bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Study Comparing Coronary Stenting in Smaller Vessels Versus Large Vessels
Authors: Oruganti Harish , Garre Indrani , Vanaparty Bharathi , Yerram Sreekanth 
Published: May 2018

AbstractBackground: Smaller vessel PTCA account to approximately on third of all PTCA worldwide. With increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus and aging, this proportion can increase considerably. This is a region of interest for us because Indians, in particular, are known to have smaller coronaries. There are limited studies in coronary vessels < 2.5 are available. Most of the previous studies defined small vessel as < 3 or 2.75 mm.Methods and Results: This is an observational single center study where we analyzed 650 patients, 52 in the small vessel group(< 2.5 mm) and 598 in large vessel group(≥ 2.5 mm) with similar mean age between the both the groups (57.5±11.4 vs 57.9±11.1 yrs). Hypertension and smoking are more in large vessel group (74.7% vs 61.9, p=0.004; 22.1% vs 13.4%, p=0.007), whereas no difference for presence of diabetes (54.2% vs 54.3%) or type of CAD (CSA – chronic stable angina – 70.3% vs 76.1%, p=0.2). Large vessel group patients had more LV dysfunction (40.3% vs 24.6%, p=0.000).Mean Pre reference diameter was 1.9±0.5mm in small vessel group versus 2.9±0.5mm in large vessel group. Mean minimum lesion diameter in small vessel group is 0.8±0.3 mm versus 1.3±1.9 mm in large vessel group. Mean pre-lesion length is 16.7±3.5 mm in small vessel group versus 18.3±8.3mm in large vessel group. Mean stent size is 2.33mm in small vessel group versus 3.04mm in large vessel group. Mean stent length is 17.27mm in small vessel group versus 21.8mm in large vessel group. The success of PCI in small vessel group was 96% (not able to deliver stent in one patient and in one patient there was a non-flow limiting distal stent dissection) and 98% in large vessel group.In one year follow-up, 5 (3.5%) patients from small vessel group and 34 (4.5%) patients from large vessel group had MACCE which is not statistically significant (p=0.6)Conclusions: Small vessel (really small means less than 2.5 mm) PCI, not only acute but also one-year results are good with MACCE rate of 3.5% and comparable to large vessel PCI.
Gender Variation in Octogenarians and Nonagenarian Patients Undergoing PCI
Authors: Kumar E. , Prasad K. , Prasad A. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractBackground: The aging of the population worldwide will result in increasing numbers of elderly patients, among whom heart disease is the leading cause of death. Changes in cardiovascular physiology with normal aging and prevalence of comorbidities are different between both sex. This results in differences in the effects of common cardiac problems as well as the response to their treatments. Clinical trials in octogenarians and nonagenarians PCI results are limited. The present study aims to analyze the gender variations in respect to the success of PCI in this elderly population.Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of patients aged ≥ 80 yrs. with cardiovascular disease undergoing PCI. The prevalence of variables like age distribution, type of presentation, and pattern of angiographic profile, requirement of pre-dilation before stenting and success of PCI has been compared between male and female population. Student “t” test is used for comparison.Results: The study population consists of 174 patients with female to male ratio of 1:3.7. The mean age is 82.4 ± 2.9 yrs in males and 82.2±2.9 yrs. in females. The minimum age is 80 and maximum is 99 yrs. 74(54%) male patients and 20 (54.1%)) female patients presented with chronic stable angina. Incidence of single vessel disease among male population is 97 (70.8%) and female population is 23 (62.1%) (p value=0.3). Rest of them are multi vessel disease. Pre-dilatation is required in 89% male patients and 86% female patients (95% CI = 0.09 to 0.14, P-Value = 0.7). LAD, LCX and RCA angioplasties are comparable between the both groups. Three LMCA PCI in females and 3 SVG PCI in males were done. Successful PCI done in 132 (96.4%) male patients and 35 (94.6%) female patients (p=0.7; CI-0.09 to 0.06).Conclusion: Clinical and demographic features including success of PCI are similar in both female and males in octogenarians and nonagenarians who are undergoing PCI for CAD.
Harnessing Cardiac Energetics in the Treatment of Heart Failure
Authors: Pradhan Akshyay 
Published: May 2018

