bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Nutritionist Visits, Diabetes Classes, and Hospitalization Rates and Charges
Authors: Robbins Jessica M. , Thatcher Gail E. , Webb David A. , Valdmanis Vivian G. 
Published: March 2008

OBJECTIVE—We evaluated the association of different types of educational visits for diabetic patients of the eight Philadelphia Health Care Centers (PHCCs) (public safety-net primary care clinics), with hospital admission rates and charges reported to the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—The study population included 18,404 patients who had a PHCC visit with a diabetes diagnosis recorded between 1 March 1993 and 31 December 2001 and had at least 1 month follow-up time.
RESULTS—A total of 31,657 hospitalizations were recorded for 7,839 (42.6%) patients in the cohort. After adjustment for demographic variables, baseline comorbid conditions, hospitalizations before the diabetes diagnosis, and number of other primary care visits, having had any type of educational visit was associated with 9.18 (95% CI 5.02–13.33) fewer hospitalizations per 100 person-years and $11,571 ($6,377 to $16,765) less in hospital charges per person. Each nutritionist visit was associated with 4.70 (2.23–7.16) fewer hospitalizations per 100 person-years and a $6,503 ($3,421 to $9,586) reduction in total hospital charges.
CONCLUSIONS—Any type of educational visit was associated with lower hospitalization rates and charges. Nutritionist visits were more strongly associated with reduced hospitalizations than diabetes classes. Each nutritionist visit was associated with a substantial reduction in hospital charges, suggesting that providing these services in the primary care setting may be highly cost-effective for the health care system.
A Prospective Study of Passive Smoking and Risk of Diabetes in a Cohort of Workers
Authors: Hayashino Yasuaki , Fukuhara Shunichi , Okamura Tomonori , Yamato Hiroshi , Tanaka Hideo , Tanaka Taichiro , Kadowaki Takashi , Ueshima Hirotsugu ,   for the HIPOP-OHP Research Group
Published: March 2008

OBJECTIVE—We investigated the impact of active smoking and exposure to passive smoke on the risk of developing diabetes.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Data were analyzed from a cohort of participants in the High-Risk and Population Strategy for Occupational Health Promotion Study (HIPOP-OHP) conducted in Japan from 1999 to 2004. Active and passive smoking status in the workplace was evaluated at baseline.
RESULTS—Of 6,498 participants (20.9% women), a total of 229 diabetes cases were reported over a median 3.4 years of follow-up. In the workplace, compared with zero-exposure subjects, the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios of developing diabetes were 1.81 (95% CI 1.06–3.08, P = 0.028) for present passive subjects and 1.99 (1.29–3.04, P = 0.002) for present active smokers.
CONCLUSIONS—In this cohort, exposure to passive smoke in the workplace was associated with an increased risk of diabetes after adjustment for a large number of possible confounders.
The ePedsQL™ in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Varni James W. , Limbers Christine A. , Burwinkle Tasha M. , Bryant William P. , Wilson Don P. 
Published: March 2008

OBJECTIVE—The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) is a modular instrument designed to measure health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children and adolescents aged 2–18 years. The PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales are child self-report and parent proxy–report scales developed as the generic core measure to be integrated with the PedsQL disease-specific modules. The electronic version of the PedsQL 4.0 (ePedsQL) was designed for Internet administration.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Utilizing a randomized crossover design, the PedsQL scales were administered to 92 pediatric patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and 93 parents in electronic and paper formats.
RESULTS—Missing values (0.76% child report, 0.37% parent report), internal consistency reliability (total scale score α = 0.90 child report, 0.92 parent report), and mean scores (total scale score M = 78.41 child report, 76.19 parent report) were equivalent between the electronic and paper-and-pencil modes of administration. The ePedsQL distinguished between healthy children and children with diabetes.
CONCLUSIONS—The ePedsQL Internet mode of administration demonstrated equivalent measurement properties to the well-established PedsQL paper-and-pencil mode of administration.
Breaks in Sedentary Time
Authors: Healy Genevieve N. , Dunstan David W. , Salmon Jo , Cerin Ester , Shaw Jonathan E. , Zimmet Paul Z. , Owen Neville 
Published: March 2008

