bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quality measurement in the shunt treatment of hydrocephalus: analysis and risk adjustment of the Revision Quotient
Authors: Piatt Joseph H. , Freibott Christina E. 
Published: April 2014

Object
The Revision Quotient (RQ) has been defined as the ratio of the number of CSF shunt revisions to the number of new shunt insertions for a particular neurosurgical practice in a unit of time. The RQ has been proposed as a quality measure in the treatment of childhood hydrocephalus. The authors examined the construct validity of the RQ and explored the feasibility of risk stratification under this metric.

Methods
The Kids' Inpatient Database for 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006, and 2009 was queried for admissions with diagnostic codes for hydrocephalus and procedural codes for CSF shunt insertion or revision. Revision quotients were calculated for hospitals that performed 12 or more shunt insertions annually. The univariate associations of hospital RQs with a variety of institutional descriptors were analyzed, and a generalized linear model of the RQ was constructed.

Results
There were 12,244 admissions (34%) during which new shunts were inserted, and there were 23,349 admissions (66%) for shunt revision. Three hundred thirty-four annual RQs were calculated for 152 different hospitals. Analysis of variance in hospital RQs over the 5 years of study data supports the construct validity of the metric. The following factors were incorporated into a generalized linear model that accounted for 41% of the variance of the measured RQs: degree of pediatric specialization, proportion of initial case mix in the infant age group, and proportion with neoplastic hydrocephalus.

Conclusions
The RQ has construct validity. Risk adjustment is feasible, but the risk factors that were identified relate predominantly to patterns of patient flow through the health care system. Possible advantages of an alternative metric, the Surgical Activity Ratio, are discussed.
Grounding-zone ice thickness from InSAR: Inverse modelling of tidal elastic bending
Authors: Marsh Oliver J. , Rack Wolfgang , Golledge Nicholas R. , Lawson Wendy , Floricioiu Dana 
Published: April 2014

AbstractIce-thickness measurements in Antarctic ice-shelf grounding zones are necessary for calculating the mass balance of individual catchments, but remain poorly constrained for most of the continent. We describe a new inverse modelling optimization approach to estimate ice thickness in the grounding zone of Antarctic outlet glaciers and ice shelves using spatial patterns of tide-induced flexure derived from differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR). We demonstrate that the illposedness of the inverse formulation of the elastic-plate equations for bending can be controlled by regularization. In one dimension, the model recreates smooth, synthesized profiles of ice thickness from flexure information to within 1–2%. We test the method in two dimensions and validate it in the grounding zone of Beardmore Glacier, a major outlet glacier in the Transantarctic Mountains, using interferograms created from TerraSAR-X satellite imagery acquired in 2012. We compare our results with historic and modern ice-thickness data (radio-echo sounding from 1967 and ground-penetrating radar from 2010). We match both longitudinal and transverse thickness transects to within 50 m root-mean-square error using an effective Young’s modulus of 1.4 GPa. The highest accuracy is achieved close to the grounded ice boundary, where current estimates of thickness based on surface elevation measurements contain a systematic bias towards thicker ice.
Continuous snowpack monitoring using upward-looking ground-penetrating radar technology
Authors: Schmid Lino , Heilig Achim , Mitterer Christoph , Schweizer Jürg , Maurer Hansruedi , Okorn Robert , Eisen Olaf 
Published: April 2014

