bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association between baseline serum vascular endothelial growth factor levels and response to electroconvulsive therapy
Authors: Minelli A. , Maffioletti E. , Bortolomasi M. , Conca A. , Zanardini R. , Rillosi L. , Abate M. , Giacopuzzi M. , Maina G. , Gennarelli M. , Bocchio‐Chiavetto L. 
Published: August 2013

ObjectiveSeveral studies have shown that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is implicated in different neuronal processes involved in major depressive disorder (MDD) and in the mechanisms of action of antidepressants.The aim of this study was to investigate whether VEGF serum levels before treatment might be associated with the antidepressant response.MethodTwo groups of patients were enrolled. One was composed of 50 MDD patients receiving an antidepressant drug treatment. Illness severity was measured before the treatment (T0) and after 12 weeks (T1). The second group was composed of 67 treatment‐resistant depressed (TRD) patients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Illness severity was assessed before the treatment (T0) and 1 month after the end of ECT (T1). Blood samples for VEGF measurements were collected for both groups at the baseline (T0).ResultsA significant correlation was observed between baseline VEGF serum levels and the percentage reduction in depressive symptomatology after ECT (P = 0.003). In particular, VEGF levels at baseline were significantly lower in patients showing no response to ECT at follow‐up (P = 0.008). No correlation between T0 VEGF concentrations and drug treatment outcome was found.ConclusionOur results suggest that VEGF plays a role in the mechanism of response to ECT.
Treatment retention among patients randomized to buprenorphine/naloxone compared to methadone in a multi‐site trial
Authors: Hser Yih‐Ing , Saxon Andrew J. , Huang David , Hasson Al , Thomas Christie , Hillhouse Maureen , Jacobs Petra , Teruya Cheryl , McLaughlin Paul , Wiest Katharina , Cohen Allan , Ling Walter 
Published: August 2013

AbstractAimsTo examine patient and medication characteristics associated with retention and continued illicit opioid use in methadone (MET) versus buprenorphine/naloxone (BUP) treatment for opioid dependence.Design, settings and participantsThis secondary analysis included 1267 opioid‐dependent individuals participating in nine opioid treatment programs between 2006 and 2009 and randomized to receive open‐labelBUPorMETfor 24 weeks.MeasurementsThe analyses included measures of patient characteristics at baseline (demographics; use of alcohol, cigarettes and illicit drugs; self‐rated mental and physical health), medication dose and urine drug screens during treatment, and treatment completion and days in treatment during the 24‐week trial.FindingsThe treatment completion rate was 74% forMETversus 46% forBUP(P < 0.01); the rate amongMETparticipants increased to 80% when the maximumMETdose reached or exceeded 60 mg/day. WithBUP, the completion rate increased linearly with higher doses, reaching 60% with doses of 30–32 mg/day. Of those remaining in treatment, positive opioid urine results were significantly lower [odds ratio (OR) = 0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.52–0.76,P < 0.01] amongBUPrelative toMETparticipants during the first 9 weeks of treatment. Higher medication dose was related to lower opiate use, more so amongBUPpatients. A Cox proportional hazards model revealed factors associated with dropout: (i)BUP[versusMET, hazard ratio (HR) = 1.61,CI = 1.20–2.15], (ii) lower medication dose (<16 mg forBUP, <60 mg forMET;HR = 3.09,CI = 2.19–4.37), (iii) the interaction of dose and treatment condition (those with higherBUPdose were 1.04 times more likely to drop out than those with lowerMETdose, and (iv) being younger, Hispanic and using heroin or other substances during treatment.ConclusionsProvision of methadone appears to be associated with better retention in treatment for opioid dependence than buprenorphine, as does use of provision of higher doses of both medications. Provision of buprenorphine is associated with lower continued use of illicit opioids.
The effect of pressure on high‐ and low‐working‐memory students: An elaboration of the choking under pressure hypothesis
Authors: Wang Zuowei , Shah Priti 
Published: August 2013

