bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The development of self-efficacy and outcome expectation measures regarding glycaemic load and the nutritional management of type 2 diabetes
Authors: Miller Carla K , Gutschall Melissa Davis , Lawrence Frank 
Published: March 2007

AbstractObjectiveTraditionally, carbohydrate has been the largest contributor to energy intake among people with diabetes, yet different carbohydrate foods produce different glycaemic responses. Glycaemic load represents the total glycaemic effect of the diet and influences glycaemic control. Adequate self-efficacy and outcome expectations are needed to change carbohydrate intake and to evaluate relevant interventions. The purpose of this research was to develop and test instruments regarding self-efficacy and outcome expectations for the adoption of a lower glycaemic load diet.DesignParticipants completed each instrument at their convenience and mailed the instruments to the investigators.Setting/subjectsA community sample of individuals 21–75 years of age with type 2 diabetes for ≥ 1 year (n = 108) was recruited.ResultsPrincipal components analysis revealed three factors on the self-efficacy questionnaire: glycaemic index, negative food selection and self-regulation efficacy which accounted for 62% of the variance in these items. The outcome expectations instrument yielded three factors: barriers to dietary change and glycaemic control, and family support expectations which accounted for 48% of the variance. Coefficient α for each construct was >0.70 and coefficientHfor each construct was ≥ 0.80.ConclusionsThe two instruments developed for this study can provide important insights about the self-efficacy and outcome expectations regarding the quantity and quality of carbohydrate consumed and self-monitoring performed for diabetes management. Future research is needed to evaluate the relationship among these constructs, dietary intake and glycaemic control.
Television food advertising to children: the extent and nature of exposure
Authors: Kelly Bridget , Smith Ben , King Lesley , Flood Victoria , Bauman Adrian 
Published: March 2007

AbstractObjectiveTo describe the pattern and prevalence of food and drink advertisements to children on commercial television in Sydney, Australia, and compare these with advertising regulations set out in the Children's Television Standards and results from a similar study in 2002.DesignData were collected by recording television from 06.00 hours until 23.00 hours on all three commercial channels from Sunday 14 May 2006 to Saturday 20 May 2006 (357 h). The study analysed advertisements in two children's viewing periods, one as defined in the 2002 study and the other according to current standards. Food advertisements were coded using 18 food categories and were analysed by time period and popular children's programmes.ResultsFood advertisements occurred in similar proportions during children's viewing hours and adult's viewing hours (25.5 vs. 26.9% of all advertisements, respectively), although there was a higher rate of high-fat/high-sugar food advertisements during children's viewing hours (49 vs. 39% of all food advertisements,P < 0.001). There were even more advertisements for high-fat/high-sugar foods during popular children's programmes, contributing to 65.9% of all food advertisements. Estimates of exposure indicate that children aged 5–12 years were exposed to 96 food advertisements, including 63 high-fat/high-sugar advertisements per week. Since 2002, there has been a reduction in overall food and high-fat/high-sugar food advertisements.ConclusionDespite reductions in overall levels of food advertising, children continue to experience high levels of exposure to food advertisements, which remain skewed towards unhealthy foods. Further food advertising regulation should be required to curtail the current levels of advertising of high-fat/high-sugar foods to children, to make them commensurate with recommended levels of consumption.
Farm woodlots in northern New England, USA: Characteristics, management, and contributions to the whole farm system
Authors: Egan A.F. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractFarms and forests dominate the rural landscape of the northern New England states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, among the most heavily forested states in the US. However, we know little about the stewardship of farm woodlots and their contributions to the whole farm system, despite region-wide increases in farm forest acreage. Using a mail survey, this study found that almost half of respondents had a written management plan for their forestland, most of which had been written by a forester, and approximately three-quarters took an active role in the management of their woodlots. Farm woodlot harvesting and management contributed over 7% of total farm income. Variables such as respondent's state of residence, age, education and type of farm were investigated in order to better understand farmers’ forest stewardship behavior. Implications for effective outreach to farm forest owners are offered.
Methyl succinate antagonises biguanide‐induced AMPK‐activation and death of pancreatic β‐cells through restoration of mitochondrial electron transfer
Authors: Hinke S A , Martens G A , Cai Y , Finsi J , Heimberg H , Pipeleers D , Van de Casteele M 
Published: March 2007

