bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The relationship between platelet–lymphocyte ratio and severity of erectile dysfunction
Authors: Akbas Alpaslan , Gulpınar Murat Tolga , Sancak Eyüp Burak , Gunes Mustafa , Ucar Murat , Altok Muammer , Umul Mehmet 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThe prognostic importance of platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR) is already known for various artery diseases. In this study, the relationship between PLR and severity of erectile dysfunction (ED) is examined in patients with impotence. The data from patients suffering from erection problems was screened retrospectively. Detailed medical history, age, International Index of Erectile Function‐5 (IIEF‐5) scores, fasting blood glucose, lipid, whole blood count, and hormone profile values were examined. Patients with no ED were selected as the control group. All men answered the IIEF‐5 questions and were then classified according to their scores. Patients were determined to have severe ED (scores 5–7), moderate ED (scores 8–16), or mild ED (scores 17–21). An IIEF‐5 score greater than 21 was accepted for the control group. The PLR values from both patient and control groups were evaluated. Demographic data were similar in both groups. Mean PLR value was 104 in control and 118 in the patient group (p < 0.001). PLR value increased depending on the severity of ED. Mean PLR values were 108 in mild, 116 in moderate, and 130 in severe ED groups. Compared with the control group, this value was statistically significant for patients with moderate and severe ED (p = 0.04 and p < 0.001). PLR showed weak negative but significant correlation with IIEF‐5 scores (r = −0.27 and p < 0.001). The PLR value was found to be higher in patients with ED. PLR value may be related to ED and its severity in patients with impotence.
Straight and Curved Path Walking Among Older Adults in Primary Care: Associations With Fall‐Related Outcomes
Authors: Welch Sarah A. , Ward Rachel E. , Kurlinski Laura A. , Kiely Dan K. , Goldstein Richard , VanSwearingen Jessie , Brach Jennifer S. , Bean Jonathan F. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractBackgroundMost falls among community‐dwelling older adults occur while walking. Simple walking tests that require little resources and can be interpreted quickly are advocated as useful screening tools for fall prone patients.ObjectiveTo investigate 2 clinically feasible walking tests consisting of straight‐ and curved‐path walking and examine their associations with history of previous falls and fall‐related outcomes among community‐living older adults.DesignA cross‐sectional analysis was performed on baseline data from a longitudinal cohort study.SettingParticipants were recruited through primary care practices.ParticipantsParticipants included 428 primary care patients ≥65 years of age at risk for mobility decline. Participants had a median age of 76.5 years, 67.8% were women, and 82.5% were white.MethodsStraight‐path walking performance was measured as the time needed to walk a 4‐meter straight path at usual pace from standstill using a stopwatch (timed to 0.1 second). Curved‐path walking performance was timed while participants walked from standstill in a figure‐of‐8 pattern around two cones placed 5 feet apart.Main Outcome MeasurementsMultivariable negative binomial regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between straight‐path walking or curved‐path walking and self‐reported history of number of falls. For fall‐related injuries, and fall‐related hospitalizations, logistic regression models were used.ResultsIn the fully adjusted model, an increase of 1 second in straight path walking time was associated with 26% greater rate of falls (rate ratio 1.26, 95% confidence interval 1.10‐1.45). An increase in curved‐path walking time was associated with 8% greater rate of falls (rate ratio 1.08, 95% confidence interval = 1.03‐1.14). Neither walk test was associated with history of fall‐related injuries or hospitalizations.ConclusionsPoor performance on straight‐ and curved‐path walking performance was associated with a history of greater fall rates in the previous year but not with a history of fall‐related injuries or hospitalizations. This information helps inform how previous fall history is related to performance on walking tests in the primary care setting.
