bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Achieving reduced radiation doses for CT examination of the brain using optimal exposure parameters
Authors: Livingstone R S , Eapen A , Dip N B , Hubert N 
Published: October 2009

Abstract
Objectives : Examinations performed using CT scanners impart high radiation dose to patients and use of this modality is on the increase in the present day scenario. This study was intended to evaluate and optimize radiation dose imparted to patients during CT examination of brain performed using spiral CT scanner.
Materials and Methods : One hundred and one patients who underwent CT examination of brain were included in the study. The effective dose to patients was calculated using volume computed tomography dose index (CTDIvol) and dose length product (DLP) values. Patients were categorized according to the type of examination involved. Patients who underwent a complete examination of brain (non-contrast as well as contrast) were categorized in Group A and patients who underwent either a non-contrast or contrast examination were categorized as Group B.
Results : The effective dose to patients ranged from 0.65 mSv to 0.93 mSv for Group A patients and 0.28 mSv to 0.53 mSv for Group B patients.
Conclusion : There was a reduction of doses imparted to patients undergoing CT examination of the brain using optimized exposure parameters without any loss of diagnostic information.
Dural venous thrombosis - A neglected finding on routine MRI sequences
Authors: Kumar Anil , Mukund A , Sharma G 
Published: October 2009

AbstractObjectives - To establish the role of routine MR sequences in diagnosis of dural venous sinus thrombosis.
Materials and Methods - As dural venous sinus thrombosis has a non specific presentation, all the patients coming to our department for MRI head between March 2003 and May 2005 were looked for abnormal signal intensity within the dural sinuses. Twenty seven cases having loss of normal flow void within the major dural venous sinuses on routine sequences (FSE T2, SE T1 & FLAIR) were thought of having dural sinus thrombosis and so were further evaluated by MR venography. This study was carried out using 0.2 Tesla open magnet MR scanner (GE signa profile 4).
Results - On routine MR sequences absence of dural sinus flow void was noted in twenty seven patients and suspicion of cerebral venous thrombosis was raised. The diagnosis of thrombosis was confirmed in twenty three patients by 2-D TOF MR venography and no thrombosis could be demonstrated in remaining four patients. Thirteen patients had multiple sinus involved whereas in ten patients only single sinus was involved. Out of these twenty three patients, apart from thrombosis, six had infarcts, three had mastoiditis and one of them had cerebellar abscess too. Hemorrhage was noted in five patients and the most interesting fact was that nine patients had normal brain parenchyma.
Conclusion - Dural venous sinus thrombosis appears as loss of normal flow void on routine sequences especially on FSE T2W and FLAIR images. This fact may help us suspect DVT, and the finding can be confirmed by MR venography so that further management can be planned promptly.
Plagiarism and medical writing
Authors: Sriganesh Vasumathi , Iyer Parvati 
Published: October 2009

