bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Glomerular and tubular function following orthotopic liver transplantation in children
Authors: McLin Valérie A. , Girardin Eric , LeCoultre Claude , Mentha Gilles , Belli Dominique C. 
Published: July 2005

Abstract: Since its advent, cyclosporine nephrotoxicity has been a major concern to pediatricians attending to liver transplant recipients. The aims of this study were to examine glomerular and tubular function after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in children, their correlation to CsA, and how they differed according to the underlying disease.Patients and methods: Glomerular and tubular function was examined in 28 patients aged 7 months to 14 yr at the time of transplantation (mean 4.0 ± 3.6), retrospectively examining creatinine clearance, tubular phosphate reabsorption (TRP), calcium/creatinine ratio, sodium excretion fraction, and protein/creatinine ratio. The group with metabolic disease and an underlying tubulopathy was compared with the group with liver disease only. The effect of CsA trough levels and cumulated dose on these indices was examined, as was the effect of antihypertensives on creatinine clearance. Both glomerular and tubular functions improved significantly following liver transplantation. In patients on CsA (n = 21), CrCl decreased significantly at 1 month post‐OLT (42.6 ± 26.6 mL/min/1.73 m2) when compared with pretransplantation, and 3, 12 and 60 months post‐OLT (p < 0.05). It improved between 12 and 60 months post‐OLT (p < 0.05). It was correlated with cyclosporine trough levels (p < 0.03), and with total dose of CsA at 12 months. This was not true for patients on tacrolimus (n = 7). Overall pretransplant TRP was below normal (73.7% ± 19.6), which was significantly lower than the values at years 2, 3, and 5 post‐OLT (p < 0.05), owing mainly to the metabolic group which recovered normal proximal tubular function by the end of the second week post‐OLT. Calcium/creatinine ratio was significantly worse in the group with liver disease only (p < 0.01). Protein/creatinine ratio normalized rapidly in both groups. Urinary sodium excretion fraction (FENa) was very abnormal in the early postoperative phase, normalizing thereafter in both groups. Kidney function improved after liver transplantation in patients with and without pre‐existing kidney dysfunction. Overall, creatinine clearance was correlated to CsA trough levels suggesting CsA did not have an irreversible ‘sclerosing’ effect in the medium term. Combined antihypertensive therapy using nifedipine and enalapril may be the optimal choice for patients requiring medical management of their hypertension, although the observed effect on creatinine clearance did not reach statistical significance in this study. Tubular dysfunction is frequent in both groups of patients, pre‐ and post‐transplant, and may contribute to bone mineral density as well as to metabolic disturbances in this population.
Low Foraging Success of Semipalmated Sandpipers at the Edges of Groups
Authors: Beauchamp G. 
Published: July 2005

AbstractVariation in foraging success in relation to spatial position in a group is little known in species that feed on mobile prey that can hide or flee upon disturbance by foragers. I examined the foraging success of individuals located either at the edge or at the centre of flocks of semipalmated sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) feeding on a burrowing amphipod (Corophium volutator) during migration stopover in the Bay of Fundy, Canada. The rates of pecking, prey capture and success were lower for individuals foraging at the edge than at the centre of flocks. Edge birds spent more time running and more time flying than centre birds. Edge birds moved away from the centre of the flock and made frequent short flights towards the centre. In contrast, centre birds rarely moved in a specific direction and flew mostly to relocate elsewhere with the whole flock. Sandpiper flocks foraged over a large area in a relatively short amount of time. In addition, amphipod density is high in this habitat. It thus appears unlikely that prey depletion or low food availability at the edges of groups could explain the spatial variation in foraging success. Low foraging success at the edges of flocks thus arose mainly because of time costs related to flock expansion and retraction. The effect of mutual interference among foragers and of predation risk by falcons is discussed with respect to flock expansion and retraction.
Physiological Costs of Mate Guarding in the Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica Newman)
Authors: Saeki Yoriko , Kruse Kipp C. , Switzer Paul V. 
Published: July 2005

