bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Caffeine and smoking: Subjective, performance, and psychophysiological effects
Authors: PRITCHARD WALTER S. , ROBINSON JOHN H. , DeBETHIZY J. DONALD , DAVIS RILEY A. , STILES MITCHELL F. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe effects of caffeine and smoking on cognitive performance, subjective variables, heart rate, and EEG were assessed in two sessions. In one session, subjects received caffeine (2.5 mg/kg bodyweight), while in the other they received placebo. In both sessions (hey smoked a cigarette (8 cued puffs) having a nicotine yield of 1.2 mg. Caffeine produced an increase in self‐reported muscular tension and tended to increase anxiety and delta magnitude. Smoking facilitated performance of a paper‐and‐pencil math task and increased heart rate. Smoking also appeared to produce cortical activation as indexed by decreased right frontal delta, decreased right centro‐parietal theta, globally increased alpha, and increased centro‐occipital/decreased posterior‐temporal betal. Smoking also increased central/decreased posterior‐temporal beta2. Smoking and caffeine did not interact for any measure, suggesting that the epidemiological link between smoking and coffee drinking may have a non‐pharmacological basis.
Cardiovascular reactivity, Type A behavior, and coronary heart disease: Comparisons between myocardial infarction patients and controls during laboratory‐induced stress
Authors: SUNDIN ÖRJAN , ÖHMAN ARNE , PALM THOMAS , STRÖM GUNNAR 
Published: March 2007

AbstractCardiovascular responses to a series of laboratory stressors were examined in middle‐aged Type A and Type B men. The subjects were 30 patients with diagnosed myocardial infarction (NYHA Class 1) and 26 age‐matched healthy controls. All subjects were nonsmokers in the normotensive range, and none were on medication. Blood pressure, heart rate, forearm blood flow and resistance, and impedance cardiography‐determined response variables were obtained during performance and recovery periods of both mental and physical tasks. The patients showed elevated reactivity in systolic blood pressure and cardiac output and prolonged systolic lime ratio during mental stress tasks and elevated total peripheral resistance and lower cardiac output and stroke volume during physical tasks, as compared with control subjects. Thus, the difference in blood pressure reactivity between patients and controls appeared to be primarily dependent on the vascular component during physical tasks, whereas the mental tasks promoted a hemodynamic response pattern more consistent with beta adrenergic activation. Type A men, irrespective of coronary status, showed larger systolic and diastolic blood pressure response to both mental and physical stress than did Type B men.
Generalization of the orienting response to significant stimuli: The roles of common and distinctive stimulus components
Authors: BEN‐SHAKHAR GERSHON , GATI ITAMAR , SALAMON NOA 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThis study focused on the effects of common and distinctive stimulus components on the generalization of the orienting response (OR) to significant stimuli. Compound pictorial stimuli were used as the relevant items memorized by the subjects. Skin conductance responses were measured during the subsequent presentation of a stimulus sequence that included a test stimulus that shared some common components with the relevant one. The two types of stimulus components (common and distinctive) were independently manipulated. As predicted by the feature‐matching theory, both types of features affected OR generalization, but the distinctive components effect was due mainly to a large decline in OR with the introduction of the first distinctive component. As hypothesized, no interaction was observed between the effects of common and distinctive components. Contrary to expectations, similar OR generalization was obtained regardless of whether the test stimulus was constructed by deleting stimulus components from the relevant stimulus or by adding components to that stimulus.
Internal consistency reliability of resting EEG power spectra in schizophrenic and normal subjects
Authors: LUND THOMAS R. , SPONHEIM SCOTT R. , IACONO WILLIAM G. , CLEMENTZ BRETT A. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe reliability of resting electroencephalogram (EEG) power spectra was assessed for 49 normal and 44 schizophrenic subjects. We specifically examined internal consistency reliability to determine how much EEG data are necessary to ensure small measurement error. Twenty‐one 8‐s epochs of resting EEG were collected from each subject from site Cz. Epochs containing artifacts or blinks were eliminated. Power was computed in the bands delta (0.125–3 Hz), theta (3.125–8 Hz), alpha (8.125–13 Hz), betal (13.125–20 Hz), beta2 (20.125–25 Hz), and beta3 (25.125–30 Hz). Internal consistency was computed using coefficient alpha (Cronbach, 1951). Results for both groups indicated that eight artifact‐free epochs of data were sufficient to give a coefficient alpha value of around .9. The schizophrenic and normal groups did not differ with respect to coefficient alpha. The proportion of artifacts in the data from the schizophrenics indicated that to obtain eight artifact‐free epochs from members of each group, 40% more data would be required from the schizophrenics.
