bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Does pain vary across the menstrual cycle? A review
Authors: Iacovides S. , Avidon I. , Baker F.C. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractReproductive hormones are implicated in moderating pain. Animal studies support both pronociceptive and antinociceptive actions of oestradiol and progesterone suggesting that the net effect of these hormones on pain is complex and likely depends on the interaction between hormones and the extent of fluctuation rather than absolute hormone levels. Several clinical pain conditions show variation in symptom severity across the menstrual cycle. Though, there is still no consensus on whether the menstrual cycle influences experimental pain sensitivity in healthy individuals. Comprehensive literature searches on clinical and experimental pain across the menstrual cycle, as well as gonadal hormones and pain were performed using the electronic databases PubMed, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library. Full‐text manuscripts were reviewed for relevancy and reference lists were cross‐checked for additional relevant studies. Most of the more recent, well‐controlled studies show that menstrual cycle phase has no effect on the perception of pain in healthy, pain‐free women. Although recent studies investigating pain‐related brain activation have shown differential activation patterns across the menstrual cycle in regions involved with cognitive and motor function, even in the absence of a behavioural pain response, suggesting that cognitive pain and bodily awareness systems are sensitive to menstrual cycle phase. The interaction between the gonadal hormones and pain perception is intricate and not entirely understood. We suggest further investigations on the association between female reproductive hormones and pain sensitivity by exploring the interaction between clinical and experimental pain and the hormone changes that characterize puberty, post‐partum and the menopause transition.
Intensity measures for probabilistic assessment of non‐structural components acceleration demand
Authors: De Biasio Marco , Grange Stephane , Dufour Frederic , Allain Frederic , Petre‐Lazar Ilie 
Published: April 2015

SummaryA fundamental issue in the framework of seismic probabilistic risk analysis is the choice of ground motion intensity measures (IMs). Based on the floor response spectrum method, the present contribution focuses on the ability of IMs to predict non‐structural components (NSCs) horizontal acceleration demand. A large panel of IMs is examined and a new IM, namely equipment relative average spectral acceleration (E‐ASAR), is proposed for the purpose of NSCs acceleration demand prediction. The IMs efficiency and sufficiency comparisons are based on (i) the use of a large dataset of recorded earthquake ground motions; (ii) numerical analyses performed on three‐dimensional numerical models, representing actual structural wall and frame buildings; and (iii) systematic statistical analysis of the results. From the comparative study, the herein introduced E‐ASAR shows high efficiency with respect to the estimation of maximum floor response spectra ordinates. Such efficiency is particularly remarkable in the case of structural wall buildings. Besides, the sufficiency and the simple formulation allowing the use of existing ground motion prediction models make the E‐ASAR a promising IMs for seismic probabilistic risk assessment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The role of cerebrovascular disease and the association between diabetes mellitus and dementia among aged medicare beneficiaries
Authors: Lu Z. Kevin , Li Minghui , Yuan Jing , Wu Jun 
Published: April 2015

ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to assess whether diabetes mellitus is associated with overall dementia and its subtypes (Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia) among the elderly and to identify the role of cerebrovascular disease in the association between diabetes and dementia.MethodsIn a retrospective cross‐sectional study, 5160 community‐dwelling and institutionalized Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years or over without health maintenance organization enrollment from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey in 2010 were included. The International Classification of Diseases–9 codes were used to identify the outcome and independent variables from the Medicare claims. The key predictor was diabetes mellitus and the outcomes were overall dementia and its subtypes. Logistic regression was employed to assess the association between dementia and diabetes after adjusting for age, gender, race, education, income, smoking status, and Charlson Comorbidity Index.ResultsAfter adjusting for potential confounders, diabetes mellitus was significantly associated with overall dementia (odds ratio [OR] = 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14–1.77), vascular dementia (OR = 1.29; 95% CI, 1.02–1.64), and Alzheimer's disease (OR = 1.51, 95% CI, 1.10–2.09). The OR decreased to 1.26 (95% CI, 1.01–1.58) for overall dementia, controlling for cerebrovascular disease. The associations between diabetes mellitus and vascular dementia (OR = 1.13, 95% CI, 0.89–1.44) and Alzheimer's disease (OR = 1.39, 95% CI, 1.00–1.92) were no longer statistically significant once cerebrovascular disease was controlled.ConclusionsThe association between diabetes mellitus and dementia is only partially mediated through cerebrovascular disease, suggesting that diabetes mellitus is associated independently with overall dementia among the elderly, but not with vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Levodopa enhances explicit new‐word learning in healthy adults: a preliminary study
Authors: Shellshear Leanne , MacDonald Anna D. , Mahoney Jeffrey , Finch Emma , McMahon Katie , Silburn Peter , Nathan Pradeep J. , Copland David A. 
Published: April 2015

