bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Novel Extraction Technique to Remove a Penile Constriction Device
Authors: Katz Darren J. , Chin Warren , Appu Sree , Harper Matthew , Vukasin Filip , Tay Yeng Kwang , Pang Chia , Dowling Caroline 
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Penile strangulation can be a challenging clinical situation and usually requires prompt treatment. The clinician should be aware of the various techniques to remove such devices.

Aim
The aim of this article was to describe a new noninvasive technique, the “pseudo-pulley” method, to remove a penile constriction device.

Methods
During an episode of medication-induced hypersexuality, a 63-year-old man presented to the emergency department with a cast iron locking nut of a vehicle towbar lodged at the base of the patient’s penis.

Results
The utilization of the “pseudo-pulley” method to remove the constriction device negated the need for more invasive measures. We outline a step-by-step description on this new technique. The patient’s recovery was complete and uneventful.

Conclusion
The current case report describes a noninvasive technique for removing a penile constriction device that does not rely on specialized equipment and industrial drills that can cause iatrogenic injury.
The selective cyclooxygenase‐2 inhibitor parecoxib markedly improves the ability of the duodenum to regulate luminal hypertonicity in anaesthetized rats
Authors: Sedin J. , Sjöblom M. , Nylander O. 
Published: January 2012

AbstractAim:To examine whether the prevention of post‐operative duodenal ileus by treatment with parecoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) inhibitor, affects the ability of the duodenum to respond to luminal hypertonicity.Methods:The proximal duodenums of anaesthetized rats were perfused with hypertonic NaCl solutions with osmolalities of 400, 500, 600 or 700 mOsm kg−1, and the effects on mucosal permeability, motility, transepithelial net fluid flux and effluent osmolality were assessed in the absence (control) and presence of parecoxib.Results:Parecoxib‐treated, but not control animals, exhibited duodenal contractions, which were reduced by the nicotinic receptor antagonists mecamylamine and hexamethonium and by perfusion with 700 mOsm kg−1. All animals responded to luminal hypertonicity with induction of net fluid secretion, which peaked at an osmolality of 500 mOsm kg−1. The hypertonicity‐induced increases in fluid secretion were twofold greater in parecoxib‐treated than in control rats and attenuated by nicotinic receptor blockade. The decrease in luminal osmolality correlated with the osmolality of the perfusion solution in both control and parecoxib‐treated animals but the osmolality‐adjusting capability was markedly better in the latter group. Rats exposed to duodenal luminal distension responded to hypertonicity with a greater fluid secretion and a larger decrease in luminal osmolality than control rats. Perfusion with 700 mOsm kg−1 increased mucosal permeability in parecoxib‐treated animals only, an effect abolished by nicotinic receptor blockade.Conclusion:Parecoxib markedly improved the ability of the duodenum to sense and to decrease luminal hypertonicity by a mechanism most probably involving inhibition of COX‐2 and stimulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.
Special observation and older persons with dementia/delirium: a disappointing literature review
Authors: Dewing Jan 
Published: January 2012

Background.  In gerontological practice, special observation is a known nursing activity across different settings. The group that possibly are most effected by this intervention are older persons with dementia and/or delirium. The research literature about special observations in the mental health field is small, more disappointingly there appears to be little published literature about special observations in regard to older persons with dementia and/or delirium.Aims.  The aims of this study are to (i) establish the state of current published research on special observations in regard to older persons with dementia and/or delirium and (ii) make recommendations for research and practice.Design and method.  A literature review.Results.  Most literature pertains to adult mental health practice and services. Themes were generated and discussed in relation to gerontological practice.Conclusion.  This review has established there is variance in the usage of the terms ‘special observation’ and ‘constant observation’. It concludes that there is no published research on special or constant observations in relation to older people with dementia/delirium or the purpose of this activity. There is therefore a clear need to establish a research base in the topic.Implications for practice.  Given the limited evidence, practitioners and managers need to be cautious when writing and implementing policies about special observation. However, until gerontological research is improved, research from mental health nursing will need to be drawn on with caution and the purpose of special observation determined locally. To be of therapeutic value and to be cost effective, special observation should be seen as a skilled nursing intervention and not a passive ‘watching’ or ‘sitter’ activity.
Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging features of canine compressive cervical myelopathy with suspected hydrated nucleus pulposus extrusion
Authors: Beltran E. , Dennis R. , Doyle V. , De Stefani A. , Holloway A. , De Risio L. 
Published: January 2012

