bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The impact of evolving management strategies on negative appendicectomy rate
Authors: Myers E. , Kavanagh D. O. , Ghous H. , Evoy D. , McDermott E. W. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractAim  The management of appendicitis has evolved from the era of open surgery with a negative appendicectomy rate ranging from 20 to 30%. Diagnostic adjuncts such as computed tomography (CT), ultrasound (US) and diagnostic laparoscopy (DL) facilitate refinement of the clinical impression in equivocal cases. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the increased availability and selective utilization of diagnostic adjuncts on the negative appendicectomy rate.Method  This was a retrospective study of all emergency appendicectomy procedures performed over two 12‐month periods encompassing 1996 and 2006. Clinical, radiological, operative and pathological data were analysed. Diagnostic adjuncts were only employed in equivocal cases. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi‐squared test.Results  A total of 218 and 171 patients underwent an appendicectomy in 2006 and 1996 respectively. There were 103 men in 1996 and 128 in 2006. There was a significant increase in laparoscopic appendicectomy [131(60%) vs 31 (18%), P > 0.001]. In addition, there was a significant increase in the use of CT (38 vs 1, P < 0.001) and US (39 vs 4, P < 0.001).There was also a significant difference in the use of DL without appendicectomy (39 vs 8, P < 0.001). The negative appendicectomy rate was lower in 2006 (15%vs 22%, P = 0.13).The perforation rates in both study periods were similar (10%vs 8%).Conclusion  A policy of selective usage of diagnostic adjuncts only in equivocal cases of appendicitis does not significantly reduce the negative appendicectomy rate.
Prognostic factors in survival of colorectal cancer patients with synchronous liver metastasis
Authors: Zhang S. , Gao F. , Luo J. , Yang J. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractAim  To determine the factors affecting the survival in colorectal cancer patients with synchronous liver metastases.Method  A total of 168 patients who had been treated colorectal cancer with synchronous liver metastases at Guangxi Medical University from January 2000 to December 2005 were identified. Criteria studied consisted of gender, age, time of symptoms, primary tumour location, primary tumour circumference, histological type, grade (tumour differentiation), T‐status, N‐status, large bowel obstruction, type of operation, primary tumour resection, ascities, location, number and diameter of liver lesions, preoperative CEA and chemotherapy. Survival curves were plotted using the Kaplan–Meier method. Multivariate analysis was conducted by Cox regression analysis.Results  The mean survival time for all patients was 18.71 (SEM = 1.59) months. The 1, 2, 3 and 5‐year survival rates were 55.95%, 23.21%, 12.30%, 8.0% respectively. Univariate analysis share of grade (tumour differentiation), N‐status, large bowel obstruction, operation, primary tumour resection, location, number and the most diameter of liver lesions, extrahepatic transfer, preoperative CEA level and chemotherapy to be predictors of survival. In the Cox regression analysis, the N‐status, large bowel obstruction, operation, diameter of liver lesion and extrahepatic transfer were independent factors related to survival.Conclusion  Tumour differentiation, N‐status, bowel obstruction, operation, primary tumour resection, location of liver metastasis, number of liver metastasis, diameter of liver metastasis, extrahepatic transfer, preoperative CEA level and chemotherapy are related to the survival of patients with colorectal cancer and synchronous liver metastases.
Importance of abiotic stress as a range‐limit determinant for European plants: insights from species responses to climatic gradients
Authors: Normand Signe , Treier Urs A. , Randin Christophe , Vittoz Pascal , Guisan Antoine , Svenning Jens‐Christian 
Published: April 2009

