bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Understanding the alliance data
Authors: Schilling Melissa A. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractA considerable body of research utilizes large alliance databases (e.g., SDC, MERIT‐CATI, CORE, RECAP, and BIOSCAN) to study interorganizational relationships. Understanding the strengths and limitations of these databases is crucial for informing database selection and research design. In this study I conduct an analysis of five prominent alliance databases. Focusing on technology alliances (those formed for the purposes of joint research or cross‐technology transfer), I examine the databases' consistency of coverage and completeness, and assess whether different databases yield the same patterns in sectoral composition, temporal trends, and geographic patterns in alliance activity. I also replicate three previously published alliance studies to assess the impact of data limitations on research outcomes. The results suggest that the databases only report a fraction of formally announced alliances, which could have detrimental consequences for some types of research. However, the databases exhibit strong symmetries in patterns of sectoral composition, alliance activity over time, and geographic participation. Furthermore, the replications of previous studies yielded results that were highly similar to those obtained in the original studies. This study thus provides some reassurance that even though the databases only capture a sample of alliance activity, they may yield reliable results for many—if not all—research purposes. This information should help researchers make better‐informed decisions about their choice of database and research design. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluating the recovery‐oriented approach through the systematic development of real complex applications
Authors: Magalhães João , von Staa Arndt , de Lucena Carlos José Pereira 
Published: September 2008

AbstractRecovery‐oriented software is built with the perspective that hardware or software failures and operation mistakes are facts to be coped with, as they are problems that cannot be fully solved while developing real complex applications. Consequently, any software will always have a non‐zero chance of failure. Some of these failures may be caused by defects that may be removed or encapsulated. From the point of view of removing or encapsulating defects, a failure is considered to be trivial, when (i) the required effort to identify and eliminate or encapsulate the causing defect is small, (ii) the risk of making mistakes in these steps is also small and (iii) the consequences of the failure are tolerable. It is highly important to design systems in such a way that most (ideally all) of the failures are trivial. Such systems are called ‘debuggable systems’. In this study, we present the results of systematic applying techniques that focus on creating debuggable software for real embedded applications. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Maternal endothelial function and serum concentrations of placental growth factor and soluble endoglin in women with abnormal placentation
Authors: Savvidou M. D. , Noori M. , Anderson J. M. , Hingorani A. D. , Nicolaides K. H. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractObjectivesTo determine whether maternal serum concentrations of placental growth factor (PlGF) and soluble endoglin (sEng) are altered in women who subsequently develop pre‐eclampsia (PE) or have small‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA) infants, and whether these changes are associated with maternal endothelial dysfunction.MethodsMaternal serum PlGF and sEng were measured in two groups of pregnant women at 23–25 weeks' gestation: Group A (n = 40), with normal uterine artery Doppler waveforms and Group B (n = 43) with abnormal Doppler. Maternal endothelial dysfunction was assessed by flow‐mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery. Comparisons between groups were performed using one‐way analysis of variance.ResultsIn Group B, 16 women had normal outcome, 15 delivered SGA infants and 12 developed PE. Women who developed PE had lower levels of PlGF (154.8 ± 150.8 vs. 423.3 ± 230.5 pg/mL; P < 0.001) (data given as mean ± SD) and higher levels of sEng (8.1 (7.0–14.1) vs. 6.5 (4.9–7.9) pg/mL; P < 0.05) (data given as median (interquartile range)) than Group A. Similar were the findings in women who delivered SGA infants. In women who subsequently developed PE, there was no correlation between FMD and either PlGF or sEng.ConclusionsMaternal serum concentrations of PlGF and sEng are altered in women who develop PE. However, these alterations do not correlate directly with maternal endothelial dysfunction. Copyright © 2008 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Realization of High Performance AR‐coatings with Dust‐ and Water‐Repellent Properties
Authors: Bruynooghe S. , Spinzig S. , Fliedner M. , HSU G.J. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractHydrophobic coatings enable the manufacture of easy‐to‐clean surfaces having dust‐ and water‐repellent properties. In this work, a hydrophobic coating is deposited as a top layer on an antireflective (AR) multilayer system to produce low reflectance optical surfaces at a normal incident angle in the visible spectrum with dust‐ and water‐repellent properties for applications in precision optics. It is shown that the hydrophobic coating can be considered, from an optical point of view, as two adjacent thin layers having specific thicknesses and densities. In fact, the hydrophobic layer is one monolayer comprising molecular chains with anchoring groups responsible for the chemical bond with the substrate material and functional groups responsible for the water‐ and oil‐repellent properties. Their optical constants are determined and included in the final coating design. High performance AR coatings having an average reflectance of 0.14% at 7° incident angle in the 400‐680nm spectral range together with a pleasing purplered reflex color are produced. Coated lenses exhibit an excellent abrasion resistance, environmental stability, resistance to cleaning agents, homogeneity and water repellence with contact angles against water higher than 110°.
From probabilistic forecasts to statistical scenarios of short‐term wind power production
Authors: Pinson Pierre , Madsen Henrik , Nielsen Henrik Aa. , Papaefthymiou George , Klöckl Bernd 
Published: September 2008

AbstractShort‐term (up to 2–3 days ahead) probabilistic forecasts of wind power provide forecast users with highly valuable information on the uncertainty of expected wind generation. Whatever the type of these probabilistic forecasts, they are produced on a per horizon basis, and hence do not inform on the development of the forecast uncertainty through forecast series. However, this additional information may be paramount for a large class of time‐dependent and multistage decision‐making problems, e.g. optimal operation of combined wind‐storage systems or multiple‐market trading with different gate closures. This issue is addressed here by describing a method that permits the generation of statistical scenarios of short‐term wind generation that accounts for both the interdependence structure of prediction errors and the predictive distributions of wind power production. The method is based on the conversion of series of prediction errors to a multivariate Gaussian random variable, the interdependence structure of which can then be summarized by a unique covariance matrix. Such matrix is recursively estimated in order to accommodate long‐term variations in the prediction error characteristics. The quality and interest of the methodology are demonstrated with an application to the test case of a multi‐MW wind farm over a period of more than 2 years. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparison of pitching and plunging effects on the surface pressure variation of a wind turbine blade section
Authors: Soltani M. R. , Seddighi M. , Marzabadi F. Rasi 
Published: September 2008

AbstractNumerous experiments were conducted on an oscillating airfoil in a subsonic wind tunnel. The experiments involved measuring the surface pressure distribution when the model oscillated in two types of motion, pitch and plunge, at three different Reynolds numbers, 0.42, 0.63 and 0.84 million, and over a range of reduced frequencies, k = 0.03–0.09. The unsteady aerodynamic loads were calculated from the surface pressure measurements, 64 ports, along the chord for both upper and lower surfaces of the model. Particular emphasis was placed on the effects of different types of motion on the unsteady pressure distribution of the airfoil at pre‐stall, near‐stall and post‐stall conditions. It was found that variations of the pressure distribution and aerodynamic loads with angle of attack were strongly sensitive to the displacement, oscillation frequency and mean angle of attack. The width of the hysteresis loop, position of the ‘figure‐8 shape’ and slope of the pressure coefficient curve are influenced by both types of motion, pitch and plunge. The main difference between plunging and pitching motions is due to the presence of the pitch rate for the pitching motion case, which was absent in the plunging case. Pitch rate had the strongest influence on pressure data in the near‐stall and post‐stall conditions. The trend of increasing the width of the hysteresis loops of lift coefficients with changing reduced frequency was different in two motions in the pre‐stall and post‐stall regions. The aerodynamic damping was greater for the pitching case than for the plunging one at higher reduced frequencies due to the existence of the pitch rate in the pitching oscillation, which was reversed at lower reduced frequencies. In the near‐stall region, at higher reduced frequency, the dynamic stall angle for the pitching oscillation increased while for the plunging one the effect was minimal. Increasing the oscillation amplitude was more effective for the plunging motion than for the pitching one. The effects of surface grit roughness on the pressure signature for both types of motion were also investigated. Applying the surface roughness near the leading edge affected the performance of the airfoil significantly. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Testing a deterministic implementation against a non-controllable non-deterministic stream X-machine
Authors: Hierons Robert M. , Ipate Florentin 
Published: September 2008

