bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A randomised controlled pilot study of standardised counselling and cost-free pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation among stroke and TIA patients
Authors: Papadakis Sophia , Aitken Debbie , Gocan Sophia , Riley Dana , Laplante Mary Ann , Bhatnagar-Bost Abha , Cousineau Donna , Simpson Danielle , Edjoc Rojiemiahd , Pipe Andrew L , Sharma Mukul , Reid Robert D 
Published: November 2011

BackgroundTobacco use is a major risk factor for recurrent stroke. The provision of cost-free quit smoking medications has been shown to be efficacious in increasing smoking abstinence in the general population.ObjectiveThe objective of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility and obtain preliminary data on the effectiveness of providing cost-free quit smoking pharmacotherapy and counselling to smokers identified in a stroke prevention clinic.Trial designCluster randomised controlled trial.MethodsAll patients seen at the Ottawa Hospital Stroke Prevention Clinic who smoked more five or more cigarettes per day, were ready to quit smoking in the next 30 days, and were willing to use pharmacotherapy were invited to participate in the study. All participants were advised to quit smoking and treated using a standardised protocol including counselling and pharmacotherapy. Participants were randomly assigned to either a prescription only usual care group or an experimental group who received a 4-week supply of cost-free quit smoking medications and a prescription for medication renewal. All patients received follow-up counselling. The primary outcome was biochemically validated quit rates at 26 weeks. The research coordinator conducting outcome assessment was blind to group allocation.ResultsOf 219 smokers screened, 73 were eligible, 28 consented and were randomised, and 25 completed the 26-week follow-up assessment. All 28 patients randomised were included in the analysis. The biochemically validated 7-day point prevalence abstinence rate in the experimental group compared to the usual care group was 26.6% vs 15.4% (adjusted OR 2.00, 95% CI 0.33 to 13.26; p=0.20).ConclusionsIt would be feasible to definitively evaluate this intervention in a large multi-site trial.Trial registration numberhttp://ClinicalTrials.gov# UOHI2010-1.
Cell-surface receptors on macrophages and dendritic cells for attachment and entry of influenza virus
Authors: Londrigan Sarah L , Tate Michelle D , Brooks Andrew G , Reading Patrick C 
Published: November 2011

Abstract
Review of interactions between influenza A virus and C-type lectin receptors on macrophages and dendritic cells that may result in virus entry and infection.
Airway MΦ and DCs are important components of innate host defense and can play a critical role in limiting the severity of influenza virus infection. Although it has been well established that cell-surface SA acts as a primary attachment receptor for IAV, the particular receptor(s) or coreceptor(s) that mediate IAV entry into any cell, including MΦ and DC, have not been clearly defined. Identifying which receptors are involved in attachment and entry of IAV into immune cells may have important implications in regard to understanding IAV tropism and pathogenesis. Recent evidence suggests that specialized receptors on MΦ and DCs, namely CLRs, can act as capture and/or entry receptors for many viral pathogens, including IAV. Herein, we review the early stages of infection of MΦ and DC by IAV. Specifically, we examine the potential role of CLRs expressed on MΦ and DC to act as attachment and/or entry receptors for IAV.
Breast arterial calcification and hypertension associated with vertebral fracture
Authors: Wada Hiroshi , Hirano Fuminori , Kuroda Tatsuhiko , Shiraki Masataka 
Published: November 2011

