bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Risk Factors for Long‐Term Coronary Artery Calcium Progression in the Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Authors: Gassett Amanda J. , Sheppard Lianne , McClelland Robyn L. , Olives Casey , Kronmal Richard , Blaha Michael J. , Budoff Matthew , Kaufman Joel D. 
Published: August 2015

Background

Coronary artery calcium (
CAC
) detected by noncontrast cardiac computed tomography scanning is a measure of coronary atherosclerosis burden. Increasing
CAC
levels have been strongly associated with increased coronary events. Prior studies of cardiovascular disease risk factors and
CAC
progression have been limited by short follow‐up or restricted to patients with advanced disease.

Methods and Results

We examined
cardiovascular disease
risk factors and
CAC
progression in a prospective multiethnic cohort study.
CAC
was measured 1 to 4 times (mean 2.5 scans) over 10 years in 6810 adults without preexisting
cardiovascular disease
. Mean
CAC
progression was 23.9 Agatston units/year. An innovative application of mixed‐effects models investigated associations between
cardiovascular disease
risk factors and
CAC
progression. This approach adjusted for time‐varying factors, was flexible with respect to follow‐up time and number of observations per participant, and allowed simultaneous control of factors associated with both baseline
CAC
and
CAC
progression. Models included age, sex, study site, scanner type, and race/ethnicity. Associations were observed between
CAC
progression and age (14.2 Agatston units/year per 10 years [95%
CI
13.0 to 15.5]), male sex (17.8 Agatston units/year [95%
CI
15.3 to 20.3]), hypertension (13.8 Agatston units/year [95%
CI
11.2 to 16.5]), diabetes (31.3 Agatston units/year [95%
CI
27.4 to 35.3]), and other factors.

Conclusions

CAC
progression analyzed over 10 years of follow‐up, with a novel analytical approach, demonstrated strong relationships with risk factors for incident cardiovascular events. Longitudinal
CAC
progression analyzed in this framework can be used to evaluate novel cardiovascular risk factors.
A Global Repository for Planet-Sized Experiments and Observations
Authors: Williams Dean N. , Balaji V. , Cinquini Luca , Denvil Sébastien , Duffy Daniel , Evans Ben , Ferraro Robert , Hansen Rose , Lautenschlager Michael , Trenham Claire 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
Working across U.S. federal agencies, international agencies, and multiple worldwide data centers, and spanning seven international network organizations, the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF) allows users to access, analyze, and visualize data using a globally federated collection of networks, computers, and software. Its architecture employs a system of geographically distributed peer nodes that are independently administered yet united by common federation protocols and application programming interfaces (APIs). The full ESGF infrastructure has now been adopted by multiple Earth science projects and allows access to petabytes of geophysical data, including the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP)—output used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment reports. Data served by ESGF not only include model output (i.e., CMIP simulation runs) but also include observational data from satellites and instruments, reanalyses, and generated images. Metadata summarize basic information about the data for fast and easy data discovery.
Depressed Spousal Caregivers Have Psychological Stress Unrelated to the Progression of Alzheimer Disease
Authors: Välimäki Tarja H. , Martikainen Janne A. , Hallikainen Ilona T. , Väätäinen Saku T. , Koivisto Anne M. 
Published: August 2015

Objective: To explore family caregiver (FC) long-term psychological distress after Alzheimer disease (AD) diagnosis in a family member. Methods: FC (n = 236) and patients with AD were prospectively followed up to 36 months after AD diagnosis. FC psychological distress was evaluated using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Furthermore, caregiver depressive symptoms and sense of coherence, along with AD patient measurements, were measured at baseline and annually. Generalized estimating equation models were applied to study associations of these baseline factors to caregiver GHQ. Results: After 36 months of follow-up, spousal caregivers (SCs) GHQ was significantly higher ( P < .001) than in the nonspousal caregivers (NSCs). The difference in GHQ scores was associated by depressive symptoms ( P < .001) at baseline, and the depressed SCs have more severe distress than NSCs over the observation period. Conclusion: During longitudinal caregiving, spousal and depressed caregivers of patients with AD report higher and increasing psychological stress than nonspousal and nondepressed caregivers. Spousal relationship, caregivers’ depressive symptoms, and the severity of patients’ neuropsychological symptoms at the time of AD diagnosis predict the trajectory of psychological distress. The current study highlights the need for evaluating AD caregiver mental health and level of coping.
Au-delà d’une esthétique : Le rôle des arts (peinture, musique, littérature) au sein de la philosophie symboliste
Authors: Hernández Barbosa Sonsoles 
Published: August 2015

