bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of N Atom Transmission from N2 Flowing Post‐Discharges for Sterilization Processes Through Modification of Wettability of Textiles
Authors: Canal Cristina , Villeger Sandrine , Ricard André 
Published: April 2011

AbstractPlasma sterilization has been extensively studied in recent years, and at present conditioning materials such as sterilization pouches or process indicators devoted to such processes should be optimized to allow transfer of the technology to the market. The present work evaluates the possibility of using wettability modification of hydrophobic textiles to detect whether N atoms of a flowing post‐discharge in sterilization conditions (1 L/min, 100 W) are able to freely cross a cellulose membrane (found on the permeable side of a conventional sterilization pouch) and exert their action. Results showed that N2 post‐discharge treatment did not alter pore size of the membrane, and the use of tailored hydrophobic textiles was shown to be an appropriate indicator of N atom penetration inside the pouches. Depending on the initial hydrophobic treatment of the textiles, it is possible to detect differences in the density of atoms which crossed the membrane, being capable of distinguishing between parameters such as treatment time, or altered hydrodynamics of the chamber. magnified image
Protective and curative efficacy of prothioconazole against isolates of Mycosphaerella graminicola differing in their in vitro sensitivity to DMI fungicides
Authors: Sanssené Jean , Selim Sameh , Roisin‐Fichter Céline , Djerroud Lynda , Deweer Caroline , Halama Patrice 
Published: April 2011

AbstractBACKGROUND: Septoria leaf blotch is the most important disease of wheat in Europe. To control this disease, fungicides of the 14α‐demethylase inhibitor group (DMIs) have been widely used for more than 20 years. However, resistance towards DMIs has increased rather quickly in recent years. The objective of this study was to evaluate, on plants and under controlled conditions, the protective and curative efficacy of the DMI fungicide prothioconazole against three current isolates of M. graminicola, chosen to belong to different DMI‐resistant phenotypes. Fungicide efficacy was assessed by visual symptoms and by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).RESULTS: With a protective fungicide application, prothioconazole was always effective against each isolate. This was in accordance with the EC50 results. However, curative efficacy differed between the isolates. It remained at a good level, between 60 and 70% against one isolate, whereas it was strongly affected by late applications from 7 days post‐inoculation with the two other isolates.CONCLUSION: A protective application of prothioconazole in wheat crops could be the best strategy to keep a high efficacy against Septoria leaf blotch. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Social networks and opportunity recognition: A cultural comparison between Taiwan and the United States
Authors: MA Rong , Huang Yen‐Chih , Shenkar Oded 
Published: April 2011

AbstractThis paper investigates the moderating effect of national cultural contexts on the relationship between social networks and opportunity recognition. Data obtained from Taiwan and the United States support the proposition that cultural contexts, specifically the individualism‐collectivism dimension, moderate the relationship between tie strength, structural holes, and opportunity recognition. Results indicate that in the United States, tie strength is negatively associated with opportunity identification and structural holes are positively associated with opportunity identification; whereas in Taiwan we find the opposite. The results also show that the interaction effect between bridging ties and tie strength on opportunity recognition varies depending on the cultural context. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Red and Blue: the relationship between the institutional context and the performance of leveraged buyout investments
Authors: Pe'er Aviad , Gottschalg Oliver 
Published: April 2011

AbstractThis paper advances the debate concerning the relationship between politics and business conduct by investigating the influence of the institutional context on leveraged buyout investments. We propose that the formal and informal institution context in ‘red’ states (those dominated by the U.S. Republican Party) is more aligned with the principal strategies through which leveraged buyout investors create value than such a context is in ‘blue’ states (those dominated by the Democratic Party). Therefore, according to institutional theory, one would expect, ceteris paribus, a higher likelihood of buyout transactions in red states and vice versa. We analyze a sample of 10,746 U.S. buyout investments in 4,633 distinct target companies made by 2,396 different funds managed by 1,300 private equity firms from 1980 to 2003. The results indicate strong evidence of a positive association between a more aligned institutional context and both the volume of buyout activity and different measures of performance for these buyouts. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Recent Progress in Nano‐biotechnology: Compartmentalized Micro‐ and Nanoparticles via Electrohydrodynamic Co‐jetting
Authors: Lahann Joerg 
Published: April 2011

