bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Bayesian approach for estimating bioterror attacks from patient data
Authors: Ray J. , Marzouk Y. M. , Najm H. N. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractTerrorist attacks using an aerosolized pathogen have gained credibility as a national security concern after the anthrax attacks of 2001. Inferring some important details of the attack quickly, for example, the number of people infected, the time of infection, and a representative dose received can be crucial to planning a medical response. We use a Bayesian approach, based on a short time series of diagnosed patients, to estimate a joint probability density for these parameters. We first test the formulation with idealized cases and then apply it to realistic scenarios, including the Sverdlovsk anthrax outbreak of 1979. We also use simulated outbreaks to explore the impact of model error, as when the model used for generating simulated epidemic curves does not match the model subsequently used to characterize the attack. We find that in all cases except for the smallest attacks (fewer than 100 infected people), 3–5 days of data are sufficient to characterize the outbreak to a specificity that is useful for directing an emergency response. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Test–retest variability of [11C]raclopride‐binding potential in nontreatment‐seeking alcoholics
Authors: Yoder Karmen K. , Albrecht Daniel S. , Kareken David A. , Federici Lauren M. , Perry Kevin M. , Patton Elizabeth A. , Zheng Qi‐Huang , Mock Bruce H. , O'Connor Sean , Herring Christine M. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractKnowledge of the reproducibility of striatal [11C]raclopride (RAC) binding is important for studies that use RAC PET paradigms to estimate changes in striatal dopamine (DA) during pharmacological and cognitive challenges. To our knowledge, no baseline test–retest data exist for nontreatment‐seeking alcoholics (NTS). We determined the test–retest reproducibility of baseline RAC binding potential (BPND) in 12 male NTS subjects. Subjects were scanned twice with single‐bolus RAC PET on separate days. Striatal RAC BP (BPND) for left and right dorsal caudate, dorsal putamen, and ventral striatum was estimated using the Multilinear Reference Tissue Method (MRTM) and Logan Graphical Analysis (LGA) with a reference region. Test–retest variability (TRV), % change in BPNDbetween scan days, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were used as metrics of reproducibility. For MRTM, TRV for striatal RAC binding in NTS subjects was ±6.5% and ±7.1% for LGA. Average striatal ICCs were 0.94 for both methods (P< 0.0001). Striatal BPNDvalues were similar to those reported previously for detoxified alcoholics. The results demonstrate that baseline striatal RAC binding is highly reproducible in NTS subjects, with a low variance similar to that reported for healthy control subjects. Synapse, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pes cavus and hereditary neuropathies: when a relationship should be suspected
Authors: Piazza S. , Ricci G. , Caldarazzo Ienco E. , Carlesi C. , Volpi L. , Siciliano G. , Mancuso M. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThe hereditary peripheral neuropathies are a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of diseases of the peripheral nervous system. Foot deformities, including the commonpes cavus, but also hammer toes and twisting of the ankle, are frequently present in patients with hereditary peripheral neuropathy, and often represent one of the first signs of the disease.Pes cavusin hereditary peripheral neuropathies is caused by imbalance between the intrinsic muscles of the foot and the muscles of the leg. Accurate clinical evaluation in patients withpes cavusis necessary to exclude or confirm the presence of peripheral neuropathy. Hereditary peripheral neuropathies should be suspected in those cases with bilateral foot deformities, in the presence of family history forpes cavusand/or gait impairment, and in the presence of neurological symptoms or signs, such as distal muscle hypotrophy of limbs. Herein, we review the hereditary peripheral neuropathies in whichpes cavusplays a key role as a “spy sign,” discussing the clinical and molecular features of these disorders to highlight the importance ofpes cavusas a helpful clinical sign in these rare diseases.
