bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Vascular risk factors for male and female urgency urinary incontinence at age 68 years from a British birth cohort study
Authors: Tsui Alex , Kuh Diana , Cardozo Linda , Davis Daniel 
Published: March 2018

ObjectiveTo investigate the prevalence of urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) at age 68 years and the contribution of vascular risk factors to male and female UUI pathogenesis in addition to the associations with raised body mass index (BMI).Subjects and methodsIn all, 1 762 participants from the Medical Research Council (MRC) National Survey for Health and Development birth cohort who answered the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire short form (ICIQ‐SF), at age 68 years, were included. Logistic regression was used to estimate associations between UUI and earlier life vascular risk factors including: lipid status, diabetes, hypertension, BMI, previous stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA) diagnosis; adjusting for smoking status, physical activity, co‐presentation of stress UI symptoms, educational attainment; and in women only, type of menopause, age at period cessation, and use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT).ResultsUUI was reported by 12% of men and 19% of women at age 68 years. Female sex, previous stroke or TIA diagnosis, increased BMI and hypertension (in men only) at age 60–64 years were independent risk factors for UUI. Female sex, increased BMI, and a previous diagnosis of stroke/TIA increased the relative risk of more severe UUI symptoms. Type and timing of menopause and HRT use did not alter the estimated associations between UUI and vascular risk factors in women.ConclusionMultifactorial mechanisms lead to UUI and vascular risk factors may contribute to the pathogenesis of bladder overactivity in addition to higher BMI. Severe UUI appears to be a distinct presentation with more specific contributory mechanisms than milder UUI.
Landscape‐scale lidar analysis of aboveground biomass distribution in secondary Brazilian Atlantic Forest
Authors: Becknell Justin M. , Keller Michael , Piotto Daniel , Longo Marcos , Nara dos‐Santos Maiza , Scaranello Marcos A. , Bruno de Oliveira Cavalcante Rodrigo , Porder Stephen 
Published: March 2018

AbstractSecondary forests account for more than half of tropical forests and represent a growing carbon sink, but rates of biomass accumulation vary by a factor of two or more even among plots in the same landscape. To better understand the drivers of this variability, we used airborne lidar to measure forest canopy height and estimate biomass over 4529 ha at Serra do Conduru Park in Southern Bahia, Brazil. We measured trees in 30 georeferenced field plots (0.25‐ha each) to estimate biomass using allometry. Then we estimated aboveground biomass density (ABD) across the lidar study area using a statistical model developed from our field plots. This model related the 95th percentile of the distribution of lidar return heights toABD. We overlaid this map ofABDon a Landsat‐derived forest age map to determine rates of biomass accumulation. We found rapid initial biomass regeneration (~6 Mg/ha yr), which slowed as forests aged. We also observed high variability in both height and biomass across the landscape within forests of similar age. Nevertheless, a regression model that accounted for spatial autocorrelation and included forest age, slope, and distance to roads or open areas explained 62 and 77 percent of the landscape variation inABDand canopy height, respectively. Thus, while there is high spatial heterogeneity in forest recovery, and the drivers of this heterogeneity warrant further investigation, we suggest that a relatively simple set of predictor variables is sufficient to explain the majority of variance in both height andABDin this landscape.
Flooding and soil composition determine beta diversity of lowland forests in Northern South America
Authors: Stevenson Pablo R. , Aldana Ana M. , Cárdenas Sasha , Negret Pablo José 
Published: March 2018

AbstractBeta diversity may be determined by dispersal limitation, environment, and phylogeographic history. Our objective was to advance the understanding of plant species turnover in rain forests in northern South America and determine which factors are affecting species beta diversity. We evaluated the relative effect of environmental variables (i.e., soil, climate, fragmentation, and flooding frequency) and dispersal limitation (i.e., geographical distance and resistance distance due mountain barriers) on tree beta diversity in 32 1‐ha lowland forest plots. We found that tree species turnover was better explained by environmental distance than by geographical distance. Although soil conditions and flooding regime were good predictors of tree species composition, almost half of the variance remained unexplained. In our study system, the eastern Andean ridge had no significant effect on plant beta diversity, probably because of its young age in relation to the phylogeny. Our results provide support for the importance of environmental factors and suggest a more restricted role of dispersal limitation. Therefore, we advise that conservation strategies of lowland trees should consider specific forest types (e.g., seasonally flooded vs.terra firme, as well as piedmont vs. central Amazonian forests).
Familiar Object Salience Affects Novel Word Learning
Authors: Pomper Ron , Saffran Jenny R. 
Published: March 2018