AbstractCompartmentalized particles enable co‐presentation of dissimilar sets of properties, thereby offering a broad design space for multifunctional particles. Electrohydrodynamic co‐jetting is a simple, yet versatile fabrication technique that can be used to prepare such multicompartmental particles and fibers. Processing conditions are summarized for co‐jetting of aqueous and organic polymer solutions as well as nanoparticle suspensions. Because particles can comprise distinct polymers in different compartments, selective surface modification becomes possible. The latter can result in unidirectional intera­ctions with cells or may pave new routes towards targeted drug delivery.
Medullary Thyroid Cancer: Clinico‐pathological Profile and Outcome in a Tertiary Care Center in North India
Authors: Mehrotra Prateek Kumar , Mishra Anjali , Mishra Saroj Kanta , Agarwal Gaurav , Agarwal Amit , Verma Ashok Kumar 
Published: April 2011

AbstractBackgroundRecent advances in genetic screening have ushered in a new era in diagnosis and management of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC). However, the same is not true for a resource‐poor country, where clinicians are still struggling to diagnose and adequately manage this relatively uncommon thyroid malignancy. We hereby present our experience of managing MTC at a tertiary care referral center in North India.MethodsThis was a retrospective study conducted between January 1990 and July 2009. Demographics, clinical profiles, details of surgical procedures, and follow‐up records were reviewed.ResultsA total of 71 patients with MTC were identified. Mean age of this group was 39.9 ± 14.1 years, and men outnumbered women 1.7:1. Some 84.5% of patients had seemingly sporadic MTC, and 15.5% had familial MTC (MEN2a = 14.1%, MEN 2b = 1.4%). All patients had a thyroid nodule at the time of presentation. Mean tumor diameter was 4.9 cm. Cervical lymphadenopathy, mediastinal lymphadenopathy, extrathyroidal invasion, and distant metastases were present in 59%, 7.2%, 10%, and 4.2% of patients, respectively. Staging showed that 4.8% of patients were stage I, 17.5% stage II, 14.3% stage III, and 63.6% stage IV. Treatment was as follows: 92.6% of patients had total thyroidectomy (primary or secondary); 67.6% central compartment lymph node dissection, 62.3% lateral cervical lymph node dissection, and 7.2% trans‐sternal mediastinal lymph node dissection performed. Some 66.7% of patients suffered from persistent hypercalcitoninemia, and 11.4% of those underwent reoperation. The 5‐year and 10‐year overall survival (OS) was 74.6% and 58%, respectively.ConclusionsThe majority of the patients with MTC presented at stage IVa, contributing to the high rate of persistent hypercalcitoninemia. Despite a policy of observation and intervening only in overtly symptomatic patients with persistent hypercalcitoninemia, overall survival (OS) in our study was comparable to other series, reinforcing the belief that persistent hypercalcitoninemia has an indolent course in most patients.
Protective effects of polysaccharides and polyhydric alcohols in a dry mouth model in cultured cells
Authors: Morito Akiko , Fujisawa Koichi , Eguchi Toru , Ota Yojiro 
Published: April 2011

AbstractPurposeThe goal of the study was to investigate the effects of 21 polysaccharides and 12 polyhydric alcohols on inhibition of dryness in oral mucosal epithelial cells in vitro. All the tested compounds are currently used in oral products.MethodsHuman gingival epithelial Ca9-22 cells were incubated in 96-well plates until the cells reached confluence. After removal of the culture medium, the cells were incubated with a solution containing one of 21 polysaccharides (seven semisynthetic and 14 natural polysaccharides) or 12 polyhydric alcohols for 15 min (short-term treatment). After removal of the sample solution, the cells were dried at 25°C and 30% humidity, and cell viability was measured to determine the effect of each compound on prevention of cell death due to drying. The effects of the polyhydric alcohols were also examined for 3 days (long-term treatment).ResultsThe semisynthetic polysaccharides ethylcellulose (EC), methylcellulose (MC), and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) and the natural polysaccharides xanthan and gellan gum significantly inhibited cell death due to drying. Hydroxypropylcellulose increased cell death under these conditions. Of the polyhydric alcohols, long-term treatment with glycosyltrehalose significantly inhibited cell death due to drying, but short-term treatment with glycosyltrehalose did not do so. Long-term treatment had an effect on cell proliferation that appeared to differ from the effect of short-term treatment.ConclusionsShort-term treatment with EC, MC, HPMC, xanthan gum, and gellan gum and long-term treatment with glycosyltrehalose showed significant inhibition of cell death due to drying. These materials might have protective effects against dry mouth.
Nutrient deficiencies as a risk factor in Taiwanese patients with postherpetic neuralgia
Authors: Chen Jen-Yin , Chu Chin-Chen , Lin Yung-Song , So Edmund Cheng , Shieh Ja-Ping , Hu Miao-Lin 
Published: April 2011

