bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prevalence, incidence, and remission rates of urinary incontinence in women attended in gynecological practice
Authors: Espuña‐Pons Montserrat , Ros Cristina , Ortega Jose Antonio , Aliaga Francisca , Pérez‐González Amelia , Palau Maria José ,   Pelvic Floor Research Group (Grup de Recerca del Sòl Pelvià, GRESP)
Published: June 2016

AimsTo assess the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in a cohort of women attended in primary care gynecological and estimate the incidence and remission rates of UI symptoms at 1 year.MethodsWe performed a multicenter prospective cohort study of women attending eight primary care gynecological practices. Consecutive women attended for gynecological issues different from UI were invited to participate in the study by answering the International Consultation on Incontinence questionnaire—Short Form (ICIQ‐UI‐SF). Patients receiving treatment for UI, during pregnant, and postpartum were excluded. All women with UI symptoms (ICIQ‐UI‐SF > 0) wishing treatment were studied and treated following routine clinical practice. All women were invited to answer the same questionnaire by phone 1 year after inclusion.ResultsA total of 2,840 women answered the questionnaire; 1,188 (41.8%) had UI symptoms (ICIQ‐UI‐SF > 0). Accordingly, nearly half (44.9%) had mild UI symptoms. Treatment was requested by only 551/1,188 incontinent women (46.38%), being related to the severity of UI. At 1 year, 2,443 patients/2,840 (86.0%) were found and again responded to the ICIQ‐UI‐SF. At 1 year the incidence of UI was 5.3% (77 new cases of UI out of 1,652 with the initial ICIQ‐UI‐SF = 0) while the remission rate of UI among untreated women was 27.9% (144 with ICIQ‐UI‐SF = 0).ConclusionsAlmost one half of women attended in primary care general gynecology practices have UI symptoms, with less than 50% requesting treatment. In these women, UI is a dynamic process with an incidence of 5.3% and a remission rate of 27.9% at 1 year. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:1081–1085, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
H∞ control for linear switched systems with time‐varying delay and dead‐zone inputs via an adaptive memory controller
Authors: Zhai Ding , Lu An‐Yang , Dong Jiu‐xiang , Zhang Qing‐Ling 
Published: June 2016

SummaryThis paper deals with the problem of robust H∞ control for linear switched systems with time‐varying delay and dead‐zone inputs. First, a new state‐dependent switching law is proposed for the switched system with stable and unstable subsystems. Based on the proposed switching law and using the scaled small gain theorem, a more general stability criterion for the switched delay systems is established. Second, an adaptive memory controller is proposed for the switched system with dead‐zone inputs. With the help of a two‐term approximation of the time‐varying delay, the proposed memory controller only depends on the bounds of the time‐varying delay. Sufficient conditions on the existence of the desired controller are formulated in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Three examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mutation design of a thermophilic Rubisco based on three‐dimensional structure enhances its activity at ambient temperature
Authors: Fujihashi Masahiro , Nishitani Yuichi , Kiriyama Tomohiro , Aono Riku , Sato Takaaki , Takai Tomoyuki , Tagashira Kenta , Fukuda Wakao , Atomi Haruyuki , Imanaka Tadayuki , Miki Kunio 
Published: June 2016

ABSTRACTRibulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) plays a central role in carbon dioxide fixation on our planet. Rubisco from a hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis (Tk‐Rubisco) shows approximately twenty times the activity of spinach Rubisco at high temperature, but only one‐eighth the activity at ambient temperature. We have tried to improve the activity of Tk‐Rubisco at ambient temperature, and have successfully constructed several mutants which showed higher activities than the wild‐type enzyme both in vitro and in vivo. Here, we designed new Tk‐Rubisco mutants based on its three‐dimensional structure and a sequence comparison of thermophilic and mesophilic plant Rubiscos. Four mutations were introduced to generate new mutants based on this strategy, and one of the four mutants, T289D, showed significantly improved activity compared to that of the wild‐type enzyme. The crystal structure of the Tk‐Rubisco T289D mutant suggested that the increase in activity was due to mechanisms distinct from those involved in the improvement in activity of Tk‐Rubisco SP8, a mutant protein previously reported to show the highest activity at ambient temperature. Combining the mutations of T289D and SP8 successfully generated a mutant protein (SP8‐T289D) with the highest activity to date both in vitro and in vivo. The improvement was particularly pronounced for the in vivo activity of SP8‐T289D when introduced into the mesophilic, photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris, which resulted in a strain with nearly two‐fold higher specific growth rates compared to that of a strain harboring the wild‐type enzyme at ambient temperature. Proteins 2016; 84:1339–1346. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Ag fractals formed on top of a porous TiO2 thin film
Authors: Borges J. , Rodrigues M. S. , Lopes C. , Costa D. , Ferreira A. , Pereira R. M. S. , Costa M. F. , Vasilevskiy M. I. , Vaz F. 
Published: June 2016

