bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Minimum clinically important improvement and patient acceptable symptom state in pain and function in rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, chronic back pain, hand osteoarthritis, and hip and knee osteoarthritis: Results from a prospective multinational study
Authors: Tubach F. , Ravaud P. , Martin‐Mola E. , Awada H. , Bellamy N. , Bombardier C. , Felson D. T. , Hajjaj‐Hassouni N. , Hochberg M. , Logeart I. , Matucci‐Cerinic M. , van de Laar M. , van der Heijde D. , Dougados M. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractObjectiveTo estimate the minimum clinically important improvement (MCII) and patient acceptable symptom state (PASS) values for 4 generic outcomes in 5 rheumatic diseases and 7 countries.MethodsWe conducted a multinational (Australia, France, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, Spain, and The Netherlands) 4‐week cohort study involving 1,532 patients who were prescribed nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs for ankylosing spondylitis, chronic back pain, hand osteoarthritis, hip and/or knee osteoarthritis, or rheumatoid arthritis. The MCII and PASS values were estimated with the 75th percentile approach for 4 generic outcomes: pain, patient global assessment, functional disability, and physician global assessment, all normalized to a 0–100 score.ResultsFor the whole sample, the estimated MCII values for absolute change at 4 weeks were −17 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] −18, −15) for pain; −15 (95% CI −16, −14) for patient global assessment; −12 (95% CI −13, −11) for functional disability assessment; and −14 (95% CI −15, −14) for physician global assessment. For the whole sample, the estimated PASS values were 42 (95% CI 40, 44) for pain; 43 (95% CI 41, 45) for patient global assessment; 43 (95% CI 41, 44) for functional disability assessment; and 39 (95% CI 37, 40) for physician global assessment. Estimates were consistent across diseases and countries (for subgroups ≥20 patients).ConclusionThis work allows for promoting the use of values of MCII (15 of 100 for absolute improvement, 20% for relative improvement) and PASS (40 of 100) in reporting the results of trials of any of the 5 involved rheumatic diseases with pain, patient global assessment, physical function, or physician global assessment used as outcome criteria.
Electroless nickel deposition of a palladium‐activated self‐assembled monolayer on polyester fabric
Authors: Guo R. H. , Jiang S. X. , Zheng Y. D. , Lan J. W. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractIn this study, an alternative Pd activation process was developed for electroless Ni plating on polyester fabric modified with a self‐assembled monolayer (SAM) of 3‐aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS). The presence of a highly oriented amino‐terminated SAM and the formation of Pd‐activated APTMS were demonstrated by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. After activation, electroless Ni plating was successfully initiated, and the Ni coating was deposited onto the surface of the polyester fibers. The resulting Ni coating was examined by scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction. The electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) and adhesive strength of the Ni‐plated polyester fabric were evaluated. On the basis of the experimental results, the Ni coating produced with a Pd‐activated SAM was uniform and dense. As the Ni weight on the treated fabric was 32 g/m2, the EMI SE of the Ni‐plated polyester fabric modified with APTMS obtained was more than 30 dB at frequencies that ranged from 2 to 18 GHz. Compared with the conventional two‐step activation method, Ni coating on the Pd‐activated polyester fabric modified with APTMS improved the coating adherence stability. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Preparation of melting‐free poly(lactic acid) by amorphous and crystal crosslinking under UV irradiation
Authors: Koo Gwang‐Hoe , Jang Jinho 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThe poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with 3.6% mol of benzophenone (BP) per repeat unit of PLA can be crosslinked to a gel fraction of 98.5% at UV energy of 160 J/cm2. From NMR analysis, the photocrosslinking of PLA was attributed to the recombination of primary and tertiary carbon radicals in the repeating units which were generated by the hydrogen abstraction of BP. With increasing crosslinking, melting peak disappeared and glass transition temperature elevated with loss of crystallinity, indicating that the crosslinking occurred in the crystalline region as well as in the amorphous region. The thermal stability of the crosslinked PLA also improved as shown by higher onset temperature as much as 56°C and higher maximum decomposition temperature compared with the pristine PLA. The higher toughness of the crosslinked PLA film was obtained together with the improvement in tensile strength and modulus with increasing crosslinking density. In addition to photocrosslinking of amorphous region, the crosslinking of crystalline region can have significant influence in the improvement of thermal and mechanical properties. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Structure–property correlation of polyurethane nanocomposites: Influence of loading and nature of nanosilica and microstructure of hyperbranched polyol
Authors: Maji Pradip K. , Bhowmick Anil K. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractNew generation polyurethane nanocomposites based on toluene diisocyanate, poly(propylene glycol), hyperbranched polymers (HBPs), and nanosilica were synthesized with the aim of determining the effect of the loading and nature of nanosilica and the functionality of HBP on the structure and properties of polyurethane nanocomposites. Good dispersion of nanosilica at 4 wt % loading in the polymer was confirmed from atomic force microscopy. The properties of the polyurethane nanocomposites were a function of content and nature of the nanosilica in the matrix. The optimum silica loading was 4 wt %. At this loading, tensile strength and storage modulus at 25°C of the nanocomposites increased by 52 and 40%, respectively over the pristine polyurethane. Organo‐treated nanosilica exhibited higher physico‐mechanical properties than the untreated one. With the increase of functionality in the hyperbranched polyol, the tensile strength, thermal stability, and dynamic mechanical properties of the nanocomposites improved. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Synthesis and characterization of poly(HPMA)‐APMA‐DTPA‐99mTc for imaging‐guided drug delivery in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Yuan Jianchao , Miao Chengping , Peng Fangyu , Zeng Xianwu , Guo Hongyun , Wang Xiaoqi , Liao Shiqi , Xie Xiaoli 
Published: June 2012