ABSTRACTAim  We examined whether species occurrences are primarily limited by physiological tolerance in the abiotically more stressful end of climatic gradients (the asymmetric abiotic stress limitation (AASL) hypothesis) and the geographical predictions of this hypothesis: abiotic stress mainly determines upper‐latitudinal and upper‐altitudinal species range limits, and the importance of abiotic stress for these range limits increases the further northwards and upwards a species occurs.Location  Europe and the Swiss Alps.Methods  The AASL hypothesis predicts that species have skewed responses to climatic gradients, with a steep decline towards the more stressful conditions. Based on presence–absence data we examined the shape of plant species responses (measured as probability of occurrence) along three climatic gradients across latitudes in Europe (1577 species) and altitudes in the Swiss Alps (284 species) using Huisman–Olff–Fresco, generalized linear and generalized additive models.Results  We found that almost half of the species from Europe and one‐third from the Swiss Alps showed responses consistent with the predictions of the AASL hypothesis. Cold temperatures and a short growing season seemed to determine the upper‐latitudinal and upper‐altitudinal range limits of up to one‐third of the species, while drought provided an important constraint at lower‐latitudinal range limits for up to one‐fifth of the species. We found a biome‐dependent influence of abiotic stress and no clear support for abiotic stress as a stronger upper range‐limit determinant for species with higher latitudinal and altitudinal distributions. However, the overall influence of climate as a range‐limit determinant increased with latitude.Main conclusions  Our results support the AASL hypothesis for almost half of the studied species, and suggest that temperature‐related stress controls the upper‐latitudinal and upper‐altitudinal range limits of a large proportion of these species, while other factors including drought stress may be important at the lower range limits.
Tacit knowledge of caring and embodied selfhood
Authors: Kontos Pia C. , Naglie Gary 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThe tacit knowledge paradigm is gaining recognition as an important source of knowledge that informs clinical decision‐making. It is, however, limited by an exclusive focus on knowledge acquired through clinical practice, and a consequent neglect of the primordial and socio‐cultural significance of embodied selfhood, precisely what provides the foundational structure of tacit knowledge of caring and facilitates its manifestation. Drawing on findings from a qualitative study of 43 dementia care practitioners in Ontario, Canada that utilised research‐based drama and focus group methodology, we argue that embodied selfhood is fundamental to tacit knowledge of caring. Results are analysed drawing upon the theoretical precepts of embodied selfhood that are rooted in Merleau‐Ponty's (1962) reconceptualisation of perception and Bourdieu's (1977, 1990) notion of habitus. We conclude with a call for further exploration of the body as a site of the production of tacit knowledge.
Survival and its discontents: the case of British psychiatry
Authors: Pilgrim David , Rogers Anne 
Published: April 2009

AbstractSub‐divisions of labour in health settings are common and medical dominance and encroachment from competitors are well known. This article considers this general picture but in specific relation to mental health work in Britain and its particular features of recent contestation. British psychiatric orthodoxy has faced challenges to its legitimacy for over a century. However, since the 1980s, in the wake of de‐institutionalisation and a new shared service commitment to ‘recovery’, these challenges have taken new shape. They are explored by considering: the current ambit of mental health care; the sub‐division of labour in specialist mental services; recent governmental expectations of the mental health workforce; and the contested legacy of theory and practice in mental health work. The conclusion is that the profession is not under immediate threat of collapse but that its fate may now rest on whether a biomedical or a biopsychosocial model of practice predominates in routine service delivery.
A comparative view on mechanisms and functions of skeletal remodelling in teleost fish, with special emphasis on osteoclasts and their function
Authors: Witten P. Eckhard , Huysseune Ann 
Published: April 2009

