bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Agreement between observers when the categories are not specified in advance
Authors: Brook Richard J. , Stirling W. Douglas 
Published: August 2011

To test the agreement between two observers who categorize a number of objects when the categories have not been specified in advance, Brennan & Light (1974) developed a statistic A′ and suggested a normal approximation for its distribution. In this paper it is shown that this approximation is inadequate particularly when one, or both, of the observers place a fairly equal number of objects in all of their categories. A chi‐squared approximation to the distribution of A′ is developed and is shown to work well in a variety of situations.The relative powers of A′ and the ordinary X2 test for association are dependent on the type of ‘agreement between the observers’ that is assumed. However a simulation for a fairly general type of agreement indicates that the X2 test is more powerful. As the X2 test is also much easier to apply, it would seem preferable in most situations.
Aspects of the design and analysis of signal detection experiments
Authors: Robertson C. C. , Morgan B. J. T. 
Published: August 2011

Guidelines are given for users of the simple Yes/No signal detection experiment, who want to design their experiments to ensure a given precision for estimators of d. Additionally, simulations of small‐scale Yes/No and rating‐method experiments are employed, to investigate when the use of asymptotic results is justified. Finally it is shown how the pay‐off matrix for the Yes/No experiment may be manipulated in order to optimize precision.A general conclusion is that quite large experiments are needed in order to provide precise unbiased estimation of d, with sampling distributions which are not appreciably skewed.
Selection effects and unidimensionality in item response theory
Authors: Grayson D. A. 
Published: August 2011

In the factor‐analytic perspective on unidimensional item response theory (IRT), the latent trait is construed as a single common factor to the items, each item having an independent residual which determines the item characteristic curve (ICC). It is possible that such residual terms have a component which is ‘stable’ and reflects some attribute of the subjects being measured other than the trait in common to all the items (the common factor). That is, heuristically, the ‘residual’ may consist of ‘specific’ and ‘error’ components. As such, comparison of subpopulations on such a test may confound selection effects on the common factor with selection effects on such stable components of the residuals, vitiating inference from manifest test response differences to common factor differences.A technique for exploratory use in assessing the presence of such (undesirable) stable residuals using repeated measures data is discussed, together with applications. The technique is of broader potential application, allowing one to use repeated measures data to search for ‘user‐defined’ violations of unidimensionality. It assumes the existence of a sufficient score for the common factor, and is thus an exact technique when a Rasch model is assumed.
Robust nonlinear regression analysis
Authors: Verboon Peter 
Published: August 2011

In the linear regression problem M‐estimators are frequently applied as an alternative to least squares estimators to obtain robustness, when there are outliers in the dependent variable. When we allow for nonlinear transformations of the variables (Young, 1981), the effects of outliers can still be large. In this paper it is shown that M‐estimators can also be used for nonlinear multiple regression. Two types of M‐estimators are used: the Huber and biweight estimator.Permutation tests are applied to obtain significance levels for the multiple correlation coefficients. Furthermore, an exploratory procedure is proposed, which is useful in finding out which tuning constant is optimal for the given problem. In a Monte Carlo study the stability of the different solutions and the influence of the outliers is examined by using the jack‐knife. It was found that the biweight function was the most robust and eliminated the influence of the outliers.
Multidimensional scaling with constrained dimensions: CONSCAL
Authors: Winsberg Suzanne , De Soete Geert 
Published: August 2011

Multidimensional scaling is a technique used to represent pairwise dissimilarities among a set of objects in a Euclidean space of generally low dimensionality. The data determine the number of dimensions to retain, and in the case of the weighted Euclidean model the psychologically meaningful dimensions to interpret. However, it is often the case that it is difficult to determine the appropriate dimensionality based on goodness‐of‐fit statistics, and it is sometimes difficult to interpret each recovered dimension. Moreover, this problem may occur in situations where a small number of physical parameters may be used to describe the objects. Then it would appear useful to use this information and constrain the dimensions of the distance model to be monotone transformations of these physical dimensions. We therefore propose two models:where djk is the distance between stimulus j and stimulus k;there are R physical dimensions;x(r)j is the coordinate of the jth object on the rth dimension;fj is the vector of monotone transformations for the jth object, the rth component being f(r) (x(r)j);A is an R × R symmetric matrix with 1s on the diagonal;I is an R × R identity matrix with 1s on the diagonal, 0s elsewhere.The monotone transformations are represented as I‐splines. Model one is a special case of model two for uncorrelated dimensions. Solutions may be compared with those obtained in the unconstrained case to choose the best representation of the data. Examples of real and artificial data will be presented.
Cross-Reactivity in the Histoplasma Antigen Enzyme Immunoassay Caused by Sporotrichosis
Authors: Assi Maha , Lakkis Iass E. , Wheat L. Joseph 
Published: August 2011

