bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Saturday opening of alcohol retail shops in Sweden: an experiment in two phases
Authors: Norström Thor , Skog Ole‐Jørgen 
Published: June 2005

ABSTRACTAim In February 2000, a trial started with Saturday opening of alcohol retail shops in certain parts of Sweden (phase I), and in July 2001, Saturday opening was extended to the whole country (phase II). The aim of this study is to assess the impact of phase II, and to probe previous results regarding phase I.Design Prior to February 2000, all alcohol monopoly outlets were closed on Saturdays. After this date, stores in an experimental area (six counties) were open on Saturdays. In the control area (seven counties) the shops remained closed. To prevent biases due to trade leakage, the experimental and control areas were separated by a buffer area (seven counties). Because continuous evaluations of the trial did not reveal any negative consequences, the Saturday opening was implemented in the whole of Sweden after 17 months.Data and methods The outcome measures included alcohol sales and indicators of assaults and drunk driving. The pre‐intervention period covered the time period January 1995‐January 2000, phase I of the post‐intervention period February 2000–June 2001 (17 months), and phase II July 2001–July 2002 (13 months). The effects of the two phases were estimated through analyses of monthly data (auto‐regressive integrated moving‐average (ARIMA) modelling) depicting how sales and harm rates evolved in the experimental area compared to the control area during phase I as well as during phase II.Results The analysis uncovered a statistically significant increase in alcohol sales of 3.7% during phase I, and about the same increase during phase II (3.6%). There were no significant changes in any of the assault indicators, neither during phase I nor during phase II. There was a statistically significant increase in drunk driving (12%) during phase I, but no change during phase II. The analyses suggested that the increase during phase I was mainly due to a change in the surveillance strategy of the police.Conclusions The results lend support to the public health perspective in that the increased accessibility to alcohol rendered by Saturday opening also seems to have increased consumption. On the other hand, we could not detect any increase in alcohol‐related harm. The question of whether this may be due to insufficient statistical power is discussed, together with some other methodological complications that were highlighted by the study.
Guardians and handlers: the role of bar staff in preventing and managing aggression
Authors: Graham Kathryn , Bernards Sharon , Osgood D. Wayne , Homel Ross , Purcell John 
Published: June 2005

ABSTRACTAims  To identify good and bad behaviors by bar staff in aggressive incidents, the extent these behaviors apparently reflect aggressive intent, and the association of aggressive staff behavior with level of aggression by patrons.Design, setting and participants  Data on staff behavior in incidents of aggression were collected by 148 trained observers in bars and clubs on Friday and Saturday night between midnight and 2 a.m. in Toronto, Canada. Behaviors of 809 staff involved in 417 incidents at 74 different bars/clubs were analysed using descriptive statistics and three‐level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analyses.Measurements  Observers’ ratings of 28 staff behaviors were used to construct two scales that measured escalating/aggressive aspects of staff behavior. Apparent intent level for bar staff was dichotomized into (1) no aggressive intent versus (2) probable or definite aggressive intent. Five levels of patron aggression were defined: no aggression, non‐physical, minor physical, moderate physical and severe physical.Findings  The most common aggressive behaviors of staff were identified. Staff were most aggressive when patrons were either non‐aggressive or highly aggressive and staff were least aggressive when patrons exhibited non‐physical aggression or minor physical aggression. Taking apparent intent into consideration decreased staff aggression scores for incidents in which patrons were highly aggressive indicating that some aggression by staff in these instances had non‐aggressive intent (e.g. to prevent injury); however, apparent intent had little effect on staff aggression scores in incidents with non‐aggressive patrons.Conclusion  Although there is potential for staff to act as guardians or handlers, they often themselves became offenders when they responded to barroom problems. The practical implications are different for staff aggression with nonaggressive patrons versus with aggressive patrons.
How Science got Statistics
Authors: Mahon Basil 
Published: June 2005

