bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Morphometric Ablation Lesion Characteristics Comparing 4, 6, and 8 mm Electrode‐Tip Cryocatheters
Authors: KHAIRY PAUL , RIVARD LENA , GUERRA PETER G , TANGUAY JEAN‐FRANÇOIS , MAWAD WADI , ROY DENIS , TALAJIC MARIO , THIBAULT BERNARD , MACLE LAURENT , DUBUC MARC 
Published: June 2008

Introduction: Despite widespread clinical use, ablation lesions produced by cryocatheters with 6 and 8 mm electrode‐tips have not been fully characterized. We, therefore, sought to quantify and compare lesion dimensions and thrombus formation with 4, 6, and 8 mm electrode‐tip cryocatheters. Methods and Results: By means of a randomized factorial design, 72 ablation lesions were created in atrial and ventricular chambers of adult miniature swine at a mean temperature of 79.9 ± 4.0°C. By histological morphometric analysis, the overall lesion depth was 4.3 ± 2.1 mm, surface area 61.3 (28.7, 116.0) mm2, and volume 130.2 (62.7, 231.3) mm3. Cryolesions produced by all electrode‐tip sizes were well circumscribed, with intact endothelial cell layers, and absence of thrombus. Colder temperatures generated lesions of greater surface area (P = 0.0061) and volume (P = 0.0080), but not depth. Depths were similar between the three electrode‐tips. However, surface areas produced by 8 mm catheters were 91.7 mm2 larger on average (176.7% increase, P = 0.0003) than 4 mm and 72.3 mm2 greater (101.3% increase, P = 0.0144) than 6 mm catheters. The 8 and 6 mm catheters yielded mean lesion volumes 252.6 mm3 (248.3% increase, P = 0.0041) and 115.9 mm3 (113.9% increase, P = 0.0670) larger than 4 mm catheters. Greater variability in surface area and volume were observed with 8 mm catheters. Conclusion: Longer electrode‐tip cryocatheters produce larger lesions of similar depth, with intact endothelial layers and absence of thrombosis. Surface areas and volumes may be particularly sensitive to catheter tip‐to‐tissue contact angles with larger electrodes, as reflected by greater variability with 8 mm tips.
Ambulatory ECG‐Based T‐Wave Alternans Predicts Sudden Cardiac Death in High‐Risk Post‐MI Patients with Left Ventricular Dysfunction in the EPHESUS Study
Authors: STEIN PHYLLIS K , SANGHAVI DEVANG , DOMITROVICH PETER P. , MACKEY ROBERT A. , DEEDWANIA PRAKASH 
Published: June 2008

Background: Exercise microvolt T‐wave alternans (TWA) identifies sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk. TWA can be measured from ambulatory ECGs (AECGs) using modified moving average (MMA) method. Whether MMA TWA from AECGs predicts SCD in post‐MI patients with left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) is unknown. Methods: EPHESUS enrolled hospitalized post‐MI patients with heart failure and/or diabetes with LVD. Before randomization to drug treatment, AECGs were obtained in 493 patients. Of them, 46 died of cardiovascular causes, including 18 of SCD. Patients alive at end of follow‐up (N = 92) were matched with 46 nonsurvivors based on age, gender, and diabetes. MMA TWA was analyzed using MARSPC system (GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI, USA). The three highest TWA values from artifact‐free periods were averaged for AECG channels corresponding to leads V1 and V3. SCD prediction was tested with a prespecified 47 μV cutpoint and at a cutpoint maximizing the separation between SCD patients versus survivors or non‐SCD. Results: TWA in either lead was higher for patients with SCD (P ≤ 0.05) versus survivors or non‐SCD. TWA ≥ 47 μV was associated with RR = 5.2 (95%CI = 1.8–13.6, P = 0.002) in V1 and RR = 5.5 (95% CI = 2.2–13.8, P < 0.001) in V3 for SCD. The optimal cutpoint for TWA in V1 was ≥43 μV (RR = 5.9 [95%CI = 2.2–15.8, P < 0.001]). The optimal cutpoint in V3 was ≥47 μV. TWA greater than the optimal cutpoint in either lead was associated with RR = 7.1 (95%CI = 2.7–18.3, P < 0.001) for SCD, with 11 out of 18 patients dying of SCD. Conclusions: AECG‐based TWA measured with MMA is a powerful predictor of SCD in high‐risk post‐MI patients with LV dysfunction.
Severe Atrioventricular Decoupling, Uncoupling, and Ventriculoatrial Coupling During Enhanced Atrial Pacing: Incidence, Mechanisms, and Implications for Minimizing Right Ventricular Pacing in ICD Patients
Authors: SWEENEY MICHAEL O. , ELLENBOGEN KENNETH A. , TANG ANTHONY S.L. , JOHNSON JAMES , BELK PAUL , SHELDON TODD 
Published: June 2008

