bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Knowledge and practice of primary eye care among primary healthcare workers in northern Nigeria
Authors: AbdulRahman Aminatu Ali , Rabiu Mansur Muhammad , Alhassan Mahmoud Babanini 
Published: February 2015

AbstractObjectiveTo assess knowledge and practice of primary eye care among primary healthcare workers known as community health extension workers in Funtua district of Nigeria.MethodsCross‐sectional mixed method study among health workers employed in government‐owned primary healthcare facilities. Quantitative data were obtained using self‐administered questionnaires and checklists, while qualitative data by modified Delphi technique, role plays and observation. A score of 1 was given for each correct answer, while a total score of ≥60% was considered ‘good’.ResultsEighty three of 88 health workers participated (94%) in the questionnaire survey; while 16 of them were selected for the qualitative survey. Good scores regarding the knowledge of common eye diseases were obtained by 68.7%, but only 26.4% of them could identify their most important features. Participants could undertake 3 of 5 steps in visual acuity testing. Skills in recognising common eye diseases and their management were weak; while practice was often not according to the guidelines.ConclusionCommunity health extension workers displayed good knowledge of common eye diseases. Areas of weakness are recognition and interpretation of eye signs, and practice rarely follows the guidelines. Preventive medicine was neglected; community health extension workers require practical retraining and supervision to achieve integration of primary eye care into primary healthcare services.
CGR2 and CGR3 have critical overlapping roles in pectin methylesterification and plant growth in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Kim Sang‐Jin , Held Michael A. , Zemelis Starla , Wilkerson Curtis , Brandizzi Federica 
Published: February 2015

SummaryPectins are critical polysaccharides of the cell wall that are involved in key aspects of a plant's life, including cell‐wall stiffness, cell‐to‐cell adhesion, and mechanical strength. Pectins undergo methylesterification, which affects their cellular roles. Pectin methyltransferases are believed to methylesterify pectins in the Golgi, but little is known about their identity. To date, there is only circumstantial evidence to support a role for QUASIMODO2 (QUA2)‐like proteins and an unrelated plant‐specific protein, cotton Golgi‐related 3 (CGR3), in pectin methylesterification. To add to the knowledge of pectin biosynthesis, here we characterized a close homolog of CGR3, named CGR2, and evaluated the effect of loss‐of‐function mutants and over‐expression lines of CGR2 and CGR3 in planta. Our results show that, similar to CGR3, CGR2 is a Golgi protein whose enzyme active site is located in the Golgi lumen where pectin methylesterification occurs. Through phenotypical analyses, we also established that simultaneous loss of CGR2 and CGR3 causes severe defects in plant growth and development, supporting critical but overlapping functional roles of these proteins. Qualitative and quantitative cell‐wall analytical assays of the double knockout mutant demonstrated reduced levels of pectin methylesterification, coupled with decreased microsomal pectin methyltransferase activity. Conversely, CGR2 and CGR3 over‐expression lines have markedly opposite phenotypes to the double knockout mutant, with increased cell‐wall methylesterification levels and microsomal pectin methyltransferase activity. Based on these findings, we propose that CGR2 and CGR3 are critical proteins in plant growth and development that act redundantly in pectin methylesterification in the Golgi apparatus.
Dynamic regulation of photosynthesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Authors: Minagawa Jun , Tokutsu Ryutaro 
Published: February 2015

SummaryPlants and algae have acquired the ability to acclimatize to ever‐changing environments to survive. During photosynthesis, light energy is converted by several membrane protein supercomplexes into electrochemical energy, which is eventually used to assimilate CO2. The efficiency of photosynthesis is modulated by many environmental factors, including temperature, drought, CO2 concentration, and the quality and quantity of light. Recently, our understanding of such regulators of photosynthesis and the underlying molecular mechanisms has increased considerably. The photosynthetic supercomplexes undergo supramolecular reorganizations within a short time after receiving environmental cues. These reorganizations include state transitions that balance the excitation of the two photosystems: qE quenching, which thermally dissipates excess energy at the level of the light‐harvesting antenna, and cyclic electron flow, which supplies the increased ATP demanded by CO2 assimilation and the pH gradient to activate qE quenching. This review focuses on the recent findings regarding the environmental regulation of photosynthesis in model organisms, paying particular attention to the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, which offer a glimpse into the dynamic behavior of photosynthetic machinery in nature.
The Relationship Between Communicable Diseases and FDI Flows: An Empirical Investigation
Authors: Ghosh Sucharita , Renna Francesco 
Published: February 2015