AbstractBackground: The prevalence of heart failure in India is not clearly known, in developed societies it is about 1 per cent of the elderly population (above 65 years) and is responsible for 20 per cent of all hospital admissions in this age group. Clinical trials that included ACEI, ARBs, beta-blockers and aldosterone antagonists have demonstrated substantial reduction in mortality in patients with systolic heart failure, but still the mortality remains high.Aim: To recognize the altered energetics that play an important role in the mechanism of heart failure, role of cardiac metabolism and metabolic agents such as trimetazidine in the treatment of heart failure.Results: Progression of heart failure leads to metabolic changes causing change in relative substrate utilization of fatty acids (60 to 90%) and glucose (10 to 40%) leading to a substantial reduction of ATP synthesis in the failing myocardium. Trimetazidine which is the most studied among the metabolic agents has shown to prefer glucose oxidation to fatty acid, significantly improving ATP synthesis by +33%. Randomized trials of trimetazidine have shown improvement in ejection fraction, 7 –23%, NYHA class, hospitalization and mortality reduction by 30%.Conclusion: Metabolic management offers fresh insights and among the metabolic agents available trimetazidine is the most documented. Trimetazidine has shown to improve cardiac function without affecting the heart rate or blood pressure. The mortality benefit and improvement in hospitalization frequency suggested need to be confirmed in larger randomized studies.
Impact of Comorbidities on Quality Of Life in Breast Cancer Patients
Authors: Irukulla Monica , Vaghmare Rama , Joseph Deepa , Ahmed Syed , Jonnadula Jyothi , Valiyaveettil Deepthi 
Published: May 2018

AbstractIntroduction: Comorbidities are common among cancer patients and with an aging population are becoming more prevalent. These can potentially affect the stage at diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of people with cancer. Despite the intimate relationship between comorbidity and cancer, there is limited consensus on how to record, interpret or manage comorbidities in the context of cancer. Addressing the impact of comorbid conditions in cancer patients warrants improvement in the evidence base from which to make treatment decisions for those with comorbidities.Methods: In this prospective study, 64 patients with breast cancer, underwent QOL assessment using FACT –B questionnaire at three time points- pre-radiation and three and six months post radiation.Results: 29(46%) patients had comorbidities of which 23 (35%) had cardiovascular comorbidities and 6 had other comorbidities. The co-morbidities were negatively associated with multiple domains of quality of life, including physical functioning, general health, bodily pain. Patients with diabetes and hypertension had significantly lower scores in physical functioning in comparison to patients without diabetes and hypertension, but improved after treatment. In majority of patients the overall scores were less in patients with co-morbidities compared to patients without any co-morbidity.Conclusion: Comorbidities can significantly affect the quality of life in patients with comorbidities. Hence greater research into the QOL issues for better patient care and symptom management especially during the transitioning phase from active care to follow up will help clinicians improve the quality of care and interdisciplinary co-ordination.
Modalities for Detection of LV Dysfunction
Authors: Patnaik A. , Christopher Johann 
Published: May 2018

AbstractThe left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) assessed by trans-thoracic Echocardiogram (TTE) remains the most common parameter of LV performance that is used in clinical practice. Three-dimensional / volumetric methods are more accurate, but are cumbersome to be performed in every case. The measures of myocardial contractility are more sensitive, reliable and with lesser inter observer variability but their place in daily practice is limited. Two-dimensional echocardiogram has the advantages of easy availability, low cost, portability, lack of radiation and non-invasive nature. Radionuclide studies, SPECT, cardiac CT and cardiac MRI are available only in a few centers and have more specific indication to be performed. The choice of a modality depends on the information sought by the clinician and the availability of expertise. Additional cost, radiation and limited access are important limitations of these special imaging modalities. The invasive methods which were popular a few decades back are by and large relegated to academic exercise.
Functional Threshold Power in Cyclists: Validity of the Concept and Physiological Responses
Authors: Borszcz Fernando , Tramontin Artur , Bossi Arthur , Carminatti Lorival , Costa Vitor 
Published: May 2018

AbstractFunctional threshold power is defined as the highest power output a cyclist can maintain in a quasi-steady state for approximately 60 min (FTP60). In order to improve practicality for regular evaluations, FTP60 could theoretically be determined as 95% of the mean power output in a 20-min time trial (FTP20). This study tested this assumption and the validity of FTP20 and FTP60 against the individual anaerobic threshold (IAT). Twenty-three trained male cyclists performed an incremental test to exhaustion, 20- and 60-min time trials, and a time to exhaustion at FTP20. Power output, heart rate and oxygen uptake representing FTP20, FTP60 and IAT were not different (p>0.05), and large to very large correlations were found (r=0.61 to 0.88). Bland-Altman plots between FTP20, FTP60 and IAT showed small bias (–1 to –5 W), but large limits of agreement ([–40 to 32 W] to [–62 to 60 W]). Time to exhaustion at FTP20 was 50.9±15.7 min. In conclusion, FTP20 and FTP60 should not be used interchangeably on an individual basis and their validity against IAT should be interpreted with caution.
The representation of women in three medical texts
Authors: Harres Annette 
Published: May 2018

