bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Intimate partner violence in women living with HIV attending an inner city clinic in the UK: prevalence and associated factors
Authors: Dhairyawan R , Tariq S , Scourse R , Coyne KM 
Published: December 2012

ObjectivesStudies have shown high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) in women living with HIV, but data from the UK are lacking. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of IPV and identify associated factors in women attending our inner London HIV clinic.MethodsWe conducted a cross‐sectional study of women attending our HIV clinic in May to December 2011. Participants completed a standardized questionnaire and exposure to IPV was ascertained using a validated tool. Clinical data were collected from patient records. Logistic regression models were fitted to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AORs).ResultsThis analysis was based on 191 women with available data on IPV. The median age of women was 38 years (range 21−71 years); 74.1% were African‐born Black. Over half (99 of 191; 52%) reported experiencing IPV in their lifetime, with 27 of 191 (14.1%) reporting IPV within the past year and 27 of 191 (14.1%) reporting it in pregnancy. Lifetime experience of IPV was associated with mental health problems [AOR 3.44; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24−9.57; P < 0.05] and ‘other’ Black (born outside sub‐Saharan Africa) ethnicity (AOR 4.63; 95% CI 1.06–20.11; P < 0.05). We also found an association between older age and decreased likelihood of lifetime IPV (AOR 0.92; 95% CI 0.86–0.97; P < 0.05).ConclusionsOver half of the women in this study reported lifetime experience of IPV. We found associations between IPV and mental health problems, younger age and other Black ethnicity. In view of its high prevalence, we advocate greater awareness of IPV among HIV healthcare professionals and recommend universal screening.
Prolonged prothrombin time correlates with serum monoclonal protein concentration in patients with plasma cell dyscrasia
Authors: Pandey S. , Post S. R. , Alapat D. V. , Smock K. J. , Post G. R. 
Published: December 2012

SummaryIntroductionAbnormal screening coagulation tests are frequently observed in asymptomatic patients with multiple myeloma and other plasma cell neoplasms.MethodsProthrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and fibrinogen activity were correlated with clinical history and disease parameters in patients referred to the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy.ResultsAn isolated prolonged PT was the most common abnormal coagulation test (25%). Prolonged PT was more frequently observed in patients with multiple myeloma (n = 157) compared to MGUS patients (n = 34) or other diagnostic categories of plasma cell dyscrasia. There were no differences in age, gender, previous chemotherapy, or immunoglobulin isotype in patients with isolated prolonged PT (n = 62) compared to those with normal screening coagulation tests (n = 173). Fibrinogen activity was significantly lower in patients with prolonged PT; however, there was no correlation between fibrinogen activity and PT. Serum M protein concentrations were significantly greater in patients with prolonged PT and were positively correlated with PT.ConclusionAn association between disease severity and prolonged PT is suggested by our finding that patients with multiple myeloma were more likely to have prolonged PT than patients with other plasma cell neoplasms. Of the factors examined, the monoclonal protein level was significantly higher in patients with isolated prolonged PT and correlated with PT.
Strategies for basic laboratory diagnostics of the hemoglobinopathies in multi‐ethnic societies: interpretation of results and pitfalls
Authors: Giordano P. C. 
Published: December 2012

SummaryThe consistent multi‐ethnic migrations of the last decades have considerably changed the epidemiology of the hemoglobinopathies. Healthy carriers of these conditions are present today in many nonendemic parts of the world, and severely affected children are now born where these diseases were previously rare or unknown. Improving the competence in carrier diagnostics at the laboratory level is one of the first concerns when introducing management and primary prevention of the severe conditions in nonendemic areas. This review describes how and when carriers should be correctly diagnosed and informed. The essential technologies needed for basic carrier diagnostics in different situations are summarized in some detail, and interpretation of the results and a number of related problems are discussed. The role of the hematology laboratory is essential, particularly in nonendemic areas where the first line of health care is often insufficiently aware of hemoglobinopathy management. Carriers living in nonendemic areas can be appropriately diagnosed and informed regarding genetic risk and prevention by well‐organized laboratories. Both basic and specialized diagnostics are needed for the correct treatment for the anemic carriers, for primary prevention in couples at risk and for state‐of‐the art care of severely affected patients.
Feasibility of a novel extraperitoneal two‐port laparoendoscopic approach for radical prostatectomy: An initial study
Authors: Nakane Akihiro , Akita Hidetoshi , Okamura Takehiko , Ando Ryosuke , Kobayashi Takahiro , Naiki Taku , Yasui Takahiro , Kohri Kenjiro 
Published: December 2012

