bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Anesthesia for videoscopic left cardiac sympathetic denervation in children with congenital long QT syndrome and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia – a case series
Authors: KENYON CHRISTINE A. , FLICK RANDALL , MOIR CHRISTOPHER , ACKERMAN MICHAEL J. , PABELICK CHRISTINA M. 
Published: March 2010

SummaryObjective:  To describe our experience in the anesthetic management of pediatric patients who have undergone left cardiac sympathetic denervation (LCSD) for congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT).Background:  Long QT syndrome and CPVT predispose patients to ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death. One treatment option for these patients is LCSD. When these patients present for LCSD or other surgical procedures, anesthetic management is challenging, as many medications may exacerbate QT prolongation.Methods:  Retrospective review of the electronic medical records of 22 pediatric patients who underwent LCSD between November 2005 and December 2008.Results:  Six patients (27%) received midazolam as a premedication. Eleven patients (50%) underwent inhalation induction with sevoflurane. Eighty‐six percentage received either sevoflurane or isoflurane for maintenance of anesthesia, while the remaining 14% received a propofol infusion. Nine patients (41%) received esmolol infusions intraoperatively, while one patient (4.5%) received a labetalol infusion. Three patients (14%) received lidocaine infusions. No significant cardiac or other events occurred in any of these patients in the perioperative period.Conclusions:  Important anesthetic considerations in this population include avoidance of sympathetic stimulation, correction of any abnormal electrolytes, and the immediate availability of a defibrillator and magnesium sulfate to treat arrhythmias. Anxious patients may benefit from premedication to reduce sympathetic tone. We have safely used both volatile agents and propofol for induction and maintenance of anesthesia. In our experience, intraoperative infusions of β‐blockers and lidocaine seem to be helpful in reducing arrhythmogenic potential, especially in patients with profound QT prolongation.
Effects of interleukin‐6 treatment on neurovascular function, nerve perfusion and vascular endothelium in diabetic rats
Authors: Cotter M. A. , Gibson T. M. , Nangle M. R. , Cameron N. E. 
Published: March 2010

Aim: Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), a member of the neuropoietic cytokine family, participates in neural development and has neurotrophic activity. Recent research has also indicated actions to improve vasa nervorum function in diabetes. Both these facets are potentially relevant for treatment of diabetic neuropathy. The aim of this study was to determine whether IL‐6 treatment corrected changes in neurovascular function in streptozotocin‐induced diabetic rats. Methods: After 1 month of diabetes, rats were given IL‐6 for 1 month. The rats were subjected to sensory testing and measurements of nerve conduction velocities and nerve blood flow by hydrogen clearance microelectrode polarography. Further groups were used to study responses of the isolated gastric fundus and renal artery. Results were statistically analysed using ANOVA and post hoc tests. Results: Diabetic rats showed mechanical hyperalgesia, thermal hyperalgesia, and tactile allodynia. The former was unaffected by IL‐6 treatment, whereas the latter two measures were corrected. Immunohistochemical staining of dorsal root ganglia for IL‐6 did not reveal any changes with diabetes or treatment. The results showed that 22 and 17.4% slowing of sciatic motor and saphenous sensory nerve conduction velocities, respectively, with diabetes were improved by IL‐6. Sciatic endoneurial perfusion was halved by diabetes and corrected by IL‐6. A 40.6% diabetic deficit in maximal non‐adrenergic, non‐cholinergic relaxation of gastric fundus to nerve stimulation was unaffected by IL‐6. Renal artery endothelium‐dependent relaxation was halved by diabetes, the endothelium‐derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) component being severely attenuated. IL‐6 did not affect nitric oxide‐mediated vasorelaxation, but markedly improved EDHF responses. Conclusions: IL‐6 improved aspects of small and large nerve fibre and vascular endothelium dysfunction in diabetic rats. The functional benefits related to increased nerve blood flow via an EDHF mechanism, and IL‐6 could have therapeutic potential in diabetic neuropathy and vasculopathy, which should be further evaluated.
Efficacy and safety of vildagliptin and voglibose in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes: a 12‐week, randomized, double‐blind, active‐controlled study
Authors: Iwamoto Y. , Kashiwagi A. , Yamada N. , Terao S. , Mimori N. , Suzuki M. , Tachibana H. 
Published: March 2010

