bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Night‐vision goggles for night‐blind subjects: subjective evaluation after 2 years of use
Authors: Hartong D. T. , Kooijman A. C. 
Published: August 2006

AbstractPurpose:  To evaluate the usefulness of night‐vision goggles (NVG) for night‐blind subjects after 1 and 2 years of use.Methods:  Eleven night‐blind subjects with retinitis pigmentosa used NVG for a 2‐year period. At the end of each year, they were requested to fill‐in two questionnaires regarding their use of the instrument.Results:  At both the 1‐ and 2‐year evaluations, the subjects reported fewer problems with mobility in the dark when they used the goggles. At the 2‐year evaluation, two individuals stated that they had stopped using the instrument, while seven used it at least twice a week. The nine subjects still using the instrument after 2 years reported an increase in their sense of independence and an increase in their potential for activities. The instrument was used most often during the dark winter season and for purposes such as visiting friends and family, travelling to work or sports, attending meetings and strolling.Conclusion:  At the 2‐year follow‐up, NVG were still being used by most of the night‐blind subjects. Moreover, the device had a positive effect on the subjects’ experienced opportunities and sense of independence. The instrument was considered useful in the daily lives of our subjects.
Case report: the occurrence of fibrillary lines in overnight orthokeratology
Authors: Cheung Sin Wan , Cho Pauline , Bron Anthony J. , Chui Vincent , Chan Ben 
Published: August 2006

AbstractBackground:  To report the occurrence of concentric fibrillary lines in the central corneas of a 13‐year‐old girl during overnight orthokeratology.Methods:  Observational case report.Results:  The initial refractive errors and keratometric readings (flattest/steepest meridians) of the patient were −6.00/–0.50 × 180 and 45.25/46.20 D, respectively, in the right eye and −5.50 DS and 44.90/45.80 D, respectively in the left eye. She underwent orthokeratology for myopic control, with a target reduction of 4.00 D myopia. A pair of DreimLens lenses was prescribed to be worn on a nightly basis and spectacles were worn by day. The same orthokeratology lenses were used throughout the monitoring period. Corneal topography showed well‐centred treatment zones but persistent peripheral corneal staining due to trichiasis. A faint, peripheral pigmented brownish corneal arc and bundles of fine concentric fibrillary lines were observed in the central cornea about 12 months after commencing lens wear. In view of the persistent corneal staining due to trichiasis, she was advised to stop the orthokeratology treatment after 16 months of lens wear and was prescribed 1‐Day Acuvue® daily disposable contact lenses. The pigmented line disappeared after 2 months of hydrogel lens wear, while the fibrillary lines took 10 months to resolve.Conclusions:  Fibrillary lines are a feature of the normal cornea thought to represent the arrangement of the subbasal, epithelial nerve plexus. We hypothesize that orthokeratology lens wear stimulates an altered epithelial migration pattern and a structural reorganisation of the subbasal nerve plexus in relation to this. This is assumed to account for the concentric pattern of fibrillary lines seen in our patient. The lines had no effect on vision and resolved over a period of 10 months following cessation of orthokeratology lens wear.
Attachment transfer among Swedish and German adolescents: A prospective longitudinal study
Authors: FRIEDLMEIER WOLFGANG , GRANQVIST PEHR 
Published: August 2006

AbstractThis prospective longitudinal study investigated whether and in what way different functions of attachment relationships are transferred from parents to reciprocal relationship partners in adolescence. Furthermore, the impact of nationality, romantic relationship status, and individual differences in perceived attachment history and current attachment orientation on the timing and extent of transfer was examined. Adolescents from Sweden and Germany were studied over a 12‐ to 15‐month time span. As predicted, the transfer generally unfolded in a step‐by‐step process in cross‐sectional analyses. However, the predicted direction of transfer from parents to peers could not be confirmed in the prospective analyses. Adolescents who had formed a romantic relationship between assessments showed a stronger transfer from parents to peers compared to those who had not. German adolescents had transferred to a larger extent at Time Point 1, but Swedish adolescents caught up by Time Point 2. Finally, the combination of an insecure history with mother and high current anxiety was linked to a particularly high degree of prospective attachment transfer, whereas an insecure history with mother combined with high current avoidance predicted a particularly low degree of prospective transfer.
Helicobacter and Digestive Malignancies
Authors: Starzyñska Teresa , Malfertheiner Peter 
Published: August 2006

