bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Consumer Evaluations of Competing Brands: Perceptual versus Predictive Validity
Authors: Woodside Arch G. 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACTThis study applies the concepts of consumer predictive and confidence values of information to consumer evaluations of food quality. Examining hypothetical findings from a thought experiment, the study offers advances in cue utilization, predictive validity, and achievement of consumer's perceived quality and actual quality. Separately, metrics for these concepts were applied in a consumer product‐quality evaluation study of three brands of peanut butter. Actual quality was operationally defined in terms of Consumers Union ratings of the peanut butter. Using a between‐groups, posttest only experimental design, female graduate students (n = 98) tasted and rated one of three peanut butters on the basis of quality and nine product attributes. These informants received no knowledge of brand names or comparative qualities prior to the test. The analysis indicates a nonsignificant correlation between actual quality of the brands and quality as perceived by the informants. The major cues used by informants in making their qualitative judgments (cue utilization) differed from the significant dimensions associated with actual quality (predictive validity). The findings inform the suggestion for consumer training in the process of making accurate quality evaluations.
Movement disorders in autoimmune diseases
Authors: Baizabal‐Carvallo José Fidel , Jankovic Joseph 
Published: May 2012

AbstractMovement disorders have been known to be associated with a variety of autoimmune diseases, including Sydenham's chorea, pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcus, systemic lupus erythematosus, antiphospholipid syndrome, gluten sensitivity, paraneoplastic and autoimmune encephalopathies. Tremors, dystonia, chorea, ballism, myoclonus, parkinsonism, and ataxia may be the initial and even the only presentation of these autoimmune diseases. Although antibodies directed against various cellular components of the central nervous system have been implicated, the pathogenic mechanisms of these autoimmune movement disorders have not yet been fully elucidated. Clinical recognition of these autoimmune movement disorders is critically important as many improve with immunotherapy or dietary modifications, particularly when diagnosed early. We discuss here the clinical features, pathogenic mechanisms, and treatments of movement disorders associated with autoimmune diseases, based on our own experience and on a systematic review of the literature. © 2012 Movement Disorder Society
Attenuated heart rate response in REM sleep behavior disorder and Parkinson's disease
Authors: Sorensen Gertrud Laura , Kempfner Jacob , Zoetmulder Marielle , Sorensen Helge B. D. , Jennum Poul 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThe objective of this study was to determine whether patients with Parkinson's disease with and without rapid‐eye‐movement sleep behavior disorder and patients with idiopathic rapid‐eye‐movement sleep behavior disorder have an attenuated heart rate response to arousals or to leg movements during sleep compared with healthy controls. Fourteen and 16 Parkinson's patients with and without rapid‐eye‐movement sleep behavior disorder, respectively, 11 idiopathic rapid‐eye‐movement sleep behavior disorder patients, and 17 control subjects underwent 1 night of polysomnography. The heart rate response associated with arousal or leg movement from all sleep stages was analyzed from 10 heartbeats before the onset of the sleep event to 15 heartbeats following onset of the sleep event. The heart rate reponse to arousals was significantly lower in both parkinsonian groups compared with the control group and the idiopathic rapid‐eye‐movement sleep behavior disorder group. The heart rate response to leg movement was significantly lower in both Parkinson's groups and in the idiopathic rapid‐eye‐movement sleep behavior disorder group compared with the control group. The heart rate response for the idiopathic rapid‐eye‐movement sleep behavior disorder group was intermediate with respect to the control and the parkinsonian groups. The attenuated heart rate response may be a manifestation of the autonomic deficits experienced in Parkinson's disease. The idiopathic rapid‐eye‐movement sleep behavior disorder patients not only exhibited impaired motor symptoms but also incipient autonomic dysfunction, as revealed by the attenuated heart rate response. © 2012 Movement Disorder Society
Three‐dimensional first‐pass myocardial perfusion MRI using a stack‐of‐spirals acquisition
Authors: Shin Taehoon , Nayak Krishna S. , Santos Juan M. , Nishimura Dwight G. , Hu Bob S. , McConnell Michael V. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThree‐dimensional cardiac magnetic resonance perfusion imaging is promising for the precise sizing of defects and for providing high perfusion contrast, but remains an experimental approach primarily due to the need for large‐dimensional encoding, which, for traditional 3DFT imaging, requires either impractical acceleration factors or sacrifices in spatial resolution. We demonstrated the feasibility of rapid three‐dimensional cardiac magnetic resonance perfusion imaging using a stack‐of‐spirals acquisition accelerated by non‐Cartesian k‐t SENSE, which enables entire myocardial coverage with an in‐plane resolution of 2.4 mm. The optimal undersampling pattern was used to achieve the largest separation between true and aliased signals, which is a prerequisite for k‐t SENSE reconstruction. Flip angle and saturation recovery time were chosen to ensure negligible magnetization variation during the transient data acquisition. We compared the proposed three‐dimensional perfusion method with the standard 2DFT approach by consecutively acquiring both data during each R–R interval in cardiac patients. The mean and standard deviation of the correlation coefficients between time intensity curves of three‐dimensional versus 2DFT were 0.94 and 0.06 across seven subjects. The linear correlation between the two sets of upslope values was significant (r = 0.78, P < 0.05). Magn Reson Med, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Segmentation propagation using a 3D embryo atlas for high‐throughput MRI phenotyping: Comparison and validation with manual segmentation