AbstractTo develop a theranostic agent for diagnostic imaging and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), poly(HPMA)‐APMA‐DTPA‐99mTc (HPMA: N‐(2‐hydroxypropyl methacrylamide; APMA: N‐(3‐aminopropyl)methacrylamide; DTPA: diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) and DTPA‐99mTc were synthesized and characterized, and their HCC targeting was tested by in vitro cellular uptake and in vivo tumor imaging in this study. Radioactivity of HCC cells incubated with poly(HPMA)‐APMA‐DTPA‐99mTc was significant higher (16.40%) than that of the cells incubated with DTPA‐99mTc (2.98%). Scintigraphic images of HCC in mice obtained at 8 h after injection of poly(HPMA)‐APMA‐DTPA‐99mTc showed increased radioactivity compared with that in mice injected with DTPA‐99mTc. The results of postmortem tissue radioactivity assay demonstrated higher radioactivity of HCC tumor tissues (2.69 ± 0.15% ID/g) from the tumor‐bearing mice injected with poly(HPMA)‐APMA‐DTPA‐99mTc compared with that of HCC tumor tissues in the tumor‐bearing mice injected with DTPA‐99mTc (0.83 ± 0.03 %ID/g), (P <0.001). These results first directly confirm the significant passive hepatocellular tumor targeting of HPMA copolymer. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Effect of chemical structure and preparation process on the aggregation structure and properties of polyimide film
Authors: Wang Ying , Yang Yang , Jia Zhenxing , Qin Jiaqiang , Gu Yi 
Published: June 2012

AbstractIn this article, polyimide (PI) films were fabricated via the three‐step method including the reactions of condensation polymerization, chemical imidization, and thermal imidization. In comparison with the conventional two‐step method to produce PI films, there was an additional step in the present method, i.e., chemical imidization. The aim of chemical imidization was to get PI intermediates with different pre‐imidization degree (pre‐ID). And PI component in PI intermediates acted as in‐situ rigid‐rod segments and induced orientation in the films of PI intermediates. Then the orientations of molecular chains were preserved in the following thermal imidization, and caused the difference in aggregation structure and property of the final PI films. The test results indicated that the orderly degree of molecular chains and mechanical properties of PI films increased with pre‐ID increasing. Furthermore, this tendency was much more obvious for more rigid backbone structure. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Distributed Tracking Control for Networked Mechanical Systems
Authors: Chen Gang , Lewis Frank L. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThis paper investigates the distributed tracking control problems for a group of networked mechanical systems. We describe three scenarios that motivate these problems. Firstly, under the conditions that the desired time‐varying trajectory is available to a portion of the networked mechanical systems and that the available signals from the neighboring mechanical systems include the position and velocity information, a distributed tracking control strategy is proposed. Next, we remove the requirement for the neighboring mechanical system's velocity information and propose a control method so that the coupling signals among the networked mechanical systems can be only position information. In the third scenario, we assume that only positions are measured for each mechanical system. Distributed nonlinear observers are proposed to estimate the local mechanical system's velocity and acceleration. Based on the estimated states, the distributed controllers are designed to achieve the tracking control. Simulation results are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed control laws.
Effects of pulsed magnetic field treatment of soybean seeds on calli growth, cell damage, and biochemical changes under salt stress
Authors: Radhakrishnan Ramalingam , Leelapriya Thasari , Kumari Bollipo Diana Ranjitha 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThe effects of magnetic field (MF) treatments of soybean seeds on calli growth, cell damage, and biochemical changes under salt stress were investigated under controlled conditions. Soybean seeds were exposed to a 1.0 Hz sinusoidal uniform pulsed magnetic field (PMF) of 1.5 µT for 5 h/day for 20 days. Non‐treated seeds were considered as controls. For callus regeneration, the embryonic axis explants were taken from seeds and inoculated in a saline medium with a concentration of 10 mM NaCl for calli growth analysis and biochemical changes. The combined treatment of MF and salt stress was found to significantly increase calli fresh weight, total soluble sugar, total protein, and total phenol contents, but it decreased the ascorbic acid, lipid peroxidation, and catalase activity of calli from magnetically exposed seeds compared to the control calli. PMF treatment significantly improved calli tolerance to salt stress in terms of an increase in flavonoid, flavone, flavonole, alkaloid, saponin, total polyphenol, genistein, and daidzein contents under salt stress. The results suggest that PMF treatment of soybean seeds has the potential to counteract the adverse effects of salt stress on calli growth by improving primary and secondary metabolites under salt stress conditions. Bioelectromagnetics 33:670–681, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Resurrecting ancient animal genomes: The extinct moa and more
Authors: Huynen Leon , Millar Craig D. , Lambert David M. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractRecently two developments have had a major impact on the field of ancient DNA (aDNA). First, new advances in DNA sequencing, in combination with improved capture/enrichment methods, have resulted in the recovery of orders of magnitude more DNA sequence data from ancient animals. Second, there has been an increase in the range of tissue types employed in aDNA. Hair in particular has proven to be very successful as a source of DNA because of its low levels of contamination and high level of ancient endogenous DNA. These developments have resulted in significant advances in our understanding of recently extinct animals: namely their evolutionary relationships, physiology, and even behaviour. Hair has been used to recover the first complete ancient nuclear genome, that of the extinct woolly mammoth, which then facilitated the expression and functional analysis of haemoglobins. Finally, we speculate on the consequences of these developments for the possibility of recreating extinct animals.
Systematic approaches to dissect biological processes in stem cells by image‐based screening
Authors: Erdmann Gerrit , Volz Christian , Boutros Michael 
Published: June 2012

AbstractHigh‐throughput RNAi or small molecule screens have proven to be powerful methodologies for the systematic dissection of cellular processes. In model organisms and cell lines, large‐scale screens have identified key components of many cellular pathways and helped to identify novel targets in disease‐relevant pathways. Image‐based high‐content screening has become an increasingly important tool in high‐throughput screening, enabling changes in phenotype characteristics, such as cell morphology and cell differentiation, to be monitored. In this review, we discuss the use of image‐based screening approaches to explore the behavior of adult, embryonic, and induced pluripotent stem cells. First, we review how current pluripotency and differentiation assays can be adapted to high‐throughput formats. We then describe general aspects of image‐based screening of cells and present an outlook on challenges for screening stem cells.
Environmental and Social Policy and Earning Persistence
Authors: Mahjoub Lassaad Ben , Khamoussi Halioui 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACTIn recent years, the effect of disclosure on environmental and social information has been the subject of much research in an Anglo‐Saxon context. The European field, and especially the French companies, have not been sufficiently discussed.In this paper, we investigate the relationship between social and environmental disclosure and earning persistence (as a proxy of earning quality). We use the content analysis method with annual reports as a measure of social and environmental disclosure; the empirical validation is applied to the companies listed in the SBF 250 French stock market index over the 2005–2010 period. To measure earning persistence we opt for a regression of a time‐series model on panel data. The findings show that French companies are characterized by a high level of social and environmental reporting; this situation may affect positively the quality of earnings such as more persistent earnings. This means that companies with a higher level of social and environmental commitment are more likely to take benefits and to communicate more persistent earnings and be desirable to investors. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
In Demand: Therapeutic Services for Children and Young People Who Have Experienced Sexual Abuse
Authors: Allnock Debra , Radford Lorraine , Bunting Lisa , Price Avril , Morgan‐Klein Natalie , Ellis Jane , Stafford Anne 
Published: June 2012

This paper describes the key findings of an NSPCC study estimating need, in the UK, for therapeutic services for children who have experienced sexual abuse. This is based upon current estimates of the prevalence and impact of sexual abuse towards children and young people against the availability of therapeutic services in the UK. Data were collected on service location, availability, scope and coverage across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Researchers: (1) mapped 508 services; (2) collected data from 195 services via a structured questionnaire; (3) followed up 21 service managers and 11 service commissioners with a semi‐structured interview; and (4) carried out two focus groups with young people.‘Data were collected on service location, availability, scope and coverage’The overall level of specialist provision is low, with less than one service available per 10 000 children and young people in the UK. Calculations of need indicate that 57 156 children across the UK in the last year may have been unable to access a service. Findings from services support the view that need outstrips availability; that referral routes are limited, leaving few options for young people who have been raped or seriously sexually assaulted to directly access support; that significant waiting lists mean services must focus on reactive, rather than preventive, work; and that services are less accessible for certain groups, especially sexually abused teenagers, children with disabilities and those from Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Refugee backgrounds. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Key Practitioner Messages

Relevant professionals must be adequately trained to talk to children about sexual abuse and to identify those vulnerable in order to identify need.
Expert specialist services are well placed to share learning on early help and identification with broader children's service providers.
Active steps need to be taken by commissioners in consultation with young people, voluntary sector and adult sexual violence service providers to meet the shortfall at the level of local authorities.
Synthesis and Fluorescent Property of Pyrazoline Derivatives
Authors: Lu Beiqiong , Zhang Jianming , Wang Mingjian , Zhou Yuanhai , Chen Xiaolei 
Published: June 2012

AbstractA series of fluorinated pyrazoline derivatives were synthesized by the reaction of fluorinated chalcone with hydrazine ArNHNH2 (Ar=4‐BrC6F4, 4‐ClC6H4, C6H5, 4‐CH3C6H4 and 4‐CH3OC6H4). The structures of all these compounds were fully supported by their spectroscopic data and one of products was further confirmed by X‐ray single crystal diffraction analysis. The capability of fluorinated triaryl‐2‐pyrazolines to detect metal cations was investigated, by monitoring changes in their fluorescence spectra in the presence of Cd2+, Co2+, Cu2+, Mn2+, Ni2+ and Zn2+.
Hydrophosphonylation of Aldimines under Catalysts‐Free Conditions
Authors: Cai Zhihua , Fan Yecheng , Du Guangfen , He Lin 
Published: June 2012

AbstractTrimethylsilyl phosphite reacted with aldimines efficiently under catalysts‐free conditions, giving α‐aminophosphonates in good to excellent yields. Furthermore, the reaction can be scaled‐up easily and the high yield can be maintained.
A Liquid‐Liquid Interface Process for Fabricating TiO2 Nanofiber Membrane with High Photocatalytic Activity
Authors: Zhu Lianwen , Ren Zhigang , Lang Jianping 
Published: June 2012

AbstractA membrane consisting of TiO2 nanofibers was successfully fabricated through a simple solvothermal water/n‐hexane interface reaction of tetra‐n‐butyl titanate with NaOH followed by post treatments of acid washing and calcination. Tetra‐n‐butyl titanate reacts with NaOH at the interface to form high‐quality nanofibers with lateral dimensions below 200 nm and longitudinal dimensions of several tens of micrometers. The membrane is formed by the interpenetration and overlapping of the flexible nanofibers and distributed by holes with sizes ranging from several tens of nanometers to several hundreds of nanometers. Because of the porous structure, this nanofiber membrane exhibited a high efficiency in the photodecomposition of dyes in water.
Four New Limonoids from Aphanamixis grandifolia
Authors: Tong Lei , Zhang Yu , He Hongping , Hao Xiaojiang 
Published: June 2012

AbstractFour new limonoids, named aphanagranins A–D (1–4), were isolated from the fruits of Aphanamixis grandifolia. The new structures were determined by spectroscopic methods especially 1D and 2D NMR analysis. Aphanagranin A (1) possessed a rare four membered oxygen heterocyclic ring and its absolute configurations were determined on the basis of the signal crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. Furthermore, compounds 1 and 2 showed weak activity toward brine shrimp (Artemia salina).
Percutaneous Mitral Valvuloplasty Using Echocardiographic Intercommissural Diameter as Reference for Balloon Sizing: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Sanati Hamid Reza , Zahedmehr Ali , Shakerian Farshad , Bakhshandeh Hooman , Firoozi Ata , Kiani Reza , Sadeghpour Anita , Asgharnedjad Einollah , Mikaelpour Akram , Nabati Maryam 
Published: June 2012

AbstractBackground:Percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty is the preferred therapeutic strategy in patients with mitral stenosis, but it has shortcomings in a subset of patients.Hypothesis:A new method of balloon sizing through echocardiographic measurement of the intercommissural diameter would be safe and effective and lead to better outcomes.Methods:Eighty‐six mitral‐stenosis patients were randomly assigned to undergo balloon mitral valvuloplasty either with height‐based balloon reference sizing (HBRS group, n = 43) or with balloons sized by the echocardiographic measurement of intercommissural diameter (EBRS group, n = 43). Postprocedural mitral valve area (MVA) and severity of mitral regurgitation (MR) were assessed via echocardiography and ventriculography. Intention‐to‐treat approach was applied for the statistical analysis.Results:Baseline characteristics were not different between the groups. The mean of the estimated balloon reference sizes was significantly higher in the HBRS patients than in the EBRS group (26.4 ± 0.92 mm, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 26.2–26.6 vs 24.5 ± 1.03 mm, 95% CI: 24.2–24.7, respectively; P = 0.006). Final MVAs were significantly larger in the EBRS group (1.5 ± 0.2 cm2, 95% CI: 1.46–1.59 vs 1.4 ± 0.2 cm2, 95% CI: 1.35–1.47, respectively; P = 0.01). The occurrence of new or aggravated MR was significantly lower in the EBRS group as assessed both by echocardiography (P = 0.04) and ventriculography (P = 0.05). Mitral regurgitation was aggravated in 13 (29.3%) patients in the HBRS group and in 5 (11.5%) patients in the EBRS group.Conclusions:Percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty via the Inoue technique using balloons sized by the echocardiographic measurement of the maximal commissural diameter is an effective and safe method that might lead to an acceptable increase in the MVA and significant decrease in the rate and severity of iatrogenic MR.The results of this work were orally presented in part at EuroPCR, Paris, France, May 17‐20, 2011. The authors have no funding, financial relationships, or conflicts of interest to disclose.