bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mentorship in urological laparoscopic surgery: lessons learned
Authors: Keeley Jr Francis X. , Timoney Anthony G. , Rané Abhay , Tolley David A. 
Published: December 2008

OBJECTIVETo review the results of our experience with a mentorship programme in laparoscopic nephrectomy, set up in 1999 by the British Association of Urological Surgeons Section of Endourology.METHODSMentors were contacted in 2007 to submit data on the number of visits and the outcome, which included whether a urologist was able to establish an independent laparoscopic practice and sustain it.RESULTSFour urologists acting as mentors reported a total of 164 procedures carried out in the training of 39 urologists during 148 visits. There were no conversions to open surgery and only one major complication. Overall, 29 of 39 mentored consultants were able to establish an independent laparoscopic practice and 23 continue to do so. The number of visits was associated with initial success, although this was not statistically significant. Working in a large department was associated with being able to sustain a laparoscopic practice. More experienced consultants were less likely to have initial success, but were more likely to sustain a successful practice.CONCLUSIONSMentorship for laparoscopic nephrectomy has been carried out safely thus far. Sustaining a laparoscopic practice requires a critical volume of cases. Future efforts should be focused on trainees rather than consultants.
Favourable outcomes of patients with clinical stage T3N0M0 bladder cancer treated with induction low‐dose chemo‐radiotherapy plus partial or radical cystectomy vs immediate radical cystectomy: a single‐institutional retrospective comparative study
Authors: Koga Fumitaka , Kihara Kazunori , Fujii Yasuhisa , Yoshida Soichiro , Saito Kazutaka , Masuda Hitoshi , Kageyama Yukio , Kawakami Satoru 
Published: December 2008

OBJECTIVESTo address the role of neoadjuvant concurrent chemo‐radiotherapy (CRT) in muscle‐invasive bladder cancer, by comparing retrospectively the oncological outcomes between a low‐dose CRT (LCRT) plus partial cystectomy (PC) or radical cystectomy (RC) protocol and an immediate RC protocol.PATIENTS AND METHODSFrom 1997 to 2007, 119 patients with clinical stage T2–4aN0M0 bladder cancer received LCRT consisting of RT of 40 Gy in 4 weeks concurrently with two cycles of chemotherapy with cisplatin (20 mg/day for 5 days) during the first and fourth week of RT. Subsequently, 24 (20%) and 65 patients (55%) had PC and RC, respectively, while 30 (25%) had no curative surgery; the median follow‐up was 36 months. From 1983 to 1997, 73 patients had an immediate RC; 29 (41%) received cisplatin‐based adjuvant chemotherapy, and the median follow‐up was 46 months. Oncological outcomes were compared retrospectively between these groups.RESULTSThe cancer‐specific survival (CSS) rate at 5 years was 75% and 61% for the LCRT protocol and immediate RC protocol, respectively (P = 0.11). In patients with clinical stage T3N0M0 the LCRT protocol gave significantly better survival rates than the immediate RC protocol, with 5‐year CSS rates of 62% vs 27% (P = 0.006), while being comparable in those with clinical stage T2N0M0 disease (89% vs 88%, P = 0.84). In patients with clinical stage T3N0M0 the LCRT protocol provided a lower 5‐year recurrence rate at distant sites than the immediate RC protocol (31% vs 62%, P = 0.09).CONCLUSIONSThe LCRT plus PC or RC protocol gave significantly better survival rates than the historical, immediate RC protocol in patients with clinical stage T3N0M0 bladder cancer, suggesting that neoadjuvant CRT possibly has survival benefits for such patients.
