bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
In vivo monitoring of implant osseointegration in a rabbit model using acoustic sound analysis
Authors: Ruther Cathérine , Gabler Carolin , Ewald Hartmut , Ellenrieder Martin , Haenle Maximilian , Lindner Tobias , Mittelmeier Wolfram , Bader Rainer , Kluess Daniel 
Published: January 2014

ABSTRACTImplant osseointegration can currently only be assessed reliably post mortem. A novel method that relies on the principle of acoustic sound analysis was developed to enable examination of the longitudinal progress of osseointegration. The method is based on a magnetic sphere inside a hollow cylinder of the implant. By excitation using an external magnetic field, collision of the sphere inside the implant produces a sound signal. Custom‐made titanium implants equipped thusly were inserted in each lateral femoral epicondyle of 20 New Zealand White Rabbits. Two groups were investigated: Uncoated, machined surface versus antiadhesive surface; and calcium phosphate‐coated surface versus antiadhesive surface. The sound analysis was performed postoperatively and weekly. After 4 weeks, the animals were euthanized, and the axial pull‐out strengths of the implants were determined. A significant increase in the central frequency was observed for the loose implants (mean pull‐out strength 21.1 ± 16.9 N), up to 6.4 kHz over 4 weeks. In comparison, the central frequency of the osseointegrated implants (105.2 ± 25.3 N) dropped to its initial value. The presented method shows potential for monitoring the osseointegration of different implant surfaces and could considerably reduce the number of animals needed for experiments. © 2014 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 32:606–612, 2014.
Radiofrequency pulse design for the selective excitation of dissolved 129Xe
Authors: Leung General , Norquay Graham , Schulte Rolf F. , Wild Jim M. 
Published: January 2014

PurposeTo optimize radiofrequency (RF) pulses for the selective excitation of dissolved phase 129Xe that take into account the very short T2*, while simultaneously, minimally exciting the much larger gas signal.MethodsNumerical simulations of Shinnar le‐Roux pulses and binomial coefficient composite‐element pulses were performed and experimentally implemented on a 1.5 Tesla (T) clinical scanner. These were compared with pulses commonly used for short T2* imaging from the literature. The pulses were then experimentally tested in vivo with healthy volunteers inhaling hyperpolarized 129Xe using nuclear MR spectroscopy on a 1.5T clinical scanner.ResultsStandard RF excitation pulses inadvertently excite the gas compartment, or are long enough that the T2* of the dissolved compartment deteriorates the received signal. Amplitude modulated binomial composite pulses perform well being short and having high selectivity, however, deteriorate at high amplifier gain setting. Composite pulses using pulse width modulation provide the desired frequency response even in these nonlinear, high gain regimes.ConclusionComposite pulses provide a means of very narrow band frequency selectivity in a short duration pulse that is well suited to dissolved 129Xe imaging. Pulse width modulation maintains the desired frequency response even in the presence of amplitude distortion. Magn Reson Med 73:21–30, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Minisum multipurpose trip location problem on trees
Authors: Araghi Mojtaba , Berman Oded , Averbakh Igor 
Published: January 2014

AbstractWe consider the problem of locating facilities of two types at nodesof a tree network. Customers may need just one type of service, or bothtypes; in the latter case, to minimize transportation costs, the customers visit facilities of both types in a single trip. Each facility incurs a fixed cost that depends on the type of the facility and the node where it is located. It is required to minimize the sum of the total transportation and fixed costs. For the problem with a single facility of each type, we present an O( n) exact algorithm, which improves on the algorithm presented in [2]. For the problem with multiple facilities of each type, we present an algorithm. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, Vol. 63(2), 154–159 2014
Effect of smoking status on inhibin‐A in second‐trimester prenatal screening for Down syndrome
Authors: Huttly Wayne , Bestwick Jonathan , Wald Nicholas 
Published: January 2014

What's already known about this topic?

