bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
What's politics got to do with it?: Why donors find it so hard to come to terms with politics, and why this matters
Authors: Unsworth Sue 
Published: July 2009

AbstractDonors are paying more attention to politics, and some are applying political analysis to specific aspects of development practice. But this is having little influence on mainstream debates about aid, and donors are not questioning their implicit assumptions about how development happens. There are powerful intellectual and institutional barriers to recognising that politics is central to the whole development process. This matters because, without a change in their mental models, donors will not invest in understanding local political dynamics, or give priority to strategically important but difficult issues. If they did so they would discover some very practical opportunities for progress. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dynamics of microvascular remodelling during tumor growth in bone
Authors: Fuhrhop Ina , Schroeder Malte , Rafnsdóttir Svanheidur Loa , Viezens Lennart , Rüther Wolfgang , Hansen‐Algenstaedt Nils , Schaefer Christian 
Published: July 2009

AbstractMicrocirculatory properties of tumors have been shown to play a pivotal role in tumor progression and inefficacy of therapies. Although the influence of the microenvironment on angiogenesis has been intensively investigated in soft tissue tumors, little is known about the microvascular properties in bone metastasis. To determine the impact of the bone microenvironment on tumor growth and microcirculation we performed intravital microscopy using the “femur window” after implantation of red‐fluorescent‐protein‐transduced breast cancer cells into the femura of severe‐combined‐immunodeficient mice. Tumor size, functional vascular density, vessel diameter, and vessel distribution were quantified over 14 days. Tumor growth and microcirculation could be quantified at a high spatial resolution. Tumor progression was associated with a rapid remodeling process of the microcirculation within the tumor and the surrounding tissue. Although the total functional vascular density remained unaltered, we found a significant loss in small vessels and a concomitant increase in vascular diameter. The presented study demonstrates for the first time dynamics of morphological microcirculatory alterations of tumor growth in bone. The observed changes in tumor vascularization exhibit strong similarities to soft tissue tumors; however, the dynamics of vascular alterations are more rapid in the bone microenvironment. © 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 28:27–31, 2010
Quantification of D‐Asp and D‐Glu in rat brain and human cerebrospinal fluid by microchip electrophoresis
Authors: Huang Yong , Shi Ming , Zhao Shulin 
Published: July 2009

AbstractA microchip electrophoresis (MCE) method with LIF detection was presented for quantification of D‐aspartic acid (D‐Asp) and D‐glutamate (D‐Glu) in biological samples. D‐Asp and D‐Glu were determined after precolumn derivatization with FITC. The chiral separation was performed on a glass/PDMS hybrid microfluidic chip using γ‐CD as chiral selector in the running buffer. High sensitive detection was obtained by the LIF detection. The LODs (S/N = 3) for D‐Asp and D‐Glu were 6.0×10–8 and 4.0×10–8 M, respectively. Using this method, the levels of D‐Asp and D‐Glu in rat brain and human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were determined.
RP–HPLC–ESI–MS characterization of novel peptide fragments related to rat parotid secretory protein in parasympathetic induced saliva
Authors: Ekström Jörgen , Murakami Masataka , Inzitari Rosanna , Khosravani Nina , Fanali Chiara , Cabras Tiziana , Fujita‐Yoshigaki Junko , Sugiya Hiorshi , Messana Irene , Castagnola Massimo 
Published: July 2009