The Role for Public Funding of Faith‐Based Organizations Delivering Behavioral Health Services: Guideposts for Monitoring and Evaluation
Authors: Kramer Fredrica D. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThe paper reviews policies promoting faith‐based organizations' (FBO) participation in publicly‐funded programs since the Charitable Choice statute was enacted during the Clinton administration and then additional faith‐based initiatives were implemented by the Bush administration. The paper focuses on research findings on FBO participation in publicly‐funded human service programs under these policies. It then proposes a framework for evaluation to assess the appropriateness of public funding for behavioral health services delivered by FBOs, in order to address: (1) the programmatic and systemic effects resulting from the infusion of new players from the faith community, and the consequences to the profile of services and who gets served; and (2) the content and effectiveness of faith‐infused services as a basis for identifying interventions appropriate for public funding. The analysis considers classification issues, theoretical bases of measured effects of faith‐infused services, and the transferability of faith‐based interventions across religious and secular applications in order to satisfy constitutional issues and client choice.
Flight of the Chinese white pine beetle (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in relation to sex, body weight and energy reserve
Authors: Chen H. , Li Z. , Bu S.H. , Tian Z.Q. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThe flight distance, flight time and individual flight activities of males and females of Dendroctonus armandi were recorded during 96-h flight trials using a flight mill system. The body weight, glucose, glycogen and lipid content of four treatments (naturally emerged, starved, phloem-fed and water-fed) were compared among pre-flight, post-flight and unflown controls. There was no significant difference between males and females in total flight distance and flight time in a given 24-h period. The flight distance and flight time of females showed a significant linear decline as the tethered flying continued, but the sustained flight ability of females was better than that of males. The females had higher glycogen and lipid content than the males; however, there was no significant difference between both sexes in glucose content. Water-feeding and phloem-feeding had significant effects on longevity, survival days and flight potential of D. armandi, which resulted in longer feeding days, poorer flight potential and lower energy substrate content. Our results demonstrate that flight distances in general do not differ between water-fed and starved individuals, whereas phloem-fed females and males fly better than water-fed and starved individuals.
Polyphasic approach applying artificial neural networks, molecular analysis and postabdomen morphology to West PalaearcticTachinaspp. (Diptera, Tachinidae)
Authors: Muráriková N. , Vaňhara J. , Tóthová A. , Havel J. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractArtificial neural networks (ANN) methodology, molecular analyses and comparative morphology of the male postabdomen were used successfully in parallel for species identification and resolution of some taxonomic problems concerning West Palaearctic species of the genusTachinaMeigen, 1803. Supervised feed-forward ANN with back-propagation of errors was applied on morphometric and qualitative characters to solve known taxonomic discrepancies. Background molecular analyses based on mitochondrial markers CO I, Cyt b, 12S and 16S rDNA and study of male postabdominal structures were published separately. All three approaches resolved taxonomic doubts with identical results in the following five cases: case 1, the four presently recognized subgenera of the genusTachinawere confirmed and the description of a new subgenus was recommended; case 2, the validity of a new boreo-alpine species (sp.n.) was confirmed; case 3, the previously supposed presence ofT. casta(Rondani, 1859) in central Europe was not supported; case 4, West PalaearcticT. nupta(Rondani, 1859) was contrasted with East Palaearctic specimens from Japan, which seem to represent a valid species not conspecific with central European specimens;T. nuptaneeds detailed further study; case 5,T. nigrohirta(Stein, 1924) resurrected recently from synonymy withT. ursinaMeigen, 1824 was confirmed as a valid species. This parallel application of three alternative methods has enabled the principle of ‘polyphasic taxonomy’ to be tested and verified using these separate results. For the first time, the value of using the ANN approach in taxonomy was justified by two non-mathematical methods (molecular and morphological).
