bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Low anaerobic threshold and increased skeletal muscle lactate production in subjects with Huntington's disease
Authors: Ciammola Andrea , Sassone Jenny , Sciacco Monica , Mencacci Niccolò E. , Ripolone Michela , Bizzi Caterina , Colciago Clarissa , Moggio Maurizio , Parati Gianfranco , Silani Vincenzo , Malfatto Gabriella 
Published: October 2010

AbstractMitochondrial defects that affect cellular energy metabolism have long been implicated in the etiology of Huntington's disease (HD). Indeed, several studies have found defects in the mitochondrial functions of the central nervous system and peripheral tissues of HD patients. In this study, we investigated the in vivo oxidative metabolism of exercising muscle in HD patients. Ventilatory and cardiometabolic parameters and plasma lactate concentrations were monitored during incremental cardiopulmonary exercise in twenty‐five HD subjects and twenty‐five healthy subjects. The total exercise capacity was normal in HD subjects but notably the HD patients and presymptomatic mutation carriers had a lower anaerobic threshold than the control subjects. The low anaerobic threshold of HD patients was associated with an increase in the concentration of plasma lactate. We also analyzed in vitro muscular cell cultures and found that HD cells produce more lactate than the cells of healthy subjects. Finally, we analyzed skeletal muscle samples by electron microscopy and we observed striking mitochondrial structural abnormalities in two out of seven HD subjects. Our findings confirm mitochondrial abnormalities in HD patients' skeletal muscle and suggest that the mitochondrial dysfunction is reflected functionally in a low anaerobic threshold and an increased lactate synthesis during intense physical exercise. © 2010 Movement Disorder Society
Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging characterization of slings for female stress urinary incontinence
Authors: Giri Subhasis K. , Drumm John , Wallis Fintan , Flood Hugh 
Published: October 2010

AbstractPurposeThe aim was to characterize different types of slings such as autologous rectus fascia (ARF), porcine dermis (PD) and tension‐free vaginal tape (TVT) in the early postoperative period with regard to its visibility and location by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Materials and MethodsBetween October 2003 and June 2007, total of 60 patients underwent MRI after a sling procedure. Thirty‐six patients had ARF slings. Twelve patients had a PD sling and 12 had a TVT. All patients had pelvic MRI 6–8 hr postoperatively. Six patients in the ARF sling group had both preoperative and postoperative images at 6 hr and 3 months. MRI images were analyzed with regard to visibility and location. All data were collected prospectively.ResultsARF slings were clearly visible in both T1W and T2W images. ARF appeared as low signal intensity area with surrounding high signal intensity due to fat attached to the rectus fascia in the MRI images obtained 6 hr after the procedure. Although the fatty component of the sling was diminished but was still visible on MRI scan 3 months postoperatively. On the other hand PD and TVT sling materials were not visible by MRI. Most of the ARF slings were located just below the bladder neck.ConclusionsThe ARF sling is easily identifiable on MRI in the early postoperative period primarily because of the fat attached to the autologous rectus fascia. However, depiction of the PD and TVT slings in the early postoperative period is very poor. Neurourol. Urodynam. 30:108–112, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Positive contrast technique for the detection and quantification of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in MRI
Authors: Zhao Qun , Langley Jason , Lee Sunbok , Liu Wei 
Published: October 2010

AbstractIn vivo detection and quantification of cells labeled with superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles has been attracting increasing attention. In particular, positive contrast methods, such as susceptibility gradient mapping (SGM) and phase gradient mapping (PGM), have been proposed for the improved detection of SPIO nanoparticles. In this study, a different implementation of the PGM method is introduced; it calculates the phase gradient in the image space using a fast Fourier transform without the need for phase unwrapping. We first compared positive contrast generation between the PGM and SGM methods, which estimates the susceptibility gradient in k space through echo shift measurements. Next, PGM was applied to quantify SPIO concentrations by fitting the resulting phase gradient maps to those of a theoretical model. MR experiments were conducted using a 3‐T magnet scanner to acquire two datasets: the first was acquired from a gelatin phantom with three SPIO‐doped vials of different concentrations, and the second was obtained in vivo from a nude rat with SPIO‐labeled C6 glioma cells implanted in the flanks. The sensitivity of the PGM and SGM methods was compared using various factors, including different SPIO concentrations, TEs and signal‐to‐noise ratios. Based on the theoretical model of an infinite cylinder, the results demonstrated that, without loss of spatial resolution, the PGM method presents positive contrast maps with a higher sensitivity than SGM at medium and low SPIO concentrations, whereas SGM is more sensitive than PGM at longer TEs. The quantification of SPIO concentrations using the phantom dataset was also reported. On the basis of the same infinite cylinder model, it was shown that the PGM method provides an accurate estimation of SPIO concentration. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Does timing of biochemistry in first‐trimester aneuploidy risk assessment affect the gestational age at prenatal diagnosis and pregnancy termination?
Authors: Chasen Stephen T. , Krantz David 
Published: October 2010

