bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Synoptic forcing of precipitation in the Mackenzie and Yukon River basins
Authors: Cassano Elizabeth N. , Cassano John J. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThe relationship between near‐surface atmospheric circulation, as characterized by sea level pressure patterns, and precipitation in the Mackenzie and Yukon River basins is presented. A synoptic climatology of sea level pressure patterns based on daily sea level pressure anomalies from the ERA40 reanalysis dataset was created using the method of self‐organizing maps. This objective analysis identified all major near‐surface atmospheric circulation patterns in the region and illustrated the change in dominant circulation patterns throughout the seasons, with strong Aleutian low patterns dominant in the winter and patterns characterized by low pressure over land areas and the Beaufort/Chukchi Seas in the summer. These synoptic patterns were then related to daily precipitation in the Mackenzie and Yukon River basins. The largest daily precipitation values, for both the Mackenzie and Yukon basins, were associated with patterns that occur most frequently in the summer, likely associated with increased frequency of cyclones and convective events that occur over land in that season. During winter, the largest positive precipitation anomalies were along the coastal mountain range in southeastern Alaska associated with Aleutian lows bringing warm, moist flow from the south resulting in upslope flow on the windward side of these mountains. These patterns were responsible for many of the large precipitation events in the winter in the Mackenzie basin. The largest precipitation events in the winter in the Yukon basin occurred with patterns that have a low pressure centre to the southwest of the basin. This synoptic pattern results in southerly flow advecting moisture into the basin to the west of the higher topography which bounds much of the southern boundary of the Yukon watershed. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society
Diagnosing warm‐season rainfall variability in Mexico: a classification tree approach
Authors: Englehart Phil J. , Douglas Arthur V. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractMany observational studies provide evidence that connects seasonal rainfall variations over parts of the subtropical and tropical Americas with the behaviour of large‐scale climate modes. This paper extends these claims based on analysis of a fairly extensive historical rainfall data set (1943–2006) from several locations in Mexico. The paper applies classification tree (CT) analysis to link warm‐season rainfall variability to climate indices, which characterize ENSO state, the NAO, and sea‐level pressure in the eastern North Pacific. While the results generally indicate that a significant part of the variability in warm‐season rainfall over Mexico is conditioned by large‐scale climate modes, there is only limited evidence of simple lag relationships involving Mexican rainfall and antecedent climate behaviour. The main implication here is that advances in warm seasonal rainfall prediction are likely to depend partially on improved capabilities to foreshadow the behaviour of large‐scale climate modes a season or more in advance. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society
Effects of 1 to 3 years' treatment with alendronate on mechanical properties of the femoral shaft in a canine model: Implications for subtrochanteric femoral fracture risk
Authors: Burr David B. , Diab Tamim , Koivunemi Andrew , Koivunemi Mark , Allen Matthew R. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractBisphosphonate (BP) treatment used to prevent bone loss in postmenopausal osteoporosis has recently been implicated in an apparent increase in subtrochanteric femoral fractures. Previous work showed that BPs can reduce the energy to fracture of cancellous bone, but limited data exist on material‐level mechanical properties of compact bone from the long bones. This study examined intrinsic mechanical properties of the femoral diaphysis of a canine model treated for 1 or 3 years with alendronate at two different doses. Seventy‐two dogs were treated orally with 0.2 mg/kg/day alendronate or 1.0 mg/kg/day alendronate; a control group was administered saline. Prismatic beam specimens were tested in four‐point bending under displacement control, and the intrinsic mechanical properties were calculated. No significant differences were found among groups in any mechanical property at either 1 or 3 years of treatment. We conclude that the material properties of the femoral diaphysis are not degraded following 1 to 3 years treatment with alendronate, even at high doses. Longer periods of treatment have not been studied using clinical doses of alendronate, but such studies need to be carried out to confirm a lack of effect of alendronate on mechanical properties of cortical bone in the subtrochanteric region of the femur. © 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 27:1288–1292, 2009