This work demonstrates the formation of Ag fractals on top of a Ag:TiO2 thin film. The dendrite‐type objects emerged from a homogeneous and highly transparent Ag:TiO2 nanocomposite, via the mechanism of diffusion‐limited‐aggregation of Ag atoms, during heat‐treatment at 500 °C. A porous TiO2 matrix was also formed during this process, opening a wide range of possible applications, namely in sensing‐based ones, together with surface enhanced spectroscopies. Furthermore, fractals incorporate a wide range of shapes and spatial scales, inducing a potentially interesting optical response, over the whole visible range, presumably related with localized surface plasmon modes with very broad spectral distribution.
magnified imageAg fractals on porous TiO2 matrix, emerged from a sputtered Ag:TiO2 nanocomposite thin film, after annealing at 500 °C. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
HIV1‐viral protein R (Vpr) mutations: associated phenotypes and relevance for clinical pathologies
Authors: Soares Rui , Rocha Graça , Meliço‐Silvestre António , Gonçalves Teresa 
Published: June 2016

SummaryOver the last 30 years, research into HIV has advanced the knowledge of virus genetics and the development of efficient therapeutic strategies. HIV‐1 viral protein R (Vpr) is a specialized and multifunctional protein that plays important roles at multiple stages of the HIV‐1 viral life cycle. This protein interacts with a number of cellular and viral proteins and with multiple activities including nuclear transport of the pre‐integration complex (PIC) to the nucleus, transcriptional activation, cell cycle arrest at G2/M transition phase and induction of cell death via apoptosis. Specifically, Vpr has been shown to control many host cell functions through a variety of biological processes and by interaction with several cellular pathways. The different functions of Vpr may enhance viral replication and impair the immune system in HIV‐1 infected patients. Importantly, functional defects induced by mutations in the Vpr protein correlate with slow disease progression of HIV‐infected patients. Vpr is also associated with other concomitant pathologies developed by these patients, which may lead it to be considered as a potential novel therapeutic target.This review will focus on HIV‐1 Vpr, mainly on the importance of its structural mutations on the progression of HIV infection, associated phenotypes and relevance for clinical pathologies. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hearthholds of mobile money in western Kenya
Authors: Kusimba Sibel , Yang Yang , Chawla Nitesh 
Published: June 2016

AbstractKenyans use mobile money services to transfer money to friends and relatives via mobile phone text messaging. Kenya's M‐Pesa is one of the most successful examples of digital money for financial inclusion. This article uses social network analysis and ethnographic information to examine ties to and through women in 12 mobile money transfer networks of kin, drawn from field data collected in 2012, 2013, and 2014. The social networks are based on reciprocal and dense ties among siblings and parents, especially mothers. Men participate equally in social networks, but as brothers and mother's brothers more often than as fathers. The matrilineal ties of mobile money circulate value within the hearthhold (Ekejiuba 2005) of women, their children, and others connected to them. Using remittances, families negotiate investments in household farming or work, education, and migration. Money sending supports the diverse economic strategies, flexible kinship ties, and mobility of hearthholds. Gifts of e‐money are said to express a natural love and caring among mothers and siblings and are often private and personal. Consequently, the money circulations of the hearthhold avoid disrupting widely shared ideals of patrilineal solidarity and household autonomy.
Determining the biogas potential of agricultural by‐products in a Hungarian subregion
Authors: Ihász Roland , Laza Tamás 
Published: June 2016

