bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cognitive therapy for people with a schizophrenia spectrum diagnosis not taking antipsychotic medication: an exploratory trial
Authors: Morrison A. P. , Hutton P. , Wardle M. , Spencer H. , Barratt S. , Brabban A. , Callcott P. , Christodoulides T. , Dudley R. , French P. , Lumley V. , Tai S. J. , Turkington D. 
Published: September 2011

BackgroundAlthough antipsychotic medication is the first line of treatment for schizophrenia, many service users choose to refuse or discontinue their pharmacological treatment. Cognitive therapy (CT) has been shown to be effective when delivered in combination with antipsychotic medication, but has yet to be formally evaluated in its absence. This study evaluates CT for people with psychotic disorders who have not been taking antipsychotic medication for at least 6 months.MethodTwenty participants with schizophrenia spectrum disorders received CT in an open trial. Our primary outcome was psychiatric symptoms measured using the Positive and Negative Syndromes Scale (PANSS), which was administered at baseline, 9 months (end of treatment) and 15 months (follow-up). Secondary outcomes were dimensions of hallucinations and delusions, self-rated recovery and social functioning.ResultsTtests and Wilcoxon's signed ranks tests revealed significant beneficial effects on all primary and secondary outcomes at end of treatment and follow-up, with the exception of self-rated recovery at end of treatment. Cohen'sdeffect sizes were moderate to large [for PANSS total,d=0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.32–1.35 at end of treatment;d=1.26, 95% CI 0.66–1.84 at follow-up]. A response rate analysis found that 35% and 50% of participants achieved at least a 50% reduction in PANSS total scores by end of therapy and follow-up respectively. No patients deteriorated significantly.ConclusionsThis study provides preliminary evidence that CT is an acceptable and effective treatment for people with psychosis who choose not to take antipsychotic medication. An adequately powered randomized controlled trial is warranted.
Ideal tilings and symbolic dynamics for negatively curved surfaces
Authors: FRIED DAVID 
Published: September 2011

AbstractLet X be a non-compact surface (or 2-orbifold) of finite type with a metric of strictly negative curvature. Using an ideal tiling of the universal cover of X, we give a symbolic description of the recurrent geodesics on X. This extends Series’s method of coding geodesics on the modular surface.
Simultaneous linearization of germs of commuting holomorphic diffeomorphisms
Authors: BISWAS KINGSHOOK 
Published: September 2011

AbstractLet α1,…,αn be irrational numbers which are linearly independent over the rationals, and f1,…,fn commuting germs of holomorphic diffeomorphisms in ℂ such that fk(0)=0,f′k(0)=e2πiαk,k=1,…,n. Moser showed that f
1,…,fn are simultaneously linearizable (i.e. conjugate by a germ of holomorphic diffeomorphism h to the rigid rotations Rαk(z)=e2πiαkz) if the vector of rotation numbers (α
1,…,αn) satisfies a Diophantine condition. Adapting Yoccoz’s renormalization to the setting of commuting germs, we show that simultaneous linearization holds in the presence of a weaker Brjuno-type condition ℬ(α1,…,αn)<+∞, where ℬ(α1,…,αn) is a multivariable analogue of the Brjuno function. If there are no periodic orbits for the action of the germs f1,…,fn in a neighbourhood of the origin, then a weaker arithmetic condition ℬ′ (α
1,…,αn)<+∞ analogous to Perez-Marco’s condition for linearization in the absence of periodic orbits is shown to suffice for linearizability. Normalizing the germs to be univalent on the unit disc, in both cases the Siegel discs are shown to contain discs of radii $C e^{-2\pi \mathcal {B}}, C e^{-2\pi \mathcal {B'}}$ for some universal constant C.
A canonical thickening of ℚ and the entropy ofα-continued fraction transformations
Authors: CARMINATI CARLO , TIOZZO GIULIO 
Published: September 2011

AbstractWe construct a countable family of open intervals contained in (0,1] whose endpoints are quadratic surds and such that their union is a full measure set. We then show that these intervals are precisely the monotonicity intervals of the entropy ofα-continued fractions, thus proving a conjecture of Nakada and Natsui.
Children's use of phonological information in ambiguity resolution: a view from Mandarin Chinese
Authors: ZHOU PENG , SU YI (ESTHER) , CRAIN STEPHEN , GAO LIQUN , ZHAN LIKAN 
Published: September 2011