AbstractThe theoretical framework of this paper is based on the literature on language and ideology as well as language and gender, focussing on the reflection of gender ideologies in medical texts. Three medical texts were analysed with regard to the linguistic representation of women. While one text is taken from a gynaecological textbook, the other two texts are representative of popular medical books. The main objective of the study was to determine how ideologies of gender are reflected in the authors’ choice of lexis, and the syntactic relations in the texts. The findings indicated that the use of language mirrors the ideological orientation of the authors, and that medical discourse is characterised to a large degree by sexist language.
The female radical
Authors: Chin Ng Bee , Burridge Kate 
Published: May 2018

AbstractThe paper discusses the sexist portrayal of women in Mandarin Chinese. It begins with a study of asymmetries in the lexicon; e.g. naming conventions, address terms, abuse terms, etc. which exemplify the marginalisation of Chinese women. The focus of the paper is on the stereotyped depiction of women in the written script through an analysis of characters with the female radical. Our analyses indicate that 90% of words which co-occur with the female radical are either semantically negative or convey images of women steeped in damaging stereotypes. These sexist portrayals are further reinforced by the pervasive Yin-Yang cosmology, an ideology which has enormous impact on the Chinese way of life. We argue that despite popular belief, the Yin-Yang cosmology actively serves to maintain and fortify the gender imbalance. We also discuss the omission of language and gender issues from the agenda of past and current discourses on language reforms. Finally we advocate that language reform is a crucial impetus to ideological change.
The construction of gender in early writing
Authors: Kamler Barbara 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
This longitudinal case study explores issues of gender by examining the writing development of two children, a girl and a boy, who learned to write in process writing classrooms in Australia. Participant observation was used to study the children writing in their Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 classrooms. The systemic functional grammar developed by Halliday (1985) and the models of genre and register proposed by Martin (1984, 1986) provided the theoretical framework and the means for analysing the children’s written texts. The findings reveal that even with free topic choice; a) the majority of texts were of one genre, the Observation genre, where the writer reconstructs and evaluates personal experience with family and friends; b) a significant pattern of gender differences occurred within this genre whereby experience was reconstructed by the girl as a passive observer of experience and by the boy as an active participant in the world. A number of implications for classroom practice and future research are suggested.
Gender differences in spoken interaction in same sex dyadic conversations in Australian English
Authors: Thwaite Anne 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
This paper is a quantitative study of gender differences in a corpus of spontaneous spoken discourse of approximately 2000 clauses. Subjects were same sex pairs of speakers of Australian English, from a sample that was homogeneous in all respects except gender. Grammatical analyses derive from the work of Halliday, with conversational analyses developed by Berry (1981a,b,c) and Martin (1992). Results show that statistically significant gender differences occurred in the phonological, lexicogrammatical and semantic strata of the language. A Systemic Functional model was found to be most useful in capturing these differences, and in relating them in a holistic picture of this type of language variation.
Spoken discourse studies in Australia
Authors: Clyne Michael , Slade Diana 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
The following brief survey attempts to discuss the scope, research bases, methodologies, outcomes and applications of studies of spoken discourse in Australia. The survey is not exhaustive but aims to capture the diversity of research work being carried out in different areas of spoken discourse studies in Australia. One feature which stands out in the range of studies is that research into spoken discourse in Australia is motivated by social and communicative needs and opportunities for such investigations.
The use of turn-taking resources in a Khmer-Australian English conversation
Authors: Astbury Valerie E. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractThis research investigates the turn-taking system used in an English conversation across different cultural backgrounds: between an Anglo-Australian female and a Khmer-background female. Throughout the data there is evidence of both speakers’ orientation to the rules of turn-taking as described by Sacks, Schegloff and Jefferson (1974). The normative speaker reveals nonnative speakerlike features in her grammar, but on an interactive level the turn-taking system is working smoothly and without hitches. Both speakers have the skills to interactionally coordinate speaker transitions in a systematic and orderly way, following the rules and using the resources described by Sacks et al. It is particularly striking that in this conversation, the nonnative speaker’s language reveals many nonnative features, but the turn-taking system operates on a native speaker level.
Specific-purpose language performance tests
Authors: Lumley Tom , Brown Annie 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
Oral performance tests designed to assess candidates’ ability to function in a particular professional role typically involve role plays which simulate aspects of professional interaction between a candidate, in his/her professional role, and an interlocutor, in the role of client or consumer of the professional services. The validity of such tests is dependent both on the incorporation of appropriate content and on the extent to which the interaction between candidate and interlocutor simulates authentic professional interaction. Materials for such role plays are commonly produced according to specifications developed by language testers following consultation with professional informants, but there has been little investigation of how well tasks reflect their purpose (i.e. the aims/intentions of the professional experts). Test interlocutors, generally language teachers, normally undergo some form of training in the test administration procedure, but there has been little analysis of how well their behaviour reflects client behaviour.
This paper reports on an investigation into the role which expert professional informants can play in providing post hoc content validation of tasks used in this kind of occupation-specific test, focusing on both the content of the tasks and the behaviour of the interlocutors. The study draws on data from the oral interaction component of an occupation-specific test, the Occupational English Test (McNamara 1996), a 4-skills test for overseas-trained health professionals (with attention in this study to nurses). The study involved a two-day workshop where representatives of the nursing profession, in conjunction with the researchers, analysed both written test materials and audiotaped test data, contributing to an analysis of the realism of the tasks and the features of interlocutor behaviour.
Test interpretation, test use, and pedagogical implications
Authors: Chalhoub-Deville Micheline 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
Test score interpretation and use are the staple of construct validity. As such, in addition to the concern with measurement accuracy, it is imperative that the meaning of test scores and their intended use(s) be also documented. Along these lines, qualitative speech analyses are undertaken in the present paper to help in the interpretation of the dimensions underlying student performance on oral tasks. Results of these analyses yield rich information that explicate the meaning of the dimensions by delineating their specific features as manifested in the speech samples. Also discussed in the paper are the ramifications of these results for pedagogical use. Insights that linguistic accuracy and communicative skills in general, and their specific features specifically, provide for instructional material and activities are addressed. Furthermore, a case is made for curricular improvements to help learners develop well-rounded L2 abilities and to improve their use of the language for real-life communication. Finally, with regard to assessment, it is argued that generic assessment criteria do not reflect the critical features operating in a given context, and assessment practitioners are urged to study their contexts of use and to tailor their criteria according to the particulars of those contexts.
Investigating washback in Japanese EFL classrooms
Authors: Watanabe Yoshinori 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
In Japan it has long been considered that university entrance exams have a negative impact on teaching and learning of English in schools. Recent research, however, suggests that the relationship between testing and teaching is not so simple and requires finegrained ethnographic research in order to fully understand its complexities. This paper argues the case for the necessity of conducting empirical research before any conclusions about the presence or absence of washback can be drawn. An example of this type of research is offered and the processes involved in investigating washback in the Japanese context are described in such a way as to provide a model for future research in this area.
Teaching telephone closings in Japanese
Authors: Hanamura Naoko 
Published: May 2018

