bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
PREDICTORS OF MALE CIRCUMCISION AMONG MEN AGED 15–35 YEARS IN HARARE, ZIMBABWE
Authors: Mangombe Kudzaishe , Kalule-Sabiti Ishumael 
Published: May 2017

SummaryMedical male circumcision has been recommended by the World Health Organization as part of a comprehensive approach to HIV prevention. Zimbabwe is one of the fourteen sub-Saharan countries that embarked on the Medical Male Circumcision (MMC) programme. However, the country has not yet met male circumcision targets. This paper examines the predictors of male circumcision in Zimbabwe. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 784 men aged 15–35 years in Harare, Zimbabwe. Negative log-log logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of male circumcision. The main predictors of circumcision were age, employment status, ever tested for HIV, approval of HIV testing prior to circumcision, knowledge about male circumcision and attitudes towards male circumcision. By and large, participants had good knowledge about male circumcision and viewed HIV prevention with a reasonably positive attitude. The identification of these predictors can be used to scale up the demand for male circumcision in Zimbabwe.
LONGEVITY IN NORTH KOREA AND SOUTH KOREA: PREVALENCE OF CENTENARIANS IN ONE THE POOREST AND ONE OF THE RICHEST NATIONS
Authors: Schwekendiek Daniel 
Published: May 2017

SummaryOver recent decades, economic living conditions have dramatically improved in South Korea, which now represents one of the most developed nations. At the same time, its twin in the North remains one of the poorest countries on earth. Thus, the Korean peninsula represents a unique historical experiment that allows for study of the effects of environment on human development under a variety of ceteris paribus cultural, genetic and climatic conditions. Previous studies comparing the biosocial performances of the two Koreas have focused on indicators such as weight, height, mid-upper arm circumference and age at menarche. The purpose of the present study was to investigate longevity based on the number of centenarians living in the two Koreas by drawing on censuses implemented around 1925 and 2010. The study found that North Korea had some 0.7 centenarians per one million persons in 1925, and this rate moderately improved to 2.7 around 2010. Conversely, rates skyrocketed in South Korea from 2.7 in 1925 to 38.2 around 2010. This suggests that the rate of centenarians in North Korea around 2010 corresponds to that of South Korea in 1925, suggesting a chronological lag in delayed human development of some 85 years. The prevalence of centenarians is fourteen times higher in contemporary South Korea compared with the North – broadly confirming previous biosocial studies on the two Koreas and two Germanies reporting improved human development in market-oriented systems compared with socialist ones.
Biological significance of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in a cestode parasite,Raillietina echinobothridaand effect of phytoestrogens on the enzyme from the parasite and its host,Gallus domesticus
Authors: RAMNATH  , DUTTA ASIM KUMAR , DKHAR BARILIN , TANDON VEENA , DAS BIDYADHAR 
Published: May 2017

SUMMARYPhosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) is involved in glycolysis in the cestode parasite,Raillietina echinobothrida; whereas, it executes a gluconeogenic role in its host,Gallus domesticus. Because of its differing primary function in the cestode parasite and its host, this enzyme is regarded as a plausible anthelmintic target. Hence, the biological significance of PEPCK in the parasite was analysed using siRNA against PEPCK fromR. echinobothrida(RePEPCK). In order to find out the functional differences between RePEPCK and GdPEPCK (PEPCK from its host,G. domesticus), PEPCK genes from both sources were cloned, over-expressed, characterized, and some properties of the purified enzymes were compared. RePEPCK and GdPEPCK showed a standard Michaelis-Menten kinetics withKmappof 46.9 and 22.9µm, respectively, for phosphoenolpyruvate andKmappof 15.4µmfor oxaloacetate in GdPEPCK decarboxylation reaction. Here, we report antagonist behaviours of recombinant PEPCKs derived from the parasite and its host. In search of possible modulators for PEPCK, few phytoestrogens were examined on the purified enzymes and their inhibitory constants were determined and discussed. This study stresses the potential of these findings to validate PEPCK as the anthelmintic drug target for parasitism management.
Survival and development of chicken ascarid eggs in temperate pastures
Authors: THAPA SUNDAR , THAMSBORG STIG M. , MEYLING NICOLAI V. , DHAKAL SURAJ , MEJER HELENA 
Published: May 2017

