bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Immunoprotection against murine bladder carcinoma by octaarginine‐modified liposomes incorporating cell wall of Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette‐Guérin
Authors: Joraku Akira , Homhuan Atthachai , Kawai Koji , Yamamoto Takahiro , Miyazaki Jun , Kogure Kentaro , Yano Ikuya , Harashima Hideyoshi , Akaza Hideyuki 
Published: November 2008

OBJECTIVETo develop a prototype of a non‐live bacterial agent that consists of a cell wall (CW) preparation from heat‐killed bacillus Calmette‐Guérin (BCG‐CW) incorporated into octaarginine‐modified cationized liposomes as a vector (R8‐liposome‐BCG‐CW), and to evaluate its immunoprotective potentiation in mice, as although BCG is an established effective immunotherapy for nonmuscle‐invasive bladder cancer, more active and less toxic treatments are needed.MATERIALS AND METHODSThe cellular interaction of R8‐liposome‐BCG‐CW co‐cultured with mouse bladder cancer cell line (MBT‐2) was examined by confocal laser scanning microscopy. MBT‐2 cells (7 × 105) were subcutaneously inoculated with 1 mg BCG, 0.1 mg or 1 mg BCG‐CW, 0.1 mg or 1 mg R8‐liposome‐BCG‐CW in female C3H/HeN mice. The MBT‐2 cells pretreated with BCG or R8‐liposome‐BCG‐CW were re‐challenged at 6 weeks. The sizes of the primary and re‐challenged tumours were evaluated at 4 and 10 weeks, respectively.RESULTSConfocal laser scanning microscopy showed the enhanced incorporation of R8‐liposome‐BCG‐CW into MBT‐2 cells after 1 h of co‐incubation. 0.1 mg R8‐liposome‐BCG‐CW completely inhibited the growth of MBT‐2 tumours while 0.1 mg BCG‐CW alone did not (P = 0.002). Mice vaccinated with a mixture of MBT‐2 cells and R8‐liposome‐BCG‐CW inhibited the growth of re‐challenged tumour of MBT‐2 cells pretreated with BCG or R8‐liposome‐BCG‐CW but did not inhibit that of MBT‐2 cells with no pretreatment at 10 weeks, with mean (sd) tumours sizes of 54 (60) mm2 (P < 0.001) or 69 (43) mm2 (P = 0.003) compared with 309 (125) mm2, respectively.CONCLUSIONThe immunotherapeutic potential of BCG‐CW was enhanced by improving cellular association using the R8‐liposomes delivery system. Development of this non‐live bacterial agent may contribute to providing a more active and less toxic tool as a substitute for live BCG as immunotherapy against nonmuscle‐invasive bladder cancer in the future.
Using community and population approaches to understand how contemporary and historical factors have shaped species distribution in river ecosystems
Authors: Bonada Núria , Múrria Cesc , Zamora‐Muñoz Carmen , El Alami Majida , Poquet José Manuel , Puntí Tura , Moreno José Luis , Bennas Nard , Alba‐Tercedor Javier , Ribera Carles , Prat Narcís 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTAim  To examine how the employment of both community‐ and population‐level approaches can provide a wider view of the importance of contemporary and historical factors on current species distribution. We posit that community ecology should provide more information about contemporary factors, whereas population genetics should provide better information about historical factors.Location  Rivers of the western Mediterranean Basin, including four subregions differing in geological history: the Iberian Plate, Transitional, Betic and Rif.Methods  For a community‐level approach, Trichoptera richness and community composition were compared between subregions using species accumulation curves and a correspondence analysis. For a population‐level approach, the mtDNA cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) gene of specimens of the Trichoptera midstream‐lowland species Chimarra marginata (L.) was sequenced and analysed using phylogeographical methods.Results  The community approach revealed that historical events had more influence on headwater communities than contemporary ecological factors, whereas historical events had negligible influence on midstream‐lowland communities. In midstream‐lowland sites, however, the population approach showed that the genetic structure of C. marginata differed significantly between subregions and revealed patterns of historical gene migration. In terms of species richness, the Rif subregion had the lowest value per basin due to local climatic features and isolation.Main conclusions  Both community‐ and population‐level approaches yielded information about the effects of historical factors on species distribution. However, the importance of historical events on current Trichoptera communities depends on the river zonation. Unlike headwater sites, midstream‐lowland sites showed signs of historical events at the population level but not at the community level at the scale used, indicating that both approaches should be employed together in biogeographical studies. Lack of detection of historical events at the community level does not necessarily mean that they are negligible. Most likely, the organizational level used is not appropriate. We also stress the importance of implementing conservation measures for rivers in the western Mediterranean, especially under future scenarios of climate change and human disturbances in the Mediterranean Basin.
Embodied infant attention
Authors: Robertson Steven S. , Johnson Sarah L. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractDoes real time coupling between mental and physical activity early in development have functional significance? To address this question, we examined the habituation of visual attention and the subsequent response to change in two groups of 3‐month‐olds with different patterns of movement–attention coupling. Insuppressors,the typical decrease in body movement at the onset of looks persists into the looks. Inrebounders,the initial decrease is more transient and movement quickly returns above baseline. Suppressors and rebounders did not differ on measures of looking during habituation, but when the stimulus changed rebounders looked more than suppressors. When it did not change, they looked less. In addition, during habituation rebounders spent more time lookingawayfrom the stimulus. Rapid motor reactivation soon after gaze locks onto a target, characteristic of rebounders, may influence visual foraging and the response to change by keeping attention near a threshold of engagement.
The development of ICT across the curriculum in Irish schools: A historical perspective
Authors: McGarr Oliver 
Published: November 2008