ABSTRACTSeveral endemic mycoses cause cross-reactions in theHistoplasmaantigen enzyme immunoassay. Herein, a positiveHistoplasmaantigen result has been recognized in a patient with sporotrichosis.
MassARRAY Spectrometry Is More Sensitive than PreTect HPV-Proofer and Consensus PCR for Type-Specific Detection of High-Risk Oncogenic Human Papillomavirus Genotypes in Cervical Cancer
Authors: Basu Partha , Chandna Puneet , Bamezai R. N. K. , Siddiqi Maqsood , Saranath Dhananjaya , Lear Adrian , Ratnam Sam 
Published: August 2011

ABSTRACT
Type-specific detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) is indicated for better risk stratification and clinical management of women testing positive for HPV and for epidemiologic surveillance. MassARRAY spectrometry (MassARRAY; Sequenom) is a novel method for type-specific detection of 15 high-risk oncogenic HPV types: HPV-16, -18, -31, -33, -35, -39, -45, -51, -52, -56, -58, -59, -66, -68, and -73. PreTect HPV-Proofer (Proofer; Norchip) is a type-specific assay that detects E6/E7 mRNA from five high-risk oncogenic HPV types: HPV-16, -18, -31, -33, and -45. The performance of these tests for type-specific identification of HPV was assessed with cervical specimens from 192 cases of cervical cancer in comparison with consensus MY09/MY11 PCR followed by nucleotide sequencing (consensus PCR). The overall HPV detection rates were 94.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 91.7, 97.9), 83.3% (95% CI, 78.1, 88.5), and 86.5% (95% CI, 81.7, 91.3) for MassARRAY, Proofer, and consensus PCR, respectively. All tests were negative in six (3.1%) of the 192 cases. Considering only the specimens that contained at least one of the five types targeted by Proofer, the detection rates were 96.6%, 91.4%, and 86.9% for MassARRAY, Proofer, and consensus PCR, respectively. MassARRAY detected multiple infections in 14.1%, Proofer detected multiple infections in 3.6%, and consensus PCR failed to detect any multiple infections. The agreement was highest at 86.0% (kappa = 0.76) between MassARRAY and Proofer and lowest at 81.8% (kappa = 0.69) between Proofer and consensus PCR. In conclusion, MassARRAY is a highly sensitive and accurate method for type-specific detection of oncogenic HPV in cervical cancer, with Proofer showing impressive performance.
Quadrupolar central transition (QCT) and13C NMR competition studies of metal ion binding to ovotransferrin
Authors: Saponja Jillian A. , Vogel Hans J. 
Published: August 2011

