bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
It's a family affair: consumer advocacy for nursing-home residents in the United States
Authors: PHILLIPS CHARLES D. , KIMBELL ANNE-MARIE , HAWES CATHERINE , WELLS JANET , BADALAMENTI JEAN , KOREN MARY JANE 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACTNursing homes in the United States have for over 40-years been riddled with evidence of poor performance. To combat problems in this industry, state and federal governments developed an elaborate monitoring and regulatory structure. At the same time, an important citizens' movement involving nursing-home consumer advocacy groups (CAGs) came to life. This paper presents the results of a postal survey of 47 active nursing-home consumer advocacy groups. They indicate that the majority of these organisations were started by an individual dissatisfied with the care provided to a family member. The political arena in which these organisations were most active was State legislatures. Though they varied considerably, the average CAG operated on a thin financial margin, largely supported by member contributions and donations. These organisations defined their success in terms of their ability to generate policy changes at the State level. Unfortunately, as they pursued these changes, they often failed to develop the organisational infrastructure necessary to assure the CAGs' continued operation. When CAGs ceased operations, it was in most cases the loss of the organisation's original leader or the cumulative effects of the constant struggle to maintain adequate financial resources.
Profiles of social relations among older adults: a cross-cultural approach
Authors: FIORI KATHERINE L. , ANTONUCCI TONI C. , AKIYAMA HIROKO 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACTThis study extends previous research on the profiles of social relations in three ways: (1) by including both functional and qualitative characteristics of social relations; (2) by examining the association of these profiles with mental and physical health and mortality; and (3) by exploring these profiles and associations in two cultures. Using samples of approximately 500 adults aged 60 or more years from theSocial Relations and Mental Health over the Life Coursestudies in both the United States and Japan, separate cluster analyses were conducted for each country. The common or shared network types were labelled ‘diverse’, ‘restricted’, ‘friend-focused’ and ‘family-focused’, but in the US we found two types of ‘friend-focused’ networks (supported and unsupported) and two types of ‘restricted’ networks (structurally- and functionally-restricted). In addition, we found a unique network type in Japan: ‘married and distal’. Multivariate analyses of variance and Cox regressions revealed that whereas individuals in the functionally restricted network type had the worse physical and mental health in the US, Americans in the structurally-restricted network type had the lowest survival rates at a 12-year follow-up. Interestingly, there were no wellbeing differences by network type in Japan. The findings have been interpreted in the light of social relations theories, with special emphasis on the importance of taking a multidimensional perspective and exploring cultural variation.
Social mobility, geographical proximity and intergenerational family contact in Sweden
Authors: FORS STEFAN , LENNARTSSON CARIN 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACTThis study examined intergenerational family contact. Three questions were considered: Is there a relationship between parent's class, child's class and family contact? Can class-related differences in family contact be explained by differences in geographical distance between parent and child? Is intergenerational family contact affected by children's social mobility? The questions were explored using data from a nationally-representative level of living survey. The results from logistic regressions showed that parent's class as well as the child's class were associated with intergenerational geographical distance and family contact more often than once a week. Those in or retired from non-manual occupations were less likely than manual workers to live close and to have family contact more than once a week. We found no evidence that a change in class position, upward nor downward, had any effect on family contacts. Rather, class-stable non-manual families socialise less frequently than other families, even when they live relatively close. The results therefore suggest that familial class-cohesiveness is a stronger determinant of inter-generational family contacts than social mobility. Future research should address the complex connection between social mobility and other forms of relations and transfers between generations.
Science and imagery in the ‘war on old age’
Authors: VINCENT JOHN A. 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACTSeveral professional groups present themselves as ‘waging war’ on old age. They construct old age as a naturalised, self-evidently negative, biological phenomenon, which must be attacked and defeated. These groups make different claims to technical expertise and their ability to control natural phenomena, and use different weapons to defeat ageing. There are those who focus on cosmetic interventions, that is, the control of the body and the removal or masking of the signs of ageing. There are those who equate old age with ill-health and identify themselves as warriors in a battle with disease, and others whose objective is to understand the fundamental intra-cellular processes of ageing and what controls the human life span, and then to extend its limits. A fourth group aims to make human immortality possible. Examination of the language and symbolic practices of these groups reveals that they share a dominant cultural view that devalues old age and older people. The use of military metaphors to describe the importance and difficulties of their task is most prolific among the first and fourth of these groups. The second and third groups disguise a contradiction in their aim of understanding the diseases and disorders of old age by advocating the goal of an extended ‘healthy life span’, which avoids having to confront the moral dilemmas of extending the lifespan for its own sake.
