bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
In silico modeling systems: Learning about the prevalence and dynamics of dementia through virtual experimentation
Authors: Vickland Victor , McDonnell Geoff , Werner Joel , Draper Brian , Low Lee‐Fay , Brodaty Henry 
Published: July 2011

BackgroundVirtual experimentation using computer modeling creates opportunities for researchers who want to better understand disease processes, foresee effects of future demographics, and evaluate combinations of interventions when applied to larger target groups.MethodsWe created a computer model of dementia prevalence consisting of six population groups representing diagnosed and undiagnosed dementia at mild, moderate, and severe levels. Dynamic transitions between these groups corresponded to the gradual progression of disease. The seventh group represented the general population without dementia aged >60 years from which new dementia cases emerged. Through a series of virtual experiments we estimated future changes in the severity‐specific prevalence of dementia in Australia.ResultsThe projected total prevalence of dementia in Australia for year 2040 changed from 742,000 to 986,000 (+33%) and to 433,000 (−42%) when the incidence rate was altered by ±50%. Increasing the transition time between mild and moderate dementia from 5 to 7 years and between moderate to severe from 7 to 9 years increased the prevalence of mild dementia by 23% and decreased the prevalence of severe dementia by 24%.ConclusionsAs computer modeling becomes more accepted, in silico experiments are being routinely performed to update demographic projections. Despite its simplicity, the framework of this model integrates a large pool of knowledge and consists of components which are dynamically interconnected. The computational logic underpins series of assumptions and binds them together with demographic data.
Effects of periconceptional undernutrition on maternal taurine concentrations in sheep
Authors: Thorstensen Eric B. , Derraik José G. B. , Oliver Mark H. , Jaquiery Anne L. , Bloomfield Frank H. , Harding Jane E. 
Published: July 2011

Taurine has an important role in numerous physiological processes, including many aspects of fetal development such as development of the pancreas and brain, and requirements increase during pregnancy. Periconceptional undernutrition has long-term effects on pancreas and brain function of the offspring, but the effects on maternal taurine economy are unknown. We, therefore, studied the effects of different periods of periconceptional undernutrition on maternal plasma and urine taurine concentrations before and during pregnancy. Four groups of singleton-bearing ewes were studied (n10–11): controls fedad libitum, and groups undernourished from 60 d before until mating (PreC), from 2 d before mating until 30 d after mating (PostC) or from 60 d before until 30 d after mating (Pre+PostC). In PreC ewes, plasma taurine concentrations remained at control levels for the first 30 d, and then decreased through the remainder of undernutrition, but recovered by 30 d after mating; urinary taurine excretion was low at mating, but recovered similarly. In PostC ewes, plasma taurine concentrations recovered after 2 weeks despite ongoing undernutrition; urinary taurine excretion had recovered by 30 d after mating. Pre+PostC ewes followed the same pattern as PreC for the first 60 d, but plasma taurine concentrations and urinary excretion recovered slowly, and did not reach the control levels until 97 d. These data suggest that different periods of mild periconceptional undernutrition in sheep have different but substantial effects on maternal taurine homoeostasis. These effects may be one mechanism by which maternal periconceptional undernutrition alters development of the offspring with implications for adult health.
ORPHANS, CITIES, AND THE STATE: VOCATIONAL ORPHANAGES (ISLAHHANES) AND REFORM IN THE LATE OTTOMAN URBAN SPACE
Authors: Maksudyan Nazan 
Published: July 2011

AbstractThis paper analyzes the large network of Ottoman vocational orphanages (ıslahhanes) opened from the 1860s onward in the provincial centers of the Ottoman Empire as a new educational and disciplinary institution for orphan, destitute, and poor children. I argue thatıslahhanes embodied new conceptualizations of order/disorder, obedience/disobedience, security/danger, and progress/decline in the urban space. In opening these institutions, Ottoman reformers aimed at the beautification and sterilization of urban centers by removing unattended children and youth from the streets and at the rejuvenation of economic activity by turning idle and wandering children into skilled and productive laborers. The establishment of orphanages was not only considered a means to solve a public-order problem but was also represented as a means of reintegration, of reshaping civic responsibility in children who had either lost or never embraced it.Islahhanes were also significant in the more abstract context of “Ottoman reform” and centralization and in the dissemination of Ottomanist ideals. On an imperial level, they were instrumental in linking the center with the provinces and local communities with Ottoman identity.
The influence of water and humidity on the hatching of Nematodirus battus eggs
Authors: van Dijk J. , Morgan E.R. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractThis paper examines the influence of water on the ecology of the eggs of Nematodirus battus, with a view to estimating the importance of including rainfall in mathematical models of parasite abundance. The literature suggests that, under pasture conditions, the availability of moisture is unlikely to be limiting for egg development, while eggs and infective larvae are highly resistant to desiccation. In the presented experiment, eggs that had been kept in salt sludges at 95% and 70% RH and were subsequently put at 15°C produced only a mildly accelerated, but not a mass, hatch, in the first few days after return to water. Eggs kept at higher osmotic pressures died. Mass hatching of infective larvae, described at pasture when spells of rain follow periods of drought, is unlikely to occur as the result of a sudden water influx into eggs. Since water is not necessary for migration of infective larvae from the soil on to grass, such peaks in larval abundance are more likely to arise from the effects of temperature on hatching of eggs.
Isolated right subclavian artery arising from the right pulmonary artery via a right-sided ductus arteriosus with associated pulmonary steal phenomenon
Authors: Miller Stephen G. , Campbell Michael J. , Barker Piers C.A. , Hill Kevin D. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractWe present a patient with DiGeorge syndrome and an isolated right subclavian artery arising from the right pulmonary artery via a right-sided ductus arteriosus. The patient showed a subclavian and pulmonary steal with perfusion of the right arm and right lung via retrograde circulation in the right vertebral artery. The patient underwent successful surgical repair.
New words for old skies: recent forms of cosmological discourse among the aboriginal people of the Argentinian Chaco
Authors: López Alejandro Martín 
Published: July 2011

