bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Bias in retrospective studies of trends in asthma incidence
Authors: Brogger J. , Eagan T. , Eide G.E. , Bakke P. , Gulsvik A. 
Published: February 2004

There is evidence for an increase in adult asthma prevalence. Several retrospective studies have shown an increase in asthma incidence by year of birth, consistent with an increasing trend in asthma incidence.The validity of this retrospective approach is unknown. Retrospective and prospective asthma incidence by year of birth were compared in the same community, during the same time period, from two independent studies; a cohort study and a cross-sectional study in Western Norway. In the prospective study, subjects without asthma were followed from 1985–1996/1997. In the retrospective study in 1998, subjects reported the age at which the disease started. Analyses of incident asthma in the period 1985–1996 were compared between the studies.The retrospective analysis showed a large increase in asthma incidence by year of birth, with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.9 comparing those born in 1969 with those born in 1927. The prospective study showed the opposite, with an OR of 0.2 comparing those born in 1969 with those born in 1927. There was only a 20% difference in the cumulative incidence of asthma.To conclude, retrospective estimates of trends in asthma incidence are likely to be severely biased by differential recall.
Unlicensed and off-label prescription of respiratory drugs to children
Authors: 't Jong G.W. , Eland I.A. , Sturkenboom M.C.J.M. , van den Anker J.N. , Stricker B.H.C. 
Published: February 2004

Many respiratory drugs are not available in formulations suitable for infants and toddlers. Efficacy and safety research is mostly restricted to older children. However, respiratory drugs are frequently used in children for common diseases like asthma, upper and lower respiratory tract infections, rhinitis and sinusitis. The unlicensed and off-label use of respiratory drugs in children were studied.A population-based cohort study was conducted by using the computerised medical records in the Integrated Primary Care Information project. The study population comprised a random sample from all children aged 0–16 yrs who were registered with a general practitioner in 1998. All prescriptions for respiratory drugs during the study period were classified according to their licensing and off-label status.The study population comprised 13,426 patients (51.7% male, median age 8.7 yrs), of whom 2,502 (19%) received 5,253 prescriptions for respiratory drugs in 1998. A total of 3,306 (62.9%) prescriptions concerned licensed drugs. Of the remaining 1,947 prescriptions (37.1%), 882 (16.8%) were unlicensed for use in children, and 1,065 (20.3%) were prescribed off-label. The 1‐yr cumulative risk of receiving an unlicensed or off-label prescription was 45% among children with at least one prescription for a respiratory drug.This population-based study showed that a large proportion of respiratory drugs prescribed by the general practitioner are unlicensed for use in children, or licensed but prescribed in an off-label manner. Results have to be interpreted with caution because they may unjustly suggest inaccurate prescribing, whereas it may be difficult to treat children with respiratory symptoms and diseases, because for many respiratory drugs paediatric data on safety and efficacy are insufficient. These findings underline the importance of research on suitable formulations, dosages and efficacy of respiratory drugs in children.
Relationship between quality of life and clinical status in asthma: a factor analysis
Authors: Juniper E.F. , Wisniewski M.E. , Cox F.M. , Emmett A.H. , Nielsen K.E. , O'Byrne P.M. 
Published: February 2004

Many studies have shown that correlation between clinical asthma status and asthma-specific quality of life is only weak to moderate. However, this relationship has never been explored to determine whether the weakness is due to noise of measurement or whether quality of life is a distinct component of asthma health status.With a database from three clinical trials (n=763), factor analysis was used to explore the relationships between quality of life, measured by the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ), and conventional measures of asthma clinical status (symptoms, airway calibre and rescue β2‐agonist use).The analysis revealed that although patients with severe, poorly controlled asthma tend to have worse quality of life than milder, well-controlled patients, overall asthma health status has four components (factors): asthma-specific quality of life; airway calibre; daytime symptoms and daytime β2‐agonist use, and night-time symptoms and night-time β2‐agonist use.The clean loading of all 21 outcomes onto four distinct and clinically identifiable factors suggests that, although some weakness of correlation between clinical indices and quality of life may be due to noise of measurement, it is mainly attributable to asthma health status being composed of distinct components.
Effects of mandibular advancement on airway curvature and obstructive sleep apnoea severity
Authors: Tsuiki S. , Lowe A.A. , Almeida F.R. , Kawahata N. , Fleetham J.A. 
Published: February 2004

