bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Rockfalls triggered by the ad 1356 Basle Earthquake
Authors: Becker A. , Davenport C. A. 
Published: July 2003

ABSTRACTIn the Basle region of Switzerland we demonstrate that rockfall blocks can be dated accurately using the radiocarbon method. Soil beneath rockfall blocks containing organic macro‐remains was sampled at four cliff sites in the Tabular Jura south‐east of Basle. A lightweight drilling rig drills a 101‐mm‐diameter hole through rockfall blocks up to 6 m in height. A downhole sampler is used to recover soil samples from below the blocks. Eighteen radiocarbon dates on charcoal, wood, needles of conifers and organic macro‐remains from 11 blocks gave dates between 970 and 440 bp. Calibrated ages range between ad 1210 and ad 1450. These results, along with field observations and historical research, suggest that a large number of blocks toppled as rockfalls within a short time interval in the epicentral area of the ad 1356 Basle earthquake.
Interdigital tinea pedis (dermatophytosis simplex and complex) and treatment with ciclopirox 0.77% gel
Authors: Gupta Aditya K. , Skinner Alayne R. , Cooper Elizabeth A. 
Published: July 2003

AbstractThe most common presentation of tinea pedis (athlete's foot) is that involving the interdigital spaces. Tinea pedis interdigitalis may present as asymptomatic dermatophytosis simplex or dermatophytosis complex, which is symptomatic, with secondary bacterial infection. In the dermatophytosis complex presentation there may be inflammation, maceration and odor, with bacterial involvement. Ciclopirox gel offers advantages in the treatment of tinea pedis, especially in the dermatophytosis complex presentation, with antifungal, antibacterial, and anti‐inflammatory activity; furthermore, the gel formulation is fast drying, which is an advantage when the toe web area is moist.
Ciclopirox gel in the treatment of patients with interdigital tinea pedis
Authors: Aly Raza , Fisher George , Katz H. Irving , Levine Norman , Lookingbill Donald P. , Lowe Nicholas , Menter Alan , Morman Manuel , Pariser David M. , Roth Harry L. , Savin Ronald C. , Shavin Joel S. , Stewart Daniel , Taylor J. Richard , Tucker Stephen , Wortzman Mitchell 
Published: July 2003

AbstractBackground  Tinea pedis (athlete’s foot) is the most common fungal infection in the general population. Ciclopirox, a broad‐spectrum hydroxypyridone antifungal, has proven efficacy against the organisms commonly implicated in tinea pedis: Trichophyton rubrum, T. mentagrophytes and Epidermophyton floccosum.Objective  Two multicenter, double‐blind, clinical studies compared the efficacy and safety of ciclopirox gel with that of its vehicle base in subjects with moderate interdigital tinea pedis with or without plantar involvement.Methods  Three hundred and seventy‐four subjects were enrolled and randomized to one of two treatment groups: ciclopirox gel 0.77%, or ciclopirox gel vehicle, applied twice daily for 28 days, with a final visit up to day 50. The primary efficacy variable was Treatment Success defined as combined mycological cure and clinical improvement 75%. Secondary measures of effectiveness were Global Clinical Response, Sign and Symptom Severity Scores, Mycological Evaluation (KOH examination and final culture result), Mycological Cure (negative KOH and negative final culture results) and Treatment Cure (combined clinical and mycological cure).Results  At endpoint (final post‐baseline visit), 60% of the ciclopirox subjects achieved treatment success compared to 6% of the vehicle subjects. At the same time point, 66% of ciclopirox subjects compared with 19% of vehicle subjects were either cleared or had excellent improvement. Pooled data showed that 85% of ciclopirox subjects were mycologically cured, compared to only 16% of vehicle subjects at day 43, 2 weeks post‐treatment.Conclusions  Ciclopirox gel 0.77% applied twice daily for 4 weeks is an effective treatment of moderate interdigital tinea pedis due to T. rubrum, T. mentagrophytes and E. floccosum and is associated with a low incidence of minor adverse effects.
Effect of Heat Stress on Grain Starch Content in Diploid, Tetraploid and Hexaploid Wheat Species
Authors: Chinnusamy V. , Khanna‐Chopra R. 
Published: July 2003

