bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
What we know and do not know about fingolimod: Outline and interpretation of results from the Japanese fingolimod core and extension studies
Authors: Kira Jun‐ichi 
Published: February 2014

AbstractMultiple sclerosis (MS) is an idiopathic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Autoreactive T cells that recognize undetermined CNS antigens are assumed to mediate the disease. Fingolimod or FTY720, a sphingosine 1‐phosphate receptor (S1PR) modulator, downmodulates S1PR on lymphocytes causing retention of circulating lymphocytes in the lymph nodes, including the CNS antigen‐autoreactive lymphocytes that invade the CNS. Fingolimod has recently been approved in several countries as a once‐daily, oral, disease‐modifying drug for relapsing–remitting MS. Recently, the Japanese fingolimod core and extension studies showed the efficacy of fingolimod in terms of brain magnetic resonance imaging criteria and clinical activities in Japanese patients with relapsing MS without longitudinally extensive spinal cord lesions (LESCL). These results were consistent with the effects of fingolimod in Caucasian MS patients. No new safety issues were observed except for severe exacerbations that occurred in four anti‐aquaporin‐4 antibody‐positive cases in whom LESCL were absent at the time of the entry. Thus, fingolimod is regarded as efficacious and safe for Asian MS patients, although Asian neuromyelitis optica cases in the early course of the disease should be excluded from fingolimod treatment.
Autoantibodies in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy: Specificities and clinical relevance
Authors: Kusunoki Susumu 
Published: February 2014

AbstractChronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a chronic autoimmune neuropathy, of which the precise pathogenetic mechanisms have not yet been elucidated. Recently, the elevated titer of the antibodies to contactin‐1, a protein in axoglial junction, has been reported in a subset of CIDP patients. The antibody‐positive patients shared common clinical features. The antibodies to contactin‐1 might be a good serological marker, and possibly have a pathogenic role in a subgroup of CIDP patients. Examination of the serum antibodies against glycolipids, myelin proteins and proteins in axoglial junctions for the same cohort of patients should be carried out in future.
Weight loss improves reproductive outcomes in obese women undergoing fertility treatment: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Sim K. A. , Dezarnaulds G. M. , Denyer G. S. , Skilton M. R. , Caterson I. D. 
Published: February 2014

SummaryFor women attempting pregnancy, obesity reduces fertility and is an independent risk factor for obstetric and neonatal complications. The aim of this evaluator‐blinded, randomized controlled trial was to evaluate a weight loss intervention on pregnancy rates in obese women undertaking fertility treatment. Forty‐nine obese women, aged ≤37 years, presenting for fertility treatment were randomized to either a 12‐week intervention (n = 27) consisting of a very‐low‐energy diet for the initial 6 weeks followed by a hypocaloric diet, combined with a weekly group multidisciplinary programme; or a control group (n = 22) who received recommendations for weight loss and the same printed material as the intervention. Anthropometric and reproductive parameters were measured at baseline and at 12 weeks. The 22 women who completed the intervention had greater anthropometric changes (–6.6 ± 4.6 kg and −8.7 ± 5.6 cm vs. −1.6 ± 3.6 kg and −0.6 ± 6.3 cm) compared with the control group (n = 17; P < 0.001). The intervention group achieved a pregnancy rate of 48% compared with 14% (P = 0.007), took a mean two fertility treatment cycles to achieve each pregnancy compared with four in the control group (P = 0.002), and had a marked increase in the number of live births (44% vs. 14%; P = 0.02). A group weight loss programme, incorporating dietary, exercise and behavioural components, is associated with a significant improvement in pregnancy rates and live births in a group of obese women undergoing fertility treatment.
Fuzzy GIS‐based multi‐criteria evaluation for US Agave production as a bioenergy feedstock
Authors: Lewis Sarah M. , Gross Stephen , Visel Axel , Kelly Maggi , Morrow William 
Published: February 2014

