bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Insulin Resistance and Risk of Incident Heart Failure
Authors: Banerjee Dipanjan , Biggs Mary L. , Mercer Laina , Mukamal Kenneth , Kaplan Robert , Barzilay Joshua , Kuller Lewis , Kizer Jorge R. , Djousse Luc , Tracy Russell , Zieman Susan , Lloyd-Jones Donald , Siscovick David , Carnethon Mercedes 
Published: April 2013

Background—
Patients with heart failure (HF) have higher fasting insulin levels and a higher prevalence of insulin resistance as compared with matched controls. Insulin resistance leads to structural abnormalities in the heart, such as increased left atrial size, left ventricular mass, and alterations in transmitral velocity that can precede the diagnosis of HF. It is not known whether insulin resistance precedes the development of HF or whether the relationship between insulin resistance and HF is present among adults with HF caused by nonischemic heart disease.

Methods and Results—
We examined 4425 participants (60% women) from the Cardiovascular Health Study after excluding those with HF, myocardial infarction, or treated diabetes mellitus at baseline. We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate the relative risk of incident HF associated with fasting insulin measured at study entry. There were 1216 cases of incident HF (1103 without antecedent myocardial infarction) during a median follow-up of 12 years (maximum, 19 years). Fasting insulin levels were positively associated with the risk of incident HF (hazard ratio, 1.10; 95% confidence interval, 1.05–1.15, per SD change) when adjusted for age, sex, race, field center, physical activity, smoking, alcohol intake, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, total cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, and waist circumference. The association between fasting insulin levels and incident HF was similar for HF without antecedent myocardial infarction (hazard ratio, 1.10; 95% confidence interval, 1.05–1.15). Measures of left atrial size, left ventricular mass, and peak A velocity at baseline were associated both with fasting insulin levels and with HF; however, additional statistical adjustment for these parameters did not completely attenuate the insulin-HF estimate (hazard ratio, 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.03–1.14 per 1-SD increase in fasting insulin).

Conclusions—
Fasting insulin was positively associated with adverse echocardiographic features and risk of subsequent HF in Cardiovascular Health Study participants, including those without an antecedent myocardial infarction.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00005133.
Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction, Heart Failure, and the Risk of Stroke and Systemic Embolism in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: McMurray John J.V. , Ezekowitz Justin A. , Lewis Basil S. , Gersh Bernard J. , van Diepen Sean , Amerena John , Bartunek Jozef , Commerford Patrick , Oh Byung-Hee , Harjola Veli-Pekka , Al-Khatib Sana M. , Hanna Michael , Alexander John H. , Lopes Renato D. , Wojdyla Daniel M. , Wallentin Lars , Granger Christopher B. ,   for the ARISTOTLE Committees and Investigators
Published: April 2013

Background—
We examined the risk of stroke or systemic embolism (SSE) conferred by heart failure (HF) and left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) in the Apixaban for Reduction in Stroke and Other Thromboembolic Events in Atrial Fibrillation Trial (ARISTOTLE), as well as the effect of apixaban versus warfarin.

Methods and Results—

The risk of a number of outcomes, including the composite of SSE or death (to take account of competing risks) and composite of SSE, major bleeding, or death (net clinical benefit) were calculated in 3 patient groups: (1) no HF/no LVSD (n=8728), (2) HF/no LVSD (n=3207), and (3) LVSD with/without symptomatic HF (n=2736). The rate of both outcomes was highest in patients with LVSD (SSE or death 8.06; SSE, major bleeding, or death 10.46 per 100 patient-years), intermediate for HF but preserved LV systolic function (5.32; 7.24), and lowest in patients without HF or LVSD (1.54; 5.27); each comparison
P
<0.0001. Each outcome was less frequent in patients treated with apixaban: in all ARISTOTLE patients, the apixaban/warfarin hazard ratio for SSE or death was 0.89 (95% confidence interval, 0.81–0.98;
P
=0.02); for SSE, major bleed, or death it was 0.85 (0.78–0.92;
P
<0.001). There was no heterogeneity of treatment effect across the 3 groups.

