bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Detection of bacterial contamination in platelet concentrates by a sensitive flow cytometric assay (BactiFlow): a multicentre validation study
Authors: Vollmer T. , Dreier J. , Schottstedt V. , Bux J. , Tapernon K. , Sibrowski W. , Kleesiek K. , Knabbe C. 
Published: June 2012

abstractBackgroundBacterial contamination of platelet concentrates (PCs) still represents an ongoing risk. As a result of septic complications, particularly observed with older PCs, the shelf life of PCs has been reduced in Germany to 4 days. In this study, bacterial screening of PCs by BactiFlow (BF) flow cytometry was introduced in three German blood services to evaluate the robustness and applicability of the assay. Results were used to discuss the potential for the extension of PC shelf life to 5 days.Study design and methodsA total of 1956 PCs were tested on days 4 or 5+ after PC production using the BF, whereas the BacT/Alert culture system served as reference method.ResultsTwo PCs were confirmed positive by culture only and were identified as Propionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus species. Two PCs were confirmed positive for Streptococcus mitis by BF and culture. Additionally, two PCs were culture‐positive only in one culture bottle (aerobic: S. mitis and anaerobic: S. hominis). Retrospective analysis of bacterial growth kinetics provide the indication that corresponding bacterial titres were most likely below the BF analytical detection limit (<150 CFU mL−1) and had probably no transfusion relevance. All remaining specimens were tested negative.ConclusionsTesting of PCs by BF was successfully implemented. The BF proved sufficient as a rapid screening method to improve PC safety. This study further provides data supporting the extension of PC shelf life to 5 days after negative BF testing on day 4.
Transfusion‐associated necrotising enterocolitis in very low birth weight premature infants
Authors: Demirel G. , Celik I. H. , Aksoy H. T. , Erdeve O. , Oguz S. S. , Uras N. , Dilmen U. 
Published: June 2012

SUMMARYObjectiveOur aim was to determine the relationship between red blood cell transfusion and necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) in all admitted very low birth weight (VLBW) infants with or without transfusion.Study DesignAll VLBW neonates were categorised into five groups: (i) subjects that developed NEC <48 h after transfusion (n = 15); (ii) subjects that developed NEC >48 h after transfusion (n = 31); (iii) subjects that were never transfused but developed NEC, (n = 50); (iv) subjects that were transfused but did not develop NEC, (n = 250) and (v) subjects that were neither transfused nor developed NEC (n = 301).ResultsA group of 647 infants were enrolled in the study. Mean gestational age and birth weight of the patients were 29 ± 3·1 weeks and 1157 ± 237 g, respectively. The mean age at the onset of NEC in the NEC groups were 20 ± 2·3 days, 12 ± 3 days and 11 ± 2·6 days, respectively (P < 0·05). The mean interval from the last transfusion to the onset of NEC was 16·8 ± 8·8 h in group 1 and 240 ± 50 h in group 2 (P < 0·05).ConclusionIn this study, we sought to evaluate all VLBW infants, whether they received a transfusion or not. We suggest that transfusion associated NEC exists, but many other factors influence this multifactorial disease. The age of NEC onset was later in transfused vs non‐transfused patients, whereas the interval between transfusion and NEC was shorter in transfused vs non‐transfused patients.
Use of modified ciclosporin in the management of feline pemphigus foliaceus: a retrospective analysis
Authors: Irwin Katherine E. , Beale Karin M. , Fadok Valerie A. 