Abstract
A stream X-machine (SXM) is a type of extended finite state machine with an associated development approach that consists of building a system from a set of trusted components. One of the great benefits of using SXMs for the purpose of specification is the existence of test generation techniques that produce test suites that are guaranteed to determine correctness as long as certain well-defined conditions hold. One of the conditions that is traditionally assumed to hold is controllability: this insists that all paths through the SXM are feasible. This restrictive condition has recently been weakened for testing from a deterministic SXM. This paper shows how controllability can be replaced by a weaker condition when testing a deterministic system against a non-deterministic SXM. This paper therefore develops a new, more general, test generation algorithm for testing from a non-deterministic SXM.
The diagnostic value of ultrasound in cystic kidney diseases
Authors: Vester Udo , Kranz Birgitta , Hoyer Peter F. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractRenal cysts in childhood can be found in a variety of diseases, which can be congenital or acquired, or renal cysts may be part of a multiorgan disease or restricted to the kidneys only. Ultrasonography is the first-line diagnostic tool and is informative in many cases. However, there is a broad spectrum in the sonographic appearance of renal cysts, and family or genetic studies, a search for extrarenal organ involvement, or additional imaging modalities may be required to make a definitive diagnosis. The aim of this article is to summarize the diagnostic potential and limitations of ultrasonography and depict typical examples of the most important cystic entities.
Fractal Nanotechnology
Authors: Cerofolini GF , Narducci D , Amato P , Romano E 
Published: September 2008

Abstract
Self-similar patterns are frequently observed in Nature. Their reproduction is possible on a length scale 102–105 nm with lithographic methods, but seems impossible on the nanometer length scale. It is shown that this goal may be achieved via a multiplicative variant of the multi-spacer patterning technology, in this way permitting the controlled preparation of fractal surfaces.
Populationsgenetik des humanen X-Chromosoms
Authors: Szibor R. 
Published: September 2008

Zusammenfassung
Die mitochondriale DNA und das Y-Chromosom (ChrY) weisen einen sehr hohen Informationsgehalt hinsichtlich der Entwicklungsgeschichte des Menschen und der verwandtschaftlichen Nähe humaner Populationen auf. Das liegt daran, dass mit Ausnahme der pseudoautosomalen Regionen des ChrY beide genomischen Kompartimente nicht rekombinieren und dass die Typisierung haploider Marker automatisch die Identifizierung von Haplotypen erlaubt. Das X-Chromosom (ChrX) nimmt hinsichtlich seines Rekombinationsverhaltens eine intermediäre Stellung zwischen den Autosomen und dem ChrY ein. Auch seine populationsgenetische Bedeutung beruht z. T. auf der leichteren Identifizierbarkeit von Haplotypen. Während ChrY und mtDNA aber jeweils nur einen einzigen Locus mit einheitlicher Entwicklungsgeschichte repräsentieren, setzt sich das ChrX aus mehreren Abschnitten zusammen, die jeweils eine eigene Historie reflektieren können. Daher erscheinen ChrX-Studien immer dann besonders sinnvoll, wenn Subpopulationen voneinander unterschieden oder regionale ethnische Strukturen erforscht werden sollen. Aus populationsgenetischer Sicht spielt die Analyse von Kopplungsungleichgewichten zwischen ChrX-Markern eine besondere Rolle, da mit ihrer Hilfe genetische Isolate und die Abstammung einzelner Gruppierungen von kleinen Gründerpopulationen nachgewiesen werden können. Populationen mit häufigen und hohen Kopplungsungleichgewichten haben eine besondere Bedeutung für die Identifizierung der Gene, deren Variation zur Ätiologie multifaktorieller Erkrankungen beiträgt.
Populationsgenetische mitochondriale DNA-Daten
Authors: Bandelt H.-J , Parson W. 
Published: September 2008

Zusammenfassung
Der populationsgenetische Aspekt der Nutzung mitochondrialer DNA in der Forensik und medizinischen Genetik bezieht sich implizit auf die gesamte Datengrundlage und die mtDNA-Phylogenie, von der in Hinblick auf die zu untersuchenden Fragestellungen gezielt Teile ausgesondert werden. Wir heben besonders jene Aspekte hervor, die in der Vergangenheit bei vielen Untersuchungen nicht adäquat berücksichtigt wurden.
Grundlagen der pränatalen Diagnostik
Authors: Aichinger E. , Zerres K. , Grimm T. 
Published: September 2008

