bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of inherited antithrombin, protein C, and protein S deficiencies in portal vein system thrombosis and Budd‐Chiari syndrome: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of observational studies
Authors: Qi Xingshun , De Stefano Valerio , Wang Juan , Bai Ming , Yang Zhiping , Han Guohong , Fan Daiming
Published: December 2012

Abstact

Background and Aim

The prevalence of inherited antithrombin (AT), protein C (PC), and protein S (PS) deficiencies in portal vein system thrombosis (PVST) and Budd‐Chiari syndrome (BCS) are substantially varied in different studies. No quantitative syntheses of these studies have been performed. A systematic review and meta‐analysis were conducted to examine the prevalence of inherited AT, PC, and PS deficiencies in these patients and to compare the prevalence with healthy subjects.

Methods

PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were employed to identify all studies in which inherited AT, PC, and PS deficiencies in PVST and/or BCS were evaluated by family study or gene analysis. Prevalence and odds ratios of these inherited deficiencies were pooled; heterogeneity among studies was evaluated.

Results

Nine studies were included in our meta‐analysis. The pooled prevalence of inherited AT, PC, and PS deficiencies were 3.9%, 5.6%, and 2.6% in PVST, and 2.3%, 3.8%, and 3.0% in BCS, respectively. Heterogeneity among studies was not significant except for the analysis of inherited PC deficiency in BCS. Three studies compared the prevalence of these inherited deficiencies between PVST patients and healthy subjects. The pooled odds ratios of inherited AT, PC, and PS deficiencies for PVST patients were 8.89 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.34–33.72, P = 0.0011), 17.63 (95% CI 1.97–158.21, P = 0.0032), and 8.00 (95% CI 1.61–39.86, P = 0.011), respectively. Only one study demonstrated that no inherited deficiency was found in both BCS patients and healthy subjects.

Conclusions

Inherited AT, PC, and PS deficiencies are rare in PVST and BCS. These inherited deficiencies increase the risk of PVST.
Large primary hepatocellular carcinoma: Transarterial chemoembolization monotherapy versus combined transarterial chemoembolization‐percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy
Authors: Xu Lin‐Feng , Sun Hong‐Liang , Chen Yao‐Ting , Ni Jia‐Yan , Chen Dong , Luo Jiang‐Hong , Zhou Jing‐Xing , Hu Ren‐Mei , Tan Qi‐Yun
Published: December 2012

Background and Aim

To evaluate the clinical benefits of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) monotherapy or TACE combined with percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy (PMCT) and the long‐term survival rate of patients with large primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with these techniques.

Methods

This is a retrospective study involving 136 patients with unresectable large HCC (189 tumor nodules, ≥ 5.0 cm in diameter) admitted to Sun Yat‐Sen University Memorial Hospital (Guangzhou, China) between January 2004 and December 2011. The median follow‐up time was 41 months (range, 6–96 months). Of these patients, 80 patients received TACE monotherapy and 56 patients received TACE combined with PMCT. The median interval between treatments and overall survival (OS) were hierarchically analyzed using log–rank tests.

Results

All patients successfully underwent TACE alone or TACE with PMCT with no serious complications. The median survival time was 13 months (range, 3–84 months) for the TACE group and 25 months (range, 7–96 months) for the TACE‐PMCT group. The 1‐year, 3‐year, and 5‐year OS rates were 62.5%, 17.5%, and 5.0% in the TACE group, respectively. In contrast, in the TACE‐PMCT group, the 1‐year, 3‐year, and 5‐year OS rates were 87.5%, 50.0%, and 10.0%, respectively. This difference was statistically significant between the groups (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

TACE combined with PMCT had advantages in prolonging OS with satisfying time to progression and improving liver function in patients with large unresectable HCC. The results suggest that further prospective studies are required to confirm the findings of this study.
Petrological and zircon evidence for anatexis of UHP quartzite during continental collision in the Sulu orogen
Authors: Chen Y.‐X. , Zheng Y.‐F. , Hu Z.
Published: December 2012

