bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Counting on the Unexpected: Aimé Civiale's Mountain Photography
Authors: von Brevern Jan 
Published: July 2009

ArgumentAimé Civiale's attempt at a complete photographic coverage of the High Alps seems to be a peculiar project at first sight. Carried out between 1859 and 1868, this was the earliest systematic attempt to introduce photography as a medium for studying the earth sciences. But as precise and determined as Civiale's approach appears, it was still quite unclear at the time how exactly photography could be useful in geology. This paper asks where the great confidence in the new medium in regard to mountain representations came from. The answer is not an easy one, as sources on Civiale's project are scarce. To make things even more difficult, the confidence in photography in the earth sciences during that time seems to have been based more on hope than on actual results. It is difficult to extract hope from written sources, let alone from images. I argue that this confidence was not so much based on photography's classic attributes of exactness or objectivity, but on its promise to produce unexpected results. Therefore this argument will inevitably have speculative elements. Thus, this paper can also be understood as an attempt to deal with a specific historiographical problem that regularly occurs when writing about images.
Lessons from Nigeria: the role of roads in the geo-temporal progression of avian influenza (H5N1) virus
Authors: RIVAS A. L. , CHOWELL G. , SCHWAGER S. J. , FASINA F. O. , HOOGESTEIJN A. L. , SMITH S. D. , BISSCHOP S. P. R. , ANDERSON K. L. , HYMAN J. M. 
Published: August 2009

SUMMARYThe daily progression of the 2006 (January–June) Nigerian avian influenza (AI H5N1) epidemic was assessed in relation to both spatial variables and the generation interval of the invading virus. Proximity to the highway network appeared to promote epidemic dispersal: from the first AI generation interval onwards >20% of all cases were located at <5 km from the nearest major road. Fifty-seven per cent of all cases were located ⩽31 km from three highway intersections. Findings suggest that the spatial features of emerging infections could be key in their control. When the spatial location of a transmission factor is well known, such as that of the highway network, and a substantial percentage of cases (e.g. >20%) are near that factor, early interventions focusing on transmission factors, such as road blocks that prevent poultry trade, may be more efficacious than interventions applied only to the susceptible population.
The prognostic significance of heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction: a literature‐based meta‐analysis
Authors: Somaratne Jithendra B. , Berry Colin , McMurray John J.V. , Poppe Katrina K. , Doughty Robert N. , Whalley Gillian A. 
Published: August 2009

AimsHeart failure (HF) with normal or preserved left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (HFPEF) has been reported to be associated with similar outcome as HF with reduced EF (HFREF) in registry‐based and epidemiological analyses, but many of these studies excluded patients who did not have EF measurements. Conversely, prior prospective studies have reported better outcome for patients with HFPEF. We performed a meta‐analysis of prospective observational studies comparing all‐cause mortality in patients with HFREF and HFPEF.Methods and resultsWe searched several online databases for studies comparing outcome in HFREF and HFPEF, published before 2007. Inclusion criteria: prospective, clinical HF, near complete EF data, and mortality outcome. Review Manager version 4.2.3 software was used for the analysis. Overall, 24 501 patients [9299 deaths (38%)] from 17 studies are included. Average follow‐up was 47 months; the HFPEF group was older (69 vs. 66 years) and more likely to be female (44% vs. 26%). Of the 7688 patients with HFPEF 2468 died (32.1%), compared with 6831 of the 16 813 patients with HFREF (40.6%): odds ratio 0.51 (95% CI: 0.48, 0.55).ConclusionThis literature‐based meta‐analysis demonstrates that mortality among patients with HFPEF was half that observed in those with HFREF, in contrast to previous reports suggesting that mortality may be similar between both groups.
Mechanical strain enhances survivability of collagen micronetworks in the presence of collagenase: implications for load-bearing matrix growth and stability
Authors: Bhole Amit P. , Flynn Brendan P. , Liles Melody , Saeidi Nima , Dimarzio Charles A. , Ruberti Jeffrey W. 
Published: August 2009

