bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Characterization of seizure‐induced syncopes:EEG,ECG, and clinical features
Authors: Nguyen‐Michel Vi‐Huong , Adam Claude , Dinkelacker Vera , Pichit Phintip , Boudali Yasmina , Dupont Sophie , Baulac Michel , Navarro Vincent 
Published: December 2013

SummaryObjectiveIctal bradycardia and ictal asystole (IA) are rare but severe complications of epileptic seizures. They are difficult to recognize within a seizure and their consequences remain unclear. Herein we aimed to extend the description of electrical and clinical features of seizures withIAand/or syncope.MethodsAmong 828 patients with epilepsy who were admitted for presurgical video–electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring evaluation between 2003 and 2012, we selected those presentingIAand/or syncope. We studied the electroclinical sequence of these manifestations and their correlation with electrocardiogram (ECG), and we compared seizures with or withoutIAamong the same patients.ResultsNine (1.08%) of 828 patients (four men, mean age 43 ± 6 years) showedIA. Six patients had temporal lobe epilepsy and the others had frontal, temporooccipital, or occipital epilepsy, demonstrated by intracranialEEGin two. In these patients, 59 of 103 recorded seizures induced a reduction of heart rate (HR), leading toIAin 26.IAs were mostly (80%) symptomatic, whereas ictalHRdecreases alone were not. In seizures withIA, we identified usual ictal symptoms, and then symptoms related primarily to cerebral hypoperfusion (pallor, atonia, early myoclonic jerks, loss of consciousness, hypertonia, and fall) and secondarily to cerebral reperfusion (skin flushing, late myoclonic jerks). At 32 ± 18 s after the onset of the seizure, theHRdecreased progressively during 11 ± 6 s, reaching a sinusal pause for 13 ± 7 s. The duration of theIAwas strongly correlated with electroclinical consequences.IAwas longer in patients with atonia (14.8 ± 7 vs. 5.7 ± 3 s), late myoclonic jerks (15.8 ± 7 vs. 8 ± 6 s), hypertonia (19 ± 4.5 vs. 8.3 ± 5 s), andEEGhypoperfusion changes (16 ± 5.6 vs. 6.9 ± 5.5 s).IAmay induce a fall during atonia or hypertonia. Surface and intracerebralEEGrecordings showed that ictalHRdecrease andIAoften occurred when seizure activity became bilateral. Finally, we identified one patient with ictal syncopes but withoutIA, presumably related to vasoplegia.SignificanceWe provide a more complete description of the electroclinical features of seizures withIA, of the mechanism of falls, and distinguish between hypoperfusion and reperfusion symptoms of syncope. Identification of the mechanisms of syncope may improve management of patients with epilepsy. A pacemaker can be proposed, when parasympathetic activation provokes a negative chronotropic effect that leads to asystole. It is less likely to be useful when vasoplegic effects predominate.
A longitudinal study on nodding syndrome—a new African epilepsy disorder
Authors: Winkler Andrea S. , Wallner Bernd , Friedrich Katrin , Pfausler Bettina , Unterberger Iris , Matuja William , Jilek‐Aall Luise , Schmutzhard Erich 
Published: December 2013

SummaryObjectivesNodding syndrome (NS), a new epilepsy disorder of sub‐Saharan Africa, has only recently been classified. In a study conducted in southern Tanzania in 2005, 62 patients with NS were analyzed in great detail. The present study, a follow‐up investigation, was conducted to evaluate the progression of NS over time and to obtain serial electroencephalography (EEG) data.MethodsOf the 62 NS patients, 53 (85.5%), the majority of whom were currently on some form of antiepileptic treatment, could be reevaluated in 2009 with a standardized questionnaire. A subset of these patients (25/53) underwent EEG investigation.ResultsIn patients with “head nodding (HN) only” in 2005, 10 (43.5%) of 23 remained with the same diagnosis, whereas 5 (21.7%) of 23 had developed “HN plus” (i.e., HN and generalized tonic–clonic seizures). Six patients (26.1%) had seizures other than HN only, and two patients (8.7%) had fully recovered. In the “HN plus” group of 2005, 9 (30.0%) of 30 patients remained “HN plus,” and 15 patients (50.0%) had seizures other than HN only. Four patients (13.3%) reverted to “HN only,” and two patients (6.7%) stopped all seizures. In 11 (44.0%) of 25 patients, electroencephalography (EEG) showed generalized slowing. Six (54.6%) of these 11 abnormal EEG studies further showed generalized epileptiform discharges: (1) ictal electroencephalographic pattern with generalized 2.5 Hz spike and waves in two patients and (2) interictal bursts of 1.5–2 Hz spike and waves in four patients.SignificanceThis follow‐up study confirms that HN represents an epilepsy disorder, possibly of the atypical absence type with dynamic development over time.
Allergic contact dermatitis beyond IL‐1β role of additional family members
Authors: Worm Margitta 
Published: December 2013