Nightcap: Laboratory and home‐based evaluation of a portable sleep monitor
Authors: AJILORE OLUSOLA , STICKGOLD ROBERT , RITTENHOUSE CYNTHIA D. , HOBSON J. ALLAN 
Published: March 2007

AbstractIn this paper, we describe the first field tests of a home‐based sleep monitoring system, the Nightcap, which uses eyelid and body movement sensors to discriminate wake. NREM, and REM sleep automatically. Ten normal young adults were studied in the sleep laboratory and at home to allow comparison of Nightcap‐derived measures with those obtained by traditional polysomnography. The agreement between the two techniques was 87% based on 1‐min epochs‐93% for NREM. 80% for REM, and 72% for wake. When the values for sleep latency, REM latency, wake time, NREM time, and REM time calculated from polysomnograph records were compared with the values calculated from Nightcap data, no significant differences were seen. In cases of extremely poor sleep, objective sleep efficiency estimates correlated well with subjective reports, suggesting that the Nightcap is sensitive to clinically relevant changes in the quality of sleep. This new device should prove useful to researchers wishing to study the psychophysiology and pathophysiology of sleep in more naturalistic and cost‐effective paradigms than possible in the traditional sleep laboratory.
Development of minisatellite markers in phytopathogenic fungus, Magnaporthe grisea
Authors: LI C. Y. , LI J. B. , LIU L. , YANG J. , SU Y. , WANG Y. Y. , XIE Y. , YE M. , ZHU Y. Y. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractSixteen polymorphic minisatellite markers suitable for biodiversity and population genetic studies were developed for the phytopathogenic fungus, Magnaporthe grisea. Polymorphism was evaluated using 23 isolates collected from diverse geographical locations and rice varieties in Yunnan Province, China. Each locus had various alleles ranging from three to 16. This is the first description of minisatellite nucleotide sequence from the fungus.
RACIAL CLASSIFICATION REGARDING SEMEN DONOR SELECTION IN BRAZIL
Authors: COSTA ROSELY GOMES 
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACTBrazil has not yet approved legislation on assisted reproduction. For this reason, clinics, hospitals and semen banks active in the area follow Resolution 1358/92 of the Conselho Federal de Medicina, dated 30 September 1992. In respect to semen donation, the object of this article, the Resolution sets out that gamete donation shall be anonymous, that is, that the donor and recipients (and the children who might subsequently be born) shall not be informed of each other's identity. Thus, since recipients are unaware of the donor's identity, semen banks and the medical teams involved in assisted reproduction become the intermediaries in the process. The objective of this article is to show that, in practice, this represents disrespect for the ethical principles of autonomy, privacy and equality. The article also stresses that the problem is compounded by the racial question. In a country like Brazil, where racial classification is so flexible and goes side by side with racist attitudes, the intermediary role played by semen banks and medical teams is conditioned by their own criteria of racial classification, which are not always the same as those of donors and semen recipients. The data presented in this paper were taken from two semen banks located in the city of São Paulo (Brazil). At the time of my research, they were the only semen banks in the state of São Paulo and supplied semen to the capital (São Paulo city), the state of São Paulo, and to cities in other Brazilian states where semen banks were not available.
