bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Remote Ischemic Perconditioning in Thrombolysed Stroke Patients: Randomized Study of Activating Endogenous Neuroprotection – Design and MRI Measurements
Authors: Hougaard K. D. , Hjort N. , Zeidler D. , Sørensen L. , Nørgaard A. , Thomsen R. B. , Jonsdottir K. , Mouridsen K. , Hansen T. M. , Cho T-H. , Nielsen T. T. , Bøtker H. E. , Østergaard L. , Andersen G. 
Published: April 2012

Background Intravenous administration of alteplase is the only approved treatment for acute ischemic stroke. Despite the effectiveness of this treatment, 50% of patients suffer chronic neurological disability, which may in part be caused by ischemia-reperfusion injury. Remote ischemic perconditioning, performed as a transient ischemic stimulus by blood-pressure cuff inflation to an extremity, has proven effective in attenuating ischemia-reperfusion injury in animal models of stroke. Remote ischemic perconditioning increases myocardial salvage in patients undergoing acute revascularization for acute myocardial infarction. To clarify whether a similar benefit can be obtained in patients undergoing thrombolysis for acute stroke, we included patients from June 2009 to January 2011. Aim and design The aims of the study are: to estimate the effect of remote ischemic perconditioning as adjunctive therapy to intravenous alteplase of acute ischemic stroke within the 4½-h time window and to investigate the feasibility of remote ischemic perconditioning performed during transport to hospital in patients displaying symptoms of acute stroke. Patients are randomized to remote ischemic perconditioning in a single-blinded fashion during transportation to hospital. Only patients with magnetic resonance imaging-proven ischemic stroke, who subsequently are treated with intravenous alteplase, and in selected cases additional endovascular treatment, are finally included in the study. Study outcomes Primary end-point is penumbral salvage. Penumbra is defined as hypoperfused yet viable tissue identified as the mismatch between perfusion-weighted imaging and diffusion-weighted imaging lesion on magnetic resonance imaging scans. Primary outcome is a mismatch volume not progressing to infarction on one-month follow-up T2 fluid attenuated inversion recovery. Secondary end-points include: infarct growth (expansion of the diffusion-weighted imaging lesion) from baseline to the 24-h and one-month follow-up examination. Infarct growth inside and outside the acute perfusion-weighted imaging–diffusion-weighted imaging mismatch zone is quantified by use of coregistration. Clinical outcome after three-months. The influence of physical activity (Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly score) on effect of remote ischemic perconditioning. Feasibility of remote ischemic perconditioning in acute stroke patients. Summary This phase 3 trial is the first study in patients with acute ischemic stroke to evaluate the effect size of remote ischemic perconditioning as a pretreatment to intravenous alteplase, measured as penumbral salvage on multimodal magnetic resonance imaging and clinical outcome after three-months follow-up.
Sub‐Dimensions of the Four Factor Model of Cultural Intelligence: Expanding the Conceptualization and Measurement of Cultural Intelligence
Authors: Van Dyne Linn , Ang Soon , Ng Kok Yee , Rockstuhl Thomas , Tan Mei Ling , Koh Christine 
Published: April 2012