AbstractThe aim of this study was to describe the surgical technique and to report the early outcomes of an original extraperitoneal two‐port laparoendoscopic approach for radical prostatectomy. A total of 22 consecutive patients diagnosed with early‐stage prostate cancer (cT1c, cT2N0) were operated on and included in this analysis. A multichannel port with three 5‐mm trocars, providing easier instrument handling, was inserted extraperitoneally through a 2.5‐cm lower umbilical “U” incision. An additional 12‐mm port was inserted into the left fossa to allow an adequate working angle to facilitate the most critical steps of the surgical procedures. The operation was successfully completed in all patients; one patient required an additional 5‐mm port to control bleeding. The median operation time was 259 min (range 207–453 min), and the fluid loss, including urine and blood, was 946 mL (range 257–1821 mL). The median Foley catheter indwelling period was 6 days (range 3–11 days) after surgery. No intraoperative complications occurred. Judging from this initial trial, this procedure can be safely carried out if the surgeon is familiar with conventional five‐port laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.
Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment for combined androgen blockade including bicalutamide: Clinical application and validation
Authors: Kitagawa Yasuhide , Hinotsu Shiro , Shigehara Kazuyoshi , Nakashima Kazufumi , Kawaguchi Shohei , Yaegashi Hiroshi , Mizokami Atsushi , Akaza Hideyuki , Namiki Mikio 
Published: December 2012

ObjectivesThe Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment was developed as a risk stratification instrument for patients undergoing primary androgen deprivation therapy. However, there have been no studies to validate the accuracy of the Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment in predicting clinical outcomes. We examined whether the clinical outcomes of patients treated with combined androgen blockade could be stratified using the Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment.MethodsA total of 319 patients with prostate cancer treated with luteinizing hormone‐releasing hormone agonist plus bicalutamide were included in this analysis. Progression‐free survival, cause‐specific survival and overall survival were compared among patients divided according to the prostate‐specific antigen level at diagnosis, Gleason score on biopsy specimens, tumor–nodes–metastasis classification and Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment score.ResultsThe median age of the patients was 75 years, and the median prostate‐specific antigen at diagnosis was 25.4 ng/mL. A total of 102 patients (32.0%) had lymph node and/or distant metastases. On univariate analysis, the factors adopted in the Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment points were significant predictors of progression‐free survival. On multivariate analysis, clinical T stage and M stage were significant predictors of progression‐free survival. The probabilities of progression‐free survival and cause‐specific survival were significantly different among the groups categorized according to the Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment risk strata. The probability of overall survival in the low‐risk group was higher than in the other groups.ConclusionsThe progression‐free survival, cause‐specific survival and overall survival of prostate cancer patients treated by combined androgen blockade with bicalutamide were stratified by the Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment. The Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment score is clinically useful as a predictor of the prognosis of prostate cancer treated with combined androgen blockade.
Modelling electrical conductivity for earth media with macroscopic fluid‐filled fractures
Authors: Berryman James G. , Hoversten G. Michael 
Published: December 2012

