bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Experience in adverse events detection in an emergency department: Nature of events
Authors: Hendrie James , Sammartino Luke , Silvapulle Mervyn J , Braitberg George 
Published: January 2007

AbstractObjective:  The study was performed to determine the nature of adverse events in an ED.Methods:  The methodology has been described in the accompanying paper. Two by two tables were analysed using the two‐tailed Fisher’s exact test. A P‐value of ≤0.05 was considered significant. Statistical analysis was performed using MINITAB.Results:  One hundred and ninety‐four events were detected, from a sample of 3222 patients. Except where specified, events with management causation ≤3 were excluded. This excluded 24 events (12.4%) leaving 170 for analysis. Errors of commission occurred in 55% and omission in 45%. Errors of commission were significantly associated with prior events, errors of omission with ED events (P ≤ 0.0001, respectively). The most common cause of events was drug reactions. 1.35% had a Naranjo score ≥ 1, 0.54% ≥ 4. Prior events were significantly associated with adverse drug reactions (P ≤ 0.0001). Drug reactions were associated with a lower preventability score (P ≤ 0.0001). Diagnostic issues were present in 1.2%. All three categories, that is diagnosis not considered, diagnosis within the differential and seriousness not appreciated were associated preventability ≥4 (P ≤ 0.0001, P ≤ 0.02 and P ≤ 0.004, respectively). Diagnostic problems were significantly associated with ED events (P ≤ 0.0001).Conclusion:  In conclusion, the data demonstrate that events fall into two sets: prior events which are associated with errors of commission, drug reactions and lower preventability; and ED events which are associated with errors of omission, diagnostic issues and high preventability.
Comparison between single‐dose oral prednisolone and oral dexamethasone in the treatment of croup: A randomized, double‐blinded clinical trial
Authors: Fifoot Allison A , Ting Joseph YS 
Published: January 2007

AbstractObjective:  To compare the effectiveness of three corticosteroid regimens in children with mild to moderate croup.Methods:  Double‐blinded, randomized comparative trial with parallel design, conducted in the ED of a paediatric tertiary care hospital. Children aged 6 months to 6 years presenting to the ED with croup were eligible for inclusion if their Westley croup score was 2 or more. They were randomized to receive a single oral dose of either prednisolone 1 mg/kg, dexamethasone 0.15 mg/kg or dexamethasone 0.6 mg/kg. Primary outcome measures were the magnitude and rate of reduction in Westley croup score, rate of return for medical care with ongoing croup, and further treatment with steroids in the week following index presentation. Secondary outcome measures were the proportion of subjects requiring admission or salvage therapy, such as nebulized adrenaline, during index presentation.Results:  A total of 99 children, aged 6–79 months, were enrolled (mean age: 1.7 years). Thirty‐four patients were randomized to receive prednisolone 1 mg/kg, 34 to receive dexamethasone 0.15 mg/kg, and 31 to receive dexamethasone 0.6 mg/kg. Baseline characteristics of the three groups were similar. The parents of 86 patients (87%) were available for follow‐up telephone interview at 1 week. There were no significant differences in primary or secondary outcome measures between the three treatment groups.Conclusions:  Both prednisolone 1 mg/kg and low‐dose dexamethasone (0.15 mg/kg) were found not to differ in efficacy from the currently recommended 0.6 mg/kg dexamethasone. The use of these corticosteroid regimens in treating patients with mild to moderate croup is thus supported.
Hsp70 Negatively Controls Rotavirus Protein Bioavailability in Caco-2 Cells Infected by the Rotavirus RF Strain
Authors: Broquet Alexis H. , Lenoir Christelle , Gardet Agnès , Sapin Catherine , Chwetzoff Serge , Jouniaux Anne-Marie , Lopez Susana , Trugnan Germain , Bachelet Maria , Thomas Ginette 
Published: January 2007

ABSTRACT
Previous studies demonstrated that the induction of the heat shock protein Hsp70 in response to viral infection is highly specific and differs from one cell to another and for a given virus type. However, no clear consensus exists so far to explain the likely reasons for Hsp70 induction within host cells during viral infection. We show here that upon rotavirus infection of intestinal cells, Hsp70 is indeed rapidly, specifically, and transiently induced. Using small interfering RNA-Hsp70-transfected Caco-2 cells, we observed that Hsp70 silencing was associated with an increased virus protein level and enhanced progeny virus production. Upon Hsp70 silencing, we observed that the ubiquitination of the main rotavirus structural proteins was strongly reduced. In addition, the use of proteasome inhibitors in infected Caco-2 cells was shown to induce an accumulation of structural viral proteins. Together, these results are consistent with a role of Hsp70 in the control of the bioavailability of viral proteins within cells for virus morphogenesis.
Role of V1V2 and Other Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Envelope Domains in Resistance to Autologous Neutralization during Clade C Infection
Authors: Rong Rong , Bibollet-Ruche Frederic , Mulenga Joseph , Allen Susan , Blackwell Jerry L. , Derdeyn Cynthia A. 
Published: January 2007

