bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Job stress is associated with migraine in current workers: The Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA‐Brasil)
Authors: Santos I.S. , Griep R.H. , Alves M.G.M. , Goulart A.C. , Lotufo P.A. , Barreto S.M. , Chor D. , Benseñor I.M.
Published: April 2014

Background

Migraine is an important source of social burden and work‐related costs. Studies addressing the association of migraine with job stress are rare.

Objectives

The aim of this paper was to study the association of job stress components and migraine using structured, validated questionnaires that were part of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA‐Brasil).

Methods

The ELSA‐Brasil is a multicentre cohort of 15,105 civil servants (12,096 current workers) in Brazil. Job strain was assessed using the 17‐item Brazilian version of the Swedish Demand‐Control‐Support Questionnaire. Headache episodes in the preceding 12 months were assessed using a questionnaire based on the International Headache Society criteria. We analysed the association between job stress domains and migraine in men and women using adjusted logistic regression and interaction models.

Results

We included 3113 individuals without headache and 3259 migraineurs. Low job control [odds ratio (OR) 1.30; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.10–1.53], high job demands (OR 1.37; 95% CI 1.18–1.59) and low social support (OR 1.49; 95% CI 1.29–1.71) were associated with migraine. Job control was more strongly associated with migraine in women (p for interaction = 0.02). High‐strain (high demand and low control) jobs were associated with migraine in both men (OR 1.48; 95% CI 1.11–1.97) and women (OR 1.51; 95% CI 1.17–1.95).

Conclusions

We observed a strong association between high‐strain jobs and migraine. Job control was a stronger migraine‐related factor for women. Low social support was associated with migraine in both sexes.
Identifying subgroups of paediatric chronic pain patients: A cluster‐analytic approach
Authors: Wager J. , Zernikow B. , Darlington A. , Vocks S. , Hechler T.
Published: April 2014

Background

Paediatric chronic pain patients are a heterogeneous group. Individuals respond differently to standardized treatment.

Objectives

This study aimed to identify subgroups of adolescent chronic pain patients.

Methods

Subgroups were identified by means of a cluster analysis (Sample A, nA = 266). The stability of clusters was tested in a cross‐validation with a second sample (Sample B, nB = 108). In a third sample (Sample C, nC = 83), differences in change scores of the outcome parameters were tested between cluster subgroups 12 months after a standardized treatment.

Results

Five distinct cluster subgroups with pain problems differing by pain intensity, school absence, pain‐related disability, passive pain coping and affective pain perception were identified. Two groups reported overall moderate pain problems and differed with regard to passive pain coping, which was low in Cluster 1 and moderate in Cluster 2. The patients in Cluster 3 reported severe pain problems, including high pain‐related disability and frequent school absences. The patients in Clusters 4 and 5 reported very severe pain problems, with those in Cluster 5 reporting very frequent school absences. Cross‐validation was performed to assess the accuracy of our subgrouping and indicated a stable cluster solution (κ = 0.64). The five subgroups displayed distinct patterns in treatment outcome after a standardized multidisciplinary treatment program. The mean change scores were significantly different between subgroups [F(4,78) = 5.88; p = 0.017].

Conclusions

The patient subgroups that were established proved stable across samples. Depending on the subgroup classification, patients differed in changes of core outcomes. These results offer initial hints for the need for subgroup‐specific treatment planning.
Effects of immediate‐release opioid on memory functioning: a randomized‐controlled study in patients receiving sustained‐release opioids
Authors: Kamboj S.K. , Conroy L. , Tookman A. , Carroll E. , Jones L. , Curran H.V.
Published: April 2014

Background

The effects of opioid medication on cognitive functioning in patients with cancer and non‐cancer pain remain unclear.

Method

In this mechanistic randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, cross‐over study of patients (n = 20) receiving sustained‐release and immediate‐release opioid medication as part of their palliative care, we examine memory effects of an additional dose of participants' immediate‐release medication (oxycodone or morphine) or placebo. Immediate prose recall and recall of related and unrelated word pairs was assessed pre‐and post‐drug (placebo or immediate‐release opioid). Memory for these stimuli was also tested after a delay on each testing occasion. Finally, performance on an ‘interference’ word pair task was assessed on the two testing occasions since proactive interference has been posited as a mechanism for acute opioid‐induced memory impairment.

Result

Unlike previous work, we found no evidence of memory impairment for material presented before or after individually tailored, ‘breakthrough’ doses of immediate‐release opioid. Furthermore, immediate‐release opioid did not result in increased memory interference. On the other hand, we found enhanced performance on the interference word pair task after immediate‐release opioid, possibly indicating lower levels of interference.

