bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Automatic Reconstruction of Unstructured 3D Data: Combining a Medial Axis and Implicit Surfaces
Authors: Bittar Eric , Tsingos Nicolas , Gascuel Marie‐Paule 
Published: September 2009

AbstractThis paper presents a new method that combines a medial axis and implicit surfaces in order to reconstruct a 3D solid from an unstructured set of points scattered on the object's surface. The representation produced is based on iso‐surfaces generated by skeletons, and is a particularly compact way of defining a smooth free‐form solid. The method is based on the minimisation of an energy representing a “distance” between the set of data points and the iso‐surface, resembling previous reserach19. Initialisation, however, is more robust and efficient since there is computation of the medial axis of the set of points. Instead of subdividing existing skeletons in order to refine the object's surface, a new reconstruction algorithm progressively selects skeleton‐points from the pre‐ computed medial axis using an heuristic principle based on a “local energy” criterion. This drastically speeds up the reconstruction process. Moreover, using the medial axis allows reconstruction of objects with complex topology and geometry, like objects that have holes and branches or that are composed of several connected components. This process is fully automatic. The method has been successfully applied to both synthetic and real data.
Understanding consumers' perspectives on food labelling in India
Authors: Ali Jabir , Kapoor Sanjeev 
Published: September 2009

AbstractThis study aims at identifying the factors influencing consumers' perception on food labelling and its impact on food purchase decision making, through personal interviews of 631 respondents using a structured questionnaire. To analyse the consumers' perceptions on food labelling, factor analysis has been carried out to identify the underlying dimensions among a set of food labelling attributes using the principal component analysis. Based on factor analysis, four sets of components/factors have emerged, that is, (i) serving method; (ii) quality and nutrition; (iii) production and storage; and (iv) product identification, which explain 66.271% of the variance. Logit regression analysis indicates that among the socio‐demographic indicators, the estimated coefficients for gender, education, income and location of residence are statistically significant. Similarly, information on quality and nutrition, production and storage processes, and basic information of the product is found to be significant, implying that these factors are more likely to influence the use of food labels in making informed purchase decisions by the consumers. The findings of the study give practical insights on food labelling issues for the food processors and policy makers.
Efficacy of four insect repellents against mosquito bites: a double‐blind randomized placebo‐controlled field study in Senegal
Authors: Uzzan Bernard , Konate Lassana , Diop Abdoulaye , Nicolas Patrick , Dia Ibrahima , Dieng Yémou , Izri Arezki 
Published: September 2009

AbstractInsect‐borne diseases represent a worldwide threat. In addition to fight against vectors (insecticides) and disease prevention (vaccination against yellow fever, chemoprophylaxis against malaria), insect repellents applied on the skin could help reduce the heavy burden related to these diseases. In a field study performed in Senegal, we compared the efficacy of one skin application between 3 and 4 p.m. of four spray repellents [icaridine 20%, para‐menthane‐diol (PMD) 20% and 50% and DEET 50%] against placebo, among 100 healthy male and female volunteers experienced with mosquito capture. Double‐blind randomized cross‐over placebo‐controlled study (Latin‐square design) during five consecutive nights (7 p.m. to midnight) in two villages was conducted. To avoid residual effect, right or left leg was alternately exposed during consecutive nights and the exposed leg was washed before next night. The statistical model was random and mixed effects anova. All four active repellents provided a significant and similar protection compared with placebo, lasting 8 h. However, there was a non‐significant trend for a higher protection by DEET 50% than by PMD 20% (P = 0.07). Duration of protection was similar for all repellents. Their effects were similar among men and women, and against Anopheles or other species. No serious adverse drug reaction was noticed. Using a rigorous methodology and a large number of volunteers, our well‐controlled study demonstrated an important and similar protective effect of all four repellents compared with placebo. Such field studies should be required before approval of any newly developed repellent.
Ethanol‐induced relaxation of mouse esophagus: subcellular mechanisms
Authors: Döndaş Naciye Yaktubay , Kaya Derya , Kaplan Mahir , Ertuğ Peyman , Şingirik Ergin 
Published: September 2009