Objective: To describe clinical and magnetic resonance imaging features in dogs with compressive cervical myelopathy due to acute suspected hydrated nucleus pulposus extrusion.Design: Retrospective case series.Animals: Ten dogs with compressive cervical myelopathy caused by acute suspected hydrated nucleus pulposus extrusion.Materials and Methods: Medical records and magnetic resonance images of dogs evaluated from 2005 through 2010 were reviewed. The inclusion criteria were clinical signs compatible with cervical myelopathy, magnetic resonance imaging of the spine performed within 48 hours after onset, magnetic resonance imaging findings consistent with compressive suspected hydrated nucleus pulposus extrusion, complete medical records and follow‐up information.Results: Six dogs were presented with acute onset tetraplegia and four dogs with acute onset of nonambulatory tetraparesis. Compromised respiratory function was present in three dogs. Compressive suspected hydrated nucleus pulposus extrusion was found on magnetic resonance imaging at the C4‐C5 (n=6), C3‐C4 (n=3) and C5‐C6 (n=1) intervertebral disc spaces. Seven dogs underwent surgical treatment and three dogs were treated conservatively. All dogs except one regained ambulatory status within two weeks after the onset, and had a favourable outcome.Clinical Significance: Compressive myelopathy caused by acute suspected hydrated nucleus pulposus extrusion has not been reported previously and, even though neurological deficits can be severe on presentation, outcome is favourable.
High‐Oil‐Load Encapsulation of Medium‐Chain Triglycerides and d‐Limonene Mixture in Modified Starch by Spray Drying
Authors: Paramita Vita , Furuta Takeshi , Yoshii Hidefumi 
Published: January 2012

Abstract:  Oil mixtures of medium‐chain triglycerides (MCT) and d‐limonene in mixing ratios from 10 to 100 wt% were encapsulated in modified starch (wall material) by spray drying to produce oil‐rich powders. The oil load (mass ratio of oil mixture to wall material) of the infeed emulsion markedly influenced the properties of the infeed liquid and the characteristics of the resulting powder. The viscosity of the infeed liquid and the particle size of the powder exponentially decreased with increasing oil load, while the emulsion droplet size in the infeed liquid increased. In addition, retention of d‐limonene during spray drying also decreased markedly with increasing oil load. Irrespective of the different oil loads and concentrations of the wall material, d‐limonene retention was well correlated with the emulsion droplet diameter of the infeed liquid. The encapsulation efficiency of the oil mixture exhibited a maximum value (almost 100%) at an oil load between 0.5 and 1.0, before decreasing at higher oil loads. At an oil load of 2.0, the encapsulation efficiency of d‐limonene was reduced to almost zero, while around 40% of the initial MCT was encapsulated in the powder. The increase in oil load also led to increased amounts of surface oil of MCT and d‐limonene in the resulting powder due to the increasing emulsion droplet diameter of the infeed liquids.Practical Application:  This study proposes the microencapsulation of medium‐chain triglycerides under high‐oil‐load conditions by spray drying. The powders prepared by this process provide significant benefits in terms of rapid energy conversion after consumption without accumulation in the body. Important quality factors of the powder products such as the encapsulation efficiency and the amount of surface oil were examined to understand the optimum process conditions for spray drying.
Development and Application of Quality Index Method Scheme in a Shelf‐Life Study of Wild and Fish Farm Affected Bogue (Boops boops, L.)
Authors: Bogdanović Tanja , Šimat Vida , Frka‐Roić Ana , Marković Ksenija 
Published: January 2012