AbstractHeat stress during grain development adversely affects the starch content of grain in wheat, which results in poor grain quality and yield. Identification of the sources of heat tolerance for grain starch content in wheat species is an important step towards breeding for heat‐tolerant wheat. In this study, 32 wild and cultivated genotypes belonging to diploid (probable donors of B, A and D genomes), tetraploid (BBAA and AAGG genomes) and hexaploid (BBAADD genome) wheat species were evaluated for heat stress tolerance in the field at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, India (77°12′ E; 28°40′ N; 228.6 m m.s.l) on two dates, 18 November (normal sowing) and 15 January (heat stress), during 1995–96. The crop sown in January experienced mean maximum temperatures of 31.0–39.3 °C during grain development, which are considered to represent heat stress for wheat grain development. Hexaploids had the highest grain starch content and the lowest heat susceptibility index, followed by tetraploid and diploid species. The heat susceptibility index (S) for grain starch correlated significantly and positively with that of grain weight (Y = 1.259X − 0.29, R2 = 0.8902, P < 0.001) across wheat species, while the actual grain growth duration or the ‘S’ of grain growth duration did not correlate significantly with that of grain weight. Hence, a high mean grain growth rate under heat stress is a better trait for heat tolerance than long grain growth duration. Wide genetic variability for heat tolerance in grain starch content was observed among the wheat species. Hence, the grain weight and quality under heat stress can be improved by using the variability available among wheat species.
A New Mutation in Wheat Producing Three Pistils in a Floret
Authors: Peng Z. S. 
Published: July 2003

AbstractA floret carries only one pistil that will develop into one grain after fertilization in normal cultivated common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants. A new cultivated common wheat mutation line ‘Three Pistils’ is described. It carries three pistils in a floret, all with the potential to develop into grains. The floret morphology of this line is reported. Genetic analysis of the three pistils trait was carried out by crossing Three Pistils with the normal common wheat variety Chinese Spring. F2 population segregation analysis revealed that the three pistils trait is controlled by a single dominant gene. This conclusion was confirmed by the backcross test.
Effect of Alley Cropping on Crops and Arthropod Diversity in Duzce, Turkey
Authors: Akbulut S. , Keten A. , Stamps W. T. 
Published: July 2003

AbstractThe influence of alley cropping practices on trees, agricultural crops and arthropod diversity was studied in Duzce, Turkey. Six replications of three crops, maize (Zea mays L. var. rugosa), beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.), were planted in the alleyways between rows of hybrid poplar [Populus euramericana (Dode) Guinier] in a plantation setting. Control plots included a poplar plot without crops and the three crops planted in plots without trees near the plantation. Sweep netting, sticky traps, pitfall traps, and cloth shaking were used four times throughout a growing season to sample arthropods in the research area. Alley cropping practices had both negative and positive effects on crop yield and a significant negative effect on poplar growth. A total of 10 284 arthropod specimens (15 orders and 122 families) were collected, 118 families in the agroforestry plots, 57 families in the treeless plots and 44 families in the poplar control plot. Diversity indices did not differ among plots, except for the Shannon index, for all dates and sampling methods combined. Evenness indices and family richness measures did not differ significantly among plots, but significant differences were found among collection dates and sampling methods. The tree canopy had a greater arthropod diversity than the ground vegetation. Beneficial arthropods were found in significantly greater numbers in the agroforestry plots compared to the monocrop plots. This suggests that trees provided a more favourable habitat for beneficial arthropods than herbaceous plants. We conclude that agroforestry may contribute to increasing arthropod diversity compared with monocrops.
Organ donation: what can we learn from North America?
Authors: Smith J 
Published: July 2003