AbstractContact dermatitis is one of the most frequent pathological manifestations of the skin and plays a central role in clinical dermatology. The IL‐1 family consists a large group of cytokines, which currently contains 11 members with different pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory properties. Among the more pro‐inflammatory‐acting cytokines from the IL‐1 family, IL‐1β, IL‐18, IL‐33 and IL‐36 have been shown to be upregulated in different inflammatory mouse experimental models or skin diseases. The article by Mattii et al. represents a thorough analysis of the expression of IL‐1 family members including IL‐33 in skin samples from patients with allergic contact dermatitis. Although a lot of research is performed in this area, data from human samples are rather scarce. Therefore, Mattii et al. support the development of novel therapeutic concepts, which might include the use of antagonistic molecules targeting the IL‐1 family network.
Is Mcl‐1L the new anti‐apoptotic effector of B‐RAFV600E in melanoma?
Authors: Bergamaschi Daniele 
Published: December 2013

AbstractA recent report has unveiled a novel mechanism by which oncogenic BRAF signalling might trigger apoptotic resistance in melanoma by selectively affecting the expression of Bcl‐2 family member Mcl‐1L (Exp Dermatol 2013: 22: 767). Correlation of Mcl‐1 splice variants and B‐RAF mutational status was determined in a panel of melanoma cell lines. In vivo validation of this mechanism, which is supported by recent literature, might provide novel therapeutic approaches such as the use of targeted Mcl‐1 inhibitors to improve outcome in melanoma.
Experimental evaluation of crack shielding during fatigue crack growth using digital image correlation
Authors: Vasco‐Olmo J. M. , Díaz F. A. , García‐Collado A. , Dorado‐Vicente R. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractIn the current paper, a methodology for the evaluation of fatigue crack shielding using 2D digital image correlation (DIC) is proposed. The crack tip shielding has been evaluated from the analysis of the displacements field observed at the vicinity of a growing fatigue crack. The proposed methodology is based on the evaluation of the stress intensity factors calculated from displacement fields measured around the crack tip using DIC. A comparative study employing four different mathematical models describing the crack tip displacements field (namely Westergaard, Williams and Muskhelishvili equations and Christopher, James and Patterson model) has been performed. For this purpose, a set of fatigue tests on aluminium 2024‐T3 compact tension specimens have been conducted at different R‐ratios. Results obtained from DIC technique have been compared with those obtained using compliance‐based methods. Results show a very good level of agreement illustrating the potential of the DIC technique for the analysis of crack shielding during fatigue crack growth.
Short and long crack data for fatigue of 2024‐T3 Al sheets: binariness of scale segmentation in space and time
Authors: Sih G. C. 
Published: December 2013