Conclusion

These results suggest that carefully titrated immediate‐release doses of opioid drugs may not cause extensive memory impairment as previously reported, and in fact, may improve memory in certain circumstances. Importantly, our findings contrast strikingly with those of a study using the same robust design that showed significant memory impairment. We propose that factors, such as depressive symptoms, education level and sustained‐release opioid levels may influence whether impairment is observed following immediate‐release opioid treatment.
Tafenoquine at therapeutic concentrations does not prolong fridericia‐corrected QT interval in healthy subjects
Authors: Green Justin A. , Patel Apurva K. , Patel Bela R. , Hussaini Azra , Harrell Emma J. , McDonald Mirna J. , Carter Nick , Mohamed Khadeeja , Duparc Stephan , Miller Ann K.
Published: April 2014

Tafenoquine is being developed for relapse prevention in Plasmodium vivax malaria. This Phase I, single‐blind, randomized, placebo‐ and active‐controlled parallel group study investigated whether tafenoquine at supratherapeutic and therapeutic concentrations prolonged cardiac repolarization in healthy volunteers. Subjects aged 18–65 years were randomized to one of five treatment groups (n = 52 per group) to receive placebo, tafenoquine 300, 600, or 1200 mg, or moxifloxacin 400 mg (positive control). Lack of effect was demonstrated if the upper 90% CI of the change from baseline in QTcF following supratherapeutic tafenoquine 1200 mg versus placebo (ΔΔQTcF) was <10 milliseconds for all pre‐defined time points. The maximum ΔΔQTcF with tafenoquine 1200 mg (n = 50) was 6.39 milliseconds (90% CI 2.85, 9.94) at 72 hours post‐final dose; that is, lack of effect for prolongation of cardiac depolarization was demonstrated. Tafenoquine 300 mg (n = 48) or 600 mg (n = 52) had no effect on ΔΔQTcF. Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling of the tafenoquine–QTcF concentration–effect relationship demonstrated a shallow slope (0.5 ms/μg mL–1) over a wide concentration range. For moxifloxacin (n = 51), maximum ΔΔQTcF was 8.52 milliseconds (90% CI 5.00, 12.04), demonstrating assay sensitivity. In this thorough QT/QTc study, tafenoquine did not have a clinically meaningful effect on cardiac repolarization.
Signal functions in delayed discriminative stimulus control by reinforcement sources
Authors: Kuroda Toshikazu , Lattal Kennon A.
Published: April 2014

The discriminative functions of the response–reinforcer relation may contribute to the changes in response rates that occur when reinforcement is delayed. These properties were investigated in three experiments with pigeons using a discrete‐trials conditional discrimination procedure. A concurrent variable‐interval schedule was arranged on two side keys during a sample component. The key peck that ended the schedule (the sample response) initiated a delay with either a stimulus present throughout the delay interval (full signal), a stimulus present only during the first second of the interval (partial signal), or no stimulus present (unsignaled delay). The delay was followed by a choice component where one alternative was reinforced if the left sample response produced the choice component and the other if the right sample response produced the choice component. Accuracy was high with a full signal; slightly lower with a partial signal; and lowest without a signal. The results parallel the effects of similar delays programmed in conventional reinforcement schedules. This in turn suggests a possible discriminative effect of the response–reinforcer relation in the control of behavior by (delayed) reinforcement.
Intertechnique agreement and interstudy reproducibility of strain and diastolic strain rate at 1.5 and 3 tesla: A comparison of feature‐tracking and tagging in patients with aortic stenosis
Authors: Singh Anvesha , Steadman Christopher D. , Khan Jamal N. , Horsfield Mark A. , Bekele Soliana , Nazir Sheraz A. , Kanagala Prathap , Masca Nicholas G.D. , Clarysse Patrick , McCann Gerry P.
Published: April 2014

Purpose

To determine the interstudy reproducibility of myocardial strain and peak early‐diastolic strain rate (PEDSR) measurement on cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessed with feature tracking (FT) and tagging, in patients with aortic stenosis (AS).

Materials and Methods

Cardiac MRI was performed twice (1–14 days apart) in 18 patients (8 at 1.5 Tesla [T], 10 at 3T) with moderate–severe AS. Circumferential peak systolic strain (PSS) and PEDSR were measured in all patients. Longitudinal PSS and PEDSR were assessed using FT in all patients, and tagging in the 3T sub‐group.

Results

PSS was higher with FT than tagging (21.0 ± 1.9% versus 17.0 ± 3.4% at 1.5T, 21.4 ± 4.0% versus 17.7 ± 3.0% at 3T, P < 0.05), as was PEDSR (1.3 ± 0.3 s−1 versus 1.0 ± 0.3 s−1, P = 0.10 at 1.5T and 1.3 ± 0.4 s−1 versus 0.8 ± 0.3 s−1, P < 0.05 at 3T). The reproducibility of PSS was excellent with FT (coefficient of variation [CoV] 9–10%) and good with tagging at 1.5T (13–19%). Reproducibility of circumferential PEDSR was best at 1.5T when only basal/mid slices were included (CoV 12%), but moderate to poor at 3T (29–35%). Reproducibility of longitudinal strain was good with FT (10–16%) but moderate for PEDSR (∼30%).

Conclusion

In patients with AS, FT consistently produces higher values compared with tagging. The interstudy reproducibility of PSS is excellent with FT and good with tagging. The reproducibility of circumferential PEDSR at 1.5T is good when only basal and mid slices are used. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2015;41:1129–1137. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Brain‐derived neurotrophic factor gene polymorphism predicts interindividual variation in the sleep electroencephalogram
Authors: Guindalini Camila , Mazzotti Diego R. , Castro Laura S. , D'Aurea Carolina V.R. , Andersen Monica L. , Poyares Dalva , Bittencourt Lia R.A. , Tufik Sergio
Published: April 2014