Summary• The aim of this qualitative case study was to investigate how organ donation is promoted and managed in North America aimed specifically at patients and relatives. A 4‐week study to Boston and Baltimore in America was undertaken to observe and learn how organ donation is promoted and managed within a critical care environment• The study tour was undertaken specifically to examine the policy and procedures that enhance the procurement of organ donation in specific centres in the USA• The study tour wanted to examine and gain a better understanding of the issues, policies and procedures used by these centres when seeking permission for organ donation• Data were collected by a variety of methods involving observation, unstructured informal interviews, examinations of policies and procedures and a daily diary was maintained. A thematic analysis method was used to analyse the qualitative data collected. Four areas were identified as potential areas for learning• Approaching relatives of potential donors for consent, at a time of intense emotional crisis, is a challenge that involves all nurses working in critical areas• Nurses are identified as a key component in the process of organ donation; research highlights that approaching relatives can be problematic and stressful for nursing staff• The British government should consider required request legislation that ensures all hospitals refer potential donors to the Regional Transplant Center• In‐house coordinators could be appointed and protocols developed for referrals of potential donors. It is also suggested that the approach for consent is decoupled and designated requesters approach relatives
Exploring Sex Differences in the Relationship Between Depressive Symptoms and Dementia Incidence: Prospective Results From the PAQUID Study
Authors: Fuhrer Rebecca , Dufouil Carole , Dartigues Jean François , For The PAQUID Study  
Published: July 2003

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the predictive relationship between depressive symptoms and 8‐year dementia incidence in a large prospective community sample of French older adults and to compare the effect magnitude for men and women.DESIGN: Prospective population‐based cohort with four interview waves and complete vital status ascertainment.SETTING: Urban and rural communities in the Aquitaine Region (Gironde and Dordogne), southwest France.PARTICIPANTS: Three thousand seven hundred seventy‐seven adults aged 65 and older residing in noninstitutional settings at study baseline.MEASUREMENTS: Each participant was interviewed by a neuropsychologist and screened for dementia with the Mini‐Mental State Examination, a cognitive test battery, and a standardized questionnaire designed to ascertain the presence of the criteria for dementia according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Third Edition, Revised (DSM‐III‐R). Dementia status and subtype were confirmed using neurological examination and categorized according to DSM‐III‐R criteria for dementia and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke/Alzheimer's and Related Disorders Association criteria. The Hachinski score was calculated to specify the etiology: possible or probable Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and other types of dementia. Depressive symptomatology was evaluated using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies—Depression scale. Statistical analyses were weighted to correct for attrition not due to mortality.RESULTS: Ninety‐seven men (incidence rate: 14.4/1,000) and 183 women (Incidence rate: 19.0/1,000) developed dementia during 8 years of follow‐up. Baseline prevalence of depressive symptomatology was 12.9% for men and 14.7% for women. Depressive symptoms increased risk of dementia at subsequent interview wave, but only for men (odds ratio (OR) (men) = 3.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.9–6.5; OR (women) = 1.2, 95% CI = 0.7–2.0, P‐value for sex difference = 0.03). The hypothesis that vascular depression might explain the observed sex difference was studied, and it was found that risk was 50% higher for men with hypertension who were depressed than for normotensive men. For women, hypertension status did not modify the absence of an association.CONCLUSION: This study supports the hypothesis of a relationship between proximal depressive symptomatology and dementia in men, but distant depression did not increase dementia risk in this sample. The results suggest that depression in older men might reflect a form of vascular depression associated with cerebral vascular pathology or multiinfarct disease that may amplify the dementing or declining process, hence accelerating the onset of manifest symptoms of dementia.
Organizational Characteristics and Restraint Use for Hospitalized Nursing Home Residents
Authors: Bourbonniere Meg , Strumpf Neville E. , Evans Lois K. , Maislin Greg 
Published: July 2003

