bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cardiovascular effects of air pollution
Authors: Brook Robert D. 
Published: August 2008

Air pollution is a heterogeneous mixture of gases, liquids and PM (particulate matter). In the modern urban world, PM is principally derived from fossil fuel combustion with individual constituents varying in size from a few nanometres to 10 μm in diameter. In addition to the ambient concentration, the pollution source and chemical composition may play roles in determining the biological toxicity and subsequent health effects. Nevertheless, studies from across the world have consistently shown that both short- and long-term exposures to PM are associated with a host of cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial ischaemia and infarctions, heart failure, arrhythmias, strokes and increased cardiovascular mortality. Evidence from cellular/toxicological experiments, controlled animal and human exposures and human panel studies have demonstrated several mechanisms by which particle exposure may both trigger acute events as well as prompt the chronic development of cardiovascular diseases. PM inhaled into the pulmonary tree may instigate remote cardiovascular health effects via three general pathways: instigation of systemic inflammation and/or oxidative stress, alterations in autonomic balance, and potentially by direct actions upon the vasculature of particle constituents capable of reaching the systemic circulation. In turn, these responses have been shown to trigger acute arterial vasoconstriction, endothelial dysfunction, arrhythmias and pro-coagulant/thrombotic actions. Finally, long-term exposure has been shown to enhance the chronic genesis of atherosclerosis. Although the risk to one individual at any single time point is small, given the prodigious number of people continuously exposed, PM air pollution imparts a tremendous burden to the global public health, ranking it as the 13th leading cause of morality (approx. 800000 annual deaths).
What Do People Who Stutter Want—Fluency or Freedom?
Authors: Venkatagiri H. S. 
Published: August 2008

Purpose
In this study, the author examined the following questions: What proportion of adult persons who stutter (PWS) choose fluency and what proportion choose to be free from a need to be fluent in managing their stuttering? What demographic and stuttering-related variables influence their choice, and how consistent are they in their choice?

Method
A survey instrument administered over the Internet was used to collect the data.

Results
Overall, 8% more of the 216 respondents opted for fluency than freedom. A larger proportion of male PWS and PWS under the age of 30 years preferred fluency. Neither nationality nor language background influenced their preference. Those who received no therapy overwhelmingly chose fluency, and a slight majority of those with fewer than 5 years of therapy preferred fluency. Those with more than 5 years of therapy were evenly divided between the 2 choices. Those who preferred freedom were more consistent in their responses across items than were those who opted for fluency. Based on the consistency of responses, 20% and 23% of the sample decisively opted for fluency and freedom, respectively, and 34% in the fluency group and 23% in the freedom group were ambivalent.

Conclusion
A majority of PWS appear to benefit from flexible treatment programs with cafeteria-style choices.
Stuttering in English–Mandarin Bilingual Speakers: The Influence of Language Dominance on Stuttering Severity
Authors: Lim Valerie P. C. , Lincoln Michelle , Chan Yiong Huak , Onslow Mark 
Published: August 2008

Purpose
English and Mandarin are the 2 most spoken languages in the world, yet it is not known how stuttering manifests in English–Mandarin bilinguals. In this research, the authors investigated whether the severity and type of stuttering is different in English and Mandarin in English–Mandarin bilinguals, and whether this difference was influenced by language dominance.

Method
Thirty English–Mandarin bilinguals who stutter (BWS), ages 12–44 years, were categorized into 3 groups (15 English-dominant, 4 Mandarin-dominant, and 11 balanced bilinguals) using a self-report classification tool. Three 10-min conversations in English and Mandarin were assessed by 2 English–Mandarin bilingual clinicians for percent syllables stuttered (%SS), perceived stuttering severity (SEV), and types of stuttering behaviors using the Lidcombe Behavioral Data Language (LBDL; Packman & Onslow, 1998; Teesson, Packman, & Onslow, 2003).