AbstractImportant new data were published during the past year on the relationship of Helicobacter infection and gastric neoplasias. In the pathogenesis of gastric cancer, a thrilling new hypothesis was put forward based on animal experiments. Helicobacter infection induces gastric mucosal damage and bone marrow‐derived cells (mobilized into peripheral blood and attracted to the inflamed mucosa) replace the areas of damaged gastric tissue and turn into neoplastic proliferation. Several studies focused on mechanisms related to the development of gastric malignancy in infected individuals with particular attention to inflammatory cytokine gene polymorphisms.Some new evidence is also reported to suggest that Helicobacter infection increases the risk of neoplasias outside the stomach in the liver and colon.
Taking Mann Seriously?
Authors: Semelin Jacques 
Published: August 2006

Michael Mann's two recent books offer a major contribution to the political sociology of mass violence. By developing and endorsing a comparative approach, the author wishes to explain the development of authoritarian regimes, above all fascist movements, as well as the phenomenon of ethnic violence. Considering the crucial and traumatic experience of the First World War as a cultural and social matrix, Mann's definition of fascism is particularly concise and enlightening. Mann's pages articulating the role of collective anxiety and even fear, prospering in a particularly unstable political, economic and international context and the security dilemma are among the highest achievements of the book. But what is disturbing in Fascists, is the deliberate choice not to take into consideration the historical and political realities of communist movements during the same period and ignoring Hanna Arendt's thesis on totalitarianism. The Dark Side of Democracy is a book more innovative and inspiring than earlier works. Contrary to mainstream genocide studies, Mann's work distances itself from the legal front. Sometime overusing the expression ‘ethnic cleansing’, a perverse definition of democracy can lead according to Mann to ethnic mass murders. In modern time, he notes, ‘the people’ has come to mean two things: demos (the mass of the population) and ethnos (the ethnic group that shares a common culture). Consequently, when an ethnic group claims ‘We, the people’, it can involve the rejection, even the eradication, of those who are perceived as aliens. But the murderous phenomena analyzed by Mann cannot be linked to the birth of modern democracy, but rather to a more general evolution, that is the formation of nation-states. What is at stake is not the dark side of democracy, but the dark side of the Nation-State in the modern democratic age. Another major contribution relies on the interpretation of mass violence based on the construction of a social imaginary. Before the massacre becomes an atrocious physical act, it is born from a mental process, from a vision of the other as a problem to be eliminated. It is crucial to distinguish more clearly than the author does two fundamental conceptions of ‘social purity’ that bring about two different figures of the ‘enemy’.
Behavioural adaptation ofCoquillettidia(Coquillettidia)richiardiilarvae to underwater life: environmental cues governing plant–insect interaction
Authors: Sérandour Julien , Rey Delphine , Raveton Muriel 
Published: August 2006

AbstractDensely overgrown pre‐alpine permanent aquatic habitats are overrun by the mosquitoCoquillettidia (Coquillettidia) richiardii(Ficalbi) (Diptera: Culicidae). The invasive potential of this insect depends on the ability of its larvae to survive on the roots of emergent aquatic macrophytes. In order to characterize this particular ecological niche, which is out of reach for a direct investigation, environmental factors likely to influence the interaction between larvae and host plant roots were investigated using a simplified laboratory microcosm. Environmental light and oxygen concentrations appeared to be the main factors influencing larval attachment, a dark anoxic environment being significantly more favourable. Carbon dioxide produced by the root system of the host plant appeared to be an attractive cue for larval attachment. Knowledge of the hierarchy of these environmental factors may enable us to better understand the ecological traits of larvalC. richiardiiin deep water. With regard to their management, new ecological data are required to develop a long‐term control strategy againstCoquillettidiamosquitoes.
Retrieved Implants from Irradiated Sites in Humans: A Histologic/Histomorphometric Investigation of Oral and Craniofacial Implants
Authors: Bolind Pia , Johansson Carina B. , Johansson Petra , Granström Gösta , Albrektsson Tomas 
Published: August 2006