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of organizational characteristics on physical restraint use for hospitalized nursing home residents.DESIGN: Secondary analysis of data obtained between 1994 to 1997 in a prospective phase lag design experiment using an advanced practice nurse (APN) intervention aimed at reducing physical restraint for a group of hospitalized nursing home residents.SETTING: Eleven medical and surgical units in one 600‐bed teaching hospital.PARTICIPANTS: One hundred seventy‐four nursing home residents aged 61 to 100, hospitalized for a total of 1,085 days.MEASUREMENTS: Physical restraint use, APN intervention, age, perceived fall risk, behavioral phenomena, perceived treatment interference, mental state, severity of illness, day of week, patient–registered nurse (RN) ratio, patient–total nursing staff ratio, and skill mix.RESULTS: Controlling for the APN intervention, age, and patient behavioral characteristics (all of which increased the likelihood of restraint use), weekend days as an organizational characteristic significantly increased the odds of restraint (weekend day and patient–RN ratio on physical restraint use: odds ratio (OR) = 1.92, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.38–2.68, P < .001; weekend day and patient–total staff ratio on physical restraint use: OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.37–2.66, P < .001; weekend day and skill mix on physical restraint use: OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.37–2.67, P < .001).CONCLUSION: Key findings suggest that organization of hospital care on weekends and patient characteristics that affect communication ability, such as severely impaired mental state, English as a second language, sedation, and sensory‐perceptual losses, may be overlooked variables in restraint use.
Age‐Related Changes of Circadian Rhythms and Sleep‐Wake Cycles
Authors: Yoon In‐Young , Kripke Daniel F. , Elliott Jeffrey A. , Youngstedt Shawn D. , Rex Katharine M. , Hauger Richard L. 
Published: July 2003

OBJECTIVES: To compare relationships between the sleep‐wake cycle and endogenous circadian rhythms in young and older adults and to examine correlates between evening naps and circadian rhythms in older adults.DESIGN: For 1 week of home recording, subjects wore wrist‐activity monitors and kept daily sleep logs. After the home monitoring, subjects entered the laboratory on a 90‐minute sleep‐wake schedule and were monitored on this schedule for at least 30 hours.SETTING: Community living and laboratory.PARTICIPANTS: Sixty‐seven young adults, aged 18 to 32, and 56 older adults, aged 60 to 75, who were healthy and had few sleep complaints.MEASUREMENTS: Times of nocturnal sleep, out‐of‐bed napping, and illumination were obtained at home. Sleep propensity and oral body temperature (OBT) were measured in the laboratory, along with circadian rhythms of cortisol and 6‐sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s, assayed from urine samples collected every 90 minutes).RESULTS: Home sleep times and illumination acrophases (fitted peak times) were advanced in older adults. The phase angles (time intervals) between onset of aMT6s and sleep onset were not changed in older adults, but sleep offset was more advanced than acrophase and offset of aMT6s with aging. Acrophases of cortisol and sleep propensity were advanced in older adults to the same extent as sleep times, but OBT was less advanced than sleep times. Older adults who took evening naps showed more advanced sleep offset and circadian rhythms of aMT6s, but there were no differences in the phase angles of sleep onset and circadian rhythms of aMT6s and cortisol compared with older adults who did not take evening naps.CONCLUSION: Measuring different circadian markers suggested different phase relationships between the sleep‐wake cycle and endogenous circadian rhythms in aging. Early awakening in older adults cannot be explained simply by a relative phase advance of the circadian system. Evening naps and advanced illumination may play a role in the advance of the circadian system in aging.
Propoxyphene Use by Community‐Dwelling and Institutionalized Elderly Medicare Beneficiaries
Authors: Kamal‐Bahl Sachin J. , Doshi Jalpa A. , Stuart Bruce C. , Briesacher Becky A. 
Published: July 2003

