bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Self-managing and managing self: practical and moral dilemmas in accounts of living with chronic illness
Authors: Townsend Anne , Wyke Sally , Hunt Kate 
Published: June 2007

Background: Patient education self-management programmes draw on sociological understanding of experiencing single chronic illnesses, but health practitioners do not always recognize the tensions and ambiguities permeating individuals' management experiences, particularly for those with multiple morbidity. The aim of this study was to illuminate how people negotiate multiple chronic illness, and everyday life. Methods: A sample of 23 people in their early 50s was recruited from a community health survey in Scotland. The participants had four or more chronic illnesses and were interviewed twice. The qualitative data that were generated highlighted the impact of illness and associated management strategies, as people attempted to continue familiar lives. Analysis was based on constant comparison and informed by a narrative approach. Results: People used multiple techniques to manage symptoms and conveyed a moral obligation to manage `well'. However, maintaining valued social roles, coherent identities and a `normal life' were prioritized, sometimes over symptom containment. This led to tensions, and participants faced moral dilemmas as they self-managed. Discussion: Self-management policies, programmes and healthcare practitioners need to recognize the tensions that people experience as they negotiate symptoms, valued social roles, positive identities, and daily life. Addressing these issues may improve opportunities to support patients in particular contexts, and enhance self-management.
Lay-led self-management in chronic illness: a review of the evidence
Authors: Newbould Jennifer , Taylor David , Bury Michael 
Published: June 2007

Objectives: In this paper, we seek to clarify what is known about self-care in chronic illness and the impact of lay-led self-management programmes. The main focus of the paper is the specific `lay-led' interventions developed by Kate Lorig and her collaborators in the USA, and in the context of the English Expert Patients Programme (EPP). Methods: A systematic search of relevant databases was undertaken. Results: Seventeen articles and two conference papers met the criteria set. These papers documented the use of condition-specific lay-led self-management programmes and generic lay-led self-management programmes. Discussion: Despite the potential benefits of enhanced self-management, the review of the literature presented here suggests several possible problems associated with the presentation and implementation of initiatives such as the EPP programme. These include the possibility that advocates of public service improvements have on occasion been tempted to overstate the evidence for the relative and absolute effectiveness of lay-led self-management programmes. In addition, the varied experiences of those living with a chronic illness warn against promulgating rigid prescriptions about what patients — should think and do. The evidence to date is indicative of short-term benefits being derived from the provision of lay-led self-management programmes.
The rural context and women's self-management of chronic health conditions
Authors: Winters Charlene A. , Cudney Shirley A. , Sullivan Therese , Thuesen Alta 
Published: June 2007

Objective: To examine the rural context and describe its influence on the self-management of chronic illness by women living in a rural setting. Methods: The Women to Women (WTW) project is a research-based computer intervention that provides health education and peer support to rural women with chronic health conditions. Messages posted to the online support and health education chat rooms were examined to determine the characteristics of the rural context in relation to the women's illness self-management. Results: `Distance' was the overarching characteristic of the rural context that influenced the women's ability to self-manage their chronic health problems. The effect of distance was woven throughout each of the four predominant themes that emerged from the data as having influence — physical setting, social/cultural/economic environment, nature of women's work, and accessibility/quality of healthcare. These influences affected the women's self-management abilities both negatively and positively. Discussion: The rural context profoundly influenced the ability of rural women to self-manage their chronic conditions. From the data, health professionals and policy-makers can glean information about the barriers to healthcare faced by rural women who are trying to manage their chronic health problems in comparative isolation.
Clinical-Scale Expansion of a Mixed Population of Bone Marrow-Derived Stem and Progenitor Cells for Potential Use in Bone Tissue Regeneration
Authors: Dennis James E. , Esterly Kelly , Awadallah Amad , Parrish Christopher R. , Poynter Gregory M. , Goltry Kristin L. 
Published: June 2007