ABSTRACTPurpose  The aim of this report was to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate the tissue response to bone‐anchored implants retrieved from irradiated sites in patients.Materials and Methods  The material consists of 23 consecutively received Brånemark® implants (Nobel Biocare AB, Göteborg, Sweden) placed in pre‐ or postoperatively irradiated sites. Twenty‐two of the 23 implants were suitable for histologic evaluation of undecalcified sections in the light microscope.Results  The oral implants with shorter time in situ demonstrated sparse bone to implant contact with mainly dense connective tissue in the interface. However, for implants with longer time in situ, high amounts of bone‐implant contact and bone fill of threads were noted. The mean values of bone‐implant contact and bone area within the thread were calculated to 40% (16–94) and 70% (13–96), respectively. The craniofacial implants, with the exception of two implants lined with a capsular formation, demonstrated mature and newly formed bone at the bone‐implant interface. The mean value for bone‐metal contact was calculated to 45 and 53% for two specimens. The mean value for bone area within the thread ranged from 65 to 88% for three specimens.Conclusion  The possibility to achieve bone anchorage of implants in irradiated tissue was supported by the findings in this study. However, due to limited material, conclusions with regard to radiation dose and bone tissue response to implants cannot be stated.
Soluble RANKL in Crevicular Fluid of Dental Implants: A Pilot Study
Authors: Monov Gabriel , Strbac Georg D. , Baron Monika , Kandler Barbara , Watzek Georg , Gruber Reinhard 
Published: August 2006

ABSTRACTBackground  Receptor activator of NF‐κB ligand (RANKL), a member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily, is a key mediator of osteoclast formation, activation, and survival. Thus, it is reasonable to hypothesize that there might be a functional relationship between RANKL expression and peri‐implantitis.Purpose  This pilot study was performed to determine the reference levels for soluble RANKL (sRANKL) in peri‐implant crevicular fluid and to correlate them with the clinical parameters associated with inflammatory reactions and bone destruction.Materials and Methods  The clinical parameters probing depth (PD), modified bleeding index (MBI), and modified plaque index (MPI) served as indicators for bone resorption and inflammation. Exclusion criteria for calculations were the detection limit of the immunoassay and the minimum acceptable crevicular volume for measurement. From the 84 collected samples of 16 patients, 30–84 years of age, with a total of 19 implants, 29 met these criteria. The absolute amount of sRANKL within crevicular fluid adsorbed to filter strips was a median of 0.18 femtomol (fmol; range, 0.08–0.53) and 0.26 nM (range, 0.09–1.21) when normalized by volume. PD was 4 mm in median and varied within a range between 2 and 12 mm.Results  Absolute amounts of sRANKL showed no correlation with the adsorbed volume and the clinical parameters PD, MBI, and MPI. When sRANKL was normalized by volume, no correlation with the clinical parameters PD, MBI, and MPI was observed either. The patients’ age was not associated with total sRANKL and the concentration of RANKL within crevicular fluid. Absolute levels of sRANKL and sRANKL concentration did not show any differences based on the sampling sites buccal and lingual, or on the patients’ gender. A significant difference in sRANKL concentration was detectable when samples from maxillary implants (0.31 nM median; range, 0.12–1.21) were compared with samples from mandibular implants (0.21 nM median; range, 0.09–0.6) (p=.03). Absolute levels of sRANKL were not different between the maxilla and the mandible.Conclusion  Given the limited sample size, our data provide a basis for future prospective longitudinal studies on the possible relevance of sRANKL as a prognostic marker in peri‐implantitis, and for an understanding of the pathophysiologic process of the disease as a prerequisite for the design of treatment strategies.
THE PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS AND BIOGEOGRAPHY OF TRUE PORPOISES (MAMMALIA: PHOCOENIDAE) BASED ON MORPHOLOGICAL DATA
Authors: Fajardo‐Mellor Liliana , Berta Annalisa , Brownell Robert L. , Boy Claudia C. , Natalie P. Goodall R. 
Published: August 2006

