bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dyslipidemias and HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor Prescription in Heart Transplant Recipients
Authors: de Denus Simon , Al-Jazairi Abdulrazaq , Loh Evan , Jessup Mariell , Stanek Eric J , Spinler Sarah A 
Published: May 2004

BACKGROUND: The treatment of dyslipidemias in orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) recipients is not highlighted in the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel guidelines. Emerging data suggest that hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) safely reduce the risk of transplant rejection and coronary artery vasculopathy in OHT patients. OBJECTIVE: To assess the proportion of patients from our institution reaching the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) target of <100 mg/dL, evaluate the impact of statins in reaching this goal, and evaluate the prescribing practice for statins in US OHT centers. METHODS: The management of dyslipidemia of OHT recipients followed at our institution was retrospectively evaluated. In addition, the use of statins in adult OHT centers in the US that performed ≥1 5 OHTs per year was assessed through a survey. RESULTS: Of the 328 patients from our institution, 58.5% achieved an LDL-C <100 mg/dL. Patients prescribed statins were more likely to reach this goal (p < 0.01). A total of 85.0% of centers responding to the survey use statins as a part of their post-OHT protocol, primarily to reduce coronary artery vasculopathy (70.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Due to the potential for improved outcomes, a large proportion of patients are prescribed a statin. Our results support previous findings that statins are safe and effective in reducing LDL-C in the management of dyslipidemias in OHT recipients. Nonetheless, dyslipidemias are suboptimally managed in many post-OHT patients.
The construction of awareness in early‐stage Alzheimer's disease: A review of concepts and models
Authors: Clare Linda 
Published: May 2004

Objectives: This review considers the concepts and models that, often implicitly, underlie accounts and studies of variations in awareness of difficulties in people with early‐stage Alzheimer's disease (AD). In order to do this, it is necessary to draw on explanations presented within the discourses of different disciplines. The review aims to explore the key tensions and debates that arise in attempting to conceptualize awareness, and attempts to specify what kind of conceptual framework is needed in order to advance our understanding of variations in awareness in AD.Methods: A range of literature relating to concepts and models of awareness, drawn from different disciplines and published during the past 30 years, is critically reviewed.Results: The literatures of different disciplines present varying constructions of the concept of awareness. Neuropsychological, psychiatric and psychosocial explanations are considered and their relevance to understanding awareness in early‐stage AD is discussed.Conclusions: An understanding of variations in awareness in early‐stage AD requires a biopsychosocial model of awareness that incorporates the influence of both neuropsychological impairments and psychosocial responses. Improved understanding of variations in awareness is essential for the development of person‐centred approaches to intervention and care in AD.
Monitoring cognitive changes: Psychometric properties of six cognitive tests
Authors: Bird Chris M. , Papadopoulou Kyriaki , Ricciardelli Paola , Rossor Martin N. , Cipolotti Lisa 
Published: May 2004

Objectives: Repeated neuropsychological assessments are often used to monitor change in cognitive functioning over time. Thus, knowledge about the reliability and stability of neuropsychological tests and the effects of age and IQ is of paramount importance. In this study we document, for six cognitive tests: test‐retest reliabilities, practice effects, reliable change (RC) indices corrected for practice, and the impact of premorbid IQ and age.Design: A sample of 188 normal adults (aged 40‐70 years) were administered, on two occasions, one or more of the following tests: the Graded Naming Test (GNT), the Silhouettes Test, two tests of verbal fluency, the Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and a new test of speed and attention (the Symbol Digit Test). There was a 1‐month interval between assessments. At first assessment, all participants were administered the revised National Adult Reading Test (NART).Results: The test‐retest reliability of the tests ranged from very good (the GNT and Silhouettes Test) to moderate (verbal fluency tests and Symbol Digit Test) and to poor (Modified Card Sorting Test). Significant, although modest, practice effects were found on all tests. RC indices were generally large except for the Graded Naming Test and the Silhouettes Test. Premorbid IQ scores significantly correlated with performance on all the tests, the exception being semantic fluency. Age only correlated with the Silhouettes Test and the new Symbol Digit Test. Neither NART IQ nor age correlated with practice effects.Conclusion: The psychometric properties of the GNT and Silhouettes Test indicated that they are useful tools for monitoring even small cognitive changes. In contrast, the verbal fluency tests and the new Symbol Digit Test are only suitable for monitoring large changes in performance. The Modified Card Sorting Test is an unreliable tool for monitoring ‘executive’ functions.
Reduced negative priming in schizotypy: Failure to replicate
Authors: Moritz Steffen , Andresen Burghard 
Published: May 2004