ABSTRACT
Biologically functional clade C envelope (Env) glycoproteins from the chronically (donor) and newly (recipient) infected partners of four heterosexual transmission pairs in Zambia were cloned and characterized previously. In each case, the donor viral quasispecies contained Envs that were resistant to autologous neutralization by contemporaneous plasma, while the recipient Envs were sensitive to neutralizing antibodies in this donor plasma sample. The donor Envs also varied in length, glycosylation, and amino acid sequence of the V1V2 hypervariable domain of gp120, while the recipient Envs were much more homogeneous. To assess the contribution of V1V2 to the neutralization phenotype of the donor Envs, V1V2 domains from neutralization-sensitive recipient Envs were replaced with donor V1V2 domains, and the autologous neutralization sensitivities of the chimeric Envs were evaluated using a virus-pseudotyping assay. Long donor V1V2 domains regulated sensitivity to autologous neutralization, although the effect was dependent on the Env background. Short donor V1V2 domains did not confer neutralization resistance. Primary sequence differences in V2 were also found to influence neutralization sensitivity in one set of recipient Envs. The results demonstrate that expansion of the V1V2 domain is one pathway to escape from autologous neutralization in subtype C Envs. However, V1V2-independent mechanisms of resistance also exist, suggesting that escape is multifaceted in chronic subtype C infection.
Exposure to mercury in the mine of Almadén
Authors: García Gómez Montserrat , Diego Caballero Klink José , Boffetta Paolo , Español Santiago , Sällsten Gerd , Gómez Quintana Javier 
Published: January 2007

Objectives:To describe the process for obtaining mercury and the historical exposure of Almadén miners to mercury.Methods:Information on every workplace and historical data on production, technological changes in the productive process and biological and environmental values of mercury was collected. A job-exposure matrix was built with these values and the exposure to inorganic mercury was estimated quantitatively as μg/l of urine mercury. A cumulative exposure index was calculated for every worker by adding the estimates for every year in the different workplaces.Results:In the mine, the highest exposures occurred during drilling, with values up to 2.26 mg/m3in air, 2194 μg/l in urine and 374 μg/l in blood. Furnace operation and cleaning were the tasks with the highest values in metallurgy, peaking up to 3.37 mg/m3. The filling of bottles with mercury by free fall gave values within a range of 1.13–2.43 mg/m3in air; these values dropped to 0.32–0.83 mg/m3after introducing a new ventilation system. The toxicity effects of high doses of inorganic mercury on the central nervous and urinary systems have been known for decades.Conclusions:The exposure of the workers in Almadén mines to mercury has been very high. The extremely high content cinnabar ore of the mine explains the increased concentrations of mercury in air at the work places. This, together with inadequate working conditions, explains the high mercury levels found in blood and urine during the study period.
The anatomy ofSantalum album(Sandalwood) haustoria
Authors: Tennakoon Kushan U. , Cameron Duncan D. 
Published: January 2007

Structural attributes of Santalum album L. (Sandalwood) haustoria have been long overlooked in the literature. This is surprising since successful haustorial formation is key to the survival of individuals of this ecologically and economically important plant. We investigated the morphology of haustoria formed by S. album attached to one of its principal hosts Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsley) A. Gray. The bell-shaped mature haustoria were composed of a peripheral hyaline body and a centrally located penetration peg. The parasite penetration peg can penetrate the host by means of direct pressure and the secretion of cell-wall-degrading enzymes when forming a successful graft union. The latter mechanism is supported by this study as we observed no evidence of collapsed host cells as the result of parasite applied pressure. Upon reaching the xylem tissue of the host root, the penetration peg formed a thin ellipsoidal disc and the host–parasite interface was almost entirely composed of parenchymatous tissue. Luminal continuities were absent between the xylem conducting tissues of the partners, thus suggesting mass flow of solutes is unlikely to occur in this association. High densities of contact parenchyma were found at the host–parasite interface; thus it is probable that these are the principal structures formed by the parasite that facilitate the acquisition of host-derived xylem resources. This study therefore concludes that haustorial anatomy of S. album supports cross membrane (potentially selective) uptake of host-derived solutes as opposed to mass flow via vascular continuity.
WORLDSHEET COVARIANT PATH INTEGRAL QUANTIZATION OF STRINGS
Authors: VAN TONDER ANDRÉ 
Published: January 2007