Résumé La théorie de l’art symboliste conçoit l’œuvre d’art comme un outil privilégié de connaissance. Dans cette pensée, la conception d’un univers interconnecté issue de la tradition de la théorie des correspondances à travers laquelle est appréhendée la connaissance du monde, trouve son corrélat avec une approche à l’œuvre d’art expansive, qui ne limite pas sa nature à son aboutissement à travers une seule discipline mais qui revendique son caractère synesthésique. La possibilité d’une connaissance fragmentée du monde est donc écartée, de même que la conception d’une œuvre d’art conçue à partir des spécificités d’une discipline. Dans cet article, nous proposons d’approcher le cas de la théorie symboliste afin de tenter de comprendre comment se sont pensés au sein de ce mouvement les rapports entre connaissance et art ainsi que le rôle adopté par les différentes disciplines artistiques.
Sleep disturbance due to heartburn and regurgitation is common in patients with functional dyspepsia
Authors: Vakil N , Wernersson B , Wissmar J , Dent J 
Published: August 2015

BackgroundReflux symptoms (heartburn and regurgitation) are common in patients with functional dyspepsia who do not have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to assess the relationship of reflux symptoms with sleep disturbances in patients with functional dyspepsia without GERD and in those with GERD.MethodsThis post‐hoc analysis of data from the Diamond study (NCT00291746) included patients with frequent upper gastrointestinal symptoms, of whom 137 had functional dyspepsia and 193 had GERD (diagnosed by endoscopy and pH monitoring). Patients completed symptom questionnaires and were interviewed by physicians.ResultsDuring the seven nights before study entry, 46.0% of patients with functional dyspepsia and 64.8% of those with GERD reported sleep disturbances (any frequency) related to reflux symptoms. Frequent (often/every night) sleep disturbances were experienced by 12.4% of patients with functional dyspepsia and 24.9% of those with GERD (p  = 0.005). Among patients with functional dyspepsia, the prevalence of sleep disturbances was highest in those whose heartburn and/or regurgitation were moderate to severe (vs mild/very mild) and frequent (4–7 vs 1–3 days/week).ConclusionsSleep disturbances due to reflux symptoms are common in patients with functional dyspepsia who do not have GERD, and become more frequent with increasing reflux symptom severity and frequency.
Risk factors for complications after ileocolonic resection for Crohn’s disease with a major focus on the impact of preoperative immunosuppressive and biologic therapy: A retrospective international multicentre study
Authors: Yamamoto Takayuki , Spinelli Antonino , Suzuki Yasuo , Saad‐Hossne Rogerio , Teixeira Fabio Vieira , de Albuquerque Idblan Carvalho , da Silva Rodolff Nunes , de Barcelos Ivan Folchini , Takeuchi Ken , Yamada Akihiro , Shimoyama Takahiro , da Silva Kotze Lorete Maria , Sacchi Matteo , Danese Silvio , Kotze Paulo Gustavo 
Published: August 2015

