bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Virtual reality cataract surgery training: learning curves and concurrent validity
Authors: Selvander Madeleine , Åsman Peter 
Published: November 2010

Abstract.Purpose:  To investigate initial learning curves on a virtual reality (VR) eye surgery simulator and whether achieved skills are transferable between tasks.Methods:  Thirty‐five medical students were randomized to complete ten iterations on either the VR Caspulorhexis module (group A) or the Cataract navigation training module (group B) and then two iterations on the other module. Learning curves were compared between groups. The second Capsulorhexis video was saved and evaluated with the performance rating tool Objective Structured Assessment of Cataract Surgical Skill (OSACSS). The students’ stereoacuity was examined.Results:  Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in performance over the 10 iterations: group A for all parameters analysed including score (p < 0.0001), time (p < 0.0001) and corneal damage (p = 0.0003), group B for time (p < 0.0001), corneal damage (p < 0.0001) but not for score (p = 0.752). Training on one module did not improve performance on the other. Capsulorhexis score correlated significantly with evaluation of the videos using the OSACSS performance rating tool. For stereoacuity < and ≥120 seconds of arc, sum of both modules’ second iteration score was 73.5 and 41.0, respectively (p = 0.062).Conclusion:  An initial rapid improvement in performance on a simulator with repeated practice was shown. For capsulorhexis, 10 iterations with only simulator feedback are not enough to reach a plateau for overall score. Skills transfer between modules was not found suggesting benefits from training on both modules. Stereoacuity may be of importance in the recruitment and training of new cataract surgeons. Additional studies are needed to investigate this further. Concurrent validity was found for Capsulorhexis module.
Pharmacists' participation in research: a case of trying to find the time
Authors: Cvijovic Kosta , Boon Heather , Jaeger Walter , Vohra Sunita 
Published: November 2010

Abstract

Objective
The objective of this case study was to explore how pharmacists involved in the Pharmacy Study Of Natural Health Product Adverse Reactions (SONAR) project perceived the barriers and facilitators to participating in clinical research.

Methods
A total of 19 semi-structured interviews were completed with pharmacy staff members who had recently completed data collection in the SONAR study which involved asking patients if they had experienced any unwanted effects while taking natural products. Other data sources included detailed field notes and interviews with SONAR researchers. Basic content analysis with multiple coders was used to analyse the data and triangulation was used to highlight areas of consistency and contrasting view points across the data types.

Key findings
None of the participating pharmacies was able to collect as much data as expected by the SONAR team. Lack of time was stated as the main reason why pharmacy staff had trouble with the data collection. However, observational data and detailed probing in interviews confirmed that data collection itself took very little time (seconds per patient). Lack of time was provided as a socially acceptable excuse that masked deeper issues related to fears associated with challenges modifying established work routines and perceived lack of value associated with research participation.

Conclusion
To successfully engage pharmacists in practice-based natural health product research it is necessary to establish the direct and indirect benefits of participation because those that believe in the value of the research will make the time for participation.
Bifurcation Analysis for a Delayed Predator-Prey System with Stage Structure
Authors: Jiang Zhichao , Cheng Guangtao 
Published: November 2010

AbstractA delayed predator-prey system with stage structure is investigated. The existence and stability of equilibria are obtained. An explicit algorithm for determining the direction of the Hopf bifurcation and the stability of the bifurcating periodic solutions is derived by using the normal form and the center manifold theory. Finally, a numerical example supporting the theoretical analysis is given.
Class III β-Tubulin Expression Predicts Prostate Tumor Aggressiveness and Patient Response to Docetaxel-Based Chemotherapy
Authors: Ploussard Guillaume , Terry Stéphane , Maillé Pascale , Allory Yves , Sirab Nanor , Kheuang Laurence , Soyeux Pascale , Nicolaiew Nathalie , Coppolani Estelle , Paule Bernard , Salomon Laurent , Culine Stéphane , Buttyan Ralph , Vacherot Francis , de la Taille Alexandre 
Published: November 2010

