bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Subgroup differences in the associations between dog exposure during the first year of life and early life allergic outcomes
Authors: Wegienka G. , Havstad S. , Kim H. , Zoratti E. , Ownby D. , Woodcroft K. J. , Johnson C. C. 
Published: August 2016

SummaryBackgroundThe effect of dog exposure on the risk of children developing allergic disease remains controversial. Many analyses have not considered that associations may vary within population subgroups.ObjectiveTo examine whether associations between living with a dog in the first year of life and allergic outcomes vary within subgroups selected a priori (race, gender and delivery mode).MethodsBlack (n = 496) and White (n = 196) children enrolled in the WHEALS birth cohort study had a clinical examination at age 2 years to assess eczema and allergen‐specific IgE (sIgE) and perform skin prick testing (SPT). Whether the child lived with an indoor dog in the first year of life was assessed through interview, as was doctor diagnosis of asthma at ages 3–6 years.ResultsLiving with a dog was associated with decreased odds of having ≥ 1 positive SPT (OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.34, 0.91) and having eczema (OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.20, 0.60). The association with SPT was stronger in those children born via caesarean section (c‐section) vs. vaginally (OR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.74 vs. OR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.43, 1.37, respectively, interaction P = 0.087) and in those who were firstborn vs. not (OR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.11, 0.67 vs. OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.45, 1.47, respectively, interaction P = 0.044). The association with eczema was stronger in children born vaginally compared with those born via caesarean section (OR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.06, 0.43 vs. OR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.31, 1.35, respectively, interaction P = 0.025) and was stronger in Black vs. White children (OR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.15, 0.61 vs. OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.29, 2.11, respectively, interaction P = 0.12). Dog keeping was not significantly inversely associated with having ≥ 1 elevated sIgE and only approached statistical significance with asthma.Conclusions and Clinical RelevanceResults likely vary between studies due to variability of specific exposure–outcome associations in subgroups defined by other factors as well as the relative distributions of those subgroups. Important allergic disorder associations will be missed without subgroup analyses.
Effects of maternal dietary egg intake during early lactation on human milk ovalbumin concentration: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Metcalfe J. R. , Marsh J. A. , D'Vaz N. , Geddes D. T. , Lai C. T. , Prescott S. L. , Palmer D. J. 
Published: August 2016

SummaryBackgroundThere is limited understanding of how maternal diet affects breastmilk food allergen concentrations, and whether exposure to allergens through this route influences the development of infant oral tolerance or sensitization.ObjectiveTo investigate how maternal dietary egg ingestion during early lactation influences egg protein (ovalbumin) levels detected in human breastmilk.MethodsIn a randomized controlled trial, women were allocated to a dietary group for the first six weeks of lactation: high‐egg diet (> 4 eggs per week), low‐egg diet (one‐three eggs per week) or an egg‐free diet. Breastmilk samples were collected at 2, 4 and 6 weeks of lactation for the measurement of ovalbumin. The permeability of the mammary epithelium was assessed by measuring the breastmilk sodium : potassium ratio. Egg‐specific IgE and IgG4 were measured in infant plasma at 6 weeks, and prior to the introduction of egg in solids at 16 weeks.ResultsAverage maternal egg ingestion was associated with breastmilk ovalbumin concentration. Specifically, for each additional egg ingested per week, there was an average 25% increase in ovalbumin concentration (95% CI: 5–48%, P = 0.01). Breastmilk ovalbumin concentrations were significantly higher in the ‘high‐egg’ group (> 4 eggs per week) compared with the ‘egg‐free’ group (P = 0.04). However, one‐third of women had no breastmilk ovalbumin detected. No detectable associations were found between mammary epithelium permeability and breastmilk ovalbumin concentrations. Infant plasma egg‐specific IgG4 levels were also positively associated with maternal egg ingestion, with an average 22% (95% CI: 3–45%) increase in infant egg‐specific IgG4 levels per additional egg consumed per week (P = 0.02).Conclusions and Clinical RelevanceIncreased maternal egg ingestion is associated with increased breastmilk ovalbumin, and markers of immune tolerance in infants. These results highlight the potential for maternal diet to benefit infant oral tolerance development during lactation.
