bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Social Communication Intervention Project: a randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of speech and language therapy for school‐age children who have pragmatic and social communication problems with or without autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Adams Catherine , Lockton Elaine , Freed Jenny , Gaile Jacqueline , Earl Gillian , McBean Kirsty , Nash Marysia , Green Jonathan , Vail Andy , Law James 
Published: March 2012

Abstract Background: Children who show disproportionate difficulty with the pragmatic as compared with the structural aspects of language are described as having pragmatic language impairment (PLI) or social communication disorder (SCD). Some children who have PLI also show mild social impairments associated with high‐functioning autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There is little robust evidence of effectiveness of speech–language interventions which target the language, pragmatic or social communication needs of these children.Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of an intensive manualized social communication intervention (SCIP) for children who have PLI with or without features of ASD.Methods & Procedures: In a single‐blind RCT design, 88 children with pragmatic and social communication needs aged 5;11–10;8, recruited from UK speech and language therapy services, were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to SCIP or to treatment‐as‐usual. Children in the SCIP condition received up to 20 sessions of direct intervention from a specialist research speech and language therapist working with supervised assistants. All therapy content and methodology was derived from an intervention manual. A primary outcome measure of structural language and secondary outcome measures of narrative, parent‐reported pragmatic functioning and social communication, blind‐rated perceptions of conversational competence and teacher‐reported ratings of classroom learning skills were taken pre‐intervention, immediately post‐intervention and at 6‐month follow‐up. Analysis was by intention to treat.Outcomes & Results: No significant treatment effect was found for the primary outcome measure of structural language ability or for a measure of narrative ability. Significant treatment effects were found for blind‐rated perceptions of conversational competence, for parent‐reported measures of pragmatic functioning and social communication, and for teacher‐reported ratings of classroom learning skills.Conclusions & Implications: There is some evidence of an intervention effect on blind and parent/teacher‐reported communication outcomes, but not standardized language assessment outcomes, for 6–11‐year‐old children who have pragmatic and social communication needs. These findings are discussed in the context of the increasingly central role of service user outcomes in providing evidence for an intervention. The substantial overlap between the presence of PLI and ASD (75%) across the whole cohort suggests that the intervention may also be applicable to some verbally able children with ASD who have pragmatic communication needs.
Spatially restricted actin‐regulatory signaling contributes to synapse morphology
Authors: Nicholson Daniel A. , Cahill Michael E. , Tulisiak Christopher T. , Geinisman Yuri , Penzes Peter 
Published: March 2012

