bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Scale for resource selection functions
Authors: Boyce Mark S. 
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACTResource selection functions (RSFs) are statistical models defined to be proportional to the probability of use of a resource unit. My objective with this review is to identify how RSFs can be used to unravel the influence of scale in habitat selection. In wildlife habitat studies, including radiotelemetry, RSFs can be estimated using a variety of statistical methods, all of which can be used to explore the role of scale. All RSFs are bounded by the resolution of data and the spatial extent of the study area, but also allow predictor covariates to be measured at a variety of scales. Conditional logistic regression permits designs (e.g. matched case) that relate the process of habitat selection to a limited domain of resource units that might better characterize what is truly ‘available’ to the animal. Scale influences the process of habitat selection, e.g. food resources are often selected at fine spatial scales, whereas landscape patterns at much larger scales typically influence the location of home ranges. Scale also influences appropriate sampling in many ways: (1) heterogeneity might be obliterated (transmutation) if resolution or grain size is too large, (2) variance of habitat characteristics might be undersampled if extent or domain is too small, (3) timing and duration of observations can influence RSF models, and (d) both spatial and temporal autocorrelations can vary directly with the intensity of sampling. Using RSFs, researchers can examine habitat selection at multiple scales, and predictive models that bridge scales can be estimated. Using Geographical Information Systems, predictor covariates in RSF models can be measured at different scales easily so that the predictive ability of models at alternative spatial and temporal domains can be explored by the investigator. Identification of the scale that best explains the data can be evaluated by comparing alternative models using information‐theoretic metrics such as Akaike Information Criteria, and predictive capability of the models can be assessed using k‐fold cross validation.
Presence of intratumoral anechoic foci predicts an increased number of endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration passes required for the diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma
Authors: Cheng Tsu‐Yao , Wang Hsiu‐Po , Jan I‐Shiow , Chen Jiann‐Hwa , Lin Jaw‐Town 
Published: April 2006

AbstractBackground and Aim:  For reduction in cost, time and risk of complications, the number of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)‐guided fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) passes should be minimized. Previous studies have shown that tumor differentiation and site of aspiration will affect the number of passes in patients with pancreatic cancer. There have been no reports that EUS features of pancreatic malignancies per se will influence the number of passes. Our aim was to prospectively assess various factors that would affect the number of passes in patients with pancreatic cancer.Methods:  Between May 2003 and December 2004, 41 patients with presumed pancreatic cancer were studied. EUS‐guided FNA was performed with an Olympus GF‐UC2000P echoendoscope and a 22‐gauge needle. On‐site assessment of the specimen by a cytopathologist was available during the procedure.Results:  Adenocarcinomas were confirmed in 25 patients. Pancreatic adenocarcinomas with intratumoral anechoic foci required a higher number of diagnostic passes than those without anechoic change (3.40 vs 2.27, P < 0.05). An average of 4.00 FNA passes for diagnosing a well‐differentiated adenocarcinoma was also significantly higher than the 2.40 diagnostic passes for a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma and the 2.00 passes for a poorly differentiated one (P < 0.05).Conclusions:  The existence of intratumoral anechoic foci was not a rare finding under detailed EUS investigation of pancreatic cancer. Both the existence of intratumoral anechoic foci and the differentiation of the cancer are significant predictive factors for the number of diagnostic EUS‐FNA passes.
Sustained elevation of extracellular adenosine and activation of A1 receptors underlie the post‐ischaemic inhibition of neuronal function in rat hippocampus in vitro
Authors: Pearson Tim , Damian Karen , Lynas Rachel E. , Frenguelli Bruno G. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractAdenosine is released from the compromised brain and exerts a predominately neuroprotective influence. However, the time‐course of adenosine release and its relationship to synaptic activity during metabolic stress is not fully understood. Here, we describe experiments using an enzyme‐based adenosine sensor to show that adenosine potently (IC50 ∼ 1 µm) inhibits excitatory synaptic transmission in area CA1 during oxygen/glucose deprivation (‘ischaemia’), and that the prolonged post‐ischaemic presence of extracellular adenosine sustains the depression of the field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP). N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonism promotes post‐ischaemic recovery of the fEPSP, in parallel with reduced release of adenosine. Paradoxically, however, after ischaemia the fEPSP recovers in the face of concentrations of adenosine capable of fully eliminating synaptic transmission during ischaemia. This hysteresis is not prevented by NMDA receptor antagonism, is observed during repeated ischaemia when adenosine release is reduced, and does not reflect desensitization of adenosine A1 receptors. We conclude that adenosine exerts powerful inhibitory actions on excitatory synaptic transmission both during, and for some considerable time after, ischaemia. Therapeutic strategies designed to exploit both the continued presence of adenosine and activity of A1 receptors could provide benefits in individuals who have suffered acute injury to the CNS.
Angular resolution of terrestrial laser scanners
Authors: Lichti Derek D. , Jamtsho Sonam 
Published: April 2006

