bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Surgical Management of Intraabdominal Metastases From Melanoma: Role of the Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio as a Potential Prognostic Factor
Authors: Cananzi Ferdinando C. M. , Dalgleish Angus , Mudan Satvinder 
Published: December 2013

AbstractBackground
The aims of this study were to evaluate the role of surgery in the management of patients with intraabdominal metastases from melanoma and to investigate the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as prognostic factor in this group of patients.MethodsAltogether, 44 patients who underwent surgery for Intraabdominal metastases from melanoma with curative, cytoreductive, or palliative intent were analyzed.ResultsThere were 77 intraabdominal organ resections performed during the 44 operations. R0 resection was achieved in 19 (43 %) cases. Factors associated with R0 resection were an absence of extra‐abdominal metastases, low serum lactate dehydrogenase, involvement of fewer than three sites, and the presence of fewer than three metastatic lesions. The 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐year overall survival rates were, respectively, 79, 66, and 44 % in the curative intent group; 36, 18, and 9 % in the cytoreduction group; and 21, 0 and 0 % in the palliation group (curative intent vs. cytoreduction vs. palliation p < 0.001). By Cox’s multivariate analysis, the independent prognostic factors were time from excision of primary melanoma to the diagnosis of intraabdominal metastases, NLR, and residual disease after surgery.ConclusionsOur results confirm the usefulness of major surgical interventions as reported in previous studies. We reviewed recent evidence that immunologic phenomena may explain the unexpectedly good response rate in patients with advanced disease. The simple estimation of the NLR has been advocated as a prognostic marker for several cancers. We show that it is likewise useful in metastatic melanoma. We stress the need for developing additional immunologic markers.
Adaptation in a hybrid world with multiple interaction types: a new mechanism for species coexistence
Authors: Mougi Akihiko , Kondoh Michio 
Published: December 2013

AbstractIn ecological communities, numerous species coexist and affect each others’ population levels via various types of interspecific interactions. Previous ecological theory explaining multispecies coexistence tended to focus on a single interaction type, such as antagonism, competition, or mutualism, and its consequences on population dynamics. Hence, it remains unclear what, if any, contribution multiple coexisting interaction types have on the multispecies coexistence. Here, we show that the coexistence of multiple interaction types can be essential for multispecies coexistence. We present a simple model in which the exploiter and mutualist adaptively switch between two competing resource species. An adaptive mutualist, which favors the more abundant species, provides a mechanism of majority‐advantage and, thus, potentially inhibits the coexistence of resource species. In the absence of an exploiter, an adaptive mutualist leads to competitive exclusion at the resource species level. However, the coexistence of an adaptive exploiter and a mutualist allows the coexistence of all species in the community, because the mutualist‐mediated “winner” tends to be suppressed by the adaptive exploiter. The mutualist indirectly increases the abundance of the exploiter through mutualistic interactions, thereby indirectly supporting this coexistence mechanism. In fact, coexistence may occur even if the exploiter or mutualist alone cannot mediate the coexistence of two resources. We conclude that the coexistence of mutualism and antagonism may be the key to the persistence of the four‐species module in the presence of adaptive switching.
Outcomes after Repair of Subacute-To-Chronic Grade III Metacarpophalangeal Joint Collateral Ligament Injuries in Fingers are Suboptimal
Authors: Wong Justin C. , Lutsky Kevin F. , Beredjiklian Pedro K. 
Published: December 2013

Purpose Although injury to the collateral ligaments of the metacarpophalangeal joint (MPJ) of the fingers is less common than corresponding injuries in the thumb, similar disability may result from chronic untreated injuries. We evaluated injury characteristics and the outcome after primary repair of subacute to chronic grade III collateral ligament injuries of the MPJs of the fingers. Methods We retrospectively reviewed all patients who underwent primary repair of a finger MPJ collateral ligament over a 3-year period. Twenty-five digits in 23 patients with subacute to chronic injuries were identified, all of which had complete MPJ collateral ligament tear. Postoperatively, we assessed disability using DASH scores and evaluated joint stability, range of motion, and grip strength. These measures were compared to preoperative data to assess results. Post hoc analysis was used to compare the level of disability between index and small radial collateral ligaments and other finger CL injuries. Results Intraoperative findings revealed complete tears in all cases and all ligaments were of sufficient quality to permit primary repair using a suture anchor. The average preoperative DASH score was 40 (range 17–77) in 7 patients (nine fingers) where this was available. Postoperative DASH scores were available in 19 patients (21 fingers). The average postoperative DASH score was 19 (range 0–65). In the subgroup of patients with preoperative and postoperative DASH scores, there was no statistically significant difference after surgery (preop DASH 39.1 vs. postop DASH 23.8, p =0.17). The average grip strength as a percentage of the contralateral hand was 68 % (range 32–100 %). The average postoperative MPJ arc of motion was 75° (range 50–90°). Post hoc analysis showed statistically significant higher postoperative DASH scores among small finger RCL repairs compared to other finger CL repairs ( p =0.007). Discussion Primary repair of complete MPJ collateral ligament injuries of the fingers may be performed in the subacute to chronic setting. Although joint stability was restored, patients continued to have decreased grip strength and residual disability.
The evaluation of developmental enamel defects and dental treatment conditions in a group of Turkish children with congenital heart disease
Authors: Cantekin Kenan , Gumus Husniye , Torun Yasemin A. , Sahin Hakan 
Published: December 2013