ABSTRACTHow do children develop the mapping between prosody and other levels of linguistic knowledge? This question has received considerable attention in child language research. In the present study two experiments were conducted to investigate four- to five-year-old Mandarin-speaking children's sensitivity to prosody in ambiguity resolution. Experiment 1 used eye-tracking to assess children's use of stress in resolving structural ambiguities. Experiment 2 took advantage of special properties of Mandarin to investigate whether children can use intonational cues to resolve ambiguities involving speech acts. The results of our experiments show that children's use of prosodic information in ambiguity resolution varies depending on the type of ambiguity involved. Children can use prosodic information more effectively to resolve speech act ambiguities than to resolve structural ambiguities. This finding suggests that the mapping between prosody and semantics/pragmatics in young children is better established than the mapping between prosody and syntax.
Economic Security in an Aging Canadian Population
Authors: Brown Robert L. 
Published: September 2011

RÉSUMÉDes recherches récentes indiquent que les retraités d’aujourd’hui se portent très bien en termes de taux de remplacement et que les taux de pauvreté chez les personnes âgées au Canada sont faibles par rapport aux autres pays de l’Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques (OCDE). Les plans parrainés par le gouvernement ont été renforcés grâce à l’expansion, soit explicite – par exemple, le Supplément de revenu garanti (SRG) – ou grâce à la réforme des régimes de pensions du Canada/Québec (RPC/Q). La maturation des régimes de retraite parrainés par l’employeur, bien que les taux sont en baisse, est également importante. Cependant c’est une préoccupation que les générations futures de retraités ne peuvent pas atteindre le niveau de vie qui existe aujourd’hui. L’auteur soutient que les programmes actuels de la sécurité économique sont abordables et que leur coûts pourraient être stabilisé si on souleverait l’âge de la retraite.
The effectiveness of a minimal psychological intervention on self-management beliefs and behaviors in depressed chronically ill elderly persons: a randomized trial
Authors: Jonkers Catharina C. M. , Lamers Femke , Bosma Hans , Metsemakers Job F. M. , van Eijk Jacques Th. M. 
Published: September 2011

ABSTRACTBackground: Chronically ill patients often develop symptoms of depression. They run the risk of sliding into a downward spiral because of the interaction between depression and chronic illness. A minimal psychological intervention (MPI) has been developed to break through the spiral by applying principles of self-management and cognitive behavioral therapy. This study examines the effects of the MPI on self-efficacy, anxiety, daily functioning and social participation.Methods: A randomized controlled trial compared the MPI with usual care in 361 primary care patients. Nurses visited patients at home over a period of three months. Patients were aged 60 years and older, had minor depression or mild to moderate major depression and either type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Outcomes were measured at baseline and at one week, three months, and nine months after the intervention period.Results: At nine months after treatment, the MPI was associated with less anxiety (mean difference 2.5; 95% CI 0.7–4.2) and better self efficacy skills (mean difference 1.8; 95% CI 3.4–0.2), daily functioning (mean difference 1.7; 95% CI 0.6–2.7), and social participation (mean difference 1.3; 95% CI 0.4–2.2). Effect sizes for these outcomes were small to medium (0.29–0.40). Differences were primarily due to a stabilization of outcomes in the intervention group and deterioration in the control group. No major differences were observed between DM and COPD patients.Conclusions: The intervention appears to be reasonably effective in improving care for chronically ill elderly people. We recommend further evaluation of the MPI, including emphasis on detection and watchful waiting.
Dietary, behavioural and socio-economic determinants of the metabolic syndrome among adults in Luxembourg: findings from the ORISCAV-LUX study
Authors: Alkerwi Ala'a , Donneau Anne-Françoise , Sauvageot Nicolas , Lair Marie-Lise , Albert Adelin , Guillaume Michèle 
Published: September 2011