Background and purpose:Two mechanisms have been proposed to explain the insulin‐sensitising properties of metformin in peripheral tissues: (a) inhibition of electron transport chain complex I, and (b) activation of the AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK). However the relationship between these mechanisms and their contribution to β‐cell death and dysfunction in vitro, are currently unclear.Experimental approach:The effects of biguanides (metformin and phenformin) were tested on MIN6 β‐cells and primary FACS‐purified rat β‐cells. Cell metabolism was assessed biochemically and by FACS analysis, and correlated with AMPK phosphorylation state and cell viability, with or without fuel substrates.Key results:In MIN6 cells, metformin reduced mitochondrial complex I activity by up to 44% and a 25% net reduction in mitochondrial reducing potential. In rat β‐cells, metformin caused NAD(P)H accumulation above maximal glucose‐inducible levels, mimicking the effect of rotenone. Drug exposure caused phosphorylation of AMPK on Thr172 in MIN6 cell extracts, indicative of kinase activation. Methyl succinate, a complex II substrate, appeared to bypass metformin blockade of complex I. This resulted in reduced phosphorylation of AMPK, establishing a link between biguanide‐induced mitochondrial inhibition and AMPK activation. Corresponding assessment of cell death indicated that methyl succinate decreased biguanide toxicity to β‐cells in vitro.Conclusions and implications:AMPK activation can partly be attributed to metformin's inhibitory action on mitochondrial complex I. Anaplerotic fuel metabolism via complex II rescued β‐cells from metformin‐associated toxicity. We propose that utilisation of anaplerotic nutrients may reconcile in vitro and in vivo effects of metformin on the pancreatic β‐cell.British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 150, 1031–1043. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707189
Children's and parents' perspectives on open‐label use of placebos in the treatment of ADHD
Authors: Sandler A. , Glesne C. , Geller G. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractBackground  The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy and acceptability of an open‐label conditioned placebo dose reduction (CPDR) treatment in 70 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This paper focuses on the qualitative data from the study.Methods  Following a double‐blind, crossover dose finding procedure to determine each subject's optimal dose of stimulant medication, subjects were randomized to the CPDR treatment or one of two control groups. Outcome measures included parent and teacher ratings of ADHD behaviours and stimulant side effects. Qualitative assessments were based on open‐ended interviews of children and parents. Positive responders to CPDR and controls were followed for 3 months to assess persistence of treatment benefits.Results  Children randomized to CPDR showed an excellent treatment response, well maintained over time. Parents and children were generally accepting of the treatment. Most parents reported treatment benefits and 80% of the children found the placebo to be useful. Full disclosure of the placebo to parents and children did not appear to negate the placebo's effectiveness. Participation effects and changes in caregiver behaviour may have contributed to positive treatment outcomes.Conclusions  Open‐label use of placebos as part of CPDR treatment may represent an innovative, ethical way of harnessing the power of placebos in clinical therapeutics.
Identifying Direct and Indirect Effects in a Non-Counterfactual Framework
Authors: Geneletti Sara 
Published: March 2007

SummaryIdentifying direct and indirect effects is a common problem in the social science and medical literature and can be described as follows. A treatment is administered and a response is recorded. However, another variable mediates the effect of the treatment on the response, in some way channelling a part of the treatment effect. The question is how to extricate the direct and channelled (indirect) effects from one another when it is not possible to intervene on the mediating variable. The aim of the paper is to tackle this problem by using a model for direct and indirect effects based on the decision theoretic framework for causal inference.
Inhibition of amyloid β‐peptide production by blockage of β‐secretase cleavage site of amyloid precursor protein
Authors: Na Chan Hyun , Jeon Sang Hee , Zhang Guangtao , Olson Gary L. , Chae Chi‐Bom 
Published: March 2007

