bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Select Issues and Controversies in Contemporary African Philosophy
Authors: Hallen Barry 
Published: June 2014

AbstractAfrican philosophy today is a complicated and dynamic discipline. This presentation will concentrate on two topics that are currently of special interest. One concerns the meaning of the term ‘communalism’ when it is used to express a defining characteristic of Africa's cultures. The other concerns the reactions on the part of African philosophers and scholars to the movement that has come to be known in Western academia and culture as ‘feminism’.
Home treatment teams and facilitated discharge from psychiatric hospital
Authors: Tulloch A. D. , Khondoker M. R. , Thornicroft G. , David A. S. 
Published: June 2014

Aims.There has been little research into the facilitated discharge (FD) function of Home Treatment Teams (HTTs). We aimed to explore and describe the prevalence and associations of FD and to estimate its effects on bed days during the index admission (length of stay corrected for ward leave) and on readmission.Methods.Descriptive and regression analyses of data collected by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust on discharges from its general psychiatric wards, with multiple imputation of missing covariate values.Results.Overall, 29% of our sample of 7891 hospital admissions involved a FD. FD was associated with female gender, diagnosis of a severe mental illness, previous home treatment, having a longer previous admission, neither being discharged to a new address nor to a care home, having no other community team and having HoNOS item scores consistent with an active depressive or psychotic mental illness. In the regression analysis, FD was associated with 4.0 fewer bed days (95% confidence interval −6.7 to −1.3;p = 0.0004). There was no effect on readmission.Conclusions.Our analysis provides some support for the effectiveness of FD in slightly reducing the time spent in hospital and suggests that this may be achieved without increasing the rate of readmission. Further studies in this area are important, especially given existing research that suggests that the introduction of HTTs in England and Wales was associated with little or no change in service utilisation.
Emotional Intelligence and Self-Efficacy: Effects on Psychological Well-Being in College Students
Authors: Costa Hilda , Ripoll Pilar , Sánchez Miguel , Carvalho Carla 
Published: June 2014

AbstractThe present paper examined the role of perceived emotional intelligence-EI- (measured by adaptations of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale - TMMS, Salovey, Mayer, Goldman, Turvey, & Palfai, 1995) as a predictor of life satisfaction and mental health. We explored the unique contribution of EI dimensions (Attention, Clarity and Repair) on individuals’ psychological well-being, after controlling for the influence of general self-efficacy and socio-demographic variables (age, gender and culture). Data was collected from a sample of 1078 Spanish, Mexican, Portuguese and Brazilian undergraduate students (Mage = 22.98; SD = 6.73) and analyzed using hierarchical multiple regressions. Results indicated that overall EI dimensions (especially Clarity and Repair) accounted for unique variance on psychological well-being above and beyond general self-efficacy and socio-demographic characteristics. These findings provide additional support for the validity of perceived EI, and suggests that EI components contribute to important well-being criteria independently from well-known constructs such as self-efficacy.
Estimation of the hydrogen concentration in rat tissue using an airtight tube following the administration of hydrogen via various routes
Authors: Liu Chi , Kurokawa Ryosuke , Fujino Masayuki , Hirano Shinichi , Sato Bunpei , Li Xiao-Kang 
Published: June 2014

AbstractHydrogen exerts beneficial effects in disease animal models of ischemia-reperfusion injury as well as inflammatory and neurological disease. Additionally, molecular hydrogen is useful for various novel medical and therapeutic applications in the clinical setting. In the present study, the hydrogen concentration in rat blood and tissue was estimated. Wistar rats were orally administered hydrogen super-rich water (HSRW), intraperitoneal and intravenous administration of hydrogen super-rich saline (HSRS) and inhalation of hydrogen gas. A new method for determining the hydrogen concentration was then applied using high-quality sensor gas chromatography, after which the specimen was prepared via tissue homogenization in airtight tubes. This method allowed for the sensitive and stable determination of the hydrogen concentration. The hydrogen concentration reached a peak at 5 minutes after oral and intraperitoneal administration, compared to 1 minute after intravenous administration. Following inhalation of hydrogen gas, the hydrogen concentration was found to be significantly increased at 30 minutes and maintained the same level thereafter. These results demonstrate that accurately determining the hydrogen concentration in rat blood and organ tissue is very useful and important for the application of various novel medical and therapeutic therapies using molecular hydrogen.
Bromodeoxyuridine labelling and fluorescence‐activated cell sorting of polyamine‐transforming bacterioplankton in coastal seawater
Authors: Mou Xiaozhen , Jacob Jisha , Lu Xinxin , Vila‐Costa Maria , Chan Leong‐Keat , Sharma Shalabh , Zhang Yu‐qin 
Published: June 2014