The transferrins are a family of relatively large bilobal proteins that play a major role in the transport of Fe3+, as well as several other physiological and nonphysiological metal ions. Transferrins can also act as antimicrobial agents, by tightly sequestering iron and making it unavailable for bacterial growth. Using a combination of quadrupolar central transition (QCT) metal ion NMR (27Al,45Sc,51V, and71Ga) and13C NMR, the binding and displacement of a variety of metal ions to ovotransferrin was studied through direct metal ion competition experiments. The metal ions investigated (Al3+, Co3+, Fe3+, Ga3+, In3+, Sc3+, Y3+, and VO2+) were of differing ionic radius and charge, thus allowing for an assessment of how these factors contribute to metal ion affinity. The competition for the N- and C-terminal metal ion binding sites on ovotransferrin was directly followed by metal ion QCT NMR. Moreover,13C NMR was used to study the two protein-bound synergistic anions (13C-labeled carbonate), whose chemical shifts are distinct and dependent on the bound metal ion that is present in the binding sites. The observed order of decreasing affinity for the metal ions studied was Fe3+ ≈ In3+ ≥ Sc3+ ≥ Ga3+ > Al3+ > VO2+ > Y3+ ≥ Co3+. These results illustrate how a combination of multinuclear solution NMR methods can provide unique insights into the ligand binding properties of larger metalloproteins.
Targeting Human B-cell Malignancies through Ig Light Chain–Specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes
Authors: Weng Jinsheng , Cha Soung-Chul , Matsueda Satoko , Alatrash Gheath , Popescu Michael S. , Yi Qing , Molldrem Jeffrey J. , Wang Michael , Neelapu Sattva S. , Kwak Larry W. 
Published: August 2011

Abstract
Purpose: The variable regions of Ig (idiotype, Id) expressed by malignant B cells can be used as tumor-specific antigens that induce humoral and cellular immunity. However, epitopes derived from Id that stimulate human CD8+ T-cell immunity are incompletely characterized.
Experimental Design: The clonal Ig VL of human myeloma cell line U266 and five primary B-cell tumors were sequenced, and peptides corresponding to the Ig VL region were tested for their ability to stimulate CTLs from 10 HLA-A*0201–positive normal donors. The CTLs thus generated were tested against peptide-pulsed T2 cells and autologous tumor cells.
Results: Fourteen peptides derived from Ig light chain (VL) of U266 and primary B-cell tumors were used to generate 68 CTLs lines that specifically produced IFN-γ when cocultured with peptide-pulsed T2 cells. These CTLs lysed peptide-pulsed T2 cell as well as U266 or autologous tumor targets in an HLA class I–dependent manner. Sequence analysis revealed shared VL T-cell epitopes in U266 and primary B-cell tumors, not previously reported within Ig heavy chain (VH) sequences.
Conclusion: This study thus identifies novel immunogenic CTLs epitopes from Id VL, suggests that they are naturally presented on the surface of B-cell malignancies, and supports their inclusion in next-generation Id vaccines. The ability to prime T cells derived from normal HLA-matched donors, rather than patients, may also have direct application to current strategies, designed to generate allogeneic tumor-specific T cells for adoptive transfer. Clin Cancer Res; 17(18); 5945–52. ©2011 AACR.
Evidence for Using Lagged Climate Indices to Forecast Australian Seasonal Rainfall
Authors: Schepen Andrew , Wang Q. J. , Robertson David 
Published: August 2011

AbstractLagged oceanic and atmospheric climate indices are potentially useful predictors of seasonal rainfall totals. A rigorous Bayesian joint probability modeling approach is applied to find the cross-validation predictive densities of gridded Australian seasonal rainfall totals using lagged climate indices as predictors over the period of 1950–2009. The evidence supporting the use of each climate index as a predictor of seasonal rainfall is quantified by the pseudo-Bayes factor based on cross-validation predictive densities. The evidence strongly supports the use of climate indices from the Pacific region with weaker, but positive, evidence for the use of climate indices from the Indian region and the extratropical region. The spatial structure and seasonal variation of the evidence for each climate index is mapped and compared. Spatially, the strongest supporting evidence is found for forecasting in northern and eastern Australia. Seasonally, the strongest evidence is found from August–October to November–January and the weakest evidence is found from March–May to May–July. In some regions and seasons, there is little evidence supporting the use of climate indices for forecasting seasonal rainfall. Climate indices derived from sea surface temperature anomalies in the Pacific region show stronger persistence in the relationship with Australian seasonal rainfall totals than climate indices derived from sea surface temperature anomalies in the Indian region. Climate indices derived from atmospheric variables are also strongly supported, provided they represent the large-scale circulation. Many climate indices are found to show similar supporting evidence for forecasting Australian seasonal rainfall, leading to the prospect of combining climate indices in multiple predictor models and/or model averaging.
Migrant pathways to community mental health centres in Italy
Authors: Tarricone Ilaria , Stivanello Elisa , Ferrari Silvia , Colombini Niccolò , Bolla Emilio , Braca Mauro , Giubbarelli Cinzia , Costantini Chiara , Cazzamalli Sara , Mimmi Stefano , Tedesco Dario , Menchetti Marco , Rigatelli Marco , Maso Elisa , Balestrieri Matteo , Vender Simone , Berardi Domenico 
Published: August 2011

Background: Many studies indicate that migrants in western countries have limited access to and low utilization of community mental health centres (CMHCs) despite the high prevalence of mental disorders. Aims: We aimed to compare migrant pathways to care across four CMHCs located in different Italian provinces and to identify pathway to care predictors. Methods: Migrants attending the four CMHCs between 1 July 1999 and 31 December 2007 were included in the study. Data were gathered retrospectively from clinical data sets and chart review. Results: Five hundred and eleven (511) migrants attended the four CMHCs, 61% were referred by GPs or other health services and 39% followed non-medical pathways to care (self-referral or through social and voluntary organizations), with important site variations. Younger age and being married were predictors of medical pathways to care; lacking a residence permit and having a diagnosis of substance abuse were related to non-medical pathways. Conclusions: Pathways to CMHCs are complex and influenced by many factors. Non-medical pathways to care seem to be frequent among migrants in Italy. More attention should be paid to developing psychiatric consultation liaison models that also encompass the social services and voluntary organizations.
Counselling and psychotherapy services in more developed and developing regions in China: A comparative investigation of practitioners and current service delivery
Authors: Qian Mingyi , Chen Ruiyun , Chen Hong , Hu Sherlyn , Zhong Jie , Yao Ping , Yi Chunli 
Published: August 2011

Background: Counselling and psychotherapy services have taken off with uneven speed across China since the 1980s after several years of stagnation. Researchers have attributed socioeconomic development (or the lack thereof) and regional differences as main barriers to the development in this field. However, little is known today about the status of counselling and psychotherapy services across China. Aims: To investigate and compare the current situation of practitioners and service delivery of counselling and psychotherapy in more developed and developing regions across China. Method: Convenience sampling methods from counselling and psychological services organizations in 29 Chinese provinces, municipalities or autonomous regions were used to recruit 1,543 participants to take part in the investigation by completing a 93-item self-designed questionnaire. Results: Organizations in developing and more developed regions in China varied in their current practices and employment situation of their practitioners, and in the quality of service delivery. However, counselling and psychotherapy offered at universities in both types of regions are of similar quality. Conclusion: In China, the level of socioeconomic development significantly influences the development of professional counselling and psychotherapy services. Important progress is evident in the field; however, the lack of systematic training and the scarcity of professional practitioners remain a challenge.
Psychological well-being and risk perceptions of mothers in Kyiv, Ukraine, 19 years after the Chornobyl disaster
Authors: Adams Richard E. , Guey Lin T. , Gluzman Semyon F. , Bromet Evelyn J. 
Published: August 2011

Background: The Chornobyl nuclear power plant explosion in April 1986 was one of the worst ecological disasters of the 20th century. As with most disasters, its long-term mental health consequences have not been examined. Aims: This study describes the psychological well-being and risk perceptions of exposed women 19–20 years later and the risk factors associated with mental health. Methods: We assessed Chornobyl-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive episode (MDE) and overall distress among three groups of women in Kyiv, Ukraine ( N = 797): mothers of small children evacuated to Kyiv in 1986 from the contaminated area near the plant (evacuees); mothers of their children’s classmates (neighbourhood controls); and population-based controls from Kyiv. Risk perceptions and epidemiologic correlates were also obtained. Results: Evacuees reported poorer well-being and more negative risk perceptions than controls. Group differences in psychological well-being remained after adjustment for epidemiologic risk factors but became non-significant when Chornobyl risk perceptions were added to the models. Conclusions: The relatively poorer psychological well-being among evacuees is largely explained by their continued concerns about the physical health risks stemming from the accident. We suggest that this is due to the long-term, non-resolvable nature of health fears associated with exposure.
Targeting surface nucleolin with multivalent HB-19 and related Nucant pseudopeptides results in distinct inhibitory mechanisms depending on the malignant tumor cell type
Authors: Krust Bernard , El Khoury Diala , Nondier Isabelle , Soundaramourty Calaiselvy , Hovanessian Ara G 
Published: August 2011