AbstractObjectiveThe purpose of the present research was to investigate the epidemiological profile of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and to explore its potential dietary, behavioural and socio-economic determinants among European adults residing in Luxembourg.DesignCross-sectional, population-based ORISCAV-LUX survey.SettingEuropean adults aged 18–69 years residing in Luxembourg.SubjectsA total of 1349 Europid adults, who participated in the ORISCAV-LUX survey, were included in the study. The prevalence of MetS was estimated according to the Revised-Adult Treatment Panel (R-ATPIII) criteria. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the dietary, behavioural and socio-economic factors independently associated with MetS.ResultsThe overall prevalence of MetS was 24·7 % with significant gender difference (18·5 % for womenv. 30·8 % for men,P< 0·0001). Age, male gender, primary level of education, physical inactivity, family history of diabetes and hypertension and inadequate protein intake were identified as significant determinants of MetS, after adjusting for other socio-economic, family medical history and lifestyle factors.ConclusionsMetS is a common condition among Europid adults in Luxembourg and increases dramatically with age, in both genders. Several dietary, socio-economic and behavioural factors explain the disparity observed. These findings highlight the importance of a comprehensive approach to MetS encompassing dietary, lifestyle and socio-economic aspects, both in clinical and community settings.
Beyond the facts in schizophrenia: closing the gaps in diagnosis, pathophysiology, and treatment
Authors: Nasrallah H. , Tandon R. , Keshavan M. 
Published: September 2011

Background.Although schizophrenia has been considered a distinct disease entity for the past century, its precise definition and etio-pathophysiology remain obscure and its treatment remains unsatisfactory. In this review, we summarize our state of knowledge about the etiology, pathophysiology, clinical features, and treatment of schizophrenia.Methodological Issues.The inadequacy of the major conceptual models of schizophrenia is a major roadblock in providing a coherent explanation for the known facts of this illness, despite these limitations and its changing definitions, the construct of schizophrenia does convey useful information: (i) patients diagnosed as having schizophrenia do have areal disease– they experience both suffering and disability; (ii) a diagnosis of schizophrenia does suggest adistinctive clinical profile– a characteristic long-term course; an admixture of positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms; (iii) a diagnosis of schizophrenia has clear treatment and prognostic implications – likelihood of benefit from antipsychotic treatment and likelihood of incomplete recovery; and (iv) schizophrenia satisfies criteria for a valid diagnostic entity better than almost any other psychiatric diagnosis.Discussion.On the other hand, the concept of schizophrenia has serious shortcomings. First, it is not a single disease entity – it has multiple etiological factors and pathophysiological mechanisms but common phenotypic features. Second, its clinical manifestations are so diverse that its extreme variability has been considered by some to be a core feature. Third, its boundaries remain ill defined and not clearly demarcated from other clinical entities.Conclusions.A necessary next step is to deconstruct schizophrenia as an entity into component dimensions –endophenotypes linked to unique etiological and pathophysiological processes that may yield unique treatment targets. Innovative approaches are needed to elucidate the biological substrates of these entities because such clarity is vital for replicable research. We conclude by identifying the critical gaps in our knowledge, and unmet needs in our approaches to care, and outline steps that can move the field forward.
Copper induced peroxidase, CCPP form Caribbean copper plant
Authors: Kumar Reetesh 
Published: September 2011

