bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
SAAS: Integrating Systems Analysis with Accounting and Strategy for Ex Ante Evaluation of IS Investments
Authors: Bajaj Akhilesh , Bradley Wray E. , Cravens Karen S. 
Published: April 2008

For many companies, investment in information systems (IS) is one of the largest expenditures in the firm's capital budget. An important goal of ex ante investment evaluation of an information system is to reasonably determine the return on investment (ROI) of the proposed information system. However, past research has shown that business managers have significant concerns about the soundness of ex ante ROI evaluations of information systems. This relates to the fact that several benefits of an IS are intangible and nonfinancial. In addition, it has long been recognized that, unlike many other capital projects, IS projects exhibit significant contextual interaction. Further, different professionals such as accountants and Information Technology (IT) personnel often use different approaches to evaluate a potential information system.
This study develops a framework and methodology that integrates and accommodates the different perspectives of IT personnel, accountants, and business managers. We propose a flexible ex ante framework and methodology that integrates systems analysis, accounting, and strategy (SAAS). The framework evaluates financial and nonfinancial factors and uses analyses that consider investment approaches used by both IT and accounting personnel. The framework is evaluated in two different organizations and recommendations are made for both future research in this area and for the applied use of the framework by professionals.
virtX – Evaluation of a Computer-based Training System for Mobile C-arm Systems in Trauma and Orthopedic Surgery
Authors: Teistler M. , Duwenkamp C. , Wagner M. , Marschollek M. , Plischke M. , Raab B. W. , Stürmer K. M. , Pretschner D. P. , Dresing K. , Bott O. J. 
Published: April 2008

Summary

Objectives:
Operating room personnel (ORP) operating mobile image intensifier systems (C-arms) need training to produce high quality radiographs with a minimum of time and X-ray exposure. Our study aims at evaluating acceptance, usability and learning effect of the CBT system virtX that simulates C-arm based X-ray imaging in the context of surgical case scenarios.

Methods:
Prospective, interventional study conducted during an ORP course with three groups: intervention group 1 (training on a PC using virtX), and 2 (virtX with a C-arm as input device), and a control group (training without virtX) – IV1, IV2 and CG. All participants finished training with the same exercise. Time needed to produce an image of sufficient quality was recorded and analyzed using One-Way-ANOVA and Dunnett post hoc test (? = .05). Acceptance and usability of virtX have been evaluated using a questionnaire.

Results:
CG members (n = 21) needed more time for the exercise than those of IV2 (n = 20): 133 ± 55 vs. 101 ± 37 sec. (p = .03). IV1 (n = 12) also performed better than CG (128 ± 48 sec.), but this was not statistically significant. Seventy-nine participants returned a questionnaire (81% female, age 34 ± 9 years, professional experience 8.3 ± 7.6 years; 77% regularly used a C-arm). 83% considered virtX a useful addition to conventional C-arm training. 91% assessed virtual radiography as helpful for understanding C-arm operation.

Conclusions:
Trainees experienced virtX as substantial enhancement of C-arm training. Training with virtX can reduce the time needed to perform an imaging task.
Prioritizing the Risk Factors Influencing the Success of Clinical Information System Projects
Authors: Sicotte C. , Jaana M. , Girouard D. , Paré G. 
Published: April 2008

Summary

Objective:
The aim of this study is to gain a better understanding of the risk factors influencing the success of clinical information system projects.

Methods:
This study addresses this issue by first reviewing the extant literature on information technology project risks, and second conducting a Delphi survey among 21 experts highly involved in clinical information system projects in Québec, Canada, a region where government have invested heavily in health information technologies in recent years.

Results:
Twenty-three risk factors were identified. The absence of a project champion was the factor that experts felt most deserves their attention. Lack of commitment from upper management was ranked second. Our panel of experts also confirmed the importance of a variable that has been extensively studied in information systems, namely, perceived usefulness that ranked third. Respondents ranked project ambiguity fourth. The fifth-ranked risk was associated with poor alignment between the clinical information systems’ characteristics and the organization of clinical work. The large majority of risk factors associated with the technology itself were considered less important. This finding supports the idea that technology-associated factors rarely figure among the main reasons for a project failure.

Conclusions:
In addition to providing a comprehensive list of risk factors and their relative importance, the study presents a major contribution by unifying the literature on information systems and medical infor - matics. Our checklist provides a basis for further research that may help practitioners identify the effective countermeasures for mitigating risks associated with the implementation of clinical information systems.
A Support System for Context Awareness in a Group Home Using Sound Cues
Authors: Nakada T. , Hanba Y. , Kunifuji S. , Kanai H. 
Published: April 2008

Summary

Objectives:
In a group home, caregivers should be aware of the inhabitant’s real-time situation. The aim of our study is to facilitate the awareness of an inhabitant’s situation by means of enhanced sound cues.

