bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Service-oriented Subscription Management of Medical Decision Data in the Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Decruyenaere J. , Danneels C. , Taveirne K. , Colpaert K. , Hoste E. , Dhoedt B. , De Turck F. , Van Hoecke S. 
Published: August 2008

Summary

Objectives:
This paper addresses the design of a platform for the management of medical decision data in the ICU. Whenever new medical data from laboratories or monitors is available or at fixed times, the appropriate medical support services are activated and generate a medical alert or suggestion to the bedside terminal, the physician’s PDA, smart phone or mailbox. Since future ICU systems will rely ever more on medical decision support, a generic and flexible subscription platform is of high importance.

Methods:
Our platform is designed based on the principles of service-oriented architectures, and is fundamental for service deployment since the medical support services only need to implement their algorithm and can rely on the platform for general functionalities. A secure communication and execution environment are also provided.

Results:
A prototype, where medical support services can be easily plugged in, has been implemented using Web service technology and is currently being evaluated by the Department of Intensive Care of the Ghent University Hospital. To illustrate the platform operation and performance, two prototype medical support services are used, showing that the extra response time introduced by the platform is less than 150 ms.

Conclusions:
The platform allows for easy integration with hospital information systems. The platform is generic and offers user-friendly patient/service subscription, transparent data and service resource management and priority-based filtering of messages. The performance has been evaluated and it was shown that the response time of platform components is negligible compared to the execution time of the medical support services.
Improving low‐density polyethylene/poly(ethylene terephthalate) blends with graft copolymers
Authors: El‐Nashar D. E. , Maziad N. A. , Sadek E. M. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractBlends of low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) were prepared with different weight compositions with a plasticorder at 240°C at a rotor speed of 64 rpm for 10 min. The physicomechanical properties of the prepared blends were investigated with special reference to the effects of the blend ratio. Graft copolymers, that is, LDPE‐grafted acrylic acid and LDPE‐grafted acrylonitrile, were prepared with γ‐irradiation. The copolymers were melt‐mixed in various contents (i.e., 3, 5, 7, and 9 phr) with a LDPE/PET blend with a weight ratio of 75/25 and used as compatibilizers. The effect of the compatibilizer contents on the physicomechanical properties and equilibrium swelling of the binary blend was investigated. With an increase in the compatibilizer content up to 7 phr, the blend showed an improvement in the physicomechanical properties and reduced equilibrium swelling in comparison with the uncompatibilized one. The addition of a compatibilizer beyond 7 phr did not improve the blend properties any further. The efficiency of the compatibilizers (7 phr) was also evaluated by studies of the phase morphology (scanning electron microscopy) and thermal properties (differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis). © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Differential diagnostic features of small cell carcinoma in the uterine cervix
Authors: Kim Min Jung , Kim Na Rae , Cho Hyun Yee , Lee Soon Pyo , Ha Seung Yeon 
Published: August 2008

AbstractSmall cell carcinoma (SMCC) of the uterine cervix is rare and known to be an aggressive tumor, but there are only few reports on the cytologic features of cervical SMCC. This rare small cell lesion should be distinguished from malignant lymphoma (ML), squamous cell carcinoma in situ (SCIS), and chronic lymphocytic cervicitis (CLC). By clarifying cytologic features and reevaluating the significance of cervical cytologic smears to reveal these cervical lesions, we can improve the diagnostic specificity and patient's outcome. The clinical record and available cervical smears from 13 cases of SMCC, four cases of malignant lymphoma, 20 cases of SCIS, and five cases of CLC were analyzed. The cytologic differential diagnostic points of SMCC were nuclear molding and smearing (100%), salt and pepper chromatin (100%), exudative and necrotic background (91.7%), various architectures including individual cells (83.3%), tight clusters (75%) and feathering and strip (50%), and inconspicuous nucleoli (75%). Early diagnosis of the cervical SMCC by cytology and treatment is important for better outcome of patients. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2008;36:618–623. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
High‐grade neuroendocrine carcinoma presenting as an abscess: Diagnosis by fine needle aspiration and review of the literature
Authors: Herbst Jonathon B. , Walts Ann E. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractNeuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC) comprise about 2% of all carcinomas. Review of the literature indicates only a few cases of NEC presenting as an abscess, all having been diagnosed by tissue biopsy. Here, we report the FNA diagnosis of a high‐grade neuroendocrine carcinoma presenting as an abscess of the axilla/chest wall in a 68‐year‐old man and review the pertinent literature. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2008;36:670–673. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Time‐lapse video observation of erosion processes on the Black Marls badlands in the Southern Alps, France
Authors: Yamakoshi Takao , Mathys Nicolle , Klotz Sébastien 
Published: August 2008