There has been great interest in understanding the methods by which collagen-based load-bearing tissue is constructed, grown and maintained in vertebrate animals. To date, the responsibility for this process has largely been placed with mesenchymal fibroblastic cells that are thought to fully control the morphology of load-bearing extracellular matrix (ECM). However, given clear limitations in the ability of fibroblastic cells to precisely place or remove single collagen molecules to sculpt tissue, we have hypothesized that the material itself must play a critical role in the determination of the form of structural ECM. We here demonstrate directly, using live, dynamic, differential interference contrast imaging, that mechanically strained networks of collagen fibrils, exposed to collagenase (
Clostridium histolyticum
), degrade preferentially. Specifically, unstrained fibrils are removed ‘quickly’, while strained fibrils persist significantly longer. The demonstration supports the idea that collagen networks are mechanosensitive in that they are stabilized by mechanical strain. Thus, collagen molecules (together with their complement enzymes) may comprise the basis of a smart, load-adaptive, structural material system. This concept has the potential to drastically simplify the assumed role of the fibroblast, which would need only to provide ECM molecules and mechanical force to sculpt collagenous tissue.
Development of the Assistance to Participate Scale (APS) for children's play and leisure activities
Authors: Bourke‐Taylor H. , Law M. , Howie L. , Pallant J. F. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractAim This paper describes the development and psychometric evaluation of the Assistance to Participate Scale (APS). The APS measures the assistance that a school‐aged child with a disability requires to participate in play and leisure activities from the primary carer's perspective.Method Mixed methodology using an instrument design model was used to complete two studies. First, a qualitative research design was used to generate items and scoring criteria for the APS. Second, a quantitative study evaluated the instrument using data collected from 152 mothers with children aged 5–18 years. Statistical analysis assessed the underlying structure, internal consistency and construct validity of the APS.Results Exploratory factor analysis revealed two correlated components, reflecting home‐based and community‐based play activities. Both subscales and the total APS scale showed good internal consistency. The APS correlated as predicted with individual domains and overall scores for other validated measures (Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory caregiver scales and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory) with correlations ranging from rho = 0.42 to rho = 0.77. The APS was able to discriminate between groups of children based on type of schooling (regular or segregated), need for equipment/assistive devices, frequency of lifting and disability.Conclusions The APS provides professionals with a brief psychometrically sound tool that measures the amount of caregiver assistance provided to a child with a disability to participate in play and recreation. The APS may be used as an outcome measure and to evaluate and predict the amount and type of additional assistance families need to facilitate their child's participation in an important aspect of the child's daily life and development: play and recreation.
Identifying predators clarifies predictors of nest success in a temperate passerine
Authors: Benson Thomas J. , Brown Jeremy D. , Bednarz James C. 
Published: July 2009

Summary 1. Nest predation negatively affects most avian populations. Studies of nest predation usually group all nest failures when attempting to determine temporal and parental activities, habitat or landscape predictors of success. Often these studies find few significant predictors and interpret patterns as essentially random. 2. Relatively little is known about the importance of individual predator species or groups on observed patterns of nest success, and how the ecology of these predators may influence patterns of success and failure. 3. In 2006 and 2007, time‐lapse, infrared video systems were deployed at nests of Swainson’s warblers (Limnothlypis swainsonii Audubon) in east‐central Arkansas to identify dominant nest predators and determine whether factors predicting predation differed among these predators. 4. Analysis of pooled data yielded few predictors of predation risk, whereas separate analyses for the three major predator groups revealed clear, but often conflicting, patterns. 5. Predation by ratsnakes (Elaphe obsoleta) and raptors was more common during the nestling period, whereas predation by brown‐headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) occurred more during incubation. Additionally, the risk of predation by raptors and cowbirds decreased throughout the breeding season, whereas ratsnake predation risk increased. 6. Contrary to expectations, predation by ratsnakes and cowbirds was more common far from edges, whereas raptor predation was more common close to agricultural edges. 7. Collectively, our results suggest that associating specific predators with the nests they prey on is necessary to understand underlying mechanisms.
Abiotic and biotic drivers of seedling survival in a hurricane‐impacted tropical forest
Authors: Comita Liza S. , Uriarte Maria , Thompson Jill , Jonckheere Inge , Canham Charles D. , Zimmerman Jess K. 
Published: August 2009