Algebraic and Heegaard–Floer invariants of knots with slice Bing doubles
Authors: CHA JAE CHOON , LIVINGSTON CHARLES , RUBERMAN DANIEL 
Published: February 2008

AbstractIf the Bing double of a knotKis slice, thenKis algebraically slice. In addition the Heegaard–Floer concordance invariants τ, developed by Ozsváth–Szabó, and δ, developed by Manolescu and Owens, vanish onK.
Jordan homomorphisms revisited
Authors: BREŠAR MATEJ 
Published: February 2008

AbstractLet θ be a Jordan homomorphism from an algebraAinto an algebraB. We find various conditions under which the restriction of θ to the commutator ideal ofAis the sum of a homomorphism and an antihomomorphism. Algebraic results, obtained in the first part of the paper, are applied to the second part dealing with the case whereAandBareC*-algebras.
On the minimal dimension of a homology sphere on which a finite group acts
Authors: ZIMMERMANN BRUNO P. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractWe show that the minimal dimension of a faithful action of a metacyclic group$\Z_p \rtimes \Z_q$, for primespandq, on a homology sphere coincides with the minimal dimension of a faithful linear action on a sphere; as a consequence, we obtain the analogous result for various finite simple groups.
Dipyridamole enhances ischaemia‐induced reactive hyperaemia by increased adenosine receptor stimulation
Authors: Meijer P , Wouters C W , van den Broek P H H , Scheffer G J , Riksen N P , Smits P , Rongen G A 
Published: February 2008

Background and purpose:Dipyridamole enhances post‐occlusive reactive hyperaemia (PORH) in the human forearm vascular bed. We hypothesize that this effect is completely mediated by increased adenosine receptor stimulation. To test this hypothesis, the effect of caffeine (an adenosine receptor antagonist) on dipyridamole‐induced augmentation of PORH was explored.Experimental approach:The forearm vasodilator responses to three increasing periods of forearm ischaemia (2, 5 and 13 min) were determined during placebo infusion. Forty minutes after the last reperfusion period, this procedure was repeated during intra‐arterial infusion of dipyridamole (7.4 nmol min−1 per 100 ml forearm). At least 2 weeks later, this whole procedure was repeated, but now in the presence of caffeine (90 μg min−1 per 100 ml volume).Key results:After 2, 5 and 13 min of ischaemia, the average forearm blood flow increased to 5.6±0.7, 9.7±1.3 and 34.5±2.1 ml min−1 per 100 ml. After infusion of dipyridamole into the brachial artery, these numbers were significantly increased to 7.7±0.8, 12.5±1.5 and 41.6±3.1 ml min−1 per 100 ml. This response was abolished by the concomitant infusion of caffeine (6.6±0.5, 10.2±0.6, 35.1±2.2 (caffeine) versus 7.4±0.4, 10.5±0.6, 33.7±2.2 ml min−1per 100 ml (caffeine/dipyridamole)).Conclusions and implications:Caffeine prevented the augmenting effect of dipyridamole on PORH. This indicates that dipyridamole‐induced augmentation of PORH is mediated via increased adenosine receptor stimulation as a result of elevated extracellular formation of adenosine during ischaemia.British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, 1169–1176; doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.10; published online 11 February 2008
Evidence for the participation of calcium in non‐genomic relaxations induced by androgenic steroids in rat vas deferens
Authors: Lafayette S S L , Vladimirova I , Garcez‐do‐Carmo L , Monteforte P T , Caricati Neto A , Jurkiewicz A 
Published: February 2008