Abstract
Expression of class III β-tubulin (βIII-tubulin) correlates with tumor progression and resistance to taxane-based therapies for several human malignancies, but its use as a biomarker of tumor behavior in prostate cancer (PCa) remains largely unexplored. Here, we describe βIII-tubulin immunohistochemical staining patterns of prostate tumors obtained from a broad spectrum of PCa patients, some of whom subsequently received docetaxel therapy for castration-resistant PCa (CRPC). Elevated βIII-tubulin expression was significantly associated with tumor aggressiveness in PCa patients with presumed localized disease, as it was found to be an independent marker of biochemical recurrence after treatment. Additionally, βIII-tubulin expression in tumor cells was an independent predictor of lower overall survival for patients receiving docetaxel-based chemotherapy for CRPC. Manipulation of βIII-tubulin expression in human PCa cell lines using a human βIII-tubulin expression vector or βIII-tubulin small interfering RNA altered cell survival in response to docetaxel treatment in a manner that supports a role for βIII-tubulin expression as a mediator of PCa cell resistance to docetaxel therapy. Our findings suggest a role for βIII-tubulin as candidate theranostic biomarker to predict the response to docetaxel-based chemotherapy as well as to target for treatment of docetaxel-resistant CRPC. Cancer Res; 70(22); 9253–64. ©2010 AACR.
Alternative Splicing of Caspase 9 Is Modulated by the Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase/Akt Pathway via Phosphorylation of SRp30a
Authors: Shultz Jacqueline C. , Goehe Rachel W. , Wijesinghe D. Shanaka , Murudkar Charuta , Hawkins Amy J. , Shay Jerry W. , Minna John D. , Chalfant Charles E. 
Published: November 2010

Abstract
Increasing evidence points to the functional importance of alternative splice variations in cancer pathophysiology. Two splice variants are derived from the CASP9 gene via the inclusion (Casp9a) or exclusion (Casp9b) of a four-exon cassette. Here we show that alternative splicing of Casp9 is dysregulated in non–small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) regardless of their pathologic classification. Based on these findings we hypothesized that survival pathways activated by oncogenic mutation regulated this mechanism. In contrast to K-RasV12 expression, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) overexpression or mutation dramatically lowered the Casp9a/9b splice isoform ratio. Moreover, Casp9b downregulation blocked the ability of EGFR mutations to induce anchorage-independent growth. Furthermore, Casp9b expression blocked inhibition of clonogenic colony formation by erlotinib. Interrogation of oncogenic signaling pathways showed that inhibition of phosphoinositide 3-kinase or Akt dramatically increased the Casp9a/9b ratio in NSCLC cells. Finally, Akt was found to mediate exclusion of the exon 3,4,5,6 cassette of Casp9 via the phosphorylation state of the RNA splicing factor SRp30a via serines 199, 201, 227, and 234. Taken together, our findings show that oncogenic factors activating the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt pathway can regulate alternative splicing of Casp9 via a coordinated mechanism involving the phosphorylation of SRp30a. Cancer Res; 70(22); 9185–96. ©2010 AACR.
Impossible to Disprove Yet Impossible to Believe: the Unforgiving Epistemology of Deep-Time Oral Tradition
Authors: Henige David 
Published: November 2010

This is not a real old time myth but it is what they say now, and it must have been like that.This man from Ulimang was highly skilled in the art of warfare—like Eisenhower.A Tahitian businessman who provides ‘Polynesian’ entertainment for tourists in Hawaii with a young Marquesan man whom he took to Samoa to be tattooed by their artistsfollowing designs recorded by early European visitors.… as for oral Traditions, what certainty can there be in them? What foundation of truth can be laid upon the breath of man? How do we see the reports vary, of those things which our eyes have seen done? How do they multiply in their passage, and either grow, or die upon hazards?Writing about American Indian reactions to their discovery of large fossil remains, Adrienne Mayor observes in passing that “[f]olklore scholars now generally accept that oral traditions about historical events endure for about a thousand years, although some oral myths about geological and astronomical events can be reliably dated to about seven thousand years.” Mayor's chosen task is to demonstrate that American Indian legends suggest that they rightly regarded fossils as the remains of long extinct megafauna populations. In aid of this, Mayor accepts these arguments in her own work. While this claim might seem extravagantprima facie, and while most folklorists would disown Mayor's claim, she is not without support from the work of a relatively small, but not uninfluential (and possibly growing), cadre of anthropologists, mythographers, geologists, and historians, whose efforts on behalf of deep-time oral tradition I address here.Some interesting—even intriguing—things have been happening recently in discussions of the carrying capacity of oral tradition—its long-term historicity, in particular.À laMayor, the thrust of this is to credit tradition with being able to preserve “intact” various pieces of information for as long as tens of thousands of years. To the historian interested in the reality of the past in oral societies, this state of affairs is challenging, perplexing, and no doubt to some, highly promising. If, for instance, it can be demonstrated that certain information in oral data is thousands of years old and at the same time an accurate recollection, then reservations about much later (say, several centuries old) orally transmitted information might need to be reassessed, and with such rethinking would come new ways to approach great swaths of the past.
Penser les intermédiaires coloniaux: Note sur les dossiers de carrière de la police du Togo
Authors: Glasman Joël 
Published: November 2010

