bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Endoscopic thoracic microdiscectomy
Authors: Oskouian Rod J. , Johnson J. Patrick 
Published: May 2009

Object. The purpose of this clinical study was to evaluate prospectively surgical and neurological outcomes after endoscopic thoracic disc surgery.
Methods. The authors assessed the following quantifiable outcome data in 46 patients: operative time, blood loss, duration of chest tube insertion, narcotic use, hospital length of stay (LOS), and long-term follow-up neurological function and pain-related symptoms.
In patients who presented with myelopathy there was a postoperative improvement of two Frankel grades. Pain related to radiculopathy was improved by 75% and in one patient it worsened postoperatively. The authors also present operative data, surgical outcomes, and complications.
Conclusions. Thoracoscopic discectomy can be used to achieve acceptable results. It has several distinct advantages such as reduced postoperative pain, morbidity, and LOS compared with traditional open procedures.
Localized cervical facet joint kinematics under physiological and whiplash loading
Authors: Stemper Brian D. , Yoganandan Narayan , Gennarelli Thomas A. , Pintar Frank A. 
Published: May 2009

Object.Although facet joints have been implicated in the whiplash injury mechanism, no investigators have determined the degree to which joint motions in whiplash are nonphysiological. The purpose of this investigation was to quantify the correlation between facet joint and segmental motions under physiological and whiplash loading.Methods.Human cadaveric cervical spine specimens were exercise tested under physiological extension loading, and intact human head-neck complexes were exercise tested under whiplash loading to correlate the localized component motions of the C4–5 facet joint with segmental extension. Facet joint shear and distraction kinematics demonstrated a linear correlation with segmental extension under both loading modes. Facet joints responded differently to whiplash and physiological loading, with significantly increased kinematics for the same-segmental angulation. The limitations of this study include removal of superficial musculature and the limited sample size for physiological testing.Conclusions.The presence of increased facet joint motions indicated that synovial joint soft-tissue components (that is, synovial membrane and capsular ligament) sustain increased distortion that may subject these tissues to a greater likelihood of injury. This finding is supported by clinical investigations in which lower cervical facet joint injury resulted in similar pain patterns due to the most commonly reported whiplash symptoms.
Spinal intradural arteriovenous fistulas acquired in late adulthood: absent spinal venous drainage in pathogenesis and pathophysiology
Authors: Tender Gabriel C. , Vortmeyer Alexander O. , Oldfield Edward H. 
Published: May 2009

✓ Intradural spinal arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs), a subtype of spinal arteriovenous malformation in which there is a direct communication between a spinal artery and a vein on the cord surface or in the subarachnoid space, are generally considered to be congenital lesions caused by maldevelopment of the embryonic vascular system. The authors present the cases of two patients with acquired AVFs of the terminal filum. In each patient an AVF between the distal segment of the anterior spinal artery and its accompanying vein on the terminal filum developed within 1 year of repeated lumbar myelography that had demonstrated no evidence of abnormal vascularity. In both patients spinal arteriography demonstrated the absence of medullary venous drainage in the thoracolumbar region, which, combined with the arterialized venous input from the AVF, permitted the development of venous congestion and myelopathy. The involved segment of the terminal filum was excised; in vitro microarteriography and the histopathological examination demonstrated a single, simple arteriovenous connection in both patients.
The findings in these cases indicate that intradural AVF can spontaneously arise in later life. The development of these lesions and/or their clinical manifestation may require not only the presence of the AVF, but also deficiency of medullary spinal venous drainage. The epidemiology and anatomy of intradural AVFs are compatible with an acquired origin in many cases.
Age and Lumbar Surgery
Authors: Beck David W. , Lovick Darren S. 
Published: May 2009