Abstract
Preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated the ability of bone marrow derived stem and progenitor cells to regenerate many tissues, including bone. Methods to expand or enrich progenitors from bone marrow are common; however, these methods include many steps not amenable to clinical use. A closed automated cell production culture system was developed for clinical-scale ex vivo production of bone marrow-derived stem and progenitor cells for hematopoietic reconstitution. The current study tested the ability of this bioreactor system to produce progenitor cells, termed tissue repair cells (TRC), possessing osteogenic potential. Three TRC formulations were evaluated: (a) cells cultured without exogenous cytokines (TRC); (b) cells cultured with exogenous cytokines (TRC-C); and (c) an adherent subset of TRC-C (TRC-CAd). Starting human bone marrow mononuclear cells (BM MNC) and TRC products were characterized for the expression of cell surface markers, in vitro colony forming ability, and in vivo osteogenic potential. Results showed significant expansion of mesenchymal progenitors (CD90+, CD105+, and CD166+) in each TRC formulation. In vivo bone formation, measured by histology, was highest in the TRC group, followed by TRC-CAd and TRC-C. The TRC product outperformed starting BM MNC and had equivalent bone forming potential to purified MSCs at the same cell dose. Post hoc analysis revealed that the presence of CD90+, CD105+, and CD166+ correlated strongly with in vivo bone formation scores (r2 &gt; .95). These results demonstrate that this bioreactor system can be used to generate, in a single step, a population of progenitor cells with potent osteogenic potential.
Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
If Meaning Is Constructed, What Is It Made From? Toward a Cultural Theory of Reading
Authors: Smagorinsky Peter 
Published: June 2007

This essay explores the notion of meaning, particularly as applied to acts of producing and reading texts. The analysis is grounded in principles of activity theory and cultural semiotics and focuses on the ways in which reading takes place among readers and texts in a culturally mediated, codified experience characterized here as the “transactional zone.” The author builds on Vygotsky’s work to argue that meaning comes through a reader’s generation of new texts in response to the text being read. As a means of accounting for this phenomenon, examples are provided from studies illustrating, for instance, Vygotsky’s zones of meaning, the dialogic role of composing during a reading transaction, and the necessity of culturally constructed subjectivity in meaning construction. The author concludes by locating meaning in the transactional zone in which signs become tools for extending or developing concepts and the richness of meaning coming from the potential of a reading transaction to generate new texts. “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” (Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass )
On the Post Hoc Power in Testing Mean Differences
Authors: Yuan Ke-Hai , Maxwell Scott 
Published: June 2007

Retrospective or post hoc power analysis is recommended by reviewers and editors of many journals. Little literature has been found that gave a serious study of the post hoc power. When the sample size is large, the observed effect size is a good estimator of the true effect size. One would hope that the post hoc power is also a good estimator of the true power. This article studies whether such a power estimator provides valuable information about the true power. Using analytical, numerical, and Monte Carlo approaches, our results show that the estimated power does not provide useful information when the true power is small. It is almost always a biased estimator of the true power. The bias can be negative or positive. Large sample size alone does not guarantee the post hoc power to be a good estimator of the true power. Actually, when the population variance is known, the cumulative distribution function of the post hoc power is solely a function of the population power. This distribution is uniform when the true power equals 0.5 and highly skewed when the true power is near 0 or 1. When the population variance is unknown, the post hoc power behaves essentially the same as when the variance is known.
Boolean Functions
Authors: Mc Crosky Carl D. , Wang Yuke 
Published: June 2007

Abstract

Boolean functions
and the underlying
Boolean algebra
are an essential mathematical foundation of digital technology. Nearly all technological applications that involve representation, manipulation, communication, or storage of information are built on this foundation. Examples include computers; telecommunications networks; music, game, photography, and video devices; and control systems in a myriad of products such as automobiles, industrial equipment, and banking machines.

