bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Intentions of Older Homebound Women to Reduce the Risk of Falling Again
Authors: Porter Eileen J. , Matsuda Sandy , Lindbloom Erik J. 
Published: March 2010

Abstract Purpose: Researchers have tested interventions to prevent recurrent falls for older people without exploring their intentions to prevent another fall. Lack of knowledge about such intentions is an impediment to intervention effectiveness. The purpose was to describe intentions to prevent another fall as discerned during a study with older homebound women. Methods: Data were obtained during a series of four in‐home interviews over 18 months with monthly telephone contacts between interviews; fall history was updated at each contact. A descriptive phenomenological method was used to analyze data. Findings: Of the 40 women, 36 (aged 85 to 98 years) had fallen at home at least once before enrolling in the study, or had a subsequent or initial fall during the study. The overall intention was reducing my risk of falling again at home, with its components figuring out the reason that I fell and changing my ways to reduce my risk of falling again at home. Most women explained reasons for a fall and voiced intentions to prevent a similar fall. Women who viewed falls as unexpected events were uncertain that they could prevent a fall or felt unable to do so and voiced few preventive intentions. A few women voiced generalized preventive intentions to change health‐related behaviors or habits. Conclusions: Most intentions were tied directly to the situation in which a fall had occurred. Such specificity could limit effectiveness of personal efforts to prevent falls in other situations. Clinical Relevance: Practitioners should converse with older women who have fallen about their intentions to prevent another fall and weigh the need to help them generalize both the risk of falling again and their risk reduction intentions.
On the efficiency of composting organic wastes
Authors: Kan Iddo , Ayalon Ofira , Federman Roy 
Published: March 2010

AbstractWe develop a mathematical programming model for the analysis of a nationwide waste‐management system based on composting of organic wastes. The model integrates a wide range of engineering, environmental, and economic factors, including estimated production functions based on agronomic experimental data, as well as demand functions for vegetative agricultural products. The model is applied to the case of Israel, comprising 14 groups of municipalities as the source of organic municipal solid waste and wastewater‐treatment sludge, 8 composting plants, and 13 agricultural regions; the latter constitute the source of livestock manure and are the consumers of compost to be potentially applied to 42 crops. From a social point of view, 90% of the compost's potential production was found to be warranted. This efficient solution, however, does not emerge under the base‐year‐observed situation, largely because of the absence of source separation of organic municipal solid waste and the farmers' lack of awareness of compost's advantages as a substitute for conventional fertilizers and as a soil‐amending product. Consequently, most of the organic wastes are disposed of by landfilling, resulting in a loss of $102 million per year in terms of net social benefits. While the consumers of agricultural products are expected to benefit from a shift from the base‐year situation to the efficient solution, most of their gain is expected to come at the expense of the farming sector. Nevertheless, the appearance of the efficient solution does not depend on administrative compensation payments, but on the removal of bottlenecks. Potential government intervention strategies to promote the change are analyzed.
Exploring strategic priorities for regional agricultural R&D investments in East and Central Africa
Authors: You Liangzhi , Johnson Michael 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThe 11 countries of East and Central Africa have diverse but overlapping agroclimatic conditions, and could potentially benefit from spillovers of agricultural technology across country borders. This article uses high‐resolution spatial data on actual and potential yields for 15 major products across 12 development domains to estimate the total benefits available from the spread of new agricultural technologies around the region. Market responses and welfare gains are estimated using the Dynamic Research Evaluation for Management model, taking account of current and future projections of local and international demand. Results suggest which crops, countries, and agroclimatic regions offer the largest total benefits. Downloadable data and program files permit different assumptions and additional information to be considered in the ongoing process of strategic priority setting.
The impact of migration on rural poverty and inequality: a case study in China
Authors: Zhu Nong , Luo Xubei 
Published: March 2010