Children use the presence of familiar objects with known names to identify the correct referents of novel words. In natural environments, objects vary widely in salience. The presence of familiar objects may sometimes hinder rather than help word learning. To test this hypothesis, 3‐year‐olds (N = 36) were shown novel objects paired with familiar objects that varied in their visual salience. When the novel objects were labeled, children were slower and less accurate at fixating them in the presence of highly salient familiar objects than in the presence of less salient familiar objects. They were also less successful in retaining these word‐referent pairings. While familiar objects may facilitate novel word learning in ambiguous situations, the properties of familiar objects matter.
Understanding Social Performance: A ‘Practice Drift’ at the Frontline of Microfinance Institutions in Bangladesh
Authors: Maîtrot Mathilde 
Published: March 2018

ABSTRACTThis article examines the role of microfinance staff and procedures in enabling microfinance's social mission. It does so primarily through studying institutional ruling relations and practices in rural Bangladesh. Attempting to move away from the linear and deterministic approaches of impact studies, it ethnographically scrutinizes the everyday practices of implementers. Findings point to the emergence of systemic practices that jeopardize microfinance institutions’ potential to perform their social mission. These include low client‐selection standards, hard selling of loans and forceful loan renewal, little follow‐up on loan use, and abusive and violent client‐retention and repayment‐collection strategies. This is conceptualized as a ‘practice drift’ as distinct from the commonly reported ‘mission drift’. Rather than stemming from planned, top‐down changes in institutional mission and strategy, practice drift emerges from a displacement of decision‐making processes to the branches. The article argues that observed changes in microfinance practice are enabled by decentralized structures and management systems that leave the choice of tactics used to achieve targets to the discretion of field staff.
Meals, Mindfulness, & Moving Forward: A feasibility study to a multi‐modal lifestyle approach in early psychosis
Authors: Usher Craigan , Thompson Andie , Griebeler Meridith , Senders Angela , Seibel Celeste , Ly Richard , Murchison Charles , Hagen Kirsten , Afong Keith‐Allen , Bourdette Dennis , Ross Rachel , Borgatti Alena , Shinto Lynne 
Published: March 2018

AimThe primary aim was to demonstrate adherence to a novel 6‐week lifestyle intervention program (“Meals, Mindfulness, & Moving Forward” [M3]) designed to help improve lifestyle practices of youth with a history of at least 1 psychotic episode.MethodsM3 used a non‐equivalent control group design involving clients from a community early intervention program. Seventeen individuals in the active M3 program and 16 controls were assessed for secondary outcomes at baseline, 6‐weeks, and 12‐weeks (6 weeks post‐intervention) on cardiometabolic and symptomatic outcomes.ResultsThe program met its primary aim with 88% (15/17) of participants meeting adherence criteria. Compared with the controls, M3 participants showed significant improvement in positive psychotic symptoms (P = .002).ConclusionThis pilot study showed that young people involved in a community early intervention program adhered to an activity‐based lifestyle program which included mindfulness meditation, yoga and nutrition education, warranting further evaluation with a larger sample size.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation reveals a role for the left inferior parietal lobule in matching observed kinematics during imitation
Authors: Reader Arran T. , Royce Ben P. , Marsh Jade E. , Chivers Katy‐Jayne , Holmes Nicholas P. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractApraxia (a disorder of complex movement) suggests that the left inferior parietal lobule (IPL) plays a role in kinematic or spatial aspects of imitation, which may be particularly important for meaningless (i.e. unfamiliar intransitive) actions. Mirror neuron theories indicate that the IPL is part of a frontoparietal system that can support imitation by linking observed and stored actions through visuomotor matching, and have less to say about different subregions of the left IPL, or how different types of action (i.e. meaningful or meaningless) are processed for imitation. We used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to bridge this gap and better understand the roles of the left supramarginal gyrus (SMG) and left angular gyrus (AG) in imitation. We also examined whether these areas are differentially involved in meaningful and meaningless action imitation. We applied rTMS over the left SMG, over the left AG or during a no‐rTMS baseline condition, and then asked participants to imitate a confederate's actions whilst the arm and hand movements of both individuals were motion‐tracked. rTMS over both the left SMG and the left AG reduced the velocity of participants’ finger movements relative to the actor during imitation of finger gestures, regardless of action meaning. Our results support recent claims in apraxia and confirm a role for the left IPL in kinematic processing during gesture imitation, regardless of action meaning.
Neural capacity limits during unconscious semantic processing
Authors: Nakamura Kimihiro , Makuuchi Michiru , Oga Tatsuhide , Mizuochi‐Endo Tomomi , Iwabuchi Toshiki , Nakajima Yasoichi , Dehaene Stanislas 
Published: March 2018

