bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Caesarean scar pregnancy: A 10‐year experience
Authors: Ko Jennifer K.Y. , Li Raymond H.W. , Cheung Vincent Y.T. 
Published: October 2014

AimsTo review the management and outcome of all women with caesarean scar pregnancy (CSP) at a single centre.MethodsA retrospective review of women diagnosed with CSP between January 2004 and December 2013 was performed. Women were identified from the admission and Early Pregnancy Assessment Clinic records.ResultsTwenty‐two cases of CSP were identified during the study period. The median gestational age at diagnosis was 6.7 weeks (range 4.7–11.8 weeks). All diagnoses were made by ultrasound, the most common finding of which was a heterogeneous mass at the site of the caesarean scar (100%). The median duration for human chorionic gonadotropin to return to undetectable level was 10 weeks (range 2–20 weeks), although the duration for sonographic resolution of the CSP can take much longer. The success rate of intralesional methotrexate was 80% in our series.ConclusionThere is no consensus regarding the method of choice for managing CSP. Medical management using intralesional methotrexate appears to be an acceptable treatment in clinically stable women.
Accuracy of self‐reported smoking cessation during pregnancy
Authors: Tong Van T. , Althabe Fernando , Alemán Alicia , Johnson Carolyn C. , Dietz Patricia M. , Berrueta Mabel , Morello Paola , Colomar Mercedes , Buekens Pierre , Sosnoff Connie S. ,   the Prenatal Tobacco Cessation Intervention Collaborative:, Farr Sherry L. , Mazzoni Agustina , Ciganda Alvaro , Becú Ana , Bittar Gonzalez Maria G. , Llambi Laura , Gibbons Luz , Smith Ruben A. , Belizán José M. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractEvidence of bias of self‐reported smoking cessation during pregnancy is reported in high‐income countries but not elsewhere. We sought to evaluate self‐reported smoking cessation during pregnancy using biochemical verification and to compare characteristics of women with and without biochemically confirmed cessation in Argentina and Uruguay. In a cross‐sectional study from October 2011 to May 2012, women who attended one of 21 prenatal clinics and delivered at selected hospitals in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay, were surveyed about their smoking cessation during pregnancy. We tested saliva collected from women <12 h after delivery for cotinine to evaluate self‐reported smoking cessation during pregnancy. Overall, 10.0% (44/441) of women who self‐reported smoking cessation during pregnancy had biochemical evidence of continued smoking. Women who reported quitting later in pregnancy had a higher percentage of nondisclosure (17.2%) than women who reported quitting when learning of their pregnancy (6.4%).
A retrospective analysis: the development of patient reported outcome measures for the assessment of Crohn's disease activity
Authors: Khanna R. , Zou G. , D'Haens G. , Feagan B. G. , Sandborn W. J. , Vandervoort M. K. , Rolleri R. L. , Bortey E. , Paterson C. , Forbes W. P. , Levesque B. G. 
Published: October 2014

SummaryBackgroundThe Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI) is a measure of disease activity based on symptoms, signs and a laboratory test. The US Food and Drug Administration has indicated that patient reported outcomes (PROs) should be the primary outcome in randomised controlled trials for Crohn's disease (CD).AimAs no validated PRO exists for CD, to investigate whether CDAI diary card items could be modified for this purpose.MethodsData from a trial of rifaximin‐extended intestinal release were used to identify cut‐points for stool frequency, pain and general well‐being using receiver operating characteristic curves with CDAI <150 as criterion. The operating properties of 2‐ and 3‐item PRO were evaluated using data from a trial of methotrexate in CD. Regression analysis determined PRO2 and PRO3 scores that correspond to CDAI‐defined thresholds of 150, 220 and 450 and changes of 50, 70 and 100 points.ResultsOptimum cut‐points for CDAI remission were mean daily stool frequency ≤1.5, abdominal pain ≤1, and general well‐being score of ≤1 (areas under the ROC curve 0.79, 0.91 and 0.89, respectively). The effect estimates were similar using 2‐ and 3‐item PROs or CDAI. PRO2 and PRO3 values corresponding to CDAI scores of 150, 220 and 450 points were 8, 14, 34 and 13, 22, 53. The corresponding values for CDAI changes of 50, 70 and 100, were 2, 5, 8 and 5, 9, 14. Responsiveness to change was similar for both PROs.ConclusionPatient reported outcomes derived from CDAI diary items may be appropriate for use in clinical trials for CD.
A Family Matter: Political Corruption in Banten, Indonesia
Authors: Hamid Abdul 
Published: October 2014