AbstractCultural intelligence (CQ) – the capability to function effectively in intercultural settings – has gained increasing attention from researchers and practitioners due to its contemporary relevance to globalization, international management, and workforce diversification. Research‐to‐date demonstrates that CQ predicts a variety of important outcomes in intercultural contexts, such as cultural adaptation, expatriate performance, global leadership, intercultural negotiation, and multicultural team processes. Moving beyond past research that tends to focus on the four primary factors of CQ – metacognitive CQ, cognitive CQ, motivational CQ, and behavioral CQ, we introduce an expanded conceptualization of CQ that delineates sub‐dimensions for each of the four factors. We briefly review psychometric evidence supporting the proposed second order 11‐factor structure and convergent/discriminant validity of the sub‐dimensions. We propose that the next wave of CQ research should be guided by a deeper understanding of each of four factors of CQ.
Automatic Optimism: Why People Assume Their Futures will be Bright
Authors: Lench Heather C. , Bench Shane W. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractWhy are people optimistic about their futures, continuously assuming that their futures will be full of the positive outcomes they desire and devoid of negative outcomes? This paper concerns the proposal that desire, represented as affective reactions to potential future events, causes optimism for the future. We propose that positive or negative affective reactions to future events innervate motivations to approach or avoid the events. These motivations can be satiated by judging that events that elicit positive affective reactions are likely to occur and events that elicit negative affective reactions are unlikely to occur. The tendency to be optimistic thus results from emotional processes that occur largely outside of conscious awareness. We discuss recent evidence that supports these propositions, the import of understanding optimism as the result of emotional processes for judgment and decision research as well as attempts to improve decision‐making, and remaining unresolved issues.
Long‐distance dispersal and habitat use of the butterfly Byasa impediens in a fragmented subtropical forest
Authors: LI XIU‐SHAN , ZHANG YA‐LIN , SETTELE JOSEF , FRANZÉN MARKUS , SCHWEIGER OLIVER 
Published: April 2012

Abstract.  1. Central and Southeast Asia currently faces rapid loss and degradation of tropical and subtropical forests with potentially severe effects on its biodiversity.2. We analysed population characteristics and dispersal of the butterfly Byasa impediens in eleven patches of a fragmented subtropical forest in Western China.3. In an area covering 30 km2, we found an unexpected high dispersal capacity of more than 5 km, and estimated a mean dispersal distance of 1 km according to the negative exponential function. However, the inverse power function gave a better fit and predicted a reasonably large fraction of long‐distance displacements: 4% of all movements were estimated to exceed 5 km.4. In spite of the high level of fragmentation and small sizes of some patches, we did not observe extinction or (re)colonisation events. Matching dispersal ability with the spatial grain of the resource patches in the landscape is seen as a major cause. In addition, persistence, emigration and immigration of individuals were exclusively affected by the amount of larval host plants, nectar plants and forest cover.5. Our study indicates the importance of long‐distance dispersal and shows that species with large dispersal abilities and a somewhat broader dietary niche, such as B. impediens, can sustain in fragmented areas if patch quality is sufficient.6. We suggest that conservation action may not only focus on particularly endangered species but also on relatively common, but often endemic, insect species. This is of particular concern given the global dominance of insects and their importance for ecosystem services, especially in an area of constantly increasing demands of agricultural products.
From Barber to Coiffeur: Art and Economic Liberalisation in Eighteenth‐Century France
Authors: FALAKY FAYÇAL 
Published: April 2012

AbstractThe history behind the emergence of the coiffeur holds key elements to understanding how art played a role in bringing about significant economic changes. By framing themselves not as artisans but as artistic (and often literary) figures of equal merit and distinction to painters and sculptors, coiffeurs believed it their right to practice their profession liberally, outside the remit of the barber‐wigmakers' guild. The artistic pretext they used reflected a larger economic trend in the eighteenth century: the arts were no longer just a means to liberate the mind but were a conduit for liberalising trade.
Rethinking Britishness in the Fictional Japanese Letters of T. J. Wooler's Black Dwarf
Authors: HWANG JING‐HUEY 
Published: April 2012

AbstractThis article explores national identity and Orientalism in the context of post‐1815 British politics by examining T. J. Wooler's radical weekly The Black Dwarf. The essay investigates Wooler's adaptation of the well‐known eighteenth‐century literary ploy of the imaginary Oriental correspondence, and maintains that his Black Dwarf's epistolary communications with Japanese and supernatural addressees challenge the boundaries of Britishness. A mysterious figure, Wooler's character of the Black Dwarf differs from his literary Oriental precedents, but it is precisely this otherness that contributes to his critical authority to puncture British pride and to illustrate the transnational values of truth and liberty.
Coquettes and Gallants: (Re‐)Assessing Eighteenth‐Century English Translations of French Memoirs
Authors: TOMALIN MARCUS 
Published: April 2012