AbstractEthanol (164 mm) produced reproducible relaxations in isolated mouse esophageal strips. Hexamethonium (10–500 μm), a ganglionic blocking agent, and lidocaine (10–100 μm), a local anesthetic agent, failed to affect the relaxations induced by ethanol in the mouse esophagus. Although verapamil (10–500 μm), a selective blocker of L‐type Ca2+channels, failed to affect the relaxations to ethanol, ruthenium red (10–100 μm), a selective blocker of ryanodine receptors (intracellular Ca2+channels), and cyclopiazonic acid (1–10 μm), a selective blocker of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ATPase (SERCA), significantly inhibited these relaxations. In addition, tetraethylammonium (10–100 μm), a potassium‐selective ion channel blocker andNω‐nitro‐l‐arginine (l‐NOARG; 10–500 μm), a specific inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), neomycin (10–500 μm), a phospholipase C inhibitor and indomethacine (1–10 μm), a non‐selective COX inhibitor, significantly inhibited the relaxations induced by ethanol. In contrast ouabain (10–100 μm), an inhibitor of Na+–K+‐ATPase, failed to cause significant alteration on these relaxations in the same tissue. The results of the present study suggest that the inhibitory effect of ethanol on the mouse esophagus may be direct effect of ethanol on the muscle tissue rather than neuronal effect. In addition, intracellular but not extracellular Ca2+may have a role on ethanol‐induced relaxations in isolated mouse esophageal strips. Potassium channels and nitric oxide may also have a role on these relaxations. Similarly, phospholypase C and arachidonic acid pathways may contribute the relaxations to ethanol. However Na+–K+‐ATPase may not have a role on relaxations induced by ethanol in the mouse esophagus.
Effects of β‐aminoisobutyric acid on leptin production and lipid homeostasis: mechanisms and possible relevance for the prevention of obesity
Authors: Begriche Karima , Massart Julie , Fromenty Bernard 
Published: September 2009

Abstractβ‐Aminoisobutyric acid (BAIBA) is a catabolite of thymine and antiretroviral thymine analogues AZT and d4T. We recently discovered that this β‐amino acid is able to enhance fatty acid oxidation and reduce body weight in mice through an increased production of leptin by the white adipose tissue (WAT). Furthermore, BAIBA could have favourable effects on nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in a leptin‐independent manner. In the present review, we shall recall the circumstances that led us to discover the effects of BAIBA on body fat mass and lipid homeostasis. In addition, we put forward several hypothetical mechanisms whereby BAIBA could enhance leptin secretion by WAT and present some anti‐inflammatory effects in the liver. We also discuss in this review (i) the deleterious impacts caused by the absence of, or low leptin expression on lipid homeostasis and body weight in humans and animals and (ii) recent data from other investigators suggesting that increasing leptin levels and/or responsiveness may be indeed an attractive pharmacological strategy in order to prevent (and/or treat) obesity, at least in some individuals.
Relations between open‐field, elevated plus‐maze, and emergence tests in C57BL/6J and BALB/c mice injected with GABA‐ and 5HT‐anxiolytic agents
Authors: Lalonde Robert , Strazielle Catherine 
Published: September 2009

