bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
HOW WELL DO DIAGNOSIS‐RELATED GROUPS EXPLAIN VARIATIONS IN COSTS OR LENGTH OF STAY AMONG PATIENTS AND ACROSS HOSPITALS? METHODS FOR ANALYSING ROUTINE PATIENT DATA
Authors: Street Andrew , Kobel Conrad , Renaud Thomas , Thuilliez Josselin ,   ON BEHALF OF THE EURODRG GROUP
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACTWe set out an analytical strategy to examine variations in resource use, whether cost or length of stay, of patients hospitalised with different conditions. The methods are designed to evaluate (i) how well diagnosis‐related groups (DRGs) capture variation in resource use relative to other patient characteristics and (ii) what influence the hospital has on their resource use. In a first step, we examine the influence of variables that describe each individual patient, including the DRG to which the patients are assigned and a range of personal and treatment‐related characteristics. In a second step, we explore the influence that hospitals have on the average cost or length of stay of their patients, purged of the influence of the variables accounted for in the first stage. We provide a rationale for the variables used in both stages of the analysis and detail how each is defined. The analytical strategy allows us (i) to identify those factors that explain variation in resource use across patients, (ii) to assess the explanatory power of DRGs relative to other patient and treatment characteristics and (iii) to assess relative hospital performance in managing resources and the characteristics of hospitals that explain this performance. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Breast cancer survival in the US and Europe: A CONCORD high‐resolution study
Authors: Allemani Claudia , Sant Milena , Weir Hannah K. , Richardson Lisa C. , Baili Paolo , Storm Hans , Siesling Sabine , Torrella‐Ramos Ana , Voogd Adri C. , Aareleid Tiiu , Ardanaz Eva , Berrino Franco , Bielska‐Lasota Magdalena , Bolick Susan , Cirilli Claudia , Colonna Marc , Contiero Paolo , Cress Rosemary , Crocetti Emanuele , Fulton John P. , Grosclaude Pascale , Hakulinen Timo , Izarzugaza M. Isabel , Malmström Per , Peignaux Karin , Primic‐Žakelj Maja , Rachtan Jadwiga , Safaei Diba Chakameh , Sánchez Maria‐José , Schymura Maria J. , Shen Tiefu , Traina Adele , Tryggvadottir Laufey , Tumino Rosario , Velten Michel , Vercelli Marina , Wolf Holly J. , Woronoff Anne‐Sophie , Wu Xiaocheng , Coleman Michel P. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractBreast cancer survival is reportedly higher in the US than in Europe. The first worldwide study (CONCORD) found wide international differences in age‐standardized survival. The aim of this study is to explain these survival differences. Population‐based data on stage at diagnosis, diagnostic procedures, treatment and follow‐up were collected for about 20,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer aged 15–99 years during 1996–98 in 7 US states and 12 European countries. Age‐standardized net survival and the excess hazard of death up to 5 years after diagnosis were estimated by jurisdiction (registry, country, European region), age and stage with flexible parametric models. Breast cancers were generally less advanced in the US than in Europe. Stage also varied less between US states than between European jurisdictions. Early, node‐negative tumors were more frequent in the US (39%) than in Europe (32%), while locally advanced tumors were twice as frequent in Europe (8%), and metastatic tumors of similar frequency (5–6%). Net survival in Northern, Western and Southern Europe (81–84%) was similar to that in the US (84%), but lower in Eastern Europe (69%). For the first 3 years after diagnosis the mean excess hazard was higher in Eastern Europe than elsewhere: the difference was most marked for women aged 70–99 years, and mainly confined to women with locally advanced or metastatic tumors. Differences in breast cancer survival between Europe and the US in the late 1990s were mainly explained by lower survival in Eastern Europe, where low healthcare expenditure may have constrained the quality of treatment.
