bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Neuropeptide Y in the Brain and Retina of the Adult Teleost Gilthead Seabream (Sparus aurata L.)
Authors: Pirone A. , Lenzi C. , Marroni P. , Betti L. , Mascia G. , Giannaccini G. , Lucacchini A. , Fabiani O. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryThe presence of neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the brain and retina of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.) was investigated for the first time. For this investigation we employed an immunoperoxidase technique and the western immunoblot analysis using an antiserum raised against porcine NPY. The results showed that NPY‐immunoreactivity was widely distributed in the brain of S. aurata. In particular, we have found NPY‐immunoreactive (ir) neurons in the area ventralis telencephali pars centralis and pars lateralis, in the area dorsali telencephali pars centralis subdivision two and in nucleus intermedius thalami. An intense NPY‐ir was detected in the telencephalon, in the optic tectum, in the thalamus, hypothalamus and in the vagal lobes. Scarce positive fibres were seen in the olfactory bulbs. NPY‐ir amacrine cells were observed in the retina. The western immunoblot analysis revealed a protein band with a mobility corresponding to that of synthetic NPY. Our findings are, in general, in agreement with those obtained in other teleosts. The extensive distribution of NPY indicates for this peptide a key role in basic physiological actions, including visual and gustatory inputs processing.
Awareness in children: another two cases
Authors: BLUSSÉ VAN OUD‐ALBLAS HELEEN J. , BÖSENBERG ADRIAN T. , TIBBOEL DICK 
Published: May 2008

SummaryIntraoperative awareness is an anesthesia complication and occurs when a patient becomes conscious during a procedure performed under general anesthesia and subsequently has recall of these events. Awareness is well described phenomenon in adults, with an incidence of 0.1–0.2 % for low‐risk surgical procedures. Recent studies have shown that awareness in children is more common than in adults. However, causes and the long‐term psychological impact of awareness in children are unknown. We report on two cases of intraoperative awareness in children in an attempt to throw further light on this complex problem.
Oral to nasal tube exchange under fibroscopic view: a new technique for nasal intubation in a predicted difficult airway
Authors: MONCLUS ENRIC , GARCÉS ANTONIO , ARTÉS DAVID , MABROCK MAGED 
Published: May 2008

SummaryFor a predicted difficult airway, oral intubation techniques are well established in pediatric anesthesia, but nasotracheal intubation remains a problem. There are many reports concerning this, but the risk of bleeding, added to the lack of cooperation make this procedure difficult and hazardous. We describe a modification of the nasal intubation technique in two stages. First an oral intubation and then exchanging the oral for a nasal tube, in the case of a 13‐year‐old boy affected by an advanced stage of cherubism. Oral intubation using a laryngeal mask technique has already been reported, but problems appear during the exchange procedure and even more when direct laryngoscopy is impossible. Fiberscopic control of the exchange, and the introduction of a Cook Exchange Catheter into the trachea through the oral tube before withdrawal, permits oxygenation of the patient and acts as a guide for oral tube reintroduction if required.
Extensive lower limb injuries in a child complicated by complex pain management and profound anemia
Authors: RIZZO GIULIANA , ASTUTO MARINELLA , WITHINGTON DAVINIA E. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryWe describe a case of severe pain associated with extensive lower limb injures in a 5‐year old, complicated by profound anemia in a Jehovah’s Witness family. The study was carried out in a pediatric intensive care unit of a tertiary level university hospital. The patient was 5‐year‐old girl, with multiple open fractures and extensive soft tissue loss on her left foot and ankle due to a lawnmower injury leading to severe pain and profound anemia with management of the latter complicated by family beliefs. The interventions given were multi‐modal pain management and treatment of severe anemia with avoidance of transfusion. A drop in hemoglobin from 11.6 g·dl−1 at admission to a nadir of 4.3 g·dl−1 on day 7 was observed. Effective pain control was achieved with nurse‐ and then patient‐controlled analgesia plus adjuncts. Effective pain management and control of anxiety can be achieved by a multi‐modal approach in young children. Profound anemia was treated without transfusion and without compromise of tissue healing.
A new formula of age‐related anatomical landmarks for blockade of the sciatic nerve in the popliteal fossa in children using the posterior approach
Authors: BERNIÈRE JOSÉE , SCHRAYER SYLVIE , PIANA FEDERICA , VIALLE RAPHAËL , MURAT ISABELLE 
Published: May 2008

