bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparison of fesoterodine and tolterodine in patients with overactive bladder
Authors: Chapple Christopher R. , Van Kerrebroeck Philip E. , Jünemann Klaus‐Peter , Wang Joseph T. , Brodsky Marina 
Published: July 2008

OBJECTIVETo compare, in a post hoc analysis of a phase III trial, the maximum recommended doses of fesoterodine (8 mg) and tolterodine (4 mg) for improving overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms and health‐related quality of life (HRQoL), as fesoterodine effectively reduces OAB symptoms vs placebo.PATIENTS AND METHODSEligible patients with frequency (≥eight voids/24 h) and either urgency (≥six episodes over 3 days) or urgency urinary incontinence (UUI; ≥three episodes over 3 days) were randomized to placebo, fesoterodine 4 or 8 mg, or tolterodine extended‐release (ER) 4 mg for 12 weeks; fesoterodine 4 mg data were published elsewhere. Patients completed a 3‐day bladder diary in which they recorded the time of each void, voided volume (VV), and the severity of urgency. A post hoc inferential analysis was conducted on the primary endpoint (voids/24 h), the two co‐primary endpoints (UUI episodes/24 h and treatment response), several secondary endpoints (severe urgency plus UUI per 24 h, mean VV (MVV)/void, and continent days/week), HRQoL, using the King’s Health Questionnaire (KHQ) and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire‐Short Form (ICIQ‐SF), and self‐reported bladder‐related problems. A subanalysis also assessed all endpoints for patients who were incontinent at baseline. Tolerability and safety were assessed by evaluating adverse events, residual urine volume, laboratory variables and treatment withdrawals.RESULTSBy week 12, patients with OAB in both active‐treatment groups showed significant improvements in most bladder diary variables and treatment response rates compared with placebo. Fesoterodine 8 mg was statistically significantly better than tolterodine ER 4 mg for improving UUI episodes, severe urgency plus UUI, mean VV, and number of continent days/week. In addition, the fesoterodine and tolterodine ER groups showed significantly greater improvements in HRQoL than the placebo group, with positive changes in most domains of the KHQ and an improvement in ICIQ‐SF score. The fesoterodine 8‐mg group had statistically significant improvements over placebo in eight of nine KHQ domains. A major improvement in the severity of bladder‐related problems was reported by 39% of the fesoterodine 8 mg and 34% of the tolterodine ER groups vs 25% of those on placebo (P ≤ 0.01). Results for the subgroup of incontinent patients at baseline were similar to the overall results. Adverse events reported most commonly with active treatment included dry mouth, constipation, dry eye, dry throat, and nausea.CONCLUSIONSBoth fesoterodine and tolterodine ER significantly improved OAB symptoms and HRQoL, with statistically significant advantages for fesoterodine 8 mg compared with tolterodine ER on several important endpoints.
Inequity Aversion and Team Incentives
Authors: Rey‐Biel Pedro 
Published: July 2008

AbstractWe study optimal contracts in a simple model where employees are averse to inequity, as modeled byFehr and Schmidt (1999). A “selfish” employer can profitably exploitenvyorguiltby offering contracts which create inequity off‐equilibrium, i.e., when employees do not meet his demands. Such contracts resembleteamandrelative performancecontracts. We derive conditions for inequity aversion to be in itself a reason to form work teams of distributionally concerned employees, even in situations in which effort is contractible.
The Threat Effect of Active Labour Market Programmes*
Authors: Rosholm Michael , Svarer Michael 
Published: July 2008

AbstractIn this paper, we estimate the threat effect of active labour market programmes (ALMPs) for a sample of unemployed men in Denmark. Threat effects of such programmes capture the impacts of a system of ALMPs prior to actual participation. Rational economic agents make search decisions based on the expected discounted value of unemployment, and the perceived risk of future participation in programmes may affect job‐search behaviour early in the unemployment spell. We find a strong and significant threat effect, which is shown to reduce average unemployment duration by two and a half weeks.
Practical Considerations for Choosing Between Tobit and SCLS or CLAD Estimators for Censored Regression Models with an Application to Charitable Giving*
Authors: Wilhelm Mark Ottoni 
Published: July 2008

