bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Different Measurement Methods Using 1H‐NMR Data for the Analysis of the Transesterification of Vegetable Oils
Authors: Andrade D. F. , Mazzei J. L. , Kaiser C. R. , d'Avila L. A. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractIn the present work we make assessments of the correlation of equations based on 1H‐NMR data for the analysis of FAME in 45 transesterification products with methanol from several vegetable oils (soybean, corn, sunflower, canola, linseed, cottonseed and jatropha). The products employed in this study were of high and low yield. A comprehensive approach to the applicability, advantages and limitations of employing NMR expressions is described. A new expression to determine the degree of unsaturation of combined and free fatty acids was found to be satisfactory when compared with the classic expression. Estimates of uncertainties for classic equations, which have been used to determine yield and degree of unsaturation, were proposed in the present work. The results show that either one or both of the expressions for estimating yields could not be satisfactorily used for products from linseed oil, and also indicate the possibility that products from cottonseed oil may also be exceptions. Both the equations were found to be satisfactory for the products obtained from the other oils (soybean, corn, sunflower, canola and jatropha), considering the uncertainties proposed in the present work.
Synthesis of Trimethylolpropane Esters of Oleic Acid Using a Multi‐SO3H‐Functionalized Ionic Liquid as an Efficient Catalyst
Authors: Li Rui‐Jun , Chen Li , Yan Zong‐Cheng 
Published: October 2011

AbstractBiodegradable trimethylolpropane triesters of oleic acid were synthesized by esterification of trimethylolpropane and oleic acid over a multi‐SO3H‐functionalized strong Brønsted acidic ionic liquid as the catalyst. The results showed that the esterification can proceed satisfactorily over the catalyst at an ambient pressure even without simultaneous removal of water. Under the optimal reaction conditions (temperature: 100 °C, reaction time: 3 h, reactant molar ratio: 3.6:1, and catalyst amount, high conversion rate of trimethylolpropane (99.0%) and selectivity of trimethylolpropane triester (92.1%) were obtained. The ionic liquid was reused six times after the removal of water and no obvious change in catalytic activity was detected. Operational simplicity, high yields along with good reusability makes the multi‐SO3H‐functionalized ionic liquid a promising catalyst for the esterification of trimethylolpropane with oleic acid.
Sign-changing solutions of competition–diffusion elliptic systems and optimal partition problems
Authors: Tavares Hugo , Terracini Susanna 
Published: October 2011

In this paper we prove the existence of infinitely many sign-changing solutions for the system of

m

Schrödinger equations with competition interactions

−\mathrm{\Delta }u_{i} + a_{i}u_{i}^{3} + \beta u_{i}\sum \limits_{j \neq i}u_{j}^{2} = \lambda _{i,\beta }u_{i},\:u_{i} \in H_{0}^{1}(\Omega ),\:i = 1,\dots,m

where

Ω

is a bounded domain,

\beta > 0

and

a_{i}⩾0

∀i

. Moreover, for

a_{i} = 0

, we show a relation between critical energies associated with this system and the optimal partition problem

\inf_{\scriptsize
\begin{array}{c}
\omega_{i} \subset \Omega \:\text{open}\\
\omega_{i} \cap \omega_{j} = \emptyset \:\forall i \neq j
\end{array}
}
\sum_{i = 1}^{m}\lambda _{k_{i}}(\omega _{i}),

where

\lambda _{k_{i}}(\omega )

denotes the

k_{i}

-th eigenvalue of

−Δ

in

H_{0}^{1}(\omega )

. In the case

k_{i}⩽2

we show that the optimal partition problem appears as a limiting critical value, as the competition parameter

β

diverges to

+∞

.