AbstractAmyloid β‐peptide (Aβ) is implicated as the major causative agent in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Aβ is produced by the processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) by BACE1 (β‐secretase) and γ‐secretase. Many inhibitors have been developed for the secretases. However, the inhibitors will interfere with the processing of not only APP but also of other secretase substrates. In this study, we describe the development of inhibitors that prevent production of Aβ by specific binding to the β‐cleavage site of APP. We used the hydropathic complementarity (HC) approach for the design of short peptide inhibitors. Some of the HC peptides were bound to the substrate peptide (Sub W) corresponding to the β‐cleavage site of APP and blocked its cleavage by recombinant human BACE1 (rhBACE1) in vitro. In addition, HC peptides specifically inhibited the cleavage of Sub W, and not affecting other BACE1 substrates. Chemical modification allowed an HC peptide (CIQIHF) to inhibit the processing of APP as well as the production of Aβ in the treated cells. Such novel APP‐specific inhibitors will provide opportunity for the development of drugs that can be used for the prevention and treatment of AD with minimal side effects.
Prescribing in Palliative Care as Death Approaches
Authors: Currow David C. , Stevenson James P. , Abernethy Amy P. , Plummer John , Shelby‐James Tania M. 
Published: March 2007

OBJECTIVES: To determine how prescribing for comorbid illnesses and symptom control changes during the palliative phase of a terminal illness.DESIGN: This prospective cohort study explores the relative contribution to prescribing of symptom‐specific medications (SSMs) and long‐term medications for comorbid medical conditions.SETTING: Regional consultative palliative care program, Adelaide, South Australia.PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred sixty consecutive patients, 96% of whom had cancer, who enrolled and subsequently died in a larger randomized trial exploring palliative service delivery.MEASUREMENTS: Medication and performance data were collected monthly from referral until death (mean 107 days, median 93 days, standard deviation (SD) 103 days, range 11–752 days). Prespecified subgroup analyses of age, performance status, and the baseline use of medications for comorbid medical conditions were performed.RESULTS: At baseline, the mean total number of medications±SD was 4.9±2.8 (range 0–16), SSMs was 2.3±1.5 (range 0–7), and medications for comorbid medical conditions was 2.6±2.4 (range 0–13). As death approached, the total number of medications increased because of SSM prescribing (2.5 more medications, 95% confidence interval (CI)=2.2–2.9; P<.001) with a decrease in medications for comorbid medical conditions (1.1 fewer medications, 95% CI=0.8–1.3; P<.001). There was an increase in the number of medications meeting Beers' criteria for high‐risk inappropriate medication use for SSMs (29% to 48%). More SSMs were prescribed in people with better performance status, and older participants took more medications for comorbid medical conditions.CONCLUSION: Prescribing changes as life‐limiting illnesses progress, with older people taking more medications. Medications for comorbid medical conditions should be reviewed in the context of their original therapeutic goals.
Kenosha County Falls Prevention Study: A Randomized, Controlled Trial of an Intermediate‐Intensity, Community‐Based Multifactorial Falls Intervention
Authors: Mahoney Jane E. , Shea Terry A. , Przybelski Robert , Jaros LaVerne , Gangnon Ronald , Cech Sandy , Schwalbe Alice 
Published: March 2007

