bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A brief review of pharmacotherapeutic treatment options in smoking cessation: bupropion versus varenicline
Authors: Johnson Tam Spitzer 
Published: September 2010

Abstract  Purpose: The purpose of this article is to compare the efficacy of two prominent medications utilized in smoking cessation: bupropion and varenicline. Data sources: Comprehensive review of the literature on bupropion and varenicline including randomized control trials, government reports, journal reviews, and pharmaceutical inserts. Conclusions: In all studies comparing varenicline to bupropion and/or placebo, varenicline yielded a greater cessation rate at both 3 and 12 months. Additionally, varenicline 1 mg indicated an increased potential for long‐term cessation success when compared with varenicline 0.5 mg. When compared with only placebo, bupropion demonstrated a higher efficacy for cessation both at 3 and 12 months. Implications for practice: Only 6% of the 20 million smokers who attempt to quit will succeed in long term. Clinicians must assess their patient's willingness to quit and educate them about cessation options. Knowing the efficacy of various treatment options for patients will potentially increase their success at quitting smoking. Understanding the treatment options available, allows for clinicians to provide the best possible method for smoking cessation for their patient population.
Hydrophobic substances induce water stress in microbial cells
Authors: Bhaganna Prashanth , Volkers Rita J. M. , Bell Andrew N. W. , Kluge Kathrin , Timson David J. , McGrath John W. , Ruijssenaars Harald J. , Hallsworth John E. 
Published: September 2010

SummaryUbiquitous noxious hydrophobic substances, such as hydrocarbons, pesticides and diverse industrial chemicals, stress biological systems and thereby affect their ability to mediate biosphere functions like element and energy cycling vital to biosphere health. Such chemically diverse compounds may have distinct toxic activities for cellular systems; they may also share a common mechanism of stress induction mediated by their hydrophobicity. We hypothesized that the stressful effects of, and cellular adaptations to, hydrophobic stressors operate at the level of water : macromolecule interactions. Here, we present evidence that: (i) hydrocarbons reduce structural interactions within and between cellular macromolecules, (ii) organic compatible solutes – metabolites that protect against osmotic and chaotrope‐induced stresses – ameliorate this effect, (iii) toxic hydrophobic substances induce a potent form of water stress in macromolecular and cellular systems, and (iv) the stress mechanism of, and cellular responses to, hydrophobic substances are remarkably similar to those associated with chaotrope‐induced water stress. These findings suggest that it may be possible to devise new interventions for microbial processes in both natural environments and industrial reactors to expand microbial tolerance of hydrophobic substances, and hence the biotic windows for such processes.
Complexity in the Missionary Experience: The Franciscan Missionaries of Mary in Upper Congo
Authors: Martin Phyllis 
Published: September 2010

AbstractThe contradictions that permeated the missionary experience can be lost through the use of words such as “encounter” and “civilizing.” This study seeks to illustrate the complementary and competing forces that impinged on the work of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary sisters in Upper Congo. It emphasizes their commitment to social action and evangelism through work, their interaction with local women and local knowledge, the particular colonial rule they witnessed, and the imperial simplification of complexity at the 1931 Paris Exposition Coloniale Internationale. Les contradictions dont a été imprégnée l'expérience missionnaire risquent de perdre en acuité avec l'usage de mots comme « rencontre » et « processus de civilisation ». Le présent article cherche à illustrer les dynamiques de complémentarité et de compétition qui ont affecté le travail des Sœurs Franciscaines de Marie dans le bassin supérieur du Congo. Il souligne leur engagement pour l'action sociale et l'évangélisation par le travail, leur rapport avec les femmes locales et le savoir local, les spécificités du régime colonial auquel elles furent confrontées, ainsi que la simplification impériale de la complexité à laquelle il fut procédé lors de l'exposition coloniale internationale de Paris en 1931.
The Roles of External Forcings and Internal Variabilities in the Northern Hemisphere Atmospheric Circulation Change from the 1960s to the 1990s
Authors: King Martin P. , Kucharski Fred , Molteni Franco 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
The Northern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation change from the 1960s to the 1990s shows a strong positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and a deepening of the Aleutian low. The issue regarding the contributions of external forcings and internal atmospheric variability to this circulation change has not been resolved satisfactorily. Previous studies have found the importance of tropical SST forcing. Here, this hypothesis is examined again using relatively large ensembles of atmospheric general circulation model simulations of the twentieth-century climate forced only by historically varying SST. The resulting ensemble-mean amplitude underestimates the observed change by at least 70%, although the spatial pattern is reproduced well qualitatively. Furthermore, AGCM experiments are performed to investigate other driving factors, such as the greenhouse gases, sea ice, the stratospheric ozone, as well as the contribution from atmospheric internal variability. The increase in ensemble-mean trend amplitude induced by these additional drivers was not enough to substantially improve the agreement with the observed trend. However, the full distribution of simulated trends reveals that the ensemble members at the upper tail are much closer to the observed amplitude. In the “best” ensemble, the 95th percentile of the simulated NAO trend amplitude remains at about 80% of the observed trend amplitude, with nearly equal contributions from external forcings and internal variability. The results also indicate that a complete set of driving factors and a correct simulation of stratospheric trends are important in bridging the gap between observed and modeled interdecadal variability in the North Atlantic winter circulation.
Air Temperature and Anthropogenic Forcing: Insights from the Solid Earth
Authors: Dickey Jean O. , Marcus Steven L. , de Viron Olivier 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
Earth’s rotation rate [i.e., length of day (LOD)], the angular momentum of the core (CAM), and surface air temperature (SAT) all have decadal variability. Previous investigators have found that the LOD fluctuations are largely attributed to core–mantle interactions and that the SAT is strongly anticorrelated with the decadal LOD. It is shown here that 1) the correlation among these three quantities exists until 1930, at which time anthropogenic forcing becomes highly significant; 2) correcting for anthropogenic effects, the correlation is present for the full span with a broadband variability centered at 78 yr; and 3) this result underscores the reality of anthropogenic temperature change, its size, and its temporal growth. The cause of this common variability needs to be further investigated and studied. Since temperature cannot affect the CAM or LOD to a sufficient extent, the results favor either a direct effect of Earth’s core-generated magnetic field (e.g., through the modulation of charged-particle fluxes, which may impact cloud formation) or a more indirect effect of some other core process on the climate—or yet another process that affects both. In all three cases, their signals would be much smaller than the anthropogenic greenhouse gas effect on Earth’s radiation budget during the coming century.
Arctic Ocean Warming Contributes to Reduced Polar Ice Cap
Authors: Polyakov Igor V. , Timokhov Leonid A. , Alexeev Vladimir A. , Bacon Sheldon , Dmitrenko Igor A. , Fortier Louis , Frolov Ivan E. , Gascard Jean-Claude , Hansen Edmond , Ivanov Vladimir V. , Laxon Seymour , Mauritzen Cecilie , Perovich Don , Shimada Koji , Simmons Harper L. , Sokolov Vladimir T. , Steele Michael , Toole John 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
Analysis of modern and historical observations demonstrates that the temperature of the intermediate-depth (150–900 m) Atlantic water (AW) of the Arctic Ocean has increased in recent decades. The AW warming has been uneven in time; a local ∼1°C maximum was observed in the mid-1990s, followed by an intervening minimum and an additional warming that culminated in 2007 with temperatures higher than in the 1990s by 0.24°C. Relative to climatology from all data prior to 1999, the most extreme 2007 temperature anomalies of up to 1°C and higher were observed in the Eurasian and Makarov Basins. The AW warming was associated with a substantial (up to 75–90 m) shoaling of the upper AW boundary in the central Arctic Ocean and weakening of the Eurasian Basin upper-ocean stratification. Taken together, these observations suggest that the changes in the Eurasian Basin facilitated greater upward transfer of AW heat to the ocean surface layer. Available limited observations and results from a 1D ocean column model support this surmised upward spread of AW heat through the Eurasian Basin halocline. Experiments with a 3D coupled ice–ocean model in turn suggest a loss of 28–35 cm of ice thickness after ∼50 yr in response to the 0.5 W m−2 increase in AW ocean heat flux suggested by the 1D model. This amount of thinning is comparable to the 29 cm of ice thickness loss due to local atmospheric thermodynamic forcing estimated from observations of fast-ice thickness decline. The implication is that AW warming helped precondition the polar ice cap for the extreme ice loss observed in recent years.
Molecular analysis of the diversity of vaginal microbiota associated with bacterial vaginosis
Authors: Ling Zongxin , Kong Jianming , Liu Fang , Zhu Haibin , Chen Xiaoyi , Wang Yuezhu , Li Lanjuan , Nelson Karen E , Xia Yaxian , Xiang Charlie 
Published: September 2010

Abstract

Background
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is an ecological disorder of the vaginal microbiota that affects millions of women annually, and is associated with numerous adverse health outcomes including pre-term birth and the acquisition of sexually transmitted infections. However, little is known about the overall structure and composition of vaginal microbial communities; most of the earlier studies focused on predominant vaginal bacteria in the process of BV. In the present study, the diversity and richness of vaginal microbiota in 50 BV positive and 50 healthy women from China were investigated using culture-independent PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and barcoded 454 pyrosequencing methods, and validated by quantitative PCR.

Results
Our data demonstrated that there was a profound shift in the absolute and relative abundances of bacterial species present in the vagina when comparing populations associated with healthy and diseased conditions. In spite of significant interpersonal variations, the diversity of vaginal microbiota in the two groups could be clearly divided into two clusters. A total of 246,359 high quality pyrosequencing reads was obtained for evaluating bacterial diversity and 24,298 unique sequences represented all phylotypes. The most predominant phyla of bacteria identified in the vagina belonged to Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria and Fusobacteria. The higher number of phylotypes in BV positive women over healthy is consistent with the results of previous studies and a large number of low-abundance taxa which were missed in previous studies were revealed. Although no single bacterium could be identified as a specific marker for healthy over diseased conditions, three phyla - Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria and Fusobacteria, and eight genera including Gardnerella, Atopobium, Megasphaera, Eggerthella, Aerococcus, Leptotrichia/Sneathia, Prevotella and Papillibacter were strongly associated with BV (p < 0.05). These genera are potentially excellent markers and could be used as targets for clinical BV diagnosis by molecular approaches.

Conclusions
The data presented here have clearly profiled the overall structure of vaginal communities and clearly demonstrated that BV is associated with a dramatic increase in the taxonomic richness and diversity of vaginal microbiota. The study also provides the most comprehensive picture of the vaginal community structure and the bacterial ecosystem, and significantly contributes to the current understanding of the etiology of BV.
Adequacy and quality of abdominal echographies requested by primary care professionals
Authors: Auladell Ma Antònia , Caballeria Llorenç , Pera Guillem , Rodríguez Lluís , Casas José Dario , Aznar Jesús , Miranda Dolores , Sánchez Carmen , Negrete Antonio , Castellví Josep Ma , Bernad Jesús , Canut Santiago , Aubà Josep , Aizpurua Miren Maite , Torán Pere 
Published: September 2010

AbstractBackgroundThe value of abdominal echography in primary care is great because it is innocuous, inexpensive, easy to perform and provides a great deal of information making this the first examination to be requested in cases of probable abdominal disease.However, too many abdominal echographies are probably requested overcrowding the Departments of Radiodiagnosis with not always justified petitions or with repetition of tests based on little clinical criteria.Methods/DesignThe aim of the study isto evaluate the adequacy and quality of abdominal echographies requested by primary care physicians in the Maresme County (North of Barcelona), develop guidelines for indicating echographies and reevaluate this adequacy after implementing these guidelines.We will perform a two-phase study: the first descriptive, and retrospective evaluating the adequacy and quality of petitions for abdominal echographies, and in the second phase we will evaluate the impact of recommendations for indicating abdominal echographies for PC physicians on the adequacy and quality of echography petitions thereafter.This study will be carried out in 10 primary care centresin the Maresme (Barcelona).1067 abdominal echographies requested by primary care physicians from the above mentioned centres from January 2007 to April 2010 and referred to the Department of Radiology and the same number of applications after the intervention.All the petitions for abdominal echographies requested will be analysed and the clinical histories will be obtained to determine demographic variables, the reason for the visit and for the echography petition and diagnostic orientation, clinical and echographic data, evaluation of the echographies according to the quality and variables characterising the professionals requesting the echographies including: age, sex, laboral situation, length of time in work post, formation, etc.To achieve a consensus of the adequacy of abdominal echography, a work group including gastroenterologists, radiologists and general practitioners will be created following the nominal group. This will allow the design of guidelines for the indication of abdominal echography and posterior evaluation of their impact among physicians by diffusion and posterior reevaluation of the adequacy of the petitions.
In vivo assessment of the impedance ratio method used in electronic foramen locators
Authors: Rambo Marcos VH , Gamba Humberto R , Borba Gustavo B , Maia Joaquim M , Ramos Carlos AS 
Published: September 2010

AbstractBackgroundThe results of anin vivostudy on the "ratio method" used in electronic foramen locators (EFL) are presented. EFLs are becoming widely used in the determination of the working length (WL) during the root canal treatment. The WL is the distance from a coronal reference point to the point at which canal preparation and filling should terminate. The "ratio method" was assessed by many clinicians with the aim of determining its ability to locate the apical foramen (AF). Nevertheless,in vivostudies to assess the method itself and to explain why the "ratio method" is able to locate the apical foramen and is unable to determine intermediate distances were not published so far.MethodsA developed apparatus applies an electrical current signal with constant amplitude of 10 μARMSthrough the endodontic file within the root canal. The applied current signal is composed by summing six sine waves, from 250 Hz to 8 kHz. Data were acquired with the endodontic file tip at 7 different positions within root canals. In the frequency domain the quotients between the amplitude of a reference frequency and the amplitudes of the other frequencies components were calculated. Twenty one root canals were analyzed in vivo, during the endodontic treatment of twelve teeth of different patients, with age between 20 to 55 years.ResultsFor the range of frequencies used in the commercial EFLs and for distances ranging from -3 mm to -1 mm of the AF, the impedance of the root canal is mainly resistive. However, when the file tip gets closer to AF, the root canal electrical impedance starts to change from a mainly resistive to a complex impedance. This change in the measured root canal impedance starts when the file tip is near -1.0 mm from the AF, getting stronger as the file tip gets closer to the AF. This change in the impedance behavior affects the ratio (quotient) of the impedance measured at different frequencies. Through graphic analysis it is demonstrated why EFLs based on the ratio method are unable to accurately measure any distances between - 3.0 and -0.5 mm from the apical foramen. The only reliable measurement is the 0 mm distance, which is when the file tip is at the AF.ConclusionsThe electrical impedance values of 21 root canals werein vivostudied. The results confirm the ability of EFLs that are based on the ratio method to accurately locate the AF position and explain why they are unable to determine the file tip position along the root canal.
Analysis of Gγ-158(C→T) polymorphism in hemoglobin E/β-thalassemia major in Southern China
Authors: Liu Rong Rong , Wang Ming Yue , Lai Yong Rong 
Published: September 2010

Abstract

Background
The Gγ-158(C→T) polymorphism plays important function in the clinical variability of HbE/β-thalassemia. There is little known about Gγ-158(C→T) polymorphism in HbE/β-thalassemia major in Southern China. This study aimed to explore the association between HbE/β-thalassemia major and this polymorphism in Southern China.

Methods and Results
The frequency of the Gγ-158(C→T) polymorphism has been evaluated in 32 patients with HbE/β-thalassemia major from Southern China. Further analysis of the Gγ-158(C→T) polymorphism revealed the prominent frequency of this polymorphic pattern among HbE/β-thalassemia major patients (65.63%). The presence of this polymorphism was strongly correlated with the increase of HbF synthesis.

Conclusions
The frequency of the Gγ-158(C→T) polymorphism was relatively high in Southern Chinese patients with HbE/β-thalassemia major, often accompanying with high production of HbF. This feature appears to be different with reports in other races and regions.
A Shear Wave Velocity Tomography System for Geotechnical Centrifuge Testing
Authors: Kim Nam-Ryong , Kim Dong-Soo 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
In physical model tests using geotechnical centrifuge, it is important to evaluate soil properties during centrifugal acceleration due to the effect of stress conditions. A crosshole type shear wave velocity tomography testing system has been developed, and the distribution of maximum shear modulus in sand layers could be evaluated in the centrifuge. Piezoelectric bender elements are installed in the system as shear wave transmitters and receivers for travel time measurement. A driving and measurement system for bender element tests is prepared to be used under centrifuge operating environment. A series of tests using this system has been conducted with uniform sand samples, and the testing procedure and typical signals from bender elements are presented. Tomography inversion considering curved raypaths has been conducted using a total of 256 travel time data determined by measured signals because the first arrivals follow curved raypaths under a stress related linear variation in stiffness with depth. The maximum shear modulus variation with depth, or vertical effective stress, has been verified through comparison with resonant column test results, and the applicability of this system in general centrifuge testing has been confirmed.
Development of a Crack Sealant Adhesion Test (CSADT) Specification for Hot-Poured Bituminous Sealants
Authors: Al-Qadi Imad L. , Fini Elham H. 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
Current crack sealant specifications utilize a simple empirical bond test [ASTM D5329, “Standard Test Methods for Sealants and Fillers, Hot-Applied, for Joints and Cracks in Asphaltic and Portland Cement Concrete Pavements”] to measure a sealant’s ability to adhere to concrete briquettes. However, no correlation exists between the results of this standard test and a sealant’s field performance. To bridge the gap between sealants’ fundamental properties and field performance, performance-based guidelines for the selection of hot-poured crack sealants have been developed. This paper proposes a new test procedure to help assess the capability of sealants to adhere to the sides of cracks in pavement. The proposed crack sealant adhesion direct tensile (CSADT) test procedure calls for the use of a direct tensile tester with modifications to the end pieces and the specimen holder. Sealant is confined between two aluminum pieces, which will move apart at 0.05 mm/s until failure occurs. Failure load and the displacement at failure are recorded and then used to assess the sealant’s adhesion capability. A crack created on one side of the assembly during specimen preparation determines the initial failure location and ensures that the failure occurs at the interface and not within the sealant. The specimen preparation is designed to simulate sealant installation, and experimental conditions have been developed to represent crack openings during pavement contraction in cold weather. The repeatability of the suggested procedure was acceptable with an average coefficient of variation of 10.9 %. No significant difference existed between two operators or between two test setups.
Iron Supplements Reduce the Risk of Iron Deficiency Anemia in Marginally Low Birth Weight Infants
Authors: Berglund Staffan , Westrup Björn , Domellöf Magnus 
Published: September 2010

OBJECTIVE:Low birth weight infants are at risk for iron deficiency (ID). Most LBW infants have marginally low birth weight (MLBW, 2000–2500 g) and it is not known whether they benefit from iron supplements. The objective of this trial was to study the effects of iron supplementation in MLBW infants.METHOD:In a randomized controlled trial, we assigned 285 healthy, MLBW infants to receive iron supplements at a dose of 0 (placebo), 1, or 2 mg/kg per day between 6 weeks and 6 months of age. Hemoglobin levels, ferritin levels, transferrin saturation, mean cell volume, and transferrin receptor levels were analyzed at 6 months. Growth and morbidity were monitored.RESULTS:Iron supplementation resulted in significant dose-dependent effects on hemoglobin and all iron status indicators at 6 months. The prevalence of ID at 6 months was 36% in the placebo group, 8.2% in the 1 mg/kg per day group, and 3.8% in the 2 mg/kg per day group (P &lt; .001). The prevalence rates of ID anemia (IDA) were 9.9%, 2.7%, and 0%, respectively (P = .004). Among infants who were exclusively breastfed at 6 weeks, the prevalence of IDA was 18% in the placebo group. There were no significant differences between groups in growth or morbidity.CONCLUSIONS:MLBW infants have relatively high risks of ID and IDA, especially if they are breastfed. Iron supplementation at 2 mg/kg per day from 6 weeks to 6 months reduces this risk effectively, with no short-term adverse effects on morbidity or growth.