A novel anti‐DR5 chimeric antibody and epirubicin synergistically suppress tumor growth
Authors: Qiu Yuhe , Zhang Zhixin , Shi Juan , Liu Shilian , Liu Yanxin , Zheng Dexian 
Published: July 2012

AbstractTumor necrosis factor‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand (TRAIL) induces apoptosis in a variety of tumor cells. TRAIL receptor 2 (DR5) expression is high in tumor cells, transformed cells, and clinical tumor specimens and is low in most normal cells and tissues; therefore, DR5 is considered an attractive target for cancer therapy. In this study, HMCAZ5, a novel mouse–human chimeric antibody based on AD5‐10, was generated and stably expressed in CHO‐dhfr− cells. Highly purified HMCAZ5 exhibits a high affinity for the receptor that is equal to the parental mouse antibody, induces apoptosis in various cancer cells but not in normal hepatocytes, and elicits both antibody‐dependent cellular cytotoxicity and complement‐dependent cytotoxicity in various human cancer cells. The anthracycline anticancer drug epirubicin (EPB) synergizes the cytotoxicity of HMCAZ5 in cancer cells by upregulating DR5 expression on the cell surfaces, enhancing p53 expression, Bid cleavage, and JNK phosphorylation and downregulating c‐FLIP expression and Akt phosphorylation. Moreover, HMCAZ5 alone suppresses tumor growth, and EPB augments the tumoricidal activity in human colorectal and hepatocellular tumor xenografts in athymic nude mice. These data suggest that the anti‐DR5 chimeric antibody HMCAZ5 may have a clinical use and represents a useful immunological strategy, in combination with chemotherapy, for the treatment of cancer © 2012 IUBMB Life, 64(9): 757–765, 2012
Multiphoton imaging of the dentine‐enamel junction
Authors: Cloitre Thierry , Panayotov Ivan V. , Tassery Hervé , Gergely Csilla , Levallois Bernard , Cuisinier Frédéric J. G. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractMultiphoton microscopy has been used to reveal structural details of dentine and enamel at the dentin‐enamel junction (DEJ) based on their 2‐photon excited fluorescence (2PEF) emission and second harmonic generation (SHG). In dentine tubule 2PEF intensity varies due to protein content variation. Intertubular dentin produces both SHG and 2PEF signals. Tubules are surrounded by a thin circular zone with a lower SHG signal than the bulk dentine and the presence of collagen fibers perpendicular to the tubule longitudinal axis is indicated by strong SHG responses. The DEJ appears as a low intensity line on the 2PEF images and this was never previously reported. The SHG signal is completely absent for enamel and aprismatic enamel shows a homogeneous low 2PEF signal contrary to prismatic enamel. The SHG intensity of mantle dentine is increasing from the dentine‐enamel junction in the first 12 μm indicating a progressive presence of fibrillar collagen and corresponding to the more external part of mantle dentine where matrix metallo‐proteases accumulate. The high information content of multiphoton images confirms the huge potential of this method to investigate tooth structures in physiological and pathological conditions. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Retracted: Physical properties, mechanical behavior, and electron microscopy study of a new α‐TCP block graft with silicon in an animal model
Authors: Maté‐Sánchez de Val José E. , Calvo‐Guirado Jose L. , Delgado‐Ruiz Rafael A. , Ramírez‐Fernández Mª P. , Negri Bruno , Abboud Marcus , Martínez Isabel M. , de Aza Piedad N. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThis study reports the characterization process and in vivo application of a new block bone graft of α‐TCP with silicate in three different percentages in the aim of determining the influence of the silicate. Three groups of cylindrical implants (6 ± 0.01 mm diameter, 8 ± 0.01 mm length) with varying Si composition were studied: A: 3 wt % C2S; B: 1.5 wt % C2S; C: 100 wt % TCP–0 wt % C2S. These were implanted randomly in critical size defects in New Zealand rabbits. X‐ray diffraction analysis was performed to determine the crystalline phases of the different compositions. Histomorphometric analysis produced one measurement of bone‐to‐implant contact. Comparing the α‐TCPss ceramics, the trial found improved mechanical properties due to the silicon content in solid solution as well as densification. Previous studies have shown that the mechanical strengths of sintered ceramics correlate to densification as well as grain size and mechanical properties. Because of its mechanical and biological behavior, the study has shown α‐TCP with C2S to be an alternative to other bone graft substitutes for use in bone reconstructive surgery in the fields of veterinary, medicine, and oral and maxillofacial surgery. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 100A:3446–3454, 2012.