AbstractMales of many insects directly defend their mates from rival males (i.e. mate guard) as a way to avoid sperm competition and thus increase their reproductive success. However, mate guarding may have associated costs for these males. We examined costs of mate guarding in Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica), a pest species which exhibits post‐copulatory mate guarding during which the guarding male cannot feed. In this species, food provides both energy and water for thermoregulation. Consequently, we focused on possible thermoregulatory and energetic costs of their mate guarding. In a field study, we found that guarding males had significantly higher thoracic temperatures than non‐guarding males, indicating a difference in their ability and/or need to thermoregulate. Paired males had significantly lower water levels than single males in the morning and evening, but not in the afternoon. In the laboratory, we found that mate‐guarding duration was significantly shorter at higher ambient temperature than at lower temperature, and males that had been starved guarded for less time than males that had not been starved. Our results suggest that because guarding males are unable to feed, they suffer energetic and thermoregulatory costs that appear to limit the amount of time that they can guard a female.
A physicochemical characterization of the waters of the El‐Kabir River and major tributaries in Syria and Lebanon
Authors: Thomas Richard L. , Cadham John C. , Hassan Siba , Kawass Issam , Khawlie Mohamad , Shaban Amin , Walker J. 
Published: July 2005

AbstractThirty‐nine sampling sites were selected in the El‐Kabir River watershed, including 18 in Syria and 21 in Lebanon. Three major tributaries, the Nahr al‐Arous and the Nahr Nasrive in Syria, and the Chadra River in Lebanon, were included in the site selection, together with Wadi el‐Aatchane and Wadi Khaled. Instrumental measurements for temperature, specific conductivity (Sp. Cond.), dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH were taken directly in the water at each site visit. Measurements were taken in both countries in May 2001, January, April and August 2002, and there was an additional sampling in Lebanon during September 2001. The interpretation of the data led to some specific conclusions on the conditions in the watershed. The waters of the El‐Kabir River are derived almost exclusively from ground water, with many significant springs functioning throughout the year. The water that flows rapidly through the system is well‐mixed and consistent in its major characteristics. The DO concentration > 5 mg L−1, averaging 8.53 mg L−1 (three DO values < 5 mg L−1 were observed, all at the same spring). Some variability in water character was observed for Sp. Cond.; these differences could be related to the spring‐source waters originating in limestone or basaltic terrain. Furthermore, an increase in Sp. Cond. in the lower reaches of the river might be related to salinization, resulting from surface water and near‐surface ground water withdrawals for anthropogenic use, particularly irrigation.
Watershed characteristics, land use and fabric: The application of remote sensing and geographical information systems
Authors: Khawlie Mohamad , Shaban Amin , Abdallah Chadi , Darwish T. , Kawass Issam 
Published: July 2005

AbstractIntegrated watershed assessment, especially relying on remote sensing (RS), is a newly established procedure in developing countries. It is proving to be a major component in river‐basin environmental management. The recurrence of environmental problems in the Akkar El Kabir River watershed, as well as the lack of proper data on sources and sinks of pollutants, and the extent of human interference, led to the current study. Advanced geoinformation tools, such as RS and geographical information systems (GIS), prove to be a valuable asset in securing data on the fabric of the Akkar watershed in relation to its natural setting and anthropic interference. This is particularly true in the current study as the river constitutes the boundary between Lebanon and Syria. Remote sensing captures the watershed characteristics and land use on both sides without constraints. The natural fabric includes geology, drainage, hydrogeology, forest and soil. The anthropic fabric includes settlements, utilities, roads, agriculture and land use. If it were not for geoinformation techniques, the task of securing such data would be difficult. Also, these techniques show the impact of malpractices from excessive human interference that result in degradation of land and water quality. Changes in the watershed, such as environmental deterioration, are observed as water pollution, soil erosion, forest decline and socioeconomic imbalance. Obviously, this is the outcome of malpractices in a multisectorial system. A major challenge for RS and GIS is to quantify, model and predict, if possible, the extent of these changes. Remote sensing inherently captures the impact of interaction between nature and human beings. Detection of change is a major indicator that RS can contribute to the evaluation of the state of the environment. The application of it on this watershed reveals that significant changes have occurred over the last 10–15 years, most of which are anthropic.
Bacterial indicators of faecal pollution in the waters of the El‐Kabir River and Akkar watershed in Syria and Lebanon
Authors: Hamze Monzer , Hassan Siba , Thomas Richard L. , Khawlie Mohamad , Kawass Issam 
Published: July 2005

