bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Markov regression random‐effects model for remission of functional disability in patients following a first stroke: A Bayesian approach
Authors: Pan Shin‐Liang , Wu Hui‐Min , Yen Amy Ming‐Fang , Chen Tony Hsiu‐Hsi 
Published: August 2007

AbstractFew attempts have been made to model the dynamics of stroke‐related disability. It is possible though, using panel data and multi‐state Markov regression models that incorporate measured covariates and latent variables (random effects). This study aimed to model a series of functional transitions (following a first stroke) using a three‐state Markov model with or without considering random effects. Several proportional hazards parameterizations were considered. A Bayesian approach that utilizes the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) and Gibbs sampling functionality of WinBUGS (a Windows‐based Bayesian software package) was developed to generate the marginal posterior distributions of the various transition parameters (e.g. the transition rates and transition probabilities). Model building and comparisons was guided by reference to the deviance information criteria (DIC). Of the four proportional hazards models considered, exponential regression was preferred because it led to the smallest deviances. Adding random effects further improved the model fit. Of the covariates considered, only age, infarct size, and baseline functional status were significant. By using our final model we were able to make individual predictions about functional recovery in stroke patients. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Discrete‐time survival models with long‐term survivors
Authors: Zhao Xiaobing , Zhou Xian 
Published: August 2007

AbstractDiscrete‐time survival data typically possess three features: discreteness, ties, and concomitant information, which require appropriate discrete‐time models to analyze. In this paper, we first review some existing discrete‐time survival models and then extend them to discrete‐timecure survival models, which account for the presence oflong‐term survivors(cured individuals). The maximum likelihood estimation as well as approximate partial likelihood approaches are used to estimate the model parameters. Simulation results are shown to support the suitability of such models for discrete‐time survival data with long‐term survivors. An example of applications on a set of bladder tumor recurrence data is also presented. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Students' mathematical modeling of motion
Authors: Marshall Jill A. , Carrejo David J. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractWe present results of an investigation of university students' development of mathematical models of motion in a physical science course for preservice teachers and graduate students in science and mathematics education. Although some students were familiar with the standard concepts of position, velocity, and acceleration from physics classes, most students had difficulty using these concepts to characterize actual or hypothetical motions. Furthermore, some students developed their own nonstandard method of describing accelerated motion in terms of changes in the average velocity, from the start of the motion up to a given time. This is in contrast to the physics community's use of the acceleration construct, defined in terms of changes in the instantaneous velocity, to describe such motion. Although the change in average velocity is not typically identified as an important construct in traditional physics texts, some students found it intuitively appealing, and were able to use it successfully to describe and predict motion. We conclude that by focusing on standard constructs, and ignoring possible intuitive ways that students might view motion, standard kinematics instruction may miss an opportunity to maximize student understanding. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Res. Sci. Teach 45: 153–173, 2008.
Coordination of theory and evidence: Effect of epistemological theories on students' laboratory practice
Authors: Havdala Rachel , Ashkenazi Guy 
Published: August 2007