AbstractKnowledge of a laser scanner's spatial resolution is necessary in order to prevent aliasing and estimate the level of detail that can be resolved from a scanned point cloud. Spatial resolution can be decoupled into range and angular components. The latter is the focus of this paper and is governed primarily by sampling interval and laser beamwidth. However, emphasis is often placed on one of these—typically sampling interval—as an indicator of resolution. Since both affect the resolution of a scanned point cloud, consideration of only one factor independent of the other can lead to a misunderstanding of a system's capabilities. This will be demonstrated to be inappropriate except under very specific conditions. A new, more appropriate resolution measure for laser scanners, the effective instantaneous field of view (EIFOV), is proposed. It is derived by modelling the shift variance of the equal angular increment sampling process, laser beamwidth‐induced positional uncertainty and observed angle quantisation with ensemble average modulation transfer functions (AMTFs). Several commercially available terrestrial laser scanner systems are modelled and analysed in terms of their angular resolution capabilities using the EIFOV.
A Phase 1 Clinical Study of Intravenous Administration of PV701, an Oncolytic Virus, Using Two-Step Desensitization
Authors: Laurie Scott A. , Bell John C. , Atkins Harold L. , Roach Joanne , Bamat Michael K. , O'Neil James D. , Roberts M. Scot , Groene William S. , Lorence Robert M. 
Published: April 2006

Abstract
Purpose: In a previous phase 1 study, adverse events, especially flu-like symptoms, were observed mainly following the first i.v. bolus dose of PV701, an oncolytic Newcastle disease virus. Desensitization to adverse events of subsequent doses occurred, allowing a 10-fold increase in the maximum tolerated dose for these doses. Although one-step desensitization (a single desensitizing dose with higher subsequent doses) addressed the tolerability of high repeat doses, additional testing was required to further improve tolerability of the initial dose. This study tested the hypothesis that two-step desensitization, using two dose increments before high repeat doses, would be well tolerated.
Experimental Design: Sixteen adults with incurable solid tumors were enrolled. Cycles consisted of six PV701 doses over 2 weeks followed by a 1-week rest. Doses 1 to 2 were 1 and 12 × 109 plaque-forming units (pfu)/m2, respectively, whereas doses 3 to 6 were escalated by cohort from 24 to 120 × 109 pfu/m2.
Results: No dose-limiting toxicities were observed, permitting dose escalation through cohort 4 (1, 12, 120, 120, 120, 120 × 109 pfu/m2). Mild flu-like symptoms were common following the first infusion, diminished with repeated dosing, and were less pronounced than those seen previously. Tumor regression was observed in a patient with anal carcinoma who enrolled with stable disease following palliative radiotherapy. Four patients with clearly progressing cancer before enrollment had disease stabilization of ≥6 months.
Conclusions: This novel two-step desensitization improved patient tolerability compared with the previous regimen. Toxicities were predictable and manageable. PV701, the first oncolytic virus to enter phase 1 i.v. testing, continues to show single-agent activity, warranting planned phase 2 trials.
Implications of molecular characters for the phylogeny of the Microbotryaceae (Basidiomycota: Urediniomycetes)
Authors: Kemler Martin , Göker Markus , Oberwinkler Franz , Begerow Dominik 
Published: April 2006