Abstract
The role of statistics in science today goes well beyond the analysis of experimental results: it extends into the fabric of the science itself. Nature seems to operate as much by statistical laws as physical ones. Yet before the mid-19th century no one had an inkling that this was so. The enfolding of statistical concepts is one of the most profound changes in the history of science. Basil Mahon tells how two remarkable men began this transformation.
Filling in the Blanks: Uncovering Confidential Information Regarding Scotland's Prisoner Escort
Authors: Bird Sheila 
Published: June 2005

Abstract
In November 2003 the Scottish Prison Service signed a contract with Reliance for the provision of prisoner escort and court custody services throughout Scotland. It soon came out that the performance targets and financial penalties in the contract were covered by confidentiality clauses. But Sheila Bird has carried out some statistical detective work to estimate the concealed financial penalties for a prisoner unlawfully at large and to show that Reliance has been in serious breach of a crucial monthly performance threshold.
Asylum and Migration: A Review of Home Office Statistics
Authors: Langham Alison 
Published: June 2005

Abstract
Asylum applications to the UK have been a headline-grabbing topic. Against a background of much criticism in the media of its handling of the statistics, the Home Office asked the National Audit Office (NAO) in April 2004 to examine the reliability of its quarterly asylum statistics. Alison Langham reports on the NAO's work.
Size Matters—How Measurement Defines our World
Authors: Hand David J. 
Published: June 2005

Abstract
“Measurement is the contact of reason with nature”—Henry Margenau
We live in a world of measurements, says David Hand. We talk about the weight of ingredients in cooking, the scores of students in tests, the inflation rate, the distance to the moon, the strength with which an opinion is held, and so on and so on. In brief, we see the world through the spectacles of quantification. But, occasionally, distortions or fractures occur in the lenses of quantification which cast doubt on our understanding of the world–doubts which sometimes raise questions about the reality we believe we are perceiving.
Elicitation
Authors: O'Hagan Tony 
Published: June 2005

Abstract
There are various situations in which it may be important to obtain expert opinion about some unknown quantity or quantities. But it is not enough simply to ask the expert for an estimate of the unknown quantity: we also need to know how far from that estimate the true value might be. Tony O'Hagan describes the process of elicitation: the formulation of the expert's knowledge in the form of a probability distribution.
Mathematical Modeling of a Solid–Liquid Mixture with Mass Exchange Between Constituents
Authors: Fusi L. , Farina A. , Ambrosi D. 
Published: June 2005

The mechanical behavior of a mixture composed by an elastic solid and a fluid that exchange mass is investigated. Both the liquid flow and the solid deformation depend on how the solid phase has increased (diminished) its mass, i.e. on the mass conversion between constituents. The model is developed introducing a decomposition of the solid phase deformation gradient. In particular, exploiting the criterion of maximization of the rate of entropy production, we determine an explicit evolution equation for the so-called growth tensor which involves directly the solid stress tensor. An example of a possible choice of the constitutive functions is also presented.
Effect of pre-stroke use of ACE inhibitors on ischemic stroke severity
Authors: Selim Magdy , Savitz Sean , Linfante Italo , Caplan Louis , Schlaug Gottfried 
Published: June 2005

Abstract

Background
Recent trials suggest that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) are effective in prevention of ischemic stroke, as measured by reduced stroke incidence. We aimed to compare stroke severity between stroke patients who were taking ACEI before their stroke onset and those who were not, to examine the effects of pretreatment with ACEI on ischemic stroke severity.

Methods
We retrospectively studied 126 consecutive patients presenting within 24 hours of ischemic stroke onset, as confirmed by diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI). We calculated the NIHSS score at presentation, as the primary measure of clinical stroke severity, and categorized stroke severity as mild (NIHSS [less than or equal to] 7), moderate (NIHSS 8–13) or severe (NIHSS [greater than or equal to] 14). We analyzed demographic data, risk-factor profile, blood pressure (BP) and medications on admissions, and determined stroke mechanism according to TOAST criteria. We also measured the volumes of admission diffusion- and perfusion-weighted (DWI /PWI) magnetic resonance imaging lesions, as a secondary measure of ischemic tissue volume. We compared these variables among patients on ACEI and those who were not.

