bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Risk factors associated with surgical site infection and the development of short‐term complications in macaques undergoing indwelling vascular access port placement
Authors: Graham M.L. , Rieke E.F. , Wijkstrom M. , Dunning M. , Aasheim T.C. , Graczyk M.J. , Pilon K.J. , Hering B.J.
Published: March 2008

Background Risk factors associated with surgical site infection (SSI) and the development of short‐term complications in macaques undergoing vascular access port (VAP) placement are evaluated in this study.

Methods Records from 80 macaques with VAPs were retrospectively reviewed. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with short‐term post‐operative complications.

Results The primary outcome was SSI, which occurred in 21.6% (52.6% in the first 12 months vs. 13% thereafter) of procedures. SSI was associated with major secondary complications including VAP removal (11.4%), wound dehiscence (5.7%), and mechanical catheter occlusion (5.7%). In multivariate modeling, only surgical program progress was a statistically significant predictor of SSI, while animal compliance had a slightly protective effect.

Conclusions Vascular access ports have a moderate risk of complications, provided the surgical program optimizes best practices. Under complex experimental conditions, VAPs represent an important refinement, both improving animals’ overall well‐being and environment and reducing stress.
Fiktionen des Intermediären
Authors: Klawitter Arne
Published: March 2008

Der Aufsatz befasst sich vor dem Hintergrund einiger avantgardistischer Romane der deutschen und französischen Literatur der 60er Jahre mit der Beziehung zwischen Raum und Sprache. Dabei geht es nicht einfach darum zu zeigen, wie verschiedenartig der Raum in der Literatur zur Darstellung kommt, sondern inwiefern er über eine spezielle Schreibweise mit der literarischen Sprache in ihrer Existenz‐ und Funktionsweise verbunden ist. Dazu wird die Aufmerksamkeit zunächst auf den Roman Der Schatten des Körpers des Kutschers von Peter Weiss und den dort angewandten Schreibverfahren gerichtet. Homologien mit Texten des Nouveau Roman legen den Gedanken einer diskursiven Formation nahe. Eine Übereinstimmung kann beispielsweise darin gesehen werden, dass in diesen Texten Simulakren geschaffen werden, die eine Rekonzeptualisierung des Fiktionsbegriffes notwendig machen. Mit Hilfe des methodischen Gerüstes von Foucaults Diskursanalyse wird die sich abzeichnende diskursive Formation in Hinblick auf das Intermediäre untersucht, wobei auch Gedanken aus Foucaults früherer Literaturontologie einbezogen werden. Der Begriff des Intermediären, mit dem die Diskursformation näher charakterisiert werden soll, bezieht sich auf einen Zwischenbereich der literarischen Darstellung, der in den untersuchten Texten gezielt konstruiert wird, um einen ,,Raum der Sprache‘‘ sichtbar zu machen, in dem die Signifikation ins Gleiten kommt. Am Ende des Aufsatzes werden einige Schlussfolgerungen mit Blick auf die epistemologische Funktion dieser literarischen Diskursformation gezogen.
Scripts and Counterscripts. The Life and Death of Julien Sorel in Stendhal's Le rouge et le noir
Authors: Brady Valentini Papadopoulou
Published: March 2008

Critical writings on and interpretations of Stendhal's famous novel and of his young hero Julien Sorel are of the most voluminous in French literature. Much has been said about the reasons, conscious and unconscious, for Julien's behavior, the nature of his love for the two women in his life, the social as well as personal aspects of his struggle for success and recognition in a society to which he does not belong, and the revenge of that society because he transgressed its laws. The ending of the novel in particular (that is the hero's apparently incomprehensible decision first to shoot Mme de Rênal, then, in spite of finding happiness with her in his prison cell, to seek and obtain the death penalty for himself and refuse to ask for a pardon) has left many critics baffled. It is frequently seen as an enigma impossible to explain, or as the main weakness of the novel's psychological and structural integrity, or even as not needing an explanation at all, because Stendhal was simply reconstituting a real‐life story (real life does not need to be explained, it just is), or because opacity of meaning is often a sign of great works of literature.

After a review of the main interpretations that have been offered, this essay will attempt to offer a new one, which will focus primarily on a hypothesis aiming to clarify the enigma of the hero's final behavior, i.e. offer a psychological ‘‘coherence’’ of the novel, if not a formal one. So the aim of this essay will be to attempt to throw more light, or perhaps a different light, on the reasons why Julien feels and acts the way he does, from the moment we see him perched up on a beam in his father's sawmill reading Napoleon's memoirs to the day of his execution. It is hoped that this re‐reading, with continuous and close reference to the text, may resolve the enigma of the ending and provide an explanation for the widely admitted ‘‘incomprehensible’’ behavior of Julien. I hope to demonstrate by the end that the hero's behavior is in fact quite comprehensible. In attempting to understand the why, the essay is guided by a specific approach to psychoanalysis called Transactional Analysis, a branch of social psychiatry developed in the United States by Eric Berne in the fifties and sixties.
Isidore Ducasse précurseur d'Odilon Redon. L'hypotypose en noir et blanc
Authors: Metzidakis Stamos , Sureau Eloïse
Published: March 2008

La figure de l'hypotypose, omniprésente dans Les chants de Maldoror, procure à la narration une visualité prépondérante. Des monstres en tous les genres se succèdent. La découpe en chant, ainsi que la division en strophes au cœur de chaque chant, participent à la création de tableaux.