Inhibin‐A is a useful marker in screening for Down syndrome in the second trimester of pregnancy.
It is known to be about 50% higher among women who state they smoke compared with women who state they do not smoke.
A single adjustment factor has been used in antenatal screening programmes.What does this study add?

This study shows that the extent of the effect of smoking on Inhibin‐A is dependent on the gestational age of the pregnancy.
The extent of the effect increases from about 20% higher at early gestation (14 weeks) to about 70% higher at later gestations (20 weeks).
An equation allowing the effect of gestation to be considered is presented.
Exponentially weighted moving average chart as a suitable tool for nuchal translucency quality review
Authors: Hynek Martin , Smetanová Dagmar , Stejskal David , Zvárová Jana 
Published: January 2014

ABSTRACTObjectivesThis study aimed to design an exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) chart for the quality review of nuchal translucency (NT) and to assess its performance compared with the methods currently in use: retrospective distribution‐based methods and the cumulative sum (CUSUM) chart.MethodsThe EWMA model was designed for NT quality review using simulation. The NT measurements obtained during routine first‐trimester screening in our centre over a two‐and‐a‐half‐year period were retrieved from the database. The NT distribution parameters, EWMA and CUSUM chart were established, and the methods were compared.ResultsOn the basis of the results from the simulation, the optimal EWMA settings were established. A set of 9338 NT measurements obtained from nine sonographers was used to construct the EWMA and CUSUM charts and to calculate the distribution parameters. Distribution‐based methods were unable to reveal the temporal periods of poor performance. The EWMA model agreed closely with the CUSUM but had the advantage promptly indicating when the process returned to an in‐control state, thus extending its use to long‐term prospective and retrospective quality assessments.ConclusionsThe EWMA provides a universal, easy and efficient tool for NT quality review when the prompt and effective detection of suboptimal performance is desired. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Outpatient robotic hysterectomy: clinical outcomes and financial analysis of initial experience
Authors: Borahay Mostafa A. , Patel Pooja R. , Kilic Cemil Hakan , Kilic Gokhan Sami 
Published: January 2014

AbstractBackgroundRobotic surgery is associated with several advantages but also high costs. This study evaluates clinical outcomes and financial feasibility of outpatient robotic hysterectomy.MethodsRetrospective cohort study (Class II‐2) of patients who underwent robotic hysterectomy for benign conditions by the same surgeon (M.A.B.) at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA, during November 2010–February 2013. The study only included cases considered appropriate for outpatient management. Clinical outcomes and costs for patients discharged the same day (outpatients) were compared to those electively admitted (hospitalized).ResultsTwenty‐nine cases (14 outpatient and 15 hospitalized) were analysed. Demographic, pre‐, peri‐ and postoperative characteristics and payer types were not different among the groups (p > 0.05). Outpatient hysterectomy was associated with $4968 hospital savings (p < 0.001), $410 payer savings (p = 0.775) and $4558 improvement in net profit/loss (p = 0.01).ConclusionsIn well‐selected patients, adopting a well‐designed programme, outpatient robotic hysterectomy seems to be safe and financially feasible. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Treatment Preferences for Trigger Digit by Members of the American Association for Hand Surgery
Authors: Pruzansky Jason S. , Goljan Peter , Lundmark David P. , Shin Eon K. , Jacoby Sidney M. , Osterman A. Lee 
Published: January 2014