This article discusses transformations in local politics in Indonesia after the Reformasi 1998, focusing on the situation in Banten province. It describes how one family, that of Chasan Sochib, has utilized strong kinship networks, exploited state resources, and captured the local bureaucracy to strengthen its political machinery and consolidate political power in the local arena. It shows the rise of family domination in local politics and over economic resources, especially when public policy is crafted to reflect the interests of the family rather than those of the people. It suggests that despite the rhetoric of good governance at the national level, local politics is an important locus to analyze the unequal distribution of power and resources in Indonesia during the last 14 years of efforts to democratize.Makalah ini membahas perubahan politik lokal pasca 1998 dengan fokus situasi di satu provinsi muda, yaitu Banten. Diutarakan bagaimana keluarga Chasan Sochib menggunakan jaringan kekerabatan yang kuat, mengeksploitasi sumber daya negara, dan menggunakan birokasi guna memperkuat mesin politik dan mengkonsolidasi kekuasaan politik di aras lokal. Menguatnya dominasi keluarga dalam politik lokal dan atas sumber daya ekonomi ini ditempuh lewat kebijakan publik yang disusun sebagai cerminan kepentingan keluarga, daripada kepentingan masyarakat. Meskipun tata kelola pemerintahan yang baik di tingkat nasional kerap didengungkan, situasi politik lokal tetap penting dalam melihat ketidakmerataan distribusi kekuasaan dan sumber daya selama 14 tahun upaya demokratisasi di Indonesia.
From Scandalous Politics to Public Scandal: Corruption, Media, and the Collapse of the Estrada Regime in the Philippines
Authors: Claudio Lisandro E. 
Published: October 2014

In January 2001, a peaceful urban revolt ousted President Joseph Estrada of the Philippines amid evidence of the president's involvement in illegal gambling. Using Estrada's ouster as a case study, this article examines the ground‐up process that turns everyday criminality in the Philippines into public scandal. It contends that scandalous politics—acts of illegality perpetrated by the political elite in various localities—are a constant feature of the Philippine state. However, it is only when these acts become legible to the observers of national politics that a public scandal occurs. In examining the nexus between scandalous politics and public scandal, the article views scandal as a mediated phenomenon, one premised on the concerns of middle‐class politics in Manila.Noong Enero 2001, natanggal sa pwesto si Pangulong Joseph Estrada nang malantad ang katibayan ng kanyang pagkasangkot sa ilegal na pagsusugal. Sa pamamagitan ng halimbawa ng pagkatanggal ni Estrada, kinikilatis ng artikulong ito ang proseso kung saan ang mga pang‐araw‐araw na krimen sa Pilipinas ay nagiging pampublikong iskandalo. Ginigiit nito na ang maiskandalong pulitika—mga gawaing ilegal ng mga elit sa iba't ibang lokalidad—ay isang patuloy na katangian ng estado sa Pilipinas. Subalit nagiging pampublikong iskandalo lamang ang mga gawaing ito kapag napapansin ito ng mga tagapagmasid ng pulitika sa sentro ng bayan. Sa pagkilatis ng koneksyon ng maiskandalong pulitika at pambulikong iskandalo, tinitingnan ng artikulong ito ang iskandalo bilang isang penomenang nakabatay sa mga isyung mahalaga sa burgis na pulitika sa Maynila.
Corruption, Morality, and the Politics of Reform in Thailand
Authors: Sinpeng Aim 
Published: October 2014

Corruption has been the single most cited reason for the seizure of power from governments in Thailand. Yet few studies on corruption in Thailand have problematized the term “corruption” despite it being repeatedly used to legitimize the overthrow of government. This article examines the discourse on corruption of the reform movements between the two coup d'états in Thailand in 1991 and 2006. I focus on the reform efforts that culminated in the 1997 constitution and those that culminated in establishment of the opposition movement, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD). I argue that the PAD's conception of corruption was intertwined with the notions of morality, nationalism, and royalism, which differed from what was envisioned in the 1997 constitution. They were thus not satisfied with the outcomes of reforms and resorted to overthrowing the democratic system altogether.graphic
Enhanced Eryptosis Following Juglone Exposure
Authors: Calabrò Salvatrice , Alzoubi Kousi , Bissinger Rosi , Jilani Kashif , Faggio Caterina , Lang Florian 
Published: October 2014