Abstract

Background
Nucleolin expressed at the cell surface is a binding protein for a variety of ligands implicated in tumorigenesis and angiogenesis. By using a specific antagonist that binds the C-terminal RGG domain of nucleolin, the HB-19 pseudopeptide, we recently reported that targeting surface nucleolin with HB-19 suppresses progression of established human breast tumor cells in the athymic nude mice, and delays development of spontaneous melanoma in the RET transgenic mice.

Methods
By the capacity of HB-19 to bind stably surface nucleolin, we purified and identified nucleolin partners at the cell surface. HB-19 and related multivalent Nucant pseudopeptides, that present pentavalently or hexavalently the tripeptide Lysψ(CH2N)-Pro-Arg, were then used to show that targeting surface nucleolin results in distinct inhibitory mechanisms on breast, prostate, colon carcinoma and leukemia cells.

Results
Surface nucleolin exists in a 500-kDa protein complex including several other proteins, which we identified by microsequencing as two Wnt related proteins, Ku86 autoantigen, signal recognition particle subunits SRP68/72, the receptor for complement component gC1q-R, and ribosomal proteins S4/S6. Interestingly, some of the surface-nucleolin associated proteins are implicated in cell signaling, tumor cell adhesion, migration, invasion, cell death, autoimmunity, and bacterial infections. Surface nucleolin in the 500-kDa complex is highly stable. Surface nucleolin antagonists, HB-19 and related multivalent Nucant pseudopeptides, exert distinct inhibitory mechanisms depending on the malignant tumor cell type. For example, in epithelial tumor cells they inhibit cell adhesion or spreading and induce reversion of the malignant phenotype (BMC cancer 2010, 10:325) while in leukemia cells they trigger a rapid cell death associated with DNA fragmentation. The fact that these pseudopeptides do not cause cell death in epithelial tumor cells indicates that cell death in leukemia cells is triggered by a specific signaling mechanism, rather than nonspecific cellular injury.

Conclusions
Our results suggest that targeting surface nucleolin could change the organization of the 500-kDa complex to interfere with the proper functioning of surface nucleolin and the associated proteins, and thus lead to distinct inhibitory mechanisms. Consequently, HB-19 and related Nucant pseudopeptides provide novel therapeutic opportunities in treatment of a wide variety of cancers and related malignancies.
Can changes in health related quality of life scores predict survival in stages III and IV colorectal cancer?
Authors: Braun Donald P , Gupta Digant , Grutsch James F , Staren Edgar D 
Published: August 2011

Abstract

Background
Several studies have demonstrated the predictive significance on survival of baseline quality of life (QoL) in colorectal cancer (CRC) with little information on the impact of changes in QoL scores on prognosis in CRC. We investigated whether changes in QoL during treatment could predict survival in CRC.

Methods
We evaluated 396 stages III-IV CRC patients available for a minimum follow-up of 3 months. QoL was evaluated at baseline and after 3 months of treatment using EORTC QLQ-C30. Cox regression evaluated the prognostic significance of baseline, 3-month and changes in QoL scores after adjusting for age, gender and stage at diagnosis.

Results
After adjusting for covariates, every 10-point increase in both baseline appetite loss and global QoL score was associated with a 7% increased risk of death with HR = 1.07 (95% CI, 1.01-1.14; P = 0.02) and (HR = 0.93 (95% CI, 0.87-0.98; P = 0.01) respectively. A lower risk of death was associated with a 10-point improvement in physical function at 3 months (HR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.78-0.94; P = 0.001). Surprisingly, a higher risk of death was associated with a 10-point improvement in social function at 3 months (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.02-1.13; P = 0.008).

Conclusions
This study provides preliminary evidence to indicate that CRC patients whose physical function improves within 3 months of treatment have a significantly increased probability of survival. These findings should be used in clinical practice to systematically address QoL-related problems of CRC patients throughout their treatment course.