bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Subspace Trajectory Piecewise-Linear Model Order Reduction for Nonlinear Circuits
Authors: Pan Xiaoda , Zhu Hengliang , Yang Fan , Zeng Xuan 
Published: February 2013

AbstractDespite the efficiency of trajectory piecewise-linear (TPWL) model order reduction (MOR) for nonlinear circuits, it needs large amount of expansion points for large-scale nonlinear circuits. This will inevitably increase the model size as well as the simulation time of the resulting reduced macromodels. In this paper, subspace TPWL-MOR approach is developed for the model order reduction of nonlinear circuits. By breaking the high-dimensional state space into several subspaces with much lower dimensions, the subspace TPWL-MOR has very promising advantages of reducing the number of expansion points as well as increasing the effective region of the reduced-order model in the state space. As a result, the model size and the accuracy of the TWPL model can be greatly improved. The numerical results have shown dramatic reduction in the model size as well as the improvement in accuracy by using the subspace TPWL-MOR compared with the conventional TPWL-MOR approach.
Employing Per-Component Time Step in DSMC Simulations of Disparate Mass and Cross-Section Gas Mixtures
Authors: Maltsev Roman V. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractA new approach to simulation of stationary flows by Direct Simulation Monte Carlo method is proposed. The idea is to specify an individual time step for each component of a gas mixture. The approach consists of modifications mainly to collision phase simulation and recommendations on choosing time step ratios. It allows lowering the demands on the computational resources for cases of disparate collision diameters of molecules and/or disparate molecular masses. These are cases important e.g., in vacuum deposition technologies. Few tests of the new approach are made. Finally, the usage of new approach is demonstrated on a problem of silver nanocluster diffusion in argon carrier gas under conditions of silver deposition experiments.
Balanced Scorecard and IPA Enables Public Service in Township Management: Local Government Performance
Authors: Lin Wen-Cheng 
Published: February 2013

Quality of township management is highly related to society, and it reflects the local government situation. However, past research seldom discusses the balanced
scorecard and Importance-performance analysis concepts of townships management, which is a driving factor in the enhancement enterprises and local government performance. This paper proposes the concepts of balanced scored to combine the analysis and integration of township resident surveys for Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) implementation. The implication of the existing perspective on management concept is that performance evaluation systems emerging in profit and non-profit enterprises are going to meet the needs of local governments in terms of townships that citizens’ satisfaction in Taiwan.
Adverse Drug Reactions to Antiretroviral Therapy: Prospective Study in Children in Sikasso (Mali)
Authors: Oumar Aboubacar A. , Diallo Korotoumou , Dembélé Jean P. , Samaké Lassana , Sidibé Issa , Togo Boubacar , Sylla Mariam , Tounkara Anatole , Dao Sounkalo , Tulkens Paul M. 
Published: February 2013

OBJECTIVES
Adverse events during antiretroviral treatment are frequent and various. Their diagnosis incurs some various difficulties according to the geographic context. Our aim was to describe the frequency, nature, and preventability of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) due to antiretroviral treatment in Malian outpatient children.

METHODS
The study was a 6-month (June 1 to November 30, 2010) prospective, observational study of 92 children admitted to a pediatric hospital in Sikasso, Mali. The patients were treated with a generic drug and/or drug combinations. Prior to treatment initiation, demographic characteristics, clinical history, and biologic parameters, including CD4 cell counts, were collected for each patient. The World Health Organization's adverse drug reactions classification was used to characterize the side effects. Adverse effects and toxicities were graded 1, 2, and 3. Analysis of data was performed using SPSS Version 17.0 software.

RESULTS
Ninety-two human immunodeficiency virus–infected children met the criteria of inclusion. After 24 weeks of treatment, we observed that 14.1% of children had at least one side effect during our study. Side effects were many and varied, with the most frequent being cutaneous rash, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea (38.5%, 23.1%, 15.4%, and 15.4%, respectively). Side effects were grade 1 in most cases. One case of grade 2 and one case of grade 3 were observed with rash. We observed one case of grade 3 side effects during our study. The treatment regimen was changed in 15.2% of cases, including one case because of side effects.

