bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Venous malformations of the temporal bone are a common feature in CHARGE syndrome
Authors: Friedmann David R. , Amoils Misha , Germiller John A. , Lustig Lawrence R. , Glastonbury Christine M. , Pramanik Bidyut K. , Lalwani Anil K. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractObjectives/Hypothesis:CHARGE (Coloboma of the eye, Heart defects, Atresia of the choanae, Retardation of growth and/or development, Genital and/or urinary abnormalities, and Ear abnormalities and/or deafness) syndrome is a genetic disorder with prominent otolaryngologic features including choanal atresia and inner ear malformations. Recent experience with venous malformations during cochlear implant surgery prompted this study to define the spectrum of venous abnormalities in CHARGE and their surgical implications in otology.Study Design:Retrospective review of medical and radiologic records from databases of patients with CHARGE syndrome from three tertiary care academic medical centers.Methods:Eighteen patients with CHARGE for whom temporal bone CT scans were available were included in the review.Results:Venous anomalies of the temporal bone were present in 10 of 18 (56%) patients. The most common were large emissary veins (n = 5). In two of these cases, these veins were associated with an ipsilateral a hypoplastic sigmoid sinus or jugular foramen. Other abnormalities included an aberrant petrosal sinus, venous lakes in proximity to the lateral venous sinus, condylar canal veins, and jugular bulb abnormalities, including a high riding bulb obscuring the round window niche and a dehiscent jugular bulb. In four of six patients undergoing cochlear implantation, the course of the aberrant vessel necessitated a change in the surgical approach, either during mastoidectomy or placement of the cochleostomy.Conclusions:Temporal bone venous abnormalities are a common feature in CHARGE syndrome. The pattern of venous abnormality suggests that there is a failure of the sigmoid sinus/jugular bulb to fully develop, resulting in persistence of emissary veins. Recognition of these abnormal venous structures during otologic surgery is critical to avoiding potentially catastrophic bleeding. Laryngoscope, 2012
The Felicity of Aspectual For‐Phrases – Part 2: Incremental Homogeneity
Authors: Landman Fred , Rothstein Susan 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThis paper is the second in a series of two papers presenting recent developments concerning the interaction between aspectual classes of predicates and the semantics of aspectual for‐phrases. Aspectual for‐phrases must modify predicates which are homogeneous – meaning that the predicate spreads appropriately to subintervals. For eventive predicates the relevant notion of homogeneity should be a dynamic notion – sensitive to the arrow of time. We present a recently developed semantic framework in which eventive predicates are incrementally homogeneous, meaning that the predicate characteristics are preserved for each event from its onset through all incremental development stages. We show how incremental homogeneity deals with the felicity facts concerning aspectual for‐phrases, and discuss complex‐activity forming operations which turn heterogeneous predicates into homogeneous ones, in particular, as triggered by bare arguments and by iteration.
