bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Introduction of Electronic Referral from Community Associated with More Timely Review by Secondary Services
Authors: White S. , Day K.J. , Gu Y. , Pollock M. , Warren J. 
Published: December 2011

SummaryBackground: Electronic referral (eReferral) from community into public secondary healthcare services was introduced to 30 referring general medical practices and 28 hospital based services in late 2007.Objectives: To measure the extent of uptake of eReferral and its association with changes in referral processing.Methods: Analysis of transactional data from the eReferral message service and the patient information management system of the affected hospital; interview of clinical, operational and management stakeholders.Results: eReferral use rose steadily to 1000 transactions per month in 2008, thereafter showing moderate growth to 1200 per month in 2010. Rate of eReferral from the community in 2010 is estimated at 56% of total referrals to the hospital from general practice, and as 71% of referrals from those having done at least one referral electronically. Referral latency from letter date to hospital triage improves significantly from 2007 to 2009 (p<0.001), from a paper referral median of 8 days (inter-quartile range, IQR: 4–14) in 2007 to an eReferral median of 5 days (IQR: 2–9) and paper referral median of 6 days (IQR: 2–12) in 2009. Specialists upgrade the referrer-assigned eReferral priority in 19.2% of cases and downgrade it 18.6% of the time. Clinical users appreciate improvement of referral visibility (status and content access); however, both general practitioners and specialists point out system usability issues.Discussion: With eReferrals, a referral’s status can be checked, and its content read, by any authorized user at any time. The period of eReferral uptake was associated with significant speed-up in referral processing without changes in staffing levels. The eReferral system provides a foundation for further innovation in the community-secondary interface, such as electronic decision support and shared care planning systems.Conclusions: We observed substantial rapid voluntary uptake of eReferrals associated with faster, more reliable and more transparent referral processing.
A Tale of Tails: Uncertainty and the Social Cost of Carbon Dioxide
Authors: Pycroft J. , Vergano L. , Hope C. , Paci D. , Ciscar J. C. 
Published: December 2011

Abstract
Recent thinking about the economics of climate change has concerned the uncertainty about the upper bound of both climate sensitivity to greenhouse gases and the damages that might occur at high temperatures. This argument suggests that the appropriate probability distributions for these factors may be fat-tailed. The matter of tail shape has important implications for the calculation of the social cost of carbon dioxide (SCCO2). In this paper a probabilistic integrated assessment model is adapted to allow for the possibility of a thin, intermediate or fat tail for both (i) the climate sensitivity parameter and (ii) the damage function exponent. Results show that depending on the tail shape of the climate sensitivity parameter the mean SCCO2 rises by 29–85%. Changes in the mean SCCO2 due to the adjustments to the damage function alone range from a reduction of 7% to a rise of 12%. The combination of both leads to rises of 33–15%. Greater rises occur for the upper percentiles of the SCCO2 estimates. Given the uncertainties in both the science and the economics of climate change different tail shapes deserve consideration due to their important implications for the range of possible values for the SCCO2.
“Permanent Books”:
Authors: Dickens Elizabeth 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT
Using quantitative data on the book reviews and advertisements in the Nation and Athenaeum during the mid-1920s, this article argues that the Nation and Athenaeum, like its fellow intellectual weeklies, was characterized by a close and mutually beneficial relationship with the book trade. Rather than emphasizing imaginative literature, modernist or otherwise, the book-related content of the Nation and Athenaeum focused on a wide range of books. In particular, the periodical showed a preference for books most likely to attract individual book-buyers, a group believed to be largely coterminous with the audience for intellectual weekly periodicals.
In situ synthesis and properties of PMR PI/SiO2 nanocomposites
Authors: Liu Hong , Wang Tingmei , Wang Qihua 
Published: December 2011