Methods:
We propose an audio notification system that indicates the real-time situation of persons in a group home environment using sound cues instead of visual surveillance. The notification system comprises a prediction and a notification function. The prediction function estimates a person’s real-time situation using a Bayesian network and sensed information; the notification function informs recipients of the predicted situation and the confidence level of the prediction by means of sound cues. We use natural sounds as sound cues.

Results:
As a first step to examine our system in a group home, we conducted operation and performance tests of each unit under a simple test environment. The correct prediction of the subject’s situation is approximately 90%; further, it is shown that the sound cues should be selected according to their environmental dependence.

Conclusions:
The results show that the method is useful for monitoring persons. As future study, we will conduct a field test on an implemented system and improve it for practical use in a group home.
An Open and Reconfigurable Wireless Sensor Network for Pervasive Health Monitoring
Authors: Triantafyllidis A. , Koutkias V. , Chouvarda I. , Maglaveras N. 
Published: April 2008

Summary
Objectives: Sensor networks constitute the backbone for the construction of personalized monitoring systems. Up to now, several sensor networks have been proposed for diverse pervasive healthcare applications, which are however characterized by a significant lack of open architectures, resulting in closed, non-interoperable and difficult to extend solutions. In this context, we propose an open and reconfigurable wireless sensor network (WSN) for pervasive health monitoring, with particular emphasis in its easy extension with additional sensors and functionality by incorporating embedded intelligence mechanisms.
Methods: We consider a generic WSN architecture comprised of diverse sensor nodes (with communication and processing capabilities) and a mobile base unit (MBU) operating as the gateway between the sensors and the medical personnel, formulating this way a body area network (BAN). The primary focus of this work is on the intra-BAN data communication issues, adopting SensorML as the data representation mean, including the encoding of the monitoring patterns and the functionality of the sensor network.
Results: In our prototype implementation two sensor nodes are emulated; one for heart rate monitoring and the other for blood glucose observations, while the MBU corresponds to a personal digital assistant (PDA) device. Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) is used to implement both the sensor nodes and the MBU components. Intra-BAN wireless communication relies on the Bluetooth protocol. Via an adaptive user interface in the MBU, health professionals may specify the monitoring parameters of the WSN and define the monitoring patterns of interest in terms of rules.
Conclusions: This work constitutes an essential step towards the construction of open, extensible, inter - operable and intelligent WSNs for pervasive health monitoring.
Patient Privacy Protection Using Anonymous Access Control Techniques
Authors: Weerasinghe D. , Elmufti K. , Rakocevic V. , Rajarajan M. 
Published: April 2008

Summary

Objective:
The objective of this study is to develop a solution to preserve security and privacy in a healthcare environment where health-sensitive information will be accessed by many parties and stored in various distributed databases. The solution should maintain anonymous medical records and it should be able to link anonymous medical information in distributed databases into a single patient medical record with the patient identity.

Methods:
In this paper we present a protocol that can be used to authenticate and authorize patients to healthcare services without providing the patient identification. Healthcare service can identify the patient using separate temporary identities in each identification session and medical records are linked to these temporary identities. Temporary identities can be used to enable record linkage and reverse track real patient identity in critical medical situations.

Results:
The proposed protocol provides main security and privacy services such as user anonymity, message privacy, message confidentiality, user authentication, user authorization and message replay attacks. The medical environment validates the patient at the healthcare service as a real and registered patient for the medical services. Using the proposed protocol, the patient anonymous medical records at different healthcare services can be linked into one single report and it is possible to securely reverse track anonymous patient into the real identity.

Conclusion:
The protocol protects the patient privacy with a secure anonymous authentication to healthcare services and medical record registries according to the European and the UK legislations, where the patient real identity is not disclosed with the distributed patient medical records.
Necrotising fasciitis with sub-periosteal Streptococcus canis infection in two puppies
Authors: Corr S. , Kulendra E. 
Published: April 2008

SummaryNecrotising fasciitis is an uncommon and potentially devastating disease which has been infrequently reported in animals. This brief communication describes an unusual presentation of necrotising fasciitis in two immature Bull Terriers. Both animals were admitted with a history of minimal trauma yet rapidly progressive, localising, disproportionate pain. Streptococcus canis was cultured from sub-periosteal fluid-filled pockets surrounding the femur in both cases.
Effect of tibial tuberosity advancement on femorotibial shear in cranial cruciate-deficient stifles
Authors: Tepic S. , Damur D. M. , Guerrero T. , Hässig M. , Montavon P. M. , Kipfer N. M. 
Published: April 2008