In a curved tube, the amount of airflow appears to be influenced by the amount of curvature. The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) severity and awake velopharyngeal curvature in response to an anteriorly titrated mandibular position in 20 male OSA patients.Baseline supine cephalometry was obtained before the initial insertion of a titratable oral appliance and follow-up supine cephalometry was undertaken after titration of the mandibular position with the appliance in place.The mean apnoea/hypopnea index (AHI) before treatment (31.6±13.0 events·h−1) was significantly reduced (9.8±7.4 events·h−1) after titration of the mandibular position in all 20 patients. There was a significant increase in the anteroposterior calibre and the radius of the curvature of the anterior wall of the velopharynx in 14 good responders who exhibited an AHI reduction to ≤15. Similar observations were not found in six poor responders.To conclude, an anteriorly titrated mandibular position reduced obstructive sleep apnoea severity, enlarged the velopharynx and diminished the curvature of the anterior velopharyngeal wall in good responders. It is proposed that this change in the upper airway curvature associated with mandibular advancement may effect obstructive sleep apnoea severity through its effect on airflow dynamics.
DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE IN RURAL TIBET
Authors: Goldstein Melvyn C. , Jiao Ben , Beall Cynthia M. , Tsering Phuntsog 
Published: February 2004

Abstract
This article reports on a multi-year study of the impact of China's reform policies since the early 1980s on rural change in the Tibet Autonomous Region. The study was conducted with 780 households in 13 villages, using qualitative and quantitative methods.
Song, Confession, and Criminality: Trial Records as Sources for Popular Musical Culture in Early Modern Europe
Authors: Fisher Alexander J. 
Published: February 2004

In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the city government of Augsburg, Germany, struggled to maintain religious peace as the confessional boundaries between its Catholic and Protestant communities hardened. As tensions gradually rose, city officials feared and scrutinized the disruptive potential of the psalms and chorales sung by Augsburg's Protestant majority. Those suspected of owning, singing, or distributing inflammatory songs were subject to imprisonment, interrogation, torture, and exile. When an Imperial decree established a fully Catholic city government in March 1629, the authorities tightened this scrutiny, banning Protestant singing entirely in public and private and using a network of informants to catch violators.
A remarkably well-preserved collection of criminal interrogation records in Augsburg dramatizes city officials' concern about religious song and their attempts to restrict its cultivation through coercive measures. These records, which preserve the testimony of suspects and witnesses as well as original evidence (such as manuscript or printed songs), show the ways in which local authorities tried to control singing that they felt threatened the public peace. At the same time, these sources give us unparalleled insight into the production, performance, and circulation of religious songs. Although the interrogations reveal much about how and where songs—often contrafacta of well-known psalms or chorales—were written and performed, the authorities were especially intent on finding out how they originated, who bought, sold, and sang them, and why. These exchanges between interrogators and suspects provide a starting point for an analysis of the relationship between singing, religion, and criminality in an early modern urban environment.
Neglected Citizens and Willing Traders: The Villas del Norte (Tamaulipas) in Mexico's Northern Borderlands, 1749–1846
Authors: Valerio-Jiménez Omar S. 
Published: February 2004