AbstractObjective: The aim of this study was to determine developmental enamel defects and dental treatment conditions in children with congenital heart disease by comparing them with a control group of healthy children. Methods: Children included in the study were referred to a paediatric dentistry for dental examination and treatment after undergoing routine examination in a paediatric clinic. Results: The congenital heart disease group included 72 children and the control group included 56 healthy children. Children in the age group of 3–14 years were included in this study. The mean age of the congenital heart disease group and control group was 6.24±2.85 and 6.73±3.01, respectively. The mean values of the decayed, missing, and filled indices for primary and permanent teeth in the congenital heart disease group were 2.80±3.77 and 0.81±1.63, respectively. In the control group, the values were 1.87±3.31 and 0.72±1.46, respectively. The care score for primary teeth was 3.6% in the congenital heart disease group and 13.3% in the control group. The enamel defect was detected in at least one permanent tooth in seven out of 72 children (9.7%) in the congenital heart disease group and in three out of 56 children (5.3%) in the control group. Conclusion: Although there was no significant difference in the development of dental caries or the prevalence of enamel defects between children with congenital heart disease and healthy children, the care score was low in children with congenital heart disease. In addition, children with congenital heart disease had a higher rate of pulled primary teeth and delayed treatment of decayed teeth.
Visual Motion Processing and Visual Sensorimotor Control in Autism
Authors: Takarae Yukari , Luna Beatriz , Minshew Nancy J. , Sweeney John A. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractImpairments in visual motion perception and use of visual motion information to guide behavior have been reported in autism, but the brain alterations underlying these abnormalities are not well characterized. We performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies to investigate neural correlates of impairments related to visual motion processing. Sixteen high-functioning individuals with autism and 14 age and IQ-matched typically developing individuals completed two fMRI tasks using passive viewing to examine bottom–up responses to visual motion and visual pursuit tracking to assess top–down modulation of visual motion processing during sensorimotor control. The autism group showed greater activation and faster hemodynamic decay in V5 during the passive viewing task and reduced frontal and V5 activation during visual pursuit. The observations of increased V5 activation and its faster decay during passive viewing suggest alterations in local V5 circuitries that may be associated with reduced GABAergic tone and inhibitory modulation. Reduced frontal and V5 activation during active pursuit suggest reduced top–down modulation of sensory processing. These results suggest that both local intrinsic abnormalities in V5 and more widely distributed network level abnormalities are associated with visual motion processing in autism. (JINS, 2014, 20, 113–122)
BiPACE 2D—graph-based multiple alignment for comprehensive 2D gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
Authors: Hoffmann Nils , Wilhelm Mathias , Doebbe Anja , Niehaus Karsten , Stoye Jens 
Published: December 2013