Summary1. Many forests experience periodic, large‐scale disturbances, such as hurricanes and cyclones, which open the forest canopy, causing dramatic changes in understorey light conditions and seedling densities. Thus, in hurricane‐impacted forests, large variations in abiotic and biotic conditions likely shape seedling dynamics, which in turn will contribute to patterns of forest recovery.2. We monitored 13 836 seedlings of 82 tree and shrub species over 10 years following Hurricane Georges in 1998 in a subtropical, montane forest in Puerto Rico. We quantified changes in the biotic and abiotic environment of the understorey and linked seedling dynamics to changes in canopy openness and seedling density, and to spatial variation in soil type, topography and tree density.3. Canopy openness was highest when first measured after Hurricane Georges and dropped significantly withinc.3 years, while seedling densities remained high forc.5 years post‐hurricane. When all species and census intervals were analysed together, generalized linear mixed effects models revealed that canopy openness, seedling and adult tree densities were significant drivers of seedling survival.4. The relative importance of abiotic and biotic factors changed over time. Separate analyses for each census interval revealed that canopy openness was a significant predictor of survival only for the first census interval, with lower survival at the highest levels of canopy openness. The effect of conspecific seedling density was significant in all intervals except the first, and soil type only in the final census interval.5. When grouping species into life‐history guilds based on adult tree susceptibility to hurricane damage, we found clear differences among guilds in the effects of biotic and abiotic factors on seedling survival. Seedlings of hurricane‐susceptible and intermediate guilds were more strongly influenced by canopy openness, while seedlings of the hurricane‐resistant group were less affected by conspecific seedling density. Individual species‐level analyses for 12 common species, however, showed considerable variation among species within guilds.6. Synthesis. Our results suggest that hurricanes shape species composition by altering understorey conditions that differentially influence the success of seedlings. Thus, predicted increases in the intensity and frequency of hurricanes in the Caribbean will likely alter seedling dynamics and ultimately the species composition in hurricane‐impacted forests.
Changes in insulin and lipid metabolism in males with asymptomatic hyperuricaemia
Authors: ZAVARONI I. , MAZZA S. , FANTUZZI M. , DALL'AGLIO E. , BONORA E. , DELSIGNORE R. , PASSERI M. , REAVEN G. M. 
Published: August 2009

Abstract.Objectives. To define the effect of asymptomatic hyperuricaemia on various facets of glucose, insulin, and lipoprotein metabolism.Design. Case control study in health volunteers.Setting. The volunteers for this study were selected on the basis of their laboratory results from a larger population participating in a general survey in one large factory.Subjects. The study population consisted of 40 healthy males: 20 with asymptomatic hyperuricaemia (serum uric acid concentration equal to or greater than 420 mmol l−1) and 20 with normal serum uric acid concentrations (180–320 mmol l−1). The two groups were similar in terms of age, general obesity (estimated by body mass index), smoking and alcohol intake, and estimate of work and leisure time activity.Interventions. All subjects received a 75 g oral glucose challenge, with blood taken before and at frequent intervals thereafter.Main outcome measures. Fasting plasma glucose, insulin, and lipid concentrations and plasma glucose and insulin responses to the oral glucose challenge.Results. By selection, mean (±sem) serum uric acid concentration was higher in the hyperuricaemic individuals (454 ± 7 vs. 274 ± 12 mmol l−1). In addition, the plasma insulin response to oral glucose was increased in individuals with asymptomatic hyperuricaemia (P< 0.005) as were both systolic (136 ± 3 vs. 126 ± 3 mmHg,P< 0.05) and diastolic (91 ± 1 vs. 82 ± 1,P< 0.01) blood pressure. Furthermore, subjects with asymptomatic hyperuricaemia were dyslipidaemic (higher plasma TG and cholesterol and lower HDL‐cholesterol concentrations) as compared to the normouricaemic control group (P< 0.07–0.005).Conclusions. These results provide a possible explanation for the well‐known association of hyperuricaemia with coronary heart disease, as well as suggesting that hyperuricaemia be added to the cluster of metabolic and haemodynamic abnormalities associated with insulin resistance and/or hyperinsulinaemia and designated as Syndrome X.
Treatment of primary hypercholesterolaemia. Short‐term efficacy and safety of increasing doses of simvastatin and pravastatin: a double‐blind comparative study
Authors: STALENHOEF A. F. H. , LANSBERG P. J. , KROON A. A. , KORTMANN B. , DE HAAN A. F. J. , STUYT P. M. J. , KASTELEIN J. J. P. 
Published: August 2009