BackgroundIn the era of biologic agents, risk factors for complications following resection for Crohn’s disease have not been fully identified. In particular, the association of preoperative use of immunosuppressive and biologic agents with the incidence of complications after resection remains to be elucidated.AimThis retrospective multicentre study aimed to identify risk factors for complications after ileocolonic resection for Crohn’s disease, with a major focus on the impact of preoperative immunosuppressive and biologic therapy.MethodsA total of 231 consecutive patients who underwent ileocolonic resections for active Crohn’s disease in seven inflammatory bowel disease referral centres from three countries (Japan, Brazil and Italy) were included. The following variables were investigated as potential risk factors: age at surgery, gender, behaviour of Crohn’s disease (perforating vs. non‐perforating disease), smoking, preoperative use (within eight weeks before surgery) of steroids, immunosuppressants and biologic agents, previous resection, blood transfusion, surgical procedure (open vs. laparoscopic approach), and type of anastomosis (side‐to‐side vs. end‐to‐end). Postoperative complications occurring within 30 days after surgery were recorded.ResultsThe rates of overall complications, intra‐abdominal sepsis, and anastomotic leak were 24%, 12% and 8%, respectively. Neither immunosuppressive nor biologic therapy prior to surgery was significantly associated with the incidence of overall complications, intra‐abdominal sepsis or anastomotic leak. In multivariate analysis, blood transfusion, perforating disease and previous resection were significant risk factors for overall complications (odds ratio [OR] 3.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21–7.52; P  = 0.02), intra‐abdominal sepsis (OR 2.67, 95% CI 1.04–6.86; P  = 0.04) and anastomotic leak (OR 2.87, 95% CI 1.01–8.18; P  = 0.048), respectively.ConclusionsBlood transfusion, perforating disease and previous resection were significant risk factors for overall complications, intra‐abdominal sepsis and anastomotic leak after ileocolonic resection for Crohn’s disease, respectively. Preoperative immunosuppressive or biologic therapy did not increase the risk of postoperative complications.
Environment, but not genetic divergence, influences geographic variation in colour morph frequencies in a lizard
Authors: McLean Claire A. , Stuart-Fox Devi , Moussalli Adnan 
Published: August 2015

AbstractBackgroundIdentifying the causes of intraspecific phenotypic variation is essential for understanding evolutionary processes that maintain diversity and promote speciation. In polymorphic species, the relative frequencies of discrete morphs often vary geographically; yet the drivers of spatial variation in morph frequencies are seldom known. Here, we test the relative importance of gene flow and natural selection to identify the causes of geographic variation in colour morph frequencies in the Australian tawny dragon lizard,Ctenophorus decresii.ResultsPopulations ofC. decresiiare polymorphic for male throat coloration and all populations surveyed shared the same four morphs but differed in the relative frequencies of morphs. Despite genetic structure among populations, there was no relationship between genetic similarity or geographic proximity and similarity in morph frequencies. However, we detected remarkably strong associations between morph frequencies and two environmental variables (mean annual aridity index and vegetation cover), which together explained approximately 45 % of the total variance in morph frequencies.ConclusionsSpatial variation in selection appears to play an important role in shaping morph frequency patterns inC. decresii. Selection associated with differences in local environmental conditions, combined with relatively low levels of gene flow, is expected to favour population divergence in morph composition, but may be counteracted by negative frequency-dependent selection favouring rare morphs.
Highly conserved regions in Ebola virus RNA dependent RNA polymerase may be act as a universal novel peptide vaccine target: a computational approach
Authors: Oany Arafat Rahman , Sharmin Tahmina , Chowdhury Afrin Sultana , Jyoti Tahmina Pervin , Hasan Md. Anayet 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
Purpose
Ebola virus (EBOV) is such kind of virus which is responsible for 23,825 cases and 9675 deaths worldwide only in 2014 and with an average diseases fatality rate between 25 % and 90 %. Although, medical technology has tried to handle the problems, there is no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved therapeutics or vaccines available for the prevention, post exposure, or treatment of Ebola virus disease (EVD).

Methods
In the present study, we used the immunoinformatics approach to design a potential epitope-based vaccine against the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase-L of EBOV. BioEdit v7.2.3 sequence alignment editor, Jalview v2 and CLC Sequence Viewer v7.0.2 were used for the initial sequence analysis for securing the conservancy from the sequences. Later the Immune Epitope Database and Analysis Resource (IEDB-AR) was used for the identification of T-cell and B-cellepitopes associated with type I and II major histocompatibility complex molecules analysis. Finally, the population coverage analysis was employed.

