bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hypocalcaemia following total thyroidectomy: early post-operative parathyroid hormone assay as a risk stratification and management tool
Authors: Islam S , Al Maqbali T , Howe D , Campbell J 
Published: March 2014

AbstractObjective:To develop a practical, efficient and predictive algorithm to manage potential or actual post-operative hypocalcaemia after complete thyroidectomy, using a single post-operative parathyroid hormone assay.Methods:This paper reports a prospective study of 59 patients who underwent total or completion thyroidectomy over a period of 24 months. Parathyroid hormone levels were checked post-operatively on the day of surgery, and all patients were evaluated for hypocalcaemia both clinically and biochemically with serial corrected calcium measurements.Results:No patient with an early post-operative parathyroid hormone level of 23 ng/l or more (i.e. approximately twice the lower limit of the normal range) developed hypocalcaemia. All the patients who initially had post-operative hypocalcaemia but had an early parathyroid hormone level of 8 ng/l or more (i.e. approximately two-thirds of the lower limit of the normal range) had complete resolution of their hypocalcaemia within three months.Conclusion:Early post-operative parathyroid hormone measurement can reliably predict patients at risk of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcaemia, and predict those patients expected to recover from temporary hypocalcaemia. A suggested post-operative management algorithm is presented.
Relationship of the recurrent laryngeal nerve to the superior parathyroid gland during thyroidectomy
Authors: Persky Michael , Fang Y , Myssiorek D 
Published: March 2014

AbstractDesign:The relationship of the recurrent laryngeal nerve to the superior parathyroid gland during consecutive thyroidectomies was prospectively evaluated. When one structure was noted, careful dissection was performed to locate the other structure, to preserve their natural anatomical relationship.Patients:In total, 103 consecutive thyroid lobectomies were performed on 73 patients. The distance from the superior parathyroid gland to the recurrent laryngeal nerve was recorded.Results:In 88 cases (88.9 per cent), the superior parathyroid gland was identified within 5 mm of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. In 62 cases (62.6 per cent), the gland was within 1 mm of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. The height of the thyroid lobe was positively associated with the distance between the two structures (p = 0.001), as was the incidence of cancer (p = 0.033). The incidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve paresis was less than 4 per cent.Conclusion:In most cases, the recurrent laryngeal nerve was found in close proximity to the superior parathyroid gland. In a thyroid gland with a large height, or in a cancerous lobe, this relationship is less reliable.
Putting Indian Christianities into Context: Biographies of Christian Conversion in a Leprosy Colony
Authors: STAPLES JAMES 
Published: March 2014

AbstractGandhian andHindutva-inspired discourses around conversions to Christianity in India over-simplify the historical nexus of relations between missionaries, converts and the colonial state. Challenging the view that conversions were ever only about material gain, this paper draws on long-term ethnographic fieldwork with leprosy-affected people in South India to consider the role that conversion has also played in establishing alternative, often positively construed, identities for those who came to live in leprosy colonies from the mid twentieth century onwards. The paper draws out the distinctive values associated with a Christian identity in India, exploring local Christianities as sets of practices through which, for example, a positive sense of belonging might be established for those otherwise excluded, rather than being centred upon personal faith and theologyper se. Biographical accounts are drawn upon to document and analyse some of the on-the-ground realities, and the different implications—depending on one's wider social positioning—of converting from Hinduism to Christianity in South India.
Temporal and spatial expansion of a multi-dimensional model for electron acceleration in the bubble regime
Authors: Thomas J. , Pukhov A. , Kostyukov I.Yu. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractAn extended analytical model for particle dynamics in fields of a highly-nonlinear plasma wakefield (the bubble or blow out regime) is derived. A recently proposed piecewise model is generalized to include a time dependent bubble radius and full field solution in the acceleration direction. Incorporation of the cavity dynamics in the model is required to simulate the particle trapping properly. On the other hand, it is shown that the previously reported piecewise model does not reproduce the formation of a mono energetic peak in the particle spectrum. The mono energetic electron beams are recovered only when the full longitudinal field gradient is included in the model.
Twenty years of MALL project implementation: A meta-analysis of learning outcomes
Authors: Burston Jack 
Published: March 2014