Résumé
Dans cet article nous montrons lʼexistence dʼune infinité de solutions qui changent de signe pour le système dʼéquations de Schrödinger avec des interactions compétitives

−\mathrm{\Delta }u_{i} + a_{i}u_{i}^{3} + \beta u_{i}\sum \limits_{j \neq i}u_{j}^{2} = \lambda _{i,\beta }u_{i},\:u_{i} \in H_{0}^{1}(\Omega ),\:i = 1,…,m

où

Ω

est un domaine borné,

\beta > 0

et

a_{i}⩾0

∀i

. De plus, quand

a_{i} = 0

, nous démontrons une relation entre les énergies critiques associées à ce système et le problème de partition optimale

\inf_{\scriptsize
\begin{array}{c}
\omega_{i} \subset \Omega \:\text{open}\\
\omega_{i} \cap \omega_{j} = \emptyset \:\forall i \neq j
\end{array}
}
\sum_{i = 1}^{m}\lambda _{k_{i}}(\omega _{i}),

\lambda _{k_{i}}(\omega )

indiques la

k_{i}

-ème valeur propre de lʼopérateur

−Δ

in

H_{0}^{1}(\omega )

. Dans le cas

k_{i}⩽2

, nous montrons que le problème de partition optimale apparaît comme une valeur limite critique, en tant que paramètre de compétition

β

diverge vers

+∞

.
Prevalence of Risk Factors for Contrast-Induced Nephrotoxicity in Outpatients Undergoing Intravenous Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography Studies
Authors: Carstensen Michael , Keer Dipinder , Rempel Jeremy , Jeon Paul , Barrett Brendan 
Published: October 2011

Objective To document the prevalence and pattern of risk factors for contrast-induced nephrotoxicity (CIN) in an outpatient population referred for contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) (CECT) studies. Methods Over a 4-month period, 3261 patients presenting for CT studies were asked to consent to a survey of CIN risk factors. Among these patients, 957 were outpatients who received contrast material before the CT study. Demographic information and available serum creatinine (SCr) data for these patients were extracted from medical records and then analysed. A telephone questionnaire to document risk factors was administered to 200 of these patients, who were outpatients not referred from the emergency department or on dialysis. Results Among the 200 surveyed patients, 69% reported risk factors for CIN or for kidney function impairment (low estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR]) at baseline. Among these patients, 43% reported multiple (2 or more) risk factors. Patients older than the mean age of 53 years had a higher incidence of having multiple risk factors when compared with those younger than this age. Patients with kidney function impairment at baseline had a higher incidence of having multiple risk factors when compared with those with normal kidney function. Among the patients with no SCr investigation in the 3 months preceding a CECT, 64% had multiple risk factors. In the study population of 957 outpatients undergoing CECT, 52% had SCr measurements within 3 months before the study. An eGFR of less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 was found in 17% of the study population, and, in 0.6%, the eGFR was less than 30 mL/min/1.73 m2. Conclusion In an ambulatory outpatient population, many patients presenting for outpatient CECT studies will have risk factors for CIN or for kidney function impairment (low eGFR) at baseline. Kidney function assessment, therefore, is indicated in this patient population before CECT.
RETRACTED: Puerperal and menstrual bleeding patterns with different types of contraceptive device fitted during elective cesarean delivery
Authors: Elsedeek Mervat S.E. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of a copper‐containing intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) and the levonorgestrel‐releasing intrauterine system (IUS) on puerperal and menstrual bleeding when fitted intraoperatively during scheduled elective cesarean.MethodsParticipants were allocated to 3 groups: cesarean with no device inserted; IUCD inserted during cesarean; and IUS inserted during cesarean.ResultsThere was significantly shorter and lighter puerperium in the IUS group (20.2 ± 7.7 days and 3.1 ± 1.6 pads/day) than in the IUCD (33.4 ± 9.5 days and 4.9 ± 2.4 pads/day) and the control (27.0 ± 11.4 days and 4.9 ± 2.3 pads/day) groups (P < 0.012 and P < 0.0001, respectively). At the end of puerperium, mean duration of amenorrhea was significantly longer in the IUS group than in the IUCD and control groups (P < 0.0001). Menstrual periods were longer and heavier in the IUCD group than in the control group but the difference was not significant (P > 0.07). In the IUS group, menstrual periods were significantly shorter and lighter than in the other groups (P < 0.0001).ConclusionIntrauterine system fitting at the time of elective cesarean is associated with significant reductions in the duration and amount of puerperal blood loss, as well as a high incidence of amenorrhea and lighter periods thereafter.
Characterization of colorectal symptoms in women with vesicovaginal fistulas
Authors: Kirby Anna C. , Gleason Jonathan L. , Greer William Jerod , Norman Andy J. , Lengmang Sunday , Richter Holly E. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractObjectiveTo characterize colorectal symptoms in women with a history of an obstetric vesicovaginal fistula (VVF).MethodsPatients under evaluation with a VVF during two 2‐week surgical service trips to Evangel Hospital VVF Center in Jos, Nigeria, in 2010 were assessed for symptoms of fecal incontinence (FI) using the Vaizey and Colorectal‐Anal Impact (CRAIQ) questionnaires. Women with rectovaginal fistulas were excluded. Each participant's impression of overall health was assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS) from 0 (poor) to 15 (excellent). A study nurse translated questionnaires into native languages.ResultsThe mean age of the 83 women included was 29 years. Three women (3.6%) reported FI and 42 (50.6%) reported constipation. All of the women with FI reported that it affected their quality of life on the CRAIQ. Average VAS score was 10.8 overall and 6.8 for women with FI.ConclusionIn this population of women with VVF but no rectovaginal fistulas, we found a low prevalence of fecal incontinence and a high prevalence of constipation. Despite significant pelvic floor trauma resulting in VVF, the majority of patients appeared to have an intact bowel continence mechanism.
Comparison of double‐ and single‐dose methotrexate protocols for treatment of ectopic pregnancy
Authors: Hamed Hossam O. , Ahmed Salah R. , Alghasham Abdullah A. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractObjectiveTo compare efficacy between double‐dose methotrexate and single‐dose methotrexate for treatment of tubal ectopic pregnancy (EP).MethodsBetween March 2008 and February 2011,157 patients who had tubal EP diagnosed by a non‐laparoscopic approach and were hemodynamically stable were enrolled in a prospective study in Qassim, Saudi Arabia. The participants were randomized to receive either double‐dose (50 mg/m2 intramuscularly on days 0 and 4; group 1) or single‐dose (50 mg/m2 intramuscularly on day 0; group 2) methotrexate. Serum human chorionic gonadotropin (β‐hCG) levels were followed until negative.ResultsThe overall success rate was comparable between groups 1 and 2 (88.6% versus 82.0%, P = 0.1). The duration of follow up until negative β‐hCG was shorter in group 1 (P = 0.001). Receiver operative characteristics showed that higher cut‐off levels of β‐hCG and gestational mass diameter were associated with successful outcome in group 1. Among participants with initial β‐hCG of 3600–5500 mIU/mL, the success rate was higher in group 1 (P = 0.03). There was no significant difference between groups in adverse effects.ConclusionFor treatment of EP, double‐dose methotrexate had efficacy and safety comparable to that of single‐dose methotrexate; it had better success among patients with moderately high β‐hCG and led to a shorter follow up.
Advancing obstetric and neonatal care in a regional hospital in Ghana via continuous quality improvement
Authors: Srofenyoh Emmanuel , Ivester Thomas , Engmann Cyril , Olufolabi Adeyemi , Bookman Laurel , Owen Medge 
Published: October 2011

