bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Psychological Correlates of Sexual Dysfunction in Female Rectal and Anal Cancer Survivors: Analysis of Baseline Intervention Data
Authors: Philip Errol J. , Nelson Christian , Temple Larissa , Carter Jeanne , Schover Leslie , Jennings Sabrina , Jandorf Lina , Starr Tatiana , Baser Ray , DuHamel Katherine 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Sexual dysfunction represents a complex and multifactorial construct that can affect both men and women and has been noted to often deteriorate significantly after treatment for rectal and anal cancer. Despite this, it remains an understudied, underreported, and undertreated issue in the field of cancer survivorship.

Aim
This study examined the characteristics of women enrolled in an intervention trial to treat sexual dysfunction, and explored the relationship between sexual functioning and psychological well-being.

Methods
There were 70 female posttreatment anal or rectal cancer survivors assessed as part of the current study. Participants were enrolled in a randomized intervention trial to treat sexual dysfunction and completed outcome measures prior to randomization.

Main Outcomes Measures
The main outcome measures are quality of life (QOL) (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality of Life Questionnaire [EORTC-QLQ-C30] and Colorectal Cancer-Specific Module [QLQ-CR38]), sexual functioning (Female Sexual Functioning Index), and psychological well-being (Brief Symptom Inventory Depression/Anxiety, Impact of Events Scale-Revised, CR-38 Body Image).

Results
Women enrolled in the study intervention were on average 55 years old, predominantly Caucasian (79%), married (57%), and a median of 4 years postprimary treatment. For those reporting sexual activity at baseline (N = 41), sexual dysfunction was associated with a range of specific measures of psychological well-being, all in the hypothesized direction. The Sexual/Relationship Satisfaction subscale was associated with all measures of psychological well-being (r = −0.45 to −0.70, all P &lt; 0.01). Body image, anxiety, and cancer-specific posttraumatic distress were notable in their association with subscales of sexual functioning, while a global QOL measure was largely unrelated.

Conclusions
For sexually active female rectal and anal cancer survivors enrolled in a sexual health intervention, sexual dysfunction was significantly and consistently associated with specific measures of psychological well-being, most notably Sexual/Relationship Satisfaction. These results suggest that sexual functioning may require focused assessment by providers, beyond broad QOL assessments, and that attention to Sexual/Relationship Satisfaction may be critical in the development and implementation of interventions for this cohort of patients.
Virus‐neutralizing antibodies to hepatitis C virus
Authors: Wahid A. , Dubuisson J. 
Published: April 2013

SummaryFor a long time, the lack of an appropriate cell culture system has hampered the study of neutralizing antibody responses against hepatitis C virus (HCV). However, the last decade has seen the development of several model systems that have significantly advanced our understanding of viral entry and antibody neutralization. Studies of acutely infected patients suggest that a strong and early production of neutralizing antibodies may contribute to control the virus during the acute phase of HCV infection and facilitate viral elimination by cellular immune responses. It also emerges that the early antibody response mainly targets hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) of the envelope glycoprotein E2. This host response can lead to viral escape from neutralization by rapid amino acid changes in this hypervariable region. In contrast, cross‐reactive neutralizing antibodies seem to appear later during HCV infection, and several mechanisms contribute to reduce their accessibility to their cognate epitopes. These include the masking of major conserved neutralizing epitopes by HVR1, specific N‐linked glycans and the lipid moiety of the viral particle. Other potential mechanisms of evasion from the neutralizing antibody response include a modulation by high‐density lipoproteins and interfering antibodies as well as the capacity of the virus to be transferred by cell‐to‐cell contacts. Finally, the recent identification of several highly conserved neutralizing epitopes provides some opportunities for the design and development of vaccine candidates that elicit a protective humoral immune response.
Effects of Feeding Rate on Habitat Quality in Fish Rearing Ponds
Authors: Filbrun Jesse E. , Reynolds Curtis A. , Culver David A. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractManufactured feeds are commonly added to earthen ponds to enhance growth and survival of juvenile fish. However, excessive feeding may decrease fish production efficiency and yields by causing hypoxia (dissolved oxygen, DO < 2 mg/L) and stimulating excessive phytoplankton, filamentous green algae, and vascular plant growth. In this study, we quantified the effects of manufactured feed addition (no feeding, 1%, or 3% body‐weight/day, BW/d) on DO and inorganic phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) concentrations, plant abundance, and invertebrate prey production in ponds stocked with age‐0 channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus. We found that the 3% BW/d ponds had lower DO concentrations and greater infestation by filamentous green algae (Rhizoclonium spp.) as compared to the 1% BW/d and no‐feeding ponds. Using stable N and carbon (C) isotopes to trace the fate of feed‐derived N and C in ponds, as well as analysis of zooplankton abundance, we determined that the supplied feed did not support or enhance production of natural invertebrate prey. To improve fish production efficiency, we recommend that managers leverage natural prey support of growth during early life, then adjust feeding levels to enhance growth of older fish and maintain suitable habitat quality.
Effect of Dietary Carbohydrate‐to‐lipid Ratios on Growth Performance, Body Composition, Hepatic Enzyme Activities, and Digestive Enzyme Activities of Juvenile Australian Redclaw Crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus (von Martens)
Authors: Zhu Huanxi , Jiang Qichen , Wang Qing , Yang Jianghua , Dong Siming , Yang Jiaxin 
Published: April 2013

