bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Factors influencing the choice of urinary diversion in patients undergoing radical cystectomy
Authors: Ashley Matt S. , Daneshmand Siamak 
Published: January 2010

Study Type – Preference (case studies) Level of Evidence 4OBJECTIVETo examine the rate at which patients undergo various types of urinary diversion (UD) and the reasons why they had the given reconstruction, analysed in the context of a standardized preoperative protocol for patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) at our institution, as there is wide variation in the distribution of patients undergoing continent (CUD) vs incontinent (ICUD) after RC.PATIENTS AND METHODSBetween September 2004 and December 2008, 200 patients had RC with UD by one surgeon. Each patient was given standardized preoperative counselling; the charts were reviewed retrospectively to determine the relative frequencies of the various types of UD, and the reasons why patients had an ICUD assessed, including medical contraindications and personal choice.RESULTSDuring preoperative counselling, 149 patients (75%) were assessed as being eligible for a CUD, while 51 (25%) had one or more contraindication; 140 (70%) ultimately had a CUD, and the remaining 60 (30%) a ICUD. Of the 149 patients eligible for a CUD, only nine (6%) chose to undergo ICUD for personal reasons.CONCLUSIONFew patients choose to have an ICUD in the absence of an absolute medical contraindication. Proper patient selection and thorough, standardized preoperative counselling result in a higher rate of CUD than ICUD after RC.
Robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy: learning rate analysis as an objective measure of the acquisition of surgical skill
Authors: Sammon Jesse , Perry Andrew , Beaule Lisa , Kinkead Thomas , Clark David , Hansen Moritz 
Published: January 2010

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4OBJECTIVETo adapt an industrial definition of learning‐curve analysis to surgical learning, and elucidate the rate at which experienced open surgeons acquire skills specific to robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) at a community‐based medical centre.PATIENTS, SUBJECTS AND METHODSThe total procedure time (TPT) of the first 75 RARPs, performed by three surgeons experienced with retropubic RP, was analysed to determine the point at which their learning rate stabilised. Operative characteristics were compared before and after this point to isolate the plateau of learning rate as a mark of acquiring surgical skill. The operative characteristics examined were TPT, estimated blood loss (EBL), bladder neck contractures (BNC), positive margins (PM) and length of hospital stay (LOS).RESULTSThe mean rate of TPT decrease, for procedures 1–75, was 13.4% per doubling of RARPs performed. After the first 25 procedures the TPT decreased at a rate of 1.8% per doubling, not significantly different from 0 (P > 0.05). There was no significant difference between procedures 1–25 and 26–75 in rates of EBL, BNC and PM. There was a significant change for all surgeons in TPT, with a mean of 303.1 min (RARPs 1–25) vs 213.6 min (26–75) (P < 0.001), and LOS, of 2.1 days (1–25) vs 1.4 days (26–75) (P < 0.001).CONCLUSIONSAn industrial definition of learning‐curve analysis can be adapted to provide an objective measure of learning RARP. The average learning rate for RARP was found to plateau by the 25th procedure. Also, the learning rate plateau can serve as an objective measure of the acquisition of surgical skill.
INNOVATION: ITS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ASPECTS AND SOME OF THEIR EMPIRICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR MERGERS
Authors: TELSER LESTER G. 
Published: January 2010

Innovators may have incentives to incur the expense of the search for new knowledge even if others can use the results without contributing to the costs of the search for them. Why?Assume firms choose their actions independently. Assume new knowledge is a free public good: a firm can make the product at lower cost even if it spends nothing on research, if another does the research. The most plausible noncooperative equilibrium in this situation is stochastic: firms will decide what to do on the basis of a random device. The theory determines the probability that the firm spends nothing, or something, on research. In consequence, no firm can be certain that a rival will do the research; no firm can be certain of becoming a free rider. In consequence, there will be no relation on average between returns on research‐outlays and size of outlays; but the yield on research always will be positive.Innovation can lead to differences among firms, but these differences should not persist, as firms can gain by eliminating them. In a non‐cooperative equilibrium, where firms have different cost conditions, the allocation of output among them is inefficient. Such inefficiency can be eliminated if information about methods of production is sold, say by way of licensing. But royalty receipts are a very small fraction of total revenues, even in research and development intensive industries such as chemicals and scientific instruments.Merger is another avenue of cooperation. The theory which assumes research results are private predicts a positive relation between merger activity and technical change. Empirical evidence for the 1879–1930 inverval supports this prediction.
A RESPECIFIED TAX‐ADJUSTED FISHER RELATION
Authors: ROSE LOUIS A. 
Published: January 2010