AbstractWater samples for bacterial analyses were taken, when possible, at 41 sites in Lebanon and Syria in the El‐Kabir River watershed. Samples were analysed for total coliform (TC), faecal coliform (FC) and faecal streptococcus. The Lebanese samples also were analysed for the presence of sulphate‐reducing bacteria. The TC and FC concentrations were extremely high throughout the watershed, rendering the water unfit for any human uses. The origin of the bacteria is the untreated sewage waste from the numerous settlements situated throughout the watershed. This primary origin is supported by high ratios of FC/faecal streptococcus, although impacts from animal wastes also were observed. The bacterial levels were higher in summer than in winter, indicating a high winter river flow that dilutes a relatively constant source of human sewage discharged to the system. Spring waters also exhibited elevated levels of bacteria, implicating surface land use and waste disposal practices upstream of the springs. The data clearly shows that human health is at a high risk and that strategies for improving water quality and protecting spring water must be expeditiously implemented.
Geochemistry of the sediments of the El‐Kabir River and Akkar watershed in Syria and Lebanon
Authors: Thomas Richard L. , Shaban Amin , Khawlie Mohamad , Kawass Issam , Nsouli Bilal 
Published: July 2005

AbstractA total of 39 sediment samples were collected from the El‐Kabir River and its major tributaries during the low‐flow period of August/September 2001. Of these samples, six were selected for a scan for pesticide residues, polychlorinated biphenyls and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). An additional seven samples were analysed for major elements and trace elements. Despite the limited number of samples analysed, it can be concluded that major elements reflect the distribution and chemistry of major rock types in the watershed, the sodium oxide concentrations indicate an early onset of salinization in the coastal plain, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane is currently in use in the watershed despite being a banned substance, the PAH contamination is directly linked to an old, disused railway track, and chromium and nickel are the two trace elements showing anthropogenic enrichment, being attributed to leather tanning and metal plating by small‐scale industries in the watershed.
The appetite‐suppressant effect of nicotine is enhanced by caffeine*
Authors: Jessen A. , Buemann B. , Toubro S. , Skovgaard I. M. , Astrup A. 
Published: July 2005

Aim:  To test whether the anorectic effect of nicotine may be amplified by caffeine.Methods:  Chewing gums with nicotine and caffeine were administered to 12 healthy young men of normal weight. Different combinations of 0, 1 or 2 mg of nicotine and 0, 50 or 100 mg of caffeine were applied during a 2‐h period in a randomized, double blind, cross over design. Appetite sensations were measured using visual analogue scales.Results:  Hunger and prospective food consumption were negatively associated with the increasing doses of nicotine, whereas satiety and fullness were positively associated with the increasing doses of nicotine (p < 0.05). Caffeine appeared to amplify the effects of nicotine on hunger and fullness as a caffeine × nicotine × time interaction was observed in these scores (p < 0.05). The 2‐mg dose of nicotine in combination with the 100‐mg dose of caffeine caused nausea in four of the non‐smokers. However, the effects of nicotine and the caffeine × nicotine × time interaction persisted after the exclusion of these subjects.Conclusion:  Caffeine added to nicotine chewing gum appears to amplify its attenuating effects on appetite and the combinations of 1‐mg of nicotine with caffeine seem to be well tolerated.
Children's understanding of the Ulysses conflict
Authors: Choe Katherine S. , Keil Frank C. , Bloom Paul 
Published: July 2005

