bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Estimating Alpine ibex Capra ibex abundance from photographic sampling
Authors: Sandfort Robin 
Published: March 2015

AbstractMonitoring procedures for Alpine ibex Capra ibex are limited in habitats with reduced visibility and when physical capture and marking of the animals is not intended. Photographic sampling, involving using camera‐trap data and identifying ibex from natural markings, was adopted with capture‐recapture models to estimate the abundance of ibex in Austria. The software CAPTURE's model produced an average capture probability of 0.44 with an estimate of 34–51 ibex and a mean population size of 38 ibex. This first study showed the applicability of photographic capture‐recapture techniques to estimate the abundance of ibex based on their natural markings.
Effect of small donor weight and donor–recipient weight ratio on the outcome of liver transplantation in children
Authors: Desai Chirag S. , Sharma Sanjay , Gruessner Angelika , Fishbein Thomas , Kaufman Stuart , Khan Khalid M. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractA small donor weight is a risk factor for HAT with potential for graft loss. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated outcomes of pediatric liver transplants utilizing donors <20 kg using the UNOS database from 01/2003 to 01/2012 (n = 1311). All isolated liver transplants with whole organ grafts were included. Recipients were divided into four groups based on donor weight: group 1, donor weight <5 kg (n = 34 [2%]); group 2, 5–10 kg (431 [33%]); group 3, 10–15 kg (560 [43%]); and group 4, 15–20 kg (286 [22%]). Actuarial patient survival for the first year post‐transplant was significantly lower in groups 1 and 2 compared to groups 3 and 4 (p = 0.002), similarly the one‐yr graft function (p < 0.0001). The difference was due to graft loss within the first month for groups 1 and 2. HAT was significantly higher in groups 1 and 2 compared to others (p = 0.0006). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated donor weight as the most predictive factor with analysis of the ROC curve showing a cutoff point at 7.8 kg. The donor–recipient weight ratio did, in none of the models, gain statistical significance.
The Sustainability of European External Debt: What have We Learned?
Authors: Cuestas Juan Carlos , Gil‐Alana Luis A. , Regis Paulo José 
Published: March 2015

AbstractIn this paper we aim to analyze the level of sustainability of external debt and, more importantly, how it has changed for a number of European economies. Given the severity of the crisis since 2008, we argue that the path of external debt burdens may have changed since the start of the crisis, given the concerns about debt accumulation in most countries. We analyze the reaction of present debt accumulation to past debt stock, incorporating the possibility of endogenously determined structural breaks in this reaction function. We find that structural breaks happen in most cases after 2008, highlighting the importance of the policy measures taken by most governments.
A Marginal Cure Rate Proportional Hazards Model for Spatial Survival Data
Authors: Schnell Patrick , Bandyopadhyay Dipankar , Reich Brian J. , Nunn Martha 
Published: March 2015

SummaryDental studies often produce spatially referenced multivariate time-to-event data, such as the time until tooth loss due to periodontal disease. These data are used to identify risk factors that are associated with tooth loss, and to predict outcomes for an individual patient. The rate of spatial referencing can vary with various tooth locations. In addition, these event time data are heavily censored, mostly because a certain proportion of teeth in the population are not expected to experience failure and can be considered ‘cured’. We assume a proportional hazards model with a surviving fraction to model these clustered correlated data and account for dependence between nearby teeth by using spatial frailties which are modelled as linear combinations of positive stable random effects. This model permits predictions (conditioned on spatial frailties) that account for the survival status of nearby teeth and simultaneously preserves the proportional hazards relationship marginally over the random effects for the susceptible teeth, allowing for interpretable estimates of the effects of risk factors on tooth loss. We explore the potential of this model via simulation studies and application to a real data set obtained from a private periodontal practice, and we illustrate its advantages over other competing models to identify important risk factors for tooth loss and to predict the remaining lifespan of a patient's teeth.