Results
Thirty- three patients (26%) were on ACE-inhibitors. The overall median baseline NIHSS score was 5.5 (range 2–21) among ACEI-treated patients vs. 9 (range 1–36) in non-ACEI patients (p = 0.036). Patients on ACEI prior to their stroke had more mild and less severe strokes, and smaller DWI and PWI lesion volumes compared to non-ACEI treated patients. However, none of these differences were significant. Predictably, a higher percentage of patients on ACEI had a history of heart failure (p = 0.03). Age, time-to-imaging or neurological evaluation, risk-factor profile, concomitant therapy with lipid lowering, other antihypertensives or antithrombotic agents, or admission BP were comparable between the two groups.

Conclusion
Our results suggest that ACE-inhibitors may reduce the clinical severity of stroke, as measured by NIHSS score. Further, larger-scale, prospective studies areneeded to validate our findings, and to elucidate the mechanism(s) of ACEImediated benefits in patients with ischemic stroke.
The Uncoupling Protein 2 Ala55Val Polymorphism Is Associated with Diabetes Mellitus: The CARDIA Study
Authors: Yu Xinhua , Jacobs David R , Schreiner Pamela J , Gross Myron D , Steffes Michael W , Fornage Myriam 
Published: June 2005

Abstract
Background: Uncoupling proteins (UCPs) reduce ATP generation with concomitant increased release of heat. The activities of UCPs have been related to obesity and energy metabolism.
Methods: We investigated the association of the commonly observed UCP2 Ala55Val (V) polymorphism with diabetes mellitus and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) among 3684 participants in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study.
Results: The V frequency was ∼45% in blacks and 42% in whites. Those with the Val/Val (VV) genotype had a higher incidence of diabetes than those having the Ala/Ala (AA) genotype (5.8% vs 3.3%; P = 0.02). Similarly, the incidences of diabetes in participants without abdominal obesity were 2.8% and 1.0% (P = 0.03) in the VV and AA groups, and 12.4% and 8.3% (P = 0.15) in participants with abdominal obesity. The incidence of IFG was higher in VV vs AA only in those without abdominal obesity (12.9% vs 9.2%). These trends persisted in minimally and fully adjusted models, and in strata of blacks and whites and men and women. The homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance was highest in VV in the combined group of those with IFG or untreated diabetes, but not in those with normal fasting glucose.
Conclusion: The VV genotype of the UCP2 polymorphism was positively related to diabetes. It may involve increased insulin resistance in those with impaired glucose homeostasis.
Development of a PCR-Based Assay for Detection, Quantification, and Genotyping of Human Adenoviruses
Authors: Chmielewicz Barbara , Nitsche Andreas , Schweiger Brunhilde , Ellerbrok Heinz 
Published: June 2005

Abstract
Background: Adenoviruses (AdVs) can cause serious disease in immunosuppressed patients, particularly those undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation. A method for virus quantification in clinical specimens is essential for monitoring patient adenoviral loads and evaluating new therapeutic approaches.
Methods: We developed a PCR-based assay that combines detection and genotyping of human AdVs, targeting a highly conserved region of the adenoviral genome coding for the DNA polymerase (AdV DPol PCR). We tested the diagnostic applicability of this PCR-based assay by analyzing 159 clinical specimens from children with respiratory disease and comparing the results with those obtained by nested PCR analysis.
Results: The PCR assay detected all currently known AdV serotypes, with a detection limit of ∼10 genome equivalents per reaction for 49 of 51 serotypes. No cross-reactivity to human DNA or other DNA viruses was observed. In addition, genotyping of PCR-positive samples was achieved within minutes by fluorescence curve melting analysis in a LightCycler instrument using 6 pairs of hybridization probes, each specific for a single AdV species. Results for clinical specimens were in good concordance with those obtained by nested PCR.
Conclusion: The presented assay is a suitable tool for the detection and genotyping of human AdVs in clinical samples.
Association between Hydrogen Peroxide-Dependent Byproducts of Ascorbic Acid and Increased Hepatic Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase Activity
Authors: Knafo Laurent , Chessex Philippe , Rouleau Thérèse , Lavoie Jean-Claude 
Published: June 2005

