bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Robotic‐assisted Colorectal Surgery in the United States: A Nationwide Analysis of Trends and Outcomes
Authors: Halabi Wissam J. , Kang Celeste Y. , Jafari Mehraneh D. , Nguyen Vinh Q. , Carmichael Joseph C. , Mills Steven , Stamos Michael J. , Pigazzi Alessio 
Published: April 2013

AbstractBackgroundWhile robotic‐assisted colorectal surgery (RACS) is becoming increasingly popular, data comparing its outcomes to other established techniques remain limited to small case series. Moreover, there are no large studies evaluating the trends of RACS at the national level.MethodsThe Nationwide Inpatient Sample 2009–2010 was retrospectively reviewed for robotic‐assisted and laparoscopic colorectal procedures performed for cancer, benign polyps, and diverticular disease. Trends in different settings, indications, and demographics were analyzed. Multivariate regression analysis was used to compare selected outcomes between RACS and conventional laparoscopic surgery (CLS).ResultsAn estimated 128,288 colorectal procedures were performed through minimally invasive techniques over the study period, and RACS was used in 2.78 % of cases. From 2009 to 2010, the use of robotics increased in all hospital settings but was still more common in large, urban, and teaching hospitals. Rectal cancer was the most common indication for RACS, with a tendency toward its selective use in male patients. On multivariate analysis, robotic surgery was associated with higher hospital charges in colonic ($11,601.39; 95 % CI 6,921.82–16,280.97) and rectal cases ($12,964.90; 95 % CI 6,534.79–19,395.01), and higher rates of postoperative bleeding in colonic cases (OR = 2.15; 95 % CI 1.27– 3.65). RACS was similar to CLS with respect to length of hospital stay, morbidity, anastomotic leak, and ileus. Conversion to open surgery was significantly lower in robotic colonic and rectal procedures (0.41; 95 % CI 0.25–0.67) and (0.10; 95 % CI 0.06–0.16), respectively.ConclusionsThe use of RACS is still limited in the United States. However, its use increased over the study period despite higher associated charges and no real advantages over laparoscopy in terms of outcome. The one advantage is lower conversion rates.
Radiocarbon dating of musk-ox (Ovibos moschatus) bones from the Thule region, northwest Greenland
Authors: Bennike Ole 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACTThe Thule region in north Greenland formerly supported a population of musk-oxen (Ovibos moschatus). Radiocarbon dating of bones of this mammal collected on the terrain surface and from archaeological sites has yielded late Holocene ages, indicating that the species was a late immigrant to this part of Greenland. The species may have arrived at a time when the area was uninhabited, and it had at least a thousand years to spread south, before the Late Dorset people arrived. The heavy glaciation of Melville Bugt in the late Holocene was probably the main reason that the musk-ox did not disperse south to west Greenland. The population of musk-ox in the region may have peaked during the Medieval Warm Period, and the species survived during the occupation of the region by the Late Dorset people. The size of the population may have declined during the beginning of the Little Ice Age, and musk-ox was probably exterminated from the region shortly after the arrival of the mobile Thule people.
Leisure, economy and colonial urbanism: Darjeeling, 1835–1930
Authors: BHATTACHARYA NANDINI 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACT:This article posits that the hill station of Darjeeling was a unique form of colonial urbanism. It shifts historiographical interest from major urban centres in colonial India (such as Bombay or Calcutta) and instead attempts a greater understanding of smaller urban centres. In the process, it also interrogates the category of hill stations, which have been understood as exotic and scenic sites rather than as towns that were integral to the colonial economy. In arguing that hill stations, particularly Darjeeling, were not merely the scenic and healthy ‘other’ of the clamorous, dirty and diseased plains of India, it refutes suggestions that the ‘despoiling’ or overcrowding of Darjeeling was incremental to the purposes of its establishment. Instead, it suggests that Darjeeling was part of the colonial mainstream; its urbanization and inclusion into the greater colonial economy was effected from the time of its establishment. Therefore, a constant tension between its exotic and its functional elements persisted throughout.