AbstractObjectiveTo reduce maternal and neonatal death at a large regional hospital through the use of quality improvement methodologies.MethodsIn 2007, Kybele and the Ghana Health Service formed a partnership to analyze systems and patient care processes at a regional hospital in Accra, Ghana. A model encompassing continuous assessment, implementation, advocacy, outputs, and outcomes was designed. Key areas for improvement were grouped into “bundles” based on personnel, systems management, and service quality. Primary outcomes included maternal and perinatal mortality, and case fatality rates for hemorrhage and hypertensive disorders. Implementation and outcomes were evaluated tri‐annually between 2007 and 2009.ResultsDuring the study period, there was a 34% decrease in maternal mortality despite a 36% increase in patient admission. Case fatality rates for pre‐eclampsia and hemorrhage decreased from 3.1% to 1.1% (P < 0.05) and from 14.8% to 1.9% (P < 0.001), respectively. Stillbirths were reduced by 36% (P < 0.05). Overall, the maternal mortality ratio decreased from 496 per 100 000 live births in 2007 to 328 per 100 000 in 2009.ConclusionMaternal and newborn mortality were reduced in a low‐resource setting when appropriate models for continuous quality improvement were developed and employed.
Clinical outcomes associated with surgical treatment of endometrioma coupled with resection of the posterior broad ligament
Authors: Mereu Liliana , Florio Pasquale , Carri Giada , Pontis Alessandro , Petraglia Felice , Mencaglia Luca 
Published: October 2011

