make some comparisons with the usual Ramsey number.
Microstructural Analysis of Iberian Expanded Clay Aggregates
Authors: Bogas J. Alexandre , Mauricio António , Pereira M.F.C. 
Published: October 2012

AbstractThis article presents a detailed study of the microstructure of Iberian expanded clay lightweight aggregates (LWA). Other than more commonly used mercury porosimetry (MP) and water absorption methods, the experimental study involves optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and microtomography (μ-CT). Pore connectivity and how it is deployed are shown to some degree, and the pore size spectrum is estimated. LWA are in general characterized by a dense outer shell up to 200 μm thick, encasing an inner cellular structure of 10–100 times bigger pore size. Aggregate pore sizes may span from some hundreds of nanometers up to over 1 mm, though the range of 1–25 μm is more typical. A noteworthy fraction of these pores is closed, and they are mainly up to 1 μm. It is also shown that macropore spatial arrangement is affected by the manufacturing process. A step forward is given to understanding how the outer shell and the inner pore network influence the mechanical and physical LWA properties, particularly the density and water absorption. The joint consideration of μ-CT and SEM seems to be the most appropriate methodology to study LWA microstructure. MP analysis is likely to distort LWA pore spectrum assessment.
Galactic exploration by directed self-replicating probes, and its implications for the Fermi paradox
Authors: Barlow Martin T. 
Published: October 2012

AbstractThis paper proposes a long-term scheme for robotic exploration of the galaxy, and then considers the implications in terms of the ‘Fermi paradox’ and our search for extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI). We discuss the ‘Galactic ecology’ of civilizations in terms of the parametersT(time between ET civilizations arising) andL, the lifetime of these civilizations. Six different regions are described.
Sovereignty as Decisional Independence over Domestic Affairs: The Dispute over Aviation in the EU Emissions Trading System
Authors: Hertogen An 
Published: October 2012

AbstractA crucial question for international law is how to allocate regulatory jurisdiction over transboundary problems between sovereign states. Insufficient clarity can trigger disputes such as that regarding the legality of the EU Directive that extends its ETS to all flights taking off from or landing at an EU airport, including those by non-EU carriers. This article uses this dispute as the vehicle to examine sovereignty in an increasingly interdependent world. It argues that a state’s decisional inviolability is central to sovereignty. Decisional sovereignty allows a state to regulate actors or activities with a link to its territory when these affect the state’s domestic affairs, rather than leaving the state at the mercy of an actor’s home state or of other states from the territory of which the problem emerges. Moreover, allocation of regulatory jurisdiction in conformity with decisional sovereignty reduces the incentives to free-ride on other states’ regulatory efforts and incentivizes international cooperation.
From Pediatric Covariate Model to Semiphysiological Function for Maturation: Part I–Extrapolation of a Covariate Model From Morphine to Zidovudine
Authors: Krekels EHJ , Neely M , Panoilia E , Tibboel D , Capparelli E , Danhof M , Mirochnick M , Knibbe CAJ 
Published: October 2012

New approaches to expedite the development of safe and effective pediatric dosing regimens and first‐in‐child doses are urgently needed. Model‐based approaches require quantitative functions on the maturation of different metabolic pathways. In this study, we directly incorporated a pediatric covariate model for the glucuronidation of morphine into a pediatric population model for zidovudine glucuronidation. This model was compared with a reference model that gave the statistically best description of the data. Both models had adequate goodness‐of‐fit plots and normalized prediction distribution errors (NPDE), similar population clearance values for each individual, and a Δobjective function value of 13 points (Δ2df). This supports our hypothesis that pediatric pharmacokinetic covariate models contain system‐specific information that can be used as semiphysiological functions in pediatric population models. Further research should explore the validity of the semiphysiological function for other UDP‐glucuronosyltransferase 2B7 substrates and patient populations and reveal how this function can be used for pediatric physiologically based pharmacokinetic models.CPT: Pharmacometrics & Systems Pharmacology (2012) 1, e9; doi:10.1038/psp.2012.11; advance online publication 3 October 2012
Recoupling of chemical shift anisotropy by R-symmetry sequences in magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy
Authors: Hou Guangjin , Byeon In-Ja L. , Ahn Jinwoo , Gronenborn Angela M. , Polenova Tatyana 
Published: October 2012