Effect of Dietary Herbal Supplements on Some Physiological Conditions of Sea BassDicentrarchus labrax
Authors: Yılmaz Sevdan , Ergün Sebahattin , Çelik Ekrem Şanver 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThis study was conducted in order to investigate the effects of dietary thymeThymus vulgaris, rosemaryRosmarinus officinalis, and fenugreekTrigonella foenum graecumas feed additives on total liver fat levels and biometric indices of Sea BassDicentrarchus labrax. Four isonitrogenous (48% crude protein) and isocaloric (21 kJ/g) diets were formulated to contain 0% (control), or 1% of thyme, rosemary, or fenugreek. In a 45‐d feeding trial, 12 fiberglass tanks (140 L) were each stocked with 17 fish (20.43 ± 0.03 g). Herbal supplemented diets significantly decreased the total liver fat, visceral fat index, viscerosomatic index, hepatosomatic index, and increased the spleen–somatic index and bile–somatic index (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the results indicated that a dietary level of 1.0% for thyme, rosemary, or fenugreek could improve some of the physiological parameters of Sea Bass. Thus, this work provides a new perspective for the use of medicinal herbs that can be added to fish feed to improve the status of fish organs. Thyme, rosemary, and fenugreek contain a number of different active components, which possibly play an important role in improving these conditions, but the mechanism by which this is achieved needs further and more detailed study.Received July 19, 2012; accepted January 15, 2013
When can “principles” support advice on fisheries and environmental management?
Authors: Jennings S. 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
Jennings, S. 2013. When can “principles” support advice on fisheries and environmental management? – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70: 726–733. Demands for advice on fisheries and environmental management often outstrip scientists' capacity to supply it. The imbalance would be smaller if some of the advice could be based on principles rather than tailored case-by-case analyses, where I define principles as “evidence-based rules that underpin scientific advice on management options and reduce uncertainty about decisions and outcomes with fewer resources than tailored case-by-case analyses”. I consider the role, development, existing and potential uses, strengths and weaknesses of principles in underpinning advice, and how principles might complement methodological innovations and risk assessment. The extent to which principles might replace case-by-case analyses is expected to depend on structures and processes in the management system, particularly the treatment of uncertainty and risk. If advice based on principles is seen as less salient, credible, and legitimate than advice developed from case-by-case analyses then this could lead to political push-back or non-compliance with management measures, transferring costs from the advisory process to other parts of the management system. In general, I propose that principles provide the greatest benefits in a management system when they address complex advisory issues that lead to advice on management measures with relatively small social and economic consequences or when they simplify parts of an advisory process leading to management measures with a range of consequences. Notwithstanding limits on their application, further development and uptake of principles could reduce demands for case-by-case advice on fisheries and environmental management. A formalized challenge, testing, and updating process for principles, supported by an audit trail, would encourage and increase their use. The development of principles would provide a new focus for the targeting, review, and uptake of research. Spatial planning initiatives, the emergence of marine protected area networks, and other changes in management measures can be treated as experiments to inform development and testing of principles.
First Report of Leaf Blight in Chinese Hickory (Carya cathayensis) Caused by Alternaria petroselini in China
Authors: Liu Y. H. , Zhang C. Q. , Xu B. C. 
