bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cardiovascular outcomes in diabetic nephropathy studies
Authors: Thomson P , Fisher M 
Published: March 2006

AbstractDiabetes is associated with a high risk of the development of cardiovascular disease and renal disease, and in patients with microalbuminuria this risk is further increased. Inhibition of the renin‐angiotensin system with angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin‐receptor blockers (ARBs) is proven to reduce the level of microalbuminuria and slow the rate of deterioration in renal function, an effect independent of the antihypertensive effect of these drugs. Analysis of diabetic patients in the MICRO‐HOPE study demonstrated that the ACE inhibitor ramipril reduced major cardiovascular outcomes and also reduced the development of nephropathy as a secondary endpoint. Cardiovascular outcomes have been secondary endpoints in several recent studies of ARBs in patients with type 2 diabetes and proteinuria; a reduction in the risk of congestive cardiac failure has been demonstrated, but none of the other main cardiovascular outcomes has been improved. Thus, when a patient with type 2 diabetes has microalbuminuria renin‐angiotensin blockade with an ACE inhibitor may be of considerable cardiovascular benefit, and any cardiovascular benefit of ARBs is yet to be proven. Once overt diabetic nephropathy has developed, the cardiovascular benefits offered by ACE inhibitors and ARBs are restricted to preventing cardiac failure. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Anaemia in diabetic kidney disease: An area for improvement?
Authors: Thomas S , Stevens P E 
Published: March 2006

AbstractKidney disease associated with diabetes is the most common cause of kidney failure. The development of kidney disease in diabetes can be associated with a dramatic increase in the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and with a significant effect on quality of life. The focus of recent guidelines has been on the detection of kidney disease and treatment of the main drivers, namely glycaemic control and blood pressure. Only recently has the impact of anaemia in the diabetes population come to the fore. We now know that anaemia is more frequent in diabetic kidney disease and occurs at an earlier stage often when kidney function is only moderately impaired. Much of this anaemia is undiagnosed, yet effective treatment is available and improves quality of life, reduces symptoms and may have major beneficial effects on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. There is a need for heightened recognition of the importance of anaemia, guidelines on screening and management, and research into optimum treatment and what benefits might accrue. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
New‐onset diabetes after transplantation
Authors: Krentz A J , Wheeler D C 
Published: March 2006

AbstractNew‐onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT) is a common and clinically important complication of solid‐organ transplantation. Consensus guidelines have recently been published with the aim of increasing awareness of NODAT among the transplant and diabetes communities. Current evidence suggests that the development of post‐transplant diabetes has adverse effects on recipient and graft survival. While the pathogenesis of NODAT remains incompletely understood, insulin resistance and insulin deficiency have been identified as key metabolic abnormalities. These defects may be aggravated by certain classes of immunosuppressive drugs, notably corticosteroids and the immunophilins, tacrolimus and ciclosporin. The incidence and prevalence of NODAT, and lesser degrees of glucose intolerance which may also be clinically relevant, were almost certainly underestimated in many early studies. The consensus guidelines call for abandonment of arbitrary diagnostic criteria in favour of current internationally accepted definitions for diabetes and states of glucose intolerance. Recent demographic trends warn of an increasing threat from NODAT: the age of transplant recipients is rising and this population has become more obese. With risk factors for NODAT now identified (older age, obesity, non‐white ethnicity, family history of diabetes and hepatitis C infection), it may be possible to reduce the incidence in susceptible individuals listed for transplantation. Lifestyle measures directed at controlling body weight – before and after transplantation – allied to tailored immunosuppressive therapy are recommended. However, since the efficacy and safety of these measures have not been rigorously evaluated in clinical trials, many uncertainties remain. Oral antidiabetic agents and/or insulin treatment are required in a proportion of patients, sometimes temporarily. In addition to the risks of atherothrombotic cardiovascular disease, patients with irreversible NODAT should be considered to be at risk of long‐term microvascular complications including retinopathy, foot disease and nephropathy. Further studies are required to ascertain the current incidence, prevalence and natural history of NODAT in order to identify more effective strategies for prevention and management. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis and characterization of new type molecular wires with tetrathiafulvalene as redox center
Authors: Wang Erjing , Li Hongxiang , Hu Wenping , Zhu Daoben 
Published: March 2006