Nitrous oxide emissions, cereal growth, N recovery and soil nitrogen status after ploughing organically managed grass/clover swards
Authors: Ball B. C. , Watson C. A. , Crichton I. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe period after ploughing of grass–clover leys within a ley‐arable rotation is when nitrogen accumulated during the ley phase is most vulnerable to loss. We investigated how ploughing date and timing of cessation of grazing before ploughing affected nitrous oxide (N2O) losses of the first cereal crop. Ploughing dates were July and October for a winter wheat pilot study and January and March for spring barley in the main experiment. Timings of cessation of grazing (main experiment only) were October, January and March. Spring barley yield, nitrogen uptake and soil mineral nitrogen were also assessed. A separate large‐scale laboratory incubation was made to assess the effect of temperature and rainfall on nitrous oxide emissions and nitrate leaching under controlled conditions. Nitrous oxide emissions in the 1‐ to 2‐month period after autumn or spring ploughing, or sowing were typically between 20 and 150 g N ha−1 day−1 and increased with temperature and rainfall. Tillage for crop establishment stimulated N2O emissions with up to 2.1 kg N ha−1 released in the month after spring tillage. Cumulative nitrous oxide emissions were greatest (∼8 kg ha−1 over 17 months) after cessation of grazing in March before March ploughing, and lowest (∼5.5 kg ha−1) after cessation of grazing in January before January ploughing. These losses were 1.2–3.9% of the N inputs. In the laboratory study, winter ploughing stimulated nitrate leaching more than nitrous oxide emissions. The optimum time of ploughing appears to be early spring when the cold restricts nitrogen mineralization initially, but sufficient nitrogen becomes available for early crop growth and satisfactory N offtake as temperature increases. Early cessation of grazing is advantageous in leaving an adequate supply of residues of good quality (narrow C:N ratio) for ploughing‐in. Restricting tillage operations to cool, dry conditions, being aware of possible compaction and increasing the use of undersown grass–clover should improve the sustainability of organic farming.
Soil losses due to potato harvesting at the regional scale in Belgium
Authors: Ruysschaert G. , Poesen J. , Auerswald K. , Verstraeten G. , Govers G. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractDuring harvesting of crops, such as sugar beet, potatoes and chicory roots, considerable quantities of soil, consisting of adhering soil, soil clods and stones, are exported from cropland. This soil erosion process is called soil loss due to crop harvesting (SLCH). This study aimed to assess the variability in soil losses caused by potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) harvesting in Belgium and to investigate the role of weather conditions prior to the harvest and regional differences in soil texture on SLCH variability. To meet these objectives, more than 1000 soil tare data measured at a potato‐processing factory during the harvesting seasons of 1999, 2000 and 2001 were analysed. Soil loss was on an average 2.2 t ha−1 per harvest but could be as large as 45 t ha−1 per harvest. The average soil losses per municipality were positively and exponentially related to the average content of soil particles <16 μm. This relationship was in close agreement with a previous field study on SLCH for potatoes in Belgium and could explain why measured soil loss values from a German study were larger than SLCH values for potatoes measured in Belgium. Weather conditions prior to harvest played only a minor role for SLCH variability. As a consequence, SLCH for potatoes harvested mechanically is more variable in space than in time.
Nitrate leaching from short‐rotation coppice
Authors: Goodlass G. , Green M. , Hilton B. , McDonough S. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractIn the UK, short‐rotation coppice (SRC) is expected to become a significant source of ‘bio‐energy’ over the next few years. Thus, it is important to establish how nitrate leaching losses compare with conventional arable cropping, especially if SRC is grown in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones. Nitrate leaching was measured using porous ceramic cups in each of the three phases in the lifespan of SRC, establishment, harvest and removal and was compared with conventional arable cropping. Nitrogen concentrations were increased in drainage water as soon as the crop cover was destroyed to plant the SRC (peak 70 mg L−1 nitrate‐N) and increased further (peak 134 mg L−1 nitrate‐N) on cultivation. Once the coppice crop was established, concentrations returned to a smaller level (average 18 mg L−1 nitrate‐N). Concentrations were not affected by the harvesting operation, and annual applications of nitrogen (40, 60 and 100 kg ha−1 N in the first, second and third years, respectively) had little effect. By contrast, concentrations in the arable rotation showed a regular pattern of increase in the autumn, and the average peak value over the 4 years was 54 mg L−1 nitrate‐N. When the SRC was ‘grubbed up’ and roots removed, the soil disturbance resulted in a flush of mineralization which, combined with a lack of crop cover, led to increased nitrate‐N in leachate (peak 67 mg L−1 nitrate‐N). In a normal life‐span of SRC (15–30 years), the relatively large nitrate losses on establishment and at final grubbing up would be offset by small losses during the productive harvest phase, especially when compared with results under the arable rotation.
