bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
COMPARISON OF VOLATILE COMPOUND COMPOSITION OF CINNAMON (CINNAMOMUM CASSIA PRESL) BARK PREPARED BY HYDRODISTILLATION AND HEADSPACE SOLID PHASE MICROEXTRACTION
Authors: WANG RUI , WANG RUIJIANG , YANG BAO 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACT Cinnamon is an important herbal medicine with good effects of health promotion and disease prevention. In this work, the volatile compounds of cinnamon bark were extracted by hydrodistillation and solid phase microextraction techniques. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used to identify and quantify the volatile compound composition. The results indicated that trans‐cinnamaldehyde was the major component with the highest area percentage of 68.67% in the volatile oils extracted by hydrodistillation. The next were glycerol 1‐methyl ether and o‐methoxycinnamaldehyde with area percentages of 23.29 and 1.44%, respectively. The number of alkenes, alkanes, alcohols, aldehydes, amines, carboxylic acids, ethers, esters and ketones were 17, 1, 12, 8, 2, 2, 6, 3 and 6, respectively. The volatile compounds extracted by headspace solid phase microextraction were apparently different from those by hydrodistillation. Three major volatile compounds were 1,2,3,4,4a,5,6,8a‐octahydro‐7‐methyl‐4‐methylene‐1‐(1‐methylethyl)‐naphthalene, 1,2,3,4a,5,8,8a‐hexahydro‐4,7‐methyl‐1‐methylene‐1‐(1‐methylethyl)‐naphthalene and copaene with area percentages of 20.18%, 17.21% and 16.51%, respectively. Alkenes (31), alcohols (10), aldehydes (4), carboxylic acids (2) and ethers (3) were found in this assay. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSCinnamon bark has been taken as an important traditional herbal medicine due to its disease prevention effect. The volatile compounds of cinnamon bark contribute much to its bioactivities. In this work, the volatile oils were extracted by hydrodistillation technique. Head space solid phase microextraction technique was also used to detect the volatile compounds. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis showed the significant difference of volatile compound composition between two extractions. trans‐Cinnamaldehyde was confirmed to be the major component of volatile oils that has good pharmacological properties. This work is helpful for extensive development of this medicinal herb.
The impact of asymmetric regulation on surplus and welfare: the case of gas release programmes
Authors: Clastres Cédric , David Laurent 
Published: November 2009

AbstractGas release programmes, or capacities release, and market shares constraints are the two asymmetric regulations imposed on incumbents in energy markets. In this paper, we focus on gas release, its impact on welfare or consumer surplus and on the optimal level of released quantities set by regulators. We use a Cournot model with capacity constraints in order to study gas release and we put forward two conclusions. First, we compute the impact of these strategies on consumer surplus and welfare. We show that there is no impact on consumer surplus, but welfare can decrease as gas release can induce raising rival's costs (RRC) or ‘self‐sabotage’ strategies. Then, we demonstrate that the regulator must set released quantities according to the information held on the incumbent's supplies to maximise welfare. Finally, we conclude that the regulator can avoid RRC or self‐sabotage strategies by setting gas‐released quantities. As proven from empirical studies, these quantities should not be too high so that a significant difference between capacities of both competitor and incumbent make it possible to avoid collusive behaviours.
Control of Moderate‐to‐Severe Plaque Psoriasis with Efalizumab: 24‐Week, Open‐Label, Phase IIIb/IV Latin American Study Results
Authors: Stengel Fernando M. , Petri Valeria , Campbell Gladys A.M. , Dorantes Gladys Leon , López Magdalina , Galimberti Ricardo L. , Valdez Raúl P. , De Arruda Lucia F. , Guerra Mario Amaya , Chouela Edgardo N. , Licu Daiana ,   International IMP25161 Study Group
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACTIntroduction.  Psoriasis is a debilitating, chronic inflammatory systemic disease affecting around 2% of the South American population. Biological therapies offer the possibility of long‐term therapy with improved safety and efficacy.Methods.  We conducted a multicentre, open‐label, single‐arm, Phase IIIb/IV study of adult patients (18–75 years) with moderate‐to‐severe plaque psoriasis who were candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. Patients received efalizumab subcutaneously (1.0 mg/kg/wk). The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients achieving a Physician Global Assessment (PGA) rating of “excellent” or “cleared” at Week 24. Safety outcomes were adverse events (AEs), serious AEs (SAEs) and abnormalities on laboratory tests.Results.  Of 189 patients included in the intent‐to‐treat and safety populations, 104 (55.0%) were of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. At Week 24, 92/189 (48.7%) patients achieved or maintained a PGA rating of “excellent” or “cleared”. AEs were reported by 161/189 (85.2%) patients, SAEs by 21/189 (11.1%). One patient died during the study (meningoencephalitis). Laboratory findings were consistent with previous experience.Conclusions.  Efalizumab demonstrated sustained control of psoriasis up to 24 weeks in patients from Latin America, confirming results seen in Phase III studies conducted in North America and Europe.
Antagonists of ionotropic γ‐aminobutyric acid receptors impair the NiCl2‐mediated stimulation of the electroretinogram b‐wave amplitude from the isolated superfused vertebrate retina
Authors: Siapich Siarhei A , Banat Mohammed , Albanna Walid , Hescheler Jürgen , Lüke Matthias , Schneider Toni 
Published: November 2009

Abstract.Purpose:  NiCl2 (15 μM) stimulates the electroretinogram (ERG) b‐wave amplitude of vertebrate retina up to 1.5‐fold through its blocking of E/R‐type voltage‐gated Ca2+ channels. Assuming that such an increase is mediated by blocking the release of the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) via ionotropic GABA receptors, we tested the effect of both GABA itself and GABA‐receptor antagonists such as (−)bicuculline (1.51‐fold increase) and (1,2,5,6‐tetrahydropyridin‐4‐yl)methylphosphinic acid (TPMPA; 1.46‐fold increase) on the b‐wave amplitude.Methods:  Recording of the transretinal potentials from the isolated bovine retina.Results:  GABA (100 μM) reduced the b‐wave amplitude only when NiCl2 (15 μM) was applied first. Each antagonist applied on its own stimulated the b‐wave amplitude only partially: subsequent NiCl2 superfusion caused a small but additional increase, leading to a 1.69‐ and a 1.88‐fold total increase of the amplitude by Ni2+ plus (−)bicuculline or Ni2+ plus TPMPA, respectively. Only the application of both antagonists in combination, before superfusing low NiCl2 (15 μM), completely prevented subsequent stimulation by NiCl2 with a similar 1.90‐fold total increase of b‐wave amplitude. Those retina segments that did not respond to NiCl2 could not be stimulated by (−)bicuculline and vice versa.Conclusion:  The stimulatory effect of NiCl2 on the ERG b‐wave amplitude is mainly, but not only, mediated by a NiCl2‐sensitive, Cav2.3‐triggered GABA release acting through ionotropic GABA‐A and GABA‐C receptors.
A new invasive method of measuring pulsatile ocular blood flow
Authors: DASTIRIDOU AI , TSILIMBARIS MK , GINIS HS , DE BROUWERE D , PALLIKARIS IG 
Published: November 2009

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study is to demonstrate proof of principle of a new rigidity based invasive technique to assess pulsatile ocular blood flow in a wide range of clinically relevant IOP levels. Methods An invasive manometric dynamic measurement procedure is employed, using a computer controlled device, comprising a pressure transducer and a microdosimetric pump. The anterior chamber is cannulated under topical anaesthesia with drops with a 21 gauge needle and the initial IOP is recorded. The IOP is artificially set to 10 mmHg and the eye is infused with predetermined volumes of BSS in a stepping sequence. After each infusion step, the IOP is continuously recorded for 2 sec, in order to calculate the pulsatile change in IOP. Ocular rigidity is measured from the pressure volume relationship in the stepping sequence. Pulsatile Ocular Blood Flow (POBF) is obtained through algorithms converting the IOP readings to the corresponding change of ocular volume derived from the rigidity diagram. Forty eyes of 40 cataract patients were measured with this technique. The study was approved by the Institutional Board and performed under the patient’s informed consent. Systemic blood pressure and pulse rate were monitored during the measurement. Results There were no complications related to the procedure. The average Friedenwald’s Rigidity Coefficient was 0.0206 mmHg/μL (SD=0.0054). The corresponding POBF was 888(SD=185) μL/min at 15mmHg decreasing to 548(SD=146) μL/min at 40mmHg. Conclusion The invasive method described is safe and effective. It can provide accurate estimates of POBF by incorporating the individual eye’s measured rigidity coefficient. Moreover, POBF can be estimated in relation to the IOP.
EQUIVALENCE OF COMPETITION MODE IN A VERTICALLY DIFFERENTIATED DUOPOLY WITH DELEGATION
Authors: Wang Ya‐chin , Wang Leonard F.s. 
Published: November 2009

AbstractThis paper aims to examine the equivalence of competition mode in a vertically differentiated product market with the relative performance delegation. It demonstrates the equivalence of product quality and social welfare in this delegation game, irrespective of modes of product competition. In addition, in a three‐stage game of quality‐delegation‐quantity (or price), it shows that the delegation coefficient is different between high‐quality and low‐quality firms in an asymmetric vertical differentiated model, and a high‐quality firm makes better use of the delegation than a low‐quality firm.
CAPITAL CONTROLS, TWO‐TIERED EXCHANGE RATE SYSTEMS AND EXCHANGE RATE POLICY: THE SOUTH AFRICAN EXPERIENCE
Authors: Schaling Eric 
Published: November 2009

AbstractSouth Africa's 40 years of experience with capital controls on residents and non‐residents (1961‐2001) reads like a collection of examples of perverse unanticipated effects of legislation and regulation. We show that the presence of capital controls on residents and non‐residents enabled the South African Reserve Bank to target domestic interest rates (and or the exchange rate) via interventions in the (commercial) foreign exchange market. This provides an early rationale for anchoring SA monetary policy via the exchange rate, rather than via domestic interest rates. This suggests not only that the capital controls themselves exhibited substantial institutional inertia, but that this same institutional inertia also applied to the monetary policy regime. A plausible reason for this is that for most of the 20th century in South Africa. (partial) capital controls and exchange rate based monetary policies were like Siamese twins – almost impossible to separate.
LIQUIDITY AND VALUATION IN EAST AFRICAN SECURITIES MARKETS
Authors: Hearn Bruce 
Published: November 2009

AbstractThis study estimates liquidity premiums using the recently developed Liu measure within a multifactor capital asset pricing model including size premiums and a time‐varying parameter model for the East African emerging markets of Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya together with London and South Africa. The evidence suggests that while size and liquidity effects are significant in the smaller emerging markets of Uganda and Kenya, they are less important in explaining returns in South Africa and London. Costs of equity are highest in Uganda followed by Kenya, with industrial and consumer non‐cyclical sectors being lowest, and then South Africa and London.
Separating oral burning from burning mouth syndrome: unravelling a diagnostic enigma
Authors: Balasubramaniam R , Klasser GD , Delcanho R 
Published: November 2009

AbstractBurning mouth syndrome (BMS) is characterized by burning pain in the tongue or other oral mucous membrane often associated with symptoms such as subjective dryness of the mouth, paraesthesia and altered taste for which no medical or dental cause can be found. The difficulty in diagnosing BMS lies in excluding known causes of oral burning. A pragmatic approach in clarifying this issue is to divide patients into either primary (essential/idiopathic) BMS, whereby other disease is not evident or secondary BMS, where oral burning is explained by a clinical abnormality. The purpose of this article was to provide the practitioner with an understanding of the local, systemic and psychosocial factors which may be responsible for oral burning associated with secondary BMS, therefore providing a foundation for diagnosing primary BMS.
Dental caries experience in young Australian Army recruits 2008
Authors: Hopcraft MS , Yapp KE , Mahoney G , Morgan MV 
Published: November 2009

AbstractBackground:  Recent studies have shown a substantial decline in caries experience in Australian Army recruits between 1996 and 2002–2003, and in Australian adults between 1987–1988 and 2004–2006. However, studies in children have reported an increasing trend in caries experience between 1998 and 2002. The aim of this study was to investigate caries experience in Australian Army recruits in 2008.Methods:  A cross‐sectional study involving 1084 Australian Army recruits was conducted from January to May 2008. Data were obtained from a clinical dental examination with bitewing radiographs, and a questionnaire elicited socio‐demographic data and history on lifetime exposure to fluoridated drinking water.Results:  Mean DMFT scores were 3.16, 4.08, 5.16 and 7.11 for recruits aged 17–20, 21–25, 26–30 and 31–35 years, respectively. Recruits with a lifetime exposure to fluoridated drinking water had a mean DMFT of 3.02, while recruits with no exposure had a mean DMFT of 3.87.Conclusions:  Caries experience in Australian Army recruits aged 17–25 years increased between 2002–2003 and 2008. Recruits with lifetime exposure to fluoridated drinking water had 25 per cent less caries experience compared with recruits who had no exposure to fluoridated drinking water after adjusting for the effects of age, gender, education and socio‐economic status.
Comparison of efficacy of fluconazole mouthrinse and clotrimazole mouthpaint in the treatment of oral candidiasis
Authors: Sholapurkar AA , Pai KM , Rao S 
Published: November 2009

AbstractCandidiasis is by far the most common oral fungal infection in humans and has a variety of clinical features. It is considered to be an opportunistic infection, affecting individuals who are debilitated by another disease. Fluconazole, one of the newer azoles available for systemic use and clotrimazole as a topical ointment are both shown to be effective in the treatment of oral candidiasis and are considered to be well tolerated and useful medications. No study has evaluated the comparison of clinical and mycological response of oral candidiasis to fluconazole mouthrinse and clotrimazole mouthpaint. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of fluconazole mouthrinse and compare it with clotrimazole mouthpaint in the treatment of oral candidiasis.
Water fluoridation in the Blue Mountains reduces risk of tooth decay
Authors: Evans RW , Hsiau ACY , Dennison PJ , Patterson A , Jalaludin B 
Published: November 2009

AbstractBackground:  In April 1992, the fluoride concentration in the Blue Mountains water supply was adjusted to 1 mg/L. Baseline dmft/DMFT has been determined in children attending schools in the region and in the adjacent reference region of Hawkesbury, fluoridated since 1968. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the water fluoridation programme in the Blue Mountains.Methods:  In 2003, children attending the same schools were sampled. Residential history data were obtained by questionnaire and caries experience was assessed according to WHO guidelines. The analysis was restricted to lifelong resident children aged 5–11 years.Results:  The baseline and follow‐up dmft scores for Blue Mountains children aged 5–8 years were 2.36 and 0.67, respectively. The age‐adjusted decrease in odds of experiencing one or more dmft due to fluoridation was 0.26 (CI95 0.19, 0.37). The corresponding DMFT scores for Blue Mountains children aged 8–11 were 0.76 and 0.21 and the corresponding decrease in odds of experiencing one or more DMFT due to fluoridation was 0.25 (CI95 0.16, 0.40).Conclusions:  Tooth decay reduction observed in the Blue Mountains corresponds to high rates reported elsewhere and demonstrates the substantial benefits of water fluoridation.
Functional representation of tissue phantom ratios for photon fields
Authors: Sauer Otto A. , Wilbert J. 
Published: November 2009

Purpose:The tissue phantom ratio (TPR) is a common dosimetric quantity used in photon dose calculations. For small photon fields with side lengths less than, TPR data hardly exist in literature. In this work, a self‐contained functional representation of TPR is proposed, valid for the whole range of clinically relevant depth and field sizes. This is especially useful for small fields shaped by multileaf collimators.Methods:TPRs were measured for quadratic fields with side lengths between 0.4 and. The measured data were fitted to a physically meaningful function taking electron buildup, buildup of scattered photons, beam attenuation, and beam hardening into account. The achievable accuracy was tested against measurement and data from the literature.Results:A set of parameters for the proposed function was derived for 6 and beams. The comparison of the calculated and the measured data generally yielded a difference of less than 1%. For field sizes below , a systematic discrepancy between the author's data and those from Cheng et al. [Med. Phys 34, 3149–3157 (2007)] was found.Conclusions:With the proposed model, TPRs can be calculated for the full range of field sizes and depths required by treatment planning system algorithms and monitor unit check programs with very high accuracy. The method is also useful in detecting and reducing errors in measurement.
Development and evaluation of an ultrasound‐guided tracking and gating system for hepatic radiotherapy
Authors: Jacso Ferenc , Kouznetsov Alexei , Smith Wendy L. 
Published: November 2009

Purpose:Respiratory motion must be accounted for daily in order to permit optimum radiotherapy of hepatic malignancies. However, existing tracking systems are often invasive or poorly tolerated by patients. The authors describe the development and validation of an ultrasound‐guided tracking and gating system for stereotactic body radiation therapy of the liver.Methods:This noninvasive system is designed to determine the correlation between tumor and external fiducial motion and to verify the optimum gating level for treatment delivery daily. A tracked ultrasound probe moves with patient respiration, obtaining 2D ultrasound images of tumor motion throughout the respiratory cycle. The target volume is registered to the static radiotherapy treatment beams in order to verify optimum gating levels. These gating levels are then transferred to an existing gating system for treatment delivery. The authors examined the temporal and spatial accuracy of this system using a custom‐built phantom and verified the accuracy of gating level transfer and delivery.Results:The temporal accuracy of the ultrasound‐guided system was shown to be comparable to the existing clinical x‐ray imaging system. Using ultrasound rather than x‐rays to image internal targets provides good soft‐tissue contrast without the invasiveness of implanting fiducial markers. High frame rates enable continuous monitoring of the target throughout the respiratory cycle. The authors anticipate this passive monitoring system should be well tolerated by patients.Conclusions:The system developed provides good quality video of the laboratory motion phantom and can be successfully used in gated beam delivery.
Single x‐ray absorptiometry method for the quantitative mammographic measure of fibroglandular tissue volume
Authors: Malkov Serghei , Wang Jeff , Kerlikowske Karla , Cummings Steven R. , Shepherd John A. 
Published: November 2009

Purpose:This study describes the design and characteristics of a highly accurate, precise, and automated single‐energy method to quantify percent fibroglandular tissue volume (%FGV) and fibroglandular tissue volume (FGV) using digital screening mammography.Methods:The method uses a breast tissue‐equivalent phantom in the unused portion of the mammogram as a reference to estimate breast composition. The phantom is used to calculate breast thickness and composition for each image regardless of x‐ray technique or the presence of paddle tilt. The phantom adheres to the top of the mammographic compression paddle and stays in place for both craniocaudal and mediolateral oblique screening views. We describe the automated method to identify the phantom and paddle orientation with a three‐dimensional reconstruction least‐squares technique. A series of test phantoms, with a breast thickness range of 0.5–8 cm and a %FGV of 0%–100%, were made to test the accuracy and precision of the technique.Results:Using test phantoms, the estimated repeatability standard deviation equaled 2%, with a ±2% accuracy for the entire thickness and density ranges. Without correction, paddle tilt was found to create large errors in the measured density values of up to 7%/mm difference from actual breast thickness. This new density measurement is stable over time, with no significant drifts in calibration noted during a four‐month period. Comparisons of %FGV to mammographic percent density and left to right breast %FGV were highly correlated ( and 0.94, respectively).Conclusions:An automated method for quantifying fibroglandular tissue volume has been developed. It exhibited good accuracy and precision for a broad range of breast thicknesses, paddle tilt angles, and %FGV values. Clinical testing showed high correlation to mammographic density and between left and right breasts.