A new massively parallel version of CRYSTAL for large systems on high performance computing architectures
Authors: Orlando Roberto , Delle Piane Massimo , Bush Ian J. , Ugliengo Piero , Ferrabone Matteo , Dovesi Roberto 
Published: July 2012

AbstractFully ab initio treatment of complex solid systems needs computational software which is able to efficiently take advantage of the growing power of high performance computing (HPC) architectures. Recent improvements in CRYSTAL, a periodic ab initio code that uses a Gaussian basis set, allows treatment of very large unit cells for crystalline systems on HPC architectures with high parallel efficiency in terms of running time and memory requirements. The latter is a crucial point, due to the trend toward architectures relying on a very high number of cores with associated relatively low memory availability. An exhaustive performance analysis shows that density functional calculations, based on a hybrid functional, of low‐symmetry systems containing up to 100,000 atomic orbitals and 8000 atoms are feasible on the most advanced HPC architectures available to European researchers today, using thousands of processors. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
An Examination of the Diagnostic Efficiency of Post‐Deployment Mental Health Screens
Authors: Skopp Nancy A. , Swanson Robert , Luxton David D. , Reger Mark A. , Trofimovich Lily , First Michael , Maxwell James , Gahm Gregory A. 
Published: July 2012

ObjectiveTo conduct a blinded study to examine the diagnostic efficiency of the Department of Defense (DoD) Post‐Deployment Health Reassessment (PDHRA) screens for major depressive disorder (MDD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and alcohol abuse.MethodParticipants were 148 post‐deployed soldiers who were completing the PDHRA protocol. Soldiers’ mean age was 27.7 (standard deviation = 6.6) years, and 89.0% were male. Mental health professionals blinded to the PDHRA screening results administered the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition directly after the PDHRA assessment protocol.ResultsAll screens exhibited excellent negative predictive power. Sensitivity metrics were lower, consistent with the relatively low base rates observed for MDD (10.1%), PTSD (8.8%), and alcohol abuse (5.4%). Metrics obtained for the PTSD screen were consistent with previous research with a similar base rate. A two‐item screen containing PTSD reexperiencing and hyperarousal symptom items revealed excellent psychometric properties (sensitivity = .92; specificity = .79). The alcohol abuse screen yielded high sensitivity (.86), but very poor precision; these metrics were somewhat improved when the screen was reduced to a single item.ConclusionsThe PDHRA MDD, PTSD, and alcohol abuse screens appear to be functioning well in accurately ruling out these diagnoses, consistent with a population‐level screening program. Cross validation of the current results is indicated. Additional refinement may yield more sensitive screening measures within constraints imposed by the low base rates in a typically healthy population.
Self‐Perceived Burden as a Mediator of Depression Symptoms Amongst Individuals Living With a Movement Disorder
Authors: Dempsey Laurie E. , Karver Marc S. , Labouliere Christa , Zesiewicz Theresa A. , De Nadai Alessandro S. 
Published: July 2012

ObjectiveMovement disorders are chronic illnesses that can lead to functional impairment and psychological distress. This study examined the relations between functional impairment, depression, and anxiety in individuals with movement disorders, and whether these associations were mediated by feelings of self‐perceived burden.MethodThis cross‐sectional study sampled individuals (57 males and 57 females; mean age of 62) with chronic movement disorders from a movement disorders clinic. Patients completed measures of depression, anxiety, functional impairment, and self‐perceived burden.ResultsFunctional impairment was associated with depression, but not anxiety, and was mediated by self‐perceived burden for individuals with chronic movement disorders.ConclusionsSelf‐perceived burden may have an important role relative to individuals’ adaptation to chronic illness with implications for future interventions.
The roles of water vapour, rainfall and solar radiation in determining air temperature change measured at Bet Dagan, Israel between 1964 and 2010
Authors: Stanhill Gerald , Rosa Rafael , Cohen Shabtai 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACTMonthly mean values of climate at Bet Dagan in the central coastal plain of Israel, downwind of Tel Aviv, were analysed to yield seasonal and annual values of long‐ and short‐wave irradiance which were then related to changes in air temperature measured between 1964 and 2010. Over half the large interannual variation and significant increase in atmospheric long‐wave radiation, which averaged 0.7 W m−2 per decade, was associated with concurrent changes measured in specific humidity. The remaining changes were attributed to increases in concentrations of carbon dioxide and other anthropogenic radiatively active gases. Large decadal variations and a significant overall reduction in short‐wave solar radiation were measured averaging 3.6 W m−2 per decade which were, in part, attributed to urban pollution. Changes in downwelling long‐ and short‐wave irradiances together accounted for 58% of interannual variation in the mean annual temperature. Climate sensitivity to short‐wave radiation forcing was very low compared with that of long‐wave forcing resolving the paradox of the sharp rise in temperature accompanying negative all‐wave radiative forcing (RF). Possible physical mechanisms explaining the decoupling between annual values of solar irradiance and air temperature are discussed. A significant, inverse correlation between temperature and the annual number of rain days was found, accounting for 21% of the interannual variation in air temperature unexplained by surface RF. During the last 45 years, changes in annual temperature at Bet Dagan, a near‐coastal site with a strong urban influence situated in the semi‐arid Mediterranean climate, were associated, in the following order of importance, with changes in water vapour, rainfall and solar radiation. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society
The kinetics of urinary fumonisin B1 excretion in humans consuming maize‐based diets
Authors: Riley Ronald T. , Torres Olga , Showker Jency L. , Zitomer Nicholas C. , Matute Jorge , Voss Kenneth A. , Gelineau‐van Waes Janee , Maddox Joyce R. , Gregory Simon G. , Ashley‐Koch Allison E. 
