bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Intrinsic material length, Theory of Critical Distances and Gradient Mechanics: analogies and differences in processing linear‐elastic crack tip stress fields
Authors: ASKES H. , LIVIERI P. , SUSMEL L. , TAYLOR D. , TOVO R. 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACTThe Theory of Critical Distances (TCD) is a bi‐parametrical approach suitable for predicting, under both static and high‐cycle fatigue loading, the non‐propagation of cracks by directly post‐processing the linear‐elastic stress fields, calculated according to continuum mechanics, acting on the material in the vicinity of the geometrical features being assessed. In other words, the TCD estimates static and high‐cycle fatigue strength of cracked bodies by making use of a critical distance and a reference strength which are assumed to be material constants whose values change as the material microstructural features vary. Similarly, Gradient Mechanics postulates that the relevant stress fields in the vicinity of crack tips have to be determined by directly incorporating into the material constitutive law an intrinsic scale length. The main advantage of such a method is that stress fields become non‐singular also in the presence of cracks and sharp notches. The above idea can be formalized in different ways allowing, under both static and high‐cycle fatigue loading, the static and high‐cycle fatigue assessment of cracked/notched components to be performed without the need for defining the position of the failure locationsa priori.The present paper investigates the existing analogies and differences between the TCD and Gradient Mechanics, the latter formalized according to the so‐called Implicit Gradient Method, when such theories are used to process linear‐elastic crack tip stress fields.
Long‐term outcome of the use of intravesical botulinum toxin for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB)
Authors: Mohee Amar , Khan Ayisha , Harris Neil , Eardley Ian 
Published: June 2012

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?
It is known that intravesical botulinum toxin (BT) is an effective treatment for overactive bladder, especially in the patients with neurogenic detrusor overactivity. Several studies have shown that diagnostic and health‐related quality of life parameters improve after intravesical BT treatment.
The present study has the merit of reporting a ‘real‐life’ experience in a large teaching hospital in the UK National Health Service. As opposed to controlled trials, this retrospective study based largely on patient choice, shows that most patients fail to persist with intravesical BT treatment, mainly due to tolerability issues.
Objectives
To assess the long‐term compliance with repeated injections of intravesical botulinum toxin (BT) in a ‘real‐life’ mixed population of patients with idiopathic detrusor overactivity and neurogenic detrusor overactivity.
To identify the reasons why patients discontinued BT therapy and to explore the outcomes of those patients who did discontinue treatment.
Patients and Methods
Retrospective evaluation of the case notes of a series of patients who had received intravesical BT treatment at a large UK teaching hospital.
No antibiotic prophylaxis was given for the procedure.
Results
Over a period of 7 years, 268 patients were initiated on intravesical BT treatment for overactive bladder (OAB) at our institution, with 137 followed up for ≥36 months, with 80 patients having ≥60 months follow‐up after their first injection.
Almost two‐thirds of patients (61.3%) had discontinued intravesical BT therapy at 36 months, with a 63.8% discontinuation rate at 60 months.
The main reasons for discontinuation were tolerability issues, mainly urinary tract infections and the need for clean intermittent self‐catheterisation. Primary and secondary losses of efficacy were of secondary importance.
Most of the patients that discontinued have remained under urology care and now receive alternative methods of treatment.
Conclusions
Intravesical BT therapy is an effective short‐term treatment for OAB.
With time, two‐thirds of patients discontinued treatment usually because of the tolerability issues associated with treatment.
COMMON FACTORS OF THE EXCHANGE RISK PREMIUM IN EMERGING EUROPEAN MARKETS
Authors: Byrne Joseph P. , Nagayasu Jun 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACTExisting empirical evidence suggests that the Uncovered Interest Rate Parity condition may not hold due to an exchange risk premium. For a panel dataset of eleven emerging European economies we decompose this exchange risk premium into an idiosyncratic (country‐specific) element and a common factor using a principal components approach. We present evidence of stationary idiosyncratic and common factors. This result leads to the conclusion of a stationary risk premium for these countries, which is consistent with previous studies often documenting a stationary premium in advanced countries. Furthermore, we report that the variation in the premium is largely attributable to a common factor influenced by economic developments in the United States.
Patterns of habitat use by female brown long‐eared bats presage negative impacts of woodland conservation management
Authors: Murphy S. E. , Greenaway F. , Hill D. A. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractReinstating forestry practices, such as coppicing, thinning the understorey and grazing, has become a key element of proposals for improving the conservation value of broadleaved woodlands in Europe. However, the consequences of such woodland management for bats are poorly understood because of a lack of knowledge concerning their habitat requirements. We studied the brown long‐eared bat Plecotus auritus in South East England to determine how their patterns of habitat use could inform conservation management. Radio‐tracking of 38 adult females showed that they foraged primarily in woodland and that each had a foraging area (mean = 4.4 ha) that they returned to on successive nights. Core foraging areas (mean = 2.1 ha) were characterized by more cover and greater species diversity in the understorey layer than more peripheral areas. Hedgerows were also used for foraging in the late summer and autumn. Most conservation activities for this species have focused on protecting roosts in houses and other buildings. While such protection is important for bat conservation, efforts should also be made to protect foraging habitats in woodlands by maintaining cover of native species in the understorey layer and hedgerows that provide connectivity between woodland patches. Common conservation management practices, such as reinstating coppicing or grazing in semi‐natural broadleaved woodlands, could be detrimental for P. auritus and other woodland bats. Their impact on bats should be tested experimentally before they are widely promoted as a woodland conservation strategy.
Phase Transition Behavior of the (1−x)PbZrO3−xBa(Al1/2Nb1/2)O3 Solid Solution
Authors: Sukkha Usa , Vittayakorn Wanwilai , Muanghlua Rangson , Niemcharoen Surasak , Boonchom Banjong , Vittayakorn Naratip 
Published: June 2012

