bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effect of emergency department delay on outcome in critically ill medical patients: evaluation using hospital mortality and quality of life at 6 months
Authors: SAUKKONEN K. A. , VARPULA M. , RÄSÄNEN P. , ROINE R. P. , VOIPIO‐PULKKI L.‐M. , PETTILÄ V. 
Published: November 2006

Abstract.Objective.  To assess the impact of delay in emergency department (ED) on outcome of critically ill patients admitted to the medical intensive care unit (MICU). Outcome was defined as hospital mortality and as health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) at 6 months after intensive care assessed by the 15D measure. The 15D is a generic, 15‐dimensional, standardized measure of HRQoL. We hypothesized that prolonged stay in the ED is related to worse outcome.Design and setting.  A prospective follow‐up cohort study in university hospital.Subjects.  All consecutive 1675 patients admitted to the MICU between July 2002 and June 2004.Results.  The 15D questionnaire was mailed to all patients alive at 6 months after admission. Of all MICU patients, 64% were admitted from ED. The mean length of stay in the ED was 6.2 h (95%CI 5.9–6.5 h). The hospital mortality rate was 24.4% (20.0% in the ED vs. 33.0% in the non‐ED cohort, P < 0.001) and it was associated with higher age and degree of physiological derangement at admission. Neither the length of ED stay was associated with hospital mortality (P = 0.82) nor with HRQoL at 6 months after MICU admission (P = 0.34). Altogether, HRQoL at 6 months was significantly lower compared with the age‐ and sex‐matched general population (P < 0.001).Conclusions.  In a university hospital, the length of ED stay was not associated with the outcome of critically ill medical patients. However, we feel that the effect of ED treatment and delay on outcome and outcome prediction in the critically ill patients deserves further evaluation.
Insertion polymorphism of transposable elements and population structure of Anopheles gambiae M and S molecular forms in Cameroon
Authors: BOULESTEIX M. , SIMARD F. , ANTONIO‐NKONDJIO C. , AWONO‐AMBENE H. P. , FONTENILLE D. , BIÉMONT C. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractThe insertion polymorphism of five transposable element (TE) families was studied by Southern blots in several populations of the M and S molecular forms of the mosquito Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto from southern Cameroon. We showed that the mean TE insertion site number and the within‐population insertion site polymorphism globally differed between the M and S molecular forms. The comparison of the TE insertion profiles of the populations revealed a significant differentiation between these two molecular forms (0.163 < ΦST < 0.371). We cloned several insertions of a non‐LTR retrotransposon (Aara8) that were fixed in one form and absent in the other one. The only insertion that could be clearly located on a chromosome arm mapped to cytological division 6 of chromosome X, confirming the importance of this region in the ongoing speciation between the M and S molecular forms.
A Review on Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) with Special Reference to PPR in Iran
Authors: Bazarghani T. T. , Charkhkar S. , Doroudi J. , Bani Hassan E. 
Published: November 2006

SummaryIn 1995, a peste des petits ruminants (PPR) outbreak was diagnosed in Ilam province in Iran near the border with Iraq both serologically and virologically. As then, despite all control measures, PPR has been identified in the whole country and has led to costs of at least US$1.5 million to the Iranian owners of sheep and goats.
Oestrous Behaviour and Timing of Ovulation in Relation to Onset of Oestrus and LH Peak in Mithun (Bos frontalis) Cows
Authors: Mondal M , Rajkhowa C , Prakash BS 
Published: November 2006