Hand Hygiene, Cohorting, or Antibiotic Restriction to Control Outbreaks of Multidrug-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae
Authors: Pelat Camille , Kardaś-Słoma Lidia , Birgand Gabriel , Ruppé Etienne , Schwarzinger Michaël , Andremont Antoine , Lucet Jean-Christophe , Yazdanpanah Yazdan 
Published: December 2015

BACKGROUNDThe best strategy for controlling extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE) transmission in intensive care units (ICUs) remains elusive.OBJECTIVEWe developed a stochastic transmission model to quantify the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing the spread of ESBL-PE in an ICU.METHODSWe modeled the evolution of an outbreak caused by the admission of a single carrier in a 10-bed ICU free of ESBL-PE. Using data obtained from recent muticenter studies, we studied 26 strategies combining different levels of the following 3 interventions: (1) increasing healthcare worker compliance with hand hygiene before and after contact with a patient; (2) cohorting; (3) reducing antibiotic prevalence at admission with or without reducing antibiotherapy duration.RESULTSImproving hand hygiene compliance from 55% before patient contact and 60% after patient contact to 80% before and 80% after patient contact reduced the nosocomial incidence rate of ESBL-PE colonization by 91% at 90 days. Adding cohorting to hand hygiene improvement intervention decreased the proportion of ESBL-PE acquisitions by an additional 7%. Antibiotic restriction had the lowest impact on the epidemic. When combined with other interventions, it only marginally improved effectiveness, despite strong hypotheses regarding antibiotic impact on transmission.CONCLUSIONOur results suggest that hand hygiene is the most effective intervention to control ESBL-PE transmission in an ICU.Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2016;37(3):272–280
A refined high carbohydrate diet is associated with changes in the serotonin pathway and visceral obesity
Authors: SPADARO PAOLA A. , NAUG HELEN L. , DU TOIT EUGENE F. , DONNER DANIEL , COLSON NATALIE J. 
Published: December 2015

SummaryConsumption of palatable foods high in refined carbohydrate has been implicated as a contributing factor to the epidemic levels of obesity. Such foods may disrupt appetite regulation in the hypothalamus through alterations in hunger and satiety signalling. This investigation examined whether a palatable high refined carbohydrate (HRC) diet with the potential to induce obesity was linked to modulation of serotonin and dopamine signalling within the hypothalamus of rats. Male Wistar rats were allowedad libitumaccess to either a palatable refined carbohydrate enriched (HRC) diet or standard chow (SC). Visceral fat percentage was used as a measure of the animals' weight gain during the trial. Real-time PCR was applied to determine any variation in levels of expression of the serotonin (Slc6A4orSert) and dopamine transporter (Slc6A3orDat) genes. After 29 weeks, the HRC group showed a significant increase in visceral fat percentage accompanied by increased expression ofSert. Higher levels of circulating triglycerides were also seen. This investigation determined that a refined high carbohydrate diet is associated with visceral obesity, increased circulating lipids in the blood and distorted serotonergic signalling, which possibly alters satiety and hunger signals.
BRITAIN AND THE POLITICS OF CEYLON, 1948–1961
Authors: RATNAPALAN L. M. 
Published: December 2015

ABSTRACTThis article traces the British relationship with Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in the decade and a half after independence. The first part of this article shows how, within the context of the arrangements made at independence, the events of the years 1956–9 under the premiership of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike marked an important turning point in Britain's political and strategic relationship with the island. Then in the second part, British diplomatic records relating to Ceylonese politics are used to analyse the British response to Ceylon's ethno-political crisis during the early 1960s. Britain's reluctance to respond to this crisis was an outcome of the changed relations with Ceylon brought on during the Bandaranaike era.
Provocation and the Strategy of Terrorist and Guerrilla Attacks
Authors: Carter David B. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractViolent nonstate groups are usually weaker than the states they target. Theory suggests that groups carefully condition their choice of tactics on anticipated state response. Yet scholars know very little about whether and how groups strategically plan attacks in anticipation of state response. Scholars do not know if and under what conditions groups employ violent tactics to provoke or avoid a forceful state response, although extant theory is consistent with both possibilities. Relatedly, there is little systematic evidence about why groups choose terrorist or guerrilla tactics and how this choice relates to anticipated state response. I develop a theoretical and empirical model of the interaction between groups and states that generates unique evidence on all three fronts. Using data on attacks in Western Europe from 1950 to 2004, I show that guerrilla attacks are sometimes associated with provoking forceful state response, whereas terrorist attacks are generally associated with avoiding forceful response. Groups effectively choose their tactics to avoid forceful state responses that are too damaging for themselves but provoke forceful responses that disproportionately harm civilians. These findings survive several robustness and model specification tests.