Abstract Two studies explored children's understanding of how the presence of conflicting mental states in a single mind can lead people to act so as to subvert their own desires. Study 1 analyzed explanations by children (4–7 years) and adults of behaviors arising from this sort of ‘Ulysses conflict’ and compared them with their understanding of conflicting desires in different minds, as well as with changes of mind within an individual across time. The data revealed that only the adults were able to adequately explain the Ulysses conflict. Study 2 asked children (4–7 years) and adults to choose among three explicitly presented competing explanations for self‐subverting behaviors. The results suggest that an understanding of the influence of conflicting mental states on behaviors does not occur until at least 7 years of age.
Reorientation by geometric and landmark information in environments of different size
Authors: Vallortigara Giorgio , Feruglio Marco , Sovrano Valeria Anna 
Published: July 2005

AbstractIt has been found that disoriented children could use geometric information in combination with landmark information to reorient themselves in large but not in small experimental spaces. We tested domestic chicks in the same task and found that they were able to conjoin geometric and nongeometric (landmark) information to reorient themselves in both the large and the small space used. Moreover, chicks reoriented immediately when displaced from a large to a small experimental space and vice versa, suggesting that they used the relative metrics of the environment. However, when tested with a transformation (affine transformation) that alters the geometric relations between the target and the shape of the environment, chicks tended to make more errors based on geometric information when tested in the small than in the large space. These findings suggest that the reliance of the use of geometric information on the spatial scale of the environment is not restricted to the human species.
Motor processes in children's imagery: the case of mental rotation of hands
Authors: Funk Marion , Brugger Peter , Wilkening Friedrich 
Published: July 2005

Abstract In a mental rotation task, children 5 and 6 years of age and adults had to decide as quickly as possible if a photograph of a hand showed a left or a right limb. The visually presented hands were left and right hands in palm or in back view, presented in four different angles of rotation. Participants had to give their responses with their own hands either in a regular, palms‐down posture or in an inverted, palms‐up posture. For both children and adults, variation of the posture of their own hand had a significant effect. Reaction times were longer the more awkward it was to bring their own hand into the position shown in the stimulus photograph. These results, together with other converging evidence, strongly suggest that young children's kinetic imagery is guided by motor processes, even more so than adults’.
Toddlers recognize verbs in novel situations and sentences
Authors: Naigles Letitia R. , Bavin Edith L. , Smith Melissa A. 
Published: July 2005

Abstract Toddlers’ (MA = 22 and 27 months) ability to extend newly taught verbs to new situational and sentential contexts was investigated. Children were interactively taught two novel verbs, presented in only the transitive frame (e.g. You’re lorping the ball), in a playroom setting. They then viewed the verb actions presented on side‐by‐side monitors and were asked to distinguish the verbs in three test frames (transitive, intransitive, neutral (e.g. lorping)). Both groups demonstrated learning of the verbs in the new situation and generalized the verbs to the intransitive sentence frame, but neither generalized reliably to the neutral frame. We conclude that even 22‐month‐olds demonstrate considerable context independence in their verb representations.
11‐month‐olds’ knowledge of how familiar words sound
Authors: Swingley Daniel 
Published: July 2005

Abstract During the first year of life, infants’ perception of speech becomes tuned to the phonology of the native language, as revealed in laboratory discrimination and categorization tasks using syllable stimuli. However, the implications of these results for the development of the early vocabulary remain controversial, with some results suggesting that infants retain only vague, sketchy phonological representations of words. Five experiments using a preferential listening procedure tested Dutch 11‐month‐olds’ responses to word, nonword and mispronounced‐word stimuli. Infants listened longer to words than nonwords, but did not exhibit this response when words were mispronounced at onset or at offset. In addition, infants preferred correct pronunciations to onset mispronunciations. The results suggest that infants’ encoding of familiar words includes substantial phonological detail.
The genetic relationship between individual differences in social and nonsocial behaviours characteristic of autism
Authors: Ronald Angelica , Happé Francesca , Plomin Robert 
Published: July 2005