AbstractSnow stratigraphy and water percolation are key contributing factors to avalanche formation. So far, only destructive methods can provide this kind of information. Radar technology allows continuous, non-destructive scanning of the snowpack so that the temporal evolution of internal properties can be followed. We installed an upward-looking ground-penetrating radar system (upGPR) at the Weissfluhjoch study site (Davos, Switzerland). During two winter seasons (2010/11 and 2011/12) we recorded data with the aim of quantitatively determining snowpack properties and their temporal evolution. We automatically derived the snow height with an accuracy of about ± 5 cm, tracked the settlement of internal layers (± 7 cm) and measured the amount of new snow (± 10 cm). Using external snow height measurements, we determined the bulk density with a mean error of 4.3% compared to manual measurements. Radar-derived snow water equivalent deviated from manual measurements by 5%. Furthermore, we tracked the location of the dry-to-wet transition in the snowpack until water percolated to the ground. Based on the transition and an independent snow height measurement it was possible to estimate the volumetric liquid water content and its temporal evolution. Even though we need additional information to derive some of the snow properties, our results show that it is possible to quantitatively derive snow properties with upGPR.
Interannual changes of the floating ice shelf of Petermann Gletscher, North Greenland, from 2000 to 2012
Authors: Münchow Andreas , Padman Laurie , Fricker Helen A. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractPetermann Gletscher, northwest Greenland, drains 4% of the Greenland ice sheet into Nares Strait. Its floating ice shelf retreated from 81 to 48 km in length during two large calving events in 2010 and 2012. We document changes in the three-dimensional ice-shelf structure from 2000 to 2012, using repeated tracks of airborne laser altimetry and ice radio-echo sounding, ICESat laser altimetry and MODIS visible imagery. The recent ice-shelf velocity, measured by tracking surface features between flights in 2010 and 2011, is ~1.25 km a−1, ~15–30% faster than estimates made before 2010. The steady- state along-flow ice divergence represents 6.3 Gta−1mass loss through basal melting (~5Gta−1) and surface melting and sublimation (~1.0Gta−1). Airborne laser altimeter data reveal thinning, both along a thin central channel and on the thicker ambient ice shelf. From 2007 to 2010 the ice shelf thinned by ~5 m a−1, which represents a non-steady mass loss of ~4.1 Gta−1. We suggest that thinning in the basal channels structurally weakened the ice shelf and may have played a role in the recent calving events.
Ice volume estimation inferred from ice thickness and surface measurements for Continental Glacier, Wind River Range, Wyoming, USA
Authors: Vanlooy Jeffrey A. , Miège Clément , Vandeberg Gregory S. , Forster Richard R. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThe Wind River Range in Wyoming, USA, contains the largest concentration of glacial mass in the Rocky Mountains of the contiguous USA. Despite this distinction, only a few field or remotely sensed studies providing glacier volume changes have been published. The current study focuses on Continental Glacier located on the northern end of the range and uses two field datasets (high-accuracy GPS surface elevation points and ice-penetrating radar transects of the glacier bed) to create a three-dimensional model of glacier volume. Current surface elevations are compared with historical elevation data to calculate surface elevation change over time. An average thinning rate of 13.8 ± 7.8 m (0.30 ± 0.17 m a–1) between 1966 and 2012 was found. Surface elevation change rates varied across the glacier, ranging from +0.30 to –0.98 m a–1. Taking into account variable melt rates across the glacier, along with a glacial volume of 72.1 × 106± 10.8 × 106m3, we estimate that Continental Glacier will be reduced in volume by 43% over the next 100 years and will disappear completely over the next 300–400 years, if current climatic conditions persist.
Tidal modulation of ice-shelf flow: a viscous model of the Ross Ice Shelf
Authors: Brunt Kelly M. , MacAyeal Douglas R. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThree stations near the calving front of the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica, recorded GPS data through a full spring–neap tidal cycle in November 2005. The data revealed a diurnal horizontal motion that varied both along and transverse to the long-term average velocity direction, similar to tidal signals observed in other ice shelves and ice streams. Based on its periodicity, it was hypothesized that the signal represents a flow response of the Ross Ice Shelf to the diurnal tides of the Ross Sea. To assess the influence of the tide on the ice-shelf motion, two hypotheses were developed. The first addressed the direct response of the ice shelf to tidal forcing, such as forces due to sea-surface slopes or forces due to sub-ice-shelf currents. The second involved the indirect response of ice-shelf flow to the tidal signals observed in the ice streams that source the ice shelf. A finite-element model, based on viscous creep flow, was developed to test these hypotheses, but succeeded only in falsifying both hypotheses, i.e. showing that direct tidal effects produce too small a response, and indirect tidal effects produce a response that is not smooth in time. This nullification suggests that a combination of viscous and elastic deformation is required to explain the observations.
Les roses dans l'élévation de Notre-Dame de Paris
Authors: Hardy Chantal 
Published: April 2014