AbstractThis literature review explores the historical development of information and communication technology (ICT) in Irish postprimary/secondary schools and examines how the education system has responded to the various ICT initiatives and policy changes. The review has found that despite national policy and significant ICT initiatives, it appears that the use of computer technology has instead evolved independent of these changes. The various policy nudges throughout the past three decades have had limited impact on the nature of its use. The predominant use of the technology lies within discrete informatics subjects which tend to focus on learning about the technology rather than learning with it. Future ICT policy needs to be cognisant of the past, particularly how national ICT initiatives are mediated within schools and the powerful influence of the prevailing ICT culture on external ICT initiatives.
eCAF: A new tool for the conversational analysis of electronic communication
Authors: Duncan‐Howell Jennifer 
Published: November 2008

AbstractElectronic communication is characteristically concerned with ‘the message’ (eM), those who send them (S), and those who receive and read them (R). This relationship could be simplified into the equation eM = S + R. When this simple equation is applied to electronic communication, several elements are added that make this straightforward act of sending and receiving a message more complex. These new elements are characteristics such as asynchronicity, unknown senders and readers, non‐linear text and the absence of non‐verbal cues. What is apparent is that the complexity of these messages lies in their impact outside the online environment. It is clear from the messages themselves that the information is being applied to real, authentic contexts and is not limited to the online environment. Conversational analysis frameworks must attempt to understand this complexity if the meaning of electronic messages is to be understood. This paper proposes a new conversational analysis framework, the electronic conversational analysis framework (eCAF), for use with electronic communication. The eCAF has been designed as a new methodological tool that incorporates the unique virtual/real worlds that individuals participate in and links these two locations to the phases of electronic discussions.
Comparison of older and younger adults' attitudes towards and abilities with computers: Implications for training and learning
Authors: Broady Tim , Chan Amy , Caputi Peter 
Published: November 2008

