bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Excess mortality monitoring in England and Wales during the influenza A(H1N1) 2009 pandemic
Authors: HARDELID P. , ANDREWS N. , PEBODY R. 
Published: March 2011

SUMMARYWe present the results from a novel surveillance system for detecting excess all-cause mortality by age group in England and Wales developed during the pandemic influenza A(H1N1) 2009 period from April 2009 to March 2010. A Poisson regression model was fitted to age-specific mortality data from 1999 to 2008 and used to predict the expected number of weekly deaths in the absence of extreme health events. The system included adjustment for reporting delays. During the pandemic, excess all-cause mortality was seen in the 5–14 years age group, where mortality was flagged as being in excess for 1 week after the second peak in pandemic influenza activity; and in age groups >45 years during a period of very cold weather. This new system has utility for rapidly estimating excess mortality for other acute public health events such as extreme heat or cold weather.
The sociolinguistic variant as a carrier of social meaning
Authors: Campbell-Kibler Kathryn 
Published: March 2011

AbstractTraditionally used as a “heuristic device” (Labov, 1978), the sociolinguistic variable has taken on a new role as a primitive of speaker/hearer mental models in third-wave variation work (Eckert, 2005, 2008). Results from a sociolinguistic perception study suggest that at least in some cases, variants of the same variable function independently as loci of indexically linked social meaning. Listener responses were collected to three matched guises of the English variable (ING): -in, -ing, and a neutral guise with no audible (ING) tokens. The results counter the study hypothesis that listener expectation, triggered by speaker regional accent, would shape (ING)'s impact. Instead, the two variants showed distinct social associations: the -ing guises were rated as more intelligent/educated, more articulate, and less likely to be a student than either the -in or neutral guises, which did not differ significantly. In contrast, -in guises made speakers sound less formal and less likely to be gay than the -ing and neutral guises, which did not differ. These results suggest that third-wave work needs to more closely examine the role of the variable in theorizing the relationship between linguistic and social structures.
Behavioral Emergencies in India: Would Psychiatric Emergency Services Help?
Authors: Saddichha Sahoo , Vibha Pandey 
Published: March 2011

AbstractIntroduction:Behavioral emergencies constitute an important component of emergencies worldwide. Yet, research on behavioral emergencies in India has been scarce. This article discusses the burden, types, and epidemiology of behavioral emergencies in India.Methods:A computerized search of Medline, Psychinfo, and Cochrane from 1975 to 2009 was performed, and all articles were evaluated and collated. The results were summarized.Results and Conclusions:There is an acute need for psychiatric emergency services in India. Suicides, acute psychoses, and substance-related problems form the major portion of behavioral emergencies, while current trends show a rise in disaster- and terrorism-related emergencies.
Post-Disaster Recovery: A Case Study of Human Resource Deployment in the Health Sector in Post-Conflict Kosovo
Authors: O'Hanlon Katherine P. , Budosan Boris 
Published: March 2011

AbstractIntroduction:A professional understanding of disasters, paired with the need for health service development, can provide opportunities for the recovery and improvement of the health sector. Investment in training capacity ranks among the top priorities of a recovering health sector. The recovery and development of primary healthcare delivery systems has been implemented by various international and local health players in the aftermath of conflicts around the world. However, human resource development in the post-conflict environment has not been evaluated and/or published appropriately in the medical literature.Objective:In this retrospective, descriptive study, the authors describe the strategy and evaluate the effectiveness of a field-based training program for primary healthcare doctors implemented by the US-based international non-governmental organization, the International Medical Corps, after the conflict in Kosovo in 1999.Methods:A six-month, comprehensive education and training program on primary healthcare issues was delivered to 134 Kosovar primary healthcare physicians in 10 Kosovo municipalities in 1999 and 2000. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected. The qualitative methods included open-ended, semi-structured, key informant interviews, structured focus groups, and unstructured participant observations. The quantitative method was multiple-choice knowledge tests.Results:The education and training program proved to be culturally appropriate and well-accepted by local communities. The program met its overall objective to refresh the knowledge of primary care doctors on various primary healthcare issues and set the stage for further strengthening and development of primary health services and their required human resources in Kosovo.Conclusions:The comprehensive education and training of primary healthcare doctors in Kosovo was a feasible, much appreciated, and effective intervention implemented in a difficult post-conflict environment. This training was one of the early steps in the modernization of primary healthcare services in Kosovo. Later, primary health care was strengthened by the introduction of a Department of Family Medicine at the university, which includes a residency program. The intervention described in this study has the potential to be reproduced in other post-disaster environments, especially in resource-poor settings with long-time troubled health sectors in developing countries.
Assessment of Prehospital Care and Disaster Preparedness in a Rural Guatemala Clinic
Authors: Lin Janet Y. , King Renee , Bhalla Naina , Brander Caroline 
Published: March 2011