AbstractIn this paper we discuss the contemporary production of cosmological discourse, especially that concerning celestial space, among the aboriginal Toba and Mocoví communities of the Argentinian Chaco. Cosmology remains essential for Tobas and Mocovís at the present time. However, we shall demonstrate the importance of the emergence of new producers of cosmological discourse related to new actors in the struggle over leadership. We will also take into account the present contexts of discourse—the new interlocutors and communications technologies. Our goal is to understand cosmological terms in the context of the complex relations resulting from the structural subordination of these groups to national society.
The social and ritual context of horizon astronomical observations at Chankillo
Authors: Ghezzi Iván , Ruggles Clive L. N. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractThe authors have shown previously that, as viewed from an evident observing point to the west, and a plausible observing point to the east, the Thirteen Towers of Chankillo formed an artificial ‘toothed’ horizon that spanned the annual rising and setting arcs of the sun and provided a means to identify each day in the seasonal year by observing the position of sunrise or sunset against them. The Thirteen Towers thus constitute a unique solar observation device that is still functioning, and a remarkable example of a native form of landscape timekeeping that preceded similar facilities in imperial Cusco by almost two millennia. Yet the social, political, and ritual contexts in which Chankillo's astronomical alignments operated deserve further exploration. In this paper, we present new archaeoastronomical evidence that not only clarifies some aspects of the solar observation device but suggests a wider range of alignments visible from more publicly accessible parts of the ceremonial complex, and also suggests a possible interest in marking lunar alignments as well as solar ones. We also bring together archaeological evidence to suggest that the society that built Chankillo was differentiated. The Thirteen Towers may have served to regulate the calendar, solar and ritual, while the solar cult centred on them may have lent legitimacy and authority to a rising warrior elite through ceremony in an impressive sacred setting that brought society together while reproducing its growing inequality.
Choquequirao, Topa Inca's Machu Picchu: a royal estate and ceremonial center
Authors: Ziegler Gary R. , Malville J. McKim 
Published: July 2011

