bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hysteroscopic hydrotubation of the equine oviduct
Authors: Inoue Y. 
Published: March 2013

SummaryReason for performing studyDiagnostic techniques for oviductal obstruction in the mare are limited and development of a more reliable and direct method to assess oviductal patency is needed.ObjectiveTo evaluate the feasibility of hysteroscopic selective hydrotubation of the equine oviduct via videoendoscopy in standing mares.MethodsUsing a catheter inserted under endoscopic guidance into the uterotubal junctions of 10 mares, 5 ml of indigo carmine solution (4 mg/ml) was flushed into the oviduct. After introduction of the dye, peritoneal fluid was obtained via abdominocentesis. A colpotomy was also performed to allow introduction of a videoendoscope into the abdominal cavity to assess the presence of dye visually at the ovarian end of the oviduct.Results and conclusionsIn 15 of 20 (75.0%) attempts, the catheter was successfully inserted into the uterotubal junction, and dye was observed at the ampulla, fimbria, overlying the ovary or surrounding tissue. In 2 mares, the videoendoscope could not be manipulated to identify the uterotubal junction. Only one of 2 oviducts was flushed in an additional mare because insufflation of the uterus could not be maintained. The colour of the dye was evident macroscopically and spectrophotometrically in 4 of 8 mares from which peritoneal fluid was successfully collected.Potential relevanceThe equine oviduct can be evaluated by hysteroscopic selective hydrotubation.
Substrate specificity and the effect of calcium on Trypanosoma brucei metacaspase 2
Authors: Machado Maurício F. M. , Marcondes Marcelo F. , Juliano Maria A. , McLuskey Karen , Mottram Jeremy C. , Moss Catherine X. , Juliano Luiz , Oliveira Vitor 
Published: March 2013