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of negative priming and schizotypal personality using a Stroop‐version of the paradigm.Methods: Negative priming was determined for 160 healthy participants. Schizotypal symptoms were assessed with several schizotypal scales.Results: No significant relationship emerged between any of the schizotypal scales and negative priming.Conclusions: It is inferred that negative priming is undisturbed in schizophrenia and schizotypy when unmasked negative priming tasks are employed. Reduced negative priming in previous studies may represent an epi‐phenomenon of short prime presentation times and backward masking.
Measured Internal Temperatures in Concrete Exposed to Outdoor Cyclic Freezing
Authors: Nokken MR , Hooton RD , Rogers CA 
Published: May 2004

AbstractIn this paper, temperature data collected by thermocouples embedded into concrete over a period of 10 years are analyzed for a concrete slab and beam located outdoors near Kingston, Ontario. Temperatures measured in the concrete are compared with temperatures encountered in ASTM C 666 Resistance of Concrete to Rapid Freezing and Thawing and ASTM C 1293 Standard Test Method for Concrete Aggregates by Determination of Length Change of Concrete Due to Alkali-Silica Reaction. The average number of freezing and thawing cycles at the site was counted using different freezing and thawing temperature criteria as presented in the literature by various authors. Results are compared with data from a second site. The rates of freezing and thawing occurring at the outdoor exposure site were found to be significantly less than specified in the ASTM C 666 laboratory test. Average daily maximum temperatures in July were at approximately 33°C at depths of 50 mm in the concrete.
A Soil Column Apparatus for Laboratory Infiltration Study
Authors: Yang H , Rahardjo H , Wibawa B , Leong E-C 
Published: May 2004

Abstract
In this paper, the details of a large-scale soil column apparatus, the procedures for constructing the soil column, and the performance of the apparatus are presented. This paper aims to describe the apparatus that is capable of performing comprehensive infiltration study rather than to describe one particular infiltration study or phenomenon. By using the apparatus, all the variables (pore-water pressures, water contents, inflow rate, and outflow rate) in an infiltration process can be measured instantaneously and automatically, and all the boundary conditions can be controlled. The major instruments for the soil column apparatus consist of a tensiometer-transducer system, data acquisition system, time-domain reflectometry, and electronic weighing balance. By using these instruments, relationships of the volumetric water content versus matric suction of the soil and the infiltration rate versus time at any point of time during an infiltration test can be obtained. The test results also show that the setup functioned properly and suggest that infiltration behavior of any soil configuration (single, two-layered, or multilayered soil) can be studied using this apparatus for different infiltration rates.
A Direct Tensile Strength Testing Method for Unsaturated Geomaterials
Authors: Nahlawi H , Chakrabarti S , Kodikara J 
Published: May 2004

Abstract
The current paper presents a new method for testing direct tensile strength of unsaturated geomaterials, guided by a method developed for concrete testing (Hannant et al. 1999). The developed equipment is used for measurement of direct tensile strength of unsaturated reactive basaltic clay soils and crushed rocks stabilized with cementitious additives. The tensile characteristics of soils were tested at water contents in excess of liquid limit and those close to optimum water content. Stabilized crushed rocks were tested at early and cured states after mixing. Full stress-strain characteristics were measured with the aid of precision transducers and electronic data acquisition. The equipment is capable of measuring tensile strengths of soil slurries (about 1 kPa), as well as cement stabilized crushed rocks (up to about 1 MPa).
The Role of Fine Defect Clusters in Irradiation-Assisted Stress Corrosion Cracking of Proton-Irradiated 304 Stainless Steel
Authors: Busby JT , Sowa MM , Was GS , Kenik EA 
Published: May 2004