Previous studies have suggested that brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) participates in the homeostatic regulation of sleep. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of the Val66Met functional polymorphism of the BDNF gene on sleep and sleep EEG parameters in a large population‐based sample. In total 337 individuals participating in the São Paulo Epidemiologic Sleep Study were selected for analysis. None of the participants had indications of a sleep disorder, as measured by full‐night polysomnography and questionnaire. Spectral analysis of the EEG was carried out in all individuals using fast Fourier transformation of the oscillatory signals for each EEG electrode. Sleep and sleep EEG parameters in individuals with the Val/Val genotype were compared with those in Met carriers (Val/Met and Met/Met genotypes). After correction for multiple comparisons and for potential confounding factors, Met carriers showed decreased spectral power in the alpha band in stage one and decreased theta power in stages two and three of nonrapid‐eye‐movement sleep, at the central recording electrode. No significant influence on sleep macrostructure was observed among the genotype groups. Thus, the Val66Met polymorphism seems to modulate the electrical activity of the brain, predicting interindividual variation of sleep EEG parameters. Further studies of this and other polymorphic variants in potential candidate genes will help the characterization of the molecular basis of sleep. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
On the role of 5‐HT1A receptor gene in behavioral effect of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor
Authors: Naumenko Vladimir S. , Kondaurova Elena M. , Bazovkina Daria V. , Tsybko Anton S. , Il'chibaeva Tatyana V. , Popova Nina K.
Published: April 2014

Experiments were made on a congenic AKR.CBA‐D13Mit76C (76C) mouse strain created by transferring a chromosome 13 fragment containing the 5‐HT1A receptor gene from a CBA strain to an AKR background. It was shown that 76C mice differed from AKR mice by decreased 5‐HT1A receptor and tryptophan hydroxylase‐2 (tph‐2) genes expression in the midbrain. Functional activity of 5‐HT2A receptors and 5‐HT2A receptor mRNA levels in the midbrain and hippocampus of 76C mice were decreased compared with AKR mice. Central brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) administration (300 ng i.c.v.) reduced 5‐HT1A and 5‐HT2A receptor mRNA levels in the frontal cortex and tph‐2 mRNA level in the midbrain of AKR mice. However, BDNF failed to produce any effect on the expression of 5‐HT1A, 5‐HT2A, and tph‐2 genes in 76C mice but decreased functional activity of 5‐HT2A receptors in 76C mice and increased it in AKR mice. BDNF restored social deficiency in 76C mice but produced asocial behavior (aggressive attacks towards young mice) in AKR mice. The data indicate that a small genetic variation altered the response to BDNF and show an important role of 5‐HT1A receptor gene in the 5‐HT system response to BDNF treatment and in behavioral effects of BDNF. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Implant wear induced inflammation is mitigated in CX3CR1−/− mice
Authors: Ren Weiping , Jackson Nancy , Song Wei , Shi Tong , Flynn Jeffrey C. , Markel David C.
Published: April 2014

Wear debris‐induced monocyte recruitment plays a key role in the formation of chronic periprosthetic tissue inflammation associated with aseptic loosening. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role(s) of chemokine receptor CX3CR1 in ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) particle‐induced tissue inflammation using a murine air pouch model developed in CX3CR1 knockout (CX3CR1−/−) mice. UHMWPE debris or saline were introduced into established air pouches on CX3CR1−/− and CX3CR1+/+ mice. Pouch tissues were collected 7 days after UHMWPE inoculation. Results showed that UHMWPE stimulation induced strong pouch tissue inflammation in CX3CR1+/+ mice, as manifested by inflammatory cellular infiltration (mainly macrophages), pouch tissue proliferation, and increased gene expression of IL‐1ß and TNFα. UHMWPE‐induced inflammation was significantly mitigated in CX3CR1−/− mice, as manifested by reduction of tissue inflammation (pouch thickness and cell density), inflammatory cytokine production (IL‐1ß and TNFα) and macrophage accumulation. The observations support the hypothesis that the activation of the CX3CR1 chemokine pathway contributes to the severity of UHMWPE particle‐induced tissue inflammation, and suggests that CX3CR1 signaling is involved in the recruitment of monocytes to the wear debris‐containing inflammatory tissues. Blocking of CX3CR1 pathway may represent a viable therapeutic approach to the prevention and treatment of patients with aseptic loosening. © 2014 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 32:1037–1043, 2014.
Characterization of protein, lipid and mineral contents in common Norwegian seaweeds and evaluation of their potential as food and feed
Authors: Mæhre Hanne K , Malde Marian K , Eilertsen Karl‐Erik , Elvevoll Edel O
Published: April 2014

BACKGROUND

The objectives of this study were to examine protein and amino acid composition, lipid and fatty acid composition, along with a range of essential minerals in common Norwegian seaweed species representing the red (Palmaria palmata and Vertebrata lanosa), green (Cladophora rupestris, Enteromorpha intestinalis and Ulva lactuca) and brown (Alaria esculenta, Laminaria digitata, Laminaria hyperborea, Fucus vesiculosus and Pelvetia canaliculata) classes and assess their potential as alternatives to cereals in food and feed. As macroalgae accumulate heavy metals, arsenic, cadmium and mercury were also analyzed.

RESULTS

Proteins ranged from 34 to 123 g kg−1 dry weight (DW) and the essential amino acid levels may cover both human and salmonid requirements. Lipids were low (6–58 g kg−1 DW), but the red algae had high relative content of long‐chained omega‐3 fatty acids (32–34 % of the fatty acids). Iodine contents were particularly high in the Laminaria species. Of the heavy metals only arsenic levels may be of concern.

CONCLUSION

In total, the red alga P. palmata was regarded as the best alternative to cereals in food and feed. For several of the other species, single‐component extraction for the ingredients market may be better than using the whole product. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry
Two Non‐covalent Methods to Decorate Nanoparticles with Block Copolymers
Authors: Schatz Christophe
Published: April 2014

The physical adsorption of block copolymers is a simple and reliable approach to functionalize the surface of organic or inorganic nanoparticles. This article presents two novel methods of particle coating with block copolymers that may apply to various aqueous colloidal dispersions. The first method relies on the use of charged block copolymers having two adsorbing blocks, which can adopt a typical anchor‐buoy conformation at the particle surface when proper conditions are used. The second approach consists of self‐assembling a bilayer of amphiphilic block copolymers around charged nanoparticles. In both cases, a special emphasis is placed on the process used to control and orient the molecular interactions between the copolymer and the particles.

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Asymptotic analysis for the eikonal equation with the dynamical boundary conditions
Authors: Al‐Aidarous Eman S. , Alzahrani Ebraheem O. , Ishii Hitoshi , Younas Arshad M. M.
Published: April 2014

We study the dynamical boundary value problem for Hamilton‐Jacobi equations of the eikonal type with a small parameter. We establish two results concerning the asymptotic behavior of solutions of the Hamilton‐Jacobi equations: one concerns with the convergence of solutions as the parameter goes to zero and the other with the large‐time asymptotics of solutions of the limit equation.
Educational Outcomes Necessary to Enter Pharmacy Residency Training
Authors: Hester Elizabeth Kelly , McBane Sarah E. , Bottorff Michael B. , Carnes Tristan A. , Dell Kamila , Gonyeau Michael J. , Greco Angelo J. , McConnell Karen J. , Skaar Debra J. , Splinter Michele Y. , Trujillo Toby C.
Published: April 2014

It is the position of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) that formal postgraduate residency training, or equivalent experience, is required to enter direct patient care practice. Therefore, it is important to align professional degree educational outcomes with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to enter residency training. This position statement addresses the outcomes necessary in the professional degree program curriculum to ensure the ability of pharmacy graduates to transition effectively into postgraduate year one residency training. Five key outcome areas are identified: communication, direct patient care, professionalism, research, and practice management. The position statement examines how performance in each of the five outcome areas should be addressed by professional degree programs. The ACCP believes that for the student to achieve the clinical proficiency necessary to enter residency training, the professional degree program should emphasize, assess, and provide adequate opportunities for students to practice: communication with patients, caregivers, and members of the health care team in direct patient care environments; provision of direct patient care in a wide variety of practice settings, especially those involving patient‐centered, team‐based care; professionalism under the supervision and guidance of faculty and preceptors who model and teach the traits of a health care professional; application of principles of research that engender an appreciation for the role of research and scholarship in one's professional development; and application of practice management, including documentation of direct patient care activities that affect drug‐related outcomes.
Thermoresponsive dendronized polymeric sensors
Authors: Liu Lianxiao , Li Wen , Yan Jiatao , Zhang Afang
Published: April 2014

The first (G1) and second generation (G2) of dendronized copolymers carrying solvatochromic dyes were synthesized, and their thermoresponsive properties investigated. These copolymers were constituted with oligoethylene glycol (OEG)‐based dendrons to afford the thermoresponsiveness and disperse red 1 to act as the dye probe. The possible architecture and structure effects on sensoring were investigated by changing dendron generation from G1 to G2, and the interior structures of G2 polymers from hydrophilic OEG into hydrophobic alkyl chain. The sensoring ability of these copolymers to temperature and solution pH was examined with UV/Vis spectroscopy. Combined with the supports from fluorescence spectroscopy, remarkable thickness effects of dendronized polymers were discovered on the transitions of the dye moieties during the thermally‐induced aggregation process. This work enriches the field of thermoresponsive colorimetric polymeric sensors, and provides an in‐depth understanding of state changes of the dye probe during the thermally‐induced phase transitions within these bulky dendronized polymers. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014, 52, 1706–1713
Social support and health‐related quality of life in women with breast cancer: a longitudinal study
Authors: Leung Janni , Pachana Nancy A. , McLaughlin Deirdre
Published: April 2014

Objectives

A breast cancer diagnosis is a distressing event that impacts on physical and psychological functioning. This study examined the longitudinal relationships among a diagnosis of breast cancer, social support, and health‐related quality of life (HRQOL).

Methods

Participants were 412 women from the 1946–1951 birth cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health who self‐reported a new diagnosis of breast cancer between 1998 and 2007. The three surveys of longitudinal data analyzed included data 3 years before diagnosis, at diagnosis (baseline), and 3 years after diagnosis (follow‐up). Social support was measured using the 19‐item Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey; HRQOL was measured using the Medical Outcomes Study 36‐item Short‐Form Health Survey.

Results

Compared with pre‐diagnosis HRQOL, women newly diagnosed with breast cancer reported significantly poorer HRQOL in subscales related to pain, physical functioning, and health and vitality. At 3‐year follow‐up, HRQOL had improved in most domains to levels consistent with pre‐diagnosis. Levels of social support remained stable across time. The structural equation model showed that social support was positively predictive of better physical and mental HRQOL at 3‐year follow‐up.