AbstractLarge numbers of agricultural labor moved from the countryside to cities after the economic reforms in China. Migration and remittances play an important role in transforming the structure of rural household income. This article examines the impact of rural‐to‐urban migration on rural poverty and inequality in a mountainous area of Hubei province using the data of a 2002 household survey. Since migration income is a potential substitute for farm income, we present counterfactual scenarios of what rural income, poverty, and inequality would have been in the absence of migration. Our results show that, by providing alternatives to households with lower marginal labor productivity in agriculture, migration leads to an increase in rural income. In contrast to many studies that suggest that the increasing share of nonfarm income in total income widens inequality, this article offers support for the hypothesis that migration tends to have egalitarian effects on rural income for three reasons: (1) migration is rational self‐selection—farmers with higher expected return in agricultural activities and/or in local nonfarm activities choose to remain in the countryside while those with higher expected return in urban nonfarm sectors migrate; (2) households facing binding constraints of land supply are more likely to migrate; (3) poorer households benefit disproportionately from migration.
Seasonal protection of F&V imports in the EU: impacts of the entry price system
Authors: Garcia‐Alvarez‐Coque Jose‐Maria , Martinez‐Gomez Victor , Villanueva Miquel 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThe measures of border protection applied by the European Union (EU) to imports of fruits and vegetables (FV) are complex and usually not well represented in trade models, not only because of the range of instruments still constraining trade, but also because of product differentiation and seasonality in these products. This article assesses the impact of eliminating entry price (EP) constraints applied to a group of FV products. The proposed model is of a partial equilibrium nature and takes seasonality into account. We have applied the model to imports of tomatoes, cucumbers, clementines, and table grapes. Trade impacts of eliminating EP are significant for particular origins, during specific seasons, most notably for Moroccan tomatoes. The volumes and prices of products originating in the EU experience moderate reductions.
Does fertilizer use respond to rainfall variability? Panel data evidence from Ethiopia
Authors: Alem Yonas , Bezabih Mintewab , Kassie Menale , Zikhali Precious 
Published: March 2010

AbstractIn this article, we use farmers' actual experiences with changes in rainfall levels and their responses to these changes to assess whether patterns of fertilizer use are responsive to changes in rainfall patterns. Using panel data from the Central Highlands of Ethiopia matched with corresponding village‐level rainfall data, the results show that the intensity of current year's fertilizer use is positively associated with higher rainfall levels experienced in the previous year. Rainfall variability, on the other hand, impacts fertilizer use decisions negatively, implying that variability raises the risks and uncertainty associated with fertilizer use. Abundant rainfall in the previous year could depict relaxed liquidity constraints and increased affordability of fertilizer, which makes rainfall availability critical in severely credit‐constrained environments. In light of similar existing literature, the major contribution of the study is that it uses panel data to explicitly examine farmers' responses to actual weather changes and variability.
Effects of desmopressin on the sleep of children suffering from enuresis
Authors: Rahm C , Schulz‐Juergensen S , Eggert P 
Published: March 2010

AbstractAim:  To evaluate the effect of 1‐desamino‐8‐D‐Arginine Vasopressin (DDAVP) on sleep architecture and arousal reactions in children with primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (PME).Methods:  A prospective, placebo‐controlled, randomized, double‐blind, cross‐over study was performed on children suffering from bed‐wetting. Placebo and DDAVP were given for 7 days each after which an unattended home polysomnography (PSG) was recorded. After lifting the blinding, the PSGs were compared.Results:  A total of 20 children with PME, aged 6–15 years, were enrolled in the study. The number of wet nights decreased significantly with DDAVP treatment. Delta power, distribution of sleep stages, number of arousals, arousal index and the effect of arousals on sleep stages did not differ significantly. Bed‐wetting occurred within each sleep stage and did not follow any particular pattern. In most cases, it was preceded by an arousal reaction, but no awakening occurred.Conclusion:  DDAVP has no effect on the sleep architecture of children with PME when analysed by classical PSG, which is determined by collecting the electric activity of cortical neurons. Taking recent research findings into account, this supports the thesis that the disturbances causing PME occur at brain stem level and do not reach consciousness.
Insights into early brain development from modern brain imaging and outcome studies
Authors: Weindling Michael 
Published: March 2010