ABSTRACTResorption and remodelling of skeletal tissues is required for development and growth, mechanical adaptation, repair, and mineral homeostasis of the vertebrate skeleton. Here we review for the first time the current knowledge about resorption and remodelling of the skeleton in teleost fish, the largest and most diverse group of extant vertebrates. Teleost species are increasingly used in aquaculture and as models in biomedical skeletal research. Thus, detailed knowledge is required to establish the differences and similarities between mammalian and teleost skeletal remodelling, and between distantly related species such as zebrafish (Danio rerio) and medaka (Oryzias latipes).The cellular mechanisms of differentiation and activation of osteoclasts and the functions of teleost skeletal remodelling are described. Several characteristics, related to skeletal remodelling, distinguish teleosts from mammals. These characteristics include (a) the absence of osteocytes in most species; (b) the absence of haematopoietic bone marrow tissue; (c) the abundance of small mononucleated osteoclasts performing non‐lacunar (smooth) bone resorption, in addition to or instead of multinucleated osteoclasts; and (d) a phosphorus‐ rather than calcium‐driven mineral homeostasis (mainly affecting the postcranial dermal skeleton). Furthermore, (e) skeletal resorption is often absent from particular sites, due to sparse or lacking endochondral ossification.Based on the mode of skeletal remodelling in early ontogeny of all teleosts and in later stages of development of teleosts with acellular bone we suggest a link between acellular bone and the predominance of mononucleated osteoclasts, on the one hand, and cellular bone and multinucleated osteoclasts on the other. The evolutionary origin of skeletal remodelling is discussed and whether mononucleated osteoclasts represent an ancestral type of resorbing cells. Revealing the differentiation and activation of teleost skeletal resorbing cells, in the absence of several factors that trigger mammalian osteoclast differentiation, is a current challenge. Understanding which characters of teleost bone remodelling are derived and which characters are conserved should enhance our understanding of the process in fish and may provide insights into alternative pathways of bone remodelling in mammals.
Relationships between the diets and characteristics of the dentition, buccal glands and velar tentacles of the adults of the parasitic species of lamprey
Authors: Renaud C. B. , Gill H. S. , Potter I. C. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThe intestinal contents of adults of 12 of the 18 species of parasitic lampreys were examined microscopically and tested for blood to determine whether a species fed mainly on blood, flesh or blood and flesh. The diets of each species are shown to be related to characteristics of their dentition, buccal glands and velar tentacles. The trends exhibited by those relationships were used to hypothesize as to the diets of those six species for which there were anatomical but not dietary data. The dentition aids the suctorial disc in attaching the lamprey to its host and removing host material, while velar tentacles prevent material entering the branchial cavity and buccal glands produce lamphredin that has anticoagulant and lytic properties. In blood feeders, such asPetromyzon marinusandMordaciaspecies, the w‐shaped transverse lingual lamina and hook‐shaped longitudinal laminae bear numerous, fine cusps, which are ideal for rasping a hole in the host. In contrast, in flesh feeders, such asLampetra fluviatilisandGeotria australis, the transverse lingual lamina is u shaped and the longitudinal laminae are straighter and possess at least one stout cusp, thereby facilitating the removal of host flesh through gouging. The buccal glands are generally larger in blood feeders than flesh feeders, presumably reflecting a need to produce anticoagulant continuously. Each velar tentacle contains a central cartilaginous rod, surrounded by a space which, during feeding, becomes engorged with blood and thus more rigid. They are small (≤1 mm long) and few (2–6) in blood feeders and large (typically ≥2 mm long) and numerous (3–42) in flesh feeders, which, in particular, require a mechanism for preventing solid material entering the branchial pouches and thus potentially clogging the gills. On the basis of recent cladistic analysis, blood feeding is ancestral to flesh feeding in Northern Hemisphere lampreys (Petromyzontidae).
Effects of supplemental food on the social organization of Mongolian gerbils during the breeding season
Authors: Liu W. , Wang G. , Wan X. R. , Zhong W. Q. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractSocial groups occur in many rodents and vary in size and complexity under varying environments. Food availability is often limited in northern temperate regions and alters the life history and behavior of rodents. Increased food availability is hypothesized to increase the size and complexity of rodent social groups by enhancing individual survival and philopatry. We tested this hypothesis in Mongolian gerbilsMeriones unguiculatusunder semi‐natural conditions in Inner Mongolia, China. The Mongolian gerbil is a cooperative breeder living in groups year‐round. Gerbil colonies in 10 m × 10 m chambers were the experimental units, with four replicate chambers each for food supplementation and food unsupplemented controls in 2004 and six replicate chambers for each treatment in 2005. At 2‐day intervals wheat grain supplemented the normal food in experimental chambers throughout the breeding season (May through August). We estimated founder mortality, cumulative recruitment, proportion of philopatric juveniles, ages at sexual maturity and social group size in each colony from May through August. Rates of change in group size were inversely related to social group size. The social organization of Mongolian gerbils did not differ in any of the measured parameters between food‐supplemented and ‐unsupplemented chambers. Therefore, additional food does not influence the social organization of Mongolian gerbils during the breeding season.
Environmental sensor networks in ecological research
Authors: Rundel Philip W. , Graham Eric A. , Allen Michael F. , Fisher Jason C. , Harmon Thomas C. 
Published: April 2009