AbstractPractical considerations for choosing between Tobit, symmetrically censored least squares (SCLS) and censored least absolute deviations (CLAD) estimators are offered. Practical considerations deal with when a Hausman test is better than a conditional moment test for judging the severity of a misspecification, the need to bootstrap the sampling distributions of the Hausman tests, what to look for in a graphical examination of the residuals and the limited value of SCLS. The practical considerations are applied to a model of the intergenerational transmission of charitable giving using new data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). The paper shows how to use relative distribution methods to calculate CLAD‐based marginal effects on the observable dependent variable.
Transplanted bone marrow stromal cells migrate, differentiate and improve motor function in rats with experimentally induced cerebral stroke
Authors: Chen Jeng‐Rung , Cheng Guang‐Yan , Sheu Ching‐Chung , Tseng Guo‐Fang , Wang Tsyr‐Jiuan , Huang Yong‐San 
Published: July 2008

AbstractBone marrow stromal cells are multipotential cells that can be induced to differentiate into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, myocytes and adipocytes in different microenvironments. Recent studies revealed that bone marrow stromal cells could improve neurological deficits of various damages or diseases of the central nervous system such as Parkinson's disease, brain trauma, spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis, and promote glia‐axonal remodeling in animal brain subjected to an experimentally induced stroke. In the present study, bone marrow stromal cells were intracerebrally transplanted into the cerebrum following a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. Our aim was to find out whether the bone marrow stromal cells could survive and express neural phenotypic proteins and, in addition, whether they could restore the behavioral and functional deficits of the cerebral ischemic rats. Our results demonstrated that transplanted bone marrow stromal cells survived and migrated to areas around the lesion site. Some of them exhibited marker proteins of astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Bone marrow stromal cell implantation significantly reduced the transient middle cerebral artery occlusion‐induced cortical loss and thinning of the white matter and enhanced cortical β‐III‐tubulin immunoreactivity. Rats implanted with bone marrow stromal cells showed significant improvement in their performance of elevated body swing test and forelimb footprint analysis and only transient recovery of the adhesive‐removal test. Our data support bone marrow stromal cells as a valuable source of autologous or allogenic donor cells for transplantation to improve the outcome following cerebral ischemia.
Winter activity of Australian tree‐roosting bats: influence of temperature and climatic patterns
Authors: Turbill C. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractMany bats hibernate to overcome a critical energy shortage in winter. However, unlike strictly seasonal hibernators, bats sometimes alternate prolonged torpor bouts with increased activity coinciding with periods of mild weather. Winter activity may be especially common in hibernating tree‐roosting bats because they are less insulated from external conditions than cave‐roosting species and must also leave their roosts to drink, socialize or mate. To test this hypothesis, I measured the activity of a community of tree‐roosting bats by recording echolocation calls at four sites on 18 nights throughout winter in south‐eastern Australia. I also measured insect activity using light traps at each site. I recorded some bat activity on most nights, typically at dusk. Greater bat and insect activity occurred on nights of warmer temperatures, moderate wind speeds and falling barometric pressure, indicating the approach of low‐pressure cold fronts. Thus, winter activity of tree‐roosting bats is linked to short‐term mild conditions caused by a specific, reoccurring weather pattern. Climatic shifts that reduce the frequency of such weather events, such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation phenomenon and future human‐induced climate change, may also reduce winter activity and/or increase the cost of necessary arousal periods by hibernating tree‐roosting bats.
Association Between Polymorphisms in the β2‐adrenoceptor Gene and Migraine in Women
Authors: Schürks Markus , Kurth Tobias , Ridker Paul M , Buring Julie E. , Zee Robert Y.L. 
Published: July 2008