Aim: To confirm the efficacy of vildagliptin in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) by testing the hypothesis that glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) reduction with vildagliptin is superior to that with voglibose after 12 weeks of treatment. Methods: In this 12‐week, randomized, double‐blind, active‐controlled, parallel‐group study, the efficacy and safety of vildagliptin (50 mg bid, n = 188) was compared with that of voglibose (0.2 mg tid, n = 192) in patients with T2D who were inadequately controlled with diet and exercise. Results: The characteristics of two groups were well matched at baseline. The mean age, body mass index (BMI) and HbA1c were 59.1 years, 24.9 kg/m2 and 7.6%, respectively. At baseline, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 2‐h postprandial glucose (PPG) were 9.01 mmol/l (162.2 mg/dl) and 13.57 mmol/l (244.3 mg/dl), respectively. The adjusted mean change in HbA1c from baseline to endpoint was −0.95 ± 0.04% in the vildagliptin‐treated patients and −0.38 ± 0.04% in those receiving voglibose (between‐group change = 0.57 ± 0.06%, 95% confidence interval (CI) (−0.68 to −0.46%), p < 0.001), showing that vildagliptin was superior to voglibose. Endpoint HbA1c ≤ 6.5% was achieved in 51% vildagliptin‐treated patients compared with 24% patients who were on voglibose (p < 0.001). Vildagliptin also exhibited significantly (p < 0.001) greater reduction compared with voglibose in both FPG [1.34 vs. 0.43 mmol/l (24.1 vs. 7.8 mg/dl)] and 2‐h PPG [2.86 vs. 1.1 mmol/l (51.5 vs. 19.8 mg/dl)]. Overall adverse events (AEs) were lower in the vildagliptin‐treated patients compared with that in the voglibose‐treated patients (61.2 vs. 71.4%), with no incidence of hypoglycaemia and serious adverse events with vildagliptin. Gastrointestinal AEs were significantly lower with vildagliptin compared with that of the voglibose (18.6 vs. 32.8%; p = 0.002). Conclusions: Vildagliptin (50 mg bid) showed superior efficacy and better tolerability compared with voglibose in Japanese patients with T2D.
PRECAUTIONARY DEMAND FOR LABOUR AND FIRM SIZE
Authors: Kudoh Noritaka , Sasaki Masaru 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACTThis paper studies firms' job creation decisions in a labour market with search frictions. A simple labour market search model is developed in which a firm can search for a second employee while producing with a first worker, and this creates the equilibrium size distribution of firms. A firm expands employment even if the instantaneous payoff to a large firm is less than that of staying small – a firm has a precautionary motive to expand its size. In addition, this motive is enhanced by a greater market tightness. Because of this effect, firms’ decisions become interdependent – a firm creates a vacancy if it expects other firms to do the same, creating strategic complementarity among firms and thereby self‐fulfilling multiple equilibria. An increase in productivity can cause a qualitative change in labour market tightness and the rate of unemployment.
HORIZONTAL MERGERS: A SOLUTION OF THE INSIDERS' DILEMMA
Authors: Cesi Berardino 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACTWe show that in a three‐firm infinitely repeated Cournot game, there exists a stick and carrot strategy equilibrium in which an exogenous bilateral horizontal merger is profitable and the incentive to remain out of the merger disappears. In this sub‐game perfect equilibrium, the merged entity produces the duopoly quantity and the outsider limits its production to half the duopoly quantity. Our stick and carrot strategy entails that the merged entity threatens to produce twice the triopoly quantity for two periods if the outsider does not produce half the duopoly quantity. In this equilibrium, the aggregate price remains high enough to make the merger profitable for the insiders. Also, the quantity produced by the outsider is sufficiently low to eliminate the difference between the profit of the outsider and the merging firm.
ROBUST MONETARY POLICY UNDER UNCERTAINTY ABOUT CENTRAL BANK PREFERENCES
Authors: Qin Li , Sidiropoulos Moïse , Spyromitros Eleftherios 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACTIn this paper, we study the impact of central bank opacity on macroeconomic performances in a new Keynesian framework with model uncertainty using robust control techniques. We identify a new source of central bank opacity, which refers to the lack of information about the central bank's preference for robustness in the sense of Hansen and Sargent. We find closed‐form solutions for the robust control problem, analysing the impact of the lack of transparency about the central bank's preferences for robustness. We show that an increased transparency about the central bank's preference for robustness makes monetary policy respond less aggressively to cost‐push shocks, thus reducing the inflation and output gap variability. As a consequence, inflation and output gap are less volatile than under central bank opacity about its preference for robustness.
Using a Visual Attention Model to Improve Gaze Tracking Systems in Interactive 3D Applications
Authors: Hillaire S. , Breton G. , Ouarti N. , Cozot R. , Lécuyer A. 
Published: March 2010