Field survey for strongyloidiasis in eastern Uganda with observations on efficacy of preventive chemotherapy and co-occurrence of soil-transmitted helminthiasis/intestinal schistosomiasis
Authors: Sousa-Figueiredo J.C. , Day M. , Betson M. , Rowell C. , Wamboko A. , Arinaitwe M. , Kazibwe F. , Kabatereine N.B. , Stothard J.R. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractFollowing our previous field surveys for strongyloidiasis in western Uganda, 120 mothers and 232 children from four villages in eastern Uganda were examined, with two subsequent investigative follow-ups. As before, a variety of diagnostic methods were used: Baermann concentration, Koga agar plate and strongyloidid enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), as well as Kato–Katz faecal smears for detection of eggs of other helminths. At baseline, the general prevalence ofStrongyloides stercoraliswas moderate: 5.4% as estimated by Baermann and Koga agar methods combined. A much higher estimate was found by ELISA (42.3%) which, in this eastern setting, appeared to be confounded by putative cross-reaction(s) with other nematode infections. Preventive chemotherapy using praziquantel and albendazole was offered to all participants at baseline. After 21 days the first follow-up was conducted and ‘cure rates’ were calculated for all parasites encountered. Eleven months later, the second follow-up assessed longer-term trends. Initial treatments had little, if any, effect onS. stercoralis,and did not alter local prevalence, unlike hookworm infections and intestinal schistosomiasis. We propose that geographical patterns of strongyloidiasis are likely not perturbed by ongoing praziquantel/albendazole campaigns. Antibody titres increased after the first follow-up then regressed towards baseline levels upon second inspection. To better define endemic areas forS. stercoralis, careful interpretation of the ELISA is warranted, especially where diagnosis is likely being confounded by polyparasitism and/or other treatment regimens; new molecular screening tools are clearly needed.
Chemotherapy against human African trypanosomiasis: Is there a road to success?
Authors: BURRI CHRISTIAN 
Published: October 2010

SUMMARYFor over fifty years, human African trypanosomiasis (HAT, sleeping sickness) has been treated with suramin, pentamidine and the very toxic organo-arsenical melarsoprol that was the only drug available for effective treatment of the second stage of the disease. Recently there have been significant efforts using molecular and biochemical approaches to drug design, including high-throughput screening, but the number of lead compounds with promising activity againstT. bruceispp. and an acceptable toxicity index has remained astonishingly small. Clinical research continues to be difficult due to the economic constraints and the complexity of trials on a low prevalence disease in remote and impoverished African regions. Despite those limitations the situation for the patients is improving thanks to the combination of a number of critical factors. By the late 1990s the disease had reached epidemic levels that triggered political support. WHO would sign a donation agreement with the manufacturers for all drugs to treat HAT. A result of this agreement was that eflornithine which is much safer than melarsoprol became available and widely used by non-governmental organizations. TheImpamelI and II programmes demonstrated that against all odds the conduct of clinical trials on HAT was feasible. This allowed the initiation of trials on combination therapies which eventually resulted in the nifurtimox-eflornithine combination treatment (NECT). This combination is currently being introduced as first line treatment, and there is even the prospect of having a new compound, fexinidazole, in the development pipeline. This review summarizes the key information about the existing drugs and gives a comprehensive summary about the recent and currently ongoing efforts towards new drugs.
Patients with schizophrenia show increased aversion to angry faces in an associative learning task
Authors: Evans S. , Shergill S. S. , Chouhan V. , Bristow E. , Collier T. , Averbeck B. B. 
Published: October 2010

BackgroundWe were interested in examining the relationship between socially relevant stimuli and decision processes in patients with schizophrenia.MethodWe tested patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls on a stochastically rewarded associative learning task. Participants had to determine, through trial and error, which of two faces was associated with a higher chance of reward: one face was angry, the other happy.ResultsBoth patients and healthy controls were able to perform the task at above-chance accuracy, and there was no significant difference in overall accuracy between the groups. Both groups also reliably preferred the happy face, such that they selected it more often than the angry face on the basis of the same amount of positiveversusnegative feedback. However, patients were significantly more averse to the angry face, such that they chose it less often than control participants when the reward feedback strongly supported the angry face as the best choice.ConclusionsPatients show an increased aversion to angry faces, in a task in which they must learn to associate rewards with expressions.
Relationship between adiposity, emotional status and eating behaviour in obese women: role of inflammation
Authors: Capuron L. , Poitou C. , Machaux-Tholliez D. , Frochot V. , Bouillot J.-L. , Basdevant A. , Layé S. , Clément K. 