Laser in micro and nanoprocessing of diamond materials
Authors: Konov V.I. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractBasic processing operations will be presented. These include diamond polishing and shaping, production of conductive pathways, micro‐ and nanostructures on the diamond surface, such as diffractive optical elements. The possibility to laser produce conductive and hollow structures in the diamond bulk, including curved elements, will be demonstrated. Finally, the techniques of laser assisted diamond CVD, that allow production of smooth or selective‐area grown films will be presented
Nucleation Effects of Nucleobases on the Crystallization Kinetics of Poly(L‐lactide)
Authors: Pan Pengju , Yang Jinjun , Shan Guorong , Bao Yongzhong , Weng Zhixue , Inoue Yoshio 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThe effects of nucleobases, especially uracil, on the nonisothermal and isothermal crystallization, melting behavior, spherulite morphology, and crystalline structure of bio‐based and biodegradable PLLA are studied. The melt‐ and cold‐crystallization rates of PLLA increase with increasing uracil loading. The melting behavior of nonisothermally melt‐ and cold‐crystallized PLLAs depends on the uracil content. The isothermal crystallization kinetics is analyzed based on an Avrami model. The incorporation of uracil changes the t1/2/Tc profile of PLLA due to the more distinct heterogeneous nucleation effects at small supercooling. The crystalline structure of PLLA is not affected by uracil presence. The nucleation density increases and the spherulite size decreases by uracil incorporation. magnified image
Postmortem observation of collagenous lead tip region fibrosis as a rare complication of DBS
Authors: Vedam‐Mai Vinata , Yachnis Anthony , Ullman Michael , Javedan Saman P. , Okun Michael S. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractBackground:Despite the widespread effective use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for various movement and psychiatric disorders, little is known about its safety and tissue responses.Methods:The University of Florida Deep Brain Stimulation Brain Tissue Network (DBS‐BTN) conducted postmortem brain examinations on 26 cases to identify and characterize (using histological techniques) pathologic tissue changes associated with the placement of DBS devices.Results:We report the unusual finding of prominent collagenous fibrosis around the lead tip in a 74‐year‐old man with idiopathic Parkinson's disease who had bilateral STN‐DBS. Histological study confirmed the diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease, and there was striking, dense collagenous fibrosis at the distal end of the right DBS lead associated with focal hemosiderin deposition, chronic inflammation, and mild gliosis. We have in our brain bank 25 other DBS cases that on examination showed only mild to moderate gliosis and no dramatic tissue response to DBS lead placement.Conclusions:We are not aware of any prior reports of such a dramatic reaction to DBS placement to date. © 2012 Movement Disorder Society
Initial testing (stage 1) of the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor SCH 727965 (dinaciclib) by the pediatric preclinical testing program
Authors: Gorlick Richard , Kolb E. Anders , Houghton Peter J. , Morton Christopher L. , Neale Geoffrey , Keir Stephen T. , Carol Hernan , Lock Richard , Phelps Doris , Kang Min H. , Reynolds C. Patrick , Maris John M. , Billups Catherine , Smith Malcolm A. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractBackgroundSCH 727965 is a novel drug in clinical development that potently and selectively inhibits CDK1, CDK2, CDK5, and CDK9. The activity of SCH 727965 was evaluated against the PPTP's in vitro and in vivo panels.ProceduresSCH 727965 was tested against the PPTP in vitro panel using 96 hours exposure at concentrations ranging from 0.1 nM to 1.0 µM. It was tested against the PPTP in vivo panels at a dose of 40 mg/kg administered intraperitoneally twice weekly for 2 weeks and repeated at Day 21 with a total observation period of 6 weeks.ResultsThe median IC50 value for the cell lines was 7.5 nM, with less than fourfold range between the minimum (3.4 nM) and maximum (11.2 nM) IC50 values. SCH 727965 demonstrated an activity pattern consistent with cytotoxicity for most of the cell lines. Forty‐three xenograft models were studied and SCH 727965 induced significant delays in event free survival distribution compared to control in 23 of 36 (64%) evaluable solid tumor xenografts and in 3 of 7 ALL xenografts. SCH 727965 did not induce objective responses in the solid tumor panels and the best response observed was stable disease for one osteosarcoma xenograft. In the leukemia panel, there were two objective responses with a complete response observed in a single xenograft.ConclusionsSCH 727965 shows an interesting pattern of activity suggesting its potential applicability against selected childhood cancers, particularly leukemias. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2012; 59: 1266–1274. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Durability of polymeric encapsulation materials for concentrating photovoltaic systems