ObjectiveWhile the role of dopamine in modulating executive function, working memory and associative learning has been established; its role in word learning and language processing more generally is not clear. This preliminary study investigated the impact of increased synaptic dopamine levels on new‐word learning ability in healthy young adults using an explicit learning paradigm.MethodA double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, between‐groups design was used. Participants completed five learning sessions over 1 week with levodopa or placebo administered at each session (five doses, 100 mg). Each session involved a study phase followed by a test phase. Test phases involved recall and recognition tests of the new (non‐word) names previously paired with unfamiliar objects (half with semantic descriptions) during the study phase.ResultsThe levodopa group showed superior recall accuracy for new words over five learning sessions compared with the placebo group and better recognition accuracy at a 1‐month follow‐up for words learnt with a semantic description.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that dopamine boosts initial lexical acquisition and enhances longer‐term consolidation of words learnt with semantic information, consistent with dopaminergic enhancement of semantic salience. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cell response to hydroxyapatite surface topography modulated by sintering temperature
Authors: Mealy Jacob , O'Kelly Kevin 
Published: April 2015

AbstractIncreased mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) activity on hydroxyapatite (HA) bone tissue engineering scaffolds will improve their viability in diffusion‐based in vivo environments and is therefore highly desirable. This work focused on modulating the sintered HA surface topography with a view to increasing cell activity; this was achieved by varying the sintering temperature of the HA substrates. Cells were cultured on the substrates for periods of up to 19 days and displayed a huge variation in viability. MSC metabolic activity was measured using a resazurin sodium salt assay and revealed that surfaces sintered from 1250 to 1350°C significantly outperformed their lower temperature counterparts from day one (p ≤ 0.05). Surfaces sintered at 1300°C induced 57% more cell activity than the control at day 16. No significant activity was observed on surfaces sintered below 1200°C. It is suggested that this is due to the granular morphology produced at these temperatures providing insufficient contact area for cell attachment. In addition, we propose the average surface wavelength as a more quantitative surface descriptor than those readily found in the literature. The wavelengths of the substrates presented here were highly correlated with cell activity (R2 = 0.9019); with a wavelength of 2.675 µm on the 1300°C surface inducing the highest cell response. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 103A: 3533–3538, 2015.
Shape and surface effects on the cytotoxicity of nanoparticles: Gold nanospheres versus gold nanostars
Authors: Favi Pelagie Marlene , Gao Ming , Johana Sepúlveda Arango Liuda , Ospina Sandra Patricia , Morales Mariana , Pavon Juan Jose , Webster Thomas Jay 
Published: April 2015