Implementation of a systematic approach to diabetes in primary care in Bahia, Brazil improves metabolic outcomes: PRODIBA—Programa de Interiorização da Assistência ao Diabetes na Bahia (Project for Dissemination of Diabetes Care in the State of Bahia)
Authors: Chaves‐Fonseca R. M. , Matos O. S. , Lordelo Roberta A. , Abreu M. , Farias M. G. , Coutinho J. F. , Ribeiro M. N. , Matteoni‐Athayde L. , Lessa I. , Pousada J. , Oliveira M. , Lopes C. , Strock E. , Mazze R. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractBackground  Staged Diabetes Management (SDM) improves glycaemic control and reduces diabetes‐related complications in primary care.Methods  An 18‐month randomized controlled cohort study was conducted in two municipalities in the state of Bahia, Brazil, involving 100 patients with Type 2 diabetes in each municipality. In one municipality, healthcare professionals were trained to use SDM customized protocols for clinical decisions and, in the other municipality, no protocols for diabetes care were implemented. We hypothesized that, in the municipality with SDM trained professionals, patients would have better outcomes, including a fall in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c).Results  Improvements in some metabolic parameters were observed in the SDM group, including a 22% decrease in mean random glucose, a significant 15% decrease in mean HbA1c, a 6% decrease in systolic blood pressure and an 11% decrease in diastolic blood pressure. There were no differences in body mass index and lipid profile.Conclusions  SDM customized algorithms are effective, practical and easy to use in primary healthcare teams with very limited resources.
The relationship between second‐order false belief and display rules reasoning: the integration of cognitive and affective social understanding
Authors: Naito Mika , Seki Yoshimi 
Published: December 2008

AbstractTo investigate the relation between cognitive and affective social understanding, Japanese 4‐ to 8‐year‐olds received tasks of first‐ and second‐order false beliefs and prosocial and self‐presentational display rules. From 6 to 8 years, children comprehended display rules, as well as second‐order false belief, using social pressures justifications decreasingly and motivational justifications with embedded perspectives increasingly with age. Although not related to either type of display across ages, second‐order tasks were associated with both types of display tasks only at 8 years when examined in each age group. Results suggest that children base their second‐order theory of mind and display rules understanding on distinct reasoning until middle childhood, during which time the originally distinct aspects of social understanding are integrated.
Programmed to learn? The ontogeny of mirror neurons
Authors: Giudice Marco Del , Manera Valeria , Keysers Christian 
Published: December 2008

AbstractMirror neurons are increasingly recognized as a crucial substrate for many developmental processes, including imitation and social learning. Although there has been considerable progress in describing their function and localization in the primate and adult human brain, we still know little about their ontogeny. The idea that mirror neurons result from Hebbian learning while the child observes/hears his/her own actions has received remarkable empirical support in recent years. Here we add a new element to this proposal, by suggesting that the infant's perceptual‐motor system is optimized to provide the brain with the correct input for Hebbian learning, thus facilitating the association between the perception of actions and their corresponding motor programs. We review evidence that infants (1) have a marked visual preference for hands, (2) show cyclic movement patterns with a frequency that could be in the optimal range for enhanced Hebbian learning, and (3) show synchronized theta EEG (also known to favour synaptic Hebbian learning) in mirror cortical areas during self‐observation of grasping. These conditions, taken together, would allow mirror neurons for manual actions to develop quickly and reliably through experiential canalization. Our hypothesis provides a plausible pathway for the emergence of mirror neurons that integrates learning with genetic pre‐programming, suggesting new avenues for research on the link between synaptic processes and behaviour in ontogeny.
Differences in clinical course between dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Hanyu H. , Sato T. , Hirao K. , Kanetaka H. , Sakurai H. , Iwamoto T. 
Published: December 2008

Background and purpose:  To investigate whether there may be differences in the clinical course and changes in cognitive progression between dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).Methods:  We compared the time from the first visit to endpoints (discontinuation of visits because of admission, death, or institutionalization) between 56 patients with DLB and 111 patients with AD. Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores of patients were every 12 months examined up to 60 months.Results:  Dementia with Lewy bodies had a significantly shorter time to reaching endpoints than those with AD (median time; 40 months vs. 52 months, P < 0.0001). The proportion of admission (or death) was significantly higher in DLB than in AD (30% vs. 14%, P < 0.05), while the difference in institutionalization in nursing homes did not reach statistical significance (25% vs. 17%). Rates of longitudinal MMSE score decline for DLB and AD groups were equivalent.Conclusion:  Dementia with Lewy bodies had a greater risk of admission (or death) because of most commonly fall‐related injuries and bronchopneumonia than AD, but the two groups did not differ in rate of cognitive decline.