Background:
Enhanced AAI/R pacing minimizes right ventricular pacing but may permit or induce AV decoupling (AV‐DC) due to unrestricted AV intervals (AVIs). The purpose of this study was to characterize and quantify AVI behavior in a randomized trial of enhanced AAI/R pacing in ICD patients.
Methods:
One hundred twenty‐one patients in the Marquis ICD MVP™ Study, a randomized 1‐month crossover comparison of cumulative% ventricular pacing (Cum%VP) in enhanced AAIR (MVP) vs DDD/R, were analyzed. AV‐DC was defined as ≥40% AVIs >300 ms; VA coupling (VA‐C) was defined as%V‐atrial pace (AP) intervals <300 ms. Dynamic AVI behavior and increases in Cum%VP due to AV block (AV uncoupling, AV‐UC) were characterized using Holters with real‐time ICD telemetry.
Results:
AV‐DC occurred in 17 (14%) of patients. Baseline PR, amiodarone, nighttime, lower rate >60 beats/min, rate response, and Cum%AP were associated with longer AVIs. Logistic regression identified baseline PR (odds ratio [OR]= 1.024, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.007–1.042; P = 0.005), and Cum%AP (OR = 1.089, 95% CI 1.027–1.154; P = 0.004) as predictors of AV‐DC. AV‐DC was associated with ≈10‐fold increases in both Cum%VP (13.6 ± 28.3% vs 1.2 ± 3.9%; P = 0.023) due to transient AV‐UC) and VA‐C (6.0 ± 17.5% vs 0.5 ± 1.2%, P = 0.028). AV coupling (<40% AVIs >300 ms) was preserved in 104 (86%) patients.
Conclusions:
AV‐DC, VA‐C, and AV‐UC may be worsened or induced by enhanced AAI/R pacing. Conservative programming of lower rate and rate response should reduce the risk of AV‐DC by reducing Cum%AP.
The microRNAs involved in human myeloid differentiation and myelogenous/myeloblastic leukemia
Authors: Wang Xiao‐Shuang , Zhang Jun‐Wu 
Published: June 2008

Introduction
MiRNAs involved in myeloid differentiation may be involved in myeloid leukemia
MiRNAs directly involved in myeloid leukemia
Regulation of miRNA expression
Discussion and perspectives

AbstractMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenously expressed, functional RNAs that interact with native coding mRNAs to cleave mRNA or repress translation. Several miRNAs contribute to normal haematopoietic processes and some miRNAs act both as tumour suppressors and oncogenes in the pathology of haematological malignancies. While most effort is engaged in identifying and investigating the target genes of miRNAs, miRNA gene promoter methylation or transcriptional regulation is another important field of investigation, since these two main mechanisms can form a regulatory circuit. This review focuses on recent researches on miRNAs with important roles in myeloid cells.
Screening for the metabolic syndrome in community psychiatric patients prescribed antipsychotics: a quality improvement programme
Authors: Barnes T. R. E. , Paton C. , Hancock E. , Cavanagh M.‐R. , Taylor D. , Lelliott P. ,   on behalf of the UK Prescribing Observatory for Mental Health
Published: June 2008

Objective:  The aim was to evaluate a quality improvement programme designed to increase screening for the metabolic syndrome in community psychiatric patients prescribed antipsychotics.Method:  Baseline audit against evidence‐based standards, followed by provision of benchmarked data and a range of change interventions, with re‐audit 1 year later.Results:  At baseline, 48 assertive outreach teams across the UK submitted data on screening over the previous year for 1966 patients. At re‐audit, 35 of the teams submitted data for 1516 patients. Screening for all four aspects of the metabolic syndrome (measuring blood pressure, obesity, blood glucose and plasma lipids) had increased significantly by re‐audit. Clinical variables increasing the likelihood of full screening were clozapine treatment and a known diagnosis of diabetes or dyslipidaemia.Conclusion:  The programme’s success may be partly attributed to the use of a widely‐accepted audit standard, and bespoke change interventions that directly addressed barriers to screening identified by the participating clinical teams.
Prenatal revelation of Niemann–Pick disease type C in siblings
Authors: Moreno Rubén , Lardennois Caroline , Drouin‐Garraud Valérie , Verspyck Eric , Marret Stéphane , Laquerrière Annie 
Published: June 2008

