bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Acceptability and feasibility of medical abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol in Nigeria
Authors: Okonofua Friday , Shittu Oladapo , Shochet Tara , Diop Ayisha , Winikoff Beverly 
Published: January 2014

AbstractObjectiveTo examine the acceptability and feasibility of medical abortion in Nigeria.MethodsIn total, 250 women who were eligible for legal pregnancy termination with a gestational age of up to 63 days since last menstrual period were enrolled in Benin City and Zaria between May 2005 and October 2006. Participants received 200 mg of oral mifepristone in the clinic and then took 400 μg of oral misoprostol 2 days later—choosing to either return to the clinic or take it at home. Women returned 2 weeks later for an assessment of abortion status.ResultsThe vast majority (96.3%) of women had successful complete abortions. Ultrasound was used to determine outcome in less than one‐third (28.9%) of participants. Most women (83.2%) took the misoprostol at home. Almost all (96.2%) participants were satisfied or very satisfied with the abortion method.ConclusionThe introduction of medical abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol could greatly expand current method options and improve the quality of reproductive health care in Nigeria and other settings in which access to legal abortion services is limited.
Rapid bottom-water circulation changes during the last glacial cycle in the coastal low-latitude NE Atlantic
Authors: Gallego-Torres David , Romero Oscar E. , Martínez-Ruiz Francisca , Kim Jung-Hyun , Donner Barbara , Ortega-Huertas Miguel 
Published: January 2014

AbstractPrevious paleoceanographic studies along the NW African margin focused on the dynamics of surface and intermediate waters, whereas little attention has been devoted to deep-water masses. Currently, these deep waters consist mainly of North Atlantic Deep Waters as part of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). However, this configuration was altered during periods of AMOC collapse. We present a high-resolution reconstruction of bottom-water ventilation and current evolution off Mauritania from the last glacial maximum into the early Holocene. Applying redox proxies (Mo, U and Mn) measured on sediments from off Mauritania, we describe changes in deep-water oxygenation and we infer the evolution of deep-water conditions during millennial-scale climate/oceanographic events in the area. The second half of Heinrich Event 1 and the Younger Dryas were recognized as periods of reduced ventilation, coinciding with events of AMOC reduction. We propose that these weakening circulation events induced deficient deep-water oxygenation in the Mauritanian upwelling region, which together with increased productivity promoted reducing conditions and enhanced organic-matter preservation. This is the first time the effect of AMOC collapse in the area is described at high resolution, broadening the knowledge on basin-wide oceanographic changes associated with rapid climate variability during the last deglaciation.
Holocene climate–fire–vegetation interactions at a subalpine watershed in southeastern British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Courtney Mustaphi Colin J. , Pisaric Michael F.J. 
Published: January 2014

AbstractVegetation assemblages and associated disturbance regimes are spatially heterogeneous in mountain ecosystems throughout the world due to the complex terrain and strong environmental gradients. Given this complexity, numerous sites describing postglacial vegetation and fire histories are needed to adequately understand forest development and ecosystem responses to varying climate and disturbance regimes. To gain insight into long-term historical climate–fire–vegetation interactions in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, sedimentological and paleoecological analyses were performed on a sediment core recovered from a small subalpine lake. The pollen assemblages, stomata, and macroremains indicate that from 9500 to 7500 cal yr BP,Pinus-dominated forests occurred within the catchment andAlnuswas also present. Climate was an important control of fire and fire frequency was highest at this time, peaking at 8 fires 1000 yr− 1, yet charcoal accumulation rates were low, indicative of low terrestrial biomass abundance. From 7500 to 4600 cal yr BP,Pinusdecreased asPicea,AbiesandLarixincreased and fire frequencies decreased to 3–6 fires 1000 yr− 1. Since 7500 cal yr BP the fire regime varied at a millennial scale, driven by forest biomass abundance and fuel accumulation changes. Local scale (bottom-up) controls of fire increased in relative importance since at least 6000 cal yr BP.
Relative importance of effects in stochastic actor-oriented models
Authors: INDLEKOFER NATALIE , BRANDES ULRIK 
Published: January 2014