AbstractComputers and associated technology have become central to modern life. In a society where the population is rapidly ageing, the acceptance and utilisation of developing technologies by an older population is becoming increasingly important. This review highlights similarities and differences between the attitudes and acceptance of technology by older and younger people, leading to the conclusion that similar factors influence both age groups—hence, older people could well be taught to use technology in a similar manner to younger people. While all learners, irrespective of age, should receive sufficient time for training in a positive and supportive environment, this review suggests that due consideration ought to be given to the amount of time allowed for older users to learn new skills and the manner in which learners are treated in a positive and valued manner.
Encompassing: Concepts and Implementation*
Authors: Bontemps Christophe , Mizon Grayham E. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractThe encompassing principle has been carefully and precisely defined in various contexts, since its first appearance in the 1980s literature in numerous papers by Hendry, Mizon and Richard. Since then, several distinct notions of encompassing have been proposed and still coexist in the literature. We describe, illustrate and connect these notions in this paper. We start with the intuitive properties of exact encompassing between estimated models and compare it with its testable counterpart, approximate encompassing. We examine these notions and their main properties within static and dynamic, parametric and non‐parametric, classical and Bayesian models and estimators. Encompassing or the lack of encompassing, is also studied via the concepts of parsimonious and partial encompassing. Pseudo‐true values, which are central elements in measuring and testing approximate encompassing, are defined in line with the concept of specificity between models. We also examine the role played by the data generating process in the different approaches in the literature.
Cross‐data‐vintage Encompassing*
Authors: Cook Steve 
Published: November 2008

AbstractThe issues of model comparison and evaluation in the presence of data revision are examined. The initial analysis revisits the model validity and data accuracy tests of Hendry [Oxford Review of Economic Policy(1994) Vol. 10, pp. 86–106] to develop the concept of model and vintage coalescence (MVC). A taxonomy of MVC tests is proposed, with the finite‐sample properties of the tests examined via Monte Carlo simulation. The analysis proceeds to extend the encompassing principle [see Mizon and Richard,Econometrica(1986), Vol. 54, pp. 657–678;Contributions to Operations Research and Econometrics: The XXth Anniversary of CORE,Hendry and Richard (1989)MIT Press, Cambridge, MA] to permit the comparison of econometric models developed upon alternative vintages of data. The resulting cross‐data‐vintage encompassing tests are discussed, with their finite‐sample properties compared with those of conventional encompassing tests. The paper concludes by considering implications of the present analysis for econometric modelling.
Low prevalence of progranulin mutations in Finnish patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration
Authors: Krüger J. , Kaivorinne A.‐L. , Udd B. , Majamaa K. , Remes A. M. 
Published: November 2008

Background and purpose:  Mutations in the progranulin (PGRN) gene have recently been associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). The frequency of these mutations varies between populations. The aim of this study was to determine mutations and genetic variations of the PGRN gene in Finnish patients with FTLD and FTLD with associated motor neuron disease (FTLD‐MND).Subjects and methods:  All exons of the PGRN gene were sequenced from 69 Finnish patients with FTLD. The FTLD‐MND phenotype was present in 13 of the 69 patients.Results:  No pathogenic PGRN mutations were identified in the cohort. Eleven sequence variations were detected, of which IVS8 + 15C>T, IVS4‐51_‐52insAGTC and IVS11 + 25G>A have not been reported previously. At least one single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of PGRN was detected in 83% of patients.Conclusions:  We conclude that mutations in PGRN are rare among Finnish patients with FTLD and FTLD‐MND. However, SNPs were frequent suggesting high genetic variability of the PGRN gene.
Omega‐3 Fatty Acid Supplementation Effects on Weight and Appetite in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease: The Omega‐3 Alzheimer's Disease Study
Authors: Faxén Irving Gerd , Freund‐Levi Yvonne , Eriksdotter‐Jönhagen Maria , Basun Hans , Brismar Kerstin , Hjorth Erik , Palmblad Jan , Vessby Bengt , Vedin Inger , Wahlund Lars‐Olof , Cederholm Tommy 
Published: November 2008