Authors: Miller David C. , Muller Matthew T. , Kempe Michael D. , Araki Kenji , Kennedy Cheryl E. , Kurtz Sarah R. 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACTThe durability of polymeric encapsulation materials was examined using outdoor exposure at the nominal optical concentration of 500 suns. The results for 12 months' cumulative field deployment are presented for materials including ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate, polyvinyl butyral (PVB), ionomer, polyethylene/polyoctene copolymer, thermoplastic polyurethane, poly(dimethylsiloxane), and poly(phenyl‐methyl siloxane). Measurements during the experiment included optical transmittance (direct and hemispherical), mass, visual appearance, and fluorescence spectroscopy in addition to the initial thermogravimetry of the materials. Measurements of the field conditions and ultraviolet dose at the test site were facilitated by numerous laboratory instruments; characterization of the specimen temperature was performed using thermography. Discovery experiments identified the importance of a secondary homogenizer optic and the importance of contamination control. To date, the formal experiment verified a thermal‐runaway‐motivated combustion failure mechanism for one of the PVB formulations and identified densification, cracking, and haze‐formation behaviors in some of the silicone specimens. The behaviors observed for the silicone specimens may be facilitated by their greater thickness. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Improving spectral response of monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic modules using high efficient luminescent down‐shifting Eu3+ complexes
Authors: Liu Jian , Wang Kai , Zheng Wei , Huang Wei , Li Cheng‐Hui , You Xiao‐Zeng 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACTOne way to improve the spectral response of solar cells in the ultraviolet (UV) region is to convert high energy photons into lower energy ones via luminescent down‐shifting (LDS) technique. Eu3+ complexes are excellent LDS species because of their high luminescence quantum efficiency and large Stokes‐shift. In this paper, we aim to optimize the LDS property of Eu3+ complexes for monocrystalline silicon (c‐Si) photovoltaic (PV) modules by chemical modification of the UV absorbing antenna ligands. Our results show that the LDS performances of Eu3+ complexes are strongly dependent on their absorption and emission properties. By carefully modifying the absorption and emission features, the LDS performances of Eu3+ complexes can be significantly improved. The spectroscopic features of the Eu3+ complex with a bispinene‐containing bipyridyl ligand match well with the requirement of ideal LDS species for the c‐Si PV module. Simple coating of polyvinyl acetate film doped with this complex onto the surface of c‐Si PV module leads to increase of the external quantum efficiency in the UV region and enhancement of the PV module efficiency η (from 16.05% to 16.37%). Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Preferred orientation of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin film deposited on stainless steel substrate
Authors: Li Bo‐Yan , Zhang Yi , Wang He , Wang Biao , Wu Li , Sun Yun 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACTThe influences of process parameters and Fe diffusing into Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) films on the orientation of CIGS absorbers grown on the stainless steel (SS) foils are investigated. The structural properties, morphology, and elemental profiles are characterized using X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and second ion mass spectroscopy, respectively. The orientation of CIGS thin films on the SS substrates strongly depends on the texture of the (In,Ga)2Se3 precursor, determined by the substrate temperature at the first stage (Ts1) and the flux ratio of Se to (In + Ga). Among these factors, Ts1 is the prerequisite to achieve [300]‐oriented IGS layer, which will yield [200]‐oriented CIGS thin film in the later process. The results indicate that through the comparison of CIGS thin films on the Mo/SS substrates and on the Mo/ZnO/SS substrates and combined with simply calculation, Fe diffusing into the CIGS layer will hinder the growth of the CIGS grains along [112] orientation. The grazing‐incidence X‐ray diffraction results suggest that the surface of the [220]‐textured CIGS thin film on the SS substrate still has [220] predominance, whereas the surface texture of the [220]‐texture CIGS thin film on the Mo/soda‐lime glass substrate became [112] predominant, which is due to the different compensation ability between Fe and Na elements. Finally, the relations between the device parameters and the degrees of the preferred orientation of CIGS absorbers are investigated. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Electrostrictive polymers for mechanical energy harvesting
Authors: Lallart Mickaël , Cottinet Pierre‐Jean , Guyomar Daniel , Lebrun Laurent 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThis article reviews the developments in electrostrictive polymers for energy harvesting. Electrostrictive polymers are a variety of electroactive polymers that deform due to the electrostatic and polarization interaction between two electrodes with opposite electric charge. Electrostrictive polymers have been the subject of much interest and research over the past decade. In earlier years, much of the focus was placed on actuator configurations, and in more recent years, the focus has turned to investigating material properties that may enhance electromechanical activities. Since the last 5 years and with the development of low‐power electronics, the possibility of using these materials for energy harvesting has been investigated. This review outlines the operating principle in energy scavenging mode and conversion mechanisms behind this generator technology, highlights some of its advantages over existing actuator technologies, identifies some of the challenges associated with its development, and examines the main focus of research within this field, including some of the potential applications. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012