J. Neurochem. (2012) 121, 852–860.AbstractThe actin cytoskeleton in dendritic spines is organized into microdomains, but how signaling molecules that regulate actin are spatially governed is incompletely understood. Here we examine how the localization of the RacGEF kalirin‐7, a well‐characterized regulator of actin in spines, varies as a function of post‐synaptic density area and spine volume. Using serial section electron microscopy, we find that extrasynaptic, but not synaptic, expression of kalirin‐7 varies directly with synapse size and spine volume. Moreover, we find that overall expression levels of kalirin‐7 differ in spines bearing perforated and non‐perforated synapses, due primarily to extrasynaptic pools of kalirin‐7 expression in the former. Overall, our findings indicate that kalirin‐7 is differentially compartmentalized in spines as a function of both synapse morphology and spine size.
Hedge Funds and Chapter 11
Authors: JIANG WEI , LI KAI , WANG WEI 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTThis paper studies the presence of hedge funds in the Chapter 11 process and their effects on bankruptcy outcomes. Hedge funds strategically choose positions in the capital structure where their actions could have a bigger impact on value. Their presence, especially as unsecured creditors, helps balance power between the debtor and secured creditors. Their effect on the debtor manifests in higher probabilities of the latter's loss of exclusive rights to file reorganization plans, CEO turnover, and adoptions of key employee retention plan, while their effect on secured creditors manifests in higher probabilities of emergence and payoffs to junior claims.
Selective Publicity and Stock Prices
Authors: SOLOMON DAVID H. 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTI examine how media coverage of good and bad corporate news affects stock prices, by studying the effect of investor relations (IR) firms. I find that IR firms “spin” their clients' news, generating more media coverage of positive press releases than negative press releases. This spin increases announcement returns. Around earnings announcements, however, IR firms cannot spin the news and their clients' returns are significantly lower. This pattern is consistent with positive media coverage increasing investor expectations, creating disappointment around hard information. Using reporter connections and geographical links, I argue that IR firms causally affect both media coverage and returns.
Individual Investor Trading and Return Patterns around Earnings Announcements
Authors: KANIEL RON , LIU SHUMING , SAAR GIDEON , TITMAN SHERIDAN 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTThis paper provides evidence of informed trading by individual investors around earnings announcements using a unique data set of NYSE stocks. We show that intense aggregate individual investor buying (selling) predicts large positive (negative) abnormal returns on and after earnings announcement dates. We decompose abnormal returns following the event into information and liquidity provision components, and show that about half of the returns can be attributed to private information. We also find that individuals trade in both return‐contrarian and news‐contrarian manners after earnings announcements. The latter behavior has the potential to slow the adjustment of prices to earnings news.
A Simple Way to Estimate Bid‐Ask Spreads from Daily High and Low Prices
Authors: CORWIN SHANE A. , SCHULTZ PAUL 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTWe develop a bid‐ask spread estimator from daily high and low prices. Daily high (low) prices are almost always buy (sell) trades. Hence, the high–low ratio reflects both the stock's variance and its bid‐ask spread. Although the variance component of the high–low ratio is proportional to the return interval, the spread component is not. This allows us to derive a spread estimator as a function of high–low ratios over 1‐day and 2‐day intervals. The estimator is easy to calculate, can be applied in a variety of research areas, and generally outperforms other low‐frequency estimators.
Effect of a chlorhexidine mouthrinse on plaque, gingival inflammation and staining in gingivitis patients: a systematic review
Authors: Van Strydonck Daniëlle A. C. , Slot Dagmar E. , Van der Velden Ubele , Van der Weijden Fridus 
Published: March 2012

AbstractAimTo systematically evaluate the efficacy of chlorhexidine (CHX) mouthrinses on plaque, gingival inflammation and staining in gingivitis patients.Material & MethodsMedline, EMBASE and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched through April 2011. Randomized controlled clinical trials comparing CHX to placebo/control mouthrinses or oral hygiene (OH) ≥4 weeks were included.ResultsAmong 1355 titles, 30 publications fulfilled the selection criteria. Meta‐analysis (MA) showed significant weighted mean differences (WMD) favouring CHX. This was −0.39 [95% CI: −0.70; −0.08] for the Plaque Index Silness & Löe, −0.67 [95% CI: −0.82; −0.52] for the Plaque‐Index Quigley & Hein (PIQH), −0.32 [95% CI: −0.42; −0.23] for the Gingival Index (GI), −0.08 [95% CI: −0.10; −0.05] for the bleeding aspect of the GI, −0.21 [95% CI: −0.37; −0.04] for the Papillary BIeeding Index, −0.16 [95% CI: −0.26; −0.07] for Bleeding on Marginal Probing and 0.91 [95% CI: 0.12;1.70] for the Lobene Stain Index. MA of studies with a low risk of author‐estimated bias showed a WMD of −0.68 [95% CI: −0.85; −0.51] for the PIQH and −0.24 [95% CI: −0.29; −0.20] for the GI in favour of CHX. Relative to control, the reduction with CHX for plaque was 33% and for gingivitis 26%. CHX rinsing groups demonstrated significantly more staining.ConclusionsIn gingivitis patients, CHX mouthrinses together with OH versus placebo‐ or control mouthrinse provide significant reductions in plaque and gingivitis scores, but a significant increase in staining score.
Fifty years of natural succession in Swiss forest reserves: changes in stand structure and mortality rates of oak and beech
Authors: Rohner Brigitte , Bigler Christof , Wunder Jan , Brang Peter , Bugmann Harald 
Published: March 2012

