bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
MILITARY STATIC LINE PARACHUTE INJURIES IN AN AUSTRALIAN COMMANDO BATTALION
Authors: Hughes Craig D. , Weinrauch Patrick C. L. 
Published: October 2008

Background:  The objective of this study was to define the casualty rates and anatomical distribution of injuries associated with military static line parachute (MSLP) descents conducted by an Australian Army Commando Battalion. This study was conducted to identify the strategies to reduce the injury burden related to MSLP activities.Method:  A retrospective audit of injuries resulting from MSLP descents conducted by 4th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (4 RAR) over a 13‐month period.Results:  A total of 554 MSLP descents over the time period were reviewed. The overall casualty rate was 5.1%. For MSLP descents onto land drop zones, the incidence of injury requiring hospital admission was 2.6%. Paratrooper bodyweight was associated with increased risk of injury (P = 0.04) and hospital admission (P = 0.003), particularly when conducting descents onto land drop zones. MSLP descents conducted onto land were associated with a higher incidence of casualties when compared with those conducted into water drop zones (P = 0.001).Conclusion:  During the period from February 2004 until February 2005, 4 RAR (Commando) experienced higher casualty rates during MSLP descents than expected when compared with the published report. Strategies to decrease the casualty rate of MSLP descents onto land drop zones may include more extensive ground training, increased frequency of MSLP descents, use of ankle braces and the development of purpose built drop zones. Consideration should be given to establishing a maximum bodyweight threshold for the conduct of MSLP activities or acquiring parachutes with decreased descent velocity for larger paratroopers.
FEASIBILITY STUDY OF DAY CASE THYROIDECTOMY
Authors: Teoh Anthony Y. B. , Tang Y. C. , Leong H. T. 
Published: October 2008

Introduction:  The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the feasibility and outcome of day case thyroidectomy in an ambulatory surgery centre in Hong Kong.Methods:  Patients with day case thyroidectomy carried out between July 2005 and December 2006 were retrospectively reviewed. Day surgery was offered to patients satisfying the selection criteria for day case and having from benign unilobular thyroid disease.Results:  Fifty patients had hemithyroidectomy carried out during the study period. There were 6 men and 44 women and the mean (standard deviation SD) age was 45.6 years (7.4 years). All patients were American Society for Anesthesiologists grade I (76%) or II (34%). The mean (SD) operative time was 79.5 min (17 min). Twelve patients had episodes of postoperative nausea and vomiting. The mean (SD) analgesic requirement was 0.7 tablets (0.5 tablets) of combination acetaminophen and phenyltoloxamine citrate before discharge. The mean (SD) time to discharge was 7.5 h (0.7 h). The overall discharge rate was 98% and the complication rate was 8%. One patient was observed overnight because of postoperative haematoma. One patient had recurrent laryngeal nerve injury. There were no unplanned readmissions postoperatively. Three patients had unsuspected thyroid malignancy on histopathology.Conclusion:  This study showed the feasibility and safety of day case thyroidectomy. The setting was not associated with any increase in morbidity or mortality and has the potential in reducing hospital costs.
PATIENT KNOWLEDGE OF THE RISKS OF POST‐SPLENECTOMY SEPSIS
Authors: Wilkes Anna , Wills Vanessa , Smith Stephen 
Published: October 2008

Background:  Splenectomy is associated with a lifelong increase in the risk of sepsis. The aim of this study was to determine the level of knowledge of patients who have undergone splenectomy within an Australian area health service.Methods:  Adults undergoing a splenectomy between 1994 and 2004 within the Hunter Area Health Service were invited to participate in the study. Consenting participants were contacted by telephone and a standardized questionnaire completed.Results:  More than 50% of participants displayed a good active knowledge of the risk of infection post‐splenectomy and an understanding of the role of vaccinations in reducing the risk of infection. Few participants (11.3%) had standby antibiotics readily available. Knowledge of travel precautions and risk of sepsis following animal bites was poor.Conclusion:  Although most participants displayed a good knowledge of infection risk post‐splenectomy, deficiencies in knowledge were identified. We propose the development of a splenectomy protocol and patient briefing to improve patient education.