Abstract Two types of behaviours shown in children – those reflecting social impairment and nonsocial obsessive repetitive behaviours – are central to defining and diagnosing autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Parent and teacher data on social and nonsocial behaviours were obtained from a community sample of >3000 7‐year‐old twin pairs. Social and nonsocial behaviours were only modestly correlated, and it was found that some individuals had extreme scores on either social or nonsocial scales but not both. Genetic model‐fitting showed that social and nonsocial behaviours are both highly heritable, but their genetic overlap is modest, with most of the genetic influence being specific to either social or nonsocial behaviours. Considering these behaviours separately might help clarify gene‐brain‐behaviour pathways in future research.
Differing Patterns of Antiresorptive Pharmacotherapy in Nursing Facility Residents and Community Dwellers
Authors: Jachna Carolyn M. , Shireman Theresa I. , Whittle Jeff , Ellerbeck Edward F. , Rigler Sally K. 
Published: July 2005

Objectives:Little is known about differences between current patterns of antiresorptive therapy (ART) use in nursing facility (NF) residents and by community‐dwelling older adults (CDs). ART use was compared in older NF residents and CDs.Design:Cross‐sectional analysis.Setting:Kansas Medicaid files from May 2000 through April 2001.Participants:Women aged 65 and older having at least 9 months of data as a CD or NF resident.Measurements:Pharmacy claims were used to identify any ART prescription, including hormone replacement therapy (HRT), a bisphosphonate, raloxifene, or calcitonin. Demographic and clinical variables were identified from the claims files. Factors associated with ART use in bivariate analyses were entered into logistic regression models. Similar analyses were performed for bisphosphonate use among non‐estrogen replacement therapy (non‐ERT) ARTs (excluding HRT).Results:The final study sample (N=2,289) included 898 NF (mean age 85.2) residents and 1,391 CDs (mean age 76.6). CDs were more likely to receive any ART (24.5%) than NF residents (19.6%). After adjustment for potential confounders, NF residents aged 65 to 84 were less likely (odds ratio (OR)=0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.44–0.85) to receive ART than CDs of the same age. Conversely, of those aged 85 and older, NF residents were more likely than CDs to receive ART (OR=1.96, 95% CI=1.18–3.25). Calcitonin was the most common non‐ERT ART prescribed for NF residents, whereas bisphosphonates were more often prescribed for CDs.Conclusion:Underusage of ART is common in NF and CD cohorts. NF residents are less likely to receive bisphosphonates and more likely to receive calcitonin, for which efficacy is less clear. Further research is needed to identify factors influencing ART prescribing and selection of specific ARTs in different settings.
The Effect of an Individualized Fall Prevention Program on Fall Risk and Falls in Older People: A Randomized, Controlled Trial
Authors: Lord Stephen R. , Tiedemann Anne , Chapman Kirsten , Munro Bridget , Murray Susan M. , Gerontology M , Ther Gymnast Recreat , Sherrington Catherine 
Published: July 2005

Objectives: To determine whether an individualized falls prevention program comprising exercise, visual, and counseling interventions can reduce physiological falls risk and falls in older people.Design: Randomized, controlled trial of 12 months' duration.Setting: Falls Clinic, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia.Participants: Six hundred twenty people aged 75 and older recruited from a health insurance company membership database.Interventions: Participants in the extensive intervention group (EIG) received individualized interventions comprising exercise and strategies for maximizing vision and sensation; the minimal intervention group (MIG) received brief advice; and the control group (CG) received no intervention.Measurements: Accidental falls, vision, postural sway, coordinated stability, reaction time, lower limb muscle strength, sit‐to‐stand performance, and physiological profile assessment (PPA) falls risk scores.Results: At the 6‐month follow‐up, PPA falls risk scores were significantly lower in the EIG than in the CG. EIG subjects assigned to the extensive exercise intervention group showed significant improvements in tests of knee flexion strength and sit‐to‐stand times but no improvements in balance. EIG subjects assigned to the extensive visual intervention group showed significant improvements in tests of visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. The rate of falls and injurious falls within the trial period were similar in the three groups.Conclusion: The individualized intervention program reduced some falls risk factors but did not prevent falls. The lack of an effect on falls may reflect insufficient targeting of the intervention to an at‐risk group.