bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Serum Thyroid‐Stimulating Hormone Concentration as a Diagnostic Test for Hyperthyroidism in Cats
Authors: Peterson M.E. , Guterl J.N. , Nichols R. , Rishniw M. 
Published: July 2015

BackgroundIn humans, measurement of serum thyroid‐stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration is commonly used as a first‐line discriminatory test of thyroid function. Recent reports indicate that canineTSH(cTSH) assays can be used to measure felineTSHand results can help diagnose or exclude hyperthyroidism.ObjectivesTo investigate the usefulness ofcTSHmeasurements as a diagnostic test for cats with hyperthyroidism.AnimalsNine hundred and seventeen cats with untreated hyperthyroidism, 32 euthyroid cats suspected of having hyperthyroidism, and 131 clinically normal cats.MethodsProspective study. Cats referred to the Animal Endocrine Clinic for suspected hyperthyroidism were evaluated with serum T4, T3, free T4(fT4), andTSHconcentrations. Thyroid scintigraphy was used as the gold standard to confirm or exclude hyperthyroidism.ResultsMedian serumTSHconcentration in the hyperthyroid cats (<0.03 ng/mL) was significantly (P < .001) lower than concentrations in clinically normal cats (0.05 ng/mL) or euthyroid cats with suspected thyroid disease (0.06 ng/mL). Only 18 (2.0%) hyperthyroid cats had measurableTSHconcentrations (≥0.03 ng/mL), whereas 114 (69.9%) of the 163 euthyroid cats had detectable concentrations. Combining serumTSHwith T4orfT4concentrations lowered the test sensitivity ofTSHfrom 98.0 to 97.0%, but markedly increased overall test specificity (from 69.9 to 98.8%).Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceSerumTSHconcentrations are suppressed in 98% of hyperthyroid cats, but concentrations are measurable in a few cats with mild‐to‐moderate hyperthyroidism. Measurement of serumTSHrepresents a highly sensitive but poorly specific test for diagnosis of hyperthyroidism and is best measured in combination with T4andfT4.
Theoretical Model of Coronary Blood Flow Regulation: Role of Myocardium Compressive Forces
Authors: Xie Xinzhou , Wang Yuanyuan 
Published: July 2015

AbstractObjectiveAuto‐regulatory reserve of coronary blood flow is nonuniformly distributed across the ventricular wall. MCF are thought to play an important role in determining the transmural distribution of myocardium blood flow. Here, impacts of MCF on coronary flow regulation are analyzed using a theoretical model.MethodsCoronary microvessels at various depths in the ventricular wall are represented by parallel segments. Nine vessel regions are connected in series to represent one parallel segment, which includes four vasoactive regions regulated by the wall tension, the shear stress and the metabolic demand. The nonuniform distribution of MCF is modeled and its effects on coronary flow regulation are taken into consideration by using a modified tension model and a vessel collapse model. Flow regulation behaviors in both normal and obstructed coronary circulation are simulated.ResultsModel‐predicted auto‐regulatory curve is shifted to the high pressure region by including the effect of MCF. Model‐predicted flow distributions in obstructed coronary circulation show that severe stenosis in coronary artery would first impede myocardial blood flow in subendocardial layer.ConclusionsThe model results indicate that MCF plays an important role in coronary flow regulation and also in determining the transmural distribution of myocardium blood flow.
Relational Adjectives at Interfaces
Authors: Moreno Mihaela Marchis 
Published: July 2015