SummaryPolyamines (PAs) are a group of nitrogen‐rich dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) compounds that are ubiquitously distributed in marine environments. To identify bacteria that are involved in PA transformations, coastal bacterioplankton microcosms were amended with a single PA model compound, i.e. putrescine (PUT) or spermidine (SPD), or with no addition as controls (CTRs). Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was added to all the microcosms to label newly synthesized DNAs. Fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis indicated significant increases in numbers of total cells and cells with both high and low levels of BrdU incorporation in the PUT and SPD microcosms, but not in the CTRs. 16S rDNA pyrotag sequencing of FACS‐sorted cells indicated that PUT‐ and SPD‐transforming bacteria were composed similarly of a diverse group of taxa affiliated with Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria (especially Roseobacter of its alpha lineage). Broad taxonomic distribution of PA‐transforming bacteria was also indicated by the abundance and distribution of PA transporter gene homologues in a survey of sequenced marine bacterial genomes. Our results suggest that PAs may be common DON substrates for marine bacterioplankton, in line with the hypothesis that bacterially mediated PA transformation accounts for an important proportion of marine DON flux.
Evaluation of automated image analysis software for the detection of diabetic retinopathy to reduce the ophthalmologists' workload
Authors: Soto‐Pedre Enrique , Navea Amparo , Millan Saray , Hernaez‐Ortega Maria C. , Morales Jesús , Desco Maria C. , Pérez Pablo 
Published: June 2014

AbstractAimsTo assess the safety and workload reduction of an automated ‘disease/no disease’ grading system for diabetic retinopathy (DR) within a systematic screening programme.MethodsSingle 45° macular field image per eye was obtained from consecutive patients attending a regional primary care based DR screening programme in Valencia (Spain). The sensitivity and specificity of automated system operating as ‘one or more than one microaneurysm detection for disease presence' grader were determined relative to a manual grading as gold standard. Data on age, gender and diabetes mellitus were also recorded.ResultsA total of 5278 patients with diabetes were screened. The median age and duration of diabetes was 69 years and 6.9 years, respectively. Estimated prevalence of DR was 15.6%. The software classified 43.9% of the patients as having no DR and 26.1% as having ungradable images. Detection of DR was achieved with 94.5% sensitivity (95% CI 92.6‐ 96.5) and 68.8% specificity (95%CI 67.2–70.4). The overall accuracy of the automated system was 72.5% (95%CI 71.1–73.9).ConclusionsThe present retinal image processing algorithm that can act as prefilter to flag out images with pathological lesions can be implemented in practice. Our results suggest that it could be considered when implementing DR screening programmes.
Effects of coarse woody debris on understorey plants in a temperate Australian woodland
Authors: Goldin Sarah R. , Brookhouse Matthew T. 
Published: June 2014

AbstractQuestionDoes coarse woody debris (CWD) modify adjacent understorey plant moisture content, growth and species composition in extensively cleared temperate woodlands?LocationEndangered Eucalyptus melliodora–E. blakelyi woodland in southeast Australia (149°18′ E, −35°20′ S).MethodsTotal understorey plant moisture content, dry biomass, foliage cover as well as species composition and richness were compared between positions adjacent to and at a reference distance away from CWD of various decay states and large‐end diameters. Pre‐existing CWD and CWD added in 2007 were tested. A linear mixed model was used to test the effect of CWD, CWD decay class and large‐end diameter.ResultsTotal plant moisture content, dry biomass and foliage cover were significantly higher near CWD compared to reference distances. Although CWD did not affect total species richness, native grass richness was significantly lower and cover by exotic forbs significantly higher near CWD than at reference distances. CWD decay state did not significantly affect the measured plant attributes. CWD large‐end diameter was positively related to plant moisture content and foliage cover.ConclusionsThis is the first study to quantitatively determine the effect of CWD on understorey plants in a cleared temperate woodland. The results indicate that CWD could be important for the survival and growth of understorey plants within ecosystems where trees have been removed. Higher plant moisture content near CWD suggests that CWD may also be effective in protecting plants from extreme moisture loss. This effect appears to be greater for large diameter CWD. Increases in total plant moisture content, dry biomass and foliage cover appear to be rapid and may be related to soil moisture availability as well as protection from solar radiation and soil nutrient enrichment near CWD. However, changes in growing conditions near CWD may also alter competitive interactions in favour of existing exotic species. In ecosystems similar to that examined here, the likelihood of reduced native grass richness along with an increase in exotic forbs near CWD should be taken into account given that CWD may persist for decades. This is particularly true in locations where invasive exotic weeds are present.
Effect of fingolimod (FTY720) on cerebral blood flow, platelet function and macular thickness in healthy volunteers
Authors: Ocwieja Magdalena , Meiser Karin , David Olivier J. , Valencia Jessica , Wagner Frank , Schreiber Stephan J. , Pleyer Uwe , Ziemer Sabine , Schmouder Robert 
Published: June 2014

AimFingolimod, a sphingosine 1‐phosphate receptor modulator, is the first oral disease modifying therapy approved for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis. The aim of this double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study was to evaluate the effect of fingolimod on cerebral blood flow, platelet function and macular thickness in healthy volunteers.MethodsThe study included 88 healthy volunteers who received fingolimod 0.5 mg or 1.25 mg or matched placebo over a period of 4 weeks. Transcranial colour coded sonography was performed to measure mean blood flow velocities, the platelet function was measured by the PFA‐100® assay using a collagen/epinephrine cartridge and macular thickness was measured using optical coherence tomography. An assessment of non‐inferiority of fingolimod vs. placebo was performed against a reference value (20% of the overall baseline value).ResultsAll 88 randomized participants completed the study. At day 28 compared with baseline value, for 0.5 mg, 1.25 mg and placebo treatments, the mean middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity decreased by 4, 1 and 3.7 cm s−1, respectively. The platelet function analyzer closure time increase was not significant (7.8, 7.5 and 10.4 s, respectively). The mean percentage change in the central foveal thickness from baseline for both eyes was below 3% for all groups. The safety profile of fingolimod in this study was found consistent with the previous reports.ConclusionsIn healthy volunteers, the changes seen with both fingolimod doses were found to be within normal variability, non‐inferior and comparable with those observed with placebo for all the pharmacodynamic parameters assessed.
PI3K Inhibitors LY294002 and IC87114 Reduce Inflammation in Carrageenan‐Induced Paw Oedema and Down‐Regulate Inflammatory Gene Expression in Activated Macrophages
Authors: Eräsalo Heikki , Laavola Mirka , Hämäläinen Mari , Leppänen Tiina , Nieminen Riina , Moilanen Eeva 
Published: June 2014

AbstractPI3K/Akt pathway is a well‐characterized pathway controlling cellular processes such as proliferation, migration and survival, and its role in cancer is vastly studied. There is also evidence to suggest the involvement of this pathway in the regulation of inflammatory responses. In this study, an attempt was made to investigate the role of PI3Ks in acute inflammation in vivo using pharmacological inhibitors against PI3Ks in the carrageenan‐induced paw oedema model. A non‐selective PI3K inhibitor LY294002 and a PI3Kδ‐selective inhibitor IC87114 were used. Both of these inhibitors reduced inflammatory oedema upon carrageenan challenge in the mouse paw. To explain this result, the effects of the two inhibitors on inflammatory gene expression were investigated in activated macrophages. LY294002 and IC87114 prevented Akt phosphorylation as expected and down‐regulated the expression of inflammatory factors IL‐6, MCP‐1,TNFα and iNOS. These findings suggest that PI3K inhibitors could be used to attenuate inflammatory responses and that the mechanism of action behind this effect is the down‐regulation of inflammatory gene expression.
Chlorpyrifos and Cypermethrin Induce Apoptosis in Human Neuroblastoma Cell Line SH‐SY5Y
Authors: Raszewski Grzegorz , Lemieszek Marta Kinga , Łukawski Krzysztof , Juszczak Małgorzata , Rzeski Wojciech 
Published: June 2014

AbstractOur previous in vivo studies showed that chlorpyrifos (CPF) and cypermethrin (CM) in a mixture dermally administered, strongly inhibited cholinesterase activity in plasma and the brain and were very toxic to the rat central nervous system. In this work, the mechanisms of neurotoxicity have not been elucidated. We used human undifferentiated SH‐SY5Y cells to study mechanisms of pesticide‐induced neuronal cell death. It was found that chlorpyrifos (CPF) and its mixture with cypermethrin (CPF+CM) induced cell death of SH‐SY5Y cells in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner, as shown by MTT assays. Pesticide‐induced SH‐SY5Y cell death was characterized by concentration‐dependent down‐regulation of Bcl‐2 and Bcl‐xL as well as an increase in the caspase 3 activation. Pan‐caspase inhibitor Q‐VD‐OPh produced a slight but significant reversal effect of pesticide‐induced toxicity indicating that the major caspase pathways are not integral to CPF‐ and CPF+CM‐induced cell death. Furthermore, signal transduction inhibitors PD98059, SL‐327, SB202190, SP600125 and mecamylamine failed to attenuate pesticides effect. Atropine exhibited minimal ability to reverse toxicity. Finally, it was shown that inhibition of TNF‐α by pomalidomide attenuated CPF‐/CPF+CM‐induced apoptosis. Overall, our data suggest that FAS/TNF signalling pathways may participate in CPF and CPF+CM toxicity.
Diabetes in South Asians
Authors: Misra A. , Ramchandran A. , Jayawardena R. , Shrivastava U. , Snehalatha C. 
Published: June 2014

AbstractEconomic, dietary and other lifestyle transitions have been occurring rapidly in most South Asian countries, making their populations more vulnerable to developing Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Recent data show an increasing prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in urban areas as well as in semi‐urban and rural areas, inclusive of people belonging to middle and low socio‐economic strata. Prime determinants for Type 2 diabetes in South Asians include physical inactivity, imbalanced diets, abdominal obesity, excess hepatic fat and, possibly, adverse perinatal and early life nutrition and intra‐country migration. It is reported that Type 2 diabetes affects South Asians a decade earlier and some complications, for example nephropathy, are more prevalent and progressive than in other races. Further, prevalence of pre‐diabetes is high, and so is conversion to diabetes, while more than 50% of those who are affected remain undiagnosed. Attitudes, cultural differences and religious and social beliefs pose barriers in effective prevention and management of Type 2 diabetes in South Asians. Inadequate resources, insufficient healthcare budgets, lack of medical reimbursement and socio‐economic factors contribute to the cost of diabetes management. The challenge is to develop new translational strategies, which are pragmatic, cost‐effective and scalable and can be adopted by the South Asian countries with limited resources. The key areas that need focus are: generation of awareness, prioritizing health care for vulnerable subgroups (children, women, pregnant women and the underprivileged), screening of high‐risk groups, maximum coverage of the population with essential medicines, and strengthening primary care. An effective national diabetes control programme in each South Asian country should be formulated, with these issues in mind.
Temperature adaptation in Chrysomya megacephala and Chrysomya pinguis, two blow fly species of forensic significance
Authors: Yang Shih‐Tsai , Shiao Shiuh‐Feng 
Published: June 2014

AbstractChrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is a common and forensically important blow fly species in the Oriental region. However, in the higher mountain regions and on winter days, its habitats are occupied by a closely related species, Chrysomya pinguis (Walker). The resources that the two species employ to survive are very similar and competition between the species may be one of the factors that trigger differentiation of their behaviors. We conducted experiments to examine how these two closely related species may have adapted to different temperature regimes to avoid competition. Several adult and immature parameters were assessed, such as fecundity, locomotor ability, hatching ratio, larval survivorship, and eclosion ratio. Results indicate that species show specific diapause at high temperature (38 °C), larval survivorship of Ch. megacephala was significantly better than that of Ch. pinguis. Conversely, at low temperature (15 °C), adult locomotor ability was better for Ch. pinguis than for Ch. megacephala. The results indicate that the two species may have evolved different temperature adaptation strategies to avoid competition. In mixed‐species larval rearing experiments, competition between Ch. pinguis and Ch. megacephala was observed: at higher temperature (30 °C), the immature performance index of Ch. megacephala was significantly increased when compared to that in single‐species culture, whereas the index of Ch. pinguis was decreased. These data are consistent with the idea that tolerance for higher temperature conditions would allow larvae of Ch. megacephala to gain a competitive advantage over Ch. pinguis in certain habitats. These results may help to explain their current distribution in the environment and provide more biological information on these forensically important species.
Translucency of Ceramic Materials for CEREC CAD/CAM System
Authors: Vichi Alessandro , Carrabba Michele , Paravina Rade , Ferrari Marco 
Published: June 2014

