bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
No effect on survival of home psychosocial intervention in a randomized study of Danish colorectal cancer patients
Authors: Ross Lone , Frederiksen Kirsten , Boesen Sidsel H. , Karlsen Randi V. , Rasmussen Morten S. , Sørensen Lars T. , Jørgensen Torben , Claesson Mogens H. , Johansen Christoffer 
Published: January 2009

AbstractObjective: We investigated whether regular home visits to persons with newly diagnosed colorectal cancer influenced their overall survival and selected immune parameters.Methods: A total of 249 Danish colorectal cancer patients undergoing abdominal surgery were randomly assigned to a control or an intervention group. The intervention group received 10 home visits from a project nurse or a medical doctor during the first 2 years after discharge. The home visits aimed at providing emotional support and information. A subgroup of 55 patients provided blood samples 3, 12 and 24 months after discharge for measurement of immune parameters. Survival was assessed 6.5–9.5 years after the first operation.Results: A total of 148 patients died during follow‐up. The intervention was not significantly associated with survival (p=0.68) after adjustment for Dukes' stage, radicality of the operation, age, sex, family social class and marital status. Likewise, no significant interactions were found between group and these covariates (allp⩾0.08). In the substudy of the possible effect of the intervention on immune parameters, there were no differences between the two groups with respect to lymphocyte proliferation (allp⩾0.078) or natural killer cell activity (allp⩾0.33) and no consistent effect on the number of specific subsets of cells (phenotypes) during follow‐up.Conclusion: The study failed to provide evidence that the psychosocial intervention provided as home visits significantly affected the prognosis or selected immune parameters of patients who had undergone surgery for colorectal cancer. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Order and Disorder in Powder Mixtures: Spatial Distribution Functions as Tools to Assess Powder Homogeneity
Authors: Mihranyan Albert , Frenning Göran , Fransén Nelly , Welch Ken , Strømme Maria 
Published: January 2009

AbstractIn interactive mixtures with small carrier particles, the content variability is often higher than predicted by available models despite the significant degree of interaction visualized with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The present work details how pair‐correlation functions can be used to reveal information about the spatial distribution of mixture constituents and their interactions. SEM pictures of a 2 % w/w oxazepam/sodium starch glycolate (SSG) mixture were recorded (n= 14). The constituent coordinates were extracted and pair‐correlation functions as well as the cross‐correlation function were calculated. A significant degree of interaction was observed between the constituents in the experimental mixture, compared to a randomized control system. In particular, the probability of finding an oxazepam particle was especially high inside the perimeter of the carrier particle and along its edges. The observed cross‐correlation between oxazepam and SSG particles was periodic and repeated at distances corresponding to 1–1.5 carrier diameters. It was concluded that interactive mixtures of powders can be compared to disordered/amorphous solids since both exhibit short‐range order, whilst lacking long‐range translational periodicity.
The effect of fetal tracheal occlusion on lung tissue mechanics and tissue composition
Authors: Jani Jacques C. , Flemmer Andreas W. , Bergmann Florian , Gallot Denis , Roubliova Xenia , Muensterer Oliver J. , Hajek Kerstin , Deprest Jan A. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractFetal tracheal occlusion (TO) is currently used to treat severe cases of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (DH). Clinical and experimental studies suggest an improved postnatal outcome, but lung tissue mechanics after TO have not been studied. We determined the effect of TO on mechanical impedance and lung tissue components in a rabbit model for DH. At 23 days of gestation (term = 31 days) either a sham thoracotomy or a diaphragmatic defect was induced. DH fetuses were randomly assigned to undergo 5 days later TO. Fetuses were delivered by term cesarean section to determine lung to body weight ratio (LBWR), dynamic lung mechanics and lung impedance. Airway resistance (Raw), elastance (HL), tissue damping (GL) and hysteresivity (GL/HL) were calculated from impedance data. Collagen I and III and elastin were quantified histologically. LBWR was significantly increased by TO compared to DH (P < 0.001) and resistance and compliance of the respiratory system (Rrs, Crs) were improved as well. TO resulted in a significant decrease of Raw comparable to observations in sham‐fetuses, without effect on lung tissue mechanics HL, GL and hysteresivity. This coincides with a significant decrease of collagen I, III and elastin in comparison to DH fetuses. In this first report on lung tissue mechanics in a rabbit model of DH, TO had a substantial effect on tissue morphology yet this was not mirrored in lung mechanics. We conclude that the effect of TO on lung mechanics without in utero reversal of occlusion, is dominated by airway remodeling. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2009; 44:112–121. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Recurrent severe lower respiratory tract infections in a child with abnormal tracheal morphology
Authors: Panigada Serena , Sacco Oliviero , Girosi Donata , Tomà Paolo , Rossi Giovanni A. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractLocalized recurrent respiratory infections, leading to severe hypoxia in young children without immunological abnormalities or other risk factors, should raise the suspicion of airway structural abnormalities. In a 24‐month‐old boy, with recurrent severe post‐viral wheezing and a history of RSV‐induced bronchiolitis and gastro‐esophageal reflux, fiberoptic bronchoscopy demonstrated an abnormal morphology of the distal portion of the trachea, ending in four openings. Computed tomography (CT) scans demonstrated the presence of a right tracheal bronchus and an anomalous upper lobar bronchus, originating at the level of the major carina. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2009; 44:192–194. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ciliopathy spectrum expanded? Jeune syndrome associated with foregut dysmotility and malrotation
Authors: Hall Tim , Bush Andrew , Fell John , Offiah Amaka , Smith Virpi , Abel Robin 
Published: January 2009

