bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Reliability of Laboratory Measurement of Porosity in Tight Gas Sands
Authors: Luffel D. L. , Howard W. E. 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACT
Accurate routine core porosity measurements are critically important in tight gas sands. Because of a growing concern that current routine core analysis may not be reliable at low porosity a study was conducted to verify and improve, as needed, the routine service laboratory procedures normally used.
Routine analysis of ambient porosity was performed by a service company laboratory on 242 core plugs from the Travis Peak formation of a well in Panola County, Texas. Twenty of the plugs were then analyzed by two additional service company laboratories for porosity. Each of the three laboratories had problems with their porosity results, which would normally have gone unnoticed. After reruns, agreement among the labs was excellent, with an average standard deviation of about 0.25 porosity units when comparing one lab against another.
In order to improve reliability of routine porosity analysis, recommended practices and quality control procedures are presented. In addition, basic methods of porosity measurement are reviewed along with accuracy to be expected from each method.
Real-Time Ultrawide Field Image Evaluation of Retinopathy in a Diabetes Telemedicine Program
Authors: Silva Paolo S. , Cavallerano Jerry D. , Tolson Ann M. , Rodriguez Jessica , Rodriguez Sashida , Ajlan Radwan , Tolls Dorothy , Patel Bina , Sehizadeh Mina , Thakore Komal , Sun Jennifer K. , Aiello Lloyd Paul 
Published: June 2015

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the ability of trained nonphysician retinal imagers to perform diabetic retinopathy (DR) evaluation at the time of ultrawide field retinal (UWF) imaging in a teleophthalmology program.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
Clinic patients with diabetes received Joslin Vision Network protocol retinal imaging as part of their standard medical care. Retinal imagers evaluated UWF images for referable DR at the time of image capture. Training of the imagers included 4 h of standardized didactic lectures and 12 h of guided image review. Real-time evaluations were compared with standard masked gradings performed at a centralized reading center.

RESULTS
A total of 3,978 eyes of 1,989 consecutive patients were imaged and evaluated. By reading center evaluation, 3,769 eyes (94.7%) were gradable for DR, 1,376 (36.5%) had DR, and 580 (15.3%) had referable DR. Compared with the reading center, real-time image evaluation had a sensitivity and specificity for identifying more than minimal DR of 0.95 (95% CI 0.94–0.97) and 0.84 (0.82–0.85), respectively, and 0.99 (0.97–1.00) and 0.76 (0.75–0.78), respectively, for detecting referable DR. Only three patients with referable DR were not identified by imager evaluation.

CONCLUSIONS
Point-of-care evaluation of UWF images by nonphysician imagers following standardized acquisition and evaluation protocols within an established teleophthalmology program had good sensitivity and specificity for detection of DR and for identification of referable retinal disease. With immediate image evaluation, &lt;0.1% of patients with referable DR would be missed, reading center image grading burden would be reduced by 60%, and patient feedback would be expedited.
Load-Dependent Interference of Deep Brain Stimulation of the Subthalamic Nucleus with Switching from Automatic to Controlled Processing During Random Number Generation in Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Williams Isobel Anne , Wilkinson Leonora , Limousin Patricia , Jahanshahi Marjan 
Published: June 2015

