bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Vision and Relations: Elements for an Entrepreneurial Metamodel
Authors: Filion Louis Jacques 
Published: October 2007

Dr LOUIS JACQUES FILION WAS UNTIL recently director of the Master's programme in Small Business at the University of Quebec at Trois Rivieres. He has recently been appointed director of training and research at the Heart of Quebec Enterpreneurship Center attached to the same university. This research is based on a smaple of 59 enterpreneurs-51 in small firms and eight in large firms from five countries. The implict systemic model of each enterpreneur was mapped using the soft systems methodology developed by Peter Checkland at the University of Lancaster in Britain. Data was gathered through in-depth interviews with the enterpreneurs themselves and,in most cases, teh people around them. The metamodel presetned tin this paper is a result of superimposing the models derived from each enterpreneur studied. This model implies three categories of vision: emerging, central and secondary. Following presentation and explanation of each category, a visionary process is proposed, based on the study and analysis of what enterpreneur do. The main factor supporting both teh development of teh vision and visionary achievement seems to be the enterpreneur's relations systems. Although it is the man factor as far the development of the vision is concrened, theree otehr factors also contribute to the visionary process: leadership, energy and the perceptive system conditioned by each individual's own values. this latter is introduced as the concept of Weltancschauung. A visionary process presetns an interest for enterpreneurial activites as it offers as framework for reflection and actions. It also offers a way for the enterpreneurs to integrate a tam into what he is doing.
Forestry Researchers as Information Users in Nigeria
Authors: Adedigba Yakub A. 
Published: October 2007

In a questionnaire survey undertaken to study the information gathering habits of forestry research scientists in Nigeria, the results indicate that (1) most forestry research scientists in Nigeria consult two or more information sources, (2) they rely heavily on the literature as their major source of scientific information, (3) accessibility, convenience, reliability, ease of use and language are key factors in determining their choice of information source, and (4) the libraries of the organizations in which they work constitute their major source of scientific information. It is recommended that collection development programmes should be established for the libraries in the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, the Federal Department of Forestry and the Department of Forestry Resources Management of the University of Ibadan. The use of informal sources of information should be encouraged and obstacles to this end identified and removed.
Source Separation of Plastic Wastes Yields and Qualities From a Pilot Study in Norway
Authors: Bekkevold Sigrun 
Published: October 2007

Source separation experiments in some selected commercial and industrial establishments showed that the individual establishment participating in the sortering, had a yearly generation of polyethylene (PEL) foil waste of 0.4-2.8 t, corresponding to 7-168 kg/employee each year. There were no problems of separating PEL foil from other waste components. Difficulties consisted in removing attached contaminants (labels and tape) and there was a general positive attitude by employees concerning participation in a permanent source separation process and even in improving the sorting procedure. The regenerated plastics showed satisfactory properties for applications in refuse sack production, but the degree of contamination of the input material was generally higher than acceptable for an extrusion process. Extensive plastic recycling based on source separation of consumer waste would require mechanical wet refining/sorting before regeneration to prevent frequent clogging of extruder filters. However, refining might be omitted for wastes from a few careful selected establishments. Based on the present price situation for PEL, mechanical baling of plastic wastes before transportation is necessary.
Residential Recycling Programs: Environmental, Economic and Disposal Factors
Authors: Everett J.W. 
Published: October 2007

The type of recycling program initiated by state or local government is related to (a) the environmental awareness of the population and the subsequent reflection of that awareness in government, (b) the state's municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal situation, and (c) the market conditions for recycled materials. Two hypotheses are studied: (1) voluntary participation recycling programs are initiated when environmental awareness is the driving force and market conditions are good and (2) mandatory participation recycling programs result when the driving force is MSW disposal difficulties. New Jersey and Oregon, two of the states, with statewide mandatory and voluntary recycling programs respectively, are studied with respect to the events leading to the enactment of their recycling programs. The hypotheses are supported by the events in each state. Hypothesis 2 is further supported by data from 48 states comparing information on each state's MSW disposal situation with the local and statewide recycling programs reported in a survey. The percentages of mandatory recycling programs increase with increasing MSW disposal difficulty. A measure of environmental awareness must be developed before hypothesis one can be studied with cross-sectional data.
The Political Context of Real Estate Development
Authors: Strom Elizabeth 
Published: October 2007