AbstractThis article explores eighteenth‐century English translations of French memoirs and reconsiders the cultural impact of this controversial literary genre. The works discussed were all originally written by (or attributed to) female members of the French nobility, and the translators reveal the extent to which the shifting social and political conventions in France and Britain created conceptual instabilities concerning gender and sexual politics. Although French memoirs have been neglected by recent literary critics and social historians, this article demonstrates that the perspectives offered by these texts provide uniquely revealing insights into British attitudes towards many important aspects of French culture.
COMPETENCIES FOR PRACTICE IN RENAL CARE: A NATIONAL DELPHI STUDY
Authors: Lindberg Magnus , Lundström‐Landegren Kerstin , Johansson Pia , Lidén Susanne , Holm Ulla 
Published: April 2012

SUMMARYThe aim of this study was to describe essential competencies relevant for professional renal nursing in Sweden. A Delphi study with four rounds was conducted from November 2008 to April 2009. A national sample of renal nurses was used to achieve consensus about the core competencies required. The 43 competencies were reviewed for face validity by external experts representing general nursing, renal nursing, stakeholders and nephrologists. The core competencies were categorised in nine areas according to their structure; nursing and medical science, information and teaching, examinations and therapies, promoting health and preventing ill health, palliative care, safety and quality, care environment, research and development and management and cooperation in the patient care pathway. Altogether these categories represent a national description of competence in renal nursing.
The nit1C gene cluster of Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes CECT5344 involved in assimilation of nitriles is essential for growth on cyanide
Authors: Estepa Jessica , Luque‐Almagro Victor M. , Manso Isabel , Escribano M. Paz , Martínez‐Luque Manuel , Castillo Francisco , Moreno‐Vivián Conrado , Roldán M. Dolores 
Published: April 2012

SummaryA proteomic approach was used to identify several proteins induced by cyanide in the alkaliphilic bacterium Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes CECT5344, two of them, NitB and NitG, encoded by genes that belong to the nit1C gene cluster. The predicted products of the nit1C gene cluster are a Fis‐like σ54‐dependent transcriptional activator (NitA), a nitrilase (NitC), an S‐adenosylmethionine superfamily member (NitD), an N‐acyltransferase superfamily member (NitE), a trifunctional polypeptide of the AIRS/GARS family (NitF), an NADH‐dependent oxidoreductase (NitH) and two hypothetical proteins of unknown function (NitB and NitG). RT‐PCR analysis suggested that nitBCDEFGH genes were co‐transcribed, whereas the regulatory nitA gene was divergently transcribed. Real‐time RT‐PCR revealed that expression of the nitBCDEFGH genes was induced by cyanide and repressed by ammonium. The P. pseudoalcaligenes CECT5344 nit1C gene cluster was found to be involved in assimilation of free and organic cyanides (nitriles) as deduced for the inability to grow with cyanides showed by the NitA, NitB and NitC mutant strains. The wild‐type strain CECT5344 showed a nitrilase activity that allows growth on cyanide or hydroxynitriles. The NitB and NitC mutants only presented low basal levels of nitrilase activity that were not enough to support growth on either free cyanide or aliphatic nitriles, suggesting that nitrilase NitC is specific and essential for cyanide and aliphatic nitriles assimilation.
Long‐Term Follow‐Up of Renal Function in Dogs after Treatment forACTH‐Dependent Hyperadrenocorticism
Authors: Smets P.M.Y. , Lefebvre H.P. , Meij B.P. , Croubels S. , Meyer E. , Van de Maele I. , Daminet S. 
Published: April 2012

