bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dynamic simulation of a parallel robot: Coulomb friction and stick–slip in robot joints
Authors: Farhat Nidal , Mata Vicente , Page Álvaro , Díaz-Rodríguez Miguel 
Published: April 2009

SUMMARYDynamic simulation in robotic systems can be considered as a useful tool not only for the design of both mechanical and control systems, but also for planning the tasks of robotic systems. Usually, the dynamic model suffers from discontinuities in some parts of it, such as the use of Coulomb friction model and the contact problem. These discontinuities could lead to stiff differential equations in the simulation process. In this paper, we present an algorithm that solves the discontinuity problem of the Coulomb friction model without applying any normalization. It consists of the application of an external switch that divides the integration interval into subintervals, the calculation of the friction force in the stick phase, and further improvements that enhance its stability. This algorithm can be implemented directly in the available commercial integration routines with event-detecting capability. Results are shown by a simulation process of a simple 1-DoF oscillator and a 3-DoF parallel robot prototype considering Coulomb friction in its joints. Both simulations show that the stiffness problem has been solved. This algorithm is presented in the form of a flowchart that can be extended to solve other types of discontinuity.
Gendered patterns of high violence exposure among Swedish youth
Authors: DANIELSSON INGELA , BLOM HELENA , NILSES CARIN , HEIMER GUN , HÖGBERG ULF 
Published: April 2009

AbstractObjective. The WHO describes violence as a global public health problem. In contrast to domestic violence, violence against youth has been little explored. Our aims were to investigate the prevalence and gender differences in relation to emotional, physical and sexual abuse among young men and women attending youth health centers in Sweden, the current adverse effects of the abuse and the perpetrators of the abuse. Design. Cross‐sectional study. Setting. Nationally representative youth health centers in Sweden. Population and methods. In total, 2,250 women and 920 men aged 15–23 years answered a validated questionnaire about emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Results. A total of 33% (CI: 31–35) of the young women and 18% (CI: 16–21) of the young men had been exposed to emotional abuse during the past year. For physical abuse, 18% (CI: 17–20) of the women and 27% (CI: 24–30) of the men stated that they had been abused during the past year. The gender differences for sexual abuse were pronounced, with 14% (CI: 12–15) of the young women and 4.7% (CI: 3.3–6.0) of the men stating that they had been abused during the past 12 months. The young women reported more severe adverse effects from all types of abuse and were more often abused by a person close to them. Conclusions. The exposure to violence among young people is alarming and presents prominent gender differences, and should be taken into serious consideration as it is a matter of health, democracy and human rights.
Reduced bone mineral density in adult women diagnosed with menstrual disorders during adolescence
Authors: WIKSTEN‐ALMSTRÖMER MARIANNE , HIRSCHBERG ANGELICA LINDÉN , HAGENFELDT KERSTIN 
Published: April 2009

AbstractObjective. To evaluate the long‐term effects on bone mineral density (BMD) in women diagnosed with menstrual disorders in their adolescence. Design. Prospective follow‐up study six years after the initial investigation. Setting. A youth clinic that is part of the school health system in Stockholm. Population. Eighty‐seven women diagnosed with secondary amenorrhea or oligomenorrhea in adolescence. Methods. Subjects underwent gynecological examination, evaluation of eating behavior and physical activity. Whole body Dual Energy X‐ray Absorptiometry was used for measurement of BMD. Main outcome measures. BMD. Results. The overall frequency of osteopenia/osteoporosis was 52%, and three girls had osteoporosis. Women with previous secondary amenorrhea had significantly lower BMD in the pelvis and lumbar spine than those with previous oligomenorrhea. The strongest predictor of low BMD was a restrictive eating disorder in adolescence and the most important counteraction was high physical activity at follow‐up and a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 22. Persistent menstrual dysfunction at follow‐up was associated with polycystic ovary syndrome and lower frequency of osteopenia. Conclusions. This clinical follow‐up study has demonstrated a high frequency of osteopenia in women diagnosed with menstrual disorders in adolescence. Previous anorectic behavior was the strongest negative predictor of BMD. It is important to pay attention to an underlying eating disorder in young women with menstrual dysfunction in order to promote bone health.
Laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy: A comparison of Prolene® and Tutoplast® mesh
Authors: LOFFELD CORA J.W. , THIJS SUSANNE , MOL BEN W. , BONGERS MARLIES Y. , ROOVERS JAN‐PAUL W.R. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractA retrospective study was carried out to evaluate which mesh (cadaveric fascia lata (Tutoplast®) or Prolene® mesh) is associated with the best outcome of laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy for vaginal vault prolapse. Nineteen women who had surgery with Tutoplast® and 20 who underwent surgery with Prolene® were followed and asked to complete the Urogenital Distress Inventory and Defecation Distress Inventory to measure disease‐specific quality of life. The women were invited for a follow‐up visit for pelvic examination at a mean time of 45 months. There were no significant differences in operating time, blood loss or hospital stay between the groups. The risk of re‐intervention because of recurrent prolapse was higher in the Tutoplast® group than in the Prolene® group (relative risk 2.9 (95% Confidence interval 0.9–9.5)). Women in the Prolene® group were significantly more satisfied with the operative result.
The incidence of neural tube defects in Norway and the Arkhangelskaja Oblast in Russia and the association with maternal age
Authors: PETROVA JELENA G. , VAKTSKJOLD ARILD 
Published: April 2009

AbstractObjective. To determine the incidence of isolated anencephaly and spina bifida in the Arkhangelskaja Oblast (AO) in Russia and in Norway, and to study the maternal age distribution of these congenital defects. Design. A register‐based incidence study. Setting. Two different populations in Northern Europe. Population. All registered fetuses and newborns with at least 12 weeks’ gestation in the populations of AO (1995–2004) and Norway (1999–2003) were included. A total of 141,159 in AO and 293,708 in Norway. Methods. Data were obtained from the malformation register in AO and the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. Main outcome measures. Total and maternal age‐group specific incidence of anencephaly and spina bifida. Results. A total of 298 newborns and abortuses had one of the defects in AO (21.1/10,000 (95% confidence interval:±3.4)) and 317 (10.8/10,000 (±1.2)) in Norway. The incidence of anencephaly was 10.7/10,000 in AO and 5.5 in Norway, and of spina bifida 10.4 and 5.3, respectively. An inverse association between the age of the pregnant women and the incidence of neural tube defects was observed in both populations; for both anencephaly and spina bifida in AO; but only for anencephaly (age < 30 years) in Norway. Conclusions. The incidence of both anencephaly and spina bifida was higher in a northern population of Russia than in Norway. The burden of anencephaly was highest in the youngest maternal age group in both populations. The relatively high incidence of both anencephaly and spina bifida in the Russian population warrants further studies.
Comparison of radiation therapy alone and concurrent chemoradiation therapy in stage III cervical cancer: A multicenter retrospective study
Authors: LEE JONG‐MIN , TONG SEO‐YUN , LEE KWANG‐BEOM , KIM YOUNG‐TAE , KIM YOUNG‐JAE , KIM JAE WEON , KIM SEOK‐MO , CHO CHI‐HEUM , KIM KI‐TAE , CHO YOUNG‐LAE , LEE KYU‐CHAN 
Published: April 2009

AbstractObjective. To evaluate whether concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CRT) improves overall survival as compared to radiation therapy (RT) alone in stage III cervical cancers. Design. A multicenter retrospective review. Setting. Nine tertiary medical centers in Korea. Population. A total of 277 patients treated for stage III cervical cancer without para‐aortic lymph node (PALN) metastasis based on clinical staging workup from 1996 to 2003. Methods. Medical and histopathological record review. Main outcome measures. Disease‐specific overall survival. Results. CRT and RT alone were performed in 172 and 105 patients, respectively. There was no significant difference in disease‐specific overall survival between the CRT and RT alone arms based on clinical staging workup, even though the CRT arm was characterized by younger age, more favorable performance status and lower pretreatment blood urea nitrogen level as compared to the RT alone arm. In the CRT arm, three patients succumbed to treatment‐related death. Conclusion. CRT does not improve the overall survival rate in stage III cervical cancer as compared to RT alone based on clinical staging workup for PALN status. Special care needs to be taken regarding optimal dose and duration of RT, use of brachytherapy, anemia control and accurate pretreatment staging workup to improve survival outcome in patients with stage III cervical cancer.
Abnormal expression of MMP‐9 and imbalance of MMP‐9/TIMP‐1 is associated with prolonged uterine bleeding after a medical abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol
Authors: LI LI , ZHOU ZANHUA , HUANG LILI 
Published: April 2009

AbstractObjective. To investigate the expression of matrix metalloproteinase‐9 (MMP‐9) and tissue inhibitory of metalloproteinase‐1 (TIMP‐1) in women who had undergone a medical abortion and explore their possible role in the mechanism of prolonged uterine bleeding after a mifepristone‐misoprostol abortion. Design. Cross‐sectional study. Setting. Tertiary referral university hospital. Sample. Forty women were recruited following a medical abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol, 20 with duration of bleeding >14 days and 20 with duration of bleeding ≤ 14 days. Methods. Endometrial specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histological examination. The expression of MMP‐9 and TIMP‐1 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Main outcome measures. Histology was analyzed by light microscope and expression of MMP‐9 and TIMP‐1 was semi‐quantitatively evaluated. Results. Histological examination showed residual villi and trophoblasts with inflammatory cell infiltration in women with duration of bleeding >14 days after a medical abortion (bleeding group), whereas each sample of women with duration of bleeding ≤ 14 days after a medical abortion (control group) showed normal endometrial changes. Immunohistochemistry and semi‐quantitative scoring showed a significantly decreased expression level of MMP‐9 in the bleeding group, compared with the control group. There was no significant difference of TIMP‐1 expression between the bleeding group and the control group. The MMP‐9/TIMP‐1 ratio value was significantly lower in the bleeding group than in the control group. Conclusion. This study documents that prolonged bleeding after a medical abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol is associated with retained products of conception with inflammatory cell infiltration, abnormal expression of MMP‐9 and imbalance of MMP‐9/TIMP‐1.
Human and peoples' rights: Social representations among Cameroonian students
Authors: Pirttilä‐Backman Anna‐Maija , Kassea Raul , Sakki Inari 
Published: April 2009

Social representations of human and peoples' rights were studied among Cameroonian university students (N = 666) with a questionnaire based on the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and Duties. The respondents were asked how important and how well realized they regarded the 39 human and peoples' rights to be. A 13‐factor model provided the best fit with Cameroonian students' perceptions of human and peoples' rights. Taken as a whole, our results are in line with previous quantitative studies on human rights, confirming structural similarity but also country‐specific variation in the aggregation of specific rights. Moreover, our data showed that Cameroonian students value human and peoples' rights highly (M = 6.18), whereas their fulfillment is not regarded as highly (M = 5.09). Same law for all, equality and freedom, and right to work and living were highly appreciated but lowly realized rights. Higher than average in importance and realization were right to education and self‐fulfillment, right to marriage and property, peoples' social and political basic rights and right to life and safety. Low in importance and realization were peoples' right to their country's natural resources and independence, right to meetings, and right to express opinion. Women appreciated the rights more than men and thought of their rights as better realized compared to men. We suggest that when women say that their rights are better fulfilled than men do, it is in comparison with the older generation, who are still very dependent on men. Nowadays, thanks to education and urbanization, young women have wider choices or opportunities for marriage and jobs. Men may feel frustrated in the context of political liberalization because the freedoms are more theoretical than fulfilled; the economic crises and cultural changes have hindered their economic domination and their prerogatives.
Reactive Oxygen Species Are Necessary for High Flow (Shear Stress)‐induced Diameter Enlargement of Rat Resistance Arteries
Authors: BELIN DE CHANTEMÈLE ERIC J. , VESSIÈRES EMILIE , DUMONT ODILE , GUIHOT ANNE‐LAURE , TOUTAIN BERTRAND , LOUFRANI LAURENT , HENRION DANIEL 
Published: April 2009

ABSTRACTObjectives: Chronic increases in blood flow induce remodeling associated with increases in diameter and endothelium‐mediated dilation. Remodeling requires cell growth and migration, which may involve reactive oxygen species (ROS). Nevertheless, the role of ROS in flow‐mediated remodeling in resistance arteries is not known. Materials and Methods: Rat mesenteric resistance arteries (MRAs) were exposed to high flow (HF) by sequentially ligating second‐order MRAs in vivo. After three weeks, arteries were collected for structural, pharmacological, and biochemical analysis. Results: In HF arteries, luminal diameter (431±12 to 553±14 μm; n=10), endothelium (acetylcholine)‐mediated vasodilatation (61±6 to 77±6% relaxation) and NAD(P)H subunit (gp91phox and p67phox) expression levels, and ROS (dihydroethydine microphotography) and peroxynitrite (3‐nitro‐tyrosine) production were higher than in normal flow arteries. Acute ROS scavenging with tempol improved acetylcholine‐dependent relaxation (92±4% relaxation), confirming that ROS are produced in HF arteries. Chronic treatment with tempol prevented the increase in diameter, reduced ROS and peroxynitrite production, and improved endothelium‐mediated relaxation in HF arteries. Thus, ROS and NO were involved in HF‐induced diameter enlargement, possibly through the formation of peroxynitrite, while ROS reduced the increase in endothelium‐dependent relaxation. Conclusions: ROS production is necessary for flow‐mediated diameter enlargement of resistance arteries. However, ROS counteract, in part, the associated improvement in endothelium‐mediated relaxation.
Effects of Estrogen on Postischemic Pial Artery Reactivity to ADP
Authors: LI MIN , ZEYNALOV EMIL , LI XIAOLING , MIYAZAKI CHIKAO , KOEHLER RAYMOND C. , LITTLETON‐KEARNEY MARGUERITE T. 
Published: April 2009

ABSTRACTObjective: The aims of this work were to determine if 1) ischemia alters pial artery responsiveness to the partially nitric oxide (NO)‐dependent dilator, ADP, 2) the alteration depends on 17β‐estradial (E2), and 3) NO contributes to E2 protective effects. Materials and Methods: Response to ADP and the non‐NO‐dependent dilator, PGE2, were examined through closed cranial windows. Ovariectomized (OVX) and E2‐replaced (E25, 0.025 mg; or E50, 0.05 mg) rats were subjected to 15‐minute forebrain ischemia and one‐hour reperfusion. Endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) expression was determined in pre‐ and postischemic isolated cortical microvessels. Results: In OVX rats, ischemia depressed pial responses to ADP, but not to PGE2. Both doses of E2 maintained responses to ADP and had no effect on the response to PGE2. eNOS inhibition decreased the ADP response by 60% in the E25 rats and 50% in the E50 rats, but had no effect in the OVX rats. Compared to the OVX group, microvessel expression of eNOS was increased by E2, but postischemic eNOS was unchanged in both groups. Conclusions: The nearly complete loss of postischemic dilation to ADP suggests that normal non‐NO‐mediated dilatory mechanisms may be acutely impaired after ischemic injury. Estrogen's protective action on ADP dilation may involve both NO‐ and non‐NO‐mediated mechanisms.
Identification of ribosomal RNA genes in metagenomic fragments
Authors: Huang Ying , Gilna Paul , Li Weizhong 
Published: April 2009

Abstract
Motivation: Identification of genes coding for ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is considered an important goal in the analysis of data from metagenomics projects. Here, we report the development of a software program designed for the identification of rRNA genes from metagenomic fragments based on hidden Markov models (HMMs). This program provides rRNA gene predictions with high sensitivity and specificity on artificially fragmented genomic DNAs.
Availability: Supplementary files, scripts and sample data are available at http://tools.camera.calit2.net/camera/meta_rna.
Contact: liwz@sdsc.edu
Supplementary information: Supplementary Data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Data structures and algorithms for analysis of genetics of gene expression with Bioconductor: GGtools 3.x
Authors: Carey Vincent J. , Davis Adam R. , Lawrence Michael F. , Gentleman Robert , Raby Benjamin A. 
Published: April 2009

Abstract
Summary: Associations between DNA polymorphisms and mRNA abundance are a natural target of genetic investigations, and microarrays facilitate genome-wide and transcriptome-wide surveys of these associations. This work is motivated by emerging requirements for data architectures and algorithm interfaces to allow flexible exploration of public and private archives of genotyping and expression arrays. Using R/Bioconductor facilities, Phase II HapMap genotypes and Illumina 47K expression assay results archived on multiple populations may be interactively explored and analyzed using commodity hardware.
Availability and Implementation: Open Source. Bioconductor 2.3 packages GGtools, GGBase, GGdata, hmyriB36. Freely available on the web at http://www.bioconductor.org
Contact: stvjc@channing.harvard.edu
IGG3: a tool to rapidly integrate large genotype datasets for whole-genome imputation and individual-level meta-analysis
Authors: Li Miao-Xin , Jiang Lin , Kao Patrick Yu-Ping , Sham Pak-C. , Song You-Qiang 
Published: April 2009

Abstract
Summary: There is an urgent and increasing demand for integrating large genotype datasets across genome-wide association studies and HapMap project for whole-genome imputation and individual-level meta-analysis. A new algorithm was developed to efficiently merge raw genotypes across large datasets and implemented in the latest version of IGG, IGG3. In addition, IGG3 can integrate the latest phased and unphased HapMap genotypes and can flexibly generate complete sets of input files for six popular genotype imputation tools. We demonstrated the efficiency of IGG3 by simulation tests, which could rapidly merge genotypes in tens of thousands of large genotype chips (e.g. Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 6.0 and Illumina Human1m-duo) and in HapMap III project on an ordinary desktop computer.
Availability: http://bioinfo.hku.hk/iggweb (version 3.0).
Contacts: songy@hkucc.hku.hk; limx54@yahoo.com
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Globally optimal stitching of tiled 3D microscopic image acquisitions
Authors: Preibisch Stephan , Saalfeld Stephan , Tomancak Pavel 
Published: April 2009

AbstractMotivation: Modern anatomical and developmental studies often require high-resolution imaging of large specimens in three dimensions (3D). Confocal microscopy produces high-resolution 3D images, but is limited by a relatively small field of view compared with the size of large biological specimens. Therefore, motorized stages that move the sample are used to create a tiled scan of the whole specimen. The physical coordinates provided by the microscope stage are not precise enough to allow direct reconstruction (Stitching) of the whole image from individual image stacks.Results: To optimally stitch a large collection of 3D confocal images, we developed a method that, based on the Fourier Shift Theorem, computes all possible translations between pairs of 3D images, yielding the best overlap in terms of the cross-correlation measure and subsequently finds the globally optimal configuration of the whole group of 3D images. This method avoids the propagation of errors by consecutive registration steps. Additionally, to compensate the brightness differences between tiles, we apply a smooth, non-linear intensity transition between the overlapping images. Our stitching approach is fast, works on 2D and 3D images, and for small image sets does not require prior knowledge about the tile configuration.Availability: The implementation of this method is available as an ImageJ plugin distributed as a part of the Fiji project (FijiisjustImageJ: http://pacific.mpi-cbg.de/).Contact: tomancak@mpi-cbg.de
Simulating the effects of side-aspect fish orientation on acoustic biomass estimates
Authors: Boswell Kevin M. , Roth Brian M. , Cowan James H. 
Published: April 2009

Abstract
Boswell, K. M., Roth, B. M., and Cowan, Jr J. H. 2009. Simulating the effects of side-aspect fish orientation on acoustic biomass estimates. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 1398–1403. Simulation methods were used to investigate the effect of side-aspect fish orientation on estimates of fish biomass derived from acoustic data. Three population-level length distributions (n = 1000 individuals) were simulated (identical, uniform, and age class) and applied to a target strength (TS) function of fish length previously derived for Gulf menhaden (Brevoortia patronus). Systematic manipulation of the TS–length coefficients strongly affected the biomass estimates. Based on simulations, biomass estimates decreased markedly from the true side-aspect to head- or tail-on orientation, with estimates of population biomass decreasing by 80% when orientation deviated by as little as 30° from true side-aspect. Simulated data indicate that biomass estimates generated from surveys may be grossly inaccurate if fish orientation is not taken into account.