Summary
Objectives: This in vitro study compares the femorotibial shear in canine stifles with intact and transected cranial cruciate ligaments (CrCL), before and after tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) by measuring the distance between origin and insertion of the cruciate ligaments. Methods: Radiodense markers were inserted into bones at the attachment sites of the cruciate ligaments in sixteen cadaveric stifles of adult dogs. Each stifle was then mounted in a testing apparatus. The distances between the markers were measured on mediolateral radiographs, performed on each stifle under three different situations: intact, after CrCL transection, and after performing a TTA. Stifles were loaded to create a constant tibiofemoral reaction force by maintaining the load parallel to the patellar ligament. Radiographs were taken in a preloaded and loaded state in the intact stifle and only in a loaded state after CrCL transection, and after performing a TTA. Results: Loading the stifle joints after transection of the CrCL resulted in a mean lengthening of the CrCL marker distance of 22.4%. Loading the transected CrCL stifles after performing a TTA resulted in a mean shortening of the CrCL marker distance by 3.0% compared to the loaded intact condition.Clinical significance: This study demonstrates that, in loaded stifles with transected CrCLs, TTA causes a caudal shift in the cranial shear force, counteracting cranial subluxation of the tibia.
Limb lengthening in three dogs using distraction rates without a latency period
Authors: McCartney W. T. 
Published: April 2008

Summary
Objective: To report three clinical cases suffering from limb shortening secondary to monostotic physeal closure, in which distraction osteogenesis had been performed without a latency period and with high distraction rates. Methods: Three dogs had limb lengthening performed, using an Ilizarov ring fixator in two dogs and a linear dynamic fixator in the other dog.Bone lengthening achieved for a radius /ulna was 27 mm at 2 mm per day , a tibia was 78 mm at 3 mm per day, and a femur of 45 mm was 3 mm per day . Results: Complications related to pin loosening occurred in each case, thus requiring surgical corrective procedures, but these did not affect the final outcome. Lateral bowing of the bar and bone and some musculo-cutendinous contracture occurred in the femur. Fixation frames were on for 12 weeks in Case 1, eight weeks in Case 2 and nine weeks in Case 3. All three of the cases had a good functional outcome. Discussion: The faster rates of lengthening were not associated with any long-term deleterious soft tissue complications, but they were associated with pin loosening and bending of the bar. In each case there was excellent osteogenesis. Conclusions: From the results achieved in these three cases it can be concluded that a latency period prior to distraction osteogenesis may not be necessary. Also, distraction rates up to 3 mm per day can be used to shorten the time needed to achieve lengthening; however further studies are needed to investigate the high level of complications.
A device for performing whole bone torsional testing in a single-axis linear motion testing machine
Authors: Tyler J. M. , Larinde W. , Elder S. H. 
Published: April 2008

Summary
Objectives: To design a device for the conversion of linear to rotational motion and to use it in order to determine torsional properties of canine tibiae in a universal tension/compression testing machine. Methods: A fixture incorporating a cable and pulley at one end and a guide block and rail assembly at the other was used to test 10 whole canine tibiae to failure in torsion at 1°/s. Results: The device produced spiral fractures in all tibiae. Torsional strength and stiffness were 13.9 ± 1.4 N m and 0.53 ± 0.07 N m/degree, respectively. Clinical significance: This inexpensive device can be used to evaluate the mechanical properties of long bones after various interventions to improve fracture healing. The device can be adapted for use with any single-axis linear motion testing machine. Assessment of fracture healing often includes loading to failure in torsion (1–5). Torsional testing is typically performed using a biaxial servohydraulic testing machine or similar sophisticated electromechanical equipment. Due to its high cost, many researchers do not have such equipment at their disposal. However, uniaxial tension-compression testing machines are widely available. Therefore, a device that can be used to perform torsional testing in a tension-compression machine would be beneficial. In this study we present a custom fixture for converting the vertical linear motion of a universal testing machine to rotational motion and validate its performance in torsional testing of canine tibiae.
A quantitative analysis of the nerve fibres of the acetabular periosteum of dogs
Authors: Saut J. P. E. , Ferrigno C. R. A. , Schmaedecke A. 
Published: April 2008

SummaryThere are many techniques for the treatment of hip dysplasia, and novel research is currently being undertaken in the hope of obtaining more efficient and less traumatic techniques. The denervation of the hip joint capsule is a simple and effective technique that allows recovery of the functional activity of the affected limbs in significantly less time than other techniques. This surgical procedure consists of removing the acetabular periosteum, thus eliminating the nerve fibres with consequent analgesia. The aim of this investigation was to quantify the number of nerve fibres present in different regions of the acetabular periosteum. The knowledge of regional differences is potentially valuable for the refining of the denervation technique of the hip joint capsule. Thirty canine acetabular fragments were used to compare the nerve fibre density of the periosteum. The results showed a significant difference between the mean density of nerve fibres at the cranial and dorsallateral portion (approximately 75 fibres/mm2) and caudal lateral portion (approximately 60 fibres/mm2) of the acetabulum. Those fibres at the periosteum are almost positioned in a sagittal plane, pointing towards the joint capsule, suggesting the same density in the latter region. These results indicate a new approach to the articular denervation technique, thus obtaining even better results for the treatment of hip dysplasia in dogs.
Modeling of the particle size distribution in emulsion polymerization
Authors: Sood Ashwini 
Published: April 2008