AbstractBackground: Parenteral multivitamin preparation (MVP) induces fatty liver in neonatal guinea pig pups; this is prevented by photoprotection. Photo-excited riboflavin present in MVP generates H2O2 and molecules with masses of 136 and 208. We hypothesized that H2O2 initiates the peroxidation of ascorbic acid (AA), producing biologically active byproducts affecting hepatic lipid metabolism.Methods: Mass spectrometry (MS) documented the participation of H2O2 and photo-excited riboflavin (Ribo) in the formation of AA byproducts. Sixteen 3-day-old guinea pig pups received an intravenous solution (50 g/L dextrose + 4.5 g/L NaCl + 1 kIU/L heparin) at 240 mL · kg−1 · day−1, enriched with control or test mixtures, for 4 days. The control mixture was photo-protected AA + Ribo (without byproducts or H2O2), and the test mixture was AA + Ribo treated to generate AA byproducts without H2O2. Hepatic acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) activity was determined after 4 days. Fourth-day urine samples were analyzed by MS. Data were treated by ANOVA (α = 0.05).Results: H2O2 did not influence the classic degradation of AA, as the generation of 2,3-diketogulonic acid was not affected. In contrast, the formation of molecules with masses of 136 and 208 was H2O2 and time dependent. ACC activity was higher (P &lt;0.01) in animals receiving high concentration of these molecules; its hepatic activation correlated (P &lt;0.01) with the urinary concentration of molecule-208.Conclusions: H2O2 at concentrations found in the clinical setting of total parenteral nutrition induce the transformation of dehydroascorbic acid into compounds that have the potential to affect lipid metabolism. These molecules have peroxide and aldehyde functions.
Cross-Reactivity of Amino Acids and Other Compounds in the Biuret Reaction: Interference with Urinary Peptide Measurements
Authors: Hortin Glen L , Meilinger Bonnie 
Published: June 2005

AbstractBackground: Biuret assays for total protein measurement are considered to react with all peptides longer than 2 residues. Some studies using biuret assays of urine suggest that small peptides generally are more abundant than proteins in urine, but it is not clear whether this is a problem of assay specificity.Methods: We analyzed the specificity and kinetics of a biuret reaction for solutions of amino acids, organic compounds, peptides, proteins, and ultrafiltered urine specimens and compared the results with standard clinical assays for protein measurement.Results: The biuret assay cross-reacted with several amino acids, dipeptides, and other organic compounds able to form 5- or 6-member ring chelation complexes with copper. Reactions with amino acids and dipeptides had higher absorbance maxima (blue color) than with larger peptides and proteins (purple). Compounds forming potential 4-, 7-, 8-, or 9-member ring complexes with copper had low reactivity. Amino acid amides, dipeptides, and longer peptides had substantial reactivity, except those containing proline. Proteins and polypeptides had similar biuret reactivities per peptide bond, but reaction kinetics were slower for proteins than peptides. Urine specimens ultrafiltered through 3-kDa–cutoff membranes had substantial biuret reactivity, but absorbance maxima were consistent with cross-reactive amino acids rather than peptides.Conclusions: Many compounds, including amino acids, amino acid derivatives, and dipeptides, cross-react in biuret assays. Our studies improve understanding of the specificity of endpoint and kinetic biuret assays widely used in clinical laboratories. Amino acids, urea, and creatinine contribute to overestimation of urinary peptide content by biuret assays.
Implementation of Hills' growth curve analysis for unequal‐time intervals using GAUSS
Authors: Schneiderman Emet D. , Kowalski Charles J. 
Published: June 2005