Collective Identity and Memory: A Comparative Analysis of Community Response to Environmental Hazards
Authors: Messer Chris M. , Shriver Thomas E. , Adams Alison E. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractResearch has explored the ways in which communities respond to local polluting facilities. In some cases, residents mobilize to confront corporate and state polluters, whereas in other cases residents remain quiescent in the wake of documented environmental threats. The variation in community response is often linked to demographic variables, including age, gender, education, and length of residence; yet cultural factors remain largely unexamined. We examine how cultural factors such as community identity and memory mitigate the relationship between community residents and polluting facilities. We present a comparative study of two heavily polluted communities—Blackwell, Oklahoma, and Cañon City, Colorado—that had divergent responses to contamination. The data for these cases come from in‐depth interviews with community residents and various officials (N = 105), content analyses of newspaper coverage and relevant organization documents, and direct observation of meetings and organizing activities. Our findings indicate that cultural factors play a critical role in understanding the relationship between local residents and polluting facilities. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for future research on rural communities and environmental contamination.
The geochemistry of carbonate diagenesis: The past, present and future
Authors: Swart Peter K. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractStable carbon and oxygen isotopes (δ18O and δ13C values) and trace elements have been applied to the study of diagenesis of carbonate rocks for over 50 years. As valuable as these insights have been, many problems regarding the interpretation of geochemical signals within mature rocks remain. For example, while the δ18O values of carbonate rocks are dependent both upon the temperature and the δ18O value of the fluid, and additional information including trace element composition aids in interpreting such signals, direct evidence of either the temperature or the composition of the fluids is required. Such information can be obtained by analysing the δ18O value of any fluid inclusions or by measuring the temperature using a method such as the ‘clumped’ isotope technique. Such data speak directly to a large number of problems in interpreting the oxygen isotope record including the well‐known tendency for δ18O values of carbonate rocks to decrease with increasing age. Unlike the δ18O, δ13C values of carbonates are considered to be less influenced by diagenesis and more a reflection of primary changes in the global carbon cycle through time. However, many studies have not sufficiently emphasized the effects of diagenesis and other post‐depositional influences on the eventual carbon isotopic composition of the rock with the classic paradigm that the present is the key to the past being frequently ignored. Finally, many additional proxies are poised to contribute to the interpretation of carbonate diagenesis. Although the study of carbonate diagenesis is at an exciting point with an explosion of new proxies and methods, care should be taken to understand both old and new proxies before applying them to the ancient record.
Bank Competition, Economic Growth, and Nonlinearity: A Nonparametric Approach
Authors: Man Georg 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThis article asks empirically the question about potential nonlinearities in the link between bank competition and aggregate economic growth in a cross‐section of countries. I employ nonparametric methods, primarily kernel estimation, and several measures of banking competition. The results suggest that while the data show the presence of relevant nonlinearities, the available evidence provides only limited support for nonmonotonicities such as inverted u‐shapes, and so contrasts with previous findings obtained using parametric methods. This study corroborates the traditional view, according to which more bank competition fosters growth, with presumed implications for policy.
Genetic polymorphism of KIR2DL4 in the Polish population
Authors: Nowak I. , Barcz E. , Majorczyk E. , Malinowski A. , Wilczyński J. R. , Banasik M. , Motak‐Pochrzęst H. , Kuśnierczyk P. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThe KIR2DL4 gene is characterized by alleles with either 9 or 10 consecutive adenines in exon 7, which encodes the transmembrane domain. The 9A variant produces either a protein with a truncated cytoplasmic tail or one lacking the transmembrane region. This causes a lack of KIR2DL4 expression. In contrast, 10A alleles encode receptors that may be expressed at the cell surface. We tested 438 healthy individuals for polymorphism of the KIR2DL4 gene. KIR2DL4 9A/10A alleles were distinguished by the high resolution melting (HRM) method, and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was used for genotyping of three other single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning the near vicinity of the poly‐adenine fragment. We found a weak difference between males and females in 9769 C/A genotypes and alleles. In addition, we observed complete linkage disequilibrium (LD) between 9A insertion/deletion in the 9620 position and the 9571T/C position of the gene (r2 = 1) both in females and males and almost complete LD with the 9797G/A position (r2 = 0.963 for females and r2 = 0.892 for males). Most importantly, we detected, in a group of fertile women, a high frequency (30.2%) of homozygosity for the defective 9A variant, which suggests that KIR2DL4 as a functional cell surface receptor is not absolutely necessary for reproduction. On the other hand, lower representation of 10A/10A homozygotes and high frequency of 10A/9A heterozygotes indicates a need for both cell membrane‐anchored and soluble KIR2DL4 molecules. Finally, cost‐reducing RFLP instead of HRM is proposed for typing 9A and 10A variants.