OBJECTIVES: To decrease the rate of falls in high‐risk community‐dwelling older adults.DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial.SETTING: Community‐based.PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred forty‐nine adults aged 65 and older with two falls in the previous year or one fall in the previous 2 years with injury or balance problems.INTERVENTION: Subjects received two in‐home visits from a trained nurse or physical therapist who assessed falls risk factors using an algorithm. The intervention consisted of recommendations to the subject and their primary physician, referrals to physical therapy and other providers, 11 monthly telephone calls, and a balance exercise plan. Control subjects received a home safety assessment.MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was rate of falls per year in the community. Secondary outcomes included all‐cause hospitalizations and nursing home admissions per year.RESULTS: There was no difference in rate of falls between the intervention and control groups (rate ratio (RR)=0.81, P=.27). Nursing home days were fewer in the intervention group (10.3 vs 20.5 days, P=.04). Intervention subjects with a Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of 27 or less had a lower rate of falls (RR=0.55; P=.05) and, if they lived with someone, had fewer hospitalizations (RR=0.44, P=.05), nursing home admissions (RR=0.15, P=.003), and nursing home days (7.5 vs 58.2, P=.008).CONCLUSION: This multifactorial intervention did not decrease falls in at‐risk community‐living adults but did decrease nursing home utilization. There was evidence of efficacy in the subgroup who had an MMSE score of 27 or less and lived with a caregiver, but validation is required.
Immediate alteration of Macrosiphum euphorbiae host plant‐selection behaviour after biotic and abiotic damage inflicted to potato plants
Authors: Ameline Arnaud , Couty Aude , Dugravot Sébastien , Campan Erick , Dubois Françoise , Giordanengo Philippe 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe effects of potato [Solanum tuberosum L. (Solanaceae)] plant damage on the host plant‐selection behaviour of the potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae Thomas (Homoptera: Aphididae), were studied. The damage inflicted to the plant was only of short duration and observations on aphid behaviour were made immediately following plant damage. The underlying questions of the study were to know how much time it takes for plant defence mechanisms to be activated and if this activation had noticeable repercussions on aphid behaviour. We considered stresses of various natures: biotic (pre‐infestation by conspecifics or by Colorado potato beetles) and abiotic (scissor cuts). Aphid responses to host plant semiochemicals were investigated using a darkened arena bioassay and the probing behaviour was assessed using the electrical penetration graph technique. Aphids were attracted to their host plant (undamaged or damaged). In a preference test (undamaged plant vs. damaged plant), plants previously infested by conspecifics were preferred to undamaged plants, but this preference was not observed for heterospecific and abiotic damage. However, aphid probing behaviour was not modified on plants previously infested by conspecifics, whereas some changes were observed subsequently to heterospecific and abiotic damages. Our data present evidence that plants can respond to biotic and abiotic stresses soon after the damage is inflicted and when the damage is of short duration. The diverse consequences of these various local plant responses on M. euphorbiae behaviour are discussed in the context of plant defence strategies against aphid colonization.
Romanticism and Taste
Authors: Gigante Denise 
Published: March 2007

AbstractAt the intersection of the Enlightenment concept of taste and the nineteenth‐century genre of gastronomy is the Romantic concept of gusto, in which the eye acquires a taste, or appetite, for what it sees. Romanticism may be associated with gusto, but it has hardly been recognized – at least within literary circles – as the period that saw the invention of the restaurant and a unique, comic‐philosophical genre of writing about food. Yet it was coterminous with, and in many ways emblematic of, the culture of sophistication and social positioning we associate with modern gastronomy. Just as earlier taste theorists had sought to reconcile subjective taste experience with objective forms of judgment, cultural philosophers of the post‐revolutionary era (self‐styled gastronomers) sought to base gustatory taste sensation on universal principles, and the restaurant gave physical form to the tension between private choice and shared standards that marked aesthetic taste discourse. Far from the disinterested attitude of the neoclassical art critic, the Romantic ‘Man of Taste’ called the full range of his faculties and senses into play: poets as diverse as Lord Byron and John Keats shared with essayists from Wiliam Hazlitt to Charles Lamb a predilection for this gustatory aspect of taste.
On the Recursive Sequencexn=1+∑i=1kαixn−pi/∑j=1mβjxn−qj
Authors: Stevic Stevo 
Published: March 2007

We give a complete picture regarding the behavior of positive solutions of the following important difference equation:xn=1+∑i=1kαixn−pi/∑j=1mβjxn−qj,n∈ℕ0, whereαi, i∈{1,…,k}, andβj, j∈{1,…,m}, are positive numbers such that∑i=1kαi=∑j=1mβj=1,andpi, i∈{1,…,k}, andqj, j∈{1,…,m}, are natural numbers such thatp1<p2<⋯<pkandq1<q2<⋯<qm. The case whengcd(p1,…,pk,q1,…,qm)=1is the most important. For the case we prove that if allpi, i∈{1,…,k}, are even and allqj, j∈{1,…,m}, are odd, then every positive solution of this equation converges to a periodic solution of period two, otherwise, every positive solution of the equation converges to a unique positive equilibrium.
On a Class of Composition Operators on Bergman Space
Authors: Das Namita , Lal R. P. , Mohapatra C. K. 
Published: March 2007

