bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of redox conditions on phosphate exchangeability and iron forms in a soil amended with ferrous iron
Authors: Schärer M. , De Grave E. , Semalulu O. , Sinaj S. , Vandenberghe R. E. , Frossard E. 
Published: May 2009

SummaryApplication of iron (Fe) ‐rich amendments to soils has been proposed as a means of decreasing phosphorus (P) losses from soils. However, anoxic conditions following soil saturation are known to increase Fe and P solubility in soils, thus cancelling out the potential benefits. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of continuous oxic, continuous anoxic and alternating anoxic/oxic conditions on P exchangeability and Fe forms in soil amended with Ca(OH)2 and FeSO4. We incubated amended and unamended soils under these conditions for 8 weeks and measured Fe forms and P exchangeability. Under oxic conditions, addition of Ca(OH)2 and FeSO4 resulted in a strong decrease in P exchangeability and an increase in oxalate‐extractable Fe. Mössbauer analyses suggested that an unidentified Fe oxide (D1oxide) with a strong sorbing capacity for P was precipitated. Under continuously anoxic conditions, P exchangeability and oxalate‐extractable Fe increased with or without the amendments. Mössbauer analyses suggested that there was a partial dissolution of the D1oxide phase, precipitation of another unidentified Fe oxide (S3) and a reduction of structural Fe3+ in phyllosilicate, thereby increasing soil negative charge. These transformations resulted in a strong increase in rapidly exchangeable P. Alternating anoxic and oxic periods induced the dissolution and precipitation of iron oxides and the increase and decrease in P exchangeability. Implications of the results for limiting P losses from grassland soils are discussed.
Investigating socio‐economic disparities in preterm birth: evidence for selective study participation and selection bias
Authors: Kramer Michael S. , Wilkins Russell , Goulet Lise , Séguin Louise , Lydon John , Kahn Susan R. , McNamara Helen , Dassa Clément , Dahhou Mourad , Masse André , Miner Louise , Asselin Guylaine , Gauthier Henriette , Ghanem Antoinette , Benjamin Alice , Platt Robert W. ,   Montreal Prematurity Study Group
Published: May 2009

SummarySelective study participation can theoretically lead to selection bias. We explored this issue in the context of a multicentre cohort study of socio‐economic disparities in preterm birth. Women with singleton pregnancies were recruited from four large Montreal maternity hospitals and invited to return for an interview, vaginal examination and venepuncture at 24–26 weeks of gestation. We compared the observed preterm birth rate (ultrasound confirmed) among the 5146 cohort women to that expected based on all 108 724 Montreal Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) singleton births for 1998–2000.The observed preterm birth rate in the study cohort was 5.1%, compared with 6.3% in the CMA (P < 0.001) (unadjusted morbidity ratio [95% CI] = 0.80 [0.71, 0.90]). Within each stratum of maternal education and neighbourhood income (the latter based on postal code matched links to the 2001 Canadian census), cohort women had substantially lower rates of preterm birth than women from the CMA. No significant association between socio‐economic status (SES) and preterm birth was observed in the study cohort, except among ‘indicated’ (non‐spontaneous) cases. The association between neighbourhood income and preterm birth was biased to the null in the study cohort, with adjusted odds ratios in the poorest vs. richest quintiles of 1.01 [0.63, 1.64] in the cohort vs. 1.28 [1.18, 1.39] in the CMA, although no such bias was observed for the association with maternal education assessed at the individual level. We speculate that the lower‐than‐expected preterm birth rate and attenuated association between neighbourhood income and preterm birth may be related to selective participation by women more psychologically invested in their pregnancies. Investigators should consider the potential for biased associations in pregnancy/birth cohort studies, especially associations based on SES or race/ethnicity, and carry out sensitivity analyses to gauge their effects.
Do differences in maternal age, parity and multiple births explain variations in fetal and neonatal mortality rates in Europe? – Results from the EURO‐PERISTAT project
Authors: Anthony Sabine , Jacobusse Gert W. , Van Der Pal‐de Bruin Karin M. , Buitendijk Simone , Zeitlin Jennifer ,   EURO‐PERISTAT Working Group on Risk Factors
Published: May 2009