Extracorporeal circuit pressure profiles during continuous venovenous haemofiltration
Authors: Ejaz A Ahsan , Komorski Ron M , Ellis Glyn H , Munjal Sandeep 
Published: March 2007

AbstractContinuous renal replacement therapy machines are capable of providing continuous pressure measurements at different points of the extracorporeal circuit. This study investigates the pattern of circuit pressure changes during high‐volume continuous venovenous haemofiltration (CVVH) with regional anticoagulation with anticoagulant citrate dextrose in formula A. Extracorporeal circuit pressures during 91 treatments of CVVH were analysed. Distinct patterns of extracorporeal circuit pressures were observed: (a) the extracorporeal circuit pressures during a routine uncomplicated CVVH treatment remained close to initial values. The interquartile range (IQR) of pressures during the treatments were as follows: PA (arterial pressure) −3·5 to −10 mmHg, PV (venous pressure) 51 to 41·5 mmHg, PBE (prefilter pressure) 120·5 to 104 mmHg, PD2 (fluid outlet pressure) −23 to −70 mmHg, TMP (transmembrane pressure) 142·75 to 102·75 mmHg and PFD (pressure filter difference) 70 to 62 mmHg. (b) PD2 and TMP showed early separation from baseline values in CVVH treatment compromised by haemofilter clot. Haemofilter clotting problems were associated with median PD2 of −164 mmHg (IQR: −66·2 to −228·7), a fourfold increase from baseline. (c) PA and PV values changed abruptly in catheter‐malfunction‐related circuit disruption. Poorly functioning catheters tended to have a higher baseline PA (median: −33 versus −25·5) than in those without catheter problems; however, the difference was not statistically significant (p= 0·13). (d) A rise in PBE and PFD followed by changes in PD2 and TMP were noted in a treatment disrupted because of air detection chamber clotting. Distinct patterns of extracorporeal circuit pressures were present in patent and disrupted CVVH circuits. We suggest that the pattern of pressure profiles, not absolute values, may be more relevant in clinical practice.
Commentary: Numata Y, Schultzer M, et al. (2006). Nurse staffing levels and hospital mortality in critical care settings: literature review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Plowright Catherine 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThis paper reports a review of the literature on the association between critical care nurse staffing levels and patient mortality. Statistically significant inverse associations between levels of nurse staffing and hospital mortality have not been consistently found in the literature. Critical care settings are ideal to address this relationship due to high patient acuity and mortality, high intensity of the nursing care required and availability of individual risk adjustment methods. Major electronic databases were searched, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature. The search terms included critical/intensive care, quality of health care, mortality/hospital mortality, personnel staffing and scheduling, and nursing staff (hospital). Only papers published in English were included. The original search was conducted in 2002 and updated in 2005. Nine studies were selected from 251 references screened. All nine were observational. Six were conducted in the USA, one in Austria, one in Brazil, and one in Scotland. The unadjusted risk ratio of nurse staffing (high versus low) on hospital mortality were combined meta‐analytically (five studies). The pooled estimate was 0.65 (95% confidence interval 0.47–0.91). However, after adjusting for various covariates within each study, the individually reported associations between high nurse staffing and low hospital mortality became non‐significant in all but one study. The impact of nurse staffing levels on patients’ hospital mortality in critical care settings was not evident in the reviewed studies. Methodological challenges that might have impeded correct assessment of the association include measurement problems in exposure status and confounding factors, often uncontrolled. The lack of association also indicates that hospital mortality may not be sensitive enough to detect the consequences of low nurse staffing levels in critical care settings. Abstract reprinted from the Journal of Advanced Nursing volume 55, Numata Y et al., ‘Nurse staffing levels and hospital mortality in critical care settings: literature review and meta‐analysis.’, pages 435–448. © 2006, with permission from Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
bcl‐2‐specific siRNAs restore Gemcitabine sensitivity in human pancreatic cancer cells
Authors: Okamoto Kinya , Ocker Matthias , Neureiter Daniel , Dietze Otto , Zopf Steffen , Hahn Eckhart G. , Herold Christoph 