COMPARISON OF VOLUME DISPLACEMENT VERSUS CIRCUMFERENTIAL ARM MEASUREMENTS FOR LYMPHOEDEMA: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE SNAC TRIAL
Authors: Tewari Nilajana , Gill Peter G. , Bochner Melissa A. , Kollias James 
Published: October 2008

Background:  The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Sentinel Node versus Axillary Clearance trial is a randomized controlled trial comparing sentinel node biopsy with axillary clearance in breast cancer patients. Primary study end‐points include arm volume differences with time, which may indicate the development of lymphoedema. The RACS SNAC trial uses circumferential arm measurements in the estimation of arm volume. This study aimed to assess the accuracy of circumferential volume estimation in comparison with water displacement.Methods:  Eighty‐seven women attending the breast clinic at the Women’s Health Centre, Royal Adelaide Hospital, were assessed by volumetric and circumferential arm measurements. Correlations between volume estimations and measurements were made, taking into account the width of measuring tape and body mass index.Results:  There was a highly significant correlation between circumferential and volumetric arm measurements (Pearson’s correlation coefficient = 0.92, P < 0.0001), especially when using the narrow measuring tape. Correlation was best in the overweight BMI group (Pearson’s correlation coefficient = 0.94. P < 0.0001) and worst in the obese group (Pearson’s correlation coefficient = 0.79, P < 0.0001) but all relationships were statistically significant.Conclusion:  Using a narrow tape, circumferential arm measurement is an appropriate method for assessing arm volume in the SNAC trial.
Structural health monitoring using electro‐mechanical impedance sensors
Authors: PARK S. , YUN C.‐B. , INMAN D. J. 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTThis paper reports recent achievements of novel structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques for damage diagnosis for critical members of civil, mechanical and aerospace structures using electro‐mechanical impedance sensors. The basic concept of this technique is to use simultaneously both high‐frequency structural excitations and responses employing piezoelectric sensors to monitor the local area of a structure for changes in structural impedance that would indicate imminent damage. In this paper, several principal software and hardware issues on these topics are described. A new impedance model is proposed that incorporates the effects of sensor and bonding defects for sensor self‐diagnosis. Temperature effects‐free impedance‐based damage detection algorithm using effective frequency shifts based on cross‐correlation coefficients is presented. In a sense of tailoring wireless sensing technology to the impedance methods, an active sensor node incorporating a miniaturized impedance sensing device, an on‐board microcontroller, and a radio frequency (RF) telemetry is introduced. A data compression algorithm is embedded into the on‐board chip of the active sensor node to enhance its local data processing‐capability. Finally, this paper concludes with a discussion of further studies and future applications.
Analytical study of piezoelectric paint sensor for acoustic emission‐based fracture monitoring
Authors: LI X. , ZHANG Y. 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTAnalytical study of piezoelectric paint, which provides insight about its key material behaviour in ultrasonic sensing, is the focus of this paper. Piezoelectric paint is a composite piezoelectric material that comprises tiny piezoelectric particles randomly dispersed within a polymer matrix phase. Acoustic emission (AE) technique has been used for non‐destructive evaluation (NDE) such as fracture monitoring in metal, concrete and composite structures. The feasibility of using piezoelectric paint for AE sensing has been demonstrated. In the context of piezoelectric paint‐based AE sensor, models for the key material properties of piezoelectric paint are reviewed first. The effect of piezoelectric ceramic volume fraction on paint sensor response is examined. A coupled field finite element model was established to carry out the electro‐mechanical analysis of piezoelectric paint sensor subjected to AE excitation. The simulation model for piezoelectric paint sensor is calibrated with experimental data. While more extensive research needs to be done to characterize piezoelectric paint sensor for fracture monitoring, such an analytical study proves to be very useful to the optimization of piezoelectric paint formulation and sensor geometry for AE sensor.