OBJECTIVES: To provide the first comparable national prevalence estimates on use of propoxyphene, a potentially inappropriate drug, by elderly Medicare beneficiaries living in the community and institutions and to determine whether institutionalized beneficiaries are at a greater risk for receiving propoxyphene than community‐dwelling beneficiaries.DESIGN: Cross‐sectional study.SETTING: U.S. representative sample of elderly using Medicare database.PARTICIPANTS: Nationally representative sample of community‐dwelling (n = 9,851, weighted n = 32.5 million) and institutionalized (n = 1,099, weighted n = 2.3 million) Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older.MEASUREMENTS: National estimates on prevalence of propoxyphene use and the odds of receiving propoxyphene were the two main outcome measures.RESULTS: Annual prevalence of propoxyphene use in 1998 was 6.8% by all community‐dwelling elderly beneficiaries and 15.5% by institutionalized elderly beneficiaries. Beneficiaries in long‐term care facilities had almost 40% higher odds of receiving propoxyphene (odds ratio = 1.38, 95% confidence interval = 1.1–1.8) than beneficiaries in the community even after controlling for other factors in a logistic regression. Other risk factors include female, rural residence, poor health, and history of osteoporosis or hip fracture. Beneficiaries residing in regions in the midwest and south were more than twice as likely to receive propoxyphene as those in the mid‐Atlantic area.CONCLUSION: These results show that propoxyphene use by U.S. community‐dwelling seniors is high but is much higher in the institutionalized population. These findings suggest that prescribing for older adults with pain could be improved, especially for vulnerable long‐term care residents.
Late‐Life Depression is Associated with Arterial Stiffness: A Population‐Based Study
Authors: Tiemeier Henning , Breteler Monique M. B. , Van Popele Nicole M. , Hofman Albert , Witteman Jacqueline C. M. 
Published: July 2003

Objectives: To determine whether arterial stiffness is associated with depression in the elderly.Design: Population‐based cross‐sectional study.Setting: In Ommoord, a suburb of Rotterdam, the Netherlands.Participants: Three thousand seven hundred four subjects of the Rotterdam Study aged 60 and older.Measurements: Arterial stiffness was assessed using the distensibility of the carotid artery and the carotid‐femoral pulse wave velocity. All participants were screened for depressive symptoms with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies—Depression scale. Those with depressive symptoms had a psychiatric evaluation to establish a diagnosis of depressive disorders according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM‐IV) criteria.Results: Participants with increased arterial stiffness were more likely to have depressive symptoms. Odds ratios (ORs) for depressive symptoms were 1.24 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01–1.52) per standard deviation decrease in carotid distensibility and 1.17 (95% CI = 1.00–1.38) per standard deviation increase in aortic pulse wave velocity. The association was stronger for depressive disorders meeting DSM‐IV criteria (OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.03–2.03; OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.16–1.90, respectively). Control for atherosclerosis, as measured by the ankle‐to‐brachial index or presence of plaques in the carotid artery, did not change the associations.Conclusion: This study shows an association between arterial stiffness and depression in the elderly. The findings are compatible with the vascular depression hypothesis. These data suggest that arterial stiffness may partly cause the proposed relationship between vascular factors and depression.
Tetanus Immunity in Long‐Term Care Facilities
Authors: Fernandes Ritabelle , Valcour Victor , Flynn Bret , Masaki Kamal , Patricia Blanchette MD 
Published: July 2003

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the correlates of tetanus immunity in the elderly residing in a long‐term care facility in Hawaii.DESIGN: Cross‐sectional.SETTING: A nursing home in Honolulu, Hawaii.PARTICIPANTS: Sixty subjects aged 65 and older: 30 men and 30 women.MEASUREMENTS: The interview included demographic information, immunization history, military service information, and other potential risk factors for tetanus. Serum tetanus antibody titers were measured.RESULTS: The data showed that 76.7% (46/60) had adequate tetanus titers. This is in stark contrast to previous studies, which have reported immunity rates of 27% to 46% in similar populations. There were significant associations between immunity and prior history of military service. There were no significant associations between immunity and past history of immunization, education, socioeconomic status, or sex.CONCLUSION: History of immunization from patients, families, or medical charts may be unreliable indicators of tetanus immunity. Recognizing patterns of and barriers to immunization could have important consequences for public health policy in long‐term care institutions.