AbstractThis paper focuses on the impact of communicable diseases, which affects the population health component of human capital on worldwide FDI flows. The model controls for endogeneity that can stem from the interconnected relationship between FDI, population health and per capita GDP. After controlling for this endogeneity, we find that communicable diseases have a statistically significant negative effect on FDI, which is 2 to 5 times larger than when using ordinary least squares. The results remain robust to alternative model specifications.
Patient characteristics influencing the variability of distributed parameter‐based models in DCE‐CT kinetic analysis
Authors: La Fontaine M. D. , McDaniel L. S. , Kubicek L. N. , Chappell R. J. , Forrest L. J. , Jeraj R. 
Published: February 2015

AbstractKinetic parameter variability may be sensitive to kinetic model choice, kinetic model implementation or patient‐specific effects. The purpose of this study was to assess their impact on the variability of dynamic contrast‐enhanced computed tomography (DCE‐CT) kinetic parameters. A total of 11 canine patients with sinonasal tumours received high signal‐to‐noise ratio, test‐double retest DCE‐CT scans. The variability for three distributed parameter (DP)‐based models was assessed by analysis of variance. Mixed‐effects modelling evaluated patient‐specific effects. Inter‐model variability (CVinter) was comparable to or lower than intra‐model variability (CVintra) for blood flow (CVinter:[4–28%], CVintra:[28–31%]), fractional vascular volume (CVinter:[3–17%], CVintra:[16–19%]) and permeability‐surface area product (CVinter:[5–12%], CVintra:[14–15%]). The kinetic models were significantly (P<0.05) impacted by patient characteristics for patient size, area underneath the curve of the artery and of the tumour. In conclusion, DP‐based models demonstrated good agreement with similar differences between models and scans. However, high variability in the kinetic parameters and their sensitivity to patient size may limit certain quantitative applications.
Hypercalcemia and parathyroid hormone‐related peptide expression in a dog with thyroid carcinoma and histiocytic sarcoma
Authors: Scruggs Jennifer L. , Nobrega‐Lee Michelle , Fry Michael M. , Applegate Rory 
Published: February 2015

AbstractA 9.5‐year‐old, male castrated Walker Hound was presented for evaluation of progressive weakness, anorexia, and weight loss. Imaging revealed multiple abdominal and thoracic masses and ascites; fine‐needle aspirates of mesenteric and splenic masses confirmed malignancy, most likely histiocytic sarcoma. Laboratory analyses revealed increased ionized calcium and parathyroid hormone‐related peptide (PTH‐rP) concentrations, and concurrent low–normal parathyroid hormone concentration, consistent with humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy. Necropsy was performed after euthanasia. The dog had disseminated histiocytic sarcoma, including sarcomatosis, as well as bilateral thyroid carcinoma. PTH‐rP immunostaining was positive in the thyroid carcinoma but negative in the histiocytic neoplasm. These results suggest that thyroid carcinoma‐associated hypercalcemia can be caused by tumor secretion of PTH‐rP.
Review: Role of genetics and the environment in the pathogenesis of canine atopic dermatitis
Authors: Bizikova Petra , Pucheu‐Haston Cherie M. , Eisenschenk Melissa N. C. , Marsella Rosanna , Nuttall Tim , Santoro Domenico 
Published: February 2015

BackgroundMultiple levels of evidence support the role of genetics and the environment in the pathogenesis of canine atopic dermatitis (AD).ObjectivesThis review summarizes the current evidence in genetics and the effect of environmental factors on the development and perpetuation of canine AD.MethodsCitation databases, abstracts and proceedings from international meetings published between 2001 and 2013 were reviewed in this update. Where necessary, older articles were included for background information.ResultsCanine AD is a heritable disease, in which interaction with environmental factors influences disease risk and phenotype. A study of British guide dogs indicated that nearly 50% of the risk of developing AD was determined by an individual's genotype. Genomic studies performed so far in canine AD have uncovered numerous gene candidates likely to be involved in pathogenesis through their role in immunity, skin barrier formation, apoptosis and inflammation. In addition to genetics, there is evidence to suggest that exposure to certain environmental factors influences the prevalence and course of canine AD. For example, living in rural areas or feeding noncommercial diets was negatively associated with the development of AD in dogs, while exposure to high levels of smoke was associated with increased prevalence of allergic skin disease.ConclusionsIt is becoming clear that canine AD is genotypically complex and influenced by a variety of environmental factors. Well‐designed studies with sufficient statistical power will be critical to identify the complex genetic and environmental factors involved in disease development and progression. Recognition of such factors may help to identify new targets for therapy and enable better disease prevention and management.
Comparison between target margins derived from 4DCT scans and real‐time tumor motion tracking: Insights from lung tumor patients treated with robotic radiosurgery
Authors: Descovich Martina , McGuinness Christopher , Kannarunimit Danita , Chen Josephine , Pinnaduwage Dilini , Pouliot Jean , Kased Norbert , Gottschalk Alexander R. , Yom Sue S. 
Published: February 2015

Purpose:A unique capability of the CyberKnife system is dynamic target tracking. However, not all patients are eligible for this approach. Rather, their tumors are tracked statically using the vertebral column for alignment. When using static tracking, the internal target volume (ITV) is delineated on the four‐dimensional (4D) CT scan and an additional margin is added to account for setup uncertainty [planning target volume (PTV)]. Treatment margins are difficult to estimate due to unpredictable variations in tumor motion and respiratory pattern during the course of treatment. The inability to track the target and detect changes in respiratory characteristics might result in geographic misses and local tumor recurrences. The purpose of this study is to develop a method to evaluate the adequacy of ITV‐to‐PTV margins for patients treated in this manner.Methods:Data from 24 patients with lesions in the upper lobe (n = 12), middle lobe (n = 3), and lower lobe (n = 9) were included in this study. Each patient was treated with dynamic tracking and underwent 4DCT scanning at the time of simulation. Data including the 3D coordinates of the target over the course of treatment were extracted from the treatment log files and used to determine actual target motion in the superior–inferior (S–I), anterior–posterior (A–P), and left–right (L–R) directions. Different approaches were used to calculate anisotropic and isotropic margins, assuming that the tumor moves as a rigid body. Anisotropic margins were calculated by separating target motion in the three anatomical directions, and a uniform margin was calculated by shifting the gross tumor volume contours in the 3D space and by computing the percentage of overlap with the PTV. The analysis was validated by means of a theoretical formulation.Results:The three methods provided consistent results. A uniform margin of 4.5 mm around the ITV was necessary to assure 95% target coverage for 95% of the fractions included in the analysis. In the case of anisotropic margins, the expansion required in the S–I direction was larger (8.1 mm) than those in the L–R (4.9 mm) and A–P (4.5 mm) directions. This margin accounts for variations of target position within the same treatment fraction.Conclusions:The use of bony alignment for CyberKnife lung stereotactic body radiation therapy requires careful considerations, in terms of the potential for increased toxicity or local miss. Our method could be used by other centers to determine the adequacy of ITV‐to‐PTV margins for their patients.
Avoiding Communication in Successive Band Reduction
Authors: Ballard Grey , Demmel James , Knight Nicholas 
Published: February 2015