Background: Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN DBS) ameliorates the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, some aspects of executive control are impaired with STN DBS. Objective: We tested the prediction that (i) STN DBS interferes with switching from automatic to controlled processing during fast-paced random number generation (RNG) (ii) STN DBS-induced cognitive control changes are load-dependent. Methods: Fifteen PD patients with bilateral STN DBS performed paced-RNG, under three levels of cognitive load synchronised with a pacing stimulus presented at 1, 0.5 and 0.33 Hz (faster rates require greater cognitive control), with DBS on or off. Measures of output randomness were calculated. Countscore 1 (CS1) indicates habitual counting in steps of one (CS1). Countscore 2 (CS2) indicates a more controlled strategy of counting in twos. Results: The fastest rate was associated with an increased CS1 score with STN DBS on compared to off. At the slowest rate, patients had higher CS2 scores with DBS off than on, such that the differences between CS1 and CS2 scores disappeared. Conclusions: We provide evidence for a load-dependent effect of STN DBS on paced RNG in PD. Patients could switch to more controlled RNG strategies during conditions of low cognitive load at slower rates only when the STN stimulators were off, but when STN stimulation was on, they engaged in more automatic habitual counting under increased cognitive load. These findings are consistent with the proposal that the STN implements a switch signal from the medial frontal cortex which enables a shift from automatic to controlled processing.
Speech Prosody Across Stimulus Types for Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Ma Joan K.-Y. , Schneider Christine B. , Hoffmann Rüdiger , Storch Alexander 
Published: June 2015

Background: Up to 89% of the individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) experience speech problem over the course of the disease. Speech prosody and intelligibility are two of the most affected areas in hypokinetic dysarthria. However, assessment of these areas could potentially be problematic as speech prosody and intelligibility could be affected by the type of speech materials employed. Objective: To comparatively explore the effects of different types of speech stimulus on speech prosody and intelligibility in PD speakers. Methods: Speech prosody and intelligibility of two groups of individuals with varying degree of dysarthria resulting from PD was compared to that of a group of control speakers using sentence reading, passage reading and monologue. Acoustic analysis including measures on fundamental frequency (F0), intensity and speech rate was used to form a prosodic profile for each individual. Speech intelligibility was measured for the speakers with dysarthria using direct magnitude estimation. Results: Difference in F0 variability between the speakers with dysarthria and control speakers was only observed in sentence reading task. Difference in the average intensity level was observed for speakers with mild dysarthria to that of the control speakers. Additionally, there were stimulus effect on both intelligibility and prosodic profile. Conclusions: The prosodic profile of PD speakers was different from that of the control speakers in the more structured task, and lower intelligibility was found in less structured task. This highlighted the value of both structured and natural stimulus to evaluate speech production in PD speakers.
Narrative Discourse Cohesion in Early Stage Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Ellis Charles , Crosson Bruce , Gonzalez Rothi Leslie J. , Okun Michael S. , Rosenbek John C. 
Published: June 2015

Background: Models of basal ganglia (BG) function suggest that expressive language deficits will likely and consistently present in BG disease. Disparities currently exist between the predictions of models of BG function in expressive language and data from studies of BG disease. Traditional expressive language assessment methodologies that emphasize measures of language form (word and sentence productivity) while not carefully considering how language is used, may only partially account for these disparities. Objective: To use measures of cohesion to examine the use of cohesive markers in narrative discourse. Methods: Twelve individuals with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD) were compared to 12 matched neurologically intact controls on measures of discourse performance. Three discourse samples (typical day, memorable vacation and family) were analyzed for measures of narrative productivity, number of cohesive ties and cohesive adequacy. Mixed model analyses were completed for group comparisons. Results: Group differences were not observed on measures of language form as measured by narrative productivity, communication units, and number of cohesive ties produced. In contrast, group differences were observed in cohesive adequacy as individuals with PD produced a higher percentage of incomplete and erroneous cohesive ties relative the control subjects across narratives. Conclusions: These results support the conclusion that the BG in PD may have an executive role in expressive language use that can be disrupted without impacting language form.
Specific Attentional Disorders and Freezing of Gait in Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Tard Céline , Delval Arnaud , Duhamel Alain , Moreau Caroline , Devos David , Defebvre Luc , Dujardin Kathy 
Published: June 2015