AbstractQuestionWhat are the drivers of structural changes and mortality in oak–beech forests over 50 yrs of natural succession?LocationTwelve unmanaged forest sites, comprising a large environmental gradient in theSwiss lowlands.MethodBy using repeated inventory data from more than 17 600 individually tagged trees, the dynamics of oak–beech stands over the past 50 yrs were analysed. Generalized linear mixed‐effects models were fitted to quantify annual mortality rates of oak and beech based onDBH, stand basal area, precipitation and slope.ResultsStand basal area increased, whereas tree density decreased over time. At most sites, the relative importance of oak decreased gradually compared to beech. Mortality increased over time for both oak and beech, but the increase was stronger for oak. Oak and beech mortality decreased with increasingDBHand tended to increase with precipitation. Additionally, oak mortality increased with stand basal area, whereas no such trend was found for beech.ConclusionOur study indicates that mortality inCentralEuropean oak–beech forests is driven by a combination of stand structures (i.e. tree size and stand basal area) and climate. However, the influence of climate on oak mortality is comparably low. Increasing oak mortality with stand basal area is a plausible consequence of its lower relative competitiveness and higher demand for light. Thus, in forests developing towards higher stand basal area, the ecologically important oak is increasingly outcompeted by beech, unless competition is reduced through management or disturbances.
Late Dialysis Start Did Not Affect Long‐Term Outcome in Japanese Dialysis Patients: Long‐Term Prognosis From Japanese Society of Dialysis Therapy Registry
Authors: Yamagata Kunihiro , Nakai Shigeru , Iseki Kunitoshi , Tsubakihara Yoshiharu ,   The Committee of Renal Data Registry of the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy
Published: March 2012

AbstractEarly initiation of dialysis had been considered one of the most important methods for better prognosis of dialysis patients. One of the reasons for this was that long‐term as well as short‐term prognosis was poor with late initiation of dialysis. In this study, we analyzed the effects of residual renal function and comorbidity on both short‐ and long‐term outcomes of ESRD patients. The subjects of this study were 20 854 patients who started renal replacement therapy (RRT) in 1989 and 1990, when we conducted national surveillance for new ESRD patients. The effects of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) at dialysis start and comorbidity conditions on survival were measured. Mortality hazard ratio (HR) was calculated using a Cox proportional hazard model. Multivariate analysis included pre‐dialysis estimated GFR, age, sex, and underlying renal disease. The mean age of the subjects was 57.7 years old. Mean GFR at dialysis initiation was 5.00 mL/min per 1.73 m2 and GFR was significantly higher in patients with diabetes. The median survival time from the start of dialysis was 69 months, excluding subjects who died within 3 months; 1‐year survival was 89.7%, while 2‐year, 3‐year, 5‐year, 10‐year, and 15‐year cumulative survival rates were 79.3%, 71.1%, 57.8%, 37.3%, and 26.1%, respectively. For mortality risks, the higher the GFR at dialysis initiation, the worse the HR for mortality in both short‐term and long‐term prognoses by unadjusted analysis. However, after adjustments for age, gender, underlying renal diagnosis, and symptom at dialysis initiation, both late and early initiation of RRT did not affect long‐term prognosis.
Effects of disturbance on small mammal community structure in the New Jersey Pinelands, USA
Authors: SHENKO Alicia N. , BIEN Walter F. , SPOTILA James R. , AVERY Harold W. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractWe compared small mammal community composition among undisturbed habitats and habitats disturbed by military operations on Warren Grove Gunnery Range (WGR) in the New Jersey Pinelands. WGR is one of the largest tracts of protected land within this globally rare ecosystem. Disturbance in the form of fire, mowing, soil disruption and logging has had a large effect on small mammal occurrence and distribution. Of the 14 small mammal species that occur in the Pinelands, 9 live on WGR, including large populations of the southern bog lemming (Synaptomys cooperi Baird, 1858) and meadow jumping mouse [Zapus hudsonius (Zimmermann, 1780)]. Simpson's Index of Diversity was 0 for most disturbed sites and was generally greater in wetlands than in uplands. White‐footed mouse [Peromyscus leucopus (Rafinesque, 1818)] was the most common species on WGR and had a dominant effect on species diversity and community similarity indices. It dominated upland habitats and was the only species to occur in several disturbed habitats, whereas all 9 species occurred in wetlands. Principal components analysis indicated that most variation in species diversity was explained by disturbance and differences between upland and wetland habitats, due to presence of white‐footed mice in disturbed and upland sites. Meadow jumping mice, southern bog lemmings and red‐back voles [Myodes gapperi (Vigors, 1830)] were positively correlated with wetland habitats, and pine voles [Microtus pinetorum (Le Conte, 1830)], short‐tail shrews [Blarina brevicauda (Say, 1823)] and eastern chipmunks [Tamias striatus (Linnaeus, 1758)] were associated with uplands. Habitat heterogeneity at WGR, including extensive undisturbed wetlands and uplands supported a rich diversity of small mammal species.
Sea urchin coelomocyte arylsulfatase: a modulator of the echinoderm clotting pathway
Authors: D'ANDREA‐WINSLOW Lisanne , RADKE David W. , UTECHT Tim , KANEKO Takuya , AKASAKA Koji 
Published: March 2012

