bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Functional Outcomes After the Prosthetic Training Phase of Rehabilitation After Dysvascular Lower Extremity Amputation
Authors: Christiansen Cory L. , Fields Thomas , Lev Guy , Stephenson Ryan O. , Stevens‐Lapsley Jennifer E. 
Published: May 2015

AbstractObjectiveTo describe physical function outcomes and modes of physical therapy intervention for a cohort of patients with dysvascular lower extremity amputation (LEA) during the prosthetic training phase of rehabilitation.DesignA retrospective cohort study.SettingPhysical rehabilitation clinics at a Veterans Affairs medical center and a university hospital.PatientsForty‐two patients (38 men, 4 women, age 60.2 ± 8.4 years) who completed outpatient physical therapy rehabilitation with prosthetic training after dysvascular LEA.MethodsAll patients underwent a prosthetic training phase of rehabilitation, with standardized outcome measures performed at initiation and discharge.Main Outcome MeasuresPerformance‐based physical function measures included Two‐Minute Walk (2MW), Timed‐Up and Go (TUG), and 5‐meter gait speed. Self‐report physical function measures included the Prosthesis Evaluation Questionnaire–Mobility Section (PEQ‐MS) and the Patient‐Specific Functional Scale. Rehabilitation dose was tracked as total number of clinic visits, rehabilitation duration, and specific intervention modes.ResultsThere were significant improvements between initial and discharge values (mean ± SD) for the Two‐Minute Walk (67.5 ± 29.9 m and 103.3 ± 45.8 m, respectively, P < .001), gait speed (0.58 ± 0.27 m/s and 0.88 ± 0.39 m/s, respectively, P < .001), TUG (34.8 ± 21.3 seconds and 18.6 ± 13.9 seconds, respectively, P < .001), PEQ‐MS (2.2 ± 0.9 and 2.8 ± 0.8, respectively, P < .001), and Patient‐Specific Functional Scale (3.2 ± 2.0 and 5.9 ± 2.3, respectively, P < .001). Performance‐based (TUG) and self‐report (PEQ‐MS) changes in functional mobility from initial exam to discharge had low or no correlations with rehabilitation dose measures. The number of clinic visits was 12.7 ± 13.1 and rehabilitation duration was 13.7 ± 16.8 weeks.ConclusionsSignificant improvements in performance‐based and self‐report measures of physical function occurred during the prosthetic training phase of physical rehabilitation after dysvascular major LEA. Despite improvements in function, gait speed, and TUG outcomes remained below clinically important thresholds, indicating patients were limited in community ambulation and at risk for falls. Lack of moderate or greater correlation between rehabilitation dose and outcome measures may indicate the need for more specific rehabilitation dose measures.
RELIABILITY AND KNOWLEDGE IN THE EPISTEMOLOGY OF TESTIMONY
Authors: Lackey Jennifer 
Published: May 2015

AbstractWhat is at the center of the epistemology of testimony: reliability or knowledge? This is the key question that Elizabeth Fricker takes up in her “How to Make Invidious Distinctions Amongst Reliable Testifiers.” In particular, Fricker argues that there are several important reasons to favor understanding testimonial knowledge in terms of the speaker being a knower rather than merely a reliable source of information. In this short response, I raise problems for Fricker’s view and the arguments put forth to support it. I conclude that contrary to Fricker’s thesis, the epistemology of testimony should focus on speaker reliability rather than knowledge.
Dispersion analysis of the solid helical pulse-forming line
Authors: Wang Langning , Liu Jinliang 
Published: May 2015

AbstractIn this paper, a solid helical pulse-forming line (HPFL) is described. The electromagnetic (EM) dispersion theory is used to calculate the important parameters of the HPFL based on tape helix model. Dispersion effects on the important EM parameters of HPFL, such as electric length and characteristic impedances, are analyzed. When Al2O3 ceramic is applied to be the dielectric in the HPFL, the pulse width of the HPFL is calculated nearly 50 ns only with the length of 305 mm. EM field simulation can draw the dispersion curve of the HPFL directly, which can describe the dispersion effect on the electric length of HPFL. Furthermore, the EM field simulation and experiments are carried out to verify the theoretical calculations of the pulse wide and characteristic impedances. Both simulation and experimental results can prove the EM analyses and calculations in this paper.
ITERATIVE SIFTING IN THE SELECTION OF RESEARCH EVIDENCE: IMPLICATIONS FOR REVIEWS AND OTHER DECISION PROBLEMS
Authors: Archer Rachel , Paisley Suzy , Essat Munira , Preston Louise , Thornhill Martin 
Published: May 2015