AbstractTwo 5HT1A receptor agonists and chlordiazepoxide were examined in open‐field, elevated plus maze, and emergence tests. At doses with no effect in the open‐field, chlordiazepoxide increased open and open/total arm visits as well as open arm duration in the elevated plus maze, whereas 5HT1A receptor agonists showed an anxiolytic response on a single measure. The anxiolytic action of chlordiazepoxide was limited to the less active BALB/c strain. Unlike the 5HT1A receptor agonists, chlordiazepoxide was also anxiolytic in the emergence test, once again only in BALB/c and not C57BL/6J mice. Significant correlations were found between emergence latencies and specific indicators of anxiety in the elevated plus‐maze in chlordiazepoxide‐treated but not in mice treated with buspirone and 8‐OH‐DPAT. These results indicate that elevated plus‐maze and emergence tests depend on benzodiazepine receptors. In contrast, 5HT1A receptor agonists were ineffective in the emergence test and no correlation was found between emergence latencies and specific indicators of anxiety in the elevated plus‐maze. Though superficially similar, the emergence test seems to tap into a partially separate facet of anxiety.
Antithrombotic therapy for heart failure in sinus rhythm
Authors: Subramaniam Veeran , Davis Russell C. , Shantsila Eduard , Lip Gregory Y.H. 
Published: September 2009

AbstractAlthough the risk of thromboembolism in chronic heart failure is high even in the absence of atrial fibrillation, the risk to benefit ratio of anticoagulation vs. antiplatelet therapy or no antithrombotic therapy is poorly defined in this population. Post hoc analysis of large therapeutic heart failure trials has estimated the risk of thromboembolism to be between 1 and 4.5%. However, most of these studies have included some patients with atrial fibrillation, and thromboembolism was not a predefined endpoint. At present, the evidence for either anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy is limited and the results from current large‐scale randomized studies are awaited. From the randomized studies carried out thus far, there is a beneficial trend in favour of anticoagulation therapy, with less hospitalization for heart failure compared with patients taking aspirin.
Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Pain Impact Inventory
Authors: Jakobsson Ulf 
Published: September 2009

AbstractObjectives:  The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically evaluate an instrument for measuring the impact of chronic pain on daily life.Methods:  The study comprised 384 respondents (aged between 18–102 years) who reported chronic pain. The instrument “Pain Impact Inventory” (PII) was evaluated in terms of face, content, construct and criterion validity, as well as two reliability measures. Reliability was measured by means of test–retest (with a 2‐week interval) while Cronbach's alpha was used to measure internal consistency.Results:  The results showed that the PII had acceptable validity and reliability. The PII contains 20 items and was found to have a nested design with five sub‐scales (Physical impact, Psychological impact, Impact on social life, Social support, and Control) and two overarching dimensions (“Impact” and “Support”).Conclusions:  The initial tests showed that the PII seems to be a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring the impact of pain on daily life from a multidimensional perspective.
Additional Validation of the Pain Medication Questionnaire in a Heterogeneous Sample of Chronic Pain Patients
Authors: Buelow Amanda K. , Haggard Robbie , Gatchel Robert J. 
Published: September 2009

AbstractThe present study represents the next stage in the development of a psychometrically sound, self‐report screening tool used for assessing the potential pain‐medication‐misuse risk. A revised Pain Medication Questionnaire (PMQ) was initially designed to successfully evaluate such risk. A subsequent series of two additional studies further documented the clinical utility of the PMQ. A new shortened version of the PMQ was developed, and its psychometric properties, along with its predictive accuracy in identifying risk for medication misuse, were evaluated. Results revealed that the new version maintained the strong psychometric properties of the original PMQ. Moreover, its predictive accuracy was found to be high (85.5% accuracy). Thus, this revised, shortened PMQ can aid physicians in assessing for potential medication misuse, allowing them to more closely monitor at‐risk patients during pain management treatment.
Figulla ASD Occluder versus Amplatzer Septal Occluder: A Comparative Study on Validation of a Novel Device for Percutaneous Closure of Atrial Septal Defects
Authors: PAC AYSENUR , POLAT TUGCIN BORA , CETIN ILKER , OFLAZ MEHMET BURHAN , BALLI SEVKET 
Published: September 2009

