bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Factors associated with partner notification intentions among symptomatic sexually transmitted infection service attendees in South Africa
Authors: Da Costas Dias B , Kufa T , Kularatne R S 
Published: February 2023

Background. In South Africa (SA), a client-initiated partner notification (PN) approach is implemented for the management of sexual partners of patients presenting with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or STI syndromes.Objectives. To explore the demographic, sexual behavioural and clinical characteristics associated with PN intentions among symptomatic STI service attendees at sentinel primary healthcare facilities in three SA provinces.
Methods. We analysed cross-sectional data obtained from 1 293 adults enrolled into STI aetiological surveillance during 2019 - 2020 in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape provinces. Self-reported sexual practices, PN intentions and clinical data were collected using nurse-administrated questionnaires. We assessed gender-stratified factors associated with the index case’s willingness to notify their sexual partners of their STI syndrome diagnosis. Univariable and multivariable Poisson regression models with robust error variance were used to determine factors associated with gender-stratified PN intentions.
Results. The enrolled participants comprised 887 male (68.6%) and 406 female (31.4%) STI clients. Self-reported PN intentions were higher among women than men (83.5% v. 64.4%; p<0.001). Multivariable analyses revealed that casual sex partnerships during the preceding 3-month period and enrolment at the KwaZulu-Natal site were independent barriers to PN intent among male participants. For females, enrolment at the Gauteng site was independently associated with lower PN intentions, while presenting with genital ulcer syndrome was a motivator towards PN intent. The primary reasons cited for non-disclosure across both genders were casual sexual encounters, followed by geographically distant partnerships and fear of disclosure.
Conclusion. We show that demographic and behavioural characteristics, as well as relationship dynamics, may influence the PN intentions of STI service attendees in SA. Alternative PN strategies should be considered, based on the reported barriers, to increase overall STI notification, strengthen partner management and ultimately reduce STI incidence.
Beyond Data
Authors: Renieris Elizabeth M. 
Published: February 2023

Why laws focused on data cannot effectively protect people—and how an approach centered on human rights offers the best hope for preserving human dignity and autonomy in a cyberphysical world.
Ever-pervasive technology poses a clear and present danger to human dignity and autonomy, as many have pointed out. And yet, for the past fifty years, we have been so busy protecting data that we have failed to protect people. In Beyond Data, Elizabeth Renieris argues that laws focused on data protection, data privacy, data security and data ownership have unintentionally failed to protect core human values, including privacy. And, as our collective obsession with data has grown, we have, to our peril, lost sight of what's truly at stake in relation to technological development—our dignity and autonomy as people.
Far from being inevitable, our fixation on data has been codified through decades of flawed policy. Renieris provides a comprehensive history of how both laws and corporate policies enacted in the name of data privacy have been fundamentally incapable of protecting humans. Her research identifies the inherent deficiency of making data a rallying point in itself—data is not an objective truth, and what's more, its “entirely contextual and dynamic” status makes it an unstable foundation for organizing. In proposing a human rights–based framework that would center human dignity and autonomy rather than technological abstractions, Renieris delivers a clear-eyed and radically imaginative vision of the future.
At once a thorough application of legal theory to technology and a rousing call to action, Beyond Data boldly reaffirms the value of human dignity and autonomy amid widespread disregard by private enterprise at the dawn of the metaverse.
Dynamika dośrodkowa i odśrodkowa głównych symboli Judaizmu jako hieratycznych znaczników: studium semiotaktyczne
Authors: Haładewicz-Grzelak Małgorzata 
Published: February 2023