Conclusions

Longitudinal analyses indicate that social support appears to be an important predictor of HRQOL in women diagnosed with breast cancer. In particular, positive emotional and informational support that may normally be provided by a partner is important in maintaining HRQOL. Identification of those lacking social support, especially patients without partners, will enable them to be guided to appropriate support networks and programs. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Role of International Migration Experience for Investment at Home: Direct, Indirect, and Equalising Effects in Senegal
Authors: Mezger Kveder Cora , Beauchemin Cris
Published: April 2014

This paper investigates the impact of international migration on investments of Senegalese in real estate and business assets in their home country, using longitudinal data from the ‘Migration between Africa and Europe’ survey. The objective is to examine the role of personal migration experience (direct role), access to migrant networks (indirect role), and migration as a compensation mechanism for disadvantaged groups (equalising role). The results suggest that personal migration experience stimulates investment in assets but that its role varies by the type of migration experience. Business owners are predominantly returnees who had migrated within Africa, while living or having lived in Europe increases the likelihood of investment in real estate. Moreover, migration helps overcome social disadvantages in access to asset ownership, at least for women and less educated individuals. In contrast, the investment behaviour of nonmigrants is not influenced by migration of family members or friends. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Exact results for a generalized spin‐1/2 Ising–Heisenberg diamond chain with the second‐neighbor interaction between nodal spins
Authors: Lisnyi Bohdan , Strečka Jozef
Published: April 2014

The ground state and thermodynamics of a generalized spin‐1/2 Ising–Heisenberg diamond chain with the second‐neighbor interaction between nodal spins are calculated exactly using the mapping method based on the decoration–iteration transformation. Rigorous results for the magnetization, susceptibility, and heat capacity are investigated in dependence on temperature and magnetic field for the frustrated diamond spin chain with the antiferromagnetic Ising and Heisenberg interactions. It is demonstrated that the second‐neighbor interaction between nodal spins gives rise to a greater diversity of low‐temperature magnetization curves, which may include an intermediate plateau at two‐third of the saturation magnetization related to the classical ferrimagnetic (up–up–up–down–up–up–) ground state with translationally broken symmetry besides an intermediate one‐third magnetization plateau reflecting the translationally invariant quantum ferrimagnetic (monomer–dimer) spin arrangement.
Estimation of controlled direct effects in time‐varying treatments using structural nested mean models: application to a primary prevention trial for coronary events with pravastatin
Authors: Shinozaki Tomohiro , Matsuyama Yutaka , Ohashi Yasuo
Published: April 2014

For the estimation of controlled direct effects (i.e., direct effects controlling intermediates that are set at a fixed level for all members of the population) without bias, two fundamental assumptions must hold: the absence of unmeasured confounding factors for treatment and outcome and for intermediate variables and outcome. Even if these assumptions hold, one would nonetheless fail to estimate direct effects using standard methods, for example, stratification or regression modeling, when the treatment influences confounding factors. For such situations, the sequential g‐estimation method for structural nested mean models has been developed for estimating controlled direct effects in point‐treatment situations. In this study, we demonstrate that this method can be applied to longitudinal data with time‐varying treatments and repeatedly measured intermediate variables. We sequentially estimate the parameters in two structural nested mean models: one for a repeatedly measured intermediate and the other one for direct effects of a time‐varying treatment. The method was applied to data from a large primary prevention trial for coronary events, in which pravastatin was used to lower the cholesterol levels in patients with moderate hypercholesterolemia. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Test generation from recursive tile systems
Authors: Chédor Sébastien , Jéron Thierry , Morvan Christophe
Published: April 2014

This paper explores the generation of conformance test cases for recursive tile systems (RTSs) in the framework of the classical ioco testing theory. The RTS model allows the description of reactive systems with recursion and is very similar to other models like pushdown automata, hyperedge replacement grammars or recursive state machines. Test generation for this kind of infinite state labelled transition systems is seldom explored in the literature. The first part presents an off‐line test generation algorithm for weighted RTSs, a determinizable sub‐class of RTSs, and the second one an on‐line test generation algorithm for the full RTS model. Both algorithms use test purposes to guide test selection through targeted behaviours. Additionally, essential properties relating verdicts produced by generated test cases with both the soundness, with respect to the specification, and the precision, with respect to a test purpose, are proved. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Disrupting the methionine biosynthetic pathway in Candida guilliermondii: characterization of the MET2 gene as counter‐selectable marker
Authors: Obando Montoya Erika J. , Mélin Céline , Blanc Nathalie , Lanoue Arnaud , Foureau Emilien , Boudesocque Leslie , Prie Gildas , Simkin Andrew J. , Crèche Joël , Atehortùa Lucia , Giglioli‐Guivarc'h Nathalie , Clastre Marc , Courdavault Vincent , Papon Nicolas
Published: April 2014