Published: June 2012

Background – Glucocorticoids as sole therapy for pemphigus foliaceus (PF) in cats are not always successful, and it is common to need additional immunomodulating agents to manage the disease.Hypothesis/Objectives – This retrospective study evaluated the use of modified ciclosporin as an adjuvant or sole immunomodulating drug in cats with PF and compared their response to PF cats managed with chlorambucil.Animals – Fifteen client‐owned cats diagnosed with PF that received ciclosporin and/or chlorambucil as part of their treatment and had adequate follow‐up to assess treatment response were evaluated.Methods – Records were reviewed from feline PF patients presented between the years of 1999 and 2009. Cats were divided into two treatment groups: those treated with ciclosporin and those treated with chlorambucil. Most cats in both groups also received concurrent systemic glucocorticoids. Each group contained six patients. Three cats were treated with both medications and are discussed separately. Time to disease remission, remission‐inducing glucocorticoid dose, maintenance or final glucocorticoid dose, disease response and adverse effects were assessed.Results – There was no significant difference in remission times or disease response between groups. All six patients maintained with ciclosporin for PF management were weaned off systemic glucocorticoids, while glucocorticoid therapy was stopped in only one of the six cats receiving chlorambucil.Conclusions and clinical importance – Modified ciclosporin is effective in the management of feline pemphigus foliaceus and is glucocorticoid sparing.
Stress history increases alcohol intake in relapse: relation to phosphodiesterase 10A
Authors: Logrip Marian L. , Zorrilla Eric P. 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACTStressful experiences can result in elevated alcohol drinking, as exemplified in many individuals with post‐traumatic stress disorder. However, how stress history, rather than acute stressors, influences alcohol intake remains uncertain. To model the protracted effects of past stress, male Wistar rats were subjected to light‐cued footshock (stress history) or light cues alone (control) prior to acquisition of alcohol self‐administration (1‐hour sessions, fixed ratio 1–3, 100 µl of 10% v/v alcohol as reinforcer). Stress history did not alter mean alcohol intake during acquisition of self‐administration, but it increased preference for the alcohol‐paired lever over the inactive lever. Following an extinction period, rats with a history of stress exposure and low baseline alcohol intake showed a twofold elevation in alcohol self‐administration, as compared with low‐drinking rats with no stress history. Similar effects were not seen in rats self‐administering 0.1% sucrose. Analysis of mRNA levels of phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A), a dual‐specificity cyclic adenosine monophosphate and cyclic guanosine monophosphate hydrolyzing enzyme, showed that stress history increased Pde10a mRNA levels in the basolateral amygdala and, in low‐drinking rats, the prelimbic prefrontal cortex (plPFC). Pde10a mRNA levels in the plPFC correlated directly with greater alcohol self‐administration during the relapse‐like phase, and greater BLA Pde10a mRNA levels correlated with increased ethanol preference after acquisition. The data demonstrate that stress history sensitizes otherwise low alcohol drinkers to consume more alcohol in a relapse‐like situation and identify stress‐induced neuroadaptations in amygdala and prefrontal cortical Pde10a expression as changes that may drive heightened alcohol intake and preference in susceptible individuals.
Differential Response to Interspecific and Intraspecific Signals Amongst Chickadees
Authors: Grava Angélique , Grava Thibault , Otter Ken A. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractBlack‐capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and mountain chickadees (P. gambeli) have a similar vocal repertoire and share many other life history traits; yet, black‐capped chickadees are socially dominant to mountain chickadees where populations overlap. Previous research suggested that in contact zones, both species respond weakly to heterospecific songs during the breeding season, and have suggested minimal interspecific competition. However, both black‐capped and mountain chickadees discriminate between conspecific and heterospecific chick‐a‐dee calls, suggesting attention is paid to interspecific signals. We compared the responses of both black‐capped and mountain chickadees to conspecific and heterospecific chick‐a‐dee calls during the winter, when both species compete for the same food resources. We conducted an aviary playback experiment exposing both species to playback composed of heterospecific and conspecific chick‐a‐dee calls, which had been recorded in the context of finding food sources. Responses from the tested birds were measured by recording vocalizations and behaviour. Black‐capped chickadees responded significantly more to conspecific than to heterospecific stimuli, whereas the subordinate mountain chickadees responded to both mountain and black‐capped chickadee calls. Based upon the reactions to playbacks, our results suggest these two closely related species may differ in their perception of the relative threat associated with intra‐ versus interspecific competitors.