SummaryBackground:  Anatomical landmarks for sciatic nerve blockade are poorly described in children. In adults, the site of puncture of the high approach is located at least 10 cm above the popliteal skin crease.Methods:  We hypothesized that correcting the adult landmarks (10 cm) by the ratio of the calculated child femoral shaft length over the adult femoral shaft length would provide adequate landmarks for needle introduction for popliteal nerve block in children.Results:  The theoretical landmarks were calculated and tested in 21 infants and children. In all cases, the sciatic nerve was easily located using the nerve stimulator when the needle was inserted at the calculated place and 29 catheters were successfully placed in these 21 children.Conclusion:  These simple landmarks adapted to children age are expected to help the clinicians to perform safely sciatic blocks at the popliteal fossa in young patients.
An invasive plant–fungal mutualism reduces arthropod diversity
Authors: Rudgers Jennifer A. , Clay Keith 
Published: May 2008

AbstractEcological theory holds that competition and predation are the most important biotic forces affecting the composition of communities. Here, we expand this framework by demonstrating that mutualism can fundamentally alter community and food web structure. In large, replicated field plots, we manipulated the mutualism between a dominant plant (Lolium arundinaceum) and symbiotic fungal endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum). The presence of the mutualism reduced arthropod abundance up to 70%, reduced arthropod diversity nearly 20%, shifted arthropod species composition relative to endophyte‐free plots and suppressed the biomass and richness of other plant species in the community. Herbivorous arthropods were more strongly affected than carnivores, and for both herbivores and carnivores, effects of the mutualism appeared to propagate indirectly via organisms occurring more basally in the food web. The influence of the mutualism was as great or greater than previously documented effects of competition and predation on arthropod communities. Our work demonstrates that a keystone mutualism can significantly reduce arthropod biodiversity at a broad community scale.
A keystone predator controls bacterial diversity in the pitcher‐plant (Sarracenia purpurea) microecosystem
Authors: Peterson Celeste N. , Day Stephanie , Wolfe Benjamin E. , Ellison Aaron M. , Kolter Roberto , Pringle Anne 
Published: May 2008

SummaryThe community of organisms inhabiting the water‐filled leaves of the carnivorous pitcher‐plant Sarracenia purpurea includes arthropods, protozoa and bacteria, and serves as a model system for studies of food web dynamics. Despite the wealth of data collected by ecologists and zoologists on this food web, very little is known about the bacterial assemblage in this microecosystem. We used terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T‐RFLP) analysis to quantify bacterial diversity within the pitchers as a function of pitcher size, pH of the pitcher fluid and the presence of the keystone predator in this food web, larvae of the pitcher‐plant mosquito Wyeomyia smithii. Results were analysed at two spatial scales: within a single bog and across three isolated bogs. Pitchers were sterile before they opened and composition of the bacterial assemblage was more variable between different bogs than within bogs. Measures of bacterial richness and diversity were greater in the presence of W. smithii and increased with increasing pitcher size. Our results suggest that fundamental ecological concepts derived from macroscopic food webs can also be used to predict the bacterial assemblages in pitcher plants.
Rosiglitazone and pioglitazone similarly improve insulin sensitivity and secretion, glucose tolerance and adipocytokines in type 2 diabetic patients
Authors: Miyazaki Y. , DeFronzo R. A. 
Published: May 2008