Si les Chants restent à ce jour peu étudiés, la violence des scènes présentées en constitue sans doute l'une des raisons majeures. Par ailleurs, les Chants de Maldoror sont en noir et blanc, renforçant l'angoisse. Les images décrites se relayent, taches blanches sur fond noir, ou empreintes noires sur fond éblouissant. Une narration amphibolique accompagnant des images déroutantes et dégoûtantes rapprochent les Chants de la peinture symboliste de la fin de siècle, en particulier celles d'Odilon Redon. Cet essai dévoilera un lien entre les Chants de Maldoror (1869) et certains tableaux symbolistes de la fin du siècle, en particulier les Noirs d'Odilon Redon pour placer ce dernier, grâce à l’étude de certains motifs choisis, comme héritier des images visuelles dérangeantes que l'on trouve à foison dans les Chants.

Voir, c'est saisir spontanément les rapports des choses. (Redon 2000, 48)
L'imaginaire de Jorge Semprun. Narcisse entre miroir et fleur
Authors: Louwagie Fransiska
Published: March 2008

Jorge Semprun publie en 1980 et 1981 deux textes dont les pactes de lecture et les sujets abordés semblent radicalement différents. Le premier,Quel beau dimanche, constitue un témoignage et fait l'objet d'un pacte autobiographique, tandis que le deuxième,L'algarabie, est une uchronie nantie du sous‐titre « roman ». Les deux textes manifestent toutefois des ruptures contractuelles. D'abord, dansQuel beau dimanche, l'identité du protagoniste et le réel en général sont questionnés et fictionnalisés. Ensuite, le protagoniste deL'algarabie, ainsi que deux autres personnages, s'avèrent être des doubles de Semprun. L'un et l'autre livre demandent donc une lecture à l'intérieur de « l'espace autobiographique », domaine intertextuel par excellence. Or, une étude textuelle et intertextuelle dévoilera une parenté profonde entre l'imaginaire des deux récits, en identifiant les clefs de lecture qu'ils s'offrent mutuellement. Face à cette écriture à clef, le lecteur agit comme un héros‐quêteur, ce qui n'empêche pas Semprun de se cacher devant lui. L'opération de dénudation effectuée par le lecteur est de ce fait orientée vers le réseau associatif de l’œuvre plutôt que vers l'intimité de l’écrivain.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Superficial Implantation in Pigs Is Associated with Decreased Numbers and Redistribution of Endometrial NK‐Cell Populations
Authors: Dimova Tanya , Mihaylova Anastassia , Spassova Petia , Georgieva Rayna
Published: March 2008

Problem We evaluated implantation‐associated quantitative changes in endometrial and peripheral natural killer (NK)‐cell populations of pigs.

Method of study Natural killer cell populations were investigated in 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 days pregnant and non‐pregnant (NP) sows by flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry and morphometry.

Results The number of endometrial CD16+ NK cells significantly declined at attachment phase of implantation and remained relatively low over the course of implantation. The CD16+ NK cells in situ showed implantation‐phase dependent density and localization. Prior to implantation, they substantially resided in the subepithelial stroma. As implantation advances, the density of NK cells into subepithelial stroma decreased while that of NK cells into glandular layer increased, suggesting implantation‐induced re‐location far from the attached conceptus. The number of CD56+ lymphocytes was the greatest at pre‐attachment phase of implantation, dropped at the time of attachment and increased up to end of early pregnancy period. The CD3− CD8+ NK‐cell number decreased significantly when the definitive placenta is established. No significant differences in the numbers of peripheral blood CD16+, CD56+ and CD3− CD8+ NK cells between pregnant and NP animals as well as relative to the implantation phase were observed.

Conclusion Superficial and adeciduate implantation of pigs is associated with decreased numbers of endometrial NK‐cell populations and specific spatiotemporal profile of classical NK cells.
ANASE: Measuring Aircraft Noise Annoyance Very Unreliably
Authors: Brooker Peter
Published: March 2008

Does anyone who lives under a flight-path like aircraft noise? It is a political hot potato as well as a peace-destroyer. Tens of thousands of people will hear the noise from any third runway at Heathrow. So, when a study commissioned by the government claimed that people are becoming less tolerant of aircraft noise, it made highly unpleasant reading for supporters of a third runway. But the Department for Transport rejected the report as unreliable. Peter Brooker senses the vibrations.
A century ofT-tests
Authors: Senn Stephen
Published: March 2008

One hundred years ago, an author under the pseudonym of “Student” published a paper which was to become famous. It was entitled “The probable error of a mean”. But what we now know as Student's t-test attracted little attention. It took another statistician of genius, R. A. Fisher, to amend, publicise and make it ubiquitous. But both Student's and Fisher's published versions were based upon faulty data. Stephen Senn reminds us of the third dedicated researcher and the quarter of a century delay before the story behind Student's t-test emerged.
The relationships between oral status, physical and mental health, nutritional status and diet type in elderly Japanese women with dementia
Authors: Sadamori Shinsuke , Hayashi Syouji , Hamada Taizo
Published: March 2008

Objectives:  To suggest methods for maintaining an adequate nutritional status for elderly patients with dementia by evaluating the relationships between oral status, physical and mental health, and feeding conditions.