Abstract This paper introduces the use of a visual attention model to improve the accuracy of gaze tracking systems. Visual attention models simulate the selective attention part of the human visual system. For instance, in a bottom‐up approach, a saliency map is defined for the image and gives an attention weight to every pixel of the image as a function of its colour, edge or intensity. Our algorithm uses an uncertainty window, defined by the gaze tracker accuracy, and located around the gaze point given by the tracker. Then, using a visual attention model, it searches for the most salient points, or objects, located inside this uncertainty window, and determines a novel, and hopefully, better gaze point. This combination of a gaze tracker together with a visual attention model is considered as the main contribution of the paper. We demonstrate the promising results of our method by presenting two experiments conducted in two different contexts: (1) a free exploration of a visually rich 3D virtual environment without a specific task, and (2) a video game based on gaze tracking involving a selection task. Our approach can be used to improve real‐time gaze tracking systems in many interactive 3D applications such as video games or virtual reality applications. The use of a visual attention model can be adapted to any gaze tracker and the visual attention model can also be adapted to the application in which it is used.
Accurate Simplification of Multi‐Chart Textured Models
Authors: Coll N. , Paradinas T. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractScanning and acquisition methods produce highly detailed surface meshes that need multi‐chart parameterizations to reduce stretching and distortion. From these complex shape surfaces, high‐quality approximations are automatically generated by using surface simplification techniques. Multi‐chart textures hinder the quality of the simplification of these techniques for two reasons: either the chart boundaries cannot be simplified leading to a lack of geometric fidelity; or texture distortions and artefacts appear near the simplified boundaries. In this paper, we present an edge‐collapse based simplification method that provides an accurate, low‐resolution approximation from a multi‐chart textured model. For each collapse, the model is reparameterized by local bijective mappings to avoid texture distortions and chart boundary artefacts on the simplified mesh due to the geometry changes. To better apply the appearance attributes and to guarantee geometric fidelity, we drive the simplification process with the quadric error metrics weighted by a local area distortion measure.
Financial Constraints and Firm Export Behaviour
Authors: Bellone Flora , Musso Patrick , Nesta Lionel , Schiavo Stefano 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThe paper analyses the link between financial constraints and firm export behaviour. Our main finding is that firms enjoying better financial health are more likely to become exporters. The result contrasts with the previous empirical literature which found evidence that export participation improves firm financial health, but not that export starters display any ex ante financial advantage. On the contrary, we find that financial constraints act as a barrier to export participation. Better access to external financial resources increases the probability to start exporting and also shortens the time before firms decide to serve foreign customers. This finding has important policy implications as it suggests that, in the presence of financial market imperfections, public intervention can be called for to help efficient but financially constrained firms to overcome the sunk entry costs into export markets and expand their activities abroad.
Analysis of serious non‐AIDS events among HIV‐infected adults at Latin American sites
Authors: Belloso WH , Orellana LC , Grinsztejn B , Madero JS , La Rosa A , Veloso VG , Sanchez J , Ismerio Moreira R , Crabtree‐Ramirez B , Garcia Messina O , Lasala MB , Peinado J , Losso MH 
Published: March 2010