AbstractA new type of molecular wire 1a–c with tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) units was synthesized and characterized. The UV–vis spectra and electrochemistry results showed that comparing with PPE, these polymers had smaller HOMO–LUMO band gap, and the HOMO level of polymer 1a (−5.05 eV) was closer to the work function energy of Au electrode. Thermal stability analyses indicated that these polymers had good thermal stability. All of the results showed that the introduction of TTF units made polymers 1a–c better candidates for molecular wires than PPE. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2707–2713, 2006
New ligands for the Fe(III)‐mediated reverse atom transfer radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate
Authors: Wang Gang , Zhu Xiulin , Cheng Zhenping , Zhu Jian 
Published: March 2006

AbstractA series of (di)picolinic acids and their derivates are investigated as novel complexing tridentate or bidentate ligands in the iron‐mediated reverse atom transfer radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate in N,N‐dimethylformamide at 100 °C with 2,2′‐azobisisobutyrontrile as an initiator. The polymerization rates and polydispersity indices (1.32–1.8) of the resulting polymers are dependent on the structures of the ligands employed. Different iron complexes may be involved in iron‐mediated reverse atom transfer radical polymerization, depending on the type of acid used. 1H NMR spectroscopy has been used to study the structure of the resulting polymers. Chain‐extension reactions have been performed to further confirm the living nature of this catalytic system. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2912–2921, 2006
Effective handling of induced‐fit motion in flexible docking
Authors: Mizutani Miho Yamada , Takamatsu Yoshihiro , Ichinose Tazuko , Nakamura Kensuke , Itai Akiko 
Published: March 2006

AbstractFor structure‐based drug design, where various ligand structures need to be docked to a target protein structure, a docking method that can handle conformational flexibility of not only the ligand, but also the protein, is indispensable. We have developed a simple and effective approach for dealing with the local induced‐fit motion of the target protein, and implemented it in our docking tool, ADAM. Our approach efficiently combines the following two strategies: a vdW‐offset grid in which the protein cavity is enlarged uniformly, and structure optimization allowing the motion of ligand and protein atoms. To examine the effectiveness of our approach, we performed docking validation studies, including redocking in 18 test cases and foreign‐docking, in which various ligands from foreign crystal structures of complexes are docked into a target protein structure, in 22 cases (on five target proteins). With the original ADAM, the correct docking modes (RMSD < 2.0 Å) were not present among the top 20 models in one case of redocking and four cases of foreign‐docking. When the handling of induced‐fit motion was implemented, the correct solutions were acquired in all 40 test cases. In foreign‐docking on thymidine kinase, the correct docking modes were obtained as the top‐ranked solutions for all 10 test ligands by our combinatorial approach, and this appears to be the best result ever reported with any docking tool. The results of docking validation have thus confirmed the effectiveness of our approach, which can provide reliable docking models even in the case of foreign‐docking, where conformational change of the target protein cannot be ignored. We expect that this approach will contribute substantially to actual drug design, including virtual screening. Proteins 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Farmer perceptions and pesticide use practices in vegetable production in Ghana
Authors: Ntow William J , Gijzen Huub J , Kelderman Peter , Drechsel Pay 
Published: March 2006

AbstractAs an initial part of a programme aimed at promoting safe and sound agricultural practices in Ghana, a study was made of farmers' perceptions of pesticides for use and application in vegetable production, using a small survey of 137 farmers who applied pesticides. Field surveys, interviews, questionnaires and analytical games were used to obtain information on the type, scope and extent of use of pesticides, farmers' knowledge of pesticides, and their perceptions about the chemicals' potential for harm. Data from this sample of farmers were used to describe the status of use of pesticides in vegetable cultivation in Ghana. Using χ2 tests, associations between farmers' age and possible pesticide poisoning symptoms, their farm size and method of spraying pesticides, and their perception of pesticide hazard and its perceived effectiveness against pests were also examined. The survey showed that knapsack sprayers were the most widely used type of equipment for spraying pesticides. However, on large‐scale vegetable farms of 6‐10 acres, motorised sprayers were also used. Various inappropriate practices in the handling and use of pesticides caused possible poisoning symptoms among those farmers who generally did not wear protective clothing. Younger farmers (<45 years of age) were the most vulnerable group, probably because they did more spraying than older farmers (>45 years of age). Farmers did not necessarily associate hazardous pesticides with better pest control. The introduction of well‐targeted training programmes for farmers on the need for and safe use of pesticides is advocated. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry
Integral videography autostereoscopic display using multiprojection
Authors: Liao Hongen , Iwahara Makoto , Koike Takefumi , Momoi Yasuyuki , Hata Nobuhiko , Sakuma Ichiro , Dohi Takeyoshi 
Published: March 2006