AbstractRecent brain imaging and outcome studies of infants born at very early gestation have cast new light on brain development at a vulnerable stage. Some of these new developments are reviewed in this editorial.Conclusion:  The anatomical differences between the brains of babies born extremely prematurely and those born at term appear to translate into disturbances of function. The challenge for paediatricians is to discover the causes, with the aim of promoting normal brain development.
Doing Away with the Drab Age: Research Opportunities in Mid‐Tudor Literature (1530–1580)
Authors: Pincombe Mike , Shrank Cathy 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThis article surveys recent developments in the study of mid‐Tudor literature; some of the problems the area has traditionally faced and still faces; and the opportunities for new research it offers, especially that which exploits new technology. It traces the deleterious effect that C. S. Lewis’ epithet ‘Drab Age’ has had upon the field, and how this has been compounded by institutional and market pressures in university education and academic publishing in the second half of the twentieth century. Nonetheless, interest in mid‐16th century literature is being revived by historicist readings. The article maps out a number of areas ripe for future study, including life‐writing, women’s writing, miscellanies, anonymous writing, cheap/ephemeral print, Inns of Court writing, translation, Tudor poetics, manuscripts, non‐dramatic dialogue, paratext and anthologies of ‘tragical tales’. It calls for an unprejudiced reassessment of the aesthetics of mid‐Tudor literature and draws attention to its humour and generic hybridity.
Notes Toward a Dialectical Method: Modernities, Modernisms, and the Crossings of Empire
Authors: Doyle Laura 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThe last few decades of postcolonial, national, and transnational studies make it possible to do fuller justice to the layered histories that have shaped literature's circulation. Recent historical work on the medieval period through the 18th century establishes that both inter‐imperial jockeying and anti‐colonial resistance have shaped literature as it travels. Historians' accounts of these interconnected histories enable us to construct a transnational ‘histoire croisée’ with a highly dialectical accent. Building on this scholarship, this essay first of all foregrounds the interactive co‐production of modern empires, including Ottoman and European empires. It then surveys some of the complex histories of cultural transmission by which Ottoman, Asian, and African cultures have formed ‘the West’ at its cultural foundations, whether through modeling ‘public sphere’ spaces, such as coffeehouses or western philosophers' study of Asian ideals of ‘organic’ esthetic form and political ethics. The essay then closes with a brief consideration of global modernisms in the light of this long history, highlighting new scholarship that moves toward the dialectical methodology conceptualized here.
Body Mass Index But Not Pulse Pressure Is Associated with Lesser Penile–Vaginal Intercourse Frequency in Healthy Young Men
Authors: Brody Stuart 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACT

Introduction
A growing literature links aspects of sexual and cardiovascular function. Recent research revealed that pulse pressure (systolic minus diastolic) was associated with poorer erectile function (and hypogonadism) in male patients with erectile dysfunction. It is unclear to what degree pulse pressure (and body mass index) would be associated with aspects of sexual function in a younger, healthy sample (controlling for possible confounders).

Aims
To examine the associations of frequency of specific sexual behaviors with both resting pulse pressure and body mass index.

Methods
Sixty-five healthy young men (mean age 25.2 ± 4.6 years) had their resting blood pressure, weight, and height recorded, and reported the frequency of their various sexual activities.

Main Outcome Measures
Correlations of pulse pressure with different sexual behaviors (univariate and adjusted for possible confounding variables including age, mean blood pressure, body mass index, social desirability responding score, and cohabitation status).

Results
For these healthy young men, on univariate and adjusted analyses, pulse pressure was not significantly associated with frequencies of penile–vaginal intercourse, other partnered sexual activity, or masturbation. In contrast, body mass index was associated with lesser frequency of penile–vaginal intercourse but not other sexual behaviors.