AbstractBackgroundAnther smuts of the basidiomycetous genusMicrobotryumon Caryophyllaceae are important model organisms for many biological disciplines. Members ofMicrobotryumare most commonly found parasitizing the anthers of host plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, however they can also be found on the anthers of members of the Dipsacaceae, Lamiaceae, Lentibulariaceae, and Portulacaceae. Additionally, some members ofMicrobotryumcan be found infecting other organs of mainly Polygonaceae hosts. Based on ITS nrDNA sequences of members of almost all genera in Microbotryaceae, this study aims to resolve the phylogeny of the anther smuts and their relationship to the other members of the family of plant parasites. A multiple analysis strategy was used to correct for the effects of different equally possible ITS sequence alignments on the phylogenetic outcome, which appears to have been neglected in previous studies.ResultsThe genera of Microbotryaceae were not clearly resolved, but alignment-independent moderate bootstrap support was achieved for a clade containing the majority of theMicrobotryumspecies. The anther parasites appeared in two different well-supported lineages whose interrelationship remained unresolved. Whereas bootstrap support values for some clades were highly vulnerable to alignment conditions, other clades were more robustly supported. The differences in support between the different alignments were much larger than between the phylogenetic optimality criteria applied (maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood).ConclusionThe study confirmed, based on a larger dataset than previous work, that the anther smuts on Caryophyllaceae are monophyletic and that there exists a native North American group that diverged from the European clade before the radiation of the European species. Also a second group of anther smuts was revealed, containing parasites on Dipsacaceae, Lamiaceae, and Lentibulariaceae. At least the majority of the parasites of Asteraceae appeared as a monophylum, but delimitations of some species in this group should be reconsidered. Parasitism on Polygonaceae is likely to be the ancestral state for the Microbotryaceae on Eudicot hosts.
Portable Advanced Medical Simulation for New Emergency Department Testing and Orientation
Authors: Kobayashi Leo , Shapiro Marc J. , Sucov Andrew , Woolard Robert , Boss Robert M. , Dunbar Jennifer , Sciamacco Ronald , Karpik Kelly , Jay Gregory 
Published: April 2006

Abstract
Objectives:
Efforts to mitigate unexpected problems during transition of an active emergency department (ED) to a new physical plant are imperative to ensure effective health care delivery and patient safety. The authors used advanced medical simulation (SIM) to evaluate the capacity of a new ED for emergent resuscitative processes and assist facility orientation before opening day.
Methods:
Operational readiness testing and orientation to the new ED of a large academic center were arranged through a Transportable Enhanced Simulation Technologies for Pre‐Implementation Limited Operations Testing (TESTPILOT) project. Using a portable life‐sized computerized manikin, the project required participants to perform assorted patient care interventions on‐site. Cardiac arrest, multitrauma, uroseptic shock, and pediatric toxicology scenarios elicited the dynamics of real‐life ED activities. Debriefings and surveys assessed participants' perceptions of the new facility's clinical readiness and identified areas needing administrative attention. Subjective utility of SIM orientation was compared with that of standard facility orientation.
Results:
Fourteen ED clinicians and five SIM facilitators participated over two sessions. The new facility received mean (± SD) and median five‐point Likert scale scores of 4.4 (± 0.8) and 5 for ability of clinical staff to perform resuscitations. The respective scores for ability of simulated scenarios to prepare staff for new ED function were 4.6 (± 0.5) and 5, compared with 4.2 (± 1.0) and 4 for non‐SIM orientation (p = 0.22; not significant). Problems with equipment location, inadequate procedural surfaces, and insufficient orientation were discovered and rapidly corrected.
Conclusions:
Transportable SIM was used to evaluate the clinical functions of a new ED. Significant operational issues identified by participants were corrected before opening of the facility. Limited comparison did not reveal SIM enhancement of orientation.
Phase I/II Study of Preoperative Oxaliplatin, Fluorouracil, and External-Beam Radiation Therapy in Patients With Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer: Cancer and Leukemia Group B 89901
Authors: Ryan David P. , Niedzwiecki Donna , Hollis Donna , Mediema Brent E. , Wadler Scott , Tepper Joel E. , Goldberg Richard M. , Mayer Robert J. 
Published: April 2006