Abstract:  Quality index method scheme was developed for raw bogue (Boops boops) and evaluated it in a shelf‐life study, using samples from wild fish aggregations at fish farms (BF) and from area not influenced by the fish farms (BW). Different environment influenced the shelf life of bogues; thus the maximum ice storage, evaluated from cooked samples, was found to be 17 d for BF and 12 d for BW. The calculated quality indexes (QIs) evolved linearly with storage time on ice (QIBF= 0.968x + 0.583, R2= 0.947, Std. Err. Est. = 1.41; QIBW= 1.212x + 0.474, R2= 0.972, Std. Err. Est. = 0.95). The multivariable analysis was used to identify the most effective variables during spoilage evolution. The sum of all demerit points showed higher correlation (R > 0.99) then any single parameters itself, indicating that the individual parameters could not replace the usage of 20 demerit points QIM scoring scheme in sensory assessment. The impact of farming cages was observed in fat (BF > 19%; BW < 2%) and water content (BF = 55%; BW = 77%) of bogues, but also in pH, dielectric properties, thiobarbituric acid index, and volatile amine changes. High correlations of these parameters with storage time and sensory assessment were observed.Practical Applications:  The catch landings of bogue make this species very important in the Mediterranean fishery production. The effect of finfish farms makes individual fish samples of this species different in size and chemical content, thus changing the rate and in which their postmortem changes occur. The practical use of the article is a new developed and species adopted descriptive scheme for bogue, ready to use for scientific and industrial freshness assessment providing the information on fish quality and its remaining shelf life in ice, taking into account the environmental conditions such as catching ground.
Optimization of a Sponge Cake Formulation with Inulin as Fat Replacer: Structure, Physicochemical, and Sensory Properties
Authors: Rodríguez‐García Julia , Puig Ana , Salvador Ana , Hernando Isabel 
Published: January 2012

Abstract:  The effects of several fat replacement levels (0%, 35%, 50%, 70%, and 100%) by inulin in sponge cake microstructure and physicochemical properties were studied. Oil substitution for inulin decreased significantly (P < 0.05) batter viscosity, giving heterogeneous bubbles size distributions as it was observed by light microscopy. Using confocal laser scanning microscopy the fat was observed to be located at the bubbles’ interface, enabling an optimum crumb cake structure development during baking. Cryo‐SEM micrographs of cake crumbs showed a continuous matrix with embedded starch granules and coated with oil; when fat replacement levels increased, starch granules appeared as detached structures. Cakes with fat replacement up to 70% had a high crumb air cell values; they were softer and rated as acceptable by an untrained sensory panel (n= 51). So, the reformulation of a standard sponge cake recipe to obtain a new product with additional health benefits and accepted by consumers is achieved.Practical Application:  In this study, fat is replaced by inulin in cakes, which is a fiber mainly obtained from chicory roots. Sponge cake formulations with reductions in fat content up to 70% are achieved. These high‐quality products can be labeled as “reduced in fat” according to U.S. FDA (2009) and EU regulations (European‐Union 2006).
A Design Peak Flow Estimation Method for Medium‐Large and Data‐Scarce Watersheds With Frontal Rainfall1
Authors: Muñoz Enrique , Arumí José Luis , Vargas José 
Published: January 2012

Muñoz, Enrique, José Luis Arumí, and José Vargas, 2012. A Design Peak Flow Estimation Method for Medium‐Large and Data‐Scarce Watersheds With Frontal Rainfall. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(3): 439‐448. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2011.00622.xAbstract:  We developed a reliable peak flow estimation method for the design of hydraulic structures. The method is valid in medium‐large watersheds (100‐5,000 km2) located in Chile between 32°45′ and 43°50′S, with scarcity of hydro‐meteorological information, and where frontal rainfall prevails. The proposed method requires only rainfall data and geomorphologic descriptors as inputs, and relates the instant peak flow with the time of concentration rainfall flux (the contributing watershed area multiplied by the rainfall). The parameters of the model were defined with peak flows obtained from statistical analyses of historical fluviometric records from 25 watersheds. The quality of the proposed method is evaluated by applying it to three external watersheds different from those used to define model parameters, and comparing it with three other indirect methods and with peak flows obtained from statistical analyses, which were also used as the benchmark. The proposed method estimates peak flows with mean differences of less than 10%, which is two times less than other similar indirect methodologies, making it a recommendable option for estimating design peak flows.
Antioxidant activity and protection of pancreatic β‐cells by embelin in streptozotocin‐induced diabetes
Authors: GUPTA Rajnish , SHARMA Anil K. , SHARMA Mahesh C. , GUPTA Radhey S. 
Published: January 2012

AbstractObjectives:  The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant potential of embelin in streptozotocin‐induced diabetes.Methods:  Diabetes was induced in rats fasted overnight by the administration of a single dose of streptozotocin, and analyzed for blood, serum, and biological and histological pancreatic tissue parameters in intact control, diabetic, and embelin‐treated diabetic rats (n = 9) at the dose levels of 15, 25, and 30 mg/kg/day for 21 days.Results:  Diabetes caused highly significant abnormalities in blood, serum, and pancreatic tissue biochemical parameters. Embelin and glibenclamide administration to diabetic rats caused a highly significant decline in the blood glycated hemoglobin and serum glucose levels and nitric oxide activity, with a concomitant increase in the serum insulin level (P < 0.001). Furthermore, embelin and glibenclamide treatment increased the pancreatic antioxidant enzyme status (superoxide dismutase, catalase, reduced glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S‐transferase, and ascorbic acid), and also decreased the thiobarbituric acid reactive oxygen species contents (P < 0.001). The histoarchitecture of the diabetic rats typically showed a degenerated pancreas with reduced β‐cell counts, while embelin treatment was shown to significantly regenerate islet cells.Conclusion:  The study proves the potent antioxidant activity of embelin, which has been found to be effective in managing severe hyperglycemia.
Inferring Expertise in Knowledge and Prediction Ranking Tasks
Authors: Lee Michael D. , Steyvers Mark , de Young Mindy , Miller Brent 
Published: January 2012

AbstractWe apply a cognitive modeling approach to the problem of measuring expertise on rank ordering problems. In these problems, people must order a set of items in terms of a given criterion (e.g., ordering American holidays through the calendar year). Using a cognitive model of behavior on this problem that allows for individual differences in knowledge, we are able to infer people's expertise directly from the rankings they provide. We show that our model‐based measure of expertise outperforms self‐report measures, taken both before and after completing the ordering of items, in terms of correlation with the actual accuracy of the answers. These results apply to six general knowledge tasks, like ordering American holidays, and two prediction tasks, involving sporting and television competitions. Based on these results, we discuss the potential and limitations of using cognitive models in assessing expertise.
Perceptual Inference Through Global Lexical Similarity
Authors: Johns Brendan T. , Jones Michael N. 
Published: January 2012

AbstractThe literature contains a disconnect between accounts of how humans learn lexical semantic representations for words. Theories generally propose that lexical semantics are learned either through perceptual experience or through exposure to regularities in language. We propose here a model to integrate these two information sources. Specifically, the model uses the global structure of memory to exploit the redundancy between language and perception in order to generate inferred perceptual representations for words with which the model has no perceptual experience. We test the model on a variety of different datasets from grounded cognition experiments and demonstrate that this diverse set of results can be explained as perceptual simulation (cf. Barsalou, Simmons, Barbey, & Wilson, 2003) within a global memory model.
Understanding Human Navigation Using Network Analysis
Authors: Sudarshan Iyengar S. R. , Veni Madhavan C. E. , Zweig Katharina A. , Natarajan Abhiram 
Published: January 2012

AbstractWe have considered a simple word game called the word‐morph. After making our participants play a stipulated number of word‐morph games, we have analyzed the experimental data. We have given a detailed analysis of the learning involved in solving this word game. We propose that people are inclined to learn landmarks when they are asked to navigate from a source to a destination. We note that these landmarks are nodes that have high closeness‐centrality ranking.
‘Poor me’ versus ‘Bad me’ paranoia: The association between self‐beliefs and the instability of persecutory ideation
Authors: Melo Sara Sigmaringa , Bentall Richard P. 
Published: January 2012