Objective.—To investigate the role of three common polymorphisms in the β2‐adrenoceptor gene in migraine.Background.—Migraine has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and asthma in which β2‐adrenoceptors play an important role; β‐adrenoceptor antagonists are used in migraine prevention. However, the role of variants in the β2‐adrenoceptor gene in migraine is unclear.Methods.—Association study among 23,753 white women, participating in the Women's Health Study, for whom we had information on migraine at baseline and genotype status of the polymorphisms rs1042713 (Gly16Arg), rs1042714 (Gln27Glu), rs1800888 (Thr164Ile). Migraine was self‐reported and we distinguished between any history of migraine, active migraine with and without aura, and prior migraine (history of migraine but not active migraine) in our analyses.Results.—At baseline 4339 women reported any history of migraine. Of these, 3041 had active migraine (1221 migraine with aura, 1820 migraine without aura) and 1298 prior migraine. No migraine was reported by 19,414 women. Genotype‐ and haplotype‐based analyses did not show an association of any of the gene variants tested with any history of migraine. The multivariable‐adjusted odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence intervals) for any history of migraine in the additive model were 1.0 (0.96‐1.05) for rs1042713, 1.0 (0.95‐1.05) for rs1042714, and 0.84 (0.68‐1.05) for rs1800888. In the haplotype analysis the ORs ranged from 0.83 (0.67‐1.03) to 1.01 (0.94‐1.07) with Gly16‐Glu27‐Thr164 as the reference. We also did not find associations in the genotype‐ and haplotype‐based analyses within migraine‐specific subgroups.Conclusions.—Our results do not support a role of 3 investigated polymorphisms in the β2‐adrenoceptor gene in migraine pathophysiology.
Student Perceptions of Social Loafing in Undergraduate Business Classroom Teams
Authors: Jassawalla Avan R. , Malshe Avinash , Sashittal Hemant 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACTThere is a rich body of research devoted to the causes and remedies of social loafing in workplace teams. However, the social loafing phenomenon remains underinvestigated from the perspective of students in undergraduate business classroom teams. In particular, how they define and respond to loafing remains unknown. This article reports findings from a two‐stage study that shows social loafing as a more complex construct than current conceptions suggest. Moreover, students avoid confronting loafers and prefer to have instructors administer postpriori justice based on their self‐report of individual contributions. Based on the findings and recent writings, the article speculates on the causes of these student responses to social loafing in classroom teams.
Capturing Flow in the Business Classroom
Authors: Guo Yi Maggie , Ro Young K. 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACTThis study focuses on the flow experience in business education. Flow experience, characterized by concentration, control, and enjoyment, can lead to better learning outcomes. Leading preconditions of flow include the balance of challenge and skill, feedback, and goal clarity. Other situational factors affect the flow experience through the mediating effects of these three factors. In this article, we extend an existing framework linking flow and learning. Using the model as a guide, we start our research effort of flow in business education by conducting a field survey of student learning experience in terms of flow and influential factors. Data were collected using business students taking an introductory Operations Management course. The analysis reveals that flow does exist in classroom learning. Its key dimensions are concentration, sense of control, and enjoyment. The more important leading factor is having clear feedback. Characteristics of both the instructor and students play a role in the flow experience of students during lecture. It is evident that flow theory offers a useful framework for business education research. Suggestions for future research are made.
The Use of Student Consulting Projects as an Active Learning Pedagogy: A Case Study in a Production/Operations Management Course
Authors: Heriot Kirk C. , Cook Ron , Jones Rita C. , Simpson Leo 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACTActive learning has attracted considerable attention in higher education in response to concerns about how and what students are learning. There are many different forms of active learning, yet most of them are classroom based. We propose an alternative to active learning in the classroom through active learning outside of the classroom in the form of student consulting projects. While the literature on student consulting has largely focused on projects to assist small business owners, this research demonstrates the potential for using student‐consulting projects in the Production/Operations Management course. We use a case study to describe the use of a student‐consulting project as an alternative to the other types of active learning described in the Operations Management education literature.
Modeling discrete choices with augmented perception hurdles
Authors: Hu Wuyang 
Published: July 2008