Purpose The addition of oxaliplatin to fluorouracil in patients with advanced colorectal cancer improves survival. This phase I/II study evaluated the addition of weekly oxaliplatin to preoperative continuous infusion fluorouracil (FU) and external-beam radiation therapy (RT) in patients with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma. Patients and Methods Patients with clinical T3/T4 rectal adenocarcinoma and no evidence of metastases were treated with weekly oxaliplatin, continuous infusion FU 200 mg/m2 intravenously, and RT. A total of 6 weekly doses of oxaliplatin were planned. RT dose was 1.8 Gy/fraction to a total dose of 50.4 Gy. In the phase I portion, oxaliplatin was escalated from 30 to 60 mg/m2. Results Forty-four patients were entered onto the study, 18 on the phase I portion and 26 on the phase II portion. The maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) for oxaliplatin was determined to be 60 mg/m2. At the MTD, 12 patients experienced grade 3 or 4 diarrhea, two patients experienced grade 3 neutropenia, and one patient experienced grade 3 thrombocytopenia. Fifty-six percent of patients entered at the MTD completed all 6 weeks of oxaliplatin. Eight (25%) of 32 patients enrolled at the phase II dose experienced a pathologic complete response. Conclusion In this multicenter study, the addition of oxaliplatin to intravenous continuous infusion FU and RT for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer was associated with a high pathologic complete response rate but more toxicity than when FU is used alone. A regimen of weekly oxaliplatin, continuous infusion FU, and radiation therapy is now being evaluated by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project.
Performance Evaluation of PLA against Existing PET and PS Containers
Authors: Auras R , Singh SP , Singh J 
Published: April 2006

Abstract
Poly(lactide) (PLA) polymers are environmentally-friendly biodegradable materials that have garnered growing attention in the past few years as food packaging materials since packages made from PLA have the advantage of being produced from renewable resources, provides significant energy savings, and can be recyclable and compostable. PLA's optical, physical, and mechanical properties have been compared to those of polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) although studies comparing and showing the actual performance of PLA, PS, and PET packages are scarce. The purpose of this study was to investigate and to compare the role of PLA for the food service industry. Two of the commonly used materials to make containers to package fresh food, PET and oriented polystyrene (OPS), were compared with oriented PLA (OPLA). This study involved a number of tests to quantify the physical, mechanical, barrier, and compatibility properties that would affect the selection criteria for containers to be used for food service applications. Based on the results, OPLA, OPS, and PET performances were evaluated. Exposures of the three materials to weak and strong acids for seven days show a minimal reduction in the performance of these polymers. At ambient temperature, PET has the highest impact resistance followed by OPLA and OPS. PET shows the highest oxygen barrier followed by OPLA and OPS. Thus, several of the relevant properties for packaging applications of OPLA are between PET and OPS properties, suggesting that OPLA would also be suitable for some of these applications.
Speciation of technetium and rhenium complexes byin situXAS-electrochemistry
Authors: Poineau Frédéric , Fattahi Massoud , Auwer Christophe Den , Hennig C. , Grambow Bernd 
Published: April 2006

SummaryA spectro-electrochemical cell was developed in order to study the speciation of radio-elements in thermodynamic unstable redox states usingin situXAS spectroscopy. This cell was used for the speciation of Re and Tc complexes in chloride media. Experiments on Re were carried out with the aim to validate the functionality of the experimental set-up. During electro-reduction of Re(VII) in HCl media, EXAFS and XANES studies were performed in order to reveal the formation of chloro-oxygenated compounds of Re(IV). The speciation of technetium in aqueous solutions of deep geological deposits for radioactive waste is important to predict its mobility under reducing conditions. XANES spectra showed that electro-reduction of Tc(VII) in chloride media leads to a position ofK-edge absorption which agrees with a Tc(IV)/Tc(III) mixture.
Theodore Roosevelt and the State Trust Company
Authors: Andrews Avery D. 
Published: April 2006