A school‐based, teacher‐mediated prevention program (ERASE‐Stress) for reducing terror‐related traumatic reactions in Israeli youth: a quasi‐randomized controlled trial
Authors: Gelkopf Marc , Berger Rony 
Published: December 2008

Background:  Since September 2000 Israeli children have been exposed to a large number of terrorist attacks. A universal, school‐based intervention for dealing with the threat of terrorism as well as with terror‐related symptoms, ERASE‐Stress (ES), was evaluated in a male religious middle school in southern Israel. The program was administered by the homeroom teachers as part of the school curriculum. It consists of 12 classroom sessions each lasting 90 minutes, and included psycho‐educational material, skill training and resiliency strategies delivered to the students by homeroom teachers.Methods:  One hundred and fourteen 7th and 8th grade students were randomly assigned to the ES intervention or were part of a waiting list (WL). They were assessed on measures of posttraumatic symptomatology, depression, somatic symptoms and functional problems before and 3 months after the intervention or the WL period.Results:  Three months after the program ended, students in the experimental group showed significant reduction in all measures compared to the waiting‐list control group.Conclusions:  The ERASE‐Stress program may help students suffering from terror‐related posttraumatic symptoms and mitigate the negative effects of future traumatic experiences. Furthermore, a school‐based universal program such as the ERASE‐Stress may potentially serve as an important and effective component of a community mental health policy for communities affected by terrorism.
Soft contact lens cleaning: rub or no‐rub?1
Authors: Cho Pauline , Cheng Suk Yi , Chan Wai Yip , Yip Wing Kin 
Published: December 2008

AbstractPurpose:  To compare effectiveness of cleaning with and without rubbing of soft contact lenses.Methods:  Three‐hundred new biweekly disposable hydrogel lenses (Ocufilcon D, FDA Group IV; 55% water content) were artificially deposited with serum albumin, hand cream (semi‐transparent deposits) and mascara (black deposits). The treated lenses were randomly divided into three groups, each group cleaned by one of three methods of cleaning — Rubbing (R), No‐Rub following the manufacturer’s instruction on duration of rinsing (NR1) and No‐Rub with a shorter duration of rinsing (NR2). Four commercially‐available multipurpose solutions (MPS) and a saline were used. The cleaning effectiveness was determined by the amount of deposits remaining on the contact lenses after cleaning, assessed with the aid of a slit‐lamp. The level of deposits remaining (in terms of coverage of lens surface) were determined using a five‐point scale [0 (no observable deposits) – 4 (>80% deposits remained)] for semi‐transparent deposits (protein and hand cream) and black deposits (mascara). The investigators were masked as to the solutions used (except for one MPS which has a different rinsing time than the other MPS), and the investigator who assessed the deposits left on the lenses did not know which solution or cleaning method was used to clean each lens.Results:  Lenses cleaned by the R method were significantly cleaner than those cleaned by methods NR1 and NR2. No significant difference was found between lenses cleaned by NR1 and NR2 methods. The median grade of deposits for lenses cleaned by R method was 0.5 for both semi‐transparent and black deposits. For lenses cleaned by NR1 and NR2 methods, the median grade of deposits left on lens surfaces was 4.0 for both types of deposits. Different solutions used did not affect the level of deposits left on lens surfaces for all three cleaning methods.Conclusions:  Not rubbing the soft lens when cleaning is ineffective in removing loosely‐bound deposits. A longer rinse, as recommended by the manufacturers, does not remove significantly more deposits than a shorter rinse with the MPS. This work supports the view that contact lens wearers should be encouraged to rub their lenses when cleaning.
