bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Infrared Imaging of the Crime Scene: Possibilities and Pitfalls
Authors: Edelman Gerda J. , Hoveling Richelle J.M. , Roos Martin , van Leeuwen Ton G. , Aalders Maurice C.G. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractAll objects radiate infrared energy invisible to the human eye, which can be imaged by infrared cameras, visualizing differences in temperature and/or emissivity of objects. Infrared imaging is an emerging technique for forensic investigators. The rapid, nondestructive, and noncontact features of infrared imaging indicate its suitability for many forensic applications, ranging from the estimation of time of death to the detection of blood stains on dark backgrounds. This paper provides an overview of the principles and instrumentation involved in infrared imaging. Difficulties concerning the image interpretation due to different radiation sources and different emissivity values within a scene are addressed. Finally, reported forensic applications are reviewed and supported by practical illustrations. When introduced in forensic casework, infrared imaging can help investigators to detect, to visualize, and to identify useful evidence nondestructively.
Fatal Case of a 27‐Year‐Old Male After Taking Iboga in Withdrawal Treatment: GC‐MS/MS Determination of Ibogaine and Ibogamine in Iboga Roots and Postmortem Biological Material
Authors: Mazoyer Cédric , Carlier Jérémy , Boucher Alexandra , Péoc'h Michel , Lemeur Catherine , Gaillard Yvan 
Published: August 2013

AbstractWe report the case of a man who died twelve hours after ingesting powdered iboga root, commonly taken for its stimulant and hallucinogenic properties. Ibogaine and ibogamine were quantified in the powder ingested and the victim's body fluids by GC‐MS/MS after liquid–liquid extraction (Toxi‐tubes A®). The concentrations of ibogaine measured in the blood samples taken at the scene and in the peripheral blood, urine, and gastric fluid samples taken during the autopsy were 0.65, 1.27, 1.7, and 53.5 μg/mL, while the iboga content in the powder was 7.2%. Moreover, systematic toxicological analyses of biological samples showed the presence of diazepam and methadone in therapeutic concentrations. Death was attributed to the ingestion of a substantial quantity of iboga in the context of simultaneous methadone and diazepam consumption.
Pancreatic enzymes for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency due to chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic surgery
Authors: Gong Shu , Shen Wen‐Wu , Guo Qiang , Lu Hui‐Min , Liu Xu‐Bao , Hu Wei‐Ming 
Published: August 2013

AimThe aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pancreatic enzymes on patients with chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic surgery.Patients and MethodsThe Cochrane Library, PUBMED and EMBASE review databases were searched up to December 2012. Randomized, controlled trials (RCT) that compared pancreatic enzymes with placebo in patients with chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic surgery were included. A method recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration was used to perform a meta‐analysis of those RCT.ResultsFour RCT involving a total of 169 participants were included. The results showed that glutamine dipeptide has a positive effect in improving the coefficient of fat absorption (weighted mean difference [WMD] = 14.83, 95 per cent confidence interval (CI: 12.85, 15.95; P < 0.001) and coefficient of nitrogen absorption (WMD = 3.93, 95 per cent CI: 2.90, 4.93; P < 0.001), reducing stool consistency (WMD = −0.19, 95 per cent CI: −0.38, 0.01; P = 0.06), stool frequency (WMD = −0.80, 95 per cent CI: −0.91, −0.69; P < 0.001) and stool fat (WMD = −22.51, 95 per cent CI: −24.19, −20.83; P < 0.001). Treatment‐emergent adverse events were similar in two groups (odds ratio = 1.10, 95 per cent CI: 0.52, 2.32; P = 0.81). However, the use of pancreatic enzymes had no effect on pain scores (WMD = −0.07, 95 per cent CI: −0.36, 0.23; P = 0.65).ConclusionsCurrent best evidence demonstrates that pancreatic enzymes are effective and safe for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency due to chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic surgery. Further high‐quality trials are required, and long‐term effects and quality of life should be considered in future RCT with sufficient size and rigorous design.
The prevalence of the honeybee brood pathogens Ascosphaera apis, Paenibacillus larvae and Melissococcus plutonius in Spanish apiaries determined with a new multiplex PCR assay
Authors: Garrido‐Bailón Encarna , Higes Mariano , Martínez‐Salvador Amparo , Antúnez Karina , Botías Cristina , Meana Aránzazu , Prieto Lourdes , Martín‐Hernández Raquel 
Published: August 2013

