bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Witnessing invasive paediatric procedures, including resuscitation, in the emergency department: A parental perspective
Authors: Isoardi Jonathon , Slabbert Neil , Treston Greg 
Published: September 2010

AbstractObjective:  To determine whether parents prefer to be present during invasive procedures performed on their children in the ED.Methods:  A prospective study using a written survey was carried out in the ED of a secondary level regional hospital in south‐east Queensland. The survey conducted between August 2003 and November 2003 consisted of parental demographics, seven theoretical paediatric procedural scenarios with increasing level of procedural invasiveness (including resuscitation) and reasons for the decisions of parents to either stay with the child or leave the room. Parents of children with Australasian Triage Scale (ATS) triage category 3, 4 and 5 were surveyed.Results:  Of 573 surveys collected, 553 (96.5%) were completed correctly. The number of parents expressing a desire to be present during a procedure performed on their child was 519 (93.9%) for phlebotomy or i.v. cannulation of an extremity, 485 (87.7%) for nasogastric tube insertion, 461 (83.4%) for lumbar puncture, 464 (83.9%) for urinary catheter insertion, 430 (77.8%) for suprapubic bladder aspiration, 519 (93.4%) during procedural sedation and 470 (85%) during a resuscitation where the possibility existed that their child may die. The most common reason for wanting to be present was to provide comfort to their child (542/98%). The most common reason for not wanting to be present was a parental concern of getting in the way (181/33%).Conclusion:  Most parents surveyed would want to be present when invasive procedures are performed on their children in the ED. With increasing invasiveness, parental desire to be present decreased. However, the overwhelming majority of parents would want to be in attendance during procedural sedation or resuscitation.
Survival of massive γ‐hydroxybutyrate/ 1,4‐butanediol overdose
Authors: Strickland Richard M , Felgate Peter , Caldicott David GE 
Published: September 2010

AbstractGamma‐hydroxybutyrate and its metabolic precursors gamma butyrolactone and 1,4‐butanediol are widely used recreational drugs known to cause short periods of deep sedation with rapid recovery. We present a case of survival with good neurological outcome following massive ingestion in which the patient remained sedated for 14 h.
Unusually difficult ring removal from a finger solved using a dental instrument
Authors: Taylor Simon P , Boyd Matthew J 
Published: September 2010

AbstractRing removal is indicated in a number of clinical circumstances to manage or prevent tourniquet effect of the digit, or allow access to underlying conditions or injuries. A ring made from hardened metal may defy many or all commonly known methods of removal. We report a case of unusually difficult removal of a ring of hardened metal composition using a dental volvere. We believe the unusual circumstances of this case are likely to be repeated on some readers’ clinical practice, and that this instrument is an appropriate option to consider in such cases.
A primer for clinical researchers in the emergency department: Part I: Ethical and regulatory background
Authors: Davidson Andrew , Babl Franz E 
Published: September 2010

AbstractResearch is an important part of emergency medicine and provides the scientific underpinning for optimal patient care. Although increasing numbers of emergency physicians participate in research activities, formal research training is currently neither part of emergency physician training in Australia nor easily available for clinicians interested in clinical research. In a two‐part series, which is targeted at part‐time clinical researchers in the ED, we set out and explain the key elements for conducting high‐quality and ethical research. In Part I, we describe important underlying ethical principles for research in humans and explain key regulatory processes and documents pertaining to good clinical research practice in Australia. The ethics of research in children as a particularly vulnerable group will also be addressed. Part II will address important elements of research science and conduct.
A primer for clinical researchers in the emergency department: Part II: Research science and conduct
Authors: Babl Franz E , Davidson Andrew 
Published: September 2010

AbstractResearch is an important part of emergency medicine and provides the scientific underpinning for optimal patient care. Although increasing numbers of emergency physicians participate in research activities, formal research training is currently neither part of emergency physician training in Australia nor easily available for clinicians interested in clinical research. In a two‐part series, which is targeted at part‐time clinical researchers in the ED, we set out and explain the key elements for conducting high‐quality and ethical research. Part I addressed ethical and regulatory aspects. In Part II, we describe important elements of research science, and practical elements of research conduct and administration, which form the basis for high‐quality research.
Emergency care workload units: A novel tool to compare emergency department activity
Authors: Gedmintas Audra , Bost Nerolie , Keijzers Gerben , Green David , Lind James 
Published: September 2010