Object. Although advances in patient care have enabled surgeons to perform posterior lumbar decompression and fusion (PLDF), increased age remains a major concern when designing a treatment strategy. The authors conducted a study to evaluate if increased age has any effect on lumbar fusion surgery in terms of perioperative events.Methods. This retrospective study comprised 129 patients (age range 25–91 years) with spondylolisthesis, lumbar stenosis and/or disc degeneration/herniation with instability, or unsuccessful results after a failed previous PLDF. The patients were stratified by age: those younger than 65 years of age (85 patients) and those at least 65 years of age (44 patients). The parameters reviewed included comorbid conditions, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, instrumentation technique (pedicle screws, a combination of pedicle screw fixation [PSF] and posterior lumbar interbody fusion [PLIF], or noninstrumented fusions), number of fused levels, operative time, estimated blood loss (EBL), complications, and hospital length of stay (LOS).Fusion strategies in the elderly tended to be more conservative. Repeated operations and PSF/PLIF procedures were less frequent in the older age group. Older age did not result in increased complications, EBL, and operative time. Longer hospital LOS was observed in the older age group (7 ± 3.5 days) compared with the younger age group (5.5 ± 1.9 days) (p = 0.022).Conclusions. Complications and perioperative events following PLDF in the elderly are comparable with those observed in younger patients. Withholding lumbar spine fusion solely based on advanced age is not warranted.
Microstructured Arrays of TiO2 Nanotubes for Improved Photo‐Electrocatalysis and Mechanical Stability
Authors: Wang Daoai , Hu Tianchang , Hu Litian , Yu Bo , Xia Yanqiu , Zhou Feng , Liu Weimin 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThe preparation of micropatterned TiO2 nanotubes (NTs) with tunable morphologies by combining laser micromachining technology and an anodization method is reported. The micropatterned structure can be easily designed and fabricated by laser micromachining a titanium substrate, further anodization of which gives nanotube arrays perpendicularly oriented to the titanium surface. The patterned TiO2 NTs show dramatically improved photocurrent and photocatalytic performances because of their enhanced surface area and light‐harvesting capability. The photocurrent density and incident‐photon‐to‐current efficiency at the peak absorption increases by 48 and 39%, respectively, compared to a TiO2 NT array without a patterned structure. It was also found that micropatterning dramatically improves the mechanical stability of the TiO2 NTs on the substrate, which otherwise were liable to peel off from the substrate surface. The strategy will reasonably expand the application of TiO2 NTs in a variety of fields that require enhanced photo‐electrocatalysis and mechanical stability.
The Role of OTS Density on Pentacene and C60 Nucleation, Thin Film Growth, and Transistor Performance
Authors: Virkar Ajay , Mannsfeld Stefan , Oh Joon Hak , Toney Michael F. , Tan Yih Horng , Liu Gang‐yu , Scott J. Campbell , Miller Robert , Bao Zhenan 
Published: May 2009

AbstractIn organic thin film transistors (OTFTs), charge transport occurs in the first few monolayers of the semiconductor near the semiconductor/dielectric interface. Previous work has investigated the roles of dielectric surface energy, roughness, and chemical functionality on performance. However, large discrepancies in performance, even with apparently identical surface treatments, indicate that additional surface parameters must be identified and controlled in order to optimize OTFTs. Here, a crystalline, dense octadecylsilane (OTS) surface modification layer is found that promotes two‐dimensional semiconductor growth. Higher mobility is consistently achieved for films deposited on crystalline OTS compared to on disordered OTS, with mobilities as high as 5.3 and 2.3 cm2 V−1 s−1 for C60 and pentacene, respectively. This is a significant step toward morphological control of organic semiconductors which is directly linked to their thin film charge carrier transport.
Block‐Copolymer‐Templated Synthesis of Electroactive RuO2‐Based Mesoporous Thin Films
Authors: Sassoye Capucine , Laberty Christel , Le Khanh Hung , Cassaignon Sophie , Boissière Cédric , Antonietti Markus , Sanchez Clément 
Published: May 2009

