bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Astaxanthin modulates osteopontin and transforming growth factor β1 expression levels in a rat model of nephrolithiasis: a comparison with citrate administration
Authors: Alex Manju , Sauganth Paul M.V. , Abhilash M. , Mathews Varghese V. , Anilkumar T.V. , Nair R. Harikumaran 
Published: October 2013

Objectives
To evaluate the effect of astaxanthin on renal angiotensin‐I converting enzyme (ACE) levels, osteopontin (OPN) and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF‐β1) expressions and the extent of crystal deposition in experimentally induced calcium oxalate kidney stone disease in a male Wistar rat model.
To compare the efficacy of astaxanthin treatment with a currently used treatment strategy (citrate administration) for kidney stones.
Materials and Methods
The expression of OPN was assessed by immunohistochemistry. One step reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction followed by densitometry was used to assess renal OPN and TGF‐β1 levels.
Renal ACE levels were quantified by an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay method.
Crystal deposition in kidney was analysed by scanning electron microscopic (SEM)‐energy‐dispersive X‐ray (EDX).
Results
The renal ACE levels and the expression of OPN and TGF‐β1 were upregulated in the nephrolithiasis‐induced rats.
Astaxanthin treatment reduced renal ACE levels and the expression OPN and TGF‐β1.
SEM‐EDX analysis showed that crystal deposition was reduced in the astaxanthin‐treated nephrolithiatic group.
Astaxanthin treatment was more effective than citrate administration in the regulation of renal ACE levels, OPN and TGF‐β1 expressions.
Conclusions
Astaxanthin administration reduced renal calcium oxalate crystal deposition possibly by modulating the renal renin‐angiotensin system (RAS), which reduced the expression of OPN and TGF‐β1 levels.
Astaxanthin administration was more effective than citrate treatment in reducing crystal deposition and down‐regulating the expression of OPN and TGF‐β1.
Type IV sensitizations in physical therapists: Patch test results of the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK) 2007–2011
Authors: Girbig Maria , Hegewald Janice , Seidler Andreas , Bauer Andrea , Uter Wolfgang , Schmitt Jochen 
Published: October 2013

SummaryBackgroundPhysical therapists frequently come in contact with materials that can potentially cause skin irritation and/or allergies. Nevertheless analyses of professionally relevant sensitization patterns are currently lacking.Patients and methodsA descriptive analysis of the patch test results from the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK) was carried out considering patients employed full‐time as physical therapists during the years 2007–2011. Information includes dermatologic diagnoses, possible contact substances and cofactors as well as the “hit list” of the most common allergens.ResultsAmong the patients (n = 134) the most common diagnoses (1st and 2nd) were allergic contact dermatitis (23.9 %), chronic irritant dermatitis (17.2 %) and atopic dermatitis (19.4 %). In 80 of the 134 patients (59.7 %), the skin lesions were located on the hands. In 62 (46.3 %) of the cases, skin disease was considered work‐related. The contact with cosmetics, creams, disinfectants, topical medications and the use of gloves were relevant as putative triggering factors for the respondents. The most common allergens were nickel (II) sulfate (16.5 %), fragrance mix (12.2 %) and fragrance mix II (13.0 %).ConclusionsIn this first comprehensive study of contact allergies among physical therapists in German‐speaking countries, a link between skin disease and work was felt likely in nearly 50 % of the tested cohort. To which extent the results shown in this work can be confirmed and which consequences these have for occupational preventive measures should be examined in additional, preferably longitudinal studies.
Soil and crop response to stover removal from rainfed and irrigated corn
Authors: Kenney Ian , Blanco‐Canqui Humberto , Presley Deann R. , Rice Charles W. , Janssen Keith , Olson Brian 
Published: October 2013

AbstractExcessive corn (Zea mays L.) stover removal for biofuel and other uses may adversely impact soil and crop production. We assessed the effects of stover removal at 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% from continuous corn on water erosion, corn yield, and related soil properties during a 3‐year study under irrigated and no‐tillage management practice on a Ulysses silt loam at Colby, irrigated and strip till management practice on a Hugoton loam at Hugoton, and rainfed and no‐tillage management practice on a Woodson silt loam at Ottawa in Kansas, USA. The slope of each soil was <1%. One year after removal, complete (100%) stover removal resulted in increased losses of sediment by 0.36–0.47 Mg ha−1 at the irrigated sites, but, at the rainfed site, removal at rates as low as 50% resulted in increased sediment loss by 0.30 Mg ha−1 and sediment‐associated carbon (C) by 0.29 kg ha−1. Complete stover removal reduced wet aggregate stability of the soil at the irrigated sites in the first year after removal, but, at the rainfed site, wet aggregate stability was reduced in all years. Stover removal at rates ≥ 50% resulted in reduced soil water content, increased soil temperature in summer by 3.5–6.8 °C, and reduced temperature in winter by about 0.5 °C. Soil C pool tended to decrease and crop yields tended to increase with an increase in stover removal, but 3 years after removal, differences were not significant. Overall, stover removal at rates ≥50% may enhance grain yield but may increase risks of water erosion and negatively affect soil water and temperature regimes in this region.
Characteristics and determinants of T‐cell phenotype normalization in HIV‐1‐infected individuals receiving long‐term antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Ndumbi P , Gillis J , Raboud J , Cooper C , Hogg RS , Montaner JSG , Burchell AN , Loutfy MR , Machouf N , Klein MB , Tsoukas C ,   The Canadian Observational Cohort (CANOC) Collaboration
Published: October 2013

ObjectivesAlthough combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) can restore CD4 T‐cell numbers in HIV infection, alterations in T‐cell regulation and homeostasis persist. We assessed the incidence and predictors of reversing these alterations with cART.MethodsART‐naïve adults (n = 4459) followed within the Canadian Observational Cohort and exhibiting an abnormal T‐cell phenotype (TCP) prior to cART initiation were studied. Abnormal TCP was defined as having (1) a low CD4 T‐cell count (< 532 cells/μL), (2) lost T‐cell homeostasis (CD3 < 65% or > 85%) or (3) CD4:CD8 ratio dysregulation (ratio < 1.2). To thoroughly evaluate the TCP, CD4 and CD8 T‐cell percentages and absolute counts were also analysed for a median duration of 3.14 years [interquartile range (IQR) 1.48–5.47 years]. Predictors of TCP normalization were assessed using adjusted Cox proportional hazards models.ResultsAt baseline, 96% of pateints had CD4 depletion, 32% had lost homeostasis and 99% exhibited ratio dysregulation. With treatment, a third of patients had normalized CD4 T‐cell counts, but only 85 individuals (2%) had normalized their TCP. In a multivariable model adjusted for age, measurement frequency and baseline regimen, higher baseline CD4 T‐cell counts and time‐dependent viral suppression independently predicted TCP normalization [hazard ratio (HR) for baseline CD4 T‐cell count = 1.42 (1.31–1.54) per 100 cells/μL increase; P ≤ 0.0001; HR for time‐dependent suppressed viral load = 3.69 (1.58–8.61); P‐value ≤ 0.01].ConclusionsDespite effective cART, complete TCP recovery occurred in very few individuals and was associated with baseline CD4 T‐cell count and viral load suppression. HIV‐induced alterations of the TCP are incompletely reversed by long‐term ART.
Expanded HIV testing in high‐prevalence areas in England: results of a 2012 audit of sexual health commissioners
Authors: Hartney T , Kennedy I , Crook P , Nardone A 
Published: October 2013

ObjectivesThe aim of the study was to examine whether UK HIV testing guidelines which recommend the expansion of HIV testing in high HIV prevalence areas have been implemented in England.MethodsAn online survey tool was used to conduct an audit of sexual health commissioners in 40 high HIV prevalence areas (diagnosed prevalence > 2 per 1000) between May and June 2012. Responders were asked to provide details of expanded HIV testing programmes that they had commissioned in nontraditional settings and perceived barriers and facilitators involved in introducing expanded testing.ResultsThe response rate was 88% (35 of 40). Against the key audit standards, 31% (11 of 35) of areas had commissioned routine testing of new registrants in general practice, and 14% (five of 35) routine testing of general medical admissions. The majority of responders (80%; 28 of 35) had commissioned some form of expanded testing, often targeted at risk groups. The most common setting for commissioning of testing was the community (51%; 18 of 35), followed by general practice (49%; 17 of 35) and hospital departments (36%; 13 of 35). A minority (11%; four of 35) of responders had commissioned testing in all three settings. Where testing in general practice took place this was typically in a minority of practices (median 10–20%). Most (77%; 27 of 35) expected the rate of HIV testing to increase over the next year, but lack of resources was cited as a barrier to testing by 94% (33 of 35) of responders.ConclusionsNot all high HIV prevalence areas in England have fully implemented testing guidelines. Scale‐up of existing programmes and continued expansion of testing into new settings will be necessary to achieve this.
Factors Associated with Sex Hormones and Erectile Dysfunction in Male Taiwanese Participants with Obesity
Authors: Shi Ming-Der , Chao Jian-Kang , Ma Mi-Chia , Hao Lyh-Jyh , Chao I.-Chen 
Published: October 2013

Abstract

Introduction
Obesity has been receiving an increasing amount of attention recently, but investigations regarding the potential impact of obesity, sexual behaviors, and sex hormones on erectile dysfunction (ED) in men have not completely clarified the association.

Aim
To identify the relationship between ED, sexual behavior, sexual satisfaction, sex hormones, and obesity in older adult males in Taiwan.

Methods
Data were obtained from a baseline survey of 476 older adult males (≧40 years old). Their demographic data, body mass index (BMI), sex hormones, sexual desire, sexual satisfaction, and ED status were assessed.

Main Outcome Measures
The International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5), Sexual Desire Inventory (SDI), and Sexual Satisfaction Scale (SSS) were used to assess ED, sexual desire, and sexual satisfaction.

Results
In all, 476 men were available for analysis. The mean age of the sample was 51.34 ± 7.84 years (range 40 to 70 years). The IIEF total score had a mean of 19.44 ± 4.98; 264 (55.5%) subjects had ED, 250 (52.9%) were currently obese (BMI ≧27), and 297 (62.4%) had metabolic syndrome. The results showed an increased risk of ED among obese men and subjects with lower levels of sex hormones and lower sexual desire. Testosterone levels were lower in subjects with obesity (P &lt; 0.001). Among the predictors of ED, obesity (odds ratio [OR] = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.07–2.44, P = 0.021), abnormal high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (OR = 10.59, 95% CI = 4.70–23.87, P &lt; 0.001), and lower serum full testosterone (OR = 3.27, 95% CI = 2.16–4.93, P &lt; 0.001) were significantly independent factors.

Conclusions
This study supports the idea of a close relationship between low levels of sex hormones, sexual desire, sexual satisfaction, obesity, and ED, and also shows that low free testosterone and hs-CRP may predict ED, even in obese populations.
Hepatitis B and survival after renal transplant: meta‐analysis of observational studies
Authors: Fabrizi F. , Dixit V. , Martin P. , Messa P. 
Published: October 2013

SummaryRecent evidence has been accumulated suggesting that HBsAg seropositive status is significantly linked to lower patient and graft survival after renal transplant even if conflicting data on this point exist. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the published medical literature concerning the impact of HBV surface antigen seropositive status on all‐cause mortality and graft loss after RT. The relative risk of all‐cause mortality and graft loss was regarded as the most reliable outcome end‐point. Study‐specific relative risks were weighted by the inverse of their variance to obtain fixed‐ and random‐effect pooled estimates for mortality and graft loss with HBsAg across the published studies. We identified ten observational studies involving 82 690 unique renal transplant recipients. The summary estimate for adjusted relative risk (aRR) of all‐cause mortality was 2.214 with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.56; 3.137 (P < 0.0001); heterogeneity statistics, Ri = 0.98 (P‐value by Q‐test = 0.0001). The overall estimate for adjusted RR of all‐cause graft loss was 1.44 (95% CI, 1.26; 1.63) (P < 0.0001) and heterogeneity statistics, Ri = 0.05 (P‐value by Q‐test = 0.4). Stratified analysis changed marginally the results. Meta‐regression showed that diabetes mellitus had a detrimental role on patient survival (P = 0.02). This meta‐analysis of observational studies supports the notion that HBsAg‐positive patients after RT have an increased risk of mortality and graft loss. The mechanisms underlying the relationship between HBsAg and mortality or graft dysfunction after renal transplant are an area of avid research.
Wavelet Denoising of TSD Deflection Slope Measurements for Improved Pavement Structural Evaluation
Authors: Katicha Samer Wehbe , Flintsch Gerardo , Bryce James , Ferne Brian 
Published: October 2013