AbstractA growing body of neuroimaging data suggests that direct measurements of brain activity can reveal subliminal effects that remain invisible with behavior measures alone. We examined whether sentence comprehension processes could be triggered by a sequence of masked words. On each trial, participants viewed a rapid sequence of masked or unmasked words, including a subject noun, three adverbs and followed by a visible target verb. To probe the capacity limits of unconscious processing, we measured event‐related potentials associated with the semantic congruency between the noun and the verb, while varying the subject position in each sentence. Unmasked sentences produced significant behavioral effects of congruency, paralleled by robust N400 effects, independently of subject–verb distance. By contrast, masked sentences produced no behavioral effect and elicited N400 effects only when subjects and verbs were separated by 0 or 1 word. The present results suggest that semantic integration of multiple words can occur unconsciously only if the distance between the words to be integrated does not exceed two words. Although the possibility remains that even longer sequence of invisible words may produce similar neural effects in different experimental settings, our ERP data show that only conscious perception gives access to a buffer that enables robust sentence‐level processing independently of temporal distance.
Super‐resolution structural analysis of dendritic spines using three‐dimensional structured illumination microscopy in cleared mouse brain slices
Authors: Sawada Kazuaki , Kawakami Ryosuke , Shigemoto Ryuichi , Nemoto Tomomi 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThree‐dimensional (3D) super‐resolution microscopy technique structured illumination microscopy (SIM) imaging of dendritic spines along the dendrite has not been previously performed in fixed tissues, mainly due to deterioration of the stripe pattern of the excitation laser induced by light scattering and optical aberrations. To address this issue and solve these optical problems, we applied a novel clearing reagent, LUCID, to fixed brains. In SIM imaging, the penetration depth and the spatial resolution were improved in LUCID‐treated slices, and 160‐nm spatial resolution was obtained in a large portion of the imaging volume on a single apical dendrite. Furthermore, in a morphological analysis of spine heads of layer V pyramidal neurons (L5PNs) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of chronic dexamethasone (Dex)‐treated mice, SIM imaging revealed an altered distribution of spine forms that could not be detected by high‐NA confocal imaging. Thus, super‐resolution SIM imaging represents a promising high‐throughput method for revealing spine morphologies in single dendrites.
Risk of epilepsy after a single seizure in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Mahamud Z. , Burman J. , Zelano J. 
Published: March 2018