Aim:  Arterial calcification and osteoporosis commonly accompany one another in postmenopausal women. Hypertension is a known contributing factor to arterial calcification. Thus, we aimed to investigate any associations between hypertension, arterial calcification and vertebral fractures in a cross‐sectional study in Japanese postmenopausal women.Methods:  The medical histories of 421 postmenopausal Japanese women diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes mellitus or hyperlipidemia were investigated. Bodyweight, body height and ultradistal bone mineral density (BMD) were measured. The prevalent vertebral fractures were diagnosed by a semiquantitative method, and the number of breast arterial calcifications (BAC) was investigated by mammography screening.Results:  Patients with vertebral fractures were of a significantly higher age, lower height, lower ultradistal BMD and had a higher number of BAC compared with those without vertebral fractures. Furthermore, a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension was observed in the patients with vertebral fractures as compared with those without. A multivariate stepwise regression analysis using these variables for vertebral fractures showed that the significant odds ratios (OR) of age (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.11–2.77, P = 0.016), the prevalence of BAC (OR 2.52, 95% CI 1.62–3.93, P < 0.001) and the presence of hypertension (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.11–2.80, P = 0.017) were found as significant independent risk factors for vertebral fractures.Conclusion:  This is the first report of the relevance of BAC or hypertension to vertebral fractures in Japanese women. The results suggest that hypertension, BAC and osteoporotic fractures share a common metabolic pathway in their pathogenesis. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2012; 12: 330–335.
Stark Width Regularities within Beryllium Spectral Series
Authors: Dojčinović I. P. , Tapalaga I. , Purić J. 
Published: November 2011

AbstractThe dependences of Stark width on the upper-level ionization potential within different series of the neutral beryllium spectral lines have been studied. The dependences previously observed for electron impact contribution to the Stark widths were also obtained for the proton impact contribution. The emphasis is on the fine structure influence on the studied Stark parameter dependences. The influence of temperature on the dependences of Stark width parameters has been demonstrated. The relations found can be used in both cases for prediction of new Stark broadening data, thus avoiding much more complicated procedures.
Synthesis and Degradation of the Major Allergens in Developing and Germinating Soybean Seed
Authors: Wu Yong‐Mei , Guan Rong‐Xia , Liu Zhang‐Xiong , Li Run‐Zhi , Chang Ru‐Zhen , Qiu Li‐Juan 
Published: November 2011

AbstractGly m Bd 28K, Gly m Bd 30K and Gly m Bd 60K are the major soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) allergens limiting the consumption of a good protein source for sensitive individuals. However, little is known about their temporal‐spatial expression during seed development and upon germination. The present data shows that soy allergens accumulated in both the embryonic axes and cotyledon, but expression patterns differed depending on the specific allergen. Allergens accumulated sooner and to a greater level in cotyledons than in embryonic axes. Gly m Bd 28 began at 14 d after flowering, 7 to 14 d earlier than Gly m Bd 30K and Gly m Bd 60K. Comparatively, their degradation was faster and more profound in embryonic axes than in cotyledons. Gly m Bd 60K began to decline at 36 h after imbibition and remained detectable up to 108 h in cotyledons. In contrast, the Glym Bd 60K protein was reduced at 24 h, and eventually disappeared at 96 h . In cotyledons Gly m Bd 28K first declined at 24 h, then increased from 36 h to 48 h, followed by its large reduction at 72 h after seed germination. These findings provide useful information on soy allergen biosynthesis and will help move forward towards developing a hypoallergenic soybean for safer food.
Development of a novel quality assurance system based on rolled‐up and rolled‐out radiochromic films in volumetric modulated arc therapy
Authors: Park Ji‐Yeon , Lee Jeong‐Woo , Choi Kyoung‐Sik , Lee Jung Seok , Kim You‐Hyun , Hong Semie , Suh Tae‐Suk 
Published: November 2011