AbstractContinuous deflection devices (CDDs) can safely measure pavement deflection (or other related properties) while traveling at highway speed, which reduces traffic disruption. CDD measurements are contaminated with relatively high noise levels compared to stop‐and‐go devices such as the Falling Weight Deflectometer. In this article, we use wavelet transform denoising to remove the noise and estimate the true deflection slope measurements obtained from the Traffic Speed Deflectometer. Results show that failure to denoise deflection slope measurements can lead to calculated Effective Structural Number values that are highly variable (unstable). Attempting to filter these highly variable measurements can lead to erroneous results. We also use wavelet transform denoising to identify localized weak spots such as those that are caused by pavement reflection cracking. Identifying weak spots with wavelets is possible because wavelets are spatially adaptive to local features. In contrast, a linear filter is not capable of adapting to local features.
Network Model for Rural Roadway Tolling with Pavement Deterioration and Repair
Authors: Saha Promothes , Liu Ruoyu , Melson Christopher , Boyles Stephen D. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThe objective of roadway tolling in rural areas is often tied to revenue generation for roadway maintenance. Thus, rural pricing models should directly incorporate a pavement deterioration and maintenance model. However, the interactions between these models are not simple, because tolls cause traffic diversion, which in turn affects deterioration rates and forecasted revenue. This article describes a rural pricing model which calculates diversion endogenously with a network assignment model. This model captures deterioration rates and pavement condition in the toll‐setter's objective function, maximizing long‐run net present value of the highway infrastructure. A novel deterioration model is used which is particularly suitable for computational efficiency. The resulting model is discontinuous and nondifferentiable, and involves solving a combinatorial knapsack problem as a subproblem. Thus, a simulated annealing‐based algorithm is presented to solve it, in the framework of a new solution method built upon partitioning the feasible region. A demonstration is made using a network representing the state of Wyoming (28 zones, 60 nodes, and 188 links). Sensitivity analyses reveal that although the locations for optimal tolling are relatively stable as demand changes, the revenue collected can vary substantially. Relatively simple models are used throughout for computational reasons, and future research should investigate strategies for incorporating more advanced pavement and network models.
Voice and Expressivity in Free Indirect Thought Representations: Imitation and Representation
Authors: BLAKEMORE DIANE 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThis article addresses issues in the philosophy of fiction from the perspective of a relevance theoretic approach to communication: first, how should we understand the notion of ‘voice’ as it is used in the analysis of free indirect style narratives; and, second, in what sense can the person responsible for free indirect representations of fictional characters' thoughts be regarded as a communicator?The background to these questions is the debate about the roles of pretence and attribution in free indirect style. I argue that the role of expressives in sustaining the illusion that fictional characters speak their inner thoughts suggests that ‘voice’ should be understood in two distinct ways. On the one hand, there are cases in which the use of expressive devices leads to the formation of thoughts which are understood to resemble other (attributed) thoughts. On the other hand, there are other cases in which expressives are used as a means of simulating a fictional character's behaviour or style.At the same time, I argue that in order to accommodate free indirect thought representation in a relevance theoretic model of communication, the responsibility for ensuring that the effort of processing the text will be rewarded by optimal relevance must be decoupled from the point of view that is being represented. While the (constructed) author is responsible for orchestrating our interpretation of free indirect thought representations so that the effort of processing will result in optimal relevance, the reader does not necessarily assume this function is being performed by someone who intends to communicate their own thoughts: the relevance of the act of narration may instead lie in the sense of mutuality achieved between reader and character.
Two Types of Implicature: Material and Behavioural
Authors: JARY MARK 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThis article argues that what Grice termed ‘particularized conversational implicatures’ can be divided into two types. In some cases, it is possible to reconstruct the inference from the explicit content of the utterance to the implicature without employing a premise to the effect that that the speaker expressed that content (by means of an utterance). I call these ‘material implicatures’. Those whose reconstruction relies on a premise about the speaker's verbal behaviour, by contrast, I call ‘behavioural implicatures’. After showing that the division is theoretically significant, I ask whether current pragmatic theory is able to accommodate it. I conclude that, while (neo)‐Gricean pragmatics cannot do so straightforwardly, the distinction is already implicit in Relevance Theory. The article ends by considering the question of whether, in the light of previous discussion, speaker meaning really is always an instance of non‐natural meaning.
Nursing and human freedom
Authors: Risjord Mark 
Published: October 2013