Objectives: Occlutech Figulla ASD Occluder (FSO) is an alternative device to Amplatzer Septal Occluder (ASO) with some structural innovations including increased flexibility, minimizing the amount of material implanted, and absence of the left atrial clamp. We aimed to report our experiences with FSO and compare the outcomes of this novel device versus ASO.
Interventions: Between December 2005 and February 2009, 75 patients diagnosed with secundum atrial septal defects underwent transcatheter closure. The FSO device was used in 33 patients, and the ASO was used in 42.
Results: Patient characteristics, stretch size of the defect, device left disc size, procedure, and fluoroscopy time were similar between the groups. However, the difference between device waist size and stretched diameter of the defect was significantly higher, and device delivery sheath was significantly larger in FSO group and device left disc size was significantly lower in the FSO group. In all subjects, the residual shunt was small to trivial during follow‐up and the reduction in prevalence of residual shunt with time was similar in both groups (P = 0.68). We found no differences in complication rate between the two devices; however, device embolization to the pulmonary bifurcation in one patient was recorded as major complication in FSO device group.
Conclusions: Both devices are clinically safe and effective in ASD closure. FSO device has similar outcomes when compared to ASO device. Difficulties in selecting the correct device size in larger defects and larger venous sheath requirement need to be evaluated in further studies.
The scale of homogeneity of the galaxy distribution in SDSS DR6
Authors: Sarkar Prakash , Yadav Jaswant , Pandey Biswajit , Bharadwaj Somnath 
Published: September 2009

Abstract
The assumption that the Universe, on sufficiently large scales, is homogeneous and isotropic is crucial to our current understanding of cosmology. In this Letter, we test if the observed galaxy distribution is actually homogeneous on large scales. We have carried out a multifractal analysis of the galaxy distribution in a volume-limited subsample from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 6. This considers the scaling properties of different moments of galaxy number counts in spheres of varying radius, r, centred on galaxies. This analysis gives the spectrum of generalized dimension Dq(r), where q &gt; 0 quantifies the scaling properties in overdense regions and q &lt; 0 in underdense regions. We expect Dq(r) = 3 for a homogeneous, random point distribution. In our analysis, we have determined Dq(r) in the range −4 ≤q≤ 4 and 7 ≤r≤ 98 h−1 Mpc. In addition to the SDSS data, we have analysed several random samples which are homogeneous by construction. Simulated galaxy samples generated from dark matter N-body simulations and the Millennium Run were also analysed. The SDSS data is considered to be homogeneous if the measured Dq is consistent with that of the random samples. We find that the galaxy distribution becomes homogeneous at a length-scale between 60 and 70 h−1 Mpc. The galaxy distribution, we find, is homogeneous at length-scales greater than 70 h−1 Mpc. This is consistent with earlier works which find the transition to homogeneity at around 70 h−1 Mpc.
Isokinetic and isometric muscle strength in a healthy population with special reference to age and gender
Authors: Danneskiold‐Samsøe B. , Bartels E. M. , Bülow P. M. , Lund H. , Stockmarr A. , Holm C. C. , Wätjen I. , Appleyard M. , Bliddal H. 
Published: September 2009

AbstractAim: Muscle strength is an excellent indicator of general health when based on reliable measurements. Muscle strength data for a healthy population are rare or non‐existent. The aim of the present study was to measure a set of normal values for isometric and isokinetic muscle strength for all the major joint movements of the body and, from these data, to create a basis for comparison of the muscle strength of an individual with the expected value in a normal population.Methods: A randomly selected group, aged 20–80 years, from the Copenhagen City Heart Study were studied. The group was subgrouped according to age and gender. Isometric and isokinetic muscle strength was measured in each subject across the main joints in the body. A statistical model was developed that encompassed the three main muscle groups: upper limbs, trunk and lower limbs.Results: Muscle strength in healthy men decreases in a linear fashion from the age of 25 years down to between 54% and 89% at the age of 75 years, and seems not highly dependent on any other parameter than age. For women, the muscle strength is dependent on weight and is only related to age from around 40 years of age. The decrease in muscle strength from the age around 40 to 75 years is 48–92%. For most muscle groups, men are 1.5–2 times stronger than women, with the oldest men having strength similar to that observed among the youngest women.Conclusion: We developed a model to compare the isometric and isokinetic muscle strength of all the major joint movements of an individual with values for a healthy man or woman at any age in the range of 20–80 years. In all age groups, women have lower muscle strength than men. Men’s muscle strength declines with age, while women’s muscle strength declines from the age of 41 years.
Periodontal disease and systemic health: current status
Authors: Cullinan MP , Ford PJ , Seymour GJ 
Published: September 2009