AbstractIn order to clarify the erosion processes on a marly bare slope in the Southern Alps, the erosion processes in a steep and erodible slope composed of the Black Marls Formation were observed by a time‐lapse video camera. The observations revealed that miniature debris flows (MDFs) occurred at the time of the rainfall‐runoff event in which the most severe erosion took place in the whole observation period of 3 months. Analysis of the camera images showed some characteristics of the MDFs, and these are discussed in the context of real rainfall‐runoff phenomena observed at the outlet of a small experimental basin including the visually observed slope. The following results were obtained. (1) A rough estimation of the total amount of sediment discharge by the MDFs showed that it was not negligible quantitatively. (2) The MDFs occurred only during the rising limb of the hydrograph during 6 minutes. (3) Based on this observation and a review of the literature, in a very steep and highly erodible slope, MDFs or similar phenomena might play an important role in the erosion and transport processes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.
Seismic loading impacts on excess pore‐water pressure maintain landslide triggered flowslides
Authors: Wang Gonghui , Sassa Kyoji 
Published: August 2008

AbstractDuring the 2003 Sanriku‐Minami earthquake, Japan, a flowslide was triggered on a slope of about 13.5º. The displaced landslide mass developed into a flowslide and deposited on a horizontal rice paddy after traveling approximately 130 m. To study the trigger and movement mechanisms of this landslide, field investigation and laboratory ring‐shear tests were performed. Field investigation revealed that the landslide originated from a fill slope, where a gully was buried for cultivation some decades ago, and shallow ground water was present. Undrained monotonic and cyclic ring‐shear tests on a sample (pyroclastic deposits) taken from the source area revealed that the soil is highly liquefiable, and its steady‐state shear strength can be little affected by overconsolidation. Using the seismic records of the earthquake, probable seismic loadings on the sliding surface were synthesized and applied to the samples in ring‐shear tests, which were performed under undrained or partially drained conditions. The undrained and partially drained tests revealed that shear failure can be triggered by the introduction of seismic loading and formation of excess pore‐water pressure. The generation of excess pore‐water pressure along with increase of shear displacement and the inhibited dissipation of excess pore‐water pressure due to the thickness of the saturated soil layer above the sliding surface probably enabled the continued post‐failure landsliding. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Generalised reliability‐based syndrome decoding of LDPC codes
Authors: Li Guangwen , Feng Guangzeng 
Published: August 2008

AbstractAimed at bridging the gap between the maximum likelihood and the suboptimal decoding schemes for short or medium LDPC codes, a generalised ordered statistic decoding (OSD), in the form of syndrome decoding, is presented in the paper. The OSD is invoked once when a nonzero decoding syndrome is returned for the preceded belief propagation (BP) or min‐sum (MS) variants. With respect to the OSD with an accumulative reliability metric for the BP in the logarithmic likelihood ratio (LLR) domain, we extend the metric to the BP in the probability domain. Furthermore, the OSD with the metric specific for the MS variants, shows an appealing trade‐off between performance and complexity. Meanwhile, when determining the optimal error pattern estimation, an alternative designed to reduce the number of the required real additions proves to be effective. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A composite scaffold of PLGA microspheres/fibrin gel for cartilage tissue engineering: Fabrication, physical properties, and cell responsiveness
Authors: Zhao Haiguang , Ma Lie , Gao Changyou , Shen Jiacong 
Published: August 2008

