bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Adverse drug events among children presenting to a hospital emergency department in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Authors: Sikdar Khokan C. , Alaghehbandan Reza , MacDonald Don , Barrett Brendan , Collins Kayla D. , Gadag Veeresh 
Published: December 2009

AbstractObjectivesThe aim of this study was to examine epidemiologic characteristics of Adverse Drug Events (ADEs) among children and adolescents presenting to an Emergency Department (ED) in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), Canada.Materials and MethodsThis study was conducted in three phases and included an ED chart review of visits to the Janeway Hospital in St. John's, NL, between 27th April 2006 and 26th April 2007. The first phase narrowed the sampling frame by excluding visits highly unlikely to be drug‐related. In the second phase, a random sample of ED charts was selected for review by two research nurses using a Trigger Assessment Tool that classified ED visits according to their likelihood of being drug related (‘high’, ‘moderate’, ‘low’, ‘very low’, or ‘no’ probability). The third phase included a full chart review of all ‘high’, ‘moderate’, ‘low’, and ‘very low’ probability ADE charts, carried out independently by two ED pediatricians and two clinical pharmacists. Each ADE was also scored for severity and preventability, and consensus was reached among all four reviewers during meetings held at the end of this phase.ResultsIn this study, 69 patients presented to the ED either due to an ADE or a possible ADE (PADE). After a sample‐weight adjustment, the prevalence of ADEs/PADEs was found to be 2.1%. The number of co‐morbidities was inversely associated with medication‐related visits. There was no significant difference found between patients with and without medication related visits with respect to mean age of the patient and the mean number of current medications being taken. Of the 69 confirmed ADE/PADEs, none were fatal, six (8.7%) were serious/life‐threatening, and 63 (91.3%) were considered significant. Antimicrobial agents (45.0%) were the most common drug classes associated with ADEs/PADEs. Approximately 20% of the 69 ADEs/PADEs identified were considered preventable.ConclusionsIn St. John's NL, emergency department visits as a result of ADEs are common among the pediatric population and in many cases preventable. Age and number of current medications do not appear to be associated with ED visits related with ADE. Antimicrobial agents were found to be to the cause of most ADEs/PADEs. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adhesion of propylene–ethylene copolymers to high‐density polyethylene
Authors: Lin Y.J. , Poon B.C. , Marchand G.R. , Hiltner A. , Baer E. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThe adhesion of some propylene–ethylene (P/E) copolymers to polypropylene (PP) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) was studied in order to compare them with other olefin copolymers as compatibilizers for PP/HDPE blends. A one‐dimensional model of the compatibilized blends was fabricated by layer‐multiplying coextrusion. The microlayered tapes consisted of many alternating layers of PP and HDPE with a thin tie‐layer inserted at each interface. The thickness of the tie‐layer varied from 0.1 to 15 μm, which included thicknesses comparable to those of the interfacial layer in a compatibilized blend. In the T‐peel test, the P/E copolymers delaminated at the HDPE interface. An elastomeric P/E with higher ethylene content exhibited substantially higher delamination toughness than a more thermoplastic P/E with lower ethylene content. Inspection of the crack‐tip damage zone revealed that a change from deformation of the entire tie‐layer to formation of a localized yielded zone was responsible. By treating the damage zone as an Irwin plastic zone, it was demonstrated that a critical stress controlled the delamination toughness. The temperature dependence of the delamination toughness was also measured. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers
Morphological, mechanical properties, and fracture behavior of bulk‐made ABS resins toughened by high‐cis polybutadiene rubber
Authors: Yu Zhisheng , Li Yang , Wang Yurong , Yang Li , Liu Ying , Li Yongtian , Li Zhansheng , Zhao Zhongfu 
Published: December 2009

AbstractAcrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene (ABS) resins with various rubber contents were prepared by applying nickel catalyzed high‐cis polybutadiene rubber (BR9004) as toughening agent via bulk polymerization. The influence of rubber content and its characteristics on the morphology, mechanical properties, and fracture mechanisms of ABS resins were investigated. The relevant performance parameters were also evaluated and compared with a commercial injection grade resin (ABS‐8434). The results show that each synthesized resin generally contains some irregular microsized particles with a certain amount of subinclusions besides the analogous “sea‐island” morphology to ABS‐8434. The subinclusions considerably enhance the volume fraction of rubber phase; this leads to an increasing maximum loss tangent (tan δ) value, a decreasing storage modulus and glass transition temperature (Tg) of rubber phase. Besides, the higher grafting degree can not only produce a higher Tg of grafted copolymer but also improve the compatibility of rubber phase with matrix. Based on the performance measurements andfractography, the final product with a rubber content of 9.3% reveals ductile fracture behavior and excellent comprehensive properties far superior to ABS‐8434 due to combined shear yielding and massive crazing. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers
Preparation and properties of thermoplastic pea starch using N,N‐bis(2‐hydroxyethyl)formamide as the plasticizer
Authors: Dai Hongguang , Chang Peter R. , Yu Jiugao , Ma Xiaofei , Zhou Peng 
Published: December 2009

AbstractN,N‐bis(2‐hydroxyethyl)formamide (BHF) was synthesized efficiently and used as a new plasticizer for pea starch to prepare thermoplastic starch (TPS). The hydrogen bond interaction between BHF and pea starch was proven by Fourier‐transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy. As detected by scanning electron microscope (SEM), pea starch granules were completely disrupted, and the homogeneous materials were obtained. The crystallinity of pea starch and BHF‐plasticized thermoplastic pea starch (BTPS) was characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD). Rheological properties of TPS were analyzed. The water resistance of BTPS was better than that of glycerol‐plasticized thermoplastic pea starch (GTPS). At RH 33%, the tensile strength of BTPS was higher than that of GTPS for TPS containing 30% plasticizer. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers
The effects of alumina and silica nanoparticles on the cure kinetics of bisphenol E cyanate ester
Authors: Sheng Xia , Akinc Mufit , Kessler Michael R. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractNanoparticles can be used as fillers to reinforce polymers, forming nanocomposites with better thermomechanical properties than composites with macrosized fillers. Furthermore, the addition of nanoparticles may influence the curing behavior of the polymer matrix during processing. In this study, the effect of various loadings of alumina or silica nanoparticles on the cure kinetics of bisphenol E cyanate ester (BECy) is investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Alumina nanoparticles are shown to have a catalytic effect on the cure of BECy. The greater catalytic effect of alumina nanoparticles, compared with silica, is attributed to the increased number of hydroxyl groups on the surface and the Lewis acidity of γ‐phase alumina. Kinetic parameters were obtained from dynamic DSC experiments. For an autocatalytic model of the cure process, the kinetic parameters obtained from the model suggest that the addition of alumina nanoparticles changed the cure reaction mechanism of BECy. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers
Synthesis of water‐soluble polyphenol‐graft‐poly(ethylene oxide) copolymers via enzymatic polymerization and anionic polymerization
Authors: Cui Yushuang , Hu Aijuan , Lu Zaijun , Zhang Lin , Luo Xuan , Du Kai 
Published: December 2009

AbstractWater‐soluble polyphenol‐graft‐poly(ethylene oxide) (PPH‐g‐PEO) copolymers were prepared using grafting‐through methodology. Polyphenol chains were synthesized via enzymatic polymerization of phenols, and the graft chains were synthesized via living anionic polymerization of ethylene oxides. The polymers were characterized using gel permeation chromatography, static light scattering and 1H NMR, infrared and ultraviolet spectroscopies. The PPH‐g‐PEO graft copolymers are soluble in several common solvents, such as water, ethanol, N,N‐dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran and methylene dichloride. The solubility of the PPH‐g‐PEO graft copolymers is improved significantly compared with that of polyphenol. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry
Spatio‐temporal variations in fish assemblages in a tropical regulated lower river course: an environmental guild