Real estate supply and demand appear to be largely market forces, but in fact they are shaped by public policies on the local and national level. Berlin is an example of a city whose central city property market has been heavily influenced by policies growing out of the extraordinary circumstances attending German reunification. Both the local state and the federal government have taken steps that have either inten tionally or inadvertently impacted the demand for and supply of property; often the various arms of the state have acted at cross-purposes in pursuing their goals. Demand for commercial real estate has been pushed by the new interest in Berlin accompanying the decision to make it the capital of united Germany. Federal subsidies designed to encourage investment in the former East Germany have further fuelled demand. The supply of central property has been shaped by the political and legal issues surrounding privatization of the state-owned holdings in the city's eastern half, and the unclear policy goals of the vari ous arms of local and national state responsible for land disposition.
Prognostic factors in childhood anaplastic large cell lymphoma: results of a large European intergroup study
Authors: Le Deley Marie-Cécile , Reiter Alfred , Williams Denise , Delsol Georges , Oschlies Ilske , McCarthy Keith , Zimmermann Martin , Brugières Laurence 
Published: October 2007

Abstract
To study prognostic factors of progression/relapse, data concerning 225 children enrolled between 1987 and 1997 in Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster, Société Française d'Oncologie Pédiatrique and United Kingdom Children's Cancer Study Group prospective studies for the treatment of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) were merged. Median follow-up was 9.3 years. Five-year overall survival and event-free survival of the whole population was 81% (95% confidence interval, 76%-86%) and 69% (63%-74%), respectively. B symptoms, mediastinal involvement, skin lesions, visceral involvement, St Jude stage 3-4, Ann Arbor stage 3-4, and elevated lactate dehydrogenase increased the risk of progression/relapse in the univariate analysis. In the multivariate analysis, 3 factors remained significant: mediastinal involvement (relative risk [RR] = 2.1 [1.2-3.5]), visceral involvement defined as lung, liver, or spleen involvement (RR = 2.1 [1.3-3.6]), and skin lesions (RR = 1.9 [1.1-3.2]). Five-year progression-free survival (PFS) of the 81 patients with none of these risk factors was 89% [82%-96%], contrasting with a 5-year PFS of 61% [53%-69%] in the 144 patients with at least 1 risk factor (RR = 4.4 [2.2-8.9; P < .001). In conclusion, 3 factors associated with an increased risk of failure in childhood ALCL have been defined: mediastinal involvement, visceral involvement, and skin lesions.
Comparison of T-Spot.TB and tuberculin skin test among silicotic patients
Authors: Leung C. C. , Yam W. C. , Yew W. W. , Ho P. L. , Tam C. M. , Law W. S. , Wong M. Y. , Leung M. , Tsui D. 
Published: October 2007

In the present study, T-Spot.TB and the tuberculin skin test (TST) were compared in the screening of latent tuberculosis infection among silicotic patients.A conditional probability model was used to compare the potential clinical utilities of T-Spot.TB and TST performed on 134 silicotic subjects from December 1, 2004 to January 31, 2007. Data from a historical cohort were also reanalysed for further comparison.Agreement with T-Spot.TB was best using a TST cut-off of 10 mm. Age ≥65 yrs independently predicted a tuberculin reaction <10 mm (odds ratio = 3), but not a negative T-Spot.TB response. Lower measures of agreement were observed among current smokers and those aged ≥65 yrs. Tuberculin reaction size was well correlated with both early secretary antigenic target 6 and culture filtrate protein 10 spot counts, except among current smokers. Within the current estimates of sensitivity (88–95%) and specificity (86–99%) for T-Spot.TB, the positive likelihood ratio for T-Spot.TB test would be substantially higher (6.29–95.0versus1.65–1.94) and negative likelihood ratio substantially lower (0.05–0.14versus0.32–0.41) than the corresponding ratios for the tuberculin test. A low tuberculosis risk differential was similarly observed between tuberculin-negative and untreated tuberculin-positive subjects in the historical cohort.T-Spot.TB is likely to perform better than tuberculin test in the screening of latent tuberculosis infection among silicotic subjects.
Epidemiology of sarcoidosis in Japan
Authors: Morimoto T. , Azuma A. , Abe S. , Usuki J. , Kudoh S. , Sugisaki K. , Oritsu M. , Nukiwa T. 
Published: October 2007