Let&#x1D53B;={z∈ℂ:|z|<1}be the open unit disk in the complex planeℂ. LetA2(&#x1D53B;)be the space of analytic functions on&#x1D53B;square integrable with respect to the measuredA(z)=(1/π)dx dy. Givena∈&#x1D53B;andfany measurable function on&#x1D53B;, we define the functionCafbyCaf(z)=f(ϕa(z)), whereϕa∈Aut(&#x1D53B;). The mapCais a composition operator onL2(&#x1D53B;,dA)andA2(&#x1D53B;)for alla∈&#x1D53B;. Letℒ(A2(&#x1D53B;))be the space of all bounded linear operators fromA2(&#x1D53B;)into itself. In this article, we have shown thatCaSCa=Sfor alla∈&#x1D53B;if and only if∫&#x1D53B;S˜(ϕa(z))dA(a)=S˜(z), whereS∈ℒ(A2(&#x1D53B;))andS˜is the Berezin symbol of S.
The Diagnosis and Treatment of Dangerousness
Authors: Kozol Harry L. , Boucher Richard J. , Garofalo Ralph F. 
Published: March 2007

Dangerousness in criminal offenders can be reliably diagnosed and effectively treated with a recidivism rate of 6.1 per cent. We define dangerousness as a potential for inflicting serious bodily harm on another. This is a report of a ten-year study involving 592 male convict ed offenders. Most of the crimes that brought these offenders to our notice were sex offenses. Several were compounded by ex treme violence including murder, manslaughier, assault with intent to kill, and assault with a dangerous weapon. The staff's initial diagnosis indicated that 304 of these persons were not dangerous, and they were released into the community after completing their sentences. Twenty-six (8.6 per cent) subse quently committed serious assaultive (dangerous) crimes. The courts concurred in our diagnosis of dangerous in 226 cases and committed these offenders to our special "treatment" facility for an indeterminate period of one day to life. Following treatment for an average period of forty-three months, eighty- two patients were discharged on recommendation of the clinical staff. Of these, five (6.1 per cent) subsequently committed serious assaultive crimes, including one murder. Forty-nine of the originally committed patients were released by court order against the advice of the clinical staff. Of these, seventeen (34.7 per cent) subsequently committed serious assaul tive crimes, including two murders. Criteria of dangerousness and guidelines for its prediction were elaborated. No tests or psychiatric examinations can depend ably predict a probability of dangerous behavior in the absence of an actual history of a seriously violent assault on another person. The potential for dangerous behavior is relative and covers a wide spectrum, from the mildly dangerous to the ex tremely dangerous. We postulate that those elements of the personality which cause dangerous behavior are common to all classes of assaultive behavior and that there is no basic difference between the man who kills to rape and the one who kills to rob. Treatment is primarily psychiatric. We consider claims for the efficacy of pharmacological and physiological measures to be unproven and even specious. Treatment involves individualiza tion and socialization: the identification and dissipation of an tisocial predatory elements of the personality and the mobiliza tion and reinforcement of socially conformative elements of the personality.
An Approach to Lower Cost Urethane Foams
Authors: Coglianese Fred A. 
Published: March 2007

The incorporation of certain low cost wood resins as extenders in urethane foam systems is discussed. Significant cost reductions can be realized from these systems while still maintaining those physical properties which make urethane foams unique as a low-tem perature thermal insulation. Formulation studies, processing details, and foam properties are discussed along with the present and potential value of such sys tems in expanding and stabilizing the mar kets for rigid urethane foams.
Novel Foams From Styrene-Acrylonitrile Copolymers
Authors: Ingram Alvin R. 
Published: March 2007

Styrene copolymer foams were prepared from expandable beads of various acrylo nitrile contents and the resistance of these foams to gasolines was evaluated. Minimum acrylonitrile content for resistance to pre mium gasoline was about 28.5%, whereas foams containing 18.5% acrylonitrile resisted regular grade gasolines. Conventional meth ods of preparing the high acrylonitrile-con taining foams gave unsatisfactory products, but an effective process was developed from studies of the kinetics of suspension copoly merization. Differential thermal and thermogravi metric analyses served to compare expand able 29%-acrylonitrile copolymer with ex pandable polystyrene. Although these poly mers are dissimilar in many characteristics, their copolymer foams exhibit no significant differences in physical properties.