AbstractIn the United States, renewable energy mandates calling for increased production of cellulosic biofuels will require a diversity of bioenergy feedstocks to meet growing demands. Within the suite of potential energy crops, plants within the genus Agave promise to be a productive feedstock in hot and arid regions. The potential distributions of Agave tequilana and Agave deserti in the United States were evaluated based on plant growth parameters identified in an extensive literature review. A geospatial suitability model rooted in fuzzy logic was developed that utilized a suite of biophysical criteria to optimize ideal geographic locations for this new crop, and several suitability scenarios were tested for each species. The results of this spatially explicit suitability model suggest that there is potential for Agave to be grown as an energy feedstock in the southwestern region of the United States – particularly in Arizona, California, and Texas – and a significant portion of these areas are proximate to existing transportation infrastructure. Both Agave species showed the highest state‐level renewable energy benefit in Arizona, where agave plants have the potential to contribute 4.8–9.6% of the states' ethanol consumption, and 2.5–4.9% of its electricity consumption, for A. deserti and A. tequilana, respectively. This analysis supports the feasibility of Agave as a complementary bioenergy feedstock that can be grown in areas too harsh for conventional energy feedstocks.
Consumer experience of formal crisis‐response services and preferred methods of crisis intervention
Authors: Boscarato Kara , Lee Stuart , Kroschel Jon , Hollander Yitzchak , Brennan Alice , Warren Narelle 
Published: February 2014

AbstractThe manner in which people with mental illness are supported in a crisis is crucial to their recovery. The current study explored mental health consumers' experiences with formal crisis services (i.e. police and crisis assessment and treatment (CAT) teams), preferred crisis supports, and opinions of four collaborative interagency response models. Eleven consumers completed one‐on‐one, semistructured interviews. The results revealed that the perceived quality of previous formal crisis interventions varied greatly. Most participants preferred family members or friends to intervene. However, where a formal response was required, general practitioners and mental health case managers were preferred; no participant wanted a police response, and only one indicated a preference for CAT team assistance. Most participants welcomed collaborative crisis interventions. Of four collaborative interagency response models currently being trialled internationally, participants most strongly supported the Ride‐Along Model, which enables a police officer and a mental health clinician to jointly respond to distressed consumers in the community. The findings highlight the potential for an interagency response model to deliver a crisis response aligned with consumers' preferences.
Reluctant Donors? The Europeanization of International Development Policies in the New Member States
Authors: Lightfoot Simon , Szent‐Iványi Balázs 
Published: February 2014

AbstractThe European Union (EU) played an instrumental role in re‐starting the international development policies in central and eastern European Member States, but questions remain about how far this policy area has been Europeanized since accession. Focusing on the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, this article investigates why the new donors have been reluctant to adopt the EU's development acquis more fully. The article traces the socialization processes offered by the EU's development policy rule‐making and subsequent national rule implementation. The conclusions reveal three reasons why socialization has been weak: perceptions among the new Member States on the procedural legitimacy of the development acquis; low domestic resonance with the development acquis; and inconsistencies in the activities of norm entrepreneurs. The article contributes to our understanding of development policy in the EU – particularly how decision‐making takes place within the Council and its working groups post‐enlargement.
Sulfated-polysaccharide fraction extracted from red algae Gracilaria birdiae ameliorates trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid-induced colitis in rats
Authors: Brito Tarcisio V , Neto José P R P , Prudêncio Rafael S , Batista Jalles A , Júnior José S C , Silva Renan O , Franco Álvaro X , Aragão Karoline S , Soares Pedro M G , Souza Marcellus H L P , Chaves Luciano S , Freitas Ana L P , Medeiros Jand-V R , Barbosa André L R 
Published: February 2014

Abstract

Objectives
The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of the sulfated-polysaccharide (PLS) fraction extracted from the seaweed Gracilaria birdiae in rats with trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis.

Methods
In the experiments involving TNBS-induced colitis, rats were pretreated with polysaccharide extracted from G. birdiae (PLS: 30, 60 and 90 mg/kg, 500 μL p.o.) or dexamethasone (control group: 1 mg/kg) once daily for 3 days starting before TNBS instillation (day 1). The rats were killed on the third day, the portion of distal colon was excised and washed with 0.9% saline and pinned onto a wax block for the evaluation of macroscopic scores. Samples of the intestinal tissue were used for histological evaluation and assays for glutathione (GSH) levels, malonyldialdehyde (MDA) concentration, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, nitrate and nitrite (NO3/NO2) concentration and cytokines levels.

Key findings
PLS treatment reduced the macroscopic and microscopic TNBS-induced intestinal damage. Additionally, it avoided the consumption of GSH, decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, MDA and NO3/NO2 concentrations and diminished the MPO activity.

Conclusions
Our results suggest that the PLS fraction has a protective effect against intestinal damage through mechanisms that involve the inhibition of inflammatory cell infiltration, cytokine releasing and lipid peroxidation.
Medical Mistrust, Perceived Discrimination, and Satisfaction With Health Care Among Young‐Adult Rural Latinos
Authors: López‐Cevallos Daniel F. , Harvey S. Marie , Warren Jocelyn T. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractPurposeLittle research has analyzed mistrust and discrimination influencing receipt of health care services among Latinos, particularly those living in rural areas. This study examined the associations between medical mistrust, perceived discrimination, and satisfaction with health care among young‐adult rural Latinos.Research DesignThis cross‐sectional study analyzed data from 387 young‐adult Latinos (ages 18‐25) living in rural Oregon. The Behavioral Model of Vulnerable Populations was utilized as the theoretical framework. Correlations were run to assess bivariate associations among variables included in the study. Ordered logistic regression models evaluated the associations between medical mistrust, perceived discrimination, and satisfaction with health care.ResultsOn average, participants used health services 4 times in the past year. Almost half of the participants had health insurance (46%). The majority reported that they were moderately (32%) or very satisfied (41%) with health care services used in the previous year. In multivariable models, medical mistrust and perceived discrimination were significantly associated with satisfaction with health care.ConclusionsMedical mistrust and perceived discrimination were significant contributors to lower satisfaction with health care among young‐adult Latinos living in rural Oregon. Health care reform implementation, currently under way, provides a unique opportunity for developing evaluation systems and interventions toward monitoring and reducing rural Latino health care disparities.
Biosystematics and evolutionary relationships of perennial Triticeae species revealed by genomic analyses
Authors: WANG Richard R. C. , LU Baorong 
Published: February 2014

AbstractUnderstanding the classification and biosystematics of species in Triticeae Dumort., an economically important tribe in the grass family (Poaceae), is not an easy task, particularly for some perennial species. Does genomic analysis facilitate the understanding of evolutionary relationships of these Triticeae species? We reviewed literature published after 1984 to address questions concerning: (1) genome relationships among the monogenomic diploid species; (2) progenitors of the unknown Y genome in Elymus polyploids, X genome in Thinopyrum intermedium, and Xm genome in Leymus; and (3) genome constitutions of some perennial Triticeae species that were unknown or misidentified. A majority of publications have substantiated the close affinity of the Eb and Ee genomes in Th. bessarabicum and Th. elongatum, supporting the use of a common basic genome symbol. The E genome is close to the St genome of Pseudoroegneria and ABD genomes of Triticum/Aegilops complex, providing an explanation for transferring genes from the E to ABD genomes with relative ease. Although the solid proof is still lacking, the W, P, and especially Xp genomes are possible origins for the Y genome of polyploid Elymus. The absence of the E genome and the allopolyploidy nature of tetraploid Leymus species have been unequivocally confirmed by both cytogenetic and molecular studies. However, the donor of the Xm genomes of Leymus was only speculated to be related to the P genome of Agropyron and F genome of Eremopyrum. Intermediate wheatgrass (Th. intermedium) has been extensively studied. The presence of the St (as the previously designated X) genome in Th. intermedium is now unequivocal. Its two more closely related E1 and E2 genomes are shown to be older versions of the E genome rather than the current Eb and Ee genomes. Speciation of Th. intermedium was similar to that of Triticum aestivum, in which the Js/Es (like B) genomes had the greatest differentiation from the current J (Eb) genome owning to repetitive sequences of the V genome, whereas its St (like D) had the least differentiation from the current St genome. Species with unknown or misidentified genomes have been correctly designated, including those with the ESt, StP, StPY, StWY, EStP, HW, StYHW, and NsXm genomes. Some of those species have been transferred to and renamed in appropriate genera.
Comparing the Montreal Cognitive Assessment with Mini‐Mental State Examination in Japanese Parkinson's disease patients
Authors: Ohta Kouichi , Osada Takashi , Shinohara Yukito , Suzuki Norihiro , Takahashi Kazushi , Seki Morinobu , Nihei Yoshihiro , Iwasawa Satoko , Gotoh Jun , Yamaguchi Keiji , Komatsumoto Satoru , Isozumi Kazuo , Kobari Masahiro , Mihara Ban , Morita Yoko , Yasutomi Daisuke , Gotoh Kyoko , Muramatsu Kazuhiro , Shirai Toshitaka , Tomita Yutaka , Sato Hideki ,   the Keio Parkinson's Disease Database
Published: February 2014