AbstractWe provide a history and description of the Inca archaeological complex of Choquequirao, located high on a narrow ridge above the Apurimac River in a remote region of the Vilcabamba of Peru. We suggest that Choquequirao was built as a royal estate during the late 15th century by the Inca ruler, Topa Inca Yupanki, modeled after Machu Picchu. It was built in part by workers imported from Cachapoyas in Northern Peru. The site has alignments with the June and December solstices suggesting a strong solar focus and year-round ceremonial activities. A large truncated hill served as a ceremonial platform or ushnu. The platform was accessed through a double-jamb entranceway, indicating that passage was probably limited to those of high status. We suspect Choquequirao functioned as a ceremonial center. It shares with Machu Picchu the remoteness, ‘other worldliness’, and liminality that are found in many pilgrimage centers of the world. Though Choquequirao, high above the Apurimac River, has a location that is equally as dramatic as Machu Picchu, it lacks the formable geological material required to create imperial-style monumental structures and shaped stone huacas. Choquequirao was occupied during the early colonial years by the Neo-Inca, and was abandoned sometime after the death of the last Inca in 1572. It is a fascinating puzzle that Spanish travelers of the time apparently never reached or described this major Inca complex, which was the most impressive in the Vilcabamba. Somehow, the Inca managed to keep it secret although relatives and others journeyed back and forth to colonial Cusco.
Legacy documentation: using historical resources in a cultural astronomy project
Authors: Munson Gregory E. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractLegacy documentation, the accumulated historical knowledge about an archaeological site, must be reviewed in order to locate data on the condition of archaeological features and architecture proposed to be related to astronomical observances. This type of documentation can be located in museums, research libraries, colleges or universities, national public institutions and increasingly in digitized collections available on the internet. Locating and using legacy documentation is more than a simple review of literature. It is an integral part of the process of architectural documentation. The method of architectural documentation involves detailed site proveniencing, obtaining summary data for study units, and detailed descriptions of feature conditions (Nordby et al. 2002). Case studies present the impact of legacy documentation when evaluating the original condition of astronomically associated architecture or features.
‘Bridging the gap’ through Australian cultural astronomy
Authors: Hamacher Duane W. , Norris Ray P. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractFor more than 50,000 years, Indigenous Australians have incorporated celestial events into their oral traditions and used the motions of celestial bodies for navigation, time-keeping, food economics, and social structure. In this paper, we explore the ways in which Aboriginal people made careful observations of the sky, measurements of celestial bodies, and incorporated astronomical events into complex oral traditions by searching for written records of time-keeping using celestial bodies, the use of rising and setting stars as indicators of special events, recorded observations of variable stars, the solar cycle, and lunar phases (including ocean tides and eclipses) in oral tradition, as well as astronomical measurements of the equinox, solstice, and cardinal points.
Celebration of seasonally based holidays and festivals in Japan: a study in cultural adaptation
Authors: Renshaw Steven L. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractThe way in which Japan adopted methods and practices related to celebrations of seasonally based holidays and festivals provides an interesting study in how one culture may incorporate and modify the astronomically related practices of another. This article explores this process by looking at: (1) astronomical bases of seasonal celebration in Japan, (2) Japanese values and adaptations of imported icons and practices, (3) changes in celebratory practice due to adoption of ‘Western’ methods, and (4) observation in modern Japan.
Ritual and the cosmos: astronomy and myth in the Athenian Acropolis
Authors: Boutsikas Efrosyni , Hannah Robert 
Published: July 2011

AbstractThe paper deals with the cult of the daughters of the mythical king of Athens, Erechtheus, who lived on the Acropolis. This myth establishes the deceased daughters as goddesses who are owed cult by the Athenians. It further equates them with the Hyades, a prominent star cluster in the constellation of Taurus, which they form after their deaths. We examine here the possibility that this myth not only narrates the placement of the girls after their death in the sky in the form of the Hyades, but also may have bound the constellation to certain festivals held on the Acropolis, which through their aetiological myths were connected to the daughters of Erechtheus and in which the participation of young girls (Arrhephoroi) was important. To explicate this cult, we explore its context on the Acropolis as fully as possible, through the visual arts, the literary myth, the festival calendar, and the natural landscape and night-sky, so as to determine whether the movement of the constellation of the Hyades was indeed visible from the Acropolis during the time when the young maiden cult rites were performed on the hill.
Measuring shortness of breath in heart failure (SOB‐HF): development and validation of a new dyspnoea assessment tool
Authors: Ekman Inger , Granger Bradi , Swedberg Karl , Stenlund Hans , Boman Kurt 
Published: July 2011

AimTo validate a previously developed instrument for measurement of breathlessness in patients with acute heart failure (HF).Methods and resultsWe tested descriptors of breathlessness among 190 patients seeking care at the emergency department (ED) for acute shortness of breath. Out of 115 patients with confirmed HF, 107 (94%) had dyspnoea as their main symptom. There were no significant differences between those patients with HF and those who were not diagnosed as heart failure (NHF) (n = 75) in the descriptors of breathlessness, although patients with HF scored significantly (P = 0.03) higher on a visual analogue scale (VAS). In addition, they had significantly (P = 0.03) higher breathing frequency than NHF patients and they were significantly (P < 0.001) more likely to be treated with >40 mg furosemide.ConclusionAssessment of acute dyspnoea using a VAS is useful in distinguishing HF from NHF, and may be a more valid approach as compared with using descriptors of intensity of breathlessness in the acute setting.
Sevoflurane Reduces Leukocyte and Platelet Adhesion after Ischemia-Reperfusion by Protecting the Endothelial Glycocalyx
Authors: Chappell Daniel , Heindl Bernhard , Jacob Matthias , Annecke Thorsten , Chen Congcong , Rehm Markus , Conzen Peter , Becker Bernhard F. 
Published: July 2011

Background
Adhesion of polymorphonuclear neutrophils and platelets to the vessel wall contributes to generating ischemia-reperfusion injury. Endothelial adhesion molecules are harbored within the glycocalyx, which covers every healthy vascular endothelium but is deteriorated by ischemia-reperfusion. Pretreating the heart with volatile anesthetics reduces myocardial infarct size and protects against ischemia-reperfusion injury. The authors analyzed a possible protective effect of sevoflurane on the glycocalyx and implications for postischemic cell adhesion.