Les employés africains de l'Etat colonial font aujourd'hui l'objet d'un important renouveau historiographique. Des travaux récents sur les enseignants, les sages-femmes, les tirailleurs, ou encore les interprètes ont considérablement renouvelé l'histoire africaine. Dans le même temps, les termes désignant les groupes sociaux situés dans l'entre-deux de la société coloniale se multiplient: Intermédiaires culturels, intermédiaires coloniaux, middle figures, middle men, médiateurs, courtiers/brokers, etc. La question se pose dès lors des sources et méthodes pertinentes pour étudier ces catégories sociales. La présente contribution propose de s'intéresser à un type de source encore sous-utilisé par les historiens de l'Afrique: les dossiers de carrière. Elle défend l'idée que ces sources peuvent enrichir considérablement notre compréhension des carrières africaines au sein de l'Etat colonial et, partant, l'histoire des rapports entre Etat et sociétés en Afrique.L'étude de cas concerne l'histoire de la police civile au Togo. L'enquête porte sur un corpus de 114 dossiers individuels de policiers ayant servi entre les années 1940 et le début des années 1960, dossiers actuellement conservés au Ministère de la Fonction Publique et de la Réforme Administrative à Lomé. Le recours à ce type de source n'est pas le résultat d'un parti pris, mais le constat, au terme d'une enquête historiographique et de terrain, de leur utilité pour l'histoire des corps professionnels d'Etat. Aujourd'hui bien connus des historiens et anthropologues européanistes, les dossiers de carrière—et, plus généralement, les dossiers personnels—restent pourtant peu utilisés par les historiens de l'Afrique.
Malaria Burden in Pregnancy at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda
Authors: Namusoke Fatuma , Rasti Niloofar , Kironde Fred , Wahlgren Mats , Mirembe Florence 
Published: November 2010

Pregnancy-associated malaria is a major global health concern. To assess the Plasmodium falciparum burden in pregnancy we conducted a cross-sectional study at Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda. Malaria prevalence by each of three measures—peripheral smear, placental smear, and placental histology was 9% (35/391), 11.3% (44/389), and 13.9% (53/382) respectively. Together, smear and histology data yielded an infection rate of 15.5% (59/380) of active infections and 4.5% (17/380) of past infections; hence 20% had been or were infected when giving birth. A crude parity dependency was observed with main burden being concentrated in gravidae 1 through gravidae 3. Twenty-two percent were afflicted by anaemia and 12.2% delivered low birthweight babies. Active placental infection and anaemia showed strong association (OR=2.8) whereas parity and placental infection had an interactive effect on mean birthweight (P=.036). Primigravidae with active infection and multigravidae with past infection delivered on average lighter babies. Use of bednet protected significantly against infection (OR=0.56) whilst increased haemoglobin level protected against low birthweight (OR=0.83) irrespective of infection status. Albeit a high attendance at antenatal clinics (96.8%), there was a poor coverage of insecticide-treated nets (32%) and intermittent preventive antimalarial treatment (41.5%).Erratum to Malaria Burden in Pregnancy at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda
How content and co‐viewers elicit emotional discomfort in moviegoing experiences: Where does the discomfort come from and how is it handled?
Authors: Harris Richard Jackson , Cook Lindsay 
Published: November 2010