AbstractJuglone, a quinone isolated from Juglans mandshurica Maxim, has previously been shown to be effective against malignancy. The effect is at least partially due to stimulation of suicidal death or apoptosis of tumour cells. On the other hand, juglone has been shown to counteract apoptosis, for example, of neurons. In analogy to apoptosis of nucleated cells, erythrocytes may enter eryptosis, a suicidal death characterized by cell shrinkage and breakdown of phosphatidylserine asymmetry of the cell membrane with phosphatidylserine exposure at the erythrocyte surface. Stimulators of eryptosis include increase in cytosolic Ca2+ activity [(Ca2+)i]. This study explored whether juglone stimulates eryptosis. To this end, erythrocyte volume was estimated from forward scatter, phosphatidylserine exposure at the erythrocyte surface from FITC annexin V binding, ceramide abundance from binding of fluorescent antibodies in flow cytometry and cytosolic ATP with a luciferin–luciferase‐based assay. As a result, a 24‐hr exposure of human erythrocytes to juglone (5 μM) significantly decreased erythrocyte forward scatter. Juglone (1–5 μM) significantly increased the percentage of annexin V binding cells. Juglone (5 μM) significantly increased ceramide abundance at the erythrocyte surface and decreased erythrocyte ATP concentration. The effect of juglone (10 μM) on annexin V binding was slightly but significantly blunted by removal of extracellular Ca2+ and by addition of protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor staurosporine (1 μM). In conclusion, juglone stimulates suicidal erythrocyte death or eryptosis at least in part by upregulation of ceramide abundance, energy depletion and activation of PKC.
Pharmacogenomic Biomarker Information in FDA‐approved Paediatric Drug Labels
Authors: Kim Therasa , Han Nayoung , Sohn Minji , Oh Jung Mi , Lee Eui‐Kyung , Ji Eunhee , Kim In‐Wha 
Published: October 2014

AbstractGene maturation differs between paediatric and adult populations, and the extrapolation of adult pharmacogenomic information to paediatrics is not always appropriate. We sought to determine the extent of paediatric pharmacogenomic trial translation into US FDA‐approved labels and to evaluate needs for biomarker studies. Using FDA's Table of Genomic Biomarkers and Drugs@FDA website, 38 pharmacogenomic biomarkers in 56 drug labels were identified with possible application in paediatrics. Of these 56 drugs, biomarker comparison against ‘Very Important Pharmacogenes (VIPs)’ defined in PharmGKB's database revealed a total of eight VIPs labelled among 41 drugs. One hundred and thirty‐nine product reviews posted on the FDA website under the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act and Paediatric Research Equity Act between October 2007 and July 2014 were examined. Review screening identified 43 drugs with ‘pharmacogenomic’ content, of which only three were true genotyping study reviews for proton pump inhibitors, all evaluating CYP2C19 polymorphisms. Pantoprazole was the sole drug labelled with pharmacogenomic information obtained specifically from paediatric trials. Clinicaltrials.gov was searched to further evaluate the current availability of pharmacogenomic studies in the paediatric population. Of the 33,132 trials registered on Clinicaltrials.gov, 137 were labelled as paediatric pharmacogenetic and pharmacogenomic studies. Pharmacogenomic studies directly conducted in paediatric patients are lacking, and thus, pharmacogenomic biomarker information based on adult studies is commonly presented in FDA‐approved labels for use in paediatric patients. Considering differences in gene expression and physiological maturation between paediatric and adult populations, studies investigating pharmacogenomic effects specifically in paediatric patients should be conducted whenever significant biomarkers are available.
Causal Mediation Analysis with Multiple Mediators
Authors: Daniel R. M. , De Stavola B. L. , Cousens S. N. , Vansteelandt S. 
Published: October 2014

