bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association of Urinary Laminin G-Like 3 and Free K Light Chains with Disease Activity and Histological Injury in IgA Nephropathy
Authors: Rocchetti Maria Teresa , Papale Massimo , d’Apollo Anna Maria , Suriano Ida Valentina , Di Palma Anna Maria , Vocino Grazia , Montemurno Eustacchio , Varraso Leonarda , Grandaliano Giuseppe , Di Paolo Salvatore , Gesualdo Loreto 
Published: April 2013

Summary

Background and objectives
IgA nephropathy has variable clinical presentation and progression. Its definitive diagnosis and prognosis require renal biopsy. The identification of new biomarkers allowing noninvasive diagnosis and monitoring of disease activity would be advantageous. This study analyzed the urine proteome of IgA nephropathy patients at an early stage of disease.

Design, setting, participants, & measurements
Urine from 49 IgA nephropathy patients, 42 CKD patients, and 40 healthy individuals was analyzed by surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time of flight/mass spectrometry. Differentially excreted proteins were identified by matrix-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time of flight/mass spectrometry, confirmed by immunologic methods, and validated in an independent set of patients (14 IgA nephropathy and 24 CKD). All patients were recruited at the Division of Nephrology of the University of Foggia from January of 2005 to March of 2007.

Results
Two proteins, with 21,598 and 23,458 m/z, were significantly decreased in IgA nephropathy and identified as Perlecan laminin G-like 3 peptide and Ig κ light chains, respectively. Western blot analysis confirmed the lower urinary excretion of laminin G-like 3 in IgA nephropathy patients compared with CKD patients and healthy individuals. Immunonephelometry analysis confirmed the lower urinary excretion of free κ light chains in IgA nephropathy patients compared with CKD patients and healthy individuals. Immunohistochemistry analysis justified the urinary excretion profile of such proteins in IgA nephropathy. Finally, urinary free κ light chains and laminin G-like 3 concentration inversely correlated with severity of clinical and histologic features of our IgA nephropathy cohort.

Conclusions
Laminin G-like 3 and free κ light chains can contribute to the noninvasive assessment of IgA nephropathy disease activity.
Lipoprotein Kinetics in Male Hemodialysis Patients Treated with Atorvastatin
Authors: Schwaiger Johannes P. , Nakada Yoshinobu , Berberich Ramona , Ikewaki Katsunori , Dieplinger Benjamin , Zitt Emanuel , Neyer Ulrich , Salmhofer Hermann , Kronenberg Florian , Koenig Paul , Dieplinger Hans 
Published: April 2013

Summary

Background and objectives
In vivo metabolism of atherogenic apolipoprotein B (apoB)–containing lipoproteins is severely impaired in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD), resulting in markedly prolonged residence times of these particles. It is unclear whether treatment with statins improves LDL kinetics in HD patients as is known for the general population. Therefore, this kinetic study assessed apoB-containing lipoproteins in these patients.

Design, setting, participants, & measurements
Kinetic measures were analyzed with stable-isotope technology in six men undergoing HD before and after 3 months of daily administration of 10 mg of atorvastatin. Patients were 18–65 years of age, had LDL cholesterol levels between 90 and 200 mg/dl, and had been treated with HD for >6 months. They consumed a standardized isocaloric diet for 3 days before analysis. Fractional catabolic rates (FCRs) and production rates of very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)–apoB, intermediate-density lipoprotein–apoB, and LDL-apoB were determined using multicompartment modeling after plasma lipoprotein separation, precipitation of apoB, and determination of tracer-to-tracee ratios using mass spectrometry.

Results
Plasma concentrations of VLDL- and LDL-apoB were significantly lower (mean ± SD, 7.77±2.62 versus 11.27±6.15 mg/dl, P<0.05; 56.9±23.9 versus 84.0±21.1 mg/dl, P=0.03) and their FCRs were significantly higher (7.20±3.08 versus 5.20±2.98 days−1, P<0.05; 0.851±0.772 versus 0.446±0.232 days−1, P<0.05) after 3 months of atorvastatin treatment. Accordingly, the residence times in plasma of VLDL- and LDL-apoB were significantly lower after treatment (0.14 versus 0.19 day and 1.2 versus 2.2 days, respectively).