Background and purpose:Androgens cause non‐genomic relaxation in several smooth muscle preparations. However, such an effect has not been investigated in rat vas deferens yet. Our purpose was to study the effect of testosterone and derivatives in this tissue.Experimental approach:The influence of androgens was tested on contraction and translocation of intracellular Ca2+ induced by KCl in rat vas deferens in vitro.Key results:The testosterone derivative 5α‐dihydrotestosterone produced a rapid and reversible concentration‐dependent relaxation of KCl‐induced contractions. Other androgens were also effective, showing the following rank order of potency: androsterone >5β‐dihydrotestosterone >androstenedione >5α‐dihydrotestosterone >testosterone. Calcium‐induced contractions were also inhibited (about 45%) by 5α‐dihydrotestosterone (30 μM). Moreover 5α‐dihydrotestosterone blocked the increase of intracellular Ca2+ induced by KCl, measured by the fluorescent dye fura‐2. Relaxation to 5α‐dihydrotestosterone was resistant to the K+ channel antagonists glibenclamide, 4‐aminopyridine and charybdotoxin. It was not affected by removal of epithelium or by L‐NNA (300 μM), an inhibitor of nitric oxide biosynthesis, nor by selective inhibitors of soluble guanylate cyclase, ODQ or LY 83583, indicating that nitrergic or cGMP mediated mechanisms were not involved. The androgen‐induced relaxation was also not blocked by the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (300 μM) or by the classical androgen receptor flutamide (up to 100 μM), corroborating that the effect is non‐genomic.Conclusions and implications:Testosterone derivatives caused relaxation of the rat vas deferens, that did not involve epithelial tissue, K+ channels, or nitric oxide‐dependent mechanisms, but was related to a partial blockade of Ca2+ influx.British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, 1242–1250; doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.18; published online 11 February 2008
Rhein reverses the diabetic phenotype of mesangial cells over‐expressing the glucose transporter (GLUT1) by inhibiting the hexosamine pathway
Authors: Zheng J‐M , Zhu J‐M , Li L‐S , Liu Z‐H 
Published: February 2008

Background and purpose: Rhein, an anthraquinone compound isolated from rhubarb, has been proved effective in treatment of experimental diabetic nephropathy (DN). To explore the mechanism of its therapeutic effect on DN, rhein was tested for its effect on the hexosamine pathway.Experimental approach: The influence of rhein on cellular hypertrophy, fibronectin synthesis, glucose uptake, glutamine: fructose 6‐phosphate aminotransferase (GFAT) activity, UDP‐N‐acetylglucosamine (UDP‐GlcNAc) level and TGF‐β1 and p21 expression was evaluated in MCGT1 cells, a GLUT1 transgenic rat mesangial cell line. GFAT activity in normal rat mesangial cells in high glucose concentrations and in vitro was also measured.Key results: Significantly increased fibronectin synthesis, cellular hypertrophy, much higher GFAT activity and UDP‐GlcNAc level and increased TGF‐β1 and p21 expression were found in MCGT1 cells cultured in normal glucose concentration. Rhein treatment decreased all these features of MCGT1 cells but did not exert a direct effect on GFAT enzymatic activity.Conclusions and implications: There was over‐activity of the hexosamine pathway in MCGT1 cells, which may explain the higher expression of TGF‐β1 and p21, the cellular hypertrophy and the increased expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) components in the cells. By inhibiting the increased activity the hexosamine pathway, rhein decreased TGF‐β1 and p21 expression and thus contributed to the decreased cellular hypertrophy and ECM synthesis. Inhibition of the hexosamine pathway may be one of the mechanism through which rhein exerts its therapeutic role in diabetic nephropathy.British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, 1456–1464; doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.26; published online 11 February 2008
Auslander Regularity of 𝑝-adic Distribution Algebras
Authors: Schmidt Tobias 
Published: February 2008

Given a compactpp-adic Lie group over an arbitrary base field we prove that its distribution algebra is Fréchet-Stein with Auslander regular Banach algebras whose global dimensions are bounded above by the dimension of the group. As an application, we show that nonzero coadmissible modules coming from smooth or, more generally, U(g)U(\mathfrak {g})-finite representations have a maximal grade number (codimension) equal to the dimension of the group.
Caesarean delivery and risk of atopy and allergic disesase: meta‐analyses
Authors: Bager P. , Wohlfahrt J. , Westergaard T. 