The present study was designed to identify recent clinical phenotypes using the National Epidemiological Survey and to compare findings with those of previous surveys in Japan.Pathologically confirmed sarcoidosis cases newly diagnosed in 2004 were eligible for the present study. Disease parameters were recorded and compared.A total of 1,027 patients were enrolled from a cluster encompassing 79.4% of the entire Japanese population. The study participants consisted of 364 males and 663 females, providing an average incidence rate of 1.01 per 100,000 inhabitants (0.73 for males and 1.28 for females). The age-specific incidence rate displayed a biphasic pattern in the whole patient population and in the females. The male incidence rates peaked in the 20–34-yr-old group. A second peak for 50–60-yr-old females showed a higher incidence than the first younger peak. Patients with abnormalities in eyes, skin and cardiac laboratory findings accounted for 54.8, 35.4 and 23.0% of cases, respectively. The female/male incidence ratio was increased, and the frequency of eye and skin involvement and cardiac abnormality was higher than in previous surveys conducted in Japan.In conclusion, the data obtained in the present study differ from those of other countries and showed changes in sarcoidosis clinical phenotypes compared with previous studies in Japan.
Cirrhosis-induced defects in innate pulmonary defenses against Streptococcus pneumoniae
Authors: Propst-Graham Katie L , Preheim Laurel C , Vander Top Elizabeth A , Snitily Mary U , Gentry-Nielsen Martha J 
Published: October 2007

AbstractBackgroundThe risk of mortality from pneumonia caused byStreptococcus pneumoniaeis increased in patients with cirrhosis. However, the specific pneumococcal virulence factors and host immune defects responsible for this finding have not been clearly established. This study used a cirrhotic rat model of pneumococcal pneumonia to identify defect(s) in innate pulmonary defenses in the cirrhotic host and to determine the impact of the pneumococcal toxin pneumolysin on these defenses in the setting of severe cirrhosis.ResultsNo cirrhosis-associated defects in mucociliary clearance of pneumococci were found in these studies, but early intrapulmonary killing of the organisms before the arrival of neutrophils was significantly impaired. This defect was exacerbated by pneumolysin production in cirrhotic but not in control rats. Neutrophil-mediated killing of a particularly virulent type 3 pneumococcal strain also was significantly diminished within the lungs of cirrhotic rats with ascites. Levels of lysozyme and complement component C3 were both significantly reduced in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from cirrhotic rats. Finally, complement deposition was reduced on the surface of pneumococci recovered from the lungs of cirrhotic rats in comparison to organisms recovered from the lungs of control animals.ConclusionIncreased mortality from pneumococcal pneumonia in this cirrhotic host is related to defects in both early pre-neutrophil- and later neutrophil-mediated pulmonary killing of the organisms. The fact that pneumolysin production impaired pre-neutrophil-mediated pneumococcal killing in cirrhotic but not control rats suggests that pneumolysin may be particularly detrimental to this defense mechanism in the severely cirrhotic host. The decrease in neutrophil-mediated killing of pneumococci within the lungs of the cirrhotic host is related to insufficient deposition of host proteins such as complement C3 on their surfaces. Pneumolysin likely plays a role in complement consumption within the lungs. Our studies, however, were unable to determine whether pneumolysin more negatively impacted this defense mechanism in cirrhotic than in control rats. These findings contribute to our understanding of the defects in innate pulmonary defenses that lead to increased mortality from pneumococcal pneumonia in the severely cirrhotic host. They also suggest that pneumolysin may be a particularly potent pneumococcal virulence factor in the setting of cirrhosis.
The CORONIS Trial. International study of caesarean section surgical techniques: a randomised fractional, factorial trial
Authors:   The CORONIS Trial Collaborative Group
Published: October 2007

Abstract

Background
Caesarean section is one of the most commonly performed operations on women throughout the world. Rates have increased in recent years – about 20–25% in many developed countries. Rates in other parts of the world vary widely.
A variety of surgical techniques for all elements of the caesarean section operation are in use. Many have not yet been rigorously evaluated in randomised controlled trials, and it is not known whether any are associated with better outcomes for women and babies. Because huge numbers of women undergo caesarean section, even small differences in post-operative morbidity rates between techniques could translate into improved health for substantial numbers of women, and significant cost savings.

Design
CORONIS is a multicentre, fractional, factorial randomised controlled trial and will be conducted in centres in Argentina, Ghana, India, Kenya, Pakistan and Sudan.
Women are eligible if they are undergoing their first or second caesarean section through a transverse abdominal incision.
Five comparisons will be carried out in one trial, using a 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 fractional factorial design. This design has rarely been used, but is appropriate for the evaluation of several procedures which will be used together in clinical practice. The interventions are:
• Blunt versus sharp abdominal entry
• Exteriorisation of the uterus for repair versus intra-abdominal repair
• Single versus double layer closure of the uterus
• Closure versus non-closure of the peritoneum (pelvic and parietal)
• Chromic catgut versus Polyglactin-910 for uterine repair
The primary outcome is death or maternal infectious morbidity (one or more of the following: antibiotic use for maternal febrile morbidity during postnatal hospital stay, antibiotic use for endometritis, wound infection or peritonitis) or further operative procedures; or blood transfusion.
The sample size required is 15,000 women in total; at least 7,586 women in each comparison.