AbstractDespite the hundreds of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) publications over the past twenty years, statistically reliable measures of learning outcomes are few and far between. In part, this is due to the fact that well over half of all MALL-related studies report no objectively quantifiable learning outcomes, either because they did not involve MALL implementation projects, or if they did, learning gains were only based on subjective teacher assessments and/or student self-evaluations. Even more so, the paucity of statistically reliable learning outcome data stems from the short duration of projects and small numbers of students involved. Of the 291 distinct studies examined in this review only 35 meet minimal conditions of duration and sample size, i.e., ten experimental subjects over a period of at least a month. Sixteen of these suffer from serious design shortcomings, leaving only nineteen MALL studies that can reliably serve as a basis for determining the learning outcomes of mobile-based language applications. Of these studies, fifteen can be considered to report unequivocal positive results, with those focusing on reading, listening and speaking without exception evidencing a MALL application advantage. Four studies, all focusing on vocabulary, reported no significant differences.
Distribution and status of the Pallas’s Fish Eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus in Mongolia: a cause for conservation concern?
Authors: GILBERT MARTIN , TINGAY RUTH , LOSOLMAA JAMBAL , SUREDA NADIA , GILBERT COLIN , BATMUNKH DAVAASUREN , GOMBOBAATAR SUNDEV 
Published: March 2014

SummaryPallas’s Fish Eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus (PFE) is sparsely distributed across a vast swathe of central, eastern and southern Asia, and is classified as ‘Vulnerable’ by IUCN on the basis of population size and reports of declines in many areas. Mongolia has long been considered a breeding stronghold for the species, but evidence to support this is unclear. Our objective was to assess the current distribution and status of the PFE in Mongolia to enable a more accurate assessment of the species’ conservation status, through collation of existing information from the historical literature, and a contemporary survey of historical sites and potential PFE breeding habitat. Thirty-four traceable locations were identified in the historical literature, of which breeding activity had been recorded in seven. Field surveys were conducted at a total of 77 sites throughout the study period (2005–2011) between April and October, including 21 of the historical PFE locations. PFE were observed at eight sites, all of which were historical PFEs locations, and no evidence of breeding activity was recorded. These findings suggest that Mongolia is not (and may never have been) a breeding stronghold for the PFE. The lack of eagles at 13 of 21 historical sites surveyed, coupled with a lack of sightings of birds at alternative locations is suggestive of a decline in site occupancy. Observations of juvenile eagles within one month of the spring thaw suggests that at least a proportion of Mongolian PFEs are breeding at southern latitudes, and future studies to establish these migratory linkages are warranted. These findings, coupled with evidence of declines in other parts of the PFE range indicate a need to re-evaluate the species’ conservation status, and in particular to determine the number of mature PFEs present in suitable habitat in the Indian Subcontinent and Myanmar between November and March.
Percutaneous management of coronary sinus atrial septal defect: two cases representing the spectrum for device closure and a review of the literature
Authors: Sandeep Nefthi , Slack Michael C. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractCoronary sinus atrial septal defects are the rarest defects of the atrial septum comprising <1% of the five different types of atrial septal defects. Despite the widespread adoption of percutaneous device closure of secundum atrial septal defects, the published experience with percutaneous device closure of coronary sinus atrial septal defects is limited to only a few isolated case reports because of uncertainty regarding safety and efficacy. Open-heart surgical repair remains the treatment of choice for coronary sinus atrial septal defects, although this may not be the only treatment option in selected cases. Herein we describe our own experience with two patients with different clinical presentations and our method of successful percutaneous coronary sinus atrial septal defect closure in each. We then present a review of the anatomic spectrum of coronary sinus atrial septal defects along with a review of contemporary surgical and percutaneous device treatment.
A model for the pension system in Mexico: diagnosis and recommendations
Authors: ALONSO JAVIER , HOYO CARMEN , TUESTA DAVID 
Published: March 2014