Background and purposeThe 2014 International League Against Epilepsy clinical definition of epilepsy allows diagnosis after a single unprovoked seizure if the 10‐year recurrence risk exceeds 60%. Multiple sclerosis (MS) carries an increased risk of epilepsy, but the risk after a first seizure is unknown. We aimed to investigate the risk of epilepsy in patients with MS who had suffered a first seizure.MethodsWe cross‐referenced data from the Swedish MS register with the national patient register for 15 810 patients with MS and 43 635 controls and included 289 patients with MS and 222 controls with a first diagnosis of seizure or status epilepticus (SE) without prior epilepsy or presumed symptomatic aetiology. Kaplan–Meier curves were used to estimate the risk of epilepsy.ResultsThe 10‐year risk of epilepsy was 51.4% [95% confidence interval (CI), 44.0–58.9] for patients with MS and 41.3% (95% CI, 33.5–49.1) for controls. The risk was 46.1% (95% CI, 35.3–56.9) for patients with relapsing‐remitting MS and 60.7% (95% CI, 46.6–74.8) for patients with secondary progressive MS. For patients with MS with SE, the 10‐year risk of epilepsy was 85.9% (95% CI, 67.9–100).ConclusionsOur data indicate that patients with relapsing‐remitting MS have a similar risk as controls of developing epilepsy after a single seizure. Patients with secondary progressive MS could run a greater risk of subsequent epilepsy, but our data do not indicate a risk that, with certainty, exceeds the threshold specified by the International League Against Epilepsy. Patients with SE have a high risk of epilepsy, possibly motivating diagnosis and treatment.
Cardiovascular diseases may play a negative role in the prognosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Mandrioli J. , Ferri L. , Fasano A. , Zucchi E. , Fini N. , Moglia C. , Lunetta C. , Marinou K. , Ticozzi N. , Drago Ferrante G. , Scialo C. , Sorarù G. , Trojsi F. , Conte A. , Falzone Y. M. , Tortelli R. , Russo M. , Sansone V. A. , Mora G. , Silani V. , Volanti P. , Caponnetto C. , Querin G. , Monsurrò M. R. , Sabatelli M. , Chiò A. , Riva N. , Logroscino G. , Messina S. , Calvo A. 
Published: March 2018

Background and purposeOnly a few studies have considered the role of comorbidities in the prognosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and have provided conflicting results.MethodsOur multicentre, retrospective study included patients diagnosed from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2013 in 13 referral centres for ALS located in 10 Italian regions. Neurologists at these centres collected a detailed phenotypic profile and follow‐up data until death in an electronic database. Comorbidities at diagnosis were recorded by main categories and single medical diagnosis, with the aim of investigating their role in ALS prognosis.ResultsA total of 2354 incident cases were collected, with a median survival time from onset to death/tracheostomy of 43 months. According to univariate analysis, together with well‐known clinical prognostic factors (age at onset, diagnostic delay, site of onset, phenotype, Revised El Escorial Criteria and body mass index at diagnosis), the presence of dementia, hypertension, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, haematological and psychiatric diseases was associated with worse survival. In multivariate analysis, age at onset, diagnostic delay, phenotypes, body mass index at diagnosis, Revised El Escorial Criteria, dementia, hypertension, heart diseases (atrial fibrillation and heart failure) and haematological diseases (disorders of thrombosis and haemostasis) were independent prognostic factors of survival in ALS.ConclusionsOur large, multicentre study demonstrated that, together with the known clinical factors that are known to be prognostic for ALS survival, hypertension and heart diseases (i.e. atrial fibrillation and heart failure) as well as haematological diseases are independently associated with a shorter survival. Our findings suggest some mechanisms that are possibly involved in disease progression, giving new interesting clues that may be of value for clinical practice and ALS comorbidity management.
Improved cardiac outcomes with combined atenolol and diazepam intervention in seizure
Authors: Read Morgayn I. , Millen Rebecca N. , McCann Dominic M. , Harrison Joanne C. , Kerr Douglas S. , Sammut Ivan A. 
Published: March 2018