Petrological evidence is provided for anatexis of ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) metamorphic quartzite in the Sulu orogen. Some feldspar grains exhibit elongated, highly cuspate shapes or occur as interstitial, cuspate phases constituting interconnected networks along grain boundaries. Elongated veinlets composed of plagioclase + quartz ± K‐feldspar also occur in grain boundaries. These features provide compelling evidence for anatexis of the UHP quartzite. Zircon grains from impure quartzite are all metamorphic growth with highly irregular shape. They contain inclusions of coesite, jadeite, rutile and lower pressure minerals, including multiphase solid inclusions that are composed of two or more phases of muscovite, quartz, K‐feldspar and plagioclase. All zircon grains exhibit steep REE patterns, similar U–Pb ages and Hf isotope compositions with a weighted mean of 218 ± 2 Ma. Most grains have similar δ18O values of −0.6 to 0.1‰, but a few fall in the range −5.2 to −4.3‰. Thus, these grains would have grown from anatectic melts at various pressures. Zircon O isotope differences indicate that anatectic melts were derived from different sources with contrasting O isotopes, but similar Hf isotopes, that is, one from the quartzite itself and the other probably from the country‐rock granitic gneiss. Zircon grains from pure quartzite contain relict magmatic cores and significant metamorphic overgrowths. Domains that contain eclogite facies minerals exhibit flat HREE patterns, no Eu anomalies and concordant U–Pb ages of c. 220 Ma. Similar U–Pb ages are also obtained for domains that contain lower pressure minerals and exhibit steep REE patterns and marked negative Eu anomalies. These observations indicate that zircon records subsolidus overgrowth at eclogite facies conditions but suprasolidus growth at lower pressures. Zircon enclosed by garnet gave consistent U–Pb ages of c. 214 Ma. Such garnet is interpreted as a peritectic product of the anatectic reaction that involves felsic minerals and possibly amphibole and titanite. The REE patterns of epidote and titanite also record multistage growth and metasomatism by anatectic melts. Therefore, the anatexis of UHP metamorphic rocks is evident during continental collision in the Triassic.
An Initial Lexicon for Sensory Properties of Dry Dog Food
Authors: Di Donfrancesco B. , Koppel K. , Chambers E.
Published: December 2012

A sensory lexicon for human description of the flavor, aroma, texture and appearance characteristics of dry dog food was developed using a consensus profile method. Twenty‐one products, available in the U.S. market, were studied. A five‐member highly trained descriptive sensory panel identified, defined and referenced more than 70 sensory attributes for this product category. The lexicon established included attributes common to most of the samples such as barnyard, brothy, brown, grain, soy, vitamin, off‐flavors oxidized oil, cardboard and stale, and attributes appropriate for only a few products such as liver, fish, burnt, spice brown, garlic, celery, clove and smoky. The product category often showed a blended sensory profile and overall impact was evaluated to better discriminate among the products.

Practical Applications

One of the most competitive and economically relevant industries of food processing is pet food production. Although there are physiological sensory differences among Canis familiaris and Homo sapiens, human sensory data can be useful for several purposes. This research provides a lexicon that can be used as a starting point to describe the appearance, texture, aroma and flavor characteristics of dry dog food products when such information is needed for quality control, shelf life, product development or claims substantiation. This information is useful to product developers, researchers and technologists in understanding these characteristics and using those attributes to improve dry dog food products.
Violence experienced by nurses at six university hospitals in Turkey
Authors: Ünsal Atan Ş. , Baysan Arabaci L. , Sirin A. , Isler A. , Donmez S. , Unsal Guler M. , Oflaz U. , Yalcinkaya Ozdemir G. , Yazar Tasbasi F.
Published: December 2012

Accessible summary

Nurses in Turkey are subjected to verbal and/or physical violence from patients, visitors and health staff.

However, nurses are not effectively attempting to stop the process of violence.

The data obtained in the study will lead to improved awareness and understanding of this important issue among nurses.

This research was conducted to analyse the violence experienced by nurses employed at six university hospitals. A descriptive and cross‐sectional study was conducted. The research sample consisted of 441 nurses who worked in the emergency, intensive care and psychiatry units of six university hospitals in Turkey between June 2008 and June 2009 and who voluntarily agreed to participate. It was found that 60.8% of the nurses were subjected to verbal violence and/or physical violence from patients, visitors or health staff. Of the nurses who were subjected to workplace violence, 42.9% stated that their experience of verbal and/or physical violence had a negative impact on their physical and/or psychological health, and 42.9% stated that their work performance was negatively affected. Of these nurses, 1.8% stated that they received professional help, 13.6% stated that a report was made and 9.5% stated that they contacted the hospital police in some way. According to the findings of this research, similar to the situation worldwide, nurses in Turkey are subjected to verbal and/or physical violence from patients, visitors and health staff.
Effect of non‐starch‐polysaccharide‐degrading enzymes as feed additive on the rumen bacterial population in non‐lactating cows quantified by real‐time PCR
Authors: Zeitz J. O. , Guertler P. , Pfaffl M. W. , Eisenreich R. , Wiedemann S. , Schwarz F. J.
Published: December 2012

The effects of non‐starch‐polysaccharide‐degrading enzymes, added to a maize silage‐ and grass silage‐based total mixed ration (TMR) at least 14 h before feeding, on the rumen bacterial population were investigated. Six non‐lactating Holstein Friesian cows were allocated to three treatment groups using a duplicate 3 × 3 Latin square design with three 31‐day periods (29 days of adaptation and 2 days of sampling). Treatments were control TMR [69% forage and 31% concentrates on a dry matter (DM) basis] or TMR with 13.8 or 27.7 ml/kg of feed DM of Roxazyme G2 liquid with activities (U/ml enzyme preparation) of xylanase 260 000, β‐glucanase 180 000 and cellulase 8000 (DSM Nutritional Products, Basel, Switzerland). The concentrations of 16S rDNA of Anaerovibrio lipolytica, Fibrobacter succinogenes, Prevotella ruminicola, Ruminococcus flavefaciens, Selenomonas ruminantium and Treponema bryantii, and their relative percentage of total bacteria in rumen samples obtained before feeding and 3 and 7 h after feeding and from two rumen fractions were determined using real‐time PCR. Sampling time had only little influence, but bacterial numbers and the composition of the population differed between the transition layer between rumen fluid and the fibre mat (fraction A) and the rumen fluid (fraction B) highlighting the importance to standardize sampling. The 16S rDNA copies of total bacteria and the six bacterial species as well as the population composition were mainly unaffected by the high levels of exogenous enzymes supplemented at all sampling times and in both rumen fractions. Occasionally, the percentages of the non‐fibrolytic species P. ruminicola and A. lipolytica changed in response to enzyme supplementation. Some increases in the potential degradability of the diet and decreases in lag time which occurred collaterally indicate that other factors than changes in numbers of non‐particle‐associated bacteria are mainly responsible for the effects of exogenous enzymes.
Hybridogenesis through thelytokous parthenogenesis in twoCataglyphisdesert ants
Authors: Eyer P. A. , Leniaud L. , Darras H. , Aron S.
Published: December 2012