AbstractThe relationship between poor oral health and systemic diseases has been increasingly recognized over the past two decades. Indeed, the clichés “You cannot have good general health without good oral health”, “The mouth is part of the body” and “Floss or die”, are gaining an increasing momentum. A large number of epidemiological studies have now linked poor oral health with cardiovascular diseases, poor glycaemic control in diabetics, low birthweight preterm babies and a variety of other conditions. The majority have shown an association, although not always strong. As a result, a number of meta‐analyses have been conducted and have confirmed the associations and at the same time cautioned that further studies are required, particularly with regard to the effect of periodontal treatment in reducing risk. A number of biologically plausible mechanisms have been put forward to explain the association and there is accumulating evidence in support of them, although at this stage, insufficient to establish causality. Nevertheless, the relationship between poor oral health and systemic diseases has become a significant issue, such that adult oral health can no longer be ignored in overall health strategies. This review provides an update on current understanding of the contribution of poor oral health to systemic diseases, the possible mechanisms involved and the relevance of this for general dental practitioners.
Strategies for the endodontic management of concurrent endodontic and periodontal diseases
Authors: Abbott PV , Salgado J Castro 
Published: September 2009

AbstractEndodontic and periodontal diseases can provide many diagnostic and management challenges to clinicians, particularly when they occur concurrently. As with all diseases, a thorough history combined with comprehensive clinical and radiographic examinations are all required so an accurate diagnosis can be made. This is essential since the diagnosis will determine the type and sequence of treatment required. This paper reviews the relevant literature and proposes a new classification for concurrent endodontic and periodontal diseases. This classification is a simple one that will help clinicians to formulate management plans for when these diseases occur concurrently. The key aspects are to determine whether both types of diseases are present, rather than just having manifestations of one disease in the alternate tissue. Once it is established that both diseases are present and that they are as a result of infections of each tissue, then the clinician must determine whether the two diseases communicate via the periodontal pocket so that appropriate management can be provided using the guidelines outlined. In general, if the root canal system is infected, endodontic treatment should be commenced prior to any periodontal therapy in order to remove the intracanal infection before any cementum is removed. This avoids several complications and provides a more favourable environment for periodontal repair. The endodontic treatment can be completed before periodontal treatment is provided when there is no communication between the disease processes. However, when there is communication between the two disease processes, then the root canals should be medicated until the periodontal treatment has been completed and the overall prognosis of the tooth has been reassessed as being favourable. The use of non‐toxic intracanal therapeutic medicaments is essential to destroy bacteria and to help encourage tissue repair.
Systemic antibiotics in periodontal therapy
Authors: Heitz‐Mayfield LJA 
Published: September 2009

AbstractPeriodontitis is a biofilm infection with a mixed microbial aetiology. Periodontitis is generally treated by non‐surgical mechanical debridement and regular periodontal maintenance care. Periodontal surgery may be indicated for some patients to improve access to the root surface for mechanical debridement. A range of systemic antibiotics for treatment of periodontitis has been documented, with some studies showing superior clinical outcomes following adjunctive antibiotics while others do not. This has resulted in controversy as to the role of systemic antibiotics in the treatment of periodontal diseases. Recent systematic reviews have provided an evidence‐based assessment of the possible benefits of adjunctive antibiotics in periodontal therapy. This review aims to provide an update on clinical issues of when and how to prescribe systemic antibiotics in periodontal therapy.