bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prolonged‐release melatonin improves sleep quality and morning alertness in insomnia patients aged 55 years and older and has no withdrawal effects
Authors: LEMOINE PATRICK , NIR TALI , LAUDON MOSHE , ZISAPEL NAVA 
Published: November 2007

SummaryMelatonin, secreted nocturnally by the pineal gland, is an endogenous sleep regulator. Impaired melatonin production and complaints on poor quality of sleep are common among the elderly. Non‐restorative sleep (perceived poor quality of sleep) and subsequently poor daytime functioning are increasingly recognized as a leading syndrome in the diagnostic and therapeutic process of insomnia complaints. The effects of 3‐weeks prolonged‐release melatonin 2 mg (PR‐melatonin) versus placebo treatment were assessed in a multi‐center randomized placebo‐controlled study in 170 primary insomnia outpatients aged ≥55 years. Improvements in quality of sleep (QOS) the night before and morning alertness (BFW) were assessed using the Leeds Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire and changes in sleep quality (QON) reported on five categorical unit scales. Rebound insomnia and withdrawal effects following discontinuation were also evaluated. PR‐melatonin significantly improved QOS (−22.5 versus −16.5 mm, P = 0.047), QON (0.89 versus 0.46 units; P = 0.003) and BFW (−15.7 versus −6.8 mm; P = 0.002) compared with placebo. The improvements in QOS and BFW were strongly correlated (Rval = 0.77, P < 0.001) suggesting a beneficial treatment effect on the restorative value of sleep. These results were confirmed in a subgroup of patients with a greater symptom severity. There was no evidence of rebound insomnia or withdrawal effects following treatment discontinuation. The incidence of adverse events was low and most side‐effects were judged to be of minor severity. PR‐melatonin is the first drug shown to significantly improve quality of sleep and morning alertness in primary insomnia patients aged 55 years and older‐suggesting more restorative sleep, and without withdrawal symptoms upon discontinuation.
Structural equation modeling of sleep apnea, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction in children
Authors: WATERS KAREN A. , MAST BENJAMIN T. , VELLA SILVANO , DE LA EVA ROLAND , O'BRIEN LOUISE M. , BAILEY SHERRYN , TAM CHARMAINE S. , WONG MELANIE , BAUR LOUISE A. 
Published: November 2007

SummaryObstructive sleep apnea (OSA), often concomitant with obesity, increases the risk for the metabolic syndrome. One mechanism that may participate in this association is upregulation of inflammatory pathways. We used structural equation modeling to assess the interrelations between childhood obesity, OSA, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction. One hundred and eighty‐four children (127 boys, mean age: 8.5 ± 4.1years) had height and weight measured, underwent overnight polysomnography and had fasting blood taken. The blood was analyzed for insulin, glucose, lipids, leptin, and cytokines [interferon (IFN)‐γ, granulocyte macrophage–colony stimulating factor, interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐2, IL‐4, IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐10, IL‐12, tumor necrosis factor‐α]. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to evaluate associations between the outcomes of interest including hypoxia, arousal (related to respiratory and spontaneous), obesity, metabolic dysfunction, and inflammatory markers. Two cytokine factors and one metabolic factor were derived for the SEM. These factors provided good fit in the structural equation model (χ2/df = 2.855; comparative fit index = 0.90, root mean squared error of approximation = 0.10) and all factor loadings were significantly different from zero (P ≤ 0.01). Overall, our results indicate that while obesity (as measured by body mass index z‐score) has a major influence on the metabolic dysfunction associated with OSA, arousal indices, and cytokine markers may also influence this association. Our results support the hypothesis that OSA is a contributor to the mechanisms that link sleep, systemic inflammation and insulin resistance, and show that the interrelations may begin in childhood.
Post‐CPAP sleepiness – a specific syndrome?
Authors: STRADLING JOHN R. , SMITH DEBBIE , CROSBY JOY 
Published: November 2007