Conclusion
Lower plasma concentrations and improved kinetics of atherogenic lipoproteins were observed in HD patients after administration of low-dose atorvastatin.
Evidence of Reduced β-Cell Function in Asian Indians With Mild Dysglycemia
Authors: Staimez Lisa R. , Weber Mary Beth , Ranjani Harish , Ali Mohammed K. , Echouffo-Tcheugui Justin B. , Phillips Lawrence S. , Mohan Viswanathan , Narayan K.M. Venkat 
Published: April 2013

OBJECTIVE
To examine β-cell function across a spectrum of glycemia among Asian Indians, a population experiencing type 2 diabetes development at young ages despite low BMI.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
One-thousand two-hundred sixty-four individuals without known diabetes in the Diabetes Community Lifestyle Improvement Program in Chennai, India, had a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test, with glucose and insulin measured at 0, 30, and 120 min. Type 2 diabetes, isolated impaired fasting glucose (iIFG), isolated impaired glucose tolerance (iIGT), combined impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance, and normal glucose tolerance (NGT) were defined by American Diabetes Association guidelines. Measures included insulin resistance and sensitivity (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance [HOMA-IR], modified Matsuda Index, 1/fasting insulin) and β-cell function (oral disposition index = [Δinsulin0–30/Δglucose0–30] × [1/fasting insulin]).

RESULTS
Mean age was 44.2 years (SD, 9.3) and BMI 27.4 kg/m2 (SD, 3.8); 341 individuals had NGT, 672 had iIFG, IGT, or IFG plus IGT, and 251 had diabetes. Patterns of insulin resistance or sensitivity were similar across glycemic categories. With mild dysglycemia, the absolute differences in age- and sex-adjusted oral disposition index (NGT vs. iIFG, 38%; NGT vs. iIGT, 32%) were greater than the differences in HOMA-IR (NGT vs. iIFG, 25%; NGT vs. iIGT, 23%; each P &lt; 0.0001). Compared with NGT and adjusted for age, sex, BMI, waist circumference, and family history, the odds of mild dysglycemia were more significant per SD of oral disposition index (iIFG: odds ratio [OR], 0.36; 95% CI, 0.23–0.55; iIGT: OR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.24–0.56) than per SD of HOMA-IR (iIFG: OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.23–2.33; iIGT: OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.11–2.11).

CONCLUSIONS
Asian Indians with mild dysglycemia have reduced β-cell function, regardless of age, adiposity, insulin sensitivity, or family history. Strategies in diabetes prevention should minimize loss of β-cell function.
(1+1)-Dirac bound states in one dimension, with position-dependent Fermi velocity and mass
Authors: Mustafa Omar 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
We extend Panella and Roy’s [17] work for massless Dirac particles with position-dependent (PD) velocity. We consider Dirac particles where the mass and velocity are both position-dependent. Bound states in the continuum (BIC)-like and discrete bound state solutions are reported. It is observed that BIC-like solutions are not only feasible for the ultra-relativistic (massless) Dirac particles but also for Dirac particles with PDmass and PD-velocity that satisfy the condition m(x) v
F2 (x) = A, where A ≥ 0 is constant. Dirac Pöschl-Teller and harmonic oscillator models are also reported.
A fractional approach to the Sturm-Liouville problem
Authors: Rivero Margarita , Trujillo Juan , Velasco M. 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
The objective of this paper is to show an approach to the fractional version of the Sturm-Liouville problem, by using different fractional operators that return to the ordinary operator for integer order. For each fractional operator we study some of the basic properties of the Sturm-Liouville theory. We analyze a particular example that evidences the applicability of the fractional Sturm-Liouville theory.
Tuning fractional PID controllers for a Steward platform based on frequency domain and artificial intelligence methods
Authors: Copot Cosmin , Zhong Yu , Ionescu Clara , Keyser Robin 
Published: April 2013