Les rosés dans l'élévation de Notre-Dame de Paris.
C'est à la suite de découvertes au cours des travaux de restauration du siècle dernier que Lassus et Viollet-le-Duc restituèrent des rosés dans l'élévation intérieure et extérieure de Notre-Dame de Paris. On considère depuis que ces rosés, exemples précoces de châssis de pierre, sont l'un des traits qui distinguent le plus Notre-Dame de Paris des autres édifices contemporains. Pourtant telles que restituées par les architectes leur existence soulèvent de nombreux problèmes, il s'agira ici d'établir leur authenticité.
L'histoire de la découverte de ces fragments et de la construction qui s'en suivit permet d'éclairer les interprétations des architectes. Par ailleurs l'étude matérielle des fragments conservés permet de reconstituer deux modèles de châssis, tous deux en forme de croix. C'est en situant la forme et le décor de ces remplages au sein du décor architectural de Notre-Dame et des chantiers parisiens ou apparentés, qu'on peut dater les fragments du chœur vers 1160-1170 et ceux de la nef, vers 1200.
Dans la deuxième partie l'étude se poursuit au niveau de l'emplacement de ces rosés dans l'ordonnance de la cathédrale. L'étude des travaux de restauration et l'analyse du monument permet de remettre en cause les emplacements choisis au XIXe siècle. Rien ne permet de justifier l'existence de rose pour éclairer les tribunes du chœur et la position des rosés dans l'élévation intérieure du chœur était vraisemblablement plus basse, appartenant au projet d'origine. Quant aux traces témoins de l'emplacement de ces rosés dans la nef, elles ne sont valables que pour la dernière campagne de construction du côté sud à partir de 1190, alors que du côté nord de la nef, qui devait aussi comporter des oculi intérieurs, on conserve les traces d'un décor appartenant à un projet antérieur, projet qui fut par la suite remanié mais qui présentait encore des points communs avec la construction du chœur. Par ailleurs le châssis restitué pour la nef côté sud, présente des rapports étroits avec les châssis qui seront créés à partir de 1220, lors de l'agrandissement des fenêtres hautes. L'étude de la position des oculi dans l'élévation intérieure de Notre-Dame permet donc d'émettre des hypothèses sur l'histoire de sa construction.
Ces fragments constituaient de véritables croix en ronde-bosse qui, posées dans les oculi qui aéraient les combles des tribunes, créaient à l'intérieur de Notre-Dame de Paris un décor triomphal.
Modélisation de la marge d’intermédiation des banques
Authors: Sarfati Guillaume , Pérès Rozenn , Morel Christophe-Alain , Michel Thierry 
Published: April 2014

Modelling the Intermediation Margin of Banks.
The intermediation margin of banks, i. e. their net lending income, has rarely been subjected to econometric analysis. This article proposes a model based on a asset-liability approach in the tradition of monopolistic banking theory. In practice, our work seeks to achieve two objectives. The first is to analyse the sensitivity of the intermediation margin of commercial banks to sudden changes in business volume and interest rates. The second is to project the trend of this margin. The consistency of results and the prediction capacity of this model make it an operational tool for the authorities as well as the banks themselves.
Linfluence du régime de change sur linflation dans les pays adhérents
Authors: Coricelli Fabrizio , Jazbec Bostjan , Masten Igor 
Published: April 2014

Exchange Rate Pass-Through in Accession Countries
by Fabrizio Coricelli , Boštjan Jazbec and Igor Masten
This paper analyzes the link between the choice of exchange rate regime and inflationary performance in four EU accession countries : the Czech Republic , Hungary , Poland and Slovenia (CEEC-4 ). The findings generate a clear ranking of the countries by magnitude of pass-through effect and the importance of exchange rate shocks to overall inflationary performance . We find , in particular , that a perfect pass-through effect associated with an accommodative exchange rate policy can become an important source of inflationary pressure . The analysis suggests that early adoption of the euro could be the most effective way for the CEEC-4 to reduce inflation . Keywords : Accession to EMU , pass-through effect , I (2 ) cointegration analysis , policy trade-off
Aperçu sur la situation de la Riziculture au Togo
Authors: Vaillant A. 
Published: April 2014