Authors: Norris Francesca C. , Modat Marc , Cleary Jon O. , Price Anthony N. , McCue Karen , Scambler Peter J. , Ourselin Sebastien , Lythgoe Mark F. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractEffective methods for high‐throughput screening and morphometric analysis are crucial for phenotyping the increasing number of mouse mutants that are being generated. Automated segmentation propagation for embryo phenotyping is an emerging application that enables noninvasive and rapid quantification of substructure volumetric data for morphometric analysis. We present a study to assess and validate the accuracy of brain and kidney volumes generated via segmentation propagation in an ex vivo mouse embryo MRI atlas comprising three different groups against the current “gold standard”—manual segmentation. Morphometric assessment showed good agreement between automatically and manually segmented volumes, demonstrating that it is possible to assess volumes for phenotyping a population of embryos using segmentation propagation with the same variation as manual segmentation. As part of this study, we have made our average atlas and segmented volumes freely available to the community for use in mouse embryo phenotyping studies. These MRI datasets and automated methods of analyses will be essential for meeting the challenge of high‐throughput, automated embryo phenotyping. Magn Reson Med, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
On shimming approaches in 3T breast MRI
Authors: Hancu Ileana , Govenkar Ambey , Lenkinski Robert E. , Lee Seung‐Kyun 
Published: May 2012

AbstractA comparative study is presented, analyzing quantitatively the impact of 15 shim strategies on the homogeneity of the main magnetic field over the three‐dimensional breast region in 3T MRI. The results obtained in 12 female volunteers, spanning a wide range of body and breast types, indicate that the inclusion of the back and heart in the shim region of interest leads to considerable decrease in field homogeneity, and needs to be avoided. Comparison between shim strategies using volumetric B0 maps, covering the entire breast region, and 1–6 plane B0 maps indicate only minimally reduced performance for the latter. Interestingly, however, no single shim strategy relying on a limited number of B0 maps as input was found to work best in all volunteers. This was attributed to the limited capability of a small number of B0 maps to capture the B0 variability existent within breast. On the average, a rectangular shim region of interest, encompassing the breast region alone, worked best for the cohort studied here. Magn Reson Med, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Adapting MRI acoustic radiation force imaging for in vivo human brain focused ultrasound applications
Authors: Kaye Elena A. , Pauly Kim Butts 
Published: May 2012

AbstractA variety of magnetic resonance imaging acoustic radiation force imaging (MR‐ARFI) pulse sequences as the means for image guidance of focused ultrasound therapy have been recently developed and tested ex vivo and in animal models. To successfully translate MR‐ARFI guidance into human applications, ensuring that MR‐ARFI provides satisfactory image quality in the presence of patient motion and deposits safe amount of ultrasound energy during image acquisition is necessary. The first aim of this work was to study the effect of motion on in vivo displacement images of the brain obtained with 2D Fourier transform spin echo MR‐ARFI. Repeated bipolar displacement encoding configuration was shown less sensitive to organ motion. The optimal signal‐to‐noise ratio of displacement images was found for the duration of encoding gradients of 12 ms. The second aim was to further optimize the displacement signal‐to‐noise ratio for a particular tissue type by setting the time offset between the ultrasound emission and encoding based on the tissue response to acoustic radiation force. A method for measuring tissue response noninvasively was demonstrated. Finally, a new method for simultaneous monitoring of tissue heating during MR‐ARFI acquisition was presented to enable timely adjustment of the ultrasound energy aimed at ensuring the safety of the MR‐ARFI acquisition. Magn Reson Med, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Fast joint design method for parallel excitation radiofrequency pulse and gradient waveforms considering off‐resonance
Authors: Yoon Daehyun , Fessler Jeffrey A. , Gilbert Anna C. , Noll Douglas C. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractA fast parallel excitation pulse design algorithm to select and to order phase‐encoding (PE) locations (also known as “spokes”) of an Echo‐Volumar excitation k‐space trajectory considering B0 field inhomogeneity is presented. Recently, other groups have conducted research to choose optimal PE locations, but the potential benefit of considering B0 field inhomogeneity during PE location selection or their ordering has not been fully investigated. This article introduces a novel fast greedy algorithm to determine PE locations and their order that takes into account the off‐resonance effects. Computer simulations of the proposed algorithm for B1 field inhomogeneity correction demonstrate that it not only improves excitation accuracy but also provides an effective ordering of the PE locations. Magn Reson Med, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Semen analysis in adolescent cancer patients prior to bone marrow transplantation: When is it too late for fertility preservation?
Authors: Nahata Leena , Cohen Laurie E. , Lehmann Leslie E. , Yu Richard N. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractBackgroundSperm banking is an effective method of fertility preservation in adolescent boys with cancer but is strikingly underutilized, partly due to inconsistencies in fertility counseling and unclear guidelines regarding who should bank sperm. Patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation (BMT) are of particular interest given the high risk of infertility in this population.ProcedureWe reviewed the charts of male cancer patients who underwent BMT at age ≥13 years at the Dana‐Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) from 2003 to 2010 to determine the number of fertility preservation attempts prior to initial treatment and/or BMT, and the outcomes of those sperm banking attempts.ResultsSixty‐eight male cancer patients who had a BMT at age ≥13 years at the DFCI from 2003 to 2010 were included in the analysis. Six patients had attempted sperm banking prior to initial therapy. Thirty‐three patients attempted to bank prior to BMT; of those, 39% were azoospermic and 15% were oligospermic. Nineteen patients did not attempt to bank, and in 13 patients the decision to bank was unclear.ConclusionsA more consistent approach to fertility counseling is essential for adolescent cancer patients. Though first line therapy may be low‐risk in terms of long‐term impact on fertility, our results demonstrate that transient gonadal dysfunction is common and ongoing chemotherapy may affect spermatogenesis. Should a patient undergo BMT during this period, sperm banking is unlikely to be successful; initial fertility risk assessment should account for this possibility. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2013; 60: 129–132. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Viscoelasticity behaviors of lightly cured natural rubber/zinc dimethacrylate composites
Authors: Chen Yukun , Xu Chuanhui , Wang Yanpeng 
Published: May 2012

AbstractZinc dimethacrylate (ZDMA) can be polymerized during peroxide curing to form the polymerized ZDMA (PZDMA) at nanoscales. At the same time, the covalent crosslink of the rubber matrix and ionic crosslink introduced by the graft‐PZDMA also are formed. The structure evolution of this type of composites is complex. In this article, the dynamic viscoelasticity characteristics of lightly cured ZDMA/natural rubber (NR) composites were investigated using a Rubber Process Analyzer 2000 (RPA2000). Our goal was to study the internal structures of this type of composites in an early curing stage. The dynamical viscoelasticity of the composites cured for 1 min was focused. The results of RPA2000 indicated that the PZDMA could act as particles to form a strong filler–filler structure which resulted in apparent Payne effect. A “primary network” structure might be formed which contained covalent crosslink points, ionic crosslinks, physical adsorption, and PZDMA. The stress‐softening behavior was also investigated. At last, the scanning electron microscope analysis verified that most of the ZDMA had been polymerized to form PZDMA “nanoparticle” when the composites were cured for 1 min. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Statistical modeling for the accumulation of transverse matrix cracking in cross‐ply laminates
Authors: Wang Fang , Li Lu , Chen Zhiqian , Zeng Xiangguo 
Published: May 2012

AbstractA statistical model has been proposed to predict the evolution of matrix cracking in the transverse lamina of cross‐ply laminates subjected to longitudinal tensile loading. The analytical model is based on a fracture mechanics approach which considers that the critical fracture toughness Gc of the 90° layers is not a constant but follows a Weibull distribution. Monte‐Carlo simulation technique is applied to predict the initiation and propagation of transverse cracking in terms of applied stress versus crack density. The effects of the thickness of the 90° layers on progressive damage and failure are also discussed in this study. Good agreements are reached between simulation and experimental results. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Tear behavior of polyester‐based coated textiles after thermo‐oxidative aging
Authors: Triki Ennouri , Arrieta Carlos , Boukehili Hychem , Vu‐Khanh Toan 
Published: May 2012

AbstractIn this article, a new method to characterize the tear behavior of coated textiles using fracture mechanics is proposed. The energy dissipated in tearing (EDT) of as‐received and thermally aged samples of polyester fabric, polyvinyl acetate rubber coating, and textile‐coating composites was calculated and compared. The EDT of the coated fabric displayed a slightly smaller value than the fabric alone, whereas the EDT of the coating was found to be negligible when compared with the other two. The presence of the coating is believed to have a detrimental effect on the tearing behavior of the coated fabric as it hinders interfilament slippage. A master curve of EDT retention vs. aging time for noncoated and coated fabric samples was constructed using the time–temperature superposition principle and fitted using the Hill equation. Fourier transform infrared analyses carried out on aged fabric samples hinted at a possible chain scission process, whereas the crystallinity of fabric samples, calculated via differential scanning calorimetry, was found to decrease after thermal aging. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed an increase in surface roughness after aging that may reduce interfilament friction. These results, coupled to an increase in the adhesion strength between fabric and coating, are likely the cause of the reduction of EDT noticed in aged coated and noncoated fabrics compared with as‐received ones. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Polyamide 6–wheat straw composites: Effects of additives on physical and mechanical properties of the composite
