bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
In‐Hospital Outcome of Patients with Severe Mitral Valve Regurgitation Classified as Inoperable and Treated with the MitraClip® Device
Authors: DIVCHEV DIMITAR , KISCHE STEPHAN , PARANSKAYA LILIYA , SCHNEIDER HENRIK , REHDERS TIM , ORTAK JASMIN , AKIN IBRAHIM , TURAN GÖKMEN , TURAN CEM HAKAN , STEINHOFF GUSTAV , NÖLDGE‐SCHOMBURG GABRIELE , NIENABER CHRISTOPH A. , INCE HÜSEYIN 
Published: December 2011

Background: To evaluate the short‐term outcome of patients predominantly at high risk treated with the MitraClip® device for severe mitral valve regurgitation (MR) using one or more clips.
Methods: We prospectively analyzed patients with highly symptomatic MR classified as inoperable (logistic EuroSCORE 24.16 ± 13.64%; STS‐score 29.9 ± 14.5%) but subject to mitral valve repair with MitraClip® between May 2010 and January 2011. Thirty‐three consecutive patients (57.6% male; age 77.8 ± 6.7 years) were enrolled and treated with either 1 (n = 7; 21.2%), 2 (n = 20; 60.6%), 3 (n = 4; 12.1%), or 4 (n = 2, 6.1%) clips. Grading of MR was performed by two‐dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (2D‐TEE) prior to TEE‐guided clipping and before discharge.
Results: MR was classified as functional in 23 (69.7%) and organic in 10 (30.3%) of the patients with MR‐grade ≥ 3+ in 32 (97%) and = 4 in 1 patients (3%) before repair. Reduction in MR grade to grade ≤1+ was achieved in 81.7% and to 2 in 12.1% (P = 0.00072). Invasive pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PAPsyst) and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) v‐wave decreased from 59.2 ± 18.6 to 46.9 ± 15.3 mmHg (P = 0.00014) and 21.2 ± 6.7 to 8.0 ± 3.3 mmHg (P = 0.0093), respectively, as measured immediately after clipping. Functional NYHA class improved from mean 3 (range 3 [90.9%] to 4 [9.1%]) to 2 in 84.9% (P = 0.00081) as obtained at discharge.
Conclusions: Mitral valve repair with MitraClip® using multiple clips is appropriate and safe in unselected patients resulting in reduced MR with positive impact on short‐term functional capacity. (J Interven Cardiol 2012;25:180–189)
Vertical coordination, access to capital, and producer loyalty in the Polish dairy sector
Authors: Fałkowski Jan 
Published: December 2011

AbstractNumerous studies have shown that processing and retail industries have actively assisted farmers in joining the modern food marketing systems. Data from the Polish dairy sector show that assistance is provided not only for the traditional‐channel farmers wishing to modernize, but also for farmers already included in the modern marketing channel. Two explanations can be provided to account for this phenomenon. One, even modern‐channel farmers may lack sufficient funds to maintain required quality/quantity on their own. Two, it may be the case that even after undertaking necessary adjustments, modern‐channel farmers are more likely to quit their relationship with a processor and turn elsewhere, in which case assistance is provided to prevent them from defecting. Using farm‐level data, we investigate the impact of supply chain modernization on farmers’ access to credit and their loyalty toward processors. Our results do not provide compelling evidence to support either hypothesis, suggesting at most a partial explanation for the existence of vertical linkages between processors and modern‐channel farmers in Poland.
Climate Information and Agricultural Practice in Adaptation to Climate Variability: The Case of Climate Field Schools in Indramayu, Indonesia
Authors: Siregar Prakarma Raja , Crane Todd A. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractInspired by the Farmer Field School methodology, a “Climate Field School” was conducted with farmers in the Indramayu region of Indonesia in 2003 to promote adaptive application of climate forecasts to crop selection decisions. However, five years after the Climate Field School, use of the forecasts is still virtually nonexistent. Analysis of farmers' production practices and rationales reveals lack of understanding of climate information is not a primary limiting factor. Instead, we find that the social and technical conditions of agricultural production influence farmers' ability and willingness to apply seasonal climate forecasts as adaptive tools. Furthermore, we analyze the ways that the attempted mode of capacity building affected outcomes in farmers' practices. The implications of our findings bear upon the development of climate information applications and the processes of local level adaptations to climate change and climate variability.
Indigenizing Invasive Species Management: Native North Americans and the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Beetle
Authors: Willow Anna J. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractIn the 1990s, an invasive beetle called the emerald ash borer (EAB) traveled from Asia to Michigan inadvertently concealed inside wooden packing crates used for international cargo shipments. When the beetle's presence was confirmed in 2002, regional infestations were already well established. For many northeastern American Indian communities, black ash basketry is a significant component of a self‐conscious cultural identity. Because EAB has the potential to decimate North America's ash trees, this activity is now in jeopardy. This article explores how Native communities are making cultural sense of EAB and its effects. As they search for ways to cope with this exotic insect, tribal artisans and natural resource managers are indigenizing modern scientific management paradigms in ways that reflect traditional understandings of the natural world and their integral relationships within it. Perceived and politicized as very different relationships with the natural world, “modernity” is now being put to strategic “traditional” uses.
Acute traumatic coagulopathy decreased actual survival rate when compared with predicted survival rate in severe trauma
Authors: Kim Su Jin , Lee Sung Woo , Han Gap Su , Moon Sung Woo , Choi Sung Hyuck , Hong Yun Sik 
Published: December 2011

ObjectiveTo determine whether acute traumatic coagulopathy (ATC) should be combined with the trauma and injury severity score (TRISS) to predict outcome in severe trauma patients and investigate effects of the change in coagulation state during early resuscitation on the actual survival rate.MethodsThis was a retrospective study. Significant variables that affected 28-day mortality were analysed using multivariate logistic regression. Study patients were classified into three groups: no coagulopathy, mild coagulopathy or severe coagulopathy. Concordance between actual and predicted survival rates were compared for each group. The predicted survival rate was calculated using the TRISS method. The study also determined whether changes in the coagulation state during inhospital resuscitation affected the relationship between actual and predicted survival in patients who had rechecked coagulation profile within 12 h after presentation.ResultsData from a total of 336 patients were analysed. At presentation, 20.8% of the study patients had mild coagulopathy, whereas 7.7% had severe coagulopathy. Age, injury severity score, revised trauma score and presence of ATC at presentation were independently associated with 28-day mortality. Actual survival was significantly lower than predicted survival in the mild and severe coagulopathy groups. Aggravation of coagulation state from normal or mild to severe coagulopathy or persistent severe coagulopathy during inhospital resuscitation mainly contributed to the discrepancy between actual and predicted survival.ConclusionsATC decreased actual survival more than expected. ATC should be combined with TRISS to predict trauma outcome in severely injured patients. Improvement in coagulopathy during resuscitation may reduce the incidence of preventable death after trauma.
Examining the utility of the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System in boreal peatlands
Authors: Waddington J.M. , Thompson D.K. , Wotton M. , Quinton W.L. , Flannigan M.D. , Benscoter B.W. , Baisley S.A. , Turetsky M.R. 
Published: December 2011

The Duff Moisture Code (DMC) and Drought Code (DC) components of the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index (FWI) System are used by fire managers to assess the vulnerability of organic soils to ignition and depth of burn despite being developed for upland soils. Given the need to assess wildfire risk in peatlands, we compared the DMC and DC in eight peatlands located in five regions in boreal Canada with water table position (WT) and surface volumetric moisture content (VMC). The slope of the change in WT and DC relationship ranged greatly (–0.01 to –0.11 cm) between sites and years likely due to differences in site-specific peat properties, catchment water supply, and presence of seasonal ice. A DC of 400, which has been associated with wildfire vulnerability in uplands, corresponded to a seasonal drop in WT in the range of 4–36 cm. The slopes of the relationships between DMC and DC with 5 and 15 cm VMC also varied greatly between sites. Our findings suggest that these FWI components are suitable for predicting the general moisture status and fire danger in boreal peatlands. However, there is a need for a modified DC for specific peat types to indicate when the WT has reached a critical depth upon which fire danger increases. We also present a suggested framework for the development of a new peat moisture code within the FWI.
Multiple resource limitation and ontogeny combined: a growth rate comparison of three co-occurring conifers
Authors: Lilles Erica B. , Astrup Rasmus 
Published: December 2011

The combined effects of light, soil fertility, and ontogenetic changes on plant growth rates are poorly understood, yet these three factors play fundamental roles in structuring plant communities. We sought to determine how lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia), interior spruce (Picea glauca × engelmanii (Moench) Voss), and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.) sapling growth responds to the combination of light, soil fertility, and ontogeny and how these three dominant conifer species in sub-boreal forests of British Columbia differ in their responses. Using maximum likelihood methods, we found that 0.20–4 m tall sapling growth rates changed during ontogeny and were limited by both light and soil resources. The strongest differences among species’ growth rates were due to tree size, with smaller differences due to soil fertility, and there were no differences among species in the shape of their growth responses to light. Rank order in growth rates for small saplings (pine > spruce > fir) inversely corresponded to classic shade-tolerance ratings, thus supporting the carbon balance theory. Interior spruce height growth rates increased relative to lodgepole pine with increasing soil fertility, clearly matching the landscape-scale increase in canopy dominance of interior spruce over lodgepole pine with increasing soil fertility.
Bryophyte response to forest canopy treatments within the riparian zone of high-elevation small streams
Authors: Baldwin L.K. , Petersen C.L. , Bradfield G.E. , Jones W.M. , Black S.T. , Karakatsoulis J. 
Published: December 2011

Riparian buffer strips are increasingly used to mitigate disturbance effects on terrestrial biota found adjacent to streams, yet it is unclear how the effects of canopy treatment (clear-cut, buffer, or intact forest) will interact with pre-existing stream–upland gradients. We questioned whether proximity to the stream would influence bryophyte richness and whether the effects of canopy treatment on bryophyte composition and functional group representation would differ along the stream–upland gradient. Bryophyte richness, abundance, and composition were sampled in continuous forest (n = 6), two-sided buffers (buffer width approximately 15 m on both stream sides; n = 10), and clear-cuts (n = 7) in the southern interior of British Columbia. At each site, bryophyte functional group frequency was sampled within 10 × 2 m belt transects located at 1, 5, and 10 m from the stream edge. Both distance from the stream and canopy treatment were strongly associated with bryophyte community variation. The richness of many functional groups was highest immediately adjacent to the stream. The richness and frequency of forest-associated species, as well as the overall extent of the bryophyte mat, had the highest values in continuous forests, intermediate values in buffers, and lowest values in clear-cuts. Although significant differences in bryophyte communities occurred between buffers and clear-cuts at all distances from the stream, differences between buffers and continuous forest were nonsignificant. These results indicate that riparian buffers can play an important role in the mitigation of harvesting effects on the bryologically rich communities along small headwater streams.
Spatial and temporal heterogeneity of light and soil water along a terra firme transect in Amazonian Ecuador: effects on tree seedling survivorship, growth, and allocation
Authors: Myster Randall W. 
Published: December 2011

To better understand the availability of plant resources on the forest floor in the Amazon and also to show the effect of their heterogeneity on tree seedlings, I described the spatial and temporal variation of light and soil water along a 100 m transect in a terra firme forest for 6 months and recorded responses of three tree species planted on that transect after 1 year’s growth. I found that (i) the spatial heterogeneity across the transect was greater than the temporal heterogeneity at any given microsite on the transect for both light and water and there was a positive correlation between them, (ii) Couepia obovata Ducke, the largest seeded and the only subcanopy tree, survived the best and showed both the largest relative height growth rate (RHGR) and the largest specific leaf area (SLA), while among the two early successional trees, Tapirira guianensis J.B. Aublet had the largest leaf area ratio (LAR) and the largest leaf mass ratio (LMR) and Duguethia spixiana Mart. had the largest root to shoot ratio (RTOS), (iii) for T. guianensis, SLA increased with increasing light and soil water potential predicted both increasing LMR and decreasing RTOS with increasing soil water, and (iv) soil water potential could also predict increasing LAR with increasing water for D. spixiana and, for C. obovata, soil water potential predicted more survivorship, LMR, and RHGR but less RTOS, all with increasing soil water. I conclude that some subcanopy trees may survive and grow more than open-canopy trees when presented with water stress in the forest understory and that within the ranges of light and soil water sampled here, plants responded more to spatial variation in water compared with light.
A comparison of presettlement and modern forest composition along an elevation gradient in central New Hampshire
Authors: Vadeboncoeur Matthew A. , Hamburg Steven P. , Cogbill Charles V. , Sugimura Wendy Y. 
Published: December 2011

Tree species composition is influenced not only by edaphic and climatic factors but also by natural and human-caused disturbances. To understand interactions among these influences, we compared forest species composition data from the time of European settlement with modern data. We derived elevation data for 2529 trees mapped by early land surveys (1770–1850) across a 1000 m elevation gradient in central New Hampshire and compared these with modern data (2004–2009) from the Forest Inventory and Analysis program (123 plots containing 2126 trees) and from permanent plots representing case studies of different land-use histories. Spruce and beech are much less abundant today at all elevations than they were prior to settlement, while maples and birches have increased. Fir, hemlock, pines, and oaks have changed little in distribution, although pines and oaks increased in abundance somewhat. Land-use history (agriculture below 500 m and cutting of various intensities at all elevations) is likely the primary explanation for these shifts, although climate change is also an important factor for some. A clearer understanding of presettlement forest composition improves our ability to separate the relative importance of natural and human-driven influences on the species composition of today’s forests.
Post-discharge compliance to venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in high-risk orthopaedic surgery
Authors: Arcelus Juan , Felicissimo Paulo , Bergqvist David ,   for the ETHOS investigators
Published: December 2011

SummaryVenous thromboembolism (VTE) risk persists for several weeks following high-risk orthopaedic surgery (HROS). The ETHOS registry evaluated post-operative VTE prophylaxis prescribed, and actual VTE prophylaxis received, compared with the 2004 American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) guidelines in HROS patients. We performed a subanalysis of ETHOS to assess patient compliance with ACCP-adherent prophylaxis after discharge and the factors predicting poor compliance. Consecutive patients undergoing hip fracture surgery, total hip arthroplasty, or knee arthroplasty were enrolled at discharge from 161 centres in 17 European countries if they had received adequate in-hospital VTE prophylaxis. Data on prescribed and actual prophylaxis received were obtained from hospital charts and patient post-discharge diaries. Good compliance was defined as percentage treatment intake ≥80% with no more than two consecutive days without treatment. A total of 3,484 patients (79.4%) received ACCP-adherent anticoagulant prescription at discharge and 2,999 (86.0%) had an evaluable patient diary. In total, 87.7% of evaluable patients were compliant with prescribed treatment after discharge. The most common reason for non-compliance (33.4%) was “drug was not bought”. Injection of treatment was not a barrier to good compliance. Main factors affecting compliance related to purchase of and access to treatment, patient education, the person responsible for administering injections, country, and type of hospital ward at discharge. Within our study population, patient compliance with ACCP-adherent thromboprophylaxis prescribed at discharge was good. Improvements in patient education and prescribing practices at discharge may be important in further raising compliance levels in high-risk orthopaedic surgery patients.
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in Japanese and Caucasian subjects after oral administration of dabigatran etexilate
Authors: Yamamura Norio , Stangier Joachim , Reilly Paul , Clemens Andreas , Härtter Sebastian 
Published: December 2011

SummaryEthnic differences in drug disposition may potentially influence therapeutic response to dabigatran, a reversible direct thrombin inhibitor used for the prevention and/or treatment of various thromboembolic disorders. This analysis of data from 18 clinical studies in healthy volunteers and patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) or undergoing knee or hip arthroplasty investigated whether there were any clinically relevant differences in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of dabigatran, the active form of dabigatran etexilate, between Japanese and Caucasian subjects. In pooled data from 14 phase I trials, total exposure (i.e. area under the plasma concentration-time curve [AUC]) after administration of dabigatran 150 mg once or twice-daily was on average 20% higher in Japanese than Caucasian subjects (median [10th to 90th percentile] 1,110 [644–1,824] vs. 924 [420–1,654] ng·h/ml) although the difference between the groups was not significant. Within-trial comparisons in subjects treated with dabigatran 150 mg twice-daily showed that AUC and maximum plasma concentration differed by less than 10% between the two groups. In patients with AF, trough concentrations after administration of 150 mg twice-daily were similar in Japanese and Caucasian subjects (80.1 [34.5–193.8] vs. 71.0 [34.0–190] ng/ml). Various factors, including body weight and renal clearance, may explain these observed pharmacokinetic differences. The relationship between plasma concentration and coagulation markers was similar and indicative of no difference in the exposure-pharmacodynamic response between these two groups. In conclusion, the results of this analysis show that the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of dabigatran are similar in Japanese and Caucasian subjects and suggest that there is no need for dose adjustment of dabigatran in Japanese subjects.
Reversal of anticoagulant effects of edoxaban, an oral, direct factor Xa inhibitor, with haemostatic agents
Authors: Fukuda Toshio , Honda Yuko , Kamisato Chikako , Shibano Toshiro , Morishima Yoshiyuki 
Published: December 2011

SummaryEdoxaban, an oral, direct factor Xa inhibitor, has a similar or low incidence of bleeding events compared with other anticoagulants in clinical trials. Therefore, agents to reverse the anticoagulant effects of edoxaban could be desirable in emergency situations. In this study, the reversal effects of haemostatic agents were determined on prothrombin time (PT) prolongation in vitro and bleeding time prolongation in vivo by edoxaban. PT using human plasma was measured in the presence of edoxaban at therapeutic and excess concentrations with the haemostatic agents, prothrombin complex concentrate (PPSB-HT), activated prothrombin complex concentrate (Feiba), and recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa). In rats, rFVIIa and Feiba was given during intensive anticoagulation with edoxaban. The haemostatic effect was evaluated in a model of planta template bleeding and a potential prothrombotic effect was evaluated in a venous thrombosis model. PPSB-HT, Feiba, and rFVIIa concentration-dependently shortened PT prolonged by edoxaban. Among these, rFVIIa and Feiba showed potent activities in reversing the PT prolongation by edoxaban. rFVIIa (1 and 3 mg/kg, i.v.) and Feiba (100 U/kg, i.v.) significantly reversed edoxaban (1 mg/kg/h)-induced prolongation of bleeding time in rats. In a rat venous thrombosis model, no potentiation of thrombus formation was observed when the highest dose (3 mg/kg) of rFVIIa was added to edoxaban (0.3 and 1 mg/kg/h) compared with the control. The present study indicated that rFVIIa, Feiba, and PPSB-HT have the potential to be reversal agents for edoxaban.