AbstractObjectives: To report two cases of prenatal Niemann–Pick disease type C in siblings, with different prenatal semiology and postnatal outcome.Case reports: First fetus presented at 22 weeks'gestation with ascites, hepatosplenomegaly, then polyhydramnios. At birth, the infant developed severe cholestasis and died at day 5. His brother presented at 22 weeks'gestation an isolated hepatomegaly with cholestasis at birth showing favourable evolution. In first case, diagnosis of Niemann–Pick disease was confirmed by autopsy findings, biochemical tests on cultured skin fibroblasts and ascites fluid, then by molecular screening of NPC1 gene. Brother's molecular prenatal diagnosis was made at 14 weeks' gestation on cultured trophoblasts.Conclusion: Prenatal screening of this disease is particularly indicated in case of fetal ascites with hypoferritinaemia. Tests on amniotic or ascites fluid cells allow to characterize the biochemical phenotype, leading to search for molecular abnormalities. Despite the same mutation identified in siblings, disease evolution is variable, which underlines complexity of genetic counselling.
Human toxocariasis: a report of nine cases
Authors: Saporito Laura , Scarlata Francesco , Colomba Claudia , Infurnari Laura , Giordano Salvatore , Titone Lucina 
Published: June 2008

AbstractAim: Human toxocariasis is caused by infection with the larval stage of nematode parasites of dogs and cats, Toxocara canis or Toxocara cati. These helminths are not able to complete their life cycle in undefinitive hosts and so undergo aberrant migrations in the tissues causing a wide spectrum of signs and symptoms. Eosinophilia is often severe and sometimes represents the only sign of infection, except in ocular and neurological forms.Methods: We describe the clinical features of nine children affected by toxocariasis admitted to our Infectious Diseases department from 2004 to 2006.Results: Fever and hepatomegaly were the most common clinical findings. In two cases eosinophilia was not present. Diagnosis was performed by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay employing excretory–secretory antigens of Toxocara. canis larvae. All patients were successfully treated with oral albendazole with no side effects.Conclusion: Toxocariasis should be considered in differential diagnosis of eosinophilia and in patients with seizures of uncertain origin, isolated hepatomegaly and splenomegaly, bronchospasms or skin rash.
Shakespeare'sMacbethand Post‐Reformation Desire
Authors: Marchesi Patricia 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThis essay won the 2007Literature CompassGraduate Essay Prize, Shakespeare Section.The essay analyzes the way in which post‐Reformation concerns and uncertainties are dramatized in Shakespeare'sMacbeth, in particular through the play's treatment of language. The essay argues that the Reformation's eradication of some of the more tangible aspects of worship results in a lasting concern about the status of religion in general, and of language in particular. Shakespeare's 1606 play, through its complex depiction of language, showcases the risks and consequences of attempting to endow language with any kind of ‘tangibility’. In the case of the protagonist, such attempts consist of trying to bridge the perilous gap between word and action.Macbeth's obsession with the intangibility of language, the essay ultimately argues, contributes greatly to his downfall. Macbeth continuously – and disastrously – attempts to turn linguistic ‘surmise’ into fact. In doing so, he expresses a type of post‐Reformation desire that is subversive (in its emphasis on the tangible and concrete), and must therefore be eradicated.
Sequence‐based characterization of the eight SLA loci in Korean native pigs
Authors: Lee Y. J. , Cho K. H. , Kim M. J. , Smith D. M. , Ho C. S. , Jung K. C. , Jin D. I. , Park C. S. , Jeon J. T. , Lee J. H. 
Published: June 2008

SummaryEight swine leucocyte antigen (SLA) gene (SLA‐1, SLA‐2, SLA‐3, SLA‐6, DRA, DRB1, DQA, DQB1) alleles were identified using sequence‐based typing method in three Korean native pigs used for breeding at the National Institute of Animal Science in Korea. Six new alleles in class I genes and three new alleles in class II genes have been identified in this breed and can give valuable information for xenotransplantation and disease resistance.
Evaluating conservation spending for species return: A retrospective analysis in California
Authors: Underwood Emma C. , Klausmeyer Kirk R. , Morrison Scott A. , Bode Michael , Shaw M. Rebecca 
Published: June 2008

AbstractConservation spending in California, USA exceeds conservation expenditures in many countries. To date, there has been no objective method to assess the efficiency of such spending for achieving species conservation outcomes. We conducted the first such retrospective analysis of conservation spending, examining the distribution of $2.8 billion spent on land protection by the state of California and partners from 1990 to 2006. Using a return on investment algorithm with species protection as the sole objective, we describe a “cost‐efficient” funding scenario that would have protected four times more distinct species and three times more threatened and endangered species compared to the observed allocation. Differences between the species‐diversity spending and the observed spending patterns reflect the myriad funding objectives, beyond protecting species, of the state. Identifying cost‐effective conservation strategies are essential given the need to maintain species diversity in the face of global change.
Numerical Study of the Effects of Upstream Flow Condition Upon
Orifice Flow Meter Performance
Authors: Morrison G. L. , Panak D. L. , DeOtte R. E. 
Published: June 2008

Abstract
Recent experimental work has shown that when the mean velocity profile upstream of an orifice plate has a deficit on the centerline and higher velocities at the outer edges of the pipe, the pressure drop across the orifice is greater than if the flow upstream is “fully developed.” It is proposed that this increase in ΔP is directly correlated with the radial distribution of momentum upstream of the orifice plate. In an effort to investigate how the upstream flow condition affects the pressure distribution along the pipe wall and to determine if the hypothesis is correct, Creare.X Inc.’s FLUENT numerical analysis program was used to simulate the effects. Two β ratios (0.50 and 0.75) have been considered with various mean velocity inlet profiles. Inlet profiles include the 1/6th, 1/7th, 1/8th, 1/9th and 1/10th power law, uniform flow, and two linear distributions. The results indicate that there is a correlation between the second and third-order moments of momentum and the value of the discharge coefficient. This empirical correlation, after being fully verified by experimental data, can be used to estimate the change in the coefficient of discharge given the inlet velocity profile.
Comparative Risk Assessment of Alternative TLP Systems: Structure and
Foundation Aspects
Authors: Bea R. G. , Cornell C. A. , Vinnem J. E. , Geyer J. F. , Shoup G. J. , Stahl B. 
Published: June 2008

Abstract
Offshore operators can choose from a wide variety of alternative production systems including those based on fixed platforms, tension leg platforms (TLPs), compliant towers, floating production systems, and remote subsea systems. These systems involve varying degrees of technical innovation and technological risk. Life cycle costs, including initial costs and operating costs over the life of the project, need to be carefully considered to define systems that will minimize cost and maximize return on investment. The life cycle includes all stages of the project, including design, construction, operation, and decommissioning. To address decision-making issues in the selection of alternative systems, eighteen sponsoring organizations under the leadership of Amoco helped define the Methodologies for Comparison of Alternative Production Systems (MCAPS) project. Conducted during a two-year period (1988-1990), this project developed and illustrated an engineering procedure to assist the process of making rational comparisons among design alternatives for offshore production systems. The example developed to illustrate application of MCAPS was a TLP concept designed for Gulf of Mexico conditions. Four TLP alternatives were analyzed and compared; these involved three production riser alternatives and two tendon system alternatives. This paper addresses the structural and foundation aspects of the two tendon system alternatives. A companion paper (Stahl et al., 1991) addresses the production riser alternative, the alternative system economic evaluations, and the comparison processes. The structure aspects addressed in this paper include both first-phase coarse qualitative and quantitative evaluations, and second-phase detailed quantitative evaluations. The detailed quantitative evaluation is illustrated with structural damage in extreme conditions, including potential overloading of the hull, tendons, and the foundation piles. The paper concludes that MCAPS is not a simple process. It is an intensive interdisciplinary process requiring good teamwork and extensive familiarity with the system being analyzed. The judgmental elements of the process are considerable. The potential benefits of the process include: an improved understanding, qualitatively and quantitatively of risk mechanisms; identification and mitigation of hazards; improved cost-effectiveness of designs; and improved safety. The specific risk numbers generated are less important than the design improvement insights that are developed; these numbers can only serve as a guide to focus attention on those aspects of the project which generate the most risk and to indicate where cost-effective risk reduction measures can be implemented.
Low-Frequency Forces on Tubular Spaceframe Towers: Analysis of Cognac
Data
Authors: Conte J. P. , Marshall P. W. 
Published: June 2008

Abstract
The Cognac field data indicate that the low-frequency force response components are not negligible and are significantly correlated to the wave envelope process. Although this is a well-known phenomenon in floating structures, it had previously not been validated from data recorded on fixed platforms. Simulation studies based on a vertical rigid cylinder subjected to Hurricane Frederic sea states show significant differences in applied low-frequency drag forces obtained using the Wheeler and Delta stretching schemes used to approximate near-surface fluid kinematics. Previous studies focusing on the peak hydrodynamic forces, as used for the design of fixed platforms, have shown a significant difference between predictions based on Wheeler and Delta stretching. The present study reveals that the Cognac field data could be used to discriminate between the Wheeler and Delta stretching schemes in terms of the low-frequency forces, which are potentially important in the design of compliant towers. However, such a discriminatory study would require detailed structural and hydrodynamic modeling of the Cognac tower.
The Effect of Bending on the Normalized Stress at Roots of Threaded
Connectors
Authors: Burguete R. L. , Patterson E. A. 
Published: June 2008

Abstract
Three-dimensional photoelasticity was used to analyze the effect of bending on the normalized stress at the roots of threaded connectors. Loading was effected by steel cages and a combination of eccentric weights (to provide the bending load) and concentric weights (to provide the axial load). The ratio of the bending stress to the axial stress was determined and various levels of this stress ratio, Rσ, were tested. The connections were analyzed by taking thin slices in the plane of bending and perpendicular to it. The position of the maximum fringe order at the roots was determined using Mesnager’s theorem and the maximum fringe order found by Tardy compensation. The fringe orders were normalized using the nominal axial stress and the total nominal stress (bending plus axial stress), which were calculated from the loads applied. The results, when normalized using the nominal axial stress and compared to those in connections without bending, exhibit a lower and broader peak of normalized stress values plotted against the helix length. The normalized stress values are also periodic in relation to the bending plane due to the variation in stress around the longitudinal axis of the bolt. It was found that bending in connectors will affect the normalized stress and that it is possible to determine this effect in a similar way to the method used for axially loaded connections.
Microscopic Pattern of Ice Crystal Growth in the Presence of Thermal
Hysteresis Proteins
Authors: Coger R. , Rubinsky B. , Fletcher G. 
Published: June 2008

Abstract
This study examines the effect of thermal hysteresis proteins (THPs) from the winter flounder (Psuedopleuronectes americanus) on the ice-water interface morphology during freezing of aqueous solutions. Experiments were performed using a directional solidification stage, and the development of the two-phase interface was observed through a microscope and recorded by a video system. Unusual ice crystal morphologies were observed, including faceted ice crystal growth along the [1100] crystal plane; spicular or needlelike growth in the [1010] direction; and growth parallel to the c-axis, [0001], consisting of incorporated liquid inclusions bounded by hexagonal prism faces. The observed crystallographic structures can be explained as an effect of the interaction between the THPs and the primary prism faces of ice crystals. This results in an increase in the Gibbs free energy of these planes, followed by ice growth into the supercooled liquid adjacent to these faces.
Forensic Zoology: Animal Taxonomy and Rhetorical Persuasion in Psalm l
Authors: Whitekettle Richard 
Published: June 2008

AbstractPs. l 9-11 and 12 refute the Israelite belief that God needed their sacrificial animals by explaining that God already possessed animals. In Ps. l 9-11, the bulls and goats the Israelites sacrifice to God (verse 9) are juxtaposed with four types of animals that God possesses (verses 10-11). The juxtaposition of a sacrificial animal with God's extensive zoological wealth made it clear that God did not need a sacrificial animal. In the broader context of Ps. l 9-12, these four types of animals are the middle elements in a three-part progression of animals: bulls/goats (verse 9) → four types of animals (verses 10-11) → all animals/everything (verse 12). This progression generated a robust grasp and active affirmation of the exhaustive extent of God's zoological wealth, a heightened sense of the inadequacy of a sacrificial animal, and a sense of divine agitation which chastened the Israelites for their misunderstanding of the nature and character of God.