OBJECTIVES: To study the effects of omega (Ω)‐3 fatty acid (FA) supplements on weight and appetite in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) in relation to inflammatory biomarkers and apolipoprotein E ɛ4 (APOEɛ4).DESIGN: Randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial.SETTING: Specialist memory clinics in the Stockholm catchment area.PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred four patients (aged 73±9, 52% women) with mild to moderate AD.INTERVENTION: Patients with AD received 1.7 g of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 0.6 g of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (Ω‐3/Ω‐3 group; n=89, aged 73±9, 57% women) or placebo 0.6 g of linoleic acid per day (placebo/Ω‐3 group; n=85, aged 73±9, 46% women) for 6 months. After 6 months, all patients received DHA and EPA for another 6 months.MEASUREMENTS: Anthropometry, biochemical nutritional and inflammatory markers, and appetite assessed by caregiver.RESULTS: Mean weight and body mass index (kg/m2) at baseline were 70.0±11.8 kg and 24.3±3.0 kg/m2, respectively. At 6‐ and 12‐month follow‐up, weight had increased 0.7±2.5 kg (P=.02) and 1.4±2.9 kg (P<.001) in the Ω‐3/Ω‐3 group. In the placebo group, weight was unchanged at 6 months but had increased (P=.01) at 12 months follow‐up after Ω‐3 supplementation was initiated. Appetite improved in the Ω‐3/Ω‐3 group over the treatment period (P=.01). In logistic regression analyses, not carrying the APOEɛ4 allele and high plasma DHA concentrations were independently related to weight gain in the combined group of patients at 6 months follow‐up.CONCLUSION: A DHA‐enriched Ω‐3 FA supplement may positively affect weight and appetite in patients with mild to moderate AD. Not carrying the APOEɛ4 allele and high DHA were independently associated with weight gain.
Racial and Ethnic Differences in End‐of‐Life Care in Fee‐for‐Service Medicare Beneficiaries with Advanced Cancer
Authors: Smith Alexander K. , Earle Craig C. , McCarthy Ellen P. 
Published: November 2008

OBJECTIVES: To examine racial and ethnic variation in use of hospice and high‐intensity care in patients with terminal illness.DESIGN: Retrospective, secondary data analysis.SETTING: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results‐Medicare Database from 1992 to 1999 with follow‐up data until December 31, 2001.PARTICIPANTS: Forty thousand nine hundred sixty non‐Hispanic white, non‐Hispanic black, Asian, and Hispanic fee‐for‐service Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older with advanced‐stage lung, colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer.MEASURMENTS: Hospice use and indicators of high‐intensity care at the end of life.RESULTS: Whereas 42.0% of elderly white patients with advanced cancer enrolled in hospice, enrollment was lower for black (36.9%), Asian (32.2%), and Hispanic (37.7%) patients. Differences between white and Hispanic patients disappeared after adjustment for clinical and sociodemographic factors. Higher proportions of black and Asian patients than of white patients were hospitalized two or more times (11.7%, 15.0%, 13.7%, respectively), spent more than 14 days hospitalized (11.4%, 17.4%, 15.6%, respectively), and were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) (12.0%, 17.0%, 16.2%, respectively) in the last month of life and died in the hospital (26.5%, 31.3%, 33.7%, respectively). Unadjusted differences in receipt of high‐intensity care according to race or ethnicity remained after adjustment.CONCLUSION: Black and Asian patients with advanced cancer were more likely than whites to be hospitalized frequently and for prolonged periods, be admitted to the ICU, die in the hospital, and be enrolled in hospice at lower rates. Further research is needed to examine the degree to which patient preferences or other factors explain these differences.
Efficacy of recombinant activated Factor VII in patients with massive uncontrolled bleeding: a retrospective observational analysis
Authors: Berkhof Farida F. , Eikenboom Jeroen C.J. 
Published: November 2008