The effectiveness of progressive addition lenses on the progression of myopia in Chinese children
Authors: Yang Zhikuan , Lan Weizhong , Ge Jian , Liu Wen , Chen Xiang , Chen Linxin , Yu Minbin 
Published: December 2008

AbstractPurpose:  To evaluate the effectiveness of progressive addition lenses (PALs), with a near addition of +1.50 D, on the progression of myopia in Chinese children.Methods:  We enrolled 178 Chinese juvenile‐onset acquired myopes (aged 7–13 years, −0.50 to −3.00 D spherical refractive error), who did not have moderately or highly myopic parents, for a 2‐year prospective study. They were randomly assigned to the PAL group or single vision (SV) group. Primary measurements, which included myopia progression and ocular biometry, were performed every 6 months. Treatment effect was adjusted for important covariates, by using a multiple linear regression model.Results:  One hundred and forty‐nine subjects (75 in SV and 74 in PAL) completed the 2‐year study. The myopia progression (mean ± S.D.) in the SV and PAL groups was −1.50 ± 0.67 and −1.24 ± 0.56 D, respectively. This difference of 0.26 D over 2 years was statistically significant (p = 0.01). The lens type (p = 0.02) and baseline spherical equivalent refraction (p = 0.05) were significant contributing factors to myopia progression. Mean increase in the depth of vitreous chamber was 0.70 ± 0.40 and 0.59 ± 0.24 mm, respectively. This difference of 0.11 mm was statistically significant (p = 0.04). Age (p < 0.01) was the only contributing factor to the elongation of vitreous chamber. Different near phoria (p < 0.01) and gender (p = 0.02) caused different treatment effects when wearing SV lenses. However, there were no factors found to influence the treatment effect of wearing PALs.Conclusions:  Compared with SV lenses, myopia progression was found to be retarded by PALs to some extent in Chinese children without moderately or highly myopic parents, especially for subjects with near esophoria or females.
Referrals to ophthalmology: optometric and general practice comparison
Authors: Pierscionek T. J. , Moore J. E. , Pierscionek B. K. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractPurpose:  To assess referrals from primary care practitioners to an ophthalmological practice in order to determine whether any differences exist between the two primary care groups in the types of conditions referred, and in concurrence between reasons for referral and ophthalmological diagnosis.Methods:  This study investigated patient referrals from general practitioners and optometrists to an ophthalmologist’s practice in Belfast, over a period of 3 months from January 2007 to the end of March 2007. Anonymised data were divided into two groups depending on the referring practitioner. Within the two groups, patient numbers were sub‐divided into 15 categories covering the range of diagnoses made. Preliminary diagnoses or reasons for referral were compared with the definitive diagnoses made by the ophthalmologist.Results:  Optometrists contributed the greatest number of referrals (323) with 243 patients referred by general practitioners. Cataract was the most common condition referred by optometrists, and the second most common condition referred by general practitioners: agreement with ophthalmological diagnosis was high for both groups of primary care practitioners. Concurrence of referral reason with ophthalmological diagnosis for glaucoma was lower for general practitioners (56%) than for optometrists (76%), but optometrists referred more false positive patients for glaucoma than did general practitioners. The opposite was true for lid/tear duct/conjunctival conditions, the most common basis for referral by general practitioners.Conclusions:  The differences between the two primary care practitioner groups may reflect variations in training, skills and practice. Further investigation of the particular strengths of both groups, and how they can be optimised to promote effective shared care, is required.
A decision support methodology for increasing public investment efficiency in Brazilian agrarian reform
Authors: Melgarejo Leonardo , De Figueiredo João Neiva , Fries Carlos Ernani 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe Brazilian Agrarian Reform Program has subsidized the settlement of over 425,000 destitute families on previously unproductive land in what has become a very effective vehicle for social inclusion and productivity growth for those settlers who reach the final stage of the process and receive definitive title to the land. Unfortunately, there is a large difference in efficiency and productivity between more and less successful settlements – fewer than 10% of relocated families have received title and over 25% of them have abandoned the property to which they were assigned. This paper presents a decision support methodology for increasing the efficiency of public investments in agrarian reform that includes a data envelopment analysis model and a mechanism for building consensus among the various constituencies of the agrarian reform process, who not infrequently have conflicting objectives. The OR model described herein uses principal component analysis and data envelopment analysis to identify the most important success factors for relocated families leading to an increase in the chance of both autonomous integration with the market economy and definitive entitlement by these displaced families as well as an increase in the predictability of future settlement success. The model was implemented successfully in Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil, and was partially used in a pilot project for the countrywide agrarian reform accelerated consolidation program.