Picobirnavirus infections: viral persistence and zoonotic potential
Authors: Ganesh Balasubramanian , Bányai Krisztián , Martella Vito , Jakab Ferenc , Masachessi Gisela , Kobayashi Nobumichi 
Published: February 2012

SUMMARYPicobirnaviruses (PBVs) are small, non‐enveloped, bisegmented double‐stranded RNA genomic viruses of vertebrate hosts. Since their discovery in the late 1980s in clinical specimens from outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis in children, significant efforts have been made to investigate the role of PBV in diarrheic diseases. PBV has been detected in sporadic episodes of diarrhea as sole pathogen or coinfection as well as in outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis and in immunocompromised patients with diarrhea. However, PBV is frequently detected in non‐diarrheic healthy hosts, and prolonged shedding has been observed in some individuals. Of interest, similar patterns of PBV infection have also been observed in pigs and other animal hosts. The increasing amount of PBV sequence data gathered from molecular epidemiological studies has evidenced a great sequence diversity of PBVs in various hosts and environmental samples. Importantly, evidence has been found for genetic relatedness between human and animal PBV strains, suggesting extant crossing points in the ecology and evolution of heterologous PBV strains. At present, no cell culture and animal model exists for PBVs. Well‐structured epidemiological studies are still the only alternative to demonstrate the potential etiological role of PBVs in acute gastroenteritis or other diseases. This review aims to analyze the public health aspects of PBV infection, especially its possible association with zoonosis. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Kinetic Study of Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate Synthesis and Factors Affecting the Reaction on Bench and Pilot Scales
Authors: Hassanzadeh Masoumeh , Kambarani Masoud , Tayebi Leila , Yazdian Fatameh 
Published: February 2012

AbstractSodium cocoyl sarcosinate is an important surfactant with a particular chemical structure and many practical applications in various industries. The synthesis of sodium cocoyl sarcosinate involves the reaction of cocoyl chloride and N‐methyl glycine. The influences of reactant molar ratios, temperature, reaction time, pH, and solvent on the reaction yield were investigated and also the kinetics of the reaction was studied. It was found that the reaction follows second order kinetics and the reaction rate constant is 0.0153 mol−1 L s−1 at 35 °C. Also production of sodium cocoyl sarcosinate was carried out at bench and pilot scales which is described in details.
A scoring system for the assessment of clinical severity in osteogenesis imperfecta
Authors: Aglan Mona S. , Hosny Laila , El-Houssini Rasha , Abdelhadi Sawsan , Salem Fadia , ElBanna Rokia A. S. , Awad Seham A. , Zaki Moushira E. , Temtamy Samia A. 
Published: February 2012

Introduction Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disorder characterized by bone fragility and fractures. Patients with OI have clinical features that may range from mild symptoms to severe bone deformities and neonatal lethality. Numerous approaches for the classification of OI have been published. The Sillence classification is the most commonly used. In this study, we aimed at developing a more refined sub-classification by applying a proposed scoring system for the quantitative assessment of clinical severity in different types of OI. Subjects and methods This study included 43 patients with OI. Clinical examination and radiological studies were conducted for all patients. Cases were classified according to the Sillence classification into types I–IV. The proposed scoring system included five major criteria of high clinical value: number of fractures per year, motor milestones, long bone deformities, length/height standard deviation score (SDS), and bone mineral density (BMD). Each criterion was assigned a score from 1 to 4, and each patient was marked on a scale from 1 to 20 according to these five criteria. Results Applying the proposed clinical scoring system showed that all 11 patients with Sillence type I (100%) had a score between 6 and 10, denoting mild affection. The only patient with Sillence type II had a score of 19, denoting severe affection. In Sillence type III, 7 patients (31.8%) were moderately affected and 15 patients (68.2%) were severely affected. Almost all patients with Sillence type IV (88.9%) were moderately affected. Conclusions Applying the proposed scoring system can quantitatively reflect the degree of clinical severity in OI patients and can be used in complement with the Sillence classification and molecular studies.