AbstractThe reform of the pension system of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) in 1997, limited the growing fiscal cost of the previous pay-as-you-go scheme. Sixteen years on from its creation, the Retirement Savings System (SAR) has had favourable macroeconomic effects for Mexico, as it has significantly increased financial savings and encouraged the development of local financial markets.However, the employment and pension coverage has not developed as hoped, due to the high rate of informality in the labour market. In addition, the replacement rates (RR) forecast for old-age pensions from the defined-contribution scheme will be low, due to problems exogenous to the pension system, such as low contribution rates and low contribution densities. The main objective of this study is to develop a macroeconomic and actuarial projection model to simulate the expected coverage and RR for the period 2012–2050, within the framework of a demographic and economic forecast that will allow a detailed diagnosis of the current conditions of the pension system. The results reveal the unpromising scenario that the pension system has and will continue to have in the long term, with limited improvements in coverage rates. The possibility of obtaining adequate pensions will be restricted to those who have socioeconomic conditions with a long employment history, who can thus make contributions to their individual accounts.Taking into account this baseline projection scenario, we simulate the expected effects of applying a set of proposals with the aim of tackling the main problems, such as the low coverage, low RR, and low level of participation by young people in the system.
Parkin is activated by PINK1-dependent phosphorylation of ubiquitin at Ser65
Authors: Kazlauskaite Agne , Kondapalli Chandana , Gourlay Robert , Campbell David G. , Ritorto Maria Stella , Hofmann Kay , Alessi Dario R. , Knebel Axel , Trost Matthias , Muqit Miratul M. K. 
Published: March 2014

We have previously reported that the Parkinson's disease-associated kinase PINK1 (PTEN-induced putative kinase 1) is activated by mitochondrial depolarization and stimulates the Parkin E3 ligase by phosphorylating Ser65 within its Ubl (ubiquitin-like) domain. Using phosphoproteomic analysis, we identified a novel ubiquitin phosphopeptide phosphorylated at Ser65 that was enriched 14-fold in HEK (human embryonic kidney)-293 cells overexpressing wild-type PINK1 stimulated with the mitochondrial uncoupling agent CCCP (carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone), to activate PINK1, compared with cells expressing kinase-inactive PINK1. Ser65 in ubiquitin lies in a similar motif to Ser65 in the Ubl domain of Parkin. Remarkably, PINK1 directly phosphorylates Ser65 of ubiquitin in vitro. We undertook a series of experiments that provide striking evidence that Ser65-phosphorylated ubiquitin (ubiquitinPhospho−Ser65) functions as a critical activator of Parkin. First, we demonstrate that a fragment of Parkin lacking the Ubl domain encompassing Ser65 (ΔUbl-Parkin) is robustly activated by ubiquitinPhospho−Ser65, but not by non-phosphorylated ubiquitin. Secondly, we find that the isolated Parkin Ubl domain phosphorylated at Ser65 (UblPhospho−Ser65) can also activate ΔUbl-Parkin similarly to ubiquitinPhospho−Ser65. Thirdly, we establish that ubiquitinPhospho−Ser65, but not non-phosphorylated ubiquitin or UblPhospho−Ser65, activates full-length wild-type Parkin as well as the non-phosphorylatable S65A Parkin mutant. Fourthly, we provide evidence that optimal activation of full-length Parkin E3 ligase is dependent on PINK1-mediated phosphorylation of both Parkin at Ser65 and ubiquitin at Ser65, since only mutation of both proteins at Ser65 completely abolishes Parkin activation. In conclusion, the findings of the present study reveal that PINK1 controls Parkin E3 ligase activity not only by phosphorylating Parkin at Ser65, but also by phosphorylating ubiquitin at Ser65. We propose that phosphorylation of Parkin at Ser65 serves to prime the E3 ligase enzyme for activation by ubiquitinPhospho−Ser65, suggesting that small molecules that mimic ubiquitinPhospho−Ser65 could hold promise as novel therapies for Parkinson's disease.
Immigration Within the United States: Prevalence of Childhood Hearing Loss Revisited
Authors: Pape Lindsay , Kennedy Kaitlyn , Kaf Wafaa , Zahirsha Zisansha 
Published: March 2014

Purpose
As more adult and child immigrants enter the United States each year, there is a high likelihood that the prevalence of childhood hearing loss in the United States is underestimated, given estimations of the number of immigrant children entering the country with hearing loss.