ContentsThe objectives of the study were to evaluate the oestrus behaviour and to determine the timing of ovulation in relation to onset of oestrus and the pre‐ovulatory LH surge in mithun (Bos frontalis). For this purpose, the blood samples collected at 15‐min intervals for 9 h period following onset of oestrus and thereafter, at an interval of 2 h till 4 h post‐ovulation for three consecutive cycles from 12 mithun cows were assayed for plasma LH and progesterone. Ovulation was confirmed by palpation of ovaries per rectum at hourly intervals. Various signs of behavioural oestrus were also recorded. The common signs of oestrus and their frequency of occurrence in mithuns were following and mounting by male mithuns (100%), standing to be mounted (100%), frequent urination (62.33%), raising of tail (65.23%), swelling of vulva (54.26%) and congestion of vulvar mucous membrane (69.87%). The pre‐ovulatory LH surges consisted of several pulses (2.92 ± 0.26 pulses/animal; range, 1–4). The mean (±SEM) peak level of LH for individual mithun varied from 6.99 ± 0.44 to 12.69 ± 2.10 ng/ml and the mean pooled LH peak concentration was 9.10 ± 0.60 ng/ml. The highest peak (highest amplitude of LH during LH surge) was 10.83 ± 0.76 ng/ml (range, 8.07–16.49 ng/ml). The duration of LH surge was 6.98 ± 0.22 h (6–8 h). Onset of LH surge was at 1.23 ± 0.17 h post‐oestrus onset (range, 0.25–2.25 h). Mean plasma progesterone stayed low (<0.24 ng/ml) during the entire duration of sampling. Ovulation occurred at 26.92 ± 0.31 (range, 26–29 h) after the onset of oestrus and 18.63 ± 0.35 h (range, 17–20.75 h) after the end of LH surge. The occurrence of the highest LH peaks within a narrow time frame of 2‐ to 5‐h post‐oestrus onset in mithuns could have contributed to the animals ovulating within a narrow time interval. These results are very promising from a practical standpoint of potential success when AI program in this species is implemented in a big way. Furthermore, the results of the occurrence of LH pulses during pre‐ovulatory LH surges, which are required for ovulation in this species of animals, is unique and species specific.
Water pipeline failure due to water hammer effects
Authors: SCHMITT C. , PLUVINAGE G. , HADJ‐TAIEB E. , AKID R. 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACTA numerical model has been established in order to simulate the propagation of pressure waves in water networks. The present model formulation is based on a system of partial hyperbolic differential equations. This system has been solved via the characteristics method. The current model provides the necessary data and the necessary damping of water hammer waves, taking into account the structure of the pipe network and the pressure loss. The numerical algorithm estimates the maximum pressure values resulting from the water hammer when closing valves in the network and consequently, the maximum stresses in the pipes have been calculated. In the case of simultaneous closing of several valves, the over pressure can exceed the admissible pressure. In this case, the severity of a defect such as a corrosion crater (pit) has been estimated by computing a safety factor for the stress distribution at the defect tip. This allows the applied notch stress intensity factor to be obtained. To investigate the defect geometry effects, semi‐spherical and semi‐elliptical defects are deemed to exist in up to one‐half of the thickness of the pipe wall. The outcomes have been introduced into the structural integrity assessment procedure (SINTAP) failure diagram assessment (FAD) in order to obtain the safety factor value. Conventionally, it is considered that a failure hazard exists if this safety factor is less than two.
Activation of the galanin receptor 2 (GalR2) protects the hippocampus from neuronal damage
Authors: Elliott‐Hunt Caroline R. , Pope Robert J. P. , Vanderplank Penny , Wynick David 
Published: November 2006