SUMMARYEggs of chicken ascarids (Ascaridia galliandHeterakisspp.) are believed to be hardy and survive for long periods. However, this has not been evaluated quantitatively and our study therefore aimed to determine development and recovery of chicken ascarid eggs after burying in pasture soil. Unembryonated eggs were mixed with soil, placed in sealed nylon bags and buried at 7 cm depth in pasture plots April (spring,n= 72) and December 2014 (winter,n= 72). Eight randomly selected bags per season were used to estimate pre-burial egg recovery [0 week post-burial (wpb)]. Eight random bags were removed at 5, 12, 23, 38, 52, 71 wpb per season and additionally at 104 wpb for spring burial. The content of each bag was analysed for numbers and development stages of eggs. Eggs buried in spring were fully embryonated within 12 wpb. In contrast, eggs buried in winter were developing between 23 and 38 wpb, so that all viable eggs seemed to be fully developed by 38 wpb. About 90% eggs disappeared within 23 wpb (spring) and 38 wpb (winter). Small proportions (2–3%) of seemingly viable and infective eggs were still recovered up to 2 years after deposition. In conclusion, most eggs buried in temperate pasture soil seem to experience a heavy mortality within a few months after the deposition, especially during warm periods. However, a small proportion of eggs may survive and remain infective for at least 2 years.
Ear–voice span and pauses in intra- and interlingual respeaking: An exploratory study into temporal aspects of the respeaking process
Authors: CHMIEL AGNIESZKA , SZARKOWSKA AGNIESZKA , KORŽINEK DANIJEL , LIJEWSKA AGNIESZKA , DUTKA ŁUKASZ , BROCKI ŁUKASZ , MARASEK KRZYSZTOF 
Published: May 2017

ABSTRACTRespeaking involves producing subtitles in real time to make live television programs accessible to deaf and hard of hearing viewers. In this study we investigated how the type of material to be respoken affects temporal aspects of respeaking, such as ear–voice span and pauses. Given the similarities between respeaking and interpreting (time constraints) and between interlingual respeaking and translation (interlingual processing), we also tested whether previous interpreting and translation experience leads to a smaller delay or lesser cognitive load in respeaking, as manifested by a smaller number of pauses. We tested 22 interpreters, 23 translators, and a control group of 12 bilingual controls, who performed interlingual (English to Polish) and intralingual (Polish to Polish) respeaking of five video clips with different characteristics (speech rate, number of speakers, and scriptedness). Interlingual respeaking was found to be more challenging than the intralingual one. The temporal aspects of respeaking were affected by clip type (especially in interpreters). We found no clear interpreter or translator advantage over the bilingual controls across the respeaking tasks. However, interlingual respeaking turned out to be too difficult for many bilinguals to perform at all. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine temporal aspects of respeaking as modulated by the type of materials and previous interpreting/translation experience. The results develop our understanding of temporal aspects of respeaking and are directly applicable to respeaker training.
Survival rates of a reintroduced population of the Crested Ibis Nipponia nippon in Ningshan County (Shaanxi, China)
Authors: LI YANFANG , YE XINPING , WANG MIN , LI XIA , DONG RONG , HUO ZHIPING , YU XIAOPING 
Published: May 2017

SummaryA reintroduction project for the endangered Crested Ibis Nipponia nippon was conducted in Ningshan County (Shaanxi Province) on May 31, 2007. Post-release monitoring of the survival of the reintroduced population was carried out extensively from 2008 to 2015. Data collected over eight years after release were used to estimate the annual survival rate for different cohorts using a Cormack-Jolly-Seber model with capture-recapture data. The mean annual survival rates for all individuals were estimated to be 0.738 (95% CI: 0.547–0.801) and 0.752 (95% CI: 0.478–0.887) for released birds. For different age classes in the recipient population, the survival rates were estimated to be 0.384 (95% CI: 0.277–0.504), 0.853 (95% CI: 0.406–0.978), and 0.812 (95% CI: 0.389–0.950) for yearlings, juveniles and adults, respectively. The higher mortality for yearlings has greatly decreased the survival rate and our focal population was indeed sensitive to changes in yearling survival. Therefore, effective protection of yearlings was crucial to population persistence, as well as to juveniles and adults. The large proportion of mature individuals in our focal population indicated a gradually growing population. There was a slight bias towards males in the adult sex ratio with the increase of wild-born offspring, but it was not statistically significant. Therefore, we conclude that the primary goal of establishing a self-sustaining population of the Crested Ibis in part of their historical range has been achieved. Finally, we discuss factors affecting the survival of the reintroduced population and we propose some changes for future management of endangered species.
Survey of Preventable Disaster Deaths at Medical Institutions in Areas Affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake: Retrospective Survey of Medical Institutions in Miyagi Prefecture
Authors: Yamanouchi Satoshi , Sasaki Hiroyuki , Kondo Hisayoshi , Mase Tomohiko , Otomo Yasuhiro , Koido Yuichi , Kushimoto Shigeki 
Published: May 2017

AbstractIntroductionIn 2015, the authors reported the results of a preliminary investigation of preventable disaster deaths (PDDs) at medical institutions in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake (2011). This initial survey considered only disaster base hospitals (DBHs) and hospitals that had experienced at least 20 patient deaths in Miyagi Prefecture (Japan); therefore, hospitals that experienced fewer than 20 patient deaths were not investigated. This was an additional study to the previous survey to better reflect PDD at hospitals across the entire prefecture.MethodOf the 147 hospitals in Miyagi Prefecture, the 14 DBHs and 82 non-DBHs that agreed to participate were included in an on-site survey. A database was created based on the medical records of 1,243 patient deaths that occurred between March 11, 2011 and April 1, 2011, followed by determination of their status as PDDs.ResultsA total of 125 cases of PDD were identified among the patients surveyed. The rate of PDD was significantly higher at coastal hospitals than inland hospitals (17.3% versus 6.3%; P<.001). Preventable disaster deaths in non-DBHs were most numerous in facilities with few general beds, especially among patients hospitalized before the disaster in hospitals with fewer than 100 beds. Categorized by area, the most frequent causes of PDD were: insufficient medical resources, disrupted lifelines, delayed medical intervention, and deteriorated environmental conditions in homes and emergency shelters in coastal areas; and were delayed medical intervention and disrupted lifelines in inland areas. Categorized by hospital function, the most frequent causes were: delayed medical intervention, deteriorated environmental conditions in homes and emergency shelters, and insufficient medical resources at DBHs; while those at non-DBHs were disrupted lifelines, insufficient medical resources, delayed medical intervention, and lack of capacity for transport within the area.Conclusion:Preventable disaster death at medical institutions in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred mainly at coastal hospitals with insufficient medical resources, disrupted lifelines, delayed medical intervention, and deteriorated environmental conditions in homes and emergency shelters constituting the main contributing factors. Preventing PDD, in addition to strengthening organizational support and functional enhancement of DBHs, calls for the development of business continuity plans (BCPs) for medical facilities in directly affected areas, including non-DBHs.YamanouchiS, SasakiH, KondoH, MaseT, OtomoY, KoidoY, KushimotoS. Survey of preventable disaster deaths at medical institutions in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake: retrospective survey of medical institutions in Miyagi Prefecture. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(5):515–522.
Dosimetric study of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy, electronic compensator technique, intensity-modulated radiation therapy and volumetric-modulated arc therapy in whole breast irradiation
Authors: Nantavithya Chonnipa , Saksornchai Kitwadee , Oonsiri Puntiwa , Shotelersuk Kanjana 
Published: May 2017