AbstractTwo peptides (MW 1211.7 and 928.5 Da) were detected by RP–HPLC–ESI–MS analysis of parotid saliva secreted upon continuous parasympathetic stimulation. The peptide with the higher mass (PSPFr‐A) corresponded to the N‐terminal dodecapeptide (Fragment 1–12) of rat parotid secretory protein (PSP), while the peptide with the lower mass (PSPFr‐B) corresponded to the 4–12 fragment of the same protein. During stimulation, the PSPFr‐A secretion increased, while the PSPFr‐B secretion decreased (HPLC–ESI–MS). In the presence of cycloheximide, PSPFr‐A was not demonstrated, while the PSPFr‐B secretion decreased. In the presence of aprotinin, the PSPFr‐B secretion was almost abolished, while the PSPFr‐A secretion increased to higher levels than those observed in the absence of the inhibitor. In vitro perfusion, with artificial solution, of stimulated rat parotid glands excluded that the fragments were derived from the circulation. Neither peptide occurred in enriched granule preparations from unstimulated glands. The results suggest that at least two pathways – granular and vesicular – are responsible for the generation of the two peptides. PSPFr‐A is the first cleavage product in both pathways. PRPFr‐B is probably generated from granular PSPFr‐A only and, at the end of the granule mediated pathway, by the action of an enzyme of the serine protease class.
Determination of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D3 in human plasma using HPLC with UV detection based on SPE sample preparation
Authors: Kand'ár Roman , Žáková Pavla 
Published: July 2009

AbstractInterest in the metabolism and physiological action of vitamin D is increased exponentially. The most important metabolites of vitamin D are 25‐hydroxyvitamin and 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3. The aim of the study was to develop a rapid and simple HPLC method for the measurement of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D3 in human plasma. A method for the measurement of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D3 using HPLC with UV detection and investigation into the extraction techniques with regard to stability and recovery are described. For the separation, RP column LiChroCart 125‐4, Purospher RP‐18e, 5 μm, was used. The mixture of methanol and deionized water (95:5 v/v) was used as mobile phase. The analytical performance of this method is satisfactory: the intra‐ and inter‐assay coefficients of variation were below 10%. Quantitative recoveries from spiked plasma samples were between 92.0–103.2%. The LOD was 10 nmol/L. The preliminary reference range of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D3 in a group of blood donors is 62 ± 26 nmol/L.
Quantitative unique continuation for Neumann problems of elliptic equations with weight
Authors: Tao Xiangxing 
Published: July 2009

AbstractLet P(ω, ∇) be an elliptic operator with weight ω, and let u be a solution in some Lipschitz domains to −P(ω, ∇u)+W∇u+Vu=0 with sharp singular potentials W and V. The weighted doubling estimates, the weighted three‐ball inequalities and the unique continuation at the boundary for solution u of the Neumann problem are established in this paper. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Utility of Simulation in Medical Education: What Is the Evidence?
Authors: Okuda Yasuharu , Bryson Ethan O. , DeMaria Samuel , Jacobson Lisa , Quinones Joshua , Shen Bing , Levine Adam I. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractMedical schools and residencies are currently facing a shift in their teaching paradigm. The increasing amount of medical information and research makes it difficult for medical education to stay current in its curriculum. As patients become increasingly concerned that students and residents are “practicing” on them, clinical medicine is becoming focused more on patient safety and quality than on bedside teaching and education. Educators have faced these challenges by restructuring curricula, developing small‐group sessions, and increasing self‐directed learning and independent research. Nevertheless, a disconnect still exists between the classroom and the clinical environment. Many students feel that they are inadequately trained in history taking, physical examination, diagnosis, and management. Medical simulation has been proposed as a technique to bridge this educational gap. This article reviews the evidence for the utility of simulation in medical education. We conducted a MEDLINE search of original articles and review articles related to simulation in education with key words such as simulation, mannequin simulator, partial task simulator, graduate medical education, undergraduate medical education, and continuing medical education. Articles, related to undergraduate medical education, graduate medical education, and continuing medical education were used in the review. One hundred thirteen articles were included in this review. Simulation‐based training was demonstrated to lead to clinical improvement in 2 areas of simulation research. Residents trained on laparoscopic surgery simulators showed improvement in procedural performance in the operating room. The other study showed that residents trained on simulators were more likely to adhere to the advanced cardiac life support protocol than those who received standard training for cardiac arrest patients. In other areas of medical training, simulation has been demonstrated to lead to improvements in medical knowledge, comfort in procedures, and improvements in performance during retesting in simulated scenarios. Simulation has also been shown to be a reliable tool for assessing learners and for teaching topics such as teamwork and communication. Only a few studies have shown direct improvements in clinical outcomes from the use of simulation for training. Multiple studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of simulation in the teaching of basic science and clinical knowledge, procedural skills, teamwork, and communication as well as assessment at the undergraduate and graduate medical education levels. As simulation becomes increasingly prevalent in medical school and resident education, more studies are needed to see if simulation training improves patient outcomes. Mt Sinai J Med 76:330–343, 2009. © 2008 Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Teaching Teamwork in Medical Education
Authors: Lerner Susan , Magrane Diane , Friedman Erica 
Published: July 2009