SummaryThe microorganisms Ascosphaera apis, Paenibacillus larvae and Melissococcus plutonius are the three most important pathogens that affect honeybee brood. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of these pathogens in honeybee colonies and to elucidate their role in the honeybee colony losses in Spain. In order to get it, a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed to simultaneously amplify the16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene of P. larvae and M. plutonius, and the 5.8S rRNA gene of A. apis. The multiplex PCR assay provides a quick and specific tool that successfully detected the three infectious pathogens (P. larvae, M. plutonius and A. apis) in brood and adult honeybee samples without the need for microbiological culture. This technique was then used to evaluate the prevalence of these pathogens in Spanish honeybee colonies in 2006 and 2007, revealing our results a low prevalence of these pathogens in most of the geographic areas studied.
Validating the use of colouration patterns for individual recognition in the worm pipefish using a novel set of microsatellite markers
Authors: Monteiro N. M. , Silva R. M. , Cunha M. , Antunes A. , Jones A. G. , Vieira M. N. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractIn studies of behaviour, ecology and evolution, identification of individual organisms can be an invaluable tool, capable of unravelling otherwise cryptic information regarding group structure, movement patterns, population size and mating strategies. The use of natural markings is arguably the least invasive method for identification. However, to be truly useful natural markings must be sufficiently variable to allow for unique identification, while being stable enough to permit long‐term studies. Non‐invasive marking techniques are especially important in fishes of the Family Syngnathidae (pipefishes, seahorses and seadragons), as many of these taxa are of conservation concern or used extensively in studies of sexual selection. Here, we assessed the reliability of natural markings as a character for individual identification in a wild population of Nerophis lumbriciformis by comparing results from natural markings to individual genetic assignments based on eight novel microsatellite loci. We also established a minimally invasive method based on epithelial cell swabbing to sample DNA. All pipefish used in the validation of natural markings, independently of sex or time between recaptures, were individually recognized through facial colouration patterns. Their identities were verified by the observation of the same multilocus genotype at every sampling event for each individual that was identified on the basis of natural markings. Successful recaptures of previously swabbed pipefish indicated that this process probably did not induce an elevated rate of mortality. Also, the recapture of newly pregnant males showed that swabbing did not affect reproductive behaviour.
Activation of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid by a 940 nm diode laser for enhanced removal of smear layer
Authors: Lagemann Manfred , George Roy , Chai Lei , Walsh Laurence J. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractLaser enhancement of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid with cetrimide (EDTAC) has previously been shown to increase removal of smear layer, for middle‐infrared erbium lasers. This study evaluated the efficiency of EDTAC activation using a near‐infrared‐pulsed 940 nm laser delivered by plain fibre tips into 15% EDTAC or 3% hydrogen peroxide. Root canals in 4 groups of 10 single roots were prepared using rotary files, with controls for the presence and absence of smear layer. After laser treatment (80 mJ pulse−1, 50 Hz, 6 cycles of 10 s), roots were split and the apical, middle and coronal thirds of the canal were examined using scanning electron microscopy, with the area of dentine tubules determined by a validated quantitative image analysis method. Lasing EDTAC considerably improved smear layer removal, while lasing into peroxide gave minimal smear layer removal. The laser protocol used was more effective for smear layer removal than the ‘gold standard’ protocol using EDTAC with sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl). In addition, lasers may also provide a benefit through photothermal disinfection. Further research is needed to optimise irrigant activation protocols using near‐infrared diode lasers of other wavelengths.
Prevalence and classification of rhinitis in the elderly: a nationwide survey in Portugal
Authors: Morais‐Almeida M. , Pite H. , Pereira A. M. , Todo‐Bom A. , Nunes C. , Bousquet J. , Fonseca J. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractBackgroundNationwide epidemiologic data on rhinitis in the elderly do not exist. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of rhinitis in the population aged 65 years or above in mainland Portugal and to characterize and classify rhinitis in this age group.MethodsCross‐sectional, nationwide, population‐based survey of citizens aged 65 years or above, living in mainland Portugal. Current rhinitis (CR) was defined as the presence of at least two symptoms: ‘repeated sneezing and itchy nose’, ‘blocked nose for more than one whole hour’, or ‘runny nose when not having a cold or flu’, either usually or in the last 12 months.Rhinitis severity was assessed using a visual analogue scale; rhinitis was classified according to ARIA.ResultsData were obtained from 3678 responders (92.5% response rate). The prevalence of CR was 29.8% (95% confidence interval (CI): 28.4%–31.3%): 49.1% had mild intermittent, 7.0% mild persistent, 27.5% moderate‐severe intermittent, and 16.4% moderate‐severe persistent rhinitis. Only 38.6% of patients with CR had been physician diagnosed and 38.7% were under treatment for this disease in the previous year. Allergic conjunctivitis symptoms were referred by 68.6% of subjects with CR (rhinoconjunctivitis population prevalence, 20.5% (95% CI: 19.2%–21.8%)).ConclusionsRhinitis and rhinoconjunctivitis are common but underdiagnosed and undertreated diseases in the geriatric population. This was the first nationwide epidemiological survey classifying rhinitis according to ARIA guidelines in this age group. More than 40% of old‐age patients presented moderate‐severe disease.
Development, validation, and initial results of the Angioedema Activity Score
Authors: Weller K. , Groffik A. , Magerl M. , Tohme N. , Martus P. , Krause K. , Metz M. , Staubach P. , Maurer M. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractBackgroundRecurrent angioedema (RecA) is a frequent clinical problem characterized by suddenly occurring cutaneous and/or mucosal swellings. Depending on their location, RecA may be painful, hindering, disfiguring, or even life‐threatening. The assessment of disease activity in affected patients is important to guide treatment decisions. Currently, however, there is no standardized and validated outcome measure available to do so.ObjectiveTo develop and validate the first specific patient‐reported outcome instrument to assess disease activity in RecA patients, the Angioedema Activity Score (AAS).MethodsAfter a set of potential AAS items was developed, item evaluation and reduction were performed by means of impact analysis, factor analysis, regression analysis, and by checking for face validity. In addition, the items of the final AAS questionnaire were tested for their validity and reliability during a 12‐week validation study.ResultsIn total, data from 110 and 80 RecA patients were used during the AAS item evaluation and validation phase, respectively. The resulting AAS consisted of five items and was found to have a one‐dimensional structure and excellent internal consistency. It correlated well with other measures of disease activity and quality‐of‐life impairment, thus demonstrating its convergent validity. In addition, the known‐groups validity and test–retest reliability of the AAS were found to be good.ConclusionsThe AAS is the first validated and reliable tool to determine disease activity in RecA patients, and it may serve as a valuable instrument in future clinical studies and routine patient care.
Immunomodulation of alveolar epithelial cells by Mycobacterium tuberculosis phosphatidylinositol mannosides results in apoptosis
Authors: Vir Pooja , Gupta Dheeraj , Agarwal Ritesh , Verma Indu 
Published: August 2013