BackgroundSystemic hypertension and proteinuria are frequent complications in dogs with Cushing's syndrome and do not always resolve after treatment of hypercortisolism. Therefore, dogs with Cushing's syndrome may be at risk for renal dysfunction before and after treatment.Hypothesis/ObjectivesTo assess renal function in dogs withACTH‐dependent hyperadrenocorticism (ADHAC) before and after treatment.AnimalsA total of 19 dogs withADHACand 12 control dogs.MethodsRenal function was assessed before and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment. Twelve dogs were treated with trilostane and 7 dogs by transsphenoidal hypophysectomy. Routine renal markers were measured and urinary albumin (uALB), immunoglobulin G (uIgG), and retinol‐binding protein (uRBP) were assessed byELISA. Urinary N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminidase (uNAG) was determined colorimetrically. All urinary markers were indexed to urinary creatinine concentration (c). Plasma clearance of creatinine (Clcreat), exo‐iohexol (Clexo), and endo‐iohexol (Clendo) was used to measure glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Data were analyzed using a general linear model.ResultsSerum creatinine and urea concentrations increased post‐treatment, but remained within reference ranges. Plasma Clcreatand Clendowere significantly lower post‐treatment, whereas Clexowas not different. Urinary protein‐to‐creatinine ratio (UPC),uALB/c,uIgG/c, anduRBP/c were decreased post‐treatment, but at 12 months 5/13 dogs remained proteinuric. UrinaryNAG/c did not change significantly.Conclusions and clinical importanceA decrease inGFRand persistent proteinuria post‐treatment may warrant the clinician's attention. Future research including renal histopathology of dogs with persistent proteinuria or lowGFRis needed to further assess renal outcome.
Why UK pharmacy must adapt to the increasing demands of professionalism in practice
Authors: Agomo Chijioke O 
Published: April 2012

AbstractObjectiveTo make a case for why UK pharmacy must adapt to the increasing demands of professionalism in practice.MethodsA review based on evidence from the literature and personal opinion.Key findingsPharmacists, just as with other occupational groups, have over the years been developing and fine-tuning ways through which they can attain full professional status and therefore command the same level of recognition and respect as the main traditional professions, notably medicine and law. Many commentators, however, believe that this ambition is far from being realised. Their argument is that the path to professional status is not that easily available to all occupations. Although there is a professionalisation process that the traditional professions go through, it has been argued that services provided by pharmacy, beyond dispensing, can also promote its level of professionalism; for example, extensive counseling, medication therapy management, health screening, compounding or provision of durable medical equipment.ConclusionsAs UK pharmacy and the wider UK National Health Service undergo changes and reconfiguration it is hoped that the creation of the new professional body for pharmacy (the Royal Pharmaceutical Society) will help pharmacy in the UK develop the ideals of professionalism.
The omega‐6 fatty acid derivative 15‐deoxy‐Δ12,14‐prostaglandin J2 is involved in neuroprotection by enteric glial cells against oxidative stress
Authors: Abdo Hind , Mahé Maxime M. , Derkinderen Pascal , Bach‐Ngohou Kalyane , Neunlist Michel , Lardeux Bernard 
Published: April 2012

Key points
Enteric glial cells play a major role in the regulation of enteric neuronal functions.
15‐Deoxy‐Δ12,14‐prostaglandin J2 (15d‐PGJ2) is an omega‐6 fatty acid derivative that was recently identified as a novel glial‐derived mediator involved in the control of the proliferation and differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells.
In this study, we show that 15d‐PGJ2 has neuroprotective properties during oxidative stress in the enteric nervous system.
We furthermore show that 15d‐PGJ2 neuroprotective effects are dependent on the activation of the Nrf2 pathway and are associated with an increase of glutathione synthesis in neurons.
This study supports the concept that omega‐6 derivatives might be used in preventive and/or therapeutic strategies for the treatment of enteric neuropathies.
‘Metabolic syndrome’ in the brain: deficiency in omega‐3 fatty acid exacerbates dysfunctions in insulin receptor signalling and cognition
Authors: Agrawal Rahul , Gomez‐Pinilla Fernando 
Published: April 2012

Key points
We provide novel evidence for the effects of metabolic dysfunctions on brain function using the rat model of metabolic syndrome induced by high fructose intake.
We describe that the deleterious consequences of unhealthy dietary habits can be partially counteracted by dietary supplementation of n‐3 fatty acid.
High sugar consumption impaired cognitive abilities and disrupted insulin signalling by engaging molecules associated with energy metabolism and synaptic plasticity; in turn, the presence of docosahexaenoic acid, an n‐3 fatty acid, restored metabolic homeostasis.
These findings expand the concept of metabolic syndrome affecting the brain and provide the mechanistic evidence of how dietary habits can interact to regulate brain functions, which can further alter lifelong susceptibility to the metabolic disorders.
Comparative analysis of nonlinear dimensionality reduction techniques for breast MRI segmentation
Authors: Akhbardeh Alireza , Jacobs Michael A. 
Published: April 2012