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common complication of herpes zoster (HZ). The aim of the present study was to compare the nutritional status of PHN patients with that of healthy controls, and then to identify risk factors for PHN using multivariate multiple logistic regressions. In the present cross-sectional study, we prospectively enrolled fifty PHN patients for at least 3 months and fifty healthy controls. We selected nine circulating nutrients including ionised Ca, Zn, retinol, folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin C, α-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol and lycopene associated with both immunity and the modulation of neuropathic pain, and measured their concentrations in plasma/serum. Concentrations of ionised Ca, Zn, vitamin C and vitamin B12were significantly lower in PHN patients than in controls after excluding those patients receiving supplements since the outbreak of HZ. The prevalence of either mild/marginal or severe deficiencies for any of the nine selected circulating nutrients in PHN patients (92 %) was much higher than that in controls (46 %) (P < 0·001). Lower concentrations of vitamin C ( ≤ 45·0 μmol/l), ionised Ca ( ≤ 1·05 mmol/l) and Zn ( ≤ 0·91 g/l) were found to increase independently the risk of PHN using binary variable (dichotomy) analyses with both PHN patients and controls in a multivariate logistic regression analysis. No significant correlations existed between the risks of PHN and the concentrations of retinol, folic acid, vitamin B12, lycopene or α:γ-tocopherol ratios. Thus, lower concentrations of circulating nutrients, namely vitamin C, ionised Ca or Zn, are probably a risk factor in Taiwanese patients with PHN.
Influence of the consumption pattern of magnesium from magnesium-rich mineral water on magnesium bioavailability
Authors: Sabatier Magalie , Grandvuillemin Antoine , Kastenmayer Peter , Aeschliman Jean-Marc , Bouisset Florilène , Arnaud Maurice J. , Dumoulin Gilles , Berthelot Alain 
Published: April 2011

It is generally considered that the absorption of Mg is inversely related to the ingested dose. The objective of the present study was to determine if the mode of administration (bolus v. consumption throughout the day) could influence Mg bioavailability from Mg-rich natural mineral water comparing the same nutritional Mg amount (126 mg). Using a 2 d cross-over design, twelve healthy men were asked to drink 1·5 litres Mg-rich mineral water either as 2 × 750 ml or 7 × 212 ml throughout the day. Two stable isotopes (25Mg and 26Mg) were used to label the water in order to distinguish both regimens. Fractional apparent Mg absorption was determined by faecal monitoring and Mg retention was determined by measuring urinary excretion of Mg isotopes. Higher Mg absorption (50·7 (sd 12·7) v. 32·4 (sd 8·1) %; P = 0·0007) and retention (47·5 (sd 12·9) v. 29·0 (sd 7·5) %; P = 0·0008) from Mg-rich mineral water were observed when it was consumed in seven servings compared with larger servings. Thus, regular water consumption throughout the day is an effective way to increase Mg bioavailability from Mg-rich mineral water.
THE LONG AND INTRICATE FUNERAL OF YASIN AL-HASHIMI: PAN-ARABISM, CIVIL RELIGION, AND POPULAR NATIONALISM IN DAMASCUS, 1937
Authors: Wien Peter 
Published: April 2011

