bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Effectiveness of Immersion Disinfection for Flexible Fiberoptic Laryngoscopes
Authors: Bhattacharyya Neil , Kepnes Lynne J. 
Published: June 2004

OBJECTIVEWe sought to determine whether highlevel disinfection renders fiberoptic laryngoscopes free of nonviral infectious microorganisms.METHODSSix flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopes in heavy use were subjected to surveillance cultures at the beginning, middle, and end of the clinical workday after high‐level disinfection to determine if microorganisms could be recovered. Control cultures were obtained by direct contamination of the endoscope with saliva. The rate of microorganism recovery from the endoscopes after high‐level disinfection was determined and compared with control specimens.RESULTSAmong a total of 48 cultures submitted from in use but disinfected fiberoptic laryngoscopes, 1 positive culture (positive rate, 2.1%) for mold species was recovered. No positive bacterial cultures occurred. Eleven of 11 (100%) control cultures were positive for bacterial species (P < 0.001). The confidence interval for the risk of microorganism contamination of a disinfected laryngoscope ranged from 0.11% to 11.6%.CONCLUSIONHigh‐level disinfection provides a reasonably effective method of reducing bacterial and fungal contamination of flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopes. Appropriate surveillance technique should be used in each clinical setting with flexible fiberoptic scopes to ensure adequate disinfection effectiveness. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2004; 130:681‐5.)
Popular Snore Aids: Do They Work?
Authors: Michaelson Peter G. , Mair Eric A. 
Published: June 2004

OBJECTIVEThe study goal was to critically evaluate 3 popular noninvasive treatments for snoring: an oral spray lubricant applied before bedtime, a nasal strip designed to maintain nasal valve patency, and a head‐positioning pillow.STUDY DESIGNProspective, randomized blinded clinical trial of 3 popular noninvasive snore aids using objective acoustic snoring analysis and subjective patient and bed‐partner questionnaires in 40 snoring patients. A digital recorder allowed snoring analysis with data collected in the home environment over 1 week.RESULTSThere is neither objective nor subjective benefit to the use of tested popular noninvasive snore aids. Palatal snoring, palatal loudness, average loudness of snoring, averaged palatal flutter frequency, and respiratory disturbance index did not significantly change when comparing the 3 snoring aids with no treatment. Subjective comments and complications are reviewed as well.CONCLUSIONThis is the first prospective comparison trial of popular noninvasive snoring aids. There is no significant objective or subjective snoring improvement in the anti‐snoring aids studied compared with the use of no aid.SIGNIFICANCEOutcome studies aid in verifying or refuting claims made by popular noninvasive snore aids. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2004;130: 649‐58.)
Nasal Mucociliary Clearance in Coal Mine Workers
Authors: Çinar Fikret , Beder Levent 
Published: June 2004

OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of coal dust particles on nasal mucociliary function in coal mine workers.METHODUsing the saccharin method, nasal mucociliary clearance was determined for 77 subjects, of which 39 who worked in a coal mine were actively exposed to coal dust whereas 38 were unexposed control subjects. The measurements were performed in the coal mine, at the level of 170 m below sea level.RESULTSThe average saccharin nasal transit time in coal mine workers, 12.61 (SD: 4.30) minutes, is longer than that of the control subjects, 10.97 (SD: 3.22).CONCLUSION: Although the findings of this study demonstrate that the coal particles affect the nasal mucociliary clearance, the difference in saccharin nasal transit time between the two groups (exposed vs unexposed) is not statistically significant (P = 0.063). (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2004;130: 767‐9.)
The Role of Food Allergy in Otitis Media with Effusion
Authors: Aydoğan Barlas , Kiroğlu Mete , Altintas Derya , Yilmaz Mustafa , Yorgancilar Ediz , Tuncer Ülkü 
Published: June 2004