ABSTRACTPedagogically speaking, crack initiation–growth–termination (IGT) belongs to the process of fracture, the modelling of which entails multiscaling in space and time. This applies to loadings that are increased monotonically or repeated cyclically. Short and long crack data are required to describe IGT for scale ranges from nano to macro, segmented by the SI system of measurement. Unless the data at the nano scale can be connected with the macro, IGT remains disintegrated. The diversity of non‐homogeneity of the physical properties at the different scale ranges results in non‐equilibrium. These effects dubbed as non‐equilibrium and non‐homogeneous are hidden in the test specimens and must be realized. They can be locked into the reference state of measurement at the mi‐ma scale range by application of the transitional functions and transferred to the nano‐micro and macro‐large scale ranges.The aim of this work is to convert the ordinary crack length data to those referred to as short cracks that are not directly measurable. All test data are material, loading and geometry (MLG) specific. The results obtained for the 2024‐T3 aluminium sheets hold only for the MLG tested. The differences are more pronounced for the short cracks. These effects can be revealed by comparing the incremental crack driving force (CDF) for the ma‐mi range the ma‐large range and the na‐mi range The CDF is equivalent to the incremental volume energy density factor (VEDF). The incremental mi‐ma CDF is found to be 10–105 kg mm−1 for cracks 3–55 mm long travelling at an average velocity of 10−5 mm s−1. The crack velocity rises to 10−3 mm s−1 when the incremental CDF is increased to 105–106 kg mm−1, while the crack lengths are 49–260 mm. The crack velocity for the na‐mi range of 0.040–0.043 mm slowed down to 10−8 mm s−1, and the incremental CDF reduces further to 10−8–10−2 kg mm−1. Note that changed several orders of magnitude while the crack advanced from 0.040 to 0.044 mm. Such behaviour is indicative of the highly unstable nature of nanocracks.All results are based on using the transitionalized crack length (TCL). The TCL fatigue crack growth increment Δa is postulated to depend on the incremental CDF ΔS or ΔVEDF. The form invariance of , and is invoked by scale segmentation to reveal the multiscale nature of IGT that is inherent to fatigue crack growth. While the choice of directionality from micro to macro is not the same as that from macro to micro, this difference will not be addressed in this work.
Climate change and fishing: a century of shifting distribution in North Sea cod
Authors: Engelhard Georg H. , Righton David A. , Pinnegar John K. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractGlobally, spatial distributions of fish stocks are shifting but although the role of climate change in range shifts is increasingly appreciated, little remains known of the likely additional impact that high levels of fishing pressure might have on distribution. For North Sea cod, we show for the first time and in great spatial detail how the stock has shifted its distribution over the past 100 years. We digitized extensive historical fisheries data from paper charts in UK government archives and combined these with contemporary data to a time‐series spanning 1913–2012 (excluding both World Wars). New analysis of old data revealed that the current distribution pattern of cod – mostly in the deeper, northern‐ and north‐easternmost parts of the North Sea – is almost opposite to that during most of the Twentieth Century – mainly concentrated in the west, off England and Scotland. Statistical analysis revealed that the deepening, northward shift is likely attributable to warming; however, the eastward shift is best explained by fishing pressure, suggestive of significant depletion of the stock from its previous stronghold, off the coasts of England and Scotland. These spatial patterns were confirmed for the most recent 3½ decades by data from fisheries‐independent surveys, which go back to the 1970s. Our results demonstrate the fundamental importance of both climate change and fishing pressure for our understanding of changing distributions of commercially exploited fish.
Warming temperatures and smaller body sizes: synchronous changes in growth of North Sea fishes
Authors: Baudron Alan R. , Needle Coby L. , Rijnsdorp Adriaan D. , Tara Marshall C. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractDecreasing body size has been proposed as a universal response to increasing temperatures. The physiology behind the response is well established for ectotherms inhabiting aquatic environments: as higher temperatures decrease the aerobic capacity, individuals with smaller body sizes have a reduced risk of oxygen deprivation. However, empirical evidence of this response at the scale of communities and ecosystems is lacking for marine fish species. Here, we show that over a 40‐year period six of eight commercial fish species in the North Sea examined underwent concomitant reductions in asymptotic body size with the synchronous component of the total variability coinciding with a 1–2 °C increase in water temperature. Smaller body sizes decreased the yield‐per‐recruit of these stocks by an average of 23%. Although it is not possible to ascribe these phenotypic changes unequivocally to temperature, four aspects support this interpretation: (i) the synchronous trend was detected across species varying in their life history and life style; (ii) the decrease coincided with the period of increasing temperature; (iii) the direction of the phenotypic change is consistent with physiological knowledge; and (iv) no cross‐species synchrony was detected in other species‐specific factors potentially impacting growth. Our findings support a recent model‐derived prediction that fish size will shrink in response to climate‐induced changes in temperature and oxygen. The smaller body sizes being projected for the future are already detectable in the North Sea.