AbstractObjectivesTo compare translucency of the ceramic materials (CEREC CAD/CAM).Materials and MethodsFifteen ceramic materials for CEREC CAD/CAM system were evaluated: IPS e.max HT/LT/MO, ZirCAD, Empress HT/LT; VITA Mark II, VITA AL; VITA YZ, VITA In‐Ceram Spinell/Alumina/Zirconia; and Sirona InCoris AL; Sirona InCoris ZI/TZI. Specimens (0.5‐mm and 1.0‐mm thick; n = 10 each material) were cut from commercial blocks using a water‐cooled diamond saw. Contrast ratio (CR = YB/YW) was measured using a spectrophotometer with an integrating sphere. Kruskal–Wallis one way analysis of variance was performed followed by Dunn's multiple test for post‐hoc.ResultsCR varied from 0.35 to 1.00 and from 0.48 to 1.00 for 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm thicknesses, respectively. CR increased in the following order: IPS e.max HT (most translucent—least opaque), IPS Empress HT, VITA Mark II, IPS Empress LT, IPS e.max LT, In‐Ceram Spinell, IPS e.max MO, VITA YZ, InCoris TZI, IPS e.max ZirCAD, InCoris ZI, In‐Ceram Alumina, VITA AL, InCoris AL, and In‐Ceram Zirconia (least translucent—most opaque).ConclusionsThe null hypothesis has been rejected because tested materials exhibited a wide range of CR. Translucency needs to be taken into account in different clinical situations, including considerations associated with thickness of restoration and/or particular layers.Clinical SignificanceA wide range of translucency was identified for the ceramic materials tested. This variability has to be taken into account for the selection of the materials in different clinical situations also related to the thickness clinically required.
Effect of Three pFSH Doses on Superovulation and Embryo Quality in Goats During Two Breeding Seasons in North‐eastern Mexico
Authors: Sánchez‐Dávila F , Ledezma‐Torres RA , Padilla‐Rivas G , del Bosque‐González AS , González Gómez A , Bernal‐Barragán H 
Published: June 2014

ContentsThe aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of three pFSH doses (80 mg; 145 mg and 215 mg) on ovarian response and on quantity and quality of transferable embryos of goats during the breeding and the non‐breeding seasons. Ovary structures were exposed (laparatomy under general anaesthesia) and numbers of follicles and corpora lutea were registered. Surgical embryo flushing was conducted to count and classify embryos. There were more follicles (3.4 ± 1.1) in does administered 80 mg of pFSH (p < 0.05) than in goats administered 145 mg of pFSH (2.2 ± 1.1) and 215 mg of pFSH (0.9 ± 0.6). Numbers of corpora lutea, blastocysts, and recovered and transferable embryos of goats administered 145 mg pFSH (13.4 ± 3.7, 2.42 ± 1.0, 3.4 ± 1.2 and 3.2 ± 1.1, respectively) and those of goats administered 215 mg pFSH (11.6 ± 2.6, 3.2 ± 0.9, 5.7 ± 1.5, and 5.6 ± 1.5) were greater (p < 0.05) than values obtained from goats administered 80 mg pFSH (4.0 ± 1.5, 0.5 ± 0.3, 1.0 ± 0.5, and 0.8 ± 0.5). Numbers of morula of does administered 80 and 145 mg pFSH (0.4 ± 0.4 and 0.8 ± 0.3) were lower (p < 0.05) than those obtained from animals treated with 215 mg pFSH (2.4 ± 0.9). There was no effect of season upon the analyzed variables. In conclusion, under the prevalent conditions in north‐eastern Mexico, administration of 145 or 215 mg pFSH in a decreasing dose schedule over 3.5 days to bred goats provided a satisfactory superovulatory result.