13C and 15N chemical shift (CS) interaction is a sensitive probe of structure and dynamics in a wide variety of biological and inorganic systems, and in the recent years several magic angle spinning NMR approaches have emerged for residue-specific measurements of chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) tensors in uniformly and sparsely enriched proteins. All of the currently existing methods are applicable to slow and moderate magic angle spinning (MAS) regime, i.e., MAS frequencies below 20 kHz. With the advent of fast and ultrafast MAS probes capable of spinning frequencies of 40–100 kHz, and with the superior resolution and sensitivity attained at such high frequencies, development of CSA recoupling techniques working under such conditions is necessary. In this work, we present a family of R-symmetry based pulse sequences for recoupling of 13C/15N CSA interactions that work well in both natural abundance and isotopically enriched systems. We demonstrate that efficient recoupling of either first-rank (σ1) or second-rank (σ2) spatial components of CSA interaction is attained with appropriately chosen γ-encoded RNnv symmetry sequences. The advantage of these γ-encoded RNnv-symmetry based CSA (RNCSA) recoupling schemes is that they are suitable for CSA recoupling under a wide range of MAS frequencies, including fast MAS regime. Comprehensive analysis of the recoupling properties of these RNnv symmetry sequences reveals that the σ1-CSA recoupling symmetry sequences exhibit large scaling factors; however, the partial homonuclear dipolar Hamiltonian components are symmetry allowed, which makes this family of sequences suitable for CSA measurements in systems with weak homonuclear dipolar interactions. On the other hand, the γ-encoded symmetry sequences for σ2-CSA recoupling have smaller scaling factors but they efficiently suppress the homonuclear dipole-dipole interactions. Therefore, the latter family of sequences is applicable for measurements of CSA parameters in systems with strong homonuclear dipolar couplings, such as uniformly-13C labeled biological solids. We demonstrate RNCSA NMR experiments and numerical simulations establishing the utility of this approach to the measurements of 13C and 15N CSA parameters in model compounds, [15N]-N-acetyl-valine (NAV), [U-13C, 15N]-alanine, [U-13C,15N]-histidine, and present the application of this approach to [U-13C/15N]-Tyr labeled C-terminal domain of HIV-1 CA protein.
How far bowalization affects phytodiversity, life forms and plant morphology in Sub‐humid tropic in West Africa
Authors: Padonou Elie A. , Assogbadjo Achille E. , Bachmann Yvonne , Sinsin Brice 
Published: October 2012

AbstractBowal or ferricrete, the final of land degradation, occurred only in tropical region. This study aimed at assessing the effects of bowalization on phytodiversity, life forms and morphological response of plant species using Combretum nigricans Leprieur ex Guill. & Perr. as a case study. Morphological parameters (height, number of stems, number of branches, diameter at breast height and crown diameter) of C. nigricans were determined in the sub‐humid zone of Benin. Plant communities were determined according to Multi‐Response Permutation Procedures analysis. Plant communities were more diversified on sand‐clay and concretion soils (control) compared with those described on bowal. C. nigricans developed more stems (3.6 ± 1.4 stems vs. 1.3 ± 0.4 stems), more branches (5.9 ± 2.4 branches vs. 3.2 ± 0.6 branches) and large crown diameter (5 ± 1.48 m vs. 3.4 ± 1.2 m) on bowal than on sand‐clay soil. The best adapted life forms on bowal were therophytes. Bowalization induced loss of phytodiversity, changes in species life forms and provoked local adaptation of tree species.
Case report and literature review of chronic neuropathic pain associated with peripheral venous cannulation
Authors: Gohil S. , Balasubramanian S. 
Published: October 2012

SummaryWe report a case of neuropathic pain following peripheral venous cannulation for an elective surgical procedure and discuss the various mechanisms by which this could occur. The mostly likely trigger in this case is phlebitis as the onset of symptoms coincided with the local infection. Neuropathic pain can occur following innocent interventions and its impact on the patient’s quality of life may be reduced by timely recognition and management.