SummaryPerinatal mortality rates differ markedly between countries in Europe. If population characteristics, such as maternal age, parity or multiple births, contribute to these differences, standardised rates may be useful for international comparisons of health status and especially quality of care. This analysis used aggregated population‐based data on fetal and neonatal mortality stratified by maternal age, parity and multiple birth from 12 countries participating in the EURO‐PERISTAT project to explore this question. Adjusted odds ratios were computed for fetal and neonatal mortality and tested for inter‐country heterogeneity; standardised mortality rates were calculated using a direct standardisation method.There were wide variations in fetal and neonatal mortality rates, from 3.3 to 7.1 and 2.0 to 6.0 per 1000 total and livebirths, respectively, and in the prevalence of mothers over 35 (7–22%), primiparae (41–50%) and multiple births (2–4%). These population characteristics had a significant association with mortality, although results were less consistent for primiparity. Odds ratios for older mothers and primiparae showed significant inter‐country heterogeneity. The association between maternal age and fetal mortality declined as the prevalence of older mothers in the population increased. Standardised rates did not substantially change inter‐country rankings and demographic characteristics did not explain the higher mortality observed in some countries. Our results do not support the use of mortality rates standardised for age, parity and multiple births for international comparisons of quality of care. Further research should explore why the negative effects of older maternal age decrease as delayed childbearing becomes more common and, in particular, whether this is due to changes in the social characteristics of older mothers or in health care provision.
Maternal residential proximity to waste sites and industrial facilities and conotruncal heart defects in offspring
Authors: Langlois Peter H. , Brender Jean D. , Suarez Lucina , Zhan F. Benjamin , Mistry Jatin H. , Scheuerle Angela , Moody Karen 
Published: May 2009

SummaryMost studies of the relationship between maternal residential proximity to sources of environmental pollution and congenital cardiovascular malformations have combined heart defects into one group or broad subgroups. The current case–control study examined whether risk of conotruncal heart defects, including subsets of specific defects, was associated with maternal residential proximity to hazardous waste sites and industrial facilities with recorded air emissions. Texas Birth Defects Registry cases were linked to their birth or fetal death certificate. Controls without birth defects were randomly selected from birth certificates. Distances from maternal addresses at delivery to National Priority List (NPL) waste sites, state superfund waste sites, and Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) facilities were determined for 1244 cases (89.5% of those eligible) and 4368 controls (88.0%).Living within 1 mile of a hazardous waste site was not associated with risk of conotruncal heart defects [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.54, 1.27]. This was true whether looking at most types of defects or waste sites. Only truncus arteriosus showed statistically elevated ORs with any waste site (crude OR: 2.80, 95% CI 1.19, 6.54) and with NPL sites (crude OR: 4.63, 95% CI 1.18, 13.15; aOR 4.99, 95% CI 1.26, 14.51), but the latter was based on only four exposed cases. There was minimal association between conotruncal heart defects and proximity to TRI facilities (aOR = 1.10, 95% CI = 0.91, 1.33). Stratification by maternal age or race/ethnic group made little difference in effect estimates for waste sites or industrial facilities. In this study population, maternal residential proximity to waste sites or industries with reported air emissions was not associated with conotruncal heart defects or its subtypes in offspring, with the exception of truncus arteriosus.
Risk of second malignant neoplasms among childhood cancer survivors treated with radiotherapy: meta‐analysis of nine epidemiological studies
Authors: Doi Kazutaka , Mieno Makiko N. , Shimada Yoshiya , Yoshinaga Shinji 
Published: May 2009