Solid solution of the (1−x)PbZrO3−xBa(Al1/2Nb1/2)O3 system, with x = 0.02–0.30, was prepared using solid state reaction. The effect of Ba(Al1/2Nb1/2)O3 on phase transitions and thermal and electrical properties was investigated. The stability of ferroelectric phase in pure PZ was found to improve with increasing BAN content, which corresponded to the increased tolerance factor (t) of solid solution. In comparison to other systems, results in this study indicated that the tolerance factor can predict the ferroelectric (FE)/antiferroelectric (AFE) stability of PZ‐based solid solution. If the t value of solid solution is higher than pure PZ, the FE phase can be induced. On the other hand, the AFE phase is stabilized when the t value of solid solution is lower than pure PZ.
Forecasting pseudo‐periodic seasonal patterns in agricultural prices
Authors: Martín‐Rodríguez Gloria , Cáceres‐Hernández José Juan 
Published: June 2012

AbstractA seasonal model is proposed to forecast agricultural prices with pseudo‐periodic seasonal patterns, in which the length of the seasonal period does not remain the same over time. The seasonal effect at a season is defined as a function of the proportion of the seasonal period length elapsed up to that season, and the seasonal pattern is modeled by means of evolving splines to capture any dynamic process of change. Such a model is a useful tool to forecast seasonal behaviors. To illustrate the relevance of this modeling framework, the methodology is applied to weekly prices of tomatoes exported to German markets.
Relationships between muscle growth potential, intramuscular fat content and different indicators of muscle fibre types in young Charolais bulls
Authors: HOCQUETTE Jean‐François , CASSAR‐MALEK Isabelle , JURIE Catherine , BAUCHART Dominique , PICARD Brigitte , RENAND Gilles 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACTGenetic selection in favor of muscle growth at the expense of fat should affect characteristics of muscles, and therefore beef quality. This study was conducted with two extreme groups of six animals selected among 64 Charolais young bulls ranked according to their genetic potential for muscle growth. Muscle characteristics were assessed inRectus abdominis(RA, slow oxidative) andSemitendinosus(ST, fast glycolytic) muscles. Intramuscular fat content and proportions of myosin heavy chains I (slow) and IIA (fast oxido‐glycolytic) and certain indicators of oxidative metabolism (activities of citrate synthase (CS), isocitrate dehydrogenase and cytochrome‐coxidase (COX); expression of H‐fatty acid binding protein (FABP)) were higher in RA than in ST muscle. Genetic selection for muscle growth reduced intramuscular fat content and the activities of some oxidative metabolism indicators (namely CS, COX only). The positive correlation between muscle triacylglycerol content and A‐FABP messenger RNA level (a marker of adipocyte differentiation) (r = 0.53,P < 0.05) suggests that A‐FABP may be a good marker of the ability of bovines to deposit intramuscular fat. In conclusion, the metabolic muscle characteristics which respond to the selection process in favor of muscle growth clearly differ from the muscle characteristics which allow muscle types to be differentiated.
Understanding the rise of the regulatory state of the South*
Authors: Dubash Navroz K. , Morgan Bronwen 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThis paper, and the special issue it introduces, explores whether, and how, the rise of the regulatory state of the South, and its implications for processes of governance, are distinct from cases in the North. With the exception of a small but growing body of work on Latin America, most work on the regulatory state deals with the US or Europe, or takes a relatively undifferentiated “legal transplant” approach to the developing world. We use the term “the South” to invoke shared histories of many countries, rather