Le développement de la riziculture au Togo est nécessaire pour augmenter les ressources vivrières des régions surpeuplées du Nord et du Sud. Cette production nouvelle permettra de doubler le circuit des échanges intérieurs et extérieurs limités aux produits vivriers traditionnels (arachides, maïs, mil, ignames...).
Deux régions se prêtent particulièrement à l'extension de cette culture et correspondent au périmètre géographique des deux Secteurs de Modernisation Agricole : Semnord (Mango) et Est Mono (Atakpamé-Anié).
La production actuelle s'élève à 10 000 tonnes. Elle est utilisée entièrement pour la consommation locale.
Les importations actuelles du riz blanchi s'élèvent de deux à trois mille tonnes par an.
L'aménagement des rizières irriguées pour le Nord, le développement des unités coopératives dans le Sud, la poursuite indispensable de la sélection du riz sont à la base de la production rizicole.
L'équipement en matériel de rizerie moderne permettra de valoriser et de commercialiser un bon produit.
Surgical repair of thoraco-lumbar vertebral fracture-luxations in eight cats using screws and polymethylmethacrylate fixation
Authors: Manassero M. , Leperlier D. , Scotti S. , Viateau V. , Moissonnier P. , Vallefuoco R. 
Published: April 2014

SummaryObjective: To report our clinical experience in the surgical treatment of feline thora-columbar vertebral fracture-luxations using optimal safe implantation corridors as previously described in vitro.Study design: Retrospective clinical study.Materials and Methods: Medical records and radiographs of cats with vertebral fracture- luxations stabilized by screws and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) using optimal safe implantation corridors between 2009 and 2011 were reviewed. For each patient the data included: signalment, cause of vertebral fracture-luxations, presence of concurrent injuries, pre- and postoperative neurological grade, surgical treatment, imaging findings, and clinical outcome with short-term (2 weeks) and long-term (12 months) follow-up.Results: Eight cats with vertebral fracture-luxations involving the lumbar (L)(n = 5), the thoracic (T) spinal segments (n = 2), or the thoraco-lumbar junction (n = 1) were included in the study. Screws and PMMA were used bilaterally in five cats and unilaterally in three cats. No surgical intra-operative complications using the defined corridors were recorded. Implant failure followed by spontaneous recovery was recorded in one case. Two cats died in the postoperative period (≤4 days). The short-term and long-term clinical outcome was excellent in four out of eight cats and satisfactory in two out of eight cats.Conclusion and Clinical relevance: This pilot study demonstrates the clinical applicability of optimal safe implantation corridors for stabilization of feline thoraco-lumbar vertebral fracture-luxations with screws and PMMA. This technique can be used with limited risks of iatrogenic injuries for stabilization of vertebral fracture-luxation localized between T11-L4.
Accuracy of a radiographic stitching technique to measure tibial plateau angle in large and giant breed dogs
Authors: Hazenfield K. M. , Nylund A. , Valdes-Martinez A. , Griffin L. , Goh C. , Mackay C. , Duncan C. , Palmer R. , Duerr F. 
Published: April 2014

SummaryObjective: To determine if a novel radiographic stitching technique yields accurate tibial plateau angle (TPA) measurements in large and giant breed dogs.Methods: Three medio-lateral digital radiographic projections (traditional TPLO, stiflecentred, tarsus-centred) were obtained from each of 17 pairs of pelvic limbs from skeletally mature large and giant breed dogs. Eight observers performed image stitching followed by TPA measurements on the stitched (sTPA) and traditional radiographs (tTPA). The TPA was also measured on photographs made of isolated anatomical tibial specimens (aTPA). Measurements were compared between observers and between image type using ANOVA and correlation coefficients.Results: There was no statistically significant difference in TPA between observers for tTPA or sTPA radiographs (p >0.05); both sTPA and tTPA were highly correlated with aTPA and with each other (r = 0.88, 0.89, and 0.97 respectively).Clinical relevance: This novel digital stitching method provides an alternative technique for accurately measuring TPA utilizing a stifle-centred radiograph that may be useful when traditional TPLO radiographs are difficult to obtain. This may be particularly useful in large and giant breed dogs because collimation to include the entire tibial length can preclude proper centring of the radiographic beam over the stifle.
Comparison of radiographic measurements of the patellar tendon-tibial plateau angle with anatomical measurements in dogs
Authors: Ferrand F. X. , Millet M. , Labrunie A. , Marin B. , Pillard P. , Deroy C. , Fau D. , Carozzo C. , Cachon T. , Viguier E. , Bismuth C. 
Published: April 2014