AbstractTeamwork has become a major focus in healthcare. In part, this is the result of the Institute of Medicine report entitled To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System, which details the high rate of preventable medical errors, many of which are the result of dysfunctional or nonexistent teamwork. It has been proposed that a healthcare system that supports effective teamwork can improve the quality of patient care and reduce workload issues that cause burnout among healthcare professionals. Few clear guidelines exist to help guide the implementation of all these recommendations in healthcare settings. In general, training programs designed to improve team skills are a new concept for medicine, particularly for physicians who are trained largely to be self‐sufficient and individually responsible for their actions. Outside of healthcare, research has shown that teams working together in high‐risk and high‐intensity work environments make fewer mistakes than individuals. This evidence originates from commercial aviation, the military, firefighting, and rapid‐response police activities. Commercial aviation, an industry in which mistakes can result in unacceptable loss, has been at the forefront of risk reduction through teamwork training. The importance of teamwork has been recognized by some in the healthcare industry who have begun to develop their own specialty‐driven programs. The purpose of this review is to discuss the current literature on teaching about teamwork in undergraduate medical education. We describe the science of teams, analyze the work in team training that has been done in other fields, and assess what work has been done in other fields about the importance of team training (ie, aviation, nonmedical education, and business). Additionally, it is vital to assess what work has already been done in medicine to advance the skills required for effective teamwork. Much of this work has been done in fields in which medical professionals deal with crisis situations (ie, anesthesia, trauma, and labor and delivery). We describe the current programs for teaching medical students these essential skills and what recommendations have been made about the best ways to introduce teaching this skill set into the curriculum. Finally, we include a review on assessing teamwork because one cannot teach team training without implementing an assessment to ensure that the skills are being learned. Mt Sinai J Med 76:318–329, 2009. © 2008 Mount Sinai School of Medicine
A variational multiscale method to model crack propagation at finite strains
Authors: Mergheim J. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractThis contribution presents a hierarchical variational multiscale framework to model propagating discontinuities at finite strains. Thereby the deformation map is decomposed into coarse‐scale and fine‐scale displacements, which results in a decoupled system of coarse‐scale and fine‐scale equations. Both are solved numerically by means of the finite element method whereby crack propagation is taken into account at the fine scale. Growing cracks are numerically handled by the introduction of discontinuous elements. A locality assumption on the fine‐scale solution and an adaptive scheme to resize the fine‐scale domain are introduced and demonstrated to increase the efficiency of the method. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Flexible body dynamics in a local frame with explicitly predicted motion
Authors: Kawamoto A. , Krenk S. , Suzuki A. , Inagaki M. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractThis paper deals with formulation of dynamics of a moving flexible body in a local frame of reference. In a conventional approach the local frame is normally fixed to the corresponding body and always represents the positions and angles of the body: the positions and angles are represented by Cartesian coordinates and Euler angles or Euler parameters, respectively. The elastic degrees of freedom are expressed by, e.g. nodal coordinates in a finite element analysis, modal coordinates, etc. However, the choice of these variables as the generalized coordinates makes the resulting equations of motion extremely complicated. This is because the representation of the rotation of a body is highly non‐linear and this non‐linearity makes the coefficient matrices dependent on the coordinates themselves. In this paper, we propose an alternative way of treating the issue by explicitly predicting the body motions and regularly updating the local frame. First, the motion of the local frame is assumed to explicitly follow the associated moving body. Then, the equations of motion are derived in a set of generalized coordinates that express both rigid‐body and elastic degrees of freedom in the local frame. These equations are solved by a time integration with a given time interval. The motion of the local frame in the interval is estimated from a prediction of the rigid‐body motions. Then, the gap between the predicted and the actual motions is evaluated. Finally, the predictions are iteratively corrected by the obtained responses in the rigid‐body motions so that the gap should remain within an imposed tolerance. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis and characterization of polyurethane cationomer/MMT hybrid composite
Authors: Buruiana Tinca , Melinte Violeta , Buruiana Emil C , Mihai Aura 
Published: July 2009