Hybridogenesis is a sexual reproductive system, whereby parents from different genetic origin hybridize. Both the maternal and paternal genomes are expressed in somatic tissues, but the paternal genome is systematically excluded from the germ line, which is therefore purely maternal. Recently, a unique case of hybridogenesis at a social level was reported in the desert antCataglyphis hispanica. All workers are sexually produced hybridogens, whereas sexual forms (new queens and males) are produced by queens through parthenogenesis. Thus, only maternal genes are perpetuated across generations. Here, we show that such an unusual reproductive strategy also evolved in two other species ofCataglyphisbelonging to the same phylogenetic group,Cataglyphis veloxandCataglyphis mauritanica. In both species, queens mate exclusively with males originating from a different genetic lineage than their own to produce hybrid workers, while they use parthenogenesis to produce the male and female reproductive castes. In contrast to single‐queen colonies ofC. hispanica, colonies ofC. veloxandC. mauritanicaare headed by several queens. Most queens within colonies share the same multilocus genotype and never transmit their mates' alleles to the reproductive castes. Social hybridogenesis in the desert ants has direct consequences on the genetic variability of populations and on caste determination. We also discuss the maintenance of this reproductive strategy within the genusCataglyphis.
Person‐centred care in nursing documentation
Authors: Broderick Margaret C. , Coffey Alice
Published: December 2012

Aims and objectives

To explore nursing documentation in long‐term care, to determine whether it reflected a person‐centred approach to care and to describe aspects of PCC as they appeared in nursing records.

Background

Documentation is an essential part of nursing. It provides evidence that care has been carried out and contains important information to enhance the quality and continuity of care. Person‐centred care (PCC) is an approach to care that is underpinned by mutual respect and the development of a therapeutic relationship between the patient and nurse. It is a core principle in standards for residential care settings for older people and is beneficial for both patients and staff (International Practice Development in Nursing and Healthcare, Chichester, Blackwell, 2008 and The Implementation of a Model of Person‐Centred Practice in Older Person Settings, Dublin, Health Service Executive, 2010a). However, the literature suggests a lack of person‐centredness within nursing documentation (International Journal of Older People Nursing 2, 2007, 263 and The Implementation of a Model of Person‐Centred Practice in Older Person Settings, Dublin, Health Service Executive, 2010a).

Method

A qualitative descriptive study using the PCN framework (Person‐centred Nursing; Theory and Practice, Oxford, Wiley‐Blackwell, 2010) as the context through which nursing assessments and care plans were explored.

Results

Findings indicated that many nursing records were incomplete, and information regarding psychosocial aspects of care was infrequent. There was evidence that nurses engaged with residents and worked with their beliefs and values. However, nursing documentation was not completed in consultation with the patient, and there was little to suggest that patients were involved in decisions relating to their care.

Implications for practice

The structure of nursing documentation can be a major obstacle to the recording of PCC and appropriate care planning. Documentation that is focused on the ‘person’ will contribute to a more meaningful relationship between nurses and residents.
Working with ‘hands‐off’ support: a qualitative study of multidisciplinary teams’ experiences of home rehabilitation for older people
Authors: Randström Kerstin Björkman , Wengler Yvonne , Asplund Kenneth , Svedlund Marianne
Published: December 2012

Background

There is a move towards the provision of rehabilitation for older people in their homes. It is essential to ensure that rehabilitation services promote independence of older people.

Aim

The aim of the study was to explore multidisciplinary teams' experiences of home rehabilitation for older people.

Methods

Five focus groups were conducted with multidisciplinary teams based in a municipality in Sweden, covering seven different professions. In total, 28 participants volunteered to participate in these interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed according to content analysis.

Results

Two main categories, as well as four subcategories, emerged. The first main category, having a rehabilitative approach in everyday life, consisted of the subcategories: ‘giving ‘hands‐off’ support’ and ‘being in a home environment’. The second main category, working across professional boundaries, consisted of the subcategories: ‘coordinating resources’ and ‘learning from each other’.