The political identity of residents of the villas del norte (northern villas) underwent a transformation as a result of Mexican Independence. The shift from Spanish subjects to Mexican citizens was accompanied by a corresponding change from racial categories to civic classifications. Despite the egalitarian tone of Mexico's new constitution (1824), economic class remained the basis for the new civic categories and the local elite continued to hold political office. The Mexican government promoted nationalism in the villas del norte through patriotic celebrations, military service, and the discourse of citizenship. Nevertheless, the political schisms between residents of these villas and the national state increased due to trade restrictions, the national government's political neglect, and social isolation. Ultimately, the vecinos ignored trade prohibitions and developed trade links with the United States.La independencia de México transformó la identidad política de los vecinos de las villas del norte. El cambio de sujetos españoles a ciudadanos mexicanos fue acompañado por una conversión de categorías raciales en clasificaciones cívicas. A pesar de las tendencias igualitarias de la Constitución Mexicana (1824), las categorías cívicas continuarían basadas en la clase económica, así que la élite local logró mantener el dominio sobre los puestos políticos. El gobierno mexicano promovió el nacionalismo en las villas del norte a través de las celebraciones patrióticas, el servicio militar y un discurso que el estado desarrolló respeto a la ciudadanía. Sin embargo, la distancia política entre los residentes de estas villas y el estado nacional se aumentó, debido a las restricciones al comercio, la indiferencia política por parte del gobierno nacional y el aislamiento social. En fin, los vecinos desobedecieron las prohibiciones comerciales y desarrollaron vínculos con los Estados Unidos.
Cambio social y costumbres laborales: Contradicciones entre uso y protección del bosque en Huitzilac, México
Authors: Iguíniz Margarita Estrada 
Published: February 2004

From both a historical and a contemporary perspective, this article explores the role of rural Mexican populations in forest management programs. Using the experience of Huitzilac, Morelos, the study shows how, through such age-old practices as felling trees and marketing timber, rural populations participate in the process of social change. By preserving traditional customs, peasant communities are not only defending their way of life, but are also augmenting their capacity to buy goods and services in the marketplace. And in doing so, they do not hesitate to ignore or circumvent the law.
Desde una perspectiva histórica y contemporánea, este artículo explora la participación de las poblaciones campesinas en programas para el uso y manejo de los recursos forestales. A partir de la experiencia de Huitzilac, Morelos, se muestra cómo algunas prácticas laborales antiguas como la tala y venta de madera son parte de la participación de la población rural mexicana en los procesos de cambio social. Al mantener costumbres tradicionales, las comunidades campesinas no sólo defienden su modo de vida sino también aumentan su capacidad de acceder a bienes y servicios que se ofrecen en el mercado, y para lograrlo no vacilan en ignorar o circundar la ley.
Gods of Physical Violence, Stopping at Nothing: Masculinity, Religion, and Art in the Work of Zora Neale Hurston
Authors: Powers Peter Kerry 
Published: February 2004

There is nothing so exhilarating as watching well-matched opponents go into action. The entire world likes action…. Hence prize-fighters become millionaires.The first decades of the twentieth century were years of tremendous upheaval in the American experience of both religion and gender. Industrialization and urbanization transformed nineteenth-century understandings of masculinity and femininity, while massive immigration, debates between modernists and fundamentalists, and the diverse entertainments and opportunities of city life began to challenge the cultural preeminence of American Protestantism. Nowhere was this upheaval felt more acutely—as both an opportunity and a cause for anxiety—than among African Americans. The glowing prospect of better-paying work in the industrial North, as well as the chance to escape the most egregious racism of the Jim Crow South, lured hundreds of thousands of African Americans northward, a great tumultuous river flowing toward what seemed to be freedom.
Industrielle Verfahren zur Herstellung von optisch aktiven Zwischenprodukten
Authors: Breuer Michael , Ditrich Klaus , Habicher Tilo , Hauer Bernhard , Keßeler Maria , Stürmer Rainer , Zelinski Thomas 
Published: February 2004