Abstract
Motivation: Comprehensive 2D gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is an established method for the analysis of complex mixtures in analytical chemistry and metabolomics. It produces large amounts of data that require semiautomatic, but preferably automatic handling. This involves the location of significant signals (peaks) and their matching and alignment across different measurements. To date, there exist only a few openly available algorithms for the retention time alignment of peaks originating from such experiments that scale well with increasing sample and peak numbers, while providing reliable alignment results.
Results: We describe BiPACE 2D, an automated algorithm for retention time alignment of peaks from 2D gas chromatography-mass spectrometry experiments and evaluate it on three previously published datasets against the mSPA, SWPA and Guineu algorithms. We also provide a fourth dataset from an experiment studying the H2 production of two different strains of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that is available from the MetaboLights database together with the experimental protocol, peak-detection results and manually curated multiple peak alignment for future comparability with newly developed algorithms.
Availability and implementation: BiPACE 2D is contained in the freely available Maltcms framework, version 1.3, hosted at http://maltcms.sf.net, under the terms of the L-GPL v3 or Eclipse Open Source licenses. The software used for the evaluation along with the underlying datasets is available at the same location. The C.reinhardtii dataset is freely available at http://www.ebi.ac.uk/metabolights/MTBLS37.
Contact: nils.hoffmann@cebitec.uni-bielefeld.de or jens.stoye@uni-bielefeld.de
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Nonconvergence in Bayesian estimation of migration rates
Authors: Meirmans Patrick G. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractThe estimation of migration rates using molecular markers is an important aspect of many population genetic studies. Several different methods are available for estimating migration, but most of these make multiple limiting assumptions. One method that is relatively free from assumptions is bayesass, which uses assignment methods in a Bayesian framework. However, when tested using simulated data, this method was found to have problems with the convergence of the Markov chain Monte Carlo. Here, I perform a literature study to test whether these convergence problems are also present when bayesass is used to estimate migration rates from empirical data. A review of 100 studies that have used bayesass shows that this is indeed the case. The estimated proportions of nonmigrants were mostly either close to 2/3 or 1, indicating that the MCMC tends to get trapped near the bounds of the prior distribution. In addition, I found that the quality of the inference was negatively affected by the number of sampled populations, but increased with increasing numbers of sampled individuals and with the strength of the population structure as measured by FST. Based on these results, I give several recommendations that should help to reduce problems when using bayesass with empirical data. Most importantly, I argue that researchers should be more realistic about inferences of migration rates and that bayesass will give optimal results only when the experiment has been especially designed around its use.
Irrigation water productivity in Cambodian rice systems
Authors: Wokker Christopher , Santos Paulo , Bansok Ros 
Published: December 2013

AbstractKnowledge of the marginal productivity of water is crucial for decisions about its allocation between uses, which is particularly important in the context of increasing competition for water. Using primary, plot‐level panel data, this article estimates the marginal productivity of water from supplementary irrigation in lowland rice systems in Cambodia, taking into account farmer and plot heterogeneity as well as self‐selection of supplementary irrigation. Our estimates indicate a range of elasticities for rice output with respect to water inputs of between 0.057 and 0.069 for wet season production, substantially lower than previous estimates based on either aggregate or trial data. We discuss the policy implications of these results, in particular with respect to the utility of demand management policies and the challenges they pose to the decentralization of water management to Farmer Water Users Groups.
Imperfect Replacement of Native Species by Non‐Native Species as Pollinators of Endemic Hawaiian Plants
Authors: ASLAN CLARE E. , ZAVALETA ERIKA S. , TERSHY BERNIE , CROLL DON , ROBICHAUX ROBERT H. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractNative plant species that have lost their mutualist partners may require non‐native pollinators or seed dispersers to maintain reproduction. When natives are highly specialized, however, it appears doubtful that introduced generalists will partner effectively with them. We used visitation observations and pollination treatments (experimental manipulations of pollen transfer) to examine relationships between the introduced, generalist Japanese White‐eye (Zosterops japonicus) and 3 endemic Hawaiian plant species (Clermontia parviflora, C. montis‐loa, and C. hawaiiensis). These plants are characterized by curved, tubular flowers, apparently adapted for pollination by curve‐billed Hawaiian honeycreepers. Z. japonicus were responsible for over 80% of visits to flowers of the small‐flowered C. parviflora and the midsize‐flowered C. montis‐loa. Z. japonicus‐visited flowers set significantly more seed than did bagged flowers. Z. japonicus also demonstrated the potential to act as an occasional Clermontia seed disperser, although ground‐based frugivory by non‐native mammals likely dominates seed dispersal. The large‐flowered C. hawaiiensis received no visitation by any birds during observations. Unmanipulated and bagged C. hawaiiensis flowers set similar numbers of seeds. Direct examination of Z. japonicus and Clermontia morphologies suggests a mismatch between Z. japonicus bill morphology and C. hawaiiensis flower morphology. In combination, our results suggest that Z. japonicus has established an effective pollination relationship with C. parviflora and C. montis‐loa and that the large flowers of C. hawaiiensis preclude effective visitation by Z. japonicus.Remplazo Imperfecto de Especies Nativas por Especies No‐Nativas como Polinizadores de Plantas Endémicas de Hawaii
Prehospital Factors Determining Regional Variation in Thrombolytic Therapy in Acute Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Lahr Maarten M. H. , Vroomen Patrick C. A. J. , Luijckx Gert-Jan , van der Zee Durk-Jouke , de Vos Ronald , Buskens Erik 
Published: December 2013

