bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Haemostasis biomarkers and risk of intracerebral haemorrhage in the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke Study
Authors: Zakai Neil A. , Olson Nels C. , Judd Suzanne E. , Kleindorfer Dawn O. , Kissela Brett M. , Howard George , Cushman Mary 
Published: July 2017

SummaryPathologic alterations in haemostasis cause bleeding disorders, but it is unknown if variation within the normal range relates to intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) risk. It was our objective to assess the prospective associations of haemostasis biomarkers with ICH risk. The REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke study (REGARDS) recruited 30,239 U. S. individuals aged ≥45 years. ICH was ascertained through biannual telephone contact and review of deaths followed by medical record evaluation. Haemostasis biomarkers (factor VIII (FVIII), factor IX (FIX), factor XI (FXI), fibrinogen, protein C, and D-dimer) were measured in a case cohort study consisting of ICH and a 1,104 person cohort random sample. The hazard ratio (HR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) by biomarker were estimated using Cox models and adjusted for ICH risk factors. Individuals with a prior history of stroke, ICH or on warfarin were excluded. Over a median 5.8 years 66 ICH occurred. Fibrinogen, FVIII, FXI, and protein C were not associated with ICH risk in any analysis. Lower FIX increased risk of ICH with the bottom versus the top tertile of FIX associated with an HR of 5.68 (95 % CI 2.30, 14.05). D-dimer demonstrated a non-linear relationship with a potential threshold effect with increased risk only in the top 5th percentile (HR 3.22; 95 % CI 1.01, 10.31; pnon-linear = 0.04).In conclusion, low FIX levels within the normal range were associated with increased ICH risk. These data suggest non-pathologic alterations in haemostasis impact intracranial bleeding risk.
Carotid Stenting Versus Endarterectomy for Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis
Authors: Moresoli Paola , Habib Bettina , Reynier Pauline , Secrest Matthew H. , Eisenberg Mark J. , Filion Kristian B. 
Published: July 2017

Background and Purpose—
There is no consensus on the comparative efficacy and safety of carotid artery stenting (CAS) versus carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis. To evaluate CAS versus CEA in asymptomatic patients, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Methods—
We systematically searched EMBASE, PubMed, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials comparing CAS to CEA in asymptomatic patients using a pre-specified protocol. Two independent reviewers identified randomized controlled trials meeting our inclusion/exclusion criteria, extracted relevant data, and assessed quality using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Random effects models with inverse-variance weighting were used to estimate pooled risk ratios (RRs) comparing the incidences of periprocedural and long-term outcomes between CAS and CEA.

Results—
We identified 11 reports of 5 randomized controlled trials for inclusion (n=3019) asymptomatic patients. The pooled incidences of any periprocedural stroke (RR, 1.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.99–3.40), periprocedural nondisabling stroke (RR, 1.95; 95% CI, 0.98–3.89), and any periprocedural stroke or death (RR, 1.72; 95% CI, 0.95–3.11) trended toward an increased risk after CAS. We could not rule out clinically significant differences between treatments for long-term stroke (RR, 1.24; 95% CI, 0.76–2.03) and the composite outcome of periprocedural stroke, death or myocardial infarction, or long-term ipsilateral stroke (RR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.70–1.21).

Conclusions—
Although uncertainty surrounds the long-term outcomes of CAS versus CEA, the potential for increased risks of periprocedural stroke and periprocedural stroke or death with CAS suggests that CEA is the preferred option for the management of asymptomatic carotid stenosis.
P-Wave Indices and Risk of Ischemic Stroke
Authors: He Jinli , Tse Gary , Korantzopoulos Panagiotis , Letsas Konstantinos P. , Ali-Hasan-Al-Saegh Sadeq , Kamel Hooman , Li Guangping , Lip Gregory Y.H. , Liu Tong 
Published: July 2017

Background and Purpose—

Atrial cardiomyopathy is associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke. P-wave terminal force in lead V
1
, P-wave duration, and maximum P-wave area are electrocardiographic parameters that have been used to assess left atrial abnormalities related to developing atrial fibrillation. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine their values for predicting ischemic stroke risk.