AbstractEnantiomerenreine Aminosäuren, Aminoalkohole, Amine, Alkohole und Epoxide spielen heutzutage als Zwischenprodukte in pharmazeutischer Industrie und Agrochemie eine immer größere Rolle. Dabei sind sowohl ein hoher Reinheitsgrad als auch große Mengen der Verbindungen gefragt. Die chemische Industrie hat sich bei der Synthese dieser Zwischenstufen bislang auf bewährte chemische Verfahren gestützt, greift jedoch zunehmend auf enzymatische und fermentative Prozesse aus der Biotechnologie zurück. Für die industrielle Umsetzung vieler Transformationen stehen alternative Verfahren zur Verfügung. Die Vorteile der einzelnen Methoden werden in diesem Aufsatz anhand der Synthesen wichtiger Beispielverbindungen diskutiert.
Industrial Methods for the Production of Optically Active Intermediates
Authors: Breuer Michael , Ditrich Klaus , Habicher Tilo , Hauer Bernhard , Keßeler Maria , Stürmer Rainer , Zelinski Thomas 
Published: February 2004

AbstractEnantiomerically pure amino acids, amino alcohols, amines, alcohols, and epoxides play an increasingly important role as intermediates in the pharmaceutical industry and agrochemistry, where both a high degree of purity and large quantities of the compounds are required. The chemical industry has primarily relied upon established chemical methods for the synthesis of these intermediates, but is now turning more and more to enzymatic and biotechnological fermentation processes. For the industrial implementation of many transformations alternative methods are available. The advantages of the individual methods will be discussed herein and exemplified by syntheses of relevant compounds.
Influence of the clay modification and compatibilizer on the structure and mechanical properties of ethylene–propylene–diene rubber/montmorillonite composites
Authors: Zheng Hua , Zhang Yong , Peng Zonglin , Zhang Yinxi 
Published: February 2004

AbstractEthylene–propylene–diene rubber (EPDM)/montmorillonite (MMT) composites were prepared through a melt process, and three kinds of surfactants with different ammonium cations were used to modify MMT and affect the morphology of the composites. The morphology of the composites depended on the alkyl ammonium salt length, that is, the hydrophobicity of the organic surfactants. Organophilic montmorillonite (OMMT), modified by octadecyltrimethyl ammonium salt and distearyldimethyl ammonium salt, was intercalated and partially exfoliated in the EPDM matrix, whereas OMMT modified by hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium chloride exhibited a morphology in which OMMT existed as a common filler. Ethylene–propylene–diene rubber grafted with maleic anhydride (MAH‐g‐EPDM) was used as a compatibilizer and greatly affected the dispersion of OMMT. When OMMTs were modified by octadecyltrimethyl ammonium chloride and distearydimethyl ammonium chloride, the EPDM/OMMT/MAH‐g‐EPDM composites (100/15/5) had an exfoliated structure, and they showed good mechanical properties and high dynamic moduli. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 638–646, 2004
Synthesis of polystyrene‐supported dithiocarbamates and their complexation with metal ions
Authors: McClain Aliecia , Hsieh You‐Lo 
Published: February 2004

AbstractThe derivatives of 2%‐divinylbenzene (DVB)‐crosslinked polystyrene resins with N‐ethylaminodithiocarbamate, N‐ethanolaminodithiocarbamate, and N‐t‐butylamino‐dithiocarbamate groups were prepared. The amine functionality was introduced to the acetylated polystyrene to give the imine‐supported resins which were reduced by using NaBH4 and then converted to the respective dithiocarbamates by reaction with carbon disulfide under alkaline conditions. The structure of the functionalized resins was confirmed by FTIR and elemental analysis. The ability of these polystyrene–dithiocarbamate resins to form complexes with Hg(II), Pb(II), and Cd(II) ions was found to be highest with Hg(II), followed by Pb(II), and then Cd(II). A general increase in the ability to complex with metal ions was observed from the dithiocarbamate resin derived from N‐t‐butylamino polystyrene to those derived from N‐ethylamino polystyrene and N‐ethanolamino polystyrene. The complexation level and preference among ions of these dithiocarbamate resins depends on the structures of their functional groups. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 218–225, 2004
Wood flour: A new filler for the rubber processing industry. III. Cure characteristics and mechanical properties of nitrile butadiene rubber compounds filled by wood flour in the presence of phenol‐formaldehyde resin
Authors: Vladkova T. G. , Dineff P. D. , Gospodinova D. N. 
Published: February 2004