Authors: Jutagate T. , Lek S. , Sawusdee A. , Sukdiseth U. , Thapanand‐Chaidee T. , Thongkhoa S. , Lek‐Ang S. , Chotipuntu P. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractFish assemblage patterns were studied in the lower river reach of the Uthokawiphatprasit anti‐salt dam, 6 km upstream from the Pak Panang River mouth, Southern Thailand, where the dam was opened occasionally depending on the upstream water level. Matrix data of the presence–absence of 71 fish species in 102 surveys was used in the analysis by applying a self‐organizing map (SOM) model. The trained SOM (lattice 8 × 7) showed that after 6 years of operation, five assemblage patterns were distinguished. These patterns described the probability of the occurrence of fish in each fish environmental guild, which according to changes in flow and water geomorphology. Clusters Ia and Ib were mostly the surveys in upstream stations and occupied by fish in potamonic guilds, whereas the fish in the estuarine guild and marine guilds showed a high probability of occurring in clusters IIa, IIb and IIc, which belonged to the surveys in downstream stations. The surveys of the stations near the dam (i.e. stations 5 and 6) during the opening phase were contained in cluster IIb. The Kruskal–Wallis test showed that there was no statistical difference in the probability of occurrence among assemblages of the diadromous, catadromous and semi‐anadromous fishes but not the amphidromous fishes, which had a low probability of occurrence in clusters Ia and Ib. The fish assemblages were arrayed along a longitudinal gradient, where salinity and pH were the most important controlling variables and explained 94.0% of the total inertia. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Functional Graphene Oxide as a Nanocarrier for Controlled Loading and Targeted Delivery of Mixed Anticancer Drugs
Authors: Zhang Liming , Xia Jingguang , Zhao Qinghuan , Liu Liwei , Zhang Zhijun 
Published: December 2009

AbstractA simple synthetic route for the preparation of functional nanoscale graphene oxide (NGO), a novel nanocarrier for the loading and targeted delivery of anticancer drugs, is reported. The NGO is functionalized with sulfonic acid groups, which render it stable in physiological solution, followed by covalent binding of folic acid (FA) molecules to the NGO, thus allowing it to specifically target MCF‐7 cells, human breast cancer cells with FA receptors. Furthermore, controlled loading of two anticancer drugs, doxorubicin (DOX) and camptothecin (CPT), onto the FA‐conjugated NGO (FA–NGO) via π–π stacking and hydrophobic interactions is investigated. It is demonstrated that FA–NGO loaded with the two anticancer drugs shows specific targeting to MCF‐7 cells, and remarkably high cytotoxicity compared to NGO loaded with either DOX or CPT only. Considering that the combined use of two or more drugs, a widely adopted clinical practice, often displays much better therapeutic efficacy than that of a single drug, the controlled loading and targeted delivery of mixed anticancer drugs using these graphene‐based nanocarriers may find widespread application in biomedicine.
XML data mining
Authors: Romei Andrea , Turini Franco 
Published: December 2009

AbstractWith the spreading of XML sources, mining XML data can be an important objective in the near future. This paper presents a project focussed on designing a general‐purpose query language in support of mining XML data. In our framework, raw data, mining models and domain knowledge are represented by way of XML documents and stored inside native XML databases. Data mining (DM) tasks are expressed in an extension of XQuery. Special attention is given to the frequent pattern discovery problem, and a way of exploiting domain‐dependent optimizations and efficient data structures as deeper as possible in the extraction process is presented. We report the results of a first bunch of experiments, showing that a good trade‐off between expressiveness and efficiency in XML DM is not a chimera. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tower Centre International building in Bucharest – Part I: Structural design
Authors: Dubina Dan , Dinu Florea , Stratan Aurel 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThis paper describes the design and construction of a high‐rise steel building in Bucharest. The steel structure was designed according to the recently adopted Eurocodes and its performance was investigated using advanced techniques, including seismic performance‐based methodology and wind tunnel tests. Robustness under extreme loading conditions was also investigated. The ECCS awarded the project a European Steel Design Award in 2007.