Conclusions
The association of pulse pressure with sexual function previously observed in older men was not observed in this younger healthy sample. Other measures of arterial stiffness might be indicated in a healthy young population. Even within the normal range and adjusted for possible confounders, increasing body mass index (a rough proxy for body fat) is associated with reduced frequency of specifically penile–vaginal intercourse, which might be a result of some combination of characterological and hormonal factors.
Chronic Treatment with an Oral Rho-Kinase Inhibitor Restores Erectile Function by Suppressing Corporal Apoptosis in Diabetic Rats
Authors: Li Wen Ji , Park Kwanjin , Paick Jae-Seung , Kim Soo Woong 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACT

Introduction
It has been suggested that the up-regulation of the contractile RhoA/Rho-kinase (ROCK) signaling pathway is one of the important mechanisms for diabetes-associated erectile dysfunction (ED). However, the exact role of RhoA/ROCK signaling in the pathogenesis of diabetes-related ED has not been fully delineated.

Aim
To determine whether the RhoA/ROCK pathway is involved in the regulation of corporal apoptosis and whether administration of insulin or fasudil, a specific ROCK inhibitor, could ameliorate ED in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Main Outcome Measures
At 16 weeks after diabetes induction, erectile function was assessed by cavernous nerve stimulation. Penile tissue was assessed for apoptosis with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated 2′-deoxyuridine 5′-triphosphate (dUTP) nick end labeling assay. Expression of myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT1), protein kinase B (Akt), and phospho-endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) were evaluated by Western blot. Immunohistochemical study was carried out for smooth muscle alpha-actin, B-cell leukemia/lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), and Bcl-2-associated X Protein (Bax). Activity of caspase-3 and phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) was also determined.

Methods
Male Sprague-Dawley rats (8 weeks old) were randomly divided into four groups: age-matched controls, diabetic controls, and diabetic rats treated with insulin (10 U/day, subcutaneous injection) or fasudil (30 mg/kg/day, oral) for the last 4 weeks of the 16 weeks after diabetes induction.

Results
Diabetic rats showed impairment of erectile function, increased MYPT1 phosphorylation, and corporal apoptosis. Expression of phospho-Akt, phospho-eNOS, and Bcl-2 were decreased, whereas activity of PTEN and caspase-3 and expression of Bax were increased. Treatment with fasudil normalized these molecular and histologic alterations, and restored erectile function. Insulin treatment showed similar effects to those of fasudil, however, the effects were smaller than fasudil.

Conclusions
This study indicates that up-regulation of the penile RhoA/ROCK pathway in diabetic rats enhances corporal apoptosis via the PTEN/Akt pathway resulting in ED, which could be prevented by chronic treatment with fasudil.
Effects of Surgical and Adjuvant Therapies for Breast Cancer on Sexuality, Cognitive Functions, and Body Weight
Authors: Biglia Nicoletta , Moggio Giulia , Peano Elisa , Sgandurra Paola , Ponzone Riccardo , Nappi Rossella E. , Sismondi Piero 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Breast cancer and its treatment negatively affect the important aspects of a woman’s life such as sexual health, cognitive functions, body image, and weight. Abrupt estrogen deficiency following chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy plays an important role in worsening of sexuality.

Aim
To evaluate the impact of breast cancer treatment on sexual functioning, cognitive function, and body weight in premenopausal women.

Methods
Thirty-five women with a premenopausal diagnosis of breast cancer who are candidate to adjuvant treatment completed validated questionnaires on menopausal symptoms, sexuality, partner relationship, depression, body image, and cognitive functions after surgery (T0), then after chemotherapy or at least 6 months of endocrine therapy (T1), and after 1 year (T2). In addition, gynecological and dietological examinations were performed.

Main Outcome Measure
The following validated questionnaires were used: Greene Climacteric Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Body Attitude Test, McCoy revised Italian version McCoy Female Sexuality Questionnaire, Cues for Sexual Desire Scale, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Numeric Matrix Test and Rey uditory-verbal learning test, to measure cognitive functions, a recall 24 H questionnaire to evaluate food intake, Minnesota Leisure Time Physical Activity questionnaire and Eating Attitude Test-40, while anthropometric and plicometry data were assessed by a dietitian.