There are huge possibilities in using agricultural by‐products for power or heat generation CHP, but this is still underdeveloped in Hungary. As the assessment of available capacities is an essential criterion of increased utilization, a method is provided to determine the biogas potential. The amount of available agricultural by‐products to be used as substrate for biogas production in a Hungarian subregion is investigated as an example. The amount of biogas to be produced gives the theoretical potential from which the economic potential can also be estimated, taking into account the feasibility of certain types of biogas plants. The possibilities are shown through the example of a Central‐Eastern European subregion with typical agricultural production. The biogas potential is calculated from the by‐product generation of the agriculture, including both the farmers and large companies and unused arable lands as well. Although there are other possible biogas substrates available, such as sewage and communal waste, the goal is to determine how agriculture could participate in the energy production of the region, so these were not included in the calculation of biogas potential. The biogas could replace more than 35 million m3 of natural gas, which is about 70% of the subregion's annual consumption or could be used to generate 123,692 MWh/a of electricity, which corresponds to 56% of the area's annual electricity consumption. WIREs Energy Environ 2017, 6:e219. doi: 10.1002/wene.219This article is categorized under:

Bioenergy > Economics and Policy
Bioenergy > Systems and Infrastructure
Energy and Development > Systems and Infrastructure
Aviation biofuel from integrated woody biomass in southern Australia
Authors: McGrath John F. , Goss Kevin F. , Brown Mark W. , Bartle John R. , Abadi Amir 
Published: June 2016

A synthesis of work on integrating short‐rotation biomass plantings into existing mixed crop and livestock farming regimes with the biomass being converted to biofuels, including aviation fuel, is provided. This agroforestry system, based on mallee eucalypt species native to Australia, provides broader environmental benefits, including biodiversity protection. These species are suited to the edaphic and climatic conditions of rainfed farming systems in southern Australia. The study focused on the Great Southern region of Western Australia, with an average annual rainfall of 400–600 mm. Compared to other locations in Australia, significantly more research and development has been conducted in this region, with a mallee biomass‐to‐jet fuel business case and farmer cooperation providing reliable data for assessing the viability and sustainability of commercial supply chain development. The limited capacity of Australian agricultural systems to produce biomass due to the relatively dry climate means that the available biomass resources should be directed to strategically important energy uses such as aviation fuel. Technical, economic, and environmental insights gained from these long‐term studies have demonstrated that it is feasible to integrate this new production system into the overall farming enterprise and indicate strong prospects for a biomass industry in this region should political and economic uncertainties currently facing the renewable energy industry in Australia be resolved. WIREs Energy Environ 2017, 6:e221. doi: 10.1002/wene.221This article is categorized under:

Bioenergy > Science and Materials
Bioenergy > Economics and Policy
Bioenergy > Systems and Infrastructure
Risk Evaluation of Postoperative Delirium Using Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment in Elderly Patients with Esophageal Cancer
Authors: Yamamoto Masaaki , Yamasaki Makoto , Sugimoto Ken , Maekawa Yoshihiro , Miyazaki Yasuhiro , Makino Tomoki , Takahashi Tsuyoshi , Kurokawa Yukinori , Nakajima Kiyokazu , Takiguchi Shuji , Rakugi Hiromi , Mori Masaki , Doki Yuichiro 
Published: June 2016

AbstractBackgroundThe number of geriatric patients with esophageal cancer is increasing in step with the aging of the population. Geriatric patients have a higher risk of postoperative complications, including delirium that can cause a fall or impact survival. Therefore, it is very important that we evaluate risks of postoperative complications before surgery. The aim of this study was to predict postoperative delirium in elderly patients.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 91 patients aged 75 years and over who underwent esophagectomy between January 2006 and December 2014. We investigated the association between postoperative delirium and clinicopathological factors, including comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA).ResultsPostoperative delirium developed in 24 (26 %) patients. Postoperative delirium was significantly associated with low mini‐mental state examination (MMSE) and high Geriatric Depression Scale 15 (GDS15), which are components of CGA, and psychiatric disorder (P < 0.0001, P = 0.002, and P = 0.017, respectively). With multiple logistic regression analysis, MMSE (odds ratio [OR], 1.4; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 1.2–1.6; P < 0.0001] and GDS15 (OR, 1.3; 95 % CI, 1.1–1.6; P = 0.004) were independently associated with postoperative delirium.ConclusionsPreoperative CGA, especially MMSE and GDS15, was useful for predicting postoperative delirium in elderly patients undergoing esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. Intervention by a multidisciplinary team using CGA might help prevent postoperative delirium.
Risk for Patient Harm in Canadian Genetic Counseling Practice: It's Time to Consider Regulation
Authors: Shugar Andrea L. , Quercia Nada , Trevors Christopher , Rabideau Marina M. , Ahmed Sohnee 
Published: June 2016

AbstractWith the increasing awareness of genetic contributions to disease in Canada, the availability of and demand for genetic testing has soared. Genetic counseling is becoming a recognized and rapidly growing (yet unregulated) health profession in Canada. We hypothesized that the potential risk for harm to the public posed by genetic counseling practice in the province of Ontario is sufficient to consider regulation. The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long‐Term Care (MOHTLC) sets criteria (both primary and secondary) to identify health professional bodies that meet the threshold for regulation in the province. We developed a survey based on the MOHTLC criteria to determine if genetic counselors meet the primary criteria to be considered for health professions regulation in Ontario. We surveyed 120 Ontario genetic counselors about their clinical practice and perceptions of risk for harm to the public. Results indicate that Ontario genetic counselors are highly independent in their clinical practice and are involved in patient care activities, clinical judgement and decision‐making that have the potential to harm patients. In particular, cancer genetic counselors were identified as a cohort that practices with relatively high autonomy and low supervision. In summary, our study indicates that genetic counseling practice in Ontario meets the primary criteria to be considered for regulation.
Re‐establishing the mid‐storey tree Persoonia longifolia (Proteaceae) in restored forest following bauxite mining in southern Western Australia
Authors: Chia Kerryn A. , Koch John M. , Sadler Rohan , Turner Shane R. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractPersoonia longifolia is a common mid‐storey species that is difficult to return to post‐mining environments. This study aimed to quantify in situ emergence of P. longifolia seeds on restored areas, investigate seed cueing prior to use in restoration and assess different tree guards for increasing seedling survival and health. Initial investigations found that <1 % of seeds buried or scattered on restored areas produced seedlings. However, if seeds were cued through burial in surrounding forest, retrieved and sown on restored areas, seedling emergence increased to 24 %. Significantly more seeds emerged as seedlings when buried (14.6 %) compared to those scattered on the soil surface (2.7 %). There was no significant difference in survival between seedlings planted at 2‐3 weeks of age compared with those planted at 12 months of age after 20 months in situ growth. Additionally, those seedlings planted when younger were significantly taller (29.0 ± 2.9 cm) than those that were planted at 12 months of age (4.7 ± 0.3 cm). Use of “onion bag” guards improved survival from 58.1 ± 4.0 % (no guard) to 70.8 ± 3.4 % with an onion bag guard. The use of shade cloth guards did not significantly improve survival, however plant height did increase substantially after 32 months growth (22 cm compared with 7.2 cm for no guard). These data demonstrate that consideration needs to be given to specific species requirements to improve seedling emergence and survival when attempting to return difficult to germinate species to the post‐mining environment.
Megafloods and Clovis cache at Wenatchee, Washington
Authors: Waitt Richard B. 
Published: June 2016

Immense late Wisconsin floods from glacial Lake Missoula drowned the Wenatchee reach of Washington's Columbia valley by different routes. The earliest debacles, nearly 19,000 cal yr BP, raged 335 m deep down the Columbia and built high Pangborn bar at Wenatchee. As advancing ice blocked the northwest of Columbia valley, several giant floods descended Moses Coulee and backflooded up the Columbia past Wenatchee. Ice then blocked Moses Coulee, and Grand Coulee to Quincy basin became the westmost floodway. From Quincy basin many Missoula floods backflowed 50 km upvalley to Wenatchee 18,000 to 15,500 years ago. Receding ice dammed glacial Lake Columbia centuries more—till it burst about 15,000 years ago. After Glacier Peak ashfall about 13,600 years ago, smaller great flood(s) swept down the Columbia from glacial Lake Kootenay in British Columbia. The East Wenatchee cache of huge fluted Clovis points had been laid atop Pangborn bar after the Glacier Peak ashfall, then buried by loess. Clovis people came five and a half millennia after the early gigantic Missoula floods, two and a half millennia after the last small Missoula flood, and two millennia after the glacial Lake Columbia flood. People likely saw outburst flood(s) from glacial Lake Kootenay.
Progression from Vegetative to Minimally Conscious State Is Associated with Changes in Brain Neural Response to Passive Tasks: A Longitudinal Single-Case Functional MRI Study
Authors: Tomaiuolo Francesco , Cecchetti Luca , Gibson Raechelle M. , Logi Fiammetta , Owen Adrian M. , Malasoma Franco , Cozza Sabino , Pietrini Pietro , Ricciardi Emiliano 
Published: June 2016

AbstractObjectives: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) may be adopted as a complementary tool for bedside observation in the disorders of consciousness (DOC). However, the diagnostic value of this technique is still debated because of the lack of accuracy in determining levels of consciousness within a single patient. Recently, Giacino and colleagues (2014) hypothesized that a longitudinal fMRI evaluation may provide a more informative assessment in the detection of residual awareness. The aim of this study was to measure the correspondence between clinically defined level of awareness and neural responses within a single DOC patient. Methods: We used a follow-up fMRI design in combination with a passive speech-processing task. Patient’s consciousness was measured through time by using the Coma Recovery Scale. Results: The patient progressed from a vegetative state (VS) to a minimally conscious state (MCS). Patient’s task-related neural responses mirrored the clinical change from a VS to an MCS. Specifically, while in an MCS, but not a VS, the patient showed a selective recruitment of the left angular gyrus when he listened to a native speech narrative, as compared to the reverse presentation of the same stimulus. Furthermore, the patient showed an increased response in the language-related brain network and a greater deactivation in the default mode network following his progression to an MCS. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that longitudinal assessment of brain responses to passive stimuli can contribute to the definition of the clinical status in individual patients with DOC and represents an adequate counterpart of the bedside assessment during the diagnostic decision-making process. (JINS, 2016, 22, 620–630)
Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and its association with overweight among young children from China
Authors: Yu Pan , Chen Yun , Zhao Ai , Bai Ying , Zheng Yingdong , Zhao Wenzhi , Zhang Yumei 
Published: June 2016

AbstractObjectiveTo fully understand the sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption status among Chinese young children and to explore its association with weight gain.DesignIn this cross-sectional study, data on sociodemographic characteristics, SSB intake and weight/height were collected by means of face-to-face interviews. The intake of SSB among young Chinese children in relation to their age, different characteristics and types of SSB consumed is described, and the association between SSB intake and BMI-for-age Z-score and overweight is explored.SettingSeven large cities and two villages in China.SubjectsNine hundred and forty-six healthy children, aged 3–7 years.ResultsThe proportion of SSB intake among Chinese young children was 80·5 %; 3·4 % were daily consumers, 34·0 % (31·4 %) consumed at least once per week (month). The per capita and per consumer SSB intake was 63·1 9 (sd 100·8) and 78·4 (sd 106·9) ml/d. Children from rural areas consumed twice, or even triple, the amount of SSB as those from urban areas (P<0·001) and great disparities existed between the types of SSB consumed by urban and rural children. An association was found between increased SSB intake and higher BMI-for-age Z-score (P<0·05) after adjusting for potential confounders; there was also an association between SSB intake and increased risk of being overweight or obese.ConclusionsThe consumption status of SSB in Chinese young children is of concern. There was a positive association between SSB intake and weight gain. Measures should be taken to improve the present situation of SSB consumption among Chinese young children.