AbstractIntroduction: In October 2005, Hurricane Stan impacted Central America, causing severe damage to Guatemala. The main objectives of this study are to report on the effects of Hurricane Stan in rural Guatemala, to assess the responses of a rural clinic during and after the storm, and to identify ways in which the clinic can better prepare for future disasters. The clinic is located in Catarina, San Marcos, Guatemala. Roughly 400–500 patients are attended to each week at the clinic.Methods: Survey data were obtained during a two-week period using a convenience sample of people at the clinic and in the surrounding community.Results: The major medical problems after the impact of Hurricane Stan included fungal infections, upper respiratory infections, diarrhea, and emotional problems. The most needed supplies included food, electricity, home repair, potable water, communication, and clothing. In the immediate aftermath of event, 61% of the participants could not get to a hospital; however, most did not require medical assistance.Conclusions: Hurricane Stan had a devastating effect on the San Marcos region of Guatemala. While the clinic could have served as a resource center and a base, it was not prepared to address the community's health needs after the hurricane as there were no previous plans in place for disaster response for the clinic or for the community. Next steps include developing a preparedness plan to utilize the clinic as a local resource center , in the event that the planned national disaster responses are delayed or unable to reach the affected area.
Physiology and the Controlling of Affects in Kant's Philosophy
Authors: Borges Maria 
Published: March 2011

Kant is categorical about the relation between virtue and the controlling of inclinations:Since virtue is based on inner freedom it contains a positive command to a human being, namely to bring all his capacities and inclinations under his reason's control and so to rule over himself. (MS, 6: 410)Virtue presupposes apathy, in the sense of absence of affects. Kant revives the stoic ideal of tranquilitas as a necessary condition for virtue: ‘The true strength of virtue is a tranquil mind’ (MS, 6: 409). In the Anthropology and the Doctrine of Virtue, apathy is taken in the sense of freedom from affects. In these texts, Kant maintains that we must strive toward a state in which affects are absent.
Long terminal repeat retrotransposon Jeli provides multiple genetic markers for common wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Authors: Melnikova Nataliya V. , Konovalov Fedor A. , Kudryavtsev Alexander M. 
Published: March 2011

The recombinant inbred line mapping population Opata85 × Synthetic W7984 was used to map Jeli long terminal repeat retrotransposon insertion sites in the hexaploid wheat genome. Sequence-specific amplified polymorphism technique was applied to reveal Jeli insertions. Jeli was found to provide multiple genetic markers for common wheat. Our marker system revealed A-genome Jeli insertions, and therefore can be used for targeted analysis of the A genome.
Performance study of an inverse class E power amplifier with series tunable parallel resonant tank
Authors: Cao Tao , He Songbai , You Fei 
Published: March 2011

An analysis of operation of a modified inverse class E power amplifier is presented. The proposed amplifier that has a series tunable parallel resonant tank is similar to a hybrid of class F and inverse class E. The principles and design equations required to determine the optimum operation of the amplifier are analyzed in detail. The practical circuit using LDMOS MRF21010 is shown to be able to deliver 40.02 dBm outpout power at 155 MHz. The amplifier achieves power-added efficiency (PAE) of 78.18% and drain efficiency of 78.42%, and exhibits 25.02 dB power gain when operates from a 21 V supply voltage. Comparisons of simulated and measured results are given with good agreement between them being achieved.
Fully integrated 60 GHz transceiver in SiGe BiCMOS, RF modules, and 3.6 Gbit/s OFDM data transmission
Authors: Glisic Srdjan , Scheytt J. Christoph , Sun Yaoming , Herzel Frank , Wang Ruoyu , Schmalz Klaus , Elkhouly Mohamed , Choi Chang-Soon 
Published: March 2011