OBJECTIVE—Total sedentary (absence of whole-body movement) time is associated with obesity, abnormal glucose metabolism, and the metabolic syndrome. In addition to the effects of total sedentary time, the manner in which it is accumulated may also be important. We examined the association of breaks in objectively measured sedentary time with biological markers of metabolic risk.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Participants (n = 168, mean age 53.4 years) for this cross-sectional study were recruited from the 2004–2005 Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle study. Sedentary time was measured by an accelerometer (counts/minute−1 &lt; 100) worn during waking hours for seven consecutive days. Each interruption in sedentary time (counts/min ≥100) was considered a break. Fasting plasma glucose, 2-h plasma glucose, serum triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, weight, height, waist circumference, and resting blood pressure were measured. MatLab was used to derive the breaks variable; SPSS was used for the statistical analysis.
RESULTS—Independent of total sedentary time and moderate-to-vigorous intensity activity time, increased breaks in sedentary time were beneficially associated with waist circumference (standardized β = −0.16, 95% CI −0.31 to −0.02, P = 0.026), BMI (β = −0.19, −0.35 to −0.02, P = 0.026), triglycerides (β = −0.18, −0.34 to −0.02, P = 0.029), and 2-h plasma glucose (β = −0.18, −0.34 to −0.02, P = 0.025).
CONCLUSIONS—This study provides evidence of the importance of avoiding prolonged uninterrupted periods of sedentary (primarily sitting) time. These findings suggest new public health recommendations regarding breaking up sedentary time that are complementary to those for physical activity.
Detection of Moving Objects in Image Sequences using 3D Velocity Filters
Authors: Schauland Sam , Velten Joerg , Kummert Anton 
Published: March 2008

Detection of Moving Objects in Image Sequences using 3D Velocity FiltersA movement analysis of objects contained in visual scenes can be performed by means of linear multidimensional filters, which have already been analyzed in the past. While the soundness of the results was convincing, interest in those systems declined due to the limited computational power of contemporary computers. Recent advances in design and implementation of integrated circuits and hardware architectures allow realizing velocity filters if then-D system is carefully adapted to the analyzed problem. In this paper, the fundamental principles of visual scene analysis by linear multidimensional filters are examined with respect to possible sources of degradation. The extraction of movement information and its practical use are demonstrated using a wave digital filter (WDF) implementation.
Image Based Analysis of Complex Microstructures of Engineering Materials
Authors: Wejrzanowski Tomasz , Spychalski Wojciech , Różniatowski Krzysztof , Kurzydłowski Krzysztof 
Published: March 2008

Image Based Analysis of Complex Microstructures of Engineering MaterialsThe paper presents various methods for quantitative description of material structures. The main focus is on direct methods of description based on image analysis. In particular, techniques for the estimation of the size, shape and spatial distribution of structural elements observed by different microscopic techniques are described. The application of these methods for the characterization of the structures of engineering materials is demonstrated on a stainless steel used in petrochemical installations. It is shown that the methods applied are useful for the assessment of service degradation of materials.
Local Correlation and Entropy Maps as Tools for Detecting Defects in Industrial Images
Authors: Skubalska-Rafajłowicz Ewa 
Published: March 2008

Local Correlation and Entropy Maps as Tools for Detecting Defects in Industrial ImagesThe aim of this paper is to propose two methods of detecting defects in industrial products by an analysis of gray level images with low contrast between the defects and their background. An additional difficulty is the high nonuniformity of the background in different parts of the same image. The first method is based on correlating subimages with a nondefective reference subimage and searching for pixels with low correlation. To speed up calculations, correlations are replaced by a map of locally computed inner products. The second approach does not require a reference subimage and is based on estimating local entropies and searching for areas with maximum entropy. A nonparametric estimator of local entropy is also proposed, together with its realization as a bank of RBF neural networks. The performance of both methods is illustrated with an industrial image.
Interpolation-Based Reconstruction Methods for Tomographic Imaging in 3D Positron Emission Tomography
Authors: Li Yingbo , Kummert Anton , Boschen Fritz , Herzog Hans 
Published: March 2008

Interpolation-Based Reconstruction Methods for Tomographic Imaging in 3D Positron Emission TomographyPositron Emission Tomography (PET) is considered a key diagnostic tool in neuroscience, by means of which valuable insight into the metabolism functionin vivomay be gained. Due to the underlying physical nature of PET, 3D imaging techniques in terms of a 3D measuring mode are intrinsically demanded to assure satisfying resolutions of the reconstructed images. However, incorporating additional cross-plane measurements, which are specific for the 3D measuring mode, usually imposes an excessive amount of projection data and significantly complicates the reconstruction procedure. For this reason, interpolation-based reconstruction methods deserve a thorough investigation, whose crucial parts are the interpolating processes in the 3D frequency domain. The benefit of such approaches is apparently short reconstruction duration, which can, however, only be achieved at the expense of accepting the inaccuracies associated with the interpolating process. In the present paper, two distinct approaches to the realization of the interpolating procedure are proposed and analyzed. The first one refers to a direct approach based on linear averaging (inverse distance weighting), and the second one refers to an indirect approach based on two-dimensional convolution (gridding method). In particular, attention is paid to two aspects of the gridding method. The first aspect is the choice of the two-dimensional convolution function applied, and the second one is the correct discretization of the underlying continuous convolution. In this respect, the geometrical structure named the Voronoi diagram and its computational construction are considered. At the end, results of performed simulation studies are presented and discussed.
Remarks on Hardware Implementation of Image Processing Algorithms
Authors: Wnuk Marek 
Published: March 2008

Remarks on Hardware Implementation of Image Processing AlgorithmsImage processing in industrial vision systems requires both real-time speed and robustness. Modern computers, which fulfill the first demand, are sensitive to hard industrial environment conditions and require considerable amounts of energy. Programmable logic chips are available, which can realize many simple, still time-consuming operations in a parallel or a pipelined manner. The paper discusses particular features of the pipelined architecture and presents selected techniques of implementing early image processing procedures in hardware.
Traumatic Dislocation of the Hip in a High School Football Player
Authors: Yates Charlotte , Bandy William D , Blasier R Dale 
Published: March 2008

BackgroundAlthough traumatic dislocation of the hip often occurs as a result of automobile accidents, dislocations have been reported to occur during sports activities.ObjectiveUsing the experience in treating a 17-year-old high school football player with a posterior dislocation, complicated by involvement of the sciatic nerve, this case report provides background information on hip dislocations and provides a description of the immediate treatment by the physician, followed by 6 weeks of immobilization, and a detailed account of the 5-month intervention.Case DescriptionThe patient was injured while making a tackle during a high school football game when another player fell on him from behind. The case report describes his plan of care after immediate hip reduction surgery and 6 weeks on crutches. Generally, the program utilized a progression of non–weight-bearing resistance training and stretching in the initial stages of intervention and progressed to weight-bearing activities (on land and in the pool) as the patient was able to tolerate more stress. In addition, the treatment of the sciatic nerve using electrical stimulation during treadmill walking is described.OutcomesThe patient was seen in an outpatient physical therapy clinic an average of 2 times per week for 5 months. At the end of 5 months, results of the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) indicated that recreational and sporting activities were within normal limits, and the patient was able to return to playing on his high school football team the next year.
Changes in nutrient limitation of spring fen vegetation along environmental gradients in the West Carpathians
Authors: Rozbrojová Zuzana , Hájek Michal 
Published: March 2008

AbstractQuestion:How does nutrient limitation vary along major environmental gradients in fens and wet meadows?Location:West Carpathians (Czech Republic, Slovakia).Methods:We recorded total plant species composition in 83 plots of 9 m2. Living above‐ground biomass of total vegetation was sampled. Concentrations of Ca, Fe, N, P, K were determined. Obtained data were analysed by various univariate and multivariate statistical techniques.Results:Major environmental gradients correspond to the poor‐rich vegetation gradient, from poor Sphagnum‐fens to calcareous fens, and the fen‐meadow gradient from sedge‐moss fens to forb‐rich wet meadows. Ca‐concentration in above‐ground biomass was strongly positively correlated with the poor‐rich gradient, while Fe‐ and N‐concentrations had an opposite trend. Poor‐fen vegetation contained little calcium and much iron. The lowest P‐concentrations were found in calcareous tufa‐forming fens. Variation in N:K ratio indicated a slight decrease of K‐availability towards poor fens. Along the fen‐meadow gradient, vegetation uptake of P, K and Ca increases and the uptake of Fe decreases.Conclusions:Our results suggest that variation in the type of nutrient limitation is not a dominant cause of the poor‐rich gradient in fens due to the important role of calcium and iron. Nevertheless, species distribution along the poor‐rich gradient is influenced by phosphorus shortage in tufa‐forming fens and relatively high N‐uptake and low K‐availability in poor fens. Additional P‐ and K‐supply to Ca‐rich fens can alter species composition towards forb‐rich meadows.
Uniformly Shaped Poly(p‐phenylenediamine) Microparticles: Shape‐controlled Synthesis and Their Potential Application for the Removal of Lead Ions from Water
Authors: Wang Jun‐Jie , Jiang Jun , Hu Bo , Yu Shu‐Hong 
Published: March 2008

AbstractA novel method for the shape‐controlled synthesis of uniformly‐shaped poly(p‐phenylenediamine) (PpPD) microparticles with different morphologies under ambient condition has been developed using HAuCl4 as an oxidant and poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) as a surfactant. The results demonstrate that the morphologies of these microparticles can be varied from symmetrical spindle‐like to diamond‐like, centrosymmetric leaf‐like, and parallelogram‐like by tuning the concentration of reactants and their molar ratios. The length of these microparticles varies from 6 to 8 µm while the width can be tuned from 2 to 4 µm. The results demonstrate that PVP as a surfactant only plays a role in controlling the morphology of the polymer particles but has no influence on the polymer structures. UV‐Vis absorption spectroscopy shows the formation of a complex between polymer ligands and lead ions by detection of new absorption peaks. Even though the as‐prepared PpPD microparticles are only partly soluble, they still show an adsorptive affinity for lead ions.
Microemulsion Approach to Non‐Agglomerated and Crystalline Nanomaterials
Authors: Buchold Daniel H. M. , Feldmann Claus 
Published: March 2008

AbstractA wide variety of different nanomaterials, including ZnO, (NH4)Y(C2O4)2·H2O, Y(OH)3, Y2O3, In2O3:Sn, CePO4:Tb, CaCO3, CuS, Co3[Co(CN)6]2, and K3[Co(NO2)6] are realized by a microemulsion approach. While heating the micellar system to reflux (200 to 215 °C), highly crystalline materials can be realized, which are still nanosized and do not agglomerate afterwards. Furthermore, a phase separation is initiated by the addition of diethylene glycol, which allows a facile removal of the nanomaterials by the application of low solvent quantitities, and again excludes agglomeration. Both aspects—the realization of highly crystalline materials and the facile separation of non‐agglomerated particles—represent a useful extension of microemulsion techniques. Besides the number and quality of the nanomaterials, the success of the experimental approach is further proven by the realization of physical properties that are restricted to crystalline materials. Namely, these are the bright colors of Co3[Co(CN)6]2 and K3[Co(NO2)6] as pigments, the electrical conductivity of In2O3:Sn (ITO), and the luminescence of CePO4:Tb.
Silicon Photovoltaics Using Conducting Photonic Crystal Back‐Reflectors
Authors: O'Brien Paul G. , Kherani Nazir P. , Chutinan Alongkarn , Ozin Geoffrey A. , John Sajeev , Zukotynski Stefan 
Published: March 2008