AbstractGold nanoparticles are materials with unique optical properties that have made them very attractive for numerous biomedical applications. With the increasing discovery of techniques to synthesize novel nanoparticles such as star‐shaped gold nanoparticles for biomedical applications, the safety and performance of these new nanomaterials must be systematically assessed before use. In this study, gold nanostars (AuNSTs) with multibranched surface structures were synthesized, and their influence on the cytotoxicity of human skin fibroblasts and rat fat pad endothelial cells (RFPECs) were assessed and compared with that of gold nanospheres (AuNSPs) with unbranched surfaces. Results showed that the AuNSPs with diameters of approximately 61.46 nm showed greater toxicity with fibroblast cells and RFPECs compared with the synthesized AuNSTs with diameters of approximately 33.69 nm. The AuNSPs were lethal at concentrations of 40 μg/mL for both cell lines, whereas the AuNSTs were less toxic at higher concentrations (400 μg/mL). The calculated IC50 (50% inhibitory concentration) values of the AuNSPs exposed to fibroblast cells were greater at 1 and 4 days of culture (26.4 and 27.7 μg/mL, respectively) compared with the RFPECs (13.6 and 13.8 μg/mL, respectively), indicating that the AuNSPs have a greater toxicity to endothelial cells. It was proposed that possible factors that could be promoting the reduced toxicity effects of the AuNSTs to fibroblast cells and RFPECs, compared with the AuNSPs may be size, surface chemistry, and shape of the gold nanoparticles. The reduced cell toxicity observed with the AuNSTs suggests that AuNSTs may be a promising material for use in biomedical applications. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 103A: 3449–3462, 2015.
Key Points of Failure for IT Project Business Cases
Authors: Iijima Timothy 
Published: April 2015

Large IT projects at companies generally underperform expectations—they either are delivered late, come in over budget, or fail to deliver their expected benefits. Studies reveal that there is no single driving factor for these failures, and no single “magic bullet” solution. But are many projects doomed from the start to underperform expectations—because the expectations were inappropriately set?This article focuses on this key element—the setting of expectations in the form of a formal business case. The author discusses five key points of failure in IT business cases, why they occur, and how they can be avoided. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Comparison of different QT interval correction methods for heart rate and QT beat‐to‐beat method in a thorough QT study of triple monoamine reuptake inhibitor BMS‐820836
Authors: Zheng Ming , Burt David , Chan Wai , Hawthorne Dara , Gasior Maciej , Bhagwagar Zubin , Keswani Sanjay , AbuTarif Malaz , Bertz Richard 
Published: April 2015

AbstractAs BMS‐820836 causes dose‐dependent heart rate increases, QTcI, QTcF, QTcB, and QT beat‐to‐beat methods were compared in this thorough QT study in healthy subjects. Two parallel groups of subjects (n = 60 per group) received 2 mg (maximum therapeutic) or 4 mg (supratherapeutic) of BMS‐820836 once daily for 14 days with uptitration. Another 60 subjects received encapsulated moxifloxacin (400 mg) or matching placebo in a nested‐crossover study design. Compared with QTcF and QTcB, baseline QTcI had the smallest and near‐zero Pearson correlation coefficient with heart rate (0.0938), which supported the choice of QTcI as the primary electrocardiographic end point. BMS‐820836 was not associated with prolongation of the QT interval at the doses tested; however, ΔΔQTbtb showed the smallest deviation from 0 milliseconds compared with ΔΔQTcI and ΔΔQTcF. The ΔΔQTbtb results appeared to be more consistent with the very low likelihood of any effect on the QT interval by BMS‐820836 based on the wide margin (>400×) of the in vitro hERG IC50and free plasma concentration. Further, this is the first published study that used the nested‐crossover design and QTbtb analysis in a thorough QT study. Assay sensitivity was confirmed with encapsulated moxifloxacin.
Study of casting from IN100 nickel‐based superalloy using quantitative metallography and analytical electron miroscopy
Authors: Szczotok A. 
Published: April 2015