How much will a 1% increase in expected inflation increase nominal interest rates? Irving Fisher's famous equation implies that nominal interest rates will rise in proportion to an increase in expected inflation. Darby and Feldstein, correcting the Fisher equation for taxation, predict a nominal interest rate increase of [1/(1 ‐ T)]% where T is the marginal tax rate: i.e., if T =3, then a 1 % increase in expected inflation should cause a 1.4 % rise in interest rates.Empirical evidence, however, suggests that the rise in interest rates is much smaller than the Darby/Feldstein prediction. Estimates are around 9, varying mostly between 5 and 1.15, which is much closer to Fisher's original prediction. It is important to know the size of the interest rate response to inflation expectations in a world in which inflation and interest rates are volatile and in which tax laws are designed to influence savings and investment through interest rates.In this paper we attempt to close the gap between theorized and estimated effects of inflation by incorporating into the Fisher equation two important aspects of the U.S. tax code: historic cost depreciation and the lower tax rate on capital gains. Our model shows that the effect of expected inflation on interest rates is dampened by the lower benefits from depreciation deductions arid the capital gains tax.Our corrected Fisher equation predicts a 1.12 % nominal interest rate increase, rather than the 1.4 % increase implied by the Darby/Feldstein model. The, our model closes about 56 % of the gap between theory and empirical evidence. The remainder could be closed by additional refinements in the model or better empirical modeling.
COMPOUND PRICING
Authors: MCGEE JOHN S. 
Published: January 2010

Compound pricing makes the price or availability of some goods conditional on the purchase (or non‐purchase) of other goods. Tie‐ins and requirements contracts, two well‐known examples, are analyzed here.Contrary to some opinion, such practices need not be innocuous or benign. This analysis shows that compound pricing can produce price, output, profit, and welfare results that are practically indistinguishable from those got when a firm increases its monopoly power in more obvious and direct ways. By some standards, the requirements and exclusive dealing contracts analyzed here are predatory.
Whither Family Business?
Authors: Schulze William S. , Gedajlovic Eric R. 
Published: January 2010

abstractThe family enterprise is capturing increased interest from scholars around the world. Yet research about family business is in its infancy and the diversity of theories and perspectives represented in the developing literature portray a cluttered and conflicted landscape. In the following, we provide background, discuss the state of the field, and place in context the articles that are featured in this special issue. Critical questions facing the field are also addressed.
Generation of transgenic wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) accumulating heterologous endo‐xylanase or ferulic acid esterase in the endosperm
Authors: Harholt Jesper , Bach Inga C. , Lind‐Bouquin Solveig , Nunan Kylie J. , Madrid Susan M. , Brinch‐Pedersen Henrik , Holm Preben B. , Scheller Henrik V. 
Published: January 2010