Abstract
The influence of small defect clusters on irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) of austenitic stainless steels has been examined. A CP-304 SS alloy was irradiated with 3.2 MeV protons to 1.0 dpa at 360°C and then annealed for 45 min. to 1 h at temperatures ranging from 400–600°C. Dislocation microstructure was analyzed using both bright field and dark field techniques and cracking susceptibility was measured in an oxygenated water environment. Intergranular cracking was mitigated following annealing at 500°C/45 min. while only the smallest dislocation loops had been removed. Analysis of the slip step bands on the surface of deformed samples indicates that deformation mode may be important in determining cracking susceptibility. Low-temperature irradiation (&lt; 75°C) was also used to create a high population of small defects without radiation-induced segregation. Samples were then annealed at 350°C for 8 or 15 min. to grow the dislocation loop microstructure, resulting in an irradiated hardness similar to the 1.0 dpa at 360°C case. No segregation was measured in the asirradiated specimens. The change in hardness resulting from 0.3 dpa at 75°C was 73.8 kg/mm2, greater than that for 1.0 dpa at 360°C. Following annealing at 350°C for 8 min., the change in hardness was reduced to 60.8 kg/mm2, similar to 1.0 dpa at 360°C (65.3 kg/mm2). Samples were also strained to 29.6 % strain in an oxygenated water environment at 288°C. No cracking was observed on any specimen. The small defect damage may have been annealed during the constant extension rate test.
Calibration and Testing of On-Line Coal Analyzers
Authors: Rose CD 
Published: May 2004

Abstract
Classical least squares regression is commonly used for straight line fitting in field calibration of coal analyzers. The assumption in using ordinary least squares regression that the independent variable is not subject to error, when in fact both the independent and dependent variables are subject to error, leads to calibration biases. Also, Grubbs' estimators are often used in tests of analyzer measurement precision. The inherent assumption with use of Grubbs methodology for estimating analyzer precision that the analyzer is perfectly calibrated can result in test acceptance of an analyzer that is not measuring anything. This paper proposes use of a latent variables statistical model for both calibration and precision testing. Use of the latent variables model will result in better calibrations and more reliable assessments of analyzer performance. Application is demonstrated using data from a recent analyzer test.
Suicide with a Butcher's Bolt
Authors: Viola L , Costantinides F , Di Nunno C , Battista GM , Di Nunno N 
Published: May 2004

Abstract
The captive bolt pistol is an atypical firearm exclusively produced and used for butchery of breeding animals, but in some rare cases, it has been used as a lethal weapon for committing suicide by butchers, breeders and other people who have access to such weapons during their professional activities. This study describes the suicide committed by a butcher in the province of Udine (N. Italy) in 2001 who shot himself with his own captive bolt pistol that produced in the right temporal region a circular wound and a bone lesion of the temporal squama with a groove involving the frontal lobe; he died five days later of the fatal consequences of the meningo-encephalic lesions. The medico-legal issues implicated in this case, seen in the light of the data reported in the international literature, illustrate the difficulties faced when diagnosing these types of lesions, bearing in mind their rarity and peculiar nature, and introduce elements of differential diagnosis regarding lesions produced by similar weapons that lead to ascertainment of the event as accidental, suicidal, or homicidal.
Female Suicides in Diyarbakir, Turkey
Authors: Goren S , Subasi M , Tirasci Y , Ozen S 
Published: May 2004

Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the methods used and demographic data of women suicides by examining postmortem investigation and autopsy reports from the Branch of the Council of Forensic Medicine in Diyarbakir Province, Turkey, between 1996 and 2001. Fifty-eight percent (174/302) of suicides were females and 42% (128/302) were males. The suicide rates were similarly higher for females than for males (2.6 and 1.8 per 10,000 population, respectively).
Over half of female suicides (56.3%) occurred in those under 20 years of age. The most common suicide method for women was hanging (32.2%), and for men was firearms (51.7%), but for women younger than 20 years the most frequent method was firearms. Among the female suicides, five (2.8%) were known to have attempted suicide at least once in the past. Twenty-nine women (16.7%) were documented to have any psychiatric illness. None of the women had a history of drug or alcohol abuse. A suicide note was found in only six cases (3.4%). The predominant suicide motive was family problems (in 32% or 56/174).
The higher rate of suicide in females than in males, and the absolute female predominance in suicides in Diyarbakir, Turkey, are in contrast to most of the medical literature and statistical information about suicide rates by country, in which suicide rates are usually higher among males.
Postmortem Citalopram Concentrations: Alone or Along with Other Compounds
Authors: Segura LJ , Bravo B 
Published: May 2004