Conclusions—
Patients with LVSD (with/without HF) had a higher risk of SSE or death (but similar rate of SSE) compared with patients with HF but preserved LV systolic function; both had a greater risk than patients without either HF or LVSD. Apixaban reduced the risk of both outcomes more than warfarin in all 3 patient groups.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00412984.
Agreement Among Cardiovascular Disease Risk Calculators
Authors: Allan G. Michael , Nouri Faeze , Korownyk Christina , Kolber Michael R. , Vandermeer Ben , McCormack James 
Published: April 2013

Background—
Use of cardiovascular disease risk calculators is often recommended by guidelines, but research on consistency in risk assessment among calculators is limited.

Method and Results—

A search of PubMed and Google was performed. Five clinicians selected 25 calculators by independent review. Hypothetical patients were created with the use of 7 risk factors (age, sex, smoking, blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, and diabetes mellitus) dichotomized to high and low, generating 2
7
patients (128 total). These patients were assessed by each calculator by 2 clinicians. Risk estimates (and assigned risk categories) were compared among calculators. Selected calculators were from 8 countries, used 5- or 10-year predictions, and estimated either cardiovascular disease or coronary heart disease. With the use of 3 risk categories (low, medium, and high), the 25 calculators categorized each patient into a mean of 2.2 different categories, and 41% of unique patients were assigned across all 3 risk categories. Risk category agreement between pairs of calculators was 67%. This did not improve when analysis was limited to just the 10-year cardiovascular disease calculators. In nondiabetics, the highest calculated risk estimate from a calculator averaged 4.9 times higher (range, 1.9–13.3) than the lowest calculated risk estimate for the same patient. This did not change meaningfully for diabetics or when the analysis was limited to 10-year cardiovascular disease calculators.

Conclusions—
The decision as to which calculator to use for risk estimation has an important impact on both risk categorization and absolute risk estimates. This has broad implications for guidelines recommending therapies based on specific calculators.
Retinotopic and Lateralized Processing of Spatial Frequencies in Human Visual Cortex during Scene Categorization
Authors: Musel Benoit , Bordier Cécile , Dojat Michel , Pichat Cédric , Chokron Sylvie , Le Bas Jean-François , Peyrin Carole 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
Using large natural scenes filtered in spatial frequencies, we aimed to demonstrate that spatial frequency processing could not only be retinotopically mapped but could also be lateralized in both hemispheres. For this purpose, participants performed a categorization task using large black and white photographs of natural scenes (indoors vs. outdoors, with a visual angle of 24° × 18°) filtered in low spatial frequencies (LSF), high spatial frequencies (HSF), and nonfiltered scenes, in block-designed fMRI recording sessions. At the group level, the comparison between the spatial frequency content of scenes revealed first that, compared with HSF, LSF scene categorization elicited activation in the anterior half of the calcarine fissures linked to the peripheral visual field, whereas, compared with LSF, HSF scene categorization elicited activation in the posterior part of the occipital lobes, which are linked to the fovea, according to the retinotopic property of visual areas. At the individual level, functional activations projected on retinotopic maps revealed that LSF processing was mapped in the anterior part of V1, whereas HSF processing was mapped in the posterior and ventral part of V2, V3, and V4. Moreover, at the group level, direct interhemispheric comparisons performed on the same fMRI data highlighted a right-sided occipito-temporal predominance for LSF processing and a left-sided temporal cortex predominance for HSF processing, in accordance with hemispheric specialization theories. By using suitable method of analysis on the same data, our results enabled us to demonstrate for the first time that spatial frequencies processing is mapped retinotopically and lateralized in human occipital cortex.
Abnormal Causal Attribution Leads to Advantageous Economic Decision-making: A Neuropsychological Approach
Authors: Koscik Timothy R. , Tranel Daniel 
Published: April 2013

AbstractPeople tend to assume that outcomes are caused by dispositional factors, for example, a person's constitution or personality, even when the actual cause is due to situational factors, for example, luck or coincidence. This is known as the “correspondence bias.” This tendency can lead normal, intelligent persons to make suboptimal decisions. Here, we used a neuropsychological approach to investigate the neural basis of the correspondence bias, by studying economic decision-making in patients with damage to the ventromedial pFC (vmPFC). Given the role of the vmPFC in social cognition, we predicted that vmPFC is necessary for the normal correspondence bias. In our experiment, consistent with expectations, healthy (n = 46) and brain-damaged (n = 30) comparison participants displayed the correspondence bias during economic decision-making and invested no differently when given dispositional or situational information. By contrast, vmPFC patients (n = 17) displayed a lack of correspondence bias and invested more when given dispositional than situational information. The results support the conclusion that vmPFC is critical for normal social inference and the correspondence bias. The findings help clarify the important (and sometimes disadvantageous) role of social inference in economic decision-making.
When Two Become One: The Role of Oxytocin in Interpersonal Coordination and Cooperation
Authors: Arueti Maayan , Perach-Barzilay Nufar , Tsoory Michael M. , Berger Barry , Getter Nir , Shamay-Tsoory Simone G. 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
Cooperation involves intentional coordinated acts performed to achieve potentially positive outcomes. Here we present a novel explanatory model of cooperation, which focuses on the role of the oxytocinergic system in promoting interpersonal coordination and synchrony. Cooperation was assessed using a novel computerized drawing task that may be performed individually or cooperatively by two participants who coordinate their actions. Using a within-subject crossover design, 42 participants performed the task alone and with a partner following the administration of placebo and oxytocin 1 week apart. The data indicate that following placebo administration, participants performed better alone than in pairs. Yet, the administration of oxytocin improved paired performance up to the level of individual performance. This effect depended on the personality traits of cooperativeness or competitiveness. It is concluded that oxytocin may play a key role in enhancing social synchrony and coordination of behaviors required for cooperation.
God in Rabbinic Tradition: Human Reasoning and Divine Authority
Authors: Hashkes Hannah 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
In this paper I contend that rabbinic reasoning reflects a conceptual framework that is based upon a dual notion of divinity. The first notion is of a transcendent God, who created the world and is removed from it. The second is a notion of an immanent God who prescribes law and participates in the human activity of transmitting it. Here God functions as a “first among equals.” The transcendent notion lends rabbinic reasoning its truth value and absolute authority, while the immanent notion allows God’s commanding will to continue its role in prescribing communal life through history. Rabbinic reasoning is the logic derived from this dual notion. Through readings of rabbinic works I demonstrate that the rabbis developed this reasoning by creating conceptual spaces that assume these two notions. These conceptual spaces are based upon the human structures of a court of law and a house of worship, within which processes of reasoning occur.
COMPARISON OF SEGMENTATION METHODS FOR DIGITAL IMAGE ANALYSIS OF CONFOCAL MICROSCOPE IMAGES TO MEASURE TRACHEID CELL DIMENSIONS
Authors: Moëll Mattias K. , Donaldson Lloyd A. 
Published: April 2013

Image analysis is a common tool for measuring tracheid cell dimensions. When analyzing a digital image of a transverse cross section of wood, one of the initial procedures is that of segmentation. This involves classifying a picture element (pixel) as either cell wall or lumen. The accuracy of tracheid measurements is dependent on how well the result of the segmentation procedure corresponds to the true distributions of cell wall or lumen pixels. In this paper a comparison of segmentation methods is given. The effect of segmentation method on measurements is investigated and the performance of each method is discussed.
We demonstrate that automated segmentation methods remove observer bias and are thus capable of more reproducible results. The contrast for confocal microscope images is of such quality that one of the fastest and simplest automatic segmentation methods may be used.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WOOD DENSITY, MICROFIBRIL ANGLE AND STIFFNESS IN THINNED AND FERTILIZED PINUS RADIATA
Authors: Downes Geoffrey M. , Gwinyai Nyakuengama J. , Evans Robert , Northway Richard , Blakemore Philip , Dickson Ross L. , Lausberg Marco 
Published: April 2013