Published: July 2012

ScopeFumonisins (FB) are mycotoxins found in maize. The purpose of this study was to (i) determine the relationship between FB1, FB2, and FB3 intake and urinary excretion in humans, (ii) validate a method to isolate urinary FB on C18‐SPE cartridges for international shipment, and (iii) test the method using samples from Guatemala.Methods and resultsVolunteers (n = 10) consumed 206 grams/day of tortillas and biscuits prepared from masa flour and a product containing maize flour. Volunteers estimated their daily urine output and samples were analyzed for FB1, FB2, and FB3 and hydrolyzed FB1. Only FB1 was detected in urine suggesting lower absorption of FB2 and FB3. Excretion was highly variable peaking soon after consumption began and decreasing rapidly after consumption stopped. Within 5 days after consumption ended, FB1 was not detected in urine. In a study with eight volunteers, the average total urinary FB1 was 0.5% of the intake. FB1 was detected in 61% (107/177) of the samples collected in Guatemala.ConclusionThe results support the use of urinary FB1 to assess ongoing exposure in popula‐tion‐based studies. However, relating the FB1 concentration in urine to dietary intake of FB by individual subjects will be complicated due to interindividual variability and the rapidity of clearance.
On building multiple spanning trees and VLAN assignment in metro ethernet networks
Authors: Meddeb Aref 
Published: July 2012

AbstractWhile most of today's research effort is being devoted to wireless technologies involving the tiniest and most sophisticated devices, Ethernet is evolving from a best effort, plug‐and‐play LAN technology, towards a carrier‐grade WAN technology. Most of the new Ethernet standards rely on spanning tree protocols (STP) such as Rapid STP (RSTP) and multiple STP (MSTP). RSTP offers faster convergence than the legacy STP but like its predecessor, it uses a single tree to carry all the traffic offered to the network, seriously impacting throughput and bandwidth usage. MSTP however supports multiple spanning tree instances but does not provide generic methods to build those instances. Moreover, MSTP does not provide efficient methods to map between spanning trees and virtual LANs (VLAN). Operators must manually provision this mapping which seriously affects network operation expenditures and network performance. In this paper, we introduce a multiple spanning tree generation algorithm (MSTGA) and a VLAN‐spanning tree mapping algorithm (VSTMA) aimed at helping operators leverage their networks, save bandwidth, and support service level agreements with their customers. These algorithms can be used to extend and/or work with MSTP. We show that MSTGA maximizes throughput while VSTMA minimizes bandwidth usage. We also show that combining edge‐disjoint spanning trees with VSTMA constitutes the best bandwidth/throughput tradeoff. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, 2013
Preparation and properties of novel poly(propylene oxide)‐block‐polylactide‐based polyurethane foams
Authors: Ma Yan , Yang Dongmei , Shi Wenpeng , Li Suming , Fan Zhongyong , Tu Jianjun , Wang Wei 
Published: July 2012

AbstractA novel degradable flexible polyurethane (PU) foam was prepared by varying the ratio of poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) and triarm poly(propylene oxide)‐block‐polylactide copolymer (PPO‐b‐PLA), and was compared with conventional PU foams based on toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and PPO. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that introducing PLA segments were able to result in a transition from a microphase separated state to a microphase mixed state and improve the microphase mixing. The changes in structure and domain size distribution associated with this transition were found to have led to enhanced mechanical properties such as the tensile strength, the elongation at break, and the rebound resilience for the PU foams containing PLA segments. Furthermore, it was observed that the network structure was destroyed by hydrolytic degradation in alkali solution (10 wt%/vol%) at 80°C for 50 h, and that as the PLA content increased, the degradation rate of PU foams enhanced. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2013. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
UCST and LCST phase behavior of poly(trimethylene ether) glycol in water