CONCLUSION
ADRs are not rare in Mali, particularly in children. These ADRs have an impact on quality of life for patients. We recommend a pharmacovigilance system for sustainable management of side effects in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus in Mali.
The Case for Early Diagnosis and Treatment In Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Rudick Richard A. 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
The emergence of partially effective disease-modifying drugs for patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RR-MS) has raised important questions. Which patients with RR-MS should be started on disease-modifying drugs? Can some patients be observed without treatment? Treatment decisions are difficult in part because currently available drugs must be administered by injections, and the drugs are expensive. Emerging research findings support the view that most people diagnosed with RR-MS are at risk for irreversible brain tissue injury and resultant neurologic disability. Importantly, the pathologic process is active during the early stages in many RR-MS patients who appear clinically stable. These findings provide a rationale for proactively treating patients with RR-MS early in their disease course with disease-modifying drugs in order to suppress disease activity, minimize tissue injury, and prevent disability at a later stage. Evidence in support of this approach is reviewed in this report, as are practical issues related to the use of disease-modifying drugs in RR-MS patients.
The Evolution of Nursing Care in Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Halper J 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, frequently debilitating neurologic disease that affects young adults in the prime of their lives. Until recently, treatment focused on symptom management rather than on disease modification. Patients’ contacts with the health care system were limited to the diagnostic period, episodes of acute attacks, and periods of disease progression.
With the advent of disease-modifying agents, the focus of care in MS has changed from one of maintenance and crisis intervention to a more positive and proactive approach. The nurse working in the field of MS has emerged as an important member of the health care team, playing a vital role in the ongoing care of and interaction with patients and their families. Nursing care in MS is a collaborative effort whose goal is self-awareness and self-responsibility; its activities involve supporting a great deal of self-care by patients, families, and care partners.
The nurse working with MS patients is a care provider, facilitator, advocate, educator, counselor, and innovator. The challenges of the disease require many creative interventions in a wide variety of settings. The list of care needs is long and complex. Interventions range from instruction in the use of medications, both oral and injectable, to bowel and bladder management strategies, to the improvement of mobility. The dynamic nature of the disease, along with its psychosocial, economic, and physical implications, calls for ongoing skill development and up-to-date information on the part of the nurse interested in MS care.
Reduction of Relapses in Multiple Sclerosis after Anti-Alpha4 Integrin Antibody (Natalizumab)
Authors: Minagar A , Sheremata WA , Vollmer TL , Willmer-Hulme AJ , Koller M 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
Anti-alpha4 integrin antibody, natalizumab (Antegren), is a monoclonal antibody to a4b1 integrin adhesion molecules expressed on activated monocytes and CD4 cells. A 1-year followup of 28 patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis, randomized to 3 groups in a double-blind pharmacokinetic study, are presented. One group received placebo, a second group low doses (0.01–0.3 mg/kg) of natalizumab, and a third group high doses (1–3 mg/kg) of natalizumab. The observed reduction of relapses in all natalizumab-treated patients with multiple sclerosis suggests a potential range of doses to induce stabilization of the disease.
Impact of a Comprehensive Long-Term Care Program on Caregivers and Persons with Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Guagenti-Tax EM , DiLorenzo TA , Tenteromano L , LaRocca NG , Smith CR 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
The goal of this project was to evaluate a comprehensive model of long-term care in multiple sclerosis (MS). This model consisted of workshops designed to assist participants cope with caregiving demands; medical day care to provide rehabilitation and group therapy; home visits by a psychotherapist or nurse to assist with practical and psychological issues; and case management and liaison services.
Thirty patient-caregiver units receiving treatment were compared with 29 control subjects, with data being collected on 3 occasions over a 2-year period. Repeated measures analysis of variance found that physical functioning declined for MS subjects as indicated by Kurtzke score, Incapacity Status Scale score, and number of hospitalizations. The experimental group reported an increase in perceived cognitive deficits and decreased anxiety. Control subjects reported a greater decline in perceived health than experimental subjects as assessed by the SF-36 general health subscale. All caregivers reported increased overcommitment. Caregivers of controls reported significant decreases in perceived health and that health problems and caregiving activities interfered with social activities. Persons with MS in both groups reported increased satisfaction with caregiver help, while control subjects reported greater satisfaction with the timeliness of help received.
These results provide valuable information about effective ways to use and integrate community resources in the provision of long-term care for persons with MS.
Drug-Induced Dysphagia
Authors: Balzer KM 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
Dysphagia is commonly defined as difficulty swallowing. Although the disorder can have several causes, the patient's medication is often overlooked as a source of the problem. This type of dysphagia, one of the most readily corrected, is known as drug-induced dysphagia. A thorough literature search was undertaken to determine the potential for drug-induced dysphagia.
Drug-induced dysphagia can be classified into one of three categories: dysphagia as a side effect, dysphagia as a complication of therapeutic action, and medication-induced esophageal injury. Examples of medications in each category are provided based on therapeutic classification. Specifically, the role of dysphagia in multiple sclerosis and the agents that have been linked with dysphagia are discussed.
The most valuable method of preventing drug-induced dysphagia is obtaining a thorough and accurate medication history from each patient. Other prevention strategies and compensatory techniques are also explored.
Use of MRI Technology in Determining Prognosis and Tracking Therapeutic Benefit in Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Vollmer Timothy 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
Over the past decade, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been increasingly used as a tool to facilitate the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Because of the relative insensitivity of commonly used clinical assessment measures, however, clinicians are exploring ways in which MRI can be used to determine a patient's prognosis and track progression of the disease. This article discusses the MRI findings that may be useful in evaluating disease progression in MS; results of recent clinical trials of MS treatment agents that have employed MRI; and potential applications for MRI in clinical practice.
A Fundamentally New View of Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Ransohoff Richard 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
The last decade has been an era of unprecedented progress in our understanding of multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is now considered a destructive process of the central nervous system, initiated by inflammatory demyelination but including prominent axonal pathology. This new knowledge has been acquired from new imaging techniques and traditional histopathologic study. New mechanisms of myelin destruction have been uncovered, and hypothetical new therapies for MS include neuroprotectants. Serial gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans reveal MS as a continuously active process. Brain and spinal cord atrophy, defined by MRI, correlate closely with clinical state. MR imaging techniques therefore are considered the standard tools for monitoring disease activity and severity. These efforts have produced improved therapy for patients with MS. Two classes of agents, interferon beta and glatiramer acetate, have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use. A major challenge for clinicians is to provide early diagnosis and determine appropriate treatment. New neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory drugs are on the horizon.
Editorial: Brain Plasticity: Has It a Role in Reducing Disability Related to Demyelinating Disease?
Authors: Cramer Steven C. 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other demyelinating conditions often show improvement from disease-related neurologic deficits. A number of factors have been proposed as contributing to this recovery. One possible mechanism that has received limited attention in the past is cortical plasticity, a process of active remodeling by which surviving resources are reorganized to maximize clinical status. Pilot studies of brain mapping in patients with MS and myelitis suggest that several motor cortex regions are organized differently than in healthy controls. Further studies are needed to evaluate the role of cortical plasticity in reducing disability among patients with MS. If further evidence supports a role for cortical remodeling in recovery from MS attacks, then treatments targeting the processes underlying cortical plasticity, such as growth factors currently being evaluated in stroke models, may represent new therapeutic avenues for patients with demyelinating disease.
Registry of Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Care (MSTRAC) Patient and Physician Characteristics
Authors: Lacy Joseph R. , Stuart William H. , Jacobs Lawrence D. , Vartanian Timothy , Phillips J. Theodore , Greenstein Jeffrey I. ,   the MSTRAC Investigators Group
Published: February 2013