Published: April 2013

Chinese hickory (Carya cathayensis) is one of the important economic forest crops in Zhejiang and Anhui Provinces, China. In 2012, nearly 40% of hickory orchards and 6.8% of hickory trees were affected by leaf blight in Zhejiang. Initial symptoms consisted of small, brown, water-soaked lesions, which subsequently enlarged and developed a black sporulating necrotic center surrounded by a chlorotic halo. Infected leaf samples collected from 25 different orchards in Lin'an and 13 different orchards in Chun'an were surface sterilized with 1.5% sodium hypochlorite for 1.5 min, rinsed in water, plated on 2% potato dextrose agar (PDA), and incubated at 25°C in the dark for 1 week. Single conidium cultures were consistently isolated and cultured on PDA and V8 agar for morphological characterization (1,3). On both agar media, colonies were dark olive brown with smooth margins and concentric rings of sporulation. Conidia were solitary, darkly pigmented, predominantly ovoid-subsphaeroid, and 23 to 52 × 13 to 23 μm with up to six or seven transepta and one to three longisepta. The ribosomal internal transcribed spacers ITS1 and ITS2 of 10 isolates were amplified using primers ITS1/ITS4 on DNA extracted from mycelium and nucleotide sequences showed 100% similarity to that of A. petroselini (GenBank Accession Nos. AY154685.1 and EU807868.1). To confirm pathogenicity, 10 uninfected leaves from each of 10 C. cathayensis trees were sprayed either with a conidia suspension (105 conidia per ml) or with distilled water only to serve as an un-inoculated control. Leaves were subsequently wrapped in plastic bags to retain moisture, and incubated for 48 h. After 1 week, 8 of 10 isolates caused lesions identical to those initially described whereas no symptoms developed on water inoculated leaves. Cultures reisolated from lesions and cultured on PDA exhibited morphological characteristics identical to A. petroselini (1,2,3), confirming Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of leaf blight in C. cathayensis, and this identification would allow producers to identify for appropriate management practices. References: (1) P. M. Kirk et al. The Dictionary of the Fungi, 10th edition, page 159. CABI Bioscience, UK, 2008. (2) B. M. Pryor et al. Mycologia 94:49, 2002. (3) E. G. Simmons. Alternaria: An Identification Manual. CBS Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands, 2007.
Health care access and barriers for the physically disabled in rural Punjab, Pakistan
Authors: Ahmad Mahtab 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess disabled persons' access to health care, and highlight barriers.Design/methodology/approachA total of 245 rural men and women with physical disabilities were interviewed, to determine their level of access to healthcare services. A simple composite mean of the weighted average indices of responses on the effectiveness of healthcare provision, equity, and users' satisfaction was calculated, to assess the overall level of access of the respondents to healthcare. The qualitative component highlighted an array of barriers that prevented the disabled individuals from accessing healthcare services.FindingsThe results indicated that access to the so‐called “inclusive” public healthcare for both males and females with physical disabilities was poor. The barriers identified were related to the built environments, healthcare delivery processes, and ceiling of health subsidies. The findings suggest that the absence of advocacy of disability rights and failure to adopt circumstantial equities at dispensing levels have resulted in the collapse of the promotion of disability rights at grassroots levels.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is location specific (rural), and it mainly focuses on individuals with physical disabilities in working‐age (15‐35 years) to assess their access to the rural healthcare.Originality/valueHaving an effective healthcare provision in an area and its equal access to both males and females is crucially important for their social and economic development. In this paper, the assessment of access to healthcare provides both an aggregated and a disaggregated picture by gender, which is poor for individuals with physical disabilities.
Trophy hunting inAfrica: long‐term trends in antelope horn size
Authors: Crosmary W.‐G. , Loveridge A. J. , Ndaimani H. , Lebel S. , Booth V. , Côté S. D. , Fritz H. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractTrophy hunting in ungulates may favour individuals with smaller horns. A decrease in horn/antler size may jeopardize the conservation potential of hunting areas, which would be a major concern inAfrica where hunting zones represent over half of the total area of protected lands. We investigated horn length trends of harvested male impalasAepyceros melampus, greater kudusTragelaphus strepsicerosand sable antelopesHippotragus niger, from 1974 to 2008 inMatetsiSafariArea,Zimbabwe. Horn length declined by 4% in impalas, partly because male harvest age decreased. In greater kudus, surprisingly, horn length increased by 14%, while mean age of harvested male greater kudus increased during the study period. Reduced hunting pressure on this species during the study may have allowed males to live longer and to grow longer horns before being harvested. Horn length declined by 6% in sable antelopes, independent of age, suggesting that trophy hunting selected male sable antelopes with smaller horns through time, provided that horn length is heritable. Hunting pressure and trophy value were higher for sable antelopes than for impalas and greater kudus. Accordingly, the decline of horn length in this species was more pronounced. More valuable trophy species, such as sable antelopes, require special attention because they may be exposed to higher hunting pressure, and are therefore more likely to experience a decrease in horn size.