than as a geographic delimiter, even while acknowledging continued and growing diversity among these countries, particularly in their engagement with globalization.We suggest that three aspects of this common context are important in characterizing the rise of the regulatory state of the South. The first contextual element is the presence of powerful external pressures, especially from international financial institutions, to adopt the institutional innovation of regulatory agencies in infrastructure sectors. The result is often an incomplete engagement with and insufficient embedding of regulatory agencies within local political and institutional context. A second is the greater intensity of redistributive politics in settings where infrastructure services are of extremely poor quality and often non‐existent. The resultant politics of distribution draws in other actors, such as the courts and civil society; regulation is too important to be left to the regulators. The third theme is that of limited state capacity, which we suggest has both “thin” and “thick” dimensions. Thin state capacity issues include prosaic concerns of budget, personnel and training; thick issues address the growing pressures on the state to manage multiple forms of engagement with diverse stakeholders in order to balance competing concerns of growth, efficiency and redistribution.These three themes provide a framework for this special issue, and for the case studies that follow. We focus on regulatory agencies in infrastructure sectors (water, electricity and telecoms) as a particular expression of the regulatory state, though we acknowledge that the two are by no means synonymous. The case studies are drawn from India, Colombia, Brazil, and the Philippines, and engage with one or more of these contextual elements. The intent is to draw out common themes that characterize a “regulatory state of the South,” while remaining sensitive to the variations in level of economic development and political institutional contexts within “the South.”
Within‐patient variation of hemoglobin and reticulocytes: implications for evaluating ESA responsiveness in dialysis patients
Authors: Van Wyck D. B. , Giles I. , Sharpe K. 
Published: June 2012

SummaryIntroduction:  Techniques that assess percent reticulocytes (%retics) or hemoglobin (Hb) to detect erythropoiesis‐stimulating agents (ESA) use in athletes may be useful in evaluating ESA responsiveness in dialysis patients. However, within‐patient variation, appropriate transformation, or the relationship between the blood draw interval length and analyte variation are untested.Methods:  In a prospective, single‐arm trial, we determined Hb and %retics in 30 hemodialysis patients receiving stable ESA doses. Within‐patient results were evaluated for variance homogeneity and normality with and without transformation.Results:  Square‐root transformation (sqrt) of %retics produced the most constant variance (lowest r‐value for correlation between sqrt|normalized residuals| and fitted values: 0.018 highest P‐value 0.739) compared with log transformation (r = −0.198, P < 0.001) or no transformation (r = 0.215, P < 0.001) and showed the least departure from normality (highest P‐value: 0.002 vs. < 0.001 vs. < 0.001, respectively). Hb results did not improve with transformation. Within‐patient variance in both %retics and Hb increased with interval length between lab draws (P < 0.001).Conclusions:  Initial assessment of anti‐doping tool use in dialysis patient anemia management indicates square‐root transformation of %retics and adjustment for time between lab draw intervals for both %retics and Hb will be required.
RAD sequencing yields a high success rate for westslope cutthroat and rainbow trout species‐diagnostic SNP assays
Authors: AMISH STEPHEN J. , HOHENLOHE PAUL A. , PAINTER SALLY , LEARY ROBB F. , MUHLFELD CLINT , ALLENDORF FRED W. , LUIKART GORDON 
Published: June 2012