SummaryObjectiveAltered autonomic activity has been implicated in the development of cardiac dysfunction during seizures. This study investigates whether intervening in seizure progression with diazepam will reduce seizure‐induced cardiomyopathy. Second, this study examines the hypothesis that combining atenolol with diazepam, as an intervention after seizure onset, will combat cardiac injury during status epilepticus.MethodsMale Sprague‐Dawley rats were implanted with electroencephalographic/electrocardiographic electrodes to allow simultaneous recordings during seizures induced by intrahippocampal (2 nmol, 1 μL) kainic acid (KA). Subcutaneous saline, atenolol (5 mg·kg−1), diazepam (5 mg·kg−1), or atenolol and diazepam (n = 12/group) were administered at 60 minutes post‐KA and daily for 7 days, at which point echocardiography, susceptibility to aconitine‐induced arrhythmias, and histology were evaluated.ResultsSeizure activity was associated with immediately increased heart rate, QTc interval, and blood pressure (BP; 10%‐30% across indices). Seven days postseizure, saline‐treated animals were found to have reduced left ventricular function, increased fibrotic scarring, and an elevated risk of aconitine‐induced arrhythmias. Diazepam treatment significantly reduced cumulative seizure behaviors by 79% compared to saline‐treated animals but offered no cardiac protection. Diazepam significantly raised BP (35%) and increased the risk of bigeminal arrhythmias (36%) compared to saline‐treated animals. Atenolol administration, either alone or with diazepam, reduced heart rate, QTc interval, and BP back to control levels. Atenolol also preserved cardiac morphology and reduced arrhythmia risk.SignificanceAttenuation of seizure with diazepam offered no cardiac protection; however, coadministration of atenolol with diazepam prevented the development of seizure‐induced cardiac dysfunction. This study demonstrates that atenolol intervention should be strongly considered as an adjunct clinical treatment to reduce cardiomyopathy during seizures.
Analysis of psoriasis‐relevant gene expression and exon usage alterations after silencing of SR‐rich splicing regulators
Authors: Szlavicz Eszter , Olah Peter , Szabo Kornélia , Pagani Franco , Bata‐Csorgo Zsuzsanna , Kemeny Lajos , Szell Márta 
Published: March 2018

AbstractIn our recent cDNA microarray experiment, three SR‐rich splicing factors—SFRS18, PPIG and LUC7L3—were shown to exert altered responsiveness upon T‐lymphokine stimulation of psoriatic non‐involved and healthy epidermis samples. We have also demonstrated that double silencing LUC7L3 and SFRS18 efficiently decreased production of the psoriasis‐associated EDA+ fibronectin isoform. These findings prompted the further investigation of signalling pathways affected by LUC7L3 and SFRS18. To detect gene expression and splicing pattern alterations upon double silencing of LUC7L3 and SFRS18 in an HPV‐immortalised keratinocyte cell culture, paired‐end RNA sequencing was carried out. Marked changes in exon usage were revealed, in contrast to the modest alterations detected in gene expression, providing a closer delineation of the potential targets of the examined splicing factors. The most prominent gene expression change was detected for IFI6, an interferon‐inducible gene highly expressed in psoriasis. Interacting partners of IFI6 and certain psoriasis‐associated transcripts also exhibited significantly increased expression upon silencing. In addition to elevated abundance of the EDA+ fibronectin interactor ITGA5, we confirmed decreased EDA domain inclusion, which agrees well with our prior experimental data. Furthermore, differential exon usage was established for the transcription element CREB1, along with HERC6 and CUL1, which are implicated in ubiquitination. Although immortalised keratinocytes express low levels of TINCR, a long non‐coding RNA involved in terminal differentiation of keratinocytes, splicing alterations were successfully demonstrated for this RNA as well. We believe that the targeted investigation of mRNA maturation disturbances may help us gain deeper insight into the molecular pathogenesis of psoriasis.
Simplified equations for determining double‐K fracture parameters of concrete for 3‐point bending test
Authors: Choubey R.K. , Kumar S. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe paper presents simplified polynomial equations for determining the double‐K fracture parameters of concrete for 3‐point bending beams with variable strengths and material properties of concrete. The derived equations avoid complexities involved in computations of fracture parameters using existing analytical methods. The input data required for systematic computation in the study for deriving the nondimensional fracture parameters are obtained using a fictitious crack model. It is inferred that for a relative size of initial crack length, critical load and corresponding crack opening displacement maintain a linear relationship in their nondimensional forms. The value of critical mouth opening displacement can also be determined for known value of peak load using the derived nondimensional equation, thus avoiding the measurement of the crack mouth opening displacement in the experiment. Further, the derived polynomial equations predict the double‐K fracture parameters of concrete with negligible error as compared to those obtained based on experimental results.