AbstractBACKGROUND: The development of polymeric nanocomposites incorporating intercalated or exfoliated layered silicate clays into the organic matrix has been substantially motivated by the significant improvements induced by the presence of the inorganic component. Moreover, understanding and controlling the dispersion of inorganic layers into segmented polyurethane matrices by means of ionic interactions, and exploiting these interactions to enhance physicomechanical behaviour, could be of great interest in the field of polymer nanocomposites.RESULTS: New cationic polyurethane elastomers were prepared starting from poly(butylene adipate)diol (Mn = 1000 g mol−1), 4,4′‐diphenylmethane diisocyanate, 1,4‐butanediol and N‐methyldiethanolamine or N,N′‐β‐hydroxyethylpiperazine, used as potential quaternizable moieties. The characterization of the polymers was achieved using specific analyses employed for the macromolecular samples (Fourier transform infrared and 1H NMR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), gel permeation chromatography). An extension of our research on polymers reinforced with organically modified montmorillonite (OM‐MMT) in order to prepare hybrid composites with improved properties was performed and the resulting materials were characterized using TGA, X‐ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Also, the mechanical properties of the cationic polyurethane/OM‐MMT composites were investigated in comparison with the pristine ionic/non‐ionic polymers and their composites containing non‐ionic polymer blended with OM‐MMT or ionic polymer and unmodified MMT.CONCLUSION: The insertion of the organically modified clay into the polymeric matrix gave an improvement of the mechanical properties of the polyurethane composites, especially the tensile strength and stiffness of the hybrid materials. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry
Quantitative risk assessment for the transport of ammonia by rail
Authors: Hassan C.R. Che , Puvaneswaran B. , Aziz A.R. , Zalina M. Noor , Hung F.C. , Sulaiman N.M. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractRisk assessments are considered to be an essential tool in ensuring the safety of engineering projects. The benefits of using risks assessments have prompted its acceptance in the safety legislation for a number of industries. The use of quantitative risk assessment for rail transportation of hazardous materials has gained more attention in recent years, because the amount of the transported hazardous materials is large, and the transportation route often passes through populated areas, such as cities. In this study, the risk for the ammonia transportation by rail in Malaysia was conducted by combining the results from a previous failure frequency analysis and consequence analysis. The assessment results acknowledged the significant effects of train speeds on the overall individual risk. The risk with a tolerable risk limit of 1 × 10−6 per year increased significantly with more train accidents occurring at increasing speeds. Most of the surrounding populations along the transportation route analyzed are exposed to higher risk levels than the tolerable limit. This risk exposure to the public demonstrates the need for proper planning of moving ammonia through populated areas. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2010
A novel technique for nonlinear sensitivity analysis: application to moist predictability
Authors: Rivière O. , Lapeyre G. , Talagrand O. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractA new nonlinear technique is described to compute the sensitivity of synoptic perturbation growth to environmental moisture. The perturbation growth is defined using a nonlinear generalization of singular vectors called Nonlinear Singular Vectors (NLSV). For a given atmospheric state evolving in time, the nonlinear sensitivity method consists in maximizing the growth rate of perturbations by seeking both the optimal NLSV perturbations and the most favorable spatial distribution of the moisture field. This results in a new atmospheric state that differs initially only by the water vapour field. The NLSV computed along this new state has the largest possible growth rate for all possible water vapour fields. We apply this method to a simulation of the moist primitive equations. For the particular case we study, we obtain a moistening of the lower troposphere and an amplification of energy of optimal perturbations three times larger than the amplification of optimal perturbations computed without altering the water vapour field. The optimal perturbations are similar to the perturbations of the unmodified water vapour case. A noteworthy property is that the complete saturation of the atmosphere leads to a smaller increase in amplification rate, which means that the water vapour field is strongly tied to the NLSV structure. Mechanisms explaining these results are discussed. This technique overcomes the limitations (in particular the linearity assumption) of moist singular vector analysis using moist norms or adjoint sensitivity analysis. It can be applied to diagnose sensitivity to other fields as well. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society
Diagnostic procedures
Authors: McKean Joseph W. , Sheather Simon J. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractDiagnostic procedures are used to check the quality of a fit of a model, to verify the validity of the assumptions behind the model, and to find outlying and/or highly influential observations. Our discussion focuses on the linear model (the most widely used model). Much of our discussion, however, pertains to other models, as we show when we extend our discussion to mixed models at the end of the paper. The traditional fit, least squares (LS), can be severely impaired by just one outlier. So along with LS we present two robust fits and diagnostic procedures which explore the differences among the three fits. These comparisons generally find the outlying and influential cases. Armed with this methodology, we then proceed to discuss diagnostics that explore the quality of fit and verify the validity of the assumptions, including independent and identically distributed errors and normality. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.This article is categorized under:

Statistical Models > Linear Models
Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Robust Methods
Statistical Models > Fitting Models
Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Statistical Graphics and Visualization
Prevalence of Hypothyroidism in Benign Breast Disorders and Effect of Thyroxine Replacement on the Clinical Outcome
Authors: Bhargav Panchagan R. K. , Mishra Anjali , Agarwal Gaurav , Agarwal Amit , Verma Ashok Kumar , Mishra Saroj Kanta 
Published: July 2009

AbstractBackgroundThe aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypothyroidism in patients with benign breast disorders (BBD). We then asked if thyroxine replacement in hypothyroid patients has any impact on the clinical outcome of the BBD.MethodsThis prospective study included 201 women with BBD. None of the included patients had previously suspected hypothyroidism. Clinical, laboratory, and follow‐up details of the patients were noted. Baseline serum thyroxine, thyroid‐stimulating hormone (TSH), and prolactin estimation was done in all cases. Thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) estimation was done in hypothyroid patients and/or patients with a goiter. In addition to the standard conservative management protocol, hypothyroid patients were given thyroxine replacement therapy. Their response to treatment was assessed at 3‐month intervals. The clinical outcomes of euthyroid and hypothyroid groups were compared.ResultsThe mean age of the patients was 34 ± 8 years, and the mean length of follow‐up was 13.0 ± 4.2 months. The overall prevalence of hypothyroidism was 23.2% (nipple discharge 37%, mastalgia 23%, lump/lumpiness 17.4%). The rate of hypothyroidism and the mean serum TSH concentration were significantly higher among patients with nipple discharge than among those with mastalgia (P = 0.001) or a lump (P = 0.01). In all, 39% of hypothyroid women had TSH concentrations >10 mIU/l, and 53% had an elevated TPOAb titer. BBD symptoms were alleviated in 83% of the hypothyroid patients with only thyroxine replacement. The final clinical outcomes of hypothyroid patients with nipple discharge and mastalgia were significantly better than that of their euthyroid counterparts (P = 0.028 and 0.001, respectively); no significant difference was noted in patients with lumpiness (P = 0.144).ConclusionsAll women with BBD should be screened for hypothyroidism because the prevalence of hypothyroidism is high among this group and correction of hypothyroidism results in significant clinical improvement of BBD in most of these patients.