AbstractHybridization with introduced rainbow trout threatens most native westslope cutthroat trout populations. Understanding the genetic effects of hybridization and introgression requires a large set of high‐throughput, diagnostic genetic markers to inform conservation and management. Recently, we identified several thousand candidate single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers based on RAD sequencing of 11 westslope cutthroat trout and 13 rainbow trout individuals. Here, we used flanking sequence for 56 of these candidate SNP markers to design high‐throughput genotyping assays. We validated the assays on a total of 92 individuals from 22 populations and seven hatchery strains. Forty‐six assays (82%) amplified consistently and allowed easy identification of westslope cutthroat and rainbow trout alleles as well as heterozygote controls. The 46 SNPs will provide high power for early detection of population admixture and improved identification of hybrid and nonhybridized individuals. This technique shows promise as a very low‐cost, reliable and relatively rapid method for developing and testing SNP markers for nonmodel organisms with limited genomic resources.
The novel ‘CandidatusAmphibiichlamydia ranarum’ is highly prevalent in invasive exotic bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus)
Authors: Martel An , Adriaensen Connie , Sharifian‐Fard Mojdeh , Vandewoestyne Mado , Deforce Dieter , Favoreel Herman , Bergen Karolien , Spitzen‐van der Sluijs Annemarieke , Devisscher Sander , Adriaens Tim , Louette Gerald , Baert Kristof , Hyatt Alex , Crameri Sandra , Haesebrouck Freddy , Pasmans Frank 
Published: June 2012

SummaryKnowledge concerning microbial infectious diseases in the current amphibian crisis is rudimentary and largely limited to ranavirosis and chytridiomycosis. The familyChlamydiaceaeis gaining attention as a common cause of disease in amphibians and may harbour new and emerging amphibian pathogens. We identified a novel species of Chlamydiales (CandidatusAmphibiichlamydia ranarum) with a prevalence of 71% in exotic invasive bullfrog tadpoles (Lithobates catesbeianus) from an introduced population in the Netherlands. The sequence of a 1474 bp 16S rRNA gene fragment showed that the novel taxon forms a well‐defined clade with ‘CandidatusAmphibiichlamydia salamandrae’ within theChlamydiaceaefamily. Although none of the tadpoles examined showed signs of clinical disease, urgent evaluation of its pathogenic potential for native amphibian species is required.
Ligand Binding Promotes CDK-Dependent Phosphorylation of ER-Alpha on Hinge Serine 294 but Inhibits Ligand-Independent Phosphorylation of Serine 305
Authors: Held Jason M. , Britton David J. , Scott Gary K. , Lee Elbert L. , Schilling Birgit , Baldwin Michael A. , Gibson Bradford W. , Benz Christopher C. 
Published: June 2012