Method

Information was collected using online search engines and peer-reviewed journals. The most recent articles available through search engines included in EBSCO
host
at the time were used. The gathered data were organized by emigrating country, and the 2 countries with the highest immigration rates were presented. Estimations of the number of children immigrating with hearing loss were made using data from published peer-reviewed articles and government reports on immigration.

Conclusions
The prevalence of hearing loss in the United States is underestimated when considering undetected hearing loss in immigrant children. The addition of the immigrant children from only Mexico and China presents a 7.5% increase in the total number of children in the United States with hearing loss. This reinforces the importance of early detection of hearing loss in these children, resulting in more accurate estimation of the rate of childhood hearing loss in the United States and better planning for intervention programs.
Regional tropical deforestation detection using ALOS PALSAR 50 m mosaics in Riau province, Indonesia
Authors: Zeng Tao , Dong Xichao , Quegan Shaun , Hu Cheng , Uryu Yumiko 
Published: March 2014

ALOS PALSAR has provided a five‐year archive of systematic global tropical forest coverage, released as slope‐corrected and ortho‐rectified 50 m mosaic products by JAXA, which are of great help to monitor forest changes. Based on the mosaics, a map of deforestation between the years 2007 and 2008 is built for Riau province, Indonesia, achieving a detection rate of over 86% at a false alarm rate of 20%, calculated by treating independent World Wildlife Fund (WWF) 2007 and 2008 maps as a reference. Non‐forest is discriminated from forest by thresholding the HH/HV ratio in the PALSAR data. Deforestation is then estimated by detecting non‐forest in the 2008 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image (acquired close in time to the WWF 2008 reference map) within the region identified as natural forest in the WWF 2007 reference map. This reduces the errors caused by comparing the change detection between the bi‐temporal SAR images with the WWF reference maps that are temporally mismatched with the SAR data, leading to more realistic estimates of the ability of PALSAR to detect deforestation than was previously reported.
High‐performance microstrip directional coupler for radio‐astronomical receivers at cryogenic temperature
Authors: Valente G. , Montisci G. , Mariotti S. 
Published: March 2014

A microstrip directional coupler with high directivity is proposed for microwave applications requiring a weak coupling factor. This component has been used in the L‐band radio‐astronomical receiver of the Sardinia radio telescope. To improve the performance of the receiver, the operating temperature is lowered to 20 K. An in‐house cryostat has been manufactured to perform measurements on the directional coupler, and very good agreement with the design specification is achieved.
Extending the bandwidth of low‐noise microwave amplifier through digital assist
Authors: Stewart D. , Saavedra C. E. 
Published: March 2014

The 3 dB bandwidth of a low‐noise amplifier (LNA) is increased by 23% from a range of 1–6.7 GHz to a range of 1–8.25 GHz through digital assist. The LNA has a multi‐stage topology and the gate bias voltages are dynamically optimised in real‐time to obtain the best gain and noise figure as a function of the signal input frequency.
Band‐notched UWB rectangular dielectric resonator antenna
Authors: Wang Yong Feng , Denidni T.A. , Zeng Qing Sheng , Wei Gao 
Published: March 2014

A new ultra‐wideband (UWB) rectangular dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) with band‐stop performance is proposed. Two symmetrical short‐circuited strips together with a slot etched in the feeding patch are introduced to form the notched band. The design principles of the proposed methods are described in detail. The measured result demonstrates that the proposed DRA achieves an UWB bandwidth from 3.6 to 12 GHz for a voltage standing wave ratio <2 with a notched band from 5.1 to 6.0 GHz.
Fish navigation of large dams emerges from their modulation of flow field experience
Authors: Goodwin R. Andrew , Politano Marcela , Garvin Justin W. , Nestler John M. , Hay Duncan , Anderson James J. , Weber Larry J. , Dimperio Eric , Smith David L. , Timko Mark 
Published: March 2014