ABSTRACTEffective‐medium theories for either highly conductive or more resistive electrical inclusions in a moderately conducting background medium are presented for modelling macroscopic (i.e., large‐scale) fluid‐filled fractures or cracks in a potential reservoir rock or granular medium. Conductive fluids are most often brine and the resistive fluids of interest are oil, gas, air and/or CO2. Novel features of the presentation for conductive fluids include results for both non‐interacting inclusions (using a Maxwell approximation) and for interacting inclusions (via a self‐consistent effective‐medium scheme). The anisotropic analysis is specifically designed to handle reservoirs with multiple orientations (usually three orthogonal sets) of oblate spheroidal cracks/fractures, while also having arbitrary aspect ratios. But these aspect ratios are strictly <1, thus excluding spherical pores and simple granular media – both already widely studied by others. Results show that the self‐consistent approximation depends on fracture aspect ratio α and that this approximation becomes important when fracture porosity is about φ= 1% for aspect ratio α≃ 0.05, or φ= 3% for aspect ratio α≃ 0.10. It is shown that the self‐consistent analysis is most important when the fractures have a very small aspect ratio — the inferred reason being that the fracture (or crack) number density (ρc≡φ/α) then becomes very high and the fracture relative spacing correspondingly very small for any fixed value of porosity (but with decreasing values of the aspect ratio). Hybrid methods (combining self‐consistent and non‐self consistent formulas) are also developed to deal with high volume fractions and multiple sets of fractures having different aspect ratios. Whenever possible and appropriate, the results are also compared to rigorous bounds, including the Wiener bounds and the Hashin‐Shtrikman bounds, in order to provide one type of partial validation of the methods being developed.
Pressure ulcers in the intensive care unit: the relationship between nursing workload, illness severity and pressure ulcer risk
Authors: Cremasco Mariana F , Wenzel Fernanda , Zanei Suely SV , Whitaker Iveth Y 
Published: December 2012

Aims and objective. To verify association between PU development with nursing workload and illness severity and to verify whether nursing workload and illness severity are related with Braden Scale scores.Background. Critically ill patients are more susceptible to treatment complications because of the severity of their clinical condition.Design. Prospective descriptive study.Methods. Patients consecutively admitted to three intensive care units (ICUs) of a public university hospital located in Sao Paulo, Brazil and without pressure ulcer (PU) at admission and a minimum stay of 24 hours were included in the sample. Prospective data collection included demographic, clinical and hospitalisation data, Nursing Activities Score (NAS), Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPSII) and Braden Scale. Multivariate linear regression analysis was applied to verify whether nursing workload and illness severity are related with Braden Scale scores. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to verify whether nursing workload and illness severity were risk factors associated with PU development.Results. The study sample included 160 patients. The mean Braden score was 12·0 and PU incidence was 34·4%. Multivariate linear regression analysis identified as factors related to variation of Braden scores: illness severity (SAPSII), nursing workload (NAS) and age. Multivariate logistic regression showed a model with risk factors associated with PU development: sex, length of ICU stay, illness severity and nursing workload.Conclusion. Nursing workload, severity of illness, sex and length of ICU stay were identified as risk factors associated with PU development. However, nursing workload acted as a protective factor. Illness severity, nursing workload and age were related to Braden scores.Relevance to clinical practice. Accurate identification of risk factors and the use of clinical judgment in skin assessment are prerequisites for determining appropriate strategies to prevent pressure ulcers, to improve quality of care for patient safety and to reduce length of ICU and hospital stay and costs.
Implications for better nursing practice: psychological aspects of patients undergoing post‐operative wound care
Authors: Murakami Reiko , Shiromaru Mizue , Yamane Reiko , Hikoyama Hiroko , Sato Mikiyo , Takahashi Natsuko , Yoshida Sumie , Nakamura Misuzu , Kojima Yoshikazu 
Published: December 2012