AbstractIn this paper, two methods to tune a fractional-order PI λ D μ controller for a mechatronic system are presented. The first method is based on a genetic algorithm to obtain the parameter values for the fractionalorder PI λ D μ controller by global optimization. The second method used to design the fractional-order PI λ D μ controller relies on an auto-tuning approach by meeting some specifications in the frequency domain. The real-time experiments are conducted using a Steward platform which consists of a table tilted by six servo-motors with a ball on the top of the table. The considered system is a 6 degrees of freedom (d.o.f.) motion platform. The feedback on the position of the ball is obtained from images acquired by a visual sensor mounted above the platform. The fractional-order controllers were implemented and the performances of the steward platform are analyzed.
U937 variant cells as a model of apoptosis without cell disintegration
Authors: Stasiłojć Grzegorz , Pinto Sandra , Wyszkowska Roksana , Wejda Magda , Słomińska Ewa , Filipska Martyna , Koszałka Patrycja , Świerczyński Julian , O’Connor Jose , Bigda Jacek 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThe variant cell line U937V was originally identified by a higher sensitivity to the cytocidal action of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) than that of its reference cell line, U937. We noticed that a typical morphological feature of dying U937V cells was the lack of cellular disintegration, which contrasts to the formation of apoptotic bodies seen with dying U937 cells. We found that both TNFα, which induces the extrinsic apoptotic pathway, and etoposide (VP-16), which induces the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, stimulated U937V cell death without cell disintegration. In spite of the distinct morphological differences between the U937 and U937V cells, the basic molecular events of apoptosis, such as internucleosomal DNA degradation, phosphatidylserine exposure on the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane, caspase activation and cytochrome c release, were evident in both cell types when stimulated with both types of apoptosis inducer. In the U937V cells, we noted an accelerated release of cytochrome c, an accelerated decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, and a more pronounced generation of reactive oxygen species compared to the reference cells. We propose that the U937 and U937V cell lines could serve as excellent comparison models for studies on the mechanisms regulating the processes of cellular disintegration during apoptosis, such as blebbing (zeiosis) and apoptotic body formation.
Home-Based Versus In-Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation After Cardiac Surgery: A Nonrandomized Controlled Study
Authors: Scalvini Simonetta , Zanelli Emanuela , Comini Laura , Dalla Tomba Margherita , Troise Giovanni , Febo Oreste , Giordano Amerigo 
Published: April 2013

Background
Exercise rehabilitation after cardiac surgery has beneficial effects, especially on a long-term basis. Rehabilitative programs with telemedicine plus appropriate technology might satisfy the needs of performing rehabilitation at home.

Objective
The purpose of this study was to compare exercise capacity after home-based cardiac rehabilitation (HBCR) or in-hospital rehabilitation in patients at low to medium risk for early mortality (EuroSCORE 0–5) following cardiac surgery.

Design
A quasi-experimental study was conducted.

Methods
At hospital discharge, patients were given the option to decide whether to enroll in the HBCR program. Clinical examinations (electrocardiography, cardiac echo color Doppler, chest radiography, blood samples) of patients in the HBCR group were collected during 4 weeks of rehabilitation, and exercise capacity (assessed using the Six-Minute Walk Test [6MWT]) was assessed before and after rehabilitation. A group of patients admitted to the in-hospital rehabilitation program was used as a comparison group. Patients in the HBCR group were supervised at home by a medical doctor and telemonitored daily by a nurse and physical therapist by video conference. Periodic home visits by health staff also were performed.

Results
One hundred patients were recruited into the HBCR group. An equal number of patients was selected for the comparison group. At the end of the 4-week study, the 2 groups showed improvement from their respective baseline values only in the 6MWT. No difference was found in time × group interaction.

Limitations
Because patients self-selected to enroll in the HBCR program and because they were enrolled from a single clinical center, the results of the study cannot be generalized.