Methods—
PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched until December 2016 for studies that evaluated the association between P-wave indices and stroke risk. Both fixed- and random-effects models were used to calculate the overall effect estimates.

Results—

Ten studies examining P-wave terminal force in lead V
1
, P-wave duration, and maximum P-wave area were included. P-wave terminal force in lead V
1
was found to be an independent predictor of stroke as both a continuous variable (odds ratio [OR] per 1 SD change, 1.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12–1.25;
P
<0.0001) and categorical variable (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.10–2.28;
P
=0.01). P-wave duration was a significant predictor of incident ischemic stroke when analyzed as a categorical variable (OR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.37–2.52;
P
<0.0001) but not when analyzed as a continuous variable (OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.98–1.13;
P
=0.15). Maximum P-wave area also predicted the risk of incident ischemic stroke (OR per 1 SD change, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.04–1.17).

Conclusions—

P-wave terminal force in lead V
1
, P-wave duration, and maximum P-wave area are useful electrocardiographic markers that can be used to stratify the risk of incident ischemic stroke.
Mendelian Genes and Risk of Intracerebral Hemorrhage and Small-Vessel Ischemic Stroke in Sporadic Cases
Authors: Chong Michael , O’Donnell Martin , Thijs Vincent , Dans Antonio , López-Jaramillo Patricio , Gómez-Arbeláez Diego , Mondo Charles , Czlonkowska Anna , Skowronska Marta , Oveisgharan Shahram , Yusuf Salim , Paré Guillaume 
Published: July 2017

Background and Purpose—
Mendelian strokes are rare genetic disorders characterized by early-onset small-vessel stroke. Although extensively studied among families with syndromic features, whether these genes affect risk among sporadic cases is unknown.

Methods—
We sequenced 8 genes responsible for Mendelian stroke in a case–control study of sporadic stroke cases (≤70 years). Participants included 1251 primary stroke cases of small-vessel pathology (637 intracerebral hemorrhage and 614 small-vessel ischemic stroke cases) and 1716 controls from the INTERSTROKE study (Study of the Importance of Conventional and Emerging Risk Factors of Stroke in Different Regions and Ethnic Groups of the World).

Results—

Overall, the prevalence of canonical disease-causing mutations was 0.56% in cases and 0.23% in controls (odds ratio=1.89; 95% confidence interval, 0.54–7.57;
P
=0.33). CADASIL (Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathies with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathies) mutations were more frequent among cases (0.48%) than controls (0.23%) but were not significantly associated with stroke risk (odds ratio=2.03; 95% confidence interval, 0.58–8.02;
P
=0.27). Next, we included all rare nonsynonymous mutations to investigate whether other types of mutations may contribute to stroke risk. Overall, 13.5% of cases and 14.2% of controls were carriers of at least one rare nonsynonymous mutation among the 8 Mendelian stroke genes. Mutation carriers were not at elevated risk of stroke (odds ratio=0.93; 95% confidence interval, 0.75–1.16;
P
=0.55).