Abstract. Objectives. To compare the efficacy and safety of increasing doses (0, 10, 20 and 40 mg day−1, each dose for 6 weeks) of the inhibitors of 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, simvastatin and pravastatin, in the treatment of primary hypercholesterolaemia.Design. Randomized, double‐blind study with two parallel groups.Setting. Two specialist lipid clinics in the Netherlands.Subjects. Forty‐eight patients aged 25–66 years with primary hypercholesterolaemia (mean serum cholesterol 10.2 mmol−1).Main outcome measures. Total serum cholesterol, triglycerides, lipoproteins, apolipoproteins A‐I and B, laboratory safety parameters and sleep questionnaires.Results. Both drugs induced a dose‐dependent reduction in the mean total and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration (P < 0.001); low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased from 32 to 43% by simvastatin and from 23 to 33% by pravastatin. There was an overall difference in the mean relative change from baseline in favour of simvastatin (total cholesterol, P < 0.01; LDL cholesterol P < 0.001). Both drugs reduced serum triglycerides by 10–15%. The changes in apolipoprotein B and the differences in efficacy between the two drugs paralleled those of total and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. Adverse experiences were mild and did not differ between treatment groups; in each group, one subject discontinued medication because of complaints of dizziness. Sleep questionnaires revealed different degrees of sleep problems, unaffected by active treatment. Conclusions. Simvastatin appeared to be more potent than pravastatin in lowering total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein B, whereas both drugs had the same short‐term safety profile.
Efficacy of subcutaneous sumatriptan in the acute treatment of early‐morning migraine: a placebo‐controlled trial
Authors: BOUSSER M. G. , D'ALLENS H. , RICHARD A. ,   Early‐Morning Migraine Sumatriptan Study Group
Published: August 2009

Abstract. Objectives. To evaluate the efficacy of self‐administered subcutaneous sumatriptan in the acute treatment of early‐morning migraine attacks.Design. A double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled, cross‐over study.Setting. Thirteen neurology centres in France.Subjects. Patients of either sex, 18–65 years old, with two to six attacks of migraine (according to the International Headache Society (IHS) criteria, with or without aura) per month, of which at least two had to be early‐morning migraine attacks. One‐hundred‐and‐one patients were included, 96 being evaluable for the first attack and 81 for the cross‐over design.Interventions. Two migraine attacks (grade 2/3) were treated with sumatriptan (6 mg) or placebo, with an optional second injection 1–24 h later.Main outcome measures. The primary end‐point was headache relief: reduction in headache severity from grade 2/3 (moderate/severe) to grade 1/0 (mild/none) 2 h after treatment.Results. Sumatriptan was superior to placebo for headache relief (32 [78%] vs. 11 [28%] at the first attack; 29 [73%] vs. 8 [20%] at the second; P < 0.001). Because of a significant carry‐over effect for some of the secondary end‐points, a parallel‐group analysis of the first attack was performed, which confirmed a significantly higher efficacy of sumatriptan for all end‐points: pain‐free rate (22 [46%] vs. 7 [15%]; P = 0.001) and use of a second injection (26 [53%] vs. 38 [81%]; P = 0.004). Sumatriptan was preferred by 74% of patients vs. 17% for placebo, and 9% expressed no preference (P < 0.0001). After complete relief, headache reappeared in 8/23 (35%) patients with sumatriptan and 3/7 (43%) with placebo. Adverse events were significantly more frequent with sumatriptan but they were minor and transient.Conclusion. Subcutaneous sumatriptan auto‐injection is an effective and well‐tolerated acute treatment of early‐morning migraine attacks allowing earlier return to normal activity.
Lipoprotein abnormalities in hypertriglyceridaemic patients on long‐term haemodialysis
Authors: ZAMBON S. , ZAMBON A. , STABELLINI N. , TARRONI G. , GILLI P. , CREPALDI G. , MANZATO E. 
Published: August 2009