AbstractPlagiarism constitutes an action where authors use matter from different publications, usually without referencing them, and try to pass it off as their own work. Plagiarism seems to have increased with the availability of Internet access, simply because so much matter is easily available and it is so easy to copy matter. This appears to be happening across the world and is significantly prevalent in India as well. Recent medical literature suggests that while plagiarism is definitely a punishable offence, there is a deep need to educate writers on the nuances of plagiarism. This article attempts to explain, and illustrate with examples, what kind of writing is considered plagiarism and what is not. We have also touched upon some implications of plagiarism.
Explanation of Key Error and Uncertainty Concepts and Terms
Authors: Mari Luca P. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractIn the formal expression of any measurement result, the measurand value must be stated together with an estimation of its quality, which reports all the nonidealities affecting the measurement procedure with respect to both its definition and its empirical accomplishment. Traditionally accounted for in terms of errors, such a quality estimate is evaluated and formalized as a measurement uncertainty that can be assigned by suitably combining the available objective and subjective information according to a standard formal procedure. This procedure is briefly discussed and a practical example of its application is shown.
On the statistical analysis of quantized Gaussian AR(1) processes
Authors: Rásonyi M. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractA discrete‐time stable Gaussian autoregressive process is considered, which is observed with a fixed precision only. A law of large numbers—uniformly in the autoregression, mean and variance parameters—is proved for the log‐likelihood function of the observations through establishing a mixing property. Exponential stability of the corresponding filter is also derived. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Preparation and characterization of nano‐CaCO3 encapsulated with polyacrylic and its application in PVC toughness
Authors: Wang Nongyue , She Qingyan , Xu Hongping , Yao Yanmei , Zhang Liqun , Qu Xiongwei , Zhang Liucheng 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe properties and morphology of nano‐calcium carbonate (nano‐CaCO3) modified with the titanate coupling agent isopropyl trioleoyl titanate (IPTT) were characterized by Fourier transform infrared, thermogravimetric analyses, surface tension, and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that the grafting ratio of IPTT on the surface of nano‐CaCO3 (IPTT‐Ca) increased with IPTT content. IPTT‐Ca/PBA/PMMA (IPTT‐Ca/ACR, PBA/PMMA core‐shell polymer, referred to ACR) latexes were prepared by seeded emulsion polymerization. They were then used to mix with PVC resin. The outer layer (PMMA) enhanced the dispensability of IPTT‐Ca/ACR in the PVC matrix by increasing the interfacial interaction of these composite particles with PVC. The notched impact strengths of the blends were influenced by the weight ratio of IPTT‐Ca to BA/MMA monomers, the weight ratio of BA/MMA. The relationships between the mechanical properties and the core‐shell composite structures were elaborated. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Microwave‐assisted preparation of polylactide/organomontmorillonite nanocomposites via in situ polymerization
Authors: Cao Hailei , Wang Peng , Yuan Weibo , Lei Haifen 
Published: October 2009

AbstractMicrowave technology was introduced to assist the synthesis of polylactide (PLA)/organomontmorillonite (OMMT) nanocomposites in bulk by the in situ ring‐opening polymerization of D,L‐lactide. Factors that influenced the polymerizing effects, such as the microwave power, irradiation time, and dosages of the catalyst and OMMT, were studied in terms of tensile strength. The polymerization time was decreased dramatically to 10 min under 90 W of microwave irradiation, and the mechanical and thermal properties of the PLA/OMMT nanocomposites were significantly improved. The composite with the highest mechanical properties was obtained when the dosages of the OMMT and the catalyst were 1.0 and 0.6 wt % of the lactide, respectively. The initial decomposition temperature of the PLA/OMMT(1.0 wt % OMMT) nanocomposite was heightened 11.5°C compared with that of pure PLA. The results of scanning electron microscopy confirmed an improvement in the toughness with the addition of OMMT. The transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction results indicate that an exfoliated and intercalated nanocomposite was successfully prepared. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Novel method of synthesizing poly(ether sulfone) membranes containing two solvents and a lithium chloride additive and their performance
Authors: Ahmed Iqbal , Idris Ani , Pa Nasrul Fikry Che 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe influence of a lithium chloride (LiCl) additive on poly(ether sulfone) (PES) membranes was investigated. A microwave technique was used to prepare membrane dope solutions, and two different types of solvent systems were used: single‐solvent (SS) and double‐solvent (DS) systems. In the SS system, PES was dissolved in N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF), and In the DS system, PES was dissolved in DMF and acetone. In the DS system, the control ratio of DMF to acetone was kept at 3.47, and the concentration of LiCl in both solvent systems was varied from 1 to 4 wt %. We observed that the microwave technique was able to dissolve the polymer rapidly, in less than 1 h. The performance of the PES membrane was evaluated in terms of poly(ethylene glycol) separation and molecular weight cutoff (MWCO). The results reveal that the presence of LiCl improved both the flux and rejection rates, and its concentration was best kept at 3 wt % for the tested conditions. In addition, we found that the mean pore size of the membranes produced from the DS system was smaller and the MWCO was lower as compared to the SS system. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Optimization of air flow field of the melt blowing slot die via numerical simulation and genetic algorithm
Authors: Sun Yafeng , Wang Xinhou 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe air flow field plays a key role in melt blowing. In this article, an optimal design procedure that improves the airflow field of melt blowing is proposed. A parameter, stagnation temperature which is a combination of static temperature and kinetic temperature, is proposed to evaluate the air flow field. The stagnation temperature is obtained via computer simulation, while optimization is accomplished by genetic algorithm. Four main geometry parameters of the slot die: slot width, nose piece width, slot angle, and setback are investigated. The optimal results were achieved in the 40th generation. The results also show that the smaller slot angle and larger slot width can result in the higher stagnation temperature. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Synthesis of polystyrene nanocapsules by redox interface‐initiated inversed microemulsion polymerization for drug release
Authors: Liu Weijun , He Guanghong , He Zhicai 
Published: October 2009