Introduction

History of Mathematical Development

Definition of Boolean Algebra

Language of Boolean Algebra Statements

Axioms and Theorems

Proofs

Reduction

Closed and Complete

Additional Syntaxes and Omitted Parentheses

Definition of Functions

Cartesian Products and Boolean Cubes

Functions of

Truth Tables

Canonical Representations (
SOP
and
POS
)

Minimization

Cycles of Canonical Representations

Nested Logic Forms

Logic Gates

Switching Circuits

Complements and Restrictions

Data Structures for Boolean Functions

Algorithms for Boolean Functions

Classification of Boolean Functions

Standard Boolean Functions

Implementations of Boolean Functions

Computer Aided Design

State Machines
Fuzzy Image Processing and Recognition
Authors: Pal Sankar K. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis article describes various fuzzy set theoretic tools and explores their effectiveness in representing/describing various uncertainties that might occur in an image recognition system and the ways these uncertainties can be managed in making a decision. Some examples of uncertainties that often develop in the process of recognizing a pattern are given in the next section. The Image Ambiguity and Uncertainty Measures Section provides a definition of image and describes various fuzzy set theoretic tools for measuring information on grayness ambiguity and spatial ambiguity in an image. Concepts of bound functions and spect sets charactering the flexible in membership functions are discussed in Their applications to formulate some low level vision operations (e.g., enhancement, segmentation, skeleton extraction, and edge detection), whose outputs are crucial and responsible for the overall performance of a vision system, are then presented. Some real‐life applications (e.g., motion frame analysis, character recognition, remote sensing image analysis, content‐based image retrieval, and brain MR image segmentation) of these methodologies and tools are then described. Finally, conclusions and discussion are provided.IntroductionUncertainties in a Recognition System and Relevance of Fuzzy Set TheoryImage Ambiguity and Uncertainty MeasuresGrayness Ambiguity MeasuresFlexibility in Membership FunctionsSome Examples of Fuzzy Image Processing OperationsSome ApplicationsConclusions and DiscussionAcknowledgment
NOS‐I and ‐III gene variants are differentially associated with facets of suicidal behavior and aggression‐related traits
Authors: Rujescu Dan , Giegling Ina , Mandelli Laura , Schneider Barbara , Hartmann Annette M. , Schnabel Axel , Maurer Konrad , Möller Hans‐Jürgen , Serretti Alessandro 
Published: June 2007