Parents’ understanding of and compliance with fasting instruction for pediatric day case surgery
Authors: Cantellow Steve , Lightfoot Jonathan , Bould Helen , Beringer Richard 
Published: June 2012

SummaryObjective:  To determine whether parents understand and adhere to preoperative fasting instructions.Aim:  To identify how we may reduce perioperative morbidity relating to failure to fast.Background:  Children are routinely fasted preoperatively with the aim of reducing the risk of aspiration of gastric contents and its sequelae.Methods:  Parents of children on the day case ward following elective surgery completed a survey asking: (i) For how long was your child asked to fast? (ii) How long did you ensure your child was fasted of food and clear fluids? (iii) What do you think is the purpose of fasting? We also asked the parents to complete a checklist of items they thought acceptable to consume when fasting.Results:  Despite affirming fasting status in the preoperative check, 13.5% were not fasted. Parents reported advised fasting times of 1–24 h (median 6) for solids and 0.5–24 h (median 3) for fluids. Children were fasted of solids for 3–40 h (median 9.5) and of fluids for 0.5–24 h (median 5). Regarding the understanding of fasting, 9 referred to aspiration and 53 to the prevention of nausea or vomiting. Thirteen believed that fasting status altered the efficacy of anesthesia. During the fasting period, 4.9% would allow French fries, 22.3% toast/crackers, 17.5% cereal, 14.7% a sweet, 14.9% gum, and 12.6% tea with milk.Conclusions:  Children we believe to be fasted may not be. Parents may deliberately misrepresent the actual fasting status of their child. Adherence to fasting advice may be affected by parents’ recall and understanding of fasting advice.
The application of TachoSil® for sealing colorectal anastomosis: a feasibility study
Authors: Parker M. C. , Pohlen U. , Borel Rinkes I. H. M. , Delvin T. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractAim  Anastomotic leakage is a frequent postoperative complication of colorectal resection. This nonrandomized study assessed the feasibility and safety of applying a haemostatic tissue sealant (TachoSil®) to colorectal anastomoses following resection.Method  TachoSil was applied as reinforcement of the anastomotic line after laparoscopic or open colorectal resection. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients for whom TachoSil application was considered feasible by both the investigator and an independent external assessor. Application was considered feasible if TachoSil fully adhered, covered ≥ 1 cm beyond the margin of the anastomotic line and patches overlapped by ≥ 1 cm. Individual investigator assessment of feasibility and adverse events 30 days after surgery were also recorded.Results  Twenty‐five patients underwent anterior resection (seven open lower, nine open middle‐upper, four laparoscopic lower and five laparoscopic middle‐upper). In six cases a video‐recording was not available because of technical problems. The primary endpoint was met in 12 of the remaining 19 patients (63%; 95% CI 38–84%), while in the other seven the application was recorded as not feasible because the assessor was unable to see the entire anastomosis. No application was assessed as unfeasible on the basis of visual evidence. When assessed by the investigator alone, TachoSil was considered feasible in all but one instance (96%; 95% CI 80–100%). There were 45 adverse events, of which 10 were serious. None was considered related to TachoSil. No deaths were reported.Conclusion  Application of TachoSil to reinforce the anastomotic line in colorectal resections appears to be feasible and well tolerated.
Quality of rectal cancer surgery and its relationship to surgeon and hospital caseload: a population‐based study
Authors: Comber H. , Sharp L. , Timmons A. , Keane F. B. V. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractAim  A population‐based audit of all rectal cancers diagnosed in Ireland in 2007 has shown an inconsistent relationship between surgeon and hospital caseload and a range of quality measures. Better outcome for rectal cancer has been associated with increasing surgeon and hospital caseload, but there is less evidence of how this may relate to quality of care. Our aim was to examine how measures of quality in rectal cancer surgery related to surgeon and hospital workload and to outcome.Method  All colorectal surgeons in Ireland participated in an audit of rectal cancer based on an evidence‐based instrument. Data were extracted from medical records by trained coders. Generalized linear mixed models were used to determine the relationship between surgeon or hospital caseload and measures of quality of care.Results  Five hundred and eighty‐one (95%) of the 614 rectal cancers diagnosed in Ireland in 2007 were audited; 49 hospitals and 86 surgeons participated. Ten (28%) hospitals treated fewer than five cases and seven fewer than three. A positive relationship between caseload and quality was seen for a few measures, more frequently for hospital than surgeon caseload. The relationship between caseload and quality of care was inconsistent, suggesting these measures do not represent a single dimension of quality. One‐year survival was negatively associated with hospital caseload. There was no statistically significant relationship between survival and measures of quality of care.Discussion  Quality of care was inconsistently influenced by surgeon and hospital caseload. Caseload may affect only one aspect of surgical management, such as the quality of preoperative workup, and is not necessarily related to the quality of other hospital care. Simple measures of outcome, such as survival, cannot represent the complexity of this relationship.