Functional sensibility assessment. part II: Effects of sensory improvement on precise pinch force modulation after transverse carpal tunnel release
Authors: Hsu Hsiu‐Yun , Kuo Li‐Chieh , Chiu Haw‐Yen , Jou I‐Ming , Su Fong‐Chin 
Published: April 2009

AbstractPatients with median nerve compression at the carpal tunnel often have poor sensory afferents. Without adequate sensory modulation control, these patients frequently exhibit clumsy performance and excessive force output in the affected hand. We analyzed precision grip function after the sensory recovery of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) who underwent carpal tunnel release (CTR). Thirteen CTS patients were evaluated using a custom‐designed pinch device and conventional sensory tools before and after CTR to measure sensibility, maximum pinch strength, and anticipated pinch force adjustments to movement‐induced load fluctuations in a pinch‐holding‐up activity. Based on these tests, five force‐related parameters and sensory measurements were used to determine improvements in pinch performance after sensory recovery. The force ratio between the exerted pinch force and maximum load force of the lifting object was used to determine pinch force coordination and to prove that CTR enabled precision motor output. The magnitude of peak pinch force indicated an economic force output during manipulations following CTR. The peak pinch force, force ratio, and percentage of maximum pinch force also demonstrated a moderate correlation with the Semmes–Weinstein test. Analysis of these tests revealed that improved sensory function helped restore patients' performance in precise pinch force control evaluations. These results suggest that sensory information plays an important role in adjusting balanced force output in dexterous manipulation. © 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 27:1534–1539, 2009
Lower extremity walking mechanics of young individuals with asymptomatic varus knee alignment
Authors: Barrios Joaquin A. , Davis Irene S. , Higginson Jill S. , Royer Todd D. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractVarus knee alignment is associated with an increased risk for developing medial knee osteoarthritis (OA). Medial knee OA is commonly associated with altered walking mechanics in the frontal and sagittal planes, as well as altered ground reaction forces. It is unknown whether these mechanics are present in young, asymptomatic individuals with varus knees. We expected that varus‐aligned individuals would generally present with frontal plane mechanics that were similar to those reported for individuals with medial knee OA. The gait mechanics of 17 asymptomatic individuals with varus knees and 17 healthy, normally aligned controls were recorded. Gait parameters associated with medial knee OA were compared between groups. The individuals with varus knees exhibited greater knee external adduction moments, knee adduction, eversion, and lateral ground reaction force than the normally aligned individuals. In addition, those with varus knees also demonstrated increased knee flexion and external knee flexor moments during midstance. These results suggest that individuals with varus knees exhibit some, but not all, of the altered mechanics seen in medial knee OA. © 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 27:1414–1419, 2009
Raman and surface‐enhanced Raman studies of α‐aminophosphinic inhibitors of metalloenzymes
Authors: Podstawka E. , Dra̧g M. , Oleksyszyn J. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractHere, we report the nature of new di‐α‐amino (L1–L3) and α‐amino‐α‐hydroxyphosphinic (L4–L6) acids, which are considered potential inhibitors of the aminopeptidase N, adsorbed on a colloidal silver surface by means of surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. In order to reveal the adsorption mechanism of these species from their SERS spectra, Fourier‐transform Raman (FT‐RS) spectra of these nonadsorbed molecules were measured. By examining the enhancement, shift in wavenumbers, and changes in breadth of the SERS bands due to the adsorption process, we revealed that the tilted compounds interact with the colloidal silver substrate mainly through the benzene ring, amino group, and phosphinic moiety in