bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Radiological study of the anatomy of the keystone area of the nasal septum using computed tomography to aid septal surgery
Authors: Carr S. , Twigg V. , Mirza S. 
Published: July 2015

ObjectivesAn optimum septoplasty result may require complete detachment of the superior osseocartilaginous junction (OCJ), but this may lead to disruption of the keystone area with loss of nasal support and consequent supratip depression deformity. The aim of this study was to analyse normal keystone anatomy using CT scan images and to estimate the incidence of risk of supratip depression when completely detaching the OCJ.DesignRetrospective study.SettingTertiary referral centre.ParticipantsAdult patients who underwent CT paranasal sinuses prior to transsphenoidal hypophysectomy in a tertiary referral centre between 2009 and 2013.Main outcome measuresLength of the keystone area. A length of <5 mm and certain anatomical configurations were considered at risk of a supratip depression with complete detachment of the OCJ.ResultsCT scans of 91 patients were reviewed. The mean keystone length was 9.04 mm (range 0–23 mm). Twenty‐nine (32%) cases were at risk of supratip depression. Relatively shorter nasal bones (nasal bone length: overall dorsal length <0.37) (n = 26) were associated with a shorter keystone area (P = 0.0051).ConclusionsThirty‐two per cent of patients have keystone anatomy on radiology predisposing them to supratip depression with complete detachment of the OCJ. Relatively shorter nasal bones were significantly associated with a shorter, higher risk keystone area. In cases with a high septal deviation undergoing a septoplasty, a preoperative CT enables the surgeon to assess the keystone area and determine whether it is safe to completely detach the OCJ.
Emerging conservation challenges and prospects in an era of offshore hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation
Authors: Kark Salit , Brokovich Eran , Mazor Tessa , Levin Noam 
Published: July 2015

AbstractGlobally, extensive marine areas important for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem functioning are undergoing exploration and extraction of oil and natural gas resources. Such operations are expanding to previously inaccessible deep waters and other frontier regions, while conservation‐related legislation and planning is often lacking. Conservation challenges arising from offshore hydrocarbon development are wide‐ranging. These challenges include threats to ecosystems and marine species from oil spills, negative impacts on native biodiversity from invasive species colonizing drilling infrastructure, and increased political conflicts that can delay conservation actions. With mounting offshore operations, conservationists need to urgently consider some possible opportunities that could be leveraged for conservation. Leveraging options, as part of multi‐billion dollar marine hydrocarbon operations, include the use of facilities and costly equipment of the deep and ultra‐deep hydrocarbon industry for deep‐sea conservation research and monitoring and establishing new conservation research, practice, and monitoring funds and environmental offsetting schemes. The conservation community, including conservation scientists, should become more involved in the earliest planning and exploration phases and remain involved throughout the operations so as to influence decision making and promote continuous monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystems. A prompt response by conservation professionals to offshore oil and gas developments can mitigate impacts of future decisions and actions of the industry and governments. New environmental decision support tools can be used to explicitly incorporate the impacts of hydrocarbon operations on biodiversity into marine spatial and conservation plans and thus allow for optimum trade‐offs among multiple objectives, costs, and risks.
Comparison of micafungin and voriconazole as empirical antifungal therapies in febrile neutropenic patients with hematological disorders: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Oyake Tatsuo , Kowata Shugo , Murai Kazunori , Ito Shigeki , Akagi Tomoaki , Kubo Kohmei , Sawada Kenichi , Ishida Yoji 
Published: July 2015

AbstractObjectivesIn cases of hematological malignancy, patients with persistent fever and neutropenia receive antifungal empirical therapy to prevent and treat invasive fungal infections. The clinical efficacy and safety of micafungin and voriconazole were compared.MethodsIn this randomized, cooperative group, open‐label trial, we assessed and compared the efficacy and safety of micafungin and voriconazole as an empirical antifungal therapy in febrile neutropenic patients with hematological malignancy. Patients were classified according to invasive fungal infection risk.ResultsThere were no significant differences in clinical efficacy between the two treatments, evaluated based on (i) successful treatment of baseline fungal infection (no evaluation), (ii) absence of breakthrough fungal infection (P = 0.106), (iii) survival for ≥7 days after study completion (P = 0.335), (iv) premature study discontinuation due to poor efficacy (P = 0.424), and (v) resolution of fever during neutropenia (P = 0.756). Discontinuation due to drug‐related adverse events (grades 3‐4) occurred less frequently in the micafungin group (P = 0.005).ConclusionsThe clinical efficacy did not differ between micafungin and voriconazole. Micafungin was generally better tolerated than voriconazole when given as an empirical antifungal therapy in patients with persistent fever and neutropenia.
Prenatal exposure to common environmental factors affects brain lipids and increases risk of developing autism spectrum disorders
Authors: Wong Christine T. , Wais Joshua , Crawford Dorota A. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractThe prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has been on the rise over recent years. The presence of diverse subsets of candidate genes in each individual with an ASD and the vast variability of phenotypical differences suggest that the interference of an exogenous environmental component may greatly contribute to the development of ASDs. The lipid mediator prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is released from phospholipids of cell membranes, and is important in brain development and function; PGE2 is involved in differentiation, synaptic plasticity and calcium regulation. The previous review already described extrinsic factors, including deficient dietary supplementation, and exposure to oxidative stress, infections and inflammation that can disrupt signaling of the PGE2 pathway and contribute to ASDs. In this review, the structure and establishment of two key protective barriers for the brain during early development are described: the blood–brain barrier; and the placental barrier. Then, the first comprehensive summary of other environmental factors, such as exposure to chemicals in air pollution, pesticides and consumer products, which can also disturb PGE2 signaling and increase the risk for developing ASDs is provided. Also, how these exogenous agents are capable of crossing the protective barriers of the brain during critical developmental periods when barrier components are still being formed is described. This review underlines the importance of avoiding or limiting exposure to these factors during vulnerable periods in development.
Climate change alters plant biogeography in Mediterranean prairies along the West Coast, USA
Authors: Pfeifer‐Meister Laurel , Bridgham Scott D. , Reynolds Lorien L. , Goklany Maya E. , Wilson Hannah E. , Little Chelsea J. , Ferguson Aryana , Johnson Bart R. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractProjected changes in climate are expected to have widespread effects on plant community composition and diversity in coming decades. However, multisite, multifactor climate manipulation studies that have examined whether observed responses are regionally consistent and whether multiple climate perturbations are interdependent are rare. Using such an experiment, we quantified how warming and increased precipitation intensity affect the relative dominance of plant functional groups and diversity across a broad climate gradient of Mediterranean prairies. We implemented a fully factorial climate manipulation of warming (+2.5–3.0 °C) and increased wet‐season precipitation (+20%) at three sites across a 520‐km latitudinal gradient in the Pacific Northwest, USA. After seeding with a nearly identical mix of native species at all sites, we measured plant community composition (i.e., cover, richness, and diversity), temperature, and soil moisture for 3 years. Warming and the resultant drying of soils altered plant community composition, decreased native diversity, and increased total cover, with warmed northern communities becoming more similar to communities further south. In particular, after two full years of warming, annual cover increased and forb cover decreased at all sites mirroring the natural biogeographic pattern. This suggests that the extant climate gradient of increasing heat and drought severity is responsible for a large part of the observed biogeographic pattern of increasing annual invasion in US West Coast prairies as one moves further south. Additional precipitation during the rainy season did little to relieve drought stress and had minimal effects on plant community composition. Our results suggest that the projected increase in drought severity (i.e., hotter, drier summers) in Pacific Northwest prairies may lead to increased invasion by annuals and a loss of forbs, similar to what has been observed in central and southern California, resulting in novel species assemblages and shifts in functional composition, which in turn may alter ecosystem functions.
Negative Effect of Proton‐pump Inhibitors (PPIs) on Helicobacter pylori Growth, Morphology, and Urease Test and Recovery after PPI Removal – An In vitro Study
Authors: Saniee Parastoo , Shahreza Somayeh , Siavoshi Farideh 
Published: July 2015

AbstractBackgroundProton‐pump inhibitor (PPI) consumption does lead to false‐negative results of Helicobacter pylori diagnostic tests such as biopsy culture and rapid urease test (RUT).Materials and MethodsHelicobacter pylori isolates from 112 dyspeptic patients with (56.5%) or without (43.5%) PPI consumption were recruited for examining the negative effects of omeprazole (OMP), lansoprazole (LPZ), and pantoprazole (PAN) on H. pylori viability, morphology, and urease, in vitro. The effect of a sublethal concentration of OMP on bacterial features and their recovery after removal of OMP was also assessed.ResultsOf 112 culture‐positive gastric biopsies, 87.5% were RUT positive and 12.5% RUT negative. There was a significant correlation between negative RUT results and PPI consumption (p < .05). OMP (minimum inhibitory concentration, MIC 32 μg/mL) and LPZ (MIC 8 μg/mL) inhibited the growth of 78.6% of H. pylori isolates. OMP and LPZ inhibited urease of 90.3% of isolates between 0 and 40 minutes and 54.4% between 20 and 40 minutes, respectively. PAN did not inhibit H. pylori growth and urease. Three 3‐day (9 days) consecutive subcultures of H. pylori on brucella blood agar (BBA) supplemented with OMP resulted in reduced bacterial viability (1+), compared with control (4+), change of spiral morphology to coccoid, and reduction in pink color intensity in urea agar. Bacterial growth (1+), morphology, and urease test did not improve after the first 3‐day and second 3‐day (6 days) subcultures on BBA. However, relative recovery occurred after the third 3‐day (9 days) subculture and complete recovery was observed after the fourth 3‐day (12 days) subculture, as confluent growth (4+), 100% spiral cells, and strong urease test.ConclusionProton‐pump Inhibitors exert transient negative effects on H. pylori viability, morphology, and urease test. Accordingly, cessation of PPI consumption at least 12 days before endoscopy could help avoiding false‐negative results of H. pylori diagnostic tests.
Dental sealant knowledge, opinion, values and practice of Spanish dental hygienists
Authors: San Martin L , Huertos‐Marchante A , Galvan‐Martos J , Rodriguez‐Lozano FJ 
Published: July 2015

AbstractObjectivesDental sealants have proved to be an effective approach to prevent pit and fissure caries. This study examines the knowledge, opinion, values and practice (KOVP) of dental hygienists concerning sealant use in the southwest region of Andalusia, Spain.MethodsSpanish dental hygienists (n = 400) volunteered to complete a 31‐item, self‐administered, pretested questionnaire to assess their knowledge, opinion, values and practice regarding pit and fissure sealants. Wilcoxon matched‐pairs signed ranks test, the Friedman nonparametric repeated‐measures anova and Spearman's correlation were used to analyse the data.ResultsThe mean scores for knowledge, opinion, values and practice were 3.57 ± 0.41; 2.17 ± 0.42; 2.58 ± 0.77 and 3.56 ± 0.46, respectively. Knowledge differed by years of experience (P < 0.01) and place of work (P < 0.01); opinion differed by years of experience (P = 0.03) and sector (P < 0.01). Similarly, practice about sealants differed by years of experience (P < 0.01). Conversely, values around sealant placement did not statistically differ by sex, years of experience, practice sector or place of work. Statistically, significant correlations were found between knowledge, opinion and value, while it was found no significant correlation between practice and the other variables (P > 0.05).ConclusionsMost dental hygienists have sufficient knowledge about pit and fissure sealants. They also acknowledge the importance of use of dental sealants and have positive opinion/attitude about using sealants. Practice of dental sealants in clinics was found adequate. However, they were not following the specific guidelines and standardized procedures.
La qualité de l'emploi en Amérique latine: théorie et faits
Authors: RAMOS Joseph , SEHNBRUCH Kirsten , WELLER Jürgen 
Published: July 2015

RésuméTraditionnellement, la littérature sur le développement consacrée aux marchés du travail d'Amérique latine s'est concentrée sur le nombre d'emplois et la productivité. Mais, étant donné la persistance d'une forte proportion d'emplois informels ou précaires, pour que l'analyse ait du sens, il faut aussi considérer des implications du statut professionnel sur la qualité de l'emploi. Partant d'observations faites ces dernières décennies, les auteurs concluent que la plupart des aspects de cette qualité – protection sociale comprise – dépendent de la signature d'un contrat écrit. Ce constat les conduit à formuler quelques suggestions pour stabiliser l'emploi formel et assurer un financement suffisant de la protection sociale.
Heat Stress Effects are Stronger on Spikelets Than on Flag Leaves in Rice Due to Differences in Dissipation Capacity
Authors: Zhang C. X. , Fu G. F. , Yang X. Q. , Yang Y. J. , Zhao X. , Chen T. T. , Zhang X. F. , Jin Q. Y. , Tao L. X. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractRice is most sensitive to heat stress at the flowering stage, with different degrees of heat damage in spikelets and leaves. To investigate the heat damage in spikelets and flag leaves, two rice genotypes, N22 (heat‐tolerant) and GT937 (heat‐sensitive), were subjected to a heat‐stress treatment (40 °C for 15 days). The results showed that more damaging was found in spikelets than in flag leaves and the heat stress significantly decreased the seed‐setting rate by 12.41 % in N22 and by 65.02 % in GT937. However, the difference in the net photosynthetic rate of the flag leaf between heat‐stressed and control was not significant. Moreover, the difference of temperatures in spikelets and flag leaves was attributed to the differences in heat dissipating. Under heat stress, the transpiration rate was significantly higher in flag leaves than in spikelets, and the temperature in flag leaves were at least 4 °C cooler than in spikelets. Although the spikelet temperatures did not differ significantly between the two genotypes under heat stress, spikelets of GT937 were more severely damaged than those of N22, which might result from the differences in the antioxidant capacities between genotypes. Results showed that little difference of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase activities of spikelets was found in N22, while significant reduction was found in GT937 under heat stress, compared with control. These results suggest that organ temperature is controlled mainly by transpirational cooling, and that heat stress is an indirect result of oxidative stress, rather than a direct result of heat damage.
Effect of Hf 4+ Concentration on Oxygen Grain‐Boundary Diffusion in Alumina
Authors: Wu Qian , Chan Helen M. , Rickman Jeffrey M. , Harmer Martin P. 
Published: July 2015

The kinetics of oxygen grain‐boundary diffusion in alumina was studied as a function of HfO2 concentration. The oxidation of Ni marker particles to NiAl2O4 spinel was utilized to delineate the position of the oxidation front. The HfO2 doping levels spanned the solubility limit, ranging from 100 to 2000 ppm (Hf:Al concentration). For each dopant level, the parabolic rate constant (k) was determined for oxidation anneals carried out at 1400°C. Relative to undoped alumina, HfO2 doping slowed the oxygen transport kinetics by a factor of approximately 3–8, depending on the dopant concentration. At 1400°C, the solubility limit of HfO2 was found to be between 100 and 200 ppm. The results showed that the level of benefit saturated at the dopant level corresponding to the solubility limit (sollim), where 100 ppm < sollim < 200 ppm. The results of the transport experiments were also examined with respect to the fractional grain‐boundary coverage (f), as opposed to overall HfO2 content. An approximate linear relationship between the rate of oxygen transport and f was observed, which can be rationalized in terms of a site‐blocking model.
Structure and Thermal Expansion of YSZ and La2Zr2O7 Above 1500°C from Neutron Diffraction on Levitated Samples
Authors: Ushakov Sergey V. , Navrotsky Alexandra , Weber Richard J. K. , Neuefeind Joerg C. 
Published: July 2015