We discuss a covariant functional integral approach to the quantization of the bosonic string. In contrast to approaches relying on noncovariant operator regularizations, interesting operators here are true tensor objects with classical transformation laws, even on target spaces where the theory has a Weyl anomaly. Since no implicit noncovariant gauge choices are involved in the definition of the operators, the anomaly is clearly separated from the issue of operator renormalization and can be understood in isolation, instead of infecting the latter as in other approaches. Our method is of wider applicability to covariant theories that are not Weyl invariant, but where covariant tensor operators are desired. After constructing covariantly regularized vertex operators, we define a class of background-independent path integral measures suitable for string quantization. We show how gauge invariance of the path integral implies the usual physical state conditions in a very conceptually clean way. We then discuss the construction of the BRST action from first principles, obtaining some interesting caveats relating to its general covariance. In our approach, the expected BRST related anomalies are encoded somewhat differently from other approaches. We conclude with an unusual but amusing derivation of the value D = 26 of the critical dimension.
Modelling and performance evaluation of multiprocessor based packet switches
Authors: Melús J. L. , Sanvicente E. , Magriñá J. 
Published: January 2007

This paper presents an approximate analytic model for the performance analysis of a class of multiprocessor based packet switches. For these systems, processors and common memory modules are grouped in clusters, each of them composed of several processor-memory pairs that communicate through a multiple bus interconnection network. Intercluster communication is also achieved using one or more busses. The whole network operates in a circuit-switched mode.
After access completion, a processor remains active for an exponentially distributed random time. Access times are also exponential with different means, depending upon the location (local, cluster, external) of the referenced module. The arbitration is done on a priority basis.
The performance is predicted by computing the average number of switched packets per time unit. Other related indexes are also given. Numerical results are obtained rather easily by solving a set of two algebraic equations. Simulation is used to validate the accuracy of the approximations used in the model.
Computing failure
Authors: Glass Robert L. 
Published: January 2007

Computing people can learn from failure as well as success. Most professional papers deal only with the latter ... yet it is well known that some of our most lasting learning experiences are based on failure. This paper is a lighthearted, anecdotal discussion of a computing failure, with an underlying message that sharing the sometimes embarrassing truths about What Goes Wrong In Our Field is at least as illuminating as more serious discussions about Things That Look Promising.
There are some necessary defense mechanisms to be dealt with in discussing failure. People who have failed in general do not want the world to know about it. Perhaps even more so, companies which have failed also do not want the world to know about it. As a result, the content of this paper is fictionalized to some extent. That is, company names and people names are creations of the author, and there are corresponding distortions in some story details. However, the computing meat of the paper, the basis for the failure learning experience, is untouched.
The establishment and use of measures to evaluate the quality of software designs
Authors: Yin B. H. , Winchester J. W. 
Published: January 2007

It has been recognized that success in producing designs that realize reliable software, even using Structured Design, is intimately dependent on the experience level of the designer. The gap in this methodology is the absence of easily applied quantitative measures of quality that ease the dependence of reliable systems on the rare availability of expert designers.
Several metrics have been devised which, when applied to design structure charts, can pinpoint sections of a design that may cause problems during coding, debugging, integration, and modification. These metrics can help provide an independent, unbiased evaluation of design quality. These metrics have been validated against program error data of two recently completed software projects at Hughes. The results indicate that the metrics can provide a predictive measure of program errors experienced during program development.
Guidelines for interpreting the design metric values are summarized and a brief description of an interactive structure chart graphics system to simplify metric value calculation is presented.
Software acceptance testing that goes beyond the book
Authors: Martin K. A. 
Published: January 2007

The design of software acceptance tests is as important to meeting contract goals as is the design of algorithms. This statement is particularly significant on fixed price contracts with tight schedules. An extreme instance of the demand placed on acceptance testing can be found in software projects wherein the only rigorous testing that required the Computer Program Configuration Item (CPCI) to exercise its repertoire of load and store instructions was the Formal Qualification Test (FQT). This paper is about such a project, the lessons learned from it, and provides an effective test approach for fixed price contracts.
A word or two about the project is appropriate to establish the context that underscores the impact of the above assertion. Initially 30K (core words), 16-bit program instructions were to be developed within one year using a Varian 73 computer with 32K words of memory for a Command and Control application under a fixed price contract. A set of a priori conditions existed that tended to convey the impression that the inherent risks of this endeavor were reasonable. They were the “facts” that:
Of the 30K (core words) to be written, 30% of this code already existed and would be used.
Contractor standards would be allowed for documentation with limited use of Military Specifications
No formal Design Reviews or audits would accompany the deliverable CPCI.
Existent executive software would suffice.
A competent and enthusiastic team was committed to the effort.
A measurement of structure for unstructured programming languages
Authors: Cobb Gary W. 
Published: January 2007