AbstractStudents' views about science were correlated with their approaches to lab practice. Three distinct cases are discussed in detail: empiricist‐oriented, rationalist‐oriented, and constructivist‐oriented students. A coherent epistemological theory was constructed for each case, by considering the different degrees of certainty and confidence each student attributed to theoretical versus experimental knowledge in science. These theories could explain the difference between the students' methods of preparation for the lab session and their approaches to writing the lab report. It was shown that overconfidence in one type of knowledge led to oversimplification of the relation between theory and evidence. Findings suggest that epistemological theories play a crucial role in determining whether and how students coordinate theory and empirical evidence in their lab practice. Inspecting and correcting students' lab reports in accordance with these findings can offer an easy way to identify students' epistemological theories and to provide appropriate feedback. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 44: 1134–1159, 2007
Functional and Radiological Evaluation of Free Jejunal Transplant Reconstructions After Radical Resection of Hypopharyngeal or Proximal Esophageal Cancer
Authors: Bergquist H. , Andersson M. , Ejnell H. , Hellström M. , Lundell L. , Ruth M. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractCancer of the pharyngoesophageal junction (PEJ) is associated with late onset of symptoms, high morbidity, and a dismal prognosis. Radical surgery with pharyngolaryngectomy and reconstruction with a free vascularized jejunal transplant has been increasingly practiced in the treatment of these patients. This strategy is not devoid of challenges, and the present study is aimed at evaluating the long‐term functional outcome among patients who have undergone such surgical treatment. Ten patients (mean age 59 years) with a mean follow‐up time of 54 months were included. Clinical assessment, health‐related quality of life (HRQL) questionnaires, and a standardized radiography examination were used for evaluation. The Karnofsky index ranged from 60 to 90 (mean 82). Global QL scores (EORTC QLQ‐C30) had a mean value of 74, and the mean scores for dysphagia‐related items of the EORTC QLQ OES‐18 questionnaire were within the lower range. Radiographic signs of disturbed bolus transport through the jejunal transplant were found in all patients examined despite the grading of dysphagia from 0 to 1. The Watson dysphagia score varied between 0.5 and 45.0 (mean 16.2). No correlations were found between radiographic findings and the clinical evaluations or the outcomes assessed by the HRQL questionnaires. HRQL was found to be generally good after cancer of the PEJ and jejunal transplant insertion. Most patients reported mild dysphagia. Radiologic signs of disturbed bolus passage were common, but their clinical impact seemed questionable.
Ricinus communis Contains an Acyl‐CoA Synthetase that Preferentially Activates Ricinoleate to Its CoA Thioester
Authors: He Xiaohua , Chen Grace Q. , Kang Sung T. , McKeon Thomas A. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractAs part of our effort to identify enzymes that are critical for producing large amounts of ricinoleate in castor oil, we have isolated three cDNAs encoding acyl‐CoA synthetase (ACS) in the castor plant. Analysis of the cDNA sequences reveals that two of them, designated RcACS 2 and RcACS 4, contain complete coding regions corresponding to 694 and 690 amino acids, respectively. The third cDNA, RcACS 1, encodes a truncated gene sequence. The RcACS 2 and RcACS 4 share 77% identity at the amino acid sequence level. Complementation tests showed that both RcACS 2 and RcACS 4 successfully restored growth of a yeast mutant strain (YB525) deficient in ACS. Lysates from yeast cells expressing RcACS 2 and 4 were enzymatically active when using 14C‐labeled oleic acid as a substrate. A cell fractionation study indicates that RcACS 2 and 4 are mainly associated with membranes. Substrate specificity assays indicate that the RcACS 2 preferentially activates ricinoleate, while the RcACS 4 has a preference for nonhydroxy fatty acids.
Adolescents’ transitions to behavioral autonomy after German unification
Authors: Haase Claudia M. , Silbereisen Rainer K. , Reitzle Matthias 
Published: August 2007

AbstractThe present study examined the timing of behavioral autonomy transitions in two same‐aged cohorts of East German adolescents assessed in 1991 and 1996. An earlier timing of autonomy privileges was associated with higher deviant behavior. A later timing of autonomy privileges and responsibilities was linked to structural constraints, specifically, to parental unemployment. Between 1991 and 1996 significant timing differences were observed for some autonomy transitions in the East, implying an adaptation to Western timetables. Our findings illustrate the plasticity of autonomy transitions under conditions of social change.
Efficacy of levamisole on experimental endometriosis
Authors: Ocal G. , Kokcu A. , Cetinkaya M.B. , Tosun M. , Kefeli M. , Kandemir B. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractObjective: To investigate the efficacy of levamisole on experimental endometriosis. Methods: After the implantation of endometrial tissue on abdominal peritoneum, 40 rats were randomized to 1 of 4 equal intervention groups. Levamisole (2 mg/rat) was applied subcutaneously to group “L” once a week. Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (3 mg/kg) was applied intramuscularly to group “M” twice at 4‐week intervals. Leuprolide (0.075 mg/kg) was applied subcutaneously to group “G” twice at 4‐week intervals. Saline (0.1 cm3/rat) was applied subcutaneously to group “C” once a week for 8 weeks. The efficacy of levamisole was determined by volume measurement and characterizing the histological structure of the implants. Result: Volume increase of the implants in group C (P < 0.05), and volume decrease in groups M, G, and L was found (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, and P < 0.01, respectively.) Stromal tissue and glandular activity were not different between groups L and G. Conclusion: Levamisole was found to be as effective as leuprolide in regression of the volume of endometriotic implants.
Different by design
Authors: Martin W. Mike , Fruchter Renate , Cavallin Humberto , Heylighen Ann 
Published: August 2007