Results
The core epitope “FRYEFTAPF” was found to be the most potential one, with 100 % conservancy among all the strains of EBOV. It also interacted with both type I and II major histocompatibility complex molecules and is considered as nonallergenic in nature. Finally, with impressive cumulative population coverage of 99.87 % for the both MHC-I and MHC-II class throughout the world population was found for the proposed epitope.

Conclusion
To end, the projected peptide gave us a solid stand to propose for vaccine consideration and that might be experimented for its potency in eliciting immunity through humoral and cell mediated immune responses in vitro and in vivo.
Ancestral protein reconstruction: techniques and applications
Authors: Merkl Rainer , Sterner Reinhard 
Published: August 2015

AbstractAncestral sequence reconstruction (ASR) is the calculation of ancient protein sequences on the basis of extant ones. It is most powerful in combination with the experimental characterization of the corresponding proteins. Such analyses allow for the study of problems that are otherwise intractable. For example, ASR has been used to characterize ancestral enzymes dating back to the Paleoarchean era and to deduce properties of the corresponding habitats. In addition, the historical approach underlying ASR enables the identification of amino acid residues key to protein function, which is often not possible by only comparing extant proteins. Along these lines, residues responsible for the spectroscopic properties of protein pigments were identified as well as residues determining the binding specificity of steroid receptors. Further applications are studies related to the longevity of mutations, the contribution of gene duplications to enzyme functionalization, and the evolution of protein complexes. For these applications of ASR, we discuss recent examples; moreover, we introduce the basic principles of the underlying algorithms and present state-of-the-art protocols.
Adolescents and web porn: a new era of sexuality
Authors: Pizzol Damiano , Bertoldo Alessandro , Foresta Carlo 
Published: August 2015

Abstract

Background: Pornography can affect the lifestyles of adolescents, especially in terms of their sexual habits and porn consumption, and may have a significant influence on their sexual attitudes and behaviors.

Objective: The aim of this study was to understand and analyze the frequency, duration, and perception of web porn utilization by young Italians attending high school.

Materials and methods: A total of 1565 students attending the final year of high school were involved in the study, and 1492 have agreed to fill out an anonymous survey. The questions representing the content of this study were: 1) How often do you access the web? 2) How much time do you remain connected? 3) Do you connect to pornographic sites? 4) How often do you access pornographic sites? 5) How much time you spend on them? 6) How often do you masturbate? and 7) How do you rate the attendance of these sites? Statistical analysis was performed by Fischer’s test.

Results: All young people, on an almost daily basis, have access to Internet. Among those surveyed, 1163 (77.9%) of Internet users admit to the consumption of pornographic material, and of these, 93 (8%) access pornographic websites daily, 686 (59%) boys accessing these sites perceive the consumption of pornography as always stimulating, 255 (21.9%) define it as habitual, 116 (10%) report that it reduces sexual interest towards potential real-life partners, and the remaining 106 (9.1%) report a kind of addiction. In addition, 19% of overall pornography consumers report an abnormal sexual response, while the percentage rose to 25.1% among regular consumers.

Conclusion: It is necessary to educate web users, especially young users, to a safe and responsible use of the Internet and of its contents. Moreover, public education campaigns should be increased in number and frequency to help improve knowledge of Internet-related sexual issues both by adolescents and by parents.
Finite element analysis of the stationary power-law Stokes equations driven by friction boundary conditions
Authors: Djoko Jules K. , Mbehou Mohamed 
Published: August 2015

AbstractIn this work, we are concerned with the finite element approximation for the stationary power law Stokes equations driven by nonlinear slip boundary conditions of ‘friction type’. After the formulation of the problem as mixed variational inequality of second kind, it is shown by application of a variant of Babuska-Brezzi’s theory for mixed problems that convergence of the finite element approximation is achieved with classical assumptions on the regularity of the weak solution. Next, solution algorithm for the mixed variational problem is presented and analyzed in details. Finally, numerical simulations that validate the theoretical findings are exhibited.
Unified error bounds for all Newton–Cotes quadrature rules
Authors: Masjed-Jamei Mohammad 
Published: August 2015