Published: March 2007

AbstractGemcitabine has been shown to ameliorate disease related symptoms and to prolong overall survival in pancreatic cancer.Yet, resistance to Gemcitabine is commonly observed in this tumour entity and has been linked to increased expression of anti‐apoptotic bcl‐2. We therefore investigated if and to what extend silencing of bcl‐2 by specific siRNAs (siBCL2) might enhance Gemcitabine effects in human pancreatic carcinoma cells. siBCL2 was transfected into the pancreatic cancer cell line YAP C alone and 72 hrs before co‐incubation with different concentrations of Gemcitabine. Total protein and RNA were extracted for Western‐blot analysis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Pancreatic cancer xenografts in male nude mice were treated intraperitoneally with siBCL2 alone, Gemcitabine and control siRNA or Gemcitabine and siBCL2 for 21 days. Combination of both methods lead to a synergistic induction of apoptosis at otherwise ineffective concentrations of Gemcitabine. Tumour growth suppression was also potentiated by the combined treatment with siBCL2 and Gemcitabine in vivo and lead to increased TUNEL positivity. In contrast, non‐transformed human foreskin fibroblasts showed only minor responses to this treatment. Our results demonstrate that siRNA‐mediated silencing of anti‐apoptotic bcl‐2 enhances chemotherapy sensitivity in human pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and might lead to improved therapy responses in advanced stages of this disease.
Cryoscopy: a novel enhancing method of in vivo skin imaging
Authors: Nikkels Arjen F. , Piérard Gérald E. 
Published: March 2007

Background: It is a common observation that superficial freezing of normal skin and skin tumors may create a transient superficial whitening effect. In this respect, cryoscopy refers to the direct observation by dermoscopy, with or without digital recording, of the visual alterations of the frozen tissues.Aims: To define the optimal method of cryoscopy and to describe the cryoscopy patterns of normal skin and selected skin lesions.Materials and methods: The influence of (a) different cryogenic sources [solid carbon dioxide (−78.5°C), liquid nitrogen (N2, −196°C), and a mixture of dimethyl ether and propane (−57°C)], (b) various application methods (spraying, cotton chill tips, copper plate), and (c) freezing time was assessed with regard to clinical feasability, visualization quality, and persistance time of the whitening effect. Cryoscopy patterns of normal skin, callosities and of histologically proven seborrheic keratoses, verrucous hamartomas, molluscum contagiosum, keratoacanthomas, viral warts, condylomas, actinic keratoses, dermatofibromas, skin tags, basal cell carcinomas, angiomas, and melanocytic naevi were assessed.Results: The cryoscopy images of skin highlighted the skin lines. They appeared similar regardless of the freezing source and the application method. The aspects differed according to the nature of the lesions. The cotton chill tip method provided a longer whitening period compared with the other cold sources, both in normal and lesional skin. Hence, it represented the most convenient way for performing digital recording cryoscopy. On normal skin, cryoapplication was limited to about 1.5 s due to pain, resulting in whitening times ranging from 6 to 9 s, which was too short for easy digital recording. On all studied skin tumors, a 10‐s N2 freezing time was not experienced as painful, and blanching time persisted for 20–34 s, allowing easy digital recording. The whitening time was longer with increasing freezing time on both normal and lesional skin. Every single examined normal skin site and all the skin lesions showed a strong whitening effect, except heavily cornified structures, including some keratoses, callosities, and viral warts. Increased contrast of the skin surface texture was observed in almost every studied lesion.Conclusion: The N2 cotton chill tip technique appeared to be the most convenient technique for cryoscopy and provided longer whitening periods compared with the other freezing sources. Pain prevented its use on normal skin, but a series of exophytic skin lesions was conveniently accessible to cryoscopy. The differences in whitening periods of various epidermal components resulted in increased visual contrast, creating typical cryoscopy images for the different exophytic skin tumors. Cryoscopy represents a novel in vivo skin imaging technique that is rapid, non‐invasive, cost‐effective, and easily performed. It shows both investigative and diagnostic potentials. It is remarkable that cryoscopy pictures closely resemble those yielded by skin capacitance imaging.