Conclusions—
In the absence of syndromic features and family history of stroke, screening for Mendelian mutations among small-vessel stroke patients is unlikely to have high diagnostic utility.
Diurnal Cycle of Precipitation Observed in the Western Coastal Area of Sumatra Island: Offshore Preconditioning by Gravity Waves
Authors: Yokoi Satoru , Mori Shuichi , Katsumata Masaki , Geng Biao , Yasunaga Kazuaki , Syamsudin Fadli , Nurhayati  , Yoneyama Kunio 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThis study analyzes data obtained by intensive observation during a pilot field campaign of the Years of the Maritime Continent Project (Pre-YMC) to investigate the diurnal cycle of precipitation in the western coastal area of Sumatra Island. The diurnal cycle during the campaign period (November–December 2015) is found to have a number of similarities with statistical behavior of the diurnal cycle as revealed by previous studies, such as afternoon precipitation over land, nighttime offshore migration of the precipitation zone, and dependency on Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) phase. Composite analyses of radiosonde soundings from the Research Vessel (R/V) Mirai, deployed about 50 km off the coast, demonstrate that the lower free troposphere starts cooling in late afternoon (a couple of hours earlier than the cooling in the boundary layer), making the lower troposphere more unstable just before precipitation starts to increase. As the nighttime offshore precipitation tends to be more vigorous on days when the cooling in the lower free troposphere is larger, it is possible that the destabilization due to the cooling contributes to the offshore migration of the precipitation zone via enhancement of convective activity. Comparison of potential temperature and water vapor mixing ratio tendencies suggests that this cooling is substantially due to vertical advection by an ascent motion, which is possibly a component of shallow gravity waves. These results support the idea that gravity waves emanating from convective systems over land play a significant role in the offshore migration of the precipitation zone.
Banking in India
Authors: Kumar Basu Udayan 
Published: July 2017

Commercial banks play a very important role in the economy of any country. They constitute the most useful intermediary in the financial markets, who have a vital role in ensuring the efficacy of all monetary and fiscal measures. Their continued good health and sustained viability are therefore of immense significance for any economy. Measures to ensure their well-being are of paramount importance in order to maintain a high level of investor confidence. In India, financial liberalization has opened up new vistas for the commercial banks and they can now operate as universal banks offering, under one roof, all kinds of financial services including project financing and leasing. Besides, banks are allowed to go in for investment in securities also. However, the guidelines for direct lending have not been touched so far. Consequently, there are restrictions on the ways in which banks in India can deploy their available resources. In this article, an analysis has been carried out to show how such structural restrictions translate into what is often termed as interest rate rigidities for banks. How the loan losses impact on their interest spread as well as the urgent need to improve the framework for recovery of banks' NPAs has also been gone into. Moreover, the scope for moral hazards in banks, which are limited liability entities, has been explored and need for efficient risk management as well as effective risk-based supervision for ensuring their sustained viability has been analyzed and commented upon. A cut-off risk for bankable projects has also been worked out. The findings are interesting because the analysis takes into account the real life constraints faced by the banking sector and the results reflect the realities of this sector.
Spectra of Fricative Noise in Human Speech
Authors: Strevens Peter 
Published: July 2017

This paper describes the results of a spectrographic analysis of a number of voiceless fricatives. The sounds are shown to be capable of description in terms of the frequencies of the lower and upper limits of energy present, the presence or absence of formant-like concentrations of energy, and the over-all relative intensity of the sounds. The sounds investigated fall into three groups: front, mid and back, corresponding to the regions of the vocal tract within which they are produced. Sounds in the front group have a long spectrum, with little patterning of peaks of energy; their relative intensity is low. Sounds in the mid group have a short spectrum, with the main region of energy at a higher frequency than in the other groups; their relative intensity is high. Sounds in the back group have a spectrum of medium length, exhibiting a formant-like patterning of energy; their relative intensity is intermediate between the other groups. Tentative criteria are advanced for distinguishing between members of each group. Combining this evidence with general phonetic knowledge it is possible to make a number of statements about other categories of sounds which include a component of fricative noise: i.e. voiced fricatives, stops, and affricates.
Grain Legumes in UK Agriculture
Authors: Heath M. C. 
Published: July 2017