Results
English-dominant and Mandarin-dominant BWS exhibited higher %SS and SEV scores in their less dominant language, whereas the scores for the balanced bilinguals were similar for both languages. The difference in the percentage of stutters per LBDL category between English and Mandarin was not markedly different for any bilingual group.

Conclusions
Language dominance appeared to influence the severity but not the types of stuttering behaviors in BWS. Clinicians working with BWS need to assess language dominance when diagnosing stuttering severity in bilingual clients.
Modulation Detection Interference for Asynchronous Presentation of Masker and Target in Listeners With Normal and Impaired Hearing
Authors: Koopman Jan , Houtgast Tammo , Dreschler Wouter A. 
Published: August 2008

Purpose

The sensitivity to sinusoidal amplitude modulations (SAMs) is reduced when other modulated maskers are presented simultaneously at a distant frequency (also referred to as
modulation detection interference
[MDI]). This article describes the results of onset differences between masker and target as a parameter.

Method

Carrier frequencies were 1 kHz (target: 625 ms, 8 Hz SAM) and 2 kHz (masker: 625 ms, 8 Hz SAM; modulation depth = 1) presented at 25 dB SL for listeners with impaired hearing (
n
= 8) and at 25 dB SL and 50 dB SL for listeners with normal hearing (
n
= 6). Masker was delayed by 0, 125, 250, 500, 625, or 750 ms relative to the target.

Results
Sensitivity to SAMs was reduced in both groups by a modulated masker simultaneous presentation. Reducing the temporal overlap (i.e., increasing the onset delay between masker and target) increased the sensitivity to SAMs in the presence of modulated maskers.

Conclusion
The gradual reduction in MDI with increasing asynchrony between masker and target suggests that MDI is not solely related to perceptual grouping. Reduced sensitivity to SAMs due to prior stimulation with SAM stimuli (forward masking), and deficits in across-channel integration, are other factors that may play a role.
Long-Term Trajectories of the Development of Speech Sound Production in Pediatric Cochlear Implant Recipients
Authors: Tomblin J. Bruce , Peng Shu-Chen , Spencer Linda J. , Lu Nelson 
Published: August 2008

PurposeThis study characterized the development of speech sound production in prelingually deaf children with a minimum of 8 years of cochlear implant (CI) experience.MethodTwenty-seven pediatric CI recipients' spontaneous speech samples from annual evaluation sessions were phonemically transcribed. Accuracy for these speech samples was evaluated in piecewise regression models.ResultsAs a group, pediatric CI recipients showed steady improvement in speech sound production following implantation, but the improvement rate declined after 6 years of device experience. Piecewise regression models indicated that the slope estimating the participants' improvement rate was statistically greater than 0 during the first 6 years postimplantation, but not after 6 years. The group of pediatric CI recipients' accuracy of speech sound production after 4 years of device experience reasonably predicts their speech sound production after 5–10 years of device experience.ConclusionsThe development of speech sound production in prelingually deaf children stabilizes after 6 years of device experience, and typically approaches a plateau by 8 years of device use. Early growth in speech before 4 years of device experience did not predict later rates of growth or levels of achievement. However, good predictions could be made after 4 years of device use.
Past Tense Marking by African American English–Speaking Children Reared in Poverty
Authors: Pruitt Sonja , Oetting Janna 
Published: August 2008

Purpose
This study examined past tense marking by African American English (AAE)-speaking children from low- and middle-income backgrounds to determine if poverty affects children’s marking of past tense in ways that mirror the clinical condition of specific language impairment (SLI).

Method
Participants were 15 AAE-speaking 6-year-olds from low-income backgrounds, 15 AAE-speaking 6-year-olds from middle-income backgrounds who served as age-matched controls, and 15 AAE-speaking 5-year-olds from middle-income backgrounds who served as language-matched controls. Data were drawn from language samples and probes.

Results
Results revealed high rates of regular marking, variable rates of irregular marking, high rates of over-regularizations, and absence of dialect-inappropriate errors of commission. For some analyses, marking was affected by the phonological characteristics of the items and the children’s ages, but none of the analyses revealed effects for the children’s socioeconomic level.