AbstractThe paper investigates the properties of relational adjectives at the syntax/morphology interface. Specifically, it proposes an analysis of relational adjectives that accounts of the mismatch between their nominal semantics/syntax and the adjectival morphology. Relational adjectives are semantically underlying nouns but they show several syntactic properties that set them apart from nouns such as deficient number, lack of anaphoric properties and incompatibility with complex event nouns. I account for these deficiencies by analyzing them as underspecified nouns with a minimal syntactic structure on a par with the one of default mass nouns proposed by Borer (2005). Moreover, positive evidence is provided for a split classification of relational adjectives as proposed in Bosque & Picallo (1996) according to which Thematic relational adjectives are arguments of deverbal nouns while Classificatory adjectives, restrictive modifiers of simple nouns. Special focus is placed on the parallel between Thematic adjectives and genitives in Romance that provides a theoretical answer to the syntax/morphology mismatch: In the spirit of Distributed Morphology (cf. Embick & Noyer 2006), I argue that the Case features of the nouns underlying in Thematic adjectives are relevant only at PF, conditioning the choice of Vocabulary Items expressing Case: the adjectival suffix or the de genitival preposition.
Comparative morphological evaluation of domestic animal cornea
Authors: Nautscher Nadine , Bauer Achim , Steffl Martin , Amselgruber Werner M. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractObjectiveThis study described corneal morphology in different domestic animals using histological and immunohistochemical methods. Specifically, we evaluated the species‐specific distribution pattern of cytokeratins (CKs) and aquaporins (AQPs) to assess their contribution to the strength and transparency of the cornea, respectively.ProceduresCorneal sections (2 μm thick) were obtained from 28 pigs, 11 cows, two goats, six horses, four dogs, and five cats and stained with hematoxylin–eosin and periodic acid–Schiff (PAS) reaction. Immunohistochemistry was also performed using CK1 to 3 and AQP1 and 5 antibodies.ResultsDomestic animal corneas were composed of corneal epithelium, stroma, Descemet's membrane, and corneal endothelium. Bowman's layer was not detected using the PAS reaction. The three‐layered epithelium was thinnest in carnivores and thickest in equines and bovines. CKs were demonstrated immunohistochemically in all species examined, especially in the most superficial layer of the corneal epithelium. CKs were more widely distributed in canine and feline corneal epithelial cell layers compared to other species. The corneal monolayer endothelium was immunostained with AQP1 in all species examined, and it was also present in stromal keratocytes in a species‐specific manner. In contrast, AQP5 was exclusively localized to the corneal epithelium. Epithelial staining patterns varied markedly between species, and the widest distribution of AQP5 was demonstrated in feline epithelial cell layers.ConclusionsDifferences in the distribution of CKs and AQPs in various species suggest species differences in the maintenance of structural integrity and fluid balance.
CODRA: A Novel Discriminative Framework for Rhetorical Analysis
Authors: Joty Shafiq , Carenini Giuseppe , Ng Raymond T. 
Published: July 2015

Clauses and sentences rarely stand on their own in an actual discourse; rather, the relationship between them carries important information that allows the discourse to express a meaning as a whole beyond the sum of its individual parts. Rhetorical analysis seeks to uncover this coherence structure. In this article, we present CODRA— a COmplete probabilistic Discriminative framework for performing Rhetorical Analysis in accordance with Rhetorical Structure Theory, which posits a tree representation of a discourse.CODRA comprises a discourse segmenter and a discourse parser. First, the discourse segmenter, which is based on a binary classifier, identifies the elementary discourse units in a given text. Then the discourse parser builds a discourse tree by applying an optimal parsing algorithm to probabilities inferred from two Conditional Random Fields: one for intra-sentential parsing and the other for multi-sentential parsing. We present two approaches to combine these two stages of parsing effectively. By conducting a series of empirical evaluations over two different data sets, we demonstrate that CODRA significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art, often by a wide margin. We also show that a reranking of the k-best parse hypotheses generated by CODRA can potentially improve the accuracy even further.
Augmentation Autologous Adipose Injections in the Larynx
Authors: Benninger Michael S. , Hanick Andrea L. , Nowacki Amy S. 
Published: July 2015