Candida guilliermondii (teleomorph Meyerozyma guilliermondii) is an ascomycetous species belonging to the fungal CTG clade. This yeast remains actively studied as a result of its moderate clinical importance and most of all for its potential uses in biotechnology. The aim of the present study was to establish a convenient transformation system for C. guilliermondii by developing both a methionine auxotroph recipient strain and a functional MET gene as selection marker. We first disrupted the MET2 and MET15 genes encoding homoserine‐O‐acetyltransferase and O‐acetylserine O‐acetylhomoserine sulphydrylase, respectively. The met2 mutant was shown to be a methionine auxotroph in contrast to met15 which was not. Interestingly, met2 and met15 mutants formed brown colonies when cultured on lead‐containing medium, contrary to the wild‐type strain, which develop as white colonies on this medium. The MET2 wild‐type allele was successfully used to transfer a yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) gene‐expressing vector into the met2 recipient strain. In addition, we showed that the loss of the MET2‐containing YFP‐expressing plasmid can be easily observed on lead‐containing medium. The MET2 wild‐type allele, flanked by two short repeated sequences, was then used to disrupt the LYS2 gene (encoding the α‐aminoadipate reductase) in the C. guilliermondii met2 recipient strain. The resulting lys2 mutants displayed, as expected, auxotrophy for lysine. Unfortunately, all our attempts to pop‐out the MET2 marker (following the recombination of the bordering repeat sequences) from a target lys2 locus were unsuccessful using white/brown colony colour screening. Nevertheless, this MET2 transformation/disruption system represents a new versatile genetic tool for C. guilliermondii. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Crystalline Aminoorganosilanes – Syntheses, Structures, Spectroscopic Properties
Authors: Meinel Birgit , Günther Betty , Schwarzer Anke , Böhme Uwe
Published: April 2014

A number of aminosilanes derived from N‐methylaniline and chloroorganylsilanes were prepared and characterized. X‐ray structure analysis was performed on the crystalline derivatives Ph(Cl)Si(NMePh)2 (4a), HSi(NMePh)3 (2b), MeSi(NMePh)3 (3b), and Ph2Si(NMePh)2 (6b). The compounds were comprehensively characterized by 1H, 13C, 29Si NMR, and IR spectroscopy. Volatile derivatives were further characterized by GC/MS. It was shown using quantum chemical methods that the planarization of the nitrogen atoms in the amino derivatives is caused by phenyl groups and silyl substituents.
Impact of Conventional and Microwave Heating on SAPO‐5 Formation and Brønsted Acidic Properties
Authors: Dang Thi Thuy Hanh , Hoang Dang‐Lanh , Schneider Matthias , Hunger Michael , Martin Andreas
Published: April 2014

The hydrothermal crystallization of SAPO‐5 molecular sieves with Si mole ratios in the range of 0.05 to 0.13 was performed by either conventional or microwave heating to compare the influence of these two techniques on the isomorphous substitution of phosphorus by silicon atoms in the aluminophosphate framework. An extensive characterization of the obtained silicoaluminophosphates by ICP‐OES, SEM, XRD, TPDA, and MAS NMR spectroscopy indicated that conventional heating (drying oven) led to a better crystallinity and a higher content of isolated framework silicon atoms than microwave heating. While microwave heating has the advantage of reducing the crystallization time and conventionally prepared SAPO‐5 materials show better incorporation of isolated silicon atoms into the AFI framework according to the substitution mechanism SM IIa. This lower SM IIa substitution of tetrahedral framework sites by isolated silicon atoms in microwave‐prepared SAPO‐5 materials is the reason for their lower density of Brønsted acidic bridging OH groups [Si(OH)Al]. In contrast, the density of defect OH groups, such as weakly acidic SiOH groups, is higher than for conventionally prepared samples.
Polymorphism of H2SeO3, NaHSeO4 and Na5H3(SeO4)4(H2O)2, and Re‐refinement of the Crystal Structure of Te2O4(OH)2
Authors: Pollitt Stephan , Weil Matthias
Published: April 2014

New modifications (denoted as β‐) of the compounds H2SeO3, NaHSeO4, and Na5H3(SeO4)4(H2O)2 were isolated from aqueous solutions and their crystal structures determined from single crystal data. β‐H2SeO3 crystallizes in the space group P1 with lattice parameters of a = 4.6794(4) Å, b = 5.0988(4) Å, c = 5.7743(5) Å, α = 102.252(6)°, β = 91.594(6)°, γ = 98.054(6)°, and consists of two unique trigonal‐pyramidal SeO(OH)2 units that are held together by O–H···O hydrogen bonds. β‐NaHSeO4 crystallizes in the space group P$\bar{1}$ with lattice parameters of a = 5.0814(2) Å, b = 5.6345(3) Å, c = 6.5125(3) Å, α = 88.352(3)°, β = 73.163(3)°, γ = 82.027(3)°, and is made up of distorted NaO6 octahedra and tetrahedral SeO3(OH)– anions, with the hydrogen atom statistically disordered between two positions. β‐Na5H3(SeO4)4(H2O)2 crystallizes in the space group I2/c with lattice parameters of a = 7.0472(15) Å, b = 13.194(3) Å, c = 17.845(4) Å, β = 101.345(9)°. The asymmetric unit contains three Na+ sites (one situated on a twofold rotation axis and each with a distorted octahedral coordination by oxygen atoms), one water molecule, one SeO3(OH)– anion, and half of an [SeO4···H···O4Se] unit with a very short interpolyhedral O···O distance of 2.447 (4) Å. The crystal structures of the β‐modifications are comparatively discussed with those of the corresponding known α‐modifications. Moreover, the crystal structure of Te2O4(OH)2 was reinvestigated [Pna21, a = 12.0512(8) Å, b = 8.0267(5) Å, c = 4.7268(3) Å], allowing the localization of the hydrogen atoms and hence a more detailed view of the hydrogen bonding system.
Interaction of an α‐Particle with TATB
Authors: Türker Lemi , Varış Serhat
Published: April 2014