Abstract
Phosphorylation of estrogen receptor-α (ERα) is critical for its transcription factor activity and may determine its predictive and therapeutic value as a biomarker for ERα-positive breast cancers. Recent attention has turned to the poorly understood ERα hinge domain, as phosphorylation at serine 305 (Ser305) associates with poor clinical outcome and endocrine resistance. We show that phosphorylation of a neighboring hinge domain site, Ser294, analyzed by multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry of ERα immunoprecipitates from human breast cancer cells is robustly phosphorylated exclusively by ligand (estradiol and tamoxifen) activation of ERα and not by growth factor stimulation (EGF, insulin, heregulin-β). In a reciprocal fashion, Ser305 phosphorylation is induced by growth factors but not ligand activation of ERα. Phosphorylation at Ser294 and Ser305 is suppressed upon co-stimulation by EGF and ligand, respectively, unlike the N-terminal (AF-1) domain Ser118 and Ser167 sites of ERα where phosphorylation is enhanced by ligand and growth factor co-stimulation. Inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) by roscovitine or SNS-032 suppresses ligand-activated Ser294 phosphorylation without affecting Ser118 or Ser104/Ser106 phosphorylation. Likewise, cell-free studies using recombinant ERα and specific cyclin–CDK complexes suggest that Ser294 phosphorylation is primarily induced by the transcription-regulating and cell-cycle–independent kinase CDK7. Thus, CDK-dependent phosphorylation at Ser294 differentiates ligand-dependent from ligand-independent activation of Ser305 phosphorylation, showing that hinge domain phosphorylation patterns uniquely inform on the various ERα activation mechanisms thought to underlie the biologic and clinical diversity of hormone-dependent breast cancers. Mol Cancer Res; 10(8); 1120–32. ©2012 AACR.
Drip-and-Ship Thrombolytic Treatment Paradigm Among Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients in the United States
Authors: Tekle Wondwossen G. , Chaudhry Saqib A. , Hassan Ameer E. , Rodriguez Gustavo J. , Suri M. Fareed K. , Qureshi Adnan I. 
Published: June 2012

Background and Purpose—
To provide a national assessment of thrombolytic administration using drip-and-ship treatment paradigm.

Methods—
Patients treated with the drip-and-ship paradigm among all acute ischemic stroke patients treated with thrombolytic treatment were identified within the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Thrombolytic utilization, patterns of referral, comparative in-hospital outcomes, and hospitalization charges related to drip-and-ship paradigm were determined. All the in-hospital outcomes were analyzed after adjusting for potential confounders using multivariate analysis.

Results—

Of the 22 243 ischemic stroke patients who received thrombolytic treatment, 4474 patients (17%) were treated using drip-and-ship paradigm. Of these 4474 patients, 81% were referred to urban teaching hospitals for additional care, and 7% of them received follow-up endovascular treatment. States with a higher proportion of patients treated using the drip-and-ship paradigm had higher rates of overall thrombolytic utilization (5.4% versus 3.3%;
P
<0.001). The rate of home discharge/self-care was significantly higher in patients treated with drip-and-ship paradigm compared with those who received thrombolytics through primary emergency department arrival in the multivariate analysis (OR, 1.198; 95% CI, 1.019–1.409;
P
=0.0286).

Conclusions—
One of every 6 thrombolytic-treated patients in United States is treated using drip-and-ship paradigm. States with the highest proportion of drip-and-ship cases were also the states with the highest thrombolytic utilization.
Reassessing Statistical Downscaling Techniques for Their Robust Application under Climate Change Conditions
Authors: Gutiérrez J. M. , San-Martín D. , Brands S. , Manzanas R. , Herrera S. 
Published: June 2012

Abstract
The performance of statistical downscaling (SD) techniques is critically reassessed with respect to their robust applicability in climate change studies. To this end, in addition to standard accuracy measures and distributional similarity scores, the authors estimate the robustness of the methods under warming climate conditions working with anomalous warm historical periods. This validation framework is applied to intercompare the performances of 12 different SD methods (from the analog, weather typing, and regression families) for downscaling minimum and maximum temperatures in Spain. First, a calibration of these methods is performed in terms of both geographical domains and predictor sets; the results are highly dependent on the latter, with optimum predictor sets including near-surface temperature data (in particular 2-m temperature), which appropriately discriminate cold episodes related to temperature inversion in the lower troposphere.
Although regression methods perform best in terms of correlation, analog and weather generator approaches are more appropriate for reproducing the observed distributions, especially in case of wintertime minimum temperature. However, the latter two families significantly underestimate the temperature anomalies of the warm periods considered in this work. This underestimation is found to be critical when considering the warming signal in the late twenty-first century as given by a global climate model [the ECHAM5–Max Planck Institute (MPI) model]. In this case, the different downscaling methods provide warming values with differences in the range of 1°C, in agreement with the robustness significance values. Therefore, the proposed test is a promising technique for detecting lack of robustness in statistical downscaling methods applied in climate change studies.