AbstractSea urchin petalloid coelomocytes effectuate the clotting pathway by undergoing a rapid and dynamic cellular transformation that leads to cellular adhesion and wounds closure. We have identified high levels of activity of arylsulfatase (Ars) associated with coelomocytes of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus (Lamarck, 1816). Ars activity was extracted from clotted coelomocytes with EDTA and showed high levels of activity up to a 1:100 dilution. Clot formation from isolated coelomic fluid was significantly inhibited by the ARS inhibitor, p‐nitrophenyl phosphate. Ars activity was collected by 80% ethanol precipitation, a diagnostic test previously used in Ars isolation. Cellular extraction studies in the presence and absence of the non‐ionic detergent Triton X‐100 indicated that some Ars activity was present intracellularly, possibly in intracellular membrane‐bound compartments, however the majority of Ars activity was extracted from the extracellular coelomocyte membrane. Polyclonal anti‐sea urchin embryo Ars antibodies recognized a single protein band with an approximate molecular weight of 75 kDa on western blots. Immunofluorescence using the anti‐sea urchin Ars antibody revealed an intracellular and extracellular staining of Ars in both petalloid and filopodial coelomocytes. Taken together, these data indicate that coelomocyte Ars might be involved in cell‐to‐cell crosslinking of surface sulfated polysaccharides vital for clot formation.
Multiannual patterns of influenza A transmission in Chinese live bird market systems
Authors: Pepin Kim M. , Wang Jia , Webb Colleen T. , Smith Gavin J. D. , Poss Mary , Hudson Peter J. , Hong Wenshan , Zhu Huachen , Riley Steven , Guan Yi 
Published: March 2012

Please cite this paper as: Pepin et al. (2012) Multiannual patterns of influenza A transmission in Chinese live bird market systems. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses DOI: 10.1111/j.1750‐2659.2012.00354.x.Background  Avian influenza viruses (AIV) cause huge economic losses in poultry industries and pose a substantial threat to human health. However, predicting AIV epizootics and emergence in humans is confounded by insufficient empirical data on the ecology and dynamics of AIV in poultry systems. To address this gap, we quantified incidence patterns for 13 hemagglutinin subtypes of AIV using 6 years of surveillance data that were collected from ten different species of poultry and three different types of poultry holdings (contexts) – retail, wholesale, or farms.Methods  We collected 42 646 samples in Shantou, China between 2000 and 2006. We screened samples for hemagglutinin subtypes 1–13 of AIV and Avian Paramyxovirus‐type‐1 (APMV‐1) using monospecific antisera in hemagglutination inhibition tests. We analyzed the data to determine seasonality patterns, subtype–host, and subtype–subtype interactions as well as subtype bias in incidence in different contexts.Results  H3, H6, H9, and APMV‐1 were the most prevalent. No significant seasonality was found when all subtypes were considered together. For most AIV subtypes and APMV‐1, there was subtype specificity for host, context, and coinfection partner. H5 showed the most generalized host usage pattern, followed by H9 and H6.Conclusion  Subtype‐specific patterns because of host, context, and other subtypes suggest that risk assessments that exclude these details are likely inaccurate. Surveillance should include longitudinal sampling of multiple host species in multiple contexts. Quantitative models of control strategies must consider multiple subtypes, hosts, and source contexts to assess the effectiveness of interventions.
Risk factors and effectiveness of preventive measures against influenza in the community
Authors: Castilla Jesús , Godoy Pere , Domínguez Ángela , Martín Vicente , Delgado‐Rodríguez Miguel , Martínez‐Baz Iván , Baricot Maretva , Soldevila Nuria , Mayoral José M. , Astray Jenaro , Quintana José M. , Cantón Rafael , Castro Ady , González‐Candelas Fernando , Alonso Jordi , Saez Marc , Tamames Sonia , Pumarola Tomás ,   the CIBERESP Cases and Controls in Influenza Working Group
Published: March 2012