Background Treatment rates with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator vary by region, which can be partially explained by organizational models of stroke care. A recent study demonstrated that prehospital factors determine a higher thrombolysis rate in a centralized vs. decentralized model in the north of the Netherlands. Aim To investigate prehospital factors that may explain variation in thrombolytic therapy between a centralized and a decentralized model. Methods A consecutive case observational study was conducted in the north of the Netherlands comparing patients arriving within 4·5 h in a centralized vs. decentralized stroke care model. Factors investigated were transportation mode, prehospital diagnostic accuracy, and preferential referral of thrombolysis candidates. Potential confounders were adjusted using logistic regression analysis. Results A total of 172 and 299 arriving within 4·5 h were enrolled in centralized and decentralized settings, respectively. The rate of transportation by emergency medical services was greater in the centralized model (adjusted odds ratio 3·11; 95% confidence interval, 1·59–6·06). Also, more misdiagnoses of stroke occurred in the central model ( P = 0·05). In postal code areas with and without potential preferential referral of thrombolysis candidates due to overlapping catchment areas, the odds of hospital arrival within 4·5 h in the central vs. decentral model were 2·15 (95% confidence interval, 1·39–3·32) and 1·44 (95% confidence interval, 1·04–2·00), respectively. Conclusions These results suggest that the larger proportion of patients arriving within 4·5 h in the centralized model might be related to a lower threshold to use emergency services to transport stroke patients and partly to preferential referral of thrombolysis candidates.
Oral impacts on daily performances and recent use of dental services in schoolchildren
Authors: Monsantofils Monica , Bernabé Eduardo 
Published: December 2013

ObjectivesTo explore whether oral impacts on daily performances are related to recent use of dental services among children and whether oral impacts on specific daily performances are more strongly related to recent use of dental services.MethodsData from a cross‐sectional survey, including 805 11–12‐year‐old children attending four randomly selected schools in Lima (Peru), were used. The child version of the oral impacts on daily performances (Child‐OIDP) was used to assess prevalence, intensity, and extent of oral impacts. Use of dental services was assessed by self‐reports of last dental visit and reason for the visit. Associations of the prevalence, intensity, and extent of oral impacts with use of dental services were tested in logistic regression models.ResultsChildren with oral impacts were 1.99 (95% CI: 1.17–3.37) times more likely to have used dental services recently than their counterparts. The intensity and extent of oral impacts were linearly associated with children's use of dental services. Difficulties in eating were the only type of oral impacts on daily performances associated with use of dental services, independent of children's demographic characteristics, and impacts on other performances.ConclusionOral impacts on daily performances were related to recent use of dental services among these schoolchildren.
Structural and Mechanical Properties of Nanoporous Silica
Authors: Rimsza J. M. , Du Jincheng 
Published: December 2013

Nanoporous silica systems with porosity between 30% and 70% were developed using two Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation protocols to obtain structures with dissimilar pore morphologies. Short‐ and medium‐range structural characteristics including bond angle distributions and pair distribution functions were analyzed and found to be consistent with experimental results. Surface area to volume ratio and pore microstructures were characterized and compared with experimental observations. Mechanical properties including elastic, shear, and bulk moduli of these nanoporous silica systems were calculated and their change as a function of porosity was compared with experimental data and theoretical models. It was found that the elastic modulus of porous silica with 50% porosity is 5–14 GPa which is consistent with experimental results. The elastic moduli–porosity relationship was fitted by exponential and power functions, and analysis of coefficients was performed to obtain microstructure characteristics of the simulated nanoporous silica structures. This works confirms that two distinct nanoporous silica microstructures are generated with MD simulations which result in variations in mechanical properties and highlight the importance of selecting a nanoporous silica simulation method which approximates experimental systems.
Synthesis and Characterization of Ethylene‐Bridged Copolycarbosilazane as Precursors for Silicon Carbonitride Ceramics
Authors: Su Dong , Li Yali , Hou Feng , Yan Xiao 
Published: December 2013

An ethylene‐bridged copolycarbosilazane precursor of copolysilylethylenediamine (co‐PSDA) is synthesized by polycondensation of ethylenediamine with the mixture of vinylmethyldichlorosilane and methyldichlorosilane in the presence of triethylamine as acid absorbing agent. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR) spectral analysis of the as‐synthesized co‐PSDA suggests a structure of ethylene‐bridged polycarbosilazane having –Si–N–C–C–N– as backbone chain with –CH=CH2, –H and –CH3 attached to Si as side groups. Co‐PSDA can be cross‐linked at 80°C using 2, 2‐azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator through the polyaddition of the vinyl group and dehydrogenation/deamination of Si–H and N–H. Then the cross‐linked co‐PSDA precursor is pyrolyzed at 1000°C in argon, giving out amorphous silicon carbon nitride (SiCN) ceramics with a high ceramic yield of 76 wt%. The obtained SiCN ceramics consist of nitrogen‐rich silicon sites of SiN4 as predominant component and some SiCN3 sites, which should arise from the breaking of N–C bonds below 600°C and the formation of active N–Si bonds.