Eddy diffusivities of inertial particles under gravity
Authors: Afonso Marco Martins , Mazzino Andrea , Muratore-Ginanneschi Paolo 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThe large-scale/long-time transport of inertial particles of arbitrary mass density under gravity is investigated by means of a formal multiple-scale perturbative expansion in the scale-separation parameter between the carrier flow and the particle concentration field. The resulting large-scale equation for the particle concentration is determined, and is found to be diffusive with a positive definite eddy diffusivity. The calculation of the latter tensor is reduced to the resolution of an auxiliary differential problem, consisting of a coupled set of two differential equations in a $(6+ 1)$-dimensional coordinate system (three space coordinates plus three velocity coordinates plus time). Although expensive, numerical methods can be exploited to obtain the eddy diffusivity, for any desirable non-perturbative limit (e.g. arbitrary Stokes and Froude numbers). The aforementioned large-scale equation is then specialized to deal with two different relevant perturbative limits: (i) vanishing of both Stokes time and sedimenting particle velocity; (ii) vanishing Stokes time and finite sedimenting particle velocity. Both asymptotics lead to a greatly simplified auxiliary differential problem, now involving only space coordinates and thus easily tackled by standard numerical techniques. Explicit, exact expressions for the eddy diffusivities have been calculated, for both asymptotics, for the class of parallel flows, both static and time-dependent. This allows us to investigate analytically the role of gravity and inertia on the diffusion process by varying relevant features of the carrier flow, such as the form of its temporal correlation function. Our results exclude a universal role played by gravity and inertia on the diffusive behaviour: regimes of both enhanced and reduced diffusion may exist, depending on the detailed structure of the carrier flow.
Effect of purified β-glucans derived fromLaminaria digitata,Laminaria hyperboreaandSaccharomyces cerevisiaeon piglet performance, selected bacterial populations, volatile fatty acids and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the gastrointestinal tract of pigs
Authors: Sweeney T. , Collins C. B. , Reilly P. , Pierce K. M. , Ryan M. , O'Doherty J. V. 
Published: February 2012

β-Glucans have been identified as natural biomolecules with immunomodulatory activity. The first objective of the present study was to compare the effects of purified β-glucans derived fromLaminariadigitata,L. hyperboreaandSaccharomyces cerevisiaeon piglet performance, selected bacterial populations and intestinal volatile fatty acid (VFA) production. The second aim was to compare the gene expression profiles of the markers of pro- and anti-inflammation in both unchallenged and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged ileal and colonic tissues. β-Glucans were included at 250 mg/kg in the diets. The β-glucans derived fromL. hyperborea,L. digitataandS. cerevisiaeall reduced the Enterobacteriaceae population (P < 0·05) without influencing the lactobacilli and bifidobacteria populations (P>0·05) in the ileum and colon. There was a significant interaction between gastrointestinal region and β-glucan source in the expression of cytokine markers, IL-1α (P < 0·001), IL-10 (P < 0·05), TNF-α (P < 0·05) and IL-17A (P < 0·001). β-Glucans did not stimulate any pro- or anti-inflammatory cytokine markers in the ileal epithelial cells. In contrast, the expression of a panel of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1α,IL-10,TNF-αandIL-17A) was down-regulated in the colon following exposure to β-glucans from all the three sources. However, the data suggest that the soluble β-glucans derived fromL. digitatamay be acting via a different mechanism from the insoluble β-glucans derived fromL. hyperboreaandS. cerevisiae, as the VFA profile was different in theL. digitata-treated animals. There was an increase inIL-8gene expression (P < 0·05) in the gastrointestinal tract from the animals exposed toL. digitatafollowing an LPSex vivochallenge that was not evident in the other two treatment groups. In conclusion, β-glucans from both seaweed and yeast sources reduce Enterobacteriaceae counts and pro-inflammatory markers in the colon, though the mechanisms of action may be different between the soluble and insoluble fibre sources.