Authors: Lee Hau‐Nan , Rosen Brad M. , Fenyvesi Gyorgyi , Sunkara Hari B. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractWe describe the initial studies of the complex aqueous phase behavior of poly(trimethylene ether) glycol (PO3G), a renewably sourced polyether glycol. Cloud point measurement revealed that a low molecular weight PO3G exhibits both lower critical solution temperature (LCST) and upper critical solution temperature (UCST) in water in the temperature range between 30°C and 80°C. At low concentrations of PO3G, the polymer solutions exhibit LCST‐type phase behavior. In the intermediate concentration ranges, PO3G and water are immiscible. However, at higher concentrations of PO3G, the solutions show UCST‐type phase behavior. In addition, both the LCSTs and UCSTs can be easily tuned over a wide range by varying the amount of alcohol co‐solvents. These findings have potential applications in the design of personal care applications and in the development of thermosensitive “smart” materials. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012
Synthesis and optoelectronic properties of novel benzodifuran semiconducting polymers
Authors: Sista Prakash , Huang Peishen , Gunathilake Samodha S. , Bhatt Mahesh P. , Kularatne Ruvini S. , Stefan Mihaela C. , Biewer Michael C. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractTwo new semiconducting polymers poly{4,8‐bis(4‐decylphenylethynyl)benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]difuran} (P1) and poly {4,8‐bis(4‐decylphenylethynyl)benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]difuran‐alt‐4,8‐bis(4‐decylphenylethynyl)benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene} (P2) have been synthesized. These polymers were tested in bulk heterojunction solar cells yielding power conversion efficiencies of 1.19% for P1 and 0.79% for P2. The surface morphology of the solar cell devices indicated that both the polymers display a granular morphology with smoother films displaying higher power conversion efficiencies. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012
pH‐ and temperature‐sensitive statistical copolymers poly[2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate‐stat‐2‐vinylpyridine] with Functional succinimidyl‐ester chain ends synthesized by nitroxide‐mediated polymerization
Authors: Zhang Chi , Maric Milan 
Published: July 2012

AbstractStatistical copolymerizations of 2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) with 2‐vinylpyridine (2VP) with 80 to 99 mol % DMAEMA in the feed utilizing a succinimidyl ester‐terminated alkoxyamine unimolecular initiator (NHS‐BlocBuilder) at 80 °C in bulk were performed. The effectiveness of 2VP as a controlling comonomer is demonstrated by linear increases in number‐average molecular weight versus conversion, relatively low PDI (1.5–1.6 with up to 98% DMAEMA) and successful chain extensions with 2VP. Additional free nitroxide does not significantly improve control for the DMAEMA/2VP copolymerizations. The succinimidyl ester on the initiator permits coupling to amine‐terminated poly(propylene glycol) (PPG), yielding an effective macroinitiator for synthesizing a doubly thermo‐responsive block copolymer of PPG‐block‐P(DMAEMA/2VP). A detailed study of the thermo‐ and pH‐sensitivities of the statistical and block copolymers is also presented. The cloud point temperature of the statistical copolymers is fine tuned from 14 to 75 °C by varying polymer composition and pH. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012.
Mitigation of Single‐Point‐of‐Failure: Development of M127A1 White Star Illuminant Compositions Containing an Epoxy Binder System
Authors: Sabatini Jesse J. , Raab James M. , Hann Ronald K. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractA replacement for the M127A1 hand‐held signal illuminant was developed to alleviate concerns associated with single‐point‐of‐failure. In addressing single‐point‐of‐failure, Laminac 4116/Lupersol binder system were replaced with Epon 813/Versamid 140 binder system. Powdered sodium nitrate was replaced with prilled sodium nitrate in the disclosed formulations to minimize hygroscopicity concerns associated with this oxidizer. The performance of the prilled sodium nitrate‐based formulations, their burning behaviors, and the sensitivities of the best performing illuminant toward various ignition stimuli are also described in detail.