Significance
Whereas adult salmon swimming upstream through a ladder visibly illustrates the challenge a dam presents to fish returning home to spawn, the downstream passage of juveniles swimming toward the ocean is often a greater, although more unseen, challenge to their survival. Decades of work have identified many factors that affect fish behavior near dams, but why downstream passage structures may work well at one dam but not at another is poorly understood. We use a computer model to show that observed downstream passage patterns could result from a generic strategy that fish may use to navigate flow field obstacles. Our findings identify environmental and biological factors warranting further evaluation for sustaining native species amid economic development.
Fine-scale ecological and economic assessment of climate change on olive in the Mediterranean Basin reveals winners and losers
Authors: Ponti Luigi , Gutierrez Andrew Paul , Ruti Paolo Michele , Dell’Aquila Alessandro 
Published: March 2014

Significance
Inability to determine reliably the direction and magnitude of change in natural and agro-ecosystems due to climate change poses considerable challenge to their management. Olive is an ancient ubiquitous crop having considerable ecological and socioeconomic importance in the Mediterranean Basin. We assess the ecological and economic impact of projected 1.8 °C climate warming on olive and its obligate pest, the olive fly. This level of climate warming will have varying impact on olive yield and fly infestation levels across the Mediterranean Basin, and result in economic winners and losers. The analysis predicts areas of decreased profitability that will increase the risk of abandonment of small farms in marginal areas critical to soil and biodiversity conservation and to fire risk reduction.
Revealing mesoscopic structural universality with diffusion
Authors: Novikov Dmitry S. , Jensen Jens H. , Helpern Joseph A. , Fieremans Els 
Published: March 2014

SignificanceA major challenge in the physical and life sciences is to see the invisible by quantifying the structure of materials and living tissues below nominal imaging resolution. Measurement of molecular diffusion performed at a macroscopic level is a common noninvasive structural probe. Interpreting its results involves identifying which structural features, out of a myriad of parameters, most strongly affect the diffusion coefficient. Here we address this ill-posed problem by classifying media into a relatively small number of universality classes, based on the nature of long-range structural correlations. We show that the time dependence of a macroscopic diffusion coefficient distinguishes between these classes. Using this approach, we identify dominant restrictions to MRI-measured water diffusion in muscles and in cortical gray matter.
Normal acquisition of expertise with greebles in two cases of acquired prosopagnosia
Authors: Rezlescu Constantin , Barton Jason J. S. , Pitcher David , Duchaine Bradley 
Published: March 2014

Significance
The leading accounts of face recognition are the face-specific view and the expertise view. The face-specific account claims upright faces are processed by brain mechanisms specialized for faces, whereas the expertise hypothesis claims faces are processed by mechanisms engaged by fine-grained discrimination of the object of expertise. The effects of expertise on visual recognition have been studied in the laboratory using greebles (objects designed to place face-like demands on recognition mechanisms), and behavioral and neural markers characteristic of face processing have been reported for greebles after training. Here we present compelling evidence that performance with greebles does not depend on face recognition mechanisms. Two individuals with acquired prosopagnosia displayed normal greeble learning despite severely impaired face performance. These results support the face-specific account.
Biomechanics of milk extraction during breast-feeding
Authors: Elad David , Kozlovsky Pavel , Blum Omry , Laine Andrew F. , Po Ming Jack , Botzer Eyal , Dollberg Shaul , Zelicovich Mabel , Ben Sira Liat 
Published: March 2014

Significance
We have resolved a century-long scientific controversy and demonstrated with a 3D biophysical model that infants suck breast milk by subatmospheric pressures and not by mouthing the nipple–areola complex to induce a peristaltic-like extraction mechanism. Analysis of ultrasound (US) movies demonstrated that the anterior tongue, which is wedged between the nipple–areola complex and the lower lips, moves as a rigid body with the cycling motion of the mandible, while the posterior section of the tongue undulates like a peristaltic wave, which is essential for swallowing. The computational simulations of breast-feeding successfully mimicked the dynamic characteristics observed in US imaging and also predicted the subatmospheric pressure required to draw the nipple–areola complex into the infant mouth during latch-on.