AbstractAlthough watching movies is typically enjoyable, they also can elicit discomfort. The present studies investigated what makes some moviegoing experiences emotionally uncomfortable. Using autobiographical memory (Study 1) and scenarios/vignettes methodology (Study 2), young adults remembered watching a movie that had made them uncomfortable or responded to scenarios about watching a particular type of movie with particular co‐viewers (e.g. violent movie with one's spouse). Movies eliciting discomfort were most often dramas (39%) or comedies (26%). Discomfort most often arose from content, particularly fairly explicit sex or violence, and secondarily from the presence of co‐viewers. Often the two interacted, for example, being uncomfortable watching explicit sex with one's parents. In terms of dealing with the discomfort, women were overall more direct and men more avoidant. A sizable minority was glad they had seen the film, in spite of the discomfort, and was open to seeing it again. Arguing from converging evidence, these different methodologies produced consistent results. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Surfactant‐free microdispersion process of gas in organic solvents in microfluidic devices
Authors: Tan J. , Du L. , Xu J. H. , Wang K. , Luo G. S. 
Published: November 2010

AbstractThe scaling of bubble/slug formation in organic solvents at microscale without surfactant was initially investigated by using T‐junction and symmetrically cross‐shaped microfluidic devices. Four unique organic solvents and three dispersion methods were used, forming different flow patterns and dispersion size. The flow pattern of uniform slug flow was investigated. Both the gas–liquid flow and dispersion size, which ranged from 400 to 1400 μm in length and 270 to 430 μm in diameter, depended on several factors including dispersion method, two‐phase flow rates, physical properties of the liquid phase, and structure of microchannels. A general equation L/w = k(QG/QL)αCaβ was used to characterize the dispersion size with modification of QG/QL for different dispersion methods, considering the influences of breakup rate and transformation of the interface shape on the dispersion process. Three models were developed to predict the dispersion size for different dispersion methods, and calculated data were in good agreement with the experimental results. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011
Investigation of temperature, thermodynamic parameters and dielectrical properties of poly(vinylimidazole)–Na–bentonite nanocomposite
Authors: Kaya A. Ugur , Esmer Kadir , Tekin Nalan , Beyaz Saadet K. 
Published: November 2010

AbstractThe adsorption of poly(vinylimidazole) (PVI) onto Na–Bentonite from aqueous solutions has been investigated as a function of temperature. According to the experimental results, the adsorption of PVI decreases with temperature from 25 to 55°C. The study of temperature effect has been quantified by calculating various thermodynamic parameters such as Gibbs free energy, enthalpy and entropy changes. The electrical and dielectrical properties of PVI–Na–Bentonite composite have been investigated. The current‐voltage studies show that conductivity was increased at T = 25°C. The dc conductivity was calculated at T = 25°C. The samples show typical dielectric behavior from capacitive measurements. Depending on maximum interactions at 25°C, ac conductivity and loss factors are also in high values. Especially, at frequencies over 1.5 kHz, it was seen completely clay behavior. Variation of tangent loss factor‐frequency shows decreasing of polarization density in structure in high frequency. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011
Influence of crystallinity on the fracture toughness of poly(lactic acid)/montmorillonite nanocomposites prepared by twin‐screw extrusion
Authors: Gamez‐Perez J. , Nascimento L. , Bou J.J. , Franco‐Urquiza E. , Santana O.O. , Carrasco F. , Ll. Maspoch M. 
Published: November 2010

AbstractThe aim of this work was to study the effect of crystallinity degree on the thermal, mechanical, and fracture properties of poly(lactic acid)/organomodified montmorillonite (PLA/OMMT) nanocomposites. Samples with two different compositions (0.5 and 2.5% weight OMMT in PLA) were prepared by melt mixing in a twin‐screw extruder and injection molding. An annealing treatment was applied to increase the percentage of PLA crystallinity. The thermal behavior was analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the mechanical properties were determined via tensile tests and the fracture behavior using the linear elastic fracture mechanics theory, using SENB specimens at low and high testing rates. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) from granulates and injected specimens were also carried out, finding some polymer degradation during extrusion and injection processes. The results show a toughening effect of the nanocomposites on amorphous specimens but embrittlement on the annealed ones. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011
Einfluss des Sohldrucks auf die vertikalen Schwingungen von Blockfundamenten
Authors: Scheiter Siegfried 
Published: November 2010