ObjectiveAcquired immune deficiency appears to be associated with serious non‐AIDS (SNA)‐defining conditions such as cardiovascular disease, liver and renal insufficiency and non‐AIDS‐related malignancies. We analysed the incidence of, and factors associated with, several SNA events in the LATINA retrospective cohort.Materials and methodsCases of SNA events were recorded among cohort patients. Three controls were selected for each case from cohort members at risk. Conditional logistic models were fitted to estimate the effect of traditional risk factors as well as HIV‐associated factors on non‐AIDS‐defining conditions.ResultsAmong 6007 patients in follow‐up, 130 had an SNA event (0.86 events/100 person‐years of follow‐up) and were defined as cases (40 with cardiovascular events, 54 with serious liver failure, 35 with non‐AIDS‐defining malignancies and two with renal insufficiency). Risk factors such as diabetes, hepatitis B and C virus coinfections and alcohol abuse showed an association with events, as expected. The last recorded CD4 T‐cell count prior to index date (P=0.0056, with an average difference of more than 100 cells/μL) and area under the CD4 cell curve in the year previous to index date (P=0.0081) were significantly lower in cases than in controls. CD4 cell count at index date was significantly associated with the outcome after adjusting for risk factors.ConclusionsThe incidence and type of SNA events found in this Latin American cohort are similar to those reported in other regions. We found a significant association between immune deficiency and the risk of SNA events, even in patients under antiretroviral treatment.
The Importance of Being Connected. City Networks and Urban Government: Lyon and Eurocities (1990–2005)
Authors: PAYRE RENAUD 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThe international dimension of cities and their role in inter‐urban markets and inter‐urban competition are now often studied and analysed from the perspective of public policy, urban planning or geography. Yet few studies highlight the political work that goes on in acquiring this dimension. Focusing on an inter‐urban network such as Eurocities sheds light on this work and makes it possible to move away from an analysis of the Europeanization of cities in terms of centre and periphery. In this network, a horizontal form of Europeanization can be observed. The article examines this inter‐urban network as an inter‐urban configuration. The network is based on relationships between city councils, but due to a sort of cluster effect, it becomes more autonomous and — through resources as well as constraints — influences those relationships, indeed influences urban governance.Résumé La dimension internationale et la place des villes dans le marché et la compétition inter‐urbaines sont aujourd'hui des objets bien étudiés à la fois en analyse de l'action publique, en urbanisme ou en géographie. Mais peu de travaux repèrent le travail politique à l'œuvre pour acquérir cette dimension. Le détour par un réseau de villes comme Eurocités éclaire ce travail comme il permet de se défaire d'une analyse de l'européanisation des villes en termes de centre et de périphérie. C'est une européanisation horizontale qui est mise au jour à travers ce réseau. Le réseau de villes est ici saisi comme une configuration interurbaine: il repose sur des relations entre municipalités urbaines mais par un effet d'agrégation, le réseau gagne en autonomie et pèse —à travers des ressources comme des contraintes — sur ces relations voire sur le gouvernement des villes.
The practical implication of comparing how adults with and without intellectual disability respond to music
Authors: Hooper Jeff , Wigram Tony , Carson Derek , Lindsay Bill 
Published: March 2010

Accessible summary

I found out how people with an intellectual disability and people without an intellectual disability reacted to different pieces of music.
People with an intellectual disability reacted in the same way as people without an intellectual disability.

If you have difficulty deciding the type of music that helps you stay calm, ask your parents or carers what music helps them relax when they feel anxious. The type of music they like might help you stay calm too.