AbstractNitric oxide (NO) is a neurotransmitter which modulates depressive and aggressive behaviors. We studied gene variants of NOS‐I (rs2682826;rs1353939;rs2293049;rs693534) and NOS‐III (rs2070744;rs1799983;rs891512) in a total of 571 cases (167 German suicide attempters, 92 Caucasian suicide completers and 312 German healthy subjects). A NOS‐I risk haplotype C‐G‐G (rs2682826‐rs1353939‐rs693534) was associated with suicidal behavior (P = 0.01), and more specifically with suicide attempts (P = 0.01). Sliding windows analysis showed similar results for the haplotype G‐G (rs1353939‐rs693534) being a risk factor for suicidal behavior (P = 0.01) again especially in suicide attempters (P = 0.004). Additionally, the G‐allele of rs693534 was associated with suicidal behavior (P = 0.005) and more specifically with suicide attempts (P = 0.003). Interestingly, the same haplotype (G‐G) as well as the rs693534 G‐allele were also associated with increased aggression. Regarding NOS‐III, a protective haplotype C‐T‐A (rs2070744‐rs1799983‐rs891512) was observed (P = 0.01) with a pronounced effect against suicide completion (P = 0.005). Sliding window analysis showed the same effect of haplotype T‐A (rs1799983–rs891512) (P = 0.01) which was again protective against suicide completion (P = 0.006). Single marker analysis showed the same protective effect of the rs891512 A‐allele (P = 0.009) again especially against suicide completion (P = 0.007). Additionally, a second haplotype (T‐T‐G) was associated with increased aggression (P = 0.0002; sliding haplotype T‐G, P = 0.002). In conclusion, our study suggests a possible involvement of NOS‐I and NOS‐III gene variants in suicidal behavior and related intermediate phenotypes. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Elektrospinnen: eine faszinierende Methode zur Präparation ultradünner Fasern
Authors: Greiner Andreas , Wendorff Joachim H. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractDas Elektrospinnen ist eine vielseitige Methode, um aus Lösungen und Schmelzen, vorwiegend von Polymeren, kontinuierliche Fasern mit Durchmessern von wenigen Mikrometern bis zu wenigen Nanometern herzustellen. Die Methode ist vielseitig anwendbar, da sich nahezu alle löslichen und schmelzbaren Polymere einsetzen lassen, die Polymere außerdem mit unterschiedlichsten Additiven – von einfachen Rußpartikeln bis zu komplexen Spezies wie Enzymen, Viren und Bakterien – ausgerüstet werden können und natürlich auch chemische Modifikationen möglich sind. Die Methode des Elektrospinnens erscheint einfach, ist aber ein äußerst komplexer Vorgang, der von einer Vielzahl von molekularen, Prozess‐ und apparativen Parametern beeinflusst wird, was natürlich auch Möglichkeiten für vollkommen neuartige Materialien mit komplexem chemischem Aufbau bietet. Das Elektrospinnen ist nicht nur eine Methode, die derzeit intensiv erforscht wird, sie findet auch bereits Anwendungen in vielen technischen Bereichen.
Polyferrocenylsilane‐Based Polymer Systems
Authors: Bellas Vasilios , Rehahn Matthias 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe study of metallopolymers has blossomed into a mature field over the last few decades. Especially, polyferrocenylsilane (PFS) chemistry has taken a tremendous leap and continues to raise intense interest. Since the discovery of thermal ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of sila[1]ferrocenophanes, PFSs have been also accessed by anionic, cationic, transition‐metal‐catalyzed, and photolytic anionic ROP methodologies. A plethora of synthetic strategies have been devised, enabling access to a wide variety of copolymers, polyelectrolytes, and nanostructured materials. The distinctive physical properties and functions of many PFS‐based polymers have been explored, leading to their apt exploitation in technical applications. Therefore, it is conceivable that PFS‐related platforms might be indispensable nano‐objects in the near future, as they stand on the verge of a new generation of sophisticated materials.
Reduction of boundary effects in the spiralMRI experiment PROMISE
Authors: Szklarski J. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractMagnetorotational instability (MRI) is one of the most important and most common instabilities in astrophysics. It is widely accepted that it serves as a source of turbulent viscosity in accretion disks – the most energy efficient objects in the Universe. However it is very difficult to bring this process down on earth and model it in a laboratory experiment. Several different approaches have been proposed, one of the most recent is PROMISE (Potsdam‐ROssendorf Magnetorotational InStability Experiment). It consists of a flow of a liquid metal between two rotating cylinders under applied current‐free spiral magnetic field. The cylinders must be covered with plates which introduce additional end‐effects which alter the flow and make it more difficult to clearly distinguish between MRI stable and unstable state. In this paper we propose simple and inexpensive improvement to the PROMISE experiment which would reduce those undesirable effects. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Telescope and instrument robotization at Dome C