Background: Due to its high prevalence in dual-task paradigms, freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease is thought to be associated with dysexecutive syndrome and attentional disorders. However, the role of specific attentional disorders in patients with freezing of gait is still unclear. Objective: Here, we sought to specifically determine which basic attentional modalities are impaired in patients with freezing of gait. Methods: Seventy-eight parkinsonian patients performed a computer-controlled reaction-time paradigm designed to measure the different attentional subcomponents, controlled for visuospatial processing and motor participation. Results: The freezer ( n = 42) and non-freezer ( n = 36) groups were matched for age, educational level, MMSE and Mattis Dementia Rating Scale. There were no intergroup differences in simple reaction times, whereas choice reaction times were higher in the freezer group than in the non-freezer group for divided attention ( p = 0.023). Conclusions: At equivalent levels of overall cognitive efficiency, freezer patients showed a greater slowdown than non-freezer patients with a specific impairment in divided attention.
Parkinson’s Disease Subtypes in the Oxford Parkinson Disease Centre (OPDC) Discovery Cohort
Authors: Lawton Michael , Baig Fahd , Rolinski Michal , Ruffman Claudio , Nithi Kannan , May Margaret T. , Ben-Shlomo Yoav , Hu Michele T.M. 
Published: June 2015

Background: Within Parkinson’s there is a spectrum of clinical features at presentation which may represent sub-types of the disease. However there is no widely accepted consensus of how best to group patients. Objective: Use a data-driven approach to unravel any heterogeneity in the Parkinson’s phenotype in a well-characterised, population-based incidence cohort. Methods: 769 consecutive patients, with mean disease duration of 1.3 years, were assessed using a broad range of motor, cognitive and non-motor metrics. Multiple imputation was carried out using the chained equations approach to deal with missing data. We used an exploratory and then a confirmatory factor analysis to determine suitable domains to include within our cluster analysis. K-means cluster analysis of the factor scores and all the variables not loading into a factor was used to determine phenotypic subgroups. Results: Our factor analysis found three important factors that were characterised by: psychological well-being features; non-tremor motor features, such as posture and rigidity; and cognitive features. Our subsequent five cluster model identified groups characterised by (1) mild motor and non-motor disease (25.4%), (2) poor posture and cognition (23.3%), (3) severe tremor (20.8%), (4) poor psychological well-being, RBD and sleep (18.9%), and (5) severe motor and non-motor disease with poor psychological well-being (11.7%). Conclusion: Our approach identified several Parkinson’s phenotypic sub-groups driven by largely dopaminergic-resistant features (RBD, impaired cognition and posture, poor psychological well-being) that, in addition to dopaminergic-responsive motor features may be important for studying the aetiology, progression, and medication response of early Parkinson’s.
Concerns About Falling in Parkinson’s Disease: Associations with Disabilities and Personal and Environmental Factors
Authors: Jonasson Stina B. , Ullén Susann , Iwarsson Susanne , Lexell Jan , Nilsson Maria H. 
Published: June 2015

Background: Fear of falling can be conceptualized in different ways, e.g., as concerns about falling or low fall-related self-efficacy. It is common in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and there is growing knowledge about its contributing factors. However, previous multivariate studies have mainly focused on fear of falling in relation to PD-related disabilities, and less is known about the associations between fear of falling and personal and environmental factors. Objective: To identify explanatory factors of concerns about falling in people with PD by focusing on personal and environmental factors as well as PD-related disabilities. Methods: Data were collected from 241 persons with PD (39% women, median age 70 years, PD duration 8 years). Concerns about falling (assessed with the Falls Efficacy Scale-International, FES-I; categorized into low, moderate, or high concerns) were used as the dependent variable in a multivariate ordinal regression analysis. Personal factors, environmental factors and PD-related disabilities constituted independent variables. Results: Low, moderate and high concerns about falling were reported by 29% , 24% and 47% of the participants, respectively. Walking difficulties, orthostatism, motor symptoms, age, and fatigue (presented in order of importance) were significant ( p <  0.05) explanatory factors of concerns about falling. Conclusions: Several factors significantly explained concerns about falling in people with PD. Walking difficulties was by far the strongest explanatory factor. This suggests that minimizing walking difficulties should be a primary target when aiming at reducing concerns about falling in people with PD.
The significance of non-controlled natural light, temperature and humidity in the commercial micropropagation of Solanum tuberosum L. Cultivar Diamant
Authors: Arias FJ Zapata , Akter Shahana , Haque SM Asadul , Akther Shilpi , Khatun Firoza , Mazid Md A , Hossain Mahabub 
Published: June 2015