AbstractLongitudinal data are widely regarded as the most efficient and informative type of data with which to investigate growth. Paradoxically, appropriate statistical methods for analyzing longitudinal data have been unavailable; with the exception of a computer program for executing Rao's (Biometrika 46:49–58, 1959) one‐sample polynomial growth curve analysis (Schneiderman and Kowalski, Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 67:323–333, 1985) and another applying the Preece‐Baines function (Brown and Townsend, Ann. Hum. Biol. 9:495–505, 1982), no programs for analyzing longitudinal data are generally available to the scientific community. Whereas much of the pediatrically oriented work has involved fitting growth curves for individual children, the concern here is the estimation of growth trends for populations. An Adequate understanding of average tendencies is a prerequisite to understanding the growth of individuals. The present paper implements Hills' (Biometrics 24:189–196, 1968) analysis, which is formally equivalent to Rao's but uses finite differences instead of orthogonal polynomials. This method is suitable for data collected at unequal time points and generates explicit measures of velocity and acceleration. The polynomial specification of the curve that best fits the data is also determined with this method. An additional advantage of this approach is that it is conceptually simpler than the classic model of Rao. An application of this method is given using the same craniofacial growth data as in our earlier (1985) paper for comparability. We provide an easy to use program written in GAU's (Edlefson and Jones, Kent, WA; Applied Technical Systems, 1985), a matrix programming language that runs on PC‐compatible microcomputers. This implementation for PCs extends the accessibility to investigators who may not have access to mainframe computers.
Longitudinal growth in height, weight, and bone age of Guatemalan Ladino and Indian schoolchildren
Authors: Bogin Barry , Sullivan Timothy , Hauspie Roland , Macvean Robert B. 
Published: June 2005

AbstractThree longitudinal samples of Guatemalan schoolchildren are compared for amounts and rates of growth in height, weight, and bone age. The samples include children of two ethnic backgrounds: Ladinos, Spanish‐speaking people of, generally, Western cultural orientation; and Indians, people of Mayan cultural descent. The Indians are of very low socioeconomic status (SES) and attend a public school in a rural village. The Ladinos come from two SES groups living in Guatemala City, one of high SES attending a private school and the other of low SES attending a public school. Graphical and statistical analyses show that for all samples of boys and girls there are generally, significant differences between samples (high SES>low SES>Indian) for amounts of growth in height, weight, and bone age. Boys show significant differences in rates of growth between samples, with the high SES sample growing more rapidly than the two low SES samples. Girls show significant differences in the rate of growth in height, but not in the rate of growth in weight or bone age. For Both boys and girls, rates of growth in height and weight differ more between samples than does rate of Skeltal development. These results demonstrate that (1) SES‐related deficits in growth are cumulative during childhood and early adolescence, that (2) rates of growth for boys are, generally, more sensitive to the influence of SES than are the growth rates of girls, and that (3) childhood growth deficits of low SES children of low SES children are likely to carry over into adulthood.
Method for analyzing complex two‐dimensional forms: Elliptical Fourier functions
Authors: Lestrel Pete E. 
Published: June 2005

AbstractA generalized procedure, elliptical Fourier analysis, for accurately characterizing the shape of complex morphological forms of the type commonly encountered in the biological sciences, is described. Elliptical Fourier functions are derived as a parametric formulation from conventional Fourier analysis, i.e., as a pair of equations that are functions of a third variable. The use of elliptical Fourier functions circumvents three restrictions that have limited conventional Fourier analysis to certain classes of shapes. These restrictions are (1) equal divisions over the interval or period; (2) dependency on the coordinate system, i.e., conventional Fourier functions are not “coordinate free”; and (3) the presence of shapes with outlines that curve back on themselves, a common occurrence. These three limitations are effectively removed with the utilization of elliptical Fourier functions, facilitating the analysis of a much larger class of two‐dimensional forms.
Statistical estimation of skeletal maturity
Authors: Thissen David 
Published: June 2005

AbstractGiven a number of developing aspects of the skeletal system that may be used as indicators of maturity, some combination rule is required to produce a single numerical description of skeletal maturity from data on several such indicators. In the RWT system for estimation of skeletal maturity from indicators in the knee, a nonlinear statistical model for graded data is used for this purpose. In the application of a similar model in the FELS system for the hand‐wrist, the estimation procedure was extended to include continuous as well as graded indicators. This paper describes the statistical estimation procedure used, with illustrations drawn from the hand‐wrist system.