OBJECTIVETo detect the relationship between food allergy and otitis media with effusion (OME).MATERIALS AND METHODSThis study was performed on three different groups. The patient group was made up of 56 patients with OME (group I). There were 28 patients with food allergy in group II and these patients were investigated for OME. The control group consisted of 28 patients without any complaints concerning food allergy or OME (group III).RESULTSFood allergy was detected in 25 patients with OME (44.6%) (group I). In patients with food allergy (group II), OME was detected in 7 patients (25%). In the control group (group III) food allergy was diagnosed in 5 patients (18%) and OME in 1 patient (3%). The incidence of food allergy in OME group was statistically significant when compared to the normal group (P > 0.05).CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that food allergy may play a role in the etiopathogenesis of OME. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2004;130: 747‐50.)
Topical Ciprofloxacin/Dexamethasone Otic Suspension is Superior to Ofloxacin Otic Solution in the Treatment of Granulation Tissue in Children with Acute Otitis Media With Otorrhea Through Tympanostomy Tubes
Authors: Roland Peter S. , Dohar Joseph E. , Lanier Brent J. , Hekkenburg Robert , Lane Edward M. , Conroy Peter J. , Wall G. Michael , Dupre Sheryl J. , Potts Susan L. ,   THE CIPRODEX AOMT STUDY GROUP
Published: June 2004

OBJECTIVEComparison of topical ciprofloxacin/dexamethasone otic suspension (CIP/DEX) to ofloxacin otic solution (OFL) for treatment of granulation tissue in children with AOMT.STUDY DESIGN599 children aged ≥6 months to 12 years with AOMT of up to 3 weeks' duration were enrolled. Patients received either CIP/DEX 4 drops twice daily for 7 days or OFL 5 drops twice daily for 10 days. Granulation tissue severity was graded at clinic visits on days 1, 3, 11, and 18.RESULTSGranulation tissue was present in 90 of 599 AOMT patients (15.0%) at baseline. CIP/DEX treatment was superior to OFL for reduction of granulation tissue at the day 11 visit (81.3% compared with 56.1%, P = 0.0067) and the day 18 visit (91.7% compared with 73.2%, P = 0.0223). Both topical otic preparations are safe and well tolerated in pediatric patients.CONCLUSION: CIP/DEX was superior to OFL in the treatment of granulation tissue in children with AOMT. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2004;130: 736‐41.)
Studying Galactic Chemical Properties by using Cosmological Numerical Simulations
Authors: Tissera Patricia B. , Scannapieco Cecilia 
Published: June 2004

AbstractWe developed a chemical code within gadget2 which allows the description of the enrichment of the Universe as a function of redshift, taking into account detailed metal production by supernovae Ia and II, and metal-dependent cooling. This is the first numerical code that includes both chemical production and metal-dependent cooling in a cosmological context. By analysing the cosmic star formation rate, we found that the effects of considering a metal-dependent cooling are important, principally, for z ≤ 3. In simulations where primordial cooling functions are used, the comoving star formation rate could be up to 20%; lower than those obtained in runs with metal-dependent cooling functions. Within galaxy-like objects, the presence of chemical elements changes the star-formation rates and, consequently, the chemical production and patterns of stars. However, owing to non-linear evolution of the structure, the effects depend on the evolutionary history path of each galaxy-like object.
The Geneva–Copenhagen Survey of the Solar Neighbourhood
Authors: Nordström B. , Andersen J. , Holmberg J. , Jørgensen B. R. , Mayor M. , Pont F. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractWe report on a new survey of metallicities, ages, and Galactic orbits for a complete, magnitude-limited, and kinematically unbiased all-sky sample of 16 682 nearby F- and G-dwarfs. Our ∼ 63 000 new, accurate radial velocities for nearly 13 500 of the stars, combined with Hipparcos parallaxes and Tycho-2 proper motions, complete the kinematic data for 14 139 stars and allow us to identify most of the binary stars in the sample. Isochrone ages have been determined whenever reliable results are possible, with particular attention to realistic error estimates.Among the basic properties of the Galactic disk that can be reinvestigated from our data are the metallicity distribution of G-dwarfs and the age–metallicity and age–velocity relations of the solar neighbourhood. We confirm the lack of metal-poor G-dwarfs relative to classical model predictions (the 'G-dwarf problem'), the near-constancy of the mean metallicity since the formation of the thin disk, and the appearance of the kinematic signature of the thick disk ∼ 10 Gyr ago.
Interactions of Satellite Galaxies in Cosmological Dark Matter Halos
Authors: Knebe Alexander , Gill Stuart P. D. , Gibson Brad K. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractWe present a statistical analysis of the interactions between satellite galaxies in cosmological dark matter halos taken from fully self-consistent high-resolution simulations of galaxy clusters. We show that the number distribution of satellite encounters has a tail that extends to as many as three to four encounters per orbit. On average 30% of the substructure population had at least one encounter (per orbit) with another satellite galaxy. However, this result depends on the age of the dark matter host halo with a clear trend for more interactions in younger systems. We also report a correlation between the number of encounters and the distance of the satellites to the centre of the cluster — satellite galaxies closer to the centre experience more interactions. However, this can be simply explained by the radial distribution of the substructure population and merely reflects the fact that the density of satellites is higher in those regions.In order to find substructure galaxies we applied (and present) a new technique based upon theN-body code MLAPM. This new halo finder MHF (MLAPM’s halo finder) acts with exactly the same accuracy as theN-body code itself and is therefore free of any bias and spurious mismatch between simulation data and halo finding precision related to numerical effects.
Can Dust Destabilise Galactic Disks?
Authors: Theis Christian , Orlova Natalya 
Published: June 2004