Conclusions
In patients who self-selected HBCR, the program was found to be effective and comparable to the standard in-hospital rehabilitative approach, indicating that rehabilitation following cardiac surgery can be implemented effectively at home when coadministered with an integrated telemedicine service.
Longitudinal Change in Physical Activity and Its Correlates in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Motl Robert W. , McAuley Edward , Sandroff Brian M. 
Published: April 2013

Background
Physical activity is beneficial for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but this population is largely inactive. There is minimal information on change in physical activity and its correlates for informing the development of behavioral interventions.

Objective
This study examined change in physical activity and its symptomatic, social-cognitive, and ambulatory or disability correlates over a 2.5-year period of time in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Methods
On 6 occasions, each separated by 6 months, people (N=269) with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis completed assessments of symptoms, self-efficacy, walking impairment, disability, and physical activity. The participants wore an accelerometer for 7 days. The change in study variables over 6 time points was examined with unconditional latent growth curve modeling. The association among changes in study variables over time was examined using conditional latent growth curve modeling, and the associations were expressed as standardized path coefficients (β).

Results
There were significant linear changes in self-reported and objectively measured physical activity, self-efficacy, walking impairment, and disability over the 2.5-year period; there were no changes in fatigue, depression, and pain. The changes in self-reported and objective physical activity were associated with change in self-efficacy (β=.49 and β=.61, respectively), after controlling for other variables and confounders.

Limitations
The primary limitations of the study were the generalizability of results among those with progressive multiple sclerosis and inclusion of a single variable from social-cognitive theory.

Conclusions
Researchers should consider designing interventions that target self-efficacy for the promotion and maintenance of physical activity in this population.
Validation of a speech-in-noise test used for verification of hearing aid fitting
Authors: Grunditz Marie , Magnusson Lennart 
Published: April 2013

Objective:
The aim of the study was to develop and validate a monosyllabic 50-word speech-in-noise test to be used in hearing aid fitting for comparison of speech recognition performance in the aided and unaided listening condition.

Study design:
One hundred and two adult hearing aid users were included in the study and tested at the final visit of their hearing aid fitting process. A speech recognition test, comprising the Swedish PB lists mixed with a standardized multi-talker noise, was performed with and without hearing aids. The International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA) was also administered to the patients and the audiologists provided their evaluation of the test in a post study survey.

Results:
The speech recognition scores revealed a statistically significant hearing aid benefit for 77% of the subjects; however, this objectively measured benefit was not significantly correlated to the total IOI-HA results. This would indicate that the two different tests demonstrate different aspects of the rehabilitation outcome and that the one cannot predict the outcome of the other. The speech-in-noise test was considered to be applicable as well as practical for clinical use.

Conclusion:
The results of this study show that a monosyllabic speech-in-noise test would provide valuable information in the hearing aid fitting process, in addition to already established quality measurement methods, i.e. ear canal measurements and outcome inventories.
Journey from the West: Did tropical Graphidaceae (lichenized Ascomycota: Ostropales) evolve from a saxicolous ancestor along the American Pacific coast?
Authors: Lücking Robert , Tehler Anders , Bungartz Frank , Rivas Plata Eimy , Lumbsch H. Thorsten 
Published: April 2013

• Premise of the study: This study elucidates the phylogenetic position of a unique taxon of Graphidaceae occurring on rock in coastal desert areas, assessing its importance for our understanding of the evolution of the largest family of tropical lichenized fungi.• Methods: We used maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches to reconstruct a three‐gene phylogeny of Graphidaceae and a Bayesian molecular clock approach to estimate divergence dates for major clades, as well as Bayesian ancestral ecogeography state analysis.• Key results: The new genus Redonographa represents a new subfamily, Redonographoideae, sister to subfamily Graphidoideae. Redonographa is exclusively saxicolous and restricted to the American Pacific coast from California to central Chile, including Galapagos. It contains four species: Redonographa chilensis comb. nov., R. saxiseda comb. nov., R. saxorum comb. nov., and R. galapagoensis sp. nov. The genus Gymnographopsis, with a similar ecogeography but differing in excipular carbonization and chemistry, is also included in Redonographoideae, with the species G. chilena from Chile and G. latispora from South Africa. Molecular clock analysis indicates that Redonographoideae diverged from Graphidoideae about 132 million years ago (Ma) in the Early Cretaceous.• Conclusions: The divergence date for subfamilies Redonographoideae and Graphidoideae coincides with the early breakup of Gondwana and ancient origin of the Atacama Desert. However, the common ancestor of Redonographoideae plus Graphidoideae was reconstructed to be tropical‐epiphytic. Thus, even if Redonographoideae is subtropical‐saxicolous, the hypothesis that Graphidoideae evolved from a subtropical‐saxicolous ancestor is not supported.
Le motif : une unité phraséologique englobante ? Étendre le champ de la phraséologie de la langue au discours
Authors: Longrée Dominique , Mellet Sylvie 
Published: April 2013