AbstractPolystyrene nanocapsules with a diameter of 140 nm and a water‐soluble sodium salicylate core were prepared by redox interface‐initiated emulsion polymerization (RIEP) in an inversed microemulsion with cumene hydroperoxide/iron(II) sulfate as the redox initiation couple. The morphology of the nanocapsules was characterized by transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Dynamic light scattering was used to determine the nanocapsule size and polydispersity (0.14–0.20). The release of sodium salicylate from the nanocapsules was monitored by ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. All of the results indicate that the fabrication of core–shell nanocapsules with the water‐soluble active chemical as the core via RIEP was successful. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Heat‐sealing properties of soy protein isolate/poly(vinyl alcohol) blend films: Effect of the heat‐sealing temperature
Authors: Su Jun‐Feng , Wang Xin‐Yu , Huang Zhen , Yuan Xiao‐Yan , Li Min , Xia Wen‐Long , Feng Cai‐Ling 
Published: October 2009

AbstractTo promote the heat‐sealing properties of soy protein isolate (SPI) films applied in the packaging field, we mixed a synthetic polymer of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with SPI to fabricate blend films by a solution‐casting method in this study. To clarify the relationship between the heat‐sealing properties and the heat‐sealing temperature, strength, melting process, crystalline structure, and microstructure, variations of the heat‐sealing parts of the films were evaluated by means of differential scanning calorimetry, tensile testing, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, respectively. The test results showed that both the PVA and glycerol contents greatly affected the melting behavior and heat of fusion of the SPI/PVA blends; these blend films had a higher melting temperature than the pure SPI films. The peel strength and tensile strength tests indicated that the long molecular chain of PVA had a main function of enhancing the mechanical properties above the melting temperature. With increasing heat‐sealing temperature, all of the mechanical properties were affected by the microstructure of the interface between the laminated films including the chain entanglement, crystallization, and recrystallization. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Unlubricated rolling and sliding wear against steel of carbon‐black‐reinforced and in situ cured polyurethane containing ethylene/propylene/diene rubber compounds
Authors: Xu D. , Karger‐Kocsis J. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe dry rolling and sliding friction and wear of ethylene/propylene/diene rubber containing carbon black and in situ cured polyurethane (EPDM+PUR_CB) were studied. For rolling and sliding tests against steel counterparts, different experimental conditions and tribotests were selected. The apparent network properties and phase structures of the rubbers were derived from dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and atomic force microscopy results. It was concluded that in EPDM+PUR_CB, both rubber phases, present in a 1 : 1 ratio, were continuous (interpenetrating network). The coefficient of friction (COF), specific wear rate (Ws), and heat development during the tribotests were determined. The carbon black and polyurethane contents did not much influence the COF in rolling wear tests. Ws of the ethylene/propylene/diene rubber containing carbon black went through a minimum as a function of the carbon black content. Ws of the EPDM+PUR_CB compounds decreased monotonously with an increasing amount of carbon black. The incorporation of polyurethane into the ethylene/propylene/diene rubber compounds decreased the resistance to rolling wear markedly. With carbon black filling of the ethylene/propylene/diene rubber–polyurethane compound, the COF and Ws increased and dramatically decreased, respectively, under sliding wear. The wear mechanisms were inspected with scanning electron microscopy and discussed as a function of recipe modifications and changes in the testing conditions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
A novel method for obtaining a high‐concentration chitosan solution and preparing a high‐strength chitosan hollow‐fiber membrane with an excellent adsorption capacity
Authors: Han Wei , Bai Renbi 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe biopolymer chitosan (CS) has been widely studied for various environmental and biomedical applications. However, the production of homogeneous CS solutions with high concentrations and the preparation of CS hollow‐fiber membranes with high mechanical strengths for practical applications have been a great challenge so far. In this study, a novel dilute‐dissolution and evaporating‐concentration method was developed to allow highly concentrated homogeneous CS solutions to be easily prepared (up to 18 wt % as compared to ≤5 wt % prepared by the conventional method). CS hollow‐fiber membranes prepared from high‐concentration CS solutions showed greatly improved mechanical strengths (with tensile strengths up to 3.4 MPa), comparable to or even better than other hollow fibers made from many conventional industrial synthetic polymers. The prepared hollow‐fiber membranes were found to possess very high adsorption capacities for heavy‐metal ions (up to 206.6 mg of Cu2+/g of CS fiber at pH 5), which were attributed to the low crystallinity of CS and the porous structure achieved in the hollow‐fiber membranes. As a potential application example, the performance of the prepared hollow fibers for the adsorption of copper ions in real wastewater from a wafer fabrication factory in Singapore was also examined. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