Published: February 2008

SummaryBackground
Studies of delivery by caesarean section (c‐section) and the offspring's risk of allergic diseases are of current interest due to concerns about the increased use of c‐section in many countries. However, previous studies have reported inconsistent findings.Objective
We investigated whether delivery by c‐section is associated with an increased risk of atopy and allergic disease by reviewing the literature, performing a meta‐analysis, and assessing publication bias.Methods
We used a systematic literature search of MEDLINE (1966 to May 2007). Six common allergic outcomes were included: food allergy/food atopy, inhalant atopy, eczema/atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, asthma, and hospitalization for asthma. For each outcome a meta‐analysis was performed, where a summary odds ratio (OR) was calculated taking into account heterogeneity between the study‐specific relative risks. Publication bias was assessed using the funnel plot method.Results
We identified 26 studies on delivery by c‐section and one or more of the six allergic outcomes. C‐section was associated with an increased summary OR of food allergy/food atopy (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.12–1.55; six studies), allergic rhinitis (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.12–1.35; seven studies), asthma (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.05–1.32; 13 studies), and hospitalization for asthma (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.12–1.31; seven studies), whereas there was no association with inhalant atopy (OR 1.06, 95% CI 0.82–1.38; four studies) and eczema/atopic dermatitis (OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.98–1.09; six studies). Funnel plots indicated that the association with food allergy/food atopy could be difficult to interpret due to publication bias. For each significant association with an allergic outcome, only 1–4% of cases were attributable to c‐section.Conclusion
Delivery by c‐section is associated with a moderate risk increase for allergic rhinitis, asthma, hospitalization for asthma, and perhaps food allergy/food atopy, but not with inhalant atopy or atopic dermatitis. The increased use of c‐section during the last decades is unlikely to have contributed much to the allergy epidemic observed during the same period.
Simulated glacial and interglacial vegetation across Africa: implications for species phylogenies and trans‐African migration of plants and animals
Authors: COWLING SHARON A. , COX PETER M. , JONES CHRIS D. , MASLIN MARK A. , PEROS MATHEW , SPALL STEVEN A. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThe paleoenvironmental context of plant and animal species evolution (including glacial migrations and population separations) is based on a very patchy and incomplete paleo‐phytogeographic record. It was our objective, therefore, to provide an additional source for paleovegetation comparison by presenting simulations from a state‐of‐the‐art fully coupled earth system model (HadCM3LC). We simulated potential paleovegetation distributions following pre‐Industrial and last glacial maximum (LGM) climate forcing for the continent of Africa. Our LGM simulations indicate that tropical broadleaf forest was not severely displaced by expanding grasslands within central Africa, although the outer extent of closed forest decreases, particularly in the north. Our simulations indicate that the structure of glacial forests may have been much different from today, in that LGM simulations indicate that forests were likely characterized by lower leaf area indexes, lower tree heights and lower vegetation carbon content. On the other hand, warmer interglacial climate (like our pre‐Industrial climate scenario) results in simulated expansion of tropical forest from coast to coast across central Africa that we postulate could have acted as a barrier to plant and animal species migrations. We suggest that our modeling experiments have implications for the interpretation of phylogenetic data, including that of our own species, Homo sapiens sapiens.
Modelling the concentrations of nitrogen and water‐soluble carbohydrates in grass herbage ingested by cattle under strip‐grazing management
Authors: Hoekstra N. J. , Schulte R. P. O. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThere is scope of increasing the nitrogen (N) efficiency of grazing cattle through manipulation of the energy and N concentrations in the herbage ingested. Because of asymmetric grazing by cattle between individual plant parts, it has not yet been established how this translates into the concentrations of N and water‐soluble carbohydrates (WSC) in the herbage ingested. A model is described with the objective of assessing the efficacy of individual tools in grassland management in manipulating the WSC and N concentrations of the herbage ingested by cattle under strip‐grazing management throughout the growing season. The model was calibrated and independently evaluated for early (April), mid‐ (June, regrowth phase) and late (September) parts of the growing season. There was a high correlation between predicted and observed WSC concentrations in the ingested herbage (R2 = 0·78,P < 0·001). The correlation between predicted and observed neutral‐detergent fibre (NDF) concentrations in the ingested herbage was lower (R2 = 0·49,P < 0·05) with a small absolute bias. Differences in the N concentration between laminae and sheaths, and between clean patches and fouled patches, were adequately simulated and it was concluded that the model could be used to assess the efficacy of grassland management tools for manipulating the WSC and N concentrations in the ingested herbage. Model application showed that reduced rates of application of N fertilizer and longer rotation lengths were effective tools for manipulating herbage quality in early and mid‐season. During the later part of the growing season, the large proportion of area affected by dung and urine reduced the effect of application rate of N fertilizer on herbage quality. In contrast, relative differences between high‐sugar and low‐sugar cultivars of perennial ryegrass were largest during this period. This suggests that high‐sugar cultivars may be an important tool in increasing N efficiency by cattle when risks of N losses to water bodies are largest. The model output showed that defoliation height affects the chemical composition of the ingested herbage of both the current and the subsequent grazing period.