SummaryPrevious researchers who compared how people with, and without, an intellectual disability respond to music focused on musical aptitude, but not on arousal. This paper presents the background, methodology, and results of a study that selected fifteen different pieces of music, and compared the arousal response of adults with (n = 48), and without (n = 48), an intellectual disability. There was a very strong significant positive correlation (rho = 0.831, N = 15, P < 0.001, two‐tailed), which the present authors believe implies that music, identified as sedative by individuals who do not have an intellectual disability, can be used appropriately in an intervention predicated for lowering the arousal levels of the intellectually disabled population.
Downward hydrocarbon migration predicted from numerical modeling of fluid overpressure in the Paleozoic Anticosti Basin, eastern Canada
Authors: CHI G. , LAVOIE D. , BERTRAND R. , LEE M.‐K. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThe Anticosti Basin is a large Paleozoic basin in eastern Canada where potential source and reservoir rocks have been identified but no economic hydrocarbon reservoirs have been found. Potential source rocks of the Upper Ordovician Macasty Formation overlie carbonates of the Middle Ordovician Mingan Formation, which are underlain by dolostones of the Lower Ordovician Romaine Formation. These carbonates have been subjected to dissolution and dolomitization and are potential hydrocarbon reservoirs. Numerical simulations of fluid‐overpressure development related to sediment compaction and hydrocarbon generation were carried out to investigate whether hydrocarbons generated in the Macasty Formation could migrate downward into the underlying Mingan and Romaine formations. The modeling results indicate that, in the central part of the basin, maximum fluid overpressures developed above the Macasty Formation due to rapid sedimentation. This overpressured core dissipated gradually with time, but the overpressure pattern (i.e. maximum overpressure above source rock) was maintained during the generation of oil and gas. The downward impelling force associated with fluid‐overpressure gradients in the central part of the basin was stronger than the buoyancy force for oil, whereas the buoyancy force for gas and for oil generated in the later stage of the basin is stronger than the overpressure‐related force. Based on these results, it is proposed that oil generated from the Macasty Formation in the central part of the basin first moved downward into the Mingan and Romaine formations, and then migrated laterally up‐dip toward the basin margin, whereas gas throughout the basin and oil generated in the northern part of the basin generally moved upward. Consequently, gas reservoirs are predicted to occur in the upper part of the basin, whereas oil reservoirs are more likely to be found in the strata below the source rocks.Geofluids(2010)10, 334–350
Faults and fault properties in hydrocarbon flow models
Authors: MANZOCCHI T. , CHILDS C. , WALSH J. J. 
Published: March 2010

Geofluids (2010) 10, 94–113AbstractThe petroleum industry uses subsurface flow models for two principal purposes: to model the flow of hydrocarbons into traps over geological time, and to simulate the production of hydrocarbon from reservoirs over periods of decades or less. Faults, which are three‐dimensional volumes, are approximated in both modelling applications as planar membranes onto which predictions of the most important fault‐related flow properties are mapped. Faults in porous clastic reservoirs are generally baffles or barriers to flow and the relevant flow properties are therefore very different to those which are important in conductive fracture flow systems. A critical review and discussion is offered on the work‐flows used to predict and model capillary threshold pressure for exploration fault seal analysis and fault transmissibility multipliers for production simulation, and of the data from which the predictions derive. New flow simulation models confirm that failure of intra‐reservoir sealing faults can occur during a reservoir depressurization via a water‐drive mechanism, but contrary to anecdotal reports, published examples of production‐induced seal failure are elusive. Ignoring the three‐dimensional structure of fault zones can sometimes have a significant influence on production‐related flow, and a series of models illustrating flow associated with relay zones are discussed.
The effect of the Infant Behavioral Assessment and Intervention Program on mother–infant interaction after very preterm birth
Authors: Meijssen Dominique , Wolf Marie‐Jeanne , Koldewijn Karen , Houtzager Bregje A. , van Wassenaer Aleid , Tronick Ed , Kok Joke , van Baar Anneloes 
Published: March 2010

Background:  Prematurity and perinatal insults lead to increased developmental vulnerability. The home‐based Infant Behavioral Assessment and Intervention Program (IBAIP) was designed to improve development of preterm infants. In a multicenter randomized controlled trial the effect of IBAIP on mother–infant interaction was studied as a secondary outcome.Method:  Mother–infant interaction was assessed during the Still‐face procedure at 6 months corrected age. One hundred and twelve mother–infant dyads (57 intervention, 55 control) were studied.Results:  Findings partially supported our hypothesis that the intervention would increase maternal sensitivity in interaction with their preterm infants. No effects were found on infant self‐regulatory behavior or positive interaction behavior.Conclusion:  The family‐centered and strength‐based approach of IBAIP appears to be a promising intervention method to promote sensitive mother–infant interaction at home after discharge from hospital. However, no positive effects were found on infant interaction behavior.