AbstractA composite scaffold of poly(L‐lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres and fibrin gel was fabricated by blending fibrinogen‐immobilized PLGA microspheres with fibrinogen and thrombin solution. The PLGA microspheres with a size of 70 ∼ 100 μm were aminolyzed in a hexanediamine/n‐propanol solution to introduce free amino groups on their surface. The fibrinogen immobilization was achieved by glutaraldehyde coupling. When the NH2 content on the microsphere surface was increased from ∼2 × 10−8 mol/mg to ∼4 × 10−8 mol/mg, the fibrinogen amount was correspondingly increased from ∼35 μg/mg to ∼70 μg/mg. Measured by UV‐VIS spectroscopy, the clotting time of the composite was less influenced by the microsphere amount, but mainly controlled by the thrombin concentration. When the thrombin concentration was higher than 15 U/mL, the gelation could be finished within 1 min and yielded a composite with evenly suspended and distributed PLGA microspheres. Blending with the microspheres could significantly improve the elastic modulus of the hydrogel as well, whereas less influence on the chondrocyte proliferation and extracellular matrix production. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2009
The curve integration method is comparable to manual segmentation for the analysis of bone/scaffold composites using micro‐CT
Authors: Hilldore Amanda J. , Morgan Abby W. , Woodard Joseph R. , Wagoner Johnson Amy J. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractMicrocomputed tomography (micro‐CT) is becoming a more common imaging technique in tissue engineering and has been used to characterize scaffold pore size, pore fraction, and bone ingrowth, among other characteristics. Despite the increasingly widespread use, no standards exist for segmenting images. Manual segmentation, a common segmentation method, is subjective, time consuming, and has been shown to be inaccurate and unreliable. The curve integration method was previously introduced as a method to accurately calculate the volume fraction of constituents in bone scaffolds from micro‐CT data. In this article, the curve integration method is compared to manual image segmentation in order to validate the former method. Three cases are presented from two in vivo bone regeneration studies that include cross‐sections from a rabbit calvarial defect used to study drug delivery, and cross‐sections and small volumes of hydroxyapatite scaffold‐bone composites from a porcine intramuscular study. The analysis shows that the curve integration method models the data accurately and can be used to calculate volume fractions of the materials in the sample. Furthermore, the curve integration method is faster and less labor intensive than manual image segmentation. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2009
PLDLA mesh and 60/40 biphasic calcium phosphate in iliac crest regeneration in the goat
Authors: Krijnen Matthijs R. , Smit Theo H. , Everts Vincent , Wuisman Paul I. J. M. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractAlthough morbidity of the iliac crest after grafting has been reported to occur frequently, it is the most widely used donor site. A proper regeneration of the defect could decrease morbidity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of two types of reconstruction of standardized critical size defects of the iliac crest after 3, 6, and 12 months. Standardized critical defects in iliac crests were bilaterally reconstructed in 28 goats randomly with (1) no reconstruction (group A); (2) a bioresorbable polylactide mesh (group B); or (3) 60/40 biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) granules placed within a bioresorbable mesh (group C). At follow up, the iliac crests were harvested for histologic, histomorphometric, and radiologic analyses. The defects treated with “mesh‐BCP” (group C) showed a significantly (p = 0.03) larger area with diffuse bone formation, while only a small area of high density trabecular bone ingrowth was observed in the “no reconstruction” (group A) and “mesh group” (group B). However, no difference in the total volume of bone was observed; in group C, the bone was more diffusely spread over the defect. Substitution of the BCP granules by trabecular bone did not start before 6 months. At the 12 months time point, extensive resorption of BCP was found because of phagocytic activity of numerous multinucleated giant cells. We confirm the positive influence of BCP on bone formation but due to a slow rate of resorption of BCP, regeneration takes a relatively long period of time. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2009
Selective oxidation of styrene on an oxygen‐adsorbed Au(111): A density functional theory study
Authors: Xue Li‐Qin , Pang Xian‐Yong , Wang Gui‐Chang 
Published: August 2008