The running time of an algorithm depends on both arithmetic and communication (i.e., data movement) costs, and the relative costs of communication are growing over time. In this work, we present sequential and distributed-memory parallel algorithms for tridiagonalizing full symmetric and symmetric band matrices that asymptotically reduce communication compared to previous approaches.
The tridiagonalization of a symmetric band matrix is a key kernel in solving the symmetric eigenvalue problem for both full and band matrices. In order to preserve structure, tridiagonalization routines use annihilate-and-chase procedures that previously have suffered from poor data locality and high parallel latency cost. We improve both by reorganizing the computation and obtain asymptotic improvements. We also propose new algorithms for reducing a full symmetric matrix to band form in a communication-efficient manner. In this article, we consider the cases of computing eigenvalues only and of computing eigenvalues and all eigenvectors.
26
th
ACM International Conference on Hypertext and Social Media
Authors: Yesilada Yeliz , Celik Ilknur , Farzan Rosta , Houben Geert-Jan 
Published: February 2015

Hypertext 2015 will be held in Cyprus from September 2 to 4. This newsletter article briey introduces the conference and also the venue.
We hope to meet you all in Cyprus in September!
http://ht.acm.org/ht2015/
https://www.facebook.com/Hypertext2015
https://twitter.com/Hypertext2015
Automatic Adaptation of Annotations
Authors: Jiang Wenbin , Lü Yajuan , Huang Liang , Liu Qun 
Published: February 2015

Manually annotated corpora are indispensable resources, yet for many annotation tasks, such as the creation of treebanks, there exist multiple corpora with different and incompatible annotation guidelines. This leads to an inefficient use of human expertise, but it could be remedied by integrating knowledge across corpora with different annotation guidelines. In this article we describe the problem of annotation adaptation and the intrinsic principles of the solutions, and present a series of successively enhanced models that can automatically adapt the divergence between different annotation formats.We evaluate our algorithms on the tasks of Chinese word segmentation and dependency parsing. For word segmentation, where there are no universal segmentation guidelines because of the lack of morphology in Chinese, we perform annotation adaptation from the much larger People's Daily corpus to the smaller but more popular Penn Chinese Treebank. For dependency parsing, we perform annotation adaptation from the Penn Chinese Treebank to a semantics-oriented Dependency Treebank, which is annotated using significantly different annotation guidelines. In both experiments, automatic annotation adaptation brings significant improvement, achieving state-of-the-art performance despite the use of purely local features in training.
Prognostic value of procalcitonin in respiratory tract infections across clinical settings
Authors: Kutz Alexander , Briel Matthias , Christ-Crain Mirjam , Stolz Daiana , Bouadma Lila , Wolff Michel , Kristoffersen Kristina B , Wei Long , Burkhardt Olaf , Welte Tobias , Schroeder Stefan , Nobre Vandack , Tamm Michael , Bhatnagar Neera , Bucher Heiner C , Luyt Charles-Edouard , Chastre Jean , Tubach Florence , Mueller Beat , Schuetz Philipp 
Published: February 2015

Abstract
Introduction
Whether the inflammatory biomarker procalcitonin provides prognostic information across clinical settings and different acute respiratory tract infections (ARIs) is poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the prognostic value of admission procalcitonin levels to predict adverse clinical outcome in a large ARI population.

Methods
We analysed data from 14 trials and 4,211 ARI patients to study associations of admission procalcitonin levels and setting specific treatment failure and mortality alone at 30 days. We used multivariable hierarchical logistic regression and conducted sensitivity analyses stratified by clinical settings and ARI diagnoses to assess the results’ consistency.

Results
Overall, 864 patients (20.5%) experienced treatment failure and 252 (6.0%) died. The ability of procalcitonin to differentiate patients with from those without treatment failure was highest in the emergency department setting (treatment failure area under the curve (AUC): 0.64 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.61, 0.67), adjusted odds ratio (OR): 1.85 (95% CI: 1.61, 2.12), P <0.001; and mortality AUC: 0.67 (95% CI: 0.63, 0.71), adjusted OR: 1.82 (95% CI: 1.45, 2.29), P <0.001). In lower respiratory tract infections, procalcitonin was a good predictor of identifying patients at risk for mortality (AUC: 0.71 (95% CI: 0.68, 0.74), adjusted OR: 2.13 (95% CI: 1.82, 2.49), P <0.001). In primary care and intensive care unit patients, no significant association of initial procalcitonin levels and outcome was found.