AbstractA growth experiment was conducted to determine the optimal dietary carbohydrate‐to‐lipid (CHO : L) ratio for the Australian redclaw crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus (von Martens). Specimens were divided into five treatment groups and fed twice a day to apparent satiation with isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets with dietary CHO : L ratios of 10.75:1, 5.99:1, 3.60:1, 2.18:1, or 1.33:1. Over the 8‐wk growth trial, redclaw crayfish fed the 2.81:1 and 3.60:1 diets exhibited better weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) than specimens fed the other diets (P < 0.05). Activities of hexokinase and pyruvate kinase were stimulated by elevated levels of dietary carbohydrate, whereas activities of lipase and alkaline phosphatase were stimulated by elevated levels of dietary lipid. Dietary CHO : L ratios significantly affected digestive enzyme activities (P < 0.05), except for trypsin (P > 0.05). On the basis of the analysis of growth, FCR, and costs of culturing redclaw crayfish, the optimal growth and costs occurred when the dietary carbohydrate and lipid levels were 290.10 g/kg and 80.70 g/kg, respectively, corresponding to a CHO : L ratio of 3.60:1. These results indicate that a CHO : L ratio of 3.60:1 is optimal for rearing redclaw crayfish and that this species uses carbohydrate more efficiently than lipid.
Replacement of Artemia franciscana Nauplii by Microencapsulated Diets: Effect on Development, Digestive Enzymes, and Body Composition of White Shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, Larvae
Authors: Gallardo Pedro , Martínez Gemma , Palomino Gabriela , Paredes Adriana , Gaxiola Gabriela , Cuzon Gerard , Pedroza‐Islas Ruth 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThe effects of two microencapsulated feeds were evaluated on development, growth, survival, proteolytic activity, and biochemical composition of white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, larvae. The treatments were: (1) basal microcapsules (BM), (2) microcapsules containing krill hydrolysate (BMK), and (3) live food control (LFC: Artemia franciscana nauplii) with all treatments receiving algae (Chaetoceros ceratosporum and Tetraselmis chuii). No significant differences were found in development index and survival among larvae. Growth rate was significantly higher in larvae fed LFC (15 ± 0.06%/d) as compared with those offered the BM diet (7.5 ± 0.5%/d) with the BMK (11 ± 0.04%/d) treatment producing intermediate results. The activity of total proteases and chymotrypsin decreased significantly after Mysis I (MI) in larvae fed LFC or BMK. Protein content of larvae increased significantly toward PL1. The acylglycerides content in MIII fed on LFC (2.3 ± 0.2%/dw) was higher than that MI fed BM (1 ± 0.01%/dw). No difference was observed in the cholesterol (CH) content of the larvae. The acylglycerides/protein and cholesterol/protein ratios showed a decreasing pattern between MI and PL1, indicating that these two ratios were related to ontogenetic shifts. These results demonstrate improvements in microparticulate diets when krill hydrolysates are included in the formulation.
Infostorms
Authors: Hansen Pelle G. , Hendricks Vincent F. , Rendsvig Rasmus K. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractIt has become a truism that we live in so‐called information societies where new information technologies have made information abundant. At the same time, information science has made us aware of many phenomena tied to the way we process information. This article explores a series of socio‐epistemic information phenomena resulting from processes that track truth imperfectly: pluralistic ignorance, informational cascades, and belief polarization. It then couples these phenomena with the hypothesis that modern information technologies may lead to their amplification so as to give rise to what are called “infostorms.” This points to the need for studying further the exact relations between information technologies and such infostorms, as well as the ways we may design technologies to avoid being misled away from what we have good reasons to believe.
What is A Philosophical Question?
Authors: Floridi Luciano 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThere are many ways of understanding the nature of philosophical questions. One may consider their morphology, semantics, relevance, or scope. This article introduces a different approach, based on the kind of informational resources required to answer them. The result is a definition of philosophical questions as questions whose answers are in principle open to informed, rational, and honest disagreement, ultimate but not absolute, closed under further questioning, possibly constrained by empirical and logico‐mathematical resources, but requiring noetic resources to be answered. The article concludes with a discussion of some of the consequences of this definition for a conception of philosophy as the study (or “science”) of open questions, which uses conceptual design to analyse and answer them.
Structural Analysis and Validation of a Smart Pantograph Mast Concept
Authors: Glisic Branko , Adriaenssens Sigrid , Szerzo Peter 
Published: April 2013