AbstractPrior studies of phylogenetic relationships among phocoenids based on morphology and molecular sequence data conflict and yield unresolved relationships among species. This study evaluates a comprehensive set of cranial, postcranial, and soft anatomical characters to infer interrelationships among extant species and several well‐known fossil phocoenids, using two different methods to analyze polymorphic data: polymorphic coding and frequency step matrix. Our phylogenetic results confirmed phocoenid monophyly. The division of Phocoenidae into two subfamilies previously proposed was rejected, as well as the alliance of the two extinct generaSalumiphocaenaandPiscolithaxwithPhocoena dioptricaandPhocoenoides dalli. Extinct phocoenids are basal to all extant species. We also examined the origin and distribution of porpoises within the context of this phylogenetic framework. Phocoenid phylogeny together with available geologic evidence suggests that the early history of phocoenids was centered in the North Pacific during the middle Miocene, with subsequent dispersal into the southern hemisphere in the middle Pliocene. A cooling period in the Pleistocene allowed dispersal of the southern ancestor ofPhocoena sinusinto the North Pacific (Gulf of California).
A case–control study of farming and prostate cancer in African-American and Caucasian men
Authors: Meyer Tamra E , Coker Ann L , Sanderson Maureen , Symanski Elaine 
Published: August 2006

Objective:To determine the risk of prostate cancer associated with farming by duration, recency and specific activities among African-Americans and Caucasians.Methods:This population-based case–control study had information on farming-related activities for 405 incident prostate cancer cases and 392 controls matched for age, race and region in South Carolina, USA, from 1999 to 2001. Cases with histologically confirmed, primary invasive prostate cancer who were aged between 65 and 79 years were ascertained through the South Carolina Central Cancer Registry. Appropriately matched controls were identified from the Health Care Financing Administration Medicare Beneficiary File. Data were collected using computer-assisted telephone interviewing, and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were estimated using unconditional logistic regression.Results:Farming was associated with increased risk of prostate cancer in Caucasians (aOR 1.8; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3 to 2.7) but not in African-Americans (aOR 1.0; 95% CI 0.6 to 1.6). Regarding specific farming activities, farmers who mixed or applied pesticides had a higher risk of prostate cancer (aOR 1.6; 95% CI 1.2 to 2.2). Increased risk of prostate cancer was observed only for those farming <5 years.Conclusions:Increased risk of prostate cancer for farmers in this study may be attributable to pesticide exposure. Racial differences in the association between farming and prostate cancer may be explained by different farming activities or different gene–environment interactions by race.
MONITORING ASSERTION-BASED BUSINESS PROCESSES
Authors: AIELLO MARCO , LAZOVIK ALEXANDER 
Published: August 2006

Business processes that span organizational borders describe the interaction between multiple parties working towards a common objective. They also express business rules that govern the behavior of the process and account for expressing changes reflecting new business objectives and new market situations. We developed a service request language and support framework that allow users to formulate their requests against standard business processes.19 In this paper, we extend the approach by presenting a framework capable of automatically associating business rules with relevant processes involved in a user request. This framework plans and monitors the execution of the request and assertions against services underlying these processes. Definitions and classifications of business rules (named assertions in the paper) are given together with an assertion language for expressing them. The framework is able to handle the non-determinism typical for service-oriented computing environments and it is based on the interleaving of planning and execution. Interestingly, the language is able to express both functional and non-functional aspects of the assertions.
Perception of Human Motion
Authors: Blake Randolph , Shiffrar Maggie 
Published: August 2006