Summary
In diverse fields of empirical research—including many in the biological sciences—attempts are made to decompose the effect of an exposure on an outcome into its effects via a number of different pathways. For example, we may wish to separate the effect of heavy alcohol consumption on systolic blood pressure (SBP) into effects via body mass index (BMI), via gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), and via other pathways. Much progress has been made, mainly due to contributions from the field of causal inference, in understanding the precise nature of statistical estimands that capture such intuitive effects, the assumptions under which they can be identified, and statistical methods for doing so. These contributions have focused almost entirely on settings with a single mediator, or a set of mediators considered en bloc; in many applications, however, researchers attempt a much more ambitious decomposition into numerous path-specific effects through many mediators. In this article, we give counterfactual definitions of such path-specific estimands in settings with multiple mediators, when earlier mediators may affect later ones, showing that there are many ways in which decomposition can be done. We discuss the strong assumptions under which the effects are identified, suggesting a sensitivity analysis approach when a particular subset of the assumptions cannot be justified. These ideas are illustrated using data on alcohol consumption, SBP, BMI, and GGT from the Izhevsk Family Study. We aim to bridge the gap from “single mediator theory” to “multiple mediator practice,” highlighting the ambitious nature of this endeavor and giving practical suggestions on how to proceed.
Disease Risk Estimation by Combining Case–Control Data with Aggregated Information on the Population at Risk
Authors: Chang Xiaohui , Waagepetersen Rasmus , Yu Herbert , Ma Xiaomei , Holford Theodore R. , Wang Rong , Guan Yongtao 
Published: October 2014

Summary
We propose a novel statistical framework by supplementing case–control data with summary statistics on the population at risk for a subset of risk factors. Our approach is to first form two unbiased estimating equations, one based on the case–control data and the other on both the case data and the summary statistics, and then optimally combine them to derive another estimating equation to be used for the estimation. The proposed method is computationally simple and more efficient than standard approaches based on case–control data alone. We also establish asymptotic properties of the resulting estimator, and investigate its finite-sample performance through simulation. As a substantive application, we apply the proposed method to investigate risk factors for endometrial cancer, by using data from a recently completed population-based case–control study and summary statistics from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the Population Estimates Program of the US Census Bureau, and the Connecticut Department of Transportation.
Reader Reaction on the Generalized Kruskal–Wallis Test for Genetic Association Studies Incorporating Group Uncertainty
Authors: Wu Baolin , Guan Weihua 
Published: October 2014

Summary
Acar and Sun (2013, Biometrics69, 427–435) presented a generalized Kruskal–Wallis (GKW) test for genetic association studies that incorporated the genotype uncertainty and showed its robust and competitive performance compared to existing methods. We present another interesting way to derive the GKW test via a rank linear model.
The Use of Cellulose Nanocrystals for Potential Application in Topical Delivery of Hydroquinone
Authors: Taheri Azade , Mohammadi Mina 
Published: October 2014

Nanotechnology‐based drug delivery systems can enhance drug permeation through the skin and improve the drug stability. The biodegradability and biocompatibility of cellulose nanocrystals have made these nanoparticles good candidates to use in biomedical applications. The hyperpigmentation is a common skin disorder that could be caused by number of reasons such as sun exposure and pregnancy. Hydroquinone could inhibit the production of melanin and eliminate the discolorations of skin. This study is aimed at introducing cellulose nanocrystals as suitable carriers for drug delivery to skin. Prepared cellulose nanocrystals were characterized by dynamic light scattering and atomic force microscopy. The size of cellulose nanocrystals determined using dynamic light scattering was 301 ± 10 nm. Hydroquinone–cellulose nanocrystal complex was prepared by incubating of hydroquinone solution in cellulose nanocrystals suspension. The size of hydroquinone–cellulose nanocrystal complex determined using dynamic light scattering was 310 ± 10 nm. The hydroquinone content of the hydroquinone–cellulose complex was determined using UV/vis spectroscopy. Hydroquinone was bound to cellulose nanocrystals representing 79.3 ± 2% maximum binding efficiency when 1.1 mg hydroquinone was added to 1 mL of cellulose nanocrystals suspension (2 mg cellulose nanocrystal). The hydroquinone–cellulose nanocrystal complex showed an approximately sustained release profile of hydroquinone. Approximately, 80% of bound hydroquinone released in 4 h.
Locomotion Skills for Insects with Sample‐based Controller
Authors: Guo Shihui , Chang Jian , Yang Xiaosong , Wang Wencheng , Zhang Jianjun 
Published: October 2014