AbstractObjectiveTo determine the relationship between the timing of chemistry and timing of prenatal diagnosis and pregnancy termination in pregnancies with chromosomal abnormalities.MethodSingleton pregnancies with chromosomal abnormalities from 2005 to 2009 were identified. Records were reviewed to identify timing of chemistry, nuchal translucency (NT), prenatal diagnosis and pregnancy termination. Mann‐Whitney U and Fisher's exact test were used for statistical analysis.ResultsA total of 110 pregnancies were included. Seventy‐eight had biochemistry performed at the time of NT and 32 had biochemistry a median of 9 days prior. Aneuploidy risks were similar between the two groups. Although the timing of NT was similar, those having biochemistry before NT had prenatal diagnosis and pregnancy termination at significantly earlier gestational ages. Those with early biochemistry were more likely to have chorionic villus sampling (CVS) (69% vs 37%; p = 0.003) compared to those who had biochemistry at the time of NT.ConclusionThere was a strong correlation between the timing of biochemistry and prenatal diagnosis and pregnancy termination. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Psychosocial risk profiles among black male veterans administration patients non‐adherent with colorectal cancer screening
Authors: BeLue Rhonda , Menon Usha , Kinney Anita Y. , Szalacha Laura A. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractObjective: This study identifies unique psychosocial characteristics among African American men that put the men at risk for non‐adherence to colorectal cancer (CRC) screening (colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, and fecal occult blood tests (FOBT)). Subgroups sharing similar psychosocial characteristics may be targeted with specific intervention strategies aimed at increasing participation in screening, which could lead to increased early detection and decreased morbidity and mortality.Methods: The male African American veterans in our sample (n = 260) had a mean age of 57.3 (SD = 7.3) years. Our study employs latent class analysis, a quantitative‐based, audience segmentation method to identify homogeneous subgroups of African American men with similar psychosocial characteristics related to CRC screening, potentially in need of different health information and intervention strategies. Latent class regression was used to examine the relationships among latent class structure and demographic characteristics.Results: There were four psychosocial risk classes across the three screening tests. A significant subset of men had psychosocial characteristics indicative of willingness to be screened for each test (colonscopy = 21.8%, sigmoidoscopy = 31.5%, and FOBT = 10.8%), although they were currently non‐adherent. Men who received a past screening test, had greater than a high school education, or were married were more likely to be represented in a latent class indicative of being prepared for getting colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy. Sociodemographic variables were unrelated to FOBT latent class structure.Conclusions: Segmenting our sample of male African American veterans based on psychosocial risk characteristics can inform the development of more precisely targeted interventions for African American men who are non‐adherent for CRC screening. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Electronic conductivity of Ce0.8Gd0.2−xPrxO2−δ and influence of added CoO
Authors: Schmale Kerstin , Grünebaum Mariano , Janssen Martin , Baumann Stefan , Schulze‐Küppers Falk , Wiemhöfer Hans‐Dieter 
Published: October 2010

AbstractDoped ceria and ceria based solid oxide solutions show a unique combination of oxygen ion mobility, electronic conductivity, and high catalytic activity for redox reactions. In this work, the minority conductivity of electrons has been measured directly as a function of the composition of ceria–praseodymia based solid solutions in order to maximize the electronic conductivity without depressing the oxygen ion mobility. The influence of Co as well as the Gd/Pr dopant ratio on the electronic conductivity of ceria–praseodymia pellets was studied for the compositions Ce0.8Gd0.2−xPrxO2−δ (0.05 ≤ x ≤ 0.15) with and without an additional Co content of 0.02 with respect to the formula. The Hebb–Wagner polarization technique was used with ion‐blocking microcontacts. In the temperature range 700–800 °C, the presence of high amounts of praseodymium increases the p‐type conductivity by a factor of more than 10 for oxygen partial pressures higher than 10−10 bar. Co‐doped ceria–gadolinia–praseodymia solid solutions showed a further increase of the electronic conductivities in a partial pressure range where the Co‐free materials showed the minimum of the electronic conductivities. It is assumed that the effect of the additional cobalt doping is due to electronic short circuits along the grain boundaries via segregated CoO.
Representing qualitative variables and their interactions with fuzzy logic in system dynamics modeling
Authors: Liu Shiyong , Triantis Konstantinos P. , Sarangi Sudipta 
Published: October 2010