Effect of ensiling field bean, field pea and common vetch in different proportions with whole‐crop wheat using formic acid or an inoculant on fermentation characteristics
Authors: Pursiainen P. , Tuori M. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractWhole‐crop field bean (FB), field pea (FP) and common vetch (CV) [155, 213 and 238 g dry matter (DM) kg−1] were ensiled in 1·5 L laboratory silos with whole‐crop wheat as mixtures of 0, 0·25, 0·50, 0·75 and 1·00 of fresh weight (FW). Silages were ensiled (i) without additive, and (ii) with formic acid (FA) (4 L t−1) or (iii) an inoculant (Lactobacillus plantarum, 106 colony‐forming units g−1 FW) as additives. The concentrations of water‐soluble carbohydrates in herbage of whole‐crop FB, FP, CV and wheat were 93, 157, 67 and 114 g kg−1 DM and the buffering capacities were 588, 710, 755 and 429 mEq kg−1 DM respectively. Field bean and FP silages were mainly well preserved with low pH values and moderate fermentation losses, except for FB‐only silage without additive which had a high butyric acid concentration. Common vetch silages had higher pH values and were less well fermented compared to the silages of the other legumes. For all legumes, FA reduced ammonia‐N concentrations more effectively compared to other additive treatments. In conclusion, in FB and FP silages the use of FA or an inoculant, as additives, ensured good preservation up to a proportion of legume in the herbage of 0·75. With all legume silages, and with those containing CV, only FA, as an additive, adequately restricted protein breakdown.
Relationships between expanding pinyon–juniper cover and topography in the central Great Basin, Nevada
Authors: Bradley Bethany A. , Fleishman Erica 
Published: February 2008

AbstractAim  Increasing geographical range and density of conifers is a major form of land‐cover change in the western United States, affecting fire frequency, biogeochemistry and possibly biodiversity. However, the extent and magnitude of the change are uncertain. This study aimed to quantify the relationship between changing conifer cover and topography.Location  The central Great Basin in the state of Nevada, USA.Methods  We used a series of Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite images from 1986, 1995 and 2005 to map change in pinyon–juniper woodlands (Pinus monophylla, Juniperus spp.) in the montane central Great Basin of Nevada. We derived fractional greenness for each year using spectral mixture analysis and identified all areas with an above average increase in greenness from 1986 to 1995 and 1995 to 2005.Results  Areas with high fractional greenness in 2005 were most likely to occur at elevations between 2200 and 2600 m a.s.l. Increases in fractional greenness between 1986 and 2005 were most likely to occur at elevations below 2000 m a.s.l. and on south‐facing slopes. However, relationships between elevation and increasing greenness for individual mountain ranges varied considerably from the average trend. Fractional greenness values measured by Landsat suggest that the majority of pinyon–juniper woodlands have not reached their maximum potential tree cover.Main conclusions  Expansion of pinyon–juniper at low elevations and on south‐facing slopes probably reflects increasing precipitation in the 20th century, higher water use efficiency caused by increasing atmospheric CO2 in the late 20th century and livestock grazing at the interface between shrubland and woodland. Identification of the spatial relationships between changing fractional greenness of pinyon–juniper woodland and topography can inform regional land management and improve projections of long‐term ecosystem change.