Authors: Amintowlieh Yasaman , Sardashti Amirpouyan , Simon Leonardo C. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractPolyamide 6 was modified with lithium chloride (LiCl) salt and N‐butyl benzenesulfonamide (N‐BBSA) plasticizer (additives). The modification was done in order to develop an environmentally friendly composite, composed of wheat straw (WS). A 15 wt% of ground WS was compounded with Polyamide 6 along with the additives. Addition of LiCl decreased the melting point of the matrix, allowing for a lower compounding temperature. However, a pseudo‐crosslinking formation upon addition of salt limited the polymer chain movement and restricted the processing temperature. LiCl addition increased the tensile and flexural modulus of the composite, but decreased the tensile and flexural strength. Decrease in the strength was found to be related to the increase in the residence time of material during extrusion causing severe WS thermal degradation. Addition of N‐BBSA eased the processing due to lubrication effect, however, when used in excess, lowered the flexural modulus and strength. Addition of WS to Polyamide 6 increased the modulus of the matrix. Matrix tensile modulus and flexural modulus were enhanced by 27%; however, a decrease in strength of the matrix was obtained. Addition of WS, LiCl, and plasticizer lowered the impact properties of Polyamide 6. It was concluded that combination of 2 wt% LiCl and of 2 wt% N‐BBSA gives the best mechanical properties. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Studies on the viscoelasticity of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene–octene)/organomontmorillonite nanocomposites
Authors: Liu Feng , Zhong Yu , Jiang Chunyan , Wang Dong , Wang Zeng‐Kun , Run Ming‐Tao 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThe viscoelasticity of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/maleinized poly(octene‐ethylene) copolymer/organomontmorillonite (OMMT) nanocomposites were investigated at both liquid and glassy states by using the rotational rheometer and dynamic mechanical analysis, respectively. The viscoelasticity results suggest that OMMT has many important influences on the structure, modulus, toughness, and cold‐crystallization of the nanocomposites. The OMMT has a strip‐like sheet morphology in the polymer matrix and when OMMT content increases to 4 wt%, the physical network‐like structure begins to form in the nanocomposites. The pseudoplasticity of the melts is increased by OMMT. In addition, the complex viscosity, storage modulus, and viscous behavior of the melts are increased with increasing OMMT content. The creep resistance of the nanocomposites is improved by OMMT, and it plays an important role on reinforcing the melts. The stress relaxation of the melts suggests that the nanofillers can not only enhance the interfacial interactions of the nanocomposites but also inhibit the recovery of the polymer chain segments. At glassy state, the nanocomposites' storage modulus increases with increasing OMMT content. As glass transition occurs, the loss factor and loss modulus suggest that OMMT toughens the polymer matrix. At rubber‐elastic state, OMMT depresses the cold‐crystallization of the polymer matrix due to its limitation effect on the motion of molecular chains. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Morphology, thermal, and dynamic mechanical properties of poly(lactic acid)/sisal whisker nanocomposites
Authors: Ahmad E.E.M. , Luyt A.S. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractSisal whiskers were used as biobased nanofillers to prepare poly(lactic acid) (PLA)‐based nanocomposites. The whiskers were prepared from sisal fibers via sulfuric acid hydrolysis. Freeze drying of the aqueous whisker suspension was carried out to obtain loosely packed dry sisal whiskers. The nanocomposites were prepared by melt mixing, followed by hot melt pressing. The effect of the freeze drying of the nanofibers, the treatments of the samples with maleic anhydride (MA)/dicumyl peroxide (DCP) and with DCP, and the premixing of the powdered components on the dispersion of the whiskers in the PLA matrix and on the morphology, as well as the thermal and dynamic mechanical properties, of the resultant nanocomposites were investigated. Transmission electron microscopy micrographs show that the acid hydrolysis has led to separation of the whiskers, which had an approximate length and diameter of 195 and 15 nm, respectively. The TEM images of the nanocomposites show similar dispersion of the whiskers in the PLA matrix, whether untreated or MA/DCP or DCP treated. It was found that the crystallization behavior of the PLA matrix changed somewhat depending on whether the samples were treated or not. The thermogravimetric analysis results show a slight decrease in the thermal stabilities of the untreated and the MA/DCP‐treated nanocomposite samples compared to that of the neat PLA, whereas the DCP treatment slightly improved the thermal stability of the nanocomposites. The storage modulus of the nanocomposites increased over the investigated temperature region, and the incorporation of sisal whiskers reduced the intensity of the glass transition at 67°C. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers