bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Building the value of evaluation: Engaging with reflective practitioners
Authors: Derrick‐Mills Teresa M. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractEvaluation use has been a focal point of the evaluation field for many years, and recent practice and theory have focused on the potentially transformative effects of the evaluation process itself. All of these efforts, however, start with practitioners who are frequently fearful or suspicious about the process mandated or imposed on them, concerned about the time it will take away from their direct service, and dubious of the value that the evaluation will impart. Although the efforts of individual evaluators attempting to partner with practitioners one program at a time to improve the evaluation process and convince practitioners of its value are important, we also need systemic approaches to cultivate the value of evaluation among practitioners. This chapter proposes a three‐pronged approach to develop and engage reflective practitioners to build the value of evaluation. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association
Evaluation of multinational programs: Value and challenges
Authors: Hoffman Kim A. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractOpportunities for the evaluation of multinational projects offer potential for insights into project operations and effects across sites, cultures, nations, and regions. The author discusses the value of building robust multinational evaluations, practical considerations for gaining ethical clearances in diverse settings, and ways to accommodate projects with varied implementation processes and goals. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association
Using organizational memory directories to analyze networks
Authors: Jansen van Rensburg Madri S. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractThis chapter describes the value of organizational memory (OM) directories and networks to improve evaluations and monitoring activities with the use of a case study. Networking within and between organizations is considered increasingly important, and organizational memory and the directory of the memory are needed to access these networks and determine their influence. Networks—social and business—and the ability to document and map networks and their influence are progressively becoming generally more important, including in evaluation studies. Future focus on networks and OM will make it possible to identify key and more‐distant stakeholders and beneficiaries, and to examine the networks to enable reliability of impact evaluations. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association
Effectiveness engineering: Vistas of opportunity beyond merit, worth, and significance
Authors: Wilson Kurt A. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractPracticing evaluators can be understood as representing the “brand” of evaluation, and as such face challenges with the negative connotations and overall confusion surrounding the field. Effectiveness engineering is presented as a sensitizing concept, a new way of seeing the subset of evaluation approaches that engage goals expanding beyond a determination of merit, worth, or significance. Emerging methodologies addressing systems and complexity, and two portals from Google that provide free data, are suggested as especially relevant resources for those that resonate with the “effectiveness engineering” concept. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association
Harnessing the power of the electronic health record data for use in program evaluation
Authors: Cohen Deborah 
Published: September 2011

AbstractThe adoption of the electronic health record (EHR) will play a major role in the evolution of health‐related program evaluation and applied research over the next 10 years. As we move toward meeting “meaningful use” standards, many mental health agencies will soon have the capacity to inform internal and external stakeholders about agency processes and outcomes at the click of a mouse. The EHR has become a necessity for business operations among all health‐care providers, and it will be important for evaluators to devise ways to utilize this information effectively to guide the program evaluation process. The author describes ways that these data may be used, specifically from the viewpoint of empowerment evaluation, including as a viable secondary data source. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association
Rapid testing of gene‐gene interactions in genome‐wide association studies of binary and quantitative phenotypes
Authors: Bhattacharya Kanishka , McCarthy Mark I. , Morris Andrew P. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractGenome‐wide association (GWA) studies have been extremely successful in identifying novel loci contributing effects to a wide range of complex human traits. However, despite this success, the joint marginal effects of these loci account for only a small proportion of the heritability of these traits. Interactions between variants in different loci are not typically modelled in traditional GWA analysis, but may account for some of the missing heritability in humans, as they do in other model organisms. One of the key challenges in performing gene‐gene interaction studies is the computational burden of the analysis. We propose a two‐stage interaction analysis strategy to address this challenge in the context of both quantitative traits and dichotomous phenotypes. We have performed simulations to demonstrate only a negligible loss in power of this two‐stage strategy, while minimizing the computational burden. Application of this interaction strategy to GWA studies of T2D and obesity highlights potential novel signals of association, which warrant follow‐up in larger cohorts. Genet. Epidemiol. 2011.© 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.35: 800‐808, 2011
MR spectroscopy of the human prostate using surface coil at 3 T: Metabolite ratios, age‐dependent effects, and diagnostic possibilities
Authors: Weis Jan , Jorulf Håkan , Bergman Antonina , Ortiz‐Nieto Francisco , Häggman Michael , Ahlström Håkan 
Published: September 2011

AbstractPurpose:To measure prostate spectra of healthy volunteers using a surface coil, to demonstrate age‐dependent effects, and to investigate diagnostic possibilities for prostate cancer detection.Materials and Methods:Single‐voxel and 2D magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) spectra of 51 healthy volunteers with biopsy‐proven prostate carcinoma of 20 patients for comparison were measured and processed using the LCModel. The mean normalized spectra and mean metabolite‐to‐citrate intensity ratios were computed.Results:Metabolite‐to‐citrate ratios of healthy volunteers were lower in the older group (>51 years) than in the younger group (<45 years). The peripheral zone (PZ) revealed a lower metabolite‐to‐citrate intensity ratio than the central gland (CG). Age‐related differences in metabolite‐to‐citrate ratio were insignificant in the voxels with predominantly CG tissue, whereas significant differences were found in the PZ. Sensitivity in detecting prostate cancer by single‐voxel spectroscopy (SVS) and 2D MRSI was 75% and 80%, respectively.Conclusion:SVS and 2D MRSI of the prostate at 3 T, using a surface coil, are useful in situations when insertion of the endorectal coil into the rectum is difficult or impossible. Our findings of age‐dependent effects may be of importance for the analysis of patient spectra. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2011;. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
MRI texture analysis of femoral neck: Detection of exercise load‐associated differences in trabecular bone
Authors: Harrison Lara C.V. , Nikander Riku , Sikiö Minna , Luukkaala Tiina , Helminen Mika T. , Ryymin Pertti , Soimakallio Seppo , Eskola Hannu J. , Dastidar Prasun , Sievänen Harri 
Published: September 2011

AbstractPurpose:To assess the ability of co‐occurrence matrix‐based texture parameters to detect exercise load‐associated differences in MRI texture at the femoral neck cross‐section.Materials and Methods:A total of 91 top‐level female athletes representing five differently loading sports and 20 referents participated in this cross‐sectional study. Axial T1‐weighted FLASH and T2*‐weighted MEDIC sequence images of the proximal femur were obtained with a 1.5T MRI. The femoral neck trabecular bone at the level of the insertion of articular capsule was divided manually into regions of interest representing four anatomical sectors (anterior, posterior, superior, and inferior). Selected co‐occurrence matrix‐based texture parameters were used to evaluate differences in apparent trabecular structure between the exercise loading groups and anatomical sectors of the femoral neck.Results:Significant differences in the trabecular bone texture, particularly at the superior femoral neck, were observed between athletes representing odd‐impact (soccer and squash) and high‐magnitude exercise loading (power‐lifting) groups and the nonathletic reference group.Conclusion:MRI texture analysis provides a quantitative method for detecting and classifying apparent structural differences in trabecular bone that are associated with specific exercise loading. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2011;. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effect of variable‐stiffness walking shoes on knee adduction moment, pain, and function in subjects with medial compartment knee osteoarthritis after 1 year
Authors: Erhart‐Hledik Jennifer C. , Elspas Barbara , Giori Nicholas J. , Andriacchi Thomas P. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractThis study investigated the load‐modifying and clinical efficacy of variable‐stiffness shoes after 12 months in subjects with medial compartment knee osteoarthritis. Subjects who completed a prior 6‐month study were asked to wear their assigned constant‐stiffness control or variable‐stiffness intervention shoes during the remainder of the study. Changes in peak knee adduction moment, total Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC), and WOMAC pain scores were assessed. Seventy‐nine subjects were enrolled, and 55 completed the trial. Using an intention‐to‐treat analysis, the variable‐stiffness shoes reduced the within‐day peak knee adduction moment (−5.5%, p < 0.001) in the intervention subjects, while the constant‐stiffness shoes increased the peak knee adduction moment in the control subjects (+3.1%, p = 0.015) at the 12‐month visit. WOMAC pain and total scores for the intervention group were significantly reduced from baseline to 12 months (−32%, p = 0.002 and −35%, p = 0.007, respectively). The control group had a reduction of 27% in WOMAC pain score (p = 0.04) and no significant reduction in total WOMAC score. Reductions in WOMAC pain and total scores were similar between groups (p = 0.8 and p = 0.47, respectively). In the intervention group, reductions in adduction moment were related to improvements in pain and function (R2 = 0.11, p = 0.04). Analysis by disease severity revealed greater efficacy in adduction moment reduction in the less severe intervention group. While the long‐term effects of the intervention shoes on pain and function did not differ from control, the data suggest wearing the intervention shoe reduces the within‐day adduction moment after long‐term wear, and thus should reduce loading on the affected medial compartment of the knee. © 2011 Orthopaedic Research Society. © 2011 Orthopaedic Research Society Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 30:514–521, 2012
Migration of styrene from plastic packaging based on polystyrene into food simulants
Authors: Paraskevopoulou Despoina , Achilias Dimitris S , Paraskevopoulou Adamantini 
Published: September 2011

AbstractMigration of potentially toxic substances from plastic packaging materials is very important in the food industry since it determines the suitability of polymers when used in food packaging. In this work, results are presented on the migration of styrene monomer from plastic packaging based on either rigid or foamed polystyrene. Water, ethanol/water solution and isooctane (resembling oil) were considered as food simulants. Experiments were carried out at various temperatures and migration was tested from 30 min to 30 days. Measurements were carried out using gas chromatography with external calibration and styrene standard solutions. No styrene was measured in water, except at high temperatures and long time periods, while the amount in ethanol/water was always grater than that in isooctane. Finally, the styrene diffusion coefficients for all the various experimental conditions were estimated using a rigorous model based on the Fick diffusion equation and the partitioning of the monomer between the two phases and consequently the activation energy of the migration process was evaluated. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
MicroRNA-451 Is Involved in the Self-renewal, Tumorigenicity, and Chemoresistance of Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells
Authors: Bitarte Nerea , Bandres Eva , Boni Valentina , Zarate Ruth , Rodriguez Javier , Gonzalez-Huarriz Marisol , Lopez Ines , Javier Sola Jesus , Alonso Marta M. , Fortes Puri , Garcia-Foncillas Jesus 
Published: September 2011

Abstract
Many antitumor therapies affect rapidly dividing cells. However, tumor proliferation may be driven by cancer stem cells (CSCs), which divide slowly and are relatively resistant to cytotoxic drugs. Thus, many tumors may progress because CSCs are not sensitive to the treatment. In this work, we searched for target genes whose expression is involved in proliferation and chemoresistance of CSCs. Both of these processes could be controlled simultaneously by cell regulators such as microRNAs (miRNAs). Therefore, colonospheres with properties of CSCs were obtained from different colon carcinoma cells, and miRNA profiling was performed. The results showed that miR-451 was downregulated in colonspheres versus parental cells. Surprisingly, expression of miR-451 caused a decrease in self-renewal, tumorigenicity, and chemoresistance to irinotecan of colonspheres. We identified cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) as an indirect miR-451 target gene involved in sphere growth. Our results indicate that miR-451 downregulation allows the expression of the direct target gene macrophage migration inhibitory factor, involved in the expression of COX-2. In turn, COX-2 allows Wnt activation, which is essential for CSC growth. Furthermore, miR-451 restoration decreases expression of the ATP-binding cassette drug transporter ABCB1 and results in irinotecan sensitization. These findings correlate well with the lower expression of miR-451 observed in patients who did not respond to irinotecan-based first-line therapy compared with patients who did. Our data suggest that miR-451 is a novel candidate to circumvent recurrence and drug resistance in colorectal cancer and could be used as a marker to predict response to irinotecan in patients with colon carcinoma.
Concise Review: Deciphering the Mechanism Behind Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Generation
Authors: Lin Shi-Lung 
Published: September 2011

Abstract
Regenerative medicine using spluripotent/multipotent stem cells holds a great promise in developing therapies for treating developmental abnormalities, degenerative disorders, and aging-related illness. However, supply and safety of the stem cells are two major problems with today's regenerative medicine. Recent development of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has overcome the supply shortages by allowing the reprogramming of patients' body cells to embryonic stem cell (ESC)-like pluripotent cells. Still, the potential tumorigenicity of iPSCs remains as an obstacle. During early embryogenesis ESCs can be generated without tumor formation; therefore, understanding the mechanisms underlying ESC generation may help us to prevent iPSC tumorigenicity. Previous studies have shown that an ESC-enriched noncoding RNA, miR-302, induces somatic cell reprogramming (SCR) to form iPSCs, suggesting its pivotal role in stem cell generation. Recent research further revealed that miR-302-induced SCR involves an epigenetic reprogramming mechanism similar to the natural zygotic reprogramming process in the two- to eight-cell-stage embryos. These findings indicate that miR-302, as a cytoplasmic gene silencer, inhibits the translation of multiple key epigenetic regulators, including AOF1/2, methyl-CpG binding proteins 1 and 2, and DNA (cytosine-5-)-methyltransferase 1, to induce global DNA demethylation, which subsequently triggers the activation of the previously defined factors Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog to complete the reprogramming process. The same mechanism was also found in the event of somatic cell nuclear transfer. Based on these advanced understandings, this review describes the currently established SCR mechanism—as compared to the natural process of early ESC formation—and demonstrates how stem cell researchers may use this mechanism to improve iPSC generation.
Concise Review: Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells for Vascular Medicine
Authors: Asahara Takayuki , Kawamoto Atsuhiko , Masuda Haruchika 
Published: September 2011

Abstract
Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have been isolated and shown to be effective in animal models of ischemia, and many groups involved in clinical trials have demonstrated that EPC therapy is safe and feasible for the treatment of critical limb ischemia and cardiovascular diseases. However, many issues in the field of EPC biology, especially in regards to the proper and unambiguous molecular characterization of these cells still remain unresolved, hampering not only basic research but also the effective therapeutic use and widespread application of these cells. In this review, we introduce the recent concept of EPC identification in terms of hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic EPCs along with the development of EPC biology research. Furthermore, we define the role of circulating EPCs in postnatal neovascularization to illustrate the future direction of EPC therapeutic applications. Next, we review on-going medical applications of EPC for cardiovascular and peripheral vascular diseases, introduce the practical example of therapeutic application of EPCs to patients with ischemic disease, and discuss about the feedback of clinical researches.
Increased Re-Entry into Cell Cycle Mitigates Age-Related Neurogenic Decline in the Murine Subventricular Zone
Authors: Stoll Elizabeth A. , Habibi Behnum A. , Mikheev Andrei M. , Lasiene Jurate , Massey Susan C. , Swanson Kristin R. , Rostomily Robert C. , Horner Philip J. 
Published: September 2011

Abstract
Although new neurons are produced in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the adult mammalian brain, fewer functional neurons are produced with increasing age. The age-related decline in neurogenesis has been attributed to a decreased pool of neural progenitor cells (NPCs), an increased rate of cell death, and an inability to undergo neuronal differentiation and develop functional synapses. The time between mitotic events has also been hypothesized to increase with age, but this has not been directly investigated. Studying primary-cultured NPCs from the young adult and aged mouse forebrain, we observe that fewer aged cells are dividing at a given time; however, the mitotic cells in aged cultures divide more frequently than mitotic cells in young cultures during a 48-hour period of live-cell time-lapse imaging. Double-thymidine-analog labeling also demonstrates that fewer aged cells are dividing at a given time, but those that do divide are significantly more likely to re-enter the cell cycle within a day, both in vitro and in vivo. Meanwhile, we observed that cellular survival is impaired in aged cultures. Using our live-cell imaging data, we developed a mathematical model describing cell cycle kinetics to predict the growth curves of cells over time in vitro and the labeling index over time in vivo. Together, these data surprisingly suggest that progenitor cells remaining in the aged SVZ are highly proliferative.
Diet and Feeding Success of Fast‐Growing Yellow Perch Larvae and Juveniles in Perturbed Boreal Lakes
Authors: Leclerc Véronique , Sirois Pascal , Planas Dolors , Bérubé Pierre 
Published: September 2011

AbstractThe principal objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that enhanced early growth of yellow perch Perca flavescens in lakes affected by forest harvesting was related to favorable feeding conditions after the perturbation. Yellow perch larvae and juveniles and their zooplankton prey were sampled three times in three unperturbed lakes and in three perturbed lakes where forest harvesting had occurred in the catchment 2 years earlier. Univariate and multivariate analyses of the diets of age‐0 yellow perch from both treatments showed that fish in perturbed lakes primarily preyed upon Daphnia spp. and Polyphemus pediculus, whereas fish in unperturbed lakes preyed upon more diverse food items. Perturbed lakes showed higher dissolved organic carbon concentrations, algal biomass, and Daphnia spp. abundance. The feeding success index (number of prey items in the stomach per millimeter of fish length) and recent growth rates of age‐0 yellow perch showed a significant type II functional relationship with the abundance of Daphnia spp. We hypothesized that the increase in Daphnia spp. abundance and a darkening of water color in perturbed lakes may have favored prey detection and growth for larval and juvenile yellow perch, thereby affecting population recruitment.
Seasonal Distribution and Habitat Associations of Bull Sharks in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida: A 30‐Year Synthesis
Authors: Curtis Tobey H. , Adams Douglas H. , Burgess George H. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractMany coastal shark species use shallow estuarine regions as nursery habitat, but there are considerable gaps in our understanding of the seasonal distribution and habitat use patterns of sharks within these systems. We compiled all available sampling data from the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) along Florida's central Atlantic coast to examine the distribution of bull sharks Carcharhinus leucas. The data synthesized in this study spanned the 30‐year period 1975–2005 and included information on the seasonal distribution, size structure, and habitat associations of 449 bull sharks. For comparison, data from an additional 106 bull sharks captured in shelf waters adjacent to the IRL were also examined. The IRL is dominated by young‐of‐the‐year (age‐0) and juvenile bull sharks, which were most abundant during spring, summer, and autumn. Shark captures were most often associated with shallow freshwater creeks, power plant outfalls, ocean inlets, and seagrass habitats with temperatures greater than 20°C, salinities of 10–30‰, and dissolved oxygen concentrations between 4 and 7 mg/L. Juvenile bull sharks were found in waters with higher mean salinities than were age‐0 sharks. Although the IRL is one of the most important bull shark nursery areas on the U.S. Atlantic coast, catch‐per‐unit‐effort data indicate that bull shark abundance decreases with increasing latitude within and north of the IRL, suggesting that the IRL is the northern limit of functional nursery habitat for this species in the northwest Atlantic Ocean.
Boir Ahmad Mockery: A Research Note
Authors: Friedl Erika 
Published: September 2011

Although contemporary Persian folk poetry does not receive much scientific attention presently, this is not necessarily a sign that it is of little importance among renown arts in Iran. In fact, folk poetry seems to be quite alive and thriving in tents and behind mud walls—still alive, one probably has to caution, in spite of the rapidly changing channels of creativity in Iran. The ephemeral folk songs and poems can, indeed, be found everywhere, in cities as well as in camps and villages. However, it is in the countryside where they often take on special significance as the only truly “popular” art, the only means for many people to be, as we say, artistically expressive.In Boir Ahmad, a tribal area in the Southwest, for example, a student of folk art finds himself in a void, after his initial rapture over spectacular tribal rugs has calmed. The Boir Ahmadi do not paint, do not draw, do not carve, do not play musical instruments, do not mold pots, do not embellish their tools, and rarely dance.