AbstractPlant peroxidase exhibit broad substrate specificity and is active in a wide range of pH and temperature, and in the presence of organic compounds as well as other additives. The peroxidase is known to be involved in many physiological and regulatory processes in plants. This ppt presents an introduction on plant peroxidase and their applications. A purification protocol has been developed and the purified protein, named as CCPP is biochemically and physiologically characterized. The physiochemical properties such as molecular weight, isoelectric point have been experimentally determined. The enzymatic efficiency has been evaluated through temperature optimum, pH optimum, Km and other enzymatic properties along with spectroscopic parameters like circular dichorism and fluorescence have been mentioned. The enzyme is stable under adverse conditions like pH, strong denaturants, temperature, and organic solvents which facilitate exploring the possibilities of utilization in industrial and biotechnological applications.
Influence of Long-term Statin use in Type 2 Diabetic Patients on Thyroid Nodularity in Iodine-sufficient Area
Authors: Chon M. , Suk J. , Oh K. , Kim K. , Kim Y. , Lee H. , Kim S. , Cho K. , Kim M. , Kim T. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractStatins have marked beneficial effects on lipid profile, but also have pleiotropic actions. A previous study in an iodine-deficient area suggested that statin use is associated with reduced thyroid volume and nodularity. We performed this study to investigate how long-term statin use in type 2 diabetic patients affects thyroid nodularity in iodine-sufficient area.We recruited euthyroid type 2 diabetic patients, receiving statin therapy continuously for at least 5 years (statin group) and, age and sex matched statin-naive type 2 diabetic patients (control group). Subjects with past history of cancer, thyroid disease or treatment with lithium or amiodarone; family history of thyroid cancer; palpable goiter or thyroid nodule, and/or positive thyroperoxidase antibody were excluded. The prevalence, number, and volume of thyroid nodules, size of thyroid were evaluated in all subjects by high resolution ultrasound.Prevalence of non-palpable thyroid nodules of statin group (n=70) and control group (n=98) were 51 and 53% , respectively. There was no difference of prevalence, number, and volume of non-palpable thyroid nodules and size of thyroid between statin and control group. But, the patients aged between 60 and 65 years from statin group showed lower prevalence of non-palpable thyroid nodules than the patients with same age interval from control group (4 out of 12 patients, 33% , statin group; 19 out of 27 patients, 70% , control group; P=0.04).Long-term statin use in elderly type 2 diabetic patients was associated with lesser prevalence of thyroid nodules in an iodine-sufficient area. Our data might support a possible antiproliferative effect of statins on thyroid in old type 2 diabetic patients. But, the effect was not as strong as that in an iodine-deficient area and further studies with enough numbers of subjects and revised design will be needed.
Circulating Obestatin Concentration is Lowered by Insulin in Rats
Authors: Huang J. , Zhang Y. , Yu S. , Gan X. , Su Y , Yuan J. , An R. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractCirculating obestatin is lowered by food intake, but factors involved in obestatin regulation remain unclear. The aim of this study was to determine whether intravenous glucose or insulin infusion lowers obestatin. Rats were infused over 3 h with either A. saline (controls); B. dextrose to steady state blood glucose ~16.7 mM, or C. insulin 7.5 mU/kg.min, plus dextrose as needed to clamp to euglycemic basal concentrations. During 3 h of infusion, group B had significantly greater (P<0.01) glucose, 18.75±1.27 mM, than groups A (6.10±0.33 mM) or C (6.19±0.18 mM). Groups B and C had hyperinsulinemia at the end of the 3 h infusion (1.02±0.03 ng/ml, 1.07±0.02 ng/ml) compared with saline-infused (0.38±0.01 ng/ml, P<0.01). Obestatin concentrations were significantly reduced (P<0.01) in both hyperinsulinemic groups and (B=0.95±0.06 ng/ml; C=0.87±0.04 ng/ml) versus controls (1.56±0.13 ng/ml). These data suggest that insulin can decrease the plasma obestatin levels.
Lifestyle and Genetics in Obesity and type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Temelkova-Kurktschiev T. , Stefanov T. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractObesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus are multifactorial health threats caused by a complex interplay between genetic predisposition and the environment with dramatically increasing worldwide prevalence. The role of heritability in their etiology is well recognized, however, the numerous attempts made in order certain genetic variants determining individual susceptibility to be identified have had limited success, until recently. At present the advancements in human genetics and the utilization of the genome-wide association approach have led to the identification of over 20 genetic loci associated with, respectively obesity and type 2 diabetes. Most of the genes identified to date, however, have modest effect on disease risk suggesting that both diseases are unlikely to develop without the individual being exposed to obesity- and/or type 2 diabetes-promoting environment. Indeed, unhealthy lifestyle, characterized by physical inactivity and food overconsumption is an unequivocally established risk factor for obesity and type 2 diabetes. Numerous epidemiological studies and randomized controlled trials, on the other hand, have demonstrated that lifestyle modification is effective in obesity and type 2 diabetes prevention. Furthermore, gene-lifestyle interaction studies suggest that genetic susceptibility to obesity and type 2 diabetes may be partially or totally kept under control by healthy lifestyle or lifestyle modification and that lifestyle determines whether an individual is likely to develop the disease. Inherited factors, however, seem to influence individual response to a lifestyle intervention program and even the motivation for lifestyle change. Personalized interventions according to genotype may be, therefore, considered in the future. By then lifestyle modification targeting dietary change and increased physical activity may be recommended for successful obesity and type 2 diabetes prevention irrespectively of genetic susceptibility.
The Association of Cigarette Smoking with Serum TSH Concentration and Thyroperoxidase Antibody
Authors: Mehran L. , Amouzgar A. , Delshad H. , Azizi F. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractAlthough several studies have found an association between tobacco smoking and thyroid disorders such as Graves’ disease, Graves’ ophtalmopathy, goiter and thyroid multi nodularity, the effect of smoking on thyroid function is controversial.The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between smoking and serum TSH concentration and the presence of thyroperoxidase antibody (TPO Ab) in Tehranian adults.In this cross sectional community based survey, 1 581 randomly selected subjects with no history of thyroid disorders were studied within the framework of Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. Serum TSH and TPOAb were measured in a fasting serum sample. Weight and height were measured and BMI was calculated. Smokers were classified into ever and never smokers based on the declaration of participants.Mean Ln TSH values in the ever smoker (0.36±0.82) was significantly lower than the never smoker (0.6±0.82) group (p<0.001) even after adjustment for age and BMI. The odds ratio for hypothyroidism (TSH>5.8) was 0.4 in the ever smoker group compared to the never one (odds ratio 0.4, 95% CI=0.2–0.8). The frequency of positive TPOAb in never smokers was significantly higher than ever smokers (%13.5 vs. % 6.7, p<0.001).The results suggest that smoking is associated with decreased serum TSH concentrations, lower risk of hypothyroidism and possibly with a lower frequency of thyroid auto immunity.
Relative risk regression: reliable and flexible methods for log-binomial models
Authors: Marschner Ian C. , Gillett Alexandra C. 
Published: September 2011