The neurosecretory cells are responsible in insects for the coordination and control of bodily functions such as feeding, metabolism, excretion, reproduction, and development. They do this by releasing substances called neurohormones into the body fluids. Many insecticides have been shown to have neurophysiological and potentially lethal effects upon neurosecretory cells. Many of the neurohormones are peptides, some similar to, if not identical with, peptides produced by nerve cells in vertebrates. It is possible that peptides unique to insects could be exploited for the development and production of safer and more specifically acting insecticides. Decrease in profits is now a major concern to UK cereal farmers confronted with grain surpluses and tightening quality standards. Consequently, interest in alternative combinable crops is increasing, encouraged by EEC subsidies designed to stimulate production of protein- and oil-rich crops. Oilseed rape is already established as the leading cereal break crop, but grain legumes such as combining peas and faba beans are re-emerging as important components of UK crop rotations.
World Energy Outlook through 1995
Authors: Tahmassebi Hossein 
Published: July 2017

A worldwide glut of petroleum will continue to put downward pressure on oil prices in the years ahead. Though the extent of price decline is difficult to predict, the author projects three separate scenarios based on market conditions prevailing in July 1985. The author thinks OPEC is likely to change its past strategy by emphasizing market share rather than price stability. In direct contrast to its current policy, the organization may announce a production floor rather than a ceiling and thus relegate the task of maintaining the price to non -OPEC producers. The Most-Likely Scenario assumes the price for OPEC's benchmark crude oil will decline from $28 a barrel in 1985 to $23 by 1987. It will remain there until 1990 and then increase only at the rate of inflation to $30.78 (current dollars) a barrel in 1995. This scenario assumes OPEC will refuse to lower its production quota from its current level of 16 million barrels a day. Under the Low-Price Scenario, Arab Light declines to $15 a barrel by 1987, gradually climbs to $20 a barrel by 1990, and $26 a barrel by 1995. This projection assumes a further deterioration of discipline within OPEC, resulting possibly in a loss of membership. The High-Price Scenario foresees Arab Light declining to $26 a barrel by 1987, remaining there until 1990, and then increasing by the rate of inflation to $36.47 by 1995. An environment of simultaneous rapid economic expansion and spiraling inflation would make this scenario probable.
Hydrocarbon Production in the Gulf Coast Region from Organic-Rich Source Beds of Ancient Intraslope Basins
Authors: Williams Douglas F. , Lerche Ian 
Published: July 2017

We have recently presented an empirical model to explain how low oxygen levels in intraslope basins of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico have been a common mechanism for the accumulation of sediments with significantly increased amounts of marine organic carbon. In that model (Model I) progadation of the shelf-slope and regional salt tectonics were invoked to control the occurrence and stratigraphic distribution of source beds throughout the Tertiary of the Gulf of Mexico. In turn, the maturation history of these organic-rich sediments is influenced by the high thermal conductivity of the underlying salt structures. In Model II, the topic of this paper, we use random number theory to suggest that the occurrence of organic-rich black muds in intraslope basins of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico had sufficient capacity to more than account for the known oil and gas reserves in sediments of the Gulf Coast Geosyncline.
A Review of Petroleum Exploitation and Production Activities in North West Europe
Authors: Jones Clive 
Published: July 2017

The review concentrates on activities during 1986 but historic data to 1965 are included. Licensing; exploration and appraisal; production, development and reserves; pricing and escalation, revenue and fiscal summaries are included for the whole of North-West Europe. The paper is based on James Capel's Petroleum Services Department's 1986 annual review which is produced from Capel's extensive coverage of the energy industry in support of its stockbroking and banking activities.
Assessing Political Risk in International Exploration
Authors: Downey Marlan W. 
Published: July 2017

Political risk assessment for international investments is discussed within a personal essay drawing on thirty-five years of experience in conducting exploration and production ventures. During those years, the author has supervised exploration and production investments of several hundred million dollars per year. To be truly useful, political risk assessments need to be focused a decade in the future, when successful investments are most at risk. Quantitative predictions of political and economic risk in this distant future are arrant nonsense. Since most exploration ventures are failures, the primary aim of the investor should be to minimize the costs of failure. Investments should be selected that have the greatest chance of success, and that, if successful, carry exceptional value. Two additonal screening questions are helpful: Are my people safe? Are we needed, or merely wanted? Large volumes of additional information on country risk assessment are commonly provided to senior management. Such data have great value in keeping management well informed; they have little value in keeping management dependably advised.
The Identification of Fault Pattern Fractals for Improved Oil and Gas Recovery: A New Process to Identify and Describe Fault Sets Using Non-Linear Methods
Authors: Stølum Hans-Henrik , Kaye Steve 
Published: July 2017