AbstractWe studied the dynamic influence of a dust component on the gaseous phase in central regions of galactic disks. We performed two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations for flat, multicomponent disks embedded in a stellar and dark matter potential. The pressure-free dust component is coupled to the gas by a drag force depending on their velocity difference. The most unstable regions are those with either a low or near-to-minimum Toomre parameter or with rigid rotation, i.e. the central area. In those regions the dust-free disks become most unstable for a small range of high azimuthal modes (m ∼ 8), whereas in dusty disks all modes have similar amplitudes resulting in a patchy appearance. The structures in the dust have a larger contrast between arm and interarm regions than those of the gas. The dust peaks are frequently correlated with peaks of the gas distribution, but they do not necessarily coincide with them. This leads to a large scatter in the dust to gas ratios. The appearance of the dust is more cellular (i.e. sometimes connecting different spiral features), whereas the gas is organised in a multi-armed spiral structure. We found that an admixture of 2% dust (relative to the mass of the gas) destabilises gaseous disks substantially, whereas dust to gas ratios below 1% have no influence on the evolution of the gaseous disk. For a high dust to gas ratio of 10% the instabilities reach the saturation level after 30 Myr.
Cosmic Ray Production of 6Li by Virialisation Shocks in the Early Milky Way
Authors: Suzuki Takeru K. , Inoue Susumu 
Published: June 2004