Authors: Strassmeier K. G. , Agabi K. , Agnoletto L. , Allan A. , Andersen M. I. , Ansorge W. , Bortoletto F. , Briguglio R. , Buey J.‐T. , Castellini S. , Coudé du Foresto V. , Damé L. , Deeg H. J. , Eiroa C. , Durand G. , Fappani D. , Frezzotti M. , Granzer T. , Gröschke A. , Kärcher H. J. , Lenzen R. , Mancini A. , Montanari C. , Mora A. , Pierre A. , Pirnay O. , Roncella F. , Schmider F.‐X. , Steele I. , Storey J. W. V. , Tothill N. F. H. , Travouillon T. , Vittuari L. , Weber M. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis article reviews the situation for robotization of telescopes and instruments at the Antarctic station Concordia on Dome C. A brain‐storming meeting was held in Tenerife in March 2007 from which this review emerged.We describe and summarize the challenges for night‐time operations of various astronomical experiments at conditions “between Earth and Space” and conclude that robotization is likely a prerequisite for continuous astronomical data taking during the 2000‐hour night at Dome C. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Pore‐Forming Properties of Alamethicin F50/5 Inserted in a Biological Membrane
Authors: Vedovato Natascia , Baldini Chiara , Toniolo Claudio , Rispoli Giorgio 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe pore‐forming properties of native and synthetic alamethicins were investigated in photoreceptor rod outer segments (OS) isolated from frog retina, and recorded in whole‐cell configuration. The peptaibols were applied (and removed) to (from) the OS within less than 50 ms by means of a computer‐controlled micro‐perfusion system. Once blocked with light, the main OS endogenous conductance, the OS membrane resistance was >1 GΩ, allowing low‐noise and high‐resolution recordings. Currents of ca. 700 pA were recorded in symmetric K+ (100 mM) and Ca2+ (1 mM), upon applying 1 μM of alamethicin F50/5 or its [L‐Glu(OMe)7,18,19] analogue to the OS membrane (clamped at −20 mV). In the latter peptide, the Gln residues at positions 7, 18, and 19 were substituted with side‐chain esterified Glu residues. For both peptides, the current activated exponentially, with a delay from peptide application, and exponentially returned to zero without any delay, upon removing the peptide from the external solution. The delay as well as the activation (τa) and deactivation (τd) time constants of the current produced by the modified alamethicin were much slower, and the current noise was much larger, with respect to the corresponding values for alamethicin F50/5. Therefore, the above three Gln residues are not a key factor for pore formation, but the [L‐Glu(OMe)7,18,19] analogue produces larger pores with a lower probability of formation.
Prostate cancer laterality as a rationale of focal ablative therapy for the treatment of clinically localized prostate cancer
Authors: Mouraviev Vladimir , Mayes Janice M. , Sun Leon , Madden John F. , Moul Judd W. , Polascik Thomas J. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractBACKGROUND.Early detection of small‐volume prostate cancer (PCa) has led to the concept of focal therapy to treat PCa as an organ‐sparing, minimally invasive procedure. The authors sought to determine the frequency of unilateral cancers in the contemporary prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) era to determine the percentage of patients who would be candidates for hemiablation of the prostate by using focal therapy while preserving the contralateral lobe.METHODS.Paraffin‐embedded radical prostatectomy specimens (1184 specimens) from consecutive patients between 2002 and 2006 with pathologic organ confined PCa were analyzed. Pathologic assessment focused on tumor laterality and percentage of tumor involvement (PTI) along with other routine parameters such as pathological T‐classification (pT), pathological Gleason Score (pGS), extracapsular extension (ECE), and surgical margins (SM). Clinical and pathologic parameters were analyzed by univariate and multivariate methods.RESULTS.Completely unilateral cancers were identified in 227 (19.2%) of 1184 patients. Of these patients, 164 (72.2%) had PTI of ≤5%, 40 (17.6%) had a PTI of 5.01%–10%, 9 (4.0%) had a PTI of 10.01%–15%, and 14 (6.2%) had a PTI of > 15%, respectively (P < .0005). African‐American men had bilateral cancers more commonly that non‐African‐American men, eg, 90.8% versus 79.2%, respectively (P < .0005). Race, PTI, pGS, and SM were independent predictors by multivariate logistic regression (P ≤ .05).CONCLUSIONS.This study suggests that 1 in 5 men diagnosed with PCa have small volume, completely unilateral cancers that may be amenable to hemiablation of the prostate. Further study is needed to develop predictive models to select candidates for focal therapy. Cancer 2007; 110:906–10. © 2007 American Cancer Society.
Role of fine‐needle aspirate immunophenotyping by flow cytometry in rapid diagnosis of lymphoproliferative disorders
Authors: Gupta Ritu , Naseem Shano , Kashyap Rajesh , Paul Lily 
Published: June 2007

AbstractImmunophenotyping is an essential component in the diagnostic work‐up of lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD). As compared to immunohistochemistry, flow cytometric immunophenotyping (FCMI) is rapid, quantitative and a more objective technique. This study was designed to evaluate the utility of FCMI on fine needle aspirates (FNA) in rapid diagnosis of LPD in routine clinical practice. FNA from 31 consecutive cases clinically suggestive of LPD were subjected to FCMI. Representative material for FCMI was obtained in 28 (90%) cases and a definite diagnosis established in 27 cases. Histopathogical correlation was available in 22 cases and concordance with FCMI results was observed in 19 (86.4%) cases. FCMI analysis was inconclusive in 4 cases. The results of FCMI were available the same day and were crucial for therapeutic purpose in 3 patients with superior vena cava syndrome. FCMI combined with cytological examination of aspirate smears permits rapid diagnosis with high level of accuracy resulting in efficient treatment planning for critically ill patients and those from far‐off rural areas. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2007;35:381–385. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.