Artykuł skupia się na omówieniu semiotycznej wyrazistości hieratycznych znaczników judaizmu w postaci Menory i Gwiazdy Dawida. Są one z konieczności pozycjonowane wobec ogółu symboliki judaistycznej, jak na przykład semiotycznej obecności Hamsy, która nie jest jednak znacznikiem hieratycznym Analiza opiera się na dwóch (iluzorycznych) przeciwstawnych siłach, które były już również szeroko stosowane do analizy zjawisk językowych: odśrodkowej i dośrodkowej. Ujmując je jako preferencje implikacyjne operujące na badanych obszarach semiosfery, proponuję odpowiednio funkcjonalną i strukturalną kategoryzację badanych znaków. Korpus analityczny do badań został zebrany w różnych krajach Europy i Maroku w latach 2010-2022 i składa się z cyfrowej dokumentacji setek egzemplarzy napotkanych judaików oraz konkatenacji symboli judaizmu w kontekstach pragmatycznych. Dyskusja jest również indeksowana przez kulturową diadę sacrum/profanum. Wyniki wskazują na pewne synchroniczne procesy, którym poddawany jest ten rodzaj znakowości, m.in. proces usilnienia Magen David (kierunek odśrodkowy – dyfuzyjny), z jednoczesną lenicją menory (kierunek dośrodkowy - konfuzyjny, wiążący). Jako próba interpretacji postuluję Gwiazdę Dawida jako pływającą(‘floating’) semiotaktyczną pierwszą.
Solubility and Diffusion of Nitrogen in Maltodextrin/Protein Tablets
Authors: Schoonman Annemarie , Ubbink Job , Bisperink Chris , Le Meste M. , Karel Marcus 
Published: July 2002

AbstractThe gas transport properties of compacted tablets consisting of an amorphous mixture of maltodextrin and sodium caseinate were studied by dissolving nitrogen gas in the tablets and then determining the gas release over time as a function of temperature and water activity. Gas was dissolved in the tablet matrix by heating the tablets under pressure, generally to temperatures above the glass transition temperature of the matrix, holding them at these conditions for a specified time and then rapidly cooling them while maintaining the external pressure. The solubility of nitrogen was found to be largely determined by the free volume of the matrix, which in turn can be influenced to some degree by thermal and pressure treatments during gas loading. At the levels of free volume studied, the dissolved nitrogen is densely packed in the free volume, the packing density being virtually independent of the externally applied pressure. Release of gas from the tablets at temperatures below the glass transition temperature is generally well described by Fickian diffusion. The effective diffusion coefficient of gas release is strongly dependent on the microstructure and porosity of the tablet matrix, and an approximate model describing the relationship between tablet structure and rate of gas release is formulated. The model is in semiquantitative agreement with the rates of gas diffusion obtained for tablets and dense granules. Owing to the structural heterogeneity and variability of the tablets and the history‐dependent properties of the tablet matrix, the effective diffusion coefficients of gas release from the tablets showed a relatively large spread. The temperature dependence of diffusional release follows an Arrhenius relation below the glass transition temperature. This allows the prediction of the nitrogen retention in the tablets as function of time, temperature and pressure.
A field study with genetically engineered alfalfa inoculated with recombinantSinorhizobium meliloti: effects on the soil ecosystem
Authors: Donegan Katherine K. , Seidler Ramon J. , Doyle Jack D. , Porteous L. Arlene , Digiovanni George , Widmer Franco , Watrud Lidia S. 
Published: July 2002