Objective:  We examined the effects of rosiglitazone treatment on profiles of adipocytokines levels, postprandial insulin and glucose excursion, lipids levels, comparing with those of pioglitazone treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods:  Changes in body weight, haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), glucose/insulin/C‐peptide/free fatty acid (FFA) during 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), HDL‐/LDL‐cholesterol, triglyceride (TG) and adipocytokines [tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, leptin and adiponectin] were measured in T2DM patients treated with rosiglitazone, 8 mg/day (n = 35), or pioglitazone, 45 mg/day (n = 21), for 3 months.Results:  After rosiglitazone or pioglitazone treatment, HbA1c (8.6–7.2 vs. 8.3–6.9%, rosiglitazone vs. pioglitazone), fasting plasma glucose (190–144 vs. 178–140 mg/dl), fasting FFA (729–595 vs. 641–526 μEq/l), mean plasma glucose‐OGTT (292–229 vs. 285–233 mg/dl) and mean FFA‐OGTT (580–430 vs. 488–377 μEq/l) decreased similarly and all were statistically significant (p < 0.01). The insulinogenic index (ΔI0–120/ΔG0–120) (0.19–0.30 vs. 0.17–0.26) and Matsuda index of insulin sensitivity (2.0–3.1 and 2.7–4.3) increased (p < 0.01) similarly, despite increase in body weight (85–88 vs. 81–84 kg). TNF‐α (3.8–3.4 vs. 5.2–4.5 pg/ml) decreased (p < 0.05) and adiponectin (6.3–17.8 vs. 7.1–16.4 μg/ml) increased (p < 0.01), while leptin did not change following either treatment. After rosiglitazone treatment, plasma HDL‐cholesterol (34–38 mg/dl) and LDL‐cholesterol (103–120 mg/dl) increased (p < 0.01), while TGs (177–167 mg/dl) did not change significantly. After pioglitazone treatment, plasma HDL‐cholesterol (34–37 mg/dl) increased (p < 0.05), while LDL‐cholesterol (104–105 mg/dl) did not change and TGs (153–106 mg/dl) decreased (p < 0.01).Conclusions:  Rosiglitazone and pioglitazone have similar beneficial effects on glycaemic control insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion and plasma adipocytokine levels. However, pioglitazone has a more beneficial effect on the plasma lipid profile than rosiglitazone.
Endorectal magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy to monitor the prostate for residual disease or local cancer recurrence after transrectal high‐intensity focused ultrasound
Authors: Cirillo Stefano , Petracchini Massimo , D’Urso Leonardo , Dellamonica Patrizia , Illing Rowland , Regge Daniele , Muto Giovanni 
Published: May 2008

OBJECTIVETo assess the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for evaluating changes in the prostate after transrectal high‐intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for treating prostate cancer, correlating the findings with histology to assess its possible role in predicting the outcome, evaluating residual cancer or local recurrence of disease.PATIENTS AND METHODSTen patients with prostate cancer were assessed with MR and MR spectroscopy (MRS) before and at 1, 4 and 12 months after HIFU, assessing the glandular volume and MRI and MRS data after HIFU. These data were correlated with the prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) levels at each examination (suspicious for residual cancer if >0.5 ng/mL) and with histological findings of prostate biopsy sampling at 6–8 months (random or targeted at suspicious MR areas).RESULTSVariations in volume during the follow‐up were not associated with treatment outcome. MRI was suspicious for residual cancer in one patient at 1 month and in another two at 4 months; in all three patients (one with a PSA level of <0.5 ng/mL) targeted biopsies were positive for cancer. MRI was negative in seven patients; in six of these (one with a PSA level of >0.5 ng/mL) random biopsies were negative, and in one the random biopsies were positive for residual cancer. At 4 months there was a statistically significant difference (P = 0.015) between patients responsive to treatment and those with persistent disease, by combining negative MRI with a PSA level of <0.5 ng/mL; MRS data were suitable for analysis only in three patients with partial necrosis.CONCLUSIONOur preliminary data support the role of MRI in association with PSA levels as a useful and accurate tool in the follow‐up of patients treated with HIFU for prostate cancer. However, considering the economic issue, it should not be used routinely and should be limited to detecting residual cancer (in patients with a PSA level of >0.5 ng/mL) with the main purpose of improving the detection rate of transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS)‐guided prostate biopsy. MRS data had no additional value over MRI. Further evaluation is needed to compare the use of contrast media and other techniques (e.g. colour Doppler TRUS) in detecting residual or local recurrent cancer.
Forecasting Resource‐Allocation Decisions Under Climate Uncertainty: Fire Suppression with Assessment of Net Benefits of Research
Authors: Prestemon Jeffrey P. , Donovan Geoffrey H. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractMaking input decisions under climate uncertainty often involves two‐stage methods that use expensive and opaque transfer functions. This article describes an alternative, single‐stage approach to such decisions using forecasting methods. The example shown is for preseason fire suppression resource contracting decisions faced by the United States Forest Service. Two‐stage decision tools have been developed for these decisions, and we compare the expected gains to the agency, in terms of reduced personnel costs, of the single‐stage model over the two‐stage model, existing hiring decisions, and decisions that would have been made given perfect foresight about wildfire activity. Our analysis demonstrates the potential gains to versions of our single‐stage model over existing hiring decisions, equivalent to a benefit‐cost ratio of 22. The research also identified additional gains accruing from imposing biases on the single‐stage model, associated with asymmetric penalties from contracting decisions.
Indifference Pricing of Weather Derivatives
Authors: Xu Wei , Odening Martin , Musshoff Oliver 
Published: May 2008