Damage detection in an aluminium plate using outlier analysis
Authors: CHETWYND D. , RONGONG J. A. , PIERCE S. G. , WORDEN K. 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTThis work presents a damage detection study of a curved aluminium panel using the statistical technique of outlier analysis, where the structure was investigated using ultrasonic Lamb waves. These waves were generated by large custom‐made piezoceramic patches and were sensed by smaller piezoceramic sensors surrounding each patch. The patches were mounted using the viscoelastic material Araldite 2027 and damage was added to the plate in the form of drilled holes and saw cuts increasing in length. Outlier analysis was successfully able to distinguish between the damaged and undamaged cases with a very high classification rate of over 99%, and was also able to approximate the direction from the actuator patch in which the damage lay.
Comparative study of nonlinear acoustic and Lamb wave techniques for fatigue crack detection in metallic structures
Authors: RYLES M. , NGAU F. H. , MCDONALD I. , STASZEWSKI W. J. 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTThe paper deals with fatigue crack detection in metallic structures. A simple fatigue experiment is performed to initiate and propagate a crack in an aluminium plate. The plate is instrumented with two low‐profile piezoceramic transducers and one low‐profile piezoceramic stack actuator. Nonlinear acoustics and Lamb waves are used for crack detection. The former utilizes the high‐frequency acoustical wave and low‐frequency modal excitation for damage detection. Modulations sidebands around the acoustical spectral component are used to detect the crack. The latter produces Lamb wave responses that are de‐correlated due to the presence of the crack. Both effects are due to growing fatigue crack. Two simple signal parameters, namely the intensity of modulation and the normalized cross‐correlation coefficient are used as damage indicators. The study demonstrates similar sensitivity of both methods to small fatigue cracks.
Continuous fatigue crack monitoring without baseline data
Authors: KIM S. B. , SOHN H. 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTIn order to overcome the susceptibility of conventional non‐destructive testing (NDT) techniques to operational and environmental variations, a new damage detection technique that does not require direct comparison with baseline data was previously developed by the authors for detecting a crack in a plate structure. This reference‐free technique employs two pairs of collocated lead zirconate titanate transducers (PZTs) placed on both sides of the plate to generate and measure Lamb waves. Then, the existence of mode conversion due to the crack is identified from the Lamb wave signals instantly measured by PZTs. In this study, the effectiveness of the proposed technique is tested using a steel girder specimen. A cyclic loading is applied to the girder resulting in fatigue cracks, and the proposed technique detects the appearance of fatigue damage solely based on the measured Lamb waves at the present stage. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed technique to fatigue crack monitoring, and issues related to PZT installation are discussed.
A parametric study on fatigue strength of spot‐weld joints
Authors: ERTAS AHMET H. , SONMEZ FAZIL O. 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTFastening elements usually lead to high stress concentrations; fatigue failure thus becomes the most critical failure mode for a fastening element itself or the region around it under fluctuating stresses. A designer should seek the ways of increasing fatigue strength of a joint to ensure the safety of the whole structure.Resistance spot welding is the most preferred method to join metal sheets. The design variables for spot‐weld joints affecting their strengths are basically sheet thickness, spot‐weld nugget diameter, number of spot welds and the joint type as exemplified in tensile shear (TS), modified tensile shear (MTS), coach peel (CP) and modified coach peel (MCP) specimens.In this study, the effects of these parameters on the fatigue life of spot‐weld joints have been investigated. For this purpose, one of the most reliable fatigue assessment models, Coffin–Manson approach, was used. In order to accurately determine the stress and strain states, a nonlinear finite element analysis was carried out taking into account plastic deformations, residual stresses developed after unloading and contacting surfaces. The results provide designers with some guidelines to foresee the impact of design changes on fatigue strength of spot‐weld joints.