Genetic variation in Miscanthus × giganteus and the importance of estimating genetic distance thresholds for differentiating clones
Authors: Głowacka Katarzyna , Clark Lindsay V. , Adhikari Shivani , Peng Junhua , Stewart J. Ryan , Nishiwaki Aya , Yamada Toshihiko , Jørgensen Uffe , Hodkinson Trevor R. , Gifford Justin , Juvik John A. , Sacks Erik J. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractMiscanthus × giganteus (Mxg) is an important bioenergy feedstock crop, however, genetic diversity among legacy cultivars may be severely constrained. Only one introduction from Japan to Denmark of this sterile, triploid, vegetatively propagated crop was recorded in the 1930s. We sought to determine if the Mxg cultivars in North America were all synonyms, and if they were derived from the European introduction. We used 64 nuclear and five chloroplast simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers to estimate genetic similarity for 27 Mxg accessions from North America, and compared them with six accessions from Europe, including the species’ type‐specimen. A subset of accessions was also evaluated by restriction‐site associated DNA sequencing (RAD‐seq). In addition, we assessed the potential of new crosses to increase Mxg genetic diversity by comparing eight new triploid Mxg progeny grown from seed, along with samples of the parental species M. sacchariflorus and M. sinensis. Estimates of genotyping error rates were essential for distinguishing between experimental error and true genotypic differences among accessions. Given differences in estimated error rates and costs per marker for SSRs and RAD‐seq, the former is currently more cost‐effective for determining if two accessions are genetically identical. We concluded that all of the Mxg legacy cultivars were derived via vegetative propagation from a single genet. In contrast with the Mxg legacy cultivars, genetic similarity to the type‐specimen of eight new triploid Mxg progeny ranged from 0.46 to 0.56. Though genetic diversity among the Mxg legacy cultivars is critically low, new crosses can provide much‐needed variation to growers.
Yield‐biodiversity trade‐off in patchy fields of Miscanthus × giganteus
Authors: Dauber Jens , Cass Susannah , Gabriel Doreen , Harte Kate , Åström Sandra , O'Rourke Erin , Stout Jane C. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractIncreasing crop productivity to meet rising demands for food and energy, but doing so in an environmentally sustainable manner, is one of the greatest challenges for agriculture to date. In Ireland, Miscanthus × giganteus has the potential to become a major feedstock for bioenergy production, but the economic feasibility of its cultivation depends on high yields. Miscanthus fields can have a large number of gaps in crop cover, adversely impacting yield and hence economic viability. Predominantly positive effects of Miscanthus on biodiversity reported from previous research might be attributable to high crop patchiness, particularly during the establishment phase. The aim of this research was to assess crop patchiness on a field scale and to analyse the relationship between Miscanthus yield and species richness and abundance of selected taxa of farmland wildlife. For 14 Miscanthus fields at the end of their establishment phase (4–5 years after planting), which had been planted either on improved grassland (MG) or tilled arable land (MT), we determined patchiness of the crop cover, percentage light penetration (LP) to the lower canopy, Miscanthus shoot density and height, vascular plants and epigeic arthropods. Plant species richness and noncrop vegetation cover in Miscanthus fields increased with increasing patchiness, due to higher levels of LP to the lower canopy. The species richness of ground beetles and the activity density of spiders followed the increase in vegetation cover. Plant species richness and activity density of spiders on both MT and MG fields, as well as vegetation cover and activity density of ground beetles on MG fields, were negatively associated with Miscanthus yield. In conclusion, positive effects of Miscanthus on biodiversity can diminish with increasing productivity. This matter needs to be considered when assessing the relative ecological impacts of developing biomass crops in comparison with other land use.
Telling the History of Self‐Advocacy: A Challenge for Inclusive Research
Authors: Walmsley Jan ,   The Central England People First History Project Team
Published: December 2013