AbstractBackground and AimThe Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is the most suitable measure for screening cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the utility of the MoCA has not been documented sufficiently, especially in Asian populations. The present multicenter study included a large number of Japanese patients, and compared Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) and MoCA scores in PD patients.MethodsWe carried out a cross‐sectional study. Idiopathic PD patients (n = 304; age 70.6 ± 8.3 years (mean ± SD); disease duration 6.6 ± 5.1 years; Hoehn and Yahr stage 2.7 ± 0.7) were registered at 13 participating hospitals, and their clinical/neurological/cognitive features were examined using Japanese versions of the MMSE and MoCA.ResultsThe MMSE and MoCA scores were 26.3 ± 3.6 (range 12–30) and 20.9 ± 5.0 (range 5–30), respectively, and showed a strong correlation (R2 = 0.74, P < 0.001) with each other. A MMSE score of <26 was observed in 35% of the participants. A MoCA score of <21 had 89% sensitivity and 83% specificity, comparable with a MMSE score of <26. The two scores were correlated with age (R2 = 0.12 and 0.20, respectively; P < 0.0001), but not with Hoehn and Yahr stage or disease duration.ConclusionsOne‐third of the patients had a MMSE score of <26, a diagnostic criterion of PD with dementia. A MoCA score of <21 seemed comparable with a MMSE score of <26. The two scores were correlated with age, rather than severity of motor symptoms, suggesting that cognitive decline might be independent of motor decline in PD.
Model Tests for Evaluating the Impact of Low Viscosity Tailor-Made Biofuels on Tribological Contacts in Injection Pumps
Authors: Heitzig Stefan , Weinebeck Alexander , Murrenhoff Hubertus 
Published: February 2014

In the scope of the cluster of excellence “Tailor-made Fuels from Biomass” new biofuels are developed within an interdisciplinary research approach at RWTH Aachen University. To ensure a safe and reliable functioning of the new fuels in combination with state of the art fuel injection equipment, every fuel has to fulfil requirements regarding its tribological performance, which depends on characteristics like dynamic viscosity and fuel lubricity. Hence, one focus of the cluster lies on the tribological characteristics of the fuel candidates.
Biofuel candidates which have been investigated so far and which are suitable for the use in self-ignition engines as surrogates for fossil diesel fuel tend to have lower viscosities and show varying lubrication behaviour, compared to diesel.
As a standard test method for diesel fuel lubricity the HFRR test is well established. Nevertheless, relying on the established diesel-pass/fail criterion, which is defined in several norms, is disputable, since the investigated biofuels differ strongly from modern diesel fuels.
To identify the relevant fuel properties and to gain a more detailed understanding of the wear and friction processes within the critical contacts, results of different tribological test methods, including the HFRR test and a disc-on-disc tribometer, are presented, compared and discussed in this paper. In order to estimate the validity of the established HFRR pass/fail criterion for low viscosity biofuels the experimental results are compared to simulation outcomes of elasto-hydrodynamic simulations of the main tribological contacts in a standard common rail injection pump.
Constrained Multi-Objective Optimization of a Hydraulic Flywheel Accumulator
Authors: Strohmaier Kyle G. , Van de Ven James D. 
Published: February 2014