Objectives: A rapid scoping review was performed to support the development of a new clinical technology platform. An iterative sifting approach was adopted to address the challenges posed by the nature of the review question and the extremely large volume of search results to be sifted within the timescales of the review.Methods: This study describes the iterative sifting approach applied in the scoping review and a preliminary validation of the methods applied.Results: The searches performed for the rapid scoping review retrieved 27,198 records. This was the full set of records subjected to the staged, iterative sifting approach and the subsequent validation process. The iterative sifting approach involved the screening for relevance of 17,354 (i.e., 63.8 percent) of the 27,198 records. A list of fifty-three potential biomarker names was generated as a result of this iterative sifting method, of which nineteen were selected by clinical specialists for further scrutiny. The preliminary validation involved the exhaustive sifting of the remaining 9,844 previously unsifted records. The validation process identified sixteen additional potential biomarker names not identified by the iterative sifting process. The clinical specialists subsequently concluded that none were of further clinical interest.Conclusions: This study describes an approach to the screening of search records that can be successfully applied in appropriate review and decision problems to allow the prioritization of the most relevant search records and achieve time savings. Following further refinement and standardization, this iterative sifting method may have potential for further applications in reviews and other decision problems.
Risky business: political risk insurance and the law and governance of natural resources
Authors: Tan Celine 
Published: May 2015

AbstractThis paper explores the implications of political risk insurance (PRI) in the regulation and governance of natural resources sectors in developing countries. Operating in a hybrid public–private sphere, PRI arrangements involve a more complex web of contractual and non-contractual relations than commercial insurance products, and parties to such arrangements are inserted into a much more intricate framework of legal and political governance, with correspondingly broader international and domestic implications. The paper argues that PRI represents a form of government rationality that provides a framework for organising and regulating the behaviour of actors involved in natural resource investments in developing countries. In natural resources projects where tensions regularly exist between the interests of the foreign investor, the host state and local communities, PRI arrangements can reframe the terms of engagement between these various stakeholders and redefine the host state's engagement with the broader international community.
Regulating environmental responsibility for the multinational oil industry: continuing challenges for international law
Authors: Ong David M. 
Published: May 2015

AbstractStates utilise international law to create opportunities within global markets for private transnational economic actors, such as multinational oil companies, to invest and/or operate within foreign jurisdictions. However, there is a lack of directly enforceable international mechanisms against these private actors when they cause environmental damage abroad. International law responses to this problem range from the establishment of international compulsory compensation schemes, the proposed expansion of the doctrine of state responsibility to include liability for private actors, and more recently through litigation in the home states of multinational oil companies. However, both international jurisprudence and US, Dutch and British domestic case-law reveal an ambivalence towards holding such private transnational economic actors legally accountable in their home state jurisdictions for violations committed abroad. Certain states (the US and France) that have suffered environmental damage from the activities of multinational oil companies have responded by reasserting their domestic regulatory powers to require immediate clean up and compensation, prior to domestic judicial litigation. Other states (Nigeria) are unable to achieve the same level of effective enforcement due to their weaker political and economic bargaining positions.
The structure of FMNL2–Cdc42 yields insights into the mechanism of lamellipodia and filopodia formation
Authors: Kühn Sonja , Erdmann Constanze , Kage Frieda , Block Jennifer , Schwenkmezger Lisa , Steffen Anika , Rottner Klemens , Geyer Matthias 
Published: May 2015

AbstractFormins are actin polymerization factors that elongate unbranched actin filaments at the barbed end. Rho family GTPases activate Diaphanous-related formins through the relief of an autoregulatory interaction. The crystal structures of the N-terminal domains of human FMNL1 and FMNL2 in complex with active Cdc42 show that Cdc42 mediates contacts with all five armadillo repeats of the formin with specific interactions formed by the Rho-GTPase insert helix. Mutation of three residues within Rac1 results in a gain-of-function mutation for FMNL2 binding and reconstitution of the Cdc42 phenotype in vivo. Dimerization of FMNL1 through a parallel coiled coil segment leads to formation of an umbrella-shaped structure that—together with Cdc42—spans more than 15 nm in diameter. The two interacting FMNL–Cdc42 heterodimers expose six membrane interaction motifs on a convex protein surface, the assembly of which may facilitate actin filament elongation at the leading edge of lamellipodia and filopodia.
Chirality transfer from gold nanocluster to adsorbate evidenced by vibrational circular dichroism
Authors: Dolamic Igor , Varnholt Birte , Bürgi Thomas 
Published: May 2015

AbstractThe transfer of chirality from one set of molecules to another is fundamental for applications in chiral technology and has likely played a crucial role for establishing homochirality on earth. Here we show that an intrinsically chiral gold cluster can transfer its handedness to an achiral molecule adsorbed on its surface. Solutions of chiral Au38(2-PET)24 (2-PET=2-phenylethylthiolate) cluster enantiomers show strong vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) signals in vibrations of the achiral adsorbate. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that 2-PET molecules adopt a chiral conformation. Chirality transfer from the cluster to the achiral adsorbate is responsible for the preference of one of the two mirror images. Intermolecular interactions between the adsorbed molecules on the crowded cluster surface seem to play a dominant role for the phenomena. Such chirality transfer from metals to adsorbates likely plays an important role in heterogeneous enantioselective catalysis.
Toll-like receptor 4 contributes to the inhibitory effect of morphine on colonic motility in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Farzi Aitak , Halicka Juraj , Mayerhofer Raphaela , Fröhlich Esther E. , Tatzl Eva , Holzer Peter 
Published: May 2015

AbstractOpioids rank among the most potent analgesic drugs but gastrointestinal side effects, especially constipation, limit their therapeutic utility. The adverse effects of opioids have been attributed to stimulation of opioid receptors, but emerging evidence suggests that opioids interact with the innate immune receptor Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and its signalling pathway. As TLR4 signalling affects gastrointestinal motility, we examined the involvement of TLR4 in morphine-induced depression of peristaltic motility in the guinea-pig intestine in vitro and male C57BL/6N mice in vivo. While the TLR4 antagonist TAK-242 (0.1 μM and 1 μM) did not alter the morphine-induced inhibition of peristalsis in the isolated guinea-pig small intestine, the morphine-induced decrease in pellet propulsion velocity in colonic segments was attenuated by TAK-242 (0.1 μM). The ability of TAK-242 (4 mg/kg) to mitigate the morphine-induced suppression of colonic motility was replicated in mice in vivo by measuring the expulsion time of beads inserted in the distal colon. The inhibition of upper gastrointestinal transit of mice by morphine was not affected by pre-treatment with TAK-242 (4 mg/kg) in vivo. This is the first report that morphine-induced inhibition of colonic peristalsis is alleviated by TLR4 antagonism. We therefore conclude that TLR4 may contribute to opioid-induced constipation.
Polymer immobilized Cu(I) formation and azide-alkyne cycloaddition: A one potreaction
Authors: Islam Rafique Ul , Taher Abu , Choudhary Meenakshi , Siwal Samarjeet , Mallick Kaushik 
Published: May 2015

AbstractDuring the polymerization of aniline using copper sulphate, act as an oxidizingagent, the in-situ synthesized Cu(I) ion catalyzed the cyclo-addition betweenazides and alkynes. This work represents the merging of two steps, synthesis of thecatalyst and application of the catalyst, in a one pot reaction. The elimination ofthe separate catalyst synthesis step is economic in terms of cost and time. Asaniline was used as one of the reactant components so there is no requirement to useadditional base for this reaction that further eliminates the cost of the process.Again, the catalyst can be readily recovered by filtration and efficiently used forthe several sets of reactions without any significant loss of catalyticactivity.
Low-temperature direct copper-to-copper bonding enabled by creep on (111) surfaces of nanotwinned Cu
Authors: Liu Chien-Min , Lin Han-Wen , Huang Yi-Sa , Chu Yi-Cheng , Chen Chih , Lyu Dian-Rong , Chen Kuan-Neng , Tu King-Ning 
Published: May 2015

AbstractDirect Cu-to-Cu bonding was achieved at temperatures of 150–250 °C using a compressive stress of 100 psi (0.69 MPa) held for 10–60 min at 10−3 torr. The key controlling parameter for direct bonding is rapid surface diffusion on (111) surface of Cu. Instead of using (111) oriented single crystal of Cu, oriented (111) texture of extremely high degree, exceeding 90%, was fabricated using the oriented nano-twin Cu. The bonded interface between two (111) surfaces forms a twist-type grain boundary. If the grain boundary has a low angle, it has a hexagonal network of screw dislocations. Such network image was obtained by plan-view transmission electron microscopy. A simple kinetic model of surface creep is presented; and the calculated and measured time of bonding is in reasonable agreement.
Nanoconfinement induced crystal orientation and large piezoelectric coefficient in vertically aligned P(VDF-TrFE) nanotube array
Authors: Liew Weng Heng , Mirshekarloo Meysam Sharifzadeh , Chen Shuting , Yao Kui , Tay Francis Eng Hock 
Published: May 2015

AbstractVertically aligned piezoelectric P(VDF-TrFE) nanotube array comprising nanotubes embedded in anodized alumina membrane matrix without entanglement has been fabricated. It is found that the crystallographic polar axes of the P(VDF-TrFE) nanotubes are oriented along the nanotubes long axes. Such a desired crystal orientation is due to the kinetic selection mechanism for lamellae growth confined in the nanopores. The preferred crystal orientation in nanotubes leads to huge piezoelectric coefficients of the P(VDF-TrFE). The piezoelectric strain and voltage coefficients of P(VDF-TrFE) nanotube array are observed to be 1.97 and 3.40 times of those for conventional spin coated film. Such a significant performance enhancement is attributed to the well-controlled polarization orientation, the elimination of the substrate constraint and the low dielectric constant of the nanotube array. The P(VDF-TrFE) nanotube array exhibiting the unique structure and outstanding piezoelectric performance is promising for wide applications, including various electrical devices and electromechanical sensors and transducers.
Avoiding drying-artifacts in transmission electron microscopy: Characterizing the size and colloidal state of nanoparticles
Authors: Michen Benjamin , Geers Christoph , Vanhecke Dimitri , Endes Carola , Rothen-Rutishauser Barbara , Balog Sandor , Petri-Fink Alke 
Published: May 2015

AbstractStandard transmission electron microscopy nanoparticle sample preparation generally requires the complete removal of the suspending liquid. Drying often introduces artifacts, which can obscure the state of the dispersion prior to drying and preclude automated image analysis typically used to obtain number-weighted particle size distribution. Here we present a straightforward protocol for prevention of the onset of drying artifacts, thereby allowing the preservation of in-situ colloidal features of nanoparticles during TEM sample preparation. This is achieved by adding a suitable macromolecular agent to the suspension. Both research- and economically-relevant particles with high polydispersity and/or shape anisotropy are easily characterized following our approach (http://bsa.bionanomaterials.ch), which allows for rapid and quantitative classification in terms of dimensionality and size: features that are major targets of European Union recommendations and legislation.
Citric Acid Enhanced Copper Removal by a Novel Multi-amines Decorated Resin
Authors: Ling Chen , Liu Fuqiang , Pei Zhiguo , Zhang Xiaopeng , Wei Mengmeng , Zhang Yanhong , Zheng Lirong , Zhang Jing , Li Aimin , Xing Baoshan 
Published: May 2015

AbstractCu removal by a novel multi-amines decorated resin (PAMD) from wastewater in the absence or presence of citric acid (CA) was examined. Adsorption capacity of Cu onto PAMD markedly increased by 186% to 5.07 mmol/g in the presence of CA, up to 7 times of that onto four commercial resins under the same conditions. Preloaded and kinetic studies demonstrated adsorption of [Cu-CA] complex instead of CA site-bridging and variations of adsorbate species were qualitatively illustrated. The interaction configuration was further studied with ESI-MS, FTIR, XPS and XANES characterizations. The large enhancement of Cu adsorption in Cu-CA bi-solutes systems was attributed to mechanism change from single-site to dual-sites interaction in which cationic or neutral Cu species (Cu2+ and CuHL0) coordinated with neutral amine sites and anionic complex species (CuL− and Cu2L22−) directly interacted with protonated amine sites via electrostatic attraction and the ratio of the two interactions was approximately 0.5 for the equimolar bi-solutes system. Moreover, commonly coexisting ions in wastewaters had no obvious effect on the superior performance of PAMD. Also, Cu and CA could be recovered completely with HCl. Therefore, PAMD has a great potential to efficiently remove heavy metal ions from wastewaters in the presence of organic acids.
Mapping paddy rice planting area in wheat-rice double-cropped areas through integration of Landsat-8 OLI, MODIS and PALSAR images
Authors: Wang Jie , Xiao Xiangming , Qin Yuanwei , Dong Jinwei , Zhang Geli , Kou Weili , Jin Cui , Zhou Yuting , Zhang Yao 
Published: May 2015

AbstractAs farmland systems vary over space and time (season and year), accurate and updated maps of paddy rice are needed for studies of food security and environmental problems. We selected a wheat-rice double-cropped area from fragmented landscapes along the rural–urban complex (Jiangsu Province, China) and explored the potential utility of integrating time series optical images (Landsat-8, MODIS) and radar images (PALSAR) in mapping paddy rice planting areas. We first identified several main types of non-cropland land cover and then identified paddy rice fields by selecting pixels that were inundated only during paddy rice flooding periods. These key temporal windows were determined based on MODIS Land Surface Temperature and vegetation indices. The resultant paddy rice map was evaluated using regions of interest (ROIs) drawn from multiple high-resolution images, Google Earth and in-situ cropland photos. The estimated overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient were 89.8% and 0.79, respectively. In comparison with the National Land Cover Data (China) from 2010, the resultant map better detected changes in the paddy rice fields and revealed more details about their distribution. These results demonstrate the efficacy of using images from multiple sources to generate paddy rice maps for two-crop rotation systems.
Abnormal error processing in depressive states: a translational examination in humans and rats
Authors: Beard C , Donahue R J , Dillon D G , Van't Veer A , Webber C , Lee J , Barrick E , Hsu K J , Foti D , Carroll F I , Carlezon Jr W A , Björgvinsson T , Pizzagalli D A 
Published: May 2015

AbstractDepression has been associated with poor performance following errors, but the clinical implications, response to treatment and neurobiological mechanisms of this post-error behavioral adjustment abnormality remain unclear. To fill this gap in knowledge, we tested depressed patients in a partial hospital setting before and after treatment (cognitive behavior therapy combined with medication) using a flanker task. To evaluate the translational relevance of this metric in rodents, we performed a secondary analysis on existing data from rats tested in the 5-choice serial reaction time task after treatment with corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), a stress peptide that produces depressive-like signs in rodent models relevant to depression. In addition, to examine the effect of treatment on post-error behavior in rodents, we examined a second cohort of rodents treated with JDTic, a kappa-opioid receptor antagonist that produces antidepressant-like effects in laboratory animals. In depressed patients, baseline post-error accuracy was lower than post-correct accuracy, and, as expected, post-error accuracy improved with treatment. Moreover, baseline post-error accuracy predicted attentional control and rumination (but not depressive symptoms) after treatment. In rats, CRF significantly degraded post-error accuracy, but not post-correct accuracy, and this effect was attenuated by JDTic. Our findings demonstrate deficits in post-error accuracy in depressed patients, as well as a rodent model relevant to depression. These deficits respond to intervention in both species. Although post-error behavior predicted treatment-related changes in attentional control and rumination, a relationship to depressive symptoms remains to be demonstrated.