bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Children and Chores: A Mixed‐Methods Study of Children's Household Work in Los Angeles Families
Authors: Klein Wendy , Graesch Anthony P. , Izquierdo Carolina 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThis ethnographic study investigates children's contributions to household work through the analysis of interview data and scan sampling data collected among 30 middle‐class dual‐earner families in Los Angeles, California. We discuss convergences and divergences between data collected with two independent methodologies: scan sampling and interviewing. Scan sampling data provide an overview of the frequency of children's participation in household work as well as the types of tasks they engaged in during data collection. Children's interview responses reflect their perceptions of their responsibilities, how they view family expectations regarding their participation in household work, and whether allowance is an effective motivator. Comparative analysis reveals that most children in our study spend surprisingly little time helping around the house and engage in fewer tasks than what they report in interviews. Within the context of children's minimal participation in household work, we find that allowance is not an effective motivator, but that children in families with access to paid domestic help tend to be less helpful than children in families without. We suggest that while most children are aware that their working parents need help, in some families, inconsistent and unclear expectations from parents negatively affect children's participation in household work.
Evidence of Exposure to Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae among Arizona Dogs Outside a Previously Documented Outbreak Area
Authors: McQuiston J. H. , Guerra M. A. , Watts M. R. , Lawaczeck E. , Levy C. , Nicholson W. L. , Adjemian J. , Swerdlow D. L. 
Published: December 2009

SummarySince 2003, two communities in eastern Arizona have experienced a sustained outbreak of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), caused byRickettsia rickettsii, associated with transmission byRhipicephalus sanguineus, the brown dog tick; 70 human cases, including eight deaths, were reported from these communities during 2003 through 2008. In both of the affected communities, antibodies to spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR) were present in dogs before the notice of the first human cases, suggesting that dogs may serve as useful sentinels for human risk of RMSF in this region. During 2005 and 2006, an exploratory serosurvey was conducted among stray and relinquished dogs presenting to animal control facilities in eastern Arizona located outside the area where human cases had been reported. Antibodies to SFGR were detected in 5.7% (14 of 247) dogs assessed outside the RMSF outbreak area. Animal shelters located in counties that either included or shared large borders with the outbreak area were significantly more likely to have seropositive dogs than facilities in more geographically separated counties (P = 0.01). In addition, stray dogs were significantly more likely to be antibody‐positive than relinquished animals (P = 0.01), suggesting that control of stray dog populations should be considered as a means of limiting SFGR transmission in this region. The findings from this study may be extrapolated to suggest that the current risk for human RMSF infection may extend beyond the noted outbreak area. Heightened surveillance for human disease is needed in the region.
Oral Administration of β-1,3/1,6-Glucan to Dogs Temporally Changes Total and Antigen-Specific IgA and IgM
Authors: Stuyven E. , Verdonck F. , Van Hoek I. , Daminet S. , Duchateau L. , Remon J. P. , Goddeeris B. M. , Cox E. 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT

The effect of oral administration of β-1,3/1,6-glucans from
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
on humoral immunity in domestic dogs is not known. In this study, 15 beagle dogs were orally given MacroGard tablets, which contain 150 mg of this β-glucan, daily for 4 weeks. At the end of this period, the total serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) level decreased significantly in the group treated with the glucan compared to that in the control group as well as compared to the concentrations before supplementation. In contrast, the total serum IgM level rose significantly, whereas no effect on the IgG level occurred. Similar changes were seen in
Bordetella
-specific IgA and IgM titers following vaccination during the supplementation period. The IgA concentration also became significantly lower in the saliva and tears of the glucan group than in the placebo group. The effects disappeared 1 week after the cessation of the supplementation. In conclusion, the results showed a temporary change in the isotype profile during glucan supplementation.
Identification of a Variety of
Staphylococcus
Species by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Dubois Damien , Leyssene David , Chacornac Jean Paul , Kostrzewa Markus , Schmit Pierre Olivier , Talon Régine , Bonnet Richard , Delmas Julien 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT

Whole-cell fingerprinting by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) in combination with a dedicated bioinformatic software tool (MALDI Biotyper 2.0) was used to identify 152 staphylococcal strains corresponding to 22 staphylococcal species. Spectra of the 152 isolates, previously identified at the species level using a
sodA
gene-based oligonucleotide array, were analyzed against the main spectra of 3,030 microorganisms. A total of 151 strains out of 152 (99.3%) were correctly identified at the species level; only one strain was identified at the genus level. The MALDI-TOF MS method revealed different clonal lineages of
Staphylococcus epidermidis
that were of either human or environmental origin, which suggests that the MALDI-TOF MS method could be useful in the profiling of staphylococcal strains. The topology of the dendrogram generated by the MALDI Biotyper 2.0 software from the spectra of 120
Staphylococcus
reference strains (representing 36 species) was in general agreement with that inferred from the 16S rRNA gene-based analysis. Our findings indicate that the MALDI-TOF MS technology, associated with a broad-spectrum reference database, is an effective tool for the swift and reliable identification of
Staphylococci
.
Asymmetric Mach–Zehnder fiber interferometer test of the anisotropy of the speed of light
Authors: de Haan Victor 
Published: December 2009

Two optical fiber Mach–Zehnder interferometers were constructed in an environment with a temperature stabilization of better than 1 mK per day. One interferometer with a length of 2 m optical fiber in each arm with the main direction of the arms parallel to each other. A path (length 175 mm) filled with atmospheric air is inserted in one arm. Another interferometer with a length of 2 m optical fiber in each parallel arm acts as a control. In one of the arms in each interferometer, 1 m of fiber was wound around a ring made of piezo material enabling the control of the length of the arms by means of a voltage. The influence of rotation of the interferometers at the Earth's surface on the observed phase differences was determined. For one interferometer (with the air path) it was found that the phase difference depends on the azimuth of the interferometer. For the other one no relevant dependence on the azimuth has been measured.
The use of inhaled corticosteroid in preschool wheezers: what's the point today?
Authors: Tenero Laura , Paiola Giulia , Coghi Alessandra , Piacentini Giorgio L 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
Among the preschool children who wheeze two different groups can be identify: children who have a viral infection and those who respond to multiple triggers, such as exercise or allergens.
To distinguish between these different phenotypes of wheezing, and consequently choose therapy represents a major challenge for pediatricians.
Transient wheezers conditions do not improve with maintenance treatment with ICS. On the other hand they are definitely useful in children with wheeze/asthma.
Increasing evidence is in favor of the potential role of leukotriene receptor antagonists in preschool children with recurrent wheezing.
Oral steroid has been demonstrated not to be indicated to control acute wheezing, unless severe disease is expected in non-atopic children.
The early phenotyping of preschool wheezers, upon which the appropriate treatment should be based, represents a challenging issue in the paediatric practice.
Estimates of Insulin Sensitivity Using Glucose and C-Peptide From the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome Glucose Tolerance Test
Authors: Radaelli Tatjana , Farrell Kristen Anne , Huston-Presley Larraine , Amini Saeid Baradaran , Kirwan John Patrick , McIntyre Harold David , Catalano Patrick Michael 
Published: December 2009

OBJECTIVE
To determine if glucose and C-peptide values obtained as part of the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) study could be used to estimate insulin sensitivity during late pregnancy.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
A total of 78 women enrolled in the HAPO study were recruited for this ancillary study. Venous plasma samples were drawn after an 8- to 10-h fast (time 0) and at 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after a 75-g glucose challenge, which was performed at 24–32 weeks' gestation. Samples were analyzed for plasma glucose, insulin, and C-peptide. Insulin sensitivity was estimated using the established Matsuda and DeFronzo insulin sensitivity index for oral glucose tolerance tests (ISOGTT). Insulin sensitivity was also calculated from two other commonly used indexes of insulin sensitivity (that for homeostasis model assessment [ISHOMA] and that for quantitative insulin sensitivity check index [ISQUICKI]). A new insulin sensitivity index was calculated using the glucose and C-peptide concentrations at 0 and 60 min to derive ISHOMA C-pep, ISQUICKI C-pep, and ISOGTT C-pep. These indexes were then correlated with insulin sensitivity estimated from the ISOGTT.