SampleFifty‐three third and fourth graders from China participated in this study.MethodParticipants' working memory (WM) was assessed by the Automated Operation Span task. Then, they solved mental addition problems of different types under low‐ and high‐pressure conditions. Performance was analysed as a function of pressure condition, working memory capacity, and problem type.ResultsOn ‘no carry’ mental addition problems, there was no difference between the two groups of children regardless the presence of pressure. For problems with carries, low WM (LWM) children performed worse on all tasks compared with high WM (HWM) children in the no‐pressure condition, but pressure influenced the LWM and HWM differently depending on the nature of the carrying task. On ‘hidden carry’ mental addition trials (for which guessing strategies were minimally effective), LWM performance was much lower than HWM performance under pressure. By contrast, performance was similar between LWM and HWM groups under pressure on the ‘normal carry’ trials that allowed for non‐resource‐intensive heuristic strategies.ConclusionWhether high‐ or low‐working‐memory elementary‐school‐aged children were more or less affected by pressure was dependent on task‐difficulty and the types of strategies that could be used to solve the problems.
Crucial roles of Nox2‐derived oxidative stress in deteriorating the function of insulin receptors and endothelium in dietary obesity of middle‐aged mice
Authors: Du Junjie , Fan Lampson M , Mai Anna , Li Jian‐Mei 
Published: August 2013

Background and PurposeSystemic oxidative stress associated with dietary calorie overload plays an important role in the deterioration of vascular function in middle‐aged patients suffering from obesity and insulin resistance. However, effective therapy is still lacking.Experimental ApproachIn this study, we used a mouse model of middle‐aged obesity to investigate the therapeutic potential of pharmaceutical inhibition (apocynin, 5 mM supplied in the drinking water) or knockout of Nox2, an enzyme generating reactive oxygen species (ROS), in high‐fat diet (HFD)–induced obesity, oxidative stress, insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction. Littermates of C57BL/6J wild‐type (WT) and Nox2 knockout (KO) mice (7 months old) were fed with a HFD (45% kcal fat) or normal chow diet (NCD, 12% kcal fat) for 16 weeks and used at 11 months of age.Key ResultsCompared to NCD WT mice, HFD WT mice developed obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia and hypertension. Aortic vessels from these mice showed significantly increased Nox2 expression and ROS production, accompanied by significantly increased ERK1/2 activation, reduced insulin receptor expression, decreased Akt and eNOS phosphorylation and impaired endothelium‐dependent vessel relaxation to acetylcholine. All these HFD‐induced abnormalities (except the hyperinsulinaemia) were absent in apocynin‐treated WT or Nox2 KO mice given the same HFD.Conclusions and ImplicationsIn conclusion, Nox2‐derived ROS played a key role in damaging insulin receptor and endothelial function in dietary obesity after middle‐age. Targeting Nox2 could represent a valuable therapeutic strategy in the metabolic syndrome.
Imports and TFP at the firm level: the role of absorptive capacity
Authors: Augier Patricia , Cadot Olivier , Dovis Marion 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThis paper estimates the effect of the decision to import intermediate goods and capital equipment on Total Factor Productivity (TFP) at the firm level on a panel of Spanish firms (1991–2002). We use two alternative approaches. In the first, we estimate TFP and apply a diff‐in‐diff estimator with a control group constructed by propensity‐score matching. In the second, direct method, we estimate TFP with imported inputs as a state variable in one stage. Both approaches show that the effect of a firm's decision to source intermediates and capital equipment abroad on its TFP depends critically on its capacity to absorb technology, measured by the proportion of skilled labour.
Industrial actions in schools: strikes and student achievement
Authors: Baker Michael 
Published: August 2013