Interaction of an alpha particle with triaminotrinitrobenzene (TATB) which is an insensitive explosive has been investigated by density functional calculations. It has been found that α‐particles interact with TATB disturbing its planar geometry. As a result, the C–NO2 bond dissociation energies are substantially decreased, whereas detonation velocity and pressure values increased as compared to TATB. The quantum chemical properties of the structures are presented.
Impact of the RHANI Wives intervention on marital conflict and sexual coercion
Authors: Saggurti Niranjan , Nair Saritha , Silverman Jay G. , Naik Dattaram D. , Battala Madhusudana , Dasgupta Anindita , Balaiah Donta , Raj Anita
Published: April 2014

Objective

To assess the effects of the RHANI (Reducing HIV among Non‐Infected) Wives intervention on marital conflict and intimate partner violence (IPV) in urban India.

Methods

A 2‐armed cluster‐randomized controlled trial (7 intervention, 6 control clusters) of the RHANI Wives intervention was conducted with 220 women contending with a history of IPV and/or husband's drunken behavior. Participants were surveyed at baseline and 4.5‐month follow‐up. Outcome measures included marital conflict (arguments with husband in past 3 months), marital IPV (physical or sexual violence from husband in past 3 months), and marital sexual coercion (husband forcing sex at last sex). Intention‐to‐treat logistic generalized linear mixed models were used to determine intervention impact.

Results

One‐third (35.0%) of participants reported physical or sexual abuse from their husband in the past 3 months, and 58.6% reported that their husband was drunk in the past 30 days. Intention‐to‐treat analyses indicated time × treatment reductions in marital conflict (risk ratio [RR] 0.4; 90% confidence interval [CI], 0.1–0.9; P = 0.06) and marital sexual coercion (RR 0.2; 90% CI, 0.05–0.9; P = 0.08), but not IPV.

Conclusion

The findings suggest the potential utility of this intervention in reducing marital conflict and sexual coercion among women in urban India.

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01592994.
A cohort study of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in pregnancy and associations with uteroplacental blood flow and fetal anthropometrics in Kenya
Authors: McClure Elizabeth M. , Meshnick Steven R. , Lazebnik Noam , Mungai Peter , King Christopher L. , Hudgens Michael , Goldenberg Robert L. , Siega‐Riz Anna‐Maria , Dent Arlene E.
Published: April 2014

Objective

To use ultrasound to explore the impact of malaria in pregnancy on fetal growth and newborn outcomes among a cohort of women enrolled in an intermittent presumptive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine (SP) program in coastal Kenya.

Methods

Enrolled women were tested for malaria at first prenatal care visit, and physical and ultrasound examinations were performed. In total, 477 women who had term, live births had malaria tested at delivery and their birth outcomes assessed, and were included in the study.

Results

Peripheral malaria was detected via polymerase chain reaction among 10.9% (n = 87) at first prenatal care visit and 8.8% (n = 36) at delivery. Insecticide‐treated bed nets (ITNs) were used by 73.6% (n = 583) and were associated with decreased malaria risk. There was a trend for impaired fetal growth and placental blood flow in malaria‐infected women in the second trimester, but not later in pregnancy. Among women with low body mass index (BMI), malaria was associated with reduced birth weight (P = 0.04); anthropometric measures were similar otherwise.

Conclusion

With IPTp‐SP and ITNs, malaria in pregnancy was associated with transient differences in utero, and reduced birth weight was restricted to those with low BMI.
“I'd like to be that attractive, but at least I'm smart”: How exposure to ideal advertising models motivates improved decision‐making
Authors: Sobol Kamila , Darke Peter R.
Published: April 2014

The use of idealized advertising models has been heavily criticized in recent years. Existing research typically adopts a social comparison framework and shows that upward comparisons with models can lower self‐esteem and affect, as well as produce maladaptive behavior. However, the alternative possibility that consumers can cope with threatening advertising models by excelling in other behavioral domains has not been examined. The present research draws on fluid compensation theory (Tesser, 2000) and shows that idealized models motivate improved performance in consumer domains that fall outside that of the original comparison. These more positive coping effects operate through self‐discrepancies induced by idealized models, rather than self‐esteem or negative affect. Specifically, self‐discrepancies motivate consumers to improve decision‐making by: 1) making more optimal choices from well‐specified consideration sets, and 2) better self‐regulating indulgent choices. More broadly, the current research integrates and extends theories of fluid compensation and self‐discrepancy, as well as provides a more complete picture of the ways in which consumers cope with idealized advertising models.
Effect of intravenous amiodarone on QT and T peak–T end dispersions in patients with nonischemic heart failure treated with cardiac resynchronization‐defibrillator therapy and electrical storm
Authors: Ogiso Masataka , Suzuki Atsushi , Shiga Tsuyoshi , Nakai Kenji , Shoda Morio , Hagiwara Nobuhisa
Published: April 2014

Background

The effect of intravenous amiodarone on spatial and transmural dispersion of ventricular repolarization in patients receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) remains unclear.

Methods

We studied 14 patients with nonischemic heart failure who received CRT with a defibrillator, experienced electrical storm and were treated with intravenous amiodarone. Each patient underwent 12‐lead electrocardiography (ECG) and 187‐channel repolarization interval‐difference mapping electrocardiography (187‐ch RIDM‐ECG) before and during the intravenous administration of amiodarone infusion.