Striatal dopamine D2 receptor availability predicts the thalamic and medial prefrontal responses to reward in cocaine abusers three years later
Authors: Asensio Samuel , Romero Maria J. , Romero Francisco J. , Wong Christopher , Alia‐Klein Nelly , Tomasi Dardo , Wang Gene‐Jack , Telang Frank , Volkow Nora D. , Goldstein Rita Z. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractLow levels of dopamine (DA) D2 receptor availability at a resting baseline have been previously reported in drug addicted individuals and have been associated with reduced ventral and dorsal prefrontal metabolism. The reduction in DA D2 receptor availability along with the reduced ventral frontal metabolism is thought to underlie compromised sensitivity to nondrug reward, a core characteristic of drug addiction. We therefore hypothesized that variability in DA D2 receptor availability at baseline will covary with dynamic responses to monetary reward in addicted individuals. Striatal DA D2 receptor availability was measured with [11C]raclopride and positron emission tomography and response to monetary reward was measured (an average of three years later) with functional magnetic resonance imaging in seven cocaine‐addicted individuals. Results show that low DA D2 receptor availability in the dorsal striatum was associated with decreased thalamic response to monetary reward; while low availability in ventral striatum was associated with increased medial prefrontal (Brodmann Area 6/8/32) response to monetary reward. These preliminary results, that need to be replicated in larger sample sizes and validated with healthy controls, suggest that resting striatal DA D2 receptor availability predicts variability in functional responses to a nondrug reinforcer (money) in prefrontal cortex, implicated in behavioral monitoring, and in thalamus, implicated in conditioned responses and expectation, in cocaine‐addicted individuals. Synapse 64:397–402, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Passive rotation‐induced theta rhythm and orientation homeostasis response
Authors: Shin Jonghan 
Published: December 2009

AbstractRhythmic oscillatory activities at the theta frequency (3–12 Hz) have long attracted attention, as they have been implicated in diverse brain functions. There are two kinds of hippocampal theta rhythms: Type 1 is an atropine‐resistant noncholinergic theta rhythm, and Type 2 is an atropine‐sensitive cholinergic theta rhythm. However, it has not yet been determined whether the theta rhythm generated during passive whole‐body rotation is of Type 1 or 2. To clarify this issue, we investigated passive whole‐body rotation‐induced theta rhythm using C57BL/6J normal and atropine‐treated mice. The results demonstrated that atropine [50 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.)], a cholinergic antagonist, abolished the theta rhythm generated during passive whole‐body rotation. Therefore, the passive whole‐body rotation‐induced theta rhythm is an atropine‐sensitive Type 2 theta rhythm. In addition, we found that blocking cholinergic receptors using atropine resulted in the loss of the orientation homeostasis response, which is a circling behavior in the direction opposite to that of the rotating circular treadmill that is generated to maintain a constant orientation. These results suggest that atropine‐sensitive Type 2 theta rhythm can be generated by a passive rotation‐induced vestibular sensory signal and may be necessary for spatial orientation homeostasis response behavior. Synapse 64:409–415, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Laparoscopy‐assisted fetoscopy for laser surgery in twin–twin transfusion syndrome with anterior placentation
Authors: Papanna R. , Johnson A. , Ivey R. T. , Olutoye O. O. , Cass D. , Moise K. J. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractObjectiveTo compare a laparoscopy‐assisted fetoscopic approach with an ultrasound‐directed percutaneous approach for laser photocoagulation of placental anastomoses in cases of twin–twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) with anterior placentation.MethodWe performed a retrospective review of all cases that underwent laser ablation of placental anastomoses for TTTS with an anterior placenta at Texas Children's Fetal Center from November 2006 to November 2008. The two cohorts were identified by chart review based on the type of approach: laparoscopy‐assisted vs. ultrasound‐guided percutaneous uterine entry for fetoscopy. Operative and outcome data were extracted and the groups were compared using statistical methods, taking P < 0.05 as statistically significant.ResultsIn the 100 cases of TTTS studied, 48 had an anterior placenta. Fifteen (31%) of these underwent laparoscopy‐assisted fetoscopy (LAF) while a percutaneous approach was used in the remaining 33 (69%) cases. The total procedure time was longer in the LAF group than in the percutaneous group (96.1 ± 25 vs. 67.9 ± 28 min; P < 0.01). There was no difference in the rate of preterm premature rupture of membranes up to 2 weeks and 4 weeks after surgery (7 vs. 15% and 13 vs. 21%, for the LAF group vs. the percutaneous group, respectively; P = 0.7). The gestational ages at delivery were similar: 30.3 ± 4.5 weeks in the LAF group and 29.2 ± 4.6 weeks in the percutaneous group (P = 0.32). The overall survival rate at birth was tending towards better survival in the laparoscopic group than in the percutaneous group (80 vs. 61%, respectively; P = 0.06). The neonatal survival rate was better with the LAF approach than with the percutaneous approach (80 vs. 59%, respectively; P = 0.045).ConclusionLaparoscopy‐assisted entry of the uterus is associated with improved neonatal survival for laser photocoagulation in cases of TTTS with a complete anterior placentation. Copyright © 2009 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A sensing‐based cognitive coexistence method for interfering infrastructure andad hocsystems