Purpose:Visualization of anatomical structures using radiological imaging methods is an important tool in medicine to differentiate normal from pathological tissue and can generate large amounts of data for a radiologist to read. Integrating these large data sets is difficult and time‐consuming. A new approach uses both supervised and unsupervised advanced machine learning techniques to visualize and segment radiological data. This study describes the application of a novel hybrid scheme, based on combining wavelet transform and nonlinear dimensionality reduction (NLDR) methods, to breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data using three well‐established NLDR techniques, namely, ISOMAP, local linear embedding (LLE), and diffusion maps (DfM), to perform a comparative performance analysis.Methods:Twenty‐five breast lesion subjects were scanned using a 3T scanner. MRI sequences used were T1‐weighted, T2‐weighted, diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI), and dynamic contrast‐enhanced (DCE) imaging. The hybrid scheme consisted of two steps: preprocessing and postprocessing of the data. The preprocessing step was applied for B1 inhomogeneity correction, image registration, and wavelet‐based image compression to match and denoise the data. In the postprocessing step, MRI parameters were considered data dimensions and the NLDR‐based hybrid approach was applied to integrate the MRI parameters into a single image, termed the embedded image. This was achieved by mapping all pixel intensities from the higher dimension to a lower dimensional (embedded) space. For validation, the authors compared the hybrid NLDR with linear methods of principal component analysis (PCA) and multidimensional scaling (MDS) using synthetic data. For the clinical application, the authors used breast MRI data, comparison was performed using the postcontrast DCE MRI image and evaluating the congruence of the segmented lesions.Results:The NLDR‐based hybrid approach was able to define and segment both synthetic and clinical data. In the synthetic data, the authors demonstrated the performance of the NLDR method compared with conventional linear DR methods. The NLDR approach enabled successful segmentation of the structures, whereas, in most cases, PCA and MDS failed. The NLDR approach was able to segment different breast tissue types with a high accuracy and the embedded image of the breast MRI data demonstrated fuzzy boundaries between the different types of breast tissue, i.e., fatty, glandular, and tissue with lesions (>86%).Conclusions:The proposed hybrid NLDR methods were able to segment clinical breast data with a high accuracy and construct an embedded image that visualized the contribution of different radiological parameters.
A simplified technique for delivering total body irradiation (TBI) with improved dose homogeneity
Authors: Yao Rui , Bernard Damian , Turian Julius , Abrams Ross A. , Sensakovic William , Fung Henry C. , Chu James C. H. 
Published: April 2012

Purpose:Total body irradiation (TBI) with megavoltage photon beams has been accepted as an important component of management for a number of hematologic malignancies, generally as part of bone marrow conditioning regimens. The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss the authors' TBI technique, which both simplifies the treatment process and improves the treatment quality.Methods:An AP/PA TBI treatment technique to produce uniform dose distributions using sequential collimator reductions during each fraction was implemented, and a sample calculation worksheet is presented. Using this methodology, the dosimetric characteristics of both 6 and 18 MV photon beams, including lung dose under cerrobend blocks was investigated. A method of estimating midplane lung doses based on measured entrance and exit doses was proposed, and the estimated results were compared with measurements.Results:Whole body midplane dose uniformity of ±10% was achieved with no more than two collimator‐based beam modulations. The proposed model predicted midplane lung doses 5% to 10% higher than the measured doses for 6 and 18 MV beams. The estimated total midplane doses were within ±5% of the prescribed midplane dose on average except for the lungs where the doses were 6% to 10% lower than the prescribed dose on average.Conclusions:The proposed TBI technique can achieve dose uniformity within ±10%. This technique is easy to implement and does not require complicated dosimetry and/or compensators.