Published: October 2010

BackgroundObesity is characterized by chronic low-grade inflammation that may lead to emotional distress and behavioural symptoms. This study assessed the relationship between adiposity, low-grade inflammation, eating behaviour and emotional status in obese women awaiting gastric surgery and investigated the effects of surgery-induced weight loss on this relationship.MethodA total of 101 women with severe or morbid obesity awaiting gastric surgery were recruited. Assessments were performed before and at 1 year post-surgery and included the measurement of neuroticism and extraversion using the revised Neuroticism–Extraversion–Openness personality inventory (NEO-PI-R) and eating behaviour using the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ). Blood samples were collected for the measurement of serum inflammatory markers [interleukin-6 (IL-6), high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP)] and adipokines (leptin, adiponectin).ResultsAt baseline, body mass index (BMI) was positively correlated with inflammatory markers and adipokines. Regression analyses adjusting for age and diabetes revealed that baseline concentrations of IL-6 and hsCRP were associated with the depression and anxiety facets of neuroticism, with higher inflammation predicting higher anxiety and depression. This association remained significant after adjusting for BMI. Gastric surgery induced significant weight loss, which correlated with reduced inflammation. After controlling for BMI variations, decreases in inflammatory markers, notably hsCRP, were associated with reduced anxiety and TFEQ-cognitive restraint scores.ConclusionsThese findings indicate strong associations between adiposity, inflammation and affectivity in obese subjects and show that surgery-induced weight loss is associated concomitantly with reduced inflammation and adipokines and with significant improvement in emotional status and eating behaviour. Inflammatory status appears to represent an important mediator of emotional distress and psychological characteristics of obese individuals.
Facial emotion recognition impairments in individuals with HIV
Authors: CLARK URAINA S. , COHEN RONALD A. , WESTBROOK MICHELLE L. , DEVLIN KATHRYN N. , TASHIMA KAREN T. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractCharacterized by frontostriatal dysfunction, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is associated with cognitive and psychiatric abnormalities. Several studies have noted impaired facial emotion recognition abilities in patient populations that demonstrate frontostriatal dysfunction; however, facial emotion recognition abilities have not been systematically examined in HIV patients. The current study investigated facial emotion recognition in 50 nondemented HIV-seropositive adults and 50 control participants relative to their performance on a nonemotional landscape categorization control task. We examined the relation of HIV-disease factors (nadir and current CD4 levels) to emotion recognition abilities and assessed the psychosocial impact of emotion recognition abnormalities. Compared to control participants, HIV patients performed normally on the control task but demonstrated significant impairments in facial emotion recognition, specifically for fear. HIV patients reported greater psychosocial impairments, which correlated with increased emotion recognition difficulties. Lower current CD4 counts were associated with poorer anger recognition. In summary, our results indicate that chronic HIV infection may contribute to emotion processing problems among HIV patients. We suggest that disruptions of frontostriatal structures and their connections with cortico-limbic networks may contribute to emotion recognition abnormalities in HIV. Our findings also highlight the significant psychosocial impact that emotion recognition abnormalities have on individuals with HIV. (JINS, 2010, 16, 1127–1137.)
Unraveling the Role of the rssC Gene of Serratia marcescens by Atomic Force Microscopy
Authors: Sheu Bor-Ching , Lin Chih-Chen , Fu Ying-Hsien , Lee Shih-Yuan , Lai Hsin-Chih , Wu Rung-Shin , Liu Chih-Hao , Tsai Jui-Chang , Lin Shiming 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThe product and direct role of the rssC gene of Serratia marcescens is unknown. For unraveling the role of the rssC gene, atomic force microscopy has been used to identify the surfaces of intact S. marcescens wild-type CH-1 cells and rssC mutant CH-1ΔC cells. The detailed surface topographies were directly visualized, and quantitative measurements of the physical properties of the membrane structures were provided. CH-1 and CH-1ΔC cells were observed before and after treatment with lysozyme, and their topography-related parameters, e.g., a valley-to-peak distance, mean height, surface roughness, and surface root-mean-square values, were defined and compared. The data obtained suggest that the cellular surface topography of mutant CH-1ΔC becomes rougher and more precipitous than that of wild-type CH-1 cells. Moreover, it was found that, compared with native wild-type CH-1, the cellular surface topography of lysozyme-treated CH-1 was not changed profoundly. The product of the rssC gene is thus predicted to be mainly responsible for fatty-acid biosynthesis of the S. marcescens outer membrane. This study represents the first direct observation of the structural changes in membranes of bacterial mutant cells and offers a new prospect for predicting gene expression in bacterial cells.