Conclusion

Common goals, communication skills and role understanding contributed to facilitating the teams' performances of rehabilitation. A potential benefit of home rehabilitation, because the older person is in a familiar environment, is to work a rehabilitative approach into each individual's activity in their everyday life in order to meet their specific needs. At an organisational level, there is a need for developing services to further support older people's psychosocial needs during rehabilitation.

Implications for practice

Team performance towards an individual's rehabilitation should come from an emerged whole and not only from the performance of a specific professional approach depending on the traditional role of each profession. A rehabilitative approach is based on ‘hands‐off’ support in order to incorporate an individual's everyday activities as a part of their rehabilitation.
Unicystic ameloblastoma mimicking a lateral periodontal cyst
Authors: Majid O.W.
Published: December 2012

Unicystic ameloblastoma (UA) is a subtype that represents 5–22% of all ameloblastoma types. In this report, a 41‐year‐old patient is presented with a swelling in the right side of the mouth since 2 months with no facial disfigurement. On clinical examination, a firm non‐tender mass bulging between the right lower first and second premolars. Fine‐needle aspiration yielded only little non‐specific fluid. A panoramic radiograph was taken, which showed a large well‐defined radiolucency measured about 3.5 cm in diameter resembling a lateral periodontal cyst. The lesion was totally removed by surgical enucleation under local anaesthesia. The histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of UA of mural type. The patient was informed of the prognosis and put on periodic follow‐up.
Identification of PCR markers linked to different Or genes in sunflower
Authors: Imerovski Ivana , Dimitrijevic Aleksandra , Miladinovic Dragana , Dedic Bosko , Jocic Sinisa , Kovacevic Branislav , Obreht Dragana
Published: December 2012

Broomrape is a parasitic plant that significantly decreases yield of sunflower. Breeding for resistance has proved to be the most efficient method for suppressing broomrape infestation in the field; however, new races of parasite constantly emerge, and new resistance genes need to be discovered and introduced into cultivated sunflower lines. The aim of this work was to test SSR markers from linkage group 3 (LG3) to investigate whether they could be used for identification of a particular Or gene. Twenty sunflower inbred lines were used, and polymorphism between the lines with various resistance genes and genetic background was investigated. The used markers revealed DNA polymorphism between the investigated lines. Strong association of markers from LG3 with Or6, as well as Or4 and Or2 genes, was found. Identified markers could be used for introduction of these resistance genes into commercial sunflower lines and for establishment and identification of differential lines.
Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for pure red cell aplasia – A case report and review of the literature
Authors: Paisiou Anna , Goussetis Evgenios , Dimopoulou Maria , Kitra Vassiliki , Peristeri Ioulia , Vessalas Giorgos , Gavra Maria , Theodorou Virginia A. , Graphakos Stelios
Published: December 2012

ADEM is a rare inflammatory demyelinating disease of the CNS, which usually presents after a viral infection or a vaccination. We report a 15‐yr‐old boy who was diagnosed with ADEM after an HLA‐identical sibling allogeneic BMT for transfusion‐dependent PRCA. His course was complicated with GVHD affecting the skin and lungs. Five months post‐BMT, he developed neurological symptoms including sudden mental status alteration, dysarthria, facial nerve palsy, and acute paraplegia. The MRI revealed multifocal hyperintense lesions mainly in the subcortical white matter of the cerebrum, the brainstem, the basal ganglia, and the thalami. CSF examination was normal. There was no laboratory evidence of infection. The typical MRI findings and an acute monophasic clinical course were consistent with the diagnosis of ADEM. Clinical and radiological improvement was observed after treatment with high‐dose steroids and IVIG. Complete neurologic recovery was achieved six months after the onset of symptoms. We present a rare case of ADEM post‐BMT and review of the literature.
Lung transplantation in children following bone marrow transplantation: A multi‐center experience
Authors: Yousef S. , Benden C. , Boyer D. , Elidemir O. , Frischer T. , Goldfarb S. , Lopez‐Mitnik G. , Mallory G. , Visner G. , Westall G. , Schecter M. G.
Published: December 2012

Allogenic BMT has been successfully performed as a treatment for hematologic diseases with an expected long‐term survival. This survival is truncated by respiratory complications including airway obstruction especially BO. Chronic GVHD has been reported to precede almost all cases reported. LTx has become a therapeutic life‐saving option for patients with end‐stage lung disease that maybe offered for the treatment of GVHD. We report a multi‐center experience of pediatric LTx following BMT in 11 patients age‐ and gender‐matched with 11 controls who received LTx for end‐stage lung disease secondary to CF. Overall death was 36.4% over a follow‐up period of 19 months (range 3–36 months) for the cases and 27.3% for the control group followed for 17 months (range 8–32 months). Median FEV1 one yr post‐transplant for the cases was 78% predicted compared with 67.3% predicted for the controls. The median for episodes of infection was comparable at a median of one episode per patient through the entire follow‐up period among both groups. Acute rejection episodes were significantly higher in the control group with a median of one episode per patient in the control group compared to none within the cases. Our data suggest that LTx may be a valuable therapeutic option for children with end‐stage lung disease post‐BMT with comparable survival outcome to that after LTx in children for other indications such as CF. Hospital stay was significantly longer in our case group. Infection rate was comparable between groups albeit type of infection varied. Significantly and of interest is that acute rejection episodes were non‐existent in these cases.
Is Intuition Based On Understanding?
Authors: Chudnoff Elijah
Published: December 2012