SummaryObjective: To evaluate the validity of the common tangent and conventional tibial plateau angle methods for measuring the patellar tendon angle (PTA) in dogs.Methods: Radiographs of cadaveric stifles (n = 20) placed at 135° in true lateral position were obtained to measure the PTA with both methods. A Kirschner wire was inserted perpendicularly to the patellar tendon at its insertion on the tibia and the stifle was dissected. Two Kirschner wires were then used to identify the anatomical landmarks of the tibial plateau. A digital image was obtained of the proximal tibia in true lateral position. Six blinded observers measured each PTA digitally while the anatomical PTA was determined by an independent blinded observer from the angle between the line representing the tibial plateau and the Kirschner wire representing the perpendicular to the patellar tendon. The agreement between the methods was determined statistically from an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).Results: The global ICC for the common tangent method (0.44) and for the conventional method (0.4) indicated that their overall validity is poor. The measurements obtained by common tangent method and conventional method were respectively below and above the anatomical measurements. The reproducibility of the PTA measurements based on images of the dissected stifles was very good.Clinical significance: Both the common tangent and conventional methods show poor concordance with the anatomical measurement of PTA. Further studies are needed to determine if errors in measurements affect the clinical outcome.
Pluralisme religieux et radicalisme en milieu autochtone au Canada
Authors: Gélinas Claude 
Published: April 2014

Depuis plus d’une quarantaine d’années, les populations autochtones du Canada sont engagées dans une démarche de réappropriation des acquis perdus dans le sillon du colonialisme. Manifeste à travers les multiples revendications territoriales et autonomistes ou les manifestations ou les protestations ponctuelles, cette action politique s’accompagne d’une réactualisation de la culture et de la spiritualité dites traditionnelles à des fins identitaires. Or, tant à l’échelle communautaire qu’à l’échelle pan-autochtone, la définition d’une identité collective s’avère rarement consensuelle ; puisqu’elle fait appel à un ensemble d’attributs sélectionnés à partir de catégories référentielles, autant matérielles, physiques, historiques, psychoculturelles que psychosociales, ce ne sont pas tous les individus qui attachent la même signification ou la même pertinence à tel ou tel attribut ou marqueur identitaire. Dès lors, toute identité collective s’appuie nécessairement sur une part d’essentialisme à laquelle les individus adhèrent à des degrés variables Lorsqu’une forme de conciliation ne peut être atteinte entre l’expression de l’identité collective et celles des identités individuelles, des dysfonctionnements sociaux peuvent surgir, notamment sous la forme d’attitudes ou de comportements radicaux. C’est ce dernier phénomène qui est abordé ici à la lumière des démarches de définition identitaire à l’œuvre au sein des communautés autochtones du Canada, en portant une attention plus particulière aux tensions qui émergent lorsqu’il s’agit de définir la composante religieuse de l’identité collective et qui, à l’occasion, se traduisent par un radicalisme pourtant contraire aux schèmes de valeurs dominants. Cet article s’appuie tout particulièrement sur des cas faisant référence au domaine des droits et des instances juridiques en contexte de reconnaissance du pluralisme.
Documenting Extinction in Real Time: Decline of the Houston Toad on a Primary Recovery Site
Authors: Duarte Adam , Brown Donald J. , Forstner Michael R.J. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThe Houston toad Bufo (Anaxyrus) houstonensis is a federally endangered amphibian endemic to east central Texas and is primarily found in the Lost Pines ecoregion. In 2010, we became cautiously optimistic regarding the recovery of the species on the Griffith League Ranch, one of the toad's primary recovery sites, after an unusually successful reproductive season. Subsequently, the extreme drought throughout Texas deepened, culminating in the fall 2011 high-severity wildfires throughout the Lost Pines ecoregion. After the drought and wildfires, we continued to intensively monitor Houston toads via anuran call surveys, drift fence arrays, and visual observations of reproduction. Our objective was to investigate the dynamics of the Houston toad population on the Griffith League Ranch during these dramatic impacts to its habitat and to discuss the potential for Houston toad recovery in the ecoregion. In summary, both a simulation model and our field monitoring data suggest the Houston toad population on the Griffith League Ranch is at critically low numbers and may be extirpated in the near future if human-mediated recovery strategies are not continued and refined. We do not discern any evidence to suggest the 2011 wildfires have had any direct detrimental impacts on subsequent Houston toad population dynamics. Still, high-resolution data will be needed in the future to quantify how the wildfires affected Houston toad viability over the medium and long term.