Purpose:To develop a cylindrical phantom with rolled‐up radiochromic films and dose analysis software in the rolled‐out plane for quality assurance (QA) in volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT).Methods:The phantom consists of an acrylic cylindrical body wrapped with radiochromic film inserted into an outer cylindrical shell of 5 cm thickness. The rolled‐up films with high spatial resolution enable detection of specific dose errors along the arc trajectory of continuously irradiated and modulated beams in VMAT. The developed dose analysis software facilitates dosimetric evaluation in the rolled‐up and rolled‐out planes of the film; the calculated doses on the corresponding points where the rolled‐up film was placed were reconstructed into a rectangular dose matrix equivalent to that of the rolled‐out plane of the film. The VMAT QA system was implemented in 3 clinical cases of prostate, nasopharynx, and pelvic metastasis. Each calculated dose on the rolled‐out plane was compared with measurement values by modified gamma evaluation. Detected positions of dose disagreement on the rolled‐out plane were also distinguished in cylindrical coordinates. The frequency of error occurrence and error distribution were summarized in a histogram and in an axial view of rolled‐up plane to intuitively identify the corresponding positions of detected errors according to the gantry angle.Results:The dose matrix reconstructed from the developed VMAT QA system was used to verify the measured dose distribution along the arc trajectory. Dose discrepancies were detected on the rolled‐out plane and visualized on the calculated dose matrix in cylindrical coordinates. The error histogram obtained by gamma evaluation enabled identification of the specific error frequency at each gantry angular position. The total dose error occurring on the cylindrical surface was in the range of 5%–8% for the 3 cases.Conclusions:The developed system provides a practical and reliable QA method to detect dosimetric errors according to the gantry angle. Film dosimetry based on rolled‐up and rolled‐out techniques leads to dose verification in the subspaces of the 3D dose volume. The system can be employed as an alternative tool to detect the pitfalls of planar dose verification.
Limited Model Antigen Expression by Transgenic Fungi Induces Disparate Fates during Differentiation of Adoptively Transferred T Cell Receptor Transgenic CD4
+
T Cells: Robust Activation and Proliferation with Weak Effector Function during Recall
Authors: Wüthrich Marcel , Ersland Karen , Pick-Jacobs John C. , Gern Benjamin H. , Frye Christopher A. , Sullivan Thomas D. , Brennan Meghan B. , Filutowicz Hanna I. , O'Brien Kevin , Korthauer Keegan D. , Schultz-Cherry Stacey , Klein Bruce S. 
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACT

CD4
+
T cells are the key players of vaccine resistance to fungi. The generation of effective T cell-based vaccines requires an understanding of how to induce and maintain CD4
+
T cells and memory. The kinetics of fungal antigen (Ag)-specific CD4
+
T cell memory development has not been studied due to the lack of any known protective epitopes and clonally restricted T cell subsets with complementary T cell receptors (TCRs). Here, we investigated the expansion and function of CD4
+
T cell memory after vaccination with transgenic (Tg)
Blastomyces dermatitidis
yeasts that display a model Ag, Eα-mCherry (Eα-mCh). We report that Tg yeast led to Eα display on Ag-presenting cells and induced robust activation, proliferation, and expansion of adoptively transferred TEa cells in an Ag-specific manner. Despite robust priming by Eα-mCh yeast, antifungal TEa cells recruited and produced cytokines weakly during a recall response to the lung. The addition of exogenous Eα-red fluorescent protein (RFP) to the Eα-mCh yeast boosted the number of cytokine-producing TEa cells that migrated to the lung. Thus, model epitope expression on yeast enables the interrogation of Ag presentation to CD4
+
T cells and primes Ag-specific T cell activation, proliferation, and expansion. However, the limited availability of model Ag expressed by Tg fungi during T cell priming blunts the downstream generation of effector and memory T cells.
Role of Reputation in Top Pediatric Specialties Rankings
Authors: Bush Ruth A. , Quigley Edward J. , Fox Lyman , Garcia-Bassets Ivan 
Published: November 2011

OBJECTIVE:
Although the role of reputation in determining the relative standings in the U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) annual rankings of the top 50 hospitals has received analytical attention, the role of reputation in the best children's hospitals pediatric specialty rankings has not been quantified. Our goal was to quantify the role of reputation in determining the relative standings of the top-ranked pediatric specialties and their associated hospitals in the 2008–2010 editions of the USNWR best children's hospital rankings.

METHODS:
A cross-sectional study of USNWR data collected from the top 30 hospitals in each of 6 (and later 10) specialties was performed. The main outcome measures were rankings based on total USNWR scores and subjective reputation scores.

RESULTS:
On average, rankings based on reputation scores alone correlated with USNWR overall rankings; correlation coefficients ranged from 0.80 to 0.98 (Spearman Correlation; mean P &lt; .001). This relationship was consistent over all 3 survey years.

CONCLUSIONS:
The relative standings of the top 30 pediatric hospitals in each of 10 specialties are largely explained by the compelling correlation between subjective reputation scores and ranking scores.
Synthesis of PANI and Study of Morphology in the Process of Polymerization
Authors: Zhang Lixia , Liang Lifang , Su Wei , Liu Shunzhen , Chen Jinhao 
Published: November 2011

AbstractThe polyaniline micro/nanostructure was prepared by a self‐assembly process with molybdic acid as dopants in the presence of ammonium persulfate as the oxidant. It was found that the morphology of PANI micro/nanostructure was affected by the concentration of the dopant, that is, the morphology of PANI changed from nanofibers to co‐existence of nanofibers and microspheres as the molar ratio of molybdic acid to aniline varied from 0.01 to 1.5. Under the same condition it was also found that the conductivity value of PANI enhanced from 4.58×10−3 S·cm−1 to 3.8×10−1 S·cm−1. The structure of PANI was characterized by FTIR and XRD which confirmed the presence of the molybdic acid in the PANI. The electrochemical characteristics of the PANI nanofibers were investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry. The morphology of PANI in the process of polymerization was characterized by SEM. It was found that when the molar ratio of molybdic acid to aniline was 0.3, the morphology of PANI was co‐existence of nanofibers and microspheres and the formation of microspheres was ahead of the nanofibers.
A proposal of an extended method of IP trace‐back for distributed denial of service attacks using a dynamic marking scheme
Authors: Koga Katsuhiro , Okazaki Naonobu , Watanabe Akira , Park Mi rang 
Published: November 2011

AbstractIn recent years, DoS (Denial of Service) attacks and more powerful DDoS (Distributed DoS) attacks have posed security problems on the Internet. For countermeasure to these attacks, it is important to trace attackers and stop the attacks. However, since information about the attackers is “spoofed,” such attacks are difficult to trace. Therefore, a method of identifying attackers is required. Savage and colleagues proposed a method of tracing flooding attacks by using “marked” packets. This method, however, involves problems in gathering the attack packets through numerous hops. In this paper, we propose a method of resolving this problem by observing the features of the attack traffic and changing the “marking probability” in the routers. We implement algorithms of both our proposed method and the extended marking method to estimate their efficiency. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn, 94(12): 29–44, 2011; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/ecj.10346
MAGNITUDE, FREQUENCY AND DURATION OF INSTREAM FLOWS TO STIMULATE AND FACILITATE CATADROMOUS FISH MIGRATIONS: AUSTRALIAN BASS (MACQUARIA NOVEMACULEATA PERCIFORMES, PERCICHTHYIDAE)
Authors: Reinfelds I. V. , Walsh C. T. , van der Meulen D. E. , Growns I. O. , Gray C. A. 
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACTThe migratory response and behaviour of catadromous Australian bass with regard to hourly mean river flows and water temperatures was assessed over 15 months. Fish movement was assessed using a 75‐km passive acoustic telemetry array in the regulated Shoalhaven River below Tallowa Dam, NSW, Australia. The majority (62%) of downstream pre‐spawning migrations from freshwater to estuarine habitats were stimulated by a series of flow pulses from April to September, but a proportion of fish (38%) commenced downstream migrations under regulated baseflow conditions after a sustained decrease in water temperature to below 15°C in late autumn. Equal numbers of fish undertook post‐spawning upstream return migrations during flow pulses and during regulated baseflow conditions, with regulated baseflow migrants exhibiting a preference for dusk–dawn passage through freshwater pool–riffle sequences. The median magnitude of flow pulses at the time of commencement of downstream and upstream freshwater migrations by Australian bass was not large, equivalent to natural (in the absence of river regulation) flows equalled or exceeded for 56% and 48% of time, respectively. There was no evidence for increased numbers of migrants with increasing flow pulse magnitude, with individual fish ignoring some flow pulses but responding to subsequent events. In regulated rivers, the release of more frequent flow pulses with peak magnitudes approximating the natural 50th flow duration percentile may be more effective in stimulating greater numbers of Australian bass to undertake pre‐spawning and post‐spawning migrations between freshwater and estuarine habitats than the release of a single, larger event. The propensity of Australian bass to also undertake spawning migrations under regulated baseflow conditions emphasizes the need for provision of baseflow regimes in regulated rivers that can facilitate migrations by large bodied fishes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluation of a Japanese version of the Mini‐Mental State Examination in elderly persons
Authors: Ideno Yuki , Takayama Mitsuyo , Hayashi Kunihiko , Takagi Hirofumi , Sugai Yuichi 
Published: November 2011

Aim:  This study aimed to examine the validity and item‐response characteristics of the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), which is used for assessing cognitive function, in Japanese older adults.Methods:  Factor analysis and item response analysis were carried out for MMSE responses (n = 1971) from older adults living in the community (n = 1339) or in a nursing home (n = 632), including Alzheimer‐type dementia (n = 330), vascular dementia (n = 36), frontotemporal dementia (n = 7), mixed Alzheimer‐type and frontotemporal type dementia (n = 27), and age‐related cognitive decline (n = 29). When choosing the cut‐off score of 23 points for the MMSE, sensitivity and specificity for each item were calculated.Results:  A three‐factor solution was found to be most appropriate by factor analysis: complex processing, simple processing and working memory. The item characteristics curves showed unidimensionality with high reproducibility. We identified a simplified scale comprising 10 items in all participants: “naming”, “three‐step command”, “registration”, “repeat a sentence”, “write a complete sentence”, “copies drawing of two polygons”, “orientation to place”, “delayed recall”, “orientation to time” and “serial sevens” tasks. Sensitivity and specificity for both “year” task and “day” task were more than 90% (“year”: sensitivity 92.5%, specificity 96.3%; “day”: sensitivity 92.4%, specificity 91.7%). For the Alzheimer‐type dementia patients, the five‐factor solution was suggested by factor analysis and the MMSE also had unidimensionality in terms of level of difficulty.Conclusions:  We found that the MMSE had multiple cognitive areas. We showed that the MMSE could be used as an essentially unidimensional measure of cognitive ability and the question about orientation to time might be useful in the simplest assessment to identify cognitive dysfunction. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2012; 12: 310–316.
Efficiency of Cooperatives and Investor Owned Firms Revisited
Authors: Soboh Rafat , Oude Lansink Alfons , Van Dijk Gert 
Published: November 2011

AbstractThe objectives of dairy processing cooperatives differ from those of investor‐owned firms (IOFs). However, the literature usually assumes the same performance measures for cooperatives vis‐a‐vis IOFs. This study compares the performance of dairy cooperatives and IOFs in major European dairy producing countries. A traditional input oriented approach is used and two alternative approaches are used to account for the differential objectives of cooperatives. Cooperatives’ performance differs across the two approaches from being outperformed by IOFs using the input oriented approach to outperforming them when using an approach that is more in line with cooperatives’ objectives.
ADAMTS13 reduces vascular inflammation and the development of early atherosclerosis in mice
Authors: Gandhi Chintan , Khan Mohammad Moshahid , Lentz Steven R. , Chauhan Anil K. 
Published: November 2011

Abstract
ADAMTS13, a metalloprotease, plays a pivotal role in preventing spontaneous microvascular thrombosis by cleaving hyperactive ultra large von Willebrand factor multimers into smaller, less active multimers. Reduced ADAMTS13 activity in plasma has been described in many diseases associated with systemic inflammation. It remains uncertain, however, whether ADAMTS13 contributes to disease pathogenesis or rather simply serves as an inflammation-associated marker. We hypothesized that, by decreasing vascular inflammation, ADAMTS13 reduces the development of early atherosclerotic plaques. Using intravital fluorescence microscopy, we observed excessive leukocyte adhesion and accelerated atherosclerotic plaque formation at the carotid sinus of Adamts13−/−/ApoE−/− mice compared with ApoE−/− mice fed a high-fat Western diet. At 4 months of age, there was a significant increase in atherosclerosis in the aorta and aortic sinus of Adamts13−/−/ApoE−/− mice compared with ApoE−/− mice. Interestingly, we detected a 2-fold increase in macrophage recruitment to the atherosclerotic plaque of the Adamts13−/−/ApoE−/− mice compared with ApoE−/− mice, suggesting that the atherosclerotic lesions in these mice were not only larger but also more inflammatory. These findings reveal a new functional role for the antithrombotic enzyme ADAMTS13 in reducing excessive vascular inflammation and plaque formation during early atherosclerosis.