the following way. The benzene ring of L2 and L3 is ‘standing up’ on the colloidal silver surface, and the CN bond is almost vertical to it, while the tilt angle between the OPO bond and this surface is greater than 45°. On the other hand, for L1, L4, and L5, the aromatic ring and CN bond are arranged more or less tilted, and the tilt angle between the OPO bond and the silver substrate is smaller than 45°. The elongation of the bond to the benzene ring, the L6 case, produces an almost horizontal orientation of the benzene ring and the OPO bond on the silver nanoparticles.For these ligands, the complement inhibition IC50 tested in vitro using porcine kidney leucine aminopeptidase was correlated mainly with the behavior of the OPO and CCHN fragments on the silver surface. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Signal processing to evaluate parameters affecting SPE for multi‐residue analysis of personal care products
Authors: Pietrogrande Maria Chiara , Basaglia Giulia , Dondi Francesco 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThis paper discusses the development of a comprehensive method for the simultaneous analysis of personal care products (PCPs) based on SPE and GC‐MS. The method was developed on 29 target compounds to represent PCPs belonging to different chemical classes: surfactants in detergents (alkyl benzenes), fragrances in cosmetics (nitro and polycyclic musks), antioxidants and preservatives (phenols), plasticizers (phthalates) displaying a wide range of volatility, polarity, water solubility. In addition to the conventional C18 stationary phase, a surface modified styrene divinylbenzene polymeric phase (StrataTM X SPE cartridge) has been investigated as suitable for the simultaneous extraction of several PCPs with polar and non‐polar characteristics. For both sorbents different solvent compositions and eluting conditions were tested and compared in order to achieve high extraction efficiency for as many sample components as possible. Comparison of the behavior of the two cartridges reveals that, overall, Strata‐X provides better efficiency with extraction recovery higher than 70% for most of the PCPs investigated. The best results were obtained under the following operative conditions: an evaporation temperature of 40°C, elution on Strata‐X cartridge using a volume of 15 mL of ethyl acetate (EA) as solvent and operating with slow flow rate (–10 KPa). In addition to the conventional method based on peak integration, a chemometric approach based on the computation of the experimental autocovariance function (EACVFtot) was applied to the complex GC‐MS signal: the percentage recovery and information on peak abundance distribution can be evaluated for each procedure step. The PC‐based signal processing proved very helpful in assisting the development of the analytical procedure, since it saves labor and time and increases result reliability in handling GC complex signals.
New synthetic esters with a complex structure considered as tribological fluids
Authors: Mirci Liviu E. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThe paper presents results concerning synthesis and characterisation as lubricant fluids of some esters of different monocarboxylic acids with variable chain length, along with aliphatic‐aromatic complex alcohols and/or with superior alcohols (exclusive of aliphatic). The monocarboxylic acids taken into account were n‐butyric, n‐octanoic and oleic, respectively, while the alcohols considered were isodecyl and isotridecyl as purely aliphatic, and 2‐phenoxy‐ethanol, 2‐[(o‐sec‐butyl)phenoxy]ethanol and 2‐[(p‐nonyl)phenoxy]ethanol, as part of the complex aliphatic‐aromatic alcohols group. Under these circumstances, it became possible to study the influence of the structure on the main physico‐chemical properties of these synthetic oils as well as on their tribological representative features. The results recorded certified the validity of the proposed research programme. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Is the recipient vein really the main concern? A cohort study of head and neck reconstruction