AbstractRuO2‐based mesoporous thin films of optical quality are synthesized from ruthenium‐peroxo‐based sols using micelle templates made of amphiphilic polystyrene‐polyethylene oxide block copolymers. The mesoporous structure and physical properties of the RuO2 films (mesoporous volume: 30%; pore diameter: ∼30 nm) can be controlled by the careful tuning of both the precursor solution and thermal treatment (150–350 °C). The optimal temperature that allows control of both mesoporosity and nanocristallinity is strongly dependent on the substrate (silicon or fluorine‐doped tin oxide). The structure of the resulting mesoporous films are investigated using X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Mesoporous layers are additionally characterized by transmission and scanning electron microscopy and ellipsometry while their electrochemical properties are analyzed via cyclic voltammetry. Thick mesoporous films of ruthenium oxide hydrates, RuO2 · xH2O, obtained using a thermal treatment at 280 °C, exhibit capacitances as high as 1000 ± 100 F g−1 at a scan rate of 10 mV s−1, indicating their potential application as electrode materials.
Charge Transport in Disordered Organic Materials and Its Relevance to Thin‐Film Devices: A Tutorial Review
Authors: Tessler Nir , Preezant Yevgeni , Rappaport Noam , Roichman Yohai 
Published: May 2009

AbstractSemiconducting polymers and small molecules form an extremely flexible class of amorphous materials that can be used in a wide range of applications, some of which are display, radio‐frequency tags, and solar cells. The rapid progress towards functional devices is occurring despite the lack of sufficient understanding of the physical processes and very little experience in device engineering. This tutorial review aims to provide sufficient intuitive background to draw more researchers to look into the fundamental aspects of device physics and engineering.
First partial face and upper dentition of the Middle Miocene hominoid Dryopithecus fontani from Abocador de Can Mata (Vallès‐Penedès Basin, Catalonia, NE Spain): Taxonomic and phylogenetic implications
Authors: Moyà‐Solà Salvador , Köhler Meike , Alba David M. , Casanovas‐Vilar Isaac , Galindo Jordi , Robles Josep M. , Cabrera Lluís , Garcés Miguel , Almécija Sergi , Beamud Elisabet 
Published: May 2009

AbstractA well‐preserved 11.8‐million‐years‐old lower face attributed to the seminal taxon Dryopithecus fontani (Primates, Hominidae) from the Catalan site ACM/C3‐Ae of the Hostalets de Pierola area (Vallès‐Penedès Basin, Catalonia, NE Spain) is described. The new data indicate that D. fontani is distinct at the genus level from Late Miocene European taxa previously attributed to Dryopithecus, which are here reassigned to Hispanopithecus. The new facial specimen also suggests that D. fontani and the Middle Miocene Pierolapithecus catalaunicus are not synonymous. Anatomical and morphometric analyses further indicate that the new specimen shows a combination of lower facial features—hitherto unknown in Miocene hominoids—that resembles the facial pattern of Gorilla, thus providing the first nondental evidence of gorilla‐like lower facial morphology in the fossil record. Considering the current evidence, the gorilla‐like facial pattern of D. fontani is inferred to be derived relative to previously known stem hominids, and might indicate that this taxon is either an early member of the Homininae or, alternatively, a stem hominid convergent with the lower facial pattern of Gorilla. The biogeographic implications of both alternatives are discussed. This new finding in the Hostalets de Pierola section reinforces the importance of this area for understanding the elusive question of the Middle Miocene origin and early radiation of great apes. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The effects of socioeconomic status on endochondral and appositional bone growth, and acquisition of cortical bone in children from 19th century Birmingham, England
Authors: Mays Simon , Ives Rachel , Brickley Megan 
Published: May 2009