Results

A recurrence of ventricular tachyarrhythmia was observed in 2 patients during the early period of intravenous amiodarone therapy. Intravenous amiodarone increased the corrected QT interval (from 470±52 ms to 508±55 ms, P=0.003), but it significantly decreased the QT dispersion (from 107±35 ms to 49±27 ms, P=0.001), T peak–T end (Tp–e) dispersion (from 86±17 ms to 28±28 ms, P=0.001), and maximum inter‐lead difference between corrected Tp–e intervals as measured by using the 187‐ch RIDM‐ECG (from 83±13 ms to 50±19 ms, P=0.001).

Conclusions

Intravenous amiodarone suppressed the electrical storm and decreased the QT and Tp–e dispersions in patients treated by using CRT with a defibrillator.
Identification and dendrochronology of wood found at the Ziegler Reservoir fossil site, Colorado, USA
Authors: Brown Peter M. , Nash Stephen E. , Kline Douglas
Published: April 2014

Over 300 wood fossils were collected from the Ziegler Reservoir fossil site near Snowmass Village in central Colorado, USA. Wood fossils range from fragments of stems and branches only a few centimeters in diameter and length to whole logs >50 cm diameter and >10 m length. Many of the fossils were collected from a “beach” horizon, where they appear to have been washed up on the side of the interglacial lake and buried. The wood is mainly fir (Abies sp.) or Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), with some spruce (Picea sp.), pine (Pinus sp.), and at least one other unidentified conifer species. Douglas-fir and species of fir, spruce, and pine are common in the area today. Dendrochronological analyses compared annual growth rings in fossil wood to similar data from modern trees. Results suggest that fossil trees from the beach horizon grew under similar environmental conditions and annual climate variability as today. Three Douglas-firs and several fir logs also appear to have been alive at the same time based on crossdating of ring widths and other ring characteristics. These trees may have died at the same time, suggesting a stand mortality event in the surrounding forest that resulted in numerous logs being buried synchronously in the beach horizon.
Resonance-driven oscillations in a flexible-channel flow with fixed upstream flux and a long downstream rigid segment
Authors: Xu Feng , Billingham John , Jensen Oliver E.
Published: April 2014

Flow driven through a planar channel having a finite-length membrane inserted in one wall can be unstable to self-excited oscillations. In a recent study (Xu, Billingham & Jensen J. Fluid Mech., vol. 723, 2013, pp. 706–733), we identified a mechanism of instability arising when the inlet flux and outlet pressure are held constant, and the rigid segment of the channel downstream of the membrane is sufficiently short to have negligible influence on the resulting oscillations. Here we identify an independent mechanism of instability that is intrinsically coupled to flow in the downstream rigid segment, which becomes prominent when the downstream segment is much longer than the membrane. Using a spatially one-dimensional model of the system, we perform a three-parameter unfolding of a degenerate bifurcation point having four zero eigenvalues. Our analysis reveals how instability is promoted by a 1:1 resonant interaction between two modes, with the resulting oscillations described by a fourth-order amplitude equation. This predicts the existence of saturated sawtooth oscillations, which we reproduce in full Navier–Stokes simulations of the same system.
Structure of complex networks: Quantifying edge-to-edge relations by failure-induced flow redistribution
Authors: SCHAUB MICHAEL T. , LEHMANN JÖRG , YALIRAKI SOPHIA N. , BARAHONA MAURICIO
Published: April 2014

The analysis of complex networks has so far revolved mainly around the role of nodes and communities of nodes. However, the dynamics of interconnected systems is often focalized on edge processes, and a dual edge-centric perspective can often prove more natural. Here we present graph-theoretical measures to quantify edge-to-edge relations inspired by the notion of flow redistribution induced by edge failures. Our measures, which are related to the pseudo-inverse of the Laplacian of the network, are global and reveal the dynamical interplay between the edges of a network, including potentiallynon-localinteractions. Our framework also allows us to define the embeddedness of an edge, a measure of how strongly an edge features in the weighted cuts of the network. We showcase the general applicability of our edge-centric framework through analyses of the Iberian power grid, traffic flow in road networks, and theC. elegansneuronal network.
“Don't You Hear all the Railroad Men Squeak?”: William G. McAdoo, the United States Railroad Administration, and the Democratic Presidential Nomination of 1924
Authors: CRAIG DOUGLAS B.
Published: April 2014

William Gibbs McAdoo is best known as the other half of the great Democratic Party meltdown at the party's national convention in 1924, when he and Alfred E. Smith fought for the presidential nomination over nine days and 102 ballots. We know much about Smith, but much less about what McAdoo stood for and what constituencies he appealed to during his unsuccessful campaign for that nomination. This article puts some flesh on the bones of McAdoo's candidacy in 1924 by looking more closely at his nomination platform and strategy, and by showing how his term as director general of the United States Railroad Administration (USRRA) in 1918 was pivotal in his campaign for the presidential nomination in 1924. At the USRRA McAdoo used federal control not only to rationalize the railroads but also to create an electoral constituency for his presidential ambitions. Although his time at the helm of the USRRA finished at the end of 1918, McAdoo remained prominent in the debate over its fate and then assiduous in his attempts to cash in the political chips he had accumulated through his work with it.