AbstractThis paper aims to examine the ways in which communicative approach is reflected in the content of Japanese language textbooks used for the tertiary level in Australia. It does this by comparing examples of telephone closings in Japanese with the features and mechanisms of actual telephone closings in Japanese based on Conversation Analysis, using naturally occurring data. The textbooks examined were found to ignore the potential to reflect cultural differences in telephone conversations between languages. First of all, compared to conversational openings, telephone closings were largely disregarded or overlooked. Secondly, a lack of variations in settings and terminal expressions were noticed, and thirdly there was a gap between the picture presented by the textbooks and actual conversations in the ways in which participants negotiate closings. Taking the importance of exposing learners to authentic materials into consideration, implications for ways of incorporating authentic telephone closings into textbooks and teaching are also suggested.
Referential choice in foreigner talk and in learners’ speech in Japanese
Authors: Kawaguchi Satomi 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
This study of referential choice by Japanese native speakers and learners of Japanese has revealed some significant features in three different types of speech: 1) NS (native speaker)-NS interaction; 2) FT (foreigner talk) and; 3) NNSs’ (non-native speakers’) speech production. The study revealed that both NS in FT and NNS simplified their referential choices. It demonstrates, moreover, that the development of referential choice by NNS correlates with their acquisition of syntax. This experiment was conducted to determine the underlying mechanism for referential choice. The results indicate that potential ambiguity and attention/focus shift affected the referential choices for both NS and NNS of Japanese. Excessive use of both full NPs and ellipsis were observed in NNS speech; by contrast only excessive use of full NPs was observed in FT. This may be explained in terms of the different underlying mechanisms for referential choice used by NS and NNS: different cognitive orientations in the use of two principles of speech production: 1) the clarity principle; and 2) the information economy principle (Williams 1988). Furthermore, the development of use of full NP and ellipsis by NNS varied according to their level of syntactic development.
A study of Japanese back channels
Authors: Lee Duck-Young , Mukai Chiharu 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
This study presents findings from an analysis of the conversational data involving the Japanese back channel with special attention to the comparison of back channel behaviour between Japanese native speakers and Japanese learners at an advanced level. While the analysis is based on four aspects of the back channel (i.e. form, frequency, location and function), the study reveals that native speakers and Japanese learners show significant differences particularly in the locational and functional aspects. There were also trends that the native speaker tends to use back channels in a way of supporting and encouraging the learner to participate in the conversation.