SummaryEnvironmental sensor networks offer a powerful combination of distributed sensing capacity, real‐time data visualization and analysis, and integration with adjacent networks and remote sensing data streams. These advances have become a reality as a combined result of the continuing miniaturization of electronics, the availability of large data storage and computational capacity, and the pervasive connectivity of the Internet. Environmental sensor networks have been established and large new networks are planned for monitoring multiple habitats at many different scales. Projects range in spatial scale from continental systems designed to measure global change and environmental stability to those involved with the monitoring of only a few meters of forest edge in fragmented landscapes. Temporal measurements have ranged from the evaluation of sunfleck dynamics at scales of seconds, to daily CO2 fluxes, to decadal shifts in temperatures. Above‐ground sensor systems are partnered with subsurface soil measurement networks for physical and biological activity, together with aquatic and riparian sensor networks to measure groundwater fluxes and nutrient dynamics. More recently, complex sensors, such as networked digital cameras and microphones, as well as newly emerging sensors, are being integrated into sensor networks for hierarchical methods of sensing that promise a further understanding of our ecological systems by revealing previously unobservable phenomena.

Contents

Summary
589

I.
Introduction
590

II.
Terrestrial sensor networks
591

III.
Soil sensor networks
594

IV.
Aquatic sensor networks
597

V.
Challenges for sensor network development
601

Acknowledgements
1063

References
1063
Regulation of the intracellular distribution, cell surface expression, and protein levels of AMPA receptor GluR2 subunits by the monocarboxylate transporter MCT2 in neuronal cells
Authors: Maekawa Fumihiko , Tsuboi Takashi , Pellerin Luc 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThe neuronal monocarboxylate transporter, MCT2, is not only an energy substrate carrier but it is also purported to be a binding partner for the α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor GluR2 subunit. To unravel a putative role of MCT2 in the regulation of GluR2 subcellular distribution, Neuro2A cells and primary cultures of mouse cortical neurons were co‐transfected with plasmids containing sequences to express the fluorescent proteins mStrawberry (mStb)‐fused MCT2 and Venus‐fused GluR2. Subsequently, their subcellular distribution was visualized by fluorescence microscopy. GluR2 was led to form perinuclear and dendritic clusters together with MCT2 when co‐transfected in Neuro2A cells or in neurons, following the original distribution of MCT2. MCT2 co‐transfection had no effect on the intracellular distribution of several other post‐synaptic proteins, although it partially affected the intracellular distribution of GluR1 similarly to GluR2. Both cell surface and total protein expression levels of GluR2 were significantly reduced by co‐expression with MCT2. Finally, partial perinuclear and dendritic co‐localization between MCT2 and Rab8, a member of the small GTPase family involved in membrane trafficking of AMPA receptors, was also observed in co‐transfected neurons. These results suggest that MCT2 could influence AMPA receptor trafficking within neurons by modulating GluR2 sorting between different subcellular compartments.
Regulation of the postnatal development of dopamine neurons of the substantia nigra in vivo by Akt/protein kinase B
Authors: Ries Vincent , Cheng Hsiao‐Chun , Baohan Amy , Kareva Tatyana , Oo Tinmarla F. , Rzhetskaya Margarita , Bland Ross J. , During Matthew J. , Kholodilov Nikolai , Burke Robert E. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractFollowing mitosis, specification and migration during embryogenesis, dopamine neurons of the mesencephalon undergo a postnatal naturally occurring cell death event that determines their final adult number, and a period of axonal growth that determines pattern and extent of target contacts. While a number of neurotrophic factors have been suggested to regulate these developmental events, little is known, especially in vivo, of the cell signaling pathways that mediate these effects. We have examined the possible role of Akt/Protein Kinase B by transduction of these neurons in vivo with adeno‐associated viral vectors to express either a constitutively active or a dominant negative form of Akt/protein kinase B. We find that Akt regulates multiple features of the postnatal development of these neurons, including the magnitude of the apoptotic developmental cell death event, neuron size, and the extent of target innervation of the striatum. Given the diversity and magnitude of its effects, the regulation of the development of these neurons by Akt may have implications for the many psychiatric and neurologic diseases in which these neurons may play a role.
Tau – an inhibitor of deacetylase HDAC6 function
Authors: Perez Mar , Santa‐Maria Ismael , De Barreda Elena Gomez , Zhu Xiongwei , Cuadros Raquel , Cabrero Jose Roman , Sanchez‐Madrid Francisco , Dawson Hana N. , Vitek Michael P. , Perry George , Smith Mark A. , Avila Jesus 
Published: April 2009