CONSANGUINITY, GENETICS AND DEFINITIONS OF KINSHIP IN THE UK PAKISTANI POPULATION
Authors: Bittles A. H. , Small N. A. 
Published: December 2015

SummaryConsanguineous marriage is a controversial topic in many Western societies, with attention mainly focused on the health of immigrant communities from Asia and Africa. In the UK consanguinity is especially prevalent in the Pakistani community, which now numbers over 1.1 million. Less attention has been paid to the influence of hereditary population stratification within Pakistani communities, in particularbiraderi(literally brotherhood) membership, which denotes male lineages that largely govern marriage partner choice and hence the transmission of disease genes. The various roles played bybiraderiand their relationship to other socio-occupational and kinship terms, such as caste,quomandzat, are often overlooked in health-based studies. The interchangeable use of these different kinship terms without rigorous definition can create identity uncertainty and hinders inter-study comparisons. Where feasible, standardization of terminology would be both desirable and beneficial, withbiraderithe preferred default term to identify specific social and genetic relationships within the Pakistani diaspora.
Maltreatment in childhood substantially increases the risk of adult depression and anxiety in prospective cohort studies: systematic review, meta-analysis, and proportional attributable fractions
Authors: Li M. , D'Arcy C. , Meng X. 
Published: December 2015

BackgroundLiterature supports a strong relationship between childhood maltreatment and mental illness but most studies reviewed are cross-sectional and/or use recall to assess maltreatment and are thus prone to temporality and recall bias. Research on the potential prospective impact of maltreatment reduction on the incidence of psychiatric disorders is scarce.MethodElectronic databases and grey literature from 1990 to 2014 were searched for English-language cohort studies with criteria for depression and/or anxiety and non-recall measurement of childhood maltreatment. Systematic review with meta-analysis synthesized the results. Study quality, heterogeneity, and publication bias were examined. Initial screening of titles and abstracts resulted in 199 papers being reviewed. Eight high-quality articles met eligibility criteria. Population attributable fractions (PAFs) estimated potential preventive impact.ResultsThe pooled odds ratio (OR) between any type of maltreatment and depression was 2.03 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.37–3.01] and 2.70 (95% CI 2.10–3.47) for anxiety. For specific types of maltreatment and depression or anxiety disorders, the ORs were: physical abuse (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.25–3.19), sexual abuse (OR 2.66, 95% CI 1.88–3.75), and neglect (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.35–2.23). PAFs suggest that over one-half of global depression and anxiety cases are potentially attributable to self-reported childhood maltreatment. A 10–25% reduction in maltreatment could potentially prevent 31.4–80.3 million depression and anxiety cases worldwide.ConclusionThis review provides robust evidence of childhood maltreatment increasing the risk for depression and anxiety, and reinforces the need for effective programs and policies to reduce its occurrence.
Beauty, virtue, and religious exemplars
Authors: KIDD IAN JAMES 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThis article explores the beauty of religious exemplars – those special persons whose conduct and comportment marks their life out as one that exemplifies a religious life. Such exemplars are consistently described as beautiful, but it is not clear how or why. I suggest that we can make sense of the aesthetic aspect of religious exemplarity by adopting a ‘virtue-centric’ theory of beauty that understands the beautiful in terms of the expression or manifestation of virtues. Religious exemplars are those who have cultivated their virtues to an advanced degree and are beautiful for that reason. Attending to the beauty of religious exemplars can enrich exemplarist virtue theory, the aesthetics of character, and our understanding of the nature of a religious life.