Software Science is a field of Natural Science which deals with the development of measurements which reveal properties of software programs. These measurements are qualified as to their degree of correlation to human beings being able to construct or understand a subject program. Maurice Halstead has pioneered much of the theories in this field ((5) through (10)), which applies statistical and psychological testing techniques to the evaluation of the measurements. The basic inputs to the Halstead predictors are easily measured: the number of distinct operators and operands, and the number of occurrences of the operators and operands. Due to the statistical nature of the measurements, there can be erroneous results when applying them to small sample spaces. However, the predictors are very adequate when applied to large samples, that is, large software systems. In an excellent review article by Fitzsimmons and Love (4), it is pointed out that several of the estimators defined by Halstead assumed that the subject programs were well-structured, and inaccurancy in the predictors can result if they are applied to "unpolished" programs. In fact, Halstead qualified six classes of impurities in code which can cause the length predictor to be inaccurate.
The definition of volume for software, another predictor introduced in Halstead's book, is related to the level of the specification of the program. An algorithm which is written in assembly language will have a greater volume than the same algorithm written in Pascal, due to the richness of the semantic constructs that are available in the higher-level languages. Hence, this predictor is language dependent.
The value of a proper software quality assurance methodology
Authors: Tighe Michael F. 
Published: January 2007

This paper describes the experiences of a project development team during an attempt to ensure the quality of a new software product. This product was created by a team of software engineers at Digital Equipment Corporation, a mainframe manufacturer. As a result, the definition of “to ensure the quality of a software product” meant minimizing the maintenance costs of the new product. Ease of maintenance and a low bug rate after release to the customer were very important goals from the beginning of the project.
This paper compares the degree of application and resultant effects of several software quality assurance methodologies upon different parts of the final product. Many of the product's subsystems were created using all of the discussed methodologies rigorously. Some subsystems were created with little or no use of the methodologies. Other subsystems used a mixture. The observed quality of the various subsystems when related to the methodology used to create them provides insights into the interactions between the methodologies. These observations also supply additional experience to reinforce established beliefs concerning the value of quality assurance methodologies.
An exact solution method for the general class of closed separable queueing networks
Authors: Zahorjan John 
Published: January 2007

In this paper we present a convolution algorithm for the full class of closed, separable queueing networks. In particular, the algorithm represents an alternative method to those already known for the solution of networks with class changes, and is the first efficient algorithm to deal with Lam-type networks [11].
As an application of the algorithm, we study a simple queueing network with disk I/O devices connected to a single CPU through a single channel. The algorithm is then used to develop a simple, accurate approximation for the blocking of disk devices that takes place when a customer using a disk is waiting for or in service at the channel.
A model of shared dasd and multipathing
Authors: Bard Yonathan 
Published: January 2007

This paper presents a model of an I/O subsystem in which devices can be accessed from multiple CPUs and/or via alternative channel and control unit paths. The model estimates access response times, given access rates for all CPU-device combinations. The systems treated are those having the IBM System/370 architecture, with each path consisting of a CPU, channel, control unit, head of string, and device with rotational position sensing. The path selected for an access at seek initiation time remains in effect for the entire channel program.
The computation proceeds in three stages: First, the feasibility of the prescribed access rates is determined by solving a linear programming problem. Second, the splitting of access rates among the available paths is determined so as to satisfy the following principle:
The probability of selecting a given path is proportional to the probability that the path is free.
This condition leads to a set of nonlinear equations, which can be solved by means of the Newton-Raphson method.
Third, the RPS hit probability, i.e. the probability that the path is free when the device is ready to transmit, is computed in the following manner: From the point of view of the selected path, the system may be viewed as being in one of 25 possible states. There are twelve different subsets of states whose aggregate probabilities can be computed from the (by now) known flow rates over the various paths. The maximum entropy principle is used to calculate the unknown state probabilities, with the known aggregate probabilities acting as constraints. The required RPS hit probability can be computed easily once the state probabilities have been determined. Explicit formulas are given for all these quantities. Empirically derived formulas are used to compute the RPS miss probability on subsequent revolutions, given the probability on the first revolution.
The model is validated against a simulator, showing excellent agreement for systems with path utilizations up to 50 percent. The model is also validated against measurements from a real three-CPU system with 31 shared devices. In this validation, the I/O subsystem model acts as a common submodel to three copies of a system model, one for each CPU. Estimated end-user transaction response times show excellent agreement with the live measurements.