AbstractVarious techniques of autostereoscopic three‐dimensional (3D) display for displaying real 3D information have been investigated in recent years. We have performed research and application of integral videography (IV), which is an animated display technique based on the principle of integral photography (IP). Although IV and IP are ideal ways to display 3D images, their spatial viewing resolution and high‐speed image rendering algorithm must be improved. The pixel pitch of the display and the lens pitch are the main factors affecting IV image quality. We improved the image quality by increasing the number and density of the pixels. Parallel image processing and displaying method were also developed for animated IV imaging. We have created a scalable high‐resolution image using multiple projection and project it onto a small screen to achieve high‐density pixels using long‐focal‐length projection optics. Furthermore, an image calibration method was developed for geometrical correction and color modulation to generate seamless IV images. We evaluated the developed device by displaying an X‐ray computed tomography (CT) image. Measurement of the geometrical accuracy of the reproduced IV images demonstrated that the spatial resolution of the display system matched that by theoretical analysis. Experimental results showed that our technique is very effective in obtaining 3D animated images with practical spatial resolution. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 37(5): 34–45, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20424
Keyframe animation of virtual humans via motion data learning
Authors: Mukai Tomohiko , Kuriyama Shigeru , Kaneko Toyohisa 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThis paper proposes a method for creating human animations by utilizing motion capture data in traditional keyframe‐based motion editing. This automatically generates complicated sequential movements of the whole body from multiple constraints of end‐effectors. Different types of motion learning are introduced to optimize postures at each keyframe and motion curves for interpolating them, separately. Postures at every keyframe are determined by using hierarchical reinforcement learning so as to have similar features to motion samples with a data‐centric objective function. Plausible postures are efficiently sought among the huge number of possible states because a skeletal structure is hierarchically decomposed and postures are efficiently quantized to narrow down the configuration space. Optimized postures are then interpolated using motion curves that are learned with acceleration templates from referential motion segments. This new technique of reusing motion data is well suited to design motions by manipulating end‐effectors at each keyframe. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 37(5): 25–33, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20443
A Web‐based integrated education system for a seamless environment among teachers, students, and administrators
Authors: Hanakawa Noriko , Akazawa Yoshiko , Mori Akira , Maeda Toshiyuki , Inoue Shunji , Tsutsui Shigeyoshi 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThe authors created a Web‐based integrated education support system that unified the data in the administrative system and the education system in a university. The purpose of the system was to make the administrative system and education system data that had previously been separated seamless, and to implement seamless access from inside and outside the university while maintaining security. Moreover, the authors emphasized the development of a portal site as a point of contact for the system. As a result of using software packages and existing technology for the other servers and databases, and making a policy of not changing the administrative system at all, the authors were able to create the system in a short period of 5 months. After the system was operational, preparation and review for class could be done at home, and evaluations of reports and final determinations of grades could be done from outside the university. This confirmed that the education system was effective. Finally, the authors looked at the trouble and performance problems that occurred involving local rules in the business department during operation, as well as countermeasures for them. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 37(5): 14–24, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20475
Effect of mother plant size on offshoot regeneration in date palm cv. Sayer under field conditions
Authors: Eftekhari SA , Ramin AA 
Published: March 2006

AbstractAfter 10 years in the field, mother plants over 15 kg, produce heavier and more rooted offshoots than smaller plants. The selection of offshoots over 15 kg and 30–40 cm stem diameter produced more rooted offshoots for the next propagation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Gender differences in traumatic events and rates of post‐traumatic stress disorder among homeless youth
Authors: Gwadz Marya Viorst , Nish David , Leonard Noelle R. , Strauss Shiela M. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractIn the present report we describe patterns of traumatic events and Post‐traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), both partial and full, among homeless youth and those at risk for homelessness, with an emphasis on gender differences. Participants were 85 homeless and at‐risk youth (49% female) recruited from a drop‐in center in New York City in 2000. Youth completed a structured interview lasting 1.5 h. Rates of childhood maltreatment were substantial. Further, almost all youth experienced at least one traumatic event, with most experiencing multiple types of trauma. Gender differences were found in the types, but not prevalence or magnitude, of childhood maltreatment and traumatic events experienced. Partial symptomatology of PTSD was common for females but not males. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were found to co‐occur with PTSD for females, which may complicate treatment efforts. Further investigation of the impact of trauma on homeless males is needed.
Interaction of human neutrophils with endothelial cells regulates the expression of endogenous proteins annexin 1, galectin‐1 and galectin‐3
Authors: Gil Cristiane Damas , La Mylinh , Perretti Mauro , Oliani Sonia Maria 
Published: March 2006