Electron acceleration at grazing incidence of a subpicosecond intense laser pulse onto a plane solid target
Authors: Andreev N. E. , Pugachev L. P. , Povarnitsyn M. E. , Levashov P. R. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractGeneration of hot electrons at grazing incidence of a subpicosecond relativistic-intense laser pulse onto a plane solid target is analyzed for the parameters of petawatt class laser systems. We study preplasma formation on the surface of solid aluminum targets produced by laser prepulses with a different time structure. For modeling of the preplasma dynamics, we use a wide-range two-temperature hydrodynamic model. As a result of simulations, the preplasma expansion under the action of the laser prepulse and the plasma density profiles for different contrast ratios of the nanosecond pedestal are found. These density profiles are used as the initial density distributions in three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of electron acceleration by the main P-polarized laser pulse. Results of modeling demonstrate a substantial increase of the characteristic energy and number of accelerated electrons for the grazing incidence of a subpicosecond intense laser pulse in comparison with the ponderomotive scaling of laser–target interaction.
Burrow systems of mole-rats as refuges for frogs in the Miombo woodlands of south-east Africa
Authors: Šklíba Jan , Jirků Miloslav , Šumbera Radim 
Published: December 2015

Abstract:Frogs are known to occasionally utilize the burrow systems of subterranean rodents, but this phenomenon has previously attracted little attention. We recorded frogs in burrows and in/under the molehills of three African mole-rat species (Bathyergidae, Rodentia) during burrow system mapping in Malawi and Zambia during the dry season. Eight frog species were detected. The most abundant of them,Kassina senegalensis, was found in large numbers in active Ansell's mole-rat nest areas, obviously tolerated by the hosts. We speculate that in areas with prolonged dry seasons mole-rats may increase anuran abundances and diversity.
Clinical implications of mitral valve geometric alterations in children with dilated cardiomyopathy
Authors: Hayashi Taiyu , Inuzuka Ryo , Shindo Takahiro , Ono Hiroshi , Kaneko Yukihiro , Kato Hitoshi 
Published: December 2015

AbstractWe aimed to elucidate the relationship between severity of secondary mitral regurgitation and mitral valve geometry in children with dilated cardiomyopathy. The medical records of 16 children with dilated cardiomyopathy (median age, 1.2 years; range, 0.4–12.3 years) were reviewed. Mitral valve geometry was evaluated by measuring coaptation depth using echocardiographic apical four-chamber views at the initial presentation. Patients were dichotomised according to the mitral regurgitation severity: patients with moderate or severe secondary mitral regurgitation (n=6) and those with mild secondary mitral regurgitation (n=10). A total of 58 healthy children were considered as normal controls, and a regression equation to predict coaptation depth by body surface area was derived: coaptation depth [mm]=4.37+1.34×ln (body surface area [m2]) (residual standard error, 0.49; adjusted R2, 0.68; p<0.0001). Compared with patients with mild secondary mitral regurgitation, those with moderate or severe secondary mitral regurgitation had significantly larger coaptation depth z-scores (6.4±2.3 versus 1.9±1.4, p<0.005), larger mitral annulus diameter z-scores (3.6±2.6 versus 0.9±1.8, p<0.05), higher left ventricular sphericity index (0.89±0.07 versus 0.79±0.06, p<0.005), and greater left ventricular fraction shortening (0.15±0.05 versus 0.09±0.05, p<0.05). In conclusion, geometric alteration in the mitral valve and the left ventricle is associated with the severity of secondary mitral regurgitation in paediatric dilated cardiomyopathy, which would provide a theoretical background to surgical intervention for secondary mitral regurgitation in paediatric populations.