AbstractEndochondral growth, appositional growth, and acquisition of cortical bone thickness in the femur are investigated in subadult skeletons (N = 43, dental age range birth to 12 years) from the 19th‐century AD burial site of St. Martin's churchyard, Birmingham, England. Endochondral growth is monitored using diaphyseal femoral length. Appositional growth is monitored using radiographic midshaft mediolateral width and acquisition of cortical bone using combined mediolateral cortical thickness measured at the midshaft from radiographs. The methodology involves plotting these variables against dental age. Growth is compared in children of differing socioeconomic status. Higher and lower status individuals are identified in the assemblage by their burial in brick vaults in the case of the former and in earth‐cut graves in the case of the latter. The relationships between bone dimensions and dental age are described using a polynomial regression procedure, and analysis of regression residuals is used to evaluate differences in bone dimension‐for‐dental age between the two status groups. Results show that lower socioeconomic status individuals had lower cortical thickness‐for‐dental age than those of higher status. This was interpreted as likely reflecting poorer nutrition in the children of lower socioeconomic backgrounds. There was no patterning with respect to socioeconomic status in femur diaphyseal length or midshaft width. The results support the idea that, for skeletal populations, growth in cortical thickness may be a more sensitive indicator of adverse conditions in childhood than growth in bone length or width. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Near Eastern Neolithic genetic input in a small oasis of the Egyptian Western Desert
Authors: Kujanová Martina , Pereira Luísa , Fernandes Verónica , Pereira Joana B. , Černý Viktor 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThe Egyptian Western Desert lies on an important geographic intersection between Africa and Asia. Genetic diversity of this region has been shaped, in part, by climatic changes in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene epochs marked by oscillating humid and arid periods. We present here a whole genome analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and high‐resolution molecular analysis of nonrecombining Y‐chromosomal (NRY) gene pools of a demographically small but autochthonous population from the Egyptian Western Desert oasis el‐Hayez. Notwithstanding signs of expected genetic drift, we still found clear genetic evidence of a strong Near Eastern input that can be dated into the Neolithic. This is revealed by high frequencies and high internal variability of several mtDNA lineages from haplogroup T. The whole genome sequencing strategy and molecular dating allowed us to detect the accumulation of local mtDNA diversity to 5,138 ± 3,633 YBP. Similarly, theY‐chromosome gene pool reveals high frequencies of the Near Eastern J1 and the North African E1b1b1b lineages, both generally known to have expanded within North Africa during the Neolithic. These results provide another piece of evidence of the relatively young population history of North Africa. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Modern human cranial diversity in the Late Pleistocene of Africa and Eurasia: Evidence from Nazlet Khater, Peştera cu Oase, and Hofmeyr
Authors: Crevecoeur Isabelle , Rougier Hélène , Grine Frederick , Froment Alain 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThe origin and evolutionary history of modern humans is of considerable interest to paleoanthropologists and geneticists alike. Paleontological evidence suggests that recent humans originated and expanded from an African lineage that may have undergone demographic crises in the Late Pleistocene according to archaeological and genetic data. This would suggest that extant human populations derive from, and perhaps sample a restricted part of the genetic and morphological variation that was present in the Late Pleistocene. Crania that date to Marine Isotope Stage 3 should yield information pertaining to the level of Late Pleistocene human phenotypic diversity and its evolution in modern humans. The Nazlet Khater (NK) and Hofmeyr (HOF) crania from Egypt and South Africa, together with penecontemporaneous specimens from the Peştera cu Oase in Romania, permit preliminary assessment of variation among modern humans from geographically disparate regions at this time. Morphometric and morphological comparisons with other Late Pleistocene modern human specimens, and with 23 recent human population samples, reveal that elevated levels of variation are present throughout the Late Pleistocene. Comparison of Holocene and Late Pleistocene craniometric variation through resampling analyses supports hypotheses derived from genetic data suggesting that present phenotypic variation may represent only a restricted part of Late Pleistocene human diversity. The Nazlet Khater, Hofmeyr, and Oase specimens provide a unique glimpse of that diversity. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Brief communication: Paleohistopathological analysis of pathology museum specimens: Can periosteal reaction microstructure explain lesion etiology?
Authors: Weston Darlene A. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThe assertion that the microstructure of periosteal new bone formation can be used to differentiate between disease etiologies (Schultz: Yrbk Phys Anthropol 44 2001 106–147; Schultz: Identification of pathological conditions in human skeletal remains, 2nd ed. London: Academic Press 2003 73–109) was tested in a pilot‐study, using diagnosed bone specimens from St George's Hospital Pathology Museum, London, UK. Embedded bone specimens exhibiting pathological periosteal new bone formation were examined using scanning electron microscopy in back‐scattered electron imaging mode (SEM‐BSE). The results suggest that several histological features (i.e. Grenzstreifen, Polsters, and sinuous lacunae) deemed to be diagnostic of specific pathological conditions are of no specific diagnostic value, as they are encountered in pathological conditions of differing disease etiology. These results tie in with a previous investigation demonstrating a lack of diagnostic qualitative or quantitative characteristics seen in the macroscopic and radiographic appearance of periosteal reactions (Weston: Am J Phys Anthropol 137 2008 48–59). Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
X‐chromosome lineages and the settlement of the Americas
Authors: Bourgeois Stephane , Yotova Vania , Wang Sijia , Bourtoumieu Sylvie , Moreau Claudia , Michalski Roman , Moisan Jean‐Paul , Hill Kim , Hurtado Ana M. , Ruiz‐Linares Andres , Labuda Damian 
Published: May 2009