SummaryIn the light of notable advances made in childhood cancer therapies, an understanding of the late effects of treatment is important for continued medical care. We conducted a meta‐analysis of studies on the excess relative risk (ERR) of second malignant neoplasm (SMN) among childhood cancer survivors treated with radiotherapy. Relevant studies were retrieved by searching the PubMed database, supplemented by hand‐searching of reference lists of already retrieved papers. Nine studies were identified and overall ERR estimates were calculated using a fixed effects model and a random effects model.The overall ERR per Gy (absorbed dose of ionising radiation) estimates of radiotherapy by a fixed effect model and a random effects model were 0.50 [95% CI 0.20, 1.21] and 0.53 [95% CI 0.22, 1.31] respectively. Heterogeneity among studies was suggested by Cochran's Q statistic (Q = 40.4, d.f. = 8, P < 0.001). The estimate obtained using a random effects model was far smaller than the corresponding estimate of 1.7 [95% CI 1.1, 2.5] from the study on atomic bomb survivors exposed as young children, suggesting underestimation of ERR estimates among the nine studies compared with the estimates from the study of atomic bomb survivors. In view of the heterogeneity and underestimation in ERR estimates, more studies concerning the risk of SMN among childhood cancer survivors are still needed for further understanding of the carcinogenic effects of radiotherapy on children.
Segregation distortion in common wheat of a segment of Thinopyrum intermedium chromosome 7E carrying Bdv3 and development of a Bdv3 marker
Authors: Kong L. , Anderson J. M. , Ohm H. W. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractYellow dwarf (YD) disease is one of the most destructive diseases of cereals worldwide. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)–Thinopyrum intermedium 7E(7D) substitution line P29 carries resistance to YD, known as Bdv3, that originates on the long arm of chromosome 7E of Th. intermedium, and the resistance was introgressed into wheat chromosome 7D as T7DS.7DL–7EL in the translocation lines P961341 and P98134. Until now, quantification of YD viruses in cereal crops was usually done by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which is time consuming and laborious. To facilitate this analysis, SSR‐Bdv3, a diagnostic molecular marker, was developed in this study. The transmission of the Th. intermedium segment with Bdv3 was investigated using the SSR‐Bdv3 marker and ELISA in F2 and testcross progeny derived by crossing two wheat–Th. intermedium translocation lines to four common wheat cultivars. A Th. intermedium chromosome 7E segment in the translocation line P98134 was preferentially transmitted through male gametes in all of its crosses with the four wheat cultivars. However, the transmission frequency of the Th. intermedium 7E segment in another wheat–Th. intermedium translocation line, P961341, varied in different genetic backgrounds. The F2 populations from reciprocal crosses of Chinese Spring and P961341 showed good fits to the expected ratio of 1 : 2 : 1. In this study, male preferential transmission for either chromosome 7E or chromosome 7D was observed in the progeny derived by crossing P961341 to other wheat cultivars.
Development of a user‐centered health information service system for depressive symptom management
Authors: Bae Jeongyee , Wolpin Seth , Kim Eunjung , Lee Sowoo , Yoon Sookhee , An Kyungeh 
Published: May 2009

AbstractA user‐centered, Web‐based depressive symptoms management system might be particularly useful in Korea, where those who seek mental health care face stigmatism and where personal computers and the Internet have reached saturation levels. The purpose of this article is to describe the development process of a Web‐based system for depressive symptom management through user‐centered design principles. Our design process included four distinct phases: a needs assessment, analysis, design/development/testing, and the application release. The final revised website was released with the URL address, “http://www.baejy.com/smiles/”. In the 3 years since the site was made available publicly, it is notable that 161 604 Koreans have accessed this website, either for educational purposes or for managing their depressive symptoms. A Web‐based depressive symptom management system with a high degree of usability was developed. This website can be used to assess depressive symptoms and to serve as an intervention strategy to improve mental health.
Outcomes following acute primary angle closure in an Asian population
Authors: Tan Anna M , Loon Seng C , Chew Paul T K 
Published: May 2009