Demand for meat and dairy products by Turkish households: a Bayesian censored system approach
Authors: Bilgic Abdulbaki , Yen Steven T. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractWe extend the Tobit (censored) linear equation system procedure to utility‐theoretic demand functions, along with a mapping mechanism to impose the adding‐up restriction implied by consumer utility maximization theory—a theoretical restriction very often ignored in previous empirical studies with censored demand systems. In this context, the Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) procedure is applied to the censored linear approximate almost ideal demand system (LAIDS) for 12 food products, using data from the Turkish Household Expenditure Survey. All own‐price elasticities are negative and expenditure elasticities positive. Uncompensated own‐price elasticities for rural households are generally much higher than those for their urban peers, though demand for most food products are own‐price elastic for both types of households. The differential patterns in demand elasticities between urban and rural households become even more evident (almost twice) as relatively more expensive foodstuffs are consumed, showing that accessibilities to alternative products have made rural Turkish households more cognizant toward price changes in foods. Household characteristics play a key role in food expenditures, notably so in urban areas, and regional and seasonal differences are also present.
‘A problem shared is a problem halved’: success of a statewide collaborative approach to fetal therapy. Outcomes of fetoscopic laser photocoagulation for twin–twin transfusion syndrome in Victoria
Authors: Teoh Mark , Walker Sue , Cole Stephen , Edwards Andrew 
Published: April 2013

AimsTo evaluate the performance of a collaborative fetal therapy service for treatment for twin–twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS).MethodsThe Victorian Fetal Therapy Service (VFTS) was developed in 2006. It is a state‐based three‐centre collaborative service comprising a surgical team and clinical leadership group, designed to optimise access to, and performance of, fetoscopic procedures in Victoria. This is a prospective cohort study of VFTS patients referred for fetoscopic laser photocoagulation (FLP) for TTTS since 2006.ResultsForty‐nine consecutive women with advanced (stage 2–4) TTTS between 2006 and 2011 were included in this study. Overall survival was 67 of 98 (68%), and survival of ≥1 twin was seen in 42 of 49 pregnancies (86%). There was no difference in survival by disease stage at diagnosis (≥1 survivor: 66% (stage 2 or 3 TTTS) vs 77% (stage 4 TTTS), P = 0.44), nor by surgical era (≥1 survivor: 60% (2006–2008) vs 74% of cases (2009–2011), P = 0.21). The median gestation gained post‐FLP was 10.5 weeks.ConclusionThese results are consistent with published series and confirm the success of a novel service delivery model for fetal therapy in Victoria. We suggest that collaborative models such as ours should be considered for fetal conditions where treatment is complex and the total number of cases is small to ensure a consistent approach to assessment, management and follow‐up of patients and to optimise training and research opportunities.