AbstractThe reaction mechanism for the styrene selective oxidation on the oxygen preadsorbed Au(111) surface has been studied by the density functional theory calculation with the periodic slab model. The calculated results showed that the process of reaction includes two steps: forming the oxametallacycle intermediate (OMME) and then producing the products. It was found that the second step, from OMME to product is the rate‐controlling step, which is similar to ethylene selective oxidation on Ag. Importantly, the present density‐functional‐theory calculation results suggested that the mechanism via the OMME (2) (i.e. the preadsorbed atomic oxygen bound to the CH2 group involved in C6H5CHCH2) to produce styrene epoxide is kinetically favored than that of OMME (1). © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2009
Morphology, development, and evolution of fetal membranes and placentation in squamate reptiles
Authors: Blackburn Daniel G. , Flemming Alexander F. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractCurrent studies on fetal membranes of reptiles are providing insight into three major historical transformations: evolution of the amniote egg, evolution of viviparity, and evolution of placentotrophy. Squamates (lizards and snakes) are ideal for such studies because their fetal membranes sustain embryos in oviparous species and contribute to placentas in viviparous species. Ultrastructure of the fetal membranes in oviparous corn snakes (Pituophis guttatus) shows that the chorioallantois is specialized for gas exchange and the omphalopleure, for water absorption. Transmission and scanning electron microscopic studies of viviparous thamnophine snakes (Thamnophis, Storeria) have revealed morphological specializations for gas exchange and absorption in the intra‐uterine environment that represent modifications of features found in oviparous species. Thus, fetal membranes in oviparous species show morphological differentiation for distinct functions that have been recruited and enhanced under viviparous conditions. The ultimate in specialization of fetal membranes is found in viviparous skinks of South America (Mabuya) and Africa (Trachylepis, Eumecia), in which placentotrophy accounts for nearly all of the nutrients for development. Ongoing research on these lizards has revealed morphological specializations of the chorioallantoic placenta through which nutrient transfer is accomplished. In addition, African Trachylepis show an invasive form of implantation, in which uterine epithelium is replaced by invading chorionic cells. Ongoing analysis of these lizards shows how integration of multiple lines of evidence can provide insight into the evolution of developmental and reproductive specializations once thought to be confined to eutherian mammals. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Ecol.) 312B:579–589, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
α‐Phenyl‐n‐tert‐butyl‐nitrone attenuates lipopolysaccharide‐induced brain injury and improves neurological reflexes and early sensorimotor behavioral performance in juvenile rats
Authors: Fan Lir‐Wan , Chen Ruei‐Feng , Mitchell Helen J. , Lin Rick C. S. , Simpson Kimberly L. , Rhodes Philip G. , Cai Zhengwei 
Published: August 2008

AbstractOur previous study showed that treatment with α‐phenyl‐n‐tert‐butyl‐nitrone (PBN) after exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) reduced LPS‐induced white matter injury in the neonatal rat brain. The object of the current study was to further examine whether PBN has long‐lasting protective effects and ameliorates LPS‐induced neurological dysfunction. Intracerebral (i.c.) injection of LPS (1 mg/kg) was performed in postnatal day (P) 5 Sprague Dawley rat pups and PBN (100 mg/kg) or saline was administered intraperitoneally 5 min after LPS injection. The control rats were injected (i.c.) with sterile saline. Neurobehavioral tests were carried out from P3 to P21, and brain injury was examined after these tests. LPS exposure resulted in severe brain damage, including enlargement of ventricles bilaterally, loss of mature oligodendrocytes, impaired myelination as indicated by the decrease in myelin basic protein immunostaining, and alterations in dendritic processes in the cortical gray matter of the parietal cortex. Electron microscopic examination showed that LPS exposure caused impaired myelination as indicated by the disintegrated myelin sheaths in the juvenile rat brain. LPS administration also significantly affected neurobehavioral functions such as performance in righting reflex, wire hanging maneuver, cliff avoidance, negative geotaxis, vibrissa‐elicited forelimb‐placing test, beam walking, and gait test. Treatment with PBN, a free radical scavenger and antioxidant, provided protection against LPS‐induced brain injury and associated neurological dysfunction in juvenile rats, suggesting that antioxidation might be an effective approach for therapeutic treatment of neonatal brain injury induced by infection/inflammation. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Vasoactive intestinal peptide inhibits toll‐like receptor 3‐induced nitric oxide production in Schwann cells and subsequent sensory neuronal cell death in vitro
Authors: Lee Hyunkyoung , Park Kyungpyo , Kim Joong Soo , Lee Sung Joong 
Published: August 2008