L’objectif de cet article est de proposer, dans le cadre d’une conception récente de la phraséologie fondée sur des critères de fréquence, de récurrence et de mémorisation, et non pas du seul figement, l’intégration d’un nouveau concept – celui de motif – à l’ensemble conceptuel et terminologique de la discipline. On montre que cette proposition, qui a certes l’inconvénient d’alourdir une terminologie déjà riche et complexe, a aussi deux avantages : (i) le premier est de permettre une réflexion sur les différents types d’unités phraséologiques reconnues et de suggérer la possibilité d’un concept intégratif qui, sans nier la pertinence des oppositions établies, pourrait être à même d’en subsumer certaines ; (ii) le second est d’ouvrir le champ de la phraséologie à l’analyse de discours en mettant en exergue une des fonctionnalités importantes de la création phraséologique jusqu’ici relativement sous-estimée : en effet, dans la définition que nous en proposons, nous considérons que certains motifs peuvent jouer un rôle fondamental d’agencement discursif propre à structurer les textes et à caractériser certains usages. Ainsi, après une définition de la notion de motif sur le plan formel et sur le plan fonctionnel, on confronte le motif avec les principales unités phraséologiques traditionnellement reconnues pour en montrer les proximités et les différences. Puis, à partir d’exemples empruntés au latin, on illustre la fonction structurante et la fonction caractérisante des motifs et de leurs différentes instanciations en discours.
Une approche psycholinguistique des phénomènes phraséologiques : le cas des expressions conventionnelles
Authors: Edmonds Amanda 
Published: April 2013

L’omniprésence d’unités phraséologiques dans toute langue découle, selon de nombreux chercheurs, de leur statut psycholinguistique tout à fait particulier ; de telles unités seraient stockées et extraites en bloc du lexique mental, ce qui rend leur traitement plus « facile » et/ou plus « rapide ». Ce présupposé psycholinguistique est généralement accepté, en dépit d’un manque général de preuves psychométriques. Le présent article tente de déterminer si un sous-ensemble d’unités phraséologiques – les expressions conventionnelles – jouit d’avantages psycholinguistiques pour un groupe de locuteurs natifs et deux groupes de non natifs du français. Pour ce faire, nous avons mis au point une expérience chronométrée, et l’analyse des temps de réaction suggère que les expressions conventionnelles ont, en effet, un corrélat mental pour les natifs comme pour les non natifs. Deux hypothèses (l’hypothèse lexicaliste et l’hypothèse de la compétence pragmatique) seront confrontées afin d’expliquer ces résultats.
Mobile Support in CSCW Applications and Groupware Development Frameworks
Authors: Johnson David 
Published: April 2013

Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) is an established subset of the field of Human Computer Interaction that deals with the how people use computing technology to enhance group interaction and collaboration. Mobile CSCW has emerged as a result of the progression from personal desktop computing to the mobile device platforms that are ubiquitous today.
CSCW aims to not only connect people and facilitate communication through using computers; it aims to provide conceptual models coupled with technology to manage, mediate, and assist collaborative processes. Mobile CSCW research looks to fulfil these aims through the adoption of mobile technology and consideration for the mobile user. Facilitating collaboration using mobile devices brings new challenges. Some of these challenges are inherent to the nature of the device hardware, while others focus on the understanding of how to engineer software to maximize effectiveness for the end-users. This paper reviews seminal and state-of-the-art cooperative software applications and development frameworks, and their support for mobile devices.