The aim of our study was to reduce the unit cost of in vitro micropropagation of the Solanum tuberosum cultivar Diamant widely cultivated in Bangladesh with the guarantee that the quality and quantity of the in vitro plants produced was not jeopardized. This was done by entirely replacing the conventional micropropagation conditions of maintaining the in vitro plants in a controlled room whose temperature varies between 25 and 30°C, its humidity between 60 to 70% and its light intensity of 20,238 to 20,409 for 19 hours; with a room whose roof was made of corrugated plastic sheets that allow a partial passage of natural light. Under this conditions the amount of light, temperature and humidity were not controlled. During the time work the temperatures in this non-conventional room fluctuate between 14 and 40°C, the light intensities were between 20,017 to 20,687 Lux and the humidity between 40 to 90%. Experiments were initiated in May, 2009 through March, 2014 covering summer, rainy and winter seasons. After two years of laboratory research and two years of field studies, we have not found differences between yield production of the micropropagated plants grown under control and non-controlled conditions, very often the latter plants were robust and adapted faster when transfer to field conditions. All plants used in the field experiments were no more than seven in vitro passages. A RBCD yield trail of the plants was done during two seasons and it was no found any difference in yield between them. Moreover, a yield trail of the minitubers to produce breeder seed (second generation) was done during the season 2013-2014 and no differences were found between the controls and the tubers derived from the low cost.
Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 24(2): 131-139, 2014 (December)
La « Commission de lutte contre les tentatives de falsification de l'histoire au détriment des intérêts de la Russie » : « grand machin » inutile ou nouvel instrument de censure ?
Authors: Comte Philippe 
Published: June 2015

On 1 5 May 2009, President Medvedev issued decree number 459 creating "The Presidential Commission of the Russian Federation for Countering Attempts to Falsify History to the Detriment of Russia's Interests". As the French state had done a few years earlier, the Russian state expressed its wish to write its definitive national history to serve as the point of reference in terms of accuracy both at home and abroad. In Russia itself, public opinion immediately cried out against such an unconstitutional initiative ; it was considered as an attempt to establish a new dogma. This seemed all the more to be the case as the senior civil servants making up the bulk of the Commission lacked appropriate training in historical scholarship.
In its own way, Russia joined the debate on national history initiated in France in July 1 990 when the first so-called "memory law", or Gayssot law, was passed. The debate ended in July 2009, when the President of the National Assembly gave a speech inviting the State to forego further attempts to write scholarly history, highlighting the tension between a national history or narrative on the one hand, and a scholarly history on the other.
Both the French and the Russian states have in their own way claimed their right to write national history and also to control others attempting to do so. They have also tried to interfere in the writing of scholarly history. Faced with the outcry triggered by their initiatives, both states have had to retreat. The French state tiptoed back and left all existing memory laws in place. The Russian state in the end decided against decreeing a memory law similar to the Gayssot law and, instead, set up the aforementioned Commission. The latter subsequently toned down attempts to monitor the writing of historical manuals. Nevertheless, Russia has not altogether ceased to keep an eye on the production of scholarly history. This is evident in the bizarre "Suprun" affair : recently a historian in Arkhangelsk was being interrogated by an (hopefully overzealous) FSB officer. Suffice it to say that both France and Russia have maintained an ambiguous position about the matter of national historiography.
Drawing on quotations from philosophers, pamphleteers and nineteenth and twentieth century historians with an interest in this issue, this article aims to analyse some specific, recent, examples in France and Russia. We shall ultimately assess contradictions with regard to the issues of legitimacy and "hostility" as universal problems that emerge in the production of national narratives and historical scholarship.
Efficacy and Safety of Pregabalin in Patients with Fibromyalgia and Comorbid Depression Taking Concurrent Antidepressant Medication: A Randomized, Placebo-controlled Study
Authors: Arnold Lesley M. , Sarzi-Puttini Piercarlo , Arsenault Pierre , Khan Tahira , Bhadra Brown Pritha , Clair Andrew , Scavone Joseph M. , Driscoll Joseph , Landen Jaren , Pauer Lynne 
Published: June 2015