Authors: Geirhofer Stefan , Tong Lang , Sadler Brian M. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThe rapid proliferation of wireless systems makes interference management more and more important. This paper presents a novel cognitive coexistence framework, which enables an infrastructure system to reduce interference toad hocor peer‐to‐peer communication links in close proximity. Motivated by the superior resources of the infrastructure system, we study how its centralized resource allocation can accommodate thead hoclinks based on sensing and predicting their interference patterns. Based on an ON/OFF continuous‐time Markov chain model, the optimal allocation of power and transmission time is formulated as a convex optimization problem and structured solutions are derived. The optimal scheduling is extended to the case where the infrastructure channel is random and rate constraints need only be met in the long‐term average. Finally, the multi‐terminal case is addressed and the problem of optimal sub‐channel allocation is discussed. Numerical performance analysis illustrates that utilizing the superior flexibility of the infrastructure links can effectively mitigate interference. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
PC‐MAC: pico cellular MAC protocol for motorway vehicular multimedia communication (extended version)
Authors: Qazi Bilal R. , Elmirghani Jaafar M. H. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractDue to the dynamic nature of vehicular networks, provisioning multimedia (triple play—video, voice and data) communications to motorway drivers with quality of service (QoS) is extremely challenging. To overcome the challenges in this scenario, substantial effort is required to analyse the characteristics of vehicular traffic profiles on motorways around a base station (BS). For this purpose, we first perform detailed analysis of real vehicular traffic data taken from inductive loops on a motorway, and then develop our own vehicular simulator to study real‐time vehicular traffic scenarios where a main BS is responsible for multimedia communication. To address the issue of maintaining QoS for different traffic classes in reservation‐based medium access control (MAC) protocols in high‐speed vehicles, a novel medium access control, PC‐MAC (pico cellular medium access control) protocol is introduced. The proposed PC‐MAC protocol is a combination of carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) and slotted time division multiple access (S‐TDMA) for multimedia communication with optimal utilization for a motorway environment. Finally, the access to the BS is managed by our proposed PC‐MAC protocol that we have integrated into the vehicular simulator. The results of this configuration have been compared with other protocols. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TinyNET—a tiny network framework for TinyOS: description, implementation, and experimentation
Authors: Castellani Angelo Paolo , Casari Paolo , Zorzi Michele 
Published: December 2009

AbstractIn this paper we present TinyNET, a modular framework allowing development and quick integration of protocols and applications for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) in TinyOS. The motivation behind TinyNET is two‐fold: on one hand it allows to adopt a divide‐and‐conquer approach in the development of any TinyOS application; on the other hand it provides a flexible administration of network protocols. As a sample development using TinyNET, we consider an environmental monitoring application, and test it over a floor‐wide WSN testbed. Data are converge‐casted toward a sink node, which gathers all data collected by the sensors. Routing toward the sink is achieved by means of a hop count (HC) based algorithm. Our framework also integrates support for the 6LowPAN standard (providing, e.g., per‐sensor queries and pings). Thanks to TinyNET, s these messages will make transparent use of the underlying network protocols. Also, TinyNET transparently manages the network components and related messages, allowing different applications to share the same network stack; furthermore, it translates TinyOS interfaces so that any previously developed application can be easily ported. These features make it possible to have a global vision over any application, as well as to focus on each of its separate components. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.