SummaryEndo‐xylanase (from Bacillus subtilis) or ferulic acid esterase (from Aspergillus niger) were expressed in wheat under the control of the endosperm‐specific 1DX5 glutenin promoter. Constructs both with and without the endoplasmic reticulum retention signal (Lys‐Asp‐Glu‐Leu) KDEL were used. Transgenic plants were recovered in all four cases but no qualitative differences could be observed whether KDEL was added or not. Endo‐xylanase activity in transgenic grains was increased between two and threefold relative to wild type. The grains were shrivelled and had a 25%–33% decrease in mass. Extensive analysis of the cell walls showed a 10%–15% increase in arabinose to xylose ratio, a 50% increase in the proportion of water‐extractable arabinoxylan, and a shift in the MW of the water‐extractable arabinoxylan from being mainly larger than 85 kD to being between 2 and 85 kD. Ferulic acid esterase‐expressing grains were also shrivelled, and the seed weight was decreased by 20%–50%. No ferulic acid esterase activity could be detected in wild‐type grains whereas ferulic acid esterase activity was detected in transgenic lines. The grain cell walls had 15%–40% increase in water‐unextractable arabinoxylan and a decrease in monomeric ferulic acid between 13% and 34%. In all the plants, the observed changes are consistent with a plant response that serves to minimize the effect of the heterologously expressed enzymes by increasing arabinoxylan biosynthesis and cross‐linking.
Never Say Never? Uncovering the Never‐Unionized in the United States
Authors: Booth Jonathan E. , Budd John W. , Munday Kristen M. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThis paper analyses individuals who never hold a unionized job and are never represented by a union (‘never‐unionized’). Using 21 waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 data to track individuals starting at age 15 or 16, we show that by the time workers are 40 or 41 years old, one‐third of them are never‐unionized, and a convex never‐unionization trajectory suggests that most of them will remain never‐unionized. An analysis of the demographic and labour market characteristics of the never‐unionized further suggests two types of never‐unionized workers — those who lack opportunities for obtaining unionized jobs and those who lack the desire to obtain unionized jobs.
Optimal Board Monitoring in Family‐owned Companies: Evidence from Asia
Authors: Chen En‐Te , Nowland John 
Published: January 2010

ABSTRACTManuscript Type:EmpiricalResearch Question/Issue:We propose that high levels of monitoring are not always in the best interests of minority shareholders. In family‐owned companies the optimal level of board monitoring required by minority shareholders is expected to be lower than that of other companies. This is because the relative benefits and costs of monitoring are different in family‐owned companies.Research Findings/Insights:At moderate levels of board monitoring, we find concave relationships between board monitoring variables and firm performance for family‐owned companies but not for other companies. The optimal level of board monitoring for our sample of Asian family‐owned companies equates to board independence of 38 per cent, separation of the chairman and CEO positions, and establishment of audit and remuneration committees. Additional testing shows that the optimal level of board monitoring is sensitive to the magnitude of the agency conflict between the family group and minority shareholders and the presence of substitute monitoring.Theoretical/Academic Implications:This study shows that the effect of additional monitoring on agency costs and firm performance differs across firms with different ownership structures.Practitioner/Policy Implications:For policymakers, the results show that more monitoring is not always in the best interests of minority shareholders. Therefore, it may be inappropriate for regulators to advise all companies to follow the same set of corporate governance guidelines. However, our results also indicate that the board governance practices of family‐owned companies are still well below the identified optimal levels.
‘You Feel Sad?’ Emotion Understanding Mediates Effects of Verbal Ability and Mother–Child Mutuality on Prosocial Behaviors: Findings from 2 Years to 4 Years
Authors: Ensor Rosie , Spencer Debra , Hughes Claire 
Published: January 2010

AbstractEarly individual differences in prosocial behaviors are pivotal for children's peer relationships. To investigate the interplay among verbal ability, emotion understanding, and mother–child mutuality as predictors of prosocial behaviors, we observed 102 children at the ages of two, three, and four. All time points included verbal ability and emotion understanding tests and both video‐based and maternal ratings of prosocial behavior. The first two time points also included video‐based ratings of mother–child mutuality. The third time point included teacher ratings of prosocial behavior and an experimental task. Regression analysis demonstrated robust associations between emotion understanding at the age of three and prosocial behavior at the age of four. Path analysis showed that emotion understanding at the age of three mediated associations between verbal ability/mother–child mutuality at the age of two and prosocial behavior at the age of four.
No mutations in the voltage‐gated NaV1.7 sodium channel α1 subunit gene SCN9A in familial complex regional pain syndrome
Authors: De Rooij A. M. , Gosso M. F. , Alsina‐Sanchis E. , Marinus J. , Van Hilten J. J. , Van Den Maagdenberg A. M. J. M. 
Published: January 2010