SummaryFollowing treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), some patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) remain sleepy despite effective CPAP and attention to other diagnoses that can provoke sleepiness. It is unclear if this residual sleepiness is an irreversible result of their previous OSA and merits consideration for pharmacological treatment or simply because of the many and varied causes of sleepiness normally found in the community. We have measured levels of sleepiness, using the Epworth Sleepiness Score (ESS), in 572 patients on CPAP and compared them with a control group of 525 subjects from a community survey, which would have included the usual lifestyle reasons for sleepiness as well as any undiagnosed sleep disorders. There was no difference in the percentage of patients with an ESS >10 in the CPAP group compared with the controls (16.1 versus 14.3, P = 0.54). Thus, although there clearly are sleepy patients within the CPAP group, the prevalence is no higher than in the community. We question whether so‐called ‘post‐CPAP sleepiness’ should be regarded as any more abnormal and worthy of treatment than a ‘normal’ population. Post‐CPAP sleepiness as a specific disorder may not exist.
When sleep is perceived as wakefulness: an experimental study on state perception during physiological sleep
Authors: WEIGAND DOREEN , MICHAEL LARS , SCHULZ HARTMUT 
Published: November 2007

SummaryWhile electrophysiologically measured sleep and perception of sleep generally concur, various studies have shown this is not always the case. The objective of the present study was to assess the perception of actual state during sleep by the technique of planned awakenings and interviewing subjects on the preawakening state. Sixty‐eight (43 females, 25 males) young (mean age: 24.1, SD 5.1 years) normal sleeping subjects were deliberately awakened out of consolidated sleep, either stage 2 (S2), or REM sleep, during the first night in a non‐clinical sleep laboratory. While the preawakening state was experienced as sleep in 48 cases (70.6%), it was experienced as wakefulness in 20 cases (29.4%). The percentage of awake judgements was somewhat, but not significantly, higher for awakenings out of S2 (38.2%), to REM sleep (20.6%). The proportion of mismatches between electrophysiologically defined sleep and state judgements was time‐dependent with more awake judgements for REM sleep in the second half of the sleep period (41.7%) than in the first one (17.4%). Those subjects who made an awake judgement more frequently had a feeling of being aware of the situation and their surroundings than those who made a sleep judgement (80% versus 33%). Awareness during sleep may be a cognitive style, which favours mismatches between state perception and electrophysiologically defined sleep. Sleep periods with concordant or discordant state judgements did not differ in electrophysiologically defined sleep onset latency, sleep efficiency, or sleep state distribution.
Association of Type D personality to perceived side effects and adherence in CPAP‐treated patients with OSAS
Authors: BROSTRÖM ANDERS , STRÖMBERG ANNA , MÅRTENSSON JAN , ULANDER MARTIN , HARDER LENA , SVANBORG EVA 
Published: November 2007

SummaryContinuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the treatment of choice for obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS), but side effects are common and long‐term adherence low. The Type D (distressed) personality is defined as a combination of negative affectivity and social inhibition. The association of Type D personality with adherence has not been studied in CPAP‐treated patients with OSAS. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of Type D personality in OSAS patients with CPAP treatment longer than 6 months and the association with self‐reported side effects and adherence. A cross‐sectional descriptive design was used. A total of 247 OSAS patients with a mean use of CPAP treatment for 55 months (6–182 months) were included. Data collection was achieved by two questionnaires; the Type D scale 14 (DS14) (Type D personality), SECI (side effects of CPAP), as well as from medical records (clinical variables and objective adherence to CPAP treatment). Type D personality occurred in 30% of the patients with OSAS and significantly (P < 0.05–0.001) increased the perceived frequency and severity of a broad range of side effects. The objective adherence was significantly lower (P < 0.001) for OSAS patients with Type D compared to OSAS patients without Type D, both with regard to a mean use of 4 h per night and 85% of the self‐rated sleep time per night. The additional effect of a Type D personality on perceived side effects and adherence to CPAP treatment found in this study could be used by healthcare personnel when evaluating patients waiting for treatment.
Lack of host‐dependent genetic structure in ectoparasites ofCalonectrisshearwaters
Authors: GÓMEZ‐DÍAZ E. , GONZÁLEZ‐SOLÍS J. , PEINADO M. A. , PAGE R. D. M. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractWe compared patterns of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) differentiation in three host‐specific lice (Halipeurus abnormis,Austromenopon echinatumandSaemundssonia peusi) and one generalist flea (Xenopsylla gratiosa), parasitizing 22 colonies of Cory's and Cape Verde shearwater (Calonectris). The shearwater hosts show distinct phylogeographic structure corresponding to the three taxaCalonectris d. diomedea,C. d. borealis, andC. edwardsii. The host‐specific lice appeared undifferentiated among the threeCalonectristaxa, whereas the more generalist flea displayed significant levels of population differentiation. Neither genetic distances among host populations, nor their spatial distribution explained the patterns of genetic variability observed in the ectoparasites. The lack of differentiation among lice is unexpected, given that previous work has found evidence of cospeciation between procellariiform seabirds and their lice, and lice typically have an elevated rate of mtDNA evolution with respect to their hosts. Our results suggest that either rates of evolution in seabird lice are not always as high as previously thought, or that the magnitude of movement of lice between seabird hosts has been substantially underestimated.
How many symbionts are provided by mothers, acquired by offspring, and needed for successful vertical transmission in an obligate insect–bacterium mutualism?
Authors: HOSOKAWA TAKAHIRO , KIKUCHI YOSHITOMO , FUKATSU TAKEMA 
Published: November 2007