The Allure of High-Risk Rewards in Huntington’s disease
Authors: van Wouwe Nelleke C. , Kanoff Kristen E. , Claassen Daniel O. , Richard Ridderinkhof K. , Hedera Peter , Harrison Madaline B. , Wylie Scott A. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractObjectives:Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that produces a bias toward risky, reward-driven decisions in situations where the outcomes of decisions are uncertain and must be discovered. However, it is unclear whether HD patients show similar biases in decision-making when learning demands are minimized and prospective risks and outcomes are known explicitly. We investigated how risk decision-making strategies and adjustments are altered in HD patients when reward contingencies are explicit.Methods:HD (N=18) and healthy control (HC;N=17) participants completed a risk-taking task in which they made a series of independent choices between a low-risk/low reward and high-risk/high reward risk options.Results:Computational modeling showed that compared to HC, who showed a clear preference for low-risk compared to high-risk decisions, the HD group valued high-risks more than low-risk decisions, especially when high-risks were rewarded. The strategy analysis indicated that when high-risk options were rewarded, HC adopted a conservative risk strategy on the next trial by preferring the low-risk option (i.e., they counted their blessings and then played the surer bet). In contrast, following a rewarded high-risk choice, HD patients showed a clear preference for repeating the high-risk choice.Conclusions:These results indicate a pattern of high-risk/high-reward decision bias in HD that persists when outcomes and risks are certain. The allure of high-risk/high-reward decisions in situations of risk certainty and uncertainty expands our insight into the dynamic decision-making deficits that create considerable clinical burden in HD. (JINS, 2016,22, 426–435)
Lower Working Memory Performance in Overweight and Obese Adolescents Is Mediated by White Matter Microstructure
Authors: Alarcón Gabriela , Ray Siddharth , Nagel Bonnie J. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractObjectives: Elevated body mass index (BMI) is associated with deficits in working memory, reduced gray matter volume in frontal and parietal lobes, as well as changes in white matter (WM) microstructure. The current study examined whether BMI was related to working memory performance and blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) activity, as well as WM microstructure during adolescence. Methods: Linear regressions with BMI and (1) verbal working memory BOLD signal, (2) spatial working memory BOLD signal, and (3) fractional anisotropy (FA), a measure of WM microstructure, were conducted in a sample of 152 healthy adolescents ranging in BMI. Results: BMI was inversely related to IQ and verbal and spatial working memory accuracy; however, there was no significant relationship between BMI and BOLD response for either verbal or spatial working memory. Furthermore, BMI was negatively correlated with FA in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) and left inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF). ILF FA and IQ significantly mediated the relationship between BMI and verbal working memory performance, whereas SLF FA, but not IQ, significantly mediated the relationship between BMI and accuracy of both verbal and spatial working memory. Conclusions: These findings indicate that higher BMI is associated with decreased FA in WM fibers connecting brain regions that support working memory, and that WM microstructural deficits may underlie inferior working memory performance in youth with higher BMI. Of interest, BMI did not show the same relationship with working memory BOLD activity, which may indicate that changes in brain structure precede changes in function. (JINS, 2015, 21, 281–292)
Caste as self-regulatory club: evidence from a private banking system in nineteenth century India
Authors: NAIR MALAVIKA 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThe Chettiar banking system evolved and functioned in the absence of a government sponsored central bank in 19th-century India. I find that the underlying common social institution of caste was crucial for the workings of the banking system and effectively acted as a club. Exclusion was achieved by restricting membership by birth and the practice of endogamy. These mechanisms created the necessary incentives to provide meaningful rules as well as their enforcement. I describe and analyze the privately provided self-regulatory mechanisms of clearinghouses, inter-bank lending and information sharing. The Chettiar banking system thus adds to existing instances of self-regulated banking as well as points to the economic underpinnings of caste as an institution.
Strategic Decisions in Task-Oriented Reading
Authors: Salmerón Ladislao , Vidal-Abarca Eduardo , Martínez Tomás , Mañá Amelia , Gil Laura , Naumann Johannes 
Published: December 2015

AbstractAnswering questions from texts are assessment and instructional activities that are frequently used in schools. Nevertheless, little is known about the strategic processes that students take while performing these tasks. We explored the amount and frequency that students initially read of a text before they answered questions pertaining to the material. In a procedure similar to the one used in the PISA (Program for International Students Assessment), one-hundred-seventy students between 7thand 9thgrade read and answered several questions designed to assess task-oriented reading in three specific texts. We recorded on-line indexes that evaluated student behavior (e.g., the amount of text that students read before answering questions raised within a given text), performance, and comprehension skill. The results revealed that students skilled in comprehension initially read a high proportion of the texts, which in turn improved their overall performance in two of the three texts read (text 1: CI95%: 0.01 to 0.09; text 2: CI95%: –0.01 to 0.05; text 3: CI95%: 0.04 to 0.20). Therefore, we conclude that this strategic behavior should be considered during the assessment and instruction of reading literacy.