AbstractA mathematical model to predict the evolution of the latex particle size distribution in an emulsion polymerization reactor was developed. The mathematical framework is based on the population balance approach. It is general in framework, readily expandable to incorporate the physiochemical phenomena of interest to the reacting system of interest. The model includes such mechanistic details as (1) particle generation from radicals entering micelles; (2) particle size dependence of the radical entry mechanism; (3) coupling of the radical concentration in the aqueous phase and the particle phase; (4) determination of the particle phase radical concentration by radical entry into, exit from, and termination inside the particle; and (5) thermodynamic equilibrium between the monomer concentration in the aqueous phase and the particle phase. The model was solved efficiently with orthogonal collocation. Dynamic simulations were compared with experimental data taken from the literature for the emulsion polymerization of styrene (monomer), potassium persulfate (initiator), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (emulsifier). The variables considered were the total number of particles formed, duration of the nucleation period, conversion at the end of the nucleation period, variation of the monomer volume fraction in the particles with time, and conversion–time curves for different monomer, initiator, and emulsifier concentrations. Close agreement was found between the simulations and the experimental data. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Evaluation of the enzyme manganese peroxidase in an industrial sequence for the lignin oxidation and bleaching of eucalyptus kraft pulp
Authors: Feijoo Gumersindo , Moreira María Teresa , Álvarez Pablo , Lú‐Chau Thelmo A. , Lema Juan M. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractManganese peroxidase produced by the white‐rot fungus Bjerkandera sp. strain BOS55 was used for lignin oxidation and bleaching of eucalyptus oxygen‐delignified kraft pulp. The optimization of the enzymatic stage and its implementation into an industrial chemical bleaching sequence were performed for the purpose of defining a new bleaching sequence. Parameters related to the selection and concentration of a chelating organic acid, Mn2+, and hydrogen peroxide concentrations were optimized and applied to evaluate the implementation of an enzymatic stage into a chemical sequence composed of chelator and hydrogen peroxide or hydrogen peroxide with oxygen pressure stages. The brightness, reduction of the κ number, and remaining manganese peroxidase activity were assessed in conventional and enzyme‐based bleaching sequences. High International Organization for Standardization (ISO) brightness (83%) and parallel κ number reduction (5.5 points) were obtained with an enzymatic stage/chelator stage/hydrogen peroxide with oxygen pressure stage sequence under the best operational conditions: 33 μM Mn2+, oxalic acid, and 41.7 μM H2O2 added in pulses every 5 min for the enzymatic stage and a 2‐h hydrogen peroxide with oxygen pressure stage at 588.4 kPa of oxygen pressure. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Anomalous moisture diffusion in an epoxy adhesive detected by magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: LaPlante Gabriel , Ouriadov Alexei V. , Lee‐Sullivan Pearl , Balcom Bruce J. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractNon‐Fickian or anomalous diffusion is frequently observed when the absorption of moisture by a polymer is being studied. Different models have been presented in the literature that can accurately predict the trends of the weight‐gain curves. However, it is not always clear which of these models yield good predictions of moisture distribution. This article presents a time‐resolved moisture distribution study of an epoxy sample immersed in deuterated water (D2O) at 70°C over a period of 2.5 months. The moisture distribution was measured during that period with a novel high‐resolution magnetic resonance imaging technique that is well adapted to the imaging of thin plates. The experimental results showed that the concentration of D2O at the surface of the sample increased with time, even after 2.5 months. These results were used to evaluate the performance of several standard diffusion models. Although this study is phenomenological, it appears that a model featuring time‐varying boundary conditions yields the best representation of moisture absorption for these samples. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Operational NWP assimilation of GPS radio occultation data
Authors: Buontempo Carlo , Jupp Adrian , Rennie Michael 
Published: April 2008

AbstractSince 26 September 2006, refractivity profiles from the CHAMP and GRACE‐A satellites have been assimilated in the Met Office operational global numerical weather prediction system. This article presents the results of two experiments, which aim to determine the potential impact on the forecast resulting from the assimilation of this new dataset, and goes on to describe the Met Office operational implementation. Despite the limited number of occultations available for assimilation, the experiments show a significant positive impact on upper troposphere and lower stratosphere temperature and geopotential height fields, mid‐tropospheric geopotential heights and pressure at mean sea level in the Southern Hemisphere. © Crown Copyright 2008. Reproduced with permission of Controller of HMSO and Queen's Printer for Scotland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.