AbstractVertical symbiont transmission is among the most pivotal processes for maintenance of symbiotic associations. However, it is poorly understood whether and how the levels of resource allocation and investment upon vertical transmission are regulated. The stinkbug Megacopta punctatissima is obligatorily associated with the gut symbiotic bacterium ‘Candidatus Ishikawaella capsulata’, whose transmission is mediated by a unique mechanism called ‘symbiont capsule’. We investigated the population dynamics of the symbiont during vertical transmission in the host–symbiont mutualism. The stinkbug mothers produced one capsule for around 3.6 eggs irrespective of clutch size, suggesting a strict maternal control over symbiont supply for the offspring. However, experimental manipulation of egg/capsule ratios revealed that one capsule is sufficient for symbiont transmission to six nymphs. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses demonstrated that a capsule contains 1.2 × 108 symbionts, a newborn nymph possesses 2 × 107 symbionts from a capsule, and thus one capsule certainly contains a sufficient amount of symbiont cells for six nymphs. These results indicated that the stinkbug mothers produce 1.7 times more symbiont capsules than needed. The newborn nymphs consistently harboured around 2 × 107 symbionts, also suggesting a nymphal control over symbiont transmission. The threshold symbiont titre minimally needed for successful vertical transmission was estimated to be 1.9 × 106 symbionts, which is only 1/10 of the actual symbiont titre detected in a newborn nymph. These results illuminate several ecological factors that may be relevant to parental and offspring controls over symbiotic resource allocation through host insect generations.
Integrating individual behaviour and landscape genetics: the population structure of timber rattlesnake hibernacula
Authors: CLARK RULON W. , BROWN WILLIAM S. , STECHERT RANDY , ZAMUDIO KELLY R. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractIndividuals of many species show high levels of fidelity to natal populations, often due to reliance on patchily distributed habitat features. In many of these species, the negative impacts of inbreeding are mitigated through specialized behaviours such as seasonal mating dispersal. Quantifying population structure for species with these characteristics can potentially elucidate social and environmental factors that interact to affect mating behaviour and population connectivity. In the northern part of their range, timber rattlesnakes are communal hibernators with high natal philopatry. Individuals generally recruit to the same hibernaculum as their mother and remain faithful to that hibernaculum throughout their lives. We examined the genetic structure ofCrotalus horridushibernacula in the northeastern USA using microsatellite loci. Sampled hibernacula exhibited only modest levels of differentiation, indicating a significant level of gene flow among them. We found no significant correlation between genetic differentiation and geographical distance, but did find significant positive correlation between genetic differentiation and a cost‐based distance metric adjusted to include the amount of potential basking habitat between hibernacula. Therefore, thermoregulation sites may increase gene flow by increasing the potential for contact among individuals from different populations. Parentage analyses confirmed high levels of philopatry of both sexes to their maternal hibernaculum; however, approximately one‐third of paternity assignments involved individuals between hibernacula, confirming that gene flow among hibernacula occurs largely through seasonal male mating dispersal. Our results underscore the importance of integrating individual‐level behaviours and landscape features with studies of fine‐scale population genetics in species with high fidelity to patchily distributed habitats.
Post‐eruptive development of the Ukinrek East Maar since its eruption in 1977 A.D. in the periglacial area of south‐west Alaska
Authors: PIRRUNG MICHAEL , BÜCHEL GEORG , LORENZ VOLKER , TREUTLER HANNS‐CHRISTIAN 
Published: November 2007