Unexpected faults are a serious production problem in numerous, complex and compartmentalised oil and gas fields, and are often the single most important restraint on recovery. Fractal mathematics has demonstrated a surprising degree of order in many natural, apparently random systems. It has been shown that fault patterns exhibit a similar order which could be used to indicate the presence of structures missed in the original interpretation of the seismic data and to predict faults below the approximate 20 m limit of seismic resolution. The potential for greater clarity and resolution opened up by this method may greatly aid field description and reservoir production. We will discuss the development of a comprehensive fault pattern characterisation quantatively with a set of parameters arising from non-linear methods of analysis. This allows for the standardised comparison of seismic interpretations and a precise method for testing interpretations from the same dataset. We will show how fractal mathematics may give a measure of the density of the fault set, the number of faults below the limit of seismic resolution, resolve small fault clusters below the limit of seismic resolution and aid in the description and analysis of fault sets.
The Usefulness of Current Cost Information for Identifying Takeover Targets and Earning Above-Average Stock Returns
Authors: Walter Richard M. 
Published: July 2017

Prior studies constructed takeover prediction models using financial variables that incorporated historical cost data. The studies report conflicting findings concerning the models' abilities to identify future takeover targets and to earn above-average returns by investing in shares of the targets. Other research has shown that financial ratios that incorporate asset replacement cost (i.e., current cost) data are useful for differentiating between takeover targets and nontargets; however, the ability to earn above-average returns was not examined. This study combines the two tines of research by constructing a takeover prediction model in which predictor variables are constructed from current cost data. A model having similar variables was constructed from historical cost data. The models were estimated from takeovers occurring between 1981 and 1984, and the models separately identified takeover targets during the year 1985 based on a prediction sample. Stock returns were cumulated over the year 1985 for the two portfolios of predicted targets. The results show that current cost data were useful for identifying future takeover targets and earning above-average stock returns. The current cost portfolio earned risk-adjusted returns that exceeded the returns of the entire prediction sample and the returns of the historical cost portfolio. Additionally, the models' explanatory power exceeds that which was reported for models in prior research.
The Association between the Accuracy of Management Earnings Forecasts and Discretionary Accounting Changes
Authors: Jaggi Bikki , Sannella Alexander 
Published: July 2017

This study examines whether there is an association between discretionary accounting changes and the accuracy of management earnings forecasts. First, we discuss the rationale for management's incentive to improve the accuracy of publicly disclosed earnings forecasts. We then conduct empirical tests to determine whether there is support for the hypothesized relationship between discretionary accounting changes and management forecast accuracy. The empirical results indicate that there is a strong association between high prechange forecast errors and the adoption of discretionary accounting changes. Most accounting changes are associated with significant forecast errors (i.e., deviations between the prechange earnings and predicted earnings are high); after adopting discretionary changes, the deviations are reduced. The results of a comparative analysis using analyst forecasts as a benchmark indicate that accounting changes are adopted when management forecast errors are higher than analyst forecast errors. Accounting changes are not used if management forecast errors are less than or equal to analyst forecast errors. The OLS regression results demonstrate that there is a significant association between the size of management forecast errors and the magnitude of the change in EPS. Overall, the study shows that management has an incentive to engage in discretionary accounting changes to improve the accuracy of their publicly disclosed earnings forecasts. The empirical results are, however, subject to two interpretations. Either discretionary accounting changes are used to improve the accuracy of publicly disclosed management earnings forecasts, or managers' earnings forecasts are sometimes disclosed in anticipation of planned accounting changes.