Abstract
Relative risks (RRs) are generally considered preferable to odds ratios in prospective studies. However, unlike logistic regression for odds ratios, the standard log-binomial model for RR regression does not respect the natural parameter constraints and is therefore often subject to numerical instability. In this paper, we develop a reliable and flexible method for fitting log-binomial models. We use an Expectation–Maximization (EM) algorithm where the multiplicative event probability is viewed as the joint probability for a collection of latent binary outcomes. This gives a simple iterative scheme that provides stable convergence to the maximum likelihood estimate. In addition to reliability, the method offers some flexible generalizations, including models with unspecified isotonic regression functions. We examine the method's performance using simulations and data analyses of the age-specific RR of mortality following heart attack. These analyses demonstrate the potential for numerical instability in RR regression and show how this can be overcome using the proposed approach. Source code to implement the method in R is provided as supplementary material available at Biostatistics online.
Cell Fate in the Arabidopsis Root Epidermis Is Determined by Competition between WEREWOLF and CAPRICE
Authors: Song Sang-Kee , Ryu Kook Hui , Kang Yeon Hee , Song Jae Hyo , Cho Young-Hee , Yoo Sang-Dong , Schiefelbein John , Lee Myeong Min 
Published: September 2011

AbstractThe root hair and nonhair cells in the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) root epidermis are specified by a suite of transcriptional regulators. Two of these are WEREWOLF (WER) and CAPRICE (CPC), which encode MYB transcription factors that are required for promoting the nonhair cell fate and the hair cell fate, respectively. However, the precise function and relationship between these transcriptional regulators have not been fully defined experimentally. Here, we examine these issues by misexpressing the WER gene using the GAL4-upstream activation sequence transactivation system. We find that WER overexpression in the Arabidopsis root tip is sufficient to cause epidermal cells to adopt the nonhair cell fate through direct induction of GLABRA2 (GL2) gene expression. We also show that GLABRA3 (GL3) and ENHANCER OF GLABRA3 (EGL3), two closely related bHLH proteins, are required for the action of the overexpressed WER and that WER interacts with these bHLHs in plant cells. Furthermore, we find that CPC suppresses the WER overexpression phenotype quantitatively. These results show that WER acts together with GL3/EGL3 to induce GL2 expression and that WER and CPC compete with one another to define cell fates in the Arabidopsis root epidermis.