AbstractDebates over how to conceptualize the nursing role were prominent in the nursing literature during the latter part of the twentieth century. There were, broadly, two schools of thought. Writers likeHenderson andOrem used the idea of a self‐care deficit to understand the nurse as doing for the patient what he or she could not do alone. Later writers found this paternalistic and emphasized the importance of the patient's free will. This essay uses the ideas of positive and negative freedom to explore the differing conceptions of autonomy which are implicit in this debate. The notion of positive freedom has often been criticized as paternalistic, and the criticisms of self‐care in the nursing literature echo criticisms from political philosophy. Recent work on relational autonomy and on the relationship between autonomy and identity are used to address these objections. This essay argues for a more nuanced conception of the obligation to support autonomy that includes both positive (freedomto) and negative (freedomfrom) dimensions. This conception of autonomy provides a moral foundation for conceptualizing nursing in something like Henderson's terms: as involving the duty to expand the patient's capacities. The essay concludes by generalizing the lesson. Respect for autonomy on the part of any health care provider requires both respect for the patient's choices and a commitment to expand the patient's ability to actualize their choices.
Contemporary nursing wisdom in theUKand ethical knowing: difficulties in conceptualising the ethics of nursing
Authors: Newham Roger , Curzio Joan , Carr Graham , Terry Louise 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThis paper's philosophical ideas are developed from a General Nursing Council for England and Wales Trust‐funded study to explore nursing knowledge and wisdom and ways in which these can be translated into clinical practice and fostered in junior nurses. Participants using Carper's (1978) ways of knowing as a framework experienced difficulty conceptualizing a link between the empirics and ethics of nursing. The philosophical problem is how to understandpraxisas a moral entity with intrinsic value when so much of value seems to be technical and extrinsic depending on desired ends. Using the Aristotelian termspoesisandpraxiscan articulate the concerns that the participants as well as Carper (1978) and Dreyfus (in Flyvbjerg, 1991) among others share that certain actions or ways of knowing important for nursing are being devalued and deformed by the importance placed on quantitative data and measurable outcomes. The sense ofpraxisis a moralized one and most of what nurses do is plausibly on any account of normative ethics a morally good thing; the articulation of the idea ofpraxiscan go some way in showing how it is a part of the discipline of nursing. Nursing's acts aspoesiscan be a part of how practitioners come to havepraxisasphronesisor practical wisdom. So to be a wise nurse, one needs be a wise person.
Food industry: friend or foe?
Authors: Yach D. 
Published: October 2013

SummaryOpen discourse and tolerance between the food industry and public sector is limited. As a result, the public and private sectors are reluctant to collaborate on pressing nutritional issues. Those in the public sector have never heard what they could do to encourage a food company's transition towards healthier foods and beverages, whereas many in the private sector dismissed policies and actions initiated within the public sector. During my career, I have sought to engage the broadest possible stakeholder groups required to develop evidence‐based policies and with the aim of improving public health. My recent experience in industry confirmed my view about the need for scientific exchange regardless of the disagreements about policy. Open discourse and partnering is essential if we are to tackle complex food and health issues and improve the global food system. Private–public engagement can provide faster and more sustainable results than government alone without impacting profits. Moreover, a high‐quality product in smaller portions will have higher profit margins than a bargain‐sized product of lower quality. The food industry and private sector must come together to implement innovative strategies to address urgent nutritional needs.