Zusammenfassung
Pränatale Diagnostik kann heute mit unterschiedlichen Methoden, nichtinvasiv und invasiv, erfolgen. Gute humangenetische Grundkenntnisse sind erforderlich, um die Rat suchende Schwangere mit ihrem Partner umfassend zu informieren, damit von diesen auf der Grundlage des „informed consent“ alle notwendigen Entscheidungen getroffen werden können.
Age-Specific PSA Reference Values Based on a Screening Population of British Men
Authors: Winkler M.H. , Mayer E.K. , Carter A. , Kulinskaya E. , Green J.S.A. 
Published: September 2008

Objective: Age-specific PSA reference values are recommended by the Department of Health and NICE as a referral trigger for men with abnormal PSA values. They are arbitrary values in the UK and are based on the international literature. Patients and methods: Data of 1970 men with benign histology from the Gwent screening study were used out of a cohort of 2063 men. The adaptive trimmed maximum likelihood method as the best way of removing outliers which do not come from a log-normal distribution was used after data transformation. The 95% percentile was used as cut-off value. Results: The true statistical 95% percentile for PSA in a screening population for the age groups 50–59.9 years, 60–69.9 years and 70–79.9 years are 3.2ng/ml, 5.6ng/ml and 8.1 ng/ml, respectively. Conclusions: These values differ from the recommended referral cut-off values by the Department of Health. The adoption of higher values for the older age groups may be a sensible policy to avoid unnecessary investigation in elder men with high PSA values due to benign disease.
What is the Role of Retrograde Ureteroscopy in the Management of Large Renal Calculi?
Authors: Forster J.A. , Moazzam M. , Lloyd S.N. 
Published: September 2008

Background and purpose: The management of large renal calculi has traditionally been with percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) or occasionally extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). We present our experience of ureteroscopic treatment of large renal calculi in patients where PCNL/ESWL were contraindicated, refused or failed. Patients and methods: Data from 30 patients with intra-renal calculi ≥20 mm was prospectively entered onto a database and analysed. Patients were treated with rigid and flexible ureteroscopy (URS) using holmium laser or lithoclast (pneumatic) lithotripsy. Results: Mean stone size was 2.8cm (range 2.0–6.0cm). The most common indications were ESWL failure (40%), anatomical reasons (20%), patient choice (10%) and failed PCNL access (7%). Stone clearance (no fragments >3 mm on follow-up imaging) was observed after one URS treatment alone in 30% of patients and a further 27% with a post-operative session of ESWL. Two URS sessions alone were used in 23% of patients, with a single patient needing two URS and post-operative ESWL. Three URS sessions plus ESWL was used in 7% of patients. Three patients (10%) required PCNL. Median operative time was 60min. Complications were minimal: four patients had urinary tract infection, one failed trial without catheter, one atrial fibrillation, and one stent migration. Conclusion: Where PCNL is not favoured for any reason, patients with a large stone burden can be safely and effectively managed with retrograde URS, either with the intention of stone clearance or de-bulking prior to ESWL.
Retracted: Isosorbide mononitrate versus alendronate for postmenopausal osteoporosis
Authors: Nabhan Ashraf F. , Rabie Noha H. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractObjectiveTo compare the effectiveness, safety, and affordability of isosorbide mononitrate with alendronate for postmenopausal osteoporosis.MethodsA randomized controlled trial of 60 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 20 mg daily of isosorbide mononitrate or 70 mg weekly of alendronate for 12 months. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured using dual X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) at baseline and after 12 months.ResultsBoth groups showed significant improvement in BMD. Isosorbide mononitrate yielded a comparable effect to alendronate for BMD and T‐score at the end of the follow‐up period. For BMD and T score the mean differences between the 2 groups were – 0.005 (95% CI, – 0.02 to 0.03) and 0.31 (95% CI, – 0.03 to 0.64), respectively. A 10.8% and 12.1% change in BMD after 12 months was seen for isosorbide mononitrate and alendronate, respectively.ConclusionIsosorbide mononitrate is comparable to alendronate. Nitric oxide donors may be an effective and affordable therapy to improve bone mineral density.
Bilateral uterine artery ligation via minilaparotomy for heavy menstrual bleeding
Authors: Hassanin Ibrahim M.A. , Shahin Ahmed Y. , Abdel‐Hafeez Ahmed T. , Salem Hosam T. , El‐Nashar Sherif A. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the safety and short‐term efficacy of bilateral uterine artery ligation (UAL) via minilaparotomy for the management of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB).MethodsA prospective study of 30 women with HMB who underwent UAL. The primary outcome was cumulative treatment failure 12 months after the procedure. Treatment failure was defined as the need for hysterectomy during the follow‐up period.ResultsAt 12 months, 6 women had undergone hysterectomy for bleeding, for a cumulative failure rate of 20% (95% CI, 9%–38%). The number of bleeding days was significantly reduced by 11.9 ± 1.5 days (P < 0.001) and hemoglobin level significantly increased by 1.3 ± 0.15 g/dL (P < 0.001). Of the 30 women, 24 (80%) were satisfied with the results. No major complications were reported during the procedure or median follow‐up period of 13.2 months.ConclusionBilateral UAL is a safe and effective minimally invasive procedure that can provide an alternative treatment for HMB.
Paleoclimate reconstruction in the Levant region from the geochemistry of a Holocene stalagmite from the Jeita cave, Lebanon
Authors: Verheyden Sophie , Nader Fadi H. , Cheng Hai J. , Edwards Lawrence R. , Swennen Rudy 
Published: September 2008