AbstractTo progress the development of deployable, lightweight infrastructure for relief and recovery efforts in the aftermath of natural and man‐made disasters, this article develops a proof of concept for a smart mast that leverages the versatility of pantograph systems and advances in sensor, actuator, and informatics technologies. More specifically the article addresses key design criteria of transportability, deployability, global stability, and site responsiveness through the development of analytical expressions and control framework, and reduced‐scale physical model testing. The case study, a three‐tiered tetrahedral mast is composed of three connected sets of planar pantograph systems and deployed by single actuator located between two of the three mast supports. The article discusses the optimum configurations for the individual design criteria and trade‐offs to be made between compactness, overturning, and operational power. The design, construction, and experimentation with a 73‐cm tall fully deployed physical model reinforce the feasibility of the presented smart mast concept.
Global diversity and distribution of three necrotrophic effectors in Phaeosphaeria nodorum and related species
Authors: McDonald Megan C. , Oliver Richard P. , Friesen Timothy L. , Brunner Patrick C. , McDonald Bruce A. 
Published: April 2013

Summary

Population genetic and phylogenetic studies have shown that Phaeosphaeria nodorum is a member of a species complex that probably shares its center of origin with wheat (Triticum aestivum and Triticum durum). We examined the evolutionary histories of three known necrotrophic effectors (NEs) produced by P. nodorum and compared them with neutral loci.

We screened over 1000 individuals for the presence/absence of each effector and assigned each individual to a multi‐effector genotype. Diversity at each NE locus was assessed by sequencing c. 200 individuals for each locus.

We found significant differences in effector frequency among populations. We propose that these differences reflect the presence/absence of the corresponding susceptibility gene in wheat cultivars. The population harboring the highest sequence diversity was different for each effector locus and never coincided with populations harboring the highest diversity at neutral loci. Coalescent and phylogenetic analyses showed a discontinuous presence of all three NEs among nine closely related Phaeosphaeria species. Only two of the nine species were found to harbor NEs.

We present evidence that the three described NEs of P. nodorum were transmitted to its sister species, Phaeosphaeria avenaria tritici 1, via interspecific hybridization.
“Tractorettes” or Partners? Farmers' Views on Women in Kansas Farming Households
Authors: Beach Sarah S. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractIn the United States, for various reasons, fewer farm families rely solely on their farming operations for their livelihoods. As the structure of agriculture changes and farm families adjust their livelihood strategies, do the discourses around gender relations in households also change? This article analyzes the portrayal of women's roles in farming households by drawing on interviews with Kansas field crop farmers, primarily regarding their land‐use decisions, but also inquiring about their farms and communities. The article addresses the following question: How do farmers' discourses compare to Brandth's (2002a) categorizations of three dominant discourses in the literature on gender in European family farming—the discourse of the family farm, the discourse of masculinization, and the discourse of detraditionalization and diversity? While Brandth finds the discourse of the family farm prevalent in the literature, overall, the discourse apparent from 30 farmer interviews is more characteristic of detraditionalization and diversity. Although men are primarily the principal operators in farming, overall, women were not portrayed simply as helpers. Rather, their roles are depicted as diverse and important to farm operations.
The internal migration between public and faith‐based health providers: a cross‐sectional, retrospective and multicentre study from southern Tanzania
Authors: Tabatabai Patrik , Prytherch Helen , Baumgarten Inge , Kisanga Oberlin M. E. , Schmidt‐Ehry Bergis , Marx Michael 
Published: April 2013

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the magnitude, direction and underlying dynamics of internal health worker migration between public and faith‐based health providers from a hospital perspective.MethodsTwo complementary tools were implemented in 10 public and six faith‐based hospitals in southern Tanzania. A hospital questionnaire assessed magnitude and direction of staff migration between January 2006 and June 2009. Interviews with 42 public and 20 faith‐based maternity nurses evaluated differences in staff perspectives and motives for the observed migration patterns.ResultsThe predominant direction of staff movement was from the faith‐based to the public sector: 69.1% (n = 105/152) of hospital staff exits and 60.6% (n = 60/99) of hospital staff gains. Nurses were the largest group among the migrating health workforce. Faith‐based hospitals lost 59.3% (n = 86/145) of nurses and 90.6% (n = 77/85) of registered nurses to the public sector, whereby public hospitals reported 13.5% (n = 59/436) of nurses and 24.4% (n = 41/168) of registered nurses being former faith‐based employees. Interviews revealed significantly inferior staff perspectives among faith‐based respondents than their public colleagues. Main differences were identified regarding career development and training, management support, employee engagement and workload.ConclusionThis study revealed considerable internal health worker migration from the faith‐based to the public sector. Staff retention and motivation within faith‐based hospitals are not restricted to financial considerations, and salary gaps can no longer uniquely explain this movement pattern. The consequences for the catchment area of faith‐based hospitals are potentially severe and erode cooperation potential between the public and private health sector.
Parvalbumin tunes spike‐timing and efferent short‐term plasticity in striatal fast spiking interneurons
Authors: Orduz David , Bischop Don Patrick , Schwaller Beat , Schiffmann Serge N. , Gall David 
Published: April 2013