‘Distal Doppler‐guided dearterialization’ is highly effective in treating haemorrhoids by transanal haemorrhoidal dearterialization
Authors: Ratto C. , Donisi L. , Parello A. , Litta F. , Zaccone G. , De Simone V. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractAim  Transanal haemorrhoidal dearterialization (THD® Doppler) is a surgical procedure involving Doppler‐guided ligation of haemorrhoidal arteries to reduce arterial flow. With proximal Doppler‐guided dearterialization, arterial ligation is achieved by introducing the proctoscope completely into the anal canal and lower rectum. In the present study, distal Doppler‐guided dearterialization (DDD) is performed in the distal 2 cm of the lower rectum. Immediate and short‐term results were evaluated.Method  One hundred patients with bleeding haemorrhoids, with or without muco‐haemorrhoidal prolapse, underwent THD® Doppler procedure, using DDD of the haemorrhoidal arteries 2 cm above the anorectal junction. Mucopexy was performed in patients with haemorrhoidal prolapse.Results  The operation time was 20 ± 7 min for dearterialization alone (10 patients), and 30 ± 10 min when mucopexy was added (90 patients). Morbidity included: transient haemorrhoidal thrombosis (two patients); urinary retention (five patients); submucosal abscess (one patient). No patient complained of faecal incontinence. At a median follow‐up of 7.3 (3–17) months, all patients reported an improvement in symptoms. No patients reported bleeding.Conclusion  DDD of the haemorrhoidal arteries could be a simplified and more effective method of applying THD.
Nurses' engagement in AIDS policy development
Authors: Richter M.S. , Mill J. , Muller C.E. , Kahwa E. , Etowa J. , Dawkins P. , Hepburn C. 
Published: June 2012

Richter M.S., Mill J., Muller C.E., Kahwa E., Etowa J., Dawkins P. & Hepburn C. (2013) Nurses' engagement in AIDS policy development. International Nursing Review60, 52–58Background:  A multidisciplinary team of 20 researchers and research users from six countries – Canada, Jamaica, Barbados, Kenya, Uganda and South Africa – are collaborating on a 5‐year (2007–12) program of research and capacity building project. This program of research situates nurses as leaders in building capacity and promotes collaborative action with other health professionals and decision‐makers to improve health systems for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) nursing care. One of the projects within this program of research focused on the influence of workplace policies on nursing care for individuals and families living with HIV. Nurses are at the forefront of HIV prevention and AIDS care in these countries but have limited involvement in related policy decisions and development. In this paper, we present findings related to the barriers and facilitators for nurses' engagement in policymaking.Methods:  A participatory action research design guided the program of research. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 51 nurses (unit managers, clinic and healthcare managers, and senior nurse officers) for interviews.Findings:  Participants expressed the urgent need to develop policies related to AIDS care. The need to raise awareness and to ‘protect’ not only the workers but also the patients were critical reason to develop policies. Nurses in all of the participating countries commented on their lack of involvement in policy development. Lack of communication from the top down and lack of information sharing were mentioned as barriers to participation in policy development. Resources were often not available to implement the policy requirement. Strong support from the management team is necessary to facilitate nurses involvement in policy development.Conclusions:  The findings of this study clearly express the need for nurses and all other stakeholders to mobilize nurses' involvement in policy development. Long‐term and sustained actions are needed to address gaps on the education, research and practice level.
Graph Bundling by Kernel Density Estimation
Authors: Hurter C. , Ersoy O. , Telea A. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractWe present a fast and simple method to compute bundled layouts of general graphs. For this, we first transform a given graph drawing into a density map using kernel density estimation. Next, we apply an image sharpening technique which progressively merges local height maxima by moving the convolved graph edges into the height gradient flow. Our technique can be easily and efficiently implemented using standard graphics acceleration techniques and produces graph bundlings of similar appearance and quality to state‐of‐the‐art methods at a fraction of the cost. Additionally, we show how to create bundled layouts constrained by obstacles and use shading to convey information on the bundling quality. We demonstrate our method on several large graphs.
Interactive Visualization of Generalized Virtual 3D City Models using Level‐of‐Abstraction Transitions
Authors: Semmo Amir , Trapp Matthias , Kyprianidis Jan Eric , Döllner Jürgen 
Published: June 2012

AbstractVirtual 3D city models play an important role in the communication of complex geospatial information in a growing number of applications, such as urban planning, navigation, tourist information, and disaster management. In general, homogeneous graphic styles are used for visualization. For instance, photorealism is suitable for detailed presentations, and non‐photorealism or abstract stylization is used to facilitate guidance of a viewer's gaze to prioritized information. However, to adapt visualization to different contexts and contents and to support saliency‐guided visualization based on user interaction or dynamically changing thematic information, a combination of different graphic styles is necessary. Design and implementation of such combined graphic styles pose a number of challenges, specifically from the perspective of real‐time 3D visualization. In this paper, the authors present a concept and an implementation of a system that enables different presentation styles, their seamless integration within a single view, and parametrized transitions between them, which are defined according to tasks, camera view, and image resolution. The paper outlines potential usage scenarios and application fields together with a performance evaluation of the implementation.
Scalable Detection of Spatiotemporal Encounters in Historical Movement Data
Authors: Bak P. , Marder M. , Harary S. , Yaeli A. , Ship H. J. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThe widespread adoption of location‐aware devices is resulting in the generation of large amounts of spatiotemporal movement data, collected and stored in digital repositories. This forms a fertile ground for domain experts and scientists to analyze such historical data and discover interesting movement behavioral patterns. Experts in many domains, such as transportation, logistics and retail, are interested in detecting and understanding movement patterns and behavior of objects in relation to each other. Their insights can point to optimization potential and reveal deviations from planned behavior. In this paper, we focus on the detection of the encounter patterns as one possible type in movement behavior. These patterns refer to objects being close to one another in terms of space and time. We define scalability as a core requirement when dealing with historical movement data, in order to allow the domain expert to set parameters of the encounter detection algorithm. Our approach leverages a designated data structure and requires only a single pass over chronological data, thus resulting in highly scalable and fast technique to detect encounters. Consequently, users are able to explore their data by interactively specifying the spatial and temporal windows that define encounters. We evaluate our proposed method as a function of its input parameters and data size. We instantiate the proposed method on urban public transportation data, where we found a large number of encounters. We show that single encounters emerge into higher level patterns that are of particular interest and value to the domain.
A Quantized Boundary Representation of 2D Flows
Authors: Levine J. A. , Jadhav S. , Bhatia H. , Pascucci V. , Bremer P.‐T. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractAnalysis and visualization of complex vector fields remain major challenges when studying large scale simulation of physical phenomena. The primary reason is the gap between the concepts of smooth vector field theory and their computational realization. In practice, researchers must choose between either numerical techniques, with limited or no guarantees on how they preserve fundamental invariants, or discrete techniques which limit the precision at which the vector field can be represented. We propose a new representation of vector fields that combines the advantages of both approaches. In particular, we represent a subset of possible streamlines by storing their paths as they traverse the edges of a triangulation. Using only a finite set of streamlines creates a fully discrete version of a vector field that nevertheless approximates the smooth flow up to a user controlled error bound. The discrete nature of our representation enables us to directly compute and classify analogues of critical points, closed orbits, and other common topological structures. Further, by varying the number of divisions (quantizations) used per edge, we vary the resolution used to represent the field, allowing for controlled precision. This representation is compact in memory and supports standard vector field operations.