Conclusions
Admission procalcitonin levels are associated with setting specific treatment failure and provide the most prognostic information regarding ARI in the emergency department setting.
Early brain injury after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a multimodal neuromonitoring study
Authors: Helbok Raimund , Schiefecker Alois Josef , Beer Ronny , Dietmann Anelia , Antunes Ana Patrícia , Sohm Florian , Fischer Marlene , Hackl Werner Oskar , Rhomberg Paul , Lackner Peter , Pfausler Bettina , Thomé Claudius , Humpel Christian , Schmutzhard Erich 
Published: February 2015

Abstract
Introduction
There is a substantial amount of evidence from animal models that early brain injury (EBI) may play an important role for secondary brain injury after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Cerebral microdialysis (CMD) allows online measurement of brain metabolites, including the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), which is indicative for disruption of the blood-brain barrier.

Methods
Twenty-six consecutive poor-grade aSAH patients with multimodal neuromonitoring were analyzed for brain hemodynamic and metabolic changes, including CMD-IL-6 and CMD-MMP-9 levels. Statistical analysis was performed by using a generalized estimating equation with an autoregressive function.

Results
The baseline cerebral metabolic profile revealed brain metabolic distress and an excitatory response which improved over the following 5 days (P <0.001). Brain tissue hypoxia (brain tissue oxygen tension of less than 20 mm Hg) was common (more than 60% of patients) in the first 24 hours of neuromonitoring and improved thereafter (P <0.05). Baseline CMD-IL-6 and CMD-MMP-9 levels were elevated in all patients (median = 4,059 pg/mL, interquartile range (IQR) = 1,316 to 12,456 pg/mL and median = 851 pg/mL, IQR = 98 to 25,860 pg/mL) and significantly decreased over days (P <0.05). A higher pro-inflammatory response was associated with the development of delayed cerebral ischemia (P = 0.04), whereas admission disease severity and early brain tissue hypoxia were associated with higher CMD-MMP-9 levels (P <0.03). Brain metabolic distress and increased IL-6 levels were associated with poor functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale of more than 3, P ≤0.01). All models were adjusted for probe location, aneurysm securing procedure, and disease severity as appropriate.

Conclusions
Multimodal neuromonitoring techniques allow insight into pathophysiologic changes in the early phase after aSAH. The results may be used as endpoints for future interventions targeting EBI in poor-grade aSAH patients.
Cathelicidin antimicrobial protein, vitamin D, and risk of death in critically ill patients
Authors: Leaf David E , Croy Heather E , Abrahams Sara J , Raed Anas , Waikar Sushrut S 
Published: February 2015

Abstract
Introduction
Decreased production of cathelicidin antimicrobial protein-18 (hCAP18) has been proposed to be a key mechanism linking decreased 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25D) levels with adverse outcomes among critically ill patients. However, few studies in humans have directly assessed plasma hCAP18 levels, and no study has evaluated the association between hCAP18 levels and adverse outcomes among critically ill patients.

Methods
We performed a single-center, prospective cohort study among 121 critically ill patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) between 2008 and 2012. We measured plasma hCAP18, 25D, D-binding protein, and parathyroid hormone levels on ICU day 1. The primary endpoint was 90-day mortality. Secondary endpoints included hospital mortality, sepsis, acute kidney injury, duration of mechanical ventilation, and hospital length of stay.

Results
ICU day 1 hCAP18 levels were directly correlated with 25D levels (Spearman’s rho (rs) = 0.30, P = 0.001). In multivariate analyses adjusted for age and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, patients with hCAP18 levels in the lowest compared to highest tertile on ICU day 1 had a 4.49 (1.08 to 18.67) greater odds of 90-day mortality, and also had greater odds of sepsis. ICU day 1 levels of other analytes were not associated with 90-day mortality.

Conclusions
Lower 25D levels on ICU day 1 are associated with lower hCAP18 levels, which are in turn associated with a greater risk of 90-day mortality. These findings provide a potential mechanistic basis for the frequently observed association between low 25D levels and poor outcomes in critically ill patients.