AbstractIntroduction:  Funding bodies have traditionally used attendance figures as a way of determining the allocation of funding for resources in the EDs. Using attendance figures only might not accurately reflect the funding and resources required. The need to create an easily implemented tool to compare workload and resources required was identified. Using the Australasian Triage Scale, a tool was developed to estimate staffing requirements and resource use within each ED. This, although currently not validated, provides a promising start in finding a way to accurately determine ED workload.Methods:  Existing data on patient acuity, disposition, numbers of patients and the individual costing of each presentation was used to estimate and define the workload of an ED in emergency care workload units (ECWU). The tool is applied to six de‐identified hospitals within Queensland to demonstrate its potential use for equitable budget and staffing allocation.Results:  The tool was applied to a selection of de‐identified EDs within Queensland hospitals. An increased number of ECWU is generated for a patient with a more urgent triage category reflecting a higher resource consumption and workload.Discussion:  Although a few studies have been completed in Canada linking workload, resource consumption and cost to triage category, this tool will need to be validated before its use can be fully appreciated.Conclusion:  This tool provides a simple method to calculate equitable distribution of staffing and budget allocation based on workload across the different EDs within Australia.
A Few Words on Mill, Walzer, and Nonintervention
Authors: Doyle Michael W. 
Published: September 2010

Nonintervention has been a particularly important and occasionally disturbing principle for liberal scholars, such as John Stuart Mill and Michael Walzer, who share a commitment to basic and universal human rights. On the one hand, liberals have provided some of the strongest reasons to abide by a strict form of the nonintervention doctrine. It was only with the security of national borders that peoples could work out the capacity to govern themselves as free citizens. On the other hand, those very same principles of universal human dignity when applied in different contexts have provided justifications for overriding or disregarding the principle of nonintervention.In explaining this dual logic I present an interpretive summary of s'Mill famous argument against and for intervention, presented in his “A Few Words on Non-Intervention” (1859), that illustrates what makes Mill's “few words” both so attractive and alarming to us. We should be drawn to Mill's arguments because he is among the first to address the conundrums of modern intervention. The modern conscience tries simultaneously to adhere to three contradictory principles: first, the cosmopolitan, humanitarian commitment to assistance, irrespective of international borders; second, respect for the significance of communitarian, national self-determination; and, third, accommodation to the reality of international anarchy, which puts a premium on self-help national security. I stress, more than has been conventional, the consequentialist character of the ethics of both nonintervention and intervention.Comparing Mill's “Non-Intervention” and Walzer's Just and Unjust Wars (1977) links two classic statements on just wars of intervention. I conclude that interventionist arguments should go beyond the three paradigmatic cases Walzer explores in Just and Unjust Wars. But while they can draw on Mill's “Non-Intervention,” they need to offer a more convincing set of criteria for when such interventions are likely to do more good than harm
Realism About Tense and Perspective
Authors: Hare Caspar 
Published: September 2010

AbstractOn one view of time (a view that has gone by the names oftense realism,eternalist A‐theory,hyper‐kenesis, and themoving spotlight view) past, present and future things exist, but their being past, present or future does not consist in their standing in before‐ and after‐relations to other things. So, for example, the event of the signing of the Magna Carta is past, and its being so does not consist in, or reduce to, its coming before the events of 2010.In this paper I discuss arguments for and against this view and view in its near vicinity,perspectival realism. I suggest that perspectival realism is a better view than tense realism. It shares the principal virtues, but not the principal vices, of tense realism.
Philosophical Questions about the Nature of Willpower
Authors: Sekhar Sripada Chandra 
Published: September 2010

AbstractIn this article, I survey four key questions about willpower: How is willpower possible? Why does willpower fail? How does willpower relate to other self‐regulatory processes? and What are the connections between willpower and weakness of will? Empirical research into willpower is growing rapidly and yielding some fascinating new findings. This survey emphasizes areas in which empirical progress in understanding willpower helps to advance traditional philosophical debates.
Profitability and Productivity of the Chinese Textile Industry
Authors: Zhang Yimin , Wang Tianmu 
Published: September 2010

AbstractThis paper considers the cost structure, profitability and productivity of the Chinese textile industry and estimates the impacts of RMB appreciation on this industry. Using data for 1999–2006, we found that the industry has suffered from very low profit margins and returns on capital. Because input prices have been increasing, particularly since 2001, generating profits has become more difficult for the industry. Nevertheless, the industry achieved substantial productivity growth over the period examined. Although at an inadequate level, the profitability of the industry did show some signs of improvement. As long as this trend continues, the industry could obtain a decent level of profitability. Since 2005, however, the industry has faced a new challenge: the appreciation of the RMB. Based on 2006 data, we estimated the maximum rate of RMB appreciation that the industry would be able to sustain to be approximately 5 percent a year.
Measuring Net Foreign Assets: The Case of China
Authors: Zhu Chao 
Published: September 2010