Objective: Autologous adipose injection (AAI) is a recognized method for vocal fold augmentation. The study’s purpose is to explore short- and long-term outcomes of AAI. Methods: Retrospective chart review of 43 patients undergoing AAI was performed; patient perception of outcome, Voice Handicap Index (VHI), maximum phonatory time (MPT), and disposition were evaluated. Results: Over 5 years, 43 AAI patients had documented postoperative follow-up (25 paralysis, 8 paresis, 9 bowing/presbylarynges, and 5 scar/sulci). Mean follow-up was 32 weeks. There was gradual patient loss to follow-up. Thirty-nine of 40 (98%) had patient-reported improvement at 6 weeks, 28 of 34 (82%) had improvement at 2 to 6 months, with 10 of 12 (83%) sustaining their improvement for >1 year. Significant improvement in mean VHI was observed at 4 to 6 weeks (mean reduction, 26; P < .0001) and 2 to 6 months (mean reduction, 23; P < .0001). Improvement in mean MPT was observed at 4 to 6 weeks (mean increase, 8 s; P < .0001), 2 to 6 months (6 s; P = .007), and >1 year (4 s; P = .03). Eight patients went on to medialization laryngoplasty. Conclusion: AAI successfully augments vocal folds in short-term outcomes with some gradual decrease in effectiveness. Although patient attrition limited conclusions, objective long-term benefit may occur in >50% of patients.
An Investigation of the Impact on Higher Education of the Family & Medical Leave Act of 1993
Authors: Campion William J. , Dill Janice C. 
Published: July 2015

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires businesses with 50 or more employees to grant eligible workers, with the exception of their top management, up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for the birth and first-year care of a child; adoption or foster placement of a child in the employee's home; the care of a spouse, child, or parent with a serious health condition; or the serious health condition of the employee. 1 Higher education administrators collectively groaned when colleges and universities learned that their institutions were indeed covered by the FMLA. Up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave are allowed for eligible employees, those who have worked for the employer for at least 12 months and for at least 1,250 hours during that period. This project surveyed human resource directors at selected two-year and four-year higher education institutions in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana to see what effect the FMLA produced in it first four years. Many instructors and staff members have indicated a lack of awareness regarding the FMLA. Apparently, most college and university employees did not believe that a 12-week leave was available to them. Perhaps the extremely liberal time off already enjoyed by higher education rendered an understanding of the FMLA unnecessary. The results of this study provided a much different portrait according to human resource directors surveyed. By means of this study personnel specialists suggested that information regarding the FMLA had been widely disseminated and that employees throughout the institutions were well acquainted with the Act. This study sought to investigate various issues regarding the FMLA as well as the degree of awareness possessed by the higher education community.
Hanging on or Fading Out?
Authors: Traut Carol Ann , Larsen Rick , Feimer Steven H. 
Published: July 2015

Job satisfaction remains an important issue for public managers, as they try to motivate workers in today's political environment. Many of the motivational efforts are centered around newer employees, while longer-term workers are automatically assumed to be committed to their jobs. In this study of a medium-size city fire department, employees were surveyed on five aspects of job satisfaction: satisfaction with the supervisor, satisfaction with agency relationships, satisfaction with job training, satisfaction with job content, and overall job satisfaction. The effects of job tenure on satisfaction were uniform across the five aspects. The newest employees were significantly more satisfied with their jobs than were longer-term employees, even when controlling for the organizational rank. For a successful workplace, employers must continue to invest in their longer-term employees even as they develop newer employees. In the 1990s, public sector employers are struggled to maintain a competent and committed workforce. Nowhere was this more true than at the local level in services such as fire fighting where stress is a constant element of working, cooperative relationships are vital, and training demands are continual. Employers not only must hire and train new workers, but also encourage a continued high level of dedication and willingness to learn among their more long-term employees. This study looks at employee job satisfaction among the employees of a fire department in a medium-size city. It then discusses the ongoing challenges of motivating public workers at all levels of experience.
Workplace Bullying: Curing the Cancer of the American Workplace
Authors: Glendinning Peter M. 
Published: July 2015