The relationships between wood anatomy in standing trees and the strength of boards were examined in Pinus radiata D. Don (thinned vs thinned and fertilized) at 2 contrasting sites. Fertilizer treatments were applied after mid-rotation thinning. Logs were taper sawn and boards, near the pre-treatment / post-treatment boundary, subjected to acoustic and strength assessment. Average wood property data from a 12-mm increment core obtained prior to harvest, was extracted from the relevant portion of the radius.
In general, fertilizer resulted in lower density, higher microfibril angle (MFA) and slightly lower stiffness. However, stiffness was still relatively high as the affected wood was from the more mature portion of the radius. SilviScan density and MFA data were good predictors of stiffness. Acoustic measurements on boards were strongly correlated with board stiffness. Path analyses explained up to 45% of the variance in stiffness, as a function of estimated MOE and log sweep.
WOODS OF EUCALYPTUS – PART 2 DISTINGUISHING SPECIES FROM THE STRINGYBARK GROUP: (E. baxteri, E. globoidea, E. muelleriana, E. macrorhyncha, E. consideniana and E. sieberi)
Authors: Ilic J. 
Published: April 2013

In Australia the stringybark group of eucalypts comprises at least 25 species of Eucalyptus from the botanical series Capitellatae. The species are abundant in south-eastern Australia, and four groups (white, yellow, brown and red) of the commercial timber come mainly from Victoria and New South Wales and these include E. baxteri (Benth.) Maiden, E. globoidea Blakely & Blakely, E. macrorhyncha F. Muell. ex Benth., and E. muelleriana Howitt. As with the ‘ash group’ of eucalypts, the timbers are similar in appearance, and although they are heavier than the ash group, there are some overlapping characteristics. Two additional species, E. consideniana Maiden (yertchuk) and E. sieberi L.A.S. Johnson (silvertop ash), outside the stringybark group, were studied as their woods also closely resemble those from the stringybark group.
Differences were found between the species in vessel diameter and density, ray content, amount of axial parenchyma, distinctness of growth rings, basic density and wood colour. Most of the useful differences arise from extremes of these characteristics. Eucalyptus macrorhyncha (red stringybark) can be identified when the pore number is greater than 15/mm2, the average maximum tangential diameter is less than 140 μm, by ray width and content and from the definite pink-reddish colour. Eucalyptus sieberi can be distinguished definitely from E. muelleriana, and fairly certainly from E. globoidea and E. baxteri by uniformly distributed deposits in the rays. Considerable overlap in wood structure exists among E. muelleriana, E. globoidea and E. baxteri making their separation on wood characteristics impractical. Photomicrographs illustrating various points have been included together with a key for separation between the species studied. Similarities to other species including E. acmenoides, E. microcorys, E. obliqua, E. phaeotricha, and E. pilularis are discussed.
Cross-camera comparison of ROI-based semi-quantitative 123I-IBZM SPECT data in healthy volunteers using an anthropomorphic phantom for calibration
Authors: Mo Susanna Jakobson , Larsson Anne , Johansson Lennart , Stenlund Hans , Forsgren Lars , Riklund Katrine 
Published: April 2013

Background In 123I-Iolopride (IBZM) SPECT reference values may diverge between camera systems. If multicenter pooling of normal material databases is needed, differences in measured semi-quantitative data due to equipment performance and reconstruction parameters have to be investigated in each instance to determine the comparability. Purpose To explore the differences in 123I-IBZM measured uptake ratios between two different gamma cameras in healthy controls, the intra-rater reproducibility of the image evaluation method and the possibility to equalize uptake ratios by calibration through an anthropomorphic phantom. Material and Methods Differences in ROI-based semi-quantitative data from two different gamma camera systems, the three-headed brain dedicated Neurocam and the two-headed multipurpose hybrid system Infinia Hawkeye, were studied using image data from a group of healthy volunteers and an anthropomorphic brain-phantom scanned with both cameras. Several reconstruction methods and corrections were applied. To test the reliability of the ROI method, the intra-observer reproducibility was determined for the ROI method in this study. Results The ROI method had a high reliability. Differences in mean measured uptake 123I-IBZM ratios in healthy controls varied between 2.9% and 6.5% depending on reconstruction and correction for attenuation and scatter. After calibration, the differences decreased. There were no statistically significant differences between corrected ratios from the two camera systems in the study when images were reconstructed with attenuation correction. Conclusion The conformity of uptake ratios in attenuation corrected 123I-IBZM images derived from the two different cameras was improved by using an anthropomorphic phantom for calibration.
Different levels of cortical excitability reflect clinical fluctuations in migraine
Authors: Restuccia Domenico , Vollono Catello , Piero Ivana del , Martucci Lucia , Zanini Sergio 
Published: April 2013

Background In a previous study we demonstrated that high-frequency oscillations (HFOs) elicited by median nerve stimulation are significantly correlated to clinical fluctuations of migraine. We aimed at verifying whether clinical fluctuations and HFO changes are correlated to N20 somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) recovery cycle, which is likely to reflect the functional refractoriness of primary somatosensory cortex neurons. Methods We analysed both HFOs and N20 SEP recovery cycle to paired stimulation in 21 migraine patients and 18 healthy volunteers. Results Shortened recovery cycle correlated with low-amplitude HFOs as well as with clinical worsening. By contrast, prolonged recovery cycle correlated with enhanced HFOs, as well as with spontaneous clinical improvement. Conclusions In our migraine patients the strict relationship between presynaptic HFO amplitude and N20 recovery function suggests that changes of both parameters might be caused by modifications of the thalamo-cortical drive. Our findings suggest that the thalamo-cortical drive during interictal stages could fluctuate from abnormally high to abnormally low levels, depending on mechanisms which reduce cortical excitability in spontaneously improving patients, and increase cortical excitability in spontaneously worsening ones.
Comparative transcriptome analysis of Gossypium hirsutumL. in response to sap sucking insects: aphid and whitefly
Authors: Dubey Neeraj Kumar , Goel Ridhi , Ranjan Alok , Idris Asif , Singh Sunil Kumar , Bag Sumit K , Chandrashekar Krishnappa , Pandey Kapil Deo , Singh Pradhyumna Kumar , Sawant Samir V 
Published: April 2013

Abstract

Background
Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is a major fiber crop that is grown worldwide; it faces extensive damage from sap-sucking insects, including aphids and whiteflies. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis was performed to understand the molecular details of interaction between Gossypium hirsutum L. and sap-sucking pests, namely Aphis gossypii (Aphid) and Bemisia tabacci (Whiteflies). Roche’s GS-Titanium was used to sequence transcriptomes of cotton infested with aphids and whiteflies for 2 h and 24 h.

Results
A total of 100935 contigs were produced with an average length of 529 bp after an assembly in all five selected conditions. The Blastn of the non-redundant (nr) cotton EST database resulted in the identification of 580 novel contigs in the cotton plant. It should be noted that in spite of minimal physical damage caused by the sap-sucking insects, they can change the gene expression of plants in 2 h of infestation; further change in gene expression due to whiteflies is quicker than due to aphids. The impact of the whitefly 24 h after infestation was more or less similar to that of the aphid 2 h after infestation. Aphids and whiteflies affect many genes that are regulated by various phytohormones and in response to microbial infection, indicating the involvement of complex crosstalk between these pathways. The KOBAS analysis of differentially regulated transcripts in response to aphids and whiteflies indicated that both the insects induce the metabolism of amino acids biosynthesis specially in case of whiteflies infestation at later phase. Further we also observed that expression of transcript related to photosynthesis specially carbon fixation were significantly influenced by infestation of Aphids and Whiteflies.

Conclusions
A comparison of different transcriptomes leads to the identification of differentially and temporally regulated transcripts in response to infestation by aphids and whiteflies. Most of these differentially expressed contigs were related to genes involved in biotic, abiotic stresses and enzymatic activities related to hydrolases, transferases, and kinases. The expression of some marker genes such as the overexpressors of cationic peroxidase 3, lipoxygenase I, TGA2, and non-specific lipase, which are involved in phytohormonal-mediated plant resistance development, was suppressed after infestation by aphids and whiteflies, indicating that insects suppressed plant resistance in order to facilitate their infestation. We also concluded that cotton shares several pathways such as phagosomes, RNA transport, and amino acid metabolism with Arabidopsis in response to the infestation by aphids and whiteflies.