Discussion
Improvements in health from optimising caesarean section techniques are likely to be more significant in developing countries, because the rates of postoperative morbidity in these countries tend to be higher. More women could therefore benefit from improvements in techniques.

Trial registration
The CORONIS Trial is registered in the Current Controlled Trials registry. ISCRTN31089967.
Clinical implications of metastatic lymph node ratio in gastric cancer
Authors: Liu Caigang , Lu Ping , Lu Yang , Xu Huimian , Wang Shubao , Chen Junqing 
Published: October 2007

AbstractBackgroundThe 5-year survival rate in patients with gastric cancer is still poor, and lymph node metastasis is considered one of the most important prognostic factors. However, there are controversies in the classification of lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer. This study was carried out to investigate whether the metastatic lymph node ratio is a reliable classification of lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer in Chinese.Methods224 cases with gastric cancer with more than D1 dissection were retrospectively reviewed. The association between the total number of resected lymph nodes and the number of metastatic lymph nodes was determined. The prognostic value of the metastastic node ratio, defined as the ratio of the number of metastatic lymph nodes over the total number of resected lymph nodes, and the pN classification was assessed.ResultsThe number of metastatic lymph node increased with the number of total resected lymph nodes. A Cox regression revealed that the metastatic node ratio, the number of metastatic nodes, histological type, and histological growth pattern independently influenced prognosis. The 5-year survival rates were 78%, 61%, 25%, 0% in cases with a metastastic node ratio of 0%, > 0% but < 40%, 40–80%, > 80%, respectively (P< 0.001), and were 78%, 62%, 38%, 0% in cases with gastric cancer histologically classified as pN0, pN1, pN2, pN3, respectively (P< 0.001).ConclusionThe metastatic lymph node ratio is a simple and useful independent prognostic factor. It may obviate possible confounding factors that are related to stage migration, and should be considered as an important component in the lymph node category.
Multiscale computational analysis of Xenopus laevis morphogenesis reveals key insights of systems-level behavior
Authors: Robertson Scott H , Smith Chris K , Langhans Anna L , McLinden Sara E , Oberhardt Matthew A , Jakab Karoly R , Dzamba Bette , DeSimone Douglas W , Papin Jason A , Peirce Shayn M 
Published: October 2007

Abstract

Background
Tissue morphogenesis is a complex process whereby tissue structures self-assemble by the aggregate behaviors of independently acting cells responding to both intracellular and extracellular cues in their environment. During embryonic development, morphogenesis is particularly important for organizing cells into tissues, and although key regulatory events of this process are well studied in isolation, a number of important systems-level questions remain unanswered. This is due, in part, to a lack of integrative tools that enable the coupling of biological phenomena across spatial and temporal scales. Here, we present a new computational framework that integrates intracellular signaling information with multi-cell behaviors in the context of a spatially heterogeneous tissue environment.

Results
We have developed a computational simulation of mesendoderm migration in the Xenopus laevis explant model, which is a well studied biological model of tissue morphogenesis that recapitulates many features of this process during development in humans. The simulation couples, via a JAVA interface, an ordinary differential equation-based mass action kinetics model to compute intracellular Wnt/β-catenin signaling with an agent-based model of mesendoderm migration across a fibronectin extracellular matrix substrate. The emergent cell behaviors in the simulation suggest the following properties of the system: maintaining the integrity of cell-to-cell contact signals is necessary for preventing fractionation of cells as they move, contact with the Fn substrate and the existence of a Fn gradient provides an extracellular feedback loop that governs migration speed, the incorporation of polarity signals is required for cells to migrate in the same direction, and a delicate balance of integrin and cadherin interactions is needed to reproduce experimentally observed migratory behaviors.

Conclusion
Our computational framework couples two different spatial scales in biology: intracellular with multicellular. In our simulation, events at one scale have quantitative and dynamic impact on events at the other scale. This integration enables the testing and identification of key systems-level hypotheses regarding how signaling proteins affect overall tissue-level behavior during morphogenesis in an experimentally verifiable system. Applications of this approach extend to the study of tissue patterning processes that occur during adulthood and disease, such as tumorgenesis and atherogenesis.