AbstractThis paper discusses two methods of measuring net foreign assets(NFA): directly using the financial account and indirectly using the current account. The former method is found to be more accurate than the latter method. The paper also includes a detailed discussion of the valuation methodology. The results show that China's NFA are much lower than the cumulative current account surplus or the cumulative foreign exchange reserves. This leads to an underestimation of growth in foreign direct investment and an overestimation of the capacity of foreign exchange reserves to cope with possible withdrawals. Therefore, the Chinese Government should pay more attention to valuation issues to obtain more accurate measurement of NF A. Meanwhile, the Chinese monetary authority should relax its control on the foreign exchange settlement system, allow the private sector to hold a certain amount of foreign exchange, and encourage foreign assets to be denominated in RMB to solve structural problems, including entity and currency mismatch.
The Significance of Crust Structure and Continental Dynamics Inferred from Receiver Functions in West Yunnan
Authors: Chuansong HE , Lupei ZHU , Qingcai WANG 
Published: September 2010

Abstract:In our study we collected the teleseismic record of 31 broadband stations and 9 PASSCAL stations in West Yunnan, as well as extracted more than a million receiver functions. Using the waveform model and stacking techniques, we calculated the earth crust thicknesses and Vp/Vs ratios below the stations and obtained 35 valid data points. At the same time, we evenly stacked the receiver functions at the same station and superimposed the two profiles' cross sections of the main tectonic units. The results show a clear difference between the crust thicknesses of different tectonic units. Because of the magma underplatting and delimanition of the lower crust in the role of deep process, the West Yunnan's crust can be divided two kinds—mafic‐ultramafic and feldspathic crusts. The research also shows that the mafic‐ultramafic crust corresponds to a good background of mineralization. The delamination of the lower crust is one of the leading causes for moderate to strong earthquake prone in central Yunnan. The thinner crust and high velocity ratio as well as the multimodal structure of Ps in the Tengchong volcanic area confirms existence of a deep process of the strong magma underplating. Due to the basic crust structure and nature, it is believed that the Honghe fault is a main suture of the Gondwana and Eurasia continents.
Ecology, Epidemiology and Human Health Implications of Avian Influenza Viruses: Why do We Need to Share Genetic Data?
Authors: Capua I. , Alexander D. J. 
Published: September 2010

SummaryAvian influenza (AI) is a listed disease of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) that has become a disease of great importance both for animal and human health. Until recent times, AI was considered a disease of birds with zoonotic implications of limited significance. The emergence and spread of the Asian lineage highly pathogenic AI H5N1 virus has dramatically changed this perspective; not only has it been responsible of the death or culling of millions of birds, but this virus has also been able to infect a variety of non‐avian hosts including human beings. The implications of such a panzootic reflect themselves in animal health issues, notably in the reduction of a protein source for developing countries and in the management of the pandemic potential. Retrospective studies have shown that avian progenitors play an important role in the generation of pandemic viruses for humans, and therefore these infections in the avian reservoir should be subjected to control measures aiming at eradication of the Asian H5N1 virus from all sectors rather than just eliminating or reducing the impact of the disease in poultry. Collection and analysis of information in a transparent environment and close collaboration between the medical and veterinary scientific community are crucial to support the global AI crisis.
Avian Influenza – Diagnosis
Authors: Alexander D. J. 
Published: September 2010

SummaryThe diagnosis of avian influenza (AI) virus infections, even highly pathogenic AI (HPAI), represents a considerable challenge due to the lack of pathognomonic or specific clinical signs and their variation in different avian hosts plus the marked antigenic variation amongst influenza A viruses. Conventional laboratory techniques involve the isolation, identification and characterization (including virulence estimates) of the virus. While this has proven successful in the past and remains the method of choice, for at least the initial outbreak, the delays associated with conventional diagnosis are often considered unacceptable for the application of control measures, especially stamping out policies, and there is an overwhelming demand for rapid results. More and more, molecular biological techniques are being used and in particular reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) and real‐time RT‐PCR technologies are being employed for rapid diagnosis. In this paper, clinical signs, the molecular basis for virulence of AI viruses, international definitions, conventional diagnosis and the use of molecular techniques are reviewed and discussed.
Use of Vaccination in Avian Influenza Control and Eradication
Authors: Marangon S. , Cecchinato M. , Capua I. 
Published: September 2010

SummaryVaccination against avian influenza (AI) infections caused by viruses of the H5 and H7 subtypes has been used in several occasions in recent years with the general objective of controlling and in some cases eradicating the disease. To contain AI infections effectively, vaccination should only be used as part of a comprehensive control strategy that also includes biosecurity, quarantine, surveillance, education, and elimination of infected and at‐risk poultry. Although properly used, potent AI vaccines can prevent disease and death, increase resistance to infection, reduce virus replication and shedding, and reduce viral transmission, they cannot completely prevent AI virus replication. A wide variety of vaccines against AI has been developed and tested in experimental conditions, but only inactivated whole AI virus vaccines and recombinant H5‐AI vaccines have been licensed and widely used in various countries. AI vaccination programmes should be adapted to local conditions to guarantee efficacy and sustainability. In particular, vaccination programmes should be modulated in diverse situations according to the virus strain involved, the characteristics of the poultry producing sector, the capacity of the veterinary infrastructure, and the availability of adequate resources. Based on the eco‐epidemiological situation in the affected region/area/compartment and the assessment of the risk of AI introduction, different vaccination strategies could be implemented to control AI: (i) routine vaccination performed in endemic areas; (ii) emergency vaccination in the face of an epidemic; and (iii) preventative vaccination carried out whenever a high risk of virus incursion is identified.
Contingency Planning: Preparation of Contingency Plans
Authors: Westergaard J. M. 
Published: September 2010

SummaryOutbreaks of infectious animal diseases such as foot‐and‐mouth disease, classical swine fever, Newcastle disease and avian influenza may have a devastating impact, not only on the livestock sector and the rural community in the directly affected areas, but also beyond agriculture and nation wide. The risk of introducing disease pathogens into a country and the spread of the agent within a country depends on a number of factors including import controls, movement of animals and animal products and the biosecurity applied by livestock producers. An adequate contingency plan is an important instrument in the preparation for and the handling of an epidemic. The legislation of the European Union requires that all Member States draw up a contingency plan which specifies the national measures required to maintain a high level of awareness and preparedness and is to be implemented in the event of disease outbreak. This paper describes the main elements to be included in the contingency plans submitted by Member States to the European Commission for approval.
Preparedness for Major OIE‐listed Epidemics: Implementation of Simulation Exercises
Authors: Westergaard J. M. 
Published: September 2010

SummaryLarge‐scale outbreaks of animal disease cause mass death of animals, a devastating economic impact on livestock industries and communities and furthermore often great distress for owners and keepers of animals. Such large‐scale outbreaks have, during the last decade, been experienced by certain EU Member States in pigs caused by classical swine fever outbreaks, in ruminants and pigs due to foot and mouth disease and in poultry as a result of infections by avian influenza virus. With the aim of preventing introduction of the OIE former list A diseases and enhance disease preparedness most European countries have in recent years adopted contingency plans and conducted simulation exercises. Simulation exercises will, in this paper, be discussed with special references to: objectives, scope of exercises, preparation of scenarios, tasks to be performed by participants, the need for facilities, management of exercises and the work of the supervisory team.
Avian Influenza Outbreak Management: Action at Time of Confirmation, Depopulation and Disposal Methods; the ‘Belgian Experience’ during the H7N7 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Epidemic in 2003
Authors: Van Den Berg T. , Houdart P. 
Published: September 2010

SummaryEradication of H5 and H7 influenza in a positive flock will include mass depopulation of birds, containment and inactivation of the virus in the carcasses and litter, and decontamination of the facility. A quick response is desired in the event of a disease outbreak. Ideally, birds should be depopulated within 24 h after detecting the virus. Mass depopulation of birds must be performed in a humane manner while minimizing human health and biosecurity risks. In the framework of the European legislation, a number of methods are authorized for the killing of poultry for processing prior to marketing. However, during emergencies such as a disease outbreak, there are fewer options. The current most commonly used procedures for large‐scale emergency depopulation of birds consist of exposing poultry to CO or CO2 gas. Both gasses have been used in Belgium during the H7N7 crisis in 2003. The gassing procedures include whole house gassing, portable panel enclosures, cage cabinets, containers and polyethylene tent method. Whole house gassing requires sealing the house to prevent gas leakage and, using specialized equipment, introducing large volumes of gas evenly over the birds. All procedures are very labour intensive, create a biosecurity risk and require a large number of personnel. There are considerable region‐to‐region differences in emergency depopulation techniques and disposal of carcasses and infected material. Because of the differences in bird type and species, management, housing and stocking density, it is difficult to propose a depopulation technique that will be suitable for all circumstances. Safety of the human operators is an increasing concern with all H5 and H7 strains and in particular with the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain. Researchers and commercial poultry companies in the United States recently established that non‐toxic water‐based foam with a certain bubble size presents a practicable, effective and humane method for mass depopulation. Foam of the right bubble size creates an occlusion in the trachea of birds, causing a rapid onset of hypoxia. The foam that blankets the broiler house induces physical hypoxia – the same cause of death as the approved method using carbon dioxide gas (CO2). The article illustrates the different culling and disposal methods with a focus on the methods used during the 2003 H7N7 crisis in Belgium.