According to the most popular non‐skeptical views about intuition, intuitions justify beliefs because they are based on understanding. More precisely: if intuiting that p justifies you in believing that p it does so because your intuition is based on your understanding of the proposition that p. The aim of this paper is to raise some challenges for accounts of intuitive justification along these lines. I pursue this project from a non‐skeptical perspective. I argue that there are cases in which intuiting that p justifies you in believing that p, but such that there is no compelling reason to think this is because your intuition is based on your understanding of the proposition that p.
Three Cheers for Double Effect
Authors: Nelkin Dana Kay , Rickless Samuel c.
Published: December 2012

The doctrine of double effect, together with other moral principles that appeal to the intentions of moral agents, has come under attack from many directions in recent years, as have a variety of rationales that have been given in favor of it. In this paper, our aim is to develop, defend, and provide a new theoretical rationale for a secular version of the doctrine. Following Quinn (1989), we distinguish between Harmful Direct Agency and Harmful Indirect Agency. We propose the following version of the doctrine: that in cases in which harm must come to some in order to achieve a good (and is the least costly of possible harms necessary), the agent foresees the harm, and all other things are equal, a stronger case is needed to justify Harmful Direct Agency than to justify Harmful Indirect Agency. We distinguish between two Kantian rationales that might be given for the doctrine, a “dependent right” rationale, defended by Quinn, and an “independent right” rationale, which we defend. We argue that the doctrine and the “independent right” rationale for it are not vulnerable to counterexamples or counterproposals, and conclude by drawing implications for the larger debate over whether agents' intentions are in any way relevant to permissibility and obligation.
The Assessment of Elaborated Role‐play in Young Children: Invisible Friends, Personified Objects, and Pretend Identities
Authors: Taylor Marjorie , Sachet Alison B. , Maring Bayta L. , Mannering Anne M.
Published: December 2012

Role‐play (i.e., pretending in which children imagine and act out the part of another individual) was assessed with child interviews and parent questionnaires about invisible friends, personified objects, and pretend identities in a sample of 208 young children. Children who engaged in role‐play did not differ from other children in age or vocabulary comprehension. However, they were better able to generate a pretend conversation than other children and were rated by their parents as less shy. The overall pattern of results suggests that the capacity to interact with imaginary others (in and out of the lab) is more closely associated with individual differences in personality than developmental level.
Identification of bovine leukocyte antigen class II haplotypes associated with variations in bovine leukemia virus proviral load in Japanese Black cattle
Authors: Miyasaka T. , Takeshima S.‐n. , Jimba M. , Matsumoto Y. , Kobayashi N. , Matsuhashi T. , Sentsui H. , Aida Y.
Published: December 2012

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is the etiological agent of enzootic bovine leukosis, which is the most common neoplastic disease of cattle. Bovine leukocyte antigen (BoLA) is strongly involved in the subclinical progression of BLV infections. Recent studies show that the BoLA‐DRB3 gene might play a direct role in controlling the number of BLV‐infected peripheral B lymphocytes in vivo in Holstein cattle. However, the specific BoLA class II allele and DRB3‐DQA1 haplotypes determining the BLV proviral load in Japanese Black cattle are yet to be identified. In this study, we focused on the association of BLV proviral load and polymorphism of BoLA class II in Japanese Black cattle. We genotyped 186 BLV‐infected, clinically normal cattle for BoLA‐DRB3 and BoLA‐DQA1 using a polymerase chain reaction‐sequence‐based typing method. BoLA‐DRB3*0902 and BoLA‐DRB3*1101 were associated with a low proviral load (LPVL), and BoLA‐DRB3*1601 was associated with a high proviral load (HPVL). Furthermore, BoLA‐DQA1*0204 and BoLA‐DQA1*10012 were related to LPVL and HPVL, respectively. Furthermore, we confirmed the correlation between the DRB3‐DQA1 haplotype and BLV proviral load. Two haplotypes, namely 0902B or C (DRB3*0902‐DQA1*0204) and 1101A (DRB3*1101‐DQA1*10011), were associated with a low BLV proviral load, whereas one haplotype 1601B (DRB3*1601‐DQA1*10012) was associated with a high BLV proviral load. We conclude that resistance is a dominant trait and susceptibility is a recessive trait. Additionally, resistant alleles were common between Japanese Black and Holstein cattle, and susceptible alleles differed. This is the first report to identify an association between the DRB3‐DQA1 haplotype and variations in BLV proviral load.
Anterior segment dysgenesis (Peters' anomaly) in two snow leopard (Panthera uncia) cubs
Authors: Hamoudi Hassan , Rudnick Jens‐Christian , Prause Jan U. , Tauscher Kerstin , Breithaupt Angele , Teifke Jens P. , Heegaard Steffen
Published: December 2012