Abstract
Citalopram, an antidepressant whose use has become more widespread in Spain in recent years participates directly and indirectly in the lethal mechanism in voluntary and involuntary poisonings. There were 30 cases of autopsies in the Madrid region where citalopram and other psychoactive substances (psychotropic drugs, alcohol, opiates) were detected in the corpses. The postmortem citalopram levels in relation to the manner and mechanism of death were evaluated, and a significant difference between the toxic and nontoxic cases (p &lt; 0.01) was found. We studied the citalopram blood levels alone and along with other psychoactive products, and these cases were then further divided into those where the compounds were at deadly levels and those which were not. We found a range of citalopram levels between 0.37 and 0.83 µg/mL in which some cases were associated with citalopram toxicity and others were not. Citalopram blood levels of less than 0.35 µg/mL did not lead to fatal poisoning when it was the sole substance detected.
Using STR Analysis to Detect Human DNA from Exploded Pipe Bomb Devices
Authors: Esslinger KJ , Siegel JA , Spillane H , Stallworth S 
Published: May 2004

Abstract
This study investigated the possibility of recovering a bomb assembler's DNA from an exploded pipe bomb device. Metal and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes were examined to determine if one surface type would allow better DNA recovery than the other. Ten subjects each handled components of one metal and one PVC pipe bomb. The bombs were exploded, the fragments were collected and swabbed using the double swab technique, and the samples were extracted, quantified, amplified, and genotyped using polymerase chain reaction/short tandem repeat (PCR/STR). Of the 20 bombs handled by the subjects, four bombs gave reportable results that matched the subject's known DNA profiles. An additional eight profiles, also matching the subject's known DNA profiles, were generated but were below the reportable threshold. There was no difference in the success rate of obtaining DNA profiles related to the use of either PVC or metal in the manufacture of the pipe bomb. The variables that appeared to have the greatest influence on the success of generating a DNA profile were the amount of fragmentation and subsequent recovery of the bomb fragments. It is suspected that successful DNA profiling could also be dependent upon the bomb assembler's propensity to slough skin cells on objects they handled.
The Evaluation of the Extent of Transporting or "Tracking" an Identifiable Ignitable Liquid (Gasoline) Throughout Fire Scenes During the Investigative Process
Authors: Armstrong A , Babrauskas V , Holmes DL , Martin C , Powell R , Riggs S , Young LD 
Published: May 2004

Abstract
Tests have determined that boots or shoes of individuals at a fire scene do not transport sufficient contaminants (“tracking”) through the fire scene to produce a positive laboratory result for the presence of gasoline in a fire scene that was not present at the time of the fire. Questions about the validity of forensic laboratory results have been raised on the basis that low-level gasoline residues detected in the laboratory samples could have been the result of transporting the residue by footwear contaminated from the fire scene (“tracking”). The data collected in this study establish that "tracking" does not lead to false-positive laboratory results. Canines trained and experienced in the detection of trace ignitable liquid residues were also utilized in this study. The canine results confirmed that properly trained canines show a higher sensitivity than do standard ASTM laboratory techniques for fire debris analysis. In a few cases, canines responded to contamination, but laboratory testing (which is the definitive indicator) did not produce positive results.
The Impact of Daubert: Implications for Testimony and Research in Forensic Anthropology (and the Use of Frontal Sinuses in Personal Identification)
Authors: Christensen AM 
Published: May 2004