Conclusions
Within AAE, poverty status as a variable affects past tense marking in ways that are different from the clinical condition of SLI.
Are Working Memory Measures Free of Socioeconomic Influence?
Authors: Engel Pascale Marguerite Josiane , Santos Flávia Heloísa , Gathercole Susan Elizabeth 
Published: August 2008

PurposeThis study evaluated the impact of socioeconomic factors on children’s performance on tests of working memory and vocabulary.MethodTwenty Brazilian children, aged 6 and 7 years, from low-income families, completed tests of working memory (verbal short-term memory and verbal complex span) and vocabulary (expressive and receptive). A further group of Brazilian children from families of higher socioeconomic status matched for age, gender, and nonverbal ability also participated in the study.ResultsChildren from the low socioeconomic group obtained significantly lower scores on measures of expressive and receptive vocabulary than their higher income peers but no significant group differences were found on the working memory measures.ConclusionMeasures of working memory provide assessments of cognitive abilities that appear to be impervious to substantial differences in socioeconomic background. As these measures are highly sensitive to language ability and learning in general, they appear to provide useful methods for diagnosing specific learning difficulties that are independent of environmental opportunity.
Communication strategies in translation
Authors: Rabab'ah Ghaleb Ahmed 
Published: August 2008

According to Nord’s approach (1991) strategic competence is believed to be crucial in dealing with translation problems. It plays an important role as a regulating mechanism, compensating for deficiencies in the other sub-competencies and contributes towards solving the problems that arise. Nord also argues that there is a need for further research that can provide empirical data derived from the problems encountered by translators. The data can also be relevant to the mechanisms the translators use in solving problems.
Based on Nord’s claim, this study has investigated the communication strategies used by a sample of thirty six Saudi majors at the College of Languages and Translation at King Saud University in Riyadh. First, the strategies employed by Saudi students to compensate for any difficulties they encountered during translation process were examined. The subjects involved were asked to translate a one- page text from their native language, Arabic, into English. It was found that approximation was the most frequently used communication strategy. The other strategies used in order of frequency were circumlocution, message abandonment/reduction, and literal translation. These strategies are elaborated along with recommendations to provide more insights into how to develop students’ strategic competence in translation.
Comparison of algorithms for pre-processing of SELDI-TOF mass spectrometry data
Authors: Cruz-Marcelo Alejandro , Guerra Rudy , Vannucci Marina , Li Yiting , Lau Ching C. , Man Tsz-Kwong 
Published: August 2008

Abstract
Motivation: Surface-enhanced laser desorption and ionization (SELDI) time of flight (TOF) is a mass spectrometry technology. The key features in a mass spectrum are its peaks. In order to locate the peaks and quantify their intensities, several pre-processing steps are required. Though different approaches to perform pre-processing have been proposed, there is no systematic study that compares their performance.
Results: In this article, we present the results of a systematic comparison of various popular packages for pre-processing of SELDI-TOF data. We evaluate their performance in terms of two of their primary functions: peak detection and peak quantification. Regarding peak quantification, the performance of the algorithms is measured in terms of reproducibility. For peak detection, the comparison is based on sensitivity and false discovery rate. Our results show that for spectra generated with low laser intensity, the software developed by Ciphergen Biosystems (ProteinChip© Software 3.1 with the additional tool Biomarker Wizard) produces relatively good results for both peak quantification and detection. On the other hand, for the data produced with either medium or high laser intensity, none of the methods show uniformly better performances under both criteria. Our analysis suggests that an advantageous combination is the use of the packages MassSpecWavelet and PROcess, the former for peak detection and the latter for peak quantification.
Contact: rguerra@rice.edu; marina@rice.edu
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
4,4′-Diazenediyldipyridinium (4-pyridyldiazenyl)pyridinium octacyanidomolybdate(V) tetrahydrate
Authors: Liu Wen-Yan , Zhou Hu , Yuan Ai-Hua 
Published: August 2008