AbstractWeather derivatives are difficult to price due to the nontradability of weather and the absence of liquid secondary markets for these contracts. We use the concept of indifference pricing to develop a model for calculating the willingness to pay for weather insurance. Compared with other approaches, indifference pricing is less ambitious since it does not attempt to predict a transacted market price. The application of indifference pricing in the case of German crop producers shows that their willingness to pay for weather insurance depends on the production program and varies regionally. This suggests the development of tailored insurance products.
An Empirical Exploration of the Population‐Environment Nexus in India
Authors: Bhattacharya Haimanti , Innes Robert 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThis article presents an empirical study of population growth and environmental change using cross‐section district‐level data from South, Central, and West India. Environmental change is measured using a satellite‐based vegetation index. Unlike prior work, the analysis treats population growth and environmental change as jointly determined, distinguishes between rural and urban populations, and distinguishes between two components of population growth, natural growth and migration. Among key findings are that environmental decline spurs rural population growth and net rural in‐migration, which prompt further environmental decline; environmental improvement spurs urban population growth and net urban in‐migration; and environmental scarcity spurs environmental improvement.
With a Little Help from Your Friends: The Importance of High‐quality Friendships on Early Adolescent Adjustment
Authors: Waldrip Amy M. , Malcolm Kenya T. , Jensen‐Campbell Lauri A. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThe unique contributions of peer acceptance, friendship, and victimization to adjustment were examined. How these relational systems moderate the influence of one another to influence adjustment was also investigated. Friendship quality, a unique aspect of friendship, was expected to be especially important for adjustment when other relational systems were poor. A total of 238 fifth to eighth graders (boys = 109) participated in the survey‐style paradigm. Youth participants completed measures assessing their friendships and peer relationships. Teachers provided assessments of adjustment. Adolescents who had lower levels of peer acceptance, number of friends, and friendship quality had greater teacher‐reported maladjustment. Friendship quality was also an important buffer against adjustment problems when peer acceptance and number of friends were low. The outcomes of this article suggest that an approach that includes examining the quality of adolescents' friendships, peer interactions, and interactive models of relationship dimensions are informative for understanding adolescents' general adjustment.
Special Needs, Relationship Type and Distributive Justice Norms in Early and Later Years of Middle Childhood
Authors: Frederickson Norah L. , Simmonds Elizabeth A. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractSensitivity to relationship type and level of need in distributing rewards for work done was investigated with classmates who were best friends, acquaintances, or children with special educational needs (SEN). Children (N = 142) aged 8–11 years completed measures of reward allocation, monitoring of task inputs and belief in a just world (BJW). An increase in children's sensitivity to relationship type and need was found with age in reward allocation and monitoring of task inputs. Among older children, BJW varied with relationship type and monitoring of task inputs. Findings support the characterization of relationships with acquaintances as exchange relationships, with best friends as symmetrical communal relationships, and with children who have SEN as asymmetrical communal relationships.
Isotropic Spectral Additive Models of the Covariogram
Authors: Powojowski Miro R. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryA class of additive covariance models of an isotropic random process is proposed, motivated by the spectral representation of the covariance function. Model parameters are estimated by using a special case of the minimum norm quadratic estimation estimator, whose asymptotic moments have convenient expressions in terms of spectral densities. Fitting a model in this class is equivalent to fitting an additive model of the spectral density. The class of spectral additive models proposed is dense in the set of summable covariance functions having a spectral density, allowing approximately unbiased estimation of an arbitrary covariance function and its spectral density. Theoretical results are supported by numerical comparison with commonly used models. A procedure to assist model selection is proposed. The techniques are illustrated with an application to contaminant data.
Semiparametric Inference in Generalized Mixed Effects Models
Authors: Lombardía María José , Sperlich Stefan 
Published: May 2008