First Level Prevention Instead of Third Level Intervention—Review of Research to Improve Biocompatibility and Performance of Capillary Membrane Apheresis in Critically Ill Patients
Authors: Russ Martin , Bedarf Janis R. , Grosch‐Ott Sascha , Haltern Claudia , Rossaint Rolf , Unger Juliane K. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractIn intensive care medicine, convection‐based apheresis is of growing interest. Applying extracorporeal systems in the critically ill patient can cause severe complications like nosocomial infections and bleeding, which can be worsened or even initialized by the anticoagulation protocol used. Furthermore, the filter modules (hemo‐ and plasmafilters) often tend to a fast blockage. A decrease in sieving performance due to membrane fouling may be tolerable for some time, but the complete blockage of high percentages of hollow fibers, which is named “clotting,” often requires the immediate exchange of the filter. Extracorporeal detoxification and high clearance renal replacement regimes both require high blood flow and filtration rates. As a consequence, filter clotting and anticoagulation‐associated bleeding are the most sensitive aspects in these applications. We were interested in the paradox phenomenon of the parallel occurrence of intra vitam bleeding and filter clotting in critically ill patients. Through stepwise investigations based on in vitro and animal experiments, we identified a stasis of blood flow followed by blood cell sedimentation and aggregation (“clogging”) as the main factor of hollow fiber blockage in hemo‐ and plasma filters. As a result, various aspects which increase the risk of stasis inside the hollow fibers were investigated, for example, patient's hemorheology, configuration of an extracorporeal treatment system including interaction of catheter features with the filtration procedure, and basic therapeutic approaches such as colloidal volume substitutes and tolerated acidosis. Finally, an etiological triad for the blockage of hollow fibers due to filter clogging and consecutive filter failure was formed.
GATA2 mutations in sporadic and familial acute myeloid leukaemia patients with CEBPA mutations
Authors: Green Claire L. , Tawana Kiran , Hills Robert K. , Bödör Csaba , Fitzgibbon Jude , Inglott Sarah , Ancliff Phil , Burnett Alan K. , Linch David C. , Gale Rosemary E. 
Published: April 2013

SummaryGATA2 mutations have recently been reported in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients with CEBPA‐double mutations. To explore their impact on this favourable‐risk disease, we determined GATA2 status in 153 sporadic AML patients and three members of a germ‐line CEBPA‐mutant family at AML presentation. Overall, 27% (15/55) CEBPA‐double, 16% (7/43) CEBPA‐single and 0% (0/55) normal karyotype/CEBPA‐wild‐type patients were GATA2‐mutant. All familial AML patients acquired both a second CEBPA and a GATA2 mutation. CEBPA and GATA2 mutant levels indicated that both mutations were likely to be early events in leukaemogenesis. GATA2 status did not impact on the favourable outcome of CEBPA‐double/FLT3‐inernal tandem duplication‐negative patients.
High‐resolution ERG‐expression profiling on GeneChip exon 1.0 ST arrays in primary and castration‐resistant prostate cancer
Authors: Smit Frank P. , Salagierski Maciej , Jannink Sander , Schalken Jack A. 
Published: April 2013

Objective
To assess whether oestrogen‐regulated gene (ERG) expression analysis using GeneChip arrays can predict transmembrane protease, serine 2 (TMPRSS2)‐ERG fusion. The expression level of the TMPRSS2‐ERG gene was studied in various histological grades of prostate cancer and castration‐resistant prostate cancer (CPRC).
Patients and methods
GeneChip Affymetrix exon 1.0 ST arrays were used for expression profiling of ERG, erythroblast transformation‐specific (ETS) variant gene 1 (ETV1), ETV4 and ETV5 genes in 67 prostate cancer tissue specimens.
Real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis and in some cases DNA sequencing was used to validate the presence and the expression levels of TMPRSS2‐ERG gene fusions.
Results
In our series of patients with prostate cancer over expression of the ERG gene predicted the presence of TMPRSS2‐ERG rearrangements in almost all cases. ETS expression by itself outmatched the diagnostic performance of the ERG exons ratioing allowing equal detection of the less frequent ETS gene fusion transcripts.
The gene fusions were expressed at significantly lower levels in CPRC but occurred more frequently than in primary prostate cancer.
Conclusions
ERG expression analysis using GeneChip arrays appears to be an excellent diagnostic tool for identifying gene rearrangements.
In coming years, measuring expression of the ETS gene family by itself might become a clinically relevant surrogate test to identify patients with fusion‐positive prostate cancer.
The variation of gene fusion expression levels, particularly in CPRC, needs to be taken into account when using quantitative molecular diagnosis of prostate cancer.