Authors: Webster Ronaldo Scholze , Chem Roberto Corrêa 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThe aim of this study was to verify the role of the venous drainage system in the pathogenesis of complications in microsurgical head and neck reconstruction. In a nonrandomized cohort study, 52 consecutive cases of complex head and neck microsurgical reconstruction were evaluated. The patients were divided in two groups based on the treatment: the deep (DVDG; n = 30) and superficial (SVDG; n = 22) venous drainage groups. The complications evaluated included vascular obstruction with partial or total loss of the microsurgical flap, inadequate healing (fistulas or suture dehiscence), and infections. The arterial anastomotic site, neoplastic recurrence, use of medications and neoadjuvant radiotherapy, flap selection, tumor histology, smoking/alcoholism, and systemic diseases had no effect on postoperative complications, while the venous component influenced the overall complication rate (chi‐square test, P = 0.006). A protective effect was achieved in the DVDG when the overall complication rate was considered—relative risk (RR) 0.65, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.45–0.94. The recipient vein should be the surgeon's main concern as it influenced the outcomes of patients undergoing complex microsurgical head and neck reconstruction. A protective effect was observed when the internal jugular vein drainage system was used for this purpose. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Microsurgery 2009.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy protects the liver from apoptosis caused by ischemia‐reperfusion injury in rats
Authors: Chaves José C. , Fagundes Djalma J. , Simões Manuel De J. , Bertoletto Paulo R. , Oshima Celina T. F. , Taha Murched O. , Simões Ricardo S. , Fagundes Anna L. N. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractPurpose:The present paper aimed to investigate the role of hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBO) and the apoptosis in rat liver ischemia‐reperfusion injury (IRI).Methods:Thirty‐seven male Wistar rats were subjected to 30 minutes of hepatic ischemia and 30 minutes of reperfusion and randomly distributed into six groups: G‐I/R (n = 8), control without HBO; G‐HBO/I (n = 8), HBO only during the ischemia period; G‐HBO/R (n = 8), HBO only during the reperfusion period; G‐HBO‐I/R (n = 8), HBO during both the ischemia and reperfusion periods; G‐Sh (n = 3), HBO without ischemia or reperfusion as sham group; G‐C (n = 2) for control of current apoptosis expression on the normal liver tissue. HBO was carried out using a transparent, cylindrical acrylic chamber with a pressure of 2.0 ATA. Hepatic samples were stained for caspase‐3 cleavage.Results:Apoptotic cells were identified in all groups. In the hepatic specimens of animals HBO‐treated during ischemia (GHBO‐I), there was a significant decrease (P < 0.001) in the number of cells undergoing apoptosis (1.62 ± 0.91). The apoptotic index showed no significant difference in the animals HBO‐treated during ischemia/reperfusion (5.75 ± 1.28) compared with the G‐I/R (3.5 ± 0.75), which had no HBO treatment. The apoptosis index (11.25 ± 1.90) was significantly higher (P < 0.01) in HBO‐treated animals during the reperfusion period when compared with any of the other groups.Conclusion:A favorable effect was obtained when hyperbaric oxygen was administered early during ischemia. The hyperbaric oxygen in later periods of reperfusion was associated with a more severe apoptosis index. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Microsurgery 2009.
Preventing infective complications following leech therapy: Is practice keeping pace with current research?
Authors: Whitaker Iain S. , Kamya Cyril , Azzopardi Ernest A. , Graf Joerg , Kon Moshe , Lineaweaver William C. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractBackground:Despite several publications strongly advocating prophylactic antibiotics during leech therapy, and recent primary articles shedding new light on the microbiota of leeches, many units either do not use antibiotic prophylaxis, or are continuing to use ineffective agents.Methods:A 5‐year follow‐up of plastic surgery units in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland was conducted in 2007 to ascertain current practice regarding the use of prophylactic antibiotics with leech therapy. A comprehensive literature search investigated primary research articles regarding the microbiota of leeches to update the reconstructive surgery community.Results:Despite published evidence to support the use of prophylactic antibiotics during leech therapy, 24% of units do not use antibiotic prophylaxis and 57% of those using antibiotics are using potentially ineffective agents. Advanced molecular genetic techniques, which allow accurate characterization of both culturable and nonculturable microbiota of the leech digestive tract, show a wider diversity than at first thought, with variable antiobiotic resistance profiles.Conclusions:Despite infection due to leech therapy being a well known and relatively common complication, many units are not using appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Microsurgery 2009.