AbstractWe have previously reported that polyinosinic‐polycytidylic acids [poly(I:C)], a synthetic toll‐like receptor 3 (TLR3) agonist, induce Schwann cell activation, which exerts neurotoxic effects on sensory neurons. In this study, we investigated the effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a neuropeptide implicated in nerve regeneration, on TLR3‐induced Schwann cell activation. VIP receptors VPAC1 and VPAC2 were constitutively expressed in rat Schwann cells. VIP pretreatment inhibited TLR3‐induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene expression and NO production in Schwann cells. Studies on the intracellular signal transduction pathways indicate that the VIP effect is mediated by protein kinase A activation. VIP also inhibited the poly(I:C)‐induced p38 activation that is responsible for the iNOS gene expression in Schwann cells. Finally, VIP inhibited dorsal rooyt ganglion neuronal cell death caused by NO produced in activated Schwann cells. Taken together, our data suggest that VIP exerts a neuroprotective effect by inhibiting neurotoxic Schwann cell activation. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Inverse relationship between the length of the EGFR CA repeat polymorphism in lung carcinoma and protein expression of EGFR in the carcinoma
Authors: Suzuki Masaya , Kageyama Shinji , Shinmura Kazuya , Okudela Koji , Bunai Tomoyasu , Nagura Kiyoko , Igarashi Hisaki , Kiyose Shinichiro , Mori Hiroki , Tao Hong , Goto Masanori , Takamochi Kazuya , Mochizuki Takahiro , Suzuki Kazuya , Ohashi Riuko , Ogawa Hiroshi , Yamada Takeshi , Niwa Hiroshi , Tsuneyoshi Toshihiro , Sugimura Haruhiko 
Published: August 2008

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesThere is a CA dinucleotide repeat polymorphism in the first intron of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene. Our aim was to examine the relationship between the CA repeat length in lung carcinoma and EGFR mutation, EGFR gene copy number, and EGFR protein expression level in the carcinoma.MethodsWe examined 168 lung carcinomas for the length of the CA repeat polymorphism by PCR–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis, for EGFR mutations by sequencing analysis, for EGFR gene copy number by fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis, and for EGFR protein expression by immunohistochemical analysis.ResultsWhen the carcinomas were divided into two groups according to the length of their CA repeat polymorphism, the EGFR protein expression level was found to be significantly higher in the shorter allele group than in the longer allele group (P = 0.0116), but its length was not associated with EGFR somatic mutations, high EGFR gene copy numbers, or clinicopathological factors, such as histological type or stage.ConclusionsThe results suggested that the length of the EGFR CA repeat polymorphism in lung carcinoma is inversely related with level of EGFR protein expression in the carcinoma. J. Surg. Oncol. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Orientation‐Selective Incorporation of Transmembrane F0F1 ATP Synthase Complex from Micrococcus luteus in Polymer‐Supported Membranes
Authors: Tutus Murat , Rossetti Fernanda F. , Schneck Emanuel , Fragneto Giovanna , Förster Friedrich , Richter Ralf , Nawroth Thomas , Tanaka Motomu 
Published: August 2008

AbstractWe report the vectorial incorporation of a highly asymmetric F0F1 ATP synthase complex from Micrococcus luteus into polymer‐supported membranes. Dynamic light scattering and cryo electron microscopy confirm that the use of weak surfactants (bile acid) allows for the non‐disruptive protein incorporation into lipid vesicles. Spreading of vesicles with ATP synthase onto a cellulose support results in a homogeneous distribution of proteins, in contrast to a patchy image observed on bare glass slides. The orientation of ATP synthase can be identified using an antibody to the ATP binding site as well as from topographic profiles of the surface. The method to “align” transmembrane proteins in supported membranes would open a possibility to quantify protein functions in biomimetic model systems.magnified image