AbstractExpression of the neuropeptide galanin is up‐regulated in many brain regions following nerve injury and in the basal forebrain of patients with Alzheimer's disease. We have previously demonstrated that galanin modulates hippocampal neuronal survival, although it was unclear which receptor subtype(s) mediates this effect. Here we report that the protective role played by galanin in hippocampal cultures is abolished in animals carrying a loss‐of‐function mutation in the second galanin receptor subtype (GalR2‐MUT). Exogenous galanin stimulates the phosphorylation of the serine/threonine kinase Akt and extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) in wild‐type (WT) cultures by 435 ± 5% and 278 ± 2%, respectively. The glutamate‐induced activation of Akt was abolished in cultures from galanin knockout animals, and was markedly attenuated in GalR2‐MUT animals, compared with WT controls. In contrast, similar levels of glutamate‐induced ERK activation were observed in both loss‐of‐function mutants, but were further increased in galanin over‐expressing animals. Using specific inhibitors of either ERK or Akt confirms that a GalR2‐dependent modulation in the activation of the Akt and ERK signalling pathways contributes to the protective effects of galanin. These findings imply that the rise in endogenous galanin observed either after brain injury or in various disease states is an adaptive response that reduces apoptosis by the activation of GalR2, and hence Akt and ERK.
Interactions between radiation therapy and immunotherapy: the best of two worlds?
Authors: Thamm D. H. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractContrary to earlier thought, there is now accumulating evidence that local radiation therapy and various form of immunotherapy may be complementary. This may occur as a result of radiation‐induced changes to the tumour cells themselves, the tumour microenvironment, the tumour vasculature and modulation of antigen‐presenting and effector cell function. This study discusses recent findings and potential applications of this apparent synergy.
Topographic Movie of Ictal High‐Frequency Oscillations on the Brain Surface Using Subdural EEG in Neocortical Epilepsy
Authors: Akiyama Tomoyuki , Otsubo Hiroshi , Ochi Ayako , Galicia Elaine Z. , Weiss Shelly K. , Donner Elizabeth J. , Rutka James T. , Snead O. Carter 
Published: November 2006

Summary:  Purpose: To understand the rapid dynamic changes of ictal intracranial high‐frequency oscillations (HFOs) in neocortical epilepsy. Methods: We integrated multiple band frequency analysis and brain‐surface topographic maps of HFOs from ictal subdural EEG (SDEEG) recordings. We used SDEEG to record partial seizures consisting of right‐arm jerks with secondary generalization in a 17‐year‐old right‐handed girl. We selected 20‐s EEG sections that included preclinical seizure recordings. We averaged the HFO power between 60 and 120 Hz for 25 selected electrodes, made topographic maps from these averaged powers, and superimposed the maps on the brain‐surface image. We filmed consecutive HFO maps at a 10‐ms frame rate. Results: Before clinical seizure onset, high‐power HFOs emerged at the superior portion of the left precentral gyrus, then appeared in the middle of the left postcentral gyrus, and subsequently reverberated between both regions as well as the posterior portion of the left postcentral gyrus. Right‐arm extension and facial grimacing started as the HFO power decreased. As generalized tonic–clonic seizures evolved, HFO power increased but remained within the central region. Conclusions: Topographic movies of intracranial HFOs on the brain surface allow visualization of the dynamic ictal changes in neocortical epilepsy.
Do Hispanic and Asian Adolescents Practice Panethnicity in Friendship Choices?*
Authors: Kao Grace , Joyner Kara 
Published: November 2006

Objectives. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), we investigate whether Asian and Latino youth value racial boundaries more than ethnic boundaries. We evaluate the relative preferences of same‐ethnic, same‐race (but different‐ethnic), and different‐race friends.Methods. We use multilevel multinomial logistic regression models to examine the odds of choosing same‐ethnic, different‐ethnic (but same‐race), and different‐race friends net of the opportunity to interact.Results. We find strong effects of school racial and ethnic composition, immigrant status, and parental education on the likelihood of crossing boundaries in the selection of friends. In addition, we develop a new scale of panethnicity and find substantial ethnic group variation in panethnic sentiment.Conclusion. We find an overwhelming preference for same‐ethnic peers over same‐race (different‐ethnic) and different‐race peers.
The Behavior and Success of Latino Legislators: Evidence from the States*
Authors: Bratton Kathleen A. 
Published: November 2006

Objectives. Research on the link between descriptive and substantive representation has focused almost exclusively on women and African Americans. In the last two decades, Latino representation in state legislatures has more than doubled, yet scholars have only begun to examine the policy interests and legislative success of these legislators. The objectives of this study are to test a descriptive representation model, in which the ethnicity of the legislator influences legislative behavior even after accounting for the ethnic composition of the district, and to examine ethnic differences in legislative success.Methods. Multivariate regression analyses are used to examine the effect of legislator ethnicity and district composition on bill sponsorship, committee service, and bill passage in seven U.S. legislatures.Results. I find that both constituency composition and the ethnicity of the legislator influence legislative behavior. The success of measures sponsored by Latino legislators varies substantially across states.Conclusions. I conclude that both the ethnicity of the legislator and the composition of the district influence legislative behavior and success. There is clear support for a descriptive representation model of agenda setting, particularly on issues involving immigration. However, this link between descriptive and substantive varies substantially by political context.
Constructing Interracial Families Through Intercountry Adoption*
Authors: Ishizawa Hiromi , Kenney Catherine T. , Kubo Kazuyo , Stevens Gillian 
Published: November 2006