Background Trigger digit is a common pathology encountered by hand surgeons, but there is a lack of evidence-based guidelines. We investigated the treatment preferences of hand surgeons and explored whether geographic location, type of residency training, or clinical experience is associated with differences in practice. Methods An online survey was distributed via email by the American Association for Hand Surgery to 615 members. The survey consisted of 17 questions related to conservative and operative management of trigger digits. Results One hundred thirty-nine unique responses were received (22.6 %). Geographic distribution of respondents encompassed the entire USA and was not associated with variations in practice. Of the respondents, 56.8 % were trained in orthopedic surgery while 37.4 % had plastic surgery training. In regards to duration of practice, 8.6 % were in practice for up to 5 years, 29.5 % for 6–15 years, 33.8 % for 16–25 years, and 28.1 % for more than 25 years. Notably, the great majority of respondents preferred corticosteroid injections for initial treatment. Those who were willing to give three or more injections prior to surgery were more likely to be plastic surgeons in practice for 16 years or more. A large minority of surgeons utilized splinting in their conservative management. Orthopedic surgeons were more likely to perform tenolysis during pulley release and more likely to use monitored anesthesia care. Conclusions Variation exists between the treatment algorithms of hand surgeons when managing a trigger digit. Some of these differences may be attributable to the type of training or the duration of clinical practice.
Effects of Multiple Injections of Hypertonic Dextrose in the Rabbit Carpal Tunnel: A Potential Model of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Development
Authors: Yoshii Yuichi , Zhao Chunfeng , Schmelzer James D. , Low Phillip A. , An Kai-Nan , Amadio Peter C. 
Published: January 2014

Background This study investigated the effects of a series of four hypertonic dextrose injections on the subsynovial connective tissue (SSCT) and median nerve within the carpal tunnel of a rabbit model. Methods Twenty New Zealand white rabbits were used. One forepaw carpal tunnel was randomly injected with 0.1 ml of 10 % dextrose solution. The contralateral forepaw was injected with a similar amount of saline. This injection was made once per week for 4 weeks. The animals were killed at 16 weeks after the initial injection and were evaluated by electrophysiology (EP), SSCT mechanical testing, and histology. Results Mechanical testing revealed significantly greater ultimate load and energy absorption in the dextrose injection group compared to the saline injection group ( P<0.05). Histological evaluation revealed SSCT fibrosis and thickening and edema in the median nerve bundles in the dextrose injection group. There was a prolongation in the latency of the EP test in the dextrose injection group ( P=0.08). Conclusions Previous studies had shown that one or two injections of 10 % dextrose could induce moderate SSCT fibrosis and mild EP changes without nerve histology changes. In this study, we have shown that higher doses create more severe fibrosis and, most importantly, more severe neuropathy, suggesting a dose–response effect, and confirming this as a potentially useful animal model for researching the etiology and treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome.
A Polymath Approach for the Prediction of Optimized Transesterification Process Variables of Polanga Biodiesel
Authors: Dhingra Sunil , Dubey Kashyap Kumar , Bhushan Gian 
Published: January 2014

AbstractAn attempt has been made to employ an artificial neural network (ANN) combined with a genetic algorithm (GA) in MATLAB 7.0 for predicting the optimized reaction variables for maximum biodiesel production of polanga oil by the transesterification process. The developed ANN is a multilayer feed‐forward back‐propagation network (5‐10‐1) with five input, ten hidden and one output layers. The input variables are the molar ratio of ethanol to oil (X1 in % v/v), the catalyst concentration (X2 in % w/v), the reaction temperature (X3 in °C), the reaction time (X4 in min), the agitation speed (X5 in rpm) and the output parameter is biodiesel yield (% by weight) of polanga oil. The experimental data used in the developed ANN were obtained from response surface methodology (RSM) based on a central composite design. The trained ANN was tested using different training functions from the MATLAB to predict the best correlation coefficients of training, testing and validation. The data generated by trained ANN is used by GA with regards to the best response (for predicting biodiesel yield greater than predicted by RSM) for different combinations of variables (X1, X2, X3, X4, and X5) to attain optimization. The average biodiesel yield (by performing experiments under optimized conditions) of 92 % by weight was produced against the proposed value of 91.08 % by weight.
Social Inequalities in Obesity Persist in the Nordic Region Despite Its Relative Affluence and Equity
Authors: Magnusson Maria , Sørensen Thorkild I. A. , Olafsdottir Steingerdur , Lehtinen-Jacks Susanna , Holmen Turid Lingaas , Heitmann Berit Lilienthal , Lissner Lauren 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
Social inequalities in overweight and obesity (OWOB) have persisted in the affluent and reputedly egalitarian Nordic countries. In this review we examine associations between socioeconomic position (SEP) and OWOB, and secular trends in such associations. Determinants and possible causes of the relations are discussed together with opportunities to cope with OWOB as a public health problem. The findings show a persisting inverse social gradient. An interaction between SEP and gender is noted for adults in Denmark, Finland and Iceland and for children in Sweden. There are overall tendencies for increased inequality, however no consistent trend for an increased social gradient in OWOB. Reasons that increased inequality does not unequivocally mirror in a steepened social gradient in obesity may include methodological questions as well as societal efforts to counteract obesity. Multi-level efforts are needed to prevent OWOB.
Nutritional status and related factors of patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer
Authors: Zhang Liyan , Lu Yuhan , Fang Yu 
Published: January 2014

The scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) is considered to be the most appropriate tool for detecting malnutrition in cancer patients. In particular, malignant tumours derived from the gastrointestinal tract may impair nutrient intake and absorption and cause malnutrition. We carried out a cross-sectional study to assess the nutritional status and related factors of patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Nutritional status was determined using the scored PG-SGA in patients (n 498) with advanced gastrointestinal cancer admitted to the Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology Unit at Beijing Cancer Hospital between 1 August 2012 and 28 February 2013. The possible related factors including age, sex, hospitalisation frequency and pathology were explored. We found that 98 % of the patients required nutrition intervention and 54 % of the patients required improved nutrition-related symptom management and/or urgent nutritional support (PG-SGA score ≥ 9). Factors related to malnutrition were age (r 0·103, P< 0·01), hospitalisation frequency (r − 0·196, P< 0·01) and sex (the prevalence of malnutrition was higher in men than in women (9·88 v. 8·54, P< 0·01)). Patients with rectal cancer had a lower risk of malnutrition than patients with other types of gastrointestinal cancer (F= 35·895, P< 0·01). More attention should be paid to the nutritional status of gastrointestinal patients, especially those at a higher risk of malnutrition, such as elderly patients, those hospitalised for the first time, male patients and those with other types of gastrointestinal cancer except rectal cancer. The nutritional status of these patients should be evaluated and they should be given proper nutrition education and nutritional support in a timely manner.
Plasma nitrogen isotopic fractionation and feed efficiency in growing beef heifers
Authors: Wheadon N. M. , McGee M. , Edwards G. R. , Dewhurst R. J. 
Published: January 2014

Fractionation of N isotopes occurs in many metabolic reactions which causes tissue proteins to become enriched in15N while urea (urine) is depleted in15N relative to the diet. We investigated15N enrichment of whole plasma and its relationship with feed conversion efficiency (FCE) in growing beef heifers (n84) offered 2 kg/d of concentrates with grass silagead libitum.Heifers were on average 299 (sd48·3) d old and weighed 311 (sd48·8) kg. Plasma was obtained on day 79 (n84) of the experiment and from a subset of animals (n20) on four occasions between days 16 and 79. Silage DM intake (DMI) averaged 4·1 (sd0·74) kg/d and concentrate DMI was 1·72 kg/d. Mean mid-test live weight was 333 (sd47·6) kg, daily gain was 0·53 (sd0·183) kg, FCE (g live-weight gain/g DMI) was 0·09 (sd0·028) and residual feed intake (RFI) was 0 (sd0·428). N isotopic fractionation (Δ15N; plasma δ15N − diet δ15N) averaged 3·58 ‰ on day 79 (n84) and 3·90 ‰ for the subset of heifers. There was no relationship between Δ15N and RFI. Plasma δ15N and Δ15N were related to both FCE (negative) and animal weight (positive) for the whole population, and repeatable for the subset of animals over four time points. These relationships of Δ15N with FCE and animal weight are consistent with the anticipated negative relationship with N-use efficiency. There is potential to use Δ15N to provide rapid, low-cost estimates of FCE in cattle.
Does Patronage Matter? Connecting Influences on Judicial Appointments with Judicial Decision Making
Authors: Hausegger Lori , Riddell Troy , Hennigar Matthew 
Published: January 2014