Properties and least‐squares problems for row extended matrices
Authors: Zhao Lijun , Hu Xiyan , Zhang Lei 
Published: April 2009

AbstractIn this paper, we discuss basic properties, a least‐squares problem for row extended matrices and the associated approximation problem. First, we obtain their basic properties by applying their particular structure. Then we derive a general representation of the solutions to the least‐squares problem, and we obtain an expression for the solution to the associated approximation problem. Finally, we provide a perturbation analysis and a perturbation bound for the best approximate solution. The results are illustrated by numerical examples. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An adaptive mesh refinement method for solution of the transported PDF equation
Authors: Olivieri D. A. , Fairweather M. , Falle S. A. E. G. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThis paper presents the results of an investigation into a possible alternative to Monte Carlo methods for solving the transported probability density function (PDF) equation for scalars (compositions). The method uses a finite‐volume approach combined with adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) in a multi‐dimensional compositional space. Comparisons are made between the new method and Monte Carlo solutions for analytical test cases involving the reaction of two or three chemical species. These tests demonstrate the potential of the new method in terms of both accuracy and run time. Additional test cases involving various models for molecular mixing were also conducted with similar conclusions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A boundary face method for potential problems in three dimensions
Authors: Zhang Jianming , Qin Xianyun , Han Xu , Li Guangyao 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThis work presents a new implementation of the boundary node method (BNM) for numerical solution of Laplace's equation. By coupling the boundary integral equations and the moving least‐squares (MLS) approximation, the BNM is a boundary‐type meshless method. However, it still uses the standard elements for boundary integration and approximation of the geometry, thus loses the advantages of the meshless methods. In our implementation, here called the boundary face method, the boundary integration is performed on boundary faces, which are represented in parametric form exactly as the boundary representation data structure in solid modeling. The integrand quantities, such as the coordinates of Gauss integration points, Jacobian and out normal are calculated directly from the faces rather than from elements. In order to deal with thin structures, a mixed variable interpolation scheme of 1‐D MLS and Lagrange Polynomial for long and narrow faces. An adaptive integration scheme for nearly singular integrals has been developed. Numerical examples show that our implementation can provide much more accurate results than the BNM, and keep reasonable accuracy in some extreme cases, such as very irregular distribution of nodes and thin shells. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Initial evidence on whether use of professional fundraising services increases fundraising effectiveness
Authors: Marudas Nicholas P. , Jacobs Fred A. 
Published: April 2009

Abstract

We provide initial evidence on whether use of professional fundraising services by US nonprofit organizations (NPOs) increases the effectiveness of NPOs' fundraising efforts. To a well‐tested model of organization‐level donations, we add an interaction term that captures the impact that professional fundraising fees an NPO incurs has on the effectiveness of an NPOs' spending on fundraising in raising donations. We find that professional fundraising fees has a significant positive impact on the effectiveness of fundraising efforts in raising donations for NPOs in the full, education, and health samples, but no impact for NPOs in the arts and human services samples. For NPOs in the full sample and NPOs in the education sample, one quarter of the effect of fundraising on donations stems from the positive impact of professional fundraising services on the effectiveness of fundraising in raising donations. For NPOs in the health sample, one half of the effect of fundraising on donations stems from the positive impact of professional fundraising services on the effectiveness of fundraising in raising donations. These results suggest that professional fundraising services significantly enhance the effectiveness of fundraising for these types of NPOs. While the results of this study seem to confirm the decisions of managers of education and health NPOs to utilize professional fundraising services, the results also suggest that managers of arts and human services NPOs may want to reconsider using professional fundraising services, at least the types of services they currently purchase and the way they currently utilize such services.

Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Preparation and properties of PP/PC/POE blends
Authors: Dai Shanshan , Ye Lin , Hu Guohua 
Published: April 2009

AbstractIn order to develop PP (polypropylene)‐based blends with balanced toughness and rigidity, the poly‐blends of PP/PC (polycarbonate)/POE (ethylene–octene copolymer) were prepared by applying styrene–ethylene–propylene–styrene (SEPS) as the macromolecular compatibilizer. The compatibilizing effect was studied in terms of the mechanical, morphologies and thermal properties, and the compatibilized PP‐based blends presented remarkable improvement in impact toughness and balanced tensile strength due to the formed special morphology structure. Additionally, by preparing the pre‐blend of PC/SEPS, the melt viscosity of the PP matrix can match that of the dispersed phase PC and POE, which led to a further improvement in the mechanical property of the blends. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.