Summary1. A field study using transgenic plants with associated recombinant micro‐organisms was conducted to assess the potential effects of genetically engineered organisms on soil ecosystems. Three genotypes of alfalfa plants (parental, transgenic α‐amylase‐producing and transgenic lignin peroxidase‐producing) were planted in an agricultural field plot. Immediately prior to planting, the roots of the alfalfa plants were left uninoculated or were inoculated with a wild‐type strain (PC), a recombinant strain with antibiotic resistances (RMB7201), or a recombinant strain with antibiotic resistances and enhanced nitrogen‐fixation capability (RMBPC‐2), ofSinorhizobium meliloti.2. Analyses of the alfalfa plants and field plot soil were made over two growing seasons and included: metabolic fingerprints and DNA fingerprints of soil bacterial communities; soil microbial respiration; population counts of indigenous soil bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa and micro‐arthropods; identification of nematodes and micro‐arthropods; plant shoot weight and chemistries; and soil chemistries and enzyme activities.3. The lignin peroxidase transgenic plants had significantly lower shoot weight, and higher nitrogen and phosphorus content, than the parental or transgenic amylase plants. Distinct metabolic fingerprints, based on patterns of substrate utilization in Biolog plates, were exhibited by the soil bacterial communities associated with the three alfalfa genotypes, and those for the lignin peroxidase plants were the most unique. Significantly higher population levels of culturable, aerobic spore‐forming and cellulose‐utilizing bacteria, lower activity of the soil enzymes dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase, and higher soil pH levels, were also associated with the lignin peroxidase transgenic plants. Significantly higher population levels of culturable, aerobic spore‐forming bacteria were also measured in the treatments containing the recombinant RMBPC‐2S. meliloti.4. Population levels of protozoa, nematodes and micro‐arthropods, DNA fingerprints of indigenous soil bacteria, and rates of microbial substrate‐induced respiration were not significantly affected by the transgenic alfalfa and recombinantS. melilotitreatments.5. These results suggest that the genetically engineered organisms caused detectable changes in some components of the soil ecosystem. The primary effects we observed were associated with the transgenic lignin peroxidase alfalfa and included alterations in plant growth and chemistry and changes in soil chemistry and microbiology.
Brazilian Páramos II. Macro‐ and mesoclimate of thecampos de altitudeand affinities with high mountain climates of the tropical Andes and Costa Rica
Authors: DeForest Safford Hugh 
Published: July 2002

SummaryAimThis paper presents a basic analysis of the macro‐ and mesoclimate of the Brazilian campos de altitude, a series of cool–humid, mountaintop grasslands in southeastern Brazil, and compares results with data from other tropical as well as temperate alpine sites.LocationBeginning at altitudes of 1800–2000 m, the campos de altitude are found atop the highest summits of the main ranges of the southeastern Brazilian Highlands, between the states of Santa Catarina and Minas Gerais/Espírito Santo.MethodsMacro‐ and mesoclimatic parameters for the campos de altitude are derived from both original data and previously reported results. Parameters include approximate radiation budgets, temperature lapse rates, seasonal and diurnal patterns in temperature, occurrence of frost, elevational gradients in precipitation, and interannual and seasonal patterns in precipitation. Using multivariate techniques and simple numerical contrasts, the climate of the campos de altitude is compared to climates of other tropical as well as temperate alpine sites.ResultsWith respect to patterns of seasonality and the marked influence of polar frontal activity, the macroclimate of the campos de altitude is typically tropical‐marginal. However, in reference to actual temperature and precipitation values, the length and profundity of the dry season, average humidities and cloudiness, the climate of the campus de altitude more closely corresponds to that of more inner‐tropical systems. These commonalities are best developed with respect to páramo climates of the northern Andes and, especially, Costa Rica.Main conclusionsTheir very different latitudinal and geographic positions notwith‐ standing, the campos de altitude and high mountain formations of the N. Andean and Central American Cordillera show clear macroclimatic congruities. In these congruities reside both the environmental basis for strong Andean–southeast Brazilian biogeographic connections, and the context within which evolutionary and ecological parallelisms have developed in the biota of these two widely separate neotropical mountain systems.
EXTREMITY SOFT TISSUE SARCOMA: FACTORS PREDICTIVE OF LOCAL RECURRENCE AND SURVIVAL
Authors: Wilson R. B. , Crowe P. J. , Fisher R. , Hook C. , Donnellan M. J. 
Published: July 2002

Background: To identify risk factors for local recurrence and overall survival in patients with extremity soft tissue sarcoma.Methods: A retrospective study was performed of all patients with extremity soft tissue sarcoma treated at the Combined Surgical Oncology Clinic in the Institute of Oncology at Prince of Wales Hospital between 1972 and 1992. Variables analysed included clinical presentation, patient characteristics, tumour characteristics, treatment factors and outcome.Results: One hundred and nineteen patients were eligible for the study. The most common type of presentation was with a painless mass, usually in the thigh. Local control rates at 5 and 10 years were 75% and 73%. Local control was higher in patients who had more radical surgery and in those who received adjuvant radiotherapy. Tumour size and high grade were independent risk factors for poorer survival. Patients over 50 had poorer survival than younger patients and those who presented with recurrent tumours also tended to have poor survival compared to patients presentingde novo. The respective 5‐ and 10‐year survival rates were 65% and 62%.Conclusion: This study suggests that local control of extremity soft tissue sarcoma is improved by radical surgery and by the addition of radiotherapy when more conservative procedures are used. Overall survival appeared to be largely determined by patient (age, recurrent presentation) and tumour characteristics (grade, size).
Long‐term survival of patients with bladder tumours: the significance of risk factors
Authors: Zieger  , Wolf  , Olsen  , HØjgaard  
Published: July 2002

Objective To evaluate the significance of known risk factors, accessible by simple endoscopic and histological/cytological examination, on the clinical course and long‐term survival of patients with superficial urinary bladder tumours.Patients and methods The study included 584 consecutive unselected patients, primarily admitted between 1976 and 1984 for newly diagnosed bladder tumour, which was superficial (Ta, T1, Tis) in 362. The patients were followed routinely in a control programme; causes of death were obtained by autopsy (44%), from hospital files (33%) or from death certificates (8%), the remaining patients being alive at the end of the study, up to 20 years after initial diagnosis. Known risk factors, e.g. tumour size, histological grade, multiplicity and positive urine cytology, and dysplasia as assessed by random or pre‐selected site biopsies, were evaluated as predetermining factors for new occurrences and survival.Results Invasion of the lamina propria was the most significant prognostic factor detected in the multivariate analysis. While 14% of patients with Ta tumours had died from cancer after 15 years, 63% of the T1 tumours were eventually fatal, reaching the mortality of those with T2 disease. Other independent significant factors were tumour size and, to a lesser extent, histological grade. Multiplicity and concomitant epithelial changes, as assayed by voided urine cytology and pre‐selected site biopsies, were relevant prognostic factors for Ta but not for T1 tumours.ConclusionIn the therapy and surveillance of superficial urinary bladder tumours, the presence of lamina propria invasion is very important.
Milestones in understanding allergy and its diagnosis
Authors: Johansson S. G. O. 
Published: July 2002

SummaryThe prevalence of allergic conditions continues to increase, affecting up to 40% of the population in some countries. Our understanding of the processes of allergy began in 1869, when Blackley first connected hay fever with pollen. In 1911, Dale and Laidlaw discovered that histamine was the principal mediator of anaphylaxis. This led to the development of the first antihistamine, in 1942. In 1968 the WHO International Immunoglobulin Reference Centre officially declared the discovery of IgE based on the work of Bennich, Ishizaka and Johansson. The importance of IgE in allergy is such that the definition of allergic disease is based on the presence of allergen‐specific IgE. Access to IgE allowed experimental, immunochemical studiesin vitro. Research activity in the field of immunology increased enormously and generated more important knowledge, including the discovery and characterization of leukotrienes, cytokines and histamine receptors. The involvement of other cells in the allergy process was described. In parallel with the elucidation of the processes involved in allergy came the development of new drug treatments. The first anti‐allergy agents were the antihistamines. Later came sodium cromoglycate and corticosteroids. Immunotherapy was first used in the early 1900s but became less popular with the development of anti‐allergy drugs. Now, however, there is a resurgence of interest in the technique. The discovery that there are two subtypes of T‐helper (Th) cells, which produce different cytokines, and that the Th2 subtype appears to produce cytokines associated with allergy has opened new avenues of research that hold promise for reducing the prevalence of allergy in the population, either by preventing its development or by treatments that can drive the immune system towards a Th1 bias.
The Role of Smoking and Other Modifiable Lifestyle Risk Factors in Maintaining and Restoring Lower Body Mobility in Middle‐Aged and Older Americans: Results from the HRS and AHEAD
Authors: Østbye Truls , Taylor Donald Hugh , Krause Katrina M. , Van Scoyoc Lynn 
Published: July 2002