A fully integrated transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) front-end chipset, produced in 0.25 µm SiGe:C bipolar and complementary metal oxide semiconductor (BiCMOS) technology, is presented. The front-end is intended for high-speed wireless communication in the unlicensed ISM band of 9 GHz around 60 GHz. The TXand RX features a modified heterodyne topology with a sliding intermediate frequency. The TX features a 12 GHz in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) mixer, an intermediate frequency (IF) amplifier, a phase-locked loop, a 60 GHz mixer, an image-rejection filter, and a power amplifier. The RX features a low-noise amplifier (LNA), a 60 GHz mixer, a phase-locked loop (PLL), and an IF demodulator. The measured 1-dB compression point at the TX output is 12.6 dBm and the saturated power is 16.2 dBm. The LNA has measured noise figure of 6.5 dB at 60 GHz. Error-free data transmission with a 16 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signal and data rate of 3.6 Gbit/s (without coding 4.8 Gbit/s) over 15 m was demonstrated. This is the best reported result regarding both the data rate and transmission distance in SiGe and CMOS without beamforming.
Modeling long-range interactions across the visual field in stereo correspondence
Authors: Read Jenny 
Published: March 2011

AbstractWhen the eyes are converged, most objects in the visual scene will have a significant vertical disparity as measured at the retina. The pattern of vertical disparity across the retina is largely independent of object depth, depending mainly on the particular eye position adopted. Recently, Phillipson and Read (2010, European Journal of Neuroscience, doi:10.1111/j.1460-9568.2010.07454.x) showed that humans are better at achieving stereo correspondence when the vertical disparity field indicated infinite viewing distance, even when the physical viewing distance was just 30cm. They interpreted this as indicating that disparity encoding is optimized for long viewing distances, and is not updated to reflect changes in eye posture. Their results also indicated a significant effect of the visual periphery. Performance was better when the vertical disparity across the entire visual field was consistent with a given binocular eye position – even when this was not the eye position actually adopted – than when the vertical disparity beyond 20o eccentricity indicated a different eye position than that within 20o eccentricity. This is a surprising result, since (i) the task was to detect a target 8o in diameter, extending from 10o to 18o eccentricity, so information beyond 20o was completely irrelevant to the task, and (ii) many previous results indicate that the visual system detects and uses vertical disparity in local regions, even when the global vertical disparity field is not consistent with any single binocular eye position. Here, I show that this effect can be explained by a template-matching model in which the response of a population of disparity-detectors is compared with stored templates of the response expected to stimuli of known disparity.
LifeWatch – A European e-Science and observatory infrastructure supporting access and use of biodiversity and ecosystem data
Authors: Frenzel Mark , Klotz Stefan , Hardisty Alex , Banki Olaf 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThere are many promising earth and biodiversity-monitoring projects underway across the globe, but they often operate in information islands, unable easily to share data with others. This is not convenient: It is a barrier to scientists collaborating on complex, cross-disciplinary projects which is an essential nature of biodiversity research.LifeWatch (www.lifewatch.eu) is an ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures) initiative which has just entered its construction phase. It is aiming at new ways of collaboration, in an open-access research environment to solve complex societal and scientific questions on biodiversity and ecosystems. It installs a range of new services and tools to help the researchers communicate, share data, create models, analyze results, manage projects and organize the community. The power of LifeWatch comes from linking all kinds of biodiversity related databases (e.g. collections, long-term monitoring data) to tools for analysis and modeling, opening entirely new avenues for research with the potential for new targeted data generation. At this level the interface with national data repositories becomes most important, as this opens the opportunity for users to gain advantage from data availability on the European level. LifeWatch will provide common methods to discover, access, and develop available and new data, analytical capabilities, and to catalog everything, to track citation and re-use of data, to annotate, and to keep the system secure. This includes computing tool-kits for researchers: for instance, an interoperable computing environment for statistical analysis, cutting-edge software to manage the workflow in scientific projects, and access to new or existing computing resources. The result: ‘e-laboratories’ or virtual labs, through which researchers distributed across countries, time zones and disciplines can collaborate. With emphasis on the open sharing of data and workflows (and associated provenance information) the infrastructure allows scientists to create e-laboratories across multiple organizations, controlling access where necessary.
A system-level neural model of the brain mechanisms underlying instrumental devaluation in rats
Authors: Mannella Francesco , Mirolli Marco , Baldassarre Gianluca 
Published: March 2011