AbstractIt is well-known that the remaining term of a classical n-point Newton-Cotes quadrature depends on at least an n-order derivative of the integrand function. Discounting the fact that computing an n-order derivative requires a lot of differentiation for large n, the main problem is that an error bound for an n-point Newton-Cotes quadrature is only relevant for a function that is n times differentiable, a rather stringent condition. In this paper, by defining two specific linear kernels, we resolve this problem and obtain new error bounds for all closed and open types of Newton-Cotes quadrature rules. The advantage of the obtained bounds is that they do not depend on the norms of the integrand function and are very general such that they cover almost all existing results in the literature. Some illustrative examples are given in this direction.
Optimal bilinear control of eddy current equations with grad–div regularization
Authors: Yousept Irwin 
Published: August 2015

AbstractAn optimal bilinear control problem governed by time-harmonic eddy current equations is considered to estimate the electric conductivity of a 3D bounded isotropic domain. The model problem is mainly complicated by the possible presence of non-conducting materials in the domain. We introduce an optimal control approach based on grad-div regularization and divergence penalization. The estimation for the electric conductivity obtained by solving the optimal control problem is allowed to be discontinuous. Here, no higher regularity property can be derived from the corresponding optimality conditions. We analyze the approach and present various numerical results exhibiting its numerical performance
A well-balanced solver for the Saint Venant equations with variable cross-section
Authors: Borsche Raul 
Published: August 2015

AbstractIn this paper we construct a numerical solver for the Saint Venant equations. Special attention is given to the balancing of the source terms, including the bottom slope and variable cross-sectional profiles. Therefore a special discretization of the pressure law is used, in order to transfer analytical properties to the numerical method. Based on this approximation awell-balanced solver is developed, assuring the C-property and depth positivity. The performance of this method is studied in several test cases focusing on accurate capturing of steady states.
The Changing and Challenging Environment of Nonprofit Human Services: Implications for Governance and Program Implementation
Authors: Smith Steven Rathgeb , Phillips Susan D. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractNonprofit human service agencies are an essential part of the social safety net and their role in many policy fields such as community care, workforce development, and disability services is growing. The funding, delivery and entire configuration of human services systems is in transition in the US, as in many other countries, albeit with great variation depending upon local and regional circumstances. Consequently, nonprofit human service agencies need to develop sustainable program and business models that are also responsive to the heightened expectations on transparency and accountability. In addition, policymakers and government officials will need to work closely with nonprofit human service agencies in order to ensure effective and efficient service delivery. Drawing on evidence from the policy and nonprofit literatures, this brief offers a set of hypotheses about the implications, and possible paradoxes, for the nonprofit sector that are likely to emerge from the increasingly competitive environment among service providers and corresponding pressure by public and private funders for more collaboration among agencies. We explore both public policy for nonprofits in human services and strategic responses by this sector, considering the first order effects designed to enable nonprofits to adapt to a reconfigured model, and the second order effects in which governments and nonprofits address the consequences of the first round. These effects are likely to vary by organizational size and by service field, resulting in quite different outcomes and relationships with government for large multi-service agencies and those in highly regulated fields such as child protection versus small nonprofits, particularly in fields such as community care with closer connections to the informal sector.
On overturn of two-dimensional nonlinear plasma oscillations
Authors: Chizhonkov Eugene V. , Frolov Alexander A. , Milyutin Sergei V. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe stability problem for spatial structure of plasma oscillations in the process of their dynamics is studied in the paper analytically (by perturbation methods) and numerically. It is shown that if the initial perturbation possesses a local symmetry, then an overturn of oscillations appears simultaneously on a circumference of some nonzero radius. If cross-sections of the initial perturbation of the electron density are ellipses, then a singularity of the electron density appears simultaneously too, but only at two spatial points.The results of calculations performed in the Supercomputing Center ‘Chebyshev’ of Lomonosov Moscow State University using a hybrid parallel code are presented. The results are in a good agreement with analytic calculations and computations with one-dimensional models.