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate clinical outcomes associated with the resection of both endometrioma and posterior broad ligament (PBL) among women with PBL adhesion associated with endometrioma.MethodsBetween January 2007 and December 2009 at the Villanova Hospital, Florence, Italy, a prospective trial was conducted on 99 consecutive patients with unilateral or bilateral endometrioma who underwent laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy by a stripping technique and homolateral PBL resection where PBL adhesion was associated with endometrioma. The prevalence of PBL adhesion and endometriosis, the association between PBL endometriosis and pain, and the recurrence of endometrioma and pain were evaluated. All data were analyzed with Prism software.ResultsAmong 124 endometriomas treated by concomitant PBL resection, the PBL was not affected by adhesions in only 2% of patients. PBL endometriosis was superficial in 36 (29.5%) and deep in 86 (70.5%) of the histologic preparations; deep endometriosis correlated with preoperative pain. At 1‐year follow‐up, endometrioma had recurred in 7 patients; the main symptom reported was mid‐cycle pain (24 patients, 24%; P = 0.0007).ConclusionOvarian endometriosis was often (98%) associated with PBL endometriosis; deep endometriosis of PBL correlated with pain symptoms. Although PBL resection increased the incidence of mid‐cycle pain, it was associated with low recurrence of endometrioma.
Building trust to increase purchase intentions: The signaling impact of low pricing policies
Authors: White Tiffany Barnett , Yuan Hong 
Published: October 2011

AbstractWe examine the differential signaling impact of two low pricing policies, Price Matching Guarantees and Everyday Low Prices, on consumers' trusting beliefs and purchase intentions. We demonstrate that both PMG and EDLP pricing policies signal stores' ability to offer lower prices. However, whether these sellers were perceived as benevolent, and—consequently—consumers' purchase intentions, varied critically depending upon price uncertainty. Perceived benevolence and purchase intentions were significantly higher [lower] for sellers offering PMG than EDLP when price dispersion was high [low]. Our findings offer insights into whether and under what conditions firms should adopt these low pricing policies.
Some biomedical applications of chitosan-based hybrid nanomaterials
Authors: Tran Dai Lam , Pham Gia Dien , Nguyen Xuan Phuc , Vu Dinh Hoang , Nguyen Ngoc Thinh , Tran Vinh Hoang , Mai Thi Thu Trang , Nguyen Hai Binh , Le Quang Duong , Nguyen Thi Ngoan , Ba Thi Cham 
Published: October 2011

Abstract
Being naturally abundant resources and having many interesting physicochemical and biological properties, chitin/chitosan have been found to be useful in many fields, especially biomedical ones. This paper describes the strategy to design multifunctional, hybrid chitosan-based nanomaterials and test them in some typical biomedical applications.
STRIKE: evaluation of protein MSAs using a single 3D structure
Authors: Kemena Carsten , Taly Jean-Francois , Kleinjung Jens , Notredame Cedric 
Published: October 2011

Abstract
Motivation: Evaluating alternative multiple protein sequence alignments is an important unsolved problem in Biology. The most accurate way of doing this is to use structural information. Unfortunately, most methods require at least two structures to be embedded in the alignment, a condition rarely met when dealing with standard datasets.
Result: We developed STRIKE, a method that determines the relative accuracy of two alternative alignments of the same sequences using a single structure. We validated our methodology on three commonly used reference datasets (BAliBASE, Homestrad and Prefab). Given two alignments, STRIKE manages to identify the most accurate one in 70% of the cases on average. This figure increases to 79% when considering very challenging datasets like the RV11 category of BAliBASE. This discrimination capacity is significantly higher than that reported for other metrics such as Contact Accepted mutation or Blosum. We show that this increased performance results both from a refined definition of the contacts and from the use of an improved contact substitution score.
Contact: cedric.notredame@crg.eu
Availability: STRIKE is an open source freeware available from www.tcoffee.org
Supplementary Information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Determining the evolutionary history of gene families
Authors: Ames Ryan M. , Money Daniel , Ghatge Vikramsinh P. , Whelan Simon , Lovell Simon C. 
Published: October 2011