Metacaspases are cysteine peptidases found only in yeast, plants and lower eukaryotes, including the protozoa. To investigate the extended substrate specificity and effects of Ca2+ on the activation of these enzymes, detailed kinetic, biochemical and structural analyses were carried out on metacaspase 2 from Trypanosoma brucei (TbMCA2). These results reveal that TbMCA2 has an unambiguous preference for basic amino acids at the P1 position of peptide substrates and that this is most probably a result of hydrogen bonding from the P1 residue to Asp95 and Asp211 in TbMCA2. In addition, TbMCA2 also has a preference for charged residues at the P2 and P3 positions and for small residues at the prime side of a peptide substrate. Studies into the effects of Ca2+ on the enzyme revealed the presence of two Ca2+ binding sites and a reversible structural modification of the enzyme upon Ca2+ binding. In addition, the concentration of Ca2+ used for activation of TbMCA2 was found to produce a differential effect on the activity of TbMCA2, but only when a series of peptides that differed in P2 were examined, suggesting that Ca2+ activation of TbMCA2 has a structural effect on the enzyme in the vicinity of the S2 binding pocket. Collectively, these data give new insights into the substrate specificity and Ca2+ activation of TbMCA2. This provides important functional details and leads to a better understanding of metacaspases, which are known to play an important role in trypanosomes and make attractive drug targets due to their absence in humans.
WOLF HEINRICH GRAF BAUDISSIN: AROUND AN UNPUBLISHED MOURNING LETTER
Authors: Sayer John 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACTWolf Baudissin's major part in the ‘Schlegel‐Tieck’ Shakespeare translation is still largely unrecognised outside scholarly circles. His prolific translating is just one part of a life at the centre of cultured society, combined with responsibility for his extended family. This last is movingly expressed in a newly discovered letter responding to condolences on the death of his wife Julia and adoptive granddaughter Maria in March 1836. Baudissin dwells on the grievous loss, and outlines immediate plans for his family. The letter is published here for the first time, with explanatory commentary relating to Baudissin's background, family and friends, and what then became three years away from the Dresden court, Tieck and translation, before his return to full activity and remarriage. The letter reflects the character of one of the finest examples of cultured nineteenth‐century landed nobility, for whom translation was a selfless service.Wolf Baudissins wesentliche Rolle in der ‘Schlegel‐Tieck’ Shakespeare‐Übersetzung bleibt außerhalb von akademischen Kreisen weitgehend unbekannt. Seine überaus produktive Übersetzungstätigkeit bildet nur einen Teil eines Lebens, das er im Kern der kultivierten Gesellschaft verbrachte und das auch von tiefem Verantwortungsgefühl gegenüber seiner erweiterten Familie geprägt war. Ein bewegendes Beispiel dieses letzteren ist ein neu entdeckter Brief, in dem er im März 1836 nach dem Tode seiner Frau Julia und seiner Adoptivenkelin Maria auf ein Beileidsschreiben antwortet. Baudissin drückt tiefe Trauer um seinen Verlust aus und beschreibt seine Pläne für die nahe Zukunft seiner Familie. Der Brief wird hier zum ersten Mal veröffentlicht, und wird von Erläuterungen über Baudissins Hintergrund, seine Familie und seine Freunde begleitet, sowie auch über die darauffolgende Abwesenheit vom Dresdener Hof, von Tieck und der Übersetzungstätigkeit: eine Abwesenheit die bis zum Wiedereintritt in diese Lebenswelt und zu der Wiederverheiratung drei volle Jahre dauern sollte. Der Brief verkörpert den Charakter eines Menschen, der zu den feinsten Beispielen des gebildeten Landadels des 19. Jahrhunderts gehörte und für den das Übersetzen ein selbstloser Dienst war.
‘EINE BEFREIUNG AUS EINER EINENGUNG’: HELGA KÖNIGSDORF'S QUEER PROTAGONISTS, SELF‐CENSORSHIP AND SHAME IN UNGELEGENER BEFUND AND GLEICH NEBEN AFRIKA
Authors: Smith Tom 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACTThis article investigates self‐censorship in two works by Helga Königsdorf written either side of German reunification: Ungelegener Befund (1990) and Gleich neben Afrika (1992). The form of Königsdorf's texts engages with self‐censorship in and after the GDR, and the queer identities of her protagonists serve to emphasise this narrative project. Self‐censorship represents the transmission of the prohibitions and machinations of power involved in literary production into a writer's work and even identity. I argue that Königsdorf demonstrates writers’ internalisation of GDR institutions through analogy to the queer subject who has internalised society's repression in the form of shame. The manifestations of self‐censorship in Königsdorf's texts on the level of narrative form have much in common with the features of a shame experience, appearing for example as silences and evasions in the text, most clearly in Ungelegener Befund. The protagonists’ same‐sex desire is directly related to the process of writing, furthermore, so that the narrative of Gleich neben Afrika can itself be considered queer. Königsdorf's characters never fully overcome their self‐censors, but these two narratives suggest an open‐ended process of self‐reassessment which GDR writers were engaged in during and after reunification.Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird die Selbstzensur in zwei Erzählungen von Helga Königsdorf untersucht, die vor und nach der Wende geschrieben wurden: Ungelegener Befund (1990) und Gleich neben Afrika (1992). Die Form der beiden Texte greift die Selbstzensur in und nach der DDR als erzählerisches Thema auf, was durch Königsdorfs Entscheidung für queere Protagonisten unterstrichen wird. Durch Selbstzensur wird das Werk und sogar die schriftstellerische Identität von den Verboten und Machtspielen der literarischen Produktion geprägt. Königsdorf stellt diese schriftstellerische Verinnerlichung der staatlichen Institutionen anhand eines Vergleichs von selbstzensierenden Schriftstellern und dem queeren Subjekt dar, das gesellschaftliche Unterdrückung in Form von Scham verinnerlicht hat. Die formalen und psychischen Eigenschaften der Selbstzensur weisen zahlreiche narrative Gemeinsamkeiten mit denjenigen einer Schamerfahrung auf, wie etwa die Leerstellen und Ausweichungen, die insbesondere den Text von Ungelegener Befund prägen. Königsdorf bringt das gleichgeschlechtliche Begehren ihrer Protagonisten mit dem Schreibprozess in unmittelbare Beziehung; selbst die Erzählweise von Gleich neben Afrika kann als queer betrachtet werden. Königsdorfs Figuren gelingt es nicht, ihren Selbstzensor vollständig zu überwältigen, aber die beiden Texte dokumentieren in narrativer Form einen offenen Prozess der Selbsteinschätzung, den Schriftsteller während und nach der Wiedervereinigung zu durchlaufen hatten.
Emergency Transfer of Acute Stroke Patients within the East Saxony Telemedicine Stroke Network: A Descriptive Analysis
Authors: Kepplinger Jessica , Dzialowski Imanuel , Barlinn Kristian , Puetz Volker , Wojciechowski Claudia , Schneider Hauke , Gahn Georg , Back Tobias , Schackert Gabriele , Reichmann Heinz , von Kummer Ruediger , Bodechtel Ulf 
Published: March 2013

Background Telemedicine may facilitate the selection of stroke patients who require emergency transfer to a comprehensive stroke center to receive additional therapies other than intravenous tissue plasminogen activator. Aims and/or hypothesis We sought to analyze frequency, patient characteristics, and specific therapies among emergently transferred patients within the telemedical Stroke East Saxony Network. Methods We reviewed consecutive patients who were transferred emergently from remote spoke sites to hub sites. Certified stroke neurologists performed teleconsultations 24/7, with access to high-speed videoconferencing and transfer of brain images. Emergent transfers were initiated when considered necessary by the stroke neurologist. Results In 2009 and 2010, we conducted 1413 teleconsultations and subsequently recommended transfer in 339 (24%) patients [mean age 64 ± 14 years, 54% males, median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score 5 (interquartile range, IQR 12). The mean teleconsultation-to-arrival time was 1·7 ± 0·8 h (median 1·6 h). Sixty-eight (20%) transferred patients had a nonstroke diagnosis. The remaining 271 (80%) patients had stroke diagnoses [ischemic stroke, 114 (34%); transient ischemic attack, 8 (2%); and intracranial haemorrhage, 149 (44%)]. Forty (35%) ischemic stroke patients received tissue plasminogen activator at spoke sites (‘drip and ship’). Of the 240 stroke patients emergently transferred to the main hub site, 119 (49·6%) received at least one specific stroke therapy. Conclusion A remarkable number of stroke patients can be transferred within a telemedical network to enable the delivery of specific stroke therapies that require advanced multispecialty expertise. Whether associated logistic efforts and costs have an impact on patients' clinical outcomes needs to be evaluated.
Efficacy and Safety of Warfarin VS. Antiplatelet Therapy in Patients with Systolic Heart Failure and Sinus Rhythm: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Liew Aaron YL. , Eikelboom John W. , Connolly Stuart J. , Donnell Martin O' , Hart Robert G. 
Published: March 2013

Background and purpose Heart failure is an independent risk factor for stroke. Anticoagulation is effective for prevention of cardio-embolic stroke secondary to atrial fibrillation or mechanical heart valves but is of uncertain benefit in heart failure patients. We performed this meta-analysis to obtain the best estimates of the efficacy and safety of warfarin as compared with antiplatelet therapy in patients with systolic heart failure who are in sinus rhythm. Methods and results A systematic search was performed using PubMed and Central Register of Controlled Trials databases for all randomized controlled trials, which compare warfarin with antiplatelet therapy given for at least one-month in heart failure patients with sinus rhythm and report at least one of the following outcomes: ischemic stroke, death, myocardial infarction, hospitalization due to worsening heart failure, intracranial hemorrhage, and major hemorrhage. Four randomized controlled trials involving adjusted-dose warfarin (4187 subjects) were included. When compared with antiplatelet therapy, warfarin reduced ischemic stroke by 0·74% per year (RR 0·49; 95% CI: 0·32–0·73: P = 0·0006; Number needed to treat = 135) but increased major hemorrhage by 0·99% per year (RR 2·15; 95% CI: 1·55–2·99: P < 0·00001; Number needed to harm = 101). Warfarin did not significantly affect the risk of death, myocardial infarction, hospitalization due to heart failure or intracranial hemorrhage as compared with antiplatelet therapy. Conclusion Warfarin as compared with antiplatelet therapy reduces risk of ischemic stroke, does not significantly affect death, myocardial infarction, hospitalization due to heart failure or intracranial hemorrhage and increases major hemorrhage in heart failure patients who are in sinus rhythm.
Latin American Migration to Spain: Main Reasons and Future Perspectives
Authors: Hierro María 
Published: March 2013

AbstractOver the last two decades, Spain has evolved rapidly from a classic labour exporter to a labour importer. Until the 1930s Spain's migration history was predominantly marked by emigration to the Americas, and from the end of World War II until the early 1970s by emigration to some industrialized countries in Western Europe. For the first time in modern times, Spain is now the second country in the world with large‐scale immigration. Its strategic location, a relatively permissive immigration policy and economic opportunities derived from Spain's entry into the European Community have positioned this country as a major destination for immigrants. Additionally, since the mid‐1990s international migration in Spain has dramatically changed in origin composition. Despite the common perception of Africa as the most important source of immigration, some Latin American countries, in a very short time, have become some of the major sources of immigration to Spain; indeed, the term “Latin‐Americanization” has been coined to describe this process. This being so, the aim of this article is twofold. First, we examine the main reasons behind the extremely rapid increase of Latin American migration to Spain during the last decade. Then we briefly discuss some future perspectives.
Future Plans of Iraqi Physicians in Jordan: Predictors of Migration
Authors: Malik Sana , Doocy Shannon , Burnham Gilbert 
Published: March 2013

AbstractThe continuing violence in Iraq has led to further damage to the health sector in a country already affected by sanctions, war and harsh rule. As a consequence some doctors have been killed and others have migrated, both within Iraq and from Iraq to neighbouring countries. In this article we report patterns of migration of Iraqi physicians, identify perceived future plans, and assess factors behind physicians' decisions. Respondent driven sampling in 2007 was used to interview 401 Iraqi medical doctors who migrated to Jordan after the 2003 invasion of Iraq The main outcome measure for this study was the future plans of physicians, which included permanently residing outside Iraq or returning to Iraq. Physicians who planned to return to Iraq differed from those who planned to reside permanently outside Iraq in the following factors: age categories (relative odds comparing age 50 plus to those under 30 = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.21–0.97), years spent outside of Iraq (RO = 2.03, 95% CI = 1.28–3.21), no difficulties in Jordan (RO = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.31–0.93), and household members residing in Iraq (RO = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.05 – 1.31). Many doctors who fled Iraq after the 2003 invasion do not plan to return, which must be considered in future training strategies for the Iraqi health sector.
Lücken im Sozialschutz bei Gesundheit und Pflege in Europa: Werden die Älteren in den Ruin getrieben?
Authors: Scheil‐Adlung Xenia , Bonan Jacopo 
Published: March 2013

AuszugWährend die Ausgaben für Gesundheit und Pflege in europäischen Ländern seit Jahren unter scharfer Beobachtung stehen, wurde den finanziellen Folgen privater Ausgaben älterer Menschen als Voraussetzung für den Zugang zu diesen Leistungen und zur Pflege wesentlich weniger Aufmerksamkeit gewidmet. Nach Auswertung repräsentativer Querschnittsdaten zur älteren Bevölkerung von elf europäischen Ländern aus dem Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) für 2004 kommen wir zu dem Ergebnis, dass Direktzahlungen von Älteren für Gesundheit und Pflege in europäischen Ländern weitverbreitet sind und beträchtliche Auswirkungen auf das verfügbare Einkommen haben: Bis zu 95 Prozent der Älteren tätigen Direktzahlungen für Gesundheit und 5 Prozent für Pflege, wodurch ihr Einkommen jeweils zwischen 5 und 10 Prozent schrumpft. 0,7 Prozent der Haushalte Älterer, die Gesundheitsversorgung in Anspruch nehmen, und 0,5 Prozent der Haushalte Älterer, die Langzeitpflege in Anspruch nehmen müssen, erleiden infolgedessen finanziellen Ruin. Zu den Betroffenen zählen insbesondere die Armen, Frauen und sehr alte Menschen.
Theory and Methods for Research on Ethical Issues in Dementia Care
Authors: Nilstun Tore 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACT. Swedish research on ethical issues in dementia care is almost exclusively done by nursing scientists. Many of these studies are rightfully acclaimed as exemplary research. But the strong focusing on the nurse and her relation to the patient tends to bias the ethical issues—the attitudes of other persons involved or affected are also in need of investigation. Further, there is a predilection for content analysis at the expense of causal analysis.In this paper an eclectic approach to the study of ethical issues in dementia care is advocated. More interdisciplinary communication and co‐operation is also needed—especially between nursing scientists and moral philosophers. To facilitate such communication and co‐operation a model for analysis of ethical issues is presented and discussed.To illustrate my ideas I use three articles by researchers from the department of advanced nursing in Umeå: Ekman & Norberg (1988), Norberg & Asplund (1990) and Åkerlund & Norberg (1989–90).
Basic Accessibility in Modern Housing—A Key to the Problems of Care in the Domestic Setting
Authors: Iwarsson Susanne , Isacsson Ake 
Published: March 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate public grants for housing adaptation in modern housing and to explore attitudes to accessibility problems. Grants for housing adaptation in apartments in blocks of flats built during the 1980s in a Swedish urban district were investigated over a 3‐year period. Twenty‐nine apartments had been adapted, in most cases by making a few simple alterations. Interviews with key persons in the building process stated that the most common measures would have cost less if they had been planned as ‘basic accessibility’. The most important reasons why accessibility problems still persisted were building traditions, lack of knowledge about disability, and technical problems.Occupational therapists have a wide knowledge of housing adaptation. Adding their competence to the planning process would most likely increase activity and improve quality of life for disabled individuals. This study indicates that positive effects on the public economy could be achieved by putting ‘basic accessibility’ into practice.
Disentangling the role of connectivity, environmental filtering, and spatial structure on metacommunity dynamics
Authors: Moritz C. , Meynard C. N. , Devictor V. , Guizien K. , Labrune C. , Guarini J.‐M. , Mouquet N. 
Published: March 2013

Dispersal is a key process in metacommunity dynamics, allowing the maintenance of diversity in complex community networks. Geographic distance is usually used as a surrogate for connectivity implying that communities that are closely located are considered more prone to exchange individuals than distant communities. However, in some natural systems, organisms may be subjected to directional dispersal (air or water flows, particular landscape configuration), possibly leading close communities to be isolated from each other and distant communities to be connected. Using geographic distance as a proxy for realised connectivity may then yield misleading results regarding the role of dispersal in structuring communities in such systems. Here, we quantified the relative importance of flow connectivity, geographic distance, and environmental gradients to explain polychaete metacommunity structure along the coasts of the Gulf of Lions (northwest Mediterranean Sea). Flow connectivity was estimated by Lagrangian particle dispersal simulations. Our results revealed that this metacommunity is strongly structured by the environment at large spatial scales, and that both flow connectivity and geographic distance play an important role within homogeneous environments at smaller spatial scales. We thus strongly advocate for a wider use of connectivity measures, in addition to geographic distance, to study spatial patterns of biological diversity (e.g. distance decay) and to infer the processes behind these patterns at different spatial scales.SynthesisEverything is connected, but connections are seldom accurately quantified. Biological communities are often studied separately, using observations, experiments and models to unravel local dynamics of organisms interacting with each other. However, regional processes such as dispersal through ocean and air circulation, likely to connect distant communities and influence their local dynamics, are not always accounted for, or, at best, used as an homogeneous and distance‐related factor. Ocean models have being extensively developed and validated during the past decades with the increasing availability of accurate meteorological data. Using such model outputs, precise quantifi cation of exchange rates of organisms between communities was performed in a marine Mediterranean coastal area. Jointly with local environmental and biological data, these results were used to quantify the effects of realistic connectivity on local and regional polychaete community structure, and revealed that the environmental gradient, geographic distance, and connectivity were responsible for community structure at different spatial scales.
Development of ZnO Nanostructured Films via Sodium Chloride Solution and Investigation of Its Growth Mechanism and Optical Properties
Authors: Wee R. Q. , Yang W. F. , Zhou T. J. , Chen R. , Sun H. D. , Wang C. F. , Lee Alex Y. S. , Gong H. 
Published: March 2013

The controllable formation of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures and nanowires by a cheap and environmental friendly fabrication method of simply subjecting metallic zinc films in sodium chloride (NaCl) solution at 170°C from 3 to 15 h under hydrothermal conditions is demonstrated in this study. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) indicate that ZnO films with different morphologies are obtained: from a film with network of circular pores to a film with nanowire‐like network with bigger pores. It is observed that heating duration has an effect on its photoluminescence (PL) properties. Ultraviolet emission is observed for all ZnO films. Green emission surfaces after heating for 6 h, which subsequently disappears after 15 h of heating. It is suggested that the morphology change over different heating durations is responsible for the rise and subsequent decline in green emissions. Lastly, the growth mechanism behind zinc oxidation and morphology change is proposed and investigated with the aid of experimental method. It is verified that pitting corrosion is responsible for the growth mechanism here.