AbstractAnalysis of brain microtubule protein from patients with Alzheimer’s disease showed decreased alpha tubulin levels along with increased acetylation of the alpha tubulin subunit, mainly in those microtubules from neurons containing neurofibrillary tau pathology. To determine the relationship of tau protein and increased tubulin acetylation, we studied the effect of tau on the acetylation‐deacetylation of tubulin. Our results indicate that tau binds to the tubulin‐deacetylase, histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6), decreasing its activity with a consequent increase in tubulin acetylation. As expected, increased acetylation was also found in tubulin from wild‐type mice compared with tubulin from mice lacking tau because of the tau‐mediated inhibition of the deacetylase. In addition, we found that an excess of tau protein, as a HDAC6 inhibitor, prevents induction of autophagy by inhibiting proteasome function.
The Economics of a Reduction in VAT*
Authors: Barrell Ray , Weale Martin 
Published: April 2009

AbstractWe explore the effects of a temporary cut in VAT, identifying three possible effects: an income effect as people benefit from a lower cost of living during the period of the reduction, a substitution effect as people bring their consumption forward and an arbitrage effect as people buy non‐perishable goods before the end of the period of low VAT for consumption after the VAT rate has been raised. International evidence suggests a clear overall impact on consumption, although the nature of the pattern depends on the way in which the data are analysed. However, the key policy issue is the impact of the VAT change on output and, to examine that, a simulation model of the whole economy is needed. Evidence from the National Institute's Global Economic Model suggests that the impact of the recent VAT reduction is likely to build up during the course of 2009. The reduction in VAT from 17½ per cent to 15 per cent is likely to result in consumption being augmented by less than 1 per cent by the fourth quarter of 2009. However, GDP is likely to be raised by less than half a per cent relative to what would have happened without the VAT increase. After the temporary reduction is over, both consumption and GDP are depressed as a result of the policy.
The Cyclical Reaction of Fiscal Policies in the Euro Area: The Role of Modelling Choices and Data Vintages*
Authors: Golinelli Roberto , Momigliano Sandro 
Published: April 2009

AbstractWe survey the recent empirical literature concerning the cyclical response of fiscal policies in the euro area, finding large differences in results. We show that these differences are heavily influenced by the choices made in modelling fiscal behaviour. We make a case for the use, in assessing policies and in the EMU context, of the standard modelling choice where the discretionary reaction of fiscal policy is directly estimated. Models where the overall reaction to the cycle – which includes the effects of both discretionary actions and automatic stabilisers – is directly estimated tend to suggest either strong pro‐cyclical or strong counter‐cyclical discretionary reactions, depending on how this component is identified. Within the standard model and for the years 1994 to 2008, we show that results are significantly affected by the data vintage (ex post or real‐time). With ex post data, we find an unambiguous indication of a‐cyclicality. Using real‐time data, we find that the output gap matters. However, depending on whether we assess policy intentions or actual policies, euro‐area governments' behaviour radically changes. A plausible interpretation is that in the implementation phase, governments loosen their fiscal stance, giving in to political pressures that are proportional to the scale of the economic difficulties in bad times and the size of the ‘growth dividend’ in good times.