BACKGROUND: Recombinant activated Factor VII (rFVIIa) is a prohemostatic agent used for treatment of hemophilia patients with inhibiting antibodies. It has also been used in the context of massive uncontrolled blood loss, but the efficacy has not been proven. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of rFVIIa in massive uncontrolled blood loss.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: In this retrospective observational analysis patients were included that had received rFVIIa between April 2004 and January 2008 in the context of bleeding that could not be controlled by conventional transfusion therapy. Data were retrieved from patient files, anesthesia reports, the electronic hospital information system, and the computer files of the hospital blood transfusion service. Baseline demographics, medication data, laboratory data, transfusion data, and surgical data were analyzed.RESULTS: In 32 patients with massive uncontrolled blood loss, a significant reduction in transfusion requirements was observed after infusion of rFVIIa, when comparing the transfusions before and up to 48 hours after infusion of rFVIIa. Mean red blood cell (RBC) transfusions showed a reduction of 20.1 units before rFVIIa to 8.7 after rFVIIa (mean difference, 11.4 units; 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.4‐16.5) and fresh‐frozen plasma (FFP) transfusions showed a reduction of 19.3 units before rFVIIa to 9.3 after rFVIIa (mean difference, 9.9 units; 95% CI, 4.2‐15.6). Fifty‐six percent of patients receiving rFVIIa for uncontrolled life‐threatening bleeding were alive at discharge from the hospital.CONCLUSION: This study suggests that rFVIIa may play a role in patients with massive uncontrolled blood loss by reducing the amount of RBC and FFP transfusions and by improving the coagulation variables.
Identification and characterization of a novel XK splice site mutation in a patient with McLeod syndrome
Authors: Arnaud Lionel , Salachas François , Lucien Nicole , Maisonobe Thierry , Le Pennec Pierre‐Yves , Babinet Jérôme , Cartron Jean‐Pierre 
Published: November 2008

BACKGROUND: McLeod syndrome is a rare X‐linked neuroacanthocytosis syndrome with hematologic, muscular, and neurologic manifestations. McLeod syndrome is caused by mutations in the XK gene whose product is expressed at the red blood cell (RBC) surface but whose function is currently unknown. A variety of XK mutations has been reported but no clear phenotype‐genotype correlation has been found, especially for the point mutations affecting splicing sites.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A man suspected of neuroacanthocytosis was evaluated by neurologic examination, electromyography, muscle biopsy, muscle computed tomography, and cerebral magnetic resonance imaging. The McLeod RBC phenotype was disclosed by blood smear and immunohematology analyses and then confirmed at the biochemical level by Western blot analysis. The responsible XK mutation was characterized at the mRNA level by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (PCR), identified by genomic DNA sequencing, and verified by allele‐specific PCR.RESULTS: A novel XK splice site mutation (IVS1‐1G>A) has been identified in a McLeod patient who has developed hematologic, neuromuscular, and neurologic symptoms. This is the first reported example of a XK point mutation affecting the 3′ acceptor splice site of Intron 1, and it was demonstrated that this mutation indeed induces aberrant splicing of XK RNA and lack of XK protein at the RBC membrane.CONCLUSION: The detailed characterization at the molecular biology level of this novel XK splice site mutation associated with the clinical description of the patient contributes to a better understanding of the phenotype‐genotype correlation in the McLeod syndrome.
The Rights of Children, the Rights of Nations: Developmental Theory and the Politics of Children's Rights
Authors: Daiute Colette 
Published: November 2008

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), U.N. General Assembly (1989) is a major breakthrough in defining children as fully human and working to ensure them the attendant benefits worldwide. While children's rights as equal human beings may seem obvious in the 21st century, the politics of establishing and ensuring such rights are contentious. The CRC is a brilliant negotiation of conceptions of the child and international relations, yet certain tensions in the children's rights process lead to a lack of clarity in a global situation that continues to leave millions of children at risk. Analyzing the CRC and related practices from a developmental perspective can help identify obstacles to the advancement of children's rights, especially those related to opportunities for rights‐based thinking and the exercise of self‐determination and societal‐determination rights. In this article, I offer a qualitative analysis of children's rights in the context of what I refer to as the CRC activity‐meaning system. I present a theoretical framework for considering this system of policy and practice as enacted in the CRC treaty and related monitoring, reporting, qualifying, and implementing documents. A discourse analysis of conceptions of the child and those responsible for ensuring their rights in seven representative documents (including the CRC Treaty, a report by the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child, minutes of a U.N. Security Council meeting, reports by a State‐Party, and a report by a civil society group in that country) reveals tensions inherent in the CRC activity‐meaning system.1 Emerging from this analysis is a tension between children's rights and nation's rights. Created in part via explicit and implicit assumptions about child development in the CRC as these posit responsibilities across actors in the broader CRC system, this tension challenges the implementation of children's rights and the development of children's rights‐based understandings. I use this analysis to explain why future research and practice should address the development of children's rights‐based understanding not only in terms of maturation or socialization but also as integral to salient conflicts in their every day lives.