Abstract.The federal government's power to appoint judges has come under increased scrutiny in recent years. While many suggest that partisan affiliation, gender and professional background may be influencing the Canadian appointment process, and some have called into question the fairness of such influences, little attention has been directed at determining whether these characteristics influence the outcome of cases. This paper studies decisions made by the Ontario Court of Appeal between 1990 and 2003 and uses a unique measure of partisan affiliation in an attempt to answer the question: do characteristics which play a role in the appointment process influence judicial decision making.Résumé.Ces dernières années ont vu une augmentation de l'attention donné à l'autorité du gouvernement fédéral en ce qui concerne la nomination judiciaire. Il y en a plusieurs qui suggèrent que l'affiliation partisan, le sexe, et l'expérience professionnelle des candidats judiciaires sont tous des caractéristiques qui peuvent influencer la procédure de nomination. Encore d'autres ont remis en question l'équité d'un choix basé sur ces influences. Cependant, la question qui n'a pas reçu beaucoup d'attention jusqu'à maintenant est si ces caractéristiques influencent le résultat des affaires juridiques. L'article qui suit examine les décisions rendu par le Cour d'appel de l'Ontario entre les années 1990 et 2003, employant une mesure unique d'affiliation partisan, avec le but de répondre à la question : Est-ce que les caractéristiques qui peuvent jouer un rôle dans la procédure de nomination influencent les décisions judiciaires?
Le Canada et le monde vus de l'Ouest : la politique étrangère de David Bercuson et Barry Cooper
Authors: Dorion-Soulié Manuel 
Published: January 2014

Résumé.Cet article a pour objectif de présenter les racines intellectuelles de la politique étrangère canadienne promue par David Bercuson et Barry Cooper, deux membres de ce que d'aucunes appellent « l'école de Calgary », et à qui on attribue une certaine influence sur la pensée du gouvernement Harper. L'article montre que bien que leurs prescriptions puissent se résumer à première vue à un désir de rapprochement avec les États-Unis, leur politique étrangère repose sur des fondements plus complexes, qui combinent leur propre lecture de l'histoire canadienne et des intentions ayant présidé à la Confédération, une certaine conception des relations internationales, ainsi qu'une réflexion philosophique et anthropologique sur la violence, le tout ayant été fortement influencé par la conscience politique particulière de l'Ouest canadien.Abstract.This article explores the intellectual roots of Canada's foreign policy as conceived and promoted by David Bercuson and Barry Cooper, two prominent members of the “Calgary School” and public intellectuals credited with influencing the Harper government's view of the world. While their notion of Canada's foreign policy can be simply boiled down to their belief that Canada should align with the foreign policy of the United States, it is, in fact, more complex. Bercuson and Cooper's vision of Canada's foreign policy blends in a distinct way their own understanding of Canadian history and the original intent behind Canadian Confederation; their particular conception of international relations; philosophical and anthropological reflections on violence; and their typically Western Canadian political consciousness.
Whose Country, Whose Soldiers, Whose Responsibility? First World War Ex-Servicemen and the Development of the Irish Free State, 1923–1939
Authors: MONAGHAN SHANNON 
Published: January 2014

AbstractHow new states dealt with minority populations and developed (or failed to develop) strong and secure government institutions are significant research areas in the history of states born in the aftermath of the First World War. This article examines how Irish First World War veterans served as transitional figures during the state-building phase of the Irish Free State in the 1920s and 1930s. Though they are often presented as categorically maligned or forgotten victims of a period of rising nationalism, this article argues that the ex-servicemen, despite the imperial legacies they represented, were popularly supported during the 1920s and early 1930s, and even served as vehicles through which the Free State cemented its stability and defined its independence and obligations in the international and domestic arenas.