AbstractNatural‐looking insect animation is very difficult to simulate. The fast movement and small scale of insects often challenge the standard motion capture techniques. As for the manual key‐framing or physics‐driven methods, significant amounts of time and efforts are necessary due to the delicate structure of the insect, which prevents practical applications. In this paper, we address this challenge by presenting a two‐level control framework to efficiently automate the modeling and authoring of insects’ locomotion. On the top level, we design a Triangle Placement Engine to automatically determine the location and orientation of insects’ foot contacts, given the user‐defined trajectory and settings, including speed, load, path and terrain etc. On the low‐level, we relate the Central Pattern Generator to the triangle profiles with the assistance of a Controller Look‐Up Table to fast simulate the physically‐based movement of insects. With our approach, animators can directly author insects’ behavior among a wide range of locomotion repertoire, including walking along a specified path or on an uneven terrain, dynamically adjusting to external perturbations and collectively transporting prey back to the nest.
shade.js: Adaptive Material Descriptions
Authors: Sons Kristian , Klein Felix , Sutter Jan , Slusallek Philipp 
Published: October 2014

AbstractIn computer graphics a material is a visual concept that is parameterizable and should work for arbitrary 3D assets and rendering systems. Since provided parameters and attributes as well as the capabilities of rendering systems vary considerably, a material needs to adapt to its execution environment. In current approaches, the adaptation logic is ‘baked’ into the rendering application based on string manipulation, compiler directives, or metaprogramming facilities. However, in order to achieve application‐independent and self‐contained material descriptions, the adaptation logic needs to be part of the material description itself.In this paper we present shade.js, a novel material description using a dynamic language to achieve the necessary adaptivity. A shader can inspect its execution environment and adapt to the available parameters and renderer capabilities at run time. Additionally, shade.js exploits the polymorphism that comes with non‐explicit declaration of types. These two novel features allow for writing adaptable and thus more general material descriptions. Based on the concrete execution environment at run time, the accompanied compiler generates specialized shader code that is specifically typed and optimized for the target rendering system and algorithm. We evaluate shade.js with examples targeting four different rendering approaches (forward and deferred rasterization, ray‐tracing, and global illumination). We show that we can improve convenience and flexibility for specifying materials without sacrificing performance.
Adaptive multi‐scale analysis for point‐based surface editing
Authors: Nader G. , Guennebaud G. , Mellado N. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractThis paper presents a tool that enables the direct editing of surface features in large point‐clouds or meshes. This is made possible by a novel multi‐scale analysis of unstructured point‐clouds that automatically extracts the number of relevant features together with their respective scale all over the surface. Then, combining this ingredient with an adequate multi‐scale decomposition allows us to directly enhance or reduce each feature in an independent manner. Our feature extraction is based on the analysis of the scale‐variations of locally fitted surface primitives combined with unsupervised learning techniques. Our tool may be applied either globally or locally, and millions of points are handled in real‐time. The resulting system enables users to accurately edit complex geometries with minimal interaction.
Fast and Scalable Mesh Superfacets
Authors: Simari Patricio , Picciau Giulia , De Floriani Leila 
Published: October 2014

AbstractIn the field of computer vision, the introduction of a low‐level preprocessing step to oversegment images into superpixels – relatively small regions whose boundaries agree with those of the semantic entities in the scene – has enabled advances in segmentation by reducing the number of elements to be labeled from hundreds of thousands, or millions, to a just few hundred. While some recent works in mesh processing have used an analogous oversegmentation, they were not intended to be general and have relied on graph cut techniques that do not scale to current mesh sizes. Here, we present an iterative superfacet algorithm and introduce adaptations of undersegmentation error and compactness, which are well‐motivated and principled metrics from the vision community. We demonstrate that our approach produces results comparable to those of the normalized cuts algorithm when evaluated on the Princeton Segmentation Benchmark, while requiring orders of magnitude less time and memory and easily scaling to, and enabling the processing of, much larger meshes.