Two sibling snow leopards, a male and a female, with bilateral anterior segment dysgenesis (ASD), are reported. Both snow leopards also had colobomas of both upper eyelids. All eyes exhibited a central corneal opacity associated with a defect in posterior corneal stroma, endothelium and Descemet's membrane. Iris strands were present attached to the termination of Descemet's membrane and to the periphery of the posterior corneal defect. The iris was hypoplastic, and cataract was present in all four eyes. The left eye of the female was microphthalmic, with no trabecular meshwork and with persistent remnant of the hyaloid artery. The male had hydrocephalus and thus some of the features of Peters' plus syndrome (Peters' anomaly in addition to systemic malformations). The histological findings in the eyes of these snow leopard siblings are identical with those described in humans with Peters' anomaly.
A procedure for estimating gestural scores from speech acoustics
Authors: Nam Hosung , Mitra Vikramjit , Tiede Mark , Hasegawa-Johnson Mark , Espy-Wilson Carol , Saltzman Elliot , Goldstein Louis
Published: December 2012

Speech can be represented as a constellation of constricting vocal tract actions called gestures, whose temporal patterning with respect to one another is expressed in a gestural score. Current speech datasets do not come with gestural annotation and no formal gestural annotation procedure exists at present. This paper describes an iterative analysis-by-synthesis landmark-based time-warping architecture to perform gestural annotation of natural speech. For a given utterance, the Haskins Laboratories Task Dynamics and Application (TADA) model is employed to generate a corresponding prototype gestural score. The gestural score is temporally optimized through an iterative timing-warping process such that the acoustic distance between the original and TADA-synthesized speech is minimized. This paper demonstrates that the proposed iterative approach is superior to conventional acoustically-referenced dynamic timing-warping procedures and provides reliable gestural annotation for speech datasets.
Behavioral evidence for auditory induction in a species of rodent: Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus)
Authors: Kobayasi Kohta I. , Usami Akihiro , Riquimaroux Hiroshi
Published: December 2012

When a segment of sound of interest is interrupted by a loud extraneous noise, humans perceive that the missing sound continues during the intrusive noise. This restoration of auditory information occurs in perceptions of both speech and non-speech sounds (e.g., tone bursts), a phenomenon referred to as auditory induction. In this study, Mongolian gerbils were trained with standard Go/No-Go operant conditioning to discriminate continuous tone bursts (the Go stimulus) from tone bursts with a silent gap in the middle (the No-Go stimulus). Noise was added to Go and No-Go stimuli to determine the condition under which induction would occur. The Mongolian gerbils engaged in Go responses to No-Go stimuli only when the noise spectrally surrounding the tone was of the same duration as the silent portion of the No-Go stimulus; these results match those previously reported in primates (humans and macaque monkeys). The result presents not only the evidence of the auditory induction in a rodent species but also suggests that similar mechanisms for restoring missing sounds are shared among mammals. Additionally, our findings demonstrated that the rodent can serve as a valuable animal model for future studies of perceptual restoration.
Probability distribution for energy of saturated broadband ocean acoustic transmission: Results from Gulf of Maine 2006 experiment
Authors: Tran Duong , Andrews Mark , Ratilal Purnima
Published: December 2012

The probability distribution of ocean-acoustic broadband signal energy after saturated multipath propagation is derived using coherence theory. The frequency components obtained from Fourier decomposition of a broadband signal are each assumed to be fully saturated with energy spectral density that obey the exponential distribution with 5.6 dB standard deviation and unity scintillation index. When the signal bandwidth and measurement time are larger than the correlation bandwidth and correlation time, respectively, of its energy spectral density components, the broadband signal energy obtained by integrating the energy spectral density across the signal bandwidth then follows the Gamma distribution with a standard deviation smaller than 5.6 dB and a scintillation index less than unity. The theory is verified with broadband transmissions in the Gulf of Maine shallow water waveguide in the 300 to 1200 Hz frequency range. The standard deviations of received broadband signal energies range from 2.7 to 4.6 dB for effective bandwidths up to 42 Hz, while the standard deviations of individual energy spectral density components are roughly 5.6 dB. The energy spectral density correlation bandwidths of the received broadband signals are found to be larger for signals with higher center frequencies and are roughly 10% of each center frequency.
Energy-based method for near-real time modeling of sound field in complex urban environments
Authors: Pasareanu Stephanie M. , Remillieux Marcel C. , Burdisso Ricardo A.
Published: December 2012

Prediction of the sound field in large urban environments has been limited thus far by the heavy computational requirements of conventional numerical methods such as boundary element (BE) or finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) methods. Recently, a considerable amount of work has been devoted to developing energy-based methods for this application, and results have shown the potential to compete with conventional methods. However, these developments have been limited to two-dimensional (2-D) studies (along street axes), and no real description of the phenomena at issue has been exposed. Here the mathematical theory of diffusion is used to predict the sound field in 3-D complex urban environments. A 3-D diffusion equation is implemented by means of a simple finite-difference scheme and applied to two different types of urban configurations. This modeling approach is validated against FDTD and geometrical acoustic (GA) solutions, showing a good overall agreement. The role played by diffraction near buildings edges close to the source is discussed, and suggestions are made on the possibility to predict accurately the sound field in complex urban environments, in near real time simulations.
Simulations of multi-beam sonar echos from schooling individual fish in a quiet environment
Authors: Holmin Arne Johannes , Handegard Nils Olav , Korneliussen Rolf J. , Tjøstheim Dag
Published: December 2012