SummaryThe paper presents a study of the generalized partially linear model including random effects in its linear part. We propose an estimator that combines likelihood approaches for mixed effects models, with kernel methods. Following the methodology of Härdle and co-workers, we introduce a test for the hypothesis of a parametric mixed effects model against the alternative of a semiparametric mixed effects model. The critical values are estimated by using a bootstrap procedure. The asymptotic theory for the methods is provided, as are the results of a simulation study. These verify the feasibility and the excellent behaviour of the methods for samples of even moderate size. The usefulness of the methodology is illustrated with an application in which the objective is to estimate forest coverage in Galicia, Spain.
Non-Parametric Inference for Clustered Binary and Count Data when Only Summary Information is Available
Authors: Hall Peter , Maiti Tapabrata 
Published: May 2008

SummaryData in the form of pairs (X,Y), where the response Y is a count, arise in many applications, including problems involving stratified or two-stage sampling. Such data are often analysed by using random-effects models, where the distribution of Y, conditional on X and on an unobserved random parameter Θ, is taken to be either binomial or Poisson, and the distribution of Θ is connected through a link function to a random effect. The latter is sometimes supposed to be normally distributed, but that assumption can lead to serious biases if it is not satisfied. This difficulty has motivated an extensive literature on non-parametric techniques for cases where the random-effect distribution is unknown, but that methodology requires detailed cluster level data. No non-parametric techniques are available for instances where only summary data are accessible. We show that the random-effect distribution is actually non-parametrically identifiable from crude summary data, and we suggest a sieve method for inference in this case. Non-parametric approaches to both parameter estimation and prediction are introduced, and empirical techniques are developed for choosing tuning parameters. These methods are shown to outperform their parametric counterparts when the model is misspecified, and to perform almost as well as parametric methods when the model is correct.
Targets for ethanol action and antagonism in Loop 2 of the extracellular domain of glycine receptors
Authors: Perkins Daya I. , Trudell James R. , Crawford Daniel K. , Alkana Ronald L. , Davies Daryl L. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThe present studies used increased atmospheric pressure in place of a traditional pharmacological antagonist to probe the molecular sites and mechanisms of ethanol action in glycine receptors (GlyRs). Based on previous studies, we tested the hypothesis that physical–chemical properties at position 52 in extracellular domain Loop 2 of α1GlyRs, or the homologous α2GlyR position 59, determine sensitivity to ethanol and pressure antagonism of ethanol. Pressure antagonized ethanol in α1GlyRs that contain a non‐polar residue at position 52, but did not antagonize ethanol in receptors with a polar residue at this position. Ethanol sensitivity in receptors with polar substitutions at position 52 was significantly lower than GlyRs with non‐polar residues at this position. The α2T59A mutation switched sensitivity to ethanol and pressure antagonism in the WTα2GlyR, thereby making it α1‐like. Collectively, these findings indicate that (i) polarity at position 52 plays a key role in determining sensitivity to ethanol and pressure antagonism of ethanol; (ii) the extracellular domain in α1‐ and α2GlyRs is a target for ethanol action and antagonism and (iii) there is structural‐functional homology across subunits in Loop 2 of GlyRs with respect to their roles in determining sensitivity to ethanol and pressure antagonism of ethanol. These findings should help in the development of pharmacological agents that antagonize ethanol.