AbstractA measure of relative importance of network effects in the stochastic actor-oriented model (SAOM) is proposed. The SAOM is a parametric model for statistical inference in longitudinal social networks. The complexity of the model makes the interpretation of inferred results difficult. So far, the focus is on significance tests while the relative importance of effects is usually ignored. Indeed, there is no established measure to determine the relative importance of an effect in a SAOM. We introduce such a measure based on the influence effects have on decisions of individual actors in the network. We demonstrate its utility on empirical data by analyzing an evolving friendship network of university freshmen.
Iodine deficiency in pregnant women living in the South East of the UK: the influence of diet and nutritional supplements on iodine status
Authors: Bath Sarah C. , Walter Alan , Taylor Andrew , Wright John , Rayman Margaret P. 
Published: January 2014

Iodine is a key component of the thyroid hormones which are crucial for brain development. Adequate intake of iodine in pregnancy is important as in utero deficiency may have lifelong consequences for the offspring. Data on the iodine status of UK pregnant women are sparse, and there are no such data for pregnant women in the South East of the UK. A total of 100 pregnant women were recruited to a cross-sectional study carried out at the Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, at their first-trimester visit for an ultrasound scan. The participants provided a spot-urine sample (for the measurement of urinary iodine concentration (UIC) and creatinine concentration) and 24 h iodine excretion was estimated from the urinary iodine:creatinine ratio. Women completed a general questionnaire and a FFQ. The median UIC (85·3 μg/l) indicated that the group was iodine deficient by World Health Organisation criteria. The median values of the iodine:creatinine ratio (122·9 μg/g) and of the estimated 24 h iodine excretion (151·2 μg/d) were also suggestive of iodine deficiency. UIC was significantly higher in women taking an iodine-containing prenatal supplement (n 42) than in those not taking such a supplement (P< 0·001). In the adjusted analyses, milk intake, maternal age and iodine-containing prenatal supplement use were positively associated with the estimated 24 h urinary iodine excretion. Our finding of iodine deficiency in these women gives cause for concern. We suggest that women of childbearing age and pregnant women should be given advice on how to improve their iodine status through dietary means. A national survey of iodine status in UK pregnant women is required.
British university students' attitudes towards noise-induced hearing loss caused by nightclub attendance
Authors: Johnson O , Andrew B , Walker D , Morgan S , Aldren A 
Published: January 2014

AbstractBackground:Over the past 30 years, the prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss among adolescents and young adults has increased. This study aimed to address the current dearth of literature implicating excessive nightclub sound levels (more than 85 dB) as a direct cause of auditory symptoms related to noise-induced hearing loss.Method:A questionnaire was completed by 325 students to gauge the frequency of auditory symptoms after nightclub attendance, and to explore knowledge and opinions about noise levels in nightclubs.Results:The findings showed that 88.3 per cent of students experienced tinnitus after leaving a nightclub and 66.2 per cent suffered impaired hearing the following morning. In terms of behaviour, 73.2 per cent of students said that the risk of hearing damage would not affect their nightclub attendance, but most students (70.2 per cent) felt that noise levels in nightclubs should be limited to safe volumes.Conclusion:A high proportion of students reported experiencing symptoms related to noise-induced hearing loss after attending a nightclub. These findings are relevant to policy makers.
Primary-care patients' trade-off preferences with regard to antidepressants
Authors: Wouters H. , Van Dijk L. , Van Geffen E. C. G. , Gardarsdottir H. , Stiggelbout A. M. , Bouvy M. L. 
Published: January 2014