AbstractIt is generally known that architectural practice relies heavily on the interactions between architects and other professionals. However, during their formal education, most students attending architecture schools, and engineering schools for that matter, get very little (if any) exposure to decision making in conditions that involve expertise and/or worldviews beyond those reflected and valued by their own discipline. In the past 10 years, a project-based learning initiative was developed between the University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University in an international context involving several other universities around the world. Throughout this experience, we have identified several issues that have shown to be crucial to these interactions. This paper elaborates on three key issues: improvement of communication skills, empowerment through developing strategies of leadership, and recognition of own and others' worldviews. We also make the case to include experiential educational situations that can introduce these aspects into the academic curricula of architecture and engineering schools.
Motivation, overtraining, and burnout: Can self‐determined motivation predict overtraining and burnout in elite athletes?
Authors: Lemyre Pierre‐Nicolas , Roberts Glyn C. , Stray‐Gundersen Jim 
Published: August 2007

AbstractThe aim of this study was to determine whether quality of self‐determined motivation at the start of the competitive season in elite athletes and symptoms of overtraining can predict athlete burnout propensity at the end of the season. The participants were 141 elite winter sport athletes. In September, at the beginning of the season, the athletes responded to a self‐determined motivation questionnaire, while they answered questions assessing overtraining symptoms and burnout in March, at the end of the season. Findings indicated that self‐determined motivation and symptoms of overtraining were negatively and positively linked respectively to dimensions of athlete burnout. The results suggest that self‐determined motivation and symptoms of overtraining are both independently linked to signs of burnout in elite athletes and that although no moderating effect was found, pairing self‐determined motivation with symptoms of overtraining increased the prediction of burnout in athletes at the end of the season. Our findings are in line with those of recent research (Cresswell & Eklund, 2005; Lemyre, Treasure, & Roberts, 2006) and support a motivational approach to study burnout in elite athletes.
Leisure‐time physical activity in relation to the risk of breast cancer
Authors: Kruk Joanna 
Published: August 2007

AbstractThe incidence of breast cancer has increased over the past decades. To the author's knowledge, no published studies have addressed leisure‐time physical activity and breast cancer risk in Polish women. I conducted a case‐control study of 257 women who underwent a breast cancer operation during 1993–1998, in Szczecin hospitals, and a control group of 565 women, free of any cancer diagnosis, to investigate the role of lifetime, leisure‐time physical activity on breast cancer risk. The participants were sent a detailed structured questionnaire including questions on socio‐demographics, gynaecological factors (age at menarche, age at birth of the first child, total number of full‐term pregnancies), lifestyle factors (lifetime exercise/sports activity, alcohol consumption, fruit and vegetables consumed, experience of psychological stress), anthropometric measures (weight, height), physical activity at work, and disease history. Logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).After adjusting for potential confounding variables, the odds ratios for increasing levels of leisure‐time physical activity were 1.00 (reference), 0.47 (95% CI=0.36–0.89), and 0.22 (95% CI=0.14–0.35), respectively, for low (women consistently sedentary), intermediate, and high levels (P trend<0.0001). In a stratified analysis, the protective effect of leisure‐time physical activity appeared to be stronger among women who experienced menarche at age ≤12 years, women with a higher body mass index, and women who rarely consumed fruit and vegetables. The reduced risk of breast cancer associated with recreational physical activity was also greater for participants who had not experienced psychological stress.These findings provide further support for the hypothesis that increased leisure‐time physical activity throughout life is associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer.
Psychosocial correlates of stages of change in physical activity in an adult community sample
Authors: Lorentzen Catherine , Ommundsen Yngvar , Holme Ingar 
Published: August 2007