AbstractNonmodified and corona‐activated conifer wood flour was evaluated as filler to nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) compounds containing different amounts of phenol‐formaldehyde resin (PFAR) by studying the cure characteristics and the mechanical properties of the filled compounds. It was found that the PFAR affects considerably the cure characteristics and the mechanical properties of the wood flour–filled NBR compounds due to a presumable action as an interface interactions modifier. Acting as an antiaging agent it improves also their thermal‐oxidative stability. The optimal amount of PFAR regarding the cure characteristics and mechanical parameters is of 15 phr/100 phr wood flour. The addition of PFAR just before the wood flour is preferable because of both its better homogenization in the rubber matrix and its lower adsorption by the wood flour, leading to an improvement of the mechanical properties of the wood flour–filled NBR compounds. The replacement of nonmodified wood flour by corona‐activated wood flour leads to additional increase of the mechanical parameters without significant affect of the optimum cure time, aging resistance, and water adsorption. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 95–101, 2004
Hydrophobically modified acrylamide‐based polybetaines. II. Interaction with surfactants in aqueous solution
Authors: Johnson Kathryn M. , Fevola Michael J. , Lochhead Robert Y. , McCormick Charles L. 
Published: February 2004

AbstractThe interaction of hydrophobically modified (HM) polybetaines with selected small molecule surfactants in aqueous solution was investigated using rheological and surface tension analyses. The polymers included acrylamide‐based, HM polybetaines containing N‐butylphenylacrylamide (BPAM) and specified amounts of sulfobetaine, 3‐(2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropanedimethylammonio)‐1‐propanesulfonate (AMPDAPS), or carboxybetaine, 4‐(2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropyldimethylammonio)butanoate (AMPDAB); corresponding control (co)polymers lacking BPAM and/or betaine comonomer(s) were also examined for comparative purposes. Low charge density terpolymers exhibited greater viscosity enhancement with the addition of surfactant compared to the high charge density terpolymers. The addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) produced the largest increase in solution viscosity, while N‐dodecyl‐N,N,N‐trimethylammonium bromide (DTAB), N‐dodecyl‐N,N‐dimethylammonio‐1‐propanesulfonate (SB3–12), and Triton X‐100 enhanced polymer solution viscosity to a lesser degree. In most cases, the high charge density carboxybetaine terpolymer exhibited diminished solution viscosity upon surfactant addition. The polymers lacking hydrophobic modification showed no detectable viscosity enhancement in the presence of surfactants. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 658–671, 2004
Effect of reactive diluents on properties of unsaturated polyester/montmorillonite nanocomposites
Authors: Kim Ho‐Gyum , Oh Dae‐Hee , Lee Hun‐Bong , Min Kyung‐Eun 
Published: February 2004

AbstractUnsaturated polyester (UP)/montmorillonite (MMT) nanocomposite was prepared by using hydroxypropylacrylate (HPA) as a reactive diluent instead of conventional styrene monomer and the effect of polarity of reactive diluent on properties of nanocomposite was investigated. X‐ray and mechanical test data indicated that mixing for an extended period of time is essential to enhance the physical properties of nanocomposites in the UP/Cloisite 6A system. This was attributed to the high polarity of HPA that may disturb the preintercalation of UP resin into the galleries of MMT. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 238–242, 2004
Effect of a polymerizable cosurfactant on the microstructure and drug‐release properties of nanoparticles synthesized through emulsion polymerization
Authors: Bhawal Sumit , Reddy L. Harivardhan , Murthy R. S. R. , Devi Surekha 
Published: February 2004

AbstractThe emulsion copolymerization of a partially water‐soluble monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA), and a water‐soluble polymerizable cosurfactant, hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), was investigated. The microstructure of the copolymer varied as the HEMA concentration increased. The copolymer microstructure influenced drug entrapment and was studied with respect to the variation in the MMA/HEMA ratio, the crosslinker concentration, and the method of nanoparticle separation from the dispersion. The subsequent release of a lipophilic drug, carbamazepine, from nanoparticles was studied at three different copolymer compositions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 402–409, 2004