Objective.To assess pregabalin efficacy and safety in patients with fibromyalgia (FM) with comorbid depression taking concurrent antidepressant medication.Methods.This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, 2-period, 2-way crossover study was composed of two 6-week treatment periods separated by a 2-week taper/washout phase. Patients with FM (aged ≥ 18 yrs) taking a stable dose of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or a serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) for depression were randomized 1:1 to receive pregabalin/placebo or placebo/pregabalin (optimized to 300 or 450 mg/day). Antidepressant medication was continued throughout the study. The primary efficacy outcome was the mean pain score on an 11-point numerical rating scale. Secondary efficacy outcomes included measures of anxiety, depression, patient function, and sleep.Results.Of 197 patients randomized to treatment, 181 and 177 received ≥ 1 dose of pregabalin and placebo, respectively. At baseline, 52.3% of patients were taking an SSRI and 47.7% an SNRI, and mean pain score was 6.7. Mean pain scores at endpoint were statistically significantly reduced with pregabalin (least squares mean difference from placebo −0.61, 95% CI −0.91 – −0.31, p = 0.0001). Pregabalin significantly improved Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety (difference −0.95, p < 0.0001) and -Depression (difference −0.88, p = 0.0005) scores, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire total score (difference −6.60, p < 0.0001), and sleep quality (difference 0.57, p < 0.0001), but not EuroQol 5-Dimensions score (difference 0.02, p = 0.3854). Pregabalin safety was consistent with previous studies and current product labeling.Conclusion.Compared with placebo, pregabalin statistically significantly improved FM pain and other symptoms in patients taking antidepressant medication for comorbid depression. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01432236.
Longterm Safety of Tocilizumab: Results from 3 Years of Followup Postmarketing Surveillance of 5573 Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Japan
Authors: Yamamoto Kazuhiko , Goto Hajime , Hirao Kenzo , Nakajima Atsuo , Origasa Hideki , Tanaka Kunihiko , Tomobe Minako , Totsuka Kyoichi 
Published: June 2015

Objective.To evaluate the longterm safety of tocilizumab (TCZ) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a real-world clinical setting in Japan.Methods.In this longterm extension of a single-arm, observational postmarketing surveillance study, a total of 5573 patients who initiated intravenous TCZ between April 2008 and July 2009 were observed for 3 years, regardless of its continuation, for incidence of fatal events, serious infections, malignancy, gastrointestinal perforations, and serious cardiac dysfunction.Results.Of the 5573 patients who were enrolled, 4527 patients (81.23%) completed 3 years of followup. There were no increases in the proportions of patients with fatal events, serious infection, malignancy, GI perforation, or serious cardiac dysfunction over 3 years. The all-cause mortality rate during followup was 2.58% (0.95/100 patient-yrs), and the standardized mortality ratio was 1.27 (95% CI, 1.08 to 1.50). Patients who were older with longer disease duration and respiratory comorbidities were more likely to discontinue TCZ treatment following serious infection during the first year. Among patients who completed 3 years of TCZ treatment, serious infection developed at a constant rate during the 3-year treatment period. The proportion of malignancy during followup was 2.24% (0.83/100 patient-yrs), and the standardized incidence ratio was 0.79 (95% CI, 0.66 to 0.95).Conclusion.The safety profile of TCZ was consistent over time regarding mortality, serious infections, malignancy, gastrointestinal perforation, and serious cardiac dysfunction. These data confirm the longterm safety of TCZ use in patients with RA in a real-world clinical setting.