An annotated bibliography of GRASP – Part I: Algorithms
Authors: Festa Paola , Resende Mauricio G. C. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractA greedy randomized adaptive search procedure (GRASP) is a metaheuristic for combinatorial optimization. It is a multi‐start or iterative process, in which each GRASP iteration consists of two phases, a construction phase, in which a feasible solution is produced, and a local search phase, in which a local optimum in the neighborhood of the constructed solution is sought. Since 1989, numerous papers on the basic aspects of GRASP, as well as enhancements to the basic metaheuristic have appeared in the literature. GRASP has been applied to a wide range of combinatorial optimization problems, ranging from scheduling and routing to drawing and turbine balancing. This is the first of two papers with an annotated bibliography of the GRASP literature from 1989 to 2008. This paper covers algorithmic aspects of GRASP.
Inco Ltd.: Market Value, Fair Value, and Management Discretion
Authors: HILTON ANDREW S. , O'BRIEN PATRICIA C. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACTWe examine management discretion to decide when and how much to write down an asset, in a unique case where a tracking stock provides an observable market value for the asset. We find that, despite market evidence that Inco Ltd.'s financial statements substantially overvalued the Voisey's Bay nickel mine throughout 1997 to 2000, management chose not to write down the mine until 2002. Inco management used an independent fairness opinion to justify its December 2000 redemption of the tracking stock at 25% of its initial value, indicating almost surely that Inco management was aware of the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) impairment. This case illustrates that GAAP's reliance on undiscounted cash flows for impairment decisions allows huge unrecorded disparities between book and market value. The management discretion exercised in this case provides a concrete example of the subjectivity inherent in fair valuation.
The Effect of SOX Internal Control Deficiencies on Firm Risk and Cost of Equity
Authors: ASHBAUGH‐SKAIFE HOLLIS , COLLINS DANIEL W. , KINNEY JR WILLIAM R. , LAFOND RYAN 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACTThe Sarbanes‐Oxley Act (SOX) mandates management evaluation and independent audits of internal control effectiveness. The mandate is costly to firms but may yield benefits through lower information risk that translates into lower cost of equity. We use unaudited pre–SOX 404 disclosures and SOX 404 audit opinions to assess how changes in internal control quality affect firm risk and cost of equity. After controlling for other risk factors, we find that firms with internal control deficiencies have significantly higher idiosyncratic risk, systematic risk, and cost of equity. Our change analyses document that auditor‐confirmed changes in internal control effectiveness (including remediation of previously disclosed internal control deficiencies) are followed by significant changes in the cost of equity that range from 50 to 150 basis points. Overall, our cross‐sectional and intertemporal change test results are consistent with internal control reports affecting investors' risk assessments and firms' cost of equity.
The Going‐Concern Market Anomaly
Authors: KAUSAR ASAD , TAFFLER RICHARD J. , TAN CHRISTINE 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACTWe explore the market response to announcements of first‐time going‐concern (GC) audit opinions and, for a subset of these cases, their subsequent withdrawal, from 1993 to 2005. We find that the market fully responds to GC withdrawal announcements but underreacts to the GC announcements themselves, resulting in a downward drift of −14% over the one‐year period subsequent to the GC opinion. This result is robust to alternative explanations documented in prior literature. However, after adjusting for transactions costs, the opportunity to earn profits by trading on this market anomaly is limited. We demonstrate that despite such clear adverse signals about the firm's continuing financial viability, this information is not being fully impounded by the market on a timely basis. Our findings differ from those of others who suggest that there is no pricing anomaly associated with GC opinions in the United States. We show that this is likely due to important issues with their research methods.