BackgroundAntidepressants are frequently prescribed but results regarding their efficacy have been equivocal for different spectra of the severity continuum and their side-effects are often burdensome. Non-adherence is a likely consequence. The objective was therefore to examine patients’ trade-offs between the efficacy, side-effects and other drawbacks of antidepressants and whether these trade-offs predicted non-adherence.MethodTrade-offs from 225 antidepressant users, recruited through community pharmacies, were assessed with an Adaptive Conjoint Analysis (ACA) choice task that was customized to each individual patient. From the estimated utilities, relative importance scores of treatment properties were calculated. Non-adherence was measured through self-report and pharmacy refill data.ResultsRelapse prevention and symptom relief were on average equally important. Side-effects were as important and the side-effect stomach and intestine complaints was on average even slightly more important than relapse prevention and symptom relief. Additional treatment with psychotherapy was preferred by 61% of the patients. A benefit/drawback ratio revealed that 18% of the patients did not consider the efficacy to outweigh the drawbacks. A higher benefit/drawback ratio was associated with a decreased odds of intentional non-adherence [odds ratio (OR) 0.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07–0.7, Wald = 6.7,p = 0.01).ConclusionsFor nearly one in five patients, the efficacy of antidepressants does not outweigh their drawbacks. Knowing patients’ trade-offs is likely to aid both physicians and patients to identify important treatment preferences, to improve adherence and to make more deliberate decisions on whether or not to continue treatment.
Parental Leave and Domestic Work of Mothers and Fathers: A Longitudinal Study of Two Reforms in West Germany
Authors: SCHOBER PIA S. 
Published: January 2014

AbstractFollowing two parental leave reforms in West Germany, this research explores how child care and housework time changed among couples who have just had a child. The reform in 1992 extended the low paid or unpaid parental leave period, whereas the 2007 reform introduced income-dependent compensation and two ‘daddy months’. This study contributes to the literature by examining different mechanisms on how these reforms were associated with domestic work time in couples. Based on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (1990–2010), the analysis applies ordinary least square (OLS) regressions and difference-in-difference estimations. The findings point to a significant reduction in paternal child care time eighteen to thirty months after childbirth among couples with children born after the 1992 reform. The 2007 reform was associated with increased child care time of fathers in the first year and eighteen to thirty months after the birth. Changes in maternal child care and both partners’ housework were not statistically significant. Alterations in maternal and paternal labour market participation, wages and leave taking accounted for most of the observed variations in paternal child care except for eighteen to thirteen months after the 2007 reform. This unexplained variance may point to a normative policy effect.
“Smokestack Nostalgia,” “Ruin Porn” or Working-Class Obituary: The Role and Meaning of Deindustrial Representation
Authors: Strangleman Tim 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThis article explores some of the visual imagery that has emerged from the process of deindustrialization. It seeks to understand the similarities and differences between post-industrial photography collected in book format in both North America and Europe and the critics of this genre. It makes sense of the value and meaning of this publishing trend and what it says about its market. While it would be easy to dismiss this material as “simply nostalgic,” representing another manifestation of “smokestack nostalgia,” this article suggests that we need a more nuanced account which asks questions about the continuing desire to reflect back and find value in the industrial past. In so doing it makes a contribution to a wider critical account of the role of cultural approaches to interpreting industrial change and working-class history.
“Broken Men” and “Thatcher's Children”: Memory and Legacy in Scotland's Coalfields
Authors: Perchard Andrew 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThis article explores the legacy of the demise of the deep coal mining industry in Scotland. It places particular emphasis on the cultural scars of this process as witnessed through miners' and managers' memories, positioning these within the context of occupational socialization, conflict, and alienation. The piece explores the enduring importance of these cultural scars in shaping broader collective narratives of decline in Scotland, and how responses were manifest in shifting political outlooks and the emergence (at both a local and national level) of a resurgent nationalism from the early 1960s onward. Drawing on the notion of the “cultural circuit,” the article examines how and why personal experience of the loss of the coal industry informed and conformed to the politics of the miners' union in Scotland, the National Union of Mineworkers Scottish Area (NUMSA). As the article makes clear, the program of closures in the industry has left profound psychological scars in coalfield communities—ones that, like the closure of other major industrial sites, shape a powerful national narrative.
Deindustrialization and the Moral Economy of the Scottish Coalfields, 1947 to 1991
Authors: Phillips Jim 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThe long-running deindustrialization in the Scottish coalfields, the consequence of political decisions, took place in three distinct periods analyzed here: “restructuring,” 1958–1967, when, in response to union activism, a large number of closures was offset by government and industry initiatives to provide or stimulate alternative employment; “stabilization,” 1968–1977, when closures were minimized as the broader industrial economy slowed; and then “accelerated contraction,” 1978–1987, within the larger program of economic restructuring engineered by Margaret Thatcher's Conservative UK governments. Moral economy arguments shaped the debate about deindustrialization in the first two phases: closures were legitimate only where agreed to by the workforce, who would in turn receive guaranteed economic security. These factors did not apply in the final phase, when closures were enforced and redundant miners had limited employment alternatives.
Reasons to Revolt: Iranian Oil Workers in the 1970s
Authors: Jafari Peyman 
Published: January 2014