AbstractMost genetic studies on the origins of Native Americans have examined data from mtDNA and Y‐chromosome DNA. To complement these studies and to broaden our understanding of the origin of Native American populations, we present an analysis of 1,873 X‐chromosomes representing Native American (n = 438) and other continental populations (n = 1,435). We genotyped 36 polymorphic sites, forming an informative haplotype within an 8‐kb DNA segment spanning exon 44 of the dystrophin gene. The data reveal continuity from a common Eurasian ancestry between Europeans, Siberians, and Native Americans. However, the loss of two haplotypes frequent in Eurasia (18.8 and 7%) and the rise in frequency of a third haplotype rare elsewhere, indicate a major population bottleneck in the peopling of the Americas. Although genetic drift appears to have played a greater role in the genetic differentiation of Native Americans than in the latitudinally distributed Eurasians, we also observe a signal of a differentiated ancestry of southern and northern populations that cannot be simply explained by the serial southward dilution of genetic diversity. It is possible that the distribution of X‐chromosome lineages reflects the genetic structure of the population of Beringia, itself issued from founder effects and a source of subsequent southern colonization(s). Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Use and misuse of the reduced major axis for line‐fitting
Authors: Smith Richard J. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractMany investigators use the reduced major axis (RMA) instead of ordinary least squares (OLS) to define a line of best fit for a bivariate relationship when the variable represented on theX‐axis is measured with error. OLS frequently is described as requiring the assumption thatXis measured without error while RMA incorporates an assumption that there is error inX. Although an RMA fit actually involves a very specific pattern of error variance, investigators have prioritized the presence versus the absence of error rather than the pattern of error in selecting between the two methods. Another difference between RMA and OLS is that RMA is symmetric, meaning that a single line defines the bivariate relationship, regardless of which variable isXand which isY, while OLS is asymmetric, so that the slope and resulting interpretation of the data are changed when the variables assigned toXandYare reversed. The concept of error is reviewed and expanded from previous discussions, and it is argued that the symmetry‐asymmetry issue should be the criterion by which investigators choose between RMA and OLS. This is a biological question about the relationship between variables. It is determined by the investigator, not dictated by the pattern of error in the data. IfXis measured with error but OLS should be used because the biological question is asymmetric, there are several methods available for adjusting the OLS slope to reflect the bias due to error. RMA is being used in many analyses for which OLS would be more appropriate. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.