Objective. This article analyzes the role of race and ethnicity in constructing American families through intercountry adoption. We argue that such adoptions illustrate the fluidity and tenacity of specific racial boundaries in American families.Methods. Data are drawn from the U.S. 2000 Census—the first to contain information on children's adoptive status—to examine whether race of parents and adopted children match and whether racial matching varies by the characteristics of adoptive families and adopted children.Results. Our findings indicate that minority‐race parents are more likely than white parents to adopt a child of the same race as themselves, and that the odds of white parents, in particular, adopting a white versus nonwhite child from abroad are related to factors such as the age, sex, and health status of the child, as well the presence of other children in the household.Conclusion. Parents weigh a constellation of factors, including attributes of the adopted child and the children already in the household, when adopting a child of the same or different race from abroad.
Application of a Simple Decision Model for Soil Vapor Extraction System Operation
Authors: Barnes David L. , White Trevor C. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractOver the past several decades, soil vapor extraction (SVE) systems have successfully reduced the mass of volatile organic compounds in contaminated soils at many sites. However, predicting when operation of these systems should end once mass removal rates decline and become asymptotic to some low value is still a difficult task. To help make this decision, a simple decision model has been derived from a more rigorous cost‐risk‐based objective function that requires extensive Monte Carlo analyses. Use of the simple model to make a decision on continued operation does not require the same extensive modeling effort. Yet, use of the model does require the contaminant removal rate to be asymptotic to some low value indicating that the removal process has become dominated by diffusion from relatively low permeable soil. At this stage of the removal process, the SVE system should be replaced with an alternative approach if the cost of this alternative approach is less than the capital cost of continued SVE system operation. Applicability of the simple model is discussed through a comparison of the results predicted by the simple model for an operating SVE system to the rigorous results determined with the objective function. Results from this study show that under most conditions the simple model can be used to make a decision of whether a SVE system should continue to operate.
A Field and Modeling Study to Determine Pesticide Occurrence in a Public Water Supply in Northern England, UK
Authors: Stuart Marianne E. , Gooddy Daren C. , Hughes Andrew G. , Jackson Christopher R. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractIn the UK, increasing numbers of pesticides are being detected in ground water as monitoring programs are developed and analytic techniques are refined. This study describes the investigation of pesticides at a site on the Triassic Sandstone aquifer of northern England. Drilling and pore water sampling demonstrated the presence of agricultural herbicides in the unsaturated zone of the aquifer close to a public supply well site at which elevated pesticide concentrations had been detected in the abstracted ground water. These were similar to the compounds detected in the supply wells, but there was no evidence for some of these having been used at the nearby farm. Modeling of water movement to wells showed that individual ground water flow subcatchments were retained during a monthly duty cycle and should be well‐defined. Detecting and quantifying the sources of pesticide pollution of ground water was unsuccessful, probably due to local land use and aquifer heterogeneity. This remains difficult even where the overall catchment is small (1‐km radius) and there are apparently few possible point sources. Even with sophisticated flow models, there is still a high degree of uncertainty in modeling pesticide movement, and treatment of ground water may be the only viable option for water utilities.
Use of Plume Mapping Data to Estimate Chlorinated Solvent Mass Loss
Authors: Barbaro Jeffrey R. , Neupane Pradumna P. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractResults from a plume mapping study from November 2000 through February 2001 in the sand‐and‐gravel surficial aquifer at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, were used to assess the occurrence and extent of chlorinated solvent mass loss by calculating mass fluxes across two transverse cross sections and by observing changes in concentration ratios and mole fractions along a longitudinal cross section through the core of the plume. The plume mapping investigation was conducted to determine the spatial distribution of chlorinated solvents migrating from former waste disposal sites. Vertical contaminant concentration profiles were obtained with a direct‐push drill rig and multilevel piezometers. These samples were supplemented with additional ground water samples collected with a minipiezometer from the bed of a perennial stream downgradient of the source areas. Results from the field program show that the plume, consisting mainly of tetrachloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE), and cis‐1,2‐dichloroethene (cis‐1,2‐DCE), was approximately 670 m in length and 120 m in width, extended across much of the 9‐ to 18‐m thickness of the surficial aquifer, and discharged to the stream in some areas. The analyses of the plume mapping data show that losses of the parent compounds, PCE and TCE, were negligible downgradient of the source. In contrast, losses of cis‐1,2‐DCE, a daughter compound, were observed in this plume. These losses very likely resulted from biodegradation, but the specific reaction mechanism could not be identified. This study demonstrates that plume mapping data can be used to estimate the occurrence and extent of chlorinated solvent mass loss from biodegradation and assess the effectiveness of natural attenuation as a remedial measure.
Permeable Reactive Barriers for the Removal of Heavy Metals: Lab‐Scale Experiments with Low‐Grade Magnesium Oxide
Authors: Navarro Andrés , Chimenos Josep M , Muntaner David , Fernández A. Inés 
Published: November 2006