The pyrolysis behaviors of polyimide foam derived from 3,3′,4,4′‐benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride/4,4′‐oxydianiline
Authors: Shen Yan‐Xia , Zhan Mao‐Sheng , Wang Kai , Li Xiao‐Huan , Pan Pi‐Chang 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe thermal stability and pyrolysis behaviors of polyimide (PI) foam derived from 3,3′,4,4′‐benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA)/4,4′‐oxydianiline (4,4′‐ODA) in air and in nitrogen were studied. The decomposition products of PI foam were analyzed by thermogravimetry‐Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TG‐FTIR). Several integral and differential methods reported in the literatures were used in decomposition kinetics analysis of PI foam. The results indicated that the PI foam was easier to decompose in air than in nitrogen, with ∼ 55% residue remaining in nitrogen versus zero in air at 800oC. The main pyrolysis products were CO2, CO, and H2O in air and CO2, CO, H2O, and small organic molecules in nitrogen. The different dynamic methods gave similar results that the apparent activation energies, pre‐exponential factors, and reaction orders were higher in nitrogen than those in air. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Compression set property and stress–strain behavior during compression of polysulfide sealants
Authors: Lu Yu , Shen Mingxia , Ding Xiaodong , Quan Yiwu , Chen Qingmin 
Published: October 2009

AbstractIn this article, mechanical and compression set properties, swelling property, and stress–strain behavior during compression of polysulfide sealants based on different polysulfide resin were investigated. The results showed that molecular weight and cross‐linking agent of liquid polysulfide resin had significant influence on mechanical and compression set properties of the sealants. The sealants based on higher molecular weight polysulfide resin had higher mechanical properties. At the same time, lower cross‐linking agent in polysulfide resin produced lower cross‐link density and higher swelling property, which resulted in higher compression set value of the sealant. However, when different molecular weight polysulfide resins were used in the sealant simultaneously, the testing results indicated that the compression performance of the sealants was significantly enhanced, while mechanical properties of the sealants kept nearly unchanged. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Metal ion binding properties of novel wool powders
Authors: Naik Radhika , Wen Guiqing , MS Dharmaprakash , Hureau Sabrina , Uedono Akira , Wang Xungai , Liu Xin , Cookson Peter G. , Smith Suzanne V. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractWool fibres have shown potential for the removal and recovery of toxic chemical and metal ions; however, their slow kinetics of binding has limited their widespread application. In this study three wool powders have been prepared from chopped wool fibre using various milling operations. Brunauer, Emmett, Teller analysis (BET) showed negligible change in surface area and Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy indicated no change in nanoporosity of the powders on processing. Binding of the transition metal ions, Co2+, Cu2+, and Cd2+ was investigated over the pH range 3–9 at ambient temperature (23°C) using their respective radioisotopes (i.e. 57Co, 64Cu, or 109Cd). The optimum pH for binding of Cu2+ and Cd2+ was in the range 6–8, while Co2+ absorption peak was sharp at pH 8. The rate of uptake of Cu2+ for each of the wool powder was dramatically faster (∼ 42 fold) than that of the wool fibre. In comparison with commercial cation exchange resins, the wool powders showed significantly higher (two to nine fold) metal ion loading capacity. Selective binding of the metal ions could be enhanced by varying pH and/or incubation times. The use of radioisotopes to monitor the metal ion binding allowed the development of a highly sensitive and rapid high‐throughput analysis method for assessing wool powder binding properties. The ability to produce large quantities of wool powders and their ease of handling indicate that they have potential for application in separation and recovery of metal ions from industrial effluents and environmental waterways. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Synthesis of copolymer of aniline and pyrrole by inverted emulsion polymerization method for supercapacitor
Authors: Palaniappan Srinivasan , Sydulu Singu Bal , Srinivas Pabba 
Published: October 2009