Background:  Mutations in the voltage‐gated NaV1.7 Na+ channel α1 gene SCN9A have been linked to pain disorders, such as inherited primary erythromelalgia and paroxysmal extreme pain disorder. Both show clinical overlap with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a condition that is characterized by pain in association with combinations of vasomotor, sudomotor, sensory, and motor disturbances. Therefore, we here investigated the involvement of the SCN9A gene in familial CRPS.Methods:  We performed a mutation analysis of the SCN9A gene in four index cases of families with CRPS. All 26 coding exons and adjacent sequences of the SCN9A gene were analyzed for mutations using direct sequencing analysis.Results:  No causal gene mutations were identified in the SCN9A gene in any of the patients.Conclusions:  Despite the fact that the SCN9A gene is an excellent candidate, we did not find evidence that it plays a major role in familial CRPS.
Predicted impact of climate change on threatened terrestrial vertebrates in central Spain highlights differences between endotherms and ectotherms
Authors: Aragón P. , Rodríguez M. A. , Olalla‐Tárraga M. A. , Lobo J. M. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractClimate change can induce shifts in species ranges. Of special interest are range shifts in regions with a conflict of interest between land use and the conservation of threatened species. Here we focus on the 94 threatened terrestrial vertebrates occurring in the Madrid region (Central Spain) and model their distributions using data for the whole peninsular Spain to evaluate which vertebrate groups are likely to be more sensitive to climatic change. First, we generated predictive models to quantify the extent to which species distributions are explained by current climate. We then extrapolated the models temporally to predict the effects of two climate‐change scenarios on species distributions. We also examined the impact on a recently proposed reserve relative to other interconnected zones with lower protection status but categorized as Areas of Community Importance by the European Union. The variation explained by climatic predictors was greater in ectotherms. The change in species composition differed between the proposed reserve and the other protected areas. Endothermic and ectothermic vertebrates had different patterns of changes in species composition but those of ectotherms matched with temperature departures predicted by climate change. Our results, together with the limited dispersal capacity of herptiles, suggest that trade‐offs between different design criteria accounting for animal group differences are necessary for reserve selection.
Predictability in Consumption Growth and Equity Returns: A Bayesian Investigation
Authors: Paseka Alex , Theocharides George 
Published: January 2010

AbstractWe use a Bayesian method to estimate a consumption‐based asset pricing model featuring long‐run risks. Although the model is generally consistent with consumption and dividend growth moments in annual data, the conditional mean of consumption growth (a latent process) is not persistent enough to satisfy the restriction that the price‐dividend ratio be an affine function of the latent process. The model also requires relatively high intertemporal elasticity of substitution to match the low volatility of the risk‐free return. These two restrictions lead to the equity volatility puzzle. The model accounts for only 50% of the total variation in asset returns.
Diagnostic utility of the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS‐C16 and QIDS‐SR16) in the elderly
Authors: Doraiswamy P. M. , Bernstein I. H. , Rush A. J. , Kyutoku Y. , Carmody T. J. , Macleod L. , Venkatraman S. , Burks M. , Stegman D. , Witte B. , Trivedi M. H. 
Published: January 2010

Doraiswamy PM, Bernstein IH, Rush AJ, Kyutoku Y, Carmody TJ, Macleod L, Venkatraman S, Burks M, Stegman D, Witte B, Trivedi MH. Diagnostic utility of the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS‐C16 and QIDS‐SR16) in the elderly.Objective:  To evaluate psychometric properties and comparability ability of the Montgomery‐Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) vs. the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology–Clinician‐rated (QIDS‐C16) and Self‐report (QIDS‐SR16) scales to detect a current major depressive episode in the elderly.Method:  Community and clinic subjects (age ≥60 years) were administered the Mini‐International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) for DSM‐IV and three depression scales randomly. Statistics included classical test and Samejima item response theories, factor analyzes, and receiver operating characteristic methods.Results:  In 229 elderly patients (mean age = 73 years, 39% male, 54% current depression), all three scales were unidimensional and with nearly equal Cronbach α reliability (0.85–0.89). Each scale discriminated persons with major depression from the non‐depressed, but the QIDS‐C16 was slightly more accurate.Conclusion:  All three tests are valid for detecting geriatric major depression with the QIDS‐C16 being slightly better. Self‐rated QIDS‐SR16 is recommended as a screening tool as it is least expensive and least time consuming.
A 2‐year follow‐up of involuntary admission’s influence upon adherence and outcome in first‐episode psychosis
Authors: Opjordsmoen S. , Friis S. , Melle I. , Haahr U. , Johannessen J. O. , Larsen T. K. , Røssberg J. I. , Rund B. R. , Simonsen E. , Vaglum P. , McGlashan T. H. 
Published: January 2010