Smoking and the development of allergic sensitization to aeroallergens in adults: a prospective population‐based study.  The Copenhagen Allergy Study
Authors: Linneberg A. , Nielsen N. Henrik , Madsen F. , Frølund L. , Dirksen A. , Jørgensen T. 
Published: October 2010

Background:  Several cross‐sectional population‐based studies have reported a negative association between smoking and allergic sensitization to aeroallergens. In a prospective study, we investigated the association between smoking and the development (incidence) of allergic sensitization as reflected by skin prick test (SPT) positivity and specific IgE positivity. Methods:  Participants in a population‐based study of 15–69‐year‐olds in 1990 were invited to a follow‐up in 1998. Thus, SPT positivity and specific IgE positivity to common aeroallergens were assessed in 734 subjects (participation rate: 69.0%) on two occasions 8 years apart. The effect of smoking on the development of allergic sensitization was adjusted for potential confounders such as age, sex, family history of hay fever, educational level, and total IgE. Results:  During the follow‐up period, 58 and 33 subjects developed SPT positivity and specific IgE positivity, respectively. The risk of developing SPT positivity (adjusted odds ratio: 0.45, 95% CI 0.21–0.98) and specific IgE positivity (adjusted odds ratio: 0.62, 95% CI 0.26–1.49) was lower among sustained smokers than never‐smokers. Conclusions:  In this adult population, sustained smoking was negatively associated with the development of allergic sensitization to aeroallergens during an 8‐year follow‐up. This negative association, if real, might be due to an immunosuppressive effect of smoking.
Theoretical studies on the all-anti zigzag geometries of perfluoro-n-alkyl chains
Authors: Rayne Sierra , Forest Kaya 
Published: October 2010

AbstractTheoretical investigations were conducted on the gas phase all-anti zigzag geometries of C~3~ through C~7~ perfluoro-n-alkanes and the perfluoro-n-octanoate anion using various semiempirical, density functional theory, and composite method approaches. The major theoretical methods are in agreement that the gas phase zigzag geometry of >=C~3~ perfluoro-n-alkyl chains is a transition state between the left and right handed helical/twisted global minima. For the C~3~ perfluoropropyl group, a slightly twisted (about 1 to 2 degree central F-C-C-F dihedral angle) near zigzag conformation exists as a global minimum, whereas helical global minima are obtained for C~4~ and longer perfluoroalkyl chains. The left to right handed helix inversion activation energy for C~4~ and C~5~ perfluoroalkyl groups is estimated at between 1 and 2 kcal/mol.
The Western Mediterranean extensional basins and the Alpine orogen
Authors: Doglioni Carlo , Gueguen Erwan , Sàbat Francesc , Fernandez Manuel 
Published: October 2010

The western Mediterranean late Oligocene–Miocene basins (Alboran, Valencia and Provençal basins) are a coherent system of interrelated troughs. In all basins normal faults and thermal subsidence migrated toward the east progressively moving to the Miocene‐to‐Pleistocene Algerian and Tyrrhenian basins. All those troughs appear elements of the back‐arc opening related to the eastward roll‐back of the W‐directed Apennines–Maghrebides subduction zone, similarly to western Pacific back‐arc settings.These late Oligocene–early Miocene basins nucleated both within the Betic cordillera (e.g. Alboran sea) and in its foreland (Valencia and Provençal troughs). The N40–70° direction of grabens is oblique to the coexisting N60–80°‐trending orogen and shows its structural independence from the orogenic roots. Thus, as the extension cross‐cuts the orogen and developed also well outside the thrust belt front, the westernmost basins of the Mediterranean had to develop independently from the Alps‐Betics orogen. Therefore, the Alboran extension, considered a classic example of a basin generated by the collapse of an orogen, cannot be ascribed to the detachment or annihilation of the lithospheric root. In contrast with the eastward migrating extensional basins, the Betic‐Balearic thrust front was migrating westward producing interference or inversion structures.