A model is developed and demonstrated for simulating echosounder and sonar observations of fish schools with specified shapes and composed of individuals having specified target strengths and behaviors. The model emulates the performances of actual multi-frequency echosounders and multi-beam echosounders and sonars and generates synthetic echograms of fish schools that can be compared with real echograms. The model enables acoustic observations of large in situ fish schools to be evaluated in terms of individual and aggregated fish behaviors. It also facilitates analyses of the sensitivity of fish biomass estimates to different target strength models and their parameterizations. To demonstrate how this tool may facilitate objective interpretations of acoustically estimated fish biomass and behavior, simulated echograms of fish with different spatial and orientation distributions are compared with real echograms of herring collected with a multi-beam sonar aboard the research vessel “G.O. Sars.” Results highlight the important effects of fish-backscatter directivity, particularly when sensing with small acoustic wavelengths relative to the fish length. Results also show that directivity is both a potential obstacle to estimating fish biomass accurately and a potential source of information about fish behavior.
Simulation of incoherent and coherent backscattered wave fields from cavities in a solid matrix
Authors: Pinfield Valerie J. , Challis Richard E.
Published: December 2012

This paper reports a study of the backscattered ultrasonic signal from a solid layer containing spherical cavities, to determine the conditions in which an effective medium model is a valid description of the response. The work is motivated by the need to model the response of porous composite materials for ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques. The numerical simulation predicts the response of a layer containing cavities at a single set of random locations, and compares it to the predicted response from a homogeneous layer with ensemble-averaged material properties (effective medium model). The study investigates the conditions in which the coherent (ensemble-averaged) response is obtained even from a single configuration of scatterers. Simulations are carried out for a range of cavity sizes and volume fractions. The deviation of the response from effective medium behavior is modeled, along with the trends as a function of cavity radius, volume fraction, and frequency, in order to establish an acceptability criterion for application of an effective medium model.
A backscatter difference technique for ultrasonic bone assessment
Authors: Hoffmeister Brent K. , Wilson Anne R. , Gilbert Matthew J. , Sellers Mark E.
Published: December 2012

Ultrasonic backscatter techniques may offer a useful approach for detecting changes in cancellous bone caused by osteoporosis and other diseases. The goal of this study was to investigate the utility of a backscatter difference technique for ultrasonic bone assessment. Measurements were performed on 22 cube-shaped specimens of human cancellous bone using four broadband transducers with center frequencies 2.25, 5, 7.5, and 10 MHz. The backscatter difference spectrum D(f) was obtained by subtracting power spectra (in dB) from two different portions of the same backscatter signal. D(f) was found to be a monotonically increasing, quasi-linear function of frequency when averaged over multiple measurement sites on multiple specimens. The frequency slope of D(f) demonstrated weak to moderate correlations with specimen density (R = 0.21–0.80). The frequency averaged mean of D(f) demonstrated moderate to good correlations with density (R = 0.70–0.95). These results suggest that parameters based on the frequency averaged mean of the backscatter difference spectrum may be useful for bone assessment purposes.
Cylindrical transducer for producing an acoustic spiral wave for underwater navigation (L)
Authors: Brown David A. , Aronov Boris , Bachand Corey
Published: December 2012

A cylindrical piezoceramic transducer using two orthogonal dipoles driven in phase quadrature to create an acoustic spiral wave, having constant amplitude and phase that varies linearly with azimuthal angle, is considered as a source for an underwater acoustic navigation system. Comparison of the spiral-wave signal with an omnidirectional reference signal having a constant phase originating from the same or co-located source provides a means for an underwater vehicle to determine its bearing angle relative to the signaling beacon [B. Hefner and B. Dzikowicz, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 129(6), 3630–3639 (2011)]. An alternative proof-of-principle transducer along with experimental results including transmit frequency response, directional factors, and computed versus measured bearing angle are presented.
Automatic measurement of voice onset time using discriminative structured prediction
Authors: Sonderegger Morgan , Keshet Joseph
Published: December 2012

A discriminative large-margin algorithm for automatic measurement of voice onset time (VOT) is described, considered as a case of predicting structured output from speech. Manually labeled data are used to train a function that takes as input a speech segment of an arbitrary length containing a voiceless stop, and outputs its VOT. The function is explicitly trained to minimize the difference between predicted and manually measured VOT; it operates on a set of acoustic feature functions designed based on spectral and temporal cues used by human VOT annotators. The algorithm is applied to initial voiceless stops from four corpora, representing different types of speech. Using several evaluation methods, the algorithm's performance is near human intertranscriber reliability, and compares favorably with previous work. Furthermore, the algorithm's performance is minimally affected by training and testing on different corpora, and remains essentially constant as the amount of training data is reduced to 50–250 manually labeled examples, demonstrating the method's practical applicability to new datasets.
Dependence of loudness evaluation by drivers on vehicle styling
Authors: Yoshida Junji , Igata Takumi
Published: December 2012