Abstract
This paper emphasizes the need for objectivity and standardized methodologies in the forensic sciences, particularly physical anthropology. To this end, a review of important events in scientific evidence admissibility law, particularly the standards set in the case of Daubert v. Merrell-Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1993, is presented. The method of confirming a putative identification by visual comparison of antemortem and postmortem frontal sinus radiographs is examined in light of current admissibility standards. The technique is revealed to have a number of shortcomings, including a lack of empirical testing, no estimates of potential error rates, no standards controlling the technique's operation, and no objective determination standards. These shortcomings may, in some instances, prevent resulting conclusions from being admissible evidence. It is suggested that some methods (including frontal sinus comparison) may require more rigorous testing in order to meet these new and stricter standards.
Utility of the Y-STR Typing Systems Y-PLEX ™ 6 and Y-PLEX ™ 5 in Forensic Casework and 11 Y-STR Haplotype Database for Three Major Population Groups in the United States
Authors: Sinha SK , Budowle B , Chakraborty R , Paunovic A , Guidry RDV , Larsen C , Lal A , Shaffer M , Pineda G , Sinha SK , Schneida E , Nasir H , Shewale JG 
Published: May 2004

Abstract
The Y-PLEX™ 6 and Y-PLEX™ 5 systems enable analysis for 11 Y-STR loci. We present here the utility of these systems in forensic casework. A total of 188 samples, including 127 evidence samples, were analyzed using either or both of the systems. The evidence sample types included fingernail scrapings, sperm or seminal fluid, epithelial cells, blood and other tissues. The Y-STR typing systems provided useful probative results in difficult cases. A reference database for Caucasian (n = 517), African American (n = 535), and Hispanic (n = 245) population groups within the United States was generated for estimating the haplotype frequency in forensic casework. Among the individuals profiled, 311 Caucasians, 412 African Americans, and 194 Hispanics provided unique profiles in their respective population datasets. This is the first report describing the haplotype database for the set of 11 Y-STR loci recommended by the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM). Linkage analysis reveals that the frequencies from forensically important autosomal loci can be multiplied with the Y-STR haplotype frequency. The results from Y-PLEX™systems have been accepted in courts in the United States.
A Laboratory Incubation Method for Determining the Rate of Microbiological Degradation of Skeletal Muscle Tissue in Soil
Authors: Tibbett M , Carter DO , Haslam T , Major R , Haslam R 
Published: May 2004

Abstract
A controlled laboratory experiment is described, in principle and practice, which can be used for the of determination the rate of tissue decomposition in soil. By way of example, an experiment was conducted to determine the effect of temperature (12°C, 22°C) on the aerobic decomposition of skeletal muscle tissue (Organic Texel × Suffolk lamb (Ovis aries)) in a sandy loam soil. Measurements of decomposition processes included muscle tissue mass loss, microbial CO2 respiration, and muscle tissue carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). Muscle tissue mass loss at 22°C always was greater than at 12°C (p &lt; 0.001). Microbial respiration was greater in samples incubated at 22°C for the initial 21 days of burial (p &lt; 0.01). All buried muscle tissue samples demonstrated changes in C and N content at the end of the experiment. A significant correlation (p &lt; 0.001) was demonstrated between the loss of muscle tissue-derived C (C1) and microbially-respired C (Cm) demonstrating CO2 respiration may be used to predict mass loss and hence biodegradation. In this experiment Q10 (12°C - 22°C) = 2.0. This method is recommended as a useful tool in determining the effect of environmental variables on the rate of decomposition of various tissues and associated materials.
Sudden Death Caused by 1,1-difluoroethane Inhalation
Authors: Xiong Z , Avella J , Wetli CV 
Published: May 2004

Abstract
A 20-year-old man was found dead on the floor next to a computer, with a nearly full can of “CRC Duster” dust remover located next to the deceased on the floor, and an empty can of the same product on the computer desk. Toxicologic evaluation using either gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) or gas chromatography/flame ionization detector (GC/FID) method identified the active ingredient 1,1-difluoroethane (Freon 152a) in all tissues analyzed. Tissue distribution studies revealed highest concentration in central blood, lung, and liver. It is believed that the 1,1-difluoroethane inhalation was the cause of death.