AbstractAfter his premature death in exile in Beirut in 1937, the body of former Iraqi prime minister Yasin al-Hashimi became a matter of contention between the Syrian and Iraqi governments, as did his legacy as an avid Pan-Arabist. When the coffin with the deceased stopped in Damascus on its promised transfer to Baghdad, the Syrian National Bloc government used the opportunity to stage a solemn republican funeral to bolster its Arab nationalist credentials. Syrian conflicts with the Iraqi government that had removed al-Hashimi in a military coup in the previous year ultimately made Yasin's return impossible, however, and he was buried in Damascus, next to Saladin's mausoleum at the Umayyad Mosque. Unfortunately for the National Bloc, the funeral coincided with the first clashes over the Alexandretta crisis. The resulting street protests destroyed all public confidence that the bloc had gained during the funeral, underlining the volatile nature of nationalist politics at the time.
Kartosuwiryo and the Darul Islam Rebellion in Indonesia
Authors: Soebardi S. 
Published: April 2011

This paper is an attempt to analyze briefly the origin and growth of the Darul Islam movement with emphasis on the life of the leader of the rebellion, his ideology for establishing an Islamic theocratic state and a discussion on some of the problems he encountered in his effort to achieve his objective.Sukarmadji Maridjan Kartosuwiryo: A Brief BiographySukarmadji Maridjan Kartosuwiryo was born in the small town of Cepu in North Central Java on the day of Selasa Kliwon (Tuesday Kliwon), 7 February 1905.
The “Indianization” of Bali
Authors: Lansing J. Stephen 
Published: April 2011

In two recent review articles, I.W. Mabbett summarizes the prehistoric and historic sources bearing on the question of “Indian influence on the development of Southeast Asian societies”. Asimilar review was undertaken by Paul Wheatley in “Satyantra in Suvarnadvipa” and more recently by Ken Hall. Each of these authors make similar points: that there are essentially three major hypotheses that have been advanced over the years to account for the spread of “Indian influence” (the Brahmana, Ksatriya, and Vaisya respectively, to which we will return); and that evidence on which to decide amongst these hypotheses is lacking. After a “brief outline of the sources on ‘Indianization’ which is practically complete”, I.W. Mabbett concludes that:It is unlikely that prolongation of the catalogue of possible sources would add much to what has already been gleaned — more Indian trade goods, more inscriptions recording the activity of pious Hindu or Buddhist rulers, more unreliable Chinese second-hand accounts of Indian priests and Indianized “kingdoms”. The purpose in extending the catalogue this far had been twofold. In the first place, it is to make quite clear that the actual process of “Indianization” is nowhere reliably portrayed; what is portrayed by the earliest evidence is the operation of kingdoms already Indianized; and therefore the various theories that have been offered are speculation. One may seem more plausible or attractive than another, but none has been established.
The Burden of Taxation in Colonial Indonesia in the Twentieth Century
Authors: Booth Anne 
Published: April 2011

Through much of the last four decades of Dutch rule in Indonesia (1900-1941) the question of “native welfare” increasingly concerned colonial administrators and scholars. In her speech in 1901, Queen Wilhemina drew attention to the declining state of native welfare in Java, thus ushering in the so-called period of ethical policies. One aspect of the problem of declining welfare among the indigenous population both in Java and elsewhere which became the subject of government investigation was the burden of taxation. Writing in 1901, P. Brooshooft drew attention to the fact that “the present [colonial] budgets are always closed with a deficit…and the most pressing needs cannotbe filled; the capacity of the people to pay is exhausted more and more through heavier taxation”. Twenty years later, W. Huender, in surveying the economic conditions of the indigenous people of Java and Madura, feltit is disquieting that taxation is not increasing more…it is impossible to maintain that the indigenous population is not taxed heavily enough. Taking account of the low capacity of people to pay the contrary is rather the case; and present plans to have the people pay even more (for example, by increasingthe head tax and the landrent) can only make one shudder. In fact the most difficult and pressing problem in Java and Madoera is that, while the people have been taxed to the utmost limit and are “minimum sufferers”, apparently the various government measures taken to improve the situation have not been effective.
Radiochromic film spectroscopy of laser-accelerated proton beams using the FLUKA code and dosimetry traceable to primary standards
Authors: Kirby D. , Green S. , Fiorini F. , Parker D. , Romagnani L. , Doria D. , Kar S. , Lewis C. , Borghesi M. , Palmans H. 
Published: April 2011