AbstractPhenylethynyl‐terminated polymerization of monomer reactant thermosetting polyimide (PI) was synthesized, and the PI/SiO2 nanocomposite films were prepared via in situ polymerization of monomer with the nano‐SiO2 particles. Analysis indicated that the surfaces of the nano‐SiO2 slightly react to the PI, and nano‐SiO2 was homogeneously dispersed in the PI at low filling content while agglomerate was a presence of high filling content. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the decomposition temperatures of the PI/SiO2 nanocomposites were increasing as the increasing of filler contents when the nano‐SiO2 content was below 9 wt %, but it showed a decreased tendency when it was above 9 wt %. Tribological studies showed that the nano‐SiO2 contributed to the significant decreasing of the friction coefficient and wear rates of the PI at dry sliding condition of low filler content, and the PI/SiO2 nanocomposites could be promising material used as tribomaterial in dry sliding condition against GCr15 steel. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Structural modifications in stretch‐induced crystallization in PVDF films as measured by small‐angle X‐ray scattering
Authors: Chinaglia Dante Luis , Gregório Rinaldo , Vollet Dimas Roberto 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThe nanostructure of stretched and nonstretched PVDF samples was studied by small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). The crystallinity of the samples was determined by wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and crystalline phases by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The nanostructure can be described by a lamellar stacking of crystalline and amorphous layers, with a fairly well defined long period D and a diffuse‐boundary in the interface between the crystalline and amorphous phases. The crystallinity of the stretched sample was found to be greater than that of the nonstretched sample. The long period D and the thicknesses of the crystalline lamellae Tc were found to be greater in the stretched sample than those in the nonstretched sample. The thickness of the diffuse‐boundary was evaluated as being ∼ 1.4 nm in the nonstretched sample and 1.1 nm in the stretched sample. It was concluded that the growth of the thickness of the crystalline layer induced by the stretching process (stretch‐induced crystallization) occurs partially at expense of the diffuse boundary and also by the coarsening of the structure with the stretching process, because of the diminution in the surface area to volume ratio observed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Preparation of sodium alginate/poly(vinyl alcohol) blend microspheres for controlled release applications
Authors: Swamy B. Yerri , Prasad C. Venkata , Reddy C. L. N. , Sudhakara P. , Chung Ildoo , Subha M. C. S. , Chowdoji Rao K. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractSodium alginate (NaAlg)/poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blend microspheres (MS) were prepared by water‐in‐oil (w/o) emulsion method. These polymer microspheres were crosslinked with glutaraldehyde and loaded with metformin hydrochloride (MHC). The microspheres were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis to confirm the molecular dispersion of the drug, thermal stability, morphological properties, and crystallinity of the polymer matrix before and after blending. SEM of the microspheres suggested the formation of microspheres in spherical structure. Drug release data were analyzed using an empirical equation to understand the nature of drug transport through polymeric matrices. The controlled release (CR) characteristics of the polymer matrices was investigated in pH 7.4 media and from the results it was obtained that the drug was released in controlled manner up to 10 h. The physico‐chemical properties of the microspheres were studied by calculating drug entrapment efficiency and drug release kinetics. Percent of encapsulation efficiency (% EE) decreased with increase in crosslinking agent (GA) and PVA content in the microspheres. The optimum % EE (80%) was observed in case of MS containing 40% of PVA with 15% MHC. The release profiles indicate that the release of MHC decreases with increasing the PVA/NaAlg (w/w) and drug/polymer ratio. At the end of 10 h, the highest release of MHC was found to be 96% for MS containing PVA/NaAlg (40 : 60) and 15 wt % drug loaded. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Output Feedback Controller Design for systems with Amplitude and Rate Control Constraints
Authors: Bender F. A. , Gomes da Silva J. M. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractA method for synthesizing dynamic output feedback controllers for continuous time systems presenting actuators constrained in both amplitude and rate is proposed here. The considered controller structure is composed of a saturating integrator block connected to a linear compensator output, delivering a signal to the actuator input inside all its bounds. Considering that the plant is submitted to L
2 bounded disturbances, linear matrix inequality conditions are proposed in order to ensure both external and internal stability of the closed loop system.
Two/Infinity Norm Criteria Resolution of Manipulator Redundancy at Joint‐Acceleration Level Using Primal‐Dual Neural Network
Authors: Zhang Yu‐Nong , Cai Bing‐Huang , Yin Jiang‐Ping , Zhang Lei 
Published: December 2011

AbstractA two/infinity norm criteria (termed bi‐criteria) weighting scheme is proposed in this paper for resolving manipulator redundancy at the joint‐acceleration level. This bi‐criteria scheme is aimed at remedying discontinuity‐points and torque‐instability problems which arise in pure infinity‐norm acceleration‐minimization schemes. By incorporating joint physical limits, the proposed bi‐criteria redundancy‐resolution scheme can finally be formulated as a quadratic program (QP) subject to equality constraint, inequality constraint and bound constraint simultaneously. As a real‐time QP solver with simple piecewise‐linear dynamics and higher computational efficiency, the primal‐dual neural network based on linear variational inequalities (LVI) is presented in this paper to solve online such a bi‐criteria weighting scheme. Computer‐simulation results based on a PMUA560 robot arm illustrate the advantages and efficacy of such a neural weighting scheme.
Performance and Robustness of Flow Controllers Designed Using Non‐causal Uncertainty Blocks
Authors: Ünal Hakkı Ulaş , İftar Altuğ 
Published: December 2011