Abstract
The registry of Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Care (MSTRAC) is an ongoing US research project that was initiated in April 1998. This article reports the characteristics of 2,590 relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and 483 physicians enrolled as of July 31, 1999. The mean age of the MSTRAC patients was 44 years; 92% were white; and 83% were women. The majority had some college education, and 50% were employed. Eighty-one percent of patients had relapsing-remitting MS, 17% had secondary progressive MS with relapses, and 3% had progressive relapsing MS. Mean age at symptom onset was 34 years, and mean duration of illness was nine years; mean time between disease onset and diagnosis was two years. Most patients (84%) experienced either no or slow disability progression that varied significantly by the type of relapsing MS (P &lt; .001). MSTRAC physicians had practiced medicine for a mean of 15 years and had spent 84% of their time in patient care. Physicians were distributed across the United States and saw their MS patients in various settings.
Understanding Fluctuations of Multiple Sclerosis across the Menstrual Cycle
Authors: Houtchens Maria K. , Gregori Ninel , Rose John W. 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
This preliminary study offers a novel questionnaire/temperature chart tool to prospectively evaluate monthly neurologic changes in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, correlate these changes with the menstrual cycle, and distinguish them from symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). The study volunteers from the MS Clinic at the University of Utah were five menstruating women with relapsing-remitting disease. They received neither estrogen replacement therapy nor oral contraceptives. Each patient received a Modified Vanderbilt University PMS questionnaire and temperature charts. They recorded basal body temperature daily and graded physical and emotional symptoms during three consecutive menstrual cycles.
At the conclusion of the study, the investigators identified four different responses based on their review of the temperature charts and questionnaires. One response was a consistent increase in neurologic symptoms during the late luteal period, while another response was an absence of such an increase in symptoms. They also identified a PMS response, as well as chronic, severely depressed mood. The Modified Vanderbilt University PMS questionnaire and the temperature chart allow correlation of neurologic symptoms and the menstrual cycle. The investigators feel that the questionnaire/temperature chart combination (reproduced in this article) has the potential to be a valuable tool for prospective, long-term clinical evaluation of female MS patients.
Charge‐Compensated Compound Defects in Ga‐containing Thermoelectric Skutterudites
Authors: Qiu Yuting , Xi Lili , Shi Xun , Qiu Pengfei , Zhang Wenqing , Chen Lidong , Salvador James R. , Cho Jung Y. , Yang Jihui , Chien Yuan‐chun , Chen Sinn‐wen , Tang Yinglu , Snyder G. Jeffrey 
Published: February 2013