During intracellular residence in macrophages, mycobacterial lipids, namely phosphatidylinositol mannosides (PIM) and lipoarabinomannans, are expelled in the lung milieu to interact with host cells. PIM include a group of essential lipid components of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) cell wall. Given that PIM function as mycobacterial adhesins for binding to host cells, the present study explored the consequences of interaction of M. tb PIM with alveolar epithelial cells (AEC). A 24‐h PIM exposure at a concentration of 10 μg/mL to AEC conferred cytolysis to AEC via induction of apoptosis, suggesting their potential to alter alveolar epithelium integrity. The results also reflected that type I like AEC are more sensitive to cytolysis than type II AEC. PIM‐treated AEC exhibited significant production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and an immunosuppressive cytokine transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) in the culture supernatants. Although AEC displayed constitutive mRNA transcripts for toll‐like receptors (TLR2 and 4) as well as chemokines (IL‐8 and MCP‐1), no significant change in their expression was observed upon PIM treatment. Collectively, these results offer insights into PIM potential as M. tb virulence factor that might promote mycobacterial dissemination by causing cytolysis of AEC via increased production of ROS and TGF‐β.
Sysmex UF‐1000i performance for screening yeasts in urine
Authors: Gutiérrez‐Fernández José , Riazzo Cristina , Sanbonmatsu Sara , de Dios Luna Juan , Sorlózano Antonio , Miranda Consuelo , Navarro José María 
Published: August 2013