AbstractAccording to some recent results, use of non‐causal uncertainty blocks may be advantageous in the robust controller design of systems with multiple uncertain time‐delays. In this work, performance and robustness improvements obtained by utilizing such an approach are presented. The flow controller design problem for networks with multiple uncertain time‐delays is considered as a case study. It is shown that higher performance levels and larger stability margins are, in general, obtained by using non‐causal uncertainty blocks. A number of simulations, which illustrate the time‐domain performance improvement, are also presented.
On enhancing productivity of bioethanol with multiple species
Authors: Geng Jun , Song Hyun‐Seob , Yuan Jingqi , Ramkrishna Doraiswami 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThe present work is initiated to investigate whether a defined culture comprising a mixture of three yeast species, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Pichia stipitis can ferment a mixture of sugars to produce bioethanol at rates higher than those achieved by pure cultures of the same. For this purpose, we develop models of single species based on the hybrid cybernetic model framework, and simulate fermentations in the mixed culture by combining individual models. An underlying assumption is that the behavior of each species is determined only by the common environment independently of the presence and metabolism of other species. Model performance is thoroughly assessed using the experimental data available in the literature. The dynamic behavior of mixed cultures in mixed culture experiments are accurately predicted by the model reflecting faithfully the simultaneous/sequential uptake patterns of mixed substrates. This model is then used to investigate performance of various possible reactor configurations. With the foregoing species of organisms, mixed culture itself does not lead to a significant increase of bioethanol productivity. Rather, the model shows that substantial improvement is acquired by sequential use of different, properly chosen organisms during fermentation. Thus, the successive use of K. marxianus and P. stipitis is shown to increase bioethanol productivity up to about 58% in comparison to fermentation by single species alone. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109:1508–1517. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Randomized clinical trial comparing the effect of computed tomography in the trauma room versus the radiology department on injury outcomes
Authors:   REACT Study Group, Saltzherr T P , Bakker F C , Beenen L F M , Dijkgraaf M G W , Reitsma J B , Goslings J C 
Published: December 2011

Abstract

Background
Computed tomography (CT) of injured patients in the radiology department requires potentially dangerous and time-consuming patient transports and transfers. It was hypothesized that CT in the trauma room would improve patient outcome and workflow.

Methods
A randomized trial compared the effect of locating a CT scanner in the trauma room versus the radiology department in two Dutch trauma hospitals. Injured patients aged at least 16 years were assigned randomly to one of these hospitals at the time of transport. The primary outcome measure was the number of non-institutionalized days within the first year after randomization. Subgroup analyses were performed in patients with multiple trauma or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Results
Some 1124 patients were included, of whom 1045 were available for analysis. The median number of non-institutionalized days was 360 days in the intervention group versus 362 days for the control group (P = 0·068). The time from arrival to the first CT imaging was 13 min shorter in the intervention group (36 versus 49 min; P &lt; 0·001). Patient transfers and transports were reduced by more than half in the intervention group. For both multiple trauma (265 patients) and TBI (121) subgroups, differences in mortality and out-of-hospital days favoured the intervention group, but were not statistically significant.

Conclusion
A CT scanner located in the trauma room reduces the time to acquire CT images and improves workflow, but does not lead to substantial improvements in clinical outcomes in a general trauma population. Observed beneficial effects on outcomes in patients with multiple trauma or severe TBI were not statistically significant. Registration number: ISRCTN55332315 (http://www.controlled-trials.com).
Simulation of survivorship bias in observational studies on plasma to red blood cell ratios in massive transfusion for trauma
Authors: Ho A M-H , Dion P W , Yeung J H H , Joynt G M , Lee A , Ng C S H , Chang A , So F L , Cheung C W 
Published: December 2011

Abstract

Background
Observational studies on injured patients requiring massive transfusion have found a survival advantage associated with use of equivalent number of units of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) and packed red blood cells (RBCs) compared with use of FFP based on conventional guidelines. However, a survivorship bias might have favoured the higher use of FFP because patients who died early never had the chance to receive sufficient FFP to match the number of RBC units transfused.

Methods
A Markov model using trauma data from local hospitals was constructed and various FFP transfusion scenarios were applied in Monte Carlo simulations in which the relative risk of death associated with exposure to high FFP transfusion was set at 1·00, so that the FFP : RBC ratio had no influence on mortality outcome.

Results
Simulation results showed that the relative risk associated with exposure to high FFP transfusion was less than 1·00 (0·33–0·56 based on programmed delays in achieving an FFP : RBC ratio of 1 : 1–2), thus demonstrating a survivorship bias in favour of FFP : RBC equal to or more than 1 : 1–2 in certain observational trauma studies. This bias was directly proportional to the delay in achieving a FFP : RBC ratio of 1 : 1–2 during resuscitation.