AbstractMany jurisdictions ban teacher strikes on the assumption that they negatively affect student achievement, but there is surprisingly little research on this question. The majority of existing studies make cross‐section comparisons of the achievement of students who do or do not experience a strike. They conclude that strikes do not have an impact. I present new estimates of this impact of strikes using an empirical strategy that controls for fixed student characteristics at the school cohort level, and a sample of industrial actions by teachers in the province of Ontario. The results indicate that teacher strikes in grades 5 or 6 have a negative, statistically significant impact on test score growth between grade 3 and grade 6. The largest impact is on math scores: 29% of the standard deviation of test scores across school/grade cohorts.
Renewable resource management with environmental prediction: the importance of structural specification
Authors: Kennedy Chris J. , Barbier Edward B. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractEnvironmental variability can substantially influence renewable resource growth, and as the ability to forecast environmental conditions improves, opportunities for adaptive management emerge. Using a stochastic stock‐recruitment model, Costello, et al. show the optimal management response to a prediction of favourable growth conditions is to reduce current harvests. We find this result may be reversed when environmental variability and stock are substitutes in growth, a possibility that has been ignored by resource economists. As an example, we analyze the South Carolina white shrimp fishery, finding the optimal response to a prediction of favourable overwinter conditions is to increase fall harvests.
Optimal monetary policy: distribution efficiency versus production efficiency
Authors: Xiang Haitao 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThis paper investigates the trade‐off between distribution effect and production effect of monetary policy when there exist unobservable idiosyncratic liquidity shocks. In the absence of risk‐sharing arrangements such as a credit market, monetary policy serves to provide ex post insurance to smooth consumption. Specifically, issuing interest‐bearing bonds restores credit transactions on money through bond‐money exchanges. Such a policy has a positive distribution effect, but the resulting inflation hampers production efficiency. It is demonstrated that the trade‐off between distribution efficiency gain and production efficiency loss would result in net welfare enhancement if consumers are relative‐risk‐averse enough.
Corporate social responsibility, stock prices, and tax policy
Authors: Barnea Amir , Heinkel Robert , Kraus Alan 
Published: August 2013

AbstractWe model a market in which some investors get utility from owning
shares of firms that engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR). In equilibrium, investors' CSR considerations influence portfolio choices, stock prices, and CSR spending. We study tax policy designed to maximize total giving (individual and corporate) net of government tax breaks and find that its effectiveness is non‐monotonic in the proportion of altruistic investors: with few or many altruistic investors, it has little impact on giving, but, at intermediate levels, effective tax policy intuitively relates the corporate tax rebate rate on giving and the cap on allowable tax savings.
Inequality, growth, and environmental quality trade‐offs in a model with human capital accumulation
Authors: Aloi Marta , Tournemaine Frederic 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThis paper develops a simple endogenous growth model where pollution exposure and vulnerability are unequally spread across the population, and growth and distribution are endogenous. In this set‐up, we investigate whether trade‐offs between growth, distributional, and environmental concerns may emerge. We show that a tighter environmental policy reduces income inequality and can improve both growth and total welfare. Immediate welfare losses, though, do occur, and are larger for countries that start at low levels of environmental quality (e.g. developing countries).
Wakefulness (Not Sleep) Promotes Generalization of Word Learning in 2.5‐Year‐Old Children
Authors: Werchan Denise M. , Gómez Rebecca L. 
Published: August 2013

Sleep enhances generalization in adults, but this has not been examined in toddlers. This study examined the impact of napping versus wakefulness on the generalization of word learning in toddlers when the contextual background changes during learning. Thirty 2.5‐year‐old children (M = 32.94, SE = 0.46) learned labels for novel categories of objects, presented on different contextual backgrounds, and were tested on their ability to generalize the labels to new exemplars after a 4‐hr delay with or without a nap. The results demonstrated that only children who did not nap were able to generalize learning. These findings have critical implications for the functions of sleep versus wakefulness in generalization, implicating a role for forgetting during wakefulness in generalization.
Atomistic Visualization of Mesoscopic Whole‐Cell Simulations Using Ray‐Casted Instancing
Authors: Falk Martin , Krone Michael , Ertl Thomas 
Published: August 2013