Characterizing and predicting species distributions across environments and scales: Argentine ant occurrences in the eye of the beholder
Authors: Menke S. B. , Holway D. A. , Fisher R. N. , Jetz W. 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTAim  Species distribution models (SDMs) or, more specifically, ecological niche models (ENMs) are a useful and rapidly proliferating tool in ecology and global change biology. ENMs attempt to capture associations between a species and its environment and are often used to draw biological inferences, to predict potential occurrences in unoccupied regions and to forecast future distributions under environmental change. The accuracy of ENMs, however, hinges critically on the quality of occurrence data. ENMs often use haphazardly collected data rather than data collected across the full spectrum of existing environmental conditions. Moreover, it remains unclear how processes affecting ENM predictions operate at different spatial scales. The scale (i.e. grain size) of analysis may be dictated more by the sampling regime than by biologically meaningful processes. The aim of our study is to jointly quantify how issues relating to region and scale affect ENM predictions using an economically important and ecologically damaging invasive species, the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile).Location  California, USA.Methods  We analysed the relationship between sampling sufficiency, regional differences in environmental parameter space and cell size of analysis and resampling environmental layers using two independently collected sets of presence/absence data. Differences in variable importance were determined using model averaging and logistic regression. Model accuracy was measured with area under the curve (AUC) and Cohen's kappa.Results  We first demonstrate that insufficient sampling of environmental parameter space can cause large errors in predicted distributions and biological interpretation. Models performed best when they were parametrized with data that sufficiently sampled environmental parameter space. Second, we show that altering the spatial grain of analysis changes the relative importance of different environmental variables. These changes apparently result from how environmental constraints and the sampling distributions of environmental variables change with spatial grain.Conclusions  These findings have clear relevance for biological inference. Taken together, our results illustrate potentially general limitations for ENMs, especially when such models are used to predict species occurrences in novel environments. We offer basic methodological and conceptual guidelines for appropriate sampling and scale matching.
Repeated trans‐Atlantic dispersal catalysed a global songbird radiation
Authors: Voelker Gary , Rohwer Sievert , Outlaw Diana C. , Bowie Rauri C. K. 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACTAim Turdusthrushes are one of the most speciose and widespread songbird genera, comprising nearly 70 species that combined have a near‐global distribution. Herein, we use molecular phylogenetic, molecular clock and behavioural evidence to examine the historical biogeography of the genus. Ancestral area reconstructions in conjunction with divergence estimates and palaeoclimatogical data are used to test whether the long‐standing paradigm of Beringian colonization or trans‐Atlantic dispersal best explains modern distributions in the New and Old Worlds.Location Worldwide, with emphasis on New World–Old World biotic interchange.Methods Using a molecular phylogenetic hypothesis ofTurdusthrushes, we reconstructed ancestral area relationships utilizing the five major continental or regional areas occupied by species in the genus. We also examined the evolution of behaviours on the phylogeny, and estimated the timing of major lineage divergences via a molecular clock.Results Turdusoriginated in Eurasia, and following the colonization of Africa underwent a series of five trans‐Atlantic sweepstake dispersals. The data reject the alternative hypothesis that connections between Old and New WorldTurdusspecies can be attributed to movement through Beringia with subsequent extinction. Divergence estimates indicate that these dispersals all occurred near the Miocene–Pliocene boundary, 5 Ma. A significant phylogenetic correlation between migratory and flocking behaviour is evident in the genus.Main conclusions The initial divergence ofTurdusin the Old World was followed by a series of trans‐Atlantic sweepstake dispersal events. These dispersals are temporally correlated with a specific palaeoclimatic system, which would have facilitated transport ofTurdusfrom the Caribbean to the Old World across the Atlantic. Uplift of the Central American Seaway 4.7 Ma effectively shut down the palaeoclimatic system, and no additional trans‐Atlantic dispersals are evident inTurdusafter this time. Migratory movements by ancestral lineages in flocks, rather than as single individuals, suggest an increased likelihood of successfully colonizing new areas, post‐dispersal.
Trophic role of Atlantic cod in the ecosystem
Authors: Link Jason S. , Bogstad Bjarte , Sparholt Henrik , Lilly George R. 