AbstractTwo important public health challenges are to influence sedentary people to become physically active, and to influence active people to maintain their level of activity. Psychosocial factors might have important influencing properties in this regard. The aims of this study were threefold: (1) to examine the relationships between selected psychosocial factors and physical activity stages of change; (2) to examine moderating influences of socio‐demographic and anthropometric factors in these relationships; and (3) to identify possible interactions between psychosocial factors in their relation to stages of change.Altogether, 2336 men and women aged 31–67 (mean 48, s=10) years completed self‐administered questionnaires that assessed stages of change in physical activity, self‐efficacy, social support, perceived behavioural control, attitude, and identity. The psychosocial factors were measured by instruments derived or modified from instruments that have previously been shown to have acceptable validity and reliability. The statistical tests employed were descriptive and frequency analyses, Pearson's correlations, multiple regressions, multivariate analyses of variance, analyses of variance, and Tukey post‐hoc comparison tests.Analyses revealed that self‐efficacy in the face of psychological barriers, support from family and from friends, perceived behavioural control, and identity explained 42% of the variance in stages of physical activity behaviour change. Results further showed that all measured psychosocial variables differed significantly by stages of change, with almost every stage having significantly different psychosocial variable scores than every other stage. Although we found no moderating effects of socio‐demographic or anthropometric variables on these relationships, social support from family and social support from friends, identity and social support from family, as well as perceived behavioural control and self‐efficacy faced with psychological barriers were found to interact with respect to their relationships with stages of change.The study identified a strong set of psychosocial correlates of physical activity stages of change as well as significant interactions between particular correlates in these relationships. The findings might provide guidance in the design of stage‐matched interventions to promote physical activity among adults. Further work is needed to confirm these findings as well as to provide evidence of the causality in the observed relationships.
Morphological characteristics of Olympic slalom canoe and kayak paddlers
Authors: Ridge Barry R. , Broad Elizabeth , Kerr Deborah A. , Ackland Timothy R. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractSidney and Shephard (1973) were the first to report on the morphology of slalom paddlers and characterized them as having “a substantial standing height and lean body mass, good general muscle development with particular emphasis on the leg muscles”. The purpose of this study was to analyse the morphological characteristics of Olympic slalom kayak and canoe paddlers to determine whether they possess unique physique or structural characteristics that provide an advantage for their sport. Thirty‐one male and 12 female slalom paddlers were measured using a battery of 36 anthropometric dimensions in the 15‐day period before competition at the 2000 Olympic Games. Male slalom paddlers were older, lighter, shorter, and leaner than previously reported slalom paddlers and had similar height and weight to a reference population of non‐athletes. Compared with Olympic sprint paddlers, male slalom paddlers were older, lighter and shorter, and had similar body fat and almost identical proportionality characteristics. Female slalom paddlers were taller, lighter, older, and less fat than those reported previously. They were taller and lighter than the reference population of non‐athletes and of similar age and height but lighter and leaner than the Olympic sprint paddlers. While a high brachial index was reported for both male and female slalom paddlers, the Best male paddlers (those ranked in the top 10 placings) were more compact, had smaller proportional hip girth, and showed a tendency for smaller proportional hip breadth but a larger proportional waist girth than the Rest (those not ranked in the top 10 placings). Changes to the technical aspect of the events and to competition rules and the nature and approach to training were explored as possible reasons for some of these differences. We outline the contribution this research makes to talent identification and highlight the need for further research.
Modelling and interpretation of MHD active control experiments in RFX-mod
Authors: Paccagnella R. , Terranova D. , Zanca P. 
Published: August 2007

A clean magnetic boundary, i.e. a vanishing radial magnetic field, is important for reversed field pinch operation. In order to achieve this target a large modification of the RFX device (a= 0.45 m,R= 2 m) into RFX-mod has been realized and 192 individually controlled saddle coils which provide a flexible control of magnetic boundary have been installed. Recent experiments have shown that this change has produced a significant improvement in plasma magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) behaviour.This paper discusses 3D MHD numerical simulations aimed at interpreting these results. In particular it is shown that these simulations can predict the measured level of magnetic fluctuations in different operational scenarios. They can also predict the dominat modes and show in general an agreement with experiments. A specific comparison for a resistive wall mode branch is also done, showing differences between simulations and experiments which may indicate the presence of field errors.
A Predicted Interactome for Arabidopsis
Authors: Geisler-Lee Jane , O'Toole Nicholas , Ammar Ron , Provart Nicholas J. , Millar A. Harvey , Geisler Matt 
Published: August 2007

Abstract
The complex cellular functions of an organism frequently rely on physical interactions between proteins. A map of all protein-protein interactions, an interactome, is thus an invaluable tool. We present an interactome for Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) predicted from interacting orthologs in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), nematode worm (Caenorhabditis elegans), fruitfly (Drosophila melanogaster), and human (Homo sapiens). As an internal quality control, a confidence value was generated based on the amount of supporting evidence for each interaction. A total of 1,159 high confidence, 5,913 medium confidence, and 12,907 low confidence interactions were identified for 3,617 conserved Arabidopsis proteins. There was significant coexpression of genes whose proteins were predicted to interact, even among low confidence interactions. Interacting proteins were also significantly more likely to be found within the same subcellular location, and significantly less likely to be found in conflicting localizations than randomly paired proteins. A notable exception was that proteins located in the Golgi were more likely to interact with Golgi, vacuolar, or endoplasmic reticulum sorted proteins, indicating possible docking or trafficking interactions. These predictions can aid researchers by extending known complexes and pathways with candidate proteins. In addition we have predicted interactions for many previously unknown proteins in known pathways and complexes. We present this interactome, and an online Web interface the Arabidopsis Interactions Viewer, as a first step toward understanding global signaling in Arabidopsis, and to whet the appetite for those who are awaiting results from high-throughput experimental approaches.