Results
Low levels of sexual functioning were registered at baseline; a further decrease in sexual activity, quality of the partnered relationship, desire, and arousability was demonstrated at T1 and T2. We found a significant increase in hot flushes and anxiety. Nonsignificant deterioration of body image was demonstrated. Although women reported losing memory and concentration, “chemobrain” effect was not demonstrated as cognitive tests improved after 6 months, probably because of “learning effect.” Women who had undergone chemotherapy gained weight and fat disposition was typically android.

Conclusions
Young women undergoing adjuvant breast cancer therapy experience a heavy impairment in important quality of life domains as sexuality and targeted support interventions are needed.
Patterns of regular use of mammography—Body weight and ethnicity: The Multiethnic Cohort
Authors: Edwards Quannetta T. , Li Arthur , Pike Malcolm C. , Kolonel Laurence , Henderson Brian E. , McKean‐Cowdin Roberta 
Published: March 2010

Purpose: To describe the association between body mass index (BMI) and frequency of regular mammography over an approximate 6‐year period after controlling for the influence of demographic factors, behavioral factors, and medical history. This association was examined overall and by race/ethnicity in a multiethnic cohort of women including African American, Japanese American, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian, and non‐Hispanic White women. Data source: Analysis of 81,722 women from the Hawaii and Los Angeles Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) using unconditional logistic regression to obtain odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between BMI and regular annual or biennial (every 1–2 years) mammography overall and by race/ethnicity. Results: Overall, 36% of MEC women reported regular annual mammography over an approximate 6‐year period of follow‐up. African American, Hispanic, and Native Hawaiian women had significantly lower annual and biennial mammography use compared to White women even after controlling for age, education, family history, BMI, menopausal status, and hormone therapy. Women who were overweight (OR = 0.96; 95% CI 0.92–1.01) or obese (OR = 0.88; 95% CI 0.84–0.93) were less likely to have regular annual mammography compared to women of normal weight. Similar findings were noted among women who had mammograms every 1–2 years (biennial). Conclusions: BMI is associated with the frequency of regular annual and biennial mammography in multiethnic women, especially among women who are overweight and obese. Implications for practice: Culturally sensitive educational strategies that promote healthy behaviors toward regular mammography and maintenance of normal BMI are warranted.
Comparison of population estimators and indices for monitoring house mice in sorghum crops
Authors: KABOODVANDPOUR Shahram , FREE Carissa , LEUNG Luke K.‐P. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractHouse mice (Mus musculus domesticus Schwarz & Schwarz, 1943) are monitored in Australia and China to track changes in mouse population densities and forecast their potential damage to cereal crops. The present study compared population indices based on the number of different mice caught and overall trap success from live‐trapping with an oil card index (OC) and a tracking index (T) for monitoring mice in sorghum crops immediately before crop maturation. T was measured as the percentage of track board covered with mouse footprints night−1, and OC as the percentage of card removed by mice night−1. The reliability of these abundance indices was quantified by Pearson correlation coefficient with the trappable population size (Ñ), which was estimated by capture–recapture over eight consecutive nights on 175 × 5 trapping grids, in sorghum crops on two properties on the Darling Downs, Queensland. Because of differences among individual mice in capture probability, Model Mh of program MARK was used to account for such heterogeneity and to estimate the size of each mouse population. The number of individual animals caught was more strongly correlated with Ñ than trap success and, therefore, might be a more reliable index; the data suggest that three trapping occasions provide optimal precision for this index. T correlated significantly with Ñ only at sites where the canopy of sorghum plants was closed, and its use should, therefore, be restricted to this habitat. OC did not correlate with Ñ because none or very little of the cards was eaten at low to moderate mouse densities. T and the number of animals caught over three trapping nights are recommended for monitoring mice in sorghum crops immediately prior to crop maturation.