AbstractThe energy dissipated by virialisation shocks during hierarchical structure formation of the Galaxy can exceed that injected by concomitant supernova (SN) explosions. Cosmic rays (CRs) accelerated by such shocks may therefore dominate over SNe in the production of 6Li through α + α fusion without co-producing Be and B. This process can give a more natural account of the observed 6Li abundance in metal-poor stars compared to standard SN CR scenarios. Future searches for correlations between the 6Li abundance and the kinematic properties of halo stars may constitute an important probe of how the Galaxy and its halo formed. Furthermore, 6Li may offer interesting clues to some fundamental but currently unresolved issues in cosmology and structure formation on sub-galactic scales.
Physical Processes in Star–Gas Systems
Authors: Spurzem R. , Berczik P. , Hensler G. , Theis Ch. , Amaro-Seoane P. , Freitag M. , Just A. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractWe first present a recently developed three-dimensional chemodynamic code for galaxy evolution from the Kiev–Kiel collaboration. It follows the evolution of all components of a galaxy, such as dark matter, stars, molecular clouds and diffuse interstellar matter. Dark matter and stars are treated as collisionless N-body systems. The interstellar matter is numerically described by a smoothed particle hydrodynamics approach for the diffuse (hot) gas and a sticky particle scheme for the (cool) molecular clouds. Physical processes, such as star formation, stellar death, or condensation and evaporation processes of clouds interacting with the ISM are described locally. An example application of the model to a star forming dwarf galaxy will be shown for comparison with other codes. Secondly, we will discuss new kinds of exotic chemodynamic processes, as they occur in dense gas–star systems in galactic nuclei, such as non-standard ‘drag’-force interactions, destructive and gas-producing stellar collisions. Their implementation in one-dimensional dynamic models of galactic nuclei is presented. Future prospects to generalise these to three dimensions are in progress and will be discussed.
Galaxy Genesis — Unravelling the Epoch of Dissipation in the Early Disk
Authors: Bland-Hawthorn Joss , Freeman Ken C. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractHow did the Galactic disk form and can the sequence of events ever be unravelled from the vast stellar inventory? This will require that some of the residual inhomogeneities from prehistory escaped the dissipative process at an early stage. Fossil hunting to date has concentrated mostly on the stellar halo, but a key source of information will be the thick disk. This is believed to be a ‘snap frozen’ relic which formed during or shortly after the last major epoch of dissipation, or it may have formed from infalling systems early in the life of the Galaxy. As part of the KAOS Galaxy Genesis project, we explore the early history of the halo and the thick disk by looking for discrete substructures, either due to infall or in situ star formation, through chemical tagging. This will require high signal-to-noise echelle spectroscopy of up to a million stars throughout the disk. Our program has a short-term and a long-term goal.The short-term goal is to quantify the size and structure of the multi-dimensional chemical abundance space (C-space) for all major components of the Galaxy. We seek to establish how many axes in (C-space) are decoupled and have large intrinsic dispersions. A critical test of chemical tagging in the short term is that stellar streams in the halo, identified from detailed phase space information, are highly localised in (C-space), or are confined to chemical tracks. These trajectories presuppose that stars form in a closed box through progressive enrichments of the gas, leading to stars dispersed along a narrow track in a complex chemical space. The long-term goal is to identify unique chemical signatures in the thick disk, originating from different formation sites, for star clusters which have long since dispersed. This will require precise chemical abundances for heavy elements such that a star can be localised to a discrete point in (C-space). If the star clusters originally formed outside the Galaxy in a bound infalling system, the stellar abundances may fall along a chemical track, rather than a discrete point in (C-space).
𝐿²-estimate for the discrete Plateau Problem
Authors: Pozzi Paola 
Published: June 2004

In this paper we prove the

L
2

L^2

convergence rates for a fully discrete finite element procedure for approximating minimal, possibly unstable, surfaces.

Originally this problem was studied by G. Dziuk and J. Hutchinson. First they provided convergence rates in the

H
1

H^1

and

L
2

L^2

norms for the boundary integral method. Subsequently they obtained the

H
1

H^1

convergence estimates using a fully discrete finite element method. We use the latter framework for our investigation.
Multicentre study of validity and interrater reliability of the modified Nursing Care Recording System (NCR11) for assessment of workload in the ICU
Authors: Walther S. M. , Jonasson U. , Karlsson S. , Nordlund P. , Johansson A. , Mälstam J. ,   The south‐eastern Intensive Care Network Of Sweden
Published: June 2004