We tested the capacity of the Sysmex UF‐1000i system to detect yeasts in urine by screening a total of 22 132 urine samples received for culture in our microbiology laboratory during 1 year. We also analyzed different dilutions of previously filtered urine inoculated with a strain of Candida albicans. With clinical samples, a single cut‐off point of 50 yeast‐like cells (YLCs)/μL detected candiduria ≥10 000 colony forming units (CFU)/mL and >100 000 CFU/mL with a sensitivity of 87.3%/95.4%, a specificity of 97%, a negative predictive value of 95.9%, and a positive predictive value of 9.3%/5.7%. With the simulated samples, a linear relationship was observed between the dilution factor and the number of cells detected by UF‐1000i. This instrument appears to be able to reliably rule out candiduria of a magnitude of at least 10 000 CFU/mL and facilitate urine sample screening, thereby providing fast results. The Sysmex UF1000i system can be adapted for candiduria screening by the use of an appropriate YLCs/μL cut‐off point that takes account of the prevalence of candiduria in the population.
Wan laki aelan? Diverse development strategies on Aniwa, Vanuatu
Authors: Wilson Katherine 
Published: August 2013

AbstractIn a challenging contemporary context of isolation and inequality, inhabitants of small Pacific islands have employed a variety of strategies to ensure that their livelihoods are both secure and sustainable. On the outer island of Aniwa, subsistence activities still constitute the basis of island life but are complemented by an increasingly diverse mix of cash‐generating livelihood practices. Different motivations and constraints, including access to natural, physical, financial, social and human capital, affect the composition and success of household livelihood portfolios. Despite the significant inequality in household cash incomes on Aniwa, traditional sharing and exchange relationships between households on the island and between island and migrant households ensure sufficient food and shelter for all villagers. Rather than being a one‐way drain on the island's skills and income‐generation potential, the constant flows of people, money and goods between the home island and migration destinations sustain the outer‐island community and its diasporas. Aniwa thus exemplifies how diversification and migration can provide a basis for sustainable and resilient island livelihoods.
Intercultural capacity deficits: Contested geographies of coexistence in natural resource management
Authors: Howitt Richard , Doohan Kim , Suchet‐Pearson Sandie , Cross Sherrie , Lawrence Rebecca , Lunkapis Gaim James , Muller Samantha , Prout Sarah , Veland Siri 
Published: August 2013