Background:  Feeding difficulties in dementia patients are related to food intake, and failure to eat may be associated with weight loss in long‐term care facilities. The relationship between compromised oral function and diet is still unclear.

Materials and methods:  A cross‐sectional study of 94 elderly women with dementia (mean age 89.6 ± 5.6 years) from a nursing home was undertaken to investigate their oral, physical and mental and nutritional status.

Results:  There were significant differences in serum albumin (p = 0.0284), N‐ADL (p = 0.0005), NM scale (p = 0.0004) and HDS‐R (p = 0.0004) between denture wearers and non‐denture wearers. However, there were no significant differences in body mass index between denture wearers and non‐denture wearers.

Conclusion:  A suitable type of diet and assistance with feeding could maintain the nutritional status of elderly patients with dementia if they are still feeding themselves. The nutritional support team will benefit from the participation of a dentist.
Assessment of health‐related quality of life and patient benefit as outcome measures for clinical trials in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: NOWAK Anna K , CEBON Jonathan , HARGREAVES Carol , DHILLON Haryana , FINDLAY Michael , GEBSKI Val , STOCKLER Martin R
Published: March 2008

Aim:  The purpose of the study was to determine the feasibility and validity of using health‐related quality of life (HRQL) and patient benefit as outcome measures in a phase II trial of octreotide long acting release (LAR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); and, to determine aspects of HRQL that were most impaired and aspects that changed.

Methods:  Sixty‐three patients with advanced HCC were treated with octreotide LAR. HRQL was assessed monthly with the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy – Hepatobiliary Questionnaire (FACT‐Hep) and the Patient Disease and Treatment Assessment Form (Patient DATA Form). Benefit was assessed directly by asking subjects at 1 month about change from baseline using the Patient Benefit Form. Convergent, discriminative and predictive validity were assessed by testing a priori hypotheses.

Results:  Seventy‐three percent completed a baseline assessment of HRQL. Compliance decreased over time. Fatigue, energy, anxiety, pain, insomnia, and emotional well‐being were the most impaired aspects of HRQL on the Patient DATA Form. Convergent validity was supported by 52 of 57 hypothesized correlations. Predictive validity was supported by associations between survival and four aspects of HRQL. Patients' direct assessments of benefit for common symptoms were moderately associated with changes in their scores on the Patient DATA Form.

Conclusion:  Use of the FACT Hep and Patient DATA Form is feasible in trials of advanced HCC. The validity of the direct measure of patient benefit was questionable, despite its intuitive attraction. Fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, and impaired emotional well‐being were prominent, are probably under‐recognized in practice, and are worthy of future research.
Pre‐treatment with anastrozole may be the optimal treatment sequence with radiotherapy for breast cancer
Authors: GRAHAM Peter H , FANG Zhi‐Ming , CLARKE Raymond A
Published: March 2008

Aim:  The aim of this study was to assess the in vitro effect of sequencing of irradiation and anastrozole on MCF‐7aro breast cancer cell line proliferation. Adjuvant tamoxifen therapy for breast cancer is often delayed until after completion of radiotherapy because of the potential inhibition of radiation cytotoxicity and normal tissue radiation effects. Aromatase inhibitors like anastrozole are now indicated as the first‐line adjuvant therapy for postmenopausal women, but there are little data regarding the optimum sequencing order of radiotherapy and aromatase inhibitors.

Methods:  Using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction we confirmed the aromatase gene expression for MCF‐7aro cells. Comprehensive dose–response curves for MCF‐7aro were established for anastrozole and ionizing radiation (IR). Cell proliferation and colony survival were assayed for a 2 Gy fraction of IR administered either before or during incubation with 1.4 μmol/L anastrozole.

Results:  Compared to radiation alone, the relative day 7 cell proliferation with anastrozole exposure commenced before radiation exposure is 0.59 (95% CI 0.51–0.67) versus anastrozole exposure commenced after radiation exposure, which is 0.83 (95% CI 0.69–0.96), rank sum P = 0.007. Colony survival assays also support the possibility that pre‐radiation anastrozole treatment enhances the effects of irradiation. There was no evidence of radiation resistance as a result of pre‐radiation treatment with anastrozole.

Conclusion:  The initiation of anastrozole before irradiation may enhance radiosensitivity and local control for adjuvant breast irradiation.
Attitudes of advanced Australian medical oncology trainees to rural practice
Authors: FRANCIS Heather Marion , CLARKE Kerrie A , STEER Christopher B , FRANCIS Jillian J , UNDERHILL Craig R
Published: March 2008

Aim:  To identify the views of medical oncology trainees regarding rural training posts and rural practice overall, and to identify factors that may improve recruitment.

Methods:  A questionnaire was posted to all advanced oncology trainees in Australia in June 2006. The trainees were questioned on the perceived advantages and disadvantages of rural practice, their experience during previous rural rotations and potential incentives and barriers in recruiting trainees and specialist oncologists to regional and rural centers.

Results:  There was a 60% response rate. Of all participants 58% had considered rural practice. Those with a rural family background were more likely to have considered rural practice. Attitudes based on responses to listed disadvantages and advantages of rural practice were heterogenous. Lifestyle factors seemed to be of particular importance. Although there were perceived deficiencies in opportunities for professional education in rural oncology rotations, 94% felt their rotation had been a positive experience overall and 62% were more likely to consider a rural career following their rural rotation. Improving locum cover for leave was seen as a potential incentive by 97% trainees.

Conclusion:  Despite positive attitudes towards rural practice, many barriers exist preventing recruitment of medical oncology trainees to rural areas, in particular lifestyle factors that are difficult to modify. Factors that can be improved include improving access to clinical trials, enabling access to locum cover. Educational opportunities for current rural trainees need to be improved. Further study into potential incentives to enhance rural recruitment is required.
A Further Look at the Correlation Between Item Parameters and Item Fit Statistics
Authors: Sinharay Sandip , Lu Ying
Published: March 2008

Dodeen (2004) studied the correlation between the item parameters of the three‐parameter logistic model and two item fit statistics, and found some linear relationships (e.g., a positive correlation between item discrimination parameters and item fit statistics) that have the potential for influencing the work of practitioners who employ item response theory. This article examines the same type of linear relationships as studied by Dodeen. However, this article adds to the literature by employing item fit statistics not considered by Dodeen, which have been recently suggested and whose Type I error rates have been demonstrated to be generally close to the nominal level. Detailed simulations show that if one uses certain of the recently suggested item fit statistics, there is no need to worry about any linear relationships between the item parameters and item fit statistics.
An Approach to Evaluating the Missing Data Assumptions of the Chain and Post‐stratification Equating Methods for the NEAT Design
Authors: Holland Paul W. , Sinharay Sandip , Von Davier Alina A. , Han Ning
Published: March 2008

Two important types of observed score equating (OSE) methods for the non‐equivalent groups with Anchor Test (NEAT) design are chain equating (CE) and post‐stratification equating (PSE). CE and PSE reflect two distinctly different ways of using the information provided by the anchor test for computing OSE functions. Both types of methods include linear and nonlinear equating functions. In practical situations, it is known that the PSE and CE methods will give different results when the two groups of examinees differ on the anchor test. However, given that both types of methods are justified as OSE methods by making different assumptions about the missing data in the NEAT design, it is difficult to conclude which, if either, of the two is more correct in a particular situation. This study compares the predictions of the PSE and CE assumptions for the missing data using a special data set for which the usually missing data are available. Our results indicate that in an equating setting where the linking function is decidedly non‐linear and CE and PSE ought to be different, both sets of predictions are quite similar but those for CE are slightly more accurate.
Is There a Global Warming of Patents?
Authors: Straus Joseph
Published: March 2008

The worldwide surge of patent applications has recently been called “global warming of patents”. In this article an attempt is made to test this equation with a clearly negative connotation by analyzing the multilayered reasons for that surge and its future perspectives. Solutions are sought for the resulting backlog of some three million worldwide pending patent applications.
In Pursuit of a Singular Text: New Testament Textual Criticism and the Desire for the True Original
Authors: Knust Jennifer Wright
Published: March 2008

‘In Pursuit of a Singular Text’ surveys developments in the field of New Testament textual criticism, exploring the underlying desire for a transcendent text that informs this work. In the nineteenth century, New Testament text critics and their rivals, defenders of a traditional or Byzantine Greek text, set out to restore the original and, therefore, true text of the New Testament. Identifying the original with long‐lost autograph copies and assuming that a fixed, standardized text must form the basis of Christian faith, these scholars reinforced culturally specific notions of true text in order to restore the link between diverse, particular manifestations of text and the sacred, abstracted text of the New Testament. Yet, worries about textual corruption and claims about the necessity of correction are not exceptional or new, they are fundamental to the maintenance of a belief in a stable textual ground upon which interpretive claims can be legitimately based.
On the History and Future of Sociolinguistic Data
Authors: Kendall Tyler
Published: March 2008

Recordings of natural speech play a central role in the diverse subdisciplines of linguistics. The reliance on speech recordings is especially profound in sociolinguistics, where scholars have developed a range of techniques for eliciting and analyzing natural speech. However, sociolinguists have rarely focused explicitly on the storage, management, and preservation of their data – the interfaces to their data – and this lack of focus has had consequences for the advancement of the field. In this essay, I briefly review the history of data‐management practices within sociolinguistics, insofar as these practices have been discussed in the literature. I then propose new ways to consider and approach natural speech recordings as data for sociolinguistic analysis and provide examples from the North Carolina Sociolinguistic Archive and Analysis Project, a Web‐based digitization and preservation project, to highlight the analytical as well as theoretical benefits of more rigorous considerations of ‘data’ within sociolinguistics.
Genetics, Historical Linguistics and Language Variation
Authors: McMahon April , McMahon Robert
Published: March 2008

Historical linguists have always been interested in grouping varieties and languages together into subgroups and families. However, their methodologies for doing so, and for representing the results, have until relatively recently been limited to the Comparative Method and the family tree. Criteria for family membership have rarely been formalized, while tree diagrams run the risk of factoring out important relationships reflecting language contact. Over the past 20 years, quantitative methods for comparing language data and programs for generating many trees and selecting the best, as well as alternative representations like networks, have become available. These are often borrowed from other disciplines like population biology, and offer scope for comparison with data from other domains, including genetics, archaeology and anthropology. This article reviews current and developing methodologies and debates in this emerging interdisciplinary field.
Corpus Linguistics in the UK: Resources for Sociolinguistic Research
Authors: Anderson Wendy
Published: March 2008

Sociolinguistics has always relied on authentic data, and is increasingly finding value in the methods and textual resources developed by corpus linguists. This article begins by surveying current activity in corpus linguistics in the UK in terms of publications, conferences and networks, and then outlines the range of research currently ongoing, with a particular focus on corpus resources that are readily available and likely to be of use to sociolinguists. This includes general corpora, specialized corpora, and corpora of regional or historical varieties, as well as tools and initiatives for standardization and data‐sharing, which aim to allow users to exploit corpora as fully as possible. The focus is largely on corpora of English, but corpora of other languages are also considered. The discussion treats corpora from the point of view of their availability and the provision of accompanying metadata, both issues central to effective sociolinguistic enquiry.
Managing Diversity? ‘Community Cohesion’ and Its Limits in Neoliberal Urban Policy
Authors: MacLeavy Julie
Published: March 2008

The concept of ‘community cohesion’ has played a defining role in the institution of a new policy agenda for regenerating urban areas in many liberal welfare states. Its particular interpretation supports the installation of urban programmes that are based not on the improvement of the built environment, but rather investment in the social and cultural composition of cities. In particular, the economic and civic participation of individuals living within deprived urban areas is positioned as a key means of redressing situations of inequality and disadvantage. This article reviews the concept of ‘community cohesion’, its use in urban policy in the UK, and the recent literature on this subject. Through an indicative discussion of the New Deal for Communities programme, it explores the potential implications of ‘community cohesion’ for disadvantaged policy subjects and considers especially its provisions for ethnic minority groups: a constellation of community in which individuals are understood to experience a ‘double disadvantage’ as a result of their disproportionate concentration in deprived urban areas, and their subjection to the consequences of racial discrimination (as well as language and cultural barriers).
2002: Hiatal hernia in a puppy
Authors: HUNT GB , O'BRIEN C , KOLENC G , MALIK R
Published: March 2008

A sliding hiatal hernia (where the terminal oesophagus, oesophagogastric junction and part of the stomach move cranially through a diaphragmatic defect) was diagnosed in a 4‐month‐old, Shar‐Pei puppy presented for evaluation of regurgitation. The diagnosis was confirmed using radiography. Herniorraphy consisted of repositioning the stomach within the abdomen, plicating the diaphragmatic hiatus and performing a tube gastropexy to the left abdominal wall. Veterinary practitioners should have a high index of suspicion of hiatal hernia in young puppies, particularly Shar‐Peis and British Bull Dogs, that present with persistent vomiting or regurgitation.
Confirmation of the existence of two distinct genetic groups of infectious bursal disease virus in Australia
Authors: IGNJATOVIC J , SAPATS S
Published: March 2008

Objective To characterise infectious bursal disease viruses (IBDVs) prevalent at major commercial sites throughout Australia and to compare the nucleic acid sequences of local strains of IBDV with those of characterised overseas strains.

Design Samples of bursae were collected from 20 broiler farms that belonged to different poultry companies in New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (Qld), Victoria (Vic), Western (WA) and South Australia (SA).

Method Bursae were collected from broilers between 24 and 35 days of age. Bursal tissue was homogenised and tested for the presence of IBDV antigen using four monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) which detect antigenic variation in IBDV strains. The nucleotide sequences of the hypervariable region (HVR) within the VP2 gene of IBDVs was determined and the deduced amino acid sequences compared with three vaccine strains and six previously characterised Australian IBDV strains. The deduced amino acid sequences were also compared with the published amino acid sequences of overseas strains. The phylogenetic relationships between Australian strains and overseas strains were then determined.

Results IBDV was detected in birds from 14 out of 20 farms sampled. Typing with four Mabs showed that all viruses from Vic (6) and SA (10) were antigenic variants, whereas all viruses from NSW (29), Qld (4) and WA (5) were classical‐like strains. Nucleotide sequencing of one sample from each of the 14 farms on which IBDV was detected confirmed results obtained with Mabs. The amino acid sequences of all Australian viruses differed from the amino acid sequences of foreign IBDV strains. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Australian IBDV viruses belonged to two distinct genetic groups. Very virulent (vv) IBDV strains belonged to a third genetic group, and overseas classical and variant strains belonged to a fourth genetic group.

Conclusions The results confirmed previous findings that there are two groups of IBDV strains circulating in commercial broilers in Australia. The majority are classical‐like strains that are antigenically and genetically similar to vaccine strains 002/73 and V877. These classical strains were prevalent in broilers in three states, NSW, Qld and WA. The second group of strains are antigenic variants that were only found in broilers in two states, Vic and SA. All Australian IBDVs characterised to date are genetically distinct and can be differentiated from all other overseas strains. This enables identification of incursion of any exotic strain into Australian poultry, be it classical, US variant or vvIBDV strains.
Genotyping cattle for inherited congenital myoclonus and maple syrup urine disease
Authors: HEALY PJ , DENNIS JA , WINDSOR PA , PIERCE KD , SCHOFIELD PR
Published: March 2008

Objective To develop a routine procedure for establishing the inherited congenital myoclonus (ICM) genotype of cattle and to obtain an estimate of the prevalence of heterozygotes for ICM and maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) in Australian Poll Herefords.

Design A mismatch amplification procedure was developed to genotype for ICM. The ICM and MSUD genotypes of subjects from a'neuraxial oedema' experimental breeding herd were investigated. Tail hair roots were used as a source of target DNA to determine the ICM and MSUD genotypes of 455 Poll Hereford bulls.

Results An AccI mismatch procedure was found to be suitable to genotype cattle for the ICM alleles using tail hair roots as the source of DNA. Based on the prevalence of heterozy‐gotes among saleyard and sale bulls in the early 1990s, and contemporary slaughter bulls, the frequencies of the alleles responsible for ICM and MSUD were estimated to be between 0.01 and 0.02.

Conclusion This survey demonstrates that the mutations responsible for ICM and MSUD are present in the Australian Poll Hereford population. PCR tests could be used to advantage in differential diagnosis of neurological disease in newly born calves and in selection of Poll Hereford seed stock.
Cryptococcosis in ferrets: a diverse spectrum of clinical disease
Authors: MALIK R , ALDERTON B , FINLAISON D , KROCKENBERGER MB , KARAOGLU H , MEYER W , MARTIN P , FRANCE MP , McGILL J , LESTER SJ , O'BRIEN CR , LOVE DN
Published: March 2008

Cryptococcosis was diagnosed in seven ferrets (five from Australia; two from western Canada) displaying a wide range of clinical signs. Two of the ferrets lived together. One (5‐years‐old) had cryptococcal rhinitis and presented when the infection spread to the nasal bridge. Its sibling developed cryptococcal abscessation of the right retropharyngeal lymph node 12 months later, soon after developing a severe skin condition. DNA fingerprinting and microsatellite analysis demonstrated that the two strains isolated from these siblings were indistinguishable. Two ferrets (2‐ to 3‐years‐old) developed generalised cryptococcosis: one had primary lower respiratory tract disease with pneumonia, pleurisy and medi‐astinal lymph node involvement, while in the other a segment of intestine was the primary focus of infection with subsequent spread to mesenteric lymph nodes, liver and lung. The remaining three ferrets (1.75 to 4‐years‐old) had localised disease of a distal limb, in one case with spread to the regional lymph node. Cryptococcus bacillisporus(formerly C neoformansvar gattii) accounted for three of the four infections in Australian ferrets where the biotype could be determined. The Australian ferret with intestinal involvement and the two ferrets from Vancouver had C neoformansvar grubiiinfections.
The estimated prevalence of Johne's disease infected sheep flocks in Australia
Authors: SERGEANT ESG , BALDOCK FC
Published: March 2008

Objective To estimate the likely geographical distribution and flock‐prevalence of ovine Johne's disease (OJD) in Australia.

Design A cross‐sectional study design was used.

Procedure The results of abattoir surveillance for OJD carried out during 2000 were analysed to estimate the prevalence of infected flocks in three regions of New South Wales and in other States. A Bayesian approach was used to adjust apparent prevalence estimates for the assumed flock‐sensitivity and flock‐specificity of abattoir surveillance, and to allow for uncertainty about the true values of these measures.

Results The 95% probability limits for flock‐prevalence at 31 December 2000 were 0.04%– 1.5%, 8%– 15% and 29%– 39% for low, moderate and high prevalence regions of New South Wales respectively. The other States generally had an upper 97.5% probability limit of about 1% or less. Based on these estimates about 6 to 10% of flocks in New South Wales and 2.4 to 4.4% of flocks Australia‐wide are likely to be infected.

Conclusion This study suggests that OJD has a highly clustered distribution in Australia, and provides estimates of the prevalence of infected flocks by State or region. Based on this analysis there were probably between 2000 and 3700 infected flocks in Australia at 31 December 2000, with more than 80% of these in a relatively small geographic area of central and southern New South Wales. Some States, such as Queensland and Western Australia, may have a prevalence equal or close to 0%, however the technique used was unable to demonstrate the absence of infection in these States with the intensity of surveillance undertaken to date.
Brain damage in pigs produced by impact with a nonpenetrating captive bolt pistol
Authors: FINNIE JW , MANAVIS J , SUMMERSIDES GE , BLUMBERGS PC
Published: March 2008

Objective To assess the effect of impact with a nonpene‐trating captive bolt pistol in pigs by studying the resulting traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to compare the pathological changes with those found previously in the brains of sheep using a similar experimental paradigm.

Procedure The unrestrained heads of six, anaesthetised, 7‐ to 8‐week‐old, Large White pigs were impacted in the temporal region with a nonpenetrating captive bolt pistol. Four hours postimpact, brains were perfusion‐fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde. Coronal sections from six levels along the brain were cut and stained with haematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemically for amyloid precursor protein, a sensitive marker of axonal injury (AI) in the brain after trauma.

Results TBI in pigs was characterised only by very mild AI, whereas AI in sheep after captive bolt impact to the same head region was much more severe and widely distributed and often associated with vascular damage such as contusions, subarachnoid and intraparenchymal haemorrhage.

Conclusions TBI in pigs was much less severe than in sheep after non‐penetrating mechanical impact of similar magnitude, confirming the importance of interspecies differences in determining an appropriate physical method of euthanasia.
Tail docking in dogs: can attitude change be achieved?
Authors: BENNETT PC , PERINI E.
Published: March 2008

The debate about tail docking in domestic dogs continues to rage in many developed countries and attitudes expressed by different community groups remain diametrically opposed. Veterinary associations and welfare organisations typically want the practice banned, while many breeders and pure‐bred dog associations just as vigorously oppose the introduction of anti‐docking legislation. In recent years, much data have been accumulated concerning the welfare implications of tail docking. A recent evaluation of this literature suggests that the practice has little to recommend it and that, in the absence of reasonable case‐by‐case justification, it may constitute an unacceptable abuse of a sentient species. Given this situation, it is difficult to understand why many canine interest groups, presumably representing those people who care most about the welfare of companion dogs, should continue to hold such strong attitudes in favour of tail docking. In this review we attempt to explain why different community groups might espouse strong but opposing attitudes, despite having access to the same information. We argue that the theory of cognitive dissonance, popular among social psychologists, may provide a useful framework within which to understand, and attempt to alter, attitudes that persist even though they appear contrary to available empirical evidence.
RELATION OF DEMOGRAPHIC, CLINIC AND BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS TO PERITONITIS IN PERITONEAL DIALYSIS
Authors: Dogan Sevel , Ekiz Serpil , Yucel Lamia , Ozturk Savas , Kazancioglu Rumeyza
Published: March 2008

The relation of various demographic, clinical and biochemical parameters of peritoneal dialysis patients with peritonitis and other infections was evaluated. The age, gender, peritoneal dialysis (PD) period, educational status, peritonitis, exit site score, serum albumin, C‐reactive protein (CRP), and triglyceride levels at the beginning and the last visit were recorded. Mean age of 32 patients was 45.1 years; PD period was 13.1 months. Albumin level was inversely proportional to the frequency of peritonitis. Patients with peritonitis had albumin levels that were lower at the last visit, and were independent of the CRP values at the start of PD and during follow‐up. Significant correlation was detected between females and exit site scores. There was significant correlation between educational status and peritonitis. Albumin level at first visit was a factor that reduced the likelihood of peritonitis, and low levels obtained during follow‐up constituted a risk for peritonitis. It was also shown that peritonitis risk tended to decrease inversely with education level.
HAEMODIALYSIS FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF TWO YEARS
Authors: Sousa Clemente Neves , Gama Madalena , Andrade Melanie , Faria M. Sameiro , Pereira Eloi
Published: March 2008

Less than 10% of children under 2 years old with end‐stage renal failure in Europe and in the United States of America are treated with haemodialysis. For small children, peritoneal dialysis is often the preferred treatment. Haemodialysis is chosen for a very small number of children, and is only used in some selected centres because of its highly complex technique, the difficulties related to vascular access, and the need to have a skilled and experienced nursing and medical team. With the technological development of recent years, the quality of dialysis treatment offered to paediatric patients has improved considerably and haemodialysis is presently considered to be a safe and efficient treatment for acute or chronic paediatric renal impairment. However, because a successful renal transplant continues to be linked to a better quality of life for children with terminal chronic renal impairment, dialysis ought to be regarded as a temporary treatment method, while waiting for a renal transplant.
NEW WAYS TO APPROACH THE RECRUITMENT CRISIS IN RENAL NURSING IN NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA
Authors: Chow Josephine , Lau Bengy , Gibb Christopher
Published: March 2008

As a strategy to counter the current crisis in staff recruitment and retention in dialysis nursing, a new model of care was designed to introduce Enrolled Nurses (EN) into what was previously almost exclusively a Registered Nurse (RN) workforce. The programme comprises training in medication administration conducted at the Technical and Further Education (TAFE) centre, training in dialysis procedures in the haemodialysis unit and clinical placement in the renal ward. Successful participants were recognised as Endorsed Enrolled Nurses, able to undertake extended roles in renal nursing care. A descriptive study was conducted. Nurses reported a high level of comfort, frequency, preparedness, confidence, competence and control. An audit of patient adverse events was also undertaken. Findings indicated no significant difference in patient admission rates, infection rates, and medication or procedure errors. In this article, the authors describe the design, implementation and evaluation of an educational programme for EN practicing in specialised haemodialysis services.
Initialization of Fractional-Order Operators and Fractional Differential Equations
Authors: Lorenzo Carl F. , Hartley Tom T.
Published: March 2008