The affair of the State Trust Company, which General Andrews recounts here, occurred in 1900, when trust companies were increasing in number and expanding so rapidly as to arouse current comment in financial journals. Since such companies were less stringently regulated by law than other types of banking houses, their rise was viewed with interest tinged in some quarters by alarm. The rumor of sharp practices in the State Trust Company found, eager acceptance. There were those who wanted to make political hay immediately by claiming negligence on the part of the Superintendents of Banking and of Insurance, seeking thus — in an election year — the discomfiture of Theodore Roosevelt, Governor of New York. Others used the incident as a grim example when, during the next few years, muckraking became a popular journalistic sport.The State Trust Company had been organized in 1890. It was affiliated with the American Surety Company, and could handle investment business in which the insurance firm could not legally engage. In 1898 both companies came under the control of the group of financiers mentioned in this article. The trust company had continued to prosper, and in November of 1899 the State Bank Examiner had certified that it was in sound condition.
New England Dissent, 1630–1833: A Review Article
Authors: Estep William R. 
Published: April 2006

William G.McLoughlin, professor of history, Brown University, has suceeded in producing a most extensive monograph on the struggle for religious liberty in New England and his most ambititious work to date. The author’s painstaking research has been exemplary. The result is a meticulous narrative of two–hundred years of religious dissent, told in thirteen chapters consuming some thirteen–hundred pages of text in two hefty volumes with copious footnotes. At the outset, McLoughlin asserts that he undertook this study to clarify the confusion in regard to the history of separation of church and state in America.This confusion, he holds, is the result of two basic misunderstandings regarding the formation of the concept of separation during the colonial era: The first misunderstanding is based on the theory that separation as we know it today came primarily, if not entirely, from the rationalistic spirit of the Enlightenment and that it received its essential exposition from Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in Virginia. The second misunderstanding derives from the very different assumption that separation sprang principally, if not wholly from the radical wing of the Protestant Reformation (brought to America by the Baptists and the Quakers) and that it received its essential exposition from Roger Williams in Rhode Island in the 1630's. (p. xv) McLoughlin is quite sure that the vision of full religious liberty and complete separation of church and state only gradually emerged, since “the fight for religious liberty was primarily a neighborhood affair—a series of dialogues and face to face confrontations in church, parish, and town meetings which continued over two hundred years” (p.xvii).
Electrically conductive sensors for liquids based on quaternary ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)/copolyamide/maleated‐EVA/polyaniline blends
Authors: Cooper H. , Segal E. , Srebnik S. , Tchoudakov R. , Narkis M. , Siegmann A. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractElectrically conductive blends, containing two immiscible polymers (ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, EVA‐19, and copolyamide 6/6.9, CoPA), polyaniline (PANI), and maleated EVA compatibilizer were studied as sensing materials for a homologous series of alcohols (methanol, ethanol, and 1‐propanol). Recent results have shown that the corresponding uncompatiblized blends exhibited a preferred localization of PANI in the CoPA phase, leading to a cocontinuous morphology (i.e., both the CoPA phase and the PANI component located in it are continuous). The concept of the compatibilizer addition was to improve compatibility between the EVA‐19 and the CoPA, modifying the morphology of the PANI‐containing blend and altering its sensing properties. Extruded EVA‐19/CoPA/maleated‐EVA/PANI filaments produced by a capillary rheometer process at various shear rate levels were used for the sensing experiments. The filaments displayed high sensitivity levels upon exposure to the various alcohols as well as improved sensing stability and reproducibility at low compatibilizer contents. The sensing properties vary with compatibilizer concentration and are of inferior quality beyond a certain content. The sensing behavior of the compatibilized filaments is compared to the previously reported results for the corresponding uncompatibilized filaments. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 110–117, 2006