AbstractAnnexin 1 (ANXA1), galectin‐1 (Gal‐1) and galectin‐3 (Gal‐3) proteins have been identified as important mediators that promote or inhibit leukocyte migration. The expression of these proteins was studied in human neutrophils and endothelial cells (ECs) during a transmigration process induced by IL‐8. Upon neutrophil adhesion to EC, a significant increase in the cleaved ANXA1 (LCS3, raised against all ANXA1 isoforms) expression was detected in the plasma membrane of adhered neutrophils and ECs compared to intact ANXA1 isoform (LCPS1, against N‐terminus of protein). Adherent neutrophils had elevated Gal‐3 levels in the nucleus and cytoplasm, and ECs in their plasma membranes. In contrast, a decrease in the total amounts of Gal‐1 was detected in migrated compared to non‐migrated neutrophils. Therefore, ANXA1 and Gal‐3 changed in their content and localization when neutrophils adhere to endothelia, suggesting a process of sensitive‐balance between two endogenous anti‐ and pro‐inflammatory mediators.
Violence at the workplace—a questionnaire survey of nurses
Authors: Merecz Dorota , Rymaszewska Joanna , Mościcka Agnieszka , Kiejna Andrzej , Jarosz-Nowak Joanna 
Published: March 2006

AbstractBackground– In the health sector, anywhere in the world nurses are one of the most exposed groups to violence. However, it is not obvious that psychiatric nurses (PNs) are more exposed to aggression and burnout.Objectives– To determine the nature and effects of aggressive acts towards nursing staff in psychiatric and other medical services in Poland.Methods– Various questionnaires (Stress at Work Scale, General Health Questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Work Satisfaction Scale), were distributed among psychiatric (N = 78) and non-psychiatric nurses (N-PNs) (N = 335). A 92.6% response rate was achieved.Results– Significant differences were found between PNs and non-psychiatric counterparts with respect to their experiences of violence. The most frequently reported incident was verbal abuse, followed by threats and physical assault. Patients were significantly more frequent perpetrators in psychiatric wards than in others. The level of intra-staff aggression did not significantly vary between groups, neither did the level of work satisfaction and absenteeism.Conclusion– The frequency of violent acts and stress related to them point out the strong need for the development of preventive programs to address the issue of violence at work.
Evaluation criteria development and assessment of purchasing and supply management journals
Authors: Zsidisin George A. , Smith Michael E. , McNally Regina C. , Kull Thomas J. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractAlthough purchasing and supply management (PSM) is a business function that is critical to supply chain management, a direct examination of the academic journals representing leading PSM research outlets has not been available. Further, most prior studies that compare journals have relied on single‐item measures of such evaluation dimensions as quality and relevance. In order to address these research gaps, a survey instrument targeted to purchasing and supply management academics was implemented to explore how they evaluate and rate journals considered important for advancing the field of PSM. The three highest‐rated journals in this study that publish PSM research are the Journal of Operations Management, the Journal of Business Logistics, and the Journal of Supply Chain Management. Four journal evaluation constructs emerged: Journal Quality, Journal Reputation, PSM Practitioner Relevance, and PSM Research Relevance. The results provide guidance for PSM scholars with respect to journals that contribute to the knowledge base in PSM, as well as support an extended understanding of conceptual bases for how scholars evaluate the journals they read and in which they publish.
Temperature patterns over the past eight centuries in Northern Fennoscandia inferred from sedimentary diatoms
Authors: Weckström Jan , Korhola Atte , Erästö Panu , Holmström Lasse 
Published: March 2006

AbstractEstablishing natural climate variability becomes particularly important in remote polar regions, especially when considering questions regarding higher than average warming. We present a high-resolution record of temperature variability for the past 800 yr based on sedimentary diatoms from a treeline lake in Finnish Lapland. The BSiZer multiscale smoothing technique is applied to the data to identify significant features in the record at different temporal levels. The overall reconstruction shows relatively large multi-centennial temperature variability with a total range of about 0.6–0.8°C. At millennial scales, the temperatures exhibit a statistically significant long-term cooling trend prior to industrialization (ΔT = −0.03°C/century). At the centennial timescale, three warm time intervals were identified around AD 1200–1300 (terminal phase of the Medieval Warm Period, MWP), 1380–1550 and from 1920 until the present. Pronounced coolness occurred between AD 1600 and 1920, indicative of the Little Ice Age (LIA). At the decadal level, certain shorter-term climate excursions were revealed. The warmest ∼10–30 yr, non-overlapping periods occurred in AD 1220–1250, 1470–1500 and 1970–2000, respectively. The classic events of MWP and LIA are evident in our record, as is also the 20th century warming.