Improving energy storage technology is an important means of addressing concerns over fossil fuel scarcity and energy independence. Traditional hydraulic accumulator energy storage, though favorable in power density, durability, cost, and environmental impact, suffers from relatively low energy density and a pressure-dependent state of charge. The hydraulic flywheel accumulator concept utilizes both pneumatic and kinetic energy domains by employing a rotating pressure vessel.
This paper describes a mathematical model of the hydraulic flywheel accumulator and presents the results of a multi-objective optimization of the associated design parameters. The two optimization objectives are to minimize the total system mass and minimize the total energy converted between the pneumatic and kinetic domains during operation. These objectives are pursued by varying five design parameters: accumulator radius, wall thickness, and length; end cap length; and maximum angular velocity. Constraints on combinations of these design parameters are imposed by material stress, as well as the energy capacity required to complete a specified drive cycle. This optimization approach can be used to guide the design of a hydraulic flywheel accumulator for a variety of different applications.
Simulation of Fluid Power Systems in Consideration of Uncertainties
Authors: Rüdenauer Andreas , Thiebes Phillip 
Published: February 2014

This paper presents the fundamental interrelation of uncertainty in the context of the modeling and simulation process of fluid power systems. Building up a simulation model means to represent a real system and its dynamic behavior in an experimental model. This process generally requires a model simplification. Additionally, in an early stage of product development, a certain lack of knowledge about a system is to be assumed. These so called epistemic uncertainties lead to a deviation of the simulated system’s behavior from the real one. One possibility to consider such uncertainties in simulation is by using the approach of fuzzy arithmetic. This approach allows substituting crisp parameter values through fuzzy intervals. This way, uncertainty-sensitive simulation results can be obtained and the reliability of simulation can be significantly increased.
Especially for the simulation of fluid power systems with lumped parameters, a trade-off between simulation performance and the level of detail of the model has often to be accepted. The assumption of uncertainties in fluid power simulation shows the potential of creating simplified simulation models, which at the same time promise to have a high conformance to the real system behavior.
Using the fuzzy arithmetic approach under application of the transformation method by Hanss, the potential for fluid power system simulation in consideration of epistemic uncertainties is explained and evaluated. Therefore, a simulation model is tested as an example application using different degrees of parameter fuzzification.
Analysis on the Adaptability of Two Different Hydraulic Energy Recovery Circuits on Various Machine Types and Work Cycles
Authors: Hänninen Henri , Pietola Matti 
Published: February 2014

In the task of improving the energy efficiency of a work machine, the implementation of an energy recovery system is in many cases the most effective solution. Simulations and measurements on two distinctive hydraulic recovery circuit types, implemented on a reach truck test bench, have indicated clearly different performance profiles with different work cycle types.
The first of the two systems is based on diverting the flow to be recovered directly to hydraulic accumulators utilizing a digital flow control unit. This system has been measured to exceed cyclic efficiency of 90 percent with optimal system settings in constant load scenarios. However, in mixed goods warehouses this efficiency can be significantly lower. The second recovery system, even though exhibiting slightly lower peak efficiency, has been measured to operate at relatively constant efficiency regardless of the work cycle type. This system is based on hydraulic transformer which varies the pressure/flow ratio in order to maximize the quantity of recovered energy.
In this study these two systems are analyzed in terms of their adaptability to different fork lift types and to different work cycles. The assessment is carried out by analyzing typical machine specific operation cycles, comparing machine complexity versus recovery circuit complexity and by estimations of build costs versus gains.