Key points
Fast spiking interneurons (FSIs) modulate output of the striatum and are implicated in severe motor disorders.
Selective expression of the calcium‐binding protein parvalbumin (PV) in FSIs raises questions about how PV controls FSI Ca2+ dynamics.
Here we report a novel mechanism linking PV‐Ca2+ buffering and FSI spiking as a result of the activation of small conductance (SK) Ca2+‐dependent K+ channels.
We also show that, at the presynaptic terminals, PV prevents synaptic facilitation at narrow frequencies at FSI to striatal output neuron synapses.
Our data establish that PV is a key element in providing rhythm generation in FSIs as well as filtering striatal output. Thus, FSI neuromodulation via PV and/or SK channels is an interesting target for controlling the establishment of oscillatory frequencies related to the induction or worsening of pathology‐related motor rhythms.
Abstract  Striatal fast spiking interneurons (FSIs) modulate output of the striatum by synchronizing medium‐sized spiny neurons (MSNs). Recent studies have broadened our understanding of FSIs, showing that they are implicated in severe motor disorders such as parkinsonism, dystonia and Tourette syndrome. FSIs are the only striatal neurons to express the calcium‐binding protein parvalbumin (PV). This selective expression of PV raises questions about the functional role of this Ca2+ buffer in controlling FSI Ca2+ dynamics and, consequently, FSI spiking mode and neurotransmission. To study the functional involvement of FSIs in striatal microcircuit activity and the role of PV in FSI function, we performed perforated patch recordings on enhanced green fluorescent protein‐expressing FSIs in brain slices from control and PV−/− mice. Our results revealed that PV−/− FSIs fired more regularly and were more excitable than control FSIs by a mechanism in which Ca2+ buffering is linked to spiking activity as a result of the activation of small conductance Ca2+‐dependent K+ channels. A modelling approach of striatal FSIs supports our experimental results. Furthermore, PV deletion modified frequency‐specific short‐term plasticity at inhibitory FSI to MSN synapses. Our results therefore reinforce the hypothesis that in FSIs, PV is crucial for fine‐tuning of the temporal responses of the FSI network and for the orchestration of MSN populations. This, in turn, may play a direct role in the generation and pathology‐related worsening of motor rhythms.
Cascaded‐systems analyses and the detective quantum efficiency of single‐Z x‐ray detectors including photoelectric, coherent and incoherent interactions
Authors: Yun Seungman , Tanguay Jesse , Kim Ho Kyung , Cunningham Ian A. 
Published: April 2013

Purpose:Theoretical models of the detective quantum efficiency (DQE) of x‐ray detectors are an important step in new detector development by providing an understanding of performance limitations and benchmarks. Previous cascaded‐systems analysis (CSA) models accounted for photoelectric interactions only. This paper describes an extension of the CSA approach to incorporate coherent and incoherent interactions, important for low‐Z detectors such as silicon and selenium.Methods:A parallel‐cascade approach is used to describe the three types of x‐ray interactions. The description of incoherent scatter required developing expressions for signal and noise transfer through an “energy‐labeled reabsorption” process where the parameters describing reabsorption are random functions of the scatter photon energy. The description of coherent scatter requires the use of scatter form factors that may not be accurate for some crystalline detector materials. The model includes the effects of scatter reabsorption and escape, charge collection, secondary quantum sinks, noise aliasing, and additive noise. Model results are validated by Monte Carlo calculations for Si and Se detectors assuming free‐atom atomic form factors.Results:The new signal and noise transfer expressions were validated by showing agreement with Monte Carlo results. Coherent and incoherent scatter can degrade the DQE of Si and sometimes Se detectors depending on detector thickness and incident‐photon energy. Incoherent scatter can produce a substantial low‐frequency drop in the modulation transfer function and DQE.Conclusions:A generally useful CSA model of the DQE is described that is believed valid for any single‐Z material up to 10 cycles/mm at both mammographic and radiographic energies within the limitations of Fourier‐based linear‐systems models and the use of coherent‐scatter form factors. The model describes a substantial low‐frequency drop in the DQE of Si systems due to incoherent scatter above 20–40 keV.