Contrastive Constraints Guide Explanation‐Based Category Learning
Authors: Chin‐Parker Seth , Cantelon Julie 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThis paper provides evidence for a contrastive account of explanation that is motivated by pragmatic theories that recognize the contribution that context makes to the interpretation of a prompt for explanation. This study replicates the primary findings of previous work in explanation‐based category learning (Williams & Lombrozo, 2010), extending that work by illustrating the critical role of the context in this type of learning. Participants interacted with items from two categories either by describing the items or explaining their category membership. We manipulated the feature overlap between the categories and examined both the explanations generated and acquired knowledge of the categories. Explanations for membership in a given category were influenced by the unprompted contrast category, indicating an important role for contrastive processing in the generation of explanations. The influence of the contrast category was similarly seen in the transfer performance of the participants.
An International Constitutional Court: Future Roles & Challenges
Authors: Nasrawin Laith K. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThis article comprehensively examines the 1999 recommendation of the Tunisian government to create an International Constitutional Court that is designed to enhance the principles of democracy and human rights and to strengthen the constitutional doctrine which states that the people are the source of authority in a given country. This proposal, which was strongly advocated by former Tunisian President Mohamed Moncef Marzouki during his term in office, aims to underscore the importance of establishing an international judicial entity and analysing its bylaws with respect to its terms and conditions, formation, jurisdiction, and selection of judges. The article traces the trajectory of the movement, from the proposal stage to the latest developments in formally establishing the international judicial entity. Finally, the article identifies various possible difficulties and challenges that are likely to stand in the way of implementing the proposal.
Taxonomic versus functional diversity metrics: how do fish communities respond to anthropogenic stressors in reservoirs?
Authors: Sagouis Alban , Jabot Franck , Argillier Christine 
Published: August 2016

AbstractBiological indicators are frequently used to assess the effects of anthropogenic stressors on freshwater ecosystems. The structure of fish communities and their response to stressors have been commonly described by taxonomic richness, diversity and evenness. More recently, functional structure of communities has also been suggested to be a reliable indicator of disturbance. This article aimed at testing whether taxonomic and functional diversity metrics can provide comparable or complementary information on the response of fish communities to eutrophication and abundance of non‐native species in reservoirs. Comparison of the responses of taxonomic and functional diversities to biogeography, habitat and stressors was made in 112 French reservoirs. Widely observed effects of biogeographic and habitat variables on taxonomic and functional diversities were identified. Taxonomic and functional richness metrics notably increased with lake area and temperature respectively. Taxonomic diversity metrics did not respond to any stressor, while all functional diversity metrics were found to be impacted by non‐native species. Eutrophication was further found to decrease the impact of non‐native species on two functional diversity metrics: evenness and divergence. Our study therefore reveals that functional metrics are more sensitive than taxonomic metrics to anthropogenic stressors in the studied reservoirs. Still, the multiple linear regressions tested had overall low explanatory power. Further refinements will thus be needed to use this type of metrics in an impact assessment scheme.