Please cite this paper as: Castilla et al. (2013) Risk factors and effectiveness of preventive measures against influenza in the community. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 7(2) 177–183.Background The role of different risk exposures and preventive measures against influenza has not been well established.Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate risk factors and measures to prevent influenza infection in the community.Methods We conducted a multicenter case–control study. Cases were 481 outpatients aged 18 years or older with laboratory‐confirmed influenza A(H1N1)09 in the 2009–2010 season in Spain. A control was selected for each case from outpatients from the same area matched by age and date of consultation. Information on risk situations, preventive measures and other variables was obtained by interview and review of the medical record.Results In the multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis, the risk of a diagnosis of influenza increased with the number of cohabitants (compared with <3 cohabitants, three cohabitants had an OR = 1·80, 95% CI 1·12–2·89, and ≥5 cohabitants had an OR = 2·66, 95% CI 1·31–5·41) and for health care workers (OR = 2·94, 95% CI 1·53–5·66). The use of metropolitan public transport was associated with a lower frequency of a diagnosis of influenza (OR = 0·45, 95% CI 0·30–0·68) but not the use of taxis or long‐distance transport. The influenza A(H1N1)09 vaccine had a protective effect (OR = 0·13, 95% CI 0·04–0·48), unlike hand washing after touching contaminated surfaces or the use of alcohol‐based hand sanitizers.Conclusion The home environment appears to play an important role in the spread of influenza in adults, but not the use of public transport. Health care workers have a higher risk of contracting influenza. Vaccination was the most effective preventive measure.
A stochastic approach to estimate the uncertainty of dose mapping caused by uncertainties in b‐spline registration
Authors: Hub Martina , Thieke Christian , Kessler Marc L. , Karger Christian P. 
Published: March 2012

Purpose:In fractionated radiation therapy, image guidance with daily tomographic imaging becomes more and more clinical routine. In principle, this allows for daily computation of the delivered dose and for accumulation of these daily dose distributions to determine the actually delivered total dose to the patient. However, uncertainties in the mapping of the images can translate into errors of the accumulated total dose, depending on the dose gradient. In this work, an approach to estimate the uncertainty of mapping between medical images is proposed that identifies areas bearing a significant risk of inaccurate dose accumulation.Methods:This method accounts for the geometric uncertainty of image registration and the heterogeneity of the dose distribution, which is to be mapped. Its performance is demonstrated in context of dose mapping based on b‐spline registration. It is based on evaluation of the sensitivity of dose mapping to variations of the b‐spline coefficients combined with evaluation of the sensitivity of the registration metric with respect to the variations of the coefficients. It was evaluated based on patient data that was deformed based on a breathing model, where the ground truth of the deformation, and hence the actual true dose mapping error, is known.Results:The proposed approach has the potential to distinguish areas of the image where dose mapping is likely to be accurate from other areas of the same image, where a larger uncertainty must be expected.Conclusions:An approach to identify areas where dose mapping is likely to be inaccurate was developed and implemented. This method was tested for dose mapping, but it may be applied in context of other mapping tasks as well.