Aims and objectivesTo understand the psychological aspects in patients undergoing post‐operative wound care and to gain insights for improving nursing practice.BackgroundVery few studies have examined education on or practice of wound care with a view towards the patient's psychology.DesignDescriptive exploratory qualitative study.MethodsFour patients who had undergone open surgery of the upper gastrointestinal tract were interviewed using a semi‐structured format to gain an understanding of their feelings and opinions with regard to wound care. Interview transcripts were analysed using an inductive coding approach.ResultsFifteen categories of responses were finally identified from the data. Patients wanted nursing staff to observe their wound more often so that patients could recognise improvement, to have better knowledge of the patient's disease and condition, to explain the patient's situation more completely and to appropriately answer questions. Patients also said that they felt more comfortable in posing questions or concerns regarding their condition to nursing staff than to their surgeons and did so while the wounds were being taken care of by nurses.ConclusionsThese findings suggested the importance of nursing staff to fully understand and to be ready to share feelings regarding a patient's postoperative condition and to have skills in properly explaining the importance of each procedure or steps in treatments that a patient must undergo. The present study also indicates that it is imperative for nursing staff to learn methods to build relationships with patients so that they can express their feelings of fear or anxiety freely to nurses.Relevance to clinical practiceIt is not possible to develop nursing practice without understanding psychological aspects of patients undergoing postoperative wound care.
Cytological, genetic, and biochemical characteristics of an unusual non‐Chlorella photobiont of Stentor polymorphus collected from an artificial pond close to the shore of Lake Biwa, Japan
Authors: Hoshina Ryo , Sato Emi , Shibata Aika , Fujiwara Yuko , Kusuoka Yasushi , Imamura Nobutaka 
Published: December 2012

SummaryStentor polymorphus (Müller) Ehrenberg (Heterotrichea, Ciliophora) is a trumpet‐form ciliate with endosymbiotic green algae (photobionts). Previous reports have indicated that this photobiont has a form typical of Chlorella Beijerinck (Trebouxiophyceae), with one chloroplast and a distinct pyrenoid. We collected S. polymorphus from an artificial pond on the shore of Lake Biwa in Japan. Microscopic examination demonstrated that there was no pyrenoid in the photobiont, and thus we analyzed the cytological, genetic, and biochemical characteristics of these algal cells. Cultured photobionts were smaller than those in hospite. Phylogenetic analyses placed the photobiont within the genus Mychonastes Simpson and Van Valkenburg, a chlorophycean alga occurring in fresh/brackish waters that lacks pyrenoids. Mychonastes provided little photosynthate to its host; the quantity of carbohydrate amounted to only 2% of that provided to Paramecium bursaria (Ehrenberg) Focker by its photobiont.
Comparing the low‐salinity tolerance of Ulva species distributed in different environments
Authors: Ichihara Kensuke , Miyaji Kazuyuki , Shimada Satoshi 
Published: December 2012

SummaryThe green macroalgal genus Ulva (Ulvales, Ulvophyceae, Chlorophyta) is distributed worldwide from marine to freshwater environments. Comparative analyses of hyposalinity tolerance among marine, brackish, and freshwater Ulva species were performed by fluorescein diacetate viability counts. The subtidal marine species Ulva sp., collected from a depth of 30 m, showed the poorest tolerance to low salinity. This species died in 5 practical salinity units (PSU) artificial seawater or freshwater within 1 day. Its closely related species U. linza L. (an intertidal species) and U. prolifera Müller (a brackish species) showed varying tolerances to low salinity. After 7 days of freshwater exposure, the viability of U. linza L. decreased to approximately 20%, while U. prolifera Müller showed nearly 100% viability. The freshwater species U. limnetica Ichihara et Shimada, not yet found in coastal areas, was highly viable in seawater.
Specters, Inc.: The Elusive Basis of the Corporation
Authors: Veldman Jeroen , Parker Martin 
Published: December 2012