AbstractMaar eruptions form small initially steep‐walled basins that contain important archives for the climatic and palaeoenvironmental history in continental areas. The two Ukinrek Maars in south‐western Alaska erupted between 30 March and 9 April 1977 and are the best‐documented maars that have erupted in historical time. This study presents a preliminary analysis of geomorphology, hydrology, magnetic susceptibility, geochemistry and sedimentology data of a field study in August 2004. These results, photographs and topographic surveys are combined for reconstructing the post‐eruptive evolution of Ukinrek East Maar. Within less than 30 years the initially polygonal shape of the crater with nearly vertical crater walls has developed into an almost elliptic form with slopes of 35° inclination on debris fans between a few escarpments. The water table and the crater floor have risen significantly and the crater diameter:depth ratio increased from 3·4 to 5·7, whereas the average height of the crater rim remained almost constant. The main sub‐aerial resedimentation process is formation of rock falls, rock slumps and scree resulting in debris flows and turbidites within the lake that is ice‐covered throughout about half of the year. Distal lake sediments consist of laminated minerogenic clayey‐sandy silts that document frequent turbidity currents. From the linear sedimentation rate of only ca 5 mm year−1 in 17 cm long cores it may be concluded that the largest portion of the crater sediments formed within the first few months of the maar history, however, this has to be confirmed by future studies.
Variation of pre‐ovipositional period in the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, collected in tropical, subtropical and temperate Asia
Authors: Wada T. , Ito K. , Takahashi A. , Tang J. 
Published: November 2007