The purpose of this work is to investigate the phenomenon of workplace bullying. Particularly, it will investigate the hypothesis that supervisor/employee workplace bullying is an issue that has great weight in modern organizational dynamics, especially considering the increasingly tight labor market the United States finds itself in today. It further postulates that the business unit that bears the most responsibility to administer programs to address workplace bullying is the human resource function. The actions of this business unit (or lack of actions) in dealing with this phenomenon have tremendous implications for the organization. The method used to research these hypotheses was to conduct an extensive literature review on the subject. This included a sampling of thought from throughout the English-speaking world. The findings of this research concluded that a radically different type of supervisor/subordinate relationship is required in this era of an increasingly tight labor market; defined the consensus on the actual definition of what workplace bullying is, and is not; identified workplace bullying as a widespread phenomenon, and not a “red herring;” identified that workplace bullying has high costs to both the employee target, and the organization; described what motivates a supervisor to bully; revealed what types of organizations foster and perpetuate workplace bullying; identified the role of the human resources department in workplace bullying; and provided advice for human resource professionals as to what they can do to both address present bullying, and prevent an environment that could foster workplace bullies in the future.
An Examination of Employee Benefits Cost Control Strategies in New Jersey Local Governments
Authors: Roberts Gary E. 
Published: July 2015

Employee benefits are an essential and costly component of the compensation and human resources management system. This research effort surveyed 118 New Jersey local governments on benefits cost management strategies. The results indicate that the majority of local governments are utilizing displacement strategies that shift or impose costs onto either taxpayers (higher taxes) or employees (outsourcing, higher co-payments) in contrast to structural solutions that address the macro-level financial variables that influence either the demand or supply side of benefits finance (i.e., self-insurance, benefit consortiums, or service regionalization). Only a quarter of the strategies employed entailed structural solutions. Recommendations are provided to enhance the effectiveness of benefits plan cost-control strategies, including systematic needs assessment and technical assistance.
Technology for Human Resources Management: Seven Questions and Answers
Authors: Ashbaugh Sam , Miranda Rowan 
Published: July 2015

Public management is slowly being transformed by information technology. Technology today is the driver of new government processes for dealing with citizens and suppliers. But it is also reshaping important functions and processes that only those inside government may care about such as accounting, payroll, and personnel administration. Taken together, the internal and external impact of new technologies is changing the way governments manage and make decisions.1 This article examines the current state and future trends in human resource management systems (HRMS). Such systems are related to a broader “digital government” effort that seeks to apply technology to streamline government processes. The underlying architecture for digital government is the Internet and integrated administrative management systems (which are more commonly known as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems). This article describes the technology and functional features of such systems and focuses specifically on the business benefits provided by the human resource management system (HRMS) components. Questions examined include: ▪ What are the challenging issues facing HRMS? ▪ What is the current state of HRMS technology? ▪ What is ERP? How is it related to HRMS? ▪ What are the major technology features of modern systems? ▪ What specific functions are encompassed by HRMS? ▪ What are the major business benefits of modern HRMS? ▪ What are some of the major risk factors in implementing HRMS solutions?
The Organizational Climate of Kerman Shahid Bahonar University
Authors: Alavi Hamid Reza , Jahandari Ramazan 
Published: July 2015

The aim of this research is to survey the organizational climate of Kerman Shahid Bahonar University and compare it with the desired organizational climate from the point of view of the university staff. The questions of the research are: Is the relationship among the staff friendly? Does the staff perform their delegated duties with high spirit? Are the conditions in a way not to disturb the staff and not to make problems? Is the managers' behavior with the staff supportive and friendly? Is the staff interested in their occupations? Do managers and staff behave formally with each other? Is the managers' work method taken as good examples? Do the managers direct the staff ignoring the staffs' ideas? The statistical samples that were chosen randomly include 262 employees out of 820 employed staff of Shahid Bahonar University. In order to get research aims, information and data were gathered using the Survey Research method and through the descriptive organizational climate questionnaire. However, only 218 questionnaires were applicable. For analyzing the data, descriptive and inferential statistics tables, T-Test, ANOVA, and Wilcoxon were used. The results show that organizational climate of Shahid Bahonar University is similar to the closed System of Andrew W. Halpin and Don B. Croft, two scholars in organizational climate who were of those who designed a questionnaire regarding the organizational climate, and is far behind the desired organizational climate of the staff.
Benefit Cost Comparisons between State and Local Governments and Private Sector Employers
Authors: McDonnell Kenneth J. , Salisbury Dallas 
Published: July 2015

