bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Changes in body mass in later life and incident dementia
Authors: Power Brian D. , Alfonso Helman , Flicker Leon , Hankey Graeme J. , Yeap Bu B. , Almeida Osvaldo P. 
Published: November 2012

ABSTRACTBackground: There is ongoing debate about whether a decline in body mass represents a true risk factor for dementia, whether it is a phenotypic marker of incipient dementia, or perhaps a marker of another process that increases dementia risk. This study was designed to determine if changes in body mass index (BMI) in later life are associated with hazard of incident dementia over a follow-up period of up to eight years.Methods: Method followed was a prospective cohort study of 4,181 men aged 65–84 years, resident in Perth, Australia. The exposure of interest was change in BMI measured between 1996–1998 and 2001–2004. The outcome was incident dementia, established using the Western Australia Data Linkage System until 2009. We used Cox regression models to establish crude and adjusted hazard of dementia for change in BMI.Results: Compared with men with a stable BMI, those with a decrease in BMI >1 kg/m2 had a higher adjusted hazard of dementia (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.32–2.70). The cumulative hazard of dementia over follow-up for changes in BMI was greatest for men with a decrease in BMI >1 kg/m2; this trend was apparent for men in all BMI categories (underweight, normal, overweight, obese). A reverse “J-shaped” association between BMI change and incident dementia was observed, with the lowest dementia rate being for men whose BMI remained stable.Conclusions: Men who maintained a stable body mass had the lowest incidence of dementia. Further studies are needed to clarify causality and assess feasibility of interventional studies to preserve body mass in aging men.
Clinical Skill and Knowledge Requirements of Health Care Providers Caring for Children in Disaster, Humanitarian and Civic Assistance Operations: An Integrative Review of the Literature
Authors: Johnson Heather L. , Gaskins Susan W. , Seibert Diane C. 
Published: November 2012

AbstractIntroductionMilitary health care providers (HCPs) have an integral role during disaster, humanitarian, and civic assistance (DHCA) missions. Since 50% of patients seen in these settings are children, military providers must be prepared to deliver this care.PurposeThe purpose of this systematic, integrative review of the literature was to describe the knowledge and clinical skills military health care providers need in order to provide care for pediatric outpatients during DHCA operations.Data SourcesA systematic search protocol was developed in conjunction with a research librarian. Searches of PubMed and CINAHL were conducted using terms such as Disaster*, Geological Processes, and Military Personnel. Thirty-one articles were included from database and manual searches.ConclusionsInfectious diseases, vaccines, malnutrition, sanitation and wound care were among the most frequently mentioned of the 49 themes emerging from the literature. Concepts included endemic, environmental, vector-borne and vaccine-preventable diseases; enhanced pediatric primary care; and skills and knowledge specific to disaster, humanitarian and civic assistance operations.Implications for PracticeThe information provided is a critical step in developing curriculum specific to caring for children in DHCA. While the focus was military HCPs, the knowledge is easily translated to civilian HCPs who provide care to children in these situations.JohnsonHL,GaskinsSW,SeibertDC.Clinical skill and knowledge requirements of health care providers caring for children in disaster, humanitarian and civic assistance operations: an integrative review of the literature.Prehosp Disaster Med.2013;28(1):1-8.
The concept of the civilian: legal recognition, adjudication and the trials of international criminal justice
Authors: Garbett Claire 
Published: November 2012

AbstractContemporary initiatives to address civilian victimisation in armed conflict increasingly focus on international criminal justice institutions, rules and practices. These institutions are now expected to construct legal recognition of civilian victims of armed conflict, as well as prosecute the perpetrators. This article uses a case-study of theProsecutor v. Dragomir Miloševićheard by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia to explore the concept of the civilian. It first examines the international legal frameworks and obligations that enforce the protection of civilians. It then explores the concept of the civilian as defined by the rules of humanitarian law, and the different approaches to defining civilians utilised by the parties to the Milošević trial. The article argues that the current ‘negative’ definition of civilians creates significant difficulties for understanding civilians as a distinct category of persons, and does not adequately capture their choices, actions and experiences in armed conflict.
Impact of a new anisotropic rheology on simulations of Arctic sea ice
Authors: Tsamados M. , Feltham D. L. , Wilchinsky A. V. 
Published: November 2012

AbstractA new rheology that explicitly accounts for the subcontinuum anisotropy of the sea ice cover is implemented into the Los Alamos sea ice model. This is in contrast to all models of sea ice included in global circulation models that use an isotropic rheology. The model contains one new prognostic variable, the local structure tensor, which quantifies the degree of anisotropy of the sea ice, and two parameters that set the time scale of the evolution of this tensor. The anisotropic rheology provides a subcontinuum description of the mechanical behavior of sea ice and accounts for a continuum scale stress with large shear to compression ratio and tensile stress component. Results over the Arctic of a stand‐alone version of the model are presented and anisotropic model sensitivity runs are compared with a reference elasto‐visco‐plastic simulation. Under realistic forcing sea ice quickly becomes highly anisotropic over large length scales, as is observed from satellite imagery. The influence of the new rheology on the state and dynamics of the sea ice cover is discussed. Our reference anisotropic run reveals that the new rheology leads to a substantial change of the spatial distribution of ice thickness and ice drift relative to the reference standard visco‐plastic isotropic run, with ice thickness regionally increased by more than 1 m, and ice speed reduced by up to 50%.
The spatiotemporal variability of lightning activity in the Himalayan foothills
Authors: Ramesh Kumar P. , Kamra A. K. 
Published: November 2012

The spatiotemporal variability of lightning activity in the region of the Himalayan foothills and perpendicular to it has been examined from about 16‐year data from the TRMM satellite. The monthly mean flash rate for the period from 1995 to 2010 is maximum in an arc‐shaped area along the Himalayan foothills and decreases on both the north and south sides of it. Seasonal variation of mean flash rate changes from annual to semiannual as the area shifts from north to south of the Himalayas and the average elevation of area decreases from 5043 m to 219 m. Further, the mean flash rate is higher in the afternoon and lower from midnight to midday. In the Himalayan foothills, the mean flash rate is highly correlated with surface temperature but poorly correlated with the convective available potential energy (CAPE). Lightning flashes occurring in the high‐altitude regions, as compared to the low‐altitude regions, are less energetic but more frequent. The empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis has been applied to three different data sets of flash rates, surface temperature, and CAPE in the 18.75°N–36°N and 68.75°E–93.75°E area for the period of 1995–2010 to examine the relationship between these parameters in terms of seasonal variations in this region. Spatial distributions of the first mode of flash rate and CAPE and of the first and second modes of surface temperature indicate that the Himalayan range exerts a strong effect on the flash rate distributions in this region. However, while the first mode of spatial distribution of flash rate is in phase with the surface temperature, the time series of CAPE and flash rate are out of phase for the first mode but in phase for their second modes. This result amounts to that 65% of variability in CAPE cannot be associated with the changes in flash rate but 22% of CAPE variability can be associated with changes in flash rate. Higher values of flash rate in the Himalayan foothills are suggested to be associated with the diurnal cycle of a mountain breeze front. Relative roles of convective activities due to solar heating of land, orography of the region, and the synoptic convective systems embedded in monsoon current are discussed to explain the results.
Ras-guanine-nucleotide-releasing factors 1 and 2 interact with PLCγ at focal adhesions to enable IL-1-induced Ca2+ signalling, ERK activation and MMP-3 expression
Authors: Wang Qin , Siminovitch Katherine A. , Downey Gregory P. , McCulloch Christopher A. 
Published: November 2012