Abstract:  We investigated the pre‐ovipositional period of Nilaparvata lugens originating from tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of East and Southeast Asia using laboratory experiments to compare the migration capability of the populations. Macropter females collected in 1992 from Japan and subtropical North Vietnam had a longer immature period than those from tropical Indochina Peninsula, i.e. the day of the first oviposition after eclosion was about 3 days later in the former populations. Populations collected in 1993 and 1994 from Japan, Central and South China, and North Vietnam also had a longer immature period than that of the tropical Malaysian population. Thus, a general trend was demonstrated that macropters originating in temperate and subtropical East Asia had a longer pre‐ovipositional period, which is presumably beneficial for pre‐reproductive long‐distance migration. This finding supports a current hypothesis for the migration system of N. lugens existing in East Asia, which has maintained the capability of long‐distance migration throughout years in spite of the disadvantage of prolonged oviposition for multiplication.
Genetic variation and heritability of forage yield in Mediterranean tall fescue
Authors: Piano E. , Annicchiarico P. , Romani M. , Pecetti L. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThe genetic control of tall fescue forage yield has been poorly investigated. Full‐sib families from diallel crosses of Mediterranean germplasm were evaluated for forage yield over 34 months in a Mediterranean environment with severe drought stress (diallel 1, with 20 parents) and over 16 months under irrigation in a heated greenhouse simulating the Mediterranean temperature pattern (diallel 2, with 15 parents). Genetic parameters were estimated for fresh biomass in diallel 1 and dry‐matter yield in diallel 2. Additive genetic variance was always larger than non‐additive (dominance) variance. Narrow‐sense heritability was fairly high (h2 = 0.61) in diallel 1 and moderate (h2 = 0.45) in diallel 2. Predicted yield gains from one selection cycle were larger in the former diallel (23.9%) than in the latter (10.5%), suggesting that gains can be enhanced by selection under severe drought stress and over a time span sufficient to allow the variation in persistence to fully emerge. General combining ability effects of eight parents that were common to both diallel crosses were highly correlated (r = 0.94) across the contrasting evaluation environments. The extent and consistency of additive genetic effects across environments suggest that rapid improvement of forage yield is possible.
Development of a PCR marker tightly linked to mollis, the gene that controls seed dormancy in Lupinus angustifolius L.
Authors: Boersma J. G. , Buirchell B. J. , Sivasithamparam K. , Yang H. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractWild plants of Lupinus angustifolius avoid extinction in a drought year by production of seeds with coats that are impermeable to water, preventing germination of a large percentage of the seed in any given year. Domesticated cultivars of this species carry the recessive gene mollis, making the seed coat permeable to water and, in turn promoting good crop establishment in the year of sowing. A dominant microsatellite‐anchored fragment length polymorphism candidate marker was identified as being tightly linked to mollis in a population of recombinant inbred lines derived from domesticated and wild‐type parents. The candidate marker was excised from the gel, amplified by PCR, sequenced and extended beyond the SSR end of the original MseI‐SSR fragment. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms were found within this extended sequence. Specific primers were designed to create a marker 209 bp long. PCR products of these primers run on a single strand conformation polymorphism gel resolved in a co‐dominant fashion. This marker will be used in marker‐assisted selection for mollis when introgressing wild material into lupin breeding programmes.
The effect of rheumatoid arthritis on personal income in Australia
Authors: Shanahan E. M. , Smith M. D. , Roberts‐Thomson L. , Esterman A. , Ahern M. J. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractBackground:  The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on the personal income of a cohort of individuals with RA in Australia.Methods:  A cross‐sectional study of a sample of 497 working age people with RA in Adelaide, South Australia was carried out.Results:  The average personal income of an individual with RA in our cohort in 2003–2004 was $A22 400 compared with the Australian mean annual income of $A38 000. When standardized, the income of our cohort was 66% that of the average income of the Australian population. Overall one‐third of the RA cohort relied principally on the social security system for their income and more than 75% of the cohort estimated they had lost greater than $A10 000 per annum in personal income as a result of their disease. Individuals with RA who were not working had annual incomes on average of more than $A20 000 less than those who continued to work.Conclusion:  The personal income loss associated with RA in Australia is of enormous significance. It reduces a large population of individuals to relative financial poverty and potentially limits their access to a range of services including private health services.
A Guide to Thinking about Emergence
Authors: Rue Loyal 
Published: November 2007

AbstractA basic survey of the issues that arise in discussing emergence is presented, together with suggestions on how the concept should be approached. Emergence is an alternative to reductionism. The emergence story invites us to see that nothing transcends nature like nature itself; it is a radically new way to think about the natural order, and it reshapes our ideas of matter. Special attention is given to the idea of meaning in life. Three options are discussed for thinking about the meaning of life: that it is fundamental to the nature of things, that it is an illusion, and that it is an emergent property of matter. The third option is favored—that the universe has no telos, and yet makes possible the spontaneous emergence of purpose. Caution is advised against exploiting the idea of emergence. The most important task is to understand the science of emergence and only then to move into interpretations from the humanities and theology.
Robots and the Sacred in Science and Science Fiction: Theological Implications of Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Geraci Robert M. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractIn science‐fiction literature and film, human beings simultaneously feel fear and allure in the presence of intelligent machines, an experience that approximates the numinous experience as described in 1917 by Rudolph Otto. Otto believed that two chief elements characterize the numinous experience: the mysterium tremendum and the fascinans. Briefly, the mysterium tremendum is the fear of God's wholly other nature and the fascinans is the allure of God's saving grace. Science‐fiction representations of robots and artificially intelligent computers follow this logic of threatening otherness and soteriological promise. Science fiction offers empirical support for Anne Foerst's claim that human beings experience fear and fascination in the presence of advanced robots from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AI Lab. The human reaction to intelligent machines shows that human beings in many respects have elevated those machines to divine status. This machine apotheosis, an interesting cultural event for the history of religions, may—despite Foerst's rosy interpretation—threaten traditional Christian theologies.