AbstractCopolymer of aniline and pyrrole was synthesized by inverted emulsion polymerization method by oxidizing aniline and pyrrole using benzoyl peroxide in presence of sodium laurylsulphate surfactant and p‐toluenesulphonic acid. Copolymer samples were characterized by infrared, X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopic techniques and compared their properties with the corresponding homopolymers. The optimum reaction conditions for the preparation of copolymer with reasonably good yield (1.72 g) and conductivity (7.3 × 10−2 S/cm) were established. The synthesis procedure was extended to prepare copolymer samples using various protonic acids. Electrochemical characterization such as cyclic voltammetry, charge‐discharge and impedance were carried out on symmetrical supercapacitor cell consists of poly(aniline‐co‐pyrrole)‐p‐toluenesulfonic acid salt, wherein, the copolymer salt was synthesized using equal amount of aniline and pyrrole monomers. The values of specific capacitance, energy and power densities for poly(aniline‐co‐pyrrole)‐p‐toluenesulfonic acid system (PANI‐PPy) were calculated from charge‐discharge studies and are found to be 21 F/g, 5.7 Wh/Kg and 100 W/Kg respectively. Impedance analysis showed specific capacitance value (57 F/g) at 0.01 Hz at 0.22 V. Among the copolymer salts, copolymer prepared with sulfuric acid showed higher capacitance (66 F/g). © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Reactions of palm oil‐based mcl‐PHAs with epoxidized natural rubber
Authors: Lee Siang Yin , Hassan Aziz , Tan Irene K. P. , Terakawa Katsumi , Ichikawa Naoya , Gan Seng Neon 
Published: October 2009

AbstractA palm oil‐based medium‐chain‐length polyhydroxyalkanoate (mcl‐PHA) was allowed to react with epoxidized natural rubber (ENR). There was no noticeable reaction at ambient temperature for short reaction times. However, after 30 min at 170°C, the mcl‐PHA underwent thermal degradation to generate carboxylic terminal groups that attacked the epoxy groups of the ENR. Evidence of the ring‐opening reaction was provided by both FTIR and 1H‐NMR. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Dry and durable electro‐active paper actuator based on natural biodegradable polymer
Authors: Cai Zhijiang , Kim Jaehwan 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThis article describes a dry and durable electro‐active paper (EAPap) actuator based on natural biodegradable polymer: cellulose and chitosan. To fabricate this actuator, cellulose and chitosan were dissolved in trifluoroacetic acid. The solution was cast to form a film followed by depositing thin gold electrode on both sides of the film. The actuator was actuated under AC voltage at an ambient condition by changing the actuation voltage, frequency, and time. The actuator revealed a large bending displacement under low voltage, electrical power consumption at low humidity condition. This cellulose–chitosan blended EAPap actuator is suitable for dry and durable actuator. Details about the fabrication, durability, electrical power consumption, and characteristics as well as morphology of the actuator are explained. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010