The polycrystalline cast IN100 superalloy was selected for this investigation. It is characterized by dendritic segregation. The major phases which are present in the IN100 superalloy are the ordered γ′ (Ni3Al‐type) phase together with a disordered solid‐solution γ matrix, and carbides. Additionally, a structural element occurs in the microstructure: colonies of (γ + γ′) eutectic.The main purpose of this work was to report on the following steps of the IN100 superalloy investigation: specimen preparation with microstructure revealing, image acquisition, computer‐aided image analysis with detection of the investigated areas and their measurements. The volume fractions and chemical compositions of the phases were assessed using conventional metallographic and analytical electron microscopy techniques.
The Diet of Three Medieval Individuals from Caravate (Varese, Italy). Combined Results of ICP‐MS Analysis of Trace Elements and Phytolith Analysis Conducted on Their Dental Calculus
Authors: Lazzati A. M. B. , Levrini L. , Rampazzi L. , Dossi C. , Castelletti L. , Licata M. , Corti C. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractTeeth are in close contact with foodstuffs: phenomena such as caries and wear of the crowns are precious keys to gather information on diet and cooking techniques.Phytoliths are granules of hydrated amorphous silica, which are deposited in the oral cavity while chewing fruit and vegetables and incorporated into dental calculus during its formation. In diet investigation, different plants may therefore be related to specific phytolith shapes.Analysis of chemical trace elements, incorporated in dental calculus from ingested food and replacing small percentages of calcium in normal processes of resorption and redeposition, can further enrich the research on ancient diet.The aim of our work was to set up an analytical protocol, focalised on phytoliths and the inorganic elemental composition of dental calculus, on samples coming from medieval skeletons excavated in Caravate (Varese, Italy). The inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analytical technique proved to be particularly suitable for such studies.The results suggested a diet based both on the consumption of carbohydrates (dicotyledons and monocotyledons such as the Poaceae, also known as Gramineae; and Coniferae) and on proteins, mostly derived from fish. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Distress, delay of gratification and preference for palliative care in men with prostate cancer
Authors: Gerhart James , Asvat Yasmin , Lattie Emily , O'Mahony Sean , Duberstein Paul , Hoerger Michael 
Published: April 2015

AbstractBackgroundPatient‐centered cancer care standards include routine psychosocial distress screening and referral for supportive care services. Although many cancer patients report psychosocial distress that could be alleviated by supportive services including palliative care, patients often decline such services for reasons that are poorly understood. Research on decision‐making suggests that during periods of acute distress, individuals have more difficulty prioritizing long‐term over immediate gains. Thus, distressed cancer patients may prioritize immediate gains (e.g., avoidance of palliative care discussions in the moment) over longer‐term gains (e.g., improved quality of life in the future).MethodThis study investigated the associations between psychosocial distress, difficulties with delay of gratification (tendency to prioritize short‐term over longer‐term gains), and preference for palliative care in a sample of 212 men with a history of prostate cancer (94% white men and 27% advanced stage, age M = 62, SD = 8). It was hypothesized that psychosocial distress would be associated with lower preferences for palliative care, and this association would be explained, in part, by difficulty delaying gratification. Self‐report measures included the depression anxiety stress scales, delay of gratification inventory, and ratings on an item assessing preferences for palliative care.ResultsConsistent with the hypothesis, mediation models confirmed that the association of psychosocial distress with lower preference for palliative care was mediated by delay of gratification.ConclusionsFindings suggest that distressed prostate cancer patients may benefit from additional support managing the emotional aspects of medical decisions and weighing immediate versus delayed outcomes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Variable range hopping conductivity at low temperatures in CuGaS2 single crystals
Authors: Abdullayev N. A. , Aliquliyeva Kh. V. , Qasimoglu I. , Kerimova T. G. , Mamedova I. A. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractCharge transport mechanism in the CuGaS2 single crystals in a wide temperature range 4.3‐300 K are investigated. In the high temperature range 100‐300 K, the electrical conductivity is predominantly provided by thermally excited impurity charge carriers in the allowed energy band. The activation energy for impurity charge carriers in this temperature range is equal to 12 meV. In the low temperature range (T < 100 K), the electrical conductivity occurs through charge carrier hopping between localized states lying in a narrow energy band near the Fermi level (so called Mott conductivity). The density of localized states near the Fermi level, the width of the optimum energy band of localized levels, concentration of localized states and the average carrier‐hopping distances are estimated for different temperatures. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Triple chaotic image scrambling on RGB – a random image encryption approach
Authors: Praveenkumar Padmapriya , Amirtharajan Rengarajan , Thenmozhi Karuppuswamy , Rayappan John Bosco Balaguru 
Published: April 2015