Abstract. Objectives. To analyse by ultracentrifugation in a zonal rotor the plasma lipoproteins in hypertriglyceridaemic patients on long‐term haemodialysis.Design. Case‐control study.Setting. Tertiary referred care centre.Subjects. Ten consecutive hypertriglyceridaemic patients on haemodialysis and 12 consecutive healthy controls.Main outcome measures. Plasma lipid and lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, lipoprotein physical properties and compositions, apolipoprotein concentrations.Results. Hypertriglyceridaemia in patients undergoing haemodialysis is characterized by an increased amount of small and slow floating very‐low density lipoproteins (VLDL), higher concentrations of intermediate density lipoproteins (IDL) and small and dense low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) particles; reduced levels of high‐density lipoproteins (HDL), in particular of HDL2. The lipoprotein composition of such patients indicates reduced cholesterol ester and increased triglyceride content. Compared to controls, they have lower levels of plasma apolipoprotein A‐I and A‐II and higher B, C‐II, C‐III and E values.Conclusions. The lipoprotein abnormalities observed in hypertriglyceridaemic patients undergoing haemodialysis have recently been associated with an increased incidence of vascular complications and may in part explain the high incidence of vascular disease reported in these subjects.
Decreased serum levels of insulin‐like growth factors and IGF binding protein 3 in osteoporosis
Authors: WÜSTER C. , BLUM W. F. , SCHLEMILCH S. , RANKE M. B. , ZIEGLER R. 
Published: August 2009

Abstract. Objectives. The aim of the study was to investigate endogenous growth hormone (GH) secretion in patients with osteoporosis and in patients with degenerative bone diseases or no spinal disease by measuring serum insulin‐like growth factors 1 and 2 (IGFs) and their major binding protein 3 (BP‐3) as an indirect parameter of GH secretion.Design. A cross‐sectional study.Setting. All patients were seen as out‐patients of the Endocrinology Department of the University of Heidelberg where all bone parameters were measured. IGFs and BP‐3 serum levels were measured at the Children's Hospital of the University of Tübingen.Subjects. A total number of 310 patients were studied. The group with primary osteoporosis and vertebral fractures (OPO) consisted of 141 patients (98 females, 43 males). Spinal degenerative bone disease or osteoarthritis (DEG) was present in 108 patients (91 females, 17 males). Sixty‐one control patients (56 females, 5 males) had no spinal disease on X‐ray, but presented with lower back pain.Main outcome measures. Serum levels of IGFs, BP‐3, PTH and 25‐vitamin D3 were measured by radioimmunoassay. Bone mineral density (BMD) was determined using absorptiometry; anthropometric parameters and menopausal status were recorded.Results. There was no difference in age and years after menopause between OPO and DEG, but control individuals were younger. Mean IGFs and BP‐3 serum levels in patients with OPO were lower (P < 0.001) than those in patients with DEG or in controls. Patients with DEG had significantly higher BP‐3 levels than controls (P < 0.001). There was a significant (P < 0.05) negative correlation of BP‐3 with age in females with OPO, but not in controls or in DEG patients. The IGFs did not decrease with age in any of the three groups. Binding protein 3 was positively correlated (P < 0.05) with BMD in postmenopausal women with OPO but not in controls or DEG patients.Conclusion. We conclude that systemic IGFs and IGF binding protein 3 are decreased in patients with osteoporosis. Further studies are needed to investigate whether this is as a result of diminished secretion of endogenous GH and whether this reflects the local circumstances of IGFs and IGF binding proteins in bone.