AbstractThrough creating latent perception hurdles associated with each attribute considered in a stated conjoint experiment, this article describes a model that augments the conventional approach by utilizing the importance ratings provided by respondents prior to the discrete choice stage. The resulting perception hurdle logit (PHL) model has both advantages and disadvantages compared to the conditional logit (CL) and mixed logit models. Although the proposed model may not have the best within‐sample fit, it outperforms the other two models in predicting choices in a hold out sample. In addition, the proposed model is also used to reveal that depending on their own characteristics and the process of the survey, respondents may employ an array of different decision strategies.
The effect of non‐surgical periodontal therapy on peroxidase activity in diabetic patients: a case–control pilot study
Authors: Gonçalves Daniela , Correa Fernanda Oliveira Bello , Khalil Najeh Maissar , De Faria Oliveira Olga Maria Mascarenhas , Orrico Silvana Regina Perez 
Published: July 2008

AbstractObjective: To evaluate the effect of periodontal therapy on clinical parameters as well as on total salivary peroxidase (TSP) activity and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and of systemically healthy individuals.Material and Methods: Twenty DM2 subjects with inadequate metabolic control (test group) and 20 systemically healthy individuals (control group), both groups with chronic periodontitis, were enrolled. Periodontal clinical parameters, namely periodontal probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), visible plaque index (VPI), bleeding on probing (BOP), gingival bleeding index (GBI) and presence of suppuration (SUP), as well as TSP activity and GCF MPO activity, were assessed before and 3 months after non‐surgical periodontal therapy.Results: At baseline and 3 months post‐treatment, the test group presented a higher percentage of sites with VPI and BOP (p<0.01). MPO activity in the GCF presented lower values (p<0.05) for the test group at both baseline and the post‐treatment period. The periodontal treatment resulted in a significant improvement of most clinical and enzymatic parameters for both groups (p<0.05).Conclusions: In both groups, the periodontal therapy was effective in improving most clinical parameters and in reducing salivary and GCF enzymatic activity. The diabetic individuals presented lower MPO activity in the GCF.
Use of chemical tracers to assess diet and persistent organic pollutants in Antarctic Type C killer whales
Authors: Krahn Margaret M. , Pitman Robert L. , Burrows Douglas G. , Herman David P. , Pearce Ronald W. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractMeasuring chemical tracers in tissues of marine predators provides insight into the prey consumed and the predator's contaminant exposure. In this study, samples from Type C killer whales (Orcinus orca) biopsied in Antarctica were analyzed for chemical tracers (i.e., stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen, fatty acids, and persistent organic pollutants [POPs]). Profiles of these individual tracers were very different from those of killer whale populations that have been studied in the eastern North and eastern Tropical Pacific. For example, δ13C and δ15N stable isotope values and most POP concentrations were significantly lower in the Antarctic population. In addition, multivariate statistical analyses of both fatty acid and POP profiles found distinctly different patterns for Antarctic Type C whales compared to those from whales in the other populations. Similar assays were conducted on four species of Antarctic marine fish considered potential prey for Type C killer whales. Results were consistent with a diet of fish for Type C whales, but other species (e.g., low trophic‐level marine mammals or penguins) could not be eliminated as supplemental prey.
Making Sense of Feminist Theology Today
Authors: Schneider Laurel C. , Trentaz Cassie J. E. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractFeminist theology today denotes a widening field of scholarship that shares historic, pragmatic concerns about gender justice in diverse cultural and racial contexts, but that increasingly differs in approach. In this essay, we discuss internal, creative challenges surfacing in (largely Christian) feminist theologies and review the historical social movements that have shaped them up to the present. Theologians who use race, queer, and postcolonial theory to assert the co‐constituting dynamics of gender with race, class, sexuality, nationality, and religion are muddying the waters of older feminisms that focused exclusively on gender, rendering the future of feminist theologies more ambiguous, broad‐reaching, and fluid.
Two flavonoids extracts from Glycyrrhizae radix inhibit in vitro hepatitis C virus replication
Authors: Sekine‐Osajima Yuko , Sakamoto Naoya , Nakagawa Mina , Itsui Yasuhiro , Tasaka Megumi , Nishimura‐Sakurai Yuki , Chen Cheng‐Hsin , Suda Goki , Mishima Kako , Onuki Yuko , Yamamoto Machi , Maekawa Shinya , Enomoto Nobuyuki , Kanai Takanori , Tsuchiya Kiichiro , Watanabe Mamoru 
Published: July 2008