AbstractBackground:  Data regarding development of primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) following acute primary angle closure (APAC) is conflicting. This study looks at outcomes after an APAC episode with a secondary aim to identify any risk factors that could predict progression to PACG.Methods:  This is a retrospective review of the charts of consecutive patients who were diagnosed with APAC from December 2003 to June 2006. All were treated in a standard manner with initial intensive medical therapy or laser iridoplasty followed by early laser peripheral iridotomy within 24 h of presentation.Results:  Forty‐two eyes of 41 patients were analysed. The mean follow‐up period was 27.3 ± 16.2 months. Nine eyes (21.4%) developed an increase in intraocular pressure (IOP) within a mean of 11.9 months (median 5 months) after resolution of APAC. Eight eyes went on to have trabeculectomy or glaucoma drainage device. At final follow up, the mean IOP of attack eye was 13.3 ± 2.92 mmHg. None of the eyes, including those that underwent surgery, required topical medication to control IOP. Thirty‐eight eyes (90.5%) have BCVA of 6/6 to 6/12. The duration of symptoms before presentation (P = 0.00) and duration taken to abort the acute attack (P = 0.01) were found to be significantly associated with development of PACG.Conclusion:  The results of this study suggest that outcomes following successful treatment of APAC may not be as poor as described previously. Early aggressive management of the acute episode may have a role to play in preventing development of PACG after APAC.
The outer and inner retinal function in patients with multiple evanescent white dot syndrome
Authors: Cheng Jacob Y C , Luu Chi D , Yeo Ian Y S , Chee Soon‐Phaik 
Published: May 2009

AbstractBackground:  To investigate the outer and inner retinal function in patients with multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS).Methods:  The retinal function of three subjects with MEWDS was investigated using one or a combination of full‐field electroretinography (ERG), multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) or recording of multifocal oscillatory potentials (mfOP).Results:  In case 1, the scotopic, maximal, photopic and flicker ERG responses of the two eyes were similar but the amplitudes of the dark‐ and light‐adapted OPs were markedly reduced in the affected eye. In cases 2 and 3, the ERG responses were grossly reduced in amplitude and as expected the OPs were also diminished. However, using the mfERG a residual area of ‘normal’ retinal function in the affected eye was identified. The local OP, assessed by the mfOP, within the residual ‘normal’ retinal area was reduced as compared with the corresponding retinal area of the fellow unaffected eye. Subsequently, the mfERG responses of the ‘normal’ retinal area were also reduced.Conclusion:  The OPs were reduced throughout the retina in patients with MEWDS, even in the area with a normal mfERG. The electrophysiological findings suggest that functional abnormality in MEWDS may occur initially in the inner retina and subsequently involves the outer retina.
Intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin) as a treatment of the neovascular complications of laser‐induced chorioretinal anastomosis for nonischaemic central retinal vein occlusion
Authors: Fong Kenneth C S , Barry Chris , McAllister Ian L 
Published: May 2009

AbstractPurpose:  To describe the use of intravitreal bevacizumab followed by sectorial retinal photocoagulation to treat the neovascular complications of laser‐induced chorioretinal anastomosis (L‐CRA) for nonischaemic central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO).Methods:  Prospective interventional case series of three patients with nonischaemic CRVO who were treated with L‐CRA. Patients were followed up every 2 weeks after the laser treatment. If neovascularization occurred at the site of the anastomosis, intravitreal bevacizumab (1.25 mg) was injected followed by laser photocoagulation to areas of retinal ischaemia and the area of retina anterior to the L‐CRA 1 week later. Fluorescein angiography was performed to confirm the presence of neovascularization. Best‐corrected visual acuity measurements were performed at every visit.Results:  Three patients (one woman, two men) with a mean age of 76.3 years developed neovascularization at the L‐CRA site and underwent treatment as described with a mean follow‐up time of 7 months. The neovascularization developed within 1 month after the laser anastomosis in all three cases. All patients only required one intravitreal bevacizumab injection to control the neovascularization. No complications of the intravitreal injections were noted.Conclusions:  Intravitreal bevacizumab appears to be an effective tool in the immediate control of neovascularization following L‐CRA for nonischaemic CRVO. This appears to cause immediate regression of the neovascular frond and allows time for the laser, which is applied subsequently to have its effect.
Speed of expansion and extinction in experimental populations
Authors: Drake John M. , Griffen Blaine D. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractAlthough the causes of population extinction are well understood, the speed at which populations decline to extinction is not. A testable, counter‐intuitive prediction of stochastic population theory is that, on average, for any interior interval of the domain of biologically attainable population sizes, the expected duration of increase equals the expected duration of decline. Here we report the first empirical tests of this hypothesis. Using data from two experiments in which replicate populations ofDaphnia magnawere observed to go extinct under different experimental conditions, we failed to reject the null hypothesis of no difference between the growth and decline phases in populations under constant conditions and conditions with modest environmental variability, but find strong evidence to reject equal first passage time in highly variable environments. These results confirm the prediction of equal passage times entailed by diffusion models of population dynamics, supporting continued application in both population theory and conservation decision making under the restricted conditions where the approximation can be expected to hold.
Learning and Innovation in International Strategic Alliances: An Empirical Test of the Role of Trust and Tacitness
Authors: Nielsen Bo Bernhard , Nielsen Sabina 
Published: May 2009