AbstractThe attenuation of heavy metals in ground water depends on factors such as solid‐solution equilibrium or the solubility product (Ksp) of the solid phase. Metals are pH dependent, and the solubility of heavy metal hydroxides such as lead, cadmium, zinc, and nickel is minimal within pH range 9 to 11. MgO as material in a passive remediation system for removing heavy metals from contaminated ground water is very useful because of its minimal environmental impact and low solubility reaches a maximum pH of 10. Low‐grade MgO (LG‐MgO) was found to be suitable and economically feasible for use as permeable reactive barrier filler for remediation of ground water contaminated by heavy metals. The results of this study suggest that the coprecipitation of heavy metal hydroxides and magnesium hydroxide on the LG‐MgO particle surface and sorption in the neoformed precipitates are the main mechanisms of heavy metal release from contaminated ground water. Remediation is not affected by the presence of other metals, which ensures that the range of application is very broad in both subterranean and surface water. LG‐MgO used as a reactive medium for the treatment of contaminated water significantly diminishes the amount of heavy metals in ground water.
Optimized FaeG Expression and a Thermolabile Enterotoxin DNA Adjuvant Enhance Priming of an Intestinal Immune Response by an FaeG DNA Vaccine in Pigs
Authors: Melkebeek V. , Sonck E. , Verdonck F. , Goddeeris B. M. , Cox E. 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT

One of the problems hindering the development of DNA vaccines is the relatively low immunogenicity often seen in humans and large animals compared to that in mice. In the present study, we tried to enhance the immunogenicity of a pcDNA1/
faeG
19 DNA vaccine in pigs by optimizing the FaeG expression plasmid and by coadministration of the plasmid vectors encoding the A and B subunits of the
Escherichia coli
thermolabile enterotoxin (LT). The insertion of a Kozak sequence and optimization of vector (cellular localization and expression) and both vector and codon usage were all shown to enhance in vitro FaeG expression compared to that of pcDNA1/
faeG
19. Subsequently, pcDNA1/
faeG
19 and the vector-optimized and the vector-codon-optimized construct were tested for their immunogenicity in pigs. In line with the in vitro results, antibody responses were better induced with increasing expression. The LT vectors additionally enhanced the antibody response, although not significantly, and were necessary to induce an F4-specific cellular response. These vectors were also added because LT has been described to direct the systemic response towards a mucosal immunoglobulin A (IgA) response in mice. Here, however, the intradermal FaeG DNA prime-oral F4 boost immunization resulted in a mainly systemic IgG response, with only a marginal but significant reduction in F4
+
E. coli
fecal excretion when the piglets were primed with pWRGFaeGopt and pWRGFaeGopt with the LT vectors.