AbstractCurrently, research is being directed towards thinning conventional 200–300µm thick silicon photovoltaic cells by an order of magnitude or more. The benefits of reducing the cell thickness include decreased material costs, enhanced cell flexibility, and reduced effects of light‐induced degradation. However, one of the major challenges associated with reducing the active region to this extent is the corresponding reduction of light absorption. To mitigate this effect it has been proposed that the cell should incorporate enhanced light‐trapping strategies. One potential approach to enhance light trapping in thin photovoltaic cells is to structure the back‐reflector in the form of a photonic crystal (PC). It has recently been shown that two fundamental attributes of PC back‐reflectors optically coupled to thin semiconductor films contribute to enhanced absorption in the semiconductor: (i) the PC back‐reflector behaves as a perfect mirror, exhibiting complete reflection over stop‐gap frequencies; and (ii) the PC–semiconductor film interface couples incident light into resonant states that propagate along the plane of the film, thereby further enhancing the absorption. Although the ability of PC back‐reflectors to enhance absorption is encouraging, significant challenges arise when attempting to incorporate this light trapping technique in photovoltaic devices. Herein, we describe the underlying physical mechanisms that give rise to absorption enhancements in thin Si wafers featuring PC back‐reflectors, and describe hurdles that will have to be surmounted in order to reduce‐to‐practice a PC back‐reflector into an actual PV device.
A new perturbation solution to the Michaelis‐Menten problem
Authors: Dingee John W. , Anton A. Brad 
Published: March 2008

AbstractWe develop a new dimensionless representation of the time‐dependent mass balances for the Michaelis–Menten (MM) reaction mechanism; we identify several dimensionless parameters that control the fundamental nature of the solution; and we solve the scaled equations with a combined regular and singular perturbation expansion. Unlike several approximate solutions to the MM problem offered previously in the literature, each of which is valid only for some limited range of conditions, the new solution converges accurately for any combination of initial substrate concentration, initial enzyme concentration, and kinetic rate constants. We discuss the physical significance and interdependence of the dimensionless parameters that emerge from our scaling analysis; we use these parameters to categorize previous approximations for the MM problem and to delimit their accuracy; and we verify the accuracy of our solution via comparisons to an exact numerical solution and various approximations offered previously by others. © 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2008
Catalytic Oxidation of Organic Substrates by Molecular Oxygen and Hydrogen Peroxide by Multistep Electron Transfer—A Biomimetic Approach
Authors: Piera Julio , Bäckvall Jan‐E. 
Published: March 2008

AbstractOxidation reactions are of fundamental importance in nature, and are key transformations in organic synthesis. The development of new processes that employ transition metals as substrate‐selective catalysts and stoichiometric environmentally friendly oxidants, such as molecular oxygen or hydrogen peroxide, is one of the most important goals in oxidation chemistry. Direct oxidation of the catalyst by molecular oxygen or hydrogen peroxide is often kinetically unfavored. The use of coupled catalytic systems with electron‐transfer mediators (ETMs) usually facilitates the procedures by transporting the electrons from the catalyst to the oxidant along a low‐energy pathway, thereby increasing the efficiency of the oxidation and thus complementing the direct oxidation reactions. As a result of the similarities with biological systems, this can be dubbed a biomimetic approach.
Epoxy nanocomposites containing mercaptopropyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane: Morphology, thermal properties, and toughening mechanism
Authors: Fu Jifang , Shi Liyi , Chen Yi , Yuan Shuai , Wu Jun , Liang Xinlin , Zhong Qingdong 
Published: March 2008

AbstractA novel polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) containing a mercaptopropyl group [mercaptopropyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (MPOSS)] was synthesized via the hydrolytic condensation of γ‐mercaptopropyl triethoxysilane in an ethanol solution catalyzed by concentrated hydrochloric acid and was used to modify epoxy–amine networks by a cocuring reaction with diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA). The structure, morphology, and thermal and mechanical properties of these MPOSS/DGEBA epoxy nanocomposites were studied and investigated with thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis (TGA–DTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). From SEM analysis, we observed that the miscibility between epoxy and POSS occurred at a relatively high POSS content, which characterized this mixture as a polymer nanocomposite system. The impact test showed that MPOSS reinforced the epoxy effectively, and the SEM study of the impact fracture surface showed that the fibrous yielding phenomenon observed was an indication of the transition of the brittle stage to a ductile stage and correlated well with the large increases in the impact strength; this was in agreement with the in situ reinforcing and toughening mechanism. The TGA–DTA analysis indicated that the MPOSS/DGEBA epoxy hybrids exhibited lower thermostability at a lower temperature but higher thermostability and higher efficiency in char formation at an elevated temperature. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the MPOSS/epoxy hybrids were lower than that of the neat epoxy. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008