Abstract Humans, being highly social creatures, rely heavily on the ability to perceive what others are doing and to infer from gestures and expressions what others may be intending to do. These perceptual skills are easily mastered by most, but not all, people, in large part because human action readily communicates intentions and feelings. In recent years, remarkable advances have been made in our understanding of the visual, motoric, and affective influences on perception of human action, as well as in the elucidation of the neural concomitants of perception of human action. This article reviews those advances and, where possible, draws links among those findings.
Real-time Dose Adjustment of Cyclophosphamide in a Preparative Regimen for Hematopoietic Cell Transplant: A Bayesian Pharmacokinetic Approach
Authors: Salinger David H. , McCune Jeannine S. , Ren Aaron G. , Shen Danny D. , Slattery John T. , Phillips Brian , McDonald George B. , Vicini Paolo 
Published: August 2006

AbstractPurpose: Dose-related toxicity of cyclophosphamide may be reduced and therapeutic efficacy may be improved by pharmacokinetic sampling and dose adjustment to achieve a target area under the curve (AUC) for two of its metabolites, hydroxycyclophosphamide (HCY) and carboxyethylphosphoramide mustard (CEPM). To facilitate real-time dose adjustment, we developed open-source code within the statistical software R that incorporates individual data into a population pharmacokinetic model.Experimental Design: Dosage prediction performance was compared to that obtained with nonlinear mixed-effects modeling using NONMEM in 20 cancer patients receiving cyclophosphamide. Bayesian estimation of individual pharmacokinetic parameters was accomplished from limited (i.e., five samples over 0-16 hours) sampling of plasma HCY and CEPM after the initial cyclophosphamide dose. Conditional on individual pharmacokinetics, simulations of the AUC of both HCY and CEPM were provided for a range of second doses (i.e., 0-100 mg/kg cyclophosphamide).Results: The results compared favorably with NONMEM and returned accurate predictions for AUCs of HCY and CEPM with comparable mean absolute prediction error and root mean square prediction error. With our method, the mean absolute prediction error and root mean square prediction error of AUC CEPM were 11.0% and 12.8% and AUC HCY were 31.7% and 44.8%, respectively.Conclusions: We developed dose adjustment software that potentially can be used to adjust cyclophosphamide dosing in a clinical setting, thus expanding the opportunity for pharmacokinetic individualization of cyclophosphamide. The software is simple to use (requiring no programming experience), reads individual patient data directly from an Excel spreadsheet, and runs in less than 5 minutes on a desktop PC.
CpG Island Methylator Phenotype Redefines the Prognostic Effect of t(12;21) in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Authors: Roman-Gomez Jose , Jimenez-Velasco Antonio , Agirre Xabier , Castillejo Juan A. , Navarro German , Calasanz Maria J. , Garate Leire , San Jose-Eneriz Edurne , Cordeu Lucia , Prosper Felipe , Heiniger Anabel , Torres Antonio 
Published: August 2006

Abstract
Purpose: To examine cancer genes undergoing epigenetic inactivation in a set of ETV6/RUNX1-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemias in order to define the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) in the disease and evaluate its relationship with clinical features and outcome.
Experimental Design: Methylation-specific PCR was used to analyze the methylation status of 38 genes involved in cell immortalization and transformation in 54 ETV6/RUNX1-positive samples in comparison with 190 ETV6/RUNX1-negative samples.
Results: ETV6/RUNX1-positive samples had at least one gene methylated in 89% of the cases. According to the number of methylated genes observed in each individual sample, 20 patients (37%) were included in the CIMP− group (0-2 methylated genes) and 34 (67%) in the CIMP+ group (&gt;2 methylated genes). Remission rate did not differ significantly among either group of patients. Estimated disease-free survival and overall survival at 9 years were 92% and 100% for the CIMP− group and 33% and 73% for the CIMP+ group (P = 0.002 and P = 0.04, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that methylation profile was an independent prognostic factor in predicting disease-free survival (P = 0.01) and overall survival (P = 0.05). A group of four genes (DKK3, sFRP2, PTEN, and P73) showed specificity for ETV6/RUNX1-positive subset of samples.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that methylation profile may be a potential new biomarker of risk prediction in ETV6/RUNX1-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemias.