bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Consumer laundry practices in Germany
Authors: Kruschwitz Anke , Karle Anja , Schmitz Angelika , Stamminger Rainer 
Published: March 2014

AbstractSustainability is a guiding principle for a responsible, future‐oriented 21st century lifestyle and this already begins in private households with the daily household tasks. Approximately 25% of an average household's electricity consumption is required to do the laundry and dishwashing – 5% alone is for washing clothes with a corresponding energy consumption of 6 billion kilowatt hours. In addition, 600 000 tonnes of detergent and 330 million cubic metres of water are used for textile care in Germany. These figures provide the rationale for the scientific study of current practices of using washing machines and for a resulting estimate of the latent energy‐saving potential in German households.In the context of the in‐home study presented here, 236 private households throughout Germany were studied with respect to their washing practices and existing knowledge about topics on the sustainable, energy‐saving use of their washing machines. Overall, across all households 2867 wash cycles were individually recorded and subsequently analysed over a 4‐week period.The results of this study show that washing machines tend to be underloaded, and therefore maximum loading of the machines could lead to a reduction of wash cycles per household. With respect to detergent dosage, it was determined that the consumer does not adjust the dosage to the textile type, load size, soil level and/or water hardness, and this can lead to under‐ or overdosing depending on prevailing conditions. Finally, the selection of the wash temperature showed a 90°C/95°C programme was only chosen in 2.3% of all recorded wash cycles, however, every fourth cycle was completed at 60°C. Therefore, adjusting the load size and detergent dosage as well as selecting the right wash temperature are key themes to be taken into account in future consumer communication about energy‐saving households.
Triple combination as adjuvant to cryotherapy in the treatment of solar lentigines: investigator‐blinded, randomized clinical trial
Authors: Hexsel D. , Hexsel C. , Porto M.D. , Siega C. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractBackgroundPost‐inflammatory hyperpigmentation is a frequent concern when treating solar lentigines.ObjectivesTo assess the safety and efficacy of a triple combination cream with fluocinolone acetonide 0.01%, hydroquinone 4% and tretinoin 0.05% as adjuvant to cryotherapy in the treatment of solar lentigines in hands dorsum, and in the prevention of post‐inflammatory hyperpigmentation after cryotherapy.MethodsThis prospective, randomized, controlled, investigator‐blinded, single‐centre study enrolled 50 patients. Twenty‐five patients received a 2‐week daily triple combination cream plus sunscreen pre‐treatment and 25 received sunscreen alone. After that, cryotherapy was performed in all patients followed by a 3‐week recovery period. After this period, patients received the same initial treatment and were followed up for 8 weeks. Melanin and erythema levels of a target and a control lentigo were objectively measured using a narrowband reflectance spectrophotometer. Lentigines count, colour homogeneity and global improvement were also assessed.ResultsThe number of solar lentigines reduced in the first 2 weeks only in patients who used the triple combination 25 ± 7 vs. 22 ± 8 (P < 0.0001), and reduced at the end of the study for both groups (P < 0.0001). The melanin levels also reduced in the first 2 weeks only in patients who used the triple combination 297 ± 69 vs. 273 ± 66 (P < 0.0001) and reduced at the end of the study for both groups (P < 0.0001). Erythema and residual blisters from cryotherapy were the reported adverse reactions.ConclusionTriple combination cream can be used to enhance the resolution of solar lentigines, and to significantly reduce melanin levels and lentigines count, improving treatment results. It was well‐tolerated and did not increase the occurrence of neither erythema nor other side‐effects after the cryotherapy.
Ultraviolet exposure and risk of melanoma and basal cell carcinoma in Ulm and Dresden, Germany
Authors: Kaskel P. , Lange U. , Sander S. , Huber M.A. , Utikal J. , Leiter U. , Krähn G. , Meurer M. , Kron M. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractBackgroundThere is a perpetuating increase in melanoma and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) incidence in Europe. Few studies are evaluating various risk factors for both tumours.ObjectivesThis pre‐planned additional analysis directly compared occupational and past‐time ultraviolet exposure behaviour, and examined the effects of sun sensitivity between melanoma and sporadic BCC, and assessed its importance for the two entities.Patients/MethodsThe study included 503 patients (melanoma, n = 291 and BCC, n = 212), and 329 controls from Germany. In all, 244 (49%) of the cases and 165 (50%) of the controls were male (median age melanoma, 55 years; BCC, 69 years; and controls, 57 years). Selection of important risk factors was performed by backward elimination in a polytomous logistic regression.ResultsWhen directly comparing melanoma and sporadic BCC, actinic elastosis (OR 48.83; 95% CI 17.87, 133.40) and site were associated with a higher risk of melanoma, whereas mountaineering in childhood, sunburn 20 years before diagnosis, farming full time, sunbed use in general, seborrheic keratosis, actinic cheilitis, actinic keratosis and age were associated with a higher risk of sporadic BCC. Gardening 20 years before melanoma, hair colour and solar lentigo were risk factors for both entities. A re‐evaluation of the data excluding lentiginous melanoma entities (i.e. acro‐lentiginous and lentigo‐maligna melanoma) resulted in selection of the same factors. However, compared to controls, atopy evolved as a protective factor for melanoma (OR 0.29; 95% CI 0.15, 0.57) and BCC (OR 0.41; 95% CI 0.17, 0.99), respectively, but was associated with a higher risk of sporadic BCC compared to melanoma.ConclusionThe odds for having clinical actinic elastosis was lower in BCC compared to melanoma. In contrast, various factors associated with chronic UV exposure and age had higher odds for sporadic BCC, rather than melanoma. Further research is required to set the context for these findings, especially regarding, atopy in non‐lentiginous vs. lentiginous forms of melanoma, and possible molecular pathways involved.
Penile tumours: a review
Authors: Wollina U. , Steinbach F. , Verma S. , Tchernev G. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractPenile tumours are an important problem of male health affecting physical, mental and sexual health. Penile tumours can be subdivided into benign and malignant lesions. Their knowledge is important to prevent mutilating surgery in benign lesions. On the other hand, early recognition of malignancies is important for improved prognosis, and preservation of function. The most important tumour by epidemiology and prognosis is penile cancer. In contrast, malignant melanoma, sarcomas and lymphomas are rare. Clinical symptoms, histopathology and treatment options are discussed. Best possible treatment needs an interdisciplinary approach.
A measure of chronic quality of life predicts socioeconomic and medical outcomes in psoriasis patients
Authors: Kim G.E. , Seidler E. , Kimball A.B. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractBackgroundPsoriasis is a chronic skin disorder that detracts from quality of life, including elements of physical, psychological and social functioning.ObjectiveThis study investigated whether retrospective questions about chronic quality of life (CQoL) were better predictors of poor socioeconomic and medical outcomes than the current Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI).MethodsOne hundred fourteen participants answered the 10 questions used in the standard DLQI for ‘over the last week’, ‘over the last year’ and ‘over your lifetime with psoriasis’. Subjects were examined and completed a self‐administered questionnaire regarding disabilities, relationships, education and medical and economic outcomes (a smaller subset of 58 subjects also answered questions regarding religion and discrimination).ResultsGreater lifetime DLQI (LT DLQI) correlated with lower satisfaction with treatment (P = 0.007), greater concern that psoriasis will worsen (P = 0.012), worse perceived general health (P = 0.003), younger age at which weight became problematic (P = 0.002), greater likelihood of believing psoriasis had caused weight gain (P < 0.001), shorter retention of current job (P = 0.001), more experiences of discrimination at work (P = 0.002) and in social settings (P < 0.001) over one's lifetime and more severe discrimination in social settings over one's lifetime (P = 0.002). Greater LT DLQI predicted more packs smoked per day (P = 0.005), greater likelihood of believing psoriasis caused smoking (P = 0.012), greater likelihood of recreational drug use (P = 0.004), greater likelihood of a depression diagnosis (P < 0.001), greater likelihood of having felt depressed (P = 0.011) and greater likelihood of believing psoriasis caused depression (P < 0.001).ConclusionCompared to the standard LW DLQI, LT DLQI was a better predictor of patient outcomes related to weight, discrimination and depression.
Neuroticism and Attitudes Toward Action in 19 Countries
Authors: Ireland Molly E. , Hepler Justin , Li Hong , Albarracín Dolores 
Published: March 2014

AbstractAlthough individuals scoring high on Neuroticism tend to avoid taking action when faced with challenges, Neuroticism is also characterized by impulsivity. To explore cognitive biases related to this costly behavior pattern, we tested whether individuals who rated themselves as higher in Neuroticism would evaluate the general concepts of action and inaction as, respectively, more negative and positive. We further investigated whether anxiety and depression would mediate and individualism‐collectivism would moderate these relations in a large international sample. Participants (N = 3,827 college students; 69% female) from 19 countries completed surveys measuring Neuroticism, attitudes toward action and inaction, depression, anxiety, and individualism‐collectivism. Hierarchical linear models tested the above predictions. Neuroticism negatively correlated with attitudes toward action and positively correlated with attitudes toward inaction. Furthermore, anxiety was primarily responsible for emotionally unstable individuals’ less positive attitudes toward action, and individuals who endorsed more collectivistic than individualistic beliefs showed a stronger negative association between Neuroticism and attitudes toward action. Researchers and practitioners interested in understanding and remediating the negative consequences of Neuroticism should pay greater attention to attitudes toward action and inaction, particularly focusing on their links with anxiety and individualism‐collectivism.
Association between trauma patients' severity and critical care nursing workload in China
Authors: Peng Lingli , Mayner Lidia , Wang Honghong 
Published: March 2014

AbstractThe correlation between patients' severity and nursing workload for multiple trauma patients within the first 24 h of admission was explored in this study. Multiple trauma adult patients (n = 229) admitted in the emergency rescue room of a public hospital in China over a 1 year period were enrolled in this study. The worst values of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation‐II scores and the Nursing Activity Score were collected during the first 24 h after admission. The predicted number of registered nurses was calculated for the corresponding severity groups. In the results, one‐way ANOVA revealed that the Nursing Activity Score in the seven severity groups differed significantly. The total Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation‐II score had a positive correlation with the Nursing Activity Score. The predicted number of registered nurses required was 0.6 for the low group, 0.7 for the moderate group, 1.0 for the severe group, and 1.1 for the extremely severe group. Patients' illness severity is an important indicator of nursing workload, especially in nurse staff allocation within the emergency department.
Administration of exogenous acylated ghrelin or rikkunshito, an endogenous ghrelin enhancer, improves the decrease in postprandial gastric motility in an acute restraint stress mouse model
Authors: Nahata M. , Saegusa Y. , Sadakane C. , Yamada C. , Nakagawa K. , Okubo N. , Ohnishi S. , Hattori T. , Sakamoto N. , Takeda H. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractBackgroundPhysical or psychological stress causes functional disorders in the upper gastrointestinal tract. This study aims to elucidate the ameliorating effect of exogenous acylated ghrelin or rikkunshito, a Kampo medicine which acts as a ghrelin enhancer, on gastric dysfunction during acute restraint stress in mice.MethodsFasted and postprandial motor function of the gastric antrum was wirelessly measured using a strain gauge force transducer and solid gastric emptying was detected in mice exposed to restraint stress. Plasma corticosterone and ghrelin levels were also measured. To clarify the role of ghrelin on gastrointestinal dysfunction in mice exposed to stress, exogenous acylated ghrelin or rikkunshito was administered, then the mice were subjected to restraint stress.Key ResultsMice exposed to restraint stress for 60 min exhibited delayed gastric emptying and increased plasma corticosterone levels. Gastric motility was decreased in mice exposed to restraint stress in both fasting and postprandial states. Restraint stress did not cause any change in plasma acylated ghrelin levels, but it significantly increased the plasma des‐acyl ghrelin levels. Administration of acylated ghrelin or rikkunshito improved the restraint stress‐induced delayed gastric emptying and decreased antral motility. Ameliorating effects of rikkunshito on stress‐induced gastric dysfunction were abolished by simultaneous administration of a ghrelin receptor antagonist.Conclusions & InferencesPlasma acylated/des‐acyl ghrelin imbalance was observed in acute restraint stress. Supplementation of exogenous acylated ghrelin or enhancement of endogenous ghrelin signaling may be useful in the treatment of decreased gastric function caused by stress.