AbstractBackgroundWhole breast irradiation is an essential treatment after breast-conserving surgery (BCS). However, there are some adverse effects from inhomogeneity and dose to adjacent normal tissues.ObjectiveAim of this study was to compare dosimetry among standard technique, three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT), and advanced techniques, electronic compensator (ECOMP), inverse intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT).MethodsWhole breast irradiation treatment plans of patients who had underwent BCS and whole breast irradiation were re-planned with all four techniques. Clinical target volume was contoured according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group atlas for breast only in patients who had negative node or ductal carcinoma in situ and breast with chest wall for patients with positive node. Planning target volume was non-uniformly expanded. Dose prescription was 50 Gy in 25 fractions with 6 MV photon energy.ResultsIn total, 25 patients underwent whole breast irradiation with computed tomography simulation from November 2013 to November 2014 were included. Six patients with positive nodes were re-planned for breast with chest wall irradiation and 19 patients with negative nodes were re-planned for breast only irradiation. Primary outcome, radical dose homogeneity index (HI) of 3D-CRT, ECOMP, IMRT and VMAT were 0·865, 0·889, 0·890 and 0·866, respectively. ECOMP and IMRT showed significant higher HI than 3D-CRT (p-value<0·001). Secondary outcome, conformity index (CI) of advanced technique were significantly better than 3D-CRT. Lung V20, mean ipsilateral lung dose (MILD), mean heart dose (MHD), heart V25, heart V30 of advanced techniques were also lower than 3D-CRT. ECOMP had better mean lung dose (MLD), mean contralateral lung dose (MCLD) and mean contralateral breast dose (MCBD) when compared with 3D-CRT. Monitor units of advanced techniques were significantly higher than 3D-CRT.ConclusionsHI of ECOMP and IMRT were significantly higher than 3D-CRT technique. All advanced techniques showed statistically better in CI. Lung V20, MILD, heart V25 and heart V30 of advanced techniques were lower than 3D-CRT. However, only ECOMP showed decreased MLD, MHD, MCLD and MCBD when compared with 3D-CRT.
Patient satisfaction with the role of a Clinical Specialist Radiation Therapist in palliative care
Authors: Rozanec Natalie , Smith Sandra , Wells Woodrow , Moyo Elen , Zychla Laura , Harnett Nicole 
Published: May 2017

AbstractAimTo examine patient satisfaction with a Clinical Specialist Radiation Therapist (CSRT) in a palliative radiotherapy clinical environment.Materials and methodsA one-point dissemination design captured satisfaction scores from patients who did (n=19) and did not (n=14) receive palliative care from the CSRT. The ‘Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire’ included six common questions and four additional questions for patients seen by a CSRT. T-tests compared results from common questions and mean values, standard deviations were also calculated.ResultsFor questions ‘I was told everything that I want to know about my condition’ and ‘I felt that the problem that I came with was sorted out properly’, those who received care from the CSRT scored significantly (p<0·05) higher than those that did not (p=0·033, 0·037). For CSRT-specific questions, 89% of participants felt the experience with the CSRT was excellent, 78% strongly agreed/agreed having a CSRT on the care team was important, and 89% of participants strongly agreed/agreed having a CSRT on the care team was important to patients’ understanding of treatment.FindingsPatients receiving care from the CSRT had better understanding of treatment and an excellent experience with the CSRT. This interaction provided more opportunities to address patient questions/concerns, thus alleviating patient anxiety, increasing satisfaction with care, and demonstrating how new roles can develop new models of care within the current healthcare system.
The Effects of Civic Consciousness and Civil Disobedience on Support for and Participation in Contentious Politics
Authors: WANG CHING-HSING , WENG DENNIS LU-CHUNG 
Published: May 2017

AbstractThis study examines the effects of civic consciousness and civil disobedience on individual attitudes toward, and participation in, contentious politics. Using the newly collected survey data on civic consciousness and civil disobedience in Taiwan in 2015, this study finds that both civic consciousness and civil disobedience are significantly associated with individual support for and engagement in contentious politics. Specifically, people with strong civic consciousness and civil disobedience are more likely to support the Sunflower Movement and take part in contentious political activities such as rallies, marches, and strikes. The findings imply that as the ideas of civic consciousness and civil disobedience prevail in a democracy, the public will be more likely to choose to use contentious political activities to express their opinions instead of institutional and legal approaches when the government is unable to respond to public needs in a timely manner.
Water maser emission from exoplanetary systems
Authors: Cosmovici C. B. , Pogrebenko S. 
Published: May 2017