Objectives. To investigate whether different self‐attributes would be associated with different degrees of deservedness of persecution in a clinical paranoid sample.Background. Some studies have shown differences between the self‐esteem (SE) of individuals with ‘Poor Me’ (PM) and ‘Bad Me’ (BM) paranoia (Bentall et al., 2009; Chadwick, Trower, Juusti‐Butler, & Maguire, 2005). Most studies investigating this relationship have employed a cross‐sectional design, precluding the investigation of changes over time.Methods. In the cross‐sectional part of the study, 45 clinical participants and 25 controls were assessed in terms of paranoia, deservedness of persecution, SE, self‐discrepancies, daily events, and coping strategies. In the longitudinal part of the study, the clinical group was re‐assessed over a period of another 2 days, in order to study changes in these variables.Results. At baseline, there were no differences between the SE of the two paranoia presentations, which was significantly lower than the controls’. However, the paired‐samples repeated analysis found the SE of individuals when in a PM presentation was higher than when they were BM. Only BM paranoia was found to be associated with higher self‐ideal:self‐actual self‐discrepancies than the other groups. The longitudinal analysis indicated that, having been PM and having low SE at the previous assessment day made it more likely that individuals would be in BM subsequently. No differences in causal attributions made for ecological events were found between the groups. Higher SE was found to be more likely when individuals coped with adversities by using social support.Conclusions. Both deservedness of persecution and self‐views appear to be unstable in individuals with paranoia and to change consistently over time, a finding which is in keeping with Bentall et al.'s (2001) dynamic model of paranoia.
Biophysical characterization of M1476I, a sodium channel founder mutation associated with cold‐induced myotonia in French Canadians
Authors: Zhao Juan , Duprè Nicolas , Puymirat Jack , Chahine Mohamed 
Published: January 2012

Key points
Na+ channels are pores present at the surface of every muscle cell; the initiation of muscle contraction requires the opening of a large number of Na+ channels.
Nav1.4 channels are encoded by the SCN4A gene and represent over 90% of Na+ channels in adult skeletal muscle cells; the M1476I mutation of Nav1.4 causes potassium‐aggravated myotonia in a French Canadian population of the Saguenay‐Lac‐Saint‐Jean region of Quebec.
Individuals carrying this mutation exhibit typical features ranging from asymptomatic myotonic discharges on electromyography to severe diffuse myotonia, as well as unusual cold‐induced, painful myotonia.
Our study provides a detailed characterization of the underlying biophysical defect of the M1476I mutation, including an increased persistent Na+ current, a disruption of fast inactivation and an accelerated recovery from inactivation; cooling further enhances the abnormalities of fast inactivation of the mutant channels.
Our data suggest that mexiletine could be used as a therapeutic for patients carrying this mutation.
Cotransport of water by Na+–K+–2Cl− cotransporters expressed in Xenopus oocytes: NKCC1 versus NKCC2
Authors: Zeuthen Thomas , MacAulay Nanna 
Published: January 2012

Key points
It is a fundamental, yet unsolved physiological question how water transport is coupled to ion transport.
Na+–K+–2Cl‐ cotransporters (NKCCs) play a fundamental role in cellular water and ion homeostasis. In epithelial cells the NKCC1 isoform is located unilaterally and plays a key role in secretory processes such as salivary production.
The other isoform, NKCC2, is located primarily to kidney distal tubule where it is responsible for salt reabsorption.
The present investigation shows that the NKCC1 isoform cotransports water together with the ions by a mechanism closely associated with the protein itself. In contrast the NKCC2 isoform transports ions but not water.
Our data establish that coupling between salt and water transport takes place in certain cotransporters, for example NKCC1. Such proteins may constitute the link between the metabolic energy used by the Na+,K+‐ATPase, the cationic gradients established, and water transport.