High‐temperature time‐of‐flight neutron diffraction experiments were performed on cubic yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ, 10 mol% YO1.5) and lanthanum zirconate (LZ) prepared by laser melting. Three spheroids of each composition were aerodynamically levitated and rotated in argon flow and heated with a CO2 laser. Unit cell, positional and atomic displacement parameters were obtained by Rietveld analysis. Below ~1650°C the mean thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) for YSZ is higher than for LZ (13 ± 1 vs. 10.3 ± 0.6) × 10−6/K. From ~1650°C to the onset of melting of LZ at ~2250°C, TEC for YSZ and LZ are similar and within (7 ± 2) × 10−6/K. LZ retains the pyrochlore structure up to the melting temperature with Zr coordination becoming closer to perfectly octahedral. Congruently melting LZ is La deficient. The occurrence of thermal disordering of oxygen sublattice (Bredig transition) in defect fluorite structure was deduced from the rise in YSZ TEC to ~25 × 10−6/K at 2350°C–2550°C with oxygen displacement parameters (Uiso) reaching 0.1 Å2, similar to behavior observed in UO2. Acquisition of powder‐like high‐temperature neutron diffraction data from solid‐levitated samples is feasible and possible improvements are outlined. This methodology should be applicable to a wide range of materials for high‐temperature applications.
Low‐Temperature Synthesis of Calcium Hexaboride Powder via Transient Boron Carbide Formation
Authors: Kakiage Masaki , Shiomi Shuhei , Yanase Ikuo , Kobayashi Hidehiko 
Published: July 2015

Calcium hexaboride (CaB6) powder was synthesized by carbothermal reduction using a low‐temperature synthesis method for boron carbide (B4C) powder. A B4C precursor consisting of boron oxide (B2O3) and carbon components was prepared from a condensed boric acid (H3BO3)‐poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) product by thermal decomposition in air, which was then mixed with calcium carbonate (CaCO3) powder. CaB6 was formed via the transient formation of calcium borate (Ca3B2O6) and B4C, which were in close contact owing to the finely dispersed B2O3/carbon structure of the B4C precursor. CaB6 powder with fine particles was synthesized by heat treatment at 1400°C for 10 h in an Ar flow.
A protocol for a systematic review of effective home support to people with dementia and their carers: components and impacts
Authors: Clarkson Paul , Giebel Clarissa M. , Larbey Matthew , Roe Brenda , Challis David , Hughes Jane , Jolley David , Poland Fiona , Russell Ian ,   Members of the HoSt‐D (Home Support in Dementia) Programme Management Group
Published: July 2015

AbstractAimTo review the evidence for home support approaches directed at tertiary prevention; ameliorating difficulties and enhancing well‐being.BackgroundWith population ageing dementia represents a significant care challenge with 60% of people with dementia living at home. However, little is known about existing forms of home support and their relative effectiveness.DesignA two‐stage design: First, an overview of systematic reviews of psychosocial interventions for dementia to identify their components; second, a systematic review of the effectiveness of home support interventions to older people with dementia/their carers.MethodsWe will search electronic databases using specific search terms with additional searches of other known studies. Data will be extracted by two reviewers according to pre‐determined categories. An initial synthesis will elicit components of interventions from stage 1 and operationalize them in terms of specific techniques. These will then be used in synthesis of data in stage 2, to determine the extent to which each home support intervention relies on these components and distill evidence concerning outcomes. Studies from stage 2 are expected to be methodologically diverse; if so, a narrative approach to synthesis will be taken. Study findings will be explored with Patient, Public and Carer Involvement groups.DiscussionThe review seeks to develop a theory of home support: how and why interventions may work; in what contexts; and for whom. We will identify effective home support approaches, informing policy‐makers and establishing how they might be experienced by people with dementia and their carers.