Aim:  Traditional herbal medicines have been used for several thousand years in China and other Asian countries. In this study we screened herbal drugs and their purified compounds, using the Feo replicon system, to determine their effects on in vitro HCV replication.Methods:  We screened herbal drugs and their purified extracts for the activities to suppress hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication using an HCV replicon system that expressed chimeric firefly luciferase reporter and neomycin phosphotransferase (Feo) genes. We tested extracts and 13 purified compounds from the following herbs: Glycyrrhizae radix; Rehmanniae radix; Paeoniae radix; Artemisiae capillari spica; and Rhei rhizoma.Results:  The HCV replication was significantly and dose‐dependently suppressed by two purified compounds, isoliquiritigenin and glycycoumarin, which were from Glycyrrhizae radix. Dose‐effect analyses showed that 50% effective concentrations were 6.2 ± 1.0 µg/mL and 15.5 ± 0.8 µg/mL for isoliquiritigenin and glycycoumarin, respectively. The MTS assay did not show any effect on cell growth and viability at these effective concentrations, indicating that the effects of the two compounds were specific to HCV replication. These two compounds did not affect the HCV IRES‐dependent translation nor did they show synergistic action with interferon‐alpha.Conclusion:  Two purified herbal extracts, isoliquiritigenin and glycycoumarin, specifically suppressed in vitro HCV replication. Further elucidation of their mechanisms of action and evaluation of in vivo effects and safety might constitute a new anti‐HCV therapeutics.
Sm
qnr
, a New Chromosome-Carried Quinolone Resistance Gene in
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
Authors: Shimizu Kenichiro , Kikuchi Ken , Sasaki Takashi , Takahashi Namiko , Ohtsuka Masayuki , Ono Yuka , Hiramatsu Keiichi 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACT

A new chromosome-carried quinolone resistance gene from
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
, Sm
qnr
, was characterized. The gene was present in type strain CCUG 5866 and was also detected in 24 clinical isolates and showed some allelic diversity. The expression of Sm
qnr
in
Escherichia coli
decreased the susceptibilities of the
E. coli
isolates to several fluoroquinolones.
Benefit of Having MultipleampDGenes for Acquiring β-Lactam Resistance without Losing Fitness and Virulence inPseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Moya Bartolomé , Juan Carlos , Albertí Sebastián , Pérez José L. , Oliver Antonio 
Published: July 2008

ABSTRACTThe inactivation ofampDinPseudomonas aeruginosaleads to a partially derepressed phenotype, characterized by a moderately high level basalampCexpression that is still further inducible, due to the presence of two additionalampDgenes in this species (ampDh2andampDh3). The sequential inactivation of the threeampDgenes was shown to lead to a stepwise upregulation ofampCexpression, reaching full derepression in the triple mutant. To gain insight into the biological role ofP. aeruginosaAmpD multiplicity, we determined the effects of the inactivation of theampDgenes on fitness and virulence. We show that, in contrast to what was previously documented forSalmonellaspp., the inactivation ofampDinP. aeruginosadoes not affect fitness or virulence in a mouse model of systemic infection. This lack of effect was demonstrated to be dependent on the presence of the additionalampDgenes (ampDh2andampDh3), since the double and the tripleampDmutants completely lost their biological competitiveness and virulence; fullampCderepression and disruption of the AmpD peptidoglycan recycling system itself are both found to cause a major biological cost. Furthermore, among theampDgenes,ampDh3is found to be the most relevant for virulence inP. aeruginosa. Therefore, as a consequence of the presence of additionalampDgenes, partialampCderepression mediated byampDinactivation confers a biologically efficient resistance mechanism onP. aeruginosa.