AbstractGoal-directed behaviours are defined by the presence of two kinds of effect on instrumental learning. First, degrading the contingencies between produced actions and desired outcomes diminishes the number of instrumental responses; second, devaluing a reward results in a lower production of instrumental actions to obtain it. We present a computational model of the neural processes underlying instrumental devaluation in rats. The model reproduces the interaction between the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) and the limbic, associative and somatosensory striato-cortical loops. Firing-rate units are used to abstract the activity features of neural populations. Learning is reproduced through the use of dopamine-dependent simple and differential hebbian rules. Constraints from anatomy of the projections between neural systems are taken into account. The central hypothesis implemented in the model is that pavlovian associations learned within the BLA between manipulanda and rewards modulate goal selection through the activation of the nucleus accumbens core (NaccCo). Selection processes happening in the limbic basal ganglia with the activation of the NaccCo decide which outcome is choosen as a goal within the prelimbic cortex (PL). Connections between the BLA and the NaccCo are learned through hebbian associations mediated by feedbacks from the PL to the NaccCo. Information about selected goals from the limbic striato-cortical loop influences action selection in the sensorimotor loop both through cortico-cortical projections and through a striato-nigro-striatal dopaminergic pathway passing through the associative striato-cortical loop. The model is tested as part of the control system of a simulated rat. Instrumental devaluation tasks are reproduced. Simulated lesions of the BLA, the NaccCo, the PL and the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) both before and after training reproduce the behavioural effect of lesions in real rats. The model provides predictions about the effects of still undocumented lesions.
Bowel Habits and Behaviors Related to Defecation in 10‐ to 16‐year‐olds: Impact of Socioeconomic Characteristics and Emotional Stress
Authors: Devanarayana Niranga Manjuri , Rajindrajith Shaman 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACTObjectives:Bowel habits vary depending on food consumption and genetic factors. The knowledge regarding this physiological phenomenon is limited. Thorough understanding of normal bowel habits is essential for correct diagnosis of defecation disorders. This study evaluated the normal bowel habits of Sri Lankan children.Patients and Methods:Children ages 10 to 16 years were randomly selected from 5 schools in 4 districts. Those without defecation disorders were recruited. Details regarding their bowel habits during previous 2 months were collected using a validated, self‐administered questionnaire.Results:A total of 2273 children were enrolled (mean age 13.2 years, SD 1.7 years, boys 49.7%). Of them, 1748 (76.9%) opened bowels once daily, whereas 149 (6.6%) and 11 (0.5%) had <3/week and >3/day defecations, respectively. Stool consistency was normal in 1997 (87.9%), hard in 86 (3.8%), and changing consistency in 163 (7.1%). Straining was present in 639 (28.1%), painful defecation in 241 (10.6%), and bleeding in 49 (2.2%). One hundred six (4.7%) children reported stool withholding. Bulky stool was present in 158 (7.0%). Straining, bulky stools, and withholding posture were more common in boys, whereas painful defecation and bleeding were reported more often in girls (P<0.05). Defecation frequency was lower in those from a poor socioeconomic background and war‐affected areas (P < 0.05). Bowel frequency < 3/week, bulky stools, painful defecation, straining, and withholding posture were more common in those exposed to stressful life events (P < 0.05).Conclusions:The present study provides data on normal bowel habits of Sri Lankan schoolchildren and provides a firm platform to evaluate defecation disorders in them.
