bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Profile of Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Across Continuum of Care
Authors: Kehyayan Vahe , Korngut Lawrence , Jetté Nathalie , Hirdes John P. 
Published: December 2014

Objective:This study describes the socio-demographic and clinical profile of persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in home care, nursing homes and complex continuing care settings in several Canadian jurisdictions.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted using available Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI 2.0 and RAI Home Care) national databases from 1996- 2011. The profile of ALS patients was compared with patients without pre-specified neurological conditions.Results:There were 2,092 ALS patients identified in these settings. Persons with ALS were more likely than those in the comparison group to suffer from health instability (25.4%) and minor to major depressive symptoms (27.2%) , to experience falls (44.0%) and weight loss (22.9%), to require extensive assistance in activities of daily living (54.9%), and to receive rehabilitation services: physical (23.9%), speech language pathology (8.9%), and occupational therapy 43.3%).Conclusions:The ALS population in this study are greatly affected by a number of health issues. They are more likely than the comparison group to require therapies, medical interventions, and psychotropic drug use. While persons with ALS have a poor prognosis, a great deal could be done to enhance their quality of life and the quality of care they receive.
Serum Antioxidant Levels Associated with Subcortical Ischemic Vascular Disease
Authors: Zhou Xia , Wang Long , Liu Han , Zhang Chao , Zhu Minmin , Zhu Xiaoqun , Hao Jiahu , Sun Zhongwu 
Published: December 2014

Objective:We aimed to examine changes in serum bilirubin and uric acid (UA) levels in subcortical ischemic vascular disease (SIVD). In addition, we investigated if altered serum bilirubin and UA levels correlate with the subtypes of SIVD as well as the severity of leukoaraiosis (LA).Methods:This cross-sectional study included 1098 consecutive patients with slight symptoms, such as dizziness, vertigo etc. According to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearances, they were divided into either SIVD group or controls (CN), and the SIVD group was further grouped in lacunar infarction (LI) and LA subtypes, as well as different grades. Serum bilirubin and UA levels were determined by the vanadate oxidase method and enzymatic method respectively, after at least an eight hour overnight fasting, in all subjects.Results:The bilirubin level was obviously lower while the UA level was significantly higher in the SIVD group when compared with the controls. Moreover, the LA subgroup presented more significant changes in bilirubin and UA when compared to the LI subgroup in both males and females. The correlation was positive between the UA levels and the LA severity (r=0.134,p=0.006). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that the odds ratio (95% CI) for SIVD in the lowest tertile of total bilirubin (Tbil<9.58μmol/L) and highest tertile of UA (UA>339μmol/L) were 2.702(1.936–3.770) and 2.135(1.521–2.996) respectively after adjusting for confounding variables.Conclusions:Serum bilirubin levels were lower, whereas UA levels were higher in SIVD patients when compared with controls in both males and females, especially in LA patients. Moreover, serum UA levels positively correlated to LA severity.
The Effects of Vitamin D Insufficiency and Seasonal Decrease on Cognition
Authors: Pettersen Jacqueline A. , Fontes Sara , Duke Carlie L. 
Published: December 2014

Background:Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) deficiency has been associated with dementia and cognitive decline. Which cognitive domains are most associated with D3 levels and how seasonal fluctuations in levels relate to cognition is unclear. We addressed these questions using a prospective observational study examining associations between D3 levels and cognition among individuals living in northern latitudes (54°N) in summer and winter.Methods:Healthy adult participants underwent testing in summer and winter of D3 levels and cognition, using the Symbol digit Modalities test, phonemic fluency, digit Span and CANTAB® battery.Results:Of 32 participants tested in the summer, 46% were D3 insufficient (<75 nmol/L) and performed worse on digit Span Backward (DS-B) (μ=5.8, SD=2) than those who were sufficient (μ=7.9, SD=2), p=0.018. In multivariate analyses, sufficiency status was an independent predictor of dS-B, (b=0.41, p=0.02). The majority (63%) of 19 participants tested in winter were D3 insufficient, with levels declining by a median of 15 nmol/L overall. Those with insufficient levels performed worse (i.e., higher scores) on the CANTAB® Spatial Working Memory (SWM) task (μ=36.1, SD=6 versus μ=29.3, SD=8), p=0.05). Those with larger drops in levels (≥15 nmol/L) showed decline/less improvement on the CANTAB® one touch Stockings of Cambridge (OTS) task, (μ=0.50, SD=1.9 versus μ=-2.11, SD=2.6, p=0.01), a test of working memory/executive functioning.Conclusions:Vitamin D3 insufficiency and seasonal declines ≥15 nmol/L were associated with inferior working memory/executive functioning. While our findings require confirmation, they suggest that sufficient D3 levels should be maintained year-round, likely necessitating supplementation, at least during winter at higher latitudes.
A Chinese Patient with Pusher Syndrome and Unilateral Spatial Neglect Syndrome
Authors: Chen Xiao-Wei , Lin Cheng-He , Zheng Hua , Lin Zhen-Lan 
Published: December 2014

Objective:To observe clinical manifestations, behavioral characteristics, and effects of rehabilitation on a patient with pusher syndrome and unilateral spatial neglect caused by right thalamic hemorrhage.Methods:Assessment of pusher syndrome was made by the Scale for Contraversive pushing (SCP), and unilateral spatial neglect syndrome was diagnosed using line cancellation, letter and star cancellation, line bisection tests and copy and continuation of graphic sequence test. Behavioral therapy, occupational therapy, reading training and traditional Chinese medicine methods were adopted for treatment of pusher syndrome and unilateral spatial neglect.Results:The patient showed typical pusher syndrome and unilateral spatial neglect symptoms. The pusher syndrome and unilateral spatial neglect symptoms were significantly improved following rehabilitation treatments.Conclusions:Pusher syndrome and unilateral spatial neglect syndrome occurred simultaneously after right thalamic hemorrhage. Early rehabilitation therapy can reduce the symptoms of pusher syndrome and unilateral spatial neglect syndrome and improve motor function.
Multiple Sclerosis: Autoimmune Disease or Autoimmune Reaction?
Authors: Stys Peter K. 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACT:Multiple sclerosis (MS) is traditionally considered an autoimmune inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) with much knowledge available to support this view. However, this characterization implies that the primary event is an aberrant immune response directed at CNS antigens, promoting inflammation and later driving progressive axo-glial degeneration. Trials with potent anti-inflammatory agents and detailed neuropathological studies raise questions about this sequence of events. This hypothetical paper argues that MS may be primarily a “cytodegenerative” disease, possibly first involving the oligodendrocyte/myelin unit. Liberation of autoantigens secondarily recruits an immune response, the force of which heavily depends on the host's immune predisposition. Thus, the spectrum of MS from highly aggressive Marburg type, to primary progressive disease with little inflammatory burden, is governed by a “convolution” between the underlying cytodegeneration and the host's immune predilection. Clinical heterogeneity may be a reflection of a variable immune response, whereas in reality, the “real MS” may be a homogeneous degenerative process analogous to well known primary neurodegenerative diseases.
Inverse Vaccination to Silence Immunity to Myelin in Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Steinman Lawrence 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACT:The adaptive immune response in multiple sclerosis is complex. We have devised large scale arrays to measure the antibody response to myelin proteins and lipids. Despite the widespread immune responses to myelin, we have devised an inverse vaccine aimed at turning off key drivers of this diverse response. Clinical trials in patients with multiple sclerosis show that it is possible to constrain antibody responses to myelin on a large scale with this approach.
An efficient semisupervised feedforward neural network clustering
Authors: Asadi Roya , Asadi Mitra , Kareem Sameem Abdul 
Published: December 2014

AbstractWe developed an efficient semisupervised feedforward neural network clustering model with one epoch training and data dimensionality reduction ability to solve the problems of low training speed, accuracy, and high memory complexity of clustering. During training, a codebook of nonrandom weights is learned through input data directly. A standard weight vector is extracted from the codebook, and the exclusive threshold of each input instance is calculated based on the standard weight vector. The input instances are clustered based on their exclusive thresholds. The model assigns a class label to each input instance through the training set. The class label of each unlabeled input instance is predicted by considering a linear activation function and the exclusive threshold. Finally, the number of clusters and the density of each cluster are updated. The accuracy of the proposed model was measured through the number of clusters and the quantity of correctly classified nodes, which was 99.85%, 100%, and 99.91% of the Breast Cancer, Iris, and Spam data sets from the University of California at Irvine Machine Learning Repository, respectively, and the superiorFmeasure results between 98.29% and 100% accuracies for the breast cancer data set from the University of Malaya Medical Center to predict the survival time.
Computing the creativeness of amusing advertisements: A Bayesian model of Burma-Shave's muse
Authors: Burns Kevin 
Published: December 2014

AbstractHow do humans judge the creativeness of an artwork or other artifact? This article suggests that such judgments are based on the pleasures of an aesthetic experience, which can be modeled as a mathematical product of psychological arousal and appraisal. The arousal stems from surprise, and is computed as a marginal entropy using information theory. The appraisal assigns meaning, by which the surprise is resolved, and is computed as a posterior probability using Bayesian theory. This model is tested by obtaining human ratings of surprise, meaning, and creativeness for artifacts in a domain of advertising design. The empirical results show that humans do judge creativeness as a product of surprise and meaning, consistent with the computational model of arousal and appraisal. Implications of the model are discussed with respect to advancing artificial intelligence in the arts as well as improving the computational evaluation of creativity in engineering and design.
How we eat what we eat: identifying meal routines and practices most strongly associated with healthy and unhealthy dietary factors among young adults
Authors: Laska Melissa N , Hearst Mary O , Lust Katherine , Lytle Leslie A , Story Mary 
Published: December 2014

AbstractObjective(i) To examine associations between young adults’ meal routines and practices (e.g. food preparation, meal skipping, eating on the run) and key dietary indicators (fruit/vegetable, fast-food and sugar-sweetened beverage intakes) and (ii) to develop indices of protective and risky meal practices most strongly associated with diet.DesignCross-sectional survey.SettingMinneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area, Minnesota (USA).SubjectsA diverse sample of community college and public university students (n 1013).ResultsMeal routines and practices most strongly associated with healthy dietary patterns were related to home food preparation (i.e. preparing meals at home, preparing meals with vegetables) and meal regularity (i.e. routine consumption of evening meals and breakfast). In contrast, factors most strongly associated with poor dietary patterns included eating on the run, using media while eating and purchasing foods/beverages on campus. A Protective Factors Index, summing selected protective meal routines and practices, was positively associated with fruit/vegetable consumption and negatively associated with fast-food and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption (P<0·001). A Risky Factors Index yielded significant, positive associations with fast-food and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption (P<0·001). The probability test for the association between the Risky Factors Index and fruit/vegetable intake was P=0·05.ConclusionsMeal routines and practices were significantly associated with young adults’ dietary patterns, suggesting that ways in which individuals structure mealtimes and contextual characteristics of eating likely influence food choice. Thus, in addition to considering specific food choices, it also may be important to consider the context of mealtimes in developing dietary messaging and guidelines.
Bipolar/rod-shaped microglia are proliferating microglia with distinct M1/M2 phenotypes
Authors: Tam Wing Yip , Ma Chi Him Eddie 
Published: December 2014

AbstractMicroglia are generally considered the resident immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS) that regulate the primary events of neuroinflammatory responses. Microglia also play key roles in repair and neurodegeneration of the CNS after injury. Recent studies showed that trains of bipolar/rod-shaped microglia align end-to-end along the CNS injury site during the initial recovery phase. However, the cellular characteristics of bipolar/rod-shaped microglia remain largely unknown. Here, we established a highly reproducible in vitro culture model system to enrich and characterize bipolar/rod-shaped microglia by simply generating multiple scratches on a poly-d-lysine/laminin-coated culture dish. Trains of bipolar/rod-shaped microglia formed and aligned along the scratches in a manner that morphologically resembled microglial trains observed in injured brain. These bipolar/rod-shaped microglia were highly proliferative and expressed various M1/M2 markers. Further analysis revealed that these bipolar/rod-shaped microglia quickly transformed into amoeboid microglia within 30 minutes of lipopolysaccharide treatment, leading to the upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression and the activation of Jak/Stat. In summary, our culture system provides a model to further characterize this highly dynamic cell type. We suggest that bipolar/rod-shaped microglia are crucial for repairing the damaged CNS and that the molecular mechanisms underlying their morphological changes may serve as therapeutic biomarkers.
The origin of risk aversion
Authors: Zhang Ruixun , Brennan Thomas J. , Lo Andrew W. 
Published: December 2014

Significance
Risk aversion is one of the most widely observed behaviors in the animal kingdom; hence, it must confer certain evolutionary advantages. We confirm this intuition analytically in a binary-choice model of decision-making—risk aversion emerges from mindless decision-making as the evolutionarily dominant behavior in stochastic environments with correlated reproductive risk across the population. The simplicity of our framework suggests that our results are likely to apply across species. From a policy perspective, our results underscore the importance of addressing systematic risk through insurance markets, capital markets, and government policy. However, our results also highlight the potential dangers of sustained government intervention, which can become a source of systematic risk in its own right.
Climate change decouples oceanic primary and export productivity and organic carbon burial
Authors: Lopes Cristina , Kucera Michal , Mix Alan C. 
Published: December 2014

Significance
Climate and ecosystem changes in the Northeast Pacific decoupled primary and export productivity and organic carbon burial during climate warming of the last deglaciation. These findings challenge and clarify the meaning of paleoceanographic proxies of productivity and provide key constraints for modeling of the ocean’s biological pump as a potential carbon feedback mechanism associated with large-scale climate change. To our knowledge, this is the first clear demonstration that primary productivity, export productivity, and carbon burial are significantly decoupled under scenarios of large-scale climate change. This is an important constraint on biogeochemical carbon cycle models, which generally assume such changes covary.
Structure of the nonameric bacterial amyloid secretion channel
Authors: Cao Baohua , Zhao Yan , Kou Yongjun , Ni Dongchun , Zhang Xuejun Cai , Huang Yihua 
Published: December 2014

Significance
Numerous bacteria produce a unique class of “functional” amyloids termed curli that are important for the fitness of the organism by mediating biofilm formation, host cell adhesion, and colonization on inert surfaces. Here, we report the crystal structure of CsgG, a lipoprotein that forms a secretion channel for curli subunits in the outer membrane. Each CsgG monomer is composed of four β-strands that span the outer membrane. Nine CsgG monomers together form a large, 36-stranded β-barrel with a central secretion channel. The channel is restricted by stacked rings within the pore, formed from inwardly protruding residues. The CsgG structure may provide a template for the development of antibiotics aimed at attenuating biofilm formation.
Life-long in vivo cell-lineage tracing shows that no oogenesis originates from putative germline stem cells in adult mice
Authors: Zhang Hua , Liu Lian , Li Xin , Busayavalasa Kiran , Shen Yan , Hovatta Outi , Gustafsson Jan-Åke , Liu Kui 
Published: December 2014

Significance
Whether or not oocyte regeneration occurs in the adult mammalian ovary has been the subject of much debate. By performing a series of in vivo cell-lineage tracing experiments, we have supplied compelling in vivo evidence that mammalian oocytes are not regenerated from any putative germline stem cells in adult life. Our current study provides conclusive evidence that the initial oocyte pool is the only source of fertility throughout reproductive life in mammals.
Pellet fuelling with edge-localized modes controlled by external magnetic perturbations in MAST
Authors: Valovič M. , Garzotti L. , Gurl C. , Kirk A. , Dunai D. , Field A.R. , Lupelli I. , Naylor G. , Thornton A. 
Published: December 2014

Abstract
The fuelling of plasmas by shallow frozen pellets with simultaneous mitigation of edge-localized modes (ELM) by external magnetic perturbation is demonstrated on the MAST tokamak. In these plasmas post-pellet particle loss is dominated by ELMs. It is shown that the size of post-pellet ELMs can be controlled by external magnetic perturbations. Post-pellet ELMs remove particles from a large part of the pellet deposition zone including the area with positive density gradient. The mechanism explaining this peculiarity of particle loss is suggested.
Byler Disease
Authors: Morris Amy L. , Bukauskas Kathryn , Sada Rachel E. , Shneider Benjamin L. 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACTObjectives:Byler disease, originally described in Amish kindred, results from mutations in ATPase Class I Type 8b Member 1 (ATP8b1). Specific clinical reports of Amish Byler disease were last published 40 years ago. These investigations were directed at the present detailed clinical understanding of the early course of hepatic manifestations of Byler disease.Methods:This study analyzed routine clinical practice and outcomes of children with Byler disease (defined by homozygous c.923G>T mutation in ATP8b1), who initially presented to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC between January 2007 and October 2014. Data were analyzed to the earlier of 24 months of age or partial external biliary diversion.Results:Six children presented between 1 and 135 days of life: 2 presented with newborn direct hyperbilirubinemia, 2 had complications of coagulopathy, 1 had failure to thrive and rickets, and 1 sibling was identified by newborn genetic testing. Intensive fat‐soluble vitamin supplementation was required to prevent insufficiencies in vitamins D, E, and K. Hyperbilirubinemia was variable both over time and between children. Serum bile acid levels were elevated, whereas γ‐glutamyltranspeptidase levels were low normal. Scratching behavior (pruritus) was intractable in 4 of 6 children with onset between 6 and 12 months of age. Features of portal hypertension were not observed. Partial external biliary diversion was used during the second year of life in 4 children.Conclusions:Detailed analysis of Byler disease revealed varied disease presentation and course. Nutritional issues and pruritus dominated the clinical picture in the first 2 years of life.
Agri‐environmental Management Through Collective Action
Authors: Uetake Tetsuya 
Published: December 2014

SummaryAgriculture has both positive and negative impacts on the environment. With the growing awareness of environmental issues, improved approaches to agri‐environmental management have become important policy issues. Previous studies on agri‐environmental policies have focused on individual farmers rather than on collective action. However, some agri‐environmental issues need to be managed by farmers co‐operatively. Collective action can facilitate geographically appropriate management of resources, allow for shared knowledge among members thus increasing their capacities, and provide solutions for dealing with agri‐environmental issues. However, sometimes, transaction costs can hinder collective action from being initiated. Moreover, farmers often need external support such as scientific knowledge, technical information and financial assistance. Thus, external help from public agencies or other interested bodies may be necessary to promote collective action. Many local and central governments encourage farmers and other stakeholders to take initiatives to manage the environment by themselves through various policy measures including technical assistance and financial assistance programmes. Collaboration with intermediaries is also necessary to facilitate state–community relationships. Governments can assist agri‐environmental management, as opposed to interfering with it, through better agri‐environmental policies that promote collective action.
European Wine Exports: The Key Role of Trade Policy
Authors: Mariani Angela , Napoletano Francesco , Vecchio Riccardo , Pomarici Eugenio 
Published: December 2014

SummaryWine exports from the European Union have gained shares in both traditional markets (US, Canada, Switzerland and Japan) and in new markets (China, Hong Kong and Russia). In coming years, major growth in consumption and imports is expected in these new markets and in others, like Singapore, South Korea, India, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and Angola. Most of the above new markets, however, are still heavily protected by high tariff and non‐tariff barriers, the most intrusive being wine labelling regulations, oenological practices, maximum residue limits of agrichemicals, certification and testing procedures. Since the stalling of the Doha multilateral negotiations exporting countries have been negotiating Free Trade Agreements to gain preferential access to fast growing markets. The EU has signed several agreements relevant to the wine trade (e.g. with South Korea, Singapore and Canada) and a number of negotiations are currently in progress. However, some of the EU's main competitors, in particular Chile, Australia and New Zealand, are very active as well. EU wine exporters would therefore be aided by an effective trade policy strategy, otherwise they risk losing ground to their competitors. The timely conclusion of the agreements currently under negotiation (as with India) and a prompt start to negotiations with China would therefore be desirable.