It has been known that the initialization of fractional operators requires time-varying functions, a complicating factor. This paper simplifies the process of initialization of fractional differential equations by deriving Laplace transforms for the initialized fractional integral and derivative that generalize those for the integer-order operators. The new transforms unify the initialization of systems of fractional and ordinary differential equations. The paper provides background on past work in the area and determines the Laplace transforms for the initialized fractional integral and fractional derivatives of any (real) order. An application provides insight and demonstrates the theory.
Fractional Constrained Systems and Caputo Derivatives
Authors: Baleanu Dumitru
Published: March 2008

During the last few years, remarkable developments have been made in the theory of the fractional variational principles and their applications to control problems and fractional quantization issue. The variational principles have been used in physics to construct the phase space of a fractional dynamical system. Based on the Caputo derivatives, the fractional dynamics of discrete constrained systems is presented and the notion of the reduced phase space is discussed. Two examples of discrete constrained system are analyzed in detail.
Fractional Optimal Control of a Distributed System Using Eigenfunctions
Authors: Agrawal Om P.
Published: March 2008

This paper presents a formulation and a numerical scheme for fractional optimal control (FOC) for a class of distributed systems. The fractional derivative is defined in the Caputo sense. The performance index of an FOC problem (FOCP) is considered as a function of both the state and the control variables, and the dynamic constraints are expressed by partial fractional differential equations. Eigenfunctions are used to eliminate the space parameter and to define the problem in terms of a set of state and control variables. This leads to a multi-FOCP in which each FOCP could be solved independently. Several other strategies are pointed out to reduce the problem to a finite dimensional space, some of which may not provide a decoupled set of equations. The calculus of variations, the Lagrange multiplier, and the formula for fractional integration by parts are used to obtain Euler–Lagrange equations for the problem. In the proposed technique, the FOC equations are reduced to Volterra-type integral equations. The time domain is discretized into several segments and a time marching scheme is used to obtain the response at discrete time points. For a linear case, the numerical technique results into a set of algebraic equations, which can be solved using a direct or an iterative scheme. The problem is solved for different number of eigenfunctions and time discretizations. Numerical results show that only a few eigenfunctions are sufficient to obtain good results, and the solutions converge as the size of the time step is reduced. The formulation presented is simple and can be extended to FOC of other distributed systems.
Identifying a Transfer Function From a Frequency
Response
Authors: Valério Duarte , Ortigueira Manuel Duarte , Sá da Costa José
Published: March 2008

In this paper, the classic Levy identification method is reviewed and reformulated using a complex representation. This new formulation addresses the well known bias of the classic method at low frequencies. The formulation is generic, coping with both integer order and fractional order transfer functions. A new algorithm based on a stacked matrix and its pseudoinverse is proposed to accommodate the data over a wide range of frequencies. Several simulation results are presented, together with a real system identification. This system is the Archimedes Wave Swing, a prototype of a device to convert the energy of sea waves into electricity.
Modeling of Electrochemical Double Layer Capacitors by Means of Fractional Impedance
Authors: Martín Rodolfo , Quintana Jose J. , Ramos Alejandro , de la Nuez Ignacio
Published: March 2008

The application of the fractional calculus for modeling electrochemical double layer capacitors is a novel way to get simpler and precise models. On using the impedance spectroscopy method, experimental results for different values have been obtained. In this paper, several classical mathematical models are studied and a different method is introduced in order to get a model from electrochemical double layer capacitors. This method is based on distinct models with fractional elements, and some parameters of the models are fitted to the experimental data, with minimal error. Finally, a Havriliak–Negami function based model is proposed. It achieves excellent fitting to the whole frequency interval analyzed.
Practical Tuning Rule Development for Fractional Order Proportional and Integral Controllers
Authors: Chen YangQuan , Bhaskaran Tripti , Xue Dingyü
Published: March 2008

This paper presents a new practical tuning method for fractional order proportional and integral (FO-PI) controller. The plant to be controlled is mainly first order plus delay time (FOPDT). The tuning is optimum in the sense that the load disturbance rejection is optimized yet with a constraint on the maximum or peak sensitivity. We generalized Ms constrained integral (MIGO) based controller tuning method to handle the FO-PI case, called F-MIGO, given the fractional order α. The F-MIGO method is then used to develop tuning rules for the FOPDT class of dynamic systems. The final developed tuning rules only apply the relative dead time τ of the FOPDT model to determine the best fractional order α and at the same time to determine the best FO-PI gains. Extensive simulation results are included to illustrate the simple yet practical nature of the developed new tuning rules. The tuning rule development procedure for FO-PI is not only valid for FOPDT but also applicable for other general class of plants.
Fractional Order Filter Enhanced LQR for Seismic Protection of Civil Structures
Authors: Shafieezadeh Abdollah , Ryan Keri , Chen YangQuan
Published: March 2008

This study presents fractional order filters to enhance the performance of the conventional linear quadratic regulator (LQR) method for optimal robust control of a simple civil structure. The introduced filters modify the state variables fed back to the constant gain controller. Four combinations of fractional order filter and LQR are considered and optimized based on a new performance criterion defined in the paper. Introducing fractional order filters is shown to considerably improve the results for both the artificially generated ground motions and previously recorded earthquake data.