The structure of the title complex, (C10H10N4)(C10H9N4)[Mo(CN)8]·4H2O, consists of 4,4′-diazenediyldipyridinium and (4-pyridyldiazenyl)pyridinium cations disordered over the same site, an [Mo(CN)8]3− anion and four uncoordinated water molecules. The cations (crystallographic symmetry, 2) and the [Mo(CN)8]3− anion (crystallographic symmetry, 222) are arranged in an alternating fashion, forming a two-dimensional layered structure through hydrogen bonds. Hydrogen bonds, π–π stacking interactions (shortest distance = 4.7872 Å) and van der Waals forces between adjacent layers generate a three-dimensional supramolecular structure.
Alterations in biomarkers of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in active acromegaly
Authors: Boero L. , Manavela M. , Gómez Rosso L. , Insua C. , Berardi V. , Fornari M. C. , Brites F. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryObjectives  In acromegalic patients, cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities contribute to enhance mortality. Available data on the lipoprotein profile of these patients are controversial. Our aim was to characterize the lipoprotein profile and emergent biomarkers of cardiovascular disease in active acromegalic patients in comparison with sex‐ and age‐matched healthy controls.Patients  Eighteen patients with active acromegaly and 18 controls were studied.Measurements  Glucose levels, hormonal status, lipoprotein profile and C reactive protein (CRP) were evaluated by standardized methods. Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) and lipoprotein‐associated phospholipase A2 (Lp‐PLA2) were measured by radiometric techniques, endothelin‐1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)‐1 by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, and leucocytes CD18, CD49d and CD54 by flow cytometry.Results  After adjusting for body mass index (BMI), acromegalic patients presented a more atherogenic lipoprotein profile, consisting of higher levels of triglycerides and apolipoprotein B and alterations in the ratios which estimate insulin resistance and atherogenic risk. CETP activity was significantly increased in acromegalic patients as compared to controls (168 ± 17 vs. 141 ± 30% per ml h, respectively; P < 0·05). Endothelin‐1 levels evidenced an increase in the patients’ group (0·9 ± 0·2 vs. 0·7 ± 0·2 ng/l, respectively; P < 0·01) and showed positive and significant correlations with GH, IGF‐1 and IGFBP‐3 (r = 0·45, 0·42 and 0·44, respectively; P < 0·01 for all of them; with BMI as a fixed variable). Lymphocytes from acromegalic patients showed increased CD49d content (282 ± 59 vs. 246 ± 48 arbitrary units, respectively; P < 0·05).Conclusions  Taken together, the alterations described seem to contribute to constituting a state of higher propensity for the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which adds to the presence of specific cardiomyopathy.
Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1): its manifestations and effect of genetic screening on clinical outcome
Authors: Pieterman C. R. C. , Schreinemakers J. M. J. , Koppeschaar H. P. F. , Vriens M. R. , Rinkes I. H. M. Borel , Zonnenberg B. A. , Van Der Luijt R. B. , Valk G. D. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryObjective  Effect of genetic screening on outcome in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) remains unclear. Expression of MEN1 is described using currently available diagnostic techniques. Manifestations and outcome are compared in patients diagnosed because of clinical expression with those diagnosed by genetic screening.Design  Retrospective cohort study. Patients are divided into two groups: patients with a (i) clinical MEN1 diagnosis and (ii) MEN1 diagnosis by genetic screening.Patients and measurements  Demographic and clinical data were collected on MEN1 patients treated in the UMCU up to 1 January 2008. Results of mutation analysis were obtained from the Department of Medical Genetics.Results  A total of 74 patients was included (median follow‐up 5·5 year); 78% had hyperparathyroidism, 46% a pancreatic neuro‐endocrine tumour (NET), 38% a pituitary abnormality, 8% a NET of other origin and 16% an adrenal adenoma at the end of follow‐up. Of the patients 18% had no manifestation. All five MEN1‐related tumours were seen as first manifestation. Compared with patients identified by genetic screening, patients with a clinical MEN1 diagnosis had significantly more manifestations at diagnosis (P < 0·001) and at end of follow‐up (P = 0·002). Eleven of 30 patients with a genetic MEN1 diagnosis (mean age at diagnosis 30·0 years) already had manifestations at diagnosis. No malignancy or death was seen in genetically diagnosed patients.Conclusions  MEN1 is a syndrome with high morbidity. Genetic diagnosis is associated with less morbidity at diagnosis and at follow‐up. Early genetic diagnosis might therefore lead to improvement of long‐term outcome.