AbstractAuf einem Lehmvorkommen wurde ein Blockfundament gegründet und der Frequenzgang der Schwinggeschwindigkeit bei vertikaler Anregung gemessen. Danach wurde die Masse des Fundaments auf gleicher Grundfläche verdoppelt und die Messung wiederholt. Die Auswertung der Ergebnisse nach dem Analogieverfahren [1] zeigt den Einfluss des Sohldrucks auf die Feder‐ und Dämpfungswirkung des Baugrundes infolge seiner nichtlinearen Spannungs‐Dehnungslinie.Effect of the base pressure on vertical vibrations in block foundations. The vibration velocity (for vertical excitation) was measured in a foundation block constructed on clay. The mass of the foundation was then doubled (with identical surface area) and the measurement was repeated. The analysis of the results based on the analogy technique [1] illustrates the influence of the base pressure on the spring and attenuation effect of the soil due to its non‐linear stress‐strain characteristics.
Instandsetzung von Spannbetonbrücken bei laufender Schadensanalyse
Authors: Knaute Walter , Mielke Frithjof , Franze Hanno 
Published: November 2010

AbstractBei der Instandsetzung von zwei etwa 30 Jahre alten Spannbetonbrücken traten eine Reihe von Problemen auf, die einer raschen Klärung bedurften, um unter den komplizierten Randbedingungen das Vorhaben fortführen zu können.Dies betraf unter anderem sofortige Materialanalysen und Erarbeitung von Lösungen zu den Themen Abdichtung/Aus kris talli sa tionen mit etwaigen Treibreaktionen bzw. gefährdeter Betonzusammensetzung und Rissen sowie ganz besonders zu den Lagern, Betonschäden an Endquerträgern und Auflagerbänken. Ein weiterer Schwer punkt war die Instandsetzung von Spann gliedern, da Mängel bei der Endverankerung festgestellt wurden. Die nötigen Unter suchungen nebst Lösungen der Pro bleme werden dargestellt.Repair of prestressed concrete bridges with continuous failure analysis. During the reinstatement of two 30 year old pre‐stressed concrete bridges a great range of problems occurred. These problems required a rapid clarification to be able to continue the project under the complicated boundary conditions. This concerned among others immediate material analyses and development of solutions to the topics sealing/crystallizations with possible expansive reactions or endangered concrete composition and cracks as well as in particular bearings, concrete damages to end transversal girders and bridge seats. A further main focus was the repair of tendons because there were detected defects at the end anchorage. The necessary investigations together with the solutions of the problems are illustrated.
Zur Instandsetzung aufgeschwommener Spannglieder an der Illerbrücke Thanners
Authors: Wurzer Otto , Reiter Karin , Sodeikat Christian 
Published: November 2010

AbstractAn der Unterseite des Überbaus West der Illerbrücke Thanners wurden nach dem Vorspannen von internen Spanngliedern und nach dem Verpressen der zugehörigen Hüllrohre ausgeprägte Längsrisse festgestellt. Durch umfangreiche Bauwerksuntersuchungen wurde als Schadensursache das Aufschwimmen von in der Bodenplatte des Überbaus angeordneten Spanngliedern bzw. Hüllrohren beim Betonieren des betroffenen Überbauabschnittes ermittelt.Basierend auf den Ergebnissen nichtlinearer Vergleichsberechnungen mit der Finite‐Element‐Methode musste der Schaden als relevant für die Tragfähigkeit und Gebrauchstauglichkeit des betroffenen Überbaus beurteilt werden, was eine komplexe Instandsetzung des Brückenüberbaus erforderlich machte. Der vorliegende Beitrag informiert über das Schadensbild, die Bauwerksuntersuchungen, die Schadensursache, die statischen Vergleichsberechnungen sowie über die durchgeführte Instandsetzung des Brückenüberbaus.Damage due to displaced tendons at the Iller River Bridge at Thanners and remedial measures. After prestressing and grouting of the internal tendons of the Iller River Bridge at Thanners pronounced longitudinal cracking was observed on the deck soffit of the western superstructure. A comprehensive investigation of the structure found that the tendons or rather the tendon ducts of the bottom slab of the box girder had floated out of place during concreting of the damaged section.Based on non‐linear comparative calculations using the finiteelement method it was determined that the damage was relevant with regard to the overall resistance and serviceability of the affected deck which then required complex remedial measures for the bridge. This report provides information on the damage, the investigation, the cause of the damage, the comparative structural analysis as well as the actual repair procedures.