AbstractA new approach to spectroscopy of laser induced proton beams using radiochromic film (RCF) is presented. This approach allows primary standards of absorbed dose-to-water as used in radiotherapy to be transferred to the calibration of GafChromic HD-810 and EBT in a 29 MeV proton beam from the Birmingham cyclotron. These films were then irradiated in a common stack configuration using the TARANIS Nd:Glass multi-terawatt laser at Queens University Belfast, which can accelerate protons to 10–12 MeV, and a depth-dose curve was measured from a collimated beam. Previous work characterizing the relative effectiveness (RE) of GafChromic film as a function of energy was implemented into Monte Carlo depth-dose curves using FLUKA. A Bragg peak (BP) “library” for proton energies 0–15 MeV was generated, both with and without the RE function. These depth-response curves were iteratively summed in a FORTRAN routine to solve for the measured RCF depth-dose using a simple direct search algorithm. By comparing resultant spectra with both BP libraries, it was found that the effect of including the RE function accounted for an increase in the total number of protons by about 50%. To account for the energy loss due to a 20 µm aluminum filter in front of the film stack, FLUKA was used to create a matrix containing the energy loss transformations for each individual energy bin. Multiplication by the pseudo-inverse of this matrix resulted in “up-shifting” protons to higher energies. Applying this correction to two laser shots gave further increases in the total number of protons, N of 31% and 56%. Failure to consider the relative response of RCF to lower proton energies and neglecting energy losses in a stack filter foil can potentially lead to significant underestimates of the total number of protons in RCF spectroscopy of the low energy protons produced by laser ablation of thin targets.
Coverage with evidence development: The Ontario experience
Authors: Levin Leslie , Goeree Ron , Levine Mark , Krahn Murray , Easty Tony , Brown Adalstein , Henry David 
Published: April 2011

Background:For non-drug technologies, there is often residual uncertainty following systematic review, mainly due to inadequate evidence of efficacy. The unwillingness to make decisions in the presence of uncertainty may lead to passive diffusion and intuitive decision making with or without public pressure. This may affect health system sustainability. There is increasing interest in post-market evaluation through processes that include coverage with evidence development (CED) to address residual uncertainty regarding effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Global experience of CED has been slow to develop despite their potential contribution to decision making.Methods:Ontario's field evaluation program to better inform decision making represents a collaboration between physicians, policy decision makers and academic centers. We report results of the first ten CEDs from this program to assess whether they achieved their objective of influencing policy by addressing residual uncertainty following systematic review.Results:Since 2003, nineteen field evaluation studies to resolve residual uncertainty following systematic review have been completed, ten of which met the criteria of CED and are the focus of this report. There was more than one patient subgroup or intervention in three of the CEDs. This provided the basis for evaluating thirteen outcomes. In each case, the CED addressed the uncertainty and led to a decision based on the systematic review and CED result. The CEDs led to adoption of the technology in six instances, modified adoption in three instances and withdrawal in four instances.Conclusions:CED makes an important contribution to translating evidence to decision making. Methodologies are needed to increase the scope and reduce timelines for CEDs, such as the use of linked comprehensive and robust data sets and collaborative studies with other jurisdictions. CED before making long-term funding decisions, especially where there is uncertainty of effectiveness, safety or cost-effectiveness, should be increasingly funded by health systems.
On-line sentence processing in Swedish: cross-linguistic developmental comparisons with French
Authors: KAIL MICHÈLE , KIHLSTEDT MARIA , BONNET PHILIPPE 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACTThis study examined on-line processing of Swedish sentences in a grammaticality-judgement experiment within the framework of the Competition Model. Three age groups from 6 to 11 and an adult group were asked to detect grammatical violations as quickly as possible. Three factors concerning cue cost were studied: violation position (early vs. late), violation span (intraphrasal vs. interphrasal) and violation type (agreement vs. word order). Developmental results showed that children were always slower at detecting grammatical violations. Irrespective of age, participants were faster at judging sentences with late violations, especially in the younger groups. Intraphrasal violations were more rapidly detected than interphrasal ones, particularly in adults. Finally, agreement violations and word order ones did not differ. The hierarchy of cue cost factors indicated that violation span was the dominant one. A cross-linguistic analysis with French (Kail, 2004) underlines the developmental processing abilities and the interdependence between cue cost and cue validity.