Background:  Reliable assessment of nursing workload is necessary for the quantitative approach to staffing of intensive care units. The Nursing Care Recording System (NCR11) scores both the nursing contribution to patient care and those related to medical procedures. The purpose of the present work was to compare NCR11 scoring with the Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System (TISS) and Nine Equivalents of Nurse Manpower use Score (NEMS) and to examine the interrater reliability of NCR11 scoring.Methods:  Bias and precision of workload scores (NCR11 vs. TISS or NEMS) were assessed for 6126 consecutive admissions (23910 ICU‐days) at three intensive care units. Inter‐rater reliability was analyzed by having nurses at nine ICUs score workload using NCR11 for three dummy intensive care patient cases presented over a 3‐year period. Variability in scoring was analyzed using the coefficient of variation.Results:  Agreement between NCR11 and TISS or NEMS was poor and limits of agreement were wide. Linear relationships between NCR11 and TISS or NEMS scores differed between units. Variability in NCR11 scoring decreased significantly from 10.4% to 5.9% between dummy cases 1 and 2 and remained low for patient case 3.Conclusion:  The NCR11 does not measure the same elements of workload in the ICU as do TISS and NEMS. Inter‐rater reliability with NCR11 is good, showing little variation in scoring between nurses.
Routine X‐ray control of upper central venous lines: Is it necessary?
Authors: Molgaard O. , Nielsen M. S. , Handberg B. B. , Jensen J. M. , Kjaergaard J. , Juul N. 
Published: June 2004

Background:  Insertion of central venous catheters (CVCs) is a procedure associated with a varying risk of complications, depending on the setting and the skill of the clinician who undertakes the procedure. The aim of this study was to monitor the complication rate of CVC insertion and evaluate the value of routine chest X‐ray control.Methods:  Anesthesiologists at eight hospitals filled in a questionnaire immediately after insertion of a CVC. The post‐procedural clinical evaluation, including expected complications, was compared to actual radiological findings. Chest X‐ray was ordered by the anesthesiologist, and described by staff radiologists.Results:  The clinicians had from 2 months to 30 years of experience as anesthesiologists, and trainees inserted 34% and specialists 66% of the catheters, using landmark techniques. Over a period of 2 months, 473 CVC‐insertion procedures were included in the investigation.Two patients (0.4%) had a pneumothorax: one was among the 11 cases in which the clinician suspected complications after the procedure, and another was found in a high‐risk patient 13 h after CVC insertion. Both patients were treated successfully with chest tubes.The favorite approach was right vena jugularis interna with 324 (69%) catheters; of these patients one had a pneumothorax, catheter‐tip placement was correctly predicted in 317 (97%), and no catheters were repositioned.Conclusion:  In the hands of trained clinicians, insertion of CVCs is a safe procedure. We found no value of routine X‐ray control and omission of routine chest X‐ray must be considered.
Risk‐sensitive foraging theory elucidates risky choices made by heroin addicts
Authors: Bickel Warren K. , Giordano Louis A. , Badger Gary J. 
Published: June 2004

ABSTRACTAim  The behavioral process of risk‐sensitive foraging (RSF) speciﬁes that the level of satiation or deprivation determines choice between a constant and variable quantity of food. Specifically, RSF stipulates that organisms experiencing satiation and deprivation prefer constant (risk‐averse) and variable (risk‐prone) choices, respectively. The relevance of this behavioral process to risky choices of opioid‐dependent patients is examined in this study.Methods  Thirty adult opioid‐dependent out‐patients made hypothetical choices between constant and variable heroin sources with equivalent means. Preferences for constant (e.g. three bags of heroin) and variable heroin sources (e.g. on average produces three bags of heroin, but vary from one to five bags of heroin on any instance) were assessed using questionnaires that manipulated the amount, delay to receipt and drug potency of heroin across approximately 20 levels. Subjects made choices between constant and variable options after hearing scripts describing the signs and symptoms of opioid satiation and opioid deprivation.Results  Consistent with the prediction of RSF, subjects purchased significantly more hypothetical heroin from a variable source when exposed to an opioid‐deprived script than an opioid‐satiated script. This pattern was observed across manipulations of heroin amount, delay to receipt of heroin and heroin potency. Selection of the variable option increased as a function of magnitude under the deprived conditions. The selection of the variable option generally did not increase as a function of magnitude under the satiated conditions except when delay to heroin delivery increased. As delay increased, selection of the variable option increased under the satiated script, but at a lower level observed with the deprived script.Conclusions  These data suggest that risky choices of heroin‐dependent individuals can be understood and predicted with the application of RSF theory. This research suggests that an evolutionarily old behavioral process may contribute to the risky behavior of the drug‐dependent.