AbstractMolecular visualization is an important tool for analysing the results of biochemical simulations. With modern GPU ray casting approaches, it is only possible to render several million of atoms interactively unless advanced acceleration methods are employed. Whole‐cell simulations consist of at least several billion atoms even for simplified cell models. However, many instances of only a few different proteins occur in the intracellular environment, which can be exploited to fit the data into the graphics memory. For each protein species, one model is stored and rendered once per instance. The proposed method exploits recent algorithmic advances for particle rendering and the repetitive nature of intracellular proteins to visualize dynamic results from mesoscopic simulations of cellular transport processes. We present two out‐of‐core optimizations for the interactive visualization of data sets composed of billions of atoms as well as details on the data preparation and the employed rendering techniques. Furthermore, we apply advanced shading methods to improve the image quality including methods to enhance depth and shape perception besides non‐photorealistic rendering methods. We also show that the method can be used to render scenes that are composed of triangulated instances, not only implicit surfaces.
Systematic review of self‐expanding stents in the management of benign colorectal obstruction
Authors: Currie A. , Christmas C. , Aldean H. , Mobasheri M. , Bloom I. T. M. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractAimColorectal obstruction due to benign disease is likely to become more prevalent. Self‐expanding stents have been shown to be effective in reducing morbidity and allowing one‐stage resection or improved palliation in colorectal cancer. This review assessed the use of self‐expanding stents in benign colorectal obstruction.MethodA systematic review was performed using PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library. Keywords included: ‘benign disease’ ‘colorectal obstruction’, ‘stent’, ‘endoprosthesis’ and ‘prosthesis’ Original articles from all relevant listings were sourced. These were hand searched for further articles of relevance. The main outcome measures assessed were technical and clinical success, perforation, reobstruction and stoma avoidance in the bridge to surgery population.ResultsThe search strategy identified 130 articles; the 21 included studies yielded a pooled analysis of 122 patients. Diverticulitis was the predominant aetiology (66/122, 54%). Technical success was achieved in 115/122 (94%) and clinical success in 108/120 (87%) patients. Overall, the perforation rate was 12% (15/122) and the reobstruction rate was 14% (17/122). A stoma was avoided in 48% (23/48) of bridge to surgery patients. Perforation and stoma avoidance in the bridge to surgery group were worse with an aetiology of diverticulitis.ConclusionComplication rates in stenting for benign colorectal obstruction are higher than for malignant obstruction. On the basis of limited published evidence, stenting cannot be recommended for benign colorectal obstruction.
The safety and efficacy of acute graft‐versus‐host disease prophylaxis with a higher target blood concentration of cyclosporine around 500 ng/mL
Authors: Machishima Tomohito , Kako Shinichi , Wada Hidenori , Yamasaki Ryoko , Ishihara Yuko , Kawamura Koji , Sakamoto Kana , Sato Miki , Ashizawa Masahiro , Terasako Kiriko , Kimura Shun‐ichi , Kikuchi Misato , Nakasone Hideki , Kanda Junya , Yamazaki Rie , Nishida Junji , Kanda Yoshinobu 
Published: August 2013

AbstractCyclosporine (CsA) is the most widely used immunosuppressive agent for the prevention of acute graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD). In a previous report, the incidence of acute GVHD was decreased by increasing the target blood concentration of CsA during a continuous infusion from 300 to 500 ng/mL without excessive toxicities. To confirm these results, we retrospectively analyzed 69 patients who received a continuous infusion of CsA at a higher target CsA level between 450 and 550 ng/mL (CsA500 group) and compared the clinical outcome with 29 patients who received CsA with a lower target concentration between 250 and 350 ng/mL (CsA300 group). The target concentration was determined based on the status of background diseases. Multivariate analysis revealed that the incidence of grade III‐IV acute GVHD was significantly lower in the CsA500 group, although the incidence of grade II‐IV acute GVHD was not different. Toxicities were equivalently observed between the two groups. Concomitant administration of voriconazole or itraconazole and higher hematocrit were identified as independent significant factors for higher concentration/dose ratio of CsA. The average dose of CsA to maintain CsA level around 500 ng/mL was higher compared with the previous study (3.4 mg/kg vs. 2.7 mg/kg at three wk), probably due to the difference in measuring method of CsA concentration. We conclude that continuous infusion of CsA with a target level between 450 and 550 ng/mL is a feasible and effective GVHD prophylaxis, but caution should be paid for the difference in measuring method.
The Inquiry of Care
Authors: Nelsen Peter 
Published: August 2013

AbstractWhile discussions of the moral dimensions of the caring relation and their implications for teaching and learning are well developed within the literature, there has not been much analysis of the place of inquiry within our understanding of caring and the education inspired by it. Previous discussions offer important insight into what care‐inspired education might entail, but they do not address how inquiry itself may be enhanced by an ethic of care. After arguing that we should consider reason to be more central to the caring relation than has been previously recognized, Peter Nelsen seeks to ameliorate the apparent rift between reason and the affective dimensions of caring through what John Dewey described as the body‐mind. According to this view, reason and affect are inseparable aspects of the process of inquiry; they are both always present in our caring encounters. Nelsen then explores the educational implications of envisioning the caring relation as body‐mind grounded inquiry.
Female Bechstein's Bats Share Foraging Sites with Maternal Kin but do not Forage Together with them – Results from a Long‐Term Study
Authors: Melber Markus , Fleischmann Daniela , Kerth Gerald 
Published: August 2013

AbstractIn many social animals, group members exchange information about where to feed. Thereby, they may gain direct benefits, for example, if social hunting enhances individual foraging success. Alternatively, individuals may receive indirect fitness benefits by preferentially sharing information about suitable feeding sites with kin. Indeed, in some species, a positive correlation between the degree of relatedness among individuals and the overlap among their foraging areas was found. However, sharing foraging sites with kin can also have costs if it increases food competition, which is not compensated by direct benefits. The goal of this study was to investigate whether sharing of individual foraging areas in female Bechstein's bats is best explained by kin selection or by direct benefits through social foraging. To assess their individual foraging behaviour, we analysed radio‐tracking data of 22 members of one maternity colony, including nine mother–daughter pairs, seven pairs of less closely related individuals and six pairs of unrelated bats. We examined the bats' fidelity to specific foraging areas during several years and quantified the influence of kinship on the overlap among individual foraging areas. By measuring how close to each other the bats foraged, we assessed whether individuals with overlapping areas are likely to forage together. Our study confirms previous findings that Bechstein's bats show high fidelity to foraging areas across years. Moreover, we found that relatives share foraging areas significantly more often compared with unrelated colony members. Finally, our data reveal for the first time that most colony members that share foraging areas are unlikely to forage together. This suggests that female Bechstein's bats gain no direct benefits from sharing foraging areas with members of the same maternal lineage. Our findings also have implications for conservation as habitat loss within a colony's home range might expose entire matrilines to high risks.
Effects of drought and pluvial periods on fish and zooplankton communities in prairie lakes: systematic and asystematic responses
Authors: Starks Elizabeth , Cooper Ryan , Leavitt Peter R. , Wissel Björn 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThe anticipated impacts of climate change on aquatic biota are difficult to evaluate because of potentially contrasting effects of temperature and hydrology on lake ecosystems, particularly those closed‐basin lakes within semiarid regions. To address this shortfall, we quantified decade‐scale changes in chemical and biological properties of 20 endorheic lakes in central North America in response to a pronounced transition from a drought to a pluvial period during the early 21st century. Lakes exhibited marked temporal changes in chemical characteristics and formed two discrete clusters corresponding to periods of substantially different effective moisture (as Palmer Drought Severity Index, PDSI). Discriminant function analysis (DFA) explained 90% of variability in fish assemblage composition and showed that fish communities were predicted best by environmental conditions during the arid interval (PDSI <−2). DFA also predicted that lakes could support more fish species during pluvial periods, but their occurrences may be limited by periodic stress due to recurrent droughts and physical barriers to colonization. Zooplankton taxonomic assemblages in fishless lakes were resilient to short‐term changes in meteorological conditions, and did not vary between drought and deluge periods. Conversely, zooplankton taxa in fish‐populated lakes decreased substantially in biomass during the wet interval, likely due to increased zooplanktivory by fish. The powerful effects of such climatic variability on hydrology and the strong subsequent links to water chemistry and biota indicate that future changes in global climate could result in significant restructuring of aquatic communities. Together these findings suggest that semiarid lakes undergoing temporary climate shifts provide a useful model system for anticipating the effects of global climate change on lake food webs.