abstractDrawing on knowledge‐based, organizational learning, and social capital perspectives, we propose and test an integrated framework in which knowledge tacitness and trust act as mediating mechanisms in the relationship between partner characteristics and alliance outcomes. We distinguish between learning and innovation outcomes and suggest that while innovation may result from alliance learning, it can also be created by combining separate knowledge baseswithoutlearning from each other. We contend that tacitness and trust play differing roles in the pursuit of learning and innovation and test this proposition on a sample of 120 international strategic alliances.
Professional Competence as Ways of Being: An Existential Ontological Perspective
Authors: Sandberg Jörgen , Pinnington Ashly H. 
Published: May 2009

abstractCurrent theories propose that professional competence is primarily constituted by scientific and tacit knowledge, knowing‐in‐action, understanding of work or practice. While providing valuable insights we contend that they present a fragmented understanding of professional competence. In particular, they do not adequately explain how central aspects of practice such as knowledge and understanding are integrated into a specific professional competence in work performance. An existential ontological perspective is proposed as offering a more comprehensive and integrative analysis of professional competence. It is explored through an empirical study of corporate lawyers and the findings suggest that professional competence should be understood as ways of being. The results show that different ways of practising corporate law distinguish and integrate a specific understanding of work, a particular self‐understanding, other people, and tools into distinct forms of competence in corporate law.
MS and clinically isolated syndromes: Shared specificity but diverging clonal patterns of virus‐specific IgG antibodies produced in vivo and by CSF B cells in vitro
Authors: Skorstad G. , Vandvik B. , Vartdal F. , Holmøy T. 
Published: May 2009

Background:  Intrathecal synthesis of oligoclonal IgG antibodies against measles virus (MeV), varicella zoster virus (VZV) and herpes simplex virus type‐1 (HSV‐1) is a characteristic feature multiple sclerosis (MS).Methods:  We have used isoelectric focusing‐immunoblot to define the clonal patterns of IgG and of IgG antibodies to MeV, VZV and HSV‐1 in supernatants of in vitro cultures of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cells and in sera and CSF from three patients with MS and three patients with clinically isolated syndromes (CIS) suspective of demyelinating disease.Results:  In vitro synthesis of IgG by PBL was not detected in any patient. In contrast, in vitro synthesis by CSF cells of oligoclonal IgG and oligoclonal IgG antibodies to one or two of the three viruses tested was observed in all six patients. The clonal patterns of the in vitro synthesized IgG and virus specific IgG differed to varying extent from those synthesized intrathecally in vivo. However, in each patient, the in vitro and in vivo intrathecally produced antibodies displayed specificity for the same viruses. The addition of B cell activating factor (BAFF) had no effect on the amounts or clonal patterns of either total IgG or virus‐specific IgG produced by CSF cells in vitro.Conclusion:  Virus specific B cells capable of spontaneous IgG synthesis are clonally expanded in the CSF of patients with MS. The B‐cell repertoire in CSF samples is only partially representative of the intrathecal B‐cell repertoire.