Spatial Supermarket Redlining and Neighborhood Vulnerability: A Case Study of Hartford, Connecticut
Authors: Zhang Mengyao , Ghosh Debarchana 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThe disinclination of chain supermarkets to locate or relocate existing stores from inner city impoverished neighborhoods to affluent suburbs is termed ‘spatial supermarket redlining’. This study attempts to map and understand the effects of potential spatial supermarket redlining on food access in urban disadvantaged neighborhoods of Hartford, Connecticut. Using a combination of statistical and spatial analysis, we first built a Supermarket Redlining Index (SuRI) from five indicators (sales volume, employee count, accepts food coupons from federally assisted programs, and size and population density of the service area) to rank supermarkets in the order of their importance. Second, to understand the effects of supermarket closures in the inner city, a Supermarket Redlining Impact Model (SuRIM) was built with 11 indicators describing both socioeconomic and food access vulnerabilities. The interaction of these vulnerabilities identified neighborhoods that are maximally impacted by spatial supermarket redlining. Results mapped critical areas in the inner city of Hartford where, if a nearby supermarket closed down or relocated to a suburb with limited mitigation efforts to fill the grocery gap, a large number of minority, poor, and disadvantaged residents would experience difficulties to access healthy food, leading to food insecurity or perhaps a food desert. In conclusion we suggest mitigation efforts to reduce this impact of large supermarket closures.
Stringent adherence to a cytomegalovirus‐prevention protocol is associated with reduced overall costs in the first 6 months after kidney transplantation
Authors: Matter‐Walstra K.W. , Greiner M. , Cusini A. , Schiesser M. , Ledergerber B. , Fehr T. , Mueller N.J. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractBackgroundWe previously documented that a stringent implementation of a preemptive cytomegalovirus (CMV) prevention protocol reduced the number of CMV disease episodes after kidney transplantation, when compared with a routine preemptive protocol. The impact on overall costs was assessed.MethodsCost comparisons were made for inpatient and outpatient costs and overall costs, using costs provided by the financial department. Variables were analyzed using the Wilcoxon rank‐sum test. A multivariable global linear model evaluated the effect of all co‐variables on cost differences. In Cohort 1 (n = 84), 74% were followed with a standard CMV preemptive protocol, and 26% received prophylaxis. In Cohort 2 (n = 74), an intensified CMV surveillance protocol was applied in 74% of patients, and 26% were given prophylaxis.ResultsOverall, Cohort 1 had significantly higher treatment costs as compared with Cohort 2 (mean Swiss francs [CHF] 104,548 and CHF 76,983, respectively, P = 0.0005). Excluding patients who received prophylaxis reduced these costs to CHF 89,318 in Cohort 1 and CHF 73,652 in Cohort 2. Outcome between Cohort 1 and 2 was comparable.ConclusionA stringent adherence to the CMV prevention protocol was associated with a significant reduction in overall costs. Whether this benefit is because of the demonstrated reduction in the rate of CMV disease needs to be assessed in a randomized trial.