IL (interleukin)-1 signalling in anchorage-dependent cells involves focal-adhesion-restricted and Ca2+-dependent Ras and ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) activation that leads to MMP (matrix metalloproteinase) release and extracellular matrix remodelling. Ras activity is regulated, in part, by the Ca2+-responsive Ras GRFs (guanine-nucleotide-releasing factors) 1 and 2, but the mechanisms that link and localize IL-1-induced Ca2+ signalling to focal adhesions are not defined. In the present study we characterized the role of Ras-GRF1/2 in Ca2+ and Ras→ERK signalling after IL-1 stimulation. By immunoprecipitation we found that Ras-GRF1/2 associates with PLCγ1 (phospholipase Cγ1). This association enables PLCγ1 recruitment to focal adhesions and is required for Ras signalling, ERK activation and MMP-3 release downstream of IL-1 stimulation. Depletion of PLCγ1 by siRNA (small interfering RNA) abolished IL-1-induced Ras activation and MMP-3 expression. Buffering of cytosolic Ca2+ reduced Ras interactions with Ras-GRF1/2 and blocked MMP-3 release. The results of the present study show that, in addition to their functions as Ras-exchange factors, Ras-GRF1 and -GRF2 may act as adaptors that bind PLCγ1 and restrict Ca2+ signalling to the vicinity of focal adhesions, indicating a new role for these GRFs that is required for IL-1 induction of the Ras→ERK pathway and MMP-3 expression.
Reduction of Methicillin-ResistantStaphylococcus aureusInfection among Veterans in Atlanta
Authors: Stenehjem Edward , Stafford Cortney , Rimland David 
Published: November 2012

Objective.Describe local changes in the incidence of community-onset and hospital-onset methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) infection and evaluate the impact of MRSA active surveillance on hospital-onset infection.Design.Observational study using prospectively collected data.Setting.Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center (AVAMC).Patients.All patients seen at the AVAMC over an 8-year period with clinically and microbiologically proven MRSA infection.Methods.All clinical cultures positive for MRSA were prospectively identified, and corresponding clinical data were reviewed. MRSA infections were classified into standard clinical and epidemiologic categories. The Veterans Health Administration implemented the MRSA directive in October 2007, which required active surveillance cultures in acute care settings.Results.The incidence of community-onset MRSA infection peaked in 2007 at 5.45 MRSA infections per 1,000 veterans and decreased to 3.14 infections per 1,000 veterans in 2011 (P< .001 for trend). Clinical and epidemiologic categories of MRSA infections did not change throughout the study period. The prevalence of nasal MRSA colonization among veterans admitted to AVAMC decreased from 15.8% in 2007 to 11.2% in 2011 (P<.001 for trend). The rate of intensive care unit (ICU)-related hospital-onset MRSA infection decreased from October 2005 through March 2007, before the MRSA directive. Rates of ICU-related hospital-onset MRSA infection remained stable after the implementation of active surveillance cultures. No change was observed in rates of non-ICU-related hospital-onset MRSA infection.Conclusions.Our study of the AVAMC population over an 8-year period shows a consistent trend of reduction in the incidence of MRSA infection in both the community and healthcare settings. The etiology of this reduction is most likely multifactorial.
Optical emission spectroscopy study in the VUV–VIS regimes of a developing low-temperature plasma in nitrogen gas
Authors: Fierro A , Laity G , Neuber A 
Published: November 2012

Abstract
The mechanisms leading to the development of an atmospheric low temperature plasma along a surface under pulsed conditions is of current interest. In the early plasma phase, high energy photons are a contributing factor to the process of generating electron avalanches resulting in surface flashover. Since only photons in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) regime are energetic enough to cause step-ionization or direct ionization of atmospheric gases, an experiment has been set up to enable observations of photons with wavelengths shorter than 200 nm while still allowing observation up to 800 nm. A spectrum simulation software package has been developed to allow for temperature analysis on the developing plasma in the VUV region. Observations below 200 nm revealed a Boltzmann distributed excited state population corresponding to a temperature of 3.1 eV. Time-resolved emission spectroscopy measurements of the entire electrode region during the streamer phase of breakdown demonstrate the presence of molecular nitrogen emission lines from the second positive system. Further photomultiplier tube measurements of the spark phase showed a rapid decrease in intensity of the second positive system compared to that of a representative atomic emission line in the VUV regime. This emission dominates the ultraviolet–visible (UV–VIS) spectrum during the initial phases of breakdown with little detection of other sources of emission during this phase.
Comparison of a hybrid model to a global model of atmospheric pressure radio-frequency capacitive discharges
Authors: Lazzaroni C , Lieberman M A , Lichtenberg A J , Chabert P 
Published: November 2012

Abstract
A one-dimensional hybrid analytical–numerical global model of atmospheric pressure radio-frequency (rf) driven capacitive discharges, previously developed, is compared with a basic global model. A helium feed gas with small admixtures of oxygen is studied. For the hybrid model, the electrical characteristics are calculated analytically as a current-driven homogeneous discharge. The electron power balance is solved analytically to determine a time-varying Maxwellian electron temperature, which oscillates on the rf timescale. Averaging over the rf period yields effective rate coefficients for gas phase activated processes. For the basic global model, the electron temperature is constant in time and the sheath physics is neglected. For both models, the particle balance relations for all species are integrated numerically to determine the equilibrium discharge parameters. Variations of discharge parameters with composition and rf power are determined and compared. The rate coefficients for electron-activated processes are strongly temperature dependent, leading to significantly larger neutral and charged particle densities for the hybrid model. For small devices, finite sheath widths limit the operating regimes to low O2 fractions. This is captured by the hybrid model but cannot be predicted from the basic global model.
Optimized tokamak power exhaust with double radiative feedback in ASDEX Upgrade
Authors: Kallenbach A. , Bernert M. , Eich T. , Fuchs J.C. , Giannone L. , Herrmann A. , Schweinzer J. , Treutterer W. 
Published: November 2012

Abstract
A double radiative feedback technique has been developed on the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak for optimization of power exhaust with a standard vertical target divertor. The main chamber radiation is measured in real time by a subset of three foil bolometer channels and controlled by argon injection in the outer midplane. The target heat flux is in addition controlled by nitrogen injection in the divertor private flux region using either a thermoelectric sensor or the scaled divertor radiation obtained by a bolometer channel in the outer divertor. No negative interference of the two radiation controllers has been observed so far. The combination of main chamber and divertor radiative cooling extends the operational space of a standard divertor configuration towards high values of P/R. P
heat/R = 14 MW m−1 has been achieved so far with nitrogen seeding alone as well as with combined N + Ar injection, with the time-averaged divertor peak heat flux below 5 MW m−2. Good plasma performance can be maintained under these conditions, namely H
98(y,2) = 1 and β
N = 3.
Effect of Cooking on Lignans Content in Whole‐Grain Pasta Made with Different Cereals and Other Seeds
Authors: Durazzo Alessandra , Azzini Elena , Turfani Valeria , Polito Angela , Maiani Giuseppe , Carcea Marina 
Published: November 2012

ABSTRACTLignans are of increasing interest because of their potential anticarcinogenic, antioxidant, estrogenic, and antiestrogenic activities. In this work, mixed‐cereal pastas manufactured by adding 60% whole‐grain flours of different cereals (wheat, oat, rye, barley, and rice) to durum wheat semolina, a multigrain pasta with different grains (cereals, legumes, and flaxseed), and a traditional industrial durum wheat semolina were analyzed for their lignans content both in the raw and in the cooked state, ready for consumption. For raw mixed‐cereal pastas, total lignans were within the range 94.91–485.62 μg/100 g d.w. After cooking, total lignans losses of about 35.5, 18.31, and 5.46% were observed respectively in oat‐, rye‐, and rice‐added pastas, whereas increases of 5.74 and 13.62% were observed in barley‐added and whole durum wheat pastas. Interesting results were obtained for the multigrain pasta: the raw product exhibited a total lignans content of 9,686.17 ± 287.03 μg/100 g d.w., and the major contribution was given by secoisolariciresinol. This highest total lignans value resulted from its rich and varied composition in seeds of different origin, legumes, and flaxseed in particular. Our findings showed that mixed‐cereal and multigrain pastas can be considered a good source of lignans. The effect of cooking was not the same for each product, and it depended on the different lignans profile of each grain, on the different chemical structure of each lignan, and on the nature of the food matrix.
First Report of Seedling Blight of Watermelon Caused by Acidovorax citrulli Transmitted from Rootstock of Pumpkin in China
Authors: Tian Y. L. , Zhao Y. Q. , Hu B. S. , Liu F. Q. 
Published: November 2012

Bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) is a devastating disease caused by Acidovorax citrulli, which was first observed in the United States in 1988 (3). A. citrulli can cause severe infection on a wide range of cucurbits, including watermelon, cantaloupe, and pumpkin. Cotyledon symptoms are brown, angular, necrotic spots or large necrotic lesions. The disease is seedborne, so seeds usually serve as the primary inoculum source for BFB outbreaks (2). In July 2012, seedling blight was observed by local farmers from Anhui province in China on watermelon seedlings grafted to pumpkin rootstocks; lesions were morphologically similar to those caused by A. citrulli. Presence of A. citrulli was detected in symptomatic samples by using species-specific primers BX-L1/BX-S-R2 (1). The seed company claimed seeds of watermelon (cv. Changfeng) were certified free of bacterial fruit blotch, but pumpkin seeds (cv. Kangkuxianfeng-1) had not been tested for A. citrulli. For investigating the inoculum source, the remaining seeds of watermelon (cv. Changfeng) and pumpkin (cv. Kangkuxianfeng-1) for seedling production were collected from the farmer and processed for pathogen extraction as described by Walcott and Gitaitis (2). Two microliters of seed wash was used as template for PCR using primers BX-L1/BX-S-R2 (1). The experiment was conducted three times. A 279-bp DNA fragment was consistently amplified by PCR from seed wash of pumpkin seeds, but not from the seed wash of watermelon seeds. Three Acidovorax-like strains (A1, A2, and A3) were isolated from pumpkin seed wash using TWZ semi-selective medium (0.5% peptone, 0.025% CaCl2, 1% Tween-80, 50 mg/liter berberine, 50 mg/liter cycloheximide, 50 mg/liter 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride). PCR was performed on the 16S rDNA gene from isolate strain A1, A2, and A3 (1,492 bp; GenBank Accession Nos. JX875533, JX875534, and JX875535) with primers rp1/fd2 (4), and PCR products were sequenced. Results of sequence analysis showed the sequences of strains A1, A2, and A3 were 99% identical to that of the type strain of A. citrulli AAC00-1 (NC_008752). Pathogencity was confirmed by injection of pumpkin cotyledons with bacterial suspensions of each isolate. Collected pumpkin seeds (n = 100 seeds) and watermelon seeds (n = 100 seeds) were planted in plastic pots containing sterilized field soil at room temperature to detect A. citrulli by a wet chamber growing out test. Eight days later, brown, angular, necrotic spots or wilt developed in pumpkin seedlings, but no symptoms were noted on the watermelon seedlings. To our knowledge, this is the first report of A. citrulli causing watermelon seedling blight transmitted from pumpkin seeds by grafting in China. References: (1) O. Bahar et al. Plant Pathol. 57:754, 2008. (2) R. R. Walcott and R. D. Gitaitis. Plant Dis. 84:470, 2000. (3) G. C. Wall et al. Phytopathology 78:1605, 1988. (4) W. G. Weisburg et al. J. Bacteriol. 173:697, 1991.