AbstractOil workers played a pivotal role during the Iranian Revolution of 1978–1979. Involving tens of thousands of workers, oil strikes paralyzed the state and paved the way for the Shah's downfall. Various accounts of these strikes, however, ignore the subjectivity and agency of the oil workers by focusing exclusively on the role of political agitation. Addressing this deficit, this article explores the oil workers' experiences in and out of the workplace in the 1970s in order to contextualize their participation in the revolution. After analyzing the oil strikes and their goals, the article makes two arguments: First, oil workers were conscious of the considerable power they had to disrupt the economic and political routine of the country. Second, the demands of the oil strikes reflected grievances that, while reflecting sentiments in the wider society, were embedded in their own specific conditions and experiences.
Youngstown's ‘Ghost’? Memory, Identity, and Deindustrialization
Authors: Rhodes James 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThis article considers the highly contested and contradictory uses of the industrial past that continue to animate questions of place-based identity in the wake of large-scale deindustrialization. Drawing on media accounts as well as qualitative interviews with city residents, the representations surrounding Youngstown, Ohio's former middleweight boxing champion, Kelly Pavlik, and his asserted relationships to the city are considered. It is argued that through the various depictions of Pavlik, we see how deindustrialization has led to a more complex interaction of space and time—rather than marking a material and symbolic break from the era in which heavy industry dominated the city and its sense of identity—as aspects of the past are alternately disavowed, recovered, rearticulated, and reconstructed in relation to shifting economic, social, and cultural contexts.
Mannose-binding lectin polymorphisms and the risk of sepsis: evidence from a meta-analysis
Authors: ZHANG A.-Q. , YUE C.-L. , PAN W. , GAO J.-W. , ZENG L. , GU W. , JIANG J.-X. 
Published: January 2014

SUMMARYSeveral studies have evaluated the association between mannose-binding lectin (MBL) polymorphisms and sepsis. However, the results are inconclusive and conflicting. To better understand the roles of MBL polymorphisms in sepsis, we conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis. All relevant studies were searched from PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Knowledge databases, with the last report up to 7 May 2013. Twenty-nine studies addressing four MBL polymorphisms (–550G/C, –221G/C, structure variant A/O, Gly54Asp) were analysed for susceptibility to sepsis and one study for sepsis-related mortality. Overall, significant associations between structure variant A/O and susceptibility to sepsis were observed for AO + OOvs. AA [odds ratio (OR) 1·27, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·05–1·52,P = 0·01] and Ovs. A (OR 1·19, 95% CI 1·02–1·40,P = 0·03). In subgroup analysis based on age group, increased risk was found in the paediatric group in the dominant model (OR 1·72, 95% CI 1·16–2·56,P = 0·007). Moreover, there was a slight association between the +54A/B polymorphism and susceptibility to sepsis in Caucasians (recessive model: OR 10·64, 95% CI 1·24–91·65,P = 0·03). However, no association was observed for –550G/C and –221G/C polymorphisms both overall and in subgroup analysis. For sepsis-related mortality, only one study suggested AO/OO was associated with in-hospital mortality in pneumococcal sepsis patients after controlling for confounding variables. Our meta-analysis indicated that MBL structure variants might be associated with susceptibility to sepsis but further studies with a large sample size should be conducted to confirm these findings.
Lateral Resolution Enhancement of Vertical Scanning Interferometry by Sub-Pixel Sampling
Authors: Arvidson Rolf S. , Fischer Cornelius , Sawyer Dale S. , Scott Gavin D. , Natelson Douglas , Lüttge Andreas 
Published: January 2014