The biological affinity of Amsassia: new evidence from the Ordovician of North China
Authors: Sun Ning , Elias Robert J. , Lee Dong‐Jin 
Published: March 2014

AbstractAmsassia shaanxiensis sp. nov. occurs in the Middle Ordovician part of the Jinghe Formation in Yongshou and the lower part of the Upper Ordovician Beiguoshan Formation in Longxian, Shaanxi Province, north‐central China. In addition to module increase by bipartite longitudinal fission, which is also known in other species of Amsassia, tripartite and rare quadripartite fission are recognized in A. shaanxiensis. All species previously assigned to Lichenaria from the Middle to Upper Ordovician of Shaanxi probably belong to Amsassia. Therefore, Amsassia, rather than the tabulate coral Lichenaria, should be credited as an important contributor to reef‐building in this area. Reports of Lichenaria from elsewhere in the North China Platform require confirmation in the light of the present study. Some morphological characteristics of Amsassia are comparable to those of tabulate corals, tetradiids and chaetetid sponges. Consequently, various authors have assigned Amsassia to the Lichenariida, Tetradiida (now Prismostylales; florideophycean rhodophyte algae) and Chaetetida. Other important characters, however, seem to exclude Amsassia from those taxonomic groups. The phacelocerioid organization of modules having separate walls would not be expected in sponges. The basic symmetry of individuals may have been radial, unlike the tetramerous symmetry of tetradiids. Module increase by longitudinal fission, involving infoldings of the wall, is fundamentally different from modes of increase in corals, tetradiids and chaetetids. The skeleton was probably aragonitic, whereas that of tabulates was calcitic. The affinity of Amsassia remains unresolved, but it is unlikely to have been a coral, tetradiid or sponge. Perhaps, like the tetradiids, Amsassia was an alga.
IL3 rs40401 Polymorphism and Interaction with Smoking in Risk of Asthma in Japanese Women: The Kyushu Okinawa Maternal and Child Health Study
Authors: Miyake Y. , Tanaka K. , Arakawa M. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractThree previous genetic association studies conducted in Korea and China investigated the relationship between IL3 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs40401 and asthma, but their results were inconsistent. We examined this relationship and the possibility of an interaction between IL3 SNP rs40401 and smoking in young adult Japanese women. Included were 89 women who met the criteria of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) for asthma. Control subjects were 700 women without asthma according to the ECRHS criteria who had not been diagnosed with asthma and/or allergic rhinitis by a doctor and/or who had not met the criteria of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood for rhinoconjunctivitis. A significant positive association was found between SNP rs40401 and the risk of asthma, with the TT genotype as the reference under the additive model: the adjusted odds ratio was 1.39 (95% CI: 1.004–1.93). The positive association was not statistically significant in any other genetic model. Compared with subjects with the TT or TC genotype of SNP rs40401 who had never smoked, those with the CC genotype who had ever smoked had a significantly increased risk of asthma: the adjusted OR was 2.67 (95% CI: 1.23–5.79); the additive interaction, but not the multiplicative interaction, was significant. This study suggests that IL3 SNP rs40401 is significantly associated with the risk of asthma in young adult Japanese women and reveals that the combination of ever smoking and having the CC genotype of IL3 SNP rs40401 is significantly positively associated with asthma.
The 5′ promoter region of MHC class I chain‐related gene B
Authors: Pan F. , Li L. , Luo J. , Liu X. , Tian W. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractIn this study, the 5′ promoter region of MHC class I chain‐related gene B (MICB) was investigated in 104 healthy, unrelated Han individuals recruited from northern China, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐sequencing methodology. Fifteen variable sites were detected, which showed a mosaic pattern of significant global linkage disequilibrium (LD). Eleven different 5′ promoter haplotypes were identified. MICB 5′ promoter haplotype‐9 carrying CT deletion at positions −139/−138, which is associated with decreased MICB promoter activity, was present in 26.9% of MICB alleles and was linked to MICB*002:01, MICB*008, and MICB*014 in this population. In addition, rs3828913 (position −176) and rs3828914 (position −152) were located adjacent to HSRE and GC box in MICB promoter, respectively. Sixteen extended haplotypes (EH) incorporating the MICB 5′ promoter and MICB coding region were observed in this population, eight of which were in significant LD. Phylogenetic analysis of 5′ promoter refined MICB sub‐lineage structure indicated that MICB*005:02, the most common MICB allele, consists of five sub‐lineages. Ewens–Watterson homozygosity statistics at MICB 5′ promoter region were consistent with neutral expectations. Our study has shed new insight into MICB genetic variation at population level, suggesting that binding sites for transcription factors in MICB promoter could be interrupted by polymorphisms within this region, resulting in allele‐specific regulation. The data will facilitate the understanding of regulation of MICB gene transcription, and will inform studies of evolution of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) gene complex.
The Dual Wavelength Ratio Knee: A Signature of Multiple Scattering in Airborne Ku–Ka Observations
Authors: Battaglia Alessandro , Tanelli Simone , Heymsfield Gerald M. , Tian Lin 
Published: March 2014

AbstractDeep convective systems observed by the High Altitude Imaging Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler (HIWRAP) radar during the 2011 Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) field campaign in Oklahoma provide the first evidence of multiple-scattering effects simultaneously at Ku and Ka band. One feature is novel and noteworthy: often, in correspondence to shafts with strong convection and when moving from the top of the cloud downward, the dual wavelength ratio (DWR) first increases as usual in Ku–Ka-band observations, but then it reaches a maximum and after that point it steadily decreases all the way to the surface, forming what will be hereinafter referred to as a knee. This DWR knee cannot be reproduced by single-scattering theory under almost any plausible cloud microphysical profile. On the other hand, it is explained straightforwardly with the help of multiple-scattering theory when simulations involving hail-bearing convective cores with large horizontal extents are performed. The DWR reduction in the lower troposphere (i.e., DWR increasing with altitude) is interpreted as the result of multiple-scattering pulse stretching caused by the highly diffusive hail layer positioned high up in the atmosphere, with Ka multiple scattering typically exceeding that occurring in the Ku channel. Since the effects of multiple scattering increase with increasing footprint size, if multiple-scattering effects are present in the aircraft measurements, they are likely to be more pronounced in the spaceborne dual-frequency Ku–Ka radar observations, envisaged for the NASA–Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission, launched in February 2014. This notional study supports the idea that DWR knees will be observed by the GPM radar when overflying high-density ice shafts embedded in large convective systems and suggests that their explanation must not be sought in differential attenuation or differential Mie effects but via multiple-scattering effects.
Wind Speed Control of Tropical Orographic Convection
Authors: Nugent Alison D. , Smith Ronald B. , Minder Justin R. 
Published: March 2014

Abstract
This study compares observations from the Dominica Experiment (DOMEX) field campaign with 3D and 2D Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) simulations to understand how ambient upstream wind speed controls the transition from thermally to mechanically forced moist orographic convection. The environment is a conditionally unstable, tropical atmosphere with shallow trade wind cumulus clouds. Three flow indices are defined to quantify the convective transition: horizontal divergence aloft, cloud location, and island surface temperature. As wind speed increases, horizontal airflow divergence from plume detrainment above the mountain changes to convergence associated with plunging flow, convective clouds relocate from the leeward to the windward side of the mountain as mechanically triggered convection takes over, and the daytime mountaintop temperature decreases because of increased ventilation and cloud shading. Possible mechanisms by which wind speed controls island precipitation are also discussed. The result is a clearer understanding of orographic convection in the tropics.