OBJECTIVES:To analyze the effect of smoking, smoking cessation, and other modifiable risk factors on mobility in middle‐aged and older Americans.DESIGN:Panel study; secondary data analysis.SETTING:United States (national sample).PARTICIPANTS:The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) includes data on 12,652 Americans aged 50 to 61 in four waves (1992–1998). The Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) survey followed 8,124 community‐dwelling people aged 70 years and older in three waves (1993–1998).MEASUREMENTS:The relationships between the primary outcome measure, lower body mobility (ability to walk several blocks and walk up one flight of stairs without difficulty), and smoking, exercise (HRS only), body mass index (BMI), and alcohol use were estimated in bivariate and multivariate analyses.RESULTS:Not smoking was strongly positively related to mobility, and the relative effects were similar in both panels. Among those with impaired mobility at baseline, not smoking was also strongly related to recovery. In the middle aged, there were consistent dose‐response relationships between amount smoked and impaired mobility. Fifteen years after quitting, the risk of impaired mobility returned to that of never smokers. There was also a strong dose‐response relationship between level of exercise and mobility. Inverted U‐shaped relationships with mobility were observed for BMI and alcohol consumption.CONCLUSIONS:The relationships between not smoking and lower body mobility in middle‐aged and older Americans are strong and consistent. Interventions aimed at reducing smoking have the potential to preserve mobility and thereby prolong health and independence in later life. J Am Geriatr Soc 50:691–699, 2002.
Thoracoscopic mapping and cryoablation of right ventricular tachycardia
Authors: Furniss S.S. , Forty J. , Simeonidou E. , Owens A. , Cowan J.C. , Bourke J.P. , Campbell R.W.F. 
Published: July 2002

Abstract
A 14-year-old girl with right ventricular dysplasia and recurrent drug refractory ventricular tachycardia underwent thoracoscopic mapping cryoablation. Good access to the right ventricular free wall was obtained. We suggest this technique may have an important role in the management of patients with right ventricular tachycardia.
Molecular Phylogeny of Nepenthaceae Based on Cladistic Analysis of Plastid trnK Intron Sequence Data
Authors: Meimberg H. , Wistuba A. , Dittrich P. , Heubl G. 
Published: July 2002

Abstract:Nepenthaceae are an exceptional family with regard to carnivory and the uniformity of characters. This makes it difficult to resolve phylogenetic relationships due to convergent evolution of morphological features. Using comparative sequencing of the chloroplast trnK intron, the monophyly of this complex family and hypotheses of infrageneric relationships were tested. Sequences from 71Nepenthestaxa, representing all groups and two taxa of the closely related Ancistrocladaceae and Dioncophyllaceae as outgroup, were determined and analysed using maximum parsimony methods. Results of this analysis show that the isolated taxaN. distillatoria(Sri Lanka) andN. pervillei(Seychelles) are the most basal, clearly separated from the Madagascan taxaN. madagascariensisandN. masoalensiswhich are placed in a distinct subclade. This corresponds with some plesiomorphic characters shared by these taxa.N. khasiana(North India) has an intermediate position between these relic Western species and the remaining taxa. The species of the Malay Archipelago can be referred to three distinct lineages which indicate a correlation to biogeography. Thus the recent disjunct distribution ofNepenthesis interpreted as a result of an incisive extinction of progenitors, a process of migration and a subsequent diversification on the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, Sulawesi and New Guinea.Based on our molecular data, two interpretations concerning the origin ofNepenthesare possible: i) evolution in the Northern Tethys which is supported by fossil pollen records from the European Focene, or, ii) a Gondwanaland origin at a time when the Indian plate was separated from Madagascar. Molecular data indicate that colonization of SE Asia started from an ancient Indian stock. Subsequently, in the Malay Archipelago a new secondary centre of diversity developed. Madagascar, the Seychelles and New Caledonia were probably reached by migration via land bridges, starting from widespead common ancestors with subsequent extinction leaving the current taxa. There is no evidence for long‐distance dispersal. Current infragenic classification ofNepenthesis only partly in accordance with the phylogeny inferred from trnK intron data.