AbstractDated oxygen and carbon isotopic profiles from a Holocene stalagmite (11.9–1.1 ka) from the Jeita cave, Lebanon, are compared to variations in crystallographic habit, stalagmite diameter and growth rate. The profiles show generally high δ18O and δ13C values during the late-glacial period, low values during the early Holocene, and again high values after 5.8 ka. On the basis of the good correlation between the morphological and crystallographic aspect of the stalagmite and its isotopic records, as well as the isotopic response of speleothems from central and northern Israel, we relate high δ18O and δ13C values to drier conditions. Between 6.5 and 5.8 ka an increase in isotopic values, a decrease in growth rate and stalagmite diameter suggest a transition from wet conditions in the early Holocene towards drier conditions in the mid-Holocene. The transition occurred in two steps, first a progressive change to drier conditions started at 6.5 ka but was interrupted by a short (∼ 100 years) return to wetter conditions, followed by an equally rapid (< 200 years) change to drier conditions.
Desensitization of the soluble guanylyl cyclase/cGMP pathway by lipopolysaccharide in rat isolated pulmonary artery but not aorta
Authors: El‐Awady M S H , Smirnov S V , Watson M L 
Published: September 2008

Background and purpose:To investigate the function of soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC)/3′,5′‐cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) pathway in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced changes in vascular reactivity of rat isolated pulmonary artery and aorta.Experimental approach:Nitric oxide (NO) production, contraction responses to endothelin‐1 (ET‐1), relaxation responses to sodium nitroprusside (SNP), 8‐pCPT‐cGMP, BAY412272 and T‐0156, SNP‐induced cGMP production and expression of sGCα1, sGCβ1and 3′,5′‐cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase‐5 (PDE5) proteins were measured in LPS‐treated pulmonary and aortic rings from male Wistar rats.Key results:In both vessels, LPS (10 μg mL−1, 20 h) increased NO production, which was inhibited by the selective inducible NOS (iNOS) inhibitor 1400W (1 μM). In the aorta, LPS decreased ET‐1‐induced contractility and this decrease was inhibited by the selective sGC inhibitor ODQ (10 μM) but not by removal of endothelium, or inhibitors of cyclooxygenase (indomethacin, 10 μM) or iNOS (1400W, 1 μM). Furthermore, aortic relaxation responses to the direct sGC activator BAY412272 were enhanced. In the pulmonary artery, SNP (1 nMto 30 μM)‐induced relaxation and cGMP production, BAY412272‐induced relaxation and sGCβ1protein expression were decreased, whereas relaxation responses to the PDE5‐specific inhibitor T‐0156 (0.1–100 nM) were enhanced. Relaxation responses to the phosphodiesterase‐resistant cGMP analogue, 8‐pCPT‐cGMP, and protein expression levels of sGCα1and PDE5 were not altered in either vessel.Conclusion and implications:LPS caused a selective hypocontractility of rat aorta to ET‐1 mediated mainly through NO‐independent sGC activation, whereas in the pulmonary artery, the effect of sGC activation was reduced by a decreased protein expression of sGCβ1together with increased PDE5 activity.British Journal of Pharmacology(2008)155, 1164–1173; doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.358; published online 22 September 2008