AbstractIn this article we discuss the political and economic consequences of the contemporary legal theory of incorporation. We argue that incorporation has developed historically in a way that makes it internally inconsistent, but that this inconsistency is useful for the powerful because of its legal and economic effects. The corporation can “shape shift,” which is very helpful for claiming some rights and disavowing certain responsibilities. Of course this flexibility comes at the expense of consistent concepts and this leads to the creation of what we term an “ideal‐type reified singular representation.” We go on to show the far‐reaching effects of this representation for legal studies, economics, and political theory, and show it worked in the pro‐corporate decision in the recent Citizens United case. We conclude by providing several alternative ways to think about the nature of corporate organization.
The Impact of Ethical Tools on Aggressiveness in Financial Reporting
Authors: Nagle Brian M. , Wasieleski David M. , Rau Stephen 
Published: December 2012

AbstractThe proposed adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in the United States has ignited a debate as to whether the principles‐based nature of these standards better serves the interests of investors. While it is argued that these principled‐based standards will encourage more transparent financial reporting than the current rules‐based U.S. standards, critics argue that IFRS will invite more aggressive financial reporting through the liberal exercising of professional judgment. This empirical study aims to understand what individual and organizational factors may affect aggressiveness when making accounting judgments. In particular, we examine the influence that prior ethics training, codes of ethics and an individual's predominant moral reasoning schema have on adherence to company policy in an accounting‐related (depreciation) judgment. Results of the study show that respondents with prior ethics training are more likely to adhere to company accounting policy than those who have not had formal ethics education. Respondents presented with a company ethics code also were less aggressive in their accounting judgments than those who were not presented with a code prior to reading the scenario. Finally, decision aggressiveness was moderated by individuals who used conventional moral reasoning schemas.
Joint Estimation of Intersecting Context Tree Models
Authors: GALVES ANTONIO , GARIVIER AURÉLIEN , GASSIAT ELISABETH 
Published: December 2012

Abstract.We study a problem of model selection for data produced by two different context tree sources. Motivated by linguistic questions, we consider the case where the probabilistic context trees corresponding to the two sources are finite and share many of their contexts. In order to understand the differences between the two sources, it is important to identify which contexts and which transition probabilities are specific to each source. We consider a class of probabilistic context tree models with three types of contexts: those which appear in one, the other, or both sources. We use a BIC penalized maximum likelihood procedure that jointly estimates the two sources. We propose a new algorithm which efficiently computes the estimated context trees. We prove that the procedure is strongly consistent. We also present a simulation study showing the practical advantage of our procedure over a procedure that works separately on each data set.
Lexical borrowing from English into Danish in the Sciences: An empirical investigation of ‘domain loss’
Authors: Hultgren Anna Kristina 
Published: December 2012

The emergence of English as an international language of science has generated prolific debates in the Nordic countries about ‘domain loss’, here defined as the national Nordic languages failing to develop adequate scientific terminology. This paper sheds some much needed empirical light on domain loss by examining the language practices of 10 scientists delivering undergraduate courses in chemistry, physics and computer science at the University of Copenhagen. Focusing on lexical borrowing from English into Danish, it is found that there is considerable variation within the scientific domain, with the sub‐domain computer science exhibiting significantly more lexical borrowing than physics and chemistry. The paper discusses the findings in relation to the concept of domain loss, and offers some alternative reasons for the concern that has been expressed.Det engelske sprogs rolle som internationalt forskningssprog har skabt debat i de nordiske lande om ‘domænetab’, her forstået som det forhold at de nationale nordiske sprog ikke udvikler adækvat fagterminologi. Denne artikel forsøger at kaste tiltrængt empirisk lys over domænetab ved at undersøge sprogbrugen hos ti videnskabsfolk som underviser på bachelorniveau i kemi, fysik og datalogi på Københavns Universitet. Ved at fokusere på leksikalske lån fra engelsk i dansk vises at der er stor variation inden for det videnskabelige domæne, idet sub‐domænet datalogi har betydeligt flere lån end fysik og kemi. Artiklen diskuterer resultaterne i forhold til begrebet ‘domænetab’, og foreslår alternative årsager til den bekymring der er blevet udtrykt.