AbstractWe propose a method for incorporating multiple linguistic or soft variables into a system dynamics framework. A simple example is used to illustrate the procedures necessary to define linguistic variables using triangular membership functions within the VENSIM Simulation Environment. We illustrate the operations of linguistic variables through a sales and service model where two linguistic variables, i.e. customer's satisfaction with respect to service, and lead time associated with a product, impact the conversion of potential customers into customers. After having created fuzzy triangular membership functions, we obtain the combined effect of the two linguistic variables using the max–min inference procedure. For defuzzification we use the notion of the largest of maximum to translate the fuzzy representation of the combined effect into a crisp value. Finally, we provide simulation results pertaining to the probability of generating new customers and profits by considering pessimistic, optimistic and intermediate fuzzy rules for our model. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparison of Early and Late Complications after Various Bariatric Procedures: Incidence and Treatment During 15 Years at a Single Institution
Authors: Skroubis George , Karamanakos Stavros , Sakellaropoulos George , Panagopoulos Konstantinos , Kalfarentzos Fotis 
Published: October 2010

AbstractBackgroundBariatric procedures are effective in the life‐long treatment of clinically severe obesity, but they are technically demanding and have known complications. The present study presents mortality and morbidity with different procedures from the prospective 15‐year bariatric database of the University Hospital of Patras in Greece.MethodsFrom June 1994 through December 2008, 1,162 morbidly obese patients underwent various bariatric procedures at our institution (35 vertical banded gastroplasties, 151 laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomies, 90 open and 137 laparoscopic Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypasses, 699 biliopancreatic diversions with long limbs, and 50 reoperations). Postoperative metabolic deficiencies and causes of early and late morbidity for various bariatric procedures were compared by using the z‐test for the comparison of proportions. Logistic regression analysis was used to model the occurrence of early and late death and complications.ResultsTotal mortality was 1.81% (early 0.6%, intermediate 0.26%, late 0.95%). No significant predictors for early death were found, but age (odds ratio (OR), 1.077; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.024–1.133; P = 0.004) and BMI (OR, 1.156; 95% CI, 1.023–1.306; P = 0.02) were predictors for late death. Early and late morbidity were 8% and 27.71%, respectively. The total leakage incidence was 1.98% and was significantly higher (P < 0.05) after reoperation. Fifteen of the 23 leaks were successfully treated conservatively. Most late complications were incisional hernias (18.85%)—almost all after open procedures. Hypoalbuminemia incidence was significantly higher after biliopancreatic diversion with long limbs (3.58%) and reoperation (8%).ConclusionsBariatric procedures, even in specialized centers, may have serious complications because of their technical complexity in a high‐risk population. Almost all can be managed successfully.
Following insects around: tools and techniques of eighteenth-century natural history
Authors: TERRALL MARY 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThis paper examines the movement of the materials, ideas and practices that went into the construction of natural-historical observations in Paris and the French provinces – in particular, observations of insects. The paired notions of circulation and locality expose the complex dynamic at play in the production of knowledge about these mundane creatures. I show how the movement of things and people problematizes the notion of a single ‘centre of calculation’, even where a dominant figure like Réaumur was managing collections and producing authoritative texts. Réaumur was indeed managing the flow of observations, letters and specimens from his privileged vantage point in Paris, but he was not the only one doing the processing, and the objects and knowledge flowed in all directions. The paper uses correspondence among eighteenth-century naturalists of various sorts to get at the dynamics of circulation, tracing the movements of insects, bits of text or narrative, drawings, letters, questions, apparatus, books and people. My title refers to the activities of naturalists, who had to follow insects around in order to observe them, and to my own activity in following the insects in their movement through letters, conversations, specimen jars, drawings and texts. My research depends on the accumulation of details about experimental and observational practice, culled from the masses of letters that moved continually around Europe, much as the science of insects depended on the accumulation of details about insects – their physiology, habits, metamorphosis and place in the human economy and the economy of nature.
A randomized trial of unilateral and bilateral prefrontal cortex transcranial magnetic stimulation in treatment-resistant major depression
Authors: Fitzgerald P. B. , Hoy K. , Gunewardene R. , Slack C. , Ibrahim S. , Bailey M. , Daskalakis Z. J. 
Published: October 2010