AbstractMultimedia is ruling the digital era where data storage and transmission have gained huge importance. The refuge of such data transfer has been a chief apprehension and becomes the study in the limelight, probably, forever. The universal phenomenon is to send the desired data in disguise so that only the beneficiary can avail it. In this paper, a combination of space‐filling curve with chaos has been used for encryption process. Initially, three chaotic sequences were generated using Chua's equations followed by quantification of those sequences. Key based on Hilbert curve is used for scrambling. For introducing confusion, the image is further scrambled using row and column shifting operations using the first two chaotic sequences used with space‐filling curve. Then pixel replacement has been done by bit XOR between scrambled image and the third chaotic sequence. Finally, Gould transform is applied to enhance image authentication and tamper proofing of the encrypted image. In addition, deoxyribonucleic acid‐based complementary addition rule is integrated to make the proposed scheme robust against statistical attacks, which also provides immense parallelism to generate the final encrypted image. The proposed methodology has been implemented in MATLAB 7.1. The results are compared with the existing methods. To validate the proposed system, image metrics like correlation coefficient, number of pixels change rate, unified average changing intensity, key sensitivity, cropping attacks, and noise have been computed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hematotoxicity and genotoxicity evaluations in Swiss mice intraperitoneally exposed to Bacillus thuringiensis (var kurstaki) spore crystals genetically modified to express individually Cry1Aa, Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, or Cry2Aa
Authors: Mezzomo Bélin Poletto , Miranda‐Vilela Ana Luisa , Barbosa Lilian Carla Pereira , Albernaz Vanessa Lima , Grisolia Cesar Koppe 
Published: April 2015

ABSTRACTBacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has been widely used in foliar sprays as part of integrated pest management strategies against insect pests of agricultural crops. Since the advent of genetically modified plants expressing Bt δ‐endotoxins, the bioavailability of Cry proteins has increased, and therefore for biosafety reasons their adverse effects should be studied, mainly for nontarget organisms. We evaluated, in Swiss mice, the hematotoxicity and genotoxicity of the genetically modified strains of Bt spore crystals Cry1Aa, 1Ab, 1Ac, or 2Aa at 27 mg/kg, and Cry1Aa, 1Ab and 2Aa also at 136 and 270 mg/kg, administered with a single intraperitoneal injection 24 h before euthanasia. Controls received filtered water or cyclophosphamide. Blood samples collected by cardiac puncture were used to perform hemogram, and bone marrow was extracted for the micronucleus test. Bt spore crystals presented toxicity for lymphocytes when in higher doses, which varied according to the type of spore crystal studied, besides promoting cytotoxic and genotoxic effects for the erythroid lineage of bone marrow, mainly at highest doses. Although the profile of such adverse side effects can be related to their high level of exposure, which is not commonly found in the environment, results indicated that these Bt spore crystals were not harmless to mice. This suggests that a more specific approach should be taken to increase knowledge about their toxicological properties and to establish the toxicological risks to nontarget organisms. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 970–978, 2016.
Sublethal toxicity of quinalphos on oxidative stress and antioxidant responses in a freshwater fish Cyprinus carpio
Authors: Hemalatha Devan , Amala Antony , Rangasamy Basuvannan , Nataraj Bojan , Ramesh Mathan 
Published: April 2015

ABSTRACTExtensive use of quinalphos, an organophosphorus pesticide, is likely to reach the aquatic environment and thereby posing a health concern for aquatic organisms. Oxidative stress and antioxidant responses may be good indicators of pesticide contamination in aquatic organisms. The data on quinalphos induced oxidative stress and antioxidant responses in carps are scanty. This study is aimed to assess the two sublethal concentrations of quinalphos (1.09 and 2.18 μL L−1) on oxidative stress and antioxidant responses of Cyprinus carpio for a period of 20 days. In liver, the malondialdehyde level was found to be significantly increased in both the concentrations. The results of the antioxidant parameters obtained show a significant increase in superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione‐S‐transferase activity in liver of fish. These results demonstrate that environmentally relevant levels of the insecticide quinalphos can cause oxidative damage and increase the antioxidant scavenging capacity in C. carpio. This may reflect the potential role of these parameters as useful biomarkers for the assessment of pesticide contamination. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 1399–1406, 2016.