AbstractFocusing on the coexistence of competing and contested interests in intercultural natural resource management (NRM) systems in Australia and Malaysia, this paper explores the ways in which ontological pluralism and the interplay of socio‐cultural, political–economic and biophysical influences shape NRM systems. We aim to foster a discursive space in which to reframe the challenges of capacity building in the rapidly changing spaces of intercultural NRM systems. The paper synthesizes the conceptual arguments of field research to conclude that capacity deficits of dominant institutions, processes and knowledge systems drive many systemic failures in land and sea management affecting Indigenous peoples. We advocate urgent action to build intercultural competence and new capacities and competencies in those institutions. The paper reframes intercultural NRM in terms of coexistence and invites wider debate about these ‘new geographies of coexistence’ in intercultural NRM systems.
Decolonising the interface between Indigenous peoples and mining companies in Australia: Making space for cultural heritage sites
Authors: Marsh Jillian K. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractHowitt () claims that state control over mineral and energy resources and developer–Indigenous relations constitute the ‘active erasure’ of Indigenous knowledge and governance. The cultures and interests of Indigenous players are diverse and at times conflicting during Indigenous–mining interface, and collective bargaining has been shown to substantially weaken these positions, especially in regard to those Indigenous players primarily concerned with the protection of localised heritage. This paper explores a case study from a remote region of South Australia to document this erasure and its implications and to advocate decolonisation of the regulatory interfaces between mining and Indigenous peoples in resource, environmental and heritage governance. It adopts an Indigenous standpoint for research and argues the need for academic research to accept responsibility for some weaknesses in existing systems. The experiences of Adnyamathanha people are used to support an argument that Indigenous empowerment through informed decision‐making and a decolonising engagement strategy are yet to be fully realised as key components of an effective interface between Indigenous and commercial players.
Caring as Country: Towards an ontology of co‐becoming in natural resource management
Authors: Suchet‐Pearson Sandie , Wright Sarah , Lloyd Kate , Burarrwanga Laklak ,   Bawaka Country
Published: August 2013

AbstractThis collaboratively written paper takes the reader on a journey to Bawaka, in North East Arnhem Land, northern Australia, to explore how a Yolŋu ontology of co‐becoming can inform natural resource management (NRM) theory and practice. By focusing on the process of gathering and sharing miyapunu mapu (turtle eggs) and the foundational Yolŋu concept of wetj, we challenge NRM to take seriously Indigenous ways of knowing and becoming, and to attend to the vibrant, more‐than‐human relationality of our world. We discuss this relational cosmology, highlighting the importance of being aware and attentive, as well as the underlying ethical imperative of responsibility and obligation. We argue that as important as the concept of Caring for Country has been for NRM in Australia, it is critical that the human imperative to care for Country is balanced with a multi‐directional and beyond‐human understanding of the human–Country relationship. This requires engagement with the ways Country also cares and acknowledgement that humans are part of Country and not separate from it. We therefore propose a reframing, that we not only Care for Country but Care as Country. This has implications for understanding the ways that humans can and should relate to the environment as they exist together through co‐becoming.
Confusion over land rights and development opportunities through communal titles in Sabah, Malaysia
Authors: Lunkapis Gaim James 
Published: August 2013

AbstractConfusion over land rights issues and opportunities created through communal titles may just be rhetoric to some, but for the poor rural communities, it is a matter of survival. As this paper reveals, this may be due to contradictory interpretations between native communities and state agencies of what constitutes native customary rights. The methods and materials used are based on case studies in the state of Sabah, Malaysia with regard to the policies, programmes and projects that have been implemented in rural areas. This was made possible through interviews with key informants, textual analyses and state documents, and through observations of projects implemented in the rural areas of Sabah. Based on the information gathered, this paper reveals a worrying pattern of state and peoples' interactions over the provision of communal titles and state projects.
Design principles in tribal and settled areas spate irrigation management institutions in Punjab, Pakistan
Authors: Kamran Muhammad Asif , Shivakoti Ganesh Prasad 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThe paper investigates how political processes shape the institutional arrangements and then affect performance of Indigenous irrigation systems. External interventions in the form of coercive authority and new rules resulted in a shift of resource governance from farmers to state officials in state‐administered areas of Pakistani Punjab during British rule. The primary farm‐level data were collected from 280 spate irrigation farmers from four systems. The analysis of systems‐level agricultural production and institutional performance indicators of irrigation systems in identical environments is conducted. We examined Elinor Ostrom's Design Principles that characterise long‐enduring, self‐governing resource systems to compare robustness of tribal and state‐administered area spate irrigation institutions. The state intervention in Indigenous irrigation systems weakened collective action and distorted equity in access to customary irrigation rights in state‐administered areas. The study concludes that tribal areas systems working without state intervention have evolved effective local irrigation management institutions based on social and ecological values to ensure sustainable self‐governing resource regimes.