In June of 2005, overall total compensation costs were 46 percent higher among state and local government employers ($35.46 per hour worked) than among private-sector employers ($24.24 per hour worked) (calculated from Figure 1). Total compensation costs consist of two major categories: wages and salaries and employee benefits. For both of these categories, state and local government employers' costs were higher than those of private-sector employers: 40 percent higher for wages and salaries and 61 percent higher for employee benefits (calculated from Figure 3). This article examines some of the causes of the differences in total compensation costs between state and local government employers and private-sector employers. The datasets used are as follows: For compensation costs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Employer Costs for Employee Compensation: June 2005; for private-sector benefit participation, the BLS's National Compensation Survey, Employee Benefits in Private Industry in the United States, March 2005; and for state and local government employers, BLS' Employee Benefits in State and Local Governments, 1998. Employment by industry group data come from BLS' Employment and Earnings, August 2005, and employment by occupation data are from EBRI tabulations of the Current Population Survey, March 2005 Supplement by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The New Crisis of Public Service Employment
Authors: McEntee Gerald W. 
Published: July 2015

These are unprecedented times for public service workers and the unions that represent their interests. The largest of these unions is the 1.4 million-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO. In recent years, AFSCME has been thrust into the role of defending sweeping attacks on public employees and public budgets at every level of government. Throughout its 70-year history, AFSCME has waged effective battles that have enabled public employees to join the ranks of the middle class—winning collective bargaining rights, facilitating the adoption of merit-based job performance systems, growing public employee pension plans, securing wage increases, and helping create a vibrant public sector that provides effective services to citizens and helps local economies realize their potential. Today, much of the historic progress achieved by public workers is at risk. Ultimately, how successfully AFSCME and its fellow public unions meet five core challenges in the areas of privatization—fiscal limits, civil service reform and pension reform—will determine the future of America's public sector.
Navigating Pennsylvania's Dynamic Workforce: Succession Planning in a Complex Environment
Authors: Helton Kimberly A. , Jackson Robert D. 
Published: July 2015

Through its workforce and succession planning efforts, Pennsylvania is committed to proactively identifying, preparing for and maintaining pools of well-trained and motivated state government employees to assume critical positions of leadership. But the concept of leadership extends beyond senior-level positions within agencies. The goal in Pennsylvania is to improve leadership capabilities in every work unit and to encourage all employees to use their skills to build stronger teams. Leadership at all levels means equipping employees with the tools, skills and expectations to communicate effectively and foster leadership at every organizational level. Leadership at all levels ensures that no lack of business continuity results from staff departures such as retirements, resignations, promotions or reassignments or other situations in which an individual is unable to or unwilling to continue his or her role within an organization. As a follow-up to the case study “Pennsylvania's Changing Workforce: Planning Today With Tomorrow's Vision” ( Public Personnel Management, Vol. 33, No. 4, Winter 2004), this article advances workforce planning and details the manner in which the commonwealth actualizes sound succession planning principles and practices.
Computer Applications to Personnel (Releasing the Genie — Harnessing the Dragon)
Authors: Darany Theodore S. 
Published: July 2015

Computers can be a boon or a bane to the existence of a personnel administrator. By focusing on areas of proven savings and with the help of careful planning and impartial advice, the personnel administrator has a considerably better chance for success. This article delineates five major areas of such savings and provides recommendations aimed at achieving those savings. It closes with a glimpse at some possible future capabilities and an annotated list of relevant resources.