BackgroundAlthough several studies have reported that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment has demonstrable efficacy in patients with depression, the parameters needed to optimize therapeutic efficacy remain unclear. To this end we determined the efficacy of low-frequency right rTMS to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) compared to two forms of bilateral rTMS to the DLPFC: (1) sequential low-frequency right-sided followed by high-frequency left-sided rTMS and (2) sequential low-frequency rTMS to both hemispheres.MethodA total of 219 patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) were randomized to a 4-week course of rTMS applied with one of the three treatment conditions. Outcomes were assessed with standard rating scales.ResultsOverall, slightly more than 50% of the patients achieved clinical response criteria. There was no substantial difference in response between the unilateral and bilateral treatment groups. Successful response to rTMS was predicted by a greater degree of baseline depression severity.ConclusionsThere is no substantial difference in efficacy between unilateral right-sided rTMS and the two forms of bilateral rTMS assessed in the study. Furthermore, our results call into question the specificity between frequency and laterality and rTMS response.
Hierarchical component-based representations for evolving microelectromechanical systems designs
Authors: Zhang Ying , Agogino Alice M. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractIn this paper we present a genotype representation method for improving the performance of genetic-algorithm-based optimal design and synthesis of microelectromechanical systems. The genetic algorithm uses a hierarchical component-based genotype representation, which incorporates specific engineering knowledge into the design optimization process. Each microelectromechanical system component is represented by a gene with its own parameters defining its geometry and the way it can be modified from one generation to the next. The object-oriented genotype structures efficiently describe the hierarchical nature typical of engineering designs. They also encode knowledge-based constraints that prevent the genetic algorithm from wasting time exploring inappropriate regions of the search space. The efficiency of the hierarchical component-based genotype representation is demonstrated with surface-micromachined resonator designs.
Who Likes Political Science?: Determinants of Senators' Votes on the Coburn Amendment
Authors: Uscinski Joseph E. , Klofstad Casey A. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractIn October 2009, political scientists learned of a Senate amendment sponsored by Tom Coburn (R-OK) that would eliminate political science funding from the National Science Foundation budget. The American Political Science Association condemned the proposed amendment, and concerned political scientists contacted their senators to urge the amendment's defeat. On November 5, 2009, the amendment was defeated 36-62 after little debate. This article examines the vote on the Coburn Amendment to understand the role that senators' personal, constituency, and institutional characteristics played in their votes. Logit analysis reveals that even after controlling for party, several factors significantly predict the vote, including the number of top-tier political science Ph.D. programs in the senator's state and whether the senator graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science.
Saturday Night Live Goes to High School: Conducting and Advising a Political Science Fair Project
Authors: Allen Meg , Brewer Paul R. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThis article uses a case study to illustrate how science fair projects—which traditionally focus on “hard science” topics—can contribute to political science education. One of the authors, a high school student, conducted an experimental study of politics for her science fair project. The other author, a faculty member, was asked to advise the student on the project to allay initial skepticism about its focus on a “soft science” topic. The results of the experiment indicated that exposure to a televised comedy sketch about the 2008 presidential campaign yielded learning effects and fostered political interest among high school students. The authors recommend political science fair projects as tools for introducing precollegiate students to the political science research process and offering political scientists opportunities to educate students beyond the university setting.
Forecasting Canadian Federal Elections
Authors: Bélanger Éric , Godbout Jean-François 
Published: October 2010

AbstractIn recent decades, the scientific forecasting of election outcomes has made great strides in a number of advanced industrial democracies. One country that has not received much attention to date is Canada. In this article, we present a vote function model to forecast Canadian federal elections. We explain our model's theoretical underpinnings and assess its statistical properties and forecasting capabilities against all federal elections held between 1953 and 2008. We then explore potential ways for improving the model's accuracy. We conclude by discussing the forecast of different hypothetical scenarios for an upcoming federal election.
The Dog that Didn't Bark: The Role of Canines in the 2008 Campaign
Authors: Mutz Diana C. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractUsing the most extensive dataset available on the 2008 election, I examine the impact of dog ownership on presidential vote preference. Canines were elevated to the status of a campaign issue when, during the 2008 campaign, Barack Obama publicly promised his daughters a dog after the election was over, a campaign promise that has since been fulfilled. However, this announcement appears to have unintentionally highlighted the absence of a key point of potential identification between this candidate and voters, and thus to have significantly undermined the likelihood that dog-owning voters would support Obama. I elaborate upon the implications of this finding for future presidential candidates.