Influence of participants' impressions of vehicle styling on loudness of acceleration sounds was investigated. A series of images of luxury and sporty vehicles were presented to the participants while acceleration sounds were being replayed. The results indicated that frequent drivers perceived that the sound associated with luxury vehicles was louder than that associated with sporty vehicles. On the other hand, infrequent drivers perceived almost no difference between the loudness of the two vehicle types. Then, the infrequent drivers underwent a pseudo-loudness evaluation test to increase amount of experience for listening vehicle sound with vehicle styling image. After the procedure, the influence of vehicle styling on loudness was investigated again for the infrequent drivers. The result showed that the influence for the infrequent drivers was quite different from that for the frequent drivers. The participants who rarely drove perceived that the sound associated with luxury vehicles was softer than that associated with sporty vehicles. Furthermore, a questionnaire was filled out by both groups to investigate their preferred vehicle characteristics such as exterior design and engine performance. As a result, loudness was clarified to depend on both the participants' impressions of vehicle styling and their preferred vehicle characteristics.
Ultrasonic whistles of killer whales (Orcinus orca) recorded in the North Pacific (L)
Authors: Filatova Olga A. , Ford John K. B. , Matkin Craig O. , Barrett-Lennard Lance G. , Burdin Alexander M. , Hoyt Erich
Published: December 2012

Ultrasonic whistles were previously found in North Atlantic killer whales and were suggested to occur in eastern North Pacific killer whales based on the data from autonomous recorders. In this study ultrasonic whistles were found in the recordings from two encounters with the eastern North Pacific offshore ecotype killer whales and one encounter with the western North Pacific killer whales of unknown ecotype. All ultrasonic whistles were highly stereotyped and all but two had downsweep contours. These results demonstrate that specific sound categories can be shared by killer whales from different ocean basins.
Exposure modifiers of the relationships of transportation noise with high blood pressure and noise annoyance
Authors: Babisch Wolfgang , Swart Wim , Houthuijs Danny , Selander Jenny , Bluhm Gösta , Pershagen Göran , Dimakopoulou Konstantina , Haralabidis Alexandros S. , Katsouyanni Klea , Davou Elli , Sourtzi Panayota , Cadum Ennio , Vigna-Taglianti Federica , Floud Sarah , Hansell Anna L.
Published: December 2012

In the cross-sectional hypertension and exposure to noise near airports study the relationship between road traffic noise, aircraft noise and hypertension and annoyance was investigated. The data collection comprised a variety of potentially exposure modifying factors, including type of housing, location of rooms, window opening habits, use of noise-reducing remedies, shielding due to obstacles, lengths of exposure. In the present paper the quantitative role of these factors on the relationship between road and aircraft noise exposure and outcomes was analyzed. Multiple logistic and linear regression models were calculated including these co-factors and related interaction terms with noise indicators, as well as stratified analyses. Type of housing, length of residence, location of rooms and the use of noise reducing remedies modified the relationship between noise and hypertension. However, the effects were not always in the direction of a stronger association in higher exposed subjects. Regarding annoyance, type of housing, location of rooms, noise barriers, window opening habits, noise insulation, the use of noise reducing remedies, hours spent at home during daytime were significant effect modifiers. The use of noise-reducing remedies turned out to be indicators of perceived noise disturbance rather than modifiers reducing the annoyance.
Sound radiation from a flanged inclined duct
Authors: McAlpine Alan , Daymond-King Alex P. , Kempton Andrew J.
Published: December 2012

A simple method to calculate sound radiation from a flanged inclined duct is presented. An inclined annular duct is terminated by a rigid vertical plane. The duct termination is representative of a scarfed exit. The concept of a scarfed duct has been examined in turbofan aero-engines as a means to, potentially, shield a portion of the radiated sound from being transmitted directly to the ground. The sound field inside the annular duct is expressed in terms of spinning modes. Exterior to the duct, the radiated sound field owing to each mode can be expressed in terms of its directivity pattern, which is found by evaluating an appropriate form of Rayleigh's integral. The asymmetry is shown to affect the amplitude of the principal lobe of the directivity pattern, and to alter the proportion of the sound power radiated up or down. The methodology detailed in this article provides a simple engineering approach to investigate the sound radiation for a three-dimensional problem.
Rational phonological lengthening in spoken Dutch
Authors: Tily Harry , Kuperman Victor
Published: December 2012

Dutch allows optional schwa insertion between a liquid and obstruent in words like film/filəm (“film”) and dorp/dorəp (“village”), lengthening the word by one syllable. This epenthesis is productive and widespread, and is understood to be a phonological rather than phonetic process. A corpus analysis shows that a speaker's choice between the variant forms is influenced by probability: words that are less frequent or less probable given their immediate or discourse context are more likely to be lengthened. This may reflect a rational communication strategy in which language is manipulated to efficiently transmit information. As these results unambiguously show that lengthening is probabilistically influenced, they are informative to the understanding of the production mechanisms underlying pronunciation variation.