AbstractSince the first discovery of a Jupiter-mass planet in 1995 more than 2000 exo-planets have been found to exist around main sequence stars. The detection techniques are based on the radial velocity method (which involves the measurement of the star's wobbling induced by the gravitational field of the orbiting giant planets) or on transit photometry by using space telescopes (Kepler, Corot, Hubble and Spitzer) outside the absorbing Earth atmosphere. From the ground, as infrared observations are strongly limited by atmospheric absorption, radioastronomy offers almost the only possible way to search for water presence and abundance in the planetary atmospheres of terrestrial-type planets where life may evolve. Following the discovery in 1994 of the first water maser emission in the atmosphere of Jupiter induced by a cometary impact, our measurements have shown that the water maser line at 22 GHz (1.35 cm) can be used as a powerful diagnostic tool for water search outside the solar system, as comets are able to deliver considerable amounts of water to planets raising the fascinating possibility of extraterrestrial life evolution. Thus in 1999 we started the systematic search for water on 35 different targets up to 50 light years away from the Sun. Here we report the first detection of the water maser emission from the exoplanetary systems Epsilon Eridani, Lalande 21185 and Gliese 581. We have shown the peculiar feasibility of water detection and its importance in the search for exoplanetary systems especially for the Astrobiology programs, given the possibility of long period observations using powerful radiotelescopes equipped with adequate spectrometers.
The effect of universal health insurance for children in Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Binh T. , Lo Sasso Anthony T. 
Published: May 2017

AbstractOur research investigates the effects of the 2005 universal health insurance program for children under age 6 in Vietnam on health care utilization, household out-of-pocket (OOP) spending and self-reported health outcomes using data from the Vietnam Household Living Standard Survey in 2002–2004–2006–2008. We use difference-in-differences to compare children eligible for the program to older children who are ineligible for the program. Results indicate that the program increased insurance coverage by 250% for children age 0–5 relative to the pre-policy period. We found large increases in both outpatient visits and hospital admissions. Health insurance availability also increased outpatient visits at both public and private facilities, suggesting that public and private health care services are complements. Although health insurance was associated with a decrease in inpatient OOP spending for children aged 3–5, it did not reduce outpatient OOP spending for children in general. Health insurance was associated with modest improvements in self-reported health outcomes. Our research suggests that expanded access to insurance among Vietnamese children improved access to care and health outcomes, though it did not necessarily reduce OOP spending.
Genome-wide profiling of DNA 5-hydroxymethylcytosine during rat Sertoli cell maturation
Authors: Landfors Miriam , Johansen Jostein , Aronsen Jan Magnus , Vågbø Cathrine Broberg , Doré Louis C , He Chuan , Sjaastad Ivar , Sætrom Pål , Fedorcsák Péter , Dahl John Arne , Aanes Håvard , Fußer Markus , Klungland Arne 
Published: May 2017

AbstractSertoli cells have dual roles during the cells’ lifetime. In the juvenile mammal, Sertoli cells proliferate and create the structure of the testis, and during puberty they cease to proliferate and take on the adult role of supporting germ cells through spermatogenesis. Accordingly, many genes expressed in Sertoli cells during testis formation are repressed during spermatogenesis. 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) is a DNA modification enzymatically generated from 5mC and present in all investigated mammalian tissues at varying levels. Using mass spectrometry and immunofluorescence staining we identified a substantial Sertoli cell-specific global 5hmC increase during rat puberty. Chemical labeling, pull-down and sequencing of 5hmC-containing genomic DNA from juvenile and adult rat Sertoli cells revealed that genes that lose or gain 5hmC belong to different functional pathways and mirror the functions of the cells in the two different states. Loss of 5hmC is associated with genes involved in development and cell structure, whereas gain of 5hmC is associated with genes involved in cellular pathways pertaining to the function of the adult Sertoli cells. This redistribution during maturation shows that 5hmC is a dynamic nucleotide modification, correlated to gene expression.