AbstractWe apply common image enhancement principles and sub-pixel sample positioning to achieve a significant enhancement in the spatial resolution of a vertical scanning interferometer. We illustrate the potential of this new method using a standard atomic force microscope calibration grid and other materials having motifs of known lateral and vertical dimensions. This approach combines the high vertical resolution of vertical scanning interferometry and its native advantages (large field of view, rapid and nondestructive data acquisition) with important increases in lateral resolution. This combination offers the means to address a common challenge in microscopy: the integration of properties and processes that depend on, and vary as a function of observational length.
Orthogonally modulated molecular transport junctions for resettable electronic logic gates
Authors: Meng Fanben , Hervault Yves-Marie , Shao Qi , Hu Benhui , Norel Lucie , Rigaut Stéphane , Chen Xiaodong 
Published: January 2014

AbstractIndividual molecules have been demonstrated to exhibit promising applications as functional components in the fabrication of computing nanocircuits. Based on their advantage in chemical tailorability, many molecular devices with advanced electronic functions have been developed, which can be further modulated by the introduction of external stimuli. Here, orthogonally modulated molecular transport junctions are achieved via chemically fabricated nanogaps functionalized with dithienylethene units bearing organometallic ruthenium fragments. The addressable and stepwise control of molecular isomerization can be repeatedly and reversibly completed with a judicious use of the orthogonal optical and electrochemical stimuli to reach the controllable switching of conductivity between two distinct states. These photo-/electro-cooperative nanodevices can be applied as resettable electronic logic gates for Boolean computing, such as a two-input OR and a three-input AND-OR. The proof-of-concept of such logic gates demonstrates the possibility to develop multifunctional molecular devices by rational chemical design.
Innexin gap junctions in nerve cells coordinate spontaneous contractile behavior in Hydra polyps
Authors: Takaku Yasuharu , Hwang Jung Shan , Wolf Alexander , Böttger Angelika , Shimizu Hiroshi , David Charles N. , Gojobori Takashi 
Published: January 2014

AbstractNerve cells and spontaneous coordinated behavior first appeared near the base of animal evolution in the common ancestor of cnidarians and bilaterians. Experiments on the cnidarian Hydra have demonstrated that nerve cells are essential for this behavior, although nerve cells in Hydra are organized in a diffuse network and do not form ganglia. Here we show that the gap junction protein innexin-2 is expressed in a small group of nerve cells in the lower body column of Hydra and that an anti-innexin-2 antibody binds to gap junctions in the same region. Treatment of live animals with innexin-2 antibody eliminates gap junction staining and reduces spontaneous body column contractions. We conclude that a small subset of nerve cells, connected by gap junctions and capable of synchronous firing, act as a pacemaker to coordinate the contraction of the body column in the absence of ganglia.
Dispersal-induced destabilization of metapopulations and oscillatory Turing patterns in ecological networks
Authors: Hata Shigefumi , Nakao Hiroya , Mikhailov Alexander S. 
Published: January 2014

AbstractAs shown by Alan Turing in 1952, differential diffusion may destabilize uniform distributions of reacting species and lead to emergence of patterns. While stationary Turing patterns are broadly known, the oscillatory instability, leading to traveling waves in continuous media and sometimes called the wave bifurcation, remains less investigated. Here, we extend the original analysis by Turing to networks and apply it to ecological metapopulations with dispersal connections between habitats. Remarkably, the oscillatory Turing instability does not lead to wave patterns in networks, but to spontaneous development of heterogeneous oscillations and possible extinction of species. We find such oscillatory instabilities for all possible food webs with three predator or prey species, under various assumptions about the mobility of individual species and nonlinear interactions between them. Hence, the oscillatory Turing instability should be generic and must play a fundamental role in metapopulation dynamics, providing a common mechanism for dispersal-induced destabilization of ecosystems.