Treatment of venous leg ulcers with ultrasound‐guided foam sclerotherapy: Healing, long‐term recurrence and quality of life evaluation
Authors: Lloret Pedro , Redondo Pedro , Cabrera Juan , Sierra Alejandro 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACTVenous leg ulcers (VLU) generally have slow healing rates (HR) and frequent recurrence rates (RR). The underlying etiology is venous hypertension. The present observational cohort study was to determine healing and RR in VLU treated with ultrasound‐guided foam sclerotherapy (UGFS). One hundred and eighty VLU were treated with polidocanol microfoam monthly under ultrasound control. Median follow‐up was 30 months (range: 17–40). One hundred seventy‐two (95.6%) ulcers healed during the study. The overall twenty‐four week HR was 79.4% and was significantly higher (95.1%) in patients with isolated great saphenous vein incompetence than in those with great saphenous vein plus perforator (91.7%) or exclusive perforator incompetence (78.9%) (p < 0.01). Patients without deep vein incompetence had a significantly higher 6‐month HR (89.8%) than those with (67.4%) (p < 0.01). Multivariate analysis identified the following independent risk factors: chronicity > 12 months (OR 7.69), area > 6 cm2 (OR 4.24), lipodermatoesclerosis (OR 12.22), history of > 3 previous ulcers (OR 5.57) and history of deep vein thrombosis (OR 6.18). One, two and three year ulcer RR were 8.1%, 14.9%, and 20.8%, respectively. Isolated perforator incompetence and previous history of venous surgery were significantly (p = 0.03) associated with a higher RR. VLU treated with microfoam sclerotherapy are associated with high HR and low mid‐term RR.
Cutaneous wound healing in aging small mammals: a systematic review
Authors: Kim Dong Joo , Mustoe Thomas , Clark Richard AF 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACTAs the elderly population grows, so do the clinical and socioeconomic burdens of nonhealing cutaneous wounds, the majority of which are seen among persons over 60 years of age. Human studies on how aging effects wound healing will always be the gold standard, but studies have ethical and practical hurdles. Choosing an animal model is dictated by costs and animal lifespan that preclude large animal use. Here, we review the current literature on how aging effects cutaneous wound healing in small animal models and, when possible, compare healing across studies. Using a literature search of MEDLINE/PubMed databases, studies were limited to those that utilized full‐thickness wounds and compared the wound‐healing parameters of wound closure, reepithelialization, granulation tissue fill, and tensile strength between young and aged cohorts. Overall, wound closure, reepithelialization, and granulation tissue fill were delayed or decreased with aging across different strains of mice and rats. Aging in mice was associated with lower tensile strength early in the wound healing process, but greater tensile strength later in the wound healing process. Similarly, aging in rats was associated with lower tensile strength early in the wound healing process, but no significant tensile strength difference between young and old rats later in healing wounds. From studies in New Zealand White rabbits, we found that reepithelialization and granulation tissue fill were delayed or decreased overall with aging. While similarities and differences in key wound healing parameters were noted between different strains and species, the comparability across the studies was highly questionable, highlighted by wide variability in experimental design and reporting. In future studies, standardized experimental design and reporting would help to establish comparable study groups, and advance the overall knowledge base, facilitating the translatability of animal data to the human clinical condition.
Do nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase contribute to the heat loss responses in older males exercising in the heat?
Authors: Fujii Naoto , Paull Gabrielle , Meade Robert D. , McGinn Ryan , Stapleton Jill M. , Akbari Pegah , Kenny Glen P. 
Published: March 2015

Key points
Studies show that nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX) are involved in sweating and cutaneous vascular regulation in young adults in a potentially interactive manner.
We evaluated the separate and interactive roles of NOS and COX in forearm sweating and cutaneous vasodilatation in older adults during intermittent exercise in the heat performed at a moderate fixed rate of metabolic heat production (400 W, ∼48% ).
We demonstrated that neither NOS nor COX are functionally involved in the forearm sweating response in older adults during exercise, whereas only NOS contributed to cutaneous vasodilatation.
These results provide valuable insight into the age‐related changes in heat loss and suggest that COX inhibitors (i.e. non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs) may not impair core body temperature regulation during exercise in the heat in older adults.