Conclusion
Some observational studies comparing low and high FFP administration in injured patients requiring massive transfusion probably involve survivorship bias that inflates or creates a survival advantage in favour of a higher FFP : RBC ratio.
Management of penetrating neck injuries
Authors: Van Waes O J , Cheriex K C A L , Navsaria P H , van Riet P A , Nicol A J , Vermeulen J 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBackgroundRoutine surgical exploration after penetrating neck injury (PNI) leads to a large number of negative neck explorations and potential iatrogenic injury. Selective non-operative management (SNOM) of PNI is gaining favour. The present study assessed the feasibility of SNOM in PNI.MethodsSeventy-seven consecutive patients with PNI presenting to a tertiary trauma centre were included in this prospective study from September 2009 to December 2009. All patients were managed according to Advanced Trauma Life Support guidelines, and either underwent emergency surgery or were managed without surgery, based on clinical presentation and/or outcome of special investigations.ResultsEight patients (10 per cent) were haemodynamically unstable at presentation. Foley catheter balloon tamponade (FCBT) was successful in stopping active bleeding in six of these patients, and diagnostic angiography revealed an arterial injury in five. The remaining 69 patients were managed using SNOM. Angiography or computed tomography was done in 41 patients (53 per cent), and showed arterial injury in 15. These injuries were treated surgically (7 patients), radiologically (stenting in 3) or conservatively. Contrast swallow and/or endoscopy were performed in 37 patients (48 per cent) for suspected oesophageal injury, but yielded no positive results. During follow-up no missed injuries were detected.ConclusionFCBT was useful in patients with PNI and active bleeding. Stable patients should undergo additional investigation based on clinical findings only.
Surgical management and outcome of civilian gunshot injuries to the pancreas
Authors: Chinnery G E , Krige J E J , Kotze U K , Navsaria P , Nicol A 
Published: December 2011

Abstract

Background
Pancreatic injuries are uncommon but result in substantial morbidity and mortality. This study evaluated the factors associated with morbidity and mortality in civilian patients with pancreatic gunshot wounds.

Methods
This was a single-institution, retrospective review of patients with gunshot wounds of the pancreas treated from 1976 to 2009 in Cape Town, South Africa. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed.

Results
A total of 219 patients (205 male, median age 27 years) had pancreatic American Association for the Surgery of Trauma grade I–II (111 patients) and grade III–V (108) gunshot injuries to the pancreatic head (72), neck (8), body (75) and tail (64). The patients underwent 239 laparotomies, including drainage of the pancreas (169), distal pancreatectomy (59) and pancreaticoduodenectomy (11). Some 218 patients had 642 associated intra-abdominal and 91 vascular injuries. Forty-three (19·6 per cent) required an initial damage control procedure. A total of 150 patients (68·5 per cent) had 407 postoperative complications (median 4, range 1–7). The 46 patients (21·0 per cent) who died had a median of 3 (range 1–7) complications. Median (range) intensive care unit and total hospital stay were 5 (1–153) and 11 (1–255) days respectively. Multivariable analyses identified age, high-grade pancreatic injury, associated vascular injuries and need for repeat laparotomy as predictors of morbidity. Age, shock on admission, need for damage control surgery, high-grade pancreatic injuries and associated vascular injuries were significant factors associated with mortality.

Conclusion
Morbidity and mortality rates were high after gunshot injuries to the pancreas. Initial shock and severe injury combined with need for damage control surgery were associated with the highest risk of death.
Imaging vascular trauma
Authors: Patterson B O , Holt P J , Cleanthis M , Tai N , Carrell T , Loosemore T M 
Published: December 2011

Abstract

Background
Over the past 50 years the management of vascular trauma has changed from mandatory surgical exploration to selective non-operative treatment, where possible. Accurate, non-invasive, diagnostic imaging techniques are the key to this strategy. The purpose of this review was to define optimal first-line imaging in patients with suspected vascular injury in different anatomical regions.

Methods
A systematic review was performed of literature relating to radiological diagnosis of vascular trauma over the past decade (2000–2010). Studies were included if the main focus was initial diagnosis of blunt or penetrating vascular injury and more than ten patients were included.

Results
Of 1511 titles identified, 58 articles were incorporated in the systematic review. Most described the use of computed tomography angiography (CTA). The application of duplex ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging/angiography and transoesophageal echocardiography was described, but significant drawbacks were highlighted for each. CTA displayed acceptable sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing vascular trauma in blunt and penetrating vascular injury within the neck and extremity, as well as for blunt aortic injury.

Conclusion
Based on the evidence available, CTA should be the first-line investigation for all patients with suspected vascular trauma and no indication for immediate operative intervention.