Granulocyte Macrophage‐Colony‐stimulating Factor Autoantibodies and Increased Intestinal Permeability in Crohn Disease
Authors: Nylund Cade M , D'Mello Sharon , Kim Mi‐Ok , Bonkowski Erin , Däbritz Jan , Foell Dirk , Meddings Jon , Trapnell Bruce C , Denson Lee A 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACTBackground:Alterations in intestinal permeability have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Crohn disease (CD). We have reported that granulocyte macrophage‐colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) is required for mucosal barrier function in mice, and elevated neutralizing GM‐CSF autoantibodies (Ab) are associated with stricturing ileal disease and surgery in patients with CD. We hypothesized that children with CD with elevated GM‐CSF Ab would exhibit increased intestinal permeability.Patients and Methods:Subjects were divided into 3 groups: 15 with CD and high GM‐CSF Ab (≥1.6 μg/mL, GM‐CSF Ab Hi), 12 with CD and low GM‐CSF Ab (<1.6 μg/mL, GM‐CSF Ab Lo), and 15 healthy controls. Subjects ingested a lactulose:mannitol (L:M) solution, and urinary excretion of LM was measured by high‐performance liquid chromatography. Serum GM‐CSF Ab, endotoxin core Ab (EndoCAb), and lipopolysaccharide‐binding protein (LBP), and fecal S100A12 were determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.Results:The CD groups did not vary by age, sex, disease location, or activity. Neither systemic (serum LBP) nor mucosal (fecal S100A12) inflammation differed between the CD groups. Intestinal permeability as measured by the urine L:M ratio and endotoxin exposure as measured by serum EndoCAb were increased in the GM‐CSF Ab Hi group compared to the GM‐CSF Ab Lo group and controls.Conclusions:Patients with CD with elevated GM‐CSF Ab exhibit an increase in bowel permeability relative to patients with CD with lower levels of GM‐CSF Ab in the absence of differences in systemic or intestinal inflammation. Therapies that target the mucosal barrier may be of particular benefit in this subgroup of patients with CD.
Methamphetamine users show greater than normal age‐related cortical gray matter loss
Authors: Nakama Helenna , Chang Linda , Fein George , Shimotsu Ryan , Jiang Caroline S. , Ernst Thomas 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACTBackground  Methamphetamine (Meth) abuse continues to be a major illicit drug of abuse. Neuroimaging findings suggest that Meth is neurotoxic and may alter various brain structures, but the effect of Meth on the aging brain has not been studied.Aim  The aim was to determine regional volumes of cortical gray matter in the brains of adult Meth users versus healthy control subjects, and their interaction with age and Meth‐usage variables.Design  Cross‐sectional studySetting  Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Research Center located in a university‐affiliated hospital.Participants  Thirty‐four Meth‐dependent subjects (21 men and 13 women; ages 33.1 ± 8.9 years), diagnosed according to DSM‐IV criteria, and 31 healthy non‐Meth user comparison subjects (23 men and 8 women ages 35.7 ± 8.4 years).Measurement  Regional gray matter volumes were segmented automatically in all subjects and evaluated in relation to age, using high‐resolution MRIs at 3.0 Tesla.Findings  After adjustment for the effects of cranium size, the Meth users showed enhanced cortical gray matter volume loss with age in the frontal (analysis of covariance interaction P = 0.02), occipital (interaction P = 0.01), temporal (interaction P < 0.001) and the insular lobes (interaction P = 0.01) compared to controls, independently of Meth‐usage patterns. Additionally, Meth users showed smaller gray matter volumes than control subjects in several subregions (dorsolateral prefrontal: P = 0.02; orbitofrontal: P = 0.03; prefrontal: P = 0.047; superior temporal: P = 0.04).Conclusions  Methamphetamine users appear to show increased cortical gray matter loss with age which raises the possibility of accelerated decline in mental functioning.