AbstractThis study evaluated the separate and combined roles of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX) in forearm sweating and cutaneous vasodilatation in older adults during intermittent exercise in the heat. Twelve healthy older (62 ± 7 years) males peformed two 30 min cycling bouts at a fixed rate of metabolic heat production (400 W) in the heat (35°C, 20% relative humidity). The exercise bouts were followed by 20 and 40 min of recovery, respectively. Forearm sweat rate (ventilated capsule) and cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC, laser Doppler perfusion units/mean arterial pressure) were evaluated at four skin sites that were continuously perfused via intradermal microdialysis with: (1) lactated Ringer solution (Control), (2) 10 mm ketorolac (non‐selective COX inhibitor), (3) 10 mm NG‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester (l‐NAME; non‐selective NOS inhibitor) or (4) a combination of 10 mm ketorolac + 10 mm l‐NAME. Sweating was not different between the four sites during either exercise bout (main effect P = 0.92) (average of last 5 min of second exercise, Control, 0.80 ± 0.06; ketorolac, 0.77 ± 0.09; l‐NAME, 0.74 ± 0.07; ketorolac + l‐NAME, 0.77 ± 0.09 mg min−1 cm−2). During both exercise bouts, relative to CVC evaluated at the Control site (average of last 5 min of second exercise, 69 ± 6%max), CVC was similar at the ketorolac site (P = 0.62; 66 ± 4%max) whereas it was attenuated to a similar extent at both the l‐NAME (49 ± 8%max) and ketorolac + l‐NAME (54 ± 8%max) sites (both P < 0.05). Thus, we demonstrate that NOS and COX are not functionally involved in forearm sweating whereas only NOS contributes to forearm cutaneous vasodilatation in older adults during intermittent exercise in the heat.
Validation of an in‐vivo proton beam range check method in an anthropomorphic pelvic phantom using dose measurements
Authors: Bentefour El H. , Tang Shikui , Cascio Ethan W. , Testa Mauro , Samuel Deepak , Prieels Damien , Gottschalk Bernard , Lu Hsiao‐Ming 
Published: March 2015

Purpose:In‐vivo dosimetry and beam range verification in proton therapy could play significant role in proton treatment validation and improvements. In‐vivo beam range verification, in particular, could enable new treatment techniques one of which could be the use of anterior fields for prostate treatment instead of opposed lateral fields as in current practice. This paper reports validation study of an in‐vivo range verification method which can reduce the range uncertainty to submillimeter levels and potentially allow for in‐vivo dosimetry.Methods:An anthropomorphic pelvic phantom is used to validate the clinical potential of the time‐resolved dose method for range verification in the case of prostrate treatment using range modulated anterior proton beams. The method uses a 3 × 4 matrix of 1 mm diodes mounted in water balloon which are read by an ADC system at 100 kHz. The method is first validated against beam range measurements by dose extinction measurements. The validation is first completed in water phantom and then in pelvic phantom for both open field and treatment field configurations. Later, the beam range results are compared with the water equivalent path length (WEPL) values computed from the treatment planning system XIO.Results:Beam range measurements from both time‐resolved dose method and the dose extinction method agree with submillimeter precision in water phantom. For the pelvic phantom, when discarding two of the diodes that show sign of significant range mixing, the two methods agree with ±1 mm. Only a dose of 7 mGy is sufficient to achieve this result. The comparison to the computed WEPL by the treatment planning system (XIO) shows that XIO underestimates the protons beam range. Quantifying the exact XIO range underestimation depends on the strategy used to evaluate the WEPL results. To our best evaluation, XIO underestimates the treatment beam range between a minimum of 1.7% and maximum of 4.1%.Conclusions:Time‐resolved dose measurement method satisfies the two basic requirements, WEPL accuracy and minimum dose, necessary for clinical use, thus, its potential for in‐vivo protons range verification. Further development is needed, namely, devising a workflow that takes into account the limits imposed by proton range mixing and the susceptibility of the comparison of measured and expected WEPLs to errors on the detector positions. The methods may also be used for in‐vivo dosimetry and could benefit various proton therapy treatments.
Genome Sequence of Phytophthora fragariae var. fragariae, a Quarantine Plant-Pathogenic Fungus
Authors: Gao Ruifang , Cheng Yinghui , Wang Ying , Wang Ying , Guo Liyun , Zhang Guiming 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACT

Phytophthora
fragariae var. fragariae is a serious plant-pathogenic fungus causing red core disease in strawberries, resulting in a larger number of fruit produced, and the fungus has been regulated as a quarantine pest of many countries and regions. Here, we announce the genome sequence of P. fragariae var. fragariae, and this information might provide insight into the mechanism of pathogenicity and host specificity of this pathogen, as well as help us further identify targets for fungicides.