Abstract
Motivation: Recent large-scale studies of individuals within a population have demonstrated that there is widespread variation in copy number in many gene families. In addition, there is increasing evidence that the variation in gene copy number can give rise to substantial phenotypic effects. In some cases, these variations have been shown to be adaptive. These observations show that a full understanding of the evolution of biological function requires an understanding of gene gain and gene loss. Accurate, robust evolutionary models of gain and loss events are, therefore, required.
Results: We have developed weighted parsimony and maximum likelihood methods for inferring gain and loss events. To test these methods, we have used Markov models of gain and loss to simulate data with known properties. We examine three models: a simple birth–death model, a single rate model and a birth–death innovation model with parameters estimated from Drosophila genome data. We find that for all simulations maximum likelihood-based methods are very accurate for reconstructing the number of duplication events on the phylogenetic tree, and that maximum likelihood and weighted parsimony have similar accuracy for reconstructing the ancestral state. Our implementations are robust to different model parameters and provide accurate inferences of ancestral states and the number of gain and loss events. For ancestral reconstruction, we recommend weighted parsimony because it has similar accuracy to maximum likelihood, but is much faster. For inferring the number of individual gene loss or gain events, maximum likelihood is noticeably more accurate, albeit at greater computational cost.
Availability: www.bioinf.manchester.ac.uk/dupliphy
Contact: simon.lovell@manchester.ac.uk; simon.whelan@manchester.ac.uk
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Correcting for cancer genome size and tumour cell content enables better estimation of copy number alterations from next-generation sequence data
Authors: Gusnanto Arief , Wood Henry M. , Pawitan Yudi , Rabbitts Pamela , Berri Stefano 
Published: October 2011

AbstractMotivation: Comparison of read depths from next-generation sequencing between cancer and normal cells makes the estimation of copy number alteration (CNA) possible, even at very low coverage. However, estimating CNA from patients' tumour samples poses considerable challenges due to infiltration with normal cells and aneuploid cancer genomes. Here we provide a method that corrects contamination with normal cells and adjusts for genomes of different sizes so that the actual copy number of each region can be estimated.Results: The procedure consists of several steps. First, we identify the multi-modality of the distribution of smoothed ratios. Then we use the estimates of the mean (modes) to identify underlying ploidy and the contamination level, and finally we perform the correction. The results indicate that the method works properly to estimate genomic regions with gains and losses in a range of simulated data as well as in two datasets from lung cancer patients. It also proves a powerful tool when analysing publicly available data from two cell lines (HCC1143 and COLO829).Availability: An R package, called CNAnorm, is available at http://www.precancer.leeds.ac.uk/cnanorm or from Bioconductor.Contact: a.gusnanto@leeds.ac.ukSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Cascade detection for the extraction of localized sequence features; specificity results for HIV-1 protease and structure–function results for the Schellman loop
Authors: Newell Nicholas E. 
Published: October 2011

Abstract
Motivation: The extraction of the set of features most relevant to function from classified biological sequence sets is still a challenging problem. A central issue is the determination of expected counts for higher order features so that artifact features may be screened.
Results: Cascade detection (CD), a new algorithm for the extraction of localized features from sequence sets, is introduced. CD is a natural extension of the proportional modeling techniques used in contingency table analysis into the domain of feature detection. The algorithm is successfully tested on synthetic data and then applied to feature detection problems from two different domains to demonstrate its broad utility. An analysis of HIV-1 protease specificity reveals patterns of strong first-order features that group hydrophobic residues by side chain geometry and exhibit substantial symmetry about the cleavage site. Higher order results suggest that favorable cooperativity is weak by comparison and broadly distributed, but indicate possible synergies between negative charge and hydrophobicity in the substrate. Structure–function results for the Schellman loop, a helix-capping motif in proteins, contain strong first-order features and also show statistically significant cooperativities that provide new insights into the design of the motif. These include a new ‘hydrophobic staple’ and multiple amphipathic and electrostatic pair features. CD should prove useful not only for sequence analysis, but also for the detection of multifactor synergies in cross-classified data from clinical studies or other sources.
Availability: Windows XP/7 application and data files available at: https://sites.google.com/site/cascadedetect/home.
Contact: nacnewell@comcast.net
Supplementary Information: Supplementary information is available at Bioinformatics online.