BackgroundThis paper tells the story of Central England People First's (CEPF) History Project.MethodThis was an inclusive research project, owned and controlled by members of CEPF which sought to chart its 21‐year history, 1990–2012.ResultsIt illustrates both the strengths of such a project and some of the challenges.ConclusionIt concludes that using inclusive research methods enabled the story to be told, but that it was less successful in addressing questions about why the organization grew and prospered in the 1990s, only to struggle in its later years, and what this tells us about the conditions which enable self‐advocacy to flourish. The paper was collaboratively written by the CEPF History Project team and an academic ally. Different fonts differentiate the contributions, although it is acknowledged that lots of the ideas were shared.Accessible AbstractThis paper explores issues in telling the history of self advocacy using inclusive research methods. It explains how and why CEPF recorded its history, what we found out, and some of the questions we have had to think about:

whose voices we hear
what to include, what to leave out
what parts of the research people with learning difficulties can do
what self advocacy means to different people
how to make use of research other people have done.
It raises some new questions about directions for inclusive research.The Paper was written by the CEPF History team – Craig Hart, Ian Davies, Angela Still and Catherine O'Byrne ‐ working with Jan Walmsley.We wanted to make it clear what were Jan Walmsley's ideas and what were our ideas. We have done this by writing our ideas in a different font. BUT lots of the ideas belong to all of us.
Transcript level of the porcine ME1 gene is affected by SNP in its 3′UTR, which is also associated with subcutaneous fat thickness
Authors: Bartz M. , Kociucka B. , Mankowska M. , Switonski M. , Szydlowski M. 
Published: December 2013

SummaryPork quality depends on multiple factors, including fatty acid composition in muscle and fat tissues. The ME1 gene is a strong candidate for fat accumulation, as it encodes the malic enzyme, which is required for fatty acid synthesis. We identified seven new polymorphisms in 3′UTR of the ME1 gene and moreover confirmed the presence of 4 polymorphisms detected previously. Interestingly, the studied Duroc pigs were monomorphic at all these polymorphic sites, while in 3 other breeds (Pietrain, Polish Landrace and Polish Large White), the polymorphisms were unevenly distributed. One of the novel SNPs (c.*488A>G) was found in the Polish Large White and the Polish Landrace only, and the association studies revealed that it was significantly associated with backfat thickness and average daily weight gain in the Polish Landrace (N = 207) and the Polish Large White (N = 157). This SNP was differently associated with ME1 transcript level in muscle and backfat. The in silico analysis of another novel SNP (c.*548C>T) indicated that it is located within a binding sequence conserved among vertebrates for the miR‐30 family in 3′UTR of the ME1. It was shown that in the longissimus muscle, but not in adipose tissue, CT gilts compared with CC ones had significantly lower levels of the ME1 transcript. This polymorphism, however, was not associated with production traits. Additionally, we observed that transcript level of the ME1 was significantly higher in subcutaneous fat than in the longissimus muscle, as well as both investigated tissues of the Polish Landrace when compared to the other breeds. However, no association was found between this polymorphism and fatty acid profiles. We conclude that the ME1 gene polymorphism (c.*488A>G) is a potential marker for porcine backfat thickness.
Sampling theory and automated simulations for vertical sections, applied to human brain
Authors: CRUZ‐ORIVE L.M. , GELŠVARTAS J. , ROBERTS N. 
Published: December 2013

SummaryIn recent years, there have been substantial developments in both magnetic resonance imaging techniques and automatic image analysis software. The purpose of this paper is to develop stereological image sampling theory (i.e. unbiased sampling rules) that can be used by image analysts for estimating geometric quantities such as surface area and volume, and to illustrate its implementation. The methods will ideally be applied automatically on segmented, properly sampled 2D images – although convenient manual application is always an option – and they are of wide applicability in many disciplines. In particular, the vertical sections design to estimate surface area is described in detail and applied to estimate the area of the pial surface and of the boundary between cortex and underlying white matter (i.e. subcortical surface area). For completeness, cortical volume and mean cortical thickness are also estimated. The aforementioned surfaces were triangulated in 3D with the aid of FreeSurfer software, which provided accurate surface area measures that served as gold standards. Furthermore, a software was developed to produce digitized trace curves of the triangulated target surfaces automatically from virtual sections. From such traces, a new method (called the ‘lambda method’) is presented to estimate surface area automatically. In addition, with the new software, intersections could be counted automatically between the relevant surface traces and a cycloid test grid for the classical design. This capability, together with the aforementioned gold standard, enabled us to thoroughly check the performance and the variability of the different estimators by Monte Carlo simulations for studying the human brain. In particular, new methods are offered to split the total error variance into the orientations, sectioning and cycloid components. The latter prediction was hitherto unavailable – one is proposed here and checked by way of simulations on a given set of digitized vertical sections with automatically superimposed cycloid grids of three different sizes. Concrete and detailed recommendations are given to implement the methods.