Gonadectomy but not biological sex affects burst‐firing in dopamine neurons of the ventral tegmental area and in prefrontal cortical neurons projecting to the ventral tegmentum in adult rats
Authors: Locklear Mallory N. , Michaelos Michalis , Collins William F. , Kritzer Mary F. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThe mesocortical and mesolimbic dopamine systems regulate cognitive and motivational processes and are strongly implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders in which these processes are disturbed. Sex differences and sex hormone modulation are also known for these dopamine‐sensitive behaviours in health and disease. One relevant mechanism of hormone impact appears to be regulation of cortical and subcortical dopamine levels. This study asked whether this regulation of dopamine tone is a consequence of sex or sex hormone impact on the firing modes of ventral midbrain dopamine neurons. To address this, single unit extracellular recordings made in the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra were compared among urethane‐anaesthetized adult male, female, gonadectomized male rats. These comparisons showed that gonadectomy had no effect on nigral cells and no effects on pacemaker, bursty, single‐spiking or random modes of dopamine activity in the ventral tegmental area. However, it did significantly and selectively increase burst firing in these cells in a testosterone‐sensitive, estradiol‐insensitive manner. Given the roles of prefrontal cortex (PFC) in modulating midbrain dopamine cell firing, we next asked whether gonadectomy's effects on dopamine cell bursting had correlated effects on the activity of ventral tegmentally projecting prefrontal cortical neurons. We found that gonadectomy indeed significantly and selectively increased burst firing in ventral tegmentally projecting but not neighbouring prefrontal cells. These effects were also androgen‐sensitive. Together, these findings suggest a working model wherein androgen influence over the activity of PFC neurons regulates its top‐down modulation of mesocortical and mesolimbic dopamine systems and related dopamine‐sensitive behaviours.
A prospective study contrasting the psychiatric outcome in drug‐resistant epilepsy between patients who underwent surgery and a control group
Authors: Ramos‐Perdigués Sònia , Baillés Eva , Mané Anna , Carreño Mar , Donaire Antonio , Rumia Jordi , Bargalló Nuria , Boget Teresa , Setoain Xavier , Valdes Manuel , Pintor Luís 
Published: August 2016

SummaryObjectivePsychiatric morbidity in drug‐resistant epilepsy is frequent and has a negative influence on quality of life. Surgery is proven to be the best therapeutic alternative for treating seizures. However, it is inconclusive with the current evidence whether surgery, per se, is a risk factor or promotes amelioration of psychiatric disorders. Until now, most studies have been cross‐sectional with small or heterogeneous groups. In addition, the few prospective studies did not have an identical control group. The present study aims to clarify the role of surgery in psychopathologic alterations.MethodsWe analyzed, through a prospective case‐control study, the psychopathologic outcomes of patients with drug‐resistant epilepsy, comparing those who underwent surgery and those who continued with pharmacologic treatment due to not being suitable for surgery. The assessments were performed during presurgical evaluation and 6 months after surgery. We studied psychiatric changes for each group, compared differences between groups, and also analyzed de novo and remission cases. Finally, we determined associated factors for postsurgical psychiatric disturbances.ResultsThe surgical group experienced a significant decrease in psychopathologic alterations in comparison with the control group. In addition, distress perception of surgical patients also improved, whereas it did not decrease in the control group. Patients who underwent surgery presented a decrease in depressive and anxiety symptoms, whereas the nonsurgical group increased its anxiety levels. De novo disturbances that appeared after surgery were less frequent than in nonsurgical patients. We observed significant favorable outcomes considering de novo versus remission cases for anxiety, depression, and total symptoms only in the surgical group. The two main predictors for psychiatric disorders after surgery were presurgical psychiatric functioning and surgery.SignificanceProvides evidence that surgery improves psychiatric functioning in drug‐resistant epilepsy through a prospective controlled study.
Visual analytics of educational time‐dependent data using interactive dynamic visualization
Authors: Géryk Jan 
Published: August 2016

AbstractA major challenge in the modern educational research is the large amount of time‐dependent data, which requires suitable methods to provide an efficient decision making. The fields of visual analytics and interactive visualization can help to cope with the related issues by involving the analyst in the exploration process. The time is an important variable that needs to be modeled in visual analytics. Methods like motion charts show the changes over time by presenting animations in the two‐dimensional space and by changing the element appearances. In this paper, we present a novel web‐based visual analytics framework, which is primarily designed for exploratory analysis of academic analytics and employs a combination of improved motion charts methods, trajectory‐based visualizations, and automated analytic methods for the purpose of analyzing data elements based on their relations with the time dimension and examining data dynamics. We evaluate the usefulness and the general applicability of the framework with a controlled experiment to assess the efficacy of the methods. To interpret the experiment results, we utilize one‐way repeated measures analysis of variance. Also, a questionnaire survey with experts was conducted to evaluate the usability of the methods.
Functional outcome of total knee arthroplasty in patients with haemophilia
Authors: Mortazavi S. M. J. , Haghpanah B. , Ebrahiminasab M. M. , Baghdadi T. , Toogeh G. 
Published: August 2016

IntroductionHaemophilic arthropathy (HA) is a debilitating complication of haemophilia which leads to TKA in severe cases.AimWe conducted a prospective study of the outcome of TKA in our haemophilia cohort to define the outcomes in this population and increase the cost effectiveness of the procedure in our developing country.MethodsWe reviewed patients with haemophilia who underwent TKA between April 2010 and April 2014. Patients with at least 6 months of follow‐up were included. Preoperative knee scores (KSS and WOMAC) and the scores of the quality of life were recorded. Radiographic indices were registered pre‐ and postoperatively. Any complications were recorded. The patients underwent TKA with medial parapatellar approach. We had a low threshold for quadriceps snip when exposure was difficult. As our routine we did not use suction drains postoperatively.ResultsWe included 83 patients (all males, 103 knees). The mean age of the patients was 35.8 years. The mean follow‐up period was 45.1 months. Three patients (3.6%) had factor inhibitors. Twenty patients (24.1%) underwent bilateral simultaneous TKA. The mean admission time was 13.87 days. We had two cases of wound infection and one case of haematoma. None of our patients needed transfusion. All knee scores were significantly improved (P < 0.000).ConclusionTotal knee replacement is an effective procedure in treatment of HA. Definition of standards of care for this procedure, which are tailored for resources of a developing country, can have major impact in improving outcomes while maximizing cost effectiveness of this surgery.
Awareness of and reactions to mammography controversy among immigrant women
Authors: Nagler Rebekah H. , Lueck Jennifer A. , Gray Lauren S. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractBackgroundThere is substantial expert disagreement about the use of mammography to screen for breast cancer, and this disagreement routinely plays out in the media. Evidence suggests that some women are aware of the controversy over mammography, but less is known about whether immigrant and other underserved women have heard about it and, if so, how they react to it.ObjectiveTo explore immigrant women's awareness of and reactions to mammography controversy.DesignCommunity‐engaged qualitative study: we conducted six focus groups with 53 women aged 35–55 from three immigrant communities (Somali, Latina and Hmong) in a major US metropolitan area. A grounded theory approach was used to identify themes; NVivo 10 was used to enhance analyses.ResultsSeveral themes emerged: (i) low awareness of mammography controversy across groups, despite self‐reported attention to health information; (ii) high intentions to be screened, even after being told about the controversy; (iii) few reported discussions of mammography's risks and benefits with clinicians; (iv) substantial interest in learning more about mammography and breast cancer, but some low self‐efficacy to obtain such information; and (v) questions about whether health recommendations matter and what qualifies as evidence.ConclusionGiven on‐going expert disagreement about mammography screening, it is important for clinicians to help women understand mammography's risks and benefits so they can make an informed choice. This is particularly critical for immigrant and other underserved women, who may be less able to access, attend to, process, retain and act on health information (a phenomenon known as communication inequality).
Identity Work and Emotions: A Review
Authors: Winkler Ingo 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThis paper reviews the empirical literature on identity work and identifies two distinct approaches to incorporating emotion. The majority of empirical studies use emotion to describe the experiences of identity work. In doing so, the authors (a) mention the emotions that people feel in situations that trigger identity work, (b) illustrate identity work as an emotional endeavour, and (c) describe the emotional impact of successful and unsuccessful identity work. There is also an emerging literature that examines the mutual constitution of emotions and identity work. These authors address emotional labour, affective social identification, emotional attachment and detachment, and humour when studying identity work. This paper suggests that, to understand better the relation between emotions and identity work, future research should examine the role of emotions in problematizing identity, the emotional constitution of the identity work experience, the intersection of emotions and other ways of knowing the self, and the links between emotions and power in identity work.
Adaptive immunity programmes in breast cancer
Authors: Varn Frederick S. , Mullins David W. , Arias‐Pulido Hugo , Fiering Steven , Cheng Chao 
Published: August 2016

SummaryThe role of the immune system in shaping cancer development and patient prognosis has recently become an area of intense focus in industry and academia. Harnessing the adaptive arm of the immune system for tumour eradication has shown great promise in a variety of tumour types. Differences between tissues, however, necessitate a greater understanding of the adaptive immunity programmes that are active within each tumour type. In breast cancer, adaptive immune programmes play diverse roles depending on the cellular infiltration found in each tumour. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes and T helper type 1 cells can induce tumour eradication, whereas regulatory T cells and T helper type 2 cells are known to be involved in tumour‐promoting immunosuppressive responses. Complicating these matters, heterogeneous expression of hormone receptors and growth factors in different tumours leads to disparate, patient‐specific adaptive immune responses. Despite this non‐conformity in adaptive immune behaviours, encouraging basic and clinical results have been observed that suggest a role for immunotherapeutic approaches in breast cancer. Here, we review the literature pertaining to the adaptive immune response in breast cancer, summarize the primary findings relating to the breast tumour's biology, and discuss potential clinical immunotherapies.
Fracture Behavior of Minimally Invasive, Posterior, and Fixed Dental Prostheses Manufactured from Monolithic Zirconia
Authors: Bömicke Wolfgang , Rues Stefan , Hlavacek Verena , Rammelsberg Peter , Schmitter Marc 
Published: August 2016

AbstractObjectivesTo compare ultimate fracture load (Fu), load at first damage (F1d), and fracture pattern for posterior fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) manufactured from translucent, yttria‐stabilized zirconia polycrystal.MethodsPremolar‐size FDPs in 4 test groups (n = 16/group) were constructed as veneered complete crown‐retained (group 1), monolithic complete crown‐retained (group 2), monolithic partial veneer crown‐retained (group 3), or monolithic resin‐bonded (group 4) prostheses with minimum zirconia wall thickness (0.5 mm). Adhesively cemented to metal abutments, half of the prostheses were artificially aged by use of 10,000 thermocycles (6.5°C/60°C) and 1,200,000 chewing cycles (F = 108 N), before fracture loading. Statistics included two‐way non‐parametric ANOVA and Dunn–Bonferroni post‐hoc tests (α = 0.05).ResultsNone of the restorations failed during artificial aging. Fu was affected by test group (p < 0.001); F1d was also affected by the factor combination of test group and aging (p = 0.001 for test group; p = 0.049 for test group*aging). Mean Fu for all groups exceeded 1000 N; it was comparable for group 1 and group 2 and statistically significantly higher for group 2 and group 3 than for group 4 (p < 0.01). Fracture usually occurred through the retainer wall. F1d = 200 N was determined for individual samples in group 1 (chipping) and group 3 (local debonding).ConclusionsFu of all the restorations was adequate for clinical use. Complications might, however, be expected at forces below 500 N for veneered prostheses (chipping) as well as for monolithic partial veneer crown‐retained prostheses (local debonding).Clinical SignificanceWith regard to fracture behavior, all‐ceramic complete crown‐retained fixed dental prostheses (FDP) manufactured from monolithic zirconia, with a retainer wall thickness of 0.5 mm, might be suitable for use as a conservative alternative to their veneered counterparts in the rehabilitation of posterior tooth loss. Monolithic zirconia resin‐bonded FDP might, moreover, be a viable alternative to resin‐bonded FDPs with metal adhesive retainers in posterior arches, with improved esthetics and biocompatibility. The performance of both should, however, be verified in clinical trials. (J Esthet Restor Dent 28:367–381, 2016)