Molecular analysis of novel PROP1 mutations associated with combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD)
Authors: Kelberman D. , Turton J. P. G. , Woods K. S. , Mehta A. , Al‐Khawari M. , Greening J. , Swift P. G. F. , Otonkoski T. , Rhodes S. J. , Dattani M. T. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryObjective  Homozygous mutations in the gene encoding the pituitary transcription factor PROP1 are associated with combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD) in both mice and humans with a highly variable phenotype with respect to the severity and time of initiation of pituitary hormone deficiency. We have ascertained three pedigrees with PROP1 mutations from a large cohort of patients with variable degrees of CPHD who were screened for mutations in PROP1.Results  Affected individuals from all three pedigrees were found to harbour novel PROP1 mutations. We have identified two siblings in one family who were homozygous for an intronic mutation (c.343–11C > G) that disrupts correct splicing resulting in the loss of exon 3 from the PROP1 transcript. Two siblings from a second, unrelated family are compound heterozygotes for two point mutations in the coding region, a missense mutation (p.R125W) that leads to impaired transcriptional activation, and a deletion of a single nucleotide (c.310delC) resulting in a frameshift and nonfunctional mutant protein. Additionally, we identified a homozygous deletion of the PROP1 locus in two patients born to consanguineous parents.Conclusion  Mutations in PROP1 are a frequent cause of familial CPHD. We have described four novel mutations in PROP1 in 3 pedigrees, all resulting in PROP1 deficiency by different mechanisms. The phenotypic variation observed in association with PROP1 mutations both within and between families, together with the evolving nature of hormone deficiencies and sometimes changing pituitary morphology indicates a need for continual monitoring of these patients.
Bond strength of AH Plus and Epiphany sealers on root dentine irradiated with 980 nm diode laser
Authors: Alfredo E. , Silva S. R. C. , Ozório J. E. V. , Sousa‐Neto M. D. , Brugnera‐Júnior A. , Silva‐Sousa Y. T. C. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractAim  To evaluate the bond strength of AH Plus and Epiphany sealers to human root canal dentine irradiated with a 980 nm diode laser at different power and frequency parameters, using the push‐out test.Methodology  Sixty canine roots were sectioned below the cementoenamel junction to provide 4‐mm‐thick dentine discs that had their root canals prepared with a tapered bur and irrigated with sodium hypochlorite, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and distilled water. The specimens were assigned to five groups (n = 12): one control (no laser) and four experimental groups that were submitted to 980 nm diode laser irradiation at different power (1.5 and 3.0 W) and frequency (continuous wave and 100 Hz) parameters. Half of specimens in each group had their canals filled with AH Plus sealer and half with Epiphany. The push‐out test was performed and data (MPa) were analysed statistically by anova and Tukey’s test (P < 0.05). The specimens were split longitudinally and examined under SEM to assess the failure modes after sealer displacement.Results  The specimens irradiated with the diode laser and filled with AH Plus had significantly higher bond strength values (8.69 ± 2.44) than those irradiated and filled with Epiphany (3.28 ± 1.58) and the nonirradiated controls (3.86 ± 0.60). The specimens filled with Epiphany did not differ significantly to each other or to the control (1.75 ± 0.69). There was a predominance of adhesive failures at Epiphany–dentine interface (77%) and mixed failures at AH Plus–dentine interface (67%).Conclusions  The 980 nm diode laser irradiation of root canal dentine increased the bond strength of AH Plus sealer, but did not affect the adhesion of Epiphany sealer.