Published: October 2008

AbstractAs the world’s oceans continue to undergo drastic changes, understanding the role of key species therein will become increasingly important. To explore the role of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua Gadidae) in the ecosystem, we reviewed biological interactions between cod and its prey, predators and competitors within six ecosystems taken from a broad geographic range: three are cod‐capelin (Mallotus villosus Osmeridae) systems towards cod’s northern Atlantic limit (Barents Sea, Iceland and Newfoundland–Labrador), two are more diverse systems towards the southern end of the range (North Sea and Georges Bank–Gulf of Maine), and one is a species‐poor system with an unusual physical and biotic environment (Baltic Sea). We attempt a synthesis of the role of cod in these six ecosystems and speculate on how it might change in response to a variety of influences, particularly climate change, in a fashion that may apply to a wide range of species. We find cod prey, predators and competitors functionally similar in all six ecosystems. Conversely, we estimate different magnitudes for the role of cod in an ecosystem, with consequently different effects on cod, their prey and predator populations. Fishing has generally diminished the ecological role of cod. What remains unclear is how additional climate variability will alter cod stocks, and thus its role in the ecosystem.
Molecular engineering of resveratrol in plants
Authors: Delaunois Bertrand , Cordelier Sylvain , Conreux Alexandra , Clément Christophe , Jeandet Philippe 
Published: October 2008

SummaryThe grapevine phytoalexin resveratrol, the synthesis of which is achieved by stilbene synthase (STS), displays a wide range of biological effects. Most interest has centred, in recent years, on STS gene transfer experiments from grapevine to the genome of numerous plants. This work presents a comprehensive review on plant molecular engineering with the STS gene. Gene and promoter options are discussed, namely the different promoters used to drive the transgene, as well as the enhancer elements and/or heterologous promoters used to improve transcriptional activity in the transformed lines. Factors modifying transgene expression and epigenetic modifications, for instance transgene copy number, are also presented. Resveratrol synthesis in plants, together with that of its glucoside as a result of STS expression, is described, as is the incidence of these compounds on plant metabolism and development. The ectopic production of resveratrol can lead to broad‐spectrum resistance against fungi in transgenic lines, and to the enhancement of the antioxidant activities of several fruits, highlighting the potential role of this compound in health promotion and plant disease control.
Psychometric properties of the pelvic organ prolapse symptom score
Authors: Hagen S , Glazener C , Sinclair L , Stark D , Bugge C 
Published: October 2008

Objective  To assess the internal consistency, construct validity and sensitivity to change of a pelvic organ prolapse symptom score (POP‐SS).Design  Analysis of data from three prolapse studies, including symptomatic and asymptomatic women who completed the POP‐SS.Setting  (1) A community setting in New Zealand, (2) two gynaecology outpatient departments in Scotland and (3) a gynaecological surgery department in Scotland.Population or sample  (1) Participants from a survey of postnatal women at 12‐year follow up, invited to complete a prolapse questionnaire and have prolapse assessment, (2) new gynaecology outpatients presenting with prolapse symptoms, randomised to pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) or control and (3) women having anterior and/or posterior prolapse surgery, randomised to mesh insert or no mesh.Method  Data were analysed to assess internal consistency, construct validity and sensitivity to change of the POP‐SS.Main outcome measures  Cronbach’s alpha, significance of differences in POP‐SS scores between studies and significance of difference in POP‐SS scores pre‐ to post‐intervention.Results  For internal consistency, Cronbach’s alpha ranged from 0.723 to 0.828. Women having surgery had higher POP‐SS scores than those having conservative management (mean difference 5.0, 95% CI 3.1–6.9), who in turn had higher scores than the asymptomatic women (mean difference 5.9, 95% CI 4.4–7.4). Significant differences in POP‐SS score were detected after surgery and PFMT. The improvement due to surgery was significantly greater than that associated with PFMT (z =−3.006, P = 0.003).Conclusion  The POP‐SS has good internal consistency and construct validity and is sensitive to change.