AbstractWe report the association and surgical management of gastrointestinal dysmotility and malrotation with Jeune asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy (JATD), an autosomal recessive condition that often results in respiratory failure due to a small rib cage. A 4‐month‐old male with JATD presented with vomiting and aspiration pneumonitis compounding already severe respiratory morbidity. A contrast study revealed esophageal and gastric dysmotility with associated malrotation. This was treated surgically with good results. Some cases of JATD are caused by missense mutations in the gene IFT80, which encodes a protein implicated in the process of intraflagellar transport of primary cilia. We speculate that these abdominal complications might also be part of the extending spectrum of ciliopathy. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2009; 44:198–201. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Morpholinone mediated oxazolone‐free C‐terminus amide coupling permitting a convergent strategy for peptide synthesis
Authors: Harwood Laurence M. , Mountford Simon J. , Yan Ran 
Published: January 2009

Abstract3‐Substituted‐5‐phenylmorpholinones have been demonstrated to act as N‐protected C‐terminus activated α‐amino acids capable of undergoing solution phase N‐terminus peptide extension following standard coupling procedures. The N‐acylated morpholinones do not undergo epimerisation of the stereocentre of the C‐terminus amino acid residue as oxazolone formation is sterically prevented, although C‐terminus peptide coupling is still possible. This convergent approach to peptide synthesis is exemplified by the preparation of L‐ala‐L‐ala‐L‐ala and L‐ala‐D‐ala‐L‐ala. Copyright © 2008 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Identification and characterization of a novel heparin‐binding peptide for promoting osteoblast adhesion and proliferation by screening an Escherichia coli cell surface display peptide library
Authors: Kim Hyoun‐Ee , Kim Hae‐Won , Jang Jun‐Hyeog 
Published: January 2009

AbstractHeparin/heparan sulfate (HS) plays a key role in cellular adhesion. In this study, we utilized a 12‐mer random Escherichia coli cell surface display library to identify the sequence, which binds to heparin. Isolated insert analysis revealed a novel heparin‐binding peptide sequence, VRRSKHGARKDR, designated as HBP12. Our analysis of the sequence alignment of heparin‐binding motifs known as the Cardin–Weintraub consensus (BBXB, where B is a basic residue) indicates that the HBP12 peptide sequence contains two consecutive heparin‐binding motifs (i.e. RRSK and RKDR). SPR‐based BIAcore technology demonstrated that the HBP12 peptide binds to heparin with high affinity (KD = 191 nM). The HBP12 peptide is found to bind the cell surface HS expressed by osteoblastic MC3T3 cells and promote HS‐dependent cell adhesion. Moreover, the surface‐immobilized HBP12 peptide on titanium substrates shows significant increases in the osteoblastic MC3T3‐E1 cell adhesion and proliferation. Copyright © 2008 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rapid detection of drugs in biofluids using atmospheric pressure chemi/chemical ionization mass spectrometry
Authors: Chen Lee Chuin , Hashimoto Yutaka , Furuya Hiroko , Takekawa Kenichi , Kubota Takeo , Hiraoka Kenzo 
Published: January 2009

AbstractWe have demonstrated that, with simple pH adjustment, volatile drugs such as methamphetamine, amphetamine, 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), ketamine, and valproic acid could be analyzed rapidly from raw biofluid samples (e.g. urine and serum) without dilution, or extraction, using atmospheric pressure ionization. The ion source was a variant type of atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) that used a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) to generate the metastable helium gas and reagent ions. The sample solution was loaded in a disposable glass pipette, and the volatile compounds were purged by nitrogen gas to be reacted with the metastable helium gas. The electrodes of the DBD were arranged in such a way that the generated glow discharge was confined within the discharge tube and was not exposed to the analytes. A needle held at 100–500 V was placed between the ion‐sampling orifice and the discharge tube to guide the analyte ions into the mass spectrometer. After pH adjustment of the biofluid sample, the amphiphilic drugs were in the form of a water‐insoluble oil, which could be concentrated on the liquid surface. By gentle heating of the sample to increase the evaporation rate, rapid and sensitive detection of these drugs in raw urine and serum samples could be achieved in less than 2 min for each sample. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Partial least squares regression as a powerful tool for investigating large combinatorial polymer libraries
Authors: Taylor Michael , Urquhart Andrew J. , Anderson Daniel G. , Langer Robert , Davies Martyn C. , Alexander Morgan R. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractPartial Least Squares (PLS) regression is an established analytical tool in surface science, particularly for relating multivariate ToF‐SIMS data to a univariate surface property. Herein we construct a PLS model using ToF‐SIMS and surface energy data from a 496 copolymer micro‐patterned library. Using this 496 copolymer library we investigate how changing the number of samples used to construct the PLS model affects the identity of the most influential ions identified in the regression vector. The regression coefficients vary in magnitude, but the general relationship between ion structure and surface energy is maintained. As expected, if copolymers containing monomers with unique chemistries are removed from the training set, secondary ions specific to these copolymers are not present in the regression vector. The use of PLS to obtain quantitative predictions has not been actively explored in the surface analytical field. We investigate whether the PLS model obtained can be used to predict the surface energies of polymers within and outside of the training set. The model systematically underestimated the surface energy of a group of acrylate copolymers synthesised using monomers common to the training set, but in different compositions. The predictions for a group of acrylate copolymers that were synthesised from monomers not used in the training set were very poor. When the model was used to obtain predictions for six commercially available polymers the values obtained were all close to the mean surface energy of the training set. This exercise suggests that PLS may be able to predict the surface energy of polymers synthesised from monomers common to the training set, confirming the importance that the training set reflects the chemistry of the samples to be predicted. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Students' levels of explanations, models, and misconceptions in basic quantum chemistry: A phenomenographic study
Authors: Stefani Christina , Tsaparlis Georgios 
Published: January 2009

AbstractWe investigated students' knowledge constructions of basic quantum chemistry concepts, namely atomic orbitals, the Schrödinger equation, molecular orbitals, hybridization, and chemical bonding. Ausubel's theory of meaningful learning provided the theoretical framework and phenomenography the method of analysis. The semi‐structured interview with 19 second‐year chemistry students supplied the data. We identified four levels of explanations in the students' answers. In addition, the scientific knowledge claims reflected three main levels of models. By combining levels of explanations with levels of models, we derived four categories. Two of the categories are shades of variation in the rote‐learning part of a continuum, while the other two categories are in the meaningful‐learning part. All students possessed alternative conceptions some of which occurred within certain categories, while others spanned more categories. The insistence on the deterministic models of the atom, the misinterpretation of models, and the poor understanding of the current quantum concepts are main problems in the learning of the basic quantum chemistry concepts. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 46: 520–536, 2009
Safety of Laparoscopic Appendectomy During Pregnancy
Authors: Kirshtein Boris , Perry Zvi Howard , Avinoach Eliezer , Mizrahi Solly , Lantsberg Leonid 
Published: January 2009

AbstractBackgroundUse of laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) remains controversial during pregnancy because data regarding procedure safety are limited. The outcome of LA in pregnant women was evaluated and compared to results of open surgery.MethodsBetween January 1997 and December 2007, 42 pregnant women (mean age 24 years [range: 19–40 years]; range of gestation: 5–25 weeks) underwent appendectomy for suspected acute appendicitis: 23 laparoscopic (LA) and 19 open appendectomies (OA). Retrospective review of medical charts included preoperative information, surgery results, and outcome of the pregnancy.ResultsThere was no difference between groups in surgery delay following arrival at the hospital. All procedures, except one case of Meckel’s diverticulitis, were completed laparoscopically without need for conversion. Acute appendicitis was found in 19 cases and Meckel’s diverticulitis in one case during LA (87%) and in 18 cases (95%) during OA. Complicated appendicitis was found in 7 (30%) pregnant women in the LA group and 1 (5%) in the OA group. Five women with normal preoperative abdominal ultrasonography had acute appendicitis (2 in the OA group and 3 in the LA group). The laparoscopic procedure was performed more often by senior surgeons (70% of cases), and OA was more commonly done by residents (47% of cases). There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications recorded. The length of postoperative hospital stay was slightly prolonged after LA—2.4 days versus 1.4 day after OA. There was one fetal loss in each group, 1 and 2 months after the operation.ConclusionsLaparoscopic appendectomy is safe and effective during pregnancy and is associated with good maternal and fetal outcome.
Microarray Analysis of Somatostatin Receptor 5‐Regulated Gene Expression Profiles in Murine Pancreas
Authors: Patel Sanjeet G. , Zhou Guisheng , Liu Shi‐He , Li Min , Jeong Jae‐Wook , DeMayo Francesco J. , Gingras Marie‐Claude , Gibbs Richard A. , Fisher William E. , Brunicardi F. Charles 
Published: January 2009

AbstractBackgroundWe previously demonstrated that somatostatin receptor type 5 (SSTR5) gene ablation results in alterations in insulin secretion and glucose metabolism, accompanied by morphologic alterations in the islets of Langerhans. The underlying mechanism(s) by which SSTR5 exerts its cellular functions remain(s) unknown. We hypothesized that SSTR5 mediates the inhibitory effect of somatostatin (SST) on insulin secretion and islet proliferation by regulating a specific set of pancreatic genes.MethodsTo identify SSTR5‐regulated pancreatic genes, gene expression microarray analysis was performed on the whole pancreas of 1‐ and 3‐month‐old wild‐type (WT) andSSTR5knockout (SSTR5−/−) male mice. Real‐time RT‐PCR and immunofluorescence were performed to validate selected differentially expressed genes.ResultsA set of 143 probes were identified to be differentially expressed in the pancreas of 1‐month‐oldSSTR5−/−mice, 72 of which were downregulated and 71 upregulated. At 3 months of age,SSTR5gene ablation resulted in downregulation of a set of 30 probes and upregulation of a set of 37 probes. Among these differentially expressed genes, there were 15 and 5 genes that were upregulated and downregulated, respectively, in mice at both 1 and 3 months of age. Three genes,PAP/INGAP,ANG, andTDE1, were selected to be validated by real‐time RT‐PCR and immunofluorescence.ConclusionsA specific set of genes linked to a wide range of cellular functions such as islet proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and tumorigenesis were either upregulated or downregulated inSSTR5‐deficient male mice compared with their expression in wild‐type mice. Therefore, these genes are potentialSSTR5‐regulated genes during normal pancreatic development and functional maintenance.
Rage Against the Machines: Explaining Outcomes in Counterinsurgency Wars
Authors: Lyall Jason , Wilson Isaiah 
Published: January 2009

AbstractDuring the nineteenth century, states routinely defeated insurgent foes. Over the twentieth century, however, this pattern reversed itself, with states increasingly less likely to defeat insurgents or avoid meeting at least some of their demands. What accounts for this pattern of outcomes in counterinsurgency (COIN) wars? We argue that increasing mechanization within state militaries after World War I is primarily responsible for this shift. Unlike their nineteenth-century predecessors, modern militaries possess force structures that inhibit information collection among local populations. This not only complicates the process of sifting insurgents from noncombatants but increases the difficulty of selectively applying rewards and punishment among the fence-sitting population. Modern militaries may therefore inadvertently fuel, rather than deter, insurgencies. We test this argument with a new data set of 286 insurgencies (1800–2005) and a paired comparison of two U.S. Army divisions in Iraq (2003–2004). We find that higher levels of mechanization, along with external support for insurgents and the counterinsurgent's status as an occupier, are associated with an increased probability of state defeat. By contrast, we find only partial support for conventional power- and regime-based explanations, and no support for the view that rough terrain favors insurgent success.
The Unconditional Most-Favored-Nation Clause and the Maintenance of the Liberal Trade Regime in the Postwar 1870s
Authors: Coutain Bryan 
Published: January 2009

AbstractInternational institutions within the past thirty years become the subject of renewed interest as scholars vigorously dispute their utility. Neorealists draw on the post–World War II era to advance sweeping general claims of institutional inefficacy. This study, by contrast, deploys the same hard-test method Grieco applied to the 1970s Tokyo Round negotiations to the crisis-rife 1870s to construct a unique methodological objective: a rigorous hard-test of nineteenth-century institutional autonomy. Three principal findings emerged. First, the maintenance of a liberal world economy in the turbulent 1870s is explained by an unlikely commercial instrument and the unprecedented regime design of an unexplored international institution—respectively the unconditional most-favored-nation (MFN) clause and the informal conventional tariff system (CTS) regime it underpinned—not British hegemony. Second, the international trade regime was not a public good unilaterally provisioned by “hegemonic” Britain via the 1846 Corn Laws Repeal. The regime was instead a private good that was collectively provisioned by all its constituent member states via the unprecedented interstate practices institutionalized in the 1860 Cobden-Chevalier Treaty and then autonomously maintained by a negarchical and self-enforcing sanctioning mechanism. Finally, the informal CTS regime's enforcement mechanism autonomously altered the interests and behaviors of states in directions incongruent with executive preferences solely through the brute force of rational calculations imposed by decentralized international institutional constraints. Both the French and British executives in the 1870s believed the regime was normatively inappropriate and unsuccessfully attempted to exit amid eight system-threatening crises. Nonetheless, the MFN-based regime's self-enforcing sanctioning mechanism autonomously induced compliance: conceptualized as unitary states' behavior deviating from executives' first-order preference. The extraordinarily turbulent 1870s therefore provide an unexplored historical vantage point to make strong institutionalist claims in an era, issue area, and under conditions that they are least likely to be validated.
In the Shadow of War: The Effects of Conflict on Liberal Democracy
Authors: Krebs Ronald R. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractEvents of and since 11 September 2001 have renewed interest in age-old questions about liberal-democratic governance in the shadow of insecurity, crisis, and war. Academic lawyers in particular have engaged in a vigorous debate about how liberal polities can confront security threats while maintaining their commitment to the rule of law. Yet few empirical political scientists, and even fewer scholars of international relations, have weighed in. The short- and especially long-run effects of international conflict on liberal-democratic institutions and processes remain an underexplored aspect of the second-image-reversed. Prompted by recent research in law, this article finds that prominent arguments often rest on shaky theoretical and empirical foundations. It argues that the two most notable traditions of thought on war and democracy are complementary, not competing; that small wars may also have substantial consequences; and that analysts must distinguish clearly among three distinct causal phenomena—threat, mobilization, and warfare—when considering conflict's impact on democracy. The article critically reviews the effects of conflict on both participation and contestation; identifies the salient outstanding questions and suggests hypotheses addressing them; and explores the implications for contemporary normative debates over executive authority and emergency powers.