Opjordsmoen S, Friis S, Melle I, Haahr U, Johannessen JO, Larsen TK, Røssberg JI, Rund BR, Simonsen E, Vaglum P, McGlashan TH. A 2‐year follow‐up of involuntary admission’s influence upon adherence and outcome in first‐episode psychosis.Objective:  To see, if voluntary admission for treatment in first‐episode psychosis results in better adherence to treatment and more favourable outcome than involuntary admission.Method:  We compared consecutively first‐admitted, hospitalised patients from a voluntary (n = 91) with an involuntary (n = 126) group as to psychopathology and functioning using Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and Global Assessment of Functioning Scales at baseline, after 3 months and at 2 year follow‐up. Moreover, duration of supportive psychotherapy, medication and number of hospitalisations during the 2 years were measured.Results:  More women than men were admitted involuntarily. Voluntary patients had less psychopathology and better functioning than involuntary patients at baseline. No significant difference as to duration of psychotherapy and medication between groups was found. No significant difference was found as to psychopathology and functioning between voluntarily and involuntarily admitted patients at follow‐up.Conclusion:  Legal admission status per se did not seem to influence treatment adherence and outcome.
Bactericidal effects of different laser systems on bacteria adhered to dental implant surfaces: an in vitro study comparing zirconia with titanium
Authors: Hauser‐Gerspach Irmgard , Stübinger Stefan , Meyer Jürg 
Published: January 2010

AbstractObjectives: The purpose of this study was to examine in vitro the anti‐bacterial efficacy of two different laser systems (CO2 and diode) applied to Streptococcus sanguinis or Porphyromonas gingivalis cells in suspensions or adhered to zirconia or titanium dental implant materials, with two different surfaces each.Materials and methods: Bacteria were irradiated at two different power settings with either a CO2 (λ=10,600 nm) or a diode laser (λ=810 nm). The lower mode is used clinically (for CO2 100 J/cm2, diode 50 J/cm2) and the higher may alter the materials' surface (for CO2 1200 J/cm2, diode 150 J/cm2). After irradiation, the number of viable bacteria was determined by culture.Results: Planktonic cells of both species were more resistant to the laser irradiations than bacteria that adhered to surfaces. Adhered P. gingivalis were effectively killed at both wavelengths λ=10,600 and 810 nm even at the lower settings, independent of the material. S. sanguinis cells that adhered to either zirconia surface were effectively killed by the CO2 laser at the lower setting of 100 J/cm2. However, the higher settings of both lasers were needed to reduce S. sanguinis that adhered to titanium surfaces. The CO2 laser at the lower setting and the diode laser at the higher setting effectively reduced the viability of S. sanguinis or P. gingivalis that adhered to zirconia surfaces.Conclusions: Under irradiation conditions known not to alter zirconia implant surfaces in vitro, both CO2 laser (100 J/cm2) and the diode laser (150 J/cm2) effectively reduced the viability of adhered S. sanguinis or P. gingivalis. To cite this article:
Hauser‐Gerspach I, Stübinger S, Meyer J. Bactericidal effects of different laser systems on bacteria adhered to dental implant surfaces: an in vitro study comparing zirconia to titanium. Clin. Oral Impl. Res. 21, 2010; 277–283. doi: 10.1111/j.1600‐0501.2009.01835.x