RESULTS
The strongest correlation with the ISOGTT was obtained for ISOGTT C-pep (r = 0.792, P &lt; 0.001). Further, the correlations of ISHOMA C-pep and ISQUICKI C-pep with ISOGTT were also significant (r = 0.676, P &lt; 0.001 and r = 0.707, P &lt; 0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that calculated ISOGTT C-pep is an excellent predictor of insulin sensitivity in pregnancy and can be used to estimate insulin sensitivity in over 25,000 women participating in the HAPO study.
Vitamin D Status and Its Associations with Disease Activity and Severity in African Americans with Recent-onset Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: CRAIG STEVEN M. , YU FANG , CURTIS JEFFREY R. , ALARCÓN GRACIELA S. , CONN DOYT L. , JONAS BETH , CALLAHAN LEIGH F. , SMITH EDWIN A. , MORELAND LARRY W. , BRIDGES S. LOUIS , MIKULS TED R. 
Published: December 2009

Objective. To examine the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and the associations of vitamin D concentration with disease status in African Americans with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods. Study participants (n = 266) were enrolled in the Consortium for the Longitudinal Evaluation of African Americans with Early RA (CLEAR) Registry. The vitamin 25(OH)-D was measured on baseline plasma, and associations of 25(OH)-D with disease status (baseline and at 3 years’ disease duration) were examined using univariate and multivariate regression.Results. The prevalence of 25(OH)-D insufficiency (≤ 37.5 nmol/l or 15 ng/ml) was 50%, with the highest prevalence in winter. In unadjusted analyses, vitamin D concentrations were inversely associated with baseline pain (p = 0.04), swollen joints (p = 0.04), and Disease Activity Score (DAS28, p = 0.05) but not with measures at 3 years’ disease duration. There were no multivariate associations of 25(OH)-D with any disease measures at baseline or at 3 years, with the exception of a positive borderline association with rheumatoid factor positivity at enrollment (p = 0.05).Conclusion. Vitamin D insufficiency is common in African Americans with recent-onset RA. Unadjusted associations of circulating vitamin D with baseline pain, swollen joints, and DAS28 were explained by differences in season, age, and gender and were not significant in multivariate analyses. In contrast to reports of Northern Europeans with early inflammatory arthritis, there are not strong associations of 25(OH)-D concentration with symptoms or disease severity in African Americans with RA.
EQ-5D and SF-36 Quality of Life Measures in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Comparisons with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Noninflammatory Rheumatic Disorders, and Fibromyalgia
Authors: WOLFE FREDERICK , MICHAUD KALEB , LI TRACY , KATZ ROBERT S. 
Published: December 2009

Objective. The Medical Outcomes Study Short-form 36 (SF-36) provides numerical measurement of patient health, but does not include preferences for health states and cannot be used directly in cost-effectiveness analyses. By contrast the Euroqol EQ-5D can be used for cost-effectiveness analyses. The EQ-5D has rarely been used in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We compared SF-36 and EQ-5D values across rheumatic diseases.Methods. We studied 1316 patients with SLE, 13,722 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 3623 with non-inflammatory rheumatic disorders (NIRD), and 2733 with fibromyalgia (FM).Results. The mean EQ-5D, physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component summary scores were 0.72, 36.3, and 44.3, respectively, in SLE. There was essentially no difference among EQ-5D and PCS scores for patients with SLE, RA, or NIRD. MCS was lower in SLE compared with RA and NIRD (44.3, 49.1, 50.8, respectively). All scores were more abnormal in FM (0.61, 31.9, 41.9). Within SF-36 domains, physical function was better, but general health, vitality, social function, role-emotional, and mental health were more impaired in SLE compared with RA and NIRD. In SLE, quality of life (QOL) was predicted by damage, comorbidity, income, education, and age. Fifteen percent of patients with SLE were very satisfied with their health, and their QOL scores (0.84, 45.4, 50.1) were similar to those found in the US population for EQ-5D and MCS, but were slightly reduced for PCS.Conclusion. EQ-5D and PCS are at the same levels in SLE as in RA and NIRD, but are more abnormal in SLE in the MCS and mental health domains. EQ-5D values allow preference-based comparisons with other chronic conditions.
Randomized clinical trial comparing open with video-assisted minimally invasive parathyroid surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism
Authors: Hessman O , Westerdahl J , Al-Suliman N , Christiansen P , Hellman P , Bergenfelz A 
Published: December 2009

Abstract

Background
Previous studies of video-assisted techniques for parathyroidectomy in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism have found similar or better results compared with bilateral neck exploration. The aim of the present study was to compare open minimally invasive parathyroidectomy with the video-assisted technique for primary hyperparathyroidism in a multicentre randomized trial.

Methods
Some 143 patients were randomized to open (n = 75) or video-assisted (n = 68) parathyroidectomy after positive sestamibi scintigraphy. There were no differences in preoperative data. The open operation was performed through a 15-mm incision. The video-assisted techniques used were minimally invasive video-assisted parathyroidectomy (MIVAP) or video-assisted parathyroidectomy using the lateral approach (VAPLA). Data were collected prospectively including postoperative pain scoring.

Results
The procedure was significantly quicker for the open compared to the video assisted operations: mean(s.d.) 60(35) versus 84(47) min (P = 0·001). Both groups of patients had similar conversion rates and the same outcome, with comparable incision lengths, low scores for postoperative neck discomfort, high cosmetic satisfaction and low complication rates.

Conclusion
Open minimally invasive parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism was quicker than either video-assisted technique. Registration number: NCT00877981 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov)
Alkaline phosphatase predicts calcium requirements after total parathyroidectomy in patients receiving dialysis
Authors: Goh B L , Yudisthra M G , Hisham A N 
Published: December 2009

Abstract

Background
It can be difficult to achieve a stable serum calcium level after parathyroidectomy for renal hyperparathyroidism. This study examined the impact of a calcium replacement protocol guided by predicted need in reducing hospital stay.

Methods
This two-phase observational study included patients receiving dialysis who underwent parathyroidectomy. In the initial phase, a standard protocol was followed whereby oral calcium was gradually titrated upwards based on serum calcium levels. The protocol was revised in the second phase such that patients were ‘loaded’ with the predicted elemental calcium requirement immediately after surgery.

Results
Forty-four patients were treated according to the standard protocol and 34 using the new protocol. There was a strong correlation between postoperative elemental calcium requirement and admission serum alkaline phosphatase level (ALP) (rs = 0·711, P &lt; 0·001). Postoperative hospital stay was reduced from a median (range) of 5 (3–12) to 3 (2–7) days after introduction of the revised protocol as a result of better calcium balance (P &lt; 0·001). Multivariable analysis confirmed that use of the revised protocol was the main predictor of length of stay.

Conclusion
ALP can predict postoperative calcium requirements and streamline hospital stay by guiding replacement therapy.
A Bayesian normal homogeneity test for the detection of artificial discontinuities in climatic series
Authors: Beaulieu Claudie , Ouarda Taha B.M.J. , Seidou Ousmane 
Published: December 2009

AbstractA Bayesian Normal Homogeneity Test (BNHT) for the detection of artificial discontinuities in climatic series is presented. The test is simple to use and allows the integration of prior knowledge on the date of change from various sources of information (e.g. metadata or expert belief) in the analysis. The performance of the new test was evaluated on synthetic series with similar statistical properties as observed total annual precipitation in the southern and central parts of the province of Quebec, Canada. Different priors were used to investigate the sensitivity of the test to the choice of priors. It was found that (1) high‐prior probability of no change yields low false detection rates on the homogeneous series; (2) the test has a very high power of detection on series with a single shift (the best power of detection if compared with previous methods applied to the same synthetic series); (3) shifts having a small magnitude are detectable with a low prior probability of no change and (4) when applied to series with multiple shifts with a segmentation procedure and a high probability of no change, the test proved to be performing well in detecting multiple shifts (as performing as the best techniques previously applied to the same synthetic series). An example of application to total annual precipitation in Quebec City, Canada is also presented to illustrate (1) a case for which the results are not affected by the choice of the prior parameters and (2) a case for which information about potential changes found in the metadata was integrated in the analysis and allowed the detection of a change that would not have been detected with a non‐informative prior. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society
John Napier and the mathematics of the ‘middle future’ apocalypse
Authors: Almond Philip 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThis article explores the notion of ‘middle future’ apocalypticism through the work of the late sixteenth-century Scottish theologian and the discoverer of logarithms, John Napier. Middle future apocalypticism envisaged the end of the world, not in the immediate or far distant future but (rather like modern environmental apocalypticism) within the next 100–200 years. It enabled the understanding of the present in apocalyptic terms, and set out the requisite conditions, tasks and obligations – social, political and personal – essential for bringing to reality those events which were necessary precursors of the coming of Christ. John Napier's 1593A Plaine Discovery of the whole Reuelation of Saint Iohnwas the first Scottish work on the book of Revelation. Though later to be derided by historians of mathematics and science, in its time, it was highly influential, not only in Scotland and England but also in Protestant communities on the Continent. I explore the complex mathematics which Napier brings to bear and suggest that the middle future apocalypticism of Napier, as demonstrated in the carefully articulated mathematics of history in this work, is both socially conservative and socially active. Living in the seventh age, as Napier believed he did, did not entail either ‘downing tools’ and passively awaiting the end, nor actively hastening the end by radical social upheaval. But it did mean in the here and now fighting the Antichrist of Rome, bringing in Reformed religion and spreading the true Gospel.
‘Thy word is truth’: the role of faith in reading scripture theologically with Karl Barth
Authors: Molnar Paul D. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractFollowing the thinking of Karl Barth, this article demonstrates how and why reading the Bible in faith is necessary in order to understand the truth which is and remains identical with God himself speaking to us in his Word and Spirit. After developing how faith, grace, revelation and truth are connected in Barth's theology by being determined by who God is in Jesus Christ, this article explains why Barth was essentially correct in claiming that we cannot know God truly through a study of religious experience but only through Christ himself and thus through the Spirit. I illustrate that for Barth the truth of religion simply cannot be found in the study of religion itself but only through revelation. That is why he applied the doctrine of justification by faith both to knowledge of God and to reading scripture. In light of what is then established, I conclude by briefly exploring exactly why the thinking of Paul Tillich, and three theologians who follow the general trend of Tillich's thinking (John Haught, John A. T. Robinson and S. Mark Heim), exemplify the correctness of Barth's analysis of the relation between religion and revelation, since each theologian is led to an understanding of who God is, how we reach God and how the doctrine of the Trinity should be understood that actually undermines Barth's emphasis on the fact that all knowledge of God and all doctrine should be dictated solely by who God is in Jesus Christ.
A Layered Structure in the Organic Envelopes of the Prismatic Layer of the Shell of the Pearl Oyster Pinctada margaritifera (Mollusca, Bivalvia)
Authors: Dauphin Y. , Brunelle A. , Cotte M. , Cuif J.P. , Farre B. , Laprévote O. , Meibom A. , Salomé M. , Williams C.T. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThe organic interprismatic layers of the mollusc Pinctada margaritifera are studied using a variety of highly spatially-resolved techniques to establish their composition and structure. Our results show that both the interlamellar sheets of the nacre and interprismatic envelopes form layered structures. Additionally, these organic layers are neither homogeneous in composition, nor continuous in their structure. Both structures play a major role in the biomineralization process and act as a boundary between mineral units.