Methods
Isolated guinea pig hearts were perfused with crystalloid buffer and subjected to 20 min of global warm ischemia and 10 min of reperfusion. An intracoronary bolus of 3 x 10(6) polymorphonuclear neutrophilic leukocytes or 1 x 10(9) platelets of human origin was applied after reperfusion, either with or without pretreating with 0.5 or 1 minimal alveolar concentration sevoflurane. The number of sequestered cells was calculated from the difference between coronary input and output. Coronary effluent was collected throughout reperfusion to measure shedding of the glycocalyx.

Results
Ischemia-reperfusion induced a significant increase in median (interquartile range) adhesion versus control nonischemic hearts of both leukocytes (38.9 (36.3-42.9) vs. 14.5 (13.1-16.0)%) and platelets (25.0 (22.5-27.1) vs. 9.4 (8.4-10.7)%). Shedding was evidenced by eightfold increases in washout of syndecan-1 and heparan sulfate versus basal. Sevoflurane reduced cell adhesion to near basal at 1 minimal alveolar concentration (leukocytes: 21.2% (19.2-23.9%), platelets: 11.5% (10.4-12.0%). Shedding measurements and electron microscopy demonstrated that sevoflurane-treated hearts retained much of their 200 nm-thick glycocalyx.

Conclusions
Sevoflurane reduces glycocalyx shedding in the postischemic coronary bed, maintaining the natural cover for endothelial adhesion molecules and, thus, reducing cell adhesion. This may explain beneficial outcomes linked to clinical use of volatile anesthetics after ischemia-reperfusion.
French Mothers’ Milk Deficient in DHA Contains Phospholipid Species of Potential Interest for Infant Development
Authors: Garcia Cyrielle , Millet Véronique , Coste Thierry Charles , Mimoun Myriam , Ridet Audrey , Antona Claudine , Simeoni Umberto , Armand Martine 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTObjectives:An insufficient human milk docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) level was reported worldwide, which leads to the question of the sufficiency of the DHA supply for infant development in the French Mediterranean area. Also, among milk lipids, phospholipids may be of high potential interest for infant brain development, being a specific vector of DHA and providing plasmalogens. We aimed to estimate the consumption of such milk compounds by preterm and term infants.Materials and Methods:Milk samples from 22 lactating French women living in a port city, Marseille, were collected in a neonatology department from a single full‐breast expression using an electric pump. Amounts of triglycerides, total phospholipids and plasmalogens, and fatty acid profile were determined by gas chromatography, and cholesterol by enzymatic assay.Results:Depending on the infant dietary guidelines we referred to, 46% or 82% of milk samples were below the recommended DHA level (0.4% or 0.7%), and a majority exhibited high linoleic acid/α‐linolenic acid and n‐6/n‐3 ratios, probably resulting from high linoleic acid together with low fish and seafood products consumption. DHA carried by phospholipids in a majority of specimens met the requirements for brain development for term but not for premature infants. Milk plasmalogen levels ranged from 3.4 to 39.2 mg/L.Conclusions:Our results support the recommendation of DHA supplementation to French mothers living in a Mediterranean port city, and of decreased linoleic acid intake, to reach optimal milk composition for infant health. DHA‐containing phospholipids including plasmalogen species may represent important bioactive human milk compounds.
Epidemiology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Braegger Christian P. , Ballabeni Pierluigi , Rogler Daniela , Vavricka Stephan R. , Friedt Michael , Pittet Valérie ,   Swiss IBD Cohort Study Group
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTObjectives:Increasing numbers of paediatric and adolescent patients with Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are reported. To determine whether this observation is a consequence of a shift towards onset at a younger age, we analysed retrospective data from patients enrolled in the Swiss IBD Cohort Study (SIBDCS).Patients and Methods:The SIBDCS is a disease‐based cohort in Switzerland, which collects retrospective and prospective data on a large sample of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Patients, diagnosed from 1980, were stratified according to diagnosis of CD and UC. Age at disease onset (age at first symptoms and age at diagnosis) was analysed in relation to calendar year of disease onset. Data were extracted from physician and patient questionnaires. Linear regressions of age at disease onset by calendar year of disease onset adjusted by sex, country of birth, and education were performed.Results:Adjusted regression coefficients for CD and UC were significantly positive, that is, age at disease onset has increased with time. Male sex was associated with an increase in age at disease onset, and birth in Switzerland with a decrease. These associations were statistically significant.Conclusions:The results from the SIBDCS do not support the hypothesis that disease onset of both CD and UC occur today at a younger age. On the contrary, our results show that there is a significant trend for age at disease onset occurring at an older age today as compared with recent decades. We conclude that the observation of increasing numbers of paediatric and adolescent patients with IBD is not caused by a trend towards disease onset at a younger age, but that this may rather be a consequence of the overall increasing incidence of these conditions.