AbstractHeavy doping changes an intrinsic semiconductor into a metallic conductor by the introduction of impurity states. However, Ga impurities in thermoelectric skutterudite CoSb3 with lattice voids provides an example to the contrary. Because of dual‐site occupancy of the single Ga impurity charge‐compensated compound defects are formed. By combining first‐principle calculations and experiments, we show that Ga atoms occupy both the void and Sb sites in CoSb3 and couple with each other. The donated electrons from the void‐filling Ga (GaVF) saturate the dangling bonds from the Sb‐substitutional Ga (GaSb). The stabilization of Ga impurity as a compound defect extends the region of skutterudite phase stability toward Ga0.15Co4Sb11.95 whereas the solid–solution region in other directions of the ternary phase diagram is much smaller. A proposed ternary phase diagram for Ga‐Co‐Sb is given. This compensated defect complex leads to a nearly intrinsic semiconductor with heavy Ga doping in CoSb3 and a much reduced lattice thermal conductivity (κL) which can also be attributed to the effective scattering of both the low‐ and high‐frequency lattice phonons by the dual‐site occupant Ga impurities. Such a system maintains a low carrier concentration and therefore high thermopower, and the thermoelectric figure of merit quickly increases to 0.7 at a Ga doping content as low as 0.1 per Co4Sb12 and low carrier concentrations on the order of 1019 cm−3.
Layered Gradient Nonwovens of In Situ Crosslinked Electrospun Collagenous Nanofibers Used as Modular Scaffold Systems for Soft Tissue Regeneration
Authors: Angarano Marco , Schulz Simon , Fabritius Martin , Vogt Robert , Steinberg Thorsten , Tomakidi Pascal , Friedrich Christian , Mülhaupt Rolf 
Published: February 2013

AbstractIn a versatile modular scaffold system, gradient nonwovens of in situ crosslinked gelatin nanofibers (CGN), fabricated by reactive electrospinning, are laminated with perforated layers and nonwovens of thermoplastic non‐crosslinked biodegradable polyesters. The addition of glyoxal to a gelatin solution in a non‐toxic solvent mixture consisting of acetic acid, ethyl acetate, and water (5:3:2 w/w/w) enables the in situ crosslinking of gelatin nanofibers during electrospinning. The use of this fluorine‐free crosslinking system eliminates the need of post‐treatment crosslinking and purification steps typical for conventional CGN scaffolds. The slowly progressing crosslinking of the dissolved gelatin in the presence of glyoxal increases the viscosity of the gelatin solution during electrospinning so that the average diameter of the crosslinked gelatin nanofibers gradually increases from 90 to 680 nm. During the subsequent lamination process, alternating layers of CGN and polycaprolactone (PCL) nonwovens, produced by 3D microextrusion of micrometer‐sized PCL fibers, are bonded together upon heating above the PCL melting temperature. In contrast to the water‐soluble gelatin nanofibers and the comparatively weak CGN, the CGN/PCL/CGN layered biocomposites are water‐resistant and very robust. In such modular scaffold systems, strength, biodegradation rate, and biological functions can be controlled by varying the type, composition, fiber diameter, porosity, number, and sequence of the individual layers. The CGN/PCL multilayer biocomposites can be cut into any desired scaffold shape and attached to tissue by surgical sutures in order to suit the needs of individual patients.
Molecular or Nanoscale Structures? The Deciding Factor of Surface Properties on Functionalized Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) Nanorod Arrays
Authors: Lin Hsing‐An , Luo Shyh‐Chyang , Zhu Bo , Chen Chi , Yamashita Yoshiro , Yu Hsiao‐hua 
Published: February 2013

AbstractNanostructures of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) are assembled by using an anodic aluminum oxide template directly fabricated on gold‐coated silicon wafers. Inside these templates, PEDOT and hydroxy functionalized PEDOT form tubes. On the other hand, alkyl‐ and perfluoro‐functionalized PEDOTs assembled as nanorods. This approach allows a platform to understand the molecular and nanostructural effect on the surface wettability of these materials. In the water/air interface, the contact angle of water droplet (CAwater) for the smooth alkyl‐functionalized PEDOT films increases when alkyl chain gets longer. In contrast, the contact angle reachs saturation at 130° with alkyl chain longer than ethyl in assembled nanorod arrays. It remains the same even in the case of perfluoro‐functionalized PEDOT. Moreover, ethyl‐functionalized PEDOT (PEDOT‐C2) nanorods displays superoleophilicity and the oil deoplet cannot stay on the film in water. Based on the wettability studies, it is concluded that the nanostructures contribute predominantly for the surface wettability of these nanomaterials when the length of alkyl chain crosses certain threshold.